A/N: Thanks for your review WireSpeed and here is your only warning. This chapter is rather graphic and has some heavy language. Inform me if you think the rating isn't enough.

Amy heard Louis let out a victory yell as he blasted another pirate Hercules fighter. She couldn't help but smile. She was currently engaged with another Hercules of her own, but she wasn't having difficulty. She was simply toying with her target. It was slow, incredibly so.

She fired a pair of shots into it's weakened rear shield, her Kayser blasting straight through. It lacked enough armor plating to withstand another hit. She fired twice more. It's engines exploded, blasting the fighter into pieces.

She pulled up and away, rejoining her squadron of Jade interceptors. The Jade interceptor was a brand new design resembling the Perseus but with two additional engines. It was being field tested by the 77th Swords, her squadron. She still didn't feel like it was her squadron though, it would always be Chris's.

The pirate wing had been eradicated easily. They were flying substandard fighters with outdated equipment. They had been fighting an elite squadron in the GTVSA.

A wing of Nahema bombers passed by, heading home. She resisted the urge to engage. It had been a year since the Shivans had joined the GTVA, but it was still awkward to be fighting with them.

"This is Aries squadron." The lead Nahema transmitted. "Returning to base."

"Good luck Aries." Amy transmitted, just as the Nahema's entered subspace. "Alright Swords, let's head home." She transmitted the coordinates to her squadron, then they headed home as well.

Less than a minute later, they arrived at the Knossos construction sight. It was their base of operations. Hold position near the gate was the GTD Fire Dawn, the GTD Fire Dance, and the GTD Fire Dusk. The SD Malak, a Ravana class destroyer, patrolled the entrance vectors for the area.

She dialed down her sensor range to reduce the number of sensor contacts on her sensor board. The Knossos construction sight employed thousands of contractors and millions of workers, all working in small construction vessels. Even more robots aided in the construction process.

Her job was relatively simple. Enjoy the peace of an easy assignment and watch the construction of the largest construction project ever. The Shivans had cut the estimated construction time in half and were providing an immense amount of labor for the project.

She flew into the launch bay of the GTD Fire Dawn, setting down gently. She pulled her helmet off and set it on the console in front of her. She then shook her head, letting her golden brown hair fall gently to her shoulder. She popped her canopy and climbed out.

Mechanics and technicians swarmed her fighter. She ignored them, getting swept into a embrace by Louis. She returned it. "Three kills?" She asked.

"Four actually." He replied, a smug grin on his face. "You?"

"Just one, but I played with him for a while."

He lead her out of the hanger, towards the squadron briefing room. "Have you talked to Chris and Anya yet."

"Yeah. I did as soon as Kyle got back with the news. They said dinner was still on."

"That's great, but it makes you wonder. Who'd have a grudge against Chris and Anya, they're heroes."

"Heroes make great targets for terrorists, but with the local militia guarding them, they'll be fine." They sat down in the briefing room. Amy noticed the files on each of their desks. The files were marked 'DO NOT OPEN' in big red letters.

The rest of the squadron slowly filed in, still feeling joyous from their recent victory. Jack and Sydney joined Amy and Louis in their row of desks. Kira Hanson, the recently chosen leader of Beta wing, an imposing woman with short red-brown hair, sat down behind Amy. Emily Hanestock, Kira's wingman and best friend was a fail looking girl with long blond hair that fell below her shoulders. Kyle Mitchell and his wingman, Mike Cunningham finished the row. Mike was a heavy set pilot, but was made primarily of muscle.

Complementing Gamma wing were Hans Ferganan, Kayle Yersban, Marissa Gilbertson, and Ben Able. Hans was a dark man, with two almost yellow eyes. He didn't talk much and it was rumored that he was a former NTF traitor. They were rumors, nothing more. Kayle was similar, with jet black hair and almost black eyes. She was calm, quiet, and lethally proficient in her job. Marissa was a cheery person, with navy blue hair, dark blue eyes, and a matching flight suit. Ben was a straight up GTVSA recruit, fresh out of the GTVSA. His hair was military regulations short and he fit the description of the ideal candidate for an elite squadron.

Admiral Sean Loyde entered the room quietly and assumed a position at the head of the room. He clasped his hands behind his back before speaking. "First off, I want to say you twelve did a great job out there. That mission was perfect and there are absolutely no complaints I can give."
He paused. "The second part of this is a bit more serious. You can open the files on your desk now." He waited as they began to open their respective files. "In them is an information packet on the NTF. As of yesterday, a rogue group of GTA ships, under the command of an Admiral Jack Nault, seized control of the Regulus system. We're not sure about the details yet, but it's clear he has control of both jump nodes out of Regulus."

He used a small keypad to call up the first briefing slide. "We're moving the Terran 5th Fleet and the Vasudan 1st Fleet into Polaris. The Shivan 2nd and 3rd fleet will be stationed in Sirius. The Terran 6th Fleet, that's us, will be held in reserve. We don't know the size of Admiral Nault's fleet, but it appears to be smaller than a standard battle group. As of this moment our orders will remain the same, defend the Knossos subspace portal here in Delta Serpentis."

"Are those fleets going to enter the system?" Emily asked.

"No, not yet anyway. SOC wants a more detailed picture. To that end, I'd guess they're doing a number of covert operations in that system. The GTVSA's only goal right now, is to keep them from escaping. We want the advantage when we enter the system."

Admiral Sean Loyde shifted, then called up the next slide. "Nault made a general broadcast after he secured the system, listen."

He stepped aside and hit another button on the keypad. Admiral Nault's voice suddenly boomed over the speakers, like a god to his worshipers. "Terrans, for years you've co inhabited your worlds with aliens, first Vasudans and now the Shivans themselves. The Shivans!" Nault spat the words. "They destroyed countless of our worlds in their blind crusade. They killed millions of human lives. They are unpure!" Nault was yelling. "From this day forward, let no human ever trust another alien. From this day forward, let no human ever consort with alien powers. From this day forward, let us start the purge which will make the galaxy pure once more. From this throne, Emperor Jack Nault watches over you. Go forth, and purify the galaxy."

"He's a fucking psycho!" Louis yelled.

"Fucking psycho or not. He's real." Admiral Sean Loyde flipped to the next slide. "He's using a sort of religious crusade ideal to gather followers, and you'd be amazed as to how many he's gathered. They are also willing to go to great lengths. We got this video from the Polaris news service, which has, or had, a branch in Regulus. I'll warn you, this video is not pretty." He hit a button and the video played.

A lone Vasudan was cornered by a group of humans. The humans carried shotguns, pistols, knives and any assortment of weapons. The Vasudan was scarred, terrified. He warbled something that wasn't translated. Then the humans grabbed him, dragging him back down the street, towards a growing pit. The Vasudan struggled, trying to escape, but only had his hand cut off in reply. Blood spilled unchecked from the wound.

Emily and Marissa got up, leaving the room, both looking pale.

The Vasudan was tossed into the pit, where hundreds of his fellow Vasudans were also crammed. Humans stood guard around the perimeter, sporting automatic weapons, high powered shotguns, and the works. A large basin around the pit began filling with liquid metal, molten liquid metal. The crowds surrounding the pit cheered.

A single man in blood stained white robes walked to a raised platform just beyond the pit.

"The impure shall be purged and by the light of the fire, the chosen shall be lifted up and exalted in heaven."

The crowds cheered again.

"From this hallow ground, a new begging shall be forged. A vision of a celestial temple in the sky. A fountain of youth, a fountain of life for all humanity."

The crowds cheered and began to chant. "Death to the impure, death to the impure."

The basin had a retaining wall on one side. The molten metal began to overflow, and there was only one place it could, into the pit. The Vasudans stepped away from the edge, crowding in the center. A quiet chant began to form among them. They knew their fate. They knew they couldn't escape it. All that awaited them was death.

The crowds chanting increased as muffled cries began to escape the pit. The motel metal slowing filled up the pit. It only stopped, when the only trace of the massacre was a pool of molten metal. The crowds cheered and continued to chant.

"Know that you are the chosen, and that your acts bring us closer to blessed salvation."

Admiral Sean Loyde turned it off.

"Fucking bastards." Louis said, unable to hide the disgust in his voice.

"They just..." Kayle couldn't find the words.

"This is a horrible atrocity." Admiral Sean Loyde said. "And that doesn't even begin to describe it, but you saw the fervor, people believe it. They honestly think they're going to some blessed afterlife for doing this. That wasn't the only one either. Initial reports from SOC indicate that there are hundreds of these pits on the various planets in the Regulus system. Now... go try and get some rest. I felt that you deserved to know about what was happening."

Amy stood to leave. She couldn't clear her head. The images would continue to play for some time. No one was going to get any sleep that night.