The Calm Before The Storm

A few hours before departure...

Earth. Northern Hemisphere.

Adjacent to the towering I-CA Central Command Center, four other skyscrapers of optimal height reached skyward. On the top floor of one of these skyscrapers, inside a small office adorned with pre-Reboot era aesthetics, an old man sat in the main chair, his eyes closed.

-Beep-

-Beep-

The intercom suddenly rang, and the old man opened his eyes. His pupils were dark voids, capable of swallowing all they beheld. Despite his bald head, a thick, long black beard adorned his face.

Stretching his bony hands, the old man picked up the intercom.

"Are you sure?"

Listening to the response, an ephemeral glint flashed in his eyes. His voice, drenched in ancient authority, carried weight as he spoke.

"Alright. Keep a close watch and let me know."

The old man commanded, terminating the connection.

Taking a deep breath, he dialed another sequence of numbers. Soon, another voice resonated from the other side.

"You heard the report?" the old man asked, his authoritative tone unwavering.

"So, what now?" he inquired, his mind already contemplating various scenarios.

After a brief exchange, the old man disconnected the call.

Gazing out at the expanse of the I-CA Central Command, he pondered the unfolding events. 

I-CA, the new world government, was formed by top-tier powers after the decade of Reboot. The I-CA Senate, responsible for governance, had ten seats divided among the three most powerful factions, though not equally.

Among these powers, the Church of Darkness and the Malak family each occupied one seat. The old man, known by his moniker 'Darkness,' headed the Church of Darkness. His real name was forgotten even to him, and he preferred to be called 'Old man.' One of the most powerful figures on the planet, he led the formidable 'Church of Darkness.' Despite having no naval designation, no one dared underestimate him.

A few hours later, the intercom rang again.

-Beep-

-Beep-

The Old man picked up and quietly listened to the report. Although the report was brief, the excitement it brought was significant.

The connection terminated, and he hurriedly contacted Admiral Khuraymah, the head of the Malak family, and only said a single sentence.

"We shall move ahead, the chance is here."

Planet Earth, the most beautiful planet in the solar system, harbored various hidden dangers beneath its serene facade.

The great Reboot left humanity scrambling for survival. Only after the formation of the Inter-Continental Alliance (I-CA) and the Military Command could humanity catch its breath. The Military Command acted as the guardians of the human race on Earth. Brave soldiers fought on the front lines, wielding advanced weapons to protect humanity from deadly, terraformed beasts and creatures bent on humanity's annihilation.

To minimize casualties in this never-ending war, the I-CA turned its gaze towards space, hoping to find a way out. They developed technology to explore space's vast wonders in search of resources. Yet, the greed for power and dominance had never been more intense. This greed gave rise to battleships and two rival Naval Stations in low-Earth orbit, each vying for dominance.

One of these Naval Stations was Lemegeton, with a spherical diameter of about a hundred kilometers. The station featured a spherical control module at its center, surrounded by cylindrical constructs like a gyroscope. The inner construct included a habitat module that moved along the central module to create artificial gravity for the crew and officers. The outer construct was stationary, acting as a spaceport for the I-CA Naval Command's battleships. The central module housed the reactor core powering the station, while the outer construct housed an electromagnetic weapon system capable of launching enhanced zero-gravity thermal weapons.

Docked at the spaceport was one of the I-CA Naval Command's two dreadnoughts, measuring approximately 257 meters in length and 32 meters in beam width. This dreadnought represented the pinnacle of I-CA technology, featuring a nuclear fusion reactor core and ion thrusters capable of producing a constant acceleration of 1g with multi-directional deceleration capabilities. Its weapon systems included a mix of thermal and electromagnetic weapons, such as deadly railguns and ballistic missiles, along with proximity mines, close-combat torpedoes, and electromagnetic shielding.

Those in power within the I-CA adhered to the principle that bigger was always better, and the dreadnought epitomized this belief. Equipped with state-of-the-art communication systems and radar technology, it had the capacity to house around 2,000 officers, making it a formidable weapon of destruction in space.

Typically, the dreadnought remained docked at the spaceport, only receiving orders for dispatch during extreme missions, such as surface bombardments and providing air support for ground troops.

Among the various officers on the Naval Station Lemegeton was Murphy, a technical officer in the power supply department responsible for maintaining the reactor core. With his timid nature and thin physique, Murphy often found himself the target of bullying by senior officers and colleagues. Today was no different. He performed his routine check on the fuel rods, noted the cooling system's temperature readings, and monitored the status of the power supply channels. After his shift, he retreated to his cabin and lay down on his bed.

As he was about to drift off to sleep, his bracelet started vibrating. Murphy's eyes snapped open, and he locked his cabin door remotely. He entered the small washroom, and his demeanor transformed. A hint of seriousness marked his face, and his eyes blazed with a newfound determination. He removed the bracelet, turned it over, and placed it on the sink. Using a small pin, he locked it into a tiny hole on the side and twisted it slightly. The bracelet stiffened, and a stream of encrypted messages began to appear. Murphy's mind quickly decoded the message:

[Begin the operation]

Taking a deep breath, Murphy resumed his normal countenance. He twisted the pin again, returning the bracelet to its original state, and wore it. He then opened a cabinet, retrieving a small ring with a trident-shaped symbol on its back. He also took out a small automatic pistol with a silencer, loaded the magazine, and removed the safety switch. Wearing the ring, he made his way toward the central module. Soon, he stood before a door labeled "Command Center." A small console on the side requested biometric verification to open the door.

Murphy produced a small, blue, finger-length rectangular device and placed it next to the console. A series of scripts began running through the system, attempting to bypass the security measures. Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the station.

These alarms indicated a hacker attempting to infiltrate the firewall and security systems. Due to the constant threat of intruders, the station's security consoles were interconnected, forming a wireless intranet. These consoles required the broadcast of a private key along with biometric information every time an officer physically accessed them. Each officer had a specific authority level within this security system, determined by their biometric data.

Murphy's device successfully bypassed the upper authority system, but he was unaware of the hidden broadcast system. The intruder detection system detected the unauthorized access attempt and triggered the alarm.

Despite the blaring alarms, Murphy remained unfazed. Pocketing the blue device, he drew his silenced pistol and aimed it at the door. Within seconds, the door swished open and—

Ptch

A small, muffled current sound marked the shot, and the officer who stepped through fell backward, his eyes wide with confusion, as a bullet pierced his head. Without artificial gravity in the central module, officers relied on magnetic shoes to stay grounded, resulting in the floating body hanging in the open doorway.

The doors, equipped with proximity sensors, stayed open as long as someone was in range. Murphy deactivated his magnetic shoes, causing his body to float. Re-engaging them against the wall, he bent his legs to store potential energy and then deactivated them again, propelling himself forward like a bullet. Twisting mid-air to avoid the floating corpse, he entered the room.

With his pistol drawn, he quickly dispatched two officers aiming assault rifles at the door. The recoil from his pistol sent him backward, but the bullets found their marks. The two officers' bodies twisted grotesquely as they died. The recoil from their rifles punctured the inner hull, but the soft cushioning layer between the hulls absorbed the impacts, preventing catastrophic decompression.

Detecting breaches, the station's automated defensive systems activated, and massive steel slabs descended from the walls, sealing off the breached sections. The unfortunate officer at the door was crushed, his blood splattering in the zero-g environment.

Murphy reactivated his magnetic shoes and landed softly on the floor. He moved to the terminal, withdrawing a red rectangular data spike, and inserted it into the computer system. Multiple holographic windows sprang to life, filled with streams of primitive computer code. Within moments, the data spike's program was installed.

He sat down at the terminal, initiating the program. A series of sub-programs flashed across the screen as he entered a set of coordinates and location data. The system began its ominous sequence.

[Warning. Weapon System Online.]

[Targeting Naval Station Poseidon.]

[Bombardment commencing.]

Outside the Naval Station Lemegeton, the laser targeting module swiveled, locking onto the distant Naval Station Poseidon. Turrets opened, and a series of ballistic pods containing thermal missiles were silently launched via electric catapults. In the vacuum of space, the silence was absolute as the pods accelerated towards Poseidon.

Blue miniature ion thrusters, powered by thermal batteries, ignited and propelled the pods closer to their target. Poseidon, with its thin layer of electromagnetic shielding designed to repel energy weapons, was vulnerable to the thermal attack. As the ballistic pods approached, Poseidon's thermal defense systems launched anti-thermal payloads in a desperate attempt to intercept the threat. However, lacking a solid radar lock, many countermeasures missed their mark.

The ballistic pods struck the electromagnetic shields, losing power but maintaining enough momentum to drift towards the hull. A barrage of anti-thermal projectiles destroyed most of the pods, resulting in a fiery explosion that illuminated the dark expanse of space. However, two pods managed to breach the defenses.

These remaining pods pierced Poseidon's outer hull, penetrating the middle layer. Moments later, the Naval Station was rocked by a tremendous explosion, the force of which nearly pushed it out of orbit. A fiery plume erupted from the station's circular rings, sending debris scattering into the void.

Inside the Command Center, Murphy sat at the terminal, watching real-time footage of the attack from the external cameras. A fleeting smile crossed his face before he turned his attention to the door. Sparks flew as someone tried to breach the massive steel slab.

Murphy grabbed the assault rifles and aimed at the door. As the slab was detached and pushed aside, he opened fire. In the zero-gravity environment, the harsh recoil battered his body, but he continued shooting. His magazine emptied quickly, and as he fumbled to reload, a bullet sliced through his neck, nearly severing his head. His lifeless, almost decapitated body floated grotesquely in the air.

Footsteps echoed as soldiers from the Naval Command, clad in space combat suits and armed with electromagnetic weapons, entered the room. The commanding officer surveyed the chaotic scene displayed on the screen with a frown.

He pulled out a communication device and entered a series of commands.

"Admiral Daniel, we have a situation," he reported.

After detailing the events, the officer awaited instructions.

[Search the body of the intruder. There should be something on him to identify his faction. Lock down the station and elevate the alert level to wartime status. We will not let this go unanswered. Await further instructions and activate the defensive protocol. I will be there soon.]

The commanding officer relayed the orders to his team, instructing them to search Murphy's body. The soldiers, displaying a stoic calm that suggested experience with such scenes, methodically examined the corpse.

One soldier found the blue rectangular box and the ring on Murphy's finger. Examining the ring, he noticed the trident symbol on the back. The commanding officer took the ring and frowned in confusion.

"Why would they attack their own Naval Station?" he mused aloud.