Part 1 HERE * Part 2 HERE * Part 3 HERE

The Coalition’s fleet, a mosaic of ships from a dozen worlds, hung in the silence of space, a declaration of unity against the darkness that had spread through their stars. At the heart of the fleet, the Nebula Runner throbbed with quiet power, its crew ready for the battle that loomed ahead.

Mechelle, with Kira and Qys by her side, stood on the bridge. The Coalition’s plan was simple: a direct assault on Corvus’s stronghold, a fortress hidden in the roiling gases of the Crimson Nebula. It was a fortress that had never been breached, but Mechelle had learned something from her time under Corvus’s heel—no stronghold was impregnable.

Kira’s hands were steady as she loaded the coordinates into the navigation system. “It’s now or never,” she said, a steely note in her voice that matched her mother’s resolve.

Qys, the Rahztli child, reached out, its touch like a whisper against their minds. Courage, it said, the concept resonating within them like a bell.

The fleet moved as one, a serpent slithering through space, and the stronghold loomed into view, a monstrous edifice carved from asteroids and black metal. Corvus’s ships swarmed like angry wasps, but the Coalition was ready.

The battle erupted in a cacophony of light and sound. Lasers lanced through the darkness, ships spiraled in deadly dances, and all the while, Mechelle piloted the Nebula Runner through the chaos with the grace of a comet.

Kira’s fingers danced across her console, bypassing firewalls and invading networks, her digital assault paving the way for the physical one. And Qys, their secret weapon, sent out ripples of confusion, turning Corvus’s troops against each other in disarray.

Then came the moment of truth. The Nebula Runner broke through the stronghold’s defenses, penetrating the heart of Corvus’s domain. The docking bay doors opened, and Mechelle led a boarding party of Coalition soldiers through the belly of the beast.

They fought corridor by corridor, pushing back Corvus’s forces, until they reached the command center. There, Marshal Corvus awaited, his visage a mask of fury and disbelief.

“You can’t win, Mechelle,” he spat, his blaster trained on her. “I’m the law here.”

“No,” Mechelle countered, her own weapon drawn. “What you were was a tyrant, but now your reign’s come to an end.”

The standoff was brief. Kira’s sabotage of the stronghold’s systems left Corvus vulnerable, and when the final blow came, it was not from Mechelle’s hand, but from within—his own people, the ones he had oppressed and used, turned against him. As Corvus fell, the Coalition’s cheer echoed through the stronghold, a sound that carried hope and victory. The shadow that had loomed over them had been lifted, and as they returned to the Nebula Runner, Mechelle knew they had changed the course of the galaxy.

Almost. The. End. (an Epilogue awaits)