Characters:
- Daniel Blaze. Protagonist, player-character. Headstrong and rebellious. Ambiguous loyalty to the Shepherd Coalition.
- Joseph Blaze. Father of Daniel Blaze. Commander of the Leviathan mothership until executed for treason by the Shepherd Coalition.
- Sylvia. AI assistant. Provides intel, advice, mission objectives.
- Captain Zhukov. Cyborg commander assigned to hunt down player during the first several missions.
- Admiral Bakhtar. 1st ally to join player during campaign. Helpful, likeable, plucky comic relief. More powerful than the player at first, but surpassed later on.
- Jax Bakhtar. Son of Admiral Bakhtar, close friend of Daniel Blaze. Assists with special operations and reconnaissance missions.
- General Aziraphale. 1st Commander of the Shepherd Coalition, sentences Joseph Blaze to execution. Replaced by General Tacitus.
- General Tacitus. Commander of the Shepherd Coalition.
- Captain Gu-rok. Mutant ship captain. Assigned to taunt and delay player from reaching goal so Mutants can better fortify their position.
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Mission 1 Opening Scene |
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Narration |
Imagery |
| JOSEPH BLAZE: The Shepherd Coalition has always viewed our family with suspicion. While their orthodoxy demands absolute purity from technologies that would change what it means to be human, we have always been…lenient. | – A small group of Shepherd Coalition officials in identical red-gold robes walking through a main thoroughfare in the Leviathan. One member of the group has their face hidden under a hood. The group is followed by soldiers in red-gold uniforms. – Close up on an official looking disdainfully to her left. – Fast pan left to a mother playing with her child. The child is slightly mutated, the mother has a cybernetic patch over her eye. |
| When a mother begged me to allow for genetic engineering on her children so that they might be born free of the radiation sickness, I could not bear to refuse. | – A large council chamber. Joseph Blaze is standing in a circle of light in the center of the room. – General Aziraphale pointing accusingly at Joseph. – Admiral Bakhtar whispering to Tacitus. – Close up of Joseph, his expression is grim and resolved. |
| And although I caved to pressure from the Coalition to stop your research on Cybernetics, I looked the other way when you disobeyed my orders. | – The group of Coalition officials (from beginning of scene, including the hooded figure) confronting Daniel Blaze and a small group of officers in blue-green uniforms. A coalition official is gesturing angrily at Daniel. Daniel is holding out his hands placatingly. |
| I always knew that one day we would pay the price for our transgressions. Alas, that time has come. As you experience this Dream I have sent you, I stand trial for treason. It is but theater, and I know how this play will end. They will find me guilty, and then offer us a deal. | – Daniel being escorted by a group of Coalition soliders. – Daniel is sitting calmly in a meditative pose in a room heavily guarded by Coalition soldiers. He has just been interrupted by the entrance of Jax Bahktar, who is offering him a VR headset. – Cut to Daniel wearing the VR headset. A series of yellow lights travel from the headset into his brain. – Daniel taking off the headset and giving a sly look to his right. – Fast zoom-out + pan-right to a group of guards in gold-red uniforms. – Fast pan-right to Jax Bakhtar, who is looking back at Daniel and giving him a hand signal. |
| They will ask us to resign command of the Leviathan and replace us with someone willing to be their puppet. We will live in comfort and irrelevance until our people begin to forget us. And when the Coalition decides it is safe, they will send an assassin to kill us. | – Daniel knocking out a guard. – Daniel dodging a laser shot from a guard. – Jax choking out a guard from behind who was about to fire at Daniel. – Unconscious guards on the floor. – The hooded Coalition member, now revealed to be an assassain, enters the room. |
| And that is why you must refuse them. I have included in this Dream the codes to unlock the mothership’s engines. I leave it to you to escape their guards and fly our ship to safety. | – The Coalition assassin removes his hood to reveal a cruel and heavily scarred face, and draws a pair of glowing swords from his robes. – Fight sequence between Daniel and Jax vs. the assassin. – Assassin winning at first, wounds Jax in the leg and chops off Daniel’s right hand. – Assassin moves in for killing blow against Daniel, Jax pushes him causing the strike to miss and Daniel defeats the assassin. |
| Make no mistake, my son, the moment the Leviathan leaves its prison I will be executed. But you must be strong, for as of this moment, you are Commander. And a Commander’s highest loyalty is not to himself, or his faction…or his family…but to his people. | – Side view of Daniel sitting in the captain’s chair, giving commands to his crew. – Jax in the lieutenant’s chair, pressing buttons rapidly. – Cut to Joseph’s trial. Everyone is looking at a messenger who has just run into the room. – Joseph is kneeling with his head bowed. Aziraphale is standing over him with a glowing blade raised high in the air. – Admiral Bakhtar is trying to rush forward in protest, but Tacitus is holding him back. – Close up of Daniel, his expression showing a mix of fear, rage, anguish, and determination. |
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Mission 1: Fugitive |
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| Player is in the middle of a circle of turrets. A supply cache is nearby. Zoom in on player ship. | SYLVIA: Pleased to meet you, Commander. I’m Sylvia, I will help you get acquainted with the ship’s controls. |
| Pick up [supply cache]. Press ‘G’ to pick up nearby supply caches. | First, our ship is dangerously low on power. Before he was arrested, your father hid a supply cache nearby. |
| Move to [outside of ring]. Press ‘H’ to activate your engines. Right-Click to move. Hover over a turret to see its range. | Excellent! The Coalition has tried to imprison us by surrounding us with turrets. Let’s escape, shall we? |
| Save Progress. | Commander, our missiles are back online! Time for a bit of target practice… |
| Destroy [all turrets]. Press ‘A’ to activate missiles. Use mouse to aim and hold left button to fire. | Destroy those Coalition turrets! Leave no survivors! |
| Save Progress. Player is surrounded by a larger ring of mines, there is gap in the ring that opens into a path. Turrets are scattered along the path. | We need to get out of here. There is an allied Repair Bay to the west. If we can get there, it will be a safe place to plan our next move. |
| Move to [allied repair bay]. Time limit. | Hurry, we don’t have much time before the Coalition discovers our escape! |
| Save Progress. | |
| Link to [harvester]. Click the structures icon to view your construction options, then click on the harvester. Press ‘ D’ to place a harvester at your current location. | Things are going to heat up soon, I can feel it. When that happens, we will need lots of resources. |
| Enemy interceptors appear away from base. Destroy [all interceptors] | JAX BAKHTAR: Incoming attack! |
| Save progress. | DANIEL BLAZE: Those were Cyborg ships! Something is not right here. We need to hold them off. Place some turrets around the base to help defend it. |
| Enemy interceptors appear from all sides. A timer begins counting down. Ship and Base must survive until time runs out. | JAX BAKHTAR: Incoming!!! |
| More batches of interceptors continue to spawn from various directions until end of mission. | SYLVIA: A glorious victory! Your people rejoice and the name of [PlayerName] shall be remembered for generations! |
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Mission 1 Closing Scene |
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| JAX BAKHTAR: That’s the last of them! | – Crew on bridge cheering, except for Daniel |
| DANIEL BLAZE: For now, at least. Why are the Cyborgs attacking? I thought we had a cease-fire… | – Daniel at captain’s chair, looking thoughtful. |
| JAX BAKHTAR: Captain! We’ve got an incoming Mothership! | – Jax at lieutenant’s chair. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: Weapons ready! | – Close up on Daniel. |
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Mission 2 Opening Scene |
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| DANIEL BLAZE: Jax, can you identify the incoming mothership. | – Leviathan bridge |
| JAX BAKHTAR: Not yet…it’s the Collossus! My father’s here to help us! | – Jax at lieutenant’s chair.
– Close up on Jax |
| DANIEL BLAZE: Put them through. | – Daniel at captain’s chair. |
| ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: Daniel, I am so sorry about what happened to your father. Many opposed the Council’s decision, but few were willing to speak out. | – Figure of Admiral Bakhtar on holographic projection.
– Close up on Admiral Bakhtar. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: The Council will pay for this! | – Daniel Blaze, angry. |
| ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: I’m afraid that will have to wait. The Cyborgs have launched an all-out invasion on the Coalition. We are not safe out here on our own, we need to rejoin our allies. Under the circumstances, General Tacitus has agreed to dismiss the charges against you. | – Figure of Admiral Bakhtar on holographic projection.
– Large space battle, Shepherd Coalition ships are losing to Cyborg fleet. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: Let them burn! We stay here! | – Daniel Blaze, angry. Jax visible in background, worried. |
| ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: Daniel, listen to me! When your father… | – Close up on Admiral Bakhtar. |
| [Sirens blaze]
BACKGROUND VOICE: Admiral, we’re under attack! |
– Holographic projection of Admiral Bakhtar covered in red light
– Close up on Admiral Bakhtar, looking over shoulder. |
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Mission 2: A Friend in Need |
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| Player is near allied base. An allied ship is fighting an enemy ship (both AI controlled). The allied ship starts at lower health and thus is losing. | Pan east.
JAX BAKHTAR: We’ve got to rescue them! |
| Destroy enemy ship. Player and Allied ship must survive. | ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: Thanks for the assist. But there will be others. We need to go, now. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: Never! | |
| Save progress. | ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: …very well… |
| Two enemy motherships appear, along with multiple squads of interceptors. | JAX BAKHTAR: We’ve got incoming! |
| Defeat enemy ships. Player, allied ship, and allied repair bay must survive. | |
| Enemy motherships teleport out of mission when low health. | DANIEL BLAZE: Damn them, they escaped! |
| Save progress. | ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: They’re wearing us down…I’ve seen these tactics before… |
| Three enemy motherships appear, along with multiple squads of interceptors. | JAX BAKHTAR: Incoming! |
| Defeat enemy ships. Player, allied ship, and allied repair bay must survive. | |
| Enemy motherships teleport out of mission when low health. | DANIEL BLAZE: I’ve got tracking data, we can pursue! |
| Save progress. | ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: That’s what they want. They’re luring us into a trap. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: There’s got to be a way… | |
| ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: Daniel, if you won’t rejoin the Coalition, send me Jax so I can leave without you. | |
| JAX BAKHTAR: Daniel, please… | |
| DANIEL BLAZE: Get in the teleporter…NOW! | |
| ADMIRAL BAKHTAR: I know a safe location, we will wait for you there, but only for a while. | |
| One high-level strong enemy mothership appears. | |
| Defeat enemy ship. Player and allied repair bay must survive. Mission ends when enemy ship is low health. | |
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Mission 2 Closing Scene |
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| CAPTAIN ZHUKOV: Admiral Blaze, you fight well! For a soft-skin… | – Holographic projection of Captain Zhokov. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: Why are you attacking us?! | – Daniel in captain’s chair. |
| CAPTAIN ZHUKOV: This planet is dead and we wish to leave, same as you. Our calculations have proven there is not enough fuel left on Earth for all three factions to teleport to the new world. So, we kill you, take your fuel, and create a new civilization that is only Cyborg. | – Desolated Earth’s landscape.
– Drawings of alien world and blueprints of teleportation device – Harvester breaking down – Cyborg scientists gathered in a circle, interacting with a holographic display filled with glowing symbols. – Holographic projection of Captain Zhokov. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: Take us with you! | – Daniel standing up from captain’s chair. |
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Mission 3 Opening Scene |
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| CAPTAIN ZHUKOV: You would betray your own faction to join us? | – Holographic projection of Captain Zhokov. |
| DANIEL BLAZE: The Shepherd Coalition betrayed us! Besides, we’ve already started adopting cybernetics. You could help us upgrade, and in return we could give you some of our AI systems… | – Daniel standing.
– Officers on Leviathan bridge whispering to each other. – Full view of bridge, Daniel is focused on Zhukov’s projection, but officers are looking at Daniel. Some look concerned, others are angry. |
| CAPTAIN ZHUKOV: We are aware of your technology. Your upgrades are…cute. But your people are still inferior soft-skins. We would not accept you unless you let us upgrade you…significantly. | – Holographic projection of Captain Zhokov.
– Close-up on Zhukov. |
| SYLVIA: Captain! The officers have threatened mutiny if you accept Zhukov’s offer! | – Close-up on Daniel, a small device visible in his ear with a glowing light. Officers visible in background, looking angry. |
| CAPTAIN ZHUKOV: That’s what I thought. This is not a negotiation, I only wished to see the face of my enemy before I killed you. Goodbye, Admiral. | – Holographic projection of Captain Zhokov. |
Mission 3 Outline: This mission series focuses on traversing hostile terrain and small mothership battles.
- Daniel is forced to run
- Several Cyborg motherships arrive and destroy allied base.
- Run away from enemy fleet through territory filled with traps to get to location provided by Bakhtar before time runs out.
- Daniel and Bakhtar navigate through hostile territory to reach Shepherd HQ.
- Chased by enemy motherships
- Territory filled with traps (mines, turrets, etc.)
- Daniel arrives at Shepherd HQ just in time to participate in a medium scale battle.
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Mission 3 Closing Scene |
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| GENERAL TACITUS: Commander Blaze, when my predecessor sentenced your father to death, he claimed it was to preserve the purity of the Shepherd Coalition. But your actions this day have proven that nothing could be further from the truth. | – Tacitus standing on Dais, delivering speech to Coalition officers
– Daniel standing facing Tacitus, wearing a medal, his expression is stoic. |
| Aziriphale’s short-sighted politics robbed the Coalition of its bravest warrior is the reason we were so unprepared for the Cyborg assault. | – Aziraphale at a council meeting
– Soldiers breaking into council chamber. – Aziraphale in handcuffs, other handcuffed officers in a line behind him. The line is being escorted by a group of soldiers to a prison. |
| But now the days of partisan infighting are behind us. We stand united, and our enemies have learned to fear us. | – Space battle, Shepherd Coalition is winning, Cyborg army is in hasty retreat. |
| Commander Blaze, your sacrifice makes you the living symbol of the Shepherd Coalition. And as we strike down those who would destroy us, I ask that you lead the charge. | – Close up on Daniel
– General Tacitus pointing – Motherships flying in formation |
Mission 4 Opening Narrative Outline:
- Jax reuintes with Daniel.
- General Tacitus assigns roles in counterattack against the Cyborg army
Mission 4 Mission Outline:
- Series of objectives where Player is sent to capture or destroy key targets.
- Final mission is a trap. Tacitus defects to the enemy.
Mission 4 Closing Narrative Outline:
- Tactitus had been secretly accepting neural implants to gain personal advantage for some time and is enticed by the Cyborgs to join their emerging collective consciousness.
- Player is the only Shepherd ship that escapes the trap. Bakhtar’s ship crashes to the Earth but Player does not see him die.
- Cyborgs move to finish off the scattered Shepherd ships.
Mission 5 Opening Narrative Outline:
- Mutants arrive. Battle changes from a one-sided slaughter to total chaos.
Mission 5 Mission Outline:
- Series of objectives where player must navigate through chaotic battles to find and rescue allied motherships.
Mission 5 Closing Narrative Outline:
- Surviving Shepherd ships rally to Daniel Blaze, whose heroism in the previous battles makes him stand out as a leader.
- Daniel is summoned to rally the newly reformed Shepherd Coalition.
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Mission 6 Opening Scene |
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Narration |
Imagery |
| Our world is dying. Civilization has fallen, the ecosystem has collapsed, and nearly all sources of energy have been depleted. Our only hope of survival is to find a new world and start again. | – A desolated landscape
– A line of ragged people trudging across the wasteland. – An old man has fallen down and is reaching out his hand, begging for help from the line of travellers. No one is stopping to help. – Top view of a mothership in orbit. Desolated surface of Earth fills the background. – Swivel view to behind and to side of mothership. Starry sky fills the background. |
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It has been many years now since we abandoned the Earth’s surface. Generations have lived and died inside the massive hull of our Mothership as we have remained in orbit, harvesting the last traces of resources needed to begin our interstellar journey. |
– View from inside mothership out giant windows towards Earth’s horizon. – Series of images in a crowded marketplace. |
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But we are not alone. Countless other motherships like ours orbit the Earth—every one of them home to an independent civilization with it own unique history, people, and culture. Some of them we consider our allies. But some…their existence is an abomination! |
– Alliance Base, with motherships flying to and from. – Mothership docking at base – Door of ship open on dock, people walking out, greeting others on the dock. – Daniel Blaze giving an impassioned speech. His face is angry and he is banging the podium with his fist. |
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The Cyborgs have sold their souls to their technology. They have filled their brains with so many computer chips and replaced so much of their bodies with synthetic parts that there is hardly any humanity left in them! And the Mutants…are even worse… |
– Inside the command center of a Cyborg ship. Aesthetic is very mechanical. – Group of low ranking crew members who are mostly human but with many cybernetic implants and some artificial limbs. – Crew member standing motionless in a wall opening, with large cables connecting into his back. – Zoom-out to see many other crew members standing motionless in identical wall openings. – Captain Zhukov at the bridge, piloting the ship. The officers around him are more robotic than human and the captain himself is a robot with a synthetic human face. |
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Their mad obsession with bio-engineering has corrupted them beyond recognition. Most of them are mindless savants, living tools grown in a labratory to spend their lives performing a single task, blissfully unaware of anything beyond the Hell in which they live. Their masters, giant brains suspended in chemicals, have no hearts to feel compassion for those who serve them and no eyes to see that they are as much a part of the machine as the things they control. |
A pair of very alien-looking creatures with many arms operating a complex set of controls. – A group of hulking creatures turning a crank. – A very tall creature with long fingers and a tiny head walking along a hallway. – A large brain in green vat of chemicals in the center of the room. |
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We have embraced new technology. Our Artificial Intelligence and nanotechnology is unsurpassed. But in doing so we have not sacrificed our identity. We have, in fact, become more human. We no longer worry about the mundane aspects of life; our minds and bodies have been freed to focus on higher things. We have become like the sorcerers of legend, needing only to focus on what we desire to bring it into reality. |
– A beautiful man and woman in flowing robes facing each other a few feet apart, their hands in the air. – Quick zoom-out to show they are manipulating patterns of glowing lights. As their hands move, the pattern changes. – Quick pan-left to a lush garden. – Children playing tag—while flying on miniature hovercraft. |
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We shall join with those who have stayed true to our species and journey together to the new world. The Cyborgs and Mutants must be purged from this Earth, or left behind to die with it. The legacy of humanity is ours alone to preserve and we…shall…prevail! |
– Daniel Blaze at the podium, hands in the air. – Quick zoom-out to see a line of officers standing behind Daniel and a holographic projection of an alien world above him. – Quick zoom-in on officers smiling with satisfaction and applauding. – Quick pan-swivel to a huge crowd of common people (in plainer robes) applauding wildly. – Daniel concluding his speech, gesturing triumphantly. |
Mission 6 Outline. This mission series focuses on medium to large scale battles between teams of motherships. Full construction and ability options available, can give directives to allied ships.
- Series of small free-for-all battles between Player’s team, Cyborgs, and Mutants. Mirror the multiplayer game, but against AI.
- Final Objective: General Tacitus negotiates a cease-fire with the mutants, brings a large fleet to attack the Player’s alliance.
Mission 6 Closing Narrative Outline:
- General Tacitus dies.
- Remaining Cyborg army retreats.
- Shepherds begin pursuit.
Mission 7 opening narrative outline:
- Daniel recieves news of a remote science facility in Antarctica that has invented a form of interstellar travel which requires much less resources and could provide immediate escape. The Mutants had already heard the news, which was why they had accepted the treaty with the Cyborgs so they could get there first.
Mission 7 mission outline: This mission series tests the player’s mastery of the mechanics introduced in previous missions. The player is consistently at a numerical disadvantage and also has to navigate trap-filled terrain with tight time-limits.
- Player travels to the science facility, but is harassed by Captain Gu-rok along the way, who was assigned to delay the Shepherds. Gu-rok escapes first encounter, player is given a choice to pursue or ignore.
- If pursue: Player kills Gu-rok, who dies with honor. Mutant defenses are more heavily fortified when Player arrives and Player has less time to get past them.
- If ignore: Player is attacked by Gu-rok from behind while trying to get past defenses.
- but the Mutants have already arrived and fortified the area. They have the technology on board and waiting for it to fully charge. Once it does, their alliance will be able to escape the Earth, taking the technology with them and leaving everyone else behind—possibly without enough resources left to follow. Player must break through the Mutant defenses before time runs out.
Mission 7 Closing Narrative Outline:
- When the Player finally reaches the facility, it explodes, damaging the Player’s ship and weakening their fleet.
Mission 8 Opening Narrative Outline:
- The technology was a lie, rumors of it had been planted by Mutant spies to lure the Player into an ambush.
- Mutant ships attack the Player’s alliance from all sides.
Mission 8 Outline: Outnumbered, outgunned, and cornered, the Player must survive this last high-difficulty battle to complete the campaign.
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Mission 8 Closing Scene |
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Narration |
Imagery |
| In those early days of the War, we struck devestating blows against our enemies. But when the dust cleared and the thrill of victory faded… | Epic space battle. Shepherds are clearly winning. Slow zoom in on a Mutant mothership being destroyed as it tries to escape. |
| …When we turned our attention to the wounded and fallen, we could see plainly that all of us were weaker and more desperate than before the fighting had begun. But war is like a fire that cannot be quenched. Once started, it feeds its own fury as the people it has burned scream for revenge. | Hospital sick-beds holding wounded and dying soldiers, with family members crying beside them. Zoom out to view a seemingly endless number of casualties. |
| I could not blame them. For I was in no small measure responsible for stoking their anger. But I could not dwell on the past—or question our sacrifices. One of command’s greatest burdens is that one’s eyes must be fixed ever forwards. If there had been chance for the Shepherds, Cyborgs, and Mutants to live in peace, that possibility was as dead as the planet we sought to escape. | A dark empty room, with a single light illuminating the fleet admiral from the opening scene sitting alone, his head resting on a hand. Zoom in towards the admiral’s face, which looks pained and lost in thought. |
| And so we did what was necessary to survive. What was broken, we repaired. What was destroyed, we rebuilt. All the while we continued gathering the energy needed to create the portal that would take us to a new world. A world where we could leave our broken, wounded past behind and begin anew. | Inside a Mothership’s engine room. A huge, glowing beam is visible through large window on the floor of the ship. The bottom end of the beam goes down out of view towards the earth, the top end is being channled through a network of cables on a pedestal on the center of the window into a large, glowing battery. Pan to machines placing fully charged batteries onto storage racks. |
| And when our enemies opposed us…we fought. To win was to escape and survive; to lose was to die. Our harvesters dug deeper into Earth as we fought our war. Our War to the Core. | View of two ships blasting at each other above the Earth. Zoom out to see more and more ships attacking each other in what looks like a free-for-all. Zoom out further to a full view of the Earth, covered in small explosions. |
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