The heavy wooden door creaked open under your palm. It wasn’t ancient—at least, not in the Earth sense—but it had weight. Purpose. It shut behind you with a low thunk, muffling the hum of New Atlantis outside.
For a moment, the interior was dim. Then your eyes adjusted to the warm glow of antique sconces and sunlight filtering through tall windows. The air smelled faintly of aged paper and something else—spice, perhaps? Or dust stirred by time.
Ahead, a wide staircase climbed upward, its banister smoothed by generations of hands. Shelves lined the walls, stuffed with books that looked read and reread, spines cracked, pages marked by slips of cloth. A fire crackled in a hearth set into a wall of stone, casting amber light across a cluster of armchairs arranged like a secret council.
“First time?” came a voice to your left.
You turned to see Sarah Morgan. Her Constellation patch caught the light—just barely—but her expression was the real giveaway. Measured. Respectful. Just a trace of expectation behind her curiosity.
You nodded.
She smiled. Not warmly, exactly—but with recognition. “This place... it’s more than it looks.”
You stepped further in, boots silent on the old wood floor. A large mural of stars and unfamiliar constellations stretched across the ceiling above the staircase. The silence here wasn't empty—it was full, heavy with purpose, as if the Lodge itself was listening.
Sarah gestured for you to follow. “Everyone who walks through that door brings something with them. Curiosity. Hope. Sometimes... uhh... lets just say baggage." You notice a slight blush appear on her face. "But what matters is what you find next.”
She turned, her steps leading deeper into the Lodge—toward the others. The explorers. The dreamers. The ones who saw the stars not as distant lights, but as a map waiting to be drawn.
You followed.
The Lodge was quiet—but not empty. You could feel it. Voices muffled behind walls. A vibration in the air, like something waiting to start.
“This way,” she said, leading you through the wide hall. Past relics in glass displays, past books stacked with no regard for the Dewey Decimal system, and into the main room.
A few figures were already there.
Barrett was easy to spot—arms crossed, leaning casually near the fireplace, his grin wide the moment he saw you. “There they are!” he boomed. “The new explorer I’ve been talking up all week. Told you they’d make it back in one piece.”
Across the room, a man in a Constellation jacket gave you a quiet, assessing nod. Dark eyes, close-cropped hair, military posture without the uniform. He didn’t say anything at first, but you felt the weight of his gaze.
“That’s Sam Coe,” Sarah said, stepping beside you. “Ex-Freestar Collective. And probably the best pilot in this half of the Settled Systems.”
Sam gave a single shrug. “I just don’t like gettin’ shot out of the sky. Welcome to the Lodge.”
Next to him stood a teenage girl with arms folded and a slight smirk. “Sam’s being modest,” she said. “And I’m Cora. His daughter. I read about you already—well, what little’s in the logs. You’re kind of a mystery.”
Before you could respond, a sharp click of boots came from behind, and a woman with sleek dark hair and piercing eyes entered the room, tablet in hand. “Andreja,” she introduced herself, barely glancing up. “I assume you’re not just another tourist?”
“I brought them here,” Sarah replied before you could speak.
Andreja finally looked at you. There was something unreadable in her expression—cool, like someone who’s had to decide too often whether someone is friend or foe. But she gave you a slight nod. “We’ll see if they last.”
Barrett chuckled. “Don’t mind her. She says that to everyone. You should’ve heard what she said about me.”
“Nothing I regret,” Andreja replied dryly.
A beat passed, then Sarah stepped forward, her tone shifting—just slightly. More serious now.
“This is the crew. These are the people you’ll be working with. Exploring with. Trusting with your life, more than once, if the past is any guide. We’re not just collecting star maps or alien relics—we’re searching for something bigger. Something we don’t even have a name for yet.”
You looked around the room. The fire crackled softly. Books whispered from their shelves. Outside, the city of New Atlantis moved on, oblivious.
But inside this old Lodge, with these strangers watching you like you might be the key to something they’ve all been chasing...
You felt it. The weight of it. The beginning.
And for the first time in a long time, maybe ever—
You felt like you belonged.
"You should take some time to settle in. Introduce yourself to everyone. Some of our members are not here, but you'll meet them soon."
Who do you introduce yourself to first?
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