They Answered The Call

Level 87: Subsidiary DARPA Labs

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

Colorado Springs, Colorado 2176 A.D.

“Wait. They are related to us?” President Lopez asked incredulously as she stared at the hologram of Admiral Thompson standing in front of her. If it wasn’t for the occasional minor flicker, she would not have been able to tell Thompson was not actually there in person.

“Yes, Madam President. I ran the genetic test with Ambassador Hreth’nir three times to verify the results. All three times, the test verified a 98.97% genetic match.

The Magnati samples they provided are an even closer match, at 99.23%. There is no question about it. We are related to the Ma’lit, and they are not bullshitting us about our ancestors.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. I guess this explains why they seemed to favor us over the other species despite treating us like we are barely sentient homunculi incapable of wiping our own asses.”

Admiral Thompson spit out the water he was drinking, making her flinch at the incoming spray of spittle before the water vanished at the edge of the holo field a meter in front of her.

She waited for the admiral to stop choking and laughing at her statement before pressing him for further information on the unexpected Ma’lit revelations.

He finally managed to regain control of himself, placing the cup down on something out of view before looking at her with an embarrassed expression. “My apologies, Mada-“

She held up a hand to stop him as she smirked. “Karl, sometimes I forget I am the president and not among pathfinders anymore. Let’s move on, and I’ll try not to make you choke anymore.”

“Yes, Madam President,” Thompson replied.

“Mea, Karl. We’ve known each other for over twenty years. It’s just us two here. So, why did they hide this from us for all this time? Are they embarrassed of us, or what?” she asked seriously.

Thompson looked frustrated, taking a deep breath before answering her.

“They were concerned that we would suffer severe societal unrest and possibly civil wars if it was revealed that we were the descendants of another species placed on Earth by the Ma’lit.

I think their concerns are skewed by their religious and cultural mores. I got the distinct impression the Ma’lit thought we would descend into a planet-wide internecine conflict based on our religions.”

Huffing indignantly, Lopez tried not to let the anger she was feeling bleed into her response as she replied to Thompson, who looked just as pissed as she felt.

“Well, that’s insulting. So, they really think we are still murderous zealots incapable of respecting each other’s beliefs. They do know the first amendment is the first one for a good reason, right?”

“Mea, I explained this to both Hreth’nir and the Council of Elders. Hreth’nir accepted my reasoning, but the council is adamant that based on our history, their concerns are completely justified.

And to be honest with you, they do have a valid point. Look at what happened during and after World War Three. You had the Caliphate Jihads and the Eastern Coalition purges. The European Crusades, the North American Reclamation, the South American Renacimiento, th-”

"Yeah, okay, I get your point, Karl!” She interrupted, almost feeling ashamed to be human as the admiral listed the ethnic and religious conflicts that almost destroyed their species and the world.

“So, they shoved our past in our faces, even though we have left such things in the past where they belong. And they still think revealing the truth will cause us to start killing each other again. Got it.”

Thompson held up his hands placatingly before continuing.

“I know it is insulting and frustrating, Mea, but they also highlighted the great strides we have made as well. They have been impressed with our willingness to fight and die for others, and I can almost swear the councilors seemed like they were extremely proud of humanity and what we have done.”

“Well, that is nice of them. I am so grateful they can see that we have some virtues besides genociding ourselves on a regular basis. We shall bask in their magnanimity.” She replied sarcastically as she silenced the message alert on her wristcom.

She quickly glanced at it, seeing it was from Bandit. He would have to wait until she was finished.

Thompson chuckled at what she had said while leaning to the side to get something out of viewing range. His hand came back holding a datapad, and he gave her a sly smile as he tapped on it several times.

“Would you like to see what they look like, Mea?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I do, Karl. Show me what you got.” She responded, smiling at his attempt to lighten the mood a little bit. He nodded and flicked his fingers over the datapad.

Next to his hologram, another one shimmered into view, and she gasped as the image fully resolved. A hairless, androgynous humanoid slowly rotated in front of her as she leaned closer to examine it.

Next to the rotating image was a small holoscreen that displayed the scan results:

Ambassador Hreth’nir

Species: Human

Height: 162.3 cm

Weight: 96.7 kilograms

Sex: Undetermined

Age: 312 years

Under the biometric data were the genetic analysis results of the testing performed by the admiral, as well as other pertinent scan results.

The entire skeleton was made of a metallic alloy, and 42% of Hreth’nir’s body was comprised of biomechanical components that enhanced numerous physiological functions within the body.

Utterly fascinated by what she was seeing, Lopez continued to stare at the rotating image. The eyes were biomechanical, and the skin was infused with nanotech and metallic fibers.

There was a large port at the base of the skull and sixteen smaller ones studded along the spinal column. The brain had data processors embedded within it that connected to the ports.

“Wow. So, this is what they look like. I am surprised the ambassador allowed you to take such detailed scans; it seems a little out of character for a species so intent on hiding themselves.”

The admiral’s face reddened, and he looked down at the datapad as he replied to her statement. It was blatantly obvious that he was purposefully not looking at her before he started stammering.

“I, uh, didn’t ask to take the scans, Madam President. Republic Intelligence provided me with a stealth nanoscanner for situations such as this, and I forgot to deactivate it before the meeting.

Hreth’nir detected the scans immediately and lectured me on the crudeness of the device for surveillance purposes. It provided me with scanning frequencies that would not be detected and allowed me to keep the scans. ‘Allies should know who they are fighting with.’ Is all Hreth'nir had to say about the situation.”

“Dammit, Karl, what were you thinking? Do you know what a dumpster fire this would have caused if the ambassador decided to accuse you of violating him?” Lopez practically screamed, the admiral instinctively coming to attention as she chewed him out.

“I apologized profusely, Madam President, and explained that I merely forgot to deactivate the device. Hreth’nir laughed at the situation and told me there would be no sanctions levied on me or the Republic.”

Lopez fumed as she stared daggers at Thompson, imagining the diplomatic and political fallout that was narrowly averted. It could have destroyed all the goodwill the Republic had spent many years carefully cultivating with the Ma’lit Domain.

She whispered a quick prayer of thanks before replying to the admiral, almost laughing at the ridiculous shade of red that colored his neck and his face from embarrassment.

“I’m going to have a word with the intelligence director regarding the morons working for him that like to give out untested spy devices like frigging lollipops. I hope you learned your lesson this time.”

“I did, Madame President. I am sorry, and it won’t happen again.” He replied, staring at a point on the wall behind her. Feeling bad for yelling at him, she smiled at him before speaking again.

“At ease, Karl. Mistakes happen, and I’m sorry for losing my shit. I immediately thought of all the possible repercussions that could have happened and got carried away. Let’s move on, okay?”

He relaxed his stance slightly and took his eyes off the wall before looking at her and nodding solemnly. “Shall I continue, Madam President?” He asked, all business after what just happened.

“Yes, Admiral, please continue.” She replied, regretting the change in the tone of the briefing. She always looked forward to her private meetings with Thompson; it was one of the rare times she could be herself and not the president with an old friend.

“The Ma’lit know the Balrikans are coming, and I am assuming they intercepted our encrypted comm chatter regarding the rescue mission and our disastrous first contact with them.

The council is of the opinion that the Insectoid fleets would only be able to keep them at bay for three, maybe four, solar months before they are eliminated. They estimated six solar months before they arrive in our region of space and launch an attack on the Insectoid worlds to wipe them out.”

Lopez took a deep breath before slowly blowing air through her pursed lips as she thought about the Ma’lit calculations and the current state of Republic mobilization efforts before replying to him.

“So, we possibly have just under three months before the lizards get here. What are the Ma’lit plans regarding the defense of the quadrant, and what are their intentions for the Republic?”

Thompson looked back down at the datapad and used a stylus on it for a few seconds before looking back up at her. He flicked his fingers over the datapad, and several small screens appeared.

“The Ma’lit want to create a grand alliance to confront the threat, and they want us to take charge of all the military forces of the quadrant except for the Ma’lit expeditionary ships. The Ma’lit forces will fight alongside us and heed our recommendations, according to the Elder Councilors I spoke with.

They will use a combination of incentives and sanctions to get the other powers to join the alliance and accept Republic military control over the defense forces. They also want us to get the Kilthek Dominion involved by doing whatever we have to get them to ally with us and commit their forces.”

Lopez frowned at him, not understanding why the Ma’lit wanted the Republic to lead the defense forces. They were the youngest species, and though they were now the second most powerful military force after the Ma’lit, they were still considered only a middle power by the other species.

“Why do the Ma’lit want us to lead the defense forces? I would have thought that they would claim that role, as it makes the most sense. I seriously doubt the others would accept our control, except for the Commonwealth and Aurora’s Hive. Did they explain their reasoning to you, Admiral?”

Thompson regarded her with a thoughtful expression before replying to her.

“I asked the same questions you just did, and the Ma’lit provided me with some insight into our Magnati ancestors. Apparently, they were the preeminent warrior species, and the Ma’lit consider us the Magnati reborn again. They are convinced the only way to win is for us to lead the forces.”

Thompson looked back down at the datapad and tapped on it before flicking his fingers again, and all the individual screens started merging to form a much larger blank screen in front of her.

The blank holo screen came to life, and they both watched as a massive battle was displayed, tens of thousands of ships dancing with each other in a violent maelstrom of destruction and death.

The allied vessels had green tags, and specific ships were highlighted as Magnati and Wan’sho. The Magnati ships were massive dreadnoughts, and they looked menacing. They were long, sleek, and of the darkest black that seemed to absorb nearby light particles.

They were vaguely cigar-shaped, and almost the entire hull was studded with a variety of weapon systems and sensor relays. The Wan’sho ships were much smaller and agile, and they were in small formations that resembled hunting packs as they weaved around the Magnati dreadnoughts.

Lopez gasped as a Magnati dreadnought, and the twenty escorting Wan’sho ships with it charged directly into the center of a large Balrikan formation of over a hundred ships.

The Magnati dreadnought fired broadsides from both the port and starboard side, their railgun turrets firing hundreds of rounds as dozens of armored weapons hatches slid to the side.

Out of them emerged other weapons, the plasma torpedoes and particle beams adding to the carnage as dozens of Balrikan ships disappeared under the overwhelming volume of fire tearing into them.

The smaller Wan’sho ships darted into the Balrikan formation and ganged up on enemy battleships, their incredibly powerful war beams spearing through the much larger vessels before moving on.

Elsewhere throughout the battlespace, the same scene played out as the severely outnumbered Magnati and Wan’sho ships wreaked havoc throughout the Balrikan formations.

Translated battle comms were playing and Lopez could hear them clearly, the Magnati commanders expertly wielding their tiny fleet formations with deadly skill as they coordinated assaults.

The Balrikans in comparison were rigid and tactically inflexible, and they could not seem to counter the seemingly random and unique fighting styles of the Magnati commanders opposing them.

In less than five minutes of video, Lopez saw twenty-two Magnati dreadnoughts and a hundred and twelve Wan’sho hunter-killers completely rout three large Balrikan formations and destroy over two hundred ships for only two heavily damaged hunter-killers.

We fight like the Magnati, Lopez realized as she continued to watch the allied ships tear through the Balrikan fleet. It was eerie to see just how similar the Magnati fighting style and tactics were to the Republic commanders fighting against the much larger Insectoid fleets.

There was a difference though, and Lopez could see it as she compared the Magnati and Republic fighting abilities. It was so strange to see the Magnati fighting in a way that made sense to her.

Republic commanders were far more aggressive and daring, and their tactics were more refined, probably because of tech limitations the Magnati commanders did not have to compensate for.

The video ended, and she looked at Thompson with a thoughtful expression. He looked down at the datapad again and tapped on it a few times before looking back up and speaking.

“As you can see, Madam President, we fight like the Magnati. This is why the Ma’lit want us to lead the Alliance forces. They said watching us fight the Insectoids reminded them of our ancestors fighting the Balrikans long ago. ‘The children have surpassed their parents' is what Hreth’nir said.”

He looked back down and tapped on the datapad one more time before pointing to the now blank screen. It activated again, showing a red giant system devoid of planets. The video zoomed in, and she could now see an asteroid orbiting the sun at a distance approximate to Mercury’s orbit in the Sol system.

The video zoomed in again on the planetoid, and data appeared alongside it that gave the size of the planetoid in Republic numerals. The data displayed the diameter and estimated mass, which seemed unusually low to Lopez.

It was slightly smaller than the asteroid Ceres, and Lopez was still trying to figure out why its mass was so low when video of the interior was displayed and her question was answered.

The illuminated interior had been hollowed out, and Lopez gasped as she saw dozens of massive, cigar shaped ships with black hulls that were covered with numerous weapons and sensor apparatus.

There were other black ships, much smaller but still deadly-looking, that numbered in the hundreds as she looked upon row after row of ships that went out of view beyond the curved horizon.

She gaped at the sheer number of ships before looking back at the massive vessels she had first seen, her brain still not properly processing what her eyes were showing it.

They looked almost exactly like the Magnati dreadnoughts she had been watching on the screen before, and she looked at Thompson in shock as she tried to make sense of what he was showing her.

Thompson grinned at her, his eyes twinkling with delight as he pointed at the screen and explained what she was seeing.

“Our cousins have been preparing for the possibility of an invasion of our quadrant by the Balrikans or another expanding power for many, many years as they waited for us to rejoin them in space.

There are ten such bases hidden throughout the Ma’lit Domain, and they have been holding them in trust for humanity until we reclaimed our heritage.

These bases and ships are a gift to us from the Ma’lit Domain, and they said the time has come for us to claim what is rightfully ours. The ten bases are null space capable and fully functional, and they are ours as well.

They are essentially mobile bases built to Magnati specifications and can both build and repair ships. They are fully autonomous, and we are to take these bases back to Republic space.

There is a complete list of all the ships inside the ten bases, and I am putting it up on the screen now. The list has all pertinent information regarding ship classes, weaponry, armor, and shield specs.”

Thompson flicked his fingers over the datapad, and the interior video of the base was replaced with a list of figures and images of the ships by classes.

Leviathan-Class Dreadnoughts: 237

Vengeance-Class Battleships: 1,282

Guardian-Class Heavy Cruisers: 2,546

Dauntless-Class Heavy Destroyers: 4,312

Fearless-Class Frigates: 1,593

Total ships available for combat: 9,970

Lopez stared at the screen, trying to make sense of the technical details under the ship lists. They were a summary of the armor compositions, shield ratings, weapon specifications, everything.

She started feeling overwhelmed by all the information and the unexpected gift from the Ma’lit Domain. She looked away from the screen and back at the admiral, who looked very pleased with himself.

“They are just giving us all of this, with no strings attached or limitations? This almost feels like a trap, Karl. Before we accept, we better look in the mouth of this gift horse and be damn sure.”

Thompson quickly replied as he added another, smaller screen next to the large one. A wall of Ma’lit text appeared, with a translated version in Republic standard next to it.

“There are restrictions, of course. The ships will only work for humans, as all the systems are secured and can only be operated by people with Magnati, Ma’lit, and human DNA.

Also, the technology on these ships is reserved for our use alone. If we get caught tampering with or trying to transfer the technology to any other species, the AIs on the ships will shut the ships down and notify the Ma’lit. The ships would become deactivated, and all systems would be wiped.

If we attack other species except for recognized enemies, the AIs will deactivate the ships, notify the Ma'lit, and wipe the systems. It is different if we are attacked and defending ourselves.

The ships can only be worked on and repaired in the bases the Ma’lit are providing us. Any attempt to use our own shipyards will result in the same deactivation and security purge by the AI.

If we honor and abide by these restrictions, the ships are ours and will function normally for us.”

Lopez was scanning the text as she listened to Thompson list the major restrictions, seeing that he was mostly correct.

She would have specialists go over it more carefully to ensure there were no loopholes or mistakes that would wind up biting them in the ass later.

“Okay, Karl. Let’s wrap this up. I need to think about this and discuss it with my advisors before we pull the trigger on this. I will call you when I have decided, okay?”

He nodded before saluting and then closing the channel on his end. The connection ended and his hologram disappeared, leaving her alone in the office she had taken the call in.

She felt incredibly tired as she looked at the analog clock on the wall. It was only 0935, and she still had the whole day to get through.

She was just about to gather her things and head back to the labs when she remembered the message alert on her wristcom from Bandit.

She sighed wearily and accessed the message, seeing that he had attached an urgent tag to it. That was unusual, and she set up another secure channel before accessing the message and calling him back.

Another hologram appeared, showing Bandit standing in front of the comm console in the Hive Nexus. She could see many drones in the background within the viewing range of the holo camera as they walked in and out of range.

She smiled at him, “Bandit, my apologies. I was in the middle of an important briefing with Admiral Thompson. I hope you weren’t waiting at the comm panel the whole time.”

He smiled back, his yellow eyes looking into hers as he replied.

“I was, Madam President, but I do not experience time anxiety like biologicals do. However, Aurora has been growing increasingly impatient with the delay.”

Aurora stepped into the viewing range of the holo camera when Bandit said her name, and Lopez could almost swear she looked pissed, even though Insectoids could not make discernible facial expressions.

Aurora immediately began rapidly signing, and the speaker device on her thorax started translating her thoughts as her gloved claws moved frantically.

~Hive mother, much time we were waiting. Time, we do not have much left. I shared thoughts with the Hive mother of the empire. My sister has found me. She culled the Hive mother, and the Hive mother within told me I must speak to her and make peace. The Hive mother wants peace. ~

Lopez looked at Bandit in confusion, not understanding what the hell Aurora was talking about with all the Hive mothers and sister references.

It was already confusing to her when Aurora spoke of Hive mothers; she could not ever really figure out who she was referencing half the time.

Bandit seemed to understand what was confusing her and signed to Aurora for a few seconds before turning back to Lopez and explaining what was going on.

“Aurora’s sister queen has become Hive mother by killing the old Hive mother, the one that launched the attacks on the Commonwealth. It was the new Hive mother, her sister, that withdrew all the Insectoid forces back to the empire.

The new Hive mother found Aurora, and they shared thoughts. Aurora’s Hive mother within, the ancestor that guides her, encouraged her to respond to the new Hive mother and make peace.

This new Hive mother of the insectoid empire wishes to make peace with the Republic and ally with us and the other powers to fight against the coming enemy. She wishes to share thoughts with you.”

Lopez stared at them disbelievingly as Bandit summarized what had happened in a way she could understand. Aurora was staring at her with her large, black eyes and started signing again.

~Hive mother, I have learned animal faces. I see you think this is a falsehood, and I am angry with you for this. She is the sister I shared thoughts with you about, the one out of all sisters I loved. She has no falsehoods, only promises and truth in her thoughts. I have never made falsehoods to you, in thoughts or action. This is not a deception, and you must share thoughts with my sister. ~

Lopez’s face reddened in embarrassment at being caught by Aurora and failing to maintain control of her expressions.

She scrambled to regain control of the situation as her mind raced, feeling under incredible pressure as Aurora continued to stare at her.

Feeling overwhelmed by the events with the Ma’lit, the secret ships, and now this Hive mother situation, she leaned her head down slightly and rubbed her face with her hands.

She had never felt more exhausted than she did right now in her entire life, and she could feel her mind struggling to keep up with all of it.

She felt as if the office walls were closing in on her, and she focused on her breathing. Now is not the time to lose control, Mea. You are the President. You chose this.

Looking back up at them, she thought about the ramifications of making real peace with the Insectoid Empire.

A large portion of the Republic military was tied up patrolling the borders of the Neo-Commonwealth as they recovered from the bloody civil war and rebuilt their depleted forces.

The Republic and the Neo-Commonwealth fleets would be able to withdraw from the borders and commit the additional combat forces to reinforce the fleets that would be fighting the coming invasion.

They would no longer have to worry about fighting on one front while defending against a possible attack on another. The only real issue was how the Commonwealth members would react to this.

They had suffered constant attacks from the Insectoids for almost two hundred years, and hundreds of billions of their dead demanded justice and revenge for the Insectoids killing them.

Sarix, Therax, and Verixa would understand the need to make peace with a former enemy to fight an even worse enemy than the Insectoids, but the civilians would not. How could they?

Such considerations were beyond the ability of the citizens. They were constantly reminded of the terrible atrocities committed by the Insectoids every time they looked up at the night sky.

They could see a dozen stars that were now orbited by lifeless planets. These worlds once teemed with hundreds of billions of Commonwealth citizens just like them. Still, she had to try.

“I ask your forgiveness for not believing you, Aurora. It is just something that I was not expecting, and if you say your sister, the new Hive mother, is different, then I accept it as the truth.

How do you want to do this? I do not think you should go to the empire, Aurora. I do not think that would be wise right now. Would she come to you, or to a neutral location along the border?”

She waited impatiently as the holographic claw signs over the comm panel finished translating her words for Aurora. We need to find a better way for us to communicate, she thought to herself as Aurora started signing again.

~ I grant you the pardon you ask for, Hive mother. I understand your thoughts, and they are already forgotten. My sister cannot come to us; she can never leave the brooding chamber ever again; only death can release her from the birth canal, either of old age or when culled by a queen. ~

Aurora paused, still staring at her intently. After a few moments, she resumed signing, slowing down her claw movements as if unsure of what she was saying.

~I ask for permission to send Bandit-Friend and Luna as the envoys for my Hive and your Hives. My sister has promised safe passage for them both. The envoys of queens and Hive mothers are sacred, and anyone who kills one is culled immediately. Even if a Hive mother kills one, she would be culled by her daughters for committing such an evil act. It has been this way since the time of the first Hive. ~

Lopez found herself fascinated by what Aurora was saying, both about Hive mothers being trapped in the brooding chamber and the sacred protections afforded to envoys by the Insectoids.

Even as alien as they were sometimes, it was nice to know that some things were the same, such as the diplomatic protection and immunities afforded to representatives and envoys.

Turning her gaze to Bandit, Lopez asked him for his input. “Bandit, is this something you want to do? I will not order you to go, so whatever choice you make is yours alone.”

Bandit replied without hesitation. “I will go, madam president. I feel it is right to attempt to make peace between Aurora and her sister. She has told me of this sister many times, and I know she misses her greatly. I also would find great joy in securing peace for the Republic I serve.”

“Will you be allowed to take an escort, Bandit? I would feel a lot better about this if you could bring a squad of combots with you as protection.” Aurora had been watching them speak and started signing again.

~It is expected for envoys to have drones with them to show the power and prestige of the queens and Hive mothers they represent. I will send my machine soldiers with Bandit-Friend and Luna; it is my right as a Hive mother. I promise you that no harm will be done to them by my sister or others. ~

“Okay, Aurora. I agree with this peace effort. I will share thoughts with the other empires and inform them of what is happening. Just get your sister to agree to not attack us anymore, and we will not attack them. Once we figure out a way to make an official peace treaty between us, we will sign it.”

Aurora signed with Bandit quickly before turning back to face her, her claws moving rapidly as the translator spoke for her.

~I am ashamed for doubting what you would do, Lopez-Friend. I did not know how you would think about my sister’s offer of peace, and I see the wrongness in my thoughts. You are very wise, Hive mother. Even the Hive mother within me thinks you have wisdom she has rarely seen. ~

“Thank you, Aurora. And I thank your ancestor for her kind thoughts as well. Being wise and getting others to see as I do are two very different things, unfortunately. We shall see how the governments of the other animals respond to your sister’s request for peace. I hope they are wise and accept.”

~I do too. The persecutors are coming, Hive mother, and they are not coming for only us. The evil we have done to the animals will seem like nothing compared to what they will do to us all. We must face them together as friends if there is any hope of survival. We will all die facing them alone. ~

“I agree. Share thoughts with me again when Bandit and Luna are ready to depart, and I will provide Bandit with orders for how to be an envoy for me and the Republic. I will share thoughts with the other animals now and try to convince them to make peace with your sister and the empire.”

~Yes, Hive mother. Thank you. I promise you I will do all I can to make this peace with my sister successful. The persecutors will soon know that our Hives and the animal Hives fight for each other. I now depart to get my cruiser ready to send our envoys to my sister to make peace. ~

Aurora stepped back, and Bandit ended the connection, the hologram disappearing and leaving her alone in the office again. Looking at the clock again, she shook her head in disgust when she saw that it was only 0957.

Reaching into her purse on the bare desk, she searched with her fingers until she felt what she was looking for and pulled out the small, metallic pen-sized object.

It was a single-dose subdermal stim stick, and she took off the protective cap before pressing it against her neck and pushing down on the activator.

It hissed, and she felt the coolness spreading from the injection site as her circulatory system carried the stimulants throughout her body.

In a matter of seconds, her fatigue melted away, and she felt her eyelids stop drooping.

Her doctor was going to be pissed at her for using it, but he wasn’t about to lead humanity into the worst war it had ever faced, and pickling her liver was a small price to pay for saving the species.

She walked out of the office, her back straight and her head held high, as she felt energized and ready to take on the rest of the day.

The two Pathfinder bodyguards fell in behind her as she headed back to the labs, where the eggheads were waiting to show her the next-gen weapons tech they had been working on.

She was excited to see what they had and to find out if it was ready to be implemented. They needed every possible tool available if what the Ma”lit and Aurora had been telling them about the enemy was true.