Chapter 31 - An unexpected late night phone call from a secure intelligence terminal hints at an even greater classified mystery waiting ahead.
At midnight, the secure red landline telephone inside Catherine's private home study rang with a sharp, echoing chime.
Catherine picked up the receiver instantly, identifying the caller as the director of national intelligence calling from a deep-vault terminal.
"General Vance, we intercepted a deep-space signal bouncing off our orbital defense satellites from an unknown planetary origin," the director reported.
Catherine's eyes widened in profound astonishment as she listened to the telemetry details of the unexplained cosmic transmission.
"Is it a civilian satellite anomaly or a foreign state broadcast?" Catherine asked, her military instincts locking into high gear.
"Neither, General... the encryption signature doesn't match any known terrestrial technology on Earth," the director whispered gravely.
Catherine looked toward the hallway where a soft light shone from her daughter's room, knowing their journey was timeless.
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She took a deep, steady breath, settling her uniform collar as a brand-new, unthinkable chapter of human history began to unfold.
The mission to protect humanity had just expanded beyond the borders of Earth itself.
