“For what purpose?” Skylar felt his blood start to boil, the rage beginning to overwhelm him. He fought to keep his voice under control but found it increasing difficult. His planet and ores were one thing, but his family? He resisted the urge to turn and look out the window. “What do you need with my child?”

“As a show of good faith, let’s call it.” Ire waved a hand idly. “So we know we are indeed on the same side.”

“I swear, if you lay even a hand on my boy or…” Skylar clenched his teeth and slammed his hand on the desk. The datapad shook with the force, nearly rattling off the desk and to the floor.

“Commander, I feel insulted that you think I would harm children.” Ire stay composed as he spoke. A smile touched his lips. “They are our future, after all.”

“May I have the opportunity to at least confer with my advisors, Colonel?” Deep breaths, in and out. “I’d like to have them feel they are part of this decision, as it is quite a major one.”

“I’m afraid not, Commander.” Colonel Ire leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. “This is a one time lifetime, expires immediately opportunity. All the relevant information is at your fingertips, there’s no reason to confer with anyone. You’ll just have to trust me.”

“From the rumors and reports I have received about Hyperia,” Skylar said, attempting to control his temper, “you will have to forgive me if I’m not exactly trusting.”

“Then I suppose you should know that every single one of those rumors is correct.” The Colonel placed his hands on the desk and leaned closer to Skylar. “If I were you, I would sign that datapad. Otherwise…”

An explosion came from behind him in the city. First he heard the sound, then the shockwave rolled through the building, rattling the windows and shaking him to his core. Deep, black smoke billowed into the air as one of the smaller skyscrapers started tipping over, threatening those below. Half of its midsection was missing, replaced by a gaping hole where he could see clear through to the ground at the opposite side before the dark screen overtook and shrouded it from view. Cars came flying out of the smoke, their courses diverted from the sudden hazard. The top smashed into the side of a nearby building and caught on it, cutting through the metal as it came to a stop, though not before it left a thick, jagged scar in its wake.

“No!” Skylar yelled out. He jumped out of his chair and ran to the window, his fists banging into the glass. The frigid wind carried the echoing screams and roaring of fire, noises he would never forget. Slowly, he let his head lean against the cool surface. It was one of the residential buildings, his residential building. Thousands were inside, and who knows how many others on the ground. It was a stroke of luck that his family wasn’t there when it happened. Taking deep breaths, he turned back to the Colonel. “How dare you? You come here acting as if you want nothing but peace, then you blow up a building?”

“How dare I?” Ire laughed. “You did this. All you had to do was sign the datapad. Instead, you argue the point over a matter of some personal honor or something. Let me remind you, Commander. This is not a fight you can win. No matter how much tritinium you think you can throw at us. Now, sign the damn contract.”

Skylar picked up the datapad, his hands shaking violently and almost dropping the device. He pressed his finger into the screen, rather more forcefully than he needed to, and the device read the biometrics from his CAM as a signature. After several seconds, it chirped successfully and Skylar tossed it at the Colonel.

“Now, Commander, you should be happy.” The man stood and held out his arms in welcome. “You’re under the protection of Hyperia. You’re safe. At least, you can rest easy knowing your people are.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Skylar gave him a look.

“If you read the entire contract, you would know that we will also take you, as well as your wife. You glossed over that part, focused more on your son. That’s admirable. More worried about…” Ire stopped for a moment, trying to remember something. “Xaleyp, that’s his name, correct? Of course, we’ll have to take him too. The first round of gathering your able-bodied and young should begin within the next couple of days.

“I look forward to working with you, Commander.” Ire stood and walked to the door. He slid the datapad into the bag and slung it over his shoulder. “I will see myself out. Thank you again for your time today. Oh, and Hyperion contractors will begin the transition over to their mining systems within the day. I trust they won’t have any issues gaining access to your operations?”

“Of course not,” Skylar said through gritted teeth. He resisted the urge to claw his hands into his desk. “I’ll be happy to contribute any aid I can. I just want us to live in harmony.”

“Sorry, Commander, but harmony was never an option.” The Colonel’s smile held anything but the warmth that he intended for it. “We’ll work out the rest of the details tomorrow. Have yourself an absolutely wonderful day.”

After the last words, the man disappeared before Skylar could issue any sort of answer. Skylar lingered in his seat for several minutes, his breath coming fast and hard. How could everything go downhill so fast? One moment, he was enjoying a well-deserved rest. The next he was signing over control of his planet.

With deep, calming breaths, he stood. He didn’t turn to the window, he didn’t need or want to be reminded of the carnage. At some point, he would have to assess the damage personally, and he would have to make some sort of public announcement. After working so hard and long, frequently and tirelessly through the night, to keep his people safe, what would they think of him now, when he was too weak to keep invaders from simply walking all over them like a mat?

The door hissed open when he walked up to it, revealing the silent interior of the reception area. Yunipo still sat at the desk, working on some project or another. Skylar couldn’t even remember what tasks he gave the secretary, everything but the wellbeing of his family and planet pushed out of his mind. The man looked up when he heard Skylar’s heavy breathing, a worried expression on his face, and hurried over to assist.

“Sir, are you alright?”

“Yes,” Skylar lied. His voice was unsteady, and he quickly changed his answer before the secretary could call him out on it, shaking his head. “No, I’m not. That maniac just collapsed a residential tower for no reason other than my inaction. All those people inside, on the ground, they’re dead because of me.”

“Sir, it is not your fault.” Yunipo wrapped his arms around Skylar in an attempt to comfort him but failed, awkwardly resting his hands on the other man’s shoulders. “You couldn’t have anticipated what he was going to do.”

“I’m going back to my family.” Skylar shrugged off Yunipo’s hands just as a sense of dizziness washed over him. His legs started to give out, and he gripped Yunipo’s desk to steady himself and keep from falling to the ground. He took another deep breath, forcing himself to stand again. “Please, have my car ready.”

“Do you need me to call for medical, sir?” Yunipo moved towards him, but Skylar waved him off.

“I’m fine. Just make sure my car is ready, I want to leave as soon as I can.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll alert the guards immediately.” His eye twitched as he accessed his CAM to communicate with the guards below. Fear spread over his face, but he didn’t let it leak into his voice. “I’m getting no response, sir.”

“No response?” Skylar repeated. “What do you mean, no response? How can there be no response? What is going on down there?”

“No idea, sir. Let me check the cameras.” Yunipo hurried through different interfaces on the holocomputer before shaking his head. “Cameras in your hangar are disabled. We’re blind and deaf.”

“I have to get down there.” Skylar moved to the lift despite Yunipo’s protests. It opened at his arrival, revealing Emalie still inside standing at one corner and accessing her CAM. “Emalie, have you been to the hangar?”

“No, sir.” She shook her head. “Is everything alright?”

“I don’t know,” he said, getting inside, “but we’re going to find out.”

Maybe it was his imagination, or maybe it was the pounding of his heart against his ribcage, but the trip down seemed much shorter than the one up. They stepped out into the hangar just as an explosion almost knocked them off their feet. Fire engulfed the vehicle. The guards that once surrounded it were on the ground. Blood seeped out of bullet wounds onto the metal flooring, and the flames licked at their bodies.

“What the hell is going on here?” Emalie whispered. She brought her rifle up, scanning the corners of the room. “Sir, I’m going to need you to stay back.”

A gunshot pierced the air. Emalie fell to the ground a hole in her chest oozing wet, sticky blood. Skylar yelled out, kneeling at her body to stem the flow, feeling the hot liquid running between his fingers, but it was too late. Three soldiers, each wearing smooth, domed helmets and all black armor, stepped forward, their rifles trained on and watching his every movement.

“Skylar Vah’Aris, you’re coming with us,” the middle one said. The voice sounded altered through an electronic changer. “Please, come quietly and we won’t have to hurt you.”

Skylar obediently walked forward, trying to access his CAM to send a message to Kaylee. He needed to make sure she was safe, Xaleyp too, but when he went to send it, it came back as no signal available. There must have been a jammer somewhere, preventing any of his messages from getting out.

A sharp shocking sensation went through his body, forcing his arms and legs to spasm then go limp, and his vision went black.