Prologue

Planet Blue Pearl Outskirts of the capital city

A sleek shuttle plunged through the clouds, descending rapidly toward the ground.

-Diiing- -Diiing- An alarm blared and red lights flashed in the silent cabin.

[Entry into lower atmosphere. Ground contact in 67 seconds. Initiating deceleration procedure.] A synthetic female voice announced.

"Roger that." Quentin said in a calm and deep voice. He was sitting in the pilot's seat, controlling the shuttle's descent. He didn't look back as he spoke to his team. "You heard her, folks. One minute to get ready. We won't have any time to waste when we land. The operation starts now!"

He stood up and adjusted his cape over his broad shoulders. He turned to face his team of twenty elite soldiers who were sitting with grim expressions on their faces. He knew exactly what they were thinking and why they looked like they were facing death itself.

They had every reason to be afraid, even with him leading them personally. The enemy they were about to face was one of the most powerful individuals in the system. That's why they had to follow the plan that they had practiced for a month without any deviation.

He finished his mental pep talk and said, "I know this might sound redundant, but I hope you all have your timers set in the right mode."

In the back row, Baldwin fiddled with his visor and slapped his forehead. He quickly reached for his left wrist and activated his AI timer. He made some adjustments on the holographic screen.

His colleague on his left scolded him. "Seriously, Bald? One day you'll forget your own name! Don't mess this up and get your act together! Did you drink before coming?"

Baldwin shrugged. "What do you know, kid? I can't work well without a drink or two."

Some chuckles broke out in the cabin and the mood lightened up a bit.

Their captain watched them with a smile and then started humming to himself. He felt a slight jolt as the shuttle touched down and the door slid open. A blast of humid air hit them and made his cape flutter behind him. The female voice spoke again.

[Landing successful on beta-19, blue pearl. Onana mansion. Temperature 23°C, humidity 93%.]

Quentin gave a single command to his team. "Go!" They all leaped out of the shuttle and sprinted toward the Onana mansion like shadows.

…

[Security breach. Area 11. Security breach. Area 8. Security breach…] A dull voice reported.

Gary jumped out of his chair and stared at the monitors in front of him. He realized that this night was going to be a nightmare. He quickly ordered his AI.

"Viola, wake up everyone, raise the security of the inner compartments to level 3, inform…" He couldn't finish his sentence as an explosion rocked the mansion.

[Warning… warning… shield destroyed.]

Gary ran out of the control room, wondering who had the power to break through a type 2 shield. Those shields were supposed to withstand any kind of bomb. It meant that they were facing a serious threat. A second explosion sounded, closer this time.

'They hit the barracks. They want to wipe us out before we can regroup. They're not giving us any chance to breathe. These are not some average thugs.' Gary thought and worried about his master's children.

He stopped running and tried to think of his next move. Gary was a veteran soldier who had seen all kinds of battles in the system. He didn't panic or fear easily, but tonight he had a very bad feeling.

He activated his timer AI on his left wrist and a holographic map of the mansion appeared in front of him.

'I need to get to Emily's room first. She's closer than Brian.'

But before he could move, the wall in front of him exploded and his master Bilanda emerged from the rubble, holding his five-year-old son with one arm.

Bilanda Onana was a striking man of two meters tall in his late thirties. He had made a name for himself as a first-generation space elemental and was the current Master of House Onana.

Seeing his master's sudden appearance, Gary composed himself and rushed toward him.

"Gary!" Bilanda yelled. "Take him. I'll go get Emily. There's a secret door to the left of my drawing room. Use his fingerprints to open it. Wait for me there with him. If I'm not back in five minutes…" He paused and then said firmly. "Go."

Gary took the boy who was awake and scared by the chaos around him. Gary asked, "But where do we go, sir?"

"You'll find out when you get there." Bilanda said curtly. "I don't have time to explain. See you in five minutes." And he ran off.

Bilanda sprinted toward his three-year-old daughter's room, thinking fast. He knew who was behind this attack and why they did it. Things had been getting tense lately.

'But why would he attack me now? And here of all places? I didn't think he had the guts to do this.' He sighed in disappointment. Then he saw a ball of fire flying toward him at full speed. He stared at it and then a small portal opened up in front of him. The fireball vanished into it.

He looked around and saw half a dozen men emerging from the shadows.

He was about to face a fight.