The Beacon of Antecedence was a breathtaking sight. After weeks of traveling through a universe that looked like a spilled paint set, the Beacon was a vision of perfect, clean order.
It was a giant, spiraling tower made of a material that looked like a cross between ivory and solidified light. It rotated slowly, gracefully, in the dead center of a perfectly calm, stable bubble of reality.
For the first time in a long time, the stars on their viewscreen weren't swirling or glitching; they were just still, silent points of light. It was the most beautiful and peaceful thing they had ever seen.
The calm lasted for about thirty seconds.
"Uh, guys?" Emma said, her voice tight with alarm. "I'm detecting multiple energy signatures detaching from the Beacon. They're small, fast, and they're heading right for us. And based on their energy profiles… I don't think they're coming over to borrow a cup of sugar."
