"If this is true it changes everything." Jansen stood with her arms folded in the briefing room on the Phoenix Rises.

Mayeaux sat with his hands pressed together. "Believe me, Admiral, I was sceptical myself until I looked at the data the insurgents had taken. It's a possibility we can't ignore."

"Can we move the bomb carriers?" Jansen said.

"We were discussing this," Garrick said. "Any message would have to be sent on wide diffusion as even Grand Mediator Mayeaux doesn't know which ships they are. And what if the insurgents want us to move the ships?"

"I see what you mean." Jansen rubbed her forehead. "So we just wait?"

"We need to identify which ships they might be targeting. We have most of the record from the Forge and with the Mediator's help we should be able to contact the Acting Secretary General's office to identify the carriers."

"Is that all we can do?"

"I'm already trying to recreate whatever the insurgents have been doing to track the ships," Garrick said.

"Is that possible?" Mayeaux raised an eyebrow.

"We have to assume it is."

"Good. I'm not getting caught out by the insurgents again. I want you to keep me posted throughout, now, was there anything else?"

"No Admiral," Garrick said. He got up and with a nod left Jansen and Mayeaux behind.

He had to admit that Jansen was right. They couldn't let the insurgents get the jump on them again, and it worried him that they would already suspect that the Alliance had worked out their plan. He had to do everything in his power to stop them. With that in mind, he headed for Ramsey and Okoro who were going through the data taken from the Forge.

It felt surreal to walk the corridors of the Phoenix Rises. The rest of the crew were still celebrating. It was only he, Mayeaux and Jansen that knew the truth. Anyone he passed might be an insurgent sympathiser. The mere fact the insurgency existed might very well spell the end of the Alliance. Garrick wouldn't trust anyone any more, not even Jansen or Mayeaux if it came to it.

Okoro and Ramsey were both hunched over their consoles when he entered. "Anything?" Garrick said. He wasn't expecting much, but Okoro had surprised him before.

She turned and grinned at him. "We have something."

"Show me." Garrick crouched down for a better look.

Okoro pointed to her screen, which showed a list of names. "This is the list that we extracted from the Forge. A lot of it was corrupted, but we've filled some gaps in based on our own database of ships. There's some we still can't access, but it's still better than nothing.

"Once you remove the ships which Mayeaux said are the wrong class, there aren't many that have stopped there. The only ship within a reasonable range of here is the Edinburgh."

"Excellent work. We've got them."

A voice came over the intercom. "Commander Karn to the bridge."

"Perfect, I can tell the Admiral in person. Superb work, both of you." He nodded at them and headed up. Garrick could feel the tides changing in their favour, and it was good to know that after weeks of being one step behind, they now had what they needed to end this insurgency once and for all. For the first time, he felt like celebrating. That was until he saw Jansen. She, Mayeaux and the rest of the bridge crew were white with shock. "What's happened?

"See for yourself." Jansen pointed to the viewport.

To Garrick's horror, Allison's face was being displayed. A surge of rage rose inside him. Allison was sitting against a backdrop with a logo bearing the insignia 'ISC'. Garrick couldn't look at him without wanting to destroy the nearest console.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Play him the message," Jansen said.

"You know me as Admiral Allison--former member of the Alliance military, and now part of the so-called insurgency. I am here today to make an announcement, one that has been a long time coming.

"The Alliance has had its day. I am not one of those antagonists that blames it for the ultimate destruction of Old Earth. The Alliance of our ancestors' days was an organisation born out of necessity to facilitate the mass evacuation after the effects of the initial gate experiments became known. They oversaw the most incredible feat humanity had ever seen--lifting billions of people and spreading them across the Arm to the new terraformed and colonised worlds. They helped expand humanities reach, spreading to more and more stars. The Alliance may have been a necessity in humanity's early spacefaring days. But those days are gone.

"Now, the Alliance is nothing more than a strong arm trying to keep control of the worlds that comprises it, rather than letting them forge their own destiny. The Alliance is a relic from the past.

When was the last fresh world colonised? There hasn't been a new colony in over fifty years because the Alliance know that it is past the limit of what can be controlled from Icheon. So rather than looking out wards as the Alliance of old had, it focused its gaze instead on the worlds it has, and tried to make sure that it kept them under tight control.

"This has led to decades of stifled growth, authoritarian laws being passed on Icheon at the expense of the outer colonies and the death of peaceful protesters who wanted nothing more than to be free--free of the shackles placed on them since before they were born. I am here to offer you that freedom.

"And now, the Alliance even develop weapons capable of destruction never seen or imagined, to use on any of its own kind that dare consider that they might be better off alone. This is an evil not seen for hundreds of years.

"It is not just one world ready to break away. Today, the Independent Systems Coalition is born. Twelve worlds across the far reaches of the Alliance, independently governed, but joined in their commitment to protect the ISC and the worlds within it. I intend to meet an Alliance delegation to formally secede. We come in peace, but we know full well that the Alliance will respond with force. I give this message to the military--we can fully defend ourselves.

"And to the other worlds of the Alliance who also have dreams of independence, I extend this invitation--join us, and we will protect you. We will forge our own path, with our Alliance brothers and sisters if they let us, but on our own if need be. I will wait in the Caspian system to receive the Alliance delegation."

The camera lingered on Allison's face for a moment after he finished speaking and Garrick couldn't escape the feeling that he was looking straight at him. Garrick let out a scream of rage and punched the desk in front of him, shattering the console.

"Control yourself, Commander!" Jansen yelled. "This bridge is no place for rash emotional outbursts. We see a problem, we solve it."

"I'm sorry Admiral. Garrick looked around for something to cover his hand with to stop the bleeding. An ensign rushed forward with a medkit.

"As I was saying, Admiral," Mayeaux said. "We can expect the Acting Secretary General to respond with full force. We will wipe this insurgency off the face of the Arm."

Jansen was stony faced, but she did not object.

"You can't do that," Garrick said while the ensign finished bandaging his fist.

"Excuse me, Commander?" Mayeaux raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "You are not in command here."

"Listen to me, Mediator. If we move the bomb-carriers, we do exactly what the insurgents will be after. You know this."

"What I know is that this insurgency has gone on long enough. You and Jansen have failed to put a stop to it, so we require a change in tactics."

"Mediator--"

"What the Commander means is that we will carry out your orders," Jansen interrupted him.

Garrick was ready to explode until he saw her give him a look. He bit his tongue.

"Thank you, Admiral. Now, let us get back to work." Mayeaux glared at Garrick and walked off.

That man is a poor excuse of a Mediator. I wish Silas hadn't been kidnapped.

Jansen hurried over and took him by the arm into the briefing room. When the door closed, she rounded on him. "Are you out of your goddamn mind, Karn? What are you playing at? You're my damn XO, act like it."

"I'm sorry, Admiral." He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of looking away.

"You had better be." She paused to catch her breath. "Now, what do we do about our mediator problem?"

"Admiral? I misjudged you." Garrick was impressed.

"I don't agree with how you handle yourself Commander, but right now you're the only one who has a shot at averting a catastrophe. They will order me to join the assault on the insurgents, I'll do everything I can to get that fleet turned around, but there's not much I can do.

She cleared her throat. "I'm giving you a promotion to the rank of captain and giving you control of the Ezekiel. It's not much, but at least you can track down the nearest bomb-carrier and warn them."

"Admiral, I--thank you." It was better than he could have hoped for.

"I don't need your thanks. Do your job and save the Alliance."

"I will. Oh, and when you speak to the fleet, it's the Edinburgh. The nearest bomb carrier is the Edinburgh."

"Thank you, Commander. Good luck. We're all going to need it."