The penthouse is quiet, starlight flooding through space windows, holo-screens idling with old mission logs. I'm Alex, lounging with Squad Zero—Fiona, Dmitri, Lyra—enjoying a rare calm after our dinner with Varkis and Kaelis. Fiona's tinkering with a holo-map, tossing me a grin, Dmitri's sketching battle plans on a tablet, and Lyra's calibrating a scanner. Our Eldari cover keeps our human roots locked down, but the Arkvault never stays peaceful for long.
An alarm blares, red lights flashing on our bracelets. Varkis's voice crackles through: "9th Elder's team hit the 13th's vault. They stole the chip—Kaelis's proof against the 9th. They're still in our sector. Find them!"
I jump up. "Blimey, they're in our house? Time to defend the turf!"
Fiona grabs her staff. "No way they're keeping that chip."
Dmitri slams a fist on the table. "Let's hunt."
Lyra's eyes narrow. "They're toast."
Varkis pings again: "All fighters to the sector—Zara, Tyn, you're in too." Zara and Tyn, the 13th Elder's tech aides from down the hall, join us in the corridor, their own bracelets lit. We split up, scouring the sector's maze of chrome passages and reactor rooms, holo-screens flickering with security feeds.
I lead Squad Zero through a maintenance bay, checking corners. "Like a gym scavenger hunt, but with higher stakes," I mutter.
Fiona scans a terminal. "They've jammed some feeds. Sneaky."
Dmitri grunts. "Four of 'em, Varkis said. Stealth types."
Lyra's fingers dance on her scanner. "Got a blip—north wing, storage vault."
We bolt to the north wing, Zara and Tyn trailing. The storage vault's door is ajar, shadows moving inside. Four figures—9th Elder's stealth team, optics glinting—clutch the data chip, prepping to teleport. I raise an earth-flux wall, blocking their exit. "Not so fast, mates!"
The leader, a wiry figure, snarls, tossing a smoke grenade. "Scatter!" he barks. The room clouds, lasers zapping.
Fiona dives through the haze, her staff pinning one thief's arm. "Gotcha!"
Dmitri's shield spins a vortex, clearing smoke and knocking another to the floor. "Stay down!"
Lyra tackles a third, her Veltari speed pinning him before he can blink. "Too slow!"
I charge the leader, power fist swinging, but he dodges, slipping toward a teleporter pad. I hurl a flux net, missing him but snagging the chip as he drops it. He vanishes, but the other three are trapped.
Zara and Tyn burst in, wielding stun rods. Zara zaps one thief, Tyn binding another with a flux cord. "Nice assist," I call, grabbing the chip.
Fiona's holding her guy in a lock. "Three out of four. Not bad."
Dmitri binds his with a net. "Leader's gone, but we've got the prize."
Lyra drags her captive over, smirking. "And some new guests."
We haul the three prisoners to the 13th Elder's office, the chip secure. His metallic frame looms behind a desk, optics gleaming. "You've done well, Squad Zero. Zara, Tyn, solid work."
I hand him the chip. "9th's team almost had it. One got away."
The elder's voice is cold. "Three is enough. I've contacted the 9th Elder. He wants his team back? He'll do exactly what I say."
Fiona nudges me, whispering, "Gym defense, Coach. Nailed it."
Lyra leans toward Dmitri, teasing. "You looked good out there, fire guy."
Dmitri smirks. "You weren't bad yourself, quickshot."
Zara chuckles. "Can we get back to dinner now?"
Tyn nods. "After we lock these clowns up."
The elder's optics narrow. "Rest, Squad Zero. The 9th's move failed, but he's not done."