THE INTERROGATION

The energy aboard the *Genesis* was palpable, almost as if it could be touched. The children, now transformed by discipline and understanding, were ready. Their eyes shone with the certainty of those who had been forged by fire. They had trained for this moment with unshakable determination. Stood had prepared them for every possible scenario, but as always, the future was an unexplored territory, and no one could predict what would come next. The battle against the unknown had already begun, and now it was officially declared. With it, a new chapter opened in the future of the *Genesis*.

Stood walked through the ship's corridors, his mind a storm of thoughts as he conversed incessantly with Elisa. The initial battle had gone well, but the tension still consumed him. The first wave of enemy ships had been destroyed, their occupants neutralized with surgical precision, but the *Genesis* remained unharmed, immaculate. Not a single shot had touched the immense ship. Ommini, the Artificial Intelligence, did not spare praise for the tactics adopted, the performance of the defense ships, and especially the actions of the children, now called "ASES."

Even in the silence of the corridors, Stood could hear the continuous hum of the defense systems being updated. The *Genesis* was a machine of precision, an unshakable clock, always absorbing new information, each battle bringing new data on tactics, equipment, and potential threats. Each fight, more than just a victory, was a crucial lesson for what would come next.

As he entered the command room, his eyes immediately fixed on Elisa. She was working with intensity, her fingers dancing over the holographic interface, analyzing the incoming data.

"The captured ship," Stood began, his voice low but firm. "What do we know about it?"

Elisa's eyes shifted to the display in front of her, while her mind focused on the images unfolding before her. Her fingers glided with skill over the interface. "It's unlike anything we've encountered before. The technology is advanced—but not close to ours. Still, we've started studying and retrieving everything we can from the enemy ship."

She paused, her face taking on a thoughtful expression. "But the beings inside... They're not just alien in appearance. They have something more. Something... different. They're not just soldiers. They're... something more."

Stood nodded slowly, sensing the truth in Elisa's intuition. Something about them wasn't right. Their presence was unsettling, and it wasn't just the strangeness of their physical form. There was something deeper, a mental power that couldn't be ignored.

"We need to communicate with them," Stood said firmly. "If they are part of a larger force, we can't let them find a way to communicate with their command. We need to act quickly."

But his gaze, which remained fixed on Elisa, was alert. "We cannot allow them to take control of the *Genesis*. The children will need to be ready for whatever we might discover."

Elisa looked at him, her face reflecting both concern and determination. "Understood. I'll begin setting up a secure link. But, Stood... we must be cautious. What if these beings are not just invaders, but... something even worse?"

Stood turned his eyes to the window of the command room, where the cosmos stretched out in all its vastness. He knew that the dangers ahead were incalculable. The vastness of space hid threats they could barely comprehend. They had only scratched the surface.

"Mara, Iris, Ethan, Sienna," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "They need to understand that what's coming isn't just about defending the *Genesis*. It's about discovering who we are becoming. We're no longer just human. We're the beginning of something new."

At that moment, the command room doors opened, and the children entered, their expressions serious, but ready for whatever would come. They had heard the call and knew that the calm of the past few days had been nothing but an illusion, a brief pause between conflicts.

"We've been informed," Mara said, her green eyes burning with focus. "We know what happened during the first wave. The *Genesis* is safe— for now."

"Yes, for now," Stood replied, his tone grave. He turned his gaze to Ethan, who stood with his arms crossed, his eyes no doubt already calculating the next move.

"We're ready," Ethan said, his voice firm, a confidence evident in his words. "We can help."

Stood nodded, feeling a wave of pride. "Your powers are more than just weapons. They are tools. Tools for a future none of us fully understand yet. I need you to be ready for whatever comes next—whether it's defending the *Genesis* or confronting an enemy that may not be defeated by brute force alone."

Iris, floating gracefully near the ceiling, spoke with a deep calm, but full of purpose. "You trained us to control our powers. Now it's time to trust that we can handle what's coming."

Sienna, standing resolutely at the front, her scaled skin glowing under the soft light of the room, spoke with firmness: "We are more than the sum of our powers. We are a team."

Stood looked at her, feeling his heart swell with pride. The fear and confusion of before had given way to an unshakable determination. They had transformed. They were ready.

"This is the moment we push beyond the limits of what we've been taught," Stood said. "The alien ship... We need to understand who they are. They may have answers to what's coming."

"I'll prepare the teleporter," said Iris, her voice calm, yet resolute. "If we need to go to the ship, I'll take you there."

"We'll work together," Ethan added, his certainty echoing in all their minds. "We've learned to act with purpose. Nothing will go wrong."

As they spoke, Stood's mind raced. He knew that this mission would test not just their abilities, but their humanity. The *Genesis* had been created with one purpose: to rebuild what was lost, to ensure that humanity's future would rise from the ashes. But now, they faced something new—not just enemies, but the unknown, something that could change everything.

"We're no longer fighting just for survival," Stood said, his voice grave, but full of purpose. "We're fighting for our evolution. For the future of humanity. What we discover now could shape everything."

He turned to Elisa. "Start the preparations for communication with the aliens. I want to establish contact, but not without the proper precautions."

Elisa gave him a solemn nod, her fingers already moving with skill over the controls.

As the children left the room, Stood stood still, watching them. "Elisa, I want them to be equal in how we interrogate them. I want everyone to act simultaneously, with total blocking of their bodies and minds. If there's any sign of losing control, the order is to eliminate."

Stood then ordered that any signal coming from the alien ship be blocked, and the ship be towed out of that spatial quadrant. "We'll avoid being caught off guard."

The day stretched on in an unsettling silence as the crew of the *Genesis* awaited the next move. Hours passed, but the constant hum of the ship's engines seemed to grow, an echo of the growing tension.

The beginning of the interrogation and the discoveries about the alien civilization were staggering. They were truly a predatory species, destroying any form of life to seize its knowledge. And now, for the first time, they were encountering humans. The aliens were curious to discover who humans were and what kind of war capacity they possessed. The aliens' instincts were predatory; at the first opportunity, they tried to take control of Stood's mind, but they didn't know that Stood was no longer just human—he was half man and half machine. And that was their great mistake. In an instant, one of the "ASES" eliminated them, and the other two beings were also annihilated, with no chance to react.

Stood ordered that the bodies of the aliens be studied in detail. Their ship should also be fully analyzed. He knew that from this technology, they could create more defenses for the *Genesis*.

The *Genesis* began its approach to the Pinjonhn star, located 100,000 light-years from Earth. All alert signals were triggered. Preliminary readings indicated that the planet was habitable, with all the characteristics of Mother Earth.

What came next could change the fate of all humanity.