He appeared in space and teleported to the coordinate where Solace Prime was located. He appeared in front of the massive space station and flew towards it.
The docking bay opened automatically as recognition systems identified him.
Personnel inside paused as he walked through the corridors. He then went towards Admiral Kane's office under the admiring gaze of the people on the station.
He entered Admiral Kane's office without knocking. And saw the admiral was reading some documents on his datapad
Kane looked up from his datapad. "Look who decided to show up."
Arthur smiled as he sat down opposite to the admiral, "Well, I had to deliver something."
Kane was intrigued, he leaned back and asked. "And what's so important that you had to come personally?"
Arthur's expression grew serious. "I've cured the people experimented on by the Chimerians."
Kane froze. "All of them?"
"Yes."
Kane was surprised and asked, "Where are they now?"
Arthur replied, "Most of them decided to stay back in the world where Selene is from, but a few hundred decided to return."
Kane nodded, but he ignored the fact Arthur hadn't answered his question. Arthur was going to continue when the door of the office opened and two people entered, they were Lira and Kael.
The moment Arthur appeared on Solace Prime they were notified so they hurried here.
Kael grinned. "You disappear for months and come back like it's a casual Tuesday."
Lira shrugged, "Well, it's Arthur we are talking about."
Arthur stood and hugged them both briefly. "Missed you too."
After greetings settled, Arthur reached into his dimensional storage and placed three small metallic boxes on the desk. "Since you all are here, I want to give you all something."
Kane eyed them. "What are these?"
Arthur sighed slowly. "The people I'm bringing back are strong. Stronger than anyone here, they would be nearly as strong as me when I first fought a Champion. I enhanced them to keep them alive till I was able to cure them."
Kane's expression sharpened.
"So," Arthur continued, opening one box to reveal a vial of golden serum, "I used a version of this serum on them. But this one is more powerful than the one I gave them, you should take it. All of you."
Lira raised an eyebrow. "You're serious."
"Completely."
They trusted Arthur, and hearing the people Arthur would bring were immensely strong they were convinced to take the serum, so without hesitation all three of them injected them. The process was a bit painful, but all three of them were battle hardened veterans and could channel Chi to suppress their pain too.
And nearly half an hour later the serum was completely absorbed by their bodies. All three of them could feel immense strength coursing through their bodies. They were as strong as High rank martial artists previously, but they never imagined they would be able to achieve this level of strength even in a century.
Kael flexed his hand slowly, his eyes widening. "This… this is insane."
Lira exhaled sharply, feeling strength ripple beneath her skin. "I feel like I could punch through a warship."
Arthur nodded. "You'll need it, if something goes awry."
They stared at him, realizing the scale of what was coming.
…
Arthur studied the three of them for a moment as they slowly adjusted to the power now coursing through their bodies. Even though he had warned them beforehand, the sudden leap in strength was something that could not truly be understood until experienced firsthand.
Lira rolled her shoulders experimentally, her expression thoughtful rather than excited, clearly analyzing the changes with the same disciplined mindset she used in combat. Admiral Kane remained quiet the longest, looking down at his hands with a strange mixture of curiosity and calculation, as though he was already trying to determine how much this newfound strength would change the balance of power in the battlefield. Arthur let them experience the moment for a while before speaking again.
"I'll need a bigger area," he said calmly.
Kane looked up immediately, slightly confused. "A bigger area?"
Arthur nodded as if the request were the most natural thing in the world. "Yes."
Kane frowned slightly, exchanging a quick glance with Lira and Kael. He had a rough idea of what Arthur intended to do. Arthur had already mentioned the people he planned to bring back, and Kane assumed transporting them would require significant space.
However, he still had no real idea how Arthur was capable of doing such things. He guessed Arthur would bring those people through teleportation perhaps, or some magical ways beyond UFE's current understanding. Still, speculation was pointless when Arthur was involved.
"Alright," Kane said after a moment, rising from his seat. "Follow me."
They left the office and walked through the wide corridors of Solace Prime. The station was as busy as always, filled with officers, engineers, and soldiers moving between various departments, and Arthur's presence did not go unnoticed.
Information of his sightings spread quietly among the personnel as they recognized him walking beside Admiral Kane. Arthur had already become something of a legend within the Federation after the war with the Chimerians, and every time he appeared on the station it inevitably attracted attention. Arthur ignored the looks and walked calmly behind Kane while Lira and Kael followed with curious expressions.
After a few minutes they stopped in front of a massive reinforced door. Kane placed his hand against the access panel, and the heavy doors slid open with a low rumble.
"This is one of the station's primary training halls," Kane explained as they stepped inside. "We use it for large scale combat drills."
The hall was enormous, easily large enough to accommodate hundreds of soldiers training simultaneously. Reinforced metal flooring stretched across the chamber, surrounded by weapon racks, observation platforms, and simulation equipment embedded into the walls. The ceiling was high enough that even heavy combat drones could maneuver freely within the space.
Kane stepped aside and folded his arms, looking at Arthur with quiet anticipation. "This should be big enough?"
Arthur nodded and walked toward the center of the hall and stopped. For a moment nothing happened, then he simply raised his hand.
It happened so suddenly that even Kane, Lira, and Kael were caught off guard. Gasps escaped from the three of them almost simultaneously.
Hundreds of figures appeared throughout the training hall, one moment the room had been empty, and the next moment it was filled with people.
The men and women who had appeared looked equally confused. Many instinctively stepped back or turned their heads quickly, trying to understand where they had suddenly arrived. Some of them still carried tense posture. While others looked around cautiously, clearly disoriented.
But what caught Kane's attention immediately was not their confusion.
Every single one of them emitted an overwhelming aura of strength. Even without refined Chi techniques, their physical bodies radiated power far beyond what the current ECHOs were capable of.
Kane felt a chill run through his spine as he realized something.
Before taking the serum Arthur had given him, even he might not have been able to face one of these people.
Only now, after the enhancement, could he stand confidently among them.
Arthur remained silent while the people gradually noticed him standing with Kane and the others.
Kane exchanged a look with Arthur and stepped forward to address them before the growing murmurs could turn into chaos. His voice carried easily across the hall, the authority of decades of command naturally commanding attention.
"Greetings, citizens of the United Federation of Earth. I am Admiral Tiber Kane."
The murmuring slowly quieted as hundreds of eyes turned toward him.
"I understand that many of you are confused right now," Kane continued calmly, sweeping his gaze across the room. "But you are safe. The UFE will ensure that each of you receive proper housing, support, and assistance in the coming days."
He paused briefly before gesturing toward Arthur.
"One of our bravest soldiers, Commander Sully, brought you back from the brink of death. Every life in the Federation matters, and we will not abandon our own."
Many in the crowd looked toward Arthur again, their expressions filled with gratitude.
Kane continued speaking, as his voice grew firmer.
"I would also like to inform you of something important. The war against the Chimerians has been won. Humanity has reclaimed its future, and the enemies who attacked our worlds have been driven back."
A ripple passed through the crowd as the weight of those words settled in. Though they had heard the news from Arthur, hearing it from an admiral eased their nerves further.
"But the war is not truly over." The tone of Kane's voice shifted subtly, becoming colder.
"There still exists an entire galaxy filled with the same enemy who attacked our homes… the same enemy who took the lives of your loved ones."
The atmosphere in the hall changed almost instantly. Anger surfaced in the eyes of many present. Some clenched their fists unconsciously while others lowered their heads, remembering the devastation the Chimerians had caused.
Kane could see the emotions building. And he pressed forward when the iron was hot. "So we would like to offer you an opportunity."
The entire hall fell silent.
"Join us," Kane said firmly. "Stand with the Federation… and avenge the people we lost."
For a moment no one spoke.
Then the reaction erupted. Voices rose across the hall as cheers and angry shouts filled the space. Many people felt their blood boiling with the thought of revenge against the Chimerians. Arthur watched quietly from the side, observing the crowd's reaction with a calm expression. He had expected this outcome. For many of these people, anger was the only thing keeping them moving forward.
After issuing orders to several soldiers to begin organizing and accommodating the new arrivals, Kane signaled for Arthur and the others to follow him outside the hall.
As they walked down the corridor again, Arthur glanced toward Kane. "How are you going to explain this to the higher ups?"
Kane sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.
"I'll figure something out," he muttered. "But I can already tell what will happen. Once they see how strong these people are, they'll demand you bring back the rest."
Arthur shrugged casually. "Well, if they can get a hold of me."
Kane stopped walking for a moment and stared at him.
"That's exactly the problem," he grumbled with a tired expression. "You'll disappear into whatever universe you're visiting next, and I'll be the one explaining everything to the Senate."
Arthur placed a serious expression on his face and gently patted Kane's shoulder. "I believe in you."
For a moment Kane simply stared at him as if he was looking at a rare animal. Then both of them burst out laughing.
Lira shook her head with a faint smile. Even Kael couldn't help laughing in the end.
…
After bidding farewell to Kane, Lira, and Kael, Arthur left Solace Prime and boarded a transport ship. During the flight he reviewed several military personnel profiles through the ship's console, his attention eventually settling on three familiar names.
Leo, Samir and Elena. All three had recently been promoted to Squadron Commanders.
Arthur leaned back in his seat thoughtfully as he read through the reports. The United Federation of Earth was preparing a large-scale offensive against the Chimerian galaxy, and according to the deployment schedules those three would be sent into combat within a few weeks.
Which meant they would need every advantage possible.
Several hours later Arthur's ship arrived at a massive battlestation orbiting near the edge of Federation territory. The docking clamps secured the vessel as the bay doors closed behind it.
Arthur stepped down the ramp and immediately spotted three familiar figures walking toward him. He had already informed them about his arrival so they were waiting at the dock.
Elena reached him first and pulled him into a tight hug. "Arthur!"
Samir followed with a firm handshake before briefly embracing him as well.
Leo folded his arms dramatically and said with mock hurt in his tone. "So you finally decided to visit us after abandoning us."
Before Arthur could respond, Elena pinched Leo sharply in the side.
"ARGH! What did I do now!?" Leo exclaimed.
Samir shook his head calmly. "You two should really get a room by now."
Leo scratched the back of his head awkwardly while Elena avoided everyone's gaze.
This made Arthur laugh and even Samir, usually the most reserved among them, allowed himself a knowing smirk.
A few minutes later they gathered inside Leo's quarters. Arthur placed three metallic boxes on the table, identical to the ones he had given Kane and the others.
Leo frowned slightly. "What are these?"
Arthur explained everything, the people he had cured, the strength they now possessed. He also explained this serum would make them extremely strong, ensuring their safety on the battlefield.
When he finished speaking, the room remained silent for a moment.
Then Leo slowly nodded. "Well," he said while picking up one of the injectors, "if we're about to invade the Chimerian galaxy… I'd rather not go in underpowered."
Samir and Elena nodded in agreement, and without hesitation the three of them injected the serum.
The transformation began almost immediately. Pain flashed across their faces as the serum spread through their bodies, strengthening every muscle, bone, and nerve. However, all three were experienced soldiers and martial artists. They endured the process by channeling their Chi. Nearly half an hour later the transformation finished.
Leo flexed his arms slowly, staring at his hands in disbelief.
"…This is unreal."
Elena looked down at the metal table and accidentally dented it with her grip.
Samir tested a light punch into the air, and the resulting shockwave rattled the room.
The three of them looked toward Arthur with wide eyes. They had never imagined they would reach this level of strength ever.
After that Arthur bid them good bye.
***
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