The man seemed not to care that they were watching him. He sat at a table and ate as if he hadn’t eaten in years—which was likely the case. He had been confused by the food ordering process, but had quickly got the grip of it after Val showed him how to work the system. It was simple enough. And now, each time he finished a dish, a new one would materialize before him within seconds. He was going through his fifth now.

Mrill stood at one end of the refectory, leaning against the wall. Everyone else sat, though few ate. All watched the stranger, as did she, so why pretend? She cared little for pretense.

The man was fascinating. There was something about him... Something otherworldly. Though she could read his mind, little of it made sense to her. It was crowded in his head. Confused. Too many images, too much information. Most of it was nonsensical—pertaining to things and people and worlds that did not exist... or at least that she had never heard of. It was dizzying.

And still, dwarfing all those other confused thoughts, one loomed above, glowing and growing.

They are coming.

Those same three words that had come out of his mouth when he’d woken up.

Words filled with dread.

The man hadn’t said much else, though there were images associated with his words. Huge and dark ships, their hulls covered with thorns of varying shapes and sizes.

Mrill had sensed his hunger and had suggested eating might help appease him and help him speak more coherently. She wasn’t so sure anymore. At least, his thoughts were just as confused as they had been.

“You sure you don’t want to eat something?”

She glanced at Peter, who sat at a nearby table.

“I ate two hours ago,” she said. “I am fine.”

It was plain enough he had not eaten either, though she chose not to comment on it.

The rebel leader nodded as he looked toward the stranger.

“Any changes?” he asked.

“No.”

“Regretful.”

Val sat next to her brother. A plate was on the table before her, though she had touched little of the food. Her eyes kept going back to their guest.

“I wonder what he meant,” she muttered.

“Aliens,” said Mrill. “Invaders.”

Val glanced at her. “How do you know? Wait, don’t tell me. You read it in his mind?”

The blue-skinned woman shrugged, her face expressionless. “Images. Ships. Of a type unknown. They can only be alien.”

“And they are coming here?”

“That is what his words imply.”

They fell quiet as they looked back at the stranger.

The man finished his fifth dish and looked up, as if about to order another. He paused, hesitated, then leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach.

“He is done,” said Mrill.

Val waited a few seconds, then pushed her chair back, stood, went over to the man’s table, and sat across from him.

“Hi,” she said. “We haven’t been properly introduced yet, what with... well, with all that’s happened. I’m Val.”

The man blinked and looked around the room, as if noticing for the first time the crowd that had gathered there and how they were all staring at him. He closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded as he turned to face Val.

“Yes, of course, I suppose I should have expected this.” A sigh. “I am Lt. Darius Rickert of the Fifth Regiment, of the Ars Olind Battalion.”

“Never heard of it.”

“I’d be surprised if you had.”

“Why is that, Lt. Rickert?”

“Because the Ars Olind Battalion no longer exists. Ars Olind itself is long gone.” Another sigh as he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. “All gone.”

“I don’t understand. Who—”

The man straightened suddenly.

“You must warn your military! You are in grave danger.”

“I assume you speak of those alien ships?”

Rickert’s eyes went wide. “Are they here already?”

“No.” Val frowned. “Not that I know of, anyway. Who are they?”

“I don’t know. But I’ve seen what they’ve done. To countless civilizations. They are ruthless. And always they win. Always.”

“You’ve seen? How do you mean?”

The man leaned forward. Shoulders on the table, he buried his face in his hands.

“I’ve been drifting through space,” came his muffled voice. “I’ve seen it all. Don’t you know? Don’t you understand? For so long. So, so long. I’ve seen suns die. Worlds swallowed by black holes. Wars that wiped whole galaxies from existence. The extinction of a million species.” Sobs, now, as he shook his head. “And they’re all gone. My people. My family. My friends. My world. All gone. Dead. For thousands, millions of years.” He looked up, his eyes rimmed with red. “I’m all that’s left.”

Shocked silence answered his words.