On planet Hachiko, a vast parade washed over the land, carrying dread tidings. United Planets ships filled the sky, blocking the sunlight. Carter's forces returned to Camelot Alpha, carrying the weight of their defeat! They quickly landed across the city's airfield, releasing the occupants. The area flooded with hundreds of thousands of injured soldiers and civilians, carrying panic and disorder. But through the crowds, Aelia ran to a statue, grabbing a soldier’s gun, climbing up it. And shot two plasma bolts skyward. "Hello, everyone!" Getting their attention, stopping the mayhem.

  "For those unaware, I'm head doctor Aelia liquidados! Please follow the designated soldiers and personnel!"

  Aelia pointed to a group of soldiers waiting by hover transports.

  "I know how debilitating this all must feel. So, I apologize for my forcefulness! But the following procedure is for your sake!"

  The people quickly complied, hurriedly walking toward the soldiers. Aelia breathed a sigh of relief at seeing them. But as she climbed off the statue, readying to join her staff in aiding the ill, Carter and Clive met her.

  "Yes, General Carter?"

  "Be honest with me! Can we take care of all these people?"

  "I won't know for sure until we start working! But I'll have my staff write a report as soon as possible!"

  "Understood! Clive, I'm leaving you in charge! Make sure Aelia gets everything she needs to care for these people!"

  "Sure! But what about you?"

  "I-I just need a little time to collect my thoughts!"

  "Say no more, Carter!"

  Later, Lucas and Sarah stood guard outside the same door as before. Inside, Daisy and Carter reunited, consoling each other after enduring the hardships of war. The lovers embraced, holding each other in an iron grip! Their touch was soothing to a pain that transcended their flesh, afflicting their souls.

  "Red, what have I done?"

  "This tragedy isn't your fault!"

  "But Clive tried to warn me again and again! If I had listened, if I had seen the signs!"

  "No one could have predicted that attack!"

  "Am I supposed to tell that to the families of the soldiers I lost?"

  “Enough! It's not your fault, it's Mavor's!” Daisy made Carter look her in the eye. “He's the root of this evil! All the blood spilled and lives wasted!"

  Sarah entered the room through the door."Commander Orion's called an emergency meeting!"

  "Good! I have a lot to say," Daisy said.

  In the meeting room, Damara and Carter entered together. They took their seats around the table, with Lev, Favian, and Róngyù calling through a hologram as Eugene and Orion stood before everyone.

  Orion looked toward Carter with concern."Before we begin, General Carter, are you well?"

  "I'm fine, commander!"

  "I see! But I should tell you we've already prepared a mental health specialist! Just in case!"

  "In case of what?"

  "Because of the severity of this recent incident, if you need leave time-"

  "I don't need a shrink!" Carter angrily bashed his fist against the table.

  "Control yourself, man! We know what it's like to take heavy casualties," Favian said.

  "Hydromos-"

  "Carter," Daisy interrupted.

  Carter looked at Daisy's loving and compassionate eyes and calmed, taking a deep breath.

  "I'm sorry for my outburst, everyone! But I swear I'm fine!"

  "Very well then! We shall proceed! Dr. Parker!"

  "Y-yes, sir! Well, let's rip the bandage off! General Carter, please scratch the back of your neck as hard as you can!”

  Bewildered by Eugene's request, Carter still complied. He scratched his neck, rubbing his fingers against his skin vigorously. But he soon felt a strange sensation upon his flesh like a thin layer of plastic. Swiftly tearing it off, revealing a small circular patch, its exterior clear as glass, but its interior vibrant with blinking circuitry!

  "What the hell is this?"

  "It's a type of transmitter. It gives and receives signals on a special wavelength!"

  "What?"

  "It's a spying device! I imagine that's how the enemy aimed their weapon from so deep in space!"

  "They bugged me! But how, when?"

  "I-I honestly don't know! I'm sorry!"

  "Dr. Parker, how did you learn of this device?" Lev asked.

  "When we were leaving Planet Srian, I decided to run some diagnostics on our equipment, and I happened upon a signal that wasn't United Planets!"

  "I assume you shut it down?"

  "Better! My computer's feeding the enemy fake information as we speak!"

  "Good man! Perfect timing, too!"

  Favian looked towards Lev with concern."Perfect timing for what, Lev?"

  All the eyes in the room turned to Lev, awaiting her response.

  "With Dr. Parker feeding them false information, they'll make a tactical error soon! We have a path to the future. In the ensuing chaos, we can at last attack Zeemos!"

  "Lev," Favian said.

  "We dare not," Róngyù said.

  Daisy looked between Favian and Róngyù bewildered."I'm sorry, but can someone please explain to me where's Zeemos?"

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "It's a Planet found deep within enemy territory! One of their most fortified outposts rests upon its surface," Róngyù said.

  "It's no mere outpost, Damara! That fortress is a central information hub! Seas of data, enemy secrets, flow through there each day! That alone would make it a valuable target!"

  "There's more?"

  Lev pressed a button on the table, and a holographic map showed Zeemos.

  "Yes! If we can take it, we can sabotage a massive portion of our enemy's logistics. Our troops should be able to cross the schism without much issue, and that part of space will be ours!"

  "Lev, even with Damara, you would require a massive invasion force just to attempt!"

  "Agreed! And worse, I cannot lend aid, my friend! The occupation on Eternareign demands every man and woman I have!"

  "Just to chime in, I've noticed a disturbing lack of mentions about the death beam," Carter said.

  "All good points, boys, but it's already settled. I've spoken to the queen of Planet Flora, and she's agreed to put the Magnolia knights under my command for this mission!"

  "They're formidable indeed, but I still fear it's not enough!"

  Lev looked at Róngyù in shock, biting her lip."Then perhaps we can select some final-year cadets from our academies!"

  Carter angrily rose from his seat."You're insane! They would get slaughtered on a mission like this!"

  "I don't want to do it, but these are desperate times! Dr. Parker, is your improved guardian barrier ready yet?"

  Eugene nodded no, with depression across his face.

  "See! With our enemy's new weapon, they could strike anytime! We must secure more territory quickly, or all is lost! I take full responsibility for this mission!"

  "Enough!" Orion shouted.

  Carter swiftly sat down, seeing Orion exasperated.

  "Our decision here is a heavy one! Carefully examine all that you have heard before casting judgment! Let us vote, right hand for and left against!"

  Across the room, Daisy and the four generals ruminated on their decision, but soon, the hands took their places in the air. Carter and Lev answered first, with him raising his left hand to her right. Favian and Róngyù followed, with Favian raising his right hand to Róngyù's left. But still, Daisy neglected an answer! Daisy vigorously looked across the generals, stopping on her beloved Carter. However, as she recalled her experiences with the flora man and nemesis soldier, she set her mind. And closing her eyes, she took a deep breath as her answer manifested in her trembling right hand.

  "Damara," Carter said in disbelief.

  "I'm sorry! But this war has gone on long enough! I side with anything that can end it quicker!"

  "This will! Thank you, Damara!"

  "Are there any more issues or grievances you wish to discuss," Orion asked.

  Daisy and the generals responded with silence to Orion.

  "Then we have reached an agreement! Favian, ready your forces for when the Nemesis acts upon their falsehoods! Dr. Parker, show us exactly how you found the signal. We must ensure no other devices are present when our opportunity comes!"

  "Yes, sir!" Favian and Eugene said in unison.

  One week later, on Planet Earth, Belle lurched through the busy Liberty City. Thousands flooded the streets in the daily grind, human and off-worlder, but still, she bumped through them unphased. Drawing the masses' attention as one after another, they looked on concerned, seeing her poorly dressed in washed-out clothes, unkempt hair, and the utterly dead gaze on her face!

  "Let's do this favor for Aisha as quickly as possible! I want to go back to sleep!" Belle thought.

  Belle continued forward, walking as if she were a member of the living dead. But life soon returned to her body as she jumped in fright, seeing Makiway and Rohan coming her way!

  "Good god, the Mulvanas! I have to get out of here!"

  Belle swiftly turned to run in the opposite direction from the Mulvanas, but as she went, she stopped. Belle glanced skyward, noticing a blinding light above her that wasn't the sun! The Nemesis' godly weapon, the pillar of purple energy, was racing toward the city!

  "By the lord in heaven!"

  The pillar hit the city, sending monstrous shockwaves in all directions. The ground shook with godly strength in seconds, crumbling buildings to rubble. As Belle and the people ran for salvation, a skyscraper fell to ruin, burying them alive!

  Seconds later, Belle lay injured, barely clinging to life in an air pocket under the rubble. She slowly regained consciousness, seeing the aftermath of the attack. To her horrified eyes, scores of people lay with her, dead or dying across the pieces of debris! As she tried to move, crippling pain enveloped her legs, stopping her. And Belle saw the cause, her legs pinned under a big rock.

  "Oh, god, is this my punishment for my sins?"

  Belle wept from despair, but the pain quickly intensified, forcing her unconscious. In her mind, Belle drifted back to a simpler, kinder time on the Kansas prairie! On the lush green fields of Liliyville, her family sat together on a picnic blanket. Joyful chaos enveloped the David family as Mary quietly ate. But Joseph, a muscular caucasian man with brown hair, interrupted, roughhousing with Daisy and Belle, six and eight years old, respectively.

  "Joseph!"

  "Yes, my love?"

  "We're supposed to have a quiet meal together!"

  "Oh, that's boring! What's a little fun to add flavor?"

  "We have to teach the girls manners! And that fun is unladylike!"

  "Fun is fun, Ma!"

  "Joseph David, see here-"

  Joseph swiftly kissed Mary, unleashing a strange cocktail of happiness and frustration within her.

  "I-I hate it when you do that!"

  "Do you?" Joseph playfully asked.

  Daisy pulled on Joseph's shirt, getting his attention."Pa, may I ask a question?"

  "Of course, darling!"

  "You and Ma are in love, deep as the ocean, right?"

  "I certainly hope so!" Joseph chuckled.

  "I-I want to know how did you find each other? How do you find true love?"

  "I want to know that too, Pa!"

  "Well, girls, that's a complicated question!"

  "Why?"

  "Because the lord works in mysterious ways! I was lucky to find Ma early on my first job. But for someone else, it may take longer or shorter!"

  "But how long, Pa?"

  "Belle, sweetie, I don't know! But for love, like all things, we must have hope!"

  "Hope?"

  "Yes! Having hope is the ultimate way to honor the lord!"

  "Really?"

  Joseph nodded yes.

  "Yes, sir! I'll never let it go!"

  "Me neither, Pa!"

  "Promise?"

  Joseph initiated a pinky promise, and the girls quickly accepted.

  "Great! So why don't we have that quiet meal your Ma wants?"

  Later, the David family returned to their home farm. As the sun set over Liliyville, the family comfortably took their usual places around the land. Joseph attended to work in the yard as Mary sat with the girls on the porch, practicing knitting.

  "Okay, girls! Let's see how you did!"

  Belle quickly presented Mary with a small knitted quilt of quality beyond her years.

  "It's beautiful, Belle! And let's see yours, Daisy!"

  Daisy presented a quilt many times the size of Belle's of a quality far beyond her years, fitting her body!

  "My god! Dear child, you're blessed!"

  Joseph hurried to the girls, sweating and panting.

  "Finished already, Joseph?"

  "No, but I have to go! There's some work I forgot to do by the barn!"

  "Will you be back before dinner?"

  "I don't think so!"

  Mary pouted."I'll put your fried chicken and cornbread in the fridge! But you know how I feel about making this a habit around dinner time!"

  "I know, Ma!" Joseph kissed Mary.

  "Pa, can I help you with the horses this time?" Belle asked.

  "When you're a bit older, sweetie!"

  Hours later, Belle remained on the porch under the starry night sky. She gazed longingly in the direction of Joseph and the barn. Her mind was rampant with thoughts of caring for the horses with her father. Her desires soon captured her body, making her run faster and faster towards them.

  Belle dashed through the prairie as swiftly as her legs could carry her. But nearing the barn, a baneful scent entered her nose."Smoke?" Immediately slowing her down, continuing forward only with the most cautious steps. With each one, a bright orange glow grew, illuminating the night. Revealing the horses running away in a panic from the barn set ablaze!

  "Pa?" Belle shouted.

  Belle hurriedly scanned the area from left to right for Joseph, spotting him on the ground. Joseph lay dead in a pool of blood to her horrified eyes, but a more terrifying sight stood over his body. It was a monstrous beast of scaly reptilian skin with claws dripping with Joseph's blood!

  Belle's eyes widened in terror, seeing the beast. But as her heart pounded harder and harder with fear, she broke back to reality as water splashed her face! "What?" Seeing Rohan standing over her.

  Belle tried to speak, but she found she couldn’t as pain wrapped her throat.

  "I can't talk, but what is she doing?" Belle thought.

  Rohan saw Belle stirring to life and ran to an exposed pipe. She stumbled and collapsed as she went but slowly stood back up. Rohan reached the pipe, collecting the water leaking into her hands. And she slowly returned to Belle, feeding it into her mouth.

  "After what I did to her, she's still trying to save my life?"

  As the water in her hands ran dry, Rohan again went to the pipe. But, again, she stumbled and collapsed, but with her strength exhausted this time, she stayed down. And Belle's eyes flooded with tears, seeing the child suffer on the ground.

  "What have I done? If I could talk, I would tell you how incredibly sorry I am!"

  Without warning, a hole burst through the wall of the air pocket. An army of first responders dived in, hurrying to aid the people inside. From the victims, they quickly carried Belle and Rohan to safety. Makiway ran to the first responders carrying Belle and Rohan, panicked seeing their limp bodies.

  "Sirs, are they okay? They're my daughter and my friend's sister!"

  "We won't know until they get a check!"