Osram Time: 16:58, February 23, 2295

  The Screaming Plains, Zeeman Crater, Far Side, Osram

  Jabari Adomako's hands rested on the cold metal of his Scarab mech, feeling the imperfections in the hull. He understood the stakes — they all did. The mission was clear: locate the Moondust Crystal fragment, avoid Radi-Mon patrols, and navigate the treacherous Screaming Plains of Zeeman Crater.

  As he prepared to ascend into the cockpit, a low rumble coursed through the Isazi's hull, reverberating like a thunderclap. Soldiers paused, an unspoken tension hanging in the air as the sound grew louder.

  Seydou's eccentric tone crackled through the ship's intercom. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Confirmed contact! Radi-Mons surrounding our approach vector — Sky Shredders. So so so excited to see us!" His voice pitched higher with each word. "They're moving with unusual coordination, like they knew we were coming."

  "Sometimes I can't tell if Seydou is trying to lighten the mood or just really stressed," Celine sighed next to Jabari. Her dark, braided hair was pulled back, framing her sharp features, while her green Sumina robe armor, etched with African symbols, clung to her with practical elegance. A shimmering cape draped over her shoulders, fastened by an ornate brooch.

  Jabari clenched his jaw, his eyes scanning the silhouette of his mech. The deep emerald Scarab loomed in the dim light of the dropship, its insect-like form both eerie and impressive. The deactivated machine crouched in a dormant state, its metallic legs folded beneath its massive frame. Its glowing cockpit sat nestled at the top, currently dark, but even inactive, the Scarab exuded an aura of readiness.

  "Going airborne and engaging the pests now," Wilhelm's voice broke through the comm, his tone almost jovial. "See how many I can swat before you join the party, hey?"

  The hull vibrated once more, this time with anticipation. Jabari watched as the Ologun marines adjusted their gear, their movements fluid and precise in the moon's weak gravity.

  The marines stood in the dim light, their fusion-powered armor a muted blend of dark greens and browns, etched with ancient symbols. Each exosuit, forged from reinforced nanocarbon plating, wasn't pristine; it was scuffed and worn, a testament to countless battles survived.

  Olive black Plasma Rifles rested in their hands, the barrels dulled from overuse, and fragmentation grenades hung from their belts. With Osram terraformed by the Atomic Accord over a century ago, they didn't need helmets or gas masks — their faces revealed the grit of war, eyes sharp and steady.

  Jabari nodded. They were the elite warriors of the Emerald Directorate, ready to demonstrate their worth in the shadow of Osram as they searched for the Moondust Crystal fragment that Chairman Kofi insisted would change the balance of power in the Inner Sol.

  Celine Kamara emerged from the throng, her braids swinging with a rhythm that commanded attention. She surveyed her marines with fierce eyes that missed nothing. "Ologuns! Formation!" she barked.

  The soldiers responded, falling into place with precision. Celine was their Sumina — 'Psionic One' in the ancestral tongue, commanding both respect and occasional distrust in the Directorate's tech-savvy but sometimes superstitious society.

  "Remember our objective," she reminded them, her gaze unyielding. "The Crystal fragment is our priority. Stay alert for Radi-Mon activity, especially around the rift valley Ume identified. We engage only when necessary and follow my lead to the letter. Understood?"

  "Yes, Madam Celine!" came the unified response.

  Jabari nodded before his gaze turned to the lithe silhouette emerging from the shadows — a light gray, skin-tight combat suit that sculpted to Ume's slender curves, amplifying each movement as she fastened the modified Plasma Handgun to her belt. It was hard to imagine she had just joined a few days ago.

  Ume was now close enough for Jabari to catch a whiff of ionized air. She walked straight towards a dormant vehicle next to Jabari's Scarab — a Gyata hoverbike crafted from lightweight alloys with a dark green hue accented by matte-black panels showing signs of wear.

  "Wait," Jabari muttered under his breath. "Who brought the Gyata hoverbike?"

  The Gyata stood like a sleek predator ready to pounce. Its design promised rapid strikes and swift maneuverability, with idle hoverjets waiting for the command to roar to life. Ume approaching it was out of place.

  "Ume," he called out, surprise evident in his voice. "Why are you walking towards the Gyata?"

  Her almond-shaped, amber eyes met his, a flicker of something unreadable passing through them. "Seydou's orders," she replied steadily. Her fingers brushed against the Gyata's chassis, a gesture almost tender.

  "Hold on," Jabari tapped the earpiece in his left ear, connecting to the Kimaris voice channel. "Seydou, the Gyata isn't meant for novices. Why have you made Ume —"

  Seydou's chuckle crackled over the comm. "Jabari, my man, the Fenris Horde on this side of Osram totally expects tough warriors like you," he responded. "But they'd never expect Ume, a pre-trained android Gyata rider whose capabilities are unpredictable, even to us!"

  A twinge tightened in Jabari's chest. Ume had demonstrated her fast learning with the Plasma Handgun, but this was something that even people in Preparatory School would need months of training for.

  "I've read the manual. The android way," Ume's lips curved into a confident smile as she interfaced with the Gyata. "Seydou uploaded everything to my cortex. Five hours in the training yard, about ten thousand different scenarios simulated — it's all here." She tapped her temple.

  "Ume," Jabari started, his voice protective, "riding the Gyata isn't just guidelines. Out there — the wind, the terrain, the enemies. Osram could swallow you alive."

  "I've simulated those, too. Most Gyata rider deaths or injuries on Osram or various moons in the Five Realms are caused by human error," Ume replied smoothly. "Ignoring protocols, acting on emotions and assuming oneself to be invincible. I don't have those flaws."

  Before Jabari could respond, Seydou's voice crackled through the comms. "I've added some mods to the Gyata for safety measures, too," he exclaimed. "Ume digested months of human training materials in mere hours. It's a waste to not test that!"

  Celine added with a crisp edge as she faced Jabari. "It was my call to deploy her like this. If she's to help us track the Crystal, we need her mobile."

  The Isazi shuddered once more — a herald of the Radi-Mons' assault. Jabari's breath hitched, and he spoke to the comm link, his voice low. "Seydou, if Ume comes to harm because of this, I'll find you."

  An amused laugh tinged Seydou's reply. "Oh, ha ha ha, Jabari, you're finally sounding like a Scarab Rider! Well done."

  Jabari watched Ume adjust her grip on the Gyata. The sight of her poised for flight sent a jolt through him.

  "I'll keep you safe," he whispered as he ascended into the cockpit of his Scarab mech. The dropship's hull vibrated as he settled into the seat.

  The airlock door opened, revealing the desolation of the lunar plains. A low-gravity ballet unfurled as the Ologun soldiers leapt from the dropship, their forms elongated by the moon's feeble hold.

  From above, creatures comparable in size to Ume's hoverbike descended upon them. They resembled eyeless bats with elongated faces composed entirely of jagged teeth, emitting guttural screeches. As they spread their leathery wings, grotesque shadows cascaded across the landscape.

  "Sky Shredders," Jabari said in recognition.

  Celine's commands came through the comm. "All units, engage! Create a path to the rift valley."

  "At once!" Jabari's fingers danced across the control panel, activating his Scarab's Plasma Spitter. Its power thrummed in anticipation.

  In seconds, several Sky Shredders fell to the barrage of emerald plasma bolts, their burned bodies floating weightlessly in the lunar gravity.

  Jabari watched as Ume powered up her Gyata hoverbike. Two wing-like gliders extended from the sides of the bike's head, ready for flight. Despite her small frame, Ume exuded confidence.

  With her Gyata hovering a few meters in front of his Scarab, Jabari activated the communication panel.

  "Be careful out there!" his voice rumbled through the cockpit.

  Ume glanced back at him, eyes glinting. She flashed a V-sign with her left hand — and then propelled forward, her Gyata cutting a swift path toward the gray barrens.

  "The Crystal resonance is growing stronger," she reported over the comm. "Two kilometers ahead, in the rift valley."

  "Then let's not keep it waiting," Jabari replied, guiding his Scarab toward a destiny that none of them fully understood.

  Jabari guided his Scarab down the ramp, its heavy but nimble limbs leaving impressions in the dusty surface. As they entered the Screaming Plains, Radi-Mons swarmed them, Bone Fiends and Skuggrs converging from hidden burrows.

  "Coordinated ambush!" Celine warned. "They knew exactly where we'd land!"

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  The Plasma Spitter fired, bolts of incandescent death tearing through the alien horde. Around him, Celine and the Ologuns moved with lethal coordination, their Plasma Rifles singing destruction.

  Above, Wilhelm's Anioma jet streaked through the void, its engines howling in the thin atmosphere. He painted the sky with amber fire, the Sky Shredders falling before his onslaught.

  "Take that, you winged vermin!" he crowed jubilantly amid the carnage.

  Jabari paused, looking upward as his Scarab's legs sank into the lunar dust. The Isazi dropship cast a shadow against the starry expanse under Seydou's piloting. Its massive hull blocked chunks of the glittering sky, resembling a monolithic structure. Green lights pulsed on its reinforced hull.

  "Jabari, focus!" Celine's sharp command pulled his attention back. "The Crystal is our priority. Don't get distracted!"

  "Right," Jabari acknowledged, swinging the Scarab around as the Ologuns faced a fresh wave of Bone Fiends erupting from beneath the lunar soil.

  His Scarab mech squared off against a particularly large Skuggr. It charged with fury, mandibles clicking in anticipation. Jabari felt the thrum of his mech's engine sync with his own heartbeat.

  With a deft maneuver honed by countless drills, he brought the Scarab's reinforced limbs to bear, slamming them into the Skuggr's head. The impact resounded through the hull. The creature reeled, its ichor spraying into the void, the low gravity slowing its descent.

  Jabari manipulated the Scarab's arms, seizing the dazed Skuggr's head. With a fluid motion, he decapitated the beast. Its head floated away, tumbling end over end.

  "That's right, cockroach. The Directorate is here!" Jabari muttered with pride.

  In the midst of chaos, Ume moved with fluidity on her Gyata, their movements perfectly synchronized. Her short, jet-black hair fluttered in the lunar wind as she skillfully avoided enemy fire. The Skuggrs spat green streams of bile towards her, but she effortlessly dodged them. The edges of her gliders now glowed pale green, slicing through any approaching Bone Fiends.

  "Impressive for someone who joined us days ago," Jabari commented. "Maybe too impressive."

  Ume's voice crackled through the comm. "I'm picking up the Crystal's resonance! We're about two kilometers from it. The resonance pattern matches exactly what was in my memory banks."

  "Lead the way, U6-M9." Celine replied as her Ologuns pressed on in formation. "Seydou, have the Isazi shadow us!"

  "Aye, aye!" Seydou responded immediately.

  "Susu Firi Owia!" Celine's incantation was audible as she brandished Solar psionic energies, healing any wounds beneath her comrades' exosuits.

  Suddenly, eight Bone Fiends emerged from a nearby cavern, their white chitinous forms glinting under the sunlight as they skittered toward Ume's Gyata.

  "Ume, pull back!" Jabari called, his fingers moving over the Scarab's controls to intercept the threat.

  But Ume executed a maneuver that defied expectation. Her Gyata spun in a graceful arc, distancing herself from the Fiends. Then she turned, one-handedly aiming her Plasma Handgun with precision. She fired, blue bolts slicing through the void, each shot finding its mark in a Bone Fiend's carapace.

  Jabari's breath caught at the sight. Ume's form, bathed in plasma fire, was mesmerizing. Even Celine and the Ologuns paused to admire her display.

  "Remarkable," Jabari murmured, his heart racing from both adrenaline and Ume's lethal dance.

  "Did you see that?" Seydou's laughter echoed in Jabari's earpiece. "I told you! Bringing Ume was the right decision."

  "Now I see why the new-gen androids were never made publicly available," Celine's voice cut through, her tone ominous. "Just imagine if there were hundreds of these out there. Smarter, faster, stronger than most humans, and given free will."

  "Afraid that our android lady's going to steal your job, Celine?" Seydou asked.

  "Perhaps you should be, as well," Celine retorted.

  The comm line fell silent. Jabari refocused on the mission, though the seed of unease planted by Celine's words continued to grow.

  Jabari's thoughts were interrupted as the ground beneath them quaked, sending shockwaves through the moon's low gravity environment. Dust rose in swirling clouds. A thunderous sound emerged as if from the very core of the moon.

  "Ologuns! Formation!" Celine commanded over the comm.

  Through the settling dust, Jabari glimpsed an immense silhouette. Its dark brown skin was thick like armor, and its tusks spiraled outward, wickedly pointed.

  As the creature loomed closer, it resembled a male African Savanna Elephant, but larger and more like a prehistoric nightmare than the majestic creature of Jabari's homeland.

  "Heard that the Fenris Horde abducted Savanna Elephants when its Envoys invaded Zimbabwe in '89," Wilhelm said over the comm. "Now I know what those blighters were up to."

  Even in the reduced lunar gravity, each step of the mutated elephant resonated like doom.

  "Poor thing...imagine the pain it must have endured when it was infected with the Nucleus Virus," Celine said with empathy as her Ologuns hesitated.

  "Prince Laurent calls it 'Jotunn'. The Fenris Horde still has a few of these beasts," Seydou added as the Isazi hovered above.

  The Jotunn charged, its tusks aimed at the Ologun formation. The ground trembled beneath its massive weight, even in lunar gravity.

  "All units, fall back to extraction point!" Celine commanded. "Ume, use your Gyata's speed to draw it away while we retreat!"

  Ume immediately pivoted her hoverbike toward the behemoth. "Affirmative, Madame Celine."

  "Wait," Seydou's voice cracked with alarm. "According to my calculations, a berserking Jotunn in lunar gravity can match a Gyata's top speed when in pursuit. Ume won't be able to outrun it once it's fully committed to the chase."

  A heavy silence fell over the comm channel.

  "You're telling me this now?" Celine's voice was tight.

  "I—I only just ran the numbers!" Seydou stammered.

  Jabari watched as Ume's Gyata darted toward the Jotunn, already executing Celine's order. The monster's head swiveled, its remaining eye fixing on the small android with predatory focus.

  In that moment, Jabari knew what he had to do. Without waiting for further orders, he drove his Scarab forward, plasma engines whining with the sudden acceleration.

  "Jabari, what are you—" Celine began.

  "Getting Ume out of there," he replied, not waiting for approval or denial. "Wilhelm, cover the Ologuns' retreat."

  His Scarab charged across the lunar landscape, each bound covering dozens of meters in the low gravity. Ahead, Ume's Gyata weaved between lunar rocks, the Jotunn in close pursuit.

  "Ume, break right on my mark!" Jabari called through the comm. "Three, two, one—mark!"

  Ume veered sharply right as Jabari's Scarab crashed into the Jotunn's flank. The impact jarred him against his harness, but the mech held. The Jotunn staggered, momentarily confused by the new threat.

  "Get to the extraction point," Jabari ordered Ume. "I'll hold it here."

  "But—"

  "Go! That's an order!"

  Ume hesitated only a moment before accelerating away. The Jotunn roared, a sound that shouldn't have carried in the thin atmosphere but somehow did, vibrating through the Scarab's hull.

  "Let's dance, big fella," Jabari muttered, bringing the Sun Moon Cannon online. Its power cells hummed as energy built up.

  The Jotunn charged, tusks lowered like lances. Jabari waited until the last second before firing the cannon. The beam struck the creature's chest but dissipated across its hide without penetrating.

  "Ekwensu!" Jabari swore. "It's barely scratched!"

  The creature slammed into the Scarab, driving one tusk deep into its leg joint. Metal screamed as hydraulics failed. Warning lights flashed across Jabari's console.

  "Come on!" he urged the mech, forcing the damaged leg to move. The Scarab limped backward, but the Jotunn pursued relentlessly.

  Its breath was hot and fetid as it pushed forward. One of the Scarab's reinforced limbs buckled, crumpling in the monster's grip. The sound of tearing metal was deafening.

  "Anansi's arse!" Jabari swore as alarms blared across his control panel. The limb dangled uselessly, sparking wires exposed. The Jotunn carved a hole into the Scarab's shell, revealing the vulnerability beneath.

  Jabari's heart hammered as he realized he might not survive this encounter. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt satisfaction knowing Ume had escaped.

  The comm crackled. "Jabari, hold position!" Celine's voice cut through the chaos, her tone authoritative once more. "Wilhelm, intercept that Jotunn now!"

  "About bloody time!" Wilhelm's voice rang clear. "Coming in hot!"

  The Anioma jet screamed overhead, its shadow passing over the Scarab. Incendiary rounds rained down on the Jotunn, striking its head with devastating precision. The creature's eye burst in a spray of ichor, and it reared back, trumpeting in pain.

  "Disengage, Jabari!" Celine ordered. "Fall back while it's distracted!"

  Not needing to be told twice, Jabari manipulated his Scarab's remaining limbs, the low gravity lending grace to his retreat. He veered away as the Jotunn thrashed in confusion behind him.

  The Scarab's cockpit was scarred by battle, consoles flickering with warnings. Jabari's heart hammered against his ribs.

  "Are you intact, Jabari?" Ume approached, her Gyata gliding over the lunar surface.

  He unclasped his harness, hands trembling. "I... I should have finished it," Jabari muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

  "Your actions were tactically sound," Celine's voice came through the comm, less harsh than before. "I should have deployed Wilhelm first instead of risking Ume. That was my mistake."

  Jabari blinked in surprise at the admission.

  "Still," Celine continued, "next time wait for my orders before charging into battle. The Jotunn could have killed you."

  "Yes, ma'am," Jabari replied, a small smile crossing his face. "Thank you for sending Wilhelm when you did."

  "Kimaris looks after its own," she replied simply. "Seydou, how much time until the anti-grav extraction cooldown is finished?"

  "Seven minutes and eleven seconds to be exact," Seydou answered.

  "My Scarab's still operational. I'll follow Ume on the ground," Jabari said, watching Ume hover ahead.

  "Affirmative," Ume responded steadily. "We're almost at the rift valley. Signal strength increasing."

  "I'll fly slower to guard your rear," Wilhelm's Anioma jet glided into view. "What's with all this static? Not exactly music, you know."

  "Yeah, I hear it too," Jabari exhaled, adjusting his mech's thrusters.

  "It's fascinating. These crackling disturbances in our communication channels were a major feature in the fission era," Ume explained as her hoverbike left a trail of glittering green particles.

  "Uh. Okay," Jabari responded.

  "We will disembark once we reach the rift valley," Celine said over the comm.

  "Understood, ma'am," Jabari replied, feeling a mix of pride and relief. "On a side note, is it possible to repair my Scarab?"

  "Outpost Tumi's on the western edge of Zeeman Crater. We'll get there for supplies and repairs afterwards," Celine replied.

  "Yes, thank you, ma'am," Jabari said as his Plasma Spitter cooled down.

  Osram's desolate terrain unfolded around them. Mosses and lichens clung to the gray expanse as they advanced.

  "The Moondust Crystal. Finally," he said as he watched Ume's back, the Gyata complementing her lithe form as she slowed and hovered beside him.

  "Just a tiny fragment, though," Ume responded playfully, and Jabari felt a surge of heat that had nothing to do with the battle they had just survived. "Who knows, maybe it will give you humans superpowers?"

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