Orbiting within the serene Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy, the planet of Erythra was a marvel of ingenuity and cultural brilliance. The Erythrans, a species of inquisitive beings, had built a civilization rich in art, science, and philosophy. Their citadels of glass and stone sparkled under the light of their twin moons, and grand observatories reached out to the stars, hungry for cosmic knowledge.
Despite their advancements, the Erythrans overlooked the sporadic nature of threats originating from the cosmos. One fateful day, during a routine scan of the night sky, an astronomer named Selix noticed an anomaly—a distant, rapidly moving object. Calculations revealed it was an asteroid of catastrophic size on a collision course with Erythra.
The Erythra High Council convened immediately, frantically debating potential solutions. Could they divert it? Pulverize it? The Advanced Deflection Array, a project that had been unfinished for decades due to budget constraints, was their last hope. Engineers and scientists worked around the clock to activate the array and recalibrate it to intercept the asteroid.
Time was not on their side. As the asteroid hurdled closer, it became evident that their attempts would be futile. The magnitude of the asteroid and the speed of its approach overwhelmed the array’s capabilities. In their desperation, the Erythrans tried a final, desperate salvo, launching every missile and energy pulse available.
It barely made a dent.
Selix and her peers watched in numb silence as the inevitable unfolded. The asteroid breached their atmosphere, its immense heat transforming the sky into a fiery dome. It struck with a force that rendered their planet's crust into molten upheaval. Shockwaves rippled through continents, and tsunamis swallowed coastal cities. With all its beauty and brilliance, the Erythran Civilization was reduced to nothing within hours, leaving behind only the universe’s memory of what once was.
© Odd Voyage