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

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 climb into the cockpit, a low rumble shook the Isazi's hull. Soldiers paused, tension hanging in the air as the sound grew louder.

Seydou's excited voice came 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 braids were pulled back tightly, and her green Sumina armor bore African symbols.

Jabari clenched his jaw, looking at his Scarab. The emerald mech loomed in the dim light, its insect-like form waiting to be activated.

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

The hull shook again, this time with anticipation. Jabari watched as the Ologun marines checked their gear, moving easily in the moon's weak gravity.

The marines stood ready, their armor dark green and brown with ancient symbols. Each wore reinforced plating that showed signs of previous battles. They held Plasma Rifles with dull barrels, and fragmentation grenades hung from their belts.

Jabari nodded. They were the elite warriors of the Emerald Directorate, ready to prove themselves as they searched for the Crystal fragment that Chairman Kofi insisted would change everything.

Celine Kamara stepped forward, her braids swinging. She looked over her marines with sharp eyes. "Ologuns! Formation!" she ordered.

The soldiers fell into place quickly. Celine was their Sumina — 'Psionic One' in the old language, commanding both respect and sometimes distrust.

"Remember our objective," she told them firmly. "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. Understood?"

"Yes, Madam Celine!" they answered together.

Jabari nodded before noticing Ume emerging from the shadows — wearing a light gray combat suit that fit her slender form. She fastened a Plasma Handgun to her belt. It was hard to believe she had just joined a few days ago.

Ume was close enough now that Jabari could smell ionized air. She walked straight toward a Gyata hoverbike next to his Scarab — the dark green vehicle showed signs of wear.

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

The Gyata stood ready, its hoverjets waiting to start up. Ume approaching it seemed out of place.

"Ume," he called out, surprised. "Why are you walking towards the Gyata?"

Her amber eyes met his, something unreadable in them. "Seydou's orders," she replied calmly. Her fingers touched the Gyata's frame almost gently.

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

Seydou's laugh came over the comm. "Jabari, my man, the Fenris Horde totally expects tough warriors like you," he said. "But they'd never expect Ume, a pre-trained android Gyata rider whose capabilities are unpredictable, even to us!"

Jabari felt worried. Ume had learned to use the Plasma Handgun quickly, but this was something that took months of training even for people at Preparatory School.

"I've read the manual. The android way," Ume smiled confidently as she connected to 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 said protectively, "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 are caused by human error," Ume replied easily. "Ignoring protocols, acting on emotions and assuming oneself to be invincible. I don't have those flaws."

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

Celine turned to 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 shook again — a sign of the Radi-Mons' attack. Jabari inhaled sharply and spoke into the comm, his voice low. "Seydou, if Ume gets hurt because of this, I'll find you."

Seydou laughed. "Oh, ha ha ha, Jabari, you're finally sounding like a Scarab Rider! Well done."

Jabari watched Ume adjust her grip on the Gyata, feeling worried seeing her ready to fly.

"I'll keep you safe," he whispered as he climbed into his Scarab cockpit. The dropship trembled as he sat down.

The airlock opened, showing the bare lunar plains. The Ologun soldiers jumped from the dropship, their bodies stretching in the moon's weak gravity.

From above, creatures the size of Ume's hoverbike descended on them. They looked like eyeless bats with faces full of jagged teeth, making horrible screeching sounds. Their leathery wings cast shadows across the ground.

"Sky Shredders," Jabari said.

Celine ordered through the comm: "All units, engage! Create a path to the rift valley."

"At once!" Jabari's fingers moved across the control panel, activating his Scarab's Plasma Spitter, which hummed with power.

In seconds, several Sky Shredders fell to the green plasma bolts, their burned bodies floating in the lunar gravity.

Jabari watched Ume start her Gyata hoverbike. Two wing-like gliders extended from the sides of the bike, ready for flight. Despite her small size, Ume looked confident.

With her Gyata hovering a few meters in front of his Scarab, Jabari turned on the comm.

"Be careful out there!" his voice echoed in the cockpit.

Ume glanced back at him, her eyes bright. She made a V-sign with her left hand — then shot forward, her Gyata racing toward the gray plains.

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

"Then let's not keep it waiting," Jabari replied, guiding his Scarab toward whatever fate awaited them.

Jabari drove his Scarab down the ramp, its heavy legs leaving marks in the dust. As they entered the Screaming Plains, Radi-Mons attacked from all sides, Bone Fiends and Skuggrs emerging from hidden burrows.

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

The Plasma Spitter fired, bolts of energy tearing through the alien horde. Around him, Celine and the Ologuns moved together smoothly, their Plasma Rifles firing.

Above, Wilhelm's Anioma jet streaked through the sky, its engines roaring in the thin air. He shot down Sky Shredders with amber fire.

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"Take that, you winged vermin!" he shouted happily amid the battle.

Jabari paused, looking up as his Scarab sank into the lunar dust. The Isazi dropship cast a shadow against the starry sky under Seydou's control. Green lights blinked on its hull.

"Jabari, focus!" Celine ordered sharply. "The Crystal is our priority. Don't get distracted!"

"Right," Jabari acknowledged, turning his Scarab as the Ologuns faced more Bone Fiends coming from beneath the lunar soil.

His Scarab faced off against a large Skuggr. It charged angrily, its mandibles clicking. Jabari felt his mech's engine match his heartbeat.

With a skilled move from countless practice sessions, he slammed the Scarab's limbs into the Skuggr's head. The impact shook the hull. The creature stumbled, spraying ichor that floated slowly in the low gravity.

Jabari moved the Scarab's arms, grabbing the dazed Skuggr's head. With a smooth motion, he ripped off its head, which floated away, tumbling.

"That's right, cockroach. The Directorate is here!" Jabari said proudly.

In the chaos, Ume moved smoothly on her Gyata, perfectly in sync. Her short black hair fluttered in the lunar wind as she avoided enemy attacks. The Skuggrs spat green bile at her, but she dodged easily. The edges of her gliders glowed pale green, cutting through approaching Bone Fiends.

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

Ume's voice came 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 moved forward in formation. "Seydou, have the Isazi follow us!"

"Aye, aye!" Seydou responded immediately.

"Susu Firi Owia!" Celine chanted, summoning Solar psionic energy to heal any wounds under her comrades' armor.

Suddenly, eight Bone Fiends emerged from a nearby cave, their white bodies gleaming in the sunlight as they rushed toward Ume's Gyata.

"Ume, pull back!" Jabari called, moving his Scarab's controls to intercept them.

But Ume performed an unexpected maneuver. Her Gyata spun gracefully, moving away from the Fiends. Then she turned, aiming her Plasma Handgun with one hand. She fired, blue bolts cutting through space, each shot hitting a Bone Fiend's shell.

Jabari was amazed at the sight. Ume, surrounded by plasma fire, was mesmerizing. Even Celine and the Ologuns paused to watch.

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

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

"Now I see why the new-gen androids were never made public," Celine said ominously. "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 replied.

The comm went silent. Jabari refocused on the mission, though Celine's words left him uneasy.

Jabari's thoughts were interrupted when the ground beneath them shook, sending waves through the moon's low gravity. Dust rose in clouds. A loud sound came as if from the moon's core.

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

Through the settling dust, Jabari saw a huge shape. Its dark brown skin looked like armor, and its tusks curved outward with sharp points.

As the creature came closer, it looked like a male African Savanna Elephant, but bigger and more like a prehistoric nightmare than the majestic animal from Jabari's homeland.

"Heard that the Fenris Horde took 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 shook the ground like doom.

"Poor thing...imagine the pain it must have felt when it was infected with the Nucleus Virus," Celine said sympathetically 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 shook beneath its massive weight, even in lunar gravity.

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

Ume immediately turned her hoverbike toward the monster. "Affirmative, Madame Celine."

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

A heavy silence fell over the comm.

"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 following Celine's order. The monster's head turned, its eye focusing on the small android.

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

"Jabari, what are you—" Celine began.

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

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

"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 side. The impact threw him against his harness, but the mech held. The Jotunn stumbled, 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 speeding 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, turning on the Sun Moon Cannon. 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 hit the creature's chest but spread 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 kept coming.

Its breath was hot and foul as it pushed forward. One of the Scarab's reinforced limbs buckled under 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 hung uselessly, wires exposed and sparking. The Jotunn tore a hole in the Scarab's shell, revealing what was underneath.

Jabari's heart pounded as he realized he might not survive this fight. Yet somewhere in his mind, he felt satisfied knowing Ume had escaped.

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

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

The Anioma jet screamed overhead, its shadow passing over the Scarab. Incendiary rounds rained down on the Jotunn, hitting its head precisely. 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 moved his Scarab's remaining limbs, the low gravity making his retreat easier. He veered away as the Jotunn thrashed in confusion behind him.

The Scarab's cockpit was damaged from battle, consoles flickering with warnings. Jabari's heart hammered in his chest.

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

He unclasped his harness, hands shaking. "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 her 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 on 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 calmly. "We're almost at the rift valley. Signal strength increasing."

"I'll fly slower to guard your rear," Wilhelm's Anioma jet came 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 both proud and relieved. "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 empty terrain stretched around them. Mosses and lichens clung to the gray surface as they moved forward.

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

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