-PROLOGUE-

The explosion hit the spacecraft hard. The hull pulled and buckled; the sirens screamed; the deck shook. The elderly captain of this vessel fell from his seat and onto the floor. When the vessel stopped shaking, he climbed to his feet. "Status!" he yelled to his crew, at least, what was left of them. All he heard back was sparks from broken wires overhead, what was the gentle hum of the engine turned into an erratic whir, and nothing else. He limped to the helm of his ship. The helmsmen was slumped over his post; his head was bloody and slightly caved in. Some debris fell on his head during the battle the captain thought. That was one of his lifelong best friends. The captain looked around what was left of his bridge-no one was left but him.

The captain sighed. From casualty reports he received during the battle, he knew he was the only one left alive onboard. Soon, he thought, soon the enemy will return, and they will finish what they've started. He sat down beside what used to be his friend and put his face in his hands. He thought about his long life thus far. Until the war, he'd thought he'd lived a pretty good one. His only wish he could see his beloved wife one last time…

The helmsman's consol flashed: a long range message was being received. The captain forced himself up. He tapped the button on the consol. A mechanical buzz began as a metallic circle descended from the ceiling to the deck, and a black holographic silhouette of a woman appeared before the captain.

"Captain Jones," said the figure. "Admiral," answered the captain. No one knew who the Admiral was, and no one had ever seen her in person, except for one person. "What's your current status?" asked the Admiral. "My ship was attacked by a single Ender cruiser. Most systems are offline, and I was the only survivor." The Admiral sighed and held her hand to her face. "I am sorry for your loss, Donovan. I know you were close to several members of your crew, but right now I have a mission for you. You must begin Operation Prevention Zulu." "You must be joking!" Captain Jones scoffed, "Surely there's someone more fit for this than an elderly man who's just lost all his friends and crew!" The Admiral sighed again. "There isn't, Donovan. The Martian Headquarters was attacked. I was the only survivor, and the USS Baked Bean Fort was attacked and destroyed; all hands were lost. We are the only two humans left alive."

The captain had no idea what to say. How do you even begin to comprehend that you are one of the last humans? He knew he had to complete the mission. "I'll do it. My ship's time drive is offline, but the transporter time machine is still operational."

"Captain Donovan Jones… you are humanity's last hope. Godspeed, captain." Jones stood at attention, maybe for the last time and saluted. "Aye, ma'am," he responded.

The hologram went away, and Captain Jones limped his way off the bridge, down the hall, and into the time transport room. He had a feeling this was going to be a one way trip, a suicide mission, but it was worth it; for all of humanity is at stake. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of a woman: his wife. "Jane, my darling," he said to the photo of the middle aged girl with red hair and purple eyes that was taken so many years ago. "Maybe in the new timeline, this war won't happen, and we'll get to grow old together."

He put the picture down on a console for the time transporter. He typed in the temporal coordinates for sometime in the early 2010's. He walked toward the transporter when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a gold disc with buttons on it. It was the mobile time transporter. Deciding to take it, he put it on his belt. He said the command to begin transport. He felt dizzy; the normal transporter made him sick, and the time transporter was no better in his eye. He lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he was on the grass on Earth next to a road. Two men stood above him. They were clad in light blue robes with badges that said, "POLICE." "Got any ID, bud?" asked the one with the beard. His blonde partner stood in solemn silence. "My name is Captain Donovan Jones. I am from the future. I am a member of the Temporal Defence League. My job is to stop the Ender Wars."