TFS: Chapter 28 — 15 Years of Progress, Part I (Patreon)

Chronicle of a New Age — by Aethan Gullith, Historian, formed in the University of Artemisa, written in the year 149 after the Second Coming of Apollion.

It is a rare moment in history when a world, long bowed beneath the yoke of xeno dominion, finds not only liberation but rebirth.

The story of Athenia in the decades following the Second Coming of Apollion is one of such rarity, a transformation so complete that even the oldest among us still speak of the years before with a tone reserved for ancient myths, as if to confess that they once lived in an entirely different world.

And from their perspective, they did.

We mark the years not by Imperial calendar, nor by the xeno timekeeping of the Derenik oppressors, or even the pre-conquest Federation calendar, but by the arrival of one man, the Second Primarch, our King, Alexander Apollion.

His landing in Hive Athenia, at the height of our people’s despair, is the measure by which all history before and after is weighed. In the chronicles of the Royal Athenaeum, the age before his arrival is simply the Long Night. What came after is the Dawn.

Year 1 After the Second Fall was no year of peace by any means; the xeno oppressors did not just give the reins to the King.

It began in the smog-choked ruins of Hive Athenia, a place where human life had been reduced to a disposable resource.

The Derenik’s chokehold over our industries and our skies had lasted for generations, their fleets unchallenged, their soldiers prowling the streets with impunity. Yet in those early days, the Rebellion rose like a flame in the blackness, drawing the eyes of every slave and overseer alike.

King Alexander, though then uncrowned, proved more than a warrior. He was a commander without equal, able to weld together the broken and scattered resistance cells of the hive into a unified force. Garran Han, Ariana Delos, the twin brothers Dren and Letho Kolos, and countless others who would later be etched into the marble walls of the Hall of Heroes first marched under his banner in these desperate months.

But it all changed on the Red Day, when the growing Burning Chain managed to incite a massive rally inside Hive Athenia. A rally that soon went out of control and started the fight. That would have been it for any other story, but King Alexander is no ordinary man.

He infiltrated a xeno destroyer that had been hovering over Hive Athenia for months and hacked its systems before destroying the central spire of the Hive and sending its torpedoes to orbit, destroying much of the unprepared fleet in orbit of the planet.

What began as street ambushes and sabotage swelled into open battle. The rebellion’s great gamble broke the enemy’s strongest bastion in Hive Athenia and gave humanity its first undisputed territory in centuries.

Yet the war was not won in that hive alone. From the central industrial stacks of Doria to the sprawling hab-plains of Hive Pellas, the fire spread. Each victory brought the Derenik closer to their most feared enemy: a united, organized human resistance.

Athenia was free once and for all and Alexander was acclaimed the King of the reborn Athenian Federation soon after.

The turning point of the war, however, was not one of open combat but of calculated annihilation. In Year 2, the Wrath of Apollion was unleashed, a virus designed in secrecy under the guidance of Dr. Sorrel, carried by the winds, waters, and even the touch of the enemy themselves. It spread without mercy through the Derenik ranks, sparing only humanity. Entire garrisons rotted from within. Ships lay adrift, their crews dead at their stations. On the moons of Myranda and Phoberya, where Derenik strongholds had stood for generations, their banners fell in days.

To the enemies of mankind, it was a plague. To the people of Athenia, it was divine justice, an act both feared and celebrated. Thus was born the name Wrath of Apollion, for it seemed to all that the King’s fury had been carried upon the very air.

With the Dereniks dead or dying, the conquest of the system was swift after the Battle Above Olyssus, and the captured fleet that came with it. Alexander’s fleet, captured from the enemy, surged into the void. Destroyers and frigates swept across the orbital lanes, taking station after station. The Great Ship graveyard over Thellysia was reclaimed, its hulks stripped and reforged to swell the new Athenian Navy.

The gas giant colonies, long choked by alien tribute demands, welcomed the arrival of human marines and Spartans with open arms. Olyssus, the agri-world whose harvests had fed Athenia for millennia, was liberated in less than a month and turned into the breadbasket of the reborn realm.

By Year 4, every world, moon, and orbital habitat in the Athenia System flew the black-and-red standard of the Burning Chain and the Reborn Phoenix of the Federation. The last Derenik warship was either scuttled, drifting, or in the dockyards of Athenia, undergoing conversion to serve its former slaves.

The war had ended, at least in Athenia Prime. The rule of mankind had returned. Yet, as the King himself declared in the Victory Address of Year 5, “Peace is but the first stone in the foundation of eternity.”

The rebuilding of a civilization requires more than victory in battle. King Alexander, in the years immediately following the Wrath, laid the administrative skeleton upon which the New Athenian Federation would stand.

Under them spread the ministries: Labor and Industry, Reconstruction, Law and Order, Science and Advancement, Agriculture, Naval Command, and more. By Year 6, Athenian governance extended from the deepest manufactorum floor in Hive Athenia to the wind-swept tundras of Myranda’s southern pole. Every moon and orbital station had its appointed governor or administrator, every hive its council, all answering to the crown and its ministries.

The Senate, seated in the former Senate building of the Old Federation, became the highest deliberative body, presided over by the King and composed of the elected representatives of each district of the planet. This body spread to each planet liberated, Kiel, Eaena, Olyssus, Phoberya, Myranda, all adopted the governance of the ministries and created their own senates.
A Grand Senate was formed, too, where each planet that was added to the Federation could send its representatives.

And send them they did, the Wrath had not just killed the xenos in Athenia Prime, but in every planet they inhabited, every station, every ship. These vital first two decades say the Federation slowly snowballs outwards, just as it built upwards. And more and more worlds saw freedom that had been denied to them for so long.

The Censorate, conceived as a means of preventing corruption at its inception, expanded its reach to all corners of the system. Administrators and governors were scrutinized regularly, audits performed without delay, and infractions punished swiftly. The reputation of the Censorate alone became enough to instill discipline in even the most recalcitrant officials.

The judicial system was standardized, ensuring fair trials and predictable sentencing, leaving no room for favoritism or caprice. Crime, once a daily threat to citizens, became a rarity, and when it did occur, it was met with the full force of the law. And with that, the four-way system of the New Federation was finalized.

It was said in those days that no matter where one stood in the system, one could look up at the night sky and know that the same laws, the same rights, and the same protection of the King’s Peace reigned there.

The reconstruction of the system, however, demanded more than a meritocratic bureaucracy; it required the remaking of lives, of habits, and of expectations. The factories that had once been death traps were dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up.

Laborers no longer risked life and limb simply by walking through a manufactorum; machines took the brunt of the danger, and human hands guided them safely from control rooms high above the floors.

Safety laws, enforced rigorously by the Ministry of Labor and Industry, and of course, the Judicial System, became a matter of civic pride, and violators, whether officials or contractors, were dealt with swiftly, their negligence made public as a warning to others.

According to our best records, by Year 15, the production of Athenia had gone up 350% over its best years under Derenik occupation. In the Royal Archives, one may read the Decree of the Third Year, in which he wrote:
"No longer will this world grind its people into dust for the sake of some distant master. We are the masters now, and with mastery comes duty, the duty to ensure that every drop of sweat, every drop of blood, serves the future of all."

Transportation networks, too, were reimagined. The mag-rail lines connecting the hives, once sputtering and unreliable, were rebuilt to exacting standards. Cargo and passenger traffic flowed without interruption, protected from natural hazards and sabotage alike.

Orbital elevators, the tallest constructs in the system, were outfitted with redundant support systems and emergency containment measures, ensuring that the lifeblood of the Federation, trade, food, and raw materials, would never again be interrupted by the chaos of conflict.

Education became another pillar of the New Athenia. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Science and Advancement and the Ministry of Education, schools were rebuilt and standardized, emphasizing not only literacy and numeracy but also critical thinking and practical skills. Every child, regardless of hive or settlement, was to be trained in the arts of citizenship, science, and loyalty to the Federation.

Higher education institutions flourished, including the University that I studied myself, many were modeled on the former academies of the Federation, but infused with the principles of innovation, civic responsibility, meritocracy, and accountability that King Alexander championed. Students were encouraged to explore, to question, and to invent, ensuring that stagnation, the silent killer of civilizations, would find no foothold here.

Food scarcity became a historical curiosity of the rebellion, not a continuing threat.

Planetary granaries were established and linked through orbital transport lines, allowing any planet within the system to feed any other, should disaster strike. The specter of famine, once an instrument of subjugation, was permanently banished from the Federation’s governance.

Alexander’s leadership, both in word and deed, defined these years. Though often engaged in matters of governance and the expansion of the Federation across the stars, he remained a visible presence, touring factories, classrooms, shipyards, and administrative centers. The populace saw a King who did not merely command from a throne, but who walked among them, listening, correcting, and encouraging. His visage became a symbol of stability and vision: the assurance that the Federation would not merely survive, but flourish.

History, in the telling of these first two decades, cannot escape a singular truth: the Rebellion had not merely freed a planet, nor had the Wrath of Apollion merely extinguished an alien occupation. The Rebellion, the Reconstruction, the Reclamation were all chapters in the deliberate forging of a civilization that would endure. In every mine, every manufactorum, every orbital dockyard, and every classroom, one could witness the imprint of Alexander Apollion’s hand: disciplined, visionary, relentless, yet tempered by the care for his people.

It is in this context that the people of Athenia now speak of their King with reverence.

In the chronicles of the next century, when historians examine the period following the Second Fall of Apollion, they will mark these decades as the beginning of the Golden Age of the Federation.

This age has followed us for this century and a half and has expanded across thousands of worlds.

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The apartment in the central spire of Hive Athenia was packed with Penelope’s clothes, with Ari and me outside of the planet for the last few months; she had made herself at home.

Outside the window, the sun filtered through the haze. Another day where the smog was gone from the city, it would come back, but today the people enjoyed its rays on their skin. It would take decades to fully heal the planet, but just a few regulations on the smoke and chemicals that the factories put in the atmosphere gave us a few days a year with the sky clear.

I sat at the polished obsidian table, the weight of the day’s reports set aside for now, and waited.

Ariana was the first to speak, her voice cutting through the hush. “So… you called us here,” she said, crossing her arms, standing near the window. “And I’ve been waiting for this for months. You’ve been teasing me with some hidden truth the entire time. Come on, Alex. Spill it. Hurry up!”

Penelope, leaning casually against the doorway, gave me a knowing look. Her patience was legendary, but even she had limits. I smiled faintly at Ariana, enjoying the mixture of curiosity and impatience in her posture.

“You’re right,” I said, finally breaking the tension. “It is time.” I leaned back, fingers steepled. “There’s something I’ve never properly told either of you. Something… fundamental.”

Ariana’s eyes narrowed, her lips twitching. “Fundamental, huh? That sounds ominous. Am I going to need a drink for this?”

I chuckled softly. “Maybe a strong one, yes. But more than anything, I want you both to listen carefully.” I took a breath. “Ariana, Penelope… I was not born as you were. I was… created.”

There was a pause. Penelope blinked at me, incredulous. “Created? What do you mean, created? Like… in a lab?”

“You said that before,” Ariana said.

I nodded slowly. “Yes. On Terra. The home world of humanity itself. I was genetically enhanced, designed to be… the perfect general, the ultimate weapon. Good at strategy, governance, and leadership. I was engineered, molded to lead mankind’s armies, to unify humanity, and to conquer the stars.”

Penelope tilted her head, her voice calm but curious. “Created by whom?”

I leaned forward, letting my fingers brush the edge of the table, the cold steel grounding me as I began the tale of a woman I had met for a few seconds. “By the Empress of Mankind. For hundreds of years, she has worked tirelessly to unify Terra, to prepare humanity for a return to dominion, to reclaim the galaxy from its scattered colonies, the xeno threats, and the chaos that has plagued us for millennia since the start of the Age of Strife. She foresaw the need for generals capable of commanding armies on a scale humanity had never seen before.”

Ariana’s jaw went slack for a moment, but Penelope’s gaze sharpened. I continued, speaking slowly.

“I was one of twenty such individuals created. Each of us was enhanced to embody the pinnacle of human potential. The plan was simple in theory: Terra would rise, the galaxy would be reunited, and humanity would march as one. I was to be her spear, her instrument in that grand design.”

“And what happened?” Penelope asked, the calm timbre of her voice belying the tension in her posture. “You are here after all…”

I sighed, recalling the moment that had shattered the plan. “Something went wrong. We were… scattered across the galaxy. And I… I ended up here, on Athenia.”

Ariana exhaled, relief and awe mingling in her expression. “…thank the stars you ended up here. If things had gone well for this Empress of yours… we might never have met. That thought terrifies me, honestly.”

I let the corners of my mouth twitch in a faint smile. I looked at her warmly, and she met my gaze, understanding and sincerity reflected in her eyes. Then I turned to Penelope, and the warmth in my look mirrored itself.

“The conquest has begun again,” I said quietly, my tone steady now, the narrative continuing. “The Astronomican has been lit. Terra has risen once more, and the crusade for humanity is underway. One day, expeditionary fleets will reach this system. One day, the forces of the Imperium will stand here, alongside ours.”

Penelope blinked, curiosity plain in her expression. “The Astronomican? I’ve heard rumors… It’s a beacon, yes?”

I nodded. “Yes. It is a psychic beacon in the Warp, a lighthouse for all of humanity, guiding our fleets through the immaterium, giving navigators a fixed point to orient themselves. Without it, travel between systems is… perilous, unpredictable. How do you know?”

Penelope’s brow furrowed. “The Navigators have been going crazy, talking about something like that. They’ve been requesting… meetings. All sorts of petitions.”

I laughed. “Yes. I’ve received countless requests to meet with me regarding it. Many advisors, politicians, and military commanders want an audience to discuss its implications.”

I leaned back, folding my hands on the table. “Now that you know the whole story, what do you both think?”

Ariana tilted her head, a mischievous spark in her eyes, but her voice held conviction. “Honestly, Alex… it doesn’t change anything. You’re still you. You’re still here, and I… I still know that this system, this world, is better because of you. And when this Empress does come…” she trailed off, then made a series of comical, threatening gestures with her arms, as if she were physically holding her grip around something. “…she’ll have to rip it from our fingers. She’ll have to fight to take us away from you.”

Penelope chuckled softly, a smile forming as she shook her head. “I agree. It doesn’t change anything. We’ve been by your side all this time, and we will continue to be.”

I laughed softly, feeling the warmth and loyalty radiating from the two of them. “You always know how to balance the gravity of a situation with levity,” I said, my tone affectionate. “I should name you my councilors…”

Ariana laughed again, leaning back against the wall. “I’ll accept being a fiercely independent councilor if it means getting cuddles two hours a day at the very least!”

“And I’ll happily enforce that,” Penelope added, her smile widening.

Well… That is one conversation done, now… how do I tell my government?

It would be good to prepare them for the arrival of the Expeditionary fleets. If we could accelerate our integration to the Imperium, we could make the Crusade go faster and save the other primarchs...

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Chronicle of a New Age — by Aethan Gullith, Chapter 5 — The Expansion of Freedom

The expansion of the Athenian Federation into the stars was a measured and deliberate process, guided by the lessons of both the Federation’s rebirth and the devastating xeno occupation that had preceded it.

Following the liberation of the outer moons and the consolidation of the gas giant campaigns, the first three neighboring systems of Erythea, Nyxaros, and Aethereon fell swiftly after the consolidation of Athenia Prime, their strategic positions and resources of the six inhabited planets absorbed into the growing network of governance.

Yet, caution tempered ambition: for the next five years, the Federation’s efforts were primarily devoted to reconnaissance, charting warp lanes, assessing the remaining xeno enclaves, and preparing the logistical framework for a full-scale interstellar advance.

By the completion of this preparatory period, the Athenian Navy had reached operational maturity. Fleet coordination, warp navigation, and supply chains had been optimized to a level deemed appropriate for the expansion of the Federation.

In the Year 7 after the Second Coming, the reborn fleets of the Athenian federation moved to reclaim its territory.

System after system, planet after planet, came under the aegis of the Federation. Each conquest was more than a military victory: it was the careful integration of economies, infrastructure, and local governance into a larger, stable whole.

Hive worlds such as Picon, Ariatrock, and Pranix proved invaluable, worlds near Athenia itself, the former coreworlds of the Old Federation. Their immense industrial capacity, long dormant or redirected under xeno control, was revitalized to feed the growing war effort. Shipyards that had once labored to supply alien fleets now churned with human ingenuity, producing destroyers, frigates, and the first prototypes of new class cruisers for the Athenian Navy.

Scattered pockets of derelict Derenik vessels persisted, remnants of the once-dominant xeno fleets, yet their crews had been decimated by the virus released during the Wrath of Apollion.

Often, abandoned warships floated silently in orbit, their dead crews a grim testament to the virus’s efficacy. These ships were swiftly taken toward the nearest shipyard to be made whole again if they were of human make.

Where resistance lingered, it was sporadic and uncoordinated, collapsing under the disciplined and overwhelming force of Athenian combined arms.

The liberation was not only martial but cultural. Across dozens of systems, planetary populations greeted their new protectors with relief and cautious optimism.

Many worlds, already free of their shackles by the time the Athenian fleets reached them, were inspired by the sight of the Athenian fleets and armies establishing order without oppression. The Federation employed careful diplomacy to integrate these populations, respecting local customs and leadership while providing security, infrastructure, and the first true assurance of consistent law and prosperity in generations.

By Year 15 after the Second Coming of Apollion, over two hundred and seventy systems had been reclaimed for humanity.

Core Derenik worlds, once thought impenetrable, now lay open to the growing reach of the Athenian military and administrative apparatus. Each victory further amplified the Federation’s capacity to continue its advance: newly secured planets fed resources into shipyards, refineries, and research facilities, fueling the next campaign. With every system incorporated, King Alexander’s vision of a unified human empire, one where the horrors of xeno rule could never again take hold, moved closer to realization.

Yet, in my opinion, this expansion was not achieved solely through force of arms. The Athenian Federation’s success rested equally upon the deliberate implementation of governance, law, and technology across newly liberated worlds. Administrative networks mirrored those established on Athenia Prime, with governors, councils, and ministers ensuring that no planet remained a backwater in which corruption or rebellion could take root. Education and innovation flourished, incentivized through scholarships, research grants, and industrial patronage. Every liberated system became a self-sustaining node of human progress. And their population embraced the reborn Federation after the better working conditions, access to quality goods, services, and freedoms were expanded.

As historians of the era noted, the combination of military might, administrative foresight, and technological modernization was unprecedented.

By systematically integrating resources, manpower, and knowledge from every reclaimed world, the Athenian Federation created a self-reinforcing cycle of growth that would not stop for centuries.

Each victory enabled the next; each liberated system contributed both materially and strategically to the continuing campaign. The once fragmented, war-torn sectors of space began to resemble, for the first time in centuries, a cohesive human network capable of projecting power, ensuring security, and fostering innovation.

The Athenian Navy, now composed of dozens of refitted capital ships, Old Federation ships formerly manned by the xenos, and thousands of support vessels, patrolled the edges of human-controlled space, ready to respond to threats, while planetary militias and garrison forces ensured stability from the ground.

The expansion was not without its challenges. Some Derenik remnants attempted guerrilla strikes, and isolated insurgencies flared where populations had been deeply subjugated for generations. In each case, Alexander’s forces applied overwhelming, precise responses, combining psychological, diplomatic, and martial tactics to neutralize threats without unnecessary destruction.

Of course, there were the threats of the Immaterial, the Dereniks' allies in the Warp. The Inquisition and its newly trained human Psykers dealt with them swiftly with overwhelming brutality.

The Federation’s ability to integrate these regions peacefully, wherever possible, created a stark contrast to the often-brutal responses of the xenos.

By the fifteenth year after the Second Coming, the Federation had transformed from a planetary power on Athenia into a multi-system-spanning force capable of enforcing law, promoting prosperity, and defending humanity from both xeno and warp-born threats.

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The circular chamber of the Grand Admiralty was full tonight. At the center stood the high table, a circular platform of black marble inset with a glowing tactical projection of the Derenik frontier.

Around it sat and stood more than two dozen admirals, vice admirals, and flag captains, their uniforms a sea of dark navy blue, trimmed with the silver of the Federation's Fleets.

High Admiral Gustav entered without fanfare. Conversation ceased at once.

“Admirals, captains,” Gustav began, his voice carrying the weight of authority that came from a decade of war. “We have our orders from His Majesty. The time has come to push toward the Derenik homeworlds, Sevdan, Treepudos, and Guntiru. This is the opening stroke of our campaign against their Coreworlds. These xeno worlds hold little we want to keep intact aside from the very worlds. So the restrictions we are under when liberating human planets are lifted for this campaign.”

The holo-map shifted, zooming in on the hostile stars. Red icons marked known Derenik strongholds, pulsing faintly like malignant growths in the darkness. Blue symbols showed Federation fleets in their current staging points.

“The 1st Grand Fleet will spearhead the attack on Sevdan, supported by the 54th, 11th, and 157th Armies, who will follow in transports to secure the surface once orbital dominance is established. Admiral Varik, the 1st Grand Fleet is yours.”

A stocky man with a scar running from temple to jaw leaned forward, eyes fixed on the map. “Sevdan’s orbital network is still intact. Do we have confirmation on their capacity?”

Gustav nodded. “The Intelligence Ministry suggests two hundred functional orbital canons, then they have slips capable of producing cruisers, maybe one still able to service a battleship. We’ll be deploying our new long-range torpedo platforms to ensure those yards are ash before they can reinforce.”

Vice Admiral Theren, a tall woman with pale hair bound in a severe knot, spoke up. “And Treepudos?”

“Treepudos,” Gustav replied, “is heavily fortified but strategically brittle. Admiral Vorn, your 3rd Fleet will lead there, supported by carrier wings from the 9th Fleet. Expect planetary defense guns, but most of their capital ships have been redeployed to Sevdan. You will bypass the fortress moons, hit their shipyards directly, and cripple their industry.”

“That puts us deep in hostile space,” Vorn said, frowning. “If they still have reserve fleets, we risk being cut off.”

Gustav gave a thin smile. “Which is why we are sending expeditionary forces into the heart of their territory ahead of the main thrust. Smaller, faster groups will target key shipbuilding and industrial worlds. They will not have the means to muster an effective counteroffensive if their foundries burn.”

He tapped the control panel. Three blue icons pulsed on the map, each marked with a winged-sun emblem. “These expeditionary fleets will operate independently, each assigned a section of the enemy’s coreward shipyard network. They will deploy the new Poseidon-class long-range torpedoes, capable of striking targets at over two hundred million kilometers with some accuracy. The Derenik will not be able to match that range.”

From the far side of the table, Admiral Lana Grete cleared her throat and asked the question on everyone’s mind. She was younger than most in the room, but her eyes were sharp, her bearing unshakable. “And our new heavy elements?”

Gustav’s smile widened slightly. “Ah, yes... You all want to know who gets the new toys.” Gustav thought of the new battleships of the navy; it was a rare day when they came online. The Deimos and the Phobos. Newly restored from the Thellysia graveyard. Eight kilometers each of pure wrath, their lance batteries and plasma projectors brought back to full power. “They will be placed under your command, Admiral Grete, and form the core of the new 18th fleet. Your target will be the Rho Ranrog system, an auxiliary shipyard cluster supplying Treepudos. You will strike without warning and leave nothing standing.”

Grete inclined her head. “Understood, High Admiral. We’ll give them something to remember.”

A murmur of approval ran through the chamber.

Vice Admiral Kessan, a gaunt man with a voice like gravel, raised his hand. “What resistance do we expect from the Derenik fleets themselves? Our scouts report scattered concentrations, but no unified defense.”

“The virus,” Gustav said simply. “It has gutted their manpower, and they have barely recovered in the last decade. Many of their ships are drifting derelicts. But do not mistake weakness for surrender. The Derenik still have defense fleets and command crews who will fight to the death. Expect desperation. Expect ambushes.”

“Any confirmed warp-capable reinforcements from beyond their empire?” asked Admiral Varik.

“None,” Gustav replied. “We have reports of unrest across what remains of their territory. Their colonies are turning on them. This is the moment to strike before they can consolidate.”

“What about the 7th? Will it remain unsigned?” Asked Grete.

“No, only the defense elements of the navy will remain unassigned. The 7th has been tasked with glassing the minor Ork infestation near the Corolis reaches.” Gustav confirmed. “The other fleets will remain their task of liberating human worlds. But make no mistake, we will use eighty percent of our heavy elements on this push to cripple the Derenik remains.”

The chamber fell silent for a moment, the only sound the faint hum of the holo-table as it rotated to display the entire Derenik frontier.

Gustav let the pause linger, sweeping his gaze over the gathered commanders. “This attack,” he said at last, “will cripple their capacity to recover for another decade, two, if we execute with precision. And it will give us the momentum to finalize the liberation of the Federation’s outer reaches and the other human-occupied worlds. There are still hundreds of systems awaiting our fleets… and our help. Let’s not make them wait any longer.”

When the chamber had emptied, Gustav remained alone with the map. He reached out, tapped Sevdan’s star, and watched as the display bathed his hands in crimson light.

“Enjoy your last days,” he murmured. “We’re coming for you, bastards.”

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AN: Chapter 1 of 2 timeskip chapters. The Federation is expanding over the dying Derenik Empire! Recovering their former worlds and systems and preparing to assault what used to be the Derenik Empire Coreworlds, now a mess of warlords vying for power. They are advancing, progressing, and they have a Federal yet very centralized system to govern themselves.