S.S. Vanguard.

When the S.S. Vanguard entered the upper atmosphere over Neo-London, the city trembled beneath its shadow. A behemoth of human engineering — 620 meters long, armor-plated with titanium composites and laced with plasma shielding arrays — the Vanguard wasn’t just a warship; it was a statement.

The Terran Alliance didn’t build ships like this to fight — they built them to remind the galaxy that Earth still had claws.

Now, in the year 2187, the Vanguard rests in her berth at Dock 47-A, one of the oldest orbital platforms still active above the London Megasector.

The storm below flickers with lightning — the sky polluted by ion exhaust and the glow of endless towers. Technicians in exosuits swarm the dock, performing final diagnostics before the next departure cycle.

Inside the hangar decks, soldiers await redeployment orders to Europa Frontier. Rumors spread among the crew — whispers of alien signals detected beyond Neptune’s arc, something not logged by any Terran system. And yet the Vanguard, silent and stoic, stands ready.

Outside, the rain falls softly on the metal platforms — reflecting the amber lights of the city below. Somewhere in the distance, the future hums.