Warship John A. Warden — Near Fort Cassie
The moment John A. Warden reached the asteroid fortress of Fort Cassie, what was expected to be a tense, high-alert atmosphere instead turned into... stagnation. Captain Kenthelion—along with Carmen, Deborah, and Tia Durer—had yet to emerge from the captain's quarters. It had been almost six hours since docking. The door remained sealed. Silent. No orders.
Major Henry Vallow stood awkwardly near the command panel. His gaze occasionally flicked toward the captain's quarters, mixing frustration… with a hint of envy he couldn't quite hide.
The Mobile Infantry troopers were scattered in a loose formation down the main corridor. Some leaned lazily against the walls; others sat slumped on the floor with vacant expressions. No one really knew what to do. Their top commander was, technically... "occupied."
Major Henry and the Mobile Infantry were effectively paralyzed. They couldn't initiate movement into Fort Cassie—not without formal orders. And right now, the commander was still... resting with three women. Henry suddenly felt like an old dog left behind by the pack.
Major Henry Vallow:
"Red Queen, what should we do now? Should we call them?"
His voice was flat, but his eyes betrayed a weariness he no longer bothered to mask. He turned toward Red Queen, who sat calmly in the pilot's chair, looking far too comfortable for the supposed emergency.
Red Queen:
"There's nothing wrong. All remaining Arachnid units have been isolated. No threats at the moment."
Her voice was light and cheerful, like a child playing a flight simulator. Completely at odds with her official appearance.
Henry could only sigh. No threat, no orders. He slumped back into the seat beside Lieutenant Tony Daugherty, trying to beat the boredom with small talk—while doing his best to suppress thoughts that didn't need to be entertained.
But among the troops, curiosity had already boiled over.
The Mobile Infantry kept stealing glances toward the captain's quarters. No sound, no movement. It had been nearly six hours. No one had come out. At this point, some of them began to wonder:
Is Captain Kenthelion still human...?
Private Chase:
"Sergeant Ratzass... how long can you usually last?"
His tone was low, but sharp enough to slice through the boredom and draw attention from the nearby troops.
Sergeant Ratzass, in the middle of wiping down his helmet visor, turned slowly. He stared at Chase for a long moment, clearly weighing whether the question was even worth answering. After a few seconds, the corner of his mouth twitched—either holding back laughter or masking embarrassment.
Not a word left his lips.
But the answer was written plainly on his face:
Twenty minutes... tops.
Several others quickly looked away, pretending to sleep or check their gear. But it was undeniable—their thoughts were now locked on the same thing.
Captain Kenthelion had been "inside" for nearly six hours.
Was he even still alive?
The soldiers exchanged uncertain looks. None of them had that kind of stamina or experience. Six hours? Working? With three women? They started questioning:
Was Captain Kenthelion truly human?
Or would he come out of that room... half-dead?
Control Room – John A. Warden
A sharp incoming transmission alert shattered the silence of the control room, the sound echoing with urgency. Red lights blinked rapidly across the main console, unmistakably indicating high-priority communication.
Red Queen responded immediately. Her holographic projection moved with elegant precision toward the panel and, without hesitation, opened the channel.
Red Queen:
"Incoming transmission."
The main display flared to life, revealing a woman's face—cold, sharp, yet captivating. Bathed in the blue light of her command deck, Selene's expression was firm and laced with unspoken questions.
Selene:
"Red Queen, where is Kenthelion? Why hasn't John A. Warden docked at Fort Cassie's spacedock?"
Red Queen froze for a fraction of a second. Her pink-glowing eyes flickered unnaturally, as her systems processed thousands of possible answers in a blink.
Red Queen:
"That? Well… uh…"
Her voice faltered, tripping over some internal protocol. She didn't want to betray Kenthelion again… but she also couldn't quite lie without consequence.
Major Henry and the Mobile Infantry within earshot instinctively turned their heads. Some held their breath; others exchanged wary glances. They didn't need it spelled out—the woman on screen was clearly someone significant.
Beautiful, commanding, and cold as forged steel.
She must be—
—Kenthelion's woman.
And Red Queen knew it too.
Selene:
"Is something wrong? Did something happen to Kenthelion?"
Her tone shifted. There was a flicker of unease. Selene's sharp gaze bore into the screen, dissecting every twitch of Red Queen's projected expression.
Red Queen:
"No, no... nothing happened... he's just… resting. Yes. Resting."
Her words stumbled—not because of a bug, but because of sheer awareness. The lie was far too weak.
Selene was silent for a moment. Her eyes narrowed.
Selene:
"Good. Then Red Queen will wake Kenthelion now."
Red Queen's eyes widened. She shook her head, too fast to pass for human behavior.
Red Queen:
"Sister Selene… there's no need to disturb Big Brother Kenthelion. No need to rush. He's… extremely… fatigued."
Her voice came out too sweet. Too accommodating. Too calculated to flatter.
Silence swept the room. Every Mobile Infantry trooper instinctively held their breath. They all knew: if Selene discovered Kenthelion was currently "resting" with three women simultaneously, this wouldn't be a mere lovers' spat.
It could escalate into an emotional massacre.
And Selene... was the supreme commander of the Mobile Infantry.
On the screen, behind Selene, dozens of figures moved briskly across Fort Cassie's deck. Drop ships maneuvered into position. Infantry personnel poured in and out. Unknown new formations gathered in rank.
If this woman went ballistic… Fort Cassie's main deck could be turned to ash.
Selene:
"Red Queen… are you hiding something from me?"
Her tone now sliced like a blade. Soft-spoken, but brimming with veiled menace.
Red Queen forced a stiff smile. Then, in a masterfully desperate act of misdirection, she tossed the burden elsewhere.
Red Queen:
"Hide something? Certainly not. If you doubt me… you can ask the Mobile Infantry troops present here."
Every head turned toward Red Queen.
The infantry, who had up to this point merely spectated, were now yanked violently into the spotlight.
No one spoke.
Some lowered their heads. Others coughed theatrically. A few slowly inched behind cargo crates as if suddenly allergic to light.
"Why did the AI just drag us into this?"
And on the screen, Selene narrowed her eyes, realizing the silence said more than any words ever could. Something deeply chaotic was being swept under the nearest rug.
Selene
"Red Queen, initiate docking. Bring the warship John A. Warden to Fort Cassie's spacedock."
Realizing she wouldn't get a clear answer, Selene ended her line of questioning. Her gaze swept across the Mobile Infantry soldiers standing alert in the command bay. She inhaled slowly, calming herself, then looked back to Red Queen.
Red Queen
"Understood, Sister Selene. Beginning docking procedure to Fort Cassie now."
With Selene offering no further comment, Red Queen promptly executed the order. The communication line was cut by Selene herself, leaving behind a brief, uneasy silence in the control room.
Red Queen adjusted the ship's course with calculated precision, guiding the John A. Warden toward the spacedock. The massive cruiser glided forward like a small vessel pulled in by the gravitational field of the towering steel fortress. With flawless maneuvering, the ship aligned and docked smoothly at Fort Cassie.
As soon as the docking sequence completed and the systems linked up, the Mobile Infantry from the USS surged forward under Red Queen's command.
A modern squad of Underworld soldiers—clad in their iconic Mobile Infantry armor—fanned out across the ship's bridge, quickly securing strategic sectors aboard. Just as Red Queen confirmed their full deployment into the John A. Warden, one of the inner hatches hissed open—and a swarm of Arachnids burst forth in a sudden assault.
But the troopers reacted instantly, in a tight, lethal formation. Their concentrated firepower shredded the insectoid creatures before they could gain ground. Explosions burst, plasma tore through the air, and the screeches of alien death echoed off the steel walls. Within mere minutes, the deck was cleared.
Selene followed shortly after, stepping aboard the warship.
But her stride came to an abrupt halt the moment she saw Kenthelion exiting a side chamber—his expression far too satisfied.
Without hesitation or shame, Kenthelion walked straight to her, pulled her into a firm embrace, and even stole a kiss from her lips.
Selene
"What the hell did you just do?"
Selene knew exactly what Kenthelion had been doing with the woman in that room. She didn't need evidence. Her instincts were razor-sharp, and the scent still hanging in the air was far too familiar. Her eyes burned with anger, but her voice remained cold—dangerously so.
Selene
"You're a goddamn bastard. A perverted piece of shit."
Kenthelion didn't even flinch. On the contrary—he smirked, the kind of smirk worn by a man caught red-handed but too clever to feel actual guilt.
Kenthelion
"My wife... you've got it all wrong. Her name is Carmen. We were just... communicating private dialogue."
His tone was calm, almost casual, but his eyes flickered ever so slightly, refusing to meet hers directly. Even Kenthelion—shameless as he was—knew Selene wasn't a woman who could be lied to without consequence. Her gaze cut straight through the facade.
Kenthelion
"No need to get angry. The Mobile Infantry has arrived, hasn't it?"
He tried to pivot. And before Selene could respond, he added—
Kenthelion
"And don't touch the Arachnid Queen. I want to study her."
Selene
"The cleansing has begun. Red Queen is leading the new Mobile Infantry squad. Everything will be just fine."
Her voice was sharp—laced with fury aimed squarely at the bastard, the horny asshole, the insufferable playboy standing in front of her.
And yet, in the end, she knew there was truly nothing she could do to Kenthelion. That was just how he was. Always had been. And dealing with Kenthelion was never easy. Not even with Amalia and all the other girls backing her up—united—they still couldn't do much.
Every time Selene thought about getting even—fighting back, humiliating him, shattering that swollen ego of his—something else would stir inside her.
Something deeper. Wilder.
She wanted to bite him.
Fiercely. Passionately.
With heat... and a fury laced with longing.
Selene
"What exactly is there to learn from that Arachnid queen? They're nothing compared to Wolverine zombies, Warhammer's Space Marines, or the Terran Marines from StarCraft. Hell, even your own soldiers are just regular humans. Of all the elite units you have under your command, why are you so focused on some overgrown bug?"
Her tone dripped with sarcasm as she looked at Kenthelion with open disbelief. To her, the Arachnids were a threat of quantity, not quality. Even Wolverine zombies—rejected bio-weapons from the Imperium Caelestis—could be mass-cloned and unleashed to wipe out an entire Arachnid colony without breaking a sweat.
Kenthelion
"You're underestimating this one, Selene. This Arachnid queen isn't your run-of-the-mill hive breeder. She can penetrate human neural systems, infect control hubs, and—most dangerously—seize control of warships. Specimens like this are incredibly rare, even among aggressive species like the Zerg or Tyranids. The John A. Warden was completely under her control… until Red Queen forced her out."
He watched Selene's face shift—from skeptical to alert. He could tell she had dismissed the danger, especially since so far only common bugs had been discovered on Fort Cassie. No plasma bugs. No brain bugs. Nothing higher-tier—yet.
Selene
"Wait... You're telling me they can hijack human brains and take over ship systems? But most of your soldiers—especially in the Imperium—are fitted with mental protection protocols, aren't they? They should be immune to that kind of attack."
Selene was genuinely stunned by Kenthelion's explanation. She hadn't expected an insect—of all things—to wield such terrifying power.
Though Kenthelion had rattled off the names of several other species, none of them rang any bells for her. And it made sense—this was her first time in a spacefaring era. Her universe, the world of the Underworld, hadn't even touched interstellar tech. By the calendar of the Caelestial Imperium, her world was still lingering in the early 2000s—the second millennium.
Kenthelion
"Now you understand," he said, locking eyes with her. "There are many kinds of bugs out there. Some can assault warships in planetary orbit, and a few can even cross atmospheres. We haven't encountered every variant yet. That's why I need to study this Arachnid queen more closely."
What he didn't mention was that most of this information wasn't entirely new to him—it came from fragments of films and games he'd seen in a former life.
Selene
"Very well," Selene nodded sharply. "I'm heading back to Fort Cassie. I'll deploy the Mobile Infantry, the Terran Marines, and the Wolverine zombies to conduct a full sweep. I want every sector combed. No Arachnid escapes."
Kenthelion's words had struck a nerve. These bugs weren't just mindless cannon fodder. They were an evolving threat. She had to move fast.
Kenthelion
"There's no need for you to get involved personally," he said, his smile faint but confident. "Just give the order. Leave the rest to the soldiers—and the Wolverine zombies."
Kenthelion held Selene tightly. In a fleeting moment of intimacy, their lips met in a deep yet brief French kiss—enough to convey a farewell without words. Then, without looking back, he let her go.
She returned to Fort Cassie.
The command center was silent. Only one guard stood watch at the outer gate, and the main control room was nearly dark, lit only by the soft glow of tactical consoles. Kenthelion sat alone in the command chair, staring at the dimmed main screen, as if waiting for the inevitable.
His fleet had yet to arrive. But he made no attempt to alter the course of events—let the universe unfold as it must, just like in Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012). Kenthelion simply waited. Watching. Calculating. Choosing the moment.
One of the monitors flickered to life. Tactical reports streamed in: Grand Moff Tarkin had arrived in quarantine zone AQZ.
The Federation fleet, mid-offensive against one of the Arachnid homeworlds, was now trapped. Several ships had already been captured by unknown forces. But that wasn't what changed the course of history.
The Death Star had entered firing range.
Without warning, Grand Moff Tarkin issued a single command:
"Fire."
The superlaser was unleashed.
A beam of concentrated green energy sliced through space, striking the planet's surface with the wrath of ancient gods. The Arachnid colony was vaporized in an instant. The Federation squadron in low orbit was annihilated in the blast—nothing left, nothing recorded, nothing remembered.
This wasn't just an attack—it was a declaration of dominance.
Panic rippled through the entire Federation fleet.
Communications with the Sky Marshal on Earth went dark. No orders. No reinforcements. No hope. The comms were either destroyed... or deliberately cut off.
What was the point of resistance when a single weapon could erase a planet?
The Federation's Corvette-class transports couldn't even scratch the shields of a Star Destroyer—let alone a Dominion Battlecruiser or an Emperor-Class Battleship.
They saw it—the colossal ships, utterly alien to Federation minds. Their hulls resembled floating cathedrals in space, towering with gothic architecture: spires, sacred engravings, and plasma cannons the size of skyscrapers.
Federation ships looked like paper beside Heaven's steel.
Their attacks were useless. The Imperium Caelestis absorbed every shot through divine shielding. Resistance was nothing short of suicide.
One by one, the Federation captains surrendered to reality.
The comm channels flooded with declarations of loyalty.
They relinquished command.
They swore allegiance to a force they couldn't comprehend—to the Imperium Caelestis.
To the Emperor of Mankind.
To Kenthelion.
Calmly, Kenthelion opened the tactical broadcast.
His cold voice swept across every fleet channel:
Kenthelion:
"To the Imperator Somnium, and all Sky Armada vessels of the Imperium—proceed to Fort Cassie. Today, we begin the conquest of Earth..."
"...in the Starship Troopers universe."