overtake the ship and trap it in our tractor beam when it dematerializes, having hyper jumped to some other destination in space.
“Damn,” I mutter under my breath.
“I have the coordinates, sir. Should we follow?”
“No. The protocols of this mission are to remain in the solar system, recover females, and return as quickly as possible. We have only a few hours before the timegate must close.”
“Yes, sir.”
Another cylindrical ship emerges from Earth’s atmosphere, attempting to take the same route as the last.
It took the Martian refugees from Earth centuries to create a sustainable and technologically advanced society. By the time we were capable of interstellar travel and had the ability to hunt down our old enemy, the Mantis had already disappeared from the galaxy, along with any trace of the humans they stole.
We discovered in our journey to the stars, searching for compatible females, that the Mantis had used humans as a food source. Nothing more, nothing less. But the Mantises had suffered from a great plague as a result and eventually died out.
In our time, not only are all the humans gone, but we have also been cheated of the opportunity for revenge.
I clench my fist, wanting to destroy them, root and stem, here and now. But that is not my mission. My mission is to return to our time and to save our society and our race.
“Grab that ship,” I command.
We are in a perfect location, and our tractor beam latches on to the transport ship. It attempts to shake us free. A group of fighters swarm in, shooting us with everything they have. We have to drop our shields to engage our tractor beam. The Xojor is taking damage. We can’t take much more of this.
“Take out the fighters!” I shout.
My offensive crew shoots down the fighter ships, but the divided power weakens the tractor beam. The transport ship slips away as another swarm of fighters dives in. Lasers flash through the dark sky, blasting past like falling stars.
We disperse the ships and fully engage the transport ship with our tractor beam. The Xojor shutters with exertion as we pull it within range of boarding.
“We have the ship,” Lieutenant Controi says. “Beginning boarding process.”
A loud roar fills the bridge. The sound of our technicians cutting through the hull of the Mantis transport craft filters through our entire ship.
“Life-support systems sealed, ready for boarding,” the lead tech says over the intercom.
“Gentlemen,” I say, my calm voice belying the anxiety of my racing heart. “The Earthling females await their rescue.”
5
The commotion outside grows louder and more intense. Sophia cries softly in the crook of Madeline’s shoulder. Bethany sits beside me, her lips a flat line, her eyebrow notched. I sigh and cover my face with my hands, rubbing my forehead. I’m trying to think of a way out of this. I feel like if I could just think clearly for a minute, I’d find a solution. I’ve always believed in the power of positive thinking, in calm, coolheaded confidence in my decisions. But nothing in my life has prepared me for this. I don’t think anything ever could.
There is shouting and the zing of lasers beyond the wall. The Mantis creatures have a very distinct clicking communication. The shouting sounds like human language. My heart slams. Could Earth have sent someone to save us?
Our spaceflight has improved in the last few decades, but our technology is nothing like these aliens’. It takes a ridiculous amount of power and planning to get humans into space. Even if there was a shuttle from the International Space Station, I doubt they could take on the Mantises. Nothing short of a nuke can take them down, I imagine. And that would definitely mean the end of us.
The shouting grows louder, and I’m positive that it’s human language. Not just human language but English. How is this happening? We don’t have the capability to fight these monsters.
Pounding echoes through the cell. I look over at Bethany. She raises an eyebrow. I turn my attention to the rest of the girls. Even Bobby seems surprised.
There is a loud swish as the wall pulls back like a sliding door. Standing in the brightness of the alien light are several human men. When I say human, it’s on the loosest of terms. They look human in all respects. Two arms, two legs, two eyes. A mouth. And all the general anatomical parts that make up a human. But these men are bigger, taller, more muscled, and far more