Chapters 18: The War Begins Again

The words had barely left my lips before I felt the weight of them settle over me.

I’m in.

The commitment was absolute. There was no turning back now.

Kael’Voran gave a slow nod, his luminous eyes unreadable. “Then we have much to do.”

The chamber around us pulsed with golden light as if the very station itself had acknowledged my decision. I wasn’t sure if that should comfort me or terrify me.

Ny’Vara’s tail flicked anxiously, her emerald eyes locked on mine. “Harper, are you certain about this? You were a soldier, yes, but this ... this is a war older than anything we know.”

I met her gaze, knowing she was right to question me. Hell, I questioned myself. But I couldn’t ignore the truth.

The Kha’reli had already come for me once.

They weren’t going to stop.

And if this ship—my ship—was the key to stopping them, I had a responsibility.

“We don’t get to choose the wars we inherit,” I said quietly. “But we do get to choose how we fight them.”

She studied me for a long moment before exhaling. “Then I will stand with you.”

Kael’Voran turned, motioning for us to follow. “Come. There is something you must see.”

### The Dreadnought Awakens

We walked through the ancient corridors of Vhal’Dran, the golden halls shimmering with faint energy fields that whispered in a language I didn’t understand. The station wasn’t just old—it was alive, humming with forgotten power.

As we stepped into a vast chamber, my breath caught.

Suspended in the air, surrounded by arcs of crackling golden energy, was my ship.

The Last Dreadnought.

But it was different.

The battle scars from our fights were gone. The once-dark hull now glowed with veins of pulsing amber light, and the weapon systems thrummed with newfound energy.

It had been reborn.

Kael’Voran gestured to it. “Your ship is unlike any other, Captain Harper. It was created to evolve, to learn, to adapt. And now that it has accepted you as its commander ... it has begun its final transformation.”

I took a slow step forward, feeling a strange sense of connection to the behemoth of war before me.

G’Lan, standing nearby, was already analyzing the new readings. His red eyes flickered in awe. “Captain ... the dreadnought’s power output has increased exponentially. Its weapon cores are operating at full efficiency for the first time since its creation.”

Ny’Vara’s ears flattened. “Are you saying ... it was never fully activated before?”

Kael’Voran inclined his head. “Correct. It was built to be wielded by one who would choose to stand against the Kha’reli. Until now, no one has completed that bond.”

I exhaled. “So what does that make me?”

Kael’Voran met my gaze. “The first true commander of the Last Dreadnought.”

### The Enemy Moves

Before I could process the full weight of his words, alarms flared throughout the station.

Kael’Voran turned sharply. “They’ve found us.”

My heart pounded. “Who?”

“The Kha’reli.”

The holographic display above us flickered to life, revealing a massive enemy fleet emerging from hyperspace.

Sleek, shifting black vessels, their hulls twisting as if they weren’t fully solid, pulsed with sickly crimson light. The sheer number of them was staggering.

Ny’Vara cursed under her breath. “That’s not a scouting force.”

G’Lan’s voice was tight. “No. That’s an invasion.”