The War Game: Oh, The Humanity!

August Aird

Copyright © 2025 by August Aird

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

No portion of this book may be reproduced, digitized, or otherwise used in any form for AI, LLM, or any other sort of training without written permission from the publisher or author. Licenses are available by contacting the author.

Contents

The Story So Far

Starting Character Sheet

Prologue

1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 2

3. Chapter 3

4. Chapter 4

5. Chapter 5

6. Chapter 6

7. Chapter 7

8. Chapter 8

9. Chapter 9

10. Chapter 10

11. Chapter 11

12. Chapter 12

13. Chapter 13

14. Chapter 14

15. Chapter 15

16. Chapter 16

17. Chapter 17

18. Chapter 18

19. Chapter 19

20. Chapter 20

21. Chapter 21

22. Chapter 22

23. Chapter 23

24. Chapter 24

25. Chapter 25

26. Chapter 26

27. Chapter 27

28. Chapter 28

29. Chapter 29

30. Chapter 30

31. Chapter 31

Final Character Sheet

Afterword

Acknowledgements

The Story So Far

Hey there, human, alien, or whatever you are. Marlowe, the Mouthpiece of Humanity here! Well, now I guess I’m the Mouthpiece of the United Interplanetary Republic, actually. We haven’t exactly settled on my new role, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

If you’re asking yourself what Carter Ash has been up to — you are in the right spot.

Carter Ash enlisted in the armies of Humanity to serve in the Game. The Game is run by immensely powerful aliens and directly affects people in the outside world. If a civilization falls in the Game, they fall for real.

The only problem was that Carter doesn’t remember enlisting — no one does, not even little ole me, because the memories are wiped back to the person’s twenty-first birthday, or the equivalent for aliens. (And, yes, there are aliens. Lots of them.)

He wakes up in a brutal Basic Training program where everyone eventually dies as part of their lesson. But he does the impossible and survives against all odds, with the help of his friends and even some of the aliens he meets.

Once he survives, he finds out that hardly any people across the entire history of the Game ever survived. As a reward, the aliens that run the Game give him a special class: The Hero of Humanity. (They also secretly give him a second gift for guessing that they run the Game. Every once in a while, Carter gets a day of his erased memory back.)

With his success and unique class, the Emperor of Humanity assigns him to a backwater colony where nothing happens, giving him a mission to convert the colony to a full holding.

No one expects him to succeed, and I can tell you that it’s mostly done so that Carter is out of the way and not getting more attention. The Emperor’s plan doesn’t work, though.

Carter manages to conquer the planet, bringing it fully under the control of Humanity. This should be a great moment to celebrate, but it’s not. Instead, the Emperor assigns Major Wilhelm to run the colony, technically rewarding Carter in a way that feels like a demotion.

Then, to add insult to injury, the Empire sells out Carter to one of the more powerful alien civilizations in their part of the galaxy — the Gumalagians. They are a Tier Three empire, warring with two other Tier Threes and trying to move up. It turns out that Carter killed the daughter of their ruler during Basic Training.

Don’t worry — she got better.

Everyone in the Game starts with three lives. It is only that due to the training and support of her people, she expected to survive and get the reward Carter received.

So she comes back for revenge. Leading a small team of elite soldiers, she invades their moon. It doesn’t go well for her, though, and Carter manages to scrape out a victory. The people with him — his squad and civilians on the planet — decide to leave the Empire of Humanity and form their own government.

That is the United Interplanetary Republic.

Well, the moon that they form on has an extremely valuable resource used to make more colonies, space stations, and battleships. It is one of the key parts of growing civilizations, and very rare. A few different fleets attempt to invade — while others join the new government.

The only reason the UIR survives at all is due to the Gumalagian attack earlier. Joke’s on them, right? They came with a powerful battleship, and Carter captured it, making it the central part of their defensive fleet.

They manage to hold on and fend off the invaders. When all is said and done, they come out stronger than expected. More aliens join their civilization, and everything is looking up.

With all of the threats in the nearby galactic neighborhood, the UIR needs more than one system to stay safe. So they start to expand to nearby systems with resources that they require. While claiming their first new planet outside the home system, a mysterious force attacks them.

Carter and his second-in-command are trapped on an island with a powerful machine that means if they die, they’ll respawn on the island where they can be killed again and again, until they are dead for good. (Many civilizations in the Galaxy view this as a war crime!)

Not one to let that stand, Carter fights back. He discovers that the mysterious attackers are actually forces from the Empire of Humanity, led by none other than Major Wilhelm, attempting to redeem himself in the Emperor’s eyes. Carter prevails against all odds and manages to defeat the assassins. (He also rescues me while he’s at it!)

While the UIR had been willing to avoid conflicts with the Empire of Humanity, they now know it’s only a matter of time before they are attacked again, and so they prepare themselves for war.

And, as a bit of an aside, as Carter’s class advanced, he ended up with the Harem Hero class, because he was dating multiple women. Just figured I should remind you of that little fact as well.

The Harem:

Iris — A runner in college, Iris was Carter’s first love in the Game. She’s sweet, kind, and abhors violence and combat. Currently, she serves as the personal assistant of the Hero. Iris’s second class is the Harem Herald, which provides benefits to other members of the Harem.

C.J. — A punk rocker from London, she got a Demolitions class and never looked back. Her explosive personality is matched only by the actual explosions she loves to dish out. If she’s smiling, it might be time to start running away.

Bethany — A former Canadian mean girl (An oxymoron, surely!) She is working to redeem her past, while working as the sharpshooter for the squad. Don’t find yourself in her crosshairs!

Nillin — She is a Delphinian. That means she’s green, short, and has cute little antennae on her head. Once a diplomat from the alien government, she now is deeply in love with Carter and runs the diplomatic corps of the burgeoning government.

Jacqueline — Before the Game, Carter and Jacqueline met and fell in love, eventually even getting married. Unfortunately, Carter met her the day he turned twenty-one, meaning he didn’t remember her. Although through a quirk of his situation, he has remembered a few days of their time together. They recently reunited, and she joined the harem. She’s an ace pilot, and one of the leaders of the fighter pilots.

Samantha — She was cooling her heels on the moon when Carter shocked her back into action. She reluctantly joined his squad. Now she drives a cool tank. They hit it off, and started dating.

Rebekah — A fiery redhead from the south, she serves as Carter’s right-hand commander. She’s great at tactics and planning, and a strong mid-range fighter. After he started dating Samantha, she realized that she had strong feelings for Carter, and they ended up getting together right before the assassination attempt.

Other people that are helpful to know:

Pete — Carter’s best friend in the Game. He is a bit of a doofus, and loves three things: cooking, getting high, and his wife Cynthia.

Captain Ishani — Once commanding a transport ship for the Empire of Humanity, this feisty captain now commands the powerful battleship they captured from the Gumalagians, known as the New Dawn. She generally leads the fleet as well.

Heral — A Delphinian, she is Nillin’s bodyguard and closest friend. Tough as nails, so don’t get on her bad side.

Kellantra — A Mizarian researcher Carter rescued from the Gumalagian ship. She’s, like, totally the best.

Kani — One of the workers left behind on Haven by Humanity, he has a second class that’s part of the “Spy” tree.

Diwa — Brought in by Major Wilhelm, Diwa serves as the Laborer’s main voice in the ruling government.

Consul Poulana — A diplomat from the Delphinians, she is Nillin’s mentor and wants to support the UIR however she can.

Tara — This slime girl joined the UIR after the failed invasion. She uses a massive machine gun to dominate the battlefield.

Praxelle “Plugs” — A Keid, she is half robot and half organic. She works well with the others and is an experienced soldier.

United Interplanetary Republic (UIR) Member Species:

Humans — You know this one, come on.

Delphinians — Aliens with green skin and antennae, they are on average shorter than humans. They tend to be more diplomatic and focused on trade, although they also have a lot of people who can use magic in combat, making them powerful in their own way.

Mizarians — These people are gorgeous — even the ugliest members could be models on earth. They are blue, slightly taller than humans on average, and have three breasts. Wow!

Felicians — These catgirls are an entirely female race that reproduce by joining with other species for the father’s genetic matter. Traditionally, they live as servants to other races, but Carter welcomed them as full and equal members of their civilization when they came to help during the recent attempted invasion.

Melephites — Silver skinned aliens with deer antlers. The first to join the UIR from this empire were prisoners captured during the multiple invasions.

Pincoyans — Slime people, they are typically humanoid, but with goo instead of flesh. They come in a wide range of colors.

Keid — A robotic race that merges flesh with electronics. The base organism can be very different from person to person, but they generally have at least 40% of their body as robotic parts. The current members are female prisoners who joined the UIR because their government treated them as second class citizens.

Well, that’s quite a lot to remember. Luckily, Carter died, and you won’t need to remember any of this, right?

The Emperor wouldn’t lie to us.

And that’s all you need to know.

— Marlowe

The Mouthpiece of the United Interplanetary Republic

(Alright, I have to talk to Carter about a better title. This one is a mouthful.)

Starting Character Sheet

Governor Carter Ash

Governor Carter Ash

Leader of the United Interplanetary Republic

Rank: General

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Lives: 4

Class: Harem Knight, Rank 3

Secondary Class: Campaigner, Rank 3

Tertiary Class: Civilization’s Founder, Rank 4

Level: 54

Stats:

Strength — 43 (288)

Reflexes — 56 (58)

Stamina — 58

Magic — 116

Willpower — 46

Recovery — 85

Skills:

Boost of Confidence — 3

Rapid Fire — 5

Focused Fire (Group) — 5

Endurance Training (Passive) — 7

Preparation — 7

Refresh — 1

Easy Logistics — 15

Survey (Improved) — 16

Burst of Speed (Army) — 2

Ambush Knowledge (Passive) — 3

Defensive Shield (Improved) — 9

Savior Complex (Improved) — 11

Spell Casting (Passive) — 11

Harem Benefits (Passive) — 13

Love’s Strength (Passive) — 35

Noble Sacrifice — 5

Sword Apprentice — 10

Sword Journeyman — 15

Sword Master — 7

Honorable Challenge — 5

Improved Words of Encouragement (Passive) — 1

Improved Needs Met — 13

Path Forward — 4

Basic Technology (Passive) — 1

Tutorial Bonus (Passive) — 5

Home Ground Advantage (Passive) — 6

Spells:

Whirlwind

Telekinesis

Healing Burst

Forked Lightning

Flight

Waves of Force

Moon’s Defender

Fire Breath

Enchant Weapon

Enchant Weapon Options:

Lightning

Fire

Water

Ice

Wind

Earth

Psychic

Inventory:

Starter Rifle

Morph Rifle Mk. 8 + 10

Energy Carbine Mk. 3 + 2 with Extended Magazine

Ring of Boosting

Chains of Damage +1

Armored Dog Tag +15

Miniature Quick Heal

Boots of Reflexes + 2

HSD Energy Pistol + 15

Wrist Band of Strength + 5

Warrior’s Helm + 12

Prologue

The cavernous council room crackled with anticipation. A truly rare and wondrous event approached. Fortunes could very well rise or fall based on the next few minutes and hours, and every single person in the room practically held their breath.

A well-dressed man near the door stepped forward, and the room fell silent as he bellowed out an announcement.

“The Emperor of Humanity, the great Claudius Fortuitous, first of his name, protector of Humanity, wisest amongst us, Conqueror of Thalin Prime, has arrived.”

Everyone in the room knelt down on one knee. Those hoping to score points or suck up bowed fully, pressing their faces to the ground. Even the council knelt, having come down to the floor, off their dais they dispensed their orders from.

The doors swung open, and the Emperor strode in. If he was a day over twenty-five, he didn’t look it. Of course, he was much older, and his looks and age were kept low due to how often he leveled up. He had dark hair, close-cropped to the sides of his head, with a mustache that should have looked silly, but came across as regal on his face. Underneath it all, a faint hint of restrained fury permeated everything he did.

He surveyed the room, his eyes dancing from one subject to the next. His gaze struck fear into those who weren’t quick enough to look away.

After a quick nod, he walked to the dais, mounting it in a quick hop. While his traditional throne had been installed behind him, he chose to ignore it, instead leaning on the table off to the side.

Every move he made reflected the power he had — both over the people in the room, and the raw power of leveling up so many times while having four classes. His stats were incomparable, at least among Humanity. Outside of the Empire’s borders was another thing altogether.

“So, what is on the agenda for my council today?” His tone was blasé, but everyone knew if the Emperor came, something important was about to go down.

“Most Sacred Emperor,” an older council member started, “We were looking at the trading patterns between our western systems.”

“And is that important?” The Emperor yawned. He glanced down at the table, covered in maps, spreadsheets, and notebooks.

“Only if you deem it so, Your Majesty,” the man said, bowing again.

“I would assume you could answer that yourself,” he said. The man flinched away, grimacing to himself. “This is what you all waste my time with?”

The Emperor gripped the table and ripped it out of the ground. With a yell, he threw it across the room, where it smashed into the wall. Three guards barely escaped it, diving to the side right before impact.

“We have threats outside our borders, traitors among us, and you waste time moving Iron between planets.” Red-faced, the Emperor glared at the council. The few that looked up at his outburst hurriedly returned their eyes to the ground.

“I have business that could use the wisdom of our fearless leader,” a balding man said, not yet raising his gaze from the ground.

“Go on,” the Emperor said.

“It concerns the Struve system, the rebels that took it over, and plans to make them and their alien consorts pay. I believe it might be to your Majesty’s liking.”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up, and a smile spread on his face.

“Please, continue.”

Chapter one

The footsteps were almost silent on the hard steel floor. Two guards stood in front of a door across the hallway, chatting amicably, not noticing anything.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Yeah, man, I was thinking about heading down to the bar district.”

“That’s what you do every night.”

“Sure, but I don’t plan to do it every night.”

“Uh huh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

“Do you think I have a drinking problem or something? What else are we supposed to do? We’re stuck on this boring ass station and our options are drink or not drink.”

“Whatever.” The one on the right rolled his eyes, clearly regretting starting the conversation.

I crouched down the hall from them, waiting for my squad to catch up while I studied the two men. They both wore the uniform of the Empire of Humanity. Neither had their weapons out, but that didn’t matter. Whatever they had, they could summon to hand quickly.

“How did you end up here, anyway?” the second one — the one on the left of the door — asked.

“Oh, I’m not supposed to say.”

“Really? That’s where you draw the line?”

The first one looked up and down the hallway. I ducked back behind a steel beam sticking out of the wall. After deciding the coast was clear, he lowered his voice. “You see that recent Marlowe video?”

“You’ll have to be more specific. I think they’ve played like ten of them this week.”

“The one about the Hero? How he’s a traitor?”

“Yeah, vaguely. I never understood the appeal. What’s so special about him?”

“I mean, he got cool powers and an easy job, so he was doing something right.”

I almost groaned to hear them talk about me like that. Once, I’d been the Hero of Humanity. It was my class, since I was living inside of a game. The Game.

Powerful aliens created the Game to decide who gets to rule the galaxy. Inside the Game, players run civilizations, conquering systems and controlling planets. Outside, whatever they take is ruled by the people they represent who live there.

It’s a violent, brutal Game, but it means no one fights outside of it. No one is allowed to.

I joined, apparently. I don’t remember actually enlisting. I didn’t even know anyone else existed in the universe, outside of humans. But that’s another aspect of the Game. Our memories are wiped back to our twenty-first birthday, and for me, that was before humans found out about the Game.

“Well, that was before he betrayed all of us,” the first one continued. “He started dating a bunch of women and called himself the Harem Hero. I was part of a strike force that was supposed to take him out. But somehow he got the jump on us. So I got demoted and stuck here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It sucks. They took a bunch of us prisoner, and then traded some of us back. I got demoted. At least I didn’t die, right? I’m on my last life.”

“You got lucky there.”

In the Game, we all started with three lives. Most people lost their first when they inevitably died during Basic Training. I was the exception, one of a tiny number that managed to survive. That was how I earned the special class. There were other ways to earn extra lives, although they were hard to come by.

A short redhead appeared next to me, silently creeping down the hallway. She was Rebekah Short, my second in command and one of my women that the man mentioned. Rebekah had also been trapped on the island with me, and the two of us had almost lost all of our lives. The attackers had used a device that kept us from respawning off the island and back in safety, which most civilizations viewed as a pretty heinous crime.

She glared at the two men, then met my eyes. Rebekah had heard what they’d said — talking about assassinating us like it was just another job. She let the anger go with a long breath. She held up a plastic card, like the kind used to get into hotel rooms, and gave me a thumbs up. That meant the rest of the team was in position.

I smiled.

It was time to get to work.

I summoned my sword into my hand. We each had an inventory and could easily pull items out with just a thought. We also each had abilities that let us do incredible things.

One of mine was Defensive Shield. It had been upgraded the last time my class advanced, and I activated it. Normally, a large, almost wall-sized barrier would appear in front of me. This time, I had the Shield appear on my forearm, a glowing circle of energy three feet across.

“What is that?” The first guard noticed something, but he was too late.

I darted forward, swinging my sword at the first guard.

“Holy shit! It’s the Hero!” He pulled a rifle out, attempting to get it up and pointed at me. My blade slashed through the center of the gun and straight into his chest. He groaned and exploded in a cloud of pixels, dead.

BZZZT

The other guard was faster, and fired a shot at me. It hit my Shield. I ducked behind it before charging at him. He kept up a steady rate of fire, but I moved quickly and smashed into him, knocking him to the floor. With a quick thrust, I killed him as well.

Rebekah trotted up behind me. “Nice work.” Her Southern twang shined through as she smiled at me. “They did not see that coming.”

“No, they did not.” But killing two random guards who didn’t do anything besides be jerks wasn’t why we were here. I nodded to the door they’d been standing in front of. “Get ready, we’re not sure what’s on the other side.”

She swiped a card through the reader on the side. The light above lit up green, and I shoved the door open.

We were on a space station near the border of the Empire of Humanity. After the attack from the Empire, we decided it was time to take the fight to them and let the Emperor know we wouldn’t be messed with. My small squad infiltrated the base, and now it was time to cause some chaos.

On the other side of the door, I found a research room much like the ones I’d built back on our own stations. Tables, computers, and chairs spread out across the room that was much larger than our own research area — closer to eighty feet wide and a hundred feet long. There were twenty humans standing around, all surprised to see us.

And in the back were three human sized tubes filled with liquid. Inside each one floated a body of a different alien species.

“Good god,” Rebekah said. “They’re experimenting on people.”

“What is the meaning of this?” A man with a tight cropped beard said. “Who are you? You can’t just walk in here.”

“Wait, I think I recognize him,” one of the other researchers said.

“Who is in charge here?” I asked, steel in my voice.

“I am,” the bearded man said.

“What’s with the bodies?”

“I won’t tell you that. This is a secret Empire research station, and I don’t know who you are. But the guards will arrive soon, and then you’ll pay for disturbing us.”

“He’s…” the other researcher said, but before he finished, I cut the head off of the leader.

The bearded man blinked in surprise before exploding in a cloud of pixels. “Now, who is going to tell me what’s going on here?”

“I will,” a woman in the back said.

“Kathy, shut up,” the other researcher said.

“I just got transferred here,” Kathy said, ignoring the glares of her coworkers. “Yesterday. I had no idea what they were sending me into. You have to believe me.”

She seemed earnest, if nothing else. She was young, probably twenty-two, although looks didn’t always reflect age in the game. Marlowe, the woman mentioned by the guards, said she was north of eighty and didn’t look a day over thirty.

“I won’t let you tell them.” The other Researcher darted forward.

BZZZT

Rebekah put a blast from her gun in his forehead. He died instantly, and everyone else cowered back, except for Kathy. She stood where she was, nervous, but not flinching back from the danger.

“They’re experimenting on creating an implant that can artificially boost stats,” Kathy said. “It requires live subjects, so they’ve been using prisoners. Most don’t survive. I think that might be part of the point.”

I looked at the back of the room — three tubes were filled with liquid and a prisoner each. Another seven tubes stood empty.

But judging by the lights and lack of dust, not unused.

“Geez…” I was dumbfounded to see what ends the Emperor would go to. Pointing at the aliens, I asked, “Are they still alive?”

Kathy nodded. “Yes.”

“Get them out. Now.” Kathy hurried away, frightened but eager to show her worth. I turned to the others. “The rest of you, against the wall over there.”

The Researchers crowded out of the way, each trying to be as far from me as possible.

“What do we do with them?” Rebekah asked.

“It’ll take care of itself,” I said.

“Right.”

“This place is pretty foul, but let’s see if there’s anything worth taking here,” I said.

While Kathy worked on releasing the prisoners, Rebekah and I searched the room. I threw all the computers and other gear into my inventory. It could hold a lot, and all of these items gave benefits that would help our own Researchers.

There were also blueprints around, all with designs of implants in partial states of development.

This was what the researchers created. Working on them, they slowly made anything from new guns, ships, to whatever these things were. I didn’t feel good using anything that came from this kind of research, but it gave me an idea. I put one of the blueprints into my inventory. Then I checked the details on my Controller.

Each of us had a Controller on our wrist that let us access different aspects of the Game, including information on our inventory. We could also send messages and use maps.

But for now, I wanted to see what the researchers were working on exactly. I read the description of the blueprint.

Blueprint of Strength Enhancing Implant, Rank One — 58% Complete

When finished, this will enable factories to build Strength Enhancing Implants. They are installed inside the chest cavity, and require a trained installer to prevent injuries or complications.

This is a Banned Technology, with additional requirements to progress. It requires the use of a living experiment every ten percent. At Rank Three, that increases to one every five percent.

“A banned technology?” I muttered.

I hadn’t heard of that before, but that wasn’t all that crazy. The Empire of Humanity didn’t share any information with its new recruits, preferring to only take advantage of the ones that rose to the top by surviving. I filed it away to ask our better informed sources about it.

What I really wanted to check was what else I could do with the technology. There, at the bottom of the details, was a selection I was hoping to see.

As the Blueprint is currently in your inventory, this Item can be permanently destroyed.

Would you like to destroy it?

Yes / No

I selected “Yes.”

Are you sure? Permanently destroying this item will erase all progress, and it will have to be started over.

Yes / No

I hit “Yes” one more time, and the blueprint disappeared from my inventory.

“Perfect,” I said. “Grab all the blueprints. We’ll deal with them later.”

“You can’t take those,” another researcher said. “The Emperor won’t let you get away with this.”

“He’s welcome to come take them back,” I said.

Rebekah and I grabbed all of the blueprints we could find. By the time we finished, Kathy had freed the three remaining prisoners. They stumbled over to us, confused and dripping with goo.

All three were aliens. One I recognized immediately due to the furry ears and tail — she was a Felician, an alien race that looked like catgirls. A good number of them were part of our own civilization. Another was a man with model-like good looks and blue skin. He was a Mizarian. Our lead researcher was one, in fact.

The final one I did not recognize. She was almost my height, with an athletic figure. Her skin was bright red, almost like a candy apple, and she had gray hair and eyes, although she didn’t look any older than me.

“Who are you?” she asked. “Our next tormentor?”

“No, I’m here to rescue you. Well, I’m here for other reasons, that was just a happy accident.”

“But you’re a human,” she said.

“Yeah, but I’m not with them,” I said, nodding to the Researchers against the wall.

A radio crackled on Rebekah’s belt. A tough British voice came through. “Shortstack, we’re all set up over here.”

Rebekah groaned and grabbed the radio. “Don’t call me that, C.J.”

“You got it, Shorty. We’re all good to go, but you may want to come here first.”

“We don’t really have time for that,” Rebekah said. “We’re supposed to head back to the dock now.”

“Trust me,” C.J. said. “You have time for this. We’re at the second location.”

Rebekah looked at me. I shrugged. “C.J.’s wild, but she wouldn’t make us waste time.”

The redhead nodded and spoke into the radio. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

I turned back to the prisoners and Kathy. “Listen, we’re getting out of here. I’d recommend coming with us. We’ll get you to safety, and then see about getting you back to your own people.”

The Felician and the Mizarian both nodded and walked out the door ahead of me. Kathy looked back to the gathered Researchers, grimaced, and then left. The red woman studied me for a moment.

“You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’m in.” She focused for a second, but nothing happened. “Wait.”

“We’re on the clock, Carter.” Rebekah walked to the door and looked out of it.

“You’re going to be doing some fighting, right? I can help. I just need my Controller back.” The woman didn’t wait for a response. She ran to the wall and grabbed a machine I hadn’t been able to add to my inventory. She unplugged it and slammed it to the ground, where it cracked open in a hail of sparks.

Smiling, she summoned a gun to her hands.

“There we go.” She fired a half dozen shots at the machine, destroying it.

“Alright,” I said, grinning at her. “Follow me.”

***

We sprinted through the hallways, not running into any resistance for two whole minutes. Then red lights started flashing, and a klaxon alarm sounded.

“They know we’re here,” Rebekah said.

“One of the Researchers grew a spine and pulled the alarm, I bet,” I said.

“Or C.J. got too excited.”

The group of rescued prisoners made it to a set of stairs. This station didn’t loop the same way ours did, so we were trying to find our goal. Our squad was in three parts — Bethany, Sandy, and a few others were with Jackie at the hanger, defending our shuttle for the escape. C.J. had a few more soldiers we were rushing to meet.

We’d planned on sticking to two groups, but when we found out about the research module, we split up to see what we could steal. It was disappointing to not get anything I felt comfortable using, but if it set back the Empire’s horrible project, I didn’t mind.

At the top of the stairs, we ran into a group of confused guards. I cut one down immediately, and Rebekah took out the others with a hail of gunfire. When we finished, Rebekah checked a sign on the wall and said, “This is the right floor.”

“Great. Can you use that thing?” I said, nodding to the red woman’s gun. “You know, when it’s not a helpless computer, but someone shooting back?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I just don’t want to get in your way.”

I heard shouts coming from the hallway in the distance. “Just don’t hit us, and you can shoot whoever you want.”

“Until we meet up with our friends,” Rebekah said.

“Yeah, don’t shoot C.J.,” I said. “She’ll blow you up for that.”

The woman gave me an odd look. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Carter, and this is Rebekah.”

“I’m Eight.”

“Like the number?”

She nodded.

“Okay, Eight, let’s go.”

We ran to the left, away from the shouts. Two turns led to a long hallway with a group of humans in a circle in front of a gigantic set of double doors. They had a makeshift barricade and were exchanging fire with whoever was inside.

“Are those your friends?” Eight asked.

“No. Those you can shoot,” I said.

As the Harem Hero, I had a lot of abilities like the Defensive Shield. The most impactful was Savior Complex, which boosted all of my stats through the roof for more than twenty minutes. Stats determined everything from how strong we were to how well we could shoot, and with the ability activated, I reached insane power for my level. The one downside was that I could only use it when someone I cared about was in danger.

Since a lot of people I cared about were currently invading an enemy space station, it was available. I activated the ability, feeling a rush of power.

I charged forward, dropping a Defensive Shield as I ran as cover for Rebekah, Eight, and the other prisoners. I leapt through the air and brought my sword down on the back of one of the soldiers, splitting him in two as he exploded.

“What the hell?” Another soldier screamed in panic.

I was a flurry of death in the middle of the troops. Rebekah and Eight both picked off other fighters, and within seconds the group of twenty guards was nothing more than disappearing clouds of pixels.

A soft voice called out of the room. “Is that Carter?”

“Yeah, don’t shoot!”

I walked into the room, not sure why C.J. wanted me to come here. As I stepped in, I realized the reason.

A tall woman with a bright pink Mohawk greeted me with a crooked smile. Her whole attitude screamed “Punk,” and she did not disappoint in that regard. She was C.J., one of my other loves and our demolitions expert.

Our plan was to sneak in, plant some explosives, and either destroy the station or damage its capabilities enough that we set back the Empire and made them think twice about attacking us again. I didn’t think it would work, but if we did enough damage, they might not want to commit to a full war. And if I could avoid that, it would be a win for both our peoples.

One reason we chose this target was that the space station had a dry dock for building larger ships, and we’d hoped that we could destroy that, at least. While it is possible to instantly rebuild things in the Game, it takes a lot of resources, and that was where we could hurt the Empire.

If we managed to catch a battleship partially constructed, that was all the better.

But it turned out that what we found exceeded our expectations. The room felt like stepping into an indoor arena back on earth — high ceilings, with the far walls hundreds of yards away. Massive piles of metal and parts were scattered around the entrance. A group of our soldiers stood around a bunch of workers huddled on the floor.

And in the middle, towering over everything, was a wonderful sight.

“Is that a…?” Rebekah trailed off.

“A completed battleship?” C.J. said. “Yup. I questioned a couple of the workers, and they said they finished two days early, so the crew won’t get here ‘til the day after tomorrow.”

The ship was magnificent. I didn’t know what it was capable of, but it looked large and powerful. It was bigger than our flagship, although that didn’t translate into pure strength by any means.

“Why didn’t you blow it up?” Rebekah asked.

“Why blow it up?”

“To keep it from being used against us.”

I realized what C.J. was thinking, and gave the punk a wink, earning a crooked smile in return. I pulled my own radio out of my Inventory. “Hey, Jackie. You there?”

“Uh, yeah,” a harried voice came back. “A few guards found us.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Bethany is taking care of them.” I heard a few shots ring out while she talked. “Okay, that’s the end of that for now. What’s up?”

“We’re changing the plans. I’m going to open another set of doors, and I want you to fly over and meet us.”

“Okay…”

“You’ll see.”

Rebekah gave me a questioning look. I explained, “We’re going to take that ship with us when we go.”

Her eyes opened wide, and then she nodded. “I’m right to think that it has a warp drive and isn’t a Defensive Battleship.”

I glanced at C.J. “Well?”

“First thing I checked,” the punk said. “We’re golden.”

C.J.’s crew grinned as I approached them. She had three other demolition members with her, none of whom I knew well. There were also two of our newer alien soldiers in her squad, both powerhouses in their own rights. One was a woman who looked like she was made entirely of mobile goo. Tara was a Pincoyan, with lavender skin and the appearance of a slime girl.

The other looked more robot than organic. Her name was Praxelle, but everyone called her Plugs because of all the ports on her metallic parts. While I realized that was like calling a human “Skin,” she’d grown used to the name and only complained occasionally.

“Anyone know where the door controls are?” I asked.

“I do.” This came from a scared looking man crouched with the other workers.

“Show me,” I said.

He led me across the open space to a large office. Big glass windows gave an impressive view of the dry docks. This setup could build two ships at once. The other dock had only a few metal beams in the basic shape of a ship. It was probably months away from being ready if it was a high-end ship.

“It’s this one,” he said.

He pointed to a button helpfully labeled “Dock One Door Controls.” I pressed it, and the door on the far side of the room started opening. A blue shield flickered to life, keeping the atmosphere inside where we wanted it.

“You’re the Hero, aren’t you?”

I nodded. The Empire had used me for both positive and negative propaganda, so it wasn’t surprising that someone recognized me.

“Are you going to kill us?” he asked. “You can kill me, but some of the workers only have one life. Could you take them with you instead? They can help you build ships, or manage this one.”

“Even if it means working with a traitor?”

“Better that than dead,” he said. “Not that my life will be great when I respawn. If they don’t kill me right away, I don’t think I’ll have a comfortable time.”

I sighed. “Look, if you all want to come with us, you can. I won’t force anyone, but there are going to be a lot of explosions once we get this ship out of here.”

“They were not subtle when planting the explosives. Can we really come with you?”

“Yeah. If you would like to stay with us, there’s some things you’ll have to do. But we can deal with that later. Just get all your people onto the ship.”

“I’ll do it.”

I took one more look at the controls, and saw a big red button under glass.

“Is that a self-destruct?”

He laughed. “No, it’s an alert to abandon ship.”

“Even better.” I flipped up the glass and hit the button. The intruder alert cut out, and another loud alarm rang out, with a computerized voice warning people to head for the escape pods.

We returned to the others. He spoke with his workers, and all but one agreed to come with us. That one we let go to try to find an escape pod. None of them asked to be here, and unlike the soldiers, they had a hard life that was closer to indentured servitude than anything else. They started loading into the battleship while we waited for the rest of our group.

A few more guards attempted to take the room, but Tara managed to drive them off. Her class focused on a large gun that fired at crazy high rates. She sent more energy blasts at the attackers than the ten of them could shoot back.

“It’s getting hairy out there, boss,” Rebekah said. “We caught them by surprise, but they’ll get a response together eventually.”

Just then, a shuttle broke through the shield. I pulled out my radio. “Jackie. Do you see a place to dock with the battleship?”

She didn’t answer right away. The shuttle stopped at the rear and hovered for a moment.

“Yeah, there’s a small dock back here. It looks like it's for fighters, but it’s empty, and we should fit.”

“Great. Park there and meet me on the bridge.”

“On it.”

The shuttle dropped lower and approached the rear of the ship. Soon I lost sight of it.

“Everybody on the ship!” I shouted. My troops fell back, heading for the ramp up to the door midway up the ship.

I stopped C.J. as the others rushed in.

“Are we set up?”

Her eyes shined with delight. “Oh, baby, we are.”

“Good.” I nodded, and we both followed the others into the ship.

Unlike our flagship, the entrance to this ship was on the third level of four. A narrow hallway stretched in both directions. The man who recognized me was waiting by the door. “The bridge is one flight up, and turn left.”

“Thanks.”

I took the stairs two at a time, reaching the next hallway. This was shorter than the third floor, and I followed the directions. I reached another door, which opened when I got close. Stepping through, I found myself on a high-tech bridge, close to twice the size of the one on the New Dawn.

I sat down in the Captain’s chair, and a screen popped up.

You have captured this vessel. Would you like to claim it for the United Interplanetary Republic?

Yes / No

“Heck yeah, I want to,” I said to myself. I hit the selection and the computer beeped, acknowledging me as the new owner.

Picking up an intercom, I said, “This is General Ash. I need everyone who can fly to the bridge now.”

Within a minute, I had a half dozen people on the bridge. Jackie came running right after, sliding through the door.

“I’m here!”

She smiled in a way that lit up the bridge. One of my other girlfriends, we’d known each other on Earth, even if most of my memories of our relationship had been wiped when we joined.

At a year younger than me, she retained most of our early relationship. Once in the Game, she went to incredible lengths to find me again, and along the way became a killer pilot as well.

“You’re on the flight controls. Everyone else, take a seat where you think you can help.”

I noticed two of the Laborers from before had joined us. “Do you two know how this works?”

One nodded, nudging the other. “We can help, if you need it.”

“Happy to have it,” I said. “Stay close.”

I pulled up the computer and released the docking clamps. Jackie took a moment to familiarize herself with the controls. She normally flew smaller fighters, but managed to start the ship towards the doors.

“I need more power,” she shouted.

“That screen,” one of the human Laborers said.

“Do it,” I nodded. He took a deep breath, then sat down and pressed the button, making us surge forward. We broke out of the shield and started putting some distance between us and the station.

“Spin up the jump,” I said. “Do we have the coordinates?”

“Uh, in my Controller,” Jackie said. She dropped the yoke and hit a few buttons. A message appeared on mine with a string of numbers.

I entered them on the screen. “Okay, destination locked.”

C.J., sitting at the jump station, hit a button, and a timer popped up on the screen.

Time to jump: 1:15

I called up a view of it behind us as we started flying away. A few of the station’s defensive fighters launched out of the far side, but I felt comfortable that we’d be away before they got close enough to fire on us. The clock was ticking down, and we only had to wait a minute. I could even see a few dozen escape pods ejecting with clouds of white gas propelling them towards the nearby planet.

“That’s enough of a head start, I think. Time for the light show,” I said.

C.J. grinned. A detonator appeared in her hand.

“Fire in the hole,” she said.

She pressed the button. There was a brief pause as we all leaned forward to look at the screen. Nothing happened.

“Um, what were you expecting?” Jackie asked.

“Wait for it…” C.J. said.

On one side of the station, a small flare blew chunks of metal into space. The size of the explosion couldn’t have been bigger than a small sedan.

“Is that it?” Rebekah was not impressed. C.J. held up a finger.

A few more flashes near the first one came. Then a bigger one in the middle. The doors we came out of were engulfed in flames that sputtered out as soon as it hit the vacuum.

Then the entire structure collapsed — a miles long space station bending in on itself in the middle. A second later, it erupted in flames before turning into pixels.

“I told you that the beam was the main support,” C.J. said, holding out her hand. “Pay up.”

The other Demolitions members pulled cash out of their inventories, putting it in the punk’s hand.

“Holy hell,” I whispered. Watching the station disintegrate was a lot to take in.

Before the pixels vanished, our ship entered a warp jump, the screen cutting to black. My troops cheered, while the laborers we’d rescued sat in stunned silence.

Just like that, our mission was done. And it went so much better than I could have hoped.

Chapter two

The surprising success of our mission cheered up all of the soldiers on the ship. I knew that not everyone would feel the same way, and with the Laborers from Humanity, we needed to be careful. I called for everyone we’d rescued or taken to join us in the cafeteria area on the second floor.

I sent Tara a message, asking her to join as well.

While they assembled, I took the opportunity to examine the ship we’d taken. I pulled up the details on the computer.

Boarding Battleship, Rank Four

This battleship is an improved version of the standard Boarding Battleship design. It has increased troop capacity, able to carry two hundred soldiers. There are two docking areas. The front dock has space for two Boarding Gunships, while the rear dock can hold up to eight Fighters or an additional Boarding Gunship.

The battleship has a limited tractor beam. It can hold most smaller ships of lower rank. Once restrained, either side of the battleship can extend a metal boarding tube that will attach and drill through the walls, allowing soldiers to board directly onto enemy ships.

The metal boarding tube can attach to ships not restrained by a tractor beam, but cannot sustain much damage from movement. The Boarding Battleship automatically matches changes in the other ship, but will struggle against faster ships. It is recommended to wear protective space suits if boarding in this manner in case of unexpected decompression.

“Well, this is just perfect for us,” I said.

“What’s that?” Rebekah asked. I showed her the screen. She whistled in appreciation. “Considering that they were building it near our border, they probably intended to use it to take some of our ships.” Her eyes opened wide. “They want the New Dawn.”

The New Dawn was our flagship. We’d captured it after a group of Gumalagians flew in on it to attack and kill me. It was Rank Nine, and multiple Ranks above anything Humanity could build. It was one of the main reasons that we’d survived as long as we had.

I nodded. “You’re probably right. Well, now we can show the Empire how well their Boarding Battleship works.”

We’d learned of the construction station through diplomatic channels, and our plans to disable it were all we needed. The fact that we’d destroyed it was a huge success, but if we had only captured this ship, it would have been incredible.

Our fleet was growing, but we were limited in what technology we had already researched. Each Rank of technology took exponentially longer than the previous one, and building those ships also took time. All of that could be adjusted by stats and skills, but we did not have a strong core yet.

The best ships we could build — that we had researched ourselves, anyway — were only Rank Two. Instead of pushing deeper, tying up a Researcher for months or years chasing Rank Threes, we focused on unlocking other tech or new types of lower Ranked ships. We had a few more powerful ships that we’d captured, like this one, including the absurdly powerful Rank Nine Battleship.

I didn’t know what Humanity’s upper limit was, but Rank Four or Five was probably approaching it, so this was a pretty great steal. They’d be hurting losing it, that was for sure.

After checking it out, I decided that our passengers most likely had enough time to find the cafeteria. I made my way down, finding it easily with the signage on the ship.

Tara was waiting outside the door when I approached.

“What do you want me here for, Carter?” she asked.

“These guys are about to hear some hard truths, and I figured you might be able to give some perspective as one of our newer recruits.”

The slime girl smiled at that. Her smile was as cute as her face — distractingly so. She had a round face, and the rest of her body was curvy, practically spilling out of her uniform. The Pincoyans could change their body shapes somewhat, and when they learned humans liked curves, most of the Pincoyan women dialed it up. Seeing the curvaceous woman, I almost regretted bringing her, but I knew her bubbly personality would help put the people at ease.

We stepped into the cafeteria. It was only twenty feet across, and forty feet long. A small window on one wall was closed, but looked like where the food would be served. Tables with benches packed the area.

Fifteen Laborers sat together on one end, with Kathy and the alien prisoners on the other side.

They all sat up when I walked in. Eight watched me, especially closely, her face carefully clear of any emotions.

“Well, that was something,” I said. “I’m sure you heard by now that we destroyed the space station. The Empire will have to spend a lot to rebuild there.”

“What happens to us now?” The scared Laborer spoke up. He was an older man, balding slightly, near fifty if I was any judge, and the others looked at him when he spoke.

“You were in charge?”

“That’s right. I was the manager, anyway. Fred’s the name.”

“Okay, Fred. Right now, there are two options. We’re heading back to our home world, and you’re all along for that ride. Your first choice, and this goes for everyone,” I glanced at the aliens we’d rescued, “Is that we reach out and attempt to send you home. For the prisoners, you’ll be free to go on our next trade transport to the Delphinians to make your own way, or we can wait for confirmation. There’s no catch for the people we rescued. We just want to get you home.”

I looked at the human Laborers. “For you, we can try to send you back as part of a prisoner exchange or treaty, but I don’t know that they would take you. I wouldn’t recommend it, anyway. They don’t have a history of treating their people well, and coming back from our territory won’t make that any better.”

“So where does that leave us?” Kathy asked.

“That’s the second option. Once we are back in Haven, you can join our civilization. We accept everyone, and while I don’t have firsthand experience with all of the Empire of Humanity’s practices, the Laborers we do have say it's much better. No forced labor.”

“What about our contracts? Do you expect us to pay them off?” The Laborers behind Fred milled about nervously.

While no one was forced to work, exactly, in the Empire of Humanity. It was just that anyone who wasn’t a soldier had a labor contract. They could buy their way out, but the cost was prohibitive without a specialized class, and most people spent their entire lives in the Game stuck with the onerous contract hanging over them.

“If you join us, there are no contracts.”

“For real?”

“Yes. Right now, everything is provided for everyone, but eventually, we expect people to work. But that’s in whatever area you want. We’ve had quite a few Laborers develop into really interesting prestige classes, and others get second classes after a long time working in the field they want. But, yeah, we don’t make you do anything you would rather not do.”

“And that works for you?” Eight asked. “Just letting people run around willy-nilly? It’s not just madness?”

I shrugged. “It has worked so far. It’s not like we’ve had a lot of time to put it to the test. Considering we keep beating armies and fleets from more powerful civilizations, it’s at least doing alright for us.”

Turning back to the humans, I continued, “The pledge is basically permanent, by the way. If you change your mind, you’ll have to return to Humanity’s territory to shift back. And when you take the pledge, if you ever betray the UIR, you will immediately lose all of your remaining lives.”

“But we just betrayed Humanity, right?” Fred realized. “Why didn’t we lose all our lives?”

“Because the rule only applies to people switching to a new civilization.”

“Who the hell does that?” Eight’s voice dripped with disdain.

“I did!” Tara stepped forward. “My people attacked Carter — sorry, Governor Ash’s planet. We lost. After that, he made us the same offer he’s making you. Considering how well everyone was treated, I decided to take the plunge. It’s been exciting, and it’s fun to be a part of something new and good.”

“You’re a Pincoyan, right?”

Tara nodded. “That’s right.”

“Makes sense. You all are pretty dumb.”

“Oh, really?”

“That’s why we keep kicking your asses,” Eight said.

Tara looked like she was about to start a fight right there with Eight. I stepped in front of Tara. “What’s going on?” I whispered.

“Sorry,” Tara said, her eyes dropping to the ground. Her cheeks darkened as she realized how quickly Eight had gotten under her skin. “She’s a Tojilian, and we’ve had a few decades of fighting over some systems.”

I’d never met a Tojilian, although I’d heard of them a few times.

Throughout the galaxy, there were five levels or Tiers of civilizations. Untiered civilizations were weaker, with small areas of control and low technology. That was what my civilization, the United Interplanetary Republic, was, even if we kept punching above our weight class.

From there, it went from Tier Four up to Tier One. There were two Tier One civilizations, and the only reason they didn’t conquer the whole galaxy was because of the other one. The Empire of Humanity was Tier Four, powerful, but the bottom rung of the major players. With dangerous neighbors of a higher Tier, they allied with two other civilizations.

I’d only met the Delphinians, a green species of alien with antennae. When we founded the UIR, a few joined us, and now they made up a decent part of our numbers. The Tojilians were the other allies of Humanity, so it was surprising that they were experimenting on Eight.

“I understand you’re upset and anxious,” I said, turning back to Eight. While we weren’t responsible, there were plenty of reasons for her to be prickly, and I wanted to nip this in the bud. “I’m also sorry for what happened to you on that station. Maybe when we’re back at Haven, we can discuss it some more? In a less stressful setting?”

She grimaced, but then nodded.

“As for everyone else, think about it. Humans need to stay here until we find a secure place for you. Once we know how long the warp jump will be, I’ll update you again.”

They started talking among themselves as I left, worried whispers following Tara and me into the corridor.

***

The warp engine on our stolen battleship made good time, and we returned to our home world in seven days — slower than our shuttle, but with a prize like we had, it was worth the extended time.

The trip back gave me some time to relax as well. While I had some messages to send to various members of our government, they didn’t take up much of my days. The first thing I did was destroy all of the stolen blueprints. I checked each one, but they all required experimenting on living people to continue, and it didn’t seem right to even entertain the idea of keeping them. That wasn’t our way.

I spent some time thinking through just how far the UIR had come in the short time. Everything had been a rush since the assassination attempt a month earlier. We’d just finished converting our new planet to a full holding when a group of hundreds of humans attacked. I’d won, barely, but it left us with a lot of complications. We had a prison full of soldiers who refused to join us, which was probably for the best.

After the attack, we’d turned everything to planning our next few steps. This was the opening salvo of what, we hoped, would be a short war to keep Humanity off our backs for a while.

Our workers had been burning the candle at both ends to get our fleets up to snuff. We had three stations of our own churning out larger ships, and two construction factories building fighters and gunships. There wasn’t much chance of us winning a full on conflict with the Empire, but the fact that they had bigger threats of their own meant we had some potential to keep them at bay.

I checked out the status of our civilization on my Controller, which handily provided me with access to a lot of the details.

United Interplanetary Republic Status

Untiered Civilization

Systems: Three

Average Technology Level: Rank One

Average Fleet Level: Rank Two

Struve System:

Two Colony Worlds

Three Space Stations

Fleets: Two

Palana System:

One Colony World

One Space Station

Fleets: One

Lange System:

One Space Station

Fleets: One

Each system had a defensive fleet, mostly made up of ships that couldn’t jump through warps. That made them more powerful, but obviously limited their usefulness. The largest was in our home system, Struve. The Lange system was mostly for mining, so it only had a couple small battleships and some fighters, but it wasn’t essential for our survival.

Palana, the newest system in our civilization, had a slightly larger defensive fleet, but it still wasn’t incredible. The space station there was focused on building that out, and in a few weeks it would turn its attention toward building our second attack fleet.

Our main attack fleet was pretty impressive, if I was any judge. We’d added a bit to it since we took the Palana system, helping its strength grow. And the new ship would only bolster that.

Attack Fleet One

Flagship: The New Dawn, Rank Nine

The Light Bringer, Rank Three Destroyer Battleship

Light Spear, Rank Two Versatile Battleship

Verhoevan, Rank Two Hangar Ship

Carrying: Thirty Fighters, Four Gunships, average Rank One

The Dizzy, Rank Two Destroyer Battleship

Mercury, Rank One Scout Battleship

Whole Tide, Rank One Versatile Battleship

Lido Shuffle, Rank One Versatile Battleship

Knife in the Dark, Rank One Versatile Battleship

Smaller Craft: Three Light Cruisers, Two Corvettes

The expanded building functions, as well as the increasing level of our workers constructing the ships, had led us to increase our output. We were definitely battleship heavy, which wasn’t a bad thing, but might limit our options. We didn’t have many people with experience in major space conflicts, so how we stacked up to other civilizations forces was mostly guess work.

All of our fights had been against small attack forces trying to surprise us, so they didn’t come in strength. But as best we could tell, we should be at least on par with a normal Tier Four fleet. Of course, a bottom of the barrel Tier Four civilization should be able to field at least five fleets of that size, maybe more, along with smaller strike forces and defensive options.

As the trip went on, I figured out how to keep the Laborers confined to their rooms, and they stayed there without complaint outside of taking them to meals.

As soon as we entered the Struve system, every single human agreed to take the pledge and join the UIR. While it wasn’t the best way to get new people, I hoped they would all appreciate what we were trying to build.

One surprise came right after, when one of the prisoners we’d rescued knocked on my door. I opened it to find the Felician standing there, her head hanging low. She was short, even for the catgirls, with auburn hair and a slight build.

“Can I help you?”

“Governor Ash, I have a question.”

“You can call me Carter. Come on, grab a seat.” I stepped back into my room and sat on the edge of the bed. She awkwardly looked around, before sitting on the chair at my desk.

“I’m Zera Redtail. Everyone just calls me Zee. Uh, you mentioned that there are Felicians already with you, right?”

“That’s right. A ship arrived a few months ago, offering to be our servants. I guess that’s how your people generally operate?”

“One faction, yes,” she said. “Since we’re an entirely female race, we need males of other species for procreation. If we’re servants of powerful empires, it's more likely that we continue to exist. And that’s what matters to them.”

“They did explain that to me. But we didn’t want that kind of relationship. The Felicians with us are full citizens, with the same rights as everyone else.”

She looked up at that. “Why?”

I shrugged. “It didn’t feel right. And we probably wouldn’t have survived that whole invasion without their help. They brought a battleship with them that helped keep us alive.”

“Well, I know you offered to send me back to my people, but I don’t think I want to go.”

“You don’t have friends or family with the Felicians?”

“No, not really. I grew up in the Melephite empire, and they look down on us. I was hoping you’d be willing to let me join. I’d be happy to stay as a servant.”

“Zee, don’t worry about it. I made the offer, and we’d be happy to have you. If you want to, all you need to do is say ‘I want to join the United Interplanetary Republic,’ and shake my hand.”

I held my hand out to her. She glanced at it, took a deep breath, and quickly gasped out “I want to join the United Interplanetary Republic.” She shook my hand, almost as if she was worried I’d pull it away.

Her Controller chimed, letting her know that she officially joined us.

“Welcome to the team, Zee.”

She smiled, the first happiness I’d seen on her face since we rescued her.

Chapter three

When we arrived back at Haven, it was to more fanfare than I expected. A group of around one hundred soldiers and civilians crowded near the landing pad and all cheered when the first of the squad exited.

Of course, that was C.J., who ate the attention up.

“Your conquering hero has returned, and I bring spoils,” she shouted. “I’ll accept all of your cheers and gratitude now.”

Rebekah nudged her from behind.

“Miss Conquering Hero, the rest of us want to get off this ship.”

“Alright, alright,” she said. “A hand for my assistants.”

The crowd clapped, earning a frown from Rebekah while the rest of us laughed. C.J. might talk a big game, but she did the most during the mission — both finding the ship and planting the bombs that destroyed the station. As the squad disembarked, I saw two familiar faces running up to us. Iris and Nillin, the last two members of my harem, pushed through to wrap me in a hug from either side.

Iris was the first woman I fell in love with in the Game, and she’d encouraged me to date the others. She was athletic, with a runner's body and a gorgeous face. Nillin was a Delphinian, meaning she was short, green, and fairly busty. She also had bright blue hair with two antennae sticking out of the top.

“You made it back,” Iris whispered.

“Was that in doubt?”

“I always worry about you when you go on missions. You never can be sure what will happen out there.”

I kissed her, and then leaned down to kiss Nillin as well. The alien woman smiled at me. “You captured a ship!”

“Well, C.J. does actually deserve the credit for that one. She really crushed it on the mission.”

“I heard that,” the punk said, giving us all a crooked grin. “MVP right here.”

“Not like she needed a bigger head,” Iris joked.

“I heard that, too.”

Iris blushed, then stuck her tongue out at C.J.

“Do you need a break?” Nillin asked.

“I’ve been cooling my heels on that ship for the better part of a week,” I said. “I’d rather dive into it. Or into you.”

Nillin’s antennae bobbed in excitement.

“Alright, we’ve got some stuff to run by you before the two of us claim you for the rest of the day. I’ll get everyone together in the Town Center,” Iris said. “Nillin, want to help?”

“Fine!” Nillin gave my hand a squeeze before following after Iris.

It was good to be back home, and not just because I had all of the people I loved back in one place. Haven kept growing as more people joined our burgeoning civilization. In the distance was the Town Center, a two-story building that served as the hub of our government. I also lived upstairs with my harem, having had to expand it to have space for everyone to have their own room.

Facing the Town Center was our main street, with a few stores and houses, along with a tavern run by my best friend Pete. His wife ran one of the farms on the far side of town. In that direction was also our small ship construction facility. Beyond that, we had a few apartment buildings, a guard station, and a barracks. All of that was surrounded by walls with turrets spaced along it, with anti-air towers providing even more defense.

The soldiers from our mission started making their way back to their homes or the barracks. I saw Jackie pilot the shuttle out of the battleship, already hard at work. The rest of my squad started back to the Town Center. I tried to go as well, but didn’t make it far before I was interrupted.

“So you brought some more people, huh?”

Diwa approached me, a cocky smile on her face. She was the main organizer and representative of our Laborers. The tough Filipina woman had escaped almost certain death and led a group to join our city, and continued to be a great asset as we expanded.

“I didn’t feel great leaving them there to die,” I said. “Although, I wonder if I did the right thing. It can’t be easy being uprooted and dropped here. The choice between dying and coming with us wasn’t much of a choice.”

“They’ll appreciate it eventually,” Diwa said. “If they don’t already. What do you want me to do with them?”

“Do you mind giving them some sort of orientation and finding them somewhere to live?”

She bit her lip and looked into the distance. “The new apartment complex should finish today. I’d intended to put in some of our new recruits, but maybe I can stash these people there so they’re near people they know.”

“That would be great. And I told them they didn’t have to work yet, so no hard sell on that. Anyone who wants to, great, but let them get some rest first. They worked in a dry dock, so hopefully they’ll want to keep doing that. We need the manpower.”

“On it, Governor. Okay, you folks are coming with me.” She walked towards the confused group of Laborers. Shortly, they were following after her while she started giving her spiel.

I figured that Iris probably had everyone ready for the meeting, so I started towards the Town Center, but once again only made it a few steps before I was stopped again.

“Governor?”

Turning around, I noticed that Eight was walking towards me. The red woman had an angry look on her face. I’d only seen her annoyed or angry, so I wondered if she had any other expressions.

“You can call me Carter, Eight,” I said.

“Everyone is so casual with you. The title is important, is it not? But they don’t use it. Doesn’t that lead to disobedience?”

“Not that I’ve seen. We’re all trying to do the same thing here, so it doesn’t matter too much. I hope I never get to the point I can’t just be Carter to someone.”

Eight looked me up and down, then shrugged. “So, I heard back from my people and got some bad news.”

“I’m sorry. What is it? Does it have to do with why you were locked up in that research facility? You haven’t told me how you ended up there.”

“Kind of. I’ve got the Diplomat class. You know what that is?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Nillin, the Delphinian that was just here, has it. She oversees our Diplomat Corps.”

In the Game, there were classes for almost everything under the sun. Some started out very general, like Grunts or Laborers. Every ten levels, they prestiged into more advanced versions, with options based on what the person did during those ten levels.

For example, a Laborer who spends all of their time on a farm might get a Farm Hand class, with skills that boost food production. A Grunt that spent all their time guarding would probably get a Guard option.

Diplomats did exactly what you expected, and got skills that helped them with negotiations. It surprised me that Eight had the class, since she’d eagerly jumped into the fight, and done well. But Nillin could fight, thanks to our time in Basic Training, and while she wasn’t an all star, she could hold her own.

But that was neither here nor there. “Why would the Empire of Humanity do that to a diplomat?”

“I wasn’t a diplomat to Humanity,” she explained. “I was part of a mission to the Keid. How much do you know about the situation here?” There was a hint of disdain in her voice, clear as day.

“I’m not dumb, Eight. I know that the Keid are one of three Tier Three civilizations all struggling to come out on top. The other two are the Melephites and the Gumalagians. I’ve actually fought all three, and we have Keid and Melephites in our people. One was on the mission with us.”

“I didn’t realize. I thought what was on her skin was just gear or a weird class, not part of her. Wow… that’s… Holy shit,” she said. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. Not a ton, but we had a few prisoners who decided to join us, and once they did, a small percentage of our new recruits were also their race. That’s apparently how it works, so if a new species joins, we’ll eventually even out to a mix of everyone.”

That was a rough summation — since we started with mostly humans and Delphinians, they still made up the majority. Felicians were the next largest group, since eighty of them joined us at once. I didn’t know whether it would be a year or a decade or even a century before the numbers evened out, but I just knew that they would eventually. If we managed to survive that long.

“Well, apologies,” Eight said, softening a little. “Humans have a tendency to not know much beyond where their nose ends, and new civilizations are even worse.”

“That’s fair. We’re still learning a lot of things. So, you were on a diplomatic mission?”

“Right. To the Tojilians, the Keid seemed like the best result of one of the Tier Threes to win. They aren’t ideal, but they don’t murder or enslave the people they conquer like the Gumalagians. The Melephites are not as bad, but they still prefer to displace rather than integrate. The Keid are all about integration.”

“Was that a joke about them being part robot?”

Eight shrugged. “A little.”

“Not bad. But they’d probably not like it.”

“Fair enough. Well, we were meeting on a station to try to open up negotiations, and maybe get a solid trade relationship. We weren’t capitulating, you understand, just trying to position ourselves favorably. They have conquered a couple other lower Tier or Untiered civilizations, and a few of them managed to hang on as client states or as servants.”

“And if you managed to give them the help they needed to win, they might let you exist while conquering the rest of your alliance.”

“Or they might let the entire alliance live in peace. We had some hope. Even together, the Tojilians, the Empire of Humanity, and the Delphinians aren’t a real threat to the Tier Threes. We could potentially hold them off, but if we could be friendly with the winners, maybe they’d let us expand in peace for a few centuries while they consolidated into a Tier Two.”

“Admirable goals,” I said.

“It didn’t go well. The system we were meeting in was once part of Humanity’s territory, and they came to take it back. The timing was unfortunate. It wasn’t that great of a system, so we didn’t expect anything like that.

“We tried to flee, of course. Our ship was a non-combat transport, and flagged so that they should know we were allies. We didn’t make it back to it, though. A group of human soldiers invaded the station. When they found us, they killed most of the group, and kept a few of us as prisoners.”

“But you’re allies, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know if it was planned, or if the soldiers just saw aliens and started blasting. The result was the same, either way. It scuttled our negotiations, and I don’t know what happened to the rest of my group. After a few months in a cage blocking my Controller, they stuck me with a needle. The next thing I saw, you were rescuing me, and for all I know, they were experimented on before me.”

“That is awful,” I said. A thought occurred to me. “When was this diplomatic mission?”

“Almost a year ago now.”

“I might know what caused it, then. The timing lines up, anyway. While you were playing nice with the Keid, the humans made a deal with the Gumalagians. They gave me up in exchange for guaranteeing that they would have some systems free after everything. If that relationship developed a bit more, they might have hit the Keid to hurt both your deal and the enemy of the Gumalagians.”

“Fuck. You’re probably right. And I’m sure the Delphinians are talking to the Melephites, meaning that we’re all just hurting our own odds. Or it looks like we were playing all three sides like amateurs.”

“Well, I apologize for whatever part I played in it. Mostly it was just making the heir of the Gumalagians mad enough that she wanted revenge on me. I guess killing someone will do that.”

“You killed Ossana?”

I grinned. “You’ve heard of her?”

“She’s being groomed to lead the entire Gumalagian empire eventually. Yeah, I’ve heard of her.”

“I’ve killed her. Twice, actually.” I told Eight the story. Ossana was part of the Battle Royale during my Basic Training. I’d killed her there, and then again when they attempted to assassinate me.

“I’m kind of getting sick of all the assassination attempts, to be honest.”

Eight chuckled at that.

“Now, I need to get to a meeting,” I said. “You said you had a request?”

She groaned. “Yeah. I’ve managed to get a message to my people during the flight. There was a trade group in the Mizarian systems nearby, and they paid for a relay back to my boss’s boss. It turns out I am precisely what they’ve been looking for, now that I’m here. The Tojilians have no diplomatic contact with you, and they want to fix that. I told them about how you rescued me, and what I’d learned.”

“So just some light spying as thanks,” I said.

“You didn’t tell me not to.”

I grinned. “Eh, there’s nothing you’ve seen we’ve kept secret. And yeah, it’d be good to open up a dialogue with them. I don’t know how this is going to go with Humanity, but we’d like more allies regardless. We can talk to Nillin about setting up an ambassador office for you here. I assume you’re getting assigned here, hence the bad news.”

Her face fell. “Even worse. For me, anyway. You are coming out ahead in this deal.”

“What do you mean?”

“They want me to officially join your civilization, and then serve as the representative back to them.”

That stopped the conversation dead. I didn’t know how to take it. We weren’t turning anyone away, but this felt like the wrong move.

“Are you sure about that? Do they know about the pledge and how betrayal works?”

“I explained it, yes. They said that is exactly why they want it. They know you’ll trust me to do the right thing because otherwise I’ll die, and I can offer insight to you, so there aren’t any cultural miscommunications.”

“And what about you?”

She gave me a questioning look. “What about me?”

“How do you feel about this?

“I don’t love it. I think it’s a fifty-fifty chance that the Empire of Humanity just comes to squash you like a bug if they get the opportunity.”

“That’s probably right.”

Eight took a deep breath, blowing it out her nose in frustration. “Unlike those humans you rescued, I don’t get a choice. I was told that I could join you and stay, or I could stay.”

“We won’t make you join, but I don’t know where else you could go.”

“It doesn’t matter, Carter. I’ll join your little civilization. Try not to get me killed, okay?”

“Alright.”

We went through the process, and Eight officially became a member of the UIR. I had to rush to the meeting, having ignored a few messages, but I told her that we’d talk later and get her set up with a place to live.

***

A large group of people were waiting for me when I walked into the Town Center. The room itself felt like a log cabin, with wooden floors and rustic furniture. A large conference table dominated the middle of the room. There was a hang-out area as well, with a couple of couches and a television.

Someone had set up a projector and one wall was displaying the start of a presentation. My harem was spread around the room. Nillin and Iris sat at the table near the civilians. Jackie — already returned from parking the shuttle — sat with Rebekah and a few other of our military leaders. Samantha, C.J., and Bethany all sat on the couch.

The rest of the people were from different parts of our government. Captain Ishani sat with Jackie — she was a confident Indian woman who captained the New Dawn. Roux, another Delphinian, and a Keid named Wiro, rounded out our space forces.

Haley, a willowy blonde, represented the teachers who ran our own tutorials. Pete, my goofy best friend, sat with his buxom wife Cynthia. Natalie rounded out our Laborers, as she managed our major constructions.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said. “Had a diplomatic incident.”

Nillin’s antennae twirled in confusion. “What do you mean?”

I smiled at her, trying to put her mind at ease. “I’ll explain later. I’ve already held everyone up enough. What do you have for me?”

One more member of our group stood up and walked to the front. Kani was a black man who’d been a big part of our early efforts. He worked as a Gatherer, but was actually dual classed, with his second being a Spy.

In the Game, everyone leveled up and got two points to assign to their stats and skills. For stats, like Strength, it increased the raw power. Someone with nine points of Strength would be stronger than someone with eight, and so on. Skills, like my Defensive Shield, all varied in how they used the points, but most got stronger or had new options.

If someone had two classes, they got points for each class. That meant with two classes, Kani would get four points every time he leveled up. It was exactly why he’d been assigned to the Struve system — he could level in safety for a while. Except the managers at the Empire forgot that when they abandoned the planet. But Humanity’s loss was our gain.

And as for me, I had three classes, plus a Ring of Boosting I found during Basic Training. That gave me an additional point for each of my classes, which gave me nine points every time I leveled up.

It was pretty nice.

Kani cleared his throat when he reached the projector.

“As you all know, I have been trying to assemble a spy organization. It’s mostly been focused on Humanity, since I have some contacts there, and it’s easier for me to move around if I need to. I’ve had some success, and have verified all of what I’m about to show you, as much as I can. This is our region of the galaxy, which is known as L5 on most maps of the galaxy, referring to the grid sector we’re in.”

He pressed a button, and the screen changed. It showed a map of the systems around Struve, spreading out quite far. Kani explained that our systems were colored in green, right at the middle. There were only three green systems, which I knew, but looked small on this section of the galactic map.

The majority of the systems in the sector were unclaimed, which wasn’t unusual or unexpected. Not every system was worth the effort to develop or even could sustain life outside of a space station. Even the ones that were livable might need more imports than it was worth to keep them running.

That was part of why we chose Palana as our first system — the main planet was entirely self-sustaining once we got it on its feet, and it would start helping us grow again soon.

“The red part of the map is the territory of Humanity. White is the Delphinians, and gray is the Tojilian area.”

We were positioned directly between the red and white areas. The gray area was mostly on the opposite side of Humanity from us. If the map was a compass, Humanity was to our west, with the Delphinians to the east.

Both civilizations dwarfed us. At a rough guess, Humanity controlled around one hundred systems, and the Delphinians weren’t far behind them.

To the north were three massive blobs of colors — purple, blue, and silver. As big as Humanity was to us, they were as big to Humanity. Kani didn’t dive into those colors, but a key on the side let me confirm what I suspected — these were the Tier Threes. Their colors stretched out of our sector and into neighboring ones not included on the map.

“As you can see, Humanity has an obvious resource advantage, which we all know. I’ve confirmed that the construction facility that Carter destroyed is not the only one near our systems, but it was the most developed and newest. On top of that, they just constructed a new one here.” He pressed a button, and a system two jumps south of the border with the Gumalagians lit up.

“We think that they will not want to risk another construction near us, even if they have the resources. If I hear differently, I will pass it along. Next up, I’ve received a breakdown of one of the main attack fleets on our side of their territory.

He pressed another button, and the fleet’s details appeared on the screen.

The Eight Fleet — The Centurion Fleet

Rank Four: One Flagship, One Battleship

Rank Three: Two Destroyers, Three Heavy Cruisers

Rank Two: Two Hangars

Rank One: Five Light Cruisers, Seven Corvettes

“As you can see, the strength is probably roughly on par with our own. We have the New Dawn, which is an exceptional ship, but the rest of our battleships are mostly of lower rank, if more numerous. My source works in a central resupply office, and he said they have twelve fleets, and they are all around this level, outside of the First Fleet. He didn’t have details of that one, but we should assume it’s at least double.”

“We can’t handle twelve fleets like that,” Jackie said. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a tight pony-tail as she leaned forward, studying the breakdown. “Even one after another, we’d be chewed up eventually.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Kani said. “But that’s the good news. With the Gumalagians on the border, and to a lesser extent the Melephites here, they cannot commit more than one or two fleets to this side of the system. Especially now that they lost the construction facility on this side.”

“Why even build that facility there?” Wiro, the Keid, asked. “There isn’t any Bismuth in that system, and as far as I know, not any nearby.”

“I’ve got a guess,” I said. “It was clearly an established station, and I think they built it to use the Bismuth we’re mining. It’s a short trip, and a transport ship from Struve could stop there to drop off what they need before heading on to other stops.”

“That’s exactly the kind of thing the Halberd would have done back in the day,” Ishani said.

Everyone nodded. Kani continued, “That’s a good idea. Whatever the reason, I think we don’t need to worry about a massive reprisal from Humanity. They just don’t have the strength here.”

Kani sat down at that point, while we all discussed what to do next.

“I’m open to ideas,” I said. “We’re doing better than I think anyone expected. But we’re far from secure.”

“I liked blowing up that station. Maybe we do that again,” C.J. said from the couch. “Find some more stations!”

“It worked once, but we can probably assume that there’s going to be a lot more security going forward,” Rebekah said. “Our shuttle sneaking on most likely won’t pass security again. The real question is, will this be enough for Humanity to leave us be?”

“Doubtful,” another voice said. I looked over at the couches, surprised.

A blonde woman sat up, stretching. She was gorgeous, with looks like a 1950s movie star, and a figure to match.

“I didn’t know you were here, Marlowe,” I said.

“Just thought I could actually contribute to this,” she said. “I’ve met the Emperor twice, and worked with his direct subordinates a lot. He holds a grudge, and will view this as a personal slight. Especially after the failed attack on Carter. Even if they don’t have the strength right this minute, you can almost guarantee that they’ll spend every spare piece of Iron on an attack force to hit you hard.”

That sobered the group up fast.

“Then we need to attack,” I said. “More than a show of force. We thought it might come to this, but the more damage we do now, the more likely they’ll be forced to back off or risk falling to the Gumalagians or one of the other Tier Threes.”

I looked at Nillin. “Do you think the Delphinians would work with us?”

“Not yet,” she said. “After it came out that they used that device that blocked your respawn, they were very upset. But look at that map. The only reason the three civilizations in their alliance are standing is because they work together.”

The mass of color above the three smaller areas told the whole story. “Principals only go so far if the alternative is death,” I said.

She nodded sadly. “They want to ally with us, and if something massive changed, maybe they would. Consul Poulana has said they will send more help when they can spare it. The first gift already arrived, actually.”

“What’s that?”

“A transport arrived with ten Rank Three fighters.”

Jackie whistled. “That’s pretty great. We’re building Rank Two, but it will take a while. That’s a big boost.”

I agreed. “That’s great news, Nillin. That still leaves us with a question of what to do.”

Rebekah took the projector controller from Kani. She clicked onto the map, and zoomed in on our specific section.

“I’ve got an idea. Look at this section here.”

Slightly south and west of our territory was a small cluster of red dots connected to Humanity by a small string of individual systems.

“Why do you think they haven’t expanded here?”

“They must need something in that cluster, but it’s not worth taking the surrounding area.”

“That’s probably what Struve would look like if the Bismuth mine didn’t get corrupted,” Samantha said. “Instead of leaving it all alone out here, they would take a few nearby systems and then connect back.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Rebekah said. “We take one of these systems in the chain. That breaks the connection to the five systems here. It might not totally cut them off, but if they’re shipping anything important, they’ll need to go a few jumps out of their way, and outside of the territory. That opens them up to attacks from others.”

A smattering of gold systems were close to the other side. “Who’s that?” I asked.

“The Mizarians,” Kani explained.

“They aren’t big fans of Humanity.”

“Even better,” Rebekah said, getting excited. “We can park a couple cruisers in the systems on our side of the chain, and let them know there might be easy pickings on their side.”

I studied the map. There was a lot of potential in Rebekah’s plans. The Mizarians were also Untiered, with close to fifteen systems. We needed more allies, and this might help get them on our side.

“We’re going to be sending back one of their people as well,” I said. “They were experimenting on him on the station, so that might earn us some goodwill.”

“So we’re doing it?” Rebekah asked.

Ishani chimed in, “That’s great. We’ll start prepping. I think we can be ready to fly in two days.”

“We’re doing this, but not right away. I need to check in with Kellantra and the dry docks, but let’s start putting this in motion.”

Iris coughed.

I smiled at her. “The biggest reason is because Iris and I are officially tying the knot this weekend. So it’s got to wait until after that.”

“Congratulations, man,” Pete said.

Others joined in, and we swiftly got off track. The meeting broke up as people headed off to their various responsibilities, excited about what was to come.

Chapter four

Jackie flew me up to the space station where our researchers worked. I sat in the co-pilot's seat while she managed everything effortlessly. The complicated console confused me, outside of the very basics, but her hands flew to each required switch, button, and flashing light like they were second nature.

“So, the big day is coming up,” she said. “Are you excited?”

“Yes and no,” I said. “It’ll be good for everyone to have a party and relieve some stress. But I don’t know how much it’ll really change for me and Iris.” I looked over at her, our eyes meeting. “I hope you all know I’m as committed as can be to all of you.”

“We know, Carter,” she said.

I took her hand, feeling her soft skin against my fingertips. “And how are you doing?”

She’d known it was coming, but it still had to be at least awkward for Jackie. In her memory, we’d been dating longer than any of the others. For me, it was both older and newer. I had a few days of our relationship back, but most of our time together was well after Iris and I started our relationship.

“It’s weird,” she said. “I was expecting us to get married eventually.”

“And we did.”

“I know, even if I don’t remember it. First of all, I am totally on board with this whole harem thing.”

“It would be understandable if you weren’t.”

She sighed. “It took some getting used to, but I like it. But that doesn’t change the fact that I feel like I’m getting skipped in some ways. I know that might not be reasonable or fair.”

“But it’s your feeling, and that’s okay. Emotions and logic don’t always meet.”

“Exactly.”

Jackie squeezed my hand. “I’ll be so happy to see you two make it all official. Just know that I’m going to elbow some people to make sure I catch that bouquet.”

I chuckled. “I’ll make sure my healing spell has some charges ready.”

The blonde leaned over and kissed me, her warm lips pressing against mine. It was sweet and I could feel the love. Unfortunately, we were still flying through space, so we couldn’t do more.

A little while later, we landed on the space station. While she handled more forward operational commands of our smaller craft, she still liked to check in on the defensive pilots. So while Jackie went off to check on the fighters stationed there, I made my way to the research area. The station was a big ring around a central structure, and I walked through the curving hallways and past the residential quarters before arriving at the office.

I knocked and walked in.

The room was forty feet by forty feet, and similar enough to Humanity’s lab to be disconcerting. There were desks and computers spread out around the room, and a dozen Researchers in lab coats were hard at work on different projects.

The leader of the whole operation jumped to her feet when I walked in. Kellantra was a Mizarian, with insanely good looks, blonde hair, and bright blue skin. What drew my eye was the other difference between us that jiggled noticeably when she got up — she had three large breasts, barely contained in her shirt.

She looked particularly good that day, which I knew was my own fault for warning her that I was coming. The alien had made no secret of the fact that she was eager to join my harem. And while I liked her, I felt overwhelmed with the people I was already dating and didn’t want to pursue someone who I wouldn’t get to see that often. Although Kellantra made that harder and harder every time that we met up.

“Oh, my god. Carter! It’s, like, so good to see you.” She rushed over to me and wrapped her arms around me, pressing close to me. She smelled great, a scent I didn’t recognize but resembled alien vanilla.

“It’s good to see you too, Kellantra.”

“Stop. You’re just saying that.” Kellantra batted her long eyelashes at me. “So, how can I do you? I mean, what can I do for you?”

“I wanted to check in with you on how the research was going, plus I brought some new equipment.”

“You were out there, like, totally thinking about me, weren’t you?”

“I guess so.”

“Ah, you’re so sweet, Carter.” She rested her hand on my shoulder, light but enticing nonetheless.

Moving on, I pulled up my inventory and started pulling out the computers and other equipment I’d taken from the human researchers.

Research Computer, Rank Three. This computer increases research speeds by forty-five percent for the user.

Blueprint Crafting Supplies, Rank Three. When used to design blueprints, this item increases research speeds by fifteen percent. This item is consumed when the blueprint is finished.

Setting two on the table, I explained, “I have ten of the computers, and forty or so of the blueprint crafting supplies.”

“This is, like, totally incredible. We’ll get a huge boost out of this!”

“Oh, and my skill popped when I was traveling, so I’ve got another blueprint that was added to the civilization's database.”

“The skill that gives you a random technology?”

“That’s the one. Basic Technology. I wanted to make sure you saw it, in case it impacted anything.”

As part of my Civilization’s Founder class, my third class, I received a skill that was designed to help us reach a sustainable level quickly. I’d gotten it when we took Palana, and it immediately gave us a helpful technology for conquering that water world. This was the third time it had been activated. Considering it took a beginner Researcher a week or more to discover a Rank One technology and more than a month for a Rank Two, it had some serious time-saving benefits.

Basic Technology (Passive) — Once per month, you are granted a new technology at random from standard unresearched Tier One and Tier Two technologies. This new technology is instantly added to your civilization’s database and can be built or utilized like normal. Once all Basic Tier One and Tier Two technologies are researched, this ability will transform. There are no benefits to adding points to this skill.

Under the skill was a list of unlocked technologies

Unlocked Technologies:

Command Ship, Rank Two

Standard Rifle, Mark One

The Standard Rifle technology wasn’t all that great, but they would eventually help improve our weapons stores, and would mean our lower level soldiers could more easily get better equipment. The Marks were the equivalent of Ranks for the guns.

While the Standard Rifle helped, it would only raise the floor of our soldiers, not do anything for the more advanced members. That was because most of our good equipment came from looting monsters we killed, and not everyone could run dungeons for that. Apparently, once we were more developed, there would be craftsmen who could create more powerful custom guns, but we were a long way from that goal.

The newest technology had some more interesting implications.

Healing Stim, Rank Two — This item can be used once per day to heal someone. It can heal moderate injuries completely, and can stabilize someone near death until they can receive more healing. Only one stim can be used on a person per day.

These are built in an item factory, or specialized stim production plant. (Specialized plants require an additional technology to be unlocked.)

“Oh, wow, Healing Stims will be great.” She walked over to the wall where a white board had a long list of technologies on it. “We had the Rank One scheduled soon, so we can bump that for something more important.”

Kellantra erased “Healing Stim, Rank One,” about halfway down the second column of technologies.

“That skill is a total time saver,” she said. “We’ve got about three hundred standard technologies at each Rank, and when it hits something like this, we get to work on even more exciting projects.”

I hadn’t realized just how many standard technologies there were. I’d hoped that my skill would transform sooner rather than later, but that didn’t seem likely.

“How many technologies have we unlocked?”

Kellantra thought for a minute. She pulled a pencil from behind her ear and tapped it on her full lips suggestively while she did. “We’ve pushed in some areas more than others, for obvious reasons. There’s also a few non-standard technologies we’ve researched as well — things you bring back from the dungeon, or we traded for from the Delphinians.

“All that considered, we’ve completed around sixty Rank One technologies and thirty Rank Two, of the standards.”

“That’s very impressive,” I said.

She waved her hand. “Like, you’re just flattering me, Carter.”

“No, it’s astonishing how fast you’ve worked with such a small team.”

“We’re getting bigger and better,” she said. “And, like, the Rank Ones only take me a couple days at this point with all my class boosts. But, like, is that the best use of our time?”

She could blow through a lot of the Rank Ones and help me transform my skill, but it would mean researching things that we didn’t need for our immediate survival. Kellantra should focus on the bigger technologies, helping us open new defensive and offensive ships and buildings.

“No, you’re right. I’d say it’s still worth doing the Rank One technologies whenever someone can knock them out quickly. I don’t know how many there are, but the less Rank Ones we have, the more likely I’ll get a Rank Two for free.”

“Good point. Oh! I totally know what I can do, Carter! I’ll have some new Researchers work on redundant Rank Ones, so they can like level up while our faster Researchers knock out high-value stuff.”

“We might have one joining you soon, actually. One of the humans from the station where I stole these computers joined us. I’m giving her some time to settle in, but she’d probably be a good fit.”

“That’s so cool,” Kellantra said. “Love that for us. What were they researching? Did you happen to steal any blueprints?”

“Yeah, but I destroyed them. They involved experimenting on people, and I didn’t want anything to do with that.”

Kellantra’s eyes went wide. “They were researching banned technology?”

“I guess so. The description said something about that, but I didn’t know anything. What does it mean? Banned?”

“It’s like totally against the rules.”

“Of the Game? They didn’t seem to be in any danger.”

“Not exactly. When it comes to research, the various civilizations send representatives to a conference to decide what is and isn’t allowed. This only happens every hundred years, and the last one was thirty years ago or so.

“I’m, like, totally bummed I missed it. But what they do is vote on what is and isn’t allowed. Generally, that includes things like system destroyers.”

“You’re going to have to explain that, although I think I get it from context.”

“I’m sure you did, since you’re as smart as you are cute. They’re, like, weapons that would totally wipe out a system. Like, maybe they detonate a star. Occasionally, it’s self-replicating weapons that consume all the matter in the system. Those are obviously banned because eventually the whole galaxy would be destroyed.

“What you saw was banned because experimenting on people is viewed as pretty awful, even among the more cutthroat species. Mostly that’s because when you do that, it consumes every life they have left when they die to fuel the research.”

I frowned. “That’s horrible. I thought it was bad when it was just one life.”

“Yeah, you get it. So it got banned.”

“Who enforces that if the Game doesn’t?”

“If evidence crops up, a more powerful empire will generally carry out the punishment. Sometimes that’s destroying the research. There was one empire that did it, oh, like two hundred years ago. A Tier Four, like Humanity, and a Tier Two came in and carpet bombed ten of their worlds.”

“That seems pretty extreme.”

“So extreme! It was enough to drop them back to untiered, so it got the message across. Especially to all of the other smaller civilizations around that watched a more powerful neighbor crumble apart because of their ambition. But often when it comes out that someone is using banned technology, the biggest deal is that anyone can break their alliance or contract with them without any issue. Almost every treaty has it as an instant violation.”

“So the Delphinians could join us instead?”

“It would give them the option, sure.”

I made a mental note to tell Nillin. If we could get them on our side even more, it would help us cement our safety. I would take any advantage I could.

“Now, what would you like to talk about? Or do?” Kellantra leaned over, emphasizing her impressive cleavage.

I coughed, scooting back. “Well, I need to talk to Natalie, and then it’s time to start prepping for the wedding.”

“Oh, right. I’m so happy for you! Maybe now that you’ll be losing a girlfriend and gaining a wife, you’ll have more room for girlfriends.”

Laughing, I said, “Perhaps, Kellantra.”

I waved goodbye to the flirty Mizarian and made my way to our dry docks. It was the opposite direction around the station, so I retraced my steps before entering the large space that had grown even more since the last time I’d visited.

The huge space had doubled in width, and now had two areas for constructing ships. It was better organized than the human dry dock, with neat rows of resources along the one side, and different work stations arranged around both ships under construction.

A tall redhead woman who looked like she could power lift me even without the boost from our stats nodded as I walked in.

“Hey, Natalie,” I said.

“Carter, good to see you as always.” Her Irish brogue brought a smile to my face. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“Well, I came to check in on the construction. What’s on tap for us?”

She turned to face the two areas. Pointing to the one on the left, she said, “That one is a Rank Two Destroyer.” It looked almost complete, with only a few gaps in the hull. There were large guns on the front, and it was about half the size of the ship we’d just stolen.

“The other one is a Rank One Light Attack Corvette.”

The corvette had a lot further to go, and was mostly the skeletal structure of the ship, with some floors inside. It was also much smaller. Where the Destroyer was over one hundred yards long, the corvette was only forty, about three times as big as our gunships. It moved very quickly, and our plan was to use them to counter enemy Destroyers, since they could dish out damage while evading the slower ships.

“We were hoping to set out in about a week,” I said. “Do you think they’ll be done?”

“Yeah, the Destroyer will be finished tomorrow or the next day. The corvette will be done then too. If we really put our backs into it, we might get a second one completed before you go.”

“That would be incredible. Do we even have the crew for that?”

“I’ll check in with Ishani, but I bet they can make it work. We’re getting more and more recruits every week, after all.”

“Awesome. Thanks, Natalie. Listen, I know we have a couple unused module spaces up here, and I was wondering what you thought about making one of them a factory for items or weapons.”

The space station could handle six modules, letting us customize it to suit our needs. Other stations would probably be more specialized, but as this was our first, we mostly just put in what we needed at the time.

“That could work. I can have the Builders get to it. They can likely knock it out in a few weeks.”

I scratched my head, and said, “Actually, I wanted to do the instant build for this.”

We could instantly build a lot of things, but it cost way more resources to do it. If our Builders did it, they traded time for a lower cost. And that trade off increased the higher they leveled.

I explained why I wanted the factory sooner. “We have some Healing Stims we can build, and I’d love to take as many as I can with us when we attack. It might be the difference between life and death for our soldiers.”

“Aye, that’s a fair reason, Gov. Go ahead and knock it out. I’ll call up some Laborers from Haven to get it rolling.”

“Thanks.”

I left the redhead as she walked to her office, already sending messages on her Controller. Crossing the massive room, I reached the far wall. A set of doors matching the ones I’d come through on the other side were already built into the wall. A computer screen next to it winked to life.

Welcome, Governor Carter. This module has not been constructed. These doors will remain locked unless there is an evacuation emergency.

You have authority to construct another module. Would you like to construct a module at this time?

Yes / No

I hit yes.

The modules available for construction are:

Dry Docks, Rank One,

Research Center, Rank One and Two

Residential Quarters, Rank One and Two

General Factory, Rank One

Entertainment District, Rank One

Defensive Structures, Rank One

I selected the General Factory.

The General Factory, Rank One — This factory can construct any small weapons, equipment, or items at a reduced speed compared to specialized factories.

It costs 2,000 Iron, 200 Copper, 200 Stone, 200 Hardwood, 50 Helium. All of the resources required are available on the station. Would you like to construct the module now?

Yes / No

I started the construction, and a waiting sign appeared on the screen. A minute later, it vanished, and the doors hissed as they unlocked. I pushed them open and stepped into our new factory.

It was a little over one hundred yards wide and twice as long. Arranged in a square, were four large machines made of steel. They looked like large furnaces, with smoke stacks coming out of the top. I walked around, and saw there was a computer screen on each one near a wide opening on one side.

I clicked through one, and saw that it listed all the items available for construction, along with their costs. I sent the information to Iris and asked her to make sure we sent some supplies up with the Laborers Natalie was calling in.

With that done, I headed back to the dock. Jackie was leaning against the shuttle. She smiled when I walked in.

“Got everything done?” she asked.

“Yup. We’ll be ready to go in a week.”

“Great. Let’s go get you married, then.”

Chapter five

I slept alone the night before the wedding — as much as I’d become accustomed to sharing my bed with someone, it just felt like the right thing to do. I didn’t sleep well, but I did eventually fall asleep.

When I woke up, I didn’t have much to do to get ready. I showered, shaved, and then lounged around for the morning, as we were having the ceremony in the afternoon. Whether everyone was giving me space or busy setting up the wedding, I wasn’t sure.

A knock around lunchtime startled me out of a half doze.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Pete walked in along with a plate of something that smelled wonderful.

“I figured you might want some company.”

“That sounds great.”

My room was on the larger side, and I had a small table near the window. Pete put the plate down, and pulled another out of his inventory for himself. I sat down, and admired the meal in front of me.

“I know we didn’t have time for the bachelor party,” he said. “And Ember probably has more important things to do than play board games with us again.”

We both chuckled, remembering the prank Ishani had played on me — and by extension, Pete. She’d recommended a woman with the Sex Worker class to be our stripper, not telling us she was known as Ember, the Virgin Sex Worker, and had no intention of actually stripping. It still ended up as a fun night, so we weren’t complaining.

“So, with nothing fun planned, I thought that some steaks would be a good substitute. They have a chimichurri sauce, along with some garlic mashed potatoes.”

“Thanks, dude,” I said. We bumped fists and then dug in. The food was incredible, cooked to perfection. The meat was tender and flavorful, and paired well with the potatoes. For all of his stoner vibes, Pete really was an excellent chef.

“Tell me, are you excited?” Pete said. “Do you need me to explain what a husband is supposed to do on the wedding night?”

I laughed at that. Pete was married, having been reunited with his girlfriend from before the Game and getting hitched pretty quickly.

“No, Pete, I don’t have any problems in that regard.”

Now it was his turn to laugh. “Yeah. The whole town knows that.”

I blushed. “Really?”

“A couple of the girls can get pretty loud, yeah.”

“I should look into soundproofing,” I said, glancing at the walls.

“Actually, I think Iris did that a few months ago. At least, she said she was going to after realizing what was happening.”

“She’s always on top of stuff like that,” I said.

“You got a good one there, bud.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Well, as your oldest married friend, I do have some advice for you.”

“What’s that?”

“Just be kind to each other. It goes a long way.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Iris is incredible, but with everything going on, I am worried I’ll mess this up somehow.”

“If that happens, you’ll have a few more chances to get it right with the others.”

I gave him a look, and he grinned. “My best friend has a harem. I’m allowed to tease a little.”

“That’s fair.”

We finished our meal, and I was a little more relaxed after it. The two of us chatted for a while, mostly about the Keid movies that were the current cultural hotness. I hadn’t seen any, but it sounded like I needed to catch up. There wasn’t a direct comparison to earth genres, but as far as I could tell, they seemed to be some sort of mix of Cold War spy films and high school romantic dramas — I had no idea how that worked, but it felt like something worth checking out.

As we were wrapping up, Pete nodded to the dresser against the far wall. “Who’s that from?”

I looked over and saw a small box wrapped in white paper, with a golden bow on top. “I don’t know. It wasn’t here when I woke up. Did you bring it?”

“Nope. Steaks and a present? That’s too much for me.”

I walked over to the dresser and examined it. I was almost totally sure I hadn’t missed it earlier, so it really surprised me. There was a small tag on the box.

On it was a brief message that read, “Governor Carter Ash, Congratulations on your big day. We hope it will be a joyous occasion, and to celebrate, we wanted to give you a small gift.”

The text was printed, not handwritten, and no one signed it.

“Weird,” I said.

“Who do you think sent it?”

“No idea. Anyone who would have, I told not to bother with gifts. And how did it get in here, anyway? No way I didn’t notice it.”

“Could it be a trap?”

I looked at the box, and considering all the other attempts on my life, I was not convinced that was totally out of the question.

“Only one way to find out.”

Pete took a step back. “There’s more than one way to find out, actually.”

I ignored him. Summoning up a Defensive Shield, I reached around and pulled at one of the bow’s strings. It came free with only a little pressure. Then the box started shifting on its own. I glanced back at Pete, who blanched and stepped closer to the door. Even I made sure I was safely behind the Defensive Shield.

The bow untied itself with a few small motions, dropping to the sides. Instead of a lid, the box folded open like a flower. The sides disconnected and dropped away, leaving a small, glowing orb on the table. It was white and gold, like the wrapping paper.

When it didn’t explode, I reached back out and touched it. It was cool to the touch, so I picked it up. The wrapping paper dissolved into pixels as I did, taking the card and any possible evidence with it.

“Now, what is this?” The orb felt heavy. My eyes were drawn to it like magnets, and it somehow felt like it belonged to me.

I added it to my inventory so I could read the description. My Controller dinged a few times as I did, with a handful of messages appearing.

You have added a Small Orb of Spellcasting to your Controller. It has automatically applied itself.

Your Spellcasting Skill has gained five points.

You have received five new spells.

“Holy crap,” I said.

“Is it bad?” Pete asked timidly.

“Not at all. It’s spectacular. I didn’t even know something like this was possible.” I explained what it did while I read over the new spells.

Cloud of Blades — Summons a group of blades that are one foot long. They swirl around you and attack any enemy that approaches. You can fire the blades up to three hundred yards away, either individually or as a group. Once they strike a target, close to you or far away, the blade vanishes.

As a skill, the number of blades starts at five, and increases by two for every point put into the skill. As a learned spell, the number of blades starts at five, and increases by one for every two Magic points.

You can cast this spell once per hour.

That was pretty incredible. Since my Magic was my most important Stat, I’d cranked it pretty high, all the way to 116. That meant I’d create 63 blades when I cast the spell.

Protective Shell — Creates a hardened armor around the target. They can move and operate as normal, but the shell will absorb significant damage before breaking and disappearing.

The damage protected increases with Magic score. As a learned spell, you can add an additional target for every twenty Magic points.

You can cast this spell once per hour.

Dance of Destruction — This spell increases the damage of your melee weapons. You can cast it once per day per ten points of Magic.

Fireball — Launches a fireball one foot wide at a target. When it hits, it explodes. As a skill, the size of the explosion and damage is based on the skill level. As a learned spell, the size and damage increases with your Magic score.

This spell operates on a cooldown based on your Recovery.

Conjured Ship — This is a summoning spell, and creates a spaceship immediately upon casting. If you are outside of a ship, it appears around you, with you in the pilot seat. If you are inside another ship, it appears at the nearest docking point, or outside it if there is not an appropriate location.

You can cast this once per day. As a learned spell, the size of the ship is related to your Magic score. At higher levels of Magic, it will also gain weapons or defensive measures. The ship will last until midnight. If you are inside the ship at the time it expires, it will automatically cast again.

“This is crazy, right?” I asked. “Who would give this up without taking credit?”

“Yeah, it’s hard to believe. It’s the equivalent of two and a half levels for someone with only one class,” Pete said.

“That’s not even counting the spells, which feel like they’re even harder to come by than levels.”

“Dude, someone out there really likes you.”

“I guess so.”

We both looked at each other, questions lingering in the air. But the mystery of the gift would have to wait. A knock at the door interrupted our conversation.

“Yeah, come in,” I shouted.

Bethany stepped into the room, smiling at us. She was wearing a light blue dress that hung down to her knees. Her dark hair framed her face, making her look even more gorgeous. As one of the members of my harem, she was one of Iris’s bridesmaids. While Nillin was Iris’s closest friend and had the role of Maid of Honor, they’d all grown to know each other well and decided they’d all be a part of it.

“We’re ready for you, Carter.”

***

The ceremony took place in the yard behind Pete and Cynthia’s house, the same place as their wedding. It was peaceful, with hints of nature, and out of the way of the general hubbub of the town. While the last wedding included almost everyone in our civilization, that was no longer possible. There still were a lot of people invited. Chairs for almost one hundred people were set up in two groups. I stood near the front with Pete.

While Kani had officiated Pete’s wedding, this time he was off working on his spy ring. When we discussed who might be a viable option, we ended up choosing one of the newer members of our civilization — Marlowe. She was happy to do it, and turned out to have performed quite a few weddings in her day. Mostly as propaganda, but we all thought that counted.

She wore a simple suit jacket and skirt, toning down her good looks somewhat. The blonde smiled at me as I stepped up next to her, with Pete beside me.

Soon, music started playing, and my harem walked in.

First came Rebekah, the short redhead grinning awkwardly. She waved at me, before walking to the end of the line on Iris’s side. After her was Samantha. They all wore light blue dresses that matched Bethany’s. Samantha’s blonde hair was combed over to one side, revealing the close shaved side. She gave me a thumbs up before joining Rebekah.

Next was Jackie. I was worried the day might be hard for her, but she looked as happy as anyone else. After her was Bethany, practically skipping down the aisle. It was hard to believe she’d once been a mean girl at her school, since she was one of the sweetest people any of us knew.

After her came the mohawked punk. C.J. strode confidently down the aisle, surprisingly comfortable in her formal dress, and gave me a wink before stepping next to Bethany. Finally, Nillin walked in, taking the role of Maid of Honor.

I didn’t think it was traditional for the maid of honor to date the groom as well, but so far, it was working for all of us.

The mood of the crowd shifted as Iris stepped out. Everyone stood to their feet. She was stunning, wearing a sleeveless white dress that made her look like a princess. In her hands she held the bouquet, a mix of flowers from the local planet, perfectly matching her eyes. She walked slowly down the aisle, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

When she joined me, she handed the bouquet to Nillin and I took her hand.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hi.”

Marlowe cleared her throat. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of Iris Flemming and Carter Ash. It always amazes me when two people find each other in this Game. Iris and Carter could probably tell you even better than me how unlikely ending up here was.

“After meeting in Basic Training, every normal person would have expected to never see the other again. Instead, Carter did the impossible — twice. After surviving the Tutorial, he could have asked for almost anything. Instead of using it for selfish reasons or glory, he brought his friends together, so that he and Iris could be with the people who knew them and loved them.

“From what I’ve seen, that’s who Carter is. He puts other people first, and is always willing to sacrifice. That’s a good attitude to have in any marriage. Remember to always put the other first, and you’ll never go wrong. And from the time I’ve spent with Iris, short though it may be, I can tell she feels the same way. They are a good pair.”

Iris squeezed my hand. I couldn’t believe how strongly I felt about her at that moment — I loved her, but seeing her there, ready to tie our lives together forever, it felt ten times as strong.

The blonde officiant paused, looking out over the audience. “A pair… well, I guess for now they are a pair. But there’s a lot of love here, that’s for sure.” Our guests chuckled, and I saw C.J. elbow Sam as they grinned.

Marlowe continued with her speech, talking for a few more minutes about responsibility and commitment, then moved on to the main event.

“Iris, do you promise to love and care for Carter, for however many lives you have inside the Game?”

“I do.”

“Carter, do you promise to love and care for Iris, for however many lives you have inside the Game?”

“I do.”

“Then by the power invested in me by the Governor of the United Interplanetary Republic, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

I stepped forward and pulled Iris close. Our lips met, and it felt like the whole world fell away. When it came back, I heard the cheers of our friends as we broke apart. I turned to the crowd.

“Alright, let’s party!”

***

The reception was a great time. There was music, great food courtesy of Pete, and endless drinks as well. I got well-wishes from everyone, but all I could focus on was Iris and how beautiful and perfect she was.

I could tell she felt the same way, because before I knew it, she was getting ready to throw the bouquet so we could take off. Maybe a little ahead of schedule, but no one was going to stop us.

A group of around twenty women crowded together, all playfully teasing each other. On top of the rest of my harem, I saw Kellantra, Natalie, Haley, Roux, and even Diwa in the mix.

“Okay, I’m going to throw it on three,” Iris said. She turned her back to the group. “One, two, three!”

She chucked the bouquet up, a great arc that headed straight for the crowd. I watched it land in the surprised hands of Samantha. She blinked at it, blushing immediately. Jackie glared at her, and Samantha gulped and tossed it to Jackie.

“It counts!” Jackie said, holding the flowers up triumphantly.

“Get it, girl,” C.J. hollered.

We all laughed. The music turned back on, and the party kicked back up. But I didn’t stay.

Iris and I walked hand in hand back to the Town Center. The happy sounds of our friends behind us was a welcome soundtrack. With all the death and danger in front and behind of us, it was good to have a moment of normality.

When we reached the Town Center’s door, I scooped Iris up in a princess carry.

She giggled. “You’re carrying me across the threshold?”

“You know it.”

I pushed the door open with my hip and carried Iris upstairs. We slipped into my room and I set her down on the bed.

She looked incredible — her white dress spread around her.

“How did I get so lucky?”

“I think I’m the lucky one,” she said.

“Well, I guess we’re both lucky.”

A fire lit in her eyes as she bit her lip. “And we’re both getting lucky.”

I chuckled and crawled on top of her. Our lips met, soft at first, before becoming fierce and passionate.

We made out for a while, enjoying the feel of each other with no worries or cares. Soon I felt her hands reaching for the button on my shirt. I stood up and tossed my coat to the side and started undressing. She joined me.

“I need a little help,” Iris said, turning around.

I kicked my pants away, then stepped close to the sexy brunette. The zipper at her back made a soft sound as I lowered it. The dress dropped to the floor, quickly forgotten, as Iris stepped out of it.

She spun around, revealing very sexy white lace lingerie. It amplified all of her best features, making her look like the most erotic woman I’d ever known.

“Whoa,” I said.

“I thought you might like this.”

“You look incredible.”

She blushed. “I wanted to make tonight special.”

“It was already special. I’m yours forever, Mrs. Ash.”

“And I’m yours, Mr. Ash.”

I moved closer, my hands gripping her waist. Our lips met again, my tongue exploring her mouth as she moaned slightly.

We both fell onto the bed, her athletic body landing under mine. She gasped, “Oh, Carter.” I was already hard, and we pressed together, our underwear in the way.

Her hands frantically pulled them down, and my cock slid against the smooth silk of her panties.

“I need you, Carter,” she moaned.

I reached down and slid her panties to the side, feeling her hot wetness. The tip of my cock found her entrance, and I slid in, slowly entering her for the first time as my wife.

“Ohhhh,” she groaned. “Yes. God, you feel amazing. Ohh!”

I started thrusting in and out, picking up the pace as our bodies began a rhythm. Her slick velvety walls squeezed down on me, pulsing in excitement.

“You feel so good,” I told her. All she could do was moan.

“Ohhhhh. Yesss! Ohhhh!”

We sped up, a hunger spreading through her as she wrapped her legs around me. Iris pulled me close, rocking her hips into every one of my thrusts. I felt her warm walls quiver and squeeze down on me.

“Carter, I’m cumming. Cum with me!”

“I’m cumming, Iris.”

The orgasm hit me as her body started twitching. I kissed her neck as I came deep inside her, and whispered, “I love you,” in her ear.

She gripped me tight as she screamed in pleasure.

“Yessss! Oh, yes!”

Waves of pleasure crashed over us. I wasn’t sure where I ended and she began. When we both came down, we held each other until we fell asleep.

Chapter six

We didn’t have time for a honeymoon, but my squad and the government gave us the next day to spend together. With the attack coming, Iris and I didn’t know how much time we’d get together in the near future. She abhorred fighting, and both of her classes were non-combat oriented. We both wanted her as far from the front lines as possible, so she’d stay with Nillin, helping keep all of us in contact.

We ended up leaving a day later than planned so that we could take the second corvette with us. The extra time meant we produced another twenty Rank Two Healing Stims, which would hopefully save a lot of lives. It also let us take another group of soldiers as well.

Our Tutorial classes lasted six weeks, the same for everyone in the Game. We treated ours differently from how Humanity ran theirs. At two weeks and four weeks, we asked for volunteers to leave so that they weren’t forced to fight to death. If we didn’t have enough, we took the lowest ranked, but they all knew that, and we’d never had to force anyone.

All of our expansion meant that we had six classes running at any given time, so every two weeks we got one hundred and twenty new citizens at minimum. (Once the Battle Royale started, there was a drip of the survivors at all times.) Eighty were from the first two weeks of their classes, and were less likely to have combat classes.

This crop came in almost half-and-half, and we decided to take all sixty of the soldier classes with us to give them some experience. There were another ten or so with classes that would help our ships run smoothly — general crew or repair specialists, so they helped fill out our roster, especially with the extra corvette.

The new constructions and our recently stolen battleship — christened Karma — meant we had nineteen large ships, along with a good amount of smaller craft carried in the Hangar Battleship and some of the others. Even with a lower average Rank than Humanity might have, it felt like a powerful force, and we should be able to handle any fleet we encountered until Humanity brought more forces to bear.

Our battleship constructions would focus on defensive ships for the next few weeks, making sure that we’d be prepared if we needed to retreat or an unexpected counter-attack came. After that, they’d start on another fleet so we could have multiple forces out there, and hopefully start claiming more systems.

Nillin, Iris, and I had a tearful farewell on the landing pad. They both would have a lot of responsibilities here, but I couldn’t help wishing they came with us. But it wouldn’t work this time, and when we finally said goodbye, Jackie flew us up to the fleet.

The fleet assembled above Haven, and my harem and I rode on the New Dawn. We joined Captain Ishani on the bridge.

On the screen, I could see our fleet arranged around us, all in our practiced formation.

“You’ve done a good job training them,” I said. “Considering you were only a shipping Captain before this.”

Ishani spun in her chair to look at me, her eyes narrowing. “I can’t tell if that was a compliment.”

“Yeah. It was. I’m impressed. You’ve done better than anyone could have expected, Ishani. I think it’s been a long time coming, but you probably shouldn’t be a Captain.”

“You’re demoting me? Really?” She glared at me.

“The opposite, actually.” I held out my hand. “Congratulations, Admiral.”

That surprised her. “Admiral?”

“Absolutely. Unless you want me to put someone else in charge.” I started to pull back, grinning at Rebekah. “Do we know who else might want the job?”

Ishani gripped my hand and shook it quickly. “Oh, no, no, I’ll do it.”

Her Controller chimed. She glanced down, seeing a message that she’d earned a new title. It chimed again.

“Whoa,” she said. “I got a second class.”

“What is it?”

“Fleet Commander, Rank One.”

“It’s well deserved,” I said. “Now, how about we go make those assholes pay?”

“Absolutely, Governor.” Admiral Ishani spun back to face the bridge. She picked up an intercom, broadcasting her voice to all of the other ships.

“This is Admiral Ishani. That’s right. He finally got off his ass and made it official.”

I leaned over to Rebekah and whispered in her ear, “It’s already going to her head, isn’t it?” She just giggled.

“Now, you all know the plan. Coordinates are locked, and it’ll take us one week to get there.” She looked back at me. I nodded. “We’re all warmed up. Jump in ten seconds.”

She started counting down, a grin on her face. When she got to one, the view screen blinked out as we jumped.

My Controller dinged as we did. While Ishani got to work checking in with her crew, I read the message. I’d leveled up. Apparently, launching an invasion fleet pushed me over the edge to level fifty-five.

That gave me nine points to assign, since I had three classes and the Ring of Boosting. I put four points into Magic, bringing it to 120. It was my most important Stat, and I wanted to boost it as much as possible. A few of my spells got bonuses every ten points, plus each point would add to my other stats when I used my Savior’s Complex ability.

I put one point into Love’s Strength, which boosted my Strength by one point for each member of my Harem, bringing my Strength to an absurd 295. When I activated Savior’s Complex, it would be over 500.

I added a point to Ambush Knowledge, knowing that any edge it gave in the coming fighting would be helpful. Another point went into Improved Savior Complex, letting each use last for twenty-four minutes.

The last two points went into Sword Master. My sword skills were already impressive, but every point in the skill made me feel like a new person when it came to fighting, and we’d most likely be doing a lot of that over the following months and years. I wasn’t yet blocking shots with my sword, but it didn’t feel that far away.

With that done, I made my way to my quarters.

There was a large room on the New Dawn, which was my default home when I was on board. I had a feeling that Ishani used it when I wasn’t, but I didn’t mind. As the new Admiral, we probably should figure out some better arrangements for all of us, but it was low on the priority list.

The ship had been built for Ossana, the heir of the Gumalagian leader. As such, the big room had a lot more amenities than normal, but with multiple people living in the space, it worked out. There was a massive bed, a small desk to one side, and a private bathroom.

C.J., Bethany, Rebekah, and Samantha all stayed there with me. Jackie wanted to, but she was on the Hangar for the jump so that she could be with her fighter wing when we entered the system.

Since not all of us could fit in the bed, I also brought a couple of cots. This way, the only person displaced from their normal quarters was Ishani.

We settled in for the long voyage to our destination.

***

The journey went smoothly. New soldiers and crew got some much-needed practice and familiarity with their ships, running drills while we traveled. The key positions in our fleet were all held by experienced people, but considering most of us only had a year or two at most in our various roles, the new people would be experienced enough for important roles soon.

The night before we arrived, we set up a video call with Jackie, Nillin, and Iris. Iris had an ability that gave a boost to abilities to everyone in the harem, as long as they had a weekly meeting. Considering I had an ability that then increased those same Stats by a heavy percentage, we did our best to have the meeting often enough that the buff was always applied.

Communication across the distances was easier when we were in systems that the UIR controlled. Beyond that, there was a limit to how far even our Controllers could reach without help. But we came prepared, with one of the new items researched by Kellantra letting us have a video chat with people back in Haven.

The women with me piled on the bed around me as we connected via a small communicator in my lap. The screen flickered to life with Jackie — who had borrowed the communicator from the Hangar ship — plus Nillin and Iris, each in their own boxes.

“Hey!” I said.

Everyone chimed in, an avalanche of hellos.

“How is the trip going?” Nillin asked.

“Pretty good here,” I said. “I’m in waiting mode at this point.”

“It’s boring over here,” Jackie said. “We’re as drilled as can be, and I gave everyone the night off to rest.”

“That was nice of you,” Bethany said.

“It wasn’t that much different from what they’d be doing,” Jackie said. She chuckled. “I mostly did it for the brownie points.”

“Well, how is everyone else doing?” Iris asked. Checking in with people was how she gave them the buff. It could be as formal or as casual as she liked, and since we were all too laid back to care, it mostly turned into questions like that.

“I’m absolutely cleaning up at the poker table,” C.J. said. “It’s great.”

“That might be because you threaten to blow up anyone who calls you when you’re bluffing,” Samantha pointed out.

“That doesn’t stop you from trying.”

“‘Cause I can take you.”

“It’s been like this the whole time,” Bethany said, shaking her head. “But we’re good. Sorry to steal your hubby right away, Iris.”

“We always knew that was going to happen,” she said. “But Nillin and I are going to claim him for a while once you get back.”

The other girls laughed and agreed.

“What’s new on Haven?” I asked.

“Just making progress,” Iris said. “Slow and steady. I think we’re ready for a new town near an unopened Bismuth mine next week.”

“Already?”

“Yeah, there’s enough people coming through that we need the space. More of them than we expected took Miner classes, too. Nillin said if we keep up production, we can build up a stockpile for when expansion gets more expensive and still trade some with the Delphinians.”

“That’s right!” the alien agreed. “After everything Humanity has done, I think they’ll be willing to trade us some bigger ships and weapons. Or maybe even a blueprint or two to save some time. I was going to try to use some of my own cash to snag a few of the Rank Ones or Twos that aren’t in high demand. I want to see if we can’t go ahead and get your ability to transform sooner rather than later.”

“I love it,” I said. “Thank you.”

The green woman beamed, smiling from ear to ear while her antennae bobbed in happiness. “Speaking of, Iris and I are going to go to visit them on our next trade ship.”

“Whoa, Iris is getting out there?” C.J. teased.

“Yes, I am.”

“Good for you, honey,” Rebekah said.

Nillin explained, “I wanted company on this trip, and I thought we could have some fun. Plus, she adds some gravitas as the Herald.”

“I don’t know about that,” Iris demurred.

“You are important, even if you don’t think so,” Bethany said. “Not just to us. You’re the First Lady now.”

“I didn’t think about it like that,” Iris said.

“The First First Lady,” Jackie said. “One of us will be the Second First Lady.”

“Unless Kellantra jumps the line and jumps him,” Samantha said with a smile.

“Well, I think you’ll do great, babe,” I told her.

We kept talking for a while, Iris getting the updates from everyone. It was nice to be together, even virtually. It made me long for the day we wouldn’t be at war. Peace to build our own civilization and spend time together was all I wanted.

But it looked like I’d have to take what I could get.

Chapter seven

Once more on the bridge, I stood behind Admiral Ishani’s chair as we neared our target. The mood was tense, as we didn’t know what to expect. Every other system we’d jumped into had been empty, and while we came prepared, we knew that this one would have some defenses at least.

“We’re two minutes out from the Nouran system,” Ishani said to her crew, walking through the plan one last time. You could never be too prepared. “Everyone get ready. I want weapons hot as soon as we’re out of the jump.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the weapons officer replied.

My squad assembled down on the bottom level of the ship. If we needed to join another fight or ship, we’d load onto the shuttle at the back. I could get there faster than anyone, and I wanted to see how the fight started before committing in any direction.

There wasn’t much I could do from the bridge, but I still wanted to be involved, and if we had to move quickly, I would know exactly what happened.

The screens flickered to life as we exited the jump. We came into the Nouran system near the fourth planet, a rocky world like Earth, with a space station orbiting it. The cameras on the exterior of the ship started focusing and trying to pick out any details.

“The scout ship is scanning now,” a crew member said. “Thirty seconds.”

We all scanned the screen, looking for enemy ships. The planet was blue and green, more land than water. The station looked similar to the one we’d destroyed, although it was only half as big. I didn’t see a dry dock, which we didn’t expect it to have. Kani thought there might be another one in one of the remaining systems, but not here. We’d find out what they used it for when we took it.

The Captain of the scout ship reported over the comms. “Scan complete. There are two Rank Two Defensive Battleships, one Rank One, and three Light Corvettes, also Rank One.”

Outlines of the ships appeared on the screen. They were arranged in a loose circle around the space station, one of the Rank Twos on our side. Only a couple of the ships had started turning in our direction, let alone assembling a defense.

“Fleet, accelerate towards the station. Be ready to attack. Karma, I want you to try to take the battleship on the far side.” Ishani looked back at me, and I gave her a thumbs up.

We’d discussed if I should be on the Karma, the boarding ship, but we all agreed I was too valuable to risk on smaller conflicts. The New Dawn was the safest ship, and I could still join ground or station assaults from here.

“Open a channel with whoever is in charge,” Ishani said.

“Yes, ma’am,” the comms officer said. She hurriedly signalled out. A moment later, she said, “The Captain of the lead ship is responding.”

“Put them on the screen.”

An image of the bridge of one of the defensive ships appeared. The Captain was a beefy man, with a thick chest and a bright red mop of hair half-heartedly combed back.

“What is the meaning of this?” he barked. “You have no right to be here. Do you have any idea whose territory you’ve illegally entered?”

“Yes, we do,” I said, standing behind Ishani.

His eyes narrowed when he realized we were human.

“The Hero. You’re the traitor.”

“Well, we can quibble as to whether it’s treason when the Empire abandoned us first, but that’s not why we’re here today. We’re claiming this system, and you’re wildly outmatched. We ask that you surrender, and we’ll make sure you are treated well and returned to Humanity.”

“If we surrender, we’ll be lucky if we get sent to work the mines for the rest of our lives.”

“Is that better than dying? What if we offered you safe harbor with our own people?”

The gaps were closing between our fleets. Another man whispered in the enemy Captain’s ear. He sighed.

“We cannot surrender. And there’s no way you stand against the Emperor’s might. You are young fools. I am not.”

“Alright, Captain. I gave you the chance.”

The screen turned off.

“We’re in range now,” the weapons officer said.

Ishani picked up the intercom. “All ships, you are cleared to attack.” She set it down, and spoke only to her own crew, “Fire.”

Bursts of energy lanced out from our ship and the rest of the fleet. Shots came back from the other side, a fraction of what we were firing, since three of their ships were still out of position.

The enemy’s Defensive Battleship took most of the hits, but it managed to survive. I could see, even at a distance, a few large holes in the hull. One of the corvettes exploded, disappearing into pixels from the first wave of fire. This was not a fair fight, in any way. We had overwhelming numbers and surprise on our side.

We shot forward, aiming to remove the Rank Two ship quickly. To our right, the Karma accelerated faster than any of our ships, gunning straight for the other Rank Two Defensive Battleship.

I hoped they could capture the ship, because our plans revolved around holding this system as long as possible, and the Defensive Battleship would give us a hefty base to work with.

“Fire,” Ishani called out. She’d held off until we got closer to our target. It tried to turn out of the way, now that its engines were fully engaged. It partially succeeded, but a half dozen shots cut across the rear of the ship.

“Come on,” I whispered.

The ship held together, impressing me. It had taken enough fire I thought the New Dawn might have struggled to survive the same amount of damage.

But it didn’t last much longer.

One of our corvettes shot forward and launched a handful of missiles into one of the glowing engines. A moment later, the ship vaporized.

“Great work,” Ishani said. “Let’s join Basil Group and target the Rank One!”

Our fleet was divided into three groups, half each in Apple and Basil, with the third being called Karma and made up of only that ship, for now. Most of Group Apple chased after the two corvettes. Those corvettes turned and started fleeing. The New Dawn — since it was not as fast as some of the others — instead attacked the final ship we weren’t attempting to capture.

We unloaded on the Rank One battleship. It also absorbed quite the beating. They were designed to absorb hits from above their Rank, but it made me wonder if the Empire had some more tech to increase their durability. If so, I wanted to add it to our ships as soon as possible.

As the Rank One finally cleared the station, it launched its wing of fighters. Another half dozen flew out of the station itself.

“We’re on it,” Jackie’s voice came over the radio.

Thirty fighters of our own launched out of the Hangar ship, speeding towards theirs. It was over in seconds, as we outnumbered them three to one, and picked them apart without losing anyone. This was not the cream of Humanity’s pilot crop.

“They launched missiles,” the radar office shouted.

Four dots appeared on the screen, flying straight for us.

“They know they’re doomed. Why try to fight this?” Ishani shook her head, then shouted belatedly, “Evasive maneuvers.”

The New Dawn swerved to the side, trying to get out of the path. They accelerated towards us, but then one winked out in a flash.

“Blonde wing, follow me.”

Jackie’s powerful fighter streaked towards the next missile. I saw her fire, taking it out as well. One of her wing-mates took out a third. The fourth missile made it through, but shot wide of us.

“Good work, Jackie,” Ishani shouted.

Two of our versatile battleships reached the defensive ship, firing a hail of energy blasts. That overwhelmed the ship’s shields, and soon it was destroyed.

“Captain, uh, sorry, Admiral, we’re being hailed,” the comms officer said. “It’s one of the fleeing corvettes.”

“Put them up,” Ishani said. “Group Basil, move closer to the station.”

Another Captain appeared on-screen. This was a younger woman, with a pixie cut and a scar across her forehead.

“I’m Captain Lucy Walden, and we surrender. We’re turning our weapons off now. Please don’t shoot.”

“Are both corvettes surrendering?” Ishani asked.

“Yes.” The woman looked defeated.

“Apple, hold your fire,” Ishani said into the intercom. Looking back at Captain Walden, Ishani explained what would happen next. “We’re going to send a shuttle to each ship. You’ll let them board and claim the ships. Once they are under our command, we’ll decide what we’re doing with you all in the near term.”

“Of course. That’s fair. Thank you.”

I looked away from the conversation to check in with the Karma. It finally reached the last Defensive Ship, cutting through the attacks from the ship without an issue. Its own fighters were harrying the Defensive ship’s, while a boarding gunship approached the dock from the rear.

It managed to land without issue. Soon, the Karma extended its docking apparatus, attaching to the other ship.

We waited for another ten minutes, before a message came through. “Admiral, Governor, we’ve taken the ship.”

The bridge cheered.

“Great work, Ishani,” I said, patting her back.

“Good enough for you to finally take me on that date you owe me.”

“We’ll see,” I said. I had promised the woman a date so long ago that it felt like a lifetime before, when I was a lowly Lieutenant, and she flew a cargo transport.

“What’s next?” Ishani asked.

“Next? Next, it’s my turn.”

***

Jackie’s fighters disabled the small defenses the space station had. They only had a few small turrets that wouldn’t have done much to most of our ships, but might have been able to blow up a shuttle or two.

With those guns down, we invaded the space station.

I led the attack, riding on the shuttle with my squad. There were twenty soldiers with me, and four more shuttles all landing in the same docking area.

The hangar we landed in was huge, almost half a mile wide. There was one unarmed transport parked on the side, along with a half dozen shuttles. It looked like five more transports could land here if needed. I didn’t see any gunships or fighters, which meant they’d sent everything they had to try to stop us.

The hangar was empty of people, which was a small blessing. We landed near the force field, arranging our shuttles to provide us some cover from gunfire.

One hundred soldiers piled out, dividing into five platoons. There were two exits from the hangar, one on the central wall, facing the interior of the space station, another on the right wall, a smaller door. Rebekah went that way, taking two platoons, I took three and made for the main door.

The only sounds were our footsteps as we walked silently to the door. I had my gun out. It had adaptation abilities, able to take any form from a pistol up to a long sniper rifle. At the moment, I had it as a midrange automatic weapon. I cast one of my spells — Enchant Weapon— which gave it a bonus to damage. I chose Psychic, knowing it would hamper our human opponents.

Taking point, I summoned a Defensive Shield to block most of the opening, two feet back from the door. I kicked the door open and ducked to the side in the nick of time.

A hail of energy blasts slammed into my Shield, all harmlessly splashing against it. As the first burst died down, C.J. stepped forward, taking a position near the Defensive Shield.

“Fire in the hole!”

The demolition punk grinned as she launched a grenade around my Shield and into the hallway. It bounced once, and then an explosion sent a wave of heat back towards us.

“Go, go, go,” I shouted.

I dove through the door first, firing my gun in a wide spray. The door faced a T-junction of the corridor, with three directions to go. Makeshift barricades lined all three. Smoke and fire spread along the hallway opposite the door. Most of the defenders there were down or hiding.

I threw up another Defensive Shield, blocking the left side of the hallway, and turned to the right. I sprayed my entire magazine at the guards as I rushed them, managing to hit a few before jumping over the barricade. The glowing purple ballasts of energy caused the guards to scream or twitch when they landed, functioning as a more painful stun gun.

As I jumped, my gun shifted to a pistol and I summoned my sword.

There were ten guards, disorganized and surprised by my sudden attack. I slashed one across the chest, sending him to the ground where he exploded in a cloud of pixels.

“Get it together, men,” another one shouted, probably the leader. I put a blast of energy through his forehead.

At that point, another whirling dervish arrived in the form of Sandy. She was also focused on melee, with the relatively unusual Warrior class. That meant that Sandy had long blades on each wrist that she could also fire if needed. Rather than reload, the knives would respawn after a short cool down.

She put one through the neck of a guard before stabbing a second.

I swirled past her, blocking a hit from one of the guards with my sword before decapitating him. That left half the guards that started there only seconds before. I pointed my gun at one, ready to finish her off when she dropped her gun and raised her hands.

A clatter of weapons hitting the ground followed, and just like that we’d taken the entrance.

“Good work,” I said.

Most of my troops had handled the far side of the hallway, with similar results. The side that took the full brunt of C.J.’s attack had two wounded soldiers and no one else, so we dragged the new prisoners into the hangar and tied them up. As our troops handled that, my squad joined me near the door.

“What’s the plan?” Bethany asked.

“I think we’ll take the station without too many problems,” I answered. “But we need to make sure that we have an escape plan. I’m going to leave a platoon here with you. You’re ready to handle some more leadership, plus your gun will be better here. Pull some of their barricades in and block the door. We’ll try and take control, but you can stop anyone coming this way and keep our exit clear.”

“Works for me,” she said, all business.

The other doors to the hangar opened, and Rebekah led her troops out. She had another group of prisoners with her, all held at gunpoint by her soldiers.

“No exit that way,” she said. “It’s just the control center for the hangar. They didn’t even have any guards, but I made sure to clear it anyway.”

I filled her in on the plan, and she agreed. With the workers from the control room, we had close to thirty prisoners. I decided to leave two platoons under Bethany’s command so that they didn’t get any ideas. It might be overkill, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Any maps or anything in the offices?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“What are you looking for?” one of the workers spoke up.

“Shut up, Sheila,” another chided her.

The woman was older, in her forties, and looked tired and scared. “I’m on my last life, Rick. I don’t want to lose it here.”

“We’re looking for the command station and anywhere there might be soldiers or guards,” I said.

“Don’t tell him,” Rick said. I nodded at him, and C.J. dragged him away.

“Are you going to kill him?” Sheila asked.

“No, he was just annoying me.” I glanced at C.J. to make sure she heard me. She frowned, but nodded.

“We won’t kill any of you if you don’t fight back. We are here to take the station, and eventually the system. You all might recognize me. I’m Carter Ash, the former Hero of Humanity. My civilization has been attacked repeatedly by the Empire of Humanity and their allies, and we’re here to put a stop to it. I’d prefer to do it with as few casualties as possible.”

The other prisoners muttered among themselves. Sheila steeled her nerves and nodded. “The station has space for ten modules, but only six are in use. To the right is the residential quarters and the entertainment district. We’re under an alert, so anyone there should be locked down in their rooms. Any guards would be people off-duty when the attack happened who didn’t come to their posts.”

“Good to know. We can leave that for last, then. Where would the command center be?”

“I’m not sure. There’s a central region, if you head up the middle hallway, but I’m not allowed there.”

I looked over at Rebekah. “Makes sense it would be there,” she said. “Ours is relatively central, on the ring.”

“What’s the other direction?”

“Eventually two factories, but first there’s the barracks,” Sheila said.

“How many soldiers are there?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a hundred?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Leaving the prisoners, I pulled Bethany aside. “Separate Sheila from the others. I don’t want them trying to punish her.”

“Yes, sir.”

I winked at her, and she blushed. When we were in combat, she became almost severe and didn’t like any public displays of affection. It made her fun to tease, but I would rather not push it too far.

By then, we had a solid barricade in front of the door. With our troops arranged there, I doubted anyone would be able to get into the hangar.

C.J., Samantha, and Rebekah joined me and Bethany. “What do you all think?”

“I think we’re going to have to clear all three directions,” Rebekah said. “To be safe.”

“Sounds good to me,” C.J. said.

I turned to Samantha. “You’ve got the most experience with actual Humanity troops. If we take the whole station, do you think the soldiers will surrender?”

She shook her head. “Unlikely. The cost of surrendering is really high, specifically so we don’t surrender. They want us to fight to the last so that there’s a chance we get second classes.”

That was one of the more common ways to get an additional class. When someone was forced to do something outside their normal wheelhouse, to go above and beyond during a life and death situation, it would often lead to another class related to what they did. Both Samantha and Jackie were evidence of that, earning the Driver and Pilot classes during terrible invasions.

Samantha continued, “Plus, a lot of our enemies wouldn’t take prisoners anyway. Or if they do, it’s pretty bad. The UIR is probably one of the few that won’t put them into work camps, and who would believe it?”

“Dang it. I figured, but I hoped we could do this the easy way.”

“If they will keep fighting, it’s better to get them first,” Rebekah pointed out. “If we go to the central command, they might come up behind us. We don’t know what defenses are there.”

“Alright, that settles it. We’re taking the barracks.”

***

The plain metal corridors were empty as we cut through to the barracks. We moved cautiously, expecting to find resistance.

At the front of our group were two bronze Constructs.

Moon's Defender: Takes five minutes. Summon a Construct that will fight for you. It is durable and fast, and focused on close-quarters combat. The strength increases for each point of your Magic stat. Every 100 points of Magic will give you an additional construct. You can summon them once per day, and they last until they are destroyed or the day ends.

They took the form of members of my harem, and these two looked like Nillin and Iris. The Nillin Construct had a large shield and a spear, like a Roman Legionnaire, while the Iris Construct had a giant two-handed hammer.

While they were powerful and valuable in battle, if they died, I could always resummon them, so I let them take the lead in case there were any ambushes planned or traps set.

One of my skills pinged slightly, which was what made me so cautious.

Ambush Knowledge (Passive) — This skill provides a basic knowledge of terrain, specifically when it relates to ambushes. You can recognize places to plan an ambush, and also where your troops might be vulnerable to attack.

As a Campaigner skill, this applies to all battlefields — Planets, Water, Air, and Space.

The corridors felt like the perfect place to launch a surprise attack. Any of the side doors could open to reveal soldiers, so we moved slowly, checking them. Some were offices, some were supply closets. We captured a few cowering Laborers, but thankfully didn’t stumble onto an attack.

When we reached the entrance to the barracks, I relaxed. We’d managed to get there without any more fighting, and now we could handle the rest of the danger we knew was coming. It was good to know my skill was more of a “Be Careful,” not a true danger sense.

Double doors at the end of the hallway had a sign on the side letting us know we were in the right place. Below the sign was a keypad and an intercom. I put up a Defensive Shield for cover and had the two Constructs stand on either side.

My squad gathered behind it.

“Do we breach and go in hard, or try to do this more subtly?” I asked.

A brick of C-4 appeared in C.J.’s hand, and she wiggled it.

“Yes, we know what you vote for, you complete nut,” Samantha said.

“It’s the best option,” the punk shot back.

“I agree with her,” Rebekah said. “Might be a bit overkill, but anyone in there already knows we’re coming.”

“I want to give them the chance to surrender,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Rebekah asked.

I nodded. “We’re not just trying to take the system here,” I said. “The Empire doesn’t treat these people well, and any who join us will help any future fight. And even if they don’t take the pledge, sending them back with tales of how we aren’t ruthless killers will only help put pressure on the Emperor and the Council to make peace.”

“It might even counter some of that propaganda they’ve cooked up,” Rebekah said, agreeing with me. “Sounds good.”

“As long as I get to blow something up, I’m cool with it,” C.J. said. Samantha elbowed her, getting a pained groan in response.

“Okay, C.J., you set up the C-4, and I’ll talk on the intercom. If they don't surrender, then we go in hot.”

We approached carefully. Sam and Rebekah covered us, along with a few more soldiers, all using the Shield and Constructs as cover. C.J. planted her explosive right in the middle of the right door.

I pressed the button on the intercom.

It crackled for a moment. “Hello?” I asked.

“Uh, what?” The voice that replied was gruff, and angry. It sounded like he’d smoked a pack a day for his whole life.

“This is Carter Ash, Governor of the United Interplanetary Republic. Are you in charge?”

“We know who you are, traitor.”

“I’m still waiting on a name.”

The voice sighed. “Yes, I’m in charge. I’m Sergeant Marsters.”

“Sergeant, too bad we couldn’t meet on better terms. I’m here to take the station, but I’d prefer to do it without bloodshed. So, would you like to surrender? You’ll be treated well.”

There was a pause. Finally, the gruff voice came back on. “You are outnumbered here, traitor. Even if you brought the rest of your troops from the hangar, we’ve got you, and we’ve got the defensive position.”

“Did you see what I did to the guards with the defensive position earlier?”

“Those were just station guards. We’re soldiers of the Empire. You won’t find us so easy.”

I sighed. “I mean, I took down a specially trained strike team made up of like four hundred of you almost by myself. I had one person with me, and she’s back there. I’m fine with the odds. Are you?”

There was a long silence.

“Sergeant?”

No response came.

I gave it another minute, then nodded to C.J. “Okay, let’s get ready to blow it.”

“Wait!”

A softer, hopeful voice shouted out from the intercom. “We surrender. We were just… convincing the Sergeant.”

“Okay, how many of you are there?”

“Eighty or so.” So the Sergeant had been bluffing.

“Alright, I want you to come out ten at a time, hands up. If we see anything like a weapon, my troops will fire.”

“We will, we will.”

We retreated to the shield, our guns trained on the door. C.J.’s grenade launcher took the prime position — if they really did have a surprise for us, it would wreak enough havoc we could retreat and regroup.

The doors cracked open, and two hands stuck out. “I’m unarmed.” A young man followed the hands out. He looked almost too young to be in the Game. It made me feel old, even though I couldn’t be more than a year older than him.

Nine more soldiers followed. We tied them up in a side room, and waited for the next group. The process went smoothly, and all of the soldiers surrendered without complaint.

Inside the barracks, there was a surprising sight. A man I assumed was the Sergeant and two other officers were bound and gagged in the middle of the floor.

“Looks like your troops didn’t agree with your assessment,” I told him. He growled at me.

The rest of our capturing of the station went smoothly. Without the soldiers, the command center also surrendered. At the computer in the headquarters, I claimed the station for the UIR. We did it without losing a single soldier, and even kept most of our enemies alive as well.

My troops cheered as I pressed the button on the console, officially making the station ours. Afterward, I turned to Rebekah.

She grinned, happy with what we’d done. “What’s next, boss?”

“Get them ready for the surface. We’re taking the planet.”

Chapter eight

Nillin

The journey to the Delphinian trade citadel went smoother than her first trip as ambassador from the United Interplanetary Republic. That time, it felt like every single bureaucrat between Struve and their destination needed to check every paper they had with them.

This time, not only was she expected and not held up by multiple checks, but she had Iris with her, giving her some much-needed company on the voyage.

They spent a lot of time together, alternating showing each other movies and shows from their original cultures, and telling stories from their childhood. They’d always gotten along well, but Nillin appreciated the time together. Their friendship had turned into something real and permanent, like what she shared with her bodyguard, Heral.

The Delphinian Heral was not on the journey. While she’d long been Nillin’s bodyguard, she’d begged off, saying that she had a project she wanted to start on her own, and was being very mysterious about the whole thing. Nillin didn’t mind, though. They were safe in their ally’s territory, and if Heral thought what she was doing was important, Nillin trusted her.

They arrived at the trade citadel a day ahead of schedule, the Captain of the Halberd making better time than expected due to a new skill from a level up.

The citadel was an extensive space station, larger than anything that the UIR had built. It wasn’t the same one that Nillin had visited before, since they were now on official business and not meeting her friend and mentor outside of the normal channels.

The station stretched miles wide. Nillin guessed it could hold thirty or forty modules. Many of them were residential, making the citadel a major population center for the Delphinian government. Spires of steel and glass stretched above various points of the citadel, marking important trade centers.

She knew there were factories and a half dozen docks as well. This was the center of trade for the Delphinians, which meant it was the center of trade for much of their region of the galaxy — especially anything not under the domain of one of the higher Tier civilizations. But even the Keid and the Melephites had been known to send traders on occasion.

“Is there anything I need to worry about?” Iris asked as they watched the citadel grow larger through one of the view screens. “Protocol? Greetings? How to eat? I don’t want to offend anyone.”

“Nothing that we haven’t discussed a hundred times, Iris.” Nillin took Iris’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’re here as a show of friendship, and no one is expecting you to be perfect when it comes to diplomatic protocols. Just be friendly and polite — like you always are — and I’ll handle the rest.”

“This is just so important. We need so much.”

“And we’ll get it. As much as we can. That’s all we can do, and leaving here with anything is a win. So don’t stress, okay?”

“Okay.”

The Halberd approached one of the docks. They’d been cleared for the central spot, and Nillin could see a group of Delphinians already waiting near where they’d leave.

“Alright, let’s get to it,” she said.

***

The group that met them as they disembarked from the Halberd was made up of various trade representatives and diplomats, all angling to make friends with Nillin and Iris. The fact was that the Delphinians needed the UIR’s Bismuth almost as much as the UIR needed the Delphinians protection, and Nillin knew it.

Bismuth made much of what everyone did possible. Even though it was a low level, it was a rare resource that every single colony and battleship needed. And for colonies, the cost grew with each construction. Each town, colony, and residential space station increased the number of recruits a civilization received, making growth important and impossible without it. For the moment, the United Interplanetary Republic produced more of the Bismuth than they could use.

The people meeting them wanted to get as much as they could, as even a few guaranteed shipments would be a huge victory. It might be the difference between opening up a new system, or building a fleet they couldn’t before.

That’s why the Delphinians rolled out the red carpet for them, as the humans would say. “Welcome to the Grand Market Citadel,” a woman in bright yellow robes said, bowing to Nillin and Iris. “First Lady Ash, Ambassador Nillin, you honor us with your presence. I am High Merchant Dunu. While we have much to discuss, I would love to show you around the market before our meetings.”

Nillin returned the bow. “We would be honored, High Merchant. If it isn’t too much of an issue, we did have a friend joining us.”

“Not at all.” The High Merchant was gracious, not revealing any hint of a negative emotion.

“That would be me.”

Consul Poulana weaved through the crowd. She wrapped Nillin up in a hug.

“It’s good to see you, Nillin.”

“You too, Consul.”

The Consul turned to Iris and held out her hand. “Congratulations on your wedding, First Lady.”

“Hi, Consul. You can call me Iris, please.”

“Of course.”

The High Merchant stood awkwardly to the side as the old friends and acquaintances said their hellos. When they finished, Consul Poulana gestured to the woman and said, “Lead on, High Merchant. But it might be a little easier without all of these ladies with us. As kind as they are, I think the Ambassador and First Lady would get a better sense of our Grand Market without a herd following them.”

“You are quite right.” The High Merchant turned to the others, who all moved away with only a few obvious glares at the Consul. Nillin knew that each would have been angling to impress her and Iris, trying to get an in that could lead to some sort of deal or relationship that could boost their own career. If she hadn’t been with the UIR, she probably would have done the same.

The High Merchant led the way into the Grand Market. It was almost a mile away, down a hallway fifty feet across and a hundred feet tall. As they approached, Nillin noticed a few smaller stalls appear along the walls, spilling out of the Grand Market.

“How much do you all know of the Grand Market?” the High Merchant asked.

“Only a little,” Nillin said.

“Nillin has shared a little of your history, and it’s all so fascinating. But I don’t know anything about this place. I’d love to hear about it,” Iris said, earning a smile from the High Merchant.

“Would the Consul like to explain the history?” the High Merchant offered.

Consul Poulana shook her head. “This is your show, Dunu. Go ahead.”

“Thank you. The Grand Market Citadel was a blueprint reward we received early in our civilization’s beginning. It was a reward for clearing an Ancient Dungeon. It provides the equivalent of an entire planet in population, and greatly benefits trade, allowing us to purchase things as if we were a Tier higher, making our money go even further.”

Nillin knew that the Game managed money by allowing the civilizations and people within them to spend money to purchase some goods and weapons. It required specific items and classes. It also lets civilizations trade between each other with their own currencies. Smaller civilizations had to spend more to get the same goods, which gave more powerful civilizations advantages.

The increased Tier spending would obviously be an enormous help, even if it only applied in this one market or station. They could get more goods and weapons for cheaper. The advantage was clear as day.

“We used the Grand Market as the centerpiece of our civilization as we grew. To be honest, we still do. The ability to get benefits from trade let us focus on that. Of course, we still have an army and fleet, but we concentrated our strongest efforts on expanding trade relationships. That’s carried on to this day, as we try to help out all new civilizations near us, trading with them until they get on their feet.”

“As one of those new civilizations, we are very appreciative of the help we’ve received,” Nillin said.

“With your Bismuth, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth,” the High Merchant said with a laugh. “We are grateful for that as well. I think we owe Consul Poulana a debt of gratitude for negotiating such a beneficial deal for us.”

Nillin noticed the Consul tense up. She jumped in before any feelings were hurt. “Nonsense. We thought the deal was almost too generous for us. I know the worth of the Bismuth, but we weren’t here to take advantage. We want to be friends.”

Consul Poulana gave her an appreciative nod. Dunu, not missing either gesture, smiled. “I do hope we can continue in that direction.”

At that point, they reached the door of the Grand Market. The doors were already wide open. As they stepped in, Nillin froze, blown away by the sights and sounds around them.

The Grand Market easily took up more space than all of Haven, maybe a mile or more across, and twice that long. She couldn’t be certain, thanks to all of the buildings constructed in the room. There were stalls wedged in anywhere there was space, but more permanent structures housed all manner of stores and providers.

Everyone was specialized. Instead of a weapon store, or even a gun store, the first shop Nillin saw was a “Mid-range Automatic Gun Dealer.” The store next to it proudly advertised shoes for messengers — all about adding speed and reliability.

“I should get a pair,” Iris whispered to Nillin. Her primary class had started as a Messenger, and while she didn’t serve in combat roles, she loved to run.

“Why don’t we step inside?” the High Merchant suggested, overhearing Iris.

They stepped into the shop. The bell chimed as they did, and the Delphinian clerk looked up at the group as they walked in. His face froze, his antenna drooping in confusion. Nillin wasn’t sure if it was because of the two powerful Delphinians or the human with them. He quickly recovered.

“Welcome to our humble store. How can I help you?”

“Our guest here has a Messenger class,” the High Merchant explained. “She was hoping to find some shoes for… Well, I’m not quite sure what the First Lady gets up to.”

“Running.”

The High Merchant glanced at her, confused.

“I just like running, for exercise,” Iris explained. Nillin giggled. “Laps around our town, mostly. My Messenger class means I earn a small amount of experience doing it, but it’s mostly just to relax and exercise.”

“Of course, dear,” Dunu said, still unsure.

The clerk stepped in. “Well, I can help you there. Do you need them for combat related purposes?” Iris shook her head.

“Just bring us the best you have, sir,” the High Merchant said.

His antennae poked straight up, eagerness and surprise at once. “Of course, High Merchant. One moment.”

He stepped into the back, muttering under his breath.

“That’s really not necessary, High Merchant,” Iris said. “I was mostly joking with Nillin.”

“Nonsense. It’s a small gift as congratulations on your recent wedding.”

Iris looked down, embarrassed. “Thank you.”

The clerk returned, a pair of shoes in his hand. “Here you go. This is the best we have. Probably the best in the system. It dropped in a high-end raid, and we’ve been waiting to sell it for a while.”

“Go ahead. Try them on.” The High Merchant gently guided Iris to a bench, where she slipped on the shoes.

They were traditional Delphinian mobility shoes, designed for all sorts of activity. At a glance, Nillin couldn’t tell what they did — everyone from athletes to soldiers wore something similar most of the time.

“Whoa, they feel amazing,” Iris said. “Very comfortable.”

She lifted her Controller, and clicked through to the details. Iris gasped when she read them.

Nillin slipped behind her and read the screen over her shoulder.

Combat Messenger Shoes, Mk. 22 — Adds +5 to all stats. Increases running speed fifty percent, and boosts experience gain when running for exercise or training. Armor: +30.

“This is too much. I’d never use all of this,” Iris protested.

“It’s nothing, I promise,” the High Merchant said.

“It costs more than I make in a year, that’s not nothing,” the clerk said before catching himself.

Nillin realized that was probably a lot of money, considering he at least worked for somewhere with prime real estate in a major market, even if he wasn’t the owner, which he very well could be. Consul Poulana escorted Iris and Nillin out while the High Merchant paid the clerk. Iris bounced from foot to foot, enjoying the feel of her new shoes. A smile lit up her face.

After that, the group weaved through the Grand Market, taking in the sights. Nillin thought she could spend a month in the place and not see anywhere near everything, so she didn’t worry about making it perfect.

They both picked up some small gifts for Carter and the rest of the harem. Nillin saw a Circlet of Armor she liked, so she purchased that for Heral. There even was a Tojilian trader with a stall, selling Rank One blueprints. Dunu explained that other races could purchase stalls in the market.

The man explained further, his accent thick, and reminding Nillin of the German villains from some of the movies Carter and C.J. chose when it was their turn to pick for movie night.

“Oh, yes, we are delighted to sell these to you,” he said. “We have something we call a Researcher School on our home world. Whenever we get a new Researcher, or if we have someone who wants to put in the time to gain a double class, we have them start with Rank One blueprints that we have already unlocked. They can level up, maybe even specialize. And then we sell them here and elsewhere. It’s a good deal for all, no?”

“Very good,” Nillin said. She and Iris pooled their resources and were able to buy ten of the Rank Ones, focusing on technology she didn’t think Kellantra would work on any time soon, like the Entertaining Restaurant and the Specialized Retail Store.

Blueprint for Entertaining Restaurant, Rank One — Allows construction of a restaurant that gives bonuses to Entertainers when they perform there. The buffs they give are increased by ten percent, and they gain experience ten percent quicker.

The ones they chose had the benefit of being less expensive. Nillin knew that they would help Carter transform his ability sooner, but she also thought that their growing civilization would benefit from more fun options.

The Tojilian thanked them heartily as the group left, their purchases stored in Nillin’s inventory. Nillin took his contact info, planning to reconnect if she returned to the Grand Market. They spent another hour looking around at all the impressive stores, now noticing that a few weren’t manned by Delphinians. There were all sorts of aliens, some that even Nillin didn’t recognize. Then, as they rounded a corner after leaving a dress store with a few purchases for themselves, Nillin came face to face with a familiar person.

An older Delphinian stood behind a stall filled with spell books. They’d met once before, when Nillin purchased a spell for Carter, after which the woman had disappeared.

“Hello, again, child,” the woman said.

“It’s good to see you,” Nillin said. “This is my friend Iris, along with Consul Poulana and High Merchant Dunu.”

When Nillin gestured to the Delphinians with her, she saw that they were both frozen in shock. She glanced back at the older woman, who smiled faintly. “Did the spell you purchased help your love?”

“It did,” Nillin said. “And I’m sure it will continue to help him going forward. Thank you again.” She looked at Iris. “She sold me the Waves of Force spell.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Iris said. Nillin knew she was doing her best to be polite and formal. “Knowing our luck, he’ll probably save my life with it at some point, so I’m in your debt.”

“I am happy to help. But today, I do not think there is anything that will work for you or him.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Nillin said. “But I understand. Spells are a limited resource.”

“As is time. I hope you have enough of it.”

“Speaking of, we should get to the meeting,” Consul Poulana said, her voice quaking.

“Of course, Consul. Farewell.”

The Consul took Nillin’s arm and led her away. They walked in silence, the High Merchant cutting a path through the crowds as they made for an exit to the Market, her antennae trembling visibly.

“What was that?” Iris whispered.

Nillin shook her head. “I don’t know.”

***

Their hosts were quiet after the odd encounter, and Iris and Nillin picked up on the mood shift, refraining from discussing anything outside of pleasantries with each other. Soon, the High Merchant escorted them to a lovely chamber outside the Grand Market.

It was a large white room thirty yards across, with comfortable seats arranged in a circle. Small chairs were arranged behind those. Iris and Nillin were directed to sit in two chairs in the inner ring. Consul Poulana sat next to them, while the High Merchant took a seat across the circle.

Soon, another fifteen women joined them, all wearing formal Delphinian robes. They filed in and took the remaining inner circle chairs. Once they were seated, a gaggle of assistants came in to take the outer ring. Nillin recognized some of the women in both circles as the ones the Consul had ended up having dismissed from accompanying them.

“Thank you for visiting us today, Ambassador Nillin,” Consul Poulana said, suddenly more formal. “This is the core of our diplomatic organization.”

The Consul went around and introduced everyone in the room, although it was plain to Nillin that the only three people who mattered were the Consul, the High Merchant, and Secretary Thii, a graying woman who took the most prominent seat directly across from them.

“It is my understanding you came here to request more help in your unfortunate conflict with the Empire of Humanity,” Secretary Thii stated, once the official introductions were completed.

“Yes, ma’am. Although, we have also come to trade with you, as well as bring news of the Empire.”

“This is an unfortunate time for such actions, Ambassador Nillin,” the Secretary said. “As you know, the Empire of Humanity is one of our closest allies, and our alliance with them and the Tojilians is all that keeps us safe from the greater powers in this region. While we heartily disapprove of their actions against you and your Governor, the fact remains that we are already doing all we can to assist you.

“This sector of the galaxy grows even more troubled, in fact. Word has reached us that the two Tier One empires are gearing up for war. Their long, cold peace may have come to an end. They might be relatively far from our borders, but the ripples from that conflict will threaten all of the stability in the galaxy. If it comes to pass, every civilization from the Untiered up to Tier Twos will scramble for advantage. It will certainly open the door for more active conflict from our Tier Three neighbors.”

“That is unfortunate, Madame Secretary,” Nillin said. “And, as such, it pains me to share the news I bring. My paramour, the Governor of the United Interplanetary Republic, struck back at the Empire of Humanity recently.”

“Yes, we have heard of this. It felt like an appropriate retaliation for the previous attack.”

“Indeed. What he discovered, on the station, was something quite alarming. They were researching banned technology — using live subjects to test Stat implants.”

The room exploded into whispers and shouts as the news shook the listeners. After a moment, Secretary Thii raised her hand until the others quieted.

“That is despicable,” Secretary Thii said. “I assume you brought evidence with you?”

Nillin’s antennae dropped in embarrassment. “No, Madame Secretary. Governor Ash destroyed all of them to make sure none would be used.”

Secretary Thii sighed. “Well, that is good, if a pain for us. We cannot act on your word alone. You must understand.”

Nillin hid a frown, and did her best to keep her disappointment out of her antennae. It wasn’t easy, but it’s what she trained for. She nodded. “I do.”

“Then I do not know what else we can offer you other than the support we already have.”

“If I may, Madame Secretary.” Consul Poulana nodded to the leader. “We had an encounter in the Grand Market that might change things.”

“Go on, then, Consul.”

The Consul glanced at High Merchant Dunu, who gave a weak nod. “We encountered the Ghost.”

The room fell deathly silent.

“That cannot be,” Secretary Thii said.

“It is. She had a stall in the Grand Market, and greeted Nillin as if they had met before.”

Most of the eyes in the room turned to Nillin. “I don’t know who the Ghost is,” she explained, “But my bodyguard and I met that woman before on our previous mission, and she sold us a spell for Carter. Governor Ash.”

“The Ghost sold you something?”

To Nillin, it felt like the entire room was holding their breath.

Nillin nodded. “A spell. A nice one, but nothing extraordinary.”

“Can I ask who the Ghost is?” Iris chimed in.

“No, a human cannot know,” one of the other diplomats shouted.

“The Ghost spoke to her, and sold Nillin something for her husband,” the High Merchant said. “We can’t hide it. We shouldn’t hide it. I would have told them then and there, but I knew we needed to talk to you first.”

Secretary Thii sighed. “I agree. They should know, although I would ask them not to share it outside of Governor Ash and other trusted people.”

“Of course,” Nillin said. Iris nodded as well.

“Then I need the room cleared. Consul, High Merchant, you can both stay.”

The room slowly cleared out, leaving Nillin and Iris alone with the other three women. Secretary Thii leaned in.

“The Ghost is our founder. She was the first Delphinian to join the Game, and was granted the second class of Civilization’s Founder.”

“Carter has that class as well,” Iris said.

“We expected that to be the case. The Ghost served as our leader for a time, before retiring. She can come and go from anywhere in the civilization without an issue. We do not know all the details, because her character sheet is hidden from us, but our understanding is that one of her skills provides warning of dangers to come.

“This prophetic gift is unreliable, at least for us. We don’t know how often it works, only that she has taken to acting when times are truly perilous, instead offering small sightings like this to nudge us in the right direction.”

“Whoa,” Iris said.

Secretary Thii chuckled. “Yes. She is quite mysterious, and an impressive woman.”

“Why would she speak to me then? Twice?”

“I think she is telling us that our fates might be more intertwined with the UIR than we previously expected. The fact that she appeared twice is as pointed as she’s ever been, without appearing in our leaders' chambers and telling her what to do.”

Secretary Thii took a deep breath. “I am worried, with all of the developments around the galaxy, and it seems like I was right to be. I do not know what the Ghost wants, and if she wanted to be more hands on, we’d welcome it. For now, we must honor our deal with Humanity. But I will give you another gift. Not a trade, but something that should help you in your fights with the Empire of Humanity.

“It will have to be enough. But if you can bring me hard evidence of the banned technology, or even another violation like the attack on your Governor, my people will reconsider the treaty with the humans. That’s all I can offer.”

“It’s more than I could have hoped, Madam Secretary. Thank you.”

A sadness crossed the Secretary’s face, briefly. “Thank you, Nillin. I hope you and your Governor can do whatever it is you need to do to keep our people safe.”

Chapter nine

We consolidated our position on the space station. My soldiers quickly scouted the entire place, finding what we needed. There was a large prison complex which made use of. It was currently empty, so we didn’t know what use it served originally.

While my troops were handling that, I read through the Guide Book. I’d received it when we founded the United Interplanetary Republic. It was a small gray book, the size of a book for younger readers in school, maybe seven inches by four inches, and only one hundred pages long.

The book held a secret. When I read it, I could flip through it for way more pages than it should have — I didn’t even know how long it really was. I tried to read some whenever I got the chance, although that wasn’t as often as I’d like. Otherwise, I used it at times like this to figure out a specific mechanic of the Game I needed to understand or refresh myself on.

I opened it to the chapter on claiming systems from other civilizations. There were multiple, so I focused on the most relevant.

Claiming Contested Systems, Part One

If your civilization comes into conflict with another, you may wish to capture a system from them, either for your own gain or to deny them the relevant resources and population.

This can be accomplished in three general ways, although there may be other options, depending on the specifics of your situation.

The first is the easiest. The controlling civilization relinquishes the system to you. This can be done by the controlling government, generally the leader or their appointed representatives. Otherwise, the highest-ranked officer or leader within the system can surrender at the capital of the system.

The capital is either the first founded settlement, or it can be reassigned to another location. This cannot be done while an enemy force is within the system. (More information on capitals can be found in Section Five, Part Two, Chapters Nine through Thirteen.)

The second method involves conquering the capital. Your forces must entirely occupy the capital, and the overall strength and number must be enough to hold it. The Game determines this based on the number of troops, average level, and the strength of fleets in the system.

This is done to prevent a small strike force from capturing systems without the ability to hold it.

The final method is total elimination. If there are no free or living members of the current civilization in the system, the conqueror can claim the system from any terminal, including one of their ships.

That all made sense to me. We’d either use the first or second method, as I didn’t think we’d be able to imprison every human here, and I wouldn’t kill everyone either. We’d see how strong the forces on the planet were, but I was confident we’d be able to take the capital if they didn’t surrender.

Once we finished securing our hold on our newly captured station, the leaders of our forces gathered in the hangar of the space station to discuss our plans.

On top of my squad, Jackie and Roux arrived to represent the fighters, while the new Admiral Ishani spoke for the fleet. We pulled out some chairs and sat in a circle near the shuttles. Marlowe sat in as well, as she had a lot of experience with the Empire. She was a familiar face to the humans under the Emperor’s rule, so if there was a chance she could sway them, we’d take it.

“Thanks for coming,” I said. “We’re ready to move onto the next stage of our plan, and I want to be as quick as possible. It’s safe to assume that the Empire already knows about the attack. Enough people died that some had to have respawned out of the system.”

“Most respawn points are away from where the soldiers are stationed,” Samantha said. “That keeps them from being killed right away again from a surprise attack. Like this one.”

“That’s right,” Marlowe agreed. “The Empire doesn’t care about spending lives, but they would rather not waste them if they can help it.”

“Got it. So I want to take the planet before any response arrives. Once we have the capital, the system will become fully ours, and we can build some more defenses to keep it.”

“Do we know where the capital is?” Bethany asked.

“Yes. The station terminals here belong to us, but they still have all the system information on it. The capital is a city on the planet below us — New Thebes. Admiral Ishani, has the scout ship finished their scan?”

Admiral Ishani grinned, leaning back in her chair. “Just a few minutes ago. This is a really soft target. The only city with planetary shields is the capital. They don’t have any anti-air guns at all, just walls.”

“Turrets?”

“Nope. There’s a barracks in the city, the standard starting size, along with a Guard Station.”

“So, in the worst-case scenario, they could have one hundred or so soldiers. Any Militia Stations?” We had a few Militia Stations on Haven and Palana. They provided upgraded weapons and armor to non-combat classes in the case of an attack. It wouldn’t provide a lot of firepower, but the Gumalagians had underestimated us partially thanks to those weapons, and I wouldn’t make the same mistake.

“Nope. They are wildly unprepared for an attack. I have a feeling the Empire doesn’t care that much about this place. Which makes sense, as there are only six settlements on the planet outside the capital, all near mines.”

Marlowe spoke up again. “You chose this spot to cut them off from the other five systems. It’s a safe bet that the Empire only took this system to have a protected shipping route from the more valuable planets.”

“We all saw Kani’s map,” Rebekah said. “There aren’t a lot of dangers out here besides the Mizarians, so the ships we took down are probably all that they need.”

“Then let’s hit them hard. Since there is a shield, we’ll have shuttles land to the west of New Thebes. Jackie, I want you and Roux to fly patrols around the city, while two of our versatile battleships hover on the north and south side. If reinforcements come, fire some warning shots first, but don’t let them hit you.

“While we’re doing that, I want the rest of the fleet to stay on alert above the planet. If the Empire responds, we’ll be ready.”

“What do you want me to do with the three ships we captured?” Ishani asked.

“Do we have the crew to man them right away?”

She nodded. “The Defensive Battleship, yeah. We hoped we would take one, so we have a crew ready. The two corvettes are another story. We can probably crew them, but I’d be worried about stretching ourselves too thin.”

“Then park the two corvettes away from the station and unmanned. If everything goes well, we’ll be holing up here for a while, so the next transport can bring more crew for those two ships. Any other questions?”

Everyone shook their heads, and the meeting broke up. It was time to capture a planet.

***

Our shuttles set down a mile outside of the walls of the city. New Thebes looked like many of the cities back on our home world — small, with an almost colonial feel to the buildings. It wasn’t as big as Haven, and I felt confident my troops could handle the fight.

That said, I knew that attacking a fortified position was still difficult, and I wanted to avoid casualties. So once my army was assembled, we approached the walls.

There was a sparse forest in the area, thin enough we could march through easily, but thick enough to provide some basic cover.

We had almost five hundred soldiers with us, and I arranged them far enough back that I felt they were safe. They had plenty of cover with the trees and hill, so a surprise from the New Thebes defenders wouldn’t hurt us too badly. I moved forward, with Bethany covering me, and waved a white shirt I had in my inventory that, I hoped, would signal a peaceful attempt at conversation. The two constructs were with me as well, which I hoped showed that we had a lot of power on our side.

The wooden walls stood almost twenty feet tall. A handful of defenders gathered on the top above the gates, their guns out and pointed in my direction. The oldest of the soldiers was a man with gray on his temples, and he studied me for a moment.

“Say what you have to say, and then get on with it,” he shouted down to me.

“Are you in charge here?” I asked.

“Close enough.”

“Can I get your name?” He didn’t respond, so I shook my head and said, “Then I was hoping you’d surrender.”

“How often does that work for you?”

“So far? About half the time. We’ve got you outnumbered and outgunned. I know what kind of guards a place like this has — I was assigned to a similar spot. I’m sure you’re all valiant and strong, but I’m pretty sure we have more soldiers than this planet has people on it.”

“And we’ve got walls and shields. You’ll lose a lot of them just getting up here.”

“So, I take that as a no, then?”

“No, you’re not going to bluff your way into the town, son. Now go on back to your little play soldiers, and we’ll get this started.”

“You don’t even have turrets or other real defenses, man. I did, and it still didn’t stop people with powers taking the walls.”

He growled, a threat clear in his voice, “We’ve talked enough. Do what you’re here to do, and we’ll see what happens.”

I tossed the white shirt back into my inventory as I backed up, bringing the Constructs with me. When I reached Bethany a hundred yards back, I said, “Well, I tried.”

“We’re ready to assault the walls, if you'd like,” she said.

“I only saw six soldiers up there,” I said. “Maybe some more were keeping their heads down, but some have to be around the walls in case we attack there, too.”

“So what should we do?”

“What would you do?”

She blinked in surprise. “Shouldn’t you ask Rebekah?”

“We need more leaders, Bethany. I know you’ve led some teams already, and I want to give you more experience.”

“I’m not sure that I’m cut out to be a General.”

“Maybe not. But you’re a strong fighter who I trust more than almost anyone else. There’s almost no world where you won’t eventually be leading a platoon or a small strike force. We can’t always be fighting together, right?”

“Right.” Bethany thought for a moment. Her sharp eyes, able to see further and clearer than mine thanks to her insanely high Aiming Stat, roamed the walls. “There are two options. Well, three, but I don’t think we have the time or patience for a full on siege.”

I laughed. “No, you can mark that one off the list.”

“Then we can either throw everything we have at them, trying to knock them down quickly. We’ll probably lose some people that way.”

“That’s right.”

“Otherwise, we can send a small team we think can handle themselves. Treat it almost like a dungeon. If they see four or six people kill the defenders here, then they might just throw down their weapons and call it a day.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I think we give them a show of force. But we’re going to take it one further. How shocking will it be for one person to take out the defenders? You cover me.” I turned to the Constructs. “You two climb the wall. If you get up and over, throw the gates open, then come find me and back me up.”

“Yes, Master,” they said in unison.

“It still creeps me out that they take the form of your harem members,” Bethany said.

She wasn’t wrong. I still wasn’t used to it, especially because the replicas were so close to perfect, but totally lifeless. “You’re telling me. Are you ready for this?”

“Yeah. Wait, Carter, before you go, are you really telling me you brought the whole army down here just to watch you take a town by yourself?”

“Well, that wasn’t my plan, but since you came up with such a good one, I guess so.” I leaned close to her and kissed her cheek.

She sighed. “That’s not what I suggested. Well, I’ll cover you. Try not to die.”

I started walking back toward the walls. “Deal. And hey, I’ve got four, so it’s not that big of a risk. Constructs, attack!”

“Yes, Master!”

As they charged forward, I cast Flight on myself.

Flight — This spell allows the caster to fly. The duration lasts for one minute per ten points of Magic. It can be used once per day.

The spell would let me fly for twelve minutes, and I could move a little faster than I could run, which was pretty fast with my boosted stats.

I summoned a Defensive Shield onto my arm along with my sword and sprinted after the Constructs. My upward mobility would be a fun surprise for the guards. When we arrived near the walls, the defenders started shooting at us. The older guard was as tricky as I expected, as now close to twenty soldiers were up there.

I saw one explode as Bethany picked him off. Taking that as my cue, I jumped into the air. Instead of arcing back down, I shot towards the top of the wall.

“Holy shit,” someone yelled as they all flinched backwards.

I cast Forked Lightning. More than a dozen bolts of lightning shot out from the tip of my sword, each one finding a target. About half died immediately, while several more were blasted off the wall to fall to the ground below. The others took the hit but stayed to fight some more.

I landed on the wall, my sword chopping through the arm of a guard before I kicked him off the wall. I spun, catching fire on my Shield from behind.

Fifty feet down the wall, the old guard grinned as he hefted a rocket launcher and aimed it my way. Three of his soldiers were near me, and I didn’t expect him to fire.

But then he did.

“They’ll promote me for this,” he laughed.

The rocket shot out. I reacted as quickly as I could, my stats boosting my Reflexes. I cast Telekinesis on the rocket and slammed it to the top of the wall. It had only traveled ten feet or so, and the explosion took out a couple more of his soldiers and launched him backwards.

He smashed onto the edge of the platform we were all on, before dropping to the ground.

I expected he had the demolitions class, which meant he’d probably take less damage from his own weapons, so I couldn’t count him out yet.

But there were still opponents on the wall for me to deal with.

I kicked one in the chest, sending her flying into a clump of other soldiers.

THUMP

A bronze fist gripped the top of the wall, and the Iris Construct pulled itself over.

“Oh, hell no,” I heard someone mutter.

The other Construct arrived as well, and I felt the shift in the soldiers around me. I sprang forward and cut one down, following up with a thrust through another. Bethany picked off one more, killing a strong-looking Gunner right in the middle of the group. At that point, the few remaining soldiers broke, running away down the walls.

The Constructs leapt off the wall and down into the town. I took a moment to see who else was around. The old guard was limping away, a few of his men with him as he headed towards a building that looked like the Town Center. I saw a handful of troops spread along the top of the wall — small clusters of two or three men and women watching the other directions for attacks that weren’t coming.

A couple of the poor soldiers didn’t get the memo of their commander's retreat and rushed at the Constructs without any support. They were quickly cut down.

The old guard reached the Town Center. He turned, and glared at me before slamming the door behind him.

With my flight still active, I rose into the sky and shot towards the Town Center. It was similar to the ones we built, except it had been expanded to a third story. I touched down on the roof, alone in the center of an enemy city.

An energy blast splashed against my chest, singing the uniform I wore, but otherwise not hurting me thanks to all of my armor.

I turned to locate the source of it. A soldier on the wall to my north shook as he held his starter rifle. I pointed my sword at him before shaking it side to side like I was wagging my finger at him. He dropped his gun and raised his hands, apparently terrified of someone who could take a shot to the chest without flinching. At least this plan was working a little.

But I’d gotten lucky he didn’t have a more powerful gun. I cast Protective Shell on myself. A white glowing armor surrounded me, fading down to a translucent sheen. I could add it to other targets, but all of my troops were out of sight, so I put two of the additional charges on my Constructs still chopping at the bar of the gate.

They were already tough as hell, but this might extend their life if anyone managed to hurt them.

That done, I shoved my sword into the roof, sawing in a circle. It took me thirty seconds before enough of the roof was damaged that a section fell down, disappearing into pixels before it hit the floor below.

The entire top floor was a massive bedroom. A luxurious bed sat near the north wall, with a large sitting area and T.V. on the east wall. A door on the south wall led to a humongous bathroom. I went through the final door on the west wall, finding a landing with some stairs leading down.

BZZZT

A handful of shots hit the wall at the top of the stairs as I ducked back.

“We heard you coming, traitor,” the old guard shouted.

“Yeah, man, I wasn’t very subtle about it. Now, how about we talk about surrender?”

“You’re ready to give up? You’re trapped up there.”

“Come on. You saw me fly, right?” I sighed. “You really should give up. There’s no more need for bloodshed.”

He snorted. “We’re fighting to the death here. Yours, preferably.”

I sighed. “It doesn’t have to be that way, but so be it.”

Stepping onto the top of the steps, I summoned another Defensive Shield. A storm of blasts landed against it, harmlessly splashing off the swirling barrier. I peeked around the edge, seeing eight soldiers at the bottom of the stairs, crouched behind a hastily assembled furniture barricade.

These troops looked tougher than the ones I’d faced on the wall. They had better guns and armor, and looked older than me. That didn’t mean they were more powerful, but it did mean they’d survived the brutal human army long enough to visibly age, so I couldn’t underestimate them.

I dropped my sword and shifted my gun into a mid-range automatic rifle. Twisting to the opposite side I looked from before, I fired quickly. My shots hit one soldier in the shoulder, knocking him back as he groaned in pain. I returned to cover before the shots they fired back could land.

An odd sizzling noise came from below. It took me a second to place it, as I heard it often, but normally from my side.

The leader had fired another rocket up at me. It was pointless, since my Shield would block it. All he would do is damage the building.

Which is exactly what he wanted, apparently.

BOOM

The explosion rocked the whole Town Center, and the floor dissolved below me as fire spread around the room.

I dropped down, before catching myself with my flight and lifting back up. They took advantage, though, and a searing pain spread across my right leg. Two of the soldiers managed to hit me on the same shin, breaking through the protective shell as it vanished.

“Ouch,” I complained. “Either it’s not as good as I thought, or these guys can put out a lot of damage.”

I cast Healing Burst, and a wave of green energy spread from my hand and down to my leg. The pain quickly faded, and whatever damage they’d done was gone. I could have let my own high Recovery handle it, but I wanted them to know just how powerful I really was.

“Nice try,” I shouted.

“We’ll get you yet, traitor.”

The floor dropping out didn’t affect my Defensive Shield, since it would stay totally immobile unless it was on my arm. It still provided plenty of protection, but with the top half of the stairs vaporized, the next rocket could shoot under it and explode against the wall behind me where I wasn’t covered.

It was time to end this.

I cast Cloud of Blades and Dance of Destruction right after each other. Over sixty foot-long steel blades appeared in a swirling cloud around me. Then I shot down, flying down the stairs faster than a sprinting cheetah.

I crashed into the first soldier, running him through before he even knew I was there. He was tougher than the others, and it took another hit before he died, even with my spell boosting the damage of my melee weapons.

There were eight more around me — the seven behind the barricades and their leader reloading the RPG. They reacted quickly to the man surrounded by a swarm of blades appearing behind their cover.

The Cloud of Blade spells worked intuitively, spinning around me in a deadly swarm. I lunged forward to the nearest two soldiers, swinging my sword at one while three blades stabbed into the other.

“Fire, idiots,” the leader shouted as he tried to jam the ammo into his launcher.

“But our men are there,” another replied.

“Don’t worry about friendly fire, just kill the traitor!”

The soldier I attacked blocked my first strike with a knife he summoned at the last second. The impact from my swing bent his arm back and sent him sliding. The other wasn’t as lucky, as the first three blades disarmed him — literally.

Even with his right arm dropping to the ground with a wet thud, he pulled a pistol out to fire. Another blade took him in the throat. He managed to stay standing until one of his own troops shot him trying to hit me.

I twisted around the man who blocked my first hit, putting him between me and the others as I stepped into a hallway away from the landing. He swung at me, more aggressive than I expected. He was fast, strong, and determined.

In the narrow hallway, his blade was more mobile than my sword. But I had more than just my sword. I focused on him, and a half dozen blades slammed into him, cutting him deep and throwing him out of the hallway.

As he flew one way, I knew more shots were heading my direction. I summoned another Defensive Shield and ducked down.

BOOM

Another rocket exploded, destroying more of the floor and ceiling, throwing fire everywhere. The old guard was starting to piss me off.

“You want fire. Have some fire!”

I cast Fireball and threw the basketball-sized orb of fire at the leader. It shot out at him.

“Shit!”

He dove to one side, too late. The ball exploded, covering the entire landing in a wave of fire that left every flammable surface covered in flames.

From where I stood, I noticed that at least three of his soldiers had gone up in pixels, plus the one I’d skewered and thrown from the hallway. The rest were out of sight, but I hoped they were down for the count.

Unfortunately, the leader still wasn’t done.

He stood back up, laughing, as flames burned at his uniform. His protective vest glowed red, and the flames seemed to avoid actually harming him. “You’re going to have to try harder than that, traitor.”

“You’re one tough cookie,” I said. “Let’s do this.”

I activated my Honorable Challenge ability. Against Game generated monsters, it worked like a taunt, making them attack me. With someone like the leader, it would just give me a damage boost against him.

I flew forward, slashing with my sword at his gut. He blocked with his forearm, the blade ringing as if it struck metal. His other sleeve dropped off, finally burned away. Under the uniform, he had metal strips along his arm, almost like an exoskeleton. The change surprised me, and he struck out, moving unbelievably fast. He cracked me on the chest, sending me sprawling across the burning floor.

“I didn’t get this job because I got lucky and got a second class,” he growled. “I earned it, starting as a Grunt and killing my way through aliens and dungeons alike.”

Rolling to my feet, I stepped back, trying to see what other surprises he had. A quick look around the room confirmed the rest of the soldiers died with my fireball, or fled.

“You know, I never got your name,” I said.

“You won’t need it. You’ll be dead soon enough, traitor.”

He clapped his hands, and when he pulled them apart, both hands held steel clubs, almost like a baton, an inch thick and two feet long.

“Ooo, dramatic flair,” I said. “I should do more of that. I guess the flying around and spells do a lot for me.”

“What a waste of potential,” the guard said. “You could have made this Empire a major power.”

“Hey now, I didn’t turn on the Emperor. He sold me out to some aliens. Then tried to kill me again.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s all true. But you’ll never believe me.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll kill you and be rewarded. You’re my ticket off this rock and back into the service.”

He lunged at me, swinging the clubs quickly. I blocked one and dodged the second, but he was fast. He clearly wasn’t lying when he said he earned this — he had to be one of the highest level people I’d fought, and I didn’t have my Savior Complex available since I came in on my own. Which I was starting to regret, as the boost from the skill was so helpful.

We fought across the floor, the guard keeping up with me even with my flight. The multiple explosions along with the fireball meant that more and more of the Town Center was disappearing as it burned.

My Cloud of Blades was the only thing keeping him from overwhelming me. It struck out at him, and he was fast enough to bat away the floating knives as fast as they came. As soon as he blocked one, it would disappear while it flipped away. I was already down to thirty, and knew I wouldn’t have many more.

Once they were gone, he’d have the upper hand.

That gave me an idea. I threw myself backwards, using the flight to launch myself away from the leader. I was aiming for the hallway, but didn’t look first so I smashed through a wall into a residential room like the ones my harem lived in. It was small, with only a bed and a desk.

The wall hurt less than the hits from the guard, so I kept it up, bashing through another wall as he charged after me.

Once I was two rooms through, I cast Fire Breath. A cone of fire shot out of my mouth, blasting what was left of the wall before shooting into the next room and the one beyond that, lighting everything with magical flames.

“You idiot,” he called out, spreading his arms wide as if he was enjoying a cool breeze. “Can’t you tell that fire can’t hurt me.”

I didn’t answer as the spell continued. Once it petered out, I replied, “Yeah. But it can hurt the building.”

He raised an eyebrow — also somehow unburnt — as the floor cracked and then vanished beneath him. He dropped to the first floor with a crash. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Quickly, I cast Enchant Weapon, adding Psychic damage to my sword. My flight spell was nearing the end of its time, so I used the last burst to throw myself after him, down onto the ground floor. My sword led the way into an office — nicer than mine on Haven, but similar.

He was getting to his feet as I crashed into him. He managed to get a block up at the last second, but I still nicked his upper arm as he knocked my sword out of the way.

“Ahhh!” He gasped and stumbled back, shock in his eyes.

I swung again, this time seeing he was slower than before. Whether that was the Psychic damage or a skill wearing off, I didn’t know, but I’d take it. As he lunged for me, attacking hard, I cast Waves of Force.

Shimmering waves erupted from me. It caught him and hurled him backwards through the wall. He crashed through the lobby where our dining table and meeting room would be in our Town Center and smashed against the far wall.

I shifted my gun to a pistol and unloaded on him, managing a few hits of my own. I had to assume he had a sky-high Recovery, just like me. It meant he’d heal quickly if I didn’t overwhelm him with damage. The more injuries someone had, the slower Recovery worked as it split its focus.

As he stood again, I cast Forked Lightning, which had just come off of cooldown. The utility of the spell was hitting multiple targets, and most crashed against the wall or furniture, blowing holes in them. But one hit the leader, landing first on one of his clubs and shooting up his arm.

He convulsed and dropped the weapon.

I was already in the gap, slicing my sword into his unprotected side. He was too slow to block, and the sword bit deep into his arm. It didn’t sever it — probably due to Armor, but it did cause another burst of Psychic damage.

“Ahhhh!”

He roared in pain, trying to stumble away but running into the wall I’d thrown him into.

Then I focused on what was left of my Cloud of Blades. I launched all of them at once. The thirty or so blades lanced at him. He tried to block, and managed to knock nearly a dozen away as the rest cut into him.

He looked like a gruesome butterfly, pinned against the wall.

They were already starting to vanish, so I stabbed my sword into his chest. It plunged through his heart. He shook, growling, “The Emperor will kill you eventually.” With those words, he vanished in a cloud of pixels.

I slumped down, exhausted. I’d burned through almost every trick in my book to beat him, and it almost didn’t work.

The door shattered, and I struggled to my feet.

“Are you well, Master?”

My two Constructs walked in. I groaned, wishing they’d been here a minute earlier to help distract him. “Where were you?”

“We eliminated the threats outside the building.”

“Good.”

I pulled out my Controller and messaged Rebekah and Bethany.

Carter: It’s done. Have our troops take the town.

Bethany: Are you okay?

Carter: Yeah. I don’t think I should do something like that in the future.

Rebekah: You shouldn’t have done it this time.

Carter: Fair.

I sat down on the one undamaged couch. Fire raged above me, but the room was relatively free of smoke.

All of a sudden, the entire Town Center vanished in a cloud of pixels, taking the couch with it. I fell to the ground, flat on my back.

“Feels about right.”

Chapter ten

Once the United Interplanetary Republic’s army occupied New Thebes, claimed the entire Nouran system through a terminal in the town. Apparently the majority of their ground forces were here, and with the strength of our fleet, the Game determined us eligible to become the new rulers.

We set about rounding everyone up. All of the remaining soldiers were confined to the small cells in the Guard Station. It was crowded, but they still fit. The Laborers were asked to remain in their homes, but we otherwise left them alone for the time being.

Along with the notification, I leveled up. Now level fifty-six, I had nine points to assign. Three went into Sword Master and Love’s Strength. Fighting an opponent that tough made me realize how much more I needed, and while it wouldn’t substitute for raw experience, those two boosts should help a lot.

I put one point into Willpower, which would help with my overall health among other abilities, and the final two went into Reflexes. I’d been slacking on upgrading that since I so often used Savior Complex. But I was not fast enough for him without it, and I knew that I wouldn’t always be able to rely on my trump card.

The first order of business was rebuilding the Town Center that I’d destroyed. We brought a decent number of resources along, expecting to need to do some construction. I paid for the instant build function. Since it had been entirely destroyed, we couldn’t just repair it back from non-existence.

We held our first meeting to plan the rest of our occupation. Ishani stayed on the New Dawn, while Jackie and Roux joined us in person.

When everyone was assembled, I went to start the meeting but was interrupted by Ishani talking over me through the video link.

“So did you have to conquer a planet all by yourself because we didn’t let you help out in the space battle?”

Everyone laughed.

“A little,” I admitted. “I was hoping a show of strength would lead to them surrendering. But they had a few powerful soldiers of their own, so it didn’t work.”

“Next time, do it with one hand tied behind your back,” C.J. offered. “Maybe that will do it.”

“Or do it naked,” Samantha said. “That kind of worked with the volcano dungeon on Palana.”

“Alright, the last thing we need is footage of the Hero flying around with his wang out,” Marlowe said. “They’d play that on every Controller from here to the far edges of the Empire.”

“Yeah, I also would prefer not to be naked,” I said.

“Are you sure that wouldn’t win him a few fans?” Roux asked. “He seems to keep collecting women.”

Marlowe tapped her chin thoughtfully. “You know, you might be onto something. Maybe we shouldn’t rule it out right away.”

I groaned. “Please stop talking about this.”

“No, no, let her cook,” C.J. said.

“A special video might be what we need to win over some of the more desperate humans, if you know what I mean.” Marlowe grinned.

I put my head in my hands as they kept teasing me.

When they got it all out of their system, we managed to get back on track, thanks to Bethany. “It wasn’t a total failure of a plan. There were a decent number of people who surrendered outside of the Town Center. And we didn’t lose anyone.”

I smiled at her, appreciating the save. “It was a great plan from Bethany, poorly executed by me. Now, we need to prepare for our next steps.”

“I played a small part. Admiral Ishani and our space force performed admirably as well. We took the system with no real casualties,” Bethany said. “In fact, considering the ships that we captured, we’re stronger now than we were when we came through.”

“There were four fighters parked in a hangar in town,” Jackie said. “That will help us replace the ones from the Defensive Battleship we captured.”

“Excellent,” I said. “Did we find anything else in town? What are its capabilities?”

“We were right that this system is more of a way station than a valuable colony,” Rebekah said. “The Scout Battleship ran its survey, and this planet has Iron and Copper, along with Hardwood, but that’s it. Any Stone a building needed, they had to ship in. The other planets are equally resource weak. There is Stone on one of the moons, but it’s not habitable without a lot more technology, so mining it wasn’t worth it.

“The biggest point in the system’s favor is that on top of this planet, two of the others could support colonies without additional tech, as well as one of the moons.”

“So four potential population centers,” I realized. “But we’d need to import a lot of resources to make it work. Or look into mining on that moon.”

“Yeah,” Rebekah said. “We can build an enclosed mine, like we have on the asteroids in Lange. But we might be putting the cart in front of the horse. We’re not sure if we’ll hold the system in the long run. It may make sense to trade it for serious concessions from the Empire.”

Nodding, I looked around the table. “Speaking of making their lives harder, have we let the Mizarians know that any shipments will have to go through other systems?”

Bethany spoke up. “I messaged Nillin once we claimed the planet. She’ll get word to them through diplomatic channels.”

“Good. That’ll hopefully turn up the heat.”

My second-in-command went over the rest of what we’d found out about the system.

“The other towns are all mining focused, collecting Iron and Copper, along with any Hardwood in the immediate surrounding area. This town has a factory, as well as four farms. That is enough to feed both New Thebes, the other towns, and the space station. The space station has factories as well. Based on the unshipped goods we found, they seem focused on making armor and weapons.”

“So they made weapons here, but didn’t equip their guards with any of them.” I shook my head. “Not that it would have changed much.”

“There are some decent Mark Two guns, as well as Mark Two vests and boots,” Rebekah said. “For a lot of our soldiers, those are steps up, especially newer arrivals who didn’t get guns as part of their class.

“I’ve got a group going through and sorting them out, and we’ll make sure everyone who needs it has it.”

“Should we be holding off on that?” Marlowe asked. The redhead raised an eyebrow, facing her.

“Why?”

“Wouldn’t those shipments be more bargaining chips for us?”

“Not a bad point,” Admiral Ishani agreed.

“I’m more concerned with holding the system. That’s the big dealmaker,” I explained. “This will help with that. It’ll keep our troops alive, and maybe make them think twice before attacking. A couple transports of weapons are worth a lot to us, but it won’t move the needle in the negotiations. We’re dealing with whole systems right now. What will help is that we won’t destroy the factories, because they are a good point in any deal.”

“Aww, do I get to blow anything up?” C.J asked.

“Eventually,” I told her. She gave me a crooked grin while Samantha rolled her eyes. “So we have a bunch of factories. Anything else?”

“There was a small research station here,” Rebekah said. “Nothing like the other one, thank god. But we took the gear they had, as well as three blueprints they were working on. Nothing special, and all were less than thirty percent complete. There was a Mark Two Grenade launcher, a Mark Three armored vest, and a Rank Three Flying Armored Transport — a cross between a shuttle and a gunship.”

“That sounds helpful if we have to do more planet invasions. Send those to Kellantra on the next ship heading back,” I said. “They might not be urgent, but I don’t hate adding them to our collection.”

Rebekah shared a few more details. Between guards in other towns, New Thebes, and in space, we had just over two hundred in prison, along with seventy crew from the battleship and the corvettes. There were close to one thousand Laborers and other non-combatants spread across the planet.

We decided to leave the other towns alone for the time being, outside of taking their guards to prevent anyone from fighting back. Two of the towns lacked even defensive walls, so we constructed them, using supplies from the town for it.

“I did hear one thing,” Samantha offered as Rebekah wrapped up.

She commanded a tank, and it was currently our only armored vehicle, so she often helped out in other areas. Sam had joined the group, rounding up the other soldiers. She explained, “One of the soldiers mentioned having some information to trade for her safety.”

“What did you do with her?” I asked.

“I pulled her aside, and we’ve got her under guard in one of the houses. I didn’t want anyone else trying to silence her before you got a chance to talk to her.”

“You didn’t ask her?”

“She said she would only talk to the Hero.”

“A low-level soldier probably doesn’t know much,” Marlowe said. “But if she got reassigned after dying, she might actually have useful information.”

“Alright, that’s where I’ll go after the meeting.”

With that done, I laid out our next steps.

“We need to hold this system. We know that the Empire’s individual fleets are probably under powered, compared to ours. That doesn’t mean we can take it for granted. They might come with one, just to test us, and that could do some serious damage. Or they come in force with two or three, trying to take us out right away. That was always the risk in coming here.

“Plus, there’s the threat to our other systems. I don’t think it’s likely, but I want to be ready. Admiral, what’s the status of our fleet?”

Ishani rocked side to side in her Captain’s chair. “It’s good. I spoke to Natalie and Diwa. They’re hard at work on more defensive ships, so we should be set on that front. They are sending a transport with more troops and crew for the captured corvettes. It’ll have more supplies as well, so anything you need, let me know by the end of the day so they can add it.”

“Great. I’ll get you a list based on what I’ve seen here. I want our Builders to be in two groups. There are empty modules on that space station. I want one converted into a defensive platform.”

The defensive platform was a newer technology from our research corps. It provided a large number of guns and shields for the station, turning it into a formidable fighter in its own right. It wouldn’t hold up against a dedicated attack all on its own, but it would make the area around the station dangerous while the fleet was around.

If the Empire of Humanity built one before we arrived, we definitely would have lost ships.

The second group would be working on a similar project, just on the ground. “I want the others here in New Thebes building planetary guns outside the walls.”

They were large structures like cannons that could fire into space battles. Planetary guns were resource intensive and needed a decently large staff to operate, but they did a lot to add some serious firepower to the system. We had them on all of our colonies, and while the guns by themselves couldn’t prevent an invasion, with a few built, it would take a lot more than two fleets to really threaten us.

“I want to meet with this soldier, but then Marlowe and I have some work to do with the prisoners. If there’s nothing else, let’s get to work.”

***

The soldier who wanted to speak with me was being kept in a house near the landing pad. Most of the residences were close to the Town Center, but a handful were here, and as far as we could tell, were empty.

Two guards stood outside the door, one I didn’t know. The other was Winona, one of our earliest soldiers. She’d come a long way from the terrified Grunt she started as. Like Bethany with me, Rebekah was grooming her for leadership roles. We all hoped she would unlock a Squad or Platoon Leader second class soon.

“General,” she said as I walked up to the door with Marlowe in tow.

“Hey, Winona. I hear you have someone who wants to speak with me.”

“Yes, sir.” She looked over at Winona. “But she said alone, so you might want to leave Marlowe here.”

I looked at the blonde bombshell, who shrugged. A low ranked soldier on an important colony probably wasn’t a threat, but I cast Protective Shell on myself anyway. The other three people glowed, gasping in surprise as I used them as my extra targets. I debated calling my Constructs, but decided against it. I’d left them at the Town Center as backup guards, and also to not terrify anyone who’d seen them cut through the defenders.

I knocked at the door. A moment later, I heard someone say, “Come in.”

Opening it, I stepped into the small home. It was a one-bedroom house, with a living room and kitchen that took up most of the space.

A woman sat on the couch, looking nervous. She was tall — even sitting, I could tell — with dark hair and eyes. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Hi,” I said. “You wanted to tell me something? Here I am.” I gestured to the chair across from the couch. “Do you mind?”

She shook her head. “Sorry, please.”

I sat down, studying the woman. Her eyes darted to the door, then to me, then to the ground.

“So, I’m Carter Ash. I assume you’ve heard a lot about me.”

“Yes. Everyone in Humanity has heard of the Hero. I’m Valerie.”

“I should probably say most of what you’ve heard isn’t true. The Empire has a habit of doing a lot of propaganda. For instance, I didn’t die like they said.”

She laughed. “I can see that.”

“And whatever you tell me, I promise we won’t kill you or any other prisoners. I’m not totally sure what they’ve said about me when it comes to that, but we make a habit of letting people join us if they'd like. If not, we’ll send them back. I’m giving you the abbreviated version of what everyone else will hear in a little bit.”

“That’s very kind,” she said.

“Now, what did you want to tell me?”

“I guess I should start with how I know what I know. Joining the Game was rough, but I did okay. Not as well as you, but I managed to get a decent class out of the whole thing. A Gunner.”

“My second-in-command started with that class,” I said. “Mid-range, good firepower. Probably not thrown into the meat grinder right away.”

“Yeah. It meant I was assigned to a pretty decent post in the Mul-Vay system. Not a safe one, since the Mizarians raid it on occasion, and there’s always the chance we’d have to go take another system.”

“I get it. I’ve heard how bad it can be for Grunts, so consider yourself lucky.”

The woman smiled faintly, and I was struck by another flash of familiarity. But I still couldn’t place the woman.

Valerie replied, “I do. I really do. Anyway, while I was there, I did a rotation guarding the space station. I’m not sure how well you know this region, but Mul-Vay is only one jump away from here.”

Pulling up my Controller, I looked at the map Kani had given me. Zooming in, I saw the system she was referring to.

If we viewed the Empire as north of where we were, our current system, Nouran, was the choke point for the five systems to the south of us. Mul-Vay was the next jump down, and connected to the other four. We chose Nouran because there was one system in either direction, before the Empire’s territory branched.

“Mul-Vay is much more of a trade hub than this system. All of the other four systems ship goods there, and then they are loaded up and sent back to the Empire. The Delphinians would even stop by and purchase goods. Humanity transports occasionally pick up stuff here, but nothing like Mul-Vay.”

“Seems like a decent posting,” I said. Any soldier who didn’t have to plunge into a battle against enemy forces had it good.

“Yeah. I made some friends, and on my off days I spent time at a bar that the transport crews frequented. The other soldiers could be a bit much, so it was nice to spend time with more normal people. That’s where I heard the rumor.”

“A rumor?”

“What I wanted to tell you.”

“A rumor isn’t much to go on.”

“I know, but once you hear it, I think you’ll at least want to look into it.”

I paused, looking at the woman one more time. “Why share this? I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I wonder why you’d risk trying to get my attention, knowing I’m the traitor.”

Valerie looked down at her hands, clutching them in her lap. She thought for a moment, before whispering, “I think I can trust you.”

“You think you can trust me? Why?”

“My name is Valerie. Valerie Flemming.”

“Oh. Oh!”

And it suddenly hit me why she looked familiar. She was taller than Iris, and not as athletic, but the features were similar, and they both had the same nose.

She was Iris’s sister.

“Iris wasn’t sure you were in the Game,” I said.

“She’s still alive?”

I nodded. Valerie let out a small sob, covering her mouth. “I hoped she was, especially once I saw you were here.”

“I didn’t realize that Iris was well known in the Empire.”

“She’s not. They mentioned you had a harem, and occasionally, there would be pictures of you with the women. I recognized her, obviously, but the first picture I saw that included her was when they announced that you’d died. So I was worried she was dead, and something felt wrong, so I didn’t want to reach out. Then I knew I couldn’t risk it once they announced you were a traitor. I’m not sure whether I could have even sent it to you.”

“Probably not. We’re close enough it might work, but I don’t know once we cross the borders to another civilization. And you were smart to not send it earlier. Iris didn’t want to try and find you either, because she was worried that they’d try and use you to get to her or me.”

“That’s why I wanted to meet you. I know it’s just a rumor, but I had to find out what happened to Iris.”

“She’s fine, Valerie. We met in Basic, but she did not enjoy combat. At all. Now she’s a big part of our government, and is currently on a diplomatic mission to the Delphinians.”

“Wow. She’s an ambassador?”

“In a sense. She’s the First Lady.”

Valerie’s eyes opened wide. “You two got married?”

“Yup.”

“Holy hell.”

“This is a lot to take in, Valerie. I know that. There will be plenty of time to talk, and I’ll make sure you can speak to Iris as soon as possible. But we have a ticking clock with the Empire, and I need to get moving. What was the rumor?”

“Right. Right, of course. Supposedly there is a fortress that the Emperor has parked out in one of the systems. It’s gigantic, like a mobile space station built for fighting.”

If it was true, that was important to know. We might be underestimating the coming fight. But it also sounded farfetched. “Why is it out there?”

“I’m not sure. That’s what I asked when the guy told me. I think he was trying to get in my pants, not realizing I don’t swing that direction. He said that it was a secret, and they kept it there to make sure it didn’t leak that the Emperor had it. It’s more powerful than anything else Humanity has, so they are saving it for when something goes wrong.”

I nodded. “Okay. Did you know which system it was supposed to be in?”

“They moved it around, and this guy said he only saw it because of dumb luck. I don’t even know if it’s true, but if it is, I didn’t want you to be surprised.”

“Okay. Thanks, Valerie. We’ll look into it, and at least we’ll be ready if it is there.”

I stood up. She did the same, saying, “Wait. You said something about joining your civilization?”

***

Valerie joined our civilization, taking the pledge as soon as I explained how it worked. I asked Bethany to visit her and make sure she had everything she needed.

After that, Marlowe and I met up with the majority of the Laborers. We had them gather in the streets near the apartment building, and the two of us spoke with them. I let Marlowe take the lead. She was a familiar face to all of them, and she spent an hour explaining what the Emperor had done to me, and how she’d been an unwitting part of the cover-up.

When she finished, she made the pitch that they should join us. Anyone who did would be accepted right away, no contracts or forced work. We’d even let them go to Haven or Palana, where it was theoretically safe. And if there were any who wanted to return to Humanity, we promised them that they could.

There were three hundred Laborers in the town. Over two thirds of them joined us.

We spent the rest of the day flying to other towns and making the same pitch, ending up on the space station. There we got the worst response, with only half joining. That still left us with almost five hundred new members of our civilization, all workers who would potentially make a big difference in gearing up to fight the Empire.

Overall, it was a good day.

Chapter eleven

A week went by as we firmed up our defenses. We had the materials to instantly build a lot of what we needed, but with a group of Builder class workers needing experience, we held off so that they could benefit. We even had enough Builders and wannabe Builders in the humans who joined us that we had a third team working on more defenses. The additional savings also meant that we could build more of the planetary guns.

The transport from Haven arrived with our new crew for the corvettes. A decent number of the original human crew joined our civilization. While I explained what would happen if they betrayed us after taking the pledge, we still spread them out across our fleet, partially to add more experienced people to our relatively young space force. They would die and lose all of their remaining lives, but none of us knew what that looked like, so we hoped it would blunt any potential.

Iris was too far out of range for easy communication. Our Controllers worked across our territory, and there were some relays that would allow for voice chat, but whatever she was up to in the Delphinian territory, we couldn’t communicate the good news that we’d found her sister.

We also found other confirmation of the rumors Valerie heard. The guy trying to impress her wasn’t the only one with loose lips. While every rumor varied somewhat, they all mentioned something dangerous and powerful kept in one of the systems.

My leaders and squad weren’t the only ones hearing the rumors, and some of our rank and file were getting nervous. To head off any concerns, I gathered the senior members together.

They gave me some updates, but everything was moving according to plan, so we weren’t too worried. Kani wasn’t available to report, but managed to get a message through saying he was hearing similar chatter through the spy network.

With all of that out of the way, I took charge of the meeting. “You’ve all now heard about the rumors that Humanity has some sort of powerful weapon out in the systems.”

“A little on the nose, right?” C.J. asked. “I mean, the big evil empire building a dangerous space station. Come on. I’ve seen that movie.”

Everyone chuckled at the punk’s remarks.

“Even still, it’s something we need to look into,” I said.

“The fact that we don’t have any real knowledge about it has me worried more than anything,” Rebekah said. The redhead gave me a nervous look. “If it is as powerful as they think, then we might not be able to hold this system.”

“If it’s that powerful, why not bring it forward already?” Jackie asked. “And if it’s supposed to be a secret, they’ve done a pretty terrible job.”

“I think they’re bluffing,” C.J. confidently said.

“I agree with her,” Admiral Ishani chimed in.

Yeses and nos spread around the table as everyone took a side. It seemed evenly split, which didn’t help me make up my mind on how to handle the situation.

The factions came down to C.J., Ishani, and a few of the aliens in the discussion, like Roux and Plugs. The other side was mostly humans, who knew just how crafty the Empire could be.

“Marlowe, you haven’t shared your thoughts,” I said.

The blonde bombshell looked up. “Well, I’m not sure what I have to add. I never heard about anything like this, and I doubt it popped up overnight. But that doesn’t mean it’s not real. The Council loves to compartmentalize things, so if one council member managed to get this built on the sly, they might have only moved it here recently. I don’t know the tech well enough to say if they could make something like that.”

Plugs spoke up, the Keid having more experience coming from a high Tier civilization. “The broad outlines of what we’ve heard could be a Tier Three level construction. Not Rank Three, but something that only the more powerful civilizations might build. The Keid doesn’t have any, because they are expensive in both time and resources. I don’t know about the Gumalagians or Melephites.”

Harmony, a Melephite engineer, added her two cents. She was short, had silver skin, and hair that looked metallic, with a platinum sheen to it. She also had antlers poking from her head, signifying her age.

“I’ve never heard of anything like that, so I doubt they do. Not that they told me much, but I think it would be a big part of anyone’s strategy if they had one or more.”

“I agree,” I said. “So we’re back to square one.”

“It does seem unlikely that Humanity would manage to get something that powerful,” Roux said.

“That’s what I’m saying,” C.J. said. “They’ve been building ships like crazy. No way they dropped a bunch of resources on something like that without more people noticing.”

“For the sake of argument,” Rebekah said, “What happens if they have something that is on the power level of a Tier Three empire, and bring it to bear against us?”

“We have the New Dawn,” Ishani said. “That’s a high-end flagship from a Tier Three.”

“Exactly,” Rebekah said. “And it was the biggest part of what kept us alive for the last year. We’ve yet to face Humanity in a straight-up fight. If they have something comparable to the New Dawn, then we might be in trouble if they hit us with that and the strength of a Tier Four fleet attack. Until we know what we’re facing, all of this defensive work might mean nothing.”

That sobered everyone up.

“What do we do, then?” Harmony asked.

“Not much we can do, really,” Plugs said.

“I doubt that’s true,” Rebekah replied. “We have two options. We take the systems that we’ve cut off. Attacking now might give us the edge we need to win if they do actually have a powerful weapon. It’s alone, maybe without a strong guard. And if they don’t have it, we call their bluff.”

“That leaves us pretty spread out,” Jackie said.

Rebekah nodded. “Yeah, and I, for one, don’t think we’re ready to leave this system without some more defenses. The Empire will just pop back in and claim it, and probably kill everyone we leave here in the process.”

“What’s the second option?” I asked.

“A small group goes in, like we did with the shuttle on the space station. We poke around a bit, and see what we can stir up.”

“We’re going to be limited in where we can fly.” I thought her idea had merit, but there were some significant hang-ups. “The Mul-Vay system we can sneak into, most likely. But jumping from there to somewhere else will alert them.”

“So we go around. We’re not shipping anything, so the dangers of piracy are minimal for us,” Rebekah said, a fire in her voice. “We can at least check one or two of the back systems and possibly get further details. And if there’s nothing there, we’ll learn about the systems, and can do some damage if we get the opportunity.”

“I like it,” C.J. said.

“It’s reasonable,” Plugs said.

“A small strike force plays to our strengths,” Bethany added. “That’s where we can really outshine the human forces.”

“I could be there and back in a couple days,” I offered.

Almost every voice at the table shouted some version of “No!”

“Okay, I guess I won’t be going.”

“We need you here, and not potentially captured.” Rebekah gave me a stern look. “We can risk some people, but not our leader. When we were hitting the space station, it made sense to go in as hard as possible. Not right now, when we have the edge and don’t know what we’re walking into.”

“Then who goes?”

“I should.” The redhead looked around, and got agreeable nods. “We take only humans for now, since we’ll be more likely to blend in if we have to.”

“So instead of me, we’re sending my main General?”

She nodded. “You’ll just have to be in charge again.” A few of the others giggled at that. “And I’m a leader, but I’m not the crux of this whole dang civilization. You are.”

“It makes sense to me,” Bethany said.

“I wanna go,” C.J. said.

“We need more subtly than that,” my second-in-command responded. “Plus, if a fight does happen here, you’ll be more valuable.” When C.J. pouted, Rebekah added, “Think about what you can blow up if an invasion force arrives.” That cheered the punk up.

“Okay, then it’s decided,” I said, heading off any more distractions. “Rebekah, put together a list. Everyone else, keep up the good work.”

***

Two days later, the team was ready to set out. We had the same shuttle that took us to the first human station ready to go. It wasn’t pure stealth, but could jump into a system quietly, and mostly matched the design of human ships. If they weren’t actively looking for it, Rebekah’s team should slip in and out relatively unnoticed.

I met with Rebekah while her troops loaded onto the shuttle.

“Are you sure about this?”

She nodded. “Yeah, we need to figure out what’s true and what’s not.”

I took her hand in mine, feeling the strength in her fingers. She stepped closer, and I wrapped her in a tight hug, the short woman’s head pressing against my chest.

“Just be careful out there, Rebekah,” I said.

“I will be, boss,” she said.

“This civilization might not need you desperately, but I do.”

I held her for a moment longer, but then we had to get to work. She stepped up on her tiptoes, kissing me softly on my lips before marching off to the shuttle.

A minute later, it lifted off, and I watched as it disappeared into the sky.

Chapter twelve

Rebekah Short

The shuttle was not the most comfortable way to travel, especially with fifteen soldiers crammed into it. The three-day voyage was a stark difference from traveling on the New Dawn or a ship designed to haul troops. While there were a few amenities, like a bathroom and shower, the shuttle otherwise felt like a bus back on earth. Maybe a little nicer, but not much.

While the others chatted and socialized while they travelled, Rebekah spent most of the time focused on reviewing her troops and their abilities so she could make the best use of them.

In the end, she only brought Samantha from the harem with her. C.J. and Bethany were two of their most powerful fighters and would have been a big asset, but they’d be more helpful if serious fighting started back in the Nouran system. And while Samantha had her tank — delivered on the last transport, in fact — the odds of needing it while she was gone were slim.

Rebekah was glad she had. The time flying was lonely, and the two of them commiserated about missing Carter and the rest of the harem. There was a bond between the women that had grown stronger with every passing day, and she felt the hole they left almost as much as Carter.

After that, she picked Sandy and Winona, two of their longest serving soldiers who both knew her well. Sandy fought at close range, giving them some much-needed front-line support, and Winona had come into her own as a leader, so Rebekah knew she could take charge if, for some reason, she or Samantha could not.

With those as the core, she’d filled the rest out with a mix of experienced soldiers and newer recruits with more advanced classes. She had a sniper, as well as another front-line fighter. That soldier was a Duelist, who focused on two pistols. The rest were mid-range shooters like her, with the ability to dish out some damage in an extended firefight.

Rebekah hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but she wanted to be prepared. She knew the more advanced classes would hold their own against the lower level Grunts and Infantry that were the most common troops among the humans. Even the Guards, a slightly more advanced class of soldiers, would lack the strength of any one of her troops, as long as they got the jump on them.

And so their infiltration began. They were skipping the Mul-Vay system, instead heading for the nearest system past it called Grethie. The shuttle would jump into a neighboring unclaimed system and then quickly jump again to their destination as soon as they realigned the coordinates.

***

When the shuttle entered the Grethie system a few days later, they were on high alert. The shuttle appeared in the system near a moon orbiting a planet in the middle.

“Down, quick,” Rebekah said.

The pilot dropped the shuttle towards the surface. It was rocky, with no atmosphere, and clearly uninhabited. Rebekah thought it looked like earth’s moon, except mostly made up of red stone like Mars.

The shuttle shot lower, circling until they found a crater. Rebekah was happy with the pilot Jackie recommended. She was competent and fast, and soon they were settled on the bottom of the crater.

“Good work. Any pings from scans?”

The pilot shook her head. “No ma’am.”

“Alright. Let’s give it a few minutes.”

They waited in silence, the seconds ticking by feeling like hours. If they’d been spotted, there wouldn’t be much they could do except attempt to flee. If not, though, they’d have a lot more options. The jump had deposited them in one of the best spots they could have asked for.

Five minutes passed.

To be safe, Rebekah held them for another five.

When that cleared with no sign of ships approaching, they all relaxed. “What did we manage to pick up before landing?”

The pilot pressed a button on the console, and a screen flickered to life. There was a rough map of the planets and the star in the center. The Grethie system had ten planets, although five of them were small planets far from the star, similar in placement to Pluto, just a bit bigger. There was a distant gas giant as well.

The planet they popped out near was the fourth, and had two moons. The other three planets were spread between Grethie-D and the star, but they hadn’t gotten a good enough view to know what the makeup of them was.

“We were right on the money,” the pilot said. “The most likely place for anything is on this planet.”

“Good. Okay, let’s lift back up. Stay close to the surface and circle around. Let’s see what sort of defenses they have here.”

The pilot followed her orders, and over the next hour they circled the moon until they reached a point they could observe Grethie-D. Slowing, the pilot activated their stealth scan function. Rebekah thanked the brains working under Kellantra who’d unlocked the technology for them before the space station attack.

The computer worked for a few minutes before pinging.

Grethie-D

Empire of Humanity Colony World

Capital of the Grethie System

Towns: Twelve

Space Stations: Zero

Defensive forces: Three Rank One Defensive Battleships, Two Rank Two cruisers.

The ships appeared on the forward screen, highlighted in red. They were clustered together in space, well above the largest city on the planet, presumably the capital.

“What are we thinking?” Samantha asked.

“Good question. I don’t see any big scary ships around.” The scan would only pick up things nearby, but if what they were looking for was as large as what the rumors said, they expected it to appear on the normal sensors.

Unless it could block those, of course.

“Then do we move on to the next system?” The pilot had a firm grip on the controls, her knuckles turning white. Rebekah patted her on the shoulder.

“Not yet. We’ve got rumors, and I don’t want to go deeper for nothing. Maybe we can slip into one of these towns and find someone who might know more.”

Rebekah pressed a few buttons on the screen, bringing up a map of the planet. Grethie-D’s surface was composed of three continents — one large one with two smaller ones close to each other in the opposite hemisphere. The city with the ships above it was in the middle of the main landmass. Ten of the other cities were within a day’s drive from there, presumably mining communities. The scan didn’t reveal the resources on the planet, but the layout was familiar.

On the far side of Grethie-D, the twelfth city sat on the smallest continent, nestled in the mountains.

“What’s going on there?”

***

The shuttle moved slowly, keeping the power usage low to avoid triggering any scanners that might be looking for invaders. Taking a wide loop, they approached the planet from the opposite side of the defensive fleet.

Up close, they no longer had to rely on the scan to see the area. But clouds covered the town they were heading to. As they descended, turbulence shook them.

“Sorry,” the pilot apologized.

“Just get us down in one piece, rookie,” Samantha said. To reassure that pilot that it was only some friendly ribbing, she smiled at the woman, only a few weeks out of Basic. She wondered if she’d ever been that nervous. Probably when they fought an entire army with only a handful of people.

Almost like magic, the shuttle burst out of the clouds. The underside of the cover was almost perfectly flat, sending sheets of rain down to the land below.

“Good work,” Rebekah reassured the pilot. “We’re miles away from the town. In this weather, there’s no way they spot us. Bring us to the tree tops and we’ll get closer before landing.”

The trees they flew over looked like giant bonsai trees, with small needles in clusters that stuck out on lone branches. Rebekah would have found the whole sight beautiful if she had even a second to think about anything but the danger they were in.

“That looks good.” She pointed to a clearing five miles from the town. There was a large hill between them and the city, and she thought they’d be visible trying to land any closer.

Setting down in the clearing, the troops unloaded. The rain was coming down hard, drenching them immediately.

“Okay, we’re breaking up into three squads,” she said. “You all know who you’re listening to. I’m going to take point, Winona, you and your troops follow behind me. Samantha, you’ve got our exit covered. We don’t know what we’re going to find in there, but let’s keep our heads up and eyes open, okay?”

She got nods in return.

Rebekah led the way, marching through the forest. Since her squad was the most likely one to end up in close fighting, she had both Sandy and the Duelist with her. They had to keep a lookout both for guards and monsters. There was no way to know what sort of dangers would lurk in the woods, but she wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible.

The local monsters turned out to resemble bears with eight legs, covered with short brown and white hair. The monsters moved in small packs. They were noisy enough that the strike team managed to avoid running into any of them as they approached the town.

Holding up her hand, Rebekah directed her team to stop as they reached the walls. She surveyed them, noticing that there were neither automatic turrets nor guards. The redhead waited for a moment while Winona’s group caught up with her. They’d done the bare minimum to keep the monsters out, and nothing more.

“Looks like there’s not much going on here,” Winona said.

“Yeah,” Rebekah agreed.

“What do we do?”

“I think we poke around and find out why they built this town all the way out here. It’s out of the way, inconvenient to supply, and far enough that no one is going to stumble on it if they aren’t here on purpose. They might not know the information we need, but I bet there’s something worth taking or stopping.”

Winona nodded. “Makes sense.”

The gate to the town was shut tight, and they hadn’t seen anyone leaving. That meant Rebekah needed to climb the walls. “Winona, once we clear the walls, wait ten minutes, then I want you in position to climb it if we need you. If you hear fighting, get up there and cover us while we retreat to the gate, then run like hell.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Rebekah took her four troops and approached the wall. One of the soldiers pulled a grappling hook out of her inventory. With a practiced motion, she tossed it up and hooked it onto a railing over the wall. Like a flash, she started up the rope.

As soon as she made it to the top and gave the all clear, Rebekah started after her. It only took her a few seconds to climb the twenty feet, her increased stats making it trivially easy. Rolling over the edge, Rebekah pulled her gun back out and scanned the town.

She said a silent thanks for the rain that had drenched her. It was empty — not the feel of a ghost town, but more like everyone was inside or away for a moment, everyone hiding from the storm.

There were only four buildings: the Town Center, an apartment complex, a cafeteria, and a building that looked out of place in the almost colonial style of the rest of the town. It had concrete walls, stood two stories tall with one set of double doors, and lacked any other features like windows. Since it didn’t look like any of the buildings she recognized, she knew it was important.

“That’s where we’re going,” she whispered.

The soldier with the grappling hook, another Gunner named Gail, nodded. They waited for the rest of the squad to reach the top. Then they ran for the stairs, keeping low.

No one challenged them as they crossed the small distance to the unusual building. At the door, Rebekah checked in with her troops. They all had a firm look of determination on their face, guns at the ready.

“Let’s go.”

She pulled the door open and slipped inside.

The space inside had the same clinical feel of the labs back on their own space station. Tiled flooring and steel tables lined the large room.

And a half dozen humans in lab coats turned, alarmed.

“Who the hell are you?” a man with thick, bushy eyebrows asked.

Rebekah’s troops spread out near the door, their guns aimed at the Researchers. “I’m going to ask the questions,” Rebekah answered. “Who else is in the building?”

Bushy Eyebrows shouted at the others, “No one tell her anything. Help!” He was clearly trying to draw attention.

Rushing forward, Rebekah slammed the butt of her rifle into the man’s stomach, doubling him over. He wheezed, collapsing to the ground.

“Someone start talking,” Rebekah ordered. “Anyone else shouts, and Sandy over there will put a knife in your throat.”

Sandy bared her teeth at the Researchers, who flinched back.

“There’s maybe ten people upstairs,” one of the other Researchers offered.

“Guards?”

The Researcher shook her head. “No, they’re probably drunk in the Town Center by now.”

“They’ll kill you,” the man on the floor said, his voice raspy. Rebekah kicked him in the jaw, sending him sliding across the floor. He came to a stop against the wall, unconscious.

“Everyone face that wall. Now.”

The Researchers heard the threat in Rebekah’s voice and quickly lined up against the wall. She left Gail and the Duelist to watch them and the front door, and took the other two with her upstairs.

A door at the top lacked windows to see in.

“We go in fast,” she whispered to the others. “Try not to kill anyone. The longer we hold off, the more time we have before they sound the alarm.”

With that done, she tossed open the door and rushed in, shouting, “Hands in the air.”

Close to a dozen Researchers shouted and screamed as she ran in, with half doing what she asked, and the other half cowering.

The second floor lab looked like the lower one, with one difference. A cage along the far wall had a half dozen Melephites locked in it.

“Damn it,” she groaned.

This time, Rebekah didn’t need to make an example of anyone. The Researchers lined up without complaint. There were as many blueprints as there were Researchers, so Rebekah sent Sandy to gather them all up while the other one watched the captives.

Then, Rebekah approached the cage.

“Are you here to kill us?” one of the Melephites asked. She was tall, with a spreading antler rack of fourteen points. “I know you humans don’t like aliens”

“No,” Rebekah said.

“Then are you here to free us?”

“No, that wasn’t the plan, but it is now. We might be human, but we’re not part of the Empire.”

“Freelancers or UIR?”

“UIR,” Rebekah confirmed, surprised the Melephite was so familiar with them.

The alien thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Got it. Help us, and we’ll make it worth your while.”

“I was going to do it anyway, but I’ll take it. There’s a shuttle outside of town, but I need information first.”

“What sort of information?”

“We heard there was some sort of flying fortress out here,” Rebekah said. “I was hoping one of them would know.”

“They won’t,” the Melephite said confidently. “But I do. We were looking into it when we got captured.”

“That’s lucky. Why did they put you here? Were they experimenting on you?”

The Melephite shook her head, her metallic black hair moving with it. “No. This was the only place in the town that could block our Controllers. I imagine they would rather not put us in a prison where some people might see us. Word spreads, especially when people see a Tier Three prisoner.”

“I got everything, Rebekah,” Sandy said. Rebekah looked around the newly emptied room — the soldier took all of the research equipment on top of the blueprints.

“Good work. Did you see a key of some kind?”

Sandy shook her head. “If they have it, it's in one of their inventories.”

“We don’t have time for that.” Rebekah cracked her gun against the handle of the cage. It took three hits, but then it broke, hanging loose. The Melephites stepped out, grinning. As soon as they left the cage, their weapons appeared in their hands.

“Don’t kill them,” Rebekah said. “We need the time to escape.”

The Melephite nodded. “Smart. Every second will matter. But if they shoot at us, we won’t hold back then.”

The redhead grinned. “Neither will we.”

“You’re Rebekah?”

“Yeah. You got a name?”

“Forte.”

“Alright, Forte, let’s get you and your people out of here.”

They rushed down the stairs, rejoining the other troops. Rebekah put urgency in her orders, and the five burst out followed close by their newly freed alien friends.

As they did, a group of soldiers ran out of the Town Center, more confused than aggressive. But they still shot at Rebekah’s squad.

BZZZT

A shot from the wall took one out.

“Guess we can kill them now,” Forte growled.

“Yeah.”

They opened up on the soldiers, quickly killing a few. The others retreated back into the Town Center in a disorganized mess.

“No time to clear it out,” Rebekah shouted. “We need to get out of the system.”

They made it up and over the walls quickly, and after a sprint through the woods, they were soon back in the shuttle. It was cramped, with more people than there was space. Rebekah didn’t care — they had what they came for, and soon were jumping back to the main fleet.

Chapter thirteen

Harmony faced off against the new Melephite arrivals, standing in the hangar of the space station as they started unloading from the shuttle. My fist clenched, and I worried I’d need to step in to protect her.

Forte, the leader of the prisoners that Rebekah rescued, towered over the shorter alien. Harmony didn’t back down, glaring at the intimidating woman.

“You assholes left me to die, and these guys saved me.”

“It raises some interesting questions,” Forte growled. “We believed everyone died during the attack. Your survival should not have been possible.”

“Ever hear of something called an escape pod? We only had one life left, and they’re this great new invention that means not everyone has to die when the ship blows up.”

“I am aware that you were not given permission to use them. And now you have joined a lesser civilization. An Untiered one at that.”

“An Untiered one that has won fights against you, the Gumalagians, and the Keid.”

“Either way, it is time to return to the fold and report, Harmony.”

“Not a chance. I made a pledge, and I’m sticking by it.”

The two silver skinned aliens stared at each other, the rage simmering in Forte’s eyes meeting only defiance in Harmony.

“So be it.”

Harmony snorted in victory, turning her back on Forte and walking away.

“Quite the greeting,” Forte said.

“I didn’t realize what she wanted to say when she asked permission,” I said, stepping towards the Melephite. “Of course, Harmony asking for permission should have been a sign she was up to something.”

Harmony ripped into Forte as soon as the Melephite stepped off the shuttle. I didn’t catch all of it, but it sounded like she had a lot of resentment about her treatment that she was happy to get off her chest, even if Forte wasn’t the one directly responsible.

“She is strong-willed for being that young. I take it that you are the leader?”

“Carter Ash. Governor, General, and Hero.”

“You’re shorter than I expected.” Forte had a couple inches on me, not even including the antlers.

“Sorry to disappoint. Rebekah sent a few updates, but she said you had some information about the fortress we’ve heard about?”

“Yes. It’s not enough to thank you for saving us, but it’ll be a start. Assuming you aren’t just going to imprison us here.”

“That’s not the plan. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but we don’t do that.” I nodded to Harmony. “We kept her prisoner because she was part of an invasion force, but if she and Allegro didn’t want to join us, we would have returned them when we could. Now, do you need some time to rest? If not, we’d love to hear what you know. While we speak, your people can get some food. We’ve looted a few cases of Tutti leaves that our Melephite people seem to love.”

She smiled at that. “They will be delighted. Thank you, Governor. I can brief you now.”

I led the silver woman through the hallways to the new council room we’d set up in one of the unused restaurants. The entertainment module was only half occupied, and that was before we’d taken over.

One of the taverns near the main hallway had plenty of tables we pushed together to discuss. We’d moved our operations back to the space station, since the most likely attack would come from space.

While Rebekah had been off on her mission, we’d made good progress on our own defenses. The space station’s guns were finished, and the Builders here started work on a dry dock. If we were going to hold the system for a long time, we’d want to build more ships here.

At the same time, C.J. and a few of the other Demolition soldiers had rigged a few places in the station with explosives. If it looked like Humanity would take the station back, we’d attempt to disable it, and at least cause them another setback or two. At the very least, they would not be getting a free dry dock out of the arrangement.

The war leaders of the UIR were waiting for Forte when we arrived.

“Hello,” she said. “I owe the UIR a debt of gratitude for rescuing me and my people. Thank you.”

“Happy to help,” Rebekah said, already sitting in her seat. Forte gave her a nod. The rest greeted Forte, who was polite as if the confrontation with Harmony never happened.

Once the pleasantries finished, I started the meeting. “Rebekah told us you have knowledge about whatever weapon the Empire of Humanity has in these systems.”

“Some. We compared notes, and we do know more than the rumors you have. I have not seen the weapon, though. We captured a shuttle filled with people going to staff the fortress, and this all comes from them.”

“That’s more than we had before,” I said. “What is it?”

“The rumors you heard before are true. Supposedly, it is a flying fortress. A massive battle structure. A mobile mix of hangar ship, flagship, and defensive space station.”

“Sounds pretty bad,” C.J. said.

“Yes. That is why we came to investigate,” Forte explained. “We heard the rumors ourselves, and knowing that the alliance here could be considered a Tier Three if they grew strong enough, we wanted to confirm if they had a weapon of that strength.”

“You really think this alliance is a Tier Three?” I knew the point of the alliance was mostly defense against these other empires, but it didn’t seem like they were at the same level.

Forte shrugged. “Yes and no. A civilization with all of that territory under their control would be on the cusp of Tier Three and the peak of Tier Four. With three governments in an uneasy alliance, it’s less likely they’d work well enough to put that strength to use unless threatened. But they each have their own research arms and focuses, giving them a wider set of skills and powers, making them a decent group.”

The silver alien thought for a moment. “I don’t think the alliance could stand against any of the Tier Threes if we could give them our undivided attention. But that won’t happen any time soon.

“Now, on to the flying fortress. As far as we can tell, it was not researched the normal way. It was a reward from an Ancient Dungeon.”

“An Ancient Dungeon?” C.J. asked. “What’s age got to do with it?”

“He actually went and did it?” Marlowe gasped. “He couldn’t have. I thought it was just talk.”

“You know about this?” The punk turned to her.

Marlowe frowned. “I don’t know much, but we heard about the Ancient Dungeon. The Emperor sent a powerful force of soldiers into it, and they all died. He claimed he would take it on by himself, to prove his power.”

Forte said, “It appears he was successful. And it could not have come at a better time for Humanity.”

Most of the table had questions, although the details of what exactly an Ancient Dungeon was eluded Marlowe. Forte felt that the knowledge wasn’t hers to share, even as thanks for saving her. But I had another source, and pulled out the guidebook. It helpfully told me everything I needed to know.

Ancient Dungeons

The most dangerous type of dungeon is the Ancient Dungeon. After regular dungeons and raids, this is the pinnacle. They do not spawn regularly. Instead, they form when a dungeon is ignored for a significant period of time.

It is relatively unusual for an Ancient Dungeon to form. It often takes up to one thousand years or more, and rarely will civilizations leave a dungeon unclaimed for that long. The most common way the dungeons appear is when a civilization fails to clear a dungeon and then falls, leaving it to fester until another claims the system. This makes the ruins of old civilizations incredibly dangerous, but also rewarding.

Only one Ancient Dungeon can form in a system, and once it does, it spawns increasingly serious threats into the land around it. Eventually, the entire planet will be overrun by powerful monsters if the dungeon is not cleared.

Up to forty soldiers can enter an Ancient Dungeon. The challenges are similar to regular dungeons or raids, with two main exceptions. The first is that the monsters within can roam, and they will respawn until the area’s boss is killed. The respawn is not immediate, but can be anywhere from twelve to forty-eight hours. Some monsters are tied to the final boss, so there will always be new monsters until that boss is defeated.

The second difference is the reward for clearing the dungeon.

Loot drops like normal, although generally higher quality than comparable dungeons. If an Ancient Dungeon is cleared, there are two extra rewards. One is for each soldier who survived. They receive a personalized gift. If it is an item, it will be bonded to them. The other goes to the civilization, providing an impressive piece of technology or structure. Often this is enough to raise an Untiered Civilization to Tier Four all on its own. (For more information on Tiers, see Section 4 and Section 12, Chapters 3-9.)

“I can see why you wouldn’t want to share that information with us,” I told Forte.

“We owe you, but I would be betraying my people by sharing that if you didn’t have your own source of knowledge. If I was responsible for creating another Tier Four, I’d be executed.”

“Well, Rebekah went to all that trouble to save you, so we don’t want that,” I said.

“Even if Harmony might,” Rebekah said, getting a few chuckles, even from Forte.

“According to the people we spoke with, the fortress moves around, so it is hard to even confirm its existence. It makes sense that it came from an Ancient Dungeon. And with that, you now know everything I have to share. I thank you again for the rescue, and I will speak with my people about more restitution.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said. “We’d just appreciate friendly relations with someone who could wipe us out.”

Forte laughed. “No, Governor. As much as it might seem with how Harmony was treated, we do value our people. And my people will repay the debt. I would recommend accepting it, because you need help.”

“Yeah, we really do need some help,” Bethany agreed. I saw other people nodding their heads around the table.”

“What you’ve created in such a short time is nothing less than remarkable, but you’re still children with no concept of the wider galaxy. I cannot promise anything, but I will do my best to properly thank you. And if you do confirm the fortress is there, we would also appreciate knowing that.” The alien looked around the table. “You have much to discuss. I will rejoin my soldiers.”

“I’ll show you where they are,” Rebekah said.

The two women left, leaving the rest of us to discuss the new information.

When the door shut, Roux spoke up. “I didn’t want to share this in front of the Melephite, but the Delphinians did clear an Ancient Dungeon. It’s how we — or, I guess, they — built the Grand Market that became the central part of the growth of the Delphinians. It didn’t immediately bump them up to Tier Four, but it’s probably the main reason they got there.”

“Then it’s something we should be cautious of,” I said. The rest of the table agreed.

“I know we’re talking about being safe,” C.J. said, “But if it’s as badass as we think, then it’s not going to be good if it attacks here.”

Admiral Ishani nodded. “Especially if they come with a fleet or two. We might win a fight like that… but who knows what it would cost.”

“Are you saying we should abandon the system?” I asked.

“No!” The punk stood up. “We know the fortress is somewhere nearby, and thanks to Kani, we also know that the main fleets are not close by. We should do what we do best and attack it. Take them by surprise!”

“That’s pretty risky,” Bethany said. “We don’t even know if we can destroy it.”

“Who said anything about destroying it? We’ve taken so much from Humanity, and all the other people who mess with us. Let’s do that. Take the fortress, if we can.”

Silence ruled the room. Everyone thought about what she was suggesting.

“Think about it,” C.J. continued. “We’re already set up with a great fleet and a lot of construction ability. If we manage to take it, we’ll be unstoppable. Humanity will have to cave and leave us alone.

“And, if we can’t take it, we can destroy it before it gets the support it needs. Easy.”

“If it was that easy, someone else would have done it,” Bethany said.

“Who? The Mizarians?” C.J. asked. “They have it parked on the far side of the Empire, safe from anyone who might be able to destroy it.”

Jackie bit her lip. “It’s risky. But we need to take some risks.”

“What does everyone else think?” I asked.

“It would be an emotional blow to the Emperor himself,” Marlowe said. “He claimed he could solo an Ancient Dungeon, and if this is the reward, it would mean losing the sign of his accomplishment. They are probably hiding it from the citizens so they can reveal it and boost morale when it is needed most. Or to strike a blow against their hated enemies.”

“I think we need to hit it first or retreat,” Roux said. “This system is good as a choke point, but I’d rather spend resources firming up our home world if we’re going to face something like that.”

Bethany glanced at C.J. “We’ve never played it safe. I think this has a lot of problems, but I trust C.J.’s instincts, especially when they aren’t about blowing something up.”

Rebekah walked back in, and we filled her in. She agreed with Bethany and C.J. “Yeah. Y’all have the right idea. Hit them hard, first.”

Samantha and Jackie both backed up the rest of the harem, and from there it wasn’t a debate, but a planning session.

We didn’t know what we were facing, but we’d figure out how to win.

C.J. was right.

That’s just what we did.

Chapter fourteen

With our plan set, we needed to prep as much as possible. Most of our attack fleet would need to hit the fortress — especially if it was as strong as we expected. Chasing after rumors, even ones we were as confident about as this, would leave the Nouran system easier to take back.

So we went ahead and spent the resources to instantly build the dry dock, as well as a facility to construct smaller ships.

Our newly liberated Laborers filled in, some with relevant experience. We concentrated on getting another Defensive Battleship ready. A Rank One would take two weeks, and we wanted to leave the moment it was done.

The Builders, relieved from building in the space station, went down to the planet’s surface. They continued constructing more planetary guns. It wouldn’t be much, but hopefully it would keep the system in our hands if an attack came. The defenses we were leaving behind were already even with what Humanity left, all things considered.

The blueprints that Rebekah and her squad liberated from the planet we took were interesting, but ultimately unhelpful. The research center had been set up there because a rare resource called Osmium was able to be mined in the mountains, and they needed it to even create the blueprints that used it.

They were all variations on Rank Two and Three weapons and ships that we had access to, but they offered a special type of armor piercing blast.

One benefit, apparently, was that we had to discover different specialty minerals like that, which involved both finding them and then researching them. In fact, that was what Kellantra was up to when she was kidnapped by the Gumalagians to keep her quiet, so she was very familiar with the process.

I did think it would be helpful to get our hands on it, but it was low on the list for us. Kellantra promised to let me know once she made enough progress to make it worth our while to hunt down the resource, if we didn’t come across it some other way.

To pass the time, we drilled our troops, prepping for the big assault. Since the fortress could move, we needed to be able to strike multiple times into different systems until we found it, and the more practice we got, the better.

A pleasant surprise came two days after we decided to attack. The next transport for Haven arrived, and it had company.

A large battleship popped into the system next to it. It was long and sleek, with smooth curves where Humanity’s ships had hard edges. There was a bulbous front with a handful of guns, along with a large pole sticking out, making it look like a unicorn.

I was on the space station when it arrived, and was quickly summoned to the command center. The station’s command center at the middle of the structure had space for fifty workers, if we had that many. Only half of the seats were filled at that moment, and most of that was due to the surprise arrival. Desks spread in three lines across the room, descending down to give a thirty-foot-high wall easy viewing access from anywhere.

The wall was covered in screens, and the ship and transport were on the largest, right in the middle.

“The ship is hailing us, Governor,” one of the workers said.

“Is it friendly?”

“It’s a Delphinian ship,” another said, a Delphinian himself. “I don’t recognize the model, though.”

“Well, put them on screen.”

The worker pressed a few buttons, and a smaller picture appeared in the corner of the main screen.

The green face, framed by sandy blonde hair, was immediately recognizable.

“Heral,” I said. “I thought you were off with Nillin.”

“Nope,” she said with a grin. “She’s safe enough with the Delphinians. I have my own project, and this seemed like the perfect time to tell you about it.”

“And it has something to do with that ship?”

She laughed. “I guess it does now. Why don’t you come on board and I can tell you all about it?”

***

Jackie flew me over to the new battleship. Along with Roux and Admiral Ishani, a few other soldiers joined us, saying that Heral had requested their presence as well, although they wouldn’t share more with me. They were Tara, Plugs, Sandy, and a few other women I recognized from previous battles.

It had a small boarding hatch near the back where we docked. It hissed as the pressure and atmosphere evened out, before opening with a clang. Climbing through the hatch, we stepped onto the ship. It had the sleek look of Delphinian construction — rounded corners and circles for doors.

Heral met us there, smiling widely.

“Hey, Carter.”

“Are you about to tell me what’s going on?”

“Oh, definitely. You want the good news, the great news, or the best news?”

“No bad news?”

Her antennae bobbed in a way I knew meant joy. “Not this time. Come on, let me show you around while we talk. Everyone else, head to the bridge.”

We came aboard on the second level of two. The docking hatch was near the engine room. Heral gave me a tour. The others smiled at each other like they were sharing a secret, and left the two of us to explore. Heral seemed like she was having a lot of fun playing tour guide.

“This floor is mostly quarters and the engines. There’s a missile bay as well, but most of the fighting capabilities are on the top floor.”

She walked me through the hallways, showing me the quarters. They were barracks style rooms, each with a dozen bunk beds built into the walls. A communal shower and restroom at the end of the hallway was shared by all of the rooms.

The missile bay had a ladder leading down. The room at the bottom had six tubes, three on each side, and a stack of missiles taller than me. They were each eight feet long, and had to be loaded in by hand.

“They helpfully filled us up with missiles when they sent it, but we’ll need to build more eventually.” I nodded. We had a factory on Palana that was building missiles for most of our ships, so I’d need to coordinate with Natalie, Diwa, and Ishani to see what time to build for this one.

I wasn’t sure how the missiles were loaded — the only ships I’d seen with them did it automatically. “That’s one of the tradeoffs for the increased power. We’ve got eight people down here with high Strength stats. It only takes two per missile, so we’ll do alright,” she explained when I asked about it.

“Good to know. I guess I could always come help if needed.” I eyed the missiles. “I bet I could lift one up by myself.”

“You’ll have a more important role.”

“I guess I want to hear the best news, then,” I said.

She shook her head as we made our way back to the ladder. As she climbed back up, she said, “Sorry, that one is last.”

Her tight ass swayed back and forth above me as I followed her. I tried to focus. “Then the great news. Any news.”

“The great news is that this ship is ours, and it’s a gift from the Delphinians.”

“Really?”

“Nillin can tell you more about how she got it, but apparently she really impressed them. What makes the ship so special is better shown on the bridge.”

Leaving the missile bay, we took the stairs to the second floor. The hallway here was much shorter, with the entrance to the bridge clear. Two doors on the opposite side were the only other rooms on the floor.

“Gun controls,” she said. “One is for turrets to defend against small fighters. The other manages a couple big guns on either side of the ship. They can be controlled from the bridge as well, but this adds some more direct controls.”

The door to the bridge swirled open, the Delphinian build disappearing into the round frame with only a whisper.

The bridge was larger than I expected, although considering the size of it from the outside, it made sense. There were four rows of console controls facing the front of the room. A Captain’s chair sat in the middle, overseeing everything. Unlike the one on other ships, this had a lot of glowing wires in the base, tracing out into the floor before disappearing into the surface.

“That’s different,” I pointed out.

“Got it in one.” Heral smiled.

The continued mystery was starting to get to me. I wanted some clarity. “What makes this ship so special, Heral?”

“This is a type of ship that Humanity can’t build. Not only that, they most likely couldn’t use it. It’s a Rune Battleship.”

“By the Goddess,” Roux gasped. We all glanced at the Delphinian who quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.

“You know what that is?”

“A Rune Battleship?” The Delphinian had been a pilot for them before joining us, and was clearly familiar with the ship. She looked at Heral, and when the woman nodded, she looked around stunned. “You’re kidding. This is the pride of the Delphinian fleet. They wouldn’t just give it away.

“We’re going to need more explanation, Roux,” Ishani said.

”I’ve never heard of one,” Plugs said. The Keid looked as confused as me.

“This is incredible,” Tara said.

“Roux,” I said, getting her attention.

“Right, right, sorry. This is a Rune Battleship. I know of the Rune-Class ships, but have never been on one before. The big selling point of it is an additional weapon that requires a specialized class to use.”

“Like a Demolitions Expert or something?”

She shook her head. “A spell caster. The big horn on the front amplifies spells and lets you use them in space against other ships.”

“Holy crap,” I said.

“Yeah,” Roux nodded. “You’ve got that Forked Lightning Spell that some of our folks also have. You can hit, what, a couple of hundred yards with it?”

“Something like that.”

“If you used a Rune Battleship, you might stretch that out to miles. Imagine a handful of fighter wings coming at your ship. Using Forked Lightning might mean knocking out all of them before they get into range.”

“That does sound pretty impressive,” I said. “Kellantra didn’t even mention they were possible to make.”

“We got the original blueprints as a reward from a dungeon ages ago,” Roux said. “They aren’t traditional or standard tech, although she might be able to research them now that we have them. If we can make them, that’s a game changer. There’s an entire line of these ships, from Fighters and Gunships all the way up to the biggest craft.”

That did sound like something we could use. Our spellcasters weren’t a major part of our strategies, as we didn’t have too many yet. But we did have the ability, and some people received the class after the Tutorial, so we’d want to find out how to put them to the best use soon. “As soon as we have time, I’ll see what she can do. Even if we can’t make more, this really will change things.”

“No wonder the Keid don’t have one,” Plugs said. “We don’t have any magic.”

“Humans normally don’t either,” Jackie pointed out. “Carter is a bit special in that regard.”

“Looks like you’re not going to be riding on my ship anymore, General,” Ishani said with a grin.

“I don’t think so.”

“Too bad. But I think we’ll have a lot of fun with this one.”

“You’re just happy to get the Captain’s quarters back.”

She smiled. “Guilty.”

We all “oooed and ahhed” over the new ship. I was eager to try it out, but I remembered that there was other news.

“We’re on the bridge, Heral. What’s the best news?”

She glanced down at her Controller. “We’ve got a few minutes before that,” she said. “Let’s do the other good news first.”

“Alright, although the build up is feeling pretty big.”

“It’ll be worth it.”

Heral nodded to the soldiers who’d flown over on the shuttle. They assembled behind her. I realized they had matching armor on — protective vests and pants that were the white and gold, like our colors, only reversed from the normal uniform. Those were mostly white, with gold accents. These were gold with white accents.

“You look good, but I’m not sure that I need a fashion show.”

Tara laughed.

Plugs rolled her eyes. “Let her speak, Governor.”

“Thanks, Plugs,” Heral said. “Governor… General… Carter, you are the most important person in our civilization. I think you know that, even if you don’t act like it.”

“I don’t think so,” I protested. “We’re all a team, and I couldn’t have gotten here without all of you. Even making it out of the Tutorial wouldn’t have happened without you, Heral.”

She waved my words away. “You’re our most powerful fighter, with important skills on top of that. Plus, you’re our leader, both in battle and in everything else. You’ve got the guidebook, which has helped us out more than we know. Your Civilization’s Founder class gives us more benefits than we could get from a whole planet.”

“This feels like an intervention,” I muttered.

“If we thought that you could be convinced to not plunge into battle, we might try that,” Heral said. “Your whole harem would appreciate it, at least. But that’s not in the cards for you. You lead from the front, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we probably need you there for at least a while longer.

“So, with permission from Nillin, I decided to put together a special team. We’re here to serve as your Honor Guard. When you go into battle, we’ll be by your side, keeping you as safe as we can.”

I realized that the group of soldiers represented at least one of every member species in the United Interplanetary Republic. Humans, Delphinians, Melephites, Mizarians, Keid, Pincoyan, and Felician. The only one left out were the Tojilians, but since we only had one so far, and she was a Diplomat, that made sense.

Ten women stood in front of me, and as one, they saluted.

“We believe in the mission, and what you’re trying to do, Carter,” Heral said. “We’ve all agreed we’d lay our lives down to save you. We know you’d do the same, but the civilization needs you.”

“This is incredible,” I said. “I don’t feel like I deserve this treatment.”

“You deserve this and more,” Tara said, winking.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s okay.” Heral smiled again. “We’ve got your back.”

I turned to look at the others — Jackie and Ishani. “Did you know about this?”

“No idea,” Jackie said.

Ishani shrugged. “Nope. I’m just mad I didn’t think of it. Now Heral gets all of the brownie points.”

I stepped forward and shook Heral’s hand. “Thank you, Heral. This means so much to me, and I don’t think I can put it into words. You’re a great friend, and a great person.”

She blushed, her green cheeks darkening. “Of course. You’re welcome.”

I moved through the line, thanking all of them. On top of Sandy, Plugs, and Tara, I met the other six women officially. Another Delphinian with vibrant purple hair, Ceeni, had a melee class as well, but one that used magic like mine. The Felician had black fur, and was shorter than Rebekah. Her name was Thistle Neattail, and she used two pistols, swapping between different types of damage.

The Melephite towered over me. She’d been a recruit, having never served in the other civilization. Named Rococo, her hair looked like steel, and she only had two small buds of antlers poking out.

With a massive gun slung over her shoulder, the Mizarian stood out even more than her insanely good looks would imply. The blue woman had bright red hair and the statuesque figure that was common with her people. Taniela, who everyone called Tani, had a class built around a slow firing gun that dealt massive damage.

Rounding out the guard were two women who’d met in one of our first Tutorials. One a Delphinian, the other human, they had ended up together and made it deep into the Battle Royale. They got an unusual paired class, with one an advanced version of the Bodyguard that got more dangerous when the person they were guarding was close, and the other a midrange caster that could boost the stats of their squad with magic spells.

The human was Zofia, and had a totally shaved head. I thought it would be aggressive, but it worked on her. The Delphinian had long black hair, and they clearly had a strong friendship.

Once I’d officially met all of them, I was stunned that they all wanted to serve as my guards. It didn’t feel like I’d done enough to deserve that sort of devotion or loyalty — I’d only done what I needed to do to keep us safe, and what I’d assume they all would have done in my place. It was humbling, and a little bit intimidating to know what they thought of me.

“Now you’ve met your guard,” Heral said.

“Ideally try not to go anywhere without us,” Plugs said. “You know, so we can actually guard you.”

“Yeah. Especially the shower. I think I should be in charge of keeping the shower safe,” Tara said. “I’ll need to do an extra inspection tonight to make up for lost time.”

“Alright, alright, enough of that,” Jackie said, hiding a laugh. “I’m happy to know such a wonderful team will be watching his back when I can’t.”

“I truly appreciate it,” I said. “This means a lot to me.”

“There’s one final piece of news,” Heral said.

“Right. Somehow even better than all of this?” I’d totally forgotten in the wave of introductions, but she said she had something even better for me. That seemed tough to believe, until the comms officer on the ship spoke up.

“We’ve got the connection Heral. I’m putting them up now.”

Two figures blinked onto the screen, and they were a sight for sore eyes. Nillin and Iris smiled and waved at me over the long distance video chat.

“Carter!” Iris said with an excited shout.

“It’s good to see you both,” I said.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Nillin said.

“I take it I have you to thank for this amazing ship I’m standing on?”

“It’s a little bit me, a little bit you,” she said. “I’ll explain more later.”

“Maybe we should let them have the room to chat,” Heral said.

“Thanks, Heral,” I told the alien.

She grinned. “You’re welcome, Carter.”

She ushered the guards and crew out of the room, and the door shut behind her, leaving me alone with Nillin and Iris on the screen, and Jackie sitting next to me.

Nillin filled me in on all of the diplomatic intrigue with the Delphinians, and how we needed hard proof if we were going to get them fully on our side. But the ship should go a long way to evening the odds, since Humanity shouldn’t expect it, at least the first time we clashed.

“We stayed for a couple more weeks to work on some other trade options,” Nillin said. “They are willing to give us a lot, so Iris and I are trying to see what all we can find that might be helpful.”

“Plus, we’re making some friends,” Iris said. “There’s a lot of cool people who have been very friendly.”

“How long are you staying?” I asked.

Nillin thought about it for a moment. “The truth is, we aren’t comfortable being in a combat zone, and since you aren’t on Haven, there’s not a big rush to get back. They’ve managed well without us, and it’s a great way for other people to get more leadership experience. I think we’ll stay here for maybe two more weeks. Maybe three. But we won’t be able to use the video chat again.”

“Even if you aren’t with me, I miss not being able to talk every day, so send me a message as soon as you’re back in range,” I said.

They both agreed, and we moved on to talking about the various goings-on in our lives, happy to just have a moment to chat. They both missed me, and Jackie promised I was being well taken care of.

I debated telling Iris about Valerie, but with all of the potential dangers ahead, I thought it was better to hold off. Plus, the reunion would be that much sweeter if she found out in person.

The time we got together was wonderful, and I appreciated being able to see and talk to two of my loves.

But we were on a time limit — the Delphinians were using a longer relay and couldn’t let us take it up all day, so before I knew it, I told them goodbye.

Chapter fifteen

The next two weeks dragged by for me. Everyone else was busy, but I didn’t have anything specific to do. I wanted to run a dungeon, but everyone convinced me it was better that I stayed available in case we got attacked.

Kani sent another update, reporting that there wasn’t any unusual fleet movement. That didn’t mean we weren’t under threat, but it gave us a little space to relax. If multiple fleets moved and came for us, we’d almost definitely hear about it.

I did get a little practice in with the new ship. First we had to name it, which led to all sorts of ideas, mostly from C.J.

“The Magic Wand.”

“We’re not calling it that,” Rebekah told her. “It sounds like a penis.”

“You’re not going to like the rest of these. Alright, here’s idea number two: The Magic Wang.”

That got a groan from all of us. We were hanging out on the new ship. There wasn’t much space, but since it was where we’d be spending our time during jumps, I thought it was a good idea to get used to the space.

“Big Pecker.”

“That’s not even subtle, C.J.,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but there’s a giant metal rod sticking out of the front. I’m not going to just let it sit there.”

“That does sound like her,” Bethany said, grinning. “What about the Spell Caster?”

Samantha shook her head. “Too vague.”

The punk looked at Sam. “Do you have any ideas?”

“Uh…” the blonde paused for a moment, before putting her head in her hands. “C.J. messed with my head. I can only think about dick jokes.”

“This one is more subtle: The Spell Jammer,” C.J. shouted out, not worrying about our problems.

“I think that’s a game,” I said. “Also, it’s not that subtle.”

“Maybe we don’t include ‘spell’ in the name,” Bethany said. “Not to be a spoilsport, but it should be a surprise, and it might tip them off if we call it the Big Penis of Throwing Spells.”

“Okay, that’s a good name,” C.J. said. “You’ve been holding out on us, girlie.”

Everyone laughed as we got back to the debate. In the end, we landed on Chariot of Fire. It sounded badass while not giving away the game too early.

After that, we tested out the range on the spells. I read through the instructions in the Captain’s chair — where I’d need to sit to cast the spells.

Greetings, General Ash.

You are currently in the Seat of Casting. If you choose, you can enable this ship to project your spells, adding to their strength and effect. The range will be dramatically increased. As a Rank Three Battleship, it will naturally increase the impact somewhat. Your Magic will also play a part, as the basis for the amplification.

To cast, grip the handles on both arms of the chair, and then cast the spell as you normally would. The spell will instead originate from the wand at the brow of the ship.

When I put that into practice, it meant that my Forked Lightning spell fired bolts over fifteen miles away. That was a crazy long distance, although in space battles, it wasn’t all that far. My new Fireball spell was even more exciting. It launched a hundred miles before exploding in a ball that looked to be around half a mile wide.

The fire itself was magical, so it burned even in the vacuum, although it vanished as soon as the spell ended.

Some spells wouldn’t work at all in space, like the Whirlwind spell. Since there was nothing to blow around, it didn’t seem to have an impact at all, even when I cast it into the middle of an asteroid belt.

I was excited to experiment with some of the other spells, and it made me even more eager to find more spells we could bring to the fight.

***

When the next Defensive Battleship was finished, the main fleet moved to attack our first target. We decided to hit the system furthest from the one Rebekah infiltrated, assuming that they would be on higher alert than the others.

My guard and most of my harem rode on the Chariot of Fire with me. Jackie was the one exception, once again consigned to the hangar where she could immediately lead her wing of fighters.

The target — the Quarter Thane system — took five days to arrive at, needing to jump into unclaimed space near the Mizarian territory before moving back to our goal.

The travel was tense but uneventful, as we all knew we’d be emerging into the system and possibly plunging immediately into battle.

We chose the planet we were jumping nearest out of our best guesses and information from people who’d joined our civilization. Some planets were naturally habitable, and others required specialized research to make them livable. Humanity had better tech than us, but they hadn’t made great strides at terraforming or developing large-scale infrastructure to live on inhospitable places, so we aimed for the golden zone — the part of the system most likely to contain habitable planets.

And we chose correctly.

We exited the jump, the screens flickering to life. I sat in the Captain’s chair on the bridge as information started flickering in as our scanners picked up the enemy ships.

“Scout ship, start the scan,” Ishani’s voice echoed over our speakers.

That more powerful scan would provide a lot of details about our enemies, but even a quick look let us know we were in for a fight.

Our basic cameras and detection systems started highlighting the enemy ships ahead of us. The defensive fleet at Quarter Thane was larger than the other we’d fought. I counted five battleships, a handful of cruisers, and a wing of fighters already launching from a space station’s hangar.

Clearly word of our attacks had them on edge, and they were ready to fight.

“I’m hailing them now,” Ishani told me.

While I was in charge of the Chariot of Fire, Ishani led our overall space forces, and her orders barked out confidently across the radio. The fleet was broken into the same groupings as before — Apple, Basil, and Karma. The new spell casting ship went with Basil, while the New Dawn stuck with Apple, keeping our two most powerful ships to support the different groups.

“No response,” Ishani reported. “Their weapons are hot —”

A volley of shots came from the enemy. We were far enough that our faster ships moved out of the way, and the bigger ships absorbed them on their shields.

I could hear the anger in Ishani’s voice. “Everyone prepare to attack.”

The enemy fleet was close together, and in a solid formation between us and the space station. The more powerful battleships made up the core, with cruisers in protective positions around them. Each battleship launched their complement of fighters as we approached.

“I want a pincer attack,” Admiral Ishani commanded. “Apple to the right, Basil to the left. Karma, stick with Apple and see if you have a chance to grab someone. Don’t overextend, though, they have too much firepower and could catch you out.”

“Roger,” the Captain of Karma replied, followed by other affirmations from the rest of the fleet.

“Basil, let’s do this,” I said.

Our ship accelerated towards the left, swinging around to come at the enemies from an angle. The rest of our group followed, well practiced in keeping the formation. Our own smaller ships launched, only a handful contained within Basil. The hangar ship was part of Apple, and hung back. But it launched the thirty fighters and four gunships it carried, all of which raced towards the human fleet.

“Missiles are loaded, General Ash,” the weapons officer said.

“Target the cruiser in front,” I said. “Let’s light them up and see if we can clear the way.”

As we flew towards the enemy ships, the rest of my group started firing the first testing shots. The longer range guns splashed against the enemies shields, ineffective but a start.

The Scout Battleship’s scan finished.

“No sign of the fortress,” the Captain of that ship reported. More details filled in on our screen as they shared the results.

The four of the five Battleships were Rank Two, with the final one at Rank Three. The cruisers were a mix of Ranks One and Two. It was a significantly more powerful force than before, especially since Defensive Battleships punched above their weight — part of the trade-off of not having their own ability to move systems.

“The cruiser is in range,” the weapons officer reported.

“Fire!”

Six missiles launched out of our ship. They burned bright, highlighted on our own screen, as they sped towards the cruiser. It started to turn, attempting to move out of the way while it fired a few defensive measures of its own.

It was all for naught, as while it stopped two missiles and dodged a third, three of the missiles found their target. The first rocked the ship, clearly damaging it. The other two landed at the same time, and it vanished in a ball of light.

“Great work,” I said. That was the benefit of the higher ranked ships — our Rank Three battleship easily destroyed the Rank One cruiser. But the Rank advantage was on the side of the Empire of Humanity, so we needed to be careful. “Now, fire all guns on the Rank Two Battleship there. Let me know when the missiles are ready again.”

The two other Empire cruisers on our side were destroyed soon after, our overpowering guns taking them out first. The fighters the other ships launched were handling ours well, keeping them at bay, but without much damage on either side.

“Fighters, break off,” I said. “Time to see what I can do.”

Our fighters retreated, returning to the rear of our attack formation. We’d reached the range my spell should work, and I was happy to see the three wings of fighters the enemy launched were forming into their attack positions.

They shot towards our fleet like three arrowheads, supported by the larger ships' guns. I gripped the handles of the Captain’s chair and felt the spell inside me. With a thought, I cast Forked Lightning. The spell coursed down my arms, into the chair.

The room lit up as the spell was absorbed into the ship. The horn — just visible at the top of the view screen — lit up with crackling lightning. Since I did not have Savior Complex active, fourteen bolts of lightning flashed out, spreading across the empty space between our ship and the approaching fighters.

Each bolt found a target, the fighters erupting in explosions one after the other. One entire wing was destroyed outright, while only one was left in the second. Half of the third avoided destruction, but it was clearly a devastating attack.

“Now, hit them,” I shouted.

The guns fired, and our fighters that had just retreated returned in force, blasting the remaining ships away.

“Great work, Carter,” Ishani said over the radio. “I think you spooked them.”

She was right. One of the ships facing off against Apple shifted to support the side we were attacking from, while the Rank Three ship looked like it was retreating, flying away towards the planet.

“Missiles ready, Captain,” the weapons officer said. “But I’m not sure that they’ll be as effective against the other battleship.”

“Alright, time to try another spell,” I said. “Launch the missiles right after I cast this.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gripping the chair again, I cast Fireball. This time a swirl of magical fire looped around the horn of the ship before the giant ball of fire rocketed at the Defensive Battleship. It zoomed towards it, faster than even our missiles flew.

“Missiles away,” the weapons officer reported.

I smiled, hoping this would work how I planned.

The enemy battleship fired its countermeasures at the approaching fireball, but none of them worked. It crashed through, exploding against the hull of the ship. The fire expanded, engulfing the entire ship.

“Did it kill it?” I heard someone ask.

The flames dwindled and then vanished as the magic powering them ran out and the lack of oxygen meant there was nothing for them to keep burning. The ship I hit looked rough, the shield was down and there were clear holes in the exterior.

And it got worse for them, as the missiles landed seconds later, all six. It exploded, destroyed like that. The bridge cheered. I was a little stunned — Defensive Battleships could take a beating, but with my spells, it barely put up a fight. Sure, now the two big ones were on cooldown, but it still meant that we’d devastated the enemy side without any losses so far.

I took stock of the rest of the fight to see where we were needed. Group Apple had finished off the cruisers on their side. The group’s fighters vastly outnumbered our opponents, and they were making short work of what was left. One of the Defensive Battleships was gone, and Karma had latched onto the other, catching them by surprise.

That left one Rank Two doing its best to fight almost all of Group Basil, and the Rank Three Battleship that was fleeing.

Except it turned out it wasn’t fleeing. It had stopped on the far side of the space station and was repeatedly firing on it. I hadn’t noticed while casting the spell, but it had already done serious damage to the structure. Moments later, the entire station exploded as a set of missiles hit the core, all fired by the Rank Three. The ship’s nose turned to face the planet as it accelerated away.

“What the hell is it doing?” I muttered.

Bethany, standing behind me, put it together before me. “They know we’ve been capturing and using their own buildings. They are trying to deny us.”

“Shit.” I picked up the radio. “Ishani, we have to stop that battleship. They’re going to kill more of their own people if we don’t.”

“Damn it. It’s always something. On it.”

I switched to talking to Basil. “Everyone, finish off that Battleship. The Chariot of Fire is going after the other one.”

My crew anticipated my orders, and we were already accelerating towards the Defensive Battleship. It was flying towards the planet, large guns already firing at what, I assumed, was the town below.

Our engines burned hot, pushing the ship to the max. We started firing, and the missile room frantically reloaded. Group Apple came from the other side, their weapons also firing hard.

I couldn’t believe that this ship would do this. Yes, they were hurting our chances of holding the system if we took it, but at the cost of countless lives. And they’d die themselves, since there was no way for them to win even if they tried to fight us instead of bombing their people.

I ordered the missiles to launch as soon as they were loaded. Others came from Apple, and within minutes, the ship had been destroyed. We made short work of it, as it didn’t even attempt to fight back or do anything but fire its powerful energy blasts at the town on the surface below.

Sitting back, I growled in frustration.

“Captain Ash,” the radar officer said, her voice quiet. “I picked up signs of an escape pod from the ship.”

“Let Ishani know. Someone needs to pick it up.”

Chapter sixteen

One of our gunships towed the escape pod back to the Hangar Battleship. It provided the most space for us to meet and see who was in the pod. After we confirmed there were no more surprises, my honor guard and squad took a shuttle and met with the rest of the important members of our fleet command.

Jackie wrapped me in a hug as soon as I stepped off the shuttle.

“Good to see you, too,” I said.

“It’s been too long. I don’t know how Iris and Nillin do it.”

“I didn’t get a good look, but from what I saw, your wing did really well out there.”

“Stop. You’re one to talk. Those spells were insane.”

“It was pretty cool, wasn’t it? Sometimes I remember that I’m a space wizard, which is pretty awesome.”

“I’ll say.”

The blonde let me go, and we joined the others by the escape pod. It was sitting on the floor of the hangar, with twenty soldiers surrounding it, guns leveled at the door. That already felt like overkill, especially considering my honor guard and squad added almost as many high-level troops to the group.

“Any response from the people inside?” I asked.

“Negative,” Ishani said. “But it’s not locked, so we can just open the door.”

“Might as well, right?”

We all tensed as one of the soldiers moved forward. They hit a release button and then retreated.

The door popped open, swinging on hinges. Inside were two humans, cowering and with their hands up.

Our guards handled them well, escorting them out and keeping them restrained. I watched for a moment, before stepping in.

“Were you two part of the bombing campaign?”

They both flinched back. Both were men, one shorter than the other. The tall one had a close-cropped haircut, darker, while the other had a shaggy mane out of an eighties' movie, dirty blonde.

“No, sir,” the shorter one said. “We were part of the repair crew for the fighters. When they started bombing the station, we snuck off to the escape pod. We only ejected when our Captain told the whole crew to prepare for death.”

“What are your names?”

“Reginald,” the shorter one answered.

“Geo,” the eighties movie escapee said.

“We’ve got some questions for you,” I said.

Studying the two, I believed they weren’t fighters. Neither looked particularly impressive — which didn’t mean as much thanks to our stats. But as far as I could tell, they didn’t have any special equipment at all, and both appeared older than me, meaning they’d been in the Game a while without leveling up constantly.

“Of course,” Reginald said.

“I guess.” Geo glared at me.

“Do you want some food or medical help?” I offered. “Before we get started.”

“I could use a drink,” Geo said.

Reginald shook his head. “I’m okay.”

I glanced at Heral. “Let’s head to the cafeteria. We might not have something to drink, but if you change your mind about the food, we can get something.”

The group walked to the dining area. On the large ship, it was still relatively small, capable of only holding around thirty people at a time. The crew ate in shifts to make it work, but it was plenty big for our purposes.

I sat down across from the two humans.

“You’re looking pretty good for a traitor that supposedly died,” Geo started.

“Yeah, I didn’t die, as hard as the Emperor tried to kill me. Both before and after leaving Humanity, by the way.”

Geo scoffed. Reginald looked nervously between his coworker and me. “Excuse Geo. He’s, uh, a big fan of the Emperor.”

“Not a big enough fan to die on the Captain’s orders, though.”

Geo growled and leaned forward. “I’m on my last life. You think that the Emperor would want me to waste it?”

“Yeah, definitely.” I glanced at the people behind me — my harem, Ishani, Heral — and they all nodded as well.

Tara set two plates of food down in front of the men. “In case you get hungry,” she said. They looked cautiously at the meal — some sliced beef, noodles, and vegetables. Reginald dug in, but Geo pushed his away.

“I guess I should ask my questions now,” I said. “We’re here looking for a flying fortress. Big space station sized ship that’s deadly. We’ve heard it was hiding in one of these four systems. It’s clearly not in Quarter Thane, but we were hoping you could tell us if you’ve seen it.”

Reginald and Geo looked at each other, and Geo shook his head once. He was trying to be subtle, but I caught the gesture and called him out.

“You do know about it.”

“We’re not telling you anything, traitor.”

I sighed. “That’s annoying. But at least we can cross this system off the list.” Looking at Reginald, I continued, “Of course, we’d be happy to know more details. And I should mention that we also accept people into our civilization.”

He perked up. “You do?”

“Yeah, it’s an easy pledge, and then you’re free of Humanity’s clutches.”

Geo snarled at me. “This is some dirty trick. You can’t trust him, Reggie.”

“There is one catch. If you betray us after taking the pledge, you lose all of your remaining lives. That’s just how the Game enforces it when someone joins a new civilization. And if you don’t want to join us, we’ll trade you back if the Empire ever manages to communicate with us for a prisoner swap.”

“See, they’ll take both your lives, Reggie.”

Reginald bit his lip, clearly nervous. I thought about separating him from Geo, but that felt just as likely to hurt his trust.

“And I need to tell you what I know for that? Before I join?”

“That would be nice, yes.”

“It’s not that bad,” Tara said. “The pledge, I mean. Just a ding on your Controller and you’re part of us. I did it, after seeing how well Carter and the UIR treated people.” The lavender slime girl smiled disarmingly at the two humans.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what I know,” Reginald said.

“You asshole.”

Geo lunged for him. Thankfully, Samantha saw it coming. She was sitting on the other side of the table, and faster than Geo could move, she grabbed him by the arm and threw him across the room. He slammed into the wall with a loud clang before sliding to the ground. He groaned, struggling to stand. When Geo saw Samantha holding a pistol in his direction, he slumped back, giving up.

“Holy crap,” Reginald said, “You’re strong.”

“Yeah. We all are.”

He swallowed — an audible gulp. “The fortress isn’t in these systems. It was, maybe a month or two ago. But it left.”

“We haven’t seen it anywhere,” Ishani said.

Bethany scratched her head. “We would have heard about it if they moved it to Mul-Vay, right?”

Reginald shook his head. “Not Mul-Vay. They moved it to an unclaimed system. I think the plan was to wait for you to spend some of your strength taking these systems looking for it, then they’d hit you from both sides with the fortress and the fleet.”

Ishani laughed. “That’s not going to work well for them. We only lost two fighters in that last battle. Sure, we took some damage, but since the most dangerous ship decided to fire on their own people, it wasn’t too bad. Maybe two or three days of repair for all our ships to be back to one hundred percent.”

“That’s why they started destroying the station,” Reginald said. “When the Captain realized it wouldn’t work, he wanted to make sure you couldn’t get stronger.”

Leaning forward, Rebekah said, “You know a lot for someone who was supposed to be just a repairman.”

“People talk,” he said quickly. “The leader of the fighters was briefed, and he told his men about it. I don’t think they even realized I was there. They never acknowledged me if they didn’t have to.” That sounded surprisingly likely — the elites looking down on others to the point of making a mistake.

“Do you know which system?” I asked.

He shook his head. “But they can’t have gone far if they wanted to surprise you. It’s not fast. If they moved it more than a system away, it wouldn’t be of any use.”

***

We asked a few more questions, but it seemed like Reginald told us everything he knew, and Geo wasn’t going to share anything else. We put them both in holding cells on the New Dawn. Reginald said he’d join us, but until we controlled the system, he couldn’t take the pledge.

Taking the system wasn’t difficult, but for sad reasons. The Battleship managed to do a lot of damage before we destroyed it.

Back on Haven, when we heard that the Gumalagians were coming to attack, we’d hurriedly gathered the resources to build a planetary shield. At the time, we did it because we knew we couldn’t survive a bombing.

Seeing what that bombing looked like in person was a whole other thing. If the town had a planetary shield, someone had disabled or destroyed it, so the battleship could rain destruction down on the capital.

There wasn’t much rubble — when a building was fully destroyed, it vanished, like most things in the game. But there were burn marks outlining the dozens of missing buildings. The walls were in shambles, and only a dozen or so buildings survived at all.

The people were even worse off. With no shelter, it was only luck of the draw who survived and who didn’t. A few quick-thinking people near the gates ran into the forest, missing the majority. Most of the housing was gone, and with it the people hiding inside. The Town Center had also been blown up.

When our troops landed, we found less than one hundred people in a town that apparently had twenty times that before the bombing.

And that was a half-hearted attempt at the last minute. A dedicated campaign could wipe every town off a planet in hours without the proper protection.

Interviewing the survivors, it was also clear why they’d destroyed this town and the space station. They had a dry dock for ship construction in the space station — apparently able to build two. It handled most of the major construction for the region. On the ground was a factory for fighters, as well as a holding hangar for twenty that were waiting to be loaded onto the next battleship.

They were all gone, targeted first before moving into an indiscriminate bombing pattern.

With the system claimed, it didn’t come as a surprise that everyone who lived there happily threw their lot in with us. We held the somber ceremony in front of a newly built Town Center.

Geo still refused to join, but Reginald did.

Looking at the map we had of the system, we decided on the best spot for the fortress to be hidden. There was a system that was only one jump from three of the four back systems, and one other jump away from Mul-Vay, if they wanted to be sneaky about it.

If it wasn’t there, we’d have to go hunting, but I had a good feeling about it. As the jump was only two days away, we decided to go for it before they knew we were coming.

And just like that, we were on the move again.

Chapter seventeen

My rage fueled me through the whole voyage. I thought it would settle, but I couldn’t get the images of the building outlines out of my head. Thousands of people killed — by the ones who should protect them — and just to handicap us.

Most of the crew gave me space, but Bethany sensed something was wrong and pulled me aside a day into the trip.

“You’re going to lose it if you keep this up,” she said.

I sighed, leaning against the wall in our room. The rest of the harem was off with the honor guard, socializing.

“Did we do the right thing? Attacking here?”

“I think so,” Bethany said.

“What about all of those people? They’d still be alive.”

“We don’t know how many of them were on their last life. Maybe that’s why they felt comfortable bombing it.”

I gave her a stare. She looked away.

“I know, Carter. They didn’t even think about that. Probably a decent number of them were on their last life. But you didn’t kill them. We didn’t pull the trigger.”

“If we hadn’t attacked, they wouldn’t have blown everything up.”

“No, they would have come for us, and we’d be worried about our own people getting bombed from space. We came here to make a point and head off a bigger war that will cost both of us a lot. That’s the cost we decided was worth it.”

I knocked my head against the wall behind me in frustration. Bethany smiled knowingly at me. She said, “Did that hurt more than it helped?”

“Yes.”

She giggled. “Carter, you care about people. You’re our leader not because you’re the strongest, or the smartest, or dating the most women, but because every single person knew you’d put us first, before yourself.”

“I’m just worried that the people paying the price won’t be me.”

“Some will. We’ve been lucky — amazingly lucky, really — that we’ve only lost a few people on this excursion. That won’t hold up forever. I don’t know how hard it is to ask people to put their lives at risk, but the people on our side know what they signed up for, and they know that what we’re doing will help keep all of us safe. Any one of us would sacrifice ourselves for you and the UIR.”

“And what about the people stuck under the Empire’s thumb?”

Bethany put her hand on my chest, gently reassuring me. “They aren’t your responsibility.”

“Aren’t they? I wasn’t the Hero of the United Interplanetary Republic. I was the Hero of Humanity. And now I’m killing them.”

“What’s the other option? They turned on you first, and you were even happy to leave them alone until they attacked.”

“It just feels wrong. Fighting the soldiers, sure, they chose to, as small of a choice as that might be, but the Laborers didn’t. To see them killed like they don’t matter. They do matter. They should matter. Every single person.”

“Then what are you going to do about it? You know the Empire has experimented on aliens, using them to gain power. They kill people without a second thought. Even their Basic Training is brutal in ways it doesn’t have to be. I’d put every one of our soldiers against any of theirs right out of the Tutorial.”

That hung in the air between us, and I realized what everything had been building to. Bethany saw the spark in my eye, and said, “We’ll be with you, if that’s the route you need to go.”

“If I go to war with the entire Empire of Humanity — not for protection but to take them down?”

“Yes. In a heartbeat.”

I sighed. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“You know that it probably will. But before all of that, we need to destroy whatever threat is waiting for us, and then decide where we go from here. Just don’t let this rage control you. Use it as fuel to do the right thing, and hit them where it hurts. That’s how you cut someone powerful down — take what matters most and make them weak.”

I pulled Bethany in for a hug. “You realize you’re pretty terrifying sometimes, right?”

“I was a mean girl. This is nothing. You have no idea how many comments about C.J.’s clothes I’ve kept to myself.”

I laughed.

“Thank you, Bethany. I think I needed to hear this.”

“Yeah.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Carter.”

I gave her a soft kiss, and for a moment, there was only the two of us.

Then, interrupting us, C.J. stuck her head through the door. She grinned when she saw us and stepped in. With Bethany’s words on my mind, I took in her clothes — she had on a loose t-shirt with a punk band I didn’t know, and jeans she’d managed to rip herself. Knowing they were repaired when she put them in her inventory, it meant she either didn’t do that, or made the holes new each time she pulled them out.

I didn’t think she looked bad, but compared to how put together Bethany was in a short summer dress, I couldn’t help but see the difference.

“Oy, am I interrupting something? I don’t mind waiting. Or I can watch.” The punk waggled her pink eyebrows at us.

“Just giving Carter a little pep talk,” Bethany said.

“Ugh, boring. Anyway, Ishani called and wanted to talk to you, Carter.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

The punk turned and strode back out of the room.

“Okay, I love C.J., but I see what you mean about the clothes,” I confided in Bethany.

“I deserve a medal.”

***

We entered the system ready for anything. Everyone was at their positions, and the fighters stood by for launch orders.

I took my seat, prepared to throw some spells out if needed. We assumed word might have reached the Empire, since surely some people respawned, but there was a good chance the spell ship would still be a surprise in this fight. If the flying fortress was as tough as we expected, we might need it.

The screens flickered to life, adjusting to entering real space again.

“Scout ship starting scan,” the Captain of that ship reported.

Our own sensors were empty, but that didn’t mean we could relax. We had no idea what the ship could do, and there was a chance it could cloak itself and possible others.

The fleet appeared in the middle of the system, near the fifth planet. We didn’t know where else to choose, and it made sense to pick a central location.

“I’m not seeing anything,” Ishani said when she called me over the radio. “Visual and local scans are empty.”

“Same. Let’s see what the scout reports.”

The Admiral switched to a fleet wide broadcast. “Everyone, stay alert. We’ll know more soon.”

The minutes ticked by until our screen finally blinked with new information right as the scout Captain reported, “We found them.”

A small fleet appeared on our screens and map of the system. It was millions of miles away, near an asteroid belt between the fifth and sixth planet.

“Do we see the fortress?” Ishani asked.

“There’s definitely a structure there, but I don’t know what it is. The scan only reported it as an ‘Unknown Structure.’ That doesn’t mean too much, though, since we can’t identify things we haven’t researched or encountered before.”

“We need to check it out,” I said, joining the discussion. “I don’t know what else it would be.”

“I agree,” Ishani said. “Set course for those ships. They’ll know we’re coming, so be prepared for them to attack first. Once we reach close range, we’ll stop before we engage, if we can. And keep your eyes peeled for any surprises.”

I nodded, gesturing for the crew to follow the orders. They jumped into action, echoed by our forces all across the system. Our fleet moved forward, staying in formation. On my own screen, I examined the fleet details the scout ship shared.

Empire of Humanity Fleet Makeup:

Rank Three Versatile Battleship

Rank Two Hangar Battleship

Rank Two Versatile Battleship

Rank Two Destroyer

Cruisers:

Rank Two: Three

Rank One: Four

Unknown Structure, possibly mobile. Rank Unknown.

Support Ships: Six, various unknown models.

“There’s a lot of question marks,” I said to myself.

The fleet was impressive, but at a glance, it was weaker than the fleet we’d faced in Quarter Thane, since the Defensive Battleships had more power. That didn’t mean we could take it for granted that we’d win.

The Unknown Structure made me nervous, since we had a good idea that it was a flying fortress. Whatever that meant.

The speed we made cruising to face our foes wasn’t as fast as I would have liked. We had to move at our slowest ship’s speed, which meant we went at a reduced pace.

If our approach worried the enemies, it wasn’t apparent. The ships did not change position or react at all.

“Best guess — thirty-six hours,” Ishani said when I asked how long it would take to reach them.

“So they’ll be good and ready.”

“You can count on that.”

It was hard to rest or relax as we made our way to the inevitable battle. We hailed the structure and the ships, all with no response. They clearly weren’t interested in opening up a dialogue.

Two hours from reaching the edge of what would be the potential combat zone, three ships jumped into the system. That put everyone on alert as we waited for the Scout to scan them. It turned out to be a transport, escorted by a Rank Two Versatile Battleship and a Rank Four Infiltrator Battleship.

I wasn’t familiar with the Infiltrator, but Ishani knew of it.

“They start at Rank Four, which is why we haven’t discussed it when planning our building and researching. It’s got cloaking and speed. Normally they are used for quick strikes to disable important positions or to ambush a fleet while they fight someone else.”

“It’s not cloaked now.”

“No. No, it’s not. That means it already finished its mission.”

“Can it jump into a system cloaked? Maybe it didn’t have time to cloak after arriving?”

“Maybe.” I could hear in the Admiral’s voice that she didn’t think it was very likely. I didn’t either.

We finally reached the other fleet, slowing to take our positions while studying their formation. The entire fleet floated off to the right side of the Structure, slightly in front of it. The Rank Three and Rank Four Battleships took up the central position, protecting the large Hangar ship. The others spread out around them, keeping the unknown structure with a clear line of sight to us.

The structure was even more unusual up close. It did resemble a fortress, almost medieval in appearance. At least, part of it did. The majority of the structure seemed to be rock and dirt, with steel keeping it braced, especially underneath. Engines were built into the bottom, and the top had large stone walls. I couldn’t see any guns, which meant it had some other weapon, or they were concealed.

At the front was a landing area, with a large gate that was wide open, but too far away to see much detail. I didn’t see any shield keeping the atmosphere in, so I wasn’t sure what the use of the space was. The transport that arrived with the other two ships landed there, but so far, hadn’t unloaded anything.

“What do we do, Carter?” Ishani asked.

This felt odd, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. Something was off, but without a clear sign, I didn’t think we could back down. Rebekah stood with me on the bridge, and I checked in with her. “We came this far, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Time to destroy this thing. Whatever it is.”

Picking up the receiver, I told Ishani, “Let’s do this.”

Her voice came back, broadcast to the whole fleet. “We are clear to attack. Nothing has changed. Keep some distance from the structure, and sound the alarm if it looks like it’s going to do something.”

Our plan, which we’d discussed during the long flight to the enemy, was the same as the last battle. Basil Group followed the Chariot of Fire to the left, and we came in at a pincer attack. We’d try and take out the fleet before the fortress engaged us — if that was possible — so that we could attempt to capture it.

The enemy cruisers moved forward to meet us, along with a large number of ships sent from the Hangar.

“Here’s your moment to shine,” Rebekah said.

I grinned, and realized that I had Savior Complex available. It was only an option when someone I cared about was in danger, and I hadn’t noticed when that changed. It probably had to do with nearing the structure.

Well, it would help me out here. I activated it, my Magic score adding to all of my stats. Gripping the Captain’s chair, I cast Forked Lightning. Now, with my boosted Magic, twenty-six bolts of lightning flashed out.

They crashed into the oncoming fighters and gunships. Each ship that was hit was destroyed, even the larger gunships.

In seconds, I’d removed almost an entire Hangar Battleship worth of attackers. The bridge cheered, knowing what a blow that was to the enemies. Even if they had power, we had a big shift. They’d be confused, frightened, and momentum was on our side.

One of the UIR cruisers near us detonated as a Destroyer hit it with a full broadside. On the other side of the battle, the New Dawn was blasting into the enemies. The battle was joined, and a stream of energy shot across the gaps between our fleets. The first exchange continued for a few minutes, neither side getting an advantage.

Suddenly, a beeping came from one of the consoles. At the same time, our opponents started disengaging, pulling back and putting distance between us.

“We’re being hailed, General,” the comms officer said. “It’s coming from one of the support ships.”

I grabbed the radio, and let Ishani know. Our forces paused their attack, pulling back.

“Put them on screen.”

The Captain of the ship appeared. When he saw us, he nodded and said, “This is the HES Radio Eight, communication ship. Please hold one minute while we connect.”

The screen flickered for a moment. It was taking its time to load or buffer. When it finally cleared, the screen was distorted, but I could make out who was on-screen.

The man looked like he was twenty-five. He had black hair, cut short, and a mustache that looked regal and powerful. He clearly wasn’t on a ship, as I could make out the Council room I’d been in once before.

We’d never met, but I recognized him from pictures and propaganda videos. This was the Emperor.

Chapter eighteen

“Ah, Governor Carter Ash, we finally have the chance to speak.” His voice was deep, confident, and powerful.

I blinked, surprised at finally talking to him. I caught myself, and said, “Emperor. My diplomats tried to make this happen before we were sitting outside your flying fortress, about to destroy it.”

The man smirked, utterly confident. “Oh, I’m sure that’s what you believe is about to happen, but you would be quite wrong.”

He leaned back in his chair, not a care in the world. Which, considering he was somewhere far away in another system, he didn’t have any real danger. “I wanted to have this little chat after you were softened up a little bit, but that ship you have is quite the surprise. I am disappointed that the Delphinians shared it with you.”

“Unlike you, they did nothing wrong.”

“Yes, yes, you found our little research station. And I also heard you destroyed all of the blueprints as well. It’s a shame that you wasted all of those lives.”

I growled, amazed he would try to put that on me.

Bethany put her hand on my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze.

“It was the right thing to do, Emperor.”

“Ah. The right thing. Such a tricky topic. What is right when the fate of all humans is at stake?”

“I know that killing innocent people for our own benefit is wrong.”

“The folly of youth.”

I took a breath, letting my frustrations out. The Emperor calling me young got a few snickers from the newer crew members, but the more experienced people all understood that while he only looked a couple of years older than me, he’d been around for centuries. His youthful appearance meant that he’d leveled up considerably and regularly over that time, and was most likely the most powerful human alive.

“What do I owe the honor of this call to, Emperor?”

“I thought it was appropriate that we speak before the next stage of this conflict kicks off, Carter. Do you mind if I call you Carter?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Carter, I understand that you have been looking for a flying fortress. A creation on par with a Tier Three civilization’s craft.”

“That’s what I’m looking at.” I sounded more confident than I was. He knew a lot for someone far away.

“I assume you’ve heard by now that I single-handedly cleared an Ancient Dungeon. That would be an impressive feat for anyone, even someone at my immense level. There is some truth to the rumor. Not much, but a little. For example, there was an Ancient Dungeon in a system we expanded to early in my rule.

“The unfortunate thing was that the cursed spawning dungeon was in the way of my plans. We found out that the Ancient Dungeon was situated on a world that contained Bismuth, and quite a healthy amount. You are obviously aware of how important Bismuth is, and a new planet like that would do wonders for us. We were on the cusp of officially becoming a Tier Four, and needed another source to make it happen.

“The Ancient Dungeon could accept forty people, and I held a competition to assemble the strongest warriors in all of Humanity. Well, the strongest besides me. I found a good mix of people, well-balanced. Then we spent a year training them and gearing them up, pushing them to an extremely high level. They were the cream of the crop of the Empire.

“I sent them in, confident that they would clear the Dungeon. After all, we knew that the Delphinians had cleared one, and they are weak. You’ve met them, seen their female fighters. How hard could it be?”

He laughed, as if fondly remembering a party or a joke he’d heard. “The answer is incredibly hard. The first death happened within fifteen minutes. The entire group was wiped out before two days passed, without ever even killing a boss.”

“Do you have a point to this story, Emperor? We get it, you’re a badass. At least in your own mind.”

The Emperor stood, stretching, and the camera followed him as he did. “Carter, I’m not telling you this to show how strong I am. I’m telling you so you know how terrible the Ancient Dungeon is. And it spawned powerful monsters that roamed the entire planet. If we wanted Bismuth, we’d either have to clear it or find it somewhere else.

“But I didn’t accept that. Instead, my troops cleared the area around the dungeon. That took a lot more force than we expected, but we could bring all sorts of weapons and people to bear, so it went better. Then, in one of the greatest engineering accomplishments in the galaxy, we built an entire ship under the dungeon and launched it into space. We didn’t know that it would work, but it did.

“It wasn’t a perfect solution. The dungeon was in space, and no longer spawned monsters on the planet. But those that were already there didn’t disappear when the new ones stopped coming. But that’s an easy problem to solve. It was just a matter of attrition to kill the others.”

My eyes were drawn from the Emperor in the center of the screen to the view of the structure floating in space. It made sense — why it looked so different from what I expected. There weren’t any weapons visible because it doesn’t have any weapons.

“Ha. You’ve realized what it is, haven’t you? That is the Ancient Dungeon. Not a flying fortress, but a death trap for anyone stupid enough to infiltrate it trying to learn my secrets. Over the years, a few different groups of spies have died inside it.”

“Then you don’t have any special tricks up your sleeve,” I said. “Thanks for telling us. We’ll just ignore the dungeon. We’re going to destroy your fleet here, and then you’ll have nothing in these systems, not even this trap.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He glanced to the side of his screen. “Send them the video feed.”

The picture of the Emperor changed, with him on half of the call, and a shot of the gate to what I now knew was an Ancient Dungeon on the right side. The transport was lifting off, and two figures were left behind, standing alone in front of the entrance, still too far away to make out.

“While you were busy causing problems in my territory, your concubines were off making trouble for me with my allies. The ship you’re sitting on is clear evidence of that. But have you heard from them recently?”

I hadn’t. In fact, when I thought about it, they’d said they should have returned by now. Even if we were a bit far, they should have gotten a message to me.

The Emperor smiled, the grin of a lion about to devour his prey. “They didn’t make it back, Carter. My men took them right out from under the Delphinian’s noses. Those alien shits need to learn who is the leader of this little alliance, and this will teach them as well as you.”

“What have you done?”

Behind me, I heard Rebekah and Bethany whispering as they talked to Admiral Ishani over the radio.

“Can we get a better view of who that is?” the redhead asked.

“The Scout Ship might be able to, but only if it moves closer.”

I tuned them out, focusing back on the Emperor.

“You know what I’ve done, Carter. This is the price of betraying me. You were particularly easy to fool. Not only did you pick up on the rumors, your trusting nature meant we could slip people into your way without a single question.”

“You’ll pay for this,” I said.

“Ha! Now the threats arrive. Well done. You know, I wondered if you’d threaten or beg. I thought you’d stand tall, but some of the Council were convinced we could use this to get concessions out of you. But that’s not your way.

“I’ll give you one chance. Surrender yourself and turn your entire civilization over to me and your little ladies will live. I’ll keep them in a prison, of course, to make sure you behave until I execute you, but they’ll live.”

I gritted my teeth, knowing how badly I wanted to save Nillin and Iris, if that’s who really was on the Ancient Dungeon. Between the distance and the space suits they wore, I couldn’t be certain. But it made sense. There wasn’t a flying fortress to put the fleet in danger, so they’d been the ones to trigger and make my Savior Complex ability available.

It didn’t matter what I wanted, though. Even if I could trade everyone else for them, they wouldn’t accept it. They couldn’t love a man who did that.

“I’ll give you the same chance,” I told the Emperor. “You let them go, and I won’t tear down everything you’ve built piece by piece, finishing with you dying, cut apart by my sword.”

He smirked, unworried and unimpressed. “Oh, ho, ho. The traitor has a backbone. I don’t think we’ll get anywhere talking here. There’s one last thing I need to tell you before we end this. You’re already well aware of our ability to stop someone from respawning where they should.”

“Yeah. Something that most other civilized people wouldn’t dare use.”

“And they’ll eventually die to those who will. The galaxy is a dangerous place, Carter, and I do what I must to win the Game. Well, there is one of the Respawn Limiters built into the Ancient Dungeon. Anyone who dies on that rock will respawn there. Only without the suit they are currently wearing.”

He stared daggers at the camera, feeling like he was looking straight into my soul. “And they will die. Over and over again, suffocating in the cold vacuum of space until they are dead for good. And there’s nothing you can do.”

The Emperor sat back in his throne, leaning his head back, smug as could be. “Now you know what happens if you cross me, Carter. I look forward to teaching you this lesson again, since you have plenty of other women I can take before I finally kill you.” He glanced to the side, getting a signal of some kind that I couldn’t see.

“And enjoy the friends I sent to help out. Goodbye, Carter. Fire the missiles.”

The Emperor’s feed cut out, leaving only the view of the two people standing in front of the entrance to the Ancient Dungeon.

At the same time, alarms sounded.

“What’s happening?” I shouted.

“Seven more ships jumped in behind us. Four battleships, three cruisers.”

“The missiles! Where are they aimed?”

The radar officer looked at her screen. “The Infiltrator launched them. But they aren’t targeted at any of our ships.”

“Then where?”

It dawned on her right before I realized. “The Ancient Dungeon. They’re aimed at the landing area.”

“How long?”

“Thirty seconds.”

“Shit.”

I turned to Rebekah and Bethany. “You two are in charge.”

“Wait!” Rebekah shouted.

But I ignored her. I focused on the two women on the screen. I couldn’t save both, but I could save one, at least. I didn’t know which was which, so I took a deep breath, chose at random, and activated Noble Sacrifice.

The ability instantly swapped me with a member of my harem that I could see. But I’d learned that if the distances were further away, it would appear to me like I was flying to the other person. I assumed it was like that so I would know exactly where I was, but didn’t ask questions.

I shot through the screen of the ship, bursting out into empty space. I flew fast, sailing past the human ships and towards the landing pad. Even though it was instantaneous, the relative time felt like two minutes of painful waiting.

As I got closer, I saw the missiles in the distance. Then I passed them, arriving at the landing pad. I popped into existence next to the suited woman, two hundred yards from the solid black opening. My skin started freezing, the subzero temperatures of space racing with my Recovery.

As fast as I could, I grabbed the woman and cast Flight. Barreling forward, I moved at a speed faster than I’d ever traveled before. Worried, I glanced over my shoulder.

The lights from the missiles were growing bigger and closer.

Looking ahead, I shot at the entrance. Light flashed right as I hit the black wall.

Chapter nineteen

We crashed to the hard ground, but I didn’t feel a thing. My skin was frozen, damaged from the deep cold even for the few seconds I was in the vacuum. I tried to stand, knowing how dangerous the Ancient Dungeon was, but pain shot through my body like lightning.

I tried to cast Healing Burst, but couldn’t manage to aim at myself. My limbs were attached but refusing to listen to me.

THWICK

A needle jabbed into my thigh before a wave of healing energy shot through me. I gasped and rolled onto my back, seeing Iris looking at me through the visor of her spacesuit.

My body started repairing itself, my sky-high Recovery helped along by the Miniature Quick Heal Iris still carried from our days in Basic training. Even with Savior Complex, the Recovery had been at its limit just keeping me alive through the short space journey.

“Thank you,” I gasped in relief.

Then I remembered just how screwed we were, and jumped to my feet. I was unsteady, still hurting, but I needed to keep us safe. As my frozen skin healed, it felt like a thousand pinpricks all over my body. Pushing past the pain, I summoned my sword and cast Protective Shell, targeting both of us.

“Carter, what’s happening?” she asked, clearly worried. Iris was smart and while I didn’t know what they’d told her, she had to know we were in a dungeon.

I didn’t answer, instead taking in the surrounding area. The entrance behind us resembled the walls from outside, towering over us with dark stone. I expected to see a fortress or castle inside, even a traditional dungeon, but the walls spoke to a different purpose. Instead of ways up, they were shaped to make scaling them impossible, as if they were built to keep something in instead of out.

The ground near us was covered in a small sheen of frost — grass dead and browning underneath it. Otherwise, it was rocky dirt, with a path leading away and around a hill that blocked most of our sight.

If I could trust the Emperor, which I doubted I could in most things, he said the first death happened within fifteen minutes. That didn’t sound like deception, so I was on high alert. Even without the warning, I knew dungeons had dangers that attacked right away on occasion.

Nothing appeared right away, so I glanced over at Iris. She pulled her helmet off, storing it in her inventory. She shook her hair free, nerves clear on her face.

“Carter, I’m scared,” she said.

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know how else to keep you safe. I’ll tell you more when we have a chance, but we're in danger. Get a weapon out. Whatever you have.”

She nodded, and a rifle appeared in her hand. It wasn’t the Starter Rifle, which was a small mercy.

As nothing jumped out at us, I thought through our options. We were in an Ancient Dungeon that we had almost no chance of surviving. My first order of business was to get somewhere safe enough that we could take the time to reach out to Rebekah and the others and find out what was happening.

A crunch, soft but audible, came from the direction of the hill. I summoned a Defensive Shield, putting it in front of Iris. I summoned another, shrinking the second down to the size of a buckler on my arm. With that there, I could hold my pistol and shoot if needed, although it was more awkward.

THUNK

It was just in time. A spear of ice slammed against the Shield protecting Iris. Two creatures made of ice rushed over the top of the hill, silent, their blue eyes fixed on us.

“Just stay safe,” I whispered. “I’ll handle this.”

I charged forward. The two creatures were around my height, humanoid, but thicker, like they lifted weights. Each had a spear, and they threw them at me. I expanded the Shield I carried, covering most of my body. The two spears hit the shield, and the force sent me sliding back. I was lucky it didn’t knock me clean over.

They were strong.

As I watched, two more spears appeared in their hands, resummoned like my own weapons. Great. Strong and infinite ammo.

“You two don't want to talk about this, do you?” I asked as I kept an eye on them.

“We will spill your blood and free ourselves from this prison.”

“Yeah, I figured. But it was worth a shot.”

I fired my pistol at the one on the left while I rushed at the other. My Savior Complex was still running, giving me boosted stats. I crossed the distance, running up the hill quickly. The ice creature threw his spear at me, but I spun out of the way, and it stabbed deep into the ground behind me.

Slashing up, my sword caught the creature in the knee as it jumped away. Shards of ice flew across the hill as it hissed in pain. The spear reappeared in its hands, thrusting straight at me.

My Shield caught it, knocking it to the side. The power behind it shook me to my bone, but I fought through. I thrust up with my sword, catching the creature in the stomach. My sword plunged in, sending more shards tumbling to the ground.

“You will die here,” the creature said. “Just like me.”

Then it crumbled into a pile of ice that turned into pixels. I didn’t have time to rest, as the other one was on me, his spear thrusting repeatedly at me. Dodging the first, it took everything I had to block or parry the flurry of strikes.

I wasn’t sure how I’d get around this one. It had height and strength on me, even with everything I had going on. It pressed its advantage, keeping above me on the hill, its spear giving it reach to keep me from stabbing it like its friend.

BZZZT

A bolt of energy caught it on the side of the head. Another followed, hitting the creature in the shoulder.

Glancing quickly, I saw that Iris stepped out from behind the Shield I left for her, and was firing at the monster. Thankful for the help, I stepped into its reach as the monster was distracted and swiped my sword across its neck.

That injured it, sending it crashing to the ground. Since I was expecting a kill blow, I was startled for a moment, but I recovered faster than the monster. I pounced forward and chopped again and again until it died under me.

Panting, I retreated down the hill, wary of another attack.

Nothing came right away, and a piece of paper floated down to land by Iris. If loot dropped, it meant the encounter was over. At least until more roaming monsters found us.

She picked it up and rolled her eyes. I saw why when she handed it to me.

Twenty Ashes

It was loot, but just money, which was useless here.

“What’s going on, Carter?”

I checked around, making sure there were no obvious monsters or attacks in the wings. When I thought it was clear, I told Iris what I could. I could see how stressed and confused she was, so I knew taking the time to explain would help her focus on our immediate goal: Survival.

“The Emperor kidnapped you.”

“Yeah, we figured that part out. The whole being locked in a Humanity cell with Nillin kind of gave it away.”

Smiling bashfully, I nodded. “Right. Of course. Well, we’ve been trying to hunt down a secret weapon, but it turned out to be a trap with one of those Limiters. Long story short, we’re stuck in some sort of super dungeon, and if we die, we’ll respawn out in space.”

Her face fell. I stepped close, pulling her into a hug.

“Listen, Iris, this is terrible. I know it. You don’t like fighting.”

“I hate it.”

“You hate it. But we are going to have to do a lot of it to survive. I’ll do everything I can to protect you, but we’re in real danger here.”

“We won the fight here. Can’t we just stay until the others can rescue us somehow?”

I shook my head. She’d missed a lot while she was gone. I was just lucky I read about it back then, and didn’t need to fish out the guide just to explain everything. “The monsters here roam, and they respawn. I don’t know how long we have between the respawns, but we need to get to somewhere more defensible. Before that, though, I want to get us a little more help.”

While I wanted us to move quickly, I’d been pushed to my limits by the two monsters, and there was a spell that might be able to help.

Casting Moon’s Defender took five minutes for each time, but it was worth the risk. We were lucky, while I focused on the ritual, nothing else attacked us.

When I was done, we had two more members of our party that would last until midnight. Both looked like Iris, which was disarming to see three versions of the woman with me, even if two of them were a foot taller and made of solid bronze.

Both had large kite shields that were almost as tall as they were, offering lots of protection. They also wielded long spears.

“Master, what do you require of us?” the first one asked.

“Your main job is keeping Iris alive. If there aren’t any other orders, I want you to focus on protecting her, okay?”

“Yes, master.”

“What’s next?” Iris looked at me, her rifle held firmly in her grip.

“We’ve got to see what else is here.”

I climbed back up the hill, keeping low as I reached the top. From there, I could see much more of the dungeon. I realized part of what had been so disconcerting on arriving. The sky above looked like we were standing on the surface of the planet, complete with clouds moving across from one direction.

It should have been space, but something about the dungeon made it a self-contained atmosphere.

The path we could follow wrapped around the hill. From there, it ran down to a small settlement. Twenty or so small huts were clustered in a group. I didn’t see any obvious defenses like walls.

Past the settlement, more hills rose up, mostly blocking my view. The only thing I could see for sure was a giant mountain in the distance, visible over everything. It was covered in snow and ice.

On the road, coming up from the village, I spotted another two monsters approaching our position. They hadn’t seen me yet, but I expected they’d reach us in a few minutes.

I hurried down the steps and told Iris what I saw.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“I think we try to get the jump on them,” I said. I nodded to the Defensive Shield, still standing where I’d put it before. “That will last for another couple of hours, so you hide behind it with the Constructs. I’ll climb the hill. If they come over the top again, I’ll be ready. Otherwise, maybe we can do some damage before they know what hit them.”

“Okay.”

I gave her a kiss on her cheek. “We’ve got this, Iris.”

“Yeah.”

The fear in her voice was clear, but there wasn’t anything else we could do. I walked back up the hill as quietly as I could. I cast Enchant Weapon as I did, adding Fire Damage to my gun.

Savior Complex was close to running out, but I could only use it once per day per harem member, so I was hoping to finish this fight off without having to use it again.

I waited as the two ice creatures rounded the hill. They spotted Iris behind the Shield, instantly summoning and throwing spears that crashed uselessly against the impervious barrier.

Realizing that wouldn’t work, they started charging at her. They moved faster than I expected, but slower than me.

Running down the hill, I fired my pistol, emptying the clip of now Fire enhanced shots into the right one’s head and back. Before, my shots hadn’t done much damage. Now, each one caused a sizzle of steam to rise out of the monster.

I reached them right as I ran out of shots, and thrust my sword at the wounded monster. It cut through the stomach, killing it immediately.

As it died, I twisted to bring my shield up, catching the spear aimed at my throat with the edge, knocking it out of the way at the last second.

I pushed forward, slamming the shield into the creature’s chest. They were strong — but so was I, and the hit sent the creature stumbling backwards. I reloaded my pistol, ejecting the magazine and slamming it onto the one on my belt. Firing again, I lit up the monster as it started to get ready to attack.

One shot managed to hit it right in the eye, and the creature dissolved into a puddle of water that then turned into pixels, vanishing.

“Well, that went better,” I said.

“I don’t think they like fire,” Iris observed.

“Good. That means I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve.”

Another piece of loot dropped, and I checked it out. It was a few cans of beans — more trash, basically. I threw it in my inventory and checked my Controller, since I assumed we had a few minutes before we needed to move. There was a flurry of messages from the others.

Rebekah: Carter!

Rebekah: Are you alive?

Bethany: What were you thinking?

C.J.: Honestly, that was pretty sick.

Samantha: Not the time, C.J.

C.J.: I don’t have anything to do while the fleet fights. So not sure when would be a better time.

Nillin: Why did you choose to swap with me? Iris must be terrified.

Rebekah: Carter, we’re really worried out here.

Carter: Sorry, we had a couple fights right away. We’re alive.

Carter: Nillin, I couldn’t tell who was who, and just tried to get one of you to safety. We’re alright for now, but we’re going to be fighting.

Bethany: Thank god. Bring her home safe.

Carter: What’s the situation out there?

Rebekah: A bit of a stalemate, to be honest. The ships they brought in pushed us back, and they retreated to the rear of the Ancient Dungeon. We know they have the Respawn Limiter somewhere, but we don’t know where.

Rebekah: We’re working on it, but with their new additions, they’re on more even footing.

Carter: Don’t push too hard just for us. Do it smart.

Carter: They are hoping to destroy the fleet as much as kill me, so don’t take unnecessary risks.

Rebekah: That’s what I thought.

C.J.: Come on, you know that we can take these guys.

Samantha: And now you know how C.J. feels.

Samantha: This is why you’re not in charge.

Rebekah: Either way, Ishani and I agreed, and we pulled back to consider our options.

Carter: What about Jackie?

Rebekah: She’s fine, just covering our retreat in her fighter and can’t talk.

Carter: Okay, Iris and I are going to try and find somewhere safe to hole up. We’ll check back in when we do.

They all said their goodbyes, and then I got a private message from Nillin.

Nillin: Thank you, Carter. You saved my life — all of them.

Carter: I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Nillin: Love you. Please bring Iris home safe.

Carter: I will. Love you, too.

I noticed I also had leveled up. I didn’t have too much time to think about it, wanting to move, but I knew the points would help out.

Choosing quickly, I put five points into Magic and the other four into Love’s Strength. I needed more raw power to fight the strong monsters here, and Love’s Strength gave that to me in spades, while Magic would boost everything when I used Savior Complex, which I had a feeling I’d be using a lot.

Iris also leveled up, and had assigned her own points while I was messaging the others. With that done, it was time to figure out how we’d survive in this dungeon long enough that we could get rescued.

It looked like we’d die in here — I just hoped I could keep us alive long enough that it was just the one time.

***

We moved closer to the small settlement, staying off the path. I kept the two Constructs near Iris and walked a few yards ahead of the others.

A hill on one side of the settlement gave us a good view of the buildings and the monsters inside it. I moved the first Defensive Shield to the ground near the bottom of the hill, giving us a place to retreat to if needed. There was a hard limit on the number of them — I could only have two active until the next hour, unless I used Savior Complex.

As far as I could tell, there was one monster for each building, including the four we’d already killed. When I counted, I ended up at nineteen total buildings, leaving fifteen more.

The monsters talked to each other occasionally, their deep voices carrying across the land, and snatches of their conversation reached me on the hill.

“The others have not returned, leader.”

“That is true.”

“Do you think more have come to face us?”

“After such a long time, I do not know how likely that is. But we must be prepared.”

The one referred to as the leader was a foot taller than the others, with long spikes of ice protruding from his shoulders. The monsters were all shades of white and light blue, but his ice was darker, like ice over a deep, black lake.

“What should we do, leader?”

“We march. Assemble, my people.”

The last words were louder, and the rest of the ice monsters came out of their huts, gathering around the leader. There were fifteen of them, just like I thought.

“What do we do?” Iris whispered.

“They look like a hunting party,” I said. “If we’re lucky, they’ll walk to the entrance and then back, but I don’t think we’ll be lucky. Anything could happen, and we’d be giving up the advantage of choosing when we fight. So, we should hit them now.”

She blinked in disbelief, looking back at the monsters assembling near the leader. “There’s fifteen of them, Carter. We’re at three and a half, if you count the Constructs.”

“I know. But right now, we have the element of surprise.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“You go back to the Shield. I’ll try and stop them here, but you can cover me if I need to retreat.”

“Got it.”

I reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. She gave me a sad smile. This must have been torture for her — first being kidnapped, then being thrust back into danger. But while the fear was there, she hadn’t buckled and was doing her best to stand strong for me.

Once Iris reached the Shield, I readied myself for the attack. The Defensive Shield I’d worn on my arm was sitting on the ground near me. The ice monsters finished gathering, and as a group, they headed for the path.

I quickly cast Enchant Weapon on my gun, shifting it into its long-range version. Then I started the fight.

Instead of shooting, I cast Fireball. The basketball sized projectile shot down into the group. It hit the monster next to the leader, exploding into a wide ring of flames.

The creature I hit with the spell died immediately, as did a few of the others. The leader kept his feet, even as flames licked the spikes on his shoulders. He scanned the hills, trying to find us.

“There!” he shouted, pointing at me.

I fired my gun, the first fire-enchanted blast hitting him in the arm. He grunted and ducked out of sight. I shifted, finding another target. This one died when I put a shot through its eye. That put their numbers down to seven, plus the leader.

Another shot clipped one of the ice monsters. By that point, they were charging up towards me. I’d hoped to do more damage with my spell, but I knew killing that many was a good start.

Ice spears appeared in their hands. I fired one more time, hitting another in the stomach. I tried to finish that creature off, but it moved to the side, and my shot missed. Aiming was my weakest stat, after all.

I changed my Defensive Shield, increasing its size to the full barrier, which appeared in front of me in the nick of time. Five ice spears shattered against it, one after the other. A second later, and it would have been my head taking the shots.

Standing, I shifted my gun to the automatic midrange version and reloaded. The enchantment held through the changes.

Stepping to the edge of the Shield, I fired around the corner. A half dozen blasts hit the injured ice creature, finally putting it down.

I ducked back, a spear slicing through the air where I’d been standing. Twisting to the other side, I rolled out and emptied my gun at the charging monsters. A few of the shots landed, but none of the creatures died. I scrambled back to the Shield as more spears came my way.

Reloading, I thought through my options. It looked like the fighting was about to get heavy, and I didn’t know how much more the monsters could take. Plus, the leader was still MIA, and I had a feeling he’d be a handful all on his own.

I shifted my gun to a pistol and I summoned my sword, holding it to my side so I could parry a spear easily.

A few steps backwards, and I found the slope of the hill. The charging monsters were close to the top of the other side. I decided it was time for a boost, so I activated Savior Complex. I felt the rush of energy and power spread through me. With my Magic now doubled, I summoned a Defensive Shield onto my arm with the extra use I received.

I kept retreating, my Shield expanded to match the kite shields of my Constructs, offering a lot of protection. The group reached the top, and spears flashed at me. They collided with my Shield, knocking me back. I stumbled, rolling over my back from the force. My Reflexes were boosted to hell and back, so I was back on my feet before they could attack again.

When I fell, one rushed forward, trying to catch me off guard. The others continued to throw spears at me.

A spear came from behind one of the charging monsters, just to his side. I cast Telekinesis and pushed it to the side, and gave it a little more power. That sent the spear through his chest, bursting out with a spray of ice. He gasped and fell over, vanishing into pixels as he did.

I fired a shot at the surprised creature who didn’t understand how her throw had killed the monster and not me. I landed a couple hits before she retreated behind my own Defensive Shield.

“Get him!” she shouted.

The four other monsters spread out, each trying to get an angle on me to hit me with their spears. I was almost to the foot of the hill, and Iris’s Defensive Shield was only twenty yards further back. I didn’t want to open her up to more danger, so I changed my approach.

I raced back up the hill, jumping into the air and slashing with my sword at the ice creature the furthest to the right.

He blocked with his spear, the weapon splintering from the force of my blow. I kicked out, catching his knee and sending him stumbling to the side. Bringing my pistol around, I fired two shots into the side of his head, killing him.

That left three monsters running across the hill at me, the one behind my own Shield, and the leader, still out of sight.

The three attacking me were grouped together. It was the best chance to take them all out, so I cast Fire Breath, sending a cone of fire across all three of them. They screamed before quickly dying. I turned, aiming it at the Defensive Shield, but the one hiding there moved out of the way before I hit her.

When the spell ended, I charged up the hill, my Shield covering me. I reloaded my pistol and jumped around the larger barrier.

WHAM

The leader hit my shield with a massive club of ice. I went flying away, rolling down the hill as I dropped my Shield.

He laughed. “You have fought well, invader. Better than the last ones. They did kill us, in the end, but we took down ten. And you’re all alone.”

“You were here for that?” I asked.

“Of course. As long as we kill the invaders, the dungeon provides life for us.”

“So you know what this all is.”

The leader nodded. “I do. This is a grand purpose. We serve the Game, testing for those deemed worthy. No one has ever been worthy.”

The female creature was shifting to the side, getting an angle on me. An ice spear appeared in her hand.

With three Shields already created, I could make two more, so I created one on my arm. I also mentally shifted the one I’d dropped into a full barrier, the eight-foot tall wall appearing on the hill at an awkward angle. It wouldn’t do much, but the extra cover might help.

“You have a lot of little tricks,” the leader said.

“Yeah, I try,” I said.

“Will it be enough to win? I do not think so.”

“Carter, look out!”

The female creature jumped further down the hill while the leader talked, and she hurled her spear at me. I twisted out of the way, letting it sail past. I tried to shoot at her, but the leader jumped into the air, throwing himself straight at me.

I dove to the side. As I rolled back up, I cast Cloud of Blades. I’d wanted to save it in case there was more danger, since I could only use it once per hour, but it looked like I needed it. With Savior Complex, my Magic was at 250, and that meant one hundred and thirty blades appeared out of the air around me.

I immediately focused on the female monster as I retreated. She was throwing another spear, and a blade slammed into her wrist, cutting a deep gouge and knocking the weapon out of her hand. Another cluster of blades shot out at her.

She rolled away, taking a few deep cuts, but still alive.

The leader charged at me with a roar of anger, swinging his club in wide, violent motions. I kept on the balls of my feet, trying to stay out of his long reach.

Each time he struck at me, blades automatically fired at the leader. He knocked some away, while others made it through his defenses. They cut into him, slicing chunks of ice off. But as more and more hit him, I realized it wouldn’t be enough.

So I sent another ten at the other monster. This time one hit her in the throat, practically severing her head. She vanished a second later.

The attack cost me, though. The leader moved faster than before, catching me by surprise. I blocked the club with my Shield, but the pure strength once again knocked me around, sending me tumbling down the hill.

“You’re a strong one,” I groaned, getting back to my feet.

“I’m nothing compared to what’s next.”

“Oh, boy.”

My blades fired out at him, keeping him at bay for a moment as he blocked most of them. I shifted my Shield to a smaller buckler. My arm ached all the way up to my shoulder.

Forked Lightning was off of cooldown, but I would rather not waste one bolt on the monster, considering there would be plenty of crowds to come if I survived.

I fired a few shots at the leader. Whenever I did, he moved his club to block them, catching the bolts in exchange for taking more blade damage.

Sighing, I knew that wouldn’t finish him off. My blades were already down to twenty. Needing more, I cast Dance of Destruction. It boosted my melee damage. After seeing him fight, an inkling of an idea revealed a small opportunity, but I needed to hit him with everything I had.

“What else do you have for me?” the leader taunted. He reached the base of the hill, putting us on even ground.

“Just one thing.”

I ran forward, putting everything I had into moving quickly. I ducked under his club and slashed at his leg.

The leader dodged out of the way, laughing. “Ah, there’s some fight in you.” He spun, bringing his club back around.

Rather than block it, I shifted my Shield into the barrier form, dropping it. It grew to eight feet tall — but that wasn’t the best part. It became immobile, and his club smashed into it, shattering as the unstoppable force met an immovable object.

I didn’t waste it, launching all of the blades remaining at him, along with a firm thrust from my sword. Shots burst out of my pistol as I fired as well.

The sword cut into his gut, the blades sheared more of him off, and the energy blasts melted more and more of him.

He smiled.

“I hope you make it, invader. But I do not think you will. Good luck.”

His body exploded, sending sharp shards of ice in every direction. They peppered the protective shell around me, the white armor glowing before breaking itself.

“He self-destructed! That’s rude.” I panted, dropping to my knees. A stack of loot landed next to me.

Iris rushed over. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured her. “I can already feel my Recovery doing some good work.” The protective shell stopped the ice shards, but the impacts of the club against my Shield didn’t get blocked by it. Knowing how it worked, I assumed I’d be back to one hundred percent in a few minutes.

“You won.”

“Yeah. Now, maybe we will have a chance to breathe.”

In the distance, I heard howls. They sounded like wolves crossed with birds — a deep, musical undercurrent to the threatening noises.

Another set of howls answered the first — louder, and clearly closer.

“On second thought, maybe not.”

Chapter twenty

We ran away from the howls, not sure that it was the right move, but it sounded like enough monsters that I didn’t want to fight them if I could help it. When we left, I took the Shields that I’d made, shrinking them down to bucklers that I could carry stacked on my arm.

The settlement was empty, and with hills in every direction, I didn’t have any idea of where to go next. If the mountain was north, we’d fought to the east of the buildings, and the howls were coming from even further east. So, I decided to head west.

I wouldn’t push us too far or fast, because the last thing we needed was to get in a fight — or even worse, ambushed — and then have the other monsters hit us from behind.

The hill on the west side of the settlement gave us a better view of the areas around the entrance. There was a large cliff a mile in the distance. I didn’t know if we could climb it, but it reminded me of our days in Basic Training, where we’d hidden in caves and had an easier time keeping the monsters out.

At least until one that was too strong arrived, killing Pete in the process.

The howls came from behind us again, then the second set sounded. They both felt further away than before, giving me some hope the plan might work. Maybe they wouldn’t pick up our trail.

Iris and I carefully checked the quarter mile or so between this hill and the next one. The terrain was covered in rocks, with patches of snow and ice in the shadows. The rocks were three or four feet tall, and strewn across the field with no rhyme or reason we could determine. My Ambush Knowledge ability was giving me every sign that this area was ripe for an ambush, but I didn’t see any other way around.

Cautiously, we made our way down the hill until we were out of sight from the village — and anything that might come into it looking for us. I put two of the Shields up for Iris, giving her solid coverage, while I kept one on my arm. My weapon enchantment finished, ten minutes having passed since I cast it.

I enchanted my gun again, liking the impact of the fire blasts. With the cold themed dungeon, there was every possibility we’d face more monsters weak to the element. Leaving Iris with both of the Constructs, I entered the stone field. This dungeon was unlike any other, and while I didn’t see any dangers, I wanted to make sure it was clear.

Thirty feet in, as I weaved through the rocks, the howls came again. The first was further away, the quietest I’d heard it.

The second came, and it was much closer. And much more urgent.

The first group howled again in answer.

“Shit.”

I ran back to the two Shields, joining Iris.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“I want you to keep an eye on the field, and make sure nothing comes up behind us.” I turned to one of the Constructs. “You, keep your current assignment. Stick near Iris, keep her safe.” To the second, I told it, “I want you to stay near, but if there are a lot of monsters, take the chance to kill one if you can. I want to prioritize keeping Iris safe, but it sounds like a lot are coming, and I might need the help.”

“Yes, Master,” they both answered.

“Iris —” My words were cut off, howls coming in even louder than before. “There’s not much time. Stay safe, scream if something comes from behind, and if you get a shot at the monsters, take it.”

“Carter…”

“I know, Iris. But you did this before, in Basic. It sucks that you’re back, but we’ll have to work together to get out, and I know you have what it takes. You’re tough when you have to be.”

She nodded.

I gave her a smile, then crouched and ran to the top of the hill.

From there, I could see the settlement and the new monsters making all of the noise. They did look like wolves in some respects — low to the ground, legs with big paws built for running. Their skin was dark, textured like a lizard, and instead of hair, they had feathers —white and gray — growing out of their head and continuing down their backs. They also had six legs, and comparing them to the buildings they weaved through, they were about the size of lions.

Oh boy.

The dark coloration, even with their white feathers, made it hard to pinpoint them in the settlement. I guessed the pack had at least fifteen or twenty members. And the other howls came from the distance, so there were even more to come.

Planting my Shield in the ground, I checked what options I had. Forked Lightning and Telekinesis were off of cooldown. Savior Complex had a little over ten minutes left before it ran out.

Dance of Destruction was still active, and Fire Breath would probably come back soon. I hoped.

That left my skills, and with so many monsters coming at me, I decided it was time to use them. It had been a while since my Platoon Leader skills were useful, since Rebekah and then others received similar ones, and with all my other needs, they could commit more points to it than I could.

But I realized I really should make use of Rapid Fire more often. It boosted my firing speed — along with my squad’s — by a percentage based on a Stat of my choice. Considering Magic was an option, and that was currently doubled by Savior Complex, it meant both my firing speed and Iris’s would be increased by 250%.

“Let’s see what I can do with that.”

I shifted my gun to the longer sniper rifle style, and aimed down my sights. I activated Rapid Fire and Focused Fire, which would increase my damage.

The monsters were heading in my direction, not directly, but they were clearly tracking us somehow. Smell, maybe. Whatever it was, we weren’t going to lose them any time soon. I figured this was the best chance I’d have to start picking them off.

I chose the closest one, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

As soon as I did. I fired another shot, even before the first one landed on the target. Then I shifted, aiming for someone new.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the monster take the first shot, but died on the second, so I had a good sense of what they needed. Potentially a lucky headshot might kill them, but they were tough.

Between my boosted Reflexes and the insane increase from the skill, I fired the sniper rifle version faster than my automatic gun. Most shots found a target, and the pack of close to twenty was quickly thinned down to ten.

Those monsters burst out of the settlement and sprinted towards me, their long legs making them incredibly fast.

I reloaded and fired, taking down another of the monsters. Then another.

They were quickly approaching the point where the longer rifle would be unwieldy, so I shifted it to the automatic version, slamming a new magazine into place.

Now I really let loose, feeling almost like a god as fire enhanced blasts shot out of my gun so fast it almost looked like a ray beam.

I cut across the right half of the pack, killing three and wounding a fourth. Then I was empty, and frantically reloading. That was the slowest part of the whole process, and the precious seconds let the monsters get close enough that one lunged at me.

Twisting to the side, I fired into its gut as it passed by me. It died instantly as what I guessed was fifteen shots hit it almost simultaneously. Turning back to the others, I emptied my gun into the closest, killing it as well.

That left two healthy monsters and one injured, all still trying to kill me. I hurled my gun at the nearest, startling it back. Summoning my sword, I grabbed my shield and charged at the middle monster.

The skill didn’t help with melee — it was called Rapid Fire, after all — but I was still death incarnate. My sword cut through the monster's foreleg, then pierced its chest with the second thrust.

That left me between the injured monster and the healthy one.

BZZZT

An energy blast hit the healthy one on its rump, causing it to spin around and charge towards Iris. While I wanted to follow, the injured one rushed at me, growling loudly. I blocked a swipe of its paw with my Shield. The impact shook me, pushing my feet into the hard dirt of the hill.

Up close, I could see the monsters had four-inch-long claws that looked impressively sharp. I did not want to find out just how much damage they could do.

Shoving my Shield into the monster, I pushed it back. These creatures weren’t as strong as the ice humanoids, but they had been drawn to us somehow, which I guessed was their main danger.

Slashing with my sword, I drove the wolf monster back a step as it narrowly avoided the strike. When it responded, it lunged for me again, this time swiping with both front paws.

Instead of blocking, I parried with my sword. The Sword Master skill was hard at work, showing me exactly where to put my sword to block the creature.

I didn’t block with the flat of the blade, though. Instead, I cut through the paws. They dropped to the ground with a wet thud as the monster roared in pain. It stumbled, struggling to stay up, snapping at me to keep away.

My sword didn’t listen, and I thrust into the monster’s neck, killing it.

I didn’t even wait for the body to finish disappearing before I was running back up the hill. Resummoning my gun as the midrange version, I crested the top and saw the final monster struggling to fight one of the Constructs.

It had a few bloody wounds on its side, along with a couple more burns I assumed were from Iris. Before I could finish it off, the other Construct came around one of the Defensive Shields and stabbed the monster in its flank.

Thrashing, it turned to attack it, only to get shot in the face by Iris. Then the other Construct stabbed it with its spear, and the monster died.

I ran back to the group, panting hard.

“Good work,” I said.

“Thanks,” Iris responded.

“I don’t know how long we have until the next group gets here,” I said.

Right at that moment, the howls reached us. They were closing in, but still far enough I thought we had a minute or so to prepare.

Then a second set of howls reached us, coming from much further.

Then a third. And a fourth.

Iris looked at me, terrified. I couldn’t blame her.

I felt the same way.

***

The first bit of luck of the day was that the second group arrived soon after, while my skills were still active. Knowing what I could do, I put almost all of them down before they made it to the range I needed to change my weapon. The three that did didn’t last much longer.

Unfortunately, groups three, four, and five arrived at the same time, well after my shooting related skills had worn off. They could be used once an hour, which meant they were far from being ready. And I really wished I had Rapid Fire.

That left me at the top of the hill with just over sixty monsters rushing through the town and straight at me.

I activated Savior Complex again the moment it ran out, knowing I’d need every bit of it. My firing was fast, but much, much slower than before, so there was no way to do serious damage to the group.

After helping kill the other wolf-monster, Iris decided to join in for the fight, at least to start. She stood behind me, closer to the Defensive Shields, but with a view of the horde. One Construct stayed at the Shields, and we both decided that the other would stay with me to try and slow them down and keep them from attacking the Shields.

When they got into range, we started firing. Where before they took two shots, now they took three as my damage dropped down. Iris had to land eight or nine, or two headshots, but we had ample time to fire.

Once the group reached the settlement, with half still coming, I cast Whirlwind. It was a large area of effect spell, and was difficult to shoot into, so I aimed it near the rear of the monsters. It tossed them around like leaves on the wind, picking up stones, sticks, and other objects and crashing them all together. I wasn’t sure if it would actually kill any of the monsters, but even slowing some down and doing a little damage would help.

When the leaders of the pack broke through the settlement, I guessed we’d killed maybe ten at most. I switched to the automatic gun earlier, firing a wide spray at the monsters. None died, but the shots slowed them down, letting a few more catch up.

That’s when I cast Forked Lightning.

With my sword put away, the spell launched out of the barrel of my gun. Twenty-seven bolts flashed at the oncoming monsters. They yelped and roared in pain, more than half dying.

The spell was the signal for Iris to run back to cover. She emptied her gun into the remaining crowd, then turned and sprinted for the barrier. I was impressed with how fast she moved — even compared to me, she was speedy.

But I couldn’t think about that. I reloaded and fired again, taking out a few more monsters easily as they were heavily wounded after the spell.

Now they were more cautious, not charging headlong at me. The Construct still with me stepped to the side, giving a wider area they’d have to go around to get to Iris, even though most of them seemed pretty pissed at me.

The whirlwind spell ended, the rushing noise dying down as the monsters trapped inside were finally dropped or tossed away for the last time. That meant I needed to hurry, as the rest of the creatures would be able to attack soon.

My gun shot out, the barrel practically glowing from how fast I was shooting. If I hadn’t just used a skill that made me fire like a maniac, I’d have been impressed. As it was, I kept most of the monsters at bay, killing the closest and wounding a few more.

But they just kept coming.

Somewhere north of thirty were running at me, some in the settlement, some climbing the bottom of the hill already. Thankfully, the Whirlwind spell meant the remaining wolf-monsters were spread out, instead of hitting me all at once.

I fired and fired, feeling like I wasn’t making a dent.

One reached the top, and the Construct speared it, dragging it to the side. The bronze defender stomped on the monster’s head as it struggled, killing it.

Then two more hit the Construct, staggering it as it blocked with its shield. It looked like it wouldn’t last long, the faster monsters getting at it from either side.

More reached me, a gaggle of teeth and claws and snarling growls.

Knowing I was running out of tricks, I cast Waves of Force. The air shimmered, throwing the nearest monsters away. A few flew straight out into the sky before gravity claimed them, slamming them into the ground or their pack mates as they dropped back down. None died, but it bought me a little breathing room — and I needed all of it.

More came, now clumped closer together.

I followed that spell up with Fire Breath. The cone of fire blasted out, almost forty yards of fire erupting from my mouth. I turned my head back and forth, bathing the entire hillside in flames.

The fire blocked most of my vision, but I saw multiple wolf-creatures explode into pixels. I thought this might actually work.

THUMP

One of the monsters tackled me from the side, its claws digging into me. It pinned me, my head facing down the hill. Freeing my arm, I cracked it on the snout with my elbow.

That gave me just enough room to shift, and I sent the last second of fire breath directly down the creature’s throat, killing it.

Blood ran down my side, and I felt my own burning pain from the new wound. I couldn’t just lay there and heal, so I pushed myself up, summoning my sword.

From there it was blood and fury. The hill was in flames, with some of the monsters still on fire. I fell into something like a trance as I let my sword skills guide me, fighting on instinct. The wolf-creatures gave as good as they got — their deadly claws and teeth finding openings of their own, digging deep into my flesh.

The only thing I cared about was keeping the monsters from getting to Iris. At some point, the Construct near me went down for good, a cloud of pixels the only sign it had been there.

Iris supported me — shooting into the fray, taking out some of the monsters as well.

Then, almost as quickly as they’d arrived, the last monster died under my sword. I was bleeding from a dozen cuts, from my legs to my face. I stumbled and fell to my knees, the last of my energy going.

“Carter? Are you okay? What happened to your side?”

Iris ran over to me, her eyes going wide at the blood and wounds. My clothes and armor were in tatters, and I doubted I would have survived without Savior Complex and the fact that it boosted my health and armor. There was even a chunk of flesh missing along my waist.

“I’m pretty sure one of those wolves ate it.”

I lifted my hand and cast Healing Burst, a wave of green energy leaving my hand and flowing into my body.

As I felt it start to work, I collapsed, the world going dark.

Chapter twenty-one

I sat up with a gasp, no idea how long I’d been out. A blanket covered my lower half, doing a decent enough job keeping me warm in the chilly dungeon. My shields were gone, and I looked around for Iris. I was on the hill where I’d fallen, maybe fifteen feet from the top, out of sight of the settlement. Finally, I spotted my first love.

She was laying down at the top of the hill, her rifle out. From there I figured she could see most of the surrounding area. The remaining Construct was close, but crouching out of sight.

I pushed to my feet, groaning. Everything still hurt, but I was alive, which was a good start.

“You’re awake,” Iris said, glancing over.

“Yeah. How long?”

She checked her Controller. “Almost three hours.”

“Shit. Sorry.”

“Without you, I’d be monster chow, so I’ll forgive you.” She smiled. “This time.”

I walked over to her, sitting down before I poked too far above the hill. “I’ll try to make sure there’s not a next time. What’s the situation?”

“No other attacks. I haven’t seen any more of the wolf-things, so that might have been all of them.”

“Until they respawn, at least.”

“Until then.”

“Anything else?”

“I saw a patrol of the Icemen in the distance, but they didn’t seem interested in coming this way. That was an hour ago.”

“And you didn’t wake me up?”

“I wasn’t sure if I could. And they were a mile away, heading the other direction. If they had changed course, I would have tried.”

I nodded. “Okay. Have you eaten?”

“No. Too nervous.”

“Here.”

I pulled a few things out of my inventory. Pete had a talent for making delicious food that also gave good buffs, and I grabbed a meal and a drink that would stack, since not all of them would. Two bowls of pasta appeared in my hands.

“These boost Aiming and Stamina,” I said. “And this is a longer lasting Recovery juice.” I set two bottles down along with the pasta.

We ate quickly. No matter how good it tasted, we were still in a death trap and nothing would take our minds off of that.

I felt the Recovery juice boost my Stat, the relief I felt from the injuries I was still healing from speeding up. I needed every second of it, with all the trouble ahead. It made me wonder just how high the Gumalagian’s Recovery was — I remembered my various fights with them, and how quickly they healed. Sure, they might all start higher, like how humans start with almost no Magic in general, but still.

One light wound and my body would heal back to normal fairly quickly. Seconds, maybe minutes. A heavy wound would take five to ten, although it would improve immediately. But Ossana healed in front of my eyes with multiple wounds that my own Recovery was struggling with. And when it focused on the wounds, I grew more exhausted.

It wasn’t something I needed to figure out immediately, but I wanted to know the trick. If I was going to keep getting hurt, I wanted to make sure my healing was as high as possible. And if it was a skill, maybe I could find some equipment that would replicate it or give me a similar effect.

During the last fight, I’d also leveled. After finishing my food, I looked through the notifications. The fights had given me two whole levels — an absurd amount of experience, which made me think I must have been close to leveling before entering the dungeon. I put five points straight into Recovery. It was unlikely I’d get much sleep until we escaped, so on top of helping me heal faster, the Stat would let me run longer without rest.

Along the same lines, I put two points each into Stamina and Willpower. Stamina would help with my endurance, and the two Stats both played a part in my overall health and how much damage I could take. I was looking for any edge I could get.

Rapid Fire and Focused Fire got the same treatment. That would increase the length of the skills to seven minutes. It wasn’t much, but two extra minutes of the powerful boosts might be the difference between life and death.

Finally, I put five points into Magic. It was the basis of almost everything, and would open up some new options or damage every ten points, so this should help even when Savior Complex wasn’t in use.

After that, I activated the Survey skill I had. I could see most of the dungeon from our vantage point, and wherever I looked turned gray. Over the next five minutes, the color returned to the world, and my Controller beeped. A map of the dungeon appeared — not totally filled in, but with enough details that I could confirm there was at least a cave at the cliffs.

It also paired well with my other skill — Ambush Knowledge. I immediately clocked a few spots on the path to the cliffs that would be perfect places for monsters to attack us. When we could, we’d steer clear, but otherwise we’d at least go in ready for anything.

Preparation was the final skill I used before we started for the cliffs.

Preparation: Spend time planning before a fight, battle, or dungeon, and you and all troops under your command gain Strength, Aiming, and Reflexes based on your highest stat. The boost is 10% of the value of the Stat before buffs, per point in this skill. You do not benefit from this skill. This benefit lasts for the length of the encounter, and an additional day.

I had seven points in the skill, so it gave Iris a seventy percent buff to those three Stats. I’d used the skill regularly with my soldiers and generals, or the space forces, and it probably did more than anything else for helping us fight above our level.

Since Iris didn’t focus on fighting, it wasn’t a crazy bump in power compared to me and some of my stats. But it was one more finger to put on the scale to keep us alive.

With all of the planning and preparation done that I could manage, I suggested we start for the cliffs.

“Before that, I have a new skill.”

“A new skill?”

“I prestiged while you were unconscious. I should have mentioned… I just…” Iris trailed off.

“It’s okay. This dungeon is insane, and you thought I might die. Don’t worry about it. I should be apologizing. I told you I’d keep you out of places like this, and here you are.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s not your fault, Carter.”

“It sure feels like it’s my fault. The Emperor telling me it was my fault was my first clue.”

“Don’t listen to that jerk. There’s no one I’d rather be trapped in a deadly dungeon with than you.”

“You say the sweetest things. I’m glad I married you.”

We both laughed, and I gave her a quick kiss. Then a mix of annoyance and horror dawned on her face.

She asked, “Does that make this our honeymoon?”

“I guess so. It’s going to be hard to top this with the others.”

She swatted my arm.

“I’m kidding, Iris. We’ll do a real honeymoon as soon as we have the time. I promise.”

“Good. Now, let me show you this skill. My Harem Herald class ranked up, and this is probably a good thing for us.” Iris held up her Controller, letting me read the details.

Channel Harem — This skill allows you to borrow an ability from a harem member and use it yourself or give it to another. While active, the ability is not available to the other person. The ability taken uses the Stats of both the original owner and the one who gains it. For abilities that gain effects based on points added, they use the original amount, plus however many are added to Channel Harem.

Once taken, the ability stays with the new target for up to twenty-four hours. Passive abilities stay for the full duration. Active abilities return once used, and are locked for until the next day, regardless of the number of uses they have. You can use this skill once per day per point in this skill. Each harem member can only be targeted once per day, regardless of points in this skill.

This skill cannot take or give a skill to Carter Ash, the Harem Hero. This skill cannot take or give skills to someone in another system. The range increases to one additional system jump for every five points. You can additionally “borrow” a skill from yourself and give it to one of the other harem members.

“That’s a game changer, Iris.” I saw that she’d put six points into it. “You can use it once for each of the other harem members.”

“Yup. But what do we use it on?”

The other women of the harem had a wide range of skills. I decided to loop them in on a group chat so we could all put our minds on it. I explained the skill first.

Carter: So, what do you think?

Carter: What are the best options?

Nillin: Not sure that I’ll be any help. Mine are all negotiation and trade related.

Jackie: My pilot skills probably won’t translate, or if they do, they probably won’t be as effective, but I’ve got my other Grunt tree class that has a lot of choices.

Samantha: Same. Let’s put together a list of our basic Soldier choices for her.

Iris: Maybe highlight the best ones, so I don’t have to read the list in the middle of a firefight.

Jackie: On it.

Bethany: I have a few.

Rebekah: My Barrage skill feels like an obvious choice to take and keep in your back pocket. I’ve got eight points in it, and you would add six. That would mean if you used it, you’d make fourteen guns appear around you, all firing at once.

Carter: That’s like importing a couple squads for a minute. Good idea, Rebekah.

Bethany: We should also collect the right equipment for you, Iris.

Iris: What do you mean?

Bethany: I’ll make a list of what might be useful for you and put everything we can find in my inventory.

Iris: Right, my Harem Storage ability. I can take anything from your Inventory. That’s smart.

Iris: Just let me know what not to take.

C.J.: We could get you a grenade launcher and my Bigger Boom ability. You’d be tripling the damage and size of an explosive weapon.

C.J.: Oh, man, that is so sick.

C.J.: I’m jealous!

Carter: We might want to stay away from explosives.

Carter: I think that’s what got most of the Emperor’s troops killed. There’s roaming monsters that hunted us and came after I used my Fireball ability, and it’s not nearly as loud as some of your grenades.

C.J.: Then we’ll just have to try it out once you two get out of there.

Iris: You sound pretty confident that you’ll be able to disable the Respawn Limiter.

C.J.: Bethany and Rebekah are working on that, but I’m not worried.

C.J.: You’re in there with Carter Ash, slayer of monsters and pussy. He’ll get you out in no time, and look good doing it.

Samantha: That was so sweet, but also vulgar.

Jackie: That’ll be on C.J.’s tombstone.

C.J.: No one is putting “sweet” on my tombstone!

Jackie: No.

Jackie: “Here lies C.J. Dead, but also vulgar.”

Samantha: Hahaha!

The conversation started to get even more derailed, and I knew we didn’t have time to joke around, as much as I wanted to. I told them goodbye, and Bethany said they’d put together a list of skills for Iris, as well as start collecting weapons that would work better with those skills.

The one thing Iris did do was use her Harem Storage skill to take a better gun from Rebekah. She had spares, and this one had a larger magazine and better damage than the gun Iris was using. It would pair really well with the Barrage skill, and just improve all of Iris’s fighting potential.

With that, I set off, Iris and the one surviving Construct in tow.

The cliffs in the distance offered a small chance of defense, and I’d do what it took to take it.

***

The trek across the mile or so of terrain was difficult. There wasn’t a straight path, and the shortest distances had spots that held the potential for dangerous ambushes.

We moved cautiously, trying our best not to bite off more than we could chew. There were a few fights. The direction that I thought would take us away from the biggest danger led to another settlement of the Icemen, hidden from my initial Survey by the rolling hills. This only had twelve creatures in it, and I was able to snipe enough of them that it wasn’t too much trouble.

While cutting around a gorge, some ape-like creatures attacked us. They looked built for climbing, and I’d avoided the gorge because it felt like an obvious trap, even without my skill flashing the danger sign. The monsters were tough, and I had to burn a few spells to take them out. But we were much more evenly matched on level ground — they would have been terrors coming from above.

We moved slowly, letting the short cooldowns reset before we were in danger again. The hardest fight came when we were only a hundred yards from the cliff and the entrance that my Survey skill discovered.

On top of the last hill before a field that ran to the sharp edge of the cliff, we were ambushed by flying monsters. They had two sets of wings and a long, sharp beak that rivaled my sword. The only mercy was that they were smaller than us, maybe three feet tall, with a wide wingspan.

Most of the approaches to the cliffs had points with ambush possibilities, and I knew that there was something likely, so we weren’t totally caught off guard. But the flock throwing themselves off the cliff walls and down at us wasn’t ideal.

Neither was the fact that they spat lightning, and my Forked Lightning spell didn’t do much at all to them. I’d been relying heavily on the multi-target spell to take out the big groups, and when it landed without killing a single one, I was frustrated and worried.

In the end, it was Rebekah’s Barrage skill that saved us. Iris used it, and between the gun in her hand and the fourteen that appeared out of the air around her, she sent a storm of death at the flock. It quickly collapsed, and I picked off any that split off from the group.

With that, we jogged to the cave entrance. The rough, semi-round opening in the rocks waited for us. Stopping outside, I checked in with Iris.

“Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, although I’ll be better with some walls around me.”

“We don’t know what’s in there. It’s probably going to be a hard fight. But it’ll be worth it to get somewhere we can hole up in.”

“I agree. It’s worth the risk.”

She stopped, looking up at the cliffs where the double winged birds had nested. “How are we still alive?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said the Emperor sent a group of forty soldiers in here. One died in minutes, and they were all dead within a day or so.”

“Something like that.”

“What killed them? It feels almost too easy.”

“That’s a jinx on us if I’ve ever heard it.”

“No, I mean, we know this is deadly. And we’ve come close. But not kill forty soldiers close.”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about that a bit.”

The fact that we’d survived as long as we had was a bit of a miracle. Not that doing the impossible was out of my wheelhouse, but I did expect it to be harder. Most of the fights were on the level of a difficult dungeon. If I had my squad and honor guard, I might not even be worried.

“The first fight was the Icemen. Those spears were brutally strong. I bet one unlucky shot and we’d have died. That’s what killed the first one. And then the wolf-monsters showing up, if the humans were loud, probably did for some of the others.”

“Still, we’re both high level, and you’re a rock star, but we’re not insanely high.”

“That’s true. But I have a lot of flexibility, and if the other group had to use loud weapons to kill all the Icemen, they might have had one hundred wolves hit them simultaneously, plus other Icemen groups. We know there are some. My Defensive Shield is a great counter to the spears, and if they didn’t have something like that, it would make that fight much harder.

“Hard enough that maybe they burn too many abilities early, and then struggle to survive the next few attacks. You just used a mega-version of Rebekah’s ability, and now you can’t use it for another day.”

“I can see that,” Iris said.

“And we’ve only been in here,” I checked my Controller, “Six hours or so. We’re not trying to clear the dungeon, just stay alive as long as possible. That leads to very different goals. Maybe they fought a boss. I bet those suckers are tough.”

“Yeah, let’s avoid the bosses.”

“I’m way ahead of you,” I said. “No bosses for me.”

I nodded to the cave. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

I took the lead. Iris took the middle, and the Construct brought up the rear. As soon as it stepped into the cave, the ground rumbled, and a wall sprang up, blocking us from the outside.

“Uh, Carter?”

I groaned. “Yeah?”

“What was that?”

“How firm were you on the ‘No Bosses’ policy?”

A booming voice echoed from further down the cave. “Who dares enter my domain?”

“Pizza delivery,” I shouted back. “Where should I leave it?”

“You are trespassing, and you must pay.”

“What do we do?” Iris whispered.

There was only one thing we could do at this point. “We fight it.”

In the rush to find safety, I’d not thought about what a boss area might look like inside the Ancient Dungeon. The unassuming cave wasn’t what I expected, but who knew what the arenas were like here.

The rough walls led us to another opening. This cavern was massive, stretching a few hundred yards in every direction. The dark stone was illuminated by light coming in through holes on the ceiling. It had a diffuse feeling, almost blue, as it came through ice covering all of the holes.

Stalactites dotted the ceiling, matched by stalagmites on the floor. The floor was uneven, sloping in some places, with others jutting up like a split-level home.

In the middle, sitting on a throne of stone and ice, was an absolutely humongous monster. I pegged him at thirty feet tall. He was covered in white and gray hair, with a wide predator’s face, halfway between a bear and a lion. While he was bipedal, his arms were longer than his legs.

He looked almost bored.

“More challengers?”

“Not by choice,” I answered.

He leaned forward, suddenly more interested. “Oh?”

“It was come in or die.”

“Yes. I believe you will die here. That is the fate of all who enter this Ancient Dungeon. You are just delaying the inevitable.”

“Maybe. Do you have a name?”

He nodded. “I do. Or did. It’s been a long time since I spoke to anyone. The last were like you.”

“Human?”

“If that’s what you call yourself. They didn’t care for talking.”

“Yeah, we can be dicks sometimes.”

Iris whispered in my ear, “What are you doing?”

“Stalling and seeing if he maybe won’t kill us.”

“Does that work?”

“It never has before. But you never know. One time we got out of a dungeon by finding a tube of lipstick.”

“And that meant you didn’t have to fight?” I could hear her hope.

I sighed. “No, that was what let us fight the final boss.” It was the first dungeon I ran on our home world, back when it belonged to the Empire of Humanity. It felt like more than a lifetime ago. But every second we saved here was one more for our friends to find a way to save us.

I turned back to the boss. “So, I’m Carter. This is Iris. Would you like to tell us your name?”

“Once I was feared across the galaxy. My people controlled hundreds of systems, and I was their greatest warrior. I had many names. Shipbreaker. Conqueror of Rethora. Destroyer of the Plains of Zeter.”

He spoke as if he’d once lived outside the dungeon. I’d encountered signs of other dungeons that implied that the creatures inside them were inspired by whatever had lived on the planet in the past. And two large raids had felt even more specific, including bosses that acted like this.

Like they’d lived outside the dungeon.

“But the name I was given was Vair. Now, of course, there is no one alive that remembers any of those names.”

“What happened?”

“The same thing that happens to everyone. My people made it to Tier Three. But we wanted more. And a Tier Two we thought was too far away to worry about decided they couldn’t risk us getting more powerful. They attacked, along with a few of our neighbors who also wanted to see us fall.

“We were crushed. That wasn’t the day our civilization ended, but it was the start. The loss dropped us to Tier Four, and the enemies we made picked us apart. I did what I could to protect us and fight, but I was only one person. What can one person do against the galaxy?

“In the end, my civilization fell, unable to hold any system. It’s how all civilizations end, eventually. The timeline is different for each one, but the Game doesn’t let someone last forever. There’s always someone hungrier, ready to pounce when you finally reveal a vulnerability.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. And I truly was. Whether he had truly lived outside the Game or not, his feelings were real.

“Thank you. When the end was near, I realized I had only a few options. My power would not vanish with my people. I could roam the galaxy, working as a mercenary, maybe even finding a new home. But I would never be able to bring my people back. They’d made enough enemies that no one would let us make a new home.

“The people who run the Game made me an offer. One they’ve made to many over the years. Serve them in a dungeon. That way my people might live on, if only as the nightmares of the ones who came after.”

I let out a breath, shocked. “Is that true?”

“Yes. Although you have no way to confirm it, unless you talk to the people who run the Game.”

“I’ll have to ask them the next time I see them,” I said.

He laughed, a hearty sound that shook the stalactites above us. “You are quite confident. You’ve really spoken to them?”

“Twice. Well, three times, I guess. They welcomed us to the Game.”

“That was them?” He chuckled. “Of course it was. In disguise, but not perfect.”

“Uncanny.”

“Exactly.” The boss nodded, seeming to enjoy our conversation. I couldn’t blame him — if I’d been stuck in a Dungeon for thousands of years, I’d be pretty bored too.

“The second time was when I survived the Tutorial and received my special class. The third was when I founded my own civilization.”

Vair leaned forward, looking at me again. “You are very intriguing. Most only speak with the Game Masters once, if ever. Not counting that first time.”

“Yeah, they said no one ever guesses it. To be fair, the whole thing was a bit confusing, so I get it.”

“You were not prepared for the Game?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “Buddy, I haven’t been prepared for a single thing since I woke up in that room. My people are new enough to the Game that none of our recruits have memories of it even existing. Well, my old people. My new people are a mix, with some who come from other places and know about the Game.”

“A civilization so young, and already so much potential in you.”

I shrugged. “I had some help.” I nodded to Iris, still standing nervously behind me. “She was in my Tutorial, and I wouldn’t have survived without her. And some others. And some luck.”

Vair grinned. “I also survived mine, and it was mostly luck that was the difference between death and glory.”

“Yeah. That’s the way it goes.” I looked around the room, empty except for the geological formations and ice. “Is this it? How are your people supposed to be remembered if you’re stuck in an Ancient Dungeon that no one goes into. Since it takes a thousand years to form, I assume you’ve not had a lot of visitors.”

He nodded. “That’s right. To be honest, Carter, I’m not sure how much I am allowed to tell you. Part of the reason I took this responsibility was to keep the memory of my people alive, but I may have already crossed a line.”

Shrugging, I said, “The Game Masters are crazy powerful, so if they didn’t want you telling me something, I don’t think they’d let you.”

The boss chuckled, his laugh shaking the walls. “That’s a good point. Not all of the dungeon bosses are like me. Some are monsters, Game creations. I believe the sentient ones all came about like me. Possibly even the leaders of the Game generated armies.”

“Shit. I’ve killed a lot of those people.”

“As a fellow survivor of the Tutorial, I imagine you have.”

“I mean, a lot. And I can’t be the only one. How long has the Game been around?”

“Longer than anyone can imagine. More civilizations have risen and fallen than you can comprehend.”

“And I’ve killed a lot of the people left over.”

“Sort of. Just like you have multiple lives, the bosses of dungeons are respawned. If the dungeon is cleared, we respawn in a new one when they form somewhere else. If the invader of the dungeon fails, we respawn in the same place.”

I sighed in relief. “At least I didn’t wipe out the last members of some ancient, extinct species.”

“You did not. The other thing that happens is the longer a dungeon survives, the more powerful we become. Then that escalates when it becomes an Ancient Dungeon. I did not realize that meant I’d spend more than a thousand years with only a few fights mixed in there. I probably would have let the first group all those years ago kill me if I knew how alone I would be.”

“Yeah, that sounds like it sucks.”

“It does indeed, Carter.”

I thought about it, realizing that what Vair was saying might end up being my destiny. If I lived long enough, if the UIR lived long enough, the best I could hope for was finding myself in a dungeon, killing aliens who just wanted to make their own worlds better or get stronger. I told him as much.

“If I survive this place, and everything to come, I might end up like this.”

“If you survive? Are you on your last life?”

“No. I’ve got four. But the whole trap thing that got us stuck in here? Well, the asshole responsible set up a Respawn Limiter.”

Vair spit to the side. “Bah. That is foul. A crime. There is no honor, no pride. The lives the Game gives us are sacred. If someone dies defending their home, and dies again, that is one thing. My people believe our three lives each had a purpose: to learn, to fight, to live. To forcibly remove someone from the Game, killing them, is one of the lowest things.”

“Yeah, well, they’ve tried it before. My people outside are trying to destroy it, but that’s not a guarantee. Especially not before we possibly die here.” I nodded at the giant, hairy man. “You know, if say a boss we accidentally stumbled upon makes with the smashing.”

Vair stood up. “No. I will be remembered as an honorable man. My people will be remembered as honorable. You will not die by my hands.”

I was shocked. “You’re serious?”

“Yes. You will have to kill me, but I will return here or to another dungeon, and you will live a while longer. The other bosses will not give you this chance. One is not sentient, and the other lives for killing. Avoid them if you can. Not that you’ll ever meet him, but the final boss takes pride in being undefeated. He may speak, but only to hear himself talk. He’s kind of a dick.”

“Thank you,” I said, hiding a smile at the critical comment.

He took a step closer, then knelt. He lowered himself to the ground, sprawling out so that I would have easy access to his neck.

“Just make it quick. This still hurts like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Of course.” I lifted my sword, threading through the stalagmites to reach Vair.

“Wait!”

I froze at Iris’s shout. Stepping back, I wondered if she saw some attack I hadn’t spotted. But when she continued, I understood.

“Vair. Before he does that, please tell us about your people. We will do our best to make sure they are remembered.”

“That’s a great idea, Iris,” I said, stepping back and lowering my sword. “Maybe there are some stories of heroes of your world that we could take back and turn into books or movies, letting them live on even longer. We have some Entertainers of our own now. We’ll even name some planets after them.”

Vair pushed himself up. “You would do that?”

“We owe you for this sacrifice,” Iris said. “And someone as honorable as you deserves to be remembered.”

The three of us spoke for the next two hours. His people, the Cilor Vul, had a rich history, like all of the civilizations in the Game. Iris had a pen and paper in her inventory, so she tried to write down as much as she could. Whatever happened here, she would move it to one of the other women’s storage so it would not be lost with us.

Vair shared epic tales from his world, and some stories of his own accomplishments. He explained that while some dungeon bosses were larger than they had been before, he’d actually grown to his current size before the end. His class was unique, from surviving the Tutorial, and it was called Giant. Every time he prestiged, he got a little bit bigger, on top of having skills that would increase his size.

We wanted to keep talking, but after a while, Vair told us it had to be done. Some of the monsters would respawn soon, and if we didn’t kill him, even more would, and they’d join the fight, making this place indefensible. Each boss that fell removed some of the respawns, although there would always be a few until the final boss was killed. But removing Vair would mean that the wolf-monsters would not come back, along with the ape and bird creatures in the immediate area.

The Icemen would come back, as they were the domain of one of the other bosses.

So, I found myself standing over the giant alien, knowing I owed my life to the person I was about to kill.

“We’ll name a planet after you, Vair.” I said.

I could see the corner of his lips curl up in a smile as I plunged the sword into the back of his neck. Even enchanted with Psychic damage, it wasn’t enough to kill him outright. He thrashed, but I quickly struck again, severing his head, and turning him into pixels.

Kneeling, I felt the loss and sadness of the alien as loot rained down around us and both of our Controllers dinged.

Chapter twenty-two

With Vair dead, the entrance at the front of the cave reopened. Before dealing with anything else, I left Iris to pick up the loot and I ran there with the Construct. I summoned a Defensive Shield inside the cave, deep enough I didn’t think it would be visible outside of it. I had the Construct wait behind it, protected by the Shield, with orders to warn us if anything approached.

Back in the cavern, Iris handed me the stack of loot. Not much was immediately useful, but there were a few items that caught my eye.

The first was an armored helmet that increased Aiming and Reflexes. I gave it to Iris, knowing that the more defense she had, the better.

After that was a spell — appropriate for Vair — called Growth.

Growth — This spell increases the size of the target, raising Strength, Armor, and Health relative to the new size. The target gains additional Armor and Health, on top of that increase.

As a skill, this spell increases the target's size by five percent for every point added to the skill, and lasts for one minute per point. As a learned spell, the increase is based on Magic.

It increases the size of the target by one percent per point of Magic. It lasts for one minute per ten points of Magic. You can cast this once per day, per fifty points of Magic.

I had to say I really liked the spell. It was more situational — on a battlefield, growing to be twice as tall as normal would make me an easier target. The increased Armor and Health made up for that, somewhat. But it would really shine in certain situations. Against monsters and in dungeons, it would be great, but I had a feeling I’d find some other fun uses for it. Crashing down as a giant in the middle of an enemy squad would send them running.

Adding the spell to my list was as easy as adding it to my inventory.

The final exciting piece of loot was an elixir that added one point to every Stat. I offered it to Iris, wanting her to get the benefit. But she shook her head.

“I appreciate it, but that’s not going to be the difference for me, Carter. And I know another point of Knowledge will give you another memory. That’s important, and I think you should have it.”

“I don’t know…”

“Trust me. It’ll be better on you even without that benefit.”

“Okay.”

Putting the elixir in my inventory, I pulled it back out. The small bottle glowed, a swirl of icy blue and white. Yanking out the stopper, I drained it in one go. It felt like swallowing ice, and I worried my stomach would freeze over. But it didn’t, and just like that, all of my Stats went up by one.

Iris leveled three times, and I leveled twice. That was a big bump for me, as two of my classes prestiged at level sixty.

My primary class, Harem Knight, was Rank 3, and it moved on to Rank 4. It came with two new abilities. After each rank gave a new version of sword related skills, I was expecting another one. I was half right.

Shield Skills (Passive) — Each point in this skill improves your use of shields worn on your arm. You inherently know techniques to use it offensively as well as defensively. This applies both when using a melee weapon or a ranged weapon in the other hand.

I can’t say I was disappointed. The Sword Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master skills all had a noticeable impact on my fighting abilities, and I welcomed the chance to improve the other half of my main combat style.

The second skill was just as interesting.

On The Move (Passive) — When you are moving, or within one second of stopping moving a distance of more than three yards, you gain bonus damage and force to your melee attacks. This can potentially move or damage enemies you could not normally affect.

Damage is increased by ten percent for each point in this skill. Force added is equivalent.

The two skills immediately went to work with each other in my head, and I realized I might be able to use my Defensive Shield as a battering ram, knocking someone or something flying, or breaking down a door.

My Secondary class — Campaigner — was also Rank 3. But in addition to the option to advance to Rank 4, it also had a few other choices that it could prestige into.

The advancement looked like more of the same, offering logistical benefits to the army and my troops. That was good, but we were also working on getting our officers more experience, and I thought that we’d have people getting this class before too long. I leveled up faster than a lot of our citizens, but it still was a class I got at level twenty, so it wasn’t that hard to earn, even with the boost I got from the Tutorial.

Instead, I looked for anything that might help our short-term survival in the dungeon and against the Empire of Humanity.

There were four other options, all based on actions I’d taken while a Campaigner. The first was Fleet Commander. It offered skills related to ships under my command, and while the class looked incredible, I would leave it to someone like Ishani.

The second was Major. As in the rank of an officer. It involved giving boosts to large numbers of troops. Thanks to my Path Forward ability, which helped me know what was required for specific classes, I knew that it was also required if I eventually wanted to earn the General class. I’d have to rank it up a few times, then take Colonel, then General.

They built on each other, eventually offering powerful combos that would let armies do massive amounts of damage in the short term, or survive and fight for longer than they should be able to.

But it was again a class for someone else. I suspected Rebekah would take it once she had the option. A lot of the skills were based on Aiming, one of the two Stats I couldn’t improve, which meant that they would never be as good as someone else who started with that Stat available. And the class wasn’t required for me to lead the armies, it just meant I’d get more experience from those related activities.

The third class was the Overseer. The description made it sound like a more Laborer focused version of the Campaigner. It traded army logistics for infrastructure logistics. That meant boosts for factories and constructions directly under my control. We needed someone with that sort of skill set desperately, but it sure as hell wasn’t going to be me.

I’d be fighting too much for the boosts to be any good, and the Overseer, at least at Rank One, had to be in the same system as the buildings and people they boosted.

That left the final class, as my choice. It felt the most related to combat, and while I was the Governor and leader of the UIR, I also was our strongest weapon. So I wanted to amplify that until we were safe from the Empire.

The class was called Fire Team Leader. It, in a lot of ways, felt like a step-down from the Campaigner as far as ranks went. But it was a perfect fit for me, and it made sense why I’d gotten it as a choice, since it was all about small groups doing a lot of damage. The two skills confirmed it.

Burn Them Down — This skill targets a group of enemies, giving yourself and a small number of troops under your command increased damage against the target enemies. Each point in this skill increases the damage done by ten percent, and the skill lasts one minute per point. It can be used once per hour.

The size of the group that can be targeted increases with each point. If used while in command of a spaceship, the boost applies to your ship and any attached smaller ships. The number of targets is based on the value of the ships — fewer Battleships can be targeted compared to fighters, for example.

Lock Out — This skill targets a group of enemies in a small area. For the duration, their skills cannot be used, and ongoing effects may be brought to an end. This can be resisted, and is determined based on relative level and Willpower. More points in this skill increases the effective strength and the size of the area targeted.

It lasts for one minute per point in the skill, and can be used once per day.

Both skills looked like good options for the fights to come. Burn Them Down felt like it would do a good job keeping me and Iris alive in the dungeon.

I still had eighteen points left to assign after leveling up, so I thought through what the most useful options would be. Raising Magic to 150 would give me another use of Defensive Shield, on top of being very powerful, but it was nineteen points away after the elixir, so I couldn’t hit it yet.

While the levels had come quickly so far, there was no guarantee that would continue, so I put one point into Spellcasting and Lock Out. The number of spells I could learn was based on that skill, and I always tried to keep at least two open slots in case I found new spells. Lock Out didn’t seem to be immediately useful, but I figured that if we left the dungeon and went straight into a fight, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little boost.

I put five points into Magic, getting it closer to the next big bump. Then I added one point to Rapid Fire and Damage Boost, extending their time by another minute.

The remaining nine points I split equally between Burn Them Down, Shield Skills, and On The Move. The other fighting skills were a big benefit. That also increased my damage when moving by forty percent, overall. I was fast, especially with Savior Complex, so I could keep moving as much as possible.

I could feel the changes from the skills already, having a sense of what I could do with a Shield — errors I’d made before, options when fighting different opponents.

Finally done with all of my work, I looked at Iris. She was leaning against the wall of the cave near the tunnel leading in. Her eyes were drooping, struggling to stay open. While it was only early evening for me, Iris had been imprisoned and abandoned to die, and was exhausted.

“Get some sleep, babe,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You need it. I’ll keep watch.”

“Okay.”

I pulled a sleeping bag out of my inventory — the same one I’d used in Basic Training. I handed it to Iris, getting a thanks in return. She crawled into it and quickly fell asleep.

Moving closer to the Construct, I kept watch for a while. A message came in from Jackie.

Jackie: Hey Carter. I love you.

Carter: I love you, too, Jackie.

Carter: Everything okay?

Jackie: Totally.

Jackie: Nothing to worry about. Just wanted to say that.

Carter: Okay.

Jackie: See you soon.

A little later, when the Construct vanished unexpectedly, I jumped to my feet, expecting another fight. My sword was in my hand before I even knew what was going on. I checked the entrance, but didn’t see any monsters.

Then I realized it was midnight, and the spell was over. I took ten minutes to summon two more of the Constructs. These both matched the other appearance — Iris, with a shield and spear. Maybe my own desires were shaping the Constructs. A version of Iris that would keep the real one safe as well.

I set them to guard the front, and wake me if they spotted anything. I wanted to get an hour of sleep if I could. Anything would help keep me going.

Chapter twenty-three

Captain Jacqueline Keller

“We’re on a clock here, people, and I need ideas,” Rebekah said. Jackie sat on the bridge of their Hangar ship, the Verhoeven, joining the discussion via video chat.

After Carter and Iris disappeared into the Ancient Dungeon, Rebekah took command of the fleet’s larger strategy, working with Ishani to manage the pullback. They’d lost a few fighters and a cruiser, but done a little more damage than that to the forces of Humanity.

Once everyone was settled, a long no man’s space between the two fleets, they got into planning mode. Time was ticking by, and Jackie was anxious to rescue Carter and Iris, since every minute in that dungeon was a dangerous risk.

“I don’t think we can just plunge in head-to-head,” Roux said. “We’ve got the numbers, and the power, in most respects. But they have the experience, and I’m not sure that we’d win.”

“We’ve crushed every other fleet we’ve fought against,” C.J. said.

The harem members were all participating, along with a few of the new honor guard. Jackie wished they were in the dungeon with Carter instead of out here, even if that wasn’t possible. She knew they were all thinking the same thing.

“Yeah, in surprise attacks,” Ishani said. “And with overwhelming force. It’s easy to win a fight when you outnumber the enemy three to one, and are stronger.”

“They’re right, C.J.,” Jackie said. “The fighters I went up against were both higher ranked than others we’ve fought and they flew better. I’m pretty good, but most of us have less than a year of experience, and it shows. We’re lucky they were more focused on the trap than a straight-up fight — we did a little more damage than otherwise.”

The punk grumbled and leaned back. The other harem members — including Nillin — were all on the Chariot of Fire. Jackie wanted to be with them, having the support of her friends while worrying about Carter, but she needed to be where she was, ready to lead her fighters.

“We also lost the biggest asset of your ship when Carter ran into the dungeon,” Roux said.

“Axina is here,” Rebekah said. “One of the original casters that joined from the Delphinians. She’s not as strong as Carter, but we can at least still cast a few spells. She’s got the Forked Lightning one, so that’ll help against the new fighters.”

The new arrivals from the Empire brought in reinforcements, and while the small ship numbers were still in the UIR’s favor, they weren’t as lopsided as before.

“That’s a plus, but I’m sure even she would tell you that she’s not in the same league as the Governor.”

“None of this is helping us figure out how to destroy the Respawn Limiter,” Rebekah practically shouted, frustration growing. “That should be our one and only priority.”

Admiral Ishani shrugged. “We don’t even know what ship it’s on. Or if it’s just built into the side of the dungeon. Any thoughts?” She looked over at Reggie, the human prisoner who’d joined their civilization. They’d looped him in, hoping he might have more to share.

He shook his head. “No. You all clearly know more than me, already. But it would make sense to put something like that on the dungeon, right? So it’s not just floating out in space?”

“In some ways. But that’s also much harder to protect,” Roux said. “Until we find out otherwise, we need to assume it's on one of those unknown ships.”

“Is there a way to confirm that?” Jackie asked. “A way to test where it is?”

Roux shook her head. “Not that I know. It’s not anything the Delphinians have used. Plugs?”

The Keid stepped onto camera and frowned. “As far as I know, the Keid haven’t used one. So we won’t be any help.”

The other aliens who’d joined the UIR all echoed that sentiment. If their people used one, it was way above their pay grade.

Jackie could tell the anger and powerlessness was chipping into all of their resolve. There had to be something they could do. Maybe that she could do.

“It has to be on, right?” she asked.

That stopped the other chatter, as everyone looked at her. Rebekah nodded. “Yes, I think if they turned it off at any point, they’d risk Carter and Iris just killing themselves to escape.”

“And Rebekah, when you dealt with this on the island, it wasn’t aimed at just you and Carter, right?”

“That’s right. It affected the whole island. We killed a few of the soldiers and watched them respawn on the island.”

“Then it is probably affecting not just the dungeon, but the ships around it.”

Ishani sat up. “Where are you going with this, Jackie?”

“If the Limiter is only targeting the dungeon, this won’t work. But if it has to cover an area around itself, then we might be able to figure out where it is.”

“That’s risky,” Rebekah said, realizing what Jackie was about to suggest next.

“Yes, but it’s worth it. We fly some fast fighters near their fleet, and pull back as soon as our Controllers alert us about the Respawn Limiter.”

“It could work,” Roux said. “We can triangulate roughly where it is, and then blow it the hell up.”

“Yeah, now we’re talking,” C.J. said, getting an elbow from Samantha.

Rebekah gave her a concerned look. “We don’t know how big the field is, so the pilots might need to get close or even in the fleet. If you do this, Jackie, you run the risk of dying while under its power. Then that’s it.”

“I know.”

“We can’t do it with just one ship,” Roux said. “Even if it could get in and out, we have to assume that the Empire would pick up on what we’re doing and either move the Limiter or send a big force out to kill the ship. We’ll need to find the edge from multiple directions close to the same time.”

“Then we ask for volunteers,” Jackie said. “Hit them all at once from a few sides. How much data do we need to pin it down?”

Ishani glanced down at her console. “Looking at where the unknown ships are, three, at least. Each success will speed up the math, but if I can get three, I can work it out. If it ends up on another ship, I might need more.”

“You can do that math?” Jackie asked.

They’d gotten to know each other when Ishani smuggled Jackie to meet back up with Carter, but she’d never struck Jackie as a scholar. The Indian woman was cocky, confident, and a bit of a flirt, but not a nerd.

Ishani rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t always the sexy Admiral of an upstart navy, Jackie. Before the Game, I was enrolled at M.I.T., with a full scholarship.”

“Were you really good at rowing crew or something?” Samantha asked.

“Academic scholarship.”

Rebekah whistled.

“I assume that means you can do the necessary calculations?” Roux asked.

“In my sleep.”

“Then I can get you that data,” Jackie said.

All of a sudden, Reggie shoved the comms officer out of her seat. Jackie hadn’t noticed him drift into that area while they spoke, and everyone was taken by surprise.

He hit a button, opening a channel with the human fleet. “This is Reggie, reporting in. They are planning to —”

With a crackle, Reggie shook. His words stopped as electricity coursed through his body. Slowly, he disintegrated, not turning into pixels but just vanishing into the air.

“Well, that was dramatic,” Ishani said.

The radio crackled. “Come again, Reggie. What was that?”

“Cut the channel.”

The comms officer got back to her feet and shut it off.

“They’re probably going to be even more on edge,” Rebekah said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jackie said. “If our only other option is destroying every ship out there, then we’re doing this.”

***

When Jackie asked for volunteers, her entire wing stepped up. The other five pilots didn’t even hesitate. They knew her, trusted her, and would do anything for her. It meant a great deal.

They were called Blonde Wing, after Jackie’s hair color, but the rest of the pilots dyed their hair blonde as well if they weren’t already.

The other volunteer surprised her. It was her Weapons Officer. The fighter that Jackie flew was a Delphinian gift, fast and powerful, but it required a second operator to manage some of the missiles and targeting systems.

“We don’t want to fight,” Jackie had explained when Lizzie Moore put herself forward. They called her Moore, since there were a handful of Lizzies, Lizs, and Elizabeths in the pilot corps, for some reason.

“Moore, it might mean dying, and if we’re launching missiles, we’re really in the shit.”

“No, ma’am,” Moore said. “If you are going, I’m going. You need someone to watch your back.”

Jackie sighed. “Thanks.”

Another six pilots volunteered from other wings before Jackie decided they had enough. They’d go in groups of two, hitting the potential bubble from different angles of attack. Ishani explained she needed some significant distance between where they crossed over to make the math work, since it wouldn’t be exact.

Two of the volunteer pairs not from Blonde wing would approach the front of the Dungeon. It was the most covered, since the human fleet moved to the side and rear of it. There might be some automated defenses, but Jackie thought that would be the most survivable place, as long as the field didn’t end exactly at the dungeon’s edge. Two points of data was the most they could get from that approach, according to their surprise math whiz.

The other four groups would come in from other angles. Jackie took the most dangerous route, around the dungeon, to find the far edge of the bubble. Ishani said that would be the biggest help with everything else, so she wanted to make sure it happened.

There was a good chance some or all of them would die — although hopefully no one would be inside the Limiter’s field when it happened.

But it might happen, so Jackie sent a message to Carter. She would rather not worry him, just tell him that she loved him one last time.

Just in case.

Jackie: Hey Carter. I love you.

Carter: I love you, too, Jackie.

Carter: Everything okay?

Jackie: Totally.

Jackie: Nothing to worry about. Just wanted to say that.

Carter: Okay.

Jackie: See you soon.

After the message, Jackie took a deep breath to steady her nerves and remind herself why she was about to go on a dangerous mission. She was doing this for Carter, of course, but also for the United Interplanetary Republic. He mattered more than anyone else, and gave them the best chance of surviving and thriving. On top of that, locating and destroying the respawn limiter would make their eventual battle less suicidal.

The other pilots knew that as well. They were fighting for their civilization, because Carter would save everyone else if he made it out alive.

“We’re ready, Captain,” Slippers said. She was another Liz, or Elizabeth, Jackie couldn’t remember which. They called her Slippers because she came to the first flight briefing wearing slippers that gave a Reflexes bonus.

She was a good pilot, part of Blonde Wing, and would be paired with Jackie and Moore.

“Thanks, Slippers. Let’s do this.”

They all climbed into their fighters. The flight crew, Repairmen, and other pilots patted the thirteen volunteers on the back, giving them words of encouragement and support.

Jackie let Moore go first, then followed up the ladder. She slid into her seat, buckling in as the crew member pulled the ladder away. A press of a button lowered the cockpit window down, sealing the two of them in.

A few switches and the fighter purred to life.

“Moore, how are we looking?”

“Weapons are good. No problems. Fully loaded. Our enemies should be quaking in their boots.”

“Great.”

Jackie retrieved a helmet from her inventory. She buckled it on and connected the air hose to the fighter. It was a piece of loot that boosted her fighter’s speed and her own Aiming. Her ship was already faster than the others in Blonde Wing, so she’d only need the extra speed if things went wrong.

More confirmations came in from the other pilots. She taxied her fighter to the shield at the end of the hangar, seeing the open space behind her. Switching her radio to speak to all of the fighters, she said, “You all are incredible. Governor Ash will know just how daring you all are as soon as he escapes from that dungeon. This is the first step to that. Know that you are heroes, each and every one of you. Let’s do this for the UIR!”

The radio crackled with their voices, cheering, “The UIR!”

She pushed the throttle down. The fighter accelerated, lifting from the floor, and shot out into space.

The others followed. They split into two groups to start. Jackie led the two with the safest mission to their relative left, around the dungeon, while the rest went to the right.

“We’re not seeing any response yet,” Ishani said.

“Good.”

The groups flew for fifteen minutes, trying to make it look like a patrol or a readiness exercise. Once the majority of the enemy fleet was obscured by the dungeon, her group turned to the dungeon.

They split into three pairs, and Jackie and Slippers accelerated away.

“Still nothing,” Ishani reported. “Right wing, you are clear to start your approach.”

Jackie and Slippers had the furthest to travel, but would hopefully be the most surprising. Slippers pushed her fighter to the max, and Jackie easily matched it. They rounded the Ancient Dungeon. Jackie saw the walls of the dungeon disappeared into a huge mountain, with rough cliffs along the exterior.

Somewhere in there was Carter.

They cleared the dungeon and saw the enemy fleet again. The main part of the fleet was oriented for defense, facing the UIR fleet and away from their direction. A couple cruisers and a Versatile Battleship took the side that Jackie came at.

The enemy fleet had scrambled fighters and gunships at the approach of the other pairs. The large mass swarmed at the brave volunteers in the distance, all racing ahead.

A few seconds after spotting the Versatile Ship, Moore reported, “The Versatile Battleship just launched six fighters, Captain.”

They appeared on her radar, blinking as two sets of three split off, coming at them in a pincer attack.

“I see it. Go ahead and lock missiles on the nearest. Hold the fire until it's a sure thing.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jackie glanced down at her Controller, but they still weren’t in range of the Limiter.” “We need to get closer.”

They flew straight at the Battleship, still a hundred miles or more before they would be in range of the ship. The cruisers were another matter, as they started accelerating in their direction. The fighters were getting closer as well, and within a minute or two, they’d have to fight to get further.

She pressed the throttle down, increasing her speed enough that she left Slippers behind. No complaints came — Slippers knew the risks, and knew the goal. Her wingwoman was always there to cover her.

The ship barreled forward.

“Twenty seconds until they are in range, Captain,” Moore said.

The enemies fired a few testing shots, all sailing wide. Each moment of flight made their escape that much less likely.

“We have confirmation,” one pilot reported. “The dungeon range.”

“Good,” Ishani said. “Two more.”

“Got it,” one of the Blonde Wing pilots said. Tearing her eyes from the oncoming dangers, Jackie saw the pair peeling off in the distance, chased by enemies across the battlefield.

“They’re almost in range,” Moore said.

“Fire.” She shot at the second fighter on her right, while the ship shuddered as the first round of missiles launched. She clipped her target, sending it spinning away while the other exploded. But now they were in range of all of the fighters, and they returned fire.

Barrel rolling, Jackie used every trick she knew and some she didn’t to become as hard to hit as possible. It meant she couldn’t fire back, but Moore worked hard to lock on another ship.

“We’ve got two on our tail,” Moore reported. The radar confirmed two of the enemies had found their way behind her and were zeroing in on her.

Jackie’s Controller beeped. She didn’t even hesitate.

Yanking back on her controls, her fighter shot up and back.

“Confirmed,” Moore reported, letting Jackie focus on flying. Moore relayed the data back to Ishani, her words lost as Jackie’s world shrank down to her controls and the fighters trying to kill her.

Slippers pulled the same move, and the two were flying away. Moore launched the missiles the second they locked on, sending two flaring behind them at the nearest enemy. That fighter shot one down and swerved out of the way of the second.

“They’re still on us,” Moore said.

“I see that.”

Their momentum meant they’d crossed into the Limiter by the time the ship righted itself. Jackie activated her last skill, Engine Boost. It increased the speed of whatever craft she was flying, and in a couple of seconds they broke out of the limiter and rejoined Slippers. They both sighed in relief as the twin beeps filled the cockpit.

She pulled back on her speeding, letting them fall back into formation.

“They’re still after us, Captain.”

The ship shook as an energy blast hit the back.

“I can tell, Moore. How many?”

“All four are still alive. We could lose them, but…”

Slippers spoke up. “Leave me, Captain. I have two lives. I’ll hold them off.”

“We’re not leaving you behind.”

Moore’s controls beeped, letting her know she’d locked on to another target. The Delphinian ship could fire missiles forward and backward, but it was more accurate shooting at targets in front. Jackie had an idea — if it worked, they’d both be going home. If it didn’t — well, she wouldn’t think about that.

“Do the Splits on three.”

“Captain…” Slippers protested.

“Do it. That’s an order. One, two, three.”

They did a move they’d practiced multiple times, but rarely used in combat. Jackie swerved to the right, Slippers went left, both twisting around to face their attackers.

The moment the target was in front of the ship, Jackie shouted, “Fire.”

As the missiles launched, Jackie unloaded her energy cannon at another fighter struggling to recover to the sudden change. Her gun chewed it up, destroying the ship as another exploded when the missiles landed.

Slippers wasn’t as lucky, as the two on her kept their cool and followed her. They couldn’t get a clear shot, but it wouldn’t be long before that wasn’t the case anymore.

But the benefit of the move was that the loop the two pulled meant that they’d shortly be flying at each other.

That left Jackie zooming at the two chasing Slippers. She fired, knocking down one. Moore used an ability of her own, juicing the targeting computer. The missiles locked, and the final ship vaporized a moment later.

“Hahaha!” Jackie laughed in glee.

The two members of Blonde Wing formed back up and raced off to the hangar ship.

“We have four points of the Limiter,” Ishani told her. “I’ll get on the math right now. Get back here.”

No one else followed, and they landed soon after, since they didn’t have to take the long route. When Jackie climbed out of the fighter, the crew cheered. She smiled, looking for the rest of the team.

Seven pilots waited for her on the deck. Tiny, the only one from Blonde Wing, stepped forward, tears in her eyes.

Jackie’s face fell as she realized that was all who were coming back. Three members of Blonde Wing had given their lives to get the information.

She pulled Tiny to her, hugging her close as they both sobbed.

Chapter twenty-four

Light hit my eyes. I blinked awake, the sunlight coming through the suddenly uncovered windows.

“What did you do that for?” I asked.

Then it all came flooding back. I remembered what day it was.

What would happen.

“There we go,” Jackie said.

She smiled at me, standing next to the tall glass, a view of our yard behind her. We had a pool, with a chain link fence along the back keeping the forest at bay. Bushes dotted with spring flowers were artfully arranged.

But I focused on the woman standing in front of me. She was still gorgeous, and not just because of the new technology that kept us all young for centuries. Small crinkles at the corner of her eyes showed what we both knew — we’d reached the end of the road. We both looked like we were in our thirties, even though I was two hundred and seventy-one, and she was a year younger.

From here, we’d age mostly naturally, if a little slower. We could count on probably another hundred years of pretty decent health, if we wanted. Not that it would happen.

Judging by the glint in Jackie’s eye, there was something she wanted.

“Go brush your teeth,” she said with a wink.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I walked to the bathroom. Almost everything was boxed up, and the rest would be gone the next day.

We’d had a great party the night before. I thought back to all of the people who’d come to see us off. It was pretty incredible the number of people you’d meet when you lived for centuries. As I brushed my teeth, I remembered how worried I was that it would be a sad occasion, but Jackie was sure it would be a celebration.

She was right. It was a party for the ages. Neither of us drank, not wanting the hangover that the marvels of modern alien science still couldn’t fix, but we had a good time nonetheless.

I rinsed and finished up, and stepped back into the bedroom. I stopped, grinning like an idiot. “You still know how to surprise me.”

During my brief time in the bathroom, Jackie slipped into a very sexy set of lingerie. It was deep blue, perfectly accenting her curves and complimenting her eyes. She reclined on the bed, laying on her side with one leg bent at an angle.

“Mrs. Ash, you’re trying to seduce me.”

“Is it working?”

“Most definitely.”

I crawled onto the bed next to her, taking in all of her as I did. She rolled onto her back, and I leaned over her. We kissed, soft at first.

After all this time, I never got tired of kissing her. Her hand grabbed my head, and we pushed together harder, our tongues teasing each other.

I pulled back, smiling.

She pushed me onto my back, climbing on top of me. Turning, she slid herself up my chest, while she leaned down and freed my hard cock from my boxers. I let her push them off me while I enjoyed the sight in front of me.

Her lace panties gave an enchanting view of her pussy, partially obscured. She was clearly wet with excitement. I pulled the underwear to the side and plunged my tongue into her, earning a gasp.

“Oh, god, Carter.”

I didn’t pause, licking her, teasing her with the tip of my tongue. “God, Carter, that’s incredible.”

She stopped talking then, taking my cock into her mouth. Her warm lips wrapped around me as she worked my shaft.

I turned my attention to her clit. My tongue twisted it in small circles, knowing exactly what she liked.

We both knew each other as well as anyone could know another person. Even in the bedroom.

Especially in the bedroom.

A few minutes later, I felt her legs tense as she started moaning.

“Yes, yes, yes, Carter. Please,” she gasped, before sucking on me again. That was all I needed, and as the orgasm spread through her, I joined her.

I exploded in her mouth, urged on as she hungrily swallowed me. We both moaned and pleasured the other person until we finished.

She flopped down next to me.

“That was amazing,” she whispered.

“I hope you aren’t done yet,” I said.

She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“For you… always.”

This time I climbed on top of her. My half-hard cock slipped inside her warm embrace. Another miracle of the new technology came to my aid, and I quickly hardened as I slid in and out of her.

“You feel so good.”

“I love you, Jackie,” I said.

“I love you, too,” she groaned.

I picked up the pace, and we lost ourselves in each other.

***

When we’d finished, we showered together, enjoying being as close as possible for as long as we could. After getting dressed, we went out to our favorite lunch spot.

“Welcome to Pete’s Place,” the hostess said as we walked in. Her eyes lit up as she realized who we were. “Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Ash. Hi!”

“Hey, Lynn,” I said.

“Aren’t you… you know? I thought that was today.” Her face fell.

I smiled. “It is. But we were meeting someone for lunch.”

“Right.”

“Is your great grandpa in?”

“Yeah. Grams, too. You’d think they’d let it go, but, here we are. My mom’s been running the place for twenty years, but they wanted to do one last look.”

“I get it,” I said. “He wants to make sure you’re okay.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Okay, follow me.”

Lynn led us to a table, and we took our seats. Jackie’s phone rang, and she excused herself to take it — it was someone who hadn’t made the party the night before.

I looked through my phone, chuckling. It was probably the last time I’d do that. They didn’t have phones where I was going.

Jackie returned, along with Pete and Cynthia.

“Hey, dude,” Pete said. “Good to see you.”

He gave me a big hug. I smiled, saying hi to Cynthia, and we all sat down. There were still empty seats, but I didn’t know if the last invitee was actually coming.

“Today’s the day,” Pete said. “Can you believe it?”

“Not at all.”

“We’ve known each other, what a hundred and fifty years?” Pete asked. “We met on that cruise to Andromeda.”

I laughed.

“What?”

All three of them looked at me. “I’d been holding on to this one for a while, but Pete, we actually met before that. Not Cynthia.”

“Sorry, I’m not responsible for anything he said that time, then,” she said with a grin.

“No, he was great.”

“I’m sure I’d remember you,” Pete said.

“Not necessarily. So, after that cruise, I thought you seemed familiar. But I’d been alive over a century, so I wasn’t sure. When you emailed me, though, I figured it out. You’d emailed me once before.”

“No way.” He was intrigued. Jackie grinned as well — she knew as well.

“Yes, way. Once I figured it out, Jackie and I thought we’d tell you about it the next time we met. Then there was the whole craziness, and it slipped my mind.”

“You’re killing me, dude. Tell me!”

“Okay, we took a cooking class a long, long time ago. And you were the assistant.”

“I don’t think so,” he said. “I remembered most of them…” He trailed off, and I watched my friend put the dots together.

“Yup.”

“No!”

“Someone needs to tell me,” Cynthia said.

“It was the night the Game appeared.”

“Get out,” Cynthia shouted, drawing stares from around the room. “What a small world.”

“Wow. I’d blocked a lot of that night out of my mind,” Pete said. “Partially ‘cause I accidentally took an edible that was supposed to be broken into four pieces right before aliens took over my TV.” We all laughed, knowing that happened more often than Pete would admit. Well, maybe not the aliens taking over the TV part.

“So you two met when the Game appeared, and now… well, that’s pretty magical,” Cynthia said, her eyes misting over a bit.

From there, we reminisced about all of the memories we had together. Jackie and I never had kids, but we’d loved Pete and Cynthia’s like we were their aunt and uncle. They had a huge clan by this point, with their youngest son the age of their oldest great-grand kid. I’d helped fund the first Pete’s Place, when he made a farm to table restaurant.

We reminisced for a while longer, ordering our favorites. Halfway through the meal, we were interrupted.

“Carter?”

I turned to see Pritchard standing two tables away. He looked sad, worried, and like he hadn’t slept in a week. We’d been friends longer than anyone else — even Jackie. In fact, he’d thrown the party I met her at in what felt like a different life.

“Hey, man,” I said.

“Hey.”

“Grab a seat, dude,” Pete said. He pushed the chair across from him out with his foot under the table. Pritchard hesitated for a moment, then sat down. His bleary eyes looked at each of us, searching for something he didn’t find.

“You’re really doing it? All of you?”

“Yeah,” I said. “We are. We’re enlisting in the Game today.”

“But you’ll die,” he said, too loudly.

“Probably,” I said.

“We still don’t know what happens when people go into the Game,” Cynthia said, trying to ease Pritchard’s worry.

“That’s true,” Jackie said. “Maybe people come back. Long after. Anything could happen.”

“No other aliens have ever said that happens,” Pritchard said. “And it’s still the same end result for me.”

“I know.” I patted him on the back.

“I still don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

Once the four of us decided, we told Pritchard. I didn’t expect him to join us, but I definitely didn’t expect him to flip out and not talk to me for the last year. I’d reached out a few times, and he’d always blown me off.

Today, our last day, I’d told him to come to lunch. I wanted to say goodbye, but he needed more. I did my best to explain.

“Do you remember that documentary that came out a little over a year ago?”

“The one about the Emperor? Vaguely. I don’t follow the Game. It doesn’t matter.”

I nodded. “It was about the history of the Game, at least, Humanity’s part in it. We’d pay attention sometimes, but mostly we never watched, except for the recaps or the big events. What did it matter? We had more worlds, we were a Tier Four, and life was good.”

“Exactly,” he said, pointing at me. “Life is good.”

“Listen, Pritchard, the documentary opened my eyes. All of our eyes. I watched a lot of those first five or ten years of the Game. Watched as humans sacrificed and struggled to build a civilization in the Game. But slowly I tuned out. A lot of people did.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we have our own problems. The governments here didn’t just stop existing. We might not have to fight off alien invaders here, but that didn’t stop all of our wars, all of our crises. We have to deal with our own shit.”

I could hear the anger in his voice, and knew it was aimed at what was coming, not me. Jackie reached out and gave my hand a supportive squeeze.

“A couple decades later, there was a coup. Sure, it doesn’t directly affect us, but it matters to the people in the Game. And they are real people. Every one of them. The Emperor rose to power. He was strong, with a vision, and he expanded Humanity. He roped the Tojilians into the alliance, giving us more protection. Then, with no one left to fight him, he turned on his people.

“Recruits have no idea what is happening, and they are treated brutally. There are basically three classes of people — the ones with power and high levels, soldiers, and everyone else. And they exploit everyone else, spending their lives like currency. But it helps solidify the Emperor’s rule. Using people like that will mean that there are hardly any people ever gaining enough power to challenge him.”

He practically growled at me, “What makes you think you’ll be any different? You’re just as likely to die in there. To be spent like currency.”

I nodded. “Maybe. You’re right. That might be the most likely outcome. But there are other people in the Game who are suffering. And we hope that by some chance we can make a difference. I can’t say for sure what the twenty-one-year-old version of me would do, but I hope he sees what’s wrong and tries to change it. That might be foolish, but I have to try.”

“We all feel the same,” Jackie said, with the other two nodding.

“But why now?”

“We’ve lived a good life. It might not be over yet, but the time felt right. And the longer we wait, the more entrenched the Emperor becomes.”

“And you’re doing this? For people who don’t know you, who will never know you even existed? There’s no coming back from this. You step inside that enlistment center, and you never get to return to earth. To us.”

I rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. The answer to this question had been bouncing around in my head for years, burned in there long before. I was just repeating a hero, but that’s what I wanted to be, if I could.

“Sometimes we make sacrifices for those we don’t know, for those we can’t see, who will come long after us. So we’re opening the door to that hope, knowing that this one way trip won’t be in vain. I’m doing this for everyone.”

He sighed. I wasn’t sure if he actually accepted what I said, or was just giving up arguing. “I’m going to miss you, man.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”

“In there?”

“Yeah. It’ll be crazy, I’m sure, but we knew each other before. My memory might be wiped back, but you’re from before that. In there, you’ll be my best friend.”

He smiled. “I guess that’s something. Suck it, Pete.”

“Hey, what did I do?” We all laughed at that. The next hour passed with happier conversations, but then it was time to go.

We said our goodbyes, hugging Pritchard. He promised to watch us in the Game, but I told him he didn’t have to, if it was painful.

Then we left for the enlistment center.

***

The building was on the outskirts of town. There were dozens of them across the country, and more around the world and on other planets. All identical.

The three-story tall building had no windows, only one double door at the front. It was gray, the exterior a material that no one could figure out. No technology known to man could penetrate the walls. And scout teams to see what was in there all failed to return. We only learned what happened when they reappeared in the Game.

That outcome wasn’t surprising, because a sign next to the door displayed a message that made the purpose of the building clear. The white sign and red letters could be read by anyone, language not mattering.

Once they’d assembled thirty people who could only read one language, each a different one. Standing next to each other, they all were able to read the sign, even though it only displayed the one message. They even included someone who was illiterate, and he could understand it just as well as anyone else.

Another mystery.

The message was simple, and clear.

This is the enlistment center. Stepping through the doors means that you will be joining the Game. This cannot be taken back.

Be certain.

The four of us stopped in front of the doors. They looked like plain glass double doors — the kind found on any office building in America.

“Here we are,” I said.

“Last chance to back out,” Pete added.

I looked over at Jackie. She nodded. “We’re doing this. It’s the right thing.”

“I know.”

We took each other’s hands, while Pete and Cynthia held each other. I approached the door, side by side with Jackie. It opened with a gentle push.

Stepping through, I expected a change, or to feel an energy or power. But all I felt was the cool breeze of a light air conditioning unit blowing out of the vent in the ceiling.

“That wasn’t too bad,” Jackie said.

“Not at all,” Cynthia agreed.

“Welcome to the enlistment center. Are you all together?”

The voice came from a small man sitting at a desk I hadn’t noticed before. We were in a small lobby that reminded me of a doctor’s waiting room. Each wall besides the one we’d come in through had four doors on it, each identical.

“We are,” I said.

“Good. It’s always nice to have friends for the process. Unfortunately, our rooms can only hold up to two people. If you don’t mind, you’ll need to pair off.” He looked between us, kind eyes taking us in. “I’ll give you a minute.”

“Looks like it’s the end of the road, dude,” Pete said.

“For now,” I said.

“Ha.” My boisterous friend was quieter than normal. “We won’t know each other in the Game. We were both well past twenty-one when we met.”

“I know.”

“You, especially.”

“Are you calling me old?”

“If the shoe fits.” We both laughed.

I stepped closer and gave him a hug. “It’s been a good run. I’ll miss you, man.”

“Yeah.”

We broke apart, and I gave Cynthia a hug goodbye. “Take care of him, if you find him in there,” she whispered.

“I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.”

After that, the man asked Jackie and me to wait, and he led Pete and Cynthia into another room.

I held Jackie’s hand, feeling it tremble.

“We’ll be okay, love,” I reassured her.

“It’s just a lot.”

I nodded. “I’m worried too. What if I don’t recognize you?”

“You will. We met at that party.”

“Yeah. You’re right. And you’ll be madly in love with me. It’ll be like our first date all over again.” Jackie giggled and rested her head on my shoulder.

I didn’t remind her what I knew — that it all happened after my birthday, not before. She had enough fear.

Five minutes later, the man with the kind eyes returned. “Alright, you’re next.”

The two of us walked after him into the room. It was small, ten feet by ten feet. A chamber along one side had two metal folding chairs inside. The chamber was metallic, about the size of an industrial fridge. Metal and wires ran along the outside, while the inside was perfectly smooth and white.

“You can sit, or stand. The process is painless, I’ve been assured,” he said. “It’s also safe for me to tell you now that your bodies will be destroyed. You will live forever inside the Game. There is no coming back from this, but you’ve already made the decision.”

“How come you’re telling us?” Jackie asked.

“Because you won’t remember. Some people find it comforting, knowing at the end.”

There was something slightly off about him. He looked human, but just a little different. His eyes weren’t quite right, and they had a depth that spoke to a long, long life.

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

He perked up. “Ha. Yes, Carter Ash, I am. Most people are too nervous to recognize me for what I am. It happened a lot more often early on, of course. People were more keyed in. Now, with aliens, science, and spaceships, people don’t look as closely.”

“Can you tell us if we’ll end up together?”

Jackie nodded, adding, “We know that there’ve been plenty of times that people who enter at the same time end up in the same Basic Training.”

“And other times that one part of a couple will arrive in the Game and the other half will arrive ten years later,” he responded.

She tensed up, and I glared at the man, who softened. “I can’t promise you anything, Jacqueline Ash.” He lowered his voice, leaning in conspiratorially. “But I’ll see what I can do.”

Jackie smiled.

“Do you want to go at the same time, or one of you first?”

“The same time,” we said together, then laughed.

“Alright.”

We stepped into the chamber, still holding on to each other. “Is it alright if we hold hands?” Jackie asked.

“Yes. Now, it will take me a minute to start the process, so if you have any deathbed confessions, now is the time.”

I looked at Jackie, who smiled. She said, “I did eat the last pint of that peanut butter ice cream last summer.”

“I knew it,” I teased. Leaning in, I gave her a kiss.

Possibly our last ever.

“I love you, Jacqueline Keller Ash.”

“I love you, Carter Ash.”

I smiled, and said what I hoped wasn’t a lie. “I’ll see you soon.”

The machine started up, light glowing from the walls. I felt something like electricity run through my body, but the man had told the truth. It wasn’t painful.

I gave Jackie’s hand one last squeeze as the world outside the chamber slowly grew unfocused. Before long, it looked pixelated, and the world fell away as each pixel winked out.

Once it was done, all that was left was solid white light.

Then, nothing.

Chapter twenty-five

A sharp crack woke me from my sleep. Before I even knew what was happening, I was on my feet, my sword and pistol in my hand as I looked around. The two Constructs near the entrance hadn’t reacted, both still facing the opening. It was daylight out, but it had been like that before I slept, even at midnight — I wasn’t sure if the sky changed in this unusual place.

The dream — the memory, really — was still fresh, feeling like it had just happened. There was a lot to process, and some surprises in there, too. But it was slowly shifting, like what happened every time. My brain was rearranging it so instead of being the most recent day of my life, it moved back to feel like it happened before I joined the Game.

It was weird.

I was too alert to worry about that. I shook off the confusion and tried to figure out what noise had woken me. The entrance was clear, and Iris hadn’t stirred.

Checking my Controller, I saw that I’d slept for just over an hour and a half. With the new memory, it felt longer, but I was glad that it was just a short nap.

Another crack echoed from the back of the boss’s chamber.

“That’s not good,” I whispered.

Kneeling next to Iris, I gently woke her.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard something in the back. Hopefully nothing. I just wanted you to be prepared.”

She nodded and slid out of the sleeping bag. Leaving her with the Constructs, I walked cautiously to the rear of the chamber. I didn’t see anything obvious. My eyesight was pretty good, even in the darker room. Some light came through the iced over holes above me, and my Aiming stat — even though I couldn’t raise it normally — was high enough that it helped me see better in the dark. I wasn’t anywhere near Bethany’s level, who apparently had a biological equivalent of night vision goggles thanks to her high Aiming.

With the round, rocky ceiling, the sound might have echoed from anywhere. I scanned the area, making sure nothing was creeping around in here.

CRACK

This time, it was louder, and I figured out the direction. I walked slowly to the source, eventually reaching the wall.

Nothing was there, and the whole area was empty. I searched around, but there was nothing obvious. Then another crack came, and I realized it was coming from the wall.

Spider-web-like fractures spread across the wall. Looking closely, I saw the shape was exactly the same size as the tunnel at the front.

“Great.”

Another crack, and some pieces of stone fell to the ground at my feet. Light appeared through a few of the breaks. Leaning in, I could see through the holes, and saw another tunnel behind the wall, still unfinished. No monsters were in it, but that wouldn’t last forever.

Another sound, and the hole opened further while the tunnel behind the wall got wider. At the rate it was going, it would be complete in a few minutes, maybe ten at the outside.

I jogged back over to Iris and gave her the bad news.

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure. I was hoping we could just stay here and stay safe.”

“And the dungeon doesn’t want that to happen.”

I shook my head. “Apparently not.”

“Is it worth staying here?”

“I don’t know. Two entrances isn’t too hard to watch.”

“What are the odds they stop at two?”

A loud crack came from the back of the chamber. After, there was a shower of stone and pebbles as the remains of the wall collapsed. It happened even faster than I expected.

“Pretty low,” I said.

“Then we can try and stay here and defend ourselves,” she said.

“There’s at least one settlement of Icemen out there. And the first one will respawn, if it hasn’t already. If they attack, it’ll be tough to stop them coming in every direction. And we don’t know what other monsters are out there.”

“Leaving is its own risk.”

“That’s true.”

We stood in silence for a moment, both considering the options. Neither were good, but I didn’t know which was the least bad choice. Iris still looked tired, even after the few hours of sleep she’d gotten, which made it a little easier.

“Listen, you try to sleep a little longer. Two entrances is better than being out and in the wide open. I’ll study the map, and see if there are any other spots we could find.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding.

With a laugh, I added, “And I’ll try not to pick a boss’s house this time.” She rolled her eyes.

To make it a little safer, I had Iris move a little further from the first entrance, still along the wall with some cover. The Defensive Shield I’d put near the entrance before falling asleep had another half hour on it, give or take. I put a new one there, and brought the old one to cover her from that angle, at least until it ran out.

Leaving the two Constructs where they were, I returned to the brand-new hole. It led out to a part of the cliffs away from where we’d come in, around a large outcropping and out of sight. I put the second Defensive Shield up across the entrance inside the cave, and stood watch.

***

The Ancient Dungeon was cruel, but not insane. It was another four hours before I heard the next crack. As far as I knew, Iris slept almost the entire time.

It wasn’t all peaceful. We’d been attacked five times. The first three were groups of Icemen. With only three in each patrol, I was able to take them down from behind my Shield with my weapon enchanted with fire, not needing to burn any spells at all.

The fourth attack was a herd of spider monsters. They didn’t make much noise, and I almost didn’t see them since they were the same color as the stone walls of the chamber. The final attack was a smaller group of spider monsters, two coming in each of the tunnels. I handled mine, and rushed to check the Constructs. They’d managed to kill one, and I finished the second off as they kept it boxed out with their large shields.

But I noticed the shadows shifting, and my Fire Breath filled the tunnel completely, roasting all of them. Each attack dropped a decent piece of loot along with some of the trash. One was a gun that was on the high end of what we’d found from boss drops, even if they weren’t immediately useful. The second group of icemen dropped a blueprint for a Mark Three helmet that was seventy percent complete.

The spiders dropped a pair of wrist braces that added ten Armor and ten Stamina, which was absurd. I’d seen boss drops with worse stats. Hell, I was wearing some boss drops with worse stats. I woke Iris immediately after that to make her put them on. She did, happily, before drifting back to sleep.

On top of all of that, I saw a monster cross in front of my entrance that made me very worried.

It was large, and I didn’t get a good look at it as the snow picked up. I did glimpse white fur and killer claws. I wasn’t sure if it could fit through the tunnel, and if it tried, I’d burn the hell out of it before it got too close.

The boss’s chamber was a rough circle. If it was a clock, the tunnel we entered through was twelve o’clock. The second one was around 7:30. The newest started forming at four.

At worst, we had ten minutes or so until it was open. My Shields lasted one minute per point of Magic, meaning they could stand for two hours and sixteen minutes. Since I could make two of them per hour, I could cover four tunnel entrances with the shields, but there wouldn’t be guards at all of them after the third, unless Iris joined in.

Wanting to give Iris as much time as possible to rest, I message the others for an update. If they were close to launching the attack, it might make sense to wait it out here.

Carter: Any news?

Rebekah: We’ve got good news and bad news.

Carter: Sounds about right.

Jackie: We were able to pinpoint the ship with the Respawn Limiter.

C.J.: Thanks to Jackie. She crushed it out there.

Carter: That’s ‘cause she’s amazing.

Carter: I’m sure it wasn’t easy. Thank you, Jackie.

Jackie: It wasn’t. But it was worth it if we can get you back.

Carter: So that’s the good news, I take it.

Samantha: It is. Not it!

C.J.: Not it!

Nillin: Not it!

Jackie: Not it!

Rebekah: You all need to take this seriously.

Rebekah: Also, not it. Bethany has to tell you.

Bethany: Oh, come on!

Bethany: I was in the shower!

Bethany: Fine.

Bethany: Ishani figured out which ship it was. We also got a good enough look at the unknown ships to identify them, from the cameras on the fighters.

Carter: I’m waiting on the other shoe to drop.

Bethany: The non-combat ships aren’t carrying the Limiter. There’s a transport relay, but the rest are Jump Tugs.

Carter: And those are?

Bethany: Ships that can pull another ship through a jump they normally couldn’t make.

Rebekah: We think they used them to pull the Ancient Dungeon here.

Carter: Makes sense. And that also explains how to get Defensive Battleships to places without building them there.

Samantha: I asked Kellantra about it, and she said they are generally Rank Three to start, and hard to research without some prerequisites. They are on her list, though. The only other way to get them is to find or buy a blueprint.

Carter: Nillin? Can our close friends the Delphinians provide them?

Nillin: I’ll ask. They want to help, but it’s tricky.

Bethany: Getting back on topic… the Respawn Limiter is on the Hangar ship. Directly in the middle of their fleet. It’s going to be hard to destroy.

Another crack came from the wall. Bethany was right, we needed to focus on the urgent threats.

Carter: Yeah, that is bad news.

Carter: They are using another one of these things. Will this be enough evidence to fully get the Delphinians on our side?

Nillin: Probably not. We need more proof than just our word.

Carter: What if you captured the Hangar ship with the Respawn Limiter.

Carter: You could turn it off, but it would give them what they’re asking for. Hard evidence.

Nillin: That could work.

Nillin: Almost definitely.

Bethany: Even in the best-case scenario, it means taking longer to get you out. Capturing a ship and then fighting to the limiter will take time. I assume they won’t just roll over.

Rebekah: We can’t just go all out on the Hangar if we want to capture it. We can hit the others hard, but we’ll have to try and keep that one in one piece.

Bethany: Can you stay where you are?

Carter: Maybe. It’s getting rough. Our defenses get worse every few hours, and there were more attacks overnight. I can’t be sure, but the pace seems to be picking up, too.

Carter: Wouldn’t hard evidence mean the Delphinians would join our side, officially, right?

Nillin: It should be enough. At least for more active support.

Jackie: But you’re in danger!

Carter: I know you all think I’m important to the UIR.

Samantha: You are!

C.J.: Very important.

Carter: I’m not arguing that. But officially becoming the Delphinian’s ally is worth more than just me, regardless of what I can do.

Jackie: He’s right.

Samantha: Are you sure, Jackie?

Jackie: Yes. We took the risk to help the UIR. Our forces combined with the Delphinians will be stronger than the Empire’s. Even without Carter, this would help more. It’s the right thing to do.

Rebekah: We’ll have to adjust our plans. I’ll talk to Ishani.

Carter: How long?

Rebekah: We were two, maybe three hours away from attacking. There’s no telling how long the fight itself will last.

Bethany: Taking the other ship will add time, too.

Rebekah: Six hours, at the earliest. Maybe eight.

C.J.: That long? Really?

Rebekah: Yes, really. Some of us are going to need to go over to the Karma. We’ll need to rearrange the troops and make sure we have the right shuttles. If we go in without a plan, we’ll lose more people, people who will die permanently.

Another loud crack echoed through the room. At the same time, I thought I heard movement outside the cave.

Carter: Okay. You’re right. Do it the best way, or don’t do it. I’ll leave you to the plans. I have to go deal with something. Just let me know when you attack.

I lowered my Controller, my eyes roaming the tunnel and the area beyond it for any dangers. Iris joined me at the second tunnel before I came over to wake her.

“I heard the crack,” she said, nodding in the other direction.

“Yeah.”

“Any thoughts? Did you come up with the perfect plan while we slept?”

“Would you hate me if I said no?”

She laughed, sadly. “I would never hate you.”

“Then that leaves only two choices. We stay here as long as we can. As long as nothing changes, we might make it another four hours before there are too many entrances to protect.”

“Right.”

“We can choose a tunnel to escape from, and wait ‘til we’re overrun. Nothing has attacked yet, but there’s been something prowling around the outside.”

A loud crack punctuated the oncoming threats.

“And the other choice?”

“We leave sooner, and try to find a different place to hide out.”

She nodded, thinking through the options.

One more choice had been flitting around the back of my mind, and I hesitated to suggest it. But it felt like something we should at least discuss.

“There’s also another possibility.”

“What’s that?”

“We know that completing the Ancient Dungeon gave the Delphinians something that helped them become a Tier Four civilization. It also gives incredible rewards to the people who complete it.”

“Okay…”

“We could also try to finish the dungeon.”

“Just the two of us?”

I nodded. “It’s crazy, and we probably shouldn’t even think about it. But if we managed to do it, then we’d come out of this stronger than the Emperor could ever imagine.”

She sighed. “If you think it’s what is best, we can try it.”

I could see the determination mixed with fear in her eyes. Iris was tough, but this was probably asking too much.

“No, let’s not do it,” I said. “It’s too risky. I shouldn’t have said anything. Look, I found two likely spots we can hide out, and we’ll be more careful about the bosses.” I pulled up my map to show her the rough plans, but we were interrupted before she had a chance to see it.

CRACK

The wall tumbled down at the newest entrance. A group of six Icemen charged in with it, spears in their hands.

At the same time, ice dropped into the middle of the room along with more light. The spider monsters from before poured in through the hole in the roof, crawling along the ceiling.

“Master, we are under attack,” one of the Constructs shouted. Glancing over, I saw three more Icemen were hitting that entrance. The only one not under attack was the one behind us.

“Come over here,” I shouted.

Iris already had her gun out, firing at the spider-monsters above us. They had more legs than a spider — I counted fourteen — although they had the bulbous bodies covered in eyes, and fangs as well. I hadn’t seen them up close, but they were around four feet tall, if I guessed right.

I cast Enchant Weapon on my gun, and turned the now fire empowered blasts on the Icemen nearest us.

The Constructs at the other tunnel rushed out, their feet pounding rhythmically as they ran in our direction. I didn’t like burning my spells more than I had to, but I worried they wouldn’t make it to us without more help.

In quick succession, I activated Savior Complex and cast Fireball. The orb shot between the two bronze defenders and exploded in the other tunnel as the Icemen were squeezing past the Defensive Shield.

Spinning, I shot at the other Icemen again, killing one.

“Carter!”

I turned, and at the last second tackled Iris as a spider-monster landed right where she’d been standing. We rolled into the tunnel, stopping hard against the Defensive Shield. I pushed my arm against it, shrinking it down to a buckler so we could move past it.

My gun shifted to a pistol, and I fired at the spider, singing its skin. It hissed and backed up, only to get a spear through its gut.

The two Constructs reached us.

“Guard her,” I said, ushering Iris behind me.

I set the Shield back up and increased it to its full size. It mostly blocked off the tunnel, and kept the surviving Icemen from throwing spears at us. They’d be able to get around it up close, but we would have the advantage.

“Do we run?” I shouted.

Iris looked at the monsters, considering. “They can come in through the roof now. We’re not safe here.”

“Okay. Then give me a few seconds.”

The monsters approached, three Icemen and twice as many spiders I could see. When they reached the entrance to the tunnel, I cast Fire Breath, angling the blast of fire back and forth, roasting all of them.

A pile of loot dropped to the ground. I shifted my Shield back to my arm, summoning my sword. I ran to the pile, snatching it up, when I heard a hiss.

I rolled to the right, but too late.

Two sharp feet jabbed into my side, cutting deep into the flesh. A spider loomed over me, hissing as its fangs lowered at me.

Slamming my Shield into its side, I pushed it back a little. It pulled its legs free, somehow hurting even more than when they went into me. I groaned as it slammed the legs back down, hitting my Shield.

It was trying to drive it to the side. While half its legs did that, the others tried to stab at me again, only kept at bay by my Shield and sword. I couldn’t get a good angle to stab the monster, and the legs had a thick carapace that meant I could block it but didn’t do much more than chip the natural armor.

An energy blast hit it from the rear.

“Get off my husband, asshole!”

Iris continued firing. The spider roared, a chittering noise that shook my bones. As it looked over at Iris, I cast Waves of Force.

Since it was still almost entirely on top of me, the spider shot straight up. It was impaled on a stalactite on the ceiling. It thrashed for another few seconds before dying.

Another pile of loot came. I grabbed it, groaning as I got to my feet. I cast Healing Burst, feeling the energy wash through me. I had two gaping holes in my side, and blood running down my side.

But we couldn’t wait any longer. I could hear more spider’s feet clicking on the roof, and another crack started in the far wall. Our shelter was no longer safe.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ll get there,” I grunted as I rejoined Iris.

I led the way out of the cave, the spell and my own insanely high Recovery already healing much of the damage. The two wounds were within its power to heal, and combined with my spell, they closed up as we started limping away.

Looking around, I didn’t see whatever monster had been sniffing around before. I did see a set of prints leading away. They were each three feet across, and I knew I did not want to meet whatever left them.

Luckily, they looked like they were heading away from our next goal.

“Let’s go,” I said.

We ran off, only noticing a minute into the run that the sky had clouded over, and it was starting to snow.

Chapter twenty-six

The spot that I picked out was another cliff face close to the edge of the dungeon. I couldn’t guarantee it wasn’t another boss, but more of the cave system appeared on my map during the scan, and it looked like one narrow tunnel, with three smaller rooms connected to it, each only six or seven feet across. A tight squeeze, but unlikely that a boss would be camped out in there.

I kept a lookout for the giant monster I’d seen before. It was the last thing we needed as the snow started to pick up.

Once we were a couple hundred yards from Vair’s chamber, I stopped us.

“Do you see something?” Iris asked.

“No, but the temperature is dropping.”

I knew from experience that the cold could kill us just as easily as any monster. With my Recovery and high Stamina, I’d probably hold out a lot better than Iris, but it still would get me eventually.

I pulled a few items out of my inventory and put them on. Some of the gear was left over from Basic Training, but after seeing the extreme weather during it, and the crazy heat in the volcano dungeon on Palana, I made sure to be as kitted out as possible for temperature changes. That extended to my squad, as well, although Iris did not have much.

Luckily, she could take what she needed from the others.

Soon, I had a jacket and pants on that would keep me warm unless it dropped to thirty degrees below, and she was similarly dressed. I also had a ring for both of us that would keep us warm as well. I wasn’t sure how cold it would get, but hopefully that was enough for the next eight to ten hours.

We also quickly ate two more buffing meals from Pete. That was the most prep we could do, outside of casting Protective Shell again. I had enough targets that we both received the spell, as well as the Constructs. The armor glowed to life around us, fading away again a moment later.

“Alright. I don’t see anything following us, but we’re far enough that we might run into whatever monsters are making their home here. Let’s slow down a bit.”

“Okay.”

Taking point, I trudged across the terrain. Our goal was a mile or so away, but moving cautiously and with the snow slowing us down, would take longer than I liked. Here, the hills from before made a reappearance, except with the entire ground sloping up. We were near the edge of the dungeon, if I was any judge, and the mountain was looming ahead, cliff walls guiding us in that direction.

Crossing one field, snow drifts that looked unusually large exploded, revealing white versions of the spider monsters hiding in them. They rushed in from every direction.

I fried half of them with my Forked Lightning spell — glad they weren’t resistant like the bird things — and the Constructs kept the others off of Iris while we finished them off.

It was a tough fight, and I was running low on spells until the cooldowns reset.

“We could stay here until some of them come back,” Iris offered.

It wasn’t a terrible idea. But there was still the threat of the large monster out there, and we didn’t know if anything that attacked the dungeon chamber would come here next.

The uphill march to the nearest cliff and cave cover didn’t look appealing. The temperature also kept dropping, even as we stood there. Getting to a cave would mean we could light a fire to help keep some of the cold off.

“Let’s move slowly, and then we can speed up once some of my spells are back.”

The next two hundred yards took us thirty minutes to cross. Both due to our slow pace, plus the fact that when we crossed the field where the spider monsters had hidden, we reached the top of a hill that revealed an Icemen settlement was nearby.

We went around it, trying to avoid more conflicts if we could help it. Our sight line was dropping, with the snow obscuring distant landmarks. Without my Survey skill letting us know the general layout and giving us a map, we’d probably have been turned around already.

I managed to get the drop on a patrol of the ice creatures. Using my sword, enchanted with fire, I jumped into the middle of the four monsters. I killed two before they knew I was there, and finished the others off quickly.

My Fire Breath spell returned, so we picked up the pace. The next thirty minutes we made good time, only having to stop once to fight another patrol. The settlement only had fifteen huts in it, which meant we’d killed more than half. I debated doubling back, but decided it wasn’t worth it. Even taking the chance to clear them out would only help for as long as it took for the monsters to respawn.

With our roundabout path pushing us off course, we finally reached the last five hundred yards or so before the icy cliffs and potential safety.

The temperature steadily plunged. Without our clothes, I’m sure we’d both have been struggling. As it was, the snow and wind made it slow-going.

And the next stretch would be even more difficult. There was almost no cover, and the hills stopped, meaning we had a steep slope to climb to reach the walls.

“Are you ready for this?” I asked Iris.

“Yeah,” she whispered, her teeth chattering.

“We can try to head back. The cold might only be in this direction.”

We looked into the distance the way we came, but couldn’t see far due to the pouring snow.

“It might be, but it might not,” she said. “I would rather not spend an hour walking that way only to realize we needed to be in that cave.”

“Okay. Stick close to me,” I said.

She nodded. I told the two Constructs to shadow us, bringing up the rear close enough that they wouldn’t get lost, but far enough back they would give us at least some warning.

We started trudging through the snow. It felt almost nostalgic, reminding me of my days in Basic. I say almost, because that was a miserable time when I watched everyone I knew die, and I never wanted to return there.

The wind fought us every step of the way. It found whatever cracks in my warm clothes it could, sending chills down my spine. I had to shrink my Shield down to the size of a small bracer to keep it from being tossed around.

I had incredible Strength, and yet I still struggled to make headway in the storm. I didn’t know the dividing line between a snowstorm and a blizzard, but shortly after entering the field, I knew we crossed it. The ring on my hand activated, warming me. It was pleasant, until I realized that meant it was cold enough I needed it.

A shadow crossed through the snow in front of us. I stopped, feeling Iris bump into me.

Without a thought, I summoned another Defensive Shield. It sprang to life in front of us, cutting a little of the wind.

“What is it?” Iris asked, her words still whipped away by the wind.

“I saw something.”

In the snow flurries, I could only see ten or fifteen feet. Knowing that, I enchanted my sword with Fire.

“Protect her,” I shouted to the Constructs.

The nearest answered me, but I couldn’t hear it over the increasing storm. The shadow passed by again at the corner of my vision. I spun, sword and shield ready. I increased the Shield on my arm’s size slightly, but anymore and the wind would make it impossible to use effectively.

I was only five feet away from Iris, and I still only barely heard her scream. Spinning, I saw a white, hairy monster climbing over the Shield, attempting to grab her. It looked like one of the wolf-monsters from earlier, except the size of a city bus.

Diving forward, I sliced at its paw. My sword glanced off one of the claws hidden in its fur before cutting into the flesh above with a sizzle.

A low growl came from the monster — felt, more than heard — and it turned to look at me. Its eyes glowed an angry red. It opened its mouth and blew, a stream of cold flying directly at my face.

I increased my Shield’s size and pulled it in front of me. The wind from the breath attack sent me stumbling backwards. Ice formed on the edges of the Shield, and judging by how much heavier it felt, on the front as well.

Iris had scrambled away when I struck, and I couldn’t see her in the near white-out conditions. Even the monster was little more than a shadow.

I activated Savior Complex again and cast Cloud of Blades. The hundred plus blades appeared around me, and I charged back to the barrier. The wolf monster jumped away, disappearing out of sight.

Two of my blades shot out after him, sent by me. I didn’t know if they hit. Stumbling through the snow, I saw one of the Constructs. It was standing over Iris, who was crouched in the snow with her gun out.

She shouted a question, but I couldn’t hear her. When I shook my head, she pointed at where the beast had been. I glanced back, seeing it was clear, and then shook my head again. Well, as clear as it could be — I couldn’t even see the other Shield from here.

The other Construct walked out of the snow, and took up a position on the other side of Iris.

I summoned another Defensive Shield. The monster might be able to see the glow of the barrier, but I knew we needed the help. With the Shield up, we had two directions covered, and the Constructs would keep the rest safe — for as long as they survived against the monster, anyway.

Scanning around, I didn’t see it again. We needed to move, but we couldn’t risk it catching us in the open.

My Forked Lightning spell came off cooldown. That was helpful, somewhat, even if it was mostly a waste against a single target.

“Where are you?” I wondered out loud.

It didn’t attack again for almost a minute, and when it did, it came charging out of the snow straight at me.

I reacted quickly, casting Fire Breath. The cone of fire cut through the air and splashed against the beast. It roared and jumped to the side. I followed it, catching it on the side before it vanished into the snow again.

With no idea where it might be, I swung the spell back and forth in front of me, hoping I would hit it again. All I did was melt a lot of the snow.

When Fire Breath ended, I readied my sword. I checked behind me, and saw the shadow just past the barrier.

Not sure how best to defend Iris, I activated Honorable Challenge. It forced any Game creation to attack me for five minutes. The monster changed directions and jumped up into the sky, clearing the Shield and coming straight for me.

I activated Defensive Shield again, thankful for the extra uses I got from having my Magic boosted. The monster crashed down onto it, folding almost in half as it did. I fired my gun and slashed with my sword at the stunned monster.

It scrambled to get to my side of the barrier while also pawing at me. Each strike sent one of my blades slamming into it, cutting deep wounds in the monster.

My sword left cauterized wounds every time it landed, and I was glad I’d chosen fire, as it seemed to be helping.

“Come on, you asshole,” I growled.

I reloaded with my offhand as I danced backwards in the snow. My foot slipped, and I realized the snow I’d melted had quickly refrozen into a slick surface of ice.

Each step was precarious, so I did what I had to do and cast Flight. It lifted me into the air, slightly. I stayed near the ground and moved backwards quickly.

The wolf growled as it crawled off the Shield. I saw a few wounds on its rear and side, and assumed the Constructs and Iris had done some damage while it was distracted.

When it locked eyes with me, I flew away, but made it look like I was running, as best I could pretend.

The giant wolf-monster lunged for me. When it hit the slick ice, it slipped, its head smashing against the ground as it lost control of its feet. I darted forward, slashing at the monster. I ran my sword along the side of its body, cutting deep.

I could smell the burning hair and meat before the wind shifted.

The monster, just barely visible, got to its feet. Claws extended from its paws, digging into the ice and giving it purchase.

Before it could attack again, I cast Growth. With my Savior Complex boosting my Magic to 272, I almost tripled in size immediately. I felt the change more than I could see it. I was close to twenty-feet tall, and my sword and pistol grew to fit my hands.

Not wanting to lose the advantage, I flew straight at the monster, swinging my sword at its head. We were now closer in size, and it was only double the size of the wolf monsters I fought earlier, at least compared to me.

It met my sword with a claw. Its paw sizzled, but the claw didn’t break. I shot it in the face and swung again, but it darted out of the way. I still couldn’t see terribly far in the snow, but I saw its shadow.

“Time to try something new.”

I flew at the wolf-monster as fast as I could. As I did, I increased my shield’s size. Slamming into the side of it, I sent it flying with the blow, hearing bones snap as I did.

I soared after it as the monster tumbled across the field. My new skills were helping me out quite a lot. That Prestige level came at the perfect time.

Leading with the tip of my sword, I crashed into the monster, stabbing deep into its side.

It roared and thrashed. Claws struck out at me, breaking through my Protective Shell after only a few slashes. It shattered, glowing white and then disappearing. The claws stopped when they hit me, only leaving small cuts as they struggled to get through my newly increased armor. More and more of the blades circling me shot off into the monster. I focused, sending all of them in. At this short range, they all hit, digging deep.

But it was still standing. I stabbed again, and again. Each time it yelped and fought back.

It was starting to break through my armor, leaving deeper wounds, but I fought through the pain. Each stab, it put up less of a resistance. After the fifteenth, or maybe the twentieth, it died.

Dropping to my knees, I took a deep breath. The cuts along my body were healing, but slower than I expected with my boosted Recovery. Glancing down, I saw that they were frosted over, warring with the cold — or maybe the monster had ice powers of its own.

“Iris?” I shouted, my voice booming. I’d lost her in the snow, and needed to find her.

I needed to make sure she was okay.

I stumbled to my feet and walked back the way I thought I’d come from. It was all the same — an identical white blur.

But the wind slowed. A little at first.

Then it died off, taking the snow with it.

The sky didn’t clear — dark clouds stayed above us, but I could at least see the nearby area again. As the last flakes dropped to the ground, I spotted Iris huddled by the Defensive Shield, still protected. The three Shields that I had created — which, in the blizzard, I couldn’t see one when I was standing by the other — were all within a thirty-foot area.

Iris looked up at me.

Really up at me, since I was still twenty feet tall and hovering in the air.

“Uh, hi,” she said.

I glanced around, and saw a few pieces of paper sticking out of the ground.

“Let’s go,” I said.

We grabbed the loot, and I ordered the Constructs to run to the cliffs in the distance. I dropped my current Shield and took two of the new ones, one on each arm. Then I picked up Iris, carrying her in one hand and keeping my pistol in the other. And I flew straight to the cliffs.

A swarm of bird monsters came out of the walls as we approached, but I cast Forked Lightning and cleared them all off.

The spell lasted for another twenty minutes, which was good, as the Constructs arrived with three different groups of monsters trailing after them. I set down one of the Shields for Iris, and then rushed at them.

For once, I was more powerful than the Ancient Dungeon creations. My unused Forked Lightning cut down plenty of the monsters. I spun through the creatures, my sword making short work of them.

When the spell finally ended, we made our way into the caves. Nothing jumped out at us, so we blocked off the entrance, lit a fire, and rested.

Chapter twenty-seven

I strongly suspected that the monster we fought was a boss. The evidence in favor of it was the fact that I leveled up once, and Iris leveled up twice. On top of that, the loot was rather exceptional if the monster wasn’t a boss. Or, maybe it was the storm and monster together. Without the gear I already had, we would have been popsicles before the wolf thing arrived.

Hitting level sixty-two, I put four points in Magic. After that, I added one point to Love’s Strength and to Harem Benefits. That would give me an additional seven strength, and boost Iris’s stats ten percent — along with the rest of the harem about to risk their lives again to capture the Respawn Limiter.

My newest skills both played a big part in the fight, so I put one point into Shield Skills and two into On The Move. Combining them had let me get the upper hand with the giant wolf-monster, and I hoped it would keep it up.

The loot included a potion of Aiming, which boosted that Stat by four. Iris had me take it, which I appreciated. As an important Stat, the fact I couldn’t access it to bump it up held me back in firefights. If I hadn’t leveled so many times in Basic Training to boost my stats before returning to level one, I’d be way behind the curve.

We also found a grenade launcher that was much better than the one C.J. currently had. Iris held on to it, planning on using it with some of C.J.’s skills if needed. The final good piece of loot wasn’t helpful for the current dungeon, but would help our progress as a civilization. It was a completed Rank One blueprint for an armored troop transport. About the size of a cruiser, it could stand up in a fight, but also had space for three hundred soldiers.

Transporting soldiers was our weakest point — we relied mostly on the small strike forces and overwhelming fleet superiority until we could bring in the more fragile transports. This would give us a safer way to bring more forces to bear, if needed. I added it to my inventory, where it was changed and added to the technology database of the entire UIR.

Checking in with the others, I was amazed to see that we still had six hours, at least, until the attack started. Our time marching through the snow felt like it had taken longer, as time started to lose meaning in the whiteout.

C.J.: Yeah, man, it hasn’t been that long.

Carter: It sure feels like it.

Samantha: Tough fight?

Iris: Fights.

Iris: Plural.

C.J.: Show off.

Carter: We’ve found a new safe space. I’ll let you know if that changes.

Nillin: Good! Stay safe!

“Think we’re going to make it?” Iris said when we looked up from our Controllers.

“Probably,” I said. “I imagine we’ll have some fresh hell before they finally turn off the limiter, but we’ll make it. Here.”

I handed her a Recovery juice. It was one of the most powerful ones that Pete made. It only lasted fifteen minutes, but it added enough that we considered it a cheap healing potion. Most of my wounds were healed, and she didn’t have any, but since we were healthy, it would help with our own energy reserves as we continued on.

“I think we will, too,” she said.

“Good.”

I held my hand out, taking hers. “I still owe you a honeymoon.”

She laughed. “Maybe two, now.”

After the fifteen minutes passed, it felt like I’d taken an hour nap, and Iris looked even better. We were sitting next to each other, leaning against the wall so we had a view of the entrance and the cave. She rested her head on my shoulder.

“How do you do this all the time?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve never once hesitated before running into a dungeon. If we let you, I think you’d live in them if you could.”

I smiled. “It’s not that bad, is it?”

“It feels like it.”

“Well, I think a lot of the times I’ve gone in, it’s because the alternative was worse. Someone has to take the risk, and I am the best suited for it. I mean, look at this place. You, me, and a couple bronze statues have done better than a trained Empire platoon.”

“Yeah, but you’re the Hero. You’re built for this.”

“That’s true. The fact that a mysterious someone gave me five spells that have been pretty helpful goes a long way. Without Cloud of Blades and Fireball, there are a few fights I don’t think we’d have walked away from. I’ve got the almost perfect class and skills to handle this place.”

“And even still, you’ve almost died twice.”

“At least. But if I didn’t come in here with you, I would have had to watch both you and Nillin die. Forever. That wasn’t a choice for me. I couldn’t let it happen.”

“Do you think less of me? Because I’m not a fighter.”

“Never.”

I took her chin and lifted her eyes so she could see I meant it. “Never.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“It’s the truth. As good at it as I am, I’d rather not have anyone fighting. That’s not an option. Apparently I knew that even in the past.”

“Oh, right, you got another memory back. I’m still not sure how that all works. Did you sleep long enough to have it?”

It was the first moment since I’d woken up that I’d thought about the memory. “Yes.”

“Good or bad?”

“Mostly good.” I told her about it. We both couldn’t believe that Pete and Cynthia had been friends with me before the Game.

Iris said, “I guess it makes a little sense. You two quickly got along in here. Not because you knew each other, but because whatever made you friends out there was in you both. It was a refreshing bit of normalcy that the cute guy I had a crush on had a dorky friend who made us all laugh.”

I grinned at her. “You’re probably right.”

“And of course you joined to become a hero. That’s almost as foolish as diving into an unbeatable dungeon to save your wife.”

“It worked out, didn’t it?”

“I guess so. So what did the Emperor do, exactly?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know the specifics. Thinking back to that day, there’s this sense of what I knew, but if I didn’t actively think about it, I didn’t remember it. I just know what we already know here — he’s happy to spend however many lives it takes to stay in power. That’s not a strategy just to expand, but to keep people from rising up against him. It confirms that, at least.”

She lowered her eyes. “Does that mean war?”

“I can’t see how we don’t end up there after this. If the Delphinians take our side, we’ll be at least on even footing. Maybe better.”

“And what does that mean with all of the other Tier Threes around?”

“That’s a bridge we’ll have to cross when we get to it. After all of this, I doubt the Emperor will be willing to negotiate.”

***

The cave only lasted as a safe haven for a couple of hours. After I cleared the monsters hiding in the back of the icy tunnels — more of the white spiders, which I learned could also spit venom that froze whatever it touched, including my elbow for a painful half hour — we rested for an additional half an hour.

Then a patrol of Icemen attacked. One, unfortunately, escaped. It returned with the rest of its settlement — fourteen more of the powerful monsters, plus the leader. With the cover of the cave and my Defensive Shields, I was able to keep them at bay with my enchanted gun. The Constructs defended the other side, their shields and spears too difficult for the monsters to make headway. It was still a difficult fight, and we had hours more to go.

After the fight, an unusual noise in the back of the caves caught my attention. I investigated but couldn’t find anything. It took me five minutes to realize that was because an entire room of the cave system had filled in with ice.

When I told Iris, she said the obvious, “That’s not good.”

“No. There are four more chambers. We can see how long it lasts, but we’ll need to move on again sooner rather than later.”

“Dang it.”

I was frustrated, but I tried not to let it get to me. “Yeah. We’ll need to choose our moment to go. If the cave shrinks when we’re getting attacked, we might be pushed out or trapped when we have to retreat.”

“Where can we go?”

I pulled up my Controller and looked at the map from my survey. We were running out of options. There was one cave on the far side of the dungeon, but it would mean fighting across the entire width of the place. That seemed risky, especially since this one wasn’t lasting terribly long.

The other option was further up the ice covered slope. Now that we were near it, I realized it was a glacier — a solid chunk of ice covering most of the mountain.

“That direction is risky,” I said.

“They both are,” Iris countered.

I laughed sadly. “True. Heading further up is what I’d normally consider deeper into the dungeon. The final boss is probably that way. If we got lucky and that wolf monster blizzard was another boss, we’ve got two out there.

“The likely places are on the way to the top, the cave on the far side — opposite of where Vair was — or it’s roaming like that other monster.”

“Well, that wolf monster was a lot. If we say that it counted, we’re looking at the same chances of running into the last boss in either direction?”

“I’d give slight odds to it being closer to the top, with the final boss being somewhere at the peak, or if there’s anything on the other side.”

Iris thought for a moment.

“What about putting on a space suit? Since we have time now, we can get one from one of the other ladies and wear it. Then we die, and if we respawn out in space, we’re safe.”

I shook my head. “We don’t know that we’ll respawn in space, or on one of the ships. The last time, the Empire’s goons set it up so that it was in an instant death trap.”

“Right.”

“But the space suit is a good back-up plan. Landing in space without it would be pretty bad.”

“Okay, I’ll get one for you.”

While Iris arranged that, I debated the two choices in front of us. Before I could finish, another group of monsters attacked. This time it was a group of the white spiders along with flying Yetis. I wanted to enjoy the fact I was looking at flying Yetis, but I had to burn two spells just to keep them away from the entrance, and one of the Constructs would have been destroyed if not for the Protective Shell.

Once again, I owed our continued survival to the mysterious gift. If I ever found out whoever sent it, they would be getting a “Thank You” card, that’s for sure.

As soon as the fight ended, another room further back filled in with ice. That put a greater sense of urgency on the choice I had to make.

“I say we go up the hill,” I said. “We’ve got two likely spots to hide, and this one is closer. If it fails like the other two, then we can head for the one lower. But this way, if the one lower also fails, we don’t have to fight our way across this dungeon twice.”

She smiled, half-hearted, but the best I’d seen from her in a while. “I like that part.”

“Then we wait. As soon as there is only one room left behind us, we’ll leave before another attack happens.”

***

Just over an hour later, we were running up the ice covered slope. Iris kept pace with me, and I had a feeling that for the first time she was the one holding back. She might not like to fight, but she loved to run, and it showed.

The first half mile was mostly clear, and we tried to make good time before something attacked. The mountain loomed over us, a massive pile of ice and rock, close to three miles tall. Another sheet of ice jutted out near the side we were on a mile up, and that was our goal.

Almost halfway there, one of the Constructs stumbled and slipped. A chasm opened beneath it, and it crashed onto its side, its bottom half dangling over the edge. The bronze creation started sliding off.

I jumped forward and grabbed it, dragging it to safety. My muscles strained as I put everything into it — these things were heavy.

“Thank you, Master,” it said. “I would not have been able to complete my mission down there.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Looking at the hole, I doubted the Construct would have survived the fall.

We slowed down at that point. Crevasses started appearing in the ice, and it shifted subtly to open others. Some were caked over with snow, and easy to spot, while others had enough ice we could cross them until the glacier shifted, breaking the covering.

A few monsters popped out of the holes. They did not come in overwhelming numbers, but with the uncertain ground, every fight was a risk.

The worst was a flock of flying Yetis. They came from lower down the mountain, screeching and taunting us. There were only seven, but they stayed high and dropped rocks at us. Some were meant to hurt us, others opened up more holes.

The two Constructs could do nothing but block the rocks. Iris and I fired at them, taking too long to bring them all down. All of their screeching brought a patrol of Icemen. I never thought monsters that could throw spears hard enough to skewer a tank would be a breath of fresh air, but they were. I melted them down with a rapid set of shots from my enchanted gun, while Iris picked off the last of the Yetis.

Crossing the glacier took much longer than I expected, and I think both Iris and I realized that it was unlikely we’d be heading back down to the village. But she had determination in her eyes and didn’t complain.

What I expected to take an hour took almost three. The only benefit was that we were that much closer to the attack on the human fleet and still alive. If we found a cave we could defend, we might just be able to hide out there until we could safely respawn. I didn’t look forward to dying, but I had four lives, and they had to go sometime.

We reached the cliffs, only one hundred yards away. I could see the opening we wanted — a cave roughly seven feet tall, with jagged shards of ice protruding from the top and bottom of the entrance. It was higher in the cliff face, which was a bonus for keeping monsters off of us.

“There it is,” I said.

“I’m ready to sit down,” Iris said.

“Soon. Just be ready to fight whatever is in there. Or pops out while we walk.”

We spread out. I took point, with Iris close behind me. The two Construct came behind us, their heavy steps following Iris, making sure that they only stepped where one of us had.

Just over fifty yards from the wall, the ground shook.

“Hold on,” I said, grabbing Iris. Her hands clutched my arm as I scanned the area around us.

“Is this an earthquake?” she wondered.

“I don’t know.” But I did know it couldn’t be anything good.

The glacier buckled, and sheer walls of ice shot up around us, slamming into place next to each other. Within seconds, we were in the middle of a pit of ice with walls one hundred feet tall. The space was roughly an octagon, a hundred and fifty yards wide.

Our destination, the cave, shut.

Above it, two cold blue eyes appeared, opening inside the cliff face. Like one of those old books of paintings, where if you cross your eyes a different image appears, I suddenly saw that the “safe” wall of ice actually contained some sort of monster.

The cave — or mouth, I guess — opened again, and a loud roar came out of it. Then the eyes and cave pushed forward, shattering the ice around it.

A giant ice monster, like the creatures from the settlement, but much, much bigger, stepped out of the wall.

“Damn it,” Iris cursed. “That’s a boss, isn’t it?”

“Yup. At least we didn’t go into the cave.”

She chuckled.

The ice giant studied us for a moment. “Ah, some sport. I’m excited to kill something new.”

“You’re not up for some casual conversation about honor, are you?”

The ice giant sneered at me. “No. It’s been much too long since I ripped something limb from limb. Nothing has made it past that hairy idiot in the cave in a thousand years.”

I shrugged at Iris. “Worth a shot.”

“It looks like quite a few of your companions have perished already.”

I glanced over my shoulder at the Iris and the two Constructs. “Nope, this is the whole team. We were out for a light stroll and found our way here.”

His eyes narrowed as he considered what I said. Then, the giant held his hand out, and a hammer made of solid ice appeared in it. “Now, do you want to fight me one on one, or should I kill you all at the same time?”

Stalling for time, I kept talking, “Well, do you count the bronze Constructs as individuals? Because I summoned them, so it feels like they should be part of me.”

“No, no tricks, if we do this one on one.”

I looked at Iris. “It’s up to you.”

She mouthed, “Together.”

Nodding, I activated Savior Complex. We were fighting a boss in a mega-dungeon, it was not only available, but I thought it would be blinking “USE ME” in large letters if it could.

“I think we’ll fight you together.”

“So be it,” the giant said. “I look forward to hearing your bones —”

I cut him off by casting Fireball. The orb closed the distance quickly. He managed to bring his hammer across his chest and block the blast itself, but the fire exploded, spreading around him as he roared in pain.

“One more point for our benefactor,” I whispered.

As the fire distracted the boss, I activated everything I had. We were so close to the finish line, I could almost taste it. If we survived this fight, there was a good chance we’d get out of the dungeon while only losing one life.

Throwing up a Defensive Shield for Iris, I put Honorable Challenge on the giant, focusing him on me. He might want to fight us as a group, but I wouldn’t let him. Then, I used Rapid Fire and Damage Boost, and reapplied the fire enchantment on my gun. Burn Them Down turned on as well, and I cast Growth, Dance of Destruction, and Cloud of Blades in quick succession.

I grew larger, reaching my larger height of twenty feet. In a fun turn of events, casting Cloud of Blades after the spell meant that the blades that appeared were larger, over three feet long.

“Let’s do this,” I shouted, my voice booming in the boss arena.

Firing my gun, I hit the giant with a full magazine worth of blasts from my midrange gun right as the fires died down enough that he could get his bearings.

“I’ll kill you for that,” he roared.

“Oh, shut up, You were going to kill me anyway.”

I reloaded and fired again, my boosted speed meaning I was just dumping significant damage into the monster. Iris joined in, firing her own rifle at the boss. I didn’t know how much it was actually helping, but I’d take it.

“Rrrraaar!” The giant yelled into the air, then he charged me. His hammer swung back, ready to crush me.

I was big, but he was bigger, easily twice my height. Shifting my gun to a pistol, I quickly expanded my Shield to its biggest size and summoned my sword.

Racing at him, I ducked to the side as his hammer swung over my head. A blade responded automatically, jabbing into his arm as he missed with his attack. A few shards of ice flew off him — but nothing more than a superficial wound.

My sword struck out, slicing a chunk of ice out of his back as I moved past. He stumbled from the blow, my new ability to move enemies throwing him off balance.

I emptied my fire blasts from the pistol into his back as he spun back around. I retreated.

Suddenly, my foot plunged through the ice. I slipped into a crevasse. My Reflexes were high enough I could throw myself to the ground and avoid falling, but I lost my momentum.

The giant rushed at me, his hammer raised over his head, a smile on his face.

WHACK

One of the Constructs slammed into his ankle with its Shield. Like a flash, it stabbed out with its spear multiple times, each hitting the monster.

The giant roared and stopped to kick it away. The heavy Construct flew like a soccer ball across the field and slammed into the wall. It exploded into pixels.

“Dang it,” I growled.

I used the brief distraction to get back to my feet and move away. This time I stepped carefully, avoiding anything that looked risky.

“You coward,” the giant taunted. “Fight me!”

“Okay,” I said. Focusing, I sent a handful of the blades at him. He swatted them away with his hammer, but I used the chance to reload my gun and fire again. I emptied my pistol faster than I reloaded it with all of the boosts.

Each shot sizzled against the monster, clearly hurting it, but he didn’t bat an eye. The edge of the arena was closer than I expected — since my stride was that much larger, I reached it quickly.

“Nowhere to run,” it growled.

“This is right where I wanted you,” I said.

I cast Fire Breath, unloading the cone of fire directly into the monster. It roared in pain and dropped the hammer. A moment later, it summoned an ice shield in front of it, blocking most of the fire. It melted, not lasting as long as the spell. Flames broke through before he dropped it and created another one.

This shield lasted until my spell ended. He didn’t realize right away, so I rushed forward. Bounding over the ice, I slammed my shield into his, sending him tumbling away with my increased Strength and movement attack.

He crashed to the ground thirty yards away, unfortunately close to Iris. My ability should keep him from attacking, but I didn’t know for sure — he seemed sentient. Having met Vair, I wondered how Honorable Challenge worked against people like him.

I charged at the monster, launching a few blades. He rolled to the side and reached behind the barrier.

“No!” I screamed.

He stood and turned, revealing the other Construct struggling in his hands. I didn’t even have time to relax at knowing he didn’t get Iris when he threw the Construct straight at me, almost a blur.

I whipped my Shield in front of me, and the Construct shattered against it, dying immediately. My feet slid back on the ice as I struggled to keep my balance.

“You thought your little ability would keep me from killing them, didn’t you?”

“That’s what it says on the tin,” I replied.

“Well, you can’t control me.”

“So you can attack her?”

If he could attack Iris, it meant that I needed to be careful. I saw she was already sneaking away across the field, trying to make it to the wall.

He glared at me. I saw his muscles strain as he tried to turn to face her. When he gave up, anger flashed in his icy eyes.

“Damn you,” he growled.

I smiled. “Good.”

Charging at him, I thrust my sword straight at his chest. At the same time, I fired my gun into his knee, attempting to at least slow him down.

BZZZZT

A powerful beam shot out from Iris. I saw she’d stopped and pulled out a sniper rifle. The blast caught the giant in the back of the head as he tried to summon a weapon. At the last second, he blocked my sword with his forearm, taking a deep cut in exchange for keeping his head.

His other hand struck out, catching me on the chest and tossing me away.

I rolled to a stop, climbing to my feet quickly. He hit hard — I thought a couple of my ribs were broken, and pain spread across that entire side. I felt my Recovery kick into high gear.

“We’ll see how you do now,” he shouted. His hammer appeared back in his hand, but instead of attacking, he raised it over his head and slammed it down.

Cracks spread out across the arena. Where they hit crevasses, the existing gaps widened, and they broke open new holes. Great. The floor of the arena just became much more difficult to navigate.

I shifted my gun to its midrange form and reloaded, firing as quickly as I could. He pulled a shield out, blocking much of the damage. The shots started to melt holes into his protection, and I reloaded, hoping to break through.

He charged forward, his feet always finding the perfect place to step around the holes even though he couldn’t see.

I took a risk to try and burn him down with the gun, and he managed to reach me. He bashed me with his shield, knocking my gun out of my hands while breaking my nose at the same time. Shaking the stars out of my eyes, I summoned my sword, too late. He hit me in the face with his shield, knocking me to the ground.

Scrambling, I crawled away. My whole face hurt, all I could smell was the iron scent of blood. I had a feeling my jaw might be broken. The guy hit like a truck.

My blades shot out at him, most burying themselves in his shield. But that finally broke it. He dropped the pieces and summoned his hammer.

His foot stomped out, catching my ankle. I heard it break, the bones cracking louder than the ice as I screamed.

“Looks like the end of the road for you,” he growled.

I thought he might be right. I was dizzy, injured beyond what my Recovery would heal quickly. Focusing, I sent the rest of the blades from my spell at him. He blocked a few, and the rest chipped away the ice, without doing much damage.

Casting Healing Burst, I felt some of the injuries start to heal as I pushed away.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he chided.

He threw the hammer, shattering my opposite knee. With another thought, he summoned two smaller knives. Of course, for him, they were closer to the size of my normal sword. I struggled for cover, bringing my Shield up. My leg was pinned under the massive weapon he’d left there. I might have been able to lift it if my leg wasn’t smashed underneath it, but as it was, I couldn’t shift it.

Desperately, pushing for any space I could make, I cast Forked Lightning, but the one bolt just bounced harmlessly off him.

“Is this it? Is this how you die? Cowering in fear?” He flung the two knives at the same time. I blocked one, but the other cut into my gut, digging deep. Pain flared across my body.

I really hated being stabbed in the stomach.

“Honestly, it’s better than I expected,” I bluffed. I’m not sure if he understood me, since my mouth wasn’t working as well as I wanted.

He sneered at me. Two more knives appeared in his hand. He threw them both, one bouncing off my Shield, the other digging into my right shoulder. My sword clattered to the ground as I lost feeling in the arm.

“That one hurt,” I groaned.

My Recovery was going to work — it was above two hundred points, and any one of the injuries would have healed within a couple minutes. All of them together — I was surprised that I was still alive. Remembering my Growth spell increased my health, I figured I’d need more time, so I stalled.

“All the movies make it look like getting hit in the shoulder is a breeze, but this sucks. You ever been stabbed in the shoulder?”

Two more knives appeared. “Shut your mouth. I’m going to make you suffer.”

“Do your worst.”

The knives flashed out. He’d gotten the read of my Shield, and both found a fleshy target. One sliced along my arm, cutting a deep wound. The other stabbed into the thigh of my already injured leg.

With a snort, he summoned another hammer into his hands. He lifted it up, deciding where to bring it down. I looked around frantically for anything that might help. I activated Waves of Force, but it just rocked him back a few feet since he was so incredibly large.

Anger filled his eyes, and I realized this was the end. The shadow of the hammer appeared above me.

From across the field, I heard a faint shout from Iris. “Shield!”

Trusting her completely, I summoned a Defensive Shield and ducked behind it as best I could. As I did, I took one look at Iris and gasped. Fourteen grenade launchers circled her, plus the one she held. Knowing the Bigger Boom skill that she also probably took from C.J., I covered my head with the Shield on my arm and made myself as small as I could behind the newest Shield.

“You really are pathetic,” the giant said.

“Yeah, but you’re about to see what space is like.”

A thunderous explosion echoed around the arena. It started with one loud burst, and continued for an entire minute, a low rumble like thunder that only faded away when a loud ringing covered it. The deafening noise lived up to its name and wiped out my ears.

The hammer on my leg was blown off — along with much of my leg, but I pulled the rest of it back behind the Shield, finally totally covered. That didn’t mean I was totally unharmed — the intense flames scorched my exposed skin. The Rapid Fire ability meant that she was launching grenades like they were a machine gun.

When the minute ended, I looked out to see a smoking crater where the giant previously stood.

Iris carefully jogged over to me. She looked small, frail, before I realized I was still under the Growth spell. When she reached me, her face fell.

“That bad?” I croaked, but I couldn’t even hear my own voice.

She nodded, and said something I didn’t make out. I pointed at my ear. When my finger touched it, I felt blood.

“Oh, that’s probably not good,” I said.

My leg was scrambled, and the healing burst had healed some of my jaw and ankle, but not enough. The ice daggers that pierced me melted when the giant died, but that just meant that more blood was leaking out. More than I should have, thanks to the spell. When it ended, my health would drop, and I might just die on the spot. I tried to convey that to Iris, but I wasn’t sure what words I was even able to form.

Iris pulled a Healing Stim out of her inventory and jabbed it into my arm. More energy surged through me, but I was definitely out for the count. My Healing Burst had plenty of uses left, but I could only use it on myself once every couple hours.

Doing what I could, I pulled a Recovery Juice out and drank it. It overrode the other buffs I have from food, but the short and massive boost to my healing would be needed.

I didn’t think I was going to bleed out, but I couldn’t be sure. Maybe the ice giant was right, and this was the end of the road for me.

The world grew darker as Iris stood next to me, clasping my giant hand in hers.

Chapter twenty-eight

Bethany

Bethany stood on the bridge of the Karma. She clutched her rifle in her hand, knowing that she didn’t need it yet, but finding the heavy weapon comforting.

She took mental stock of everything that was happening. The attack was underway, with the first group of ships pushing in hard at the enemy fleet. The Karma followed in the second wave, aiming straight for the Hangar ship in the middle of the human forces.

There’d been plenty of debate about how to attempt capturing the ship. Some people thought aiming for one of the jump ships and then changing course would help keep them unprepared. But when they studied the patterns, the jump ships moved regularly, and all of them kept away from the Hangar.

Rebekah, Ishani, and Jackie didn’t know if Humanity knew for sure why they’d mounted the attack, but they couldn’t count on the distraction.

Instead, they’d charge straight at it, supported by the Chariot of Fire, two Versatile Battleships, most of the fighters from their own Hangar ship, and a couple corvettes.

The honor guard, along with C.J. and Samantha, waited in the boarding shuttle down below. Once they were close, Bethany would join them. Rebekah put her in charge of the mission, as the most senior and serious. Leading the soldiers in such an important mission was added pressure — but Carter had said he thought she was ready, and she knew if she stepped back now, she’d never do it.

And she had to. For Carter, and herself.

When the Karma was close enough, they’d launch the shuttle and attempt to take the hangar, along with a second shuttle. One of the Versatile ships had launched its fighters ahead of time and had a shuttle docked as well, with the plan to send it. That would raise their chances to three shuttles making it to the docks.

After launching, the Karma would attempt its other boarding option, attaching the tunnel to the hallway near the Hangar’s bridge.

All of this was incredibly risky, as the Respawn Limiter was active. Every death was most likely permanent.

That meant they needed to go hard and fast.

“Nice one,” the Captain of the Karma said. On screen, an enemy cruiser exploded. Jackie’s ship flashed out of the pixels, having hit it with a missile from behind.

“Anyone see where the respawns are happening?” Ishani asked over the radio.

The New Dawn was in their group, but instead of escorting them to the Hangar ship, it would be used to hit the weakest part of the enemy’s fleet, trying to break their morale as much as anything else. The humans knew they were in a death trap as much as the UIR was. If ships fled or retreated, they had a good shot at winning this whole battle cleanly and quickly.

“Negative,” Rebekah said, her Southern drawl coming through the radio. She was still on the Chariot of Fire, trying to coordinate the effort to find where people were respawning. If they could locate it, maybe they could save some of their troops.

Every soldier had a space suit in their inventory, along with a mask that provided oxygen. If they respawned in space, they’d pull on the mask, then hurry into the suit. That was a long time to be exposed to the cold of space, but it might save some of them.

Of course, if they respawned somewhere under Empire control, all bets were off.

Rebekah continued, “We haven’t seen any crew appear from either side’s ships. The Scout ship is hanging back still, actively scanning, but there’s so much area to cover we can’t know. We just have to hope that we get lucky.”

The fight raged around them as the Karma continued its inexorable rush at the Hangar ship. Bethany thought their fleet was doing well, even with as inexperienced as they were. It was still early, but there’d already been some losses on both sides, and Bethany thought it was even, or maybe more for the Empire.

The Karma’s bank of guns fired, the blasts shooting out at a corvette attempting to catch them from the side. The shots stopped it, breaking through its shield and damaging the hull. Two fighters took the opportunity to rake it with fire.

It started limping away, one engine flickering while the other pushed hard. A turret on the back took down one of the fighters as they peeled off. Bethany’s heart stopped, until she realized that Jackie was on the opposite side of the Karma and still alive.

“Someone pinged us,” Rebekah shouted over the intercom. “We know where the respawn is happening.”

“Reserves, head for the location,” Admiral Ishani said.

The Scout ship, along with a handful of the remaining shuttles and two Versatile Battleships that were hanging back, sped to the location of the respawns. Bethany breathed a sigh of relief. Some people had survived.

Maybe Carter would too, if they were in time.

The Hangar launched its fighters and gunships as they got closer.

“Okay, this is the moment,” the Captain said, looking at Bethany. “If it works, we’ll send the shuttle soon.”

Bethany nodded, her eyes fixed on the screen. The Captain turned back as the fighters approached.

Suddenly, lightning flashed out from the Chariot of Fire. It struck fifteen of the fighters and one of the gunships, destroying most of the fighters. The gunship looked worse for wear, but held on.

“That’s as good as we’ll get,” the Captain said. “We’ll keep at them, but we’ll be in launch position in two minutes. Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

With that, Bethany ran down to the shuttle. The small dock in the battleship was the size of her high school gymnasium. She crossed and jumped into the ship, pulling the doors closed.

“We’re about to get the greenlight,” she said.

“How’s it going out there?” Samantha asked. She sat next to C.J. They both looked ready, but Bethany could see the apprehension behind their eyes.

“Better than we expected, worse than we hoped.”

As she sat down, she felt something odd. She mentally reviewed her abilities, and realized she was locked out of her Power Shot ability.

“Carter and Iris are fighting,” she told the other two.

“Bad?”

“She just took one of my abilities.” It returned, but she could only use it once per day, and it counted Iris’s use as hers. “So… maybe.”

“We need to hurry,” C.J. said. She shouted at the pilot, “Let’s get this bird in the air.”

“I’m waiting for the Captain’s say so,” the pilot responded. “If we aren’t close enough, we’ll get shot out of the sky. I’m not eager to die.”

C.J. sat back, sulking. “Fine.”

A minute later, the Captain’s voice came into the cockpit, giving them the all clear. The pilot shot C.J. a look, then pulled the ship out. She didn’t hesitate, pushing the shuttle to its limit. Bethany saw her use two skills that seemed to speed it up.

They flew to the Hangar faster than she’d ever traveled in a shuttle. It still wasn’t fast enough. Two fighters approached, along with the wounded gunship she’d seen take the lightning bolt.

“Hang on,” the pilot shouted.

There was a defensive turret on the back of this shuttle, and Tara was manning it. The slime girl had her head on a swivel, trying to spot the threats.

The shuttle shook as a few shots hit, mostly absorbed by their shield.

“Come on, you little blockheads,” Tara muttered. She turned and fired, then cheered. “Got one.”

The other fighter broke off, but the gunship kept coming.

“They’re locking missiles,” the pilot shouted.

“I’m trying to get it,” Tara shouted back. She fired the gun, and landed hits. But the gunship was tougher than the fighters, and it shrugged off the turret’s power.

“How long ‘til we’re at the hangar?” Bethany asked.

“Forty-five seconds.”

“And until it locks on?”

“Fifteen. Fourteen.”

“Okay, I get it. Concentrate on flying.” Bethany grabbed the radio. “We need back up at Shuttle A. Missiles locked.”

No one answered. Tara landed a few more shots, but it held firm, growing closer. The missiles started to lower from the bottom of the ship. If it fired, that was it for the shuttle.

Then it exploded in a ball of fire and pixels.

“Hahaha!” Jackie laughed as she flew by. “Close one.”

“Thank god,” Bethany said. Into the radio, she told Jackie, “We owe you one.”

“Let’s get you to that Hangar in one piece, yeah?”

Jackie circled them, and with her cover, they made it the last short burst without any other issues. The blonde peeled off to protect one of the other shuttles as they touched down on the hard metal.

Tara was already firing the turret, picking off targets that were scrambling for cover across the hangar.

“Expect resistance,” Bethany shouted. “Give them hell.”

“For Carter!” Samantha shouted.

The others repeated it, “For Carter!”

The honor guard and the harem squad rushed off the shuttle as soon as C.J. threw open the door. Shots came hot and heavy as they ran for cover.

Bethany quickly scanned the room, her high Aiming giving her incredible eyesight. She picked off one shooter before sliding behind a stack of Iron plates to one side. The rest of the group made it to some sort of cover.

“Everyone okay?”

“I got shot,” Sandy said. She had a burn mark on her thigh. “Just a little, though.”

“You good to fight?”

“Better than ever.”

Bethany nodded. “I saw three places to worry about. We’re just off center of the main door. They have barricades, and a lot of soldiers behind it. There’s a walkway to the left of it, maybe twenty feet up, with more barricades and fifteen soldiers. They’ve got a good angle on us. The third is a wall of iron like this, with maybe ten soldiers behind it, off to the right.”

“They can hit us from all sides,” Samantha said.

“Yeah.”

C.J. held up her grenade launcher. “Time for my baby?” She froze for a second, then shook her head. “That was weird. Iris just took another skill.”

Samantha frowned, looking at Bethany. “We need to hurry.”

“Yes,” Bethany agreed. “C.J., you take Tara and Tani and clear those soldiers behind the Iron. From there, hopefully you can hit the men up on the walkways.”

As the three nodded, Bethany looked around, looking for a way up to the walkways. She spotted a ladder, helpfully blocked from enemy fire somewhat by the shuttle they came in on.

“Sandy, Plugs, Thistle. Do you think you can get up that ladder and try to take the walkway?”

“Absolutely,” the Keid said.

“The rest of us, we rush the middle. There’s another stack of Iron or Copper thirty feet ahead, maybe ten feet to the right. Get there, take the shots you can, and we’ll reevaluate.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all said.

Their Delphinian spellcaster cast a deflection spell on the group. They’d discussed this before, so they all knew it would stop a handful of shots, less if they were from powerful guns.

“Go,” Bethany said.

She slipped around the corner, her gun in her hand. Without using her scope, she shot one of the men on the walkway above, killing him instantly. Lowering her aim to the barrier in front of her, she activated her multi-shot power. Eight blasts shot from the end of her gun, each hitting a soldier at the barricade square in the eye.

Energy beams and bolts shot back and forth as they raced to the next pile of cover — Copper, it turned out — and ducked behind it. Glancing back, Bethany saw another shuttle land a distance away from theirs.

It was smoking, and the fifteen soldiers and pilot dove out of it, running for cover. It blew a second later, metal and fire flying before turning into pixels.

Explosions came from the distance, along with laughter from the Brit with at least one screw loose. Bethany stepped back, safe from the main barricade, but with a view of the walkways.

The three were running along it, keeping low, but they didn’t have much cover. Bethany picked off one of the guards. Her next target ducked before she could pull the trigger. She heard shouts, and ducked back down. But she’d accomplished her goal, as they were focused on her, not the soldiers about to be right in the middle of them.

Screams of fear came down, along with one body that exploded into pixels when it hit the floor.

There wasn’t as much cover ahead, but they needed to move before more soldiers arrived to firm up the defenses.

“Split, and hit them hard,” Bethany said.

She stepped around the cover, followed by Samantha. The Tank Captain had dropped her rifle, switching to her two pistols. They both fired as fast as they could, taking two more guards unaware.

A small stack of crates off to the side was the only protection Bethany saw. “Go,” she said.

Samantha ran and dropped into a slide. She fired the whole time she slid, hitting two confused soldiers in the face as she did.

Bethany calmly took three shots, finishing off the ammo in her gun.

“There!” a guard shouted, pointing at her.

She just smiled, and vanished. She reappeared next to Samantha, crouching quickly as she reloaded. Glancing back, she saw a barrage of shots blow through the air where she’d been standing.

“That’s a neat trick,” Samantha said.

“I thought so.”

The new arrivals didn’t wait for orders, instead rushing from their side at the barricade. Checking, Bethany saw that her troops had taken the walkways, and Thistle was firing down into the guards.

BOOM

A grenade went off further behind the barricade, sending a few soldiers tumbling out and in their general direction.

“That’s our cue,” Samantha said.

The two women jumped over the crates in unison, shouting and firing as they did. The rest of their team hit the opposite side of the metal barrier at the same time. Within seconds, they’d claimed the entire Hangar.

The guards that were still standing retreated at full speed, sprinting deeper into the ship.

“Get to cover, secure this spot,” Bethany shouted. Her troops reassembled.

“What’s that way?” she asked, pointing down the hallway the humans were fleeing down.

Outside the dock, there was a hallway heading away, with two others heading at forty-five degree angles. The central hallway, where the troops were currently running, had a barricade near the end.

“The quarters and storage,” Tara said. She set up her main gun, and started firing down the hallway. She cut down the rest of the guards who hadn’t made it to safety.

“Brutal,” C.J. said. “I like her. Should I change my bet?”

“Not now, C.J.,” Samantha chided her.

“What bet?” Tara asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bethany said. They were on a mission, and the last thing they needed was derailing it with talk of dating Carter. “Considering they all fled that way, we can assume that the Respawn Limiter is somewhere down there. That hallway will be tough to take, as Tara just demonstrated. Normally we just have Carter throw up a Defensive Shield and move up that way.”

“I can do that,” Heral said. “I’ve got the skill.”

“Me too,” Zofia said.

“Alright. How many uses?”

It turned out they had six uses between the two of them. It wouldn’t be a ton, but Bethany thought they could pull it off.

She pulled the leader of the other shuttle over. He was a Mizarian, a dual-class Gunner and Squad Leader. “To be safe, I want five of your troops to hit each hallway. You take one, your best soldier takes the other. The last five will stay here and hold this spot. If you find enough resistance to think they’re guarding the Respawn Limiter, call it in.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. He quickly chose a few of his troops, ready to head out.

Bethany turned to the others and looked at the hangar. “Any word about the other shuttle?”

The pilot of the exploded ship shook his head. The Pincoyan was green, and looked sad. “They didn’t make it. Two gunships found us, and the other shuttle crashed into one so we could get here.”

That sobered a few of the troops up. Even Bethany felt the weight of lives already lost on the mission. But they couldn’t dwell on the losses. Every second the Respawn Limiter was active was one that might mean someone died forever.

“Okay, let’s go. Plugs, cover Heral while she places the first Shield.”

The two aliens nodded and rushed up the hallway. They made it ten yards before a few soldiers popped up to take shots at them. Bethany and Samantha picked off one each, and Plugs punched a few of the energy blasts out of the air with one of her skills.

Her hands glowed red, and the glow diminished with each blocked shot. As the glow went away, Heral put up her Defensive Shield, and they both ducked behind it.

Then, with most of the hallway covered, the rest of the squad ran forward to join them.

As they did, a Gatling Gun rose up on a platform behind the barricade. It had a heavily armored front, with only a small hole to aim through and the gun sticking out. It slowly whirred to life and fired down the hallway.

“Well, that sucks,” C.J. shouted over the racket of the blasts coating the hall. They were safe behind the Shield, but it would be impossible to move forward.

The barricade and gun were about a hundred yards down the hall. It was an easy shot for Bethany to make, even if the hole had been half the size. But the constant shots back would be dangerous.

C.J. didn’t wait, and instead stuck the barrel of her launcher around the edge of the Shield and fired a grenade. It exploded twenty feet down the hallway, hit by one of the random blasts. She pulled it back, frowning.

“Any other ideas?” she asked as she reloaded the spent grenade.

The three harem members’ Controllers all beeped at the same time. It was a message from Iris.

Iris: Carter is in a bad way. I don’t know if he’ll survive.

Iris: There’s so much blood.

Iris: If you can turn the Limiter off soon…

Rebekah: Our ships are heading to the respawn point, but we can’t guarantee we’ll catch him. They’ve shifted it as we approached, and are shooting into the spot whenever someone respawns — killing their own people, too.

Samantha: These monsters.

Bethany: We’ll do what we can. We have to.

She lowered her Controller with no more time to worry. Her shift ability only had three uses — she’d just gotten it with her last prestige, and unlike Carter, she didn’t have what felt like unlimited points to dump into it.

Still, it might be just enough.

She activated it, flashing forward, her gun already aimed.

When she appeared ten feet in front of the Shield, she fired, needing only milliseconds to adjust. Then she activated it again, returning to the Shield before her shot even landed.

As she did, she tumbled backwards, two burning sensations on her chest and leg. The Gatling managed to hit her even in the short time she was out there.

Groaning, she watched as Heral pulled out a Healing Stim and jabbed it into her. The energy flooded her, relieving the pain while it took its time to work. She shouted, “Go!”

The shots had stopped, and there was no telling how long they’d have until someone else manned the gun.

Zofia was already running forward, covered by Samantha and Tani. The Mizarian’s massive gun shook the barricade any time she hit it, or threw the humans through the air when she hit them.

Bethany got to her feet, shaky but feeling better. Her armor helped blunt the damage, and the Stim meant she was mostly healthy.

The second Shield group made it further up the hallway than Heral’s first attempt, almost twenty yards. When the humans got their act together to start firing, Zofia put up a new Shield.

Heral was already running to the next one while others covered her. The Gatling gun shifted, as if someone was climbing into it.

“Not this time, ya dicks,” C.J. growled.

Bethany looked over to see the punk had her RPG out, already loaded. She fired it, the sparks from the rocket showering down on them as it accelerated down the hall.

“Fire in the hole,” she shouted, belatedly.

BOOM

It detonated, destroying the Gatling gun and most of the barricade. In the smoke and fire, Heral charged forward, throwing her Shield up in the remains of the barricade.

“Follow her,” Bethany ordered.

Sandy, Plugs, and Ceeni, the Delphinian melee caster, were the first there. They dove over the steel remains on the floor, plunging into the human defenders. The rest joined them shortly.

Another barricade behind the first had already fallen, the mad scramble from the RPG and the melee fighters leaving the guards in disarray. One injured guard on the floor caught Bethany’s eye.

She rushed over and kicked the gun out of his hands.

“The Limiter. Where is it?”

“I can’t say,” he said.

She put the barrel of her gun against his forehead. “You want to find out how it works first hand?”

“The storage room, on the right. We normally keep repair stuff in there, but they cleared it out.”

“Thanks.”

She cracked him in the head with her gun, knocking him unconscious. Shouting orders, she had the team prepare to attack the room. The door was shut tight, so Heral put a Shield up for the group while C.J. planted two pieces of C-4.

While they set it up, she messaged the other strike team leader and Rebekah to update them, not waiting to see the reply.

“We’re on the clock,” Bethany shouted.

“I know, mom,” the punk yelled back. A few seconds later, she finished pushing in the detonators and ran to their cover. C.J. slid behind the Shield, pressing her detonator right as she cleared the edge. The explosion was deafening, and the doors weren’t ripped off — they were vaporized.

“Flash bang,” C.J. warned, tossing a grenade through the door. A bright flash came back out, and the group stormed in, knowing what to do.

The room was small, fifty feet deep, maybe one hundred wide, and filled with smoke, fire, and soldiers. They had multiple cover points near the door — the nearest dealing with the after effects of the bombs. A huge machine near the rear glowed with an angry light, and most of the soldiers were bunched around it with plenty of barricades already set up.

Then it was heavy fighting. They couldn’t just blow up the room without losing the evidence, but they didn’t want to lose Carter, either.

Bethany pulled out an automatic rifle. It didn’t make use of most of her skills, but it was better for the small space.

The melee fighters rushed at the machine, trying to secure it. They were ruthless and fast. The humans had their own melee fighters, saved for the small room where they’d shine.

Samantha and C.J., also with rifles, circled the room, trying to get behind some of the human cover and take out the guards.

Rococo, the towering Melephite, went down shortly after entering, disappearing in a burst of pixels. Bethany took out the two soldiers who killed her, but had to dive behind cover of her own instead of pressing the attack. She found herself behind a seven-foot tall stack of Copper — remains of the repair resources converted into a makeshift barricade.

Thistle went next, getting pinned between two groups of soldiers. She managed to kill four of the ten coming for her, but died.

Lightning flashed from Ceeni, the spellcaster, and a half dozen humans dropped. Seconds later, ice spears shot out from her, killing several more. Then they focused on her, dropping her.

“Shit,” Bethany groaned.

The Limiter was still running, and while they’d killed half the guards, the others were well entrenched around it, and they’d lose a lot more forcing it.

Plugs and Sandy, fighting back to back, made it to an area out of direct fire, but were pinned there, still battling two other melee fighters.

Bethany put a shot in the back of one of their heads. The other, swinging a battleaxe around, was surprised, and Sandy managed to shoot one of her wrist blades into his throat.

The clock was ticking for Carter. With the other squad here and the Karma hopefully boarding, they would eventually take the room. So she decided to take a risk to save the man she loved.

She signalled Plugs and Sandy to attack from the opposite side Samantha and C.J. were on. The rest of her team were bunched up behind Zofia’s last Defensive Shield.

“Fire on my mark,” she hissed at them. Heral heard her and nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Bethany turned and climbed up the stack of Copper. At the top, before she was visible, she didn’t hesitate. She rolled onto the top, her gun appearing in her hands.

From her vantage point, she was visible to the entire room, but also had an angle behind the main cover. She activated an ability called Weak Point, which increased her firing speed a few percent every time she hit a headshot, and double if it was an eye.

Her first shot caught a surprised soldier in the eye. Her second hit the man standing next to him in the head. Then she took a step and jumped through the air, straight at the barricade.

She kept shooting. The gun she’d chosen had a larger magazine than most guns, and each shot found a mark. By the time she landed right in the middle of the humans, she’d killed five more, and her speed was increasing. She could locate a target, line up a shot, and hit them thirty percent faster than before.

Bethany rolled across the floor, using her momentum to carry her further. From the ground, she killed another guard.

As they turned to fight the she-demon in their midst, the others attacked. They hit hard, taking a couple out and wounding others. But there were still a couple of dozen well-trained soldiers, and her stunt hadn’t changed the hard math.

She didn’t slow down, killing another two from the ground before rolling again, this time to the side and to her knee. Bethany ended up next to one of the human guards. He opened his mouth in surprise, bringing his gun around.

“You traitors!” he shouted before Bethany shot him right through his lips, blowing his head off.

Now firing incredibly fast, she emptied her gun in a spray at the other soldiers who were no longer covered. Most shots missed, but enough hit that they all were stuck trying to get out of the way. The second her gun clicked empty, she ran to the side, using the Limiter as cover.

One last guard with a rank of Lieutenant stood in front of her, his gun already out. Bethany knocked it away with her own, and jammed the butt of the weapon into his throat.

He gasped, stumbling back. She flung the weapon at him and summoned her sniper rifle. It might be unwieldy, but it came to her hands loaded, and she fired it three times, hitting the man in the chest twice. He lived, but the third shot between his eyes killed him.

The rest of her squad were already fully engaged, sounds of heavy fighting reaching her.

Bethany ignored it all. In front of her was the control panel for the Respawn Limiter. She hit the button to turn it on.

The Respawn Limiter is currently operational, with the Respawn location set to X — 1.2938281, Y — 345.2929201, Z — 98.00012.

Would you like to turn it off?

Yes / No

She’d never done anything as fast as hitting the “Yes.”

The lights on the machine dimmed before darkening entirely. The fighting continued, so she pulled her shorter gun back out and returned to the edge of the machine.

She’d given Carter the best chance she could.

Hopefully it was enough.

Chapter twenty-nine

Sounds of gunfire and fighting was the first thing I noticed. Having never respawned before, my first concern was that Haven was under attack. Or somehow I’d respawned in the midst of the human fleet.

I opened my eyes, groaning. Everything hurt, and looking down at my body, it was clear why. The fog left my mind. I was still in the Ancient Dungeon, and all the healing had barely kept me alive.

But what was the fighting?

“Take that, you asshole!”

I looked over to my side. The walls of the boss arena had fallen sometime while I’d been unconscious, and I was on the open field of the glacier. Thirty feet away, Iris was shooting at some of the flying Yetis. Close to twenty of them were coming at her, snarling and aggressive.

Half of the monsters flew above, stones in hand to drop on her, while the others were scooting around the ice in front of her. She shot one, jumped back, quicker than I thought she could move, as a stone crashed into the ground where she’d been standing.

The flying Yeti squawked in anger at her. My head was still spinning, but I knew she was in danger. I held my hand out and cast Forked Lightning.

I’d been unconscious long enough that I could use it again. Lightning shot out of my fingers, forking as sixteen bolts sought out a target of their own. The nearest monsters died instantly, along with a few of the flyers.

Three that were stuck survived, along with the three that didn’t get hit.

Reacting quickly, she shot the nearest on the ground that the lightning had failed to kill, and it died in a burst of colorful pixels that sent a wave of pain through my head.

One of the flyers dropped a stone at her. As quick as I could, I cast Telekinesis and slammed it into the last monster on the ground. It cracked it in the head. The stone was enough after the lightning, doing the trick and killing the Yeti.

Iris tried to shoot the wounded one that was still flying, but it swooped out of the way. I pulled out my gun as a pistol. As I aimed up at it, the world spun. I clearly still had a concussion, and was having trouble aiming.

I shifted the gun to the mid-range automatic version. Rather than aim, I sprayed the blasts across the sky, just trying to drive the monsters back enough Iris could hit them. Even that was a lot, and a wave of nauseousness hit me.

With the danger in front of us, I realized that Savior Complex was available. I activated it, feeling stronger and healthier. The Recovery kicked into overdrive, but not enough that my head cleared. Instead, I reloaded and sprayed and prayed again.

A yelp brought a smile to my face, as I managed to hit one of the creatures. Not enough to kill it, but I didn’t care.

Iris kept moving, darting from place to place, almost a blur she ran so fast. She leapt across a chasm, landing with a soft slide. When she stopped, she swung her gun up and fired the last few shots at the nearest monster. They hit, cutting through the wing. It grunted in pain and fell to the ground with a crack.

It climbed to its feet, angry, injured, but still kicking.

“Come on,” Iris complained.

She paused for a second, and something about her shifted. When she fired again, she only half aimed at the flying Yetis in the sky. Even so, the blasts shifted their trajectory and half still landed. The wounded monster died first, with a second following it before she had to reload.

I reloaded my own gun and fired at the one on the ground. It hopped to the side, and I struggled to follow it. But the energy blasts curved as well, and they hit the monster in the side. I fired enough that it died with an angry scream.

Her gun reloaded, Iris shot at the last monster as it dove at her. While it tried to swerve, it was too close to dodge many of the shots, and it exploded feet from the runner’s relentless barrage.

Finally safe, Iris screamed, in fear and frustration. When she finished, she took a deep breath and faced me.

She smiled, trying to mask all of the worry, but it broke through. “Thank god, you’re alive.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” I said.

At least I could hear again. My Recovery must have handled that while I was out. If not, I wouldn’t have woken up in time to save Iris. I tried to push myself to my feet, but another wave of dizziness hit me, and I fell back over.

My mouth was dry, and I was desperately thirsty. I pulled my endless water bottle out of my inventory, but I couldn’t get the cap off. Iris rushed over to me and took it. Soon, the cool metal was pressed against my lips as I drank the cool water.

When I’d had enough that I started to feel sick to my stomach, I pushed it away.

“How long?” I asked.

“An hour and a half.”

“Shit.”

“That was the third group to attack. The other two were Icemen patrols.”

“You took them?”

She nodded. “Your Defensive Shields were helpful. I used the grenade launcher. They don’t like fire, and apparently don’t like explosions either.”

“What if more of those wolf-monsters came?”

“Die soon or die later? That’s not much of a choice.”

“Right. Thank you.”

“Of course.” She rubbed my arm, gently. It felt nice, and she’d found one of the few uninjured places on me.

I realized a moment later that my friends and loves had been fighting for our lives and theirs. “The attack?”

“Last I heard, they were still mopping up. They took the Limiter, and it’s off, so we can die now. Yay.”

I took her hand. With my Recovery boosted again, I could feel my body knitting itself back together. It could only do so much at once, but I was healing quickly, and the water was helping replenish all of the blood I’d lost. I saw bandages on a few of the wounds soaked through. If we could have just respawned in safety, I was confused.

“Why not just let me die?”

“I couldn’t bear to see it,” she confessed. “And I didn’t want to… do it myself.”

“I understand, Iris.”

I pulled out another bottle of Recovery Juice and drank it down. When my stomach didn’t rebel at that, I pulled out a bottle of regular apple juice and sipped it.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“Well, that’s a tough one. I’m in no condition to fight. But I don’t think either of us wants to watch the other die. I’ve already done that once, and it’s one of my worst memories.”

“Yeah. I didn’t love being on the receiving end of dying, either. Do we just set out in opposite directions and meet back up at Haven?”

“That might be the best option.”

We both thought about it for a minute, sitting in silence while the healing continued. My head was starting to clear, and the deep wounds in my stomach and my shattered legs had moved from terrible to just pretty bad. If an hour had passed and I was still this rough, I must have been knocking on death’s door when I collapsed.

I looked up the hill, where I was pretty sure the final boss was. Iris followed my eyes, then realized what I was thinking.

“You want to clear the dungeon?”

“Maybe.”

“And face another boss? After what the last one did to you?”

“I lived. Kind of.”

“But why?”

“If I’m going to die, I can at least die trying to help the UIR. If we hadn’t killed the bosses already, I’d probably just hunt one of them. Or the ice storm one would hunt me, I guess. Considering how tough that last one was, I don’t know if I’ll be able to win, but if I do… we’d get a massive reward for the UIR. And for both of us.”

She gave me a look, one that was both frustrated, but not surprised. “This is who I married, isn’t it?”

“Yup.”

“Why’d I have to fall for a Hero?”

Shrugging, I said, “I still don’t get it, to be honest.”

Iris chuckled at that. She squeezed my hand. “I do.”

We sat for a minute more. I was feeling better and better. As different parts of me were fixed, the Recovery could put more energy into others. My head started to clear, and the wound in my shoulder was down to a painful cut and some stiffness in the joint.

“Okay,”

“Okay what?” I asked.

“We’ll do it. It’s dumb, but you’re right. You making it out of Basic and doing the impossible, started all of this. Who knows what will happen if you do the impossible again.”

“If we do it,” I said.

“It’s going to be mostly you. I’ve used abilities from Bethany, C.J., Rebekah, and Jackie. That leaves Samantha, since Nillin doesn’t have anything that would help.”

“Was Jackie that tracking shot thing?”

Iris nodded. “It gives everyone in her squad or wing tracking shots for one minute, and increases the damage. I held off using it before since she was out in a fighter and might need it, but now that the Respawn Limiter is off, I figured it was better used here.” She blushed. “Well, that’s what I’ll tell her. I mostly panicked and used it without thinking.”

“You don’t have to come with me,” I said. “I can face this one alone.”

“No. I need to do this. I don’t want to do it in the future, but I’m not going to look away when my joining the fight might be the difference. Who knows what will happen with the Empire and the war.”

I pulled her close and gave her a kiss. After that, we sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, holding each other.

When we parted, I felt good enough to try standing. She helped me up, and I managed to make it to my feet without falling back over. My smashed leg was still healing. The bones were broken, along with most of the flesh. The wound in my gut was also throbbing. Overall, I felt like I’d been run over by a truck, but that was better than where I started: feeling like I’d been run over by a steam roller.

“Not going to be fighting anything for a little while,” I said.

“Oh, we can use this,” she said.

She pulled a small canister out of her inventory. It looked like a travel size bottle of hairspray. Pressing the button, Iris waved it over my leg. Green mist poured out, soaking into my skin. In seconds, the entire leg felt much better. There was still a way to go for the healing, but now I could walk on it, and my Recovery should get me back to one hundred percent by the time Savior Complex ran out.

“You didn’t want to use that before?”

“I didn’t have it,” she explained. “When I told the others you were close to death, Nillin rushed to Ember. She was hanging back with the other non-combatants, so that meant taking a shuttle to our Hangar ship. When she got there, Ember gave her this, and she told me to take it. But they’d already shut off the Limiter, and this is apparently pretty expensive. Ember paid for six of them herself.

“Since I thought we were just going to die when you woke up, it didn’t make sense to use it. I’m just glad I didn’t give it back to Nillin.”

I laughed. “Okay, okay, I believe you. That’s alright. It was the right call.”

She wouldn’t meet my gaze. I knew this had been hard for her, but she handled everything with such poise and grace, that I was impressed. I gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

“I love you, Mrs. Ash.”

“I love you, Mr. Ash.”

“Now, let’s go do something stupid.”

Iris laughed as we started walking slowly up the glacier. With three bosses down, I hoped there weren’t too many monsters respawning to attack us. The first part of the trek was peaceful, at least.

I checked my Controller, seeing that the rest of the harem was okay, if shaken. They had updates, but said it could wait. I told them the plan, and while they didn’t love it, they knew that it was a smart risk to take if I was just going to die anyway.

Killing the boss also leveled me up. I was now sixty-three. It felt wild that I’d made it that high, and considering my Ring of Boosting and three classes, I was more comparable to someone with one class who was around level two hundred. That might explain how we survived the dungeon more than anything else.

Well, that and the mysterious gift.

I put a point into Savior Complex to give me an extra two minutes of uptime. Since it would last more than twenty-five minutes, I hoped that would be all I needed for the final fight. Two more points went into Burn Them Down, increasing the damage boost by another twenty percent.

It had helped a lot against the ice giant, especially when Iris turned on the fireworks. With her two skills going, she’d been hitting the giant with the equivalent of fifteen C.J.s, only with her explosive power boosted even higher, and another forty percent of damage tacked on. And she fired the weapon three times as fast as normal.

The monster didn’t stand a chance. What would, really? I wasn’t the target, and it almost killed me.

One point went into Honorable Challenge, Shield Skills, and On The Move. Each skill had a big benefit, and I’d want them for the fight ahead plus the future, since it wasn’t the end of the road here.

I put the last three points into Magic. While I could have put them into Recovery, for the ten minutes or so after I assigned them, they were added to it anyway through my Magic. That would get me close enough that I could hit 150 on my next level, which gave me a few more uses of a few skills and spells, with two points left over for the new skills I might get when I prestiged.

With that done, I focused on the last leg of our unexpected journey.

***

The final climb was relatively anti-climatic. The terrain was dangerous, and a few groups of monsters attacked. But we were ready for them. Sure, the fights were hard, but since we were taking our time, I used some of my cooldown spells to handle the groups when I needed to.

The two of us stopped twenty yards from the peak.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Two of the three bosses fought out in the open, making their own arena. We should prep here and then see what happens when we reach the peak.”

She nodded. We ate the last of the meals I had with buffs from Pete. My stomach wound was totally healed, and my leg looked like it was back to normal, but there was something about seeing it so shattered that made me feel like it should still be worse. Lingering ghost pains that I knew would fade with time, but it hung over me.

Once we were ready, I gave Iris another kiss, and whispered, “For luck.”

“You’re taking me on the best honeymoon in the galaxy once we have time,” she said.

“You don’t love mountain climbing and target shooting? There’s lots of exercise here.”

She gave me a hard stare.

“I’m just teasing. Deal. The best honeymoon anyone’s ever had!”

Then there was nothing left but to face the final boss.

I led the way, a Shield on my arm, small, so that I could use the longer version of my rifle. I put a Protective Shell on both of us, as well as cast Cloud of Blades.

When we crested the top of the mountain, we came face to face with a caldera. There was a path leading down to the sunken circle inside the walls. The middle of the hollowed out mountain was covered in ice — like a lake had filled it partially before freezing solid.

Iris blew a worried breath out her nose.

“We’ve got this,” I said. “It’s not going to be fun. But if you want to go somewhere else, we can…”

She shook her head. “Either way, we had to do something like this,” she pointed out.

I nodded, and started down into the boss’s lair.

The path down was rocky and clear of ice and snow. There were steps in places where it was steep, but for the most part, it was just a flat stretch of dirt. When we reached the ice, the walls rumbled. Behind me, the path disappeared, and the gap we entered through closed up.

It was time to fight.

“A challenger has arrived?” a deep voice called out.

“Yeah, we’re here.” I looked around, unable to locate the source.

“You should know who kills you, then. I am the great Cre Ton ‘Xut.” He pronounced his name Kree Tone Cut. “Once ruler of a mighty empire, I now take joy stopping insignificant creatures like you from every achieving your pathetic —”

“Okay, dude, we get it,” Iris shouted. I raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged. “He’s kinda running on and on.”

“You dare interrupt me.”

“What are you going to do? Kill us?”

“I feel like that’s my line,” I said with a grin. I was enjoying this sassy version of Iris. She was already getting under the boss’s skin.

“This is how far the galaxy has fallen. You do not know respect for your betters. So be it.”

“Get ready,” I whispered.

I activated Savior Complex, and prepared to use my other skills as soon as Cre appeared. Nothing happened for a long, long stretch.

Then, a whisper of feathers caught my ear.

“Move!” I shouted.

We both dove to the side, and long talons covered in sharp metal cut through the space we’d been standing.

Heavy flaps followed as the boss lifted back into the air, anger in his eyes. He was huge — not that that was surprising — close to twenty feet tall, with a wingspan more than double that. He was roughly humanoid, but lacked arms, with wings like a falcon in their place. His legs were long for a bird, ending in the wicked talons.

His face was clearly that of a predator, with sharp golden eyes that immediately picked us out. He had a beak, although there were features I couldn’t place, making him feel entirely alien.

“Ah, this will be a pleasant sport, I see.”

I fired my rifle at him. The blasts landed on his exposed chest. It didn’t seem to make much of a dent in him, even as they sizzled with the fire enchantment.

“Too much to ask for another ice monster?” I muttered.

I put up a Defensive Shield and activated Honorable Challenge. His eyes flashed red, and he looked at me with pure malice.

“You shall die first.”

“Uh huh, sing a new song.”

I ran away from the Shield, leaving it open for Iris to use. As I did, I took a moment to cast a different version of Enchant Weapon, clearing the first and adding a different damage type to the gun. Hopefully Psychic would do more for me.

His heavy wings beat as he lifted into the air for another dive run. There were low clouds over the peak of the mountain, and he vanished into them. He must have been hiding there before.

I would rather not pop my three big skills until I was sure that I had a weapon enchantment that would hurt him, or just needed the raw damage.

With nothing else to do, I kept my eyes on the skies and fired a few pot shots into the air, wondering if I could hit him.

Then I had a different idea.

I cast Whirlwind, targeting the clouds above me. The wind kicked up, swirling the clouds around and sending some spinning away. Patches cleared, and more light poked through as the vortex sucked it in, forming a tornado funnel that stretched away from the ground.

I spotted him, and fired a few shots at the giant monster. He plunged down at me, coming in at a slight angle so he could scoop me up as he sailed by.

“Tough luck for you, buddy,” I said.

I activated Defensive Shield. The eight-foot tall impenetrable barrier appeared in front of me too late for the birdman to change his path. He smashed into it, bones crunching in his foot as he flipped over. The momentum slammed him into the ice behind me and he skidded away.

Emptying the rest of my magazine, I reloaded and fired again. Purple sparks raced across his skin every time I hit him, and it seemed like the Psychic damage was at least adding something.

More shots came from Iris, so I decided to go all in. I activated my three powerful skills — Burn Them Down, Rapid Fire, and Focused Fire. My speed increased, as did my damage.

The monster roared in pain and anger, pushing itself up with his wings as dozens of shots from the two of us hit his side. Knowing it wasn’t much good, I cast Forked Lightning as well, sending a solitary bolt to crack into him.

I also focused on my Cloud of Blades, sending them two at a time at his wings. Some bounced off, but a few found purchase and cut into the thin skin underneath the armor-like feathers.

He limped, the foot that had collided with the Defensive Shield was mutilated enough he couldn’t put much weight on it. I knew the feeling.

“You tricky little coward,” he roared.

“I wasn’t the one hiding in the clouds,” I retorted.

He looked like he was about to respond, but instead something clicked in his throat. Then he leaned forward and screamed. I pulled the Shield on my arm up, but it didn’t help. The raw sound and force threw me back. I slammed into the side of the Defensive Shield behind me, echoing what he’d just done, and then flipped away, carried by the sound.

I tumbled for fifty yards before I slid to a stop. The world spun, and he might have blown out my ear drums. But I could handle that. Been there, done that. I climbed unsteadily to my feet, looking for the monster. It was hard to find my balance, but in a few seconds the minor injury had healed.

“Yeah, a lot easier when it’s just a couple small injuries,” I grumbled.

The monster flapped his wings to take off when an explosion rocked him. Iris had the grenade launcher out and more shots on the way. He pulled a wing in, covering himself and let them explode against the heavy feathers. After four more hits, only one feather fell off. When it hit the ground, it sounded like a steel plate dropping in a factory — heavy and thick.

He was tough.

I reloaded and fired, aiming for his unprotected foot. The Psychic damage added to the pain, and he stumbled as he tried to shift, momentarily putting weight on the injured talons. He screeched in rage and anger and flapped hard, pushing himself up into the air and quickly out of the range of the grenades.

My gun didn’t let up. I put blasts wherever I could, trying to steadily chip away at whatever health or armor the boss had. He steered clear of the whirlwind, still blowing above, and instead settled down on the lip of the arena. His uninjured claw picked up a boulder, and with a flap of his wings and flick of his foot, he sent it careening at me.

Diving to the side, I felt the air it displaced as it crashed against the ground. Ice splinters shot in every direction. Back on my feet, I found Cre, already moving to another boulder. I started running in a wide circle, firing at him.

He launched another boulder at me. This one went wide, as I was already well ahead of him. The next one was timed better, and I had to stop and throw myself back to avoid getting squished.

“You enjoy playing games,” Cre taunted. “How is this game of catch treating you?”

I ignored the taunt, and tried to keep firing. Iris was landing shots with her rifle as well, but it didn’t seem to be doing nearly enough. I was starting to realize I’d been overconfident in my abilities — so far, the dungeon had thrown two bosses at me that were tailor-made to be weak against my abilities. And they’d both almost killed me.

It made sense that Vair and Cre weren’t weak to fire, as that would be too easy. But without Vair to compare to, I had a feeling I was out matched by this monster. Maybe if I had Flight. But that was once a day. Growth was also out — I could use it twice a day, at least until my Magic hit 150.

I could worry about all of that later. The boss was still trying to make me go splat with his seemingly endless supply of giant boulders. One boulder almost hit, and I didn’t quite dodge it. It clipped my arm, sending me spinning as my protective shell exploded and vanished. Without it, I might have been down an arm.

Changing up my path made it harder for Cre to predict where to throw the boulder, but eventually, he’d guess right and I’d be having another close shave I couldn’t afford if I wasn’t careful. At the same time, he was just moving from one obvious boulder to the next.

So when he threw one — the wrong direction, this time — I fired a few shots at his eyes. At the same time, I cast Fireball, throwing it where I thought he would land.

He shook his head and blinked, trying to keep his eyes safe. Cre headed straight for the boulder I guessed, and grabbed it. Before he could throw it, the fireball exploded against his chest, coating him in fire.

The boss monster roared in pain. I fired into his mouth and sent another dozen blades at him. These peppered his chest, most digging in after the fire weakened him somewhat.

A small chance, a glimmer of hope, flickered to life. He might not be weak to my spells, but compared to the ice giant, he didn’t seem as tough. Attacking from the clouds was probably his go-to move. I could see that the sonic blast he used could scatter a well-trained group, and as they got their bearings, he’d swoop down and snatch one away.

Or batter them with boulders until he could do the same.

I felt the Whirlwind spell end, sparing a second to glance up. The clouds were disorganized and not immediately returning to their previous spot, so I thought we had some time at least. Plus, with my Shield, he was unlikely to risk that attack again. He’d lose the other leg if he did.

Sending another handful of blades at him, I focused my own shots on his eyes. He seemed particularly keen to protect them. As he dealt with the new blades, I landed a solid, direct hit on his left eye. He screamed in pain, flailing backwards and tumbling over the side of the arena.

“Okay,” I said. “Does that mean we win?”

I heard roars and what sounded like an avalanche. The boulder he’d been holding was rocking on the edge of the arena. I cast Telekinesis and put all my force into pushing it. It tilted, and I fired my gun. Together, that sent it over the edge. Even from a distance, I could hear it crash and bounce down, followed by a sickening crunch.

“Come on,” I said.

But I wasn’t that lucky. Heavy wing flaps came from the far side. His head appeared, this time facing away, as the monster rose back above the arena. He had burns, cuts, and bruises all along his back and legs, with his wings clearly missing more feathers.

CHA-THUNK

Iris was closer to the boss, and fired the grenade launcher again. The long, arced shot looked like it was on track to hit him directly. But then Cre flapped again and lifted further. The grenade instead collided with his injured leg.

The explosion tore it clean off as Cre screamed. He turned, in the air, and I got a better look at him.

His shoulder was bloody and bent, which I figured was due to the boulder. His front was worse than his back, with burns and cuts from my blades on top of everything else. And the eye I hit was broken — a bloody mess.

“Looks like you’re not going to be undefeated for long,” I shouted.

He took a deep breath, and I saw his neck shift like before. The small Shield on my arm turned into a full barrier and I ducked behind it. The sound rocked through the caldera, shaking me to my bones. But the Shield stopped the force of the attack.

I couldn’t hear anything, but I was still good to fight.

He expected me to be scrambling, and dove at where I should have been thrown to. As he passed above me, I hit him with my own breath attack, coating him in another layer of flames. He twisted and crashed to the ground, desperately trying to kill me.

As he did, I wasn’t sure I could stop him. He was still fighting this injured, and I was out of big weapons. Even the grenade launcher might not do enough. A direct hit might hurt him, but this close, Iris wasn’t willing to risk hitting me by accident.

My breath attack petered out, I kept shooting, shifting my gun to the automatic rifle and sending basically a beam of energy at him, paused only when I frantically reloaded.

He dragged himself forward with his wings, pushing with his back claw. My shots splashed against him, clearly hurting him, but he ignored them. Inexorably he kept coming, half on fire, one eye gone, one leg gone. With another twenty soldiers I could have found a way to kill him, but as it was… I didn’t know what else to do. I was tapped out. We came here thinking we’d die, so I didn’t want to be whittled to death again. Once was enough for one day.

I retreated, my steps slower with the ice shattered and grooved thanks to the boulders. He picked up speed, screaming unintelligible words at me. When he reached the Shield I’d left behind, he used a wing to lever himself forward.

The lunge took me by surprise, and I didn’t even have time to summon my sword as his beaked mouth came straight for me. He was big enough he could swallow me whole, and that’s what he was trying to do.

Darkness surrounded me as he tried to bite me.

And I cast Waves of Force.

Suddenly, there was light all around me. His body flopped to the ground — his head gone.

“Holy shit,” I said.

The waves of force that shot out from me had blown his head into pieces, sending them flying across the caldera. Except some blood and brains flew straight up. Their shadow covered me, and I lifted my arms to protect myself.

But they splashed harmlessly around me as pixels as his body disappeared. I stood there, stunned, not quite sure that I could believe what just happened.

“Did you know that would work?” Iris said, appearing next to me like magic.

“How did you get here so fast?”

“New shoes,” she said. I realized she had on impressive runners I hadn’t noticed before. “But that’s not what’s important. He ate you!”

“Only a little.”

She sighed. “Still, that was pretty gross. I’d rather not watch you blow up a monster from the inside again.”

I laughed, agreeing with her. A pile of loot dropped near us, and I grabbed it. I tossed it into my Inventory without looking, since we both wanted to be out of the dungeon as soon as possible.

“Where’s the exit?” she asked.

As if waiting for her to ask, the moment she finished speaking, the surrounding ice shattered and turned to pixels. We dropped into a dark tunnel, gravity pulling us down, down, down.

Chapter thirty

The tunnel curved, moving us quickly down, but not so fast we were hurt by the drop. I didn’t know what was happening, and saw Iris a few feet away from me, terrified. Without my boosted Aiming, I might not be able to see her at all in the dark.

“Put on your mask!” I shouted. If we were leaving the dungeon, it was pretty likely we’d be in open space.

Iris summoned her mask to her hand. We had an oxygen mask and space suits — the plan was to put the mask on first, which would give us more time to pull the suits on in the cold of space. But a bump on the tunnel sent the mask spinning out of her hands and into the darkness.

I saw the fear on her face — we’d come this far, and now she was still in danger.

Kicking off of the surface, I slid over to her. I had my own mask in my hand, and I pulled it around her head.

“What about you?” she asked, her question muffled by the plastic covering.

I tried to shrug, but tumbling down what amounted to a dungeon trash chute meant the gesture was lost on her. “I’ll be fine.”

Probably.

As I started to pull out my space suit, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. We were still a few seconds away, but I didn’t want to risk dropping my suit, so I put it back in my inventory. I could handle a few seconds of space cold with Savior Complex running.

Iris had her pants on, and was pulling on the top. I reached over and grabbed her hand as we reached the black wall of the exit.

With a pop that I felt rather than here, we shot out into space. A patch of sand and ice looked like the soft place we should have landed if we’d been on a planet. Instead, we rocketed away from the dungeon. Ships were visible in the distance, but way too far away to reach us in time. But that reminded me of the final part of the gift.

I kept my grip on Iris as the cold set in. She frantically tried to pull on the suit, but I saved her from needing to. There was one last gift from my mysterious benefactor that I hadn’t used yet.

I cast Conjure Ship.

Just like that, a ship the size of one of our gunships appeared around us. I was automatically sitting in the pilot’s seat. Iris stumbled to her feet as the artificial gravity kicked in.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“I forgot,” I said.

“And why not use it instead of tackling me into the Ancient Dungeon?” We might have survived, but the fear hadn’t left Iris and she was lashing out. Understandably so.

“I’d never used it, and I didn’t know how fast I’d be able to fly it. And there were missiles flying at where the ship would appear. And there was no way to dodge.” Of course, very little of that had been going through my mind at the time, as my only thought had been to save Iris at whatever cost. And without ever testing the spell, I didn’t want to rely on it if I didn’t have to.

She sighed and sat down next to me. “Okay. It’s okay. We’re alive.”

“Yeah, we are.” I glanced at my Controller. “Extra alive, apparently.”

“Huh?” She glanced at her own, her eyes opening wide. “Seriously? You’re the only person who can enter a guaranteed death trap and come out with an extra life.”

My Controller was blowing up with notifications from finishing the Ancient Dungeon. I looked out the window at the massive structure holding up part of a planet. I’d only spent a brief time in it, but it felt like so much longer, since at any moment I might die forever.

As I watched, pieces of the dungeon broke apart. Rocks drifted away, chunks of mountain and ice flying away. The walls crumbled. The metal holding it together came free, splitting into pieces. Over the next minute, the Ancient Dungeon disintegrated before vanishing altogether.

Iris had the presence of mind to send a message to Ishani letting her know we were okay, and then started a group chat with the other members of the harem.

Iris: So that happened.

Iris: We, uh, cleared the dungeon.

Rebekah: You’re kidding.

Samantha: That’s insane.

Samantha: Actually insane.

C.J.: I knew they could do it. This is just any other Monday for ol’ Carter Ash.

C.J.: Holy crap! Look out there! The dungeon is gone!

Samantha: Whoa!

Jackie: Thank god you’re okay!

Nillin: We were so worried. I know you both have extra lives, but it still is frightening to think of you in danger.

Carter: Yeah, about that. I’ve got five lives now.

C.J.: Ha!

C.J.: The Emperor tries to kill you, and you come out ahead.

C.J.: Classic Carter!

Bethany: I’m glad you both are okay.

Bethany: I wasn’t ready to lose anyone else.

Carter: We’re sticking around for a little longer.

Carter: What’s the status out here?

Rebekah: We’re basically done. The last few Empire ships jumped out of the system half an hour ago. We’ll fill you in later.

Rebekah: Where are you? We’ll send a shuttle.

Carter: No need. I brought my own.

There were a few more well wishes and jokes, but I was ready to be back with them in person, so I decided to check out the result of my spell.

The ship I’d created resembled one of our gunships, at least from the inside. There was no telling what it looked like outside. There was a cockpit in the front that we sat in, with a seating area in the back that could probably hold another ten or fifteen people comfortable. Everything was higher end, with leather seats, comfortable cushions, and wood paneling on the control panels.

There was even a bathroom and shower, small but luxurious. I wanted to hop in immediately, but first I had to get the ship flying.

It handled intuitively, as if I was born knowing how to fly this ship. Considering I’d done a little flying of my own, but not all that much, I guessed the spell gave me the knowledge for this ship. Even still, I knew the ship would not have escaped those missiles — it wasn’t fast enough. I relaxed a little, confirming I made the right choice earlier.

The ladies were all on the Chariot of Fire, even Jackie. Judging by the computer, it would take us at least an hour to make it back. I pointed the ship at the destination, and set it on autopilot.

Iris, sore and covered in my blood, decided to take the first shower. I read through the rest of my notifications — surprised, even if I should have expected a lot.

Congratulations, Governor Ash. You have cleared an Ancient Dungeon. This Dungeon has existed for four thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two years. Due to the length of its existence and difficulty, you have received numerous awards, adjusted to reflect the difficulty of your accomplishment.

For entering the Ancient Dungeon with less than the maximum number of troops, all survivors have gained one extra life.

While I already knew about the extra life, it was interesting to confirm why I received it. It wasn’t likely that I’d be entering another Ancient Dungeon, and we didn’t have the soldiers to spare. But in the long run, if our civilization survived and we encountered another Ancient Dungeon, sending in thirty-nine instead of forty soldiers with the potential for an extra life might be worth the risk.

Each person who survives the Ancient Dungeon receives a gift tailored to them, based on both their class and their actions in the Ancient Dungeon.

You have received the Hero’s Armor.

The Hero’s Armor — Comprising an armored vest, gloves, and protective pants, this set of armor provides a bonus when multiple are worn at the same time. The set bonus with two items is a cooldown on all spells, cutting their recharge time to one third of what it would be. You also can see exactly how to reduce the cooldown. More details are available in the spell details.

When wearing all three items, you gain the Ability “Unstoppable.” Since this Ability is gained from an item and not a class, you treat it as if you have five points in it. Each time your Hero class prestiges, it gains one point.

Unstoppable — For one minute, your Health, Armor, and Recovery increase by one hundred percent for each point in this skill. Each five points, the skill lasts for an additional minute.

This boost applies after all other benefits.

This item set is bonded to you, and cannot be given or away or taken.

“Holy shit,” I muttered.

The skill would make my Recovery somewhere around 450 points on its own, and with Savior Complex, well over one thousand. At the two hundred or so it had been during the boss fights, I’d managed to survive multiple stabs, a broken and shattered leg, and other numerous injuries.

At one thousand points of Recovery? I might be able to regrow my head. Or body. I’m not sure which way it went. I’d been wondering how to match the raw healing of the Gumalagians, and now I’d found the way.

Sure, it only lasted two minutes, but using it at the right time, I could go from injured to … well, unstoppable.

The three items also came with their own benefits. I assumed the set bonus was there because there might be times I needed other gear — although I didn’t imagine ever wanting to give up that crazy boost.

The Hero’s Armored Vest — Provides + 50 Armor, + 50% Health, and deflects the first shot that hits you each hour.

The Hero’s Protective Pants — Provides + 25 Reflexes, + 50 Armor, and gives the Ability Fleet Footed. As an item related skill, it starts at 5 points. Each time your Hero Class prestiges, you gain another point in the skill.

Fleet Footed — For one minute, your movement speed increases by ten percent. Each point increases the duration by one minute, and adds another ten percent boost.

The Hero’s Battle Gloves — Provides +3 to Sword Apprentice, Sword Journeyman, Sword Master, and Shield Skills. Provides +25 to Aiming.

“Well, fuck,” I said.

The skill points alone were worth almost a level and a half. With the two Abilities added in, it was almost three levels worth of Skill points.

“What’s that?” Iris asked. She walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a robe from her inventory. She dried her hair with a towel as she looked at me.

“My reward from the dungeon is insane.” I showed her, and she rolled her eyes.

“What?”

“I mean, after a unique class and, what, two extra lives, that’s nice and all, but C.J. was right. Feels like just another Monday for Carter Ash, Hero of the United Interplanetary Republic.”

“Oh, that’s how it is, huh?”

I grabbed her and pulled her onto my lap. My hands found her sides, and I tickled her. She giggled and swatted my arm. Soon, I kissed her, and I felt her relax into my arms. I wanted to go further, but we only had a little while until we reached the other ship.

“What did you get, then?” I asked.

“I haven’t looked.”

She held up her Controller, and we read through the messages together. She received the same first one as me. Then, her reward arrived.

Each person who survives the Ancient Dungeon receives a gift tailored to them, based on both their class and their actions in the Ancient Dungeon.

You have received a third class: The Doppelgänger, Rank One

The Doppelgänger, Rank One — This class focuses on adapting, able to work in any situation, whether it is combat, support, or any other area. It is outside any of the other trees, and can only be obtained through special circumstances.

“Looks interesting,” I said.

“We’ll see,” she said, but I could hear some excitement in her voice.

“Show me the abilities.”

She clicked through to the details.

Combat Adaptation — When activated, each point in this skill increases your Strength, Aiming, Reflexes, Stamina, Willpower, and Recovery by two points. You gain two random combat related skills comparable to a class ranked up to your level. Each five points in this ability adds an additional random skill. They are treated as if they had as many points in them as there are points in this ability.

Support Adaptation — When activated, each point in this skill increases your Strength, Stamina, Willpower, Magic, Knowledge, and Recovery by two points. You gain two random support related skills comparable to a class ranked up to your level. Each five points in this ability adds an additional random skill. They are treated as if they had as many points in them as there are points in this ability.

You can freely switch between the two Adaptations.

Another message popped up.

As this class is a reward, based on the difficulty of the Ancient Dungeon, you receive ten points in each skill.

“Okay, now I’m a little jealous,” I said.

Iris laughed and kissed me again. “I don’t hate it, that’s for sure.” She grimaced. “You smell. Go shower before we get back.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I walked into the bathroom — larger than an airplane’s, but still small. Stripping off, I turned the water on and stepped under the hot stream. It felt good, both getting clean and letting the heat relax my muscles.

There were still messages to read, so I took a minute to finish them while the warm water went to work.

First up was the final reward of the Ancient Dungeon.

A member of your civilization has cleared an Ancient Dungeon. As the leader of the United Interplanetary Republic, you get to choose between two options.

Option A — Magic School. You will receive a blueprint for an institute of magical learning and research. It will give you benefits when you research new spells, and open up new classes for recruits. The blueprint can be used once, and it will be instantly built in the system of your choice.

It will grant an advanced class that can be earned during the tutorial — Lead Magical Researcher, Rank One. While anyone can research, the specialized classes are the only one that get benefits to this type.

With extended research, citizens who already have a class can earn the Magical Researcher as a second class, like normal.

That sounded pretty good. I’d proven how powerful spells were, and extending the collective spell book of the civilization could only help.

But it also didn’t seem like an immediate boost. We’d need to survive the coming fight with the Empire, and if it moved at the speed of Kellantra’s work, we’d probably only gain a few new spells or benefits in the next six months. Once it was up and running, it would be a big boon. I didn’t think we had six months or longer to reach the real benefits.

The wording of the description also made me think that we could research spells on our own. I remembered that was actually an option for one of my first classes, but I chose Squad Leader instead. So this would speed it up, but not necessarily be game changing in the short term.

When I read the second option, I grinned. That was the clear winner, for what we needed, and I was definitely selecting that. I held off selecting it, wanting to make a big reveal for the others.

After that, I had a handful of loot to look through. There was a lot of great stuff in there which I planned to give to Rebekah to disburse to the best soldiers. I also found a completed Rank Two Blueprint for a floating tank that I thought Samantha would get a kick out of. There was also a new spell, which I gladly took for myself.

Ghost Fighters — This spell summons two spectral fighters. They can fight in space or in an atmosphere, and their damage is based on your Magic skill. They pilot themselves and follow your commands. When summoned, they last for the day, resetting at midnight.

As a skill, this spell gains a new fighter every five points. As a learned spell, you gain a new fighter every fifty points of Magic, including buffs.

Addendum — if wearing the complete Hero’s Armor set, you can cast this spell three times in one day. This cannot be reduced further.

I liked everything about the new spell. With almost one hundred and fifty points in Magic — even without Savior Complex, which apparently would apply — I’d soon be able to create five of them, and cast it three times, making fifteen. As fighters, they weren’t going to be the centerpiece of our strategy, but I could see how they’d be a big help.

It was also helpful that the spell showed me exactly how my reward from the Ancient Dungeon would help out. I checked Fireball, and saw it also had an addendum now.

Addendum — This spell is available for use every twenty-four minutes. With the Hero’s Armor set bonus, it can be cast every eight minutes. Each point of Recovery, Knowledge, and Stamina reduces the cooldown slightly.

That was pretty great, and made those Stats more important, too. And, speaking of Stats, I also leveled up four times. That meant I had thirty-six points to spend, and my Civilization’s Founder class ranked up, giving me two new abilities.

Building Bonus — Each point in this skill gives a small bonus to all of your Laborers and related classes building structures or ships. They gain five percent in speed for each point.

Research Bonus — Each point in this skill gives a small bonus to all of your Researchers and related classes while they research. They gain five percent in speed for each point.

The skills weren’t going to light the world on fire, but they would be steady, constant boosts. I went ahead and put three points in both. Since each skill started with one point when I gained it, that would give everyone a twenty percent bump in speed, which would hopefully help us out a lot.

I put two more points in Spellcasting. With all the new levels, I was expecting my progress to slow down, and wanted to make sure I could use any more spells that came my way.

Three points went into On The Move, bringing it to an even ten. I didn’t add any to my Sword or Shield skills, leaving that for the buff from the Hero’s Battle Gloves.

Seven points in Magic raised it to 150. That opened up more uses of a few spells. Then I added an entire level’s worth of points into Recovery, bringing it to one hundred. I’d seen how helpful it was, and since a brief scan of my spells showed that it also lowered my cooldowns, loading it up felt like a good use. For the same reason, I added three points to Stamina.

The last five points went into Love’s Strength, adding a big bump to the main Strength Stat. With that, I was done, and we were approaching the Chariot of Fire. I got dressed and readied to dock with the ship.

***

Back on board, there were a lot of smiles, kisses, and hugs to go around. We’d all thought we might not ever see each other again, but with that threat gone, we celebrated.

We walked to the bridge, Nillin clasping one hand tight, and Jackie the other. The rest gabbed and congratulated Iris on her new class.

Samantha pointed out that while the skills the class gave her were random, the combat option would potentially be a big help.

“How come?” Iris asked.

“Well, you can give a skill as well as take it, right? So if you get an excellent combat skill, you can swap it over to whoever needs it, without needing to be in battle yourself.”

“Oh… that is really good,” Iris said with a smile. I could tell that she was happy to have a new way to help out that didn’t necessarily mean being on the front lines.

When we stepped onto the bridge, Axina jumped out of the Captain’s chair. The Delphinian caster saluted me. “Happy to hand her back over to you, sir.”

“Actually,” I said with a grin, “You might be staying here for a while.”

Her antennae bobbed in confusion. The harem all looked at me, questioning.

“There’s still one last prize from the Ancient Dungeon,” I said.

“Hell yeah,” C.J. said.

“Is it going to be stupidly good?” Bethany asked.

Iris shook her head. “You know it will.”

When I selected Option B, a blueprint appeared in my inventory. Since the Empire of Humanity had abandoned the system, it was safe to use it.

I did, and confirmed my choice when I was prompted.

Suddenly, a massive ship appeared in front of us, dwarfing the nearby Battleships. It was sleek, long, and covered in weapons. I pegged it at close to two miles long, and maybe half a mile wide and tall. The smooth exterior made it look fast, and I knew it was from the description. The front narrowed slightly, and there were armored wings near the back.

“It’s huge,” Rebekah said.

C.J. started to make a joke, but Samantha elbowed her, silencing the punk.

“Does it look like a sword?” Bethany asked.

“It’s a Capital-Class Battleship,” I explained, “And it gets even better.” I shared what the description said with the others while we admired the new ship.

Option B — The Sword of the Hero — A Capital-Class Casting Battleship, Rank Seven.

This is a unique ship, an improved version of the rare Capital-Class Casting Battleship. Like a standard Casting Battleship, The Sword of the Hero allows the Captain to cast spells, aimed from the point of the sword.

It is equipped for heavy combat, with multiple powerful guns. The missile bay is self-loading, and can fire sixteen missiles at once. There are extensive defenses against smaller ships, including turrets — both automatic and manual. The ship is well armored and able to take a large amount of damage before the shields fail.

Two large docks, each comparable to a Rank Three Hangar, are located on either side of the ship. Each dock can hold up to forty-five fighters and six gunships.

As a Capital-Class Battleship, the Sword of the Hero does not count as a population center, but there are four modules available for upgrades. Two of these can be used at once to create a population center. They can also be used for any other appropriate smaller module you have researched. Every four Ranks the ship gains, you add an additional module slot.

As a unique ship and a reward, there are multiple non-standard upgrades to the ship.

First, the casting ability of the ship is markedly improved. Spells cast are boosted by 100%. With every future Rank upgrade, this increases by 50%. In addition, the spells are upgraded, if there is an upgraded version available. The computer will explain which spells this applies to, and if a spell can be upgraded, but the version is not available — how to unlock it.

Second, the ship is the defender of the United Interplanetary Republic. It is bonded to the civilization, and cannot be captured. If it is destroyed, it can be rebuilt at the price and speed of a Rank One Versatile Battleship. This reduces the Rank of The Sword of the Hero by one.

Third, the ship will Rank up as the United Interplanetary Republic expands. This is related to claimed systems. The first system claimed after creating this ship will Rank it up once. The next Rank will take two systems, then four, then six, then eight, stopping at ten. After that, every ten systems claimed will Rank the ship up.

Each Rank will automatically improve the ship, increasing its power, damage output, defenses, and armor on top of the other benefits already mentioned.

C.J. punched me on the arm. “This is crazy, man.”

“I know.”

We all stared at the ship floating in space.

“The Emperor will be so mad,” the punk continued. “He tried to kill you, and you got a sick ass ship and are going to kick his ass now.”

Chapter thirty-one

The next two weeks flew by in a blur. We knew that after what the Emperor had done, we needed to prepare for full on war, and we planned to strike first. We took the four systems on the far side of Nouran — the choke point system that started all of this. That meant the Sword of the Hero ranked up twice.

We didn’t even get a chance to use it, as the token defenses left behind by the Empire were only ships they couldn’t get out of the systems. A few Rank One Defensive Battleships and the like. We guessed that Jump Tugs pulled any of the high-value ships away before we arrived.

Once that was done, we had a memorial for the soldiers and pilots who had fallen during the fight outside the Ancient Dungeon. It was a somber occasion, as so many of them had multiple lives left, but had died in the vacuum of space.

Bethany and Rebekah filled me in on everything that happened during the fight. After they captured the Hangar ship, our forces pushed hard to kill as many Empire ships as they could. The enemy fleet fought a fighting retreat while they regrouped, before eventually jumping out of the system.

We lost the Light Spear, the Dizzy, and two of the Rank One Versatile Battleships. All three of our cruisers were destroyed as well, along with two of the corvettes. On top of that, our fighters had been decimated. The numbers were grim.

Close to six hundred people had died, with more than half being lost permanently. The number would be higher than that, if we hadn’t had the masks and spacesuits prepared. That saved a good fifty people from losing their last life. Another benefit was the Healing Stims we’d waited a day for — while only a handful of people had them, they gave all of them extra time to make it into a suit.

The honor guard lost three members while capturing the Respawn Limiter. Of the three, only Thistle managed to survive respawning in space. And that was only because Ceeni cast a protective bubble on her instead of herself, saving the Felician at the cost of her own life.

Bethany told me all of that as we sat in my main chamber on the Sword of the Hero. She stared at the ground, the words tumbling out of her mouth in a stream. I’d noticed something bothering her, and asked her what was going on, and that was when she spilled all of what she went through on that Hangar ship.

When she finished, a sob escaped her before she covered her mouth and closed her eyes. I pulled her close, wrapping her in my arms.

“You did what you had to do, Bethany.”

“But they died because of me.”

“No. They did not. They died fighting for our people, for all of us. They died because the Emperor played dirty. He used a trick to make sure every loss cost us horribly.”

“I was in charge, Carter.”

“I know. And they chose to go on that mission. They volunteered, knowing the risks, and they trusted you. Not too long ago, you told me the same thing — these soldiers signed up for this, aware of the dangers. They made the greatest sacrifice, but they knew what was possible. What was at stake.

“And think about what you did! You took fifteen soldiers into the belly of the beast and only lost three. And we’ll make that matter. We’ll make them pay.”

She wiped a tear from her face. “I don’t know if I can do this again. In theory, I can give you advice all day long. But when I’m the one making the call… It’s easy when you put me up on a cliff or at the end of a hallway and tell me to shoot everything. But being in charge… What if other people die under my command?”

“This is exactly why you should be a leader, Bethany.”

Her eyes met mine, filled with confusion.

“You care about the soldiers, the people they are. We’ve all seen how serious you take battles, and the people under your command know that. And you took the biggest risk of all, diving into the middle of a group of soldiers to keep the rest of your troops safe. They know that, and they know that you’ll never send them to die just because it makes the mission easier. You’ll take risks, but only ones that are worth it.”

I knelt in front of her, brushing the tears from her cheek.

“Bethany, you don’t have to lead. But I think you’ll be amazing at it. You’re smart, you’re caring, and you don’t hesitate. If you don’t want to, no one will make you. Iris and Nillin don’t fight, and they’re just as important as anyone. This was hard. There’s going to be a lot of pain before we’re done. But when we win — and we will win — life will be better for so many people. We’ll be safe, and we’ll know that the world is a better place.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

I kissed her on the forehead, then the nose. “I’m sorry we lost so many good people. Jackie’s feeling the same way, and it might be helpful to talk to her.”

“I should. I will.”

After that, she laid down, needing to sleep after finally releasing everything that had been tormenting her. I left her to rest, knowing I’d do anything for her.

***

A happier reunion also happened.

When Valerie stepped off the shuttle onto the Sword of the Hero, Iris screamed in joy and sprinted to her sister, wrapping her in a tight bear hug. They laughed and cried, alternating between the two for five minutes.

I grinned, enjoying the hopeful moment among everything else.

“We have so much to catch up on,” Iris said. “I, uh, got married.”

“I know, I met your husband.”

Iris looked at me, and I shrugged. “You didn’t tell me! Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“No. I didn’t want to stress you out at first.”

“Well, it’s a nice surprise.”

“Thank you for bringing her home,” Valerie said.

“Any time.” I glanced at Iris. “Although, maybe we’ll try and avoid kidnapping and murder dungeons for a while.”

The two sisters laughed and marched off, arm in arm.

***

Kellantra requested a chat once we finally had a moment. The Sword of the Hero had plenty of amenities, so I was able to have a video chat with her from my own private office.

The bouncy blue woman appeared on-screen, beaming at me. Her jacket was off, hanging over the chair behind her, and her low cut tank top put all of her cleavage on display.

“Oh my god,” she said. “Hi, Carter! Your new ship is so cool.”

“Thanks, Kellantra. We’re still getting the hang of it.”

“I bet! I’ve never been on a Capital-Class ship before. I’m, like, totally excited to check it out.”

“Next time we're back in the Struve system, I’ll give you a tour.”

She smiled, a radiant smile that would stop traffic. “Amazing!”

“Now, what do I owe the honor of this call to?”

“I wanted to update you on our progress. We’ve been, like, crushing it over here.”

“I bet you have.”

“We’ve been hard at work, and have over ninety of the basic Rank One technologies researched, and added another twelve of the Rank Twos.”

Now it was my turn to grin. That really was impressive work in the last month. “You’re doing great!”

“And that’s not counting what Nillin and Iris brought back from the Delphinians. Before we know it, you’ll, like, have that skill transformed.” It was pretty impressive. The two groups managed to knock out almost a quarter of the six hundred technologies needed in a pretty short time.

“I really appreciate it, Kellantra.”

“Do you appreciate it enough to let me make a request?”

I chuckled, assuming there was a secret reason for this call. Now I’d know what it is.

“Probably, as long as it’s not too crazy.”

“Okay, so, I heard through the grapevine — that’s what you humans say, right? Grapevine?”

“That’s right.” All of our different people were slowly picking up phrases and slang from the others. It was fun.

“Cool! Anyway, I heard that the Capital ship has some modules we can use.”

“It does. We’re not sure what can fit in them.”

“I, uh, do know. I looked into it.”

“Really?” She blushed, and I realized that she’d put a lot of effort into whatever request she was about to make, and it meant a lot to her.

“Yeah. Um, there are two types of Research modules that would fit, like the ones we have on the space stations.”

“Oh…” I wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything. When she didn’t meet my eyes, I realized what she was actually asking — could she build a research module and live on the ship I would most likely be living on?

“You want to build one here?” She nodded. “And work in it?”

She smiled. “Yeah! You are a quick one.”

“What about the danger — we’ll be in battle.”

“That’s actually why I want to build two of the modules. One is a regular research hub, and the other is an exploration research module. It lets us study planets and asteroids to find resources we haven’t unlocked.”

“Like the metal on that planet that does the armor piercing weapons?”

“Osmium! Yeah!”

“It seems risky.” I wasn’t sure what the best option was, since it didn’t seem like we had any small modules that would really make a difference in combat.

“I know, but, like, I could totally help out more. And, when we’re fighting other ships, I can actually scan them from the exploration module and start making blueprints. Even for ships we couldn’t normally make. And I can finish them myself once we start it. It’ll go faster, of course, if I’m scanning.”

That made me sit up and take notice. “Really?”

“Yeah!”

“Why don’t more people do that?”

“You’ve got to have an exploration ship or a module in a Capital-Class ship. That’s, like, pretty hard at our level. And exploration ships normally can’t fight. But a lot of the higher Tier civilizations do it with their Capital-Class ships.”

That sounded like something we could use. I thought about the unique casting ships from the Delphinians — if we’d fought them instead, this would let us build them, eventually. My decision was practically made for me.

“Kellantra, pack your bags.”

She blinked. “I don’t have any bags. My inventory holds everything.”

I laughed, realizing that expression definitely didn’t translate into the Game. “Tell me what you need, and let’s get you set up here.”

“Oh! Oh! Thank you, Carter!”

She laughed and thanked me repeatedly until I finally ended the call.

***

Later, Nillin asked to meet with me. She brought Eight, the Tojilian woman who’d joined our civilization. We met in a conference room on the new ship. Screens along the wall made it feel like there were floor to ceiling windows, that let us see the fleet around us.

“Have you heard from the Delphinians?”

My alien girlfriend nodded. “Yes. The Delphinians splurged on a video call so we could discuss it and they could apologize. They are furious. Not only did they take us while we should have been safe as part of a diplomatic mission, the Empire also blocked communications to the UIR so the Delphinians couldn’t warn us.”

“I doubt they liked that.”

“No. So, we need to work out the details, but they are breaking off their alliance with the Empire of Humanity. They will officially join us in a new alliance.”

“Whoa.”

“We had the evidence they needed to justify it without angering the Tojilians, and this ship is a big point in our favor.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Eight cut in. “Capital-Class ships start at Rank Seven. Being able to build them is mostly reserved for Tier Three empires and higher. While you can’t build them, it’s an extremely powerful addition to your — I guess, our — fleet.”

“It wasn’t the deciding factor, but it will ease the minds of the Delphinians who did not want to join us or break the alliance,” Nillin added.

“What about the Tojilians?” We both turned to the bright red woman.

“They… are waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“Unfortunately. The Empire of Humanity is clearly stronger than you, and while they haven’t told me this explicitly, I am under the impression they don’t think the Delphinians will bring their full forces to bear fighting them.”

“They would rather not back the losing side.”

“The Empire and the Tojilians are still the most powerful force around outside of the Tier Threes. But, unofficially, they’ve told me they won’t help the Empire either.”

“They’ll just work with whoever comes out on top?”

She nodded. “It’s the smart thing to do.”

I leaned back in my chair, looking out over the fleet. We were working hard to rebuild what was lost, to get stronger. But there was only so much we could do.

War had come for us.

We’d be ready. We had to be.

The End

Final Character Sheet

Governor Carter Ash

Leader of the United Interplanetary Republic

Rank: General

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Lives: 5

Class: Harem Knight, Rank 4

Secondary Class: Campaigner, Rank 3

Tertiary Class: Civilization’s Founder, Rank 5

Level: 67

Stats:

Strength — 44 (380)

Reflexes — 59 (86)

Stamina — 64

Magic — 150

Willpower — 50

Recovery — 100

Skills:

Boost of Confidence — 3

Rapid Fire — 8

Focused Fire (Group) — 8

Endurance Training (Passive) — 7

Preparation — 7

Refresh — 1

Easy Logistics — 15

Survey (Improved) — 16

Burst of Speed (Army) — 2

Ambush Knowledge (Passive) — 4

Burn Them Down — 6

Lock Out — 2

Defensive Shield (Improved) — 9

Savior Complex (Improved) —13

Spell Casting (Passive) — 19

Harem Benefits (Passive) — 14

Love’s Strength (Passive) — 49

Noble Sacrifice — 5

Sword Apprentice — 10 (13)

Sword Journeyman — 15 (18)

Sword Master — 12 (15)

Shield Skills — 6 (9)

Honorable Challenge —6

On The Move (Passive) — 10

Improved Words of Encouragement (Passive) — 1

Improved Needs Met — 13

Path Forward — 4

Basic Technology (Passive) — 1

Tutorial Bonus (Passive) — 5

Home Ground Advantage (Passive) — 6

Building Bonus — 4

Research Bonus — 4

Skills from Items

Unstoppable — 5

Fleet Footed — 5

Spells — 16:

Whirlwind

Telekinesis

Healing Burst

Forked Lightning

Flight

Waves of Force

Moon’s Defender

Fire Breath

Enchant Weapon

Cloud of Blades

Protective Shell

Dance of Destruction

Fireball

Conjure Ship

Growth

Ghost Fighters

Enchant Weapon Options:

Lightning

Fire

Water

Ice

Wind

Earth

Psychic

Inventory:

Starter Rifle

Morph Rifle Mk. 8 + 10

Energy Carbine Mk. 3 + 2 with Extended Magazine

Ring of Boosting

Chains of Damage +1

Armored Dog Tag +15

Miniature Quick Heal

Boots of Reflexes + 2

HSD Energy Pistol + 15

Wrist Band of Strength + 5

Warrior’s Helm + 12

The Hero’s Armor:

The Hero’s Armored Vest

The Hero’s Protective Pants

The Hero’s Battle Gloves

Afterword

Thank you for reading The War Game: Oh, The Humanity! I’ve loved telling the story of Carter Ash and hope you have enjoyed it too. The War Game book seven: War Effort comes out in August. Carter and the harem will have their work cut out for them!

Please leave me a review on Amazon, it helps other people find and enjoy my work, and that means I can keep writing.

I have two other series as well.

There’s Chosen For Greatness, an urban fantasy series following a young man who discovers he has powers to fight demons. Two books are out, with the third coming in June!

It’s available here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DWH4JV6K 

The other series is called the Hero Game. It’s a superhero LitRPG you can find out more about here: https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Game-Superhero-Adventure-Tutorial-ebook/dp/B0D4LPV5KS 

You can follow me on Amazon here or in the Kindle app to be notified of any new book releases: https://www.amazon.com/stores/August-Aird/author/B0D4NFB6SY

I have a monthly newsletter you can subscribe to for new releases, occasional short stories set in the worlds of my series like the War Game and the Hero Game, as well as peeks behind the curtain:  https://august-aird-writes.ck.page/97ff341bb9

Acknowledgements

A big thanks to my editor, Ashley Norman! She did wonderful work and the book is much better because of it.

Cover art by Wenart Gunadi.

If you are looking for more fun men's romance or harem adventures, here are a couple places to check out that have helped me and others find a lot of great books to read:

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A great Facebook group for the same:

www.facebook.com/groups/HaremLitBooks

Lots of great romance for men options:

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