Tenrihines was busy as always.
The capital never really slowed down. Ships crossed the sky in steady streams, monorails moved between districts, and the first level of the colossal city stayed packed with soldiers, civilians, workers, and trade convoys moving like blood through the Empire's heart.
Far out near the edge of Merchant Valley, where the desert stretched wide and bright beneath the artificial sky, stood Fort Vanguard.
It was one of the strongest military bases in the entire Galactic Empire.
The lower level sat on the ground, filled with army barracks, training grounds, armored vehicle storage, weapons depots, and long rows of defensive walls built to withstand invasion. Above all of that, held up by massive reinforced pillars, was the second level, a giant airbase suspended over the base like a metal continent.
Warships, jets, gunships, and troop carriers rolled in and out nonstop. Engines roared across the heat. The whole base overlooked the desert of Merchant Valley, standing like a shield between the capital and anything stupid enough to attack it.
Today, Steel, Stark, Voltron, and White Flash had been sent down for an inspection.
The sun poured through the massive open structure of the airbase, bouncing off the metal runway and turning the whole place bright enough to hurt the eyes. The heat coming off the desert below made the air shimmer.
Their ship landed on the upper airstrip with a heavy thud.
White Flash stepped out first and immediately squinted.
"Wow. It's warm today."
Steel followed, raising a hand over his eyes. "And bright. Should've brought sunglasses."
Stark stepped down behind him, already looking annoyed. "Yeah, I know. Let's get this done quick before I melt."
Voltron walked out last, completely unaffected by the heat.
"My internal temperature remains stable."
Steel glanced at him. "Good for you."
The group crossed the runway while crews moved around them, loading gunships, directing landing craft, and rolling heavy weapons toward deployment bays. Everything about Fort Vanguard felt oversized. Bigger doors. Bigger ships. Bigger guns. Even the sound of boots on metal seemed louder up here.
They made their way into the command section, where Boomer, the Tenth Great, was already waiting.
Boomer spent most of his time overseeing Fort Vanguard, and he looked like he belonged there—heavy build, battle-worn presence, calm in the middle of controlled military chaos.
He turned as they entered.
"Hey. See you guys made it down."
Steel nodded. "Yeah. Flight was smooth."
Stark wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. "But it's hot today."
Boomer let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I know. Things are running a little slow because of the heat. Soldiers are still moving, but nobody's happy about it."
White Flash glanced out the window toward the airstrip. "Honestly, I don't blame them."
Before anyone could continue, a soldier stepped into the command room. His face was tense, and that alone made the room shift.
"Sir," the soldier said, "we received a transmission you might want to see."
Boomer's expression changed instantly.
"Where?"
"Communication room."
The group followed him without wasting another second.
The communication room was cooler, darker, and filled with screens. Operators moved aside as Boomer stepped forward, and the transmission loaded on the main display.
The image flickered.
A soldier appeared on screen, breathing hard. His armor was damaged, one side of his helmet cracked. Behind him, smoke rose into the sky, and the sound of distant destruction cut in and out through the static.
"We just got hit," the soldier said, voice shaking. "Heavy. Huge demon. Bigger than anything we've seen out here."
The screen glitched.
"We need reinforcements. It tore through the outer defense line like nothing. Tanks didn't slow it. Air support couldn't,"
Static swallowed the rest.
Then the audio cut.
The room went silent.
Steel and Stark looked at each other.
Neither of them said it, but they were both thinking the same thing.
The Light.
That old feeling came back fast—the memory of something too strong, too sudden, too destructive to treat like a normal demon threat.
White Flash broke the silence first.
"Well…"
he crossed his arms, staring at the frozen screen.
"That is very concerning."
Stark shot him a look. "You think?"
Voltron's mechanical voice rumbled from behind them.
"We could deploy, smash this demon, and call it a day."
Boomer didn't smile.
Steel kept looking at the screen, his usual confidence gone just enough to notice.
"Maybe."
He paused.
"But if this thing is anything like what we've seen before… smashing it might not be that simple."
Outside the command room, Fort Vanguard kept moving like normal.
Ships launched.
Soldiers trained.
Engines roared.
But inside that room, everyone felt the same shift.
Something big was coming.
And Fort Vanguard might be the first thing standing in its way.