The void outside the Kuiper Belt was a silence that felt crushing- until the Singularity overwhelmed Osiris’s shields with it’s ever-constant energy, making them flare blue. Commander Krushchuv Voss’s white-knuckled fingers gripped the flight stick, his viewscreen showing the burning ruins of his brother’s ship, Athena, which was destroyed mere hours before by the indestructable Precursor weapon, a moon-sized sphere of unfeeling obsidian that had been discovered weeks earlier, and that nothing the Alliance threw at it, managed to damage. “Shields at 58%” Lieutenant Kael’s voice crackled in his ear, strained. “It’s bleeding power into our core- we’re going to lose thruster control soon. Its adapting to our weapons, it’s growing more powerful with each passing moment.”
The Singularity was a force of nature; plasma, warheads, not even anti-matter ordnance were able to harm it. It had already destroyed three research vessels, and every one of their endings had been short and horrific. The Osiris lurched, and Krushchuv watched the frigate Nova buckle and implode as it lost itself within the crushing embrace of the Singularity’s gravity field.Kael’s console went dark for a moment before glitching and filling with random sequences of garbled Precursor code that showed him nothing, only tantalizing bits of symbols that represented the impossible and cold logic of it’s design.
The Singularity blazed white, a blast of pure energy burning out Osiris’s weapons systems in an instant. “It can’t be destroyed,”Krushchuv whispered, his eyes locked on the cold blue glow of the weapon. “We can only delay it and buy Earth time to escape.” he diverted every drop of power remaining in Osiris to the ships tractor beams. “Full power to containment field! Push it back, no matter the cost!”
The tractor beams latched on the Singularity, and Osiris lurched forward straining under the massive pull. Then the weapons pulsed, and the energy blasts seared through the ships hull, killing a large chunk of the crew and disabling much of their systems. “Containment failed! Thrusters at 30% we’re not going to hold on for a minute longer!” Kael yelled, his console sparking like a firework. Krushchuv’s jaw tightened, the full weight of his decision crushing him. “Cut the beams. All power to the thrusters! We’re running, now!”
The Osiris sped away screaming as its thrusters battled the pull of the Singularity. Krushchuv glanced back. His stomach plummeted at the image of the sphere rushing towards Earth. Kael’s hands trembled as he brought up live footage from Earth. It is coming” he breathed. A few seconds later, the screen went to a white blinding light and continents crumbled to dust, oceans turned to vapour and the entire planet dissolved before Krushchuv’s eyes. He turned away, despair and self-loathing consuming him.
Three days later, the Osiris limped along the cold depths of space, most of its systems defunct. Most of its crew was dead-his brother, the Nova, and now Earth-lost to the immense power that could not be fought. Admiral Vega’s last transmission was forever burned into their thoughts. There are no reinforcements and there is no hope. You are the last surviving members of the human race.” That night on the bridge Krushchuv and Kael stood in silence, gazing at the black emptiness before them.
We watched it annihilate Earth,” Kael croaked, tears rolling down his face. There was nothing we could do. Krushchuv nodded, his throat dry, emotion unable to leave his body, “There was nothing we could do. Running was the only option but… What’s the point in surviving if we leave everything behind?” The Osiris ignited its engines, carrying them forward into the vast unknown and Krushchuv closed his eyes. The power of the Singularity burned forever into his mind. They continued to run, desolate and lost, their long escape, a memorial to Earth’s dying moment.