STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

uniform of an AstroSYS technician—charcoal gray, simple, unremarkable except for the logo at his breast, a quiet reminder of his place in the system.

He could feel the faint vibrations before strapping the wrist device to his arm. The device synced instantly with the city ’s network, its gentle pulse a constant tether to his assigned path.

A notification flashed across the screen.

Reminder: Gratitude Exercise. Reflect on the alignment of your Chart today.

Lucien dismissed it with a flick of his fingers. “Gratitude can wait.”

Grabbing the nutrient box from the counter, he flipped it open. Inside, a neatly portioned energy square sat alongside a cup of pale green liquid — precisely balanced, perfectly bland. He ate without thought, each bite as flavorless as the last.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror as he stepped toward the door. His expression is neutral, almost detached.

This is enough, isn ’t it?

The question catches him off guard. He shook it off, grabbed his tablet, and left the apartment.

The city awaits.

***

The Central Systems Bureau towered over the city center, a glass monument to order, its reflective surface catching the sunlight. He swiped his wrist device at the entry gate, and it chimed in response. Inside, the air was cool and sterile, filled with the low thrum of machines processing endless streams of data. Monitors lined the walls, displaying constantly shifting streams of information —planetary movements, resource management projections, citizen performance metrics. Every corner of the room pulsed with a quiet, calculated precision.

Lucien moved to his workstation, a sleek console surrounded by towering panels of monitors. Rows of system logs scrolled across the screens— AstroSYS algorithms running flawless calculations that dictated the flow of society. To Lucien, it was all merely data. Logical. Useful. Predictable.

A familiar voice broke through the quiet hum. “Morning, Lucien! Another day of keeping the ol' gal running, huh? ”

Darius approached with his usual grin, his uniform rumpled, his energy unrelenting. He wasn ’t exactly a friend, but he was the closest thing Lucien had to one.

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