Year 819 A.S. System Nagano. "Alexandria, this is Joker speaking. I need dock 7 open for my landing." The man in his Eagle sent a comm to the massive carrier, a behemoth of unknown origin drifting in the void. The ship's hull gleamed faintly under the dim starlight, a silent guardian amidst the cold of space.
"Roger that, Joker. Welcome back. I hope you had a great time in Kusari." a young woman’s voice crackled over the comms. It was Tia, her tone carrying a mix of professionalism and amusement.
Joker exhaled slowly, watching the wisps of smoke from his cigarette dance in the dim cockpit lights. "Get the dock open and assemble the crew, Tia. And don't forget to prep the ship for hyperspace. We won’t be staying long."
The Alexandria’s bay doors groaned open, revealing the cavernous docking bay bathed in artificial lighting. As Joker’s Eagle smoothly glided in, the ship’s stabilizers hissed, slowing to a gentle halt. Two men stood at the landing pad, watching as the cockpit slid open and Joker stepped out, rolling his shoulders from the long flight.
"Derius, Yousei. Good to see you again." Joker’s voice was steady as he approached them, nodding.
"Good to see you too, Boss." Derius replied, his arms crossed as he assessed the returning pilot. The faint glow of maintenance lights cast sharp shadows across his face.
They began walking together toward the central corridor. Joker flicked his cigarette away, the ember fizzling into the steel grating before he spoke again. "What’s the ship status, Yousei?"
Yousei coughed slightly, waving the lingering smoke from his face before answering. "The AI’s back online after I patched some nasty bugs that were screwing up the system. Ella’s got engineering running smooth—no major malfunctions reported. Tia’s at the helm, as usual. And Z? He’s been busy with his scanner drones. By now, I think he’s mapped half the damn sector."
Joker smirked faintly at that but simply nodded. "Good. Where’s Alex?"
"Alex is waiting for us in Minor. We send the signal, and he’s there. Right now, he’s probably drowning himself in Sidewinder Fang at Delta." Derius’s reply was quick, a hint of amusement in his tone.
Joker gave another nod, taking in the information. "Good. Let's get to the meeting room."
Thirty minutes later, the ten leading members of the crew sat around the dimly lit round table, the overhead screens displaying tactical readouts, system maps, and long-range scans.
Joker leaned forward, resting his forearms on the metal surface. "Alright, here’s the situation. Even after seventeen years, Tekagi’s Wild are still roaming Tohoku. I’ve got intel suggesting that there are two unknown gates hidden in Liberty, but their exact locations remain a mystery. That could mean serious trouble—for us and for the sector as a whole."
His gaze locked onto Derius. "I want you to locate those gates as soon as possible. If they’re tied to something bigger, we need to know before it’s too late."
Derius exhaled through his nose and stood, nodding sharply. "Understood. I’ll start tracing any leads. I’ll let you know when I have something concrete." Without hesitation, he turned and strode out of the room, heading straight for his research quarters.
Joker’s focus shifted to the others. "Z, keep refining those scans. Tia, assist him in mapping out a better image. Ella, check for potential drive upgrades—we may need the extra power. Daniel, David—I took down some Wild earlier. Study their tech. See if there’s anything we can use, but don’t get sloppy."
He glanced toward Yousei, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Yousei... hell, I don’t even know what to do with you right now. Take a break. I’ll call you when you’re needed."
Yousei grinned lazily, raising a half-empty beer bottle in mock salute. "Best order you’ve given me all day."
Ignoring him, Joker turned toward Arnold and Sarah. "Check on the guards. This ship is too damn big to let things slip under our noses."
The crew began to disperse, but just as Joker was about to leave, Derius’s voice came through the comms. "Joker, you’re going to want to see this."
The main screen flickered, displaying an image. Joker stared at it for several moments before his voice dropped into a more serious tone. "Status."
Derius’s voice was calm but firm. "Source unknown. Judging by the composition, the star appears to be a Type-II dwarf, possibly smaller than Sol. The ships in the image? They’re completely unfamiliar."
Joker furrowed his brow. "Could this be from Earth?"
"Negative. Earth is gone, Boss. Besides, Sol’s sun emits a distinct yellow hue. This one? Pure white."
Joker crossed his arms, his fingers tapping against his sleeve. "Yousei, run a full spectrum scan on the image. Check every possible data point—coordinates, ship structures, energy emissions, anything that gives us a lead."
Yousei was already halfway out the door, nodding. "On it. With the AI running optimally, this should only take a few hours."
As the meeting room cleared out, Joker made his way to the bridge. Outside, the hyperspace jump was beginning to warm up, the Alexandria’s vast systems humming in preparation for their next destination—Omicron Minor. Year 820 A.S. Rheinland Space - System New Berlin.
Joker entered Derius’s quarters without knocking. The dim room was cluttered with workstations, blueprints, and samples of unknown substances. Derius, hunched over his desk, barely glanced up before Joker’s voice cut through the silence.
"I need you to create a poison."
Derius paused, then slowly turned, eyeing Joker with an expression that could only be described as wary amusement. "What kind of poison? Purpose? Delivery method?"
Joker placed his hands behind his back, pacing slowly. "The Order has vials of high-grade toxin used for interrogation. We’re going to swap it with something more... favorable to our interests. I need a poison that decays over the span of one year—a slow burn, undetectable at first, but deadly in time."
Derius exhaled, rubbing his jaw. "So you want something that looks harmless, counterable by most basic remedies, but lethal once embedded in a host. Tricky... but doable. If we use Wild blood, we could—"
Joker’s tone hardened. "No Wild blood. We need it for later. Stick to conventional methods. Test ingestion first."
Derius nodded absently, already lost in thought. "Fine. I’ll get to work. Just make sure I get my cut."
Joker turned on his heel, leaving without another word.
Hours later, as the Alexandria settled into position below New Berlin, Joker sat in his chair, watching the system map flicker on the screen. The ship was a shadow, invisible to prying eyes. Yousei leaned back in the chair next to him, a beer bottle dangling from his fingers.
"50K below the system. Perfect spot. Nobody’s seeing us down here," he murmured.
Joker exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Good. Notify the crew. And for the last damn time, Yousei—stop drinking on the bridge."
Yousei grinned, standing up with a stretch. "Yeah, yeah, I’m going."
As he walked off toward the bar, Joker leaned forward, eyes narrowing at the screens ahead. The next move was coming soon.
Year 820 A.S. System New Berlin (approx. 3 weeks after arrival to New Berlin)
Joker activated the ship-wide comms, his voice carrying a sharp edge of command. "Derius and Z, you’re heading to New Berlin. Sniff around, see if you can dig up anything useful. And while you're at it, grab a drink—I hear the beer down there is worth the trip."
In the corridors of the Alexandria, Derius and Z crossed paths on their way to the docking bay.
"Hey, Z. What’s the word?" Derius said, not breaking stride as he walked beside him.
Z flicked open a small metal box, retrieving a cigarette and placing it between his lips. "Not much. Just heading down for a beer. Might even find something interesting while we’re at it."
Derius scoffed, shaking his head. "You keep saying that, and I might actually believe it one day."
Without another word, the two split off toward their respective ships. Derius climbed into his Sabre, running a quick pre-flight check as the Alexandria’s docking bay doors groaned open. Z took his seat in the cockpit of his Talon, stretching his fingers over the controls before guiding the ship out into the void. The dark expanse of space soon gave way to the shimmering blue hues of New Berlin’s atmosphere as they descended toward the planet’s surface.
Back on the Alexandria, Joker leaned back in his command chair and exhaled. "Well, after six months, they finally left the ship. Status report, everyone."
Ella’s voice crackled through the comms first. "Hey Boss, Ella here. One of the engines is acting up. Nothing major, but I’ll need a bit more time to get it sorted."
She was already halfway under the engine casing, wrench in hand, before she even finished speaking.
David chimed in next. "The Wild specimens are intact. We’re still analyzing them, seeing what we can extract."
Joker nodded to himself. "Alright. That’s all for now. Keep me posted."
Meanwhile, on New Berlin, Derius and Z set their ships down in the docking bay before making their way to the nearest bar. As they stepped inside, the scent of cheap alcohol, sweat, and years of smoke-drenched wood filled their nostrils. Z tapped Derius on the shoulder.
"Find us a seat. I need to hit the head."
Derius grunted in acknowledgment and strode into the dimly lit establishment. The low murmur of conversation barely registered in his mind until he heard a voice cut through the noise.
"Looking for a seat, Mister Guerra?"
His sharp gaze flicked toward two men sitting in the shadows, an eerie artifact resting between them. The object pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat encased in stone.
"Come sit with us. We know why you're here."
Derius hesitated for only a second before lowering himself into the chair across from them. His posture remained relaxed, but his eyes were razor-sharp. "And how exactly do you know that?"
The man who spoke leaned forward with a smirk. "My brother and I... we’re gifted. And with this little thing, we can see what others cannot."
Before Derius could respond, Z slid into the seat beside him, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, magic tricks? Let me have a go."
The silent brother pushed the artifact toward him. "Concentrate, and you will see."
Z placed his hands around it, expecting something grand. Instead, a blinding flash filled his vision, and then—nothing. He blinked a few times, frowning. "Well, that was underwhelming."
The first brother chuckled. "Not everyone can see."
Z. responded "Neat trick, indeed. I think our boss would love to see your work."
Before Derius could add to the conversation, a shift in the bar's atmosphere caught his attention. Conversations died. Chairs scraped against the floor. Half the patrons stood, their stances predatory. They had been listening. And they didn't like what they heard.
Z sighed, shaking his head. "So, what’s it going to be, gentlemen? Fists? Or guns?"
The answer was obvious. Several men reached for their weapons—but before they could aim, shots rang out. Iridium slugs tore through the air, severing arms clean off. The stench of burning flesh filled the room as screams erupted.
Z spun his pistol back into its holster. "Iridium slugs. Real nasty. Quick draw, too. Just wondering why I didn’t take your heads off instead."
As chaos erupted, Derius had already vanished into the shadows. A second later, his voice rang out from above. "Up here, fellas. Right where I can see you all."
Perched on the upper walkway, he flicked his wrist, sending knives raining down into the crowd. The blades weren’t lethal—but they hit their marks, pinning arms to tables and slicing through tendons.
"Don’t kill them..." Derius said as he dropped down next to Z. "...they’re stupid, not a threat."
Z kicked one of the wounded men aside. "Yeah? Well, the ones missing arms might not live long."
He turned back to the two brothers. "Shall we?"
The brothers stood, unfazed by the carnage around them. "Let us be on our way."
Minutes later, they lifted off the planet and made their way back to the Alexandria.
In the docking bays, Yousei wiped sweat from his brow as he finished recalibrating Joker’s Sabre. He glanced over at Ella, who was still deep in the engine, grumbling.
"Two months, and he’s already busted this thing up."
Ella smirked. "Well, it’s Joker. He picks fights that you wouldn’t want to handle alone."
Suddenly, the AI’s voice echoed through the bay. "ATTENTION! DOCKING BAY 6 AND 8 ARE OPENING. ALL PERSONNEL, STAND ASIDE."
Yousei stretched, watching the doors hiss open. "Well, that was fast. Careful, Ella. Z might fall for you all over again."
She groaned from inside the engine. "Shut up. If he doesn’t know I’m here, it’s fine. And stop joking like that unless you want me to knock you out."
Over the comms, Joker’s voice rang through the ship. "Everyone to the meeting room. We have guests."
As the meeting began, the two brothers stood before the gathered crew. Joker wasted no time. "I want to know where you got that artifact and what exactly it can do."
The first brother smiled. "This is one of the artifacts found before the first Nomad War. It allows us to see beyond—to glimpse what may come, and what is happening in this very moment."
Derius leaned back, rubbing his jaw. "So, if we ask it what happens to this carrier in the near future... what would it say?"
The silent brother closed his eyes, placing his hand on the artifact. A violet glow engulfed him, pulsing through the room. When the light faded, his brother spoke.
"This ship will be destroyed. Nothing will remain. But you and your crew will survive... and you will rise again."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Ella broke it first. "What if we evacuate? Can we change the outcome?"
"That answer cannot be found."
Joker’s expression darkened, but he nodded. "Then we research everything we can. Prepare for the worst. Dismissed."
As the crew dispersed, he turned to the brothers. "I have an old ship. Take it to the planet. Consider it a thank-you."
The brothers bowed. "The pleasure is all ours, Ray Jericho."
Joker smirked, watching them leave before turning to Derius. "What’s the status on your research?"
"We have what we need. We can move on."
Joker nodded once. "Prepare for hyperspace. We're done here."
A moment later, the Alexandria jumped out of the system, leaving New Berlin behind.
Year 820 A.S. – Omega-41
The neutron star churned, its blinding radiance bathing the bridge of the Alexandria in a ghostly glow. The ship’s reinforced plating groaned against the constant radiation bombardment, but Joker barely noticed. He stood at the center of the command deck, hands clasped behind his back, shoulders rigid.
There was something about staring into an unstoppable force of nature that put things into perspective. He had seen men who thought themselves gods. He had seen creatures that defied logic, beings that had no right to exist yet did anyway. But none of them compared to the cold, indifferent rage of the universe itself.
Behind him, heavy boots approached.
"Have you found it, Tia?"
He didn’t turn. He didn’t have to. He already knew who it was.
Tia Stormclaw, his second-in-command, was a woman who left an impression wherever she went. She carried herself with the same raw intensity as a storm, her presence unmistakable, her approach heralded by a rhythm of deliberate, calculated steps.
"No," she said, her voice steady. "But we have more pressing matters."
That was enough to pull Joker from his thoughts. He turned, his sharp green eyes meeting hers.
"There’s activity in Bretonia—Dublin," she continued. "A sighting. Our contacts say the BAF are trying to cover it up, but they won’t be able to for long."
Joker's jaw tightened. He didn’t ask what kind of sighting. He already knew.
"Put the ship on red alert," he ordered, his voice cutting through the dimly lit bridge like a blade. "We’re jumping to Dublin. Get your team ready."
Tia nodded once and turned on her heel, already opening a comm line as she made her way toward the lower decks.
"Derius, Z., Ella, Nikolai—get to your ships. We’re taking the fight to the Nomads." Dublin System – A Warzone Awakens
The Alexandria tore through the void, its arrival marked by a violent distortion in space. The moment its systems stabilized, all hell broke loose.
Alarms screamed as warning indicators flared across the bridge. Joker barely had time to register the battlefield before the ship lurched violently, caught in the gravitational ripples of a nearby explosion.
"By the gods…" one of the crew whispered.
The battle was already well underway.
Nomad vessels swarmed like locusts, twisting through space in a coordinated, predatory dance. Bretonian warships fought desperately to hold the line, their turrets lighting up the blackness with streaks of golden plasma. Fires burned across broken hulls, debris floated like scattered bones, and in the distance—looming like a dark omen—was something far worse.
A Nomad Supergate.
A vast, pulsating construct, its surface shifting and shimmering like it was alive. Energy crackled along its spine, warping reality itself as more alien ships began to pour through.
Joker gritted his teeth. "For gods’ sake, get us out of here!"
But it was already too late. A sudden shockwave rocked the Alexandria as another Bretonian vessel exploded nearby, its hull collapsing in on itself before vanishing into nothing. They were caught in the crossfire.
Tia’s voice cut through the chaos. "Joker, that gate is the problem. If we don’t shut it down, this fight never ends."
Joker's grip on his seat tightened. "We will deal with the gate, you deal with the Nomads. No mercy."
The hangar doors yawned open, and one by one, the Alexandria’s elite pilots launched into the fray. Tia’s fighter shot forward like a spearhead. "Pick them off one by one and don’t take unnecessary risks," she commanded.
Her team responded in their usual way:
Z. flipped through the chaos, his ship dancing between incoming fire as he stole kills from his teammates, cackling over the comms. Ella screamed obscenities at him while still managing to pull off a perfect three-kill streak. Derius lured a group of Nomads into his trap, his minefield detonating in a spectacular chain reaction that left nothing but space dust.
The battle should have been exhilarating. It should have felt like a game, the kind they were built to win. But against the Nomads, victory was never certain.
More ships emerged from the gate. Too many.
Tia’s voice sharpened. "Derius, Z., get to the Alexandria. We need to bring that gate down!"
The Alexandria pushed forward, its reinforced hull shrugging off the Nomads’ attempts to stop it. Inside the weapons bay, Yousei was already priming the heavy mortars. "Joker, something’s powering that gate. If we destroy it, we might be able to pull something useful from the wreckage."
Joker barely had time to process that before the ship shuddered under enemy fire. The Nomads knew. They were coming for them. All of them. Z. and Derius swooped in, clearing a path with brutal efficiency.
"Derius, keep them off us!" Joker barked.
"On it!" Derius pulled his fighter into a tight roll, his guns flaring to life as he ripped through the incoming enemies.
"Yousei, fire the damn mortars!"
The Alexandria’s weapons sang. A deafening barrage of heavy mortars slammed into the gate. The construct shuddered. Cracked. Screamed.
And then—it collapsed. The explosion rippled outward, sending a shockwave that obliterated any Nomad vessel too close. And from the wreckage, a small, glowing object drifted into the Alexandria’s tractor beam.
Joker narrowed his eyes. That… was important. A Sudden Escape
Tia’s voice snapped over the comms. "Joker, the BAF are scrambling. They’re coming for us." Joker clenched his jaw. Of course they were. "Fireteam, return to the ship. Now."
As the last fighter docked, Joker wasted no time.
"Helm, emergency jump. Get us the hell out of Bretonia."
Engines roared as the Alexandria's FTL drive spun up, its systems already calculating a blind jump.
"Three seconds to breach—"
The BAF fleet locked weapons.
"Two seconds—"
Their warning transmissions started to come through.
"One—"
The Alexandria vanished. One moment, it was there. The next, it was gone. The Bretonians were left staring at empty space. Year 820 A.S. – Omicron Minor (A Day After the Battle)
Inside the Alexandria’s research bay, Derius held the artifact in his hands. It pulsed dimly, as if alive.
"What the hell is it?" Z. asked, frowning. Derius turned it over, scanning the readings. "Some kind of power core. But how they used it to stabilize a gate? No clue."
Joker stood alone on the bridge, staring into the void once more. His comms chimed.
A deep, distorted voice spoke. "Report." Joker exhaled slowly. "The threat in Bretonia was successfully eliminated."
"Did you find anything of interest?" Joker’s gaze flickered toward the artifact. And then, he lied.
"No."
With a flick of his wrist, he cut the transmission. Some things were better left buried.
The hum of the Alexandria's engines was a constant presence, a distant, rhythmic reminder of their isolation in the depths of the Omicron systems. The air inside the command center was tense, the dim blue glow of the consoles casting eerie shadows on the metal walls. It had been three years of endless research, skirmishes with Nomad patrols, and sleepless nights trying to decipher the true nature of the artifact that now sat locked away in the secured research bay.
John Derius Guerra sat at his workstation, reviewing the latest analysis. The readings remained as erratic as ever—energy fluctuations that made no sense, pulses of power that reacted to unknown stimuli, and most disturbingly, the gradual shift in the ship’s own power distribution whenever the artifact was being actively scanned.
Joker was across from him, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as he watched Derius work. There was something off about him lately, something lurking behind his usual demeanor. A distant, almost detached focus in his eyes, as if he already knew what was coming. Derius tried to shake the feeling, instead focusing on the data in front of him.
“This thing is beyond us,” Derius finally muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’ve thrown every scanning technique at it, and all we’ve learned is that it’s reacting to something. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s waiting.”
Joker tilted his head slightly, his fingers tapping against the console. “Waiting for what?”
Derius exhaled sharply. “I don’t know. A command? A signal? Maybe even proximity to something it recognizes. Either way, it’s not inert. It’s doing something we can’t see, something beyond our tech.”
Joker studied him for a moment before leaning forward. “And if it were to be activated? Hypothetically.”
Derius frowned. “Then I’d like to not be on this ship when that happens.” He gestured at the screens. “Every single time we interact with it, it adapts. What if activation isn’t just ‘turning it on’? What if it’s something far worse?”
Joker nodded slowly, as if considering the possibility. Then, without a word, he stood and left the command center. Derius watched him go, feeling an uneasy chill settle in his gut. Something was wrong.
Hours later, the alarms screamed across the ship.
The Alexandria shuddered as energy surged through its core, the lights flickering violently. Derius bolted from his seat, rushing toward the nearest interface. Screens flooded with warnings—power redirections, energy spikes—before they all converged into a single, unmistakable reading.
The artifact had been activated.
His breath caught in his throat as he saw the new energy signature forming right on top of them. No. No, no, no. He had been right. This wasn’t just some inert relic—it was a keystone, a beacon. And now it had done exactly what it was meant to do.
A Nomad gate had spawned within the ship’s vicinity, pulsating with unnatural light. Even before the first transmission came through, Derius knew what was happening.
They were coming.
The first Nomad battleship emerged within seconds, its organic hull glistening under the distant star’s light. Then another. Then another.
Derius turned and sprinted toward the command deck. “Joker! What the hell did you do?!”
But Joker was nowhere to be found.
Instead, the shipwide intercom crackled to life. “All hands, battle stations. Prepare for engagement.”
Tia Stormclaw’s voice was sharp, unwavering despite the chaos. She knew. She had seen this coming.
The Alexandria had no choice but to fight, but Derius already knew how this would end. There was no winning this battle. There was only escape—or death.
Explosions ripped through the corridors of the Alexandria as the Nomad battleships unleashed hell upon the doomed vessel. The hull groaned under the relentless assault, fires breaking out across multiple decks as bulkheads collapsed, sucking men and women into the cold void of space.
Tia Stormclaw sprinted through the smoke-filled hallways, her breath ragged as she yelled into her comms. “Z., Yousei, get everyone to the pods! Now!”
“We’re on it!” came Yousei’s strained reply, the sound of gunfire crackling in the background. The Nomads weren’t just attacking from the outside—bio-organic forms had begun boarding, their eerie blue bioluminescence flickering in the darkness as they tore through the ship’s remaining defenders.
Derius was already at the hangar, frantically prepping his personal fighter. He could hear the alarms blaring overhead, the AI’s monotone voice announcing the obvious: “Catastrophic damage detected. Evacuation protocols initiated.”
The blast doors behind him hissed open, and Ella Bourne staggered in, covered in soot and carrying a wounded crewmember. “We don’t have time for this, Derius! We need to go—now!”
“I know!” Derius shouted back, slamming his fist into the console as he fought against the ship’s failing power systems to get the fighters online. He looked up just as Tia, Z., and Yousei burst into the hangar, the latter dragging Nikolai Arlov by the arm.
“Get on a ship or get left behind!” Tia barked, jumping into the cockpit of her own vessel.
Arlov shoved Yousei away, glaring. “Joker’s still on board! We can’t just leave him!”
Tia’s jaw tightened. “He’s the reason this is happening. Get on the damn ship.”
Arlov hesitated, his loyalty to Joker warring with his survival instincts. Another explosion rocked the hangar, sending debris cascading from the ceiling. A bulkhead gave way, and the violent decompression dragged one of the injured crew into the abyss before the emergency doors slammed shut.
Derius didn’t wait any longer. He sealed his cockpit and powered up the engines. “I’m launching! Last chance to move!”
Tia, Z., and Yousei followed suit. Arlov clenched his fists before finally jumping into one of the remaining ships. Ella was the last to board, her eyes scanning the wreckage one final time before sealing her hatch.
The escape ships roared to life, streaking out of the dying Alexandria as it was torn apart by the combined firepower of the Nomad fleet. The moment they cleared the battlefield, Tia’s voice cut through the comms.
“We split up from here. Get lost. Don’t look back.”
Derius took one last glance at the burning wreckage behind him before setting his course. He was heading back to Liberty.
Tia, Z., and Yousei vanished into the Kusari systems, while Ella’s ship made a silent course for Bretonia.
