The Fringe Wars

5.1

For the Free

First City, Alluvia

Corps General Barrett Anders stood in the underground chamber deep below the streets of First City. He was surrounded by a dozen faces—a few new to him, a few who were famous, and a few good friends. Before him rose the latest round of initiates, the only people in the assembly room not wearing hooded capes to conceal their faces. The war with the fringe had depleted the organization's ranks, which had led to Barrett learning of the Founders and being invited to become its new leader.

He took a breath and spoke loudly. "I, Mason of Alluvia, hereby induct you into the Secret Order of the Founders. Your role will be to help expand humankind across the galaxy. Do you accept?"

"I accept," the five initiates replied as one.

"Bare your arms," Barrett ordered. As they pulled off their shirts, he lifted a metal device resembling a giant chess piece. Beginning at the first initiate, he pressed the tip of the metal against the inner part of her bicep. The skin sizzled, and she sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. He continued on to the next initiate and the next, until he'd branded all five.

Before Barrett was invited to join, the Founders had three leaders. Of the three, only Seda Faulk still lived, but he'd broken away from the clandestine group to lead the fringe rebellion. The war had splintered the Founders, and the group had nearly dissolved. But enough members remained, and they knew the group needed to evolve if it was to continue to make a difference, let alone survive.

Barrett's predecessor, Gabriel Heid, had been shortsighted. Heid had believed the Collective was strongest when ruling the colonies with an iron fist. Heid had treated the colonies like children, failing to understand that they'd grown up and needed to go out on their own to thrive. Barrett and the rest of the members in the chamber believed that freedom—not limitation—strengthened humankind.

Whereas the Founders had once focused on controlling the Collective, they now had a new vision: Allow the Collective and the Alliance to manage themselves, and form a third entity focused on establishing new colonies.

As Corps General of the Collective Unified Forces, he led the military forces of both Alluvia and Myr. With the support of the Founders, he would take control of a significant portion of the CUF armada, morphing it from a peacekeeping force into an exploratory force. But the colonization fleet would be essentially dead in space without fuel from Terra, rilon from Playa, blue tea from Spate, and food from Darios...four colonies none too keen on working with anyone associated with the Collective.

It fell on Barrett's shoulders to win them over.