TODO: Split out the main plots into their own sections, and work out the Story Circle for each.
These are the major plotpoints to cover in the novel:
- The Terrans break the cease-fire
- They are going for a blitz; taking the Tel'Erani system
- This plan was put together by the Sooni, to try an jumpstart the way between the Terrans and League
- The Captain and First Officer of Archigos are killed
- This establishes the tactic of 'cutting off the head' as a favorite of the Zealots or their operatives
- While this was a Terran operation, it was being guided by Zaine and his Sooni
- This also clears the way for Miranda to fill the center seat
- Simon is released
- We establish he's incredibly old, and has strange powers
- He's a killer, and Zaine wants him around, fucking shit up
- He agrees, but thinks very little of Zaine
- Miranda holds off the Terran thrust, loses the Archigos
- Sean GTFOs with Selene's help, ends up their prisoner
- The Archigos wasn't completely destroyed, but was heavily damaged.
- Mir loses a leg, and nearly her life.
- The Rekonin arrives just in time to save everyone and finish off the Terrans.
- Miranda is given command of the Rekonin
- We establish more who Rekonin is, and Liz
- We see several people from the Archigos joining
- Clearly McKenzie is planning something.
- Sean is conscripted to become a monster by Zaine
- He has been altered by the Sooni; given some of their abilities.
- He is told to either become the monster they want, or die.
- The Lyndri declare war against the NorAellians
- At the same time, there are continue attacks and fighting with the Terrans, but not major offensive just yet.
- This war is a ploy; both the Lyndri Government and NorAellian government know the truth, and know who's behind it.
- This is the first (and one of the only) times the Sooni are kept in the dark about something.
- Sean steal Terran intelligence
- He breaks into a station, and gains a foothold in the Terran's network.
- He kills and tortures a bunch of people, too.
- Emelyn gets mixed up with the Grey
- She stumbles onto a Grey BattleCruiser, who is having it's way with a colony.
- She is able to play cat and mouse with it a bit (a testament to just how fucking badass an Archigos Class ship actually is)
- Rekonin comes in, and after an intense battle, wrecks the Grey's shit.
- Simon goes to get misguided vengeance, finds everyone dead.
- This misguided vengeance is mainly because noble things still matter to him
- Also, he's broke, and it's an excuse to kill people.
- It's also a good way for him to ease himself back into the world. He has been out of it a LONG time.
- Simon runs into Liz, who basically says, "Hi, know you're free, not going to jack with you, but left you a present."
- Simon finds a recording of nobles being slaughtered.
- It's implied, but not exactly stated that he understands what's going on.
- Attempt to assassinate McKenzie
- Jirael is present, and gets injured.
- Their conversation prior to the attack should reveal more of McKenzie's backstory.
- In the fight, we see McKenzie using Focus.
- We establish the fact that the Sooni had sleeper agents
- The other Joint chiefs are killed by Harper
- Freeland and Sarkozy survive.
- Harper is clearly in charge of the sleeper agents.
- The League is united under McKenzie
- As the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he is the only living person in the line of succession.
- He is sworn in as president, and appoints Hayes his VP.
- Freeland and Sarkozy are able to reform the Joint Chiefs quickly, and control over the military is maintained.
- McKenzie signs an executive order declaring martial law across the League, until elections can be held and Congress reformed.
- The Terran Government collapses
- Military forces start taking over colonies, enforcing martial law on them.
- The League responds to requests for help, admitting several formerly Terran worlds into the League for protection.
- Some remnants of the Terran military defect, requesting asylum.
- McKenzie grants this to all military officers who wish to exchange their Terran Commission for a League Commission.
- While there are some tensions at first, things settle once the Grey invasion begins.
- The Grey start systematically eliminating worlds
- Sean leads the Grey on a campaign of extermination; razing whole planets and destroying whole fleets.
- Once this becomes public knowledge, droves of Terran World request admittance, and McKenzie offers automatic sanctuary for any planet requesting it, with a more streamlined path to admittance for those who vote to join.
- McKenzie gives a public speech that basically says, "In the current crisis, do not feel the need to join us just for protection. We will protect all of you, and you can decide in your own time if that protection is reason enough to join."
- This is a pure PR stunt; with the Terran Government now defunct, most of these worlds will not survive without the League's economic and military support. While in theory they could become independent worlds, it doesn't make any practical sense.
- Emelyn and her crew join the fight as "freelance militia".
- The NorAellians and Lyndri formally join the League.
- This move comes as a shock to everyone, but Jirael and Kashk have been working behind the scenes to make it happen.
- Now commander of a Unified Fleet, McKenzie is able to bring the forces of a united galaxy to bare against the Grey
- The Lyndri even arrive with their own fleet several thousand ships strong, of more advanced technology that even most human ships.
- The Queen in Exile and a group of Lyndri that the NorAellians had been harboring on their world have, over the centuries, been building this fleet in secret, and inoculating their own population. Because of their isolation, they have been able to avoid the mutations in the main virus, and just barely keep up an acceptable birthrate of males.
- However, most of the ships are crewed by halfbreeds; They discovered that by combining Lyndri with Human DNA, they were able to successfully create a new hybrid species that is resistant to the virus. These 'Half Lyndri' as they call themselves have sworn allegiance to the Queen, and to their people as a whole. They see themselves as the spirits of vengeance against the Sooni.
- The Battle for the Galaxy begins in earnest
- There are losses on both sides, but at first, it feels like the war is going well for the League.
- Sean, however, changes tactics, sacrificing his own ships to burn a path towards Earth.
- Meanwhile, Zaine shows up with a Sooni Fleet, it being evident that the Grey are no longer under his command
- With the Sooni Fleet in play, the League starts taking massive losses.
- The technological advantage of the Sooni ships is just too high.
- McKenzie sends Rekonin to protect Earth from Sean.
- She is the only ship he can spare, though Emelyn renounces her commission, and goes with.
- Sean has a small fleet left, but it's more than enough to give Rekonin trouble.
- McKenzie sends Liz to kill Zaine, while he holds the line preventing the Sooni from destroying Calysto.
- Liz is accompanied by Kashk, Glyse and David as they board Zaine's ship.
- Zaine is not there; he anticipated this move and left Harper in command
- Simon, however, finds Zaine and they two fight
- The Battles come to a close
- Rekonin is able to stop the Grey ships, severely damaging but not destroying Sean's vessel.
- Sean goes on a tirade a bout Mir and the things he is going to do to her if she's stupid enough to let him live
- Selene attacks him, angry for his obsession with Mir, and losing faith as his will fades.
- Sean starts choking her, but she pulls out an explosive and detonates it, confident she will win, as she can finally see her own will strangling his.
- Liz and co make their way to the command center, only to find Harper and not Zaine.
- A battle ensues, but Harper is defeated by Liz.
- They opt to take over the ship, and attack the other Sooni, throwing the Sooni lines into chaos
- No Sooni has attack another in so long, the idea of one of their ships firing on them caused panic.
- This is just what McKenzie needs to break the Sooni Fleet and force a surrender.
- Simon kills Zaine, but only after making him watch the routing of his fleet.
- Simon sends McKenzie a bloodstained letter, thanking him.
- "Oh, and please tell my dear sister I'll be seeing her around."
- The war is over
- McKenzie wins the next formal election by a landslide.
- With the local Sooni out of the way, progress is being made on eradicating the Lyndri virus.
- Two more Rekonin class ships are being built, both will contain hybrid AIs; officers who have volunteered.
- They are both grievously injured but are people that McKenzie both trusts, and have proven to be incredibly brilliant.
- Dante is one of them!
- The Lyndri and NorAellians are aiding McKenzie in building a new generation of ships that should be able to stand up to the Grey or Sooni.
- The Sooni have lost one battle; but McKenzie is certain that they will return to conquer as they have their own galaxy.
- This was really just winning the first battle. There is more to come.