It was a normal, usual day on Kryok when the Arkulan military carried out recruitment to their civilian population. One lone military settlement on the empty sands of Kryok has risked traveling on the sands to reach the nearby town called the Nirinaya. On their way back to their base came a dire situation. They were ambushed by the Zakana. Some of the civilians perished in the incident, and the survivors were escorted by the military back to the base.
As if the Zakana's ambush weren't enough, the Narukh'za, who have been expanding to the sands under an agreement, had their eyes on the convoy and went to converse with them. No harm was dealt, fortunately for the civilians and Kirin Solana. They were spared by their long-time nemesis.
With a sudden declaration, a few select recruits were assigned to a squad under the famous figure close to the Arkulan leader, Kirin Solana. Their first goal came to them right away, and it was a difficult one. They have to reach Valorna, a distant planet. But first, they had to go to the next base where her fleet is stationed. But the Narukh'za's outposts became a concern to the lone base and they were tasked to deal with them first, delaying their goal.
Without proper training, the recruits were deployed with her at the outposts the Narukh'za has built.
They were able to survive one mission, though the next one came with surprise. The Zakana surfaces from the sands, filling the once-empty region with their hordes and attacking anything they can see. For unknown reasons, the Loyalist who is responsible for the expansion to Kryok reached out to the Arkulans for help. The Arkulans were puzzled and hesitant, but by their leader's order, they agreed to the Loyalist's call under a condition. Without any idea of the sudden surface of the aliens, they put an effort into helping the Narukh'za from the Zakana, even if sometimes it looked like they were more capable of fighting back the aliens than the Arkulans.
Little did they know, it was the Loyalist's idea in the first place. The Loyalist was burdened by thoughts that were developed ever since her encounter with Kirin Solana during their active war. She lured the Zakana to the surface to cause violent aggression to achieve her own goal, even if it meant harming her own warriors. She even did things too far, warping in different kinds of Zakana unknown to the Arkulans on their own planet to indirectly tell them that they have been sitting blind to their homes for too long, while also increasing the chance for cooperation between them.
With this idea, the Loyalist came into many thoughts. She wanted to believe that the Arkulans were true the whole time and a peace might be possible, but it wasn't up to her decision of the outcome. In the process, she was even able to clear up her relationship with the first Loyalist. They became clear to each other, and are eager to learn more about their new kind of bond.
The Zakana's frenzy came to an end when the fleet of the Loyalist was able to descend to the sands and dramatically increases their efforts of resistance against the aliens. As they promised, they are now set to leave the planet alone after they were able to secure their warriors from the sands.
With now the Narukh'za outposts dealt with, they are now finally back to their original goals. To travel to Base N6 and assemble a small escorted transport from Kirin's fleet.