15:00, February 24, 2295

  Azure Mount Logistics Hub, extension of Songnei Starport, No.31, Bishan Rd, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Imperium territory

  "Pour it down! And don’t get eaten!" one of the Peons shouted, piloting a cart laden with a sickly green slurry that shimmered ominously.

  Amid the cacophony of the bustling military preparation, several other Peons clad in their rugged, gray hazard suits heaved and grunted as they dragged the prone form of Flesh Pot out into the open. Despite being unconscious, the mutated behemoth still towered nearly four meters tall. Resembling a hybrid of mole rat and bald man, its monstrous jaw hung agape, revealing rows of idle jagged teeth, dripping with thick strands of saliva.

  Dilinur eyed the substance warily. Helionite, the byproduct of the fusion process in modern fusion power plants. A sustenance that all Radi-Mons crave, even the one that the Imperium had nurtured. She pursed her lips, watching as the one Peon maneuvered the cart above Flesh Pot’s open maw, pouring the viscous liquid down his throat. The grotesque Radi-Mon shuddered as a low hum came from its maw.

  "Well? Is it enough?" she asked, her words betraying her unease.

  Suddenly, Flesh Pot's rat-like eyes snapped open, a feral gleam igniting within them. He roared and thrashed. The soldiers behind Dilinur and Prince Joon-Seok, who had been stoic and unmoving, now erupted into panic as the beast rampaged.

  Flesh Pot's hulking, hairless body writhed, each muscle pulsating beneath its mottled, reddish-brown skin. Bony protrusions crowned his head, giving him an appearance that sent shivers down Dilinur's spine.

  "Peons! Get back!" she commanded, her voice barely audible above the chaos. But it was too late for one unfortunate Peon; Flesh Pot lunged forward, seizing him in his powerful, gnarled hands and devouring him whole.

  "Natural selection," Joon-Seok muttered with a smile, his eyes filled not with horror, but with amusement.

  "?amaya Manasa?!" With determination, Dilinur pointed her fingers at Flesh Pot, shouting the incantation.

  As the words left her lips, shimmering waves of violet energy radiated from her hands, cascading toward the monstrous Flesh Pot. For a moment, the beast seemed to pause, its eyes narrowing in confusion. But then it shook its head with a guttural snarl and resumed its rampage.

  "Dragon’s dong!" Dilinur cursed under her breath, her heart pounding in her chest.

  Reaching down to her belt, she drew a silver fan. The artifact was a work of exquisite artistry, its silver filigree weaving intricate patterns across each delicate slat. A crimson jewel gleamed at its center, pulsating with latent power.

  "Tarim Aytün! Amplify my Aether!" Unfolding the fan with a flourish, Dilinur felt the psionic energy contained within surge through her.

  With newfound confidence, she channeled her power into the fan and released the same spell. "?amaya Manasa?!"

  Flesh Pot's wild thrashing ceased, his hulking form now swaying gently as if in a trance.

  "That’s more like it," Dilinur breathed, relief washing over her. The soldiers around her erupted into cheers, their previous fear replaced by awe and admiration.

  "Flesh Pot, Executioner of the Imperium. I am Dilinur Altai, your Prefect," Dilinur ordered, her voice firm. "Heed my call. Aid in our siege operations as we breach the Nirboh Vault on Osram to claim the Moondust Crystal."

  Flesh Pot, now pacified, lowered himself to sit on the ground, his deep voice echoing through the space as his jaw opened to speak the words. "I am yours to command, Prefect Dilinur."

  Prince Joon-Seok nodded approvingly at her side, a smile of genuine admiration gracing his features. "Well done," he praised as Dilinur carefully folded her silver fan and returned it to her belt. "A proper use of your Psi Fan."

  "Thank you, Your Highness," Dilinur murmured, her eyes flicking briefly to Joon-Seok before returning to the subdued Flesh Pot. A mixture of relief and unease churned within her as she watched the monstrous creature lumber obediently to the side of their army.

  Slowly, Seneschal Cheng Wei approached her, his gleaming red armor reflecting the tropical sun's harsh light. In his hand, he held a Holo Scroll, which he presented to her with a formal bow. "Prefect Altai, Governor Qin has reviewed and updated this scroll with new information relevant to your mission."

  Dilinur accepted the scroll with a curt nod, unfurling it to reveal a glowing roster of their Imperium troops. She scanned the names and profiles while Joon-Seok engaged in hushed conversation with Cheng, the weight of their mission settling heavily on her shoulders.

  Her gaze drifted over the assembled line of Amber-Eyes, a force of archers whose ebony-colored two-handed Kinetic Crossbows gleamed. The men and women stood with a quiet, disciplined intensity.Their armor was a work of art, black steel layered with crimson accents that curved around their bodies. Across their backs, a quiver of black-fletched arrows sat neatly arranged, the tips glowing faintly with the energy of Zephyrium — the modern world's prized resource of cold fusion energy, also utilized by the Imperium for creating arrows and bolts.

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  The men, like Seneschal Cheng, wore their hair tied back in high warrior’s knots. The women, no less fierce, stood beside them. Raven-black hair spilled down their armored shoulders, secured with red ribbons that matched the intricate detailing of their uniforms. While the other factions wielded firearms and plasma rifles, the Imperium’s ranged troopers had mastered the use of Kinetic Crossbow, their Zephyrium-infused arrows striking with a force far greater than modern bullets. To the Imperium, guns were for the impatient, the reckless, while their crossbows demanded skill, patience, and mastery of the battlefield.

  She then lingered on the list of Bloodtroopers and Peons, most of whom were ex-criminals who had undergone "re-socialization" programs that wiped their memories or implanted them with false ones.

  "My fellow Blood Mage. Which one would you pick, should you ever need a blood sacrifice for your spells?" she quipped, her eyes tracing the contours of Joon-Seok’s angular face.

  Joon-Seok chuckled, a glint of approval in his eyes. "Whoever smells bad or annoys me."

  "Roach and I so hate to ruin the mood, fellow Serpents. But are we ready to depart?" Kaori Ouyang’s haughty voice cut through the voice comm in her ear.

  "In a minute, Kaori. I expect the Prince will want to deliver a proper speech first," Dilinur pressed a finger into her left ear, her gaze shifting to the towering silhouette of the Draconic Engine looming in the distance.

  The siege tank sat like a beast at rest, a monument of brutal design and Imperium engineering. Its crimson armor gleamed under the harsh tropical sun, the metal plating adorned with filigrees of gold and silver.

  A massive, rotating turret crowned the tank's frame, housing the primary cannon, its barrel thick and coiled with spirals of reinforced steel that seemed to vibrate with latent destructive energy. Golden spikes protruded from the turret’s edges like a crown. Gleaming red treads, thick and reinforced with Zephyrium alloys, crunched beneath the weight of the tank. The exhaust ports were shaped like the jaws of a dragon, releasing heat in slow, rhythmic pulses, as though the tank itself was breathing. Unlikely as it seemed to most, Dinu knew that Kaori's skill in handling such a monstrosity was unmatched.

  But she did wonder why Iron Roach was also arranged to be in the vehicle. Unlike old world siege weapons, the Draconic Engine could be operated by one person. Perhaps the higher-ups deemed it necessary to separate an underground brute like him from the main troops.

  As the sun cast its golden rays across the assembly of Imperium troops, Prince Joon-Seok strode confidently up onto the elevated platform. Dilinur watched as he raised his hand for silence, the murmurs of the gathered soldiers fading into a respectful hush.

  "Sons and daughters of the Celestial Dragon," Joon-Seok began, his resolute voice eliciting ferver. "Today we embark on a mission to secure the Moondust Crystal, a million-year-old artifact of immense power that will allow us to dominate the Radi-Mons and secure our Imperium’s rightful place in the cosmos."

  "I heard the Prince was always good at motivational speeches," Cheng commented as he stood next to Dilinur.

  "Evidently so," Dinu commented, a half-smile on her face.

  "For centuries past, foreign forces have attempted to weaken our authority and undermine us as a people. Since the fall of the great Qing dynasty, we’ve been branded as villains. The Allied Powers in medieval times, the United States in the Digital Age, and the Terra Alliance across the Pacific Ocean — these are but a few examples of western outsiders attempting to interfere with our affairs and diminish our self-worth," The prince continued, his fierce gaze sweeping over his audience. "But we have endured, our pride unsullied. Like our ancestors before us, we will triumph over any who dare to challenge our strength."

  The platform bustled with activity as Peons carefully placed Zephyrium crystals on a plate, the mineral’s shimmering facets casting reflections on the surrounding ebony scaffoldings. Two Conjurers stepped forward, their black crimson robes billowing behind them as they began to weave an intricate spell. Dilinur recognized the incantation – it was the creation of an Arcstar Portal, the Imperium's means of transporting vast numbers of troops across planets and moons.

  The golden vortex of the Arcstar Portal pulsed with an almost hypnotic rhythm. The Conjurers, their black robes fluttering in the wind, stepped aside to stand on either side of the portal, framing it like dark guardians. Dilinur's heart raced with trepidation as she watched them.

  As Joon-Seok's speech neared its end, the portal roared to life behind him, a golden, epic vortex framed by its dark ebony steel supports. "Today, we walk on the soil of Osram and secure this artifact. For only we the Imperials understand the weight of its power!" The prince declared, his voice thundering over the sound of the portal. "Together, we shall bring glory to our Imperium and vanquish those who dare to stand against us!"

  The soldiers erupted in cheers, their enthusiasm palpable as they prepared to embark on their quest.

  "Record all unusual happenings in the city while I’m away," Dilinur's gaze lingered on Cheng for a moment before turning to the swirling golden vortex before them. "Consult Shazmeen if you have doubts. Inform me whenever Governor Qin demands anything."

  "With pleasure," Cheng whispered to her, his eyes burning with determination, "Good hunting, Prefect."

  "Our objective is to take over and unlock the Vault of Primal Urges beneath Mare Imbrium on Osram," Joon-Seok's tenor voice boomed, commanding the attention of all present. "March with me! For the Emperor!"

  With one final declaration, he strode confidently towards the portal, his cape billowing behind him. Dilinur felt a surge of adrenaline as the legion of soldiers followed in his wake, their fervor and determination palpable, their boots thundering on the ground as they said in unison. "For the Emperor!"

  Joon-Seok disappeared into the pulsating portal as the cheers of his troops echoed through the air.

  As Dilinur prepared to step through the Arcstar Portal, she took one last glance at the sunny noon sky behind her.

  "Wait for my triumph, Taipei," she murmured, her dark brown irises shimmering with determination. Turning towards the portal, she steeled herself for the unknown and stepped forward.

  The scenery of Earth vanished in an instant, replaced by the gray and vast expanse of Osram. The desolate lunar landscape stretched out before her.

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