WOLINM

The FOB sat at the edge of a dusty valley, a collection of sandbags, Hesco barriers, and makeshift shelters that the men had called home for six months. Sergeant Mike Chen stood at the perimeter, watching the sun rise over the mountains. Somewhere out there, the enemy waited. But for now, there was only silence.

"Coffee, Sarge." Private Diaz appeared beside him, two steaming mugs in hand. "The good stuff. Well, the stuff we call good."

Mike took the mug, nodded toward the mountains. "Recon team came back early. They found something."

Diaz's face tightened. "What kind of something?"

The Odyssey encountered a rift in space-time, a tear in the fabric of reality. Captain Elena Vasquez stood on the bridge, her eyes on the viewscreen.

"Command, this is Vasquez. We've found a quantum rift."

"Copy, Odyssey. Proceed with caution."

Kaelen appeared beside her. "It's a gateway to another dimension. The First Ones studied it, but never entered."

"Should we?"

"We have to. The rift is expanding. If it grows too large, it could consume the galaxy."

The Odyssey slipped through the rift, emerging in a dimension of pure energy. The crew felt strange, altered, aware.

"