The massive gates of the shelter leading to the surface swung open. Ken's hands and feet were trembling; after all, this was his first time in a spacecraft. The public watched the feed on massive screens, praying for success. For now, the flight was flawless. They had already passed the Moon. Their target was Planet B-098, located 300 light-years away. Captain Bjorn gave the order: "Engage the quantum engines!" The technician pushed the lever, and the jump drive roared. This was the moment of truth. The circular ring surrounding the ship began to spin to gather energy, warping the fabric of space. The first stage was a success. On the screens below, the people began to cheer and jump for joy. But it was too early to celebrate; the second stage remained. Captain Bjorn ordered Co-Pilot Ken to initiate the jump. Ken pinched himself to snap out of his tremors and pulled the final lever.
The ship's ring spun even faster. The vessel began to shudder violently, and the crew gripped their stations to keep from falling. Then, with a "thud," the ship jumped into sub-space. Everything seemed stable. Five minutes later, the ship emerged from the sub-dimension, and the crew immediately began scanning their surroundings. Before them sat a "Super-Earth," nearly the size of Jupiter. They ran the scans to confirm the coordinates. Yes! The project was a success! This was B-098.
The crew and the people back home embraced in a massive wave of joy. The project that would be the salvation of humanity had been realized. They had done it! The people declared the day a national holiday, dancing and celebrating at the platform. The crew popped champagne, a sense of profound relief washing over everyone. Ken's trembling finally stopped, and he collapsed to the floor. His teammates hoisted him up, and they celebrated together, arm in arm.
Just as the champagne corks were popping, the cockpit was suddenly bathed in the blood-red glow of the emergency alarms. The shouts of joy died into a profound silence. Captain Bjorn's eyes were locked onto the radar. "Captain... We're surrounded!" the radar officer shouted. "They had their cloaking shields on—they just appeared out of nowhere!"
A fleet of twenty ships had encircled them. Etched onto the hulls was an emblem of a multiverse containing entire galaxies. Who were they? Where did they come from? Everyone was in a state of shock. The Captain ordered the crew to battle stations. "Defense team, shields and weapons online, now!" Saanvi, the head of the team, activated the shields. Just as they were preparing to return fire, the communications officer turned to the Captain. "Sir, they are sending a signal. It seems they want to speak." After a moment of hesitation, the Captain ordered the signal to be put on the main screen. Suddenly, a humanoid lizard with scaled skin, wearing a purple uniform, appeared. It was a Reptilian! The very creatures they had only seen in sci-fi movies. Everyone stared at the screen in disbelief; they were finally face-to-face with an alien lifeform.
The lizard began to speak in an unknown language that no one understood, but suddenly, it switched to their tongue. They likely possessed technology capable of translating their speech into human languages in real-time. Judging by the size of their fleet, they belonged to a civilization far more advanced than humanity. Everyone listened intently to the alien's words.
"I am speaking to you pathetic humans," it said in a shrill, piercing voice. "This planet whose orbit you have entered belongs to us. If you do not withdraw, you will be annihilated by our mighty Reptilia fleet."
Everyone began to tremble with fear. Bjorn didn't know what to do; they were backed into a corner. They couldn't die here. As the captain, he had to make a statement. He took a deep breath. "We did not know this was your territory, sir. Please, forgive us. Our intention is not war; we were merely testing our new technology."
The lizard man paused to think. Suddenly, a signal came from behind him. Another Reptilian approached and said, "Commander, they are coming." A look of shock washed over the commander's face. He snatched the communication device from his assistant and began speaking to the person on the other end. The person on the line must have been someone of immense importance, because the commander instantly turned from a predator into a whimpering cub. When the conversation ended, he slammed the device to the floor in a rage and crushed it under his heel. "You are very lucky. The Galactic Federation is arriving. You may have escaped my grasp for now, but there won't be a next time." The signal cut out abruptly.
Just as the crew thought they were safe, it happened.
"BOOM."