Mee’va squinted as the Human ships blazed into the system with the characteristic pale blue eruptions of FTL light. When her eyes adjusted, her heart sank. She could scarcely believe what she was seeing.

The once proud ships of the Apex were barely recognizable. The damage was so severe she wondered how they were able to make the jump home at all. Melted furrows lacerated their sides forming deep wounds that sank in past the armor plating. Lines of crew quarters, hallways, and other areas never meant to be exposed to the hard vacuum of space stood naked of protection.

This first generation of ships was never beautiful or appealing to the eye. They had been designed specifically for one purpose: to carry the tools of violence to the Krador and Vashali. The dull grey metal of their angled armor looked more like a freighter hull to her than anything else. Part of that was undoubtedly the Broda influence in their design. Utilitarian to the extreme, the human ships ramshackle appearance reflected their vessels origins as military platforms combining the recently weaponized technological traditions of a dozen species.

Despite all that, they always struck her as proud and fearsome. Tools of destruction made by the most proficient practitioners of violence the galaxy had never dared to imagine. These ships had a character about them that made you feel like nothing could ever harm you as long as they traversed the skies.

Seeing them here and now, that was all gone.

As they tried to maneuver toward the shipyards some of them listed to the side and began drifting off course. Thrusters pulsed intermittently as they struggled to keep the savaged ships going in the right direction. Tugs soon moved in to assist the wounded giants as they struggled to limp to their assigned bays.

Mee’va had known the war was taking its toll on the Humans. Everyone had seen the numbers. They were dying by the tens of thousands out in the cold depths of the void. At first she didn’t think those numbers seemed all that bad. The other species had been hit harder by orders of magnitude. One day as they were working together she commented on how few human deaths there were one day to her Say-ved quality supervisor Skaasa.

She still remembered Skassa’s kind rebuke with embarrassment.

The Say-ved had looked up at her with a shimmer of distress rippling through her scales as she asked, “The war losses to their planet are unsustainable for them. Every life lost is a tragedy to them. Didn’t you know?”

In her ignorance she responded, “How could you say that? They have only lost thousands compared to the billions lost by many of our species. How is that unsustainable?”

Skassa looked at her with sad eyes and explained, “They only started with seven billion inhabitants on their planet. When you look at the numbers, you have to remember what they have committed to. The Planetary Defense Corps has relocated hundreds of thousands of families, oftentimes with their relatives, off their home planet and settled them as defenders of our colonies. The Rescue Corps has enlisted thousands of pilots, tens of thousands of soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of support personnel. The Explorer Corps has done similarly with thousands of systems being surveyed for threats daily. The Navy and Space Marine Corps have relatively few in direct conflict by comparison, but their supporting infrastructure takes easily twenty times the number they place directly in harm’s way.”

“But,” Mee’va pressed on, “Still those numbers are insignificant, surely.”

“Well,” the Say-ved continued, “Understand that they are only sending their best. The young, the old, and those in needed civilian tasks are not accepted into the war effort. After all that, every ship full of Apex lost to us represent whole generations of the best of their blood they have. They are holding nothing back to save us.”

“They…the soldiers are the best of their world?” She remembered asking dumbly. “I thought they were all like that.”

Shaking her head in the human gesture the Skassa responded, “It is a tradition among their kind that when evil faces their people, the best among them go to face it. The strongest, most honorable, and most capable of their people are the first to take up arms to defend the rest. That is why the soldiers of the Apex are so vital, and such terrible opponents in battle. Do not underestimate what sacrifice they continue to give us.”

Changing to that almost religious voice the Say-Ved use when speaking about the Apex, she intoned, “They give their husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, daughters and sons. May we diligently honor their sacrifices as they stride the empty void to stand between us and harm.”

That conversation was seven months ago. Since that time, Mee’va had seen countless humans board the ships and depart for the void and inevitable conflict. Many would never again see the beautiful planet that nurtured them. Some came back with lost limbs. Others who came back would be haunted for the rest of their days by the nightmares born in war. How could they not hold such beings in the highest esteem? Had they not earned the everlasting gratitude of all?

She was jarred from her remembrance by an explosion on one of the destroyers. She squinted and read the barely legible markings on its hull. It was the Lynx. It looked like a coolant line had ruptured. A hose flailed wildly as it spewed coolant out to be quickly dissipated in the vacuum of space. Tugs hurriedly encircled the crippled ship and pushed it out and away as shuttles and escape pods began emerging from the doomed destroyer.

The evacuation ceased and eventually the tugs broke off. The vessel sped out into space away from the shipyard.

In a moment that she would recall in deep sadness for many years she watched as the Lynx exploded in a brilliant flash of silent violence.

It was a poignant visual reminder of the casualties faced in the war by the human warriors.

Many who lost their lives had been entombed in distant, obscure places. They died far from home, loved ones, comforts, hobbies, and all the other things they treasured. The remains of their physical forms would forever be scattered across systems nobody had ever taken the time to name.

They understood that could be their fate, and yet they still volunteered by the thousands. They were answering the call to defend her and all the other races of the galaxy. That is what made the Apex unique among the stars. Well, unique until the…

She was snapped out of these dark thoughts by a voice that crackled over the shipyard intercom, “For those that may have been observing, please do not be distressed. All Apex aboard the destroyer Lynx were evacuated. With such severe battle damage they foresaw the possibility of a reactor breach. Appropriate precautionary steps were taken to ensure the safety of the crew and this facility.”

Relieved, she took a deep breath and relaxed. She hadn’t realized that her muscles had tensed up watching the events unfold outside.

“It is hard to watch, isn’t it?”

Turning to face the owner of the voice she saw one of the newer technicians that had started only a few days ago. He was a gifted young Grend named Kamda.

“It is,” she responded softly.

Turning his eyes away from the expanding cloud of gasses and scrap metal he asked, “You worked on the Lynx didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did,” she responded.

He continued, “It must be hard to see so much hard work go to waste.”

Turning to him she blinked a moment before saying, “Waste? No, it makes me proud.”

Scraping and popping of back plates filled the air as he turned his torso to look at her and exclaimed, “What?”

This young one was new to this station, and apparently nobody had taken the time to educate him about what they do here and why they do it. She understood all too well his confusion. That was her not so very long ago.

Mee’va decided then to take him into her herd and reveal to the truths hiding beneath the surface of this place.

She asked the confused young Grend, “What do you think our job is here? What do you think we do?”

Clearly realizing he was missing something, he replied, “We make the ships the Apex design to carry them to war with the Vashali, of course….right?”

Shaking her head in the Human body language gesture like Skassa had done those months ago she corrected, “No, it’s not. You have it all wrong my young friend.”

He looked at her skeptically for a moment then asked, “What do you say we do then?”

Looking back out the window she explained, “We make ships to take them into war, but that’s not the only reason we take such care in constructing the ships of the Apex. These works of our hands have a much more important role than mere warfare. In her true task, the Lynx did her job. She brought them home again.”

A few minutes passed in silence as they both stared out the window watching the efforts of the rest of the battered ships work their way toward the newly constructed scrap yard. Technically it was called the, ‘resource reclamation area,’ but all the workers knew it for what it was.

The young Grend was the first to speak again and quietly said, “I am almost afraid of what we will find when we take them apart. I don’t know what I would do if I were to come across a dead human.”

“Don’t be worried,” she responded. “The humans stopped first at Say-ved worlds. Our scaled friends not only took in and tended to all among the Apex who were injured, but also went aboard the ships and cleaned them completely of blood or other remains. They do so with the nigh-religious devotion to perfection they always have in issues regarding the Apex. I doubt you could find anything with a micro-scanner on those vessels.”

Looking at a clock on the wall she said, “Come with me. There is something you need to see.”

The two walked in silence through the corridors and causeways of the shipyard and eventually came to a balcony overlooking the huge main docking area.

Kamda drew in a sharp breath when they walked to the guardrail to take in the view of the massive bay.

Arrayed before them in ordered columns were tens of thousands of human soldiers armored and equipped for war.

Mee’va swept a hand out toward the gathered deathworlders and said, “These are the ones who will be using the ships we have been constructing these past months.”

The young technician’s eyes were wide as he took in the sight.

He had known something was going on when he arrived a few days before. Everyone he had met was tired from overtime shifts and the station was a veritable hub of transportation craft ferrying materials and people in. Everyone had referred to, “The response,” but he had no idea what that was and he had been too embarrassed to ask.

His attention was drawn to the far side of the great room when a large set of doors to one of the smaller adjoining bays slid open. The repetitive sound of heavy feet marching in cadence echoed through the arena-like expanse as a new group joined the gathered army.

Pointing a digit toward the newcomers Kamda asked, “Are…are those Broda?”

Mee’va offered, “Yes, but in this they are more than Broda. Those are our brothers and sisters of the Broda-lun.”

The massive giants proceeded in strict formation with detachments breaking off to form ranks with the columns of Apex military. They stood tall in their battle armor and waited at attention with their allies.

Mee’va pointed a hoof-tipped finger toward one of the newly arrived giants and asked, “Do you recognize that one there?”

Kamda leaned forward instinctively and squinted his eyes to try to examine the one she was talking about.

A moment later they shot open and he excitedly exclaimed, “That’s Moo’doo!”

His name became commonplace when the Apex honored him for saving many of their soldiers. The ceremony was QE-broadcast to every home and public venue. The galaxy had watched in amazement as his exploits were declassified and revealed for all to see. That was the Broda-lun who destroyed a Vashali capital ship with only a mining pod! Kamda had watched and re-watched the holo-feeds as Moo’doo bellowed his primeval challenge and smashed his ship into the glowing red core of the nightmare vessel.

Many would never forget the speech he gave.

At the ceremony he had approached the huge podium and said in his slow, deep voice, “Uh, is this on? Oh, ok…Well, I was on Oom Three and the Apex saved me. I felt I owed them. I still do. We all owe them I think, whether or not you were on Oom Three. If there are any other Broda-lun like me that feel the same way, you can help the Apex fight like I did. Well, not by ramming ships like I did, but fighting. I spoke to their leaders and they agreed to allow any of us that want to join them to take their training and fight alongside them.”

Reports came in from every Broda world. Broda-lun that heard the speech felt deeply inspired by his words. Most simply dropped what they were doing to find the nearest human and asked to join the fight. It was awkward at times given they would ask any human that was available, military or not. Eventually it all got sorted out.

Still enraptured at seeing such a famous being with his own eyes Kamda asked, “What are those shiny markings on their armor? They look like blue stripes from here. Do they symbolize something?”

Mee’va responded, “That’s something new. When Apex Moo’doo smashed that Vashali ship eight months ago, it was the first time one of them had been destroyed without being atomized by an FTL torpedo. Our forces were able to study the wreckage and we discovered two very important things. One of them was the crystalline basis of their technology. Those lines on their armor are a crystal lattice based on Vashali technology. It is designed to disperse the energy of the enemy beam weapons. The system has been installed on the new generation of ships also. You will find it is extremely difficult to work with, but we believe it will help significantly. I think you would agree that if our labor saves their blood it is a good exchange.”

Kamda looked up at her and queried, “There is a new generation of ships?”

Nodding her huge head she elaborated, “Yes, the humans have in the relatively short time period of the war mastered our technologies, and a few that were not ours. They learn so quickly I find it almost unbelievable. These new vessels seamlessly integrate all these technologies now from the core out. They are no longer pieced together as…oh what did the Apex technician Amanda say…Frankenships? I believe it is an Earth reference to something having many different parts that did not belong together.”

They both stood admiring the sight before them for a few more moments before Kamda again began questioning his Broda colleague, “How are the ships better? What technologies do they have now that they didn’t before?”

She didn’t take her eyes off the military forces as she replied, “Too many to easily count. Some were merely improvements of existing systems like their nanite shielding or torpedo targeting systems. Others are wholly new like the crystal armor I mentioned or the…”

She glanced down at him with her large brown eyes before returning to observe the scene below, “Well, you get the idea.”

Just as she had finished saying this, large paths of white lights lit up on the floor of the bay. Looking, they saw that they led to the docking corridors to board the new ships.

They were joined on the balcony by a group of other shipyard workers. Most were Broda.

Looking around at the huge walls of the bay, Kamda saw all the balconies and observation areas were also being populated in a similar manner. He didn’t know what, but something was about to happen.

Returning his attention to the assembled mass of forces below him, he noticed rows of other species forming lines near the illuminated paths to the ships. Nearest the white lines were Say-veds. Behind them stood the slightly larger and taller Grend. Finally, in the third row stood the tall and slender Cheech.

Movement from Moo’doo caught his eye and he turned to take a closer look. The huge Broda-lun was shifting his weight and fidgeting like an excited nestling. Looking around, Kamda saw it wasn’t just Moo’doo, but all the Broda-lun. When the heavily muscled warrior couldn’t take it anymore, he raised his fists into the air, threw back his head, and bellowed long and deep. His voice was joined by the others of his kind and the massive room was filled with the primal sound.

When it died down, Kamda nearly jumped out of his skin as all the Broda on the balcony and the entire bay lifted their heads and returned their call.

A command was shouted from each of the human leaders at the front of their respective columns, and the masses of Apex soldiers began marching forward in cadence. The room filled with the repetitive sound. Every fourth step, the muffled rhythm of human boots on deck plating would be joined by the deep thud of a Broda-lun hoof-fall.

After a few moment of this, a soft noise began rising through the hall. Looking down at the Say-veds, he saw they were singing. Or was it chanting? He couldn’t quite tell. Their scales shimmered to the rhythmic melody as their chorus progressed. Though he couldn’t make out the words from this distance, their voices filled him with a sense of loss and hope. Later he learned it was The Song of the Five, written to remember the day when the Apex came down from the skies to save their people.

When the first humans crossed over into the illuminated walkway the Cheech all moved as if one being. Their iridescent wings unfurled to full length and reflected motes of all colors of the rainbow. They waved their wings slightly, causing the light to sparkle and dance over the passing forces.

Finally, the Grend began dancing in time to the sounds of marching and Say-ved voices. As they moved, their scales scraped in unison and popped across one another adding another layer to the music filling the room.

“Those are the Neshia dancers!” Kamda exclaimed. “I never knew there were so many! They must have come from every colony, moon, and station to be here for this!”

Turning to the Mee’va he asked, “What is the reason for all this? Why make such a magnificent celebration?”

She looked down at him and solemnly responded, “We do not know how many will return to us. For those that do not, this is our last chance to honor them and show our gratitude.”

Realization dawned on him and he turned to behold the marvel with a new and deep appreciation.

Kamda and Mee’va wordlessly watched the processions until the last Apex disappeared down corridor leading to their ships. The singing and dancing continued until the giant pressure doors rumbled closed.

Afterward the Broda and Grend walked back through the corridors until they again stood looking out the viewport where their conversation began hours before.

They watched the ships undock from the station and form up for their FTL jumps. Kamda was awed by their beauty. Gone were the blocky, bulky shapes and irregular lines of the ships everyone had associated with the Apex. These new vessels were elegant with sleek lines. The hulls were brilliant white. On this backdrop, geometric streams of blue crystal flowed to larger rivers of shining sapphire traversing the lengths of the ships.

As he was admiring the blue crystal inlays, a thought occurred to Kamda.

He observed, “You said earlier that there were two things we learned from the Vashali ship that Moo’doo destroyed. The first was their crystal technology.”

Turning his eyes away from the ships outside to look up at her, he asked, “What was the second?”

She was silent for a moment and she did not look away from the ships her hands helped build.

As if ignoring his question, she started explaining, “We have been on the defensive in this war since it began for one simple reason: we never knew where the Krador or Vashali were coming from. Our jump technology is inferior to theirs. We might theoretically be looking for hundreds or even thousands of years before finding their main bases of operations. They could be from any of the local galaxies. Who knows how much potentially farther it could really be?”

Closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath she opened them and continued, “Unless you work closely with them you would never know because they hide it so well, but the Humans are angry…very angry. They long to stretch out their hands against those that harmed us. With every life they lose toward that end that drive intensifies. I don’t know if you have ever seen any of the footage of their battles, most can’t stomach it. They are forces of nature when they set their intentions to violence. I don’t know of anything that can stand against that.”

Kamda noticed her head shaking ever so slightly from side to side as she continued, “They have been given no outlets for that great pressure of emotion and frustration. No release to the build up of all those hostile thoughts and feelings. It has condensed into a rage toward the Vashali that seethes quietly beneath the surface. Their mouths smile but bring up the Vashali and you will see something flicker deep in their eyes that is primal, savage, focused, and…” She turned her head to look him directly in the eyes, “…Predatory.”

The young Grend looked away from her with a shiver and back to the ships outside. They were forming up to jump.

Turning back to look out the window, Mee’va absently scratched her side and revealed, “We found a broken fragment of the Vashali ship’s navigation core. It contained the location of one of their planets in a neighboring galaxy. Soon after that discovery was made, the order was given to form the Field Army you just witnessed.”

Kamda finally understood the lesson she was trying to teach him. The weight of responsibility he faced in making ships for the Apex, the cost to the humans, and the understanding of what would come next all fell into place in his mind.

The FTL flashes of the departing ships illuminated the face of the young Grend as he realized aloud, “They are going to go end the Vashali and Krador forever, aren’t they?”

As the last of the ships blinked out of their space, Mee’va professed, “Before the just wrath of the Apex is sated, a galaxy will quake.”