Prologue

A piercing distress signal cut through the bridge.

My chief tactical officer rushed to investigate on the tactical panel as its warning lights flashed. The hairs on my neck bristled but my heart remained steady. Our initial course to the Lorian System was abandoned.

“It’s from the Pelagoran Consortium, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Noble said, not blinking. “An outer colony, Valor III. They request immediate support; it’s a matter of profit or death.”

I placed my fist on my chin. I turned to my chief navigational officer and helmsman, Lieutenant Commander Dubois.

“How long will it take us to get there at maximum warp?”

“2 minutes, sir,” Dubois smirked.

“Engines ready for maximum warp, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Luceria reported.

“Set a course.” I stared at the main viewscreen, envisioning the worst.

As the FSS Serenity set off at maximum warp, my first officer, Commander Qamiwat, had her arms crossed; her grin betrayed a hunger for danger. My adjutant, Lieutenant Commander Deon, stood attentively. His golden eyes brightened and flickered, probably calculating. My chief engineer officer, Lieutenant Commander Luceria, locked eyes with her panel, maintaining performance from the engines. My chief tactical officer, Lieutenant Commander Noble, monitored the tactical station with precision for alerts and threats.

What was left of Valor III was a ravaged web of massive sinkholes. Fractured plains and destroyed cities scarred the surface.

“Scans read around 10,000 survivors, sir,” Noble reported, tightening his jaw.

I couldn’t stand idle any longer.

My chief medical officer, Commander Weiss, was still in medbay.

I tapped my communicator.

“Commander Weiss, prepare a relief team. I need you on the surface to rescue survivors.”

“A-aye, sir,” Weiss replied.

“I’m clearing two shuttle bays and powering the med-beacons,” Luceria reported. “Engineering will hold at full recovery readiness, sir.”

Weiss needed support; rescuing thousands of Pelagorans wasn’t an easy task. My first officer, Qamiwat, was the perfect candidate to assist her.

“Commander Qamiwat, join the relief team.”

“Aye, sir,” Qamiwat hurried out, maintaining her lively grin.

With the relief team on its way, we still needed answers. That left one more call — my chief science officer.

I reached out to Chen.

“Lieutenant Commander Chen, join the relief team. Find out what’s happening down there.”

“Already ahead of you, sir,” Chen’s voice carried a cocky lilt.

The relief team was on its way. I still had to establish contact.

“Lieutenant Commander Noble, open up a channel,” I swiftly ordered.

“Open and ready, sir.”

I took a deep breath; the sinking cities reflected in my eyes.

“This is Captain Robert Steele, commander of the FSS Serenity, representing the United Federation of Star Systems. If you are receiving this, please respond.”

The response was instant. The main viewscreen revealed a Pelagoran, an aquatic species, sleek scaled skin and yellow eyes, a gilled neck visible inside a land-suited exosuit.

“C-captain, thank you for— for coming! I’m the manager of this colony. Our… our entire infrastructure, it’s— it’s gone! Everything is destroyed!”

The manager’s shoulders shook as he sobbed. He barely made out a complete sentence.

“Pull yourself together, manager. Your people need leadership. We are on our way.”

“Revenue streams are falling, collapsing, collapsing with every hour!”

Even in shambles, he thought of profit, typical Pelagoran.

“Our team is nearly there. Just hang tight for a minute.”

“You don’t understand! All our capital assets have d-devalued... r-record time! We’re— we’re bound to break our debt covenants! My— my life is over!”

“Manager, focus on what matters! Forget the profits! Focus on saving your people!”

The manager was taken aback by my words. His gills flared as his gaze scanned the collapsed room, the weight of the survivors sinking in. His eyes darted back to me.

“Y-you’re right, Captain... P-please help us.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“We’ve only been here for a month. It wasn’t until about four hours ago. It— it was as if the planet was trying to k-kill us. The sinkholes came out of nowhere! Swallowed thousands! I don’t know how many of us are left.”

I was troubled and disturbed, turning to Deon for his input.

“Commander Deon, are there any records of natural disasters on this scale?”

Deon’s eyes twitched and flickered as he searched his memory bank.

“The closest event in Earth history was the Tangshan Earthquake in 1976. Approximately 240,000 people perished.”

“What was the population at Tangshan?”

“Before the 1976 earthquake, Tangshan had about 1.6 million residents. The disaster reduced the population to around 1.3 million.”

That didn’t help much.

“Captain, my people have no idea why these catastrophes started. Over a million settled here… and now…”

Over a million lives, reduced to barely ten thousand — unbelievable. I couldn’t express how much of a tragic loss of life this was.

Suddenly, an alert rang from the tactical station; I turned to Commander Noble who was rapidly navigating the tactical panel.

“Sir, a battlecruiser from the Galactic Command of Man just entered the system!”

A massive T-shaped warship materialized in the distance; its prow angled squarely toward us.

“We’re being hailed, sir.”

The main viewscreen flickered — transitioning to a woman with a scar on the right side of her cheek, a dark camouflage uniform, a stern look in her eyes. I barely made out the bridge of her ship; the lighting was dim, and her crew members were shadows with no visible identity.

“If it isn’t our ugly cousins, the Federation of weak subhumans.”

Barely a decade ago, the Federation had established contact with the Galactic Command of Man. No one knew how and why there was another human civilization out there. The most popular theory was that a lone colony ship from centuries ago malfunctioned and was lost — adapted over centuries on a habitable planet and formed the xenophobic–militaristic Galactic Command of Man.

“This is Captain Robert Steele of the FSS Serenity, representing the United Federation of Star Systems. Identify yourself.”

“I am Colonel Nora Malinov of the CSS Infinite. Officer of the Galactic Command of Man. I’d watch your tongue if I were you.”

Malinov’s eyes looked as if she hadn’t slept in days — haunted, hovering on the edge of madness.

“Why is it you’ve come here, Colonel?”

“I’m simply responding to a distress signal from the Pelagoran colony. From what I’m seeing, they’re too far gone for any aid.”

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. That was odd; why would an officer from the Command aid other civilizations?

“Sinkholes have destroyed their settlement — I already have a relief team down there helping them.”

A chime sounded from the tactical station.

“The survivors have entered the shuttles, sir. They are on their way to the Serenity.”

I couldn’t help but feel a quiet pride knowing we’d rescued some Pelagorans. Relief painted my face.

Malinov raised an eyebrow.

“Captain,” Malinov interjected, “Command records list hundreds of those Pelagorans as criminals. I’m demanding custody of the survivors.”

“I can’t authorize that. They’re under Federation protection.”

Malinov’s eyes sharpened, and her body tensed with rising anger. A deathly silence stretched across the comms.

Noble’s fingers hovered over the console, preparing for the worst.

“Refuse me and you’ll answer for it, Steele — those fishlings cannot be trusted.”

“Distrust runs both ways, Colonel.”

She laughed, a short, humorless sound, and pushed a stray lock of hair back from her face.

“So the noble Federation reveals its true colors — willing to risk its own people for alien convicts.”

After several tense minutes of arguing, Qamiwat returned to the bridge with Chen and Weiss.

Malinov gagged.

“What is that hideous creature doing in a starship?!”

Qamiwat’s eyes flared crimson, a violent aura emanating from her.

“Watch your words carefully, fascist — or I’ll give you another scar on your left cheek!”

“Commander, calm down.”

That wasn’t the conduct expected from a Bluestar officer — I had to remind her of that.

“My apologies, sir.”

Malinov gagged again, covering her mouth to hold back vomit.

“I’m lucky Command doesn’t allow Cindari — or any disgusting aliens — on our starships. Captain, I question your choice of staff.”

I ignored her petty criticism.

Qamiwat’s temper boiled over.

“My people’s features — pale skin, crimson eyes, horns, white hair — they mean more than your people ever will!”

“Commander, enough!”

Qamiwat finally sat down; her fire was still ablaze but tamed.

Chen had finished her assessment.

“Sir, I’ve established communications.”

“With whom?”

Chen glanced at the viewscreen.

“Valor III.”

I couldn’t believe it.

A devious smile formed on Malinov’s face.

“This planet is alive?” Malinov asked. I didn’t like the look in her eyes — it screamed ambition. She leaned in. “You can keep the fishlings. I have a better idea that will elevate my career.”

“What do you intend to do, Malinov?”

“I will be known as a planet killer,” she whispered, leaning in.

I objected.

“Colonel — I will stop you. Any sentient life-form is protected under the Federation. Harm it and we will respond.”

“What makes you believe you can stop me?”

“An all-out war with the Federation,” I bluffed. I wasn’t confident they’d actually follow through.

Malinov bit her lip and abruptly cut the connection.

“Lieutenant Commander Chen — what is the planet saying?”

“It wants to be left alone. It didn’t mean to harm anyone — it had no choice. It’d been exploited for its resources.”

I stared at the torn plains and collapsed cities and tried to picture what Valor III had been.

A notification chimed from the tactical station.

“Sir, the Infinite is departing. Malinov left a message — watch your back.”

I watched the Infinite turn away, engage its jump drive, and leave the system.

Interesting — and dangerous. I doubted we’d seen the last of her.

A sentient planet — that was a first. I would have liked to talk to it more; we could have learned a lot. But some mysteries are meant to remain unsolved.

“Valor III is now under the protection of the Federation.”

The Pelagoran manager stormed onto the bridge, his aquatic exosuit clanking with every step. Had he been eavesdropping?

“Captain! Captain! Valor III is still under rightful proprietary ownership of the Consortium. I forbid you from claiming it for the Federation!” His gills flared. “Unless you’re willing to buy it off me?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Over a million lives lost under his watch, and his first thought was still profit. Maybe I couldn’t blame him — his life was no longer in danger. Regardless, this planet could not be harmed again.

“So be it — anything to preserve a sentient life.”

The Pelagoran manager hissed in excitement.

“Wonderful! I’ll write up the contract. I expect your signature.”

Qamiwat’s expression hardened. She stood up and confronted the manager.

“Who gave you permission to enter the bridge?!” Qamiwat’s voice roared.

The Pelagoran manager recoiled under her authority.

“Get out!” she barked. He clanked out of the bridge immediately.

I sighed with exhaustion.

“Good work, Qamiwat, Chen, Weiss. Thank you for getting the survivors aboard. Now, see that they’re given guest quarters.”

Qamiwat, Chen, and Weiss left the bridge to carry out my orders.

“Dubois, set a course for Pelagoran space. Let’s return our guests to their home.”

“Course set, ETA 5 hours, sir.”

It was a pleasure meeting you, Valor III — until we meet again.