The wind howled across the barren dunes of Talvoth, carrying with it the whispers of old battles and unspoken secrets. Beneath the scorching twin suns, Thalira Vorneth crouched in the shadow of a jagged rock formation, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon. She was not here for mere resources this time—this raid carried a far more significant purpose. Rumors had surfaced about the Technokratium's activities on Aegis Prime, whispers that sent a chill down her spine. The ancient world held unimaginable power, and if Xenith Callorn succeeded in unlocking it, the galaxy’s fate would be sealed under the boot of technocratic tyranny.

Her commlink crackled, and the voice of her second-in-command, Jaryn, came through. “All squads in position. We’re ready when you are, Commander.”

Thalira nodded, even though Jaryn couldn’t see her. “Hold position. Wait for my signal.”

She glanced back at her small strike team, the elite warriors of the Talvoth Resistance, crouched in the shadows like specters. Each of them knew the stakes—they were about to raid one of the Technokratium's critical supply convoys. But for Thalira, the true prize lay not in weapons or technology, but in the encrypted data they had intercepted a week earlier. Data that hinted at something far more dangerous being unearthed on Aegis Prime.

“Jaryn,” Thalira called quietly. “Did we confirm the package is in that convoy?”

“Affirmative. Intel says the data core is being transported with their main supply run. We’ll have only one shot at this.”

She tightened her grip on her plasma rifle, her heart pounding in rhythm with the relentless wind. "Good. On my mark."

The dunes shifted restlessly, as if sensing the violence to come. The convoy appeared in the distance, a column of armored vehicles bristling with energy weapons and drone escorts. They moved with an air of invincibility, certain that their advanced technology made them untouchable in the desert wastes. Thalira allowed herself a grim smile. They had no idea what was coming.

“Now,” she hissed.

The strike teams erupted from their positions with precision, streaking across the sands like shadows in the dying light. Explosions bloomed in the distance as Resistance saboteurs targeted the lead and rear vehicles, trapping the convoy in a deadly pincer.

Thalira sprinted forward, her boots digging into the sand as she zeroed in on the central vehicle—the one carrying the data core. She fired a burst from her rifle, the plasma bolts tearing through a Technokratium soldier's armor before he could react. Around her, the sounds of battle intensified, but her focus was singular.

“Get to that vehicle!” she barked, gesturing to her team.

They advanced under heavy fire, moving like a well-oiled machine. Thalira could feel the tension building in her chest—this wasn’t just another raid. If the data core contained what she suspected, it would change everything. She reached the transport just as her team breached the vehicle’s outer defenses, the doors hissing open with a burst of steam.

Inside, she found the data core—an angular, metallic box glowing faintly with holographic symbols. Her heart raced as she moved toward it, feeling the weight of centuries of secrets pressing down on her. But as her fingers brushed the core, a sudden thought struck her.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Why would they transport something this important with such a small guard?

She barely had time to voice her concern before the floor beneath her trembled violently. The entire convoy shifted, the sands swallowing vehicles in sudden, sinking dunes. Something was wrong—very wrong.

Thalira staggered back, her instincts screaming at her to retreat, but it was too late. A blast of energy erupted from beneath the transport, sending her sprawling across the floor. The data core pulsed, and before she could react, it projected a hologram into the air above her.

The image was blurry at first, but then it resolved into something that made Thalira’s blood run cold—a map of Aegis Prime, with a singular glowing point in its center. And there, in ancient runes that even she, a hardened warrior, could not fully understand, were the words:

Astralis Rises. Beware the Harbinger.

“Commander!” Jaryn’s voice broke through the haze. “We’re under attack—Technokratium reinforcements! They came out of nowhere!”

Thalira forced herself to her feet, her body aching from the blast. “Fall back! This was a trap all along.”

They had been lured into the desert, not to protect the convoy, but to bait them with the core. As her team scrambled for an escape, the sky above them darkened with the arrival of Technokratium dropships, their sleek forms descending like birds of prey.

“We’re pinned!” Jaryn shouted through the comms. “We need extraction, now!”

Thalira cursed under her breath. They had minutes—no, seconds—before the full force of the Technokratium would rain down on them. But something inside her told her to grab the core. Whatever secrets it held, she couldn’t leave it behind.

With a surge of determination, she tore the core from its docking station and secured it to her back. “We retreat, now!” she ordered, rallying her troops. “We’ll figure out what this thing holds later.”

The Resistance fighters moved swiftly, retreating toward their hidden dropship. Plasma fire lit up the night, painting the sands with death and destruction. Thalira fought with everything she had, cutting down Technokratium soldiers as they closed in.

But just as they reached the dropship, something caught her eye—a figure standing atop a nearby dune, cloaked in shadow. It was too far to make out the details, but she knew instantly who it was.

“Zenaros,” she muttered, her eyes narrowing.

Drayk Zenaros, the Phantom Syndicate's operative, stood motionless, watching the chaos unfold. His motives were always unclear, but seeing him here, at this precise moment, set off alarms in Thalira’s mind.

Before she could make sense of it, a blast rocked the dropship. Thalira turned to see Technokratium soldiers advancing on their position, but she didn’t care about them anymore. Her gaze remained locked on Zenaros, who disappeared into the sands without a trace.

The dropship engines roared to life, pulling Thalira and her team away from the battlefield just in time. But the image of the map—and the cryptic warning—stayed with her.

Astralis Rises. Beware the Harbinger.

As the dropship ascended into the night sky, Thalira felt an unsettling chill creep up her spine. What had they just uncovered? And why did she have the sinking feeling that their discovery was only the beginning?

As the dropship vanished into the darkness, the desert below lay still once more, hiding its secrets beneath the ever-shifting sands.

Back aboard the Resistance command center, Thalira placed the data core on the table, her hands trembling as she activated it. The holographic map of Aegis Prime appeared again, but this time, another detail emerged—a countdown. A timer rapidly ticking down, with only hours remaining.

Thalira’s heart raced as she realized what it meant. Something was coming. And they were running out of time.