It was clear: the Thelarians had taken the monolith from planet Kaal and hidden it aboard a massive ship wandering the Dark Galaxy.
They were using its power to enhance Sable's abilities—her Xenomorphesis, her capacity to transfer consciousness into a new body after death.
Not only that, they were advancing their technology. And none of it would have been possible had Eve not activated the monolith.
There was no way she could have known. The first encounter with a monolith had been a surprise to her too.
Ranolg's dying words echoed in Eve's mind—the almost prophetic things he had said.
Anya, Salam, and Kai had already upgraded the energy fields of the spacefighters. Mira supervised as engineers from other Nomad vessels brought in their prototypes.
The Intergalactic Committee had already approved Nomad's voyage of the Dark Galaxy. The creatures ravaging the Alliance and other civilizations had to be stopped. Those portals needed to be destroyed.
Nomad was now well-equipped. But sweeping the entire galaxy was a challenge. Other space commanders opted in to help as Mira and Eve weighed options. So far, Nomad had been the only Starfleet to ever return in one piece.
"It's your call, Commander," a committee member addressed Eve in a holographic meeting.
"If we face the Thelarians, cannons will roar against cannons. Their weapons have advanced. It will take experienced high commanders."
In space battles, ships against ships, experience mattered. Nomad had fair share of space battles, but not as much as some other high space commanders.
Eve's lack of experience was compensated by her unmatched strategic supremacy, but space combat depended on countless parameters.
Several high commanders, each commanding over a thousand ships, volunteered for the mission.
Eve herself was a high commander, though the IC had always harbored reservations about granting her more power.
Eve's hardliners never got over the fact that Eve was made in Thelarian labs. As a weapon against the alliance. That truth always bugged them.
Nonetheless, her record and past accomplishments forced opposition groups to vote against their will.
Despite the reinforcements, it remained unclear how much time the mission would take, what dangers awaited, or whether "The Threat" would finally reveal itself once the IC forces enter the Dark Galaxy.
Something they've never done before.
It was the first time alliance mission of this scale... and this kind.
Mission Objectives: Destroy as many portals as possible. Find the hidden Thelarian ship housing the stolen monolith and destroy it. Destroy all large monoliths in the Dark Galaxy.