The superheated white light of Arthur Vance’s extraction laser hummed with an agonizing, high-frequency pitch that made the air inside the core chamber vibrate like a dying violin string. On the primary monitors, the twelve-minute countdown bled a sharp, digital crimson against the panoramic displays.09 MINUTES, 42 SECONDS."Vivian, my patience is a luxury this dying world cannot afford," Arthur Vance’s voice echoed through the bridge audio arrays, smooth, cold, and entirely detached from the madness tearing through the lower sectors. On the high-definition feed, his manicured fingers adjusted the power dials of the restraint cuffs binding the old vanguard commander. "Your choices have brought you to the precipice of absolute dominion, yet you hesitate for a relic of the old world. Sacrifice the hardware key code, or watch the final anchor of your fiancé's legacy vaporize into atomic ash."Vivian stood absolutely still at the center of the elevated captain's deck. Her matte-black s
Read more