The massive cavern of The Crypt hummed with redirected power and the quiet zeal of the Sanguis Order. In the Command Centre, overlooking the cavern floor, Lyra Kain and Ascendant-Alpha-1 were immersed in the deep, stolen data from the Federation Hubs.
The target was isolated.
"General Vance is fighting Morn, and he's using Sector Gamma's core command structure as his digital anchor," Rheon reported. His voice was low and focused. "The data confirms his physical location is a temporary, secure bunker adjacent to the Gamma Sector Data Spire. It is his most defensible spot, but it is also the most predictable."
Lyra, fully recovered, her eyes glowing with intellectual and Aether-driven triumph, tapped the holographic map. "He hides behind a physical shield and a digital firewall. We hit the physical shield, Ascendant. The captured data gives us the schedule for his most vulnerable moment: the Morning Briefing Cycle. He will be exposed in transit."
The plan was surgical, devastating, and precise. It was a military solution orchestrated by Rheon and executed by Lyra's raw power.
Then Rheon's awareness spiked.
It was not an alarm on the console. It was a sudden, jarring void in the energy flow of the outer perimeter. He had positioned several layers of Sanguis fanatics near the hidden ingress points and relied on the Bloodlink for continuous, low-level surveillance. The fanatics' presence was a constant, low, psychic hum of zealous awareness.
That hum had just vanished at the deep ventilation shaft. It was replaced by a cold, absolute silence.
The Revenant. Rheon's mind locked instantly onto the singular threat. The assassin had not used the main tunnels. He had used the chaos of the Sanguis traffic and the ventilation to bypass the zealots.
"Lyra, the outer perimeter is compromised," Rheon said. His voice was dangerously even. "The Revenant is inside the Crypt. He is moving to confirm the command location."
Lyra immediately stopped her data analysis. Her crimson gaze sharpened. His signature is here? So soon? The psycho-trauma should have lasted days!
"He is a machine of pure purpose. He will not rest until I am eliminated," Rheon thought. He was already moving away from the console. "He knows I am the strategic barrier. He will hunt me first."
Rheon grabbed his energy blade and suppression pistol. He looked at Lyra. "I will engage him in the lower cavern. He uses the shadows and the static. I can fight him better in the open chaos than here."
"No," Lyra commanded. Her voice was fierce. "You will not engage him alone. You are my most valuable asset."
"I am your shield, Lyra," Rheon countered. He turned his body into a wall between her and the command centre's access hatch. "The Revenant is not here for a siege. He is here for a quick kill and extraction. I will draw him away. Prepare the final orders. When I give the signal, the strike on Vance proceeds immediately."
He stepped through the access hatch and descended into the colossal darkness of the main cavern. His mind was completely focused on the hunt.
The main cavern was a labyrinth of shadows, cargo crates, and the low, mechanical drone of the integrated power relays. Rheon moved silently. His boots barely whispered on the stone floor. He could feel the assassin's cold, negative presence: a vacuum of emotion that was the Revenant's unique signature.
The Sanguis guards were positioned fifty meters away. They were too distracted by their fervent belief to notice the silent killer among them.
Rheon reached the heavy shadows of a massive pillar and stopped. He did not need to see the Revenant to know he was there. He could feel the cold, calculating mind: the perfect stillness.
"Show yourself, Assassin," Rheon whispered into the darkness. His voice cut through the ambient hum. "You are out of your jurisdiction. You are surrounded by devotion."
A small, synthesised voice echoed from the shadows behind a stack of crates. The Revenant was using the environment to mask his approach.
"Target Ascendant-Alpha-1. Status: Isolated and compromised. Your Bloodlink is a weakness, Vale. Your Queen cannot protect you in the dark."
The assassin attacked. He did not use noise, but sudden, devastating speed.
The Revenant lunged from the shadows. His repaired sensors gave him just enough warning to anticipate Rheon's turning movement. The assassin's hands, now gripping a specialised polymer strangling wire, aimed for Rheon's throat.
Rheon barely managed to deflect the attack. His energy blade flashed out. The metal of the blade screamed against the tension of the strangling wire. The force was immense. The assassin was fighting with renewed, lethal determination.
Rheon kicked hard and forced distance. He knew he could not beat the assassin in a prolonged, close-quarters duel, especially with his scorched implants still recovering.
He fired his pistol, not at the Revenant, but at a massive, unsupported stack of cargo crates above the assassin's head. The explosion of the plasma round sent the cargo tumbling down.
The Revenant, surprised by Rheon's willingness to create collateral damage, disengaged instantly. He melted back into the shadows to avoid the kinetic impact.
The Revenant's Objective: Confirmed Queen's Location. Mission: Retreat and Plan.
Rheon did not pursue. He had his answer. The assassin was active, dangerous, and knew the core location. He had bought Lyra the necessary time, but the clock was now counting down to their extinction.
He returned to the Command Centre. Adrenaline pumped through him.
Lyra met him at the hatch. Her eyes were wide with alarm and pride. You engaged him. You are bleeding.
"He knows our location, Lyra," Rheon confirmed. He ignored the deep contusion forming on his shoulder. "He used the distraction to confirm the command centre. He will not rush the attack. He will wait for our next move."
Rheon looked at the holographic map, which still displayed General Vance's location at the Gamma Data Spire.
"We have no time for another siege, Lyra," Rheon stated. His tone was absolute. "The defence is over. The offence begins now. We hit Vance before The Revenant can bring the full Federation force to our doorstep."
Lyra nodded. Her gaze was fierce. The silent infiltration had achieved the opposite of its intention: it had forced the Queen's hand.
"Prepare the transport, Ascendant," Lyra commanded. She rose from the console. "The Morning Briefing Cycle starts in three hours. We deliver the final betrayal personally."
The final sacrifice, the targeted assassination of the Federation's military commander, was scheduled. The Queen and her shield would leave the fortress for the battlefield and walk straight into the enemy's den.