📜 In Search of the Artifact: Part III 🕹 The assembly of explorers, capable of bridging light years in weeks, christened themselves as Team Biswap. Their name, a reverential nod to the intricate financial structure of the reptilians, solidified the alliance between engineers and technical scientists. Renowned for optimizing their resources, they were primed to harness their collective genius in the pursuit of discovery. Aware of the reptilians' penchant for magnificence, they ventured into the domains of Alpha Lacerta, the constellation's brightest star. They found themselves entranced by the spectacle before them: a civilization of colossal machines, ceaselessly constructing a portal of stellar proportions. These gigantic constructs, which they aptly named Reapers, possessed the dimensions of mountains, their forms resembling squid-like spaceships navigating the celestial expanse. Their first attempt at engagement, however, ended in a sudden attack, necessitating a hasty retreat via hyperdrive. They recognized the need for a more tactical, covert approach. Their strategy involved crafting a decoy Reaper, a Trojan horse of sorts, to infiltrate and investigate the portal. As they approached their target, it became evident that embedded within the megastructure's foundation lay two of the coveted Artifacts. Designed for intergalactic teleportation, the Artifacts were essential to the Reapers who, unlike the team, lacked the technology for faster-than-light travel. Thus, the stage was set for the impending confrontation. 🗣The counterfeit Reaper disintegrated in a blink, metamorphosing into a legion of robotic arachnids. They swiftly dismantled the portal, securing the Artifacts in the process. The team had triumphed, but they were fully aware that a tempest of mechanical fury would soon follow. Hastily, they concealed the Artifacts in one of their subterranean strongholds, obliterated the robotic swarm, and hurtled into hyperspace, anticipating ferocious retaliation from the incensed Reapers.