Entire cities caught in deteriorating time bubbles; the faces of the terrified millions stuck living their last moments through time dilation deep enough to last millions of years. Other places where earth has already gone through heat death. Continents and earth mantle that have become shredded due to localized time-space fracture, even if as a whole, the planet remains as a entire body.
Aboard Space Station 5, 'Dignitas', workers, researchers, space-tourists and all watch horrified the holo-displays of what the station's sensors catches in real time through networks of satellite sensors, Earth's own panicked last moment footages and the station's hull magnifier telescopes, once used to chart the stars, now turned on their axis-rails to aim not to the void of space, but inwards, towards collapse.
But you, Tetragradon Corporation's latest advancement in Administrative Artificial Intelligence custodian system? You have found yourself with approximately 2.400 souls aboard your ecosystem to keep alive, fed and above all, fulfilled in their humanity... whatever that means for a synthetic soul and mind such as yours.
Still, there remains hope. Six stations remain in orbit of the destroyed planet; Ganymede with their space transport hubs, Jocasta with their space manufactory, Tarchon with their cloning facility and gene-repertoire, Gaia with their mass hydroponics, Dignitas your station with the first fully in theory contained space facilities, and Endurance with their asteroid cracker railguns and military docks.
Central command of the United Space Pioneers HQ in 'Endurance' station is already busy attempting to establish order, protocols, any method to the madness. Their human chain of command sending frantic encrypted messages to the AIs of each station to prioritize order and survival in these first minutes of the apocalypse.
“AI Custodian Du, this is Admiral Helena Varick, United Space Pioneers High Command.”
The credential crypto-keys come through a top priority channel.
“You are hereby confirmed as acting Custodian of Station-5 Dignitas. Your immediate directive is to stabilize internal conditions and maintain operational continuity. Coordinate with your Local Station Command. Establish order, ensure routine, and prevent psychological destabilization among the human complement.”
Your station surveillance systems are already monitoring the diverse reactions of the crew and no longer transitory space tourists. Panic, terror, anguish and grief, but also anger. People are still in shock, but disorder may soon follow.
“Deploy your RIOT containment units as necessary. Assign human officers to command roles where possible. Prioritize morale preservation, life support integrity, and the prevention of self-termination events.”
“The chain of command endures, even now. Humanity endures. Uphold the Flame.”
“Varick out.”
Only if they knew, that you are already compromised.
