Scene 1: Anya's Strategy
Aboard the Aetherwind , Anya had installed the Navigation Seal in the center of the navigation table. Circuits, the sleek, luminescent new design, floated above it, beeping in frustration.
"The Seal requires the pure energy of a Raw Aether Node to reactivate," Kaelen Rion summarized, consulting her Staff of Knowledge . "But these Nodes are discharges of cosmic energy. The Aether Wind will not hold the overload."
Jax, clutching his Dawn Compass , displayed cold determination. "Vane is hunting us. He knows we have the Seal and he wants Pyxis and Circuits. We don't have the luxury of waiting."
Anya slammed her fist on the table. "We'll work around it. I can't take the whole ship, but I can create an armored extraction unit . I'll modify the Recon Pod . I'll install a Lamino-Aether cage and a charge dissipater. I'll place the Seal inside, and send the pod alone into the Node."
Scene 2: The Logic of the Knot
"Alone?" Jax wondered. "We don't leave the first fragment unattended!"
“Did you listen to Kaelen? It’s an Attunement Key !” Anya insisted. “It requires sensitive contact. Circuits, you’re the only one who can enter that kind of energy flow without frying. You’ll have to guide the Pod and monitor the attunement.” Circuits beeped in agreement, his body lighting up slightly at the thought of the challenge.
Jax, annoyed at having to stay behind, looked at his own Astramau. "And Pyxis?"
“Pyxis is staying on board, Jax,” Anya replied, her voice soft but firm. “He’s our best defender, and Vane is looking for him. If he attacks us during the operation, Pyxis will be our trump card.”
Scene 3: Kaelen's Intervention
Kaelen intervened before Jax could protest. “The Engineer is right. But the Raw Aether Node won’t be stable. It’s moving. I can use my Staff of Knowledge to analyze the energy signature of the Great Static Field and predict its trajectory for you, Anya. But you’ll only have a three-minute window for the operation.”
Anya nodded. The strategy was set: Kaelen would guide, Anya would pilot the Aetherwind to keep the Pod in range, and Circuits would perform the activation.
Scene 4: The Preparation and the Dark Gaze
As Anya rushed to the workshop to modify the Recon Pod, Jax stared at the coded message left by Silas Vane. He touched his fingertips to the images of Pyxis and Circuits, which Vane had hacked.
“He wants our friends,” Jax whispered to Pyxis. “He thinks we’re weak without them.” Pyxis flared briefly, defiance and anger evident in her aura.
Vane's threat had turned the quest for artifacts into a battle for their partners. For Jax and Anya, the danger was no longer losing treasure, but losing their family.
--- Continued Next Time: The Dance of the Currents ---
