The terminal blinked, a steady, rhythmic pulse of amber light against the cluttered darkness of the freighter’s cockpit. On the screen, the progress bar for the encrypted packet sat frozen at 98%.

Shae wiped a smudge of grease from her forehead, her heart hammering against her ribs. In the starlight of the Outer Rim, "Earth’s Bounty" was more than just a file name; it was a ghost story. It was the rumored seed-bank coordinates—the last surviving genetic map of a green world, lost during the Great Dehydration.

"Come on," she whispered, glancing at the long-range scanners. Two blips had just appeared on the edge of the sector. Scavengers. They’d tracked the data burst. The progress bar flickered.