The EVO

As the sun rose on the other side of the planet, Reynolds prepared for the inevitable. With only a few hours of sleep plagued by a myriad of nightmares, his energy was low. Morale overall was low. Their mission was clear, but with the vessel at hand and no intel on the enemy, there was plenty of room for doubt.

Still, they made the most of it. The Betelgeuse awaited the enemy like a lion in tall grass. There was nowhere to run but plenty of places to hide, so it waited in low orbit over Pandema's moon. The crew supplemented themselves with their choice of caffeine while engineering below gave an extra thorough check to ensure everything was ready for combat.

"What are our options right now?" Reynolds asked.

"Sir," Zoldyck presented herself. "We have fighters, point defense, lance weaponry, drones, and drop pods. Given that we're sitting in what is supposed to be a research vessel, I think we're combat capable."

"I can't believe it." Reynolds sighed. All that complaining and peeving about the guns on the ship, the incorporation of the security forces. The Kainian's wisdom was right on the money. Even in this backwater span of the Milky Way, it wasn't safe.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any missiles, and our hangar doesn't allow easy refueling and refitting. If the EVO came on asteroids, I'd say we'd have a better shot at this."

"We're getting contact," Zelda reported. "We're getting a reading on an EVO vessel."

Everyone's heart sank.

"Bring it up onscreen," Reynolds ordered. The dimly lit bridge got a little brighter with monitoring from one of the satellite drones available in orbit. Sure enough, a vessel was entering the planet's atmosphere at full speed. It was an alien sight. Even from the vessel's shape, they could tell its makers weren't human. It was a strange, pointed anomaly resembling a folded-up umbrella, with a long needle-like core and several encompassing panels on each side, six in total. Its movement defied the laws that the Betelgeuse ran on and substituted it with swift bursts of multi-directional speed.

A moment passed, a sinking feeling overtaking them, awaiting confirmation of further vessels, but none came. Reynolds leaned over his console. "Are there any more contacts, Ms. Rilia?"

She and Ritz scoured over all the sensors to see if they'd heard anything from the other probes. She took off her headphones. "No, sir. Only one ship. From the schematics, it looks like an E-25, a 'Lone Wolf' class strike cruiser. Its size is similar to us at about 500 meters. Sir, it's a scout vessel."

There were no words in any language or gesture that could be made to express the wave of relief that overtook the bridge. The dread of sure death was gone. The threat of overwhelming, extinction-level annihilation had passed for the moment. They weren't out of danger, far from it, but this was a fight, a real fight, one they could win, and with the element of surprise they could do a number on the EVO vessel. They could eliminate the jammer to let the Kainian fleet in the system. They could beat the EVO and fortify the planet in time. It was possible. They had a win condition. A new stress emerged.

"The question is how do we engage?" Reynolds asked. "They're entering the atmosphere now. Can our lance weapons hit them from this angle?"

"They can with the proper targeting," Zoldyck said. "And if they go down there like that, they'll be at a disadvantage. They'll be unable to move out of orbit without significant effort.""They're a sitting duck, huh?" Reynolds shook his head. He was getting into this. One shot from his cannon and he could save the planet, save millions of lives. He remembered what he had said to the board of directors about making the Betelgeuse the way it is. I am a pacifist. He said back then. I won't let violence lead my decision-making. Of course, now it was too late.

"Sir, we could take out the jammer now," Park said. "I can sneak us past the ship to the other side of the system. The Kainians can take care of them."

Reynolds shook his head. "We'd be abandoning the planet to the EVO. We came to protect them. This is our duty as humans."

"Sir," Zelda said. "Ship is stopping over the planet. Coordinates are Latitude 26.44039, Longitude 26.97346. Over the country of Adjerash. Our ground forces are three hundred kilometers off that."

"They're not wasting any time." Reynolds slapped himself into focus. Now was the time. "Power up the Betelgeuse for lance fire from its main gun. Have fighters on standby. We'll sucker punch them to get the battle rolling."

"Roger," Ritz said. "Calling it now. Battle stations, everyone!"

As the Betelgeuse quietly emerged from the black void, the world of Pandema stood still. In the city of Lia, nestled in a profound collection of oases connected to the equatorial jungle, its people gazed out from their homes and holes to look up at the machine above them. It was a speck from this distance, its visage obscured by the heat and particles in the air, but it was close enough to flaunt its otherworldly details, the sheen of its armor. It was as if it was always there, watching.

Then, after several minutes, the Lone Wolf stirred, having finished pondering, and slowly rotated on its axis, aiming its needle straight down. It moved with the hum of an angelic choir and the whistling of its many thrusters, propelling the ship with its unknown fuel. Emergencies were called, and evacuations were ordered, as the King of Lia and his council felt a foreboding pit in their stomach. Their fear of the unknown left them apprehensive, and instincts told them to flee, but even then, the citizenry couldn't move in the slightest. Their gaze was transfixed upon the alien craft. It was like a visit from god. A holy symbol had been brought to them.

King Solon III directed his lines across the wastes to the Szeer's military line. "Brother, can you see the instrument above us?" He asked. "What is this witchcraft? Brother!"

The Emperor, of course, could not answer, and a messenger would take some time to traverse the palace.

And still, the EVO ship continued rotating as the populace below them scattered and hunkered down at the sight of it, stewing as much fear as possible. Then it stopped. The sound of latches popping echoed across the sky, and slowly, the beast changed form. The paneling protecting its core bloomed like a flower and latched with each other, forming an interlocked disk with its needlepoint fully exposed. In the glow of the early dawn, the EVO ship flickered with life and a mirage of multi-colored lights. For a second, it looked like the aliens had come for a party. If an Earthling had seen it, they would've considered it a stereotypical UFO.

Zelda pulled up the visual on the main screen. "Ship has entered station mode," she said. "I'm detecting further movement."

“Captain,” Zoldyck said. "I'm detecting shields on that ship. We'll need a fully charged blast to penetrate."

"Okay." Reynolds took a deep breath. "Disengage stealth and line up for a shot. Contact the men below and give them a status update."

Everyone began moving into action. Light hit the Betelgeuse as it entered the sun's radius. Then, a call was given below, picked up by the Albatross pilots, and relayed. The messenger approached at the same time.

"My Holy Emperor!" shouted the boy from afar. "A strange object has appeared over Lia!""A what?" The Emperor asked with a tired yawn. The Rydians had taken the medics hostage and thus successfully negotiated some perks for their safe return. This included his bed, an attendant who could leave the barricade at will, and his wife, who lovingly clung to him. "Earthlings, you're not messing with my brother too, right?"

Warrant Officer Daniel scrambled. "EVO is present. Standby to engage. Emperor, please get to safety now!"

"What do you think you're doing!?" The lord soon found his bed-shaped prison abandoned. The Earthling packed up at a speed so fast, it was as if they were never under siege. It was insulting. "Guards! Attack them! Do something!"

"Sir, Ms. Reynolds is missing from the camp!"

"That kid!"

Somewhere deep in the palace's depths, Sam and Vinisnu found a pair of unguarded Kukchis. It took them all night, but the experience was a thrill.

"Zula is a heavy sleeper," Snu chuckled as he let Sam through the window. "She won't know that I'm gone until morning, but for now, use this. You two are about the same size."

And thus, disguised as the princess, Sam and Snu snuck, dodged, crept, and talked their way through the immense labyrinth of the palace until making it to the stables, where a new pair of friends were eager to get some fresh air. If they left through the minor gate, they'd be on the flat plains of Obanks. Still, they had to wait for the next supply haul to make its way inside.

"Can we go now!?" Sam asked, suffering behind one of the gerbils. "I'm gonna die of nausea!"

Vinisnu gave the signal. "Alright, we'll hop on three. One…two…”