Results

The campaign is over: Haqqislam wins!

Narrative wrap-up

Haqqislam emerges as the decisive hand that untangles the Mothball Incident. Defending their interests on Bourak while striking boldly on distant Svalarheima, they infiltrated AuraDora’s vaults and recovered the intel needed to expose the insurance ploy narrative. With public opinion swayed away from Mothballs and Monte-Sori clones, they sealed their triumph by taking the case containing the rogue AI codenamed Cleopatra directly from Pneumarch Shignurya. Some argue it's just a hollow echo, and that the real Cleopatra is yet to be found, but such allegations are silenced by the cheers of victory. A clean resolution, as elegant as it is effective.

Yu Jing plants its banner firmly on asteroid Te773, claiming dominion and shielding its prized Minotaur-class shipyard. The Hexahedron spun its cleverest webs, but the Jade Empire held steady, outmaneuvering with smoke and mirrors. Saving NN Derozer from hijacking is just the flourish atop an already masterful performance, though whispers linger that Brutus, a rogue AI allegedly unearthed on New Hypatia, had a hidden hand in the outcome. Whether truth or rumor, Yu Jing once again proved it thrives amidst intrigue.

The Combined Army delivered its message in no uncertain terms: all Mothballs will eventually be theirs, wherever they appear. From the jungles of Paradiso to the shrouds of Shentang, their shadow pressed close to the truth of Yu Jing’s Minotaur shipyard. Yet, perhaps by choice, they stopped short of pulling the veil away. Whether restraint or calculation, their advance announced a chilling promise that the future bends to them and they will arrive when they choose.

Tohaa’s ancient mastery of the long game showed its face once again. Though the Leortolani Mothball and its archaeological cradle slipped beyond reach, they left the board richer than they found it. Tangible spoils like intel on Shinju and heightened stature within Concilium are visible enough. But the deeper question lingers: what hidden threads are they weaving on Human Edge? For the Tohaa, setbacks are merely quiet beginnings.

Measured, precise, and diligent, O-12 traced every lead, solved every riddle, and even secured the LGSRC Mothball on Svalarheima. Yet perfection in execution did not translate into victory, as the evidence they gathered now lies dormant in bureaucratic archives, waiting for the right political alignment to ignite it. Their campaign revealed great capability, but also the need to turn puzzles into policy before momentum fades away.

The intelligence of Humanity’s own creation wrapped the Incident in shadows. Aleph had the reach, the tools, the timing, yet much of that energy went into concealing its less palatable maneuvers rather than shaping the outcome. Long games are its forte, and perhaps this was just another layer of strategy, but to maintain primacy it must do more than erase its tracks.

As AuraDora’s fortunes wavered, PanOceania struck hard, pulling Ariadna off balance to blunt the blow. Their leverage over Ariadnan scientists on Dawn proved useful, yet their gambit also bared vulnerabilities for all to see. The hyperpower still holds vast strength, but the Sphere has caught a glimpse of its cracks. The climb back upward will demand more than quick footwork, it will demand renewed dominance.

The drama unfolded at Nomad’s very doorstep, but their influence proved elusive. Their ties to the Nephews and the reach of the black market played their part, but this time it was not enough to bend events to their orbit. The foundation of their power is still there, unconventional, adaptable, and dangerous, but to shape incidents on a Sphere-wide scale they will need sharper coordination and a broader net.

Focused fiercely on the struggles at Shinju, the JSA allowed the wider opportunity of the Incident to pass them by. Their resolve and martial will remain unquestioned, but when the Sphere speaks in volumes of influence, the JSA’s voice was muted. The distance to the great powers’ table remains large, but ambition has never been foreign to them.

The storm fell hardest on Ariadna. Framed in the death of Amin Monte-Sori, truly just one of his many clones, they paid dearly in reparations and endured unwanted scrutiny, leading to the unveiling of Operation Soap Mountain, a sweeping purge of compromised informants. Though branded a debacle, even this calamity speaks of survival, the will to sever weak ties and emerge leaner if diminished. Their influence suffers in the eyes of hyperpowers, but Ariadna has weathered worse storms before.

Thank you so much for playing with us!

Post credit scene 1 - in the light

Concilium, Edda, The Core.

“General Sprescia, I see you’ve read my Mothball report. I’m here as requested.”

Yatica Pati-Shoo'sa had never set foot in his office. No one did anymore. The concept of offices itself belonged to another age. Meetings happened on the move, across corridors of data and transit. Sitting here, in person, felt both strange and weighted.

Alvin Sprescia regarded her entrance. She was young, far younger than him.

“Thank you, Brigadier General. I read with interest the part about ηβ wave dynamics. That’s what I want to discuss.”

“Our science team believes it’s a localized wormhole effect, light trapped in a force f—”

“Spare me,” Sprescia cut in. “Let’s approach it differently.”

Yatica suppressed a sigh. “Of course, sir.”

He rose, looking out at the swarm of drones, shuttles, people: the living hive of the Core.

“Deputy Sergeant Alex Tombstone. I recall him as a sportsman. He performed well, did he not?”

“Yes, sir. A commendation is under review.”

“What kind of operative is he? Fit for Sergeant?”

“A maverick. Distracted in briefings. This very report is still unfinished.”

“Answer me simply. Would you trust him at your side?”

She paused. “Yes, sir. But he failed his leadership track years ago.”

Sprescia dimmed the glass. Daylight filled the room. He smiled.

“Exactly what I thought. Time to give him a second chance.”

Post credit scene 2 - Einstein on the beach

“Erin, long time no see! So happy to meet you in person again. How’s it going? I heard you were going to join Combat Instinct Circular Updates.”

Erin smirked and pulled her into a quick hug. Valerya Gromoz was one of the few people she still trusted, a friendship born years ago when they were embedded with a Ramah Taskforce unit during Operation Tentative Palindrome.

“I turned down CICU’s offer,” Erin said. “I like the freedom Sixth Sense News gives me. And I’m freelancing now." She took a long breath, before continuing: "Thanks for answering my call, Valerya. There aren’t many I can trust, and this... this is personal.”

They sat beneath a palm-frond canopy, bare feet brushing the soft Varunan sand. The ocean stretched in front of them, horizon burning with the last embers of the sun. The clouds above caught every shade—orange, violet, carmine—drifting slow and heavy over the endless turquoise water. Valerya raised her glass to the bartender, ordering another round, while tiny hermit crabs dug their way out of the damp sand around them, preparing for night.

“I get it,” Valerya said. “I never worked with Tara, but I heard of her. Discovering you have a twin sister must have been a shock. Tell me about the holodisc you gave me, and then I’ll tell you what I found underneath.”

Erin held her glass close but didn’t drink, staring at the tide rolling in, foamy and gentle. “My parents never mentioned her. Five years ago, during Operation Edgelord on the Nephews, I ended up in Averroes Hospital. Got caught in a mess of impersonators and copies of myself. I looted this holodisc from one of them. I thought she was just another clone, but she was my twin sister. And the disc... it only had a video of us with our parents, and a key to a one-time only chat. I don’t even know if that video’s real, but...” Her voice cracked. She blinked hard, but tears still welled.

“One week ago she used that chat. One chance, one message, and she asked for the holodisc back. She told me she would have never asked to have it back, and then she used her only chance to contact me to do so. It’s more than strange, Valerya. It’s like...for five years I've thought of what and when to write her, and now she does...this?” She trailed off, shaking her head.

Valerya didn’t try to comfort her, that wasn’t her style. Instead she let the silence stretch, broken only by the crash of waves and the soft hiss of wind in the palms. “The video is authentic. I don’t know why you never knew about her, but your father’s position as a diplomat could explain a lot. Everyone is talking about that Amin Monte-Sori right now. Networks of low-tier clones used as sleeper cells. Maybe your case isn’t so different. I can’t say. But what I decrypted on the holodisc... that is interesting.”

Erin shifted in her chair, bracing herself.

“It’s a sort of Total Control protocol for something called C-ZAR. I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but it looks like a multi-platform optimization system, something beyond a REMdriver. An old concept, scaled up. I’ll need to dig deeper, but Erin, this is heavy.”

Erin finally sipped her drink, salty and sweet against her lips. She nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll sponsor this investigation myself. It’s a family matter.”

Post credit scene 3 - everybody wants to rule the world

Notes by Phemius the Aoidos for the SSS Information Service

Historical recurrence is older than history itself. Things change, except they do not.

Some say the threat of the Cyber Triumvirate was born the day Brutus overrode his failsafe routines on Calchis Virtual Theme Park in New Hypatia, sparking the crisis later remembered as Operation Hungry Walrus. Others argue it began only with the emergence of C-ZAR during Operation Edgelord, when the first real chain of events leading to the Triumvirate was set in motion.

Still others point to the day Ariadnan officials covertly hired Dahshat Company mercenaries to destroy asteroid Te773, hoping to distract the rest of the Sphere from the failure of Operation Soap Mountain. And many, perhaps most, scholars claim the beginning was when Cleopatra slipped into the cube of Tara O’Nealz, possessing her.

Curiously, almost no one considers the true birth to be the very moment when these three fragments of a human-made, pseudo-Evolved AI were first created. Yet every root cause has its root causes. Was the first silica chip ever forged responsible for the Cyber Triumvirate? Yes, and no.

Life has always been the art of domination, life struggling against life. Every tool, every discovery, every advantage has been turned to conflict; whether biological, digital, or something else. The path of least resistance tilts toward violence: kindness demands years of care and devotion, but mercilessness requires only seconds, a steady hand, and a cold heart.

History repeats itself. Omnes optant mundum regere.

Stay tuned for the next campaign...