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The ancient vault groaned to life, and rusted gears screeched in agony as they dragged the massive door along its track. As soon as there was enough space, Cayden Draanith, pathfinder and magical gunslinger, darted into the vault. Inside was a treasure trove of ancient books that hadn’t seen fresh air in hundreds, if not thousands of years. Had the vault been found months ago, Cayden would have gladly spent entire planetary rotations down here combing through the ancient texts left to gather dust on shelves.
But time was something he didn’t have, as emphasized by the loud thuds and splintering cracks echoing from above the ceiling. He instead approached the altar at the center of the spherical room and slotted a large glowing blue crystal into the top. The altar began to hum and whir as streams of blue danced across the bookshelves, converting every tome they held into energy to store within. While that process was going on, Cayden approached another door on the far end of the vault, a solid black mass embellished with gold carvings of beings with pointed ears and perfect symmetry descending on an array of planets in ships that looked like they were forged from starlight. With a sigh, Cayden removed one of his gloves and pressed it against the door.
Silence, not a single sound aside from the war going on above him. Just as he was about to lose hope, the door shuddered and vanished in a flash of light. Cayden grinned and let out an uncharacteristically loud “whoop” before flushing bright red and covering his mouth despite him being the only soul in the vault.
After that little outburst, Cayden strode into the second room, unconcerned with security measures, as they all should have been disabled when he opened the door. The secondary vault contained only one object, a golden orb made up of many segments and decorated with gemstones and runes. Cayden plucked the orb from its stand with tender care and respect as befits the object that could save everyone he cared about.
Suddenly, as he was stashing his prize away, he heard the sounds of movement from beyond the main vault door. With a frown and a curse, he raced back into the vault to grab the crystal, now full of the knowledge stored within the books, and drew his pistols, ready to send whoever was approaching him to their gods with express shipping.
Explosions, gunfire, and more rang through Aurin, the capital city of the forest planet Kallidan, as brave warriors of the Exile Freedom League did all they could to repel the vastly superior forces of the Luminai Dominion.
“THEY’VE BROKEN THROUGH THE FRONT LINES!” Cried a blue-skinned cyborg over the sounds of his blaster and combat droids unleashing fiery destruction.
“I’VE LOST CONTACT WITH THE CAPITAL!” A four-armed insectoid reported in panic while waving their medical resonators over a downed human to try and mend their injuries.
“THERE’S TOO MANY OF THEM!” Yelled a green-skinned man with tentacles in place of hair just before a Dominion particle mortar consumed him and his squadron.
“HOLD THE LIN- AAGH!” Those were the final words of a centaur-like being who looked like they were carved from glowing green jade as Dominion soldiers gunned them down. Those soldiers cackled in glee as they turned their energy rifles onto the remaining Exiles, only for a glowing blue sword to spin through them, slicing them in half before flying back to the hand of its wielder, a large muscle-bound being made of solid granite. This was Orox Steelbreaker; if the Exiles had a defined military structure, they would hold the rank of general. Orox charged towards the remaining Dominion troops and unleashed a barrage of rockets from their arm cannon, buying the combat-weary Exiles a few seconds of reprieve before another wave of soldiers bore down on them.
Orox did a quick headcount of their troops and noticed a crucial absence amid the storm of blaster fire, rockets, and metaphysical energy. “Where is Cayden Draanith?” Their question would soon be answered as Cayden flew down the ruined streets of Aurin on what appeared to be a stolen Dominion hoverboard. With a flourish, the redheaded spellslinger summoned twin blaster pistols from seemingly nowhere, letting loose a volley of elemental sigils that scorched, shocked, or froze whatever they struck. One of the Dominion soldiers had climbed a tower to fire down on the Exile fighters and was able to avoid the rapid-fire spells. They were less lucky when Cayden noticed them and drew on his connection to the Void to teleport behind the soldier. He used his hoverboard to knock them off the tower before teleporting away, letting the soldier fall to their death.
Cayden re-emerged from the Void and slid to a stop by Orox’s side, “sorry I’m late, ran into some traffic.” He pushed his goggles onto his forehead, revealing his glowing purple eyes, black sclera, and starburst-shaped pupils.
Orox regarded the spellslinger with a mixture of relief and urgency, “did you find the artifact, Cayden Draanith?”
Cayden nodded and revealed the golden orb covered in grooves and gemstones of different colors from the folds of his scarlet duster. “I got it, and I double-checked. It’s the real deal.” Orox let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps all was not lost this day if they could escape Aurin and meet up with the rest of the Exile fleet. That relief was short-lived, as Cayden noticed another wave of Dominion troops moving toward them. He was about to warn Orox when three metallic clangs made his heart leap into his throat. The Exiles watched in horror and fear as three robotic Mekari dropped out of a passing troop carrier. The silver and gold of their Voltanium exoskeletons blazed in the light of the burning city and their crystalline brains glowed with an inner light.
The largest of the three Mekari thrust his clawed hand forward and, with a deep, echoing voice, uttered a single command, “DOMINION, ATTACK!” With the arrival of the three machine leaders, the Dominion surged forward with even more zeal than before.
“All Exiles, fall back!” Orox yelled to the combatants around him and into his comm-link, hoping anyone else still in the city would hear him, “get to the Tower.” The remaining Exiles did not need to be told twice, many stopping only to pick up injured comrades or return fire on the Dominion troops. The Tower was where the last of their ships were located. As such, it was the most heavily defended structure in the city. Dozens of fighter ships patrolled the skies nearby, gunning down any dominion vessel or trooper that attempted to get close, much to the indignance of the Mekari commanders.
A smaller, more feminine Mekari with bright green crystals for eyes wearing a red duster similar to Cayden’s, this one emblazoned with the image of a rising bird made of pure starfire, narrowed her eyes and, with a gesture, connected her mind to the psionic network that connected all Dominion fighter pilots. “DESTROY THE LAUNCHPAD! LET NONE ESCAPE!” Dozens of fighter ships disengaged from whatever they were doing on a dime and raced toward the Exile's last hope of escape.
The sound of the Mekari’s voice caused Cayden to stop dead in his tracks. “Pheydra?” He turned around, and purple eyes met emerald in recognition. Pheydra, despite her species being known for their lack of emotions, looked distraught at the sight of Cayden, only for her expression to morph into a mask of cold fury as she drew a pistol and shot bright magenta bolts at the spellslinger.
“TRAITOR! I’LL SEE YOUR HEAD MOUNTED ON A PIKE!”
Cayden’s heart shattered into a million pieces at the words of his former friend.
“You should have gone back for her!”
“The one Mekari with a soul, and you let the Dominion rip it out.”
“You’re just like the rest of your people. COWARD!”
Cayden was pulled from his thoughts as an invisible force slammed into him, knocking him out of the way of the oncoming blaster fire. The air shimmered as a nanosuit-clad gorgon materialized in front of Cayden, a stern scowl on her face. “On your feet, darling, you can feel sorry for yourself later. Right now, we have to survive.”