Ascending Convergence - Chapter Two
Ice Station Zerek Defense Perimeter
Cilix, Aliso System
44 ABY
Sergeant Rovira “Rovi” Draeben planted her boot down and felt the icy surface take her weight without a sound, the insulated soles of her armored environmental suit pressing into the frozen crust with only the faintest resistance. No crunch, no shift. Sometimes it could be easy to forget that Cilix was a world of extremes, harsh vacuum above divided from ocean below by an icy crust. Here, standing on the surface with only a suit between you and a quick and painful death, however, it was easy for the reality of the situation to come to the forefront of your mind in stark relief.
It was exactly what she lived for. “Hold spacing,” she said over the squad channel. “Two meters. Stay on my line.”
The four other members of her unit acknowledged in turn, their voices coming back in short, static-filled bursts as they all moved across the pale expanse of ice at short intervals. Above them the sky was hard black cut by the looming presence of the gas giant that dominated the sky in the crisp vacuum. The reflected light from its atmosphere gave the ice a faint, sickly blue sheen that somehow made it feel that much colder.
The ridge in front of them rose at a gentle angle, barely noticeable until you were at the top of it and the ice dropped away at your feet. The surface of Cilix was dominated by such features, ones that seemed like geology of other worlds but were instead cracks, fissures, or upwellings in the ice. The sensor returns had been inconsistent as they approached, but all signs pointed to this being their target.
Draeben slowly reached the crest and dropped to one knee, lowering her profile against the horizon. One hand pressed lightly to the ice for balance as she angled herself just enough to see over the crest without exposing the rest of her body. She eased forward the last few meters slowly and looked down into the depression below. For a moment the shapes below were lost in the dazzle of light off the ice, as even this far out in the system the light of Aliso I could still create white-out visual conditions. Then her visor compensated and the dark, irregular splotches below snapped into full detail. “Contact,” she said.
Read the complete fiction here.
Summary
A shuttle reaches Star Station Asuras carrying troopers disguised as Ascendant Legion, slipping through security and establishing a covert foothold inside the station.
On Cilix, a Plagueis recon team uncovers a major First Order landing force drilling through the ice and deploying submersibles toward the Azorian Citadel. The warning is cut short as orbital combat erupts, turbolaser fire slamming the surface and forcing the team into retreat.
At Fort Dooku, a technician discovers system-wide failures are deliberate sabotage—before being eliminated by infiltrators.
In Aliso City, unrest boils over into violence until Dread Guard forces arrive and restore order with lethal efficiency.
The Ascendancy arrives, destroys an isolated Star Destroyer, and immediately faces a larger enemy fleet moving to engage.
A distress call reveals Tonus Anchorage has been sabotaged and is falling into the gas giant.
Selika Roh has returned home just in time to watch it begin to fall.
Week Two is Live
Ascending Convergence week 2 is upon us! Make sure to check out the fiction above, then jump over to the competition pages and start submitting your entries. More story updates will be released as the event continues, so keep watching the news page for what comes next.
Competitions
Check out the events at the following links:
Schedule
- Phase II: March 30, 2026 - April 5, 2026
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Week 2. Let's go!
The graphics are hot. I mean cold.