New Xinjia

Akamori watched as the survivors slowly pressed forward from their bunker. Searching and clearing, and eliminating any stragglers they may have found along the way. Exhaustion clung to him like a thick sheen of sweat. His temples banged to the beat of his pulse. He’d spent just about every ounce of his resources to narrowly secure what amounted to little more than a pyrrhic victory.

It would take the colony decades to recover. If not a century or more, just to break even. That was the time Akamori was certain they didn’t have. Another camera drone buzzed into his face, the small lenses whirring as it took footage for the Brotherhood news casts. They’d sell it as a win. Even if they had to hide the costs.

General Zhang approached. The brotherhood commander’s olive drab uniform sported wrinkles from days of consistent wear. The general himself looked a decade older than he had just before the invasion. He offered Akamori a salute.

“On behalf of the Brotherhood of Man, the military, her people, all of us, allow me to extend our deepest thanks. You and your people came to us in our greatest hour of need. We won’t forget that. You’ve given of yourselves much, and the people of New Xinjia, what’s left of us at least, will always remember you and yours as heroes of the Brotherhood.”

Akamori stood before the rest of the squad as its highest ranking officer. In reality, by now they were all effectively equals. Elite spell soldiers who fought in multiple campaigns. He viewed more like comrades than subordinates. More so ever since they’d resigned their positions within the Mage Federation. Amara nudged him free of his thoughts, returning his attention to the general who’d been expecting a reply.

He cleared his throat before speaking. “We just came because it was the right thing to do. I only regret we couldn’t have gotten here faster and done more.”

“Your presence was enough, that you could fight the invasion at all is testament enough to strength. Though the damage done may prove mortal enough to the colony’s future. If you and your boys are open to it, I’d like to extend a long-term invitation to assist with our planetary defenses.”

Akamori turned back to the squad, who gave him a confident nod. He gave the General a grinning hand shake. “General, I think that would be agreeable. Me and my people have been wanting to fight the good fight for a while.”

“Well, it’s safe to say you’ve found it here. We’ve been on the wrong side of the Sauridius’ aggression for too long. But we’re a stubborn lot and refuse to take this abuse layin’ down. We’d be much obliged to have you and your people on contract.”

“Consider it done, General. I didn’t become a mercenary to profit off of war. I did it because I was tired of not being where I was needed most. We all did. If the Brotherhood needs us and wants us? We’re glad to stick around.”

Marines pushed out around them, securing the area, bayoneting the dead and burning the rest. The hover drones still buzzed around Akamori like mechanical flies. Their camera lenses whirring as they zoomed in and out, getting footage of the scene to play back home to boost morale.

“And here they are. The heroes of New Xinjia. And former Mage Federation troops, no less. I’m told they were all subordinate to the former Captain Morwyn, the Valkyrie of Tohrun.” A reporter said, speaking into a microphone as a drone floated in front of her with a light shining on her. She turned and strode over, giving the General a nod. The elder human general excused himself, giving the reporter the space to conduct her propaganda interview.

“Lt. Shinjo, I understand you’re the one we have to thank for our survival?”

Akamori nodded with a sad smile. “I’m not sure lieutenant is a proper rank for me anymore. I resigned my commission to the Mage Federation. As for the survivors, we’re glad we could save what few we could. We honestly came expecting to make this place our grave.”

“Why do you think the Mage Federation declined to send a rescue team?”

“As I understand, ma’am, this wasn’t the only battlefield. This war is hitting everywhere now. No where is safe, and we’re all fighting.”

“So you believe we should all be doing our part?” The Reporter said.

“I do. Yes. That should have been the result from the jump, but it’s too late in the conflict to come off the bench now. This is a war to preserve our right to self determination. Free will. We either win, or lose and become soul slaves to Saruidius.”

Deep down, Akamori almost felt like mocking that statement. But the people back on New Terra needed to be roused. They’d never faltered in thier contribution to the war, but they’d also viewed it largely as a border skirmish. Some strange threat harassing far off border colonies. New Xinjia was a center system world for them. The game had changed.

It also felt like a mockery because he had a sinking suspicion most of this conflict resulted from some ancient gods plotting. Stacking up game pieces to slowly knock down. Self determination and free will are fun concepts in theory, but he was learning enough to know he had no agency of his own. Not truly. He was just the latest in a long line of people marching to the drumbeat of destiny.

The shards of Xanofex do not get the luxury of self determination, Bahumet mused.

We are destroyers. Draped in darkness, we purge creation of its defects, Thanaton hissed. The blade had been unusually quiet of late.

The dark ones will come soon. They will try to break this reality to match their own. We must protect the First. Frank’s words sent a shiver rattling down Akamori’s spine.

“Mr. Shinjo?”

Akamori shook his head and flashed an embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry, guess I’m a bit more beat than I thought. Spacing out on you. You were saying?”

“It’s no problem at all, honestly. I was just asking what you and your team planned to do next?”

“To be honest, we hadn’t planned that far ahead.”

“Then perhaps I might offer a suggestion?” General Zhang offered from the side.

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“I have just spoken with the President of the Brotherhood. He has requested you and your squad’s presence on New Terra, where he would like to honor you and your team’s contributions to the defensive efforts here.”

Akamori glanced back, noting that Amara was absent. Had she translocated herself away? He mentally frowned, making a note to look for her later. Side conversations of their own had distracted the others. Sirsir was speaking with a few of the marines. Yasiin and Sala were standing on their own in as clean an area of the corridor as they could find.

“Hey boys!” Akamori shouted at them. They all paused, glancing at him.

“Wanna go to New Terra and meet the President?”

They all shrugged, nodding at him. “Sure.” “Why not?” “Sounds good.” They all said at the same time.

An aide approached the general, who nodded with a frown.

“What? What is it?”

Zhang cleared his throat uncomfortably. “It would appear that during the battle, Captain Fennex deployed the Cadaver Crasher to Eryn to respond to a distress call. Sauridius had made his primary attack against the elves. Most reports show that Fennex and the Crasher went down in the fighting.”

No. Not like this. Not again. Not one more life. Two words banged around his mind, his heart, and his soul.

Fuck Fate.

Instantly, he was gone. Half the sector traversed in the blink of an eye. He found himself atop the wreckage of the Crasher. Smoke and small electrical fires burned through the holes in her hull. The nose of the ship was crushed and compacted. She would never fly again.

Akamori dropped to the soil and slowly strode around the smashed ship that had once been like a new home to him. He traced a hand along its folded titanium hull. He’d been reborn within this ship. No longer a farm boy, Fennex and Sirsir had made him a Spell Soldier.

Now it would serve as Fennex’s coffin. Thanaton appeared in his hands and cleaved a hole into the metal skin of the ship. His skin ignited with fire as he strode into the bowels of the crashed ship like a walking star. Steel glowed with heat, plastic smoked and sizzled and oil ignited. The deeper into the ship he got and the closer to the bridge he drew, he noted a strong spell at work.

Then he saw it. A protective field deployed around the bridge, but it wasn’t Fennex’s spell.

“Interesting…”

It belonged to the ship. The last of the ships power and consciousness had cast it, protecting him. At his approach, the spell stopped with a hush of relief in the air. He traced a hand along the hull, heating it at his touch.

“Rest now. You’ve earned it,” He said to the ship.

He knew now that Spell Weapons possessed intelligences and souls. So it stood to reason that ships did too. There was a ripple in the air that he felt more than heard as the last vestiges of the ship passed on.

And then the soul flitted to him. Curiously, he studied it. It was gathering to him.

“What is it, little one?”

It swam around him excitedly. “You’re pledging yourself to me?” He reached his hands out and cupped the small glowing soul of the ship in both hands, like a scoop of water that might slip through his hands. Careful to hold it.

“No, my friend. It’s I who should pledge myself to you. I can never repay you.”

But there was no rebuttal or refusal from the soul of the crasher. It simply wished to attach its soul to him. Another follower.

He smiled and nodded finally. “Very well. I wouldn’t deny you that even if I wanted to.”

With that, the small orb faded as it passed on to the soul realm, ready to face the maw. A noise drew his attention from inside the cockpit and hope sparked in his heart. Was he hearing things? Did he dare believe it?

Another groan. Akamori smashed his way into the damaged bridge area, ripping anything and everything out of his way until he’d cleared a path to the command chair. He gently tore Fennex free after assessing the man’s injuries. He’d live.

Fennex stirred painfully. “What happened?”

“You challenged the ground in a game of chicken.”

“Who won?”

“You did.”

Fennex barked a pained laugh. “You liar.”

Akamori shrugged with a grin. “Figured I’d try to salvage what dignity you might have had left.”

Fennex laughed again and then winced. He’d suffered a lot of internal injuries that would need healing. “I can teleport you to the city. The healers will need to do a few passes on you first. But you’ll make it.”

Fennex looked around for something and sighed.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I dropped my beer.”

Akamori snorted. “I’ll get you one at the bar.”

Fennex eyed him suspiciously. “Uh…no thanks. I heard you turn into a demon when ya get drunk.”

“Lucky you then. I’m on your side.”

The air around them turned frigid as the void itself wrapped its cold arms around them and then melted away, leaving them coated in a layer of frost on the ground in Eryn. Sirens and alarms blared everywhere as emergency response crews rushed about to tend to wounded and injured. The Emerald Guards were doing their best to manage foot traffic.

“Did the Captain fight?” Fennex asked.

Akamori nodded. Even without knowing for sure, he knew that she’d be at the heart of any trouble that Sauridius and Ominek caused. And now, so would he.

“Let’s go Captain. We’ve got a war to end, and a god to slay.”

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