Your fingers trembled slightly as you raised your wrist chrono again, the digital display flickering under the pulsing red emergency lights. 07:47. Your stomach clenched - Chief Oren would have your head if you were late, but the blaring alarms demanded immediate attention. Through the chaos of rushing crew members, you spotted two paths: the direct route to engineering through the starboard maintenance corridor, or the longer but safer main hallway past the medical bay.

A junior medic slammed into you, her arms full of trauma kits. 'Sorry, Apprentice!' she gasped before darting toward what sounded like a collision in the mess hall. The deck plates vibrated with an unfamiliar rhythm beneath your feet, different from the steady hum of hyperspace travel. The ship's AI voice calmly repeated: 'Proximity alert. Unidentified vessel at 500 kilometers and closing.'

You noticed a flickering data pad abandoned on a nearby console. Its screen displayed a partial schematic of the Astral Dawn's shield emitters - exactly the systems that would need reinforcement if they were about to take fire. The scent of burning insulation suddenly wafted from a vent overhead as the artificial gravity fluctuated, making your stomach lurch.