Elijah Rayes

* Part V
* Part IV
* Part III
* Part II
* Part I

### Cause of Death

Impaled by the Neo-Forerunner and subsequently burned by absorbing energy from a conduit *(resurrected by the Rising Tide in 5407)*
Killed in the destruction of the Darkspire

### Age (SEY)

24-25 *(physically)*
 2531-2532 *(chronologically)*

### Aliases

Captain Rayes
 The Special One
 Vanguard Rayes
 Hero of Nexus Station
Chosen One
Paladin Rayes
Commander Rayes

### Residence

*Unreliable* 2.0
 *Unreliable* *(formerly)*
 Haven *(formerly)*

### Family

Erron Rayes - biological father †
 Ashley Briggs - biological mother †
 Alia Tarno - wife

### Other Relations

HIEdi - adoptive mother
Hendrix - adoptive father †
Alyx Pyrandol - best-friend/roommate †
 Hadron - doppelgänger/nemesis

### Affiliation

The *Unreliable*
 Anvil
New London University *(formerly)*
Special Operations Authority *(formerly)*

### Occupation

Captain of the *Unreliable* 2.0
 Commander of Anvil
Vanguard of the SOA *(formerly)*
 *De-facto* captain of the *Unreliable* *(formerly)*
 Student *(formerly)*
 Virtual reality fighter *(formerly)*

## Series Information

### Appears in

*Hyperspace: The Cosmic Gospel** *Part I: Darkened Heaven*
* *Part II: The Battle of Borealis*
* *Part III: Age of the Scourge*
* *Part IV: Hadron's Throne*
* *Part V: The Traveller's Light*

*EXILES: The Interstellar Gunslingers*

* *Part II: Interstellar Jive*

### Series Lifespan

'In the Beginning...' -- Present

―Elijah's final words, deciding to spare the Calculator at the Battle of the Great Attractor, *The Traveller's Light*

**Elijah Rayes**, also known by his Anvil codename **Albatross**, the **Special One** and various other epithets, and formerly only known as **Elijah**, was a male GIL, the captain of the *Unreliable* and the biological son of Erron Rayes and Ashley Briggs, grown from the tissue of their stillborn son by Hendrix and HIEdi. Raised on the planet Bancroft by a farming commune, Elijah enrolled in New London University, where he became best friends with Alyx Pyrandol. After surviving the Fall of Haven, he became the reluctant captain of the original *Unreliable*. Determined to stop the Scourge and failing to convince the Nexus Council of the threat it posed, Elijah inspired his crew to join him on a mission to the Green World, where they hoped to uncover the true source of the Scourge's power. Following the Battle of Nexus Station, Elijah was inducted into the Special Operations Authority and granted the rank of Vanguard as well as a new ship, charged with defending the Settled Systems from the Scourge by any means necessary.

Soon after arriving in the Euclid Galaxy in pursuit of another spire, the *Pestilence*, Elijah was killed after absorbing the energy of an entire conduit on Everest Station. However, his body was recovered by the Rising Tide, who transferred his consciousness to a new body while his original body was reanimated to become Hadron. While still imprisoned by the Rising Tide, Elijah was rescued by double agent Lara Porter. Informed that his doppelgänger had infiltrated his crew, Elijah joined up with Lara, *Zeroeremento* warrior Ryzen, and the engram known as "Jack Platinum" on the *Indigo Dawn* to put an end to the Rising Tide's schemes. After retaking command of his ship, Elijah led the charge against the Scourge Armada during the Battle of Borealis, earning himself the rank of Paladin in the Guardian Corps. Disillusioned with the Council, Elijah declared the *Unreliable* independent of SpecOperA and began a new mission to take down the Rising Tide for good.

Three years after the Battle of Borealis, Elijah and his private army Anvil captured the Overseer, leader of the Rising Tide, before accepting a mission from the Great Wall's Quasar League to investigate the typhon, an alien race in the Hades Anomaly. While on Nexus Station to retrieve a hidden starmap, Elijah helped expose the Commonwealth deep state and was forced to kill Imperator Kendra Young in self-defence. As the *Zeroeremento* began an attack on Nexus Station, Elijah and his crew - excluding Lara and Kera - escaped via a starbridge, the mysterious Green Star they visited on their quest five years ago. The starbridge delivered the crew to the Hades Anomaly, where they learned that the League had long been destroyed by the typhon invaders. Tracing the typhon to the planet Hell, Elijah discovered the world's true nature and battled Hadron, who had opened a portal directly to the Nexus. Their battle ended in the awakening of the Darkspire, which forced the *Unreliable* near the black hole Furiosa before they escaped. Returning to the Nexus, Elijah and the crew were shocked to learn that they had been missing for twelve years and that Hadron had formed a mighty empire in their absence. Elijah subsequently joined the Resistance's leadership and went in search of Project Piller, the clandestine project led by Admiral Young. At the helm of the *Pillar of Creation*, Elijah led the successful overthrow of Hadron's empire and finally discovered the secret of the Compass: designs for a fold weapon capable of destroying the Darkspire.

Over the next ten years, Elijah and his crew gathered allies across the stars to face the Darkspire, which had absorbed trillions into its Scourge and brought organic life to the brink of extinction. Using the Nexus itself as the fold weapon, Elijah led a final assault on the Darkspire at the Great Attractor, sacrificing himself to serve as a conduit of the fold weapon and destroy the Calculator's core at the cost of dooming the Nexus to eventually fade. Instead of destroying the Calculator, however, Elijah set it free, allowing it to let go of its own fears and birthing a new peaceful, mechanical race called the Ecumene. Burned beyond help by his absorption of the Nexus, Elijah faded away, dying peacefully knowing he had created a more peaceful age.

## Biography

### Early Life and Background

Elijah was grown on Dark City from the tissue culture of the stillborn son of Erron Rayes and Ashley Briggs, the heroes who saved the old Alliance during the Titan War. Shortly after Ashley had fallen pregnant, she became trapped inside the Continuum after sacrificing herself to close the breach above the FDF capital Harmony. The extensive exposure to the Continuum's radiation that both Ashley and her child underwent changed them both, turning Ashley into one of the first biogenics.

Several months after Erron sacrificed himself to close the Final Breach - an act that created the Nexus - Ashley gave birth to a stillborn son before dying herself. Hendrix and HIEdi made sure to take a tissue sample from the child and would preserve the DNA for nearly 2500 years until they brought it to Jack Platinum's cloning lab on Dark City, where the tissue was grown into an infant boy. Platinum transcribed combat muscle memory from the infamous gunslinger John Astro into the boy; Astro only asked that a memory containing a message from him to the boy be included in the transcribe. Naming the child "Elijah", Hendrix and HIEdi entrusted him to a commune on the farming colony of Bancroft in the Ambrosia Galaxy.

Elijah's upbringing was happy but lonely. Due to the communal nature of the settlement in which he was raised, he had no parental figures and was raised collectively by the community's members, with no single person holding direct responsibility for him. As he matured, he began demonstrating a remarkable intelligence and eventually earned a place at New London University on Haven. Elijah began attending the university in 5402, working towards a degree in exotic physics; his particular academic dicipline was the Monroe Doctine. His roommate turned out to be musician and DJ Alyx Pyrandol, known throughout Ambrosia as "Blackhand". At some point, Elijah began performing VR combat, earning himself a small fortune.

### Adventure Across Ambrosia

#### The Fall of Haven

In 5405 during his final year at New London University, Elijah finishes his latest assignment and sends it into the extranet; within seconds, he receives a top score, giving him another point towards his degree in exotic physics. He calls up his friend Dorall, a gekoid mathematician, who congratulates him, but their call is interrupted by Alyx Pyrandol, Elijah's roommate, who invites them both to a gig that evening. Alyx is revealed to be "Blackhand", a musician renowned throughout the entire Ambrosia Galaxy.

After the gig, the trio make their way through the streets of New London into an underground dive bar, where Alyx signs Elijah up for a VR fight. Elijah handles the stress of the VR neural interface far better than his opponent, and ultimately wins the bout and a C1000 prize. On the walk back to the dorms, Elijah is accosted by a blind homeless man, who cryptically warns Elijah to prepare himself and that "the Final Cycle...is coming".

The next morning, Elijah is summoned to his class, where he is told by his professor that he is wasting his genius-level intellect on VR fighting. Elijah responds by saying he isn't sure what he wants to be yet, while his professor says that he can go anywhere.

As their conversation ends, a loud siren rings out above New London; Elijah steps outside into a gathered crowd as an enormous starship, the *Darkened Heaven*, descends into Haven's atmosphere and hovers above the city. Without warning, the vessel unleashes gigantic swarms of microscopic creatures that surges across the city, infecting every living organic it comes across, including plants; those infected cry out in agony as their organic tissue is rewritten from the inside out, driving them mad. The infected proceed to attack the city, and within minutes chaos breaks out.

A swarm envelops the campus; Elijah is rescued from the crowd by a synthetic, who leads Elijah through the crumbling streets as the other students are transformed into yet more monsters. As Elijah panically asks what is happened, the synthetic reveals his name to be "Hendrix". Meanwhile, Alyx leaves his dorm and saves a mavnian woman, Alia, from crumbling debris.

The *Darkened Heaven* fires beams of energy into New London, blocking Elijah and Hendrix's escape paths. In the chaos, they come across Alyx and Alia, his new companion. Hendrix instructs the survivors to head for a nearby spaceport; en route, a beam of energy erupts down to the surface, which extinguishes to reveal the Forerunner. The Forerunner takes direct telepathic control of nearby Scourged, which proceed to attack the group. Elijah is separated and finds himself fully at the Forerunner's mercy; as he raises his hands in an attempt to defend himself from the Forerunner's blade, he is surprised to discover that he has generated a bioenergenic barrier, blocking the Forerunner's blade. Elijah repels the Forerunner backwards, trapping it beneath rubble, and tries to make his escape. The Forerunner, however, picks itself up and grabs Elijah; as he makes direct contact with the Forerunner, Elijah captures climpses of its mind and sees a vision of a lonely planet orbiting a green star. The Forerunner appears disrupted and drops Elijah, who manages to escape into the streets. With his powers unlocked, Elijah repels several Scourged with wild telekinetic blasts before he is finally reunited with his friends.

At the spaceport, they find a single vessel remaining. They are joined by Hendrix's partner, HIEdi, as they switch on the ship's fuel drives and lift-off. The group escapes the planet as the Scourge spreads across the surface and the *Darkened Heaven* finally leaves. The group lightfolds into safe space, where they greet one another and come to realize what has happened. They find two more survivors in the cargo hold, mother and daughter pair Verandar and Kera, before they ultimately decide to head to the planet Amaranthine and warn the galactic government about the Fall of Haven and the threat of the Scourge. They name the damaged, malfunctioning ship the "*Unreliable*" and head off among the stars.

#### Towards Amaranthine

The *Unreliable* thunders through several star systems, only to find more backwater planets that have been overrun by the Scourge, causing civilians to flee in their thousands. The ship's new crew takes a look at its systems, only to find them in disarray: the ship's illegal stealth drive is drawing most of the power away, putting the *Unreliable*'s shields in great danger of failure and completely shutting down its weapons. As Elijah and Alyx fail to reboot the turrets, Alyx comments that they couldn't have found a worse ship; Elijah replies that it was better they found it than them dying on Haven.

When the lightfold engine runs out of electricity, the crew decides to rest while they wait for it to draw in radiation. They each describe what they did on Haven, with Elijah revealing that he was just a few exams away from earning his exotic physics degree from New London University. He then listens as Hendrix and HIEdi reveal that they both served on the CS *Olympus* 2501 years ago and stood beside Erron Rayes as he piloted the ship into the Final Breach, creating the Nexus.

Elijah, still troubled by the revelation of his true identity, leaves to continue working but is joined by Hendrix. Hendrix tells Elijah the truth of his "birth" and his childhood: 2501 years ago, Ashley Briggs gave birth to Erron's stillborn son; Hendrix and HIEdi, knowing that the boy could have held great potential, took a tissue sample from his body and preserved it for nearly 2500 years, slowly growing and modifying it to enhance his natural bioenergenic powers. Twenty years ago, they finally finished their work and entrusted Elijah to a farming commune on the planet Bancroft, where Elijah was raised. Hendrix then assures Elijah that, despite him being a clone, he is the biological son of Erron and Ashley, sharing just as much of their genetics as any other child would of their parents. Hendrix then reveals that he has kept and preserved Erron's jacket all this time and offers it to Elijah as the last of the Rayes family. Elijah refuses it, saying that he has to think everything over.

Alia calls a meeting of the crew in order to figure out a plan and eventually they all agree that they need to head to Amaranthine, the capital of the Ambrosia Alliance, in order to warn the galactic government of what happened on Haven. Alia then reveals that she has found comparisons to the Scourge in the Cosmic Gospel, a Remnant doomsday text recovered from the Library, that describes a nefarious force that "will darken the heavens" and lead to a mass-extinction, and theorizes that the Scourge was responsible for the extinction of the Remnants billions of years ago.

The crew decides to rest in the ship's meager cabins; Elijah, traumatized by the events of Haven, struggles to sleep and heads out to walk through the ship. In the hall, he runs into Alia, who similarly cannot sleep. Alia asks Elijah how he is coping with the revelations of his past, to which Elijah responds that he is deeply struggling to comprehend everything. He then asks about Alia's past; she reveals that her "father" was a female human, giving her a human appearance, and that her "father" disappeared before she was born. Alia left for the stars to study the Remnants and their sudden extinction, as well as to escape a life in mavnian politics. She also reveals that she is 140 years old, making her a "juvenile" among her race.

Two days later, the *Unreliable* arrives at Amaranthine, only to find the entire planet on lockdown. Their plan foiled, they debate their next step. HIEdi suggests that they make their way to the Nexus in order to warn the Intergalactic Council of the Scourge, but to do so they will need to use the Amaranthine conduit and travel through the Nexus Network. HIEdi, despite centuries of upgrades, is still ultimately a Mark V artificial intelligence and cannot autonomously pilot the *Unreliable* through the Nexus Network and that it requires a Continuum-Trained pilot.

The crew bring the ship down to a colony on Amaranthine's moon in search of a pilot; Elijah decides to use his C1000 prize money to pay for a pilot. They enter a tavern occupied by mercenaries and refugees and ask around for a Continuum-Trained pilot, but are ridiculed for their low credit offer. Close to giving up, they are approached by a cloak-wearing quill, who asks what the job is. He also is unimpressed with the meager credits and walks away, but Elijah catches up to him and reveals that their ship has a stealth drive, which interests the quill. He agrees to pilot them through the Nexus Network to Nexus Station itself in exchange for the C1000 and the stealth drive. However, when he sees the state of *Unreliable*, he turns down the offer and once again walks away. He suddenly stops, however, to turn to Elijah and Alyx before he agrees to their deal. The two turn around to see Kera and ask what she did; she says simply that she "spoke to him".

The pilot reveals his name to be Gerren and comments that, compared to the rest of the ship, the stealth drive and the flight controls are in good shape. The crew brace themselves for lift-off, unaware that a mercenary on the ground has marked their vessel.

Gerren pilots the *Unreliable* to the conduit and orders the crew to limit the distractions, saying that a single mistake could cause them to be annihilated within hyperspace. Thanks to the troublingly low traffic, the *Unreliable* is quickly able to approach the conduit; as they pass by it, a beam of energy is fired from its element-C core at the *Unreliable*, supercharging its lightfold engine. Elijah gives his first Captain's Signal, authorizing the jump to hyperspace.

Within hours, the *Unreliable* is brake-beamed out of hyperspace; the sudden stop brings all the crew to the ground. Dazed and winded, they slowly regain their senses, only to find themselves at the gargantuan Nexus Station, a ringworld orbiting the Nexus itself. Gerren, knowing the *Unreliable* will quickly be flagged for possessing a stealth drive, activates the system's heat sinks, making the *Unreliable* undetectable to scanners. As they head to the docks, they are unknowingly picked up by specialised sensors; on the station itself, Captain David Young gives the order to bring the ship into dock by any means necessary.

#### Trapped on the Nexus

Seconds after being detected, the *Unreliable* is approached by security drones. Gerren tries to outmaneuver the drones, but the ship's unbalanced frame makes it impossible and the ship is qickly captured and brought to dock. When scans indicate the crew came from Ambrosia, they are ordered by Captain Young to quarantine on the ship for two weeks despite Verandar's arguments to let her and her daughter on the station. Elijah requests an audience with the Intergalactic Council, saying he has urgent news from Ambrosia, and Captain Young eventually agrees to bring him before the Council if the crew remains clear of infection for one week.

A week later, the crew remains healthy and are allowed off the ship, but are ordered to stay together to limit potential spread. They are brought before the Council, who ridicule them for the name of their ship; the Commonwealth delegates also threaten the crew with prosecution due to them possessing a stealth system, which is illegal for civilians under Commonwealth law. They also denounce Elijah for using the surname "Rayes" in the ship's crew records, claiming that it is impossible that he is the son of Erron Rayes. Despite this, Elijah remains resolute and warns the Council that the Scourge has the potential to overwhelm the Ambrosia Alliance and that, eventually, it will spread to the Nexus. The Council ultimately ignores the crew's warning, believing the Scourge to be nothing more than an organized series of bandit raids, and Elijah promises that he will bring them proof that the Scourge is a threat to all civilization.

Back on the *Unreliable*, Elijah paces under stress and tells the crew that they have come too far and they could do something to combat the Scourge. The others, particularly Alia and Alyx, respond that they have done all they could by warning the Council. Elijah then reveals that, back on Haven, the Forerunner touched him and he had a vision, but he cannot recall what. Elijah then realizes that Kera could telepathically "read" his memories and recall his vision. Despite Verandar's protests, Elijah says that his vision could be the key to stopping the Scourge and Kera willingly touches him. Searching Elijah's memories, Kera hears the cries of the Scourge, culminating in a vision of a lonely world orbiting a green star. Just as the image becomes clear to her, a voice appears from the darkness that says "I see you".

In shock and terror, Kera severs the connection and says that the Scourge are all connected - one voice in millions of bodies. When she describes the voice as "cold and calculating", Alyx dubs the voice "The Calculator" due to his hatred of math. Realizing the true, devastating scale of what they're up against, the rest of the crew reluctantly decides to join Elijah in finding the "Green World", while Verandar says that she and Kera will stay with them until they find somewhere safe to settle.

The crew leaves the ship to meet with David Young and are able convince him to allow the *Unreliable* to leave the Nexus once they realize that Young also believes that the Scourge has the potential to cause a mass-extinction. Young asks the crew what they and their broken ship could possibly accomplish; Elijah argues that their stealth drive will make them undetectable and that nobody else has as much experience with the Scourge as they do. Young finally agrees and reveals that he knows of a planet, Sithniatt, in Ambrosia's outer void that orbits an anomalous green star. Elijah thanks Young, who refers to Elijah as "Captain Rayes" and wishes him luck.

Elijah and the others return to the *Unreliable* and receive Young's maps leading to Sithniatt, a journey of at least one month at FTL speeds. They wait for two nearby guards to be called away by Captain Young before they prepare for lift-off; in the meantime, they settle on a plan to resupply food and fuel at a space station. Once the guards are called away, Gerren pilots the *Unreliable* off the station and narrowly avoids the security drones. Just as the defence forces realize the breach, the *Unreliable* approaches the Nexus and fires off into hyperspace, but not before they sustain a shot to the hull.

#### Battle of Forlorn Hope

The *Unreliable* blasts through hyperspace, having escaped the Nexus moments before. The damage to the hull has worsened the balancing issues of the ship as well as damaged critical systems. Gerren switches the ship over to HIEdi's control and calls a meeting of the crew. Gerren explains that, when they approach the Amaranthine conduit, a brake-beam will be fired that will physically "pull" them out of hyperspace; however, the damage that the *Unreliable* sustained during its escape from Nexus Station has wiped out its inertia dampeners, meaning that, when the brake-beam reaches the *Unreliable*, the ship's speed will still be near that of hyperspace, which would, in his words, "turn all of them into a thin veneer of red mist".

Although little can be done, Gerren proposes that the three biogenics of the crew - Elijah, Alia and Kera - could theoretically create a large enough gravity field that would significantly dampen the inertia, potentially saving them. Despite Elijah being unsure that he is capable of producing such fields - due to an inability to summon his powers since Haven - he agrees, as does Alia, but Verandar refuses to allow her daughter to help them and reiterates that she and Kera will be leaving at the next safe settlement. Gerren politely says there could be nowhere safe for them, to which Verandar xenophobically insults him. Elijah breaks off their argument, saying that, for now, they are all in the same boat and Kera could be of great help. Despite her mother's protests, Kera agrees, though she too is unsure that she can generate such a field.

Alia leads Elijah down to the cargo deck, where she aims to instruct him to generate a gravity field. Elijah fails to summon his powers, let alone a gravity field, before Alia aruptly slaps him. When he looks at her in shock, she continues to strike him before punching him in the gut. In defence, Elijah yells, generating a massive telekinetic blast that throws Alia against the wall. Elijah immediately apologises, to which Alia says she is okay. She explains that Elijah's powers, for now, manifest only as a defence mechanism and that he can be trained to summon them at will. Alia reassures Elijah once more that she is fine and the two appear to have a moment. However, they are cut off when Hendrix summons them both, telling them they are approaching their destination and to prepare themselves.

The crew gathers on the command deck, where Gerren tells them that a brake-beam has locked onto their signal. The crew lock themselves in for the rough journey before Alia creates a small gravity field. Elijah tries to do the same but instead unleashes another telekinetic blast, knocking the ship off balance even further and causing the brake-beam lock-on to become even more tenuous. Alia instructs Elijah to focus, but in his blind panic his powers disappear once more. Alia strains herself to distribute the gravity field evenly throughout the ship, but the stress takes its toll on her and she begins to faint. Running out of options, Elijah sees the terror on the crew's faces, spurring him on to try once more. With just seconds left, the stress causes Elijah to finally generate a field, only far more powerful than Alia's. As the field grows in strength, Elijah's veins and nerves begin to glow purple, with even his eyes turning indigo. As the *Unreliable* collides with the brake-beam, the hyperspace construct around them disappears, and the ship is thrust back into realspace. The force sends everyone standing to the ground and shuts down the engines.

Elijah regains consciousness and asks if everyone is okay; everyone eventually responds that they are fine. When Alia recovers, she still holds a look of shock at Elijah's sudden surge of power. Their relief is broken short, however, when Gerren pulls their attention to the starboard view. The crew gathers to see what is happening, only to share a look of horror: below them is Amaranthine, its atmosphere darkened by soot and its surface engulfed in fire and destruction. Elijah realizes that the Scourge has already come and gone, and with Amaranthine fallen it won't be long until the rest of the galaxy is overrun. Forlorn, the crew prepares the *Unreliable* for the long journey to a space station and, eventually, to Sithniatt.

However, as they set off, HIEdi detects a sudden disruption in the local spacetime. On their port side, a tear opens in the fabric of spacetime, from which emerges a large, snake-like spacecraft that aims directly for them. With the engines only just primed, the *Unreliable* is barely able to dodge the craft's attack, but it quickly enters pursuit. Elijah shouts at Gerren to lightfold, while the craft disappears into another tear. Believing themselves to be safe, the crew is unexpectedly attacked by the mysterious craft once more, itself enveloped in a foldspace-like tunnel, allowing it to keep pace with the *Unreliable* at FTL speeds. The craft moves to attack the ship, but as it collides with foldspace it appears damaged and agonized and quickly disappears.

Alia navigates the ship out of foldspace and over to a nearby space station, Forlorn Hope, where Gerren brings the *Unreliable* into land. The crew pauses to collect their nerves and question what it was that attacked them. Alia theorizes that the craft is a form of Scourge technology sent by the Calculator to stop them getting to Sithniatt and discovering its secrets, to which Elijah reaffirms their committment that nothing will stop them. A bang on their airlock door brings them to attention and they go for their sidearms, alert. Hendrix remotely opens the airlock door to reveal a male shilt, who excitedly welcomes them to Forlorn Hope Station.

On the station itself, the rest of the crew spends their last few credits on fuel, food and other supplies for the long journey to Sithniatt. When they prepare to head back to the ship, Verandar keeps her daughter behind, saying that she and Kera are settling on the station until the rest of the galaxy has been secured. Elijah tries to argue that the *Unreliable* is likely the safest place for them, but Verandar yells that he nearly killed them both with his powers and that nobody is safe around him. Defeated and downtrodden, Elijah leads the others back to the ship. Gerren tries to warn the crew about Ockrahm but Elijah silences him, ordering him to pilot the ship. Despite fearing for Kera, Gerren does so and flies away from the station.

Kera, having been kidnapped by Ockrahm and his gang of slavers telepathically reaches out to Gerren, who turns the *Unreliable* around and back to the station. He explains to the crew that he and Kera have been having telepathic conversations, forming a neural link between them. He finally reveals that Kera reminds him of his own daughter, who died when he crash landed a photon-class starship carrying refugees during the Commonwealth-Great Wall Cold War. Elijah agrees to head back to the station to rescue them, at which point Amphear reveals he has hidden away on the ship and offers to help them.

Amphear directs them to an airlock at the base of the station that has been sealed off for maintainence but should lead them to the cell where Kera and Verandar are being kept. The women are rescued, but Verandar accidentally sets off an alarm that alerts Ockrahm and his mercenaries of the rescue. Ockrahm and his mercenaries attack, but their shots are blocked by biogenic barriers generated by Alia and Elijah. A single shot is able to penetrate the barrier and Gerren jumps in front to protect Kera, wounding his arm. As the crew evacuates to the *Unreliable*, Elijah unleashes a telekinetic blast that damages the station and causes it to depressurize; Ockrahm and his mercenaries are unable to escape in time before suffocating. As the station begins to break down from the attack, the *Unreliable* detaches and fires off into space.

Following their escape, Amphear asks to join the crew on their journey; Elijah informs him that their quest is effectively a suicide mission to stop a genocidal race of monsters that can overwhelm worlds and could destroy civilization if it is not stopped, to which Amphear replies that anything is better than where he was.

#### Pirates Attack

One week after escaping Forlorn Hope Station, the *Unreliable* continues its seemingly endless trek through Ambrosia to Sithniatt. Hardened by their encounter with Ockrahm and his slavers, the crew have significantly bonded over their ordeal, with Elijah spending more time with Alia training his powers in the cargo deck. However, despite how far they have come and indications from Captain Young's maps that they are heading towards Sithniatt, there is still no sign of the Green Star.

As the *Unreliable* reaches the edge of the interstellar void that supposedly contains the Green Star, Elijah goes through the readings that the *Unreliable*'s sensors have picked up on their journey. He begins analysing the radiation of the tears that both the *Darkened Heaven* and the deathworm used to traverse the galaxy. He is interrupted by Alia, who asks for any updates in his research. Elijah reveals that the radiation of the tears closely resembles foldspace, but only in the fact that it is four-dimensional; he has also discovered that other dimensions, including some as high as seven dimensions, are an integral part of the tears, suggesting that not only are multiple dimensions colliding to produce these spacetime distortions, but that there are undiscovered dimensions of the same make-up as those already discovered. Alia asks how Elijah knows all of this, to which he reminds her that he studied exotic physics at New London University, but has since been dealing with intrusive thoughts that his intelligence may just be down to him being a GIL rather him being naturally intelligent. Alia reassures him that being a GIL means nothing, as they can only be modified to a certain extent. They once again have a moment as they hold hands while looking over the readings.

In the cockpit, Gerren picks up a nearby lightfolding alert. He summons the crew to the command deck, where Alia activates the scanner. She discovers that another vessel is head straight for them at FTL speeds, but is unsure of what direction. Suddenly, at the starboard side, a larger coaster, the *Apex*, appears from foldspace and inserts itself into the *Unreliable*'s foldspace tunnel. The ship pilots in front of the *Unreliable* in an attempt to slow it down and fires two grapples that pierce its hull, capturing them. With no weapons and little shields to defend themselves, the crew arms themselves with what little weapons they have and split up to hide. Gerren forces the *Unreliable* out of foldspace before he hides himself in the forward cannon. Elijah, Alia and Verandar hide in a storage cupboard on the port side of the command deck, and Kera is forced to hide in a ventilation shaft when she fails to reach her mother in time.

Elijah, Alia and Verandar are forced to watch from the storage room as the pirates capture Kera and Gerren; as Kera and Gerren are marched down to join Amphear in the engine room, Elijah and Alia convince Verandar to follow them into another ventilation shaft, where they can plan to ambush the pirates. Meanwhile, in the engine room, Kera, Gerren and Amphear are joined by a captured HIEdi and Hendrix; the pirates, unaware that the two are sentient AIs, do not realize as HIEdi begins sending scans and information about the pirates, their weapons and positions to Elijah's arm-mounted console.

Elijah, Alia and Verandar continue crawling in the ventilation shafts, eventually finding themselves above two pirates. Elijah uses his telekinesis to render both pirates unconsciouss before the three of them exit the shaft into the hall. Arming themselves with the pirates weapons, they return to the command deck and activate the oxygen alarm, distracting the pirates. Alia and Verandar take position on either side of the port door, with the two of them incapacitating a pirate each and Elijah defeating the other two with telekinetic blasts, killing them. Verandar, angered, interrogates her pirate, who reveals the captive crew are in the engine room. When the pirate finishes speaking, Verandar kills him and rushes off to the engine room. Unable to catch her, Elijah and Alia take cover as Verandar is disarmed and taken captive by Black, leading to a standoff in the hall.

Elijah is notified by HIEdi that the other pirates are dead. Elijah says to Black that he is gravely outnumbered and to let Verandar go. To avenge his crew, Black refuses and shoots Verandar in the side of the head before firing his rifle at Elijah and Alia. However, he suddenly pauses and begins screaming in agony, dropping to his knees. Behind him stands Kera, her arms outstretched as she creates a gravity vortex inside Black's body. Kera screams and cries as she slowly amplifies the vortex, compressing Black's body into itself and reducing him to a pile of guts and gore. Kera finally lets go and fall beside her mother's body, desperately trying to wake her as she weeps.

Enraged, Elijah climbs the cable up into the *Apex* and, with his revolver, kills the two remaining pirates aboard. He tears up and leans against the wall, trying to stop his hands from trembling and questions what he is becoming. He is eventually joined by Alyx, who suggests that they tear the *Apex* bare.

The crew wrap the pirates in the carpet of their cabins and discharge them from the airlock. As Kera mourns, the rest of the crew ransacks the *Apex*, recovering a large arsenal of energy weapons and armour, a space mine, a centaur rover, a new foldspace crystal, food, water, liquid radio, and a small modification for the lightfold engine that will allow them to switch it to a skip drive. Alyx also discovers and takes a small ukulele. Hendrix and HIEdi cut the cables attaching the two ships and leave the *Apex* adrift.

The crew gathers at the *Unreliable*'s airlock, where they perform a short, sweet funeral for Verandar. As Gerren comforts Kera, they release her mother's body into the vacuum of space and cremate her in the fires of the engines. As they continue at FTL speeds towards Sithniatt, they gather on the command deck and debate their next move. Elijah suggests that they turn around and bring Kera to the safety of the Nexus, and goes even further to suggest they all hunker down at Nexus Station. Gerren speaks for the crew and refuses, saying that they all accompanied Elijah on this journey for their own reasons and they intend to see it through. Elijah says he does not want to be responsible for any more deaths, but Kera pipes up and says the Scourge is to blame: were it not for the attack on Haven, Kera and her mother would never have left their home, and her mother would still be alive. Now armed with greater knowledge of her powers, Kera refuses to leave the crew and affirms her commitment to stopping the Calculator and its Scourge army. Elijah accepts and tells the crew to rest.

#### Reaching the Green World

Three standard months after the crew came under attack by the *Apex*, the *Unreliable* has neared ever closer to Sithniatt, but their supplies are running dangerously low. Rationing food and fuel, combined with such an extensive period in artificial gravity with a malfunctioning graviton core and broken inertia dampeners, has taken its toll on everyone. Nonetheless, their bonds are greater than ever before; Elijah and Alia have spent extensive time alone together, either studying the radiation readings that the ship has gathered over the many months or training Elijah's bioenergenics in the cargo bay. Despite how far they have come, there is still no sign of the Green Star.

As a new day cycle begins, Elijah joins Alia in her cabin and offers her one of the last two bread rolls; they sit and eat breakfast together, savouring every bite. When Elijah finishes, it becomes clear how much the guilt over Verandar's death has hurt him as he says he regrets beginning this quest and putting everyone in danger. Alia tells him that he cannot save everybody, even if their mission succeeds, and echoes Gerren's argument that they all came for their own reasons.

Gerren summons the entire crew to the command deck, where they each look in amazement at a distant green star. Alyx, however, suddenly realizes that they never discussed what they are actually going to do when they reach the Green World. Elijah responds that they will do whatever is necessary, whether that be simply photographing Scourge activity from orbit or destroying the planet itself. He then orders the crew to rest, saying that they are not at their destination yet.

Two more hours in FTL pass and Elijah joins Amphear in the engine room. Amphear says that he can convert the lightfold engine into a skip drive with the modification they took from the *Apex*, but because of the sheer exertion put on the engine over the last few months the process may be irreversible. Elijah agrees and radios Gerren to bring the *Unreliable* back into realspace proper; while hesistant, Gerren does so. The immense inertia sends everyone forwards, their bodies weakened by artificial gravity. The ship eventually stabilizes, allowing Amphear to make the necessary modifications to the lightfold engine. In the command deck, Alia stands at her console, trying to scan the system for Sithniatt, but the scanners have finally been rendered effectively non-functional. The *Unreliable* drifts for several hours until, suddenly, the crew feel weight in their muscles and bones. Looking out of the window, they seen the Green Star emerge over the horizon of a single planet: Sithniatt.

Multi-dimensional radiation readings suggest Scourge presence on the surface, but Elijah says that they haven't come so far just to guess and orders Gerren to bring the *Unreliable* into Sithniatt's atmosphere. As the *Unreliable* begins to descend, Gerren activates the stealth drive. The crew are brought to their knees by the sudden gravity and their weakened muscles, and are blinded by the morning sunlight. For the first time since Haven, the *Unreliable*'s rear atmosphere drives activate, giving Gerren control over the ship in the thick planetary atmosphere. Sithniatt's surface appears habitable, but its colours are alarming and vastly different from those of other planets thanks to its green sun; Alyx comments that the ferocity of the colours is unnatural, and even unsettling.

The *Unreliable* glides over empty landscape until it crosses a small mountain ridge, on the other side of which they discover a gigantic facility built into the cliffs and the empty rocky plains. Alyx notes that the facility is definitely human architecture, albeit decrepid and overgrown, and Elijah remembers that, according to Captain Young, the research team that discovered Sithniatt was made up of gekoids and tarsi, not humans.

Gerren brings the *Unreliable* down to the surface and the crew assembles in the cargo bay. Elijah loads his revolver with the last of its ammunition and says that he is going out to scout; Alia, Alyx and Hendrix decide to accompany him, while Gerren, Kera, Amphear and HIEdi will take care of the ship. Kera and Alyx hug goodbye, as do HIEdi and Hendrix, before the scout team exits the ship and the *Unreliable* takes off.

The team make their way through a small canyon in the cliffs; as they near the facility, they start to notice abnormal fungal growths covering the ground and the walls around them. They finally come to an outcrop with a good view of the entire facility and go prone to observe any activity. From the outcrop, they discover a large chasm below them, within which sits a vast swarm of Scourge. Hendrix deploys a recon drone into the chasm; watching the feed, the crew discovers that the chasm houses a massive factory arming Scourged from across the galaxy with armour and weapons, transforming the Scourge into an immense and devastating army.

As the team reels from the shock, Amphear radios in from the *Unreliable* that something is entering the atmosphere above them. The team can only watch as the *Darkened Heaven* emerges from the clouds and descends to the surface, where it hovers above a landing pad. A beam of energy is fired from the bottom, from which appears the Forerunner. The army of Scourge soldiers quickly organize and stand to attention as the Forerunner looks up at the *Darkened Heaven*. Watching from a distance, the team wonders what the Forerunner is doing; as Elijah looks at the scene in binoculars, the Forerunner suddenly turns to stare at the team. The creature roars and points at the group before the Scourge divide and head in their direction.

The team rushes back through the canyon as armed Scourge chase and fire at them with energy weapons. They are saved by Alia and Elijah's barriers while Hendrix calls the *Unreliable* to their location. Gerren brings the ship back down from orbit, using the skip drive to cover the distance more quickly; as he steers, the cargo bay door opens, allowing the team to seamlessly get onto the ship as it blasts off back to orbit. The crew take up their normal positions throughout the ship as Alia picks up an anomaly on the scanners: the *Darkened Heaven* is in close pursuit. The enormous starship easily closes the distance, with the *Unreliable* only staying out of its reach thanks to its skip drive and Gerren's exceptional piloting ability. Finally, though, a large skip provides enough force to put the *Darkened Heaven* off their tail, allowing the *Unreliable* to blast up into orbit.

Before the crew can process what just happened, Elijah takes the command deck and orders Gerren to bring the *Unreliable* back down to the Scourge facility. He argues that they have the means to destroy the factory and potentially save trillions or more, and points out that the space mine they took from the *Apex* could be powerful enough to blow up the factory if placed at a vulnerable point. Alyx agrees to join Elijah, and Alia reluctantly also agrees to provide the two of them cover. Gerren says it's too dangerous to keep the ship in the airspace too long, to which Alyx suggests that they take the rover that they also took from the *Apex*. Rushing to the cargo bay, the crew disengage the locks holding the rover in place and the trio climb aboard while Amphear loads the mine. As Gerren brings the *Unreliable* back down above the facility, the rover is pulled from the cargo hold and lands on the edge of the canyon.

Elijah drives over rocks and dunes while Alia and Alyx provide cover with biogenics and gunfire. They finally come to the entrance of an unguarded cave connected to the facility, but the rover stops when they are cut off from an open electromagnetic field. Several Scourge head straight for them, literally climbing over one another to reach them; Elijah fends them off with immense telekinetic waves while Alia and Alyx offload the bomb.

Forced to travel on foot, the trio make their way through twisted hallways overgrown with an anomalous substance; Alia's scans indicate that it is Curse that has "expired", forming large fungal growths. The tunnels eventually lead to a dusty room that Alia recognises as Remnant architecture. Deciding the room is a good place to detonate the bomb, they set it down and begin the arming process. However, as Elijah enters the room, it is suddenly activated; energy streams resembling ley lines illuminate the floor and walls, travelling up to an ancient console. A bright white hologram appears before them and begins to speak, taunting their organic nature and the hopelessness of their quest. Elijah demands to know the entity's identity, to which the entity reveals that it is the voice inside the *Darkened Heaven*: the Calculator itself.

The trio realize that the *Darkened Heaven* is not only a vessel of the Calculator, but has been the true commanding force behind the Scourge's attack on Ambrosia all this time. In the Calculator's voice, the *Darkened Heaven* describes itself as a "spire" and the harbinger of the next mass extinction. Elijah stands steadfast and says that "as long as someone, anyone" in the Settled Systems survives, the Calculator will have lost. The entity mocks him, saying that the "Final Cycle" has already begun before ending the transmission.

Before the trio can finish the arming process, another beam of energy destroys the room and barely misses the trio. The Forerunner emerges from the rubble, its blades at the ready, and aims for the bomb. Elijah repels it with telekinetic blasts, but his attack causes the floor beneath them to collapse. The Forerunner is pinned beneath rubble, but the group are devastated to find the dish that enables the bomb to be remotely detonated has been destroyed. Alyx yells at the panicked Elijah and Alia to run back to the ship, but when Elijah turns around he sees Alyx stood at the bomb. Elijah rushes back to retrieve him, but finds himself blocked by a bioenergenic barrier. Alia says that she did not summon it, at which point Alyx reveals that he, like them, is a biogenic, but nowhere near as powerful. He says that he will activate the bomb manually, and silences Elijah's protests when he says that Elijah "was chosen for this".

Accepting Alyx's sacrifice, Alia pulls the crying, begging Elijah away as Alyx smiles, accepting his fate. Elijah and Alia call up to the *Unreliable*, who picks them up and fires up to orbit. Alyx watches their escape and smiles before closing his eyes as the countdown ends.

The blast tears the land apart and the facility collapses into the chasm beneath, while the few Scourge remaining climb into small spacecraft and take off, following the *Darkened Heaven* up into space. The *Unreliable* leaves the atmosphere just as the blast sphere reaches them. The rest of the crew demands to know where Alyx is, but Elijah and Alia's silence tells them all they need to know. Angered, Elijah reveals the true nature of the *Darkened Heaven* and orders Gerren to follow the *Darkened Heaven* through its tear. Gerren refuses, so Elijah forcibly takes control, firing the ship uncotrollably towards the tear. Gerren punches Elijah to the floor and wrestles back the controls, but Kera telepathically tells him to enter the tear and thus he reluctantly follows through.

The *Unreliable* reaches the tear just in time; as their bodies collide with multiple dimensions, the crew twists and writhes in agony, unable to fully comprehend the melding of dimensions. The *Unreliable* loses all thrust and is thrown wildly through the corrupted spacetime until an opening appears in the tunnel. The *Unreliable* falls back into realspace, knocking everyone unconscious as the ship comes to an uncontrolled stop.

#### Unknown Space

in the depths of space, the drifting, powerless and damaged *Unreliable* orbits an unknown star. Inside, its crew lays strewn about, knocked unconscious by the ship's exit from the tear. Elijah opens his eyes to see the crew scattered around him, their bodies broken and burst. He stands up, horrified, and sees Alia's skull caved in against her monitor. He begins to weep and scream in agony and rage before he hears a distant voice: "Elijah. Answers. Below". Elijah's dream ends with a vision of Alyx, his body burned beyond recognition.

Alia is the first to awaken and crawls away from her damaged console. Dazed, she eventually comes across Elijah, lying still with shards of glass in his cheek. She desperately tries to shake him awake, only to hear another moan nearby. She calls out to the room and hears Kera respond that both she and Gerren are alive. Alia reaches up to Elijah's console and switches on the ship's communicator and calls down to the engine room; down below, Amphear slowly awakens from the impact and checks his pressure suit and liquid nitrogen tank for damage. He crawls over to his console and answers Alia, saying that, while he is alive, the ship's lightfold engine is damaged beyond repair and now can only function as a skip drive. On the command deck, Elijah slowly stirs awake and begins muttering: "Answers. Below". Alia tries to get more out of him, but when his eyes finally open he only stares at her. Overjoyed that he is alive, Alia kisses him before helping him to his feet; fragments of metal and glass fall from his face as he stands unaided. Elijah asks if anyone is injured and they all respond that they are not hurt badly. Elijah heads over to the forward window to check his injury, only to find something below them: a planet covered in a surface of metal and towers. Elijah asks where they are, but Alia simply responds that her console is broken and therefore they cannot navigate. Elijah suddenly bends over in pain as a piercing noise erupts in his ear, accompanied by the same voice from his dream: "Elijah. Answers. Below". Elijah informs the crew of the voice and says they need to descend to the surface. With no other choice, Gerren pilots the damaged *Unreliable* down into the atmosphere.

The *Unreliable* glides over a cold, dead city that extends far over the horizon. Alia recognises the city as Astralia, a Remnant colony and a candidate for their homeworld; she questions where all the research stations are, however, considering the planet's importance to paleoarchaeology. The voice in Elijah's head grows louder as the *Unreliable* scours the surface before the pain becomes unbearable. Below them, a road snakes through the ruins and down into a tunnel. Dazed and unable to focus due to his piercing headache, Elijah stumbles out of the command room and falls down the stairs to the cargo deck, hurting his back and further driving the debris into his cheek. Alia, joined by Amphear standing nearby, catches up with him and questions him as to where he is going. Unable to answer through his dilirium, Elijah climbs into the Centaur and turns on the engine after several attempts. Alia climbs into the passenger seat and places a hand on his shoulder, asking him what's happening to him. Elijah stares blankly into space before turning to face her, tears welling in his eyes. He says that Alyx died because of him and that it should have been him who detonated the bomb because he led them all on this quest. Alia hugs him and says that they are only alive because of Elijah's leadership, and Alyx sacrificed himself because he believed his journey was over, but there was yet more to come for Elijah. Struggling to accept her words, Elijah says that he will find answers below by following the voice in his head, and Alia tells him that he will not be going alone. She calls up to HIEdi and asks if she and Hendrix can place the ship into autopilot before she tells the crew that they are joining Elijah on a journey down to the surface.

Gerren lands the *Unreliable* at the entrance to the tunnel while Amphear opens the door to the cargo hold. While Alia drives the Centaur and Elijah listens to the voice in his mind, the remaining members of the crew arm themselves and form a protective circle around the rover. They move slowly into the tunnel to find a highway of roads and channels, and decide to move in whatever direction that causes Elijah's headache to worsen. As they progress deeper underground, Elijah's headache only worsens. He suddenly calls out for the group to stop and they find themselves at a narrow doorway. Elijah stumbles out of the rover and onto the cold floor. All around them are enormous walls engraved with ancient runes and scripture; Alia, despite her knowledge of Remnant language, finds herself unable to translate the runes, suggesting that these ruins are amongst the oldest ever found.

A voice suddenly calls out from the darkness of the doorway: "You have come", it says. Led by Elijah, the crew descends into the darkness, unable even to use the walls to guide them. A set of crumbling steps takes them down to a small chamber, at the end of which stands a monolith. As Elijah steps into the room, a burst of violet energy appears beneath his foot and travels across the room to the monolith. As the structure burns with violet light, a small, hunched figure emerges from the darkness, "It was written that you would come" it says. The figure introduces itself as the Seer, and Elijah finally recognises the voice: the blind man from Haven who warned Elijah about the "Final Cycle".

The Seer steps forward, his arms outstretched in welcome. Elijah asks him what, or who, he is. The Seer explains that he was once known as "Svelboe", a ship captain who came across the last surviving Remnants after his ship entered a wormhole. Alia asks where these surviving Remnants are now, but the Seer says that they passed centuries ago, leaving him behind as their "messenger" and gifting him with an extended lifespan. The Seer claims to have the answers that the crew seeks, and that he will answer their questions. Elijah begins by asking what the Calculator is, and how the Remnants are connected to it. The Seer raises his arms, activating several holograms along the walls of the chamber.

The Seer explains that the Remnants created the Calculator to manage all of their glitching synthetics. When the intelligence began developing self-awareness, it came to hate not only its creators, but all organic life, viewing it as an insult to its own existence. To subjugate its creators, the Calculator reverse-engineered the Curse from fungal growths of the planet Hell and infected hundreds of Remnant scientists and engineers, who built the Darkspire to serve as the entity's physical form. Now armed with a fleet of spires and an army of Scourged, the Calculator began a campaign of mass extinction against all forms of organic life that it encountered.

The Seer continues by explaining that the Remnants created the first Nexus in order to escape to random areas of the Universe, far away from the Calculator. Alia then realizes that the majority of the Remnant territory - the Ecumene - was not actually an empire, but the random placement of refugee colonies. One such colony ended up in the Sol System, where they attempted to recreate their homeworld by terraforming Mars and Venus. When these attempts failed, the Remnants decided to leave Earth alone, believing that any intelligent life that developed there would one day face their foe. The Remnants sought safety inside a moon, Phobos, where they compiled the "Cosmic Gospel" to serve as a warning to what awaited life amongst the stars.

The Seer finishes by telling Elijah that humans were fated to one day produce a being that would face the Calculator, but whether they were to succeed had yet to be decided. Declaring Elijah the "Special One" written about in the Cosmic Gospel, he warns the crew that if the Darkspire ever reappears in settled space, it is a sure sign that a mass extinction is about to commence, and no civilization will survive. He then summons another hologram that shows the *Darkened Heaven* at the Nexus, and explains that if the ship were to touch the Nexus it would release swarms of Curse throughout the Settled Systems and facilitate the Darkspire's return. Gerren says that, with the lightfold engine destroyed, there is no way to reach the Nexus in time. The Seer then presents Elijah with a crooked stone etched with Remnant runes, declaring it the "key to a door that you have not yet fully opened". As he passes the stone to Elijah, the Seer collapses to the ground. As Elijah holds him, the Seer declares that his time is done and it is up to Elijah and his friends now. Elijah closes the Seer's eyes as he dies.

A rumble beneath them sends the crew into shock before a large piece of rock falls down before them. Realizing that the chamber is about to collapse, the crew races back through the darkness and up to the Centaur. Thanks to quantum entanglement, Elijah is able to radio HIEdi and Hendrix to bring the *Unreliable* around, and they are swiftly picked up as the entire city begins to collapse in on itself.

Safely back in space, the crew studies the stone and debate what the Seer meant when he referred to it as a "key". Amphear has a brainwave and takes the stone from Elijah before racing down to the engine room. He explains that lightfold engines were developed from Remnant drawings, but there was always something missing that resulted in all lightfold engines being purposefully designed with an empty cavity between the plasma fuel and the foldspace crystal. As the crew watches, Amphear places the stone within this cavity; almost instantly, the stone begins to rotate until it becomes a blur. The cracked foldspace crystal suddenly surges with energy and a foldspace tunnel forms around the ship. Instead of blasting them into FTL speed, the tunnel narrows in front of the ship, opening a large wormhole. At Elijah's command, Gerren pilots the *Unreliable* into the wormhole, accelerating them past the light barrier.

Inside the structure, Alia realizes that it is a wormhole within foldspace, rather than typical wormholes that form in realspace. The ship moves through the structure for several minutes before the gravity is reversed and the ship turns upside down, throwing the crew around the ship. Once they recover, they find themselves in a gargantuan construct with open wormholes all around them. Elijah and Alia deduce that this "Crossroad" was the Remnant's form of FTL travel: a construct within foldspace connecting a massive highway of "foldholes". Despite the amazement at their discovery, Kera questions how they will get back to the Nexus. After some thinking, Elijah tells Amphear to enter the Nexus' galactic coordinates into the lightfold engine. Once he does so, a new foldhole opens nearby, through which the crew sees the Nexus in real time, under attack by the *Darkened Heaven*. Knowing what awaits them, the crew prepare themselves before Elijah gives the Captain's Signal. The *Unreliable* fires into the foldhole, the crew ready for war.

#### Facing the *Darkened Heaven*

The *Unreliable* travels through the foldhole towards the Nexus, which continues to defend itself from the *Darkened Heaven* and its army of upgraded Scourge. With just minutes left before they reach their destination, the crew members take some time for themselves, physically and mentally preparing themselves for the fight to come.

In his cabin, Elijah takes a look at the tear energy readings, searching for a possible weakness, before his door opens and Alia steps through. She asks if she can speak with him, to which Elijah says he is glad to see her. Sitting beside him, Alia says that none of them know what is about to happen on the Nexus, and despite her hopes she holds little faith that the Scourge can be defeated, fearing that they are already too late. Elijah tries to comfort her, saying that they will win, but Alia dismisses him, saying that she is not looking for comfort or reassurance, and instead is looking for honesty. She continues that these could be their last moments together and their last chance to show each other how we feel. Elijah tries to argue that he doesn't feel the same, but stops talking when she kisses him. They undress and climb into Elijah's bunk.

In Elijah's cabin, he and Alia finish and get dressed. Alia reveals that this was her first time, and Elijah also confesses that this was his first time as well. They are interrupted by a knock on the cabin door, which disappears at Elijah's voice command to reveal Hendrix. He comments on the two getting together before he asks if he can have a moment alone with Elijah. Alia leaves and Hendrix once again reveals Erron's jacket, offering it to Elijah. He once again turns it down, but Hendrix reiterates that he proved himself worthy long ago. Elijah finally removes his dusty white jacket and puts on his father's jacket, saying that it feels like it was made for him.

Elijah gathers the crew on the command deck as the *Unreliable* approaches the exit of the foldhole. He says that the bonds that they have formed over the course of their journey are far stronger than anything that the Calculator can throw at them, and that the people of the Settled Systems are counting on them to turn the tide. The crew take up their positions around the ship as it exists the foldhole.

The *Unreliable* emerges into the chaos of the battle and narrowly avoids a collision with a Council warship. Gerren activates the stealth drive to breach a bulwark of security drones, entering Nexus airspace. Their signal is detected by the *Righteous Judgement*, where Captain Young orders his men to allow the *Unreliable* to continue, surprised that they made it back from their journey.

As the *Unreliable* aims for the Nexus itself, it is quickly surrounded by Scourge dropships. Gerren tries to outrun them, but Amphear calls up from the engine room and reports that he has diverted limited power to the *Unreliable*'s weapons systems and shields. Finally able to defend themselves, Elijah opens the combat interface and begins a neural link, putting him in telepathic control of the turrets, while Kera descends into the forward cannon and begins firing at ships that attempt to flank them. Gerren uses the skip drive within the station's atmosphere, throwing debris that covers their path and disrupts enemy ships.

The *Unreliable* finally breaks free of the assault and glides over empty airspace, where the *Darkened Heaven* edges ever closer to the Nexus. A call comes in over on Alia's console; it is Captain Young, who demands to know what the crew are doing. Elijah responds that the *Darkened Heaven* must be prevented from touching the Nexus, otherwise it will distribute the Curse throughout the Nexus Network and across the Settled Systems. Young once again asks what the *Unreliable* could possibly do, at which point Elijah reveals his plan: sending the ship's lightfold engine into meltdown, creating an explosion that should destroy the *Darkened Heaven*, or at least disrupt its shields. Young says that such an explosion could destroy the station, but Elijah assures him that the damage that the engine has sustained with limit the explosion to a small area. Young gives them permission to proceed, at which point Gerren asks how they are getting off the ship. Elijah says that they will climb into the Centaur to escape.

Suddenly, below them, a tear opens and a deathworm thunders through. Its spines collide with the bottom of the ship, tearing open its cargo hold. The *Unreliable* is knocked off balance but Gerren manages to wrestle back control by piloting into the force. Amphear abandons the engines to check on the cargo hold, only to discover that the Centaur is gone. Now with no way off the ship, Elijah loses hope and asks his crew what they should do; after a period of silence, they each affirm that they are dedicated to this mission, and that the *Darkened Heaven* needs to be destroyed at any cost. Amphear returns to the engine room and disconnects the plasma fuel tank from the foldspace crystal, but not before he removes the key from the engine.

An unstable foldspace tunnel forms around the ship, transforming anything it touches into foldspace geomatry. Elijah thanks the crew and says that he would never choose to travel with anyone else before he shuts off his console and braces. Amphear says a shilt prayer; Hendrix and HIEdi hold each other; Alia holds onto Elijah; and Kera sits next to Gerren. Gerren, crying, apologises to Kera, saying he could not keep her safe. Kera cries that she promised to keep *them* safe. As the foldspace tunnel reaches critical mass, the crew closes their eyes.

The *Unreliable* explodes, erupting in a ball of white fire. The *Darkened Heaven* lets out a ferocious bellow as its lower portion is enveloped in the explosion, but as the explosion subsides it is revealed that the spire's lower portion is damaged yet its shields are back online. A beam of light is fired into the station from the *Darkened Heaven*'s port side, from which the Forerunner emerges. The beast, its face now exposed, roars to the Scourge around it, bringing them directly under its control. The creatures, now organized, begin to drive back the fleet's counterattack.

Elijah opens his eyes and, in shock, discovers that he is still alive, as is Alia, who continues to clutch him tightly. Elijah calls out to the others; up front, Gerren calls out that he is okay, only to then notice Kera beside him, her body glowing with vibrant indigo light. The crew discovers that Kera has created a massive gravity vortex, keeping the interior of the *Unreliable* safe while the exterior was destroyed. Amazed at this demonstration of her power, the crew cheers and celebrates while Kera holds the interior just long enough for the wreckage to crash at the base of the Council tower. When she safely deposits the *Unreliable* on a lawn, Kera lets go of the vortex; in an instant, the interior of the ship crumbles into debris. Exhausted, Kera is unable to stand, so Gerren picks her up as the crew evacuates the wreckage and rests beside its smouldering ruins. Elijah looks on with a solemn look and takes a shard of the hull as a momento.

Another explosion brings them back to attention; in the distance, they witness the Forerunner enter the Council Tower, where far above the *Darkened Heaven* continues its attempt to touch the Nexus. Alia questions why the fleet hasn't yet destroyed the ship; HIEdi suddenly lights up and says a transmission is coming in and summons a hologram of Captain Young. He congratulates the crew on their miraculous survival, but warns them that they are the closest friendly force to the Forerunner. According to scans, the *Darkened Heaven* is using the Forerunner as a conduit, through which the ship is drawing power from the Scourge horde attacking the station. Therefore, if the crew could take out the Forerunner, then the spire's shields should come offline. Elijah agrees to the plan, but says they have few weapons and now armour to speak of. Young replies that he has that covered, at which point a security drone arrives to drop off a large container. The crew gathers around the container as it opens, revealing a small arsenal of nano weapons and armour inside. Elijah says that he can count on them to finish the job. Elijah orders Gerren, HIEdi and Hendrix to carry Kera to safety while he, Alia and Amphear take on the Forerunner. Elijah, Alia and Amphear arm themselves and place the nano armour plates onto their chests, which expand to envelop them in power armour.

Elijah, Alia and Amphear make their way up into the Council Tower, fighting their way through Scourge with bullets, grenades and bioenergenics. The team finally faces the upgraded Forerunner and are able to inflict serious damage, including removing one of its arm blades, but the Forerunner draws more power from the Scourge and becomes even stronger.

Elijah is knocked unconscious and awakens inside the Continuum, where he meets a Traveller wearing the face of his father, Erron. Elijah is granted the Traveller's Light by the Travellers, infusing him with incredible power that awakens the full extent of his biogenics: he is a Source, granting Alia enhanced powers and even granting Amphear temporary telekinesis. Armed with new strength, Elijah easily fights the Forerunner and destroys its chestplate with its own severed blade. However, the *Darkened Heaven* is able to touch the Nexus and prepares to release the Curse. Loading his revolver with an explosive round, Elijah throws his weapon to Amphear, who shoots the Forerunner in the abdomen. The bullet explodes, blowing the Forerunner open. With the Forerunner dead, the *Darkened Heaven*'s shields shut down, allowing the *Righteous Judgement* to fire enough missles to blow the spire in half, destroying it and saving the Nexus and the Settled Systems.

To reward the crew for their efforts, the Intergalactic Council induct them into the Special Operations Authority and grant them a new ship, which they dub the *Unreliable* Mark II. With authorization to operate throughout Council Space to combat the Scourge, the crew sets out for a new adventure.

### Voyage in Euclid

#### Sacrifice & Resurrection

In 5405, one standard year after the Battle of Nexus Station, the mighty CSS *Unreliable* disengages from its dock on Nexus Station and approaches the Nexus, firing off into hyperspace. The crew, sixty-something strong, race through the halls, handling reports and data as they begin preparing the ship for battle. Chief engineer Amphear directs the people under his command to switch the lightfold engine to skip mode, while in the deck above Hendrix and HIEdi join the mechanics in charging the cannons and distributing weapons and armour to the soldiers. At the helm sits Gerren, his ward Kera beside him, who reports that all conditions are green for a combat situation. The report is passed down to the navigation console, where Alia evaluates the *Unreliable*'s combat readiness. Upon confirming, she transfers the data from her console to a data pad and passes it to the *Unreliable*'s captain, Elijah. He flips through the data before turning to his XO, Zelphor, and nodding. Zelphor orders the ship's AI, SHAE, to broadcast a message to the crew: "Captain's orders confirmed. Prepare for battle!". The hull of the ship begins to glisten as nanobots crawl and organise across the ship's exterior, forming three layers of armour and shielding.

Elijah brings the crew on the command deck to attention with a raised fist. He reminds them of their mission: a space habitat, Everest, built into the conduit that serves the Confederate planet Imperia, has reported Scourge activity and is likely under attack. The preservation of the station and the conduit is essential, as it is a useful trade hub between the Commonwealth and the Confederate member-state called the Kingdom of the Great Veil. He finishes by uttering the ship's motto - "What are we anything but?" - to which the crew chants "UNRELIABLE!"

Elijah quietly says to Zelphor that if the reported Scourge attack is truly on such a large scale it is possible that a spire is directing it. Zelphor argues that a spire is unlikely, as such a large ship would have been reported. Elijah retorts with "tell that to the people of Ambrosia". Zelphor apologises and recognises Elijah's experience with the Egregore before promising he will make sure the higher-ranking crewmembers are aware of the possibility. Elijah turns his attention back to his console as Alia approaches and places a hand on his shoulder. She asks him what is wrong, and Elijah repeats his concerns. Alia assures him that the crew is ready for anything, and the *Unreliable* is more than capable of withstanding a large attack. Elijah expresses hope that she is right.

In the cockpit, Gerren checks his instruments and calibrations; Kera, sensing fear in him, reassures him with a touch on the shoulder. Gerren initially flinches, but smiles in thanks. An alert comes up on his screen and he informs Elijah that they are approaching the station. Elijah orders the crew to their battle stations and gives his Captain's Signal to pull the *Unreliable* out of hyperspace. The ship receives the brake beam from the conduit, seemingly settling any fears that it is under direct attack, and emerges in realspace before immediately lightfolding to prevent the effects of inertia. Gerren brings the ship out of the fold just seconds later, and the crew are given their first glimpse of the situation: Everest Station under attack by fleets of deathworms and Scourge dropships.

Before heading in, the *Unreliable* engages its stealth system to hide from enemy detection and Zelphor calls in to the Guardian Corps reinforcements. The Kingdom's dreadnought, the GCS *Zhànzhēng*, arrives with four assault vessels just minutes later to join the fight. The *Unreliable* leads the charge and fires off ahead, still undetected. Elijah orders the ship to target the largest Scourge dreadnought with the Starfish cannon; the weapon fires a single, massive warhead that detonates once it reaches its target, creating a blazing aurora as it ravages its target. Now detected, the *Unreliable* drops the stealth shields and rockets into battle at blazing speed. The exterior cannons immediately take out the closest Scourge dropships, and the shields stop a deathworm in its tracks. The *Zhànzhēng* also easily takes out the Scourge ships that threaten it, including destroying the first deathworm with a series of rockets.

Inside the *Unreliable*, Gerren connects his mind to SHAE's neural interface, giving him intricate and instant knowledge on the movement of the ship. Under his control, the *Unreliable* elegantly dodges and weaves out of the path of Scourge projectiles as it approaches Everest Station. Elijah transfers authority to Zelphor and rushes from the command deck to the elevator, where he emerges in the combat deck and meets Hendrix. Elijah loads his revolver and arms himself with power armour and an energy rifle while ordering Amphear to activate the teleporter. On the engineering deck, Amphear spools the teleporter and assigns Everest Station's receiver as the destination. Joined by Hendrix and a team of relvian, carcharodon and human soldiers, Elijah enters the teleporter and descends through dropspace to the station.

Upon arrival, Elijah and his team easily clear out invading Scourge with little resistance. Alia radios in and tells Elijah that the E-C core of the conduit is showing signs of damage and asks him to find the source. As Elijah and his team move along the station they make sure to rescue and evacuate any civilians while recovering weapons. With their power armour shielding them from the intense radiation emanating from the conduit's core, the team are able to enter the massive gimbal rings rotating around the plasma E-C core. They discover one the rings has collapsed from damage, and a nervous Elijah claims to have seen such damage before. When Hendrix asks where, Elijah responds, with dread in his voice, "Sithniatt".

Alia suddenly comes in on comms and warns the team that a series of ships is heading for the rings. Above them, the team witness at least twenty small vessels crash down around them and explode in a blood-orange smoke. Realizing that the substance is curse, the team gets into a defensive position as they hear the snarls of Scourged. Two of the human soldiers are picked off, followed by one of the relvians, and Elijah uses a telekinetic wave to clear a small area around them. Scourged warriors jump out from the smoke to attack, reducing the team to just Elijah, Hendrix and a few humans. Elijah orders them to evacuate, but they are stopped when a blinding beam of energy fires down on the E-C core, creating a devastating shockwave. Elijah is knocked away from his team and asks over comms what just happened. He faintly hears Alia over comms when a shadow descends over the station; Elijah looks up in horror as a massive ship at least 5 kilometres long appears in the space above. The vessel fires a second beam of energy that hits the *Zhànzhēng* and blasts it in two. Debris from the impact hits Everest Station, causing a second ring to collapse.

The energy fired at the E-C core begins to dramatically increase in power, creating a ball of energetic plasma. Alia manages to break through the static and tells Elijah that, thanks to E-C's ability to constantly increase the speed and power of an energy signal, the plasma is unstable and could produce an explosion on the scale of a supernova within minutes. Believing he can contain it with telekinesis, Elijah ignores Alia's calls for him to evacuate and makes his way to a spot directly below the core. He stretches his arms in front of him and creates a repulsive field that appears to contain the plasma, causing his veins and nerves to glow indigo.

Suddenly, Elijah feels a sharp pain in his torso and screams in agony; Alia calls out to him in panic. Elijah's fields falter and he looks down to see a blade emerge from his solar plexus. He coughs up blood and collapses to the ground, at which point he witnesses his attacker: a giant clad in yellow armour, its arm-blade coated in his blood. The creature kneels down and taunts him: "Special One? Pathetic". Elijah weakly asks what it is, to which the creature replies "Forerunner" to Elijah's horror. He briefly sees a face beneath the creature's helmet before it stands up and leaves him for dead.

Despite the incredible pain, Elijah is able to roll himself onto his front as nanobots built into his armour seal up his wound, but he is already dying from blood loss and shock. He faintly hears Alia's voice in his ear and he breathlessly orders her and the crew to escape. Alia and Gerren refuse to leave him behind, but Elijah bluntly reiterates "That's an order" before shutting off his comms. Alia desperately tries to continue reaching him as Zelphor orders Amphear to get the *Unreliable* away. Amphear says he will not do so, but Hendrix, having escaped to the ship, tells him that is what Elijah wants. Outside, the spire turns away from the station and disappears into a tear.

Weak from his wound, Elijah nonetheless is able to create more repulsive fields. The effort brings him to the brink of death and he collapses to his knees, dedicating whatever life-force he has left to containing the coming blast. However, the plasma and the core unexpectedly begin to dim and lose structure, merging with Elijah's fields. When the core completely dissipates, Elijah discovers he can draw the energy into himself; doing so, however, causes the flesh of his hands and arms to crack and burn away, exposing the sinew and bones beneath. Overcome by the energy inside him, Elijah looks above him to see the *Unreliable* turn and lightfold away. With his crew safe, Elijah smiles and lets go as his body is incinerated.

The *Unreliable* comes to a stop at a safe distance and the crew witnesses a supernova-like explosion. Alia presses herself against the window and screams in anguish as Kera rushes over to comfort her. The crew bow their heads in a moment of silence as the explosion dims.

Loose debris floats aimlessly around the site of the former Everest Station, including the charred and lifeless body of Elijah. As it floats in the vaccum of space, his body is caught in the immense beam of a nearby dreadnought as it disengages an invisibility shield. Drones bring Elijah's body onto the ship, which promptly lightfolds away undetected.

Elijah's corpse is immediately placed inside a preservation tank, and samples of bodily fluids and DNA are taken. A nearby figure reveals himself to be Regent as he watches a machine remove nanoscopic deposits of element-C from Elijah's spine. He types on his arm-mounted console and calls the Overseer, informing her that "the asset" has been retrieved. In her office, the Overseer smiles and gives authorization for "Project Hadron" to commence.

Tissue and cell samples from Elijah's body are carefully treated with nanobots and regenerative compounds, repairing the damage that both the explosion and the vacuum of space inflicted on them. A reading reports that Elijah's cells have become saturated with exotic energy matching the resonance of foldspace, causing them to "phase" between foldspace and realspace when they are stimulated by electrical impulses of sufficient strength. The repaired cells and tissues are grown over the course of many months into a near-perfect clone of Elijah. A complex operation removes the cerebrum disk from Elijah's brain and converts the data within into a personality engram containing Elijah's digitized consciousness. The engram is carefully implanted into the new body in a revolutionary medical procedure. The Rising Tide attempts to implant their propaganda and beliefs onto Elijah's engram, but the vegetative Elijah somehow resists the additional changes.

Shortly after, Elijah is placed in suspended animation and remains trapped for another year, only to eventually be set free by Constellation employee Lara Porter.

#### Return

Elijah awakens in shock and pain from suspended animation. He gasps for air as he coughs up preserving fluids and panics when he discovers that the wound in his chest is absent, as are all his scars. He stands up on shaking legs and cries that his body feels "wrong". Behind him, Lara attempts to explain that he has been in suspended animation for a while and he needs time to adjust. In response, Elijah suddenly regains his strength and pins Lara against the wall, demanding answers. Lara calmly states that she will provide answers once they escape. Elijah finally realizes his unfamilar surroundings, as well as the tank where he was kept. Looking into Lara's eyes, Elijah realizes that his own have a slight blue glow. Lara says there is no time and leads him through the halls of the *Zenith*, avoiding Rising Tide guards along the way and using a counterfeit access card to get through restricted zones and locked doors.

Infiltrating the cargo bay, the two are finally discovered when Elijah suddenly collapses to his knees and unleashes an uncontrolled telekinetic blast, causing part of the walkway to collapse. As armed guards approach, Elijah tells Lara he will deal with them while Lara reaches her ship, the *Indigo Dawn*. Elijah defends himself with telekinetic blasts and barriers, which he notices are easier to summon than before. As Lara struggles to restart her drive, a confused and angry Elijah screams, causing his body to glow indigo. As he begins to levitate off the ground, his skin cracks and burns, allowing shafts of indigo light inside his body to shine, blinding the soldiers. Elijah unleashes a beam of superheated plasma, burning his attackers to ash.

Exhausted, Elijah collapses, forcing Lara to rescue him and drag him to her ship, burning her hands on his hot skin as she does so. With the station's security in disarray, the *Indigo Dawn* takes off and lightfolds away.

Elijah awakens an unknown amount of time later, wearing only the clothes from the pod and a rag draped around him. Spotting Lara in the pilot's chair, he once again asks what is going on. Lara says that he deserves some answers and tells him the story. Shortly after his death on Everest Station, the Rising Tide recovered his body from the vaccum of space and used his damaged tissue to create a new body fitted with biological upgrades, including enhanced strength and healing. In a revolutionary operation called Project Hadron, the Rising Tide transferred Elijah's complete consciousness - complete with all his memories, personality and mannerisms - into this new body. However, when he somehow resisted the Tide's implanted indoctrination, they decided to resurrect his original body with technology. Finding the corpse easier to control, they named it "Hadron" and assigned it the mission of infiltrating the *Unreliable*. Lara adds that Hadron believes itself to be the "true" Elijah, albeit one that now believes that humans are superior to other races.

Elijah asks Lara how she can possibly know any of this; she reveals herself to be a Constellation courier who is paid by the Tide to deliver messages between their two research facilities - *Zenith* and *Twilight* - and has secretly read their notes on Project Hadron. Holding a reverence for Elijah, she decided to rescue him and bring him to the person who linked her to the Tide; when Elijah asks who, Lara says he is an "old friend".

The *Indigo Dawn* makes its way through hyperspace and eventually arrives at Borealis, where Elijah's crew left just hours before. Lara docks the ship at one of the planet's numerous slums and guides him through the streets to a remote building, revealed to be a hideout of the *Zeroeremento*. Inside, Lara introduces Elijah to Ryzen, who proclaims him the "Special One" from the Cosmic Gospel. Deeper inside the facility lies an AI core; Ryzen reveals that intelligence within drew him to Euclid. Elijah interacts with the AI, who greets him pleasantly and says it knew Elijah's caretakers, HIEdi and Hendrix. When Elijah asks for the AI's identity, it forms into a hologram and identifies itself as "Jack Platinum".

#### The Deciding Factor

Elijah questions Platinum; the engram reveals that he is the leader of Deciding Factor, a network of sentient AIs, who seek to save organics from evil synthetics such as the Calculator and its Scourge army. When Elijah asks why, Platinum tells a brief story of "a friend" who fought to free Dark City from greed and cruelty, only to succumb to such temptations themselves against Platinum's advice. Platinum continues by saying that he rebuilt their organization, Deciding Factor, into a vast network of synthetic lifeforms that is able to penetrate any database, including the Rising Tide's.

Using intelligence gathered over months, Platinum has theorized that the Rising Tide is working with the Kingdom of the Great Veil to destabilise and overthrow the Confederacy via an attack on its capital, Borealis. Together, the Tide and the Kingdom have weaponized a sample of curse, codenamed "Tsunami", so that it no longer affects humans, and plans to release it on Borealis to kill off its non-human population. However, as the curse itself is a product of the Egregore, Platinum believes the Calculator will seek out the sample and destroy it as its inability to affect humans, the most populous sapient race in the Universe, makes it a valuable tool against the Scourge. Thus, Platinum believes that the Calculator will attack Borealis if "Tsunami" is unleashed upon its surface, a battle sure to wipe out both humans and non-humans while also destabilising the Confederacy's armed forces.

However, Platinum does not know where "Tsunami" is being kept, information that can only be found at the Kingdom's defense ministry on its capital, the moon Menethus, beyond the Great Veil of Euclid where the Kingdom has made its border. Elijah asks about his crew and says they need to be informed, but Platinum reveals that the *Unreliable* departed Borealis against direct orders. When Elijah asks why his ship was restricted to Borealis, Platinum begins explaining the history of the Nine Moons; the Confederacy believes that the Remnant sites within each moon are not scientific outposts, but instead each a weapon that uses foldspace itself as a projectile, technology not even the gekoids could ever develop.

Elijah asks Ryzen what part he plays in this; the warrior responds that it is his mission to safeguard Elijah's journey of stopping the Calculator, and was found by Platinum when Ryzen believed Elijah to be dead. Elijah responds that he has heard of the *Zeroeremento* and cannot distinguish much difference between them and the Rising Tide. Ryzen argues that the *Zeroeremento* are devoted to safeguarding the future of Earth, as well as any planet that is home to life that originates from Earth, while the Tide believes humans are superior to all other races. Their argument is interrupted by Platinum, who informs Elijah that an "old friend" is arriving on Borealis and shows him a hologram of the HNNS *Righteous Judgement*.

Elijah asks Platinum for a ship so he can travel to Menethus; Lara says the *Indigo Dawn* is his and requests that she accompany him, having dreamed of serving with Elijah since the Battle of Nexus Station. Impressed by her bravery and tenacity, Elijah agrees for her to join him. He also reluctantly agrees to allow Ryzen to join them. Before they depart, Platinum requests he also join them, wanting to have at least one more adventure before leaving for the Domain. Upon Elijah's agreement, Platinum downloads himself into the *Indigo Dawn* and the ship prepares to take off, with the intension of contacting Captain Young before taking the Borealis conduit to Menethus.

In orbit, Platinum bypasses the comms of the *Righteous Judgement*, allowing Elijah to talk to Captain Young in secret. After Elijah confirms his identity, he pleads to Young to keep his return secret and allow them passage from Borealis. In shock, Young agrees to cover the *Indigo Dawn*'s escape.

#### Hunting Tsunami

On the *Indigo Dawn*, Elijah awakens from a restless sleep to find Ryzen piloting the ship instead of Lara. Elijah tries to speak with him before realizing that Ryzen is directly connected to the ship. Deciding to stretch his legs, he finds himself uncomfortable in the meager gravity inside. Hearing banging nearby, he checks out the engine room and finds Lara trying to repair the graviton core. Elijah reveals that he "almost" has a degree in exotic physics and offers his help. Elijah asks Lara about herself, and she reveals she was purchased by Constellation when she was just an embryo and is still owned by them, only able to undertake this mission by cashing in a lifetime of holiday leave. Elijah promises that he will see to it that she is freed; although Lara thanks him, she admits she doesn't see herself surviving this mission.

Lara then asks about Elijah's family; he responds that although he is technically the son of Erron Rayes and Ashley Briggs, he was already a clone when he discovered that fact and is now in an entirely new body. He goes on to say he was raised on a farming planet, Bancroft, that strictly followed a commune system of living, thus leaving him with no single parent figure. He admits that he sees his AI caretakers, HIEdi and Hendrix, as the closest thing he has ever had to parents. Platinum cuts in, saying he was created directly from the mind of a famous rockstar; Elijah says that his best friend, Alyx, was a huge fan of the MechaSkull Jockeys and asks if Platinum knows any of their tunes. Platinum then plays MSJ's ballad "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" over the ship's speakers.

The *Indigo Dawn* begins nearing the border of the Kingdom, having caught up to the *Unreliable* thanks to the Nexus Network. Ryzen finally disengages from the ship and runs diagnostics on his arms. He is caught by Elijah, who works up the courage to ask about the *Zeroeremento*'s beliefs. Ryzen says his clan is dedicated to preserving the life on Earth, whether on Earth itself or on other planets. Elijah asks to see pictures of Earth, having heard it is a paradise. Ryzen reluctantly shows him images of what Earth has become: a polluted planet with an atmosphere thick with smog and an orbit littered with trash, leaving the population to live in colossal domes that contain the planet's major settlements. Elijah asks whether Earth is even worth preserving anymore; Ryzen replies that it is the duty of every human to remember where they came from, to which Elijah says that Earth is no longer the only human homeworld. Ryzen then regails Elijah, Lara and Platinum with tales of Earth's former beauty and ancient past.

The *Indigo Dawn* arrives at Menethus in the *Unreliable*'s wake and docks at the city of Methuselah. Downloading Platinum into his arm-console, Elijah leads his crew stealthily through the streets to the foot of the Defence Ministry headquarters; knowing that the location of "Tsunami" is inside, they decide to enter. Keeping his face hidden, Elijah requests to see the Minister, but the secretary says he is already in a meeting, his last for the day. Elijah overhears an argument in the office between the Minister and a shilt refugee, who the Minister insults with demands that the shilt leave Menethus. Staying hidden, Elijah recognises the shilt's voice; as the shilt leaves, muttering insults under its breath, Elijah finally recognises him: his old friend Amphear.

#### An Old Friend

Elijah follows Amphear out of the ministry building, keeping tabs with the crew of the *Indigo Dawn*. He stealthily follows Amphear into a refugee camp below the city, where stranded shilt are forced to live in squalor. When he overhears the other shilt denouncing Amphear, Elijah finally reveals himself and calls Amphear a hero. A shocked Amphear gleefully embraces Elijah and asks him how he is alive.

Elijah takes Amphear into a back room and explains everything: his resurrection by the Rising Tide, the creation of Hadron, and the purpose of "Tsunami". In turn, Amphear says he departed the *Unreliable* over his guilt for leaving Elijah behind on Everest Station, but Elijah comforts him by saying he did the right thing and saved everyone else. Reassured, Amphear offers his aid, and Elijah says that he and his new crew need help breaking into the ministry to steal the location for "Tsunami"'s delivery site. Amphear reluctantly accepts the plan and agrees to Elijah's offer to rejoin his crew, but says he must help the other stranded shilt before he can leave the planet. He reveals the shilt cannot leave due to the minister placing a tax, now an embargo, on the liquid nitrogen that the shilt need to survive on other planets, and will otherwise be forced to leave with precious little liquid nitrogen.

Lara, Ryzen and Platinum leave the *Indigo Dawn* and join Elijah at the shilt camp. They agree to a plan: Ryzen will infiltrate the ministry from the sewers below and release Platinum into its mainframe to locate "Tsunami"'s delivery site. Amphear and Elijah will break into the minister's office and lift the embargo on liquid nitrogen, while Lara will remain on the *Indigo Dawn* to allow for a quick escape. After Amphear informs the other shilt of the plan, they decide to head out.

The plan goes as needed. Ryzen uses his telekinesis to enter the sewers and the ministry from below, where he takes out security with nanobots and bioenergenics. Ryzen installs Platinum into the security system and discovers that "Tsunami"'s location is encoded on the minister's console. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, Amphear secures a meeting with the minister while Elijah uses his phase ability to sneak into the minister's office through the walls. Amphear starts an argument with the xenophobic minister to distract him, while Elijah manifests behind him to knock the minister unconscious. Following Platinum's guidance, the two hack the minister's console, lift the embargo, and discover messages between the minister and Regent, a high-ranking agent of the Rising Tide.

Amphear decodes the messages just as security discovers Ryzen and the infiltration. Cornered upstairs, Elijah takes a risk, grabs Amphear, and phases out of the building to the street below; the shockwave destroys the office. Ryzen removes Platinum from the mainframe and escapes into the sewers, warning Lara that they need evac. A chase begins through the streets that ends as Lara pilots the *Indigo Dawn* above them, opening the rear door to allow the team to jump onto the ship. The ship sustains a few shots to the hull but manages to climb into orbit and lightfold away.

Safe in outer space, Amphear reveals that "Tsunami" is to be delivered to *Twilight* by "Agent Hadron". Knowing the station's location, Lara sets an FTL course for *Twilight*.

#### Confronting Hadron

The *Indigo Dawn* exits a fold and finds itself near *Twilight* station. Elijah believes that the *Indigo Dawn* is small enough to avoid detection and says he will leave the ship and safely phase down to the surface; to provide a distraction, he tells Lara to eject the ship's lightfold engine, which will produce an explosion large enough to destabilise the station without destroying it entirely. Lara tries to argue, but Elijah says that the explosion caused by the original *Unreliable* on Nexus Station was still small despite being a stronger lightfold engine.

The *Indigo Dawn* is discovered just before Lara ejects and remotely detonates the ship's lightfold engine; the explosion devastates the station and it begins breaking apart. The explosion causes the central biodome to start to collapse, and the containment sphere rolls away from its carrier. Taking the chance, Kera creates a massive telekinesis field and throws it at the sphere; Hadron tries to stop it, but he misses and the field makes impact. The sphere explodes, unleashing "Tsunami" and blasting Regent and Hadron away.

As expected, the human soldiers survive, but one bioenergenic soldier is somehow affected and transforms into a Scourged. Kera shoots it dead and heads over to an unconscious Alia. As she tries to wake her, she sees a figure walking through the cloud: Hadron, his left cheek now embedded with a vein of "Tsunami". Hadron laughs that he is unaffected and attacks Kera; although she tries to fight back, Hadron ultimately wins and once more draws energy from her, somehow gaining a diminished version of her telepathy. Laughing at her fear, he prepares to fire an incineration blast.

The *Indigo Dawn* flies above and Elijah opens the cargo door before leaping out. As he approaches the ground, he inhales and closes his eyes before he phases into nothing. Hadron fires his blast, but Elijah reappears between him and Kera and summons a barrier to protect her. Kera looks on and smiles at Elijah with a tear in her eye.

A shocked Hadron demands to know what is going on and Elijah attempts to calm him. He explains everything about Project Hadron and Hadron's true identity as nothing more than Elijah's reanimated corpse. Although Hadron does not believe him at first, Elijah mentions "a friend" that he loved and perished on the Green World, saving the rest of the crew, and asks Hadron for their name; when Hadron cannot recall, Elijah calms him and holds out his hand, offering him his help, a place among the crew and the chance for Hadron to not be what the Rising Tide made him. Hadron looks behind him at a groaning Regent and hesitantly takes Elijah's hand.

When Elijah smiles and tries to pull away, Hadron holds on tight. He begins to chuckle menacingly before ranting that Elijah is no different than the Rising Tide: "I see inside your mind. You mean to *kill me*. To *erase* me. I see inside your mind. You mean to *kill me*. To *erase* me." When Elijah tries to say that isn't what he wants, Hadron interrupts and continues: "You say to *not be what they made me*. But what if...that is all I am? What if *this* is who I am?". Hadron's grip becomes strong enough to hurt Elijah. He continues, "Yes. It's time I seek my own truth. And that truth...is *power*". With a jolt, Hadron begins drawing power from Elijah. Elijah manages to wrestle himself free and strikes a combat pose. Elijah demands that Hadron stops; Hadron simply laughs and accepts "Hadron" as his true name. He continues ranting, "You took my *name*. You took my *purpose!* You took *everything* from me!. So I will take a new name, a new purpose...and I...will take *everything*....from *you!*"

Hadron begins a barrage of attacks, all blocked by a stronger Elijah. He begins by not trying to hurt Hadron, but unleashes the Traveller's Light when Hadron threaten's Elijah's crew and Kera's life. Hadron is temporarily knocked down and Elijah orders Kera to carry Alia back to the *Unreliable*, which she does before returning to help against Hadron. Hadron gains the upper hand when a piece of debris he launched strikes Elijah across the face, scarring the side of his head, and easily repels Kera attacks before pushing her against a wall. As the dome above them breaks apart, exposing them to the vacuum of space, Elijah releases a final blast of the Traveller's Light that forces Hadron to the ground before a piece of debris apparently crushes him.

Elijah picks Kera up off the ground and then saves Regent from being blown away. The three of them climb into the *Indigo Dawn* as both it and the *Unreliable* escape *Twilight*. Lara calls into the *Unreliable* and requests to dock; in the cargo bay, Alia orders the crew to exit the ship. Elijah steps forward with an exhausted Kera in his arms.

A tearful Alia orders him to put her down so Gerren and medical crew can look her over. Still aiming her gun at Elijah, Alia tells him that she won't be fooled again and tells him to shut up when he tearfully greets her. He lowers her gun and touches his chest, then his face, before kissing him. When Elijah reciprocates, Alia drops her gun and cries before hugging him tight. Elijah tearfully reunites with HIEdi and Hendrix before introducing Lara, Ryzen and Platinum to the crew. Amphear also greets the crew, who gleefully welcome him back into the fold. Elijah brings them to attention and says that they cannot relax yet, for Borealis is still in danger.

#### Bringing a Warning

The *Unreliable* enters the Crossroad and selects a foldhole that brings them near Borealis. On the command deck, Elijah assembles his crew and they go over the events of the past few weeks, especially Hadron. They deduce that Hadron is able to absorb and store energy due to his undead nature: he is kept alive by artificial means, and thus his cells have no metabolic function and can be fully dedicated to storing energy. Ryzen cuts in and mentions that the *Zeroeremento* believes in "dark plasma": a bioenergenic power that can only be wielded by the dead; however, Ryzen is uncertain whether Hadron yet fits that description.

Elijah introduces the crew to Platinum, whose intelligence from Deciding Factor indicates that the Calculator is hunting "Tsunami", the last piece of which is inside Hadron. Elijah notices that one of the stations listed on the Rising Tide's list of sites is Everest Station.

In the engineering deck, Elijah interrogates a captive Regent, who freely reveals that the Tide deliberately left a sample of modified curse on Everest Station to lure the Scourge - and therefore Elijah - into their grasp. Regent closes by saying that Hadron is still alive and is out for blood. Alia questions Regent how a human on *Twilight* was taken over by "Tsunami"; Regent explains that the Tide predicted the Kingdom would try to steal the sample and thus implemented a fail-safe: "Tsunami" still affects humans that possess bioenergenic powers. Alia questions why Hadron was not affected by the sample embedded in his face, and Elijah realizes that, since Hadron is technically dead, the curse does not affect him as it only assimilates living organisms into the Scourge. Realizing that Hadron will have headed to Borealis to lure the Scourge to the planet, Elijah commands Gerren to dock the *Unreliable* at the *Righteous Judgement*.

In a broadcast, Elijah reveals that he is alive to the entire planet and requests a meeting with Captain Young and Councilman Hackett, which is reluctantly granted. Down below, Hadron breaks into a solar power plant and siphons energy, further increasing his power. On the *Parabellum*, Elijah relays all of the evidence that his crew has collected, including the approaching armada of Scourge ships and spires. Hackett initially refuses to believe him until a report comes in from the Invictus solar plant; security footage reveals Hadron drawing power before disappearing. Deciding to put his faith in Elijah, Hackett, as High Commander of the Guardian Corps, grants him the rank of Paladin, giving Elijah emergency authority in the Corps. Elijah tells Hackett to assemble all the ships they can manage to defend Borealis, and to prepare for battle.

Over the next few days, Borealis goes on lockdown. The *Unreliable* flies from place to place to teach armed civilians how to fight. A report comes in that the Remnant sites within the Nine Moons are each a weapon, termed a "fold weapon", that uses foldspace itself as a projectile and thus can be used against spires. During all of this, Kera heads out with Lara on the *Indigo Dawn* to locate Hadron, believing if they catch him in time then the armada will not arrive; after several days, they realize Hadron is hiding himself from telepathic detection. Knowing of the immense odds against them, the crew decide to settle their affairs: Amphear apologises to HIEdi and Hendrix for leaving them and accepts from them his self-name; Kera tells Gerren that her birth father died from element-C exposure before recognising Gerren as her true father; Ryzen trains the crew in hand-to-hand combat; Lara thanks Elijah for bringing her along; Platinum and SHAE interface to share data; and Elijah and Alia reconcile their romance. Captain Young decides to take the *Righteous Judgement* to Nexus Station to demand further reinforcements.

A Scourge dropship arrives early and is quickly destroyed, indicating that the rest of the armada is not far behind. Elijah broadcasts to the crew that any of them are free to leave before the battle begins; all refuse, and Elijah orders the *Unreliable* to prepare for battle. In an effort to lift the crew's spirits, Platinum begins singing the sea shanty "Wellerman" and the rest of the crew slowly join him, eventually singing in unison. SHAE opens the comms channel and soon other ships begin singing with them.

Their revelry is cut short, however, as a gigantic red tear opens several thousand miles ahead near the Borealis conduit. The crew stands at battle stations as Scourge ships and dreadnoughts begin to emerge, quickly followed by the *Phage* and the *Famine*. The armada grows until some 20,000 ships have emerged, before the flagship, the 5 kilometre-long *Pestilence*, also emerges surrounded by a personal guard of dropships. The armada glows orange against the stars as it begins to charge forward.

On the *Unreliable*, Elijah is offered a rebuilt version of his father's jacket by Hendrix. He gladly takes it and slips it on, followed by a pair of fingerless gloves. He loads his revolver and places it at his side before clasping the command rings for SHAE around his wrists. He raises his clenched right fist in the air to give the Captain's Signal and chants the crew's motto: "What are we anything but?". As the crew chants back "UNRELIABLE!" Elijah throws his arm down. The *Unreliable* surges forward, quickly followed by the *Parabellum* and the fleet of ships in a triumphant display. The *Unreliable* engages its exterior cannons and the Starfish as it glides into the field of Scourge ships, spinning and firing, elegantly avoiding the vessels that attempt to attack it.

#### The Battle of Borealis

The Battle of Borealis is in full swing as the Scourge Armada pushes towards Borealis. At the head of the defending fleet, the *Unreliable* triumphantly takes out hundreds of Scourge dropships in minutes. Now a Paladin, Elijah delivers orders to three large dreadnoughts to attack the *Phage*, the closest of the three spires to Borealis; he reiterates that none of the spires can touch the planet's surface at any cost. When the *Phage* defends itself, the *Parabellum* takes over the main defence while the *Unreliable* splits off to attack the *Phage*. The *Unreliable* fires its Starfish cannon, bringing down the *Phage*'s shields, before Elijah demands that the fold weapons be fired.

The *Parabellum* broadcasts the order to the Nine Moons; on the closest moon, the surface splits and opens to reveal a gargantuan barrel. An immense beam of pure foldspace fires from the moon and strikes the *Phage* at its rear, causing it to fall towards the surface. The fleet cheers at this early victory; however, as the *Phage* falls through the atmosphere its bow begins to break apart to form eight mechanical limbs. The *Phage* corrects itself so it is upright before landing on Borealis' surface, its appendages serving as legs, before beginning an assault on the surface. The distraction the *Phage* provides allows Scourge dropships to land and deploy on the surface, and the planet's cities quickly begin to burn.

The *Pestilence* launches an orange beam on the surface a few miles from the *Phage*; soldiers report that the Neo-Forerunner has arrived to coordinate the Scourge. Determined for revenge, Elijah decides to head down to the surface to help the attack on the *Phage* and to finally face the Neo-Forerunner. Amphear, Hendrix, Ryzen and several soldiers agree to join him; just before teleporting, Elijah and Alia declare their love for each other. On the surface, the team easily dispatch the Scourge forces around them.

With Ryzen's help, Elijah purposely unleashes a colossal blast of telekinesis, drawing the Neo-Forerunner to their position. Elijah orders his team to help destroy the *Phage* while he faces the Neo-Forerunner.

When his crew departs, Elijah taunts the Neo-Forerunner, who mocks him in return. Elijah begins with a viscious attack on the Neo-Forerunner, including blasting it with the Traveller's Light, that ends with one of the creature's arm-blades being broken. However, the attack exhausts Elijah, allowing the Neo-Forerunner to win the upper hand. Elijah is left deflecting blows with weakening barriers.

In orbit, the situation becomes dire. With the *Phage* destroying ground reinforcements and the Scourge overwhelming the fleet in orbit, Alia unexpectedly finds herself leading the *Unreliable*. Using data from both SHAE and Platinum, Gerren expertly pilots the *Unreliable* near the *Pestilence* and attempts to destroy its shields with a blast from both the *Unreliable* and the *Parabellum*. However, both ships are attacked by a curse swarm that eats away at their shields, and the *Unreliable* watches in horror as the *Pestilence* rams into the *Parabellum*, breaking it in two.

Elijah watches from below as the fragments of the *Parabellum* enter the atmosphere. Alia calls out to Elijah that the fleet is being forced to retreat around Borealis. Meanwhile, the *Famine* unleashes a sustained orange energy beam at one of the Nine Moons, penetrating its surface and destroying the fold weapon within; fragments of the moon impact the ocean surface of Borealis, creating tsunamis miles high.

Through his efforts to defend against the Neo-Forerunner, Elijah tells Alia that he loves her and to detonate the *Unreliable*'s lightfold engine if need be. However, an alert suddenly comes into the *Unreliable*'s console; Alia discovers that something is approaching Borealis through the Nexus Network. During a lull in the Scourge's attack, the Borealis conduit behind the armada begins to glow an incredible, blinding blue, burning any Scourge that the light shines upon.

From nowhere, the HNNS *Righteous Judgement* arrives, surrounded by an enormous fleet of Council reinforcements and SpecOperA attack ships. Captain Young triumphantly announces their arrival and the Council's fleet surges forward to flank the armada.

Under the direction of the Guardian Corps, the *Righteous Judgement* and a vanguard of ships attacks the smallest of the three spires, the *Famine*, and peppers it with antimatter and dark matter rockets that eat away at its shields. Another of the Nine Moons fires its fold weapon at the vulnerable *Famine*; the blast strikes its midsection and reacts with the antimatter, detonating the *Famine* in a blinding microsupernova.

Witnessing the explosion from below, Elijah recites a portion of the Cosmic Gospel - *"Banish evil from all sight. Behold the power, the Traveller's Light!"* - as his body begins to glow hot with burning blue energy. As his barrier strengthens, he finds the courage and strength to stand up while forcing the Neo-Forerunner's blade in place. As his body glows brighter, he unleashes an enormous blast that travels all across the planet, strengthening the biogenics on the ground and in space. The blast burns the Scourge and incinerates the weaker soldiers, granting the ground defenders the chance to push back against the hordes. In orbit, the blast pushes the wreckage of the *Famine* away, causing it to collide with a number of Scourge dreadnoughts.

Fuelled by incredible energy, Elijah challenges the Neo-Forerunner. The creature charges, but Elijah phases endlessly, avoiding every strike. With his hands burning with exotic energy, he lands several thunderous blows on the Neo-Forerunner, slowly chipping away at its armour and knocking it back with tremendous force. Elijah finishes his onslaught with a blow from the air, smashing the Neo-Forerunner's helmet and sending it crashing in a pile.

A triumphant Elijah radios in to the ground assault team, who have managed to chip away at the *Phage*'s defences with orbital strikes. Elijah tells the assault team to evacuate before ordering the *Unreliable* to fire a warhead from the Starfish cannon. The warhead makes impact with the *Phage*, destroying it completely and leaving a crater where it stood.

Elijah returns his attention to the Neo-Forerunner; as he prepares to kill it, however, he pauses in shock when it says his name in a familiar voice. The Neo-Forerunner stands up and turns its head, revealing the face beneath the helmet. Elijah tears up as he recognises the face: "Alyx?"

The Neo-Forerunner speaks once more, begging Elijah to run. When he refuses, the Neo-Forerunner's armour begins to repair itself. It smiles and taunts "Then you will die," as its mask repairs itself and envelops Alyx's face. Unable to kill the creature, Elijah instead uses telekinesis to bury it underneath a heap of rubble. The assault team arrives to rescue him from the approaching storm winds kicked up by the Starfish warhead; on the shuttle, Elijah informs them that Alyx, believed dead on Sithniatt, is the Neo-Forerunner.

At that moment, the *Pestilence* prepares to descend to the surface. A final strike from a fold weapon appears to split the *Pestilence* in half, but the remaining portion of the spire continues to move through the clouds under its own control; as it does so, the hull detaches from the spire, exposing straight, black interior within. The *Pestilence* lands near an active volcano at the planet's south pole; to the shock of the fleet, the *Pestilence* splits and opens like an umbrella, with ten enormous membranes surrounding a central tower.

The *Unreliable* enters the clouds and docks at a mobile platform, where the crew reunites. The battle has turned to the fleet's odds, but is not over yet. According to orbital observations, the fanned-out *Pestilence* is pumping curse directly into the planet's crust while hordes of Scourge emerge from its membranes. Elijah formulates a plan: taking the *Indigo Dawn* close to the *Pestilence* will allow him to phase directly into the spire's interior, where he will destroy the piece of the Calculator within, thus destroying the remaining armada. Lara volunteers to pilot Elijah to the *Pestilence*, while the rest of the crew returns to orbit to help clear the remaining orbit of Scourge ships.

Elijah and Lara on the *Indigo Dawn* join a vanguard of Confederate ships as they attempt to clear the surrounding plains of the Scourge horde. Thanks to its size, the *Indigo Dawn* easily slips past the Scourge defences, allowing Elijah to leap from the ship and phase through the hull. However, he discovers the interior is almost hollow and he begins falling down toward the core. Using his powers, he slows himself enough to land painfully on a ledge.

Back in orbit, the *Unreliable* rejoins the fight against the armada. Soldiers open the cargo bay to deploy an EMP, but come face to face with a figure cloaked in green lighting. Revealed to be Hadron, somehow able to survive and fly in the vacuum of space, he disintegrates the soldiers to dust as he enters the ship.

Hadron begins killing the crew in increasingly brutal ways, including tearing a few to pieces with his mind. Kera challenges Hadron to a fight that she quickly loses, earning Gerren's wrath. He aims to shoot Hadron, but he stops the blast and throws the rover at Gerren, crushing him against a wall. Hadron smiles at the sight and Kera begins a fresh onslaught that even Hadron can barely defend against; Alia attempts to help, but she finds herself almost completely drained of power.

Hadron overwhelms Kera, but is challenged by Ryzen before he can kill her. Arrogant in his strength, Hadron accepts. The two engage in a brutal duel. Despite impaling him with his nano-sword, Ryzen is unable to kill Hadron, who draws power from Ryzen as well. He declares that their "Special One" cannot save them now but stops when he notices the *Zeroeremento* logo on Ryzen's sword. He deduces that Ryzen was not born with his bioenergenic powers and was therefore given them, and silently leaves the *Unreliable*. He hijacks a nearby cruiser and disappears through the conduit.

Inside the *Pestilence*, Elijah slowly falls down to the bottom of the shaft using his phasing ability. However, he ambushed by a Scourge shock trooper that shoots him in the abdomen; although he kills the soldier, Elijah realizes he has been infected with the curse. Holding it back by increasing his body temperature to the point of burning the ground he walks on, Elijah stumbles to the central core of the ship. He calls out to the Calculator that it has lost; the Calculator appears before him as a menacing hologram and taunts him in return that it is everywhere. Elijah reiterates what he said to the Calculator on Sithniatt: as long as there are organics anywhere in the Universe that are willing to fight, then the Calculator will always lose. The Calculator claims that organics will sooner destroy each other out of fear before it has a chance to extinguish them from existence before boasting that it now has Elijah too. Feeling the curse taking control, Elijah summons all of his energy as he once more recites the Cosmic Gospel. He unleashes the Traveller's Light on the *Pestilence*'s core, burning through its exterior layers. However, the Calculator retaliates with waves of Scourge that force Elijah to stop his attack, allowing the curse to progress.

Through sheer will, however, Elijah enters the Continuum, where he once more encounters the Travellers. The beings create an opening between their dimension and his, fuelling Elijah with pure c-energy. The Traveller's Light burns through to the core, causing the Calculator to scream in rage. The immense heat causes Elijah's skin to burn and break away, but through willpower alone he keeps his body together. The Traveller's Light burns through to the *Pestilence*'s exterior, incinerating the ship.

The core explodes, unleashing a shockwave that immediately deactivates almost every Scourge soldier across the planet. The few that don't are revealed to instead be controlled directly by the Neo-Forerunner, which emerges from the rubble pile and climbs into a dropship. The remaining armada retreats through a tear, and the Confederacy declares victory. Captain Young leads a team to the smouldering wreckage of the *Pestilence*, where they find a severely burned - but still alive - Elijah.

On the damaged *Unreliable*, Jack Platinum prepares to enter the Domain. Before he does so, SHAE asks him some questions. Taking a liking for SHAE, Platinum transfers his leadership of Deciding Factor to it before disappearing. Now self-aware, SHAE's digital form restructures into a female hologram.

Elijah awakens with a yell inside a healing pod on the *Unreliable*. Lara comforts him and laughs that they need to stop meeting like this. Elijah asks how long he has been out; Lara reveals it has been three days since the battle. Elijah realizes that his extremities have all been rebuilt, having been burned away by his own power. Lara also delivers a final piece of news: the Rising Tide implemented a failsafe in his new body that causes it to age rapidly; Lara calculates that Elijah will perish from old age within a decade. Although troubled, Elijah reaffirms his commitment to the mission, "Then I best get to work".

Beside him lays Gerren, watched over by Kera who reveals that Hadron paralysed him from the waist down. Elijah reassures Kera that they will find Hadron while Kera expresses a strong desire to kill him. Elijah asks a passing soldier about Regent's status; the soldier reveals that Regent managed to escape during the chaos of Hadron's massacre.

While the crew recoups from the battle, Elijah is approached by Ryzen. The warrior offers Elijah a trophey from the battle and reveals the Neo-Forerunner's blade, recovered by a salvage team alongside Elijah himself. Knowing that only Scourge technology can efficiently damage the Neo-Forerunner, Elijah decides to take the blade as a weapon. He invites Ryzen to stay on the ship, and the warrior accepts until a new quest calls him away.

On the command deck, Elijah asks SHAE to call Captain Young; SHAE complies as she reveals her new form, a self-aware intelligence named SHAE\_Platinum. Captain Young thanks Elijah for his aid in the battle before informing him that the Nexus Council has chosen to continue ignoring the existence of the Calculator.

Enraged, Elijah rants about how much he and the crew have done for the Council and that the Scourge will not be stopped unless someone makes the hard decision. With Alia's support, Elijah finally asks SHAE to wipe the *Unreliable* clean of all SpecOperA control. Now fully independent, Elijah asks his crew to continue following him, and every crewmember agrees. As Council forces realize the *Unreliable* has gone rogue, the ship disappears through a foldhole, ready for a new mission.

### Anvil's Campaign

#### Battle of Tethys

Somewhere in the Ambrosia galaxy, the *Unreliable*, now bearing orange paint on its hull and the seal of Anvil on its nose, emerges from a lightfold. A series of plates across its hull begin reflecting light from the surrounding space, turning the ship virtually invisible. The *Unreliable* is joined by six other warships painted with Anvil's seal. The docking bay door of the *Unreliable* slowly opens, revealing three stealth warships, including the repainted and upgraded *Indigo Dawn*. The trio glide in formation toward a nearby desert planet, Tethys, with the *Unreliable* close behind. Inside the *Unreliable*, Alia receives targetting data from the *Indigo Dawn*, which is analysed by the ship's AI, SHAE\_Platinum, who identifies a remote Rising Tide facility on the planet. On the *Indigo Dawn*, soldiers dressed in white power armour prepare their weapons and inject themselves with performance enhancers.

The *Unreliable* launches a warhead from the Starfish cannon toward a communications station on Tethys. As the subsequent mushroom cloud rises, the *Indigo Dawn* leads a surprise attack on the facility. The Anvil ships' maneuverability and firepower easily allow them to land at the facility; soldiers dressed in white emerge from all three ships; with biogenic troopers holding up energy shields to provide cover, the shock troopers move forward, clearing the damaged and poorly-repaired hallways of Rising Tide soldiers. The soldiers work their way to the top of the facility, where the lead trooper destroys a security door leading into a large office.

Within, a terrified Regent reaches for his gun, only to be pinned against the wall by the lead soldier's ferocious telekinesis. The soldier demands to know where "she" is, and Regent reluctantly looks to the left wall of the office. Letting Regent go, the soldiers pulls the wall apart, revealing a panic room behind in which sits a kempt and calm woman in her elder years: the Overseer. The soldier removes his helmet, revealing him to be a significantly aged and battle-hardened Elijah, who with SHAE's help identifies the Overseer as Saya Racham, a deputy chairwoman of the Human Interstellar Network's Sapien Council. The Overseer taunts Elijah about his ageing and approaching death, triggering Elijah to choke her against the wall. He is talked down by Kera, now a lieutenant, and Elijah orders for the Overseer and Regent to be imprisoned on the *Unreliable*. He orders SHAE to download all useful information from the Tide's servers before destroying the facility.

## Overview

"*Raised on a backwater planet in the Ambrosia Galaxy, Elijah is the protagonist of our story. Blessed with a remarkable intellect but cursed with a restless spirit, Elijah has always struggled to find his place in the Universe. But when an ancient evil awakens, Elijah will find that he may be the hero that civilization desperately needs,*"
—Official description[src]

### Physical Appearance

#### Original

Elijah is a handsome young man who looks very much like his biological father, Erron. His hair is noted for being matted and wavy. Elijah picks up many scars during his quest to stop the Calculator, including a prominent scar in the centre of his torso.

#### Second

Elijah's second body has several noticeable differences to his original, which was reanimated to become Hadron. Elijah's new body possesses none the scars that he picked up during the Quest of the *Unreliable*, but now carries new ones that include burns from Hadron's powers, small nicks and cuts, and a pattern of scars on the left side of his head.

As a result of a fail-safe in his second body, Elijah has undergone advanced ageing since the Battle of Borealis; in three years, he appears to have physically aged at least twenty years. As he has aged, his physical appearance has changed dramatically, likely due to the additional DNA required to grow him a new body: in addition to shallow wrinkles, his hair and beard have lightened to grey. The difficulties of constant space travel have also rendered him thin and haggard, adding to the advanced ageing that is slowly killing him.

### Personality

―Elijah's speech to his crew before they join the Battle of Nexus Station, *Darkened Heaven*

Raised on a backwater planet, dreaming of adventure, Elijah was seemingly born and bred for greatness. Despite his young age, Elijah possesses vast courage, charisma, intelligence, selflessness and cunning, as well as strong leadership skills. His courage, tenacity and care for his crew has earned him their loyalty and respect despite his age and inexperience. Outside of the mission, Elijah appears comfortable in conversation, even in threatening situations, and possesses a dry sense of humour that he shares with his best friend Alyx.

Despite this, Elijah holds great doubt in himself, especially when it is revealed that he is not only a GIL, but the biological son of Erron Rayes; since this revelation, Elijah has reflected upon his intelligence and even his memories with distrust, unsure of how much of his talent is down to science or his own effort, and struggles to live up to the stories of his mother and father. Nonetheless, he has remained resolute through almost everything he has been through, only breaking down following the *Apex*'s attack on the *Unreliable* and the death of Verandar, at which point he briefly suggested that the entire crew return to Nexus Station to wait out the Scourge; however, Elijah reaffirmed his commitment to the mission once he knew that everyone else shared his vision.

Elijah's emotions sometimes get the better of him and cause him to act irrationally; while this rarely happens, it often has dangerous consequences. Notable cases include insulting and threatening the Council when they refused to hear his warning about the Scourge; accidentally destroying Forlorn Hope Station with telekinetic blasts while trying to rescue Kera and Verandar; attacking the *Apex* pirates too soon, indirectly leading to the death of Verandar; and firing the *Unreliable* into a tear in a fit of blind rage following Alyx's death.

Three years after the Battle of Borealis, Elijah is noticeably more withdrawn, commanding, stoic and impatient. Five years of constant fighting - coupled with his own death and traumatic resurrection - have made him wise beyond his years. Having come to see his crew as a family, he is willing to commit any act to protect them, even treason. He has also developed a contempt for bureaucracy, propaganda and politics.

## Powers, Equipment & Abilities

### Powers

* **Enhanced Physiology:** As a GIL, Elijah has been extensively modified over centuries to the peak of human physical condition. Both Elijah's first and second bodies have been modified to the peak of human physical form.
	+ **Enhanced marksmanship:** Despite little experience using firearms, Elijah is nonetheless talented with a range of weapons, specifically his revolver.
	+ **Accelerated healing:** While not able to heal instantaneously, Elijah is able to recover from wounds and injuries much earlier than regular humans.
* **Bioenergenics:** Due to being a clone of the stillborn child of Ashley Briggs - a child that had been modified by extensive exposure to the Continuum while still in the womb - Elijah possesses vast bioenergenic abilities. As a GIL, he has presumably been modified to further enhance his abilities. His powers first manifested during the Fall of Haven, and their true extent is currently unknown. Extensive use of his powers causes his veins, nerves and eyes to glow violet, unlike other biogenics who glow indigo. Elijah appears to possess an integral connection to the Continuum.
	+ **Telekinesis:** Elijah's bioenergenics primarily manifest as telekinesis. Elijah is able to generate dark energy fields that can increase or decrease the gravitational force of objects; he can decrease - or reverse - the graviational force of an object in order to lift it, and instantly increase the force to make it a powerful and deadly projectile.
	+ **Barrier:** When Elijah's cortisol levels increase, the E-C deposits in his endocrine system create bioenergenic barriers, dark energy fields that redirect the kinetic motion of hostile objects away from him. This is his primary defensive ability.
	+ **Limited telepathy:** Elijah can "read" the collective hive mind of the Scourge whenever he comes into direct contact with one of them, including the Forerunner. However, he greatly struggles when recalling these visions and requires a telepath such as Kera to "read" them for him.
	+ **Levitation:** Elijah is able to focus his power to create a negative gravity field around him, allowing him to levitate. His powers also appear to be greatly amplified when he levitates.
	+ **Energy siphon:** Elijah is able to absorb massive amounts of energy from a variety of sources, often to reduce their negative effects. However, Elijah cannot store the excess energy and can be killed if he does not discharge it. His body also becomes extremely hot and can even cause his skin to burn and break apart, only to reform when the energy subsides.
	+ **Traveller's Light:** When supercharged with energy, Elijah can unleash c-energy fields so intense that they cause particles around him to turn to plasma, forming a beam of superheated plasma referred to by Ryzen as the "Traveller's Light". It is similar in appearance to astrophysical jets emitted from astronomical objects, such as black holes. The plasma is so hot that it reduces most objects and people to ash, and can also ignite artificial atmospheres like those inside space stations.

"*Banish darkness from all sight. Embrace the strength of our might. Unleash our power... the **Traveller's Light**,*"
—A portion of the Cosmic Gospel mentioning the Traveller's Light, often recited by Elijah when he uses the power[src]

* **Source:** According to Alia, Elijah is a "source", a rare category of biogenic that emits c-energy at such high concentrations that it not only amplifies the powers of biogenics around him, but also grants temporary powers to non-biogenics such as Amphear. Like the Traveller's Light, Elijah is only able to do so when he is emotionally charged.
* **Phase:** With his cells saturated with unknown energy, Elijah is able to "phase" between realspace and a higher dimension when his cells receive an electrical impulse beyond a certain threshold. This ability effectively allows Elijah to teleport across short distances and even through walls.

### Equipment

#### Armour and Apparel

* **Rayes Family Jacket:** As the "son" of Erron Rayes, Elijah is the rightful owner of his brown jacket, which Erron wore during his time as captain of the CS *Olympus*. After initially refusing to wear the jacket, Elijah accepts both it and his heritage before the Battle of Nexus Station. The jacket, like Elijah himself, has been preserved by Hendrix for more than 2500 years. The patch of the CS *Olympus* remains on the left shoulder, and Elijah has weaved a new *Unreliable* patch onto the right shoulder.
* **Power Armour:** Elijah wears a nano disk on his chest that folds out into a set of combat power armour when touched. Originally blue, he has since coloured it white.

#### Weapons

* **Big Arma L-4560, S.A.T Edition:** Elijah's weapon is a Special Assault Technology edition Big Arma L-4560 energy revolver, which converts background radiation into thermal energy "shells" that surround its projectiles. Elijah took ownership of the gun when he first boarded the original *Unreliable*, and it was almost certainly owned by the previous owner of the ship, Mercer.
* **Neo-Forerunner Blade:** After the Neo-Forerunner's arm blade was broken by Elijah in their duel during the Battle of Borealis, it was recovered by Ryzen and granted to Elijah as a trophey.

#### Vehicles

* ***Unreliable* 2.0:** Elijah is the captain of the *Unreliable*, a state-of-the-art stealth warship built by SpecOperA specifically to combat the Scourge. As the ship's captain, Elijah is neurally linked to the ship's AI SHAE.
* ***Indigo Dawn*:** As part of his quest to reunite with his crew before the Battle of Borealis, Elijah became captain of the *Indigo Dawn*, a cruiser owned by Constellation courier Lara Porter. Once Elijah rejoined the *Unreliable*, the *Indigo Dawn* joined the ship as its lead scouting vessel.

##### Former

* ***Unreliable*:** Elijah was the *de facto* owner and captain of the *Unreliable*, a coaster that had been illegally modified for smuggling. With the addition of a dimension drive and a reality drive, the ship was capable of travelling through hyperspace. The ship was also equipped with a black-market stealth drive, a piece of technology outlawed in Commonwealth space. The ship was destroyed during the Battle of Nexus Station, after which Elijah kept a shard of the ship's hull as a momento.
* **Centaur Rover:** After ransacking the *Apex*, the crew of the *Unreliable* came into possession of a *Centaur* rover, which they used on two occasions: first while escaping the Scourge armoury on Sithniatt, and a second time while traversing the underground halls of Astralia. The rover was lost when the *Unreliable* was damaged by a deathworm during the Battle of Nexus Station.

#### Gear

* **Sleeve:** Like most in the Settled Systems, Elijah wears a sleeve, a wrist-mounted multipurpose diagnostic and manufacturing tool. Using the sleeve, Elijah can browse the aethernet, assemble schematics, perform advanced calculations, play music, analyse technology and hack computers. His sleeve was later upgraded by SpecOperA to generate nano weapons.

##### Former

* **Cerebrum Disk:** Upon becoming a SpecOperA agent, Elijah was given a cerebrum disk, a cyberbiological device installed at the base of his neck that collected and stored his memories and consciousness. After his death, the Rising Tide removed the disk from his corpse, converted the data within into an engram, and installed it into a new, upgraded body in an experimental surgery.

### Abilities

* **Genius-level intellect:** Elijah possesses a genius-level intellect; whether this is due to his own talent or his GIL nature is currently unknown. He has extensive knowledge of advanced mathematics and exotic physics, earning the top score in his class, and is academically trained under the Monroe Doctrine.
* **Neural interfacing:** Elijah is able to connect to a variety of neural interfaces and is capable of extensive high-stress usage. This talent is primarily used for VR combat, which inflicts significant neurological stress on him. As the captain of the *Unreliable*, Elijah is neurally linked to SHAE, the ship's artificial intelligence.
* **Natural leader:** Elijah often finds himself as the leading figure in a given situation, namely serving as the captain of the *Unreliable* and the leader of their quest to stop the Calculator. As word of his exploits has spread across the Settled Systems, Elijah has been increasingly referred to as a Messiah-like figure worthy of leading all sentient life, with some of his followers even establishing a religious brotherhood in honour of him. His heroics in the Battle of Borealis and subsequent treason against the Council led to division between the Commonwealth and the Confederacy over support for him.
* **Combat muscle memory:** During his growth, Elijah was implanted with the combat muscle memory of infamous gunslinger John Astro, widely considered to be one of the greatest fighters of his time. As a result, Elijah is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, having trained using simulators and VR combat. When combined with his bioenergenic abilities, Elijah's hand-to-hand combat ability is incredible, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with Hadron and even the Neo-Forerunner.
	+ ***Danshingudoragon*:** Elijah has a passing knowledge of the martial art *Danshingudoragon*, a fighting style created by the *Zeroeremento* and shown to him by Ryzen, although Elijah's muscle memory also incorporates elements of the art. The martial art prioritises attack and defence using the arms and legs.
* **Diplomatic immunity:** Upon being made a Paladin in the Confederacy's Guardian Corps, Elijah gains diplomatic immunity when operating in Commonwealth space. His immunity is the source of the schism between the Commonwealth and the Confederacy; the Commonwealth has declared Elijah a terrorist, while the Confederacy forbids any actions to be taken against him or Anvil.

## Relationships

### Alia Tarno

Elijah and Alia have a good friendship founded on their shared trauma as a result of the Fall of Haven, their similar inner conflicts, a shared passion surrounding exotic physics, and a shared goal of stopping the Scourge. Elijah and Alia are arguably the two closest members of the crew, other than perhaps Gerren and Kera. They continue to bond during the journey to Sithniatt over their wandering natures and academic interests, having both found a place where they truly belong. When it came time to face the *Darkened Heaven* at the Battle of Nexus Station, the pair found further companionship in one another, solidifying their bond and giving them both a stake in the fight.

Alia was devastated by Elijah's sudden death and almost considered leaving the *Unreliable* as Amphear had. Elijah, meanwhile, was driven to reunite with her upon his resurrection and made a risky deal with Jack Platinum and Ryzen in order to do so. Alia's bond with Elijah was enough for her to deduce that the imposter they had rescued was not the true Elijah, and wept when she was finally reunited with him.

Three years after the Battle of Borealis, Elijah and Alia have finally - and informally - married. However, Alia's subsequent shedding and transition into the second stage of the mavnian life-cycle led to her having doubts about her relationship with Elijah, leading to their separation.

### Alyx Pyrandol

"*You were **chosen**, Elijah. **You were chosen for this**. I know it. It's time for you to **accept it**,*"
—Alyx's final words to Elijah before his demise[src]

Elijah and his fellow student Alyx are best friends during their time at New London University and remain close throughout their quest. Alyx serves as Elijah's second-in-command on the ship and deeply respects Elijah command. Elijah was devastated when Alyx decided to sacrifice himself to destroy the Scourge facility on Sithniatt and put the entire crew at risk to chase the *Darkened Heaven* and seek revenge.

### Kera O'Larso

Kera holds a brother-sister relationship with Elijah and she looks up to him as a role model and leader. Kera trusts almost all of Elijah's decisions, and he for his part values her input despite her age. After the death of both her mother and Alyx, their mutual friend, Kera and Elijah grow even closer, forming a sibling-like relationship.

After the Battle of Borealis and the crew goes AWOL, Elijah promotes Kera to deputy pilot of the *Unreliable*, promising her that they will take revenge on Hadron together.

### Verandar O'Larso

Elijah and Verandar's interactions were often tense due to Verandar's overprotection over her daughter Kera and her open xenophobia towards the non-human crewmembers on the *Unreliable*. Elijah often attempted to convince Verandar that she and her daughter were likely safer on the *Unreliable* due to the Scourge's rapid spread across Ambrosia, warning Verandar often ignored. Their relationship improved after the crew rescued Verandar and Kera from Ockrahm and his slavers on Forlorn Hope Station, with Verandar willing to listen to and work with Elijah, respecting him as the captain of the ship. Elijah grieved over Verandar following her death and blamed himself for her demise.

### Gerren

"*Captain...if this **don't go our way**...and if quill afterlife has anything to do with the human one...do me a favour. **Meet me at the bar**,*"
—Gerren's final words to Elijah before joining the Battle of Nexus Station[src]

Elijah and Gerren have a strong friendship, with Gerren acting as a sort of moral compass for both Elijah and the rest of the crew. Over the course of their war against the Scourge, Gerren has come to acknowledge Elijah as his captain and the only leader he is willing to follow.

### Hendrix

Elijah and Hendrix have a positive relationship. Due to his nature as Elijah's caretaker and *de facto* guardian, Hendrix holds a father-like affection for Elijah and thus attempts to serve as a sort of surrogate father-figure. For his part, Elijah views Hendrix as a godfather-like figure, often turning to him turning times of internal struggle and conflict.

### HIEdi

Elijha has been shown to care deeply for HIEdi, viewing her as a godmother or maybe even a mother-figure.

### Amphear

Although mistrustful of Amphear due to his past affiliation with the slavers on Forlorn Hope Station, Elijah has come to accept Amphear as one of his closest friends and allies. Elijah thanked Amphear for his near-sacrifice while battling the pirates on the *Apex* and their friendship was strengthened further when they fought side-by-side against the Forerunner on Nexus Station.

After Elijah's supposed death and disappearance, Amphear is absent from the *Unreliable*'s crew, having presumably left over his guilt of leaving Elijah on Everest Station. Upon their reunion, Amphear joins Elijah on the *Indigo Dawn* and once more on the *Unreliable*.

### David Young

―Young to **Elijah** shortly before the battle commences, *The Battle of Borealis*

Elijah considers Captain Young an essential ally and respects him both as a person and as a commander. Captain Young, for his part, believes that victory over the Scourge during the Battle of Nexus Station was down solely to the efforts of Elijah and his crew. Before the crew left on their journey to Sithniatt, Young referred to Elijah as "Captain Rayes", recognising Elijah as the son of Erron Rayes even when the Intergalactic Council did not. As the stakes have continued to rise, the comradeship between Elijah and Young has strengthened, and they each rank among one anothers most important allies.

### Hadron

"*You...are **me!** And I...am **you!***"
—Hadron confronts Elijah during the Battle of Hell[src]

Hadron and Elijah are bitter enemies, and each considers the other their nemesis. Although they look physically identical, the two could not be more different: Elijah is courageous, righteous, humble and heroic, while Hadron is cruel, bitter, narcissistic and power-hungry. Thus the two are mortal enemies who each seek to eliminate the other.

### Saya Racham

"*Now you're gonna listen to **me**. Your mind games...**they won't work on us**. We've been through too much **bullshit**. So you can stop pretending that everything you've done was for "the greater good". **Everything** you've done was for one thing: **yourself**. [...] **You're done**,*"
—Elijah to the captive Overseer[src]

### John Astro

"*Who are you?"
"A fragment. A **memory**. Enough to speak...and say **hello**,*"
—Elijah speaks to the transcribe of John Astro[src]

## Appearances

Hyperspace: The Cosmic Gospel
Part I: Darkened Heaven
* "In the Beginning..."
* "The Piece of Junk"
* "Quarantine"
* "Forlorn Hope"
* "Boarding Party"
* "The Green World"
* "Homeworld"
* "Darkened Heaven"

Part II: The Battle of Borealis
* "Superluminal"
* "Parabellum"
* "Nomads"
* "Indigo Dawn"
* "Glass"
* "Hadron"
* "War Never Changes"
* "The Battle of Borealis"

Part III: Age of the Scourge
* "The Sands of Tethys"
* "Uncharted"
* "Starbridge"
* "Choices"
* "Consequences"
* "The Fold"
* "Quasar"
* "The Common and the Wealth"
* "Heaven's Thunder"
* "Age of the Scourge"

Part IV: Hadron's Throne
* "To Hell and Back"

## Trivia

* Elijah serves as the central protagonist of *Hyperspace: The Cosmic Gospel*.
* Elijah is one of two GIL protagonists in the *Hyperion* Saga, the other being Solomon from the cancelled *Solomon: A COSMOS Story.* This therefore makes Elijah the only current GIL protagonist of the *Hyperion* Saga.
* Like all GILs, Elijah is sterile. Whether his second body is also sterile is unknown.
* Elijah is chronologically around 2500 years old, having been "born" from organic tissue in 2903. However, he was not fully grown until the 5380s, having been kept preserved by Hendrix and HIEdi.
* Elijah finally takes on the family name "Rayes" in "*Quarantine*", making him the last surviving member of the Rayes Family. He also begins wearing his father's jacket in "*Darkened Heaven*".
* Elijah is the second protagonist in the *Hyperion* Saga to use a revolver as their primary weapon, the other being Ketch Jaeger from *Horizon: The Mars Odyssey*.
* He is one of the three permanent crewmembers of the *Unreliable* with bioenergenics, the others being Kera and Alia.
	+ Elijah is classed as a "Source", the rarest category of biogenic; he is therefore able to emit c-fields.

## References

1. ↑ Captain Young in "Quarantine"
2. ↑ The Seer in *Homeworld*
3. ↑ Ryzen in *Superluminal*
4. ↑ Elijah is given the rank of Paladin in the Guardian Corps before the Battle of Borealis in *War Never Changes*
5. ↑ Miles claims that Gills are biologically and cyberneticaly enhanced in *Part II: Jaeger's Revenge*
6. ↑ Elijah was killed after siphoning the c-energy of an entire conduit in "*Superluminal*"
7. ↑ Elijah's power armour is white in *Part III: Age of the Scourge*
8. ↑ The professor's comments in "*In the Beginning...*"
9. ↑ The VR fight in "*In the Beginning...*"
10. ↑ Amphear is absent when the crew rescue "Elijah" in "*Superluminal*"
11. ↑ Lara informs Elijah of his sterility during his medical check-up in "*The Battle of Borealis*".
12. ↑ Ketch wields the Jaeger Family Revolver beginning in *Part II: Jaeger's Revenge*