Jack's mind raced as he stood in the heart of the war room aboard the Aegis. The holographic display before him shimmered with data streams, the symbols of various star systems scattered like distant stars across the galaxy. His fingers drummed restlessly on the console, his thoughts consumed by the disturbing revelations he'd just uncovered.
"Jack, you've got to see this," Commander Elysia's voice cut through the fog of his thoughts. Her tone was sharp, urgent. She appeared beside him moments later, her face taut with concern. The usually calm and collected officer looked like she had just witnessed something beyond comprehension.
"What is it?" Jack asked, his voice betraying the tension in his chest.
"Sit down," she commanded, pulling up a series of encrypted files on the console. A few quick gestures and the screen flickered, displaying an ancient, alien text a language Jack had never seen before, but one that now felt familiar in a haunting way.
"I've been going through the encrypted communications intercepted from the enemy fleet, and I found something... troubling." She paused, looking at Jack, as if unsure whether he was prepared for what came next.
Jack sat, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the cryptic text. It was as though the words themselves resonated with an eerie energy. The symbols seemed to dance on the screen, shifting just out of clear comprehension, but there was one word that stood out in all of them: Apocalypse.
Elysia continued. "These are the coordinates of an ancient structure a temple hidden on a remote planet in the Krelis system. According to the data, it's been dormant for centuries. The entity that's been leading the charge against us... it's not just a simple warlord. It's something much worse."
Jack's pulse quickened. "What are you saying?"
"The dark force," she said softly, "it's not just an enemy army. It's an ancient evil, one that predates even the oldest civilizations in the galaxy. It's a force of pure destruction, an entity capable of twisting reality itself."
Jack felt a chill run down his spine. He had known the enemy was powerful, but to think it was something... ancient, older than anything the galaxy had seen before? That changed everything.
"You're telling me that the Ichor the force that has been causing these attacks, killing millions has been hiding for centuries?" Jack's voice was a mix of disbelief and dread.
"Yes," Elysia confirmed. "And now it's awakened."
Jack absorbed the weight of her words. The Ichor the dark force they had been fighting was no ordinary enemy. It was an ancient, otherworldly entity, possibly older than even the Republic itself. He had always suspected there was something more at play than just a war for power, but the truth was far more terrifying than he could have imagined.
"Why didn't we know about this before?" Jack asked. "The Ichor… I've never heard of it before. It was kept hidden for so long."
"Because it wasn't always an enemy," Elysia replied. "The Ichor was once a part of a powerful, ancient civilization, a race of beings known as the Zerun. They were advanced beyond our understanding, and their civilization spanned across galaxies. But something went wrong something twisted their minds and their ideals. The Ichor became an obsession, a dark energy that corrupted them. They sought to merge with it, to control it, but instead, it consumed them."
Jack leaned forward, feeling the weight of history crashing down on him. The Zerun their downfall had led to the birth of this malevolent force, the Ichor. And now it was back.
"But if they were that advanced, why didn't they stop it?" Jack asked.
"Because they couldn't," Elysia said, her voice trembling. "The Ichor was beyond their control. It shattered their civilization, leaving only ruins behind. Some believe that the Ichor is not a being, but an embodiment of chaos it self an ancient force that feeds on destruction and darkness. It's not bound by the laws of nature, not bound by anything we understand."
Jack ran a hand through his hair, trying to process the enormity of the situation. "And now it's here, feeding off our galaxy, using this force to destroy everything in its path. But why? What does it want?"
Elysia hesitated before speaking. "It wants nothing but chaos. It exists solely to undo creation, to unravel the very fabric of reality. The Ichor doesn't need anything from us. It's driven by the need to see everything burn, to watch the universe consume itself in darkness."
A silence hung between them, the gravity of their predicament settling in like a lead weight.
"We need to stop it," Jack said, his voice low, firm. "No matter what it takes."
Elysia nodded, her gaze unwavering. "We will. But first, we need to understand it. To stop the Ichor, we need to find its source, the heart of the darkness. The only place that might hold the answers is the Zerun temple. We don't know what we'll find there, but it's our only lead."
"Then let's go," Jack said, determination flashing in his eyes. "We don't have much time."
As they set the course for the Krelis system, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into the heart of the storm. The more they learned about the Ichor, the more it seemed like an unstoppable force. But if there was a chance no matter how slim to turn the tide, they had to take it.
The journey ahead would be fraught with danger. They would face enemies they didn't fully understand, ancient forces that defied logic, and truths that could shatter everything they believed about the galaxy. But for Jack, there was no turning back now.
As the Aegis cut through the void of space toward the hidden temple, Jack prepared himself for the final battle. This wasn't just a war for survival anymore. It was a war for the future of the galaxy itself.
And at the center of it all, the ancient evil of the Ichor awaited, its dark presence already seeping into every corner of the galaxy.
Jack clenched his fists, ready for whatever horrors lay ahead. The fate of the universe rested on his shoulders, and he would not let it fall. Not on his watch.
Terjemahan Indonesia:
Pikiran Jack berpacu cepat saat dia berdiri di pusat ruang pertempuran di atas Aegis. Tampilan holografis di hadapannya berkilau dengan aliran data, simbol sistem bintang tersebar seperti bintang-bintang jauh di galaksi. Jari-jarinya mengetuk dengan gelisah di konsol, pikirannya terfokus pada pengungkapan yang mengganggu yang baru saja dia temui.
"Jack, kamu harus melihat ini," suara Komandan Elysia memotong kekosongan pikirannya. Nada suaranya tajam, mendesak. Dia muncul di sampingnya beberapa detik kemudian, wajahnya tegang dengan kekhawatiran. Perwira yang biasanya tenang dan terkendali itu tampak seolah-olah baru saja menyaksikan sesuatu yang melampaui pemahaman.
"Apa itu?" tanya Jack, suaranya mengungkapkan ketegangan di dadanya.
"Duduk," perintah Elysia, menarik serangkaian file terenkripsi di konsol. Beberapa gerakan cepat dan layar berkedip, menampilkan teks kuno alien bahasa yang belum pernah dilihat Jack sebelumnya, namun sekarang terasa akrab dengan cara yang menakutkan.
"Aku sedang memeriksa komunikasi terenkripsi yang disadap dari armada musuh, dan aku menemukan sesuatu yang… mengkhawatirkan." Dia berhenti sejenak, menatap Jack seolah-olah ragu apakah dia siap untuk apa yang akan datang.
Jack duduk, matanya menyempit saat dia fokus pada teks yang samar itu. Seolah kata-kata itu sendiri beresonansi dengan energi yang mengerikan. Simbol-simbol itu tampak menari di layar, bergeser justru keluar dari pemahaman yang jelas, tetapi ada satu kata yang menonjol di antara semuanya: Kiamat.
Elysia melanjutkan. "Ini adalah koordinat sebuah struktur kuno sebuah kuil tersembunyi di sebuah planet terpencil di sistem Krelis. Berdasarkan data ini, kuil itu sudah dorman selama berabad-abad. Entitas yang mengarahkan serangan terhadap kita... bukan sekadar panglima perang. Ini adalah sesuatu yang jauh lebih buruk."
Detak jantung Jack semakin cepat. "Apa yang kamu katakan?"
"Kekuatan gelap," suara Elysia lirih, "bukan hanya armada musuh. Ini adalah kejahatan kuno, entitas yang lebih tua daripada peradaban mana pun di galaksi. Ini adalah kekuatan pemusnahan murni, entitas yang mampu memutarbalikkan realitas itu sendiri."
Jack merasa dingin merayap di tulangnya. Dia sudah tahu musuh itu kuat, tetapi untuk berpikir itu adalah sesuatu yang... kuno, lebih tua dari apa pun yang pernah dilihat galaksi? Itu mengubah segalanya.
"Kenapa kita tidak tahu tentang ini sebelumnya?" tanya Jack. "Ichor... Aku belum pernah mendengarnya sebelumnya. Itu disembunyikan begitu lama?"
"Karena itu bukan selalu musuh," jawab Elysia. "Ichor dulunya adalah bagian dari peradaban kuno yang kuat, sebuah ras makhluk yang dikenal sebagai Zerun. Mereka lebih maju dari pemahaman kita, dan peradaban mereka membentang ke seluruh galaksi. Namun sesuatu yang salah sesuatu yang merusak pikiran dan idealisme mereka. Ichor menjadi obsesi, energi gelap yang merusak mereka. Mereka berusaha untuk bergabung dengan itu, mengendalikannya, tetapi pada akhirnya, itu yang menguasai mereka."
Jack menundukkan kepala, merasakan berat sejarah menghimpitnya. Zerun kehancuran mereka telah melahirkan kekuatan jahat ini, Ichor. Dan sekarang itu kembali.
"Tapi jika mereka begitu maju, kenapa mereka tidak bisa menghentikannya?" tanya Jack.
"Karena mereka tidak bisa," jawab Elysia, suaranya gemetar. "Ichor lebih besar dari kemampuan mereka untuk mengendalikan. Itu menghancurkan peradaban mereka, meninggalkan hanya reruntuhan. Beberapa orang percaya bahwa Ichor bukanlah makhluk, melainkan perwujudan dari kekacauan itu sendiri sebuah kekuatan kuno yang memakan kehancuran dan kegelapan. Itu tidak terikat oleh hukum alam, tidak terikat oleh apa pun yang kita pahami."
Jack mengusap rambutnya, berusaha memproses segala hal. "Dan sekarang itu ada di sini, memakan galaksi kita, menggunakan kekuatannya untuk menghancurkan segala sesuatu di jalannya. Tapi kenapa? Apa yang diinginkannya?"
Elysia ragu sejenak sebelum berbicara. "Ia tidak menginginkan apa pun selain kekacauan. Ia ada hanya untuk membalikkan penciptaan, untuk meruntuhkan realitas itu sendiri. Ichor tidak membutuhkan apa pun dari kita. Itu didorong oleh kebutuhan untuk melihat segala sesuatu terbakar, untuk menyaksikan alam semesta menghancurkan dirinya sendiri dalam kegelapan."
Keheningan menggantung di antara mereka, gravitasinya menghimpit seperti beban logam.
"Kita harus menghentikannya," kata Jack, suaranya rendah dan mantap. "Apa pun yang dibutuhkan."
Elysia mengangguk, pandangannya tidak goyah. "Kita akan. Tetapi pertama-tama, kita harus memahaminya. Untuk menghentikan Ichor, kita harus menemukan sumbernya, inti dari kegelapannya. Satu-satunya tempat yang mungkin menyimpan jawaban adalah kuil Zerun. Kami tidak tahu apa yang akan kami temui di sana, tetapi itu satu-satunya petunjuk kami."
"Kalau begitu, mari kita pergi," kata Jack, matanya berkilat dengan tekad. "Kita tidak punya banyak waktu."
Saat mereka mengarahkan perjalanan menuju sistem Krelis, Jack tak bisa mengusir perasaan bahwa mereka sedang berjalan menuju pusat badai. Semakin banyak yang mereka pelajari tentang Ichor, semakin tampak musuh ini seperti kekuatan yang tak terhentikan. Tetapi jika ada kesempatan meskipun sekecil apa pun untuk mengubah keadaan, mereka harus mengambilnya.
Perjalanan yang mereka tempuh ke depan akan penuh bahaya. Mereka akan menghadapi musuh yang tak sepenuhnya mereka pahami, kekuatan kuno yang membelokkan logika, dan kebenaran yang bisa menghancurkan segala yang mereka yakini tentang galaksi ini. Tetapi bagi Jack, tak ada jalan mundur sekarang.
Saat Aegis melaju menembus kekosongan ruang menuju kuil yang tersembunyi, Jack mempersiapkan dirinya untuk pertempuran terakhir. Ini bukan sekadar perang untuk bertahan hidup lagi. Ini adalah perang untuk masa depan galaksi itu sendiri.
Dan di pusat semua ini, kejahatan kuno Ichor menunggu, kehadirannya yang gelap sudah merembes ke setiap sudut galaksi.
Jack mengepal tangannya, siap menghadapi segala teror yang menunggu di depan. Nasib alam semesta berada di tangannya, dan dia tidak akan membiarkannya jatuh. Tidak di bawah pengawasannya.