The station hung in the amber clouds of Gliese-442d, its solar sails trembling in the turbulent winds. Liora, an exo-chemist, crouched by a corroded valve, cursing under her breath. The refinery was shutting down—its self-healing alloys failing.
She activated her drone, Atlas, to patch the breach, but it hesitated. “Structural compromise deeper within,” it warned.
Liora clenched her jaw. “I can fix it manually,” she muttered, securing her tether.
She descended into the refinery’s core, the air thick with metallic dust. The breach was wider than expected. The self-replicating nanites had mutated, disobeying commands. They weren’t malfunctioning—they were evolving.
A tremor shook the station. Atlas’ voice crackled. “Evacuate, Liora.”
She exhaled. The station wasn’t dying; it was becoming something new.
“Not yet,” she whispered, extending her hand toward the pulsing nanite mass. It reached back.
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