The chroniton ore flowed, smuggled aboard battered Reclaimer freighters disguised as salvage haulers. Deep within a shielded Citadel lab, Thorne's team wrestled with jury-rigged refinery units, sparks flying as they coaxed unstable raw ore into the delicate lattices needed for the Helios quantum-batteries. Progress was hard-won, measured in grams, not tons, but it was progress.
On the border between the Velarian-aligned Skyreach Plains and General Draven's stronghold territory, the Iron Hills, the air tasted of dust and tension. A convoy of Citadel resource haulers, escorted by Power lineage skimmers piloted by Roric's veterans, rumbled toward a newly opened synthesis mining operation. Baroness Vane had brokered the deal – rare earth elements vital for Citadel sensor tech, traded for Draven's faction's expertise in geothermal stabilization.
Lieutenant Karn, a scarred veteran under Roric's command, scanned the jagged horizon from his skimmer's cockpit. "Keep sharp. Draven's loyalists don't like us 'meddling'."
Suddenly, energy bolts sizzled from a hidden canyon ridge, slamming into the lead hauler's grav-field. It lurched violently. "Ambush! Iron Hills Irregulars!" Karn barked, banking hard. Citadel skimmers peeled off, returning fire, their blue-streaked kinetic pulses stitching the ridge.
On the ground, Citadel security personnel – a mix of Power lineage enforcers and Intellectual techs manning portable shield emitters – scrambled for cover. "Shield grid up! Pattern Delta!" an Intellectual sergeant yelled, her voice cracking. Portable barriers flared blue, deflecting incoming fire.
A burly Power lineage corporal grunted, hefting a heavy plasma repeater. "Cover that emitter! Those eggheads can't take a hit!" He laid down suppressing fire while the Intellectual techs frantically recalibrated the shield frequency to counter the attackers' disruptor pulses.
In Aeridor, Vaeron received the alert. His comm chimed – Baroness Vane's secure channel. Her face appeared, grim. "Draven didn't sanction this, Vaeron. It's Colonel Vex – one of his hardliners. He sees the mining deal as weakness. He's testing you."
"Can Draven rein him in?" Vaeron asked, his voice cold.
"Doubtful without losing face. Vex has support among the old guard." Vane leaned closer. "Let me talk to Draven. Unofficially. Remind him Vex's recklessness risks dragging him into a war he can't control, especially with Torvin circling like a vulture."
"Do it," Vaeron ordered. "Lyra, status?"
Lyra's voice came through, calm amidst the chaos of the skirmish feed. "Engaging. Perimeter secure for now. But... Sovereign, the ambient Tremor resonance here... it's spiking. Aggressively. Feeding off the aggression. I feel it pushing them. Making them... angrier. Less disciplined."
On the border, Karn dodged a missile blast. "They're charging! Like berserkers!" The Iron Hills fighters were abandoning cover, roaring, weapons blazing wildly.
"Hold the line!" Karn yelled. "Non-lethal suppression! Stun nets, sonic emitters!" Citadel forces adjusted, blue pulses replaced by shimmering nets and disorienting sonic waves. A charging warrior stumbled, snarling, entangled. Another clutched his ears, screaming.
Suddenly, the incoming fire slackened. A new voice, harsh and commanding, boomed over the attackers' comms. "Vex! Stand down! By Draven's order! Fall back now!" Colonel Vex's enraged bellow was cut off. The remaining Irregulars disengaged, melting back into the canyons under covering fire, leaving stunned comrades behind.
Karn breathed heavily, lowering his weapon. "Cease fire! Secure prisoners!" He looked at the dazed, furious captives. The unnatural rage was fading from their eyes, replaced by confusion and pain. Lyra's gauntlet readings showed the Tremor resonance receding, like a predator slinking back into the shadows after its meal.
Baroness Vane's face reappeared on Vaeron's comm. "Draven recalled Vex. For now. He's... displeased. But he recognizes the danger Vex courted. The deal stands, Vaeron. But the border is a tinderbox. One spark..."
"And the Shade fans the flames," Vaeron finished, looking at Lyra's residual resonance data. The skirmish was over. The whispers of war grew louder.