Event Horizon

Reforging the Past

The Orbital Dockyards of Earth Spacedock stretched for miles, a vast network of industrial scaffolding, repair stations, and shipyards that hung in synchronized orbit above the planet. At its center, suspended like a relic of another era, the Event Horizon loomed within the artificial gravity fields, surrounded by a swarm of automated drones and engineering crews.

Her hull was scarred but intact.

Her systems were obsolete but functional.

And soon, she would be reborn.

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The Retrofit Begins

Inside the shipyard's engineering bay, Captain Elias Vance, Dr. Alexandra Pryce, and Chief Engineer Luis Vasquez stood before a massive holographic projection of the Event Horizon, its systems dissected into thousands of components. Across from them, a team of UED specialists led by Commander Evelyn Harlow, a no-nonsense officer in charge of military retrofitting, reviewed the ship's upgrade plan.

"We'll need to strip out the existing fusion core and replace it with a next-gen gravitic reactor," Harlow explained, highlighting the power output disparity. "Your ship's old systems were impressive for their time, but by modern standards, they're inefficient. If we want this relic to fight, she needs modern muscle."

Vance nodded. "What about weaponry?"

Harlow gave a smirk. "That's where things get complicated. Your ship wasn't built for war. But if you want it combat-ready, we can integrate a pulse cannon array, point-defense systems, and an electromagnetic shielding upgrade."

Vasquez crossed his arms. "And what about the singularity drive?"

Silence followed.

The Event Horizon's original singularity drive had been the pinnacle of human ingenuity at the time of launch. But now? The UED had surpassed it.

Pryce frowned, reviewing the technical specs. "Your ships… they manipulate gravity instantly. That means you don't need a prolonged calibration sequence before a jump."

Harlow nodded. "Correct. And that's the biggest hurdle—we can upgrade your core systems, but your jump drive is outdated. Even retrofitted, it'll be slower than our newest models."

Vance exhaled. "So we'll never be as fast as the modern fleet."

"No," Harlow confirmed. "But that doesn't mean you can't be useful. Your ship was designed for deep-space endurance, adaptability, and independent operations—qualities that even our best warships struggle with."

"So… what's the plan?" Vasquez asked.

Harlow smirked. "We make Event Horizon a ghost."

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The Black Ship Initiative

As the retrofit plans expanded, Vance began to understand the true role his ship would play.

They couldn't match the modern fleet's firepower. They couldn't outmaneuver the latest warships.

But they could be something else entirely.

A covert operations vessel.

With advanced stealth technology, jamming systems, and an overhauled FTL drive—not as fast as the UED's top ships, but able to operate without relying on centralized fleet support.

Instead of frontline combat, Event Horizon would be a surgical weapon, capable of deep-space reconnaissance, behind-enemy-lines infiltration, and asymmetrical warfare tactics.

It wasn't what Vance had expected.

But it wasn't a bad deal, either.

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The Crew's Reaction

The news spread quickly throughout the ship, and reactions were mixed.

Lieutenant Adrienne Cormac was all in. "We go from lost explorers to black ops? Hell yeah."

Dr. Jonas Ibarra was skeptical. "So we're spies now? I thought we were scientists."

Raj Patel, the helmsman, was intrigued. "Stealth ops, huh? At least we won't be on the front lines."

Dr. Pryce, while cautious, saw the potential. "It makes sense. We can't be a warship. But we can be something unique."

As for Vance?

He was undecided.

This wasn't his vision for the ship.

But maybe it was the only way forward.

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First Contact With Alien Tech

One of the most controversial aspects of the retrofit process was the integration of alien technology.

The reptilian warship debris salvaged from the battle in orbit had yielded advanced shield harmonics, adaptive weapon systems, and organic-hull plating technology.

For the first time, Earth was not just adapting—it was assimilating.

Commander Harlow led Vance, Pryce, and Ibarra to a classified testing chamber, where scientists worked on reverse-engineering reptilian components.

"What you're seeing," Harlow explained, "is bio-synthetic alloy plating. The reptilians don't just build ships. They grow them."

Ibarra grimaced. "So… their ships are alive?"

"Not in the way you think," Harlow said. "But they're semi-autonomous, capable of self-repair, and—if properly integrated—could make the Event Horizon stronger."

Vance ran a hand over the alien alloy, its surface shifting slightly under his touch.

Pryce shook her head. "This feels… wrong."

Harlow raised an eyebrow. "Wrong?"

"We still don't know what these creatures are truly capable of," she argued. "We could be integrating a weakness we don't understand."

Ibarra agreed. "Or worse, turning ourselves into something we shouldn't be."

Vance looked at the plating, then at Harlow.

"We don't rush this," he said. "No experimental tech unless we know exactly what it does."

Harlow nodded. "Fair enough."

But the seed had been planted.

For the first time, Earth was blurring the line between itself and its enemies.

And no one knew where that path would lead.

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The Clock is Ticking

With the retrofit underway, the crew of Event Horizon had one goal:

Prove they were still relevant.

The next time they launched into deep space, they wouldn't be explorers.

They would be something else entirely.

But the bigger question remained—what kind of war were they really fighting?

And how far would Earth go to win?

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