Chapter 10: United Front
The first city of Iresta is sighted by the three of them. Lena is surprised of the way the cybran constructed their buildings using small construction crafts that shoots our marking lasers for the construction nanites to build it; while wisp of building material is seen like a shadow accurately covering the construction area. "Fast, reliable and efficient." Vexis says it while reading Lena's mind, at the same time she checks what Naiki have planned for the city. He casually lay back on one Megalith's beam weapons while drinking carbonated water from his straw. She wanted to question what is on the other side of his personal dimension but did not dare to ask him as he yawns and dematerialize the straw away.
"Let's see here…" she turns on her communicator and see the displayed status as she reads it out. "Residential area; finished, Governmental area; finished, Commerce, Industrial, Agriculture…" Vexis slowly reads it as her voice fades till she sees one particular area. "Matter decompression storage!?" Shouted Vexis. Surprised by her voice from being drowsy, the startled Naiki nearly falls from the weapon mount and quickly hugged the base of the beam barrel. "Empress, the Emperor is just about to take a nap." Lena says it after watching his reaction of Vexis. The Megalith suddenly stops as it notices one of the regents at the front with a battalion of cybran combined units marching out of a landed warship. "Seems like someone is preparing early." Vexis smile after noticing Layla. She short warped to her, leaving Lena and Naiki on top of the Megalith.
"Emperor, I think we should get down." Lena suggest at him. He sees both of them in his view, just by saying his thoughts of her; Vexis returns back to the megalith instantly. "Yes darling, you called?" she says it while touching his nose when he yawns again. Naiki make a wall face out of her action. Lena laughs lightly. "I need to take a break back at our capital world. Now that the three of you are here, you can plan out the first phase of the forces deployment." Vexis nods hearing his command. As soon as Naiki disappears from his teleportation finger snap, Vexis breathe out of relief that Naiki finally takes a break. Lena looks curiously of her reaction. Vexis warped her and Layla who is still waiting below the megalith directly to Lenora's new command center. "Where is master?" The puzzled Layla asked Vexis. "Resting back at the capital in his main chamber. Naiki did not recover fully from stasis. Now where is that tail nomming fur ball?" She directed. "Ilya will arrive late, there is something she have to do first on her sectors." Layla says it briefly while looking out at the view. "Vex, you are not comfortable with huge crowds, right? Why are you fine with the soldiers and not the civilians?" Layla ask what she has been thinking this whole time. Vexis did not want to respond and swishes her tail. Layla quickly let go of the topic like she did not even asked her of it.
Lena wanted to ask Vexis but she still feels hard to fit in. Vexis, which is also a class nine psionic being; reads her mind easily even if she was trying to evade it. "Lena, ask away what you wanted to know. No use hiding it from me, even the sometimes-horny Layla cannot try to quickly blank her mind." Layla flustered on Vexis actually saying it to Lena. Out of weariness, she says it barely out of her lips. "Why are all of the regent's female?" Vexis smiles wryly seeing she actually says it. "The regents are actually his companions, or I should say it as the ones that is close to him. I actually recommended the regents to ease up dear darling with pleasure if he wants it, but so far, he didn't." She lied that last part from them and continues. "Even with me actually forcing Ilya on him back in the old days. I even accidentally teleported Layla that is still in her shower in front of her."
Layla sigh out of the past; she did not expect that Vexis boldly do that. "Master is too focused on becoming the strongest empire on the upper part of the galaxy since he detected the other beings, fallen empires and what the sentinels have told him of the situation." Layla explains it shortly to Lenora. "And that other dimension that me and Lena just saw." Vexis says sharply to Layla, making her curious. "Well at least, he gets to do it with the Empress here. Maybe he will ease up to us sooner or later." Says Ilya that have just arrived using the teleporter nearby; speaks of it casually while saying to Vexis 'Don't deny it' in her thoughts. Vexis gives a cheeky look at her; sticking out her tongue. Lena's cheeks are already flushing red of the conversation as Layla is surprised that she already did. Ilya sits at the edge of the command table while looking at it. "Maybe we can team up against master after he got the last regent." The suggestion is said out to Vexis from the snow leopard. "Nope, I don't want to be electrocuted again if we force it too much and the three of us are irrevocably sterile. End of the topic, let's get back on track here."
The command table lights up showing Iresta till the edge of the Draconian systems. Lena is surprised that they know all of its planets; even with the planet type, population, estimated enemy strength on each planet and even the star bases including the enemy fleets. "This is all thanks to that megastructure that one of Naiki's guardians built since we can accurately see the whole universe." Layla says it proudly to Lenora. Vexis filters on the cybran forces that is already preparing to sweep the Draconians till the first thought of what actually happened makes her vent out. "This is all of the Theatre Admiral's fault, poking an entire fleet that should not have gone there to search for him at the first place. I already said that he is at the southern part of the galaxy back then. Forcing me consume those suns to create a buffer zone at the east." She growls a little when saying it. She chuckles soon after, while going at Lena while stroking her left ear. "If that did not happen, we won't be able to get another fluffy fox here." Lena awkwardly smiles of Vexis statement. Ilya and Layla even did not resent to jealousy seeing that the emperor have chosen another one. "We need all the help for the empire. Even if the southern front forces to flank the enemy and cut off their head early." Ilya says it with determination of a possible early win. "Whoa slow down ice queen. You forget that my recent elite division of commandos is the reason that we can punch down the minor race at your sector before you iced the three planets." Layla points out. "Well you said that your division wanted to let off some steam, we all have our own perks and flaws. The cybrans under my wing loved to live at harsh cold weather. That's why we can mine crystalline ice that is rich with oxygen particles and rare earth elements from those three planets with ease. Right Vexis?" The two looked at Vexis.
She delicately tells the information that she wanted to Lena early on while the two of them went off topic. Ilya and Layla quickly get on track of the meeting with marking future orders for their forces on the command table. "You two finally snap back to reality?" Vexis says it with a playful tone. "Yes, kind of sidetracked a little." She laughed a little hearing Layla's answer. Out of blue, Vexis suddenly froze; her puffed fur is enough to catch the three off their attention. "Vexis, wats wrong?" Ilya says it quickly. "Y-you three go ahead and sort out the formation. Lena, plan out what I have said earlier while the two of them order the forward bases for construction." Vexis says it with a quaking voice before disappearing in her warp. "Is something bad happened?" Lena asked them. "Don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this." Ilya says it since she knows of Vexis better than the other two.
Vexis warped back to the palace. With a frightened face she asked the royal guard of the emperor's whereabouts. The guard says that he is resting in his chambers while asking the empress if she is alright. Without answering, she quickly warped into Naiki's bedroom. It is still dark, no one have entered the room before as she sensed it. Unable to feel the presence of Naiki from her powers including his life force she started crying out of worry and paces around the area to find him. Her ears directed to the rift that suddenly appeared in one of his meeting room. The same anxious feeling that she has during Lena's test strikes her again. She goes there immediately and stares at the dark rift. Vexis jabs it with her finger. "Yiiip!" She blurted out while being pulled into the rift. All of her fur stand puffed of the strong aura it gives as the area is extremely dark and felling barren. The artic fox did not move an inch, feeling a godly like being watching her every movement. Lightning discharge from above finally lit the dark place as Naiki walked towards her.
"Naiki!" Cries out Vexis while running to him. Naiki quickly accepted her embrace, she nuzzles him frantically. "I thought you left all of us again…" Bumping her head at his chest while saying it. "Hmm, what makes you say that? I was sleeping at this place, then someone forces open a rift that I made at the meeting room with dark matter." Naiki caress her cheek, Vexis immediately wipes her tears while explaining it to him. "I am the only one that can track your life force darling, including the powers that you generate. Entering this place makes you suddenly disappear from me." She quiet down and started looking around the place. "What is this dimension?" Asked Vexis. Naiki let go of her and stand at firm attention in front of her as the lightning sparks still light up the area. "One of the powers that I was able to contain and use it. I don't know what to call it but to make things simple, any type of weapon in my thought that I wanted of it is immediately created here and can be used on the real world; for example…" Naiki opens his palm and a laser sword appears in his hand as its light up.
Vexis recognized the sword, it was the exact same one that Lenora used during the battle against him. Her jaw is agape after Naiki directly makes four copies of Megalith out of thin air a few meters away at his back. She snaps back after seeing a mech that is shaped like a dragon as huge as a cybran dreadnought flies around the artificial storm to Naiki. "Oh, don't worry about Veles here. It is charging up its arc wave for later usage." He says it while touching the hovered dragon mech before it flies off, disappearing from both of their sight. "That thing is the one that extinguished my eternal flames?" Vexis says it to him while he answers with a grin. The both of them levitated from the ground and the empress finally able to see the whole lightly illuminated view, millions of sentinels stand in order with its eyes light red instead of the normal green that they fight before. Before the words comes out of her mouth Naiki speaks to her. "I was able to mass produce the units here for my own command, but you are missing the bigger picture Vexis. Try to focus your eyes at the source of the storm."
She does it without a second thought. The vision of a structure is seen at first; but as she sees it, she's in shock of the structure red light glows in circuit pattern. It is a massive fortress that has the width of two of his throne ships with the storm generated at its center bow. Vexis chuckles in fear and amazement. "Darling, your ability does surpass what others think of you. I wonder, how many more of your 'powers' that you haven't unlock and controlled yet." Her hands shake after saying it. Naiki grabs her hand and placed it at his heart. "Now you finally able to feel and know of it." He says it while allowing Vexis to feel the many locked astral chains of power in his heart. "You…you have been keeping this a secret this whole time?" She says it worryingly while he nods slowly. "Naiki, what are you really?" She curiously asked him. "Heh, I don't even know who I am anymore…" He says it honestly. "You are still the Emperor of the Imperial Cybran Empire, the legendary lightning fox and my husband…" After announcing that, she kisses his cheek and smiled at him with satisfaction.
Naiki nods in notion of remembering what she has said. "Let's see if they are surprised by this." All of the units in his dimension suddenly disappears and a rift opens up in front of the both of them. Both walked outside, it is directed to Lena's command center with the sound of alarm blaring off. Ilya sees millions of sentinel machine in the center of their forces and Layla's forces stands on ready to attack since they know the appearance of the machines very well. Glowing in blue eyes including the sudden temperature drop as the snow leopard begins to use her powers; Vexis speaks to Naiki in telepath. "You better stop her darling." Naiki light step behind Ilya and hold her arms from using her powers. Still in surprise of his actions, Naiki bite lightly at her right ear tip and licked it. "Nnnyyaaarrrggghhh!" Ilya screamed out of it with an accidental Ice spear shot at the roof and drop back at Naiki. He holds her while Vexis laughed her off uncontrollably and catches her breath at the command table. Lena and Layla try their best to hold out from laughing with Layla clearing out the Ice spear using her marked area time rewind powers.
"That's my forces, don't freeze them off." Naiki says to Ilya. She nodded quickly while her cheeks is still cherry red and stands on herself out looking the large window, luckily the room is sound proof that no one outside of the room can hear her. Vexis quickly speaks to the army groups that the sentinels are the emperor's autonomous battle units. Naiki sees the army groups at ease of the news and continues resting and chatting with each other while rubbing Ilya's head. "You're too quick to react on your instincts. That should ease you up a little, Ice Queen…" Naiki says it while looking at her still surprised of the event. "M-master, don't do that publicly okay?" stuttered Ilya while saying it that is still in embarrassment. "No promises Ilya" He says with a grin. Vexis briefly grabbed Ilya's tail making her grit in shock. "That should do it." Vexis says it to her as Ilya's returns to her normal self. "Naiki darling, I have said to the fleet to make way for your fortress to arrive." She continues her sentence directed to him. "Good…" Shortly returning the conversation, he directed his vision to the sky and calculated the height between the planet's orbits with the help of the mainframe. Lena and Layla stand at their side as the space tears up; opening a huge rift. The autonomous mobile fortress comes out of it slowly and into view of others as the Leviathan remains idly at the side of the rift.
The sight is truly marvelous and the people at the planet looked at it in awe seeing the massive construct including his companions that watches it on the window. Naiki gives a directed speech at the people at the planet and his combined fleet using the fortress own psionic amplifier. "With the arrival of the autonomous mobile fortress 'ICS Storm Fortress' our theater forces are complete. Now my Cybrans, the time for our conquest of the east is near!" as the speech ends, a shock unit starts shouting "Glory for the Imperial Cybran Empire!" the others follow after multiple times in resonance; making Naiki smiles barely. "You love this don't you?" Vexis says it while the others look at him, instead they feel the hungry aura for destruction of his enemy from him as his eyes directly looks at the far away Draconian capital planet. "The chance is presented to our empire and I will take it." He says it while looking at them calmly. The emperor's flame burns in the hearts of his peoples including the newcomer.