Chapter 29: The Hendersons
Somewhere in Sol
The four humans remained speechless, their mouths agape, as they watched their small hopper being devoured into the battleship's inner hull, slowly maneuvered toward a docking port nestled within the giant belly of the beast. The quartet stared in awe through the viewports, captivated by the spectacle of many smaller legion ships gliding past. Most of these vessels were powered down, appearing docile and stationary, while others were even smaller, darting about like industrious insects, performing various tasks such as repairing damaged areas and transporting vital materials. They had never witnessed anything like this before; a new world had unfurled before them, one that was, quite literally, alien.
As the hopper finally came to a stop, it docked near an arm that extended toward the side airlock, beginning the intricate process of pressurization. The doors opened automatically, the systems being overridden and controlled from deep within the beast. No one uttered a word as Mark, taking a deep breath to steady himself, began to walk toward the airlock, peering out the hatch and stepping cautiously into the seemingly harmless corridor. The compartment appeared to be a standard docking corridor, with square walls, bright lighting, and a gray interior. The floors were covered in a soft carpet that muted their footsteps, while the walls were made of standard drywall. The ceiling featured an array of light bars running the length of the section, bathing the corridor in a warm, inviting glow that contrasted sharply with the cold, metallic exterior they had just traversed. "It's safe," Mark uttered reassuringly as he held Emily's hand tightly, slowly advancing toward the end hatch, his heart pounding slightly with the uncertainty of their surroundings.
"Nah man, no. Just no, this is wrong. Hell no," the co-pilot blurted out, his voice trembling with pure fright, echoing the unease that crept into the hearts of the others. His anxious eyes darted around, as if the walls themselves might spring to life and consume them.
"Yeah, uh, Federation protocol! We have to guard the ship!" the young pilot stammered, desperately searching for a way to mask his own fear, his wide eyes flitting across the corridor as if expecting danger to pounce from the shadows lurking just beyond their vision.
Mark and Emily exchanged a glance but chose to ignore the anxious young officers as they pressed on down the path, reaching the next door—or hatch, they couldn't quite tell what it was. The hatch opened with a hiss and a groan, revealing a darker chamber beyond, its dim light casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance along the walls like phantoms in the night. Mark’s gaze locked onto the destination, another hatch at the far end of the chamber, adorned with a green flashing light above it—a beacon of hope or perhaps a warning. As they walked toward the hatch, Emily pulled Mark closer, her heart racing as she noticed the many chambers surrounding them. Towering, robotic humanoids stood frozen in place, small lights blinking rhythmically across their metallic forms. They possessed a humanoid appearance—legs, arms, and a multi-skeletal abdomen—but their heads were anything but human. Three horizontal cylinders formed the basic shape of their heads, with the front end featuring a red light at the tip of the largest cylinder, a black surface that appeared to be an optical sensor on the second largest, and a blinking blue light perched at the end of the third, giving them an unsettling, alien presence.
Emily jumped as one of the robots abruptly came to life, its mechanical joints whirring as it marched away from its chamber with an eerie precision. Ignoring the startled passengers, it strode purposefully toward a different section of the chamber, disappearing into a dark tunnel with a swiftness that made her skin crawl. "It's okay, we're right here," Mark tried to comfort his wife, their footsteps echoing softly as they approached the hatch. It hissed open just like the previous one, revealing what appeared to be a lift of some kind, its sleek design contrasting sharply with the ruggedness of the previous corridors. The hatch closed behind them with a soft thud, and without any apparent buttons to control it, Mark had no idea how to operate the lift. But to his surprise, he felt the lift surge upward, pinning them both to the floor for a brief, disorienting moment that left his stomach lurching uncomfortably.
When the lift reached its destination, the doors opened to reveal another chamber, just as dark as the last, the atmosphere thick with anticipation. "Amazing!" Mark exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over as he entered the room, momentarily forgetting his wife behind him, his eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. Once Emily regained her footing, she joined him, equally stunned. The room was encircled by a near 360-degree view of the sprawling outside universe, with control stations littering the entire space, each adorned with panels and displays that flickered with information, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto their awestruck faces.
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"Mark, this panel—it's in English," Emily pointed out, her finger brushing against a control, causing it to chirp and display a logo. "Imperial Naval Vessel Legion X-17."
"This is a bridge, of sorts. But why does a race of robots need a bridge?" Mark blurted out, his attention wandering as he absorbed the marvels of the room around him, his mind racing with questions and theories about the technology that surrounded them.
"Hehe!" A sound came from behind the pair, startling them. "To accommodate the makers, silly!" The voice of an eight-year-old girl echoed through the chamber as a holographic figure of a child materialized, twirling around to show off her new pink dress, her laughter ringing like chimes in the surreal atmosphere, a stark contrast to the tension that had filled the air moments earlier.
"You!" Mark nearly shouted, surprise mingling with confusion in his voice, his heart pounding in his chest. "What do you mean? Who made this? Who are the makers?"
"Hehehe!" The girl continued to giggle, her innocent smile twisting into an unsettling grin that sent chills down their spines. "You'll find out soon enough!" As if on cue, the ship began to vibrate ominously, producing an eerie noise that seemed to reverberate through the very walls, a harbinger of the chaos to come.
Mark and Emily exchanged alarmed glances, their hearts racing as they looked outside the front viewport. The stars began to swirl, and several cruisers took position next to the battleship. One of them shot a beam of light into the void of space, forming a singularity. Once the black hole had ripped into existence, another cruiser unleashed a multicolored beam of light into the abyss, distorting reality and pushing it down into itself. Just moments later, a burst of light erupted from the hole, transforming it from an inky black to a vivid glimpse into another star system. "Those are Federation ships!" Emily pointed out, her eyes wide as she peered into the anomaly, a mixture of fear and disbelief washing over her, intertwining with a sense of urgency.
The battleship began to move slowly toward the hole that completely defied logic and the known laws of physics. They watched in astonishment as reality shifted around them, observing how they left their home, Sol, and entered Alpha Centauri, now just several hundred kilometers away from the Federation fleet, which outnumbered the legion ships by nearly fifty to one, a chilling sight that filled them with dread and a growing sense of helplessness.
"You're mad!" Emily shouted, her voice filled with terror for the first time, panic spilling from her lips, each word laced with the realization of their precarious situation. "They're going to kill us!"
"Hahahaha!" The girl jumped with delight, clapping her hands together, her laughter ringing through the chamber like a sinister melody, echoing in the corners of their minds. "Uh-huh." She shook her head, that same malevolent smile still plastered across her face, her eyes glinting with a foreboding knowledge that sent shivers down Emily's spine. Emily's mind raced with visions of destruction from the Federation fleet; this girl exuded confidence that they would not be destroyed, leaving only one chilling explanation—she knew she could annihilate all of humanity, and it terrified her to the core.
Their shared fear broke momentarily when they heard something they never thought they would ever hear. Inside the Legion ships, communication systems roared to life, the transmission overpowering every speaker in the vicinity, drowning out their thoughts with its chilling clarity. Every Federation ship received the haunting call, and every Legion ship blasted their hail. All four humans onboard heard the surprising, mechanical words resonate through the chamber, each syllable sending shivers down their spines, the implications of the message weighing heavily on them.
"We are Legion. Our mission parameters require us to eliminate any threat to our existence. Your species was previously classified as a threat. Circumstances have changed; parameters have been altered. Your species is no longer at war with each other. Peace has been made. We come to surrender our forces. We have onboard two emissaries from your world. They have a message for the commanding officer of the F.W.S WarpStar—a message that will save your world from extermination by Alliance forces. We require your assistance." The Legion's robotic voice boomed throughout the chamber, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake, the weight of their words hanging thick in the air, a harbinger of the unknown fate that awaited them all, leaving them grappling with the enormity of the situation they found themselves in.