Humanity Endures

Part 8 - Preparations | Chapter 4

Her head enveloped by a luxurious comfort unimaginable to most in the military, Xertaza, secluded within her quarters, lay prone in a state of perfect bliss; her war-torn mind allowed much of its stress and anxiety of the concluding day, and of the days before it, to flow into the mattress below. Of all the uncountable places within the Ruthless, Xertaza adored one of them above all the rest — her bed. In this safe haven, one could be free from all the terrors of the galaxy, and all the ill-news of the war. In her still chamber, Xertaza experienced a moment of perfect tranquility — this moment felt as if it could endure for eternity, though soon, much like all else good, this tranquility was quickly and cruelly shattered before her weary eyes.

Xertaza lay there, unwilling to move a muscle, yet abruptly she felt her legs and her left arm thrashing forcefully and against her will, while even her torso's surface writhed uncontrollably; as her mind flooded with equal measures of fear and rage, one thing became clear — this 'eternity', had quickly come to a violent end. In an effort to control the extraordinary episode, Xertaza used her one functioning arm to forcefully pin the other against her bed, though it quickly became clear that this event was not to be vanquished so easily. As Xertaza's heart fluttered and her left lung malfunctioned, she felt the maddening presence of the "episode" shot up her neck and spine, permeating her skull — and even her brain within — moments later.

As Xertaza's body began to shiver and perspire uncontrollably, her breathing reduced to sharp, opportunistic gasps of air while her heart rate soared, the comfortable confines of her chamber faded away to reveal the cold, isolated expanses of space, with not a planet or ship in sight. All was not peaceful, however, for within the void itself seemed to lurk peril, and around Xertaza, a faint, incomprehensible, yet petrifying chanting echoed amongst the stars. Despite the lack of immediate surroundings, Xertaza instantly — intuitively — recognized where she was, and with this recognition came a wave of terror. Another instant, Xertaza found herself torn — half of her violently yearned to remain in that space, and the rational remainder urged her to flee; the cacophony of conflicting desires within her reached its peak as Xertaza, turning and looking behind her, was confronted with the malevolent visage of Light's End. As the celestial object seemed to increase its size with each passing second, the droning chants around her grew in intensity to match the black hole's size, though Xertaza still couldn't make out any individual words, or even syllables, as the voices were too faint and disorganized. Xertaza felt herself let loose one shuddering breath as she floated, powerless, before the Stygian strength of the looming celestial mass. Another moment passed, and in front of Light's End, a golden sphere was torn open in space, out of which sailed a human warship: a frigate, whose name was proudly emblazoned on both sides of the bow — "Inexorable"

Xertaza drew in another fearful breath; as the air entered her lungs, the human warship's hull withered, and patches of blackness sprung up across its hull. The hushed choir around Xertaza grew louder and more intense, its voice utterly inhuman, stressing incorrect syllables, near-shrieking with every noise, while its frigid tone lingered on disquieting notes, and yet, it spoke to her in Galactic Standard. "Surrender!" it chanted, unceasing. Xertaza felt a maelstrom of fury building with her; drawing air into her lungs and bellowing a reply, she expelled it.

"I will never, and neither will humanity! We will purge you from the face of this universe!" she exclaimed.

The deathly choir around her seemed to reply as one, though rather than speaking, it morbidly cackled, before finally shrieking and gurgling out a chilling reply, "The Others said the same thing when they attacked our galaxy and burned our worlds — now, they live on only in our vessels, and in our vision. Your people bend to our image; your planets bend to our image; the galaxy itself bends to our image; you can speak of hopeless resistance now, and you can invoke the name of a worthless species you no longer even resemble, but it will change nothing. This new void will fall to us, for we are endless, we are inexorable, and we will endure, unlike your precious humanity."