The Treasure Wreck Under Callisto - Short Story

The Treasure Wreck Under Callisto.

The icy crust of Callisto stretched endlessly above, a vast ceiling of frozen blue. Below, in the abyssal darkness of its hidden ocean, the Athenry submarine glided silently. Its metal hull gleamed, reflecting the pale light from its headlamps, as it cut through the frigid waters beneath Jupiter’s distant moon.

Captain Sbartaland, a seasoned salvager with eyes as sharp as the edge of a diamond blade, watched the sonar screen intently. The coordinates they had followed for months were finally yielding results. Her crew, a tight-knit group of treasure hunters and deep-sea experts, buzzed with excitement as the blurry outline of the wrecked submarine—the Emperor Martian—appeared on their monitors.

“There she is,” Sbartaland said, her voice steady. “Prepare the robots. We’ve got a treasure to haul.”

The Emperor Martian was a relic of another age, once the pride of the Emperor of Mars, but now a shattered ghost lying deep beneath Callisto’s ice. Its massive hull was split open, and the remains of its crew drifted like shadows within. The gold and lost cryptocurrency—rumored to be hidden within its armored vault—were worth fortunes beyond imagination.

The Athenry’s robotic scouts launched, sleek and agile, their mechanical limbs whirring as they swam through the water. They approached the wreck cautiously, their cameras scanning every inch. Sbartaland monitored their progress, fingers tapping commands into the console.

“Anything?” she asked.

One of her crew members, a tech named Rias, grinned. “We’ve found the vault hatch. Looks like it’s still intact.”

“Good,” Sbartaland replied. “Proceed with caution. We don’t know what security systems might still be active.”

But it wasn’t security systems they had to worry about. As the robots approached the vault, a movement stirred in the dark waters. Ancient mechanical swimmers—sleek, shark-like machines that had once guarded the Emperor’s submarine—awoke from their long slumber. Their eyes glowed a fierce red as they surged toward the Athenry’s robots.

“They’re coming fast!” Rias shouted. “We’re under attack!”

“Calm down!” Sbartaland ordered. “Pull the robots back and regroup.”

The robots retreated, narrowly avoiding the sharp claws and jaws of the attacking machines. Sbartaland’s mind raced. These defenders were advanced, built to protect the Emperor’s treasure at any cost. But they were old, and she knew she had to outthink them.

“Rias, run a diagnostic on their movements. Find a pattern.”

Rias’s hands flew over the console. “They’re operating on a loop, repeating the same attack pattern every sixty seconds.”

“Good,” Sbartaland said, a smile forming. “We’re going to use that against them. When they move away, send in one robot as bait to distract them. The others will slip past and open the vault.”

The plan worked. One of the Athenry’s robots darted ahead, drawing the mechanical swimmers’ attention. As they gave chase, the other robots moved swiftly to the vault. With precise movements, they cracked open the hatch, revealing the glint of gold and the encrypted codes of the lost cryptocurrency.

“Treasure secured,” Rias reported triumphantly.

“Bring it aboard,” Sbartaland ordered. “And let’s get out of here.”

As the robots hauled the treasure back to the Athenry, the crew watched in awe. They had done it—they had found the treasure of the Emperor Martian and outsmarted its ancient guardians. With the gold and cryptocurrency safely on board, the Athenry began its ascent, leaving the wreck behind.

Captain Sbartaland gazed out into the darkness, a feeling of triumph washing over her. They had ventured beneath the ice of Callisto and emerged wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. As the Athenry powered up, heading for the surface, she couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets lay hidden in the depths of the universe, waiting for those brave enough to claim them.
Admiral Simon Marius congratulated the crew and captain on their wealth when they returned to the surface.