A million miles from home, the Gateway stood silent. Its vast ring, once a shimmering portal to countless worlds, now housed only echoes and the dim hum of dying machinery. Dust motes danced in the feeble light cast by flickering monitors, their displays long devoid of the vibrant data streams that once pulsed with life.
A sudden flicker sparked across the control panel, followed by a hiss of reactivating machinery. Lines of cryptic code scrolled rapidly across the screens, their luminescence a stark contrast to the surrounding gloom. Warning lights flared, their harsh red glow painting the sterile walls in a menacing hue.
A disembodied voice, metallic and devoid of emotion, echoed through the cavernous halls. "Incoming Jump detected."
The screens erupted in a maelstrom of conflicting data. Error messages flashed alongside the incoming jump coordinates, highlighting the impossibility of the event. The automated voice, its tone unchanged, announced, "Same Point Entry... Error!"
Ignoring the warnings, the Gateway's power cells hummed to life, their energy reserves straining to reach critical levels. A low groan resonated through the station as the dormant machinery strained to fulfill the impossible command.
With a surge of power that momentarily flickered the dying lights, a portal ripped open in the center of the ring. Energy arced wildly, crackling like a thousand dying stars. Then, propelled by an unseen force, a lone vessel hurtled through the portal, leaving behind a trail of fading energy.
The vessel, sleek and versitile in design, bore no markings or insignia. It was a ghost ship, an anomaly defying the very laws of physics. It streaked past the Earth's moon, a silent witness to the devastation etched upon its surface. The once-proud celestial body hung in the sky, a shattered puzzle of a thousand broken pieces, a testament to the unknown calamity that had befallen the world.
Unfazed by the destruction, the vessel continued its descent, its destination unknown, its purpose a mystery. It carried within its hull an unknown entity, a visitor from beyond the stars, hurtling towards a world on the brink of change, a world where the arrival of this unannounced guest could rewrite the course of history.
Sweat beaded on Salome's forehead as he parried another blow from Keal's staff. The harsh afternoon sun beat down, turning the dusty training grounds into a furnace. Every muscle in his body ached, but he pushed himself harder, the urgency evident in Keal's focused gaze.
Inside, Helena kneaded dough, her brow furrowed in concentration. But it wasn't just the task at hand that caused the furrow. A throbbing pain pulsed behind her eyes, a telltale sign of one of her migraines. It was more than just a headache, though. When they struck, they brought with them an indescribable feeling, a sudden shift in the world around her.
Suddenly, a streak of light pierced the sky, leaving a shimmering trail behind it. Helena gasped, dropping the dough as a jolt coursed through her. This wasn't just a headache; it was different. She felt a shift in the very fabric of reality, something she couldn't quite grasp.
Leaving the dough unfinished, Helena hurried out of the house, her migraine temporarily forgotten. She found Salome and Keal standing on a hill overlooking the settlement, their faces etched with concern as they stared towards the mountains in the north.
"What is it, Mother?" Salome asked, his voice laced with worry.
Helena met his gaze, her eyes flickering with urgency. "The future feels... different," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Something has changed."
Salome's heart hammered in his chest. Her migraines, though unpredictable, were always a harbinger of trouble. He looked at his mother, his eyes reflecting the same fear and newfound resolve he saw in hers.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the land, a plume of smoke rose from behind the mountains, tinged an ominous red by the fading light.
Helena turned to Salome, her gaze filled with steely determination. "We need to prepare," she said, her voice firm. "Whatever awaits us is dangerous, but we will investigate it tomorrow."
Taking a deep breath, Salome nodded, his gaze turning towards the smoke-filled mountains. He didn't know what they would find when they reached the crash site, but he knew, with a certainty that mirrored his mother's, that their lives would never be the same.
The news of the object's crash spread like wildfire through the settlement. Fear flickered in every eye, replacing the simmering unease with a stark reality. Helena's cryptic words, "The future feels... different," echoed in Salome's mind, fueling a growing sense of dread.
Under Keal's grim leadership, preparations began in earnest. Weapons were sharpened, rations were collected, and a watchtower was manned around the clock, its gaze fixed on the smoke plume ominously rising from the northern mountains.
Nightfall descended, cloaking the settlement in an oppressive darkness. Salome, unable to find solace in sleep, paced his room, the polished floorboards creaking beneath his restless steps. He glanced at his worn leather pouch lying on his table, its use still a mystery. Given to him during the growing shadows of night, by his mother.
A knock on the door startled him. It was Keal, his face etched with the deep lines of worry etched by years of hardship and this new, unforeseen threat.
"We leave at dawn," Keal said, his voice rough with unspoken emotions. "We need to investigate the crash site. But be prepared, Salome. We're venturing into unknown territory."
Salome nodded, his own resolve hardening. Fear was present, but it was overshadowed by a fierce determination to protect his home and the people he cared about.
YOU ARE READING
Ascension Protocol
Science Fiction(Posting 2-3 chapters a week until finished) In the Distant Future, long after the ravages of war live the sparse remnants of humanity. Only echos of the past remain, in scattered overgrown ruins that hint at the catastrophe that took place. As th...
