Dark Matter — Sylynt Storme

Dark Matter is #1 in the Star Sails' series.

Earth's first space ship, the good ship Pax has been sent to the Virgo Cluster to make first contact.

Full of humanity's best and brightest engineers, scientist and leaders it is a peaceful mission of exploration. But something has gone terribly wrong.

Captain Jack Stone and his crew have seven days, one week to get out to the Virgo Cluster and find out what happened. The site is not pretty. It's a bloodbath. Aliens are waging war and Stone's men get caught in the middle of it.

Can they survive a barrage of more advanced technology or will they have to rely on androids? And are these androids as benevolent as they seem or are they out to enslave the human race?

What happens when you make first contact with a species that sees you as advanced as pond algae. Do they take pity on you or crush you underfoot?

Length: 6,500 words