The machine was massive, so large that it dwarfed Synthar, one of the three moons of Sythar Prime, as it appeared out of hyperspace just a few kilometers away from it.
It was star-shaped, having eight metallic spikes jutting from its black exterior, with a spherical core that widened outwards slowly like the maw of a great beast about to devour its captured prey.
It looked menacing as it gradually approached the planet, wearing a shroud of doom around itself as it moved slowly but still covered vast distances in each passing second.
Sytti, the second moon of Sythar, which was one of the world's primary planetary defense systems, opened fire at the machine, spewing huge, regular bursts of hundreds of high-intensity particle beams at it, hoping to disintegrate the machine.
Nothing of the sort happened as the machine's energy shield kicked in, a vast blue ethereal exoskeleton surrounding and protecting it from attacks that could easily glass the surface of any planet effortlessly.
The other planetary defense systems scattered across the surface of the planet and the other moons, as well as other capital ships in the vicinity of the home planet, all contributed their weapons in the attack on the machine, painting the void with large, repeating, vibrant streaks of red particle beams.
Millions and millions of Sythari burst out of the planet, flying towards the machine in haste to aid in the attack, blasting the energy shield of the machine with powerful red beams coming out of their eyes with fury as the machine's maw finally opened, bluish-green energy rapidly flashing in the maw.
It was a morbidly beautiful sight, worthy of being immortalized in a painting. The sight of all those dangerous, countless flashing lights that seemed to fill the entirety of the endless void, all dedicated in their efforts to destroy one target, was picturesque and awe-inspiring.
It was humbling, seeing all of my people united in the face of the enemy, everyone working together to destroy and eliminate one thing.
But unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the energy shield held firmly and protected the machine as it continued to gather the energy and power it needed.
In the stasis pod, my mind connected to the comms relay of the ship that was linked to the system-wide communication buffer, I could hear the frantic screams, cries, and bellows of my people as they did their very best, giving their all to stop the machine from charging up.
It was harrowing and saddening to hear. The mighty Sythari race, overlords of the galaxy, struggling desperately to protect their homeworld, the last bastion of our mighty empire, from destruction.
It didn't take long for the machine to finish charging up, its maw glowing and flashing with a bright blue-green that made it seem like it was a mini sun, and it was at that moment my people knew that the battle had been lost.
The end was here, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. So, they did the only thing that was left for them to do.
With one mighty battle cry and with sad but defiant smiles on their face, each and every remaining Sythari and battleships arrayed across the battlefield sped towards the machine as it shot out a wide and long, high-intensity blue-green beam at the planet.
I watched, the cryo-gas hugging me and trying its best to lull me into a cold deep sleep, but I resisted and watched with wide eyes as the beam struck the planet and passed right through it to come out of the other side.
It happened in an instant. The beautiful atmosphere of Sythar Prime vaporized, the robust core of the planet split apart, and the planet itself broke at the seams.
Then, suddenly, with a blinding flash of light, the whole planet exploded and instantly, everything went black...