The recycled air of the abandoned service apartment felt charged when Ascendant-Alpha-1 returned. Lyra waited. She perched silently on the desk. The holographic projection of the Sanguis Order's data network shimmered before her.
She assessed Rheon instantly. His armour was gone. He wore the grim utility of his stealth gear. His movements stayed precise. A tremor of suppressed adrenaline lurked beneath his discipline. The lingering shock of meeting true, fanatical faith.
"Report, Ascendant," Lyra commanded. Her voice cut through the tension. She offered no comfort. She demanded accountability.
Rheon snapped a military salute. A habit his new Queen found both archaic and compelling. "The Sanguis Order is secured. Their leader, The Cardinal, accepted the truth of Morn's Cognitive Protocol. He views you as the legitimate Crimson Mother. They have pledged complete fealty."
He handed her the data-slate. It now contained a complex overlay of the Sanguis Order's underground resources. Encrypted comm-channels. Financial conduits. Safe house locations. Most importantly, a massive human intelligence network woven throughout the lower and middle sectors of the Aeternum Sprawl.
"Their fanaticism is absolute," Rheon continued. His voice stayed clinical. "They don't fear you, Lyra. They worship you. They await your word to begin the purge of the Federation."
Lyra took the slate. She didn't immediately engage the data. She engaged him.
The Aether Fragment stirred. Lyra extended a gentle, invisible tendril of the Bloodlink. Not to control. To audit. She sifted through the static of his professional report. She searched for any lingering deception. Any hidden code of loyalty to the Federation.
She found none. His core lay exposed. A brutal, burning commitment to the path of treason he had chosen. Fueled by the cold fury of betrayal. The intense, undeniable magnet of her power.
He is clean, Lyra. His discipline is entirely devoted to us now. The soldier is broken. The Ascendant remains. Dracula's whisper sounded satisfied.
Lyra lowered the slate. Her crimson eyes locked onto his. "You traded a tactical defence flaw for a cult, Rheon. You sacrificed your reputation. Your career. Your moral high ground. Why did you accept the title Ascendant?"
Rheon met her gaze without flinching. His discipline formed a concrete wall against her scrutiny. "I accepted the title because the soldier who wore the name Rheon Vale is dead, Lyra. Vance and Morn eliminated him. I am a surviving asset who chose the necessary side. My life is now dedicated to the destruction of the threat. You are the only effective weapon available."
"A calculated response," Lyra noted. She rose. She walked the short distance between them. "But calculations are cold. The kiss was not."
She stopped directly in front of him. The closeness suffocated the sterile air. The residual heat from the Bloodlink radiated between them. The deep, dark promise of their shared destiny.
"You shed your armour. You shed your name. You swore an oath of fealty, Ascendant," she whispered. Her gaze dropped to his strong, exposed throat. "What is left of the man they betrayed? What do you desire from this empire we are building?"
Rheon inhaled sharply. His breathing turned momentarily ragged. He fought the overwhelming urge to reach out. To touch her. To submit entirely to the ancient will radiating from her.
"I desire to see the rule of law restored, Lyra. Even if that law must be written in blood," he confessed. The admission is raw and absolute. "I desire the end of the hypocrisy and corruption that destroyed my life. And I desire."
He paused. The internal conflict tore at his last thread of discipline.
"I desire to be the necessary shield. The one who stands between the monster and the target. When the dust settles, I desire the satisfaction of knowing I did not kneel to a lie."
Lyra's smile triumphed. She reached out. She traced the line of his jaw. A touch both intimate and possessive. "A beautiful and necessary monster, Ascendant. Your desire is sound. You will be my shield. My sword. The conscience I no longer need."
She stepped back. She turned her attention to the holographic map. The moment of intimacy ended. The crushing weight of their immediate, shared threat replaced it.
"Now, to the business of war." Lyra initiated a complex cross-reference. "Your old network data against the Sanguis intelligence. We need resources. Not bodies. We need a target that will strike at the heart of Morn's operation. A wound that Vance cannot ignore."
Rheon leaned over the console. The soldier took charge of the tactical situation.
"Morn needs two things for the Cognitive Merge. The perfected Nosferis host. You. A high-capacity, dedicated server array to map his full consciousness for transfer," Rheon analysed. He pointed to a flickering blue node on the map. "His current data map is stored on the Federation's central military intelligence hub. The Chronos Vault. It is impenetrable."
Lyra countered. Her finger moved to a series of crimson-marked nodes provided by the Sanguis Order. "The Sanguis data reveals a secondary target. Morn established a covert, off-site R&D facility in Sector 18. It's disguised as an atmospheric filtration plant. Actually a secure nanite-refinement lab."
"That lab is where he perfected the Crimson Bio-Fluid and the nanite stabilisers," Rheon realised. His eyes widened. "If we destroy that lab, he loses his ability to replicate the serum. Critically, he loses the dedicated tech necessary to complete the Cognitive Merge process itself."
Lyra looked up. Her eyes blazed with focused determination. "Then our first strike is clear, Ascendant. We hit Sector 18's Nanite Refinement Lab. We steal the resources. Destroy the facility. Cripple Morn's ability to become a false god."
They had their first military objective. Now, they needed a base.
Lyra filtered the Sanguis safe house data. She rejected the small, vulnerable locations. Her finger stopped on a large, red-marked complex deep in the outer orbital sector's shadow.
"This one," she decided. "The Cerberus Terminal. A defunct, fortified missile silo under the outer rim's power grid. Its internal defences are intact. Its walls are triple-layer concrete. It has independent power and comms. It's strategically defensible. Far from Vance's immediate patrols."
She looked at Rheon. Her gaze challenged him to find a flaw.
"It's sound," Rheon confirmed. He already calculated the logistics. "It will be difficult to secure. Impossible for the Federation to breach without orbital ordnance. It is the perfect lair for a Queen."
"Then we move immediately," Lyra said. Her voice dropped into a thrilling, final command. She tapped the console. She routed the Sanguis Order's entire network into a secure node. "Prepare the extraction. We leave this pocket of shadow for a fortress of our own making. Then, Ascendant, we prepare for war."
Rheon nodded. His posture straightened further. His entire being was dedicated to the terrifying woman who stood before him. The line between monster and Queen had vanished. Only a new, absolute master remained.
He retrieved his comms unit. "Ascendant-Alpha-1 initiating Protocol: Cerberus Extraction. Estimated time to relocation and base preparation: four hours."
The empire's first steps were set in motion. They had a throne. An army of shadows. An objective. The Federation was about to learn that their ultimate weapon was now in the hands of the ultimate traitor.
The air tasted of rust and impending storm. Silence thick as wool settled after his words.