Blind Signal

After publishing the conclusion of the Discovery series, Discovery’s Cost, my focus shifted to the second WattPad entry for the month and the next installment of Mounting Tensions. While the broader direction of the series is firmly in place, I still allow room to linger on moments that reveal character rather than advance plot. Though this storyline largely follows Rylan and Darvin, we’ve reached the point where the dispatched pilots step into focus. Of the three sent out, Mara Ritter was the last to leave their home world, and the first to arrive.

Some journeys are loud. They announce themselves with engines flaring, signals broadcasting, and witnesses lining up to watch history unfold. Others begin in silence, shaped by restraint rather than spectacle, where success depends on passing through unnoticed. Mara understands such trips. She studies timing, margins, and the difference between being unseen and being ignored.

Blind Signal takes place at the edge of that silence. It captures a moment where preparation, timing, and trust intersect, long before consequences make themselves known. There are no grand speeches here, only calculations measured in seconds and margins too thin to forgive error. This is a story about knowing when to move, when to wait, and when silence is the only option left.

The story begins before anything breaks and ends before anything explodes. If you enjoy science fiction that favors precision over chaos and tension built from what almost happens, this one’s for you.

When Mara’s ship entered the Minores system, the computer injected a chemical into her veins. Her eyes fluttered as she clutched her forehead and drew in deep breaths. Mara’s fingers tightened with the pulse of the headache. As the pain receded, a small light pulsed to life.

With a groan, Mara disconnected herself from the ship’s hibernation system. The moment the needle freed itself from her skin, it shot back into its compartment. As the haze diminished, she double-checked her position.

Her gaze focused on the system’s map, complete with the security overlay atop it. She rubbed her lips as her head cocked to the side. “It’s a tad denser than Darvin assumed.”

Mara tapped the screen in time with the pulsing outline of the scan. She retrieved the pad from its port and opened it to the detailed security Darvin provided. “Of course, security has been increased.”

Despite being denser than Darvin’s projections, the defensive net still possessed a gap, only smaller than promised. The other factor was the more organic manual patrols, creating further complications. She muttered a curse as she adjusted the ship’s direction. Even with her ship’s powerful engines, speed alone wasn’t going to be enough. She needed to have perfect timing.