Chapter 1 - Discovery

"Commander...Commander Romulus...Wake up!"

An electric shock to my feet jolts me out of my deep sleep. I gasp for air, but my throat seemed to rebel as the contents inside my body slowly rose towards my mouth. I grab my throat before breaking out of the flesh sac that trapped me in stasis. Falling on all fours, I vomit on to the metal floor, a black ooze that seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Good, it seems the stasis fluids have been expelled completely. Your vital signs are a bit erratic, but given the rude awakening, it is expected."

That voice sounds familiar. I look away from the black ooze that was vacuumed into the nearly invisible gaps within the floor.

To my surprise, a six-foot-tall humanoid robot made from red steel with a neutral emoji for a face got down on one metal knee and offered its right arm to help me get up.

"Omega?" I asked while taking in the sight of the robot.

The mask on the robot's face display switched from neutral emoji to a smiley emoji.

"Seems your memories haven't been affected by four hundred and fifty years in stasis."

As I was pulled up by Omega, my mind went blank.

"Four... hundred and fifty years?"

A sad emoji face appeared on Omega's face display.

"It was necessary, the Martians were on our tail as soon as we left Earth. They destroyed Cradle two and captured Cradle three."

"What? What about the self destruct protocol on capture?"

"I am not sure how they did it, but Cradle three's A.I did not initiate the protocol. Our data network was soon breached. All possible Goldilock planets locations in our star charts were compromised."

"Meaning...you had to find an Earth-like planet that hadn't been discovered before."

"That was the only option to avoid them following us to the next planet. Fortunately for us, the ship we are on has an eternal fusion reactor and the best 3D printer machines on board. I was able to keep this ship intact along with major upgrades to myself and the mech arsenal."

"Where did you get the raw materials for the upgrades?"

"You may have noticed the Red Steel body for this android. The metal was mined from a unique planet with an abundance of the Martian Metal. The very same metal which humans used to drill on Mars in the Golden Age."

"Are we still on that planet?"

"No, that was a planet we passed by over two hundred years ago. It could not sustain life, and we lost the terraform tech with the other ships."

"Any more good news?"

Omega's face displayed showcased a mocking emoji then a laughing emoji.

"I would not have woken you up if we didn't find a planet to colonize."

Omega's face display now showed a blue-green planet remarkably similar to Earth with two moons and a bright yellow sun that seemed much younger than the Sol System.

My face broke into a smile as a tear formed at the corner of my eyes.

"Finally... we have a new home."

I gazed at the new planet that is the final hope of humanity.

"It is the fourth planet from the sun. I have temporarily named this planet Haven. All orbital scan data indicates a bio-compatible flora and fauna to sustain human life with minimal terraforming required."

"Are you sure the Bugs don't know about this place?"

"Impossible"

"How can you be sure?"

"This ship passed through a wormhole to escape their pursuit in the second year of the voyage. Even if the Martian Bugmen came in after us, they might have ended up in a different space sector due to various space-time anomalies that even the greatest A. I on Earth could not calculate with a guarantee to end up in the same place."

"I thought you were the greatest?"

"Even an A. I can be humble, Commander."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Wake up the others."

Omega's face display changed to crying emoji.

"Commander Romulus, I regret to inform you that you alone survived the voyage. The rest of the stasis sacs were damaged along with those within."

"All...all of them?"

Omega nodded before grabbing my shoulder, embracing me to keep me steady.

"They did not suffer, but the good news is all the material needed to make clone troopers, and a viable human colony survived the journey."

Omega's face display showed a room with a dozen clone vats filled with occupants who have nearly grown to full size.

"Those faces...arent they the clones from the Vanguard list? Weren't they meant to be activated if there is hostile life capable of destroying the colony?"

"Affirmative, this planet has an abundant life similar to the life forms that lived during the Jurassic Period on ancient Earth. Many of them are the size of a Titanosaur from Ancient Earth."

Omega's face displayed dozens of beasts that looked similar to Dinosaurs in size and appearance. There were even lifeforms that no human could have imagined.

"These are just the largest ones I was able to document from satellite imagery. On the other hand, the smaller lifeforms will require an expedition team to investigate."

"Well, it's a good thing we have the mechs to wipe out these kinds of threats."

"I have detected over several dozen significant threats across the planet that we are not equipped to handle."

"What kind of threats?"

"Intelligent life, one that has a complex civilization."

A mental lightning bolt struck my vision.

"You mean the planet is already occupied? How far is their technological progress?"

"They seem to be in the Iron Age or an equivalent. Satellite images have shown several major concentrations of their species across the planet, and varying architectural styles. I estimate their population is at the very least a billion in strength."

"It sounds like how humans evolved on Earth, but how did these guys survive against lifeforms similar to Dinosaurs?"

"From the data I have gathered while in orbit, it seems the Dinosaur like life forms have been domesticated and bred for war."

"You have got to be kidding me, show me some images of this intelligent species."

Omega's face displayed a giant statue carved out of a mountain that seemed to be a monument to one of their kind.

"They look like us except they have tails and horns on their heads. Wait, is that a lizard face? Don't you have any images of a living being instead of a statue? This could be a fictional representation of their God or something like that."

At my request, Omega displays the real thing. They looked exactly the same, except most of them were much more brutish and menacing than the statue. I couldn't make out the genders of these creatures from what I could see.

They literally look like the lizard people in human folklore and fantasy games in Earth's Golden age.

"Why do they look so human?"

"Numerous cases of parallel evolution occurred on Earth over its history from species that are unrelated to each other. These pictures prove that the Humanoid frame seems to be a success to the evolution into a civilized species."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I doubt they will be civilized towards us. My best guess is these Lizardmen will attack us first to find out what we taste like before they even think of trying to communicate with us."

"I recommend a ground expedition to collect more data. If they prove hostile, then the Vanguard team is the best clone Troopers. We have to engage them without any casualties."

"What can lifeforms stuck in the Iron age do to Mechs?"

"Well, these lifeforms stuck in the Iron Age can subdue creatures that look remarkably like the Martian Bugmen."

"The Bugmen are here? HOW!"

Blood rushed to my head as the anger and fear of the Bugmen broke my composure.

"Calm down, Commander! Remember the theory of Parallel Evolution! I am confident they are unrelated to each other. This planet has spawned a species similar to bugs seen on Earth three hundred million years ago due to the high oxygen levels and lack of predators that can eat them."

My racing heartbeat gradually slowed down to a regular rate.

"Meaning they don't have human intellect? Just giant bugs?"

"As far as I can see, that seems to be the case. This planet would look like Earth if they really were the Martian variant."

I shivered at the thought of more planets falling prey to those abominations.

"How long before we descend?"

"I recommend we stay in orbit until the Vanguard teams can establish a foothold and recon the land for possible mineral mines, and other resources necessary for maintaining the ship. They will have to search for resources to jump-start the revival project of the Human colony."

"I feel like there is another reason."

Omega displayed an embarrassed emoji.

"The ship has run out of resources to sustain repairs. I also cannot guarantee that the ship can take off into space once it converts itself into a colony hub."

"So, the spot we pick to land has to be perfect for our needs."

"And absent of threats for stable development."

"Get the clones ready then. I will personally debrief them once I freshen up and hit the gym. My body is still sore from stasis sleep."

I ordered as I cracked my joints and massaged the muscles.

"Aye, Commander!"

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