The Mk. II appeared next to Sashae’s homeworld, Ullia, in a spot where the debris orbiting it was low and started taking images.

From here, it was much easier to make out what the largest pieces of debris were. They were pill ships. There was also an astonishingly large amount of metal fragments that somewhat obscured the probe’s vision as if it were in a fog.

The Mk. II jumped next to the most intact ship near it and saw that it had several holes melted through it where the reactor would be. Which meant that whoever had attacked it knew where it was most vulnerable.

An exceedingly bright light hit the Mk. II, and it stopped transmitting.

Anton swore and slammed his fist on the table, “What was that!?”

Becky sat on one side of Ryan, holding her hand, and looked at her, “That light. Can you pull up the data you got from it before you lost contact?”

Ryan said nothing, but pulled up the data.

Both Evan and Becky turned to look at it.

Anton clicked his tongue and turned back to his nearly finished schematic of his next drone design, “Looks like I should up this guy’s armor.”

Becky frowned, “Yup, that’s probably an ultraviolet laser.”

Even nodded, “I concur. One powerful enough to melt through the Mk. II’s shell in mere moments, as well as the Dregasi ships, it seems.”

Anton deleted the hull from his schematic, “Looks like we need anti laser armor.”

Charlotte stopped messaging Ryan’s shoulders and cocked her head to the side, “What’s a laser?”

Becky smiled, “I’ll tell you later, but for now, just think of it as light bright enough to melt through things.”

Charlotte nodded and started messaging Ryan’s shoulders again, “Okay.”

Evan tapped his chin, “Ryan, can you make a map of the debris field? If we can find where the laser attack came from, we can eliminate it before it fires.”

Sashae seemed troubled, “They build laser? They can’t go to space.”

Becky turned to Sashae, “You’ve been gone for three hundred years, and I doubt the Dregasi probes came here right after you left. It only took our people something like fifty or sixty years to develop lasers after radio, and less than that to go to space.”

Evan nodded, “And I suspect the threat of annihilation would motivate your people to put as many resources into fighting the Dregasi as they could. A few space-based lasers would make sense.”

Anton looked away again, “Slap an RTG on one of those lasers and hide it somewhere and it’ll last for years.”

Charlotte cocked her head to the side again, “RTG?”

Anton went to speak, but Becky raised her hand and stopped him, “We’ll tell her later.”

Anton puffed out his cheeks, which looked comical on a Klingon face, and turned back to his schematics, “Fine.”

Sashae looked confused from all the heavy language, “Okay?” She turned to the hologram of the solar system and looked at Ullia, “My people fighting now?”

Ryan brought up some images he’d taken of Ullia.

Becky frowned as she turned to the images of Ullia, “That’s not good. It really was a nuclear winter.”

Evan turned to the hologram, “Yes, that appears to be the case.” He pointed to a dark spot on the planet, “Can you zoom in here?”

The image zoomed in, revealing the remains of a once large city.

Sashae’s eyes saddened as she studied the destroyed city, “They are dead?”

Becky held her eyes on the image and continued to study it, “There might still be people away from the big cities.”

Ryan made holograms showing several other cities, “I… all the cities are like this, but there’s still a lot of places the Mk. II didn’t get good pictures of, so there still might be a chance.”

Charlotte smiled, “Ryan! You’re feeling better?”

Ryan shook her head and looked up for the first time since sitting down, “No, but… I… Well, Sashae just came home and found it like… How could I just sit here when…”

Mayu, who was sitting on the opposite side of Ryan that Becky had, smiled gently, “Ryan. You are still helping much.”

Charlotte sat next to Ryan where Becky had been and picked up her hand, “You are an amazing person! You’re helping Sashae when I would still be crying.”

Ryan turned to Mayu, then to Charlotte, “Thanks. Just… Well… Uh… I don’t think I can hold it in for long, but I’ll try.”

Charlotte squeezed Ryan’s hand, “I’ll be here if you need… if you need someone to… to talk to.”

Mayu put her hand on Ryan’s shoulder, “Me too.”

Becky walked over and put her hand over Charlotte’s, “Me too.”

Anton glanced over and gave Ryan a sympathetic look, then turned back to the hologram.

Evan turned his whole body towards Ryan and looked at the women, “I will help in whatever way I can.”

Ryan smiled and squeezed Charlotte’s hand and touched Mayu’s hand with her other, “Thanks. I’ll… I’ll let you know.” Her face grew serious and looked up at an image of a destroyed pill ship just as it appeared, “I think I found the source of our laser.”

Everyone turned to the new image.

Becky raised an eyebrow, “A pill ship attacked the probe?”

Ryan hadn’t recalled the pill ships using lasers, “I only remember them using plasma weapons and missiles. This ship looks pretty dead too, so maybe it’s whoever killed the pill ships?”

Evan nodded, “Warfare is not my forte, but I imagine using your enemy’s wreckage to hide weapons or booby traps is an effective strategy.”

Anton nodded, “We should leave it alone if it's there to kill pill ships. We should send the Mk. I in and rush it to the surface. It’s small enough that…”

The live feed of the planet showed a flash of light where the Mk. II had been when the laser destroyed it.

Anton’s shoulder’s drooped, “Hurts havin’ to see my baby die twice.”

Evan mumbled to himself as he examined the Mk. II’s data, “Where did those metal fragments come from?” He looked up, “Ryan, next time you send a probe to the planet, can you do a more thorough radar scan of the area?”

Ryan cocked his head to the side, “Hmm? Why? Isn’t that how the laser saw the Mk. II? I was thinking of going silent next time and just using the cameras.”

Evan nodded, “Indeed they will, but I have a hunch I want to test and if we move the probe shortly thereafter, it should cause no issues.”

Becky turned to look at the data Evan was studying, “Notice something interesting?”

Evan nodded again, “Those unusually large amounts of metal fragments. There is far more than what the destroyed ships in orbit would suggest. They also seem fairly uniform in size and shape, are distributed fairly evenly, and are very reflective.”

Becky nodded, “Okay, that’s interesting. You have an idea why?”

Evan tapped his chin for a moment as he considered what to say next, “Chaff. These metal particles show high reflectivity in every spectrum but ultraviolet and x-ray.”

Anton grinned and jumped up, “The pill ships still use radio to talk to each other AND the chaff would mess with their missiles and plasma weapons!”

Evan nodded, “My thoughts exactly on the radio and radar tracking of missiles, thought it would need to be several times thicker to hurt the effective range of a plasma weapon.”

Ryan realized something, “What about our particle beam weapons?”

Evan nodded, “Their range shouldn’t be affected too much, or so I would think.”

Several pill ships detached from the Dregasi space station and disappeared.

Ryan’s eyebrows narrowed and brought the feed of the space station to the forefront, “Uh, guys. Some pill ships just left the space station.”

Charlotte’s ears flattened, “They saw us?”

Becky shook her head, “They probably saw the probe get destroyed. We’ll probably see them reappear near Ullia.”

Charlotte relaxed a little, “Really?”

Ryan patted her hand, “I move us around every few minutes just in case, but we’re so small and far away I doubt they’d see us.”

Charlotte smiled and her ears perked back up, “Okay.”

Anton stood up, “Done! Warm up the fabricator! We got some printing to do!”

Anton’s new schematics made sense to Ryan thanks to his increased understanding of the subject, but the speed he had designed it was what impressed her, “Nice! I’ll get on it.”

Evan pointed to the video feed focused on the spot the Mk. II met its end, “They arrived.”

Five pill ships fanned out from the spot the Mk. II had been.

The sensors picked up an enormous increase in ultraviolet light on the hull of a pill ship. It was impossible to see what happened to the ship at the distance, but the pill ship made no further actions as the others turned to the derelict where they’d surmised the laser platform was.

The pill ships did a short jump to the derelict and opened fire on it with their plasma weapons.

The laser platform got another shot off, but the shit it hit jumped away to appear moments later at the station.

The salvo of plasma tore through the derelict, and no more shots from the laser platform came from it.

Ryan smiled, “One ship down and another damaged. Not bad. I wonder why the pill ships aren’t armored against lasers if they’re this effective.”

Evan shook his head, “I imagine there is some disadvantage to using lasers over plasma weapons. Even so, destroying a ship is pointless as long as the space station remains.”

Anton stood up and headed for the door, “Then we better hurry and get some of my new attack drones built so we can give ‘em a hand.”

Anton left the mess hall and entered the fabrication room.

Sashae turned to Ryan, “Can you send Mk. I to planet ground now? Look closer?”

Ryan was kinda attached to the Mk. I but she had no reason to turn Sashae down, “Alright. I’ll do a few jumps around Ullia and see what the best place to start is. You should also think of something to say if there’s anybody down there.”

Mayu looked concerned, “Will the aliens hear you too?”

Charlotte nodded in agreement.

Evan turned to Mayu, “That should not be an issue. The debris in orbit should block most signals if they’re not too strong.”

Ryan finished several quick jumps around Ullia and brought up a detailed 3D model of the planet, “Alright. Let’s see if we can find anything.”

Sashae pointed to a medium continent that stretched from just north of the equator to halfway to the north pole, “Family here.”

Ryan nodded, “Okay. I guess we can at least look and see if any records survived.”

Sashae bowed her head in appreciation, “Thank you.”

Ryan launched the Mk. I from the airlock, after jumping to Ullia, then jumped Luna in a random direction after it was a safe distance away.

Becky put her hand on Sashae’s shoulder, “I’m sure we’ll find something.”

Sashae didn’t respond and merely watched the Mk. I’s camera feed as it appeared above the continent.

Ryan brought up an image of the continent, “No radio yet, anywhere specific you want to look?”

Sashae pointed to a medium-sized ruined city on the north-western coast of the continent, “There.”

Ryan jumped the drone over the city.

Hardly anything remained of it, except near the outskirts, as a powerful explosion had flattened or knocked down every building in the center, “They nuked it?”

Evan nodded, “A likely assumption judging by the single large blast.”

Becky furrowed her eyebrows and was surveying the city, “Are there any animals?”

Mayu looked at the ice sheet not far north of the city, “Maybe they haven’t come back? Still much ice in winter, maybe?”

That made sense to Ryan, “Yeah. Probably not many survived the nuclear winter, anyway.”

Becky pursed her lips, “Yeah. I wonder how many species went extinct?”

Evan tapped his chin, “Hmm, it is possible most terrestrial animals went extinct, especially those nearest the polar regions. However, it is probable a large portion of marine life survived.”

The Mk. I picked up a radio signal, and Ryan smiled excitedly, “Hey guys! I got a radio signal. It’s coming from…” She followed the direction of the signal, “the ocean to the west!”

Everyone perked up.

Becky jumped excitedly, “They’re hiding in the ocean!”

Charlotte’s tail and butt wagged happily and her ears perked up, “I’m so happy for you Sashae!”

Sashae smiled, “I am happy too.”

Evan smiled as well, “This is fortuitous news. We should contact them immediately.”

Ryan nodded and turned to Sashae, “Want to talk to them?”

Sashae’s expression turned from happy to nervous, “Oh… Yes, I should.”

Ryan raised three fingers and jumped the Mk. I over the ocean, “Let’s do it before whoever sent the signal dives into the water. On the count of three?”

Everyone quieted, except Sashae, who swallowed hard.

One Ryan counted down to zero Sashae spoke, “H… hello? Is anyone there?” She looked at Ryan, probably waiting for a response. When none came, she continued, “My name is Sashae. I came with friends to help you fight the aliens. We know where they are and can help you destroy them.”

Ryan received a signal, it was a man’s voice, “Who is this? Where did you come from?”

Sashae turned to Ryan, who nodded for her to go on, “Uh… space. I was… kidnapped by that ship from three hundred years ago. The others with me rescued me and brought me back.”

There was a pause, “I am not authorized to speak for my people. Please wait while I inform them of you. Please remain where you are.”

Sashae smiled and nodded, “It’s good to know some of you survived.”

There wasn’t a response.

Becky put a hand on Sashae’s shoulder again after hearing Ryan’s translation, “I think they’ll be more than happy for our help.”

Charlotte nodded enthusiastically, “Mmhmm!”

Ryan intercepted a signal, which her computer brain easily decoded, “Hey guys! I heard their transmission. It’s just an update on what happened, so nothing exciting.”

Evan didn’t seem interested and walked to the food dispenser, “As expected.”

Becky sat down, “It’ll probably be a few hours before we hear anything. We’re talking about bureaucrats here.”

Ryan nodded his agreement, “Yeah you’re…”

A transmission came from some islands to the southwest near the equator, it was a man with a baritone voice, “Hello? Is the one called Sashae still there?”

Ryan played the transmission.

Charlotte turned to Becky and giggled, “A few hours?” She then immediately blushed and her ears flattened and tail drooped.

Ryan found herself giggling with Charlotte and immediately felt embarrassed.

Becky gave Charlotte a wry smile before turning to Sashae, “Looks like you’re up again! They’re either desperate or excited, so be careful!”

Sashae swallowed hard, then spoke after Ryan gave her a nod, “I’m here.”

“Your arrival was long prophesied so we have eagerly been awaiting you.”

Sashae cringed, as did Becky, “You have?”

Becky and Ryan gave each other a look.

“The aliens cleansed our planet of wickedness, and after a time an angel from heaven will drive the destroyers away so the second era of our people can begin.”

Sashae sighed heavily, “You are a member of the Church of God and the Redeemer?”

“Yes! You were not a member of our faith?”

“No, but I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Then perhaps you would be interested in…”

The sound of a door opening could be heard and a man with a high nasally voice started shouting, “Pall! How dare you contact them without convening first!”

Pall’s voice stayed calm, “I had no need to. I am sure Sashae is the one prophesied…”

The nasally voiced man groaned, “I know about your prophecy, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore protocol!”

A man with a deep voice spoke, “Will you two fools stop? We’re already talking to them, so stop wasting time.” The voice paused, “Sashae, was it? What is your intention? To help us destroy the aliens?”

Sashae took a moment to realise she was being spoken to, “Oh? Ah… yes.”

The man with the deep voice spoke again, “And how do we know we can trust you?”

Sashae looked lost at how to reply, “Uh… umm…”

Ryan spoke with her old voice, “Hello, I’m Ryan. I’m the… uh… one who controls the ship and the probe you’re transmitting to.” She really hated dealing with these kinds of people, so decided not to beat around the bush, “We could just destroy your base in the waters next to those beautiful islands. Sending a drone in to do it seems like a waste when we could just drop a bomb on you from orbit or send those aliens after you. The probe isn’t heavily armed, so until you trust us more, maybe you can let it in and we can talk about things face to probe.”

The man with the deep voice spoke, “Fair enough. I vote to allow you to send this probe.”

Pall spoke eagerly, “I too vote to allow the probe to come.”

The nasally voiced man sighed, “You make fair points. I see no reason not to accept your aid, if that’s what you intend.”

Becky whispered to Ryan, “You forgot to ask for their names.”

Ryan hadn’t ever been the best conversationalist, “Oh, what are your names?”

Pall replied first, “I am Pall Norres, Representative of the Church of God and the Redeemer. It is a pleasure to finally meet the prophesied ones.”

The man with the deep voice spoke next, “I am Vof Bih, Supreme Commander of the Errol.”

The nasally voiced man finally spoke, “Oln Ro Dee, Representative of the Ruoe.”

Ryan felt uncomfortable at the realization he was talking to such important people, “It is a pleasure to meet you. My full name is Ryan Sean Campbell. I control the starship Luna. There are five other crew members on board excluding Sashae, but they can’t speak your language, so you will either be talking to me or Sashae.”

Vof spoke immediately after Ryan finished, “We will send a submersible to the surface to welcome your probe. Once we have deemed it safe, we will further discuss our future plans of action. Ullia command out.”

The radio transmission cut off.

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, “That went better than I thought it would.”

Evan nodded, “Indeed. Although I suspect they are desperate for all the help they can get.”

Becky chuckled, “I bet that religious guy, Pall, being on our side helped a lot, too. Never would have thought I’d be thankful towards religion.”

Charlotte cocked her head to the side, “Why?”

Becky paused for a moment, then shrugged, “Just never had pleasant experiences with religious people, I guess.”

Charlotte looked a little disappointed at Becky’s response and turned to Ryan, “Yan! You… you look happier now. I’m happy!”

Ryan raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, that was a good distraction, but… Uh… Yan?”

Charlotte’s tail wagged happily, and she smiled, “You…” Her smile faded and her tail drooped a little, “Ryan wasn’t cute, so I… uh… drop the ‘R’ and… Yan. Well… I think it’s cuter… If… If you don’t like it...”

Becky laughed and patted Ryan on the back, “I love it! Yan’s a pretty cute name. You should keep it!”

Ryan lowered her head, “Yeah, but I feel like… If I change my name, I’m… I’m accepting what happened.” She looked at Charlotte and smiled, “Yan is pretty cute though.”

Charlotte smiled gently and her ears and tail perked up again, “I’m… not changing your name. I… I just thought it was a cute nickname…”

Mayu said to herself in Japanese, “Cute nickname.”

Becky put her hand on her shoulder, “I get it, but… Alright, if you’re still not comfortable changing your name, I won’t push it, Ryan SEAN Campbell.”

Ryan laughed, “Hey!” She turned to Charlotte, “If it’s just a nickname, I guess it’s okay.”

Charlotte beamed brightly, “Yan… No! Yan-Yan!”

Becky lightly punched Ryan on the shoulder, “So, Yan-Yan, your middle name is Sean?”

Ryan’s smile twitched at Becky’s use of the new nickname, “Yeah, never thought it was important enough to bring up until now.”

Becky shrugged, “Yeah, I can see that. Oh, I don’t have a middle name, before you ask.”

Mayu shook her head as everyone turned to her, “Japanese don’t have middle names.”

Everyone turned to Charlotte, and she took a step back at the sudden attention, “I… I don’t have one… or even a last name…”

Everyone turned to Evan, “It’s Robert. Evan Robert Quinn.

As Becky turned to leave the mess hall to seek Anton and his middle name, Ryan lowered the Mk. I towards a small submersible, where it entered an open hatch to be met by several armed men.