The anonymous ground-speeder shuddered to a halt amidst the towering wind-battered structures of the Outer Rim. A desolate graveyard of failed infrastructure. Above them, the smog-choked glittering lights of the Aeternum Federation felt impossibly distant. A cold indifferent constellation.
The entrance to the Cerberus Terminal was a massive scarred airlock. Half-buried in years of industrial sediment. It was a relic of pre-Federation military doctrine. Designed for absolute long-term survival.
"It's dormant," Lyra noted. She emerged from the speeder. Her crimson eyes scanned the structure. They read the residual energy signature. "The Federation considered it obsolete. Perfect."
Rheon, now fully in the mindset of Ascendant-Alpha-1, already bypassed the external sensors. "The main power core is deep, Lyra. We'll need time to bring the system online manually. The airlock seal will take fifteen minutes to cycle. Even with a hard override."
"We have less time than that," Lyra said simply. She walked up to the colossal steel airlock. She ignored the grime and the cold.
Rheon watched mesmerised as Lyra extended her bare hand. She pressed her palm against the cold inert metal.
She didn't use a tool or a code. She used her will.
The Aether Fragment, fueled by the nanite-enhancement of her body, was not just a biological weapon. It was a living breathing consciousness bridge. The nanites in her blood began to resonate. They emitted a focused frequency that bypassed the physical components. It spoke directly to the terminal's archaic central processor. A deep-level command that the Federation had long forgotten how to utilise.
A low subterranean hum began deep within the structure. Dust and debris cascaded from the seal as the massive airlock shuddered to life. The forgotten machinery groaned under the sudden powerful demand.
The enormous steel door hissed open in less than thirty seconds. It revealed a long black tunnel stretching into the earth.
"The machine listens to the Bloodline," Lyra stated. She turned to Rheon. "My will is the ultimate code, Ascendant. Your discipline will guide that code."
Rheon felt a powerful surge of awe and absolute devotion. She wasn't just superhuman. She was a sovereign consciousness that could command matter and energy with a touch.
"It's a powerful asset," Rheon confirmed. He retrieved the Sanguis data-slate. "I will begin integrating the Sanguis network. We need internal defences prepared before the Federation finds the thermal signature from the activation."
They descended into the Cerberus Terminal. The interior was a cavernous multi-layered silo. Built to withstand an orbital strike. Rheon mapped the architecture. He focused on the tactical advantage. Lyra, however, walked straight to the long-dormant central control room.
Once there Lyra placed her hands on the main console. She channelled the Bloodlink. She infused her intent directly into the vast power conduits. With a powerful surge the entire terminal awoke.
Lights flared. They revealed banks of ancient shielded servers. The air filtration system groaned to life. It cleared the stale toxic atmosphere. The defensive laser grids flickered into active status along the silo walls.
"This is a kingdom, Lyra. Built on cold stone and fear. Now it is ours," the Aether Fragment purred in her mind. Triumphant.
Lyra turned to Rheon. Her eyes shimmered with the energy of command. "Ascendant-Alpha-1. We have our fortress. Integrate the Sanguis data. Use their networks to establish a secure comm-channel. Priority one. Confirm the Nanite Refinement Lab in Sector 18 is operational. I need to know the defence protocols."
"Immediately," Rheon replied. He already moved to the designated server bank. He was in his element. Commanded by a power he understood to be superior. Working with technology he knew intimately.
He worked with savage focus. He wove the delicate paranoid threads of the Sanguis network. A mix of underground finance, human intelligence, and archaic comm-protocols. Into the Terminals' shielded backbone.
Lyra, meanwhile, settled into the command chair. She focused her acute senses on the ambient static of the Federation's communication grid. She listened for the sound of their panic.
"They are reacting, Ascendant," Lyra said. Her voice taut. "Morn is covering his tracks. Vance is organising a manhunt. But their focus is too broad. They are wasting resources searching for a man named Rheon Vale."
Rheon paused his work. His face was grim. "Vance will not rely on standard patrol. He will use his black assets. Based on the swiftness of Morn's counter-move and the sensitivity of this operation I can predict his choice of hunter."
Lyra raised an eyebrow. A silent command for him to elaborate.
"Vance has one asset capable of operating completely off-grid. Bypassing all standard military and psychological protocols," Rheon stated. His voice was a low, gravelly warning. "He is an operative with no identity, no loyalties, and a 100% success rate in high-value retrieval or assassination. His name is The Revenant."
Rheon looked at Lyra. The seriousness of the threat is paramount. "The Revenant is a machine of pure lethal instinct. If he is deployed he will be hunting me. Ascendant-Alpha-1. First. He will not stop until he retrieves or destroys the target. He will assume you are collateral damage."
Lyra rose slowly from the command chair. Her expression was a mix of dangerous appreciation and intense calculation. She walked to Rheon. She stopped the soldier's work with her sheer proximity.
"A perfect counter-move, Ascendant," Lyra purred. Her eyes fixed on his. "A hunter with no soul to tempt no loyalty to fracture. The Federation throws its purest coldest weapon against us. This is good."
She placed her hand on his chest. Right over the space where his heart hammered against his ribs.
"Then let him come, Rheon. Your life is now tethered to mine. His attempt to destroy you will only strengthen my purpose. We will turn their purest weapon against them. Just as we turned their most disciplined soldier."
Lyra leaned close. Her breath was a cool whisper against his ear. "You are the bait, Ascendant. And I am the trap. The Revenant will find us here. He will learn that his success rate has expired."
She pulled away. The charge of the Bloodlink lingered like a promise. "Now finish the network integration. I need the Nanite Lab's defences mapped. The moment we are ready we strike. We cannot wait for The Revenant's arrival. We must hit Morn before he can activate his counter-frequency."
Rheon returned to the console. The memory of her touch and the weight of his new dangerous destiny fueled his hands. He was the most wanted man in the Federation. Tasked with building an army for a vampire queen. Targeted by the Federation's ultimate assassin.
He was Ascendant-Alpha-1. This was his war.
The air tasted of rust and ozone. Silence thick as wool pressed from the hum.