Kane was going through some documents, when the metallic door to his office slid open with a soft swoosh.
Two ECHO officers, clad in their charcoal-black armor entered his office. Both had their helmets deactivated, revealing their excited faces as they saluted.
Kane raised his eyebrow seeing the excitement in Lira and Kael's eyes which was rare to see as they never smiled once after Arthur's disappearance.
He muttered dryly. "Did the sun rise from the west today?"
Before Kane could ask what actually happened for them to appear so excited, Lira stepped forward in a single stride. "Arthur has returned!"
Kane just stared at her like she had just told him that angels are real.
"…What."
Lira inhaled sharply, her voice rising an octave as she repeated, "Arthur… he contacted one of the frontline bases moments ago! And they forwarded this information to us as he was first recruited from here."
Kael nodded vigorously for emphasis. "He used the ECHO link. And it's been verified that it really was him, sir."
Kane shot to his feet so fast his chair toppled over. His heart hammered against his chest like someone was pounding on steel.
"Where is he now?"
Lira replied. "He contacted the UFE from his last known location, where the Dreadnought-909 was stationed before it was destroyed by a Champion."
Kael added, "And he requested the UFE to inform you of his return immediately."
Kane turned away and ran a hand through his greying hair.
"A year… a year and three months…" he murmured. "Where the hell was he?"
Kael hesitated. "We don't know that yet, sir. But his message was straightforward, he said…" He paused for a second and continued, "It's better if you hear it yourself."
He tapped his wristpad, and Arthur's voice filled the room through an audio replay.
'Contact Admiral Kane, and inform him of my return.' There was a pause for a few moments 'And tell him… I'm rejoining the war.'
Kane's eyes lit up with excitement, he felt now they had a way to change the tide of the war in their favour. He dragged a shaky breath and straightened his uniform, his voice shook only slightly when he spoke again.
"All right, remove every record of his return."
Lira blinked. "Sir?"
Kane continued. "We don't know where he was till now, I will confirm that in person. And we cannot let the news of his return reach the ears of the Chimerians yet." He grinned as he said his next words, "They are in for a terrible surprise."
Kael nodded seriously. "Understood."
Kane stepped around them and strode toward the door.
"Where are you going, sir?" Lira asked, though she already guessed the answer.
Kane gave a humorless smile without looking back. "To welcome home the strongest soldier humanity has ever seen."
…
The wormhole tore open like a scar against the dark canvas of space.
From within that distortion, a sleek, spearhead-shaped warship slid out smoothly.
Inside, Arthur sat in the central command chair, with his eyes focused forward. Selene sat beside him calmly, but her eyes were wide with fascination as she looked through the panoramic holo-window. And saw a huge fleet of battleships, some even bigger than mountains coming out and entering an even larger battlestation.
For someone who came from a world where magic and martial arts were dominant, technology wasn't that developed, this was a completely new kind of experience for her.
"Is that… a metal fortress?" she whispered, as they approached the battlestation.
Arthur smiled softly. "Close, that's a battlestation."
Its name was Spectrum-I77, and it floated like a titan in open space, with energy cannons the size of skyscrapers spread across its body, and energy barriers rippling along its surface.
Selene's golden eyes sparkled. "It looks like it took a huge amount of resources to build something like this?"
Arthur chuckled. "We call that 'military budget' here."
She gave him a confused look, but Arthur only smiled wider.
Before she could ask more questions, a crackling voice came through the comms channel.
Arthur replied curtly. "I am a member of the Alpha-309 squad. Identity code Alpha-005KITE."
The other side was silent for a moment, as that was the name of the legendary squad of ECHOs, the first Chi users. And after finding most data about him needing high level access, but the ID was genuine, the man on the other side spoke.
<…Identity verified. Soldier, you are cleared for priority docking.>
Selene blinked. "It looks like your name… carries a lot of weight here."
Arthur shrugged lightly. "Well… it looks like my squad earned quite a name while I was gone."
The energy shield blocking the hangar opened up as the battleship gently entered the hangar bay.
Once the vessel landed, the hatch slid open with a metallic hiss. And Selene stepped down beside Arthur and her eyes darted everywhere.
She saw the rows of sleek fighters and larger spaceships lined up in the hanger bay. Officers barked orders towards soldiers as they entered some ships. And engineers in armored suits wielding plasma tools and repairing damaged ships.
A passing engineer almost dropped his datapad when he saw her, because Selene looked like she stepped straight out of a fantasy novel and into a sci-fi battlefield.
Arthur then saw a soldier approaching them.
"This way, sir!"
Arthur nodded, placing his hand gently on the small of Selene's back to guide her forward. She leaned ever so slightly against the touch, not that she'd ever admit it.
As they walked across the hangar, Arthur's mind sifted through the data he'd stolen… gracefully acquired… from the communication officer's system.
His team was alive, they were deployed on various frontline sectors to fight against the advance forces sent by the Chimerians.
By now after more than a year the UFE had managed to convert nearly 70% of the ECHOs into Chi users who were also fighting in the frontlines. Along with the new armor they were like bloodthirsty warriors reaping the lives of the Chimerians in droves and even the commander level Chimerians were not spared. But when it came to the Chimerian Champions, they were helpless.
Without him, humanity couldn't kill even a single one.
While docking the ship he had already updated his current location and informed Admiral Kane about the next agenda on his list, and the Admiral told him that he would come to meet him personally. Arthur wanted to refuse and immediately dive into the war.
But the Admiral advised him against it, as he had a plan in mind to surprise the Chimerians and told him to meet the Admiral of Spectrum-I77 and wait for him to arrive. So, for the sake of secrecy he was currently wearing a mask to hide his identity.
After several checkpoints, the soldier finally stopped before a large door.
"Admiral Obasi is waiting for your arrival, Commander. He will see you personally."
Arthur nodded. "Thank you."
Then the door slid open and inside, behind a black-metal desk stood an older man who appeared to be in his sixties, but whose actual age might be in the hundreds. He was interacting with a map projection when Arthur and Selene entered his office.
The admiral looked up. "…I presume you are Commander Sully?" the admiral asked curiously.
Arthur nodded, and removed his mask.
The Admiral looked at him with awe, he had heard stories about Arthur's exploits and unbelievable feats in the battlefield. He was skeptical at first, but after seeing all the proof he had no way of denying the truth. He took a deep breath seeing the legend who was missing for more than a year standing in front of him in flesh and moved his hands forward for a handshake.
Arthur extended his hand politely. "Admiral Obasi."
The admiral took Arthur's hand with both of his own, shaking it firmly.
"Welcome to Spectrum-I77, Commander," he said quietly. "Humanity owes you more than it can ever repay."
Arthur shook his head gently. "There's no need for that, I was just doing my job."
The admiral's gaze turned towards Selene, his gaze was respectful, but curious.
"And she is…?"
Arthur glanced back at Selene. She stood tall, composed, with a faint regal aura.
"She's my partner," Arthur replied.
Selene bowed her head slightly while holding the hem of her gown in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
The admiral nodded respectfully. If he was surprised, he hid it well, though his eyes lingered on Selene's presence, clearly noting that she wasn't an ordinary human. Even her way of greeting was not something someone did in this era.
"Please," Admiral Obasi gestured to two chairs. "Sit, there's much to discuss."
Arthur and Selene took their seats. The holo-map expanded, showing red zones spreading like infection.
"This," Obasi began, "is humanity's reality now."
His voice carried the weight of a burden he had carried for too long. "The Chimerians have increased their attack intensity after you… disappeared. Their commander-level units are appearing at a higher rate. And six months ago… they began deploying multiple Champion-class entities simultaneously."
Selene's eyebrow rose. "What rank are these… Champions?"
It was Arthur who answered. "The one I fought was equivalent to an early Grandmaster-rank martial artist."
Selene's expression was impassive. "They are weak."
Arthur cleared his throat to stop Selene as he saw Obasi looking at Selene weirdly, and telepathically said to her, 'They are powerful for this world.'
Obasi couldn't understand why the woman in front of him would think the Chimerian Champions were weak and he had no idea what a Master rank martial artist was, but he looked at Arthur and said, "Without your Chi-cultivation system, our ECHO forces would have been wiped out. As of now… your contribution single-handedly kept us alive."
Arthur nodded slowly. "But we're still losing."
"Yes." The admiral's voice was heavy. "We have no one who can deal with the Champions. We can deal with those lower ranked ones, but these Champions…"
"You need me," Arthur said simply, but not arrogantly.
Admiral Obasi sighed. "Yes, but Admiral Kane has a different plan. Until he arrives… you are not to engage the enemy. Only a few are aware of your return till now, it's only General Garreth, Kane and me."
Selene hid her smirk with her hand as she glanced at Arthur. She already knew what Arthur's first instinct was going to be.
Obasi continued, anticipating Arthur's objections.
"Kane has a plan, one he's been building for the past year. And he believes your sudden return… if used properly… may change the course of this war."
Arthur sighed, leaning back slightly. "How long do I need to wait?"
"Just a few hours," Obasi confirmed. "Admiral Kane is already en route, and whatever he has planned might already be in motion."
The admiral grew serious again and tapped the table.
"We will provide temporary rooms for you both. Anything you need, just ask."
Arthur nodded. "Thank you."
Selene smiled politely. "This will be an… interesting experience."
Obasi's gaze softened. "Commander Sully… all of us have been waiting for the day you return."
He paused. "Admiral Kane believes your arrival will terrify the Chimerians. That if they realize the 'Demon' they feared is back… they will falter, giving us a window to take back control of the war."
Arthur nodded as he stood up from his seat, with Selene rising beside him, she placed her hand gently around his arm as they exited the office under Admiral Obasi's scrutinizing gaze.
***
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