Year of the Snake: Day 21 – The Astral Warning
By Captain Hedges Log Date: January 21, 2026 Location: Hedges’ Landing (The Swamp) Status: RED ALERT / MANIFESTATION IN CABIN
I thought the simulation file from Monday was just a corrupted ghost story. I was wrong. It was a distress beacon waiting for a trigger.
At 0400 hours, the static on the monitor didn't just clear up—it stepped out of the screen.
The cabin of the Penitent Thief was suddenly illuminated by a glowing, translucent figure. It was a Shadowborn Astral Knight, his armor flickering like bad reception, his sword humming with psychic energy. He didn't speak with audio; the warning echoed directly inside my skull.
"THE SERPENTS ARE AT THE DOOR. THEY SEEK THE VOID-HEART."
The MacGuffin in the Hold
It hit me like a plasma bolt. The raid on the General's supply depot last week. We grabbed everything not bolted down, tossed the crates into the cargo hold, and bugged out. We never drifted long enough to inventory the loot.
We have been sitting on a ticking time bomb.
According to the Astral Knight, one of those unopened crates contains a piece of vital Ophidian Void-Tech. The "Void-Heart." They aren't just blockading the sector for sport; they want their property back. And now they know exactly where it is.
The Impossible Choice
The Knight’s warning was specific: An Ophidian heavy landing party is currently slithering through the swamp toward our position. They will be here in minutes.
We have to lift off now.
There is just one massive problem. If I light the main engines to escape the ground troops, the thermal bloom will light us up like a flare. And waiting in high orbit, watching for exactly that, is the Ophidian Bio-Ship that chased us down here.
We are trapped. Ground troops on one side, orbital annihilation on the other, and a ghostly knight standing on my bridge telling me we are out of time.
Crew, battle stations. We’re doing this the hard way.
– Captain Hedges
Product Identity & Legal The "Year of the Snake" Project, "Ophidian Void-Tech," and the "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona are Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. Shadowborn concepts used as homage. © 2026 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
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