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It's the Ides of March! I hope everyone is keeping their friends close. (and their enemies well out of stabbing range)
After playing some Stellaris yesterday, I know exactly who my friends are. I hope to see you all this weekend for the epic finale of Act One: The Divine Atelier!
Do I see a State of Gilead? Like in Haidmaiden's Tale? And how much time did you spend making this galaxy? I went to see your Stormbreakers map and the borders are surprisingly accurate between the old and new successor policies, like the Blorg Commonwealth- Diaspora. Excellent work!
Also, I am dying to find what exactly Emmanuel's secret is. It probably exceeds my darkest suspicions...
I've never read those books, so that makes this a pretty neat coincidence. The Gilead seen on my Galactic map is a reference to GILEAD, a tiny and unremarkable star nation seen in the famous Norsehound Map of the Homeworld Universe. (pictured below) After nearly two decades, the playerbase of the Homeworld games has generally accepted the Norsehound Map as might-as-well-be-cannon. When building the Stormbreaker Universe, I used this map as the foundation and built everything else on top of it.
As far as The Last Heroes goes, Gilead is actually meant to be a placeholder empire. I'm planning to ask @JackGoose for permission to add characters and elements from their Stellaris Story Transcendental Spaces into The Last Heroes. The plan is to use the magic of save file editing to replace Gilead with a Lumirian empire if @JackGoose gives permission for a crossover.
And how much time did you spend making this galaxy? I went to see your Stormbreakers map and the borders are surprisingly accurate between the old and new successor policies, like the Blorg Commonwealth- Diaspora. Excellent work!
This particular Galaxy was a record-setter! It look me just nine hours from start to finish to place all of the empires in their positions and get their borders expanded. Downside was I had to run it through about 40 years of gameplay before the many empires were stable enough that the AI could run them without my console-enabled intervention. And despite Paradox Interactive's many attempts, this save file actually survived the conversion to 3.3 and is still playable!
We've done it, everyone! We've reached the ending of Act One! Thank you so much for reading this far.
Buckle up, everyone. You know how longwinded I get with act breaks. Today's chapter is double the normal length! In fact, this chapter is roughly the same length as the average chapter of Faith in Chaos or The Stormbreakers. Don't believe me? Ask @Nikolai, his (completely justified) complaints about the length of my chapters can be found in many parts of AARland, and they are directly responsible for the soft limit of 4000 words I've been putting on my chapters for the past year or so.
But not today! This chapter is just barely more than 8000 words in length and will probably take an hour to read. Get some hot tea and a blanket folks!
Also, I had some fun with this chapter. If you've read any of my other stories, you know I'm a big fan of the Star Wars movies and I love referencing them wherever possible. Can you spot a line of dialogue I ripped from the Original Trilogy?
And finally, I wanted to pay homage to one particular reader who has left hundreds of comments and questions littered across the Stormbreaker Universe over the years. That's correct, everyone: Chris "History Dude" Wright will be making a guest appearance today! Last seen in My Father's War, this character is named for @HistoryDude, an absolute pillar of AARland. Thanks for your contributions to the Stormbreaker Universe, @HistoryDude!
With that out of the way, let's move on to the main event, the finale of The Last Heroes - Act One: The Divine Atelier!
“The Stormbreakers?” Scarlett said. “Well, that explains a lot. And you said they’re the ones you were travelling with when Yassen and Malachi found you?”
Inez nodded silently.
It had been almost an hour since the narrow escape from Bannack. Inez, Scarlett, David, and several other members of the military were seated together in the galley of a UN frigate. Inez Vasquez and Rafi Bakir were with the group as well, helping the soldiers with their weapons and armor. The starship itself was flying through the uppermost layers of the atmosphere, cutting a path southeast, towards the sunrise.
As the journey carried on, the full story of the sudden attack on Bannack became known to all. Scarlett cursed when she learned the Stormbreakers had not only been part of the attack, but that they had narrowly missed getting a visual on herself and Inez.
Inez was starting to feel tired after her lucky escape, but something was nagging at the back of her mind and she just needed to ask. Taking a deep breath, she said:
“Mom, when I was with the Stormbreakers, they said they were chosen for a special mission, and that I was supposed to be with them… But who chose the new Stormbreakers in the first place? And why did they want me on the team at all?”
Scarlett leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. Letting her chin touch her chest, the spymaster was so deep in thought that Inez did not dare to make sudden or loud noises. Finally, after a few short moments, Scarlett looked up at her daughter again.
“Incredible.” Scarlett replied. “Until this very moment, until you said something, I didn’t realize the Stormbreakers were taking orders from someone. I thought they were acting on their own.”
The other people in the galley started to speak up, all voicing their own opinions on who the secret person behind the Stormbreakers could be.
“It has to be some kind of benefactor.” David mused. “That starship the Stormbreakers use must be expensive to fuel and maintain. Not to mention their weapons. I’ll bet they’ve got a secret bankroller.”
Rafi Bakir stepped forward and voiced his own opinion.
“Director, we should consider the possibility that one of our enemies could be behind this, controlling and commanding the Stormbreakers. Degra Kessick or Blake Robinson or Marka Ranginui.”
At this, Inez found her voice.
“What? No way!” She protested. “The Stormbreakers are heroes!”
Inez knew at once that this was the wrong thing to say. She got dirty looks from several people around the room, including from Rafi Bakir, who said:
“I do hope you’re referring to the original Stormbreakers. Jericho’s allies from the Second Hyperspace War.”
“These new Stormbreakers are just as good as the old ones!” Inez insisted. “You know what I mean; they’re not the bad guys! They saved Cassandra, and they saved me too!”
Rafi gave Inez a stern look and said:
“Taking you away from UN workers who only wanted to help you doesn’t strike me as something the ‘good guys’ would do, Agent Espinosa.”
“Yeah.” Chimed in Inez Vasquez. “Those fighters did a lot of horrible things before they met up with you, Espinosa.”
Inez looked from the others to her mother. Scarlett nodded grimly.
“The people you met, the so-called Stormbreakers, have committed a long list of crimes against the United Nations of Earth. They stole a warship from the UN Navy, attacked and killed countless soldiers and marines. They murdered Jericho’s disciples and desecrated her holy sites. The degenerates who dare to use the name of Jericho’s old team are dangerous and unhinged.”
Inez gave up on trying keeping up a conversation.
Scarlett had failed to answer Inez’s original question. Varian had said Inez was chosen for something? But what?
Inez tried get her mother to talk to her again, but Scarlett had already stood up and was leaving the galley.
“I have to talk to the captain.” Scarlett was speaking to Rafi. “We need to make sure no one is following us to Florida.”
Inez watched her mother leave and hesitated. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to follow Scarlett and chase her down. But Inez’s moment of indecision was suddenly ended when somebody grabbed her hand.
“Hey, did the Director ever answer your question?”
It was David Sepulveda. The Central Officer of XCOM was looking at Inez with a quizzical expression. Inez shook her head.
“Figured. She does that.” David replied. “Come on, follow me.”
Pulling Inez by the hand, David led her out of the Galley and into the hallway. They were located along one of the exterior hulls of the frigate, and a window on the right allowed Inez to look out and see that the ship was flying some ten miles above the surface of the Earth. The lights of cities below winked out of the darkness like a starfield, far different in quality than the one above it.
“Director!” David called down the hallway. “Director Freeman, a moment!”
David and Inez ran to catch up with Scarlett, who had turned around and was waiting for them about twenty yards ahead.
“Need something, Central?” Scarlett asked.
“Not me.” David replied. “Ne-, I uh, I mean… Inez wanted to follow-up with you on her first question.”
David let go of Inez’s hand and looked sheepishly at the floor. Inez could tell he was going through quite a lot of emotions. David was waiting for the inevitable outburst from Inez that usually followed the use of a nickname she hated. He was also holding onto hope, hope that he made a good impression on Inez… and all of this under a layer of…
Inez quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts. She should have guessed that David would have feelings for her, and was a little surprised that she failed to notice earlier.
“Uh, anyway. I’ll let you finish your chat.”
David stepped away and back into the galley.
Inez and Scarlett looked at one another for a moment. Scarlett had an annoyed expression on her face, and Inez knew that her mother was irked about being interrupted in the middle of some other task.
“Mom…” Inez began. “When I was with the Stormbreakers, Varian said they were chosen for an important mission, and I was chosen too. I was supposed to be with them. Do you know anything about that?”
The expression on Scarlett’s face went through an incredible change. All traces of annoyance were gone, replaced with a look of barely suppressed triumph. When Scarlett spoke, her voice wavered intensely, a sign of the emotions she was holding back.
“Varian. Did you say… Varian. As in Varian Robinson? Is Varian the one called Uplink?”
Inez shook her head.
“No, Varian is Aeneas.”
She could see, clear as day, that her mother was thinking very fast. Then, without warning, Scarlett lurched forward and grabbed Inez in a very tight hug. Inez let out a little squeak as Scarlett put her into a very affectionate embrace. Then, after a moment, she realized that Scarlett was actually crying.
“Thank you!” Scarlett sobbed. “We suspected, but we never knew. We’ve got a name to a face … and now we’ll get some justice.”
Then Scarlett release Inez and gently held her face in her hands.
“You are the best daughter I ever could have asked for, Inez.” Scarlett breathed. “I love you.”
The sudden outpouring of love and affection coming from her mother overwhelmed Inez, and she leaned forward to return it with interest, hugging Scarlett and whispering.
“I love you too, mom.”
“I never should have sent you away.” Scarlett said. “Because… Varian is right. You were chosen. That’s why I was planning to bring you back to Bannack. And that’s why your dad took Cassandra.”
Inez found herself bursting with new questions.
“Why-” she started to say, but Scarlett interrupted.
“You and Subject Two were selected to play an important part in the Prometheus Project.” Scarlett said. “I can’t really describe it without showing it to you... so that’s what’ll happen when we land.”
Scarlett led Inez up to the bridge, where the Captain and his crew were operating the frigate. While Inez watched, Scarlett ordered the Captain to make sure he reached the “Divine Atelier” as soon as possible. Inez did not ask what the Divine Atelier was. She had a hunch she would find out soon enough. A moment later, Scarlett moved to the Hyperwave Relay terminal and sent a short message. Then Scarlett said to Inez:
“When we get to Florida, you’ll understand everything.”
…
April 15, 2086
Cape Canaveral, Florida
The Frigate slipped below the clouds, descending toward a landmass that jutted out from the eastern coast of Florida. A river and lagoon broke up the region, creating an island with a lengthy cape jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. Both the island and cape were home to an incredible complex of facilities. Launch and landing pads lined the waterfront while massive warehouses and drydocks accommodated starships the size of small towns. A network of roads crisscrossed the area, with each one being wide enough to accommodate frigate-sized vessels.
Inez had never seen a spaceport in her life, and she kept her face pressed up against a window as the frigate descended, taking in everything there was to see. Even though it was late at night, the Kennedy Space Center was very busy. Starships were coming and going from the facility like bees from a hive, while cars, trucks, busses, and other assorted vehicles clogged the roads below. Out at sea, watercraft plied the ocean waves, moving along the canal to the seaport.
At first, Inez thought she was looking at a spaceport on the outskirts of a large city, then she realized the true nature of this place: Cape Canaveral and the adjacent Kennedy Space Center were in fact, a spaceport the size of a large city. Bigger than Detroit itself.
“Wow.” Inez breathed. “This is incredible.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Scarlett said with a laugh, “Look there, to the north of that small lagoon. Do you see that?”
Inez had to squint her eyes to see what her mother was pointing at. In the darkness, she could just make out a constellation of lights, arranged in a three-by-five grid pattern.
“What’s down there?” Inez asked.
“The very thing you were chosen for.” Scarlett replied. “And the reason why sending you away was the biggest mistake I ever could have made.”
The frigate landed near the center of the spaceport, adjacent to a building that stood nearly five-hundred-feet tall. Inez got a good look at the structure as she stepped off the frigate. Strangely enough, she could see that this giant building had two large doors that were almost as tall as the building itself. Also, there were three symbols that caught Inez’s eye.
First, the UN insignia was covering up a red and black mark on the southwest corner of the building. Inez guessed that the symbol of the old ADVENT regime had been replaced with the UN logo. Additionally, someone had painted over the old NASA logo with a bright blue XCOM shield. Finally, the flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency was flying from a pole on the top of the structure. As soon as her mother debarked, Inez poked her arm, pointed to the building, and asked:
“So, what’s that?”
“A century ago, before the Second Hyperspace War, that was the Vehicle Assembly Building.” Scarlett explained. “It was the nerve center of the spaceport, and the birthplace of some of the very first Human spacecraft. Now, that’s where we build Prometheus Engines. The real, full-sized ones. But that’s not what I want you to see. You need to see what the engine is going to power.”
An armored car pulled up to the landing pad. David Sepulveda opened the rear passenger door and held it for Inez and Scarlett. Once they were both inside, he stepped into the front passenger seat and ordered the driver to head for the Divine Atelier.
“Divine what?” Inez repeated.
“You could call it my personal workshop.” Scarlett replied. “Where the most important of my work is being done; it’s right underneath the drydocks you need to see, and from now on, it’s going to be your home.”
…
The armored car pulled onto a large road named “Kennedy Parkway” and started to drive Northwest. Out of the right window, Inez saw a cove of shallow brown water, dotted with islands covered in wetland flora. To the left, Inez could see a collection of hangar bays, some of which had their doors open. Inside, spacecraft of incredible design were being looked over by crews of engineers.
Then the car pulled off and arrived at its destination. Not waiting for David to open the door, Inez ran out of the car, crossed the parking lot, and grabbed hold of the guardrail to keep herself steady as she took in the incredible sight before her:
Three rectangular holes were carved right into the ground. Each one was roughly four-hundred yards long and nearly a hundred wide. When Inez spotted the cranes, scaffolding, and elevators in each pit, she realized that these were drydocks. In each one, a star cruiser was under construction.
The most remarkable feature of these warships was not their shape or size, but their primary weapon. Inez was by no means an expert on space combat, but even she knew what a Spinal-Mounted Weapon was. Each of these cruisers had a massive and powerful-looking cannon embedded deep within its frame, to the point where Inez could say that the ship was built around the gigantic gun. It was an imposing sight.
Scarlett and David joined Inez, while the driver hung back, leaning against the armored car.
“You’re building these?” Inez asked.
“Not by myself!” Scarlett laughed. “But I am the one who made this happen.”
“What you are looking at is the final word in the history of warfare.” David explained. “The Prophet-Class Command Cruiser!”
“Thanks to the Prometheus Engine,” Scarlett said. “These will be the first warships since Jericho’s Trinity to carry fully operational Psionic weapons.”
Open mouthed, Inez looked back and forth from the star cruisers to her mother and back again. Finally, Inez found her voice.
“Incredible!” she said. “You could stop your enemies cold with those things!”
“Exactly.” Scarlett said. “With the power of the mind unlocked, large-scale pitched battles like the War in Heaven will become a thing of the past. The next enemies of Humankind will be defeated through mass mental manipulation. With just one of these ships, we can drive a million-man army to destroy itself through panic and confusion, or break a nation’s will to fight with but a snap of our fingers. Human supremacy can be achieved without bloodshed.”
Impressed, Inez let out a low whistle.
“And the Prometheus Engine powers the ships?” she asked.
“No, just the weapons.” David corrected her. “The main weapon of the Prophet-class is called the Divine Enforcer. It’s miniaturized Planet Killer tech we lifted off the Partogans.”
“It was a nightmare, figuring out how to shrink a planet-killing weapon to the point where it could be mounted on a cruiser.” Scarlett admitted, “The biggest problem was finding a sufficient source of Psionic energy to power the Divine Enforcer. That’s where the Prometheus Engine comes in, and it’s also where your father left the picture.”
Inez stumbled as a wave of understanding rolled over her.
“Wait a minute… Dad left… he left because the Prometheus Engine…”
“Draws Psionic energy from a living host.” Scarlett finished. “Yes.”
Inez started to say something, but Scarlett continued.
“And you should know, Inez. Emanuel was intimately involved in the creation of the Divine Enforcer. He came up with the original design. He conceived it.”
Mouth dry, Inez said:
“What about Cassandra?”
Scarlett waved a hand dismissively and answered:
“The process is not fatal. Because of the way the Prometheus Engine is designed, hurting or killing the host is counterproductive. Subject Two will be fine, just as you told her she would be.”
Inez gripped the handrail tightly.
“Mom, I really don’t think I’m comfortable doing that to Cassandra.”
“I know.” Scarlett said. “David and I talked it over with Polly after that night on Level Seven. We’ve come up with a solution that we think will be best for everyone.”
Scarlett took Inez by the shoulder and looked her in the eyes.
“Inez. Subject Two landed at the spaceport a little before we did. Now… tell me… Who do you think Subject One was and where are they now?”
Inez’s brain chugged along like an overloaded motor. Try as she might, she could not think of any other person she knew with the Gift.
“It’s Jericho, right?” she guessed.
Scarlett and David both gave each other a knowing look, as though an unspoken message had passed between them.
“If we had the ability to make Jericho stay here and work for us, we’d have done it already.” David said. “She does her own thing, wherever she is.”
Scarlett put both hands on Inez’s shoulders now.
“Listen to me, Inez. When you were younger, did you ever get inside somebody’s head? And I don’t mean just guessing what they were thinking; I mean did you truly understand their every motive and instinct?”
“And did you ever have an effect or influence on someone that couldn’t be explained by logic?” David added. “Besides my stupid teenage self, of course.”
Inez finally realized what her mother was insinuating.
“Wait… You think I’m…” Inez could not finish the sentence.
“Have you ever, say… bewitched someone with your singing voice?” Scarlett pressed. “Has anyone called you a siren before?”
Inez felt her mouth go dry. It made sense, but at the same time, it did not.
“Five years ago, when we put you through that test in the Psi Lab, all the results came back negative.” Scarlett said. “I thought you were mundane and powerless. We sent you away and struck you off the records. Subject One came to nothing. But then we saw the same readings coming off Subject Two, and I knew I made a horrible mistake and started trying to bring you back.”
“So… wait a minute.” Inez broke her mother’s grip and took a few steps back. She was breathing deeply, trying to steady herself. “You’re really saying I’m Gifted?”
Scarlett and David looked at one another. Then they both shook their heads.
“No.” Said Scarlett. “You have Psionic Sensitivity. That means the neurons in your brain are configured to detect Psionic energy, but we don’t think you can consciously control it the way a Gifted person does. Based on what we’ve seen, your sensitivity seems to function on an unconscious level.”
“And that’s why you were chosen for the project.” David concluded.
“It takes a Gifted person to power the Prometheus Engine.” Scarlett explained. “They’re the catalyst. But a separate Sensitive person has to operate the Divine Enforcer. That person is the conduit. That’s why we needed you back. Starting tonight, you and Subject Two will work together on the same ship.”
Scarlett leaned over the guardrail and pointed toward one of the Prophet-class cruisers in the drydock.
“That ship, right there. Do you see it, Inez? That is the Akhenaten. Subject Two is going to be the catalyst for its main weapon. You are going to serve as her conduit, and…”
Scarlett gave her daughter a gentle smile.
“This is my... personal gift to you, Inez. For being such a strong and incredible daughter: You are going to be Akhenaten’s commanding officer.”
Inez was feeling dizzy. This was all too much.
“You want me to command a starship?” Inez said. “I’ve never even been to space!”
“You’ve proven your loyalty to us. That means you can be trusted with a command.” David said. “And don’t worry. Akhenaten isn’t finished and won’t be ready to fly for some time. In the meantime, you’ll be going through space training just like everyone else. Akhenaten has a crew of twenty-seven hundred, and hardly any of them have flown in space before. You’ll be in familiar company. By the time you finish, you’ll be ready to take command of the Akhenaten. Heck, the ship might not be ready to fly by then at any rate.”
Inez hesitated. She had a few reservations.
“Mom, be serious for a second. Look at me. Would the crew even take orders from me?”
A dark look came over Scarlett’s face.
“You forget who your mother is.” Scarlett said. “I got where I am because I command blind, unquestioning obedience. And in time, you will too.”
Inez could not argue against that. She had seen the deferential way her mother was treated by everyone around her. When Inez cast her eyes at the ground, David said:
“She just needs convincing, Director. Give her time.”
“Agreed.” Scarlett replied in a dangerous voice. “But I don’t need time to prove the strength of my command.”
Then in a sudden movement, Scarlett turned to face the armored car driver, who had been quietly listening to all of this from about ten feet away. Scarlett pointed at him and spoke in a calm voice:
“Throw yourself off the edge.”
The driver’s eyes widened in horror, but Scarlett did not repeat herself. Without a moment’s hesitation, the driver darted towards the guardrail and was over the railing before Inez could even cry out! Inez raced forward to look over the edge.
She was expecting to see a red stain at the bottom of the pit, some two-hundred feet below. Instead, to her surprise, Inez spotted the man sprawled on another ledge about ten feet below, shaken but otherwise unharmed.
“I didn’t know that was there.” Inez breathed with a sigh of relief.
“Neither did he.” Scarlett said. “I can teach you to make your words into someone else’s law, Inez. As my daughter, you have a right to that kind of knowledge.”
It was in that moment Inez made her decision. It would involve closing the door on ever returning to the Stormbreakers, but she was fine with that. Because ever since Cassandra had shown up on Opal’s doorstep in Novi, the words from her father’s letter had echoed in her mind again and again.
Cassandra is the victim in all of this.
Cassandra was innocent.
She needs to be protected.
If Cassandra was stationed aboard the vessel Inez commanded, then Inez would be able to prevent Cassandra from being mistreated anymore. But of course, that would mean Inez would have to completely dedicate herself to her mother’s cause. Inez would ally herself to Pascal Etienne and make herself into an enemy of the Stormbreakers and their allies. The next time Inez met her close friend Lawrence Ridge, they would be on opposing sides, and that realization hurt Inez more than anything else. But this was the only option.
Inez would protect Cassandra at any expense, including her own.
Inez faced her mother and said:
“Alright, I’m listening…”
Scarlett put one hand around her daughter’s shoulder and steered her into a nearby building. The Divine Atelier was a large rectangular building overlooking the drydocks. Century-old paint on the façade revealed this place used to be the main Apollo facility. Resting on a pedestal in front of the main entrance was an actual Apollo spacecraft from the 1970’s. It looked so small and inconsequential in comparison to the mighty star cruisers being built only a short distance away.
…
April 15, 2086
Honolulu, Hawaii
On the Island of Oahu, the sun was starting to rise. The gentle hum of electric cars and trucks complimented the singing of birds and crashing of ocean waves. It was shaping up to be another beautiful day in this Pacific paradise.
In the heart of the city, a sleek electric car navigated the packed streets while the driver carried on a pleasant conversation with two passengers.
“We can’t thank you enough for giving us a lift.” Said a man from the back passenger seat. “All of our plans changed at the last minute.”
“No problem.” Replied the driver. “Any friend of Hana is a friend of mine.”
The male passenger put an arm around his wife and squeezed her affectionately.
“So how long do you think it’ll take to reach the Capitol Building from here?” The passenger asked.
“Oh, not long at all.” Said the driver. “Honolulu traffic is easy to figure out once you’ve lived here as long as I have.”
And sure enough, in what felt like no time at all, the car arrived at the Iolani Palace, just down the street from the grand complex that served as the political core of the Hawaiian Republic. Of course, because this was a government complex, the car had to pass through a checkpoint before it could enter. The driver rolled down all of the windows while heavily armed UN soldiers approached the car from all sides.
“Good morning gentlemen!” said the driver.
All of the soldiers smiled and waved. They were relaxed and comfortable. Nearly all of the troops had holstered their weapons and were asking permission to shake hands with the people in the car. One soldier, an officer, approached the driver’s window and said:
“Look man, I know this is annoying, but we have to follow standard procedure. Please identify yourself and your passengers for the record.”
The driver said his own name first, and then introduced his passengers:
“My name is Christopher Wright, and behind me are Himawari Robinson, although she prefers you to call her ‘Hana’ and that’s her husband, Amako Patariki.”
Chris, Himawari, and Amako all handed over their identification cards, while another soldier asked:
“Chris Wright? You’re the ‘History Dude’ who wrote those books about the Paradox, right?”
“Yes, I am.” Chris replied.
The soldier was so excited that he actually jumped a little.
“My kids are gonna freak when I tell them I met you!” The trooper replied. “We’re all big fans!”
Chris started to say his thanks, when he noticed the officer walking back towards the car. To his genuine alarm, Chris noticed that the officer’s expression had changed. He now looked deeply concerned and upset.
“Officer, is something the matter?” Chris said.
“Yeah… there is.” The officer’s voice was filled with shock and disbelief. “Chris… I… uh… I have to detain all three of you.”
Instinctively, Chris lowered his left hand, keeping his fingertips above the buttons that controlled the door locks.
“Hey, man… what’s going on?” Amako asked from the backseat.
The officer turned to look at Himawari and said:
“Himawari Robinson. Step out the car. UN Interpol has issued a warrant for your arrest. I’m placing you in custody on suspicion of aiding and abetting a terrorist.”
Himawari looked at the officer for a moment, then cupped one hand to her ear before she spoke aloud in very poor, broken English:
“I am deaf. I am deaf. I can not hear you.”
Simultaneously, Amako and Chris turned to face Himawari. Both men gave her a series of hand signals that only she could understand. A look of dawning comprehension came over Himawari’s face.
“Tell her to step out of the car.” The officer commanded. “Now. Before we drag her out.”
The mood was changing very quickly. Soldiers looked around, confused. This was no ordinary person; this was Himawari Robinson! Her father Blake was one of the most powerful men on the Hawaiian Islands, and a legendary war hero to boot. Arresting his physically disabled daughter was going to have wide-reaching consequences, regardless of the reason.
One more time, the officer demanded Himawari step out of the car. Alarmingly, the officer reached down and put one hand on his holster. Amako and Chris looked at Himawari, who now fully understood the situation.
Slowly, Himawari raised her right hand to eye level. Then she stuck out her thumb, index finger, and pinkie finger, while keeping the middle and ring fingers together and tucked in. Keeping her fingers like this, she bobbed her hand back and forth twice.
Himawari had spoken only one single word in Sign Language, but Chris and Amako perfectly understood the message she was trying to send.
Moving as fast as he could, Chris locked the doors and slammed his foot onto the accelerator. The electric car shot forward and through the checkpoint while soldiers shouted at them to stop.
“Put your heads down!” Chris yelled as he rolled up the windows.
Amako put one hand on his wife’s head and forced her to hide in the foot well, then he shifted over in the seat so his own body would hide Himawari from view. Chris drove a high-speed circle around the Iolani Palace before getting back onto the main road, nearly hitting a statue of King Kamehameha. Sirens began to sound across the government complex, and in a matter of seconds, half a dozen police cars filed onto the road, giving chase.
As he drove, Chris punched a button on the touchscreen next to the central console.
“Call Randall!”
A nasally voice picked up the phone call.
“Murphy.” Said the nasally voice.
“Randall! It’s Chris!” Chris said. “Get the Angel onto the runway and spool her up for takeoff, we’ve got Blueheads chasing us! They’re after Hana!”
“Damn it all to hell!” Randall replied. “Get to the runway! I’ll do the rest!”
A loud thudding noise caught the attention of everyone in the car.
“What the hell was that!?” Chris shouted.
“Gunfire!” Amako reported. “Those cops are shooting at us!”
Not waiting to see if Amako was right, Chris jerked the wheel hard and swerved into a public transit lane. Dodging and weaving around a city bus, Chris looked out the rear view mirror just in time to see that one of the police cars had pulled over to the side of the road, and a cop was standing on the hood of another car, taking aim with an assault rifle!
“Hold on!” Chris yelled.
He turned the car sharply, making a note of the street signs as he went. He knew exactly how to get to the airport from here, but the cops were not going to make this easy.
Up ahead, there was a sudden clearing in the traffic. With four lanes of city streets clear, another police car pulled alongside the fleeing vehicle and matched its speed. Amako shouted:
“He’s gonna shoot!”
Chris had just enough time to see the police car pulling up on his left before a cop was leaning out of the passenger window and aiming a stuttermag. The compact submachinegun let out a chattering noise, followed up by the thudding of gauss rounds into the side of Chris’ car. Pulling hard on the wheel, Chris managed to place a semi-truck between himself and the attacking car. Suddenly, the city streets gave way to a network of six-lane freeway bridges. The city of Honolulu was quickly left behind, and now the town of Pearl Harbor lay before the fugitive car. Chris knew the Robinson family mansion was in Pearl City, just on the other side of the harbor, but he knew they would never get there in time.
“Right side!” Amako yelled.
Another police car had drawn level with the fugitives. This one came even closer before a weapon was aimed out of the driver’s side window. Before Chris could react, Amako rolled down the right-side passenger window and lunged out to meet the oncoming attack. Head and shoulders out of the car, Amako reached out and grabbed the cop’s weapon before he could pull the trigger. In the ensuing scuffle, Amako somehow managed to gain control of the laser pistol. He turned the weapon against the police car, there was a flash of searing red light, and the police car began to pull off the road, completely engulfed in flames!
Amako fired the laser pistol wildly out the window, forcing even more of the police to withdraw, but the trio’s problems were far from over. A UN army vehicle, laden with an array of terrifying weapons, was now joining the pursuit. Amako kept blasting away while Chris made one last turn.
Honolulu Airport was on alert. Armed guards were positioning themselves outside of the entrances and exits, while Skyrangers patrolled the air above. Of course, the soldiers at the gate were expecting the fugitive car to try and smash their way through, but none of the defenders were expecting Himawari to have inside help.
With a great crash, one of the hangar doors burst open as a spaceship emerged from within. Old, worn, and scarred by many a past fight, the Battlemaster-class gunship Ark Angel was fifty years past her prime. Yet her sudden appearance on the scene caused just the right amount of chaos, because the Ark Angel’s fame preceded the ship itself.
The pilots of both Skyrangers were so intimidated by the Ark Angel that they completely forgot the old spaceplane was no longer a warship, and thus stripped of her weapon systems. The Skyrangers scattered, fleeing the area at high speed. Soldiers on the ground saw the spaceplane smash its way out of the hanger and turned to flee. The five men on the checkpoint only had a few seconds to register this development before Chris Wright drove his car through the checkpoint at top speed!
None of the soldiers were able to draw their weapons on time before the car smashed through the chain-link fence and kept going. But a series of spike strips on the road did what those men could not. All four tires were shredded into pieces! Riding on the rims alone, the car was able to reach the airport apron before running out of energy and coming to a stop. The Ark Angel was just over five hundred feet away, its boarding ramp lowered and ready for three more people.
Chris, Himawari, and Amako all clambered out of the car. Chris pointed to the spaceplane and shouted:
“Go! I’ll hold them off!”
Himawari and Amako started running. On the boarding ramp, a small, skinny man who looked a little bit like a weasel appeared and waved his arms. This was Himawari’s ex-husband Randall Murphy, the new commanding officer of the Ark Angel.
“Come on!” he yelled. “You can make it, Hana! Keep running!”
While Himawari and Amako made for the Angel, Chris turned around to face the other direction. He could see the UN Army vehicle bearing down on him now, the airport terminal behind it. The troop carrier opened its doors and four XCOM soldiers stepped out, all of them wearing power armor and carrying plasma weapons. The soldiers yelled and shouted for Chris and the others to stop, and then they gave chase.
The Ark Angel was just ahead. The spaceplane was rolling forward as her nuclear ramjet engines roared to life. The boarding ramp scraped the tarmac, throwing sparks into the air. Himawari was first up the ramp, followed by Amako. She turned around to look for Chris, who was a little further behind. She waved at him and screamed wordlessly, pointing at something behind Chris. Instinctively, Chris turned his head and looked back.
He should not have done that.
A beautiful woman with long white hair, dressed in flowing white robes and a golden corset, advanced on Chris with supernatural speed. Before Chris could say or do anything, Jericho locked her vivid blue eyes with his own.
Instantly, all of the strength went out of Chris’ body. His arms and legs went numb and he collapsed to the tarmac. Chris was dazed. He could not think straight, he even had trouble comprehending where he was or what was going on. Chris was suddenly lost in a sea of sounds and lights that made no sense to him whatsoever.
Then came a new sensation, like a powerful wind pushing Chris in one direction. Without warning or fanfare, Chris was forced to relive dozens upon dozens of memories. In vivid detail, Chris watched as countless meetings with friends and allies replayed in front of him. Conversations with Blake Robinson and Robert Lansing. Sensitive meetings with powerful people, and secrets he swore to keep were extracted from his mind with surgical precision. In a matter of seconds, it was over. Chris was so stunned that he could not even comprehend the fact that his mind had just been violently ransacked.
Chris might have been down for the count, but he was not done yet. The instant the assault began; he started reaching into his coat for a very special device. Chris had received it from Blake Robinson himself, and it was meant for situations just like this. Of course, Chris had hesitated to use the device when he saw Jericho, thinking her to be a friend. But now that she was invading his mind, he had no choice.
With the last of his strength, Chris reached into his coat and produced a tightly sealed metal canister. There was no label, but there was a handwritten message on the side, which said this:
Contains one (1) sentient nightmare. FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY.
There was a pocketknife in Chris’ coat, but he had run out of strength. It was all he could do to grab the canister and pull it out of his pocket. But then, without intending to do so, his enemies brought about their own demise.
Jericho stepped to one side, allowing the XCOM soldiers to reach Chris and apprehend him. One of the soldiers grabbed the canister from Chris, threw it down on the ground, and then stomped it with his boot.
With a high-pitched hiss, the contents of the bottle escaped. A nearly opaque black cloud hung in midair just over the runway while tiny green lights winked on and off within its murky depths. The casual observer would have mistaken this dark cloud for ordinary smoke, but Chris knew everything about its true nature.
He had just unleashed a Spectre.
The Spectre was a robotic weapon system dating back to the Second Hyperspace War. What appeared to be a formless black cloud was actually a swarm of microscopic Nanomachines working together in perfect synchronized coordination.
The XCOM soldiers paused in their advance. All of them were young men, none had ever seen a Spectre before. Nobody had fought one in fifty years, as it was assumed they were all destroyed when ADVENT fell.
The dark cloud of nanobots moved in unison, buzzing like a swarm of angry locusts as they came together. Then one of the soldiers shouted:
“Don’t just stand there, shoot it!”
Chris put his hands over his head as gunfire erupted above him, followed swiftly by strangled cries and screams.
Daring to look up, Chris saw that three of the soldiers were now lying on the ground, their bodies bloody and broken. The Spectre turned against the fourth man, enveloping his body within a swirling black cloud. Chris tried to crawl away on his hands and knees, but an invisible force latched itself onto his body and held him fast. It felt like Chris was trapped in a vice!
“You’re not going anywhere!” Jericho shouted.
But the Spectre had finally turned its attention onto her. The swirling cloud of nanobots coalesced and came together into a shape that vaguely resembled the Human form. Then it lunged at Jericho!
With a sweep of her hand, Jericho created a wall of Soulfire between herself and the Spectre. The green flames flickered and wavered, granting Chris only brief views of the Spectre on the other side. Then, without warning, the Spectre struck. A black bolt shot through the Soulfire and would have hit Jericho, but instead the projectile flattened out in midair like a pancake. A telekinetic shield wavered around Jericho as she returned the hostile nanobots to the sender without as much as a flinch.
The Spectre suddenly shed its physical form once more, and the swarm closed on Jericho, ignoring the green fire and pressing itself against the invisible barrier surrounding her. Jericho waved her hands in front of her, slashing at the buzzing mass that closed in from all sides.
Two pairs of hands grabbed Chris and dragged him along the asphalt. There was a mighty crack like the sound of thunder, as Chris and his rescuers were peppered with a hailstorm of nanobots. Jericho was not free for long, however, as the Spectre started to re-form. Taking a Human shape again, the Specter grabbed Jericho by the arm and stopped her from chasing after Chris. Jericho whipped around and blasted the Spectre with a beam of emerald light from her hand.
By then, Chris was safely away. He felt the familiar carpet of the Ark Angel boarding ramp for just a moment before he came to rest somewhere in the crew cabin. Then, the spaceplane thundered down the runway before lifting off, wind whipping through the wide-open entry hatch. Somebody reached over Chris’ inert body and pulled the door closed just as the whole city of Honolulu came into view through it.
Flying low to the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the Ark Angel set a course to the Northwest.
In the cockpit, Himawari sat in the engineer’s chair while her husband Amako and her ex-husband Randall flew the spaceplane. Once they were clear of Hawaii, the trio held a very grave conversation. For Himawari’s convenience, all three people spoke in Sign Language.
“Was that who I thought it was?” Randall asked.
“I think so.” Himawari replied. “That was the fake Jericho.”
“And what did she do to the History Dude back there?” said Amako.
“I have a hunch.” Randall answered. “Do either of you know about the Elder’s Chosen, from the Second Hyperspace War? I read somewhere they could use the Gift to just steal information out of someone’s head. It sure looked like Jericho was doing that to Chris… or, the fake Jericho anyway.”
Both men looked at Himawari. She looked crestfallen.
“So that means the Jericho impersonator knows everything Chris does now.”
Randall punched the dashboard in anger.
“Damnit!” he swore. “You know what this means, right?”
“Yeah.” Amako said. “Whoever she’s working for is about to burn through all of our Intel. Our side is about to take some really hard hits. Hana, maybe we should call your parents.”
“No. We can’t” Himawari answered. “The less they know about what we’re doing, the safer they’ll be.”
“Sure, but by now, the whole world is going to know you’re a wanted criminal.” Amako said. “What the hell do you think they’re trying to charge you with, anyway?”
“Probably something like ‘associating with the enemy.’” Himawari said. “Because I know about Varian and…”
Himawari trailed off. She had a look on her face that conveyed sudden understanding.
“They know.” She said. “They must have figured out the names of the Stormbreakers. That explains why they’d put out a warrant for me.”
Randall swore again.
“Okay, that really means we can’t go to your parents then. Blake and Chihiro will probably have to disavow us.”
“I’ll be fine with that.” Himawari said. “As long as my dad can legally stay in the contest for Secretary-General, we all have a chance.”
The group stopped talking for a while. Amako twitched the controls, making sure the spaceplane stayed below fifty meters of altitude, the UN military’s radar floor. After a while, Chris Wright recovered and stumbled into the cockpit before sitting in the second engineer’s chair, opposite Himawari.
“What… what the hell happened?” Chris muttered.
“We escaped, for now.” Amako said.
“Now we have to make sure we live to fight another day.” Himawari added.
“How do we do that, anyway?” Randall cut in. “The UN’s gonna be looking for us, and they’ll be looking for this ship now, too. So where can we go? We need to find a safe port. Any idea?”
Everyone took a moment to think. Then, Amako leaned forward, grabbed a starchart and unfolded it. He was looking at a map of nearby star systems.
“I have an idea.” Amako said. “Ruunhan.”
“The Ruunhan system?” Chris asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“No no.” Amako said. “Ruunhan’s not a system, she’s a woman. Ruunhan Somtaaw. She’s neck deep in the Hiigaran criminal underworld, a real scoundrel; but she owes me a favor and her family knows about it.”
Amako pointed to a star system on the map.
“She lives in the city of Hakihea, very famous place. It’s an experimental colony where people from every species in the Galaxy live together. Best part is, Hakihea uses a condominium government, so it’s the perfect place for us to hide from the UN.”
“And this Ruunhan woman, do you trust her?”
Amako nodded.
“Ruunhan and I go way back. I knew her long before I met you, Hana.”
Himawari frowned.
“Yet you never mentioned her once.” Himawari narrowed her eyes at her husband.
“Well…” Amako sighed. “That’s because you stole me from her.”
Himawari giggled.
“Nice save, Romeo.” Himawari sniggered as she asked: “But what makes you think Ruunhan’s going to help us?”
“Ruunhan owes me.” Amako said quickly, refusing to look his wife in the eye. “She owes me a debt.”
“Why’s that? Himawari asked. “Why does she owe you?”
To her surprise, Amako suddenly looked embarrassed. Both Randall and Chris looked sheepishly at the ground, as though they were sharing in Amako’s shame. Himawari started to ask for an explanation, but Chris cut her off:
“Trust me on this, you don’t wanna know. Randall, don’t tell her. You shouldn’t have told me, but you did. And now I’m telling you: You don’t wanna know.”
“Alright. I’m sold.” Himawari told the group with a roll of the eyes. “Let’s go to Hakihea.”
…
The Ark Angel pulled up and threw her nuclear ramjet engines into full throttle. In mere moments, the Pacific Ocean was being left far behind. The spaceplane rose into the skies, charging its Hyperspace Module as it went.
All four of the people aboard the Ark Angel felt bad about leaving their homeworld behind so suddenly and without a proper farewell. Himawari knew that she was doing the right thing, but she also knew that at least in the near term, things were about to become much more difficult for the Stormbreakers.
With a humming sound and a wall of purple light, a Quantum Wavefront materialized in front of the Ark Angel. Just before it swept backwards, to envelop the ship and transport it into Hyperspace, Himawari closed her eyes and gave a silent prayer for her children.
She did not know where her eldest child Varian was, but she knew they were still alive and leading the Stormbreakers. Himawari prayed for Varian to receive their grandfather’s wisdom and their grandmother’s valor.
Himawari was disappointed in her first daughter. Sophie Murphy had joined Pascal Etienne’s political campaign and was now working against her own family. Himawari prayed for Sophie to find reason and abandon the Etienne camp.
James Patariki was eleven years old, but he was already facing incredible injustice. Amako and Himawari were so happy to have had a child together, not for the usual reasons, but because James was one of the very first Human-Partogan Hybrids born on Earth. Himawari prayed for James to find a group of friends who loved him the same way he loved his family.
And finally, Himawari spared a moment of prayer for Eraka Patariki. Eraka was Amako’s son from a previous marriage, which meant Himawari was Eraka’s stepmother. Right now, Eraka was a student at Yutaka Yamamoto University on the planet Terra Nova. She prayed for Eraka to succeed in his ambitions.
But… in the moment the Ark Angel was swept into Hyperspace, Himawari experienced a moment of hesitation. By instinct, she was addressing her prayers to Jericho. Yet somehow, it just felt wrong.
Himawari knew that Jericho… the real Jericho… was alive and well somewhere on Earth. And now an impostor, wearing Jericho’s face and name, was acting against the people who were supposed to be her friends and allies. And this led to one question that superseded all other concerns:
Wow, there's really a lot to unpack here! The UNE is pulling a sidious move and miniaturising collosus-level weaponry, using children as power sources no less.
And I find that I had overlooked something about Inez's character that makes her a great character: for all her subtleness (probably inherited from her mother (?), Scarlett) and devotion to Cassandra she seems to not be able to plan more than two steps ahead (not that I fault her, I can't either, but it's a fatal mistake in a nest of far-seeing vipers), leading her to immerse herself in moving sands she doesn't know how to get out of. She's about to be a commander of one of the most powerful and secretive weapons on a galactic level. Getting herself out will be difficult. Getting herself and Cassandra out? Only if she turns her weapons on her mother and her accomplices.
Talking about Scarlett... The level of devotion/terror she inspires is frankly bone chilling. What has she done to earn such a spine-bending reputation, I wonder?
And finally, we get to see the false Jericho again. Congrats to @HistoryDude 's alter ego for giving her trouble. That insuferable nigh unbeatable and condescendingly egocentric Messiah is really getting on my nerves!
I warned everyone that I was planning to take the story in a darker direction. I strongly recommend visiting the TV Tropes website and familiarizing yourself with the concepts of "Human Resources" and "Powered by a Forsaken Child."
And I find that I had overlooked something about Inez's character that makes her a great character: for all her subtleness (probably inherited from her mother (?), Scarlett) and devotion to Cassandra she seems to not be able to plan more than two steps ahead (not that I fault her, I can't either, but it's a fatal mistake in a nest of far-seeing vipers), leading her to immerse herself in moving sands she doesn't know how to get out of. She's about to be a commander of one of the most powerful and secretive weapons on a galactic level. Getting herself out will be difficult. Getting herself and Cassandra out? Only if she turns her weapons on her mother and her accomplices.
I think this might be the first-ever analysis of any of my characters by a reader. I can't find another comment like this on the other nine Stormbreaker stories.
I've read this ten times already, and I just keep coming back to it.
Talking about Scarlett... The level of devotion/terror she inspires is frankly bone chilling. What has she done to earn such a spine-bending reputation, I wonder?
While the full truth won't be revealed until Chapter 26: The Many Deaths of Scarlett Freeman, I can point to a previous event that offers a hint to what she's capable of:
The Kuhina Nui pressed his thumb to the tablet computer’s screen and brought up another image. This one Ambassador Lansing recognized right away.
“Why, that’s the sensor array on a starship.” He said.
“Good.” the Kuhina Nui sounded patronizing now. “But this isn’t any ordinary array. This is a precognitive interface. These sensors were built and used before the Second Hyperspace War with one specific purpose: to detect and measure Psionic energy. Now I’m sure you can understand, Ambassador, that once the war ended, nearly all of these specific sensor arrays were dismantled. They were no longer necessary because Jericho destroyed all Psionic energy. The Gift was gone.”
The Kuhina Nui pass off his tablet computer to one of the Green Guards, put his hands behind his back, and leaned towards the Ambassador in a very unfriendly way.
“Now imagine how surprised we all were...” The Kuhina Nui’s voice was deadly quiet. “When our military started receiving calls for help from civilian ships. Dozens of vessels that were just old enough to still have their Psionic sensors installed, with crews who did not understand why this old system suddenly activated and lit up just like one of your so-called ‘Christmas trees.’ Now, Ambassador, if you are daring enough, imagine the sense of alarm that filled this palace when we cross-referenced those reports and discovered that over a hundred rickety old starships all over Aoraki detected a pulse of Psionic energy at the exact same moment in time: the very instant this Human interloper tried to use a strange device that seemed to do nothing."
“I... I... I haven’t...” Ambassador Lansing was lost for words. This was not going at all the way he’d been briefed! There was no plan for a revelation like this.
“Since you fail to offer an explanation of your own, allow me.” The Kuhina Nui’s voice was icy now. “This is what we believe happened. The Human ISO saw fit to sabotage our experimental warship, for reasons beyond us. They deployed an agent equipped with Humanity’s attempt at a functional Psionic weapon, no doubt using it to get close enough to plant a remotely detonated explosive on the hull. Then I can only assume your agent’s Psionic weapon suffered some kind of catastrophic failure, dispersing Psionic energy over a wide area instead of incapacitating the guards as he intended. The rest is obvious: an escape attempt that quickly went the way of the Snowskin.”
“There... there must be some other explanation.” Ambassador Lansing’s mouth went dry, his voice cracking.
The Kuhina Nui drew dangerously close and whispered into Lansing’s ear.
“Carry Her Majesty’s message back to Freeman, your spymaster: If Human agents are caught using Psionic weapons against the Commonwealth again, we will send an agent with weapons of our own design to Berlin, and the death toll will be much higher.”
More crucially, there's a moment in All Our Sins Remembered that reveals an important detail: Scarlett is acting semi-independently from the rest of the UN Government, as she has to be summoned back to Berlin by the Secretary-General himself. The moment occurs during the side-story War of the Paradox, in Issue #7.5.
MEMO
FROM THE DESK OF PASCAL ETIENNE
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
DATE/TIME: Sunday, August 27, 2084/23:25 Berlin Standard Time
TO: Scarlett Freeman – Director, Internal Security Office
RE: Reuters article
Director Freeman,
Someone leaked the Amadiio op to the press.
There are hundreds of reporters outside the Reichstag. All of Earth is going to know by sunrise tomorrow.
I don’t give a damn why you’re in the Montana Blacksite or what the hell you're working on right now. Drop whatever you’re doing and get back to Berlin.
You were the one who said secrecy was crucial to Operation Prometheus. This breach is on your head, and the Security Council is already in emergency session. I’ll try to smooth this over with them, but Israel, Hawaii, Germany, and Brazil are already demanding you be sacked. They need 4 more votes to force you out. I’m pulling favors where I can but Freeman, you need to trust me when I say you will not survive a second screw-up.
This will not happen again, Freeman.
I know what happened to Robert Lansing, I know where he is.
The same thing will happen to you if you don’t get your house in order and take some control of your organization. No more leaks, to the press or anyone else.
I will be giving a televised speech from the Brandenburg Gate during primetime on the 29th. You will report to my office immediately afterward, and before you do, you will find the leaker and destroy them.
This version of the UN has teeth and backbone, conscience maybe not. Does anyone's secret agenda not have a secret agenda? Thankfully History Dude lives to comment on another day. Thank you for updating.
Cassandra, perhaps. I do want to use this character a lot more in upcoming chapters, so we'll see.
Also, maybe we can rule out David Sepulveda too. He's even admitted to becoming stupider if Inez is in the same room as him. Jericho save us all if Inez ever decides to exploit his one-way crush on her.
Chapter 15's YouTube video shipped with a pretty bad audio mixing error! I apologize if I accidentally deafened anyone. The edited re-upload has now been attached to Chapter 15 and headphone users no longer need to live in fear.
In other news, there will be no new chapter this weekend. I'm taking the week off to rest. You may see another GMV though.
No new chapter today, so let's do something a little different, a little fun.
Music!
Let me tell you about the music of the Stormbreaker Universe. I've found over the years that I have a much easier time writing if I can jam out to some tunes. I usually listen to soundtracks from movies and video games and I've built a set of playlists for writing. (arranged into three categories: Ambience, Tension, and High Tension)
Also, whenever one of my stories crosses a "big round number" like 50,000 views or reaches the end of an Act, I'll compile some gameplay footage together and make a custom music video. Longtime readers may have spotted one during the gap between Act Two and Act Three of The Stormbreakers back in 2020. These things are basically how I treat myself whenever I'm feeling really good about the Stormbreaker Universe.
With the exception of Legacy of the Paradox all my music videos feature the song "aLIEz". It was originally created in 2014 for a Japanese anime series called Aldnoah.Zero, and the song was later translated into English by a musician named Amalee. I don't remember when, but I decided sometime back that aLIEz was the "unofficial theme song" of the Stormbreaker Universe. Whenever my heroes are slugging it out with the Paradox, aLIEz will be the song playing over the action scene.
Since we've reached then end of Act One of The Last Heroes, I want to celebrate making it 1/3rd of the way through what I intend to be the final installment in this long-running series. So I made a new video yesterday.
Seriously. From start to finish, this one took about seven hours from opening the video editor until the YouTube upload was completed. Usually these videos take four or five days to make.
So that's what I'm going to leave you with this weekend in lieu of a chapter.
Here is the first of two music videos I would like to share with you, a musical tour of the 70-year history of the heroic Stormbreakers, from their foundation in World War 3 all the way to their glorious triumph in the Second Hyperspace War.
And this second video is kind of a bonus for you, dear readers. A long time ago, someone said that reading my stories made them feel like they were watching a Hollywood movie. So for that person's benefit, I made a soundtrack featuring music from all seven of the major installments of the Stormbreaker Series, almost as though it was the soundtrack to a movie adaptation of these stories.
And you know what? Let's just throw in some of the new Fanart just for the heck of it?
The False Jericho by Discord User "BeforeDreams#8159"
Enutanga tour poster by Reddit User "u/bsleonardo"
The False Jericho by Jéssica Santana
The False Jericho by Reddit User "u/valwantstodraw"
Great stuff! I say, spending 7 hours doing these videos must be challenging, I hope you have a comfy chair and some snacks! But the end result is great! And I'll have to experiment that technique of writing with ambient music....
As an aside, the fanart is all very cool, kudos to the artists! And be proud of yourself for describing your characters so well that the false Jericho's look is instantly recognisable, and transversal to the three artists and their three wildly different styles!
I recommend it. There's actually a very wide range of music out there on the internet and some YouTube playlists are catered specifically for people who want to listen to music while they work.
Welcome back, dear readers! Who's ready for Act Two?
So I saw the movie Spiderman: No Way Home recently, and it gave me an idea for a completely epic set piece battle. Sit back and enjoy!
Oh, and if anyone is confused by the tech of "Return Beacons," these devices were last seen in Faith in Chaos. Akira used them to teleport directly to her timeship whenever she needed a quick escape. You can see one in action here in Chapter 2.6: Toa Wahine.
Chapter 16
Three vs Three
September 11, 2036 Nagasaki, Japan Unknown Alternate Timeline
“You know what? I hate time travel.”
“Me too.”
“Me three.”
Jericho, the girl who became a god, and her two doppelgangers all checked their weapons and equipment, preparing for the battle to come. Despite being the same person across three different Cycles, the number of similarities between the Trio were equaled by the number of differences.
The original Jericho was dressed in her most well-known outfit: a dirty yellow tee-shirt with jeans. She was the only one of the trio to retain her shoulder-length wavy blue hair. Cradled in her arms was her favorite weapon, the Boltcaster: an alien rifle that was like a futuristic crossbow.
The second Jericho was wearing a military uniform adorned with the black and red flag of the ADVENT Coalition, she kept her black hair tied up in a bun. She was armed and equipped with the latest in ADVENT weapons and technology, including a wrist-mounted shield generator and a plasma beam rifle. In her own timeline, this dark version of Jericho betrayed XCOM and joined the Elders in their conquest of Humanity.
The third Jericho was the epitome of the term “wild child.” She showed every sign of having spent her entire life in the wilderness, away from other Humans. Her hair was long and tangled; her outfit barely more than rags. The Wild Jericho didn’t carry a weapon, she didn’t need it. In the Cycle she came from, neither XCOM nor ADVENT succeeded in bringing Jericho onto their side of the war. Instead, the Wild Jericho had lived in the untamed wilderness, exploring and expanding her Psionic powers until she transformed into a literal Force of Nature.
Now, thanks to the Paradox, a self-centered time-travelling villain, these three different incarnations of Jericho found themselves together on the same battlefield. While they waited for the chaos to begin, they asked one another the questions that were burning in their minds.
“So you really don’t have to eat?” said the Dark Jericho. “Really?”
Wild Jericho rolled her eyes and replied:
“Seriously!? I’m surprised you two still have to eat and drink like animals. A drop of morning dew and the energy of the Universe is more than enough for me.”
“Yeah right.” Laughed the Original Jericho. “If I go more than a day without some beef or chicken, or at least an ADVENT Burger I will literally die.”
Now it was Dark Jericho’s turn to laugh.
“You eat that fake meat ADVENT makes?” Dark Jericho chortled. “You know ADVENT Burgers are made from… ugh… you know what? Never mind.”
The Original Jericho pinched her nose and said to her Wild counterpart:
“I have, like, so many questions about how you do ordinary things. Do you even… you know… do you still have periods and all that?”
The Wild Jericho raised her eyebrows, and then burst into laughter, doubling over and holding her sides.
“I’m still a woman, girl!” Wild Jericho giggled. “Jeez!”
“So, what’s the craziest aliens you’ve had to fight?” Original Jericho asked.
“You’ve met most of them.” Dark Jericho said, folding her arms with a smile. “Although I once went toe-to-toe with the biggest, scariest Kelt you’ve ever seen.”
“A Kelt!?” Wild Jericho was laughing so hard she fell over onto the ground. “Aren’t those lizards, like, two feet tall!?”
“This one was three feet, two inches, swear on my life!” Dark Jericho said. “What did you fight? Tell us; don’t make this into a game of Truth or Dare.”
Wild Jericho sat up.
“Okay… so one time, I uh… I lassoed a Cyberdisk and rode it like a horse.”
The other two Jerichos both lost their composure. They both cracked up.
“Yeah, I know.” The Wild Jericho said. “I must seem pretty boring compared to you to. You went off and saved the world and here I am, just living day to day.”
The Original Jericho recovered.
“Boring?” She said. “No, nothing boring about you. You’ve got the life I always wanted. People leave you alone and you don’t have to fight all the time. When this is over, we gotta trade lives.”
“Only if we can take our mothers with us.” Dark Jericho chimed in.
On that note, everyone’s faces fell.
They still had to win today’s battle before anyone could go home. The three Jerichos looked to the sky. Up above, the War in Heaven was raging. The space battle lit up the air so powerfully that it looked like there were two suns in the sky. Behind the trio, a single Psionic Gateway was humming gently. Only moments before, the Stormbreakers had passed through it on a mission of their own.
Simultaneously, all three girls felt a sudden change in the air around them. The atmosphere was charging, as though a lightning strike was imminent. They knew their time was almost up.
“Does everyone have the Return Beacons Akira made?” Dark Jericho asked.
“Yup.” Replied the Original. “One-way ticket to the Ark Angel and the Time Core.”
“Remember the plan.” Wild Jericho said. “Incapacitate, then teleport them straight to Akira.”
“Too easy.” Dark Jericho said.
And then it began. A column of purple light descended to the ground, heralding the arrival of a Psionic warrior. As the light faded away, a towering alien woman appeared, wielding a black Katana. This was Mira Mihaka, the Elder’s Chosen Assassin and former adoptive mother of the Original Jericho.
“A new world awaits me, but you will never see it!” Mira the Assassin declared.
A second shaft appeared, revealing another combatant. This time, it was an alien woman wearing a dark hood and armed with a wicked-looking rifle. This was Mira Mihaka, the Elder’s Chosen Hunter and former adoptive mother of the Wild Jericho.
“Right on schedule. I appreciate that.” Mira the Hunter hissed.
Finally, a third column appeared, but this time, the warrior hovered above the Earth, her arms outstretched as Psionic energy rippled forth from her body.
“The Gods elevate me!” Proclaimed Mira Mihaka, the Chosen Warlock. “So I may strike you down!”
Dark Jericho’s mother cut off her power and landed with such force that she cracked the pavement beneath her feet.
And here was the bizarre face-off, induced by yet another one of Akira’s time travel misadventures: Three different versions of Jericho, each from a different cycle, were face-to-face with three different versions of Mira Mihaka.
Mothers and daughters faced off, weapons at the ready. Up in the sky, a battlecruiser exploded within the atmosphere, raining fire and debris down upon the Nagasaki Battlefield.
The Hunter, the Warlock, and the Assassin all lunged at their respective daughters and the battle began! The Original Jericho raised her Boltcaster and fired a shot towards the oncoming Assassin, who dodged the incoming projectile with room to spare. Using her free hand, Jericho summoned a Psionic shield and placed it in front of her just as the Assassin brought her Katana down.
“Your world is bathed in the blood of my enemies.” Said the Assassin. “Now is your chance for vengeance. There will be no more running, no more delays.”
“I’ve saved you once, already.” Original Jericho taunted the Assassin. “I’ll do it again!”
The Wild Jericho had to duck and dodge as fast as she could while the Chosen Hunter opened fire with her Darklance. The alien rifle let out powerful cracking sounds while Mira the Hunter taunted:
“Dance! Dance like a common rodent, girl! You can’t run forever.”
The Wild Jericho slammed her palm to the asphalt, unleashing the full extent of her powers. Tree roots sprang out of the ground like anaconda and wrapped themselves around the Hunter, but Mira couldn’t be held for long. With a great crash of splintering wood, Hunter Mira broke free and resumed the attack.
Warlock Mira aimed her palms towards the Dark Jericho, projecting an intense column of Soulfire at her daughter. Dark Jericho activated her personal shield generator, deflecting the blue flames around herself and buying just enough time to launch an attack of her own. A needle grenade rolled along the ground, undisturbed by the supernatural fire, and detonated at the Warlock’s feet. Warlock Mira screamed as hundreds of tiny shards shot upwards and hit her. Then Dark Jericho lashed out, sending a Psionic lance towards her enemy.
Warlock Mira dodged out of the way and the lance missed, crashing down and blasting Psionic energy into the space where the Original Jericho was fighting.
“Hey, watch out!” Jericho cried out. “Make sure you’re fighting the enemy, not your allies!”
It was a stalemate. Each Jericho was fighting her mother from whatever timeline she originated in, and nobody was making progress. The Wild Jericho could only evade and dodge her mother’s constant gunfire, while the original and Dark versions of herself could only make token attacks before going back onto the defensive.
Amidst the chaos, Wild Jericho took just a short moment to think of a way to break the stalemate, and she found one. She remembered crossing paths with a Snow Leopard during her exile in Mongolia. It was a solitary creature that would never rely on members of its own species for help in a hunt. The Elder’s Chosen were similar, unwilling to aid one another, jealously guarding the spoils of victory for themselves. This inability to work together would be their downfall.
Moving fast, the Wild Jericho reached out with her Psionic powers and quickly connected with every bird for almost ten miles around. The fight continued for a few minutes, Hunter Mira completely unaware of what was coming, but during a moment where she was forced to withdraw for a moment and reload her rifle, Hunter Mira heard a loud rustling noise that was only getting louder and louder.
A swarm of birds, tens of thousands of them, descended onto the scene. There were small swallows, grand hawks, ghoulish vultures, and every type of flying creature in between; and they would only obey the Wild Jericho. With a flick of her wrist, Wild Jericho ordered the swarm of birds to attack Hunter Mira, distracting her long enough for Wild Jericho to disengage and run to the aid of Original Jericho.
“What are you doing!?” Jericho yelled as she dodged another swing of Assassin Mira’s Katana.
“Saving your life!” Wild Jericho replied. She let out a yelp, and a nearby local dog obeyed the summons.
Running pell-mell across the battleground, a feral dog sank its teeth into Assassin Mira’s leg, causing her to buckle. Moving in tandem, both the Wild and Original Jericho lashed out with Psionic energy. A beam of purple light shot out of both women’s hands, connected in midair, then struck Assassin Mira in the chest!
The Chosen Assassin was stunned. She keeled over backwards, dropping her Katana as she fell. Jericho reached into her pocket, grabbed the Return Beacon and used Telekinesis to send it flying through the air. As soon as the Return Beacon touched Assassin Mira’s body, it activated.
…
Thirty miles away, Akira Robinson was standing inside the Time Core chamber of her starship. The Ark Angel shuddered as a quantum waveform opened up next to the Time Core and deposited the barely conscious Assassin on the floor. A moment later, her Katana clattered to the floor beside her. The sword vibrated angrily as the Eater of Worlds, trapped inside of the blade, raged against its predicament.
Akira cheered.
“Alright, one down, two to go!” Akira said to herself. “Next stop, the Shroud!”
Akira grabbed hold of the Katana with one hand and seized the Assassin with the other. Then she used her own powers to draw energy from the Time Core, charging herself for what had to come next.
…
Meanwhile, the battle in Nagasaki was now a two on three. Wild Jericho continued summoning animals to her aid. Half a million Giant Hornets, native to the region, swarmed onto Warlock Mira, forcing her to summon a spectral army to defend herself, allowing all three Jerichos to concentrate on the Hunter.
Dark Jericho took the lead, using her personal shield generator to deflect shots from Mira’s rifle. Her two counterparts moved to outflank the Hunter. Original Jericho struck from behind, using her Boltcaster to knock the Darklance out of Hunter Mira’s hands. The rifle spun away into the air, but before the Hunter could recover, Wild Jericho struck!
A Void Rift opened up next to the Hunter, sucking her towards it like a black hole. The Darklance rifle went through first, followed by the Hunter herself. Just a moment before she would have vanished into the ether, a Psionic volt jumped into the Rift, fired by Jericho. The Hunter was hit and dazed, then a moment later, a second Return Beacon found its way to her in the very moment the Rift closed.
…
Back at the Ark Angel, Akira had just barely rematerialized when the sunned Hunter appeared. Akira cursed and grabbed Mira. Before Hunter Mira could recover, Akira swept her up into the Shroud.
…
Back in Nagasaki, Warlock Mira had lost control of the situation and was slipping into insanity.
“IMPOSSIBLE!” She screamed. “You demons! I will destroy you for this outrage!”
Warlock Mira turned her Spectral Army against the horde of wild animals summoned into the battle. Horrific silhouettes slashed forth, spilling blood as they went. All three incarnations of Jericho turned their powers against Mira, bombarding her with Soulfire, Volts, and Lances. Telekinetic pulses reverberated like gongs as Mira deflected each attack.
But against three different versions of the girl who became a god, Mira could only hold out for a short time. Psionic power exploded out of the Warlock as she made her final stand. Jericho and her two counterparts, one from the wild and one from the darkness, stood side by side and projected three beams of purple light! The beams converged into each other before reaching out to envelop Warlock Mira. In her final moments, Mira fell to her knees and screamed:
“At long last… I hear their voice… unobstructed! They, they are so near. They are everywhere! They come for me!”
Warlock Mira fell to her knees and before her daughter’s eyes… she turned into stone.
…
Akira was very confused when the Return Beacon delivered her a statue of the Chosen Warlock. Then she remembered this happened in other Cycles as well. Shaking her head at the Warlock’s choice to die in a fashion that was highly self-indulgent, she transported the statue to the Shroud.
…
All three versions of Jericho looked at one another in shock.
“Wait a minute.” Said the Original. “Did we really pull that off? Did we just win?”
The trio cheered and jumped for joy. Up above them, the War in Heaven was still going on. Infected starships were falling from the sky, burning up in the atmosphere in a storm of flaming debris.
“So that was the easy part.” Said the Original Jericho. “Now we just have to…”
“Save all sentient life from an extra-Galactic space monster.” Dark Jericho finished. “That’s a slightly taller order.”
“The Beast is just an animal.” Wild Jericho said. “As long as we’re careful, we will prevail.”
“I wish I had your attitude.” Said the Original.
“Me too.” Added the Dark Jericho.
The trio sighed, then checked their weapons.
“Ready to make history?” Dark Jericho asked.
“Three times over.” Replied the original. “Let’s do this.”
Dear readers, we are back! Welcome to the middle act of The Last Heroes. Don't forget to check the table of contents for the names of upcoming chapters. Speculation and guesswork are welcome as usual.
Now that all of the major characters have been established, it is time for the conflict to heat up. I am very happy to report that Act Two will contain a major space battle! We haven't seen any space combat in this series since The Legend of Whetu Kealoha back in 2020, and I'm looking forward to writing some ship-to-ship action again.
In other news, my plan to pay homage to my favorite AARs is moving forward and we've got two on the docket this weekend!
Avon Las Observes is a truly unique AAR put together by @Midnite Duke over on the CK2 forums. In this story, @Midnite Duke merely records and reports on his observations. Thanks to the Adventuring Readers, this story kind of writes itself, and its an absolute blast to read. I strongly encourage reading this AAR, but beware: if you leave a comment, you might just find yourself brought aboard the Wayback Machine! You'll see a reference to Avon Las Observes near the end of this chapter. The Emerald Institute for Time Travel will be playing a part in this story going forward.
Stellaris Wars: A Nemesis Ironman Saga was written by @Arithmetician and is an epic crossover between Stellaris and Star Wars. What I really love about this AAR is that this story is very accessible to more casual fans of the Star Wars saga like me. (I have only seen the 9 main movies, and none of the expanded universe) It's a fun AAR to read from start to finish and it includes one of my favorite characters in the realm of Stellaris fanfiction: Eerabik. In Stellaris Wars, she rose from the ranks of the Republic military to become an influential politician and eventually became a Sith Lord. Eerabik is not to be messed with, and now as of today, she is part of the Stormbreaker Universe. Keep an eye out for her at the very end of the chapter. She's going to have a hand in making a little history.
You have been approved for command of the UNS AKHENATEN (BCN-116), a Prophet-Class Command Cruiser assigned to the 13th Fleet.
In accordance with the request of ISO Director Scarlett Freeman and special permission granted by Secretary-General Pascal Etienne, you are hereby granted the rank of COMMANDER within the United Nations Navy, and you shall receive the authority and responsibility that comes with it.
Furthermore, I have chosen to accept your personal request after consultation with the parties mentioned above. The UN Star Fleet register will acknowledge your choice to re-christen the starship under your command. The register will be updated with the new name.
Report for duty at Cape Canaveral Space Center, Florida no later than Tuesday, April 30, 2086.
Signed,
Ingrid Tsiajotso
Supreme Commander, Armed Forces of the United Nations of Earth”
…
May 1, 2086
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A very large crowd of men and women gathered at the Divine Atelier, standing in the parking lot next to the old Apollo Center. They were eager to witness a moment nearly three years in the making. At the front of the crowd, a platform had been constructed, overlooking the trio of drydocks where the Prophet-Class cruisers were being built. One of these starships was directly in front of the crowd, having finally had most of its superstructure assembled. A simple arch was standing at the end of the platform, and through it, person could just reach out and touch the bow of the starship.
There were a few people on the platform, giving speeches to the gathered audience one at a time. Admiral Ingrid Tsiajotso spoke about how the starship behind her would usher in a new era of warfare, Commander Klaus Eberhardt praised the citizens of Florida for their hard work in constructing the ship, then he wished them luck in completing the two sisterships on either side of the grand vessel. After that, Central Officer David Sepulveda spoke more directly to the assembled crowd.
“I’m sure each and every one of you was excited beyond all belief when you learned that you would be the very first crew of a brand-new class of starship.” David said. “And you should be. Each of you was hand-picked by the Admiral after a careful vetting process, as was the woman who will be your commander when the day comes.”
David extended a hand, and offered the podium to the next speaker.
Inez Espinosa had changed. Her old life in Detroit was far behind her now. Her long blonde hair was now tied up in a strict bun, giving her the look of a severe schoolteacher. Her blue and silver Navy officer’s uniform added to the look, but it was Inez’s eyes that revealed the true change. Inez had devoted herself to a single goal. It was no objective given to her by other leaders or politicians. No, Inez was going to protect young Cassandra from any future abuse, even if it meant transforming into whatever Inez’s mother wanted her to be… including this.
As she stood in front of the assembled starship crew, Inez took a quick look around the crowd and was pleased to see that she was holding everyone’s attention without saying a word. Before coming out here today, Inez had intentionally customized her uniform for maximum sex appeal. She was no master manipulator like her mother, but Inez was quickly becoming a skilled one. Clutching a bottle of champagne in one hand, Inez began to speak.
“My name is Commander Espinosa, and I am proud join you aboard this incredible machine behind me, and we will usher bring about a new era of Humanity. You will represent the future of our species, our vast potential, and the glory of how, in just under half a century, Mankind rose from the ashes of the Second Hyperspace War to becoming a true Galactic power. And this is where it begins!”
Inez turned around and walked right to the edge of the platform. The bow of her new starship was only a short distance away. Inez gripped the bottle of French champagne in both hands. Before she raised it, she spoke into a nearby microphone, placed there for this very event. Inez recited a simple message she rehearsed the night before:
“For the United Nations of Earth, I christen thee Solaris. May Jericho bless this ship and all who fly on her.”
Then, Inez raised the bottle and swung as hard as she could. The glass bottle struck the hull of the starship and bounced off! The shock of the impact rattled its way up Inez’s arm and made her shudder. There was a very loud gasp from the crew. Inez cursed under her breath, and then she swung the bottle a second time. As if it was determined to ruin her day, the bottle bounced off the hull again. Now there was audible muttering coming from the crew. To her left, David whispered:
“Really swing, put your back into it. Pretend the hull is your dad or something.”
Inez screwed up her willpower, forcing herself to picture Emanuel Espinosa, her absentee father, standing in front of her. Swinging the bottle like a baseball bat, Inez smashed the champagne against the hull, sending shattered glass and fizzy drink all over the place. With a great sigh of relief, the crew broke into applause.
Inez and the other officers stepped back from the platform, basking in their sense of accomplishment while a military band struck up the Hymn of the United Nations.
One of the Prophets was complete.
Two to go.
…
May 2, 2086
Ruins of Yorktown, Virginia
About an hour after midnight, the spaceplane Niagara glided to a silent landing at an open grassy field near the Atlantic Coastline. Without any city lights to spoil the view, the vast expanse of the starfield above seemed to just go on forever.
As soon as he stepped off the Niagara, Lawrence Ridge took in a deep breath. The air in Virginia was different from the air in Michigan. It was muggy, and smelled of salt. But there was also a distinct aroma of sulfur. Looking around, Lawrence took a moment to appreciate a spectacular sight.
The York River, wide and deep, dominated the landscape. Located just to the north of where Niagara landed, the river separated Lawrence and the ship from a towering inferno. On the far side of the river, an American city was burning. The sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed off the cloud ceiling.
One after another, the Wolverines disembarked from the Niagara, followed by a few Americans. Then, Professor Espinosa, Robert Lansing, and George Farshtey stepped out of the ship as well. Soon, only the Stormbreakers remained aboard the spaceplane. Colonel Sharp and General Osmer turned to face Varian Robinson.
“Stormbreaker, are you sure you won’t come with us?” the General asked.
“I’m sorry, sir.” Varian replied. “Our boss called us away. We have to leave now. Will you be okay down here? You said your troops were nearby, but I don’t see them.”
“Yes, but you can hear them.” Osmer replied, gesturing to the sounds of distant gunfire. “The people of this land are hostile to Pascal Etienne’s government, the Colonel and I will find it very easy to secure safe passage across the York River. Your companions have already asked to come with me, and I say again that you are more than welcome to join us. Unlike the xenophobes in Berlin, we are honored to fight and die alongside our alien allies.”
“We’re grateful for the offer.” Varian replied. “But my friends and I have a new mission.”
“You’re going to rescue your friends?” Colonel Sharp asked.
“No.” Varian replied. “My friends and I are going to the Angel Moon. We have to speak with one of our allies, and ask for their help.”
“Bring those allies to Earth.” General Osmer said. “The Professor is going to give us all of his intel on Cape Canaveral, so by the time you get back, we’ll be ready to make a move.”
“Keep the faith, Robinson.” Piper said as she gave Varian a hug.
The four Wolverines and their companions waved as Varian retreated inside of the Niagara. Then, the spaceplane thundered down the road and lifted off into the sky.
Lawrence, Jay, Cera, and Piper joined to the American leaders, while Jay addressed his father.
“Dad, do you really wanna stay here with us?” Jay asked. “I can get a plane to take you back to Michigan and the family.”
Robert shook his head.
“No, I’m in this for the long haul, son.” He replied. “What’s the game plan?”
Professor Espinosa pointed to the dark southern horizon.
“The final stages of the Prometheus Project will happen at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on the Florida coast. The UN has a huge operation at the Kennedy Space Center right next door. If you guys can storm the place, I can show you where they’re turning children into Psionic batteries.”
“Leave that to me.” Colonel Sharp said. “We can put out the word and have a battalion of American soldiers out there quickly. My people are moving as quick as they can, but it’ll take them some time to move all the way from Montana to Florida.”
Emanuel shook his head.
“You’ll need more than that.” The Professor said. “There’s a whole army at Cape Canaveral. You’ll need a bigger force than that just to get in the door.”
Piper scratched her chin.
“Or… maybe we need to weaken them before we try to attack.” She suggested. “I know some people down in Florida… contacts from my days spying on the ISO.”
George Farshtey nodded.
“So we have a plan then.” He said. “We link up with Osmer’s troops, then make our way to Florida. Everyone chase down your contacts in the area, and once we have resources, weapons, and manpower in our corner, we make a play for Canaveral.”
“Huh. You even sound like Varian.” Cera told him. “Honestly thought they would have gotten that from Blake and Chihiro.”
…
May 2, 2086
Canista Star System, Hiigaran Empire
With an all too familiar humming sound, a quantum Wavefront opened up and deposited the spaceplane Ark Angel into normal space. Himawari Robinson, her husband Amako Patariki, her ex-husband Randall Murphy, and their friend Chris Wright all gathered around a dining table in the back of the living quarters to discuss their next move.
Due to the how small the Ark Angel was, the ship had no artificial gravity. Amako used a set of magnets to pin a star chart to the tabletop while his wife entertained herself by squirting water droplets into the air and watching them drift around the room. Randall pulled up a video on his tablet computer and shared it with the group.
“It’s official.” Randall announced. “We’re all wanted criminals on Earth.”
On the screen was a news report from the German Press Agency. It said:
Himawari Robinson is wanted by the ISO in connection with an armed assault against the Reichstag on November 9, 2085 and the attempted assassination of a UN official on the same day in Berlin, Germany. She is the mother of Varian Robinson, ringleader of the group who perpetrated the above crimes. She is believed to be travelling with her son, who may be disguised as a woman. She is deaf and is thought to be fluent in at least four sign languages.
Himawari read the article and laughed out loud, raising her hands to sign the words:
“Well Varian’s not here, so they got that wrong.” She said. “For the record, I know six sign languages: American, French, Chinese, Japanese, plus I know some Contact Signs and I can fingerspell.”
Himawari put her hands on her hips and nodded proudly. Of course, everyone else knew she was bragging, and they indulged her with a little applause. Randall kept reading the news report:
“It also says Blake Robinson was interviewed by ISO and Interpol, but they found no evidence that he was involved in the Reichtag assault or in our escape. He’s at the family home in Hawaii and still in the running for Secretary-General.”
With a sigh of relief, the conversation turned to the next topic at hand.
“So how long until we get to your friend Ruunhan?” Himawari asked.
Amako looked at a clock on the wall.
“Well, we can’t go straight to Hakihea.” He explained. “We need to let Ruunhan’s Kiith-Sa know we’re coming. I sent them a text message earlier, now we’re just waiting for a reply.”
“Kiith-Sa?” Randall asked. “Sorry, but I don’t get off Earth all that often, you have to enlighten me.”
Chris, who spent most of his life working as a historian, took over the explanation:
“Hiigaran society is broken up into what we Humans might call a caste system.” Chris explained. “Everybody belongs to a Kiith, which is a group of Hiigarans who are united by something they share in common. Most of the time a Kiith is just a collection of family units who have permanently linked themselves together to form a large House or Clan. But some clans are united by ideology, or devotion towards a specific goal. The important thing is that people almost never leave the Kiith they were born into. Hiigarans value family ties as more important than all else. Anyway, each Kiith has one particular family that rules over the whole thing. They’re called the Kiith-Sa.”
Amako nodded and said:
“Importantly for us: Ruunhan is a member of the Somtaaw Kiith-Sa.”
Chris’ eyes went wide with surprise. Himawari and Randall looked at Amako, not knowing why Chris would be alarmed by this revelation.
“You alright, History Dude?” Randall asked. “You went pale.”
“She’s a Somtaaw-Sa?” Chris breathed. “Amako, you really should have led with that!”
“Explain please.” Himawari signed. “We’re not all historians like you.”
With a shudder, Chris carried on:
“Kiith Somtaaw is one of the most famous clans in Hiigaran society. They were a religious cult who built the Shimmering Path. After the Kharakan Genocide, almost two hundred years ago, the Somtaaw constructed two great starships: the Kuun-Lan and Faal-Corum. The Somtaaw used both ships to reinvent themselves as a mining clan, spending most of their time in deep space and harvesting asteroids. For most of their history, Somtaaw was dismissed and ignored by the other clans.”
“And then?” Himawari asked.
“The Beast happened.” Chris said. “And the Second Hyperspace War. The people of Kiith Somtaaw reinvented themselves again. They fought longer and harder against the Beast than anyone else in the Galaxy. Not even Jericho could take the title of ‘Beastslayer’ away from them. Nowadays, Kiith Somtaaw has a massive and powerful warfleet, and they’ve been re-organized into a warrior clan, powerful enough to rival other warrior Kiith like Soban and Gaalsien. Their pilots are some of the best in the Galaxy, and their weapons are on a whole other level…”
Chris grabbed Amako by the shoulders and shook him.
“Amako! Are you reallytelling me that the girl from theWedding Incident is a member of the Somtaaw ruling family!? Have I missed something important here!?”
Amako smiled weakly at his friend.
“No, I think you’ve got the whole story now.”
At that moment, there was a loud beeping sound from the crew compartment.
“The Hyperwave!” Randall said. “Someone’s calling us.”
“It’s Ruunhan’s family.” Amako said. “Now all of you stay behind me and try to be quiet.”
All four people drifted into the next compartment and assembled by the Hyperwave Relay. Amako took a deep breath and straightened his hair before answering the call. All around the cabin, little hologram emitters activated and in mere seconds, Himawari and her friends were standing face-to-face with the holographic representation of six Hiigarans.
Himawari felt a little alarmed at first. It was impossible to tell what these Hiigarans looked like, as they were dressed from head to foot in ornate ceremonial outfits. Blue and silver trappings decorated elaborate armor and helmets, clearly meant for show rather than combat. Amako bowed his head and spoke while Chris translated the conversation into sign language for Himawari’s benefit:
“Honored greetings, Somtaaw Kiith-Sa.” Amako began. “Did you receive my request for permission to visit Ruunhan in Hakihea?”
“We have.” Replied the Kiith-Sa, speaking in a distorted voice that suggested the use of a computerized translator. “We recognize you, Amako Patariki of the planet Waioku, as the one who showed unexpected kindness to one of our own at great expense to yourself. Your kindness will be repaid with interest. When you arrive at Hakihea, you shall find Ruunhan to be most cooperative. Your vessel will be serviced, and you and your crew will enjoy the protection of Kiith Somtaaw so long as you remain in our space.”
Amako started to speak, but the Kiith-Sa cut him off.
“However, you must respect the tenuous political situation. The recent developments in the Galactic Council cannot be ignored. Since you are Partogan and your companions Human, your freedom to move about the city will be restricted by Somtaaw security forces. You will not be permitted to contact any representative of the Partogan government while you are in our territory. Any attempt to aid or abet the enemies of Kiith Somtaaw will be punished quickly and harshly. Is this clear?”
The hologram vanished as the Kiith-Sa terminated the call. Amako let out his breath and relaxed.
“That will always be scary.” He muttered. “Okay, let’s fire up the Hyperspace module and head for Hakihea. Is everyone ready?”
While Chris and Amako went off to the cockpit to activate the Hyperspace system, Randall looked at Himawari and asked:
“Wait a minute… what happened at the Galactic Council?”
…
A few hours ago…
The Galactic City, Angel Moon
The Niagara emerged from Hyperspace and found itself above one of the most well known locations in the Galaxy. Down below, like the jewels at the end of a silver necklace, two beautiful worlds hung in the inky blackness of space. The first was a blue, green, and while planet, teeming with life. This world was known to be a paradise, perfect for nearly all forms of life in one location or another, with an overabundance of natural resources and rich in history. At least three wars had already been fought to determine the fate of this, the beautiful Kushan Homeworld…
Hiigara.
And orbiting Hiigara was a heavenly body that looked as different as it possibly could. Every square inch of the Angel Moon was covered in urban cityscape. What was once a mining outpost had exploded into the largest urban center in the history of sentient life. The Galactic City was the Angel Moon, and the Angel Moon was the Galactic City.
The Stormbreakers were able to land on the Angel Moon without being challenged. After all, they were expected.
Leaving their weapons on the ship, Varian and the Stormbreakers had to walk slowly and carefully to their destination. The Angel Moon was a small world, meaning the force of gravity was far weaker here. In fact, it was so weak that Varian could have lifted the gargantuan Cetla over his (or her) head with a little effort.
The Stormbreakers reached their destination with time to spare. The building laid out in front of them was a massive and opulent palace, decorated with many gold statues, flagstone courtyards, and glorious fountains. Four thousand years ago, this palace had once been the home of the Taiidan Emperor. Now, it was the meeting place of the Galactic Council.
…
The Stormbreakers entered the hallowed halls of the Galactic Council building. In the atrium, dozens of flags representing spacefaring nations hung proudly from the walls while diplomats bustled about their work.
“He’s supposed to be here.”
“He’s probably late.” Corder grumbled. “Nothing for it but to sit tight and wait.”
At that moment, an alien pushed past the group on her way to the Galactic Senate Chamber. She was a bird-like avian with a sharp yellow-ish grey beak. Clutching a binder of papers in her clawed hand, the avian diplomat looked briefly at the Stormbreakers and then did a double-take. She approached the Stormbreakers and spoke in a shrill language.
Varian, Cetla, Kingi, Corder, and Maui could not understand a word this alien was saying, but luckily, Ninu stepped forward and quickly put his talents as a polylinguist to use, erasing the language barrier between the Stormbreakers and this alien woman:
“Hey, are you guys waiting for someone?” The avian asked.
“We’re waiting for the representative from the Emerald Institute.” Kingi replied. “We have business with them today.”
The avian gasped.
“Oh! Well, you’re in luck. The Director of the Institute is actually here today, because there’s going to be an important vote. Follow me! I’ll take you into the Senate Chamber and once the voting is over, you can meet your man.”
The Stormbreakers fell in line behind the avian, following her towards the Senate Chamber.
“I’m sorry ma’am.” Ninu said. “Could we know your name?”
“Eerabik.” Replied the avian diplomat. “I’m the Ambassador of the Ozkox people.”
“Ozkox?” Corder repeated. “I’ve never heard of them.”
“That’s understandable.” Eerabik replied. “We never developed space travel on our own. Our planet was caught in the crossfire of some war between two spacefaring nations and we got conquered twice while we were still learning how to build airplanes. Here’s the door.”
Eerabik pushed the door open and allowed the Stormbreakers to join her at the Ozkox delegation. Inside the Galactic Senate Chamber, nearly two thousand representatives from the Galaxy’s myriad populace were milling about, waiting for the meeting to begin. At once, Varian saw why the Ozkox people were letting the Stormbreakers share their space. The delegation from the Emerald Institute was clear across the other side of the room, and they were busy preparing to cast their vote in the upcoming decision Eerabik mentioned.
Varian, Corder, Cetla, Ninu, Kingi, and Maui all sat down to wait, and watched the Galactic Council meeting play out. The President of the Galactic Council, an elderly Taiidani man, called the session to order. Everyone fell silent and took their seats, although Ninu felt a growing sense of alarm.
He noticed the Partogan diplomats were staring at their Hiigaran counterparts with expressions of pure contempt. These two nations had been allies for fifty years, so whatever had come between them must have been serious.
“Today will be the third and final day of this emergency session of the Galactic Council.” The President said. “The Human Crisis has reached a tipping point, as their armies are once again threatening cities on the planet Amadiio. As the previous two days of sessions were devoted to discussion, we must now move to resolve the debate. The President of this body will now ask the Ambassador of the Hiigaran Empire if they intend to call the question.”
Near the front of the room, a Hiigaran woman (who strongly resembled a Human aside from pointed elf-like ears) rose and addressed the President.
“Mister President,” the ambassador said. “This body has, over the past two days, demonstrated that it remains incapable of decisive action, and that new leadership is sorely needed. Therefore, I move to call the question on my Proposal to Unseat the Galactic Custodian. It is time for Degra Kessick to step down!”
Ninu jumped in surprise and scurried onto Cetla’s shoulders. Looking over the crowd, he spotted the subject of today’s vote. An old and tired-looking member of the Kelt species rose from his seat in the assembly and moved to stand at the podium, in front the entire Galactic Senate.
Degra Kessick was the Galactic Custodian, a leader who was given authoritarian and dictatorial powers to guide the Galactic Community during times of war or an emergency. He was also a personal friend of Ninu’s. Before becoming a Stormbreaker, Ninu worked as a multi-language interpreter for Degra, who had been President of Kelta at the time. Once, Degra had even complimented Ninu on the latter’s polylingual talents. Ninu felt tears welling up in his eyes when he looked at Degra. It was clear at a glance that the Galactic Custodian had already resigned himself to defeat.
Degra spoke into a microphone, addressing the Senate.
“There has been a motion to unseat the Galactic Custodian by the Hiigaran Empire.” Degra said. “Is there a second?”
Next to the Stormbreakers, Eerabik raised her clawed hand and yelled:
“Second! Seconded by the Ozkox Diaspora!”
Ninu looked at Eerabik, his little body filling with many emotions. Eerabik looked up at Ninu, peering into his eyes for a moment before an expression of understanding flickered across her face. Then Eerabik returned her attention to the meeting. A moment later, so did Ninu.
“There is a motion on the floor to unseat the Galactic Custodian.” Degra said. “I ask the body to bear in mind the fact that if this motion passes, the Office of the Galactic Custodian will be vacated, and all institutions associated with it will be without leadership until a new Custodian is elected by this body. Now then, all nations… please indicate your vote by pressing the buttons in front of you. You may vote in favor, oppose, or abstain. According to Galactic Law, a two-thirds majority is needed for this vote to succeed. Please cast your votes now.”
The room was silent, save for the audible clicking of hundreds of buttons. A moment later, the results of the vote were displayed on the screen. Ninu cried out:
“No! NO!”
But there was nothing to be done. Hundreds of aliens rose up and began to applaud and cheer as the results of the vote were displayed. Degra sighed and then pronounced the result:
“By a vote of two-hundred-seventy in favor, four against, and one abstention… the motion carries.” Degra said. “In accordance with Galactic Law, I shall vacate the Office of the Galactic Custodian immediately. A successor may be appointed at the discretion of the Galactic Council.”
A moment later, the President of the Galactic Council declared a recess, and all of the delegate stood up and began to leave. Varian, Corder, Cetla, Kingi, and Maui saw this as their chance to catch the Emerald Institute representative they needed to see, and they ran off to try and catch him. Ninu, however, had not gone more than a few paces before a clawed hand grabbed him and made him stop.
“Wait just a moment.” Eerabik said. “I need to ask you something.”
“What!?” Ninu snapped. He was feeling very impatient, and he clambered on top of the desk, tapping his foot to get his feelings across.
Eerabik, however, was giving Ninu a strange look. It seemed as though she had just figured something out and was waiting for Ninu to catch up.
“It’s just… you don’t feel that?”
“Feel what?” Ninu replied.
Eerabik lowered herself to Ninu’s level, looking right into his eyes.
“I saw the way you looked at me.” She said. “And when you did, I actually felt something. What’s your name, little Kelt?”
“Dokunle. Ninu Dokunle.” Ninu growled.
“Well, Dokunle.” Eerabik said. “Since you and I might be the same, I’ll just tell you. I have Psionic Sensitivity. I’ve known about it since I was too small to fly… and I really get the feeling that… you have it too.”
Very accurate to her backstory in my AAR (and in-gameplay) with the part about her homeworld being a primitive one conquered by two different powers. Though "eventually became a Sith Lord”? Well, maybe she wasn’t the Sith Master right away, but she was a Sith Lady ever since she survived her training.
Why do I have the feeling that Eerabik isn’t just seconding the the no-confidence vote but the mastermind behind it? (Well, probably because that’s exactly the sort of thing she’d have done in my AAR).
And with her asking Dokunle about Psionic Sensitivity at the end there... it just brings to mind, “The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities... some of which would be considered unnatural."
Very accurate to her backstory in my AAR (and in-gameplay) with the part about her homeworld being a primitive one conquered by two different powers. Though "eventually became a Sith Lord”? Well, maybe she wasn’t the Sith Master right away, but she was a Sith Lady ever since she survived her training.
Thanks for letting me include her. I was really happy to pay homage to such a great AAR as Stellaris Wars.
I thought it was a neat backstory, and I really wish Stellaris had an "Alien Uplift/Invasion" origin sometimes. (without resorting to mods) Scion is neat, but its storytelling options are a little limited.
Oops! I get my Sith terminology mixed up from time to time. I blame Lucasfilm for never including a female Sith in the movies. Back when Last Jedi came out, I remember desperately hoping Rey would turn to the dark side. Next trilogy, maybe. XP
Why do I have the feeling that Eerabik isn’t just seconding the the no-confidence vote but the mastermind behind it? (Well, probably because that’s exactly the sort of thing she’d have done in my AAR).
This is exactly the sort of thing she would do, yes. Eerabik will be coming back in later chapters. I really want to do my own take on that scene in Phantom Menace where Palatine whispers to Amidala during the Senate meetings. Almost did it here, but the chapter was getting too long.
And with her asking Dokunle about Psionic Sensitivity at the end there... it just brings to mind, “The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities... some of which would be considered unnatural."
Oh, I've been planning a Psionic storyline for Ninu ever since he was introduced back in My Father's War. Once Eerabik was added to the story, I saw an opportunity for some cool storytelling and I just had to seize it. The Force may not exist in the Stormbreaker Universe, but the Gift does. Obviously, Eerabik needed to have a place in the Psionic world.
Hmm, the Galactic Community seems just as divided as the real world UN. Even when faced with a genocidal state rampaging through it's members, it splinters even further and bickers to no end. Accurate, in my stellaris experience.
Was the Custodian so divising that two such long term allies will break over her? At such a crucial time will Partogans and Hiigarian choose division and (could it be?) War? I sense Eerabiks dark talons at work behind the scenes. What are her motivations? Is she in league with the UNE?
Hmm, the Galactic Community seems just as divided as the real world UN. Even when faced with a genocidal state rampaging through it's members, it splinters even further and bickers to no end. Accurate, in my stellaris experience.
Agreed. When I taught my dad to play Stellaris, he tried to do a playthrough as a Devouring Swarm, and the Galactic Community couldn't come together against him. When he asked why they were dragging their feet, I stole and bastardized a quote from Mass Effect 2:
"Ah yes... the Nom-Nom-Nom Swarm. The devouring horde of canines allegedly waiting in dark space to kill us all. We have dismissed that claim."
The Custodian himself wasn't the issue. As you'll see in next week's chapter, the big divisive issue was on the question of "Who is going to be the new Custodian?"
