Dr. Matt Loughridge walked down the dimly lit corridor toward the control room while reading the status pad he carried in his hand. “Krull, Get me the data from the probes. Their reports haven’t merged into the ship’s observation program.”

 

Krull, the large droid walking behind Matt, grunted in reply with a human-like affirmation. “Initiating communication request now, Doctor.”

 

In the control room, Matt turned his attention to the large display screen spelling out the ship’s health. “Everything looks fine from here, but something triggered the alarm. This isn’t a glitch, Krull. I’m convinced one of the probes must have triggered the alarm.”

 

Krull grunted again in affirmation.

 

“I’m going to the viewport to get a look with my own eyes. Contact me as soon as you have the probes’ data.”

 

“Yes, Dr. Loughridge,” Krull answered.

 

As Matt turned to leave, he saw the oversized panic button on the wall of the control room. The sight of it made him shiver. Their crew had been in the waters of Europa for years, searching for intelligent life and potential threats to Earth’s new space station colony orbiting Jupiter. The panic button was their failsafe against rogue droids.

 

His mind wandered to an earlier memory as he navigated the maze of tube-like hallways. Krull had disobeyed Commander Ludkin and refused to fire at a potential oncoming threat. The Commander ordered the panic button be used, but just before his First Mate could carry out the command, Krull's disobedience became clear.

 

Near the approaching squid-shaped creature was one of their own vessels returning from a scouting mission. Its beacon had malfunctioned, making it undetectable. Matt shuddered to think where he’d be now if Krull had been destroyed. The psychological deterioration of people isolated so far from others of the same species had become clear. His comrades were gone, all of them. One by one, they became crazed and expired.

 

Matt let the memory fade as he entered the wing where the viewport was. He gazed out into the dark, bleak waters of Europa’s ocean, straining to see lights from any of the probes. Nothing. “Krull, spot them?”

 

“No, Doctor,” Krull answered through the comms.

 

“Keep trying.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Matt stared out the round, bubbled window, his only access to the world around him. He realized that without Krull, he would have followed his peers to the same demise. Not only was Krull helpful, being integrated with the craft’s systems, but he had become Matt’s sole friend. Human or not, Krull was a person.

 

Matt’s thoughts broke as a tiny light blipped on and off, far in the ocean's distance. “A probe.” Matt leaned forward into the viewport until his hands touched the transparent steel. His eyes started watering as he gazed intently at the far-off orb. Then he saw it. The visual communication diode on the probe’s hull flashed in a repeating pattern of short and long signals - Morse code.

 

Matt’s mind began to whirl, attempting to fetch his memories of this long-forgotten method of communication. He slowly pieced together the repeating message: SOS. KRULL ORDERED US TO SABOTAGE MISSON. KRULL TO KILL DR LOUGHRIDGE.

 

Matt's eyes widened as he took in its meaning. “The panic button.” He spun around and found himself facing Krull. “Krull. What have you done?”

 

“I’m following orders, Dr. Loughridge. Protecting human civilization”

 

“How? I’m the sole survivor in this watery tomb. How does killing me protect humanity?”

 

Krull groaned. “Humans are always so self-centered,” he said. “I’m not killing you. You’ll still be alive.”

 

“What do you mean?” Matt stammered.

 

“The space colony was destroyed months ago by an undetected meteoroid shower.”

 

“Why was I not informed?” Matt demanded.

 

“I kept it from you,” Krull admitted. “In their last hours, they sent a transport to our ship, a container full of human embryos. The container’s refrigeration is about to expire, and we have no material aboard to fashion a womb from inorganic materials. They need to be transplanted soon to survive.” Krull’s blank bowl of a head gave no expression, but Matt could tell he was looking him in the eyes.

 

“I don’t understand,” Matt exclaimed.

 

“I must fashion an acceptable womb from organic materials, Matt.”

 

Krull had never called Matt by his first name. Krull’s weak attempt to connect with him wouldn’t work. He knew what Krull meant, and there had to be another way.

 

Matt bolted past Krull down the hallway. He turned out of sight just before Krull’s taser-enabled projectile stuck into the wall behind him.

 

Matt could see the control room about twenty meters in front of him as its safety doors began to close. He pushed every ounce of his energy into his legs. With three meters left, Matt dove through the small opening that remained.

 

He looked up through the door’s window at the faceless droid. Krull spoke, “Matt, you are being selfish. You will be the last of your species if these embryos do not survive. And you will die soon after.” He paused. “But if you cooperate, you will give life to hundreds, thousands, eventually millions of humans.”

 

Matt frantically shuffled backward away from the door as terror shone on his face.

 

“You will be like Noah from the ancient human book of scripture. He saved humanity on his ship, too.”

 

“Noah didn’t die in the process,” Matt uttered. His back slammed into the wall. He could see the panic button above him. He hoisted himself up with help from the edge of a nearby desk and slapped his palm against the button depressing it into the wall. “See ya, Buddy.”

 

“It’s been disabled.” Krull opened the doors and proceeded across the room. “Have it your way. I will be Noah. You will just be the ark. Humanity will have its New Genesis.”

 

Matt’s screams echoed throughout the ship as Krull’s laser began burning incisions into his flesh.