Summary:The Engineer

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This page contains a chapter by chapter summary of The Engineer, book two in the The Last Horizon Series.

Prologue

Characters
Plot Summary

One year ago, Starhammer is rescuing the damaged Halcyon Days when he suddenly receives a message from the Priest of Night, a prisoner of the Advocates. The Priest of Night is taunting Starhammer, describing how he has destroyed Starhammer's home. The message is suddenly interrupted by an unknown wizard, who had saved the planet and Starhammer's wife, Leilari. The Priest of Night is then killed by a summoned rabbit. Leilari and Starhammer discuss their relief and gratitude to the wizard.

Chapter 1

Characters
Plot Summary

Queen Shyrax is on her way to The Last Horizon, and Varic and Horizon prepare to recruit her. The Last Horizon is still damaged from the battle with the Iron King, so they plan to wait until Shyrax nears. As they are in the Dornoth system, they are surrounded by Lichborn ships. Varic has Horizon teleport Benri Vallenar onto Dornoth Four, while they discuss how to meet Shyrax. They decided that Sola and Raion will be teleported to Shyrax and make way for Varic, while Omega stays in the vault.

Chapter 2

Characters

Queen Shyrax (POV)

Plot Summary

Shyrax, in her battlecruiser, are moving towards The Last Horizon. Suddenly, they are hailed by The Last Horizon, and Horizon announces that she is sending a representative directly to them. Sola is teleported onto the bridge. Shyrax's expectations are raised, and after a quick exchange, Raion is teleported onto the bridge aswell. Varic is then teleported onboard, and introduces himself. Shyrax challenges him for the Captain position, and Horizon agrees if Shyrax overcomes him magically.

Chapter 3

Characters
Plot Summary

They hold the magical contest in Shyrax's personal training room. They begin, with Shyrax going first. She conjures a dragon made of light, but after unleashing the attack, Varic dissipates it with ease. Varic then shows Shyrax his spell, which leaves the Aether trembling as soon as he starts. Shyrax begins to defend herself, but Varic stops the incantation. Melerius, who had been watching, asks to see him. Varic responds to him, surprising Shyrax. Melerius is summoned, analyses Varic, and asks to be taught by him. Shyrax accepts defeat in the match, and then challenges Raion for a duel. They fight using their Combat Arts, and Raion's abilities surpass her expectations. Shyrax accepts defeat again. Varic invites her onboard The Last Horizon, to give her an official offer.

Chapter 4

Characters
Plot Summary

Shyrax is taken onboard The Last Horizon. Varic and Horizon explain why they wanted her and the contract's rules. Horizon tells her they want her as the Commander, and Shyrax is ready to accept when Varic clarifies that he would still outrank her as Captain. Shyrax questions why she should follow him, and Varic explains that he has seen the future. He tells Shyrax of the requests from the other crew members, and Shyrax accepts under the goal to regain her throne.

Chapter 5

Characters
Plot Summary

Mell abducts the Advocate Moonmaster onto a stolen ship, using her Nova-Bots to surgically remove his Aethertech Implants that give him his abilities. However she is caught by more Advocates, and Mell self-destructs the decoy she was controlling from her home. Having failed in her first step of her plan against the Advocates, Mell resolves to wait for The Last Horizon, but is instead arrested for real by Advocates who had tracked her signal to her base.

Chapter 6

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Plot Summary

Varic finds out about Mell's arrest and imprisonment. Varic and Horizon try to figure out how to break her out, but Raion doesn't want to hurt the Advocates. Varic explains to him what he experienced in Starhammer's reign of the galaxy, to Raion's despair. Shyrax's ships emerge infront of The Last Horizon, and Shyrax and her party teleport onboard. Varic gives them a formal greeting in their language, to their surprise. Raion also greets them in Karoshan, attracting the attention of Shyrax's twins. Varic prepares to fill Shyrax in on Mell and Horizon's condition.

Chapter 7

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Plot Summary

Starhammer and the Advocates High Council have gathered to discuss the recent movements of the Iron Legion. They are relieved to hear that the Iron King has been defeated by The Last Horizon. Blade Dancer, announces that she has captured Doctor Nova, and Starhammer leaves to go see Mell.

Chapter 8

Characters
Plot Summary

The Last Horizon is moving through Subspace to reach Carturus, the place where Mell is being held. Varic is holding the ship together with sealing spells, while Shyrax is repairing the ship with her crew. Varic sends Omega to help, and in his absence, both Raion and Sola complain about his presence in the crew. Omega's help isn't enough, so Varic sends Raion to help as well. The surrounding fleet begins to report unusual sounds, and to avoid any risks, Varic calls all ships to surface. However, The Last Horizon is unable to surface, and Varic realizes they are facing a slipwraith. Sola attempts to leave, but Varic stops her and sends Raion instead. Instead, Raion holds the ship together while Omega goes to fight. Varic takes over holding the ship together with his magic while Raion joins the fight. As soon as they are done, they emerge from Subspace.

Chapter 9

Characters
Plot Summary

The Last Horizon emerges into the border of the Free Worlds and are immediately noticed by the Advocates. Varic, Sola, and Shyrax prepare to break into Carturus, and they head to Horizon's fabricators for some disguises. Meanwhile, Varic discusses his experiences with Starhammer and his abilities. They plan to crash a ship onto the planet, take Mell, and steal a ship to return, and avoid or kill Starhammer. Varic then tells Sola and Shyrax about Mell and her qualifications. He is interrupted by Horizon fabricating him the costume he wore in an alternative life.

Chapter 10

Characters
Plot Summary

In another life, Varic leaves the Vallenar Corporation and sets out as a mage for hire. Initially, he avoided criminal work, but after a few harsh months, Varic gave up and was hired by smugglers to keep an eye on their cargo. However, they are caught by Steel Avalanche. Though the smugglers comply with Avalanche, he kills their captain and announces them as criminals. A fight breaks out, and Varic begins summoning rabbits to attack him. Suddenly, Mell, as Doctor Nova, breaks in. While Steel Avalanche is distracted, Varic summons bunnies that push him into an escape pod. Mell reveals that she was there for the cargo, and now that the rest of the smugglers were dead, she offers him a job.

Chapter 11

Characters
Plot Summary

As Varic, Sola, and Shyrax crash into Carturus, Sola and Shyrax discuss potentially ending the war between the Lichborn and Karoshans. Varic cautions them against taking over the galaxy. As they emerge from the crashed ship, they are attacked. Varic decides to use his Lagomorph Contract in this mission, and takes down an Advocate wizard. He casts a spell directing Sola and Shyrax to Mell, and then they go.

Chapter 12

Characters
Plot Summary

Mell has her first meal in prison, and waits for The Last Horizon. Unfortunately, Starhammer visits her. They talk for a while, and Mell expresses her concern about him and the Advocates. Starhammer is sympathetic but dismissive about her worries, and they are then interrupted when a Karoshan breaks into the prison and grabs Mell.

Chapter 13

Characters
Plot Summary

Starhammer starts his Temporal Field and tries to stop Mell's kidnapping. He pushes away an unknown Lichborn and chases the Karoshan with Mell. Initially he holds back to avoid hurting Mell, but the Karoshan is able to keep up with him. He is then attacked by a rabbit. Starhammer stops holding back, and is able to recapture Mell and destroy the rabbit. He is then caught by a trap that surrounds him with rabbits, set up by an unknown summoner. Six rabbits hit him.

Chapter 14

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Plot Summary

Varic prepares his plan in case Starhammer was present in the prison. It succeeds, and from his perspective, Starhammer is quickly left defeated at his feet. Varic is about to shoot Starhammer, but a memory from another life causes him to hesitate. Varic still shoots him, but is unable to kill him before Starhammer escapes into Subspace. Varic momentarily panics and wants to go after him, but Advocates' ships catch up to them. Advocates come down to defeat them, but Varic just jumps into the Advocate ship taken over by Shyrax's Karoshans. Sola defeats one of the attacking Advocates, and the Karoshans begin to chase after him, against Varic's orders. Varic holds them in place until they follow his orders.

Chapter 15

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Plot Summary

Starhammer emerges into Subspace and regrets his failure in saving Mell. His Evolution Engine starts up.

Meanwhile, Varic and Shyrax sense Starhammer's Evolution Engine triggering, and discuss how they must kill him next time. Varic reassures Sola for being unable to keep up with Starhammer's Temporal Field. Mell is distraught and suspicious how Varic knows so much about Starhammer and herself. As the ship jumps into Subspace, Varic explains to her about his ritual and how he met her in a past life. Mell remains skeptical, and Varic reassures her. Suddenly, they are all teleported onto The Last Horizon, where on the bridge are three defeated Advocates and the remaining crew.

Chapter 16

Characters
Plot Summary

Mell is fascinated by The Last Horizon, which Horizon appreciates. Raidon explains how no one was hurt, and they defeated the Advocates that attacked Karoshans. Varic allows an Advocate, Lemon, to speak. Lemon insists they were acting in self defense and reinforcements had already been called, but footage shows the Advocates attacking first. Shyrax prepares a recorded message for when more Advocates arrive. While Omega declares his love for Lemon, Varic places a seal on the captured Advocates to prevent them from speaking about The Last Horizon's prescence in the system. As Shyrax finishes her message, Varic notifies Mell to prepare to officially join The Last Horizon.

Chapter 17

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Plot Summary

The entire crew is moved to the ritual room where contracts are signed. Varic, Shyrax, Raion, Omega, and Sola all tell Mell what they had requested from The Last Horizon. Mell hesitates at some of the requests, causing Shyrax to doubt her. Mell asks for some hypothetical requests, and Shyrax ends up rejecting her as an Engineer. Varic convinces Shyrax to give Mell another chance. Mell requests to find all the Zenith Devices, and Shyrax accepts her as an Engineer. Omega questions the complexity of Mell's request.

Chapter 18

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Plot Summary

The crew define the phrasing of Mell's goal, and Mell is officially welcomed as the Engineer. They then decide which task to accomplish first. Varic wants to leave the Free Worlds and fix the ship, but Horizon suggests a lead to find the Zenith Colony, which also contained vital material for repairing the ship. However, they will have to negotiate with a World Spirit, so Varic hesitates before agreeing to check out the lead. Mell is then shown the damage of Horizon, which is devastating. Repairs on Horizon begin.

Chapter 19

Characters
Plot Summary

In another life, Mell and Varic watch Starhammer VI: son of Starhammer together. Varic confesses to Mell that his last name is Vallenar, and she is surprised. Mell ends up confessing that she has no last name and she was grown in a lab from Stellar Synthesis Labs, during an attempt mass-produce Aether Technicians. She insists it wasn't as bad as it seemed, but when she was young, they would lock Mell in a small room for punishment or otherwise. They mostly stopped when she grew up, but once during a transfer Mell was forgotten in a room for a night. Afterwards, Mell broke out, and caused the labs to lose their fundings. Mell further confesses that she is Starhammer creator.

Chapter 20

Characters
Plot Summary

Sola finds herself in the weapons laboratory, debating on how to upgrade her armour from the Units she earned from the Iron King's defeat. She broods over her inability to do anything against Starhammer. Varic enters the room and he explains the room is modeled after his memories. Varic works on remaking his shield amulet, and Sola questions him about it. Varic tells Sola's his fears, and insists that recruiting Sola wasn't a mistake. He invites Shyrax in to let her work on Sola's armour. Shyrax enters the room, and though Sola is cautious, she lets Shyrax work on her armour. While she works, Varic and Sola leave to eat together.

Chapter 21

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Plot Summary

Omega is in his room, on a call with his grandson, Jak. Jak demands to know why and how Omega hasn't returned yet. The Black Syndicate wants to see Omega, and the Iron Legion is Jak's system. Defeated by the situation, Jak asks Omega for instruction. Omega taunts Jak for being a disappointment and a coward, and tells him to beg for help. Angered, Jak cuts the call. Omega laughs, and turns to Raion, who had been watching the entire time. To Omega's irritation, Raion is happy that Omega has given Jak advice. As he's leaving, Raion admits Varic told him to stop by. Omega becomes uneasy over Varic's knowledge and actions.

Chapter 22

Characters
Plot Summary

A day later, Varic is on the bridge when the Advocate fleet arrived, The Last Horizon hidden behind the Karoshan ships. Steel Avalanche is leading the Advocate fleet, to Varic's distaste. Steel Avalanche demands an explanation from the Karoshans, and the recorded semi-hostile message from Shyrax is played. He is then directed to a Karoshan Ambassador. Meanwhile Varic tries to detect Starhammer using a niche pathfinding spell, and briefly panics when he detects Starhammer searching for them. Horizon manifests and exaggeratedly comforts Varic. She tells Varic more about the Zenith Colony, Shadow Ark.

Chapter 23

Characters
Plot Summary

Varic and Mell are watching the fabrication of Nova-Bots by Horizon. Mell is upset when the Nova-Bot's eyes are made to be purple instead of red, but she is excited by Horizon's fabrication abilities. Horizon then shows them the fabrication of starships, and demonstrates the synergy between the crew's abilities. Varic considers the possibilities and begins to feel hopeful. Mell questions if it was enough, and Varic feels bleak once more.

Chapter 24

Characters
Plot Summary

In the world formed by Terminus Mundi, Varic meditates to become more familiar with Horizon's memory manifestation magic. Horizon materializes and aids him by recounting past tales of the people and creatures that make up her hands and eyes manifestations.

Chapter 25

Characters
Plot Summary

Varic is working on his mantle when Horizon tells him he has a message from his Magic Tower students. In the message, Mariala says that her and some students have come searching for Varic for further training. She gives the location they are travelling to, which is obfuscated by noise, before the message ends with the students getting caught. Varic locates them with his pathfinding magic, and decides they are too far away to pick up. Horizon convinces him to go after them, and Varic decides to bring Omega with him as a backup pilot.

Chapter 26

Characters
Plot Summary

On the flight to reach Varic's students, Omega spends the flight eating the fabricator out of food. They reach the Kallver System and Varic submits a docking request on the colony, Gardener 315. They discover that Advocates are searching incoming vehicles, to Omega's excitement. Varic asks Omega if he could bring back the students on his own, and Omega confirms that he could but not without harm. Varic sends him out anyway, telling him to prioritize the student's safety. Omega leaves and someone heads Varic's way.

Chapter 27

Characters
Plot Summary

Varic accepts a call from a life-pod that had come towards the shuttle, revealing the Mariala and the other students inside. Mariala is relieved to see him, and explains how they found Varic. Varic uses hand constructs to move the life-pod into the shuttle, and the students clumsily enter the shuttle. Mariala is interested in the hands, and Varic gives a quick explanation on them. Varic calls Omega to return, but then the colony's water purification plant explodes. Varic questions Omega if he was behind that, but Omega reveals that Steel Avalanche had been the one to explode it after the colony had resisted the Advocates. Varic orders Omega back to the ship, and thinks of his history with Steel Avalanche. From the shuttle with Eurias, Varic attacks Steel Avalanche and leaves him in a whirlpool of water. Omega returns to the ship, which startles Mariala and provokes the other students to attack him. Varic prevents any harm done and explains the situation.

Chapter 28

Characters
Plot Summary

Now on planet Murrok, The Last Horizon heads towards the cavern where they would find the World Spirit Murrok. Mariala and the other students are locked away and not allowed to watch the negotiation. The crew discusses the plan on how to negotiate with Murrok for information on the Zenith Colony. They go back and forth on what to trade, Omega suggests selling away items from Horizon's vault, Horizon suggests Raion's Divine Titan instead, and Sola points out they could scavenge and sell materials from the Grand Hive. Varic considers Omega's and Sola's suggestions, and begins to call Murrok from an airlock. Varic releases Eurias, and between him and Horizon, Murrok responds quickly and appears befor him. Varic and Horizon introduce themselves to Murrok, though Horizon angers the World Spirit by looking down on him. To Varic's panic, Horizon has come up with her own plan to convince Murrok without advising him. Varic runs with it, and Murrok tells them where to find Shadow Ark, wanting them to rob the Advocates.

Chapter 29

Characters
Plot Summary

Back on the ship, Shyrax scolds Horizon for acting alone on her strategy, though Raion defends her. Omega, Sola, and Shyrax discuss raiding the Advocate headquarters, but Varic, Mell, and Raion argue against attacking. Varic and Mell point out that Horizon is still damaged and that the Advocates do not know they have the Shadow Ark. Raion insists the Advocates are good, and that he is on their side. The crew ends up voting on the issue, where they decide to withdraw from the Free Worlds.

Chapter 30

Characters
Plot Summary

Starhammer wakes up in the Advocate's infirmary, Aether Technicians working on him. Clockworker, one of the Advocates, checks up on him. Starhammer is irritated and snaps at his questions, but then apologizes, admitting that his previous conversation with Doctor Nova has affected him. Starhammer and Clockworker then discuss Mell's kidnapping, suspecting Queen Shyrax and the wizard who had saved Starhammer previously. Starhammer decides to personally look into leads on the case, and leaves. He turns on his Temporal Field, and is hit with a violet pulse. Starhammer follows the pulse, which leads him towards an enclosed obsidian jewel in the Advocates evidence containment. The jewel reveals himself to be the Zenith Colony, and has called for Starhammer to awaken him. Shadow Ark then releases himself from the container, and prepares to move towards The Last Horizon.

Chapter 31

Characters
Plot Summary

Varic is overseeing the repair of the ship when Horizon appears. They discuss how Mell has adjusted to the other members of the crew, and how she avoids Varic. Horizon gives Varic advice, and announces the completion of the ship's gym. She gives Varic an exercise outfit, and teleports him to the gym. The other crew members are there already, with Shyrax, Sola, and Mell on treadmills and Raion in a hydraulic press. They all chat, but the conversation shifts to the material requirements for The Last Horizon's repairs. Mell points out it would take a year to reach full power without supplies. Omega and Horizon express their displeasure for waiting for a year, and Varic decides they need to take action soon, as he is paranoid that something was after them.

Chapter 32

Characters
Plot Summary

In a call with Benri, Varic asks for help for supplies to repair The Last Horizon. Benri reveals that he knew that Mell was their Engineer, and tells Varic the requisites for aid from the Vallenar Corporation. Varic considers the information, and questions Benri to figure out where the Aether is heading. Benri's responses confirm Varic's fears, and Varic concludes that they are about to be ambushed by the Galactic Union, the Karoshans, the Advocates, and Shadow Ark.

Meanwhile, Starhammer observes the ships from the Advocates, Karoshans, and Galactic Union for the battle to capture The Last Horizon. Shadow Ark expands into his full size, and Starhammer leads the fleet into the Colony.

Chapter 33

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Chapter 34

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Chapter 35

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Chapter 36

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Chapter 37

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Chapter 38

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Chapter 39

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Chapter 40

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Chapter 41

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Chapter 42

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Chapter 43

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Chapter 44

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Chapter 45

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Chapter 46

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Chapter 47

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Chapter 48

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Chapter 49

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Chapter 50

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Chapter 51

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Chapter 52

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Chapter 53

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Epilogue

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