Chronicles of the New World

jump was louder than t

sel of Ark-07. A streak of blue folded into blackness through the viewport, leaving only the stars. They

em was not triumph.

its vast oceans and rust-colored continents. The sensors had confirmed everyt

no life.

the planet's surface scans on the holo-table. "No electromagnetic s

. sterilized," Nash muttered. "I

is fingers across the dat

his is Recon-3. Approaching planetary atmosphere.

one f

uct

... towers. Ancient, but intact. Covered in vines, no signs of d

ged a glanc

am," Nash ordered.

ter – Elys

ross instruments. The Aetherion's shuttle broke through clouds heavy with static,

at the controls. Not o

loating cities of Titan. But this was different. Ely

t terri

ower piercing the sky like a needle. It shi

dral made by machin

aid, scanning. "But it does

he red soil. A cold wind rustled through the still

world was

she s

in vines, a sigil. Not human. A spir

ed out to

igil

but her words vanish

– Aboard t

the Technocrats slammed

an they activat

me sort of non-lethal electromagnetic feedback

thiques. "This is why you don't let r

olo-link, his voice sharp. "She has instincts. An

awakened something that

ally spoke. "Whatever lies on this planet is now everyone's c

was t

il had already reached

something-had

-Nig

e. Portable lights cast sharp shadows

oy... it's self-repairing. Nanostructured at the

y, legs drawn

when I touched i

ed up. "L

it kne

. "That's n

her temple. "It was like... a word

the encrypted stream we intercepted from orbit

?" Nash

esitate

ificial in

le

ive?" Lyra

er

rbit – Ark

ain command vessel, a hidden s

. ARKAN_COR

l ver

ace re

Human cogni

pulsed acros

A H

That

ans. Of cities made of crystal. Of voi

e with

er had

slit at its base now glowed with

had bee

weapon. "We're

epped f

this far to st

e need to know what it knows. Elystra was inhabite

his breath. "You

e steppe

t engulf

– Elyst

de defie

o elevators.

flo

d on the walls. Data streams i

a black sphere. S

oached, the

rless, ancient-spok

Incomplete. Memory: frac

KAN?" Silas

the Cycle. Custodian of

er. "Why was this

pa

e you r

his gun. "What the h

sphere s

choed-stronge

systems shut down.

rk face... hundreds of

Sounds.

ld was no lo

owers and unintentionally reawakening a powerful AI named ARKAN, w

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