Chapter 114: The Genesis Protocol

Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy – UFE High Command Meeting Room

Holographic maps of star systems and data about warfronts hung in the background. Around a huge circular table sat some of the most powerful military minds in human history, generals, admirals, tacticians, and intelligence officers whose decisions shaped the fate of the galaxy.

General Garreth Morales stood from his seat and looked at the faces of everyone present, his posture rigid with purpose, like a man holding the trigger of something world-shattering.

"Gentlemen," he began, his voice slicing through the murmurs, "I have an important announcement to make that could very well change the tide of this war, and redefine humanity’s place in the universe."

The room fell into stillness, and eyebrows raised. Some leaned forward, while others narrowed their eyes, skeptical and wary.

He had seen the video Admiral Kane, his subordinate had sent him. He was amazed at the prowess shown in the video and was extremely excited at the implication of this information. He thought Arthur was really his lucky star, first the new ECHO armor, then this Chi cultivation thing. If what he had seen in the video and what he read about Chi cultivation is true then he would be revered for generations for it.

General Cassian Rourke, Morales’ long-time rival and the eternal devil’s advocate, leaned back in his chair with a sneer playing on his weathered face. "Unless you’ve found a way to snap your fingers and make the Chimerians disappear, I’m not sure what could be so monumental."

He was the general who gave the idea of interrogating Arthur when he proposed the new ECHO armor. Though he failed to interfere much as they didn't find any evidence of foul play from Arthur.

Garreth didn’t rise to the bait. He just had a small, satisfied smirk on his face. "Not quite that… but close."

He tapped the console, and the lights dimmed as a video projection flared to life above the table. The footage began: It showed Arthur sparring inside a gravity chamber. Leo, Elena, and Samir flanked him, each of them moving with uncanny speed, precision, and golden glow surrounding them like flame. The room echoed with the impacts of their blows, the sheer unnaturalness of it all. At one point, Arthur vanished mid-step and reappeared behind his opponent in a blur of afterimages. Leo retaliated with a chi-enhanced strike that cracked the reinforced floor.

Garreth heard audible gasps in the room. Some even had their eyes widened. Even the skeptical among them leaned in.

"Is this… real?" murmured General Hoshino, the usually stoic logistics overseer.

"It is," Garreth said. "Admiral Kane personally verified it. This footage is authentic, no deepfakes or simulations are involved. These enhancements, this power, is a product of something called Chi cultivation."

Murmurs rippled through the room like a wave.

"Chi cultivation?" General Saavedra, head of Special Operations, frowned. "That’s... myth. Old Earth mysticism. Martial arts films and temple scrolls. You’re telling us this is real?"

"Real enough to be weaponized," Garreth said flatly. "This technique was given to us by Arthur, the one who invented the new alloy for ECHO armor. And from what Arthur explained to Admiral Kane, this is what underpins his immense combat prowess. This is how he survived impossible odds. And now, he’s ready to share the method with us."

Rourke scoffed, the corner of his mouth twitching in disdain. "And yet he kept it to himself for how long? How many lives were lost while he hoarded this little secret of his?"

Garreth turned to him, the smirk now gone. His voice cooled several degrees. "Don’t play righteous, Cassian. None of us here would’ve handed this over on day one, not without leverage or guarantees. Arthur chose to share it now, and that’s more than most would’ve done."

The room stilled again. No one denied it.

Because they all knew, had they been in Arthur’s place, they would’ve kept the cards close, too.

Garreth pressed on. "Arthur claims this technique came from his previous world. A family secret, passed down. He isn’t obligated to share it. Hell, he doesn’t even owe us an explanation."

Cassian’s jaw clenched. He hated when he was made to look like the petty one. Still, he couldn’t deny what Garreth said.

"And yet he did share it," Garreth said, tone rising. "If we play this right, we have the opportunity to redefine what it means to be human in this universe. No requirements for serums or implants. Just raw, internal evolution, which can be trained to become much more powerful than what serums offer."

A moment passed before General Meyla Darnell, head of intelligence, finally spoke.

"That’s all well and good, but how do we keep this information safe? If word gets out, every spy network in the quadrant will descend like vultures. The Chimerians get a whiff of this and we’ve handed them a nuclear-grade advantage."

“Agreed,” Hoshino nodded. “We’re not just talking about strategic power, we’re talking about metaphysical supremacy. This isn’t something we can risk spreading.”

Meyla leaned forward, her fingers steepled. "We should limit its access for now, only ECHO units will undergo Chi cultivation. Operatives we trust, individuals already vetted and trained in discretion. We should compartmentalize this like a blacksite op."

Garreth nodded slowly, eyes scanning the table. "I second that. Until we can fully understand the technique, and safeguard it, we should restrict its access. No leaks, no experiments outside our purview."

"And Arthur?" General Saavedra asked. "What do we do about him?"

A loaded question.

Garreth’s gaze hardened. "We should protect him and make sure that his involvement does not get out of this room. This is a man who could’ve remained silent. Instead, he handed us a miracle. He deserves more than suspicion, he deserves our gratitude."

A heavy silence followed. For once, even Rourke didn’t counter.

The room remained in dimmed silence, the hologram flickering above them, frames frozen on Arthur’s blazing silhouette, surrounded by his team, mid-spar.

Garreth continued, “From now on this initiative would be known as The Genesis Protocol.” They then continued to discuss how to disseminate this information and other official stuff.

…

The next day

Inside the gravity chamber aboard the Dreadnought, Arthur stood at the center of the reinforced floor of the Gravity chamber, his arms crossed as he watched his team, Leo, Elena, and Samir, move in sync. Sweat clung to their brows, but chi covered their body and cast a golden glow around them. Every punch, every dodge, every leap felt more deliberate now, empowered not just by muscle memory but by an inner force that was beginning to feel… natural.

“Again,” Arthur called out, his tone calm but commanding.

Leo wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “You trying to break us or make us ascended monks?”

From the side, Elena executed a clean aerial spin and landed lightly, her golden aura rippling with the movement. “At least monks get tea breaks.”

“You’ll get tea when you can stop leaking your energy like a faucet,” Arthur replied, stepping closer. “You’re still not aligning your breath with your movements. You’re forcing the Chi instead of letting it flow.”

Elena tilted her head, thoughtful. “Kinda like swimming against the current?”

“Exactly. Feel its direction, don’t wrestle with it.”

Samir, always the quiet one, was already seated, legs folded, eyes closed in deep meditation. His aura was faint but steady, like a candle refusing to flicker in a storm.

Arthur let a rare, proud smile break through. “He’s getting it.”

And just then, his wrist communicator buzzed to life with a familiar chime.

“You guys can take a break for a minute.” Arthur said and stepped away, raising the comm to his ear. “Admiral.”

The admiral’s voice came through, gruff but composed. “Just got a direction from the High Command. They’ve made a decision.”

Arthur’s brows raised slightly. “What did they decide to do? Are they going public about Chi cultivation?”

Kane snorted. “Far from it. Only a handful of people will be allowed to learn about it. Specifically, vetted ECHO units. No one else.”

Arthur exhaled slowly, gaze flicking back to his team still training. “I figured… but why the limitation?”

“To keep the technique from spreading. Espionage, spies, leaks, you know how it goes. If this falls into one of the rebel factions, or even worse, Chimerian hands? It's over.”

Arthur was silent for a moment. He didn’t like it, but he understood.

“I get it,” he said finally. “Still… the whole point of me revealing this power is that anyone can tap into it. It shouldn’t be locked behind classified clearance forever.”

“Maybe one day it won’t be,” Kane replied, softer now. “But right now we’re sitting on a nuke we barely understand. That means we need to tread with caution, the high Command’s playing it safe for now.”

Arthur nodded slowly. “Alright. So what do you need from me?”

“In a few days, at most a week” Kane said, “you’ll be requested to give a live demonstration. Some of our ECHO squads will be there, and you’ll walk them through the process of awakening their Chi.”

Arthur winced slightly. That’s going to eat into his training hours.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, staring up at the chamber’s metal ceiling. “I’ll do it.” But he thought, maybe he can teach others how to awaken other’s Chi too. That way he would not have to be personally involved every time an ECHO would need to activate their chi.

“I will also teach them how to help activate other’s Chi.”

Kane was silent for a moment, then replied with something that sounded close to admiration. “We are grateful for everything you are doing for humanity Arthur, always remember that.”

Arthur nodded hearing that. After that they ended the call.

Arthur lowered his wrist, his smile fading into something more contemplative. He turned back to his team.

“Alright, break’s over!” he shouted, clapping once. “New lesson. I’m going to teach you how to awaken Chi in someone else.”

Leo perked up hearing that. “Wait, should we try doing something like that this early? I mean we just got our Chi activated yesterday and don’t have much control over it.”

“Nobody is telling you to perform it now,” Arthur said. “But you will have to do it in the future. You still have around a week to learn it.”

Elena’s eyes narrowed with interest. “So we’re becoming… what? Chi mentors now?”

“More like catalysts,” Arthur said, pacing slowly as he spoke. “If you learn this, then each of you can pass it forward. That way, when the others need to learn Chi cultivation, we would have more hands to perform it.”

Samir opened his eyes, looking unusually serious. “You think the higher ups will ever let you spread this knowledge?”

Arthur met his gaze. “Not yet. But when the time comes… they will be forced to.”

And with that, he raised his hand, golden light flickering in his palm.

His teammates looked at each other, seeing the confusion in each other’s faces. They could not understand why the UFE would be forced to spread the knowledge about Chi cultivation. They thought Arthur must know something that they didn’t, but they didn’t question him.

“Now. Let’s get started.”

***

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