textfiles/stories/SRE/sre_finl.txt

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  /______     |______|    \___         T   h   e     F   i   n   a   l   e
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                                                   ->]*:*[<-




-> Yes, this is it. I know I said that SRE: 10 would be the last, but I
left so much open, I just had to conclude everything. This _is_ the last
SRE story I will _ever_ write, so have no fear. We are now fifteen years
into the future, to give you some background. On to the story! <-


->]*:  Prologue

The Kazik Universe was a vast expansive slab of space, remaining
unexplored since the Kazik seeded so many planets with holographic
illusions and androids. Elite, the only person to survive travelling
through time, had worked out a deal with the Praetor concerning the
colonization of a Galaxy called Shoralm, within the Kazik Universe.
After ten years, the Shoralm colonial worlds were doing good. Elite
found colonial life intruiging and refreshing, especially after spending
years in support of the Empirial System, a system which he now held in
disdain. Elite's views on societal structure hadn't seemed important at
the time, but soon enough, he would learn that his views were the only
views that mattered anymore.

->]*:  1

The musicians were solemn. The logo of the Cyberian Group was lowered
upon the casket, and then the insignia of the Cyberian Armada was placed
on top. Five Armada officers clutched the casket and prepared to place
it inside the Gateway. The casket slid inside the entryway easily, and
then a small subspace doorway opened up. The casket was jettisoned
inside, destined to remain in subspace level one. The first frontier of
interstellar travel had been subspace. Now that subspace level one had
been abandoned for subspace level six, the universe's most noble people
were being buried inside the Gateway. As the ceremony drew to a close, a
proclamation, signed by the leadersof the UEA, the Admiralty, and the
leaders of other Galaxies was read. It officially named the Universe
after the two leaders that guided it through the most difficult period
of history it had ever gone through. The announcement of the Amokrael
Universe seemed to lighten the somber mood of the ceremony.

The Cyberian Group, after losing it's best leader, was up in arms. The
tradition of the Admiralty appointing a new Director was now being
challenged. It seemed a sure thing that Full Admiral Jehai would be
ushered in as the new Director by the Admiralty. With such famous
members as Dwool, Alrus, Bol, and Fren Omank Das, the Admiralty was a
respected institution. But it was no longer sovereign.

As the Chief-of-Justice at the Sei Galaxy, Tecouk was unable to attend
the funeral for his friend, Admiral Rytek. The Universe was growing
quite diverse, and more private companies were springing up offering
protection to empires at a lower price than that of the Cyberian Group.
The Group was losing its power, and its charter with the UEA was up for
renewal. The fate of the Group's charter was uncertain. Tecouk had left
the Group when his Investigative Division came to be frowned upon by
outsiders. He found a place that welcomed his thirty years of
experience: the Sei Galaxy.

"Etano, I've got a fluctuation on the subspace scanner. Activation at
level three," reported the scanning chief. Etano looked at the readouts
on his VidTerm. The Cyberian Group's Science Division had recently
discovered that subspace was comprised of infinite levels, each having
unique characterisitics making it suitable for a different need. Level
three was thought to have the properties needed for long-range mass
transport. "It looks like there has been an implosion inside subspace,"
he mused. The chief nodded. "I'm reading a singularity at level three
that's growing in size," said the chief. "A singularity in subspace?
Impossible!" exclaimed Etano. "Be that as it may, I am still reading a
singularity," replied the chief.

->]*:  2

After two re-votes, the United Empire Association had reached a
decision. The Cyberian Group's charter was not to be renewed. The UEA
had opted, instead, to begin building it's own defense force. Rucius,
the UEA Representative to the Cyberian Group, was forced to make the
news official. He presented the decision to the Admiralty, all of whom
were displeased.

"Full Admiral Jehai, on behalf of the Admiralty of the Cyberian Armada,
we are bestowing upon you the honor of succeeding Rytek as Director of
the Cyberian Group," said Admiral Dwool. Jehai accepted the Seal of the
Group and placed it under his Armada insignia pin. A quick ceremony
followed, and afterwards, Jehai made his first precedent. He called a
meeting of the Cyberian Group's leaders and the Admiralty. Present were
Etano of Sciences, T'hoj of Investigations, I-Ata of Relations, and the
five Admirals. "Friends, we have some serious problems. Our only source
of income has been dropped. In a worst-case scenario, we can cut back
science, exploration, and investigative programs to survive for at least
two years on reserves. Our hope is to license protection to individual
empires, and perhaps even to the Kazik," explained Director Admiral
Jehai. "That seems unreasonable. How can we hope to protect empires
individually?" demanded I-Ata. "No, it isn't unreasonable. We don't just
have defensive services to offer anymore. We have always had the latest
in technology, and now we can license it out as well," replied Jehai.

Ul Areit, a private prospector, was piloting a jury-rigged fighter back
to his base, when a singularity popped out of nowhere. At subspace level
six, he wouldn't have expected anything like that. His ship was pulled
inescapably inside the event horizon. He tried as hard as he could to
pull himself out, but it was to no avail. Soon enough he was inside the
black hole, unable to escape. His thrustjump engines exploded, and a
massive energy pulse followed.

->]*: 3

Five command ships, each recently built at the Kharq Construction Yards,
were destined to the Trios Galaxy. They had been purchased by the United
Empire Association's chapter at Trios. As the command ships hurtled
through subspace level six, a subspace scanner began beeping. The
scanning chief checked the readings, and to his surprise there was a
vessel approaching the fleet.

The single behemoth ship roared through the fleet. The command ships
tried to veer out of its path, as they were caught off guard by its
unorthodox maneuver. The vessel exuded a soliton wave, and the command
ships exploded in succession.

"There has been an incredible increase in the number of accidents inside
of subspace. There is no natural explanation," said Etano. "Then I will
open an investigation. Please transfer all the data you can to my
departmental chiefs," replied T'hoj. "I had a feeling you'd say that,"
said Etano. He opened up a storage container, and pulled out a beautiful
crystalline pyramid. "This node contains everything we know about the
accidents. There are about one hundred fifty reports detailed here, each
with complete tridimensional scans and analyses," explained Etano. T'hoj
gingerly took the pyramid from Etano and left for her office.

Elite sat at his desk, reviewing crop production for this month at the
alpha colony. Throughout the day, his advisor and friend, Sorax, had
ushered in more reports for him to read. Sorax was an energetic fellow.
He reminded Elite of his old friend Ultra. Except that Elite had been
Ultra's advisor. Running a system of colonies was not easy work. Indeed,
Elite was in contemplation of a serious problem: half the planets in the
alpha colony were undergoing severe droughts or plagues. The food supply
was subaverage at best. The other colonies were self-sufficient, but so
far there hadn't been enough of a surplus for Elite to risk sending to
the alpha colony.

->]*: 4

The UEA Parliamentary meeting was officially convened. Rucius had been
promoted from UEA Representative to UEA Prime Minister, with the recent
restructure of the chain of command. "Emperors and Empresses, I am
pleased to give you your United Empire Association Thunder Defense
Force!" he announced in a booming voice. Applause arose throughout the
massive Coliseum. Rucius motioned to a single man standing off to the
side. The man stepped forward and took a slight bow towards the
audience. "And this is the Chief-of-Operations! Forces Commander Lakas!"
he proclaimed. More applause was given to this, the new leader of the
UEA's new armada. "I am happy to be given such a job. As a former member
of the Cyberian Armada and the Feqhican Navy, I am proud to bring my
experience to your new defense force," he said. Silence filled the
Coliseum as crimson light poured out of a dark sphere. The phenomena
faded away, leaving a lone man. He stepped forward. "Good work, Minister
Rucius! I wonder why Director Jehai was not invited to this meeting," he
said. With a snap of his fingers, another obsedion sphere permeated the
room. As the effect dissipated, Cyberian Group Director Admiral Jehai
remained. "I see an old era falling away, and a new beginning. But I
also see you two vying for power. Perhaps I can help," the man said. He
hurled two wands at Jehai and Rucius. Each caught a wand and whirled to
face the man. "Who ARE you?" demanded Rucius. "I," he replied, "am Relf
Miga, leader of the Feqh-Netur."

At first, chaos had erupted in the command center of Petros Station.
After all, the Director of the Cyberian Group doesn't normally
disappear. But, after checking the VidCom transmission of the UEA
Parliamentary meeting, they discovered where he was at, and how he got
there. Admiral Fren Omank Das met with Inspector T'hoj to discuss
operations. "I would like to send an investigative team with an armed
supplement into the Feqh Galaxy. It's time we cracked down on the
Feqh-Netur," said Admiral Das. T'hoj nodded. "I don't believe their
superior technology can withstand an attack if they are unaware of our
invasion," she said. The two strode out the door to begin planning.

"These slim, handheld wands are more than they appear. Twist their
bases," he ordered. Jehai glanced at Rucius, who nodded back. The two
simultaneously twisted the bases of their wands. Each instantly
responded. A shimmer of light extended out of the wands, and then
materialized into a fireblade, an old weapon from the Ti Galaxy. "Now
each of you has a fireblade. We can duel inside this Coliseum, or
perhaps we could go somewhere else..." said Miga. "No, no, no. We
certainly aren't about to duel," replied Rucius. "Ah, but you are! If
not with fireblades, then in another manner. But you two WILL be
fighting each other, I guarantee. And neither of your organizations or
defense forces or what-have-yous will survive much longer," said Miga.
He snapped his fingers, and the fireblades disappeared. Then Miga waved
his arm in a circular motion, and whacked his own leg. A small touchpad
was depressed, and Relf Miga mass transported to a destination
unbeknownst to anyone in the Coliseum.

->]*: 5

The UEA Thunder Defense Force had established squadrons throughout the
Universe. Under its jurisdiction lay Sree Galaxy, Tau Galaxy, Galaxy
deCeti, Trios Galaxy, and the Ti Galaxy. Lakas, as Forces Commander, was
busy deploying units, establishing chains of command, and drawing up
policy. This was a fantastic oppurtunity to overcome problems
encountered by traditional militaries, starting from scratch. The UEA
Thunder Defense Force had decided to utilize fighter units, backed up
with light-armed carriers. Carriers from Sree (The Galaxy most military
supplies were manufactured at) did not typically come armed. The Defense
Force was also going to make use of light cruisers, scaled-down versions
of the heavy cruiser. Light cruisers were armed with particle
scatterbeams, and plasma impact cannons. Light cruisers could establish
their own subspace jump field, but light cruiser units were going to
need more than that. So a special new ship had been developed: the
portable jumpfield array. The PJA was hauled along with every light
cruiser unit, enabling them to all use the same subspace jump field. The
Defense Force had ordered a few heavy cruisers, for defense perimeters
only. There was one command ship, stationed at Sree, the home Galaxy of
the UEA.

At the office of Sei Clandenstine Operations, Voclar was reviewing the
latest intelligence reports. Sei Clandenstine Operations had been in
existence for about fifty years, providing the leaders of the Universe's
oldest Galaxy with information on everything going on in the Multiverse.
Clandenstine operatives were the best-trained in the Multiverse, as
well. Voclar could be considered the most powerful man in existence,
because his organization was even more elite than the Feqh-Netur. Sei
Clandenstine Operations had intelligence on even the location of the
Feqh-Netur.

Inside the Tejas Galaxy, home to the Cyberian Group and the Petros
Station, lay a vast network of defense and observation outposts. Usually
they lay tranquil, operated by computer or by drones. When a behemoth
starvessel became visible and began plowing through space at sublight
speeds, there was little cause for alarm. But when the ship sped right
through the defense stations, knocking them out by colliding with them,
signals were frantically sent to Petros. The behemoth vessel entered
subspace level six, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

T'hoj had boarded the Feqhican Naval Port, not anticipating anything
unusual. But when she was rudely pulled aside, ideas began to sprout. To
her relief, she discovered her captor was not anyone to worry about. "My
name is Iseylon. I understand you came here in search of the Feqh-Netur.
Perhaps I can help you... I was once the leader. But Relf Miga forced me
out, along with Lakas and Rufregi. He covered my departure with a fake
murder, and so, I am presumed dead. But that is not so. I am willing to
help you uncover the Feqh-Netur and bring Miga to his knees," she said.
T'hoj considered for a moment and then nodded.

->]*: 6

"Director Jehai, we have a problem! There's been a border squabble and
some of our forces have engaged a Thunder Defense squadron," reported a
courier. Jehai pounded his desk. "I _knew_ something like this would
happen. Get a phalanx of fighters and cruisers ready. Defend our
borders, but don't push into their territory. If there's a dispute
again, we'll settle it once and for all by capturing their Coliseum,"
ordered Jehai.

Admiral Fren Omank Das was in uproar. "Like hell they'll fight us. Obey
Jehai's orders to the letter, but I also want a dispatch sent to Elite's
colonies. I want his permission to set up a base in his galaxy, from
which we could launch a major offensive if the time ever came."
Apprentices were scurrying about, trying to make the appropriate
contacts. The room quaked violently, as if hit by enemy fire.

The Feqh-Netur imperial destroyer had penetrated Tejas again. Several
heavy cruisers fled Petros, hoping to discover who their hidden quandry
was. The destroyer didn't give them much time. Soliton beams pierced
each HC, mincing all of them. The imperial destroyer fired off one salvo
at Petros, penetrating the defense grids and tearing off the bottom
support pillar.

Relf Miga sat inside the imperial destroyer chuckling at all that was
going on. The entire universe seemed too predictable to him. He was
about to force more events to take place by planting a Cyberian Armada
heavy cruiser inside UEA territory. This would have the immediate result
of war. It was such a bore to be the head of the most powerful group in
existence, but somehow Relf managed to enjoy it.

->]*: 7

"Doomsday is here," said Lakas. With this, the latest border violation,
he mobilized his units. He was going to try and capture part of the
Tejas Galaxy by force and bring the Cyberian Group to its knees.

Dark Doom phalanx division had penetrated the UEA territory. The UEA's
famed Coliseum was up ahead. The command ship broke off from the rest of
the ships, and immediately began carving gigantic ruptures in the
magnificent edifice. The heavy cruisers and fighters wiped out defense
outposts and spacedocks. After a few hours work, they had captured and
fortified the UEA's capitol. But the success didn't last long, as a
giant behemoth vessel screamed through the sector, plowing through the
Dark Doom phalanx, shearing seventy ships into pieces. The solition beam
took out several key positions, suddenly making the newly conquered
territory open for recapture by the UEA Thunder Defense Force.

With a snap of his fingers, Relf Miga found himself directly behind
T'hoj and Iseylon. "Ladies, ladies! I heard that you were looking for
me," he said. "By jove, I'm going to kill you, you slimy, blithering..."
began Iseylon. Relf shook his head and clapped his hands. T'hoj rolled
her eyes. "And what magic did THAT do?" she asked. Relf touched Iseylon,
and T'hoj watched as Iseylon was slowly electrocuted. T'hoj knocked Miga
over, thus ending Iseylon's electrocution, and then proceeded to rip off
the various instrument panels he had all over his uniform. Miga slapped
T'hoj right on the face and stood up promptly. "Don't you know how to
treat a man?" He opened his palm, revealing a small emitter of some
kind. He twisted a knob, and sonic burst followed. He took the moment of
diversion to flee through his mass transport void.

"Full Admiral Jehai! The UEA Thunder Defense Force has penetrated the
Galaxy!" reported the scanning chief. "War has begun once again,
unfortunately. Defensive grids up, invisibility on, and bring
heat-solition emitters online," he ordered.

"War in the Amokrael Universe... Hot damn, who would've thought?" mused
Elite. Seated around him were the various representatives of the
colonies. "We can't help them, I'm afraid. I have chosen to take the
Shoralm colonies down a different path. The great experiment, the
Empirial System, is a failure. At face value, it sounds great. reas of
space divided up by who wants to live where. And each empire gets an
emperor, and all the empires live independently, without a single
government over them all. But some of the empires have chosen to become
governed by the UEA, and they are fighting for it. Unfortunately for
them, we will have no part in it. We are forging a new system. These
colonies have started small, but as they grow, they will find their own
way, and it will not be the Empirial System. We are not part of their
Universe or their society anymore. We are our own people," he announced.

->]*: 8

Hours into the seige, Petros has remained invisible, but the Thunder
Defense Force has discovered its location and continues to batter it.
The Tejas interception fleets have been dispatched and continue to
battle the UEA's light cruisers and fighters.

"Full Admiral, operations reports that retrothrusters are ready to be
activated," reported a courier. Jehai waved his hand, and the courier
relayed the message to operations. Petros Station began shifting on the
X and X axes, down and away from its previous position. As it moved, its
support pylons began to crumple under the stress. Within a minute, all
of them had collapsed, and Petros began to tear apart.

"The Feqhican Naval Port surrenders command to the Cyberian Group," said
Nimav. T'hoj brushed her aside and spoke into the AudCom. "This is the
Feqhican Naval Port, calling Cyberian Feqh Reserves," she said. "This is
Reserves, Port. What's the matter?" came the reply. "This is Inspector
T'hoj; I am sure you know me. I am ordering the Cyberian Feqh Reserve
Fleet to board the Port immediately. Nimav has surrendered it to us, and
we are raising the Cyberian flag right now," she said. "Holy smokes,
Inspector, what did you do over there?" asked the Reserve Com chief.
"Relf Miga has been spotted here, and according to scanners, there is no
possible way he could've left, invisibility or no invisibility. He must
be here. The Feqh Government has admitted to cooperation with the
Feqh-Netur and has surrendered to us. If you dispatch a squadron, we
will have ownership of all the pilots and space vessels in the Feqhican
Navy."

"What the hell is going on?" yelled Fren Omank Das. All around him in
the Operations center, walls were collapsing and sparks showered.
"Support columns have completely collapsed. We are being pulled into the
asteroid, but our antigravity fields and retrothrusters are causing the
Station to be pulled in three different directions," answered the damage
reporter. In a hail of debris, the bulkhead ruptured, and all the men
were pulled into space.

"Halt all movement," ordered Jehai, "Deactivate our antigravity fields
and let us crash into the asteroid." He paced back and forth, as the
Station shook. "Sir, operations is not responding. We have lost control
of the Station," reported an apprentice. "Get someone to do it manually!
We have no time to waste," he yelled back.

"Commander, Petros' invisibility screen is shaky. We are getting brief
glimpses of it every two minutes," reported the scanning chief, "It
seems that it is being torn apart." Lakas looked up. "Really? Luck is
with us, I guess. Omicron Squadron should remain here to take Petros
after it finishes collapsing. The rest of the force shall return to the
Coliseum," he ordered.

The antigravity fields switched off, and Petros plowed into the
asteroid, grinding itself on the bottom. Like an accordion, the lower
levels crumpled into themselves, and countless ruptures, breaches, and
explosions resulted. The blowout from the crash swept across the sector
quickly, colliding with several UEA ships. Petros continued to dig into
the asteroid, carried by momentum, and after a few minutes, huge chunks
of the asteroid began to fly off in all directions. Slowly, the movement
came to a halt, and Petros remained.

->]*: 9

"Iseylon, look at this report. Cyberian intercept forces report that
Petros has collapsed into the asteroid, and that the Thunder Defense
Force has begun to take key parts of the Galaxy!" said T'hoj. Iseylon
shook her head. "That is terrible," she began. Then her head reared up,
a wild look in her eye. "I've got an idea! We have the Feqhican Navy at
our disposal... Let's invade Sree," she said. "That won't be necessary,
ladies," said a man from the side. "My name is Voclar, leader of Sei
Clandenstine Operations. I have reason to believe that the Feqh-Netur
are behind all of this. Let's talk, shall we?"

Crimson light bathed the room a deep red. Elite looked behind him to see
a small man wearing a strange uniform with control panels all over it.
"Who are you?" he demanded. The man smiled his impish smile at Elite. "I
am Relf Miga, leader of the Feqh-Netur, and deliverer of destiny," he
said, laughing at his little joke. Elite didn't look amused; he looked
annoyed. "Miga! I know who you are. What the hell are you doing in my
Galaxy?" he shouted. "Calm down, my friend. I have good news for you!
You are about to become lord of the Multiverse! How does that sound?
Supreme Dictator of the Multiverse... Kind of a nice ring, hm?" replied
the effervescent Miga. "Miga, your immature spouting is really getting
on my nerves. Hop back to your mothership, which I know is probably
orbiting this planet right now," he said. "Ah, ah, ah! You really ARE
about to become lord. The Feqh-Netur has been planning this moment for
years. The Kazik War, the X Incident, your time-travelling. Everything.
We have been planning to institute YOUR idea of reality. When this war
is over, neither the UEA, nor the Cyberian Group will win. Empires will
be fractured and scattered throughout the Amokrael Universe, causing
them to lose their unity. They will develop independently, with an
instinct for survival. And you will lead them," he said. Elite wagged
his finger. "No, Relf. That utopian future you envision will be all for
naught when the Kazik take the oppurtunity to invade the Amokrael
Universe," he said. "Nice try, Elite. That's why we picked you. But when
we trigger a natural plasma wave in their Universe and kill seventy-two
percent of their population by crushing their Praetorial Palace, they
will be in no position to dominate you. The Shoralm colonies will be the
supreme force to be reckoned with! You, Elite, you will be the most
powerful man in the Multiverse."

The UEA convoy moved into to storm what remained of Petros Station. As
they came closer, space became illuminated. Multiple filaments of light
pierced the incoming vessels. Petros' heat-soliton emitter had remained
unscathed through the crash. The Omicron squadron was destroyed in
minutes.

->]*: 9

Olkra, Leader of the Discovery group, depressed the button. A plasma
wave flittered into existence, and then swept gracefully through the
heavens, on course to hit a star. An alert sounded, and Olkra discovered
that the plasma wave was veering off its projected course. To her
dismay, she plotted its new course and found the wave was headed for the
Kazik Praetorial Palace!

"The Feqh-Netur are not as powerful as they think they are. They have
supreme technology, but they are not orchestrating events the way they
say they are. The whole episode with X and the time-travelling was pure
accident. Everything else has just fallen together for them. Miga
himself is a piece of technology, materializing wherever he wishes and
making it look like he is some sort of wizard. He merely has superior
technology," said Voclar. Tecouk shook his hand firmly. "Thank you, sir.
If you and Iseylon would be so kind, we could get back to Cyberian space
and take care of this once and for all," she said.

UEA and Cyberian Armada forces had clashed in six different Galaxies,
with varying results. Neither seemed able to gain a clear advantage.

->]*: 10

Admiral Jehai was seated in the battered military conference room inside
Petros. With him were the other members of the Admiralty. "I don't think
we have any choice. We will have to detonate Doomsday," he said. Admiral
Bol shook his head sadly. "I have to agree. If we are to preserve the
dignity of this Universe, we must put an end to the UEA's rebellion.
Doomsday is the only answer," he said. "So the UEA has no rights? The
empires can't establish their own government?" asked Admiral Alrus. "No,
it's not that. They purposely violated our borders, and they attempted
to kill me at the Coliseum. We must put an end to them... I consider
them an Underground dissident force. They must be dissolved, and now,"
Jehai replied. Admirals Dwool and Alrus stood in protest, but Jehai
waved them off. "It is done, friends," he simply said. Jehai called in a
courier and gave one ominous order: "Activate Doomsday."

Etano recieved the order and proceeded to carry it out. The Doomsday
control device was in the Main Lab. He walked briskly, knowing that his
actions would go down in history. He, Etano, would unleash the most
sinister, but gruesomely effective, weapon known to his people.

Inside subspace level seven lay a mesh of equipment, canisters, and
control tubes. A signal came from Petros, and the equipment switched on,
warming to their task. Canisters of antiox dispensed themselves into the
intermix chamber. Hypercharged subspace particles entered the growing
solution, and finally, exochloranide was added. The machine generated a
subspace shock wave, jarring the fabric of subspace. Then, electric
current ran through the stew of chemicals, and the machine detonated. A
flood of energies ripped at the fabric of space-time, and the barriers
between normal space and paranormal subspace were cracked. Energies
native to subspace flowed freely into normal space, and physical laws
were violated. The reactions continued, and quickly, the space-time
continuum was shredded. Subspace barriers seperating the subspace levels
were severed. All of the local space, in every dimension, was joined and
disintegrated.

The plasma wave slammed into the Praetorial Palace with herculean
strength. Many Kazik had escaped in planetpods, after being forewarned
of the impending doom. Others chose to remain. Whatever the individuals
had done, the plasma wave had left a wake of ionization, and the Palace
was not exempt. The entire edifice was consumed by the wave, which
dissipated after encountering the massive structure.

"One quarter of the Universe has been destroyed. The aftereffects of the
explosion are slowling down significantly. It would appear that although
not immediate, eventually the entire Universe WILL be destroyed by the
union of subspace and normal space," reported the chief science officer.
Lakas looked on in disgust. "The UEA has little to fight for. Hell, what
am I saying? There is almost no UEA anymore. Was any UEA territory left
unscathed?" he demanded. The scientist shook his head. Lakas' body
quaked with rage. "Order the Thunder Defense Force to invade Tejas full
strength. All private vessels are ordered to plunder and rape Cyberian
Group-protected worlds."

->]*: 11

Three kamikaze ships careened into Petros Station. The intense battering
of the Thunder Defense Force was causing it to fall. Already, Petros ahd
been boarded by UEA guerillas. Jehai was on his hands and knees,
crawling away from the command center. Up ahead, he saw troopers
approaching. He weakly tried to pull out a vastator, but to no avail. A
guerilla spotted him and pulled out a blaster. Jehai watched as slowly,
the man pulled back on the trigger. Jehai closed his eyes, forcefully,
refusing to watch himself be killed. And all in an instant....

Jehai found himself in a cold grey room. Around him, T'hoj, Iseylon,
Lakas, Voclar, Elite, and Relf Miga. "It happened just as I thought it
would," said Miga happily. Voclar rose. "Not quite, Relf. My name is
Voclar, leader of Sei Clandenstine Operations. Nothing has happened the
way you thought it would. The Multiverse is destroying itself, and you
had little to do with it." Lakas lunged for Director-Admiral Jehai, only
to be stopped by Elite. "I used to be with the Feqh-Netur. You aren't as
powerful as you think you are," seethed Lakas. Iseylon looked at Miga in
contempt. "I know that for a fact," she said. Miga sat happily, enjoying
the hatred in the room. Voclar snapped his fingers, and the room
lurched. "What was that? The mothership shouldn't be moving," he yelled.
Voclar smiled grimly. "That would be true only if you were all-powerful.
Unfortunately, my agency knows what is going to happen in two minutes. I
control your vessel," he said. "Release us!" demanded Jehai. "Yes, you
can't hold us here! We must finish the war!" agreed Lakas. "Ha! You two
are both finished," said Miga. "No, you cannot fight anymore. This war
is useless," said Voclar. He snapped his fingers, causing T'hoj and
Elite to disappear. Then, he procured two fireblades, which he handed to
Jehai and Lakas. Iseylon immediately pounced on Relf Miga, and the two
engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Lakas and Jehai circled each other,
swashaying with their fireblades. Voclar sneered. "You all are so petty!
T'hoj and Elite... THEY are visionaries! But you insist on fighting!
Haven't you learned? Throughout history, you have been purged yourselves
of evil through war. But this time, your own personal wars have found
YOU evil. The Universe will go on," he said. The four stopped what they
were doing and absorbed his words. "Too late. There's no time to
apologize. Goodbye!" he said. Instantly, the Feqh-Netur mothership was
sheared apart by the space-subspace reaction.

->]*: Finale

The Multiverse continues to degenerate. The War, the Plasma Wave, and
the detonation of Doomsday each caused severe ravages. Scattered
throughout the Mutliverse were isolated peoples, each struggling to
survive. As Relf Miga had predicted, they were not united. But it had
not been the Feqh-Netur's doing. No, the Multiverse had done it to
itself.

"It's time we explore. The Multiverse is doubtless in distress, and the
Shoralm colonies seem to be the only organizations in any order at all,"
said T'hoj. Elite clasped her hand. Together they sat in the operations
center of the Shoralm Command Ship. Flanked by various crewmembers, they
looked into each others eyes, both having the same goal. "They ARE out
there, and they ARE waiting," began Elite. "Ops, engage subspace, excuse
me, allspace thrustjump engines!" The ship hurtled forward under its
immense power. "Well, let's see what we can see..." said Elite.

->]*:  The adventure is just beginning........










->]*: Series Conclusion

And so, I've ended the SRE Text Series. I thoroughly enjoyed writing
these stories, and I hope you enjoyed reading them. Thanks goes to many
people for these works... Without them, Ultra, Elite, Vafan, Bounty,
Mace, Zelus, Amoko, Cyber, Krael, Rytek, Tecouk, Vedet, and Relf Miga
would not have been created. So, thanks to: Michael Robinson (Mikal
R'binsn), Justin Renaud, Paul Quisenberry, Fire Escape, and Tricky.

Finally, thanks to the REAL:

MaceMan (Mace, Steel Talon) 
Justin Renaud (Pulsator, Elite) 
Michael Robinson (Mikal R'binsn) 
Fire Escape (Phee) 
Marc Brooks (Jirca) 
Ralph the Mage (Relf Miga) 
Mad Dog (Mad, Valiance)