Chapter Text
1 February 2134
The boarding alarms screeched in Sergeant Hyon’s helmet. His platoon had breached the alien vessel at once, slicing through its jagged hull with plasma cutters and storming in with rifles raised. They had met fierce resistance, but it was no match for the Space Force Marines. Around nearly every corner they were attacked by the ship’s crew—the Invadere.
This species had spread across the galaxy like a plague, infecting every planet they had come into contact with, including Earth. Her planetary military defense system, also known as Space Force, had been small and underfunded at the time of the invasion in the late 2120s. But now the organization rivaled even the best militaries in the known galaxy. That being said, the humans still struggled to defend themselves.
Space Force’s specialty was dogfights that usually took place in the outer atmosphere. The small but deadly jets made up for their lack of firepower with tight maneuverability. Humans also tended to be at least slightly better in firefights. Bullets were no match for plasma cannons, but their ranks’ flexibility and ability to move efficiently around each other—and their enemy—often made up for it.
In other words, the Invadere had far superior technology, but although young, the humans had already mastered guerrilla warfare.
Unfortunately, even though the invaders had arrived with the intention of taking over Earth and stripping her of resources, their philosophy seemed to be, if I can’t have it, no one can. With little hesitation they had brought out the big guns. Previously the Invadere had only dispatched ships meant to wipe out large government cities like Washington DC, Moscow, Cairo, and London. But now a new piece had entered the game: a series of ships the humans simply called Eclipse. It was said that if you were close enough for the weapon to block out the midday sun, you were already dead. Once in range, it would fire a heat ray the size of the Burj Khalifa down to Earth, creating a blast miles wide.
That was how Great Britain had fallen—leaving it a toxic nuclear desert.
The plan was simple. Once one of the Eclipse ships entered the outer reaches of the atmosphere, fighter jets were scrambled to distract it and provide cover for a small boarding party to sneak aboard and fight their way to the bridge, shutting it down from within.
For the first time in years, humanity had a real offensive plan where they knew they would have the advantage on both fronts. But they hadn’t anticipated the Invadere’s second secret weapon.
The corridors were surprisingly dark and smooth. The only light came from yellow flashers along the corners of the low ceiling. At first everything was still except for the air, which vibrated whenever a bomb struck the outer hull. The teams moved quickly and quietly—easy enough with the blaring sirens and the few crew members. Too few crew members.
“This doesn’t feel right,” muttered Nelly. His fingers ached as he clutched his rifle too tightly.
“Focus,” Sergeant Hyon grunted, sweat dripping down his face behind his visor. He didn’t say it out loud, but he agreed with Nelly. This ship was the most dangerous weapon in the Invadere arsenal. Why was it left so unguarded? None of the teams cutting their way through the ship had encountered more than a few invaders at a time. They had been disposed of before they could even raise their weapons. This… almost felt like victory already.
Then came the screaming over comms.
The Sergeant froze as Team Bravo’s channel filled with gunfire and wet tearing noises before cutting to static. It happened so quickly. What was going on? What had just attacked his sister team?
“Sergeant? Is everything alright?” asked Davis.
He blinked back to reality before leading his own team forward again. “Keep it tight. Eyes sharp.”
He kept his cool as he heard Charlie’s shouts of warning—words that devolved into panicked cries, cut suddenly short by a crunch loud enough to rattle his bones. He picked up the pace.
All of a sudden, Alpha was the only team left.
His fist flew up and all four of them stopped dead in their tracks. Faintly he heard a high-pitched clicking sound. It sounded far away, but steadily grew closer, louder. The erratic squeaks clashed with their hollow breathing and the hum of the ship, and it was impossible to pinpoint where it came from.
Just as Hyon was about to turn them around to take another route, it suddenly stopped.
Then something moved in a corner just ahead. He blinked, thinking he had imagined it. But the shadows started to slowly sway and take the shapes of too many rail-thin limbs tipped with too-long fingers. The darkness melted away to reveal huge eyes that reflected the flashing lights. He heard one of his marines gasp as the creature seemed to form a shape too large for the corridor. That thing was definitely not an Invadere.
Far too late, he barked, “Contact front!” and opened fire.
Bullets cut through the thin metal of the corridor walls, but the creature darted with impossible speed. A blur of claws, teeth, and black sinew. Ellis screamed as the thing tore into his chest. The force sent him flying down the hall, his blood splattering across Hyon’s helmet.
“GO! GO! GO!” he roared.
They all ran back the way they had come, Nelly scooping up Ellis along the way. The shadow with teeth kept coming—no matter how many bursts of gunfire Hyon sent its way, it dodged with uncanny accuracy. When they turned a corner, he spared a glance at his team as they made it through a doorway. He knew what he had to do.
The last hail of bullets in his current magazine wasn’t sent toward their attacker, but into the door’s control panel. The bulkheads slammed down between them in sudden lockdown.
Davis pounded the door with her fist, desperation cracking her voice. “Sergeant! We’ll cut through!”
“No time,” Hyon growled, reloading. The sharp scrape of clawed hands and feet echoed closer. “Get to the control panel!”
“No! Not without you!” Nelly cried.
“DO WHAT I FUCKING ORDERED YOU TO, NELLY!” His roar shook even Davis’s resolve. He turned away, planting his feet, rifle steady. “You have your mission! Take the ship!”
He didn’t wait for a reply before marching forward, each step bringing him closer to his death. This thing had just killed his entire platoon. Over his dead body was it going to take any of his own marines away from him.
He took a deep breath before rounding the corner. The alien’s wide glinting eyes and needle teeth dripping with his friend’s blood made his courage falter almost immediately.
The monster lunged.
Hyon met it with fire.
Right before it was going to crash into him, he dropped to his knees, pointing his weapon above his head as it flew over him. Finally, it let out a tortured cry as it stumbled to the ground on the other side of the hallway.
Unexpectedly, another voice joined the chaos. From the darkened corner from whence the monster came, an Invadere soldier stepped out in shiny green armor. He shouted angrily, pointing toward the Sergeant in an obvious command to attack.
The creature growled, rising to its feet once more. Before Hyon could think about what this meant, it charged again. He put his back to the wall, firing wildly toward it. The beast contorted itself so that none of the shots hit, but its claws narrowly missed his throat, instead slicing across his helmet.
Hyon screamed in pain, falling to the floor in a heap. Ripping off what was left of the protective layer, blood poured around him. He couldn’t think; it was hard to breathe. All he could feel was the agony in his face.
As if it was happening far away, he could see from one eye the monster also clutching at its wounds. The handler’s silhouette loomed behind it, whispering guttural commands.
He started to get his bearings. Adrenaline shoved his pain down to a place where he could still function. He picked up his rifle, aiming at his attacker. The handler stepped further into view—armor glinting in the sickly throbbing lights.
At the last second, Hyon shifted targets.
He emptied his rifle into the handler’s center mass, causing it to stumble back. But it would take more ammo than that to bring it down permanently. Unexpectedly, the monster collapsed with a shriek, clutching at its own chest.
That was Hyon’s chance. He charged, knife now in hand, and drove the blade deep into a juncture between the handler’s plates.
The beast howled, convulsing violently. Its massive frame crashed down onto Hyon. Pain exploded through him, and the world went black.
When Davis and the others finally burst onto the bridge, they fought through scattered Invadere soldiers and seized control of the ship’s helm. Against all odds, the Eclipse was theirs—humanity’s first captured invader vessel.
On the other side of the ship, Sergeant Hyon lay still—his brave act ensuring victory, his body resting beside the creature that had nearly killed them all. Both of their chests now rose and fell in unison.