A/N Thanks to everyone who reads and/or reviews this! I might not be able to update every day as I've got university to deal with but I'll try to get updates up as often as possible.

Timothy stared at himself in the full-length mirror, a slight frown appearing between his eyes. The mirror reflected almost all of the tiny, grey room he stood in.

Stuck to the back of the bathroom door, it showed a single bed, hard and unyielding, and a small wardrobe built into the wall. The bathroom itself wasn't much bigger. The toilet was practically in the shower.

Cramped quarters were to be expected, though, and it wasn't as if he'd be spending much time here. At least he got the room to himself.

Timothy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It had been a decade since he last wore this uniform and it was ... disturbing, how familiar it still felt. The uniform was jet black with thin lines of red piping along the arms and legs and the Stars emblem also in red where the chest pocket should be.

It was made from a very advanced fabric they called Mesh, designed to adapt to the wearer's surroundings; keeping heat in or out as needed. Light, with a hard outside covering, it was supposed to be fireproof, waterproof and bulletproof - though Timothy had seen far too many of his men gunned down to feel particularly safe.

Still, being back in uniform was oddly affirming. Like slipping on a second skin or, more accurately, taking off an uncomfortable disguise.

The four stars of his rank glinted in the soft overhead light. Up here in the silent vacuum of space, Generals fought on the front lines along with their troops and were chosen for their skill in the field. A good General would always put their troops' safety ahead of their own and boardroom meetings were reserved for the kind of big decisions Timothy still had nightmares about.

He had served in the last true interstellar conflict, which had begun only months after his first deployment. A green and frightened newbie barely out of basic training, he had caught the attention of Base Command during the earliest battles. Seeing something promising in him, the shadowy figures who made those decisions had assigned him to Harriet's unit.

The Hotton war began as a small-scale conflict between two unremarkable planets in a solar system 2000 light years from Earth. The Unified Interstellar Peace Force hadn't taken too much notice, at least not until the Hotton forces wiped out Sythia's entire army in one attack and turned their fury on neighbouring systems.

The war had been brutal and for a long time Hotton, their weaponry far more advanced than the Peace Force had thought, were winning. That couldn't last, of course, against the might of an army with soldiers from almost every advanced civilisation in the Milky Way galaxy. Hotton eventually began to fall.

The fighting went on for four Earth years but to Timothy, dragged along with Harriet into the constantly shifting maelstrom of space-time, it was closer to sixty.

Under her unique brand of leadership, he had risen swiftly through the ranks to become a very well respected soldier.

Shortly after making General, he had been called from the front lines and faced with a terrible decision. So terrible, he could not live with himself after giving the order. This was why he left active service and fled back to Earth, seeking a position where he would not be the one in charge.

Shaking himself out of these memories, Timothy headed for the door. General Kinoan, a very good friend from his early days of service, had left a message to meet on the observation deck. Kinoan was the head of the Diplomatic Branch of UIPF, sent into volatile situations to try to avert all-out war. They had worked together on many occasions and there was no one, in the entire universe, Timothy trusted more.

The observation deck on the Lunar Orbiter, Earth's primary defence station, was a massive glass window that offered stunning views of the planet below. Timothy stood, frozen in place, staring down at the blue and white ball hanging in space, deceptively close. He had forgotten how awe-inspiring this sight was.

"Quite something, isn't it?" A deep, warm voice sounded behind him. Timothy grinned widely. He would recognise Kinoan's voice anywhere.

Spinning round, he pulled his friend in for a hearty hug. It was a bit difficult; General Kinoan was over eight feet tall. Completely bald, with dark red skin and three eyes, he came from a planet called Joscial Ax whose people were renowned for their hospitality and charisma. Really, they were the perfect diplomats.

"Kinoan," Timothy said happily. "How have you been?"

"Very well, my friend. I have missed our talks, however." His voice was rich and kind and Timothy felt immediately more relaxed. Kinoan was in charge of pretty much everything on the Lunar Orbiter; as a General in the Diplomatic Branch he went into the field less than Timothy.

"So have I. It's been a while."

"Ten years," Kinoan agreed. Apart from his height, skin colour and third eye, he was roughly human in appearance. "A lifetime."

"Captain Mason said a century." Time wasn't fixed, up here, especially during war time when everything was torn apart.

"Captain Mason convinced Olso to give her a Shifter," Kinoan said with a note of disapproval. "She's been running wild ever since. Poor man's terrified of her."

"Most people are," Timothy sighed. "And it only gets worse the better you know her. Seeing her in my apartment wasn't the best way to end a day."

Kinoan nodded gravely. "I apologise for the abrupt intrusion, my friend, but something has come up."

"What's going on, Kinoan?" Timothy asked. They would not have recalled him if the situation was not desperate.

"We are not sure," the alien admitted. "Not for certain. But whatever it is, it's big. Bigger than anything we have seen before. I am not ashamed to admit ... I am afraid."

Timothy swallowed hard and glanced down at his planet. "Earth?"

"Involved. There is something coming, Timothy, something that threatens the future of everything. Every indication is pointing to war, on a massive scale."

Timothy didn't reply. Now he was here, now he was looking out for it, he could feel it too. A shift. The fabric of the universe had ... shifted, somehow. Distorted, as if something huge was pressing against it. Fear rose in the pit of his stomach. What could possibly do that? What could possibly cause such disruption that even he could feel it?

And whatever it was ... how could they hope to fight it?

"Come on, Tim." Kinoan laid a large hand on his shoulder, subtly pushing him towards the door. "We've got satellite linked up for you to call home."