Arlette, United Federation of Elysia.

May 1st, 1425.

9:30 AM.

Sam Anderson stepped out to the balcony of his apartment on the 5th floor, sipping a cup of instant coffee as he overlooked the damage from the storm. Plastic bags and branches littered the urban street down below, businesses had their glass displays shattered with few exceptions. He frowned at the sight, shaking his head at the mess as the National Guards and emergency services were still conducting search and rescue in the neighborhoods that had been hit the hardest.

“Big storm, eh Sammy?” A voice called out.

Sam looked to his left. “Hey Brian.” he said, looking at the damage on his neighbor’s apartment next to him. “Oh… that’s a nasty one.” he remarked, pointing at the broken window and the tree branch that had lodged itself into the poor neighbor’s apartment.

“Yeah, that’ll cost me a bit to get fixed up,” Brian sighed. “Speaking of which…” he gestured toward Sam’s messy hair and darkened eyes. “Can’t get a good sleep?”

“The blaring sirens throughout the night weren't exactly a lullaby.” Sam answered with a tired voice following a long, sleepy yawn.

A phone rang out from Sam’s small study room to the surprise of both of them.

“Looks like the phone line is back to working order. I’m gonna try to contact my relatives in the suburbs now.” Brian commented, going back to the phone in his living room.

“Good luck, Brian.” Sam said his goodbye to the neighbor as he picked up the ringing phone.

“Morning, Ambassador Anderson. Glad we’re able to get to you after several days. I’m Ellen Mary, calling you on behalf of President Irwin. Are you alone right now?”

“Yeah. I am.” Sam answered as he shut the window next to him.

“Alright, what can I do for the President?”

“You’re needed on a new diplomatic mission to a new country.”

Sam leaned forward in his seat, the unexpected assignment piqued his interest. “New country?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, Mr.Ambassador. What I am about to disclose is currently classified information, but it will likely be announced in the next few days, so will you be able to tell whoever is close to you. You might want to write some notes down.”

Sam grabs a pen on his desk and clicks, testing it on the spare note paper. “Alright, I’m ready.”

Stolen story; please report.

“I’m sure you’ve got questions on how such a massive storm just suddenly vanished so suddenly, or how it came to be as we are nowhere near storm season.”

“Mmmmh, yeah.”

“As of now, the FSA is still scrambling for answers, but one thing’s for certain: after the storm disappeared and the clouds parted, we are no longer on Elysia. The stars aren’t in the right place, we’ve lost contact with everyone else outside the country as well as some islands outside the storm."

“I supposed that explains the two moons I saw for the past nights? One is yellow and the other is blue?”

“Yes, Ambassador. That is correct.”

“Tell me what I need to do.”

The fax machine next to Sam started printing documents.

“We’ve sent you everything that needs to be known, you will be rendezvousing with the Seventh Fleet and make your way to Arden City within 48 hours.” the woman’s voice calmly announced the assignment.

“The Seventh Fleet? Aren’t they stationed in the Rafael Archipelago?” Sam asked the woman on the phone.

“They’ve already moved as fast as possible back to Arden City under the Navy’s orders after the storm had passed. Several massive squid-like creatures along the route were spotted but were quickly dispatched by depth charge rockets and naval gunfire. The crews were referring to them as ‘Krakens’.” The woman’s voice now filled with bewilderment and confusion as she steadily read the report to the Ambassador. “I can’t believe what I just read.”

“Much appreciated for the information, ma’am.” He answered, his professional tone reflects his occupation as a diplomat.

“We’re also sending an assistant with you. Arlette International Airport has also reported that they have received an emergency signal from one of the Air Force’s weather reconnaissance aircraft as the military’s integrated air defense network was taken offline by the storm.”

“I got it, do you have the details?”

“Your first priority is to establish diplomatic relations and recover the two lost crew, if they’re still alive that is. We’ll also send you pictures taken by U-24 reconnaissance aircraft of the nearby landmass and the crash site that we’ve discovered as soon as the weather has calmed down. You should pack your bags and remember to be at Arden Naval Base within the designated time frame. They will be departing at 04:00 PM within two days on the aircraft carrier FES Aletha.”

Scribbling down the note, Sam lets out a sigh as he stares at the fax machine still diligently printing the now 20 pages document and still continuing. “Roger that. I’m on my way.”