In the vacuum of space, everything was peaceful, both on and around the planet orbited by debris. Suddenly, space rippled before two spaceships appeared. The first was an extremely large, streamlined, and heavily weaponized military vessel. Compared to it, the second ship seemed like a child, both dwarfed in size and weaponry. However, this was understandable as it was a research vessel.

The crew of these vessels, the Silverings, were a race of humanoids who were appropriately silver in color, but this was not limited to their skin color. Their irises and hair were also silver, though they were not the same shade. Another remarkable fact was that the crew was made up entirely of females. In fact, except for their silver skin, the only notable difference setting them apart from humans was a higher level of physical appeal.

In the captain’s seat of the science-vessel was a stunning young woman. She was slightly over 20, but Silverings physically grew slower than humans, so she appeared to be in her late teens. Her facial features seemed almost sculpted to perfection, and her skin was flawless. The clothes she wore were a unique combination of a military white and the blue of the science uniform. A large cape she wore extended well above her shoulders as if they covered something behind her.

The display in front of her showed the planet below. As she looked at the screen, clearly disgruntled, a video message from the other ship was sent over. Another attractive woman, who shared many similar traits to her, appeared in front of her.

“Empress.” She apathetically said.

The Empress sighed at her daughter’s response to their first conversation in a week. “Angelica, you still haven’t forgiven me? I miss you calling me Mother.”

Angelica’s face remained stoic, but her eyes slightly trembled for a moment before regaining their indifference. “Empress, we have an important mission to deal with. I feel it is highly improper for us to stop to check out this distress signal. The proper personnel can be here in two cycles.”

The Empress shook her head. “That is no good. Two cycles may be too long to save lives.”

Angelica’s was about to retort before a massive explosion tore through the ship near the engines. Not only was the research ship hit, but the military ship was hit even harder. Space began to shiver at several locations around the two ships, and each revealed a much smaller ship. In fact, they couldn’t even be called ships, as it was essentially just a weapon.

After she recovered from the initial blast, Angelica looked at the scanners. When she saw the weapon, her face paled.

“Captain, I’m getting readings of machines both in our vessel and the Empress’s flagship.”

“How is this possible? Weren’t the SRIN eliminated? Someone else learned to control them?” She mumbled to herself in shock.

The SRIN were tiny mechanical robots so small the naked eye couldn’t see them. The designs were relatively insect-like, and they were extremely fearsome due to their size and their self-replication ability. Because they were so small, they could effectively become any mechanical device. If enough of them assembled, they could arrange themselves to become an entire ship. Luckily, they also had a known weakness.

SRIN could only be controlled in relatively small numbers. If too many of them got together, their hive-mind AI would begin to move towards independence. This was the only reason why they had managed to win against the SRIN before. However, this did not mean that they were not terrifyingly lethal.

“Angelica! Angelica!” The voice of the Empress cut in. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but not for much longer. The engines seem to be functioning, but they have been damaged, and I’m not confident using them as they are still experimental. On top of this, both of our vessels seem to be invaded by the SRIN.”

The Empress’s face paled. “Are you certain? The only way it could be the SRIN is if they’re receiving orders, but we should have eliminated everyone capable of doing so a decade ago. Angelica, listen to me carefully. I need you to leave before the SRIN on your ship prevent your escape. Rally the troops and find whoever’s controlling the SRIN and stop them; otherwise, our galaxy will never know peace.”

“Empress?” Angelica said as she looked at the readings before her heart sank. The Empress’s flagship engines were completely nonfunctional. On top of this, the SRIN on board began to use the ship materials self replicate. The ship itself, having lost all control, was being drawn into the planet’s gravity. It was only a matter of time before it would enter the atmosphere. Luckily, the hull was still intact enough, and the systems involving entry were not affected, so they would survive.

The image of the Empress simultaneously appeared on the helmsman’s display. “Helmsman, you are immediately to set a course to the nearest military outpost to gather reinforcements.”

“Yes, Empress.” The helmsman replied.

Angelica’s eyes shot open at the realization of what is happening. “No, I’m staying. I can help.”

The Empress shook her head. “The best thing you can do now is to regroup with the reinforcements and not give the SRIN any more materials.” She said as her ship began to glow red from entering the atmosphere.

Angelica’s cold face completely broke down as tears filled her eyes. “Mother, you can’t leave me.” She sobbed.

The Empress smiled as if her situation wasn’t dire. “I’ll be alright. Bring help to save me.”

Angelica dully nodded as her vision transferred to one of the weapons that had damaged the ships before. However, what she saw brought anger and disbelief because on the side was a symbol. The very same symbol of the organization that they had thought they had eliminated a decade ago. “Hydra!” She growled in anger.

“Mother, I’ll be back soon.”

“Go.”

The engines flared and sparked from the damage they had suffered. As a new technology, they were currently being field-tested. However, they seemed to engage nearly the same as before. Then, an energy surge suddenly ripped through the ship.

“Mother!” Angelica shouted as she felt the tremors rock the ship before they completely disappeared. However, it did not appear at a military base. It did not even appear in the same reality.