Reality Benders

At long last, an extraterrestrial civilization reached out and made the First Contact. However, no one on Earth took their communique for the genuine article. In a similar vein, very few people appreciated just how little time our new suzerains had promised to keep our planet safe. Regardless, the end of their message showed humankind how to access a mysterious game. The objective of this game is unclear. No one can say where its servers are located, and its inner workings are beyond comprehension. But the game slowly gained momentum, pulling in more and more players. Soon enough, it became impossible to ignore the fact that things that happened in the game had a direct impact on our reality. And not only ours . . . But as people figure out this mysterious game, the countdown timer ticks away. And no one can say exactly what will happen when Earth's safety is no longer guaranteed.

The countdown timer continues to tick, but Earth is still not ready to repel an invasion from space. Gnat is on his voyage with the Shiamiru, all the while trying to find backup for humanity among the great spacefaring races. After all, based on what he's already seen, he knows not to count on the good sense of his own kind. Even facing an external threat, the people of our Earth cannot see past their internal squabbles and come together to fight as one. Gnat does not expect gratitude from his leaders for taking such matters into his own hands, but when have laws and rules ever stopped our intrepid hero before?

A war has broken out in the Galaxy! The great spacefaring races are all entangled in the fight and, even at the very edge of the known Universe, humanity can hear the echoes of its distant bloody battles. Our suzerains and defenders the Geckho are also caught up in this all-encompassing conflict. Is that a good thing for humanity or not? The answer is up for debate. On the one hand, the Geckho will no longer take the trouble to defend a planet inhabited by people, which is worrying. But on the other, might humanity have the chance to make a name for themselves and take a more active role in interstellar politics? Gnat is with the Shiamiru crew on the front lines. He's just changed class to Listener and his friends find themselves right in the thick of this grand interstellar war . . .

Ceasefires have one big downside: they eventually come to an end. And when they do, once again game nodes are set ablaze, and platoons of Dark Faction soldiers threaten our customary world with destruction. The enemy has grown stronger and more numerous. To make matters worse, they also got their hands on even deadlier weaponry. They have learned painful lessons from previous encounters and adjusted their tactics accordingly. What's more, the vast hordes of enemies are led by the greatest strategist of modern times, and his mage advisors can see all possible futures so they always know just what to do. How can our world possibly stand up against such an enemy? Our only hope is the bravery and tenacity of our best fighters, those who'd rather die than surrender. Well, that and a starship captained by one lone mage.

We put an end to the war with the Dark Faction, but still humanity's problems are far from over. More than half of the game's promised tong of safety has elapsed, and yet humankind is no closer to forming a unified front. We've just begun building one of the twelve planetary shield generators necessary to give Earth complete protection, but we don't have enough construction materials, players, or time. Should we ask the parallel magocratic world for help? After all, an invasion from outer space would hurt them just as bad. The mages, though, have plenty of problems of their own. What options does Gnat even have here? All he can truly count on are his own strength and his personal Relict faction. Should we put all our eggs in one basket and look for help in deep space? Might technology from ancient, long vanished races allow humanity to grow strong enough to turn back the onslaught before it's too late?

To be on a starship that's just sustained serious damage in a space battle including losing its thrusters and find yourself in a totally different galaxy... You might think that would be cause for panic or, at the very least, despondency, right? Not at all! Gnat maintains optimism, gradually gets his space frigate back in working order, and even finds upsides to what happened. On top of that, there's never a dull moment-both in the virtual game and the real world. Gnat finds himself at the very epicenter of the great space-faring races' interests, though he does not understand why they're paying him such close attention. And add to that the fact that humanity's Geckho suzerains are also in a tight spot and demanding all their vassals institute a military draft then send their assembled forces out to fight a distant space war. Will Gnat be able to play his part in this complicated diplomatic party with the future of the entire human race at stake? Find out in Book Six of Reality Benders!

The Army of Earth is being sent on its first tour of duty. Its fifty thousand proud and valiant troopers are the best of the best, full of hope for brilliant victories and spoils of war that can help Earth's humanity along in its development. There's just one little problem though. The operation's Geckho commanders view their human vassals as mere cannon fodder, good only for plugging up holes in their defensive line and shipping out to the space war's most punishing hotspots where the chance of surviving is practically nil. How should the King of Earth behave in this situation? Disobey the suzerains' orders, draw their ire, and put his home planet under threat of complete annihilation? Or make a play for the freedom of humanity in a game of his own?

The aggressive invaders from another galaxy cannot be stopped. The Composite keeps capturing system after system wiping out everything in its path, and there is no sign of a force capable of standing up to it. In the search for allies, Gnat embarks on a long journey aimed at uniting the various branches of the human race. And though the potential for alliance is there, how can he convince them to set off to fight a suicidal war with such a disastrous balance of forces? Beyond that, things aren't as easy as they initially seemed with the humans from the far-off Empire, and they have a compelling reason not to enter this war which does not concern them. There's also the status of sole ruler of humanity at stake, which is not the kind of achievement that can be shared. And that means one of the human leaders will have to back down.

Gnat the Devourer is becoming a more prominent figure in grand space politics. Sure, he may not be totally independent yet, but he has enough leeway to be able to differentiate Earth's interests from those of its Geckho suzerains and act exclusively for the good of his own kind. Gnat must balance obligations to his almighty suzerains against a desire to advance humanity's position in space, and his home planet's search for ever more allies. Although Earth's masters are not big fans of his independent ways, the great war has shifted the historic balance of forces, and the Geckho are no longer as powerful as they once were, leaving them with no choice but to abide the Kung of Earth's antics. So, will Earth be able to take this chance and free itself from alien control completely? And if so, is it even a good idea? And that means one of the human leaders will have to back down.

Space is a dangerous place. Here, you're either a predator or soon to fall prey to a ruthless neighbor. And if you aren't tough enough to make it on your own, you'll need the backing of a formidable power to keep you safe from bigger fish. Earth used to have such protection-the great Geckho race. But unfortunately, the Geckho fell to an enemy onslaught, leaving planet Earth to fend for itself. And now, Earth humanity has precious little time to prove to their galactic neighbors that they are not to be trifled with. Thankfully though, they have not only the mighty Army of Earth and a capable space fleet, but also something unique of which no other race can boast-Gnat and his ancient cruiser, which can travel instantly to any point in the Universe, breaking all conventional strictures and laws of war.

Earth seceded from its suzerains' state and declared independence. Naturally, such a bold move did not go unnoticed by its powerful neighbors in space, who had aggressive plans for the inhabitable yet overly self-reliant planet. With black clouds gathering and the term of safety growing ever shorter, positive lines of the probable future for Earth's humanity and its allies were nowhere to be seen despite all Gnat the Devourer's efforts and unique abilities. His one remaining option-to seek advice from someone who never erred and knew everything there was to know-the Great First Female of the Miyelonian race. And although the Great One lived many millennia in the past, since when was time an obstacle to a person capable of controlling chronostreams and manipulating reality?

The end of Earth's immunity period draws ever closer. The game board of grand space politics is set; pieces are down, lines are drawn. Native Earth factions now stand to defend their shared homeworld, and with them shoulder to shoulder are Humans from other worlds, the Miyelonians, the Geckho, the Jarg, the Cleopians, the Cyanids, the Esthetes, and the Crystallids-all those Kung Gnat was able to persuade. But the enemy is also extremely powerful-the Meleyephatian Horde, Trillians, and Composite are about to join forces in order to smother this new and quickly progressing galactic force before it gets off the ground. Will our planet be able to fight off the highly powerful and aggressive space invaders who wish to enslave the people of Earth and even totally destroy our world?

Countdown: At long last, an extraterrestrial civilization reached out and made the First Contact. The end of their message showed humankind how to access a mysterious game. But as people figure out this mysterious game, the countdown timer ticks away. And no one can say exactly what will happen when Earth's safety is no longer guaranteed. External Threat: Gnat is on his voyage with the Shiamiru, all the while trying to find backup for humanity among the great spacefaring races. Gnat does not expect gratitude from his leaders for taking such matters into his own hands, but when have laws and rules ever stopped our intrepid hero before?! Game Changer: Our suzerains and defenders the Geckho are also caught up in this all-encompassing conflict. Gnat is with the Shiamiru crew on the front lines. He's just changed class to Listener and his friends find themselves right in the thick of this grand interstellar war... Web of Worlds: The enemy has grown stronger and more numerous. How can our world possibly stand up against such an enemy? Our only hope is the bravery and tenacity of our best fighters, those who'd rather die than surrender. Well, that and a starship captained by one lone mage.