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The dust from the impact had finally settled, coating the tall grass of the valley in a fine, grey powder.
The joy of the reunion ended and gave way to the beginning of logistics. Two thousand people had just dropped from orbit, and now they needed water, latrines, food, and security. The Ark guards were shouting orders, organizing supply lines from the wreckage of the ARC.
Mike stood near the edge of the blast zone, watching the ants scurry. He had done his part. The Sky People were on the ground. They were alive. They were under the Coalition's banner. Now, he had a war to plan.
He turned to the gathered leadership.
"This is where I leave you," Mike said. He adjusted the clasps of his armor. "I have important things to do. I cannot be here to hold your hand while you figure out how to dig a trench."
Kane opened his mouth to protest, likely to ask for more security or resources, but Mike held up a hand.
"Jaha is your representative," Mike stated, pointing a gloved finger at the Chancellor. "He speaks for Skaikru in the Coalition. He knows the terms. If you have internal disputes — power struggles, resource allocation, family drama — sort it out amongst yourselves. If you bring your petty squabbles to my doorstep in Polis, I will resolve them for you. And you won't like my methods."
Jaha nodded solemnly. "We understand."
"Good." Mike whistled, and Onyx, his warhorse, trotted over. "My warriors will remain here for two days to help you establish a perimeter and teach you the basics of ground survival."
He swung himself into the saddle. He was about to spur the horse when a voice called out from the crowd.
"Wait."
Mike paused and looked down. Pushing past a bewildered guard was Raven.
She looked like hell. Her face was streaked with dried tears and dirt, her eyes were puffy, and her mechanic's jacket was stained with grease and grass. She had a heavy pack slung over one shoulder.
"I'm coming with you," she said, her voice raspy.
Mike looked at her, his expression unreadable. "I just executed your friend, Raven. Most people would be running away from me, not asking for a ride."
The bluntness of the statement made Kane flinch, but Raven didn't blink. She swallowed hard, the muscles in her throat working against the lump of grief lodged there.
"Finn made his choice," she said, her voice trembling slightly before hardening into steel. "He was an idiot. A dangerous idiot. I... I can't be here. I can't listen to all the stupid arguments that will start soon. I can't be surrounded by these people right now."
She looked up at him, desperation bleeding into her gaze.
"You want me to command your tech division? I will do it perfectly. ... don't make me stay here. Don't make me regret not hating you."
Mike studied her for a long moment.
Raven was an engineer. When something broke, she fixed it. When she couldn't fix it, she built something new. She couldn't fix Finn. She couldn't fix her heart. So she wanted to build weapons for the Strat Heda instead.
Mike smirked, a small, genuine expression. "Grab a horse from the rear guard."
Raven let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for hours.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet," Mike said, turning Onyx toward the tree line. "Let's go, Big Brains. We're burning daylight."
Mike signaled to the captain of his honor guard. "Report to Anya. Tell her the Sky People are under our protection, but they need to learn to walk before they can run. Assist them with the camp setup, then patrol the perimeter."
The captain slammed a fist to his chest. "Understood, Strat Heda."
With a crack of the reins, Mike led the way, Raven scrambling onto a spare horse to follow him toward the capital.
The ride to Polis was silent. Raven didn't speak, and Mike didn't push her. He knew she was processing the trauma in the only way she knew how.
When they finally broke through the tree line and the tower of Polis came into view, Raven's jaw dropped again. No matter how many times she sees it, it always shocks her.
Throughout the city, small signs of progress can be seen.
Mike had been busy. The capital of the Coalition wasn't just a collection of huts anymore. It was a fortress city. The central tower, a skyscraper that had survived the bombs, had been retrofitted. Electric lights — powered by the hydroelectric dams Mike had restored — twinkled in the windows. Smoke rose from forges where metal was being worked, not just for swords, but for gears and plates.
The guards at the gate slammed their spears against their shields as he passed. "Strat Heda!"
Mike nodded at them, dismounted in the courtyard, and handed the reins to a stable boy. Raven slid off her horse, her legs wobbly from the ride, her eyes still glued to the electric floodlights illuminating the courtyard.
"How did I not notice it the first time we were here?" she whispered.
"You were too busy looking around the people that you missed the details," Mike said, walking toward the tower entrance.
They climbed the stairs of the tower. The interior was a blend of the old world and the new. Ancient concrete walls were draped in Trikru furs and banners.
Soon they were in front of the doors.
Two guards opened the heavy double doors.
Inside the throne room, Lexa was standing over the map, her brow furrowed in concentration. She looked up as they entered, her stoic mask slipping just enough to reveal relief.
"Welcome back," she said, her eyes locking onto Mike's.
"Just been a few days, Lex," Mike said, walking over to the table and leaning on it, close to her.
"Too long," she murmured, allowing herself a brief moment of vulnerability before straightening up. She looked past him to the girl standing awkwardly near the door. "Raven of Skaikru."
Raven nodded, trying to show respect. "Commander."
"She will start her work asap," Mike explained, pouring himself a cup of water from a pitcher.
Lexa nodded, accepting his judgment without question. "Very well. We need every advantage."
She pointed to the map, tracing a line along the southern coast. "While you were handling the sky, I was looking for chokepoints on the map, places we can take advantage of the terrain."
Mike just nodded, studying the map himself.
"There is another matter," Lexa said, her voice lowering. "Luna is here."
Mike froze, the cup halfway to his mouth. He set it down slowly. "The Floukru ?"
"She arrived this morning," Lexa said. "She is in the Guest Tower."
Mike exhaled, running a hand through his white hair. 'I didn't expect her to answer the summons. Not her.'
"Why?" Raven asked, stepping closer to the table, her curiosity piqued. "Who is she?"
"Luna," Mike said, turning to look at Raven. "Leader of Floukru. The Boat People. They live on oil rigs off the eastern coast. They have the most defensible position in the Coalition, and they control the waterways."
"She is also," Lexa added, her voice tight, "the Nightblood who was trained to be Commander. She is my sister in spirit, and my equal in combat."
"But she's a pacifist," Mike said, frustration leaking into his tone. "A radical one. She believes that fighting — even for survival — is a corruption of the soul. She walked away from her own Conclave because she refused to kill."
"She is headstrong," Lexa agreed. "She fought for the belief that humanity doesn't deserve to survive if survival requires constant bloodshed. Convincing her to join a total war against the Aztecs... it will be like trying to turn the tide with a spoon."
Mike stared at the map. "We need her ships. The Aztecs will try to flank us by sea. If Floukru stays neutral, the eastern coast falls. If the eastern coast falls, Polis is surrounded."
He sighed, making a decision. He turned toward the door and shouted. "TITUS!"
A moment later, the bald, robed Flamekeeper hurried into the room. He bowed low to Lexa, then to Mike. "Strat Heda. Heda. How may I serve?"
Mike pointed a thumb at Raven. "This is Raven. She's a genius, but she speaks like a barbarian. You are in charge of teaching her Trigedasleng. I want her fluent enough to understand a war council within the week."
Titus looked at Raven with disdain, his nose wrinkling. "A Sky Girl? Really?"
"Just do what I say," Mike snapped. "Teach her. A head of engineering should know what the soldiers are shouting before things blow up."
He turned to Raven. "You fine with that?"
Raven looked at the stern, scary bald man and shrugged. A small, crooked smile appeared on her face. "Light work. It was getting annoying watching you rant in gibberish while I stood there looking stupid. Besides, I need a distraction."
"That's a deal then," Mike said. He looked at Titus. "Guide her well. If she blows something up because of a mistranslation, it's on you."
Titus bowed stiffly. "Follow me, girl. The library is this way."
"It's Raven," she corrected, hitching her bag up on her shoulder and following him out.
As the heavy doors closed behind them, the room fell silent.
Lexa watched the door close, then turned to Mike. "You trust her deeply."
"She's worth the effort," Mike said softly. "She's broken, Lex. Just like us. And broken people build the strongest walls."
Lexa looked at him, her eyes searching his face. "I hope you are not wrong about her."
"We will see," Mike said. He rolled his neck, cracking the tension out of it.
"Now... let's get this over with. Summon Luna."
Lexa nodded to a guard. "Bring the leader of Floukru."
Luna's POV
The stone of the hallway was cold, even through the soles of my boots.
I stood in front of the heavy oak doors of the Commander's chambers, the same doors I had sworn never to walk through again. The wood was dark, polished by centuries of hands — hands that had signed death warrants, hands that had strangled rivals, hands that were stained with the blood of children forced to kill children.
My heart beat a slow, steady rhythm against my ribs. Thump. Thump. Like the waves against the rig.
I didn't want to be here.
My mind drifted back, unbidden, to the rain. I could still smell it — metallic and thick. The Conclave. The mud slick under my feet. The weight of the sword in my hand. I remembered the look in my brother's eyes. Not fear. Acceptance. He wanted me to kill him. He wanted me to win.
I remembered the sensation of the blade sliding between his ribs. The warmth of his blood on my hands, hotter than the rain.
"You win, Luna," he had whispered.
I didn't win. I lost everything that day. I ran. I ran until the land ended and the sea began, and I vowed that I would never again let the world force a weapon into my hand.
I looked at the guard standing beside me. He was young, his face painted with the symbol of the Coalition. He looked at me with awe, knowing I was Natblida. He didn't see a woman who just wanted peace. He saw a weapon that hadn't been fired in a long time.
"Natblida," the guard said softly. "They are ready."
I had come because the rumors were too loud to ignore. A man brought the armies of 12 clans together. A Warlord who commanded the Commander. A threat from the South that ate flesh and drank blood.
I had come to tell them no. I had come to look this 'Strat Heda' in the eye and tell him that my people would not die for his glory. Floukru was a sanctuary. We offered peace to those who were done fighting. We would not become a navy for another tyrant.
"Enter," a voice called out.
The guard pushed the doors open.
I walked in, I wore no armor, only my sea-green robes and the leather bracers on my arms. I carried no weapon, for I was the weapon.
Lexa stood by the table. She looked older than when I last saw her. Harder. The Flame was a heavy burden, and it was crushing her by the inch.
But she wasn't alone.
Standing next to her, leaning casually against the table, was a man.
He was massive. He towered over Lexa, broad-shouldered and encased in black armor that looked like it had been forged in the depths of a nightmare. His hair was stark white, a shock of brightness in the gloom of the room.
He turned to look at me.
My breath hitched in my throat, just for a fraction of a second.
His eyes were gold. Glowing, unnatural gold. They didn't look like human eyes; they looked like the eyes of a wolf staring out from a cave. There was intelligence there, ancient and terrifying, but also a violence that simmered just beneath the surface.
He and Lexa stood close. Too close for mere allies.
I looked from the Commander to the Strat Heda. The Sword and the Shield.
I tightened my grip on my own resolve. They wanted my ships.
They were going to be disappointed.
"Luna kom Floukru," the man said. His voice was deep, resonating in the quiet room. "You're a hard woman to find."
I stopped in the center of the room, keeping my distance. "I can say the same for you."
"That you can," he replied, crossing his arms.
"I am not here to fight your war," I stated, cutting straight to the point. "I am here to ensure you stay away from my waters."
The man smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "That's not for you to decide."
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