SYDONİA

SYDONİA 

2026- July

Aydanur Polatel

Sidonia’s sky was calm, as always.

Two of the three suns had set, and the violet evening light fell upon the crystal towers of the capital.

The squares were crowded.

People were going about their daily lives, children were playing in the gardens, and transport vehicles were gliding silently through the sky.

At first glance, everything appeared peaceful.

But in recent weeks, no one had felt as at ease as before.

The reports coming from the border observation stations were becoming increasingly alarming.

Reconnaissance ships belonging to the Lizard Empire had begun appearing more and more frequently along the edge of Sidonian space.

At first, no one paid much attention to it.

“They’re just putting on another show of force.”

“They’ll withdraw after a while.”

Most people said things like that.

But this time, the situation was different.

War fleets began arriving after the reconnaissance ships.

Then the trade routes along the border were closed one by one.

Communication with several neutral planets was suddenly cut off.

And one morning a proclamation bearing a black seal reached the Sidonian High Council.

The silence in the chamber was broken by the trembling voice of the chief secretary reading the proclamation.

“In the name of the Supreme Council of the Lizard Empire...”

“This is the final summons to the people of Sidonia.”

“From this moment onward, Sidonia will come under the protection of the Great Empire.”

“The current government will be dissolved, all military forces will lay down their arms, and administration of the planet will be handed over to the Empire’s governors.”

“Those who oppose this will be considered enemies of the Creator’s order.”

A profound silence settled over the chamber.The Council members looked at one another.Then one of the elderly members rose to his feet.He had witnessed many wars over the years.He took the proclamation in his hand.

He read it for a long time.Then he spoke in a calm voice.

“They do not want to conquer us.”

“They want to make us forget who we are.”

No one in the chamber objected.Because everyone saw the same truth.

This was no longer a border dispute.This was the beginning of the final trial in which a civilization would defend its right to exist.

Only two days had passed since the Council meeting.

The defense stations in Sidonia’s orbit sounded their alarms simultaneously.

A colossal flagship belonging to the Lizard Empire had taken position in the planet’s upper orbit, accompanied by hundreds of warships.

No shots were fired.No attack was made.It was as though they were merely waiting.

A few minutes later, every communication screen went dark at the same time.Then a single image appeared.A tall lizard commander in black armor approached the screen with heavy steps.His golden eyes stared directly into the camera.When he began to speak, his voice was heard not only in the Council chamber, but across all of Sidonia’s communication networks at once.

“People of Sidonia, we address you for the final time. You are the children of a flawed order.”

“The Creator made its greatest mistake by granting humans freedom.”

“We, however, corrected that mistake long ago.”

“We ended division.”

“We ended fear.”

“We established perfect order.”

The commander fell silent for a brief moment.

Then his voice grew even harsher.

“Now that same order will be established on Sidonia.”

“There is no need for you to resist.”

“Hand your government over to us.”

“Disband your armies.”

“Sever all ties with the Galactic Federation.”

“If you do this, your people will be allowed to live.”

“Otherwise, this planet will be erased from history.”

The image suddenly vanished.A profound silence settled over the Council chamber.No one spoke.Outside, millions of people had watched the same broadcast.Some shut themselves inside their homes in fear.Some gathered in the squares.Others believed it was merely an intimidation tactic.But the President of the Council walked toward the window.He looked at the hundreds of warships waiting in orbit.Then, without turning around, he spoke slowly.

“No...”

“They are not bluffing.”

“They truly believe they can destroy an entire planet.”

Everyone in the chamber now knew that the coming days would determine Sidonia’s fate.

The following morning, the Sidonian High Council convened in an emergency session.The dome of the Council chamber was transparent.The hundreds of lizard warships waiting in orbit could be seen with the naked eye.None of them opened fire.

They merely waited.As though they had already made their decision.The President of the Council broke the silence.

“You have all read the Empire’s ultimatum.”

“Now it is time to decide.”

The members seated around the long table spoke one by one.Some said war was inevitable.Others argued that surrender should be considered for the sake of millions of lives.The elderly scientist rose to his feet.He placed his trembling hands on the table.

“If we surrender today our children will not be free tomorrow.”

Then one of the planet’s oldest teachers spoke.

“They do not want our lands.”

“They want to change our thoughts.”

“One day, our children will not even remember their own past.”

The chamber once again sank into silence.The President of the Council closed his eyes.For several minutes, no one spoke.At last, he activated the decision tablet before him.There was a single question on the screen.

’Does Sidonia agree to submit to the rule of the Lizard Empire?’

The Council members cast their votes one by one.A few seconds later, the final result appeared on the great hologram in the center of the chamber.

REJECTED

There was no applause.No one celebrated.Because everyone knew the price of this decision.The President of the Council took a deep breath.Then he began reading the joint declaration broadcast to the entire planet.

“To the people of Sidonia, today, we were asked to surrender our freedom.”

“We were promised a safe life. But the safety of a life without freedom is not a true life. We do not wish to rule other worlds. We do not wish to govern other civilizations. We only wish to determine our own destiny. For this reason, the Sidonian High Council has unanimously rejected all demands of the Lizard Empire.”

When the speech ended, a profound silence covered the entire planet.Some could not hold back their tears.Some embraced their families.Others looked toward the sky.Because now everyone knew the same truth.For the first time, the possibility of war had come this close.

Only one hour after the Sidonian High Council’s declaration was broadcast, the doors of the Stellar Communications Center, one of the most secure structures on the planet, were sealed.Only seven people were present in the circular chamber on the lower level of the center.They were the last officials authorized to communicate directly with the Galactic Federation.At the center of the chamber, a spherical communications core surrounded by crystal rings rotated silently.

Under normal circumstances, this system was used only for diplomatic discussions.But the center’s chief engineer walked heavily toward the console and placed his hand on the verification surface.

“Access code?”

“Sidonia Alpha One.”

“Reason for access?”

The chief engineer did not hesitate.

“Planetary emergency.”

The lights inside the crystal sphere suddenly accelerated.Star maps began to appear across the walls of the chamber.Dozens of member planets of the Galactic Federation emerged one by one, then converged at the center of the display.The system requested final confirmation.

“This call may initiate the Federation’s military intervention protocol. Do you confirm?”

The President of the Council stepped forward.He closed his eyes for a brief moment.Then he spoke in a resolute voice.

“I confirm.”

A thin pillar of light rose from the center of the crystal sphere toward the sky.

This was no ordinary communications signal.

This was the Galactic Federation’s highest-priority distress call.

The transmitted message was brief but clear.

“This is the Sidonian High Council.”

“The Lizard Empire has surrounded our planet.”

“We have been ordered to surrender.”

“We have chosen to preserve our independence.”

“We request immediate military and humanitarian assistance.”

“Every passing minute matters.”

The message entered the faster-than-light communications network and vanished among the stars.Everyone in the chamber waited for the green symbol confirming the signal had been successfully received.A few seconds later a single sign appeared above the crystal sphere.

MESSAGE DELIVERED.

No one spoke.Because there was nothing left for them to do but wait.There was only one thing they did not know.Their call for help had reached the Galactic Federation.But the Federation’s most powerful fleet and Marduk’s team still had a long journey through the stars before they could reach Sidonia.

The distress call sent from Sidonia was detected somewhere else at the very moment it reached the Galactic Federation.Red warning symbols began flashing aboard the flagship of the lizard fleet waiting in Sidonia’s outer orbit.The communications officer hurried to the command platform.

“Commander...”

“Sidonia has activated the Galactic Federation’s emergency defense protocol.”

A brief silence fell over the bridge.The lizard commander looked at the star map before him.A thin line of light could be seen moving away from Sidonia.

The distress call sent to the Federation was already on its way.

The commander tilted his head slightly.

“Time estimate.”

The central computer responded within seconds.

“The nearest Galactic Federation fleet will reach Sidonian orbit in approximately twelve minutes if it uses a wormhole transit.”

Not the slightest sign of surprise appeared on the commander’s face.It was as though he had anticipated this possibility from the very beginning.He slowly turned around.Every officer on the bridge rose to their feet.

“So they have made their decision.”

No one spoke.The commander continued.

“They chose freedom.”

“Then they will suffer the consequences.”

An officer asked cautiously.

“Commander, are we initiating the invasion plan?”

The commander shook his head.

“No.”

“An invasion is no longer necessary.”

Everyone on the bridge understood what he was about to say.Yet no one wanted to hear it.The commander spoke slowly.

“We will leave the Galactic Federation no planet to save.”

A deep silence followed.Then the order was given in a single sentence.

“Prepare the Extermination Protocol.”

This protocol was the Lizard Empire’s final resort.Because when a planet was conquered, the Empire grew.But when a planet was destroyed its history, its cities, and its culture were erased forever.

The commander looked at Sidonia one last time.

“If it will not belong to us then it will belong to no one.”

Every officer on the bridge bowed simultaneously to acknowledge the order.

Minutes later, the hundreds of warships waiting in orbit slowly began shifting into a new attack formation.On Sidonia, people were still looking hopefully toward the sky, waiting for the Galactic Federation’s relief fleet to appear.None of them knew that the decision determining their fate had been made only minutes earlier.

Marduk and his team were not far from Sidonia at that moment. They were about to complete another exploration mission assigned to them by the Galactic Federation. They had spent the past few weeks surveying star systems that no civilization had ever set foot in before. Signs of new life, habitable planets, and space routes were being recorded one by one.

They had reached the final day of their mission. The exploration vessel was silently traveling in orbit around a star system neighboring the Sidonia sector.

The bridge was filled with its usual calm. Marduk was reviewing the exploration reports, while the other crew members were transferring the latest scan data to the Federation archives.

None of them knew that in just a few minutes, all of their missions would change.

At that very moment, the ship’s communications system chimed with a high-priority alert. A red hologram appeared in the center of the bridge.

GALACTIC FEDERATION

EMERGENCY DEFENSE CALL

PRIORITY: HIGHEST

Everyone on the bridge fell silent at once. This alert was sent only when a crisis on a galactic scale was unfolding. Marduk opened the message. As soon as he read the first line, the expression on his face changed. The friend standing beside him quietly asked,

“What happened?”

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Marduk replied,“Sidonia is requesting immediate assistance.”

The silence on the bridge grew even deeper. Everyone understood that this was no ordinary call for help.A single line was displayed on the large screen in the High Council’s communications center.

Galactic Federation Relief Fleet

Estimated Time of Arrival: 12 Minutes

Everyone in the hall was staring at the same screen. No one was speaking.

Twelve minutes. For the fate of a planet, it was both far too short and as long as eternity.The Council President took a deep breath.

“We will not surrender during these twelve minutes.”

Everyone in the hall stood up. No one objected.

Emergency sirens began sounding throughout all the cities of Sidonia. People were being directed in an orderly manner to underground shelters. Hospitals were being evacuated, while the elderly and children were being moved to safe zones first. The sight that greeted those who looked up at the sky was heartbreaking. Hundreds of lizard warships had silently surrounded the planet.

They neither opened fire nor moved.They simply waited. As if the countdown was a secret they also knew.The Council President addressed the people of the planet one last time.

“Dear people of Sidonia, today we are living through the hardest day in our history. We did not want war. We did not covet anyone’s world. We never tried to rule anyone.We only wanted to live freely. The Galactic Federation is on its way to help.

We just need to hold on a little longer.”

When the speech ended, millions of people silently embraced one another. Some prayed. Some told fairy tales to their children. Others imagined the friendly ships that would come from the sky.On the lizard flagship, time was running out. The commander watched the countdown in front of him.Until the Federation fleet arrived... Nine minutes. Eight minutes. Seven minutes...

The officer beside him spoke quietly.

“Commander, you can still cancel the attack order.”

The commander never took his eyes off Sidonia.

“No.”

“Today, it won’t be just a planet that is destroyed. Today, the Galactic Federation will also learn a lesson.”

The Sidonia defense fleet took its formation one last time. There were few ships. None of them retreated. The fleet commander addressed all the pilots over the shared channel.

“Even if we die here today, never forget that we are defending a world where our children were born free.”

A single reply rose from every corner of the channel.

“For Sidonia.”

A new number appeared on the communications center screen.

Estimated Time of Arrival: 5 Minutes

Hope had begun to blossom again in the council chamber. Five minutes—if they could hold out for just five more minutes, perhaps everything would change.At that very moment, every lizard warship in the sky began moving simultaneously. The silence was over.The entire lizard fleet shifted into attack formation at the same time. Hundreds of warships formed a perfect circle around the planet. None of them rushed. This attack had been prepared days in advance. The commander looked at the screen before him one last time. Estimated arrival time of the Galactic Federation fleet: Four minutes.

He lowered his head slightly.

“Begin.”

The one-word order reached the entire fleet within seconds. The first targets were Sidonia’s orbital defense stations. The energy network protecting the planet began to shake one after another. The defense fleet fought back with all its strength.

The Sidonian pilots did not retreat. Every one of them chose to fight until the very last moment to buy time. Because they knew they didn’t have to win.

They only had to hold out for a few more minutes. But the lizard fleet’s numbers and firepower were overwhelming. One defensive line fell. Then the second, then the third. The protective energy network in orbit trembled. For a brief moment, it regained strength. Then it went dark completely.

Every screen in the council communications center filled with red warnings.

“Orbital defense lost.”

“Second defensive line has fallen.”

“The enemy has the entire planet within firing range.”

The Council President closed his eyes. Without turning to anyone, he spoke.

“Prepare our final message to the Federation.”

With trembling hands, the officer opened the recording system. The President looked into the camera.

“We kept our promise. We did not surrender. We defended our freedom until the very end.”

“If this recording reaches you, remember that Sidonia once lived.”

The recording ended.

At the same moment, the sky was illuminated by a light brighter than anything ever seen before. Those standing by the windows instinctively looked up.

No one tried to run. Because they knew it was no longer possible. The Council President slowly stood up. He looked at the Sidonia flag standing in the center of the chamber. He placed his hand over his heart. The other members silently followed his example. No one was crying. No one was shouting. There was only a profound silence. A silence that, a few seconds later, engulfed all of Sidonia.

On the bridge of the lizard flagship, every officer was staring at the screens before them. After a while, the mechanical voice of the central computer was heard.

“Operation complete.”

The commander closed his eyes. Then he asked a single question.

“Are there any resisting military units remaining?”

“No, Commander.”

“Any habitable targets in orbit?”

“None.”

The Commander looked at the star map before him. At the point where Sidonia had once been, there were now only countless fragments of wreckage and fading traces of energy. Just then, the communications officer spoke quietly.

“Commander, the Galactic Federation fleet is about to emerge from the wormhole.”

The Commander silently watched the wreckage that remained where Sidonia had been for a few seconds.

There was not the slightest sign of regret on his face. On the contrary, he was proud of what he had done. He spoke in a cold voice.

“So they’ve finally arrived.”

All the officers on the bridge were listening to him. Without taking his eyes off the stars, the Commander gave his final order.

“They’re human too.”

“They’re also the guardians of the same flawed order.”

“There is no place for them in the perfect universe.”

After a brief silence, he uttered a single sentence.

“Destroy them too.”

The Commander’s order echoed across the bridge.

“Destroy them too.”

Hundreds of lizard warships changed course at the same time. Their weapon systems locked onto the wormhole that was about to appear. A deep silence filled the bridge. Everyone was waiting for the same moment.

One second later, a massive ring of light formed in the darkness of space.

The wormhole had opened.

The first Galactic Federation cruiser emerged. Then came the second, the third, and soon dozens more. The silver-colored warships spread into Sidonia’s orbit in flawless formation. At the very front was the flagship everyone recognized.

Marduk’s ship.

The lizard commander narrowed his eyes.

“So they really came.”

Without waiting, he gave the order to fire. Within seconds, the space between the two fleets was filled with streams of energy. The first attack came from the lizard fleet. But the Federation ships met the assault with flawless maneuvers. Marduk’s voice echoed throughout the fleet.

“First and Second Fleets, protect the wreckage zone where civilians may still be present.”

“Third Fleet, with me.”

“The rest, execute an encirclement maneuver from the right flank.”

The orders were carried out one after another. Within minutes, the balance of the battle began to shift. The Galactic Federation ships were fewer in number.

But they were superior in technology, coordination, and training. The front line of the lizard fleet began to collapse. One warship retreated. Then a second. Soon the entire front line lost its formation. Seeing this, the lizard commander slammed his fist onto the control panel.

“This is impossible...”

At that very moment, Marduk’s ship came directly face to face with the flagship.

For the first time, the two commanders’ ships had targeted each other. As alarm sirens blared across the bridge, the communications officer shouted in panic.

“Commander!”

“The Federation fleet pierced our defensive line.”

The commander fell silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke through clenched teeth.

“Today, we achieved our objective.”

“Sidonia is gone.”

“Fleet, retreat.”

One by one, the Lizard warships changed course and began escaping through the wormhole they had opened. As Marduk watched them leave, the screen before him no longer showed Sidonia—only fragments of wreckage silently drifting through space.

On the bridge of the Lizard flagship, which had escaped through the wormhole, alarm sirens blared nonstop.

It had been confirmed that the Galactic Federation fleet had reached the wormhole.

A single line blinked on the central computer’s display. A heavy silence filled the bridge. The commander watched the screen, where Sidonia’s surface had been completely obliterated, and the Galactic Federation ships were circling the place where the planet had once existed.

The mission was complete. The planet had fallen silent. Just then, the communications officer jumped to his feet in alarm.

“Commander, we’ve finally managed to fully decode Sidonia’s last distress signal.”

The commander slowly turned around.

“Put it on the screen.”

A hologram came to life in the middle of the bridge. The first lines were the distress message sent to the Federation. But at the end of the message, a second data packet that had gone unnoticed before appeared. The computer began decoding it. A few seconds later, a star map appeared. Then a small blue planet. The commander looked closely.

“What is this?”

The computer replied.

“The second part of the message.”

“Source: a primitive world not found in Galactic Federation records.”

The map zoomed in.

Star system: Sun.

Third planet.

Then surface coordinates.

Earth

A new line appeared on its own.

Ankara

Another set of coordinates appeared.

Kızılay

The communications officer continued decoding the incoming data.

“The source of the message is highly unusual. It contains intense temporal energy. The recovered data indicates that a time machine has gone out of control.”

The bridge fell silent for a few seconds. The commander slowly stepped closer to the screen.

He had failed to continue this war, but a new opportunity had arisen to wipe out humanity completely. The commander spoke calmly.

“Summon the special unit.”

The bridge doors opened. Five black-armored Lizard warriors entered.

They were the empire’s most elite trackers.

The commander pointed to the star map.

“Earth...”

“Ankara...”

“Kızılay...”

“Go to these coordinates.”

“Find those who sent the distress signal and eliminate them.”

The five warriors bowed their heads in unison.

“Yes, Commander.”

The commander looked at the screen one last time.

00:00:06

“Move immediately.”

The five warrior lizards departed, saying, “As you command.”

As soon as the five warriors left the bridge, they headed for the flagship’s lower hangar.

Within not minutes but seconds, the small reconnaissance craft was placed inside the launch tube. The outer hatch opened silently.

The small ship slipped away unseen through the wreckage on the battlefield.

Then it opened its own wormhole.Without leaving a trace, it disappeared into the darkness.At that exact moment, the countdown on the bridge reached zero.The commander looked out through the front viewport.The wreckage of Sidonia drifted silently through the vacuum of space.While the Galactic Federation fleet searched for any survivors, every record aboard Marduk’s ship was being examined one by one.The final distress call sent from Sidonia had also been transferred to the Federation’s central computer.However, there was one detail that no one noticed.The Lizard Empire’s flagship had not merely listened to the distress call.It had secretly copied the entire transmission.The lizard commander waited on the bridge.The communications officer brought the newly decrypted data before him.

“Commander...”

“We have detected a second encrypted data packet hidden within Sidonia’s final message.”

The commander raised his head.

“Its contents?”

“It hasn’t been fully decrypted yet.”

“A few more minutes.”

Silence fell over the bridge.The central computer was testing millions of possibilities one by one.At last, a red light came on.

“The encryption has been broken.”

A single star system appeared on the screen.Then a planet, followed by surface coordinates.The communications officer stared at the screen in astonishment.

“Commander, these coordinates belong to your former home planet, Earth, from before it was registered by the Galactic Federation.”

Commander Marduk slowly walked toward the screen.

“It can’t be,” he murmured. “The dates of the great destruction.”

He examined the coordinates carefully.

“Exact location?”

The computer replied.

“Solar System.”

“Third planet.”

“Settlement point...”

“...Ankara.”

“...Kızılay.”

The commander straightened up. He knew that his wife, Emma, was in Kızılay, Ankara because of a time machine malfunction. So they had intercepted the message Emma and the others had sent. Without a moment’s hesitation, he gave the order: “Head immediately to the detected coordinates. Prepare to travel to that point in time before the lizard creatures do.”

Then he looked at the screen again. Marduk’s face hardened. This was because the time in question also coincided with the era in which Marduk lived. After Earth had completed its development, the human lifespan had reached 1,500 years. The time the reptilians were traveling to by following the message was the period when the third-dimensional timeline was coming to an end and Earth was preparing to enter the fifth dimension. In other words, it was a highly critical threshold.

“We can’t be late.”

“Prepare the pursuit route.”

“Calculate the wormhole coordinates.”

Marduk took one last look at the silent ruins of Sidonia.

“The lizard creatures took one world from us.”

“We will not make the same mistake a second time.”

The lead ships of the Galactic Federation fleet changed course.Sidonia was no longer the target.The target was Earth.

THE END