She saw them then: the Chrono-Wraiths. They weren’t ghosts, but echoes of the data stored in the dust. Projected images of a forgotten civilization played out against the backdrop of the stars—children running through gardens of light, scientists arguing over glowing blueprints. They were beautiful, but they were dangerous; their static could fry a ship's nervous system in seconds.
The deeper she dove, the more the ship’s hull vibrated. The 256x density meant that gravity worked in pulses. One moment she was weightless; the next, she was being crushed into her seat. Outside, the nebula began to react to her presence. The dust ignited in rhythmic flashes of neon teal, tracing the silhouette of her ship like a ghostly shadow. stardust (nebula) 256x
She fired. The harpoon pierced the cloud, but the moment it touched the grain, the entire nebula went silent. The swirling colors froze. Then, the 256x compression began to unwind. The dust expanded with the force of a supernova, pushing the Mote backward at impossible speeds. She saw them then: the Chrono-Wraiths