Almost simultaneously, the three master ring bands of the portal framework in Pandoran orbit erupted with a magnificent radiance. Within the hollow center of the rings, the corresponding space began to ripple and rotate like fluid waves, forming a gradually clarifying, colossal membrane of light.
Unlike the violent "wound" over at the Death World, this light membrane was stable, gentle, and sharply defined—it was the explicit conduit exit stabilized by the framework's resonance.
"Portal framework exit is stable; connection with the primary corridor is confirmed! The resonance field is operating at full capacity; corridor structural reinforcement is underway!" the report from the orbital sector transmitted.
Osiris stared at the curve representing corridor stability on the primary screen grid. It was oscillating dangerously close to critical limits, but thanks to the supporting architecture of the portal framework, it held without collapsing.
"Maintain output. Inform the Aeldari that our corridor is prepared; the siphoning force fields can interface at any moment."
The transmission arrived instantaneously.
Within the Yautja homeworld system, Eldrad's will acted like the most precise helmsman, manipulating the massive ritual network enveloping the planet.
"Phase Two, 'Dimensional Siphoning,' initialize."
At the ritual arena across the barren plateau, the psychic radiance suddenly inverted, transitioning from a wild explosion into an intensely condensed pulsation. The pulse frequencies of all wraithbone pillars and crystal arrays unified into a single metric. An invisible yet majestic force field generated; it did not push, nor did it pull, but more closely resembled "injecting" a pre-configured movement vector into the planet itself—one directed toward the portal framework of the Pandoran system.
Concurrently, the portal framework's resonance field far away in Pandoran orbit synchronously emitted an invisible "siphoning tether," crossing the dimensional rift to precisely lock and couple with the force field generated by the Yautja homeworld ritual arena.
The effect was not instantaneous. The momentum of a planet is terrifying.
The earliest vestige manifested as an almost imperceptible micro-deviation in the Yautja homeworld's orbital revolution around its native star. Yet, under the sustained application of the secret ritual, this deviation gradually widened like a rolling snowball. The planet itself began to slide out of the orbit it had maintained for billions of eons, moving extremely slowly along a calculated tangent line.
The entire progression unfolded silently, yet it shattered the senses.
Within the observational telemetry of the Aeldari cruiser, that dark red planet, maintaining a slow and resolute posture that defied all conventional laws of nature, began to "slide" from its native positioning, steering toward the void outside the star system. Space ripples diffused faintly wherever it passed; the gravitational pull of the native star warped slightly—like silk being smoothed over—before slowly restoring.
"Siphoning underway. Target velocity continues to increase. Projected arrival at the pre-configured dimensional corridor entry point is seven hours," the Aeldari warlock reported the progression calmly.
At this juncture, certain high-precision observational arrays on the planet Pandora—whether RDA observatories or those Na'vi individuals possessing a specialized affinity for the starry firmament—began to isolate anomalies.
Within a specific, originally familiar sector of Pandora's night sky, the starlight manifested an imperceptible warp and displacement, as if a colossal, invisible lens were sliding slowly across the canopy of heaven. But the transformation was too slow, too subtle; lacking a comprehensive global perspective and prior knowledge, most instances were overlooked or rationalized as atmospheric turbulence.
Osiris focused on the corridor's load. As the Yautja homeworld accelerated under the siphoning of the Aeldari ritual and began traveling across the dimensional rift toward Pandora, the spatial pressure relayed back through the portal framework climbed steadily.
"The spatial curvature diagnostics of the corridor have risen by fifteen percent, and structural stress across the framework is increasing, but it remains well within safety parameters," Cassius analyzed the data. "The Aeldari ritual's 'shrouding' and 'guidance' of the target planet function exceptionally well, averting crude space-time shearing. The dimensional corridor is primarily bearing directional pressure rather than direct mass impact."
"Continue monitoring. All redundant systems stand by," Osiris directed. His gaze locked onto the signal node representing the Yautja homeworld's tracking positioning. It was traveling along a complex trajectory under the guidance of the Aeldari ritual, transiting through the shallow layers of the dimensional rift, bypassing the vast majority of resistance in conventional space, and "swimming" steadily toward the Pandoran portal.
Time slipped away amidst the silent, monumental upheaval.
Seven hours was not an expansive span, yet within the minds of those closely monitoring the progression across three separate universal locations, every second harbored an indescribable tension.
The Yautja homeworld drew closer and closer.
Viewed from the orbital perspective of Pandora, the warping of the distant starry background was no longer subtle. A massive, dark red silhouette, resembling a spectral leviathan surfacing from the deep sea, slowly occupied an expansive sector of space directly ahead of the portal framework. It did not materialize directly within conventional space; rather, it lay shrouded by a hazy, continuously undulating and shifting psychic force field, rendering its appearance slightly blurred and distorted—as if viewed through a layer of thick crystal.
"The target has arrived at the pre-allocated interfacing sector," Eldrad's consciousness transmitted, remaining steady, though one could detect the condensed focus gathered within. "Preparing to execute final orbital calibration and complete ultimate interfacing with your dimensional corridor. Please verify the stability of the corridor exit and readiness for siphoning force field reception."
"The corridor exit is stable. The gravitational balance arrays in the Death World receiving sector are prepared and can provide deceleration and positioning assistance at any moment," Osiris replied, concurrently broadcasting the maximum-tier alert directive to all his forces. "Final phase, initialize."
The ultimate interfacing and calibration proceeded under intensely precise psychic control and technological synchronization. The psychic force field enveloping the Yautja homeworld began to execute a deeper tier of fusion with the resonance field emitted by the Pandoran orbital portal framework. This was not a collision, but an act of mutual penetration and frequency adjustment, like two streams of water converging.
The light membrane at the center of the framework rippled slightly, expanding to a dimension wide enough to accommodate the passage of a planet. Its brilliance grew increasingly solid, and the fluid light dynamics shifting within its interior mirrored the scenery of another star system entirely—the barren starry sky of the Death World receiving sector.
"Force field coupling complete. Orbital calibration absolute. Alignment error between the target and the corridor exit axis sits below one-hundred-thousandth of an arcsecond," the report from the Aeldari side was precise to an outrageous degree.
"Dimensional corridor exit parameters confirmed. Siphoning force field guidance interface open," Osiris's faction responded.
"Then," a strand of resolute calm rippled through Eldrad's consciousness, "commence final transit."
The command was delivered. The Aeldari ritual's "siphoning" configuration on the Yautja homeworld underwent a subtle shift. It transitioned from primarily providing the propulsion required to sever from the native system and cross dimensions into a finer "pushing" and "guiding" matrix, ensuring the planet could slide into that portal at the optimal angle and velocity.
In the eyes of all observers in Pandoran orbit, a scene materialized that would remain permanently etched in their minds: a colossal, dark red planet, enveloped in a hazy psychic light, moved slowly yet irreversibly toward the massive light membrane suspended in space, as if gently pushed by an invisible, titanic hand.