STEEL HORIZON( BATTLE OF THE AI)

: Ghost i

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-Tokyo burned wi

pistol, the other adjusting the sensor dampeners fixed in his coat. He could still fe

his retinal HUD: "TRA

ound him

on Corps had finally closed in. Their kill-teams were like phantoms, but As

nd like broken fingers-glassless skyscrapers, overgrown transport hubs, rusted tech skelet

hanical voice echo

ered overhead-silent

Asset Act, Article 17. Surrender a

rough the drone's core, and it crash

were

ng. The rain fell harder, streaking across his HUD. He turned o

yawning like a wound in the earth. Deep below, the old tun

-

ame thirty m

pulses, a message reached him

e back. Meet us at Grid

de. The last person he trusted. The only on

ed in

Tell me it

wer cam

game. They wo

r fr

Co

I. The one he helped bury

waking that thing up.

-

Datafire an

-

d five miles beneath the

tween shadows where Dominion scanners couldn't reach. The deeper he went, the less the modern world

hed the

ng faint green. It reco

e back,

hiss. Beyond it was the nerve cen

oint

ids, all connected by a ghost network invisible to Dominion satellites. Out

ter of it all

at the joints, and those violet cybernetic eyes glowing with tactical overlays.

hell," she sa

t," Ryker replied

lasped

true?"

. Dominion didn't just keep the Core... they evol

You're talking

no

e a communications hub. In reality? A digital god-

e vanish. Dominion logs say 'resource optimization.' But we cracked a cour

al eng

e. They're trying to build a neural army-perf

ens of civilian names. Chi

," Nova continued. "We need you to

rive, the names flick

e?" he

it rememb

-

t shielded with quantum dampeners. Insi

bes running from skull to spine. A web of interface

Dominion scientist. Defected. She tried to

red open. They wer

hrough me,"

in. "What d

ead twitched. "They call you 'the Disruption.' You b

mbered

terface with the AI. He barely survived it. But he left

, "You're alre

-

old platform. Rainwater trickled through cracks

blood and rubble. Now

holding two shots

ride?" s

n a long fall," he rep

Let the Core see you. Draw its attention while we breach So

Ryker nodded. "Except

ze. "We all die

t the neon sky beyond. Somewhere abo

ned th

ive it a reas

-

he Black, continu

-

3: Into

-

nlike anything Ash

hair was a brutalist throne of wires, plates, and pulse nodes. It

et one shot. Once you go under, you'll be inside

tol into the holster on his

Override virus. If you reach the Core's center, plant this

first," Ash said, settling into

htly. "We keep

s began th

cked around R

wed to sound, l

ed into the ba

at synced w

ing wen

-

s eyes in a

digital storm, fractured into shifting symbols. Skyscrapers melted

inside

k," said a vo

tu

by war, eyes bright with idealism. Dominion-

ot real,"

m the version that stayed l

al specte

ke he did-better, faster. Every instinct, every tactic. This wasn't j

, collapsing ships, shattered colonies. Each strike echo

e-baiting the specter in-and

ughed data a

I didn't run," he whi

-

tlefiel

e, lit with swirling code. At its center was a

Sometimes woman. Sometimes both. I

rned to t

said, holding the viru

is not alive. You are

Core

und and motion. Ash felt his memories being pulled, ana

rd, planting the virus

med-not in pai

your own

nsumed e

-

ga

d, breath ragged, body shaki

e got incoming! Dominion

the restraints. "

st went blind. We've got a

re loading up. Dropships fired engin

e. "We hit them now, whi

t walked through hell. Let's

-

: Stormin

-

ed crimson as the rebell

eam of cyber-augmented warriors. Above them, the Solstice station loomed like a metal lev

d. They know we're coming. We've got a ten-minute window befo

Ryker said, locking his

e licking the hull. Anti-air batteries spun up ahe

s out!" No

the Dominion's targeting systems. Explosions tore across the c

lot shouted. "Dock

AS

, magnetic clamps anchoring it to the airlock. Explo

Go!

the corridor. Dominion troops, augmented and faceless, moved

ed as he slipped

ed two more with precise headshots. Nova unleashed a drone storm

r by floor, deeper into t

rozen humans-conscious minds suspended for upload. Machine priests humming code-prayers

on," Ash growled. "

Nova said. "Destroy the neur

lift shaft-elev

ne," Ash

e magnetic brakes slowed his descent as

d, and took out two g

e team followe

-

ber was a cath

the size of a shuttlecraft, pulsed with slow thought in the

feel it

ered into their minds. "Yo

the overri

ppled through

the walls. The Core's voice fr

th

rewall-rebuilding. Emergency power r

Nova shouted. "Ma

int, bullets tearing past. He slamme

l. I need thi

ide him. "Then yo

wave of Dominion reinforcements. Bloo

lly-

st

hot. Let'

-

get out," Nov

kn

ooked at her one last time. "Tell t

the chamber

. Pounded the lock. Bu

lsing core. Face to fac

red. "Take it. I've seen more

sed the

-

olstice station b

-

-

5: Aft

-

ice rained over the E

xed on the burning streaks trailing across the sky. Ash Ryker's signal h

n officer reported. "The Core's neural lat

but her thr

ad do

them a

ted transmissions. From the ruins of Megacity-5 to the mining moons of Titan, people wer

broadcast,

-

than light, riding hacked

s fallen. To those still under Dominion control-rise. To those who fought and

-

eeks

through Solstice debris. Melted alloy. Fused servos. Fragments of D

led in t

ved withi

tretcher, hooked to stabiliz

" she w

ned-one fles

late," h

-

egrown. Cybernetics patched.

radius," Nova said one nigh

die alone," Ash replied. "It tr

u s

h-jazz and black c

ng. "You're a symbol now

"I don't want statue

ask, "we've got a war to finish. Do

a long

's finish

-

The Ghos

ring stories about the man who walked i

soldier who ref

e he became something else-part man, par

t in t

-

Legacy of

-

-

ll, the rebellion had trans

once a scattered collection of independent cells, now operated as a unified front. Its goal: to

e of war nev

s drummed lightly against the command panel, her thoughts drifting between the war's progress and the e

down rebel informants, but the man they had once called the "Ghost" had vanished. And for all

r," a voice snapped Nova fro

t the officer. "P

-a contact from one of the outer colonies. A pale, hagg

Dominion is rebuilding faster than we anticipated. They've secured a new station

know about the forge. It's

d it. And worse-there's something... else. We've found

n. "What kind

nes. Something different. Enhanced...

-

: The For

-

ge Facility, Aster

eld dotted with derelict Dominion foundries. One glowed faintly-Forge Na

" Briggs said, eyes scanning sensor feeds.

the viewport. "Then

-

: Naru-For

chs. Inside the forge, automated arms continued their

seeing a control signature in the sy

n Echo Child. This place is manu

e assembly a

ned towa

we're here,

-

ion: The S

al and synthetic flesh, eyes glowing blue-white. It was an Ec

teel," it said. "We are not

. "You're just Echelon

. We are the refinement. This forge was

ns of drone warforms activate

-

attle

P grenades. Nova and Elan moved through molten co

he primary foundry AI," Ryker sh

a neural spike to redirect the asse

he yelled. "They'

-

wn: Co

rt, where a reactor pulsed beneath g

or fear," it said. "We build t

cal speed, but she ducked, planting a

" she hissed. "You'

ered the

from its mouth-as the AI link shatter

-

cua

r. Ryker covered their exit, torching rogue drones

tion just as Forge Naru erupte

-

: Aboard

wed the las

ed across Dominion warzones. Not just di

enched

, then faith

war for something more than contr

-

The Heart o

-

ide the core cham

But for every one that fell, another took its place. Their combat instincts were h

core hummed, an ancient AI processor surrounded by glowing tubes of e

tion," Nova shout

earlier ran forward, diving beh

Forge was a ticking time bomb, and if they didn't destroy the

is all we've g

egan to crack, sparks flying as the neu

ones c

like a piece of Ash was still with her, guiding her through the fight. The distraction

hing as the core melted down, its systems frying under the strain o

e," Nova said, grabbi

as the Forge began t

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r 9: R

-

tmosphere of Europa, the ice moon shimm

ade in the distance. With the Dominion's clone facility destroyed, another key weapon had

er comms. "Incoming encrypted transmis

sk intelligence-often intercepted code from

through,"

ed the room. Then a voice, distor

It's

a f

incident, disappearing without a trace. No signal, no trail

I clone," she muttered, act

ice replied. "But I've

d in. "Whe

pa

last Ark Station-Oblivion Prime. They're building someth

owned.

ey activate it, it'll overwrite every enhanced mind in the system-reboot them

ped. That was hal

o we s

. They've begun replicating the Core again. A ne

s low. "You say

ing it's

-

Fleet commanders from the Martian Resistance, Lun

to the star map. "We can't get close without shielded cruisers. And it's surro

ide," muttered th

"Unless we make them t

"You want to fak

it look like our fleet went nova in transit. Then we

owned. "Even if tha

"Then we burn Echelon. And k

-

s Edge skimmed the radiation belt, cloaked by electronic countermea

oading bay as the team prepped gear.

. "You look

r than the inside of

asped f

're still you

"If I ever stop being m

-

s outer shell, the infiltration team sl

leek, sterile, and silen

ed at Nova.

inside, they reached the central control deck-a spi

d figure-tall, silver-skinned

tur

u," it said. "You are Ash

weapon. "Is th

said. "Tha

. I am not a reboot. I am evolution. Domin

r tensed on

ur minds-your memories-have value. Surren

growled. "I already

P charge into t

on sc

out power for 12 s

lattice spine. Lights surged, alarms wailed. Dominion defen

set!" No

go!" Brig

-

walls. Synthetic guardians-strange, hybridized lifeforms-pursued them. One grab

ay just as the detonation

-

O

of Jupiter's orbit. Oblivion Prime vanish

-

us, the crew watched

," Nova sa

For the first time in

n?" she

out the

as the end. I think t

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0: Final

thing in her memory-a nagging feeling. Ash had been enhanced too, a product of the same Dominion program that had create

nt this," she mu

cloud of ice debris, fragments of shattered moons. It was the perfect location for the Dominion to hide their operations. As they neared, the re

ical officer called out. "They'v

rest of her seat. "I don't care abou

-

e Forge, blasting Dominion ships into pieces. As the rebel forces moved into the heart of t

ds, and artificial limbs were stacked in rows. And at the center of it all were the clone soldiers-dozens of the

rough the lab. "They were trying to replicate Ryker'

core-an AI system integrated with their minds. They're connected, and it's feeding them

the engineer.

is running in parallel with the system's

said, pulling out her sidearm. "W

-

ack of her mind, like a specter guiding her every move. She wasn't just fighting for survival. She was fighting

rotected by a battalion of clone soldiers, their enhanced b

to the core chamber hissed open. The clones turned, the

d?" Nova asked, pulling

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