Space seemed like an endless hole, like the mouth of a huge monster preparing to swallow everything in its dark depths. The silence was broken by the movement of twisted metal pieces floating aimlessly among the fragments of a recently destroyed planet.
The planet had been reduced to scattered debris of rocks and meteorites floating in different directions.
Amidst this gruesome scene of death and destruction, a huge spaceship, as big as the Earth itself, moved like a giant ghost passing through the wreckage.
In the cockpit of the huge spaceship, dim lights glowed from multiple screens, reflecting horrific images of a planet slowly disintegrating, falling apart forever.
The advanced control panel glowed with a faint light, and the screen displayed a linear statement filled with numbers.
The indicators on the screen moved downward at breakneck speed.
One million... 718 thousand... 459 thousand... 184 thousand... 76 thousand... 100... Zero.
In an instant, all the indicators settled at zero.
Silence fell over the cockpit for a few moments before the sudden sound of machines blaring warnings and alarms in a monotone tone.
Beep!
[Jackson: Confirming the population of Planet Toram. Population: zero]
Beep!
[Einar: Destruction of Planet Toram is 99.6% confirmed]
Beep!
[Octavia: No survivors from the planet Toram have been confirmed.
Beep!
[Hayden: No escapees from the planet Toram have been confirmed.
Beep!
[Einar: System error.
Beep!
[Einar: System interference.
Inside the cockpit, which was engulfed in silence after the last alert, the crew members sat as if they were statues of ice. There were no tears in their eyes over what had happened, no screams, no signs of normal grief.
Only a clear coldness in their eyes as they stared at the blue screen in front of them displaying various indicators pointing to the number zero.
The number zero signified complete annihilation, as if it were important information that meant the end of an entire planet's population.
In the center of the cockpit sat the ship's captain in a metal chair with leather padding under his arms.
The captain appeared to be in his late fifties, wearing a dark blue robe with white stripes. He was not particularly large, but he looked more like an intelligent person than a fighter.
What was most striking were his black eyes, which showed no emotion, and his gray hair, which was neatly combed, giving him an appearance of complete calm. It was an eerie calm in light of the disaster they had caused.
On his shoulders, he wore a five-star insignia and a galaxy symbol.
These stars and the galaxy symbol indicate that he is the captain of the huge ship and his high position in the chain of command.
The captain stared at the screen displaying the number "zero" as if it were just another piece of statistical information in a data log, not a major disaster that had devastated an entire planet and wiped out billions of lives.
Standing next to him was a woman in her late twenties.
She was wearing the standard blue crew uniform, but hers was distinguished by curved white lines that gave it a touch of elegance, and her left chest was adorned with a silver badge bearing the rank of [First Assistant].
Her silver hair fell softly over her shoulders, reflecting the dim light in the room and giving her a regal air amid the destruction.
She was wearing what appeared to be goggles. The goggles were shiny and thin as if they could reveal the secrets of everyone in the room, their edges flashing constantly.
Her gaze, like that of the commander and crew, was devoid of emotion as she spoke in a calm voice: "Sir, destroy the planet and complete the mission with 90% efficiency."
The woman moved her long fingers in the air in front of her as if she were tapping on invisible buttons, staring intently with her eyes.
The commander raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes fixed on the large screen displaying the population count. The number zero was clear to see, confirming that the planet had been completely destroyed and no one had escaped.
"Why?" asked the commander, his tone calm at first, but quickly becoming more intense. "Why is the efficiency rate 90%?"
The number indicated zero. The planet had been completely destroyed and no one had escaped. So the percentage should not be 90%, but 100%. He had expected the mission to go smoothly.
"It's because of the commander of the 7th squad, Nash Elliott. The commander of the 7th squad saved the children of the ruling family and escaped with them to the mother ship," the woman said calmly as she pulled out a projector to show the image to the commander. The screen showed a group of people crouching inside a ship's room, their faces pale and their features showing signs of shock. "They are currently on ship D49,"
The commander raised his eyebrows slightly and shouted angrily as he slammed his armrest. "That idiot! How many times did I tell him not to interfere with the mission?"
Silence fell over the room as the woman remained silent beside him.
Her expression remained calm as usual, betraying no emotion towards the captain's anger. This intervention by the captain of the 7th Squad was not a simple mistake, but a clear violation of strict orders.
She knew very well what this meant.
Nash Elliott was not just a squad leader, he was his biological son, who had inherited his stubbornness and courage, qualities that made him a competent leader, but unfortunately, he had also inherited his mother's kindness, which was a weakness for the commander.
Because of his excessive emotion, Nash had crossed the line many times in the past, and this time he had caused the relative failure of the mission entrusted to them.
Rescuing the children of the ruling family was a violation of clear orders and an unforgivable mistake in the eyes of his father, the commander.
"Bring Nash to me immediately! Bring him alone and send the commander of the first squad to arrest those people!" The commander ordered, his eyes flashing. "Larena, I want a detailed report on all his movements from the start of the mission to this moment. Who he spoke to, who went with him, and who saw him helping those people escape. Every detail, even the smallest!"
The commander's voice sounded sharp as he gave his orders.
"Yes, sir,"
Larina replied in a calm voice, while the security personnel, who had been waiting for orders, rushed out of the cockpit to bring the commander of the seventh squad, Nash Elliott.
"Sir, this..." Larina wanted to speak but stopped.
Larina was well aware of how much the First Squad Commander hated the Seventh Squad Commander, Nash Elliott.
Zara was jealous of him because he was the son of the spaceship's captain, even though Nash had earned his current position through his efforts at the Galactic Union Academy and on the battlefield, not because of his father's position. Nevertheless, hatred continued to grow in the heart of the First Squadron Commander.
"I know, but Zara is the one who will not hesitate to follow my orders. I don't want a bastard who disobeys his commander on this ship!" said the commander when he saw her expression, explaining why he had chosen Zara.
"Yes, sir," replied Larina as she moved her fingers to change the display camera on the small screen.
A few minutes later, the First Division appeared on the screen.
They moved toward the shipyard where the ships that had just returned from the battle on the planet Toram were docking with astonishing speed and precision.
The First Division advanced toward ship number D49, which looked like a wide circular shuttle with two wings protruding from it to propel it through space.
The screen showed the First Division commander shouting in front of the doors of ship number D49, and then the Seventh Division commander, Nash Elliott, appeared behind the ship's door, which was slowly opening.
The first squad leader did not wait for the seventh squad leader to come out, but quickly entered the ship to arrest the people he was looking for.
Of course, the seventh squad leader, Nash Elliott, resisted him, but he did not go too far in his actions against him.
Attacking a Galaxy guard is a crime, and it is even worse if he is a squad leader and the fight took place during a major mission like this.
Seconds later, the troops followed their leader into one of the rooms to drag the people out of the ship and advance towards the ship's dungeon.
"This is a report on the movements of the Seventh Squadron commander from the time the mother ship arrived in the starfield until now," said Larina as she moved her fingers to display the report on the screen.
The screen displayed Nash Elliott's name and picture, along with his age, physical characteristics, and talents.
It also showed a detailed record of his entire movements inside and outside the mother ship.
"Can't he leave the maintenance and mechanical equipment department?" The commander raised his eyebrows and asked Larina, "Wasn't he transferred and assigned to the combat department a few months ago? I don't understand why he's so obsessed with this equipment when he can fight on the battlefield!"
"
The captain stopped at a certain part of the report and shouted angrily.
The report indicated that the commander of the 7th Division had gone to the maintenance and mechanical equipment department more than once, which angered him greatly because he wanted to put his son in the combat department instead of a boring department where he would not get any privileges or future achievements.
"You know how obsessed the commander of the Seventh Division is with equipment. New weapons arrived from headquarters a few weeks ago, so he was visiting the maintenance and mechanical equipment department frequently to inspect them," said Larina, pushing her glasses up.
"I know," sighed the commander. "Once again, it's because of his mother!"
Larina smiled and didn't respond as the commander vented his anger. He was frustrated by the traits his son had inherited from his late wife.