After Lia had walked out of the room, two armored wolves walked in and escorted Paul back to the ship where he was met by relieved crew members. Paul and the other section heads met and discussed what had occurred and what they should do. They came to the conclusion that they didn’t have a choice but to comply with the wolves… again. After a while, the bridge reported several ships moving to form the corners of a cube around the Endeavor, 8 in total.

“Guess that settles that” Katrina said “We don’t have a choice unless we can overpower them or think of something diplomatic”

“Uh-huh” replied Paul as he thought about how people on Earth would react to aliens. How would we accept an alien if we still can’t accept ourselves? Before any more words could be spoken, Lia walked down the halls flanked by two armored wolves. Lia was towing a small crate that levitated about an inch off the ground.

“How come you don’t wear any armor like them?” Paul asked gesturing to her two escorts

“I am a liaison, not wearing armor is a sign of trust and I believe that trust is something we need when doing my job”

Paul motioned to the two menacing wolves with armor and weapons “and them?”

“They are here to protect me, just in case my trust is misplaced”

“Hopefully, they won’t be needed” replied Paul

After introducing the present crew to the wolves, he led them to an unused dorm-like room which was one of the few that were added to the ship just in case more crew members were added. Lia moved the crate to the far corner of the room and it lowered onto the ground with a slight thump then turned to Paul and said “Your ship is free to leave the station, but don’t warp anywhere yet”

He nodded and had the crew secure the airlock that was docked. When everything was ready, he told the crew to move the ship away from the planet and station. As the ship flew through the void, Paul showed Lia and her guards around the ship, there were a few stares from the curious crew but they mostly avoided the group. The wolves seemed uninterested until they arrived at the bridge.

“There is a thin line between courage and stupidity” mention Lia as she motioned towards the windows that wrapped around the bridge “Also, the placement of this command center exposes it to enemy fire from too many directions

“Where do you place the bridge on your ships then?” Paul asked

“It is random for every ship, that way, when we encounter an enemy, they cannot disable the command with a well placed shot” Lia replied as she scanned the bridge and the busy crew who occasionally gave her a glance

Paul had to agree that their method was smart, far too many ships on Earth were lost because the bridge was a prominent target.

Seth approached Lia with uncertainty, eyeing the two armed guards, but when he spoke, he spoke with confidence.

“Hello, my name’s Seth” he offered a hand that went ignored “I am part of the science team aboard the ship and I was wondering if I could ask some questions about your species.”

Lia examined Seth with her blue eyes “Your species seems to have a lot of questions” she said to Paul

“No, just him” Paul replied with a grin

“Now is not the time” said Lia “I am going to test this ship first”

“Oh… ok” Seth retreated to an open chair

“There are three planets in this star system, I want your crew to find them and warp to the furthest one” Lia said turning to Paul

Paul relayed the orders to the crew on the bridge who scanned the system for the planets. After a short while, the crew found the furthest planet and began to calculate a warp that wouldn’t plunge them into the side of it. Eventually, the ship was drifting near the planet which was so far away from the sun that it appeared black.

“Did we pass?” Paul asked

“Took too long, your ship would be a drifting wreck if you were in combat” Lia replied

“Our ship is not going to be engaged in any battles if we can help it”

“Space is a dangerous place, you will eventually fight”

A full battery of tests were given from maneuvering to short range warps. Time and time again, the ship was slow to complete the task. After the test were complete, the crew began to calculate the jump back to Earth.

Lia appeared a bit apprehensive “You are aware that warps become less accurate the further you are from the destination correct?”

“I am just for security, I leave the rest to the smarter people aboard the ship” Paul replied but he relayed the message to the bridge and they immediately began to calculate multiple shorter jumps.

Afterwards, they left the bridge and went to the mess hall to eat. Because of the lack of a day/night cycle, Paul found that he ate when he felt hungry, regardless of when his last meal was. The wolves accompanied him and devoured a plate of fried chicken.

“Do you have chickens on your home world?” Paul asked in-between bits of chicken

“Not specifically, but we do have flightless birds that are quite delicious” One of the male guards replied. It was the first time he heard the guards speak.

Lia moved the mouth piece of her translator away and snapped at the wolf who had spoken. The guard’s ears laid back in a submissive manner and he silently resumed eating his meal.

“What was that about?” Paul asked as Lia replaced her mouthpiece

“They are not allowed to speak of our planet in any manner” She said

“Why not?”

“It is our highest guarded secret. Home worlds usually are”

The rest of the meal had minimal conversation until Seth joined them and pestered the wolves with questions that were met with vague answers. The wolves retired to their room and Paul decided that it would probably be best for him to sleep as well seeing that he hadn’t slept since… he couldn’t even remember because of the events that had happened recently.

________________________________________________________________________

When Paul woke, he went to the bridge and discovered that they had only completed 4 of their 8 planned warps due to calculation errors by the computers which had been acting strangely according to the bridge crew. He proceeded to accompany the wolves as they wandered the ship and inspected various things. During the Endeavors’ 6th jump, Paul and the wolves were summoned by the bridge crew.

“What is it?” Paul asked as he entered the room

“We found that” one of the crewmen replied as he pointed out the bridge window

Outside in the black of space was several large pieces of gray metal floating around with an occasional smaller pieces.

“That’s one of ours!” Lia yelled as she pressed her hands against the window and stared at the floating wreckage. She was handed a device that looked similar to the translator by one of her guards and she replaced her translator with it. She listened intensely to whoever was talking to her.

“What is going on? Are there survivors? Can we do anything to help?” Paul asked

Lia glared at Paul and snapped her mouth close at him which quieted him quickly. As she listened, one of the escort ships broke off the formation and moved to the wreck.

The wolf ship weaved in and out of the wreckage. Occasionally, something would near the ship and a green dome of light would appear around the ship and deflect it. They had shields. After a while, the ship approached a smaller object, suddenly, the shield popped, sending wisps of green light into space, then the object was dragged towards the ship. They probably have to lower the shield to retrieve things Paul thought as he watched the ship.

Suddenly, the ship was consumed by a ball of flames. Eventually, the flames dissipated and the wolf ship was gone. Almost immediately, he saw the other wolf ships move away from the Endeavor in different directions, shimmering out of view as they flew.

Everyone on the bridge was crowded around the windows as they watched the events unfold. Paul ordered a response team to gear up but remain on standby.

Paul approached the window and tried to make sense of what was happening. He saw nothing. After a long time of waiting for something to occur, another ship warped near them and then immediately warped away, but it left a small object behind.

“What is th-” before he could finish asking his question, the small object exploded and thousands of small white dots were shot in every direction. A few of the dots hit the cloaked wolf ships and the shields flashed green to deflect the objects. Paul saw 5 shields flare then fade away.

Immediately afterwards, three uncloaked ships warped in then warped away just as quickly. Paul saw multiple streaks of light fly from where the ships had just been, they resembled missiles. Each of the missiles chose a different direction and flew directly at where the shields had flared a moment before. Each missile then detonated and spewed a stunning blue stream ahead of it which streaked through space. The stream appeared to disappear for a while before reappearing, that is when a wolf ship uncloaked and drifted away, revealing a clean hole that went through the ship.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, 5 more of the original 8 escorts drifted away, destroyed by a single clean hole through the ship. Only two wolf ships remained, hidden in the black of space.

They were being attacked using hit and run tactics. But the Endeavor wasn’t the target, some of the white pellets had struck the Endeavor but none of the missiles had been directed at them, the biggest, most visible target.

A larger ship warped in surrounded by about a half dozen small ships. The small ships were similar in design to the wolf ships but the large ship was new. It was colored a sapphire blue and resembled a crystal formation more than a ship. It was roughly rectangular in shape and by comparing it to the smaller fighters that escorted it, Paul could see that it was slightly larger than the Endeavor. It remained still.

The two remaining wolf ships briefly uncloaked and let loose a stream of missiles similar to the ones he had seen destroying the wolf ships moments ago then cloaked again. Before they could release their deadly blue payload, the large ship fired a thin beam of purple with perfect accuracy, destroying the missiles.

The wolf ships uncloaked again in different positions and loosed another wave of missiles along with a couple of cylindrical objects. Then vanished into the void.

The missiles were intercepted by the laser again but the canisters drifted towards the ship. After all the missiles detonated, each canister released dozens of smaller pellets which sped towards the nearest ship. The smaller vessels fired and managed to destroy most of the pellets before the rest collided with their shields and harmlessly detonated away from the ship.

Before the ships could uncloak again to attack, the large ship fired two large bolts of red. They streaked through space approaching invisible targets then made contact with a brilliant flash and threw pieces of the two wolf ships into the void.

Lia stood at the window motionless, staring at what remained of the wolf ships.

“Prepare to be boarded” Came a familiar voice from every speaker on the bridge “And this is for the wolves that are undoubtedly on board, I suggest you leave your weapons when you come to meet us”

“Lia, my job is to ensure safety, who are they? Why did they attack? Are we in danger?” Paul demanded

Lia replaced her headset with her translator “You are not in danger-”

Before she could finish, another voice came through the speakers “I almost forgot. Humans, we come in peace” the new voice said with a slight chuckle

One of the escort ships broke away from the large ship and flew straight at Endeavor’s number 1 airlock, the one closest to the bridge.

“You three” Paul pointed at the wolves “come with me. Rest of you, I want a jump planned and ready just in case” He then updated the response team so they could reposition appropriately

Lia complied and motioned for her two guards to follow.

As they entered the room connected to the airlock, he saw the two armed wolves leave their weapons on the outside of the door before entering.

The ship was already docked and a single armored wolf was standing in the airlock. It was the wolf he had met on the moon. The armor was elegant and had color compared to the dull grays and blacks on the other wolf’s armor. The inner airlock slide open and he stepped through.

“We meet again human” the wolf said as his helmet collapsed into the neck of his armor “I see you have met a representative of our government” he said the last word with hatred in his voice “Have they told you about anything?”

“No, they haven’t told us anything aside from the fact that you are criminals” Paul replied as he tried to determine who was the “good guy” and who wasn’t

“That is what they call us, but we call them the same. It all depends on whose side you are on” he turned his attention to Lia “you are young so you are probably filled with false ideals and have no idea the horrible crimes the leadership commits”

“They have maintained the peace longer than any other” she replied

“But at what cost?”

“There was no cost, the leaders ended the last conflict and created a treaty that all factions benefited from!” She sounded uncertain

“That is where you are wrong” he ended the conversation and returned his gaze to Paul “You are probably confused”

“Damn right I am, in the last… who knows how long, my ship hasn’t been under human control!”

“Then sit, it might take a while” he said as he pointed to the small table with two chairs

________________________________________________________________________

He was right, explaining took a very long time. But it cleared up much of what was happening. It turned out that the wolves were split into two factions, the original pack that Lia belonged to, and a splinter pack that knew the truth about the leadership and wanted them to be brought to justice. He didn’t elaborate much on what the original pack did, but what he heard was atrocious. Lia’s emotions became conflicted as she heard about the pack she worked for.

“Can I ask a few questions?” Paul asked

“It might be better if you wait until you met my superior” he replied

“superior? I thought you led”

“Just the fighter, my leader commands from that” he said as he pointed out the window to the large, crystal-like ship that was suspended in space.

“And what about those three?” Paul asked referring to Lia and her escorts

“They will be brought aboard my ship and taken care of. Unlike them, we treat prisoners with decency” he said as he examined Lia’s troubled expression

“Ok, one last question. Can I bring the other section heads? I feel like I am keeping the ship in the dark”

“Bring whoever you like, but we leave soon” with that, he stood and motioned for the three troubled wolves to follow him and they complied with no resistance.

Paul made an announcement to fill in the crew on some information and invited the section heads to the large ship.

Lev was the only section head that accepted the invitation, Seth was sent as a replacement for Sophia. The trio entered the docked ship through the airlock and were greeted by a wolf who led them to what appeared to be the bridge. Lia and her escorts -who now had their helmets removed- were talking to the captain of the ship in their native tongue. The strange thing was that they were not restrained or under guard even though they were prisoners. As the three humans walked towards them, when the captain noticed them, the barked an order to another wolf who fiddled with some controls that he was hunched over. The captain placed his translator on his head and turned to Paul.

“Welcome aboard!” he said. Paul noticed that his English seemed too natural compared to the other wolves he had heard “I hope you are ready because my superior is eager to meet an old friend”

The trio exchanged confused glances.

“We have never met your superior…” Lev said

“That is where you are incorrect! Or partially incorrect at least.” he replied “He is quite interested to learn about how you humans have achieved space travel so suddenly”

“How-” Paul started to ask before he was cut off

“He will answer any questions you have. We should be arriving soon” as if on queue, a slight clang reverberated through the ship and the captain walked towards the door trailed by the three wolf prisoners. Paul, Lev, and Seth followed. Lev, being the head of innovation, was trying to absorb everything he could, trying to see something that could be reused aboard the Endeavor. Seth was examining Lia, or more precisely, how she moved. Paul was running different scenarios through his head about who or what the superior could be. As they exited the ship, Paul noticed that the interior didn’t look even remotely similar to the exterior. It was a plain gray hallway, but much bigger than what was aboard the Endeavor, you could probably drive a car through it with room to spare. The group was led through the corridors and Lia and her escorts were left to the care of another wolf who met the captain. The four of them continued through the ship. It was oddly empty, other than the wolf he had seen earlier, there was no activity. They finally entered a large, empty room with another door at the far end.

“Unfortunately, he is running a late. They found a survivor among the wreckage and they had some trouble rescuing him.” The captain told them

“What should we be expecting?” Lev asked

“You already know them, but perhaps you deny their existence.”

“Bigfoot?” Seth offered jokingly

“Close, but you’re getting there” The captain replied with a surprising amount of seriousness

After a short time, Paul noticed a slight thumping vibrating through the metal that was getting louder. Whatever was causing it, it was big, and it was getting closer. After a slight pause, the door opposite to them slid open.

What they saw almost made their hearts stop. Before them stood a large, sapphire colored dragon. It stood on four legs that supported a muscular body with two folded wings that lay against his sides. Behind it was a large tail that started wide and slowly formed a tip at the end. The long neck was covered with vibrant scales that became smaller on the underside. The head itself had two slightly curved, white horns pointing backwards on the crest of it’s head, a muzzle, and two brilliant, intelligent eyes that shone with the same color of it’s scales.

“We meet again among the stars” he said in a deep, wise voice that reverberated through the room.

After Paul recovered his fallen jaw, he composed himself and asked “What do you mean by meet again?”

“Have you humans forgotten us? We only left a short while ago”

“We didn’t know you existed! You were merely a fable, a myth, something that only lived in stories.” replied Paul

“And yet, I stand before you.” He said “fables and myths often hold a grain of truth in them. We lived with you humans not so long ago.”

Paul was speechless. His favorite mythological creature stood before him.

“How long have you lived on Earth?” Seth spoke up

“Longer than you have, we watched humans grow. In fact, your growth is what made us leave” He replied as he swung his head to face Seth

“Our growth? Why did that make you leave?” Seth asked

“You expanded quickly, not only in terms of territory, but in terms of technology. At first, we were feared without reason because you could not harm us. Then you developed gun powder and suddenly, our kind was vulnerable. Wars broke out constantly and we saw that it was only a matter of time before you hunted us, so we left.” There was a sad edge to his voice

“How did you leave?”

“He is a curious one.” He directed towards Paul “But now is not the time for endless questions, we attacked the Pack and should leave. You” he nodded at Paul “You are the captain correct?”

“I guess so” Paul replied, still trying to figure out if he was dreaming or not

“Tell your ship to pull in close to mine, we must leave. You will notice that your ship has all functions restored since we have destroyed the wolves.”

As Paul turned to contact the bridge, Seth and Lev barraged the dragon with an endless amount of questions. The dragon answered every one of them. Paul contacted the bridge who confirmed that everything was back to normal, in the loosest sense of the word. He relayed the orders and filled in the crew on certain details, leaving the dragon out for the time being. After a while, the Endeavors thrusters fired up and sluggishly pushed the ship closer to the dragon’s. After some correctional maneuvers using the smaller directional thrusters, the Endeavor was drifting near the large sapphire colored ship. The smaller escort ships positioned themselves nearby as well. Together, the dragon’s ship, the Endeavor, and the numerous escorts warped to a different star system, vanishing from the battle zone without a trace.