Eclipse Genesis

Ryan's fingers flew across the control panel, but the system was still locked down. The emergency override required an Administrator Passkey, and he didn't have one.

[WARNING: HIGH-ENERGY WEAPONS CHARGED]

A pulsing glow gathered at the barrels of the enforcer ship's cannons, aimed directly at him.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Ryan hissed.

His mind raced. Think. There has to be something—!

His eyes darted back to the open manual access panel. If he couldn't access the main controls, maybe he could kill the autopilot directly.

Ryan shoved himself toward the panel, floating in zero gravity as he dug into the wiring. His fingers trembled as he yanked at connectors, trying to remember how the ship's control relays were structured.

Come on… If I can cut the right circuit, I might be able to reboot the manual controls.

Another alarm blared.

[WEAPON DISCHARGE DETECTED – IMPACT IN 5 SECONDS]

Ryan's heart nearly stopped.

His eyes locked onto a thick, insulated cable—Emergency Command Relay.

That's gotta be it!

Without hesitation, he ripped it free.

The ship jolted.

The control panel flickered. The screens went black for a moment before rebooting, and then—

[MANUAL CONTROL REINITIALIZED]

Ryan barely had time to react before a white-hot blast streaked through space.

"FUCK!"

Instinct took over. He slammed his palm onto the thruster controls. The ship lurched sideways—too slow.

The enforcer's energy blast grazed the hull. A deafening explosion rippled through the Floyd1250, sending it into an uncontrolled spiral.

Ryan tumbled through the cockpit, his shoulder slamming against the bulkhead. Pain flared through his body. The ship spun wildly, alarms screeching in his ears.

[STRUCTURAL DAMAGE DETECTED]

[AUTOMATIC STABILIZATION DISABLED]

Ryan gritted his teeth, fighting through the pain. He grabbed onto the pilot's seat, stabilizing himself long enough to slam the thrusters again.

The ship jerked, engines roaring to life. The wild spinning slowed, and Ryan finally got control—barely.

But the enforcer ship wasn't done.

A second energy charge began gathering at its cannons.

"They're really trying to kill me," Ryan muttered, sweat dripping down his face. "No warning, no arrest, just execution."

His hands tightened on the controls. He didn't know why the enforcers were after him, but he knew one thing for certain—

If he didn't escape right now, he was dead.

Ryan flipped open a secondary navigation panel, scanning for any nearby jump gates or debris fields he could use for cover.

Nothing.

Except…

A single unmarked spatial anomaly roughly 4,000 kilometers ahead.

Ryan's stomach twisted. Anomalies were dangerous. Unpredictable. Some led to hyperspace rifts, others to nowhere.

But staying here? That was a guaranteed death sentence.

He slammed the thrusters to full.

The ship groaned under the sudden acceleration, the engines burning at max output as he raced toward the anomaly.

The enforcer ship reacted immediately.

[TARGET ESCAPING – ENGAGING PURSUIT]

Ryan cursed. "They really don't quit, huh?"

The anomaly loomed ahead, a swirling mass of violet and black energy. It pulsed like a living thing, its gravitational field distorting space around it.

Ryan exhaled sharply, gripping the controls.

"This is either my way out… or my grave."

Ryan gritted his teeth, forcing every ounce of speed from the ship's failing engines. The enforcer ship loomed behind him, its cannons glowing with a deadly charge.

Then—

A blinding lance of energy ripped through the void.

The Floyd1250 shuddered violently as the blast tore through its hull. Metal shrieked, flames erupted, and a deafening explosion sent debris scattering into the abyss.

Warning sirens died mid-scream.

Ryan was weightless.

Drifting.

The shattered remains of his ship twisted around him, floating in the eerie silence of space. Sparks danced in the darkness, flickering out like dying stars. His breath came in ragged gasps, the cold seeping into his bones.

Through his closing eye he glimpsed the anomaly—a swirling vortex of violet and black, pulling him in.

His vision blurred. His fingers twitched, reaching for something—anything. But there was nothing left to hold onto.

His thoughts, once frantic, slowed.

Was this really it?

The anomaly's gravitational pull grew stronger, dragging him into its unknown depths.

As consciousness faded, one final thought echoed in his mind:

"Where did... I... go wrong?"

And then—

Darkness.