The central base, nestled in the heart of Nyros Fortress, buzzed with sudden commotion. The usual military composure vanished the moment a communications technician shot to his feet, eyes wide and fixed on his screen, breath caught in his throat. "I've got something! A signal! It's… it's from the 9th Brigade!" he shouted.
Around him, officers froze. A heavy tension gripped the room like a tightening vice. Commander Jareth, a massive man with a cold stare, stormed over. "Details. Now."
The technician's fingers trembled as he adjusted the controls. "Short coded message. Emergency format. No exact location, but… it's them. Kael Vox and his squad. They're alive!"
A stunned silence swept through the command room, broken moments later by a thunderous voice. "Prep the vehicles! Deploy Brigades 6, 7, and 8 immediately! We're out of time!"
Internal alarms blared through the corridors. Soldiers surged from every direction, tension carved into their faces as they strapped on gear and checked weapons. In the hangar, anti-gravity transporters roared to life, engines humming with barely restrained urgency.
The commander turned to one of his lieutenants, Captain Enrick. "How many are left out there?"
Enrick shook his head. "Unknown. The signal was too short. No data. But if they managed to send it… they're still fighting."
Commander Jareth clenched his fists. "Or dying."
Meanwhile, in the communications center, the team desperately attempted to re-establish contact. "We've sent back the call, but… there's no response. It's like the channel went dead right after their transmission."
A young soldier named Marven, barely a recruit, stared at the screen, hands trembling. "If they're not answering… does that mean they're being attacked right now?"
No one replied. The silence was answer enough.
"They're our people," came a rough voice from the back of the room. Rhalya, the battle-worn engineer, stepped forward, her eyes bloodshot. "If they fall, we'll have lost the best soldiers we've ever had."
The commander slammed his fist onto the table. "Then we don't let them fall. Not on my watch."
In the hangar, dozens of soldiers boarded their transports. The atmosphere crackled with tension—part fear, part unwavering determination. Everyone knew this wasn't just another deployment. This was a rescue mission… or a recovery one.
Inside the lead vehicle, Lieutenant Kaeren methodically packed her ammo clips. Beside her, Seris, a young woman with sharp eyes and a plasma blade, tightened her gloves. "Do you think they're still alive?" she asked quietly.
Kaeren stared at the gray sky beyond the hangar dome. "I think they're still fighting. That's why we've got to fight for them."
Back in the command room, another attempt at contact failed. "Still nothing. No signal. I think… I think we've lost them."
Jareth didn't flinch. "We're going anyway. They lasted long enough to send a distress call—that means they're holding out. That means we don't give up either."
Enrick frowned. "What if the Vorms already wiped everything out?"
"Then we'll wipe them out," Jareth growled. "Alert the generals from Brigades 6 through 8. We're not coming back without our people."
A soldier burst into the room. "Sir! Recon drones are ready for launch!"
"Send them now. Full scan of the ruins around Tharvos. I want a complete terrain map in ten minutes."
The pressure in the room escalated by the second. Every heartbeat echoed with the unspoken fear that they might already be too late. This wasn't just a mission—it was the kind of moment that forges legends or buries them.
At the back of the room, a young psychic liaison raised her head slowly. "Wait… I'm picking something up. It's not radio—it's… a feeling. Someone's calling out for help."
All eyes turned to her. Her face paled under the weight of what she heard. "A voice… screaming. 'They're coming… too many… we're surrounded…'"
A chill swept through the room like a winter wind.
"Launch everything," Jareth commanded grimly. "We can't wait any longer."
As engines roared, units mobilized, and steel thundered through the hangar, a single word echoed through the minds of everyone present: Rescue.
Rescue what remained of a broken brigade.
Rescue Kael Vox and the others.
Rescue the last flame of hope in a world on the edge of ruin.