RISE OF THE NEW ORDER

PROLOGUE

The siren on the colossal commercial ship wailed, a piercing, rhythmic clang that echoed through the metal corridors.

Warning! The ship is in critical condition!

The ship's AI announced, its voice a monotone drone.

System failure! damage detected 67%. Activating all emergency life support.

Warning! Initiating countdown for self-destruct. You have five minutes to reach the escape pods.

Outside, the ship's hull shuddered as escape pods shot out like projectiles, a desperate ballet of survival against the backdrop of a star-strewn void.

Inside a spacious cabin, bathed in the eerie glow of virtual capsules, two young men stood frozen in a tableau of despair.

One, Reign maluvs, slumped against a wall, his hand clutching a gaping wound in his abdomen.
A crimson stain bloomed across his light blue shirt, spreading like a morbid flower. His eyes, wide with disbelief and pain, met the gaze of his friend, Maru.

"I'm sorry, Reign," Maru choked out, his voice broken rasp. Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision."I had no choice. They threatened my family. I-I had to..."

Reign's lips moved, but no sound escaped. He struggled to breathe, each gasp a ragged, painful effort.

His mind raced, a whirlwind of questions. Why? Who? How could it end like this? What about his family? His girl?

The air grew thick with the metallic tang of blood and the suffocating scent of fear.

Maru sank to his knees, his shoulders shaking with sobs.
"I'm so sorry Reign. Please forgive me. Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for everything."

The ship's AI counted down, its voice a chilling metronome: "Self-destruct sequence initiated. Five, four, three..."

Maru looked at Reign, his face contorted with grief."I hope you forgive me, brother."

The countdown continued:
"Two, one..."

The ship erupted in a blinding flash of light, a fiery pyre against the cold expanse of space. The siren, a testament to human ambition and hubris, was no more.