En Route to Titan, July 16, 2027. 1300 Hours.
Kenji Sato’s voice crackled over the bridge, urgent as the Overseers’ ship loomed closer. “They’re hailing us, Mitchell—demanding the shard!”
Xiaotong Zheng adjusted the shard’s frequency, her sleek bun catching the light. Again she immediately understood what’s going on. “They’re desperate, Mitchell—it’s their power source.”
John Mitchell stood firm, his leadership a steady force. “Open a channel, Sato. Let’s hear them out.”
An Overseer’s voice boomed, cold and synthetic. “Surrender the shard, humans, or be erased.”
Anika Sharma’s eyes widened, her voice tense. “The shard’s logs… they enslaved the Sumerer—forced them to build this tech!”
Elias Moretti turned to Anika, his tone shaky. “Enslaved? So the Sumerer… they’re victims?”
Anika nodded, her voice soft but firm. “Yes. If any Sumerer survive, we could ally with them.”
Elias swallowed hard, hopeful. “An ally… that’d change everything.”
Yuri Leonov gripped his plasma torch, smirking. “Allies or not, I say we blast these Overseers first.”
Rachel Voigt checked her gear, her tone sharp. “Agreed. We can’t trust them—they’ll betray us.”
Li Wei adjusted the shields, his voice grim. “They’re powering weapons—we’ve got minutes.”
Sarah Carter monitored vitals, her tone calm. “Crew’s ready, John, but we’re on edge.”
Mikael Heikkinen adjusted the ship’s course, his voice tense. “I can buy us time—evasive maneuvers?”
Mitchell nodded, his tone decisive. “Do it, Heikkinen. Zheng, overcharge that shard.”
Xiaotong met Mitchell’s gaze, her confidence unwavering. “On it, Mitchell. Let’s turn their tech against them.”
Yuri laughed, nudging Mikael. “Evasive maneuvers? Show me what you’ve got, pilot!”