When Sinkuchuan was at the height of it's glory, I lived there, on that lonely outer planet on that lonely outer sun. The last bastion of civilization outside Terra. Outside Sol.
In one single day, it fell.
In one single day, it was sacked. It's beautific building, descreated. It's populace, raped, mutilated, and eaten alive. The last bastion of civilization was utterly destroyed in it's zenith, with a mere 70 survivors from the city itself.
I was among them, on the HSCS Gladiator and the HSCS Centurion. Two Emperor-class Battleships. The fires weren't yet burnt out.
Slowly, the burning world turned once, and died, it's core shattering, it's continents flying off the surface, and smashing into the sun, and the few other planets in that solar system. As our two ships swept forward, we knew we would die. Other ships had tried to leave, through enemy territory.
They got the HSCS Prince, the HSCS Venus, the Sol, the Andalucia... and we would go too. As sure as they all died, they would kill us.
Who were they, you may ask. They were the HIVE. Similar to the ants and bees we used to have on Earth, they had just one mind.
But oh, was it one powerful mind.