CHAPTER PREVIEW:
It was around 8:00 AM when a mysterious group of nine people, dressed in enigmatic trench coats, walked amidst the chaos of the Central Flight Station (C.F.S.), the only place where transportation could be secured in Antiqua Tellus.
…
…
Antiqua Tellus, as planet Earth was called, had plunged into a wave of chaos after news spread that a greedy interstellar government sought to dominate two weaker territories, lacking any official government or political administration.
The current leaders of Antiqua Tellus, in desperation, saved only those nearby, gathered a small fleet of space buses, and set off, hidden from radars, toward an alternative route to the Cosmic Road.
Meanwhile, those left behind experienced the horror of being forgotten on an Earth reduced to a single country called Sola, already desolate and hostile due to its immense size. However, its population was sparse, as most of the planet had become uninhabitable due to radioactive accidents. The total population was no larger than that of a medium-sized U.S. city, like San Francisco.
As the last Pristini (inhabitants of Antiqua Tellus) at the C.F.S. wept, merely waiting for death to rain from the sky in the form of fire, the small fleet of space buses, with Sola's leader and his equally cowardly followers, was about to take off for the atmosphere. However, they were caught off guard by a squadron of fighters from Keisari Hafsins (Emperor of the Seas, ruler of an aquatic planet who was seizing both lunar and terrestrial territory). In that instant, they realized what was happening: it was a trap. The Hafsins military already suspected that Sola's leader would act cowardly; after all, he was a newly elected leader—young and inexperienced—who had inherited the right to election prematurely after the death of his mother, the previous leader.
The timing was no coincidence. The deaths of the lunar colony leaders and the Pristini were not accidental. Shock filled those along the route as they quickly connected the dots. They died terrified, without a shred of hope.
BOOM!
KABOOM!
One by one, the space buses were struck.
…
BOOM!
BANG!
BANG!
RATATATA!
POW!
POW!
Blood was everywhere. No one was left alive in Sola. The operation was so inhumane that it was carried out by conscience-less cyborgs, dropping bombs and firing shots from the sky, programmed not to fail the mission.
Some Pristini attempted to escape in planes, ships, and other aerial vehicles, but most were inexperienced, and the widespread chaos prevented any rational thinking.
The mission was devised to incite chaos first, using pre-announced attack reports as bait, anticipating that the people would gather at the C.F.S.—since it was in the city center and the only place to find space-faring vehicles in Sola.
A small Keisari cyborg platoon was then deployed using a small ranger craft to the C.F.S. to check for survivors or anyone who had escaped the rain of bullets and bombs…
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— Mr. Smith, are you sure about the plan?
— H.K., I wouldn't risk it if it weren't possible… Are the others in position?
— Yes, sir! I just hope they're truly ready…
— Do you not trust your team or your leader?
— I just think it's going to be very risky, Mr. Smith. The odds of success aren't high, right? And yet, you have complete confidence that it will work.
— If one person believes, that's enough.
— You mean yourself?
— Isn't it obvious? Of course, I do!
— But when has anything Cassandra prophesied ever been right?
— It's not a prophecy. It's a shot in the dark.
At 4:00 AM, Smith and H.K. arrived at a deserted location far from Sola in Antiqua Tellus. They parked the car in front of a sand dune and got out. H.K. placed a bomb inside the vehicle, set to detonate in 1 hour and 56 minutes, and both hid behind the dune.
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Meanwhile, at 4:00 AM, the seven remaining members of the group were at Mr. Smith's mansion, preparing. Each carried an old 9mm pistol, a katana, and three bombs. Alfred was the first to leave, heading to the C.F.S. to assess the situation.
— Alf!
— Something to say, Miss Cassandra?
— Just testing the comms…
— I'll see you at the location, miss.
Alfred left calmly, pretending it was just another normal day. Meanwhile, Cassandra went over the plan with the group once more. Before leaving, Stjarna planted a two-hour timer bomb.
…
5:56 AM.
The cyborgs had finished inspecting the C.F.S. and were heading to the small hangar.
KABOOM!
They were caught off guard by a distant explosion, near the edges of Sola. Immediately, they rushed into imperial vehicles stationed at the ranger and sped toward the explosion.
…
KABOOM!
On the way, another explosion was heard near Sola's outskirts, apparently from a mansion in the country's highlands.
Following standard protocol for unexpected situations, the cyborgs split into two groups and called for reinforcements…
…
The first group arrived at the first explosion site. They found nothing but a destroyed car and dust covering the desert sand near the city.
POW!
SLICE!
POW!
They were ambushed by two men—one appearing 25 years old and the other in his 50s. With no time to react, ten cyborgs were shot directly in the head, while the remaining two were sliced in half by H.K. with a katana.
The two stole one of the cyborg vehicles and sped toward the C.F.S.
…
The second group reached the site of the second explosion. The house was destroyed, engulfed in fire and smoke. After inspecting the area for some time and finding nothing, they returned to the C.F.S. hangar.
…
When the cyborgs arrived at the C.F.S., they were caught off guard by a smoke bomb.
No time to react…
RATATATA!
Eleven out of twelve cyborgs were eliminated.
Suddenly, Alfred appeared, running:
— Why didn't you all wait for me?!
KABOOM!
Alfred blew up the cyborg ranger craft.
Flames and smoke filled the massive area. The group regrouped and advanced toward the last remaining cyborg.
Harvey shot both legs of the machine, bringing it to its knees. The cyborg, being an old model, felt neither pain nor agony. The group felt no empathy for these machines, which lacked human features—just cold shells obeying code.
Smith approached and searched the cyborg's head for a communicator, finding everything protected by custom steel plates designed to prevent hacking or data extraction.
He pulled a peculiar knife from his pant pocket. It had a 5 cm handle and a 5 cm double-edged blade.
He swiftly removed an ear-shaped cover from the left side of the cyborg's head and pulled out a black wire with a microphone.
Holding it to his mouth, he spoke boldly:
"WHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE IS JUST A SAMPLE OF WHAT IS TO COME! BUT DON'T THINK YOU'RE SPECIAL—YOU'RE JUST A PIECE OF A GREATER PLAN!"
POW!
Harvey finished off the cyborg just as Smith finished speaking.
"Scum!"
POW!
Harvey spat on the machine and fired another shot.
…
The group finally rushed toward an opening that had once been a door in the right corner of the E.C.V.'s main area.
Among the debris near the site, there was a sign that read: "INDUSTRIAL GATE."
The place was a colossal garage, empty and completely destroyed by the explosions and gunfire of the Keisari cyborgs. In the devastated space, only a single vehicle and a shattered gate remained.
They approached a relatively large ship, triangular in shape, measuring 40 meters in length and 35 in width. Its name was Facilis-003, a prototype.
H.K. was the group's pilot and took control of the situation while the others reloaded their weapons. He pressed a small button at the tip of the left wing, opening the boarding ramp.
Everyone quickly got inside. H.K., through the panel at the front, began activating the thrusters positioned on the underside of the ship, between the wings.
During this entire time, the group remained silent, aware of the unknown and dangerous journey they were about to face.
When H.K. confirmed that everyone was seated and strapped in, he closed the boarding ramp and took off. He had some difficulty maneuvering due to the debris from the structure and the smoke still lingering in the air, but despite the obstacles, he managed to gain altitude.
Now they would face their greatest challenge: crossing the fleet of Keisari Hafsins ships after leaving the atmosphere.
"Prepare yourselves… I'm activating the sonic boost!" H.K. warned.
He pressed three sequential buttons on the control panel and slowly pushed the throttle forward before firmly gripping the flight stick.
WHOOSH!
The ship burst through the atmosphere, giving the group a clear view of the Road of the Cosmos, a network of quantum portals that interconnected galaxies and star systems at the speed of light.
H.K. pushed the throttle all the way forward, increasing the Facilis-003's speed toward the portal entrance, located in an upper diagonal position.
WHINING!
WHINING!
At that moment, ten Keisari fighters appeared in the distance, hitting them with plasma shots.
The force of acceleration was extreme. The entire group blacked out due to the pressure, but H.K., using a pilot technique that involved contracting his leg and abdominal muscles, remained conscious to prevent the loss of blood circulation.
WHOOSH!
WHINING!
The Facilis took a grazing hit on the upper hull. However, they managed to reach the quantum portal and proceeded to an unknown destination.
H.K. activated the autopilot through a screen mounted on the left wall, above the ship's control panel. He set the course for a star system dominated by Germans, known as Söldnerzuflucht (Mercenary Refuge).
Thus, Stanley Smith, Hirah Kelser, Cassandra, Stjarna, Harvey Guster, Alfred Belfort, Heinrich Stern, Burton Spencer, and Shawn O'Hara embarked on the first mission of the Fellowship of the Blood Moon.