Inside the Vega ship, the tension finally settled as the noise outside faded. Velaria sat with her usual cold composure, eyes fixed on Lyra.
"Are you sure this is going to work? Entering Aelina's subconscious isn't simple. One mistake and everything collapses."
Lyra kept her gaze on the monitor showing Vega and Aelina's vitals.
"I know the risks. But Vega understands the CNC better than anyone. If we don't sever that connection now, Edena will track us forever."
Draven stood by the window, weapon ready. His voice was sharp.
"And if they get her back, the second-generation cloning project continues. We all know what that means."
Velaria's eyes moved between them.
"Exactly. If they fail inside the CNC, we lose our only chance to break the link."
Before Lyra could respond, her wrist comm chimed. Kaelar Thorne's name flickered across the screen. She opened the channel, and Kaelar's hologram materialized, face grim.
"Lyra, listen," Kaelar said immediately. "A small Edenan force just entered Earth's atmosphere. They're heading straight for your position."
Lyra stiffened. "How many?"
"At least one medium-class transport," Kaelar replied. "If it's a special ops unit, expect elites. If they know where you are, this could turn into a massacre."
Velaria stepped closer.
"What's the plan?"
Kaelar didn't hesitate.
"Lyra, get the Vega ship airborne. Now. Take Aelina, Vega, Draven, and Velaria and move to a safe zone. Kirana, Zephyr, and I will intercept the enemy before they reach you."
Lyra frowned. "You're going to take on an Edenan ops unit with just the three of you?"
Kaelar cracked a faint, confident smile.
"They're equipped with Nano-Bands now. Trust me, we can handle them. Your priority is Aelina. Protect her."
Draven stepped forward.
"So we just run while you fight?"
"This isn't about courage," Kaelar said. "It's strategy. If we all die here, Aelina dies with us. Do your part."
Lyra finally nodded.
"Understood. We'll take off immediately."
The hologram vanished.
Lyra and Velaria rushed to the control panel.
"Draven, grab all supplies. We don't know how long we'll be airborne."
Draven nodded and sprinted toward the back.
Velaria checked the status readouts. "If they're already closing in, running might not be enough."
Lyra tapped in a sequence.
"Vega enabled the stealth system before entering the CNC. If we get distance before they arrive, they'll lose our trail."
Velaria exhaled slowly. "Then we'd better hope Vega and Aelina finish in time. We're running out of minutes."
Inside the CNC chamber, Vega and Aelina lay motionless, bathed in pulses of blue light. Their neural activity spiked in steady rhythms across the monitors.
Draven returned, weapon in hand.
"Lyra, everything's ready. But they're still deep inside."
"We can't pull them out now," Lyra said, jaw tight. "If we interrupt the process, we could destroy Aelina's mind. We wait."
Velaria gripped her weapon.
"Then if Edena gets here first… we fight. No one takes them."
Outside the fields, Kaelar, Kirana, and Zephyr stood beside Velaria's ship, running final checks. Kirana was already suited in her advanced armor, while Zephyr gripped his chain-bladed spear crackling with blue energy.
Zephyr glanced at Kaelar. "You sure we can hold them off? They might outnumber us."
Kaelar lifted a heavy laser rifle with a faint grin. "We don't need numbers. We need tactics and grit."
Kirana locked her bow into place, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "They won't lay a hand on Aelina. I don't care how many they send."
***
Back on the Vega ship, the loading ramp rose as Lyra powered up the engines. The ship began to lift. Draven watched through the window.
"Lyra," he said quietly. "We need to stay off their scanners."
Lyra typed rapidly. "Relax. The anti-tracking system is active. Unless they crawl onto the hull, they won't see us."
Velaria tightened her grip on her compact weapon. "Let's hope that holds. I'm not eager for a dogfight."
The Vega ascended, leaving the Arbora fields behind. In the distance, the roar of incoming engines grew louder. A fight was coming.
***
In the open field, Kaelar checked the readout on his wrist device. "Enemy ship is close. Stay sharp. Edena never deploys troops without a plan."
Kirana raised her plasma bow. "Whatever their plan is, they're not getting Aelina."
Zephyr spun his spear, energy crackling along the chain. "We've fought them too many times. I'm not backing down now."
The sky thundered. A mid-sized transport ripped across the fields, engines shaking the air. Grass rippled under the force.
Two side doors opened. Two Elite Edena Soldiers dropped hard into the field. Their black armor glowed with red seams, and each carried a long crimson spear.
Kaelar's jaw tightened. "Elite soldiers. Great."
Zephyr smirked. "The hard ones are more fun."
Kaelar's gaze shot upward. From the transport, two smaller ships broke off and climbed rapidly into the sky.
"They're not here for us," he muttered.
Kirana turned sharply. "Explain."
"They're a distraction. Those two are heading for Aelina."
Kaelar sprinted toward the nearest ship. "You two hold them. I'll intercept."
Zephyr stepped forward, eyes locked on the enemy. "Go. We've got this."
Kirana drew another arrow. "Be careful. Don't let them reach her."
Kaelar launched his ship skyward. Engines flared bright as his HUD locked onto the targets.
"I'm not letting you through."
He armed a missile and fired. One enemy craft exploded mid-turn.
"One down."
The second zigzagged around the debris, rushing toward the Vega.
Kaelar narrowed his eyes. "Not happening."
He powered up the laser cannons.
***
On the ground, the two Elite soldiers advanced. One pointed his spear. His voice was metallic through the helmet. "Surrender the Aiko subject and you will be spared."
Zephyr twirled his weapon. "Mercy? Hard pass."
Kirana aimed. "You're not going any farther."
One soldier charged Zephyr. Zephyr dodged and cracked the chain-spear across the armor, throwing sparks.
The second lunged at Kirana. She fired. A plasma arrow detonated against his chestplate, staggering him.
"They're tough," Kirana muttered.
Zephyr grinned. "So are we."
The soldier swung again. Zephyr looped his chain around the soldier's leg and yanked him down. In one swift leap, he drove the spear-tip into the neck joint. The armor seized and went still.
Across the field, Kirana unleashed three rapid shots. Each arrow hit with a burst of energy. The soldier stumbled. Kirana fired a final arrow straight into the exposed core. The resulting blast dropped him instantly.
Zephyr stepped beside her, breathing hard. "They hit harder than the grunts."
Kirana looked up at the sky. Kaelar's ship was still locked in pursuit. "I just hope Kaelar stops them before they reach the Vega."
***
High above the fields, hidden in thick clouds, Kaelar Thorne pushed his fighter to its absolute limit. The holographic display flickered in front of him, tracking the enemy craft weaving through the sky like a panicked insect.
The ship juked hard left, then right, dodging every shot he fired.
Kaelar narrowed his eyes and switched power to his laser cannons. "You're not getting away," he muttered.
Blue beams lanced through the clouds. One shot clipped the enemy's wing, but it wasn't enough to bring it down.
This ship's fast. Too fast. If I don't stop it now, it'll reach the Vega.
The enemy fighter suddenly broke formation, diving straight toward him. Red laser fire poured from its front cannons. Kaelar jerked the controls, barely avoiding the barrage.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Alright. Let's dance."
He pulled a lever, sending his ship into a tight barrel roll before launching two micro-missiles. The enemy tried to dodge. One missile missed. The other caught its tail.
A sharp explosion lit the sky. The enemy craft spiraled downward, trailing black smoke.
Kaelar let out a breath. "Target down."
But his relief lasted only a second. His comm screen flared red.
***
Inside the Vega ship, the calm hum of the ship shattered. A violent tremor rippled through the hull, nearly throwing Lyra off the main console.
She grabbed the panel to steady herself. "What was that?"
Outside the window, an Edena transport ship appeared, its cloaking field dropping in a shimmer of light. It had been hiding just outside Vega's detection range.
Draven reacted instantly. "They found us!"
Velaria drew her compact plasma pistol. "We need to hold them off before they get a clear shot!"
Both of them fired through the side-mounted cannons, but their blasts splashed harmlessly against the enemy's shimmering shield.
Lyra's eyes widened as she checked the readings. "Their shield output is too high. We can't break through!"
Inside the Edena ship, something massive powered up. A moment later, a pulse of crushing electromagnetic energy erupted outward.
The EMP slammed into the Vega ship.
Every system died at once. Lights flickered out. Engines cut. The ship fell silent.
Draven stared at the darkened panels. "We just lost everything!"
Lyra sprinted to the CNC chamber. Vega and Aelina were still inside, connected to the machine.
"Draven, wake them up now! We don't have time!"
Draven slammed his palm onto the emergency shutdown. The CNC began its slow disengagement sequence. Vega jerked awake, gasping for air, while Aelina clutched her chest, disoriented.
"What happened?" Vega asked, trying to steady herself.
Lyra helped disconnect the cables. "The Edena found us. They hit us with an EMP. We're dead in the air."
Vega cursed under her breath and glanced at the powerless main display. "It's because Aelina's link wasn't fully severed. They still had a trace on us."
The floor tilted sharply.
A low, rising alarm blared through the dark ship as gravity took hold.
The Vega ship began to fall.
"Brace yourselves!" Draven shouted.
The ship shook violently as it dropped, metal groaning under the strain. Vega rushed to the main console, frantically trying to force a reboot.
"I can restore power, but I need time!"
Lyra stumbled, grabbing a rail. "We don't have time!"
The Vega continued its deadly descent, the ground rushing up to meet them.