Calamity

[ 7:27, Friday, Lightless citadel time: ]

"Docking request approved! Voyager F562 has docked onto terminal C! Requesting personnel to collect imports with 8 minute timeframe. I repeat..."

"Requesting permission to dock at terminal G, voyager E107 incoming, requesting permission to dock at 7:32, LCT. I repeat, captain of voyager E107..."

A man dressed in standard import examiner uniform hurried past the long halls that connected the fourteen terminals of the Lightless citadel, scrambling to reach terminal N, the last terminal in line for inspection.

A woman stood at the front of the largest terminal, known as terminal A, and calmly marked off the names of all the passengers and captains that had docked at the terminal, efficiently verifying each person's identity.

The lightless citadel was only one of the many citadels that were scattered across the world, but it was undoubtedly one of the most important citadels, serving as the main administrative center for the Fragment of Valleri.

While there were countless other citadels that were spread out across the various Fragments of Sector 3: Ekantiri, the lightless citadel soon gained popularity as a well administrated citadel.

The lady who was previously ticking off names suddenly glanced at her watch and then started adjusting the microphone attached to her earpiece, bringing it closer towards her mouth, before finally starting her announcement. 

"All voyagers and captains, terminals A to G are officially closed for the night. Any captains planning to dock after 7:30, please redirect your course towards terminals H to N. Terminal O is only to be accessed in emergency situations and crash landings. I repeat..."

With a mechanical hum, the wide doors of the first seven terminals started closing, obscuring the breathtaking view of the night sky that could be seen prior to the closing of the doors. 

While it was known as the lightless citadel, the actual terminals were brilliantly lit with lights that could be seen even in the dead of the night. The second the doors closed, these lights seamlessly shut off, plunging the eastern end of the citadel into the darkness.

Almost instantaneously, the western end lit up , acting as a beacon for the incoming vessels. The doors opened, and broadcasts started flooding in as various captains started requesting docking permission.

However, each staff member had been meticulously trained. Within seconds, the citadel was functioning smoothly again, with constant arrivals and departures.

In the eastern end, the employees finally relaxed as idle chatter was heard throughout the now empty halls.

Many of them were heading towards the staff exit, while few remained to guide the various captains to the elevators out of kindness, even if there were various signs directing captains towards their destinations.

The cold and mechanical behavior of the employees were finally broken, as bright chatter filled the dark, empty halls. 

It was common knowledge that the citadel workers had to maintain utter calm even in dire situations and unprecedented disasters. However, humans weren't machines. No matter how perfectly impenetrable their mask was in front of outsiders, they were still humans with their own emotions.

"Say, Melissa, what do you think about having a nice dinner with me? My treat of course! Just a little occasion with the two of us..."

Melissa glanced back at the excited young man offering her a date and gave him a gentle smile.

"No thank you."

Lightly chuckling at the man's devastated face, she headed on towards the cafeteria. While the food wasn't the best, she was interested in the gossip. After all, in a life as mundane as hers, who wouldn't crave a little excitement?

There were still loud jests and laughter in the corridor as some employees gave the devastated man a sympathetic pat on the back. After all, getting rejected for 12 nights in a row was truly a pitiful fate.

"You know Daniel, thirteen is sometimes a lucky number, maybe she'll accept your offer tomorrow? Oh wait, its Saturday tomorrow right? well that's bad luck, I heard Melissa's going back on Saturday to visit her family..."

Daniel gave his friend an annoyed look, but before he could say anything, a friendly voice sounded out behind them.

"Now now, what's with the huge crowd here? Any interesting news I should know?" A voice sounded out from behind the crowd of workers, jogging Daniel back to his senses from his shock.

"S-Sir Ayden! Its nothing really, it's just that uh.." Daniel had hastily scrambled to his feet in an attempt to answer to the high administrator in front of him, while the other onlookers had either dispersed or had suddenly hurried off towards the cafeteria. 

"Let me guess, Melissa Fyren rejected you again?" Ayden sounded amused, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

"I- Well..yes." 

Ayden laughed out loud, before patting Daniel on the back and walking off towards the elevator. 

"Perhaps try proposing with some flowers. I may have no experience in love, but I have heard that beautiful ladies like beautiful flowers. That is, if you still wish to ask her for a date again?"

Daniel nodded vigorously. "Thank you sir! I'll try that next time! Good night Sir!" Without waiting for a reply, he rushed off as well, his coat fluttering behind him, undoubtedly to relay his encounter with high administrator Ayden Farance to his friends.

Ayden watched him go with a wistful gaze, before letting out a resigned sigh. What he'd give to run around the halls without a care in the world. His high position meant that he was supposed to a idol for the younger employees, even if he was more or less the same age as them.

The elevator finally arrived, opening with a mechanical hum. The sensor on the doors had already read his information, so he didn't need to verify his identity. He looked down at the buttons in front of him, the numbers ranging from 1 to 25, then a single floor only marked as 'O'.

Usually, he would press the button for floor 1, but today was different. While his heart ached to get out of the citadel and have some fun, he needed to talk with his sister about the daily report.

Pressing the button that represent terminal O, he waited impatiently for the doors to close. His outfit was uncomfortable and sticky with sweat from the day's work, and the sooner he got out of it, the happier he would be.

The outfit for a high administrator consisted of a simple white collared shirt, navy blue pants and a navy blue overcoat. It was incredibly basic, but it still somehow seemed professional. 

And if he was talking truthfully, then there was also the matter of his own features. After all, no matter how conceited the words were, he really was quite handsome. When the wearer's beauty is extraordinary, the clothes could only look elegant and refined. 

He was well built and rather tall, with dark hair and light amber eyes. His twin sister, Elira looked quite similar to him, only more elegant and refined, not that she was ever going to hear those words from him.

The doors finally slid open, allowing him to get a breath of fresh air. The elevators were rather stuffy, and it was worse in his current attire.

Terminal O was one of the largest terminals, second to only terminal A and terminal N. It was used as an emergency landing area and was separated from the other terminals. It was also used as a service center for any broken voyagers. 

The place was dimly lit with red and yellow lights so that voyagers could see it, but they wouldn't mistake it for a normal terminal.

Usually, he could see his sister with a single glance but even after looking around, he didn't see her.

However, there were quite a lot of mechanics, fixing broken voyagers. 

Guessing that Elira hadn't arrived yet, he shrugged and decided to chat with the mechanics. While he didn't know them very well, he knew a few people. 

Sure enough, many gave him a cheery wave when they saw Ayden.

"Ayden! Elira's not here yet, apparently there's some problem with terminal I's doors so she went to check on it."

"Terminal I? isnt that Gwen's area? Why's Elira there?"

"Dunno. Guess Gwen wanted some help or something. Eh who cares, look at this!"

Ayden followed Micheal, one of his close friends as he excitedly chattered about the voyager he was fixing. It was called voyager N982, and apparently had some fancy modifications that had never been seen before in the air.

It was expected to take flight the next morning, and Ayden was forced to promise that he would atleast see the recording of the flight. 

The other mechanics were working on their own projects, and Ayden wasn't planning on disturbing them, but Micheal dragged him along anyways.

As Ayden admired the smooth finish of voyager called voyager A163, his gaze fell on the starry sky outside. It was truly beautiful, the sight of all the stars glimmering in the embrace of the dark blanket that was the night sky.

It also made him feel rather insignificant. No matter his current power, he was still an insignificant ant in the eyes of the silent stars. No matter how much humanity advanced, could they ever reach the beautiful tapestry of the universe, much less travel through it?

"Beautiful, isn't it?" His voice was dreamy, as if he was in a trance.

The mechanics had been talking amongst themselves, but at Ayden's words, they turned to admire the sky as well.

"What star is that, Sir Ayden? It's so bright! "

Ayden followed Micheal's hand, his gaze falling on a star, that was indeed unnaturally bright.

He frowned slightly. He wasn't an astronomer, but he was sure that star hadn't been there a second ago. After all, he would've noticed such an obvious beacon.

Also, was it his imagination, or was the star getting bigger? Surely it hadn't been so bright when he first glanced at it?

A second later, his questions were answered as the sky lit up suddenly, a blinding light flashing across the dark sky, forcing Auden to avert his eyes. 

He barely had time to process the situation and react accordingly before something crashed into the terminal.

It happened so fast that he barely saw it before the sirens started blaring.

There were flames around him, and the heat was insufferable. 

There were loud screams all around him. He yearned to yell if everyone was okay, but his body seemed paralyzed, unable to respond to his commands.

The flames were spreading fast, and he wanted to run, but he was forced to remain sprawled on the ground.

With each and every tiny movement that he performed, pain coursed through his body. 

His thoughts were sinking into disorientation, and eventually, despite his efforts, he sank into unconsciousness, as the fire raged around him. Dimly, he had noticed somebody was walking around, but his thoughts couldn't form a proper theory.