The room was submerged in darkness, a sealed aquatic sphere illuminated by the dim bioluminescent glow of coral formations, alien flora danced across the sphere's walls, casting ripples of light over intricate carvings and painted scenes along the rocky surfaces.
These murals depicted underwater landscapes, wild currents, and depictions of sprawling battles taking place on land, sea, air and space, each detail alive with vivid colours designed to soothe and inspire the mind.
In the sphere's centre, nestled in a small rock cave lay a woven bed of delicate, ribbon-like seaweed, lay the creature. Its scaled body was lined with fine ridges, extending down a sinuous length of mottled green and blue.
Fins curled close along its spine, twitching slightly as it slept. Its face, elongated and sleek, bore eyes closed beneath heavy, shell-like lids, while a series of short, thin tendrils floated along its cheeks, shifting with every underwater current.
Suddenly, a low, resonant hum filled the chamber, carrying through the water with insistent, rhythmic pulses. The creature’s eyelids slid open, revealing gleaming eyes of shifting, opalescent colours, like light filtered through layers of water.
Mandibles parted slightly, and its gills flared, pulling in water as it awoke, processing the vibrations.
With a soft, guttural rumble, it uttered a command, “N'ahl sekara.”
At the command, an oval screen embedded within the coral-strewn walls lit up, casting a pale blue glow across the room. The symbol of three intersecting circles flickered onto the screen, rotating slowly, each intersection gleaming with faint, electric pulses that cycled through in rhythmic patterns.
For a brief moment, the creature's gaze softened the symbol was a reminder of unity, strength, and resilience, its organization unyielding creed.
A soft, synthesized voice spoke, clear and calm, rippling through the surrounding water. “Battle report. Sector Bila-2.2”
The creature’s gills flared as it listened, the translucent membranes along its face flushing a faint red with intensity.
“Engagement on Luna-2 surface. Enemy presence: unidentified, hostiles identified as organic origin unknown."
“Organics encountered with adaptive, camouflaged, no mechanical components were observed during the engagement. “
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“Casualties sustained—severe. Eleven survivors detected, status: unknown.”
“ Vehicles: eleven destroyed, three compromised. Total personnel loss: ninety-four percent.”
The creature’s mandibles tightened, and a low, continuous hum vibrated through its body, disturbing the surrounding water.
With one flick of its long, finned tail, it shifted, bringing itself closer to the screen. Its gaze sharpened, lingering over the rotating symbol as it seemed to gather its thoughts. Then, its voice rang out, low and resonant.
“Details. Show me what attacked.”
The screen flickered, and then the feed came alive, displaying footage from the head and shoulder-mounted cameras of the soldiers who had fought and fallen on the lunar surface.
The moon’s barren landscape stretched out in jagged, metallic-grey hues, broken only by the sharp shadows cast by ruined vehicles and the enemy itself.
Swarms of alien creatures moving in synch, with no obvious visual or audio communication method between them.
Each drone had a segmented body, armoured in uniform grey chitinous plates
Several creatures within the swarm launched projectiles from their upper arms,
launching an unknown crystalline projectile.
The footage trembled as explosive rounds erupted, lighting up the battlefield in chaotic bursts. The creature studied the swarm as they advanced, bodies churning forward even as their ranks fell none seemed to care for the wounded.
Its scaled fingers flexed, and the membranes over its eyes flickered between shades of deep blue and black—an instinctual response to a perceived threat. It had seen many foes over its long life, but these… these creatures were something different.
They moved as a single force, without hesitation or recognition of pain, manoeuvring through the wreckage with precision, their dead left behind to drift like dust.
There was something almost familiar in their relentless drive, a singularity of purpose that it understood all too well having battled machines for so long.
The creature’s tendrils pulsed with faint bioluminescent patterns, translating its thoughts and intentions into visual signals, a trait of its kind that enabled rapid underwater communication.
Alone in its chamber, however, they served as a manifestation of its agitation and focus. After several moments, it uttered another command, its tone colder.
“Deploy additional forces to Luna-2 immediately. Double the contingent. Priority: containment study and extermination.”
The synthesized voice returned with a brief confirmation. Satisfied, the creature drifted back slightly, its finned tail curling to stabilize itself in the water.
It reached toward a panel near the screen, activating another recording channel. The symbol of three circles vanished, replaced by a recording indicator pulsing steadily.
The creature adjusted its posture and then began its message, its voice carrying the weight of authority and purpose.
“Status update: Hostile forces encountered and eliminated on Luna-2 surface. Possible survivors among our forces captured, a possible new variant unseen during past operations and additional resources required for ongoing cleansing efforts. Reinforcements are on route to contain further threats.”
It paused, the opalescent gaze narrowing slightly as it considered its next words.
“Recommend immediate resource allocation. Unidentified hostiles are resilient. Cleansing protocols to be escalated if encountered again.”
The recording finished, and the screen dimmed, leaving the room once more in the soft, rhythmic glow of coral and bioluminescent light.