2025-02-18 13:38:57Chapter 20: The Fractured Galaxy
The galaxy was unraveling.
Kael had thought the hardest part was over when he rewrote the Nexus, when he shattered the ranking system and freed the people from their digital chains. But freedom, as it turned out, was a different kind of battle.
With the URS gone, the galaxy was left without an anchor. Governments scrambled to maintain order. Entire worlds broke into civil war. Some planets welcomed their new independence, while others spiraled into chaos, desperate for leadership, desperate for someone to step in and take control.
And in the void left behind, power-hungry factions were already making their move.
Kael sat in the war room aboard Erebus Point, surrounded by the fractured remnants of the Outliers. The station’s power flickered as if even the machinery could sense the tension in the air. Across the table, a dozen leaders, rebels, and mercenaries argued over the same question they had been debating for hours.
What now?
Jyn sat beside Kael, arms crossed, watching with the same growing frustration he felt. Lira leaned back against the wall, studying each speaker with a careful gaze, like she was waiting for the moment someone would turn this meeting into a firefight.
Rook, the leader of the Outliers, slammed his cybernetic fist against the table, silencing the room. His voice was sharp.
“The Nexus might be free from control, but the people out there aren’t. You all saw the transmission. The Sovereign Order is already making their move. If we don’t act, they’ll take the system for themselves.”
Across from him, a man named Doran, a former fleet officer turned warlord—leaned forward. His voice was smooth, too smooth.
“And what do you suggest? That we run headfirst into another war? We fought to tear down the system, not install a new one. Maybe we let this play out. Maybe we see who comes out on top.”
Kael clenched his jaw. “And if the ones who come out on top are worse than the URS?”
Doran smirked. “Then maybe that’s what the galaxy deserves.”
A cold silence settled over the room.
Rook’s fingers flexed, the servos in his metal arm whirring. “You’re a coward, Doran.”
Doran chuckled. “No, I’m a survivor. There’s a difference.”
Jyn exhaled sharply. “You’re a parasite. You wait for others to bleed so you can see if there’s anything left to feed on.”
Doran’s smirk faltered. “Watch your mouth, girl.”
Jyn pushed back her chair, standing up. “Make me.”
Kael raised a hand. “Enough.”
The room stilled, but the tension remained.
Kael looked around the table, taking in every face. Some were hardened fighters. Others were former politicians, criminals, and mercenaries who had spent their entire lives working under a system that no longer existed. Some wanted to rebuild. Some wanted revenge. Some just wanted to survive.
And that was the problem.
They had fought a war, but no one had agreed on what would come after.
Kael leaned forward, voice steady. “I didn’t stop the reset just to let another dictator take power. If the Sovereign Order takes control of the Nexus, they’ll bring back something worse than the URS. We have to stop them.”
Doran raised an eyebrow. “And who’s we, exactly? You have an army hidden somewhere?”
Kael exhaled. “We don’t need an army.”
Rook frowned. “Then what the hell do you suggest?”
Kael turned to the holo-map of the Nexus, tracing a path with his fingers. “The Sovereign Order is moving fast, but they don’t control the system yet. Their fleets are spread thin, trying to reestablish order across multiple sectors. That gives us an opening. We hit them before they consolidate power.”
Doran shook his head. “Attacking a force that outnumbers us? You really are insane.”
Kael ignored him. “We don’t need to defeat them in open battle. We just need to cut them off from the Nexus. If we sabotage their access routes, destroy key supply lines, we can slow them down long enough to strike where it hurts.”
Rook studied the map. “You’re talking about a full-scale disruption.”
Lira crossed her arms. “He’s talking about guerilla warfare.”
Kael nodded. “Exactly.”
Jyn smirked. “Now that, I can work with.”
Doran sighed, rubbing his temples. “You’re going to get a lot of people killed.”
Kael’s voice was firm. “People are already dying. The only question is whether we stop the ones doing the killing, or we let them win.”
Rook exhaled. “Alright, Arvid. I’ll back your plan. But we need resources, ships, weapons. We can’t fight a war with hope.”
Kael leaned back. “I might have an idea.”
Jyn glanced at him. “I hate when you say that.”
Kael just smiled.
The Smuggler’s Deal
Two days later, Kael found himself in a dimly lit cantina on the edge of the Pharos system, sitting across from the one person he never thought he’d work with again.
Zayne Maddox.
Smuggler. Information broker. Liar.
And one of the few people in the galaxy who could get what they needed.
Maddox leaned back in his chair, swirling a glass of Core-aged whiskey with an amused smirk. “So let me get this straight. You’re not dead. You’re not in prison. And you want me to help you start a war?”
Kael sighed. “I need ships. Weapons. Safe passage through restricted sectors.”
Maddox chuckled. “And here I thought you were done making bad decisions.”
Kael leaned forward. “The Sovereign Order is making their move. If we don’t stop them, they’ll take control of the Nexus.”
Maddox’s smirk faded just slightly. “And you expect me to put my neck on the line for that?”
Kael held his gaze. “I expect you to see the bigger picture. If they win, they won’t just control the Nexus. They’ll control trade, smuggling routes, black market deals. They’ll regulate everything. And you? You’ll be obsolete.”
Maddox’s fingers tapped against the rim of his glass. He was considering it.
Then he sighed. “Alright, Arvid. I’ll get you what you need. But it’s gonna cost you.”
Kael didn’t hesitate. “Name it.”
Maddox grinned. “I’ll let you know when the time comes.”
Kael exhaled. He knew better than to trust Maddox, but right now, he didn’t have a choice.
Jyn leaned in. “If you double-cross us, I’ll kill you myself.”
Maddox chuckled. “Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
The War Begins
Kael stepped out into the cold night air, Jyn and Lira beside him.
Lira glanced at him. “I don’t like this.”
Kael sighed. “Neither do I. But we need the advantage.”
Jyn exhaled. “So what now?”
Kael looked up at the stars, where the Sovereign Order’s fleets were already moving into position.
“Now?” he said. “We start making them bleed.”
The war for the new galaxy had begun.
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