Monique turned her head and smiled at Carter as he approached. She was still observing the stone statues standing by the gate, a reverent look in her glowing eyes.

  “A relative of yours?” Carter asked. Again, he kicked himself for his unintentional flippancy.

  “No, we are not related,” Monique replied. Mercifully, she was still smiling at him. “But I have great admiration for this woman. This is the Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, the fifth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.” She gestured to the statues in front of them. “These are Osiride statues, depicting Hatshepsut as Osiris and reinforcing her status as a divine and eternal ruler.”

  Carter nodded, suddenly realizing the significance of their location. Monique had talked of Hatshepsut before, revering her as one of the most successful Pharaohs in ancient history. She was considered a great builder, and her twenty-year reign spanned a period of great prosperity in Egypt.

  “I remember you saying that you wanted to visit this place,” Carter said, pressing his hands to the small of his back. He suddenly felt awed by the structure and whom it represented. “I’m glad you got the chance before we embark on our mission.”

  “As am I, Nefer Carter,” Monique replied, her words barely a whisper.

  Carter offered the Queen his arm, and she took it before leading them deeper inside the mortuary temple. It may have been part-ruined, its statues, paintings, and engravings weather-worn over the ages, but it still felt like a place of power and importance.

  “The temple is known as Djeser-Djeseru or Holy of Holies,” Monique said, acting as Carter’s tour guide. “It was designed by Hatshepsut’s royal architect Senenmut, and completed almost thirty-nine hundred years ago. This place reflects Hatshepsut’s legacy and associates her with the gods, particularly the sun god, Amun-Ra. It is one of the architectural wonders of ancient Egypt and a fitting testament to Hatshepsut’s reign and her status as one of the few female Pharaohs.”

  “It’s magnificent,” Carter agreed.

  As someone who’d already lived two lifetimes, he appreciated history, though he’d mainly studied the history of war, which by its nature was destructive. He found it comforting to be enclosed in a space dedicated to a celebrated builder and creator.

  “Perhaps Monique Dubois, Queen of Old Aternus and soon to be Queen of a unified Aternien Empire, will build monuments even greater than those of ancient Egypt,” Carter said. “In fact, I know she will. You’ll carve out a legacy that Hatshepsut would be proud of.”

  “I hope you are right, Nefer Carter,” Monique said, pulling him closer.

  “I know it, and I’m never wrong,” Carter replied, smiling. Then he frowned and gave a half-shrug. “Well, I’m rarely wrong.”

  “Then I trust that this will be one of those occasions where you are correct,” Monique said, smiling back at him.

  Carter was suddenly aware of the Royal Overseer lurking closer. He’d been trailing them through the temple, maintaining a respectful distance, but now he’d drawn nearer. Monique released Carter’s arm and turned to her bodyguard, who bowed his head and stooped before her.

  “My apologies for the interruption, Satet Maat, but it is time,” the Royal Overseer said.

  “Very well,” the Queen replied, unable to hide her disappointment. “Prepare my ship for departure, then make your way to Mega London.”

  The Overseer acknowledged the command and then departed to make preparations. In truth, Carter had already known it was time to leave the ancient place. Cai had sent a message to his comp-slate as he’d climbed the steps toward the upper tier of the mortuary temple. He’d acknowledged the officer but put off acting upon the information because he knew that as soon as he set foot on board the Orla Raeb, he would be setting himself on a trajectory to war.

  “It is a curious thing to be ageless and yet also have no time,” Monique said, regarding the statues and carvings one last time. “I regret I may never see this place again.”

  Carter considered this. If their mission were a success, Monique would take up office on New Aternus as its new Queen and ruler. Even so, the wonder of soliton warp technology meant that a world two thousand light years from Terra Prime was only a few hours travel away.

  “Perhaps you will,” Carter said, choosing to think positively. “As you said, you’re ageless, and this temple isn’t going anywhere. If we succeed, then the process of healing can finally begin. I don’t expect it to happen quickly. There’s still so much animosity between Aterniens and humans. But in time, there will be peace. Humans and Aterniens will live together, and our past will be forgotten.”

  “I will celebrate that day when it comes,” Monique replied. She fixed her glowing blue eyes on Carter. “We will celebrate it together.”

  Carter huffed a laugh. “I’m not quite so ageless as you, Monique. My augmentations extend my life, but it’s unclear quite for how long. I could have another hundred years or another five hundred; there’s no way to tell.”

  Monique drew closer, and the hairs on Carter’s arms stood on end as if Monique was electrified. The look in her eyes reminded him of Carina at her most mischievous and Machiavellian.

  “There is a solution to the problem of aging, especially for someone who is already post-human,” the Queen said mysteriously. Carter narrowed her eyes at her, but Monique seemed unwilling to elaborate on her comment. “But that is a problem for another time. First, we must succeed in our mission.”

  Carter was tempted to press Monique for a deeper explanation of her cryptic comment, but the Queen was correct that more urgent matters required their attention. They exited the temple, walking arm-in-arm, and promenaded along the stone path toward their waiting ships.

  “Have you contacted your fleet in the Zephyrion Cloud Nebula?” Carter asked, turning his mind to operational matters.

  “Yes, they will arrive at the staging point within the hour to join the Union assault fleet,” Monique replied. “Admiral Krantz has made preparations to ensure they are not attacked as soon as they exit warp.”

  “That’s good,” Carter grunted, feeling relieved.

  He’d been understandably concerned about how the Union might react to a flotilla of Aternien warships suddenly appearing out of warp. It was reassuring that Krantz had personally made arrangements to ensure their allies weren’t immediately turned to dust.

  “I am not certain how much of an impact twenty-seven Griffin-class Interceptors and twenty-two D’Jah-class cruisers will have on the outcome, but my warriors will fight bravely and tenaciously,” Monique added.

  “Sometimes, a single warship can be the difference between victory and defeat,” Carter replied. “But, more importantly, Apophis won’t expect you to join forces with the Union. With all the trouble I’ve caused him recently, he may have forgotten about you entirely.”

  Monique considered this but didn’t appear convinced.

  “A god does not forget,” the Queen replied. “Apophis knows I still live, though I admit that your actions may have diverted his gaze. He will not only be surprised to see my warships supporting the Union fleet but also enraged by it. Apophis will view it as an act of treachery and betrayal. It will make him all the more determined to wipe us out.”

  Carter grunted under his breath. He considered what the Queen had said and found no fault in her logic. However, he’d seen what anger could do to Apophis and how it affected the two disparate personalities inhabiting the God-King’s neuromorphic brain. Apophis may have transcended human form, but he was still at the mercy of human emotions, chiefly rage and pride.

  “It’s his anger that I’m counting on,” Carter said, stopping before Monique’s ship. “Anger will make him careless. He’ll make a mistake, and we’ll capitalize on it.”

  Monique nodded. “I am sure you are correct.”

  The Royal Overseer took leave of the Queen and departed for Mega London in the Khepri, while Monique’s bodyguard unit formed a tunnel leading up to the Griffin. All of the warriors stood to attention, and the Warden was waiting for the Queen’s command.

  “We can do this, Monique,” Carter said, needing to deliver some stirring rhetoric to make their parting seem less anticlimactic. “You and I together can finally put an end to the war. To all the wars.”

  Monique held Carter’s wrists, adding gentle pressure. She met his gaze, and though the brightness of her shimmering eyes was dazzling, he didn’t look away or even blink.

  “I am grateful for your support, Nefer Carter, but I would face Apophis alone if there were no other option,” Monique said. “He destroyed my home planet and murdered my people. For that, the God-King of New Aternus must pay the ultimate price.”

  Carter laughed. “You do realize there’s not a chance in hell, the underworld, or any version of this universe that I’d let you fight Apophis alone?”

  Monique’s eyes widened, and she seemed to grow several inches taller so their eyes were level. Carter couldn’t see her feet because of the flowing fabric of her dress, but he figured that she had to be floating above the Egyptian stone to match his height.

  “It amuses me that Master General Carter Rose believes he has any influence over what a Goddess does,” Monique said, her tone stern, though a touch playful too.

  “Lucky for me, I’m not one of your subjects,” Carter replied, sticking to his guns. “And I’m also a stubborn old bastard.”

  Monique laughed, and the sound seemed to carry through the air and resonate off the ancient stone walls of Hatshepsut’s temple.

  “That you are,” the Queen admitted. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would not even be alive were it not for your stubbornness. And for that, I am forever in your debt.”

  “By my book, I owe you a debt I can never repay,” Carter replied gruffly. “I’m responsible for creating Apophis, so I’m partly responsible for what happened to Old Aternus. That stain on my honor will remain for the rest of my life, even once Apophis has been defeated and his souls imprisoned for all time.”

  Monique pulled Carter’s hands closer so that they were pressed against the sheer fabric of her dress. Her smile had gone, and though her eyes shone just as brightly, they flickered and swirled like an angry thunderstorm.

  “You are not responsible for Apophis, Nefer Carter,” Monique said. Again, her words resonated around the ancient place. “Wrath and vindictiveness, pride and arrogance, bitterness and regret, desperation and jealousy. These are the emotions that created the Serpent God. His actions were his own. And he alone will bear the consequences.”

  Carter drew a deep breath and bowed to the Goddess and Warrior Queen of Old Aternus.

  “Then we end this together,” Carter said.

  “Together,” Monique replied.

  NINETEEN

  EVE OF BATTLE

  Carina gripped the railings that ran alongside the path on the south bank of the River Thames. The metal was cool and still wet from the intense nano-infused rain that had battered the city and other cities on Terra Prime. She looked across the river toward Westminster Bridge and Big Ben, the most famous clock tower in the galaxy. The bell chimed ten o’clock in the morning. The air was clear and fresh, but the atmosphere inside Fort Boudicca was heavy with anticipation.

  Carina thought back to the last time she had been in Mega London, in almost the exact same spot. Then, the sound of protests had lingered in the air, and the atmosphere had been thick with tension. Seduced and misled by Cyrus Duvall and his Human’s First cult, people had sleepwalked into Apophis’ trap, but now they were free of the God-King’s spell. That storm had passed.

  Or has it? Carina wondered. Perhaps we’re just in the eye of the hurricane, and another battering is waiting just around the corner.

  Carina heard two sets of footsteps approaching. One she recognized right away as belonging to her aunt, Admiral Krantz. The other, she guessed, belonged to a soldier from the controlled tempo and precise heel clack of the march. Turning around, Carina discovered she was correct. Krantz was being escorted by Ethan Lockwood, now Major Lockwood, after a recent promotion.

  Her aunt’s bodyguard waited a short distance away to avoid infringing upon the Admiral’s conversation. He remained watchful and vigilant, the soldier’s right hand hovering close to his sidearm. Now that the occupants of Fort Boudicca had been cured using Lyra’s reversion therapy, Carina didn’t anticipate any danger, but she liked that Lockwood wasn’t taking any chances.

  “This feels strangely familiar,” Krantz said, also peering out toward Big Ben, which had just finished chiming.

  “The difference is that this time, we’re both back in uniform as serving officers instead of as criminals and outcasts,” Carina replied.

  “I think I prefer it this way,” Krantz replied, flashing her eyes at her niece.

  “You and me both,” Carina said, speaking from the heart.

  Carina noticed that her aunt was still wearing the nano-fiber uniform designed by the Aternien artisans. She’d made a few modifications, mainly adding the numerous ribbons, pin insignias, and badges listing her military qualifications and accomplishments, but otherwise, it was the same.

  “That new uniform suits you,” Carina remarked. “And it also has the advantage of being able to stop a bullet or a particle blast.”

  “That is a welcome advantage, to be sure, but I’m wearing it because I prefer the fit,” Krantz replied. “In fact, when this is all over, I may commission Amenmose and Khemhotep to design uniforms for all Union personnel. I’m sure Cai and HARPER have the nano-tech nous to manufacture them.”

  “I’m sure they’d enjoy it too,” Carina replied. “Those two love cooking up new designs.”

  As she said this, Carina glanced at the Nexus Shard built into the bow of the Galatine, which was hovering menacingly above the HQ building.

  “How many ships could we spare for Operation Divide and Conquer?” Carina asked. Looking at the Galatine had reminded her that she would soon be flying into combat. “That’s a good name, by the way. Divide and Conquer…”

  “Thank you. I thought it had a nice ring to it,” her aunt replied.

  Operation Divide and Conquer alluded to the critical point of their planned assault on New Aternus. The objective was not to defeat the Aternien fleet and capture the planet. Rather, it was simply to divert the God-King’s attention away from the actual attack, which Carter and Monique would prosecute.

  “I’ve committed six-hundred and seventy ships to the assault,” Krantz replied, gripping the railings more tightly as she said this. “That’s everything we have. Adding the Aternien fleet gives us seven hundred and nineteen combat vessels.”

  Carina blew out a heavy sigh. It was a much stronger force than they could have hoped to field even a week ago, but she couldn’t help but feel deflated. Seven hundred and nineteen was less than half the number of ships that took part in Operation Serpent, and even then, the Union had been resoundingly outmatched.

  “The critical element will be ensuring our forces remain beyond the range of the Aternien Star Cannon network,” Krantz continued. “That alone could obliterate our entire fleet. We must draw the enemy to us, which will mitigate the overwhelming advantage of the Mesek-tet’s gamma burst weapon. Without the Star Cannons to feed it with energy, the immense destructive power of the Nexus Shard will be reduced.”

  Carina nodded along as Krantz spoke. They had already gone over the plan a hundred times, and no part of it needed saying again. She didn’t mind, though. Carina was reminded of how Carter always liked to run through their plans and strategies multiple times despite their augmented minds being incapable of forgetting even the most minor details. It was simply human nature to obsess over something so important.

  “Assuming Carter’s warp vision comes to pass, we’ll be facing a fleet of four hundred and ninety Aternien Khopesh and Eclipse warships,” Carina said. “Each of those is worth three of ours, especially since most of our fleet comprises older vessels.”

  “True, but a ship is only as good as the men and women who crew her,” Krantz replied. “And our will is stronger. We’re fighting for our survival as a species; you’d better believe that gives us an edge.”

  This had been said before, and nothing had changed. Even so, the atmosphere within the fleet felt different this time; more urgent, desperate even. When they attacked New Aternus during Operation Serpent, they were confident of victory, believing their plan to neutralize the Star Cannon network and then bomb Apophis to dust was foolproof. Instead, the God-King had made fools of them.

  This time, every man and woman crewing the six hundred and seventy ships about to embark on Operation Divide and Conquer knew they were facing impossible odds. They knew they were outnumbered and outgunned and that their only hope of survival rested on the shoulders of just two people, an Aternien and a post-human.

  Carina had read about the wars of Terra Prime’s past, and her thoughts dwelled on the soldiers in the trenches of World War One. Then, countless thousands of young men had stood in the cold and rain, waiting for the whistle that would send them ‘over the top’ and into the path of Nazi machine guns. Many of them would have known that they were likely charging to their deaths. And if the machine guns didn’t kill them, the relentless artillery bombardments and poison gas attacks might. Some succumbed to the diseases that spread in the germ-ridden trenches like wildfire. Millions had perished.

  Carina tried to put herself in their place but couldn’t possibly understand the horrors those soldiers had faced. Compared to the ordeal of trench warfare, Carina’s mission seemed trivial, yet the stakes were even higher. Had the soldiers in World War One failed, the Axis of Evil would have spread throughout the planet. Should she fail in her mission, humanity would be made extinct. It was do or die, and she wasn’t done living yet.

  “We can’t defeat the Aternien fleet, but we don’t have to,” Carina said, returning her thoughts to her mission. “All we have to do is keep the God-King’s eyes focused on the Galatine so that he doesn’t see Carter and Monique coming.”