A/N: Note that this chapter does contain the preview in it. The preview has been changed to stay consistent with story. Thanks for the understanding. Cpt. Ritter

A/N: Thanks Wirespeed, nodikus, and Captain of the GTVA for your reviews. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Amy and Louis flew side by side, down into the atmosphere of Delta Serpentis IV. Amy spotted Chris' house easily. It was surrounded by a shield, with the only checkpoint being guarded by Vasudan soldiers. She set her fighter down just outside the shield.

Chris and Anya were waiving. Amy released the canopy on her fighter and climbed out, leaving her helmet in the cockpit. She joined Louis as they walked over towards Chris and Anya. The four briefly exchanged hugs and hand shakes.

"Come on." Chris said. "Let's head inside." He led them through the checkpoint and into the house. He stopped in the living room. "How have you two been?"

"We've been doing great." Louis said. "As long as your talking about the two of us, not what's been going on in the fleet."
"Are you talking about the rebellion in Regulus?" Anya asked.

"It's not just a rebellion." Amy said. "It's a religious purge of the impure."

"That sound bad just from that." Chris said.

"We saw some video clip from the Polaris News Service. They basically buried the Vasudans in liquid metal."

"Oh god." Anya said, her hand going instinctively to her heart.

"It gets worse." Louis said. "SOC is trying to get intel, so the fleets aren't going in, not yet anyway."

"Typical GTVSA." Chris said. "Either of you want something to drink."
"Got any good wine?" Louis asked, Amy just nodded.

"Last vintage bottle out of France, before Earth was sealed off. Been saving it for a rainy day." As if on cue, rain began to fall outside. Chris went to get the wine.

"Anya, I heard your parents paid you a visit." Amy said.

"Yeah." Anya replied hesitantly.

"If you don't want to talk about it, just say so."

"No, it's just something that stings. I saw the hate in their eyes. They hate me, they hate my brother."

"Who by the way, just made ace last week." Louis added.

"I got the triple ace for times over." Anya replied. "It's great to know he's doing so well."

"You had to do it with an ancient Ulysses fighter and outdated weapons. I think he's still got a long way to go."

"How are those Jade interceptors treating you?" Chris asked, handing a glass to each of them and pouring red wine into them.

"Like a beauty." Louis said. "They're fast as hell, pack a punch, and have a spacious cockpit."
"Spacious?" Chris laughed. "I remember when we had to cram ourselves in cockpits. Am I really that old?"
"Nah." Amy said. "We just flew the outdated contraptions that made it look like we were twenty years or more in the past." The whole group laughed.

Chris took a sip from his wine. "Guess I never thought of it that way."

"Either way, we're still old."

Amy woke with a scream. She was covered in sweat and her covers were tangled all around her. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Failing that, she got up and walked to the woman's bathroom. She turned on the water, cupped a large amount of it in her hands, and splashed it against her face.

The water was cold, easily allowing her to cool down using it. Nothing however, could stop her heart from racing. Sure, she'd seen acts of senseless violence before, but nothing like that, nothing so gruesome. She walked back to her bed, in her own small cabin.

She quickly changed into a fresh pair of pants and a tee shirt. She then sat on her bed, trying to calm down. A knock on the door signaled Louis' arrival. She stood up and opened it.

"You alright?" He asked, his tone serious.

"Yeah." She replied, slipping in his embrace. "I can't get it out of my head."

"Want to join us."

"What?"
"Jack, Sydney, and I have been playing cards for the last hour. We can't sleep either."

"Sure." She reached up and kissed Louis. "Thanks for being here."

"What are friends for, besides kinky... well, you know?"

Amy laughed. "Yeah, you know."

The rest of the night was quiet, with more and more members of the squadron joining the card game in the lobby area near their quarters. This was what made the Swords who they were. The only exception was Ben, who staunchly objected to the idea.

"Your assignment for today is simple." Admiral Sean Loyde said. "Alpha wing will be on the first patrol, Beta and Gamma are on standby."

"Don't tell me." Louis said. "Four hour patrol."

"One Louis. We're not back in Alpha Centauri. We're obviously not expecting anything out of the ordinary, but we have to be on our guard."

"Any news about Regulus?" Amy asked.

"More of the same. Luckily, they've run out of Vasudans to kill. Several transports escaped the system, escorted by a group of Shivan fighters and a Lucifer Destroyer."

"So... no more Vasudans or Shivans are in the system?" Jack asked.

"That's correct Jack. The Shivans have deployed to more battle groups, as have we. We're stretched pretty thin right now, but hopefully, this is the only problem we'll have for a while. Now get down to the flight deck, your Jade Interceptors are waiting."

The swords filed out.

Amy shot out of the newly installed side launch tubes on the Fire Dawn. She was quickly joined by Louis, Jack, and Sydney. The four of them formed a diamond formation and began their slow patrol.

While Louis and Jack were arguing about nothing, Amy took to admiring the sights of the massive portal. It was huge. She weaved her squadron between the various construction ships. The Knossos was built from a combination of Terran, Vasudan, and now Shivan parts.

The outer hulls were silver, highlighted by the bright sun of Delta Serpentis. Deep lines, massive power cables, pulsed red. The Shivans had solved the problem of powering an object so massive that it dwarfed the Colossus in power requirements.

Two Shivan Azrael transports were currently docked with one of the Terran mobile construction camps. They were transferring basic building supplies. Amy pulled her group back so that they were in no danger of collision.

"I still flinch when I see Shivan ships." Sydney said.

"We all do." Amy replied.

"I don't!" Louis boasted.

"That's because you never flinched before!" Jack replied. "You stupidly found the Shivans funny."

Amy resisted the urge to snap back. The Shivans had killed her brother. It was something she still hadn't forgiven them for. Her brother had been so young, so hopelessly arrogant and proud. She wished she had come out of her shell sooner. He had always been there for her.

She turned her group around, heading for their second way point, back at the Fire Dance. The three majestic destroyers were arranged in a line, their support fleet of four Aeolus, four Deimos, and one Saphah frigate, the Stalwart, surrounding them. She was proud, proud to be a member of the fleet that had received the heroes of the GTVA award.

Her sensors pinged as two more transports entered the area. She quickly targeted them, two Stasis freighters. She glanced down at the cargo, her sensors read as unknown. "Fire Dawn." She said into her radio. "Are you reading two Stasis freighters that aren't transmitting a cargo manifest."

"Yeah Amy." Admiral Sean Loyde replied. "Go scan them, we're instructing them to stand down for inspection."

"Roger." Amy led her wing closer to the freighters. "Jack, inspect the second vessel. I've got the first... HOLY CRAP!" She yelled the last to words as flak guns opened fire on her.

"Not fair!" Louis added. "Stasis freighters aren't supposed to have flak guns."

"Fire Dawn, a little help here."

"This is the Stalwart," the Stalwart's commander began, "we're moving to engage... stand clear." The Stalwart fired it primary beams, cutting each transport in two neat chunks. "Threats have been neutralized."

Suddenly, a massive Typhon destroyer exited subspace, right on top of them. "This is the Hammer of Light." It transmitted. "We preach your doom."

"What the hell?" Louis asked.

Just as suddenly, explosions began to wrack through the Knossos construction yard. The entire yard was soon in flames. Explosions and shock waves forced Amy to take her wing away. The Typhon entered subspace during the confusion.

"What the hell is going on?" Amy asked the Fire Dawn.

"We'd love to know Amy." Sean Loyde replied. "For now, we're deploying the rest of your wing and we're contacting GTVSA command. We're in trouble."

"That's putting it mildly." Sydney said.

"I think it's time to call Chris and Anya back into service." Jack added.

"We're going to need them."

Definitely. Amy thought to herself. We're definitely going to need Chris and Anya, Gordon and Franz, and RaNah and Nick.