Act 11 — Temporary Alliance
Era: Power Unbound (Era 3)
Previous: Act 10 — Desert Operation
Next: Act 11.5 — Hell Hosts Life
Overview
Act 11 follows an unexpected period of cooperation between the Hell Hosts and the Free World Order after the disappearance of Onyx and the growing threat posed by the Angel Swords.
Following the events of the War Between Hell Hosts and Free World, relations between Hell Hosts and Free World remain deeply hostile.
The situation changes when Onyx disappears.
With the Free World Order temporarily without its leader, Ultimatum assumes control of the faction. A former Hell Host himself, Ultimatum recognises that continued conflict between the two factions would leave both vulnerable while the Angel Swords continue expanding their military influence.
Ultimatum approaches Hell Hosts with an extraordinary proposal.
A temporary alliance.
Despite years of warfare, casualties, and resentment between their soldiers, Hell Hosts and Free World agree to temporarily suspend hostilities and cooperate against the Angel Swords.
The alliance leads to joint military operations and forces soldiers who recently fought against one another to serve on the same battlefield.
Among them are Champion and Valkyrie, whose first encounters during the alliance eventually become the beginning of a much deeper relationship.
The alliance lasts until the eventual return of Onyx.
Ultimatum relinquishes leadership, and the temporary cooperation between Hell Hosts and Free World comes to an end.
Neither faction forgets what happened during the alliance.
Story
Missing
Some time after the Hell Host–Free World War, Onyx disappears.
The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are unclear.
For the Free World Order, his absence creates a significant leadership problem.
The faction has survived its defeat at Rainfall, but the consequences of the war remain. Personnel have been lost, experienced commanders have been killed, and the organisation is still recovering.
With Onyx missing, someone must assume command.
That responsibility falls to Ultimatum.
Ultimatum
Ultimatum becomes acting leader of the Free World Order.
Unlike many within the faction, Ultimatum possesses extensive personal experience with Hell Hosts.
He previously served within Hell Hosts before leaving due to fundamental disagreements with the faction’s methods and conduct.
His departure did not result in complete hatred toward his former comrades.
Ultimatum still maintains complicated friendships and respect for individuals within Hell Hosts, even while serving one of their greatest enemies.
This history becomes increasingly important as another threat grows.
The Angel Swords have emerged as a major military power and represent a danger to both factions.
Ultimatum reaches a conclusion that would have been almost unthinkable during Onyx’s leadership.
Free World cannot afford another major war against Hell Hosts while simultaneously confronting the Angel Swords.
Hell Hosts face the same problem from the opposite side.
Cooperation becomes possible.
Enemy of My Enemy
Ultimatum approaches Hell Host leadership seeking a temporary suspension of hostilities.
The proposal is controversial.
Only recently, Hell Hosts and Free World fought a devastating war against one another.
Free World personnel remember the defeat at Rainfall and the execution of captured officers.
Hell Host personnel remember years of Free World attacks, infiltration, sabotage, and battlefield casualties.
Neither side trusts the other.
Despite this, the Angel Sword threat provides both factions with a common enemy.
Hell Hosts and Free World eventually agree to temporarily cooperate.
The agreement does not represent peace.
Neither faction abandons its ideology, military structure, or previous grievances.
It is an alliance of necessity.
Brothers in Arms
Hell Host and Free World forces begin conducting joint operations against the Angel Swords.
For soldiers on both sides, the arrangement is deeply uncomfortable.
Personnel who previously encountered one another as enemies now share objectives, defensive positions, intelligence, and battlefields.
The distrust does not immediately disappear.
Free World soldiers remain cautious around Hell Host personnel.
Hell Host soldiers remain equally suspicious of their new allies.
However, combat gradually forces cooperation.
Soldiers protect personnel wearing uniforms they were previously ordered to shoot.
Units begin relying on support from former enemies.
Individual relationships form independently of the political relationship between their factions.
It is during these operations that Marcus encounters Katherine Stone.
Champion is a senior Hell Host officer.
Valkyrie is one of Free World’s most respected defensive commanders.
Their first interactions are professional and shaped by the unusual circumstances surrounding the alliance.
Through continued joint operations, the two gradually develop mutual respect.
Neither knows how important that relationship will eventually become.
Temporary Alliance
The cooperation between Hell Hosts and Free World continues as both factions oppose the Angel Swords.
Although the alliance never erases the history between them, prolonged cooperation changes how some personnel view their former enemies.
The conflict becomes more complicated than faction against faction.
Hell Host and Free World personnel fight together.
Some save one another.
Some develop friendships.
Others never overcome their distrust.
For a brief period, two of the Omicron Galaxy’s greatest rivals demonstrate that cooperation between them is possible.
It does not last.
Return of Onyx
Onyx eventually returns.
The circumstances surrounding his disappearance and return remain unclear.
With the original leader of Free World restored, Ultimatum relinquishes his position as acting leader.
The political circumstances that allowed the temporary alliance begin to disappear.
Hell Hosts and Free World end their formal cooperation.
They once again become opposing powers.
However, returning to their previous relationship is not equally simple for everyone involved.
Some personnel have now fought beside people they once considered enemies.
Friendships and mutual respect developed during the alliance do not automatically disappear when political cooperation ends.
For Champion and Valkyrie in particular, the end of the alliance does not mark the end of their connection.
Characters
Free World Order
Hell Hosts
Angel Swords
- Angel Sword personnel
Factions
Major Events
- Disappearance of Onyx
- Ultimatum becomes acting leader of Free World
- Growing Angel Sword threat
- Negotiations between Hell Hosts and Free World
- Formation of the temporary alliance
- Joint Hell Host–Free World operations
- First encounters between Champion and Valkyrie
- Return of Onyx
- Ultimatum relinquishes leadership
- End of the temporary alliance
Deaths and Casualties
Hell Hosts, Free World, and Angel Sword personnel are killed or wounded during fighting throughout the alliance.
Exact casualty numbers remain undocumented.
No major named character is currently confirmed to have died during the events of Act 11.
Lore Introduced
Ultimatum’s Leadership
The disappearance of Onyx results in Ultimatum temporarily assuming leadership of the Free World Order.
His time as acting leader represents a significant departure from the faction’s normal relationship with Hell Hosts.
Ultimatum’s previous service within Hell Hosts and his continued respect for some of its personnel allow him to pursue cooperation that would otherwise have been extremely difficult.
When Onyx returns, Ultimatum voluntarily relinquishes control.
Hell Host–Free World Alliance
Act 11 marks one of the rare periods in which Hell Hosts and the Free World Order formally cooperate.
The alliance is created in response to the threat posed by the Angel Swords rather than reconciliation between the factions.
Neither side considers their previous conflict resolved.
Despite this, the alliance proves that personnel from both organisations are capable of fighting alongside one another when confronted by a mutual threat.
Champion and Valkyrie
Champion and Valkyrie first become acquainted during joint Hell Host and Free World operations.
Their relationship initially develops through military cooperation and mutual respect.
The end of the alliance separates their factions but does not completely sever the connection between them.
Their relationship would continue developing in secret after Hell Hosts and Free World once again became enemies.
Former Enemies
The temporary alliance creates relationships extending beyond factional politics.
For some soldiers, Free World and Hell Hosts are no longer abstract enemies after Act 11.
They have spoken to them.
Fought beside them.
Protected them.
And, in some cases, trusted them with their lives.
The return of hostility between the factions does not erase those experiences.
Consequences
The Angel Swords face the combined military resistance of Hell Hosts and Free World during the temporary alliance.
Ultimatum establishes himself as capable of leading Free World during Onyx’s absence.
The alliance temporarily changes the relationship between two factions that had recently fought a major war against one another.
Champion and Valkyrie meet and begin developing the mutual respect that later grows into a secret romantic relationship.
Onyx eventually returns and resumes leadership of Free World.
The formal alliance ends.
Hell Hosts and Free World once again become rival powers, but individual relationships created during their cooperation survive beyond the agreement itself.
Act 11 also marks the beginning of a period in which the lives of individual Hell Host personnel become increasingly important to the wider history of the faction.