Recaps

The Big Four learned that Lin Fan had left the Super Star Gate behind and became determined to seize its energy technology. Verto dismissed Belt for refusing to obey, leaving White set to command the allied forces and Belt fearing the war against the insectoid race would suffer.

• Xis, Hussein, and Moros agreed with Verto to investigate why the Human Federation had left the Super Star Gate behind.
• Belt explained that Lin Fan had returned through the gate and left it for the war effort, warning that its advanced technology could be damaged if handled recklessly.
• The Big Four fixated on the gate’s energy core, and Verto ordered Belt to seize control of it with the four civilizations’ fleets.
• Belt objected that taking the gate could undermine the war against the insectoid race, but Verto accused him of serving the Human Federation rather than the Vera Federation.
• Verto dismissed Belt and appointed White to replace him, then kicked Belt out of the Virtual Meeting Room.
• Belt closed his eyes in pain aboard his warship, fearing White’s command could reverse the allied forces’ progress.

Verto dismissed Belt and appointed White to command the Allied Forces, ordering him to seize the Super Star Gate, reduce the use of higher-level civilizations’ fleets, and weaken the Human Federation’s influence. White took command at the Viers Defense Line and began carrying out those orders, while Belt left for the Capital Sphere fearing the consequences.

• Verto summoned White to the Virtual Meeting Room and appointed him commander of the Allied Forces at the Viers Defense Line.
• Verto ordered White to take control of the Super Star Gate, shift combat operations toward Level 3 Civilizations, and diminish the Human Federation’s influence.
• White contacted Belt aboard the Knox, mocked his dismissal, and ordered him to transfer command and return to the Capital Sphere.
• White ordered ten billion warships from the four Level 5 Civilizations to seal off the Super Star Gate within 5 AU.
• White ordered Level 4 and Level 5 Civilization warships to withdraw from the front, leaving subsequent combat to Level 3 Civilizations.
• Belt ordered his adjutant to comply, warned White about ruining their progress, and left the bridge for the Capital Sphere.

White’s effort to dismantle the Super Star Gate stalled as his oppression of the allied forces weakened morale and his deadline forced the scientists toward a dangerous last resort. Three months later, the director ordered them to attempt Violent Disassembly.

• White dismissed Belt, took his flagship, and sealed off the Super Star Gate region while punishing civilizations that supported the Human Federation.
• White’s supervisory fleets destroyed more than a thousand Level 3 Civilization fleets, driving allied morale to rock bottom.
• White gave the scientific team three months to extract the Super Star Gate’s core energy device or face execution.
• The director and scientists continued researching the gate, knowing that Violent Disassembly could trigger a catastrophic explosion.
• Three months later, the director ordered the team to prepare for Violent Disassembly.

White confronted the research team as its director began using a high-powered beam to cut into the Super Star Gate, but the gate’s core overloaded. The resulting eruption destroyed the area around the gate, engulfing most of the five billion warships White had gathered while leaving other civilizations outside the sealed zone unharmed.

• White demanded to know why the science team was preparing to use Violent Disassembly, and the department head argued that their deadline left no other choice.
• The director ordered the scientists to increase the cutting beam’s power until it pierced both sides of the Super Star Gate’s outer shell.
• A scan revealed that the Super Star Gate’s energy core had entered an overload reaction, and the director and scientists accepted that they were likely to die.
• The overloaded Zero-Point Particle energy erupted, creating a colossal blast that destroyed an area at least three AU across.
• The explosion engulfed most of the five billion warships White had summoned, while the sealed five-AU zone kept other civilizations from being affected.

White blamed Zorn for destroying the Super Star Gate, but four delayed video messages exposed White’s role in the disaster to the Four Overlords. White fled the Virtual Meeting Room and ordered his battleship to jump toward the Orion Arm.

• White raged over the destruction of the Super Star Gate as the Four Overlords gathered to demand an explanation from Verto.
• White told the Four Overlords that Zorn had recklessly used Violent Disassembly, and Verto initially accepted his explanation.
• Moros urged Verto to check for unapproved messages from the research team, and they found four videos awaiting approval.
• Zorn and scientists sent by the other three overlords revealed what had happened, causing Verto to turn on White.
• White disconnected from the Virtual Meeting Room and ordered his crew to shut down communications and jump toward the Orion Arm.

Admiral White secretly crossed into the Orion Arm after Sterling cleared the wormhole, then asked the Human Federation for protection. Liang Xingchen contacted Lin Fan, whom White recognized when he appeared.

• White told Sterling he planned to defect and asked him to help him pass through the wormhole unnoticed.
• Sterling withdrew the defense fleet under the pretense of suppressing space pirates, allowing White to cross into the Orion Arm aboard the Knox.
• Liang Xingchen’s forces detected the Knox at Hangu Pass and prepared to attack when White requested communications.
• White identified himself as a Vera Federation general and told Liang Xingchen he had come seeking protection.
• White asked to speak with Lin Fan, and Liang Xingchen arranged the connection.
• Lin Fan appeared in the command center, and White recognized him from his files.

White sought asylum from Lin Fan and offered recordings proving the four Level 5 Civilizations had tried to dismantle the Super Star Gate, along with compromising information about the Vera Federation. Lin Fan accepted his request and ordered the Knox taken over, while White prepared the crew to surrender without revealing that he had defected.

• White told Lin Fan that the Super Star Gate had self-destructed and blamed The Big Four, claiming he had been forced to obey them before fleeing.
• White showed Lin Fan recordings of the four Level 5 Civilizations studying the Star Gate and the Vera Federation attempting to dismantle it with ion cutters.
• White offered more recordings and damaging information about the Vera Federation in exchange for asylum, and Lin Fan agreed to apply on his behalf.
• White asked whether the Knox's crew should be killed to keep them from leaking the defection, but Lin Fan ordered them spared and the ship taken over.
• Lin Fan left Liang Xingchen to handle the takeover, and White ordered the crew to obey the Human Federation while they still believed they were on an undercover mission.

The Four Overlords blamed humanity for the Super Star Gate’s destruction, but Lin Zhen waited until resentment peaked before releasing White’s testimony and evidence exposing their crimes. The revelations plunged the four major alliances into chaos as civilizations learned that the Level 5 powers had destroyed rising Level 4 civilizations for millennia.

• The Four Overlords released a report claiming that a command signal from the Orion Arm had caused the Super Star Gate to self-destruct, and their leaders denied using Violent Disassembly.
• Lin Zhen told Lin Fan that humanity would respond when public resentment reached its peak and planned to spend the coming years building its strength before returning to the First Main Arm.
• After three days of growing hostility toward humanity, Lin Zhen issued a public response explaining that humanity had investigated the incident and had identified the true culprits.
• White’s recording accused the Four Overlords of ordering Violent Disassembly of the Super Star Gate, killing civilizations that supported humanity, and issuing a Level 1 kill order against him.
• The Federation released recordings and documents that corroborated White’s account and exposed the Four Overlords’ destruction of more than a dozen rising Level 4 civilizations.
• The revelations, including evidence that the Four Overlords had secretly colluded to destroy the Chino Empire and other Level 4 civilizations, threw all four major alliances into chaos.

The Four Overlords tried to contain the fallout from their past actions by making concessions and blaming White for the Super Star Gate's destruction. Meanwhile, Queen Bug Helme marched through Socrates's Bug Nest Channel toward the Milky Way, expecting to claim it after his failure.

• Verto wanted to suppress the rising dissent, but Xis persuaded him that doing so could drive the galaxy to side with humanity.
• Xis proposed sending Level 5 fleets to the insect war, offering new agreements to Level 4 Civilizations, and blaming White for the Super Star Gate's self-destruction; the other Overlords agreed.
• The Four Overlords released recordings implicating White, admitted their predecessors' wrongdoing, offered new agreements, and sent their fleets to the front lines.
• Helme learned that Socrates had failed and assembled an army to invade the Milky Way through the Bug Nest Channel he had left behind.
• Helme calculated that her forces would reach the Milky Way in just over twenty days.

Helme launched an attack on the Deo Star System using millions of Zerg Warships, catching its complacent Allied Forces defenders unprepared. Zi Guang ordered the ready ships to fire, but the Warship Bugs unleashed a devastating barrage against the defensive line.

• Helme decided the Zerg gathered around Deo were strong enough to begin the assault.
• Zi Guang discovered strange celestial bodies emerging from the Bug Nest Channel and sounded the alarm.
• Zi Guang ordered the warships ready for battle to fire, but their attacks barely damaged the celestial bodies.
• The damaged celestial bodies released Sprayer Bugs and Combat Bugs, while millions more revealed weapon arrays and began charging energy.
• The Warship Bugs fired hundreds of millions of dark red beams at the Allied Forces' defensive line.

Zi Guang’s unprepared fleet at the Deo Defense Line was ambushed by returning Zerg and forced to retreat, abandoning part of its forces. General West received Zi Guang’s message that Deo had fallen.

• Zerg Ion Beams destroyed or damaged many Allied Coalition warships before most had completed combat preparations.
• Zi Guang moved combat-ready ships forward, but bug nests arrived around the defense line and began releasing Combat Bugs and Sprayer Bugs.
• Zi Guang ordered the mobile warships to warp away and reported Deo’s fall to headquarters, leaving the remaining ships to be overwhelmed.
• Helme mocked Socrates after watching the Allied Coalition’s retreat through the Zerg psychic network.
• General West received Zi Guang’s message at Viers Defense Line headquarters confirming that Deo had fallen.

Admiral West concluded that a powerful new Intelligent Zerg had orchestrated the fall of Deo and alerted Leader Verto. Three months later, the allied forces encountered an enormous swarm around Hain’s fleet, while the Four Overlords’ concealment of the danger left him unaware of the new Queen Zerg.

• West learned that Zerg Warships and thousands of trillions of Zerg had overwhelmed Deo, and he inferred that a new Intelligent Zerg had planned the attack months in advance.
• West ordered his adjutant to connect him to Leader Verto so he could report the new threat.
• Three months later, Hain noted that his advancing fleet had encountered no large-scale swarms, while the Four Overlords continued withholding the truth about Deo from lower-ranking commanders.
• Hain detected millions of Bug Nests gathering ahead of his five hundred million warships and ordered his fleet into a spherical defensive formation.
• Fifteen million Bug Nests released their Zerg warriors, surrounding Hain’s fleet, and he called on the two hundred billion warships stationed behind him for fire support.
• The reserve fleet began warping toward Hain’s designated coordinates.

Hain’s fleet came under attack from Helme’s Zerg, including 500 billion Zerg Warships that ambushed the rear fire support fleet. The first volley devastated the allied forces, leaving Hain to confront heavy losses.

• Hain received a 200 billion-warship fire support fleet but remained wary of the Zerg’s behavior.
• Helme ordered the Zerg to begin their attack after watching Hain’s fleet through the Zerg Mental Network.
• Hain learned that 500 billion targets had appeared behind his fleet, and his adjutant discovered they were Zerg Warships rather than bugs.
• Hain ordered the rear fleet to evade, but the stationary ships could not move before the Zerg Warships fired.
• The Zerg Warships’ first volley destroyed 9 billion Level 3 and 400 million Level 4 allied warships.

Hain’s fleet used rotating formations and irregular maneuvers to limit losses while damaging the Zerg, but Helme revealed that the battle bugs were now responding to commands. The bugs turned toward the Level 3 and Level 4 Civilization fleet, which had left itself exposed behind Hain.

• The Zerg’s second and third attack waves inflicted progressively smaller losses as the allied fleet completed its formation adjustments.
• Hain ordered area-saturation fire, but the Zerg Warships’ hardened shells absorbed most of the damage and the allied fleet’s first strike destroyed relatively few of them.
• The allied fleet used Disordered Navigation and rotated damaged warships to the rear, gradually gaining a favorable loss ratio against the Zerg Warships.
• Helme ordered more than one thousand trillion battle bugs to stop attacking Hain’s fleet, turn around, and charge the Level 3 and Level 4 Civilization fleet.
• The Level 3 and Level 4 Civilization fleet realized too late that the Zerg were no longer acting on instinct and were now following commands.

Hain tried to open a route for the Level 3 and Level 4 fleets to retreat, but Helme’s Zerg countered with concentrated fire that overwhelmed the Vera Federation’s Spatial Shields. Hain then ordered his fleet to flank the Zerg warships and attack from the sides.

• Hain realized the Zerg were alternating attacks to keep his fleet from repositioning while their swarms threatened the Level 3 and Level 4 fleets.
• Hain ordered his fleet to charge the Zerg warship formation so the Fire Support Fleet could warp away.
• Helme directed 500 billion Zerg warships to concentrate fire on Hain’s fleet, destroying three million warships and breaking through their Spatial Shields.
• Hain ordered his fleet to split up and arc around both flanks of the Zerg formation.
• Hain commanded the flanking forces to cut into the Zerg warships.

Hain’s fleet pushed into the Zerg formation, only to discover that the Zerg Warships were remotely draining their energy cores. Hain ordered an immediate breakout as the fleet risked losing the power needed to keep its shields active or warp away.

• Helme recognized Hain’s flanking attack and sent orders through the Zerg psychic network, while Hain prepared to withdraw his forces after they entered the Zerg formation.
• Hain noticed the void turning faintly red as his adjutant reported that the warships’ energy cores were rapidly losing power despite no malfunction being detected.
• Hain ordered an all-direction scan, and the results showed energy flowing from every warship into the surrounding Zerg Warships.
• Hain realized the Zerg Warships were remotely extracting his fleet’s energy and ordered his ships to break out at maximum speed.

Hain organized the Level 3 and Level 4 Civilization fleets’ retreat while Helme’s Zerg Warships continued firing on them. The Fire Support Fleet withdrew at heavy cost, leaving Hain’s Level 5 Civilization fleet as the only force still to retreat.

• Hain split the Fire Support Fleet into groups of 150 billion and 50 billion warships, using the smaller group as a wall while the first group prepared to warp away.
• Hain ordered his fleet to fire on Helme’s Zerg Warships, but they ignored the attack and continued targeting the Level 3 and Level 4 Civilization fleet.
• The first group endured repeated volleys and lost 6.8 billion warships before completing its withdrawal.
• Hain ordered the second group to lower its shields and activate its Warp Drive Engines without turning, and it escaped after losing 18 billion warships.
• Hain relaxed slightly once both groups had withdrawn, leaving only his Level 5 Civilization fleet to retreat.

Hain’s fleet attempted to escape the Zerg by turning and accelerating, but the Zerg Warships nearly matched their speed and pursued them through sustained attacks. Just as Hain believed his fleet was nearly safe, Helme ordered a massive strike aimed at Hain’s flagship.

• Hain ordered his fleet to turn through curved flight and widen the distance from the Zerg Warships.
• The Zerg fleet completed its turn first and attacked Hain’s fleet, destroying millions of warships as it finished the maneuver.
• Hain learned that the Zerg Warships were traveling at 80,200 kilometers per second, leaving his fleet with only a slight speed advantage.
• Hain ordered his fleet to maintain maximum combat speed and make irregular evasive maneuvers during the Zerg pursuit.
• Hain’s fleet endured thirty minutes of attacks and lost nearly 200 million warships before opening a gap of more than 4.9 million kilometers.
• Helme ordered more than 100 million Zerg Warships to fire a concentrated strike at Hain’s flagship.

The Big Four agreed to reveal the new royal insect’s existence while hiding their earlier knowledge and declaring the escaped Deo garrison dead. After learning that Hain’s death resulted from withheld intelligence and discovering another betrayal, Belt activated an unfamiliar device to contact an outside figure.

• Xis, Moros, and Hussein urged disclosing intelligence about the new royal insect and retreating to the Viers Defense Line.
• Verto agreed to release limited intelligence, blame Deo’s defeat on the annihilated garrison, and secretly eliminate its more than 20 billion surviving warships; the others approved.
• The Big Four agreed to portray the Deo garrison as heroes who died holding the defense line and to reward their alliances.
• Belt read General West’s report and concluded that the Big Four’s withheld intelligence had caused Hain’s death.
• Belt opened a second intelligence file, grew furious at the Big Four’s continued schemes, and activated an unfamiliar technological device.
• A figure appeared before Belt and greeted him.

Bert asked Lin Fan to help the Vera Federation and the Milky Way’s stranded fleet after The Big Four planned to silence it to cover up their failures. Lin Fan agreed to provide refuge and a Super Star Gate, and Zi Guang prepared the 27.8 billion warships to escape to Human Federation territory.

• Bert met Lin Fan and asked him to help the Milky Way and the Vera Federation recover from their crisis.
• Lin Fan read Admiral West’s document detailing The Big Four’s plan to eliminate the 27.8 billion warships, and Bert revealed that West and two other remaining admirals were his students.
• Lin Fan and Bert agreed to discuss an operation to save the stranded fleet.
• Zi Guang told the commanders of the 398 Level 3 Civilizations that Lin Fan had agreed to shelter them in Human Federation territory.
• Zi Guang explained that Lin Fan would send Super Star Gate components to Lan Feng so the fleet could travel to the Orion Arm, and the commanders unanimously approved the plan.

The Human Federation arrived to escort Zi Guang’s fleet to the Large Magellanic Cloud, revealing that it controlled all twelve of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies. Meanwhile, Bert and West prepared to expose The Big Four’s conspiracy and overthrow Verto, hoping to win over Randy and Wack.

• Li Cangqiong told Zi Guang and the assembled civilizations that he had come to escort them to the Large Magellanic Cloud.
• Li Cangqiong revealed that the Human Federation controlled the Milky Way’s twelve satellite galaxies, shocking Zi Guang and the other commanders.
• West told Bert that humanity had reached the fleet’s assembly point and that the evacuation would soon begin.
• Bert and West discussed their plan to expose the conspiracy and overthrow Verto after the rescued people returned to public view.
• Bert urged West to persuade Randy and Wack to join their cause, while West warned that he would act if they refused.

West revealed Verto’s alleged crimes to Randy and Wack and asked them to choose sides in a plan to overthrow him. Randy and Wack refused to join a rebellion but said they would obey whoever became the Federation’s Leader.

• West met with Randy and Wack aboard the Haidon and asked them what they thought of Verto.
• West questioned them about Bellt’s trial, White’s defection, the heavy front-line casualties, and Hain’s death.
• West showed Randy and Wack documents implicating Verto in actions that endangered Vera civilization and the Milky Way.
• Randy and Wack realized West intended to overthrow Verto and suspected Bellt and the other generals were involved.
• West asked Randy and Wack whether they would side with him or Verto.
• Randy and Wack refused to take part in an internal struggle but said they would obey whoever led the Federation.

West and Belt placed Randy and Wack under house arrest after the two agreed to remain neutral in the Federation’s power struggle. A month later, evidence and accusations about the De-Ao defeat spread, forcing Verto into a crisis that ended with William confronting Belt at gunpoint.

• West consulted Belt about Randy and Wack’s refusal to join a rebellion, and Belt ordered them confined aboard the Haidon for three months.
• Randy and Wack accepted the house arrest, and Randy warned West to lead the Federation better than Verto if he succeeded.
• The Big Four issued a report praising the forces at De-Ao and rewarded the participating civilizations after covering up evidence of the defeat.
• Rumors and evidence accusing Verto’s administration spread through the Vera Federation, and Verto threatened William with dismissal if he failed to stop them.
• West and two other generals publicly demanded that Verto explain the events, including Belt’s dismissal.
• William led more than thirty armed people to surround Belt’s residence and asked whether Belt had any last words.

William tried to kill Belt and frame him, but Belt’s rescue was broadcast across the Federation, sparking outrage against Verto. Verto fled aboard a warship toward the hidden star system Girt, unaware that Randy and Wack had been detained.

• William led armed followers to Belt’s residence and admitted that Verto wanted Belt eliminated, while concealed cameras broadcast their confrontation across the Federation.
• Belt’s military forces arrived, and snipers killed William’s gunmen before troops arrested William and took him to military headquarters.
• Federation citizens celebrated Belt’s rescue and demanded Verto’s removal, while Verto escaped the Leader’s Mansion aboard a warship commanded by his trusted follower Beers.
• Verto ordered the Third Garrison Fleet to travel to Girt, where he had secretly built a force of five billion advanced warships.
• Verto planned to join Randy and Wack at Girt, not knowing that both had temporarily lost their freedom.

Belt’s allies traced Verto’s escape to the vanished Third Garrison Fleet and uncovered records of secret military funds sent to the uncharted Star System Gilt. As they prepared to take control of the Federation, public opinion turned decisively toward Belt, leaving him poised to become its next leader.

• Lyons reported that Beers and the Third Garrison Fleet were suspected of helping Verto escape.
• Soo discovered that Verto had secretly diverted military funds to the missing Star System Gilt, and Belt ordered Federation bases to search for it.
• West told Belt that he had restrained the Big Three by controlling their fleets and confirmed that the takeover plan would proceed.
• Belt decided to assume control of the Federation as planned, and his allies began the operation the next day.
• West and his allies shaped public debate by presenting more than thirty possible leaders, prompting widespread calls for Belt to take the position.