Scene 1: Pod Launch
The Aetherwind trembled with turbulence. Jax, on the bridge, held the helm tightly, the Dawn Compass vibrating wildly. At his side, Kaelen Rion, staring at his Staff of Knowledge , read the energy flows.
In the launch bay, Anya, her face smeared with grease, finished sealing the Armored Recon Pod . Inside, the inactive Navigation Seal rested in the Lamino-Aether cage, and Circuits (true to his luminescent design) floated, ready.
“The trajectory is locked, Anya!” Kaelen shouted. “The Raw Aether Node will be stable for sixty seconds starting... now!”
Anya pulled the lever. The Pod was ejected into the shimmering chaos of the Great Static Field .
Scene 2: The Critical Minute
The Aether Wind struggled to keep itself at a safe distance, but the Node's pull was fierce. The Pod plunged into the mass of pure energy, its charge dissipaters struggling against overload.
Inside the Pod, Circuits immediately went to work. The small Astramau, all luminescent ether, connected its own energy streams to the cage, using the pure energy of the Node to initiate the process of Attuning the Seal.
Thirty seconds. The Navigation Seal began to pulse faintly, the ocean of liquid stars within it churning.
Scene 3: Vane's Intervention
Suddenly, the radio silence was broken by a shrill whistle.
" It's magnificent, isn't it, Engineer Bolt? The raw energy. " Silas Vane 's icy voice echoed through the Aetherwind .
On the screens, a Spectre Interceptor appeared, emerging from the static fog. It wasn't there for a frontal attack; it was targeting the Pod. Vane didn't want a fight, he wanted Circuits .
"Jax, he's coming too fast!" Anya shouted.
"Kaelen, give me a cover maneuver!" Jax ordered.
“The currents are too strong! You must force the Aether-Ion Shot through an energy rift!”
Scene 4: The Sacrifice
Jax, his eyes fixed on his Dawn Compass, spotted the rift. He yelled to Pyxis, "Cover the Pod! We'll give you the power!"
Jax forced the Aetherwind into a sharp turn. As the ship passed the Pod, Pyxis launched forward, her Cosmic Flames amplifying with the ship's ionic energy. Pyxis transformed into a wall of intense fire, intercepting Vane's Spectre .
The Pod shuddered under the shockwave. Inside, the Navigation Seal reached its peak. An intense blue light burst forth, connecting with Circuits' energy.
The Seal had reactivated.
Scene 5: Failure and Victory
Vane growled in rage as he saw his Astramau pushed back by the Pyxis wall. He had missed his window. " Spectre , withdraw. The object is no longer the priority. We have the combat data of both Astramaux..."
Jax removed the Pod, the operation barely successful. The Navigation Seal now glowed with a steady starlight. Circuits, exhausted but victorious, had returned to Anya.
Jax looked at Pyxis, who was returning, her flame slightly dimmed. "You're doing well, my friend."
The Seal activated one last time, projecting a three-dimensional star map before the team. A new point, a new island, lit up: the location of the second Remnant!
"Here we go, Stellars," Jax said, his smile returning. "We know where to go!"
--- Continued Next Time: The Shadow Fortress ---
