Screams, wails, and cries of despair echoed through the ship's vast chambers. The Xerzes, Opoove, and Folqi huddled together in grief, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed. Their planet—gone. Their guardian—slaughtered.
The four mechanical protectors stood motionless, their towering frames radiating an eerie stillness. Then, one of them—the one who had input the command—spoke in a cold, precise voice:
"Initiating Protocol Alpha-6-7-Q."
A sharp hiss rang through the ship as a thick, silver mist poured from hidden vents. The survivors gasped, but before panic could take hold, their bodies became heavy, their thoughts slow. One by one, they collapsed into unconsciousness.
The last thing they heard before the darkness took them was the mechanical voice:
"You will wake when it is safe. Rest now, children of the lost."
As the final civilian succumbed to slumber, the ship itself began to change.