Moon was in the process of standing, brushing the dirt from her knees and preparing to walk the remaining path to the fortress, when the air around her began to vibrate.
The high-pitched whine of jet engines cut through the silence. Moon looked up, squinting against the unclear sky, as several figures in gleaming robotic suits dropped from the clouds like falling stars. They didn't land with a thud; they touched down with a heavy, metallic clank that shook the ground beneath her boots.
Without a word, two of the suits knelt over Vexi. Their mechanical hands, surprisingly delicate, began scanning his blue face.
Moon's heart skipped a beat. The fortress guards? They must be here for me. Time to put on a pitiful act, she thought.
She didn't miss a beat. She squeezed her eyes shut until they watered and let out a piercing, ragged cry that would have won an award in any old-world theater.
