Chapter 1: The 3rd of October 2349 AD (Prelude)

Space ... Outside, we stare at the endless infinite of stars. Using the light spectrum, we are surrounded by a sea of darkness. It’s a journey that takes us 355 light-years from the Sol sector. Up, down, left, right ... it doesn’t matter. There is nothing here but that of the endless dots of burning balls of light. With nothing to constrain us, we simply float in the expanse of nothingness.

There is a solemn beauty to the environment. For those who call themselves humanity, it has been a source of wonder and spiritual enlightenment, but one that can provide loneliness. Many simply see it as an obstacle. There is so much of this nothingness that it makes simple trips on Earth appallingly forever when trying to reach new locations far beyond their solar system. The humans who have created their technology to survive in it are gifted with both a profound moment of glee and excitement and one of fear and trepidation. As we free float in the endless vacuum of space, we have every aspect of view available to us. It is one that is easily distinguishable as a four-dimensional plane.

Of course, such a system has to have four dimensions in order to exist properly, at least to how humans view things. We have depth. We have length. We have breadth, and ... we have time. Even in the vast blackness of space, we have a pleasant view of the cosmos. In the Milky Way Galaxy, we are bombarded with endless amounts of cosmic radiation. The darkness isn’t infinite as the millions of stars glow and radiate to us.

As we stand here floating in the expanse of nothingness, we look at the different glowing orbs. Some are stars. Some are pulsars. The ongoing reactions are the only sign to us that there is an activity in this ever-expanding realm. Billions of years ago, such a concept was unheard of. Everything was much closer together. Space travel was so much easier, but it was more than evident that things were far more dangerous to contend with. In our evolution, we were more than fortunate that we managed to escape this location and go beyond this universe.

However, to leave this plane of existence means leaving behind anything that we may miss out on. Trillions upon trillions of stars leave countless opportunities to learn the intricate forms of life that can exist. It is why you are here, aren’t you? Even now, we have the chance to go anywhere in the universe. But, you decide to be close to a place that you seem to focus much attention towards. No doubt there are profound reasons as to why. Humanity has a unique opportunity for the many species that operate like them. Their ability to adapt and survive against hardships is a story of triumph. Like many of the few, they just might make it. Countless other species have not. Whether by choice, the actions of others, or cosmic events, the few of the species that manage to survive to reach the next realm have their own stories to tell.

Instead, it’s my goal to help you in learning more about how the universe works. Whether it is fate or simple natural progression, this universe cannot survive forever. Even if time is graciously on our side, the evolving species here will have to learn to adapt to these changes. Time is a flickering concept. It’s always moving, unending, and never ceases. Without it, the laws of this universe collapse on itself. One can bend and manipulate it if one eventually reaches such an ability. However, the ability to do such a thing usually requires elements beyond this universe or a far greater power than most ever imagine. Cosmic phenomena can affect time, however. Large massed objects can distort time. What the humans call “Time Dilation” is real. Gravity can warp time. Events that happen near a black hole operate much differently than objects that exist far from it.

Thankfully, such an ability is something we treasure having. The ability to witness past events is a gift. It’s something that can’t be abused but allows us to do just enough that the species we observe may get their second chance at survival. Maybe it can be a third chance as well.

As this is said, our view is focused on a brightening light in the vastness of space. It’s time to witness an event that happens throughout the entire universe. The past has finally caught up to us as the glowing dot begins to get brighter. It’s still so far away that it’s impossible to illuminate the entire scene, but our vision has been used to seeing this sort of change for some time. It started as nothing, originating from a distant, tiny dot. The brightening is enough that one would think that a new star appeared out of nowhere.

We will not travel to this location. It isn’t necessary to go there. Instead, we hold out our hands. Before us, the tiny glowing white dot is enhanced in size image. We magnify what it is that holds our attention. Such ways of manipulating our sight are one that is often less appealing to me. The joy of traveling to vast locations of the cosmos is one that is often relaxing, but I know you well enough. You wish to be here because you want to be close to the humans ... and perhaps the Itreans.

As the image gets bigger and bigger, we can see that this glowing dot originates from a distant galaxy. The humans have called this galaxy NGC 4526. It is a lenticular galaxy over 55 million light-years away. It serves as the intermediate between the elliptical and spiral-type galaxies. In the center of this formation is a bright glowing yellow and reddish glow. Outside of this is a large dark disk that revolves around its illuminating parent central mass. Unlike the Milky Way Galaxy, the disk carries almost no revolving “arms” to them. The bright center only reveals the illumination of the revolving mass. It’s quite unique to look upon. One can easily say that there are no stars there, but that is far from the truth. We know better because one of these galaxies was our home ... perhaps more.

Our attention, however, is not the galaxy itself but the glowing dot of light that continues to get brighter. It sits outside of the revolving disc, most likely in the far edge of the orbital pattern. Possibly, it has been knocked out of the galaxy or is going to get swallowed up by the stellar mass. This provides us a wonderfully unique opportunity to see the entire length of this cosmic phenomenon. We continue to magnify this image. Eventually, our sights reveal the cause of this brightening light.

As our eyes automatically adjust to the great intensity, we can see that it is a pair of binary stars. The common dancing stars are ones that twirl around one another. The sibling partners are ones that are often sung in the universe. Brothers ... sisters ... they will remain together for as long as they can until some other massive object tears them apart. Of course, that is only a minor chance of happening. Instead, the greatest threat to binary stars is themselves. Their natural age is revealed to us as we look upon it. One of the stars has aged faster than its counterpart. Both of them were G-type stars locked together. One of them had long turned into a white dwarf, expending almost all of its matter into the universe. The other star is that of a red giant, the younger sibling of the two.

Even if its glory days are long gone, the white dwarf star is hungry. It’s playing a slow role in the demise of its companion. The intense gravity of the dying star is pulling the matter from the red giant. The trail of glowing dust and hydrogen is being swallowed up, but the mouth can only feed on so much. The small dot has instead consumed too much. The white dwarf instead has a massive overload. The mass that it draws in builds up on the surface until the star can handle it no more. An enormous explosion of light has occurred. It fills the spectrum and continues to glow brightly. We have witnessed a carbon detonation. The humans tend to call these types of explosions as a Type 1a supernova, although they have many categories to narrow this down. The white dwarf has sent a shockwave of cosmic radiation and intense light. Essentially, in so many words, the star is throwing up.

The regrettable fact is one of astounding beauty. One can view the white dwarf star as a vampire. It loved its sibling, but it must survive at whatever cost. It must consume to continue its life. The exploding matter is instead jettisoned far from them. Many of the beautiful nebulas that we have seen so far are these types of perpetrators. It is possible that this star that orbits near NGC 4526 may desire more in the future. It might stay as it is as it continues to draw more matter from its other star. It’s even possible for it to become a brand-new star as it eats the life from the other. If the orbit between them decays, drawing them in closer, it may easily result in an explosion far greater than we are seeing now.

All of what you are seeing now is important because what we are seeing is the past. It took 55 million years for this light to reach us. The tale of these two simple stars had been witnessed by others far sooner than we have. Even from where we are observing, the humans have already seen it as far back as 1994 of their calendars. Now it is our turn to see the famed event. Everything that we see is history. Light is a fast-moving process but is still limited by the sheer size of the universe. It is easy to surmise that many of these stars that we see right now have long been dead or have become something else. At the same time, new stars have long but formed. It is a prevalent life cycle that is reflected in the history of humans and Itreans.

Humanity has long been recovering from the shock of the events of finding out another alien species. The Itreans have been a sense of wonder; both fear invoking and inspirational at the same time. Their history is that of hardship in the Milky Way Galaxy. At the same time, however, we have never truly lost hope in them. It is only a hope to us that they don’t turn out to be that white dwarf star, consuming and obliterating humanity in the process.

The reality of the Itreans, more specifically, the Aksren clan, is that of momentum. The subspecies of the Itrean race are one that is easily reflected by the beliefs of the other clan species. The humans view the Aksren clan as holistically evil. The Shal’rein clan view them as a powerful but dangerous nuisance. The T’rintar clan is probably the most unique. Most of them tend to view them as dangerous adversaries, confounding, and almost unstoppable. The truth, however, is only revealed in their history because the Aksren clan initially controlled the galaxy and the entire fate of the Itrean species. Only one species successfully managed to accomplish that task but slowly lost it in time.

A simple wave of the hand and the image of the binary stars are gone. Instead, the darkness of space reflects that of a single picture image that appears before us. It is that of a single Aksren. The anthro oviraptor is shorter than the typical human being. He is sitting on a lavish throne adorned by gems from every planet that belongs to the former Empire of Yol’ikren. His smooth scale skin is red and brown. He generally looks the same as many of the Aksren of his kind, but the clothing and persona that he gives off are that of royalty. From the brief but controllable smile that he has, it is easy to deduce that he knows that he has the respect of the crowds. He knows that people like him and worship him and that he tends to their needs as well. The clothing is that of a long cloak of white fur. From his torso, he has that of a ruby shirt and brown silk pants.

When one compares this image to other emperors of the Aksren clan, one can only find a few that reflect this attitude. This leader that we view upon is that of a commoner. He does not want the others to view him as the luxurious elite, even if he was born of nobility. He was raised to treat others as second-class citizens, but that isn’t what he desires. In the four-digit left-hand of this leader is that of a small scepter. On the top portion of this icon is that of a holographic display that shows that of warship schematics. His face is almost drawn to this image as if he desires it more than anything else. His long brown tail flows off the throne and down to the ground. His posture is that of assurance.

There is much more to this picture and image. While drawn to the image on his scepter, his view is that of others that are seemingly around him. A small amount of light that reflects off his gold-plated, adorned protruding nose crest shows that of other Itrean hands. According to many of the Itrean historians, this was how the emperor wanted his picture to be taken. There are two pairs of Itrean hands or arms. One is that of red and brown similar to his. The famed mated woman who would become empress is care, concern, and pride towards the emperor. The other one is grayish in color and has fins protruding from near the elbow. A purple gold-plated ring could be seen from one of the four-digit fingers. The hand is much bigger than his and possibly from a fellow mistress’s. These hands and posture show that of outright love, desire, and caring. Despite the leader’s view of the image, his view seems to be pulled towards this Shal’rein woman that was rumored to be a lover. His other free hand is drawn towards her as a form of lingering desire to have her.

This image that we are looking at is that of Emperor Jalgren the Great, one of the most famous Itreans to exist in the last fifty thousand years of current Itrean history. Many of the humans that are learning about Itrean history have nothing but incredible reports about this singular individual. No doubt, Jalgren is one of the pinnacle characters that would shape the destiny of the Itreans. His reputation is interestingly respected by all of the Itrean subspecies, even if he was a warlord and powerful ruler.

Jalgren the Great was, by many, the most idealistic and successful of future rulers. He had access to one of the best shipyards in the most powerful Aksren empire of the long-deceased Yol’ikren the Great. Jalgren was speculated to be a family descendant of Yol’ikren even if the bloodline had long but faded into obscurity. Instead, he treasured and valued things that he enjoyed the most during his childhood. He loved spaceships. Humans often compare Jalgren to that of an Itrean Peter the Great mixed with attributes from Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan. If anything, he managed to succeed and survive far greater than those previous examples. It was widely spoken that a few Yutilians and Shal’rein that lived in the brutally racist conditions of the Aksren empire had taught and introduced ideals into the young future leader. He became sympathetic but realistic to the environment that the Itreans lived under.

What makes Jalgren a renowned individual is that he got his wish. When he wasn’t delegating the tedious orders of leadership, he was at the orbital shipyards working with fellow construction workers or designers. His love and passion were never-ending, and he picked up on every little detail on how to make the best spaceships that could ever operate.

In time, Jalgren realized that Renlar, his planet, and the Empire of Yol’ikren could very well seize upon the critical assets of other worlds. To control space was to control the destiny of future civilizations. He used his skills to begin designing brand new warships that he felt would change the tide of future warfare. With the immense resources, technical innovation, and careful negotiation, Jalgren would begin to spread his influence. One by one, solar system after solar system would fall to his fleets. Other Aksren empires had no choice but to agree to his actions. Yutilians, Shal’rein, Palierans, and the Alara’jal clans would watch as their fleet assets would succumb to Jalgren’s ingenuity and power-hungry maneuvering to conquer the galaxy.

Jalgren was never the sort of individual that believed in exterminating the other. He was the first emperor to wipe out all opposition successfully, but many viewed him as a gracious victor. To him, he was “liberating” the clan species from the atrocities and decadence that the clan’s internal governments, warlords, and leaders had brought towards their own people. Even other clan species can further later acclaim that in some respects, the Aksren emperor was that of a hero. The Alara’jal and Shal’rein were just the prime examples of a people that focused on fighting amongst themselves to the point of barbaric brutality. When Jalgren rode through, the devastated Shal’rein and Alara’jal fleets were obliterated. When the emperor announced his victory, the defeated populations feared the worst. They believed that the nuclear bombs were to fall upon their world, but the Aksren wanted none of it.

It was here that many viewed Jalgren the Great as an Itrean uniter. Cohesion was his main goal as he continued to fight the Yutilians and the remaining Aksren empires that resisted him. His promise was fulfilled when he passed reform after reform. Even if parts of the population were against him, his word was law. He wanted equality for the defeated subspecies. Their cultural views, various beliefs, traditions, and aspects would slowly bleed into Renlar culture and outward in all directions. Now named the Empire of Jalgren, it would spread outward and control all of Itrean space. By the end point of his life, he watched as the final Aksren empire would surrender to his growing superpower. Within 200 years, Jalgren controlled a quarter of the Milky Way Galaxy. As the humans were still in their most infantile of pre-civilizations, the Aksren clan ruled and dominated everything.

A single Aksren was all it took for the lives of trillions to be affected. Jalgren’s legacy was profound. It was known as 20,000 years of peace, and relative prosperity as more and more of the other non-Aksren would adjust to living the life among the Aksren clan. To this day, all the Itreans at least understand the U’ck’ck language, the words that can be spoken from planet to planet. Many often compare the Empire of Jalgren to that of the Roman Empire on Earth, both in personality, cultural, and economic prosperity. Slavery was all but nonexistent.

However, Jalgren’s empire was never to last. Not everyone cherished his idealism and openness to others. Some in the Aksren clan were raised in a cloud of elitism, bigotry, and racism. Within 10,000 years ago, the empire was no more. The clans would splinter off to fight one another once again. Determination to eradicate the other was paramount. Violence would return as the few Itreans dreamed of the former glory days of Jalgren. By the time we are talking, five of the Aksren empires are united under economic and partnership treaties. The Empire of Itsis, is the remnant of Jalgren’s glory and desired dominance to create a united galaxy and maintain it by any means necessary.

Why is all of this important? You already have that answer. The knowledge of the Itreans is now bleeding into the human race. Like the two binary stars that we just witnessed, there is the possibility that one star will consume the other. However, it’s also possible that the two stars can combine to become a new star that will burn brighter than anyone can ever imagine. The human race has essential choices to make in its long future. There are consequences with every action or inaction that it makes. The only way to help answer those questions is to analyze the past thoroughly. The interactions and sacrifices of a single individual can influence billions to trillions. Even if there are far fewer humans than Itreans, the single impact of their discovery can become beneficial. Each of the clan species also has its own choices to make if they are going to survive indefinitely.

With a simple wave of the hand, the image of Jalgren fades into obscurity, replaced by the great field of stars. We say goodbye to this location as we must return to a time and place that you already know. We begin to move, watching as the burning balls of gas rush past us. We don’t have far to go. Occasional small nebula, cosmic phenomena, and natural space debris rush past us as we go beyond the speed of light.

You know this time if you have been paying close attention, then again, your fascination with the human race is showing. This is all too understandable. This was the day that the humans learned about the creation of Minerva. There was far more that happened, but not just on one ship. Our destination takes us to that same time, but at a different location, one where our story will begin and possibly end, depending on the outcome of the choices and actions made. We must view the past if we are to learn of future events.

The stream of stars begins to slow down drastically as we approach a singular star system. This star is much like that of Sol. It is a G-Type with a bright yellow hue to it. Located in the Tucana constellation back on Earth, it is known as HD 4308. It is 72 light-years from Earth and is simple but elegant. Unlike the crowded nature of the Sol system, this solar system only consists of four planets. The furthest planet of Dakra is a gas giant that we almost can’t see until we fly past it. It consists of light-absorbing gases that almost make it appear as a reddish-black world. Even the orbiting moons reveal more than what the planet shows.

We get closer and closer to the star until we can see the transpiring events. We are nearing our destination. A single orbiting planet is seen, but there are flashes that can also be depicted. These are not natural and consist of a variety of explosions. We get closer and closer to the point where we can define what the planet looks like. It has a mostly yellow color, with hints of white clouds, brown mountaintops, and very faint signs of green. The green is isolated in a large crevice and canyon valley. There are hints of ice that have developed in the high canyon walls with slightly small amounts of water that is on the top north pole. The enormous flat terrain of hot arid sand consists of 85% of the world’s environment. It is easy for others to see that this is a desert world but a habitable one.

Ah ... you do know of this place. Yes, this is the colony of Cipra, and we are about to witness an event that is going to transpire. Nothing more needs to be said as we are close enough to see that the explosions are coming from orbit. It is a battle consisting of two sides. The UHN battleships are taking losses. On the other side in the great distance is that of an Itrean fleet of the Aksren clan. Hundreds of tiny red dots can be depicted as they fire salvos of hypervelocity rounds and guided missiles at the beleaguered defense force that is in place. Humanity is outnumbered and outgunned.

We are close enough to see one of the UHN warships, a Magellan class Battleship named the UHN Champlain. It is a cylindrical vessel with a series of eight missile tubes in the front bow. On the mid-dorsal and ventral sides is a railgun turret with AIO turrets dotting the front mid-section of the vessel. The centripetal rotating ring persists near the rear engine and reactor module. The Champlain is a survivor from the defeat at Eutera, but you know of her fate. The warship is fighting for its very life. Much like every UHN vessel that is present, the men and women will fight to the bitter end if need be. The act of courage and defiance isn’t enough. The Aksren clan simply have sheer numbers on their side. The only hope that the UHN can offer is to stop the waves of missiles from impacting their targets.

Cipra is losing this fight. The Itreans have struck the humans with simplicity but as a powerful crushing force. The warship captains decide to either protect themselves or save the escaping ships from the planet. A series of boxlike transports can be seen leaving Cipra. Their destination is that of a tethered ring in orbit. The gate array is still functioning, but its array of defense weapons is not enough to protect the escaping ships that are fleeing to it.

The intercept missiles and flak fire from the UHN warships litter the region of space, but it’s barely enough. The Aksren clan have resorted to a simple move of a slow siege. More and more of their ships have been appearing to the point that the UHN can’t do anything to counter it. The Itrean missiles flutter and move around with unending speed and ferocity. For every two missiles that are shot down, another one simply gets through. The results are unfavorable to the escaping civilian vessels. We watch as the Cortes, another UHN battleship, closes near the gate array. It isn’t trying to flee from the battle as a folding wormhole opens in the array ring. It seems that the Cortes is trying to protect these four boxy-looking transports. Their engines are working as hard as possible. The blue flames radiate from the thruster nodules propelling them to greater and greater speeds.

Nothing can be done as two large anti-ship Itrean torpedoes near one of the transports. The Cortes manages to shoot down one of the torpedoes as another missile strikes into the mid-section of the vessel. The battleship crews know that they can handle some of the damage, but the escaping Cipran population transports cannot. The AIO turrets rotate and try to target the last incoming torpedo, but it is too late. The Aksren warhead is a cluster missile designed to separate into four smaller homing munitions. Each one of these missiles zips past at incredible speeds flying towards their intended targets.

One by one, each of the transports is struck by one of these smaller missiles. The results are devastating. While the missiles are not nuclear-tipped, they carry enough explosives to penetrate and obliterate everything from within the transports. The hulls explode into tiny debris that shower towards the direction of the gate array. Meanwhile, the Cortes resumes firing at the incoming munitions that come raining down towards her and the planet below.

A large explosion erupts in the UHN fleet formation. The Champlain, one of the battleships, has taken multiple hits from incoming missiles. The last of these munitions was a nuclear warhead. They slam in tandem to the weakened hull of the battleship. Inside the interior of the vessel, the enclosed atmosphere is a proper environment for a nuclear explosion to do its worst. A cataclysmic shockwave explodes in all directions as the Champlain is turned into a burning bright ball of orange and blue light. With no atmosphere in the confounds of space, the explosion quickly dissipates. The Champlain is no more, another victim of the ongoing Aksren assault.

Meanwhile, the UHN fleet is numbered in the fifties. Every effort is made to defend Cipra. The human warships continue to fire volleys of missiles towards their distant targets. Again, it almost seems pointless. Many of these warheads are getting targeted and destroyed before they impact the Itrean vessels. The overwhelming numbers are proving to be an overwhelming defense for the red alien warships. The humans have no reinforcements available. Everything is being poured in to save the colony. Cipra cannot fall as Eutera did.

One of the UHN stealth cruisers, named the UHN Korea, tries to break off from the defense fleet in place. It is hard to see the vessel being very flat and having a black color to blend in with the background. The crew seems adamant in taking the fight directly to the Itrean siege. Perhaps they hope that they remain undetected, but perhaps the alien invaders don’t consider them an adequate threat. The one thing that can be more clearly seen is the volley of eight missiles that fly out of the bow section of the vessel. The stealth vessel then makes a turn to change its position. The black material then begins to shimmer as the Itrean warships have fired an array of tracking missile probes. It begins to illuminate the scenery, revealing the stealth ship’s full profile. The fate of the Korea is unknown. Much like many of the UHN ships, hope and morale are crumbling.

As the UHN Korea turns, new light can be seen from the ventral side of its hull. It is a reflecting light coming from the Itrean fleet. Three swirling vortexes can be seen. The folded space reveals that the Aksren fleet is receiving additional reinforcements. Within a minute of the ongoing battle, three large Aksren warships come through it and enter the scene. One is a super-dreadnought, possibly a command ship. It is much larger than the typical dreadnoughts of the Aksren fleet. The two supporting vessels consist of a large bow-mounted cannon strapped into the frame of the warship. The forward section of the hull is pointed directly at the desert planet.

We move towards the planet of Cipra. The space battle is a seemingly lost cause for the human military forces. As we fly into the atmosphere of the world, we can see as the few missiles and fast-moving projectiles are en route towards where we are heading, almost as if they are following us. But, of course, their goal is to target whatever is present on the planet.

After flying through the clear but seemingly dusty atmosphere, the incredible canyons are revealed. We are heading towards the central location of the Cipran colony of New Hong Kong. For a world that is struck with heavy dust storms. The great wall of rocks protects and shelters the small flourishing green environment from the intense heat and sunlight of the Cipran sun. At the same time, melted water from the canyon mountains naturally drain down into the valley below. It is easy to conclude why the main colony of Cipra is located in this area. The temperatures aren’t as hot and relatively comfortable.