The Call to Kyma

Arthur Whitaker had lived with the secret for too long.

For decades, he had kept the Kyma Disc hidden, guarding it from prying eyes, from governments, from the world itself. He had always suspected it was not meant for Earth, that it had come from somewhere far beyond the stars.

Now, the ship was alive again, its golden hull glowing with energy that had been dormant for years. His grandsons—Jack (15), Charlie (12), and Sam (10) had awakened something they did not understand.

Then, the message came.

"System Command, Kyma. Transmission received. Identify yourself."

Arthur’s blood ran cold. This was not some abandoned relic, some forgotten piece of extraterrestrial technology. Someone was looking for it. Someone was waiting.

And now, they knew it had been found. Arthur wanted to shut it down immediately. To bury the ship, to erase the signal, to pretend none of this had ever happened.

But his grandsons? They had other ideas.

For Jack, Charlie, and Sam, this was not just a ship. It was an adventure, a mystery, a doorway to something greater than anything they had ever imagined.

The message from Kyma confirmed what they had hoped was true—this ship was not just an artifact. It was a connection to another world.

They had spent weeks restoring it, sneaking away at night, polishing its metal hull, learning its controls. The ship had responded to them, like it wanted to be flown again.

And now, they had a chance to make contact.

Arthur begged them not to answer.

He told them it was too dangerous, that they had no idea who was on the other end.

But Jack—always the leader refused to let the opportunity slip away.

Charlie, the logical one, believed they owed an answer. If the ship was this important, if someone was looking for it, then they had to know why.

Sam, the youngest, simply wanted to see what was out there.

For them, this wasn’t just a decision. It was destiny.

Jack took a deep breath, pressed the panel, and spoke.

"This is Jack Whitaker. I’m with my brothers, Charlie and Sam. We’re on Earth, a planet in the Solar System. We found your ship it was hidden for years, but we fixed it. We didn’t mean to activate the signal, but… well, we did. Who are you?"

The moment they sent it, the ship responded.

The glowing symbols along the console brightened, the engine pulsed, and for a brief moment, the air around them felt charged, electric, alive.

Then, the reply came through.

A voice, urgent, strained, speaking a language that the ship

immediately translated into English.

"This is Commander Vayren of Kyma System Command. You are in possession of a classified vessel designation Orion’s Wake. It was presumed lost decades ago. You must return it immediately."

The boys looked at each other in shock.

Arthur closed his eyes, his worst fears realized.

But then the next part of the message came through.

And everything changed.

"Our world is in grave danger., the warlords of the Kharak Rift have begun their final assault. Our defenses are failing. Without Orion’s Wake, we cannot stop them. If you have activated the ship, then you must listen carefully Kyma depends on you. You must bring the ship home. You must return to us before it is too late."

The message cut out.

The barn was silent except for the faint hum of the ship.

Jack turned to Arthur, expecting another protest, but his grandfather said nothing. His face was pale, his hands trembling slightly. Arthur had seen war before. He had lost family to it.

And now, his grandsons were being called into one.

But when he saw the determination in their eyes, he realized something.

He could not stop them. This was bigger than all of them now.

And the boys were already too far down the path to turn back.

The next few hours were a blur of preparation and emotion.

Arthur helped the boys gather supplies food, water, medical kits, tools. He showed them how to adjust the ship’s atmospheric systems, how to monitor the oxygen levels, how to prepare for zero gravity conditions.

But nothing could prepare him for saying goodbye.

As the boys stepped inside the ship,

Arthur placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder.

"You come back. All of you."

Jack nodded. They would try. Then, the doors sealed shut. And the ship came alive.

The ship rose from the ground, golden light flaring from its base as it hovered above the barn. Then, with a burst of energy, it shot into the sky, piercing the clouds, leaving Earth behind. The ship’s navigation system engaged, locking onto Kyma’s coordinates—a world across the expanse of the Andromeda System.

But there was one final step before they could reach it, the ship’s cryo-space travel system.

At light-speed travel, normal human bodies could not survive.

The ship’s AI speaking for the first time guided them to the cryo pods, sleek chambers designed to preserve them for the journey.

"Cryogenic sleep initiated. Estimated travel duration: 17 years, 3 months, 12 days."

Jack felt a wave of panic.

They would wake up decades older than when they left.

Earth would move on without them. Charlie, ever the scientist, calmed himself by studying the pod’s systems. Sam, excited but scared, held onto Jack’s arm as the countdown began.

5… 4… 3…

The pod’s lids sealed shut.

The freezing sensation flooded their bodies, their minds slowing, their vision darkening.

Then Silence.

Time had no meaning in cryo-sleep.

For 17 years, the boys drifted between the stars, unaware of the war that was waiting for them. When the pods finally opened, alarms were blaring.

The ship’s AI spoke urgently:

"Proximity alert. We have arrived at Kyma. Warning: hostile presence detected.

Prepare for immediate action."

Jack blinked, disoriented, as he looked out the window.

The sky was ablaze with war, they had returned Orion’s Wake, but had they come too late?