Nucleus 1: The Dust of Moon [Mature Sci-fi Romance]

Venus Standard Time: 01:20, Day 13, Month of Bodhi, Year 115

07:20, March 13, 2295 (Earth Day Equivalent)

Rishi's Chamber 49, Six Senses Pagoda (六感パゴダ), Siddhartha District, Fríðrvatn, Sand Lotus capital, Venus

The incense-laden air of Fuuka's private chamber filled with the light of a hundred paper lanterns, casting dancing shadows across the tatami floor. She knelt before a small altar, eyes closed in meditation, when the door slid open with barely a whisper.

"Disturbing your evening was not my intention," Amir said, his tall frame silhouetted against the corridor light. "But this cannot wait."

Fuuka opened her eyes slowly. "The world rarely waits for completion of our prayers, Amir."

"Evidently so." The Djinno man tilted his head in amusement.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. In his hand, he held a small crystal orb which had a luster more akin to a large pearl's.

"The Orb of Scrying." Fuuka commented in recognition. "You've been using it?"

"All day. My scrying shows significant Radi-Mon activity in Zeeman Crater in the last two days." Amir replied.

Fuuka's expression remained serene, but her eyes sharpened with interest. "We only just spoke to Jabari's people. Outpost Tumi is located there."

"Was located there," Amir corrected, placing the orb on a lacquered table between them. It projected a three-dimensional image of Osram's gray terrain, riddled with swarming brown figures that could only be Radi-Mons near its south pole. "The Directorate forces have evacuated. But something else happened before their retreat."

The orb's projection shifted, zooming in on a tense confrontation—the massive Fenris Horde's Primarch, Skarn, holding Ume captive in his claw. Opposite him stood Lieutenant Adomako, his face a mask of conflicted determination.

"Is that Lieutenant Adomako?" Fuuka leaned forward, her usually controlled features betraying a flicker of concern.

"Indeed," Amir nodded grimly. "Watch."

The projection continued, showing the lieutenant removing a glowing blue crystal from his pocket. Despite protests from Prince Laurent nearby, Jabari tossed the shard to Skarn. Only after securing the crystal did the Primarch release Ume, dropping her to the ground.

Fuuka's breath caught. "The Moondust shard they acquired...he sacrificed it for the android."

"The very same," Amir's voice carried a weight beyond his years. "He chose the android's safety over the mission. Our intelligence confirms they evacuated to Ndovu Zenith with significant casualties. The Directorate has lost its advantage."

"Fuuka rose gracefully, moving to a small chest tucked in the alcove of her room. From it, she withdrew her Spirit Lantern, its hexagonal form glowing faintly even in its dormant state. 'Elder Thorin must be informed immediately.'"

"I failed to stop the Imperium when they breached Door Kaamos." Amir said, his expression grave with guilt. "They have the Crystal's main body while Skarn holds a shard..."

"This changes our strategy considerably." Fuuka finished.

The chamber fell silent save for the soft crackle of incense burning down to ash. Outside, Venus's perpetual clouds cast the land in eternal twilight, a fitting metaphor for the moral ambiguities that lay ahead.

The Chamber of Recollection, Six Senses Pagoda, Venus

"It is as you see, Elder Thorin." Fuuka's fingers hovered over the control panel as the holographic projection of Jabari and the Directorate officers faded from view. The communication chamber fell into a heavy silence as the machine clenching Amir's Orb of Scrying powered down.

Elder Thorin's sun-tanned countenance hardened. The Nordling man's green eyes, usually bright with wisdom, now smoldered with barely contained fury. "The Crystal fragment is gone. Surrendered to the Fenris Horde's Primarch!"

Amir Talwar took his place behind them, his normally composed demeanor fractured by agitation. "The resources that must have been expended to locate that one fragment. And Lieutenant Adomako simply gave it away."

Fuuka stood in stillness, her outward calm betrayed only by the slight tremor in her hands as she took the Orb to return it to Amir. They had watched the entire transmission from Zeeman Crater. Seen the desperation in Jabari's eyes as he faced the impossible choice between the Crystal and Ume's life.

"We should never have trusted the Directorate," Thorin continued, his accent thickening with emotion. "Their priorities have always been clear. The Maridian people first."

"Elder. Jabari acted to save a life," Fuuka said softly, surprising herself with the defense. "A choice many of us might have made."

Thorin turned to her, one silver brow arched. "You defend his actions, Rishi Fuuka? After what we witnessed?"

She met his gaze unflinching. "I understand them. There is a difference."

"Understanding will not reclaim the shard from Skarn's grasp," Thorin interjected. "Nor will it prevent the catastrophe that will unfold with the Imperium claiming the Crystal's main body."

"I apologize, Elder Thorin." Fuuka said plainly.

"You mistake me. I'm aware it's not your fault." Thorin sighed, his anger ebbing. He moved to the room's central altar, tracing the ancient symbols carved into its surface with weathered fingers. "Still, we face an unprecedented crisis. Two fragments now in the hands of those who would use them unwisely."

"The Moondust Crystal must never be allowed to reach its complete form in the wrong hands," he said finally. "We need to act swiftly and decisively."

"Since leaving the Vault beneath Osram, the Imperium's expedition has been aboard a Dragonfort battlecruiser, orbiting the moon for days," Amir reported. "Likely testing the Crystal's capabilities before transporting it to Celestial Reach."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You've met that expedition in combat and survived. What did you observe?" Thorin asked.

"Prince Joon-Seok Pak himself was involved in the operation. Dilinur Altai was..." Amir's hand unconsciously moved to his side where a wound from their confrontation was still healing. "Stronger than anticipated. I've underestimated her."

"You have," Thorin agreed, his tone softening slightly. "And that's precisely why we must intercept them before they reach Celestial Reach. Once there, the Crystal will be virtually untouchable."

Fuuka's gaze sharpened. "You propose a direct confrontation? Against a Imperium Dragonfort?"

"Yes. We extract a fragment from the Crystal's main body. Balance the scales." Thorin's expression was granite.

"Such an operation would require significant forces," Amir noted. "Our Vedh units from the Sixth and Eighth Sangha could—"

"I'll lead the operation myself," Thorin interrupted. "And Amir, you will need to be the one to separate the shard from the Crystal."

The chamber fell silent. Fuuka felt a cold dread seep into her bones, her composure cracking slightly as she looked between the two men.

"Elder Thorin," she said carefully. "The cost of such an action..."

"Is known to me," Thorin replied gravely. "The Crystal exacts a toll on those who would fragment it. Aging, both physical and mental. The younger the vessel, the better their chances of surviving the process, their mind intact."

Amir stood taller, his shoulders squared. "I am prepared to make that sacrifice."

"No." The word escaped Fuuka's lips before she could contain it, sharper than she had intended. Both men turned to her, surprised by the outburst.

Amir, her love, the only man who could win her heart in her thirty-two years. The nights they've spent together. The secrets they've shared during pillow talks.

No. She would not allow this.

She drew a steadying breath. "Forgive me, Elder, but we cannot ask this of Amir. He has barely recovered after facing Dilinur Altai. To ask him to face her again, then bear the burden of sharding the Crystal..."

"Who then?" Thorin challenged. "I am too old to withstand the aging. Most of our senior Vedhs and Rishis are similarly advanced in years."

Fuuka's mind raced, seeking alternatives. The image of Jabari Adomako returned to her thoughts—his young face etched with determination as he made the impossible choice to save Ume. The way Jabari sneaked peeks at her — curiously, shyly, and perhaps…adoringly?

A sudden, uncomfortable clarity settled over her.

"Lieutenant Adomako," she said quietly.

Amir stiffened beside her. "Jabari? The foolish Maridian who surrendered the last shard to Skarn?"

"Consider it," Fuuka continued, her voice strengthening as she formulated the plan. "He's young—the aging effect would be less. He has military training just like our Vedhs. And..." She paused, carefully selecting her next words. "…the weight of guilt for his actions. He may be receptive to making amends."

Thorin studied her closely. "You suggest we use his guilt to convert him?"

"I suggest we offer him redemption," Fuuka clarified. "A chance to restore balance to what he has unwittingly disrupted."

"An intriguing proposition," Thorin admitted. "But Lieutenant Adomako is not psionic. He could not interact with the Crystal directly as we can."

"Not yet," Fuuka said, the words hanging between them, laden with implication.

Amir's eyes widened. "You cannot be suggesting—"

"The Moaning Lotus Ritual," Thorin stated, completing the thought. "In its original purpose—awakening dormant potential."

"Yes," Fuuka confirmed, unable to look at Amir as she spoke. "I'll exchange my Aether with him. His intuition on the battlefield, his capacity for empathy—he' be a fitting psionic warrior."

"Fuuka," Amir's voice was strained, her name barely audible. "The Ritual at that level…you and I both know…"

"I know," she replied simply.

The air between them grew heavy with unspoken words. Their relationship had always existed within the complex framework of Sand Lotus traditions — sexual, intimate, yet bounded by their duties and the occasional ritual requirements with others.

But none of those sessions could break her bond with Amir. Surely this one would not.

"You would volunteer for this?" Thorin asked, studying her with new interest.

Fuuka met his gaze steadily. "I would not ask Amir to risk his life facing Dilinur again. Not when his wounds are barely healed. And I would not ask another Rishi to forge a bond with someone they have not met."

"And your motivations are entirely tactical?" Thorin probed.

Fuuka's cheeks colored slightly, but her voice remained firm. "My motivations are to protect those I care for while serving the greater balance. If awakening Lieutenant Adomako's abilities could help us extract a shard from the Crystal—without risking Amir's life—then yes, I volunteer."

Amir stepped closer to her, close enough that only she could hear his next words. "You were affected by him during our mission in Nusantara. I saw how you looked at him."

"This isn't about attraction, Amir," she whispered back, though the heat in her cheeks betrayed her. "This is about necessity. About protecting you."

"I don't need…that kind of protection," he replied, his pride wounded.

"Perhaps not," she conceded. "But I need you alive."

Thorin cleared his throat, interrupting their private exchange. "The decision is made. Rishi Fuuka will depart for Ndovu Zenith immediately, while I will prepare our troops for the interception."

"Elder Thorin," Amir began to protest, but Thorin silenced him with a raised hand.

"Rishi Fuuka's plan has merit. The Directorate Lieutenant is indeed valuable in confronting the Imperium's forces."

Fuuka bowed. "I will not fail you, Elder Thorin."

"I know you won't," he replied. "Prepare the lieutenant thoroughly before attempting the ritual. His mind must be receptive, his spirit aligned with purpose."

"I understand," she assured him.

She moved to the small altar in the corner, carefully placing her Spirit Lantern at its center. The ornate hexagonal lantern illuminated the space with its warm golden light as she activated it, the vessel floating upward to hover at eye level. Beneath its glow, she withdrew from her kimono sleeve a delicate jade tablet etched with ancient Devavāṇī symbols—teachings passed down from the First Priestess herself about the sacred bonds between humans, psionic or otherwise.

'संगम दो नदी एक सागर जन्म'

'[In union, two rivers birth one ocean]'

"Saṅgama do nadī, eka sāgara janma." Her fingers traced the symbols reverently as she read the symbols out loud. The Moaning Lotus Ritual as an awakening ceremony was not to be undertaken lightly. It would require perfect harmony between initiator and initiate, a resonance of minds and bodies that transcended mere physical intimacy.

The mental image of Jabari Adomako rose unbidden in her thoughts—his determined stance as he faced overwhelming odds in Nusantara, his gentleness with Ume despite her being an android, his willingness to sacrifice. His strong body like Amir's. Fuuka could almost imagine the way he would sweat, the way her body would intertwine with his when the Ritual commenced.

And yet, there was more. An undeniable attraction she had felt in their brief encounters, a connection that had surprised her with its intensity. She had noticed his response to her, too. The way his posture straightened when she addressed him, the flash of warmth in his eyes when she appeared on the hologram.

"This is tactical," she reminded herself aloud, though the words rang hollow in the empty chamber. "Necessary for the balance of all things. For getting the Moondust Crystal back where it belongs."

But as she deactivated her Spirit Lantern, letting it float gently back into her kimono's sleeve to begin preparations for her journey, Fuuka thought of the truth she had been avoiding—that awakening Jabari's psionic potential through the Moaning Lotus Ritual would not just mean intimate connection. It would mean the two of them seeing each other naked for the first time, her body accepting his, warmly, vulnerably, the revelation of his manhood, and the surrender of his innocence…

And perhaps most troubling of all, a part of her felt excited by it.