Earth's Last Days: The Invasion

Iris walked through the corridors of the ship with Fleet Commander Lerian to his quarters. It had been a long night, if it could be considered night. It was dark all the time, being out in space. They had worked for hours to make sure everyone had their own quarters. They were finally complete.

Iris had even helped the entire night. She had helped Verion pass out blankets and food as everyone waited. If they needed anything, they would go to the replicators and get it for them. It had been a busy night for everyone involved.

"Are you sure you're ready to move in with me?" Lerian asked her quietly as they walked to his quarters. He was worried that she would change her mind and didn't want her to feel pressured. He would wait for her if she needed him to.

Looking up at him, she smiled. "Yes. I'm ready," she said quietly, grasping his hand tighter, showing him she was ready and willing to be with him. She didn't even hesitate. She could feel the bond. It was strong.

They continued to walk silently through the corridors toward Lerian's quarters. He kept her hand in his, enjoying the feel of her soft skin. He wasn't expecting to find a mate in the groups they had found and saved.

Lerian was happy they went out of their way to find stragglers on the planet who had not yet been taken to the domes or who had not come to the domes for help. If they hadn't searched the planet for those outside the dome to save them from the destruction of Earth, he would have never found his mate.

Stopping at the door of his quarters, Fleet Commander Lerian released her hand to unlock the door.

The door slid smoothly open. Before entering, he took her hand again, not wanting to let go of it. He guided her through the open door. Just as they entered their quarters, an officer rushed up to him, pausing their entrance.

"Sir?" he stated, breathless. He had been running, and he was out of breath. It was a young bridge officer, and it appeared that he had run all the way from the bridge.

Fleet Commander Lerian turned around, eyeing the young officer tiredly. He was exhausted and needed to get his mate situated and then get some rest before anything else happened that needed his attention. "There's something you need to see," the officer said in a rush before the fleet commander could say anything.

Lerian sighed. "Does Council Leader Vorik need to see it also?" Fleet Commander Lerian asked. If the bridge officer ran through the ship to tell him, then it sounded important enough for Council Leader Vorik to see it also.

"Yes, sir. He's on his way to the bridge. I found him first, sir," the officer admitted.

Fleet Commander Lerian nodded. "Let me get Iris settled first, and I will be there as soon as I can," he told the bridge officer.

"Yes, sir." The bridge officer nodded, then turned and rushed off toward the bridge of the massive ship. He jogged away, trying to get back to the bridge as quickly as possible. They were already short-staffed with everyone helping out to get the newcomers situated and in their own quarters.

Lerian watched the young officer rush off, then ushered Iris into their quarters. Knowing he had to hurry, he quickly showed her how to run the bath and use the replicators so that she could get things that she might need while he was on the bridge. After showing her how to use everything, he gave her a quick tour of the cabin. "I will return as soon as I can," he told her quietly after pulling a nightgown for her out of the replicator. He held it up for her to take.

Iris smiled up at the fleet commander, taking the soft fabric from Lerian's hand. "I'll be fine," she smiled.

He kissed her gently, then rushed out of the cabin and headed to the bridge of the ship. The bridge was where they flew the massive ship. The Helm's seat was in its center. It was where the fleet commander sat to navigate. The Bridge was located at the topmost area of the ship.

Massive screens lined the walls of the bridge, allowing them to see the space outside the ship in every direction, making it possible to see into the vast expanse of space wherever they needed to.

Fleet Commander Lerian was exhausted. The downfall of being the fleet commander was that they could come and get you at any time. Even if you've been up for days, if you were needed, they would come for you anyway. Sometimes, he had wished he had never been promoted.

Rushing down the long corridors, he reached the bridge. The wide double doors slid smoothly open, and Fleet Commander Lerian stepped onto the bridge. He first paused to look around at the bridge officers, trying to find who he was looking for. He found his chief bridge officer at a panel with Council Leader Vorik.

Sighing, Lerian headed toward them, trying not to yawn from exhaustion. He hoped this was important. He needed to get some sleep before he collapsed from exhaustion.

"What's so important that I need to see it after being up nearly two days?" he asked, looking at his chief bridge officer, then giving Council Leader Vorik the gesture of respect.

"This," he said, pointing to the screen. Chief Bridge Officer Drel was pointing to a readout when they had scanned Earth. "It seems we are responsible for the destruction of the blue planet."

"Earth," Council Leader Vorik stated evenly, correcting Drel. "The planet was called Earth."

Chief Bridge Officer Drel looked between the fleet commander and the council leader. He understood their feelings. Every Ramesian on the ship felt the same way. He knew that being in the leadership positions made it even worse. He wanted to smooth it over a bit, so he quietly spoke. "It was Tosh who ordered the invasion of the planet when he was the council leader. He used the controlling serum on us so we would not care that we were killing so many lives," he reminded them. "We are no longer under the serum. We will not be willing to repeat what we have done under the influence of Tosh's serum," he told them, trying to ease their minds.

Fleet Commander Lerian stared at the readout. Pointing at one line of information, he turned to Council Leader Vorik. "The blasts used to pinpoint the structures when we first arrived shifted the tectonic plates, opening major pressure points in the planet. It looks like it's been building up pressure since the first blast hit the surface. We are lucky we were able to get off the planet and far enough away from it before it exploded from the pressure. I think if we were even a minute later, we would all be dead."

They stood in silence as they took in the information that they had discovered. The shameful realization that they were responsible for destroying nearly an entire planet's population as well as the planet itself did not sit well with any of them.

Chief Bridge Officer Drel looked at the screen again. "We have humans aboard this ship. I don't think it's a good idea for them to know about this. It could start a conflict with them. We are all stuck on this ship together. In order to maintain peace, I think this information should not get out," he said quietly to his superiors. "Not even to our own people."

Council Leader Vorik sighed, understanding that Chief Bridge Officer Drel was only trying to keep the peace on the ship. "Secrets can kill. If we keep this a secret, and someone finds out, then they will see it as us hiding important information. They will see it as us being deceptive. Yes, I believe the information can cause a conflict, but I also think not letting them know will make it even worse."

Fleet Commander Lerian nodded in agreement. It did not paint his people in a good light, but keeping the information from the humans aboard would definitely make things worse. "Perhaps you should choose someone from the human population to act as a representative of the people. Explain the situation and figure out the best way to handle it. We need to let them know, but we need to find the best way to do it."

Council Leader Vorik sighed deeply. "I believe Zack and Carrie Nelson should represent the domes. The leader of the mountain city people should represent those from outside the domes. We will all get some rest, and tomorrow, we will call them in to show them what we found. None of them is going to be happy about it, but I don't feel comfortable keeping it from them."