PROLOGUE * CHAPTER 1 * CHAPTER 2 * CHAPTER 3 * CHAPTER 4 * CHAPTER 5 * CHAPTER 6

In the shadows of the vast reaches of space, far from the prying eyes of the United Earth Government and the public eye, Admiral Huxley orchestrated his grand, treacherous ballet. The Nighthawk’s discovery of his plans was but a glimpse into the intricate tapestry of deceit and manipulation he had woven. Huxley’s preparations for the coup were meticulous and far-reaching, laying the groundwork for a seismic shift in the power dynamics of the galaxy.

In the dimly lit command center of his secret shipyard, Huxley stood before a holographic display of his growing fleet. The sleek, deadly warships rotated slowly in the air before him, a testament to the power he had amassed in the shadows. Around him, his most trusted lieutenants worked at their stations, their faces lit by the glow of their screens as they coordinated the final stages of the coup.

“The pieces are almost in place,” Huxley said, his voice low and measured. “Soon, we will strike, and the galaxy will tremble before us.”

He turned to face his inner circle, his eyes gleaming with a fervor that bordered on madness. These were the true believers, the ones who had bought into his vision of a new order, a galaxy where humanity would no longer be at the mercy of alien threats or the bureaucratic constraints of the UEG.

“The false-flag attacks have done their job,” he continued, gesturing to a series of reports on the display. “The public is crying out for a savior, and we will give them one.”

The orchestration of these attacks had been a masterstroke, a way to create a climate of fear and uncertainty that Huxley could exploit. Civilian stations destroyed, mining colonies razed, all carefully staged to look like the work of hostile alien forces. The UEG, grappling with the apparent increase in aggression, had played right into his hands.

“Our forces are moving into position,” one of his lieutenants reported, her fingers flying across her console. “Under the guise of protecting vulnerable sectors, we will be ready to strike when the time comes.”

Huxley nodded, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. The UEG, in their naivety, had relied more and more on his recommendations for military deployments. They had no idea that they were handing him the keys to their own downfall.

But even as he reveled in his impending triumph, a flicker of unease passed across Huxley’s face. He had received reports of a small group of Vanguard operatives, led by Commander Valyssa Kane, who had been asking too many questions, digging too deep into his activities.

“Kane is a problem,” he mused, his brow furrowing. “She has always been too idealistic for her own good.”

He turned to his intelligence chief, a man whose network of spies and informants stretched across the galaxy.

“Find her,” he ordered, his voice cold and hard. “And when you do, eliminate her and her team. We cannot afford any loose ends.”

The intelligence chief nodded, his face an impassive mask. He knew the price of failure in Huxley’s new order.

As the meeting adjourned and his lieutenants departed to carry out their tasks, Huxley stood alone before the holographic display. The weight of his ambition settled over him like a mantle, a burden he had chosen to bear for the sake of his vision.

He knew that there would be resistance, that there were those who would fight against the new dawn he sought to bring about. But he also knew that he had the strength, the will, to see it through. The galaxy was his chessboard, and he was the master player, ready to sacrifice anything and anyone to achieve his goals.

In the vast, cold expanse of space, a battle for the future of humanity was about to unfold. And at its center was Admiral Huxley, a man driven by a twisted sense of destiny, ready to plunge the galaxy into chaos to remake it in his own image.

Not. The. End.