Hours in a deep sleep had left Jason's eyes uncomfortable and unsettled as they opened for the first time. After eventually adjusting to the unfamiliar environment he realised that his eyes had overreacted to what was a dimmed overhead light.

Looking around he examined the medical device tightly attached to his wrist. Data flashed upon it as he moved, but despite his skin angrily reacting to his movements, none of the data appeared out of the ordinary.

"You might want to keep your movements to a minimum, the effects of the stun grenade can be quite uncomfortable." a voice to his side commented.

Jason recalled the stun grenade as it floated and exploded just a few feet away from him. He recalled how it messed with his nerve endings and caused havoc to his senses. The feeling of breathlessness and the burning excruciating pain coursing through his lungs flooded back into his mind leaving him almost paralysed, before the injection from Aurora brought a dreamless but satisfying heavy sleep to leave him in the position he lay now.

That was when he recognised the calm and composed voice of the woman who sat next to him "Aurora?" he asked feeling a sense of restoration knowing she was so close.

"Yep, it's me, Jason," she commented flippantly.

Guilt washed over Jason as he started to piece together the events of the last forty-eight hours. As per his plan, Elijah Turner had organised the capture of the transport and the liberation of Jason and the other prisoners on the vessel. It was a gutsy move that would cost Turner his career within the USM and if he had failed, it would have likely caused him and Jason to be shipped to Io or worse.

What Jason hadn't counted on, was Turner's recruitment of Aurora.

"Why are you here?" Jason croaked.

Springing up from her seat like a viper, Aurora was immediately in Jason's face, her anger sprawled all over her expression.

"Why am I here? Seriously? Are you deliberately trying to press my buttons?" she asked, almost preparing to slap him into submission until she recalled that he was still recovering from the grenade and injection.

Jason realised that if there was ever a time for redemption, this was it, yet he also didn't want to condone her recklessness. "I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have brought you into this."

"God, spare me your righteous crap!" rebuked Aurora, folding her arms in utter disgust at his comments. "My choices are my own, they are not determined by you."

Even now, Jason had always wanted to protect Aurora, but for the first time, he had embraced the truth. He was not protecting her, Aurora was protecting him, and despite all his abilities and confidence, it was she who had always been by his side, saving him from himself, until he turned his back on her when she needed him most.

"Truly, I'm sorry, I have not treated you right."

Aurora refused to respond, a grimace appearing on her face as the apology descended upon her. "I'm glad you're well," she said standing to her feet, desperate not to show the level of anger that plagued her mind, and without looking in his direction she continued, "and I'm sorry for your loss," before stepping away.

Jason tried to raise himself from his bed to stop Aurora from leaving, but the pain was too much to focus on both tasks and before he was upright, Aurora had briskly walked out of the confined space he found himself in, leaving Jason with his thoughts of redemption and guilt.

Positioning himself so he could relax upright in his bed, he took a look outside of the small window by his bedside. He was greeted by the dark endless abyss of the unknown, and the stars that he examined did not form a constellation that he recognised.

Stretching his extremities he forced the pain on his nerve endings to dissipate allowing him to gain greater movement and dexterity. With each movement, it hurt immeasurably, but with every action, the pain lessened and before long his fingers, hands and arms were moving with much more freedom.

"Performing your exercises?" a deep voice could be heard from the entrance of the room.

Jason turned his head towards Turner as his big hulking muscular figure eclipsed the doorway. "Yeah, thanks for the stun grenade!"

Turner chuckled as he entered the room, "It was the most efficient way to incapacitate the guards."

Jason frowned as he watched his friend enter "Why did you recruit Aurora? Do you know what she has lost now!?" he reacted bitterly.

Turner's large dark-skinned biceps wrapped around themselves like epic tree trunks and a small scowl flashed across his face. "First of all, I didn't recruit her, she volunteered. Second, I actively discouraged her from taking part, yet she knew the consequences and was eager to be involved."

"How did she know what we were planning?" Jason reacted.

"There's something much larger going on than you realise Scharn, something which Pendergast has been involved in for some time."

That was when the penny dropped. Aurora was aware of Operation Rebirth too. Jason had no idea what her involvement was compared to his, but he was foolish to think that only he could save the Human Confederate from itself. His arrogance had blinded him from the truth that he may be the Raven Knight, but he was not the only piece on the gaming board.

"Are you fit to get up?" Turner asked.

Jason gingerly swung his legs around, bracing himself for the sharp pains he would feel as he placed his legs on the floor. As he struggled to his feet, he could see that Turner wanted to help him, but knew it would be futile to do so.

Pushing himself against the pain and helplessness that he was feeling, Jason started to get frustrated with himself. Then at that moment, he felt like he was no longer in his body as he spoke to Turner "Can you assist me?"

Turned was as shocked as Jason as the words flowed from his mouth, but almost instantly, he reacted, pulling Jason to his feet and holding him as he took his first few steps. With each step, Jason's muscles loosened, and walking became easier. Before long he was able to proceed normally and Turner took the lead through the vessel that they walked through.

His pride may have taken a hit, but Jason couldn't deny the benefit of having his friend assist him for even a short time.

Stepping into the corridor of the vessel had caught Jason by surprise. Its smooth, rounded corridors seem to meld together as windows on one side released the expansive view of the unknown while lights ran up along the side of the walls contrasting beautifully with the darkness of space. The semi-reflective walls and ceilings with calming blue lights streaming along their edges seemed to bring an element of science fiction to Jason as he had never seen architecture like this before.

Turner could see his sense of astonishment, confounded even further when a military frigate ascended gracefully in front of the window.

Jason stopped, staring at its smooth dark hull, its graceful exterior hid its various forms of death as its gun ports were closed, but the metallic grooves were enough to show Jason that it was no standard frigate. It banked casually away from the window, almost making the need to compensate for the lack of gravity seem effortless, as small spurts of steam expelled throughout various positions on its hull.

Watching the two large housings of its FTL drives glow on either side of the main hull brought a sense of insignificance to Jason, but it also brought a profound appreciation of the engineering ingenuity that had developed what appeared to be one of the most advanced warships that he had ever seen.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" Turner exclaimed, knowing that Jason was feeling similar emotions that he had experienced just a few days before.

"What is it? It looks spectacular."

"That is the USM frigate Sir Galahad, one of three new Lancer-class frigates. The Lancer's are larger than the well known Eagle-class frigates, but they are far more manoeuvrable, house a better shielding system and have almost twice the firepower." Turner smiled as he displayed his newfound knowledge.

"How have we not heard of them until now?"

"Not just them," exclaimed Turner.

Continuing down the corridors, Turner spoke to Jason, "There are some things I will tell you, but there are others things better said by the person in charge. We currently sit on a space station orbiting the seventh moon of Freya."

"So we're still in Alpha Centauri?" Jason asked.

"For the time being, though there are rumours that we may move. There's a very high chance that the war could spill over here, and as hardly anyone in the USM knows this place exists, it's unlikely that we would receive help if the Ceti's sent a large enough attack force. That being said," Turner paused as he pointed to a vessel in the distance.

Jason stopped but could not speak as he saw a much larger vessel in the distance. The architecture was similar to the Sir Galahad, but its structure was more built for housing much smaller ships. It appeared to be a carrier, but if Jason was not mistaken, the USM Athena, whom he was quite familiar with, would be dwarfed by this new vessel.

"That is the USM Carrier Zulfiqar, an Excalibur class carrier. Nearly three times larger than the Olympus carriers and rumour has it that it is fitted with wormhole technology similar to what the Ceti's have on their capital ships." Turner explained, pride filling his voice as he continued to walk along the corridor.

"A ship like that could change the course of the war!" Jason exclaimed as they both stepped through a sliding door into the station command centre.

"One, no, but three..." as they stepped into a brightened room with a large hexagonal command centre in the middle, Jason smiled as he recognised the voice that had interjected into their conversation. Looking towards the smile behind the bushy moustache and the joy-filled eyes that accompanied them, Jason basked himself in relief as he never thought he would see him again. General Vladimir Proviski.

"Vladimir! Uh, sorry, I mean General." Jason celebrated, briefly forgetting his place in the excitement.

Proviski refused to rebuke him, instead of moving around the table to embrace him tightly, "It's good to see you my boy, alive and well."

"Likewise," Jason replied.

"The Zulfiqar is one of three carriers that I had commissioned to be built, privately, approximately five years ago. The Zulfiqar is the closest to completion, while the Excalibur had to be dismantled and transported, in parts, to the Bernard's Star system, along with her sister Durendal. Along with them, I have also commissioned an additional ten Lancer-Class frigates, eight Typhoon-Class destroyers, three Titan-Class cruisers and the Dreadnought, a battlecruiser." explained Proviski.

"And how have you kept it a secret?" Jason asked.

"Even though they have the USM abbreviation, they are not commissioned by the Miltary. They have been commissioned by private contractors who, along with me, identified the potential threats within our government and military. It is inevitable that, with General von Striken at the helm, he will gain complete control throughout the Human Confederate and if we did not act there will be no resistance to his supremacy. Even with this knowledge, we underestimated his resolve and intelligence. We began constructing these ships a year or two too late."

Jason frowned, "So you were willing to start a civil war, were it not for our intergalactic war that has turned our lives upside down?"

"Don't be foolish, Jason," Proviski reacted harshly, "we are in a civil war already, that is what you have been fighting alongside an intergalactic war, the only difference is that the war we fight is currently in the shadows."

Jason looked towards the floor, concerned by the truth behind his words.

"I had hoped not to fire our weapons on our people, however, we may not be left with a choice. For months I have devised various means to expose those who cause us harm, and until now, all have been unsuccessful." Proviski explained. "You and Jacqueline uncovered a gold mine of data, and now we have to retrieve it."

"That gold mine cost Jacqueline her life." Jason scorned Proviski.

A sadness appeared behind Vladimir's eyes, something that Jason had never seen in him before. "Jacqueline, the Duchess Heissenberger and almost you," he reacted.

It then dawned on Jason what had happened. The Duchess Heissenberger was one of Proviski's agents, tasked with gathering and storing the damning information against General von Striken until the time was right to expose him.

"You knew the Duchess would be executed by Jacqueline?" Jason asked callously.

"You believe me heartless?" Proviski replied, "then you'll believe me more heartless when I tell you I have eight similar operations on the go right now. Yours has been the only one successful so far. Yet while you mourn Donnelly, I mourn the Duchess, who I knew would have to be eventually killed by one of my agents. All that drives me is the knowledge that it is for the greater good."

Jason stood looking towards the floor once again, before seeing the blonde figure of Aurora standing in the corner of the room, overhearing the proceedings.

He felt conflicted, angry at Proviski's callousness, yet proud to have been instrumental in the next stage of the fight. Yet the thought that plagued his mind more than anything else, was what would he have done were he in his position. As he looked towards Aurora, examining the cloned leg that had replaced her lost one on Loki, he realised that he was no different. He would sacrifice the one for the many, to ensure freedom for the people even if it meant the death of those close to him or even his own life.

"So what's next?" Jason asked as he glanced back towards Vladimir.

"We must gather that data, then we must assimilate that data and expose it. Once the people hear the truth and the lust for war dissipates, then we can remove those who are exposed and those who are currently invulnerable will be made vulnerable so we will deal with them."

Jason had forgotten how Proviski's rousing speeches had always got him riled up and passionate about the cause. He felt an excitement that he had not experienced for some time and now he was ready to act upon it.

"So what now, Raven Knight?" Proviski asked, seeing the passion behind Jason's eyes being ignited.

Jason smiled towards Aurora, the same smile he flashed at her many times while in the underground of Europa. As a twinkle could be seen in her eyes, Jason moved towards the command centre and studied the three main star systems of the Human Confederate, the Solar System, Alpha Centauri and Bernard's Star. Zooming into Bernard's Star he pointed at it, encouraging Proviski to divert his attention toward it.

"If there is any place that we can find the data, it will be the backwater system of Bernard's Star, specifically the planet Khepri. Its lawlessness will be ideal to find the data while remaining relatively incognito, but the stakes are higher now. Von Striken and his compatriots will know something is afoot, especially after I was captured from the transport. Things are going to become even more volatile than they were before." Jason explained.

"Agreed, which is why this fleet will be preparing for the worst. Like a rogue battalion, we will rain fire on the conspirators who wish to bring harm to the human race." Proviski responded before slamming the table, "Prepare my shuttle for transport to the Zulfiqar immediately and signal the fleet to prepare for jump to the Bernard's Star system."

As if the universe had stopped briefly, the call from Proviski's instructions had burst everyone in the room to life.

Proviski turned towards Jason once more, a chuckle bellowing from his large belly, "You are now the tip of my spear Raven Knight, prepare to leave for the Sir Galahad, she is your ship now and you have complete autonomy to do what needs to be done to bring all conspirators to justice. Captain Deschamps is already prepared for your arrival."

Jason felt confused by what was going on, his own frigate to command was something he had never expected to happen and as the plump figure of Major General Vladimir Proviski stepped towards him, placing his hands on Jason's shoulder, the next words that exhaled from Proviski's mouth was something he had never expected.

"Lieutenant Jason Scharn," Proviski started, "as we are still members of the United Solar Military and have not been officially discharged, by the power vested in me I hereby give you a battlefield commission to the rank of Colonel. Prepare to move to the Sir Galahad for FTL jump, plan your next steps, your team, and do what needs to be done for the good of the Human Confederate."

Jason had heard of battlefield promotions, but completely skipping the rank of Captain and Major entirely was unexpected and rarely ever experienced.

He knew his task, he knew what was required, now he just needed to ensure that he had the right people around to achieve it. "Sir, as my first request as Colonel, may I have Major Elijah Turner and Sergeant Aurora Pendergast under my charge?"

Swinging around as if already focused on the next task, Proviski nonchalantly commented, "Granted, now get moving, time is of the essence."

Jason saluted and turned for the exit, while the veteran figures of Turner and Aurora followed him out almost immediately.

Standing by the window staring towards Freya's seventh satellite he focused moved away from the impressive ingenuity of the USM Zulfiqar, instead immediately settling on the USM Sir Galahad. It was nowhere near as impressive as the Zulfiqar, nowhere near as deadly, but it was his ship.

"Beautiful ship, and now she's yours," the booming voice of Elijah Turner commented as he leant to the side of Jason.

"That she is," Jason replied, admiring her sleek, glistening darkened hull, "I'm sorry, I should have spoken to you before assigning you to my team."

Turner chuckled before watching Aurora stand at Jason's opposite side, "What for, that you have gone my subordinate to my commanding officer? Who do you think General Proviski asked to give you a reference?" he smiled, "as I said, I'd follow you anywhere Colonel Scharn."

Jason chuckled as he heard the new title attached to his name but was immediately filled with joy when hearing it from his Blue Raven friend.

Turning to Aurora, he was immediately greeted with a smile, "Of cause I'm happy to be under your command," she commented almost flippantly, "Colonel."

Jason felt uneasy having his closest friends calling him it, but once again, a sense of pride filled his heart. "I'm not sure if I can, but I will engage in discussions with the General to have you given a commission and the rank of Captain."

Aurora shook her head, "You know I'm not interested in that sort of thing," she commented, turning towards the haze that was being created by the Alpha Centauri stars on the satellite's surface.

"I do, yet I need those I can trust around me. Donnelly had me, and it wasn't enough, I will need both of you for what lies ahead. Not just to save me from the enemy, but to save me from myself. We are about to start a war on two fronts, and sometimes I may have to make decisions that are a direct threat to the people we swore to protect."