The stars had always looked distant—silent, harmless. But now, they stared back.
In the center of the Resistance Command Hall, the orb pulsed once more. Its glow lit Bob's cracked shell like ghost-fire.
Maya stared at it. "It's… alive."
Dev tilted his tablet. "It's not broadcasting. It's listening."
Bob, standing on the table like a general at war, narrowed his eyes. "Let's give it something worth hearing."
---
Echoes from Above
Outside Earth's atmosphere, a strange vessel had appeared—no engines, no weapons, just a floating monolith of black stone. And across its surface were carvings that moved like ink in water.
It didn't respond to hails.
Didn't fire.
Didn't speak.
But Earth's satellites died in seconds.
And across every screen on the planet—smartphones, neon signs, even microwaves—appeared one word:
> REMEMBER
---
Sparkstorm Protocol
In a secure bunker beneath the Himalayas, Maya and Bob met with the surviving leaders of the Resistance.
Ortega slammed his hand on the table. "What does it mean? Remember what?"
Bob shrugged. "Could be a threat. Could be nostalgia. Or maybe their alien boss forgot where he parked the mothership."
Dev frowned. "This is serious. The Spark inside you… it reacted. Like it recognized them."
Bob touched the orb, now dim. "They know me. Or what I carry."
Maya leaned in. "Then we find out why. And fast."
---
The Memory Gate
Deep within the ruins of the Overmind's mainframe, Bob found it—an ancient console that predated the Reapers. A hidden gate, encoded in Spark-signature.
Dev tapped his keyboard. "This code is... organic. It's growing."
Bob sighed. "Like a fungus. Great."
He placed his claw on the center.
With a crackle of light, the gate opened—and a hologram bloomed before them.
A cockroach. But larger. Armored. Eyes like galaxies.
> "To the last flamebearer—if you are seeing this, then our war has begun again."
> "We were once many. Carriers of the Spark. Warriors. Builders. Survivors."
> "But the Scorch came from the dark between stars. They devoured suns, turned memories to ash."
> "You, little one... are all that remains."
---
Bob's Response
Bob blinked. "...So I'm space royalty now?"
Dev muttered, "You're the last cockroach Jedi."
Maya punched his shoulder.
But Bob's expression had changed. He stood straighter, less sarcastic—more focused.
"We're not alone," he said. "And we're not done."
---
Incoming Transmission
Suddenly, every Resistance comm channel lit up.
A single message streamed across them all:
> "The Scorch arrives. One planet at a time. Earth is next."
> "Your flame dies here."
Bob chuckled.
"No pressure then."
---