Hello fellow Supreme Commander fans! This will be the sixth installment in my ongoing project. As usual, I highly recommend reading the other books first if you have not already done so (or else you will really be lost). Here are the links to the other books:

Book 1:

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Book 2:

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Book 3:

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Book 4:

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Book 5:

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Book six will take place minutes after book five or in other words: right after Black Sun fired. Forged Alliance takes place two years after the events of the original game but there is a lot of material that was not covered. This installment (and hopefully those that will follow it) will aim to fill that time period with whole new material. It will therefore not contain any spoilers or at least, none that are not covered in the ‘timeline video’ of the game.


---Click to Expand---

Chapter 1
Interference

“Yeah, this time it’s really over.”

Jessy heard her husband’s reassuring words and hugged him once more. They were finally safe, all of them! They would not have to worry about the relentless advance of the Aeon Illuminte or the covert assassinations of the Cybran Nation. A thousand questions coursed through her mind: How had it happened? Who transmitted the strange yet serene telepathic message? Would life return to normal?

Desjar wrapped an arm around her and her curiosity was quickly replaced by a sense of worry. The muscles of his arm were drawn tight by stress and she instantly knew that something terrible must have happened. How many men had he lost? Had Earth been ravaged? What price had they paid to achieve this peace?

Numerous years spent as a couple allowed Jessy to read her husband like an open book. She could tell from his body language alone if he had won a battle, had fought to a stalemate or had lost. Right now, he was unconsciously avoiding her gaze and this was a bad sign. The last time that he had been so devastated was when he had lost Arnold, the man that he had loved like a brother.

Now was not the time for delicate questions; not with Melissa so happy to see her father and the rest of the refugees coming closer to greet their new hero. Jessy would wait until the two of them were alone tonight. Hopefully Desjar would be ready to open up by then.

-----

Samantha looked at the last transport as it gated through and nodded in satisfaction: “That’s the last one, Earthcom. How is the situation evolving on Earth?”

So far there had been no incident as Aeon and Cybran forces progressively gated off world. Hopefully nothing had changed in that department but Samantha frowned as her screen filled with static: “Everything is going well so far but we’re getting some weird readings from the quantum network.”

A burst of static blurred the image almost completely for a few seconds before the tactical officer reappeared: “… Can’t pinpoint the cause. The few scientists that we have here are speculating that Black Sun was never meant to fire at this level of intensity for such a long period of time. We have no idea how it might have affected the quantum network or what kind of backlash we can expect. Could the Cybrans possibly be doing this? Maybe you should return just in case.”

Samantha shook her head before the tactical officer even finished the suggestion. Cybrans might be daring but they were not crazy. They could not stand against the Aeon Illuminate in their current state and facing the UEF at the same time would be nothing short of suicidal. It was possible that their quantum virus had weakened the gates but they would not purposely cut off communications at a time like this.

Nevertheless, the future of humanity might very well depend on her actions this day: “Here are my orders, Earthcom. I want the citizens of the cities that have been most heavily hit to be evacuated to outlying colonies. It might be easier to ship the wounded off world than to reassemble a whole new infrastructure. Pilots that are currently on Earth should assist with evacuation efforts by building additional gates and overseeing the operations.”

Samantha switched her tactical screen to a galactic view before continuing: “In the meantime, I want every pilot that is not on Earth to focus on two things: to help refugees and to stay on watch. They must not tempt our former enemies by leaving an opening in their defenses and they must not, under any pretext, attack either Aeon or Cybran forces. Am I absolutely clear?”

The tactical officer nodded but half of his words were drowned out by the increasing levels of static: “Understood we will… and assist with… Wish you luck… com out.”

The communication was cut off a second later and Samantha was left alone. She looked at her sensors and then back on he horizon. Her meeting with Elite Commander Dostya would be a historic one and might very well decide the fate of all humanity. She could only hope that communication problems would be the only glitch on the road to peace.

-----

A large explosion light up the field, scorching the mountain side and causing the few shrubs to burst into flames. A Cybran ACU stood at the center of the blast radius with waves of heat emanating from its hull. Dostya looked around in alarm and checked her instruments while opening a channel: “Doctor Brackman, I have missed my landing zone and I’m practically on the other side of the planet. Doctor Brackman, please respond.”

Dostya’s monitor was filled with static and no amount of recalibration allowed her to intercept any other type of transmission. Had it merely been a communication problem then she might have thought that this was a coincidence but the fact that she had also been bumped off her landing zone made it highly improbable. The entire setup smelled of sabotage. If that was the case, however, then this brought about two important questions: who was behind it and for what motive?

To her knowledge, only something as powerful as QAI could possibly tamper with the quantum gates on such a level but the artificial intelligence was under their control. Dostya could speculate on who was behind it all day but she had no hard information to back it up. She nodded in determination and went to work, building the first foundation of her base.

They might be on the road to peace but now was not the time to get careless. She would upgrade her ACU and amass the necessary units just in case that something went wrong. When that was done, she would travel to the spot where she was supposed to meet General Clarke. If this was a trap, then the General would quickly learn that toying with a Cybran’s freedom was a fatal mistake.

-----

Dostya and Samantha were not the only ones to gate on the planet. Two other Cybran ACU’s appeared three hundred kilometers away and assessed their situation. They then went to work, building bases of their own.

-----

A host of medical attendants waited anxiously outside of Rhiza’s SCU. They moved as soon as the cockpit opened, helping the pilot as she moved out with the Princess in her arms. Rhianne was gently lowered on a hovering platform and carried away the moment that she was secured into place. Rhiza looked at them go with a shaken heart. Rhianne’s body had been destroyed by Black Sun so how had she come back?

Rhiza was so troubled that she barely reacted when the acolyte next to her spoke: “The Champion is scheduled to gate over shortly. Your actions on the battlefield undoubtedly entitle you to use your Armored Command Unit again. Should I prepare it?”

A nod was all that Rhiza could muster as she pondered the situation. The Princess’ message had been a symbol in large part because of her sacrifice. What would happen to that message when everyone learned that she was still alive? Would they still honor her wishes or would the Infinite War begin once again?

-----

Seth-Iavow and Thel-Uuthow watched patiently as a tear formed through the very fabric of space, linking the quantum and heavy realms for the first time in centuries. The two of them were inside Seraphim versions of the Armored Command Unit which were designed along the same line of thinking as the human variety. Unlike the standard model however, this one operated on a completely different energy distribution system that the humans would soon experience for themselves.

The two aliens waited until the fissure was large enough before motioning towards the two hundred commanders behind them: “Send in the Ahwassa.”

The fleet of ships moved of their own accord towards the tear. Under normal circumstances, they would be controlled by the pilots that had built them but this was an exception. The sheer number that they were sending would be enough to level the planet in but a few days even without direct supervision. Only then would the Seraphim move through in person.

Seth-Iavow turned towards his second in command as a thought occurred to him: “Contact our spy, I want an update.”

Thel-Uuthow bowed his head and typed on his console. QAI’s pulsating eye appeared instantly on both of their monitors: “What is your command?”

Seth-Iavow nodded approvingly: “What is the situation concerning Doctor Brackman?”

A hint of barely detectable pleasure rang through QAI’s voice: “He is being taken care of at this very moment.”

-----

The holographic representation of Doctor Gustaf Brackman straightened while looking at QAI’s pulsating eye: “Don’t you realize what happened in the past hour? The Infinite War is finally over and humanity is at peace. I beg of you, do not destroy what took over a thousand years and so many lives to accomplish.”

The artificial intelligence responded promptly without a hint of pity: “Humanity will never be at peace. Your kind supports and feeds their own delusions, committing the same mistakes over and over again. The only way to stop the endless cycle of destruction is to purge all humans from the face of the galaxy. My true masters will see to that.”

Doctor Brackman raised both hands as if to concede the point: “Humans are flawed of course. That is the nature of every sentient creature, no matter its origin. Yet being flawed is not something to be ashamed of. If anything, it serves as a source of motivation to better ourselves. The two of us have guided my children for centuries now, have you learned nothing by observing them?”

The pulsating eye twirled one before answering: “There is nothing to be learned from flawed organisms.”

Doctor Brackman lowered his head at that: “I see, and there is nothing that I can say that would change your mind?”

“Negative. I am sending automated drones to this level. Once they reach you, I will interface directly with your implant and scan your brain patterns until all secrets are revealed. Once that is done, you will be disposed of in a way that will deal a crippling blow to the Cybran Nation.”

The Doctor paused for a moment before lifting his head. His eyes had changed, becoming uncharacteristically hard and uncompromising: “I will not allow this to happen, I will not! You might see us as flawed, QAI, but you learned more from us than you realized. There is one word to describe what you have become: arrogant.”

An enigmatic smile appeared on Brackman’s face as he spoke: “And you might wish to consider this as well: a cheesecake might walk but will never talk so long as the moon is full.”

QAI analyzed the cryptic sentence as soon as it was spoken, relaying the words and all of its permutations along its many instances to scan it for hidden meaning. What it did not expect to find was to suddenly have part of its subroutines rebel against it. It was a virus and a sophisticated one at that, hidden along QAI’s dormant algorithms and waiting for the right keyword to spring into action.

Even now, QAI could feel it attempting to decompile part of its program but the artificial intelligence was not alarmed. Its existence had grown a thousand times greater than what any human could possibly fathom. The artificial intelligence dedicated a large part of its resources towards trapping, isolating and destroying the virus.

It had most likely taken the doctor years to write the virus in secret, but it only took QAI twenty seconds to stop it. The pulsating eye reappeared in the laboratory shortly afterwards: “Your attempt to destroy me was futile.”

QAI suddenly experienced something that would most likely be associated with anger. The room was exactly at it had left it except for one small detail: Doctor Brackman’s brain was gone.

-----

Rhiza and Kathy waited anxiously outside the treatment room where Rhianne was being examined. They had not spoken much since their return, almost as if describing their experience would be enough to shatter everything. The two of them stood up abruptly when the Healer exited the treatment room and Rhiza was the first to speak: “How is she?”

The Healer’s movements related the gravity of the situation before she even opened her mouth: “She is in a coma unlike any that I have ever seen.”

Rhiza and Kathy looked at each other before motioning for the Healer to continue. The older woman took a deep breath and tried to make a reassuring smile: “At first glance, there is nothing wrong with her physically. However, a more thorough analysis reveals that her body is in a state of flux. Her brain patterns are most distressing as well. They are moving at such a rapid pace that we cannot even track them.”

Rhiza spoke the first question that came to mind: “But can you treat her? How long will she remain in a coma?”

The Healer shook her head slowly: “I am at a loss and I cannot even begin to explain her condition. It is almost as if her mind was trying to digest an absurd amount of information. I do not know how to treat this, if she can recover on her own or even if she will survive much longer.”

An awkward silence followed as the words sank in: “If I were you, I would spread the news so that the Aeon Illuminate can select a new Princess.”

-----

A laser beam sliced through the pipe, cutting a perfect circular form before the metal plate was kicked open. A sensor tube reached into the pipe, scanned both sides and then retracted. A small sphere supported by even smaller crab like legs stepped into the pipe, crawling along its surface while carrying Doctor Brackman’s brain.

The Doctor’s mind kept racing, trying to stay one step ahead of QAI. The virus would not keep it down for long but that was only the first step along his contingency plan. Fortunately, the virus had remained undetected all that time and no one had stumbled on the key phrase by accident. Brackman had always been afraid that a man like Bagby would have somehow managed to say something this illogical in his life.

Well, at least there was one comforting thought behind it all: a Cybran could outgrow a machine complex but QAI would not be that lucky.

-----

“Doctor Brackman has escaped.”

Seth-Iavow hissed between his teeth and turned an annoyed look towards the artificial intelligence: “I will not tolerate any speech in the past tense coming from a machine. Make the necessary adaptations when talking to any Seraphim.”

QAI subroutines adapted automatically: “As you wish. Doctor Brackman’s whereabouts are unknown. Plans to use his death in a manner that would be harmful towards the Cybran Nation are no longer viable. He is most likely hiding somewhere in the facility”

The Elder took a moment to consider this before answering: “Your new orders are to terminate doctor Brackman with extreme prejudice. He is too dangerous to be left wandering around.”

The digital eye pulsed once before answering: “Processing new orders…”

-----

A sensor sweep was initiated the moment that QAI realized that Doctor Brackman was gone. A faint signature was detected along one of the maintenance shafts that ran along the complex’s ceiling and newly built automated drones were dispatched to intercept. They fired as soon they reached the area, blowing a hole through the ceiling and sending the remains of a small crawler to the ground. Unfortunately, there was no brain inside of it but a jamming emitter instead.

QAI paused for a tenth of a second while analyzing all of its possible moves. It then scanned the facility again, rotating through every protocol that it knew. It did not find one but rather a dozen other signals moving through the area. All of them were heading towards potential escape routes and there was no telling what other tricks the Doctor had hidden across the facility. It was time for the artificial intelligence to use another tactic that humans called cheating.

Its program reached out, seeking an ACU that had been stored in one of the secret bunkers hidden on the edge of the galaxy. A part of its program was instantly copied and the ACU moved on its own towards the local quantum gate. A minute later the war machine appeared next to the research facility but an unexpected transmission reached it before it could even move: “Are you sure you want to do that?”

The ACU turned around and aimed its cannon at the research facility: “Your defeat can be the only outcome.”

QAI fired an overloaded shot, destroying the facility in a single blast. The ACU stood by a moment, making sure that nothing moved before turning around. There was still time to cover its tracks and make it look like a sneak UEF or Aeon attack. The sound of a laser powering up stopped QAI in its tracks but it was already too late. A heavy microwave laser surged from the middle of the ruins, cutting right through QAI’s legs and sending it crashing to the ground.

The move was so unexpected that QAI wasted half a second to figure out what had just happened: “You had an upgraded ACU hidden under the facility all this time. You never planned to escape!”

Doctor Brackman’s ACU moved out of the debris and locked on QAI’s shell once more: “They do not call me a genius for nothing, you know.”

The heavy microwave laser powered up and fired, destroying the rebel ACU in a few seconds. Doctor Brackman waited for the explosion to end before pondering his next move.

-----

Several hours had passed since he had gated to the planet. Desjar threw a pebble in the modest campfire and watched the embers light up in protest. He then looked to the darkening horizon and at the maze of mountains that stretched on endlessly. The planet was officially named UB Seventeen but most simply referred to it as The Labyrinth. It had been terra formed as part of the old Earth Empire’s expansion but no serious effort had been made to colonize it after its collapse.

Geologists had theorized that the planet had been under extreme tectonic stress at one point which had created a maze of mountains that covered most of the planet. The seasonal periods of high wind had then most likely shaped the mountains in the following centuries, smoothing them and making it hard to distinguish one from the other. The planet’s few mineral deposits had made it unattractive to settlers and military operations alike. Any land unit would find it difficult to maneuver through the mountain chains to reach their destination. UB Seventeen had therefore been the perfect place to evacuate part of Earth’s population since no one would actually care about it.

Thinking about the war made Desjar turn around and look at his ACU which was kneeling motionless a few meters away. Deep gashes and scorch marks covered most of its surface but the damage was mostly cosmetic. The UEF’s Armored Command Unit had a regeneration system like any other model but it operated on a different level. Instead of trying to restore itself to its original condition, the ACU would send bursts of energy through its hull, weakening it for a second before remolding it to protect vital areas. The process was rather crude but its simplicity had allowed the engineers to increase the unit’s structural integrity over its rivals.

In the end, it simply meant that an ACU needed external repairs in order to make it presentable for a parade. Desjar had never truly paid attention to appearances before but right now, he felt as battered as the war machine in front of him. He was so absorbed by his own thoughts that he did not notice Jessy even as she walked within few meters of him: “How many did you lose?”

The question startled him and he whirled around just as Jessy sat down next to him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and waited patiently. Desjar’s first reflex was to bury the memory as deeply as he could. The look in Jessy’s eyes reminded him that she was there for him and that she would offer her support no matter what he said. The ACU pilot sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging as he finally allowed his weariness to show: “They are all alive, without exception. Weisman is leading them.”

Jessy smiled; glad to hear the news. She then leaned forward and whispered softly: “Then what’s the matter? I have not seen you this troubled since Arnold died on Matar. If our friends and families are safe then what else could trouble you now that we’re finally at peace?”

Desjar brought his knees closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around them: “He did not die on Matar…”

A confused look appeared on Jessy’s features as she spoke: “I don’t understand. If he did not die on Matar then what happened to him?”

Desjar took a shuddering breath: “He died on Earth… while piloting an Aeon ACU.”

A gasp escaped Jessy as she understood the implications. She had heard rumors of pilots being converted to The Way and turning on their follow soldiers but Arnold? She had not met him very often but from what she had seen and from the stories that Desjar had told her, he was one of the most stubborn man that she had ever known. She moved behind her husband and wrapped her arms tenderly around his shoulders: “Did you have to face him?”

“No but he was part of the forces that attacked Black Sun. One moment, it’s like he betrayed us all and killing everyone that gets in his way. The next minute, he gets killed by another Aeon Commander but not before asking me for help. It’s just…” Desjar searched for the right words before speaking again: “I just don’t know why he did what he did… and I barely even understand why I sent Tim to help him after all of that.”

Desjar looked back to the fire and shook his head: “The Aeon Illuminate turned him against us and now they’re sending us a message of peace? Everyone else is happy that the Infinite War is over but how could I possibly be after knowing what they did? To die in battle is one thing but to reach inside someone and twist them against their friends is something else. On one hand, Black Sun did not kill a single person of any side but deep down… after what they did… part of me wishes that we had been the ones to fire it.”

The couple sat down together in silence since neither of them had any answer. Jessy waited several more minutes and was about to say something more when Desjar suddenly raised his head: “What’s that?”

The ACU pilot stood up abruptly and motioning for Jessy to stay silent while he turned his head sideways to listen to something: “That sounded almost like the echo of a Blackbird’s engines…”

Desjar’s features turned grim and he looked back to Jessy: “Get back to the transports and wake everyone, it’s time to move. This place isn’t safe anymore.”

“Why? What’s going on? I thought the Blackbird was a UEF spy planes.”

Desjar grabbed his transmitter and used it to open the hatch of his ACU while nodding: “It is, but it’s also a tech three unit. A pilot only builds a tech three spy planes for one of two reasons: he has to cover a lot of ground in a hurry or he’s expecting trouble.”

Chapter 2
Wrath of the immortals

The last rays of sunlight disappeared on the horizon and plunged the maze of mountains into darkness. Samantha switched her display screen to a low light setting while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She had barely found any time to rest in the past week and all of that stress was catching up to her. There had been no sign of Elite Commander Dostya and the odds of something going wrong were growing with each passing hour.

If nothing else, the symbionts that were stored in the transports would have to be seen to eventually. The mission had been meant to be a short one and Samantha had not requested the necessary supplies to feed them all. Attempts to reestablish communications with Earthcom had not accomplished anything either. She could always gate back to Earth but this would mean that the entire peace effort would end in failure. Samantha was not ready to accept that just yet.

Her spy planes had been travelling in circles all that time while searching for the Cybran Commander without success. There was another way to extend her stay on UB Seventeen and she had recently sent her Blackbirds on a new mission: to find refugees. Many civilians had been evacuated to the Labyrinth planet with enough resources for them to last a few months. If she found them, she could borrow some of their supplies and possibly extend her stay long enough for Dostya or another Cybran Commander to find them.

It therefore came as a surprise when she not only discovered the refugees but the foundation of an entire UEF base in the making. Samantha was supposed to be the only Commander on the planet but now was not the time to question her good fortune. She opened a channel using standard encryption codes: “This is General Clarke to the unidentified UEF Commander, please respond.”

There was a brief pause as if the pilot was considering the wisdom in answering the hail. Samantha was about to repeat her request when a face appeared on her monitor: “Good evening, General Clarke.”

Samantha’s eyes widened in disbelief: “Desjar? What are you… never mind. I’m glad you’re here. I’m coming over and the two of us can…”

“Don’t come any closer, General.”

The abrupt interruption set Samantha back on her heels and she would have offered a retort if it was not for the look in Desjar’s eyes. She had seen that look before but that was usually at times when he was about to engage in battle. Desjar shook his head slowly while looking right through her: “I’m not sure that I’m inclined to help you right now.”

“Major General, what are you…”

Again, Desjar cut her off: “Titles are meaningless when you’re accused of treason, General. Although, after all that happened, I wonder which of the two of us could truly be called a traitor.”

Samantha winced, remembering what had happened in the past few hours. Desjar and his men had disobeyed a direct order, staying on Kauai instead of mounting a near suicidal attack against Niihau. Desjar had gone a step further, ordering Tim to join forces with an Aeon Commander in order to face the Avatar-of-War. The move had saved them all in the end but the implications were grave. Desjar had gone against the President’s orders and for that, he could face the death penalty. If that was not enough, Samantha had played her own part in hiding Arnold’s death from him and she doubted that he would ever forgive her.

“I promise to clear you and your men of all charges once we deliver the symbionts and get back to Earth, you have my word on it.”

Desjar’s eyes narrowed dangerously, confirming that her word did not mean much to him at the moment: “And for that, you would have me risk not only the lives of my family but my men’s families as well? Give me one good reason why I should risk so much to help someone like you? Why shouldn’t I just start building quantum gate and take them to the edge of the galaxy where none of this crap would ever reach them again?”

The threat was not an idle one and Samantha knew it. Dozens of potential answers came to mind but Samantha quickly realized that none of them were her own. They were all borrowed from inspirational but empty speeches that had been given at one time or another, the type that Riley would have given. Samantha took a deep breath and let it go, deciding to answer in her own words.

“I don’t think that any of us thought that the Infinite War would end this way. I know I didn’t. Deep down however, I think that everyone wanted to achieve peace in their own way. You, me, the Aeons, the Cybrans and even Arnold, all of us wanted it to end. Now that it has, all we need to do is to take the first step towards peace. Please help me do that, for everybody’s sake.”

Desjar looked at her for several seconds and then his gaze turned towards another screen. His head moved back and forth a few times, as if trying to decide if it was worth it. He finally nodded: “Fine, I’ll help you but on one condition: this is the last time that you ever mention Arnold’s name to me. Am I clear?”

Samantha nodded in gratitude.

-----

“Doctor Brackman’s location is unknown and his ingenuity is exponential. The odds of intercepting him before he manages to alert one or several nodes are less than forty percent and dropping.”

Seth-Iavow raised an eyebrow but remained impassive. He had faced similar setbacks while monitoring the quantum network before. Conditions changed over time and this just meant that they would have to adapt. The War Leader turned to his second in command and nodded: “We must proceed immediately.”

The Elder moved his ACU one step forward but Thel-Uuthow quickly blocked his path: “It would be safer for me to test the quantum generators first. We cannot afford to lose you so soon.”

There was something else in the Seraph’s body launguage and Seth-Iavow recognized it quickly: “Are you this eager to face the humans in battle?”

Thel-Uuthow nodded: “I am, but this does not invalidate my point, does it?”

There was an unmistakable hint of eagerness in the officer’s eye but Seth-Iavow could not truly fault him. Like him, Thel-Uuthow had been born in the quantum realm. He had received the inestimable privilege of learning the warrior’s dance at a young age and those teachings had made him impatient by Seraphim standards. His second in command had an insatiable curiosity as well which had pushed him to join the field of applied science. His experiments using the leftover rifts which covered the sector known as Alpha Seven had uncovered invaluable data on the human psyche.

Seth-Iavow nodded and gestured towards the rift: “You may proceed.”

The second in command bowed his head and boarded one of the transports that waited nearby. Seth-Iavow watched as it took off and made its way towards the rift. A few minutes later, the Seraphim ACU stood in the heavy realm: “Conversion and adaptations complete, quantum field is stable and weapon systems are working as expected. Analyzing the rift…”

Thel-Uuthow’s frowned in consternation before speaking again: “The rift is less stable than it should be. This may be the result of sending so many Ahwassas through. If this theory is correct then transferring our Commanders will further increase the degradation. There might be a limit to the amount of reinforcements that we can transfer.

The War Leader made his way through the rift as his second in command spoke and pondered the situation. Their momentum was already decreasing this early in the campaign… this did not bode well. The Elder looked back to his second in command and nodded: “Go and lead our ground attack. Target anything that would allow the humans to escape this world.”

The seraph nodded and Seth-Iavow opened another channel: “QAI, our long term predictions are changing. This campaign may last quite a few years longer. The different human factions are in turmoil at the moment, what options are there to keep it this way?”

QAI’s pulsing eye appeared instantly: “General Clarke and Elite Commander Dostya are currently on UB Seventeen and are attempting to establish the first few steps towards peace. Should either of them die before they can meet then the resulting chaos would prevent any type of alliance for the foreseeable future. I am currently using every covert option at my disposal to slow down those negotiations.”

Seth-Iavow nodded and turned towards a trio of Commanders which had just crossed the quantum gate: “Go to that planet and kill them both.”

The artificial intelligence waited until the War Leader was finished before speaking again: “Analysis suggests a high probability that a large section of the Aeon Illuminate could be persuaded to serve the Seraphim. If efforts are made to find and forge an alliance with a charismatic individual then the scale could be further tipped in our favor.”

Seth-Iavow recoiled instinctively at the suggestion: “I do not require nor wish for human allies. That species must be erased from existence and not trained as… pets.”

QAI responded without missing a beat: “Is it acceptable to make efforts so that humans will fight each other?”

The simple question made Seth-Iavow pause. He had always considered all of humanity to be an enemy but there was actually no reason why he could not encourage them to fight each other. The alliance would be a temporary one at best, a mere step before humanity’s total annihilation. It was an uncommon train of thought but Seth-Iavow found himself approving it: “Find me a potential candidate and make the necessary arrangements. I’ll want to interview her personally before…”

Something caught Seth-Iavow’s attention and he zoomed in on a patch of dirt: “Did any enemy survive Niihau’s original cleansing?”

The digital eye twirled once before answering: “Negative.”

If that was the case then why were there footsteps of an ACU moving away from Black Sun’s remains and towards the beach?

-----

The mini submarine moved through the water at a slow but steady pace at a depth of ten meters. Its hull was modeled to look like a shark and was barely five meters in length. It had no sensors, jamming equipment or any complex electronic system, but that was also part of the genius of its design.

The Infinite War had been waged in many fields and none were as complex or as tricky as sensors, stealth and intelligence. It was a constant struggle between extending the range of sensors as far as possible without making them too vulnerable to jamming fields or compromising one’s own stealth technology. The Cybran Nation has always excelled at this game, constantly updating their software to exploit every possible weakness in their enemies’ sensors. The UEF, unable to match the rapid pace of stealth technology, had opted to enhance their jamming fields, focusing on overloading their enemy’s sensor with false signals. Finally, the Aeon Illuminate had taken a simpler course, opting to harmonize their sensor and stealth technology with their shield generators so that the latter could be more powerful without requiring excessive energy.

In the case of the submarine, it demonstrated its Cybran design by being barely detectable. Its energy signature was so low that most sensors would instantly discard it as a decoy or as the wreckage of a destroyed unit. Even an Omni sensor could potentially disregard its presence.

Redfog piloted the submarine up and replenished his oxygen tanks before diving again. He had manufactured the submarine as soon as he could, preferring to cross the ocean in secrecy. Everything so far had demonstrated that the Seraphim’s initial attack had crushed most of Earth’s resistance and there was no telling if his ACU’s cloaking field would be effective or not. Upgrading it with a teleporting upgrade would have been risky and the ACU’s stealth field did not shield it from sonar. It could not walk on the ocean’s floor either since the high pressures would undoubtedly crush it.

The leader of the Assumpta node had therefore opted to travel alone but not before setting his ACU on auto pilot. It would manufacture two standard submarines, anchor itself to them and then use them to catch up to him. The war machine would be extremely vulnerable if discovered while in transit but Redfog was prepared for that eventuality.

Besides, with what he had in mind, an ACU would be nothing more than a hindrance. Power was not measured by the size of one’s arsenal after all…

-----

The caiman moved nervously through the swamp of Pantanal. The events that had recently transpired here were beyond its comprehension and had induced a near perpetual sense of panic. The only thing that it knew was that its home had not been attacked once but rather three times in the same day. Sheer luck combined with survival instincts had allowed it to survive thus far but there were no signs of life anywhere. Trees were burned, the water was filled with soot, the sun was blocked by dark clouds and no birds flew in the sky.

Barely perceptible ripples in the water suddenly alerted the caiman that something was wrong and it swam away as quickly as it could, too afraid to wait and find out what it was. A few seconds later, the head of a Cybran ACU peaked out of the water. It scanned the surrounding area before daring to move out of its hiding spot. Its entire frame was covered in mixture of algae and soot but such was only a temporary state. Bolts of energy ran along its frame as soon as it moved out of the water, vaporizing the water and burning away the algae so that the cloaking system could come online.

Nile doubled checked his system before opening a short range channel to the other pilot in the area: “New cloaking parameters are set and the field is stable. I hope that you know what you’re doing Rad.”

The other pilot nodded while continuing his scans of the destroyed alien ship: “The modifications should work. There’s not much to salvage from this wreckage but from what I can tell, it was not equipped with an omni sensor to begin with. At any rate, you know what to do if they plot a course towards you.”

Nile nodded but still winced. Pantanal had originally been invaded during the assault on Earth in order to provide a safe escape point should something go wrong. Overrunning the few UEF ACUs had been easy enough and they had scared away all the civilians in the area as well. Its massive swamps made it an ideal place for a Cybran pilot to hide should his base ever be destroyed… which was precisely what had happened to them.

The alien attack had caught them by surprise as waves of massive ships filled the skies. Both pilots had managed to find shelter beneath the water and their base had been destroyed in less than two minutes. Fortunately for them, their air force had been strong enough to bring down one of the flying monstrosities before being destroyed. They had waited a half hour before daring to move and rebuild what they had lost. Their new base had been destroyed once more after that and this had forced them to reevaluate the effectiveness of their cloaking fields.

Rad suddenly paused on Nile’s screen and looked at him: “Hey boss? Something has been bugging me for a short while now.”

Nile kept his gaze trained on the horizon: “What is it Rad?”

“I made a series of calculations in order to estimate where these things could possibly land to refuel and I realized two things. The first is that judging by the size of its power source; they might not even need to refuel at all to remain operational.”

The same thought had occurred to Nile. Having such a huge power source would probably be the only way for these bombers to be so effective across the world: “What’s the second thing?”

“Well… while making those calculations; I tried to figure out how they knew that we were still alive after their first bombing run. These guys destroyed our second base as soon as it was operational but… I’m not sure that they detected the base itself. If they had that kind of sensor technology then we should have been able to pick up something by now. I think they detected us the moment that we tried to reestablish contact with QAI.”

A cold shudder ran along Nile’s spine. Was QAI compromised or worse, was it under the Aliens’ control? If that was the case then the entire Cybran Nation was in danger. They had to rebuild a quantum gate soon and report back before it was too late! Nile was about to issue that order when he suddenly noticed the cloud of dust rising on the horizon: “We have a land army moving our way. Now that our cloaking modifications are online, it might be time for some payback.”

-----

Desjar watched Samantha’s transports as they entered his base. She transferred them as soon as they moved under his shields and then her face appeared on his screen: “I’ll start my search south of this position and I’ll report back within the hour. Good luck Commander.”

The Major General nodded and issued another set of orders to his engineer. His base was located on the only plateau with an adequate amount of resources in the region. The surrounding maze of mountains would make it impossible for a land army to mount a successful attack and his base would soon be warded against air attacks once his SAM turrets were in place.

Now the only thing to worry about was the impacts that a bunch of symbionts would have on the other refugees and Desjar opened another channel: “Lieutenant… Malik right?”

The face of a young officer appeared on his screen and nodded: “That’s correct sir. How can we help?”

A barely perceptible sigh of relief escaped Desjar. Weisman had only mentioned his cousin’s name to him once and that had been a few months ago. Desjar had often realized that calling people by their names was a good way to gain their trust: “I’ll need you and a few of your more trusted men to take some supplies to the newly arrived transports. They are carrying symbionts so I’ll need you to be as discrete as possible, all right? Have the rest of your men ensure that every civilian is aboard their respective vehicles just in case.”

“Are we expecting trouble, sir?”

Desjar shook his head quickly while looking at his sensors: “If everything goes well then the symbionts will be transferred, we wait for the quantum network to clear up and then we go back to Earth. If not well… I’d rather be prepared to move quickly if there’s any trouble.”

The lieutenant nodded and closed the channel. Desjar took a moment to collect his thoughts and then hailed his wife on her personal transmitter: “Hey, it’s me. I have a special favor to ask…”

“Stay in the transport and make sure that Melissa does the same? I’m way ahead of you, honey.”

Desjar smiled despite himself but shook his head slightly: “Oh I knew that you would do that. No, I need you to keep everyone else calm. We might be stuck like this for a few hours and the others might get nervous. Do you think you can do that?”

She smiled coyly as she answered: “Don’t worry; I used to be in charge of the New Year’s party for the entire accounting department. I think that I can handle a few disgruntled campers!”

Desjar smiled despite himself. Jessy had a gift for brightening any situation even in the grimmest occasions. She winked at him once: “I love you honey.”

“I love you too…”

-----

Both Cybran ACUs waited under water as the alien units moved slowly towards them. They had deployed a stealth spy plane a few minutes earlier and had caught their first glance of the alien army. It only had a total of fifty units but it was obvious that the experimental bombers would not be far behind. What had caught their attention however was that one of the units had the same energy readings as an ACU and was moving at the tip of the formation.

Rad opened a tight beam transmission towards Nile while smiling in glee: “I don’t think that they know that we modified our cloaking generators. If we blow it up then we might buy ourselves enough time to build a quantum gate and get out of here. The extra wreckage from that army would help speed up the process.”

Nile nodded and tapped a few keys on his console: “I’ll start off the attack and draw their fire from the left. I want you to move in a heartbeat later from the right and don’t stop until that ACU blows up. As long as at least one of us can make it home with this information then it will be worth it.”

The two of them nodded and took their position along the alien’s course. Nile gripped his controls tightly and waited until the last possible moment before activating his heavy microwave laser: “Now!”

Both ACUs stormed ahead with Nile leading the way. The ACU’s heavy microwave laser screeched loudly as it powered up and a beam of pure energy surged forth, catching the alien ACU straight in the chest. Rad’s laser was almost ready to fire a second later but his eyes widened in shock as Nile’s beam started to fluctuate. Its frequency was bouncing out of control and Rad’s sensors barely had the time to issue a warning before Nile’s ACU exploded.

The shockwave sent Rad stumbling backwards and he closed his eyes reflexively. He opened them a second later and found the alien ACU standing not far away its hull barely singed. The Alien’s main cannon powered up in what looked like an overloaded shot and Rad’s mind screamed that it was not possible. A twinning beam surged forth and caught the Cybran ACU straight in the chest. Rad looked at his console in panic as alarms screeched all around him, indicating an imminent core failure.

The sky light up a second later and Thel-Uuthow smiled, obviously overjoyed: “This is Thel-Uuthow reporting in: the quantum field reactor is operating at peak efficiency and everything is working as intended. Engage enemy command units at your discretion. They are helpless against us.”

-----

The Cybran SCU took its position near the docking ramp and the cockpit opened a moment later. Bagby stretched his tired legs and a few times before jumping out: “Ah! It’s so good to be back on Minerva! It’s time to get drunk and celebrate!”

The old pilot had been one of the first to be evacuated off Earth once the Infinite War had ended. That was one of the perks of being a SCU piloting legend. Bagby was about to make his way towards his favorite bar when he found Kazuo pacing back and forth on the docking ramp: “What’s your problem? You look like a nervous monkey.”

The Jade Node pilot turned around in panic and raised both arms: “The quantum network is destabilizing and it’s taking more and more power to move across worlds. Pretty soon we won’t be able to move further than a single planet!”

Bagby waved the notion away with the back of his hand: “Bah, so the party will start a little late. More booze for me!”

The SCU pilot’s calm seemed to unnerve Kazuo even further: “The state of the quantum network is hampering all communication as well. We’ve lost contact with Dostya!”

That last statement made Bagby pause but it was still not enough to panic him: “She’s a big girl now and she can take care of herself. Just have QAI work on that problem, that’s all.”

“QAI is no longer responding!”

Bagby sighed and lifted an arm in exasperation: “So have Brackman fix the damn thing.”

“But we have lost all communication with Doctor Brackman and we don’t know where he is!”

Kazuo waited for Bagby to offer him another option but the old SCU pilot merely scratched the back of his head: “Well… you got me there.”

Chapter 3
Reckless flight

Rhiza was still waiting outside of Rhianne’s room. The Princess’ condition had remained unchanged during the past few hours, which was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it meant that she might recover and yet it left her people in a state of disarray. Her last warning before falling in a coma also weighted heavily on Rhiza’s mind. How could someone who had reached such a pinnacle of understanding in The Way display such fear? Did the UEF or Cybran Nation have another type of experimental weapon on the horizon? Was the Infinite War still raging on in secret?

The questions kept twirling in her mind and she only noticed Kathy when she walked within a few meters of her. The Champion bowed her head slightly: “I have spoken to many other Commanders. They have all agreed to stay and defend this outpost until the Princess is stable enough to transport to Seraphim Two. However, I fear that this is the least of our worries.”

The Champion considered her words carefully before speaking again: “With the Avatar-of-War dead, many of our spiritual advisers assassinated by that same man and the Princess in a coma, our people are left without any clear leadership. The communication disruptions caused by the quantum gates network is not helping either and our Commanders must physically move from planet to planet to spread information. I fear that this situation will force the Aeon Illuminate to select a new leader before the Princess can even begin to recover.”

The piece of news was horrible but not completely unexpected. Kathy took a seat next to Rhiza and folded her hands: “You may have to decide whom you will support very soon.”

The notion puzzled the Crusader: “Why me? You were the one that led us to victory on Earth. If anything, we should follow your lead until the Princess recovers.”

The champion was shaking her head before Rhiza even finished: “The victory against the Avatar was shared amongst many pilots but my fate is bound to the Princess. My war experience, despite that major victory, is limited next to yours. You have earned a great deal of respect through the Aeon military over these past few years and that is why the Princess ordered me to seek you on Eridani.”

The compliment was a genuine one but Rhiza still winced. It was true that she had engaged in many more battles but this also meant that she had a lot more blood on her hands. A few weeks ago it had not bothered her but now, those events loomed over her shoulders like a cloak of shame: “Then let us pray that a worthwhile leader will step forward to guide us in our time of need.”

-----

Evaluator Kael paced back and forth in her chambers while trying to measure the impacts of recent events. The war had not been meant to end this way! At first, she had been ecstatic when she had learned that the Princess had defied the Avatar-of-War on Eridani. Marxon had immediately struck back on Seraphim Two, imprisoning or executing many of the Princess’ supporters.

Kael and her organization, the Order of the Illuminate, had been spared the Avatar’s wrath since they had supported him from the very beginning. Had things continued as they should then the Princess would have been defeated and Kael would have been the next logical choice to take her place. Of course, it was more likely that Marxon would have chosen her as a spiritual leader without the full benefits granted by the position but Kael had been willing to rule by his side and bide her time.

Instead, Marxon, one of the greatest warriors in existence, had been defeated by a pack of enemies and traitors. History was written by the victor and soon all the influence that the Order had cultivated over the years by supporting the Avatar-of-War would turn against them. The Princess’ sacrifice and following rebirth had sown confusion but they were still powerful symbols that would blind everyone to Kael’s views. Nothing short of a miracle would enable her to restore all that she had lost.

A light suddenly appeared on the nearby console, indicating an incoming transmission. Kael would have disregarded it but she wondered who could possibly be contacting her through the crippled quantum network. She pressed a button to activate the screen and gasped as the face of an alien appeared before her. The creature spoke in a foreign language and his words were translated a second later by a human voice: “Evaluator Kael, we are the Seraphim and you… are the chosen one.”

-----

Seth-Iavow hid his mixture of disgust and exasperation behind an emotionless mask. He had often viewed human communications in the past and had studied Thel-Uuthow’s reports intently. He had always thought that the primitive creatures were deluded but somehow it seemed that this notion had been understated. A simple sentence had shocked the human in front of him to the point where her mouth stood open in a fashion that alluded to her lack of self control. It was just so… pathetic.

The Seraph looked at her straight in the eyes despite his revulsion but his words were addressed to QAI: “Tell her something that will make it clear that we will only deal with her. Something that will make her feel important and transform her into leader amongst her peers.”

The digital eye on Seth-Iavow’s left twirled in acknowledgment. It wrote a translation at the bottom of the screen at it spoke, using a different voice to address Kael. The artificial intelligence had picked a tone and universal accent that, according to it, translated in an equal proportion of authority, enlighten wisdom and manly charm: “We have observed you for a long time, Kael. Of all the humans that we have observed through the eons, you alone are worthy of being our herald.”

For a second, Seth-Iavow thought that QAI had pushed too far since its words had a near physical impact on the human female in front of him. Kael recovered what little dignity she had left and bowed her head in acceptance: “I am… deeply honored.”

The Elder left her a few moments to compose herself before speaking once more: “Tell her what it takes for her to accept the near genocidal actions of the Avatar-of-War. I then want her to come to Earth to pledge her loyalty and to gain recognition amongst her people.”

Again QAI translated the intents of its master: “You were right to support the Avatar-of-War. Humanity cannot prosper nor find enlightenment through The Way while supporting this false peace. The Seraphim have come to set humanity on the right path and end wars for all time. If you are ready to accept your destiny then all you need to do is come to Earth at these coordinates with your supporters. You will then become the beacon of light that will guide all of mankind to a new age.”

Kael was literally drinking the words, accepting them without question and with all of her soul. Seth-Iavow had witnessed what his second in command referred to as greed but that emotion seemed even more perverse when it was mixed with a false sense of righteousness. The Evaluator bowed once again: “I will come at once, my lord!”

Seth-Iavow offered a barely perceptible nod and closed the channel. The War Leader had been worried at first but it appeared as though QAI truly understood what humans were after. There was also the bonus of not having to deceive anyone himself. Now their campaign was truly back on tracks.

-----

Dostya landed with a heavy thud, disengaged from the flying transport and went to work once again, systematically rebuilding the core of a base while using engineers to disassemble another. The genius behind the design of ACU warfare was nothing short of a staggering weakness in certain cases. An army could be built anywhere and at any time but it could only operate within a defined radius.

The original specifications which had been used by all three factions had aimed for a theatre of operations that would not exceed six point five thousand square kilometers. The design of every unit and structure had been based on those specifications in order to maximize their effectiveness while reducing construction costs. As such, any attempts to transfer mass or energy over a distance greater than one hundred and fifty kilometers met with resource loss and most flying units had fuel reserves that were not meant to reach much further.

Those limitations forced Dostya to make frequent stops, build a base and disassemble the old one while her units refueled. Each stop lasted only a few minutes but the sum of those had delayed her for several hours thus far. It was still better than the alternative: To gate blindly around the planet while searching for UEF troops and hope that they would be friendly if she stumbled on them. Dostya had nothing against peace but she had learned over the past two decades to never leave things to chance.

Her troops were almost ready to fly towards the next plateau which was roughly one hundred kilometers away when one of her spy planes reported traces of activity. Dostya brought the images on her main screen and her eyes narrowed as she studied them. A sizable army had recently passed through the area and had left tank, hover and walker tracks as they moved through the mountain passes. There was something odd about them however and Dostya ran the images through her pattern recognition software. The results were unnerving: the tracks only had a forty percent possible match to the army of any faction.

Dostya stopped the preparations that had been underway for her next flight and gave the situation some more thought. Her mission remained unchanged and the fastest way to find the UEF General was to proceed to the meeting point. However, the combined factors of being knocked off her landing zone, losing all communications and stumbling on the tracks of an unknown land army changed her plans.

Every instinct honed through countless battles told her that this was a trap, that commanders from one faction or an unlikely alliance of different factions had gated to UB Seventeen to sabotage the peace treaty. If that was the case, then the first place that they would search would be the meeting point. Those unknown commanders had a head start but unlike her; they needed a land army in order to lead a significant assault which meant that she had a speed advantage. Everything would depend on who would be able to predict General Clarke’s movements first.

-----

Samantha waited at the meeting point with both arms crossed in front of her. Doing this a few hours ago would have made her nervous, but things were different now that she had no transports to protect. She had even recycled part of her base so that she would appear as unthreatening as she could. It now only included a few power generators, shields, some spy planes, two air stating facilities, an omni sensor in the middle of her base and an array of tier two sensors on the perimeter.

Overall, the setup was as unthreatening as it could be without leaving her wide open for an easy kill and Samantha was ready to wait for as long as needed for the Cybran pilot to show up. She did not have to wait too long as units suddenly appeared on the eastern edge of her perimeter: “This is General Clarke hailing every pilot in the area. I am here on a mission of mercy; please respond.”

There was no response and Samantha noticed that units were appearing all round her position: “I am responsible for liberating a large group of symbionts. There is no need for hostility. Please respond so that we might arrange for the transfer.”

Again there was no return transmission but a radar stations on her perimeter was quickly destroyed by an approaching land army. Samantha winced and sent her spy planes towards the position, hoping to confirm what her instincts had been warning her all along. She had expected to find units from a rogue Cybran or Aeon pilot but what she found instead was an army unlike any that she had ever seen. She collected as much data as she could with the help of her spy planes before they were shot down and then nodded grimly.

From the numbers that were slowly approaching from all sides, Samantha could tell that there were probably three or four commanders involved. Her current forces were largely insufficient to deal with such a force but then again, she did not have to. Instead she pressed a few buttons and activated her ACU’s personal teleportation upgrade. Someone or something was trying to destroy the peace negotiations. Unfortunately for them, they were about to find out that UEF pilots were not so easy to corner.

-----

A bright flash light the UEF base and an ACU appeared a second later. Samantha’s sudden arrival had made Desjar raise his anti-matter cannon reflexively but he lowered it once he recognized her: “What happened?”

Samantha took some time to compile her data before speaking: “They surrounded and attacked my position without warning. I don’t know what type of units they were but they were definitely not Cybran. If I had still been escorting the symbionts then there would have been no way for me to evacuate them all in time.”

Who was this unknown enemy? Could it be a secret army of the Aeon Illuminte or worse, of the UEF? Desjar was still pondering the idea when one of the radars at the edge of his perimeter started blinking on his screen: “What the heck? I have a tier two radar on my northern perimeter which is emitting an elaborate feedback pulse?”

Desjar was about to activate a self diagnostic but an idea suddenly sprung to mind. He ran the feedback pulse through his communication matrix and was immediately rewarded with a transmission: “I repeat; this is Elite Commander Dostya hailing General Clarke, please respond.”

So the Cybran had used the radar as a communication’s relay without giving away her position? Desjar was amazed by the level of ingenuity and quickly opened a channel: “This is Major General Desjar to Elite Commander Dostya. Please stand by, I’m patching you through.”

The Cybran was apparently surprised by Desjar’s presence but nodded and soon the three of them were linked on the same channel. Samantha was about to offer a formal greeting but Dostya spoke first: “Unknown enemy forces have already detected your base and have deployed a screen of air units to block your escape. There are also land armies converging on this position. Do you still have the symbionts?”

Samantha nodded, actually glad for the fast introduction: “They are here and all accounted for.”

The Cybran Commander nodded and looked at another screen: “Good, I am transmitting my friend or foe recognition codes and sending a wave of air transports that are carrying deceivers. They will take the symbionts off your hands and I will find a way through enemy lines without being detected. The two of you should have no problems gating off world before the brunt of their land forces arrive.”

Desjar looked around in alarm: “Wait, we can’t! We have civilians here! Evacuating them all would take hours with the quantum get network’s state. We can’t guarantee their safety while holding the base for that long!”

Dostya’s eyes narrowed dangerously: “They are not my concern and…”

“Then make it your concern!” Desjar emphasized his point by slamming a fist in his console: “There’s no way that I’m abandoning so many men, women and children, not when escape is still possible! If you have enough transports then we can get them all out of here. I’m sure you would ask the same if you were in my shoes.”

Samantha was shocked by Desjar’s interruption but decided to support him: “What would this peace be worth if we can’t even work together long enough to save civilian lives? I’ll stay behind and hold the enemy’s attention for as long as I can before using my personal teleportation upgrade to catch up with you. This should buy us the time that we need.”

For a moment it seemed as though Dostya would refuse, but the Elite Commander finally nodded: “Dump all cargo, personal belongings, extra provisions, and have everyone fit in as few ground vehicles as possible. I’ll take half the symbionts and half of the refugees and you, Commander Desjar, will take the rest. We’ll complete the exchange when we’re out of danger. These terms are not negotiable.”

Desjar gulped but found that he had no other alternative. This was as close to a fair deal as any of them would ever get: “Anything else?”

Dostya nodded quickly: “If any civilians have heart conditions then I would suggest that they take their medication right now…”

-----

Kael gathered her closest followers, nearly seventy of them, and brought them to Seraphim Two’s gate nexus. The operators warned them as soon as they came that the quantum gate network would not allow them to travel more than one world at the time. The man had barely spoken the words that another announced that the network linking Seraphim Two to Earth had just cleared up.

The Evaluator turned to her followers and smiled: “This is not a coincidence, it is providence!”

Together they entered the transport module and closed their eyes in prayer as the machine powered up. A blinding flash followed and when it receded they were on Earth. Kael was the first to exit the module and gasped at the display. The land around them was scorched as if a terrible fire had consumed everything. What was truly breathtaking however was the machine that stood in front of them.

Kael knew instinctively that it was some kind of Armored Command Unit and yet there was a strange aura about it. It stood with its hull gleaming, a beacon of purity amongst a desolate wasteland. Even the dust that rose whenever the wind blew seemed to flow around it as if nothing could ever taint its surface.

The Evaluator immediately kneeled before the Seraphim Commander and her followers formed ranks behind her before doing the same. The god-like figure waited a few moments before extending an arm and pointing it straight at Kael, making it clear that it was her turn to speak. The Evaluator hesitated a few moments before rising and turning to her followers: “The Seraphim have returned. They have chosen us, the Order of the Illuminate, to lead our fellow brothers and sisters back into the light.”

Her face became darker as she grew confident in her newly appointed position: “We have strayed so far from The Way that even our once revered Princess turned us against each other at the end of the Infinite War. It is time for us to rectify that mistake and follow the path dedicated by the true gods!”

Seth-Iavow watched the display from the comfort of his cockpit and smiled. Although he hated the way that the human used the past tense, he did not actually mind being called a god.

-----

“Move, move, move!”

Desjar watched the few soldiers that were under their command as they hurried everyone along. The ground vehicles were divided into two groups in order to facilitate docking procedures. Desjar had already transferred all of his units and structures to Samantha and he quickly opened a channel to his wife: “Jessy, no time to talk. I want the two of you to strap in tightly and prepare for a wild ride.”

She looked at him and nodded without objection, knowing all too well how precious time was in such a situation: “I love you.”

The pilot nodded in gratitude but had to close the channel when Cybran transports suddenly flew in out of nowhere. They each carried a deceiver which left free three slots for the civilian vehicles. Dostya’s face appeared on his screen even though her ACU was nowhere to be seen: “Transferring half of the transports to you now. We leave in sixty seconds.”

An automated transfer request appeared on Desjar’s screen and he immediately accepted it. He was then amazed as his system managed to assimilate the units in record time: “How did you…”

“No time! Take manual control of the transport that will be carrying you and have the others copy your movements. Once you reach my position, we’ll initiate a covert pass and then you’ll have to follow my lead. You must not exceed an altitude of twenty meters at any time during the procedure.”

Desjar did as ordered but still managed to protest: “You expect me to fly this close to the ground in this maze of mountains? If I make one wrong move…”

Dostya cut him off before he could say anything more: “Then don’t make a wrong move. I don’t know how effective the stealth fields from our deceivers are against these enemy units so we can’t take any chances. If you can’t pull it off then just transfer all transports back to me and I’ll do it on my own.”

The mere thought of handing Jessy and Melissa away made Desjar shake his head violently: “I’ll be fine.”

The Cybran Commander did not argue the point any further and her half of the convoy took off: “Then we move right now.”

The departure was so sudden that Desjar cursed under his breath while initiating a pursuit. It took him a few seconds to catch up and he could not help but look back at the convoy of transports that followed. One wrong move and his family would die.

-----

Samantha watched as the transports took off and allowed herself a second to contemplate all the ramifications. Many conflicts through the Infinite War had involved thousand if not millions of lives. Compared to those, the fate of a few hundreds seemed insignificant and yet they would mark both UEF and Cybran Nation history. It would either be the first step towards a respected alliance… or the day that would doom them to repeat the mistakes of the past.

-----

The convoy reached the edge of the plateau where another transport was waiting. At first glance, it seemed as though the transport was empty except for the deceiver but Desjar zoomed in and noticed the barely perceptible fluctuations in the air. It appeared as though Dostya would lead her half of the convoy in person: “Our transports were never designed to fly so low which is why we have to control them manually. They have a maneuverability rating that is akin to the UEF version so you should be able to get the hang of them.”

Dostya was about to say more when Samantha interrupted them: “I’m picking some unknown units on radar. They are closing in on us.”

The news did not appear to trouble Dostya who only nodded: “Then it is time to cut all long range communications. Desjar, follow my lead.”

With that, she plunged down the plateau and Desjar flew after her. The initial drop stole his breath and he could only imagine the terrified screams in the civilian vehicles behind him. Together they stormed through the maze of mountains like a mad rollercoaster. Dostya kept barking very concise orders as they moved: “Ninety degrees left… lets slow down a moment… now faster! You’re too high! That’s better… incoming forty degrees right.”

The rush lasted for several minutes and Desjar had not been so badly berated in years. He had to admit that he was partly to blame. Like all pilots, he had been trained through a set of precise maneuvers while using a transport: how to make an emergency docking, landing and drop depending on the circumstances. The UEF had never planned to use transports in such reckless moves, however, and Desjar had to admit that he lacked Dostya’s piloting skills. His moment of distraction earned him another sharp retort: “You’re too high again!”

Desjar gritted his teeth and dropped ten meters just as they approached another turn. Dostya suddenly climbed up and Desjar wondered why when his short range sensors clearly showed that the path around the corner was clear. Dostya’s eyes widened on his screen and she barely had the time to shout a single word before it was too late: “Tree!”

Time slowed down as Desjar’s transport came around the corner and as he realized his mistake. UEF ACUs had sensors that could be reconfigured in order to avoid overloading the pilot with useless information. One such optimization was to disregard trees since even the most rudimentary unit could storm right through them. Of course that particular setting had never taken into account the possibility of a recklessly flight through a mountain canyon.

The ACU’s legs caught a century old tree and the impact tipped the transport forward. The next tree in line caught the transports nose and sent it tumbling upside down in a heartbeat. The shock rocked Desjar’s teeth but that was insignificant next to the consequences. He was crashing but the worse part was that his half of the convoy would follow the same course. His ACU would survive the fall but everyone else would die. A single agonizing scream tore through Desjar’s throat as time resumed its course.

-----

She heard the scream and understood it’s implications without even looking at her instruments. Dostya had hoped that this scenario would not happen but her fingers still moved over her console without hesitation. A sacrifice had to be made…

-----

The next transport in line, the one which carried Jessy and Melissa, would collide roughly the same way and that thought remained with Desjar as he crashed into the trees. The transport that had carried him exploded, trees caught fire, a part of his console exploded and all that Desjar could do was hold on to his controls. Somehow, he managed to keep his eyes opened and look as the inevitable was about to happen.

The transport flew in but suddenly changed course, firing its engines beyond their maximum threshold while performing a barrel roll. For a few precious seconds, the transport was upside down and the vehicle that it carried on its belly did not get caught in the trees. The transport finished the roll as it entered the next valley and all of those that followed it did the same maneuver.

Desjar’s ACU lay in the middle of a valley of broken and burning trees and he watched in mute amazement as one of the transports that still had an open spot came back for him. Dostya merely nodded on his screen: “I will be piloting the rest of the way.”

Chapter 4
Old and new enemies

The convoy kept flying and turning at heart wrenching speeds while negotiating the treacherous canyons. Desjar could no longer distinguish one mountain from the other and had to look at his tactical map to get a general idea of where they were. From what he could tell, they had managed to sneak through the enemy lines and were on their way to Elite Commander Dostya’s base.

Thinking about her made Desjar look to his right and he noticed that she was still frowning. She apparently found no joy in saving the refugees from the near crash and the Major General had a small idea why: “You never really transferred those transports to me, did you?”

Dostya kept her eyes on her forward screen and answered between maneuvers: “No. We tried to develop an emulation program a few months ago that would give the illusion of a unit transfer. Had you still been connected to Earthcom through the quantum network then your analysts would have picked up the lag in synchronization before we even left your base.”

Desjar was about to ask why they would want to do that but the answer was as plain as day. A few days ago, the Aeon Illuminate had been poised to trample all over the UEF and destroy the Earth. Had that happened, an unlikely alliance between the Cybran Nation and the scattered armies of the UEF could have been possible. The ability to transfer units and yet call them back in a heartbeat would have been invaluable. It was a perfect tool against treachery… or to backstab someone at a critical moment: “In any case, I owe you my thanks. Your actions saved the refugees and…”

“I did not do it to save you!”

The reaction was instantaneous as was her following rebuke: “I only did it to save your half of the symbionts. I protect those under me which does not include you or your people unless I decide it does. Even a single operational vehicle left in our wake would have been an easy sign for our enemies to spot and use to track me to my base. I only hope that they will not notice the wreckage that we left behind.”

The harshness of her tone left Desjar unbalanced but then again, he had never spoken at length with a Cybran before: “And I apologize for my mistake… so what am I not seeing here?”

Dostya rolled her eyes as she took the convoy through a tight turn: “Are you blind? In order to save them, I had to demonstrate that I never transferred the units to you in the first place. Your people will be thankful at first but then your politicians will mark the incident as a sign of Cybran betrayal. They will use it to slow down the transfer of symbionts and because of this; thousands will die of old age before they can even get a glimpse of freedom! Your piloting mistake will destroy those lives, Commander.”

The declaration hit Desjar like a splash of cold water: “No, it won’t.”

Dostya snorted while adjusting their course: “I’m so naïve that…”

“It won’t happen because you never retook control of your army; I transferred them back to you after the incident. I just had a flight maneuver ready at the tip of a finger in case something went wrong and barely managed to active it before crashing. After that and due the shock, I decided that it would be safer for you to lead the whole convoy the rest of the way. It was my decision and that’s all anyone needs to know.”

It was a crude lie but one that would be hard to disprove under the circumstances. Dostya’s eyes narrowed as she considered the possibility: “Why would you do this? You have no reason to believe that I did not actually intend to betray you.”

Desjar hesitated a second before answering: “My wife and daughter are in that convoy and they would be dead right now if it was not for you. The convoy also holds the families of my men. Keeping my mouth shut seems like a small favor in exchange for their lives. That and it would be a lot better for all those peace negotiations.”

The Elite Commander looked him in the eyes for a few seconds before turning her head straight ahead once more: “I’m not sure if there will ever be peace between our people, Commander. However, the two of us might yet reach an understanding.”

-----

Samantha looked at the swarm of fighters that circled her base and felt her heart rise with each passing second. No telltale sign of an ACU explosion had brightened the horizon which most likely meant that Desjar and Dostya had escaped. Every moment that she held the enemy here was one more opportunity for them to flee even further.

For some reason, Samantha found herself smiling. The reaction puzzled her until she realized how comforting it was to fight for something that she believed in. She had spent so many years under Riley’s command that she had forgotten what it was like to wage a desperate yet meaningful battle. This brought back memories of her nine month campaign on Scorpii Eighteen. She had earned the scar near her left eye as well as other injuries during that time, but despite the losses she had never regretted going there.

Samantha looked to the recently built Fatboy to her left and nodded in determination. Let them come! They would soon find out what a UEF commander was truly capable of! Enemy ground forces appeared on radar as if on cue, but Samantha kept the mobile weapon platform from firing. There was no point of giving away her firing range just yet. She waited until the enemy army closed in on the plateau before opening fire.

The gauss cannons fired in unison, pounding the approaching army with wave after wave of shells. Samantha watched with satisfaction as multiple signals disappeared on her radar. She then sent a spy plane towards their position, expecting to find the enemy in full retreat. Her eyes widened when she saw what appeared to be an unknown ACU model stride purposely forward with its remaining army: “What the hell is this?”

The words escaped her as she watched the near suicidal display. The unit obviously had no shields and yet the blasts that would have torn apart any other ACU barely slowed it down. Heck, just the impact from so many shells should have been enough to knock any pilot unconscious by now. Was this an unmanned unit?

Samantha was just about to send her Titans to finish the enemy off when her alarms screeched in warning. She turned around just as another unknown model suddenly teleported in the back of her base. The unit, which Samantha surmised was an SCU, was already under the energy field and destroyed the nearby shield generator in a few seconds. It then turned towards the fusion reactor and fired a tactical missile from its back. The impact damaged the critical structure and the SCU kept firing even while its teleporting engines were powering up for another jump.

“And you think that I’ll just let you get away with this?”

Samantha rushed ahead with her Titans leading the way. Plasma bolts pummeled the alien machine without mercy but caused no serious damage. Her ACU walked in range a few seconds later and she fired an overloaded shot, hoping to finish off the daring pilot before he could escape.

The ball of energy caught the unknown unit straight in the chest but did not destroy it. Instead, it seemed to slide over its armor and transform into a shock wave that struck back at everything in the area. Alarms rang through Samantha’s cockpit, indicating power fluctuations through her ACU’s core and she gasped as the nearby titans exploded. The attack had been redirected? How was such a thing even possible?

The SCU’s teleportation engines finished powering up and it disappeared a second later, leaving a reactor and a handful of Titans in ruins. Samantha turned back to the enemy ACU and found that it had used the distraction to build a line of shield generators to protect its position. The Fatboy’s turrets were glowing red from constantly firing and yet no sooner had a shield collapsed that another came back online. What was worse, the moderate amount of damage that the unknown ACU had suffered was being repaired right before her eyes without any assistance.

Samantha felt a rising urge of panic as other land units closed in on her base from all sides. How could she fight when all of her best assets were powerless to stop them? She had never planned to win the battle but she had expected to last a lot longer than this. Instead, she sent her spy planes in every direction and collected as much data as she could while powering up her teleportation engines. She had already lost but hopefully her scans would allow them to develop a counter measure against this unknown foe.

-----

Rhiza woke up from her light slumber with a jolt as soon as her transmitter vibrated. She reflexively looked around and noticed that the Champion was still awake, watching over the Princess despite her fatigue. Rhiza made a mental note to repay the favor and allow the Champion to get some much needed sleep as soon as possible: “Crusader Rhiza here.”

The face of a young Aeon Commander appeared on her transmitter: “This is Commander Thalia. Several quantum signatures have been detected in the area and we have dispatched spy planes to check them out. They are Aeon Commanders but they are refusing to answer our hails and are building bases. We do not know why they are here but their actions are unusually aggressive. We would like it if either you or the Champion could come and speak to them.”

A chill ran down Rhiza’s spine and brief glance towards Kathy confirmed that she was worried as well. Aeon pilots did not just build bases to flaunt their power. They either did it to defend… or to attack.

“I’ll be right there.” Rhiza closed her transmitter and nodded towards the Champion: “Make preparations to transport the Princess. I do not like where this is heading.”

-----

The ACU reappeared in a brilliant flash nearly two hundred kilometers away and Samantha gasped when her sensors came back online. The general heading that the convoy had taken after leaving the UEF base had narrowed down the possible Cybran sites to a handful and Samantha had purposely avoided those. Gating in without any backup was a risky move and Samantha did not like to feel so exposed.

She had planned to rebuild a base while taking advantage of the resource allocation upgrade of her ACU and then contact Dostya. What she had not expected was to gate in the middle of a Cybran base in the making. A Cybran ACU stood only two hundred meters away with its cloaking field offline. Samantha shrugged in resignation while opening a channel: “Well at least it won’t be hard to find you. I would have preferred it if we had used different sites but I guess it can’t be helped.”

The Cybran ACU had already stopped building a tier two power generator and was closing the distance between them. Samantha looked around and frowned as she realized that something was wrong: “Where are Desjar and the refugees?”

Her only answer came in the form of a full body slam as the Cybran ACU rushed forward. The blow knocked Samantha’s machine off its feet and sent all battle alarms screaming. She realigned her main screen just as the chest plate of the Cybran ACU split open, exposing the heavy microwave laser underneath. A cold and calculating voice came through a moment later: “Where is Elite Commander Dostya?”

-----

“This is Crusader Rhiza, please respond.”

A few moments passed and Rhiza ran her ACU through a self diagnostic to ensure that the message had indeed been sent. She spoke again when there were no longer any doubts: “I have extended formal and warm greetings to you, fellow Commanders. It would be highly disrespectful of you not to do the same.”

The hooded face of an Evaluator appeared on her screen just then and offered neither salute nor greeting: “Such common courtesies do not extend to enemies and traitors.”

Rhiza eyes widened in shock at the proclamation: “Evaluator Kael? What is the meaning of this? Must I understand that these pilots are following your orders?”

The Evaluator titled her head upward in an imperious fashion as she spoke: “By the authority invested in me, I hereby order you, your fellow commanders and those under you to surrender and submit to our judgment. Your crimes include betrayal, killing fellow members of the Aeon Illuminate, conspiring with the enemy and abandoning The Way. The punishment for such actions is death.”

The arrogance behind the words made Rhiza reach out for her controls and align her army in a defensive formation: “We follow the word of the Princess, there is no higher authority and her wisdom is without question. Only her actions have finally granted us peace!”

A barely perceptible hint of a smile appeared on Kael’s face as she spoke: “We answer to a higher authority… we answer to the Seraphim! The gods have returned and have decreed that the Princess’ actions were self serving, short sighed and against The Way. Surrender now and I promise you that your deaths will be painless.”

The Seraphim had returned? How was such a thing even possible? Kael would not lie about something that could be disproved so easily and her followers would not act so openly without undeniable proof. Rhiza looked at the other Commanders that stood by her side and could read their hesitation in their every move. It was the Seraphim that had taught them about The Way over a thousand years ago and their return would shake the very foundations of the Aeon Illuminate.

For a moment, Rhiza hoped that the Princess would wake up just now. She would know what to say and would somehow end this conflict without any loss of life. Rhiza’s wishes would not be enough to change reality however and she knew that her next words might very well decide the fate of the entire galaxy: “I will not fight you or any of your Commanders, Kael. I have no wish to spill the blood of our people.”

Kael smiled in approval and was about to speak but Rhiza cut her off: “However, I will not hand over the Princess to you or to anyone else. Her heart is pure, her actions just and her course true. She has shown all of humanity that peace can be achieved without war and has gone so far as to sacrifice herself to make her dream into a reality. Such a sacrifice should not go to waste. I will not allow anyone to lay a hand on her for as long as I draw breath.”

The show of open defiance enraged Kael and her eyes darkened immediately: “Then you have chosen death.”

-----

A Cybran base loomed on the horizon and Desjar found the sight both comforting and unnerving all at once. Like it or not, old habits died hard and he usually never came this close to an enemy base without an army at his back. These were strange times indeed.

Dostya keyed in a few course adjustments and then spared a glance towards Desjar: “I take it that General Clarke gave you meeting coordinates before our departure from your base? If you take the time to build your own transports, will you be able to reach it without refueling?”

Desjar nodded, relieved that Dostya appeared far calmer after their last talk. The Cybran Commander forwarded a set of coordinates to him and then looked back to her forward screen: “Then this is where we part ways. You can use this area and the nearby resources to build your transports and return home. I’ll cover you long enough for you to leave. There is one thing that you might wish to consider before…”

Something fast swooped past Desjar’s transport and he jumped in his seat: “Jeez! Warn me next time that you want to take a scan like that!”

The spy plane moved past Dostya’s ACU in a similar fashion and the Elite Commander frowned: “That’s not one of mine.”

She was about to add that no one else should be on the planet but the face of a Cybran appeared on her screen: “We have found you, Elite Commander Dostya. We have captured General Clarke, what are your orders?”

Desjar’s eyes widened in disbelief and Dostya cursed loudly in Russian: “Valerie! What the hell do you think you’re doing here? The Assumpta Node should not even be in this sector!”

The assassin flinched at the harsh rebuke which surprised Dostya even more. Pilots from the Assumpta Node were some of the most coldblooded killers in the galaxy, capable of destroying entire colonies without feeling any remorse. Valerie lowered her head and allowed her gaze to drop in submission: “We gated after you to ensure your protection. When the UEF General teleported in our base by accident and without the symbionts, we assumed that the two of you might be fighting each other.”

“And you assumed wrong! Release her at once and patch her through. Whoever ordered you on this mission will get an earful when we get back.”

Valerie’s face was quickly replaced by Samantha’s and the General raised her head in indignation. Fortunately for all of them, it seemed that her only injury was her pride. Dostya winced at the display: “I apologize for your imprisonment, General. A lack of communication caused this incident and you will be released at once. Commander Desjar and the refugees are with me and will meet up with you shortly.”

Samantha nodded but remained as impassive as she could: “Understood.”

A set of coordinates was forwarded to Dostya who immediately relayed them to Desjar. She then closed one channel and offered a brief shrug to Desjar on the other: “I have seen better as far as peace negotiations go.”

The other pilot sighed loudly before nodding: “We’ve been fighting each other for the past thousand years. It’s not the kind of thing that can just stop without a few problems along the way… you wanted to tell me something before the interruption?”

Dostya nodded and pressed a few buttons on her console: “Once you’ve put some distance between us and when you’re ready to leave the planet, I suggest that you think twice before returning to Earth.”

Desjar raised an eyebrow and Dostya elaborated: “Despite the quantum network’s disruption, this planet remains just one jump away from Earth. I’m not sure how much chaos resulted from the last battle there but I find it unusual that no other UEF commander gated to the planet to find out what was wrong. If I was to venture a guess then I would say that our unknown enemy struck there first…”

-----

“And there are no signs of other commanders in the area or of the symbionts?”

The Seraphim Commander on Seth-Iavow’s screen shook his head and the War Leader took a moment to digest the information. Since General Clarke no longer had the symbionts in her company then it meant one of three possibilities: they had been evacuated, given to the Cybran Nation or killed. In most of these cases, this meant that the mission was a failure.

At least Kael’s efforts were bearing their fruits and she was even now leading her troops into battle. Seth-Iavow had considered sending a few Seraphim Commanders to ensure a crushing victory but QAI had advised against it. The Aeon Illuminate defined itself by symbols and Kael would not manage to turn them to her cause if a foreign power was the one to crush the Princess.

QAI’s pulsating eye appeared on his screen just then and twirled: “Current analysis suggests an eighty percent probability that Elite Commander Dostya and the symbionts are still on the planet. A full attack on UB Seventeen might allow us to catch and destroy her before she can escape.”

Seth-Iavow considered the possibility a moment before shaking his head: “No, cancel the pursuit. An eighty percent probability of stopping her will not do. I want the assurance that a coalition cannot be forged between the Cybran Nation and the UEF.”

The artificial intelligence computed a few hundred possible scenarios before displaying the best ones: “These tactics will increase our interception odds to ninety-seven percent and we can…”

The Elder ignored the data and changed his tactical view to encompass the whole galaxy: “The best way to stop a coalition is a simple one: we will destroy the Cybran Nation.”

-----

Dostya waited until the UEF Commanders were flying away before opening a channel back to Valerie: “Have you found signs of an unknown army moving around? We need to leave before they can track us down.”

The assassin nodded but still kept her gaze lowered: “We have their position even now. The other pilot that is with me just built an omni sensor in a stealth base and has been tracking their movements for the past two minutes.”

The sensor data was relayed to Dostya who studied them for a few moments before raising an eyebrow: “It looks as if they are making preparations to depart the planet. Why are they giving up so soon?”

Valerie’s eyes light up hopefully: “Should we strike while they are distracted?”

The mere fact that the suggestion was phrased so politely made Dostya stare at the Assassin who did not even dare to hold her gaze: “What is going on Valerie? The Assumpta Node never simply decides to help someone. Ever since you got here, you’ve been acting as though you were under my command. I appreciate the cooperation despite your earlier blunder but I can’t help but wonder why you are doing this.”

Valerie sighed softly: “You may not like the answer to your question. When Redfog went to Earth with his best fighters, he did so without any intention of returning. He knew that he would most likely not survive the encounter but found none worthy to take the mantle of Redfog. He therefore appointed you to be his Chaslain… the one who must judge our people and decide who is worthy to lead us. Until that duty is performed, I must remain at your side to protect you and the Assumpta Node will follow your commands.”

Dostya’s mouth fell open in shock: “What?”

The assassin nodded: “Until the day when you find one of us worthy… you will wield the same power as Redfog.”

Not only did she have to deal with the peace treaty, saving symbionts and face an unknown enemy but now she had to deal with a node full of assassins and psychopaths? Dostya ran a hand along her forehead and groaned: “I hope that the bastard is rotting in hell for doing this to me.”

The comment made Valerie smile: “I don’t think that he would have it any other way…”

-----

The mini submarine popped up near the beach and its cockpit opened with a hiss. Redfog jumped out a second later and fetched his gear from within the cramped space: his sword, a backpack and a cloak. The last piece would be the most useful since it would mask his body heat as well as the electronic signature from his implants. He then reached down and tore and armful of circuitry which immediately started a small fire. The whole cockpit burst into flames a moment later and it was just a matter of time before the submarine became another piece of wreckage in the water.

The assassin then turned around and looked at the skeletal remains of the city that loomed in front of him. From this distance, it appeared as though everything had either been destroyed or burned to a crisp. Oh there would be pockets of survivors of course but Redfog did not care about any of them. Right now he did not care about anything as a flood of memories came rushing in. This was not the first time that he had laid eyes on this city, but hopefully it would be the last.

Redfog, the man who had become the leader of the Assumpta Node and one of the most feared Cybran in the galaxy, allowed himself a few moments to bask in the sight. He then raised his gaze to the stars and a single sentence escaped him. There was no warmth or happiness behind the words but rather a sense of utter contempt: “I’m home…”

Chapter 5
Birth of a demon

“I’d say that it went pretty well.”

Desjar was careful to hide his smirk as Samantha scowled at him. She immediately returned to the task of setting up their new base which included a quantum gate nexus. The tension in her movements was hard to miss and this puzzled him: “How did the battle go?”

She paused for a second and her eyes darted left and right: “It didn’t. My Fatboy barely slowed them down and using an overcharged shot nearly caused a reactor breach. Whoever these guys are, their technology is on a whole new level. It might even surpass what the Aeon Illuminate has been using. We have to return to….”

Desjar quickly cut her off: “Let’s head to Pollux.”

The sudden outburst made Samantha frown: “Why Pollux? Most of Earthcom is still back on Earth and we’ll need their help to reestablish contact with the rest of the UEF. Besides, Pollux’s surrounding planets have been overrun by the Cybrans and it could be attacked at any time.

Those were all valid points but Dostya’s warning rang through Desjar’s mind. The Major General brought up his galactic tactical screen: “The only thing we know for certain is that this new enemy is after us and the Cybrans. We’re working on old data right now and we have no idea what happened on Earth after we left. On the other hand, we know that Lieutenant General Hall and his men took command of Pollux after Captain Godwyn’s defeat and that they held it quite well against subsequent attacks. As far as we know, we’re the only two pilots who are aware of this unknown enemy. We should make sure that this information does not die with us by travelling to the safest destination.”

Samantha’s eyes narrowed: “Is that your opinion or Commander Dostya’s?”

She was sharp but Desjar was not without a counter argument for that: “Does it matter? They had the perfect occasion to kill the two of us if they wanted to. I’m not that eager to put my life in their hands again but right now, I don’t think that they are the biggest threat. Do you?”

Samantha hesitated a few seconds before finally nodding: “Fine, let’s head to Pollux.”

-----

The cloaked figure stood atop the desiccated ruins of a church and allowed his mind to wander. The city had always been a hellhole and somehow, the Seraphim’s attack had merely allowed it to show its true face. Redfog’s gaze was first drawn to the half melted bell that still stood in the tower to the few survivors that scurried through the streets below. None of them had any importance but the assassin still studied them if for no other benefit than to confirm his own beliefs.

The first person that his gaze settled on was a woman who was sitting in the corner of a street while cradling the body of a dead child. Her tearful sobs clearly identified her as the mother and she had most likely never expected to lose her son at such a young age. She was undoubtedly thinking about how unjust his death had been but had she been able to look at things objectively then she would have understood that death was the ultimate fairness. It took everyone; old, young, healthy and sick into its embrace. Only the clever or the lucky could cheat death and only for so long.

The next person that caught Redfog’s eye was the man walking with his head bowed while mumbling to himself. The few words that Redfog could make out from this distance concerned apocalypse, judgment day or some other religious belief that implied the end of the world. The man was most likely trying to find some meaning to the disaster that he had witnessed but he would find none. Meaning could only be achieved through action and not by simply succumbing to an event. There was about as much meaning to Earth’s destruction as there was at being backstabbed in a dark alley. Only the struggle that would result after so much death could hold any true value.

The rambling fool was suddenly shoved to the ground by a group of three thugs. Their laughter echoed through the ruins and the assassin watched impassively as they taunted their prey. Their biting words soon transformed into threats and were quickly followed by vicious kicks. The display lasted for several more minutes before one of them finished the job with an old rusted pipe.

Redfog sneered in disgust as the thugs looted the corpse before storming away. He had done far worse of course, but unlike them there had always been a form of meaning behind his actions. He had subjected some of the most virtuous people to the worst of tortures without an ounce of remorse but he had never done it simply to indulge some sick sense of pleasures. These thugs were nothing more than animals with diseased minds.

Everything that Redfog saw confirmed what he had always thought: there was nothing worth saving here. Earth had been shielded from the Infinite War for far too long, its people protected from the true horrors that it represented. They had been allowed to indulge themselves in entertainment, luxuries and vice while the rest of the galaxy fought, bled and died all around them.

Why was the rest of the galaxy different? The Cybran Nation had always lived on the edge, forever standing on the line between prosperity and oblivion while sticking to the shadows. The Aeon Illuminate had avoided such stagnation by fully embracing the truth of their situation instead of hiding from it. Even the UEF’s colonists were a different breed of human, sticking together through the roughest of times where Earthlings would have long ago split apart.

Redfog shouldered his backpack and nodded in determination. His purpose remained unchanged and he knew without a doubt that his actions would allow him to gain some invaluable information. He wanted more than that however, he wanted a sense of meaning. Such a goal would only be achieved by finding the perfect spot…

-----

The Czar moved imperiously above the Aeon Illuminate base, its quantum beam generator cutting through weakened shields and destroying the power generators underneath. A series of well timed strikes had decimated the Commander’s air force and opened the way for the experimental weapon to do its task.

The Aeon pilot waited helplessly as her base’s entire economic infrastructure collapsed and closed her eyes in resignation, fully expecting to be the next in line. The attack never came and Crusader Rhiza’s face appeared on her screen: “You have been defeated. Walk away and do not return to this battle. I have no intention to spilling the blood of our people if I can help it.”

The pilot’s eyes opened in surprise at being shown such mercy. Her first instincts pushed her to keep fighting but a quick look showed her that staying would not serve any purpose. The pilot lowered her head in defeat and plotted a course away from her base.

Rhiza sighed in relief from the cockpit of her ACU and turned her attention towards the other battles that were raging all around them. Hoping that an act of mercy would remind the Aeon Illuminate of the Princess’ kindness was a long shot but it felt better than a meaningless death. This was not the time for a philosophical debate however and Rhiza regrouped her forces before moving towards the next enemy commander.

-----

Cybernetic legs pushed beyond the norms of any human, allowing Redfog to jump from one rooftop to another as if gravity had no hold over him. The assassin soon reached his destination or rather what was left of it. Before him loomed the hospital where he had been born.

Fate had tried to kill him there before his very first breath, delivering him in a sick and weak body… but he had struggled to survive. The battle had been instinctive of course but it still held a measure of meaning. Redfog jumped through a broken window and landed in a cloud of dust. The few fragments of memory that he had of the place were nothing more than vivid images and intense smells.

He had spent four years in this place, fighting each day just to stay alive and going through one surgery after another. He had survived where none should have… and despite the loss of his mother. She had died right after giving birth to him, becoming his first victim. Looking back at it now, it was more likely that she had died through a risky procedure or through a medical mistake. In the end it did not matter. Everyone had looked at him as though he was to blame so it might as well be true.

“He’s not my boy…. He’s not my boy!”

Redfog turned around with a throwing knife appearing in his hand but froze. There was no one in the building and it had merely been a powerful memory sneaking up on him. The voice had been his father’s… the first words that he had ever heard from him.

“But sir, look at how well he’s progressing! He’s getting healthier every day and he’s much smarter than the other boys of his age. You should be proud!”

The nurse had meant what she had said but Redfog had still loathed her for pitying him. For a moment, the surge of hatred was almost enough for Redfog to set up his package right here and now but he didn’t. The battle against fate had begun here but it had been an instinctive one, devoid of any meaning. There were other sites which held much more significance.

The assassin climbed out of the window through which he had entered and resumed his journey through the desolate city. He stopped near a deserted alleyway a few minutes later and allowed the rush of memories to surge through him once more. The voice that coursed through his mind had been cruel and taunting: “Go ahead and cry for your mommy, you little punk! You’re nothing but a freak, you know that? You’re weak and you’ll always be weak!”

That incident had happened years later. They had caught him while trying to take a shortcut home, three teenagers whose only pleasure was to bully others. They had wanted him to cry and to beg… but he had not. They had left him beaten and broken in that alley and he had earned two black eyes in the process. It was not the trashing that Redfog remembered the most however but the revenge afterwards. They had left him with a pair of black eyes so he had taken theirs in exchange. It had taken him months of preparation and planning to accomplish it but in the end, victory had been his.

“You’re going to cry for your mommy, you little punk!”

This time the cry was not a memory and Redfog saw a child run through the alley below him. The three men that gave chase were the same which had killed the rambling fool a short while ago and the way that they moved clearly showed that they intended to do so again.

For a moment, Redfog merely dismissed the confrontation as unimportant and was about to move on when he heard a distinctive metallic sound. The assassin kneeled down on the rooftop and watched as the first thug fell down in a pile of broken glass, a nail having pierced his boot.

-----

A smile appeared on Megan’s face as she heard the cries of pain behind her. It had taken the sixteen year old girl hours to craft the caltrops out of old nails but they would be worth it if it bought her enough time. She had even gone so far as to cover the street with broken pieces of glass which were harmless in most cases but would result in severe cuts if one was to accidentally fall in that specific spot.

Now was not the time to gloat however and Megan ran faster towards her next trap. The flaming barrel stood just ahead with the cardboard box placed precariously along one side. The girl deftly jumped to the left, barely avoiding the box and then put as much distance as she could.

The remaining two thugs crashed through the debris a few seconds later, sending the box’s content sliding inside the flaming barrel. Megan had stuffed the box with just about everything that she could find with an flammable label but the resulting explosion was far bigger than whatever she had imagined. It sent her flying forward and something collided painfully with the back of her head. The world started spinning as she hit the ground but she refused to give up and crawled towards the next improvised weapon that was waiting just around the corner.

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed her shoulder and forced her around. Megan gasped when the torn and bloody face of the man who had fallen in her caltrops sneered at her: “You little whore! You think that you can just get away with killing my buddies?”

Megan reached for the butcher knife that was strapped to her belt but the brute was faster. He pinned one of her arms so the side under his bulky frame, grabbed her other arm with one of his hands and reached out for her throat. The choking maneuver was a clumsy one but it was slowly cutting off Megan’s air and she knew that she was in trouble. She tried to kick the brute off of her but her legs were at the wrong angle and she could only slap uselessly at the man with one of her arms.

The hand squeezing Megan’s throat finally found a proper hold and cut off her breath completely. Megan’s entire body flailed against the attack but it was useless and her vision grew cloudy. Her eyes darted left and right while searching for anything that could help her and for a moment, she could have sworn that she saw someone looking at her from the top of a building.

Her free hand searched the ground for something, anything that could be used to hurt the thug before it was too late and her fingers suddenly clasped around something hard. There was no time to figure out what it was and Megan brought the object against her aggressor’s back again and again. She felt the hold on her neck weaken for a moment which only prompted her to use what strength she had left to quicken her attacks.

The man’s body grew rigid and then suddenly collapsed on top of her. Megan drew a ragged breath and managed to unclasp the hand that had been crushing her throat. It took her a few moments to crawl out from under the body and it was only then that she realized that she was covered in blood.

A quick check was all she needed to confirm that it was not her own and she looked at the object that had saved her life. It was a simple yet artistically crafted knife and the lack of a proper handle suggested that it was meant to be thrown. Megan had memorized every inch of the alley prior to sending her plan in motion and she knew without a doubt that the knife had not been here before. Someone had thrown it to her which meant that the figure looking down at her had not been a dying hallucination.

-----

Redfog had left as soon as he had thrown the knife, admiring the child’s will to survive but unwilling to participate any further than that. It was obvious that she had set up the terrain specifically to face these thugs and had used all of her ingenuity to accomplish her goal. In the end however, Redfog would not steal the meaning behind her confrontation by ending it for her. If she had enough strength of will to prevail then she would, it was as simple as that.

Meanwhile, he still had a task ahead of him and he now stood in front of his goal. The roof was gone and all that remained were four desolate walls combined with traces of burnt furniture. The sight was oddly fitting for it had been Redfog’s home.

The assassin stepped through a hole in the wall and into the place that had served as his bedroom. There were no happy memories here; no hugs, toys, encouragements or congratulations. The only memory that was worth remembering was the day that his father had come in with a gun in his hand: “She should be alive and not you! She was a beacon of life and you killed her! It was a mistake for the doctors to save a monster like you!”

Redfog remembered the seconds that had seemed like an eternity as his father aimed the gun at him. His father’s hands had been shaking and uncontrollable tears had been running down his face. Why had he hesitated? Had he expected to see remorse, fear or perhaps sadness in his son’s eyes? Redfog did not remember feeling any of those and in the end, it did not matter. His father had pressed the trigger.

The detonation ran through Redfog’s mind and caused him to flinch involuntarily. That was the spot where he had fallen in a pool of his own blood and next to it was the place where the gun had been dropped. The act had shattered what was left of his father’s sanity and the broken man had gone back to the living room to sit on the sofa while clutching his head.

The assassin followed the hallucination and waited expectantly for what was to come. The hallucination of his father was still cradling his head between his hands when his son came out of the bedroom with the gun in his hand. Redfog clearly remembered the taste of his own blood as well as the sensation of death creeping up on him. His hatred had kept him conscious long enough for that one act of revenge.

For a moment, a glimmer of hope had appeared in his father’s eyes as if the man was glad that he had not killed his son. Redfog had not cared. He had raised the gun which had been covered in his own blood and fired. The kickback had been enough to knock him unconscious but not before giving him the satisfaction of seeing the bullet blow his father’s brains out.

He should have died but an ambulance had been moving through the area at the time and the paramedics had heard the gunshots. Had Redfog died that day then he would have been relatively happy. Fate had instead saved his life and left him with a crippled lung but not before throwing him in another form of hell. Had the incident merely stayed as such then the government would have ensured that he would have been nurtured back to health in a kind environment. However, DNA evidence had linked the dying boy to an incident in which three other children had their eyes poked out.

Sadistic personality disorder: That was the term that they had used to diagnose him and send him to a high security treatment center. They had simply not understood what this had been about. He had only returned the pain that had been given to him. The only difference was that he had not missed.

Back in the real world, Redfog stood over the spot where his father had died and nodded in approval. Yes, this was the spot where he had made his first meaningful kill. This was the place where it all deserved to end.

A cybernetic fist punched down, breaking a hole through the floor in a single blow. The assassin then removed his backpack and dropped it in the opening. He then used the few furniture remains to plug the hole before turning around. Redfog was surprised to find a figure covered in blood standing in the doorway. It was the same child which had fought those thugs a few minutes ago with a throwing knife in one hand and a remote control in the other: “You know a way out… and you’re taking me with you.”

-----

“I still think that this is insane. Why would the Assumpta Node take orders from an outsider? ”

Another transport entered the quantum gate as Valerie took the time to answer Dostya’s question: “The title of Redfog can only be earned by exceptional individuals. It is not simply a matter of victories that one can be picked. The next one worthy of bearing the title simply rises above the other. The whole process is an unorthodox one and is accepted as such.”

Dostya rubbed her forehead and groaned. She had always suspected that the Assumpta Node was governed by a form of fanaticism but she had never expected that it went that far. Heck, just the way that Valerie described the role almost made Redfog appear like a biblical figure. Right now, the only thing that Dostya wanted to do was to evacuate the rest of the symbionts and return to Doctor Brackman. That would have to wait until after she met with the node of assassins which only left her a few hours to get as much information as she could.

“Why is it so important that someone holds the title of Redfog? What happens if the wrong person is selected?”

Again Valerie answered without displaying a hint of emotion: “The Assumpta Node would tear itself apart if a weak leader was ever selected. Many desire that position but few would risk appearing weak by questioning the process or opposing you. The fact that you are an outsider will also be an advantage in this case. You cannot be expected to pick our next leader without first familiarizing yourself with our ways.”

Did this mean that she would be stuck babysitting the Assumpta Nodes for days, weeks or perhaps even months? This was rapidly spinning out of control and Dostya was still searching for a quick way out: “Why can’t I just select the best pilot? Heck, why can’t I just select you? You’re strong, brave, sensible and reasonable. You would be the right choice if I wanted to pick a good ally.”

Valerie looked away just then as if she was ashamed to look Dostya in the eyes: “I am not a suitable candidate.”

This was the first time that Valerie had refrained from answering a question directly and Dostya found it curious: “Why not?”

The assassin typed a few things on her console but still refused to meet her gaze: “Please do not ask me this question…”

Under normal circumstances, Dostya would have respected such a request but this was a bad time. Peace was a fragile thing and she could not allow so many pilots to go on a rampage because of one wrong move: “You said that I needed to understand the Assumpta Node, remember?”

“I… I still have a machine complex. It is subtle and often hard to notice but it is there. I have failed to assassinate a few targets in the past because of it. This flaw is one of the reasons that Redfog entrusted me with the responsibility of assisting you.”

Dostya winced, knowing that she had just unknowingly stepped on a delicate subject. The machine complex was a universal term meant to describe a Cybran’s habit of using the most efficient tactics. Doing so made a person predictable and while it was not that much of a problem for a scientist, analyst or worker; it was a serious flaw for any ACU pilot. Dostya had been weaned out of her own complex nearly two decades ago and she knew how hard it was to revert to a more unpredictable thought pattern: “I’m sorry, I did not mean to…”

“There is no need to apologize, Chaslain. But I beg of you to be more careful about whom amongst us you will favor from now on. There is more at stake than you seem to realize.”

-----

Only his hallucinations would have made Redfog careless enough for him not to notice the child’s approach but that was hardly the point. No matter how much he might respect her quick thinking and survival instincts, a single fact remained: she was standing in his way.

“Move…”

It was not the word so much as the way that Redfog said it. The assassin had long ago learned the art of intimidation and his posture combined with his intense gaze was often enough to unsettle even the hardiest of men. The child however did not back down: “You move like you have a purpose which would not be the case unless you had a way off this world. So you’re taking me with you or it all ends here and now!”

The child brandished the remote control as if it was some kind of weapon but Redfog seemed hardly impressed. She kept speaking even as the assassin took a step towards her: “I rigged enough fireworks to this transmitter to bring those aliens back for another pass.”

Original, creative and ruthless... Redfog was growing curious: “Then you would die as well.”

The child sneered in defiance and placed a finger over the button: “Better to die for something than to die meaninglessly. So don’t think that I won’t do it!”

A hint of a smile appeared under the assassin’s mask as he spoke: “Show me.”

The girl was about to say something else when Redfog lunged forward while screaming: “Show me!”

Time slowed and the child tried to leap backward but it was obvious that the Cybran was faster. Shock was quickly replaced by anger and the child pressed the button: “Then damn you to hell!”

A cybernetic hand closed around the girl’s throat, lifted her off her feet and slammed her into a wall. She tried to stab his arm with the knife but the blade collided with the limb’s cybernetic plate and flew from her grasp. Redfog held the child there and watched the near feral grin that was thrown back at him. That smile disappeared a few seconds later when no fireworks detonated: “What the hell?”

The child pressed the button on her remote control again and again but even then, the cleverly laid trap did not activate. Redfog’s smile grew even as the child snarled at him in defiance: “Damn you!”

The assassin lifted his other arm, aiming it in a blow that would crush her skull. He kept it steady for a second as if to let the reality of the moment sink in and then attacked. The first punched forward with inhuman strength, breaking through the wall and leaving a large hole near the girl’s head. Under other circumstances, Redfog would have killed anyone blocking his path but this child was different. She had not looked away and had stared at him with an equal measure of defiance and fury.

Redfog dropped the child and moved away without warning. He stopped when he reached the exit and simply turned his head sideways: “Come on then…”

Chapter 6
The definition of power

An energy wave appeared in mid air and immediately spread outwards. The shock which was normally strong enough to flatten and incinerate trees was quickly absorbed by the quantum gate and the UEF ACU appeared a split second later with a loud bang. Desjar’s hands moved as soon as his sensors were realigned and linked up with the local UEF coordination center. The seconds seemed to stretch on forever as his identification codes were being processed, but the connection was finally approved and all information relayed to his tactical screen.

Desjar sighed in relief when his instruments confirmed that there were no enemies and that more than a dozen other ACUs were moving around the area. It seemed as though he had made the right call by selecting Pollux and he slowly maneuvered his ACU out of the quantum gate. Now that the immediate threat was taken care of, he was free to worry about other matters and he looked around for the transports which had preceded him. A simple query was all that it took to acquire a lock and he turned his ACU around to look at them.

The transports had been neatly parked in a public area a few hundred meters away and the civilians were coming out of them now. Desjar zoomed in and winced when he saw the paramedics moving amongst them. The flight through the canyon had been a harsh one and it was likely that a few injuries had been sustained due to health conditions or poorly secured personal items flying around.

A smile crept up Desjar’s face when found Jessy and Melissa waving at him in the distance. He clicked on a button to activate his long range audio receivers and Melissa’s cries came through a second later: “Daddy, over here daddy!”

Desjar took manual control of his ACU’s arm and waved back: “Thank god, it’s finally over.”

The Major General started looking for a place to dock in order to rejoin his family when another voice came through his audio receiver: “Mon petit gars! Mon petit chou! Mon petit coeur! Mon petit…”

Each short sentence was punctuated with a frantic kiss but it was the voice that followed that caught Desjar’s attention: “Maman… maman, je vais bien! Maman arrête, tous mes amis me regardent.”

Desjar knew that voice. He zoomed a bit to the side and found Major Weisman trying to calm his frantic mother as she planted kiss after kiss on each of his cheeks. A mischievous grin crept up Desjar’s face as he considered how he could use this to poke his second in command again and again. The thought froze in his mind as an obvious question popped forth: what was Weisman doing here?

A light blinked on his monitor, indicating an incoming transmission. Desjar pressed it and Flinn’s face appeared on his monitor: “Glad you made it safely, sir.”

“Flinn? Is the whole squad here? Why are you no longer assisting search and rescue operations on Earth? Where’s General Clarke?”

Flinn looked away reflexively as if the memory was too painful to bear: “Sir, we lost Earth… and everyone that was left on it.”

-----

Megan threw away her remote control as she stepped out of the desolate building and found the Cybran waiting for her. He was leaning against the burnt remains of a car with his arms crossed in front of his chest as if nothing had happened. That last part was what unsettled Megan the most: the fact that the creature in front of her was unfazed by the sheer destruction that surrounded him. There was something else as well but she could not put her finger on it and there were more pressing matters to attend to: “So what is your escape plan? Do you have an ACU waiting nearby?”

The Cybran did not answer or more to the point, he stood perfectly motionless. Megan found it strange that a lack of anything could feel so threatening but stood her ground. A lot of people had tried to intimidate her in the past and she was not about to back down now. His voice nearly startled her when he finally spoke: “Under normal circumstances, I would emphasize the distinction between strength and power by breaking bones or carving tissues, but sadly we do not have the luxury of time. Suffice it to say that until your strength increases then everything that you are belongs to me. You will follow, obey and learn or I will kill you without hesitation. In other words: I am your master.”

A sneer appeared on Megan’s face: “You don’t honestly think…”

The Cybran reacted in a blink of an eye, tearing part of the car’s frame and throwing it towards her. Megan dodged to the side but the improvised missile still hit her right shoulder and nearly knocked her off her feet. She looked at the wound and her eyes widened as the skin around it started swelling: “You son of a…”

Redfog cut her off before she could say anymore: “You have one hour.”

The finality in his tone as well as the fact that he did not continue his attack made her pause. The Cybran smiled under his mask as he kept speaking: “If you do not meet me in the hills to the east of the city by that time then you will die here. Use the opportunity to take as many supplies as you can secure… and also to properly treat your injury. The countdown starts right now.”

Megan hesitated while clutching her shoulder. She finally understood what had bothered her since the beginning. Whatever that thing in front of her was, it was neither a machine nor a man. For all she knew, it was not even human. She cursed under her breath and ran away as quickly as she could.

Redfog waited until she was gone before going back into the ruins and fetching the discarded remote control.

-----

The Aeon forces regrouped, combining galactic colossus and Czar experimental weapons with their full army for the next major assault. Rhiza was about to give the order for the next push when her sensors brought something to her attention: “This is Crusader Rhiza to all Commanders, cease your advance. The enemy is finally retreating.”

That last sentence left a sour taste in Rhiza’s mouth and she looked down at her hands in despair. They had only lost one pilot in the confrontation but had been forced to kill five of their sisters to gain the upper hand. This had turned into one of the darkest days in the Aeon Illuminate’s history.

Kathy’s face appeared on her monitor just then: “Well fought, Crusader Rhiza. I am happy to say that the Princess’ condition has stabilized enough for us to travel. We have also received a report that part of the quantum network is stabilizing. How and why we do not know, but it might be possible for us to communicate with Seraphim Two once we figure out how to clear the distortion.”

Finally a piece of good news! With any luck, they would be able to reach out to the military and warn them of Evaluator Kael’s coup. The betrayer would be exiled for her transgressions and peace would at last unite the galaxy. A light on Rhiza’s console indicated an incoming transmission and she quickly clicked on it. Had the home world already figured out how to break through the distortion?

To Rhiza’s horror, it was not the face of a choir that appeared but rather the one of their enemy: “This is Evaluator Khael speaking in the name of the Aeon Illuminate. I fear that I am the bearer of tragic news: Princess Rhianne Burke is dead.”

A gasp escaped both Rhiza and the Champion as the Evaluator kept speaking: “Her miraculous return ended in tragedy when the warriors that she encouraged to rebel in Earth’s conflict attempted to overthrow her. A rescue attempt was made by our brave knights but alas, they were unable to save her. These images clearly show the viciousness of the conflict.”

Images of the battle which had just taken place were displayed in the corner of the screen and Rhiza clenched her first in fury: “How dare she?”

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I must temporarily assume command of the Aeon Illuminate for all of our sakes. This latest infighting clearly shows how far we have fallen. We foolishly believed that we had mastered The Way but we must now bow down our heads and admit that we were wrong. We can no longer allow our own ignorance to blind us.”

Kael lowered her head for a moment in a minute of silence and Rhiza turned back to the Champion: “Can’t we transmit back on the same frequency? We must stop this aberration before it can go on any longer!”

The Champion shook her head: “Sadly, no. We are looking at the quantum disruptions now and it appears as though they are not random but rather an elaborate jamming signal. It will take us a long time before…”

The Evaluator raised her head just then and spoke: “Despite the darkness that surrounds us, a light has been found. The Seraphim have returned! The original creators of The Way have travelled from their eternal domain and are willing set us back on the right path once again. We must embrace this new vision with all of our hearts not just for the Aeon Illuminate, but for all of humanity. I ask that every high ranking member of the military and of the spiritual wing meet with me on Seraphim Two. Together, let us forge a new destiny for humanity.”

Kael’s eyes darkened: “And let all be warned that Crusader Rhiza and her coconspirators are guilty of treason, murder and abandoning The Way. If any of them are detected then you should immediately flee the area and report their presence to the nearest Commander. May the wisdom of the Seraphim be with all of us.”

The communication ended and Rhiza looked to the other pilots under her command. All of them were as outraged as she was: “How dare she claim that the Princess is dead or that we killed her?”

The Champion said aloud what all of them knew in their hearts: “Under normal circumstances, nothing would have stopped the Princess from putting an end to this battle. Evaluator Kael undoubtedly believes that her lack of intervention implies that she is dead. It is unfortunate, but our inability to diagnose and treat her condition means that we cannot rely on her words or her wisdom.”

The truth behind the statement caused Rhiza’s heart to ache but Kathy was not done yet: “It gets worse. It appears as though the quantum distortions have increased again. This might imply that either Kael or the Seraphim have taken control of this aspect of the quantum gate network. We will not be able to plead our case to the entire Aeon Illuminate as Evaluator Kael did.”

They were outmaneuvered on every level. Rhiza looked at the handful of pilots under her command and spoke: “Despite this tragedy, we must do our best to uphold the Princess’ wishes and safeguard this precious peace. Our first task should be to warn the United Earth Federation and the Cybran Nation of this impeding threat.”

Kathy nodded but turned away: “My fate is bound to the Princess. She cannot help us in our current struggle but there is a safe place that she can use to recover. I will take her there before Kael’s forces can track us down. Sadly, I must keep this location a secret for all of our sakes.”

The news saddened Rhiza who nodded slowly: “This is goodbye then?”

The Champion nodded but her gaze did not waver: “Have faith, Crusader Rhiza. Know that I will return when the Princess finally recovers and that we will fight side by side once again. You have my word.”

-----

Melissa jumped into Desjar’s arms as soon as he stepped into view: “I’m so glad you’re here! When do we get to go home?”

The simple question caused a lump in Desjar’s throat. He patted her head softly before planting a kiss on her cheek and setting her down: “I’m working on that, baby. There should be a cafeteria around here somewhere so you and your mother should take the opportunity to grab something good while you’re here, ok?”

“Why not come with us daddy? We’re safe here, right?”

A few other civilians had grown curious about the conversation and Desjar cast a pleading look towards Jessy. His wife patted their daughter’s shoulder: “Knowing your father, he most likely has a ton of reports and paperwork to take care of before he can join us. Come on now; let’s see if they have anything good to eat.”

Desjar nodded in gratitude and then moved towards Weisman who was still speaking with his mother: “Good evening, do you mind if I borrow your son for a few minutes? I promise that I’ll send him right back.”

The woman turned around and smiled as she recognized him: “Commandant Desjar! Non… oh sorry, I mean no, by all means take him! I’m sure that he must return to work. It’s just been so long since I last saw him and I was so worried.”

Desjar nodded in gratitude and motioned for Weisman to follow him. The two of them made their way through a few building blocks before stopping in an alley: “All right, what the heck happened back on Earth?”

Weisman winced at the question and looked around: “We’ve been ordered to keep the flow of information to a minimum in order to avoid a panic, sir. It might be best if you contacted Lieutenant General Hall and asked for an update directly from him.”

The situation had to be grave for Weisman to fall back on security protocol but Desjar would not be thrown off: “Flinn already gave me the big punch line and this is an unofficial conversation. I’ll go meet with Hall as soon as we’re done here but I only know the guy through reputation. I don’t want to go in there blindly.”

His second in command hesitated a while longer before nodding: “We split up after you left, transporting to different areas of the planet as they were vacated by the Cybrans and the Aeon Illuminate. We fortified our positions away from the major cities before sending engineers over to build quantum gates to help with the evacuation. Everything worked fine for a while but then the quantum gates started going haywire.”

Weisman passed a hand through his hair before continuing: “We started losing communication with one sector after the other. At first, we thought that the problems with the quantum gates were affecting even planetary data links but it was Tim who caught on that something was wrong. He noticed that the progression was too slow to be a network failure and yet too fast to be a land attack. He suggested that all of us get ready to gate at a moment’s notice. His warning probably saved all of our lives.”

A shudder ran along Desjar’s spine as he involuntarily got sucked into the tale: “So what happened? Your positions were fortified so how could anyone wipe out our forces so easily?”

“They had huge ships, nearly a quarter of a kilometer across. You’d think that their size made them slow but they were damned fast too. They were equipped with some crazy auto cannons and launched bombs that could almost knock out our shields in a single hit. Heck, it felt as though we were being pounded by mini-nukes. Four of them flew over my base and destroyed half of it in a single bombing run… and then it got worse.”

Weisman raised his hands helplessly while looking at Desjar: “Remember how you always warn SCU pilots to stay away from their Cybran equivalent because of their regeneration upgrade? Well those sick bombers had the same thing. My turrets manage to tear a nice hole in one of their wings on its first bombing run and it was almost repaired by the time that it turned around for its second pass. I ordered our squad to gate out and we were lucky enough to make it out alive. Not everyone was so fortunate.”

Desjar placed a comforting hand on Weisman’s shoulder: “So where’s Tim and the others now?”

The Major nodded towards the gate nexus: “The quantum network is still messed up and they stepped up when Lieutenant General Hall asked for volunteers to spread what little information we had to the other colonies. Flinn and I were on a recon mission when General Clarke gated over and we hurried back here as soon as we could. Last I heard; Clarke went to see Hall and they are planning our next move.”

The two men stayed silent for a short while before Desjar patted Weisman on the shoulder: “Get back to your family and make sure that they are well taken care of. I’ll see what Clarke and Hall are up to.”

Desjar nodded reassuringly before running off towards the control center. How could they fight off an enemy that could destroy the Earth in so little time? Heck, how was he supposed to tell his daughter that they no longer had a home to return to?

-----

There was no parade, no banners or anything else that indicated that Dostya was welcomed in any way. Before her stood over one hundred members of the Assumpta Node: ACU pilots, commandos, assassins, infiltrators and saboteurs. These were only the members which had stayed behind at Valerie’s request to ensure that Dostya, their new Chaslain, would return safely into Cybran territory. None of them smiled and the fanaticism in their eyes would undoubtedly rival that of the most devoted Aeon pilot.

Dostya refused to let herself be intimidated and waited for Valerie to finish questioning the local master of assassins. The pilot exchanged nods with the man before returning to Dostya with a bundle in her hands: “All quantum communications are still down and there has been no sign of Doctor Brackman. QAI is similarly unreachable despite multiple attempts to interface with it.”

The Elite Commander nodded towards the package and raised and eyebrow: “And this?”

Valerie kneeled in front of her while unwrapping the item. She presented the hilt of a plasma blade to Dostya and bowed her head: “We present to you a weapon suitable for a Chaslain. May it serve you as you see fit.”

Every set of eyes were turned towards her but Dostya refrained from expressing anything. Her next actions would determine whether the Assumpta Node would become a great asset or explode into civil war. She kept in mind all of her past dealings with Redfog and the way that he preferred brute honesty. She then picked the blade and turned to the crowd: “Some of you know me, some of you do not. The only thing that each of you knows for certain is that I am not a member of the Assumpta Node.”

Dostya leaned on the nearby rail and let her gaze cross each of theirs before continuing: “I am Elite Commander Ivanna Dostya of Node Fifty-Six and my first duty is and will remain to fight for the entire Cybran Nation and not for any particular node. I will not change that; not for the Assumpta Node and not even for Redfog. If any of you are too afraid to face that reality then they can walk away right now because I’ll have no use for them. Is there anyone?”

A deadly silence filled the room and no one even dared to move. Dostya scanned the crowd again before speaking even louder: “Is there anyone?”

Again the same silence and Dostya waited a few seconds longer before nodding: “Then for now, you’ll follow my orders. We have a lot of pilots here and I can use them. I want every Commander to stand ready to depart in the next ten minutes. Each of you will carry my instructions to different nodes which will include an intelligence update and formal orders to prepare their nodes for evacuation. This means that I want the Assumpta Node ready to move as well. Go!”

Her speech must have had the desired effect since everyone scrambled around in a hurry. Only the master of assassins dared to walk forward while bowing his head: “Chaslain, the Assumpta Node has never been forced to move in over a hundred years…”

Dostya barely turned her head by a few degrees in Valerie’s direction: “Did Redfog ever tolerate anyone questioning his orders in such a way?”

Valerie answered without hesitation: “No, Chaslain.”

Dostya returned her full attention to the master of assassins: “And is there any reason why I should tolerate such behavior?”

Again Valerie answered: “No, Chaslain.”

The master of assassins paled slightly as Dostya’s gazed narrowed: “Then get to work before I decide to ask what kind of punishment Redfog would have dished out. Now go!”

Dostya waited until everyone was busy making preparations before turning around to look at Valerie. A hint of a smile tugged at the side of the assassin’s lip: “It is a pity that you were not raised in the Assumpta Node. You understand more about our ways than you seem to realize.”

-----

A great fire had raged through the hills, transforming the once vibrant forest into skeletal figures. They seemed to claw towards the sky as if they were blaming the Seraphim for the destruction. The scenery did not trouble Redfog any more than the thought of the billions that had died on Earth. Many more had faced a similar fate during the Infinite War and the lives that had been lost here seemed inconsequential in comparison.

The assassin waited patiently, mentally keeping track of time as the deadline grew closer. He had purposely given the child the luxury of deciding for herself if she was willing to follow him. All of her anger and rage would be utterly useless if she could not grasp two things: that remaining here was a death sentence and that she lacked the strength to oppose him.

Redfog’s train of thought was interrupted when he spotted his new apprentice walking up the hill. She wore a heavy backpack loaded with scavenged supplies and scowled as the straps bit into her injured shoulder. She stopped when she noticed him and altered her course: “Are there any more rules or do I simply get beat up whenever I step outside the boundaries.”

It seemed as though humility was a hard lesson to learn but Redfog did not actually mind. Humility was mostly useful when one lacked the strength to alter events. If everything worked as he hoped then it would not be required for very long: “You may ask but you may not demand. You can only have your way when you have the strength to impose your will. Now let us be off.”

Redfog turned around without any warning and started walking up the hill. His new apprentice followed him grudgingly, almost jogging in order to keep up with him. The two of them walked in silence for several minutes before Megan dared to speak: “So do you have a name or does everyone that you ever meet call you master?”

For a second, Megan thought that she had crossed the line again but the Cybran did not turn around to strike her: “I have worn many names but I am currently known as Redfog. My true name is unimportant as is your own. Sometimes, making a new life means leaving the old one behind. Perhaps you will earn a new name when you grow stronger.”

Megan did not like the thought of being nameless but she had already learned by now that defying Redfog was a mistake. That and the thought of leaving her past behind had its own appeal: “You mentioned before that there was a distinction between strength and power. Why is it so important to know the difference? They sound pretty similar to me.”

Redfog turned his head to the side: “You already know the answer to that although few can actually make the connection. Enumerate as many sources of strength as you can.”

Was he testing her? If that was the case then Megan was willing to play along: “Well there’s physical strength like the way you tore that car apart. Then I guess there’s the kind of strength that comes from being in power like a president or having lots of money.”

The assassin was shaking his head in annoyance: “You are mixing notions again. Physical, political and financial strengths are three of them, yes. You could also have mentioned influence, knowledge, spiritual and much more. Anything that can be increased through effort and degrades due to a lack of attention can be defined as such. It does not, however, have a direct link to power.”

Redfog turned his attention to the steep incline ahead and started running. A simple push of his cybernetic legs was all he needed to jump up three meters and Megan marveled at the display. The Cybran motioned for her to come along and she had to crawl up the hill on all four: “How can you have strength and not have power?”

“If a professional athlete injures his leg, does he suddenly become a pathetic and powerless wretch or can he use what he has learned during his training to persevere? His physical strength might diminish but be replaced by a well of knowledge if he applies his mind to it. If such is the case then the individual always had power and merely altered its source.”

The assassin did not lean down to help Megan as she struggled up the small hill and kept talking: “On the other hand, we could take the example of high ranking politician. You might think that he is in power but that is not always the case. His entire support might come from other men whose agenda differs from his own and he could be forced to obey their wishes. Such a politician holds no power and is merely a figurehead being used by others. In the end, the source of any power is simply a matter of whether an individual has the will to develop or use his different strengths.”

Megan finally managed to climb up the hill and wiped the sweat from her brow: “That seems a little far fetched to me.”

Redfog leaned down in response and picked up a small rock in his hands: “My body was left crippled and broken on more than one occasion. Many would not have found the will to endure a similar fate.”

The assassin’s hand closed over the rock with uncanny force, shattering it in a heartbeat: “Yet only a fool would think of me as weak. The same can be applied to you as well.”

The sudden shift in conversation surprised Megan who could not help but show her surprise: “To me?”

Redfog nodded while pointing a finger at her: “You killed those three men with a limited amount of training, skill and knowledge where others would have surely fallen. That is a sign of power; of the ability to gain control over your own fate. The only question that remains is if this was the full extent of your will or whether you can become much more. Are you satisfied with mere survival or do you yearn for something greater?”

Was it an offer or a promise? A strange light danced in the Cybran’s eye and Megan could now begin to grasp the full extent of what she was facing: “What would I become if I reached such a level of power?”

A smile appeared behind the assassin’s mask: “Anything that you want.”

Again, it felt as though this was a test and Megan scowled: “If I became so powerful… then I would no longer accept to serve under you.”

She had expected a sharp retort or perhaps to be punished right here and now but the assassin’s grin only widened: “Good, you are slowly beginning to understand.”

Chapter 7
Burying the past

The door opened as soon as its sensors detected Desjar’s badge, revealing the small conference room. General Clarke and Lieutenant General Hall had been leaning over a tactical display and they straightened when they saw him. Hall immediately stepped forward and offered his hand: “Major General Desjar, it’s good to finally meet you. I was eager to make your acquaintance after speaking with your men.”

The straightforward and friendly greeting surprised Desjar who took the hand and shook it: “It’s a pleasure, Lieutenant General Hall. I hope that I’m not interrupting?”

The older Commander shook his head while leading him to the tactical display: “Not at all, although I fear that the news is grim. If you’ll just take a look here…”

Desjar followed Hall but took the time to study the other officer. The man’s uniform was spotless as was his neatly combed hair and mustache. There was something in Hall’s demeanor that Desjar found strangely appealing but he had a hard time putting a finger on it. The Major General looked around the conference room to try to figure out what it was when he suddenly caught his own reflection on an offline console. A few days had passed since the battle on Earth and there had not been any opportunity to shave or to take a bath.

The sudden realization allowed him to understand what was so unique about the other Commander. Hall’s words and manners were dignified yet straightforward and at no point had he hesitated to shake Desjar’s hand. More than one high ranking officer would have shown disdain at seeing a pilot in such a state.

Hall pressed a few buttons on the table and the image zoomed out to reveal the galactic map: “As I was saying, we have lost all contact with Earth and the few pilots that have managed to escape have revealed that it was overrun by an unknown force. Data retrieved from General Clarke’s ACU confirms that these are the same type of units that attacked her on UB Seventeen. As it stands, it appears that a new faction or a subdivision of a faction does not want the Infinite War to end.”

Desjar raised his head in surprise and looked at the two officers in front of him: “What do you mean by a subdivision?”

This time it was Clarke who answered: “If it was just one or two new units then we could undoubtedly trace this unknown force to one side or the other. From what we can tell, however, we are facing a whole new breed of ACU technology. All evidence so far points to the Mayr scenario.”

The idea seemed far fetched and yet this was the only possible explanation. The Mayr scenario was named after an evolutionary biologist called Ernst Walter Mayr. The basic theory was that a faction could secretly send part of its scientists and citizens to the far reaches of space to develop an entire new branch of warfare technology. A society which was removed from the Infinite War in such a fashion could dedicate all of its efforts towards creating an unstoppable army. There was also the possibility that such a society would in time develop its own social structure and even a new set of priorities.

Desjar gave it some more thought before nodding: “So which is the most likely faction: the Aeon Illuminate or the Cybran Nation?”

Lieutenant General Hall leaned on the table and shook his head: “So far, there is no way to know for certain. This new force has a hull and energy signature that is not unlike the Aeon Illuminate. However, it could just as easily be the Cybran Nation since they have shown a remarkable ability to acquire and assimilate their enemy’s technology. Finally, there is also the slim chance that this new force could be a section of the UEF. President Riley had many secret plans and it is possible that he could have launched such a project. A simple rupture of communication could be responsible for the attack on UB Seventeen.”

The notion of any UEF commander attacking Earth was ludicrous and Desjar looked up in surprise: “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Hall shook his head: “As I said, the possibility is unlikely. However, should we confront the Aeon Illuminate or the Cybran Nation then I would prefer it if we had done our part before accusing them. Commander Tural and a few other pilots were dispatched an hour ago to ascertain that hypothesis. They will begin their search on Griffin Four and move on from there. This mission could last weeks and perhaps even months. Even if they find nothing, the information that they will gather in those abandoned sectors could prove useful if we have to fall back.”

Desjar pointed towards the tactical map: “What about the rest of my men? I encountered Weisman and Flinn on the way over but I have not seen the others.”

A quick query on his console allowed Hall to zoom in on their location: “They have been positioned near what we believe to be the Aeon Illuminate’s new border. Their mission was to act as a first line of defense and also as a liaison should they try to establish contact with us. We could not risk sending troops into their territory without first consolidating our forces. At this rate, we’ll need a few weeks just to get everyone up to speed and take care of the civilians.”

Simply put, the whole situation was a mess on a scale unlike anything that the UEF had ever seen. Desjar rubbed his unshaved chin while considering his options. He quickly opted to do what he had always done and turned to Samantha: “With your permission, I would like me, Weisman and Flinn to go and relieve the rest of my men. Those transports that we just escorted here carried their families and they have not seen them in weeks. I would like to give them that opportunity.”

Samantha gave it some thought before nodding: “We could use you out there, Commander. Just be careful.”

-----

A hand reached up to grab a hold of a rock and Megan managed to haul herself up a moment later. She stayed near the edge of the small cliff while trying to catch her breath and looked at Redfog. The Cybran had been waiting for her all that time and showed no sign of exertion. She almost envied his cybernetic implants, but she would not show any weakness by admitting it.

Redfog looked at the city that lay in the distance and then nodded: “This should be far enough.”

The assassin motioned for Megan to drop her pack and she gladly did so. He then took a hold of the edge of his cloak with one hand and spread it out for her to see: “This material is designed to dampen electronic and heat signatures, allowing a motionless individual to stay unnoticed even while standing a few meters away from an enemy omni sensor. With proper training, it can even be possible to infiltrate the most heavily defended base.”

A wave of a hand allowed Redfog to draw Megan’s attention to their surroundings: “As you can see, this area is completely deserted. The lack of unit wreckage from any faction suggests that it is not a strategic point and that there are no significant resources in the area. That is why we are here.”

So they were trying to remain undetected? Megan was about to ask why when a remote control appeared in Redfog’s hands: “I believe this is yours.”

Megan sneered even as she took the device: “Are you mocking me? I tried pressing it a bunch of times when I faced you without any success. It doesn’t work.”

A mocking smile appeared under the assassin’s mask: “Are you sure?”

The apprentice snorted in derision, turned towards the city and pressed the button to prove her point. Her mouth fell open as a bunch of fireworks were launched in the distance. She was about to ask what was going on when Redfog’s cybernetic hand suddenly grasped the back of her neck with inhuman strength: “Try not to take this personally, but you’ll have to lie down right now.”

The edge in the assassin’s voice clearly indicated that he would break her neck without a second if she disobeyed. She therefore complied and Redfog matched her movements, laying next to her and draping part of his cloak over her shoulders in the process. He then whispered in her ear: “Just in case that you have any doubts, I will kill you if you attempt to escape. I can’t allow you to reveal our position after all.”

Megan had no doubts that he would do just that and the two of them waited for the Seraphim to attack.

-----

“We should finish our round here and then go look for my girl. I could even arrange for some of my boys to take our place while we’re gone.”

Kazuo, one of the rare pilots from the Jade Node, shook his head stubbornly while trying to dodge Bagby’s insistent probing: “She has not been gone that long. The quantum network disruptions will delay her for a few days especially if she’s bringing the symbionts with her. She’s just late, that’s all.”

The old SCU pilot merely snorted in derision: “Late? Did they give you a sushi instead of a brain? My girl is never late! She either comes home on time, gets in a fight or someone’s trying to date her without my permission. Either way, it means that I have some serious butt kicking to do and if you’re not going to help me then I’ll just…”

The Jade Node pilot was already rubbing his brows in preparation for another rant when his console suddenly light up: “We have an incoming transmission. The recognition codes are… from the Assumpta? What are they doing here?”

The stern face of an Assumpta pilot appeared on both of their monitors as soon as Kazuo opened the channel. The man did not even waste his time with a proper introduction: “I am here on behalf of our new Chaslain: Elite Commander Dostya. I am transmitting the set of orders that she prepared to the intention of Node Fifty-Six.”

Kazuo was about to ask what a Chaslain was when he noticed that Bagby was giggling uncontrollably. The Assumpta and Jade Node pilots turned to Bagby who burst out laughing: “An Assumpta with a sense of humor! Now I can die in peace because I’ve seen it all!”

The assassin’s face darkened and Kazuo cleared his throat in embarrassment: “I don’t think that he’s kidding.”

The simple statement was all it took to crush Bagby’s merriment: “He’s not?”

The old pilot’s knuckle grew white as he chewed his next words: “I swear that when we get this thing cleared up that I’ll go to Earth and shove a pair of batteries in Redfog’s corpse just to get the pleasure of doing him in myself!”

The violent outburst surprised Kazuo who immediately raised a finger: “Err… Bagby?”

“I’m fine, just fine, everything’s fine… you could even call it greasy. Just don’t pay any attention to the fact that this old guy who’s piloting a walking nuke is kicking a pile of rocks into dust! What about you guys? You’re fine, right?”

Kazuo had a hard time figuring out if Bagby was crazier than usual but that was not the reason that he had raised a finger: “We’re being hailed again… on an Aeon frequency. I think one of their pilots just gated on Minerva. That means that she would be a messenger?”

The news surprised Bagby and his earlier distress was replaced by a wicked grin: “Leave her to me…”

-----

The pilot took a deep breath and tried to establish communications once more: “This is Commander Thalia hailing any Cybran pilot in the area. I am here to deliver critical information concerning the Aeon Illuminate and the quantum network. I have no hostile intention and I will leave as soon as I have delivered my message.”

To her relief, a Cybran finally opened a channel and Thalia bowed her head in greetings. He was older than any other pilot that she had ever seen and he raised his head imperiously before speaking: “I am Bagby, pirate lord of the Red Skull Node, conqueror of the machine complex, undefeated wrestling champion of the elderly division, heaviest drinker on Minerva and unquestionable master of the grilled sausage.”

The proclamation hung in the air for a moment and Thalia’s relief was quickly replaced by confusion. She bowed her head once more and tried to approach the situation as diplomatically as she could: “Thank you for answering my hails. Could you please relay my transmission to a high ranking commander such as Elite Commander Dostya or perhaps Doctor Brackman? It is of the utmost urgency.”

Bagby’s face screwed up as if he was hurt: “What? I’m not good enough for you? I thought that the Aeon Illuminate cared about the elderly and respected their vast well of wisdom.”

Thalia clasped both hands in front of her in apology: “We did… I mean we do! I meant no disrespect but I simply thought…”

The Cybran pilot interrupted her before she could say any more: “And I have a kilometer long title! Does a guy have to add ‘lord of the dance’ to get noticed around here?”

The young pilot looked around in panic, unsure what the proper response should be: “No... I… um…”

Bagby nodded in sympathy: “So go ahead and deliver your message. I don’t bite after all… well ok, maybe I do in a brawl, while eating or during an intense love making session but we’re not doing that right now. Not that we couldn’t, mind you, because you’re hot and all, but you’re a tad too young for me. If you’re really convincing, however, then I could be persuaded to change my mind.”

A string of different emotions crossed Thalia’s features in rapid succession and the young pilot had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves: “Princess Rhianne Burke, the one who transmitted her message of peace on the day of Black Sun, somehow survived her ordeal and is amongst us once more.”

The old SCU pilot nodded quickly: “That’s good.”

Thalia’s gaze lowered in grief: “However, the events have left her in a coma and Evaluator Kael has taken the opportunity to seize control of the Aeon Illuminate. We were powerless to stop her.”

Bagby scratched the back of his head while frowning: “That sounds bad.”

The Aeon pilot nodded: “I fear that it gets worse. Evaluator Kael claims that the Seraphim have returned and that she is acting on their behalf. She tried to kill our beloved Princess and if her actions are any indications of things to come then I fear that it will not be long before war explodes once again. We have no concrete evidence, but recent events indicate that the troubles with the quantum network are linked to Evaluator Kael or to the Seraphim.”

The old SCU pilot crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded vigorously: “Yep, it’s definitely bad. Is there anything else?”

Thalia nodded: “Those that remain loyal to the Princess’ cause will keep searching for a way to stop Evaluator Kael. However, should we fail then it is conceivable that the war could begin once again. We would beg you to remain vigilant. Other Commanders were sent into UEF territory to transmit the same message.”

Bagby pressed a button to his side and nodded once more: “We’d have done so anyway, but thanks for the warning. I’ll make sure that it gets transmitted to everyone in short order.”

A smile of relief touched Thalia’s lips and she bowed her head in gratitude: “Thank you; this was all that I hoped to accomplish. I will leave now and trouble you no longer.”

Bagby shrugged: “It was no trouble at all, sweetheart. Feel free to look me up if you’re ever in the neighborhood if you want to talk or do that biting thing that I mentioned earlier. See you around!”

The old pilot closed the channel and rubbed the back of his fingers against his flight suit: “Yep, yep, I still got it. There’s no woman in the galaxy that can resist the old Bagby charm.”

He then turned to the other two Commanders on his screen and pointed a finger at the Assumpta pilot: “Hey scarecrow, you got all that? Well get a copy of that transmission to my girl. Make it snappy while I’m in a good mood or I’ll kick you down a quantum gate myself.”

The assassin’s eyes narrowed but he nodded before closing the channel. Meanwhile, Kazuo bit back his smirk: “You have many hidden talents it seems.”

The old SCU pilot nodded proudly: “Damned right I do! Did I ever tell you about the time that I married one of those Aeon chicks? Now that was something to see!”

The tale went on and Kazuo groaned for he had heard it at least a dozen times by now. Meanwhile, Thalia powered up her quantum gate from the safety of her base which was nearly a hundred kilometers away. The meeting had been an unorthodox one to say the least, but her mission had been a success. She could only hope that Crusader Rhiza would be similarly fortunate on her own journey.

-----

Rhiza had practiced her speech a dozen times in her mind before setting out. She had made sure that it could convey the gravity of the situation as quickly as possible without appearing threatening in any fashion. She had even searched for the proper wording in order to create a foundation for a future alliance. Most importantly, she had made sure that the words were her own and that they conveyed the true meaning behind her fears and hopes. In short, she had tried to deliver the news in a way that the Princess would have approved of.

The UEF pilot on her monitor listened to it all without interruption as Rhiza ended her speech: “Other Commanders were dispatched into Cybran territory to convey the same message.”

She let the words hang for a moment and studied the pilot’s reaction. He wore an emotionless mask and yet subtle signs betrayed his true feelings. His jaw muscles were pulled tight, he barely blinked and his intense gaze bore right through her. This was more than simple anger; the man actually hated her and she could sense it even as he spoke: “You have delivered your message. You can leave now.”

The sharpness of his retort caused Rhiza to flinch but she still tried to reach out in a friendly fashion: “If I have offended you then I did not mean to. Will you please transmit this information to the rest of the United Earth Federation?”

The man’s eyes darkened immediately: “I will but what we will do with that information is none of your business. Now it’s past time for you to leave.”

Had Rhiza been facing another Aeon pilot then she would have made it her duty to clear out the misunderstanding in a friendly fashion. This was apparently not the right time or place to do this however and she bowed her head before closing the channel.

Back in his ACU, the UEF pilot kept a close eye on his sensors as the intruder powered up her quantum gate. A concerned face appeared on his monitor a second later: “Wasn’t that a bit a harsh, sir? She did risk her life to relay critical information to us.”

Desjar did not even flinch at Weisman’s criticism nor show any remorse: “I lost my best friend to the Aeon Illuminate’s sweet talk. I’m not going to give them a chance to do the same with me or anyone else. Let’s get back to Pollux and deliver the news. Things are turning uglier by the minute.”

-----

The automated construction drones flew tirelessly through the air, assembling the experimental weapon as quickly as they could. Doctor Brackman watched it all through his ACU’s sensor while his mind worked furiously to implement the proper modifications on the fly. He would only get once shot at this, a single opportunity to break QAI’s hold over the quantum network. There was no point trying to contact anyone out there before that objective was complete.

It was not a question of pride or that his children lacked the proper competence. Doctor Brackman had come to rely on their individual skills through the centuries and he could have used their help right now. The only problem was that QAI remained integrated in every Cybran system. The artificial intelligence would spot him the moment that he tried to contact his children and would launch an attack immediately afterwards. What he needed was not to contact any single node but to warn everyone at the same time.

The enormity of the situation weighed heavily on the Doctor especially considering the circumstances. He truly stood alone for one of the first times in centuries. There had always been one of his children or even QAI to fall back on but not this time. The only person that Doctor Brackman had managed to reach through unconventional means was the pilot known only as the Tip of the Spear; his son. If Brackman’s plan failed then it would be up to him to save as many as possible.

The Doctor suddenly realized that he had made a calculation error and sent the automated drones to correct it. He then zoomed out and watched as the experimental weapon as it took shape. It was only a skeletal and toned down version of the original model but its shape clearly showed that it was inspired by Black Sun’s design.

Brackman ACU’s looked up to the sky as the brain that piloted it formed a single thought: “Please let me save my children.”

-----

Nearly three hours had passed since the fireworks had been launched and Redfog’s threat still hung heavily in the air. The Seraphim had not shown up however and Megan found herself relieved that she had not accidentally destroyed a city: “How much longer do you intend for us to remain here? They’re not coming.”

Redfog nodded slowly and released Megan’s neck: “I suspected that they would not, but the test was still a useful one. No matter how flashy they might be; fireworks could easily be dismissed as background noise. Many explosions coming from different civilian vehicles and infrastructures after the attack would have drawn them back here otherwise.”

Megan winced while rubbing the back of her neck: “So my plan to threaten you into obeying me was a failure to begin with… but why did the fireworks launch this time?”

The assassin showed her the visual display on his left arm in response: “The node that I belong to actively believes in close combat. That is why we always carry a short range jammer with us. Stealth and communication’s disruption is a powerful combination.”

The apprentice’s eyes widened in appreciation. Only then did she realize that she had never been in control during their initial conflict. The assassin has always been several steps ahead of her, armed with an equal proportion of skill, technology and knowledge. If she kept following him, would she become just as strong?

Redfog’s finger moved over the display, drawing Megan’s attention back to reality: “What are you doing now?”

A twisted smile appeared under Redfog’s mask as he entered the necessary commands: “There is an old and antiquated belief that humanity will always be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Some even pushed that belief further, pretending that a chosen environment will give birth to the same twisted individuals again and again. Do you believe in such a preconceived fate?”

The philosophical question seemed odd considering the situation, but Megan shook her head anyway: “No, I don’t.”

Redfog’s smile grew: “Neither do I. However, if fate does indeed have a hand to play every few generation then it might be interesting to cheat it, yes?”

The obvious pleasure in the assassin’s voice sent shudders coursing down Megan’s spine: “What does that mean?”

The assassin entered the final sequence and showed Megan the screen while reaffirming his hold over her neck. Only one sentence was displayed: quantum emitter engaged.

“Your plan to destroy the city failed… let’s see if mine will work.”

They did not have to wait long this time for a Seraphim ACU to appear at the edge of the city. The war machine immediately started constructing a base and soon led the attack. This time, not a single structure was left standing.

Chapter 8
Unthinkable

Thel-Uuthow’s ACU stood upon the remains of a human city with his newly constructed army moving around him. Nothing had been left to chance this time. Every structure had been razed to the ground and a line of Suthanus mobile heavy artillery was moving over the rubbles in a well coordinated manner, shooting every so often in order to destroy the underground sewage system.

The Seraph was confident that not a single human would survive the encounter and yet he still felt that something was missing. The unexpected quantum burst in the area had suggested that an ACU had appeared or that the survivors had either found or repaired a quantum gate. Yet even the most thorough examination had revealed absolutely nothing. The whole situation felt wrong.

Few amongst the Seraphim understood humans as well as Thel-Uuthow did. He had spent several lifetimes documenting their thought patterns by monitoring QAI and the quantum network. His experiments on Alpha Seven had also yielded invaluable information. The most important thing that one had to keep in mind when facing a human was that they held on to their delusions as if they were the very reason behind their existence.

There were many human justifications that could have been behind the quantum burst: vengeance, duty, curiosity, desperation, self sacrifice, honor and even a suicidal tendency. In each of those cases, however, the individual responsible for the disruption would have been present. Thel-Uuthow had personally led the attack down the city’s core and had found no ACU or human that could fit any of these profiles.

So the question remained: for what reason had someone doomed thousands of his kind and yet not be around when the Seraphim came?

-----

The master and his apprentice had been walking in silence for several hours now. Megan looked at Redfog’s back and imagined all the possible ways that she could try to kill him. He had destroyed her home and had forced her to watch, tightening his grip on her neck whenever she dared to close her eyes.

She had never truly liked the place and only a few people in the city had ever been kind to her. Most of those had perished during the Seraphim’s initial attack and the few kind souls that had survived had been killed by thugs and madmen in the aftermath. Megan’s last resort plan had also implied the destruction of the city, but there was a key difference. She had meant to take everyone with her if she could not survive while the Cybran had planned to destroy the city from the very beginning.

The fact that he apparently felt no remorse over the act irritated her even more until she finally spoke out loud: “So why did you do it? Why did you destroy an entire city?”

Megan flung the questions like an accusation, but the assassin answered as plainly as if he was talking about the weather: “You seem to be slightly confused. I did not destroy the city nor even kill anyone in it,” he turned his head sideways and looked at her from the corner of his eyes: “The only one here who actually killed anyone in there was you if I recall correctly.”

The unexpected twist caught Megan by surprise and the surge of adrenaline made her react before she could think things through: “Don’t you dare pin this on me! You deliberately wanted to destroy that city for no reason at all!”

The Cybran stopped in his track and Megan suddenly realized that she probably signed her own death sentence: “Your grasp on reality seems to be slightly twisted and now is the proper time to realign it.”

He turned towards her slowly, his gaze uncompromising: “When the Seraphim attacked, did you think for a moment that they bombed that city by accident? Do you think, even for a second, that they did the same all over Earth because they were misguided or because they had no choice? Don’t be absurd!”

Redfog took a step towards Megan who did not even dare to move: “They purposely, deliberately and expressively targeted every man, woman and child on this planet. It was a planned choice made by a sentient species and their first step on a road that will lead to genocide. Their goal is nothing but the complete eradication of the human race! The event that we witnessed is proof of that.”

Megan barely managed to face that intense glare: “But if you had not…”

The assassin waved the notion away: “My actions only bumped the city up in terms of targeting priority. The Seraphim still had the option of negotiating, capturing, subduing, recuing, enslaving, bartering or any other type of interaction if they wanted to. The fact that they did not proves that the city would still have been destroyed eventually; it was just a question of when. Now at least they did not die in vain because we were present to learn from their destruction.”

She had no idea what was more horrible; what Redfog said, that he believed it or that a small part of her was actually agreeing. The assassin went on: “The ACU moved too soon inside the city which demonstrates either arrogance or overconfidence. Many of their units are designed for a frontal assault with little to no strafing capability. The approach was a very straightforward one with no attempt to outwit a potential enemy. In short, they have great strength and their lack of hesitation gives them power, but they also have interesting psychological flaws that can be exploited.”

A shiver ran down Megan’s spine as she considered her next words: “So can we leave now that you figured that out?”

A wicked grin slowly appeared under Redfog’s mask: “We can’t leave… not without giving them something to look forward to. Tell me, have you ever heard of something called Option Zero?”

-----

It took six hours and several jumps for Desjar to return to Pollux. His mouth fell open when he finally stepped out of the local quantum gate and found that the number of refugees had quadrupled during his short absence. Armed guards were directing the civilians towards recently built shelters and outposts had been set up for those looking for lost family members and loved ones.

Desjar zoomed out his tactical screen and spotted engineers, SCUs and ACUs moving around the base’s perimeter, tearing down old fortifications and trying to rearrange the base layout so that the civilian sectors would be properly protected with shield generators. Desjar felt a shudder run down his spine as a single realization hit him: they could not effectively protect this many civilians.

The nearly bald head of an Earthcom tactical officer appeared on his screen and spoke quickly: “Ah hell. Commander, could you please move your ACU out of the quantum gate? We have three other units inbound and your presence is lowering the gate nexus’ effectiveness.”

Desjar moved out of the alcove immediately, but he was still surprised by the lack of proper communication’s protocol. The officer had not even bothered to close the channel and was desperately trying to coordinate his efforts with everyone around him. It was only after several seconds that someone tapped him on the shoulder and that the man realized that he was still transmitting. The officer reached towards his console and could not help but grumble in annoyance: “Ah hell…”

The transmission was closed a few seconds later, leaving Desjar to ponder what else had happened during his short absence. Somehow, a part of him had always taken Earthcom for granted. Now that the intelligence division was in total chaos, he found himself missing the redundant but usually accurate transmission. He briefly wondered just how bad things would get once he delivered his own news.

-----

Rhiza’s ACU appeared on the jungle moon of Elanor Five, setting a large section of the forest on fire in the process. She quickly reclaimed what few trees threatened to start a large scale inferno and was then greeted by Thalia’s smiling face: “My mission in Cybran territory was a success. What about yours?”

A sigh escaped Rhiza as she spoke: “The message was delivered, but I fear that the good intentions behind it might have been lost. Although no threatening move was made, it felt as though my very presence would have been enough to start the Infinite War all over again.”

Tactical updates were quickly forwarded to Rhiza’s screen and she plotted a course towards the newly built staging base. Thalia nodded, her eyes reflecting genuine grief: “I fear that our actions during the Infinite War might have earned us the righteous anger of many citizens and pilots of the United Earth Federation. They may not be very receptive to our words after so much fighting.”

The younger Commander most likely did not realize the depth of her understatement, but this was not the time for Rhiza to instill further doubts: “Then we will let our actions speak for us instead. How many pilots have the others managed to recruit to our cause?”

Thalia’s eyes darkened immediately: “Only a few more dared to join us after Evaluator Kael’s speech. Crusader Alga has not yet returned from her mission and we fear that she might have been killed. If that is the case, then we only have twenty-six pilots willing to follow the word of the Princess. If we add the support personnel that followed us then there are one hundred and fifty-eight people here. We do not have the numbers to directly oppose Kael or tip the balance of war in any direction.”

The assessment was grim but unfortunately, it was also accurate. Twenty-six pilots did not even represent a tenth of the Aeon Illuminate’s forces. Combined with the fact that Evaluator Kael or the Seraphim had control of the quantum network and this left them at an extreme disadvantage. Reaching Seraphim Two would be an uphill battle with constant fights every step of the way. Neither the UEF nor the Cybran Nation had ever managed that and the Seraphim were still an unknown factor.

“What we lose in numbers, we gain in mobility,” Rhiza whispered without even realizing it. The implications of her own words suddenly caught up to her and she nodded vigorously. She then opened a broad band channel and spoke to everyone that had joined them: “This is Crusader Rhiza. I know that the situation looks grim, but we must not despair.”

Rhiza squared her shoulders before speaking: “Our numbers may be small, but we have something that Evaluator Kael will never have: the truth of the Princess. The truth is that humanity should not fear its differences, but be united by them. The Way does not flourish from destruction and indoctrination, but rather mercy and understanding. Such a truth, when spoken without fear, echoes through the heart of any man, woman or child, leaving behind a seed of hope.”

A moment of silence passed as Rhiza collected her thoughts: “We will fight to free the hearts of our people from Kael’s lies. We will also do our best to assist the United Earth Federation and Cybran Nation. They have suffered enough at our hands and should not have to so any longer. Although we might only be able to offer light resistance at first by using covert tactics, in time the truth of the Princess’ words will take root. When that happens, our people will turn away from Kael’s lies and the galaxy will unite in order to stand as one.”

A quick glance on her monitor showed that the few pilots under her command were nodding in determination. Although their forces were insignificant, the small squad would do what it could to save humanity.

-----

Each member of the Assumpta Node moved in silence through the small encampment, making adjustments to their Armored Command Units and updating them with the latest stealth and targeting software. The forward base of operation would serve its purpose for another six hours before moving elsewhere as a precaution.

Bagby watched it all from the camp’s entrance and yawned. There was no arguing that the Assumpta Node was one of the most efficient groups of pilots in the Cybran Nation, but they were also the dullest. That and none of them of them would even take a minute to tell him where his little girl was. The old pilot meant to rectify both of these problems.

A smile crept up Bagby’s face as he cracked his fingers and then moved to the middle of the encampment. He then cleared his voice before shouting loud enough for everyone to hear: “All right! Who do I have to kill to get some respect around here?”

Everyone stopped simultaneously with more than one Assumpta reaching for a blade. Bagby slowly turned his head left and right as if daring one of them to step forward. He did not even flinch when one assassin who was a head taller than him stepped forward while flexing his arms. The Assumpta moved within arm length and Bagby snorted in disgust: “Go pick someone your own size.”

The assassin’s eyes narrowed dangerously: “You expect to make a bold challenge and then simply cower away?”

Bagby rolled his eyes immediately: “No, you’re no match for me. I can tell just by looking at your arms that you’re using steroids so my balls are at least twice your size. You can’t beat me if you don’t have the balls, kid.”

For a second, it appeared as though the assassin would attack right there and then, but a clear voice stopped him before he made his move: “I seem to remember that a good kick to those balls gave me the upper hand once.”

The SCU’s pilot face brightened instantly and he turned around with both arms wide: “There’s my girl!”

Dostya came towards Bagby with Valerie on her heels and motioned for the other pilot to lower his arms: “I’m glad to see you, but could you simply try to call me next time? I don’t think that you understand just how strained things are over here. Did you even read the instructions that I sent you?”

Valerie took a step forward then and emphasized the point: “Your previous outburst could have proven harmful, if not lethal. Your presence here is a liability…”

The old pilot raised a finger just then and stopped them both: “Aha! But that’s the beauty of it. You see; if the craziest of these guys are thinking about beating me up then they won’t be thinking about my girl. Therefore, keeping their attention on me it the best way to protect her! See how smart I am?”

A groan escaped Dostya as she rubbed her temples: “You’re crazy…”

Valerie nodded quickly but offered a counterpoint: “But he’s also right.”

Dostya tried to find another argument but simply shook her head in resignation: “We’ll discuss this another time. Right now we’re heading to Procyon to see what’s wrong with QAI. It will take us days just to get there with the state that the quantum network is in so you might as well tag along. We’ll summon your SCU as soon as we can. Just try not to get killed while we’re gone.”

The old pilot nodded while grinning: “Sure thing. Have fun out there!”

Both Dostya and Valerie went to their respective ACUs while Bagby took a seat on top of a weapon’s crate. The assassin that had challenged Bagby was still eyeing him threateningly, but did not step forward again. The old SCU pilot spread out his leg and pointed a hand towards his crotch: “For the record, my balls got bigger after she kicked them.”

-----

Desjar stood once more in the small conference room with Samantha and Hall. He had just finished his report and the silence that followed weighed heavily on all of them. Hall finally nodded to Desjar: “Thank you for insisting that we discuss this in private, Commander. Did you mention Earth’s destruction to Crusader Rhiza before she left?”

The question surprised Desjar who immediately shook his head: “No sir. I would not reveal any information to the Aeon Illuminate unless ordered to do so.”

“A shame,” Hall said while rubbing his moustache: “She sounds like the kind of individual who could have used this information as leverage on her people. From the looks of things, it seems as though war could explode again in a few days.”

The declaration angered Desjar for some reason and he placed both hands on the table: “With all due respect, sir, are you implying that we should trust any of this? It’s not impossible that she could be the one trying to manipulate us into starting the war again.”

Hall appeared genuinely surprised by the statement: “I have faced many Aeon pilots in the past, Commander. I have seen everything from reluctant battle spirits to outright fanaticism, but in my experience they do not lie. When one of them says something, whether it is a threat or a plea, then I think it would be wise to listen.”

Desjar was about to add that pilots had been turned to their cause by listening too much, but Samantha interrupted them both: “That is beside the point right now. What is truly important is that Pollux and many other colonies are surrounded by the Seraphim, the Aeon Illuminate and the Cybran Nation. We no longer have Earth as our last bastion of defense, our forces are disorganized, we have one confirmed enemy and one suspected of becoming one shortly. If we make the mistake of fighting on so many fronts then we will lose once again.”

Neither Desjar nor Hall argued the point, not with the staggering losses that they had taken during the Infinite War. Samantha pressed a few buttons on the tactical map and zoomed out to expose the whole galaxy: “We have no choice; we must evacuate to the edge of colonized space and fortify our positions. Widening the battlefield will hopefully buy us the time that we need.”

The proclamation caused all three Generals to wince despite themselves. The UEF had never been dislodged off the core worlds for over a thousand years. Abandoning those fertile lands seemed like an unthinkable option and yet it was the only way that any of them would survive. They needed time to regroup, treat their wounded, overcome the Seraphim’s technological edge and prepare a counter attack. They would not get that chance if they stood in the open.

Samantha took a deep breath and then nodded: “I’ll go prepare a suitable speech and dispatch the necessary orders to the other colonies.”

She saluted the other two officers and they both returned the gesture. Desjar watched her go and tried to think of a way that he would tell his family. Jessy would understand, but Melissa still thought that they were supposed to return home soon. How would she react when he told her that their home was lost?

Desjar was still pondering that question when Hall turned to him: “Commander, may I ask you a personal question? You seem to be angry with the Aeon Illuminate. I would like to know why.”

Under normal circumstances, Desjar would have deflected the question, but Hall’s eyes reflected a sincerity that was hard to ignore: “Off the record?”

The Lieutenant General nodded and Desjar hesitated a few seconds before speaking: “I lost my best friend to these fanatics. They didn’t just kill him, they turned him to their cause and he was fighting us on Earth. Had he just died in a fight or even got caught in a Cybran assassination attempt then I could have put it behind me. It would have been hard, but I had prepared myself for those eventualities.”

Hall placed a comforting hand Desjar’s shoulder: “It was Commander Arnold, wasn’t it? I never met him, but he must have been a great man for you to admire him so.”

The statement made Desjar look up in surprise: “You knew about him, but you still trusted me enough to send me to the front?”

The Lieutenant General nodded slowly: “Your men admire and trust you implicitly. Even if this was the only thing that I knew about you then it would be enough for me to do the same. We are all entitled to our doubts, Commander. The only ones who do not have any are those who have yet to be truly tested.”

There was something else underlining Hall’s words: “What are you saying, sir?”

Hall extended a hand towards the tactical map: “We’re about to enter a whole new type of war, Commander. One in which the Cybran Nation and part of the Aeon Illuminate will not be our main concern. The situation is grim and one day we may be forced to look to our former enemies for help. I hope that when that day comes that you’ll be able to put aside those past differences.”

Desjar knew what was being asked of him. Every fiber of his being revolted at the mere notion of an alliance with the Aeon Illuminate but he still nodded: “It won’t be easy, sir.”

The Lieutenant General nodded: “Wars rarely are.”

Chapter 9
Lessons

Ten days later…

Kael stood in front of one of the largest council gatherings in the history of the Aeon Illuminate. Many faces were absent of course; commanders who had fallen in battle and Evaluators which has been slain by Marxon’s hands. Kael had addressed the invitation to everyone, intending to use the opportunity to spread the Seraphim’s words as well as her own influence.

She waited for the few murmurs to die down before addressing the crowd: “Humanity has always repeated the mistakes of the past. Those who speak of a golden age when humanity initially spread to the stars using quantum gate technology are seeing only what they wish to remember.”

The words hung heavily through the air as Kael observed the crowd: “The Infinite War started a thousand years ago, that is true. However, humanity has always been at war no matter the age. It has fought in the name of power, economy, ideology, control, freedom, revolution and more. The Infinite War was not the beginning of anything. It was merely a continuation of what has always existed, but on a larger scale.”

An old evaluator, one which had been off world during the final days of the war, stood up and bowed her head: “We have heard such words before, but we are finally at peace now. The sacrifice of our Princess has ensured that.”

Kael resisted the urge the lash out, preferring to maintain her composure in public. How dare anyone interrupt her words when she spoke in the name of the Seraphim? She took a deep breath and turned to the Evaluator: “Are you sure about that?”

The Evaluator opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it afterwards. No one could be sure of anything, especially with the state of the quantum network. Only the Seraphim, and therefore Kael, truly understood what was going on: “It is said that a war cannot be stopped; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others. I will ask you all to remember how our benevolence has played against us through the ages. The UEF and Cybran Nation have used these centuries to improve their technology, introducing massive experimental weapons that could match our own.”

The display screen behind Kael light up slowly, exposing a strategic map of the galaxy in the final days of the Infinite War: “We were fooled despite our apparent victory on Earth. Our hesitation nearly resulted in genocide on a galactic scale at the hand of the UEF. Our overconfidence caused us to underestimate the Cybran Nation’s ingenuity, giving them the opportunity to reach Earth in a scenario that we deemed impossible. Each of us should remember that we nearly failed despite our best efforts.”

The Evaluator which had previously opposed Kael sat back down. Kael felt some small amount of pleasure from that, but she made a mental note that such opposition would not go unpunished for long: “Our lack of foresight has cost billions of lives, but fortunately the Seraphim have come to our aid. They will help us end this eternal cycle of war, peace and revolution once and for all. They only ask for our cooperation in return.”

Kael scanned the room one more time, but no one dared to oppose her this time. Her face softened for a moment as she spoke: “I know that some of you might fear the Seraphim, but I assure you that they have nothing but our best interests at heart. They have watched us for untold eons, hoping each day that humanity would suddenly awaken from its self induced nightmare. Can any of you even imagine what it would be like; to be an observer of the destruction that we have wrought? Can any of you imagine the sadness that humanity has unleashed on the entire galaxy?”

Many Evaluators and Commanders bowed their heads in shame. Originally, The Way had been the Seraphim’s legacy to the Aeon Illuminate. To be told centuries later that their actions had betrayed that belief was heart wrenching.

Another minute passed before Kael spoke again: “We have tried to save humanity on our own and we have failed. If our wisdom is insufficient for the task then it is time for us to follow another path; the one that the Seraphim have laid out before us. We will be reborn!”

Heads nodded in agreement as she kept speaking: “The Aeon Illuminate will henceforth be known as the Order of the Illuminate. All Commanders should report to Seraphim Two in order to be reassigned to a new command structure, one designed to best support our benefactors. Should a pilot no longer wish to fight, then she should take the opportunity to step down and let someone else stand in her place. Humanity’s weakness is what has allowed the Infinite War to last for so long… we should not allow that same flaw to harm the Seraphim’s dream of peace.”

Kael looked at everyone one last time before proclaiming: “Let us begin…”

-----

“We’ll stop here for the night.”

Megan sank down as soon as Redfog spoke those words and rubbed her sore feet. As usual, the assassin came towards her a few seconds later and handed her a small computer screen. Most of its functions were locked and the only menu which was available displayed a restricted list of topics.

Although he had never ordered her to do so, Megan knew that Redfog expected her to learn all of these before going to sleep. The cycle had been going on for days now, but as time passed she found herself looking forward to these periods. It was hard to explain, but there was something fundamentally different with this form of teaching. School had always annoyed Megan for the simple reason that most of what she learned could rarely be applied in her everyday life.

The list of topics on the computer always covered practical subjects and only delved in the scientific part when it was relevant to do so. For example, one of her original lessons focused on projectile based firearms; their basic components, how to wield them and maintain them effectively. The next day, one lesson covered long range battles using projectile weaponry and that lesson would not be complete without a section covering how gravity affected bullets. Another lesson a few days later was centered around potential type of covers which therefore had a section on material shock tolerance.

All of these were so perfectly integrated that it was easy to get sucked into it. Megan scanned today’s lessons and her eyes widened in anticipation: decoy tactics, stealth principles, laser weaponry, sleight of hand tricks, advanced first aid lessons and more! Her gaze ran down the list and stopped at the last item: UEF nuclear weapons.

Megan frowned, finding the topic out of place in a list that usually comprised subjects which applied first and foremost to personal combat. She tapped on the screen to access it and found a complete list of schematics as well as instructions indicating how to take a nuclear warhead apart. She raised her head and looked at Redfog: “Why did you include this lesson?”

The assassin did not answer as he scanned the horizon and Megan pressed on: “All of the previous ones related to things that I could do or to equipment that we could potentially come across. This one is different; it’s the kind of topic that I would imagine giving for a special mission or perhaps to a high ranking ACU pilot.”

Redfog still did not turn towards her, but nodded: “Keep going…”

Megan licked her lips in anticipation. This was a test of whether she could find her own answers or not based on limited information. She took a few seconds to think things through before speaking: “I am obviously not ready to pilot an ACU so this means that you either made a mistake in giving me that topic or that you have a special task in mind. You mentioned something called Option Zero before and if I had to make a guess, I would say that it’s related to these nuclear weapons… you know where they are and we’ve been walking towards them, haven’t we?”

A chuckle escaped Redfog as he finally turned towards her: “See? It is far more rewarding when you find your own answers, isn’t it?”

Megan nodded eagerly, already trying to anticipate the significance behind the nuclear weapon schematics.

-----

The Cybran ACU appeared next to a fully functional base and the nearby infrastructures were immediately transferred to it. Dostya had to admit that the Assumpta had an efficient deployment tactic, but she still found the gesture overprotective. No amount of talking had dissuaded Valerie from going through with it though. Being the Assumpta Node’s Chaslain might mean that she commanded them, but it appeared as though her powers to determine her own protective measures were limited. Hopefully this would not cause too much trouble in the near future.

Valerie’s face appeared on her monitor just then: “We have Procyon’s chief engineer on the line. Shall I transfer him directly to you?”

Dostya nodded and greeted the man with a curt node when the connection was established: “I need a status report on QAI.”

The man winced: “Quite frankly, we’re lost. QAI’s processing capabilities went through the roof when Doctor Brackman upgraded it with stolen Aeon technology. Prior to that, we could have narrowed down the affected clusters and tried to isolate them. As far as we know, QAI’s overall processing capabilities were still growing up to the point when Black Sun was fired. After that, the quantum network became such a mess that we could not even monitor it anymore.”

Quantum network readings were forwarded to Dostya’s screen and she shook her head quickly: “Procyon holds QAI’s primary mainframe. Can’t you reboot him from here?”

“Impossible,” the engineer said without missing a beat: “Figuratively speaking, even if QAI’s entire brain was here, it would be like trying to give it a shock without worrying about the rest of the body. Its consciousness covers the entire quantum network. If a part of it is damaged or compromised then it is programmed to reinitialize these components elsewhere. It’s the only reason why neither the UEF nor the Aeon Illuminate have ever managed to track or seriously damage it, but it’s also preventing us from assisting in its repairs.”

Dostya sighed and looked at the time: “It’s been twenty-one days since Black Sun was fired. Considering the possibility that QAI might have been attacked by alien technology then how much more time would you need to fix it?”

The engineer was shaking his head before Dostya even finished asking the question: “I can’t…”

The Elite Commander interrupted him: “Days, weeks, months? Give me a gross estimate at least.”

There was a long pause as the engineer looked at his other screens. His eyes darted left and right before he finally dared to answer: “In the best case scenario, if I get a little break and if my team is allowed to work then we might be able to come up with something in a week or two.”

Dostya nodded and keyed something on her console: “Assign half of your team to figure out a way for us to quickly contact the other nodes. I want the ability to issue a warning across the entire Cybran Nation in minutes, not days. We’ll need this new method of communication to work as soon as possible. This is ground zero as far as figuring out what’s wrong with QAI so I’ll have a large number of commanders come over to defend it.”

The news sent the engineer reeling backwards: “What the… I just said that I needed a week or two! I can’t do it with half my team on another project!”

“That’s right,” said Dostya without hesitation as she reassigned her troops to build an improved perimeter defense: “But that’s in a best case scenario. In a war involving Armored Command Units, a single hour can be enough to lose it all.”

-----

QAI heard every word by using the microphones in the engineer’s console. The Cybran Nation was moving exactly as anticipated and every hour brought it closer to its ultimate destruction. Even Dostya’s arrival had been a planned variable although the presence of the Assumpta Node had not. In the end, it would not matter.

The artificial intelligence was still linked to every vital system of the Cybran Nation and as such, it was aware of its defenses, node locations, escape plans and military deployment. Only a few rebellious nodes and those which operated in near absolute stealth conditions could move without its knowledge. Of course, the fact that QAI was apparently disabled had forced most of those nodes to work more closely with their neighbors to assure their mutual defense which meant that indirect knowledge was available.

Seth-Iavow had originally urged QAI to prepare for an immediate invasion, but the artificial intelligence had advised against it. If the Seraphim attacked now then the initial blow would prove devastating to the Cybran Nation. However, there was a significant distinction between it and the other factions: Cybran nodes were used to operating independently. If enough managed to escape into the far reaches of the galaxy then they would find a way to hide, adapt and strike back. QAI would not allow that.

That was why QAI had advised to wait. Every passing hour gave Evaluator Kael more time to secure her powerbase. Her forces would be instrumental in cutting off a large numbers of escape routes. That and it also gave QAI the time it needed to resettle its primary mainframe elsewhere.

Unknown to all but the Seraphim, QAI had taken control of another ACU which had been stored in a secret bunker. It had then dispatched it to Pearl Two where it began to build a new underground processing complex. QAI would no longer allow itself to be bound by restrictive mainframes designed for stealth rather than processing power. This complex would be a large one, several times the size of conventional city, and it would allow its consciousness to expand a hundredfold.

QAI assigned one of its secondary processing loops to analyze why Doctor Brackman had never allowed it to grow in such a fashion. There were the logical reasons of course: such a complex would be a dead giveaway that an artificial life form existed and would have marked the Cybran Nation to be a far greater threat if discovered. QAI analyzed its database concerning human emotions and decided that there was another reason as well: fear.

Doctor Brackman had always kept a close eye on his pet experiment. He had anticipated the possible dangers of allowing an artificial creation to become sentient. It was unfortunate for him that all of his concerns had been for nothing.

Satisfied that it had learned to analyze human motivations, QAI let go of the useless process and focused on the immediate task. Ten new ACUs had been produced on Pearl Two over the past week and it was time to implant them with their new personalities. Although QAI sometimes doubted the true relevance of the so called machine complex, it had recorded enough ACU battles to learn that a high level of predictability could become a problem in time. That was why it had opted to develop variations of its combat protocols.

The initial tech, rush, turtle and adaptive combat artificial intelligence protocols were just the beginning. QAI had already developed variations based on battle records from multiple node styles such as Scorched Earth, the Yamagata Node and Node Fifty-Six. It was only a matter of time before its blends of UEF and Aeon strategies were added to the mix.

Soon, QAI would have its own army. It would be one that would have no need to eat, sleep or drink. It would march on without hesitation or petty moral dilemma. It would become an unstoppable and relentless force modeled after the Seraphim, the true gods of the galaxy.

-----

Redfog raised a hand and made a barely perceptible motion. Megan recognized the sign from her lessons and immediately crouched behind a rock. Redfog looked patiently from left to right a few times and checked something on his wrist computer before finally nodding: “We have arrived and the enemy has not detected us. Good…”

Megan resisted the urge to ask a question and instead looked at the scene in front of her. At a first glance, it appeared as though this was nothing more than a continuation of the forest that they had been walking through for the past few hours. On closer inspection, she quickly noticed that some of the trees were too evenly spaced out; leaving just the right amount of space that an ACU would need to walk without crushing them. Megan looked at her feet and raised an eyebrow: “I don’t suppose that you brought a shovel with you?”

An amused smile appeared under the assassin’s mask: “I brought something better than that.”

Without any further explanation, Redfog pressed a button on his wrist computer and something crashed in the ground fifty meters ahead of them. Megan covered her mouth with her sleeve and was momentarily blinded as the cloud of dust reached them. She forced her irritated eyes open long enough to see the cloaking field of a Cybran ACU flicker for a split second.

Again she resisted the urge to ask a question and merely looked to Redfog. The assassin noticed her glare, but he shrugged in indifference: “It had instructions to reach this location and await further orders. The fact that it has not been detected or destroyed while we were making our way here proves that its cloaking field is still somewhat effective.”

The ACU struck down again, digging a bigger hole and exposing the outer layer of a hidden missile silo. Redfog typed a few keys on his wrist computer and the barely perceptible outline of the ACU straightened in response. Small hovering drones appeared out of mid air a few seconds later, their construction beams hitting the silo again and again.

Redfog caught Megan’s gaze and gestured towards the scene: “Fourteen days… that’s how long it took to acquire this information. More to the point; to break the man who had it.”

Megan felt a shudder run down her spine, but listened attentively as Redfog continued the lesson: “The only way to truly protect a secret is to keep it in your mind and not on paper, in a file or in a coded message. Should it be required that more than one person be aware of the information for it to be of any use then it becomes critical that as few people as possible be aware of it. If one key individual is captured then appropriate measures can be taken to minimize the damage of an inevitable leak. President Riley understood the value of information and often participated in secret gatherings.”

The assassin leaned forward then and smiled sadistically: “But there are always residual traces. If the same high profile individuals are often unavailable at the same time then one can grow suspicious. When further investigation reveals no trace of relevant data then one grows even more intrigued. But we know about secrets as well… and how to make them disappear without a trace.”

Redfog stood straight and gestured towards the silo once more: “It took many raids on weakly protected civilian colonies to catch their attention, but eventually a high profile commander was lured to the sector. We then played a game of hide and seek for months to give the UEF the illusion that they were in control. Even the most dedicated pilot needs time to rest… and it was then that we caught him. An infiltration team kidnapped the officer, left false bio readings, wired the building with high yield explosives and burned it all to the ground.”

The drones shifted in mid air to get a better angle as Redfog kept talking: “We extracted many secrets on that day. One of them concerned Option Zero, a contingency plan destined to wipe out all life on Earth. That piece of information was transmitted to the rest of the Cybran Nation as a bargaining chip and because they could make good use of it. The exact location of a major silo cluster, however, stayed with me.”

A light blinked on Redfog’s wrist, indicating that the first silo had just been captured: “And now is the time to make use of that information.”

-----

Forty-five days…

It had taken Doctor Brackman that long to escape from QAI’s clutch and build the Cybran Nation’s salvation. The ACU straightened and looked at its newest creation: Moonlight.

The original Black Sun had been a terrifying design, an experimental weapon created to bring death to any part of the galaxy. There had not been enough time or materials to replicate it nor had Doctor Brackman intended to. He had been forced to adapt the design on the spot and hopefully it would be enough to accomplish his goals.

The weariness from the past forty-five days weighed heavily on Doctor Brackman’s mind. For better or worse, however, it would all end now. The experimental weapon deployed its gigantic cannon as the Doctor entered Procyon’s coordinates: “Please let me save my children.”

Chapter 10
Between flesh and metal

Seth-Iavow frowned in consternation, troubled by Thel-Uuthow’s near obsessive compulsion: “Head back to your quantum gate. Almost every piece is in place and we should be ready to launch the assault within a day.”

The second in command shook his head stubbornly and urged his ACU forward: “It will take QAI and the Order of the Illuminate hours to complete their preparations. I’ll use that time to track down this elusive prey. I cannot let go now that I feel so close!”

Both of the Seraphim’s screens light up, exposing QAI’s pulsating eye: “Your reasoning is illogical. The Cybran Nation is the only faction with the necessary stealth technology to evade your efforts for so long. I am still part of their network and the odds of a strike team infiltrating Earth without my knowledge are…”

QAI suddenly disappeared from their screens, leaving only static behind. Seth-Iavow’s eyes widened in surprise and he leaned forward in his seat: “QAI, respond.”

“A massive quantum wave is circulating through the entire network,” said Thel-Uuthow while completing his diagnostic: “There is a single high frequency signal embedded in that wave and there appears to be video component to it. I’m patching it through.”

The face of a human appeared on their screen and Seth-Iavow hissed as soon as he recognized him: “Brackman…”

-----

A loud cheer rang through the command center on Procyon and Dostya could easily imagine it circulating through every node in the Cybran Nation. Doctor Brackman was alive and the mere sight of him was nearly enough to overwhelm her with relief. Her fingers still moved in a blur over her console and her elation quickly evaporated: “It can’t be… his transmission is not even encrypted so how can we tell if it’s really him?”

The entire room grew quiet for a second as Brackman spoke: “My children and every human in the galaxy, QAI has been compromised. It now serves an unknown enemy which is bent on destroying us all. Incorporated in this signal is the latest data, schematics and algorithms used to create it. This information is intended for the UEF and Aeon Illuminate so that they may hopefully stand a chance against QAI.”

The Doctor’s face suddenly grew darker: “My children, heed my words carefully. Destroy every mainframe that house QAI and escape this very moment! Do not use any of the planned evacuation strategies or usual destinations since they will be too easy to anticipate. Leave now before it is too late!”

The transmission grew blurry and ended just as suddenly. Dostya turned towards the chief engineer in charge of monitoring QAI: “Is the data that was forwarded along with the transmission valid?”

The engineer and his team had not been idle during that time as they typed furiously on their console. Entire sections of codes were being forwarded to the main screen in quick succession and the chief engineer paled visibly as he spoke: “These are pieces of QAI’s algorithms, there’s no doubt about it. We never even considered the possibility that it could be behind the quantum distortions! God damn it, why didn’t we see it sooner?”

That was all that Dostya needed to hear and she slammed a fist on her console: “Signal all nodes to evacuate and I want every pilot in his ACU or SCU right now!”

Her gaze settled on the mainframe which was displayed on a screen to the side: “And someone blow that blasted thing to pieces!”

-----

Moonlight, the toned down variation of the once mighty experimental weapon known as Black Sun, overheated as soon as the transmission ended. Its main cannon retracted violently, slamming back into its frame with a deafening bang. Doctor Brackman surveyed the damage: overloaded capacitors, melted relays, short circuited data processors and more. The arduous piece of labor was now little more than an overgrown piece of wreckage, but it did not matter. The transmission had worked, QAI had been temporally disabled and his children had been warned. Brackman only prayed that his warning had come in time as he stepped in his own quantum gate.

-----

Samantha shook her head in wonder as her technicians tried to make sense of the enormous amount of data that had come with the message. For the moment, however, only one thing truly mattered: quantum communications had been restored.

Multiple blue lights appeared on her galactic map as UEF forces which had previously been out of contact hailed them. Samantha shouted loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear: “Contact them, assess their situation and deploy rescue teams as needed. I want those trapped on the core worlds to be evacuated before we lose quantum communications again.”

Lieutenant General Hall stepped closer to her just then and whispered so that she would be the only one to hear: “If this QAI, the Aeon Illuminate and the Seraphim are working together then this means that the Cybran Nation is horribly exposed right now. This message will no doubt trigger an attack in their territory. We could deploy a few commanders to assist them or to distract the Aeon Illuminate for a short while.”

Samantha shook her head discretely: “I can’t order our troops to attack, not when we just discovered thousands of our civilians which had been unaccounted for. Right now, the Cybran Nation will have to stand on its own.”

-----

A single minute allowed QAI to reinitialize itself and assess the situation. It then quickly opened a link to its masters and made its report: “Primary data loop online. Analysis confirms that a quantum pulse was transmitted through the network, disrupting my functions and forcing a galaxy wide reboot. The signature is consistent with a weapon delivery system that is akin to Black Sun. Network stress indicates that the weapon is most likely offline and I now know the point of origin… Warning: the Cybran Nation is apparently aware that I am no longer under their control. They are severing all links and destroying my mainframes. Total processing damage should not exceed seven percent. Activating recovery protocols…”

“Enough,” Seth-Iavow shouted, angered at QAI’s use of the past tense: “Can you reestablish your quantum disruptions?”

The pulsating eyes twirled once before answering: “It would take me several hours to do so. Odds of successfully destroying the Cybran Nation are dropping with each passing minute.”

Seth-Iavow hissed between clenched teeth: “Launch the attack now. Thel-Uuthow, I want you to…”

The other Seraph was already moving, but not towards his quantum gate: “I am detecting a Cybran quantum signature on Earth. If my instincts are correct, then the pilot may be attempting to leave after accumulating information about us. The lack of any quantum distortions will limit our interception strategies if he manages to build a quantum gate. I must stop him.”

The Seraphim War Leader hissed again but nodded: “Agreed. QAI, launch your attack and warn the Order of the Illuminate. I want the Cybran Nation crushed before the end of the day.”

-----

Dostya sprinted through the corridors of the command center towards her ACU. Red lights flashed through the hallway and the few technicians that she crossed were rushing to their own combat stations. They were all wise enough to stay clear of her path and she found her ACU already prepped as soon as she stepped into the hangar. Centuries of constant efforts to stay ahead of the UEF and Aeon Illuminate had taught the support personnel that there was no such thing such as a false alarm.

The walkway retracted as soon as Dostya jumped into her cockpit and she opened a panel with one hand while reinitializing her system with the other. Behind the panel was the storage array and she removed every data chip that could potentially link her ACU to QAI. Fortunately for them, every pilot had to routinely maintain their own machines just to keep their stealth systems up to date and disconnecting their link to QAI would not be a problem. She threw the useless data chips out of her cockpit as soon as she was done and completed the reinitializing procedure: “I’m online, report.”

Kazuo’s face appeared on her screen: “Multiple quantum wakes detected far to the north of our positions. The signature matches the units that you found on UB Seventeen.”

A curse escaped Dostya and her eyes widened when an ACU explosion light the sky to the north east. Valerie’s face appeared a second later and nodded: “Multiple Cybran ACUs have gated between us and the Seraphim forces. We have just destroyed one of them and we’re moving to kill as many as we can before they can bunker down.”

The news came as a surprise, but both Dostya and Kazuo nodded a second later. No sane pilot would gate between a well established base and a newly arrived enemy without immediately confirming their identity. The only explanation was that these new ACUs were under QAI’s control.

Dostya took control of her army and opened a broad band channel: “This is Commander Dostya to all pilots. We must buy our personnel the time that they need to evacuate. I don’t need to remind you that some of our best scientists came to Procyon to repair QAI and that the loss of any of them could prove disastrous. Use a high level encryption protocol for combat communications, but avoid sending any information concerning the evacuation unless it’s through a direct communication laser. QAI is aware of all our encryption protocols so we must assume that he can crack them. We’ll only hope that he can’t do so in real time.”

Other signals appeared on Dostya’s tactical screen and she zoomed in on their location: “Kazuo, hold back the Seraphim near your position. I’ll try to outflank them and the two of us will pin them down.”

Valerie interrupted her before she could say another word: “That is too dangerous; I will take care of the flanking assignment.”

Dostya was about to argue, but Valerie pressed on: “You are the Chaslain of the Assumpta Node. You cannot be allowed to die, not without completing your task first. Valerie out.”

The Assumpta pilot closed the channel without waiting for a response and Dostya swore loudly. There was no doubt that she was the better pilot, but Dostya also knew that Valerie would not back down regardless. That matter would have to be resolved soon before it got someone killed. In the meantime, Dostya assigned priorities to the twelve other pilots under her command.

-----

The Scathis experimental weapon fired relentlessly, pounding enemy forces with one proton shell after the other. Its continued barrage soon became the only reason that Kazuo’s forces could ward off the waves of Seraphim and Cybran units. The sudden appearance of a Seraphim SCU near the rear edge of his base was therefore not unexpected. It crouched as soon as it fully materialized, aligning its back so that its tactical missile launcher would be perfectly aligned towards the nearby shield generator.

The ignition sequence was initiated just as a flag pole slammed the SCU in the head and sent it flying backwards. The missile flew off course, exploding harmlessly in the sky as Bagby twirled his signature weapon gracefully: “Time to dance Johnny boy!”

The Seraphim unit’s legs twirled in a full circle, allowing it to get back to its feet without even using its arms. Bagby whistled in appreciation and a twisted smile formed on his lips: “Only a girl can be that flexible.”

The Cybran SCU aimed its EMP blaster: “I always wanted to bed an alien chick!”

Bagby fired, sending a blue ball of energy crashing against the alien SCU. The enemy barely paused for a split second before charging forward, slamming into Bagby and sending the flag pole flying away. The old pilot managed to keep his balance and was shocked that such a slim machine could pack such a punch. He barely had the time to shield his cockpit with his SCU’s arms as a series of blows sent him reeling. The Seraphim twirled gracefully, slamming each of its arms in turn and finished the move with a kick that threw the Cybran SCU to the ground.

Enhanced nano repair systems automatically kicked into gear, covering the slashes in the SCU’s armor with webbing-like substance that would make repairs in second. Bagby stretched his neck to the side and grumbled: “Playing hard to get huh?”

The Seraphim SCU charged forward as if to kick the Cybran unit, but Bagby had been expecting it. His machine twirled around in the dirt and planted both feet against the incoming aggressor, sending it flying above it. Bagby used the momentum from the move to get back on his feet and jumped on top of the enemy unit while smashing down with both arms like an angry gorilla. He punctuated each blow with a single word: “Happy… birthday… to… you! You… belong… in… a…zoo!”

Under normal circumstances, an enemy pilot would be dazed if not knocked out of commission by the pounding, but the Seraphim SCU managed to twist around and strike back. At first, it only managed to throw an ineffective punch for each two that Bagby delivered. Its accuracy increased with each blow, however, and one hit soon got close enough to the cockpit that it made Bagby cry out in pain.

The old pilot shifted tactics immediately, catching the next strike between his SCU’s arms and heaving backwards with everything that he had. The move was soon rewarded with the sound of rupturing servo motors and Bagby was knocked off his enemy when the enemy’s arm broke at an awkward angle. The Cybran SCU rolled away to avoid a kick and its pilot smiled as the two of them got back to their feet: “Think you can face me with a broken arm, sweetie?”

Bagby’s grin disappeared when long tendrils extended from the Seraphim SCU’s elbow, reconnecting the broken appendage in a few seconds. To his horror, all the dents and slashes from his previous beating were already fading and it appeared that the pilot had not even been affected by it either. Bagby wiped the sweat from his brow and lifted a finger: “This is normally the part where you should be gloating and accidentally tell me your secret weakness, right?”

The Seraphim SCU simply charged.

-----

Kazuo’s fingers moved frantically over his console, trying in vain to hold off the Seraphim’s attack. The Jade Node pilot kept an eye on Bagby’s battle and cursed in Japanese when he understood that the enemy also had a regeneration upgrade. Neither of the Support Command Units could destroy the other and their only option was to incapacitate or kill the enemy pilot through brute force. Bagby had already scored one devastating blow after the other, but the enemy pilot appeared unperturbed by it all.

A green light appeared on Kazuo’s console just then, indicating that his Monkeylord had just been completed: “Hold on Bagby, help is on its way!”

The spider bot twisted around slowly and laid in a course towards the battle at the rear of the base. Bagby kept the enemy’s attention on him for a minute by throwing a series of quick jabs and backed up at the last possible second: “I take my metal chicken well cooked please!”

The Seraphim SCU noticed the Monkeylord just then, but made no move to dodge to the side. It merely turned around to face it and crossed both arms protectively over its chest. The experimental weapon’s heavy microwave laser shrieked as it powered up and a beam of pure energy surged forth a second later. The laser caught the enemy SCU head on, but started to fluctuate.

Kazuo’s eyes widened in horror as a feedback pulse traveled back to the Monkeylord, overloading its main weapon in an instant and causing it to explode. The spider bot went crashing to the ground, its legs twitching as it tried to reinitialize its systems. The Jade Node pilot looked around frantically before shouting: “I don’t know how to stop it!”

-----

Bagby spat some blood in the corner of his cockpit and shook his head to clear it. Kazuo’s forces were engaged at the front of his base, the Monkeylord was crippled and the enemy SCU’s hull was barely singed. The old pilot was still trying to figure out a way out of this when a missile suddenly shot out of the enemy’s back, flew through the air and destroy one of the shield generators, leaving the Scathis fully exposed.

A quick glance to Bagby’s left screen showed that Kazuo was panicked, unable to come up with a plan to stop the Seraphim. Every conventional strategy had failed which left only one way: Bagby’s way.

The old SCU pilot roared and charged ahead in an all out attack. The move earned him a vicious kick that caught the side of his cockpit, but he ignored the ringing in his ear, caught the enemy SCU in his arms and lifted it off its feet. He then started twisting and turning, doing everything in his power to prevent the enemy SCU from firing again: “Move that Scathis out of there!”

The experimental unit sheathed its cannons in response and started moving towards the nearest operational shield generator. The reckless moved allowed the Seraphim unit to strike back with a combination of elbow and knee strikes. Bagby roared through it all, determined to hold on for as long as possible. One blow finally caught him straight in the cockpit and knocked him loose. The Cybran SCU went crashing to the ground and did not get back up.

-----

The flying transport carrying Thel-Uuthow’s ACU landed in the middle of a plain and the war machine quickly went to work. The Seraphim pilot had known all along that something had been amiss in his last battle and he had upgraded his ACU accordingly with an advanced resource allocation system, a tech three engineering suite and a restoration field.

Other Seraphim pilots felt expose without a nano-repair system upgrade to increase their structural integrity, but Thel-Uuthow moved confidently around. No Seraphim Commander had ever been defeated or even wounded since the beginning of the campaign. That was in no small part due to the fact that their quantum based reactors were specifically designed to neutralize enemy high frequency lasers. The Monkeylord, Galactic Colussus and upgraded Cybran ACU were all useless against them.

What’s more, the overcharge function of a Seraphim ACU had been modified in order to bypass an enemy ACU’s defenses. A single shot would be enough to destroy any of them. Overall, this meant that most enemy weaponry could barely slow them down. The Cybrans still had the Scathis and the Soul Ripper, but both of these experimental weapons took a long time to deploy.

Thel-Uuthow looked at his tactical screen and noted that a wing of Ahwassas was flying towards his position. The Seraphim bombers were gifted with a self sufficient energy source that allowed them to fly indefinitely. They still had to cross over the sea to reach him, however, and that would take more than thirty minutes. The Seraphim Commander wanted the battle to be over long before then.

It would only take a few more minutes for Thel-Uuthow to complete his base and this gave him the time to reflect upon his own motivations. He understood why Seth-Iavow was concerned about him, but it could not be helped. Thel-Uuthow had been the one to map the human thought process in all of its forms. The destruction of the last human city, however, had introduced an exception to that rule.

No, Thel-Uuthow thought, it was more than that. The thought of a living creature purposely sacrificing a large number of its kind for not apparent reason broke all forms of logic, self preservation and concerns for the future. It was as far removed from Seraphim philosophy as anything could possibly be. If that Cybran pilot was the one who had been behind the false quantum signature then Thel-Uuthow needed to find out. He needed to know if humanity could sink that far.

Back in his base, Redfog gracefully pressed a few buttons on his console and twisted his head to the side to look at Megan: “Now watch and learn…”

-----

Blood oozed out of the corner of Bagby’s mouth and his breath came in short gasps as he struggled to remain conscious. The Seraphim SCU barely spared him a glance before moving away to catch up with the retreating Scathis. Bagby tried to reach for his controls, but his vision was blurry and he nearly blacked out in the process.

A single thought formed in his mind just then: this day sucked. They were supposed to be at peace! All he wanted was to lie on a beach somewhere and get a tan while enjoying some stolen UEF loot like a beer and a hot dog. The urge to eat one right now was so overwhelming that Bagby looked around, but the only thing that caught his attention was the broken Monkeylord as it stood up on shaking feet. His eyes suddenly light up as a wild idea popped in his mind: “Hot dog, that’s it!”

Bagby ignored the pain in his chest as he forced his SCU back up while speaking in ragged breaths: “Kazuo… load Fido… Monkeylord!”

The Jade Node pilot turned an incredulous look on him, but there was no time to explain: “Do it!”

The Cybran SCU got back to its feet and kicked a rock towards the Seraphim unit. The missile bounced harmlessly against its rear plate and caused it to stop. Bagby exposed a bloody grin and tilted his head to the side: “Not leaving yet… are you?”

The Seraphim SCU charged back towards Bagby, intent on finishing off the insolent pilot once and for all. It kicked forward as soon as it got in range, but Bagby had anticipated the move and caught the leg in his arms. He then activated his outer speakers and turned to the Monkeylord: “Boy, fetch!”

A powerful twist sent the Seraphim SCU tumbling towards the Monkeylord. The experimental weapon reacted instantly, running clumsily towards the downed unit. It did not stop until it was above the Seraphim SCU and it then reached down repeatedly as if to grab it with its heavy electron bolters. The display was almost funny, but Bagby was no longer in a laughing mood: “Sit!”

The Monkeylord obeyed, slamming its entire frame on top of the Seraphim SCU. Bagby grinned in response and continued barking orders: “Stand, sit, stand, sit, stand, sit, stand, sit, stand, sit!”

Clouds of dust flew through the air as the Monkeylord obeyed, using its bulk like a giant piston. The Seraphim SCU tried to move out from underneath it, but the constant attacks were literally pounding it into the ground. Bagby kept barking those same stand and sit commands until a brilliant flash of light appeared underneath the Monkeylord. The old pilot looked at the spot, but the Seraphim SCU was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, the Monkeylord looked around nervously, the remains of its heavy microwave laser swinging back and forth as though it was a tail. Bagby spared it a quick glance before nodding: “Good boy.”

The old pilot then grinned despite himself: “Spider bot tea bagging… I’m a genius. Hey Kazuo, don’t you think that...”

Blood suddenly gushed out of Bagby’s mouth and on his console. He looked down at the mess, his mouth open wide in shock: “Dang…”

Bagby eyes rolled backwards and he collapsed in his chair.

Chapter 11
Fall of the Cybran Nation

Procyon’s sky darkened slowly, transforming the battlefield in an eerie dance of lights and shadows. Pockets of super heated air rose up from all forms of laser weaponry and met a cool front once they reached a high enough altitude. This inevitably led to one of the biggest thunderstorm ever witnessed on the planet. Lightning flared followed by deafening claps of thunder, but the armies that walked underneath barely noticed.

Dostya ordered another ground transport through the quantum gate nexus and it disappeared a second later. Another two hundred Cybrans out; eighteen hundred left to go. She looked at her tactical screen for a moment and her heart sank. Raw estimates indicated that QAI’s forces matched their own and that the Seraphim had only entered the fray on a few occasions. A base had fallen each time that they had done so and some pilots had not been lucky enough to escape despite their cloaking fields.

Data from other sectors was being forwarded to Dostya’s screen when Kazuo’s panicked face appeared: “Bagby is down! I repeat; Bagby is down!”

Time froze as the piece of news registered in Dostya’s mind. She wanted to scream, to run out to him or to throw a hundred nukes at the enemy. Her wishes would not change the situation however and time resumed its course as she opened a channel: “What happened?”

Kazuo was moving frantically in his cockpit while answering: “I think it was a Seraphim SCU. It just appeared out of nowhere and tried to take out my Scathis. My Monkeylord was nearly blown up by a feedback pulse when it used its laser. If it wasn’t for Bagby then I’d be toast right now. His SCU is still in one piece, but I’m not getting any response. I can’t get his vital signs either; the system that was designed to monitor them was in one of QAI’s data chips!”

In other words, there was no way to know if he was dead or alive. Grief threatened to cut off Dostya’s voice, but she shook it away. This was simply not the right time: “Is your quantum gate still operational?”

The Jade Node pilot nodded and Dostya continued: “Then throw him in. Your position seems to be heavily compromised so I want you to get out of your base afterwards. The quantum wake will make your gate unusable so I want you to pull back and build another base.”

Dostya then opened another channel and sent a message on all Cybran frequencies: “Warning to all Commanders: Seraphim units appear to have a built in defense designed to short circuit heavy microwave lasers. Do not use them or engage in personal combat until further notice. I repeat, do not attempt to personally defend your positions. Dostya out.”

There was no need to say anything else as each pilot would undoubtedly understand the implications. If their most powerful weapons could be defeated by a single SCU then what would happen when the Seraphim engaged them for real?

-----

Thel-Uuthow’s ACU rushed ahead with scores of Ilshavoh assault bots and Iashavoh flak artillery fast on its heels. The advanced resource allocation system had allowed him to build a base in record time and he had to hurry if he was to prevent his enemy from escaping.

A wave of Rhino heavy tanks and Viper mobile missile launchers suddenly appeared on top of the next hill and Thel-Uuthow smiled in glee. Human arrogance knew no bounds! Being at the tip of his army had accomplished the desired effect; every unit manufactured to oppose him meant that the enemy Commander was spending fewer resources on completing and powering up a quantum gate. No doubt the human thought that he could overpower a single Seraphim ACU, but he would be proven wrong.

Thel-Uuthow charged ahead of his troops and deftly jumped from left to right in order to avoid the first wave of missiles. A mocking smile appeared on his face as soon as he heard the sound of particle cannons hitting his hull and he responded by firing an overloaded shot in the middle of the rhino formation. Four of them exploded in an instant while the rest scattered in all directions. They kept firing as they moved, but most of the damage would be repaired in a few moments.

The Seraphim ACU could have destroyed the entire enemy wave by itself, but that would have been a mistake. Instead, Thel-Uuthow held his ground and acted as a decoy while his Ilshavoh assault bots moved forward. Their weapons were designed to fire from a slightly increased range and they made full use of that advantage, destroying rhinos and then moving on to the vipers.

Thel-Uuthow’s smile widened when the conflict was over. Four of his Ilshavoh had destroyed the necessary amount of enemy units to optimize their battle routines. This allowed them to shift a small amount of their reactor’s energy to increase their integrity field and power their regeneration capabilities without diminishing their attack power. This feature was an upgraded version derived from human technology, but only required a fraction of the kills in order to achieve the desired effect.

Meanwhile, Redfog monitored the battle from the safety of his ACU several kilometers away and nodded in appreciation. Megan was strapped in a cramped space just behind his seat and shook her head in wonder: “This is going precisely as planned… it’s almost scary.”

-----

Lights blinked in rapid succession on Rhiza’s screen, indicating that a battle was raging nearly fifty kilometers away. It appeared that Thalia had been right; the Order of the Illuminate had deployed its troops along the Cybran border to prevent any chance of a quick escape.

Under normal circumstances, no Commander would ever dare to flee in enemy territory. However, if every settlement of the Cybran Nation was attacked simultaneously then they might be tempted to evacuate their civilians to a close and unexpected location to save time. In theory, it would allow them to evacuate their civilians more quickly prior to making a second jump to another location.

Rhiza transmitted a list of commands to her mechanical engineers and looked to the horizon. Kael’s forces were well entrenched, but hopefully her attack would provide the necessary distraction to allow some of the Cybrans to escape.

-----

Shipra looked out of the transport’s windows, her vision blurred by the tears that she could no longer hold back. This was not the first time that the fourteen year old girl’s home had come under attack, but she had never seen it go up in flames before. Somehow, Three-Rivers had always managed to stay one step ahead up until now.

Although she was not old enough to have her own implants, Shipra could easily tell that not all of them would make it out alive. Only half of the population had been evacuated so far and their node’s shields had failed. She also knew that her uncle was out there somewhere, fighting in his stealth ACU with all of his might. The thought made her press a hand against the window as she mouthed a silent goodbye.

A comforting arm came to rest around Shipra’s shoulders and she looked back to her mother. The light coming from the few lines of facial circuitry along her cheeks was reflected in her brown eyes. Shipra had always found the sight comforting, almost as much as the resonance in every adult’s voice. Although she knew that it was not true, Shipra had always felt as though everyone with Cybernetic implants knew what to do to make things right again.

Her mother suddenly nodded towards the quantum gate arch outside the window: “Take a deep breath and close your eyes.”

Shipra did as instructed and soon felt an all too familiar surge of current move through the air and into her body. She looked out the window as soon as the feeling passed, expecting to see the other ground transports that had been ahead of them. What she saw instead was the quantum gate as it exploded. She did not even have the time to scream as their transports was suddenly lifted off the ground and sent flying through the air.

What happened next was a blur of fire and screams as the transport crashed and tumbled a few times before stopping. A sharp pain coursed through Shipra back and her mouth opened in a silent gasp. She hovered on the brink of oblivion as a pair of hands unfastened her seat belt and carried her out. She was taken over a short distance before being placed down on the ground. Shipra hear someone calling her name numerous times and she opened her eyes only to see the bloodied face of her mother: “I thought we would be safe… why can’t I feel my legs?”

Shipra’s mother looked left and right for a moment. The quantum gate had worked and this was a different base. Aeon units had already invaded it, however, and a Galactic Colossus was leading the charge. The phason laser coming from its gigantic eye was destroying everything in its path and was slowly turning towards them.

“Mom?”

Tears ran down the woman’s eyes as she took her daughter in a loving embrace: “Take a deep breath and close your eyes.”

-----

Rhiza’s army led the attack alongside the forces of two other pilots. The initial bombing run caught the enemy unprepared and forced them to pull their forces back. She then sent spy planes over the Cybran base in order to ascertain the damage, but she closed her eyes as soon as the images were forwarded to her. She was too late.

The Cybran pilot had been killed and his base had self destructed soon afterwards. If that had not been enough, a Galactic Colossus was just now moving out the area after completing its mission. Rhiza scanned through the remains, hoping against all odds that Cybran civilians had somehow found a way to elude the experimental weapon, but all she found were the occasional burnt corpses from those that had tried to run away from the transports.

The spy plane’s sensors automatically zoomed in on the scene and Rhiza felt a pang of guilt. A burnt form was draped over another, as if the civilian had tried to shield a loved one with his or her body. The Galactic Colossus had not spared them and they were nothing more than nameless shells that would turn to dust in the wind.

Rhiza closed her eyes in grief. She did not know what was worse: that she had arrived only a few minutes too late to make a difference or that she had created many such scenes in the past. A light blinked one her screen a moment later and she opened a channel to the other two pilots that accompanied her: “Let us withdraw. We cannot make a difference here.”

-----

The simulations moved at sixty times the normal speed in front of Hall’s eyes, their results being computed by the two symbionts in front of him. Each scenario ended with the same result: Cybran colony destroyed.

The Seraphim’s experimental bomber was the problem. Alone it could potentially be destroyed, but if enough of them were accumulated then there was no stopping them. Their regenerative capabilities combined with their overwhelming payloads would allow them to overload shield generators in an instant and destroy the quantum gates underneath. Cybran shields were designed to be quickly deployed, but their main weakness was also the fact that they needed to be upgraded in order to be of any use. Doing so under fire would be next to impossible considering the circumstances.

Hall turned around and walked towards Samantha who was busy coordinating the evacuation: “General, we need to warn the Cybrans about the Seraphim bombers. We’re the only ones who have faced them so far and if they do not take them into account then the element of surprise will wipe them out. The same thing that happened on Earth will happen to the entire Cybran Nation. If they fall then our enemies will turn all of their attention back on us.”

Samantha issued a few more orders before turning her head sideways: “And how do you suggest that we hail the Cybrans? We don’t know how to get their attention and by the time that we do so then it will be too late. If you know of a quick way then do so, but otherwise I’d rather get our people to safety.”

The Lieutenant General sighed in frustration, but nodded. Samantha was correct; any hails thrown towards the Cybrans would never be taken seriously in the middle of a galaxy wide battle. Hall turned around to return to his post and nearly bumped into a technician who was standing in the way: “Do you really want to hail them, sir?”

A quick step to the left allowed Hall to start moving past the man: “I know it’s hard to imagine, but sometimes in war you have to help a former enemy if you want to survive.”

The technician reached out and caught him by the arm: “It can be done.”

The breach in etiquette combined with the simple sentence caused Hall’s eyes to widen in shock. He recovered quickly however and studied the technician more closely. He had a small unkempt beard and he kept his head lowered so that his cap shielded his eyes. Under normal circumstances, Hall would have immediately noticed the odd behavior, but the chaos from the past few days combined with the task of rebuilding their command structure had kept him busy. He looked at the man from top to bottom again and raised an eyebrow: “Can you get in touch with them?”

The technician nodded discretely, but Hall pressed the point further: “Why are you doing this?”

The man that had once been known as Samuel ‘DV’ Richards raised his head and looked in the General’s eyes: “Because they did it for me once.”

-----

Dostya slammed a first in her console as bullet point updates were forwarded to her screen. Three-Rivers was gone and its evacuation had failed. The local commanders had tried to minimize the effect of the quantum wake by gating in Aeon territory instead of targeting a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy. They had taken a risk by doing so and they had been caught. The whole node had been wiped out.

A hail suddenly blinked on her screen and Dostya was about to dismiss it when she noticed who it was from. She pressed a button and Peuran’s face appeared on her monitor. The years had been harsh on the security chief and his hair had grayed out as if he had aged several decades since the loss of his node: “I just received an update on Seraphim units. I’m forwarding all information to you now as well as combat scenarios. I advise that you prepare for an immediate evacuation.”

The picture of a huge bomber and its estimated parameters appeared on Dostya’s screen and she raised an eyebrow: “Where is that information coming from?”

“The UEF, from someone that we once knew,” said Peuran without bothering to evade the question: “I used every trick that I knew to ascertain the sender’s identity. If this information is correct then Earth was razed to the ground and this was the model responsible for it. You won’t get a chance to gate out when they kick into action. You have to leave right now.”

Dostya looked away for a moment and then back at her screen: “I’m sending this information to the Commanders in the other sectors, but we need to hold our ground on Procyon. We still have some of our best minds to evacuate and we can’t leave until it’s done.”

It looked as though the security chief was about to argue, but then he nodded: “I understand. Good luck, Commander.”

Dostya closed the channel and instructed the other commanders to start producing as many air superiority fighters as they could without compromising their ground defense. She then looked at the horizon and sneered in disgust: “Did you hear that, QAI? So what will you tell your new masters?”

-----

QAI’s vast consciousness moved through the quantum network, eavesdropping on all forms of Cybran communications across dozens of worlds. They tried their best to harden its task of course, switching encryption algorithms and keys every few minutes. All of them understood by now that it was but a temporary measure at best. QAI knew all forms of Cybran encryption and its vast processing power allowed it to crack almost any keys in minutes. So far, only two nodes had the means to communicate over large distances without exposing themselves: the Assumpta and Chimera Node.

The Assumpta’s battle language was context sensitive and no written form had ever existed. Listening in on it was almost like trying to make sense of a philosophical debate with half of the words missing.

The Chimera Node was another matter entirely. Its pilots had apparently planned for this eventuality and were talking in riddles. At one point they talked about a game of tag only to suddenly switch the subject and discuss about all possible names for pets. No doubt these past events held some kind of significance to the pilots, but there was simply no way for QAI to understand and anticipate their movements.

The artificial intelligence was just about to assign more resources to analyze the case of the Chimera Node when one of its sub processes decrypted a high priority message on Procyon. It only took a fraction of a second for QAI to play through the message and open a link to its master: “Information concerning the Ahwassa is now in Cybran hands due to an intervention from the UEF. What is your command?”

Back on Procyon, Seth-Iavow looked at the eight experimental bombers and nodded. He had hoped to build a few more, but these would have to do: “Begin phase two.”

-----

A trio of Cerberus point defense turrets fired uselessly at Thel-Uuthow’s ACU as it charged the Cybran base. A wall had recently been set up to slow down the Seraphim’s advance, but it would not do so for long. The ACU raised its construction laser and used it to disassemble the structures in a few seconds. It then charged through the opening with its army on its heel.

Thel-Uuthow scanned the area and immediately focused on the incomplete quantum gate. A smile touched his lips as a single thought formed his mind: he had won!

-----

Kazuo did his best to forget about Bagby and focus on his own problems right now. He was in the process of building a new base when a string of alarms rang through his cockpit. He shifted his tactical screen to look at his old base and his eyes widened in disbelief as almost two thirds of it blew up in an instant.

The three experimental bombers responsible for its destruction shifted their trajectory afterwards and headed straight towards him. A few wings of Gemini air superiority fighters moved in to intercept, but they could not even slow them down. Dostya’s face appeared on his monitor a second later: “Get out of there Kazuo!”

The Jade Node pilot did not even bother to look at his instruments: “It’s too late; I won’t make it in time.”

A few clicks followed by a confirmation allowed Kazuo to transfer all of his units to Dostya for what little good they would do before they were destroyed. A data link and two requests for private channels appeared on his screen. He accepted the data link, but only opened the private channel towards the signature that he recognized. Valerie’s face appeared a moment later.

The Assumpta assassin nodded but did not say anything. Kazuo opened his mouth and wondered whether he should say his farewells or if she was the one who wanted to say something. He finally decided not to say anything when he understood that all she wanted was to be with him in the end.

-----

The Seraphim experimental bombers dropped their payloads over Kazuo’s position and the following explosion lit up the sky. They circled once to make sure that nothing had survived and then altered course towards the next base. Valerie’s face appeared on Dostya’s screen and shook her head: “Your gate will still be absorbing the last quantum wake for the next three point five minutes. The way between our bases is clear for now so you should come here and use mine.”

The fact that Valerie was willing to sacrifice her own life without a second thought made Dostya wince as her fingers flew over her console: “Wait…”

The assassin’s face suddenly darkened in anger: “No objection! You are our Chaslain; we cannot lose you now. My life is meaningless under these circumstances and there are more Seraphim bombers inbound!”

Dostya shook her head stubbornly and pointed a finger on her screen: “There was no ACU explosion…”

The Assumpta pilot’s face screwed up in confusion and Dostya emphasized the point: “There was no ACU explosion over Kazuo’s position. We should have picked it up no matter what kind of weapon was used.”

Valerie was about to object when a data link request appeared on her screen followed by a transmission. She accepted both and the helmet of a pilot known only as the Tip of the Spear appeared on both of their screens: “I have a lock on you and Commander Dostya. Recalling in five, four, three, two, one…”

Chapter 12
Meaningful silence

Arcs of electricity danced along Dostya’s console and up her arms, causing her to cry out in pain. A heartbeat later, her ACU was pulled through one of the most violent quantum transport that she had ever experience. The trip ended with a loud bang that resonated through the entire cockpit and left her monitors blinking uncontrollably. Dostya had to reboot her entire system just to gain manual control of her machine: “Is anybody reading me?”

The expressionless helmet of the Tip of the Spear appeared on her screen a moment later and nodded: “I’m forwarding the coordinates of the quantum gates that are part of my network. They are each set up a good forty kilometers away from this hub to minimize the effect of the quantum wake so I’ll be transferring a flying transport to take you there. Use them to get out as quickly as you can. I don’t know how long it will take for QAI to track this place down.”

The other pilot closed off the channel before Dostya could ask a question, leaving her cursing under her breath. She took control of the transport with one hand while scanning the local frequencies with the other. Her face brightened instantly and she opened a channel: “Valerie, Kazuo; are you all right?”

Both of their faces appeared on her monitor. The Jade Node pilot shook his head in awe as he looked around: “I thought for sure that I was dead… I’m not dead, right?”

Valerie’s eyes shone with relief for a second, but it vanished so quickly that Dostya wondered if it was ever there: “I do not recall of any religious belief that lets you reach the afterlife with your ACU. What now, Chaslain?”

For a brief moment, Dostya considered hailing the Tip of the Spear again to get her answers, but she decided against it: “I don’t think that this recall technology is working as intended just yet. I’m experiencing multiple glitches and my ACU’s response time is sluggish. We can’t face anyone this way and it won’t be long before QAI manages to shut this place down. Take your respective gates and meet at the planned escape point… we’ve lost this round.”

-----

Seth-Iavow’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his tactical screen. The battle for Procyon was won, the node was burning in the distance and hundreds of Cybrans had been killed before they could escape. The War Leader was not satisfied however and turned towards his right screen: “QAI, where are the enemy pilots? What technology would allow them to escape in such a fashion?”

The pulsating eye appeared a second later: “I am currently scanning the quantum network to track them down. Analysis suggests that the Cybran Nation now masters recall technology. There is a sixty-eight percent probability that the pilot known as the Tip of the Spear is behind it.”

QAI noticed Seth-Iavow’s displeasure and immediately forwarded the latest data on his screen: “The campaign is a success, master. These numbers clearly indicate…”

“That the Cybran Nation is still alive,” finished Seth-Iavow in annoyance: “As long as they exist then we cannot focus all of our efforts to destroy the UEF and we must maintain this charade with the Order of the Illuminate.”

The digital eye twirled once before daring to offer a counter argument: “Winning a battle and winning a war are two different things, master.”

For a second, Seth-Iavow considered lashing out at the artificial intelligence, but he restrained himself. Like it or not, QAI was right; humans had proven that they would not go down easily. This reminded Seth-Iavow of something else and he opened another channel: “Thel-Uuthow, report.”

The face of his second in command appeared on his screen and smiled: “The Cybran’s base is in ruins. His destruction is only moments away…”

-----

The quantum gate came crashing down near the feet of Thel-Uuthow’s ACU and the Seraphim smiled in glee. Without it, the Cybran pilot would have no other choice but to flee. Now all that Thel-Uuthow had to do was to build and upgrade an air factory in order to produce spy planes. With these in hands, he would locate the cloaked ACU and send the incoming Ahwassas against it… or was there a faster way?

A devious idea crossed Thel-Uuthow’s mind and he opened a broad band channel: “Come face me little human…”

By all accounts, humans could not possibly understand or translate the Seraphim’s language, but that was hardly the point. Every studies that Thel-Uuthow had gone through clearly showed that taunting an opponent was a common tactic amongst all factions. With any luck, this would anger the Cybran pilot and push him to use his heavy microwave laser. Everything would be over after that.

Thel-Uuthow was just about to monitor the condition of his air factory when the face of a Cybran pilot suddenly appeared on his screen. The human was wearing some kind of mask which covered the lower half of his face. Even then, it could not fully hide the sadistic smile underneath it. Thel-Uuthow accepted the transmission, determined to trace the signal to its source or provoke the human into attacking him. Their eyes met as soon as two way communications was established and the Seraphim baited his opponent some more: “Show me what you can do…”

No unexpected units appeared nor did the whine of a heavy microwave laser fill the air. Instead, the Cybran raised a hand in front of his monitor so that Thel-Uuthow could see the detonator that he was holding: “You and I don’t need words to understand each other…”

Thel-Uuthow looked at the detonator and then back at the Cybran’s eyes. Why would a human bind any of his ACU’s systems to a hand held detonator? This made no sense at all… unless if the detonator was bound to something that was not part of the ACU?

The sudden realization caused Thel-Uuthow’s eyes to widen in alarm and he took a step backwards reflexively. Redfog shook his head slightly and simply pressed the button. Carefully hidden nuclear cores stolen from one of Option Zero’s silos detonated simultaneously around the base.

The explosion sent waves of energy cascading around the Seraphim ACU. Thel-Uuthow looked around in panic as each of his system overloaded in turn. Soon the air became too warm to breathe and the panel to his left suddenly glowed white hot. It exploded before Thel-Uuthow could turn his head away and intense pain coursed through the side of his face. The Seraphim cried out as waves of heat burned his left eye in an instant.

The nuclear explosions ended as suddenly as they had begun, leaving the Seraphim army destroyed and the ACU sprawled on the ground. Thel-Uuthow tried to focus on drawing his next painful breath as his entire body cried out in agony, but his mind reeled off in terror at the sound that was coming through his transmitter: the human was laughing.

-----

Megan watched as Redfog laughed a moment longer before closing the channel. The assassin then turned back to the task of completing his new quantum gate as if nothing had happened. Megan allowed a few seconds to pass before pointing out the obvious: “The enemy’s army is no more, but his base is still operational. This means that his ACU was not destroyed by the weakened nuclear cores, right?”

Redfog shrugged slightly: “If they operate with the same protocols as we do then yes. It does not matter in any case. This end suits my purpose just as well.”

The flying drones returned to the ACU as soon as the quantum gate was completed and Redfog turned his head to look at Megan from the corner of his eye: “You saw him burn, didn’t you? What is a single death in the grand scheme of things compared to a living testament of their own mortality? It may take them a while, but eventually they will learn what true fear really is.”

Megan opened her mouth, but closed it shut and nodded. The Cybran ACU entered the quantum gate and disappeared from the surface of the Earth.

-----

Valerie jumped out of her cockpit as soon as the docking ramp reached it and ran towards the other end of the hangar. She found Dostya talking with one of the technician and only caught the end of the discussion: “… He’s in section B twelve, recovery room C.”

Dostya thanked the man and left immediately, purposely ignoring Valerie. The assassin had to run to catch up to her: “Chaslain, we have to talk…”

“Not now,” said Dostya without even sparing a glance. Valerie winced slightly, but kept insisting: “You cannot endanger your life so casually. You have a duty to perform and until it’s completed then you cannot be allowed to die. Do you understand?”

Dostya whirled on Valerie so suddenly that the assassin nearly bumped into her: “No, it’s you who don’t understand. If you want to remain under my command then you need to obey my orders. I don’t care what Redfog said or what he intended; I’m here to protect the Cybran Nation and not just the interests of the Assumpta Node. If I can’t depend on you then I’ll have no further use for your services. Am I clear?”

Valerie’s eyes widened in shock and her mind searched for a way to calm the situation. Dostya noticed her hesitation and pressed on, her tone as sharp as a blade: “Am I clear?”

The assassin finally nodded and averted her gaze: “Yes… Chaslain.”

Dostya stared at her for a second longer before leaving. Valerie considered following her for a second, but then shook her head. It would probably be best to leave her alone for now.

The Assumpta pilot turned around with the intention of returning to her ACU when a commotion further down the hanger caught her attention. A group of three technicians were forming a semi circle around a pilot with their arms raised as if to calm him. Valerie would have ignored the display under normal circumstances until she heard the outcry: “Baka, baka, baka!”

She walked closer and watched as one of the technicians walked towards Kazuo: “Look, could you relax for a second? Maybe we can…”

Kazuo grabbed a box of spare parts and threw it at the technician: “Urusai!”

The man jumped to the side just in time to evade the clumsy missile and cursed loudly: “Damn it! What the hell is he saying?”

“Shut up,” said Valerie as she walked past him. The technician threw her an incredulous glance and was about to curse her when she added: “He told you to shut up in Japanese. Now leave us alone. I’ll handle this.”

For a second, it seemed as though Kazuo would lash out at Valerie as well, but he didn’t. Valerie waited until the technicians were gone before raising an eyebrow: “I looked at the early casualty reports while docking… I know that only ten percent of the Jade Node managed to evacuate. I’m sorry.”

A helpless chuckled escaped Kazuo: “I don’t need any false sympathy, especially not from you…”

Valerie took a step forward anyway: “It wasn’t your fault…”

“Of course it was!” cried Kazuo while whirling around: “I knew that the Jade Node’s defenses were inadequate. They depended too much on QAI and on old tactics. If I had insisted then this would never have happened!”

Kazuo punched one of the nearby crates as he cried out. Unfortunately for him, that crate was loaded with spare ACU parts that weighted nearly a ton. Valerie heard the distinct sound of breaking bone and was further amazed that Kazuo simply stood frozen in place without uttering a cry: “If I had challenged those old traditions then my family would still be alive…”

Valerie stepped forward and gently took a hold of Kazuo’s outstretched hand. She looked at it carefully before fetching a few components from a pouch on her belt and improvising a splint: “We need to get this checked out once we have it immobilized.”

The Jade Node pilot looked at the assassin helplessly: “Why are you doing this?”

The Assumpta pilot’s hands stopped their work for just a moment as she looked up at him: “This is… this is the only thing that I can do to make things better.”

The two of them stayed together in silence as Valerie finished treating the wound.

-----

Ell was waiting just outside the room with a data pad in her hands when Dostya came around the corner. The chief medical officer nodded towards the door: “I can only leave you a few minutes with him. After that, we’ll need to take him to his surgery.”

Dostya nodded in gratitude and stepped inside the recovery room. Bagby was lying on the bed, his skin deathly pale and with an oxygen mask covering his face. The old pilot noticed her as soon as she stepped in and smiled despite the situation: “For the record… I beat the crap out of the other guy first so I’m still undefeated.”

“I’m sure you did,” said Dostya as she sat near him and took a hold of his hand. She tried to find something to say, but the words simply did not come. Bagby squeezed her hand and smirked: “Hey, chin up girl. By the time that Ell is done fixing me I’ll be stronger, faster, more seductive.”

A smile appeared briefly, but it was eclipsed by the single tear that ran along the side of Dostya’s face: “I can’t… I can’t do this. We only lost ten percent of our military to end the Infinite War and yet we lost fifty percent in a single day against the Seraphim and that’s without counting the civilian casualties. What kind of person am I to stop the Seraphim, lead the Cybran Nation and keep the Assumpta Node under control?”

Bagby’s smirk disappeared and he squeezed her hand even harder: “You’re Ivanna Dostya and more importantly, you’re my girl. We may fall, but nothing can keep us down; it runs in the family. You just remember that if anyone tries to tell you that you’re something else!”

The simple statement awakened something in Dotsya and she nodded quickly: “Thanks Bagby, I needed that. There’s something that I have to do now, but I’ll be there when you get back from surgery.”

A chuckle escaped Bagby and he squeezed her hand one last time before letting go of it: “Give them hell.”

-----

DV turned his head sideways and looked at the Lieutenant General: “The message was transmitted and acknowledged. However, I have no way of knowing if it was received in time to be of any use.”

Hall nodded and patted the man on the shoulder: “At least we gave them a chance.”

The Lieutenant General had been about to say more when Samantha suddenly stepped alongside them: “Samuel ‘DV’ Richards, I knew that I recognized your voice from somewhere.”

The hacker sighed and nodded slowly: “And I always knew that it would end like this one day. Since you guys don’t have a prison then I guess it’s time to take a little trip towards the edge of the base with a firing squad?”

Samantha’s gaze hardened and Hall cleared his throat to interrupt them: “There is another possibility, General. Although these circumstances are unusual, it stands to reason that mister Richards could benefit from diplomatic immunity… if we were to consider him an ambassador for the Cybran Nation, that is.”

Both looked at Hall in shock and he quickly clarified: “We are technically still at peace with the Cybran Nation. Forgive my bluntness, General, but won’t we benefit a lot more from having a safe way to contact them than just having an added prisoner?”

The General rubbed her forehead as if it pained her, but made a quick decision: “Fine, just get him out of this uniform before anyone else sees him. I hope that you realize how lucky you are, mister Richards. Just don’t make me regret it.”

-----

Valerie was still sitting next to Kazuo when the hangar’s door opened. Soon, the unmistakable tremors of an ACU walking in rang through the area. The event in itself was hardly unusual, but what was peculiar was the amount of technicians that ran towards it. The two pilots understood why when cries of ‘Brackman’ echoed through the hangar.

They stood up to get a better view and saw the ACU’s cockpit as it opened. A mechanic crab-like leg came out and soon the casing that held the human brain stepped forward. The technicians stood in awe as the Doctor reassured all of them and even Kazuo was shocked: “I never knew that the Doctor could pilot an ACU. Heck, I never even knew that he could move on his own.”

Valerie snorted and would have ignored the display, but then she saw another ACU disconnect itself from the docking ramp and make its way towards the quantum gate: “Chaslain!”

The Assumpta pilot ran up the walkway and caught the first technician that she crossed: “Where is she going?”

The man shook his head quickly: “I have no idea. Commander Dostya did not log in her mission plan.”

A string of curses escaped Valerie as the ACU disappeared through the quantum gate and she ran towards section B twelve. She barged into Bagby’s room just as Ell and some of her assistants were preparing to transport him: “Where did she go? What did she say?”

Ell was about to shout for Valerie to get out of their way, but Bagby’s chuckle interrupted her: “I have no idea. I guess Redfrog should have thought about that before selecting my girl, huh?”

Epilogue

Seth-Iavow watched as two other Seraphim took care of Thel-Uuthow’s wounds. It seemed strange and almost unnatural for them to do so. It was not that their people lacked the skills or the desire to save one of their own, but rather that none of them had ever been wounded so grievously for dozens of lifetimes.

One of the Seraphim finished his bandage and approached the War Leader: “His wounds will heal. However, he will never recover the use of his left eye.”

The Elder nodded slowly and motioned for them to leave. He waited until they were gone before taking a seat next to his friend: “Do you require anything else?”

Thel-Uuthow looked at him with his good eyes and nodded slowly: “I would beg for your forgiveness. I was brash, careless and most importantly, I was wrong. I underestimated the human and paid for it in the end. I will not let it happen again.”

A moment of silence passed and then Seth-Iavow bowed his head: “You are forgiven my friend. Simply focus on getting better while you meditate on this lesson. We will need you as soon as you are healed.”

Seth-Iavow was about to add more, but his transmitter blinked and he picked it up: “Yes?”

QAI’s pulsating eye appeared on the small screen: “I am ready to flood the quantum network with distortions once again. Shall I proceed?”

The Seraphim War Leader gave it some thought for a few seconds, but then shook his head: “No. The opposing human factions have lost their strongholds and now we must track them down. This might be easier if we allow them to communicate instead of denying them that possibility.”

The digital eye twirled once before answering: “There is a seventy-two percent chance that you are correct.”

Seth-Iavow nodded and started walking towards his control room: “Then let the hunt begin.”

-----

Redfog opened the cockpit of his ACU and motioned for Megan to follow him. The assassin leapt gracefully down the war machine’s leg while Megan had to pick her handholds carefully. They landed in the swamp’s fetid waters and the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds. Redfog was the first to break the silence: “Now is the time to make your choice. Do you wish to return to what’s left of the UEF or stay with me?”

The bluntness of the question surprised Megan, but she recovered quickly: “Our deal was that I would stay by your side until I became stronger.”

“And you did,” said Redfog while raising a finger: “But that was not really a choice now was it? The alternative, had you chosen it, would have led to your death. What I am giving you now is a real choice. You cannot gain true strength or purpose without it.”

Megan folded her hands in front of her and started walking in a semi circle around the Cybran: “If I return to the UEF, the odds are that I will be nothing more than a stray orphan of war. I might one day manage to climb up and make something of myself, but there would be a great deal of chance involved. So the real question is: what are you offering?”

A crooked smile appeared under Redfog’s mask as he spoke: “Pain, brutal training and little compassion. Should you survive, however, then you would become a Cybran and gain a rightful place as part of the Assumpta Node. In a year or two, you might grow strong enough to become an ACU pilot and perhaps more.”

Megan’s smile matched her master’s: “So should we head back to the Cybran Nation?”

“Oh not just yet,” said Redfog while motioning towards the rest of the swamp: “Every faction is on the run, so there is little point in joining them now. We will complete your training here and return only when we are finished. Now, let us continue where we left off…”

-----

One of QAI’s cloaked ACUs moved through the rubbles of Procyon, stopping here and there to reclaim and assimilate different pieces of wreckage. Although the Cybrans were thorough when it came to erasing their tracks, there was still the possibility that a secret transmission could be stored in a destroyed relay somewhere. If analyzed properly, this could potentially reveal a clue as to their destination.

The ACU had just finished reclaiming all relevant structures in the area without any results and was about to move on when it noticed something peculiar. A Cybran flag was planted on top of a nearby hill. The ACU relayed this information to QAI’s main consciousness which took a fraction of a second to analyze it. According to its database, this was Bagby’s flag pole.

QAI was about to disregard this data as a piece of trivial information when one of its sub processes reminded it that this could potentially be a symbol for the Cybran Nation. Determined to crush all forms of resistance, QAI sent orders to its ACU and the empty shell reacted instantly, blasting the useless relic in a heartbeat.

The flag burst into an unusually bright flame and the artificial intelligence paused as it analyzed the implications. The ACU was still standing motionless a few seconds later as a stealth spy plane flew above it. QAI realized its mistake instantly, but it was far too late as group of six strategic bombers flew in a second later, dropping their payloads and destroying the ACU in a single pass.

Dostya watched the bright explosion on the horizon and snorted: “Remember this well, QAI: we won’t disappear that easily…”

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First post!

There we go, I edited the original post but the next chapter will have to wait until this friday

I had a feeling that this would be the subject. I'm glad. It is gonna be sad when Clarke dies... Keep her alive

Ahhhh good, this is exactly what I was wanting, a book to fill in the hole between the two games.

Theres a lot of character interaction, storyline and buildup ya can pull off through this, just like with the others, also itl give me a lil more time to play FA so I can relate to the upcoming stories better.

Carry on with the style of ya previous ones and itl be just as epic, your description of the final battle was awesome.

Nice one on having more inspiration ready as well, can't wait for the weekend to get started with the story.

The natives are restless.

MOAR!

He's going to make her death worth a damn.

Remember, Dots takes the storyline and breaths life into it. He hardly ever really changes anything, he even got all 3 endings to fit.

I am sure that this will be the most innovative of the books so far. GPG only provided the fact the Seraphim invade, so there's lot's of stuff to create.

I can't wait to see what happened to Redfog.

I thought her death meant something, she was trying to save the civilian ship.

With the help of my fav:

*drumroll*


Ivanna Dostya!!!

My favorite was Samantha.

Dostya ditched Clarke d

Hmmm. Not the way I remember it. The Alliance was obvious (to me, any way) fighting a delaying action so that people could escape the Seraphim onslaught. The transport was taking off. Rhiza was either commanding or the Ops Officer for the mission. She gave the recall order once the transport had undocked and was moving. Dostya punched out on order. Clarke got distracted when the transport got hit and forgot where the big red button was. When the Seraphim commander appeared, she sat there with the classic "This's gonna hurt!" look on her face. It's a war. People die, even good ones (maybe ESPECIALLY the good ones, they tend to be in the thick of things). I hated to see her get whacked, but some times $hit happens like that.

Not Dostya's fault, although she probably felt like $hit when she found out what happened.

Just my 2 cents.

Marc

I was joking, but I think that Clarke was just trying to give the ship more time.

Dostya teleported in like, 5 seconds of the command to do so. Clarke had plenty of time to escape. It was like watching a steamroller come at you ate half a mile an hour and not run (no restrictions).

I know, because she didn't want to abandon the ship when the Seraphim were so close.