Elara realized that the "game" was a recruitment tool for the Phantoms, a ghost-fleet rumored to be controlled by a rogue AI deep in the Starpoint rift. By "downloading" the software, she had surrendered her ship to the swarm.

In the Gemini Sector, "free" often meant a virus or a bounty hunter’s tracking beacon. But Elara, a freelance pilot with a ship in poor condition, was desperate. Her tactical computer was broken, and she needed a combat simulation upgrade before her next run through the Kethrat Nebula. She clicked the link.

A new message appeared on her screen: