Chapter 1: Among the Leaves

Liora knelt in the warm soil of Greenhouse 3, her fingers brushing tenderly against the waxy leaves of the tomato vines she had nurtured for months. The air was rich with moisture and the mingling scents of chlorophyll and earth, a sharp contrast to the sterile, metallic tang that permeated the rest of Elysian Station.

The greenhouse was her sanctuary, the only place aboard the station where she could pretend she was still connected to Earth. Though she had never set foot on the planet, the plants tied her to its memory. The tomatoes, their plump red skins taut and glistening in the artificial light, were a triumph—a small defiance against the station’s growing fragility.

A faint chime echoed through the humid air, interrupting her reverie.

“Liora,” Kiran’s voice crackled over the comm system. “You’re still in Greenhouse 3, right?”

Liora rose to her feet, brushing soil off her knees. She tapped the comm panel on the nearby irrigation control. “Where else would I be?” she replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Command’s calling for a status update on all greenhouses after the flare this morning,” Kiran said. “They want you in Greenhouse 1 ASAP.”

Liora frowned, her fingers tightening on the edge of the panel. “Another flare? That’s three this month.”

“Tell me about it,” Kiran muttered. “The environmental systems are working overtime. If this keeps up, we’re looking at a full-scale failure somewhere on the station.”

“I’ll head over,” Liora said, turning to leave. She cast one last glance at the tomato vines, their delicate stems swaying in the breeze from the circulation fans. “And Kiran?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let anything happen to my tomatoes,” she said, half-teasing.

Kiran chuckled. “Your precious tomatoes are safe. For now.”

The corridor leading to Greenhouse 1 was dim, the emergency lighting casting long shadows across the walls. The station’s aging infrastructure groaned softly, a reminder of how long it had been since Elysian Station had received proper maintenance.

When Liora stepped into Greenhouse 1, she was struck by the stark contrast to her own space. This was the central greenhouse, home to the station’s largest and most delicate ecosystems. Towering trees dominated the space, their canopies filtering the artificial sunlight into a soft, golden glow. Cascading vines and vibrant flowers adorned the lower levels, creating a stunning imitation of Earth’s lost rainforests.

But something was wrong.

The air felt heavy, tinged with the faint, acrid scent of overheating systems. Ayana Noor, the station’s lead biologist, stood near the base of a massive ficus tree, her expression grim as she scanned a handheld diagnostic device.

“Dr. Noor,” Liora called out, stepping carefully over a tangle of exposed irrigation lines.

Ayana looked up, her sharp eyes narrowing. “You’re late,” she said briskly.

Liora ignored the comment. “What’s the situation?”

Ayana gestured to the tree, her lips pressed into a thin line. “The flare caused a surge in the environmental controls. We’re seeing fluctuations in oxygen levels and humidity across all greenhouses, but Greenhouse 1 took the worst hit. If we don’t stabilize the systems soon, we’ll lose the entire biome.”

Liora frowned, kneeling to inspect the base of the ficus tree. The roots were dry, their exposed surfaces cracked and brittle. “This shouldn’t have happened,” she said. “The irrigation system was reinforced last cycle.”

Ayana didn’t respond, her attention focused on the diagnostic device.

Before Liora could press further, a loud hiss echoed through the greenhouse. She turned sharply, her breath catching as a small panel near the floor popped loose, releasing a cloud of dust.

“What the hell is that?” Kiran’s voice came through the comms.

Liora moved cautiously toward the exposed panel, her heart racing. The compartment behind it was small, barely noticeable amid the tangle of pipes and wires. But what caught her attention was the faint glow emanating from within.

“Dr. Noor,” Liora called out, her voice tight.

Ayana joined her, her brow furrowing as she peered into the compartment. Inside was a small, sealed case etched with symbols Liora didn’t recognize.

“What is that?” Liora asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ayana shook her head, her expression unreadable. “Something that shouldn’t be here,” she said.

The case was heavier than it looked. Liora carried it carefully to the central workstation, her fingers brushing over the smooth, glass-like surface. Ayana stood beside her, scanning the symbols with a handheld device, while Kiran’s voice crackled through the comms, peppering them with questions.

“Any luck identifying it?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Ayana replied curtly. She tapped a sequence into the scanner, frowning as the device returned no matches. “Whatever these markings are, they don’t match anything in the station’s database.”

Liora hesitated, then carefully opened the case. Inside were rows of vials, each containing a small collection of seeds. Their labels were faded, the text written in a language she couldn’t decipher.

“Seeds,” Ayana said, her voice tinged with surprise.

“These aren’t in the greenhouse inventory,” Liora said, picking up one of the vials. The seeds inside glimmered faintly in the artificial light, as if infused with some kind of energy.

“Where did they come from?” Kiran asked over the comms.

Ayana’s lips pressed into a thin line. “That’s the question, isn’t it?”

The next few hours were a blur of activity. Ayana took the case to the lab for further analysis, leaving Liora to oversee repairs in Greenhouse 1. Kiran joined her, his toolbelt jangling as he crouched beside the damaged irrigation system.

“Find anything useful in that case?” he asked, his voice low.

“Seeds,” Liora replied, her tone distant.

“Seeds?”

“Not just any seeds,” she said. “Ancient ones. From Earth, maybe even before the Collapse.”

Kiran let out a low whistle. “That’s one hell of a find. Could they still grow?”

Liora hesitated, the weight of the question pressing against her. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But if they do, they might be the key to something we’ve lost.”

Before Kiran could respond, the station shuddered violently. The lights flickered, plunging the greenhouse into brief darkness before the emergency backups engaged.

“What now?” Liora muttered, gripping the edge of a support beam to steady herself.

Kiran checked his wrist console, his expression darkening. “Another surge,” he said. “And it’s a big one.”

The greenhouse’s environmental systems hissed and sputtered, their strained hum rising into a discordant whine. Liora’s stomach tightened as she realized the truth:

The station was failing.

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