Earth Awakens

Plot

Earth is under attack, and China is the front line. The Chinese government insists on fighting alone, even as its forces take devastating losses. Two men, Captain Wit O'Toole of the Mobile Operations Police and Mazer Rackham, manage to blow up one of the three alien landers—the first real win for humanity. But they did it without permission, using a stolen nuclear warhead, so General Sima has them locked up. During the chaos, Mazer saves a brilliant eight-year-old boy named Bingwen. Later, Bingwen comes up with a trick to free them: he spreads a story online claiming they acted on Sima's orders, giving the general all the credit.

Meanwhile, Victor Delgado and Imala Bootstamp sneak toward the alien mothership in a disguised vessel. Victor gets inside and explores. They survive a drone attack that fails to destroy the ship, then escape and confront Lem Jukes, suspecting he ordered the strike. In truth, Lem's father Ukko launched it; Lem tried to stop it. Using what he learned, Victor forms a plan to capture the mothership and, despite his reluctance, accepts Lem's help. The MOPs, including Wit and Mazer, join the boarding team. Imala insists on coming too, over Victor's objections.

When the Formics realize intruders are aboard, every alien force on Earth races back to defend their ship. Lem leads a group to hold them off, sparking a brutal space fight. Inside the mothership, Wit sacrifices himself by exposing his body to lethal radiation, but Victor's plan works—the ship is taken whole. However, Victor's cousin Edimar traces the alien vessel's path and finds a grim truth: this was only a scout. The real mothership is turning itself into a battle fleet, set to arrive in about five years.