Moonrise ✔ [Complete]

51 Vaius (Part 1)

Maeyune found herself standing in front of a pair of steel doors. They appeared inconspicuous and not the kind that opened to a central control room. Two soldiers were posted on either side as guards. Both men nodded to Maeyune in acknowledgement, but it was the only movement they made.

For a long minute, she waited a short distance away to prevent the door's motion sensors from activating. When she'd finally managed to shush the debate inside her head, she took a step forward. The doors slid apart, and the sounds of frantic voices and technical consoles swallowed her whole.

This was it. There was nowhere else to go now except forward. She entered, loosened her shoulders and embraced the atmosphere. Each step came easier than the last.

The control room was another man-made cavern sculpted out from rock. It slanted downward, with stairs carved at the center to lead from the sliding doors down to the main floor. There were rows of holographic consoles on either side of the stairs. Military officers stood consulting the arrays of colors that flashed across the displays.

Against the far wall, a large monitor revealed the Wobeck harvester and the ships that hovered around it, guarding it. Maeyune glanced over the scene, briefly measuring the alien forces before she descended the stairs.

On the main floor, a group of uniformed men and women stood around a table chiseled out of rock. Their bleak expressions were lit by a holographic map of the terrain that hovered over the table.

Among the faces, she saw Reo's first. Her heart lurched at the sight of him.

It had only been half an hour since their moment together outside. But in that time, she had already fantasized countless scenarios of what would happen when she saw him again. Her lips drew the memory of their frenzied kisses, and her body, the feel of his hands and his energy.

I love you.

It still felt like a dream.

When she had revealed to him the terror in her heart, he hadn't ridiculed her. He hadn't shunned her or judged her. She had thought she could overcome it alone. But she had found comfort and safety in his embrace. He had held her, had anchored her in place while her entire world had come crashing down around her.

You are amazing.

His words continued to echo in her mind. They had been a reminder, one that she hadn't realized she'd desperately needed. And they brought to her another memory.

You have your father's determination and your mother's patience. Above all, you have their courage. Never forget where you come from, Mae.

Aunt Lyn's words. Emna had spoken them before Maeyune had left Suolan, before she'd flown to Bera to meet Reo.

Her people of the moon kingdom believed in finding light in the darkness. And so would she.

Reo stood with his arms folded, his eyes fixated on the holographic map. Beside him was General Soras, who circled a finger around an area on the terrain.