Author’s Note:

  This episode is published here up to the 75% mark.

  The remaining chapters—including the climax and aftermath—are available in the complete episode on Amazon.

  https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0GKQLW699

  Thank you for reading and supporting the series.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

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  The hunt is on. When Arbiter John Drayton tracks a hostile presence to a dead exoplanet and a legendary lost vessel, his mission escalates into a full-scale nightmare of alien warfare, biomechanical horrors, and impossible choices. With marines on the ground, the clock ticking, and the enemy always one step ahead, Episode 2 of Empire of Stars delivers relentless sci-fi action while unraveling a deeper conspiracy that threatens to consume entire worlds.