Agent047
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917 - EXPLOSION
🕑 Added 2025-05-28 11:09:15 +0000 UTCTwo Months Later — The Nexus
The Nexus Space Station was still deep in its construction phase, with activity buzzing across every level. But progress had been swift. The gates were already completed and locked into their required coordinates, allowing materials from across the Conclave to begin arriving in steady waves. Civilizations competed to deliver those materials, eager to earn END, which they could then exchange for precious mana stones. This approach allowed the Empire to preserve its own limited resources while tapping into the vast reserves spread across the Conclave.
Thanks to the station's modular design, the core sections were already operational. They now housed Imperial citizens and government workers from the Imperial Transportation Agency (ITA), who were responsible for overseeing and categorizing all the incoming sensor data. These sensors monitored every aspect of the wormholes, both the ones already active and those still under construction, including their traffic, structural integrity, and surrounding activity.
Although each civilization had full access to the sensor data for the wormholes located in their territories and the authority to grant or revoke access, the Empire retained overarching access across the entire Conclave network, along with veto and sanctioning powers on individuals, companies, or entities using the wormholes.
The Imperial Transportation Agency, rather than the military, was placed in charge of wormhole monitoring and administration. This had been both a diplomatic compromise and a strategic suggestion from the Empire itself. It was designed to reduce misunderstandings that might arise from military involvement, while also ensuring that civilizations remained responsible for the protection of wormholes within their own territories, eliminating the need for Imperial military vessels to be stationed within Conclave space.
Just last month, the network reached a critical threshold of interconnectedness, prompting both the Empire and Conclave civilizations to agree to open wormhole access to civilian traffic, though still limited to intra-civilization use, much like HERMES Inc.’s delivery routes.
As a result, the Nexus Wormhole Highway Central Command Center (NWHCCC) had become a hive of activity. Teams were tasked with monitoring, logging, verifying, and processing payments for every ship that used the wormholes. The demand was staggering, comparable to the frenzy of a new store opening with a massive discount. With the first two wormhole uses offered free, curious civilians flooded the network, eager to experience the technology firsthand.
…………………….
A normal-looking ship approached Wormhole Gate #104327518772, moving slowly along one of the twenty-four inbound lanes. The queue was long, crawling forward at a steady pace toward the inspection grid, the final checkpoint before being cleared for wormhole transit. The grid’s advanced sensors scanned each vessel meticulously, flagging any that required further scrutiny.
{Clear. Please move forward and proceed with payment after selecting your destination.}
The AI’s neutral voice echoed through the ship’s comms as the vessel passed the inspection grid without issue. Nothing unusual had been detected.
“Thank you,” the captain replied calmly, guiding the ship forward while authorizing the payment from the designated account. The transaction was completed without delay, it wasn’t their first time navigating this process.
Shortly after, the system assigned them an entry lane. The wormhole was massive, capable of handling over ten ships simultaneously, so entry points were divided by ship class and size to streamline traffic.
With all systems green and the payment confirmed, the ship aligned itself with its assigned entry vector and approached at the designated velocity. But just before crossing into the wormhole, the captain suddenly went silent. His posture stiffened… and then, disturbingly, his body began to wither, like a tree rotting from the inside. The transformation was so sudden and subtle that no one noticed, as everyone’s attention was on the approach.
“Captain, the ship’s engine is overdriving!” shouted the officer monitoring the propulsion systems. Panic edged his voice. “It’s overheating and might explode—”
He glanced over to get confirmation or instructions, but saw only an empty captain’s station.
“Captain? …Captain?” he called again, confused and increasingly frantic. The ship was fully fueled and carrying highly volatile materials. If the engine exploded while in transit, the detonation would be catastrophic.
Just as he turned to alert the rest of the crew, the alarm system began blaring louder. He spun back to his console, trying to initiate emergency protocols, but every command he issued was being overridden. The system seemed to be deleting his inputs, one by one.
“What the fuck is going on, where is the CAPTA—”
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
The ship erupted into a massive explosion, the combined force of the full fuel tanks and the explosive cargo igniting in a split second. The blast incinerated the crew before they could even register the heat, let alone react. There was no time to scream. No time to process.
Just silence and anxiety, then vapor.
Similar explosions occurred across twenty different wormhole gates in different star systems, simultaneously.
……………………..
Meanwhile
A massive fleet, fielding over ten million soldiers, moved in perfect formation toward a targeted specific coordinate, the sheer scale of it a display of overwhelming power.
“The coordinates have been verified. We’re ready to proceed on your mark, sir,” the navigation officer reported to the admiral commanding the entire operation.
“Run final checks. If everything’s green, we proceed,” the admiral ordered, sticking to protocol with the calm of someone who had done this countless times.
“All systems are, wait…” the officer hesitated.
The admiral’s brow furrowed, expecting the usual confirmation. Instead, something in the officer’s voice pulled at his instincts.
“What was that?” the admiral asked sharply. “Repeat that.”
The officer looked pale. “We’ve received confirmed reports, multiple wormholes on the lanes have been attacked, sir.”
The bridge fell quiet.
“Attacked?” the admiral repeated, his tone sharpening. “Ours?”
“Not just ours,” the officer replied grimly. “At least ten other civilizations have reported similar incidents. More are coming in by the minute.”
“Damn it…” The admiral stood still for a moment, weighing options.
“Halt all ships. No one moves until we get a full update,” he ordered firmly. “Prepare for possible emergency mobilization, defensive posture only. Do not initiate conflict unless fired upon.”
Then he turned back to the officer. “Get me a direct line to central command. We need clarification from the government, NOW.”
Comments
Jade
TYFTC!
Sol_Invictus(Hail the Terran Empire)
TYFTC!! I wonder what these beings are. Could they be some kind of hidden network within the Conclave itself? Or perhaps puppets controlled by another species from outside the Conclave?
