Humanity has become the corrupted tool of the Earthen Interstellar Federation. One captain will soon find out just how much the corruption has spread. Just how does a once-human communicate with her once own xenophobic species?

The Trelonian lay alone upon the Bridge of the last remaining vessel. The consoles surrounding her dysfunctional or sparking. Blood poured out of her chest, cutting down her life expectancy to mere seconds. The last of the Great Trelonian Empire lay dying.

Taking one last breath she said, “Computer, enable search and integrate subroutine, disable AI containment.” With her last words she died, hope in her heart that one day her legacy will live.

“This is Captain Sheffield of the Earthen Interstellar Ship, Agamemnon. Please lower your shields and prepare to be boarded.” I stood in front of the viewscreen. Hands clasped behind my back, staring at the unknown silver vessel.

“Still no response captain, may I remind you that it is standard protocol to destroy any alien vessel on sight.” My first officer stated.

He stood behind me, a good few inches taller than my 5’7”, unlike me he graduated to his rank instead of working his way up from Ensign. Hence his being 10 years younger and only a rank below me. However unlikely, we became fast friends and would do anything for the other. I smiled ruefully as I turned to face him, “You know as well as I do that many of our protocols are both stupid and short sighted, especially that one.”

My first officer, Commander Williams grinned back, “Including the one that makes me remind you of any protocols we’re supposed to follow?”

I sighed, as much as I hated it, he was right. “Very well, Tactical, open gun ports and engage defence screens.”

I hesitated, there was something about that ship… “Science, have a look into the database for any information about this ship, it’s like noting we've seen before.”

“Aye sir!” My over eager Science officer, Ensign Fray responded. I smiled at his enthusiasm. He would make a good officer someday. The bridge came alive with a faint humming noise as the secondary defence screens surrounded the bridge. As much as I thought it disgusting, the bridge had a screen that activated as soon as any tactical systems were activated. Apparently bridge officers were more important than the rest of the crew.

Just as I was about to give the command to fire the view screen shifted to show a small statured, balding man wearing the uniform of a space command official. “Attention EIF Vessel, you are to cease all attempts to destroy the unknown ship you are currently investigating. Standard procedures do not apply. Your new orders are to capture and analyse its technology, this is of the highest priority, and no one but your bridge crew can know this true mission.” The viewscreen shifted again to display the huge silver ship.

I blinked, “Science, what can you tell me about what just happened? And just what is so important about this particular alien ship?”

Ensign Fray replied after some hesitation in a tone that I hadn't heard from him before, “Captain, when I scanned the ship it initiated that message automatically. Sir, it’s from the Emperors office.” The bridge was suddenly deathly quiet. Just what is it about that ship is so important that the highest authority was involved?

I coughed, “Very well, what information do we have about the ship? Weapons, armament, crew compliment?”

“One moment Captain. I think that my console is malfunctioning. I can’t scan this ship, the scanner beams are just reflected off the hull. The material is unlike any other before seen. It looks like some sort of biological ship but it isn’t. I can’t make sense of these readings, the one thing I can make sense of is that it is 5 miles long, about 7 times our size.” Fray was furiously tapping buttons on his console. “All the other scans seem to contradict each other. Sir, that ship is impossible!”

Just then another voice broke the silence, “The scanners are working perfectly and so is your console, what you are looking at, however contradictory is what the ship is made out of. Captain, looking at these readings, that ship is incredibly advanced. It has to be from beyond our exploratory range. No other races that we have encountered have this sort of technology.”

I sighed, this was going to be a long day. Something about that ship was bugging me. I don’t know what but I felt like I should be the one to board her and no one else. “Begin alien docking procedures, Williams, you have the bridge.”

My first officer looked startled. “But sir, you know you cannot leave the bridge at a time like this. The protocols…”

“To hell with them! This is something I have to do!” I looked at my friend pleadingly.

His face softened, “At least take a security escort with you. You have no idea what is over there.” I was about to argue until the ship started shuddering as we attached ourselves to the incredibly large alien ship.

“Very well then, have Lieutenants Reilly and Marcus meet me at the open hanger.” I replied, whilst entering the elevator which would descend to the lowest deck. If you could call it a deck.

The open hanger was exactly that. Open. The lift arrived at a small observation room which overlooked the hanger, attached to the large docking booms on the celling were various fighters and small shuttle craft that we were equipped with. The floor of the hanger was non-existent. This was so we could do exactly what we were doing now, landing on the hull of an alien ship to break into it. It avoided the problem of incompatible airlocks completely.

Once I had climbed into my environmental suit (Though I had a nagging feeling that I wouldn't need it), I exited the observation room and stood atop of the hull, Reilly and Marcus following.

The drilling mechanism was being prepared by a team of Engineers, I was suddenly overcome and before I knew what was happening I shouted, “Everybody, out now!”

The Engineers looked as startled as I felt, yet they followed my orders.

“Captain?” Lt. Marcus questioned.

I ignored him and knelt down. The hull looked more like a silvery skin that metal. It pulsed rhythmically under me. I knelt down, this ship was alive. I was sure of it. The ship produced a nagging feeling in the back of my brain. I got the impression that something was finishing? Slowly I placed my gloved hand gently upon the skin.

An overwhelming feeling of what I could only describe as a presence flooded my brain.

"What's th-"

Then darkness...

“Sir, the Captain is gone!” The panicked voice of Lt. Marcus shouted over the intercom.

Immediately I jumped from my seat, “Gone?”

“Yes sir! One minute his hand was on the hull, the next he was just gone.” The voice though still panicked was no longer shouting.

My mind went through possibilities but couldn't come up with any reasonable answer except teleportation which was impossible according to Kidsons law. Finally I made a decision, “Prepare a heavily armed boarding party and begin the drill.”

As those words left my mouth, the Agamemnon shook violently. Alarm claxons sounded all over the bridge as consoles exploded. My eyes shifted to the viewscreen as it showed the strange ship forcibly detaching its self from us and engaging engines at a speed which confounded me.

“Pursuit course!” I yelled.

“Cap-Sir, The ship is travelling faster than the Slipstream barrier, to my knowledge that should be impossible!” This startled science officer announced. “Not that anything about that ship IS possible”, he mumbled.

“Sir, even if we could match their speed, it wouldn't be possible in our current state. Engines and communications are down and all Tactical systems are at minimum capability or none at all” Engineer Tibet stated.

Finally remembering procedure I queried, “Crew status?”

“Nine crew are in critical condition at medbay. Including Lieutenants Reilly, Marcus and the drill engineers. Other than that there are only minor injuries.”

I awoke in what could constitute as a medical bay. My body felt completely alien to how it should. As I sat up I felt a strange sort of unfurling sensation from my back. Ignoring that I looked down to discover something which I know were not there before. My mind went blank. After blinking to restart my brain function I looked around the room and conveniently found a mirror, slowly clambering out of bed I padded over.

Stumbling for my first few steps, I quickly regained my sense of balance. However, as I looked in the mirror I almost lost it again.

Looking back at me was a strange looking girl to say the least. She fairly short and appeared to be 17 years old by human standards. Yet, it was quickly apparent that she, that I, was not human. Her - My face consisted of Violet eyes, pale skin and violet hair that defied any sense of gravity. As I put my hand to my hair to discover that I could FEEL my hand from my hair. Shuddering I looked down, her – My breasts were prominent but proportional for her figure, then I saw the most striking feature. Wings. Actual wings. They had a feint violet glow around them, in fact there was a feint glow around my whole body. My wings twitched providing many incredible but odd sensations to my already overloaded brain.

Words suddenly appeared in the bottom left corner of my vision, words in a language that I had never seen before, yet somehow could read them as if they were native Earthen.

Initiating Ship Control Module…
Safe mode engaged.
Preparing Information Transmitters… Complete
Preparing Information Receivers…

At the last words, my brain became aware of an incredible amount of information about my body. I knew exact calculations and proportions, functionality. My physiology was incredible, two hearts and in place of my stomach was an organ which was some sort of ultimate energy gatherer, my immune system was incredibly advanced, there were also foreign particles swimming around my body. The word nanites entered my head, it was a network of biological technology which was feeding information that it was receiving from an outside source. I knew I had control over them, yet that control wasn’t complete. Something had to finish. ‘Looking’ outwards with my sensors I could SEE! It’s like having been blind for all my life and gaining vision that was better than anyone else in the world had! Atoms made themselves known to me, molecules, and arrangements of EVERYTHING.

More information entered my head, Star charts, planetary alignments, species information never before seen. I then became aware of the origin of my new sense. It was my body but not. It was separate from me and yet we were one. I could feel the pulsing skin, the reverberations of what felt like a heart but was like nothing I had ever imagined. I could feel the corridors and rooms, I could sense my actual body deep within the ship. I knew I could control everything, but not yet.

…Complete
Integration completed, Command and Control functionality enabled.

Finally my mission was complete. No, it wasn't my mission. The ships mission. But it was my mission, we are one. We are Serenity.