Scheme

The screen flickered off, and in the silence of the empty star system, Alex stood deep in thought while Mira paced behind him, her agitation barely contained.

***

Meanwhile, across the void of space, in a sleek, shadowed control room aboard a ship hidden just outside Telorn's system, Donald leaned back in his chair with a self-satisfied smirk. 

The transmission from his ship to Alex's was complete. 

His plan had worked perfectly.

Donald tapped a sequence of commands into his terminal, initiating a secure connection to another ship. 

Within moments, a holographic display shimmered into existence before him, revealing the unmistakable figure of a Red Demon. 

Clad in their ominous red and black armour, the Demon's face was mostly obscured, save for glowing crimson eyes that pierced through the darkness of his helmet.

"Report."