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Chapter 1: Interlopers

Date: March 25, 2778 (1,545 years later)

Location: UGSM HQ, Wachter, Leben

Admiral Harper, wearing the new standard Admiral uniform which was completely black with the UGSM logo on his right shoulder and his rank displayed on his left shoulder sat in a small office with a wooden desk and leather chair which he sat in and another across from him. He held a small datapad in his right hand and was reading several new reports from a number of shipyards in regards to repairs of the ships that where heavily damaged during the Battle for Leben. The battle itself had taken a bulk of the UGSM forces and a vast majority of their ships were needing repairs once it was finished however many of them were quick repairs. The ones requiring a total refit where still out of comission. The resources alone required to rebuild the numerous population centers on Leben that had been hit by the Lothian attack had taken a toll on their resources. He grimmaced as he saw that the continued construction of the Titus was being put on hold for another two months. He looked out the small window next to his desk which overlooked the now sprawling metropilis with it's numerous repair crews and drones floating about as they continued to work on a number of buildings in the downtown area with the Guardians HQ off in the distance.

Currently, trust in the UGSM, and the coalition between Humanity and Pelzigans, had diminished. There were small pockets of insurrectionists appearing throughout the entirety of their territory both within Human, Pelzigan, and shared space. It had put even more pressure on the UGSM to maintain peace with several planets now dealing with full blown riots sturred up by these insurrectionists and there was concern in the Badlands. Shortly after the Weapon had been launched into space and self destructed vegetation and other life started to return to the Badlands however Grand Master Ardyn was afraid that the Lich that was Admiral Whitcomb was still alive. According to information that they had gotten from the Pelzigan database, Lich's were undead that required a type of housing station of some sort to stay alive and they would retreat to it if their physical bodies were destroyed to recover. Ardyn believed that the device was burried somewhere in the remains of the gothic structure that housed the Weapon, now designated World Ender or WE. Harper only hoped that Ardyn's fears were wrong but he knew better than to try and argue with the old hound. He continued reading his datapad when there was a small knock on the door to his right. "Enter." He said.

An Otter with graying fur walked into the room, a slyish smile on her face. She was wearing a plain green T-Shirt with a brown leather jacket over it and brown pants with black shoes. "Admiral Harper." She said as she sat down at the chair across from Harper.

"Osman, what can I do for you?" Harper asked.

Osman chuckled, "Well, first let me tell you that we've put Levin into a very useful position at one of our blacksites." She said "However I'd like to ask that you get me transport to the Serenity."

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" He asked. "What for?"

Osman looked around the room then at Harper. "I believe they'll need some help from me and Harry. We want to offer the Lady of The Skies to assist with the defense of the Science Fleet." She said.

Admiral Harper raised an eyebrow at her. "This is the same man who was involved in that incident over Elaria correct? The one with Kit?" He asked.

Osman smirked as she reached out and picked up one of the pens in a small container from his desk and played with it. "It is. You see I've helped him out of a bind and now I'm calling in the favor he owes me. I believe the Serenity and her crew would benefit from his crew and the Lady of The Skies. His vessel would help with sensor readings and relaying info and supplies from the Serenity to the Science Fleet. I know the Serenity is short handed what with the reformation going on to try and secure our space Admiral Harper along with the old hounds search for that item." She said.

Admiral Harper smiled, Osman knew that she could get away with this, he also owed her for bringing one of the Insurrectionist Cells down and she knew that all to well. "What does Overwatch want out of this?" He asked.

Osman leaned back in the leather chair, still playing with the pen. "Simple, I want to put Levin to more work on helping us understand how this Shield World operates. He is one of the brightest minds currently and it'd be a shame to waste his intelligence on something so small as power generation and he seems awfully bored dealing with the research on the Parasite."

Admiral Harper sighed, so she wanted to work the man to death. He couldn't blame her for her need to make the man suffer after everything he did. Kidnapping Pelzigan and Human Orphans during the war and experimenting on them with the parasite to try and make the ultimate bioweapon that the former Admiral Whitcomb could use in his uprising. It was only with the aid of a Jack Lockhart, his spouse Kyle Lockhart, the Doctor now Scientist Terra, and the formation of the Special Tactics or Assault Teams that had stopped Doctor Henry Levin from completing his research and also yielded advances in medical science and with defense strategies against the Parasite. "Very well then Osman, send the Lady of The Skies to the Science Fleet. I'll notify Admiral Fischer as to whats going on." He said.

Osman smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Thank you Admiral Harper, any data that the Lady of The Skies obtains along with Doctor Levin will be forwarded to the UGSM Research and Development Programs." She said as she stood up and made her way out of the room.

Location: Orbiting Shield World Alethia, UGSM Serenity Bridge

Admiral James Fischer examined the incoming data on his pad as he sat in the Captain's chair. The circular bridge was once again bustling with life as excited scientists moved from console to console on the landing above talking to each other. Lieutenant Newman, Human male with dark green eyes, brown hair, and tanned skin wearing the new grey UGSM uniform sat at helm making minor adjustments to keep the Serenity orbiting the planet while Lieutenant Commander Soya, a female Leapord Pelzigan with brushed yellow fur with black dots manned Operations. It had been a whole month since the Serenity had taken position to help the Science Fleet. The ship had gone under a number of refits over the last year, improved weapons, sensors, shielding, and engine output from their Anti-Matter reactors. The deck beneath him vibrated as the maneuvering thrusters kicked on and the metal world with its elegant design that appeared to be a mixture of Pelzigan and Lothian architecture fascinated him and the crew of the Serenity. There were only a very few Shield Worlds the UGSM had created however none appeared to be as sophisticated as this one. There was an array that wrapped around the entire planet that the Prometheus had suggested was a weapons array however they had no idea how it functioned. There was no obvious power being supplied to the array at all, however sensors showed the sphere itself putting out an immense power indicating that it was active.

A few probes were launched at the beginning towards the surface to try and get a closer look at the metal world however they encountered a shield that had pushed them back. On the second attempt the shield had, as the Prometheus reported, engulfed the probes in some sort of energy that caused them to explode. It was indeed exciting to Fischer and he looked forward to understanding more about this shield world. "Lieutenant Newman, adjust heading and take us back to the fleet. Prepare to relay all information to the Promotheus, Arcadia, and the Phobos. Hopefully what we got will excite them." He said.

"Aye Admiral, maneuvering away from the planet and heading back to the fleet." Responded Newman. The viewscreen tilted as the maneuvering thrusters fired once again, the shield world now dissappearing from the screen replaced by the billions of stars off in the distance and then the fleet came into view. "Science Fleet this is the Serenity, returning to formation and transmitting data." Said Newman into communications.

"Affirmative Serenity, this is the Prometheus, we're ready and waiting." Came a female voice.

Admiral Fischer grinned as the fleet grew closer. This discovery of the shield world could shed some light on the Pelzigans history, as well as help them advance their technologies by possibly decades, if what the sensors showed were correct.