Men and women dressed in ragged clothing created a hostile border around the forest glade. Maeyune calmly pushed her hands into the air in surrender. She cast her gaze across their faces, her mind connecting with theirs in seconds.

They were Nomenian.

She narrowed her eyes in consternation. How had she and the others managed to disappear and reappear hundreds of miles away in only a matter of seconds?

A thought occurred to her, and her eyes flitted to the heavens. It was simple. They all stood directly under the moon.

She was starting to understand now. Had Shivra somehow transported her to the only location in the moon's straight path?

Her attention returned to the Nomenians surrounding them. Fortunately - she discovered upon further inspection - they were not Iron Prophet.

Rather, they were the natives who rose up against them.

Perhaps her situation was less complicated than she thought. At least they fought on the same side.

She found the minds of her four allies behind her. Remain calm, she ordered. They're Nomenian rebels.

One of the rebels, a young man who appeared not much older than she was, stepped away from the others. He pointed his gun at her, deep-set eyes focused.

"Who are you?" he demanded. His voice carried a hint of a smooth accent. His face bore a trimmed, fair-colored beard, and stretched across his left eyebrow was a dark mark. A scar, she perceived.

"Maeyune Ereni of Suolan," she answered clearly. "Moon God incarnate."

She saw his eyes widen slightly, but he snorted. "Lie again, and they will be your last words."

By generating her moon energy, her eyes flashed silver. He and the Nomenians behind him flinched, gasps and murmurs navigating their heads.

Do you believe me now? she asked him telepathically. Or would you prefer another demonstration?

He froze, eyes wide enough to fall from their sockets. Eventually, he let out a quiet laugh.

"Unbelievable," he uttered.

His eyes never leaving her, he lowered his rifle and waved his hand in the air. He addressed the others in Nomenian, but she read the translation in their minds.

Lower your weapons, he had said.

They did as they were commanded, and he spoke over their incessant whispers.

"So the rumors are true," he affirmed. "The Moon dragon is a telepath." He thrust his chin at the sky. "Did you cause that light?"

"Yes."

He took a moment to frown at her. "May I ask why the Moon God incarnate is so far from home?" he continued. "And by home, I mean the Berans' heart of Bresnia. You are their new favorite toy, are you not?"

Maeyune raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean no offense, m'lady."

The sound of static and a muffled voice came from his neck. When it stopped, he seized the collar of his padded vest and spoke into a hidden mouthpiece.

"No hostiles. We will be returning soon," he relayed in Nomenian. He gave Maeyune a sideways glance. "But you will not believe who we found."

His hand returned to rest at the top of his rifle, and he observed her for a long moment.

Upon a second venture into his head, she learned his name. She tried to ignore the other curious thoughts floating at the forefront. She was sure no one had ever called her lovely before.

"Captain Eldrin," she said, clearing her throat. "I have no time to waste."

His eyebrows rose when she spoke his name, but he said nothing.

"We need to return to Bera," she insisted. "There may be more Wobeck ships on their way."

He looked visibly bemused. "Wobeck?"

Unbelieving, she was shocked to find that he knew nothing about the Wobeck's arrival. In fact, none of them were aware.

There was more static voice from the speaker at his collar. This time, it sounded far more frantic.

"Repeat?" the captain ordered. As the voice reiterated, his eyes shot back toward Maeyune.

He knew now.

A high shrill rang in the sky.

They all glanced up momentarily to determine the source of the sound. A few seconds later, a dark aircraft zipped over the canopy.

Behind Maeyune, Trix cried, "They found us!"

A dozen Wobeck aircrafts followed shortly after the first, and they rained bursts of plasma energy. Several rays punctured two rebels through the chest before Maeyune could generate a shield above.

"Move, now!' commanded the rebel captain.

They ran after him in between the trees. Through the blasts striking her barrier, she distinguished the rapid staccato of turret fire in the distance.

Minutes later, the trees gave way to an open clearing - a long patch of dirt that had turned into a battlefield. Maeyune dropped her shield and surveyed the scene.

Wobeck aircrafts darted over, appearing like scattered ravens intent on raining destruction. Dozens of rebels in similar ragged clothing clambered to hide, crouching behind energy shields that were distributed across the clearing. They sprayed bullets aimlessly at the sky.

Maeyune spotted a single anti-aircraft turret stationed in the ground. It released another round of fire, and it found a target.

As the alien plane erupted, Maeyune cast her eyes across the clearing a second time.

They had no celestial assistance.

"Captain, let us help," Maeyune offered.

She did not wait for his reply. She charged into the open, the Moon God's shield emerging from a wave of light on her arm.

The three celestials rushed after her. Trix followed behind, somersaulting on the ground to avoid plasma rays. As he rolled, he secured a fallen rifle.

In the sky, the Wobeck crafts had merged into a tight formation. They circled back around to spew more of their energy rays. Maeyune's shield became a lantern against the dark ground, its light a target.

Rebels nearby gawked as alien energy struck her shield, splattering against its silver metal. The force should have rocked her arm, should have sent her flying. But her feet stood firm in the dirt, and the attack brought forth countless memories.

It was training all over again. Years of preparation had all come down to this.

While many of the Nomenian rebels sprinted this way and that, temporarily losing their minds, she smiled.

She was made for this.

In one step forward, she delivered a blow. As the Wobeck aircrafts passed over, her energy wave tore through their formation, sending several of them flying askew and into each other.

She peered over her shoulder at Aerylis. The latter nodded with an oblique smile, accepting Maeyune's silent command.

The wind celestial ran to the center of the clearing and fell into a low squat, her hands pressed flat together into a cup. Maeyune watched as the aircrafts spiraled in the sky before they veered back.

She counted eight vehicles remaining.

In a fluid motion, she sprinted forward and leaped, her foot landing in Aerylis's palms. The wind celestial tossed her into the air.

Time slowed as Maeyune drifted above the forest canopy, her moon energy keeping her afloat.  The Wobeck aircrafts made their return and fired their plasma, ineffective against her shield.

When they were upon her, Maeyune twirled her body in the air, shield turning to sword. A white light elongated the silver blade, and she sliced each plane in half as they flew past, one after the other. The crisp tings of metal sliding through metal sang through the night - a melodious rhythm.

All eight aircrafts plummeted to the ground, and explosions concluded their demise.

With the sky cleared, Maeyune let gravity hurl her body down. Her energy softened her fall at the last second, and she landed in a low, balanced crouch.

When she straightened, she heard a whiz of air. A final aircraft had reemerged above the forest. She decided to let Deric take care of it.

The land celestial waved his hand and collected branches from the trees, assembling them into three long pikes. He pitched them at the plane as it flew over.

They attached to the side of the craft. The wood dispersed into branching veins, spreading to cover the entirety of the vehicle in a wooden cocoon. Blind, it crash-landed near the edge of the clearing, and a wide tree trunk halted its slide.

Silence descended across the forest, and Maeyune studied the sky. There were no more whirls, no more fleeting shadows.

Commotion stirred behind her. Nomenian rebels were gathering near the fallen alien aircraft for a closer look.

"Stand back!" yelled Captain Eldrin. He approached it in slow strides, his rifle pointed.

Maeyune and the others ran over. She waved a hand at Deric to remove the wood. The branches folded back, revealing the craft inside.

Upon closer inspection, it did not appear that different from the crafts she had studied from twenty years ago. If she was correct, its dorsal fin was directly above the craft's cockpit. The pilot was no doubt inside.

Captain Eldrin shot her a quick glance as she approached it. He allowed her to take leadership, having already deemed her more qualified.

"Is it in there?" he asked quietly.

"There is only one way to find out," she answered.

No one had ever seen a Wobeck before. As far as history claimed, none had ever been seen emerging from the ships to set foot on Vaius. No Wobeck had survived the war. When humans had forced open the fallen aircrafts, all they had found inside were piles of ash.

Maeyune could hardly imagine what to expect.

Aerylis drew an arrow and nocked it, her aim at the ready. Several other nervous rebels joined her, rifles raised.

"Deric," Maeyune said, gesturing toward the fin. "If you would be so kind."

"Yes, ma'am," the land celestial replied, grinning.

He stepped forward and tucked his fingers under the latch near the fin. Flexing the wide muscles on his back, he pulled upward. Metal clunked at the strain. A second later, the latch flew off, and Deric stepped off to the side.

Fumes of smoke escaped from the cockpit. When the air finally cleared and the forest waited with a dreadful silence, everyone discerned the dark shape lying still in its seat.

Maeyune was the first to move, Aerylis maintaining close proximity.

It wore a suit of armor, the thin plates made of black alloy that was similar in design to its aircraft. It had a head, two arms, and two legs.

Like a man.

Like an extremely tall man, Maeyune observed, astonished.

The rebels began their hushed mumbling.

"Is it dead?" Captain Eldrin asked.

Maeyune tucked the tip of her sword underneath the Wobeck's helmeted chin. When there was no movement, she retired her sword, and Aerylis lowered her bow.

Maeyune pushed out her palm, curving her wrist. The armored alien drifted from its seat into the air, and the rebels spouted a sea of gasps and frightful shrieks.

With the unconscious Wobeck in her telekinetic hold, she turned to the Nomenian captain. His jaw hung loose. But before she could ask for the location of their base, she felt an interruption in her energy.

The Wobeck's head snapped up, and it shook its body within her hold.  Caught by surprise, she lost her grip, and the alien fell to its feet.

Its eight-foot height instilled a long second of shock. Taking advantage of everyone's paralysis, its arms shot outward at the nearest throats.

It seized a kicking Trix and a rebel, lifting them high into the air.

Without a second thought, Maeyune shoved her body into motion. She jumped in between the two captives and in front of the Wobeck, tossing her feet over her head to perform a fluid backflip. The toes of her foot struck a clean blow under its chin, and its head jerked back.

The alien's limbs fell slack, its body colliding onto the ground to lay supine. Trix and the rebel tumbled from its hold, their hands flying to their necks and coughing out air.

When the Wobeck did not move again, Maeyune heard Captain Eldrin let out a long whistle. She glanced over her shoulder.

"I think I'm in love," he declared, lips slanted and eyes never leaving her.