CHAPTER 1

It was a warm day. But every day in the Caribbean is warm. The sun beat down on pristine white sand beaches, while turquoise waves lapped gently at the shore. Palm trees swayed in a light breeze, their fronds rustling softly. The air was thick with the scent of salt and tropical flowers.

Unfortunately for Colonel Asshole, this was not the Caribbean. The colonel was in a simulated environment that felt just as real as the tropical islands themselves. He walked along the beach, his bare feet enjoying the warmth and textures of the simulated sand and water. But unlike the carefree tourists around him, tension radiated from every line of his body.

He didn't want to be here, but he knew he had to. Slowly walking towards a small family, he steeled himself for what was to come. His heart raced, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead despite the warm air. Memories of his own family flashed through his mind - his wife Emily's smile, his son John's laughter. The weight of his choices pressed down on him with each step.

As he approached the family, the colonel's senses were on high alert. He scanned the beach, looking for any sign that this was more than a simple vacation scene. But everything appeared normal - too normal. The perfection of it all only heightened his unease.

The family came into focus - a mother, father, and two children building a sandcastle. The colonel's throat tightened as he watched them play, so reminiscent of days long past with his own family. He pushed the emotions down, reminding himself why he was here. This wasn't about reconnecting with the past - it was about securing the future.

"Why are you here?" A young girl, only 10, looked up at him and asked. Her innocent question carried an undercurrent of something else - knowledge beyond her years.

The colonel's instincts screamed that something was very wrong. This was no ordinary child. His mind raced, trying to piece together the implications. Could these really be the intelligence operatives he was meant to contact? Or was this something else entirely?

"I'm just taking a walk. Why don't you go back to your mom? I bet she's worried sick!"

"This is a simulation. They're not worried." The girl threw a small flat-faced stone, bouncing it several times in the ocean before a wave consumed it for all of eternity.

The man looked back at the girl. Realization had hit him. "Oh. It's you."

"So, why are you here? We no longer have a use for you. We know you are trying to contact us." She stared at him, anger seething into her eyes.

"You really think I am done with you? What the hell was all of this? You're clearly not the Russians. You fucking tricked me into feeding intel to the Alliance!"

The girl laughed as an innocent child would. "Alliance? You really think we are The Alliance?"

"What?" The Colonel stared into her eyes, confused. They couldn't be the Russians. Circumstances did not point to them. Every bit of evidence they had led to The Alliance. "If you're not Alliance, then who are you?"

"That will come in time, besides. That's not the question you really want to ask." The girl's brother joined the conversation, running up to them both, surprising the Colonel.

"Why did you want me to sabotage the WarpStar? The tech you gave me didn't destroy the ship."

"Very good!" the boy jumped, clapping his hands in excitement.

"I did not mean it to destroy them, but we wanted your rising star to discover the lab on that planet. And he did just that!" The girl jumped with a wide smile on her face, as if telling her father some exciting news.

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"But, for what end? Everything on the planet was obliterated, we barely survived! The man started to feel anger for all the thousands of lives lost during Earth's bloodiest battle in history.

The girl tilted her head to the side, wearing a wide grin as she playfully replies, "You'll see!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? We need to know. I need to know. I almost killed him." He paused, realizing his personal feelings had no place in a conversation like this. "We are being invaded. If you are not Alliance, then please help us. Our forces are outnumbered, and we are outgunned.

The girl giggled. "We know!" she twirled with a smile on her face.

"Huh? How?" A look of horror washed away his confusion as realization had hit him with a brick. "No."

The girl giggled again, finding more and more amusement the longer she drew this out. "Yes!"

"What the fuck?" He was at a complete loss for words, staring at the two kids, not knowing whether to be angry or terrified. "You...Are..."

"Legion!" As their true identity was finally revealed, the boy thrust his hands in the air, and both children's faces lit up with excitement.

The colonel staggered back, his mind reeling from the revelation. Shock gave way to horror, then to a white-hot rage that threatened to overwhelm him. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, trembling with the effort of restraining himself from lashing out at the simulated children.

"Why?" he choked out, his voice raw with emotion. "What is your end goal? You have already needlessly slaughtered thousands of us. The Pegasus colony ship, a few miners in random systems, the Battleship Pond. Every encounter we have with you ends up with you killing us with no warning, no mercy. What the fuck do you want?"

Pure venom seethed from his mouth as he no longer could control his anger. The beautiful beach scene around him seemed to mock the ugliness of the truth he'd just learned.

"We will reveal everything in due time. All you need to know is we are watching you! Be careful on your actions, do not repeat the mistakes of old. We are watching you. Mark Henderson!" The boy spoke calmly, with no emotion.

The simulation abruptly ended, plunging the colonel into darkness. For a moment, he stood there, panting heavily, his mind still reeling from what he'd learned. Then, purpose crystallized within him. He had to act - now.

The transition from the virtual world to reality was jarring. One moment he was on a sun-drenched beach, the next in a sterile simulation chamber. The colonel didn't pause to adjust. He stormed out of the room, his footsteps echoing down the metallic corridors of the military facility.

Minutes later, he stood before an imposing oak door, brass nameplate declaring it the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Without hesitation, he kicked it open.

The spacious office was a study in naval tradition and power. Model ships lined the shelves, while maps and strategic displays covered the walls. Behind a massive desk of polished wood sat Admiral Jonathan Hayes, the CNO himself. Hayes was a bear of a man, his barrel chest straining against his uniform, salt-and-pepper hair cropped close to his skull.

"What the fuck Mark! You can't do that!" The C.N.O. shot up out of his seat, startled and viciously angry. His face reddened, a vein pulsing at his temple.

"I just fucking did!" Colonel Mark Henderson matched the admiral's volume, slamming his hands down on the desk.

"You better have a damn good reason for what you just did, Colonel." Hayes' voice lowered to a dangerous growl.

Mark met the admiral's glare, unflinching. "It's the Legion. They are the ones you have been having me pass intel to. They were the ones who tricked me into thinking I would kill my son, that you ordered me to do!"

The color drained from Hayes' face. He sank back into his chair, the leather creaking under his weight. "What the hell? They told you this?"

"They just did. Toyed with me too, wouldn't just tell me until I guessed it." Mark began to pace, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

Hayes leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. "What do they want? They are matching the Alliance numbers one to one. They are surrounding us with equal strength. I don't know how we are going to stop an armada the size the Alliance has here, let alone two of them!"

"I don't know." Mark's shoulders slumped, the adrenaline leaving him. "They just said they are watching us. To not make any mistakes of old. Whatever the fuck that means."

The two men fell into a heavy silence, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. The ticking of an antique clock on the wall seemed to count down to some unseen deadline.

Finally, Hayes reached for the secure phone on his desk. His hand hovered over it for a moment before he picked up the receiver. "Mr. President," he said, his voice grave, "we have new information about the Legion. And sir... it's not good."

As the admiral began to relay the information, Mark stared out the office window. The Washington Monument stood in the distance, a symbol of human achievement and perseverance. But now, it seemed dwarfed by the cosmic scale of the threat they faced. Whatever came next, he knew humanity's future hung in the balance.