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

Osram Time: 10:45, February 24, 2295

The Broodmother's Descent, the Sepulcher of Ysolde, Zeeman Crater, Far Side, Osram

"For the Directorate!" Jabari fired his Plasma Rifle at the Bone Fiends rushing through the narrow passage. Bodies piled up as they fell.

"Keep them bottlenecked!" Laurent called out, his Psytum Sword cutting purple arcs through the air. "Don't let them flank us!"

Ume picked off stragglers with her Plasma Handgun, each shot precise and calculated. "Forty-seven hostiles eliminated! More approaching from that tunnel on the other side."

Jabari felt the Moondust Crystal shard in his armor pocket, warm even through the protective lining. The fragment they'd recovered at such cost was their only advantage against the horde – and perhaps their only hope of escape.

"There's too many!" Ume said, still calm despite the situation. "I calculate our ammunition will be depleted before we make significant progress."

A fresh wave of Bone Fiends poured from the leftmost tunnel – leaner, faster ones with sharp protrusions jutting from their skeletal frames.

"Prince Laurent!" Jabari shouted. "We need to use the shard!"

Laurent killed another Bone Fiend before falling back. "Give it to me, quickly!"

Jabari retrieved the glowing crystal fragment and passed it to Laurent.

"Cover me," Laurent said firmly. "This will drain me."

Jabari and Ume formed a protective triangle around Laurent, intensifying their fire while the prince closed his eyes in concentration.

Laurent spoke in Devavāṇī, his voice echoing strangely. "Akhandit chetna, kalateet rahasya!"

The shard flared white, sending energy waves through the chamber. The Bone Fiends froze mid-charge, convulsing before turning on each other, tearing into their own kind with claws and teeth.

"What's happening to them?" Jabari asked, lowering his rifle.

Laurent's voice was strained, sweat on his forehead as he gripped the shard. "Breaking... their connection to the Hivemind. They're just... animals now. No coordination."

Within moments, the tunnel was filled with dead Bone Fiends. The few survivors scrambled away in panic.

Laurent staggered, nearly dropping the shard. Jabari caught him by the shoulder while taking back the crystal.

"Are you alright?" Jabari asked.

Laurent wiped blood from his nose. "That thing... screams in your head when you use it. Like a thousand voices at once." He straightened with effort. "The effect won't last long. We need to keep moving."

"Something larger approaching," Ume announced, energy lines dancing in her eyes. "Mass and gait pattern inconsistent with standard Bone Fiend variants."

A massive figure emerged from the shadows. Nearly three meters tall, its body was covered in olive-colored plates over rippling muscle. Drool dripped from its fanged mouth, and its eyes burned with predatory intelligence. Blood-slick claws flexed as it advanced.

"What in Anansi's name…?" Jabari muttered, raising his rifle.

Laurent's posture changed, recognition in his eyes. "Mao Dakai. The Butcher of Portia." He tightened his grip on his sword. "Jabari, Ume – handle the small fry. This one's mine."

Dakai smiled grotesquely. "Prince Laurent of the Kimaris Warband," his voice was gravelly. "Your head will make a fine trophy."

Laurent's sword hummed with energy as he faced Dakai. The monster towered over him, but the prince remained relaxed.

"The coward who fled to the Fenris Horde after the Imperium cast you out," Laurent said mockingly. "Tell me, does Skarn keep you well-fed with the flesh of the fallen — or a more base need?"

Dakai roared and lunged forward with surprising speed, his claws missing Laurent by inches.

Laurent dodged, his blade cutting along Dakai's side. "Too slow, beast."

Jabari couldn't watch more as Bone Fiends kept coming from the other tunnels. His rifle found targets with precision, dropping monster after monster.

"Jabari, your three o'clock!" Ume warned just as a Bone Fiend leaped from the shadows.

He turned, the creature's claws scraping his armor as he shot it in the chest. It collapsed, twitching.

Behind them, Laurent and Dakai fought intensely. The prince moved fluidly, each dodge flowing into a strike. But Dakai was powerful – his claws gouged the stone walls, his strikes breaking rock.

"Your Psytum Sword," Dakai growled, "I will add it to my collection after I feast on your corpse!"

"My blade's too refined for your savage tastes." Laurent ducked under a swipe and carved a smoking gash across Dakai's chest.

The wound closed almost instantly as Dakai laughed. "We are endless, little prince. Your people's time is over – the Fenris Horde will—"

Laurent interrupted with a thrust that nearly took Dakai's eye. But the monster caught his arm, lifting him off his feet.

"Laurent!" Jabari called out, splitting his attention between the Bone Fiends and his commander.

"The shard!" Laurent gasped as Dakai's claws dug into his arm. "Jabari, throw me the shard!"

Jabari hesitated briefly. The Moondust shard was their mission objective – their irreplaceable asset. But Laurent was their leader, and without him...

"Here!" Jabari took the crystal from his pocket and threw it to Laurent.

Laurent caught it with his free hand. Dakai tightened his grip, drawing blood.

"Owia a Ɛhyew!" Laurent shouted, this time in Anansekam, the Directorate people's psionic tongue.

The shard exploded with aureate light, forcing Jabari to shield his eyes. When he looked again, Dakai was staggering back, his body convulsing. His chest plates were cracking, golden rays spilling through the fissures.

"What... have you done?" the Draug growled, clawing at his chest.

Laurent fell to one knee, still holding the shard. Blood ran from his nose and ears, but his eyes were triumphant. "Giving you indigestion, hot guy."

Dakai howled in pain, the light intensifying before bursting through his body. For a moment, his skeleton was visible through his flesh.

Then the light faded, and Dakai collapsed, his body smoking but intact.

Laurent struggled to stand, swaying. "Solar fire purges the Void that sustains him. Won't kill him, but should buy us time."

Jabari supported Laurent while keeping his rifle aimed at Dakai. The shard in Laurent's hand had dimmed significantly.

"The shard," Laurent said weakly, giving it back to Jabari. "Keep it safe. That... took more than I expected."

Jabari pocketed the shard, noticing how cool it felt compared to before. "How much time did that buy us?" he asked Ume.

"The Draug's vital signs are suppressed but stabilizing. Estimated recovery time: four minutes," Ume replied.

"Then we move now," Jabari said, helping Laurent. "Which way?"

The wall beside them suddenly exploded inward, showering them with debris. Through the dust came a familiar, massive figure that made Jabari's blood run cold.

Skarn had returned.

"Insects still scurrying about?" Skarn's armored body filled the breach, his cybernetic implants glowing sickly. His tentacles retracted into his torso to fit the narrow space. "Ah, I see you've subdued poor Dakai. How... inconvenient."

"Ume!" Jabari lunged, but too late. Skarn's arm shot out, grabbing Ume around the waist. Her gun clattered to the ground as he lifted her up, bringing her close to his fanged mouth.

"Let her go!" Jabari aimed his rifle, but Skarn laughed and used Ume as a shield. His orange eyes fixed on Jabari.

"This android is an Imperial product," Skarn said with cruel amusement. "Fascinating how you humans form attachments to such machines." His grip tightened, making Ume wince. "But I sense something valuable about you, little one. Something in that positronic brain of yours..."

Even in Skarn's grasp, Ume remained steady. "My neural architecture is heavily encrypted! You won't —"

"Silence!" Skarn turned to Jabari. "The fragment you possess. The Moondust shard. Give it to me, and your mechanical maid lives."

Jabari's mind raced. The shard was their mission – the culmination of weeks of planning and lives lost. Chairman Kofi had personally entrusted him with its safe return. With it, the Directorate might gain control over the Radi-Mon threat.

He looked at Ume, held in Skarn's claw. In their short time together, she'd shown more humanity than many people he'd met. Her curiosity, growing sense of self, and quiet determination weren't programmed responses. They were real.

"Don't!" Laurent pushed himself up, blood still trickling from his nose. His hand shook as he reached for the shard in Jabari's pocket. "Give it to me. One more time. I can stop him."

Jabari hesitated, looking between Laurent and Ume. The prince was pale, his eyes unfocused. Using the shard again might kill him.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Skarn's claw tightened around Ume. Her body creaked as it began to compress. Her face remained composed, but Jabari saw the flash of fear in her eyes – not programmed, but real.

"That shard is worth more than any android!" Laurent hissed, his eyes intense. "It could save thousands of lives!"

But Jabari had seen Ume learn, adapt, discover joy in simple things. He'd seen her fear death – shutdown, or whatever applied to androids. He'd watched her understand her place in a world that saw her as property.

"Or I can tear her apart then take the shard from your corpse." Skarn said impatiently.

The Fenris Primarch squeezed tighter. A crack appeared on Ume's combat armor, a thin line that would spread if he continued.

"She's not just an android," Jabari said quietly but firmly. He took out the crystal shard, which glowed with faint blue light. "She's my friend."

"Jabari, don't be a fool!" Laurent lunged for the shard but fell to one knee, too weak from earlier. "That's part of the Moondust Crystal! We can't—"

"Here." Jabari tossed the shard to Skarn.

Skarn smiled. "How touching." He opened his claw, dropping Ume. She landed smoothly and immediately moved to Jabari's side.

"You absolute idiot!" Laurent was furious, his face twisted with rage.

"I chose what matters." Jabari put his arm around Ume's shoulders. Her body was damaged, a hairline crack running from her shoulder to her waist, but she was safe.

"Indeed you did," Skarn examined the crystal with satisfaction. "Though I never promised to let you leave alive." He raised his head and roared. "Slay them all!"

Chaos erupted as the horde surged forward. Jabari's rifle sputtered, then died with a high-pitched whine.

"Of course," Laurent spat while fending off Bone Fiends. "Our Directorate's eco-friendly plasma weapons. So clean, so unreliable!"

Jabari slung his rifle across his back. In one smooth motion, he drew his Vibro-Spear from behind his shoulder.

The golden weapon unfolded with a mechanical purr, its segments clicking into place. The spearhead hummed to life, vibrating at a frequency that could cut through armor and bone.

"Look out!" Ume warned as a Bone Fiend leaped. Jabari turned, the Vibro-Spear catching the creature mid-jump. The blade cut through its chest easily, the two halves falling past him.

They fought back-to-back as the horde closed in. Above them, Skarn watched with satisfaction, holding the Moondust shard. Across the chamber, Dakai was beginning to stir.

"We need an exit," Jabari said, his spear cutting down another Bone Fiend. "Any ideas?"

Laurent fought with cold precision despite his exhaustion. He hadn't spoken directly to Jabari. It made sense. The Moondust shard was surrendered.

Static crackled in their comms before Wilhelm's voice came through: "Wilhelm here. Got a thermal lock on your position. Found an escape route!"

"Wilhelm! Anansi be praised," Jabari said with relief. "Where?"

"Sensors show a clear tunnel about thirteen meters northwest of you. It leads to the surface. But —" Static interrupted. "A mass of thermal signatures —moving fast. Ain't normal Radi-Mon readings."

"Draugs," Laurent confirmed as he pressed one hand to his temple. "The tunnel exit. What does it look like?"

"Like…the backside of a rotten Skuggr, is how I'd call it?" Wilhelm's response was laced with hesitance.

"I know that one." The prince killed a Bone Fiend with a backflip that brought him closer. Though weakened, he still moved gracefully. His blade cut through the Bone Fiends. "Follow me!"

Despite Laurent's disapproval, they fought forward as one unit, the amethyst energy of Laurent's Psytum Sword clearing a path while Jabari's spear protected their flanks. Ume stayed between them, her eyes flickering with yellow light.

Behind them, Dakai laughed. "Run, Maridians! The hunt is always sweeter when prey believes it can escape."

As they battled toward Wilhelm's extraction point, Jabari faced an uncomfortable truth: he'd compromised their mission, risked all their lives, and handed a powerful artifact to the enemy – all for Ume. Would he make the same choice again?

He glanced at her as she ducked beneath his arm, the damaged seam in her neck catching the light. Despite everything, despite the consequences waiting, he knew the answer.

Yes. A thousand times yes, so he would think.

The tunnel Wilhelm had identified appeared ahead – along with the sound of approaching Draugs.

"The Draugs are spreading out," Wilhelm said through the static. "Setting up a kill zone at the tunnel mouth. You've got maybe a minute before they're in position."

Dakai crashed through the chamber behind them, with Bone Fiends loping alongside, gaining on them.

Laurent's eyes lit up as he sheathed his Psytum Sword. "Wilhelm, create a distraction!"

"Got a clear shot. Loading incendiary rounds!"

The tunnel entrance erupted in flames as Wilhelm's Anioma strafed it. The Draugs in their rotten forms scattered, howling with rage.

"Now!" Laurent grabbed Ume's arm, his blade cutting handholds into the tunnel wall. "Climb!"

The gesture – Laurent helping Ume despite his anger over Jabari's choice – wasn't lost on either of them. Did he believe it, then? That in the field, lives still mattered. Even the life of an android?

Jabari followed, strapping his spear across his back as they climbed the curved wall. The weapon retracted itself next to his damaged rifle.

Below, Dakai filled the passage, his claws scraping the stone as he tried to reach them.

"Insects!" Dakai roared, making the air tremble. "You deny me a proper feast?"

"No dinner for you!" Jabari called back, kicking down a chunk of stone that bounced off Dakai's head.

They moved across the ceiling, Laurent cutting handholds while Jabari helped Ume go between them. Wilhelm's Anioma continued its barrage, keeping the Draugs at bay.

Daylight appeared ahead – a hole in the tunnel roof where ancient stone had collapsed. Freedom was just meters away.

A massive claw punched through the ceiling beside them, nearly hitting Ume. Dakai was tearing through the rock to reach them.

"Jump!" Laurent ordered as another section of ceiling began to crack.

They leaped just as the tunnel roof collapsed behind them, landing on the lunar surface. Dust and debris rained down as Dakai's roars were muffled by falling rock.

Jabari gasped for breath as the stillness settled around them. They had made it to safety.

"No Radi-Mons in sight," Ume reported, standing beside him in her battered gray combat suit, claw marks marring the texture just as his own was.

"Yeah, we're safe," Jabari replied, nodding with relief as he turned to face their leader. "Prince Laurent—"

But the usual calm presence of the Kimaris commander was nowhere to be found. Instead, a fist wrapped in crackling purple energy struck Jabari squarely in the stomach, the force so powerful that even his combat armor could not absorb the impact. Jabari's vision blurred as he crumpled to the ground, his knees sinking into the gray lunar dust.

"Jabari!" Ume cried out.

"Stay back, U6-M9. This doesn't involve you," Laurent commanded, raising a hand as he loomed over Jabari, his long, curly hair swaying in the lunar wind. The prince's rage was palpable.

Enduring the pain, Jabari looked up, meeting Laurent's gaze as sweat beaded on his forehead. "Sir...?"

With a slender hand, the prince grasped Jabari's collar, yanking him upright with undeniable menace. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you. Right now!" he roared.

Jabari felt the ache in his abdomen as he spoke again. "Sir..." His sentence trailed off, the impact of Laurent's punch still lingering. "Is this about the Moondust...shard?"

The prince's voice rose in anger as he gestured towards the dark sky, and suddenly the air shimmered with psionic energy. A perfect image of Earth materialized overhead, the blue planet hanging impossibly in the void where none should be visible. "Five centuries! That shard could be the start of restoring our people's pride after five centuries of humiliation. And you've ruined it!"

As Jabari's vision cleared, his gaze followed to the illusory planet. Even from this distance, Laurent's conjuration was so detailed that the continent of Africa, shaped like a lion's head, was visible.

Jabari looked back at Laurent, stammering, "I...I don't understand." He blinked, realizing the Earth above them was a Mirage spell, yet no less potent in its message.

"In ancient times, when the Valorans first came to our continent..." Laurent continued, the shimmering image of Earth slowly rotating to center Africa above them, "our gold mines were plundered and collapsed. Our homes, shattered."

"Valorans…like Wilhelm?" Jabari asked, despite his pain.

"Yes. But unlike Wilhelm, they did not see us as equals," Laurent continued. "Our people, divided and exploited. Millions sold like properties to the lands now occupied by the Alliance and the Zorian Covenant. Our ancestors lived like mules, animals. Or worse."

Jabari's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Ume beside them. "Properties...like androids?"

"Like androids, yes," Laurent growled, circling Jabari. "The Moondust Crystal was our one chance to conquer the Radi-Mons, then rise as new rulers of the Five Realms. To start building something like a heritage. And you..."

"...handed our best lead for finding it to the Radi-Mons. To save Ume," Jabari rose defiantly despite his injuries. He wondered how his grandmother would judge him now.

"So you know exactly what you've done." Laurent's smile held no warmth as he activated his Psytum Sword, aiming the violet energy blade menacingly at Jabari. "Tell me why I shouldn't execute you for jeopardizing our mission."

Jabari bowed his head, thinking.

Still kneeling, he raised his eyes to Laurent again. "I have no defense. If you believe I deserve death, I accept it willingly."

Laurent's gaze became slits as he gripped his weapon, the psionic blade's warmth only intensifying Jabari's perspiration.

It was then that Ume stepped between them, facing Laurent, her petite form standing silently but firmly.

"U6-M9. As I said, this doesn't involve you." Laurent tilted his head in frustration as he addressed Ume.

"Given the circumstances with the Radi-Mons, it would be strategically imprudent to eliminate an officer with combat expertise and Scarab piloting abilities." Ume's eyes flashed with those yellow lines again, conveying her emotions. "If discipline is required, deactivating an android like myself would be less costly than terminating Jabari."

"Ume, no. I only just saved you —" Jabari turned to her.

"And I've made an assessment." Ume looked at Jabari briefly before turning to Laurent. On one knee, she lowered herself next to him, staring up at Laurent with what resembled determination. "The most practical one, given current conditions."

Laurent didn't move. The only sound in the silence was the hum of his Psytum Sword against the winds around them.

In that moment, a familiar, high-pitched voice came through their comms, breaking their tension. "Prince Laurent! We have a situation."

"Report, Seydou." Laurent held his sword, his free hand moving to tap his earpiece.

"Bone Fiends, Skuggrs, Sky Shredders…they keep coming! Turrets can't hold forever." Seydou's voice replied.

"Wilhelm! What do you see?" Laurent turned his head to the horizon.

"Various nests in the Crater coming alive. Multiple packs congregating towards —" His British lilt took a pause. "— our outpost."

"Prepare your defenses. Wait for my orders." Laurent finished as he turned to look at Jabari again. "It's impractical to remove either of you from the Kimaris Warband. We move to defend Outpost Tumi immediately."

"Thank you, sir!" Jabari stood up, feeling the weight of folded Vibro-Spear and Plasma Rifle on his back.

"Move out! We'll show the Fenris what true Maridians look like." Laurent turned around and began his stride, his emerald cape billowing in the wind.

"Let's run!" Jabari helped Ume up as Wilhelm's Anioma flew overhead. "Back to the outpost!"

They sprinted across Osram's gray surface. The collapse had bought them time, but they could already hear the Fenris Horde finding new ways to the surface.

Outpost Tumi appeared in the distance. But as they got closer, Jabari's heart sank. Smoke rose from the fortress walls, and the sounds of combat echoed across the crater.

Jabari tensed as he took in the scene. The outpost was under attack, with monsters surging over the walls. Plasma turrets fired into the horde, but they seemed ineffective against the onslaught. About twelve Ologuns fought desperately against countless Bone Fiends.

A dozen Skuggrs charged forward while a pair of Krakens floated above, spewing gray goop onto the turrets. The turrets quickly failed as the Skuggrs' acidic bile melted through metal and machinery.

"Ekwensu," Jabari cursed, his heart dropping. "Celine, Seydou — they're in there somewhere!"

As they crossed the ridge, the full scale of the assault became clear: hundreds of Radi-Mons swarmed around the outpost's walls.

"The Crystal was one thing," Laurent said grimly. "Now they mean to wipe us out."

"I detect Seydou and Celine's life signs within the command center," Ume said, her eyes flickering with golden light. "The Radi-Mons are concentrating their assault there."

Jabari watched a section of wall collapse under the coordinated attack of several Draugs.

"Then we better not keep them waiting," he said, readying his weapon. He glanced at Ume, whose face showed determination, then at Laurent, whose eyes burned with resolve.

"Jabari," Ume said, cutting through his thoughts. She stood beside him, her eyes reflecting the chaos beyond the outpost's walls, her hand steadying him.

"Don't give up," she urged. "We've survived. We'll keep surviving."

"Yes. We will," he nodded, a promise passing between them.

Together, they charged toward the burning chaos, weapons ready.