Chapter Summaries

William used Johnny Rico’s unusual abilities as bait to draw the Arachnid brain bug, Milky White Fat, out into the wormhole network. Gene and Hardcase 201 prepared to hold off the approaching swarm while Ghost Agents supported them.

• William’s system scan revealed that Johnny Rico gained combat power from losing loved ones, had extraordinary luck against Arachnids, and was likely to encounter brain bugs.
• Gene led Rico and Tiz with Hardcase 201 through the wormhole network, where the soldiers deliberately talked loudly to attract the bugs.
• Tiz questioned whether Mr. Russell had sent them to their deaths, and Rico defended the mission by pointing out that Ghost Agents were helping them.
• Prus and Nova revealed themselves using Optical Camouflage and warned Gene that a large swarm, including the target brain bug, was approaching.
• Gene ordered Hardcase 201 to form a defensive line, and the Ghost Agents joined them to delay the swarm.

Prus’s forces fought through the Arachnid guards while Nova located and restrained the brain bug. John and the Primarchs then led the Kill Squads deeper into the wormhole, reaching the brain bug six kilometers underground.

• Gene ordered the Tough Bones to fire on the Arachnid guards, while the Ghost Agents used Psionic Shockwaves to incapacitate them.
• Nova located the brain bug, shared its position with the Kill Squads, and began restraining it with her psionics.
• Prus ordered the Tough Bones and Ghost Agents to withdraw so the Primarchs and Astartes could advance.
• John told Prus to escort the Tough Bones out and asked Nova to assist the Kill Squads in capturing the brain bug.
• John led the Primarchs, Astartes, and Nova through the wormhole, where they slaughtered the guards and reached the restrained brain bug.

John and the killing squad captured the brain bug and transported it through the battle back to the forward base. With the Arachnid Swarm unable to break the base’s defenses, William now had the key to uncovering information about Buenos Aires.

• John’s squad cleared the cavern, and Nova used her telekinesis to lift the brain bug for transport.
• John led the group toward the surface as Shark Company, its vehicles, and Hya’s MS fought the Arachnid Swarm in the valley.
• William rallied Shark Company while its troops and the Astartes overwhelmed the bugs with heavy fire and close combat.
• William ordered Keisha to maintain the Defense Barrier as the convoy carried the brain bug toward the forward base under Nova’s and Hya’s attacks.
• The Arachnid Swarm kept attacking but could not breach the base, leaving William with the brain bug needed to obtain information about Buenos Aires.

William and his team interrogated Federation generals Clay and Owen about the truth behind Buenos Aires, but neither knew the full story. William then addressed Federation citizens and soldiers through Serena’s livestream, demanding that the Federation publicly clarify the facts.

• William’s team escorted Clay and Owen from the prisoner camp to Umbrella’s Supply Base while the Arachnid Swarm attacked both facilities.
• Nova psychically compelled Clay to explain that he lacked access to information about Buenos Aires and that Hossent Wolf had been removed as commander after questioning the meteorite attack.
• Nova briefly brought Owen out of his hysterical state, but he knew no more than Clay and became completely insane again after her control ended.
• William confirmed that the generals’ testimony supported suspicions about Buenos Aires and learned that Serena had livestreamed the interrogation.
• William told Federation citizens and soldiers that Umbrella put people first and demanded that the Federation publicly clarify the facts.

William persuaded the Federation officers to sign Umbrella’s Confidentiality Agreement and revealed that Carl Jenkins and Carmen Ibanez were being held aboard the fleet. He set out with Brother Rui and Tiz to meet them before interrogating the brain bug.

• William announced that he would lead troops to the Solar System to investigate Buenos Aires and take everyone to question the Zerg’s honored guest.
• William used Nova to expose a lieutenant colonel’s private thoughts, convincing the gathered officers to sign the Confidentiality Agreement.
• William told Brother Rui that Carmen Ibanez’s escort ship, the Roger Yang, was in the Third Expeditionary Force’s fleet and that Carl Jenkins was among the captured psychics.
• William left with Brother Rui and Tiz to meet Carmen and determine whether Carl knew any secrets before the brain bug interrogation.

William brought Rico and Tiz to meet Carmen and Carl, where Rico revealed that the Federation may have caused the meteor attack on their homeworld. William then confronted Carl with a choice: tell Rico what he knew or let Nova search his mind.

• Ivan and Xiya demonstrated Xiya's magic after Carl tried and failed to use psychic suggestion on Ivan.
• William entered the conference room with Rico and Tiz and explained that Carmen had been summoned because of Rico.
• Carmen hugged Rico, believing he had died during the K Planet landing operation, but Rico pushed her away and explained that Instructor Rysgaard had saved him.
• Rico told Carmen that the Federation may have caused the meteor attack on their homeworld and asked Carl whether he knew the truth.
• William said Nova's psychic abilities far exceeded Carl's and gave Carl the choice to answer Rico honestly or submit to a mind probe.

Carl admitted that the Federation had destroyed his home and agreed to testify against its leaders during Umbrella’s broadcast interrogation of the brain bug. As the group headed to the laboratory, old romantic tensions resurfaced, while William quietly encouraged the rivalry between Ivan, Siya, and Nova.

• Carl told Rigo and the others that the Federation had likely staged the meteorite attack and arrested those who questioned it, and Rigo asked William to punish the Federation’s leaders.
• William promised an explanation, then asked Carl to repeat his account on camera to turn the public against the Federation; after Rigo and the others urged him, Carl agreed.
• As the group left the conference room, Carmen explained why she had broken up with Rigo, and Diz confronted her about the trouble Rigo had suffered afterward.
• Rigo stopped Diz from escalating the argument, while Carmen realized that Rigo and Diz had grown close.
• Ivan asked William about the argument, and William told him not to interfere in other people’s family affairs.
• Siya and Nova grew jealous of each other over Ivan, while William chose not to intervene and watched to see how Ivan would handle them.

William brought Serena and a group of youngsters to Umbrella’s experimental building to prepare a live interrogation of the brain bug. The broadcast revealed that the Arachnids had launched the meteorite, but lacked the ability to send it across the Milky Way in one trip.

• William led Serena, Carmen, Carl, Rico, Tiz, Xia, Nova, Ivan, and the others through the laboratory wing, where they saw Arachnid experiments and D-class personnel being used in tests.
• Carmen and Carl were horrified when they saw the brain bug sucking brain matter from a D-class person, while Halsey and Rebecca prepared the interrogation.
• Goddess Athena greeted William, playfully ruffled Ivan’s hair, and made Xia and Nova wary of her closeness to him.
• Serena explained to Carmen and Carl that Athena was the Greek goddess and Umbrella’s first divine ally.
• William ordered Serena to hack the Federation’s terminals, Nova to control the brain bug, and Jenkins to expose the Federation leadership’s cover-up during a live broadcast.
• The brain bug confirmed that the Arachnids had launched the meteorite but could not send it across the Milky Way in a single trip.

William used the brain bug’s testimony to accuse the Federation of letting the Buenos Aires meteor strike Earth, then turned Umbrella’s broadcast campaign against the government. With public support growing and the military divided, he prepared a strike on the Federation and ordered Nova to find Behemecoatyl.

• Under Nova’s control, the brain bug told William that the Federation had usually intercepted Arachnid meteors but deliberately let the one targeting Buenos Aires through.
• William publicly blamed both the Arachnids and the Federation government for humanity’s casualties and declared that Umbrella would capture the Federation’s leaders and eliminate the bugs.
• Serena said Umbrella had blocked the Federation’s attempts to cut communications, broadcast battle footage, and gained growing public support as divisions widened between the Mobile Infantry and the Fleet.
• William sent Ivan and Hsia to introduce Rico’s group to Umbrella’s departments, arrange confidentiality agreements, and prepare to board the carrier flagship for a surprise attack on the Solar System.
• William told Athena to rest, then ordered Nova to interrogate the brain bug for Behemecoatyl’s location.

William learned that Bihankoto, an important Arachnid leader, was located in a star system near Mount Rokus and ordered preparations to target it. He left the Brain Bug with Rebecca and Halsey for further experiments, then arranged equipment for captured Federation soldiers.

• The Brain Bug resisted Nova's psionic corrosion before confessing that Bihankoto was at coordinates 414,336,772.
• Serena identified the coordinates as a star system in an Arachnid isolation zone near the Federation farm colony Mount Rokus.
• William let Rebecca and Halsey continue studying the Brain Bug, and they prepared to experiment on it with the Blacklight Virus.
• William told Nova to take a break, then explained to Serena that Bihankoto was an important Arachnid leader whose elimination would help the Federation.
• William ordered Serena to have captured Federation soldiers sign confidentiality agreements and arrange delivery of 200,000 sets of UNSC Marine Corps equipment.

William upgraded the captured Third Expeditionary Fleet and its mobile infantry into Umbrella forces, then sent the fleet from P Star toward the Solar System using Warp Drive. It was expected to arrive above Geneva in six hours, while Halsey and Rebecca remained on P Star to study the Warp Engine.

• Andre delivered 200,000 sets of UNSC Marine Corps equipment to P Star, and most of the Third Expeditionary Force's mobile infantry signed Confidentiality Agreements and joined Umbrella's forces.
• Umbrella's Engineering Team refitted the Third Expeditionary Fleet's 32 ships with AT Energy Shields, upgraded weapons, and equipment for orbital assaults.
• William left troops and staff at the frontline Supply Base on P Star and brought the remaining combat troops aboard the fleet.
• Halsey and Rebecca stayed on P Star to study how the Warp Engine worked.
• Carmen led the fleet into Warp Drive on William's orders, and the expeditionary force began its six-hour journey toward orbit above Geneva.

William assigned new ranks and roles to his allies while preparing to deal with the Federation and the Arachnid Swarm before Ivan and Yelena’s university opening ceremony. The chapter ended with protesters demanding the truth outside the Federation headquarters in Geneva.

• William appointed Carmen captain of Geneva and promoted Gene Rysgaard to lieutenant colonel, giving him authority to expand Tough Bones into a regiment.
• William transferred Ryu and Tiz to Ivan’s special squad as his first subordinates, but rejected Hsia and Nova’s requests to join them.
• William learned that St. Mary’s would begin its school year on September twentieth because Yuri’s clones had disrupted cities worldwide, and he ordered Serena to locate the remaining brain bugs.
• Six hours later, protesters and mobile infantry gathered outside the Federation headquarters in Geneva, denouncing its leaders and demanding the truth.

After William exposed the Federation’s crimes, he brought the Third Expeditionary Fleet to Earth and announced an assault on Geneva to arrest the Federation leadership. John and the landing forces reached Federation headquarters, where John ordered them to finish the battle within half an hour.

• Protesters gathered outside Federation headquarters as soldiers and civilians reacted to William’s interrogation broadcasts and Serena’s revelations about the Buenos Aires meteorite.
• William announced that Umbrella’s forces had arrived in orbit and urged the protesters to leave before his troops attacked.
• The military police switched to armor-piercing ammunition, while Serena disabled Geneva’s defenses and tens of thousands of Drop Pods descended.
• John, four other Primarchs, Colonel Prus, Custodes, Astartes, Helljumpers, Frenzied Sharks, and Ghost Agents landed in Geneva.
• The military police opened fire on John and the Custodes, but their armor and energy shields stopped the rounds.
• John ordered his forces to use lethal force against armed resistance and said he wanted the battle over within half an hour.

William arranged a boarding operation against the Federation flagship while planning a display of Umbrella’s technological and supernatural power. Athena, Xiya, and Kesha deployed toward the Federation fleet as the attack began to take shape.

• Serena reported that Federation forces were in disarray and identified the Aegis of Zeus as their command ship.
• William ordered Lieutenant Russell to capture the Aegis of Zeus’s generals and kill its senators, with Xiya, Athena, and Kesha providing support.
• Athena jumped from the carrier and transformed into her colossal form as engineers fitted her with propulsion equipment.
• Xiya flew the White Raven toward the Federation fleet and entered its armor-release state.
• Kesha accompanied the black Falcon as it departed to support Russell’s boarding operation.

Athena and Hya attacked the Federation fleet, demanding its surrender while Umbrella forces approached Aegis of Zeus. Ivan and his squad breached the carrier and prepared to fight its loyalist guards.

• Athena charged into the Federation warship group, destroyed a cruiser with her Golden War Spear, and demanded the fleet surrender.
• Hya conjured a vast six-pointed formation and sent armored skeletons to threaten the bridges of the Federation warships, sparing Aegis of Zeus for Ivan.
• Keisha escorted Ivan's Falcon toward Aegis of Zeus as Umbrella's supernatural allies left the Federation fleet stunned.
• Serena guided the Falcon pilot in a Meltagun Beam assault near the carrier's bridge, breaching its hull and sealing the opening with gel.
• Ivan led Reigo, Tiz, and the Shark squad into the carrier and ordered them to kill the Federation elites guarding the route to the bridge.

Ivan led the Madtooth Sharks through the Aegis of Zeus, overcoming Federation resistance and forcing his way into the bridge. His squad killed the senators and eliminated the guards, while leaving the generals injured.

• Ivan’s squad defeated the Federation elites in the passage and received Serena’s route to the bridge.
• Ivan led most of the boarding team onward while six Madtooth Sharks stayed to guard the Falcon.
• Ivan cut through and pried open the locked bridge hatch, astonishing Tiz with his strength.
• Ivan ordered his squad to open fire on the bridge’s guards and senators despite the senators’ attempted surrender.
• The Madtooth Sharks secured the bridge, killed the senators, and left the six generals injured.

Ivan’s boarding squad captured the Aegis of Zeus, and the Federation forces surrendered after Umbrella seized the Federation leadership. A week later, William publicly sentenced the former Grand Marshals and generals responsible for the Buenos Aires massacre to death and promised viewers a livestreamed execution.

• Ivan reported that his squad had secured the Aegis of Zeus, and Serena told him William had praised his work.
• The Federation fleet surrendered after Umbrella forces captured the headquarters, killed senators who advocated surrender, and forced Federation personnel to sign the Confidentiality Agreement.
• William ordered that the former Grand Marshals and generals who knew the truth about Buenos Aires be publicly executed.
• William questioned Tehat Meru and Dienes Gray during a livestreamed trial, and both admitted their knowledge of the Buenos Aires incident.
• William sentenced the former Grand Marshals and participating generals to death, then announced that their hangings would be livestreamed.
• Serena ended the livestream after William promised reforms to the New Federation government.

William arranged a mass immigration program to Mars in his universe and confirmed he could keep the transit portal open after transferring 170 million people. He then contacted Constantine, who was stunned to learn William was in another universe.

• William learned from the system that 630 million people completely trusted and supported him, and that he would control whether the portal closed after 170 million people immigrated.
• William told Serena to publish the truth about Umbrella and create an application channel offering eligible applicants free Mars residency after a six-month Engineering Team contract.
• Serena agreed to promote the immigration offer, and William asked her to prepare a Quantum Communication call with Constantine.
• William told Constantine that Nova was doing well and had earned military merits.
• William confirmed to Constantine that he was in Geneva in another universe, leaving Constantine astonished.

William explained the parallel universe to Constantine and asked him to organize trade between the two worlds. Constantine agreed in exchange for William arranging Nova’s admission to St. Mary's University, leaving the trade plans in his hands.

• William told Constantine about the wormhole on Titan and the Starship Troopers universe.
• William asked Constantine to lead trade between the two universes using barter or gold, and Constantine proposed meeting merchants on both sides to establish rules.
• William said Serena would make the parallel universe public and that people from the other universe would help build a Dome Colony on Mars.
• Constantine asked William to arrange an admission letter for Nova to St. Mary's University as compensation for handling the trade.
• William agreed, and Constantine promised to take care of the trade.

William gathered his officers to plan the extermination of the Arachnid Swarm and learned that more than 633 stellar systems were already known to be within its quarantine zones. Rebecca and Halsey revealed they had developed a virus called Insecticide to eliminate the Swarm, leaving William and his officers to consider their proposed solution.

• William accepted Constantine's offer, then headed to the bridge to discuss the extermination plan with his officers.
• Serena reported that Federation intelligence had identified at least thirty planets containing Arachnid brain bugs and 633 known systems within the Swarm's quarantine zones.
• Rebecca reassured William and revealed that she and Halsey had uploaded a file called Insecticide to the carrier's network.
• Halsey explained that she, Rebecca, and 049 had developed Insecticide using the T-Virus, Blacklight Virus, a brain bug specimen, and Elizabeth Green.
• Rebecca said Insecticide was contagious, had a long incubation period and high mortality rate, and could stop the Arachnids from reproducing.