The Last Heroes

[Macavity116]

I can't believe that a) Earth elected a literal Nazi as Sec-Gen and b) he was elected President of Austria after he was outed as a Nazi. What were they doing?

Real life ended up being so strange that nothing I wrote would be more interesting. Aside from fudging some dates, this is pretty much what happened IRL. Reading the memo the US delegation sent to the White House when it happened, it seems less like a political miscalculation and more like a gag-per-minute comedy of errors, complete with the Benny Hill theme song.

As for Austria, the failure to implement Germany-style anti-Nazi laws quickly came back to bite their own country. That's my guess.

DeAngelis looked like a good guy. What's he doing now?

You know what? I never wrote his post-UN career. And by my math, Sec-Gen DeAngelis is definitely still alive during the events of The Last Heroes. And you know what? Right now, I can think of a way for his influence to be felt in Act Three of this story.

I've got some time, (You've no idea how boring Army bases can be at certain times of day) so let's figure this out, using the real post-UN lives of Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon as a source of inspiration. I've already planned out a specific scene in Act Three, so let's find a way for DeAngelis' influence to be felt in that moment when it happens:

"After his ouster from the top job, Eric DeAngelis returned to his home nation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He established the Eric DeAngelis Foundation, a non-profit charity service for victims of violent crime that most often rendered its services to non-Humans. The DeAngelis Foundation constructed homeless shelters with specially designed facilities for a wide range of species, such as Mutons, Vipers, Levakians, Vanians, Taiidani, and Blorg.

Two years into his work, DeAngelis attempted to undermine Pascal Etienne's new Sol Invictus program. When word got out that all alien-owned businesses were going to be seized by the UN and then sold to Human owners, DeAngelis acted through a shell company to purchase Golden Phoenix Publishers, a Hawaii-based bookmaker founded by a family of Vanians. As soon as he gained ownership of the business, DeAngelis turned it over to Blake Robinson, a former Stormbreaker who was rapidly growing to become a new rival to Etienne.

This public display of defiance caused DeAngelis to return to the public spotlight. He was elected to the British Parliament in 2076 after being recruited by a xenophile faction. In the summer of 2086, a political crisis in London caused the governing coalition to resign. After a few weeks of tense negotiations, a new coalition came to power, with DeAngelis taking the reigns as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. During his premiership, DeAngelis was able to protect (to some degree) his charity program from the inevitable reprisals from Pascal Etienne. DeAngelis has since instructed the British Delegation to the UN to caucus with the anti-Etienne coalition that has been taking shape in the General Assembly and Security Council over the past four years.

In the upcoming Secretary-General selection process, the United Kingdom is the only Permanent Member of the Security Council who is considered likely to use its veto power against Sec-Gen Pascal Etienne. If the Sec-Gen can avoid a British veto, his fourth term in office is assured."

Of course Etienne approves of both the literal Nazi and ADVENT. How does he reconcile ADVENT being a puppet state of aliens with his xenophobia?

Etienne admires ADVENT's authoritarian style of ruling, complete with heavily militarized police and a massive propaganda machine. However, Etienne was born under ADVENT rule, he genuinely believed Regional Administrator Hutch had far more power than he actually did, and most importantly of all: Etienne was comfortable living under ADVENT's highly restrictive laws and rules. Under the UN administration, Etienne perceived his new freedom as a sudden infusion of uncontrolled chaos in his life.

In a nutshell, Etienne misses the days of near-overwhelming government control, he idolized the strongman who (he thinks) brought order to chaos, and he looks back on the Occupation as "the good 'ol days"

 

[Macavity116]

Against all odds... I'm back.

For the past three weeks, I've been up north carrying out the annual training exercise with my National Guard unit. During whatever downtime I could get, I refined my plans for the end of this story and wrote the next five chapters on my smartphone.

Today, I am very happy to report that The Last Heroes will emerge from hiatus on schedule. The final slate of chapters will begin on Saturday, September 3 and new chapters will be posted every Saturday until the story... and the Stormbreaker Universe as a whole... officially comes to an end on Sunday, December 25.

This is it. We've really come to the end this time, and I'm getting very excited!

As always, I never have any real expectations for these stories. I'm just out to have fun. Thank you for reading and I hope you'll join me for Act Three of The Last Heroes, the epic final entry in the Stormbreaker Universe. See you on September 3!

 

[HistoryDude]

Can't wait!

The last chapter will be a nice Christmas gift.

 

[Macavity116]

Dear readers, it is with incredible pride that I announce the third and final act of this story.

The final act of The Last Heroes.

The final act of the Stormbreaker Universe.


The past four years have been an incredible experience, and I thank you for allowing me to share this epic tale with you all.

Next Saturday, the grand finale will begin. See you there!

---

Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
"To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his Gods?"

-Thomas Babington Macaulay

THE LAST HEROES
Act Three: Journey's End

Written by Macavity116 | Artwork by BeforeDreams

​

• Chapter 30: Broken Mirror​
• Chapter 31: See All, Know All​
• Chapter 32: Trojan​
• Chapter 33: Revelation​
• Chapter 34: Deus Ex Machina​
• Chapter 35: Bellator in Machina​
• Chapter 36: Someone Your Own Size​
• Chapter 37: The Espinosa Family​
• Chapter 38: Let Justice be Done, Though the Heavens Fall​
• Chapter 39: Reichstag Revolution​
• Chapter 40: Angel of Death​
• Chapter 41: Hell is for Heroes​
• Chapter 42: The Rescue at Cape Canaveral​
• Chapter 43: After Everything​
• Chapter 44: Faith in Chaos​
• Chapter 45: The Stormbreakers​
• Chapter 46: Journey's End​

​

 

[Midnite Duke]

There are videographers who would be happy with that as the capstone to their career, and you are using it as a mere trailer. Our appetites have been properly whetted.

 

[Macavity116]

Several months ago... @filcat posted a reply on the thread in which he explained how my style of storytelling reminded him of a particular work of science fiction. (Paraphrased below)

Was thinking about the taste of the words while reading (and re-reading, as it is almost an obsession, and a self-curse, being a slow reader), as still being in the aura of the entire story. There is an excess of usage for exclamation marks, but that is irrelevant, and besides, they show the enthusiasm in the writing.

Anyways, while jumping from one point of space to another moment of the series, err... no, this AAR-universe, inadvertently the old bulbs in the desolate space of the mind turned on, brought back a memory. It may also be interesting for you, too.
...
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, 銀河英雄伝説, novel series, p. 1982-1987, by Tanaka Yoshiki田中 芳樹. The main body of the work was adapted as the anime series with the same name (1988-1997), whereas it has a couple more of stand-alone films. New adaptations were done also around 2000s, but not on par with the original series in quality, despite polished animations. Its political concept is absurdly childish, and outright unacceptable, yet the space-opera quality is immense, the quantity of characterisations is remarkable, the main-architecture of the story-flow is fluid, considering the age it was created.

Well I have to circle back to this comment now.

Last week, on the 25th, some cosmic force double-checked its list of people who slipped through the pandemic without ever getting sick and found my name on it. This vengeful entity then decided to punish me for sneaking around the pandemic and stomped me into the ground.

I've been too sick to leave my home for the past seven days. In that time, I have not had much to do besides watch TV and asking the cats to "please don't eat me." At some point, I remembered @filcat's comment and decided to finally give the show a watch. I logged into my Crunchyroll.com account and found this TV show: Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Die Neue These.

I watched all 36 episodes in one long binge.

I cannot emphasize enough how much time I spent counting the similarities between this show and my own works. Whoever wrote it is clearly copying from the same notes as me. The narrative mechanic of alternating protagonists each episode is eerily identical to Faith in Chaos. The moments of complex political intrigue, paired with an illogically massive cast of characters and impossibly large space battles are even more reminiscent of my second AAR. In short, if you were to judge purely by narrative devices alone, then Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Faith in Chaos might as well be written by the same person, and I am deeply stunned to say this.

And I had so... much... fun!

All told, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a wild ride and kept me solidly entertained from start to finish. When it was over, I immediately wanted more. This is a great show and I can't thank @filcat enough for drawing my attention to it. Thanks!

If you're interested in trying out the show, I have good news for you. Legend of the Galactic Heroes will be starting its 4th season in Japan just over 4 weeks from now, so you still have plenty of time to get caught up before the new season makes its way to the West.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Take care my friend, I hope you feel better soon.

 

[HistoryDude]

I hope you feel better, but real life always takes precedence!

 

[Macavity116]

Thanks for the well-wishes @Midnite Duke and @HistoryDude!


Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final act of the Stormbreaker Universe...

The Dragonlike Advisor was created by @Nikolai, used with permission.

Eerabik was created by @Arithmetician, used with permission.

<=== Chapter 29: Fallen Savior

Chapter 31: See All, Know All ===>​

Chapter 30
Broken Mirror

On the morning of July 1st, a Hyperwave message was transmitted out from Earth and into the wider Galaxy. It was addressed to over fifty-thousand recipients, ranging from news reporters to politicians to military leaders and religious figures. The Galactic Council, Hiigaran Daiamid, Emerald Institute, Commonwealth National Assembly, Xenonian News, and everyone in between was shown the following text message:

THE UNITED NATIONS CREATED A FAKE JERICHO - ETIENNE’S GOVERNMENT IS USING THE CULT OF JERICHO TO KIDNAP CHILDREN ON THEIR BEHALF THE KIDS ARE AT CAPE CANAVERAL IN FLORDIA – UN IS DRUGGING KIDS AND DOING EXPERIMENTS ON THEM MANY ARE ALREADY DEAD – HELP US PLEASE – UN IS BUILDING POWERFUL NEW WEAPONS AT SAME PLACE – HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN ALREADY DEAD – THEY ARE GOING TO KILL MORE PLEASE HELP – PARADOX INFILTRATED THE ISO - SEND THE GDF NOW – MY NAME IS LAWRENCE RIDGE – I AM IN ORLANDO – WE CAN GET GDF INTO CANAVERAL – SEND HELP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

…

At the Angel Moon, the Galactic Custodian Marka summoned her council for an emergency meeting. The Partogan Queen had gone through a noticeable change in her appearance. Her face was a little more sallow and gaunt. She also wore a thick scarf around her neck.

The Galactic Defense Force was still reeling from its defeat at the planet Amadiio, and people like General Macavity were itching for some payback. More cautious folk, such as the dragon-like Advisor, argued that the priority should be the recapture of Amadiio.

General Macavity passed around copies of the Hyperwave message from Lawrence, demanding action:

“The Humans have been abducting children from all over the Galaxy with impunity. This is our chance for real justice.” He said. “I have already dispatched stealth ships to Earth for reconnaissance: Partogan battlecruisers using cloaking devices. They’ve been tasked with taking high-resolution photographs of Cape Canaveral and the nearby UN base: Kennedy Space Center.”

A Blorg Admiral raised one slimy appendage and spoke.

“Sir, this Human was pleading for immediate help in his message, but Earth is very far away from the front lines, further now thanks to their foothold on Amadiio. Realistically, how long would it take the GDF to reach Earth?”

General Macavity brought up a holographic map of the Galaxy, zooming in to focus on United Nations territory.

“The most direct path to Earth,” Macavity explained, “...is to launch our fleets from the Karos Graveyard. From there, we would blow through the enemy’s defensive lines at either Wolf 359 or Proxima Centauri. From there, it’s a straight shot to Earth. This is assuming the Partogans refuse to let us use a Hyperspace Core.”

The dragon-like Advisor shook his head.

“Admiral, you need to remember that two of Aoraki’s Hyperspace Cores were recently stolen. The Hiigarans have reclaimed their Core, and now the former Bentusi Core has fallen into Human hands. We have to assume that any attempt to penetrate UN space will be countered by a Far-Jumping fleet.”

The Galactic Custodian stood up and walked around the conference table, examining the map closely.

“Which of those systems is the most poorly defended?” She asked.

“Alpha Centauri.” Replied the Advisor. “Human warships in this area were recently used in the Battle of Amadiio. The vessels are damaged and crew morale is probably low. We stand a good chance of punching through.”

Marka furrowed her brow, and as she thought, instinctively raised one hand to her neck. Nobody around the table spoke, but each person snuck a quick look at the scarf wrapped around the Custodian’s neck, hiding it from view. As she mused to herself, Queen Marka gently slipped her hand beneath the scarf and rubbed the large gruesome scar on the base of her neck. The wound was not fully healed, and it throbbed with a dull pain.

“We need to flush out the stolen Hyperspace Core.” Marka said. “Advisor, how do you think we would fare in a mass battle? On a similar scale as the last war?”

Nervous looks and murmurs went around the room. The Advisor frowned in thought, his brow furrowed and snout crinkled:

“Custodian, this is not the Second Hyperspace War. The Galaxy simply cannot support that kind of warfare, vast armadas with hundreds of thousands of starships, I mean. Almost half of all sentient life was killed off in the 2HW, now there’s not enough people left to crew an armada and keep the homefront running smoothly. Even if there was, most of the Galaxy’s military infrastructure is still in ruins: Shipyard Nynrah, Tanis Base, Thaddis Sabbah, Naval Base Alpha… they all make for good anchorages, but none of the shipyard facilities are able to perform like they did before 2015. There’s also not enough money to go around, the Galactic Stock Market never recovered from their space station being destroyed during the war. The unfortunate reality, Custodian, is that the Galactic Community won’t be able to sustain a large-scale armada until we’re fully recovered from the Second Hyperspace War, and that kind of recovery is about two hundred years away, maybe more. Until then, our fleets can’t get much bigger. The best we can give you is maybe fifteen-hundred warships.”

As soon as the advisor finished his statement, a Micore droid tapped the conference table to get everyone’s attention:

“This group should be made aware of the latest calculations.” The droid said. “The Central AI of the Micore Empire has used combat data accumulated over the past two years to calculate the exact size of the United Nations military, including the total number of warships with ninety-nine-point-ninety-nine percent accuracy. Central AI is convinced the Human Aggressor currently possesses nine-hundred-eleven functional warships. Our side has the numerical advantage. In the event of a mass battle between the two combined fleets, we predict the GDF will suffer casualties and losses amounting to sixty percent of our total force. It will not be possible for the GDF to subdue Earth in the aftermath of such a battle, due to a shortage of both warships and personnel.”

Marka slipped her hand underneath her scarf again, picking at the gruesome scar on her neck. It was becoming a new nervous habit. Needing time to think, Marka allowed her council to descend into a new debate, arguing over how best to neutralize the Human Navy.

…

July 3, 2086
Arcadia Bay, Oregon


With a great roar of engines, the spaceplane Niagara rose up from the ground and sped away into the night. Progeny soldiers quickly tried to bring their anti-aircraft weapons online, but before they could even swivel the turret, the Niagara was far away, speeding north.

As soon as they were airborne, the Stormbreakers relaxed. Ninu simply collapsed in his seat, completely out of strength. Being dead sapped him of energy, and the two day hike to Arcadia Bay had nearly killed him a second time. Like her reptilian rescuer, Jericho was also weak. She stumbled back to the crew quarters and looked around before slumping into the first bunk bed she found.

“This isn’t the Ark Angel...” Jericho mumbled. “But it’s the same class. Where am I? And where are you taking me... not that I’m strong enough to argue.”

Corder left Maui and Varian to fly the spaceplane, carrying Ninu into the crew quarters.

“You’re aboard the USS Niagara.” Corder explained. “For now, we’re just trying to get away from the Progeny and the UN. They were both after you...”

Corder trailed off, unsure of what to say. Jericho groggily finished the sentence.

“They wanted to exploit me... Just like XCOM all those years ago.” Jericho said. “And what about you?”

“No, never.” Ninu said.

He tried to dismount from Corder’s paws, but ended up falling to the floor next to Jericho’s bunk. Resting his back against the cold metal frame, he looked up at her and carried on:

“We didn’t know you were in there. All we knew was that Freeman and Hyatt were fighting over a source of power, they both wanted it for their own purposes. We wanted to stop that from happening.”

Corder was not convinced by Ninu’s words, and she was about to open her mouth to say something else when Jericho stopped her.

“No need for convincing.” Jericho said. “Did you forget I can read minds? Your little friend is very sincere and honest. You’ve got a few mental barricades and defenses in your mind, Corder... you would have noticed if I broke in, so I peered into Ninu’s mind instead.”

Instead of blushing, Ninu hid his face in his hands while his whole body changed color, becoming pale. Jericho gave him a very warm smile. She looked very tired, but sat up in the bunk, pushing herself to stay awake and keep talking.

“Hey...” she started to say slowly. “One of your teammates seems really familiar to me. Like I’ve met him before. Can I talk to the Human who was with you?”

Corder nodded, then she walked to the hatchway and called up the fuselage:

“Hey Varian, can you come back here?”

At the mention of Varian’s name, Jericho’s eyes widened. Ninu saw this and started to feel excited. A moment later, Varian entered the cramped living space. He (or she) nervously looked around and waved meekly at Jericho.

“Hi... It’s, uh, it’s been a long time.” Varian said.

Moving with energy one would not expect from a seventy-year-old woman, Jericho rose, crossed the room, and wrapped her arms around Varian in a motherly hug.

“You’ve grown so much!” Jericho’s voice was full of joy. “You were just a little toddler last time I saw you!”

Corder and Ninu both dropped their jaws. From the fuselage, Kingi and Cetla both shouted:

“Wait a minute, you’ve met before!?”

Jericho released Varian and folded her hands in front of her, gazing at Varian in delight.

“About fifteen years ago, before Etienne came to power, I would go to the annual War in Heaven Reunion with the other veterans.” Jericho explained. “Blake and Chihiro would attend every year, and they brought their kids and grandkids. I remember Himawari trying to stop you and your stepsister from climbing up the tall tree across from the amphitheater!”

“I remember falling out of that tree and breaking my wrist.” Varian replied with a halfhearted laugh. “I do remember seeing you there. You were really quiet back then… and you always seemed so sad.”

Corder and Ninu were following this conversation intensely. For them, Jericho was a god-like figure who only existed in historical documentaries and museum exhibits. They were having a little trouble accepting the reality that Varian Robinson personally knew Jericho, if only for a brief moment in his (or her) childhood. However, at this particular moment, the conversation took a turn and the two Stormbreakers suddenly found it difficult to keep up, as Varian and Jericho started discussing something they were not up to speed with:

Jericho stopped talking and for an awkward few moments, she looked over every inch of Varian’s body, her own face going through a wide range of expressions. Jericho seemed to be reading Varian like a book, and then coming to terms with whatever she had learned.

“Wow...” Jericho said in a quiet voice. “You’ve changed quite a lot since then. When did you realize something was... off?”

Varian’s face turned red.

“No getting out of this one, huh?” She (or he) said. Varian rubbed the back of their head and went on. “I think I must have been about five or six years old. You know that weird feeling you get when all of your clothes are the wrong size? It was like that, but with my whole body, day in and day out and never stopping. You can read minds, right? I’m sure you know the rest of the story.”

Jericho nodded.

“Yes... and I’m sorry you had to stop your treatments to become a Stormbreaker. I really hope you can finish becoming your true self on the outside when this is all over.” she said. Then Jericho hugged Varian again and whispered in his (or her) ear: “I can see you picked a new name. Want me to call you that?”

“Not yet.” Varian replied. “Haven’t started using it myself. Besides, the Honolulu Gene Therapy Clinic has probably thrown out all of my hormone treatments and medications by now. I might have to start over from scratch when I get home.”

Corder and Ninu watched all of this and were completely lost. Without the ability to read minds, they both knew they were missing some very important context. They were about to make their way to the door and leave when Jericho addressed her next question to them:

“In the meantime, where are you going to take me? I assume you and your teammates have a plan of some kind?”

Glad to be off a sensitive topic, Varian launched into an explanation:

“Once I’m sure we’re clear of UN forces, we’ll send a Hyperwave signal to our boss and tell him what’s happened. He ordered us to hunt down and kill the Paradox, but we never expected to run across you on the way. This is going to change all of our plans.”

Ninu and Corder nodded.

“He’s right.” Ninu said. “You’re a game-changer, Jericho. Everything is different now.”

“I think you mean: ‘She’s right.’” Jericho said. “Let’s call your boss and make a new plan. I’ve fought the Paradox before, and I know what she’s capable of… so I’m certain I can help you.”

…

All six of the Stormbreakers and Jericho gathered together in the fuselage. While the Niagara flew across the Pacific on autopilot, Maui set up a Hyperwave call. Under the light of the hologram emitters, Corder realized that Jericho’s outfit (a simple yellow dress) was looking worn-out and dirty. Corder swatted the fabric with her tail just as the call was completed.

“I know our boss is going to need some time to process all of this…” Maui said. “So I committed a causality violation. I bounced our Hyperwave signal all over the Galaxy before routing it back to Earth, so he’s going to be in the past, relative to us.”

As the call was connected, the ship’s computer said today’s date and time:

5:51am – Wednesday July 3, 2086

However, for the person answering the call, today’s date and time was:

7:45am – Sunday, June 30, 2086

The hologram coalesced in the middle of the crew quarters: a vague humanoid figure deprived of any identifying physical features. No one could tell anything about this person aside from the fact that he was a man. From any angle, his body was shadowed as though there was a strong source of light behind him.

“Good morning, Stormbreakers.” Said the Shadow Man. “I trust you have an update regarding Arcadia Bay?”

“We have lots of news on that front.” Varian said. “Open hostilities between the UN and the Progeny have started up. Also, Erin Hyatt is dead. You can find her body in Oregon’s Crater Lake.”

“Excellent.” Said the Shadow Man. “Both of these developments can be used to our advantage. Did you recover the source of Psionic power the UN or Progeny were seeking?”

Varian pointed to his (or her) left. The Shadow Man turned to look at Jericho. The old woman gave a weak smile before looking at the floor.

To the surprise of everyone aboard the Niagara, the Shadow Man showed a visible reaction. He took half a step backwards at the sight of Jericho. It was obvious that he instantly knew who he was looking at, and he reacted quickly.

“Where are you now?” The Shadow Man demanded.

“Pacific Ocean, heading northwest towards the Aleutian Islands.” Varian said.

The Shadow Man’s body twisted as though he was speaking to someone who was not there. In fact, he was giving orders to somebody who was in the same room as himself; the Stormbreakers simply could not hear them. After a moment, the Shadow Man returned to the Hyperwave Call.

“This is a sea change. We must move quickly, and act just as quickly. Jericho, the time for friendly greetings and introductions will have to wait. Are you fit for space travel?”

“I can fly.” Jericho said. “But no high-gravity worlds please, I’m not as young as I used to be.”

The Shadow Man nodded, then spoke to the Stormbreakers.

“Get away from Earth.” He said. “Once you are clear, take Jericho to the Gehenna asteroid field. Dig site 603. I will summon my allies and meet you there.”

…

July 10, 2086
Hyperspace – en route to the Great Wastelands


The Hiigaran pirate ship Ashoka and her escort fleet were in the midst of their fifteenth Hyperspace Jump in the past ten days. Almost two weeks had gone by since Ashoka’s dramatic escape from Amadiio with Eerabik on board, but the situation was still a dire and urgent one.

While waiting out each jump, the ship’s crew were locked inside of radiation shelters, and inside one of these pressurized chambers, the newest addition to the Ashoka’s compliment was bringing everyone up to speed on the crisis at hand.

Eerabik belonged to the Avian Ozkox species, and she was also a powerful member of the Galactic Council. She had been taken aboard the Ashoka after her own expedition to the Galactic Rim ended with a shocking discovery. She retold the story of her recent adventures to her rescuers. The pirate crew perked up at the news of an undiscovered empire in the Galactic Rim, excited by the possibility of exotic plunder. Himawari Robinson was paying very close attention, aided by Sign Language translation from Amako Patariki.

“A Machine Empire?” Hahli repeated. “Like the Micore?”

“This is different.” Eerabik said, shaking her head. “These automatons are operating without any kind of input from organic lifeforms like you or me.”

“That sounds disturbing.” Ruunhan said. “Next time we’re out by the Galactic Rim, we’ll drop some buoys and rig them to transmit warning messages.”

“Good idea.” Eerabik said. “In the meantime, you will take me to Ninigai.”

Amako Patariki, who had been translating the conversation into Sign Language for Himawari’s benefit, did a double-take, staring open mouthed at Eerabik. The Kingdom of Ninigai was a small star nation and founding member of the Levakian Confederation, a member-state of the Partogan-Levakian Commonwealth. It was located in the Outer Limb, a distant and remote region of space on the very edge of the Galaxy.

Amako leaned over and hissed into Eerabik’s ear:

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re on board a pirate ship. These guys won’t take kindly to a member of the Galactic Council giving them orders.”

Hahli and Ruunhan were standing with their arms folded and nostrils flared. Both women were holding back far more hostile replies. Several of the space pirates in the chamber tried to give the two women extra space. Even Himawari could pick up on the sudden souring of their moods.

Eerabik, however, remained steadfast.

“It doesn’t matter who you are.” She said. “You have a ship with a Hyperspace Module, and I need to meet my allies on Ninigai at once. Are you going to change course or not?”

“Listen here, bird.” Hahli said. “You’re in no position to give orders. I’ve got half a mind to call the Galactic Council and ask how much they’ll pay for your ransom, but if you’re gonna be this... tedious... I’ll just put you off the ship instead. How does the Tomb World of Blorg sound? Or maybe the Partogan Graveworld?”

Eerabik looked very annoyed.

“I do not have time for this.” She said. “I need to speak to my contacts on Ninigai as soon as possible. Once we drop out of Hyperspace, I’ll take my leave.”

Eerabik started to pack up her possessions, including the Progenitor Oracle. Hahli and Ruunhan both started to interject, but Himawari tapped Eerabik’s wing to get her attention. Eerabik looked at Himawari and was confused by her rapid-fire hand signals.

“What is this, a code?” Eerabik said.

“No, no.” Amako cut in. “She’s deaf, this is how she talks... hold on.”

Amako focused on Himawari and started to translate:

“I think you should reconsider.” Himawari said through Amako. “The Planet Ninigai is in the Levakian Confederation, and it’s on the other side of the Great Wastelands. That place is controlled by Turanic Raiders, and as far as pirates go, they’re a lot worse than Hahli’s crew.”

Hahli scoffed.

“Unlike the Turanic Raiders, I pay my crew with money.” she said.

Dozens of the surrounding pirates cheered loudly at this, a few of them waving various banknotes over their heads, such as Partogan dirams, Hiigaran rupees, and UN credits.

Himawari went on:

“You’d have a much better chance of getting through there aboard another pirate ship. We might be your only chance, especially if time is really against you.” She concluded.

Reluctantly, Eerabik admitted to herself that she needed to cross the Great Wastelands quickly, and if she did so through official Galactic Council channels, the journey would take nearly a month. For a moment, Eerabik considered transmitting her findings in a Hyperwave message, but she quickly shelved the idea. The Levakians would not know what to look for based on Eerabik's description alone. This was something she needed to do in person.

Feathers ruffled, Eerabik turned to face Hahli and Ruunhan again.

“Let’s make a deal.” Eerabik offered. “What could I, a senior diplomat of the Ozkox Diaspora and sitting member of the Galactic Council, give in return for rapid passage to the Levakian Kingdom of Ninigai?”

Reflexively, Hahli held up a hand and said:

“I'll do it for fifty million Dirams, all in advance.”

But before she could finish her sentence, Ruunhan grabbed Hahli by the shoulder and pulled her back. Both women engaged in a hushed conversation, and everyone else leaned in close, trying to hear what was being whispered. Finally, the pair nodded in agreement and gave their response:

“We’ll take you to Ninigai.” Ruunhan said. “But in return, we want the Galactic Council to commission my wife as a Privateer.”

Eerabik blinked.

“Um… why?”

Hahli thumped her own chest.

“Because my fleet just threw down with the UN Navy! And if anyone is going to pay for repairs, for treating the wounded and burying the dead, it had better be the nearest Earth ship. With a Privateer Commission, it would be so much easier to enforce payment.”

“And if you say no…” Ruunhan said. “…you will be the ones paying for our damages, with the charity money your people are getting from the Blorg.”

“Ah… you know about that?” Eerabik said, looking around at the very greedy pirates in the room with her. “So that’s the ransom you mentioned earlier. I didn’t think you were serious.”

“Pirate.” Ruunhan said with a smirk on her face and a hand on her laser pistol.

…

July 15, 2086
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom


The UN fleet, battered but victorious, returned to Earth.

The conquest of Amadiio was a cause for celebration, and as the starship Solaris glided to a pinpoint landing at the spaceport in Manchester, Inez could see fireworks lighting up the night while tens of thousands of people flooded the streets. The Megacity was alive and noisy, despite it being three o’clock in the morning. Horns sounded, people shouted, lights flashed, and Inez could tell at once that this scene was repeating itself all over UN territory.

The Solaris did not stay for long. They were only here to pick up a team of engineers who would set to work repairing the Divine Enforcer. The weapon was badly damaged following its single use against Amadiio. After a few hours on the ground, Solaris lifted off and started the return trip to Cape Canaveral. The victorious fleet broke up here, as the various warships returned to their home bases.

The French battleship Charlemagne stayed in high orbit. She was so badly damaged that entering the atmosphere was simply not an option. Her repairs would be carried out at Port Armstrong, near Jupiter. The Singaporean destroyer Vengeance escorted Solaris away from the UK before turning toward Alpha Centauri.

Before long, Solaris was crossing the Atlantic alone.

On the bridge, Inez was starting to feel anxious.

It had been two weeks since the Battle of Amadiio, and she had not made sense out of what happened that day. Like any good Commander should, Inez ordered her subordinates to write an “After Action Report,” detailing everything she needed to know about what happened during the Battles of Polaris and Amadiio.

Scarlett Freeman was still aboard the ship, and she told Inez that the AARs were “a good idea” and that she wanted to read them as well. Scarlett said this in a tone that suggested it was not a polite request.

For the trip across the Atlantic, Inez had used her own authority to bar Scarlett from the bridge. Officially, her excuse was that the bridge crew “must not be distracted” during their landing preparations. In reality, Inez wanted as much distance from her mother as possible. The relationship between the two had noticeably soured, and Inez had no idea what she did to arouse her mother’s suspicions. Standing over a waist-high hologram projector on the starboard side of the bridge, Inez looked through a three-dimensional image of the Solaris, peering over the shoulder of her helmsman.

Inez was only pretending to inspect the damage to her ship. She was deeply distracted right now.

Ever since the Battle of Amadiio, Inez and Cassandra stayed in touch with one another, even though they only met for a few hours each day. They would share a meal in the cafeteria each morning, where Cassandra would use an extra large glass of water to swallow the strange red pills she was prescribed. Both of them were now aware of the “connection” that somehow existed between them. Inez had sat down with the little girl and told her about the two previous incidents, in which Inez had somehow seen the world through Cassandra’s eyes.

Together, during their downtime, the two girls had downloaded a historical database from Solaris’ onboard computer. Inez had a very strong hunch that she read about this scenario somewhere before, and her hunch turned out to be correct.

Fifty years ago, during the Second Hyperspace War, there were two Stormbreakers: Blake Robinson and Chihiro Tachibana. Both of them were still alive today and active in UN politics. Blake was currently challenging the Secretary-General for his job. But back in 2035, he and Chihiro were young soldiers, and just like Cassandra and Inez, they shared a special connection.

Blake and Chihiro were joined together by a Psionic Link. This telepathic connection allowed each person access to the other’s mind. The two Stormbreakers exploited their Psi Link for advantages in battle; and in civilian life, they were so inseparable they were sometimes treated as a single person by friend and foe alike.

Reading this story, Cassandra and Inez reluctantly accepted the reality that somehow, against all odds, a Psionic Link had formed between them. Unlike with the historic Stormbreakers, this new link seemed to be weak and inconsistent by comparison. Inez only had limited access to Cassandra’s innermost thoughts, and would only “see” through Cassandra’s eyes if the little girl was upset or emotional. By comparison, Cassandra had never been able to see things through Inez’ eyes, and whenever Inez was excited or worked up, Cassandra would perceive it as a sudden feeling of being wide awake and fully energized.

“I knew you were having a lot of fun at the beginning of June.” Cassandra had said. “Every night, right after I went to bed, I all-of-a-sudden felt like I was too excited to sleep. I felt like was having a blast doing something fun, even though I was just lying in bed.”

Hearing this, Inez had wracked her brains, trying to remember what she was doing in early June. Then, with a powerful sense of growing embarrassment, Inez realized that Cassandra had telepathically eavesdropped on her date nights with Yaroslav Dotsenko!

Inez went back and forth with herself, wondering if she should ask how much of these late-night dates Cassandra picked up on, but the youngster was faster on the draw.

“If you like that bald soldier so much, why’d you steal his clothes?” Cassandra asked.

“YUP! THAT’S ENOUGH FOR TODAY!” Inez ended the talk here.

…

Now, as the Solaris was on final approach to Cape Canaveral, Inez was distracted. She was thinking about Cassandra and the Psionic Link between them. Both girls had spent hours guessing at why this connection existed in the first place, but neither could come up with a good answer. Absentmindedly, Inez focused her mind on Cassandra, who was currently napping in the Captain’s Quarters.

This connection always seemed to be so... passive. Chihiro and Blake were able to actively use their own Psi Link, so why not now? Inez wondered, how do I call Cassandra? Is it like a Hyperline, or do I just imagine myself shouting her name?

A mental image drifted to the front of Inez’ mind. It was herself, wandering down an empty corridor and calling out to Cassandra.

“Nezzie, is that you?”

Cassandra’s voice filled Inez’ ears as though she was standing right in front of her. Inez broke out of her daydream, startled, and accidentally put her hand into the hologram of Solaris in front of her. The three-dimensional display switched into exploded view, showing each individual part of the engine array like a blueprint. Realizing a few members of the bridge crew were looking at her, Inez played it cool.

“Central, did the Engine Control team give us a go for landing yet?” She asked.

Central Officer Dotsenko looked at a nearby computer screen and said:

“No ma’am. I’ll go and see what’s taking them so long.”

Normally, because of her serial romantic nature, Inez would have watched Dotsenko as he left the bridge, appreciating his attractive build until he was out of sight. But just as Inez was starting to eye him up, she abruptly felt as though all of her energy was being sapped away. Inez felt a sudden sense of being weighed down and lost her motivation to do much of anything. All she wanted was to go back to her quarters, bury her face in a pillow, and cry for hours on end.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a subconscious impulse told Inez that she was not normally a gloomy type of person, and this sudden change in her sense of the world around her was not of her own making. The Psionic Link was active.

Stepping over to the far side of the bridge, Inez leaned against a railing, pretending to read a report on her tablet computer. Now that she was fully aware of the connection, it was almost easy. Inez closed her eyes...

...

Inside the Captain’s Quarters, Cassandra was curled into a ball in the middle of the floor, crying. She was frightened, frightened of returning to Cape Canaveral. Doctor Polly Spark scared her. The big machines in the VAB scared her, and so did Director Freeman and Central Officer Sepulveda... but most of all, she was scared of her inevitable reunion with the other children.

Almost three weeks had passed since the last time Cassandra had been taken off-world by Director Freeman. In that time, Inez knew that many of the alien children living with her in the Pediatric Clinic would have died. Cassandra was terrified that some of those children, who she liked and called friends, would be gone forever, without ever having said goodbye.

Cassandra was frightened, gloomy, and traumatized. As she wept on the floor, her body started to warm up. The temperature in the cabin quickly rose to searing levels, causing plastic dishware on the table to sag and droop.

...

Inez opened her eyes. Panicking, she realized Cassandra was about to lose control and transform! If the Emerald Avatar materialized inside of a cramped starship, no one aboard would survive. Inez looked around the bridge and yelled at the Chief of the Watch:

“Petty Officer Saraki, you have the conn! I’ll be back!”

And before the Nigerian man could say anything in response, Inez dashed off the bridge and into the hallway.

Fortunately, the Captain’s Quarters were only a short distance away from the bridge. By the time Inez reached it, the hallway was already warming up. Crewmen loosened their uniforms, sweating. One of them saw Inez coming and saw the expression on her face. He became alarmed.

“Ma’am, what’s happening?” The crewman asked.

Inez did not stop to explain. Instead, as she ran past him she yelled:

“Set off the fire alarm! We need the suppression system!”

Inez reached her private quarters and tried to open the door. With a gasp, she withdrew her hand. The metal was so hot it had instantly burned her palm. Keeping her now-burned left hand close to her chest, Inez slammed her shoulder to the door, trying to force it. At that moment, a klaxon sounded and a computerized voice spoke over the intercom.

“Fire detected in the Captain’s Quarters. Extinguishing.”

A loud hissing noise sounded on the other side of the door. Inez took a few steps back and then threw her whole weight against it. This time the door crashed open. Immediately, Inez was hit in the face by a blast of cold, white gas. The fire in her quarters was already out. The suppression system was venting massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the room, and just before the white gas filled the place completely, Inez spotted Cassandra, grabbed her, and pulled her out of the room.

Medics and damage control teams flooded the corridor, making their way to the scene. In the middle of all this hubbub, Inez clutched Cassandra close to her, whispering into her ear.

“It’s okay... you’re okay, Cassandra. You’re alright now.”

Cassandra buried her face in Inez’ chest, crying harder than ever.

“I don’t wanna go back! I don’t wanna go back!” She protested.

Inez turned so that the rescue team was behind her. Speaking quietly, she said:

“Are you worried about all of the other kids at the Cape?”

Cassandra nodded.

“It’s not fair. Not fair that we get to leave, but they have to stay... and they’ll probably die there, too.”

Inez felt a powerful pang of empathy in her chest. Truthfully, she had only thought about escaping with Cassandra and no one else. In fact, the “escape plan” she and Cassandra worked out did not allow for a third person to join them, let alone the two hundred other children kidnapped by the UN. But no matter how much she thought about it, Inez knew that abandoning those kids to die was simply the wrong choice.

Was there anything she could do? Anything at all?

There was.

“Hey, Cassandra.” Inez said. “Listen, I have some friends on the outside... at least... I think they’re friends. When we get away from Canaveral, we’ll go and find them... and ask them to rescue everyone at the Cape, okay?”

“You promise?” Cassandra asked, wiping her eyes.

“I promise.” Inez said. “Swear it on my life, we’ll rescue everyone.”

…

July 20, 2086
Cape Canaveral, Florida


Five days had passed since the warship Solaris landed at Cape Canaveral. In that time, the Wolverines and their allies were not idle. As soon as Piper returned from infiltrating the UN base, Lawrence used a Hyperwave Relay to transmit a distress signal to the wider Galaxy. Responses had come swiftly. The Galactic Community became aware of the situation over the course of a week, and while the Wolverines had no way of knowing, this single transmission had radically altered the conduct of the war.

Representatives of the Galactic Council sent their replies directly to Lawrence, informing him that a few probes and cloaked ships were doing reconnaissance over Earth, but a larger contingent of the Galactic Defense Force was months away, at best.

This news was heartbreaking.

“There are kids in there!” Cera screamed when Lawrence relayed the word. “Almost two hundred of them! We can’t just sit on our hands and wait!”

An emergency meeting was held aboard the old warship Kakama, still berthed in the Grey Phoenix scrapyard. Lawrence, Cera, Piper, and Jay stood on one side of a massive map of central Florida, while opposite them were Shipbreaker Karfu, Crew Chief Magra, General Osmer, Colonel Sharp, and several new allies: a representative of the Andromedon Sanctuary, Corsair the Faceless, Emanuel Espinosa, Robert Lansing, George Farshtey, and a motley collection of local Floridians, both Human and alien, who wanted to help.

“The Galactic Defense Force can’t help us.” Lawrence began. “We’re on our own.”

“Corsair and I have been inside the base.” Piper added. “We’ve seen the facility, and we can verify that the UN is holding about two hundred children against their will in that place. Also, several teams of Grey Phoenix saboteurs have entered the base. Not all of them returned to us.”

“There is a drydock located here.” Corsair said, pointing to the Apollo Center on the map. “There is a massive UN Navy operation here. Three cruisers are being worked on here, including the one that blasted Amadiio with the Psionic weapon.”

“So, it is true?” The Andromedon said in broken English. “Have the Amadii been enslaved?”

“It really looks that way.” Emanuel replied. “Ever since the attack, the people down on Amadiio have been moving to align themselves with the UN as quickly as they can. It’s creating a lot of chaos because Amadiio was the Capitol of the Cuunbar Confederation. The rest of their nation is still loyal to the Galactic Community, while their homworld is requesting annexation by the UNE. The Amadii nation has basically ceased to exist.”

“Millions of Amadii have been creating local branches of the Progeny and Cult of Jericho on their planet.” Jay added. “They’re even bringing in Human Acolytes from Altair. At the same time, their old democratic government has been replaced with a theocratic republic. Before the end of the month, Amadiio will be a UN satellite-state."

“Which means...” Lawrence said, “The UN is about to have a collaborator government on their side, one that will make abducting non-Human children much easier for them. We need to shut down this operation in Canaveral... tonight.”

Murmurs. General Osmer stroked his beard in thought.

“You want us to carry out a frontal assault on Cape Canaveral... which is a fortress defended by Shrike, and able to be reinforced within hours by sea, air, and space. What assets to we have on hand?” He said.

“About one-hundred-twenty Americans.” Colonel Sharp replied. “Most of them from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Plus twelve Andromedons, seventeen Mutons, ten Levakians, eight Vipers, five MECs, three Partogans, one Taiidani, and... uh... I’m really proud of this one. We dug an ADVENT Sectopod out of the scrapyard. It’s beaten up, but it still works.”

General Osmer nodded.

“And what about the enemy?” the General said. “My scouts say the base is still being defended by the Shrike mercenaries. But I have no solid numbers.”

“Neither do we.” Robert confessed. “But I do know a base like this will have hundreds of personnel. Between six to nine hundred people will be stationed inside. Good news for us though, only a few of them will be armed. Most of the people in the base will be workers, the team working on those cruisers or on the machine in the VAB, or the scientists doing those sick experiments on the children.”

Piper nodded. She and Corsair had brought back enough evidence to raise the alarm during their first foray into Canaveral. The subsequent trips, done over the past few weeks, delivered photographs, videos, and even a secret interview with one of the alien children: In the two minute clip, a Partogan child explained how he was abducted from Rotorua and desperately wanted to go home. Piper made multiple copies of the file, hoping it would one day be used in a war crimes tribunal.

Piper’s only regret was failing to make contact with Inez Espinosa during these repeated visits. Despite never actually seeing her, Piper had good reason believe Inez was physically present in the base during at least one of the infiltrations.

“First thing’s first.” Piper said. “We have to break into Canaveral and shut down whatever operation Freeman is running in there. Nothing else matters.”

“Even if that means crossing an enemy-controlled river with no advanced reconnaissance?” General Osmer asked. “Surely there must be a better way.”

“All of the better ways take time.” Lawrence concluded. “We need to act now.”

“I’ll go with you.” Emanuel said. “I’ve been to Canaveral a couple of times while they were setting up. I can show the way.”

…

July 21, 2086
Titusville, Florida


About three hours before the sun rose, in the pitch darkness of early morning, Lawrence, Jay, Piper, and Cera found themselves on the western side of the Indian River, staring down the NASA Causeway Bridge. Lawrence scanned the scene with a pair of binoculars and quickly spotted the checkpoint on the far side. Piper told him it would be there.

With a shudder, Lawrence looked out the corner of his eye and spotted Piper. Just like her three fellow Wolverines, the young woman was dressed in guerilla fatigues, with a blue bandana tied around her forehead. (to tell friend from foe) This would be the first time all four Wolverines stood together on a battlefield since the Battle of Saginaw... where Piper had gone over to the other side. In the very back of his mind, Lawrence was worried that Piper might betray her allies a second time.

Turning around, Lawrence spoke to a group of American officers. Emanuel Espinosa was among them, clutching a map of Cape Canaveral in his hand.

“We’re ready.” he said. “Put up the smokescreen and wait until the bridge is completely obscured before crossing.”

The Americans nodded and returned to their troops. Scattered throughout the attacking force were five MEC Troopers, robotic warriors leftover from the last war. Each unit had a rotary grenade launcher attached to its back, where it functioned like a mortar. At the same time, all five of the MEC Troopers crouched down, took aim with their launchers, and opened fire.

Five heavy smoke bombs tumbled down onto the far side of the bridge and detonated. Swirling white gas filled the air, and in a matter of seconds, caught the wind. The bridge was completely obscured, and it was impossible for anyone on the far side to see if someone was crossing the river.

Lawrence raised a whistle to his lips and blew. It was the signal.

Just under one hundred fifty men and women, all armed with an array of weapons, gathered at the western end of the bridge and set out, following behind a huge metal automaton.

Leading the charge across the Causeway was a fifty-year-old Sectopod. This was a bipedal robot that stood nearly twenty feet in height and carried two devastating weapon systems on its head. During the Second Hyperspace War, Sectopods were a terrifying sight to behold, and just one could put an elite XCOM squad to flight. Of course, newer, more modern Sectopods existed in the present day, but nearly all of them were busy fighting the Galactic Defense Force on other planets. Lawrence had ruled out any chance of seeing a UN Sectopod this morning.

The mixed force of Americans and aliens pressed forward, reaching the far side of the bridge and taking full control of the checkpoint located there. To Lawrence’s alarm, it was empty. There were no guards to be found. Emanuel, shaken but still full of resolve, led the way further inland.

With a beachhead secured, the attacking force started to fan out, taking control of the NASA Parkway. From here, there was half a mile of flat marshy ground until the next landmark: the shattered ruins of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, a massive structure that was levelled to the ground in the previous war. Even from here, in the early morning darkness, it was possible to see the only remaining structure, a replica of Saturn 1B, one of Humanity’s primitive first attempts at building a spacecraft.

Clutching a laser rifle close to his chest, Lawrence waited for directions from Emanuel, then signaled the attack group to move out. The old Sectopod led the way, each of its footfalls shaking the ground with a deep booming sound. Everyone was on edge. They knew stealth was impossible with a Sectopod in their ranks. The only option was the brute force approach, to smash through with heavy weapons and overwhelm the garrison. Then they would just have to hold the cape until General Osmer could deliver reinforcements.

Knowing that friendly Americans were on the way was a boon to the tiny force of attackers. Everyone pressed on, marching into the darkness... until...

There was a crack of gunfire. Gauss slugs flew high over Lawrence’s head.

“Contact front!” Lawence yelled.

Rifles were raised and one of the Americans fired a flare gun. Night turned into day, revealing the enemy. Several dozen members of Shrike, in full black-and-red uniform, were hiding in marsh, weapons at the ready.

A storm of gunfire erupted as both sides laid into each other! The Sectopod stepped off the road and into the swamp, opening its upper hatch to deploy its railgun. MEC Troopers and Andromedons opened fire with heavy plasma weapons while one of the Mutons turned his head to the sky and roared like a primal beast. Hearing their brother’s Blood Call, the other Mutons were stirred into a frenzy and were soon out of control, closing the distance to the enemy and opening fire with powerful shotguns. While the American soldiers fanned out, ten Levakian hunters slinked into the tall grass and soon vanished from sight.

It was a desperate and chaotic fight. The Shrike mercenaries were trying to engage from as far away as possible, and every time the Americans got closer than about a hundred yards, the mercenaries would break contact and wage a fighting retreat.

Too small to carry a rifle, Cera was fighting with a Coilgun, a magnetic submachinegun. She aimed towards Shrike positions and held the trigger down until her weapon ran out of ammunition. She never hit anything, but this was a good way to stop Shrike from poking their heads out of cover. Whenever Cera paused to reload, the enemy soldier she was engaging sprang up and ran away.

“We’ve got ‘em on the run!” yelled the voice of Colonel Sharpe. He was on the far left flank, leading a squad of 10 Ancient Americans. “Keep pushing!”

Looking to his right, Lawrence could see his force had now drawn level with the visitor center ruins. Looking down, he spotted the body of a Shrike mercenary. The first and so far only fatality of the night.

Lawrence opened his mouth and started to raise his voice, to give words of encouragement to the troops... but then, Crew Chief Magra shouted:

“Look at the horizon! Two o’clock! What is that!?”

Lawrence, Cera, Piper, and Jay all turned their heads to look. They saw a dark shape on the horizon. Jay was the first person to recognize it... and he screamed.

“SECTOPOD!” Jay hollered. “SECTOPOD AT OUR TWO O’CLOCK!”

At once, the Americans began to panic. Soldiers dropped into the prone position, trying to hide. Others blindly fired their weapons in the direction Jay pointed out. The American Sectopod stepped forward and fired its railgun towards the foe. A bolt split the sky like lightning, followed up by a deafening crash! The UN Sectopod staggered and took a few steps forward.

“Heavy weapons!” Lawrence shouted. “Bring up the anti-armor kit!”

Several Americans, Mutons, and MEC Troopers came forward carrying heavy weapons. A shoulder-mounted Blaster Launcher lit up the battlefield in sickly shades of green before the plasma projectile made contact with the enemy robot. Unfortunately, it was a glancing blow. The enemy Sectopod staggered again before resuming its own attack. A railgun blast ripped through the American line, sending mud and blood flying across the marsh. A Levakian grabbed a Blaster Launcher, took aim, and send another round flying downrange.

This time, it was a direct hit! A cloud of dense black smoke obscured the enemy from view, leaving only the initial group of mercenaries to fight, at least for the moment. Lawrence ran up and down the line, trying to find out how badly his force was hit.

Five Americans were dead, plus a Muton and one of the Levakians. Lawrence found Colonel Sharp.

“Ridge!” Sharp yelled. “I’ve got thirty wounded over here, we’ve gotta stop!”

“No, sir! Can’t stop here.” Lawrence replied. “This is a killing field!”

Sharp tried to reply, but Cera and Piper’s voices, high and shrill, pierced the night:

“LEFT SIDE! WE’RE BEING FLANKED!”

The enemy Sectopod had reappeared. The twenty-foot-high robot was stalking the left flank, taking disturbingly wide strides that carried it hundreds of feet in a matter of seconds. Cursing loudly, Piper grabbed a Blaster Launcher.

Ignoring the bullets and beams filling the air around her, Piper stood fully erect with the rocket launcher on her shoulder and then took the shot. The Blaster Launcher kicked so hard that it flew backwards out of her hands and sent the petite woman crashing to the ground. The plasma projectile sailed high and missed the Sectopod by a wide margin. The enemy robot turned to face the direction the attack came from.

“Oh, Fuck! SCATTER!” Lawrence yelled.

The enemy Sectopod fired a blast from its railgun. At once, the American Sectopod exploded! Its body was rent into many bits and pieces while the two legs toppled to the ground with great muddy thuds.

Before Lawrence could do or say anything, both the UN Sectopod and the mercenaries opened fire again. Deadly weapon fire raked the Americans and their alien allies. Soldiers fell into the dark marsh, never to be seen again.

“Retreat!” Lawrence yelled.

“Everyone fall back to the bridge!” Colonel Sharp echoed.

The attacking force broke contact and ran back the way they came. By now, the sun was starting to rise. A deep crimson stained the sky and the marsh below, so that Lawrence looked as though he was running through a sea of blood. Desperate to escape, weapons and armor were abandoned. Even the gravely injured were left behind, including...

“We lost Espinosa!” Piper yelled from somewhere near the back of the line. “He’s been captured!”

“What!?” Lawrence replied.

“He got hit!” Jay said. “Shot in the arm! He went down and we had to leave him behind! The bastards came and plucked him right off the ground! They got him!”

There was nothing to be done. Praying to Jericho that Emanuel would be safe in UN custody, Lawrence pressed on, running full-tilt to the river. After running the longest half-mile of his life, Lawrence reached the checkpoint just before the NASA Causeway Bridge... except...

The Bridge was gone.

Concrete pylons stuck out of the river in regular intervals, as if taunting the fleeing guerillas. The shattered remains of the attack force reached the river, and were equally dumbfounded by Lawrence’s discovery.

“Where’s the bridge!?” Cera cried out in panic. “What happened!?”

“They blew it.” Piper breathed. “I didn’t think they would. They actually blew up the bridge!”

Snaps and pops from above signaled renewed gunfire. The enemy was closing.

“Swim for it!” Lawrence yelled.

He tossed aside his Laser Rifle and ran towards the point where the road ended. Seeing they had no choice, Cera, Piper, Jay, Karfu, Magra, and Colonel Sharp followed suit. Dozens of Americans and aliens did the same. The surviving members of the attack force jumped into the Indian River.

The water was cold and the current slow. Each stroke Lawrence took toward Titusville carried him a little further downstream, but he had no time to think about this. Behind him, the first members of Shrike were reaching the riverbank. Horrid snapping sounds told Lawrence that the enemy was shooting at him and his troops as they swam for their lives! Gauss rounds, laser beams, and plasma bolts made horrid sounds as they hit the water around him. Levakians, Partogans, and Humans all cried out as they were shot.

“Keep going! We can make it!” Piper yelled.

“Carry the wounded between two people!” Jay instructed. “It’s not that far, keep swimming!”

From here, with his head just barely above water, it looked as though the far shorline was an eternity away. His arms and legs ached, his body winded, and his morale was sapped. For the briefest of moments, Lawrence considered giving up. But the sound of Jay’s voice behind him gave Lawrence new strength.

Jay has a kid. You should at least make sure that boy’s dad gets to go home.

Lawrence raised his voice and called out to his troops:

“Follow my voice! Stay with me!”

Kicking with newfound vigor, Lawrence guided the way through the early morning light, and by the time the sun had fully risen, forty men, women, and aliens washed ashore on the safe side of the river.

<=== Chapter 29: Fallen Savior

Chapter 31: See All, Know All ===>​

​

 

[Von Acturus]

Hope you're feeling better!
Great Chapter! In both senses =). The initial discussion in the GC gave a great impression of how massive the devastation from the Second Hyperspace War was and how much the galaxy was unprepared for the carefully planned human offensive. Really a masterstroke of Akira's.

I'm very keen in discovering the Shadow Man's identity. I'm almost sure it will be a "how did I not see it coming moment" when it is revealed. And Jericho is sure to be a game changer.

The attack on Cape Canaveral was a masterpiece, had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Although I think the resistance underestimated the UN quite badly (first the sectopods then the bridge), I perfectly see how the need to rescue the children outweighed tactical considerations. Really well done!

 

[Macavity116]

Hope you're feeling better!

Thanks! I still have a bad cough and raw throat, but other than that, most symptoms are gone now. I normally record the audiobook companion videos on Tuesdays, so if my throat does not recover before then, Chapter 31 will just have to launch without a video.

Great Chapter! In both senses =). The initial discussion in the GC gave a great impression of how massive the devastation from the Second Hyperspace War was and how much the galaxy was unprepared for the carefully planned human offensive. Really a masterstroke of Akira's.

Just over 8000 words in length. This is the type of overly long post @Nikolai used to complain about back in the days of Faith in Chaos and The Stormbreakers. I can be pretty longwinded.

Yes, the Galaxy is in many ways still wrecked. The War of the Paradox is barely 2 years old yet both sides have already reached 100% War Exhaustion and won't be able to sustain combat for much longer. This will make a certain upcoming fleet action near Alpha Centauri very important.

I'm very keen in discovering the Shadow Man's identity. I'm almost sure it will be a "how did I not see it coming moment" when it is revealed. And Jericho is sure to be a game changer.

Honestly, I thought I accidentally gave away the big reveal by having the Shadow Man recognize Jericho and react to her on sight.

The attack on Cape Canaveral was a masterpiece, had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Although I think the resistance underestimated the UN quite badly (first the sectopods then the bridge), I perfectly see how the need to rescue the children outweighed tactical considerations. Really well done!

That action scene was fun to write. I had Google Earth open in a second window and I was following the protagonist's progress as I wrote. I frequently had to switch modes to "Historical imagery" because any change to the Space Center that happened after March 1, 2015 is instantly non-canon within the Stormbreaker Universe. Just like always, I used real-life military action as the base: For the premature assault on the KSC, I referenced some fairly recent combat footage from the Ukrainian War, in which a column of pro-Russian paramilitary troops were ambushed by a seemingly unkillable Ukrainian tank.

Recording it, however, was a real pain. I kept tripping over my words and having to retake. A ten minute action scene somehow translated into over an hour of voice recording. As it turned out, by pure coincidence, I recorded the voiceover on the same day I started showing the first symptoms of COVID. Looking back on it now, I do not know how I managed to make a coherent voiceover that day because I was clearly being hit by COVID Brain and my voice was starting to break. It's quite noticeable in parts of the recording that were left on the editing room floor.

 

[HistoryDude]

Well, that changes a lot.

Did Inez decide to defect? It certainly sounds like it.

Didn't Jericho destroy psionics? Why can she still use them?

The tagline reminds me of a historical quote - specifically Ferdinand I's "fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus" (let justice be done, though the world perish).

 

[Macavity116]

Did Inez decide to defect? It certainly sounds like it.

Her plan to run away from Canaveral with Cassandra is very much still in effect. As soon as Scarlett and her lackeys let their guards down, the girls are going to do a runner.

Didn't Jericho destroy psionics? Why can she still use them?

This goes all the way back to the final chapter of The Stormbreakers. Almost immediately after she destroyed the Gift, Jericho demonstrated an ability to use Psionics, instantly undermining her plan to erase them. See this excerpt from Chapter 47: Apotheosis:

Then, when Mira remained defiantly rooted to the spot, Jericho said loudly:

“GO!”

And hit us with a Telekinetic Pulse!

The Psionic assault was so unexpected, so out of the blue, that Mira, Chihiro, Akira, Manako and I all flew backwards, out of the control room, and landed on our backs outside on the catwalk!

It's been a couple of years since this has been mentioned, but this is because of Jericho's unique power:

• Passive Energy Drain
  • Jericho constantly siphons small amounts of energy from all living things in her vicinity and adds their strength and/or powers to her own. She becomes more powerful when surrounded by a lot of living things, (for example: in a crowd of people or a dense forest) and loses her powers when she is isolated from living things. (for example: on a barren island or in space)

Jericho's Gift started to regenerate instantly after it was destroyed, and this would have been her first warning that destroying Psionics permanently was not possible.

To make matters worse, Jericho's powers have been passively regenerating for just under 50 years, meaning she is far more powerful now than she was in The Stormbreakers.

The tagline reminds me of a historical quote - specifically Ferdinand I's "fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus" (let justice be done, though the world perish).

I'll bet Ferdinand I's words are somehow related to Fiat justitia, ruat caelum. (let justice be done, though the heavens fall) I learned the phrase from my uncle. (a lawyer) He told me the phrase originated from Somerset v Stewart, a famous court case from the 1770's British Empire regarding slavery on the British Isles.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Thank you for the update. Wonderful Battle of the Cape. Many tendrils need to join together. Take care of your health, my friend.

 

[Macavity116]

The Emerald Institute was created by @Midnite Duke, used with permission

Eerabik was created by @Arithmetician, used with permission.

​

---

<=== Chapter 31: Broken Mirror

Chapter 32: Trojan ===>​

Chapter 31
See All, Know All

​

August 4, 2086
The Levakian Sentry Array, Great Wastelands


The warship Ashoka and her escort fleet flew past the planet Ninigai and set a course for a distant object that shimmered in the golden starlight. At first glance, the object appeared to be a small moon, but closer inspection revealed it to be no moon. It was, in fact, a space station.

The Levakian Sentry Array was the first Megastructure built in the postwar era. Shaped somewhat like a mushroom, a tall and spindly superstructure descended down and away from a gargantuan metal dome. Inside this hemisphere was the intricate sensor array that granted the station its incredible ability. The owners of this station enjoyed real-time knowledge about the location and movements of any and all starships in the Galaxy.

The true size and scale of the Sentry Array was not apparent until the Ashoka drew close. The Hiigaran warship was the size of a small city, nearly ten kilometers from stem to stern. Yet she was dwarfed by this station. The Sentry Array, if stood on its end, would have measured about seven hundred kilometers tall, and at its widest, the sensor dome was about two hundred across. The Ashoka docked with the Sentry Array, several boarding tunnels connecting to the mothership at different points.

On one of these boarding tunnels, a group of soldiers, wearing the uniform of the Partogan-Levakian Commonwealth, greeted the pirate crew with weapons drawn.

“You’ve got some guts coming here, Mihaka.” A Levakian officer said. “You’re a wanted woman on twelve Levakian planets!”

Unflinching, Hahli put one hand into her cape and withdrew an official-looking envelope, handing it to the officer.

“All the paperwork you need to see.” She said coolly.

The officer opened the envelope and found an official letter from the Ozkox Ambassador to Aoraki. In simple terms, it proclaimed Hahli Mihaka to be “a Privateer of the Ozkox Diaspora under the direct command and diplomatic protection of Galactic Council Senator Eerabik, operating with the informed consent and written permission from the Governing Council of the Ozkox Diaspora. The same applies to her flagship, its escort fleet, and the crews of those vessels.”

All the Levakian could do was growl and sneer as he allowed Hahli and her crew to board the Sentry Array.

“Now everyone behave yourselves.” Hahli said to her crew in a singsong tone. “We’re here as their guests, after all.”

…

While the pirates settled in to wait, Eerabik broke off from the group. With a little help from the Sentry Array crew, she moved the Progenitor Oracle deeper into one of the Array’s command centers. Here, Eerabik met the man she was looking for.

Inside the command center, about four dozen employees of the Emerald Institute were hard at work. This Galaxy-spanning organization had leased out the Sentry Array from the Levakians and were using it for their own purposes, although much of their resources were devoted to tracking down the many children abducted by Humans during the war.

“Variis!” Eerabik cheered. “How are you not dead yet?”

“I could say the same of you.” Replied a very old Taiidani man.

Variis was the Director of the Emerald Institute’s operations aboard the Sentry Array. He was so old that he walked with a cane, and the boar-like tusks jutting out from either side of his mouth were dull and worn-out. Administrator Variis wore a colorful suit, and clipped onto his lapel was a metal pin depicting a silver shield with two broken swords crossed over it. This symbol identified him as a follower of Koshiir-Ra, the Taiidani God of Protection.

Administrator Variis gave a deep bow and greeted Eerabik warmly.

“We feared the worst when we saw your ship fly into the uncharted regions of the Galactic Rim. We saw the battle at the Ring World long before you stumbled onto it.”

“Yes, regarding that.” Eerabik said, pointing at the Progenitor relic she brought with her. “I think you and I need to have a mutual exchange of information. This is the Progenitor Oracle. It contains crucial data regarding the action you witnessed from afar, and I witnessed up close.”

…

Himawari, Amako, Chris, and Randall all knew about the Sentry Array. It was occasionally talked about on Earth, usually in the context of engineering marvels. Whenever the UN military held drills or wargames, they would usually simulate an attempt to capture this incredible construct.

The Emerald Institute workers proved to be very helpful, offering Himawari and her companions a tour of the Sentry Array, explaining how this incredible facility worked. As it turned out, the Institute was engaged in a massive scientific operation here: They were doing research on Hyperspace technology, investigating stellar anomalies, and gathering data on every spacefaring civilization. The group took a detour to the hangar bay, where a robotic arm extracted the Ark Angel from Ashoka’s hangar.

“Hangars within hangars.” Randall said, sounding impressed. “The Galaxy never ceases to amaze me.”

A representative of the Institute explained what was happening:

“Senator Eerabik has offered to pay, out of her own pocket, for your ship to be upgraded to modern specs. We have the facilities and the parts required to do so. Your afterburners will be replaced with impulse thrusters. Latest technology developed by the Hiigaran Empire. Also, for self-defense, we’ve added four energy cannon turrets. Your nuclear power plant has also been replaced with a cold fusion reactor. Much more efficient.”

Himawari, Randall, and Chris all looked at one another excitedly, but Amako frowned.

“There’s a catch, isn’t there? She wants us to help her with something in return.”

That wiped the smiles off the other’s faces. Amako was probably right.

…

Himawari and her friends tried to join Hahli and her pirate crew for a late dinner, but Eerabik had other plans.

Hahli, Ruunhan, Himawari, Amako, Chris, and Randall were all summoned to a high level meeting deep inside the Sentry Array. The conference room was located in the outer shell of the space station, and featured a window that granted a spectacular view of the Garden of Kadesh, a bright red Nebula in the center of the Great Wastelands.

Eerabik and Administrator Variis were already there. The former was making some final adjustments to the Oracle, while the latter introduced himself to the newcomers. Once everybody was seated, Variis called the meeting to order. Amako looked around in confusion, wondering why the conference room was so quiet. Then he noticed that, with a few exceptions, all of the remaining attendees were holograms. The leaders of the Emerald Institute were scattered across the Galaxy, and were using Hyperwave Relays to join the meeting via holoconfrence.

“I apologize for dragging so many of you out of bed.” Administrator Variis began. “But we have a situation that requires our immediate attention. To my left, you will see Senator Eerabik of the Galactic Council, along with a crew of privateers she has recruited to the cause. She is the one who travelled to the uncharted quadrant of the Galactic Rim and observed the battle at the Ring. She is in possession of the Progenitor Oracle, and claims the information it dispensed about the Ring and its attackers can be turned to our advantage.”

Eerabik took the floor. One more time, she retold the story of her adventures aboard the Frenzied Claw and her encounter with the mysterious robot civilization in the Galactic Rim.

“Just like yourselves, I can see a few different ways the so-called Baterra can be used to our advantage. An army of these machines can be brought up to replace the Micore warforms our side lost on Amadiio last month.” Eerabik concluded.

“Not to mention, the Micore as a whole have become unreliable in recent months.” Ruunhan chimed in. “We cannot rely on them to function in a moment of crisis.”

Eerabik gestured to the Progenitor relic at the head of the table. Dozens of electrical cables snaked out of the ancient computer and ran underneath a door, out of sight.

“With some help from the Oracle, I have created several plans for making first contact with the Baterra and then recruiting them to our cause. Most of them are based on the same plan Partoga used to bring Earth into the Second Hyperspace War fifty years ago.”

“Yeah... the Partogans didn’t really give us a choice.” Randall commented.

The holographic representations of the Institute leaders became blurry for a moment. Then, each person was presented with Eerabik’s plans. The group sat in nervous silence while the executives read through each briefing. Then, after a tense five minutes, one of the Institute leaders said:

“Administrator Variis, please join us in the breakout room.”

The Director stood up and walked into the next room, closing the door behind him. The holograms vanished, leaving Himawari, Ruunhan, and their companions alone in the conference room together. The Humans, Hiigarans, and Partogans started to converse among themselves, wondering which of Eerabik’s plans would be chosen. Eerabik herself did not join in. She remained stony-faced and silent, as though contemplating.

Finally, about ten minutes later, Administrator Variis returned, as did the holograms of the Institute leaders. A Taiidani man faced Eerabik. This was someone she met before: the Director of the Emerald Institute. He said:

“Senator Eerabik. The Executive Board of the Emerald Institute has considered your proposals, and after deliberation, we have unanimously decided that we will not attempt to initiate first contact with the Baterra. There are too many unknowns to consider, along with the inherent hostility the Baterra showed to yourself. Furthermore, we have reason to believe you initiated this series of events while acting outside of your power and authority as a Senator of the Galactic Council. Should this be true, the potential for political blowback for the Institute is too great. For these reasons, your proposals are summarily rejected.”

…

The six space travelers helped Eerabik remove the Oracle from the conference room. Truthfully, Eerabik did not need the help. Himawari was simply worried about her, and wanted to see if the avian diplomat needed someone to console her. Loading the Oracle onto a cart and covering it with a sheet, Eerabik waited until Administrator Variis was out of sight, then she quickly whirled around to face her companions.

“I am going to make First Contact with the Baterra.” Eerabik said. “Come with me.”

This was not what anyone was expecting. Chris cocked his head to the side, as if unable to see Eerabik properly.

“Excuse me?” Chris said. “I could have sworn the Institute just turned down your plan to do that?”

“Do you really think I put all of my eggs in the same incubator?” Eerabik said. “I have other plans, I always have other plans. And if you want to see your Homeworld be free from power-hungry Xenophobes, you’ll give me the deaf woman and her ship.”

Amako stepped between Himawari and Eerabik. His wife was very confused, but Randall quickly flashed a series of explanatory hand signals. Eerabik got behind the cart and started to push it down the hallway.

“Follow me.” She said.

Amako, Chris, Randall, Himawari, Ruunhan, and Hahli fell in behind Eerabik as the diplomat pushed the Oracle back towards the hangar containing the Ashoka. It was a very long walk, giving them plenty of time for conversation.

“Making contact with the Baterra is of crucial importance.” Eerabik said. “Administrator Variis has been my man inside of the Institute for years. Whenever I come here, he gets me whatever information or technology I need. And this time he did not fail me. Humans, you should know that the war between Earth and the Galaxy is about to reach its climax.”

“Climax?” Randall repeated. “I think the mass brainwashing of Amadiio would count as that.”

Ignoring Randall, Eerabik pressed on.

“The Sentry Array can see everything. Varris observed the United Nations gathering its space fleet in the Alpha Centauri system, massing for another battle. The Galactic Defense Force is also massing in the Karos Graveyard for an offensive of their own. The Institute believes the two fleets are aiming at different targets and will miss one another. Each side will inflict a devastating blow on the other with impunity.” she said.

“And you think the Baterra can stop the UN fleet?” Chris asked.

“I don’t know.” Eerabik confessed. “But I am certain their appearance will scuttle whatever the UN is planning, and might stop the Humans from deploying that damned Psionic weapon again. What’s better, the Oracle should allow me to communicate with them, and if that’s possible, then I also have a... uh... what’s the Human expression? I have an ace up my sleeve that will guarantee the Baterra’s cooperation with my design.”

In the back of the group, Himawari used sign language to say:

“Eerabik seems evil. But, like, a good kind of evil. Remember how the Reapers and Templars were evil in the last war, but were on our side for most of the time? She’s kinda like that.”

Amako nodded.

“Do you want to try and get away from Eerabik?” He signed back.

Himawari shook her head.

“Not yet.”

Eerabik paused to look out the window. The blood-red Garden of Kadesh reflected demonically in her beady eyes.

“My plan hinges on one crucial detail.” Eerabik said. “I can’t be alone when I make First Contact with the Baterra. Someone needs to come along, someone who can operate the Oracle for me.”

Ruunhan and Amako both stepped forward.

“That’s us, then.” Amako said. “We can help you.”

Eerabik shook her head.

“We are going to be communicating with an empire of machines.” she said. “It’s likely that we will have to parlay with an advanced Artificial Intelligence. The computer aboard the Ark Angel is insufficient for the task, and the Oracle is a data repository, not an interpreter. I need someone special... I need an Unbound. And you, daughter of Stormbreaker Trojan, are best qualified for that job.”

As soon as Eerabik’s words were translated into sign language, Himawari’s mouth fell open.

“Wait.” She signed. “What?”

…

“Unbound” is a term that refers to a person who is physically integrated into their own starship, using their own brain as an organic computer core, and the ship itself became an extension of their own body. Some alien people, like the now-extinct Bentusi, would spend their entire lives in space, and some of the Galaxy’s most well-known heroes were Unbound, such as Karan Sjet, Arioch Soban, and Makara Ranginui. For a brief moment in time, Jericho herself was an Unbound as well.

…

Half an hour later, everyone was back aboard the Ashoka, crammed into the Stellar Cartography room, where Eerabik had just finished a lengthy explanation, complete with holographic visual aids.

With Ruunhan’s permission, Eerabik tied Ashoka’s main computer into its counterpart aboard the Sentry Array. Then, she downloaded all of the Institute’s data about Akira Robinson, the Paradox. The next part of the story, Himawari was already familiar with: One of the files the Institute had was a copy of some data stolen from Akira herself. Copied from the computer of Akira’s Timeship, it was information about the many alternate timelines Akira passed through on her way to the present.

“The Paradox created several new realities by messing with time.” Eerabik said. “And she kept a record of them. By pure good fortune, those records were seized after her defeat in 2036. It’s thanks to these documents that I know Himawari Robinson is best suited to be an Unbound. Look here.”

Himawari’s mouth hung open as a holographic biography began to unfurl itself around her. It was a summary of her own life in an alternate timeline.


In the early morning hours of the War in Heaven, Chihiro Tachibana gave birth to a deaf girl and named her Asuna. Over the next few years, little Asuna would reveal Psionic powers, inherited from her mother. She could read minds, move objects by willing it, and hold purple Soulfire in both of her hands.

Like all other Gifted people, Asuna Robinson had one power that was unique to herself. She referred to it with a name coined by her father: “Technomancy.” Asuna could understand the binary language of computers. With but a little effort, Asuna could use her mental powers to seize control of complex machines and bend their programming to her own will.

As an adult, Asuna would sometimes take her little sister Akira for joyrides in the family spaceship. Asuna impressed her sibling by flying the vessel while bound and blindfolded. She did not need to see nor touch the controls. Asuna wielded the powers of an Unbound without ever physically connecting herself to the ship.


“Jericho may have destroyed the Gift...” Eerabik said. “But the Psionic potential remains in your mind. I’ve seen it elsewhere, in the smallest and most surprising of places. I believe that if you became an Unbound... you would have the same potential for greatness as Makara Ranginui, or those Hiigarans, Karen and Arioch.”

Even Himawari could tell she was being buttered up, that Eerabik was trying very hard to sell this idea and make it sound appealing. Himawari was already skeptical and had a couple of concerns. She faced Eerabik and made sure to sign slowly so that Amako and Randall could translate:

“My parents told me everything they knew about the Paradox.” Himawari said. “They told me the Gift was not consistent between Cycles. You can’t guarantee I would have been born Gifted this time around. Also, being Unbound means I would have to fuse myself to a starship. That kind of technology is not easy to find and even harder to build.”

Himawari paused. She was thinking. Eerabik quickly swooped in to allay her fears.

“I know. But your mastery of nonverbal communication is a skill that has always proven useful to Unbound in the past. It is useful now. And as for a ship... well... that’s been seen to.” Eerabik countered. Randall and Chris had to sign quickly to keep up.

Ruunhan, Amako, and Randall all jumped as they remembered a crucial detail!

“The Ark Angel!” They cried out together.

“Exactly.” Eerabik said. “Variis and I arranged the retrofit by Hyperline before I came aboard. A full-body chamber interface, similar to the one used by Makara Ranginui aboard the Mahuika. It’s not a perfect re-creation, but it will do the job and keep you alive for almost five months. But in reality, it only needs to work for about five days.”

Eerabik waved her wing, and a hologram of the Ark Angel appeared over everyone’s heads. The replica of the spaceplane disassembled into many smaller pieces, showing off the complex modification to the fuselage, where an integration chamber was now installed, creating a space for a single person fuse their brain into the ship’s computer, becoming the Ark Angel’s living core.

Randall, Amako, and Chris all looked at Himawari.

“Hana, you cannot be considering this!” Randall signed.

“Her whole plan is built on a hunch, and so many unknowns.” Chris added.

“The Baterra attacked Eerabik once already. Who’s to say they won’t kill you on sight?”

Himawari raised her hand for silence. Everybody looked at her. She opened her mouth, and... in a soft voice that was raspy from lack of use, she spoke in halting English:

“We... have... to try.”

Himawari manipulated the holodisplay with one hand. She opened a copy of Lawrence Ridge’s desperate Hyperwave message, the one broadcasted to the entire Galaxy a month ago. The simple text message was displayed in full, for everyone to read again. The month-old cry for help brought tears to Ruunhan’s eyes.

“The children... at Canaveral. They run out... of time.” Himawari said aloud. “We... are out of time. We must try.”

Amako, Chris, and Randall all dropped their objections. Once everyone agreed to make the journey, only three tasks remained:

Himawari would have to undergo surgery to install the necessary cybernetic implants on her body.

The Ark Angel’s former Time Core chamber would be retrofitted to include an integration assembly for Himawari to use.

And Eerabik said she needed to have one final meeting with her friends in the Institute.

“We’ve made a contingency plan in case this all goes wrong.” Eerabik explained. “We just need to make sure all of the pieces are in place.”

When she returned, the Avian Senator was carrying a heavy-looking case that was secured with no less than three combination locks. Whatever Eerabik kept locked inside of this case was either very important or very dangerous... or perhaps both.

…

August 6, 2086
The Cathedral of Jericho, Altair Star System


Ten thousand years ago, a massive city sprawled across the surface of a planet orbiting a gentle blue star. Now, it lay in crumbling ruin, aside from one silvery point on its surface. The headquarters of the Cult of Jericho would have been a beautiful sight to behold amongst the ruins of this long-dead Progenitor city. But not today.

This morning, there was fire in the sky.

Dozens of Progeny starships fell out of orbit and into the atmosphere. Their hulls pockmarked with impact markings. Starfighters burned up in the atmosphere like rocks in a meteor shower. Frigates were consumed in swirling white flames while Destroyers and Carriers broke into pieces, scattering their remains across the heavens in a blazing display of carnage and destruction.

While the Progeny fleet met its doom, the victorious armada of the Galactic Defense Force loomed in the sky like a nightmare not fully realized. In the center of the fleet, an oversized starship could be seen clearly from the ground. It was a rounded vessel with five long and narrow arms that extended out and away from the body.

It was a Planet-Killer.

Standing aboard this massive weapon, General Macavity overlooked the scene. He was impressed with the fleet’s performance in battle. The Progeny were defeated and the GDF had taken very few casualties in turn. As soon as the Planet-Killer settled into a killshot orbit above the Cathedral of Jericho, Macavity used the Hyperwave relay to transmit a message to all remaining Progeny and Cult members on the surface:

“Attention Humans, this is General Macavity of the Galactic Defense Force. Your fleet is lost and we are now in a position to kill each and every person on the planet surface. The Galactic Custodian is unwilling to shed innocent blood or destroy their homes. This is your opportunity to surrender without fear of reprisal or retribution. Surrender now and there will be peace.”

General Macavity stepped away from the Hyperwave, ordering a subordinate to keep an eye on it. Like any professional soldier, he would wait some time for the enemy to reply to his demand. Thinking to himself, Macavity decided that six hours would be enough time. He looked out the window to survey his fleet again, and then spotted something interesting:

A Hiigaran Mothership had broken formation and was now flying alongside the wreckage of a Progeny Cruiser. As far as he knew, Macavity had never seen this ship before.

Macavity quickly grabbed a lieutenant and ordered him to identify the strange vessel.

“That’s the Ashoka, sir.”

Macavity jumped! He knew that name. The Ashoka was a wanted pirate ship from Rotorua. Quickly, he moved to the Hyperwave and hailed the Ashoka, demanding an immediate response.

Speaking in an almost lazy tone, Hahli Mihaka replied:

“This is the Hiigaran warship Ashoka, we are a Privateer acting under the authority of the Ozkox Diaspora. We destroyed this Progeny ship during the battle and in accordance with our Privateer contract, I have claimed the enemy vessel as my prize. The ship and anything on board belongs to me now, and if you have any issues, take it up with the Ozkox. I’ll send you a copy of my contract.”

General Macavity was so busy, staring dumbfounded at a copy of Hahli’s Privateer Contract, that he completely failed to notice a fifty-year-old spaceplane undock from the Ashoka and disappear into Hyperspace...

<=== Chapter 31: Broken Mirror

Chapter 32: Trojan ===>​

 

[Arithmetician]

Hmmm... somehow I must have missed a few updates/didn’t receive notifications of them. Still good to see that you’re at it! Work has a bit busier for me lately, but I’ll see when I can update either of my other AARs.

 

[Midnite Duke]

The tendrils of many species are becoming bound into a universal tapestry. Thank you for the update.

 

[HistoryDude]

Humanity appears defeated, but things are never that simple.

Eerabik seems like she has her own agenda - and might betray her allies once Earth is out of the picture. It should be interesting seeing if this machine empire has fallen to the Contingency, though.

It's very interesting that Paradox kept records on the other timelines. I wonder if we will learn more about this sequential multiverse (the other 114/115 cycles)...

 

[Von Acturus]

At first glance, the object appeared to be a small moon, but closer inspection revealed it to be no moon. It was, in fact, a space station.

Thankfully a rather benign space station. No planet killing with this one

The GDF counteroffensive begins to take shape, as does Eerabik's plan. With the GDF under the progressively more "ends justify the means" General Macavity employing planet destroying weapons (which I fear will soon see their first use, I can't imagine the Progeny surrendering their holiest site) and Eerabik bringing violent robotic percursors into the fold, I fear the war is about to enter in an even more violent phase. The phantoms of the past War are likely to resurface, but now it will be fully sapient individuals killing each other instead of an United galaxy facing a parasitical entity. As Han Solo said "I have a baaad feeling about this!"

 

[Macavity116]

Hmmm... somehow I must have missed a few updates/didn’t receive notifications of them. Still good to see that you’re at it! Work has a bit busier for me lately, but I’ll see when I can update either of my other AARs.

It's definitely that time of year when things kick up again. I spent the summer writing frantically so I would have a backlog of chapters built up for the busy autumn. I've got enough story written to keep this story going for a month and a half before I need to sit down and write some more.

The tendrils of many species are becoming bound into a universal tapestry. Thank you for the update.

You're most welcome. These final acts are my favorite parts to write. Just like in Faith in Chaos and The Stormbreakers, it's time to bring together many disparate parts of the story for the unified finale.

Humanity appears defeated, but things are never that simple.

Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Eerabik seems like she has her own agenda - and might betray her allies once Earth is out of the picture. It should be interesting seeing if this machine empire has fallen to the Contingency, though.

Both of these concerns will be addressed in Chapter 34: Deus ex Machina

I wonder if we will learn more about this sequential multiverse

I've never heard the term Sequential Multiverse before and spent way too much time learning about the different multiverse theories. I found myself wishing I knew about the concept of Eternal Return before I started putting this story together all those years ago.

The GDF counteroffensive begins to take shape, as does Eerabik's plan. With the GDF under the progressively more "ends justify the means" General Macavity employing planet destroying weapons (which I fear will soon see their first use, I can't imagine the Progeny surrendering their holiest site) and Eerabik bringing violent robotic precursors into the fold, I fear the war is about to enter in an even more violent phase.

Oh yes. Yes it is.

The phantoms of the past War are likely to resurface...

Hey! Stop reading ahead!