Location: Hyperion – Arsenal Deck
Inside the deep vaults of the Hyperion's arsenal, the lights remained low and the pressure stable. Rows of dormant pods lined the walls—tall, sealed coffins of alloy and reinforced glass, each one housing a single sleeping giant.
The Predators.
Genetic phantoms of war, engineered for planetary assault and voidboard engagement.
They slept in silence.
Until the stillness broke.
Space shimmered.
With a pulse of bending light and gravitational distortion, a figure materialized between two stasis racks—a slim young woman with shoulder-length black hair and defiant eyes. She blinked once, then smirked.
Celeste Vale.
Daughter of House Vale. Sister of the Moon Lord. Fugitive.
And currently, an uninvited guest aboard a godkiller-class dreadnought.
"Secretary, huh?" she scoffed, brushing imaginary dust off her flight suit. "I'm no one's ornament. The Starsea belongs to me too."
She strolled casually through the vault, her optical camouflage cloak flickering with high-grade stealth algorithms. None of the ship's Marvin-class units registered her presence—too focused on logistics, maintenance, or dataflow.
She had boarded the Hyperion back at Lunar Port. A silent infiltration. Simple. Clean. Genius, she'd thought.
But now…
She paused.
Ahead, past the curved hallway, stood the Predator Bay.
Rows of slumbering warriors in obsidian armor, each over two meters tall, were sealed inside cryogenic units. Helmets shaped like hunting masks, armor matte and jagged, jointed for speed and lethality.
Celeste tilted her head.
"Combat drones?"
She stepped closer.
Suddenly, one of them moved.
Its mask flickered—twin crimson optics powering on. It stared directly at her.
No… through her.
Behind her invisibility. Past her tech.
The others followed.
Steam hissed from the floor vents. Cryo-foam melted. Hydraulic pistons groaned.
Across the bay, dozens of Predators awakened.
A killing machine had registered a heat signature.
And that was all it needed.
"Oh no," she whispered, already activating her stealth field.
She vanished.
The lead Predator raised a hand, speaking in a language designed for machines, not humans. The others followed his line of sight.
Straight at her.
They see me? Her thoughts spiraled. That's impossible!
But it wasn't.
Thermal optics.
The cloak hid light. Not heat.
They're not drones. They're hunters.
Within seconds, six of them advanced. Blades extended. One raised an arm-mounted cannon but didn't fire—yet.
Celeste spun. Ran.
Too late.
By the time she reached the central hall, a dozen Predators had flanked her route. She skidded to a stop—completely surrounded.
The cloak flickered, failed, and finally died.
Caught.
Bridge – Hyperion
Silas Vire leaned back in his command chair, fingers laced, watching as two Predators entered with their prize.
Celeste Vale stood between them—pale, disheveled, proud.
He didn't look surprised.
"I was wondering when you'd get bored hiding," he said calmly.
Celeste blinked. "You… you knew, How?"
He gave a faint smile.
"A few anomalies in the environmental logs. A few missing calories packs from sealed storage. Minor things. But the Hyperion doesn't forget."
"I waited," he added, voice dropping. "And prepared."
She looked around the bridge—massive, armored, predatory in its design. The Hyperion felt alive. Watching. Breathing.
"I didn't mean any harm. I just needed passage. Once we hit the next port, I was going to slip off quietly."
He stood.
"I recognize you," he said. "Celeste Vale. Daughter of Lord Marshal Draeven. Sister to the Moon Lord. Wanted for flight from a high-priority command installation."
Her breath caught.
"You've seen the bounty."
"I have."
"Then what do you want?" she asked, voice trembling. "Money? Power? Leverage?"
He stepped forward, boots clicking against the carbon floor.
"I could kill you," he said, voice level. "Dump your body on Arcturus. Let the wildlife do the rest. No one would know. No one would find it. One more disappearance in the Void of Space."
She paled.
"I… I have credits."
"I have more."
"I can make you famous."
"I already am."
Her hands balled into fists. "What do you want?!"
Silas tilted his head. "To teach you a lesson."
The words hit harder than threats.
"You're a child," he continued. "Pretending to chase freedom. But this isn't the Sol System. Your House name means nothing here."
Her eyes widened.
He leaned in.
"You want to survive the Void of Space? Then act like someone who deserves to."
A long silence followed.
Finally, voice thin, she whispered, "…I know something. Something valuable."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
Celeste swallowed hard. "There's a relic. Hidden on Arcturus. Coordinates aren't logged in any Ascendancy archive. I stole them before I left."
Silas said nothing.
"It's not a myth. It's real. The Vale family was going to seal it. Hide it forever."
She stared at him, voice growing desperate.
"I'll give you the location. Help you get there. Just… don't kill me."
The room remained silent.
Then Silas turned to his console.
"Show me."