- Avalon -

  Many space stations orbited Earth a few hundred kilometers above. However, one was more important thahers. It was like a fortress in the skies, a silver sentinel oep away from the void of space.

  Its structure resembled a castle as it used to be built in aimes, with hundreds of rooms prepared so that the h Army could handle any sario. That's why the structure was filled with towers and antennas, capturing information aributing it to the rest of the empire. At any moment, day ht, the station was funing.

  For that reason, several high-ranking officers were dedicated to this station. One of them was General Avalon. He had served his st thirty years at this station, serving during the previous three waves, and was finally nearing the end of his military career. He had achieved success early on, and even though other Houses invited him and could have earned more credits with them, Avalon preferred to remain within the NEA; he believed in the work he was doing.

  This was finally his st day at his post. Because of this, Avalon woke up early, preparing his uniform with all the necessary pomp and anizing his many medals.

  THUMP THUMP THUMP

  The knocks disturbed the General, who was himself in front of the mirror while adjusting his awards.

  “Soldier! It better be an important matter, or I will—” Avalon grumbled as he opehe door of his room oation. “Yes?”

  “Sir, they urgently request your presen the aer,” the soldier expined.

  “Who or better, why?” the General questioned.

  “Sir, they didn't tell me. But they said that if necessary, I could break down your door. So I imagi's critical, sir,” the soldier expined.

  “Humph.” The General closed the door and began to walk toward the station's aer.

  ‘At this hour, whiander would be on duty?’ he tried to think. ‘If it's some rookie, I'll have to expin that they should only call me like this when it's critical.’

  The soldier stopped apanying him when they reached the ter's door and stood guard outside.

  As the General stepped into the room, he could see dozens of officers walking bad forth among unications els. Red alerts were fshing on monitors and holograms.

  Avalon took a deep breath. The situation was critical, and he was ashamed of having been displeased at being called.

  ‘There goes my retirement,’ he thought.

  One of the anders stopped momentarily near him as he left one of the unication soles.

  “What's the status?” the General asked.

  “Sir. Maximum alert,” the ander expined. “Callisto, Ceres, Titan, and Encedus have already reported mass attacks.”

  The ander's expression showed his level of and nervousness. “Sir, this is much bigger tha two waves. They've tacked so many ps and so close to home as today.”

  Avalon nodded upon hearing the situation. “Has anyone already tacted the Senate?”

  “Yes, sir,” the ander replied.

  “Excellent,” Avalon said to the ander while walking toward the ter of the room.

  “Attention!” The officers in the room paused momentarily to listen to the General. “Initiate the defense process. Start ag as at the beginning of the Tenth Wave.”

  The officers trembled upon hearing the statement.

  “B-but sir, there's still no firmation from the Sehat it's officially a Wave,” one of the officers ented.

  “Fet that; the Senate will only approve the attack a. For us, the his is officially the Tenth Wave.”

  --

  --

  - John York -

  It's been almost a decade sihe Senate had an emergency meeting; this was a bad sign that John didn't expect to receive so soon. In the middle of the night on Mars, he was awakened by his Guard for the meeting.

  Many saw him as the Heir of the Yorks, but he was no more thay years old. He hardly remembered how the st wave had been.

  ‘I shouldn't be here. Where have you gone, brother?’ John prayed for his older brother to return, although the ces were minimal after the st three years.

  The Great House York had its own teleportation station, one of the few that gave access to the Senate. John was already aced to the journey a almost no dizziness.

  The Senate's location was oh, but it was kept under lod key; not even the Heirs of the Great Houses knew where it was. Only the Emperor and a few people around him khe location.

  However, as soon as he arrived at the pce, he was as impressed as the first time he had been there.

  A huge artificial ke was created in front of the Senate building. It was an all-white stru that seemed to be a maion of gods. The high ornate ns resembled the Parthenon of Greece; however, instead of Greek gods, there were sculptures of heroes from the st waves. Each Ranger who deserved to be remembered ortrayed there.

  ‘Seeing them like this, eae looks like a titan,’ John raised his eyes to see the tops of the sculptures. ‘However, none of them are among us anymore. In the end, we have no titans on our side.’

  A long staircase led the newers to the immerance of the Se the top of the building, a huge dome ed the edifice. Although it was a goveral building, to any other person who arrived there, it could easily be mistaken for a temple of old.

  John tinued advang along with the other heirs of the eleve Houses. In moments of emergency, only Houses of this stature were called to the Senate, while the others received the final verdict.

  “Where is the Emperor?” one of the heirs asked the imperial guards who apahem.

  “He is already ihrone room,” the guard replied. “He awaits you.”

  The heirs khat keeping the Emperor waiting was in bad taste, especially now that his term was nearing its end and another would be elected; each of the twelve was striving to make a better impression.

  Or at least eleven of them were. John never wao be the Heir of the Yorks, and being Emperor wasn't even close to his dreams.

  The group of twelve heirs was led to the main hall, where there were twelve pulpits, one for each of the Great Houses. In front of them, at the top of the staircase, was the Emperor's throne.

  John was nervous, tapping his foot on the pulpit floor while waiting for the Emperor's entrance. He was not the only one in this state; Callisto, Ceres, Titan, and Encedus beloo four of the Heirs present in that room. Each of them worried about the state of their territory, family, and subjects.

  While John was lost in thought, he heard the movement of the imperial guard. he end of the room, one of the doors ened, and slowly, they could see the Emperor walking toward the throne.

  The twelve heirs took their positions as soon as the Emperor reached the throne. With the right hand over the left chest and the left haended along the body, they saluted the Emperor.

  “Hail Lucius Meridius, the tweh Emperor of h,” the twelve repeated almost in unison.

  John noticed the Emperor's tired face. Lucius had a stern visage, sculpted from being in several waves; he bore various scars on his face. Those were his actual medals. However, the st five years ohrone had pced upon him a level of fatigue that was already visible.

  heless, it was still possible to see in his eyes the iy and ferocity of the old Emperor. He made this even more explicit by dispying the gaus of his Ranger Armor for all to see.

  Simir to John York, Lucius had mastered his armor to the point of being able to keep it active indefinitely. However, uhe York family, the Meridius family did not own the Gold Z-Crystal.

  Lucius wielded the Silver Z-Crystal; however, the gaus were even more formidable than anyone had ever seen a Ranger use.

  “Since everyone is here, I will begin the official annou of the empire,” the Emperan. “Earlier today, we received news from ps distant from the capital about interfereh our satellites, which soon proved to be as of the savage Orks. A few hours ter, their ships began to advao the empire's territory and carry out indiscrimiacks on our ps.

  ‘Ps distant from the capital? Please, Katherine. Be safe,’ John hoped that his sister wasn't on any of the attacked ps.

  “At this moment, we know that four ps he capital are suffering attacks both from ships and ground battles. Based on this information, I have called the twelve Great Houses to initiate the vote. I, Lucius Meridius, wish to decre that this is the Tenth Wave, and it is everyone's responsibility not only to defend but also to attack the barbarians. Domination, capture, torture, aermination of any mohat stands before us are permitted.”

  As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, four positive votes were automatically cast by each house utack.

  It didn't take long before the twelve positive votes were firmed.

  “I hereby decre the atta the Tenth Wave,” the Emperor anded.

  As soon as Lucius fihe annou, he quickly left the room. With the war restarting, he had other matters to attend to. The other heirs also had to return to their houses. However, before leaving, Joho one of the anders of the imperial guard.

  “Could you tell me whiet the Academy from Earth was sent to?”

  The ander paused momentarily; with a look of pity, he replied, “GL581, one of the bombarded ps.”

  GCLopes