Book 2 happens 3 years after book 1 which sets it at 17 years before the events of the campaign. Book 1 is also into this section of the forum at the following link (it is advised to read book 1 first since it I’m barely bothering to reintroduce every character):

http://forums.gaspowered.com/viewtopic. ... 90&start=0


---Click to Expand---

Chapter 1
Motivation

The engineer bot moved lazily through the field in search of a target. It stopped abruptly, its sensors having picked up a signature that had enough mass to be worth recycling. The engineer extended its construction arms and blue lasers shot forth, disassembling the destroyed vehicle layer by layer. The roof disappeared first, its light armored hull barely able to resist for a few seconds before disintegrating.

Towering over the engineer and the light vehicle was a UEF ACU, its optical sensors focused not on what the engineer was doing or on the recovered mass… but rather on the four charred bodies inside the vehicle. Colonel Zachary Arnold watched as the lasers consumed them as well, erasing the signs of the massacre that had taken place two days ago. There was no time for funeral or autopsies and having an engineer disassemble the bodies to identify them was still the most efficient way to proceed. But to any ACU pilot, the spectacle of a bunch engineers recycling an entire settlement was no different then watching crows pick off the dead.

Arnold clenched his teeth, the sight of so many bodies bringing back memories of Orionis. Three years ago he had accidentally wiped out an Aeon settlement in a desperate gambit to draw the Aeon away from fleeing UEF forces. The fact that it had been an accident was no excuse… but the torn UEF settlement in front of him was no accident.

Aeon usually gave them only one choice: to accept The Way or be cleansed. To them there was apparently no distinction between civilian and military. Sometimes the choice was offered more then once especially when a civilian UEF settlement was about to be defeated. This time however there had been no ultimatum: they had appeared and brutally butchered everyone before leaving. There had been no time to mount a rescue operation or a counter attack.

“You okay boss?” An SCU moved right besides Arnold and looked at the spectacle. Arnold shook his head to clear it and looked at Desjar’s face on his right monitor: “they never stood a chance. There were no ACUs in the area or any possibility to have one gate over for two hours. Only basic automated defenses that could barely stop a siege bot and they were massacred for it.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them back and if anything then it proves that maybe what happened on Orionis…” Arnold’s eyes flared for a moment and he snarled: “Could you stop bringing that up? I’m over it already ok? Besides this is not what I was getting at.” Desjar was momentarily stunned but shrugged. He was used to Arnold’s outburst after nearly four years of team work: “Then what?”

“They did not offer them a chance to surrender nor have they offered it to anyone in our sector for the past six months.” Arnold keyed in his tactical display and scanned it actively for Aeon signatures: “If I did not know any better I’d say that they’re switching management… and whoever’s in charge is one heck of a cold blooded bastard.”

-----

How to stop him? That was the question that went through evaluator Toth’s mind over and over again. Three years ago the council had voted to reinstate the position of Avatar-of-War in large part due to Marxon’s doing. Aeon commanders from across the system had been selected as possible candidates and for three years they had been tested on the battlefield and by their peers.

If the position of Avatar-of-War was just about the number of victories then Toth might have found a way to tip the scale towards someone else. The problem was that one needed a lot more then merely military tactics to ascend this high. It required a high amount of charisma, support and a profound understanding of The Way. There were also no way to distinguish between understanding the written words of the Way… and its deeper meaning.

Having originally been a priest under Toth’s tutelage, Marxon’s knowledge of the The Way was nearly without peers. Instead of using it to bring peace and harmony he used the loop holes to justify his actions and to offer the officers under him the one thing that they craved the most: forgiveness.

Toth was not blind; she understood very well the contradiction in spreading a doctrine of universal love while fighting a war. Aeon commanders routinely had moral dilemmas and often sought counseling to restore harmony. The strain of such an emotional conflict could not be understated yet what Marxon could not accept was that it was also necessary. One needed to keep in mind that the war was ugly and hateful in order to be able to stop it. Without guilt and remorse the war would never stop… and The Way would become a twisted mockery of what it was meant to be.

A green sphere on the door leading to her chamber lit up, indicating that someone was waiting outside. Toth smiled and pushed her worries aside: “Enter.” The door opened and a small ten year old girl entered the room. Yes, there was still hope…

-----

For a moment nothing but a few rats stirred in the sewers beneath the main settlement of Theban Two. Then a flash pierced one of the conduits and slowly drew a circle. When it was completed a heavy metal plate fell to the ground and a humanoid shape jumped through. Keith, one of the elite commandos of the Cybran nation scanned the area before motioning for his troopers to follow.

“Rats… always rats… can’t the UEF manage to create a single settlement without an infestation?” Keith shrugged and motioned for Sjet to take up his position: “Look on the bright side Sjet. If they can’t get rid of vermin then how could they get rid of us?” Sjet chuckled as they started moving down the tunnel.

The commandos had a specific mission: to gather the latest UEF scanning algorithms from one of their sleeper agents. Although Cybran stealth technology was incredibly versatile, it required constant black ops missions in order to be up to date. It was just fortunate that the Aeon were not modifying their sensor algorithms as often as the UEF: Keith just hated going into Aeon territory even if their sewage systems were a lot cleaner.

“Keith, come take a look.” The elite commando motioned for Sjet to cover them as he made his way to Queren: “What is it?” Instead of speaking Queren pointed to the corpse of a dead rat. It was fresh, no more then an hour dead judging by the fact that nothing had tried to eat it yet. What caught Keith’s eye however was the way that it had died: it had been sliced cleanly in half with a blade that had cauterized the wound. Keith only knew of one type of weapon that could do that: a plasma blade.

“We’re not alone.” Something shifted above them and the commandos looked up weapons ready. They found four figures with laser rifles trained on them: “It took you long enough to figure it out.”

For a moment neither group moved; each ready to fire. Keith moved first, slowly and deliberately lowering his laser rifle: “pretty sloppy to leave tracks like that. I take it that you’re from the Assumpta node? It’s been a while since I saw the damage from a plasma blade.”

“I am Redfog.”

Keith felt a chill run down his spine. Redfog was not just a name: it was a designation, a title, a myth and a state of being all at once… and it was earned through spilled blood. Keith slowly looked to his left and noticed the speaker who had been hiding at a completely unexpected angle with a laser rifle aimed at his head.

“Look… I was just kidding and meant no disrespect. Of course the rat’s corpse would be eaten by its kind and erase all traces. Now if you don’t mind we’ll be getting back to our mission now.” The shadowy figure known as Redfog kept his blaster trained on Keith as he jumped down from his perch. “Stealing the sensor algorithms? Don’t bother, we have them.”

Redfog brought up a disk in his free hand and twirled it once before returning it to some hidden compartment. Keith raised an eyebrow: “You know we’re usually the ones responsible for raiding Theban Two. We would have transmitted the information to Assumpta afterwards.”

“Not quickly enough.”

Keith cringed but he was not in a position to negotiate since they had the numbers and the high ground. The suspense lasted a few seconds later before Redfog spoke again: “Tell Mather to meet me at the Crescent Moon in three hours, he will know where it is. Once he hears me out I’ll hand over the data.”

With that the shadowy figure lowered his blaster and so did his men. Keith heaved a sigh of relief as they all jumped down and moved towards another corridor. He was about to order his men when Redfog’s voice echoed through the corridor: “You should also know that our explosives will detonate in eight minutes. I suggest that you leave quickly.”

-----

The signal from a beacon appeared on Dostya’s screen and she frowned. She quickly pressed a few keys and a small direct communication laser shot out from the shoulder of her cloaked SCU and hit another spot seven hundred meters ahead of her: “Keith is on his way but he’s four minutes early.”

“I know; I see his transport moving towards us. Ready the quantum gates, we might have to bust out of here very quickly.” Mather’s voice was even and controlled but Dostya knew he was worried. Three years of fighting by his side allowed her to easily pick up his subtle change of moods. Keith had either been detected or the sleeper agent that was supposed to hand them the algorithms had been caught. Either possibility meant that a group of UEF ACUs could be searching for them at this very moment.

“Ah hell no…” Before she could ask Mather what was going on an image was forwarded on her left screen. It showed a series of explosions in the UEF settlement mainly centered on the barracks. Cursing under his breath, Mather terminated their radio silence and opened a channel to the incoming transport: “What happened?”

“Redfog beat us to it. He’ll be waiting for you at the Crescent Moon.” There was a long moment of silence before Mather responded: “Everyone get to the gates, we’re leaving.”

-----

The quantum gate powered down and its dome opened. The Aeon ACU that had just been transported walked out carefully and headed towards its alcove. There it knelt down, displaying a level of motor control and flexibility that neither it’s UEF or Cybran counterpart could ever hope to manage. Liquid metal pooled at its feet and the platform on which the ACU was standing sank down at a constant rate.

Soon the liquid metal covered the ACU completely and its reflective surface grew still. A few seconds later an armored figure broke the surface and floated up, carried by energy fields. He levitated towards a nearby ramp where five acolytes waited with bowed heads. Once the pilot touched the surface they went to work, reverently removing his helmet gloves and boots while others readied the spider silk robes.

The ritual of rebirth was designed to welcome the pilot home and help him restore harmony after many long hours of battles. To Marxon the ceremony had lost its touch years ago and he merely saw his heavy armor being removed while his ACU was stored for maintenance. He would much prefer to remove his armor himself but if he was ever to become Avatar-of-War then he also had to act the part.

The gate behind him flashed again and Marxon knew that Lani had just gated in and that Pao would not be far behind. He turned towards the lead acolyte: “Please take special care of Lani and Pao. Their efforts were substantial today and I want their return to harmony to be as smooth as possible.”

The lead acolyte bowed deeply in acknowledgement and Marxon nodded his thanks. Every Aeon pilot out there fought valiantly of course but anyone under Marxon’s command was given strict orders under harsh conditions. As such he made sure that any competent officer under him was rewarded appropriately. It usually did not take much but paying constant attention to his allies had allowed Marxon to earn their loyalty if not outright devotion. They would fight, kill, cleanse and even die for him… and he expected nothing less.

The aspiring Avatar-of-War made his way towards his quarters and there he found his apprentice going through a battle routine with training weights strapped to her body. He stood there a moment in silence while observing her. Although she was only fourteen years old, Ariel’s small body was already well muscled and her blows were quick and precise. Some of her movements were rash however, betraying an anger that burned deeply within her ever since her family had been killed in a UEF raid.

Marxon waited until she completed her set before speaking: “Well done. Your progress in martial arts training has been most impressive in the past few months. However…” Marxon picked up a nearby book and opened it at the spot where the marker had been set: “Must I conclude that you are late in your biology studies?”

She turned to him and took a few moments to catch her breath: “I… I don’t understand why I should study biology. These lessons will be useless when I become an ACU pilot. I’d just rather rely on martial training and quick reflexes. Even The Way appears useless when you enter the battlefield…”

Marxon slammed the book shut and Ariel grew quiet. Had she stepped over the bounds? The older man stepped closer, towering over his apprentice and held her gaze with his own for a long moment before speaking again: “Everything is connected.”

The small girl hesitated and lowered her head: “I’m sorry for questioning The Way. It’s just… it’s just so hard to believe in it sometimes after what happened.” A firm hand settled on her shoulder and a finger lifted her chin: “Everything is connected, whether you take it spiritually or pragmatically.”

She grew confused for a moment as Marxon explained: “You can choose to believe in the deeper meaning of The Way or not but you must also understand its practical implications. Every system whether it is a body, a collective or an army has similarities and knowing one system can help you understand another or open up possibilities.” Marxon let go of her chin and used his index finger to press different parts of her arm, lightly tapping each nerve cluster.

“Striking different parts of a body can leave it imbalanced, opening the way for a single attack to finish off an opponent and let him crumble under his own weight. That is part of your martial arts training but understanding why they are so important is part of your biology training which in turn will help you understand how to best protect them and execute the proper responses should you be struck that way. In the same fashion the reasoning of how to strike, how to recover and how to repair a damaged body can be applied to a base and to all sorts of military warfare. Opening your mind to the possibilities create opportunities to attack, react and counter. You are gaining knowledge but most importantly you are learning to learn.”

Ariel held her breath, entranced by the words and allowing them to sink in. When he saw that she partially understood him Marxon leaned down and whispered in her ear: “Now get back to your biology studies and I promise that I will get you behind the controls of an ACU by the time that you reach eighteen. Go and make me proud.” Ariel nodded, grabbed the book and ran to the study. Marxon waited a moment then smiled. Oh yes, the proper application of praise and constructive criticism worked wonders and Ariel would become a formidable commander one day.

-----

“So what’s the story behind Redfog? The only time when I see the two of you get that tense is usually when someone is talking about a full Aeon invasion force.” Dostya, Keith and Mather were all waiting in a mountain range back on Minerva. They had left their ACU and SCU back at node fifty-six, opting for a light ground transport instead. Keith kept scanning the mountains but answered her: “you remember that freed Cybrans come from every culture and every corner of the UEF right? Well the UEF did not only transform your average Joe or your willing candidate into symbionts; they also transformed criminals. There are a few serial killers in the lot as well.”

“So you’re saying that Redfog and his gang are psychos?” Keith was about to answer but Mather shook his head: “Not exactly. You can’t transform a mentally unstable human into a productive symbiont; that much even the UEF could piece together. An extremely low level of empathy, ethics or compassion combined with murderous instincts however well… that still works. The few symbionts with such issues never really manage to integrate themselves into the nodes that take them in. When such individuals are located they are sent to the Assumpta node where their talents are put to better use by their peers.”

The ACU pilot turned to her, his gaze hard: “not everything that the UEF has been feeding its citizens is propaganda. If you ever saw a Cybran terrorist report where a lot of civilians are injured then odds are that someone from Assumpta is behind it. They don’t follow Brackman’s guidelines either.” Dostya frowned: “then why the heck do we work with them? From the sound of it we’d be better off if we stood as far away as possible.”

“Because as cruel as it sounds: they are damned good at what they do and we are fighting the same enemy. We don’t have the luxury of choosing our allies or fighting amongst ourselves.” Keith caught their attention with a wave of his hand and pointed at an approaching vehicle. Dostya looked at it but asked one more question: “and you know this Redfog personally?”

“I fought besides and argued with him and his predecessor a few times in the past. Redfog is both a name and a title given to one of the best assassin of the Assumpta node. The carrier of an Assumpta title must uphold its legacy – including avenging the previous owner – or risk being killed by someone who would do the title justice.” There was no more time to talk as the vehicle reached them. It stopped roughly twenty meters ahead and five Cybrans walked out.

Mather stepped forward with Keith and Dostya following: “It’s been a long time.” The cybrans parted to reveal their leader. Standing nearly six feet three, Redfog had his face partially obstructed by a breathing mask and an intricate if barely perceptible pattern of facial circuitry covered his forehead. The assassin was otherwise completely bald but what characterized him the most was his set of intense and unwavering eyes: “Mather.”

The simple exchange seemed to be the only introduction needed and Mather held his hand out. Redfog narrowed his eyes for a moment before fetching the disk from a hidden compartment on his belt and throwing it to him: “I have a proposition for you, one that you would do well to listen to especially after our helping hand back on Theban Two.”

“Your ‘helping hand’ just cost us one of our best security breaches in the past five months. After that little stunt they’ll tighten their defenses and we’ll need to find another area to infiltrate.” Redfog merely shrugged, apparently not upset in the least: “and we managed to kill over twenty ACU trainees. It was a good exchange.”

Mather sighed: “let’s just get this over with, what do you want?”

“Always straight to the point… my predecessor liked that about you. We heard about the Monkeylord.” Dostya looked to Keith but the commando shrugged, clearly not understanding. Mather on the other hand froze for a second: “Go on.”

“To put it simply: I want to help complete its main weapon system. I have a good idea on how to do it as well… but I can’t do it alone and I need someone with your unique talents to pull it off.” Mather’s voice grew cold: “I never knew you to be altruistic Redfog. Why would you risk you life to do that.”

The assassin slowly reached behind him and drew a blade. Dostya and Keith shifted uneasily as he presented it before them: “this is a plasma blade… a remarkable weapon. Simple in design but it is fast, silent and deadly. It liberates heated plasma upon striking; burning the wound as it slices so that no blood is left on the scene after the body is hidden. I… love this weapon.” Redfog touched the edge of the blade delicately as if it was alive and then looked back at them: “I also like the theory behind the Monkeylord in the same manner as I love this blade. The problem is that its main weapon system will still take years to even approach the power of one of those Aeon atrocities and that just won’t do. I want it now.”

“I have a plan for us to steal the technology from the Aeon. With your skills in deception and my attack pattern the two of us can take it and give the Cybrans the weapon that they truly deserve! I know that you don’t like me but my plan even covers the escape route for all those involved.” Mather hesitated for a long moment: “I’ll have to think about it.”

With that he turned around and was about to leave when Redfog’s voice boomed through the valley: “Mather!” Everyone froze in place and Dostya could have sworn that waves of hatred were pouring from the assassin: “They are changing! We noticed this and so have you! Even Brackman could probably tell that something’s up with the Aeon so don’t you dare turn your back on me! We need that weapon!”

Mather did not turn around when he spoke: “how many teams?” Redfog calmed instantly: “two teams: you and me in Aeon territory and another team in UEF territory. The mission can last up to a week.” This time Mather did turn around: “I pick the pilots of the second team.”

For a second it appeared that Redfog was smiling under his mask: “and I will pick the commandos that will accompany them… and he won’t be amongst them.” Keith was about to object but Mather brought a hand up to silence him: “agreed. Tomorrow at six in the back room of the hot plasma bar.”

“Well bargained and done.” The assassin made a barely perceptible nod and left. Keith waited until their vehicle started moving before speaking: “are you insane? You’re going to trust this lunatic? Going into Aeon territory is crazy! Not even you can stay there unnoticed for very long.” Dostya placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder to stop him: “why Mather?”

“Redfog is many things but he’s not a liar. That and he’s right: the Aeon are changing.”

Chapter 2
The price of a lie

“I’m really starting to hate this. We reclaim a sector from the Aeon and set the foundation for a new colony only to be called away. Then they send first year cadets to protect this place and expect them to hold. What the hell are they thinking?” Arnold resisted the urge to punch his monitor and Desjar sighed: “Sorry buddy but those are the orders. If it’s any consolation I have a good feeling about our next assignment though.”

This made the ACU pilot pause and he looked at his partner on his screen: “You know something that I don’t?” The SCU pilot shrugged and pressed a few buttons: “The outpost that we’ve been reassigned to is controlled by Commander Riley and he’s got a pretty good record. I heard he’s been promoted to lieutenant general and that he could become a full fledged general one day. Heck with the way that he’s acting he might actually become a president! If someone as successful as him is calling us then maybe it means he has a plan or a special mission!”

“Stats won’t tell you anything about a man… I’ll trust my guts when I take a good look at him over a sheet of paper any day.” Arnold’s ACU climbed over the nearby hill and came in full view of the quantum gate. Desjar’s SCU came up besides him and bowed as much as its servomotors would allow: “Age before beauty.” Snorting, Arnold slapped his partner away.

“A real comedian but don’t give up your day job. I still need a meat shield to get the enemy’s attention.” Desjar was grinning on his screen, apparently satisfied that his usual banter had finally lightened the mood: “I knew you cared! I’m touched.”

Arnold closed the connection and made the system preparations with the shadow of a smile tugging at his lips. Maybe Desjar was right and something good would come out of all this. A bunch of experienced commanders being called to the same spot? It was promising if nothing else and soon they might make some real progress.

“Desjar you bastard; you did it to me again! Systems ready, portal charged, confirming that the receiving gate is not under attack. What could possibly go wrong?” The portal flared as his ACU stepped through and for a moment the familiar feeling of nausea washed over him. It was soon over as he materialized on the distant world but warning lights started flashing all across the board. Surprised, the pilot immediately assumed a balanced stance as his main monitor was reinitialized.

Arnold had expected to land in the thick of a battle but instead he appeared in the middle of parade. Lining the streets in front of him was the majority of the fifty thousand citizens that populated Matar and they were cheering wildly upon his arrival. The ACU’s sensors had detected the fireworks exploding and the proximity sensors had been triggered by so many moving bodies.

The initial adrenaline rush faded slowly and was instead replaced by a mounting sense of dread. Many bill boards light up with the same message: Zachary Arnold, the savior of the UEF, the protector of order… the hero of the battle of Orionis.

-----

Marxon looked up from the tome that he was reading as Ariel entered the room: “There is a message for you.” Without further explanation the fourteen year old girl stepped forward and handed him a rolled parchment. The fact that someone had bothered to use paper – something more precious then an easily manufactured data pad – implied the importance of the message. Marxon’s suspicions were confirmed as he rolled it in his hands and saw Toth’s seal.

Without a word he broke the seal and unrolled the parchment, reading each sentence carefully once and then a second time to make sure that he had not missed any hidden meaning. Ariel stood at attention and Marxon waited a bit longer. She obviously understood that the message was important but he decided to test the limits of her patience and pretended to read it a third time. She did not move or object and he nodded approvingly as he looked up at her: “It is a summoning for the ritual of awakening.”

“May I ask what kind of ritual it is?”

“It is a tradition that has not been used for centuries, one designed to test the mental and spiritual resolve of a candidate. Each subject is placed into a secluded shrine which acts as sensory deprivation chamber. Instead of being judged by a circle of peers the subject actually judges himself and must face what they truly are. Some men have left these rituals broken and lost. I and seven other candidates have been asked to undergo this test in order to decide who will be the next Avatar-of-War.” Ariel hesitated for a moment, twisting the question in her head a few times before finally asking it: “Is it bad? I mean you won so many victories at the cost of so many lives. Won’t this play against you when you judge yourself?”

If Marxon was upset by the question he did not show it but instead got up and moved towards his computer: “Only those that lie to themselves fear what they might see in a mirror. That’s not what has me concerned however and while Toth may hope that I fail, I doubt that it is what she is truly after.”

Ariel was obviously confused as her master searched through databases: “I don’t get it.”

“The ritual lasts five days which is a lot of time where I will be out of touch. If someone wanted to do something without any meddling from my part then one would use that time to… here we are.” All the signs were there. Toth was subtle but there were limits as to how one could cover their tracks in a society where deceit was not part of the norm.

“These travel plans indicate that she is going to join a group of Evaluators which is nothing odd at a first glance. However it appears that she has booked a bigger transport then necessary… one that might house her students on a spiritual trip.” Marxon brought a hand to his upper lip for a moment and considered his options carefully before turning to his protégé.

“Ariel, I have a mission for you. It will take you off our home world however and into unknown territory. Do you have the courage to stand forth and do what is necessary?” The girl stood straight with her chin held high and nodded fiercely. Marxon smiled slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder: “Here is what I want you to do.”

-----

“Ah, here is the dashing duo that I wanted to meet! Commander Arnold and Desjar, I hope that our little surprise welcome did not unbalance you too much!” Arnold’s fist clenched a moment and he turned around slowly with a murderous glare. Desjar sensed that his friend was quickly losing temper and grabbed him by the arm. Arnold shook him off and glared at the speaker: “lieutenant general Riley I presume?”

“The one and the same. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” The commander, a man in his forties that had seen quite a few battles, extended his hand with a warm smile. Arnold looked at it with utter contempt and did not shake it: “I did not ask for this.”

“Look son, we could not broadcast the celebration over the quantum network. Having so many civilians in the same area would have attracted Aeon attention and these people needed a morale boost. So take it as a nudge in the ribs and loosen up! You are the hero of Orionis after all!” Behind them Desjar groaned and covered his face with his hand. Arnold stood unblinking: “What I did on Orionis was not a battle, it was a massacre.”

The lieutenant general smiled for a moment for the crowd, got closer and lowered his tone: “Follow me commander, that’s an order.” Riley led him through the crowd and towards a secluded office. There he closed the door behind them and walked towards the desk.

“Making me the hero of anything is gross mistake, if you only knew how many civilians died…” Riley cut him off with a wave of his hand: “I’m perfectly aware of what happened on Orionis; civilian casualties included. You did your duty and you did it well.”

Arnold was momentarily stunned. He had expected that Riley had merely been ignorant since the details of the mission were not public knowledge. To realize that it had been done on purpose however angered him to the point of exploding: “Then why the hell did you make a parade with me as the central guest? I’m not proud of what I did and none of these folks would be celebrating if they had seen what I did!”

“What you did was prevent UEF forces from being fully routed in a battle that left us wide open. Had you accomplished any less then millions of UEF citizens and hundreds of commanders would have died in the following months. Matar would have fallen, it’s citizens cleansed or worse. You won against all odds and in a selfless effort to save your fellow men. The UEF needs more examples like you to bolster its morale and its will to fight!” Arnold took a step backwards, horrified by the speech but more importantly because Riley believed it.

“And what of the pain that comes with it? What of the endless nightmares and the faces that I see in my sleep? Maybe if I got out there and shouted what really happened…” Riley moved more quickly then Arnold would have given him credit for and came within an inch of his face: “Now you listen here soldier, ugly things happen in wars and we are here to make sure that it won’t happen to our people and we shield them from the brunt reality as well. Do you know how much morale is important?”

The lieutenant general moved away briskly and kept speaking: “Entire nations through history have been moved by their will to fight! Sure they might not be ACU pilots or war heroes but I’ll take a solid patriot with a heart at the right place and a gun in his hand any day. I’ve seen ACU pilots soiling their pants because they could not see past their own selfish lives and I’ve seen farmers screaming defiantly as they charged with a rusty pipe in hand. So make no mistake about it, if our people believe that they can win then they will!”

“But it’s just a lie…” Arnold leaned on the wall for support, part of him flinching as Riley screamed: “then live with it! If a lie can make people stand on their two feet and fight then it’s something that can be used. If something as simple as a lie saves countless men, women and children then it can be incredibly valuable. You’re feeling rotted because people don’t see the blood on your hands? There’s blood on all our hands and mine are no exception! Every commander out there does whatever he can to win the war and you should too. Forgive me if I don’t give a damn about any self loathing if it buys us our victory.”

Riley calmed down for a moment, lowering his voice: “Learn to accept what happened and move on. People admire you for what you did and this celebration is for you. Use it to reconnect with the rest of humanity and forget past mistakes because when this is over, you’ll still be the hero of Orionis and many more lives will depend on you.” With that Riley rearranged his shirt slightly, gave Arnold a curt nod and made his way out of the office and back to the party, leaving Arnold alone.

-----

“What did Brackman say?”

Mather took a deep breath to stabilize himself and then looked at Dostya: “Exactly what I expected him to say. He trusts me enough to make my own judgment call when we hear Redfog’s plan and he promised to support me in my decision. The doctor also approved my second request… Dostya, you’ve been promoted to a full fledged commander and you will be piloting an ACU from now on. I would also be honored – should we agree to Redfog’s plan – if you were to lead the second team.”

Dostya gasped and was about to object but Mather stopped her with an outstretched hand: “You’re smart, quick thinking, determined, competent and the most able pilot that I have ever trained. You can even outdo me in few areas and you’ve made me very proud.” She flushed as Mather went on: “You’re all that and what’s most important you know how I think. I don’t know what Redfog has in store for us but I know that he would not ask for anyone’s help if he did not have to. When things get rough - and they will - then there is no one I would rather have besides me.”

She could feel herself flushing and she nodded at him. There was also something else in his eyes, something that was far more personal but he would not say it just yet. Part of Dostya was also confused about her feelings but she would put those aside for now.

The moment was shattered as the door opened and Redfog stepped into the room. He barely nodded in their direction and was quickly followed by three other assassins who closed the door and took positions behind him. Redfog looked around the room slowly: “is that everyone?”

“Yes, Dostya will be in charge of the second team if we agree to the plan.” Mather was immediately interrupted by one of the assassins in the back: “This child?” The ACU pilot was about to offer a retort but Dostya beat him to it: “if you have a problem with it then we can settle this right here.”

The assassin was about to step forward but Redfog lifted his hand: “I have heard of you… you will do.” The assassin behind Redfog immediately backed off, unwilling to challenge his leader: “these men represent part of the man power that I will be sending with the second team… provided that you agree to my plan of course. Did you have any backup in store for her?”

Mather nodded slowly, his eyes unblinking: “I have one SCU pilot willing to give us a hand. He’ll be late however but we can start without him. He’s not much for making plans anyway.” Before anyone else could object Redfog opened his hand and calmly said: “Map.”

One of the assassins handed him a map and he spread it on the nearby table: “The plan is completed through several stages and what I am about to say will not leave this room. The goal is to steal the plans of a galactic colossus from the Aeon and use it to complete the design of the Monkeylord’s laser. As you all guessed however we can’t just gate in, take the plans and gate out.”

“The first step of the plan is to ensure that we would have a way out. The UEF separates us from the Aeon planet that I have targeted and that poses a problem. Gating directly would be possible but gating back would require a lot of energy and therefore a lot of time. Needless to say we do not have a lot of time so team one and two will first gate to Matar. There we will attack and capture a small UEF settlement and use it as a stealth staging base from which team one we will drive our assault in Aeon territory. Team two will be staying behind, avoiding detection for as long as possible. Let me be clear: we want to capture the settlement, not level it. The presence of UEF citizens in our clutch should be enough to buy us some time should we be detected.”

Dostya hid her contempt at the mention of a possible hostage situation. “The second phase of the plan will be handled by me and Mather. We will gate into Aeon territory and quickly build a base. I will lead an assault on an Aeon settlement, capture part of the people there and get the answers that I need while Mather buys me time with decoy tactics. Once I have the information we will quickly gate back into UEF territory and then a second time into Cybran territory.”

Mather leaned over the table and looked at the map: “You seem to be purposely keeping some of the details from us. We’ve already confirmed that both the Aeon and the UEF use the same strategy as us: they only give access to specific schematics to high ranking commanders. Their experimentals are used only by their most zealous members. We can’t just grab the first person that survives and beat it out of him.”

Redfog nodded slowly: “Quite right and all you need to know is that I have a specific individual in mind. I will not say any more and no one but me will be holding that piece of information. Any leak concerning the identity of my target, even the smallest one, would doom this operation to failure.”

Dostya looked at Mather and then back at Redfog: “but it won’t help you get the information out of your target. If the schematics are only held by the most zealous then it could be days before you manage to get it out of him. How will you get the pilot to talk before the Aeon find and destroy you?” A low chuckle filled the room and Redfog looked up at Dostya with a wicked glint in his eyes, most of his face still hidden under his breathing mask: “That part is also planned out. As for the method well… we have a saying at the Assumpta node: don’t ask questions to which you’re not willing to hear the answer.”

Suddenly the door leading to the small room burst open and a man stepped through with a bottle of Minverva’s swamp in his hand: “Hey! I’m sure glad that I found you guys!” Dostya’s face brightened and Mather hid his smile as one of the assassins growled and moved to intercept: “Stupid idea to have such a meeting in the back room of a bar. Get out of here you drunk before I break a few…”

The assassin tried to grab the old man but the intended victim reacted first, sending the bottle of liquor spinning in the air to distract the attacker, grabbing the arm, twisting it at a painful angle and then catching the bottle: “I may be old but I’m still young enough to kick your rear around the room… do you want a drink?”

“You’re late Bagby. You missed the briefing too.” Mather’s voice stopped the old SCU pilot from spilling his bottle over the assassin’s head and he looked up with a wide grin: “Impossible odds, low chance of success and low pay?” Dostya crossed her arms and barely held back her grin: “And worst still, you’d be serving under me.”

“Now that’s something that only a madman would accept...” With that Bagby shoved the assassin back towards his peers: “Count me in.” Redfog did not even move or bother to aknowledge the SCU pilot’s antics while the other assassin cursed and rubbed his arm: “Is he completely insane?”

Dostya shrugged and turned a wicked grin on him: “You know what they say: don’t ask questions to which you’re not willing to hear the answer.”

-----

Arnold leaned on the nearby table, unable to get out of the office where Riley had given his speech. How could that slime ball just go out there, smile and shake hands while knowing that this entire party was a sham? Worse yet, how could Arnold possibly go out there and do the same with those memories hunting him? They were so vivid now that whenever he blinked he could see that lone ten year old girl looking at him and shooting his ACU with her blaster.

“Oh excuse me; I know it might sound strange but…” Arnold had been so self-absorbed that he had not heard the door open and he turned around to see a woman enter the room. She looked at him for a second and her face immediately flushed: “Oh my god! I did not know that it was you in here and now I feel very stupid for what I’m about to ask!”

The guilt that he felt now combined with an equal proportion of confusion as it was obvious that the woman was embarrassed to intrude upon him. She looked away for a moment and took a deep breath: “You would not happen to have seen an ACU plush toy around?”

“Err… sorry no.”

“Oh I can’t believe that this is the first line that I throw to the hero of Orionis!” Arnold flinched and she noticed. She quieted a moment and then explained: “My four year old son he… he just can’t seem to sleep without the doll. My brother sent it to him when he was just a babe and it has probably seen more action then any doll in existence.”

She took a step forward and lowered he voice: “I know a lot of people are probably bothering you tonight and want to congratulate you but now that I’m here I just wanted to say thank you. They say that in large part to your efforts me and my little Tommy still have a home. They say that we would never have managed to evacuate Matar in time before the Aeon attacked.”

There was a moment of silence as the woman tried to gauge if she had made things better or worse. She finally smiled and clacked her heels together: “Well that doll won’t find itself and I have to find it if Tommy is to have any sleep on the way back home. With any luck maybe it did not jump in the bowl full of punch in some mad exploration. Goodnight!”

She waved at Arnold with a smile and left. The ACU pilot desperately held on to that image; trying to picture the young vibrant woman and her son in his mind for as long as possible. For a moment the sight of the bodies on Orionis left him and he breathed a little easier. Unknown to her she had given him something to hold on to that was more tangible then any parade, something that he desperately needed.

Chapter 3
On the move

She floated quietly with her eyes closed, the waters gently caressing her skin and warming her body. A barely perceptible ripple hit Rhianne and she felt it reach her long hair, pulling at them ever so slightly. It seemed that another student was getting out of the meditation pool to rejoin the others. To Rhianne’s knowledge it meant that only five students were in the pool with her now.

It was not a contest of who would remain the longest since enlightenment was not reached through a measure of time. Still Rhianne found it strange that the others seemed to have problems staying in the meditation pool for extended periods. Some had told her that they grew bored or felt anxiety after so long with little sensory stimulation. To Rhianne however meditation was a gift, a way to dig deeply inside herself and find the roots of her very being.

Human emotions were complex; one of the hardest things to analyze and predict. Like every sizable problem however emotions could be taken apart and analyzed one piece at a time until it all made sense. A boiling anger might have surfaced after an incident but have its roots traced to some other unresolved conflicts. Through such a process Rhianne had analyzed as much as she could and her anger, joy, fear and passions all made sense to her now. A deeper understanding allowed her to act in true concordance with her inner being and it was the first step towards understanding The Way.

Now her mind was turned towards outside events since analyzing those could help to unravel other aspects of her personality that she was unaware of. Rhianne’s mind turned around the Infinite War but instead of looking at it in its entirety she decided to focus on the Cybrans. How would it feel to have implants, an AI and have both the Aeon and the UEF as enemies? Was the AI really a cold logical voice that ran through one’s mind, dehumanizing events and reducing everything to statistics?

She tried to conjure a mental image of a Cybran, imagining the basic human form, the red facial circuitry and the precise movements. Rhianne’s efforts were rewarded as her imagination took life and her heartbeat quickened. The Cybran moved slowly around as if analyzing the environment. Suddenly he seemed to be looking straight at her and although his form was still blurry, she could clearly see a set of intense burning eyes.

As he stepped towards her Rhianne’s heartbeat quickened and fear replaced her earlier awe. This sensation puzzled her since there was no reason for it. She did not fear death nor was she in any danger. It was simply a Cybran in her imagination so there was no reason to fear anything. The figure was running towards her now and she felt a tingling sensation in her fingers as if blood was no longer circulating through them. Why was this happening?

Deciding that she might have stayed in the pool too long, Rhianne tried to stop her meditation just as the figure reached her. Intense pain filled her chest as if a blade had been driven straight through her rib cage and into her heart. She opened her eyes and gasped, jerking violently a few times before she regained control. She moved her arms in order to stand in the pool and noticed that two other students were looking at her with concern. She bowed her head and touched her forehead; silently apologizing for the disturbance and made her way towards the side.

She analyzed what had happened as she moved, trying to find out why such a vision had visited her. She had never been disturbed while thinking about the UEF or the Cybrans before so why now? The vision had been vague and all that she could clearly recall was the set of unforgiving eyes.

-----

Evaluator Toth looked up from her book as Rhianne jerked in the pool for a moment. She grew worried when she saw her favored pupil look around with a scared expression, apologize to the others and make her way out. It was not uncommon for anyone to have a shocking revelation while meditating but Rhianne had shown a maturity and an innate comprehension of herself a long time ago. The possibility of her discovering such a shocking side of her mind after being so serene for the past month was unlikely. It left the possibility of a vision but the notion was unheard of in one so young. Odds were that she had dug up an old nightmare that she had experienced in her early childhood.

A green light emanating from the nearby door indicated that someone was seeking an audience. Toth closed her book, clapped her hands together and instructed the other students to get out of the pool. Whatever mystery had happened today would have to wait. She opened the door to find the most unlikely guest: a small girl that looked no older then fourteen years old: “Greetings child, can I help you?”

“Evaluator Toth.” The child bowed and handed her a rolled parchment: “My mentor sends his greetings and this message. He hopes that you fill find me worthy of your time.”

A barely perceptible trace of contempt laced the child’s words and Toth had a feeling that she knew who the mentor was. She cracked the seal and scanned the letter carefully, confirming that Marxon was behind it. Although Toth had plucked a very old tradition by invoking the ritual of rebirth, Marxon had researched an equally obscure one by invoking the right of tranquility. Such a right had only been used once by a single parent before proceeding with the test, afraid that her only child would be left alone should she be mentally scarred. Toth knew that this had less to do with the child’s welfare then with Marxon keeping tabs on her.

“Your name is Ariel correct? Did your mentor instruct you as to what it meant to be under my care?” The girl nodded and Toth smiled. Although she was just a pawn in all of this, she was still an innocent child that might find enlightenment like any other. Maybe a broad perspective now could save her from Marxon’s clutches later.

“We will soon be departing for a trip to Luthien. The Artic world was liberated from the UEF’s web of deceit nearly two years ago.” The child nodded vigorously: “Yes, after commander Marxon’s victory over the UEF invaders at Orionis.” Toth raised an eyebrow: “After the Aeon Illuminate – including commander Marxon – fought off the invaders at Orionis. Let us not forget everyone that was involved in that tragic battle.”

Looking at Ariel’s eyes, Toth could well see that she would never forget what had happened at Orionis. There was a lot of anger in those eyes, anger that Marxon had no doubt tapped into. The Evaluator straightened: “In any case we will be departing for an important journey that involves the spiritual growth of my students. You are free to either stay here or join us since commander Marxon has entrusted you into my care.”

From the look of the child’s eyes, Toth knew that she would not so easily be left behind.

-----

“Hey Arnold, are you in here?” Desjar looked at the mess in the apartment and quietly muttered: “Well if you’re not here then you’re not far.” The sound of something shifting caught Desjar attention and he spotted the tip of a boot behind the bed. The SCU pilot slowly made his way towards it and spotted Arnold with a half empty bottle of tequila in hand: “Go away. I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.”

Arnold took a swig and did not even look at his friend. Instead of leaving him alone however Desjar sank right next to him and opened the bottle of wine that he had been carrying: “I’m not on duty so screw your orders.”

The ACU pilot snarled but did not object anymore. They drank in silence for a while before Desjar finally spoke: “Well get it out of your system and get it over with before either of us pass out.”

Arnold felt the near overwhelming urge to punch his friend in the face but sighed instead, his shoulders slumping in defeat: “You know when I was a kid everything was simple. If I did good then I’d get a grunt of approval, if I did bad I’d get slapped around and if I totally screwed up then my dad would use his belt to make sure I understood. Those were the rules until I was old enough to punch back. It was messed up I know but at least right and wrong were clear back then.”

“Now… now I kill thousands of civilians and they hand me medals and throw me a party. No one wants to know what really happened or why I wanted to win so much. They keep saying that I did it for order, glory and the every human under the UEF… but I only did it for Lin.” Arnold took another swig of his tequila before continuing: “If I had just stayed in the base and fought until the end then maybe a few thousands would have been spared.”

Desjar waited a few moments before sighing: “They would have been spared too if I had stopped you from sending me back.” Arnold looked at him weirdly and snorted: “What the hell are you babbling about? I was the one that forced your SCU through the gate. There was nothing that you could have done besides act like a monkey in the cockpit.”

“I could have initiated the self destruct sequence. Not even you could have stopped that.” Arnold jerked up, spilling part of the bottle on his shirt: “Are you crazy? The damage to the portal…”

“Would have been acceptable; I was piloting an SCU and not an ACU buddy, the portal would have held, you would have been safely home and those people would be alive. You would never have known about your initial strike on that settlement and everybody would have been better off.” Arnold looked at his friend and blinked a few times. Now he knew why the subject kept coming up every few months; Desjar was feeling just as guilty as he was despite never firing a single shot. He had simply never had the guts to tell him before today.

Arnold could see what he was saying though. If they had been given better intelligence, if the mission has not been so desperate, if backup had arrived, if for any number of perfectly good reasons things had turned out differently then a lot of people would be alive today. The war and all those lives did not rest on their shoulders alone. It did not help them feel any better at the moment but maybe with time they would find a way to accept it.

“You know… you’re one sorry excuse of a pathetic pilot if you think that pressing that self destruct button would have been acceptable.” Desjar raised his bottle in a toast: “But I’m still the better looking… and I bet you that I’ll finish my bottle before you finish yours.”

With that Desjar brought the bottle up and started drinking which brought a smirk on Arnold’s face. It disappeared quickly though and he brought his bottle up as well since the SCU pilot appeared dead serious about winning that bet.

-----

The engines hummed to life, allowing the ACU to move through the training field with ease. Dostya felt the vibrations at each step and completed a half a dozen diagnostics simultaneously. The ACU was brand new with only a few traces of recent modifications to accommodate the jamming equipment. She shot at a few nearby boulders and recycled the debris afterwards. Everything was perfectly calibrated but she made the field test to be certain anyway. This mission could not afford any mistake.

Once she was done she made her way to the gate nexus where everyone was waiting. Mather was standing in the middle of the gate, his ACU standing with its arms outstretched. Not far away was Redfog’s ACU, its surface decorated with a non standard pattern of black and red paint which made it look like someone had spilled blood all over the surface. Besides it was the module that held the twenty Assumpta assassins. They were coded Urzu one through Urzu twenty and were under Mather’s command until the UEF settlement was captured. Finally at the back of the complex was Bagby, the only unit that could not enter a quantum gate without a similar structure on the other side to welcome it.

The signal for a conference call light up and Dostya activated it. Her main monitor was filled with a series of shifting triangles with the face of every pilot appearing in turn. An extra triangle appeared in the end, displaying a series of pulsating red circles. Dostya had rarely ever spoken to QAI but she was reassured to know that it was involved in the mission.

“Here’s a quick recapitulation so everyone listen up.” Every pilot was alert as Mather laid out the situation: “Our target is the isolated settlement of New Hampshire on Matar. We have established that it does not have the necessary scanning equipment to see us coming. I will gate over and establish a stealth base as quickly as I can. The Assumpta squad will gate in next followed by Redfog and Dostya. Bagby will come in later once the settlement is captured and both me and Redfog are off the planet.” Mather’s head turned towards Redfog: “I trust that the commandos have been instructed to obey my orders and then Dostya’s to the letter?”

Redfog’s voice was icy calm as if he was discussing something as boring as the weather: “They will follow orders as long as it follows the original outline, yes.” There was no mistaken what the assassin meant: they would follow orders but their first loyalty was to Redfog. For a second Mather was worried about leaving Dostya alone with them but then he paused and realized that maybe the assassins were the ones in trouble. The moment of silence was shattered when QAI spoke: “I will be monitoring the situation closely but will be maintaining strict communication’s silence for as long as we are undetected. Once the schematics are safely within our hands I will attempt to extract whatever information that could be of immediate value.”

The reactor of the quantum gate complex suddenly activated and bolts of electricity sliced the air above them. It was time and they ended the conference call. The main quantum generators dropped and emitted a piercing whine before a flash filled their view screen. Once the flash stopped Mather’s ACU was gone.

The next part was the hardest: they had to wait. The commandos would be sent ten minute later and then each ACU pilot would gate at a five minute interval. There would be no communications in the meantime as there would only need to talk if something went wrong. They therefore waited in the hope that nothing would happen.

This was the part that Dostya hated the most as there was no way to know if Mather was safe or dead. A light on her left flashed and her heart skipped a beat until she realized that it was only Bagby calling her: “What is it?”

“Hey D, here’s one last piece of advice before things get rough. Those Assumpta psychos know Mather and Redfog but they don’t know you. You might need to step on a few of them to earn their respect.” Dostya chuckled softly: “I think it’s the first time that I ever heard you being serious Bagby. Got any advice on how I should manage you while we’re at it?”

The old man grinned, exposing a few missing teeth: “Nah, I already know from personal experience that you’ll kick a man in the balls to prove your point. Just point the way and I’ll follow your lead through hell and back if necessary. Just don’t be surprised if I do a few things the Bagby way!” Dostya grinned despite herself. Rare were the pilots – especially SCU pilots – that ever reached Bagby’s age. It would be the first time that she would ever see him in action.

She looked at the clock and they were closing on the ten minute mark. With no news from Mather it meant that he had succeeded. The quantum gate activated and the Asssumpta squad module quickly disappeared. The Cybrans were on the move.

-----

“Now let us all bow our heads and pray.” Toth lowered her head and brought both of her hands together. Her students did the same and so did Rhianne. She tried to forget her earlier vision and instead focused on the peace and serenity that she usually attained. The quantum gate activated and a disk of light dropped towards their transport, enveloping them all in a warn and comfortable light. When the light dimmed Rhianne knew that they were on Luthien.

They got to their feet almost as one and picked up their cloaks. Only one student – the one that had joined them barely a few hours ago – was out of synch with the rest of them. Rhianne briefly considered heading over to her and extend a hand in friendship but something in the back of her mind told her that she would take offense. She was here because someone has asked it of her and not because she had wished it. Of that Rhianne was certain.

Evaluator Toth clapped her hands once to get their attention: “We will now be taking a walk towards the halls of absolution. Take the time to center yourselves and be ready. The sight may disturb more then one of you and you will all be tasked with participating.”

The doors opened and a cold win caressed their skin. Rhianned tightened her cloak a bit but otherwise kept her face fully exposed, embracing the change instead of hiding from it. The weather was not unlike the one found outside the equatorial zone of Seraphim Two but from what she understood it was always like this on Luthien. Still the sight of the towering peaks in the distance and the music from the wind were unlike anything that she had ever experienced. Unfortunately the scenery was broken by the sight of war wreckage a few kilometers away.

“What are we doing here?” The voice brought Rhianne out of her contemplation and she noticed that the new student was on Evaluator Toth’s heels: “This is not a place for children to play around. There’s been a war here recently.”

Instead of scolding the new student for her breach in etiquette Toth smiled patiently: “Are you sure? How could one fully embrace the The Way if one ignored the consequences of war? There are many things that one cannot fully grasp without seeing them with their own eyes.”

“I have seen more then enough.” The new student had muttered that last part while turning away from Toth but Rhianne had caught the words. The bitterness of her voice and her temper brought an image to Rhianne’s mind: that of the lonely girl crying herself to sleep while holding on to her pillow. She had lost someone… no, she had lost everything to the war.

The realization stunned Rhianne and she stayed silent for a few moments longer. Toth then turned to them again: “Please listen well students. Luthien has been under Aeon control only recently and there are still many pockets of resistance dotting the planet. Each day the war continues and each days UEF forces are either destroyed or captured. Those that are captured are given a choice: to accept The Way or be cleansed.”

She looked at them all for a moment, making sure that she had their full attention: “The first goal of the Aeon Illuminate is to spread The Way and only by touching the heart of our enemy can we accomplish this. Today you will accompany and assist Evaluators in their teachings as they seek to end this war. It is only their tireless work that gives us hope for a peaceful future.”

Rhianne stood straight, fully believing Evaluator Toth’s words. She did not have to look at the new student’s eyes to know that the belief was not shared.

-----

“This is New Hampshire control reporting in, no threats detected in the area and no sign of activity. Confirmation code five, five, six, Zulu, eight, please confirm.” The response came quickly: “roger that New Hampshire, please standby.”

Henry twisted in his chair and placed both of his feet on the console: “dang I hate the night shift. Nothing happens, you can’t accomplish anything because you need the authorization of someone’s that sleeping and in the morning you get blamed because nothing gets done!” The technician looked over his shoulder at the symbiont which was dutifully filling in today’s reports: “But you probably don’t care about any of that now do you? Why don’t you fetch me a cup of coffee you walking zombie.”

The symbiont immediately nodded, getting to his feet and heading to the cafeteria. Henry merely shrugged: “Good dog.” The screen suddenly light up: “New Hampshire your code has been confirmed. Over and out.”

“Finally…” The technician felt an icy chill run down his spine since the voice came from behind him. He barely had the time to blink as someone kicked his feet off the console, grabbed him by the collar and slammed his face repeatedly against the controls. He desperately tried to reach for his gun but someone caught his right arm and twisted it behind his back. Henry cried out as the arm was pushed higher and higher until the bone finally snapped.

“I got this one. Urzu three, how are those security software?” The technician could barely stay conscious as someone else in the room answered: “over a year old… and the idiot has his login and password tagged to his screen. We don’t need him.” Henry could barely twist his head around and saw the station’s symbiont from the corner of his eye: “Help me!”

“He can’t help you little man. His loyalty program prevents him from making any attack even against your enemies… how long has he been assigned to this station?” When Henry did not answer the Cybran twisted his arm further which brought a new wave of agony: “Seven years!”

The Cybrans hesitated for a moment before the one that was holding him spoke again: “Too long. The bastard probably needs years of therapy and he’s nothing but dead weight to us.” The other voice answered quickly: “But the others from fifty-six will probably want to help him anyway. That is unless…”

Henry did not know what they were talking about but he did not like the tone of their voice. In a flash one of his assailants picked up the gun from his belt, slapped it into his left hand and twisted him around. A finger pressed over his and a shot fired, catching the mute symbiont straight in the head. Before he could figure out what was happening the Cybran disarmed him while his partner aimed a laser pistol at his head: “Congratulations, you get to die a hero.”

There was a flash of intense pain and then Henry no longer felt anything.

-----

“Pow, pow, you’re dead Martin!” Ralph pointed his toy gun at the other child and grinned widely. With Martin gone his team had won and they were the uncontested rulers of Matar! Just in the nick of time too since the sun had fallen and it was only a matter of time until their commanders – otherwise known as their mothers – would swoop down and order them to bed.

“No I’m not, I have shields!”

“Oh not again! Martin we’re playing storm commandos not ACU piloting. You can’t have shields when you’re just wandering around with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt!” The other kid crossed his arms defiantly: “Who says I can’t? Who made the rules of this stupid game anyway?”

“It’s just how it works Martin. You get shot and you die. You can’t decide to have shields because you hate to lose. Take this rock for example.” Ralph picked up a rock and flipped it once: “You can’t just decide that it’s a grenade because you want to. That’s not in the rule so if I throw it.”

Raph threw the rock as far as he could: “It will just…”

The rock hit something in mid air over ten meters away and bolts of electricity laced through the air for a split second. Ralph stood completely confused while Martin whistled: “That’s one heck of a grenade! Here let me try!”

Before Ralph could stop him Martin threw another rock with the same results and he cried in excitement: “Those grenades rock!” Seeming to catch on to his own choice of words Martin giggled and Raph was about to slap and remind him that rocks and electricity did not mix when the whole ground shook. They both fell on their backs and looked up just as bolts of electricity danced through the whole area and a demon like ACU appeared in front of them. The four red eye slits were fixed on them and so was one of the giant’s cannon.

“Err… shields?” A cold voice came from the giant: “Remember the rule: you get shot and you die.”

Chapter 4
Past agony

“We’ll seal them in their quarters and strap some explosive through the complex. Anyone that tries to escape will only do so in pieces. That should give the necessary example for the others to…” The transmitter of every Assumpta assassin flared to life and a single clear voice came through: “This is Dostya: ETA to the quantum gate construction is estimated at eight minutes. Command of the Assumpta troops has been transferred to me and we will now plan out the proper method of containing the settlers.”

The assassin looked at his three compatriots and frowned. He then brought a hand to his ear and activated his transmitter: “This is Urzu one, we got that part covered. Why don’t you just beef up our defenses while we…” The door to the main command center opened and Dostya – wearing her light combat armor - stepped through: “I’m already here.”

Urzu one hissed between his teeth: “Getting out of your ACU is risky! If we are attacked now…” Dostya cut him off with a wave of her hand: “Then the mission would be over whether I was in my ACU or not. Redfog and Mather have yet to leave and we could not hold this base if we were discovered so soon. Now what I want is for our troops to ferry the civilians out of their quarters and into the gymnasium. We’ll do it progressively and sort them…”

“Why don’t you let us handle the messy part… we’ll keep the settlers in line.” Dostya looked at each of them in turn: “Let me make one thing clear: this is my command and you will obey my orders. We do things my way and that includes no needless killings of civilians or symbionts.” Urzu one shrugged: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The dead symbiont in the corridor was a firefight incident with the station’s operator. He stumbled on us, shot first, killed the zombie and then we dealt with him.”

“Then explain this.” The assassin looked at the console behind him which was covered with traces of fresh blood. His mouth opened to offer a counter argument as he turned back to the ACU pilot but before he could utter a word a foot collided with his face. Dostya completed her roundhouse kick, satisfied that she had broken the assassin’s nose. She ignored the weapons from the three other assassins that were now trained on her: “Is anyone else tempted to screw with me? Do you honestly think that I’ll believe even for a second that any Cybran – never mind a trained one – could possibly fire any slower then a surprised UEF technician?”

Urzu one slowly got back to his feet while trying to stop his nose bleed: “I should kill you for that!” Instead of backing off Dostya stepped forward: “Give it your best shot. If you attack me and fail then know that I’m scrapping the mission and leaving you all here for Redfog to decide whether you’re worth saving or not. If you attack me and somehow manage to kill me then the mission is scrapped and again you’ll have to hope that Redfog is compassionate enough to bail you out.” The other assassins looked from Dostya to Urzu one a few times before finally holstering their weapons.

The lead assassin was fuming but did not move to strike her. Dostya held his gaze for a few seconds longer before speaking: “Now again let me make this clear. We do things my way or not at all. I may tolerate mistakes but disobey my orders or lie to me and you’ll be walking all the way home. Am I perfectly clear?” She looked at the other assassins who nodded and then returned her unflinching gaze to Urzu one. He hesitated a few moments before nodding as well: “Understood.”

“We just wasted two minutes that we could not spare so I want you all to listen to me very carefully from this point on. Here are my orders and I expect all of you to follow them to the letter.”

-----

Mather grinned as he completed the second quantum gate. Dostya had kept her com open during the confrontation to make sure that every assassin got the same message. Redfog’s face appeared in the corner of his main monitor: “The remains of your previous base have been erased and the UEF won’t be able to pick any trace. She does not waste any time now does she?”

“Nope and this is on one of her good days. You don’t have a problem with that do you?” If Redfog was upset, he was clearly not showing it: “As long as she fulfills her task and does not get in my way then I do not care how she does it. The same applies to everyone that I work with.”

There was no mistaking the hidden threat behind the assassin’s words. Redfog would cooperate for as long as they needed each other’s help but once the mission was over then it was back to business as usual. Mather had not held any illusions when the mission had started.

“The gate complex is nearing completion. It’s time to go.”

-----

“Welcome to the halls of absolution children and let me first present to you Evaluator Eldes.” The children bowed as one with their hands pressed to their chest which symbolized both respect and gratitude. Evaluator Eldes, a woman in her forties, bowed in turn and smiled: “Harmony to you all. We will be taking a journey together but before we go I have a message for you Evaluator Toth. It is from Keeper Pheris; she would like a word with you as soon as you are available.”

Toth paused a moment to consider it and then nodded: “Very well, I will go and see her immediately. Please take good care of my charge while I am away.” Eldes smiled and bowed, clearly looking forward to the prospect. She turned to the children as Toth left the room: “What you are about to see today is the true goal of the Aeon Illuminate. I will lead you through the halls of absolution and present to you each room and those within. I will ask that you steady your hearts however as the war has left scars on many within and while we are doing our best to heal them, some are more profound then others. Now come.”

She led them to another room where a giant screen covered the wall. She pressed a button and it rippled before displaying a top down view of the complex: “Humans are naturally resistant to change. Even beneficial changes can take a long of time before it is accepted. Like everything in life however true enlightenment cannot be forced upon an individual and he must chose to walk to path himself. Each room in this complex symbolizes a new step towards accepting The Way. The basic needs of the petitioners are fulfilled no matter the stage of development. Once a candidate is deemed ready, he is allowed to progress to the next room where his understanding of The Way can be broadened. A candidate is considered ready when his behavior is sufficiently under control in order to not disturb the others that are walking the same path. There is no time limit or pressure and each can find their path at their own pace.”

Ariel presented both hands in front of her like a chalice, indicating that she had a question. The Evaluator nodded and she spoke: “What if a candidate becomes violent?”

“We are living through a war and many candidates had violent lives. Psychological wounds are therefore expected and violence is a possibility. Some do not know any better and must be shown a different path. We take precautions however and only Evaluators and helpers trained in the art of self defense are allowed in the first few rooms. As long as no permanent damage is dealt to an Aeon or to another candidate however then the learning process may continue.” Ariel lowered her hands and it was apparent that the notion of such a forgiving form of teaching did not appeal to her.

Rhianne raised her hands in a similar fashion before asking her question: “Has such a process ever been attempted with Cybrans?” Evaluator Eldes frowned for a moment as if remembering an unpleasant experience: “Cybrans are beyond enlightenment and they will remain a burden for us to cleanse for as long as they hold to their decadent ways. Humans use tools through their existence but it is still their actions and not the tools that define who they are. A man can pick a shovel one day and a sword the next as situation demands but neither tool defines him. Cybrans transgress that fundamental law by mixing their very minds and souls with technology and in effect become a sentient tool. Do we expect a shovel to meditate or a sword to lend a hand? The answer is no and therefore tools that have a will of their own are an aberration and should be destroyed.”

The Evaluator’s voice grew gentler for a moment as if to appease the troubled girl: “Many times through the centuries we have extended a hand in friendship to the Cybrans. Despite past transgressions we have promised to take in their natural born children and protect them as if they were our own. That way the infinite war could end quickly with our full attention on the UEF and with the Cybrans fading away without violence. It would merely require that the Cybrans accept their destiny instead of continuing this travesty of reproducing sentient tools.”

Satisfied, the older woman straightened and addressed everyone: “Now let us being our visit and please remember to show both kindness and understanding to those who have yet to embrace The Way.”

-----

“Keeper Pheris, it has been a long time.” Toth was in a small room with a single display screen. Displayed on it was the Keeper of the station, a title given only to commanders assigned to guard Evaluators on the front line. Pheris bowed her head in acknowledgment: “Evaluator Toth, it has been a long time. I will be brief: as much as I understand the need to test your candidates I must ask you to leave as quickly as possible.”

“Is there a problem that you wish to tell me about?” Keeper Pheris pressed a few keys, adjusting something in her ACU before speaking again: “The process of selecting an Avatar-of-War has caused Aeon movements through our entire sector. As each commander was given a chance to lead some of our well established defenses had their best elements assigned elsewhere. I am confident of my abilities to stop a UEF attack but should I falter then I do not know how soon we can expect backup. I accept these risks willingly and yet I would rather not have the death of our future princess on my hands.”

Toth nodded, knowing where this was going: “Thank you for your honesty and believe me when I say that I understand the risks very well. It is precisely because of the selection of the next Avatar-of-War that I am here. I have delayed the process for as long as possible but we are running out of time. We will need a strong and dedicated princess to counter the presence of an Avatar-of-War or else all form of balance will be lost. Can I count on your support as I did in the past Keeper Pheris?”

“It goes against my better judgment Evaluator Toth but I will do all that I can to keep you and your charge safe.” Toth bowed her head and ended the transmission.

-----

“Lieutenant general Riley: what are your thoughts on the parade yesterday? Did it meet your expectations?” Riley smiled at the reporters in front of him and another series of camera flash nearly blinded him: “I for one thought it was a splendid success! It’s good to know that despite the war so many people can come together and celebrate all that we stand for.”

“What about the rumors that the heroes of Orionis were displeased?” Riley made a show of sighing for everyone to see: “There is only one person to blame for this and I’m afraid that it’s me. As much as I wanted the celebration to be a success I did not want to compromise the security of Matar in the process. I’m afraid that the pilots were not warned of the celebration and as such were caught by surprise.”

“These men are loyal and dedicated officers who thought that they were marching to war. Expecting a war and coming face to face with some R and R can unsettle even the best of us. Fortunately I’m pleased to announce that once they digested the shock then they enjoyed the party fully. They might even have overdone it since they could not even be here this morning, hah!” The reporters at the press conference all laughed at the small joke. Of course Riley had neglected to mention that they had been found dead drunk in their quarters which had brought most of his public relations plans crashing down.

“Lieutenant general, what are your thoughts on the Infinite War? Do you think that we can win?” Riley actually took some time to think about that one before answering: “You know I could bore you all with pretty speeches about numbers, new technologies or about our more efficient protocols but instead I’d like to speak about something closer to home. It was actually something that I saw at the party and I’d like to tell you that story.”

“Believe it or not I stumbled on an ACU on that party, it was about this big.” The lieutenant general lifted his hand a feet above the table. “It was battered, bruised and showed many signs of patching. The pilot, a small child named Timmy, was busily assaulting the small cake platter not far away and the ACU was probably there to watch his back.” The crowd laughed and he continued: “I always want UEF soldiers to have the best possible equipment so I offered the veteran pilot to replace his ACU for a new model. Do you know what he did?”

The whole room hushed: “He turned around - his mouth still caked with chocolate - dived towards his ACU, lifted its arm and shot me!” This time the entire room was echoing with laughter and Riley had to lift his arm for some quiet.

“Now you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you the heroic tale of Timmy. Well I’ll tell you this: a good way to judge a society is to look at their children. What I saw was not the chocolate or an old ACU but a soldier defending what he valued against unbelievable odds and temptation. If Timmy is a reflection of the heart of Matar then I can tell you that we have nothing to fear. In fact I’d pity anyone that tries to take that ACU from him!”

The room cheered and Riley smiled. He was pleased with the way that he had managed to divert the attention from the ‘heroes’ of Orionis. It still amazed him how the public opinion could be shifted through the introduction of such a simple icon as a child. Morale was now at an all time high and soon he would capitalize on it. With a few more publicity stunts Timmy would become the key to his new campaign.

-----

“This room is the fourth one that our initiates go through and it will be the first one that you will be allowed to visit. To reach this room an initiate must do many things such as discard his belongings, control his aggressive tendencies and learn about history. As you may notice this room is filled with a large number of plants and here they learn to care for another life.” One of the students signaled that she had a question and the Evaluator nodded: “How long does it usually take an initiate to reach this stage?”

“It depends on the candidate of course and usually the first room is the hardest. For reasons that are alien to us citizens of the UEF often develop an attachment to certain objects. Lockets, rings, tags and even every day clothes seem to be an integral part of their identity, status and mindset. It is strange habit but every initiate that has passed that stage has confirmed that Aeon clothes were lighter, softer and warmer.” The students looked at each other and one quickly asked: “That can’t be real now can it? They are just clothes…”

The Evaluator chuckled softly: “Believe it or not, an initiate once waited four months in the first room because he was unwilling to part with a piece of undergarment that he referred to as ‘boxers’. Strangely enough, the name that was inscribed on it was not even his own and further studies revealed that he was not the only one who had worn similar attire.” The students giggled, finding the whole concept almost impossible to believe.

“Now we are about to enter and I want you all to be as careful as possible. They are still initiates and as such they do not understand The Way as clearly as we do. Try to help them along the path but if you sense that you are not welcomed then excuse yourself and leave them alone. Some initiates need time and solitude to work past the trials of their past lives.” The doors opened and the Evaluator led the way into the room. The whole area was a huge garden with a variety of plants ranging from flowers to vegetables of all kinds. There were roughly fifty initiates moving through it either tending to the garden, talking or meditating.

Ariel waited to see where the others were going and then looked around for a candidate. She did not want one of those broken or simple minded UEF commoners but someone with a grain of spirit that would prove to be a challenge. Her gaze finally settled on a muscled man at the other end of the room who was busily tending to a tomato plant but a hand grasped her arm before she could take a step forward: “Not him, I don’t think that he’s ready to listen.” Ariel turned around and saw that it was another student that was holding her arm: “What do you mean?”

“Look at the way that he’s tending to the plant… he is caring for it but he is not seeing it. His body is here but his mind is elsewhere; focused on events past. He lost someone…” Ariel held back a sneer, convinced that the other student was making it up just to make herself feel important but a voice interrupted her: “Rhianne? Could you come here for a moment?”

The student turned around and nodded, letting go of Ariel’s arm and making her way towards Evaluator Toth who had just entered the room. Not one to shrink away from a challenge Ariel made her way to the man regardless of the warning. She waited a moment but he was either unaware of her presence or deliberately ignoring her.

“Did you lose someone important in the war?” He stopped tending to the plant and Ariel smiled in triumph. Maybe Rhianne had guessed it right. If nothing else it proved that Marxon was right and that studying many fields gave someone insights in other areas. Not one to waste any time Ariel pressed her advantage: “You should not be sad. Even unbelievers can be felt once you master The Way. Soon you will forget all about the pain and find true peace.”

The man turned towards her slowly with his gaze lowered. Ariel was about to add more but before she could do so he hurled a handful of dirt straight in her eyes. She cried out in pain and backed up a step but a hand grasped her cloak and dragged her forward. Blinded, Ariel tried fending off the attack but she was twisted around and something sharp was placed under her neck.

“Do you think that I’ll ever forget my boy?”

“John stop!” The voice was Evaluator Eldes’ and Ariel blinked a few times before she could see her. The man tightened his hold on Ariel: “How can you even think that I would forget my boy! You are the ones who took him from me!” Toth motioned the other students and initiates away to diffuse the situation while Eldes tried to calm him: “John please, the one that you are holding is but a child.”

“So was my boy! It did not stop you from destroying our home now did it? It did not stop your mechanical monstrosities from stepping on him as if he was but a bug now did it!” Eldes looked down and saw that John had somehow managed to sharpen a rock and was holding it to the girl’s throat. One wrong move and he would open her carotid before anyone could stop him. The Evaluator looked at the girl and expected her to be terrified but instead she saw vivid anger in her eyes.

“She was just trying to help you John. She might have lacked some grace but she was doing it for you.” The man cursed loudly and nearly spat the next words: “No one here asked for your help! The others might have forgotten who it was that destroyed their homes and their families but I haven’t! You may take away my clothes and my freedom but you can never wrestle away the memories of my boy!”

“Thomas would have never wished you to…” John lifted Ariel off the ground and his improvised weapon drew a line of blood: “Don’t you ever say his name!” Eldes was at a loss. She knew that soldiers were nearby and waiting for her signal but odds were that John would slice the child’s throat before they could rush in.

“You loved him…”

The simple declaration made everyone turn their heads towards Rhianne who was standing apart from everyone: “You would have sacrificed everything to save him.” John twisted around while holding his hostage to get a better view of Rhianne: “You don’t know anything about me.”

“When I look at you… I can almost see him in your arms. He loved you back so much that when he hugged you he would put all of his strength into it. Sometimes it even hurt but you were so glad for it.” Everyone stayed perfectly still as Rhianne took a step forward. Eldes sucked in her breath as John started to cry.

Rhianne looked down at Ariel and back at John: “She said something concerning him… something that made that loss unbearable. Right now the memory is so painful that it blocks out everything and all that you can think about is making others feel as you do.” John nodded slowly and Ariel took another step forward: “What she said was mean… but it was because she lost someone as well. When I look at her, I see the ones that she loved and lost… just like you lost your boy.”

If Ariel’s eyes could be weapons then Rhianne could have sworn that lasers would be shooting her at this very moment: “Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the pain that we feel. Sometimes it lashes out at those nearby until it finds someone that holds a similar burden and a conflict can finally erupt… and the pain is finally justified. Look at her eyes John… look at the pain that mirrors your own.”

The man hesitated before finally twisting Ariel around while still holding the improvised knife to her throat. He gasped and his eyes widened as he finally saw a gaze that held the very same hatred, pain and loneliness as his own. Rhianne was by his side now, slowly bringing a hand over his own: “Please let go of the pain John. Forever cherish the love that you nurtured and let it echo so that others can share in it. Please John…”

The hand that held the knife began to shake until it finally lowered. Rhianne gently took the improvised weapon away and flicked it behind her. She placed a hand on John’s shoulder and he finally collapsed, falling to his knees and crying profusely. The girl stayed by his side and comforted him by whispering soothing words and holding his arm.

Evaluator Eldes let out a breath that she had not realized that she had been holding and made a few subtle hand motions, indicating to cancel the armed guards and instead send in two evaluators. They came discretely and delicately helped the man to his feet. They would take him to a meditating chamber where he would be free to grieve in private. John looked up just as he was escorted out. Rhianne smiled warmly and he smiled back between sobs.

The small girl turned around and met Ariel’s gaze. She had saved her life but in that moment Rhianne knew that Ariel would never fogive her. She had unearthed a piece of her past without permission, something that she had spent years burying under layers of discipline and training. Both knew that the pain hidden there was unhealthy and yet Ariel hated her for trying to take it away. The realization saddened Rhianne and she lowered her gaze.

From the other side of the room Eldes made her way to Toth and spoke barely above a whisper: “She is the one?” Toth made a barely perceptible nod: “All of my hopes rest upon that child. In her I see The Way as it was truly meant to be.” Under different circumstances such words might have brought accusations of heresy but after seeing such a display all that Eldes could do was nod.

-----

The storm grew stronger, snow erasing the ACU’s tracks in mere moments. Mather took the time to look at the raw data on his screen and frowned. This was not right, the Aeon defenses were relatively stable but compared to what he was used to they were kind of sloppy. Was it a trick or a way to exploit a Cybran who displayed a predictable attack pattern? This was almost too good to be true.

“It’s not a trap.” Redfog’s voice made him jump in his seat and he cursed himself for his carelessness: “I fought Aeon before and their security has never been this horrible. So if it’s not a trap then how did this happen?”

Mather’s eyes narrowed when Redfog did not answer: “Red, we’re all alone here with no outside communication so it’s time to be straight with me. What did your predecessor know?” The assassin was still not looking at him but he answered: “What makes you so sure that my predecessor knew anything? For all you know I’m the one that had the answers all along.”

“If you won’t be straight with me then I will: I fought alongside the one that held the title of Redfog before you. He was good but he was so bloodthirsty that it scared the heck out of me. I kept tabs on him afterwards and when he died I kept tabs on you. You’ve held the title for the past four years but you almost never attacked Aeon colonies. Like most Cybrans from Assumpta you kept attacking the UEF so how the hell do you know so much about the Aeon?” Mather could have sworn that Redfog was chuckling under his mask as he finally looked at him: “We caught one.”

“Say that again?”

“You heard me: my predecessor caught an Aeon commander. Not a very high ranking one unfortunately but he kept him alive. For months he labored on him… torturing… interrogating… tempting. I was there when it happened.” Redfog shuddered but Mather could not tell if it was in horror or pleasure.

“My predecessor was relentless and he took his time to find out exactly how the Aeon mind worked. Do you want the details? Do you want to know how the prisoner screamed, prayed, cried and in time begged for release?” Mather shook his head and Redfog continued: “Then don’t ask me questions to which you do not want to hear the answer. Just be secure in the fact that I have waited years for the right time to apply this knowledge and that we will finally take the weapon that we deserve. And I… well I have been waiting for this opportunity my entire life!”

Mather felt his stomach twist at the sight of the madness in Redfog’s eyes. It had been years since he had seen something like this and he half regretted coming along. Many would die before the end of the storm.

Chapter 5
A lasting impression

“That was incredible Rhianne; the way that you touched his very being and awakened him especially under such conditions!” The students were surrounding and praising Rhianne from all sides. She tried to thank them and explain what she had experienced but she could not truly grasp it herself. The only plausible explanation that came to mind was a simple one: she was gifted with the sight.

Every human that had ever been trained in The Way gained a form of enlightenment. Part of it was not really mystical but rather a profound understanding of one’s self. Such an understanding could neutralize the emotional barriers that impaired judgment and was the first step to truly feel empathy towards others. A precious few however developed the sight: the ability to catch glimpses of what really drove a person in the form of images, visions and feelings. The more complex or intense the emotion then the easier it was to pick up. The initiate might have been the one to have awakened from his pain but it was Rhianne which had a door opened in her mind.

Ariel stood away from the other students, leaning against the wall as Evaluator Toth treated the wound on her neck. The older woman delicately cleaned it and then applied a bandage: “It is but a flesh wound, you will be fine.” The girl looked up at her with an angry expression: “That… man attacked a child and you will let him live? He should be cleansed for everyone’s safety. I tried to help him and nearly got killed for it.”

“Did you try to help him?” Ariel’s eyes widened in barely controlled anger: “I did not lie! I told him the truth when I said that he would be at peace once he mastered The Way.” Toth raised a hand to calm the child and looked straight into her eyes: “There is something that I would like you to think about very carefully. When you picked that initiate, spoke those words and reached out did you do it for him or to prove something to yourself? Do not answer but merely think about it. Also…” Evaluator Toth leaned down, picked up the improvised knife from the ground and placed it into Ariel’s hand: “Take the time to think about what could possibly drive a man to make this.”

Ariel lowered her head and swallowed her pride, knowing that she could not win this battle. During the whole time however only one thought crossed her mind: Marxon was right. The Aeon Illuminate was spending far too much time reaching out to desperate cases. It was a waste of resources, a security risk and the reason why the Infinite War was still raging on. The spiritual wing might feel good about itself whenever they converted another UEF citizen but what they could not see was the Aeon lives that were lost to make such redemption possible. The sight of the students flocking to Rhianne as if she had just performed a miracle now made Ariel sick to her stomach.

-----

“Rhianne, are you all right? You look pale.” Rhianne did not know who had asked the question but she quickly realized that something was wrong. The room was spinning and the lights were growing darker. A pair of hands quickly grabbed and lowered her to the ground. Evaluator Toth appeared above her with a concerned look on her face: “Stay with us Rhianne.”

She felt tired and closed her eyes. Something dripped on her face and for a moment Rhianne thought that it was raining. She felt the left side of her cheek grow warmer as well as if she had somehow fallen near a heating unit. She opened her eyes and saw the cloud filled sky instead of her fellow students. This was not possible: she knew that she was on Luthien in the halls of absolution and yet the rain that was falling on her felt so real.

Rhianne turned her head and saw an Aeon structure burning to her right. There was no doubt in her mind that this was a vision and a powerful one but who was it from? Anyone trained in the Way should be relatively at peace. It was possible that it came from an initiate but why would an Aeon structure be burning then? Were these her own fears?

Although she felt sluggish, Rhianne still managed to get to her feet. Deep down she felt that this was important and it was her responsibility to determine if the images that she was seeing was the past, present or future. She could recognize the structure now and it appeared to be a training facility for ACU pilots.

Something shifted behind her and she turned around. The girl gasped as she saw a Cybran step forth. The intense gaze was the same as the one from her past vision but she could see him clearly now. He wore a light combat jump suit which indicated that he was an ACU pilot and a gas mask covered part of his face. Two Cybran commandos followed him but it appeared that none of them could see her.

“There!” One of the Cybran commandos lifted his rifle and the other did the same. Rhianne turned in the direction of the fire and saw a shape moving through. It was but a shadow against the light but as it moved forward she could slowly make it out. The man had been horribly burned and flames still licked at his shoulder. An arm was barely hanging by a thread and yet somehow he still stood stood.

The shadow lifted its one remaining arm slowly and roared. Rhianned backed up a step and brought a hand to her chest as the sound echoed through the valley and tore her breath away. It was horrible; a pure expression of hate, anguish, pain and denial all at once. It was animalistic in nature and it was as if the raw emotion behind it could blow through anything. For lack of better words it was… inhuman.

“Beautiful…” The simple word was almost as horrible as the primal fury before her and Rhianne did not have to turn around to know that the Cybran pilot had been the one to say it. The worst part was that there had been no malice in his voice; only sincere and profound admiration.

“Master?”

“Get the emergency medical unit. We’re taking him with us.”

-----

Timmy woke up with a jolt and immediately reached for his worn ACU doll. His heart was beating furiously from the nightmare that he had just had. In it the living room’s sofa had tried to eat him. There was a noise from the other room which meant that his mother had probably awoken to check on the four year old boy.

The door opened but instead of her usual sleepy self Timmy’s mom had a wild look about her: “Timmy, hide!” Understanding that something was wrong, Timmy jumped down and crawled under his bed. Seconds later the door to his bedroom burst open and his mother cried out. There was a brief scuffle before an unknown shiny face peaked under the bed: “Looks like we have a rat.”

The stranger made a grab for Timmy but the boy bit his hand. The man cried out but reached out again, grabbing him by the leg and dragging him out. He held Timmy upside down to the sight of his horrified mother and shook him once for good measure: “You don’t know how lucky you are.” The stranger then handed him to his mother who took hold of him and held him close to her chest.

“Get them out of my sight before I get angry.” A pair of hands grabbed Timmy’s mother and pushed her towards the corridor. Urzu one cursed under his breath and started following when a voice stopped him: “A brawl with a child, I can already see the famed Assumpta courage in that one.”

The assassin turned around and saw Bagby leaning against the wall: “Did everyone back at fifty-six develop the bad habit of getting out of their machine?” The SCU pilot shrugged and showed the bottle vodka that he was holding: “My SCU just gated in and is being upgraded. I thought I’d do a little raiding of my own in the meantime and get some souvenirs. Still in a foul mood over the broken nose or do you need me to twist your arm again for the fun of it?”

The assassin balled his fist for a moment but simply sneered: “Don’t bother. We’ll comply with her orders for now. Just don’t think for a moment that we’re doing this for either of you.” It was Bagby’s turn to sneer: “Right, right, it was probably just the thought of facing Redfog when the mission was scrubbed right?”

“You just don’t get it do you?” The assassin’s sneer transformed into a wicked smile and he took a step forward: “The mission would have gone ahead even without any of us. There is no stopping ‘him’ and you have no idea what he is capable of.” He took another step forward and held Bagby’s gaze for a few seconds: “I’m not afraid that Redfog would turn around… I’m afraid that he would have gone ahead through Hell and back… and then made me pay twenty fold whatever he would have endured. Now if you’ll excuse me we still have a lot of quarters to clear.”

Urzu one barely inclined his head and left Bagby alone. The old man considered this for a few moments before bringing his transmitter up: “Hey D, they are following your orders for now. You were right thought; they are a lot more afraid of Redfog then anything else. Maybe the next time that you kick one you should do it in the nuts.”

“Good work Bagby, now get back to your SCU; we need to hide it as soon as it’s upgraded.” Bagby nodded and then remembered something: “Oh and D, I found something in one of those top official’s quarters: a good bottle of Vodka! I’ll be saving this one for when we win.”

-----

They stood in the gymnasium, each having been taken there in turn by the Cybrans. Lining the walls were scores of mech marines which had been constructed by a captured UEF ground facility. The machines stood impassively with their weapons trained on the seven hundred settlers.

One of the Cybrans stepped into the room, laid down a projector and aimed it at the nearby wall. It burst to life immediately and the face of another Cybran appeared. Her gaze was hard and the circuitry that covered half of her face made her look both terrifying and strangely beautiful all at once.

“Citizens of the United Earth Federation, this facility and all of its infrastructures are now under Cybran control. If you attempt to thwart us them appropriate violence will be applied. What we are after however is not yours so if everything goes smoothly then no blood will be spilled.”

The Cybran commander left them a moment to digest this before speaking again: “Your basic needs will be met as long as you comply. Your children and some of their parents have been assigned to another section of this complex both to meet their more specific needs and to insure your cooperation. I expect you to select two representatives within the hour. I have little time to waste so I suggest selecting people that are direct. That is all.” The transmission was terminated instantly.

Dostya sighed deeply from within the cockpit of her ACU. She hated taking hostage like that but there had been no other choice. Presenting a firm and implacable front now might stop any rebellion efforts on their parts. All traces of the original attack from the three ACUs had been erased or repaired. Dostya had even captured some low level UEF engineers and was using those to add a few power generators. With her cloaking device fully active and their sophisticated programs managing the settlement’s communications array there was no way for anyone to know that they were here.

Deep down however Dostya felt guilty about one thing. Despite the hardships and moral dilemma that she was facing part of her thoughts were focused on Mather and hoping that he was safe.

-----

Mather tapped the edge of his screen and tried not to look at the clock. A moment ago they had been ready but Redfog had suddenly told him to wait before cutting off all communications. Three minutes had passed since then and every second that they waited was one where they risked being detected. The screen finally light up and the asassin’s face appeared: “There, I am ready.”

“I don’t suppose that you’d care to tell me what you were doing?” To Mather’s surprise Redfog answered immediately: “I was remembering something.” He left it at that and Mather did not press the point. He was getting used to the notion of not asking the wrong questions.

-----

“She’s coming about, give her some room.” Toth watched as Rhianne opened her eyes wide in horror and trashed around. Eldes tried to calm her while Toth held her face delicately with both hands: “It’s ok Rhianne, we’re all here.”

The girl regained control but there was no mistaking the horrified look in her eyes. Toth looked from her to Eldes and the two evaluators locked gaze: “Eldes?” Toth looked from Rhianne to the room and finally to the initiates standing far away before looking back at the other Evaluator. The question was left unasked but Eldes understood clearly and shook her head. Toth took a moment to digest it: “Take care of her for a moment.”

Evaluator Toth stood up and walked away. It had been a vision, of that she was certain and she held no doubt that Eldes agreed. The girl’s panicked look clearly showed that it had been a violent one and the meaningful gaze that she had exchanged with Eldes has been but a simple question: could any person or anything in the facility have been the source?

Toth made her way out of the chamber and into a more private corridor. She quickly took the transmitter from her belt: “Keeper Pheris please respond; this is an emergency.” The response came immediately: “I am here Evaluator Toth. Is there a problem?”

“Has there been any enemy sign in the sector or anything even remotely suspicious?” Pheris’ voice was immediately alert on the other end: “Negative Evaluator Toth. Patrols have turned up empty and no unauthorized quantum communications have been detected.” Toth hesitated a moment longer: “Please call for reinforcements immediately. It may be nothing but we just had an ill omen down here.”

“Understood Evaluator Toth, I am forwarding your request now. This is strange… everything here shows that my signal is transmitting and yet I’m not receiving an acknowledgement. Switching to the emergency channel.” Toth heard the distant sound of an explosion and gripped her transmitter even tighter.

“Evaluator Toth please take your students to an emergency ground transport and head towards the quantum gate as quickly as you can! Our communication’s link with Seraphim Two has been hacked and we are under attack! I repeat: escape through the quantum gate as quickly as you can. I do not know how long I can…” The transmitter suddenly burst into static.

-----

Keeper Pheris cursed under her breath and queued in the construction of both ground and air units. It was bad enough that the enemy had attacked when Evaluator Toth and her students were here but they had somehow hacked her quantum communications from under her nose. The probability of either event was unlikely and the combination of both seemed impossible. The whole attack stank of Cybran precision and although she did not like to admit it there was also the possibility of treason.

A jamming field had been erected as soon as the ruse had been uncovered and it would take a while before any other Aeon unit would notice the silence. Still as long as Toth and her charge left the base then there was hope. Pheris opened a channel on all frequencies: “Come little Cybran, I’m waiting for you.”

The reaction was almost instantaneous with multiple signatures appearing on radar towards the southern side of her base. Judging from the speed they appeared to be a group of mantis with vipers moving at different intervals. There were apparently a lot of renegade type gunships moving as well but as long as she kept her forces in the safety of her base then those could be handled. She tried to send a few scouts around to get some intelligence but they were intercepted by a squadron of stealth Gemini before they could get very far.

“What are you trying to hide?” The signatures on her radar increased exponentially and there were now signals coming from all around her base. The sheer number of units suggested that there was more then one ACU out there which meant that she was badly outmatched. She now focused all of her ground units and engineering forces to the edge of her base and prepared for the inevitable.

A green light suddenly light up on the side of her panel and the screen focused on a transport that was now leaving the halls of absolution. Pheris whispered a prayer under her breath and smiled: “God speed Toth: save these children.”

-----

Evaluator Eldes pushed the small transport to its limits and headed straight to the quantum gate. Meanwhile at the back of the transport Toth was reassuring her students: “We will soon enter the quantum gate. I want everyone to assume crash positions and cover their heads. We may be in for…”

“No!” Rhianne was pointing towards the window. Toth spared a look outside but there was nothing out there and the shields were not even under attack yet. If all went well then they would cross the gate in less then a minute. Her gaze dropped for a moment and her eyes widened. There was nothing out there except a series of ACU tracks in the snow.

-----

The Cybran forces waited barely outside of artillery range and Pheris wondered what they were up to. Her gaze went repeatedly from her radar, main screen and the transport in quick succession. Her heart skipped a beat when the transport suddenly flew in the air as if something had kicked it aside. She was in the process of selecting her ground forces when her transmitter light up: “Move any of your forces and they die.”

Pheris gasped but had the presence of mind to open the channel: “They would become one with The Way.” Although it was true, the statement was as much as a bluff as Pheris had ever made. Unfortunately whoever was on the other end appeared to know it as well: “The next princess of the Aeon Illuminate would be one with The Way…”

Pheris tried to think of an alternative but there were none. The cloaked Cybran unit had somehow managed to slip under her defenses and move in position to intercept the transport while she took care of the perimeter defense. She might be able to destroy the enemy commander by firing blindly but she held no doubt that the transport would be destroyed before her artillery could even twist around. She could not risk the life of the future princess nor could she surrender which left her with but one option.

“You know what you have to do…” The mechanical voice mirrored her thoughts and froze her heart. The Keeper slowly brought up the command for the self destruct device of her ACU and entered the code. She looked up briefly before entering the final sequence: “Forgive me Toth.”

-----

“Thank you sergeant, I think that I can handle it from here.” Riley dismissed his subordinate and stepped into Arnold’s quarters. The smell of booze permeated the small apartment but he ignored it, focusing instead on the two officers who were grinning stupidly at him from the sofa: “You two have been nothing but a headache since you stepped on Matar.”

Arnold and Desjar looked at each other a second before bursting out in laughter: “What can we say sir… you threw one heck of a good party!” Riley did not rise to the bait. Instead he picked up a chair, set it in front of them and sat down: “What do I need to do to get the two of you to behave for one ceremony?”

The two pilots quieted instantly and Arnold tried to straighten his shirt: “Sir?”

“You’re too much of an idiot to take advantage of the opportunity that I gave you yet not enough of a moron to ignore the consequences of what I did. I can’t demote or otherwise blame you without destroying all the work that I did and you know it. Every man has his price however so what must I do to get you to behave for just one ceremony?” There was a long silence before Arnold realized that this was serious: “Permission to speak freely?”

“Granted.”

“Get us out of spotlight and back to the front and we’ll call it even. We don’t want any of that crap publicity stuff.” The lieutenant general stood motionless for a moment: “Then that next ceremony will be specifically about that. I’ll get you out of the spotlight as you call it and as for the front line will be here on Matar soon enough.”

Riley got up and looked at the two of them: “As for this ‘crap publicity stuff’ then know this: I did not call the two of you on Matar just for show. We’re about to turn the tide of the war and the people’s morale will be the initial momentum that we will use to crush the Aeon and the Cybrans. A great battle will be won here, you’ll see.”

-----

Evaluator Toth’s head pounded painfully and she brought a hand up to touch her forehead. She felt some blood there but a hand grabbed her own before she could probe the wound further: “Lie still; you suffered a small concussion from the impact. Part of the window frame grazed your head but you should be ok.”

“Eldes? Are the children all right? Where is Pheris?” A wet rag was placed on her forehead: “The children are fine. Some bruises and cuts from the impact but nothing serious. Pheris did not make it though: she self detonated not long after we were knocked off course. It is as if the Cybrans knew how important we were and threatened to kill us. May she live on in The Way.”

Suddenly the insect like arms of a Cybran transport latched on to their vehicle as if to confirm Eldes’ words. Toth looked around and then back at Eldes as they were lifted off the ground: “Start explaining everything to them.” Eldes nodded towards Rhianne who had been sitting patiently the whole time: “I’ll let you explain it to her.”

Eldes left and Rhianne came forward: “Explain what?”

“Rhianne… the Cybrans have obviously gone through a lot of trouble to capture us but it should be me and Eldes that they are after and not you. A smart man or machine could in time piece together the importance of the Evaluators. However for centuries we have kept our duties involving our students secret and in written form only. Not a word has ever been transmitted or saved electronically.”

Rhianne blinked away a tear as Toth came closer and whispered in her ear: “No matter what you see, hear or even feel… don’t try anything. What will happen to us is part of our duty, do you understand that? Your task is to survive through this ordeal.” Rhianne hesitated a long time, wishing nothing more then to deny what was happening and take hold of her mentor. She finally nodded and Toth smiled, kissing her on the forehead.

They flew for a while longer before the transport lowered them to the ground again. Everything stayed silent for a few moments before the rear door of their vehicle was torn apart. A mantis gazed through the opening, scanning the room once before retreating. It was soon replaced by a Cybran who’s mere presence could be felt by everyone. He just stood there with a sword in hand and a mask covering the lower half of his face. A vision made flesh straight out of Rhianne’s nightmares.

Evaluator Toth and Eldes stepped forward with their hands folded in the universal pose of peace. The abomination looked at them for a while before nodding: “This way.” The evaluators bowed their heads in submission and moved forward. When they were gone the Cybran peaked in one last time: “The sentries outside will kill anyone trying to leave.”

With that he left and Rhianne shuddered, truly afraid of the monster that now had them in his clutches.

Chapter 6
Relentless

Mather could feel cold sweat forming on his brows. He was sitting in his ACU in the middle of his base with his cloaking field fully active. The Aeon transport was displayed on his main screen and he saw Redfog get out of it with two women in tow. A quick switch to his infrared scanners showed that only children were left in the transport.

For a moment Mather thought that maybe Redfog had made a mistake but he walked like a person who was following a very specific plan. That and Mather had seen the Aeon ACU self destruct with his own eyes. In all of his life he had never heard of such a thing which meant that somehow those two civilians were very important. He hesitated a moment longer before reaching out and opening a channel to the Assassin. He saw the assassin bring a hand to his ear.

“I estimate that I can fool the Aeon into thinking that they had a communication’s glitch for an hour, maybe two. After that I can probably keep them guessing a while longer as to the source of the attack and our location through some creative means. Overall however I think we have between seven and twelve hours before they find us. Red... if this causes a problem with whatever you’re doing then tell me now.” The assassin did not stop walking and was heading towards a facility that he had built with his ACU a few minutes ago: “You do your part and I’ll do mine.”

-----

Ariel fiddled with the improvised stone knife in frustration. The Cybran had never stepped close enough for her to use it and part of her had wished for that chance. To some it might have seemed incredulous that she could win with such a weapon but to her it all made perfect sense. Judging by his jump suit the abomination that had visited them was also the ACU pilot. The fact that only mechanical sentries were around suggested that he might also be alone. If the pilot was taken out without the sentries being reprogrammed then their rescue would be assured once their home world realized that they were missing. Unfortunately that opportunity was gone for now.

She looked around and saw that most of the other students were afraid and some were even crying. The display of weakness annoyed her slightly but on a pragmatic level Ariel knew that they were younger and had not warrior training like her. She stood up and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear: “I want everyone to listen to me. We do not know how long we will be in here and we should take every measure to stay safe. Warmth is a priority and I want you all to gather around in a circle to help preserve heat. Those that are smaller should be in the center for now.”

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone looked at her. The students then got up and moved together as Ariel had instructed. She felt pride at having taken control of the situation and she looked at Rhianne to see if the Evaluator’s protégé was jealous. To her annoyance however Rhianne’s mind was obviously elsewhere, her gaze fixed in the direction where Evaluator Toth and Eldes had been taken.

-----

“I do not like this.” The Aeon commander that was in charge of Seraphim Two’s command center paused and turned towards the technician: “Is there a problem?”

The technician that was manning the communication’s console for Luthien turned to her superior and shook her head: “Not really commander Chlet. I have just received a text transmission from Commander Pheris. She says that her communication’s array was damaged in a recent storm and expects that repairs will take a few hours.”

“Luthien is prone to violent storms that can damage the strongest equipment. It is natural that she would want to repair her defensive systems prior to reestablishing a full link.” The technician lowered her gaze a bit: “But Evaluator Toth is there along with her students. It is unlike Pheris to take such risks when so much as at stake. I’d expect her to call for backup if the facility was seriously damaged.”

The commander gave it some serious thought but there was more at stake then met the eye. At this very moment some of the greatest Aeon commanders were going through the ritual of rebirth in order to select the next Avatar-of-War. It was only natural that the Evaluators were trying to select the next Princess of the Aeon Illuminate as quickly as possible under such conditions. Maybe Pheris was taking greater risks as a personal favor to Evaluator Toth but still…

“Monitor the situation closely. If total communications are not restored in one hour then I will go to Luthien myself and assist Keeper Pheris.”

-----

“What do you want with us?” The Cybran led them down the corridor of the unusual building with his sword nestled comfortable on his shoulders. A door opened in front of them which exposed a room with a series of four chairs: “Sit.”

Toth and Eldes hesitated a moment but then moved forward. Their purpose was not to oppose the Cybran for they were not warriors but only to resist him for as long as possible. Every moment that the abomination’s attention was on them was a moment where their students were safe. They each sat in a chair and mechanized straps closed on their limbs automatically. Movement became all but impossible and they had to resist their instinctual urges to panic.

“You went through a lot of trouble to do this but to what end?” This time it was Eldes who had asked the question and the Cybran moved towards her first. He took some kind of metallic tape and pressed it on her mouth to seal it shut. Once that was done he fetched a flat container which had been strapped to his leg and opened it, revealing a collection of torture instruments.

The Cybran went to work without warning, plunging a blade in the back of Eldes’ hand and opening it wide. A muffled cry came from the Evaluator and only intensified when the Cybran brought a second instrument which glowed red to cauterize the wound.

Evaluator Toth closed her eyes for a moment. She had known that torture was coming but no amount of forethought could have prepared her for what followed. The Cybran did not ask any questions nor respond to any of her protests. He seemed purely focused on his work which was to take Eldes apart piece by piece.

-----

“Commander Dostya we have a problem. We have an upcoming call from lieutenant general Riley. He wishes to talk to the director in charge of the settlement.” Dostya cursed under her breath. Things had gone so well up until now and even the UEF citizens were under control. The two delegates that she had talked to a few minutes ago had made some reasonable demands once they realized that their attempts to bribe her had fallen on deaf ears. “Make him wait two minutes Urzu twelve then forward him to me.

She activated her search engine, trying to gleam as much information about the UEF commander prior to opening a link while also adjusting her chameleon software. When she was satisfied that she had all the information that she required she opened a link: “Good evening lieutenant general Riley and my apologies for the wait. How can I help you?”

Although she was still sitting in her ACU the chameleon software transformed her image and voice based on the images and voice print of the settlement’s director. As long as there were no personal questions then the chameleon software could fool almost anybody. The UEF officer smiled: “Actually there is. I will be coming in tomorrow morning at zero eight hundred with the heroes of Orionis in tow. Your settlement is due for a security upgrade and we’ll be handling that one personally. We’ll be coming through the sea so there’s no need to prepare the local quantum gate for our arrival.”

“We’re honored sir but isn’t the deployment of so many ACUs for that task a bit excessive?” The lieutenant general waved the question away while chuckling: “There’s nothing like a little field work to keep your feet on the ground but there is one favor that I would ask. We will be holding a little ceremony when we’re done. Nothing fancy mind you but I would like it if you could convince Timmy Tural and his mother to attend it. His citizen number is Matar seven, eight, eight, eight, zero. We will have a present for him that we’re sure he’ll enjoy.”

Dostya hesitated for a split second and then nodded, her chameleon program transmitting the image faithfully: “I’ll see to it personally sir.” The officer nodded and smiled again: “Very good. Riley out.” Dostya waited a moment before opening another channel: “This is Dostya hailing all Cybrans. We’ll have UEF forces incoming in the next nine hours so I want everyone ready by then. Also find Timmy Tural and her mother, they are connected to all of this somehow.”

She closed of the channel and pressed her fingers anxiously together. Dostya then searched the local public news network for any information that would be pertinent concerning the so called heroes of Orionis. What she found was a name that she had not seen in the past three years: Zachary Arnold. He was the man that had killed half of Keith’s commando team and the one that had nearly killed her as well during her rescue three years ago. They had lost track of him mainly because the UEF commander operated in Aeon contested sectors. It was really amazing how small the galaxy was these days.

A light blinked on Dostya’s right which indicated that one of the Assumpta assassins was hailing her. She opened a channel and to her surprise she saw a woman cradling a sleeping child in her arms. Urzu twelve was behind them with a laser rifle at the ready.

“Commander Dostya, these are the ones that you wished to see.” A moment of stunned silence followed as Dostya tried to make sense of it all. She had expected the boy to be an ACU trainee or maybe some spoiled brat from a high ranking officer. Judging by their clothes however they were nothing more then average citizens.

“Why is lieutenant general Riley after the two of you?” The woman hesitated a moment as if trying to find the courage to answer. The assassin behind her brandished his weapon threateningly: “Answer her!”

“Enough Urzu twelve.” Interrogating an enemy officer was one thing but beating innocent civilians was another. Dotya would have none of that on her watch: “Please miss Tural, we must know why commander Riley is after you.”

“He… he just saw Timmy at the celebration not long ago. The lieutenant general spoke of him on public television and how he represented the heart of Matar. My boy has nothing to do with any of this though. Please let us go.” Dostya pressed a few buttons and created a query that searched through every public channel from the past few hours. It took a moment before the recorded news feed was found and she took the time to watch it completely before turning back to her prisoners.

“I’m sorry miss Tural, I’m afraid that I can’t let any of you go just yet.” The woman scrambled forward for a moment with a desperate look in her eyes: “Please let Timmy go at least. I’d do anything for him!”

The sudden jolt woke up the child who rubbed his eyes slowly. Dostya looked form the mother to the child a few times: “Do you really mean that miss Tural?” The woman nodded vigorously and Dostya took a few moments to consider it: “Very well, I’ll take it under consideration. Have them escorted back to their holding area and make sure that they have everything they need.”

Urzu twelve motioned for one of the other assassins to take them away and waited until they were gone before approaching the transmitter: “Commander they are our safeguard against UEF attacks! We can’t let any of them go until Redfog and Mather are back from their mission! If we just execute a few of them and threaten to kill more then the UEF will have no other choice but to back off.”

“We’re not trying to hold on to hostages Urzu twelve; what we’re trying to gain is time. If we hold on too tightly then the UEF is liable to bomb our position and label them as collateral damage or worse as martyrs. There’s a weapon in the UEF arsenal that they have constantly used through the ages and I think it’s about time that we turn it against them.” Without offering any other explanation Dostya closed off the channel and opened another one: “Bagby, get ready to do your thing. We have an incoming UEF fleet.”

-----

There was a flash of light followed by an explosion in the middle of the icy plain of Luthien. A cloud of super heated water rose briefly before falling back on the Aeon ACU and hardening instantly. The thin layer of ice shattered as the giant moved around, freeing itself from the icy puddle that its arrival had created.

“This is commander Chlet hailing Keeper Pheris, please respond.” There was a moment of silence before an audio link was finally established: “This is Keeper Pheris.” The Aeon commander heaved a sigh of relief and started moving towards Pheris’ settlement: “You had us worried Keeper Pheris. We thought that your communication’s array would have been fixed by now.”

“My apologies commander Chlet, we had a few other problems over here and we could use your assistance. Transmit your coordinates and I’ll send a transport to pick you up.” The Aeon commander typed in the sequence but hesitated just as she was about to send them. Maybe it was just her imagination but Pheris sounded wrong. She had precious few contacts with the Keeper but from what she remembered the tone of her voice was usually sharper then this. Deciding that it may simply be her fears playing tricks on her commander Chlet sent her coordinates and opened a channel to Seraphim Two. To her annoyance however her computer could not open a link.

“Keeper Pheris, I can’t establish a link with Seraphim Two for some reason. Could you forward my transmission?” A signal suddenly appeared on her limited radar and she barely had the time to blink before a trio of revenant strategic bombers passed above her and dropped their payloads of neutron bombs. The following explosion illuminated the entire valley and left a large crater where the ACU had been.

Back at his secured base many kilometers away Mather rubbed the back of his neck and disengaged the chameleon program that he had used to disguise his transmission. He then sent a short burst transmission to Redfog: “We’ve been detected. Beginning decoy tactics.”

-----

Seven hours had passed since the beginning of the interrogation…

What remained of Eldes was barely recognizable and yet she was kept alive by a number of tubes which pierced her body. Her limbs had either been progressively taken apart or mutilated beyond any functionality. Vital organs lay exposed but still struggled to function.

Through it all the Cybran had been relentless, remorseless and without mercy. Worst still he had remained silent and had not bothered to ask any questions or offer any ultimatums. Toth silently prayed for forgiveness and only hoped that Eldes would be allowed to die soon.

“Now we talk.” Toth opened her eyes and saw the Cybran standing above her with his hands still dripping blood: “You’re a monster!”

“Yes.” Toth’s eyes widened as the Cybran continued. “I am glad that these past hours have not been a waste.” She gasped as she suddenly realized what the Cybran meant. “You did all of this to prove that you were a monster?”

“It would be impossible to convince you of my determination otherwise. Now…” The Cybran pressed a series of keys on his left forearm and a screen at the back of the room light up. It appeared to be the visual display from one of the units patrolling around the Aeon transport. Before Toth’s horrified gaze the unit moved towards it and through the rear hatch which had previously been torn apart. Once inside it stopped, it’s visual display focusing on one student before switching to another.

Without warning the Cybran stepped forward and grasped both of Toth’s hands, pressing his fingers against her wrist to check her radial pulse. His grasp was unyielding and incredibly cold: “Now tell me who you truly care for amongst these girls?” Toth felt her heartbeat accelerate as the display switched from one frightened student to the next. The display finally focused on Rhianne’s face and she felt her heart skip a beat.

“Stop, go back.” The display was in the process of switching to another student but instead came back and focused on Rhianne’s face once again. The Cybran appeared to smile under his mask: “Ah… so she is the next princess of the Aeon Illuminate.”

“How can you possibly know about that?” The Cybran chuckled, appearing amused by Toth’s distress: “I know more then you can imagine Evaluator Toth but that is not the question. The only question that you need to concern yourself about is this: will you give us what we want or must I bring this girl here to take the place of your friend?”

Toth turned a horrified look upon the Cybran: “You don’t know what you are doing! She is the last best hope for peace for everyone including the Cybran nation. Without her people like Marxon will cleanse the galaxy unchecked. Do you understand what I’m saying? Harming her would destroy everything and everyone.”

“I don’t care.”

The simple declaration hit Toth like a slap in the face. And yet by looking at that set of unwavering eyes she knew that he meant it. He would strap Rhianne to that chair and destroy her one piece at a time without hesitation if it fulfilled his goals. Something broke inside Toth and she let out a trembling breath: “What do you want?”

“We want the schematics of the galactic colossus; I know that only the highest members of the Aeon Illuminate can access and unlock them.” The Cybran pressed a button on his wrist computer and the strap that held the Evaluator’s left arm was released. He then unhooked his wrist computer and presented it before her: “You know what happens if you try anything else.”

The ominous tone of his voice left Toth no doubt that he would carry through with his threat if she did not unlock the schematic at this very moment. She slowly brought her hand up and entered her codes to access the Aeon’s quantum network. The Evaluator had to steady herself for if a single mistake was made then her entry would be classified as a hacking attempt and her account would be locked. It took her a few moments to do it but soon enough the galactic colossus schematic’s was being downloaded.

The Cybran checked his wrist computer to confirm the download and smiled under his mask: “Thank you.” With that he slapped it back on his wrist, stretched lazily and turned around to leave the room.

“Now that you have what you wanted there is no reason to keep my students here any longer. Please let them go.” The Cybran stopped but did not turn around: “What I wanted? You seem to have misunderstood me. The plans were the excuse that I needed to justify this operation. They will be useful yes but they were not what I ‘really’ wanted.”

The Cybran turned around with an uncompromising look in his eyes: “She is the one that has what I want.” Without any further word he left while Toth struggled in vain against her bonds.

Chapter 7
Destiny

Pao gently tapped Lani’s shoulder and placed the cup of tea in front of her. Lani was startled out of her slumber but quickly nodded her thanks, grabbed the cup and took a sip: “Thank you. How long have I been sleeping?”

“Roughly four hours but you looked like you needed it. There has not been any news of Marxon yet either.” Lani sighed and drank some more. The two sisters were sitting in the middle of a large garden overlooking the halls where the ritual of rebirth was taking place. They were not the only ones there and many commanders, SCU pilots and Evaluators waited anxiously to see who would become the next Avatar-of-War.

“Only one commander has left the ritual of rebirth so far. It’s only been a day and Marxon needs to remain four more in there. I can’t imagine what it’s like facing yourself for that long.” Pao smiled, knowing exactly what was going through her sister’s mind: “We all did things that we are not proud of. It’s when we carry on while bearing those memories that we show true strength.”

Lani was about to say something more when a buzzing of activity behind them interrupted her. Both looked back to see commanders and Evaluators whispering amongst themselves. Curious, they got to their feet and moved towards the crowd, catching words of like ‘Luthien’, ‘attack’ and ‘disaster’. Lani spotted an Evaluator that was looking around anxiously and humbly asked her a question by holding both hands like a chalice: “Could you please tell us what is troubling so many here?”

“The halls of absolution on Luthien were attacked. A team of commanders gated over and found the wreckage from Keeper Pheris and commander Chlet’s ACUs. Evaluator Toth and her students are missing and those that were spared at the halls of absolution confirmed that their transport was taken away by Cybrans.” Lani looked at Pao anxiously who asked the next obvious questions: “Can we be of any assistance in tracking them down? We would like to help however we can.”

The Evaluator shook her head quickly: “We don’t know what to do. Tracking the Cybrans is one thing but what would happen if we reach them or if they are off world? What if the Cybrans know the value of what they hold and threaten to kill the children? No commander here would risk the lives of those that could be destined to become the next princess of the Aeon Illuminate. The only ones that could be trusted with such a task are in there.” The Evaluator motioned towards the halls where the ritual of rebirth was taking place with a mournful look in her eyes.

“The worst part is that the ritual cannot be interrupted by anyone and if we wait four days then the children are as good as gone.” Lani almost regretted her words for they obviously pained the Evaluator. A surprised gasp from the entrance to the garden caught their attention as those in front fell back to make room. Miranda Burke, princess of the Aeon Illuminate, had just arrived.

-----

“This is such a waste of time. The only way that this trip could get any slower is if we walked there. And all of this is to make a good impression?” Arnold absentmindedly touched the side of his clean shaven face and cursed at their predicament. Desjar’s eyes suddenly widened and he straightened his shirt quickly. The ACU pilot groaned and slapped his forehead: “And Riley is just behind me isn’t he?”

The lieutenant general passed by Arnold and headed towards the stored ACUs. Instead of using the quantum gates or air lifting their command units along the way Riley had opted to use a modified version of the Atlantis submarine. The Atlantis’ automated refineries had been removed in order to house up to four command units. The setup was crude but functional.

“I can appreciate a direct approach as much as anyone commander Arnold but there is more to this then mere first impressions.” Riley jumped on the leg of his ACU and turned to them: “If you take the same route every time then a trail eventually appears in the dirt that anyone else can see. Do it too often and someone will eventually place a trap. Try operating a few years near Cybran territory and you’ll either learn to change your habits or you won’t come back. Break time is over.”

Arnold and Desjar went to their respective machines and took them off their standby mode. Although he was still in a foul mood just for being in the same boat as Riley, Arnold had to admit that the perks of being able to stretch his legs and go to a real bathroom every few hours were appreciated.

“You operated in Cybran territory commander Riley?” Arnold almost regretted reactivating his transmitter and hearing Desjar suck it up. He almost considered shutting it off for a few minutes of peace but decided that he had pushed his luck enough as it was.

“I did and that’s where I learned to break habits by changing my transport methods as often as I could. You get one heck of a reality check when your apartment blows up.” Desjar whistled: “How did that happen?”

“There’s not much to say really. I searched worlds for weeks without finding any Cybrans and that’s when monotony started settling in. I took the habit of running on a treadmill every night with my dog to stay in shape. One night an old friend called and I skipped it to go see him. My dog decided to run on the treadmill as usual and as luck would have it a bomb had somehow been sneaked into it. The investigation that followed revealed signs that not only had Cybrans been around but they had been literally breathing down my neck.”

Riley looked at each of them in turn: “I’ll be the first to admit that I’m probably not the most pleasant commander to be under but trust me when I say that everything I do, I do for a damn good reason.” Arnold looked at the lieutenant general and had to admit that he found it hard not to be swayed by him, political crap or not.

“Blackbird three just spotted an unidentified signal closing in on our destination.” Arnold snapped out of his contemplation and looked at his instruments: “Confirmed. Sonar echoes suggest something a lot more massive then any civilian ship.” Riley pressed a few buttons and changed the course of the spy plane. It barely had the time to snap a few images of the enemy vessel before it was shot out of the sky. Riley forwarded the clips to the other two pilots.

“Speak of the devil; a Cybran galaxy class battleship and it’s firing on the settlement.” Arnold cursed loudly and started the sequence to release his ACU: “If you can get us into range while surfacing then I’ll take it out. One overcharged shot combined with all the firepower of the Atlantis and it will sink faster then…”

“Negative. The Atlantis’ top speed is inferior to that of the battleship. Our torpedoes have a greater range then the Cybrans but if it turns tail then all we can do is wave. Besides I’ve faced Cybrans before and this smells like a trap.” Arnold resisted the usual urge to punch his console: “Sir, we can’t let these people die on hunch! We have one Atlantis, five destroyers, six cruisers and fifteen submarines that can tear it to shreds in under a minute! Just let me do this!”

“Alright Arnold, you’ll get your chance but you won’t be going personally. I want us all to make a stealth exit while the Atlantis is still under water. I’ll transfer control of all sea units to you Arnold but we’ll be making our way to land and build a base.” Desjar raised a finger: “Sir?”

“I’m aware that this will damage the Atlantis, no need to remind me.” Desjar shook his head and forwarded an image that he had cleaned up in the past minute: “I think you should take a look at this.”

They all looked at the image and their eyes widened. A Cybran SCU was standing atop the destroyer with some kind of chain around its waist anchoring it to top. That in itself was a rather unconventional combination but what really caught their eyes was the pirate flag strapped to its arm that it was proudly carrying.

“Sir, we have an incoming broad band transmission from the surface. I’m putting it through now.” The scarred face of an old man with a short grey beard and a mess of red facial circuitry appeared on screen. The man was in the middle of a song and his voice was so off key that it would have made any crowd run away.

“…I fight, ‘tis for vengeance! I love to see flow,
At the stroke of my saber, the life of my foe.
I strike for the memory of long-vanished years;
I only shed blood where another shed tears,
I come, as the lightning comes red from above,
O’er the race that I loathe, to the battle I love.”

Arnold slapped a button to stop the infernal racket: “What the hell is that?”

-----

Deep under the galaxy class battleship at the bottom of the sea Dostya lowered the volume and rubbed her ear: “I tell him to lure them in and this is what he comes up with? If we don’t get nuked after that it will be a miracle.”

-----

“An Avatar-of-War must be selected now.” The words rang through the garden and left nothing but silence in their wake. There was a long pause before an Evaluator dared to step forth: “Pincess, none may interfere with the ritual of rebirth. We all grieve for Toth and her missing students but there is nothing that we can do at this stage.”

Princess Miranda Burke looked at all of them for a moment and although she appeared tired her voice still rang strong: “I had a vision: the next deserving princess of the Aeon Illuminate is amongst those students. As such, everything must be done to save her.”

The Evaluator bowed her head and took a step back. One could question the military or logistical value of a vision but none could rightfully dispute a spiritual one. The implications were dire indeed for if the next princess was lost then none would be considered worthy to take the position for at least another generation. Looking at the princess, It was also clear that the years of war weighted heavily on her shoulders.

Messengers were quickly dispatched and a few minutes later all six aspiring Avatar-of-Wars stood before the princess. Amongst them was Marxon, his face impassive as the Princess spoke: “A sneak attack has robbed the Aeon Illuminate of its future princess. With the spiritual balance of the Aeon Illuminate in jeopardy; who will be willing to step forth to become the next Avatar-of-War and stand for us all?”

A moment passed as each commander considered it. Many hesitated but it was not because they feared for their safety but rather because of the lasting consequences should they fail. Of the six commanders only two stepped forth and the princess looked at them both before speaking again: “A choice must be made. Let the four remaining commanders show who they support.”

Only a few seconds passed before three commanders lined up behind Marxon. The princes raised her hands and spoke loudly for everyone to hear: “Then let it be known to all; the Aeon Illuminate has chosen Jaran Marxon as the new Avatar-of-War. Now go and know that our fate rest in your hands.”

-----

The sudden rush of water inside the Atlantis shook it violently and it was all that Arnold could do not to bite his own tongue. When things settled down he felt something tickle down his back and he cursed so violently that Desjar’s face appeared on his side monitor: “What is it?”

“I got a leak and it’s from the frigging air humidifier. I can’t take the time to seal it shut either and it’s not a self repairing component.” Desjar sighed in relief: “Stop scaring me like that. Now slave link your movements to me and I’ll guide you towards the spot that Riley chooses. That way you can micro manage your attack without worrying about where we’re going.”

“Just don’t get us stuck in algae in the process.” Desjar grunted and closed the channel, leaving Arnold to the task of stopping the Cybran attack. He quickly sent one of his two remaining spy planes over the enemy battleship and captured as much data as possible before it was shot down. The battleship was firing wildly but the settlement’s shields were holding and all that the spy plane picked up were a few signals below the water’s surface. They were most likely submarines and none of those were a match for the Atlantis, never mind its escort.

Arnold sent his fleet forward with the Atlantis leading the way and kept his last spy plane patrolling the edge of the battle. The Cybran battleship stopped firing on the settlement and turned its massive turrets on the approaching destroyers. Arnold smiled widely when his fleet was almost in range: “Time to cancel your singing performance!”

Before the Atlantis could get in range however a pair of torpedoes slammed it head on and critical warnings appeared on Arnold’s screen. Looking at the numbers Arnold could see that the damage was a lot higher then anything that a mere submarine could throw. Not one to give up easily he still kept going forward but his destroyers were soon under attack by something other then the Cybran battleship.

“What the heck is going on?” Desperate, Arnold sent his remaining spy plane forward and gasped when he saw an updated battlefield. Two heavy torpedo launchers had appeared between the battleship and the Atlantis, mercilessly tearing the submarine apart and scores of Cybran destroyers were in the water. Cybran transports hovered above them and Arnold spotted a sonar platform as well. By the time that he realized what was going on his fleet was sustaining critical damage and it was too late to turn it around. Arnold cursed loudly and opened a channel to Riley.

“They got the fleet! I don’t know how they managed it but a minute ago there was nothing and now we got torpedo launchers and destroyers appearing out of nowhere, I don’t get it!” The lieutenant general appeared busy on his end but he still managed to answer: “Yes, I saw it as well. It was a very nice trap and we would be dead now had we been with the fleet.”

“But sir there’s just no way that they managed to do this! We sent the spy planes far and wide and there were no other Cybran fleets at sea!” Riley nodded: “Which means it was on land with its radar signature hidden by stealth units. The air transports are most likely carrying deceivers even now. The way that these two torpedo turrets appeared without an engineer in sight leaves only one alternative: a Cybran SCU or ACU at the bottom of the sea added them. With a cloaking system enabled and the sonar jamming field from one of their advanced sonar platforms the Atlantis could have moved within an inch of it without ever seeing it.”

“But the only piece of land where the Cybran fleet could have hidden was…” Riley nodded slowly: “The settlement itself. They were hiding in the one pace where we would not search for them: in the middle of the base that they were pretending to bomb. They were here and waiting for us to show up long before we even got in range.”

Arnold’s eyes widened at the realization and Riley smiled on his screen. Had they gated in they would have been shot as soon as they had appeared and had Arnold been on the Atlantis then he would be blown to atoms by now. As much as Arnold hated to admit it, Riley truly knew what he was doing.

-----

Rhianne placed her hands under her armpits to warm them. Their clothing was well suited for Luthien’s climate but they were getting hungry and tired after being awake for so many hours. At least water was not an issue since the occasional gust of wind threw some snow through the transport’s torn hatch. Of course this also gave them the impression that they were slowly being buried alive.

Instead of focusing on self pity which had brought a few other students to tears Rhianne tried to understand why they were here. The how was also part of the mystery but was not as important as the rest. Keeper Pheris had been outmaneuvered and forced into self detonating and somehow the Cybran had managed to know when and where to strike. That left room for either treason, a security leak or for a Cybran with a keen understanding of Aeon operations.

The why however was far more complex as it was somehow connected to her. Rhianne was sure that she had seen the Cybran in her visions and that his destiny was somehow intertwined with hers. She held no military secrets however and as far as the galaxy was concerned she was just a child with the potential to be the next princess. Her bloodline had produced more then one princess over the millennia and Miranda Burke – her aunt – was the current one. Still if Rhianne died then surely another would take her place.

The sound of heavy footsteps brought Rhianne out of her daydreaming and she did not have to turn around to know that the Cybran was back. The others heard it as well and some instinctively shrunk away from the doorway. Rhianne turned her head slowly and saw him standing perfectly still, his sword strapped to his back and his gloved hands still covered in blood. He moved forward slowly and theatrically towards her and stopped when he was but two feet away: “The time has finally come. Follow me.”

Rhianne nodded and stood up. She calmed the others with an outstretched hand when they begged her to stay and walked past the Cybran. Their captor waited a moment, perhaps surprised by her lack of apparent fear, and then turned to follow her. It was at that moment that a figure from the group of students sprang forward.

-----

Time slowed as Ariel brought up the improvised stone knife and lunged forward. The monster had made the fatal mistake of turning his back on them and now was her only chance. She had spotted her target: a soft spot in the jump suit which might allow her to pierce his back and reach the abdominal aorta. The biological studies under Marxon’s care combined with her own martial prowess could be the key to saving them all.

The knife was lined up perfectly, her grasp was firm and her entire weight was behind the blow. Her mind blazed as she got closer to her target and she felt an unprecedented level of elation as the knife pierced the fabric. The blade continued for a few millimeters more before it hit something hard and metallic. She barely had the time to realize it before the tip broke and the knife twisted away while barely scratching the jump suit.

She tried to pull back her arm for another strike but she was off balanced and a hand grasped her wrist with incredible strength. Before she could understand what was happening she was spun around using her own inertia and a knee slammed into her chest. Bones cracked and the blow was so strong that it threw her against the transport’s wall. She could not even bring her defense up before the monster fell on her, brutally punching her in quick successions. She tried one last desperate attack with what was left of the knife but he grabbed her wrist again and twisted violently, breaking it as if she was nothing more then a fragile doll. So sudden was the attack that she could barely feel the pain from the wound and only stared in stupor as a hand grasped her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. The eyes that gazed back at her held such fury that they barely looked human.

“You tried to kill me! I never considered that a crude stone weapon would be overlooked by my scanning equipment so congratulations are in order. Maybe it will help you justify your weak and pathetic existence!” The Cybran squeezed, cutting off her air completely. Ariel tried to slam her remaining fist against the arm that held her, aiming for nerve cluster that might loosen it up but again she hit metal. It was then that she understood her mistake: the limb was cybernetic and so were many other parts of the monster before her. Darkness clouded her vision and yet she could not look away from those dreadful eyes.

-----

“No more, stop it!” The Cybran did not lower Ariel nor turn to Rhianne: “This is what happens to anyone that gets in my way! I cannot be stopped and I will not be denied!” Rhianne knew that he would slap her aside as easily as an insect if she tried to stop him and yet she cried the only thing that came to mind: “This won’t prove your existence!”

She did not know why she had been compelled to say that but this time the Cybran turned his head to look straight at her. Somehow that declaration had shocked him and he gazed at her for several seconds before snorting and throwing his victim to the ground. Ariel landed with a painful thud, convulsing and gasping for breath all at once. Rhianne would have gone to her but the Cybran was in the way and pointing straight at the exit. She nodded slowly, turned around and started walking.

Once outside he led her towards the same building that he had taken Evaluator Toth and Eldes. For a moment he brought a hand to his ear and barley muttered: “Don’t bother me and don’t listen in. This is personal.” Rhianne looked around and although she could not see anyone she now knew that there was more then one pilot out there.

“That’s far enough.” Rhianne stopped by the edge of the building and turned around. The Cybran just stood there while observing her for a long a while and she hesitated before speaking: “I think I can guess as to how you managed to do all of this and what you were after. The only thing that I have yet to understand however is why you did it.”

She could see the lines of emotional stress on his forehead as he took a step forward: “Everything is connected.” Rhianne’s eyes widened both at the use of the old Aeon saying and because her captor suddenly kneeled before her with arms outstretched. The gesture was only done by Aeon commanders when they pledged their loyalty to a princess of the Aeon Illuminate. What followed however was the greatest possible insult as he looked straight at her and slowly rose to his feet with his arms still outstretched instead of waiting for her blessing.

A single sound pierced Rhianne’s subconscious; that of a roar that was a pure expression of hate, anguish, pain and denial all at once. She took a step backward and could barely find the breath to whisper: “Who are you?”

Behind the mask the Cybran smiled: “I was formally Earthborn Lian Mazon; UEF fugitive and marked man. I was also reborn as Zenthar Rition; Aeon convert and hopeful commander. Now I am Redfog, successor to the previous Cybran commander of the same name and I will not be denied. Not in this life or the next.”

Chapter 8
Existence

“This is impossible… when… how?” Redfog started walking around Rhianne, circling her in the same way that an animal would stalk its prey: “Both questions do not matter nor would I care to explain. Whether I had a tragic past or not would not affect my disgust for the abomination that you are. That and the fact that I am armed and you’re not should be your only concerns for the time being.”

Rhianne shivered, flashbacks of her first vision from the meditation pools coming back to her in rapid succession: “I find it strange that one who brutally beat up a young girl would call me an abomination.” The Cybran chuckled at that remark and a knife suddenly appeared in his hand. He twirled it a few times as he circled in closer to her: “She attacked me and I fought back. The only difference between her and me is that she missed but at least it was a somewhat authentic aggression. It would have been a more honest one if her hatred for me had been as sincere as mine.”

Rhianne was about to object when the Cybran sprang forward and struck. The blade slashed through her cloak along her shoulder an opened a deep gash. She fell back with a cry and brought a hand to stop the bleeding as Redfog started circling her once more: “This is the first time that you’re attacked now isn’t it? Judging by your reaction I’d even dare to say that this is the first time that you’ve been seriously injured. I always find it amusing when a tyrant such as yourself is faced with her own medicine.”

“You’re the monster not me!” Redfog twirled the blade again and nodded: “Finally some honesty... and of course I won’t deny that I’m a monster. I kill, I torture, I cheat and I do much more without any second thought and sometimes I even enjoy it.” He sprang again as he spoke those last words and this time the blade sliced Rhianne’s leg, opening a gash that made her stumble for a moment. She managed to stay on her feet but there was just no way for her to counter the near inhuman speed of her opponent.

“Then how come I’m the abomination then if you’re the one that is doing all of this?” The Cybran held the blade up and touched it delicately with two fingers, spreading the blood on it. “Ah but everything I do, I mean to do it. If I kill someone then it is because I hate him or it is out of necessity and his blood is on my hands. It is as personal and intimate as any fight between living creatures could be. You on the other hand…”

Redfog motioned towards the field behind him: “Millions will die in your name and for the faith that you represent and not once will you meet any of them. You will remain on your pedestal, unmarred by the war, pain, sadness, famine and loss. A living icon meant to inspire and comfort those under her about concepts that she has never experienced for herself.” Rhianne looked up at the Cybran and frowned: “You’re wrong! I am aware of all of all that is sacrificed in wars and I grieve for it. Unlike you not a day passes by where I do not regret the lost lives nor the pain endured.”

The Cybran paused and considered her words for a moment before throwing the knife high in the air. It landed at Rhianne’s feet, coloring the snow around it crimson red. “You questioned my existence before and now it is my turn to question yours. Take the knife.” Rhianne hesitated and the Cybran screamed when she did not move: “Take it!”

She bent down and picked up the blade. Redfog nodded: “You have fifteen minutes to kill someone. If you don’t then I will kill them one by one until you comply. There is no reason, no choice and no negotiations… just a sample of the pain felt in real life.” The assassin then bowed mockingly and left Rhianne alone to make her decision.

-----

“Bagby? Bagby… Bagby!”

Dostya had to shout at the top of her lungs for the SCU pilot to finally stop singing something about sailors visiting a bordello. Bagby looked at her with a grin: “But I was just getting to the good part! So… did I scare them off yet?”

“The UEF fleet is destroyed but there was no ACU explosion… they are still hiding out there.” Bagby sneered and spat in the corner of his cockpit: “Now that’s a cheap bastardly way of doing things: skulking, sneaking and backstabbing… I thought that was our job.”

“Well they are still alive so…” Dostya pressed a few buttons in her cockpit: “Time for plan B.”

-----

The two UEF ACUs and the SCU worked at a busy pace to build a base as quickly as they could. Arnold and Riley were creating the necessary support structures while Desjar moved around the perimeter to add turrets. Arnold was still fuming over his defeat but at least no permanent damage had been done. The fleet was lost but it could easily be replaced and it was only a matter of time until they settled in with a strong base to fight back. Like all battles in the past millennia as long as there was at least one functional ACU then the battle was never truly over.

“That Cybran ACU pilot must have balls of steel to pull of a stunt like that. One lucky shot on their sonar and its stealth capabilities would have been brought down and we could have blown him to scraps.” Desjar automatically chipped in: “Well look on the bright side: your SCU pilot is a lot better on almost every level and that includes singing!”

“Don’t be so sure about that.” Riley’s voice cut off their usual banter. Desjar became serious again and cleared his throat: “What do you mean sir?” Riley forwarded a file to both of them: “Cybran SCU pilot seven, eight, five otherwise referred to as Bagby. He is credited with participating in twenty seven known operations in UEF territory with all of them resulting in a UEF defeat or a Cybran escape. He was personally credited for the destruction of a total of nine SCUs and two ACUs.”

Arnold whistled in appreciation and Desjar stammered a bit: “That lunatic did that?” Riley nodded slowly: “Special notes here state that the pilot has an erratic pattern that is nearly impossible to predict and his behavior has unsettled more then one commander. It also says that he is extremely proficient in SCU hand to hand combat.”

“Um… sir? SCUs don’t have hands and aren’t made to brawl.” Riley shrugged Desjar’s comment off: “Apparently that’s not bothering the pilot much either. Just do yourself a favor and don’t get too close. He might be crazy but he’s also good at what he does.” Arnold scratched the back of his head and queued in a few more commands: “How did you get that file so quickly?”

“You might be surprised commander Arnold at how quickly our tactical division can get you the information when you’re nice to them… and when you know a few names to call upon.” Arnold grumbled under his breath, annoyed that Riley’s politicking was apparently useful on the battlefield. Try as he might, he could not imagine himself sucking up to his superiors and kissing babies just to get some reliable intelligence.

“They don’t happen to have a file on the ACU pilot by any chance?” Riley shook his head: “Unfortunately no. They have a list of possible pilots that have fought besides Bagby before but the list is long enough that it won’t be useful on its own. We won’t know who we’re dealing with unless we coax them into a transmission first.” Desjar raised a hand to stop them: “Incoming transmission from New Hampshire… it’s on a public broadband frequency relayed through the quantum network! Everyone on the planet will be getting this.”

Riley cursed loudly which took both Arnold and Desjar by surprise since they had never seen him lose his cool. They pressed a few keys and the video feed of the same woman that Arnold had seen at the party the day before appeared before them. She looked nervous and was in the middle of her speech: “… I am thirty six years old and this is my son Timmy. We live in New Hampshire which has been taken over by Cybrans. They demand a prisoner exchange: the citizens of New Hampshire in exchange for the planet’s symbiont population. If the symbionts are not ready in the next six hours then they will start executing 20 citizens every hour until their demands are met. Please help us!”

The transmission was cut off immediately.

-----

Rhianne stood still for several moments with the knife in hand until a cold wind reminded her that not only was she freezing but that she was bleeding as well. She limped towards the building that the Cybran had been taking her to, intending to use its surface to block the wind while she tended to her wounds.

To her surprise the door opened when she got close enough and she stepped inside. The air was warmer and she quickly went to work, cutting off pieces of her cloak and using them to bandage her arm and leg. Fortunately the wounds were not deep and she reflected on Redfog’s ultimatum as she worked. She held no doubt that he would do exactly as he had said and yet the reason as to why he was doing all of this escaped her. There was the possibility that all of it was some kind of plan to somehow hurt and injure her so that she could not perform her duties should she become the next princess and yet the way that he acted made it all seem so personal. He was deriving some enjoyment or perhaps even a sense of fulfillment out of this but why?

Rhianne finished tying up the bandage around her leg, tucked the knife in her belt and looked around. This was the facility where Toth and Eldes had been taken to and maybe with their help she could find a way out of this without killing anyone. She moved through the corridor while using the wall for support and soon another set of doors opened before her. Rhianne’s gaze settled on Toth first and she smiled since she appeared to be unharmed. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at it. She could not help but cry out in horror as she saw Eldes’ mutilated body and the fact that it was somehow still alive.

“Don’t look Rhianne!” She closed her eyes but it was too late. The image was burned into her memory and she would remember it for the rest of her life. She stumbled backwards until an arm wrapped around her waist and held on to her. Rhianne turned around to see Toth holding on to her with her free hand and on impulse she hugged her mentor.

“There, there… everything will be all right. Where’s the Cybran?” The mention of the monster made Rhianne jerk up: “He… he’s not far! He left me but a few minutes to kill someone or else he said he would kill everyone! What must I do? I’m not trained for combat and I can’t fight him!” Rhianne brought up the knife that she had tucked in her belt and showed it to her mentor.

Toth considered it carefully for a few seconds before extending her free hand: “Give me the knife Rhianne; I’ll take care of it.” Rhianne was about to obey her mentor when she noticed the look in her eyes. With barely one arm free and the rest of her body tied by metallic restraints there was only one person against which the Evaluator could turn the blade against. “No! I won’t let you kill yourself!”

“There is no other choice Rhianne and you’ll just have to tell him that you did it! The Aeon Illuminate needs you and you will be meant to heal our people but not to kill. Without you all humanity will be lost!” Despite Toth’s words Rhianne brought the blade over her wrist and was about to press down when a wet gurgle from the other end of the room reminded her of Eldes. She was still alive if barely and killing her would be merciful if nothing else.

“Rhianne you are the next princess of the Aeon Illuminate. You cannot have blood on your hands.” Toth’s words stood in sharp contrast with what the Cybran had said a few minutes ago. No matter what choice she made someone in this room would have to die. Protocols dictated that she should obey her mentor and worry more about the safety of The Way and yet as she looked at the body in front of her she knew that the only humane thing to do – threat or not – was to end Eldes’ suffering.

The ten year old child closed her eyes for a moment to steady her arm and whispered: “I’m sorry.” She then lifted the knife and brought it down.

-----

“Those bastards!” Arnold looked to his right screen and hoped to see Riley as animated as before but the lieutenant general had calmed down considerably and appeared almost relieved. “We’re going to do something about this right?”

“Yes, yes… of course. Start negotiating with them and see if we can get a few hostages as a sign of good faith. In the meantime prepare our forces for an all out assault and keep our air space secured. I don’t want a single spy plane breaching it to you hear me?” Arnold immediately noticed the dangerous gleam in Riley’s eyes: “Even with both of our armies combined I doubt that we could reach the hostages without a long battle. Do you know something that I don’t? ”

“Try wrapping your mind around this one Arnold: the planet is out of practical reinforcement range, you come with insufficient forces, there is nothing of value, the enemy outnumbers you, you create a hostage situation and propose a huge time limit… if you were in their shoes then why would you pull something off like this?” Desjar had been listening in on the conversation: “Because they’re crazy?”

Arnold gave it some thought for a bit longer: “They’re not after Matar… it’s a gate point! They are in Aeon territory!”

“Bravo. And under normal circumstances if we wanted to force our way into the Cybran base while saving the hostages we would need more then two ACUs. That would take time and they would easily detect anyone else that gated here. However…” Riley’s ACU found a clear spot in the middle of the base and activated its building laser. There was a huge drain in their resources and although it was barely a blue outline; the shape of the biggest cannon that Arnold had ever seen appeared.

“Gentlemen, this is the turning point and the reason that the Cybrans made a huge mistake today. It is also the reason why I summoned the two of you here although I had expected to deploy it against Aeon forces. This is our new secret experimental prototype and its codename is the Mavor…”

-----

Redfog had returned to the cockpit of his ACU and was slumped in the command chair with his gaze fixed on the monitor. A hidden camera in the interrogation facility had relayed everything to him: the child’s hesitation, her argument with her mentor and up to the point where she had plunged the knife through the other Evaluator’s exposed heart. He had to give her some credit for choosing a quick death instead of using the coward’s way out by slicing the tubes. Of course had she done so then the evaluator would have taken minutes to die instead of mere moments.

Out of a whim the assassin pressed a button, releasing the remaining restraints that held Toth down and watched with a measure of amusement as the aged Evaluator rushed to her student and cradled her in her arms. The child was pale and the shock from having killed someone coupled with the loss of blood appeared to be too much for her. Redfog smiled behind his mask: “Mission accomplished.”

The child’s spirit was broken and she would forever be haunted by these events. Because of that they would either have to chose a new princess or watch that one whither away. Redfog had not been with the Aeons that long but he had noticed the spiritual strain behind the movement and knew that what he had done would create many conflicts within the Aeon Illuminate. With any luck it might even result in a civil war. The tactical value of having zealots in disarray was a bonus however compared to the pleasure he felt at destroying such as symbol.

The princess of the Aeon Illuminate – the near incarnation of fate itself – had been broken by his hands. Redfog savored the moment for fate had tried to claim him since the day he was born and it had taken a lifetime to finally strike back. The fact that she was just a child now did not change what she would become: a dancing puppet praising The Way while millions died. The assassin held no illusions however; he had not done any of that for some high minded ideal nor for the Cybran nation. He had done it for himself and if it benefited his ‘allies’ in the process then it was only a side effect.

“He was telling the truth.” Redfog had been about to open a channel to Mather and order them to return home when the girl’s voice halted him.

“Rhianne?” The child looked at her mentor and nodded, colors returning to her face: “He was telling the truth: what we have been doing is wrong and we must put a stop to it. We have to aim for a lasting peace instead of the infinite war that we have been waging for the past millennia.” Redfog whirled around in his seat and fixed the screen again with wide eyes. This was impossible! Instead of breaking apart the child was using the experience as a source of spiritual growth?

“Maybe you should rest for a while. What the Cybran said…” Rhianne cut off her mentor with a wave of her hand: “I’m fine and I’m not worried about him anymore. In fact I feel great sorrow when I think about him. He has been broken physically and spiritually so many times that the only way that he can justify his existence is by destroying those that stand on false foundations. I think that he forgot or maybe even never knew what it is to care for someone and be cared for in return… I don’t think that he even exists anymore.”

The assassin slammed his fist on a button to cut off the transmission and had to stop himself from exploding in rage. He hated the girl for what she had said but most importantly because he could not deny it. Destroying the very foundation on which the Aeon stood had been his purpose all along yet what would happen if they went through a second awakening? How could he justify his very existence if such a thing happened?

An artificial limb reached for the gas mask, unfastened the clamps and removed it. Without it his wheezing breath could be heard through the cockpit and it was now a labor simply to stay alive. The assassin focused on the burning sensation in his damaged lungs, using the pain to drown out his doubts. Soon his hesitation was replaced by the boiling rage that had animated him for the better part of his life. Rage at having been continuously abandoned, beaten, tortured, broken, burned and denied. With it he could justify his continued existence and strike back at anyone that struck his fancy whether they were UEF, Aeon or even Cybran!

A light suddenly blinked on his monitor and Redfog focused on it. He pressed a few keys to see what his ACU had detected and the trace of a smile formed on his lips. Now this was something worthy of his hatred. The assassin replaced the gas mask and reactivated all of his monitors with new life animating his movements. He then opened a channel and Mather’s face appeared on his monitor: “Jeez there you are. I’ve never seen so many quantum signatures before and it looks like all of Seraphim Two gated to Luthien. I can’t keep distracting them and we don’t have much time left. Do we have the plans?”

Redfog looked at his wrist computer and smiled: “We do but we’re not done here just yet. We have one last person to kill for the good of the entire Cybran nation.” Mather’s face contorted into an unbelieving expression and Redfog only smiled wider: “We’re going to kill the Avatar-of-War.”

Chapter 9
The last warning

“Ok maybe I was not exactly clear back there so let me try it again: the bulk of the Aeon military is coming our way and nothing will be able to stop it. If we have the plans for the galactic colossus then it’s time to bail!” To Mather’s horror Redfog ignored him and went to work, fingers flying over his console. Mather could tell by looking at his sensors that the assassin was deactivating the dampening field and preparing to break radio silence: “Are you deaf or insane?”

“I heard you but I have a plan in mind and it’s an opportunity that will never present itself again. So be silent for thirty seconds and watch.” Redfog opened a quantum link and encrypted his communication: “QAI respond.” The pulsing geometrical eye appeared on both their screens and a metallic voice reached them: “Communication silence broken; awaiting status of the mission.”

“I am transmitting the schematics now. I want you to combine a toned down version of the phason laser’s power source with the focusing lens that you have been working on for the monkeylord and finally the delivery system contained in the file Redfog, six, six, six, omega, seven. I am transmitting the password to decrypt my file. We need it now so assign all of your resources to make it happen.” QAI’s pulsing symbol shifted to the right of the screen as doctor Brackman’s holographic face appeared: “I have not authorized this. What are you doing?”

“Authorize it and then shut up Brackman! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to kill the new Avatar-of-War! You lived through the carnage that the last one left centuries ago so you should realize how important it is to destroy him.” Doctor Brackman frowned but the tone of his voice was still the same despite the lack of respect: “Even with QAI’s vast potential the weapon would be experimental at best and you risk blowing yourself up if a single miscalculation is made.”

“The chance is mine to take. Do it!” Mather watched doctor Brackman hesitate a second longer before nodding. QAI went to work immediately, dedicating dozens of nodes across multiple worlds to the task. Machines – even those as complex as the galactic computer – had their limitations when it came to creativity and abstract thinking. When provided with all the pieces of the puzzle however the task became far simpler and it barely took QAI thirty seconds to create and upload the prototype weapon.

“Please think well before choosing your next move…” Mater watched as Redfog ignored the advice and activated the new upgrade. The Cybran ACU immediately decloaked; its system unable to maintain the stealth field as an energy vortex formed around it. The normally peaceful upgrade procedure generated a localized lightning storm with the ACU as its source. Mather backed off when his sensors reported an immediate nuclear meltdown. His communication’s link with the assassin was filled with static but a single screaming voice came through: “I did not come so far to be stopped by faulty mechanics!”

The display lasted for several minutes and Mather reflexively closed his eyes once or twice when he was certain that the ACU would explode. The lightning storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun and in its center stood Redfog’s ACU. An extra power supply had been added on its back and the chest cavity was now ready to open but with a different upgrade than the torpedo launcher. The communication’s link with the assassin finally cleared up and Mather could see Redfog grasping the controls with shakings hands while gasping for breath.

Before he could ask if he was all right the chest armor cavity of the ACU opened and the shriek of a massive power buildup rang through the base. A few seconds later a continuous red laser shot forth and hit the side of a nearby hill, burning through it in an instant. Mather watched his readings go off the scale and realized the full implications of the weapon. Usually a Cybran ACU avoided direct contact with the enemy especially other upgraded ACUs and SCUs which moved around with an omni sensor field. Now with this in hand a Cybran ACU could assassinate almost anything on the battlefield in seconds.

It was then that Mather heard the one thing that he had not expected to hear and he felt a chill run down his spine. Redfog was laughing…

-----

Ariel sat in the corner of the transport away from the other students and kept her gaze fixed at the spot where the Cybran had defeated her. The students had taken care of her wounds by immobilizing her right arm and broken wrist against her chest by using pieces from a broken seat. She had survived her encounter with the monster… but part of her wished that she had not. If she had died then at least she would have been spared the realization of how weak the spiritual cast truly was.

‘Rhianne saved you!’ was what they had told her. If that was the case then why were they were still imprisoned? Had they all struck the Cybran at the same time by following her example then surely they would have won! A few students might have been hurt and some even killed but despite all of his cybernetic implants the assassin was still mortal. Instead of acting however they had simply stood and watched as she was brutally beaten. They were like lambs refusing to move out of fear of becoming the wolf’s next meal.

The fourteen year old girl sighed deeply while attempting to master her anger. She knew that her emotional turmoil was counter productive and that she should focus on something else before it drove her crazy. Maybe if she could find a way to contact Marxon then the Cybran could be defeated and…

Her train of thought was interrupted as a piercing shriek forced them all to cover their ears. Ariel cried out in pain but managed to get to her feet and look through a fissure in the transport’s wall. The Cybran ACU was there and she barely had the time to blink before a laser shot out of its chest and vaporized a nearby hill. She had to shield her eyes from the bright light and gasped when she saw the level of destruction. Was this a new weapon?

The Cybran ACU suddenly disappeared but the sound of its footsteps could be heard and Ariel’s eyes widened when she saw small clouds of snow rise from the ground and head towards them. She backed away from the transport’s wall and towards the other students. One small girl grabbed on to her cloak and looked up at her: “What is going on?”

Before she could answer something heavy pressed on top of the transport and the ceiling buckled inward. Ariel grabbed on to the girl and pushed her towards the open hatch: “He’s going to crush us, everybody out!”

The students scrambled outside in panic and Ariel had to grab one girl that had fallen and drag her out. The Cybran ACU waited until they were all out of the transport before putting its full weight down, crushing it as if it was made out paper. The explosion disrupted its cloaking field for a split second and bolts of lightning danced around its form.

“Heavens protect us…” Ariel ignored the proclamation from one of the students and frowned. She knew that if the Cybran meant to kill them then he could have done so a lot more efficiently. As if to confirm her thoughts a dozen mantises scrambled around the transport’s remains and started herding them towards the building where Toth, Eldes and Rhianne had been taken. Ariel looked around but she knew that there was no escape with the Cybran behind the controls of his command unit.

-----

The ACU appeared with a brilliant flash and a second later four SCUs moved towards it. They went to work immediately, supporting the war machine’s upgrades by adding their own building lasers to the task. A few moments later economic structures were transferred to the pilot as well as a generous supply of engineers, harbingers and corona air superiority fighters. Marxon had his ACU upgraded in record time and set a course towards the Aeon settlement with Pao and Lani by his side.

“Greetings Avatar-of-War, I am Evaluator Adis and I am at your service.” Marxon inclined his head ever so slightly at the Evaluator on his screen: “Report.” Adis told him all that she knew: the arrival of Toth and her students, the rumors of a vision from one of the students, the Cybran attack, how Keeper Pheris had self destructed and the following abduction. Marxon listened to it all impassively.

“Thank you Evaluator Adis. I want all remaining personnel from this facility to board a transport to the Blue Star gate nexus. You will return to Seraphim Two where you will be thoroughly debriefed.” The Evaluator bowed her head slightly: “And what about the converts? Surely we cannot leave them here?”

“They will be cleansed.” The Avatar-of-War’s tone caught the Evaluator by surprised: “But… but they can’t possibly have anything to do with this! Many are very promising and deserve to be saved!”

Marxon raised his chin ever so slightly, unwilling to back down: “Tell me Evaluator Adis what are the odds of a Cybran piercing our codes, understanding the significance behind our lost children, coordinate an attack and leave without a single casualty?” Adis shrunk away from the monitor: “Almost none.”

“Unless there is a traitor in our midst am I correct? The time for half measures has passed and we can no longer afford security leaks especially with all that is at stake. You will obey my orders.” The Evaluator took a deep breath before nodding: “As you wish Avatar-of-War.”

The communication ended and Pao’s face appeared on his monitor: “Avatar, one of our commanders has picked up significant signs of quantum communication six kilometers from our position. She has asked that this specific signal be sent to you directly.” Marxon raised an eyebrow: “Any particular reason why this signal should be different from any other decoy that our troops have encountered?”

“Yes. Although it could not be decrypted the signal’s frequency matched the one from the unscheduled access to our network not long ago.” Marxon’s eyes widened for a split second and he quickly nodded: “We’ll be sending the bulk of our forces there but the standard search teams should still be searching the other sectors. Send my personal congratulations to the commander that made this discovery. Also send a message to Seraphim Two: have them lock our databases until we can confirm which security codes have been compromised.”

Pao nodded and ended transmission. Alone in his cockpit; Marxon rubbed his upper lip with his index finger: “I expected more from you Toth.”

-----

Rhianne unclasped her cloak and handed one end of it to Toth. Together they reverently covered Eldes’ mutilated body and uttered a few words of prayers. They barely finished the first verse when screams interrupted them and they twisted around in surprise only to see the other students rush inside.

“Calm down, calm down, everybody calm down!” Toth was suddenly surrounded on all sides by scared children who desperately clung to her. Rhianne looked from Toth to the door and saw that Ariel was the last one to come through. The door closed behind her and the fourteen year old girl barely looked at Rhianne before sitting in the corner of the room. Toth motioned for Rhianne to take care of the other students and went towards Ariel: “You are wounded, let me take a look at you.”

“The wrist is broken but it has been immobilized. I’m as fine as I’ll ever get until we are rescued.” Toth reached out to the child but she shrunk away. Instead of forcing the issue the Evaluator smiled sadly: “It may be a while longer before we are rescued. Maybe I should look at it in the meantime?”

“Marxon is coming.” Toth frowned but Ariel continued: “Why else would the monster decide to move all of us in here? He wants to make sure that his bargaining chips remain intact but he has no idea what’s coming his way! Soon he’ll see how a true Aeon warrior fights!” Toth moved away and refrained from shaking her head in sadness.

-----

“Ok so we have an impressive new toy but it’s still not enough to stop them. Quantum signatures in the area are increasing so if they did not know that we were here before then they do now. It’s time to go.” Redfog ignored him and took control of a few engineers. The units were deployed around the base and began the construction of facilities that were similar to the one where the Aeon children were imprisoned. The assassin then opened a broad band channel: “This is Redfog, commander of the Cybran forces in the area. I have captured the future princess of the Aeon Illuminate as well as her fellow students and have her stored in this facility. I’m not without a heart however…”

Mather almost choked at the proclamation and looked at the building where the Aeon children had been taken to. This explained everything: the self destruction of the enemy ACU, the plans and even why so many forces were coming after them now. How could Redfog have possibly planned it all out? The assassin kept speaking for all to hear: “I’ll let you fight for her and I promise that I won’t kill her or blow up the facility that she’s in. However I seem to have forgotten in which building I have stored her so I suggest avoiding the use of any weapon that damages an area. Those are unshielded civilian buildings after all and one misfire could very well end in tragedy!”

The assassin closed the channel and chuckled in delight at the prospect of the upcoming battle. Mather was not in the same mood however: “What the hell are you thinking? We can’t fight off that many troops!” Redfog shrugged, apparently unconcerned: “We don’t need to, we just need to kill one ACU and then we’re going home. It’s doable with a bit of luck.”

Mather’s mouth nearly hit the floor and the Assassin sighed in annoyance: “Our base is in the middle of a valley with only a few natural ice canyons leading to it. This means that they won’t be able to move ground troops in great numbers. I’m also constructing dummy prisons around the base which combined with my little speech will nullify their long range capabilities. They’ll have to do some close range scanning to determine which buildings are dummies so no nukes and no artillery for them. They’ll have to get close and personal to free their little princess and that’s when my new toy will win the war! All I need is for that so called Avatar-of-War to make one mistake.”

“Ok, this is beyond crazy. I’m leaving and you can either come along or die here.” The shriek of Redfog’s laser interrupted him before he could turn towards the quantum gate.

“I can’t let you do that…” Mather looked at his monitor and realized that the assassin would kill him without a second thought: “Red –“

“I need your help to keep them off my back long enough to spot my target and kill it. Two ACUs are the bare minimum to hold for any length of time. If you move a single step or attempt to destroy my omni sensor then I will destroy you. Why don’t you transfer control of those quantum gates over to me now…” Mather hesitated a second longer before cursing and transferring the facilities. Redfog smiled: “Have faith Mather… we’re about to win a great victory today.”

-----

“I hope that you’re happy with what you’re doing…”

Dostya flinched, avoiding the gaze of the woman and the child that she was holding. She did not feel particularly proud about using civilians as hostages but she had no other choice: “You’ll be released with the second batch of prisoners. The first batch will be for those that are sick or wounded. For what it’s worth I’m sorry that you got caught in the middle of all of this.”

For a moment it seemed that the woman was about to offer a rebuke but she hesitated before finally asking: “Why are you doing all of this?” Dostya looked up at her and hesitated a few seconds before finally speaking: “What’s your first name?”

“Hina…”

“Well Hina for the past three years I wondered how I would answer that question should I meet someone that I knew on Earth or even my own family. For the life of me I can’t find an answer that I would not have doubted a few years back when I was just like you. There is one thing though…”

The mother and the boy both looked at Dostya expectantly as she continued: “Look into the eyes of any symbiont under the UEF’s care and look deep. See for yourself what is missing in them.” A red light blinked on Dostya’s console and she opened the channel without looking: “What is it?”

To her surprise doctor Brackman’s face appeared on her monitor: “Doctor Brackman, it’s quite an honor! Let me just close this other channel…”

“No time, no time!” The doctor’s holographic projection was obviously agitated as he spoke: “The mission is complete but Redfog is trying to accomplish something else before leaving. I do not know what but this could spell disaster for Mather and you cannot hold your position on Matar for much longer with UEF forces waiting on your border. I know Mather has a number of escape plans involving a short hop towards another planet. You should evacuate from Matar before…”

“Help!” Dostya’s eyes shifted to the other channel that she had not closed. Urzu twelve had his laser pistol trained on Miss Tural’s head with his finger on the trigger: “No one is leaving Matar. We’re sticking with Redfog’s plan…” Dostya resisted her urge to curse and opted to fix the assassin with a cold stare: “Calm down and put the gun away. Planet hopping is not an unusual tactic in situations where we’re outnumbered and it might save Redfog’s life. Our trip home will be last a bit longer but it’s preferable to having him gate in the middle of a battle here.”

Urzu twelve did not lower the weapon: “That’s not an option. He warned us that all hell would be following him as soon as he left Aeon territory and that an immediate jump into Cybran territory was our only option. We were told that you might try another escape route and we have been ordered to make sure that you stayed right here…”

“Lower the gun; they are civilians for crying out loud!” Urzu twelve laughed before scowling fiercely: “You are weak! You call yourself a Cybran commander and yet you can’t stand the thought of killing two worthless UEF meat bags! Now order your units to form a defensive line and hold until Redfog gets here.” Dostya stood perfectly still: “I’m warning you to stand down or…”

“Or what? Your ACU is powerful but not precise enough to take out a single individual through a building wall! I have but to transmit a single order and the other commandos will open fire on the other civilians without a second thought… but I see that you need some motivation so pick a target: the mother or the boy? You have three seconds to choose or I’ll kill them both.”

“You’re making a huge mistake.”

“One…”

“You are under my orders and you have to obey me.”

“Two…”

“I warned you…”

“Three!”

Two blaster bolts rang through the communication’s tower.

-----

“I estimate another eight minutes before the Mavor is ready and my new fleet is currently operational. How are things progressing on your end?” Arnold looked at his instruments and nodded: “Titans, broadswords, wasps and the necessary air transports are on standby. This is going to make a flashy entrance when I pop in with Desjar.”

There was a brief pause as Riley frowned: “Sending you over was not part of the strategy. Desjar is competent enough to lead the forces on his own.” Arnold sneered, unwilling to back down on that front: “With all due respect sir that little file you got on the happy singing pirate is telling me otherwise. Cybran SCUs are capable of taking out our own in a one on one fight thanks to their EMP cannons and that’s when my ACU’s overcharge shot could come in handy. I’m not sending my buddy out there to die.”

Riley was about to speak but Arnold cut him off before he could: “Besides we need a juicy target if we want those Cybran forces to gather in the same place to maximize the damage from the Mavor.” The lieutenant general gave it some further thought before nodding: “All right Arnold, good luck out there.”

The communication ended and Desjar’s face appeared on Arnold’s left screen: “Wow… I’m touched buddy.” Arnold scoffed and made another self diagnostic: “Don’t flatter yourself; I just want to get back at you for that lube stunt that you pulled back on Earth and I can’t do that if you’re dead.” The SCU pilot’s face screwed up in confusion and it took him a few seconds to finally remember: “Holy crap that was three years ago man!”

“Uh huh, and I still need to pay you back for that one so you can’t die today. That’s an order.” Desjar grinned and saluted: “yes sir!”

-----

Hina held on to Tommy with all of her strength but there was no pain nor did she feel like she was dying. She quickly looked at her boy who was clutching her tightly and found no wounds on him either. There was a heavy thud behind them and they looked back only to see the Cybran sprawled on the ground. His hand had been shot clean off and there was a large hole in his forehead as well. A soft hiss made Hina look up and she saw a smoking hole through the ventilation shaft.

“I am a Cybran commander… but that doesn’t mean that I’m a monster or that I’m stupid either.” A panel from the ventilation shaft was kicked open and Hina yelped as another Cybran jumped down with weapons in hand: “Are you ok miss?”

She nodded quickly as the soldier moved past her and grabbed the traitor’s weapons. He had to shake it a few times before finally dislodging the severed hand: “There’s an old saying: keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Well that and never trust an Assumpta jerk. I guess these guys never realized that if they could infiltrate these facilities then we could do it just as easily.”

“Keith, we need to plan out an immediate evacuation. If Mather’s really in trouble then…” The commando was shaking his head before she could finish: “If that guy was ordered to do something as drastic as blackmail you then Redfog must have been dead serious about Aeon troops being right on his tail. If we leave now then we’ll likely lose Mather.” Dostya cursed under her breath before nodding: “All right, then we get the other Assumpta commandos out of the way at least. I don’t need a war on two fronts. Get her and the boy outside and I’ll build a ground transport to ship them out. I might buy us some time with the UEF that way.”

Another light blinked on Dostya’s console and she opened a channel: “This is a bad time Bagby.” If the SCU pilot heard her he gave no indication: “We have a problem D. The UEF has not sent any spy planes, troops, boats or anything in our area.” Dostya frowned and looked at the old man: “How is that a problem?”

“High ranking UEF officials don’t climb that high by doing nothing. I’d bet my left testicle that what’s coming is going to be ugly and it’ll happen soon…”

Chapter 10
Close quarter fighting

“Well, this is an interesting puzzle…” Marxon gave it some thought before nodding and opening a channel: “This is Avatar-of-War Marxon to all Aeon forces. From this point onward you will not open a channel or listen to any other source of communication except for mine. Doing so may endanger the lives of those held captive and I expect you all to follow this instruction to the letter. I will be taking direct control of the battle and I am forwarding production and patrol orders to each of you.”

“You will be divided in team with the objective to either patrol the area and prevent any escape or produce the necessary units. Military forces will be dropped at this location and transferred to me as necessary. I will take full responsibility for this operation and for any casualty incurred amongst the prisoners. That is all.” Marxon closed the channel and opened a new one: “Pao, Lani, you will be deployed at these locations after I begin the initial attack. You will build the necessary artilleries and defend them as per our usual tactic.”

The Avatar-of-War saw the hesitation in their eyes and smiled softly: “Do not worry: the artilleries will be set on manual fire. I will assign targets to them only after the buildings in the area have been scanned. Be alert and watch out for any cybran ACU that might try to sneak past you. Stay out of range of their overcharged cannons and let the point defense turrets do their job.” They nodded fiercely and went to their task.

Marxon pressed both hands in front of him while his troops deployed and gave the situation more thought. He was not taking this mission alone out of vanity or pride but rather because he could not figure out why the Cybrans were acting this way. The attack on Luthien had been precise and demonstrated either a profound understanding in the Aeon Illuminate’s inner workings or a large security leak. Although he had no proof to back it up, the unscheduled access to their most secured network suggested that they had succeeded in their mission but then why were they still here? Their hostage stratagem was brilliant and required some careful troop maneuvering but even with it there was no doubt that the Cybrans would fall. Were they hoping that an Aeon commander would kill the students by accident or was it something else?

His thoughts were interrupted when a signal indicated that the commanders were in place all around the enemy base and a large swarm of fighters was patrolling the border. Marxon took controls of his ACU and moved forward. Now was the time to attack.

-----

“Redfog is coming in hot, everyone report to the gate on the double!” All around the facility Assumpta commandos stopped whatever they were doing and ran outside. There a ground transport waited for them and they quickly jumped aboard. The door closed automatically as soon as the last commando stepped inside.

“Wait, where’s Urzu Twelve?” Dostya’s face appeared on the screen in front of them almost immediately: “He’s dead and you’re all relieved of duty.” Urzu One quickly stepped up: “You killed him didn’t you? You’d better kill us right now then because we won’t rest until…”

“Hey bit brain!” Keith’s face appeared next to Dostya’s on the screen: “There’s a series of explosive charges in the passenger section and I have my finger on the trigger. Now be nice… I’ve been known to have twitchy digits. Take a seat, shut up and enjoy the ride home.” The assassin growled but did as he was ordered.

Satisfied, Keith closed the channel to the passenger section and nodded to Sjet. The other commando activated the transport and drove it towards the quantum gate. Keith looked at Dostya on his monitor and nodded: “We’ll jump to node fifty-six and then transfer them back to Asssumpta.” He hesitated for a moment before adding: “Dostya? Please make it home safely.”

Dostya nodded and cut off the transmission. Soon afterwards Bagby’s face appeared: “Such touchy bitty moments before a battle always bring a tear to my eye.” Dostya sneered and checked her long range scans: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, whatever you say D.” The old SCU pilot reached inside a pocket, brought up a mouth guard and vividly chewed in it. Dostya was momentarily confused: “Do I even want to know why you’re using that?”

“Probably not but I’ll give you a hint: it has nothing to do with French kissing.” Dostya ignored the comment and opened a broad band audio channel: “UEF forces, we are releasing Hina and Timmy Tural as a sign of good faith. They will be in an unarmed transport heading south west from our position. We will be expecting a status on the prisoner exchange soon.”

There was no answer aside from the sudden appearance of multiple signatures on their sensors. Bagby cheered excitedly: “All right! That’s what I call negotiating!”

-----

Arnold fetched a bandage from the emergency kit and plugged it into the hole behind him to stop the leak: “Damned broken humidifier!” Both Arnold and Desjar’s command units were being transported through the air by separate units along with the brunt of their forces. Bellow them was Riley’s navy which would make sure that a safe corridor would exist for either reinforcements or retreat.

“Hey boss, I’ve been thinking about the Mavor. It’s never been used in actual combat so what happens if it overheats or something? What if…” Arnold tightened his safety straps and shrugged: “Then we do things the old fashion way and hope that we kill the Cybran commander before he decides to kill the hostages. We’ll see if he still has balls of steel when we’re the ones doing a surprise attack.”

“Sure thing buddy… incoming transmission: audio only. I’m putting it through.” The partial mechanical voice came through the speakers immediately: “UEF forces, we are releasing Hina and Timmy Tural as a sign of good faith. They will be in an unarmed transport heading south west from our position. We will be expecting a status on the prisoner exchange soon.”

“Holy cow! By the sound I’d say she’s a chick!” Arnold was about to retort that he should be used to it by now after fighting the Aeon Illuminate for so long but missiles suddenly filled the air and exploded dangerously closed to them: “Emergency drop!”

There was a loud clang as the transport released them both. The command units started dropping at an alarming speed and Arnold found it hard to breathe as they began to freefall. They dropped a good eighty meters before finally hitting the water and the shock almost made Arnold puke all over the cockpit. The command units were meant to resist such extreme shocks and pressures but the pilots still felt the brunt of these impacts. They twirled around in the water, unable to control their descent and finally crashed at the bottom of the sea.

“They… need to invent parachutes one of these days. You ok?” Desjar’s face appeared on his monitor and nodded: “Any higher and I’d need a new pair of pants.” Both ACU and SCU started walking towards the shore. A few minutes later they emerged from the water and stepped on the sandy beach surrounded by patrolling titans and broadswords. Arnold took stock of his units and plotted a course along a path that led up along the cliff and towards the enemy base: “All right, let’s earn our pay!”

-----

The galactic colossus moved ponderously forward, each step shaking the ground and forcing the units trailing it through multiple course corrections to avoid bumping in each other. Scores of harbingers and mobile artillery were not far behind and were covered by mobile flak artilleries which in turn were protected by mobile shield generators. A group of Cybran mobile flak danced in front of the Aeon forces, staying barely out of range but threatening the air space in the area.

By all appearances the Cybrans were in full retreat but that impression lasted only up to the point where the battle moved in range of their artillery. The battlefield erupted with explosions that tore through Aeon units. The galactic colossus ignored the damage and moved on, seeming oblivious to the artillery shells which rarely connected with it or caused any damage. The units behind it were not so lucky with the energy shields quickly failing. Without those a single artillery blast was enough to destroy a mobile flak and their numbers dropped dramatically before they got within two kilometers from the Cybran base. Scores of renegade gunships covered by gemini air superiority fighters surged forward, pummeling what was left of the task force’s anti-air capabilities and then moving on the other ground units.

The Aeon forces lost half its units in the next few seconds and it was then that a line of loyalist bots surged forth. They looked almost ridiculous as they charged forward towards the seemingly unstoppable giant and a pair of them was quickly dragged by its tractor claws and crushed. The resulting EMP explosion stopped the whole battle and it was at that precise moment that tactical missiles were launched.

Ten missiles connected with the galactic colossus and blew up a huge section of its chest plating. Another loyalist exploded before the giant’s systems could be fully reinitialized which paralyzed it again and another volley of missiles tore an arm from its socket. A third volley finished it off and it toppled to the ground, its engines shrieking in protest before going critical. The resulting explosion destroyed the remaining loyalists and granted a few seconds of peace before the battle resumed.

The confrontation had cost the Cybrans eight loyalists, seven gunships, six air superiority fighters and a lot of tactical missiles. The Aeon losses were easily several times those numbers and yet it could not be called a victory. The Aeon had over twenty commanders pouring units through the mountain’s narrow passes and their production rate was several times greater then what two Cybran commander could ever hope to match.

Mather gritted his teeth and replaced the lost units as quickly as he could: “That’s the fourth galactic colossus that we’ve brought down so far and still no sign of that so called Avatar-of-War. How much longer do you intend to keep us here?” Redfog appeared neither troubled nor upset by the declaration: “That’s good news.”

“Say that again?”

“What I feared the most was having a dozen ACUs show on screen and that would be problematic since I’d have to guess which was the right one. I’m beginning to suspect that since we’re not spotting any that the Avatar is taking care of this fight personally.” Mather would have thrown up his hands in exasperation if it would not have implied the destruction of a dozen battling units: “Oh that’s great! I feel better already!”

“You’re not the one that’s going to rush in the middle of their forces when the opportunity arises so why don’t you calm down? We have the Avatar… now all we need is the proper incentive to force him into the open.” With that Redfog pulled back his forces too far and allowed the Aeon air force to get closer. Mather would have compensated but his own forces were stretched thin enough as it was: “What the hell are you doing?”

A pair of Aeon spy planes managed to get closer to their base and scan the outer perimeter before being blown to pieces. Barely a few seconds later artillery fire covered the area that had been scanned and destroyed the turrets and decoy building. Mather swore viciously: “Now they know it’s a fake! We can’t build anything at that spot without it getting bombed to pieces!”

The assassin sighed loudly: “How many times must I explain this? We are not trying to win; we are trying to kill one target. We’ll draw him out if he thinks he’s about to win. Besides, I just sent a few spy planes in the direction of that artillery fire and there are two firebases covered by SCUs. It’s useful to know.” Mather directed a squadron of renegade gunships to intercept a dozen harbingers that had just been dropped south of their position: “I just hope that they don’t win because we allowed them to think that they were!”

Redfog shrugged and let it slide. For a moment he considered calling the whole operation off but not out of any fear for their safety. The attacks made against them were good but he expected more from an Avatar-of-War. Maybe the myth surrounding the title was more exaggerated then he had originally thought.

-----

Never in all of his life had Marxon made such a series of sloppy attacks. The fact that he did them on purpose would make most other commanders blanch but his purpose was not to win through classical means but rather to understand his enemy. The Cybrans were very good and showed an equal portion of speed and creative thinking in their counterattacks. Yet so far they had neither executed the students nor fled Luthien and they most likely had more then enough opportunities to do either.

Suddenly the Cybran line faltered and a few Aeon spy planes managed to get a few good scans of its outer perimeter. Once it was confirmed that no life signs were present Marxon shelled the area with his artilleries and watched with a measure of satisfaction as part of the Cybran defensive line vanished. He moved his ACU forward one step but stopped in his tracks as something else occurred to him: was it on purpose?

He brought six pictures of the Cybran base taken from the spy planes and compared them. The scans had not been done in the crafts’ omni range so the data was limited but a visual inspection would suffice. Marxon’s eyes widened when he noticed the one detail that was missing: snow. Half of the structures had an accumulation of snow on one side which indicated that they had been present for a few hours at least but the other half composed mainly of offensive structures did not.

This could mean only one thing: their current strategy was not the original one. For some reason they had decided only recently to make a stand which clearly indicated that their objectives had changed. They were aiming for something other then the princess or escape… and the only thing left of similar value on this planet was him.

Marxon smiled now that he finally understood and kept going through his original sloppy attacks. He would take advantage of the openings and pretend to fall into them exactly as they wanted. Only when the point of no return was reached would he show them what he was truly capable of.

-----

“Hey Riley?” A titan exploded right in front of Arnold and caused his screen to blink out momentarily in order not to blind him: “You know that toy of yours? Now would be a really good time to use it!”

An approaching loyalist shot Arnold’s ACU in the chest and he immediately turned his cannons on it and blew it up with a well placed overcharged shot. The resulting EMP field paused all of his units for a few seconds before they resumed fire. Through it all Riley stood impassively on his screen: “This is why I did not want you there Arnold. If I start using the mavor randomly then the Cybrans will escape before we manage to pierce the heavy shield network surrounding their quantum gates. No doubt they would blow up the building where the hostages are held before leaving and I can’t allow that to happen. We need to find that ACU!”

Arnold cursed but Desjar interrupted him before he made some colorful remarks: “Hey boss, I think I spotted the ACU in my omni field for a split second but I can’t confirm it. We need an omni sensor with a greater range!” Arnold cursed under his breath but acknowledged Desjar’s advice and went to work: “ETA thirty seconds, cover me!”

Desjar aimed at the spot where he thought that he had seen the ACU and his eyes widened when he saw a Cybran SCU charged through the line of loyalists: “Incom…” The rest of his transmission was cut off as a loyalist self destructed; the EMP field temporarily paralyzing his systems. The SCU pilot could barely hear Arnold speak to him: “What… repeat…”

The SCU pilot’s systems rebooted and he began shooting frantically at the enemy, scoring a hit on the arm that held the deadly EMP cannon. Instead of shooting back however the Cybran kept rushing towards him and a short range transmission began overlapping his link with Arnold: “Time to dance Johnny boy!”

A missile from a nearby viper blew up the omni sensor before Arnold could complete it and he cursed loudly while turning around: “What did you say Desjar?” Arnold’s eyes widened when he saw a Cybran SCU – most likely Bagby –charge right into his partner, lock its arms under the UEF SCU’s own, lift it off its feet and carry it away. Somehow he managed to hold on to his struggling captive long enough to reach the edge of the cliff and jump down.

The duo fell down the hundred meter cliff while occasionally slamming into a rock formation every few dozen meters. They finally crashed on the sandy beach bellow and the shock knocked out Desjar’s breath. He tasted blood and he dimly realized that he had been lucky not to bite his tongue clean through. Desjar managed to control his SCU back to its feet: “You ugly son of a…”

Bagby crashed into him before he could finish the insult and Desjar suddenly found himself on his back once again: “Tomatoes are natural aphrodisiacs!” The sentence from the garbled transmission made Desjar pause for a split second as he tried to digest it and the enemy SCU head butted him viciously for it. The blow was so well aimed that Desjar felt the brunt of the impact and his head collided painfully with his seat. Star clouded his vision just as his opponent got back up. The Cybran SCU raised its arm and Desjar’s eyes widened when he saw the damaged EMP cannon realign itself in mere seconds. Webs of metal were already forming where the SCU had been shot and it was almost fully repaired.

“Arnold I need help…” Desjar could not finish his sentence as the ACU came down, its elbow crashing straight in Desjar’s cockpit. The SCU got back up and brought both arms crashing down on the same target: “And a pony!”

-----

“Riley, drop the next wave of titans on the beach now! Desjar’s in trouble!” The lieutenant general frowned but complied. Even then only three out of the six incoming transport managed to get in range and drop their troops: “Calm down Arnold. Sensors here show that his SCU is not taking much if any damage.”

The six titans from the transport trained their weapons on the Cybran SCU and opened fire. Before Arnold’s unbelieving eyes the enemy started a maneuver that made it look like he was convulsing. The SCU was twisting and turning, its EMP cannon keeping half of the units paralyzed while focusing its pulse laser on a single titan at a time. The continued motion prevented the titans from doing any serious damage to any component and the SCU’s enhanced regenerating system was repairing its armor too quickly. The worst part however was that every few moments the SCU managed to hit Desjar with a well placed kick, punch, elbow drop or even head butt and all of them were aimed at the cockpit.

“He’s not trying to blow up Desjar’s SCU; he’s trying to kill the pilot through the armor!” The titans were not cutting it and there was nothing in range that would blow up the Cybran and not kill Desjar in the process. There was no telling in what condition Desjar was in nor how much more he could take and Arnold quickly scanned the cliff side for the safest way down. Riley seemed to notice this and frowned: “Don’t you dare to…”

The ACU jumped over the cliff side before Riley could finish off the sentence. Arnold tried to control his slide down and to his credit succeeded in the first twenty meters or so. One of the ACU’s foot got stuck in a rock formation for a few seconds however and it sent him spiraling out of control. The ride down felt as if he was in a chaotic roller coaster with marching band playing too loudly and twenty armed guys beating him senseless from different angles.

The ACU landed face down with a loud clang at the bottom of the cliff and Arnold felt his safety belts nearly crush his chest. The sudden jolt and lack of breath threatened to leave him unconscious but Arnold felt something cold and wet slide down his neck and follow his spine. The sensation startled him and he managed to draw a strained breath: “Darned… busted… humidifier!”

Arnold struggled to bring his ACU to its feet and saw the Cybran turn tail and run: “Where do you think… you’re going… huh?” Arnold brought his cannon up and dumped his energy reserves into an overcharge shot. He fired but missed and cursed his cloudy vision. He shook his head a few times to clear it while the ACU recharged the weapon and then aimed carefully. He had to compensate manually since half of his targeting scanners were recovering from the crash but this time his aim was true. Unfortunately the Cybran SCU had reached the shore by then and dove in the water at the last possible second. The swirling ball of energy exploded, releasing a huge ball of steam. When it cleared the Cybran was gone.

-----

Dostya stood atop the cliff overlooking the recent battle and felt a measure of satisfaction as she looked down at the UEF units. Part of the enemy ACU’s communications equipment must have been damaged as she managed to intercept and decrypt part of their transmissions. She saw the ACU pilot, dazed and disoriented as he frantically made his way to his friend. The transmission from the downed SCU was even worse with the pilot simply unconscious in his chair, with blood flowing freely from his mouth and nose.

“Desjar, come on buddy wake up! Riley, he needs an evac now!” The transmission was quickly cut off as the ACU’s encryption protocols finally kicked in. Dostya stood motionless on the cliff without a hint of sympathy: “That one is for what you did back on Earth three years ago but we’re not done with you yet.”

Chapter 11
Destiny

The shark moved slowly through the water while making as few motions as possible. Its eyes were fixed on the swarm of fishes that were moving together not far ahead. It – like most local marine life – had been cloned and then released in the wild during Matar’s original terraforming efforts. The colonists had been reluctant to breed dangerous predators in their first few years but it has been a necessity when plankton levels dropped dramatically due to the lack of a natural predator.

The hunter tail grew tense, ready to spring into action when the fishes suddenly panicked and fled in every direction. It understood why and did the same when a giant form stormed right past where it had been hiding. Bagby whistled in appreciation from the cockpit of his SCU: “Now that’s what I call a good fishing spot!”

A pair of torpedoes exploded behind his SCU and tore a piece of its shoulder. Webs of metals from the enhanced regeneration system automatically sprung out of the armor to cover the damaged area and started repairs. The SCU stopped in its tracks, turned it’s torso around and activated its building laser. Command units were not meant for under water combat but they were still capable of reclaiming materials and right now the laser was focused on the submarine’s reactor. It lasted only a few moments before it went critical and what was left sank to the bottom.

“Hah! That’s all you got?” A four hundred meter long Atlantis appeared as if to answer him and Bagby turned tail and ran: “It’s an eight hundred meter dash to the finish line, the game is tied and all hopes are on the quarterback…” The SCU jumped to the left and used a coral formation as cover just as a series of far more powerful torpedoes exploded. The underwater shockwave threw him forward but at least it was in the right direction and he build upon the momentum.

“He runs as if a huge mother in law was on his tail! The crowd holds its breath in anticipation…” Warning signals indicated that four more torpedoes were trailing him and Bagby pushed his engines to their limit. He managed to get on the shore just in time but the explosion blew up a nearby rock formation and huge boulder hit his SCU on the side of its head, tearing half its sensors. In front of the SCU were a dozen titans which locked their weapons on him. Bagby ignored them and charged straight through.

“Twenty seconds left on the clock and a wall of defenders in front of him. Our quarterback charges straight through with weapons blazing!” Dozens of shots found the SCU and melted sizable sections of its forward chest plate. A return EMP blast paralyzed half the titans and a few shots from its pulse laser blew another. The SCU would have destroyed one more but a lucky shot damaged its laser before it could switch targets. Bagby ran forward and swung the damaged arm down, impaling a titan’s leg and tearing it off in one fell swoop.

“Less then a hundred meters to the finish line and the crowd is cheering him on!” Bagby twisted his head away just as one of his consoles shorted out and the following cacophony indicated that a pair of broadswords was pummeling him. Plumes of smokes followed the SCU as its engines desperately tried to compensate for the constant beating.

“The clock is ticking… three… two… one…” The SCU finally managed to reach the Cybran line and the local SAM launchers destroyed the trailing broadswords. The SCU stopped once it reached the safety of a shield generator, raised its arms with the impaled titan leg and threw the useless appendage to the ground: “Touchdown! The crowd goes wild as they want more, more and more! They chant his name loudly with cries of…”

“Bagby!” The SCU pilot paused, wiped the sooth from one of his still functioning screens and opened a channel: “Hey D, glad to see you! It’s going to take me a few minutes to get me patched up but I just discovered the nicest fishing pond! When this war is over I’ll retire here and build a football field in my spare time.”

Dostya’s face twisted in utter confusion for a split second but then she shrugged it away, deciding that her questions were better asked another time: “Did you see any fatboys at the bottom of the sea?” Bagby brought a leg up and kicked to his left to stop the small fire that had just erupted: “Nope and they are not hitting us with everything they got either so no one is to collect on the bet I made earlier all right?”

“Uh… sure.” Dostya closed the channel and focused on the UEF ACU which was retreating with its troops along the coast: “Time to finish you off.”

-----

The transport stopped suddenly and Hina looked around for what was wrong. There was no sign of damage and the controls were locked so there was nothing that she could do. Tommy grabbed her arm and pointed towards the north east where the battle was raging. He looked at the display with wide eyes and to him this was probably the same thing as a huge fireworks festival.

“You think it’s beautiful don’t you? I guess it is in some way… but what are we supposed to do now?” A few buttons immediately lit up and a metallic voice came through: “The prudent course of action would be to step outside the transport and head roughly fifty meters away from it. The transport is tied to the ACU that created it and it will self destruct if the link is lost. Before you leave however there is a favor that I would ask of you.”

Hina immediately grabbed Tommy in her arms: “Or what? You’ll lock us in here until we die?” The voice grew warmer as if the Cybran on the other side actually understood what she was going through: “Please do not be alarmed, I cannot harm you in any fashion nor would I wish to. If you would but press the video uplink button that is flashing then we will be able to continue this discussion face to face.” She hesitated a few moments before pressing it and gasped as the face of an old man appeared on the screen.

“Ah hello! By your reaction I would say that you already know who I am but if not then let me introduce myself: I am doctor Gustav Brackman and it is a pleasure to meet you.” Hina blinked a few times to digest the information. Before her was the most notorious enemy of the UEF and the one icon that came to mind when someone spoke of the Cybrans. It was hard to reconcile that image with the smiling hologram that would have been mistaken for a benevolent grandfather under other circumstances.

“What do you want from us?” The doctor looked away shyly and then back at her: “I... I am trying to find a way to ask a favor of you and although the request is simple, transmitting the meaning behind it is not. How should I say this?” Brackman looked from left to right and his confusion peaked Hina’s curiosity.

“Do you know how parents sometimes want to save their children from a painful event despite lacking the power to do so? Dostya – the pilot that set you free – may have a terrible trial ahead of her and only you have the power to spare her such an ordeal. Like all Cybrans I look upon her as one of my children and although there is nothing that I can do to convince you otherwise I would like you to spare her.” Hina clutched Tommy tighter: “Your ‘children’ tried to kill us not long ago!”

To her surprise Brackman flinched at that accusation and looked down: “Every family has their children who had… harsher pasts. It does not excuse what happened nor diminish my role in all of this and despite their flaws I care for them as well. I hope that you can believe me when I say that I am deeply sorry for the trials that you had to endure.” Hina would have offered a retort but she found it hard to question the sincerity in the doctor’s eyes.

“My plea is a simple one: I beg of you to spare Dostya’s family.” Hina looked from her boy and back to the screen: “What? I don’t understand.”

“Dostya still has a family back on Earth; all of them normal humans and citizens of the United Earth Federation. It is customary for any rescued hostages to be debriefed thoroughly and a clever man would find that link soon enough and try to use it against her. She – like other pilots – has prepared herself for such an upcoming ordeal and she sees it as inevitable. That is why she has spared you and the other hostages where others would have considered the alternative.”

This went against everything that Hina had been taught concerning Cybrans. Before the hostage situation she had always considered them to be virus invested machines and not people who might still have attachments back on Earth. She hesitated a long moment as Brackman bowed his head in supplication: “So I would ask you this favor as a parent to another: please spare her the agony of having her family used against her.”

-----

“What the hell are you waiting for? I’m getting pounded over here! Use your new toy now and let’s end this game!” Riley airdropped some more titans to assist Arnold and had a few ships move into support range. Desjar’s SCU had been recovered and gated to another UEF settlement and even though the Mavor was fully prepped he still left it on standby: “Find me that ACU Arnold. That is your top priority.”

He did not explain himself any further to the supposed hero of Orionis and for good reason: the man was incapable of grasping the true realities of war. The UEF was holding its own but it had not scored any major victory in a while. The Mavor was the key, the one symbol that if presented properly would bolster morale, recruitment and give everyone a much needed push for a few years at least. Its destructive potential was unmatched but it was not without its flaws: costly, impractical and long to produce. It was by no means perfect but it would sustain their war efforts long enough to find a better solution.

The one problem however was presentation. The enemy ACU was cloaked and her quantum gates well protected by multiple layers of shields. Attacking randomly would give the enemy time to escape and the worst case scenario was that she would execute the hostages before leaving. That would leave the Mavor as a failure… a weapon that had not killed the invaders and baptized in a sea of UEF blood.

If the enemy was implacable as proven by killing the hero of Orionis well… then the Mavor may yet be hailed as the weapon that stopped the invasion of Matar. It would not be a glorious entry but at least that way it would actually be deployed through the UEF.

Of course there was no way that he could tell such a thing to Arnold and Riley was doing everything in his power to help him. In the meantime however until the Cybran was found or Arnold killed then the experimental weapon would remain unused for the good of the UEF.

-----

“We’ve reached our limit!” Mather’s fingers flew over the controls in a blur and yet there was nothing more he could do. Their defenses were compromised and despite pushing every unit to their limits, recycling fallen enemies and repairing damage buildings their forces were being replaced at the same rate that they were falling. A single push of the scale would ensure their loss from this point onward.

“We have to evacuate now or all is lost!” Redfog was commanding his units as quickly as Mather but his eyes still burned with unshaken conviction: “Not yet, just a little… there! I have a lock on him!”

The data was forwarded to Mather and an ACU icon appeared on his screen. A swarm of enemy units was around it however which made any attack impossible even with Redfog’s new laser. The assassin laughed softly: “Give it a minute and I’ll bet that he’ll send those forward which will leave me a clean opening! Soon you’ll be back in your girlfriend’s arms and I’ll have what I want!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mather realized that he was blushing and grew angry when the assassin mocked him: “I find it funny that it’s always the psychotic one that sees things for what they really are. You love her and she loves you but the two of you are just too damned foolish to admit it. Always planning, reasoning and analyzing what a child could understand in moments. Why do you think that I allowed her to be the one in charge of Matar, a rookie ACU pilot at that? I knew that she’d fight through hell and back to make sure that you had a safe way home!”

The statement hit Mather like a bulldozer and had it not been for the AI part of his brain then surely he would have frozen in place. The worst part was that Redfog, the creature that was as inhuman as anyone he had ever met, was right… Looking at it now in the middle of a war with his very life in the balance, Mather could no longer deny it: he loved her. At that moment the Aeon troops moved forward just as the assassin had predicted.

“Finally, my destiny awaits! I will prove my existence once and for all!” Redfog stepped forward and was about to charge towards the enemy ACU with all of his units as cover when suddenly every Aeon units pulled back. The silence was as disturbing as entering the eye of a tornado and a cold chill ran down Mather’s spine.

The attack resumed three seconds later with Aeon units suddenly appearing out of nowhere and tripling in numbers. The clash was furious as hundreds of harbingers were airdropped all around their base and the sky was filled by superiority fighters and bombers. Their defenses were overwhelmed and yet the two Cybrans fought on in the insane battle that followed. Defensive structures exploded and even economic structures went critical, damaging nearby buildings.

When the attack wave was finally destroyed the Cybran base was barely standing and Mather paled when he looked at the critical element that exploded: “The gate nexus’ main core had been destroyed and there’s just one gate left. Only one of us can head back.”

-----

The students huddled together and covered their heads. The last series of explosions had shaken the ground and knocked out a few lights. They looked around when it stopped, amazed that they were still alive. Of all the students only Ariel appeared to be happy: “Marxon is coming, I just know it!”

She tried to encourage the other students, telling them that the Cybrans did not stand a chance against him but most were too scared to listen to her. Rhianne ignored her and looked at one of the upper corners of the room where she suspected that a hidden camera might be. Defeated or not, Redfog was still alive and could kill them all if he wished it.

“What will you do now? Will you still strive to prove your existence or will you give up?”

-----

The attack was a success and more units were inbound. In less then three minutes Marxon would have enough forces under his command to finish off the Cybrans once and for all. Scans from a few spy planes had confirmed the locations of the kidnapped students and he highlighted it on his screen. He could lead his troops himself at the front but if his instincts were correct then doing so would accomplish exactly what the Cybrans wanted. An element was still missing from the puzzle and until he knew what then he would not risk throwing it all away even if it meant risking the students’ lives.

A warning light flared on Marxon’s screen and he briefly consulted the report before opening a channel to Lani and Pao: “We have a class four storm incoming. I want you both to switch to integrity compensator upgrades in order to pull through it more easily. We will attack together and the two of you will be ahead of the storm with the objective to rush to the hostages, capture the building and protect them until the storm passes.”

Both pilots nodded and Marxon closed the channel: “This battle is over. You lost.”

-----

“Again I am denied!” Redfog slammed his fist into his controls and growled menacingly. A few seconds passed before he sighed deeply: “Well, goodbye Mather.” Mather felt his heart skip a beat: the assassin would leave him behind without a second thought or even an apology.

“Wait!” The assassin’s ACU did not stop and kept moving towards the gate, kicking the remains of a loyalist out of its way in the process: “The gate is under my control so even if you could kill me you’d only cause it to self destruct. That and I’m the one with the laser upgrade so if you even so much as aim at me then I’ll kill you right here and now. I’ll transfer my remaining facilities a split second before jumping through however so you’ll have a fraction of a fighting chance if you could hold them off for twenty minutes.”

Without another word Redfog closed the channel. He had underestimated the Avatar-of-War and looking back at the battle he now realized that his opponent had somehow manage to build a series of stealth generators along the few plateaus of the rocky mountain. This had allowed him to slip a massive force into fighting range without being noticed and catch him by surprise. The assassin hated to admit it but he found a new respect for his enemy.

“I don’t like to lose however so how about breaking that promise and blowing up your little princess um?” The assassin prepared the self destruct sequence of the facility but keyed in the internal camera on a whim. She was there… looking at him… judging him… questioning his very existence. Her past words echoed through his mind, twisting and torturing him in a way that no one had managed to do in several years.

This loss was just a minor setback due to lack of information! He had simply underestimated the Avatar-of-War but he had originally intended to kill him for the sake of the Cybran nation. He had even been willing to die for it! Did it not prove that he could care about something other then himself? It was only logical however that if the mission could not longer be completed and that only one pilot could leave that he would be the one. He was the better pilot, stronger, remorseless and a superior all around warrior. Next time he would do it…

The ACU stepped on at the edge of the quantum gate and stopped. Redfog’s hand trembled over the key that would cause the prison facility to self destruct. It was logical, it was precise, it made sense, it… A jolt ran through Redfog’s body as he finally realized the one thing that he had been unwilling to admit: it was what he had always done. The hand stopped trembling for a moment and pressed down.

-----

He was going to die. The realization ran through Mather’s mind over and over but there was simply no escaping it. He was going to die and he would never see Dostya again. Mather looked at his options and found that he had none. He would wait until Redfog was gone and then make a burst transmission. He would tell Dostya how he truly felt and say his goodbyes. He could do that much at least and make sure that she knew that this mission had been his decision. He would…

“Transfer all of your units and structures to me.” Redfog’s voice startled Mather and he saw the assassin’s ACU move towards him: “What?”

“Just do it!”

Thinking that he was screwed anyway Mather complied and transferred the few units that he had left. Redfog nodded at the confirmation codes and then looked at him: “Now go…”

“I don’t understand.” Redfog looked away, apparently focusing on one of his other screens: “Everything that I’ve done in my life has been for myself. I kill, cheat, betray, torture and more to meet my needs above all others. This time will be different. Now go before I change my mind and kill you to destroy that choice.”

Mather hesitated a moment longer before nodding and moving towards the quantum gate. Redfog closed the channel and opened a new one, using the quantum network to reach Dostya. Her face appeared on his screen and it was quite obvious that she was furious at him for changing the mission: “The two of you get off Luthien and over here now! I can’t hold off the UEF forever!”

“Only one of us can make it back.” Redfog paused, actually enjoying a perverse moment of pleasure as Dostya’s features became outraged: “I’m sending Mather and there won’t be any need to wait for me. I’ll transmit a code to you so that the Assumpta commandos won’t trouble you.”

“I already sent them packing.” Redfog’s eyes widened for a moment but he quickly chuckled: “I guess there’s more then one person that I underestimated today.” Dostya’s eyes softened for a moment and she nodded: “Thank you.”

“The two of you should stop being idiots and be honest with each other. You’re making things far too complex then what they really need to be.” Redfog turned around and saw Mather decloak in front of the gate. The ACU ejected all of its upgrades before stepping through the portal and disappearing. The following quantum energy wave illuminated the area temporarily and made it impossible to transport anything else for at least twenty minutes.

A rumble from the east caught Redfog’s attention and he turned his ACU towards it. An enormous ice storm was quickly approaching with the potential to tear apart even the most hardened unit. The assassin closed his eyes and smiled under his mask: “How fitting…”

For the first time in his tortured existence Redfog found a moment of peace and was ready to accept his destiny.

-----

There was a brilliant flash and a Cybran ACU appeared on Matar. It took a few seconds for Mather to reinitialize his systems before Dostya and Bagby’s faces appeared on his screen. There was no mistaken the happiness in Dostya’s eyes at seeing him again: “Hey… I’m… I’m sending you the coordinates of the gate nexus. Let’s go home.”

Mather smiled and nodded, struggling with the words that he should have said a long time ago: “Dostya, there’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while. I…” Bagby suddenly jumped on his end of the screen and screamed: “Incoming!”

Dostya looked at her screen and saw the energy blasts fly over her and towards Mather’s position: “Evasive maneuvers! Those UEF artilleries can’t hit the broad side of a…” The blast landed near the ACU and exploded in a radius far larger then anything Dostya had ever seen. An arm and a leg melted off instantly and the ACU toppled to the side. It barely had the time to crash to the ground before another blast hit it head on and the energy blast was augmented by the ACU’s nuclear explosion.

“Mather!”

-----

The quantum channel had remained active and Redfog’s eyes opened wide at the scream. His instruments confirmed what his guts had told him: Mather was dead. The assassin closed the channel with shaking hands, his mind unable to accept what had just transpired. The moment of peace was gone, torn from his life in the same way that everything else had been.

It had been one of the few… no… the only action that Redfog had ever accomplished for someone else without any consideration for himself. His hand shook over the controls as his shattered mind tried to cope with the loss but he could not longer bear it. An agonizing scream rang through the cockpit but it was not meant to last. The dark and animalistic instincts that had animated the assassin for as long as he remembered resurfaced and transformed the wail into a furious roar.

Alarms sounded through the cockpit, warning him of the approaching storm which was probably more then enough to finish off his base on its own. Redfog looked in that direction but ignored the approaching harbingers and the SCUs that were leading them and focused on the storm itself. Destiny had stolen his last chance at redemption and now it was coming for him: “This is your doing!”

His fingers flew over the controls, queuing the last few units and factories that were still functional. The assassin focused on the approaching storm again, his eyes wild: “You tried to claim me so often before and this is as close as you’ll ever get. Don’t hold back!”

Chapter 12
Merciless night

“Confirmed ACU explosion, we won.” Riley looked with pride at the screen and waited, expecting the Cybran forces to self destruct any second now. They did not. The lieutenant general felt a cold chill run through his spine as Arnold confirmed his suspicions: “It did not hit the right ACU! Shoot Riley, shoot!”

Cursing under his breath, Riley assigned a dozen targets to the Mavor and watched the huge cannon fire in quick successions. The battle was won but would they kill the remaining cloaked ACU before the hostages were executed?

-----

Dozens of ACU icons were on the screen and the information next to each of them was refreshed every few seconds. Each represented a Cybran commander that was on a mission somewhere either to defend their installations, spy on enemies or attack. QAI was the one in charge of assembling, updating and calculating the odds of success for each of them.


One such icon suddenly turned red and the information next to it confirmed its destruction as well as the time of death. It was not simply a lost signal or a commander going into high stealth mode; the destruction had been confirmed by the sensors of another ACU standing not too far away from it. Mather was dead.

Doctor brackman allowed himself a few seconds to grieve for Mather but then quickly opened a channel. Bagby’s face appeared on his screen and it was clearly apparent that he had not digested the information either.

“Please get her out of there Bagby.” The old SCU pilot hesitated for a second before nodding and closing the channel.

-----

The remains of the ACU lay motionless on the field and were barely more then melted alloys. There were no possibilities of survival since every emergency and backup systems of the ACU were no longer transmitting. Mather was dead and Dostya could barely cope with the reality of it.

It was not supposed to be possible and yet somehow the UEF had shot the Mather as soon as he arrived. Mather had gated a few hundred meters away from the gate nexus and into Cybran controlled territory. The nexus itself had been configured to transport them all back home quickly instead of welcoming additional reinforcements. If it had been configured otherwise and if Mather had transported to the gate instead of making a hot drop then he would have been safely hidden behind layers of shields.

Dostya felt tremors run through her body but did not dare to move as if any motion would confirm that this was not a nightmare. Warning signals blared left and right as her troops were pummeled by the new UEF experimental weapon. Suddenly her ACU shifted precariously backwards and was lifted off the ground. A quick look on her sensors showed that Bagby was carrying her on his back towards the gate nexus and plotting a course that ensured that they were under friendly shields. The realization that he was attempting to take her away woke her up from her lethargic state.

“Let go, Bagby let go! I’m not leaving! I’ll hide on Matar for months if I have to but I’m not leaving Mather behind. I’m not…” Bagby’s face appeared on her screen and to her shock she saw a tear fall down his sooth covered face: “I just lost my boy… don’t ask me to let go of my girl as well.”

She resisted a second longer but then she finally recognized the grief in the old SCU pilot’s eyes. It mirrored her own and she could tell that he would have gladly died to save Mather’s life. Dostya’s shoulders dropped but she was unwilling to cry just yet.

The SCU and ACU reached the gate and each took their position inside a portal. Dostya prepared the entry sequence and looked to the controls on her left. She could detonate the building where the hostages were kept and for a moment she considered doing so out of spite. A layer of shields above them collapsed as it was mercilessly pounded by enemy artillery and the weaker one underneath would not hold for long.

She hesitated a moment longer before nodding: “I’m not going to kill you…” She pressed a button and activated the portal sequence. Bolts of lightning raced along their commands units as Dostya closed her eyes: “But I don’t have to save you either.” Both units disappeared just as the shield collapsed and a few seconds later the gates were destroyed. The remaining Cybran units all stopped as soon as they lost contact, waited a few seconds and then self destructed.

-----

Arnold was charging up the hill with a fresh batch of titans when the entire Cybran force self destructed. He cursed loudly: “Riley, did you kill that other pilot?”

“Negative, they escaped…” His heart skipped a beat as it struck him: were they too late? Pushing his ACU to its limits, Arnold ran all the way towards the remains of New Hampshire and took stock of the desolated surroundings. Most of the facilities had been destroyed by the explosion of the Cybran forces and he scanned frantically around for survivors. His sensors finally locked on to something and he ran towards it: “I found them!”

Before him was a building with hostages coming out of it. Many were wounded and some had to be carried out on stretchers. He felt a pang of guild at the suffering that they had caused but all of that was washed away as the civilians waved at him and cheered.

“We’ll need medic and excavation teams over here as soon as possible but most of them appear to be safe. Congratulations Riley, that Mavor of yours sure did the trick and we pushed them out in time.” The lieutenant general finally let go of the breath that he had been holding and slumped in his seat: they had won.

-----

Marxon was not surprised when two dozen Cybran air units appeared on his radar and headed straight for him. They moved in small groups and engaged in a myriad of evasive patterns that were a wonder to behold. A lesser commander might have been entranced by the display of micro management but Marxon was the Avatar-of-War and acted accordingly.

Coronas and mobile flak responded while Marxon’s ACU surrounded itself with hastily built shield generators and sensors. One by one the Cybran units were destroyed as Marxon continued his elegant dance of war. He knew that the Cybrans had lost their gate nexus and he knew that their last chance was to either escape or kill him and he would not give them either opportunity. All Cybran units were destroyed twenty seconds after the attack had begun and Marxon stood poised and ready for another wave but none came.

His units were ready as was his omni sensor and shields but the enemy ACU had not been part of the attack wave. It was then that Marxon saw what had just happened on the other end of the Cybran base.

-----

Pao and Lani ran down the hill with a dozen harbingers assigned to guard them. They were barely a minute ahead of the storm which was quickly gaining on them and even now they heard the constant sound of hail pounding the rear of their SCUs. They moved with the conviction of those that had absolute faith in their commander for Marxon had predicted every move that the Cybrans had made thus far.

Even now the Cybran was probably running away, unable to face a pair of SCUs for the simple reason that each was equipped with an omni field that was strong enough to pierce their cloaking technology. The abomination would run right into Marxon’s arms and be cleansed from the surface of Luthien once and for all. Scores of air units suddenly flew out of the base and towards the Avatar-of-War while escorting a group of transports – one of which was most likely transporting the cloaked ACU.

“Five leftover loyalists on our right, I’ll take care of them.” Pao nodded and kept heading towards her original destination while her sister moved to intercept the enemy units. Only a few seconds passed before Lani cried again: “He’s here!”

Pao’s SCU stopped in its tracks and turned around, seeing the cloaked Cybran through her sister’s omni field. On one hand she was momentarily disappointed that he had not tried to actually win but then again she did not expect any better from a machine: “Keep out of range of its overcharge shot. With your regeneration upgrade he can’t even…”

A laser suddenly shot out of the Cybran’s chest and hit Lani’s SCU head on. Unlike a pulse laser however the beam was continuous and kept melting past layers of protective armor and completely overloaded the SCU’s regeneration upgrade. Pao gasped as warning signals flared: “Lani!”

The attack barely lasted a few seconds before the SCU went critical and exploded in a brilliant flash. Even then the laser did not stop and melted through one harbinger after another. Pao brought her laser to bear and fired repeatedly: “Curse you!”

The ACU was hit multiple times and ornamental spikes vaporized under the onslaught but it did not fall. The laser twisted and focused on Pao: “Die, die, die!” Each hit tore another piece of the ACU but her own armor was melting at an incredible pace. Sensors shorted out, screens exploded and her controls were blinking erratically. In the span of a second the air in the cockpit increased by eighty degrees and was no longer breathable. Pao closed her eyes and barely managed to croak a single thing before he command unit exploded: “I’m coming Lani…”

-----

Half of his controls were shorted out, bolts of electricity danced along one conduit, the air was filled with toxic fumes and yet Redfog was still alive. The war machine appeared to hold together through the sheer will of its pilot and yet the assassin took no joy over the destruction of the two SCUs. In fact he barely seemed to notice them as he headed up the mountain and in a straight line towards the storm.

The ACU climbed, its cloaking system shorted out and plumes of smoke following in its wake: “You’ve always thrown everything that you could at me!” A huge boulder rolled down the hill towards the ACU but it was shot out of the way by its chest laser as Redfog plowed forward: “Well I can take it and now I can give it back!”

The storm increased and blocks of ice that were twenty centimeters in diameter fell from the sky and pummel the ACU. Instead of shrinking away from the brutal beating the ACU moved forward and appeared to welcome it: “Go on, strike me! Give me everything you got!”

The ACU raised its mangled arms to the sky when the storm refused to comply and the pilot roared in protest. Redfog would not be denied.

-----

Marxon airdropped a dozen engineers around the prison facility and queued the capture of the building as well as the construction of walls around it. He then focused on the area where the Cybran ACU had disappeared and cursed that the storm interfered with his sensors. Not one to give up easily, he took control of his artilleries, made a rough calculations and aimed at the top of the mountain.

Six artilleries fired simultaneously and the resulting explosion started a large avalanche. Barely a few seconds later his sensors managed to pick up a sizable explosion from within the storm that carried the same signature as the Cybran ACU. Exhausted, Marxon sank into his chair and allowed himself to acknowledge Lani and Pao’s death: “It’s over.”

-----

They were still alive. That was the first thought that crossed Toth’s mind as she reached out in the darkness. There had been a large rumbling followed by a crashing sound and now all the lights were out. The most likely possibility was that an avalanche had buried them and if that was the case then it was a miracle that the structure had withstood it. She could hear whimpering all around her from her students.

“Everyone listen to my voice come towards me. I want everyone to concentrate on being as calm as possible and to answer when I call on your name.” Toth’s voice managed to calm the students and each answered in turn as their name was called out. A few students reported injuries but none of them were serious. When everyone was together again Toth began chanting a prayer which recounted the tale of the Seraphim. She knew that doing so consumed their now limited supply of oxygen but it was a better alternative then allowing her students to panic.

The prayer lasted a good fifteen minutes before a distant humming sound reached them. A light appeared a few minutes later as a wall was disassembled by a mechanized engineer and a cool breeze flew in the room. Marxon’s voice was transmitted soon afterwards: “The storm is still raging but the battle is over. A shuttle will land once the storm clears and will transport you to the Blue Star gate nexus.”

-----

Six hours later Toth stood before Marxon in the quarters that had been assigned to her: “You have my gratitude for saving me and my students Marxon. Your efforts may have very well saved the Aeon Illuminate this day.” There was no pleasure in the Avatar-of-War’s eyes nor did he even acknowledge the praise. Toth resisted the urge to frown and raised an eyebrow instead: “Is something troubling you?”

“Pao and Lani are dead. A commander is even now scouring the mountainside with the hope of finding their remains.” Although his face was impassive, Toth could sense the fury behind the stoic expression that he was wearing. Marxon would not open up to her now despite of the privacy of her quarters.

“For all it’s worth I am deeply sorry Marxon.” He snarled at her and moved towards the window: “Your condolences would be better sent to their families. They at least might be fooled into overlooking the political maneuvers that cost the lives of the two finest SCU pilots under my command.”

“I did not intend for this battle to take place and especially not for them to die.” Marxon whirled on her then, his gaze uncompromising: “You undertook a dangerous assignment without proper escort in the exact same way that you did when you selected princess Miranda Burke years ago. You hoped that the selection of a new princess would galvanize the spiritual wing even as a new Avatar was elected. Only this time the Cybrans noticed your little ploy and exploited that weakness. Don’t bother denying it. Your mistakes are compounded in Aeon lives.”

“And I would rather risk lives then condemn all hearts and souls.” Marxon glared at her but she would not back down. Each had his own view of the war and the recent tragedy would not be an opportunity to settle their differences.

“I’m due in the control center. The nacelle assgined for you and your students will depart from the gate nexus in three hours.” With that the Avatar-of-War left Toth’s chambers without ever looking back.


-----

Rhianne watched the sunset from the comfort of her room. Even now the last rays danced on the horizon and were mirrored on the snowy surface that covered all of Luthien. Her wounds had been properly treated and biological bandages covered her arm and leg. In a matter of days the wounds would be gone and the medics had assured her that no scar would be left behind. The wounds ran deeper however as the Cybran had cut into her very heart and sould. She was the only one that could heal those wounds however.

A computer terminal light up as soon as Rhianne approached it and she sat in the chair: “Search, Evalutator database, Zenthar Rition.” The computer processed the request and a profile appeared shortly after. Even though the picture had been taken years ago there was no mistaken the intense and uncompromising look in the man’s eyes. She browsed through the record, noting the brief but turbulent medical history as well as the different evaluations as the man was converted from a UEF citizen into an Aeon apprentice.

The man that would later become known as Redfog had an IQ evaluated at roughly one hundred and sixty and his records clearly showed it. To Rhianne’s surprise there were no signs of violence in that file which puzzled her somewhat until she read the comments written by the Evaluator that had been supervising him. Corline Bout had noted several facts that hinted at a severe case of mental instability that was hidden behind a mask of carefully constructed lies and deceits. For all of her efforts however she could not find a tangible reason to stop the acceptance of the new convert.

Puzzled, Rhianne closed the file and issued a new command: “Quantum hail, Evaluator Corline Bout.” Several minutes passed before the computer processed the request and a link was established with Seraphim Two. The face of a woman in her seventies appeared on the screen and by all appearances the war had weighted heavily on her: “This is Evaluator Bout. How may I be of service?”

“My name is Rhianne Burke and I would have a favor to ask: please tell me about Zenthar Rition.” The Evaluator’s eyes widened momentarily at the name and she then looked away from her monitor: “Deep down I knew that the name would come back to haunt me one day. He was still alive wasn’t he?”

Rhianne nodded slowly: “How did you know?” Corline smiled sadly: “When they told me that he was dead in a Cybran attack years ago I urged them to keep looking for the body. Even when they discovered his severed arm in a wreckage and assured me that the rest had most likely burned beyond recognition I still insisted that they confirm it. I knew that if one person could have survived the attack then he would have.”

Corline looked at Rhianne for a moment before adding: “You’re wondering why I accepted him into the Aeon Illuminate if I knew what he was?” Rhianned nodded and the evaluator continued: “Those that fight usually have a reason: The Way, their loved ones, their lands… having converted so many UEF citizens I had become familiar with all of these motivations. It is those powerful feelings that can give a human his will to fight beyond what he would normally be capable of and yet it was not so for him. His strength of will was beyond all others and yet it was driven only by his need to survive… and exist. I had never in all my life seen such a tortured soul and in those days I truly believed that he deserved a semblance of peace.”

“If it will make you feel any better, his soul is at peace now. He is one with The Way.” A wave of relief washed over Corline’s feature and she lowered her head: “Thank you… has his body been found?”

“No but his ACU exploded.” Corline’s shoulder stiffened and she looked up: “Have you seen it explode with your own eyes?” Rhianne was about to say that the explosion had been confirmed but then again there had been a terrible storm which could have obstructed their sensors. Corline saw the doubts in her face and smiled sadly: “Then maybe you should not give him up for dead so quickly. I know I won’t.”

A mechanical shriek from somewhere within the settlement startled Rhianne and she looked out the window. The lights from each residential block shut down one after the other and Rhianne was soon plunged into darkness.

-----

“What happened? Why are our energy readings going through the roof?” One of the assistants from the gate nexus checked his console and grabbed the coordinator’s attention: “A virus has somehow infiltrated our systems and our capacitors are draining far more energy then usual.”

“Any chance that they will overload?” The assistant shook his head and brought up a schematic of the facility: “Although this facility is designed to ferry personnel it is still equipped with capacitors designed for ACU transport. Overloading those is nearly impossible but I’m more worried about this.”

The coordinator looked at the screen and gasped: “The secondary systems are offline in the residential sector? Get me the Avatar-of-War now!” A few minutes passed before the screen light up and Marxon appeared on the screen: “Yes?”

“Sir, we lost control of the gate capacitors and they are siphoning all the energy from the residential district. The backup systems are offline which mean that every security systems in those buildings are not working.”

----

Marxon closed the channel, issued commands to every security detail and ordered the nearby commanders on patrol to send out spy planes. His transmitter hummed again, indicating an incoming audio transmission and he picked it up: “Yes?”

“I heard you’re still looking for me?” Marxon froze as he recognized the voice of the Cybran pilot. He motioned for one of the technicians to track down the transmission as the abomination continued: “I made a mistake in our last battle. It is time for me to rectify that mistake…”

A technician brought up a schematic of the facility and a cursor appeared in the residential area where Toth and her students’ quarters were located.

-----

The room was completely dark aside from the few emergency lights that had their own power supplies. The link with Evaluator Bout was gone but that did not alarm Rhianne. She had faced her death before and came out stronger for it. The logical part of her mind combined with her own fears warned her that this might be an assassination attempt and yet she did not move.

Rhianne suddenly heard footsteps behind the door and closed her eyes as an explosive charge blew it open. The shock stunned her momentarily and she did not have the time to recover before a pair of hands grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. Although she could not see, Rhianne was certain that the one holding her down was not Redfog and it was later confirmed when she heard his voice: “We have secured Rhianne Burke but there are no signs of the intruder. We are awaiting further orders.”

-----

The news puzzled Marxon as he had been sure that the abomination had intended to kill Toth and her students. The response team had acted quickly but surely the Cybran would not have tipped his hand without first making sure that he could succeed. Another report came from team gamma which was moving through the maintenance shafts above the crew quarters: “Sir, we found a transmitter of unknown origin here but no sign of the intruder.”

So it had been a decoy but if he was not there then what was his real target?

-----

“How are the capacitors holding up?” The coordinator watched as one of his assistants forwarded the data on his screen: “They are holding sir but there is so much stored power that they could probably send a pod anywhere in the galaxy.”

At that precise moment a figured crashed through the ceiling and landed in a crouched position at the other end of the room: “I would hope so.” The coordinator’s eyes widened as he saw the figure throw something his way and he felt a burning pain in his abdomen. He looked down and saw the blade that had just impaled him to his console.

-----

Time slowed as Redfog sprang into action, moving with inhuman speed towards his objective. Small finger sized blades sprung from hidden compartments in the wrist portion of his artificial arms and he threw those in the blink of an eye. Each blade buried themselves in the throat of a technician which left only three more targets to go.

The one true danger was from the assistant on the other end of the room who was reaching for his blaster and so the assassin angled his sprint towards him. On the way over he hit a technician with a precise blow to the temple which sent him sprawling to the ground and jumped over a console. The assistant finally had the weapon out and aimed at Redfog’s head just as the assassin came within arm’s length. He pressed the trigger but nothing happened.

Redfog smiled under his mask and deliberately looked down at the weapon long enough for the assistant to notice what was wrong. The assassin had managed to slip a finger under the trigger and prevent the shot from being fired. Redfog resumed his attack when the realization finally registered on the assistant’s face, breaking his wrist, twisting him sideways and snapping his neck in less then a heartbeat.

“Now it’s just you and me.” The altercation had barely lasted six seconds and the coordinator looked from the blade buried in his belly to the Cybran. Redfog fetched a retinal scanner from his belt and moved it towards the coordinators face. The assassin growled when his prey closed his eyes reflexively and brought his right hand up. Small claw like nails sprung from each finger and went to work, cutting away the eyelid in a flash and revealing the right eye for the scanner to do its work. The man screamed but Redfog ignored it, feeling no remorse whatsoever.

When the scan was over Redfog took a hold of his blade and was about to pull it when he heard a groan behind him. Looking back, he saw that he had miscalculated one of his blows and that the technician who had been hit in the temple was still alive.

“Please have mercy.” The plea brought his attention back to the coordinator and the assassin brought his face within a few inches of the dying man: “Oh not tonight coordinator… not tonight.” In one swift move Redfog pulled the blade out and decapitated the coordinator. He then moved the groaning technician.

-----

They moved slowly and their reports took too long to transmit. Marxon found himself wishing for his ACU and a handful of land scouts instead of all those guards running around. The command center had been sealed off as a precautionary step. It was normally impossible for anyone to force his way into one but this particular Cybran seemed to have a knack for challenging such notions. Marxon kept thinking about what the Cybran was truly after. If Rhianne was the decoy and if the Avatar was inaccessible then what could be left?

“Sir, we have an unscheduled nacelle transport sequence underway. Time until departure is estimated at two minutes.” Marxon whirled around: “Hail the gate nexus control center.” The technician tried to open a channel but shook his head: “No response. Accessing the visual security feed from the room…” An image immediately appeared and more then one person in the room gasped when they saw the bodies.

“Why was the attack not detected by our internal sensors?” The technician shook his head: “The internal sensors are configured to detect weapon’s fire and explosions.” Marxon cursed and opened a channel to the gate nexus launch bay.

-----

Alarms rang through the nacelle launch bay and Redfog knew that he was out of time. They had finally figured out his true objective and he was out of options. The assassin stood up from his hiding spot and ran towards the nacelle as quickly as he could. All around him civilians, workers and technicians stopped what they were doing and looked at him in shock. Some quickly reached for their weapons and started shooting.

The assassin focused only on speed and evasion instead of firing back. He jumped, rolled or cart wheeled as necessary to avoid incoming shots but he could not keep it up forever. A guard aimed at him and the assassin knew in the split second before the guard pressed the trigger that he could not avoid the shot. Redfog brought left arm in front of his face in the nick of time and the energy bolt caught it fully. The impact shattered the forearm, sending pieces everywhere with one cutting a deep gash along Redfog’s brow.

Another bolt caught him in the right shoulder and he stumbled but still managed to roll forward and avoid crashing down. A third bolt caught him in the back of the leg just as he got up and fused part of its circuitry. Redfog fell flat on his face, avoiding a few shots in the process and watched as the emergency blast doors started closing in front of him.

-----

The guard stopped firing when the Cybran collapsed and Marxon pushed the technician aside before screamed through the open communication’s link: “Keep firing! Don’t allow him to…” The Cybran moved before he could finish the sentence, catapulting himself forward with uncanny strength using only one arm and a leg. Two more energy bolts hit him just as the emergency blast doors closed, crushing a leg and trapping him in the process.

“Override the blast doors and finish him off!” The technician shrunk away but shook his head: “The blast doors were an automated response from the blaster fire. If a single shot is fired within the nacelle launch pad as the energy disk lowers then it would be enough to destroy the entire facility.” Marxon looked at the screen and saw the Cybran lie very still while a pool of blood mixed with oil slowly form around his body.

“And if he does not reach the nacelle in time?”

“Without the nacelle’s protective shielding he will be disintegrated when the disk lowers.” Marxon was about to nod when the Cybran moved.

-----

Pain.

It had been the only constant in Redfog’s life and the only true companion that had stood by him. The assassin knew that he was dying and that some form of relief would be waiting for him on the other side even if it was simply oblivion. It would be so easy to give up and finally bring everything to an end but part of him refused.

A cough wracked Redfog’s body and he spat blood through his mask which had been partially shattered by an energy bolt. Only one of his arms was functioning and he reached forward blindly. He growled when he could not find a hold and claw like nails sprung from his fingers. His claws punctured the floor and he pulled himself forward. Sparks of electricity coursed through his body as he tore himself away from his crushed leg and dragged himself towards the nacelle.

An energy disk appeared above him and slowly dropped down but he ignored it. Instead he focused on his rage, using it as a source of motivation and kept dragging himself forward. Each movement was agony but also confirmed that he was still alive and he drew strength from that fact. The assassin finally reached the nacelle and pulled himself upwards to reach the controls. Darkness threatened to engulf him but he fought on, too stubborn to simply lie down and die.

Redfog finally managed to get up on his remaining leg and press the button to seal the hatch. He then looked up and saw what appeared to be an Aeon commander staring at him from the computer screen. The assassin smiled, blood dropping down his mouth and through his broken mask: “So you’re the Avatar…”

The commander did not answer which only widened Redfog’s grin: “Hear me… I’ll be there in the end.” The assassin struggled for his next breath and stood straighter: “When the battle is at a close, when Earth finally burns I’ll be there… and I’ll be waiting for you.”

With that the energy disk reached the nacelle and it was transported off Luthien.

Epilogue

“We are gathered here today to say our goodbyes to Mather.” Everyone stood silently as doctor Brackman spoke. They were in his research facility with a small metallic box between them. In it were pictures and mementos from all of those present: Dostya, Bagby, Ell, Keith, Sjet, Queren and a few others that Dostya did not know. It was a private ceremony and doctor Brackman was the one overseeing it.

“He was a good boy, strong, patient and most of all caring for those near him. Every time that he was involved in something I knew that he would do everything in his power to save those that he fought alongside with. I’ll miss him terribly and I’ll always think of him as one of the best example of what a human should be.” Brackman looked to Ell who could no longer hold back her tears: “He was my best friend.”

Bagby placed a hand on her shoulder and took a step forward: “I liked him as if he was my own boy.” The old SCU pilot then nodded Keith who looked at his two squad mates before adding: “We loved him like a brother.”

Everyone turned to Dostya who made every effort not to choke on her emotions. In any other culture having people claim that they loved someone as if he was part of their family might have seemed weird but it was only proper in one where the majority were rescued slaves. Dostya finally found her voice and spoke: “I loved him…”

The ceremony continued through the evening.

-----

Urzu One stepped fearfully in the chamber and looked at its lone occupant. Redfog sat in a chair with his head bowed down. His wounds had been treated and most repairs had been completed on his artificial legs. Only his left arm needed to be replaced and that would take a few more days.

“We’re completing your new ACU and it should be operational within the week. Some said that we were crazy to wait for you at the emergency drop point but I knew that nothing could stop you.” Redfog did not move nor give any indication that he had heard him. Eager to please his master Urzu One stepped forward: “When you’re healed we’ll take our revenge on Dostya and her ilk. No one crosses the Assumpta and gets away with it.”

“I did not give that command…” The voice was barely above a whisper and Urzu One had to step closer to hear it: “But surely you’d want her punished for…” Redfog’s right hand shot out in the blink of an eye, caught Urzu One by the throat and dragged him within an inch of his face: “Are you questioning my order?”

“N… No master!”

“Then stop trying to guess what I want and make yourself useful.” Redfog threw the other Cybran across the room and watched as he scampered out of his chambers. He then lowered his head and allowed himself to become lost in his own thoughts.

-----

Marxon shifted through the report and absorbed it carefully while reconstructing the scene in his head. The wreckage from Pao and Lani’s SCUs had been recovered. What the search team had not expected to find had been the Cybran’s ACU: damaged beyond repair but still capable of remotely controlling units. The weapon had self destructed not long after it had been discovered but its presence combined with the local scans did explain how the Cybran had survived. Apparently he had expected and planned for the avalanche, digging a cave with the use of its chest laser and then ejecting the experimental weapon’s power source to fake his own death. How he had managed to reach and infiltrate the Blue Star gate nexus was still a mystery but it was obvious that they would need to tighten their security measures.

A shifting noise caught Marxon’s attention and he turned around to see Ariel standing behind him. Her hand had been treated and was even now immobilized in a fiber plastic cast. The Avatar had a good idea of what was on her mind and placed the report down: “Is something troubling you?”

“I… I am sorry.” The girl looked down at the ground: “If I had been stronger, wiser or faster I might have killed the Cybran and the Pao and Lani would still be alive.” Marxon was touched by the declaration. He stood up and placed a comforting hand on his young protégé’s shoulder: “You used all of your abilities, knowledge, determination and most importantly you acted where others were paralyzed by fear. I would never fault you for that and your actions made me very proud.”

Ariel looked up at him with watery eyes and Marxon nodded in encouragement. A guard knocked before entering the room and bowed: “My apologies, it is time Avatar.” Marxon squeezed Ariel’s shoulder for good measures and then left. They made their way through the maze of corridors and soon reached the council chamber. There Marxon took his place on the central pedestal and waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking.

“The time for half measures is over.” Marxon’s voice rang clearly through the council room and commanded attention. The Avatar-of-War let his words sink in before speaking again: “For a thousand years we have held back while hoping that humanity would awaken and embrace The Way and billions of lives have been lost due to our inaction. It is time for a change.”

“We have waged war on the UEF and they have held us back for a simple reason: numbers. Their soldiers and pilots are replaced at the same rate that we kill them despite our numerous victories due in large part to the high population of the core worlds. Each time that we capture a planet we lose many of our own trying to keep it and convert its population. The process is time consuming and our enemies have used such a precious commodity against us.”

“The UEF has used that time to create weapons that – while not as elegant as our own – have a destructive potential that cannot be underestimated. What is worse the Cybrans have benefited the most, increasing their numbers while avoiding direct conflicts and benefiting from our continued stalemate with the UEF. The situation is so dire that even now Cybrans make sneak attacks in our territory and the UEF has just unleashed a new experimental weapon. This must stop.” Marxon looked at all of those gathered and held their attention.

“We will evacuate Luthien before the end of the month and start a new global strategy. From now on we will conquer a world, cleanse it and leave. No longer will we try to convert its entire population through a process that takes decades. We will continue until the UEF population count drops so dramatically that they are no longer able to defend their perimeter. We will continue until every man, woman and child realize that they should join The Way before we are upon them. We will become a force that cannot be avoided, bought or dissuaded. Only when the UEF forces are stretched thin will we make our attack on Earth and put a stop to the Infinite War once and for all.”

Rhianne looked down from the balcony and felt a surge of sorrow flow through her. Now she understood why it had been so important to select the next princess of the Aeon Illuminate and how ugly the war would become. The conflict on Luthien had weakened the spiritual wing and even now forced their silence. They watched helplessly as the Avatar-of-War planned the rise of the Aeon; one that would be without mercy or compassion.

-----

“Hey buddy, how are you feeling?” Desjar opened his eyes weakly and saw Arnold standing at the edge of his bed. Looking at his surroundings the SCU pilot could tell that he was in a hospital room: “Feels like a truck rolled over me. You actually look worried… how bad is it?”

“Let’s not talk about it for now and just focus on getting better ok?” Desjar felt his heart skip a beat: “How bad? Come on tell me!” Arnold hesitated for a while longer before answering: “The doctor… the doctor said it’s the spine. The shock coupled with a broken life support system messed something up in your brain and you’re paralyzed from the waist down. He mentioned other symptoms too and stuff…”

Desjar felt despair take a hold of him and he looked down at his legs. Arnold tried to cheer him up: “But one of the hostages that we rescued is in charge of a center specialized for that and assured me that he’d take care of you. Everything that you need from nurses to personally adapted diapers like these will be available.” Arnold tapped a box of diapers that was on a table near Desjar feet and the SCU pilot could barely believe his eyes.

“Diapers? What do you think that I would care for some blasted diapers at a time like this!” Desjar punched his leg for good measure and cried out in pain. Realizing that he had felt that his eyes suddenly light up and he looked at Arnold: “I felt that… and I can move my toes! Fetch the nurse, fetch the doctor, fetch anyone but I felt that! They screwed up and I can feel my legs!”

“Calm down buddy. It’s probably just a leftover impression.” A nurse passed in the corridor and Desjar waved frantically at her: “Nurse! Nurse! I can feel my legs! Get a doctor in here quickly!”

She stepped into the room and looked at him with a smile: “Of course you can feel your legs. All you had was a moderate concussion, some bruises and a few cuts. And…” The nurse suddenly noticed the box of diapers that Arnold was leaning on and frowned: “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for that? I had to check a dozen shipments, shout at my supervisor and look like a complete moron! Don’t you ever dare take a box of diapers without permission again!”

The nurse took the box and stormed out of the room with Arnold grinning all the way. Desjar looked from the door to Arnold repeatedly and finally started realizing what had just happened: “You psychotic son of a whore!”

“Well I guess that I might have read the wrong profile purely by accident. I’ll show myself out now.” Arnold ran out of the room and barely avoided a lamp that flew right past him. He could not resist peaking in the room again with a wide grin stamped on his face: “I told you I’d get you back one day!”

-----

“I am so glad to finally meet you Miss Tural. I’d first like to extend my deepest apologies for the situation that you were caught in and if there is anything that I can do to make amends then you have but to ask. Would you like something to drink?” Hina shook her head briskly: “No thank you commander Riley.”

“I’ll keep this interview as brief as possible. According to the other residents of New Hampshire you were taken away and escorted to see the Cybran commander. We usually try to create a psychological profile of our enemies in order to better anticipate their next move and save UEF lives. Is there anything that you can tell us about her? Did she express any doubts, hesitation or compassion?”

Hina hesitated a moment longer before speaking: “They called her Dostya and her men were cruel, remorseless, sadistic and all around thugs. They were just like the videos that are show on the quantum network. I can’t imagine a commander being any different from the men under him or her.” Regret appeared in Riley’s eyes for a split second but he masked it soon afterwards.

“I see; this will help us a lot in creating her profile. Thank you.” Hina nodded and was about to leave when Riley held up a hand: “If I may… we actually wanted to give a present Timmy when we headed to New Hampshire. If he wants we could show him a real ACU and perhaps even have him ride in one if you think it would please him.”

“Forgive me sir but both of us have seen enough of war for the time being.” Riley nodded and smiled: “I understand.” When Hina was gone Riley brought up a data pad and placed a few comments in it. He noted that if the pilot still had some family on Earth that it would be unwise to try and use it against her. Back in the corridor Hina felt a measure of relief at having fulfilled her promise to Doctor Brackman.

-----

The ceremony was over and Dostya, Bagby and Keith all sat around a table back at the Hot Plasma bar. An uncomfortable silence had followed them since they left Brackman’s laboratory and it had lasted up until now. Bagby finally fetched a bottle from his bag and placed it on the table: “I don’t know what to do with this.”

Keith looked at the bottle of Vodka and back at the SCU pilot and raised an eyebrow. Bagby’s eyed the bottle in sorrow and added: “When I scavenged the bottle on Matar it was with the idea that we would drink it once we won. We got the laser technology but I’m not sure that I’d call it a victory.”

They hesitated a moment longer but it was Dostya who reacted first, picking up the bottle and drawing a knife from her belt. She started carving something on it and it was only when it was finished that she placed it back on the table: “First one that reaches Earth gets it.”

They looked at the bottle and back to Dostya who appeared very serious: “This war started from Earth, it will end there. The first commander that reaches it and brings this war to an end should remember all of those that fell to make that day possible.” Bagby looked disappointed for a split second but then looked at the bottle and nodded in approval: “Aye.”

Keith nodded as well and took a hold of Dostya’s hand to comfort her. Two words were carved on the bottle of Vodka: for Mather.

Reserved post 6 (last one).

Having read your first one, this is gonna be awesome!

I second that motion! If it wasn't for the legal and copyright BS, I would recommend having this stuff published. I would pay for stuff of this quality.

Dang...when I saw the link in your sig I thought it was already up...oh well I can wait. If it is anywhere near as good as the first book it will be well worth the wait I am sure

My excitement is matched only by my awesomeness.

For those not knowing, both are obscenely massive.

Can't wait.

There we go, the first chapter is up: Motivation

Sorry for the slight delay but I had a great many things to take care of in real and virtual life (mainly my birthday, hehe). Now to finish correcting book 1 and jump on to chapter 2.

Oh and many thanks to "O" for making the fan fiction area. It resolves a lot of bumping problems

Damn you for making me love the Cybrans so much.

Gief more!

I love how yer doing backstories for the commanders, yer writings that good it feels official, every time I play the campaign now I'm going to feel as if I know exactly who redfog and the others are in character, even though before I just treated em like random dudes.

Hell maybe I'm looking too far ahead but it even feels as if one of Arnold's reasons for defecting to the Aeon was because he was deeply affected by the killing of those civs and wanted to end the conflict and saw that "The Way" would stop that happening again, even though GPG made the first part and you did the second, it all seems to fit!

GPG should have hired ya to do the backstory.

Yea...nearly makes me want to play them I really liked the chapter, it was as good as any in the first book!

And it was nice of O to make a fan-fic section, Since there were a lot of people wanting it

P.S. Happy Birth day! (even if I am late)

Since you're curious you will get a good picture of the turmoil that I have envisioned for Arnold in the next chapter. I can’t divulge anymore without spoilers but I’m mostly inspiring myself from events that can happen to our current soldiers (in any army on Earth).

(As I mentionned in other threads, sometimes player comments, questions and ideas affect future chapters, hehe).

Man when is the next chapter coming out? It keeps sounding better and better

I'll start working on it today

Chapter 2: The price of a lie is now online!

Enjoy!

Rock and roll, another good Chapter; sets up the coming stories very well.

Beautiful story. One thing isnt the Monkey Lords microwave laser different from the GCs whatever his laser is.

Oh and could you add in the cybrans ACU cheast beam cannon. That thing is cool.

Poor Arnold. he needs some good aeon brainwashing to make him feel better.

The laser is different but it's a lot easier to find the basic principles behind a system by reverse engineering it then making one yourself. As for the chest laser there is a reason that I have not mentionned it thus far and that no one has ever used it but it's a secret

AT Long last!

... Now i must have more..!
Yes i am stressing you... hard

Good story.. keep it up. BTW is that moromaniac dude President Riley from the campaign?
Get the kid General Clarke in there to!