Chapter - (Interlude) Rain
[POV - MONITOR]
Monitor was in at the very top of the Control Pillar, overseeing repairs, delegating jobs and made sure the steel fortress was in good shape by the time his sire came back. Yet oddly enough, for a being that bordered on being robot, he felt....tired.
'I feel for the organics, I really do. If I hadn't these metal appendages, I would've collapsed in a hot mess of flesh long ago. One can only wonder how they manage to do any task that would require physical exertion, without falling apart and dying anyhow.' he thought, mostly feeling pity for the odd carbon based organism.
-----------------INCOMING HAIL------------------
*(INSERT SIGH AUDIO)*
"accept"
-----------------HAIL ACCEPTED---------------------
(Mentor) - "Howdy"
(Monitor) - "What"
(Mentor) - "Uhhh...right, um auxiliary generator numberrr.....10? It's functional....mostly. Need a couple spare parts to make sure it doesn't blow and take out the sub-sector"
(Monitor) - "I see, hail Nitzol, he should be able to help you out. I heard that he and Udiya came across some ruins, of an outpost of some kind, at least a couple hours ago"
(Mentor) - "Got it"
(Monitor) - "And what about Mender?"
(Mentor) - "Ah...he worked himself into hibernation mode"
(Monitor) - "Wake. Him. Up. And get to work. Or you know what I'll do"
(Mentor) - "**SIGH** Yes, you'll snitch...."
(Monitor) - "Good you understand my suggestions, get to-"
------------------END HAIL-----------------
Monitor was about to go on another ranting spree when the hail ended suddenly. He'd been cut off as he was about to ran----Preach, about the goals of his sire again.
'Wow....this bitch?'
He internally noted down this 'transgression', as he set his sights outside the windows of the room.
The Control Pillar could be likened to a control tower back on earth, at least it bore some semblance in structure.
*BOOOM*
Thunder rumbles on a moon without an atmosphere. Lightning flashes in a storm that isn't supposed to be. Rain in a world without moisture.
The storm was finally here, and even though the fort wasn't anywhere close to the epicenter of this...anomaly, they still felt the effects. The multitude of metallic workers, soldiers, even the Maxims had seen and perhaps even felt the rain as it fell.
To the simpler ones, it was a mystical event, one they were witnessing for the first time.
For the Maxims, it bore ill-omens.
While they weren't near the anomaly, the one whom they knew as their sire....Aedhira was. And despite the unnatural faith that had been programmed into their very souls, even that faltered when they saw the magnitude of change.
Even the cold, metal machines, felt an emotions alien to them. One the organics knew as....fear. As they should, this was far beyond their paygrade.
'We...we need to hurry up' thought Monitor. If by sheer chance that their Sire couldn't succeed...if by sheer chance that storm turned to face them....then they needed to be ready.
*DRIP*DRIP*DRIP*
Droplets of water smacked against the transparent screen.
'Oh sire....May the Mother Guide you to victory' he thought, as he turned back.
-------------------SOURCING HAIL----------------------
----------------HAIL ACCEPTED------------------------
(Mentor) - "Yeah? You called?"
(Monitor) - "....Get the weapon system online"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[POV - AEDHIRA]
A bright streak of incandescent light shot across the sky with a speed barely visible to the naked eye. In fact, it could pass as a shooting star if one wasn't looking carefully.
Though, if one did, they'd see a white figure crossing the starry sky. The figure looked as if it'd been carved out of pure marble, as it made it's way being propelled by two jets of flame being emitted from it's back.
This was an armor. This was his Arstra. And within it was Aedhira.
His long, armored skirt barely budged similar to the sleeve of his left arm as he flew at a speed inconceivable to him merely an hour ago. The esoteric material didn't seem to obey the laws of physics as well as Aedhira did himself. Though it could also be chalked up to the alarming lack of air on the surface of Lokir, but Aedhira was as biased as they came.
'They' referring to Homuculus, or rather Homunculi, but then again, there was only one if him, so it wasn't much to go by at any rate.
*DRIP*DRIP*DRIP*
As he careened forwards, he felt droplets of water splash against against his visor. Though, darkness incarnation was it might look like, he saw the outside well and fine.
Minutes passed before it went from 'haha...light shower' to 'go-kill-yourself storm'
.....That was a bit exaggerated, but the idea was conveyed. The rainfall got really bad, and visibility went from bad to blind. Literally. His only saving grace was the outdated map on his display and the occasional, equally blinding lightning that lit the way ahead.
The storm was a wrathful beast, casting the moon Lokir into a chaotic dance of shadows and light. Aedhira's Arstra powered through the tempest, the jets of flame from his back slicing through the torrential rain. The droplets battered against his armor, each impact a sharp reminder of the unnatural phenomena he was navigating. He squinted through his visor, relying on the outdated map displayed before him and the fleeting illumination of the lightning strikes.
The storm roared with the fury of a trapped beast, echoing with a power that seemed to originate from the very heart of the moon. Every crack of thunder vibrated through Aedhira's bones, an ominous reminder of the stakes at play. The rain was relentless, turning the barren landscape below into a slick, treacherous terrain.
Aedhira's thoughts raced as fast as his trajectory. He needed to reach a vantage point and reconvene with the forces back at the fort. The presence of rain—impossible rain—was a harbinger of something far greater and far more dangerous than they had anticipated. His mission to secure the outpost and ensure the safety of the refugees now felt secondary to the overwhelming need to understand this anomaly.
The feeling was wrong, and he knew it. But he doubted there'd be any refugees left to save if he didn't deal with this soon.
As he flew, the coordinates of a nearby mountaintop grew nearer, the structure barely discernible through the sheets of rain and the flashes of lightning. His Arstra was pushed to its limits, the jets straining to maintain speed and stability in the turbulent air. But Aedhira was resolute. He would not falter.
*DRIP*DRIP*DRIP*
The relentless drumming of the rain against his visor became a background symphony, an incessant reminder of the unnatural storm. His vision was obscured, the rainwater smearing across his display despite the visor's efforts to clear it. He relied on the internal sensors of his Arstra to navigate, feeling more than seeing his way forward.
In less than a second, he felt his sensors ping violently, a large geological mass directly ahead. The impulse jets barely reconfigured themselves in time to redirect the thrust.
Redirect it so instead of going forward, he went up. And he almost did.
Almost.
As he approached the large mass, presumably the mountain, he veered upwards like a paper airplane smashing into the wall of it. Silence ensued as bits of rock fell of the cliff face. As much as the storm could pass as silence anyway.
-----------------SOURCING HAIL----------------
(Aedhira) -"Monitor, this is Aedhira. Do you read me?"
He hailed Monitor,sat in the indentation he'd made to the cliff face. Well, at least he hoped a signal got through, the map he had on hand was largely inaccurate, leading him to ram into a mountain 20 whole meters before he was supposed to.
20 meters! This was entirely UNPROFESSIONAL! HE HAD A REPUTATION TO UPHOLD!
[What reputation.....] yet Argos didn't voice his concerns about his Sire.
There was a crackle of static, then Monitor's voice came through, strained and weary.
(Monitor) -"We read you, Aedhira. What's your status?"
(Aedhira) -"I need more data on the surroundings, the map I'm working with is really, reaaallyyyy inaccurate. Cause of it, I smashed into a mountain 20 meters early! 20 METERS MONITOR! TWENTY!!"
(Monitor) -"Ah...I see, well, the we managed to make some firmware upgrades to the Meynel Observer, tweaked it to give us live visuals. Though the quality leaves more to be desired" his tone seemed entirely unfazed by his Sire's plights.
(Aedhira) -*SIGH* "It's fine, patch it through"
(Monitor) - "Understood. Patching it through now. Hold tight."
Aedhira adjusted himself in the dent he'd made, the Arstra's systems recalibrating after the jarring collision. The makeshift HUD flickered as the live visuals from the Meynel Observer streamed in. The quality was poor, grainy and choppy, but it was better than flying blind. He could make out the contours of the landscape, the jagged edges of the mountain, and the endless expanse of rain beyond.
Aedhira felt a sense of urgency gnawing at him. He had to figure out the source of this anomaly, this storm that defied all logic. His mission was clear: understand the threat, neutralize it if possible, and ensure the survival of his people.
(Monitor) - "Visuals should be coming through. We've triangulated your position and mapped out the immediate area. You should have a clear path to the summit now."
Aedhira nodded, though Monitor couldn't see him. "Acknowledged. I'm moving out."
He engaged the impulse jets again, carefully maneuvering up the sheer cliff face. The rain was relentless, pounding against his armor, but the jets held firm. He ascended steadily, the grainy map guiding him. The mountain was treacherous, its surface slick and unforgiving, but the Arstra's enhancements kept him anchored.
*DRIP*DRIP*DRIP*
The rhythm of the rain was almost hypnotic, a constant reminder of the unnatural storm raging around him. Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the jagged rocks and the sheer drop below. Aedhira focused on the summit, his goal clear in his mind. He had to get a better view, to understand what they were dealing with.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the top. The summit was a narrow, windswept plateau, offering a panoramic view of the storm-ravaged landscape. The rain was lighter here, the clouds swirling ominously overhead. He could see the faint outlines of the outpost in the distance, a small, solitary beacon in the midst of chaos.
Aedhira activated his communication systems, reaching out to Monitor once more. "I'm at the summit. I need you to scan for any anomalies, any source of this storm."
(Monitor) - "Understood. Initiating scan now."
The seconds ticked by, each one a lifetime. Aedhira stood still, his eyes scanning the horizon. The rain continued to fall, a relentless curtain of water. He could feel the tension in the air, the storm's energy crackling around him.
(Monitor) - "Aedhira, we're detecting a massive energy signature approximately two kilometers east of your position. It's off the charts. Whatever's causing this storm, it's there."
Aedhira's heart pounded. "Got it. I'm heading there now."
He launched himself off the summit, the impulse jets propelling him forward. The rain lashed at him, the wind howling in his ears, but he pushed on. The terrain below blurred as he sped towards the energy signature, the Arstra's systems working overtime to maintain stability.
Aedhira landed a safe distance away, his eyes wide with disbelief. This was beyond anything he had ever seen, beyond anything he had ever imagined. He activated his communication systems once more, his voice steady despite the turmoil.
(Aedhira) -"Oh SH*BLEEP*"
(Monitor) -"What was that?"