Author: lightsandstars.com

He navigated another gray, utilitarian corridor, this time threading through the back office area of the Romantia, his sensors deftly guiding him past a few office workers and allowing him to slip by most of the smaller spaces undetected. His immediate goal was the security office, crucial for gaining access to the server room. The…

Adam’s mission this time was deeply personal, compelling him to tap into his savings for crucial, time-sensitive information. Upon arriving at the back entrance of the towering structure that housed the Romantia, he exited the autonomous limousine he had reserved from his apartment-office. A uniquely striking Romantia employee greeted him, embodying the establishment’s distinctive character.…

Exiting the connective tunnel from the manufacturing district, the vibrant neon glow of Nova Terminus unfurled like a technicolor tapestry before him. As Adam rode back into the city’s heart, the distant lights that had twinkled like distant stars grew into colossal towers of luminosity, their imposing silhouettes looming over him like titans of light…

Adam arrived early, positioning himself strategically about 100 meters from the rendezvous point. He ensured an unobstructed view, halting on a bridge that overlooked the designated location, a narrow valley nestled between the towering jungle of automated manufacturing units. He swung off his bike, setting it on its stand. Adam had a penchant for classic…

Adam always considered the entrance to Ash’s old warehouse HQ in the first settlement area of the city a security expert’s nightmare. However, Ash often countered, arguing the sheer unsuspiciousness of the place was its best defense. If things ever went south, she argued, her trusty ‘Mouse’ would cover her back—a quirky, old-school military expeditor…

“You were only in there for mere minutes in VirtTime, and he still managed to nail you. Accumulated some rust in your circuits, Mercer?” A voice, silky yet authoritative, reverberated within his mind. Under normal circumstances, the wireless neural link would feel like a mundane call. However, with his systems compromised, her voice resonated like…

The sprawling city of Nova Terminus throbbed beneath the massive biodome, its neon heart beating through the vast expanse of the protective bubble. Luminescent holographic signs of mega-corporations cast a shimmering hue over the slightly smaller holographs advertising virtual entertainment hubs and the latest consumer goods, illuminating the artificial sky of TRAPPIST-1e’s most ambitious colonization…