The Catspaw

Thomas Barden can’t find rest. Night after night he drifts between half‑sleep and waking, haunted by a recurring vision of a luxurious couch beneath an endless, multicolored silk canopy. The delicate drapery feels both a sanctuary and a barrier, and something unseen presses against it, eager to break through. When the veil finally parts, a formless intelligence slips into his mind.

That alien presence speaks without words, transmitting a brand‑new scientific insight that could revolutionize humanity’s grasp of space travel. It explains that the knowledge is a desperate gift, meant to give Earth an edge in a looming conflict between two opposing factions of its own kind. As Barden grapples with the urgency of the message, he must decide whether to trust this mysterious benefactor and what the cost of such rapid advancement might be.