Monolith World 9 Universal Threa

An emergency meeting was called on the planet's HQ building. The timing was odd; nothing had been happening for a while now. Peace had generally reigned throughout the universe ever since the mega corporation had cast a wide shadow monopoly on every travel and arms business in existence. So it was odd that a level 0 alert, the most dangerous possible, was being discreetly sent to a few executives in the building.

Once everyone gathered in the divination-proof meeting room, questions poured forth.

"Hey, do you know what's going on? How is it possible for a threat to the entire universe to exist?"

"Level 0? Are you crazy, Boss? At least go with a 1. Do you know how ridiculous this sounds right now?"

"If this is accurate, though... this is more than we can handle, isn't it? I'm nervous about this..."

That's right. A level 0 alert was instituted. A guaranteed threat to the entire universe. And looking at it from a logical perspective, there was no reason for such a threat to even exist. Everybody looked in the same direction, demanding an answer.

On one end of the oblong table, an elderly gentleman spoke up. Despite his age, he looked as sharp as ever, and no one would ever doubt his ability to command. This man was the Boss, and the men in the room were his closest partners. Of course, if anyone else were to speak up like this without permission, they would be severely punished. This was also the reason everyone in the room trusted him. The company had been through some rough times, and now it was prospering more than it was ever thought to be possible. And through all of it, this man was the leader.

"High energy beings detected, gentlemen."

Every being in this universe had a certain energy level. The word "high" was too vague. It could mean almost anything, including above average. But everyone present knew. If the alert level was 0...

"How high..?" Someone hesitantly asked.

"Enough to warrant a threat level of beyond universal rank."

The answer, which should have been obvious, shook the room. Everyone's heart seemed to stop. The deathly silence was intensified by the soundproof room, and nervous swallowing could be heard.

Finally, someone mustered the courage to speak up to break the unproductive silence.

"Um, Boss, you said beings, plural, right? How many?"

"Two."

Some of the executives sighed in relief. Apparently they had missed the careful wording of the Boss.

"Oh... even though the threat level is beyond X+ rank, the fact that it's made up of two of them should make them S+ or X- rank individually, right?"

"Wrong."

"What?"

"There are two of them. They're *both* ranked beyond X+."

Silence filled the room once more, and those who had sighed in relief earlier began to wish for ignorance.

"Ah... Then... it's even worse than alert level 0, isn't it?"

"That's correct... but unfortunately, level 0 is the most urgent I can authorize."

"Has... anything like this even happened before?"

The Boss hesitated.

"I don't know for sure, but it's rumored that the last time this happened, the Operator was created."

The Operator. A virtual database that tracked everything's statistics, and quantized/quantified energy levels. The introduction of such a thing changed the entire existence as they knew it. No one alive even knew of anything before the Operator existed, and life without it was unfathomable.

"So, you're saying that something big is going to happen that affects all of us... something on the level of the Operator?"

Indeed, the Operator's introduction to the world was similar to the invention of fire; it was probably the biggest reason for modern day technological advancements. And another event like that would unfold soon...

"It's not guaranteed, but it's possible. On the other hand, the destruction of the Operator is likely as well. I don't think I need to state it again, but we're dealing with something very dangerous here. But on the positive side, we can deal with it with a relatively small amount of manpower. We probably only need four or five fully loaded ships. And we know its location."

The sudden influx of contradicting information shattered the peace within the room.

"How can a Special X+ be taken care of with only five ships?"

"Where is it located?"

"Why was the alert sent in secret?"

"Why didn't you act earlier?"

There were seemingly more questions than answers now. But the Boss held up a hand, indicating his wish for silence. Reluctantly, the executives regained their composure.

"One at a time, gentlemen. I did act immediately. The instant I recognized the anomaly, I called everybody here. Although the energy level of the being is exceedingly high, it's a fresh mark. Which means it's only level 1. However, the longer we leave it alone, the more dangerous it will become. The alert was sent discreetly because although it's a potential threat to the entire universe if left unchecked, it's very possible to deal with it with a small amount of resources. And its location... the sole planet in sector Omega."

At this point, it was hard to surprise the group. The location, sector Omega, was the most dangerous sector in the entire universe. No lone traveler could escape from there unharmed. In fact, nobody on record has visited that planet and returned alive. The ones that did, however, were kept under wraps by the Boss and his company. In fact, the company knew of a guaranteed safe trajectory to and from the planet thanks to the data gathered by these unassuming travelers. Because of this, the executives didn't fret. If the Boss said so, the mission would be a sure fire success.

However, one of them wasn't convinced. It happened to be the same executive as before, the one who had noticed the careful words chosen by the Boss.

"This is great and all, but what about the other one?"

With the mission's guaranteed success consuming their thoughts, nobody questioned the logistics of the plan. Indeed, there was still another threat out there.

"Yes, that's the problem. It's location is even more worrisome."

"..."

The Boss just stated the impossible. How is it even possible for a location to be more worrisome than the most dangerous location ever?

"More worrisome? How do you mean?"

"Unknown."

"Un...known?"

"Right, the second threat's location is unknown. Which is why we're only sending five towards the first one. The majority of our manpower needs to be spent looking for it, otherwise who knows what'll happen."

This was seriously a problem. Even the man himself seemed nervous. Seeing their ever-so-confident leader nervous for the first time truly made them comprehend the gravity of the situation.

Knowing this, the end of the meeting was rushed.

"We're sending as many ships as possible on sortie. I've sent each of you a list of subsidiaries that can allow the most efficient search method across the expanse. As for five of you, remain here with me. The rest, move out at once!"

"Yes, sir!"

Chapter end