Alpha Strike: [An interstellar Weapon Platform’s Guide to being a Dungeon Core] (Book 2 title)

The small gathering comprised most of the people Alpha would have expected,

Ulagan, Kallik, the “Captain” (whom he’d yet to hear anyone actually refer to by name), the senior guard Juatan, and two older gentlemen who only introduced themselves as Elder Ganzorig and Elder Batu.

Then, of course, Alpha himself.

The two he hadn’t expected to see were Ganbaatar and Zolzaya. It was Alpha’s understanding that the two were just stepping into adulthood by the village’s standards, so it struck the AI as odd that they would be invited to such an important meeting.

A sentiment that was echoed by Elder Ganzorig.

“Kallik, why are the children here?”

Kallik turned to answer, but Zolzaya beat her to it. The young woman cupped her hands and bowed at the hip as she spoke.

“With all due respect, Elder Ganzorig, we have passed our apprenticeships. We are no longer children. We are also some of the few with first-hand accounts of the events we will discuss. Thus, I believe it’s imperative we understand our next steps from here.”

Elder Ganzorig furrowed his brow and raised a hand, but his words were stopped but a gentle hand on his shoulder. The owner of the hand in question, Elder Batu, was the one to speak instead.

“The young woman is not wrong, my friend. If things are to go as planned, keeping them in the loop will only help.”

The other elder frowned but said nothing more. Alpha didn’t miss the smile on the face of the guard named Juatan, even hidden by the man’s scruffy beard.

Alpha chuckled to himself. He liked the young woman, even if she didn’t seem too fond of him. She reminded him of a young woman named Madalyn back in the Federation, a native to one of his more recent conquests. She was young, even by Federation standards, but she was also stubborn, resourceful, and far more intelligent than those around her gave her credit for.

In only a few short years, the young woman had risen from an orphaned street rat to Alpha’s chief mechanic and overseer of most of his production labs. Not that you’d know Alpha was in charge if you ever heard Madalyn speak to him. The young woman was rougher than some grizzled soldiers three times her age and was one of the few people able to keep some of Alpha’s more… eccentric ideas in check.

As Alpha reminisced, Zolzaya turned to him and narrowed her eyes, as if sensing his amusement.

Alpha stared back, the black face of his primary optical sensor plate spinning. She broke eye contact only as the rest of the group continued.

The Captain was first to speak.

“There’s been a slight change of plans. New information has come to light, and we need to up the schedule.”

Ganbaatar raised his hand and asked.

“In what way? We weren’t informed of the original plan.”

The Captain nodded.

“The village Elders had chosen to send your group, you, Zolzaya, Ulagan, and Kallik, along with a Guardian escort, ahead to the Earth Shrine. Officially, you’ll be there to get Yutu emergency care. The others are recovering well, but the young man needs better care than we can give.”

The group’s eyes fell at the mention of the young man. Alpha had been monitoring his condition through the nanites still in his system, and it wasn’t good. They’d kept him stable so far, in no small part thanks to the medical nanites, but he still needed extensive surgery. If Alpha had a base set up, he could have thrown Yutu into a recovery pod for a few days, and he’d be fine, but the village was missing several key components that the AI needed to print such a complicated device.

That was even before considering the overall expense, in nanites and resources, to set it up. Not that he’d be the one paying for it, of course, but the fact remained it wasn’t feasible at the moment.

Elder Ganzorig was the next to speak.

“While there, Ulagan and Kallik will attempt to contact the Akh’lut representative stationed at the shrine. If Ulagan’s theory is correct, and the Beast Lord had allies within the Wandering Cities, we believe it’s safer to contact the Akh’lut directly rather than tip off any who might be listening.”

The Captain nodded, then turned to look at the Alpha and continued.

“At first, we’d planned to ask the Lord Protector to transport the group most of the way before returning… The Elders have decided it is in everyone’s best interests that the Jadewalkers aren’t made aware of his presence just yet. At least not until the child is found.”

Elder Batu turned and bowed to Alpha as he elaborated.

“We mean no insult, Lord Protector. We don’t believe you would needlessly cause trouble—”

{HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!}

Alpha mentally broke out into laughter, earning another glare from Zolzaya.

The elder continued, unaware.

“—, but the Jadewalkers, as a whole, have a reputation for being… reactive. We feel it would simplify things if they’re unaware of your involvement. Such a thing could give any traitorous elements in the city the opening they need to slip away, or worse, bend events in their favor.”

Alpha mentally frowned but agreed. He could just waltz into town and stir up the place, but a hostile takeover at this point in time would be counterproductive.

The Captain again took over.

“As I mentioned, however, new information means we must change our plans. Lord Protector, if you would?”

The TAWP bobbed in acknowledgment and switched on his holographic projection. The two elders jumped (Alpha never tired of that), but the others had already seen this “ability” and only stared. Alpha’s map of the region had grown substantially since the ruins. Not only had the village itself been making steady progress along their route, but Alpha had sent out swarms of [Wasp] drones to scout the areas they passed through. It was still only a sliver of the size of entire prairies, estimated by high-altitude scanning, but it was impressive.

The group took a moment to marvel at the sight, but it was, surprisingly, Ganbaatar who noticed what they were supposed to see.

The young man narrowed his eyes and pointed to an image on the map. A cartoonish-looking face of a black and white creature, its tongue happily hanging from its mouth.

“Is that what I think it is?”

The image was far to the north, so far away, in fact, that no [Wasp] had even come close to reaching it yet. Though the map was updated in real-time as several drones made a beeline toward the location.

Alpha spoke only a single word, still maintaining the mysterious and dignified persona he was cultivating. To the side, Zolzaya put her face in her hand and sighed.

“Yes.”

Ganbaatar’s face lit up as he spoke excitedly.

“Then what are we waiting for?! We know where she is now; let’s go rescue her!”

The small Akh’lut pup had saved his life several times now, in fact, so he would jump on any chance to repay even a small part of that debt. It helped that he genuinely enjoyed the child’s company; many other Akh’lut were said to be more aloft and cold, preferring the company of the strong and fierce. The child was far more friendly and excitable, reminding him of his younger sister when she was that age.

Juatan held out a hand, his words smothering the young man’s excitement.

“It’s not that simple, Ganaa. Yutu still needs treatment, and the Akh’lut still need to be warned about the Beast Lord’s plots.”

Ganbaatar furrowed his brow and clenched his fists.

“So we’re just going to leave her?! We don’t know what these people’s intentions are. By the time we tell her family, it might already be too late!”

Juatan nodded.

“You’re right. We don’t know who these people are or what they want with the child. But that’s all the more reason we can’t go rushing off. What if it’s a powerful clan? Or some high-level Cultivator none of us have a chance against? Remember, these people stole the child away from under the nose of the Lord Protector, distracted as he was or not. Can you say that even if you rushed to them immediately, you could do anything meaningful to help her?”

Ganbaatar frowned and tried to respond, but found no words. After a moment, he looked at the ground.

The Captain picked up after Juatan.

“We’re not abandoning her, young man, don’t fear. We just have to play the part we can and leave the rest to those with the power necessary to do more.”

Ganbaatar nodded but said nothing more. Instead, it was Zolzaya who spoke.

“Then how has the plan changed?”

The Captain nodded to the young woman.

“Mostly the same. The Lord Protector will still transport the group most of the way to the Earth Shrine, but instead of returning, he has agreed to track the signal further and either gather information or attempt a rescue. Meanwhile, you four will approach the shrine with the information we have. With any luck, the Akh’lut representative will respond swiftly. That is what they are supposedly there for, after all. There’s only one slight hiccup we’re unsure what to make of.”

Ulagan spoke up for the first time, also unaware of the changes until now.

“What’s the problem?”

Kallik answered him.

“The location the child has appeared. We’ve compared the Lord Protector’s map to our own and are reasonably sure we know where the child has been taken… The Temple of the Prima.”

The group, even the elders, fell into silence, looks of confusion passing over them in a wave. Apparently, this was recent news to most of them. Elder Ganzorig was the first to recover.

“That… is most peculiar. Why would they bring the child there? After all, the temple is the seat of power for the Akh’lut. Could they have already recovered her?”

Kallik shook her head.

“It’s possible, but I highly doubt it. Something is wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

Ganbaatar asked.

Zolzaya was the one to respond.

“… Because it’s Abditus Apex….”

Kallik nodded and continued.

“Correct. The Darkest Night is only a few days away. The Radiant Heart, where the Temple of the Prima is located, will be at its most chaotic and dangerous at that time. Even the Akh’lut would have migrated to their Earth Shrines weeks ago.”

A year on Relictus was broken down into 4 seasons, each, in turn, broken into a month of Genesis, Apex, and Requiem, for a total of 12 months.

Abditus, the season of Darkness, was when the sun was almost completely hidden behind the Celestial Sister, the larger planet that Relictus orbited. Even what little daylight the planet got was brief, with only the warmth radiating from the Sister keeping the planet from freezing.

The month of Apex was the harshest, as the planet entered the larger planet’s shadow. The Radiant Seas got little snow. In fact, Ganbaatar could count the number of times he’d seen snow on both hands, but that didn’t stop the harsh winds and biting cold from infecting the prairies.

The Darkest Night was by far the most dangerous time of the month. On this day, in the middle of Apex, in the middle of Abditus, Relictus would be fully enveloped by the Sister’s shadow, completely cutting off the light and warmth of the sun to their planet.

This was a difficult time in most places, as the Yin, Shadow, and Ice-aligned Spirit energies skyrocketed, causing all sorts of trouble.

In the Radiant Seas, where the Spirit energy was already chaotic, this event was cataclysmic. Only the Earth’s Shrines and Temples were safe, as they absorbed this insane influx of energy from the area.

The only other time that could be compared was the Brightest Day, during Lux Apex, when the planet baked under the combined heat of the local star and the Celestial Sister. The alternating seasons in between, Restituo and Occasus, respectively, were used to gather supplies and prepare.

It wasn’t a stretch to say that most people’s lives on Relictus revolved around preparing for these two yearly events. Either Cultivators and Mages working to gather the rare and powerful natural treasures that appeared during the events, or the common man, simply trying to survive them.

Ganbaatar tilted his head, still confused.

“But I don’t understand. Aren’t the Earth Temples even safer than the Earth Shrines? Why would it be dangerous?”

Zolzaya answered him with a sigh.

“This is why you should pay attention during lessons, Ganaa. What is the purpose of the Earth Shrines?”

Ganbaatar turned to her and frowned.

“To provide shelter during Apex?”

Zolzaya shook her head.

“Wrong. That’s just a welcomed side-effect. The Shrines and Temples were built long before the Wandering Cities ever settled the prairies, remember? Who would they protect?”

Ganbaatar’s frown deepened.

“But the barriers—”

Zolzaya cut him off.

“—Are later additions by the Akh’lut to extend their effects.”

Ganbaatar threw his hands into the air.

“Fine! Then you tell me, big brain, what are they used for?”

Zolzaya grinned ear to ear.

“To gather energy.”

Ganbaatar sighed as Zolzaya continued.

“Or, to be more exact, to absorb the chaotic energy of the prairies and channel it.”

Ganbaatar’s eyes went wide as it clicked.

“… to the Heart…”

Kallik nodded and took over.

“Correct. All the energy gathered by the various Earth Shrines and Temples throughout the Radiant Sea is directed and concentrated in the Radiant Heart at the center of the Temple of the Prima. This also means that during Lux and Abditus Apex, when those energies are at their strongest and most volatile, the Heart becomes one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Even the Akh’lut, with their natural resistances, are forced to abandon the area.”

Ulagan frowned and asked,

“Then, why would whoever took the child bring them to such a dangerous place? And now, of all times?”

Kallik turned and mirrored the man’s frown.

“Yes… that’s the question… isn’t it?”