The Iron Dawn

2rP1...AUVZ

15 Jan 2024

The comms crackled to life, Vanguard's gruff voice slicing through the static. "Horizon Station reporting catastrophic energy depletion. Life support failing. Evac in progress, but…" Silence. A strangled gasp that twisted Vanguard's gut.
Across the solar system, Maya slammed her fist on the console. "Vanguard? Vanguard, respond!" Static. Nothing. Her face twisted with worry. Maya knew Vanguard. He didn't leave messages unfinished unless hell was about to break loose.
Horizon Station, a lonely outpost orbiting a gas giant, housed their last bastion of scientific research. Its fall meant losing their edge in the perpetual tug-of-war with the Iron Dominion, a draconian regime hell-bent on galactic domination.
Maya, the Federation's communications whiz, had a knack for coaxing information from encrypted chatter like a cat teasing a yarn ball. Yet, with Vanguard's comms dead, Horizon was a blind spot. She needed another angle.
"Patch me through to Captain Sato on the Lunar Outpost," she barked at the AI assistant. "We need eyes on Horizon."
Sato, a grizzled veteran with a face etched by stardust and hard choices, appeared on the screen. "Horizon's gone dark, Maya. We picked up distress beacons scrambled beyond recognition."
"Scrambled?" Maya frowned. "Dominion tech?"
Sato's jaw tightened. "Most likely. Means they're already poking around for our secrets."
Panic gnawed at Maya. Horizon held their prototype quantum drive, a game-changer that could slingshot ships across galaxies. If the Dominion got their hands on it…
"Sato, we need to get eyes on that station, even if it's just drones."
Sato hesitated. "Risky. Dominion patrols swarm that sector."
"Then we send someone stealthy," Maya countered, her eyes flashing. "Vanguard."
Sato scoffed. "You think a lone operative can get to Horizon, bypass Dominion patrols, and figure out what happened, all before life support runs out?"
"He's our best shot," Maya said, her voice tight. "Besides, the comms died for a reason. Maybe Vanguard left a message hidden in the static."
Sato looked at her, understanding finally flickering in his eyes. "He's alive, then?"
"Hope so," Maya whispered, staring at the empty screen where Vanguard's face used to be.
Vanguard's boots splashed in the oily sludge coating the docking bay floor. Horizon Station groaned around him, lights flickering like fireflies on the verge of extinction. He'd infiltrated through a forgotten maintenance shaft, avoiding cameras and patrols with the practiced ease of a born shadow.
The silence was suffocating, broken only by the station's dying heartbeat. He found the main comms hub, a mangled mess of sparking wires and shattered consoles. In the center, the comms array blinked erratically, its rhythmic flicker like a dying Morse code message.
Vanguard tapped his helmet, activating his neural interface. He ran his thoughts through the array, coaxing them to resonate with the dying signal. Static snarled, then coalesced into a faint whisper.
"…proton…overload…breach…escape pod…two…"
The transmission dissolved into static again. Two survivors? Vanguard's heart pounded. There was still hope.
He followed the emergency escape pod logs, tracing their trajectory through the labyrinthine station. The air thinned, and he found himself at the edge of a depressurized observation deck. Beyond the shatterproof viewport, the gas giant swirled like a cosmic bruise.
And there, perched precariously on the edge, was Dr. Elara, Horizon's brilliant but volatile astrophysicist, and a young engineer named Kai, his face pale with terror.
Vanguard stepped into view, his face hidden in the shadow of his helmet. "Get back from the edge," he ordered, his voice a low growl.
Elara spun around, eyes wide with shock. "Vanguard? You're alive?"
He nodded, keeping his voice flat. "We need to get out of here. Dominion's on its way."
"The escape pods…" Elara choked back a sob. "Two malfunctioned. We were trapped."
Vanguard cursed inwardly. Time was their most precious commodity. He scanned the wreckage of a nearby launch pod, his mind racing.
"There's no time for pods," he said, his words sharp. "I'll boost Elara to the Lunar Outpost. Kai, you hold on tight."
Kai's eyes widened. "But… how?"
Vanguard grinned, a grim, humorless twist of his lips. "Welcome to the wild side, kid."
He secured Elara and Kai to his back, activating a hidden jetpack he'd salvaged from a decommissioned shuttle. The engines roared to life.

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