The ruins of Aegis Prime loomed like ancient sentinels, their jagged spires casting long shadows under the faint glow of the astral sun. Kyren Axalor adjusted the controls of the Eclipser, his sleek starship, as it descended into the mist-laden Valley of Trinaxis. Beside him, Vexara Lurenthis stared at the monitor, her brow furrowed.

“Kyren, this signal…” she muttered, her voice tinged with awe. “It’s not just a beacon. It’s a call. Something—or someone—is trying to reach us.”

Kyren glanced at her, his usual smirk absent. “Let’s just hope it’s not another death trap. I’ve had enough of ancient tech turning homicidal.”

The Eclipser landed with a hiss of pressurized steam, its hull gleaming against the ruins. Outside, Xenith Callorn’s team was already stationed, their figures silhouetted against the crimson sky. Xenith stood at the forefront, his usual air of authority palpable.

“Axalor,” Xenith greeted curtly, his eyes briefly scanning Vexara. “I trust you’ve kept her safe.”

Kyren snorted. “Safe? You dragged her into this mess. I’m just the guy keeping her alive.”

“Enough,” Vexara interjected, stepping forward. “We’ve deciphered part of the Astralis Code. The shard here… it’s resonating with the artifact from Arcelis. If we align them—”

“—we risk unleashing forces we don’t understand,” a voice interrupted.

Thalira Vorneth emerged from the shadows, her Resistance fighters flanking her. Their weapons glinted ominously.

“You’re late,” Xenith said, unfazed by her sudden appearance.

Thalira’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Fashionably so. We’ve intercepted Syndicate movements heading this way. Whatever’s here, they want it as much as we do.”

Drayk Zenaros, silent until now, stepped out from behind her. His eyes darted between Xenith and Thalira, calculating.

“We don’t have time for your factional squabbles,” Drayk said coolly. “The Syndicate isn’t just watching. They’re planning something far worse.”

A tense silence settled. Finally, Xenith spoke. “Then we proceed—together. But make no mistake, Vorneth. The Astralis belongs to the Technokratium.”

Thalira raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Inside the cavern, the air hummed with an unearthly energy. The shard, housed in a pedestal of obsidian-like stone, pulsed faintly, its light casting eerie patterns on the walls.

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“This is it,” Vexara whispered, stepping closer. “The second shard of Astralis.”

As she reached out, the shard flared, projecting a swirling hologram into the air. Images of planets, star systems, and cryptic symbols danced before them.

“Coordinates,” Xenith said, his voice trembling with excitement.

“Or a warning,” Thalira countered, her hand resting on her holstered blaster.

Suddenly, the cavern shook violently. Dust and debris rained down as a thunderous roar echoed through the chamber.

“Brace yourselves!” Kyren shouted, pulling Vexara back.

From the shadows, Syndicate operatives swarmed in, their advanced exosuits gleaming in the dim light.

“Get the shard!” their leader barked, his voice modulated through a helmet.

Chaos erupted. Resistance fighters and Technokratium guards clashed with the Syndicate in a flurry of laser fire and bladed weapons.

Kyren moved with practiced precision, cutting down an operative with his plasma blade. “Vexara, get that shard secured!”

She nodded, racing toward the pedestal as Drayk appeared at her side. “You’re going to need backup,” he said, fending off another attacker.

“Why are you helping us?” she demanded, her fingers dancing over the pedestal’s controls.

“Let’s just say my Syndicate days are numbered,” he replied, his tone wry.

Across the chamber, Thalira and Xenith fought back-to-back, an unspoken truce holding for the moment.

“We can’t hold them forever,” Thalira yelled, her voice strained.

“We don’t have to,” Xenith replied, slamming a fist into his comm unit. “Axalor, status!”

“Almost there!” Kyren called out, covering Vexara and Drayk.

Just as Vexara lifted the shard from its pedestal, the ground gave way. The cavern began collapsing, the shard’s energy destabilizing the structure.

“Run!” Drayk shouted, grabbing Vexara’s arm.

The group scrambled toward the exit, the Syndicate operatives retreating under the barrage of falling debris. Outside, the mist had thickened, and the distant roar of Syndicate gunships signaled their impending arrival.

Xenith turned to the others, his face grim. “This changes everything. We have the shard, but they know where we’re headed next.”

“And where is that?” Thalira demanded, catching her breath.

Vexara held up the shard, its light refracting in a mesmerizing pattern. “The coordinates point to the Astralis Core.”

Silence fell over the group as the weight of her words sank in.

Kyren broke the tension. “Great. More ancient death traps.”

As they prepared to board their ships, a deafening boom echoed across the valley. A massive Syndicate dreadnought emerged from the clouds, its weapons charging.

Drayk’s expression darkened. “They’re not here to negotiate.”

The first barrage struck the ground near them, sending shockwaves that knocked everyone off their feet.

Xenith stood, his face a mask of determination. “We either fight… or die here.”

The shard in Vexara’s hands began to glow brighter, almost as if reacting to the danger.

And then, with a blinding flash, it activated.