Quarantine

Humanity has reached for the stars, pushing far beyond the solar system in a desperate search for a second home. Colonies on Mars and nearby moons thrive, but every expedition to distant worlds ends in failure: hostile environments, deadly microbes, incompatible ecosystems, or alien species that react unpredictably to human intrusion. As exploration fleets journey ever deeper into space, tension escalates with each encounter, revealing a species that is bold, ambitious, and dangerous in its own right. Back home, fear grows within human command. What if a unified alien force retaliates? Discussions of planetary defense and protection intensify, leading to massive engineering projects designed to safeguard Earth, Mars, and the outer colonies. Unknown to humans, some of their supposed allies work quietly behind the scenes, guiding the construction of systems far beyond human comprehension. As the network grows, so does uncertainty. Glitches appear, strange behaviors at the edges of the solar system are reported, and the line between safety and something far more ominous begins to blur. Humanity must confront its own vulnerability, its limitations, and the unpredictable nature of the universe it seeks to conquer. How far can human ingenuity go before the cosmos pushes back?