The Twist

The Karrus Protocol

The Postmortem on Distortion

The command center aboard The Archive was cold and intense in the aftermath of the Agri-Hub 7 attack. The relief from survival was quickly superseded by the brutal reality of the next threat. Kaelen, Sirus, Vela, and the Republic’s lead temporal engineer, Dr. Lyra, stood hunched over the holographic projector, dissecting the precise temporal signature left by General Karrus’s weapon.

"His Emitter was powerful, but clumsy," Kaelen stated, tracing the chaotic spike data with a finger. "I recognized the design. It's an early model of the Chrono-Distortion Emitter—a Varrick prototype from before my time, based on crude frequency oscillation. It was designed to disorient, not delete."

"It was effective enough to nearly cripple the Republic's food supply, Chief Architect," Vela pointed out, her tone grim. "He proved he can strike any system in the decentralized network."

"And he proved he understands the political reality," Sirus added, leaning closer. "He didn't hit a military target. He hit a civilian target to induce panic and force the Council to compromise its protocols."

Dr. Lyra, a sharp, older woman who had spent decades in the Authority’s deep-science prison, adjusted her glasses. "The Chrono-Distortion Emitter is a scavenger's weapon, Chief Architect. General Karrus is operating with limited resources—stolen, unrefined technology. He won't use it again, because he knows you can counter it with the Harmonic Phase Lock."

"Exactly," Kaelen confirmed. "Karrus is Varrick's weapons master. He understands escalation. He failed to cause chaos, so his next move will be to aim for deletion."

Anticipating the Deletion Strike

Kaelen brought up the schematics of the Ministry’s full historical temporal arsenal. They scrolled through dozens of terrifying, theoretical weapons—weapons Varrick had deemed too unstable or destructive to deploy, even in his final years. These were the things Karrus would have salvaged before fleeing the collapsing Ministry.

"He's looking for a knockout blow," Kaelen murmured, tapping a schematic of a dark, complex device: the Temporal Singularity Anchor (TSA). "He has the skill to field-refine one of Varrick’s high-level deletion weapons. The TSA is a localized temporal bomb. It doesn't cause chaos; it forces the target into a recursive time loop, deleting it from the timeline entirely."

"A temporal bomb," Sirus whispered, visibly shaken. "If he targets a core system, it's not just physical damage. That entire area is gone from history. All our work—the broadcast, Riva's sacrifice—it all becomes irrelevant to that sector."

"The political damage would be catastrophic," Kaelen said. "The people would lose faith in the Republic's ability to protect the timeline. The Populist Coalition would revolt, claiming the new government is as dangerous as the old."

Kaelen ran a simulation. If Karrus deployed a TSA, the current defenses of the Decentralized Aether Network would be overwhelmed. The network was designed for stability, not deletion. Only the full, unrestricted power of the Regulator could remotely neutralize a TSA.

"We have to assume he’s building the TSA now," Kaelen concluded. "He will target a system of high political and symbolic value—the Altair capital, perhaps, or the Forge itself. A strike that proves the Republic is a failure."

Defining the Karrus Protocol

Kaelen turned to Dr. Lyra and the engineering team. "We must design a counter-protocol based on the assumption of a TSA strike. It has to be deployed across the entire Decentralized Network, and it has to be seamless."

Kaelen began to sketch the elements of the new defensive structure—the Karrus Protocol.

1. Recursive Phase Shielding: Lyra's team would install new software into every Aether Core that would instantly initiate a micro-second phase shift if a deletion signature was detected. This wouldn't stop the TSA, but it would buy Kaelen critical time.

2. Targeted Aether Funnel: Kaelen would design a Regulator subroutine that, once activated by the Cipher Override, would use the entire Decentralized Network to funnel Aether energy to the point of impact. This would provide the power necessary to remotely neutralize a TSA.

3. The Consent Window: Kaelen realized the Protocol had to operate within the political reality of the Governance Lock. The entire system had to be designed so that Kaelen could explain the necessity of the Override to Elara and the Chief Archivist in seconds.

"The speed of our political consensus must match the speed of his temporal attack," Kaelen stated, looking at Sirus. "When Karrus strikes, I will have seconds to get the two keys, initiate the funnel, and neutralize the threat. Failure to gain consensus means the loss of a system."

Sirus understood the gravity. "You are integrating the political structure directly into the defensive architecture, Kaelen. It is brilliant. The Republic's stability literally depends on its trust."

The Emotional Anchor

Later that night, working alone, Kaelen focused on the final, most complex piece of the Protocol: the Regulator Subroutine.

To remotely manipulate a Temporal Singularity Anchor, Kaelen would need not just immense power, but an impossible level of precision—a perfect, stable counterbalance to Karrus's chaotic deletion. Kaelen knew there was only one source for that stability.

Kaelen initiated a small, localized surge into the Regulator, intentionally stirring the Twin-Weave residue.

The faint purple warmth of Riva's energy pulsed strongly. Kaelen closed their eyes, channeling the memory of their bond—the perfect synchronization they achieved at the Nexus.

Riva’s chaotic brilliance was the key to precise destruction.

Kaelen integrated the Riva-residue signature directly into the neutralization code. The subroutine would automatically use Riva's energy signature as the Harmonic Counterbalance, ensuring Kaelen's neutralization weave was perfectly stable and aimed. The core of the Karrus Protocol was thus built on a declaration of love and sacrifice.

"You built this, Riva," Kaelen murmured, feeling the subtle presence of her spirit. "You created the only counter to Varrick's ultimate lie. We will save this future together."

Political Struggle: Elara's Fear

The next day, Kaelen faced the inevitable political fallout. Kaelen met with Senator Elara and her key Populist representatives to brief them on the TSA threat and the necessity of the Karrus Protocol.

"A temporal bomb," Elara repeated, her face pale but her demeanor defiant. "And your solution is to make the entire decentralized network into a massive battery for your Regulator. It sounds like centralized power with extra steps, Chief Architect."

"Senator, the Network remains decentralized and under your control," Kaelen insisted. "The Aether Funnel only activates upon the unanimous consent of the Governance Lock. The power is shared, but the application must be centralized for a single, decisive moment."

"We are constantly being asked to accept the risk of your power, Kaelen Thorne," Elara argued, gesturing to her aides, who were nodding fiercely. "We abolished the Ministry to end the weaponization of time. Now you are asking us to approve the most sophisticated weaponization of time in galactic history."

Kaelen presented the Consent Window calculation. "When Karrus strikes, we will have less than sixty seconds before the deletion is complete. If you spend that sixty seconds in debate, the Republic is over."

Elara looked at the raw data of the TSA, then at the schematic of the Governance Lock. She saw Kaelen's vulnerability—the necessity of their vote.

"You have given us the power of the veto, Kaelen," Elara finally conceded, her voice strained. "And you have proved you will respect it. We will not be the reason for the Republic's destruction."

She gave Kaelen a tense, brittle nod. "The Populist Coalition will support the Karrus Protocol. But understand this: every time we activate that key, we are reminded of the Authority's crimes, and we are betting our lives on your conscience. Do not make us regret this bet."

"I will not," Kaelen promised.

The Next Strike

The Karrus Protocol was deployed across the Decentralized Network. The Republic held its breath, waiting for the inevitable counter-attack. The tension was suffocating.

Two weeks passed—weeks of strained calm and constant vigilance.

Then, the alarms screamed again. The signature was unmistakable: a high-frequency, terrifying deletion signature.

TSA STRIKE CONFIRMED!

The holographic map flared red, pinpointing the target. Karrus hadn't struck the capital or the Forge. He had struck the one place that symbolized everything the Republic stood for.

Target: The Hall of Remembrance.

The building, containing Riva’s temporal stone and the full, unredacted historical archives, was under attack. If the Hall was deleted from the timeline, the entire historical justification for the Temporal Republic would be erased. The Republic would be built on a missing past—a devastating, poetic victory for Karrus.

"Karrus is targeting the truth itself!" Sirus yelled, scrambling to the comms.

"Get Elara and the Chief Archivist on the Governance channel, now!" Kaelen commanded, gripping the Regulator. The Consent Window was opening.

Kaelen saw the sensor readings drop rapidly. They had less than forty seconds before the Hall of Remembrance and Riva’s memory were gone forever.

Kaelen immediately initiated the Amnesty Key.

"Kaelen Thorne, Amnesty Key activated! Threat level: Critical deletion! Need Populist and Historical assent!"

The long war against temporal terrorism had just begun. Kaelen stood ready, the power of a shattered past in their hands, racing against the seconds to save the future.