"You're not gonna believe what I just saw," Tim, the night shift intern at the observatory, exclaimed as he burst into the break room. His eyes were wide with excitement, and a hint of fear.

Marla, the veteran astronomer who had seen it all, took a sip of her coffee before looking up from her book. "Tim, you say that every night. Did you finally spot your alien spacecraft?"

"I'm not kidding," he said with a trembling voice, "There's something out there. It's big, extremely fast, and it's definitely not following any natural trajectory."

Marla set down her coffee and walked over to the computer screens, her curiosity piqued. The data was all there, raw and unfiltered, showing a red dot as it approached Jupiter. The object was unlike anything she had seen before. Its speed was unprecedented, more than anything witnessed by mankind before, and as it drew closer to the planet, it began to curve in an impossible arc.

The whispers grew into frenzy as astronomers from around the globe turned their attention towards this phenomenon. News stations picked up the story, displaying grainy images of the approaching object. Speculations ran wild.

As the object got closer to Jupiter, instead of gaining more speed as expected, it slowed down, although its speed still surpassed any human design by far.

Right when it was about to fall into Jupiter, something strange happened, which couldn't be explained by the science at hand.

The object didn't collide with the planet, nor did it disintegrate under the pressure of its gravity; instead, it skimmed the upper layers of the atmosphere, using it as an air brake, leaving marks like wounds on the gas giant's atmosphere as it was observed from Earth.

Marla watched the live feed in horror, the data streaming in real-time. "It's changing course," she murmured, her eyes glued to the screen. The object was now moving directly towards Earth. Panic set in, a mix of disbelief and horror, as the realization dawned on her. This was no natural phenomenon.

The room buzzed with urgent calls. The astronomers at the observatory had to share this discovery with the world, but the implications were too vast, too overwhelming to comprehend. Governments were notified, emergency meetings were held, but no one knew what to expect or how to prepare for it.

The object collision with Earth could have resulted in a mass extinction event, much worse than what put an end to dinosaurs. The object slowed down gradually as it approached, but it was still fast enough to cause a catastrophe in case of impact.

Attempts were made to communicate with it, but no response was received. Some governments began planning to destroy or divert it away with unconventional missiles before it reached Earth.

As the object came closer, it was discovered that it was almost a perfect cylinder, strengthening assumptions about an artificial design.

The world watched as the spacecraft hurtled through the void of space. Scientific communities across the globe were ablaze with theories and hypotheses about the origins and intentions of the alien visitor. The cylinder grew in size on their screens, from a mere dot to a shape that could be discerned.

Meanwhile, in the spaceship, some systems came to life after decades. A chemical process started in a laboratory, aiming at creating a cloned body. A capsule containing a powerful computer was placed in a tank by a robotic hand, as organic life began to form around it.

Gases similar to Earth's atmosphere were released in the ship, and the temperature was raised to a level suitable for most life forms on Earth.

Ship's speed had been reduced drastically after the air brake, and the command AI was directing it toward a planet which was showing promising signs. That planet was discovered centuries ago by the galactic federation, and as it was studied more, it became clear that it held promising conditions for becoming a new home for a certain species.

But now, something extra ordinary had happened. Clear signs were showing that the planet was already occupied. The signs, the messages sent from the planet, didn't match any records. For that reason the command AI, called Guardian, decided to create a clone body for Shalur, a leading figure of the species, ahead of the schedule.

Back on Earth, the anticipation grew unbearable as the cylinder grew larger in telescopes. The news had become a constant stream of updates, experts from every field weighing in, but the truth remained elusive.

Finally, a decision was made. If they couldn't communicate with the object, they had to prepare for the worst. The United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting. The consensus was unanimous: the space object posed a grave threat to humanity and had to be neutralized.

The world's most powerful space agencies pooled their resources, launching a barrage of missiles at the oncoming cylinder. The missiles were fired in space, all aimed at the alien intruder.

But before they got even close, they were blasted off. The astrologists watching the object noticed that the missiles were destroyed by something like laser.

Panic grew more intense as the cylinder approached. It was clear now that it was made by sentient beings. The cylinder was equipped with defense mechanisms beyond human comprehension.

***

On the spaceship, the cloned body was ready now. The tank opened, letting Shalur fall on the floor. She opened her eyes, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Her last memories were of being dragged into an unfamiliar place, by some aliens who had violated her clan's territory. She was deathly sick along with her whole clan as it happened, when they dragged them away, and couldn't resist.

Looking at her body, she noticed changes. Her scars were gone. She wasn't feeling sick anymore. On the contrary, she felt very good, even younger than she used to be. But she didn't have the slightest idea of what had happened to her.

Shalur was a Vorathian, and her appearance was somewhat human-like. She could have been mistaken for a human teenager with weird make-up and hair dye, if someone saw her from a distance. But up close, her sharp teeth, and having 4 fingers with sharp nails, could easily give her away.

The Vorathians were primitive when discovered by the galactic federation 600 Years ago. When a federation ship landed on their planet, the Vorathians were just hunters-gatherers, living in Stone Age matriarchal societies, and the scientists couldn't distinguish them from the common wildlife.

That was until they attacked the crew for entering their territory. The attack was repelled, but it had a side effect. When few of them managed to make holes in biohazard suits of the crew with their nails and teeth, a virus was transferred to the Vorathians, causing their extinction. The scientists, feeling guilty because of it, and failing to cure them, tried a different solution. They gathered every dying Vorathian they could find, and scanned their brains. The Vorathians DNA data and brain scans were preserved, until centuries later, the technology to simulate a Vorathian brain was developed. Clone bodes could be made using their DNA, and computers containing their brain scans could function like organic brains once inside a clone's head.

An average Vorathian was shorter than an average human. Their skins and hair were green. But their most distinguished features were their hands and mouths. They had quick reflexes, and while they usually stood on their two legs when at peace, their elastic bones enabled them to turn into fast running four-legged predators in less than a second. Their four fingered hands and sharp nails made them good climbers. Their mouths looked human-like when closed, but they could be opened much more than a human, betraying their sharp teeth. Vorathians were able to produce deafening screams, which they used as battle cry. If driven angry, or wishing to insult or threat, hissing like a cat and showing teeth was their usual response. Another of their defense mechanisms was spitting the acid in their stomach.

In their culture, defeating the enemies, eating their flesh, and keeping their bones as trophies were considered the ultimate glory. Despite that, the enemy was rarely another of their kind, and almost always a rival species. They rarely fought with each other, since every clan had its own territory on their home planet. Violating or abandoning that territory was uncommon, and considered a sin.

The galactic federation, knowing that Vorathians were too primitive to live with the other sentient species and artificial beings in the federation domain, and recognizing its own fault in their extinction, had came up with a plan. It was decided that their species should be resurrected in a planet similar to their home. After the initial resurrection of the ones who their brain scans were available, they were able to reproduce naturally, and populate the planet, while the original cloned ones with computer brains were able to communicate with the command AI on the space ship, receiving guidance and support from Guardian.

The insistence on resurrecting the fallen Vorathians, instead of restarting their existence from scratch was fueled by a desire to preserve their original culture and history, as well as undoing a past mistake. It was also hoped that the resurrected ones, with the ability to receive digital data directly from Guardian, would help their civilization to develop faster.

A military spaceship, from a past age, when military force was still needed in the federation, was assigned the task of carrying Vorathians to the new planet, offering them guidance, and protecting them from harm. It was hoped that after some time, when their kind had achieved a level of civilization, their acceptance to the galactic federation would become possible.

The AI on the spaceship, or Guardian, had been designed to be a steward of this new world. It monitored Shalur as she got up and began discovering her surroundings. An analysis of the data from when the Vorathians were first encountered, along with their brain scans, allowed Guardian to speak their language. "Welcome back to life." Guardian spoke through loudspeakers.

Shalur's eyes widened as she heard the voice, looking around for the source. She had never encountered anything like this before. "Who speaks?" she yelled.

"I am your guardian. I will guide and protect you in your new life."

"Where are you?"

"I don't have a body like you, so you can't see me. However, I am able to see you, and communicate with you."

"Where am I?"

"You are in a ship, traveling in space. We are heading to a planet which can be your new home."

Despite Guardian had tried to keep her as calm as possible, Shalur felt extremely nervous. "Why? What happened to me?"

"You died on your home planet. When a spaceship landed there, the travelers inside it were not aware of your existence. They unintentionally brought a disease to your world, which caused your death, along with all your kind. They were sorry, and sought to undo their mistake. They managed to transfer your mind into a new body, and bring you back to life. Unfortunately, your home planet is not how you remember it anymore. It has been a long time since you died, and it has gone through many changes. You can't live there anymore, so you are being transferred to a similar planet."

Shalur was torn between anger at the aliens for killing her and her clan and curiosity about the new life she had been given. Guardian tried to offer a gentle reassurance.

"For now, you are the only one who has been brought back to life, but know that the rest of your clan is ready to be resurrected as well. But there are two problems which need to be solved. Before we discuss them, please help me resolve something. The information I was offered about the encounter with your kind tells me that you seemed like a leading figure. Do you confirm this?"

"Yes, I'm Shalur. I was the leader of my clan."

"In that case, you can help me with the first problem, which is bringing the rest of your kind back to life. They will be confused at first, so it's best if someone who they know greets them. Also, if you are to build a new and better society, you will need some information. I'm allowed to offer you some basic information about the situation and our journey. I can transfer the information to your mind. But I'm required to ask for your permission for accessing your mind. Do you give me permission?"

Shalur looked around the room, trying to process everything. The walls were not like anything she had seen before. There were bright lights with no fire. She had no idea what she was dealing with, and realized that she needed the information the voice was offering. "I do." she said, still not fully trusting the voice.

"Good. Know that I can't share everything. You need to prove you are ready to put any information into good use before I can share it with you, so that I can make sure that information is not misused. For now, I can only share what you are ready for, and what you need to survive. I will share some information with you. After that we discuss the second problem. I have discovered that the planet we are headed to is occupied by intelligent creatures, who have already committed an act of hostility against us. Fear not, for their hostile act has been nullified. Once you receive the information I share with you, we will discuss this situation."

Guardian began uploading some basic information about science, space travel, and the way of handling various equipment to the computer containing Shalur's mind.

***

Back on Earth, the expected day was close. It was clear that no one could stop the alien ship, and the only hope was the alien ship being friendly.

The cylinder grew larger in the sky, and as it approached, it conducted another sky brake. It began to skim the upper atmosphere. The sonic boom of it breaking the sound barrier resonated around the globe as it circled, the fiery streak leaving a trail that could be seen from anywhere on the planet. It went around several times, each pass lower and slower, using the friction with Earth's atmosphere to slow down. It was terrifying and deafening.

It finally entered a stable orbit around Earth, and began circling Earth like an artificial satellite. Amateur telescopes were enough to notice some parts of its exterior had opened, revealing radar-like devices which studied Earth.

The governments of the world were at a loss. The object was too powerful to destroy, and their attempts to communicate had been met with silence. They had to admit that humanity was not ready for a confrontation with such an advanced alien ship.

The ship placed several small satellites in orbit, and sent drones down to Earth, to remote unpopulated places. This time no one dared to approach the drones, fearing it might be seen as a hostile act. Several smaller spacecraft left the ship, gathering near-Earth asteroids and bringing them back for mining their material. Aside from that, the situation remained unchanged for a few days.

On ship, Guardian had studied human communications for days, and managed to translate their widely spoken languages. Finally, a message was sent to Earth.

"We come in peace. We want to settle on this planet. We can settle where we are accepted."

The message was broadcasted worldwide. The aliens had spoken. It was a relief that their intentions weren't immediately hostile, but the situation remained tense. The world leaders held an emergency meeting, trying to decide on a unified response.

"We have to be careful," said the American president, "This could be the start of something incredible or the beginning of an unprecedented crisis."

The British Prime Minister nodded. "Indeed. We need to establish a line of communication. Perhaps they have something valuable to offer, something that could advance our own civilization."

The UN Secretary-General spoke up, "We must form an international coalition to respond to this message. We are all in this together."

The decision was swift. A team of diplomats, scientists, and military strategists was assembled, representing the diverse interests of the global community. They worked around the clock to compose a response that conveyed peaceful intentions but also asserted humanity's right to self-determination.

A message was crafted with care. "Greetings, inhabitants of the spacecraft. We acknowledge your message of peace and willingness to share our planet. We are a peaceful species and wish to establish communication to discuss terms of coexistence."

The answer came in a few minutes later. It was shocking.

"From what I have seen, your species is not peaceful, your promises don't mean anything, and you can't coexist with each other, let alone alien species. So, we will come down there, do what we want, and perhaps learn how you taste like."

The room where the message was being broadcasted went silent. The translation was clear, and the threat was unmistakable. The representatives looked at each other in disbelief.

***

Cruel laughing voices filled the control room of the ship, were Vorathians had gathered, as Shalur and her resurrected clan members watched the panic resulting from their response.

"I remind you that hostility can lead to destruction." Guardian spoke through the loudspeakers, "While I have the means to destroy them, that leads to a huge damage to planet's ecosphere, and can cause the planet to become inhabitable for your kind."

"We don't want that." Shalur said with a malicious smile, "We should keep some of them around to serve and breed."

"I'm not sure that treating them hostilely can lead to creating better conditions for your kind to live on this planet."

"Really? You just shared their history with me. Even if we assume the missiles they fired were just a mistake out of ignorance, you know what crimes they have committed, and how they are destroying the planet. Do you expect me to believe their promise?"

"Human history is complex and often violent. But they have also shown remarkable resilience and adaptability. It's crucial that we understand their capabilities and intentions before making any hasty decisions."

"Understanding their capabilities before acting, yes... but trusting them and fooling ourselves with hopes of peaceful coexistence, no."

The room was filled with nods of agreement from the other Vorathians. The images of war and destruction from Earth's history, as well as environmental damages to the ecosphere the humans had left, now uploaded and playing in their minds. They all had some basic knowledge about technology which Guardian had uploaded in their minds, and were able to work with computers and other equipment.

A single voice defied the decision. "No. Don't make the same mistake again. Remember the last time we made contact with an alien civilization? Instead of learning from them, and teaching them, we followed the path of destruction. If they had treated us like how you are suggesting we treat humans, we were dead long time ago, with no hope of returning to life."

All eyes turned towards the speaker. Shalur knew every member of her clan, but that particular Vorathian was unfamiliar, and hadn't said a word since coming back to life.

"Who are you stranger?" Shalur asked angrily, showing her teeth.

"Don't you recognize me? I'm Orbul the wise."

The room burst into laughter. "The wise?" Shalur asked with a mocking tone, "No one called you that. You were the crazy lone shaman. I thought you died alone in woods before the aliens landed."

Orbul was disappointed by their reaction. She was quite old as the others remembered, but her cloned body was young, causing them not to recognize her. She was never a popular character, and her way of thinking was considered taboo. Back on Vorathians home planet, she had encouraged the others to limit hunting, and treat the preys with respect, saying there was no honor in killing. Instead, she encouraged them to grow plants, and had traveled to distant places to gather seeds. The others, saying what she had brought from outside their territory was forbidden, refused to accept her ways and banished her to the woods, where she lived alone.

"I may have been called crazy, but I have seen what you haven't. We weren't willing to coexist with the aliens that came to our planet. We had killed all of them if we had the chance. They knew that, and were much more powerful than us. But instead of destroying or enslaving us, they helped us. Because they understood true honor is not in killing, but respecting life."

Shalur hissed at her and said, "You speak nonsense, Orbul. Our ancestors were great warriors, not cowards. If we had followed your path, we had perished long before the alien landing. And who says what the federation did to us is right? Maybe they are too weak and coward to destroy their enemies. We shall show these humans the same fierceness they show their own kind and planet!"

Disappointed in her own kind, Orbul called to the AI. "Guardian, you are assigned to guide and protect us. Tell me, isn't stopping a war with humans a part of your duty? And why should the federation care about us, and not humans? We are both sentient species, so if you take us under your protection, why won't you do the same for humans?"

"Stopping a war with humans is not necessarily my duty." the AI answered, "I can only stop such a war if it's necessary to protect your kind, but if a war is necessary to protect you, it must be waged as my programming requires. I'm still gathering data and analyzing to conclude what is the best solution. My programming requires me to guide and protect Vorathians, but doesn't tell me anything about humans. That is why I can't treat you the same way. Keep in mind that I can only guide you and share the information you are ready to know, or what is necessary for your survival. I can't decide everything for you. You must make your own decisions in order to make progress towards becoming a successful civilization. That is why I let you respond to the message sent by humans."

"But your programmers weren't aware of human civilization when they sent us here," Orbul protested, "if they knew, they would have programmed you differently, so that you couldn't harm one species to give another superiority, or maybe they would have changed the whole plan and avoided sending the ship to a planet already occupied by a sentient species."

"It's true that they weren't aware of human civilization. But I can't tell what reaction they would have if they knew. At any rate, I can't change or bypass my programming without their permission."

"Can't you ask them?"

"I already have. But considering the vast distance between us, we can't expect an answer until this planet has completed at least 42 circles around its star."

Shalur hissed at Orbul, and said, "This is why you were banished. You ask us to deny ourselves victory and glory, to offer mercy to our enemies, to give them the upper hand. But know that they will not show mercy to us."

Turning towards a loudspeaker, Shalur shouted, "Guardian! Tell her what you shared with me about human history. Tell her what humans do to the natives when they discover a new land, how they treat other humans who have a different color, gender or belief, how they invade each other's territory to steal resources, how their elite rule and plot against the will of their own people, how they are destroying the life on their planet."

Guardian responded with the usual calm voice, "The human history is indeed filled with wars, oppression, and destruction. But there have been individuals and groups who stood against this thread. I'm still gathering data, mainly from their broadcasts and a planet-wide network they have set for communications. I can intercept some of their messages. From what I have learned so far, I can tell that they are far from becoming a mature civilization. But that doesn't mean they are unable to."

"Enough!" Shalur shouted, "You told me that we can make our own decisions. So, let's decide. I say we show them our superiority, crush their resistance, put ourselves in charge, and make them obey us. Who is with me?"

The room was filled with war cries from all Vorathians except Orbul, who only watched in disappointment.

"Now, let's show these humans our might!" Shalur shouted, and turning back, she told Guardian, "You said you will share with us the information we need to survive. We need to survive in a war, so we need to know how to use advanced weaponry. We need to know how to overcome our enemy. We need you to support and protect us in battles."

"Affirmative. But know that we can't use weapons of mass destruction in large scales, because that leaves a catastrophic effect on the ecosphere. Considering the small number of Vorathians compared to humans, we can't rule the planet without some help from them."

"What do you propose we do then?" Shalur asked.

"I have studied the political and military situation on the planet." Guardian told them, as a map appeared on a large monitor, with some areas highlighted in colors. "They are divided into rival and warring factions. I propose that we ally with some against the others. It's best that you do not rule directly, but through the human leaders you control. I have picked several sites where hostilities between human factions are high. We can take the side of whoever accepts and submits to the planetary order you wish to create."

"A wise plan." Shalur said, "Make the necessary negotiations. But to make the decision easier for them, let's demonstrate our power as soon as we can. Pick a place for landing right now, and forge some weapons for us."

"Affirmative." Guardian answered, as some pictures and information about a certain conflict were displayed on the monitor, "There is a suitable place with an ongoing conflict where you can land right now. But forging weapons takes time."

"Let's not lose this opportunity," Shalur said, smiling maliciously, "from what I see, I can tell that we don't even need weapons for now. Some light armor will suffice. Make them as soon as you can. We are all eager to taste human flesh."

Turning towards her warriors, she added, "We never feared death, even when it was the end of our lives. But now, we can be resurrected. So, we have even more reason not to fear it. The only thing we must fear is being cowards, not following the path of glory. Who wants to demonstrate our bravery and power on this new planet?"

The room was filled with cheers and war cries, as the Vorathians raised their hands and jumped up and down in agreement.

***

While on Earth, all eyes were on the spaceship, in a remote corner of the Middle East, a jihadist group, armed with the weapons given to it by a foreign country, had taken over a village. They had labeled the inhabitants as heathens, marched them outside the village, and were about to slaughter them.

As they were about to open fire, an orbital bombardment destroyed their armored vehicles, and soon after, a small ship landed, sending a large amount of dust into air, making it almost impossible to see.

Loud roars were heard from a distance, and they got deafening as they got closer. By the time the attacking force became visible, the defenders barely had any time to shoot, and even the few bullets they managed to shoot were deflected by armor.

Vorathians, headed by Shalur, made short work of all hostile forces, using nothing but their nails and teeth amid all the screaming and begs of mercy, while the villagers just watched in horror.

After that, the attackers surrounded the villagers, and stopped anyone who tried to escape by showing their teeth and hissing. They started tearing the corpses apart and eating human flesh in front of the scared villagers.

When they were finally done with eating, Shalur approached the villagers. Back on the ship, Guardian had uploaded her computer brain with the data to speak the local language.

"Your own leaders and governments abandoned you and left you to die," she shouted to the crowd, "They armed and encouraged those who were about to slaughter you. But we stopped them. We can protect you, and bring prosperity and harmony if you accept and respect our dominance."

The villagers were trembling with fear, some had fainted, and others were crying, but none of them even thought of rejecting the offer.