Sure, a lot of fun, but also a big scary quest. Auberje was sure they were up for it though.

  Riley was lost in thought piloting the ship. Helos looked at Auberje, “want to see the ship designs? I ran a few quick simulations and I think we can up the usefulness of our combat vessels by 30%. At least the ones I have access to in the sim software.”

  “Yes, show me what you got,” Auberje and Helos played with the colors, the speed, the power output, the number of combatants, and many of the other available variables. In every scenario, the alien ships did very well against the human ones. They still didn’t have a perfect translation of the alien script, but the numbers were all showing in the common Latin script.

  “I wonder how the Harx beat them?” The boys were discussing a myriad of ways in which the rapacious Harx could have slaughtered the unnamed creators of the ship designs, when Riley announced their arrival.

  “We are here, wherever here is,” she set scanners to max. They were at a set of coordinates the headmistress had provided as their third stop. They had a mission to: “investigate and create a 2-page report, on the local system and its surrounding space.”

  They began receiving scan data back almost instantly. There were four large planetary bodies. A Sol equivalent star, a nearby asteroid belt accreted nearly completely around the solar system. They were seeing incredible, indescribable amounts of debris near that asteroid field. Clouds of magnetic particles, carbon, water, a strangely large amount of refined titanium. More than trace amounts of radiation from nuclear fission. As if there was a nuclear holocaust out in space.

  “Remnants of an early space battle?” Riley pondered. She looked at the boys who were both engrossed over the readings at their terminals.

  “Likely, I am seeing nothing bigger than a fist sized chunk of rock, at least on this side of the asteroids. Should we go in for a closer look?” Auberje asked.

  Helos: “ I see nothing out of the ordinary on the planets. They look like terraforming drones are working on them. There are three within the goldilocks band. No sign of radio waves or any other type of signaling. No power signatures. I think they might be nearly done terraforming but we are talking about a 50,000+ year timeline still. I think one of them might be inhabitable today.”

  “Riley, can you take us closer to the asteroid belt? I want to get more scans from all sides of it,” Auberje asked. Their pilot obliged. Over the course of the next two hours they scanned every inch of the asteroid belt. Their minds were made up. This was the site of a terrible battle between thousands of ships. They couldn’t penetrate the asteroids very deeply, too much interference from the debris around them.

  “We need to get even closer,” Riley sighed, “It is a risk though.” She was tired. They were a long way from anyone else and experiencing their first real decision fatigue of their lives. Auberje nodded. He was slightly more used to making decisions, but he too felt they were lacking age related context. They needed to bounce some of what was going on to an older person. They needed some help. Because… if what they were seeing was true. This was the scan of a battle between 2000 or more ships. Most of whom seemed to be Terran made and the rest… The rest were made up of alloys never used by Terran space docks. Something strange had occurred here. Something like what Caran Avis had intimated. Aliens had fought humans here.

  “Take us in a lot closer, Riles, and drop us off in our suits. We can fly through the debris, make asteroid-fall. Explore for a bit, then use our suit jets to get us back to open space where you can pick us up.” Helos nodded at this suggestion from Auberje.

  “Agreed, we can easily do that.”

  “I don’t want to be alone,” Riley said softly. She was fraying at the edges. She stood, her quivering voice gaining strength, “I need to show you what I took from Caran Avis’ Temple Remnant.”

  “Okay!” Auberje gave her a reassuring smile. He stood, mirroring her and reached out to her, placing his hand at her hip and pulling her in like his father did with his mother. She came to him easily, and leaned against his shoulder, feeling comfort in his small frame. “Friends are good,” she said, looking at Helos and smiling. He smiled back.

  “Yes, they are, Riley.” He nodded emphatically. He stood from his chair and joined the hugging pair.

  “Okay, you are not going to like this. I took this, a data card. I remembered the old saying, knowledge is power,” she bit her lip as she placed the alien data card on the computer console. It spooled up and slowly fed power to the device. Terran tech was good for many things, including figuring out how to read data on power crystals, but this was something else entirely. No way their ship should be able to read alien information so quickly. As a holographic video started to play, she explained, “I think Caran Avis already translated the imagery from original version to human readable. This disk contains three things. One, a video we are about to watch. Two a list of alien species. Third, thirdly it contains a clue. I don’t think Caran Avis meant for us to see this. I think she didn’t realize what we could glean from it. I can’t promise I understand either, but I want you guys to know about it.”

  There seemed to be an unsaid ‘in case something happens to me’ in her voice. “Nothing is going to happen to you, to either of you,” Auberje’s voice was the voice an authority on this subject. As if his bravado and belief could shield Helos and Riley from a danger filled future.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I appreciate it, Auberje, but watch the video. You will understand,” her voice was small and fearful.

  The video played without delay. A spinning planet around a big, old star. The world grew green, then full of life, then civilization appeared. Ships went to space. A second and third and fourth solar system was added. The video showed the species. They showed where they were in regard to their surrounding stars. The Milky Way was highlighted far off. Just another galaxy in an endless sea of them. The video showed again the species. Spindly legged, tall and slender. Pale eyes and pale skin that tanned on sunlit beaches. They looked like elves if elves’ faces looked like sheep faces. They had curly white hair with black streaks. They were numerous. Billions according to the data displayed. Two dozen solar systems.

  They met another race. The Harx.

  The video showed great celebrations, bringing a pair of Harx ships deep into their home world. They showed parades and streamers of light as the people celebrated not being alone in the big old universe. The Harx pretended peace but plotted doom.

  “They were called the Minnut,” Riley said, eyes gleaming with silver tears. She watched the boys as they realized where they knew Minnut from.

  “My mecha!” Auberje took ownership, but even as he said it, the real creators turned to ash before their eyes.

  A great fleet of Harx descended on the Minnut and took system after system. Caran Avis showed up as did the mysterious Raven Avis. They provided expertise, technology, and guidance. The Minnut took it, fighting hard. They destroyed a Harx fleet. The Harx sent ten more. They destroyed those. Two hundred fleets of 2000 ships each were crushed over the course of 400 years.

  The Minnut built mecha. They built ships. They built Dyson Spheres to capture more power for their war efforts. They stopped dancing. They stopped having babies. They died. They refused to be eaten. They blew up their own planets when the Harx took them. They sent ships with supplies and small groups of survivors under the aegis of the Avis to distant galaxies, including the Milky Way. They were hunted down, one by one. The data was dreary and unceasing. Even as the Triumvirate drifted closer to the battlefield outside in space.

  In the cockpit, the only sounds were Riley’s occasional comments and the sniffles from the three. 45 billion sentients. Dead. 4 billion eaten, 41 destroyed on planets or in battle against the Harx. Finally, only the diaspora and the homeworld they prized so much they showed it to the first aliens they ever met remained.

  A figure took the stage on screen, for the first time, a Minnut spoke aloud. While they heard a translator after, they could hear the tone, the sorrow, the lilting, guttural noises of the Minnut leader. “I am the last leader of my people. We have bled the Harx. Slowed them, perhaps. We have hidden our weapons of war throughout known space. We cannot do more. We lack the numbers. The temperament. We were a peaceful people. Dancers, artists, singers, architects. We did not war even amongst ourselves. Without the help of Raven and Caran Avis, we would not have known what was to come. We would not have prepared. We tried to ignore them but they were persuasive. They raised me, but I am of the Minnut. Their war is our war. It is likely your war too. They are old. They are not us. They cannot be fully trusted. They have their own wants, their own desires. Minnut’s was to live. We failed. I will slow the Harx once more. Just this one last time. I leave for you, the legacy of the Minnut. 534 years of data on the Harx. Our research into weapons. We are, were, superior researchers. We found math to be like dance and music. Illustrative and powerful. Please, use our weapons, your weapons, and the weapons of the Avis. Rid the universe of this terrible plight. They must not be allowed to live. Down with the Harx!”

  The display once more showed the planet, now showing a tag naming it Rey. The hologram zoomed into a drone video of the many cities, spiraling buildings, beautiful parks. And then a single figure dancing alone in a control room. The Harx descended like locust. 500,000 ships streaming into the solar system. They pushed forward sending landers down to the surface, seeking the ten billion Minnut who remained on the planet. Orbital bombardment blew up the defenses.

  Harx troops landed on orbital stations, slaughtering and eating where they could. Mostly the Minnut blew everything up around both them and the invaders. Still, the one figure danced in the control room. This last Minnut leader. He stopped suddenly, looking into the camera, “I am Currath of Minnut. Do not trust the thing with webs that traps its enemies. Do not trust the dark cloaked thing with wings of black feathers and a single eye of yellow dirt. The Harx are coming. Never forget. Prepare. I am sorry, I am so, so sorry we could not kill them all.”

  Their star exploded.

  Rey… gone. 500,000 ships, gone. The Minnut… gone. The transmission cut out and a single sentence appeared on the holo. “These events were recorded 3000 years ago.”

  The three stood silent. Shocked. They had watched children their age perish. They watched endless waves of voracious Harx attack a peaceful country. They watched as the good and the bad became the terrible and the worst. Riley was sobbing softly. Helos’ face was glum. Streaky rivers down both of his pale cheeks.

  Auberje stood silent. Thinking. He had on his “Lord Father’s” face. The grim mask of manly avoidance and determination. A time honored tradition, but a mask. Inside, he turned with emotion. He was scared now. Deeply, to his core. He was angry too. He was unsure as well. He knew he needed to think about all those emotions for longer. He had to release some of it though.

  He shrugged his shoulders. He pounded his fist to his chest. He pushed his closed fist forward at a 90-degree angle. “Honor for the Minnut. Peace to the Minnut. Vengeance for the Minnut. I won’t rest until we fight the Harx. Kill the Harx. No Harx should live.”

  Helos snapped to attention. He saluted in the same way, “Death to the Harx!”

  Riley shivered. She wanted that too, “they were so powerful. So numerous. How? How can we make sure we win?” She was scared. She was also certain. They could fight them. They could win. They were human. And humans numbered in the trillions. Ten thousand and more star systems. Billions of ships. A capacity for death and fighting. Humans could win against anything.

  “We will find the Minnut’s weapons. I noticed they never used mecha against the Harx,” Auberje said, “We will prepare all of mankind. We will build an enormous, powerful society. We will fight. With every fiber of our being. We will work with Caran Avis. With Raven. With Toma Avis, Zeus himself. We will ally ourselves to all other non-Harx. We won’t do it alone.”

  Auberje sounded so sure of himself. Inside, he knew doubt. He was 7, going on 8, though, so doubt was short lived. Human children were adaptable. They were capable. And these three were the genetic peak of all humanity.

  Perhaps they did have a chance.