Chapter 19
“Hey,” Rayne said as she strolled back into the cockpit. “What’s going… on?”
Her mouth dropped open when she looked up at the front window and saw the ships surrounding us.
“Nothing good,” I said. “Francine, we need to send out a signal to them to show that we come in peace.”
“I am already attempting to do so, Will,” Francine assured me.
“Who are these guys?” Rayne asked. “Where did they come from? I didn’t see them on the scanner, and I’ve only been gone for a minute.”
“They just materialized out of nowhere,” I said. “They must have really good cloaking technology or something.”
“That, or they used folding engines to jump to us,” Francine said.
“Well, if that’s the case, then we’re lucky they didn’t miscalculate their jump,” I replied. “Or else we might’ve ended up with a warship inside our ship.”
“Well, the Lilacrons are nothing if not technologically advanced,” Francine said.
“The Lilacrons?” I asked. “These ships are your people?”
“Yes,” Francine said.
“As in Lilacron AI, or actual living Lilacrons?” I asked.
“It is my understanding that the Lilacrons who decided to come to the colony were awake,” the AI explained. “Now, they are protecting the Frumentum Colony and all of the survivors living there.”
“Well, they’re doing a damn good job so far,” I replied. “They’ve got us totally surrounded with no way out.”
“So, shooting our way out is definitely not an option, then,” Rayne said.
“No,” I replied.
“What are we supposed to do?” Rayne asked as she nervously fiddled with one of the golden strands of her hair. “Are we just gonna sit here and wait for them to fire at us?”
“Francine’s trying to contact them,” I said.
“It is taking some time,” Francine said through Bob. “They are very confrontational and are not keen to converse with us.”
“What happened to innocent until proven guilty?” I asked.
“I am wondering the same thing,” Francine-Bob said.
“Don’t they recognize the fact that our ship is the same design as some of theirs?” I asked. “I mean, it’s identical to theirs aside from the front window and the color. It’s obvious. Right?”
“I believe that might be the only reason that we haven’t been killed yet,” Francine-Bob said.
“That’s something, I suppose,” Rayne sighed.
“How many of them are there?” I asked.
“There are over fifteen ships,” Francine said. “I am unsure of how many crew members are on board.”
“No way out,” I sighed. “So, now we wait.”
“I have made contact with them,” Francine said. “I have informed them of our identity, and that the other Lilacrons are on board in stasis. They are deliberating.”
“On whether or not they let us get to the colony?” I asked.
“On whether or not they destroy this ship and everyone on it,” Francine replied.
“Well, don’t sugarcoat it,” I sighed.
“Oh, no,” Rayne groaned.
“Hey,” I said as I reached out and gave one of her hands a comforting squeeze. “It’s gonna be fine.”
“You don’t know that,” Rayne said.
“Francine, can we do anything to convince them to at least talk to us?” I asked.
“I am unsure,” Francine said. “They do not believe that we do have Lilacrons on board.”
“Can’t they scan the ship?” I asked.
“The shields block their scanners,” Francine said.
“So, let’s drop the shields,” I said.
“What, so they can kill us more easily?” Rayne asked.
“We need to prove that we aren’t a threat,” I said.
“But--” she began.
“The Lilacrons have lost everything, Rayne,” I said. “You were on Lilacron. You saw what the Karaak did. You saw all the death and destruction. Their planet is destroyed, and their species is all but wiped out. Can you really blame them for being defensive? I mean, it’s a miracle that they didn’t shoot us down the moment we got here.”
“You’re right,” Rayne sighed. “But do you really think that dropping the shields is our best option?”
I looked at the ships that surrounded us. The fleet had started to press in even tighter, and I could see some of their weapons as they started to charge up, ready to smoke us.
“I think it’s our only option,” I said.
“Fine,” Rayne said. “Do it.”
“Francine, lower the shields,” I said.
“Will, are you sure--” Francine began.
“Lower the shields,” I interjected firmly.
“Lowering shields,” Francine said.
I heard them power down and watched as the shimmering edges of the shields slowly disappeared. Rayne and I both took a sharp intake of breath the moment that we were left unprotected against all of the ships around us. We were totally at their mercy, and it was up to them whether or not we were leaving this area of space alive.
It felt like years passed as the ships circled us like vultures, and the silence was unbearable. Francine was talking to the other ships on our behalf, but we couldn’t actually hear what was being said. Our fate rested on the AI, and while I found it difficult not to leap into the middle of the conversation, I had faith in Francine. She had saved me time and time again, and the AI was so damn stubborn that I knew she would do her absolute best to plead our case to her creators.
I just hoped they weren’t so scared of the Karaak that they took it out on us.
I waited for a couple more intense minutes until finally, I couldn’t take it anymore, and neither could Rayne.
“What’s happening?” Rayne and I both asked at the same time.
“They have agreed to stand down,” Francine said. “We are discussing the terms moving forward.”
“Okay,” I said as I let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, we’ll leave you to it.”
Rayne and I both leaned back in our seats to relax and turned to one another.
“See?” I said. “Told you that everything would be fine.”
“Shut up,” she chuckled. “I hate it when you’re right.”
“Why?” I laughed.
“Because you get this smug look on your face that makes me want to punch you,” she said.
“I thought you liked my face,” I replied.
“Only when that look isn’t on it,” she laughed.
The conversation quickly ended when both of us saw the ships starting to turn around and leave. The ones that had been posted in front of us began to slowly drift in the direction of the colony, while the rest of the fleet moved in toward us, presumably to escort us to some place.
“Uh, Francine?” I said. “Care to explain what’s going on?”
“They have done a scan of the ship and have seen the stasis tubes in the storage compartment,” Francine said. “Once they confirmed that there were Lilacrons on board, they were a lot easier to convince. They have requested that we follow them to the Frumentum Colony. There, they will vet us, search the ship, and unload the stasis tubes. If their examinations are satisfactory, we will be allowed into the colony for an audience with the leaders.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said as I started to fly after the first few Lilacron spacecraft. “And you’re sure they’re not just waiting to get us off the ship and out in the open to kill us?”
“I am fairly certain,” the AI replied.
“You know, sometimes you could just lie and say you’re sure,” I chuckled.
“I do not believe that deceit is productive,” Francine replied.
“Nevermind,” I sighed. “Fairly certain is good enough for me. Besides, they’re not really giving us a choice in the matter. You know, I can see why all you AIs kept them in stasis for so long. They’re bossy.”
“Will…” Francine said.
“I’m kidding,” I chuckled.
“I know,” Francine said. “I was just going to say that they have nothing on you.”
“I’m not bossy!” I protested.
Rayne snorted beside me.
“I’m not,” I said. “I’m just… good under pressure.”
Rayne gave me a knowing smile and turned to watch out of the front window.
“Bossy,” I huffed.
We flew toward the Frumentum Colony, flanked by the Lilacron ships. Admittedly, I felt the familiar flutter of nerves inside my stomach as we drew closer to the colony. After all, I had no idea what to expect, but I knew that the Lilacrons were on their last leg and ready to fight tooth and nail to keep what was left of their species alive.
I wasn’t sure what kind of reception we were going to get even though we’d brought a few more survivors to the colony, but at least they hadn’t blown us up before we had the chance to meet them. I had to admit, I was excited that I would actually get to meet the Lilacrons who were awake and not just lying in glass cylinders like samples in a test tube. Now, they were going to be real people with real opinions, and I was excited to meet the aliens that were responsible for the creation of Francine and all of the other AIs that had been in charge of their planet for all these years.
As we got closer to the planet that the Frumentum Colony was built on, I could see that it was tiny compared to the other planets I had seen on my travels. It made me think of the debate about Pluto, though the small blue dot had an atmosphere and was warm enough to grow crops.
On one side of the dwarf planet, the Lilacrons had built a network of long buildings that all connected to one another, sort of like the Pedway in Chicago. Vast fields of mostly corn stretched out from the structures like the silken lines of a spider’s web.
Lilacron’s main resource had been corn, but as Francine had informed me, they had started to run low once most of the Lilacrons went into stasis, because the syrup made from the corn was the main source of nutrients for the sleeping aliens. So, they had set up colonies around the galaxy on different planets that had the right atmosphere and resources to grow the corn, and then that produce was transported to Lilacron. It was a smart plan, and I knew that they were even more grateful now that the colonies existed, since such places provided a refuge for anyone who had survived the attack.
“Have you been here before, Francine?” I asked.
“No,” the AI replied. “But I was involved in the design of it.”
“Damn,” I said. “It must be nice to be here to see what you created, then.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” she replied. “But I am more interested in seeing my creators. It has been a long time since I have seen them awake.”
“I’m nervous,” I admitted. “I feel like I’m your date to the prom and I’m meeting your parents. And that hasn’t gone too well in the past, believe me.”
“All will be well,” Francine said.
“You sound very sure,” I replied. “I’m glad one of us is.”
“My creators are good and kind people,” she said. “As you say on Earth, there is not a bad bone in their bodies.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see that for myself in a minute,” I replied.
The ships in front of me started to descend down toward the colony. I followed our escort through the dwarf planet’s atmosphere and on down to the docking bay at the edge of the town. It was near a large, flat section of roof along one of the long tendrils of a building, and as we drew nearer, a door opened up to allow us inside. It wasn’t a very large opening, so I really had to concentrate, but I brought us inside without any mishaps, while the other ships followed us inside.
As soon as the last ship entered, the roof slid closed and blocked out the sunlight. The ships in front of me led the way through a large doorway at the end of the hangar and into the next cavernous room, where an armada of different Lilacron ships were parked. As soon as the last ship cleared the door, it closed and locked behind us.
“The airlock is secured,” Francine said. “You may park anywhere you like, and your breathing apparatus will not be needed on the colony now that the airlock is closed.”
“Okay,” I replied as I pointed the ship toward the first free space I could see.
“The Lilacrons have requested that you remain inside the ship for now,” Francine said. “They will inspect the ship to ensure we are who we say we are.”
“Sounds fair,” I replied. “They can’t be too careful.”
The ship touched down, and I switched off all of the engines. The whirring slowly subsided as everything shut down, and I made sure that the shields were still down so that the Lilacrons didn’t feel threatened by us.
They just needed to have a look at the ship and confirm our identities, and then we could properly get to work. I couldn’t wait to pick their brains about the Karaak in case they knew anything about them that we didn’t know yet. Plus, if we combined our forces and resources, I was sure that we would all stand a far better chance at surviving.
But first, I had to convince them that I wasn’t here to destroy the last of their kind.
Rayne and I waited nervously in our seats and watched what was going on in the hangar. The troops from the fighter ships had begun to disembark, and most of them made their way through a small door on the left of the room, which I assumed would take them to the rest of the colony. They all wore full-body suits that were fairly similar to mine and Rayne’s, though they also had heavy-duty helmets, huge guns, and shields on their backs. Ours were a tad more streamlined, it seemed.
A small group of soldiers peeled off from the herd and started to march toward our ship. Most of the soldiers had their guns at the ready, though a couple had their hands wrapped around some kind of electronic tablets, which they were typing on as they eyed my ship.
I figured that one guy was probably trying to find any registration information on my ship while the other guy was scanning the ship for stowaways or hidden Karaak. It was a tense moment as the two men kept looking back and forth between my ship and their devices, and I felt like I was waiting outside some CEO’s office for a job interview. Only it kinda felt like the CEO in question already disliked me and didn’t want to give me the job, so I needed to work extra hard to convince him to hire me.
“They’re not just gonna kill us, right?” Rayne asked.
“No,” I said, and although I attempted to be casual, it didn’t work.
“Convincing,” she sighed.
“Sorry,” I chuckled.
“They are a peaceful people,” Francine-Bob said.
“They also had almost their entire species wiped out,” I countered.
“Good point,” the AI said. “Well, just be polite and do not give them a reason to kill you, then.”
“Thanks for the advice,” I huffed.
“You are welcome,” Francine said. “They would like to enter the ship.”
“Okay,” I said, and I took a breath to steady my nerves. “Let them in.”
Rayne and I both stood up as the door at the side of the cockpit opened up. The Lilacron soldiers had taken up positions all around the ship by then, and I found myself looking down at four of them who were standing in the doorway. They were armed, and they said nothing as they kept their weapons pointed at us.
“Are they waiting for something?” I whispered.
“Invite them inside,” Francine replied.
“Oh, right,” I said. “Uh, please come in.”
The four soldiers took my invitation wordlessly and climbed up into the cockpit. They looked around as they entered, probably to check that there were no murderous, teeth-filled aliens ready to kill them hidden behind one of the panels, and then stood in a line in front of us.
I glanced back at Rayne and gave her a nod of encouragement. I could see that her eyes were wide, though she wasn’t terrified. I decided she was more uncertain, which seemed to be confirmed when her hand hovered over her weapon for a moment. But she finally smiled and made her way to my side.
No one had spoken yet, and I wondered if the translator had been damaged at some point. But that didn’t make sense, because I could still understand Rayne.
“Can they understand us?” I whispered as I tapped at my translator.
“Yes, they have the same technology,” Francine replied. “In fact, theirs is probably more advanced.”
“Then, why aren’t they saying anything?” I asked.
“Maybe you should say something?” Rayne suggested.
“Okay…” I said, cleared my throat, and smiled at the soldiers. “Welcome to my ship. Sorry for turning up unannounced, I know it wasn’t ideal, given the circumstances, but we didn’t really have much of a choice. Thanks for letting us into your colony and not, you know, killing us. That was much appreciated.”
I turned to Rayne, who gave me a thumbs up, and then I looked back at the Lilacrons and waited for a response. They were tall and long, even under their armor, and they had the ability to stand so still, that for a moment, I wondered if they had just calcified and turned to stone right there and then.
“Okay,” I said when they still said nothing. “Feel free to have a look around the ship. I can show you around if you want. Or--”
I stopped talking when one of the soldiers holstered his gun, reached up to his helmet, and started to pull it off. Then, the others followed suit until eventually, all of their heads were exposed, and their helmets were held under their arms.
Their pale skin seemed almost luminous in the lights in the cockpit, and I could see the purple veins beneath their skin that pumped the blood around their bodies. Their heads were large, their faces were smooth, and their eyes were bright and alive, which was a nice change, considering the only times I had seen any Lilacrons they were either in stasis or dead.
Now that I could look at them living and breathing, they were like a whole different species. They held themselves with high esteem, and a sense of confidence radiated off of them in an almost palpable wave. They all had a wise look in their eyes, like they had seen and learned so much that the universe had told them secrets that only they were allowed to know.
“Welcome to the Frumentum Colony,” the first Lilacron to remove his helmet eventually said.
“Thank you,” Rayne said.
“We spoke with your AI,” the Lilacron continued. “But now, we would like to speak to you.”
“Well, you already are, so…” I chuckled awkwardly.
“William Ryder, is it?” the soldier asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“And this is?” the alien asked.
“Rayne Trader,” Rayne said. “From Wildern.”
“Wildern,” the soldier said and a thoughtful look crossed its face. “Your people have not stepped foot off your planet for a long time.”
“I never was one to conform,” she replied.
“And what inspired you to join William Ryder?” the Lilacron asked.
“I needed to leave my planet,” Rayne said. “It was awful there. Besides, Will isn’t terrible company.”
I would’ve laughed, but after reading the tension in the room, I decided it was best to stay serious.
“I see,” the soldier said, though it was clearly suspicious of Rayne.
“I invited her,” I said.
“Was the AI companion we provided you with not enough?” they asked.
“No, it wasn’t that--” I replied.
“Nevermind,” the alien sighed. “Humans are overly emotional creatures. It is unsurprising that you have made a connection to another lifeform on your journey.”
“Right,” I replied.
“That brings us to you, William Ryder,” the soldier said. “It is nice to meet you.”
“You can just call me Will,” I said. “Francine used to do the same thing and called me by my full name all the time.”
“Who is Francine?” the soldier asked.
“Right, sorry, the AI you sent to me,” I said.
“I see,” the Lilacron said. “Well, Francine tells me that you are the chosen one.”
“I think that’s a bit of an extreme description,” I chuckled.
“You are the one that Francine’s algorithm selected to be the savior,” the soldier said. “It is a pleasure to meet you in person.”
“I was gonna say the same to you,” I replied. “I mean, it’s an honor to meet the people that made Francine.”
“My name is General Occana,” the soldier said. “These are my soldiers.”
“Nice to meet you, General,” I replied. “I have to admit, it’s lovely to see you all here, alive and well.”
“You have seen a lot of death in your travels, I presume?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, and I quickly glanced at Rayne.
“We went to Lilacron,” she said.
“You went there?” the soldier asked, and I saw a touch of sadness creeping into its eyes.
“Yes, we did,” I said softly. “We didn’t know about the attack, and when we got there… All I can say is that I’m truly sorry for your losses. What we saw on your planet… It was awful. I wouldn’t wish what happened there on anyone.”
“Thank you,” the soldier said. “That is a kind sentiment.”
“We were hoping that by coming here we might be able to combine our minds and our forces to work out how to save other planets from the same fate,” I said. “You’ve seen how the Karaak are firsthand, and so have I. And I think that there is definitely strength in numbers.”
“I would agree,” the Lilacron replied. “But, there is another reason that you are here. And right now, that is our main priority and interest.”
“Right, yes, of course,” I said. “Follow me.”
I led the soldier into the living area and then down the ladder toward the storage compartment.
“It is interesting how identical your design is to our ships,” the Lilacron observed. “Considering you had limited resources on Earth, you did surprisingly well with building it.”
“Well, I had Francine’s help,” I said. “And there have been a couple of upgrades along the way that got the ship to where it is now. But enough about my ship for now. I think what we have for you here is way more exciting.”
The soldier climbed down the ladder, turned around, and Occana’s eyes lit up when he saw the Lilacrons we had rescued. All of the stasis tubes were perfectly intact and operational, and the people inside them were safe and peaceful.
I turned back to Occana, who looked ready to cry as he made his way over to the tubes. The general studied the faces of each person, and then he touched the tubes with such care and love that my heart broke for the Lilacrons. They had lost so many people and so many loved ones, and I was just glad that I was able to save even just a few of them.
Rayne and I stood back and allowed the soldier to have a moment with the stasis tubes. The Lilacron was clearly very emotional about being reunited with these last few survivors, and it bowed its head and caressed the glass above one of the tubes for a couple of moments.
“Thank you,” Occana eventually said. “Thank you for bringing them home to us.”
“It was our pleasure,” I replied.
“Our numbers are low,” the soldier said. “We were woken up when we arrived here, only to find that there are barely any of our species left alive. So, every time any more of them arrive, it is a huge relief.”
“We understand completely,” Rayne said kindly.
“Thank you again,” the Lilacron said before he straightened up and put his game face on. “Well, it is clear to me that you have good intentions. We will permit you to enter the colony, and you will be our honored guests.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “And let us know whatever we can do to help out here.”
“There is no shortage of things to be done,” the Lilacron said. “But you will be liaising with our leaders predominantly. I believe each of you could benefit from one another’s input.”
“Well, I’d like to get started as soon as we can,” I said. “I’m not trying to be pushy because I know you guys have a lot going on while you get back on your feet, but the planet I come from, Earth, is also on the Karaak’s list. I saw what happened on Lilacron, and I don’t want Earth to be a repeat of that. I’m supposed to be able to save it, so I want to have some kind of defense plan in place before they get there, and I think that your people can help me with that while I help you however I can.”
“Understood,” Occana replied. “You are very persuasive.”
“So I’ve been told,” I chuckled.
“But I agree,” Occana said. “No species should suffer the same pain and loss that we did. So, we should not waste any more time discussing this. My soldiers will transport these stasis tubes inside the colony and wake up our people. I am sure they will want to meet the people who saved them when they are taken out of stasis. Meanwhile, I will take you to our leaders. We notified them that you had arrived, and they have agreed to meet with you.”
“Great,” I said happily. “Let’s go.”
The ramp of the ship lowered, and the three of us walked down it and out into the hangar. Bob joined us after climbing out of the cockpit, and together, we followed Occana to the small door on the left of the room, where the rest of the soldiers had disappeared through earlier.
I squinted as we passed through into the hallway beyond it. The lights were bright, and all of the walls were the same pale, cream color that the Lilacron ship had been back on The Crossed Swords. I realized that this color was their signature, and it was almost as pale as their skin was.
Occana led the way down through a maze of hallways, and it wasn’t long before I totally lost track of where we were or how to get back to the ship. All of the corridors were basically identical, all the doors looked the same, and there were so many different turns and twists that my sense of direction was compromised within about five minutes. Occana, on the other hand, knew their way around without any trouble.
“Damn, how do you not get lost in here?” I asked.
“It is surprisingly easy to learn your way around,” Occana replied. “Our AI built this colony only quite recently, so it was new to me too when I woke up here. It was disorientating at first, but now it feels like home to me. I think that is also partially because my planet is gone.”
“Your people are here,” Rayne said. “It feels like home when you’re with the people you care about.”
She looked up at me then, just as I looked at her, and we both smiled.
“The Frumentum Colony was nearly unknown, even among my people,” Occana explained. “It was the safest place for us to reconvene, gather our forces, and to see who was left.”
“How many of you are there?” I asked.
“I am unsure of the exact number,” the General said. “The numbers change constantly as more arrive and others… succumb to their injuries.”
“Well, I’m glad we were able to bring a few more to safety,” I replied.
“As am I,” he replied. “And our leaders are as well.”
“I’m just glad they didn’t shoot,” Rayne said.
“They were unsure whether to welcome strangers to the colony, even if they had a ship that used our designs and technology,” Occana admitted. “But when they learned who you were, they welcomed your arrival with open arms. I hope you will excuse the blunt meeting we had initially. I just had to make sure that everything was in order before we allowed you in here. I am sure you can understand our increased security measures.”
“Completely,” Rayne replied.
Suddenly, red lights started to flash inside the colony, and then a warning alarm followed a moment later. It blared through speakers that I couldn’t even see in the hallways, and our surroundings were bathed in pulsating, red light. My stomach sank. We had been here for all of five minutes, and I had just allowed myself to feel relieved about it, and now something was wrong. I felt the adrenaline start to pump through my veins. We all paused for a moment and looked around, and then Rayne and I turned to Occana.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
“It appears that those safety measures have come in handy after all,” Occana said. “Come on. We must hurry.”
We started to run. Occana was fast thanks to his lithe body and long legs, but Rayne and I kept pace with them. More Lilacrons started to pour out of various doors and pushed hurriedly past us. They were in such a rush that they didn’t even notice the aliens in their midst.
Occana led us through the maze until we found ourselves in a hallway with only one large door at the end of it. The door was made of the same smooth, cream-colored material. It looked heavy and tall, and as we drew closer to it, Occana scanned his wrist over a concealed device, and then the doors opened inwardly to reveal what looked to be the main operations room.
Lilacrons scurried around the room with tablets in their hands, and a few even carried stacks of paper. In the center of the room was an enormous table that looked like something I’d expect to find in a Presidential bunker beneath a mountain. Ten Lilacrons were seated around the table, and though they each wore suits just like mine, the ten all had an air of authority about them. They were in a heated discussion about something and tapped away at the table, which I realized had a large screen set into it, but as soon as they noticed that we had entered, they all stood up and beckoned us over.
“Come,” Occana urged as he marched through the scurrying Lilacrons.
“Right,” I said and glanced at Rayne.
The copilot shrugged and squeezed my hand, and we ran after Occana. We weren’t quite as good at dodging through the crowd, but once we reached the conference table, Ocanna pointed Rayne and I toward a couple of empty chairs. Bob sat down next to me on the floor while Occana took up a position just behind me.
“Welcome to the Frumentum Colony, Will Ryder,” the Lilacron at the opposite end of the table from me said. “We are so glad you and your companion could join us. We hadn’t heard from your AI in some time, so we weren’t sure if it had succeeded in its mission.”
“We’ve had a few adventures getting here,” I replied. “But Francine has been great.”
“Francine?” the Lilacron asked and looked at Rayne.
“The name he has given to the AI,” Occana explained quickly. “And I’m happy to report that Will Ryder has also brought six more Lilacrons to the colony.”
“That is wonderful news,” a female Lilacron said. “Thank you.”
“It was our pleasure,” I replied.
“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” the one at the head of the table said.
“Yeah, what’s going on here?” I asked.
“What’s with the lights and alarms?” Rayne asked.
The Lilacrons looked between one another as if deciding whether or not to answer, but then the head of the table sighed and nodded.
“Something is near the colony,” one of the others said. “A ship that we do not recognize. That is a warning that they are close to the colony.”
“Already?” I groaned. “Are they headed for us or just near?”
“We do not know yet,” one of them said, and then they turned around to one of the aliens rushing past the table. “Do we have eyes on the ship yet?”
“Yes,” the Lilacron replied. “Bringing up the image now.”
Right on cue, the back wall of the room was suddenly not a wall anymore, but a screen, like the HUD on my ship. It flickered for a moment, and then the display showed the unknown ship flying through an area of space that was apparently close to the colony.
I got up from the table and walked over to the wall to get a good look at it, and I gasped when I realized what I was looking at.
“Rayne, are you seeing this?” I asked.
“I wish I wasn’t, but yeah,” she replied.
The ship on the screen moved like an eel in water. It swam through space, and I could see the outer skin ripple as it did so. I could also see the weapons used to fire the giant rocks, the lasers, and some smaller structures that gave me a bad feeling.
But there were also sections that looked like they were just skin, tissue and muscle. These were the parts that moved and contracted in a way that machines never could, and it was a little creepy to watch it move through the vacuum of space.
As the ship drew closer, I saw that it was one of the biggest ships that I had seen. Except that wasn’t quite right because it wasn’t just a ship. I couldn’t quite believe my eyes, but the weird blend of biological and mechanical explained so much, like the boulders that weren’t just rocks and the acidic mucus that attached itself to other ships.
The ship was a living thing.
“Battle stations!” Occana shouted. “Lock down the station.”
“Will, I think I know what’s happening, but it won’t feel real unless you say it,” Rayne said.
“It’s the Karaak,” I said. “They’re here.”
End of Book 3