Osram Time: 07:07, February 24, 2295

  Outside Door Kaamos, Vault of Primal Urges, Mare Imbrium, Near Side, Osram

  "Engine, annihilate them!" Poised atop the crest of a dust-covered hillock, Dilinur Altai's commanded. Beneath her, the air shivered with screams of the dying.

  "I thought you’d never ask!" In the Distance, the Draconic Engine rumbled into position as Kaori’s high-pitched voice came in her earpiece, tinged with excitement.

  The tank’s crimson, gear-laden hull bore intricate draconic symbols, each etched in golden detail across the armored plates, its turret rotated as the payload chamber deep in the machine’s belly hummed.

  A thunderous sound came as the vehicle fired a round from its Havok Warhead Launcher. The warhead spiraled through the air like a comet — a miniaturized tactical nuke arcing toward its target.

  The white armors of the Alliance Vanguards and Ironbears erupted in blinding flashes, shattering like porcelain dolls, soldiers reduced to charred flesh and ashes.

  "More shots, Engine!" Dilinur watched as the Draconic Engine continued its apocalyptic release.

  Two more warheads descended upon what little remained of the Alliance soldiers with brutality. A collage of gore and fried bones drifted languorously in the moon’s indifferent gravity.

  "Acceptable," Dilinur whispered to herself as she leaped down. "Legionnaires! March forward!"

  Around her, the Bloodtroopers and Amber-Eyes advanced with the siege engine behind their formation, its massive treads churning the dirt beneath. Dead Alliance soldiers lay scattered in disarray, their limbs contorted along with the pieces of shattered machinery.

  The scent of scorched metal and charred flesh invaded Dilinur's nostrils, but a perverse pride swelled within her chest, overpowering any guilt as she strode forward. This was not the first time she had massacred in the name of progress.

  "A victory well-deserved, legionnaires," Stepping in front of the lines of soldiers that had gathered and awaited her, she proclaimed, her words reaching the ears of her troops, her gaze locked on the distant horizon. "By following orders without question, you have shown the world what it means to be an Imperial."

  Not a word came from the soldiers. Dinu was hardly surprised. Silence obedience was always considered a virtue in their society.

  "All strike steams, report!" she ordered, her voice echoing over the lunar expanse.

  "Team Tiger, all twelve present!" a senior Bloodtrooper declared proudly from the edge of his row.

  "Team Dragon, eleven present. One slain, three injured." another trooper added.

  "Team Ox, five present. Seven slain…five injured." the next report came, the man's sound timid, his row of soldiers noticeably short.

  "Team Hound, all twelve present!" a female voice declared.

  "Engine, present. Barely a scratch!" Kaori's haughty voice sounded from the crimson siege tank behind the soldiers.

  In the periphery, Flesh Pot reveled in its grotesque duty, consuming the last Psi Lynx with relentless hunger. The air filled with the acrid scent of singed flesh and ruptured metal. A man in a white trench coat, his expression twisted in terror as he was raised aloft by the beast's powerful arms. His screams were drowned out by the sounds of crunching bones and tearing flesh as he was devoured alive, disappearing into the cavernous maw of the Radi-Mon.

  None among the Imperial soldiers showed reaction to the carnage in their vicinity. A testament to their training and discipline.

  Dilinur let the numbers settle in her mind, holding back a sigh. Then it clicked in her mind.

  "Where's Team Boar?" she demanded, eyes scanning the legion before her.

  "Prefect Altai," A Bloodtrooper stood forth from his row, facing Dilinur, his voice deepened by the damaged horned helmet atop his head. "Team Boar is still engaging the enemy on the other side of this — Vault."

  At his words, Dilinur reached for her earpiece with one hand, speaking as she looked to the side. "Team Boar, report!"

  "Imminent victory, Prefect! Six slain, two injured, one foe left!" the other side responded with fervor.

  "One foe left? What's taking so long?" Dinu's eyes narrowed, intrigue surging in her mind.

  "Some Valoran dog with golden hair and silver arms," Team Boar's leader responded. "We've just cornered him, almost —"

  "Capture the enemy." Dilinur cut him off with an order, sneaking a peek at her rows of warriors before adding firmly. "Bring him to the rallying point."

  "At once!" the reply was crisp.

  Her hand leaving the earpiece, she stood straight and faced her troops once more. "Team Hound, scout the area. Ensure there are no Alliance soldiers left."

  "Aye, Prefect!" an Amber-Eye saluted with a fist to her chest before leading a squad of twelve men and women away.

  With a smile, Dinu continued. "The rest of you, await my command. For the Imperium!

  "For the Imperium!" the chorus of her warriors affirmed, their voices a stark counterpoint to the silence of the dead.

  With Tarim Aytün in her grip humming its somber dirge, she turned from the carnage.

  "Make way," she uttered, her delicate hand parting a line of Bloodtroopers she passed by. The path to the tent was lined with more soldiers, their stances reverent as they watched her stride by.

  The tent itself stood amidst the desolation. Silken panels, the color of midnight and adorned with dragon icons, fluttered gently, juxtaposed with the rigid frame of flexsteel, displaying the luminescent hieroglyphs running along its seams.

  Dilinur paused before the entrance, the smart fabric recognizing her bio-signature and retracting with a hush to admit her. Inside, the floor featured an interactive map of Osram glowing beneath her feet, while above, holographic constellations danced on a false sky.

  Sequestered within sat Joon-Seok Pak, his tall form in a foldable chair. His snowy face marred by thin red lines of injury. As he lifted the vial of Medi-Vap to his lips, a teal mist of healing agents enveloped his visage, knitting skin and soothing wounds with each breath.

  "I'm well, Dinu. A few pompous Psi Lynxes cannot slay me," He beckoned, his voice like silk.

  "Evidently so, milord," She said with relief, her steps less certain than when she walked outside. When she reached him, Joon-Seok rose, towering over her.

  He pulled her into his embrace without hesitation, his arms encircling her slender frame. She blushed, her cheeks flaming against his chest, her face barely reaching his heart.

  "Prince Joon-Seok?" she breathed, her voice a flutter trapped within the cage of his strength.

  Joon-Seok's grip on her tightened. "I am indebted to you, Dinu," he murmured into her hair, his breath stirring the fine strands that had escaped her traditional updo. "When we faced Lorna Weiss and her cohorts, you and your Bloodtroopers saved me."

  She felt the reverberation of his voice against her temple, a soothing balm over the raw edges of her spirit. "I…I’m relieved to see you well."

  The minty scent of Medi-Vap clung to him, mingling with the faint coppery hint of blood. She leaned back just enough to meet his gaze, finding herself ensnared by the intensity therein.

  "Milord. Briefly as our paths have crossed, there's been an inexorable draw towards you," Dilinur confessed. Her hands, usually so steady when wielding her Psi Fan, now trembled as they traced the line of Joon-Seok's shoulders, approaching his cheeks.

  "Once we have the Moondust Crystal in our grasp," Joon-Seok vowed, his tone forging the words like a pact, "I will take you on a date, Dinu. A reprieve from this relentless crusade."

  Her heart thrummed, and she felt color rise to her cheeks like the bloom of dawn breaking across a desolate barren. "Yes," was the only word she managed.

  But a soldier’s yelling was heard behind the tent’s wall. "Prefect Altai? Team Boar has returned! And a message for you."

  Reluctantly, Dilinur felt Joon-Seok's arms loosen around her waist, and she withdrew, her fingers lingering on his face, now healed by the Medi-Vap doses he took.

  "Duty calls," she sighed, her voice soft, her touch a quiet reassurance.

  "We'll answer." Joon-Seok replied as he shadowed her steps.

  Stepping out, Dinu watched as a Bloodtrooper approached.

  He extended a palm-sized, disk-shaped projector towards her. "Your message, Prefect."

  "Good. Return to your duties," Dilinur took the device from his outstretched hand, the cool surface an abrupt contrast to the residual heat of Joon-Seok's embrace. Activating it, the hologram of Iron Roach coalesced from the ether.

  "Ey, Dinu," the projection began, its tone betraying no hint of urgency. "Those Alliance dogs you told me to chase? They've infiltrated the Vault. Secondary access. Door Volt…Vore…ugh, something —"

  "Lady Dilinur," a smoother voice interrupted from somewhere off to the side. "Sir Iron Roach meant to say 'Door Valkyris'."

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Who the fuck asked you?" Roach snapped at the interruption before turning back to Dilinur. "Well? Next orders?"

  "Understood," Dilinur responded curtly, holding back the urge to laugh as she nodded at Roach. "You and your Amber-Eyes are dismissed. Head to Celestial Reach and await my next orders."

  "Ah, break already?" Roach adjusted his crimson sunglasses.

  "We have enough men left to brave the Vault." Dinu said.

  "Right, then. Celestial Reach. Our fancy big city in Ocean Anus, uh, something," Roach scratched his head, his crimson red sunglasses reflecting the distant image of Earth.

  "Oceanus Procellarum, Roach," Joon-Seok’s smirk was perceptible as he addressed the hologram. "Enjoy your respite."

  As Roach’s hologram faded away, Dilinur handed the projector back to the Bloodtrooper and turned to Joon-Seok.

  “Team Boar, milady. Captured one of their senior Vanguards.” The Bloodtrooper spoke as he gestured with a gauntleted hand.

  Dinu’s gaze was now drawn to the advancing procession of Bloodtroopers. Among them stood a towering Valoran captive with silvered bionic arms, whose imposing stature was undercut only by the shackles binding his wrists.

  The man knelt on the regolith, defiance etched into the lines of his dirt-streaked face. His light gray eyes locked onto hers, unyielding, as if challenging her. A growl rumbled within his chest.

  "Thomas Mendoza," Dilinur said in recognition, her words precise. "I'm barely surprised you're alive."

  "Dilinur. Wondered when we'd meet again after Shanghai." he spat out, his tone laced with contempt. "No, there ain't a thing you can do to make me talk."

  "You sound certain. Not afraid?" Her lips twitched, the taste of power sweet upon her tongue.

  "I’ve served many years in the Alliance. Seen more screwed up shits than you’d care to know," Thomas smirked, grime on his beige-colored countenance.

  "But you've never seen the Imperium rise to true power." Dilinur grinned. "With the Moondust Crystal, the Five Realms would soon bend their knees."

  "Your Radi-Mon's built from human flesh. I can tell." Thomas peeked at Flesh Pot, who now sat quietly next to the legionnaires. "There's nothing too low for the Imperium, now is there?"

  "A necessary bane for your Psi Lynxes." Joon-Seok chimed in. "But the Alliance hardly has any right to criticize our methods."

  "Say what you like, but I signed up for this job. Liked it, too." Thomas's baritone voice remained firm as he raised voice, now looking at the soldiers surrounding them. "I'm proud of I'm fighting for! Can you say the same?"

  Dilinur could almost feel her heart skip a beat. She could not tell if was a question or a statement.

  "Well? You're going to kill me or what?" Thomas grinned as he turned to meet Dilinur's gaze defiantly.

  "Maa-nik-ya Su-shup-ti," With the flick of her wrist, she invoked the spell in a gentle tone, tendrils of crimson energy snaking from her fingertips towards Thomas.

  "What…" His eyes widened for a split second before they dulled and his body slumped to the ground, like a marionette severed from its strings.

  "Take this man into custody. Monitor his vitals." She order as she lowered her hand.

  The Bloodtroopers complied, dragging the unconscious form of Thomas behind them as they made for a tent a distance away, their boots leaving a trail in the moon dust.

  "You mean to imprison him?" Joon-Seok's eyes narrowed.

  "We’ll decide what to do with him once we have the Crystal," she said, her voice brokering no dissent.

  Dilinur then turned away. Eyeing the gigantic vault door socketed into the hill ahead of them, she commanded. "Kaori, bring the Engine to bear on the vault door. I want it open."

  CONTINUE REVIEWING FROM HERE!!

  Dilinur’s gaze remained fixed on the vault door as the Draconic Engine’s twin reactor cores spun to life. No need to glance back — the Engine was always reliable. The faint click and clank of locking mechanisms preceded the hiss of pressurized gas.

  The impact was seismic. A blinding flash tore through the valley, followed by a bone-rattling shockwave. The ground trembled violently beneath the explosion as the warhead detonated against the hillside vault door.

  But as the smoke billowed and the fire dissipated, the vault door remained steadfast, its ancient surface unmarred.

  "Impossible," Dilinur muttered under her breath, the taste of ash bitter on her tongue.

  "Not even a scratch? How insulting," Kaori’s voice, tinged with exasperation, crackled over the comm. "Surely you can find some magical way to get us through. Right, Lady Prefect?"

  A Conjurer approached, his robes dusted with moon soil, his expression grave. "Milady, as our data suggests, there is a riddle upon the door, inscribed in Oracle Bone Script. It requires a correct answer to unlock."

  Dilinur sighed, her patience thinning.

  "Show me," she commanded, her onyx robe fluttering in the lunar wind, with Joon-Seok walking at her side.

  Together, they reached the monolithic barrier, its surface etched with the cryptic language of a bygone era. The Conjurer bowed, his hands trembling slightly as he evaluated the riddle. "On this Door Kaamos, we the followers of the Sand Lotus present to you one riddle. Scribe your response, and the Door shall judge."

  "Of course. It'd have to be those religious zealots." Joon-Seok shook his head as he smirked.

  "Hardly a surprise." Dilinur sighed as her gaze lingered.

  Another Conjurer spoke, her fingers tracing the Oracle Bone Scripts etched on a stone tablet beneath the door. "I have a brother who shines bright. But at night, I am here in your dream’s flight. Look up at me when you read the sky’s map. What is my name, where I follow the stars’ path?"

  "How…quaint," Annoyance flickered across Dilinur's features, her mind weaving through the syllables. “If only the data mentioned the answers to…such nonsense.”

  "Enough of this game!" Joon-Seok Pak growled. "The Alliance agents are already in there somewhere, plundering our prize." His hand swept forward, brooking no argument. "Step back. Let me do it."

  "Milord!" One Conjurer at the door spoke. "These vault doors were constructed using psionic wards over enchanted regolith. The riddle is the only way."

  "Our Imperium was not built on riddles." Joon-Seok waved the Conjurer off, his voice gentle but firm. "Psionic problems require psionic solutions."

  "You heard the Prince," Dilinur motioned to her troops. The Conjurers stepped away from the door, yielding space. The Bloodtroopers and Amber-Eyes behind her waited.

  Joon-Seok stood alone before the monolith. Raising both hands, his chant began, a guttural symphony as Dilinur noticed the crimson energy forming at his fingertips. "Sanguine majorum meorum. Maledicta terra sub pedibus tuis —"

  "An Ordovox chant?" One of the Conjurers whispered in awe.

  "Sure sounds like one. Alliance agents use it too," another replied.

  "That'd explain it! Prince Pak received his education in England. I heard he even courted local royalty while he was there!" a female Conjurer added.

  "So the rumors are true? The Prince has a thing for Unblooded women?" Another Conjurer chimed in.

  "Enough chit-chat," Dilinur silenced their gossiping by turning around and pointing a finger at them sternly.

  And then, more of the foreign chant unfurled from Joon-Seok’s lips, crimson droplets materialized, coalescing into a downpour of blood energies that bathed the vault door. "Mors tua sine dignitate erit. Timor solus memorabitur, etiam in morte —"

  The air grew thick with power, the scent of iron and ozone mingling. Dilinur watched, transfixed, as the arcane deluge ate away at the stone surface, its relentless assault reducing centuries of artistry to rubble.

  "Stellae te consumant omnes!" Joon-Seok finished his chant as he lowered his hands, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

  The door crumbled, surrendering under the ferocity of Joon-Seok's will, leaving behind a gaping maw that beckoned them into darkness unknown.

  Shocked, Dilinur's lips parted but no word came from them.

  Behind her, the Bloodtroopers and Amber-Eyes erupted in a deafening roar of triumph. Their voices rang out like a chorus of thunder, reverberating through the valley as fists were thrust into the air, and weapons clanged in exuberant rhythm. The clamor of victory surged through the ranks, a tide of fervor that swelled with every cheer.

  Snapping back to reality, Dilinur turned, her posture commanding as her voice cut through the frenzy. "Forward! The Moondust Crystal is ours!"

  "Onward! For the Imperium!" A voice from the crowd shouted, a battle cry taken up by the rest, until it was a wave of sound crashing upon the remnants of the shattered door.

  The scarlet-clad warriors, emboldened, surged forward with purpose, their previously disciplined march now a fevered charge. Their footfalls thundered across the ground, armor clanking in concert as they stormed toward the Vault interior, Thermal Battleaxes and Kinetic Crossbows raised high.

  Dilinur watched them go, her lips curling into a satisfied smile, savoring the moment before she too strode forward.

  "You don't expect me to drive this Engine into that, do you, Prefect?" Kaori's voice interrupted through the comm system.

  "Power off your tank, Kaori. Join my troopers," Dilinur ordered, casting a brief glance back at the Draconic Engine.

  "As you wish," Kaori replied, bringing her crimson vehicle to a halt a few meters behind.

  As another rumbling approached, Dilinur turned to direct the monstrous creature squatting before her. "Flesh Pot, sit and guard the Engine. Let none lay a finger on it."

  "Yes, Prefect," Flesh Pot's towering, hairless form bowed before sitting down next to the powered-off siege tank like an obedient puppy.

  In the distance, a small squad of soldiers from her army marched towards her: seven Bloodtroopers and five Amber-Eyes. Team Hound had returned.

  "Prefect. We’ve completed our scan of the area. No more enemies," The Amber-Eye reported, her voice steady despite the gusts of wind tossing her knotted hair.

  "Good. Stay and guard the entrance." Dinu commanded, pointing to the ground.

  But suddenly, something emerged in the distance.

  Dilinur's sharp gaze caught movement in the dark sky. High above the battlefield, a luminous creature soared, its body covered in vibrant purple fur that shimmered under the pale lunar light. The delicate wings beat steadily, leaving a trail of iridescent particles in its wake. The creature's golden compound eyes, glinting with a mysterious intelligence, locked onto her troop’s position for the briefest moment.

  "Is that a new Radi-Mon?" Dilinur murmured, her voice low, more to herself than to anyone around her. The insectoid form resembled a giant bee, hovering effortlessly despite the thin atmosphere.

  Before she could speak again, the creature vanished, disappearing into the depths of the night sky as swiftly as it had appeared, leaving only a faint shimmer in its wake.

  But there was no time for distractions. She shook her head, pushing the image of the strange beast from her mind.

  "Is everything alright, Lady Prefect?" A Bloodtrooper asked through his helmet.

  "It was nothing. Attend to your duties," She stepped forward, drawn not to the breach but to the man before her.

  "Need more Aether," Joon-Seok's shoulders slumped, the vigor of his spellcasting ebbing into the ether as he exhaled long and hard. He retrieved a vial from the depths of his pocket, its contents shimmering like captured starlight — liquid blue and ethereal. The Indra-Sprite swirled within its glass confines as he uncorked the vial, tilting it to his lips with hands that trembled lightly.

  Dilinur moved towards him, her stride purposeful yet laden with an unspoken tenderness. Her hand found the curve of his waist, fingertips whispering over the fabric of his uniform in a tacit inquiry, "Are you alright, Joon-Seok?"

  But Joon-Seok's reaction was not the solace she sought. He shrugged off her touch, stepping away with a sudden remoteness that hung heavy between them.

  "They would never understand," he muttered, his gaze averted, leaving their connection frayed at the edges. "The Weight of Phoenix's Blood. The Price of Dragon's Lineage. A World Most Pure is a World without the Dulled."

  "Was that the Blood Rain Aria you chanted, milord?" she asked, feeling her heart sink.

  "Look at those peasants charging into the Vault. The Dulled Ones with their brutish weapons and firearms, achieving merely a fraction of what we could." he replied before a sigh. For a moment, there was no telling which were his own words. "We psions need not share the same air as them. Yet somehow…we must."

  "I…understand," Dilinur retracted her hand as though scorched by the chill of his demeanor. The triumph that should have soared within her now lay subdued.

  "What I meant was...I will join you shortly," Joon-Seok shook his head as placed a strong but delicate hand to his temple.

  "Yes. Please take your time," Her chest rose and fell with a breath. She turned away, her formality doing little to quell the disquiet gnawing at her soul.

  But that could wait. The only thing that mattered was securing the Moondust Crystal, by any means necessary.