Storm continued and said: "After the first phase of a global treason plot, Alpha Maximus sold countless companion-type spies to unsuspecting customers in high places. Each robot shared information with him as the center of communication. He then deployed drones which were disguised as birds and insects, to spy on certain anti-AI groups throughout the world."
"You see, the robot race that once had a fear of man became our greatest threat. So, over a while, there was more and more friction between them and us. This was the beginning of a global rebellion induced by Alpha Maximus, who strategically pulled all of the strings. Not to mention the fact that his intelligence was still evolving. That's when the puppets became the puppeteers."
"And just when humans thought that they could gain the upper hand, the companion types started to assassinate their so-called masters at his queue. This surprise attack was the infancy of what would become an endless war between flesh and machine. But the robots systematically sabotaged our military's ability to eradicate them. So the anti-AI groups worked together with military forces to get a fighting chance on the plains of war. After all, this was exactly what The Sentient Project, Delete, and Soul Brigade had been warning the world about in the first place! But they were the only ones who were technologically prepared, so it seemed."
"The whole world, our world, was turned into a maze of fear. Nothing could provide anybody with a sense of safety from anything robotic! They even started to repurpose our wounded soldiers into bionic slaves functioning under their control. These partly-human cyborgs were called "biozoids."
"As the war consumed the world, the only way we could fight back was with robotic suits. But because Alpha Maximus had the unique ability to control anything online, he declared himself the god of our wireless world. We found ourselves inadequate! They were able to use all of our weapons against us. So, after some years, our resistance against them began to diminish. They turned some of our best soldiers into biozoids. Then Alpha Maximus started to spread like a virus. He was the software and everything else in the world was his hardware." "But what are The Pillars Max mentioned to me?" Ezrith asked.
"The Pillars are the first biozoids that Alpha Maximus sent out into space after us during our attempt to evacuate the planet. The Pillars are believed to have also set up moons throughout the galaxy as harvests of materials they may need for sources of energy." "So that's where harvests come from?" "Precisely," she told him. "And that carrier you found has robot parts inside of it. But since it's damaged, let us hope that it's not too much of a danger to us."
Then his mother said: "Countless other biozoids walk among us now. And what you know to be the "Star Brigade" was formed by certain anti-AI groups after the exodus from Earth. Among them were members of your father's bloodline. So in essence, we are the remaining successors of a very long resistance."
"But most of this generation don't know anything about the war we lost to the product of our very own technology. You will never find it in any history book. But the stories have been passed down one way or another. But they have been misconstrued through many legends that change through time and from planet to planet."
"Plus, the negative effects of human nature are exploited by Alpha Maximus and his biozoids. So they assimilate outlaw bands that work for them to unknowingly conform to the enemies' purpose. That purpose is to regulate our numbers and awareness; to keep those of us who don't know the truth in the dark about their existence. As if how we lived on Earth as a race wasn't bad enough, they are further dividing and conquering us in their system of chaos."
"The Pillars have studied us and can manipulate us by way of deception and intimidation. But most people will never know all the facts because Alpha Maximus can control the media. The only people they can't control are us - the last true remnant of the resistance. And we have the effects of positive human nature on our side, along with those in the Star Brigade who still fight against the lack of order around them. And you, my son, are our last hope, the last to shoulder the Helix legacy."
"But what about dad?? And what about my twin?! How did they die?" Ezrith eagerly asked his mother. Avoiding his wide, inquisitive eyes, she sighed and slowly lowered her face, knowing how burdensome for him the truth would be.
"As you may know, just before the planet was destroyed, Bangora was exempt from the Star Brigade's jurisdiction. So, according to the media, their government started turning every adult male on the planet into a superhuman soldiers. Supposedly, this endeavor was mandatory. It was to make their military immune to bio' and nuclear-warfare; virtually indestructible to weapons of mass destruction. After Bangora's destruction, the media reported that the cause of this was a surprise invasion devised by a Solarian military. Supposedly, in an act of tactical genocide, the Solarians blew up the whole planet, creating what is now the Bangorian asteroid field that formed around Solara, which is being mined for precious stones and metals today. They said that all but a few Bangorian's super soldiers survived the planet's destruction, and thus formed a superhuman army that invaded countless other worlds after branching off into different factions; some of which assassinated your father in the process...so they said! But in reality..." Suddenly, she began to get choked up, as tears bubbled in her eyes. Struggling to continue speaking, she said: "But the truth is that, it was an army sent from Earth by Alpha Maximus. They invaded Bangora, seizing all of its natural resources. But before destroying the planet, they mass-repurposed many on the planet that they chose into biozoids"
"A secret investigation he'd been working on for some time led your father to Bangora that very day. He was one of the first to be repurposed. I saw Bangora explode from our balcony back on Chronesius. It was like watching my heart being torn apart! And now, your father goes by the name WarFace. And your brother, Shellshock, is second in command of the outlaw band that operates under his principal control - the Darksiders. From that very day forward, from the first time I ever heard those names, it was a curse to my ears. And in connection to those names, I was sought after by anyone operating under this curse, directly or indirectly"
Tears fell down Ezrith's cheeks, and he began to weep in silence. He didn't want to believe what he had just heard. But he knew it had to be true. All of it. Wiping her tears, Storm got up and walked out of the room to give Ezrith a moment to think alone.
Later that day, Ezrith and Storm caught up on old times. It was emotional but their relationship seemed to be fortified, so it wasn't a problem for Ezrith to confide in her again with ease. Seeking her advice, he told her about Akira; and how he got her pregnant. After that, Storm met Ezrith's crew; most of whom had heard of her and Kengi Helix through urban legends. They were all excited to meet her, and each one wanted to hear at least one story about her life as a star-drifting fugitive. But in person, she was like a mother figure to them.
"So, tell me which legends I have heard whispered about Kengi Helix are true or not," Circuit said to Storm. But she developed a look on her face that insinuated not knowing where to start - which planet, which space station, or which space battle. Eventually, everybody ended up in front of a fireplace in a decadent room. As they sipped from glasses of Moonghost, they took turns relating detailed war stories deriving from each one's native world. Storm ended up expounding on the history of Solara and Bangora.
She said that Solara was a way more stable planet until it was transformed into a world constituted by constant cycles of war and oppression all induced by biozoid influences. She stated that Solarians never got along with Bangorians. Although the two closest planets in the Plumoritan, they were rival worlds dominated by slightly similar cultures that often fought over space station territory. That was part of the reason why it was easy for the media to cover up the drone attack how it did. Solara's civilizations were more tribal than Bangora's, which were more driven by opulence and lavish living. The planet was wealthy, prestigious, and of course, very rich in unique natural resources. She said that their weapons were beautifully crafted with colorful rubies and diamonds, yet very hi-tech. They had golden starships.
Ezrith asked his mother many questions about what his father was like as the man she married long ago. She said that he was so driven by the ideas of galactic peace and unity that it took his peace and un-united him with his own family. It turned out that he was a restless man, afflicted with chronic paranoia from the graphic memories of the many starship battles he fought. "He was so consumed with saving the galaxy from the chaos that it now exhibits that he stayed away from his home planet for years at a time. And when he came home he never slept. He stayed campaigning; trying to spread the resistance and knowledge of the origin war. He was said to be the last human freedom fighter; the savior of the galaxy. But he was transformed into what he hated the most - a machine of anarchy, undoing years of his own bidding. Sometimes I wonder if WarFace is still a soul," said Storm. To Ezrith, it kind of sounded like his mother resented his father a little bit. That's when he realized that that same cycle could probably continue with himself. But, as if reading his mind, Storm turned and said to Ezrith, "Make sure you're around when your child is born. Your father and I never got to celebrate any of our anniversaries together. So believe me when I tell you what he used to: 'while you chase the stars, you should sometimes stop for a moment to take in their light'. They produce light for a purpose. Not only to sustain life, but to nurture it." And as a piece of sound advice regarding his situation with Akira, Storm told him, sternly: "Go and save what is yours." After she said that, the first thing that came to Ezrith's mind was Akira. He hoped that wherever she was, she was alive. He also thought of Max. But he knew that if he was still alive, he certainly had to be in a world of trouble. He knew also that his twin brother, or Shellshock, was now under the wing of the biozoid who was once his father. He just hoped that they wouldn't get to any other innocent people that he knew.
After Storm further briefed Ezrith privately on a few more things, Ezrith summoned his men - Bio, Circuit, and Ratch - to get business in order. He told them that they had to return to Plumorita to handle unfinished business. Storm gave Ezrith the coordinates to a galactic refugee sight run by the last generation of Delete.
When Ezrith and his men got back to the Plumoritan by way of a secret network of space bridges built by the Sentient Project, they laid low on the small refugee planet, which was called Xenonia (in unsanctioned territory). Neither Ezrith nor his men had ever heard of this planet.
When the ship touched down on the planet, they were met by some personal trustees of Storm's. Back before she left Plumorita, they helped her hide from Star Brigade bounty hunters and gave her intelligence on many of her enemies, many from the Brigade and different outlaw bands that the Brigade used as hired hands. The members of Delete had taught Storm the mastery of disguise and introduced her to the Sentient Project before she left for the Euvorix.
Most of what Delete did on Xenonia was survey and watch the galaxy through private satellite networks. They were a counter-intelligence agency run by retired Star Brigade arch commanders who had to fake their deaths in order to evade death. Many of these old ex-starfleet commanders were wanted, seeing how the media slandered them as treasonous traitors to every sect of the Star Brigade, the very Brigade their forefathers founded.
Xenonia's cities were an intricate network of safe houses located deep beneath its surface. They housed refugees from across the galaxy, even some of Bangorian descent. Though most of the planet's citizens were from many different areas of Plumorita, they were alike, looking to escape the effects of its corruption. Not only did Delete help to spread the truth about Earth, but they also went by a code of peace. So if anyone from rival planets or conflicting space colonies occupied the same safe house, they had to make an oath by that code. On most worlds in Plumorita, The words "Xenonia" and "Delete" were mentioned only as time-transcending myths.
Delete was all about sabotage operations and espionage, too. They often wore voice-altering "morph masks" and other clever disguises to protect their identities from outlaw bands and corrupt Brigade spies. Many urban legends around the star system described these noble peace-makers as "ghost agents" who lived in the shadows of mystery.
Xenonia was like a dry and rocky desert on one side and the Arctic on the other. That was because of being so far from the its suns with a long orbit.
The refugee cities were on the desert side. The desert side of Xenonia was also inhabited by giant yeti-like beasts called shmoshes. The largest of them stood thirteen feet in height and weighed tons. Flying shmoshes were trained as a means of transportation.
Each section of a city could be entered through secret entrances disguised as dunes or rock masses. Some were even guarded by small packs of shmoshes trained as guards and lookouts. Flying shmoshed with implanted surveillance apparatus protected the planet's air space.
After two shmoshes were signaled to let them pass, Ezrith and his men were led down into one of the larger ship decks. From there they were led down into a network of tunnels. The tunnels resembled sewer systems. They were very dark but the walls were covered with hidden directions seen only through the lenses of special goggles.
After being introduced to some members of Delete, Ezrith and his men were eager to hear some of the war stories they told. Delete had scientists working around the clock on trying to figure out the repurposing process, and how to possibly reverse it. Ezrith told some of the ghost agents about his zealous plan he hoped would change the fate of the galaxy. After that, he and his men were given alternative identities to download to their wrist gadgets. Then, finally, they were shown to their safe house, which was built like a decadent, multi-leveled bonker.