“Sit there,” the lead alien, Zarion, instructed. “You can use those as belts if you want to.” He gestured towards the vine-like protrusions hanging from the wall.

The group hesitantly took their seats on the benches, eyeing the vine-like structures warily. As they touched them, they found the vines were surprisingly flexible and soft, yet firm enough to secure them in place. It was as if the ship itself was ensuring their safety.

Once everyone was seated, Zarion spoke again. “We will be taking off shortly. Our destination is the Theraxian command ship. It's stationed outside your planet’s orbit.”

Micha, trying to maintain a sense of composure, asked, “What’s going to happen to us?”

“You will be fine,” Zarion said. “Everything will be explained in detail once we are at the command ship. We really have to go now if Raxars see us we are all dead.”

“Fine?” Philip jumped in, anger and confusion mixing in his voice. “Fine? A bunch of Aliens attacked and bombed our planet, and then other aliens that looked like goddamn cats saved us from them.” He stopped for a second catching his breath, he was running on pure adrenaline.

“And you said you planned to invade us before them, but they beat you to it?” He continued to rant. “And I am sitting on a fucking alien spaceship that seems to be breathing on its own. What in this all looks like we are going…”

Micha stopped listening to Phillips’ rant and focused his gaze on Dana who was sitting in front of him. She looked pale, as they all did, but she also looked like she was having a panic attack. “Dana,” Micha called her but he kept her deadpan gaze straight. “Dana, are you ok?” He raised his voice.

Dana snapped out of whatever was going on in her head. “No,” She answered her voice barely above a whisper. “This is insane.”

“Yeah,” Micha said in the calmest tone he could find. “But it’s going to be ok.” He tried to reassure her.

“It’s not,” She said with a voice devoided of hope. “Liam is probably dead lying in the woods, god knows what happened to my parents and sister and we are all going to end up as cat food or something.” She said in the same tone, with no emotion in her voice.

“They are all fine, Liam is the toughest guy I know, no little invasion is going to kill him that easily,” Micha tried to cheer her up. “And your family is fine you heard, you heard Zarion Raxars don’t kill civilians they need them, they do a blitzkrieg on military outposts and some random locations to scare the people off and make them surrender quickly.”

Before Dana could continue, Philip stood up and continued his rant in a yelling voice, flying his arms around like crazy. One of the aliens who stood beside Zarion made a few steps toward Phillip but Zarion stopped him with his hand.

“Look,” Zarion cut Phillip off his voice changing the melody he was speaking in. “I said everything is going to be explained once we get to our command ship, I am not a diplomat I am a warrior, so don’t test my nerves anymore, sit there and relax, you are safe!”

The room feel silent as the aliens left and closed the doors behind them. The room had one small window like opening to the side where a clearing outside Michas’ grandparents estate could be seen.

As the ship began to move, there was no sense of motion, no turbulence, just a smooth, almost imperceptible glide. It was as if they were still, and the universe itself was moving around them. The sensation was unsettling yet strangely comforting, like being cradled in the hands of an unseen giant.

Philip, still seething with a mix of anger and fear, finally sat back down, his outburst spent. Micha, maintaining his role as the unspoken leader, kept his focus on Dana, trying to offer silent support through his steady gaze and words of reassurance.

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The small window-like opening on the side of the room offered a view that gradually changed from the familiar sight of Earth's surface to the vast, star-filled expanse of space. The group, removing the vine like belts, crowded around the window, their breaths catching in their throats as the reality of their situation became overwhelmingly clear. The Earth, their home, was now a distant sphere hanging in the blackness of space, a fragile blue marble against the vastness of the cosmos.

“Wow,” Oliver whispered, his fear and despair momentarily forgotten in the face of such awe-inspiring beauty. “I never thought…”

“None of us did,” Micha murmured in response, his voice soft.

As the ship continued its journey, the vastness of space opened up before them. It wasn’t long before they encountered the Raxar armada. The sight was terrifying. Massive ships, far larger than anything they had imagined, loomed around Earth and Moon. The scale was incomprehensible, each Raxar ship a floating fortress.

The Theraxian ship, in comparison, seemed like a minnow swimming among sharks. The group pressed closer to the window, their faces reflecting the lights of the armada. The sheer number of ships, the size, and the apparent power of the Raxar fleet left them speechless.

“We’re just... insignificant against that,” Oliver said, his voice barely audible.

After the initial shock, the journey continued in silence, each of them lost in their thoughts, trying to process the magnitude of what they were seeing. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.

After what felt like hours but was difficult to gauge in the timelessness of space, they finally approached the Theraxian command ship. It was a stark contrast to the Raxar vessels, sleek and elegant, its design harmonious and fluid. As they docked, the group felt a jolt of reality – they were about to step into the heart of an alien interstellar war.

The doors of their ship opened, revealing a large hangar-like area. It was bustling with activity, with Theraxians moving about with purpose. They noticed other human groups, likely from different parts of the world, each accompanied by a Theraxian by their side.

Zarion gestured for them to follow. “This way. Everyone who made it should be here soon enough.”

As Zarion led the group out of the hangar, they walked down a series of corridors with walls that seemed to pulse with a soft light. The corridors were bustling with activity; humans of various nationalities, all looking as bewildered as they did, were being escorted by Theraxian guides. They arrived at the large room that already housed several hundred humans, the walls of the room were decorated by large screens that showed live feed videos and images from all around the Earth.

Micha felt sick to his stomach as he observed major cities across the world in flames, and thousands of enemy ships flying around all across the globe. He looked at his friends and they all had grim expressions. He tried to calm himself down but he couldn’t calm his breath, his heart kept beating faster and faster he felt like he was about to faint. He tried some breathing exercises but nothing worked, he only forgot about his panic attack when an imposing Theraxian with distinguished silver marking across his fur walked into the room.

“I am Admiral Kyron,” he announced, his voice resonating through the room. “I oversee the operations of this vessel. I understand you have many questions, and we will do our best to provide answers. However, our immediate concern is your and our safety.”

Admiral Kyron paused, allowing his words to sink in. “The Raxar fleet has not yet noticed our presence, but it is only a matter of time. We must depart from your solar system to avoid detection. Our destination is one of our colonies with an atmosphere breathable for humans. It’s already a safe haven for many species, far from the current conflict where we will be able to answer all of your questions and make plans for the future.”

Murmurs and whispers broke out among the humans. The reality of leaving their home planet, possibly forever, was daunting. Micha felt his panic attack surging back. He glanced at Dana, who seemed to be processing the news with a quiet resignation he shifted his focus toward her.

Admiral Kyron continued, “While there, you will be provided with everything you need. This is not a permanent solution, but a necessary step to ensure your safety and to plan our next course of action. The Theraxians are committed to protecting you and your planet.”

“I can’t comprehend this,” Oliver said. “This has to be a dream.”

“I pinched myself at least a hundred times by now,” Philip chimed in showing a red spot on his arm. “And this is not a dream, this is full-on insanity.”

They all look over at Micha who stepped away from the group looking pale. “Micha, are you ok?” Oliver asked him.

“Ok as anyone can be I guess,” Micha answered. “I agree with Philip, words I rarely say,” He tried to lighten the mood. “No matter what, we stick together and we will see what happens.” Silent nods were all he got back from the crew.

With a final nod from Admiral Kyron, the Theraxians began to organize the humans, preparing them for the journey to the colony.