Throughout the "tissue raid" into the past, ADAM and the metallurgists had been developing a way to neutralize the sphere’s energy absorption. After extensive testing, they settled on a powder composed of mercury and silver salts. No matter how aggressively the sphere attempted to smelt them away, the salts would remain on its surface, reflecting large amounts of energy and effectively cutting off its absorption.

  As the two ships, Avenger and Defender, landed at Luna Base, ADAM announced the "blanket" was ready. Meanwhile, Russ had been in contact with Luna Tactical Supply, where his requested knockout gas had been prepared and was waiting for deployment. The gas, packed into high-pressure impact bombs, was designed to be delivered via mass cannons. Each detonation would cover a forty-mile radius in dense yellow smoke infused with diffused chloroform vapor. Given Mars’ thin, windless atmosphere, the gas was expected to linger for days, ensuring maximum effectiveness.

  Professor Sackett had also been hard at work. He had successfully replicated ADAM’s time net at RACE Mountain, automating ship production on both Luna and Earth. As a result, Hughes’ "fleet of green" was nearly complete. Time-hopping ships had executed hundreds of evacuation runs, reducing the human presence on Mars to just two million. The battle was nearing its final phase.

  The advent of time-shift technology had transformed the morale of humanity. Everywhere Jeff looked, people carried themselves with renewed confidence, as though victory was inevitable. Even Chairman Hughes, typically guarded in her optimism, seemed uplifted.

  "If only we’d had more time," she admitted as she greeted them. "I would have brought your wives along. But they’re on the holophone for you instead."

  Jeff and Russell were each led to private holobooths. Jeff listened intently as Jamie shared the news—he was going to be a father. A son. He could hear the excitement in her voice, even through the flickering hologram. Meanwhile, Russell and Debra reaffirmed their plan to start a family once the war was over. Both conversations ended on a bittersweet note, the weight of the coming battle pressing down on them. But the contact, brief as it was, gave them strength.

  As they were escorted to the Chairman’s office, Russ asked how long she planned to stay on Luna.

  "Chairman Hughes has relocated herself and UW Headquarters permanently," their guide answered.

  Inside her office, Hughes explained the decision herself.

  "We were stagnating on Earth," she said. "Too old, too comfortable, too complacent. Moving our operations to Luna has given us a new perspective. Space is our future, not just a distant frontier but a necessity. Chambers saw it before I did—humanity must expand, not just to sustain itself, but to survive. Stars die, systems collapse, and dust clouds like the Coalsack Nebula consume entire sectors. Our best chance is to spread across the universe, as far and as fast as we can. If your attack succeeds, Commanders, our race will finally have that chance."

  Jeff and Russell nodded in agreement. They shared stories from their latest mission over dinner, recounting the close calls some operatives had faced in securing their samples. The room was filled with unspoken tension, but as the meal ended and coffee was served, Jeff finally broke the silence.

  "Russell, ADAM and I have been discussing what reward the R.A.C.E. troops should be given," he said. "Madam Chairman, Chamber’s original idea is solid, but rather than repeating Earth’s history across a thousand other worlds, let’s do something different. Every civilization we've encountered has a vision of a promised land. Let’s give it to them. A whole planet for each major cultural group—one species, one nationality, one creed per world. Without competition, each should thrive."

  Hughes considered this. "How would they communicate with us? Or with each other?"

  "We teach them a common language for use with outsiders," Russell explained. "It can be maintained through a dedicated order—religious or otherwise. The wars we witnessed, the conflicts that have torn civilizations apart, they were always over the same things: food, shelter, and space. If we educate them to provide for themselves, and give them a world to call their own, we eliminate the root causes of war."

  Hughes exhaled, folding her hands before her. "It’s an ambitious vision, but there’s no guarantee it will work forever. Even if each world starts united under a single culture, factions will inevitably emerge—ideologies shift, power struggles arise. Nations, political parties, even new religions could form, dividing them all over again. That is a risk we must accept."

  She leaned back, eyes steady. "But perhaps, with time, these worlds will learn what our ancestors once did—that cooperation leads to prosperity. That division only breeds destruction. If we give them the tools and the space to grow, maybe, just maybe, they will come to see themselves not as separate peoples, but as one race, striving toward a shared future."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Her gaze swept over them both. "And if we succeed, we won’t just be securing humanity’s survival—we’ll be shaping the first steps toward something greater. A future where all sentient life can live, learn, and thrive together. A future beyond war, beyond scarcity. A Utopia, built from the struggles of those who came before us."

  “By your leave, Madam,” Jeff and Russell said in unison before turning toward their ships. As they walked, Jeff glanced at Russell, his expression unreadable.

  “Do you think this will work?” Jeff asked, keeping his voice low.

  Russell exhaled, watching the crews finalize their preparations. “We’ve done everything we can. The RACE units are strong, disciplined, and motivated. But uniting warriors from so many different backgrounds? That’s another challenge altogether.”

  Jeff nodded. “I keep wondering if old grudges will surface before we even reach the battlefield.”

  “Chambers believes they’ll hold together,” Russell said. “The promise of a new home, their families waiting for them—that kind of motivation runs deeper than blood feuds. When the battle starts, they’ll fight as one.”

  Jeff let out a short chuckle. “We’re counting on hope, then.”

  Russell smirked. “Hope backed by strategic planning, superior firepower, and a whole lot of sleep gas.”

  Their moment of reflection ended as they reached their vessels. With a final nod, they boarded, and their ships lifted off the ground, hovering momentarily before vanishing like smoke into the sky.

  At the RACE compound, everything was set. Chambers met them upon arrival, and the loading process began immediately. The warriors marched in ten abreast, each unit maintaining a five-meter distance from the next. Among them were the Hausa, the Nubians, the Mandingo, the Masai, the Assyrians, the Hittites, the Hebrews and Philistines, the Egyptians and Persians, the Thracians, Greeks, and Spartans. The Romans and Goths, the Huns and Vandals, the Britons and Celts, Danes and Swedes, Germans and Franks, the Spaniards and Turks, the Carthaginians and Scythians, the Poles and Cossacks. The North American Indian Nations, from Apache to Seminole. The Polynesians, the Hindi, the Sikhs and Tibetans, the Maori and Australian Aborigines, the Samoans and Hawaiians, the Japanese and Thais, the Cham and Chinese, the Mongols and Khmer.

  Each warrior was accompanied by a living totem, their companion in war. The Indian Tribes marched alongside wolves, eagles, cougars, bears, wolverines, and buffalo. The Mediterranean forces were flanked by lions, horses, dogs, hawks, jackals, panthers, and elephants. The African tribes walked with cheetahs, rhinos, wildebeests, tigers, hyenas, baboons, and gorillas. The Southeast Asians and islanders were joined by Komodo dragons, monitor lizards, orangutans, sloths, pandas, bats, and Brahma bulls. In total, two hundred groups of one hundred men, each escorted by twenty animals, marched into the two ships. By the end of the loading, each ship held ten thousand warriors and four thousand beasts, packed to capacity.

  Chambers studied the gathered force with satisfaction. “Formidable, don’t you think?” he remarked, turning to Jeff and Russell.

  “If they don’t turn on each other first,” Jeff said.

  Chambers smirked. “I took the long view from the start. We told them the truth upfront—why we need them, what they stand to gain, and the future they’re fighting for. That honesty is what binds them together.”

  “And if that fails?” Russell asked.

  Chambers’ expression hardened. “I reinforced their paternal instincts and their drive for preservation. Every single one of them has a wife and child waiting for them. They aren’t just fighting for victory—they’re fighting to build a home for their families. That kind of motivation is stronger than any ancient rivalry.”

  He gestured toward the warriors. “They’re armed with their traditional weapons, but they also carry gas masks, water canteens, and nets for capturing Denebians. They’ve been ordered to take the Denebians alive when possible, but any Panit, Panor, or Panome they encounter is to be eliminated on sight. Their animal companions have undergone the same training, reinforced through Hypno-Learning.”

  Russell frowned. “And the self-destruct device?”

  Chambers nodded. “Yes, they know about that, too. After seeing ADAM’s footage of Hathlon’s people before and after their Alteration, they understand. The alternative to death is worse. If their brain, heart, or lung activity ceases, the device releases a cellular poison, leaving no viable tissue behind.”

  Jeff’s jaw tightened. “That’s a hell of a choice to make.”

  “One they made willingly,” Chambers said. “But there’s good news. If we succeed and they return to their designated planet, the self-destruct devices will be removed. They’ll get the future we promised them—free of war, free of control.”

  Russell exhaled, nodding. “That’s something, at least.”

  Chambers turned back toward the troops. “Now, listen carefully. You have two days before the Sphere deploys its forces. Keep them motivated. Camp them together for camaraderie and unity. The first order of business is sealing the enemy’s projective tubes. Wait until the Deneb slaves are fully exposed before deploying the gas. Our RACE warriors will mask themselves the moment your canisters pop. The cargo ships will collect the Deneb prisoners. If you breach the Sphere, the ACE units will enter first to clear it before any RACE unit steps inside.”

  Jeff and Russell exchanged glances before Russell asked, “And ADAM’s blanket?”

  “Crucial,” Chambers affirmed. “If the enemy transports away, our troops will be left confused and vulnerable. Most of them struggle with the concept of time travel, not from a lack of intelligence, but because time itself is an abstract notion to them. If we control the field, we control the battle.”

  Russell exhaled sharply. “Then let’s make sure we do.”

  Jeff squared his shoulders. “No turning back now.”

  Chambers nodded. “No turning back.”