The words PLANETARY HARVEST still echoed inside the Olympus chamber.
No one spoke for several seconds after the alien message appeared.
On the screen, the members of the United Nations Security Council sat in complete silence. The usual confidence of world leaders had vanished. For the first time in modern history, they weren't discussing war with another nation.
They were discussing war with something that wasn't human.
Secretary-General Kovac leaned forward slowly.
"Miss Vance…"
His voice carried a weight that wasn't there before.
"If this translation is accurate… then Earth is not facing a diplomatic encounter."
Elara stood in the center of the chamber, the blue glow of Olympus reflecting across her face.
"No," she said quietly.
"We're facing an invasion."
The room on the other side of the connection erupted again.
Military leaders began speaking over each other.
Scientists demanded more data.
Politicians argued about verification.
Adrian sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Humanity's first contact with aliens… and we're still arguing like it's a trade negotiation."
Elara ignored the chaos.
"Olympus," she said calmly.
The system responded immediately.
ANALYZING UNKNOWN SHIP
The holographic image of the alien structure expanded above the console again.
This time, Olympus projected deeper scans.
Internal structures.
Energy signatures.
Possible weapon systems.
The more data appeared…
The worse the situation looked.
Adrian stared at the display.
"That thing isn't just a ship."
Elara nodded slowly.
"It's a fleet carrier."
The council members on the screen fell silent again.
One of the scientists leaned closer.
"What does that mean?"
Elara expanded the projection.
Hundreds of smaller shapes appeared inside the massive structure.
Fighters.
Drones.
Transport vessels.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"They're not sending one ship."
He pointed at the hologram.
"They're sending an entire invasion force."
The council chamber exploded with alarmed voices.
One of the generals shouted,
"How many?"
Olympus answered.
ESTIMATED DEPLOYMENT CAPACITY: 18,000 COMBAT UNITS
The number hung in the air like a death sentence.
Adrian whistled quietly.
"Well… that's not great."
Kovac spoke again, his voice much more serious now.
"And what is Earth's current defense capacity?"
Elara didn't need to answer.
Olympus projected the data.
Every military force on the planet appeared in red.
Missile systems.
Air forces.
Naval fleets.
Orbital satellites.
All labeled with the same evaluation.
INSUFFICIENT
The council members stared in disbelief.
A European commander whispered,
"You're telling us the entire planet is defenseless?"
Adrian corrected him.
"Not defenseless."
He pointed toward the glowing Olympus core behind Elara.
"Unprepared."
Elara turned back toward the council.
"Olympus can change that."
"How?" Kovac asked.
She opened the Cosmic Defense Protocol again.
The massive blueprints filled the chamber.
Gigantic orbital weapon stations.
Planetary shield generators.
Satellite defense arrays stretching across thousands of kilometers.
The council members watched in stunned silence.
One of the scientists spoke first.
"These designs would require more resources than the International Space Station."
"Yes," Elara said.
Another scientist added,
"And construction would normally take decades."
Adrian smiled slightly.
"Good thing we don't have decades."
Elara zoomed into one particular blueprint.
A massive orbital platform shaped like a ring.
"What you're looking at is the first stage of planetary defense."
Kovac studied the design.
"What does it do?"
Elara's voice remained steady.
"It's an orbital rail cannon."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds friendly."
The blueprint expanded again.
A long energy barrel stretched across the platform.
"The weapon fires tungsten rods accelerated at hypersonic speeds."
One of the military commanders blinked.
"That's kinetic bombardment."
"Yes."
"How powerful?"
Elara looked directly at him.
"One shot could destroy a city."
The council room went quiet again.
Adrian muttered,
"And that's just the first weapon."
Another blueprint appeared.
Thousands of small drones orbiting Earth in a defensive grid.
"These are autonomous interceptors," Elara explained.
"They'll target incoming fighters and drones from the alien fleet."
The scientists studied the projections.
"This technology… it's years ahead of anything we've developed."
Adrian shrugged.
"Olympus has been thinking ahead."
Kovac looked at Elara again.
"And you believe we can build all of this in nine months?"
Elara paused.
Then she said the truth.
"No."
The council members exchanged worried looks.
"But we can build enough."
Adrian nodded slowly.
"If we focus on the most critical systems."
Elara highlighted the orbital rail cannon.
"This is the priority."
"Why?" Kovac asked.
"Because it gives Earth a weapon capable of damaging the alien carrier."
The room grew tense again.
"If we can destroy the carrier," Adrian added, "the rest of their fleet becomes a lot less scary."
One of the generals leaned forward.
"And where do we build this weapon?"
Elara zoomed into Earth's orbital map.
Several positions appeared.
"But the best location is here."
The map focused on a point above the Pacific Ocean.
Adrian recognized it instantly.
"That's where the ISS orbit used to be."
"Yes."
The general nodded slowly.
"Neutral international space."
Kovac spoke again.
"You're asking the entire world to collaborate on building a planetary weapon."
"Yes."
"And if countries refuse?"
Adrian gave a small smile.
"They won't."
Kovac raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you so confident?"
Adrian gestured toward the alien message still glowing on the screen.
"Because the alternative is extinction."
Silence returned again.
Then Kovac sighed.
"For the first time in human history… Earth has a common enemy."
Elara nodded.
"And a common deadline."
The Olympus core pulsed again.
A new alert appeared.
GLOBAL MILITARY ACTIVITY INCREASING
Adrian checked the feed.
"Well… looks like the world is already mobilizing."
Missile systems activating.
Satellite launches preparing.
Navies moving into defensive formations.
The planet was waking up.
Elara watched the data flow across the screens.
Humanity wasn't giving up.
Not yet.
Kovac leaned forward again.
"We will convene a global emergency summit within twenty-four hours."
He looked directly at Elara.
"You and Olympus will be part of that meeting."
Adrian smirked slightly.
"Congratulations. You're officially the most important person on Earth."
Elara didn't respond.
Because Olympus had detected something else.
The alien ship had moved again.
Its energy levels were rising.
Adrian noticed the change immediately.
"That doesn't look good."
The system analyzed the signal.
Then displayed the result.
LONG-RANGE SCAN DETECTED
Elara frowned.
"They're scanning Earth."
"For what?"
Olympus answered.
ANALYZING PLANETARY RESOURCES
Adrian sighed.
"Great."
Another message appeared.
This one came directly from the alien ship.
The translation appeared slowly.
EARTH BIOSPHERE CONFIRMED
RESOURCE DENSITY: EXCELLENT
Adrian's expression hardened.
"They're evaluating the planet like it's a mine."
Elara whispered,
"To them… it probably is."
The final line appeared.
HARVEST OPERATION PROCEEDING AS SCHEDULED
Adrian looked at the countdown again.
Nine months.
Nine months before the invasion reached Earth.
He turned toward Elara.
"Think humanity can pull this off?"
She stared at the alien ship projection.
Then at the glowing Olympus core behind her.
Her voice was quiet.
"They have to."
Because the alternative wasn't defeat.
It was extinction.