UGT (Unified Galactic Time): 9th Revol (July) 280 a.G.A. (after Galactic Armistace) / 4:54 p.m.

  Location: ASF Destroyer Aurora, Yra-S?l’Vareth system (red dwarf), Inner-Noran occupation zone, Second Human Federation (SHF), Milky Way

  The Yra-S?l’Vareth system had settled into a kind of quiet that felt less like peace and more like the eye of a storm. It had been nearly a month since the battles for Karesh-Ti’Varn, yet the memory of that desperate gambit still lingered on everyone’s mind. I stood on the ASF Aurora’s Bridge, passively watching the activity in the system through a holoscreen.

  Admiral Thorrison had done an admirable job. The freshly occupied sector, one that didn't really like the Federation at all, now pulsed with an energy of preparation. Supply lines stretched across the Inner-Noran occupation zone like arteries, carrying fuel, food, and raw material from everywhere. Entire orbital shipyards, once loyal to the Association, now churned to life under the SHF banner, reforged into extensions of the Federation’s war machine.

  It had startled me just how quickly the entire occupation zone had been bent into service. Resistance had burned hot in the beginning, but the flame had sputtered out almost as quickly. Fear and pragmatism did the work of chains. Civilian workers shuffled through industrial hubs under the watch of Federation marines. Local industries churned out components, hull plates, energy cells. The transition had been efficient, brutal, and complete. I knew, logically, that this was what survival demanded, but the eerie quiet that now lingered over Yra-S?l’Vareth made my skin crawl, nonetheless. It showed just how much of a farce the Federation's claims of freedom and democracy were for everyone not part of their nation. They were just as militaristic, imperialistic and exploitive as everyone else in the galaxy.

  [ You’re staring again. You have been doing that quite often these last few weeks. Don't tell me you’re brooding about the moral implications of what we did? ]

  I snorted. "As if that would matter to me. No, it's just better to keep in mind that our current allies are just as bad as everyone else around. And that obviously includes us as well. I do not take particular joy in what I do, but it's not like I care about the moral implications of what I do, as long as it brings me closer to my goals."

  [ I won't argue with that. We really are in no way better than the Association. They at least fight for the survival of their nation and loved ones. We just do what we think is necessary to bring the Aetherian Empire back, the arguably most ruthless and imperialistic nation in known history. ]

  I shook my head. Three weeks of consolidation had given me too much time to think. Too much time to replay Karesh-Ti’Varn in my mind, to feel again the weight of every decision that had nearly broken us. Too much time to think over every single mistake I'd made that battle and how it had cost us. In hindsight, there had been far better options available to us than what I went with. I'd just been too arrogant, too blindsided by the ASF Aurora's overwhelming power, to see them. My decisions had unnecessarily cost hundreds of lives that day. Though Admiral Thorrison had never bothered to share the actual death toll with me. Still, that battle had shaken my confidence in my own capabilities as tactician to the core and it still hadn’t completely recovered.

  The Admiral, meanwhile, had to wrestle with his own doubts. I had watched him try, repeatedly, to establish contact with the remaining Federation. At first, I respected the diligence, it made sense that he’d want to report back to the Federation command structure in the Republic of Nox, to inform them of the miracle we had pulled off, the ground we had secured, the opportunities that lay ahead. And of course, more information about the ASF Aurora and me. But none of his envoys had returned. Not a single one.

  In our daily meetings I'd seen how the situation worsened. After the second week, unease began to creep into his expression. After the third, he had begun snapping at subordinates with the fraying patience of a man who could no longer pretend calm. By now, there was almost something haunted in his eyes, the fear that his beloved Federation might've fallen in his absence. It was not like Fen, or I had any answers for him.

  Yet instead of retreating into despair, the Admiral seemed to steel himself more and more with each day that passed. If his nation had been silenced, then clinging to the ASF Aurora became his only option. I had expected hesitation, second-guessing, maybe even outright mutiny when he realized the risk of standing beside me. That he would turn around and try to find out what had happened with the Federation, no matter the consequence if he abandoned the ASF Aurora like that.

  But that didn't happen. No, instead his resolve to go through with our campaign deepened and I had to do nothing at all for that. He was obviously still wary of me, that was more than reasonable. We were still opposing forces, working together by necessity. But with the situation of the Federation unknown, working with me on the success of the Ferron campaign had become far more crucial to him.

  I walked the length of the Bridge slowly, letting my eyes wander over the tactical projections Fen had pinned in translucent light above the command dais. The new fleet hung like a constellation against the black. The SHF fleet had grown in these last few weeks. Three Battlecruisers, five Cruisers, four Destroyers, six Frigates, and four Corvettes. 22 ships in total. Not a vast fleet but for a single understaffed front, for one push into Ferron, it was hopefully enough. At least with the ASF Aurora supporting them.

  My ship had undergone some drastic changes since Karesh-Ti’Varn as well. Repairs had consumed the occupation zone’s yards, with Admiral Thorrison being more than happy to deliver the antimatter and raw materials our nanites needed to rebuild. We had not been able to restore the ASF Aurora fully, seeing how whole sections of her ancient architecture remained too complex, but thanks to the insights into Aetherian technology Fen and I had gained all the way back in Clinton's Beak, the ASF Aurora had still come out of the entire ordeal stronger than before.

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  [ Final system checks are green. Power distribution is stable. Integrated upgrades are holding at 99% efficiency. Shield harmonics are tighter than they’ve ever been. Honestly, May, the ASF Aurora is more than ready for what's coming. ]

  I nodded at that. And not just our ship, no, the entire fleet reflected that readiness. I could see it in the streams of transports carrying munitions, in the orbital yards hammering out armor plating, in the sheer weight of motion that never ceased. What had been enemy territory had become a staging ground for war. And said war was about to start.

  [ Admiral Thorrison requests one last talk before we start. To make sure that everyone is on the same page, so he says. ]

  "That's no problem. Patch him through." Near-instantly Admiral Thorrison’s projection appeared, stern and focused as ever. Commander Ashcroft stood at his shoulder, arms clasped behind his back, posture rigid as though he had been carved out of distrust itself. I folded my arms and inclined my head. “Admiral. Commander.”

  “Captain Lunaris,” Admiral Thorrison acknowledged, voice clipped but not unfriendly. The conference began without pleasantries. None of us had an appetite for them. “Our objectives remain clear,” the Admiral said, his voice carrying the steady weight of command. Tactical maps unfurled in the holo between us, highlighting border systems along Ferron’s outer line. “We secure the border systems. We destabilize their defenses before they can coordinate. Then we establish a beachhead from which to drive deeper into their territory.”

  Map of the Kingdom of Ferron and its surroundings, drawn by me. For anyone who is unsure, the light-blue colored area is Inner-Noran. The system having a hyperline into Ferron is where we are.

  I studied the glowing outlines of Ferron’s frontier, nodes of light flickering where garrisons were marked. Their defenses looked orderly, but I knew as well as Admiral Thorrison that such order rarely survived first contact. “The initial strike will need to be overwhelming,” I said, stepping closer to the map. “We can’t afford to give them time to measure our strength. The FSF Aurora will take point and spearhead the breach. We can withstand their opening barrage long enough for the rest of the fleet to close in.“

  Commander Ashcroft’s brow furrowed, his voice cutting in before Thorrison could answer. “That presumes their defenses will be conventional. The Kingdom of Ferron has a reputation for unpredictability, Captain. You’d gamble our entire offensive on one ship.”

  I felt his eyes on me, sharp with skepticism. It wasn’t open hostility like it was three weeks ago, but the undercurrent was there. Always there. His distrust grew exponentially with how much trust and importance Admiral Thorrison placed on me, and on my ship. Honestly, I could understand him. The Admiral could as well. But they simply hadn't many other options right now.

  “Hesitation will kill us, Commander,” Admiral Thorrison said, his tone carrying more force now. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting for reinforcements that may never come. Our messages vanish into silence. If the Federation is compromised, then this campaign is our only path forward.”

  Commander Ashcroft’s jaw tightened, but he inclined his head. “Understood, Admiral. I simply urge caution.”

  I met his gaze steadily. “Caution has its place. But if we hold back here, the Kingdom of Ferron will simply dig in, and we’ll lose all advantages this additional staging ground gave us. The FSF Aurora is ready and willing, Commander. I’ll stake my ship on it.” Commander Ashcroft gave no reply, though I caught the faint twitch of his mouth that might have been annoyance.

  Admiral Thorrison let the silence linger before speaking again. “Then it’s settled. We strike hard, we strike fast, and we carve out a foothold in Ferron. The longer we linger, the greater the risk. I want this offensive launched within the next hour.”

  I nodded. “We will lead the charge,” I promised once again.

  The conference ended as it had begun, abrupt, sharp, without ceremony. But as the holo dissolved, Admiral Thorrison lingered. His projection flickered, reforming into a more private channel. Commander Ashcroft was gone, leaving just the two of us in the quiet glow of the bridge.

  The Admiral’s shoulders seemed to sag just slightly without his commander watching. “You know,” he said, his voice lower now, more human, “I expected the FSF Aurora to fall apart weeks ago, after the battle for Karesh-Ti'Varn. Now…” He shook his head faintly. “Now it feels like she didn't care for that battle at all. She's still the spine of this entire fleet.”

  I exhaled slowly, the admission heavier than he probably realized. “She’s more than she looks. Always has been. I told you about our capabilities. We won't be brought down that easily."

  Admiral Thorrison’s eyes met mine through the projection. There was no hostility in them now, just caution and a quiet, weighty candor. “If the Federation truly has fallen silent, if command is gone or compromised… then perhaps this ship, and you, are the only hope of shaping what comes next.”

  I chose my words carefully. “Unlikely Admiral. A starnation the size of your 'Second Human Federation' does not fall in such a short timespan. And while I certainly won't recognize your nation of pretenders as my people or nation, I still care enough for the legacy of the Federation that I will not see them fall to my ancient enemies like the Association." A blatant lie, of course. I couldn't care less about the SHF, though I would prefer their victory over an Association one. The Association still seemed to be some kind of danger to me after all, even if Fen was unable to recall specifically why.

  Admiral Thorrison nodded once. “That’s all I needed to hear, Captain Lunaris. Let this campaign be a success, for the both of us.” His image flickered, then dissolved into static, leaving only the quiet hum of the Bridge around me. Soon after the order to move came, and the fleet responded like a single machine.

  From the ASF Aurora’s vantage, I watched as the 22 SHF ships pulled into formation, their engines igniting in brilliant arcs of light. Battlecruisers settled into their heavy vanguard positions, Cruisers sliding into flanking wings, smaller ships forming a net around them. All of it oriented around the ASF Aurora at the center, our massive frame dwarfing every other silhouette.

  Fen piped updates across my display, but I hardly needed them. I could feel the anticipation in the air. Across the comms, Admiral Thorrison’s voice rang clear. “To Ferron, and to the future.”

  I straightened in the Captain’s chair, eyes fixed on the shimmering swirl of the slipstream ahead. “To Ferron,” I echoed, my voice carrying across the Bridge. The engines roared. Light flared. And then, with a surge that shook even the ASF Aurora’s ancient bones, the fleet plunged into hyperspace, the storm at our backs and the unknown waiting before us.