STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Who is she?

What does she know?

The questions gnawed at him, slowly picking apart the carefully constructed walls of his mind. The routine that once kept him steady now felt like a cage— suffocating, inescapable.

***

The place was called Orbital, a modest but sleek establishment that catered to Bureau employees and other nearby workers. Its design was modern and minimalist, with subtle lighting and circular booths arranged around a neon central bar. The walls were adorned with holographic projections of constellations, their patterns shifting every few minutes to reflect the latest AstroSYS-approved star charts. The projection system seemed louder than usual to Lucien, a rhythmic pulse like it was trying to tell him something.

As they stepped inside he surveyed the patrons—groups of colleagues talking and laughing. The familiar drone of conversation surrounded him, controlled and subdued, like the rhythm of the city itself.

They found a booth near the back, its curved seats upholstered in a textured gray fabric. Darius ordered a round of drinks from the interactive menu embedded in the table, the sleek interface lighting up under his fingers. “Alright, what’s everyone having? Leona, don’t say anything too fancy.”

Leona rolled her eyes. “I’m not the problem! Carter’s the one who orders that lavender-infused nonsense. ”

Carter leaned back, smirking. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

Darius smirked, tapping the options on the touchscreen: a Solar Ale for himself, a classic vodka tonic for Leona, a lavender spritz for Carter, and a simple whiskey neat for Lucien.

He raised his glass, grinning as he leaned back in his seat. “Here’s to another thrilling day of keeping the universe aligned. ”

Leona snorted, taking a sip of her drink. “You sound like one of those motivational broadcasts Darius. ‘Thank you for your service to the stars.’”

Carter chuckled, swirling his drink as the ice clinked. “They’re not wrong, though. If the system stopped working, everything would fall apart.”

“True,” said Darius. “But come on, does anyone really understand half the stuff we ’re looking at all day? I could tell you a planet’s trajectory in my sleep, but how AstroSYS analyzes the data is beyond my tiny brain.”

Lucien quelled his thoughts, staring at the constellation projections shifting

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