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

Osram Time: 09:25, March 19, 2295

Command Quarters, Dragonfort Shūn-Huáng, Low Orbit above Mare Cognitum, Osram

Dilinur Altai stood alone in her private chamber, the Moondust Crystal floating before her in its containment field. Twenty meters of crystallized power, confined by Imperium engineering. Its surface pulsed with an inner light that seemed to reach into her soul.

Soul. That's what this entire billion-year-old artifact was about. Reaching into souls. People's. Beasts'. Monsters'. It mattered little as long as they would serve.

She pressed her palm against the containment field, feeling the Crystal's energy through the barrier. Power. Real power. Not the kind that could be stripped away by Governor Qin's whim or Secretary Varma's manipulations.

Her fingers unconsciously traced her neck, then her chest through the fabric, remembering Qin's hands there. The memory of his breath against her skin as he'd forced her to her knees in Taiwan, his fingernails digging into her breasts, the taste of humiliation as he'd—

"No." The word came out as a hiss. She pressed harder against the field, and the Crystal's light got brighter. "Never again."

"Hatred tasted," Moondust whispered in her mind, its alien consciousness brushing against hers. "Desire for dominion. Excellent vessel for our power."

"I am no one's vessel," Dilinur replied, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "I am your Administrator. You serve me."

The Crystal's laughter was like breaking glass in her thoughts. "Very well, child of flesh."

A knock at her door broke the moment. "Enter," she commanded, stepping back from the Crystal.

Prince Joon-Seok stepped inside, his pale features and black hair lit by the Crystal's glow. His amber eyes found hers, holding a warmth that few others ever saw. "The assault force is ready, Dinu. Though I wonder if you are."

"Your concern is noted, milord." she replied, though her tone softened slightly. In private, they could afford small mercies.

He moved closer, close enough that she could smell the sandalwood oil he favored. "Dilinur—"

"Don't." She raised a hand between them. "Not before a battle, Joon-Seok. After, perhaps..."

His smile was knowing. "After, then. When you stand victorious with an army of monsters at your command." He paused at the door. "Try not to let it change you. I rather like you as you are."

When he left, Dilinur found herself alone with the Crystal again. Its whispers had never stopped, promising her everything she'd ever wanted. Control. Respect. Freedom from the chains others would place on her.

Freedom in the Imperium of Dragons. Perhaps then she could begin to remake it?

She thought of House Altai, saved from extinction by her service. Of her siblings and relatives, all depending on her continued loyalty to the Imperium. Of all the ways she'd been used, molded, shaped by others' ambitions.

"Today," she told the Crystal, "I shape my own destiny."

Osram Time: 10:00, March 19, 2295

Bridge, Dragonfort Shūn-Huáng

The bridge bustled with pre-battle preparations, but Dilinur's attention was fixed on the viewports. The Near Side of the Moon spread below them like a canvas of ancient violence, its craters testament to billions of years of bombardment. And there, defiling the desolation, sat a Fenris hive cluster.

It was even larger than the reconnaissance images had suggested. Organic structures erupted from the regolith like tumors, their rust-brown architecture following no sane geometry. Spine-like ridges connected bulbous chambers, while pulsing vessels carried glowing green fluids between structures. It was life, but life perverted into something humanity could never accept.

"These Radi-Mons and the nuclear waste they've been hoarding." Dilinur shook her head in amusement.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Joon-Seok had taken position beside her, maintaining professional distance now that they were in public. "To think such primitive creatures could establish themselves here, so close to humanity's cradle."

"Their audacity ends today," Dilinur replied, her dark eyes tracking movement within the hive's shadows. "The Moondust Crystal will turn their own forces against them."

Behind them, Iron Roach cleaned what looked like a crimson-silver double-barreled shotgun. The soft whir of his cybernetic arms was a constant reminder of how far the Imperium would go to create perfect soldiers. "Give me something to kill, Prefect. Been too long since I've had proper exercise."

"You'll have your fill soon enough," Kaori Ouyang said from her position near the tactical display. The Martian's amber eyes held barely contained ambition as she studied the hive's defensive positions. "The Draconic Engine is prepped and ready. Those Radi-Mons won't stand against my Havok-Class barrage."

Dilinur caught the emphasis on 'my' and filed it away. Kaori's hunger for advancement was useful but would need monitoring. Perhaps after this victory, she would need to ensure Kaori remembered her place.

"Marisol," she called to the Novian woman who stood near the communication station, her Lever-Action Rifle already slung across her back.

The operative's dark eyes met hers with that characteristic blend of professionalism and barely contained amusement. "¿Sí, Prefect?"

"Begin deployment sequence. Have the Peons prepare the Crystal for transport."

"Con mucho gusto," Marisol replied with a slight smirk, already moving to relay orders through her comm. Her fingers danced across the console with practiced ease. "Though, using our lowest citizens to move our greatest weapon...the irony is delicious."

The tactical display before Dilinur showed their forces organizing with Imperial efficiency. Sixty Bloodtroopers, their titanium steel armor polished to mirror shines. Thirty Amber-Eyes, their cybernetic enhancements allowing them to see details impossible for baseline humans. Five Conjurers, each one a living weapon trained since childhood in the Eclipse arts.

And below, in the Dragonfort's bowels, nearly three dozen Peons labored to move the Moondust Crystal. Their lives measured only in their usefulness, their bodies broken by endless toil. The irony wasn't lost on Dilinur—she commanded the Imperium's greatest weapon, but it was moved by its most wretched citizens.

But am I so different? The thought came unbidden. Used by those above me in the chain of command, my body a tool for their ambitions?

She crushed the thought. Today, she would prove she was more than Governor Qin or the Emperor's plaything, more than a token Unblooded given scraps of power.

"Prefect," Marisol's voice drew her from her thoughts. "Thermal scans show significant movement beneath the primary hive structure. They're massing forces. Far more than intelligence suggested."

"Show me," Dilinur commanded, moving to the display.

The thermal readings painted a disturbing picture. Where they'd expected dozens of Radi-Mons, the scans showed hundreds. Heat signatures of various sizes moved through the hive's bowels, converging on defensive positions.

"It's a trap," Kaori suggested, a hint of excitement in her voice. "They knew we were coming."

"Of course they did," Iron Roach laughed, the sound like grinding gears. "The Archive says this Hafgrim's older than a hundred grandmas combined. Think she can't smell Imperials coming from orbit?"

"That's…rather crude." Kaori's eyes narrowed as she turned to Roach.

"How else would you describe it, huh?" Roach shrugged, his crimson sunglasses reflecting Kaori's face.

Dilinur studied the display, her mind racing through possibilities. Pull back? Wait for reinforcements? No. The Emperor and the Empress had authorized this mission. Failure to serve the Imperium would mean more than death—it would mean her family's extinction, her brother's execution.

"We proceed," she declared. "Let them gather their forces. When I activate the Crystal, they become ours. The more they mass against us, the greater our victory."

She saw the doubt in some eyes, the hunger in others. Joon-Seok gave her the slightest nod of support. Marisol's expression remained unreadable, though one eyebrow arched slightly—a gesture that could mean anything from skepticism to admiration. Kaori bowed her head cautiously. They would follow either out of respect, or because they had no choice.

"Deploy immediately," she commanded. "Establish a perimeter before I bring down the Crystal. Kaori, your Draconic Engine takes point. If they want to mass their forces, give them something to mass against."

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As her officers moved to execute orders, Dilinur remained at the viewport. Earth hung in the sky, its blue face marred by cloud patterns that looked almost like eyes. Watching. Judging.

Let them watch, she thought. Let them see what Dilinur Altai the Unblooded can become when given true power.

Osram Time: 10:20, March 19, 2295

Mare Cognitum Surface

The assault teams dropped from the Dragonfort's belly like a swarm of metallic wasps, their red and black armors glinting in the sunlight. Clutching her silverite Psi Fan Tarim Aytün, Dilinur felt her stomach lurch as they descended. Low gravity made everything feel wrong, as if the universe itself had become uncertain.

Beside her, Joon-Seok ignited his Psytum Sword. The red blade cast shadows across his pale features, making him look like something from ancient Korean mythology.

"Sons and Daughters of Dragon. On this day, we march forward, for the glory of First Men. Our ancestors shall smile on our triumph. For the Imperium!" he intoned, his psionic power making his voice resonate in Osram's thin but breathable air.

"For the Imperium!" a hundred voices echoed, their faith absolute.

Dilinur remained silent. Glory was for those who could afford it. She sought something more practical—survival, control, freedom from the chains others would forge for her. The chance to disrobe Joon-Seok after this mission, the two of them reveling in each other's —

Her legionnaires touched down in perfect formation, their synchronized landing kicking up clouds of gray lunar dust. In the low gravity, the dust hung like ghostly shrouds, taking long seconds to settle. Bloodtroopers poured out, drawing the two-handed Thermal Battleaxes from their backs, their movements strange and bouncing until their armor's gravity compensators engaged.

"All strike teams, report!" she ordered aloud, her voice echoing over the lunar plains as her left hand reached into her ear to push the earpiece there.

"Team Dragon, advancing!" A Bloodtrooper's voice boomed on the channel.

"Team Tiger, advancing!" another trooper added.

"Team Ox, guarding the rear." the next report came, the gruff voice of a woman.

"Team Crane, crossbows ready." a second female voice declared.

"Team Tusker, all present."

"Team Hound, on guard!"

"Perimeter secure," Marisol reported through the comm, her voice carrying that characteristic mix of professional calm and underlying amusement. "No immediate contact. Though I must say, Prefect, the silence is... ¿cómo se dice? Unsettling."

That worried her more than an attack would have. She stepped onto Mare Cognitum's surface, her boots crunching on regolith that hadn't been disturbed in millions of years.

Kaori's Draconic Engine rumbled down a heavy transport's assault ramp, its massive bulk somehow obscene in the low gravity. The tank's crimson hull was adorned with bronze dragons that seemed to writhe in the harsh sunlight. Its twin spear-like projections cast shadows that looked like reaching claws.

"Always magnificent, isn't she?" Kaori's voice held maternal pride. "The Emperor himself blessed her construction. She's never failed to—"

"Team Crane here. Contact!" an Amber-Eye's call cut through the boasting. "Multiple signatures, emerging from hive openings!"

The Fenris Radi-Mons came like a plague.

Bone Fiends erupted from caves and crevices, their wolf-sized forms bounding across the lunar surface. In the low gravity, they covered distances with each leap, their arcs terrifying. Behind them came Skuggrs, their acidic bile already dripping from their maws, the liquid boiling away before it fell.

"Team Crane! Open fire!" Marisol commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos. "¡Vamos, vamos! Show these monsters what Imperial steel can do!"

"Cha!" The Imperial line erupted in disciplined violence. Black bolts from the Amber-Eyes' Kinetic Crossbows punched through Bone Fiend skulls with surgical precision, the high-velocity projectiles turning brains to floating shreds. Without Earth's thick atmosphere to slow them, the bolts maintained killing velocity far beyond normal range.

"Dragon, Tiger, Ox. Advance and engage!" Marisol's voice came again, switching seamlessly between combat coordination and her own rifle work. Dilinur caught glimpses of her—the Novian woman moving with dancer's grace, her lever-action rifle speaking death with each precise shot.

Roaring, dozens of Bloodtroopers charged forward, their Thermal Battleaxes leaving trails of superheated particles. When the axes met Radi-Mon flesh, the result was spectacular—flesh instantly charring and vaporizing, leaving cauterized stumps.

But the Radi-Mons adapted quickly. They used the low gravity to their advantage, leaping over Imperial formations, attacking from unexpected angles. A Bone Fiend landed among a squad of Bloodtroopers, its claws finding gaps in armor before thermal axes could respond.

"Hey. Where the fuck's my support?" Iron Roach roared, his shotgun booming despite the thin air. Each blast sent him sliding backward on the regolith, but his cybernetic legs compensated instantly. "These things are everywhere!"

He was right. For every Radi-Mon they killed, three more emerged. The hive was spilling out its defenders in waves, and Dilinur realized their intelligence had been catastrophically wrong.

"Kaori!" she commanded. "Fire on those cave mouths!"

"With pleasure!" The Draconic Engine's Havok-Class launcher sang with apocalyptic fury. The miniaturized nuclear warhead streaked across the battlefield, impacting a cluster of emerging Radi-Mons.

The explosion bloomed like a deadly flower—a sphere of nuclear fire expanding in mushroom cloud, vaporizing everything within. The electromagnetic pulse that followed caused several Amber-Eyes to stagger as their cybernetically-enhanced eyes flickered.

"¡Idiota!" Marisol called out, not bothering to hide her irritation. "You're blinding our own forces. Aim where our soldiers aren't!"

"I'm winning the battle!" Kaori shot back as the Engine was already loading another warhead. "Right, Dinu?"

"It's Prefect to you." Dilinur reminded as she unfolded her Psi Fan in front of her chest. "But yes, win the battle."

That's when the ground trembled.

It started as vibrations through their boots, then became visible as regolith danced and jumped. From the largest hive opening, something massive emerged.

A Kraken that was larger than the average one, its skin pitch black, its eyes like orbs of burning cinder.

"Hafgrim." Dilinur whispered in recognition as she shielded the lower half of her face with her Psi Fan.

The ancient Kraken's form was large and dominating, her arms thick. Her bulbous head caught the sunlight, revealing translucent patches where alien organs pulsed with bioluminescent activity.

"Little Imperials," her voice resonated psionically across the battlefield. Several Bloodtroopers staggered, blood running from their noses as her mental assault battered against their minds. "You dare bring the Moondust Crystal to Fenris domain?"

More Krakens emerged and floated behind her—a full clutch, each one large enough to crush a tank. But compared to Hafgrim, they seemed like children. From her mouth, pale gray slime began coating the battlefield, the substance somehow maintaining cohesion in the vacuum.

"All forces, avoid the slime!" Dilinur commanded, but it was too late.

An Amber-Eye stumbled into a puddle of the substance. Immediately, his cybernetic eyes went dark, sparks flying from the implants. He clawed at his face, screaming.

"It's shorting out cybernetics!" someone called. "Iron Roach, stay back!"

But the cyborg grunt was already charging. "Got six hearts and none of them are a coward's!"

"That's not…" Dilinur hesitated. Why deny herself a loyal shield on the frontline?

"For the Imperium!" He leaped onto Hafgrim's massive form, his enhanced legs carrying him impossibly high in the low gravity. His shotgun pressed against what might have been an eye. The blast at point-blank range drew an agonized psychic shriek from the Kraken, black ichor spraying across the lunar dust.

Hafgrim's arms whipped upward, each one moving with devastating speed. One caught a pair of Bloodtroopers, crushing them against the regolith. Their armor crumpled like paper, bodies reduced to paste within.

"Draconic Engine, full barrage!" Kaori screamed, her composure finally cracking.

"Belay that!" Dilinur countermanded. "You'll hit Iron Roach!"

"He's just one man!"

"He's holding her attention," Joon-Seok interjected, already moving. "Conjurers, with me!"

Joon-Seok led his psionicists forward, their voices rising in an ancient chant.

But it was the prince's voice that rang the loudest. "Velum Purpureum!" He chanted as he raised his left hand, his ignited Psytum Sword in his right.

Crimson curtains of energy erupted around Hafgrim, attempting to contain her massive bulk.

For a moment, it seemed to work. The barriers held, trapping the ancient Kraken in a cage of psionic energy. Iron Roach continued his assault from atop her head, his shotgun firing point-blank into any soft tissue he could find.

Then Hafgrim laughed. The sound was like a grinding bass note that resonated in their bones before her Jǫturmál incantation followed. "Kyrrð Ginnungagaps!"

Her own psionic might in pale green energies erupted outward, and the crimson barriers shattered like glass. The backlash sent Conjurers flying, their bodies tumbling in the low gravity. Three didn't get back up, blood pooling beneath their helmets.

"Petty," Hafgrim declared, an arm finally catching Iron Roach and lifting him high. "I was the Matron of Enceladus when your species crawled from the mud. I have watched stars birth and perish —"

"Less talking, bitch!" Iron Roach's cybernetic arms flexed, and hidden blades extended. He severed the arm holding him, falling back to the surface in a controlled tumble. "And more dying!"

Around them the battle had devolved into chaos. Bone Fiends leaped among Imperial formations. Skuggrs' acid ate through armor and flesh alike. The younger Krakens spread their disabling slime.

The Radi-Mons were coming after their soldiers, and herself.

"Māṁsa Śalya!" Dilinur hissed, gritting her teeth, her Psi Fan pointed at the Skuggr nearest to her, a sharp crimson spear of psionic energy launching forward, piercing the creature in the skull.

With the overgrown insect's corpse drifting away, three Bone Fiends charged towards her.

"Agni Śūla Hana!" Her next incantation came without hesitation, this time conjuring a wave in the shape of flaming scythe, slicing through her foes, vaporizing their flesh to nothingness.

But even as she held her ground, Dilinur heard the various strike teams on the voice comm.

"Team Dragon, five slain!"

"Team Crane, four lost."

"Team Tiger — seven slain, more injured! We're —"

"Team Hound, five slain. Need assistance."

"Team Boar. I'm here. Where is everyone —"

"Prefect!" Marisol's voice cut through the chaos, and for the first time since Dilinur had known her, it held something beyond her usual sardonic calm—genuine concern. "We're taking fifty percent casualties! Need the Crystal now!"

Dilinur watched the battle from her position near the landing zone. Her forces were being torn apart. The mighty Imperium war machine, grinding to a halt against creatures that should have never come to the Sol System.

The Crystal pulsed in its containment field nearby, its whispers growing louder. "Your minions die. Embrace what I offer instead."

"Prepare the Crystal for deployment," she commanded. "All forces, fall back to defensive positions. We end this now."