Dawn .

The sun had just peaked over the horizon . Cloudhawk and Dawn were in the mess hall, having breakfast .

She kept watching him with conflicted eyes as he ate . In life she’d learned that the worst pain and the deepest hopelessness came from separation . First her grandfather, then her family, her honor, and finally… Cloudhawk . Dawn had learned that storms could emerge at any point, even when life seemed peaceful . Man’s fate was as uncertain as the weather . So long as one was with the people they cared about, each second was a blessing . One had to fight to make these seconds last .

Besides that, there was nothing else Dawn cared for . The world was too complicated, so she would keep her life simple .

“You’ve changed a lot,” she said to him .

He quipped back . “More heroic, right?”

She wasn’t amused . Anxiety painted her face . He’d grown so much in such a short time and now there were these dark and powerful allies at his side . He reappeared at the helm of Nox and Meadow . Could he really keep that all under control?

The bigger the bowl, the bigger one’s appet.i.te had to be . These outsiders might well be loyal to Cloudhawk now, but they were after something . People were always after something . What road would they choose in the end, when it mattered?

“I’m just not resisting fate anymore . It makes no sense to fight off my ident.i.ty as the Demon King’s successor . ” Cloudhawk looked out the nearby window . Under the rising sun, Greenland was beginning to stir . “But I am a human at heart . If I have to do something big like bring the demons back to glory, then I will also use that power for the benefit of the wastelands . I crawled out of these ruins, maybe it’s time to finally step up and really make a difference . ”

Dawn looked at him with eyes soft as water . Cloudhawk was and had always been a lonely wasteland wanderer . Peace and safety were foreign to him . That’s why he was always searching . Sometimes that meant turning against old allies, for he never held fast to one course of action or creed .

Now, after everything he’d experienced, Cloudhawk had begun to discover himself . He had to restore order! Restore the wastelands! After all, it was the wastes that was the source of so much turmoil . Maybe it was time someone finally did something about it .

Cloudhawk was so much stronger now, but that didn’t mean the obstacles he faced were any less daunting . He had no strategy for taking on Arcturus, much less the whole of Skycloud . Only so long as the two men existed there would be conflict . Like fire and water, light and darkness, they were fated to try and destroy one another . Rather than stand by and wait for Arcturus’ machinations to bear fruit, it was better to take action .

Greenland wasn’t the Dark Atom . They didn’t concern themselves with paltry acts of terrorism . Nor was it the Conclave, forging ahead even in the face of unquestionable failure .

Greenland wasn’t Nox, once led by a demon . Cloudhawk was stronger than Judas and the Crimson One had been . Like the Crimson One said, he was but a forebearer who sacrificed himself to open the road ahead . Though he could do nothing to shake Skycloud’s foundations, in founding the Sanctum of Judgment he ensured war would come to determine the wasteland’s future .

Now a more perfect leader arose to take up the torch .  

Maybe it was just like Adder said before he died . Cloudhawk’s personality, talent and disposition was a product of the times . He was born for this period in history – a mighty bird that was destined to take to the clouds . It was never his lot in life to wander from one patch of dirt to another .

So accurate, the predictions of father and son .

Then there was Judas, who waited for hundreds of years for an opportunity . That opportunity manifested when the Cloud G.o.d was forced into slumber . Judas then planned his attack, but failed when he underestimated Skycloud’s might . Despite ama.s.sing an army and dropping a mountain, the wastelander’s couldn’t even overcome a single fortress .  

They’d lost . Many died . From the remains of the Conclave of Judgment and Judas’ forces, new wasteland powers had emerged . Greenland represented the south, while the Conclave had taken control of the north .

Cloudhawk looked over a report of the information Barb had managed to glean from Eckhard . “We extracted some partial memories from their commander . According to this, after the Crimson One’s death a Trial Council was formed to lead the Conclave . It’s been a year since this shakeup and the Conclave has ballooned to incredible proportions . ”

The Conclave had expanded tremendously ever since its inception . More recently, dozens of groups had been sent out into the furthest reaches of the north to incorporate these groups into the Conclave . Six months ago those sorties turned their sights south .

Natessa’s men moved with incredible speed . Where did all their resources come from? Wastelander armies were little more than barely organized rabble most of the time . How did this Conclave become so effective and efficient?

“Besides Greenland and Sandspire, everything else in the south is now controlled by the Conclave . ” Cloudhawk looked back toward Dawn with a grave expression . “In other words, the Conclave of Judgment has all but conquered the wastelands in six months . Between the north and south they control millions upon millions of lives . Their army trains and forms quickly . One hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand conventional soldiers, more than six thousand wars.h.i.+ps . . . ”

There were five tiers of aerial vehicles in service to the Council: spy s.h.i.+ps, expedition s.h.i.+ps, battles.h.i.+ps, carriers, and destroyers . They were given designations based on their function . Spy s.h.i.+ps were manned by one or a handful of people, small and easily concealed . They had little to no direct combat benefit and were solely used for reconnaissance . Expedition s.h.i.+ps were slightly improved scout s.h.i.+ps with some combat preparedness . Battles.h.i.+ps were standard combat wars.h.i.+ps and comprised much of the enemy’s armada .

Carrier cla.s.ses were rarer . Most were enormous, ancient s.h.i.+ps which had been restored to working order . They were often outfitted with incredibly powerful weapons and s.h.i.+elds and were capable of housing a huge number of smaller vehicles and units . One alone could probably dominate most battles .

As for destroyers, those were largely theoretical . Cloudhawk had never seen one . Word was that destroyer s.h.i.+ps could obliterate whole cities solo and were even able to escape the planet’s atmosphere to attack from s.p.a.ce . No one could be certain if such terrible weapons of war still existed, and if they were their restoration would be extremely difficult .

“The Conclave has grown too strong, too fast!” Dawn was convinced . “Without Arcturus’ support this would be impossible . ”

She was right . If this trend continued sweep across the wasteland in no time, crus.h.i.+ng everything in its way .

The more they conquered, the more wastelanders they could draw from for their armies and reserves . Millions were under the Conclave’s command now, giving them a near limitless supply of bodies to swell their forces . A million soldiers was not out of the question . If they were allowed to continue this unmitigated expansion then it would mean outright destruction to anyone who opposed them .

Amazing, and frightening . The wastelands and Skycloud were in an unprecedented state of unity . Only, no one knew what Arcturus aimed to do with all this power .

“The Conclave is strong, but we are not to be overlooked . ” Cloudhawk looked over the data . “With Greenland at the helm your Southern Confederation has around ten thousand troops . That includes the Talons and the Goshawks . With the Dark Atom now in tow, add twenty thousand more to that in addition to their genetically modified soldiers and advanced weaponry . Then we come to Nox, about forty thousand strong . That includes the wargs and their king, as well as the Khan’s Black Knights . ”

The report didn’t mention Imperia and its Chosen . Meadow’s population totaled over three million – more than the Dark Atom, Nox and Greenland combined . A bigger population meant more resources and more soldiers . Those soldiers, in turn, could be trained to become real warriors .

“We may be in the Conclave’s shadow and don’t have their numbers or unification, but what we do have is of excellent quality . We’ve got many of the most capable fighters the wastelands can provide, and an army of researchers and engineers constantly at work . ” Dawn slammed the table with her fist . “What do we have to be afraid of?! I am confident I can take the southern wilds myself!”

Cloudhawk was surprised with her confidence . He was more surprised at her zeal . He gave her a careful look . “You want to lead the armies yourself?”

Her nod was quick and resolute . “Your goals are my goals . Your cause is my cause . Abaddon, the Khan, Wolfblade – they can’t be trusted . I may not be as strong as they are, but I was born to a military family . I may not have spent a lot of time learning strategy, but Polaris blood pumps in my veins . I am surrounded by ten capable Polaris tacticians and officers with decades of collective experience . I am your best choice . ”

Dawn was rife with fighting spirit even though this was a bigger responsibility than she’d ever carried before . The Dawn from years ago, traipsing about Skycloud, would never have said these words .

Cloudhawk fixed this beautiful, maturing woman with an unwavering gaze . “I trust you . ”

She made good points . The others couldn’t be trusted, hers were the only hands he could rely on to guide their forces .

Of all the forces now under his command, the one best suited for a leaders.h.i.+p role was the Polaris family . Dawn was their representative . Therefore, Cloudhawk wasted no time appointing her as Commander General . She would continue to do what she started with the Southern Confederation .

But he also considered Dawn’s personal safety . To that end, he a.s.signed the old drunk as her bodyguard . He used to be a man of great honor, and still wielded considerable strength .

Dawn took their soldiers and set off to stand against the Conclave . Once again the hearts and souls of Greenland’s people were afire . They had suffered under the threat of destruction from the conclave for so long . It was now time to make them pay for it!

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