The moment Himari pressed the transponder, an alarm blared through the command center of the fortress. It wasn't a loud, panicked siren, but a sharp, insistent chime that cut through the low hum of the power generator. On the main holographic map, a single, pulsing red dot appeared deep within the projected grid of Silverwood.
"Signal confirmed," Haruto said, his voice dangerously calm. He and Akane had been monitoring the situation through a high-altitude drone Sakura had launched before entering the city. They had watched the chaos in the plaza unfold from a sterile, detached viewpoint. They had seen the explosion, the riot, and the subsequent lockdown. Now, the signal confirmed their worst fears: the mission had gone critical.
"They're underground," Akane noted, analyzing the signal's telemetry. "Approximately fifteen meters below street level. In the old city sector. Smart. It masks their heat signature."
"But it also means they're trapped," Haruto finished, his hands already flying across the console. He brought up the drone feed, which showed swarms of Black Guards locking down the sector where the signal originated, sealing off every street and alley. "The Duke is turning the city into a cage. A conventional extraction is impossible."
"There is nothing conventional about our capabilities, Officer," Akane said, her eyes gleaming with a cold, professional fire. She was no longer just a stranded soldier; she was an operator with a mission. "What's the plan?"
Haruto didn't answer immediately. He brought up another series of schematics on the main screen, a project he had been working on in secret since their arrival. It was a sleek, low-profile assault skiff, built from the scavenged hull plates and propulsion systems of the two escape pods. It was heavily armed, equipped with twin plasma cannons, and its hull was coated in a photo-reactive material that made it virtually invisible to the naked eye. He had named it the Ghost.
"Phase one was fortification," Haruto said, turning to Akane. "Phase two was infiltration. Welcome to Phase three: Rapid Dominance."
He strode over to a weapons locker, which slid open with a hiss. Inside were two sets of light combat armor, fabricated from the same material as the fortress walls, and two advanced plasma carbines, more powerful and with a higher rate of fire than their standard rifles.
"Kaito! Riku!" Haruto's voice boomed through the fortress's comm system. "Full combat gear. Report to the main gate in five minutes. We're going hunting."
The two guards, who had been running drills in the courtyard, didn't hesitate. They sprinted towards the armory, their faces set with a grim determination. The training Akane had put them through was about to be put to the ultimate test.
Akane watched Haruto, a slow smile spreading across her face. This was the officer she had been trained to serve under. Decisive. Overwhelming. Uncompromising. "What's our insertion point?" she asked, already beginning to suit up.
"The roof of the textile shop," Haruto replied, bringing up a detailed map of the building provided by Sakura's initial recon. "It provides a direct line to their last known position. The Ghost's stealth systems will get us past the city's outer patrols. Once we're inside, we'll be moving fast and hard. We secure the principals and extract before the Duke's forces can mount an effective response."
He picked up a plasma carbine, the weapon feeling light and familiar in his hands. He was no longer just a survivor, an engineer, or a reluctant leader. The attack on his people, on Himari, had stripped all of that away. All that was left was the Imperial officer, the soldier trained for a galactic war against the Shadows. The Duke of Silverwood was about to find out what it meant to provoke a power he could not possibly comprehend.
Within minutes, the four of them were assembled at the main gate, clad in dark gray combat armor and armed to the teeth. The massive, seamless gate slid open, revealing the cavernous new chamber Haruto had excavated behind it: a hidden hangar. In the center, resting on its landing struts, was the Ghost, its angular lines and dark metal a stark, alien presence in the ancient stone fortress. The canopy hissed open, inviting them in. Their rescue mission had begun.