“What happened?!” Aralius barked over the alarm.

“We were hit by an anti-ship lance! Damn it… Shields have been disabled! We’re sitting ducks!”

“Server damage to life support systems! We have to reroute power to keep the air circulation going! Weapon systems, shields and long-range scans are offline!”

Aralius slammed his fist into the rest of his command chair, venting his frustration in any way he could. “Contact the Conduit overseer! I want to know what has happened!”

The door wheezed open as the lieutenants filed in around Leo.

“What happened?” Rall asked. He had his mask on and his cog staff in hand. “Is it an attack?”

“It can’t be! Who’d be dumb enough to assault a conduit?” Fukinoki said arrogantly.

“We’re still working that out,” Leo said, looking to the lieutenant. “Where’s Mardo?”

“He’s probably still in the med-bay,” Haida said.

“Commander! Priority message from the overseers!” Operator Gorra shouted. “The security forces are engaged with Frontier resistance fighters!”

“Seems we have our answer,” Felt said to Fukinoki, sounding unnervingly calm.

“A fairly large force struck as soon as the anti-ship lances fired! The outer perimeter fell almost immediately! Heavy casualties have been reported!”

“Do we know who’s leading the assault?” Aralius asked.

“Yes sir! Ciryn, the leader of Frontier has been spotted leading a convoy toward the Sovereign's Hope!”

“Ciryn….” Aralius leaned back in his command chair, stroking the fur of his hairy chin.

“Damn, knew she was a reckless sort, but I didn’t imagine she’d pull off something like this,” Rall said.

“How many lances have been spotted?” Aurelius asked the bridge operators.

“Four beams were spotted! They have completed a line of fire on all critical systems of the ship! We’re still trying to find out where they are positioned.”

“Enough to destroy us if they wanted to,” Aralius muttered to himself. “But they wouldn’t dare… send me a full report of what has happened! As much detail as you can!”

A hologram blinked before the borgo. His black beady eyes scanned the document as fast as he could, taking in every detail available to him. Leo and the lieutenants stood by and watched, waiting for his next orders. Despite his often-violent outbursts of anger, there was a reason why he was the supreme commander of Altosk. Even in situations like this, he was able to cool his head as he focused on the battle like it was a game to be won.

“Ha Ha… shrewd. Very shrewd.” Aralius chuckled.

“Notice something?” Haida asked.

“The way these attacks began means we’re dealing with a relatively small strike force. Maybe less than a hundred. Yet they hit hard enough to fool the security forces to think they’re being assaulted by overwhelming numbers.

“And the destination is all too predictable, especially since they haven’t destroyed us yet.”

“The Star Singer.” Leo finished Aralius’s line of thought as the Borgo leaned back on his command chair. “Send me the locations of the lances. I trust you Lieutenants can deal with it,”

“Ah, was kinda hoping to join the main party,” Rall sighed.

“I’m certain there will be enough action for the four of us,” Felt chuckled.

“Leo,” Aralius grinned. “Make sure those fools know the price for defying Altosk.”

With no words, Leo drew out his gunblade, twirling it in his hands before resting it on his shoulder. As the five departed, Aralius opened the COMM.

“To all Altosk personnel! This is Supreme Commander Aralius! I am taking direct command of the defense of the Sovereigns’ Hope!” He spoke in a loud, commanding voice. “All surviving squads, pull back and create a defensive perimeter around the ship! Hold at all costs! To all squads of the Sovereigns Hope, disembark at once and support the defense! Squad 38, 9, eather unit 7 and heavies 4 and 5, report to the Star Singers Sanctuary!

“In her glorious name, we will drive this scum from the face of Sora, once and for all!!”

Escape

Allisa had just cleared the giant bird machine when a voice boomed from overhead speakers and only seemed to grow louder and louder before the message finally ended.

“That was Aralius,” Ion said.

“Aralius?” Allisa recalled Bergen accusing her of being a spy to someone by that name. “Is he the captain?”

“Close,” Berken said, floating towards Allisa. “Let’s just say he’s someone we really don’t want to run into. Especially you.”

Allisa found herself agreeing. Whoever he was, he was certainly someone she should avoid like the plague by his voice alone.

“By the sounds of it, they’re mobilizing several squads to the sanctuary.” Berken continued as Allisa approached the door to the cargo bay.

“Then let’s get outta here before they realize Ion’s gone.”

The door opened to a massive squad of troopers all meeting in the cargo bay. And unfortunately, a few took note of the newcomers. “Ohh come on,”

“Wha- who are you?!” A trooper barked.

“That’s the Star Singer! She must be Frontier!”

Allisa felt her knees begin to tremble at the feeling of every weapon trained on her. She was not feeling confident in taking all the troopers before her on all on her own.

“Wait!” Ion suddenly ran in front of Allisa. “It’s okay! She’s, uh- a new lieutenant!”

The troopers seemed to stay their hands, a few lowering their weapons. However, Allisa had a feeling they weren’t buying it.

“What’s your security code?” One asked.

“Uhh… six….teen…. five uhh, f-four?” Allisa rambled numbers through her head (ignore Berken as he deliberately rammed into the back of her head.)

“..... Star Singer, please get back!”

“You! Drop to the floor now!”

Every trooper in the cargo bay once again had their gun sights on Allisa. The door sealed behind her, trapping them with the overwhelming numbers of Altosk troopers.

“Nice going spy,” Berken said with an ironic nod.

“It’s not like you did anything to help!” Allisa snapped as she summoned her sword. She’d need a miracle to get out of her current-

****

“Lances fully charged!”

“Fire!”

****

The rear of the cargo bay exploded. A score of troopers and heavies were consumed in the blast while the remainder were blown off their feet.

Allisa and Ion included as the backlash forced both girls into the door behind before collapsing on the ground. A ringing droned in Allisa’s ears as her hearing began to return. Her blurred vision began to settle. She saw flames in the rear of the cargo bay as molten metal glowed. Whatever had just happened had just blown a large hole in the ship.

Allisa crawled over to Ion, who seemed just as disoriented as she was.

No sooner had she touched her the ship suddenly rocked. Allisa felt a strange sensation. All of a sudden both her and Ion began flying sideways through the cargo bay. They weren’t alone. Everything not bolted down began sliding towards the hole, crates, shards of metal, and tanks alike. The troopers were not spared, all zooming across the room, several desperately clinging on to what was bolted down, some crushed under objects or even falling through the hole.

As they flew, Allisa grabbed Ion’s arm. Berken caught Allisa by her hood. Struggling the small rabbit flew both of them to a dislodged tank before setting them down. Allisa still found herself clinging to something, feeling the tank rocking on what was left of its hinges.

“What’s happening?” Ion asked.

“The artificial gravity has been disabled!” Berken responded.

“So why are we falling sideways?!” Allisa yelled.

“We’re not! We’re falling down!”

The tank suddenly jolted. The metal that held it in place began to give away. Ion lost her grip and fell, clutching the closest gap in the metal she could to keep herself from falling yet began to lose her grip.

“Ion!” Allisa threw herself towards Ion. With her left hand she grabbed the Star Singer while summoning her sword in her right, stabbing the tanks hull. Allisa gritted her teeth, feeling both her arms being pulled from their sockets. The tank lurched forwards once more with the horrible sound of grinding metal to boot.

“It’s not gonna hold!” Berken yelled in a panic.

“H-hold on… real tight….”

Allisa let go of her sword and embrace Ion as they both fell. The tank followed close behind, finally loose of its restraints. Allisa teleported left into a vacant tank bay, landing on her back with Ion still held in her arms.

Ion rolled to her back as Allisa groaned from the impact. “Are you okay?” Ion asked. Allisa responded with just a sort wave.

A bullet struck close by, fortunately missing Allisa but enough to get her back to her feet. Across the chasm, two troopers could be seen standing on the wreckage of a tank caught within several scraps of metal as they fired towards Allisa with small arms.

“Shit!” Allisa backed away, moving Ion behind her while she summoned her sword.

Berken could be seen flying towards the troopers, ramming one at high speeds off-balancing him before he plummeted down. The second trooper turned about to fire only for Berken to retreat below the tank. With his plasma cutter, he sawed away at a loose bit of metal that was wedging the debris in place. With it free, the wreckage lurched. The trooper lost his balance and fell as the tank slid forwards off the metal that was holding it in place and fell along with him.

“Iooonnn!!!” Berken flew towards the girls, stopping just short of his charge. “Are you ok?”

“Y-Yes, I’m fine thank you.”

Allisa walked over to the ledge and peered down. The fall had brought them much closer to the hole that had opened. It was much larger then she had seen in that brief moment during the fall. The metal plates of the ship had been bent inwards, and the damage extended beyond the width of the room, burning a hole through the opposing wall. Everything else was barely visible from the smoke.

“Hey… do you think we can get out this way?” She suggested. Berken and Ion joined her, looking down.

“That… might work,” Berken said. “The hole looks big enough for a platform to float in.”

“Platform?”

“You’ll see when we get outside.” Berken floated into the chasm. “Keep Ion safe spy!”

“Would you cut the spy-!” Allisa yelled after Berken as he zoomed downwards, disappearing into the smog below.

A blast from an energy shot hit against the metal wall close by, forcing Allisa back into the hiding place. Several of the surviving troopers were now firing on her position with assault rifles and pistols.

“Don’t let her escape with the Star Singer!” One such trooper barked. The survivors were all huddled below in the same honeycomb tank holds that Allisa had taken cover in, with others balancing on the twisted metal from the damage caused by the lance shot, using grappling hooks produced from their utility belts to try and close the distance. “Contact the commander! Tell her Frontiers abducting the Star Singer!”

“What’s with these guys?” Allisa yelled, using the flat of her blade to block an incoming energy shot, nearly losing her footing from the backlash. They were both sitting ducks, besieged in there only foothold.

“Ion! Stay here!”

“O-Okay!”

Allisa charged and leaped off her sanctuary. Her weapon transformed into Aqua Heart before she teleported forwards, free-falling down to one of the occupied honeycombs holds.

Hope this works!

She twirled in mid-air, allowing her blade to burst into water, creating a shield that deflected the incoming fire before lashing out a water whip, catching a nearby loose pole and swung down on the group of four troopers, three bunika and a borgo. Allisa kicked the borgo with both feet as she landed, quickly subduing the bunika troopers before finishing off the stunning borgo with a quick slash to the chest before bursting water from her blade throwing the large gorilla over the edge.

“Whew… that did work.”

A crack of a bullet caused her to jump. Now facing her directly was another honeycomb with two human troopers with pistols. The one they were in was badly damaged from a large impact, the metal they were standing on clearly unstable throwing off their aim. Allisa used the opportunity to jump off, landing on a pile of debris. Steadying herself, she threw out her water whip, latching onto a loose plate of metal that was holding the ground beneath the troopers in place, and with a tug broke it free. The honeycomb wall fell away as both troopers plunged down to the gaping hole below.

The ground began to shake as the metal plates she was on began to become unstable, no longer able to support her weight.

“Not good, not good!” Reverting her sword back, Allisa stabbed the floor/wall as the piles of metal gave way. She screamed as she dangled helplessly, latching onto her sword for dear life.

“Allisa!” Ion called down.

“I’m okay!” Allisa called back. “F-for now…” she could already feel her grip weighing, threatening to lose her grip any second.

A bullet struck close by. Allisa looked down and saw a borgo trooper hanging on a nearby railing with one hand, taking aim with its pistol.

“Oh come on!”

Suddenly, the smog from below began to blow upwards, throwing the borgo off its aim. Allisa coughed. Looking down she could make out an outline of something, looking like a bridge just visible due to lights that managed to penetrate the smog. It must be Berken’s doing. Even if it wasn’t, Allisa couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Ion! You gotta jump!”

Up above, she could see the Star Singer. She looked unsure at first but looking directly at Allisa, her expression changed. She stood up, standing at the edge, closed her eyes and jumped.

Allisa threw herself sideways, reaching out a hand towards the falling girl reaching out her own hand. As they passed by, Allisa managed to grab Ion in the free fall, pulling her tight as they plummeted towards the object. When they were close, when the metal floor came into view, Allisa waited for them to pass it by then teleported. Both reappeared above the platform, the momentum of the fall throwing them upwards slowing their descent before Allisa’s back slammed into the ground once.

“Ion!” Berken came into view.

“I-I’m fine,” Ion said as she got off Allisa, struggling back to her feet.

“Thank the Ekon. I thought something bad may have happened to you.”

“I’m okay too… thanks for asking.” Allisa groaned as she rolled to her stomach. She could feel her bones rattling and her muscles aching from the two falls she had in the space of half an hour. It was a miracle that nothing was broken yet.

She had a better look at what had landed, and the only way for her to describe it was a floating bridge a few meters wide. “What is this?”

“One of the conduits platforms. The security on these things is pretty pathetic, but it can’t take us too far out.”

Allisa was about to ask where she was, but quickly got her answer to several questions she had held on to. First was the Sovereigns Hope. Drifting out of the hole, Allisa gawked at the colossal size of the ship. When she was young her parents took her to an aircraft carrier docked in New York that had been converted into a museum. That ship was massive, but truly had nothing to the space ship she saw before her. By her estimates, it seemed as long as four of those ships in total.

Second was where she was. Taking her eyes off the ship, Allisa was greeted to a wide-open space of platforms, large pylons and a drop right below that was beyond her comprehension. It truly looked otherworldly. Yet all around her were flames, muzzle flashes and explosions. Standing at the rail, Allisa made out a battle taking place. On one side was the blue armor of Altosk she had grown accustomed to. On the other side were what looked like guerrilla fighters dressed in red jackets.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Frontier.” Ion said, engrossed in the fighting.

“Frontier?”

“A resistance movement opposed to Altosk.” Berken said. Allisa recalled the name from when she first met the pair.

“So… are they friends?”

Ion seemed distant when she asked, bowing her head.

“Hmmm… wouldn’t go that far. Their actions have been a little too high profile as of late.” Berken answered. “Still, I didn’t think they’d be mad enough to try assaulting a conduit.”

“Well… looks like they’re winning,” Allisa observed.

“That’s not the issue. With this kinda damage, they're just asking for the Enforcers to come knocking.”

“.... But we can use this opportunity to escape while they’re both distracted.” Ion suggested. “Altosk- rather Aralius- would throw everything he had to try and stop them, meaning they won’t have time to notice us escaping.

Allisa nodded. She was more than ready to put as much distance between her and the massive ship. “So, I guess you can’t fly us out with this thing.”

Berken shook his head. “I’m bringing it to dock somewhere away from the main fighting. After that… we could try riding a grav-train outta here.” He pointed to a roller coaster track. On it was a boxed train that zoomed through at dizzying speeds.

“.... Of course, it’s something like that,”

“Something wrong, spy?”

“Let’s just say I kinda puked last time I was on a rollercoaster.”

The bridge came into dock at a long road, fortunately far away from the main fighting, and one clustered with crates and other debris. Allisa disembarked first, ducking behind a nearby crate. The dust that had laird on it showed that this pathway hadn’t been used in a long, long time.

“Come on.”

Ion followed behind while Berken took point. They barely made it two steps before the rabbit stopped all of a sudden. “Damn, something’s coming!”

Indeed, something pounced on a nearby pile of debris; a pair of metallic dogs, come and blue bodies with a single red eye.

“Chasers!”

Allisa took a step forward as the two dogs attacked. Using her blade, she blocked a bite from one, the buzz saw teeth grinding against the metal before Allisa kicked it back, following up with a quick slash upwards that slashed the machine before felling the second with two swings, cutting it into four pieces.

“What are those things?”

“Chasers. A weak proxy. They must be using them to patrol these abandoned areas.”

“Will they raise an alarm?”

“Hopefully not. The main forces are too busy dealing with Frontier after all.”

“That’s… not exactly reassuring.” Allisa turned to see Ion staring out towards the battlefield. “Ion, come on.”

Ion nodded before turning away. She had a distant look on her face. “Yes. Let’s leave this place.”

****

Xeno balanced himself perfectly on a bent piece of metal, the smog and orange glow from the molten metal bathed his black combat suite, creating a demonic appearance. He watched silently as the Star Singer made her escape alongside the hune girl Leo had captured and her personal ASD.

Bringing up his left wrist, Xeno tapped a button. Out of nowhere, a black speeder flew past him at high speeds. Xeno jumped, landing on the speeder as it zoomed past, grabbing a hold of the two leavers ready to pursue his next target.

The Star Singer must be retrieved. Anything else; expendable.

Allisa vs. Xeno

“Damn it! We’re pinned down over here!”

“I see ya.” Ace said aiming down his sites, ever so slowly sliding his finger over the trigger, pulling it and watching the bunika gunner drop. With a sinker, Ace pulled on the leaver, letting his rifle vent. He then ejected the spent thermal clip from the barrel, slotting another in.

Now that the fighting was in full swing, he increased the power output of his weapon. This gave his weapon far more stopping power but not only made a louder noise but also meant the gun would begin to overheat and rapid firing like this required him to replace the thermal clip regularly.

That was a trade-off Ace was willing to pay, as he could see through his sights the damage each shot wrought. Even the toughened hides of borgos or the heavy plating of proxy’s and drones were no match. In the hands of a skilled marksman such as he, it was one shot one kill.

“Yo Ace! How we looking?”

“You should be fine- wait. Left flank. Got a squad coming in. one technomancer. He’s mine.”

“I see’m! Team 2 light’em up!”

Ace fired, taking out the hune technomancer while team 2 pinned down the remaining squad.

“This is team 7. We’re seeing activity on our left flank. Sector… 3.6.”

Ace zoomed to team 7 and followed along to their left flank. It was one of the abandoned pathways that were used mostly for storage or dumping junk that wouldn’t see a use for in its lifetime. They were always patrolled by drones and proxy’s, which was why Frontier didn’t use them when setting up the ambush. The only reason there should be activity is if Altosk were trying to flank them.

“I see it. What the-?” In his sights, he made out a lone hune girl fighting off chaser proxy’s with an eather sword, or something close to that. Following behind her was another girl-

“The Star Singer?”

Her clothes were different, but there was no mistaking her, or the bunika droid at her side. It didn’t look like she was being held prisoner, dogging the girls' steps as she fought off the proxy’s.

“Yo Ciryn. Got eyes on the Star Singer in sector 3.6.”

“Damn it. Don’t tell me Altosk’s moving her already.”

“That’s the thing… it doesn't look like Altosk.”

“What? How many are with her?”

“Just a lone hune girl. Blond hair. Eather user by the looks of it. Very young too. ‘Bout the Star Singers' physical age.” Ace pressed on a button at the top of his scope, capturing a still image of the girl and the Star Singer.

There was a long pause before Ciryn responded. “Her affiliation? Are you sure she’s not with Altosk?”

“Pretty sure. At the moment she’s fighting back Altosk proxy’s and drones. Her clothes are… kinda strange and pretty torn up.”

“.... What about Ion- eh, Star Singer. Is she being abducted by that hune?”

“Don’t look like it. If anything, it looks like she’s going with her willingly. Could be one of Bec’s friends.”

There was another long delay before Ciryn responded. “Alright… Ace, keep a close eye on them. If it looks like that girl looks to be a problem for us, drop her.”

“Got it.”

****

“Damn… This complicates things.”

Rockets struck the barrier, protecting the convoy from its barrage. Up ahead on one of the pathways, a rocket team had set up, just above the convoy while another squad was blocking Frontier from advancing.

Unfortunately for the rocket team, Ciryn was in a bad move. With a wave from her staff, a circle appeared overhead before striking down a powerful lightning strike on the rocket team. It was so powerful that the pathway was split in two, sections of the destroyed path falling on the roadblock causing several troopers underneath.

With a huff, Ciryn walked forwards to the now disabled blockade, throwing out energy shots at the survivors. Once they were incapacitated, Ciryn levitated the debris, throwing it down to the outer shell.

Her plan of storming the Sovereigns Hope to retrieve the Star Singer had now gone up in smoke. While it was good news it wasn’t Altosk that had her now, this unknown hune was not reassuring in the slightest. If she was from Marina or Sigmundus then that would greatly complicate Frontier’s position. Though if that girl worked for Bec or Markus or even a friend of Rika’s…. it wasn’t the end of the world, but given her relationship with all three, it would be difficult to achieve her goals.

“So what do we do now?” Felicia said over the COMM. Ciryn could see her a short distance away, two primed grenades in her paws. “We can’t fight off Altosk forever.” She said tossing both. Explosions followed blasting two Altosk squads.

“We won’t have to.”

While the plan to liberate the Star Singer was compromised another opportunity had presented itself. The still smouldering hulk of the Sovereigns Hope hug just up ahead, and there was nothing standing in the way to have it brought down.

“Lances, charge to full power. Destroy the Sovereign's Hope.”

****

“Damn it!” Allisa swore as a beam passed by her head. Teleporting into the air, Allisa sliced the small potato-shaped drone (which Berken referred to as Pions) in half. She turned about as another chaser jumped her, the magical blade slicing through the alien metal like butter. Fortunately, that was the last one.

“Alright. All clear.”

Ion followed, walking over the twisted metal that was now sprawled across the ground. Allisa had an opportunity to catch her breath in the moment of calm. While certainly easier than confronting the troopers of Altosk, the drones and proxy’s seemed to swarm endlessly. So far, they consisted of the dog-like chasers, peons and hunter drones, all of which posed little challenge.

What made the battle difficult was how clustered the pathway was, the abandoned crates and vehicles made it easier for the machines to launch ambushes.

Yet at long last, they were free of the more cluttered area to somewhere more open. While it was still lined with junk, Allisa could at least see what was in front of her.

“Ion,”

“I’m alright.” Ion gave Allisa a reassuring nod.

“The tracks down there.” Berken said floating to the edge. Below was indeed a track that Allisa had seen from a distance.

“How often do these trains run?” Allisa asked.

“Every half an hour. They run on an automated timeline so they will show up right on the dot.” Berken pointed off to show here in the distance where the pathway joined the rail with a large ring just in front. “They’ll have to slow down at those terminals, and depending on what they got, it might stop. Regardless, that’s our ticket to get far, far away from here.”

Allisa nodded.

“LOOK OUT!” Berken suddenly shouted. Allisa and Ion hit the deck as tracer fire rained from above. Something black zoomed overhead too fast for Allisa to pick up with her naked eye.

“What was that?” Ion asked clutching Allisa as they both rose to their feet.

“Another drone?” Allisa asked as something landed a few feet in front. Allisa pushed Ion back, summoning her sword as whatever landed rose. It was a man covered in thin, pitch black with the only color variants coming from a scratch on his visor.

“Oh no…” Ion gasped going pail.

“Ahhh! Why is he here?!” Berken yelled in an obvious panic. “Not good not good!? We’re both dead spy! DEEEEAAAADDDD!”

“O-Okay… who is this guy?” Allisa asked, unnerved by both the man's appearance and both her companion’s reactions. Allisa could sense the malice seeping from every gap in the metal plates. He was clearly dangerous.

“Xeno…” Ion said in barely a whisper, “He’s a real monster…. the deadliest blade in all of Ter’figmar.”

The man, Xeno took a single step forward. There was a hiss as a part of his spine suddenly ejected. The man reached behind him, drawing out a black, single edged blade. Allisa gulped, taking a defensive stance.

“Wait!” Ion suddenly ran in front of Allisa, holding out her hands. “I’m the one you’re after! Please… please don’t hurt her!”

“I have orders to bring you back.” The man said, his voice distorted. Something suddenly slipped between his knuckles. “Everyone else is expendable.”

The man threw out two shuriken’s, which flew directly at Ion. Allisa teleported in front of her, deflecting one with one strike, yet was nicked by the second on her left side, the razor-edged blades sawing through her ruined hoody, leaving a deep cut.

Allisa gritted her teeth in pain, reacting just in time as Xeno suddenly lunged at her, parrying a jab seconds before the black blade impaled her through the skull. Startled, Allisa leaped back as the man took another swing, leaping off the ground as he attacked.

Instinctively, Allisa teleported back, her blade transforming into Aqua Heart. Yet she had no time to breathe as the man launched more shuriken at her. Allisa deflected them using a burst of water, taking a step back as the man attacked. Using the skills inherited through the sword, Allisa was able to keep up with the flurry of strikes launched by her opponent but just barely. Even using water to flow across the battlefield, the man was unbelievably fast. Teleporting behind him, Allisa was hoping to get the jump on him, only for the man to duck under her strike, kicking her in the gut.

The enhanced strength she felt from the man launched her backward, her back hitting one of the old crates where she had come from. As she regained her senses, Allisa quickly ducked as the black blade struck, cutting through the container. Water shooting from her feet, Allisa skidded away, narrowly avoiding another decapitating swing from the man, but was brought to a halt when the man threw shuriken right after his strike, catching her thigh. Allisa lost her balance and collapsed to the ground.

“ALLISA!” Ion cried.

In pain, Allisa stood back up, just in time to deflect another impaling blow, locking the two blades in deadlock. “J-Just what the hell are you….?”

“You’re death.” Xeno said, breaking off the engagement, somersaulting twice before landing on the ground in a crouched position like a predator ready to pounce on his prey.

“Hold on!” Ion began to sing. Allisa could feel power surging through her body as the glyphs returned. The man pounced, but to Allisa it was happening in slow motion. He was spinning like a buzz saw, yet Allisa could see an opening, ducking under the decapitating strike, preparing to strike upwards as a second blade shot slowly out of the Xeno’s left hand-

What?!

Allisa instinctively teleported behind the man, avoiding being impaled through the face for a second time. Spinning on her axis, Allisa was then struck by a high kick from Xeno. As she staggered, Xeno grabbed her sword arm, quickly jabbing her in the ribs, jabbed her nose with his knee then roundhouse-kicked Allisa away.

Allisa collapsed to the ground. The pain began to subside as Ion’s song magic healed her. Her opponent circled her, twirling his blade in one hand. Allisa realized, even with the power given to her by Ion, she had not yet landed a single blow.

Xeno stopped at Allisa’s back, resting his black blade on his shoulders. He was waiting for his opponent to get back to her feet.

H-He’s… just playing around….

Allisa struggled back to her feet, gripping her sword tightly. “Fine…” Golden flames enveloped her sword. “You asked for it!” Allisa spun quickly, throwing out an arc of golden flames that caught Xeno off guard, launching him off the platform into the abyss below.

“Okay… I think I got him.”

Xeno suddenly swung up from behind Allisa, a cable retracting into his gauntlet as he dropped kicked Allisa in the back throwing her against the floor, skidding to a halt by the edge.

“Allisa!” Ion stopped singing, her face full of fear.

“Ion! Let’s run!” Berken shouted. Ion ran towards Allisa. “I MEANT THE OTHER WAY!”

Xeno fired out a cable from his wrist that latched onto Ion, binding her legs together. Ion let out a yelp as she collapsed to the floor. Xeno walked on by, arriving at the struggling Allisa, placing a foot on her chest, pushing her very close to the edge of the pathway, ready to drop her down to the abyss below.

“End of the line, hune.” Xeno raised his blade and swung down, stopping short of Allisa’s neck. “..... You don’t fear death? No, it’s something else,”

Allisa couldn’t see her expression, but it certainly wasn’t an expression of fear. It was anger, frustration, defiance. “Screw you….”

“No… Please… ALLISSSSAAAA!!”

Xeno raised his blade again. His head jerked upwards, backing off while deflecting a blue beam.

****

“Agh! Seriously!” Ace swore. He fired again, watching the killer, Xeno, dodge and deflect every shot. “Okay, what kinda augments did they use for this guy?”

He had just caught a glimpse of the girl fighting Xeno, baffled when he noticed the Star Singer was singing for her, and watched the killer soundly beat her.

Every instinct told him not to get involved. Xeno was far too dangerous. Yet seeing the girl go down, seeing the Star Singer captured, seeing his one opportunity to take out one of Frontier’s biggest threats, Ace knew he had to take the shot.

Now he swore, ejecting the spent thermal clip having missed every shot. “Swear that guy’s not even hune anymore-”

An explosion close by caused him to duck. Something shot past him, a speeder. The sniper watched as it pulled an impossible turn, then opened fire.

****

Xeno released his foot from Allisa, twirling backward as he deflected the incoming shots.

Allisa didn’t know what had just saved her, but did know she had to run. Ion was laying a few feet away, Berken at her feet trying to cut through the leg bindings. She then heard something, a train fast approaching. Looking upside down, she spotted something speeding towards them on the roller coaster tracks. It was the grav-train they were planning to escape, and would likely miss given the distance to the junction and no telling if they could shake their pursuer.

Then Allisa had a very bad idea.

Xeno had stopped, deflecting the final shot, looking up at one of the pylons on the ceiling as it burst into flames.

“Vermilion-” Allisa teleported behind the man the moment he laxed his guard. “STRIKE!” She unleashed her attack, hitting the man throwing him a few feet away, crashing into the debris. Satisfied she had gotten one hit in, Allisa knew better than thinking she had won was completely untrue.

“Ion!” Wasting no time, Allisa ran towards the fallen Star Singer, her sword reverting back.

“Allisa! Are you okay!”

“Just fine! Now hold still!”

“What about Xen-oi?!”

Allisa kicked Berken aside and with a quick stab cut through the bindings. The grav train was fast approaching.

“Sorry in advance,” Allisa hauled Ion to her feet, grabbed Berken by his ears, throwing him into Ion’s arms. “Hold on real tight!”

Xeno had remerged, throwing shuriken towards them as he charged. Allisa darted left and teleported, reappearing just off the platform. The three of them fell towards the tracks as the train passed by, landing with a thud on the roof of one of the carts.

****

Xeno stood at the edge, withdrawing his blade as he watched his prey escape. It now seemed all but certain that the Star Singer will flee from Altosk’s grasp. That left only one option.

A holo-computer formed along Xeno’s left wrist, and with a few quick taps he activated the weapon deep within the smoldering hulk of the Sovereign's Hope; the second warframe prototype.

Altosk Warframe-344-V0.65 (Debersius)

“WARNING. WARNING. ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY DISABLED. LIFE SUPPORT DISABLED. ALL PERSONNEL. EVACUATION IS RECOMMENDED.”

The warning sirens blared continuously. The message of evacuation repeated amidst the repetitive blare of noise. In the hanger, the Warframe was still secured, suspended off the ground by the cables attached.

All of a sudden, lights lit up across its body, the hum of its internal mechanism burst into life. The hanger doors opened up to the chaos of the battle.

The warframe was about to be unleashed, and already it was given a target to destroy. Its head reared upwards as its hover propellant kicked in due to the lopsided position it was in. Great metal talons descended from its bottom as its white plated wings began to unfurl. The cables and clamps disengaged, and the warframe hovered out the open hanger, stretching its wings before taking flight.

****

Allisa landed on her feet before losing her balance letting go of Ion who still held Berken close to her chest as they rolled across the metal hood before steadying themselves to the sudden increase of speed. Only when they had stopped rolling did Allisa dare to look up. The pathway they were just on was disappearing as they sped away. They had done it.

“Allisa!” Ion yelled over the roaring of the tracks. She was close by, her body low with Berken still clutched in her hands. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Just fine!”

“What were you thinking, spy?” Berken snapped, raising the volume of his voice to the maximum. “We could've all been killed!”

“I didn’t have time to think up an award-winning escape plan! That ninja guy was gonna kill me!”

The train rocked. Allisa dropped her belly to the roof to steady herself. It was clearly too dangerous to stay where they were. “Hey, we can go inside this thing, right?”

“This is the third carriage! The front two are passenger compartments!” Berken replied. Allisa began making her way towards the next compartment, keeping low to the ground, struggling to move against the momentum pressing down on her. Ion followed behind her, keeping Berken close to her chest as she crawled forwards. Allisa was the first to reach the edge of the carriage, seeing the door below with a very thin grate walkway above the joint that connects the two carriages.

Gulping, Allisa slowly made her way down the ladder (nothing more than bars sticking out the side of the carriage) and carefully made her way down until her feet reached the bottom. Ion followed, though had a tough time using only one hand while keeping hold of Berken. Allisa stood below, ready to catch her in case.

A jolt from the tracks almost caused Ion to lose her grip, but regained herself and climbed down the rest of the way.

“Alright, lets-” Allisa went to the door for the passenger compartment but could see no way to open it, not even a control panel. “How do you open this?”

“Hold on,” Berken said, staring at the door. In a second it opened. Allisa sucked in first followed by Ion and Berken before the door closed. Allisa let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they were safe.

“Who are you?”

Allisa opened her eyes and saw about twenty people, hune, bunika and borgo’s staring back at them.

“Oh crap,” Allisa was about to summon her sword before Ion caught her.

“Wait. They're not troopers.”

On second glance, Allisa could see that none of them were armed and armored. Instead, they all wore a grubby industrial jumpsuit, some with hard hats.

“Are you Frontier?” A borgo who seemed the oldest stepped forwards to Allisa and Ion. “Look, we don’t want any trouble. We’re just trying to leave this mess. Next junction I kindly ask you two to leave at once. If they see you it’s all our necks on the line.” Despite the fact he dwarfed both Allisa and Ion in terms of body mass, he spoke in a terrified hush.

“Frontier? Wait, we’re not with-”

“What’s wrong with you people?!” A human worker shouted, despite some of his colleagues shooting concerned looks at him. “You guys think you're some kinda heroes standing up to those bastards! All you’re doing is making our lives harder! Ever think about that?!”

“Jeg!” The borgo snapped.

“If they are Frontier, they really are desperate. Recruiting kids.”

“Least they’re doing something! Not like Altosk cares about scrubs like us!”

“Hey, hey! Want to get us all in trouble.”

“No, let him speak! Tell us what great heroes they are after the bombing in High Rise! Tell them about how Altosk took away the commissioner who actually gave a damn about us!”

The loud back and forth continued, with Allisa and Ion’s presence being quickly forgotten. The two girls blended into the background until-

“If the Star Singer we’re here. She wouldn’t let any of this happen.”

Allisa’s ears perked, hearing them referring to her. No one seemed to know she was among them.

“The Star Singer? Please,” the worker known as Jeg snorted. “Everyone knows she’s Altosk's little pet. She doesn’t give a damn about us and would happily turn a blind eye in favor of another shiny dress.”

The comment made Allisa’s blood boil. “Hey-!”

Ion grabbed Allisa’s arm and pulled her back, stopping her from lashing out. Looking behind, Allisa saw she was holding back tears, yet her stair begged her not to say anything.

“What? Think it’s not true?” Jeg said to Allisa. “Come on, you Frontier people are just throwing your lives away for what; a figurehead ignorant of what’s going on in the world.”

Ion’s grip tightened, once again silently begging Allisa not to retaliate. She then spoke to the borgo chief. “We’ll leave as soon as we reach the next junction. You have our word.”

BOOM!

The carriage suddenly rocked violently. Allisa grabbed Ion while several workers were dislodged from their seats. Several panic cries came from the workers all around as the chief tried to maintain order.

“What now?” Allisa asked herself.

“I see smoke from the rear carts!” A worker called out with his colleagues opening the carriage windows.

“Ion, stay there!” Allisa let go of Ion moving to the carriage right-side door. She found the hatch and opened it, the wind rushing through her hair. The rear carriages were on fire, smoke billowing from the gaps.

Then something flashed past. Allisa saw it, and her blood froze. Flying through the expanse was a large white bird circling the grav train like a vulture. It swooped ahead of the moving train before opening fire from missile pods located on its chest, hitting the front engine. The carriage shook again. Allisa almost lost her footing before the Borgo chief dragged her back from the edge.

“What’s going on?” He barked.

“Somethings chasing us! Some kinda… a warframe! It’s a warframe!”

“What?! What’s one doing down here?!”

“Frontier! Those bastards must’ve brought one down with them!”

“Why’s it attacking us?!”

“Chief! It took out the engine! We’re slowing down!”

“This signal…” Berken said. “Spy! That warframe! It’s the one we saw in the Sovereigns Hope!”

The warframe zoomed past the speeding train, turning a full 180 degrees before descending. It’s metal talons lowered as it dived towards the train, slamming down on the third carriage. Sparks flew from the side of the rails as the train was forced downwards, grinding until it came to an eventual stop. Everyone in the passenger cart was thrown around following the impact. Panic struck the workers, made all the worse when a blade smashed its way through the roof. Allisa and Ion jumped back as the blade parted into a grappling hook, tearing through the roof revealing the metal monstrosity looming over them.

“Ion! Stay here!” Allisa teleported herself to the roof of the second cart, summoning her sword, thrusting her weapon at the machine. The glow of the tunnels now revealed more of what she was facing; its white wings were opened wide, its bird-like body adorn rocket pods with two other arms, right with a buzz saw and left with the blade she had seen before. Its head was elongated to resemble a bird and covered in a metal helmet obscuring its features.

“This… is… a horrible idea!” Berken flew from the metal gap with Ion clutching on his body before landing behind Allisa, the robotic rabbit.

“I won’t run, not anymore!” She declared, staring defiantly at the machine. “Allisa! I’ll do what I can!”

Allisa nodded, taking her combat stance as the machine let out a terrible, metallic growl. The machine extended its wings, taking flight a few feet in the air, hovering over both girls.

“Can I point out how dangerous taking on a warframe is!” Berken yelled.

“If we make it out alive, sure!” Allisa shouted as she and Ion ran backward before the bird slammed back down onto the carriage. Ion fell over from the impact while Allisa steadied her feet, turning back to the machine, which had just put itself in striking distance of her blade.

“Here I go!” She struck the machine’s body three times, her blade rending its white armour.

“Allisa, look out!” While Allisa was preoccupied, the bird had raised its buzz saw weapon before throwing it at her. A glowing dome shone around Allisa, protecting her as the weapon slammed into the shimmering surface.

“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you!” Ion said, her body glowing with the ethereal energy of her power. With a burst of light, the buzz saw few backward, allowing Allisa to retreat as the barrier faded. It then swung its blade towards Allisa, who sidestepped while running her own blade over the side of the weapon as she charged forwards. The weapon embedded itself into the carriage as Allisa once again attacked the main body.

The bird recoiled its weapon, raising its massive wingspan before unhooking its talons from the carriage roof. Allisa teleported back as the creature flapped its wings, staggering both girls with its powerful tailwinds. It backed further away, just beyond the third cart hovering in the air.

“Oh no, not good! I’m sensing power being diverted to its weapon systems! It’s gonna bombard the carriage!”

“What?!” Allisa said.

“Hold on!” Ion said, clapping her hands together, letting out a small and staring melody. True to Berken’s words, a hail of rockets erupted from its weapon pods in its chest. Moments before they hit, Ion flew her arms out. A barrier, far larger than the one that covered Allisa, radiated in a sphere around the carriage as the rockets struck the surface and the still smouldering first carriage. Ion’s barrier gave way as the bird took flight, circling the carriage like a bird of prey before diving towards the girls. Its right arm was held out, with the buzz saw slotted into a joint within the bird's helmet. Allisa rolled out of the way as the weapon passed by, sawing through the roof of the carriage. It zoomed overhead before coming to a halt at the first carriage, landing on the roof with another almighty thud. Its helmets parted, revealing a charging blue cannon, aiming directly at Allisa and Ion.

Both girls darted out of the way as a thin beam zoomed past, almost catching Ion.

“Ion?!”

“I-I’m okay!” Ion nodded.

Allisa gritted her teeth, realizing that the bird was not just out of her range. The machine seemed to know that, bringing out a pair of guns from its underbelly. Ion sang another barrier that blocked the incoming projectiles. The bird let out another roar, bringing out its blade once more, bringing it down in a mighty crash that fractured the roof of the carriage. Allisa charged forwards stabbing her blade into what seemed like the blades joint. Her magic blade sliced through the plating, letting out sparks as it plunged in as deep as she dared. She withdrew her weapon and retreated as the bird retrieved its weapon, leaning forward with the buzz saw. Allisa backed away further, avoiding the blades.

“Damn this thing!”

The bird extended its wings again, blowing Allisa and Ion off their feet before taking off, once again circling around the carriage like a vulture.

“At this rate, the carriage is going to be destroyed!” Berken alerted. The damage to the platform they were on was now extensive. Large sways of metal had been stripped away and the cries of the workers below was growing more and more concerned.

The bird approached the carriage from the left side, this time rearing its metal talons rather than launching another barrage. It struck the carriage, digging into the metal frame work and began tugging it upwards.

“Ahh, what’s it doing?!” Allisa yelled waving her arms to balance herself.

“It’s gonna pull us down!” Berken pointed out. “Well, all of you! I can still fly-”

“YEAH I GET IT!” Allisa stabbed her blade into the roof to balance herself. Ion was crouched to the ground with Berken hovering behind her, grabbing at her shirt trying to keep her from falling. “Why’s it trying to kill all of us?! I thought it was after Ion!”

“How am I supposed to know! Maybe it’s cross-wired!”

“Allisa…. All the workers….” Ion muttered. “They’ll all die at this rate!”

The carriage jolted. It was now a full 50 degrees off the tracks and the bird was showing no signs of stopping.

“.... It’s after us, right?” Allisa said, steadying herself. “Ion! Grab on!”

“Berken…”

“Ffffiiinnneeee….” Berken tugged at Ion’s shirt as the girl moved upwards towards Allisa, grabbing her arm. When she caught on, Allisa teleported towards the bird, repairing just above its talons, stabbing her blade into the chest. With a cry, the bird released its grip on the carriage, letting it fall back into place. Then it took flight. Allisa was dragged along, fighting to maintain her grip on both her sword and Ion (with Berken flailing on Ion’s back) as she was subjected to heavy winds pressing against her.

“MAYBE THIS WASN’T SUCH A GOOD IDEA!” She yelled out, feeling her grip beginning to slip.

When they were over a pathway below, Allisa let go, dragged Ion close and teleported to the ground, skidding to a halt.

“... I really should stop doing that,” Allisa groaned as both her and Ion struggled back to their feet.

The bird landed close by, scraping its talons across the ground before letting out an ear-splitting, metal shriek, extending its wings to its full wingspan.

“It’s still after us!” Berken pointed out.

“Yeah, but least we’re on solid ground this time.” Allisa said, readying herself. Flames coated her blade as it took the form of Azure flame. “Ion, back me up!”

“Okay!” Ion nodded as the bird took flight off the ground, hovering a few feet in the air before letting loose a salvo of rockets. Ion’s barrier reformed and held as explosions dotted the landscape. The buzz saw extended, slotting in beneath the bird's beak as it descended back to the ground, slamming the blade into Ion’s barrier, determined to crack it like an egg.

Allisa charged out from its protection, coalescing flames around her blade. “Vermilion Strike!”

Her attack struck the bird in the chest, forcing it to retreat. A large smoldering rent had formed, damaging one of the missile pods and melting away several layers of the plating, yet the main body remained largely intact.

The bird landed back on the ground a few feet away, lowering its body. The helmet plates began to part, revealing an energy cannon that began to charge.

“Look out!” Berken warned as the bird fired. Both Allisa and Ion dodged the incoming blue beam that scorched the ground.

“Damn it… how many weapons does this thing have?” Allisa groaned as she ran back towards the robot before teleporting back, avoiding the buzz saw. The bird lifted his body up high, flapping its wings to stagger Allisa before firing its guns at her. Another barrier formed around Allisa, courtesy of Ion. The bird then attacked with its blade, striking the barrier hard enough to crack it.

“Allisa!!”

Allisa raised her blade as the buzz saw struck the barrier bursting through it. The rotating blade collided into Allisa’s superheated weapon. The girl dug in her feet, mustering all her mana enhanced strength to stop herself from being sawed in half.

“S-screw this!!” Through gritted teeth, Allisa mustered a great torrent of flames through her sword. “Blaze revolution!”

The buzz saw broke as the blade of flame sliced through the entire right arm. Allisa continued the assault, letting in one last attack that slashed against the bird’s right side, causing heart-warming, visible damage to its main body. The bird reeled, letting out a loud shriek before taking flight.

“You did it!” Ion cheered as she and Berken joined Allisa just as the bird stopped, hovering at the right of the walkway charging up its energy cannon.

“No, I think I just pissed it off.”

The beam struck the walkway, splitting it in half. Allisa and Ion were blown off their feet by the backlash.

“WHAA! Does that thing have a crosswire or something! Is it trying to kill Ion!” Berken wailed as the bird landed, positioning itself so both Allisa and Ion had their backs to the new drop behind them. Its body was now badly damaged by Allisa’s previous attack. Both rocket pods seemed to be out of commission as well as one of its guns. The bird rose itself upwards, flapping its wings, the lash of the wind pushing both girls back towards the edge.

“I’ll take that as a yes!” Allisa charged forwards, changing her weapon to Aqua Hearts, water sliding across the distance. She had to finish the battle before it decided to drop the entire platform.

She swerved, avoiding tracer fire from its one remaining gun. Getting closer, the bird lunged its blade at Allisa, who dodged it at the last second, landing on the blade's edge, slicing at the joints. The water blade made small slashes in the plaiting. It lacked the power that the default blade and Azure flame provided but made it up with the free-flowing movement. Allisa teleported off the weapon, landing on the birds back between the two wings.

“Here goes….”

Her weapon changed back into Azure flame before Allisa plunged the weapon into its back just above the neck. The torrent of flames surged into the machine, causing mini explosions across its body.

“Alrigh-AAHH!” Allisa suddenly lost her grip as the bird took flight once more, landing back on the platform with a thud.

“Allisa!” Ion ran up towards her with Berken floating behind.

The bird, now bellowing sparks and smoke, was still very much alive. However, it could barely keep itself in the air. The previous attack had caused considerable damage to whatever system drove it. The plating on its helmet parted as its cannon began to charge.

“Hold on!” Allisa grabbed Ion and teleported forwards.

“Wait for me!” Berken zoomed after them just as the bird fired.

The beam sliced through the pathway, dropping part of the platform to the abyss below.

The damage continued to spread as part of the pathway Allisa and Ion was on began to descend.

“This is bad! It just destroyed the hover unit holding this section up!”

“Meaning what exactly?” Allisa asked though she had a feeling she already knew the answer. She could feel herself slipping.

“Meaning we gotta run!”

Allisa grabbed Ion, supporting her as they moved forwards. The pathway they were on was starting to lean more and more, followed by a horrible creaking sound just above.

“Hurry!” Berken yelled, waving his arms. “If this continues, the next section will detach this one in order to stay afloat!”

Allisa could see just ahead, the next section indicated by two pylons. If she could make it a bit further both her and Ion would be safe.

Unfortunately, the bird had other plans. It landed right behind Allisa and Ion at the very edge of the collapsing platform, adding its weight to the increasingly unstable pathway knocking both girls down. “Oh, come on!” Allisa stabbed her sword into the ground to stabilize both her and Ion.

“Ion!” Berken flew towards the two, grabbing a hold of Ion’s shirt.

The bird had anchored itself into the collapsing pathway, charging its beam cannon once more. This shot was clearly meant to finish both of them off.

“Berken! Take Ion!”

“Was planning on it!”

Allisa let go of her sword, sliding down to the bird below.

“ALLISA!!” Ion cried as Berken began to fly her up to the safe section of the platform.

“Why don’t you just-” When she was close, Allisa pushed off the platform and jumped. The momentum she built up carried her towards the bird, summoning her sword inverted as she flew towards it like a bullet. “- DIE ALREADY!”

Allisa plunged her weapon into the charging cannon. Explosions followed down its neck, blowing off several plates. The bird reared its head, letting out a death rattle as Allisa teleported away. More mini-explosions rattled its body. Finally, its talons let go off the platform and Allisa watched with satisfaction as the menace fell backward, falling to the dark abyss below.

The platform shook, once again reminding Allisa of the mortal peril she was. Now at a fifty-degree angle, climbing up to the safe section was difficult. Nonetheless, spurred by energy and adrenaline, Allisa ran up to the safe zone. The platform detached just before Allisa could reach it, forcing her to teleport the rest of the way, appearing just above the pathway’s seeing both Berken and Ion huddled together at the edge. Wheeling her arms, she reached out. Ion did the same, trying to catch her friend. Their hands brushed but missed.

Allisa went cold as she fell into the abyss below.

Then something caught her, by her wrist slowing her descent before finally she was beginning to rise upwards. Berken had grabbed onto Allisa’s wrist as he flew her up to safety.

“D-Don’t… take this the wrong way….” The robot said as he struggled to float upwards. “I-If you die… G-Getting Ion outta here… would be difficult….”

“R-Right…” Allisa nodded, catching a glimpse downwards. A pit formed in her stomach seeing how deep it went. The bird and platform were still visible, but becoming smaller and smaller with each passing second. If she had fallen it would have more or less been the end for her. “Thanks…”

After two agonizingly terrifying minutes, Berken finally dropped Allisa at the edge of the pathway. Allisa slumped on the ground, gland she was back on solid ground once more taking in huge gulps of air.

“Allisa!” Ion loomed over her, wiping a tear from her eye. “Thank goodness. I feared the worst.”

“You know… you’re pretty heavy…” Berken said, dropping to the ground, his vocal unit wheezing as though he was out of breath.

“..... I’ll go on a diet…. When I get back home then…” Allisa gasped, finally sitting back up. From her vantage point, she could see the massive hulk of the Sovereign's Hope as well as the battle that was continuing to rage all around. “What say we get outta here…” She said getting back to her feet. “Before they send something worse after us.”

Ion nodded. “Agreed, though I think taking a grav train might not be a good idea.”

“Say Berken, where are we now?”

Berken had only just hovered a few feet of the ground, his eyes blinking as he revolved his head around on its axis. “I’m not sure… but I’m detecting cycling energy converters close by. There might be a vehicle depo… over there!” He pointed to one of the pylons descending from the ceiling. On it was a large blocky complex that seemed out of place.

“Alright, let's get going.”