Back from the Shadows
Horologium C2136 Star System, near the Stargate.
Amidst the pitch-black void, raging stars blaze, sending torrents of energy that scour the cosmos. Two planets close to the blazing star have been scorched, while three gas giants in the outer ring have had their thick, dense atmospheres violently stripped away by fierce solar winds. These winds have left behind tails stretching for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, invisible to the naked eye.
Without a doubt, this star system has turned hostile to human existence. Once filled with vitality and thrumming with the traffic of ships between the space cities scattered across the Lagrange Node, it is now reduced to a hell of blazing infernos and despair.
A few neglected and drifting forsaken space cities have been ejected from their anchor orbits, becoming "asteroids" swirling around the central star. Others have been struck by meteors, plunging into the star, their fates sealed in fiery oblivion.
This star system has weathered countless disasters; nestled at the border of Sacrum Chu Imperium, it was incorporated into the Empire domain during the third exploration movement (Remark: Following the establishment of the Sacrum Chu Imperium, the Empire spearheaded three significant waves of exploration movements. Do not be confused with the two gold rushes that the early Terran Sphere initiated.) sparked by the Empire. Yet this star system was not forged by the Empire. Over a thousand standard years ago, during the second gold rush, daring Explorers from the Terran Sphere descended to nurture this celestial realm. This ancient star system harbors vast deposits of high-quality Trojite Crystals. Once a primary source of these crystals, it robustly supported the momentum of the second gold rush. As the gold rush reached its later stages, this star system finally broke free from the control of the Terran Sphere Government, emerging as an independent political entity. The trade of Trojite Crystals propelled this star system to rapid and remarkable affluence. Majestic space cities and spaceports rose, with merchant ships continuously flowing through the Stargates.
But fortune was not to last. The emergence of the Empire initiated three exploration movements, all radiating from the Star Crown System. During the third exploration movement, the Empire fleet arrived in this star system. Under the might of their force, the Horologium C2136 Star System had no choice but to yield and became part of the Empire.
With the outbreak of war, rebels and the Empire army engaged in fierce conflicts over the Horologium C2136 Star System, resulting in a protracted struggle that ravaged almost all space cities. In their relentless pursuit of dominance, both fleets executed perilous maneuvers without warp anchor points, leading to the destruction of numerous battleships in the ferocious warp storms.
In the battle for the Stargate, the rebel fleet clashed with the Empire fleet in a final showdown. After a brutal and bloody engagement, the rebels triumphed over the Empire army, driving their influence out of the Horologium C2136 Star System for centuries. Yet, peace remained a distant dream; ironically, shortly after the war, the central star erupted in chaos, unleashing waves of high-radiation jets. During the initial surge of radiation, countless space cities positioned at the Lagrange Node of the first and second planets were annihilated, resulting in the loss of millions.
Fresh from their victory, the rebels were thrown into disarray as a tide of civilian ships rushed to claim the Stargate. Amidst the turmoil and crossfire, a catastrophic humanitarian disaster took shape, leaving countless casualties in its wake.
With the last ship passing through the Stargate, the Horologium C2136 Star System became a hellscape of flames and blood, utterly devoid of life. All that remained were the drifting remnants of abandoned space cities and shipwrecks, whispering stories of their former glory.
Oddly enough, the Horologium C2136 Stargate's automated maintenance system remained active, sheltered from the solar storm, thanks to its position at the sixth Ice Giant's L2 Lagrange Node (Remark: Shielded by planets and was back-facing the storm), which was away from the star. However, in the absence of upkeep, this automated maintenance system would slowly succumb to the unyielding law of entropy, leading to the eventual demise of Stargate.
Were the Horologium C2136 Stargate sentient, it would undoubtedly weep for the turbulent saga that once unfolded in this star system.
It has seen brave Explorers overcoming obstacles, striving to carve out their existence in this challenging star system. It bore witness to the flourishing of this star system, where cities in space erupted like mushrooms, their trading paths resembling an intricate web channeling endless Trojite Crystals to other star systems.
It recorded the first arrival of the Empire fleet, the cries of freedom's resistance, the forced surrender, and the humiliation of subjugation. It observed the eruption of war, the brutal engagements between the Freedom Force and the Empire, and the inevitable downfall of the star system, where the shadows of greed were laid bare in disaster's wake...
As silence enveloped the scene, it thought this was the finale; although it could feel its heart (space seed) beating softly, it knew it would signify the end when it finally cooled down. The star system had evolved into an isle of despair rather than mere isolation, with its haunting memories of calamity resonating across the galaxy, forever untouched by visitors.
But today, something was different; the Horologium C2136 Stargate suddenly received a request for warp parameter calibration. As the dormant systems awoke, a multitude of threads sprang to life, mining essential information: warp parameters, variances, universal transit codes, and passage quality standards. If the Stargate had consciousness, it would surely shudder in fear; the mass calculations indicated that the arrival was not a mere ship but an immense fleet.
The mechanisms of the Stargate activated in unison, the space oscillators revving to full capacity, awakening the Stargate from its dormant state. A brilliant vortex materialized at the heart of the Stargate, golden radiance slicing through the emptiness, casting light upon the planet's shadowed surface.
From the depths of the vortex, the first ship emerged, a colossal steel titan stretching over two thousand meters, soon accompanied by a formidable fleet of battleships. An awe-inspiring fleet of steel surged through the Stargate, making its grand entrance into the Horologium C2136 Star System.
In the command chair of the flagship's bridge, a weathered elder sat, his expression one of unyielding resolve. The bridge remained shrouded in darkness, illuminated solely by the ethereal glow of holographic screens before the crew.
Rising to his feet, the young navigator turned towards the elder, delivering a flawless military salute. "Marshal, based on our analyses and computations, we have arrived in the Horologium C2136 Star System."
With a brief nod, the elder responded, "Good. Secure the warp parameters for the next node immediately."
"Affirmative, Marshal. We are on it, and results will arrive shortly," the navigator responded, pausing briefly. "However, Marshal, we have a situation here."
"Go ahead."
"As per our calculations, four leaps are required to reach our destination, with three nodes situated in inhabited territories, posing a risk of exposure."
"It matters not; we have long been exposed," the elder waved his hand. "Chart the most efficient path; we must reach the star system, no matter the cost. There are fleets tracking us. By the way, don't forget to take care of this Stargate."
Three standard hours later, the new coordinates were confirmed, and the fleet pivoted back into the Stargate, disappearing into the depth of the vortex.
Moments after the enigmatic fleet's exit, the energy bomb rigged in the Stargate's energy system detonated. Its devastation quickly spread to the maintenance and cooling systems, culminating in a cataclysmic explosion surpassing the energy of the central star when it reached the space oscillator at the core.
In a fleeting, soundless cataclysm, the Horologium C2136 Stargate was entirely annihilated, marking the end of its two-thousand-year saga.
At this very moment, in the far reaches of the galaxy, within a modest enclave of the Milky Way's third arm, orbiting the cradle of humanity, the illustrious hall of the Enlightenment Star Council was filled with thousands of delegates, and thus, the Dawn negotiations began.
The End (Part I)
