The battlefield was silent for only a moment.
Then the Federation struck again.
From orbit, a new wave of dropships descended, sleek and black, carrying elite shock troops trained in anti-biological warfare. Their mission was clear: contain or eliminate the Echo at all costs.
Below, Kael stood at the edge of the ridge, watching the enemy descend like vultures over a dying world.
"They're not backing down," he muttered.
Ares stepped beside him, his body still glowing faintly from the aftermath of shattering the Null Field. "They never will."
Kael turned to face him fully. "Then we make sure they remember this day."
Ares met his gaze. "We need a plan."
Kael nodded. "We split their forces. Force them into choke points. We hold Olympus as long as we can."
A voice crackled over the comm unit on Kael's belt. It was Commander Reyes. "This is Reyes. We've got movement on the western ridge. They're trying to flank us."
Kael cursed under his breath. "Damn it. Renn's old pack must've regrouped."
Ares clenched his fists. "I'll handle them."
Kael shook his head. "No. You need to stay here. If they breach the ruins, Mara's knowledge dies with you."
Ares frowned. "You're talking like you won't be coming back."
Kael gave a rare, weary smile. "Maybe I won't."
"No," Ares said firmly. "We fight together."
Kael placed a hand on Ares's shoulder. "You have a future, Echo. I have a past that needs burying."
Before Ares could argue, Kael turned sharply toward the gathered warriors. "We move now!"
And then he was gone.
---
Elsewhere – Human Outpost Delta-3
Dr. Sophia Patel sat hunched over her terminal inside the secure research bunker beneath the outpost. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she worked furiously, bypassing layer after layer of Federation encryption protocols.
Across from her, Commander Linh Reyes watched with arms crossed. "How much longer?"
Sophia didn't look up. "Five minutes. Maybe less."
Reyes exhaled sharply. "That's not much time."
"It's all we've got," Sophia replied. "Once I transmit this data to EarthNet, the whole world will know the truth."
Reyes studied her carefully. "You realize what happens if they trace the signal back to you."
Sophia finally looked up. "I do."
Reyes hesitated, then nodded. "Then get it done."
Sophia tapped the final command sequence.
A hidden satellite relay activated, sending out an encrypted burst of information across the solar network.
The truth would soon be known.
Even if it cost her everything.
---
On the Western Ridge – Renn's Return
Ares arrived just as the first shots rang out.
Renn's remaining forces had regrouped, forming a ragged but determined line along the ridge. They weren't fighting for ideology anymore—they were fighting for survival.
Ares leapt into the fray, claws flashing, energy surging through his limbs. He moved like a storm unleashed, striking fast and hard, forcing Renn's wolves back step by step.
Then came Renn himself.
"You think you've won?" Renn snarled, bloodied and battered but still standing.
Ares landed in front of him, breathing hard. "I don't want to kill you."
Renn laughed bitterly. "Too late for mercy."
He lunged.
Ares dodged, twisting mid-air, landing behind Renn before slamming a palm into his back. The rogue leader stumbled forward, coughing blood.
"I spared your life once," Ares said coldly. "Don't make me regret it."
Renn glared at him. "You think you're different? That you're better than me?"
Ares met his gaze. "I know I am."
With a final blow, Ares sent Renn crashing to the ground, unconscious.
The battle ended moments later.
The remaining rogues dropped their weapons.
Ares stood among them, panting, staring at the bodies around him.
War had taken its toll.
And more was yet to come.
---
At the Main Front – Kael's Last Stand
Kael led the defense personally, rallying the last of the loyalists against the overwhelming Federation assault.
They fought hard—werewolves and humans side by side, holding the ridgeline with everything they had.
But the Federation had numbers. Armor. Firepower.
And they wouldn't stop until they reached Ares.
Kael knew what had to be done.
He turned to one of his lieutenants. "Fall back to the secondary tunnels. Get everyone out."
The wolf hesitated. "What about you?"
Kael smirked. "I'm buying time."
He sprinted toward the collapsing barricade, moving with purpose. As the Federation soldiers advanced, he triggered the detonators embedded in the terrain.
The explosives went off in a chain reaction, tearing open the ridge and burying half the advancing force beneath tons of rock and dust.
Kael barely had time to leap away before the explosion swallowed him whole.
---
Back at the Den – The Loss
Ares returned just as the dust settled.
His heart pounded.
He felt it before he saw it.
Kael was gone.
The den was eerily quiet. Warriors stood frozen, some kneeling in mourning. Others stared at the distant smoke rising from where Kael had made his final stand.
Ares fell to his knees.
For the first time since this war began, he felt something unfamiliar.
Grief.
One of the elders approached slowly. "He saved us."
Ares closed his eyes. "And lost himself."
Silence stretched between them.
Then the elder spoke the words no one wanted to say—but everyone knew were true.
"Ares… you are our leader now."
Ares opened his eyes.
Not with hesitation.
But with resolve.
"I will not fail him."
---
Later That Night – Transmission Confirmed
Inside the research chamber, Sophia stared at the screen.
Transmission status: COMPLETE.
She exhaled shakily.
Outside, the Federation would come for her. She had no doubt.
But the truth was already spreading.
Across EarthNet, fragments of Mara's records, Federation directives, and classified Martian history began circulating.
People were waking up.
And for the first time in generations, humanity wasn't alone in the stars.
They were just late.