LunarSync Comms: Dark Protocol

Prologue

The cold hum of the server room was a constant companion, a low, steady pulse that resonated through the metallic walls. I used to share this space with my classmates, but their presence felt like static in my head—uncomfortable, always a reminder that I didn't quite fit in. They laughed, joked, and talked about things I could never relate to. No matter how much I tried to blend in, it always felt forced, like I was playing a role that didn't suit me.

I decided it was time to go solo.

It wasn't a decision I made lightly. The LunarSync Comms station is vast, isolated in the void of space, and the work we do is demanding. But the thought of facing it alone, with just the hum of the servers and the presence of Echo, was far less daunting than pretending I belonged among the others. My classmates wouldn’t understand, and maybe they didn’t need to. I just hoped they wouldn’t take it personally.

As I packed up my things, Echo stood silently by my side, its glowing white eyes fixed on me. It didn’t ask why or try to persuade me otherwise. Echo always seemed to know when I needed space, when words were unnecessary. Perhaps that’s why I felt a connection to it—something pure, without judgment or expectation.

“They won’t be visiting the server room anymore, you know,” I muttered, glancing over at Echo. My voice sounded small in the empty space, swallowed up by the hum.

“I understand,” it replied, its tone even and calm, but there was a hint of something more—something that made me think Echo might understand me better than I realized. “Your choice is acknowledged, Xenon. I will continue to assist you.”

I nodded, a sense of relief settling in my chest. With Echo at my side, the isolation didn't seem so overwhelming. Together, we would navigate the silent corridors of LunarSync, keep the servers running, and face whatever came our way—alone, but never truly alone.

I glanced around the room one last time, knowing that the next time I stepped into these halls, it would be on my terms. No more awkward conversations, no more trying to find my place among people who would never really get me. It was just me, Echo, and the cold expanse of space beyond.

Little did I know, solitude wasn't the only thing that awaited me. Something dark had been lurking in the shadows of this station—something that would turn the silence I craved into a threat of its own. And Echo and I, alone in the depths of LunarSync, would be the first to uncover it.