Beyond the Starfish Homeworld, a strange scene was unfolding.
Layer upon layer of the Nanite Fleet surrounded the Starfish's last Colossus. The humans' Body Battleship, which far surpassed the Colossus Battleship, stood before it, its gun barrel aimed straight at the enemy vessel.
An eerie silence settled over the star system. The Colossus Battleship offered no resistance, calmly accepting its fate.
Aboard the ship, the Starfish celebrated. They brought out the delicacies stored in their holds and began enjoying their final hours. Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, they started singing at the top of their voices over the communications channels.
Ancient Starfish songs echoed through the unencrypted communications network.
The Starfish songs were slow and lingering, with the depth and tranquility of the ocean. Waving their fleshy tentacles, they danced inside the Colossus, which was filled with warm seawater.
The human fleet remained silent, then opened its communications channels. Military songs brimming with ambition and heroic spirit began answering the Starfish's lingering folk melodies.
For a moment, it felt as though they were not on a battlefield, but inside a magnificent Mega Art Installation. Though they had once hurled abuse at one another and fought to the death, at least in this moment, the two peoples temporarily set aside their hatred.
In their own language, the Starfish sang of their ocean paradise and their four thousand years of glorious history. Their songs traveled through the seawater and the silent void, and they felt increasingly at peace.
Alissa's finger hovered over the firing button, refusing to descend.
Both sides opened a video link. The Starfish gathered around the camera, their expressions free of anger, showing only remembrance of their history. They swayed their feelers, and their songs, as deep and vast as the ocean, echoed within the Body