2026-03-09 13:42:36
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THE FIRST LAUNCH
Several seconds passed before anyone spoke.The engineers remained focused on the giant display wall as orbital trajectories, satellite coverage zones, and defense grids continued loading across the screens. Some of them looked fascinated by what they were seeing. Others looked completely confused. The longer they stared at Project Aegis, the more obvious it became that not everyone in the room understood what they were looking at.Finally, one of the younger engineers broke the silence.“Master Ethan, with all due respect, some of us have no idea what Project Aegis actually is.”His statement immediately encouraged others to speak.“I was thinking the same thing,” another engineer admitted. “I've worked at Xavier Tech for years, and this is the first time I've ever heard that name.”Several heads nodded around the table.The confusion was genuine. Most of the engineers had spent years working on defense systems, aerospace technology, and military applications. Yet none of them had e
PROJECT AEGIS
Ethan looked around the room. “How does a missile know where to go?”The engineers exchanged glances. Unsure if Ethan was actually serious right now.Several of them expected Ethan to reveal a new attack plan.Others expected another infiltration proposal.Instead, he was asking about missile guidance like a university professor preparing a lecture.For a brief moment, nobody understood where he was going.However, the aerospace chief answered first. “Guidance systems. Depending on the design, it may use satellite positioning, onboard navigation, ground command updates, and tracking corrections.”Ethan nodded. “So the missile has eyes.”Ethan folded his arms as he spoke.The phrase sounded simple, but he could already see some of the engineers beginning to follow his line of thinking.Not all of them understood yet. But a few were already looking less defeated than before.“In a manner of speaking,” the chief said. “Yes.”“And those eyes are not only inside the missile.”The aerospace
THE BLIND SPOT
Ethan Xavier left home before the city fully woke, but his mind had already gone to war.His convoy moved through the quiet streets with armed escort vehicles in front and behind. Inside the armored car, Ethan sat alone in the rear seat, dressed in a black suit with his coat folded beside him. His face was calm, but his right hand remained closed around a small flash drive.It looked ordinary, but Ethan held it like it carried the future of Verdanis.His phone rang as the convoy turned toward Xavier Tech headquarters. Ethan answered immediately.Mira’s voice came through. “Master Ethan, the emergency meeting is ready. Captain Lorne, Hisan, Colonel Serena Voss, the senior Xavier Tech engineers, and the Tribunal Aerospace division chiefs are all present.”“Are they waiting in the main boardroom?” Ethan asked.“Yes, sir. They have been there for almost an hour. Everyone looks exhausted.”“They should be,” Ethan said. “Nobody in that room has the right to sleep while Thunderfall still exi
THE THREAT BROADCAST
Ethan did not answer Selene’s question. His eyes stayed fixed on the television, and that silence told her more than any confession could. He was not the kind of man who admitted fear easily, but the tightness in his jaw and the stillness of his body gave him away.On the screen, Darius Herold stood before the Heroldian flag with a calm smile that made Ethan’s anger deepen. The reporter tried to look professional, but even through the broadcast, the fear in the room around Darius could be felt.Darius faced the camera fully. “The Tribunal Army thought I would build Thunderfall without protecting it. They thought I would prepare a nuclear program and forget the most important details. Security. Logistics. Defense. Counterattack. That is how pathetic their thinking has become.”Selene slowly sat up beside Ethan and pulled the sheet around herself. “He sounds like he is giving a victory speech.”“He is lying like a man who believes his own poison,” Ethan said.Darius continued, his tone
FEAR OF THE UNTHINKABLE
Ethan Xavier should have been asleep, but sleep refused to come. The room was quiet except for the low sound of the television playing in the background. Morning light slipped through the curtains and painted pale lines across the bedroom walls. Beside him, Selene lay close, one arm wrapped around his chest. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, watching him with the patience of someone who already knew exactly what was going on inside his head."You haven't slept properly in days," she said softly. "Every time I think you've finally drifted off, your eyes open again a few minutes later. At this rate, you're going to collapse before Darius ever manages to launch anything."Ethan stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before letting out a tired breath. "I've tried sleeping. The problem is that every time I close my eyes, Thunderfall is still there. Darius is still there. The warheads are still there. None of those things disappear just because I'm tired."Selene shifted closer
WE ARE COMPROMISED
Ethan spoke. “Tell me what happened.”The spy’s voice dropped. “Information about our purposed drone attack was leaked.”The room froze.Lorne’s face darkened. “Leaked?”“Yes,” the spy said. “Darius knew the drones were coming.”The statement landed heavily inside the command center.Nobody spoke for several seconds.The possibility of a leak was bad enough. The possibility that Darius had received advance warning of one of the Tribunal's most secret operations was even worse.Several officers exchanged uneasy glances.The disaster felt bigger than the loss of ten drones.It felt personal.Hisan stepped closer to the speaker. “How long did he know?”“I do not know exactly,” the spy answered. “But long enough to prepare. He moved special interceptors around the facility. They were hidden until the drones entered the inner zone.”Captain Zack slowly lowered his head.The more he listened, the more impossible the situation became.The Tucano drones were not ordinary machines. Entire gov
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