Bab 54: Oh Lord help us all

In the cockpit of the lead ship, tension was thick, nearly palpable, as aliens of various shapes, sizes, and dispositions argued over their next steps. Panels and screens lined the walls, each one flashing with data and tracking the rapid movement of the unknown entity—a dark mass that continued devouring their stars one by one. Voices clashed, overlapping as each officer struggled to make their stance heard, until a commanding voice cut through the din.

"Silence!" a female alien barked, her tone unyielding. She had smooth, pink skin and a lithe, hairless form resembling a humanoid bunny, though her demeanor was anything but gentle. The cacophony ceased immediately, eyes snapping to her as she took command. She scanned the room, her gaze hard and piercing. "Arguing like this will get us nowhere," she said, her voice steady but edged with urgency. "We need to understand what this entity is—whether it's hostile or not—before making our move. A reckless attack could cost us everything."

Her words caused murmurs to ripple across the room, some aliens nodding reluctantly while others shifted uncomfortably. It was clear that tension was mounting, and the room held its collective breath, waiting for a final decision. But her measured approach did not sit well with everyone.

A tall, sharp-featured alien with metallic scales scoffed from his command seat at the back. He folded his arms, his red eyes glinting with impatience. "Oh, little general, still so naive," he sneered. "This creature is traveling at speeds far beyond anything natural, devouring our stars—our most beloved star, no less. Why would we hesitate? It doesn't matter what this thing is. We need to kill it, or it'll drain our entire system dry."

The pink-skinned general's gaze didn't waver. Her stance was firm, her back straight as she met his gaze, unyielding. "And what if your attack simply provokes it?" she retorted. "We know nothing of its power, only that it outstrips anything we've encountered. If we miscalculate, it could annihilate us. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

A weighty silence fell over the cockpit as each alien absorbed her words. Finally, she gave a firm nod, her decision clear. "Prepare our defenses," she ordered, her voice steady, "but hold fire. We'll attempt communication first. If this being is as powerful as it appears, I'd rather not start a war blindly."

As the fleet braced itself for the next move, a collective murmur rippled through the ranks. They barely had time to react when, suddenly, the unknown entity appeared before them. One moment, he was miles away, and in the blink of an eye, he was there. Carter's arrival was so swift it seemed like he'd teleported. His dark, humanoid form, draped in flowing white and gold robes with six immense, ethereal wings, cast a powerful glow over the ships. His eyes took in the fleet with calm but undeniable authority.

Carter floated there, hands clasped behind him as he regarded the hundreds of ships, his presence filling the void with an almost overwhelming force. "Good god… what is this thing?" one of the generals muttered, awe and terror mixing in his voice as he stared at the visuals on the ship's screen. They had encountered strange life forms across the galaxy, but nothing that radiated this level of energy or menace.

Carter's gaze swept across the fleet, his expression unreadable. He extended his awareness, tapping into a telepathic link—an ability he'd honed after absorbing the equation from a captive alien species within the X3X prison. In one smooth thought, his voice resounded directly within the minds of every being aboard the fleet.

"State your purpose for following me, or none of you will be leaving this area alive."

The words vibrated within their minds, each syllable laced with an intimidating weight. A shiver passed through the entire fleet, and the once-confident officers and generals now found themselves locked in fearful silence, unable to look away from the looming figure outside their screens. For a long moment, no one spoke, and panic simmered among the ranks. Even the seasoned generals felt a cold chill crawl up their spines as they recognized the magnitude of the being before them.

Some of the generals exchanged tense glances, uncertainty and fear flickering across their faces. But a few clung to their purpose, a flicker of resolve still burning in their eyes. They understood their mission had changed: this was no longer a routine interception, nor even a reconnaissance. Whatever this entity was, it was beyond anything they had ever prepared for. But for them, defending their system, their people, was paramount—and they would face whatever was needed to stop this force from advancing further, no matter the cost.