Genova (Re-uploaded after editing)

Prologue

 The news frequencies throughout the cities were filled with images of starships. We were at war, and yet for the most part nobody could even tell.

Years ago when the first radio transmissions reached our planet we were hopeful of a new alliance—the first we'd heard of—two planets, two species working together as one to bring about prosperity to both. Eagerly, technology was developed to cut the communication time between our worlds shorter. Now messages could be sent across the void and arrive at their destination hundreds of thousands of light years away in the space of a couple of hours.

Talks of diplomacy were prospering, until all at once, transmissions went silent. Our leaders sent transmissions repeatedly but got no response. We assumed our old allies had somehow been wiped out either by solar flares or asteroid impact. After a couple of years, transmissions stopped being sent out entirely, and the universe was once again empty. We were alone in the void.

Curiosity got the best of us, and we sent a satellite towards our friends, seeking to find out their fate. At the same time, the world governments agreed to start the construction of a megastructure in orbit—a generation ship, to carry a sizable crew for the fifty-year journey it would take to reach our friends.

The ship was nearly complete when, suddenly, we received a transmission from our satellite nearly 15 years early. It was a simple video feed that changed the world. The satellite had passed by an armada of unfathomable scale, warships large enough to carry millions on their way toward our planet. They were slow, though, and we had around 25 years before they would reach us. World leaders met that day to discuss what could be done. Fighting was out of the question—for our population was small enough as is. Surely, we were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Suddenly, a brilliant scientist stood up and said, "We have no other choice but to run. Take this vessel we have built, turn it into an ark, and send people away on it. Then, at least, some of us will survive."

The world leaders sat and muttered, the idea sounded crazy, but when faced with possible extinction, what else could we do? It was decided that day that the craft in orbit would be expanded, nearly doubling in size, filled to the brim with supplies and resources to last thousands of years if necessary, and construction began immediately.

Just one month before the fleet was to arrive, it was completed, and dubbed Genova—the hope for our species. Thousands of people solemnly loaded aboard shuttles, waving goodbye to friends and family they knew they would never see again, and launched into orbit to dock with the megastructure. The ship left into the void, still close enough to see the first bombs drop.

My name is Metriciann, and I am one of the survivors.