Astray--A Backstory from THE MOTIVATION

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TheLoneWolf
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CHAPTER 1:- The Penalty of Sapience

I hate Anderson. No, not Mike. But his father. That ruthless piece of @#$!. The Boss.

**Continuing for the BONUS CONTENT of PIRATE GAIDEN**

A shadow loomed over my Brit as I approached the mammoth structure known as CSC Antartica. Flights upon flights of Centurions occupied the four bridges, but my destination was the Brit spot close to the centre. It was my new home now.

"Requesting to dock!" I said.

"Positive"

I docked and exited my ship. Hollow and stale, the CSC's air met me in a gust. I shrugged and continued in a random direction. I was bound to arrive somewhere.

"Hey! Hey! Where are you going?" a voice called behind me. I turned to see an private running behind me.
Yes?" I demanded.
"Commander Helios wants to see you." he answered.
"Alright. Lead the way."

The private led me through dark hallways and bunkers to the main hall. From there, we got transported straight to the Commander's cabin. I proceeded to knock but the private just bumped through the door. I followed him. Before I could enter, the private hurried away.

I found myself in a most exotically decorated cabin. The walls were wallpapered, medals were incased and placed in a high set trophy shelf, and a pure mahogany table sat at the centre. Helios wasn't sitting at its helm. It was Decker.
"Sit down" he motioned me.
"Where is Helios?" I demanded, ignoring his gestures.
"Sit. Down." he commanded.
And I sat down.
"Taylor. Commander Helios is...err...out today. And I'm in command of this vessel till then. Now now! How are we today?" he began with a sly grin.

Did I tell you that this guy is one big asshole?

"Why am I here?" I asked.
"I don't know. Helios himself asked for you" he began, and then a shine came to his eyes, "I wonder why! Why you, Taylor?"

I was about to reply something like "WTF is that to you" but the door opened and Helios hastily rushed in.

I rose from my seat. So did Decker.

"Admiral Decker! Your transport is waiting. Would you..." he said.
Decker rose and was gone before he could finish.

...

"Decker told me that you made a personal call for me. Thats true?" I asked.
"True" he replied.
"Is it really that bad?"
"More than it looks. Anderson is playing his game and he has found us as those pawns that just don't move as he wants them to."
"And he's the king."
"We aren't his pawns."
"True, Helios"
"You'll fly your first charted mission tomorrow. But with some uncharted equipment. We need to a proof to our theory"
"Roger"
"Here is your quarter marker. Get some sleep. Its going to be a long day tomorrow."
"How long?"
"34 hours"
"Mmmm..."

I hardly slept. I was trying to stay 5 steps ahead of Anderson, and Decker. The mission was going to be straight from them both. It could be a suicide. But I? No sir! Absolutely no f@&%s given.


I was out in the dining hall before even the sarge, who announced that morning was here, had woken up. I like to be awake in the wee hours of the morning, when solitude was not to be sought after.
"One coffee. Strong." I ordered.
After a minute, I was sipping at my hot black cup of coffee, while watching the night patrol squad return. I calmly walked to the hangar.

"OFFICER ON DECK!"
The pilots all stood up in a row and saluted me.
"Ease up people" I said to them, "Report your finding to me."
"Uneventful sir! Just a lone Sandstorm. Ran away after he sighted us."
"Don't you find it strange?"
"Negative sir"
"Alright. Dismissed!"
They saluted me again as I walked away.

...

"Its happening, Helios. A lone Sandstorm. It was just wandering in empty space." I spoke calmly.
"Its not an evidence enough to prove our theory, Taylor." Helios replied.
"Whatever. Brief me about my mission."
"The regular. Intercept buildups of Ares ships. Looks like Anderson has spared us another day."
"I'll pass"
"Its compulsory."
"Now thats strange. Such a regular mission made compulsory. And thats only for me."
"Looks like you are Decker's new playmate Taylor!" Helios laughed.
"But this toy can kill"


"How many will you take?" Helios asked me as I stood at the hangar.
"Two Brits at my tail. No more."
"You hate backup."
"I appreciate it. But this mission is going to be a hit and run."
"Nah! You've got a long fight ahead Taylor! If the reports are right, its a massive buildup of Sandstorms! You want to get grinded?"
"I'm no fan of taking my kin to hell with me."
"I'm going to issue you 25 Centurions."
"Two. Brits."
"You are a mad man, Taylor."
"My pleasure."
"Take atleast 3! I insist!"
"Two. In V formation."
"You win! What makes you think that it would be a hit and run anyway?"

I was silent for a couple of seconds.

"Instinct" I replied with a smile.
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CHAPTER 2:- The Anomaly

"Reaper squad up" I signalled the Antartica.
"Happy Hunting!" a person replied.

"Form up on my wing. V formation." I signalled.
"Roger"
"Roger"
Two Brits formed up behind mine.

"Target is up in 25 minutes. We will scout at first. Max 35 min to action." I told them.

We rushed towards the indicated target, a formation of Sandstorms. Under 25min, we were just outside their radar.

"I'm going to slow down. Form up around me. W formation." I signalled.

My legacy tech had began its work.

I slowly drifted across the edge of their radar.

***

"Sir! We have got three crafts under radar! They seem to be going to the stargate." an Ares private told his superior.
"They move like freight! Must be a T31! You continue!" he replied.

***

"Its a convoy" I signalled to my team.
"Should we..." they began.
"Negative. Lets change our course. 15' to the right. Then slowly 10' at the same. Go towards the Nebula" I planned.

There was a Polar convoy. It was bearing Sandstorms. A hit and run indeed.

***

"They have altered their course..." the officer grew suspicious.

***

"Nebula 30sec" I signalled, "10'. Go!"

***

"Go intercept them"

A Sandstorm was put in pirsuit of the squad.

"If they move more than 5', fire a warning."

***

I noticed the Sandstorm at our tail. It would identify us if it continued for another 8sec.

"We are at the nebula! Everyone max acceleration! 60' right! V formation! We are going to rush at them from the border of the nebula. Fire at the moment we exit the nebula! Reaper 1, fly hard left. Reaper 2, fly hard right. Meet me 5 min away from this spo... WE ARE COMING IN HOT!"

We let our missiles loose as soon as we left the nebula. The Ares were caught unguard as XM900s blasted the swarms into spacedust in a matter of seconds.

They hadn't recovered from the awe, and couldn't spot us through the explosions, as Reaper 1 and 2 vanished from the radars, leaving only me behind.

I didn't stop moving. I kept my speed. I was going straight at the Polar freighter.

Just then, two XM900s rocked the Ares from either sides. My course was clear. Katanas pierced through the hull, killing the engines. 2' to the left, and the cargo hold was breached.

My comrades fired another set.

I saw two adjacent missiles fast reaching the target. My calculations were astute. I was going to be 5 sec ahead of the Polaris before the missiles would hit.

I started clearing the space of the Sandstorms.

Then my uncharted legacy device picked it up.

One lone Sandstorm, standing at the edge of the battlefield, doing nothing.

The anomaly stood unveiled.

And I stood corrected.




"How are we?" I asked.
"Not a scratch sir!" my team was indeed happy.
We were fast leaving the totally crippled freighter behind. The Sandstorms were slowly fading away. No one gave pirsuit.

"Reapers" I began as we reached the Antartica "Go to the bar and gulp down the most exotic drinks you can think of. You did a damn great job today! And the bill is on me." I heard them rejoice. These were the guys I knew. My family. They could die for me, and I for them. We lived systems apart, but our bond was tight. Total 50 men I had worked best with. My team. My family. My Reapers.

"Sir! Aren't you going to join us?" one of them began as he saw me go into the opposite direction.
"Negative John. You and Dean go enjoy yourselves. I need to meet up with Helios"


"Look at that data" I said to Helios.
"Yeah. Its a lone Sandstorm. One of the anomalists! Great job!" Helios rose with enthusiasm.
"Its not all. Look again."
"At what? The vacuum?"
"At their flight patterns."
"There is nothing out of extraordinary. You are firing at them. Most of them are after you, while a few are flying off randomly. Fleeing." he spoke as if he saw that everyday.
"Exactly."
"What?"
"The honour of the Ares is known across the galaxy. And the Ares..."
"Never flee!"
"Right. And thats not all. These fleers then joined the anomalist and stood at the edge. Watching."
"Its happening Taylor!"
"Yup it is. Our theory is proving itself."
"I'll be placing it forward after we get a little more evidence."
"Alright. Hit me up when you get something."
"I know where to find ya, Taylor!"
"Yeah. Me too."
"Glad you didn't pass?"
"Yup. Decker helped us out on this one."
"Sure he did! Don't tell that git! He would probably die of grief."
We gave a heartly laugh and I left for my quarters.
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***

Attention Lone Wolf; this is War-wolf leader; good job buddy. You know as a psychologist, someone asking for a strong coffee is about as good as indicator of a man's personality as a full character description. Fantastic stuff. The mystery thickens and we're waiting for more. War-wolf out.
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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MikeAngora wrote:***

Attention Lone Wolf; this is War-wolf leader; good job buddy. You know as a psychologist, someone asking for a strong coffee is about as good as indicator of a man's personality as a full character description. Fantastic stuff. The mystery thickens and we're waiting for more. War-wolf out.
Just a bit (2K characters) more to the next chapter!
I practice writing analystics myself. And I deduce that you are awesome xD
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I will say in Indonesian phrase, "Aku suka dengan ceritamu, ceritanya hebat sekali."
:-)
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DigaRW wrote:I will say in Indonesian phrase, "Aku suka dengan ceritamu, ceritanya hebat sekali."
:-)
Hey Dig! That means?
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CHAPTER 3:- Relay

"Its the same again" Helios began, as we analyzed the data I had collected after running 5 more missions, "Some of them flee the main battle and..."
"And start observing me." I finished.
"Exactly. Now, I wonder why they don't contact us..."
"What for? They won't risk it. Drawing the enemy's attention to sitting ducks."
"We need to win their trust, Taylor."
"Its really difficult to win someone's trust. Especially if we and them are sworn enemies, and only contact each other to make death threats and spew venom." I told him as I sipped my coffee.
"You are right... All we can do is wait."
"Hmmm..." I growled as I took another sip.
"My Taylor! You sure love your coffee!"
"God knows how much I do. I can't survive without coffee!"
We erupt laughing.
"Seriously Taylor! Haven't you ever had a girlfriend or something?"
"Never have. Never will." I finished my coffee.
"And why is that? I'm sure you will find someone! You just have to look!" Helios began digging at me.
"Look whose talking. Someone who is 40+, but has no family to return to."
"You know Taylor", he began, "The life we lead..."
"Yeah. And I. I love solitude. Anyway, even if I find someone, she ain't getting anything out of me."
"And why is that Taylor?" Helios asked me with glee.
"My heart stopped pumping long ago." I replied with a smile.


"The brass has asked for a report, Taylor." Helios told me the next day over lunch.
"The anomaly?" I asked back.
"No Taylor! Your report! You are going to becom..."
"But I don't want to leave the Antartica! Its our best bet! And then, I'll only become it if I pass the mission!"
"Don't be a nuthead, Taylor! You are the only officer of this decade to be considered for that position and honour!"
"I don't care. I just want the anomaly solved."
"With the anomaly again! Now, Taylor!" he crept closer to my ears, "Operation Lone Wolf Walking is not due for another month" he crept back, "And IF you execute your thing perfectly there also, you will get that super promotion."
"Again, I don't give a f@&$ to the position, even if it is unique."
"Imagine Decker's face when he finds out!"
"He will do everything to stop me from becoming it."
"And then you can help little Antartica out."
"Sure. Now, lets focus on solving the anomaly." I rose and went away to my quarters.


I rose early in the morning to find 5 more arrivals. All from my Reaper squad. Armed to the teeth in their Brits. My own was modified. It had advanced sensory and thrusters installed. Moreover, the weapons were about 30% faster, and shields + armour were upgraded to even a stronger version. It wasn't actually a behemoth, but was still my trusted warhorse.

"How are we today?" I asked all my 12 squadmates over breakfast.
"Alive and kicking sir!" John replied.
"Alright. I want volunteers for missi..."
Every single hand rose in the air.
"Alright men! I'll let you know when time arrives! 4 of you will be coming with me tomorrow, then another group of 4 then next, and so on. Dismissed."


"Its going to be another hit and run" I told Helios as he debriefed me.
"And I think of it to be a trap. We will not fall. The Ares will expect another decoy this time, but we will meet them heads on." I added.
"Alright. You are good to go then."


"Alright Reapers. X formation. Switch to W formation on impact. And V when returning. Go!" I told my team.
"Reaper 1 ready."
"Reaper 2 ready."
"Reaper 3 ready."
"Reaper 4 ready."

Our solemn flight accelerated towards the target coords. The beacon had originated from the stargate, so it was bound to be a Polar.

And I was right. My detectors picked up a massive buildup ahead.

"Here's the plan people" I began as my squad shifted into W formation "At first sighting, we all fire XM900s. Then, when they get aware and begin recovering from the initial shock, the ones behind me, Reaper 2 and 4, you keep at missiles. The ones adjacent to me, Reaper 1 and 3, you switch to Katanas, with occaisonal XM900s as squad busters. I will direct you. In case the Reaper 2 and 4 run out of missiles, you switch roles. Got it? And two more things. Disperse when we are close to target. Our job is to cripple them. After we are close enough to them, we semi-circle beyond the battlefield into the nebula. Then, we regroup, circle back to the front, and attack with another volley. Last, but not the least, do not attack any fleeing ships. Counter only typical Ares behaviour. Sandstorms at Katana priority 2, XM900 priority 1. Tundras at Katana priority 1, XM900 priority 2." I briefed them.
"And Chasms, sir?"
"Hope there isn't any. And if there is, leave it to me."


Everything began to unravel as expected.


It was a trap.
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TheLoneWolf wrote:
DigaRW wrote:I will say in Indonesian phrase, "Aku suka dengan ceritamu, ceritanya hebat sekali."
:-)
Hey Dig! That means?
I like your stories, that stories is awesome. Hehehe...
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DigaRW wrote:
TheLoneWolf wrote:
DigaRW wrote:I will say in Indonesian phrase, "Aku suka dengan ceritamu, ceritanya hebat sekali."
:-)
Hey Dig! That means?
I like your stories, that stories is awesome. Hehehe...
xD thanks bro! And you write slow. I'm waiting for the next chapter from you!
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I will say this...

هذه القصة هي القنبلة!
أنا لا أعني ذلك حرفيا!

Which is Google translated Arabic for...
"This story is a bomb!
And I don't mean that literally.
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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TheLoneWolf
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MikeAngora wrote:I will say this...

هذه القصة هي القنبلة!
أنا لا أعني ذلك حرفيا!

Which is Google translated Arabic for...
"This story is a bomb!
And I don't mean that literally.
Good one Mikey!

And you should know better! It was you who told my fever striken lazy fingers that Astray was an important story to write! xD
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There is more inside your fingers than just stories Mr. Wolf, I see a science fiction author in the making.

Here's honesty, (and I swear by everything I believe in that this not fulsome praise), the Motivation would have been another lost story in Transcendence fan-fiction had it not been for your excellent writing and advice. Now we have a book in the making that George thinks we can even sell licence copies off. It's like a little franchise in itself. Who knows, kronosaur might even develop an in game storyline for it... The Anderson-Taylor wars or something lol
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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TheLoneWolf
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MikeAngora wrote:There is more inside your fingers than just stories Mr. Wolf, I see a science fiction author in the making.

Here's honesty, (and I swear by everything I believe in that this not fulsome praise), the Motivation would have been another lost story in Transcendence fan-fiction had it not been for your excellent writing and advice. Now we have a book in the making that George thinks we can even sell licence copies off. It's like a little franchise in itself. Who knows, Kronosaur might even develop an in game storyline for it... The Anderson-Taylor wars or something lol
Your praise seems legit xD Thanks! I just saw so much potential in it, and was like, "I want to add more to this!"
I was going to write Pirate Gaiden as my own independent fanfic (trust me, I will do this too) but then you "motivated" me and I became your co writer. This story has a long way to go, as YOU have to cover the following still:
1. CSC Antartica event.
2. Sung events.
3. Sung citadel event.
4. Huari events.
5. Dvalin events (leave that to Taylor)
6. Ares events (boy O boy! They are too much! Don't count out my "Ares invade CW") + many Ares vs. CW duels. I suggest all out war to which we both can contribute realtime (Ares sector is mine) like a huge game of toy soldiers, or an ultra huge huge huge session of Starcraft.
7. Luminous threats.
8. Attacks from the Pentients.
9. The Xenophobes (Taylor again)
10. Going into the no-creds rin-only zone.
11. Massive Kobold buildup.
12. Stranded in Elysium by Domina. Moment of truth.
13. Meet the Gaians.
14. Xenophobe worldship. Wait. I said this already xD
15. My friend Iocrym.
16. The anomaly.
17. Breaking through.
18. Bye Nova!
19. Anybody want a pie?
20. Yay pie!
MikeAngora
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TheLoneWolf wrote:
MikeAngora wrote:There is more inside your fingers than just stories Mr. Wolf, I see a science fiction author in the making.

Here's honesty, (and I swear by everything I believe in that this not fulsome praise), the Motivation would have been another lost story in Transcendence fan-fiction had it not been for your excellent writing and advice. Now we have a book in the making that George thinks we can even sell licence copies off. It's like a little franchise in itself. Who knows, Kronosaur might even develop an in game storyline for it... The Anderson-Taylor wars or something lol
Your praise seems legit xD Thanks! I just saw so much potential in it, and was like, "I want to add more to this!"
I was going to write Pirate Gaiden as my own independent fanfic (trust me, I will do this too) but then you "motivated" me and I became your co writer. This story has a long way to go, as YOU have to cover the following still:
1. CSC Antartica event.
2. Sung events.
3. Sung citadel event.
4. Huari events.
5. Dvalin events (leave that to Taylor)
6. Ares events (boy O boy! They are too much! Don't count out my "Ares invade CW") + many Ares vs. CW duels. I suggest all out war to which we both can contribute realtime (Ares sector is mine) like a huge game of toy soldiers, or an ultra huge huge huge session of Starcraft.
7. Luminous threats.
8. Attacks from the Pentients.
9. The Xenophobes (Taylor again)
10. Going into the no-creds rin-only zone.
11. Massive Kobold buildup.
12. Stranded in Elysium by Domina. Moment of truth.
13. Meet the Gaians.
14. Xenophobe worldship. Wait. I said this already xD
15. My friend Iocrym.
16. The anomaly.
17. Breaking through.
18. Bye Nova!
19. Anybody want a pie?
20. Yay pie!
I'd love some pie thanks. I want simple beef pie with a hint, I repeat, just a hint of Martian Nori...
Commonwealth vs Ares war with you representing the Ares... Ha! I can barely wait. I'm standing on the bridge of my Aquila waiting with my steel toe shoe. Some red men are begging for their asses to be kicked and I'll do the favor!
Haha on a serious note, I cannot wait for it to happen!
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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CHAPTER 4:- In A Pit Of Fire

"Missiles away!" I cried.
My squad began firing missile upon missile, all of them deadly XM900s.

The missiles weren't intercepted and hit the Ares hard, indicating that we had achieved the element of surprise.

But the Ares were waiting. They had thought of us to pull off the same freighter decoy. They had never thought their bait would be gone. Again, some of the Ares ships escape to the edge as they faced our fire.

Then suddenly, "Reapers! I'm catching large Ares signals emerging from the nebula behind the Polar! Stick to the plan! Katanas on mine! Lets pick off that Tundra!" I cried.
"ROGER!" they cried in unison.

The missiles were devastating the weak line the Ares had left behind. The Polar was already crippled.

"Change of plan! We hit the swarm and then get the hel..." I was cut short by a devastating blow to my shield. Positron.
"CHASM!" on of my team members shouted.
"I see it! You guys hit the swarm! I'm going after the Chasm!"

My squad's Katanas were slowly picking on the distant enemies, while an occaisonal XM900 dissipated a gathering swarm. They were not letting the Ares form up, but some were still managing to sneak up forward and land a few shots before erupting into spacedust. Their deflectors were holding up pretty well too.

"Its you and me now!" I thought to myself as I started blasting the Chasm with Katana shots, and XM900s. It was constantly dodging my shots, but the speed of the Katana shots made sure that it was very hard. Its Positron weapon was going very hard on my shields. We had nothing that offered any resistance to it. It would make quick game of me if my shields collapsed. But here I was, grinding at it like hell. My Katana dispatched the shields. I couldn't do much with my missiles on this ship, as its armour resisted my attacks, but my Katana was extremely effective. After 5min, it was no more.

I shifted my attention back to the mission.
"We are getting slaughtered si..."
I fired a long stream of Katanas and a couple of missiles to both kill a squad of Sandstorms and destroy a Tundra.
"Hit and run complete! Form up, V formation." I sighed.

They began one last volley to distract the Ares as we made our retreat.

And I just passed by one of the anomalists. It turned with my ship, as if watching it. I made no move. And we hurried away.


"I passed close by one, Helios. And it just stood watch." I told him afterwards during debrief.
"These ships are strange...These anomalists...These watchers."
"Yeah. And because of this, these watchers have gained my attention. I'll now be at them everyday. Next mission tomorrow."
"I'll inform you if a mission opportunity emerges."
"Good night, Helios."


"One coffee. Strong" I ordered as usual. I wasn't going to sleep. I was thinking the possibilities over and over again. Ares never behave as such. These watchers were just sitting there in., A CIRCLE! Then it hit me! They weren't f&%$ing around, but forming an array to collect battle data! But then my hopes went down again. It wasn't proving our theory. It was just another Ares technique. I was frustated, but after my first sip, became my calm (and cold) self again.

Then the signal came.

After about two uneventful weeks of sitting around the CSC, the Ares decided to contact us. Or rather me. Then it hit me again. They weren't collecting battle data, but were trying to discern my signature! And then they contacted the Antartica through my ship. The transmission was short. It just declared "Peace...trac...us..." obviously my ship's relay device needed work. I replied them with a boolean value, 1. It meant true. True translated to ok for them. And then we lay in wait for another sign.

"Taylor! Its a disaster! The CW have found the location of the Outpost! The one that contacted us! They have sent over a force to destroy it!" Helios suddenly bust into my cabin a week before Lone Wolf Walking.
I rose up with a start and began running off to my Brit, still in my half pants.
"Oye Taylor" Helios called behind me "Where the f@&$ do you think you are going?"
"To alert them! They are our only hope!" I cried back.
"You will get shredded to pieces by the Ares fleet! And even if you survive that, you'd be declared traitor!"
"Better to die a traitor" I began with a smile "than to lose our only hope."


I started my engines, and at full throttle, started towards the source of the anomaly.

I didn't know where I was going...



It was either a bed of feathers...


Or...


A pit of fire...
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