GREEN RAGE AND RED RAGE

The battlefield, once a chaotic storm of explosions and clashing forces, was now eerily silent. The Vanguard's massive ships hung motionless in the sky, their lights dimmed. The Resistance fighters moved cautiously among the wreckage, checking for survivors and gathering whatever intelligence they could.

The leader stood at the center of the outpost, surveying the damage. Despite their victory, the cost had been high. Walls were crumbled, turrets lay in ruins, and the casualty count was growing by the minute.

"We held the line," Jester said as he approached, his armor scorched but his grin intact. "Barely."

"Barely is enough," the leader replied. "For now."

Luther joined them, his massive frame carrying a wounded soldier over his shoulder. "Med bay's full," he said. "But we've got triage setups in the barracks. The survivors are tougher than they look."

The leader nodded, their focus shifting to the horizon. "We need answers. If this was just the Vanguard's first wave, we have to know what's coming next."

---

In the war room, the technicians were already poring over the remains of the Vanguard commander. Its core had been heavily damaged during the battle, but some of its data storage units were still intact.

"This thing is advanced," one of the engineers said, shaking their head in disbelief. "More advanced than anything we've seen. Even their coding is light-years ahead of the Hive's tech."

The leader leaned over the console. "Can you access its systems? Anything that tells us their next move?"

"We're working on it," the technician replied. "But it's like trying to read a language we've never seen before."

---

While the technicians worked, Jester took the opportunity to explore the wreckage of the smaller Vanguard ships. He was joined by a handful of scouts, all of them wary of any traps or dormant soldiers.

"Anything interesting?" Jester asked as one of the scouts pried open a panel.

"Not unless you count glowing wires and alien tech we can't understand," the scout replied.

Jester crouched beside a broken terminal, his fingers brushing against the sleek metal surface. "There's got to be something here. These guys didn't come all this way just to lose."

As he spoke, a faint glow caught his eye. Embedded within the wreckage was a small, spherical device, its surface etched with strange symbols.

"What do we have here?" Jester muttered, carefully prying the sphere loose.

---

Back at the outpost, Luther was helping with the recovery efforts. His sheer strength made him invaluable for clearing debris and moving heavy equipment, but his mind was elsewhere.

The Vanguard commander's words echoed in his head: "Prepare for assimilation."

"What did they mean by that?" he murmured to himself.

A nearby medic overheard and paused. "You think they're planning to convert us? Like the Hive did with their drones?"

"Maybe," Luther said, his claws flexing instinctively. "But it felt… bigger. Like they weren't just talking about us. They were talking about everything."

---

By the time Jester returned with the strange sphere, the technicians had made a breakthrough.

"We've accessed part of the commander's memory," one of them announced. "It's fragmented, but there's a map—a star chart."

The leader leaned in, studying the holographic projection. "What's this cluster?"

The technician highlighted a section of the map. "That's where the Vanguard's signal originated. It's not a planet—it's some kind of massive structure."

"A base?" Luther asked, stepping into the room.

"More like a factory," the technician replied. "If the data is correct, it's where the Vanguard produces their soldiers and ships."

---

Jester placed the glowing sphere on the table, drawing everyone's attention.

"Found this in one of their ships," he said. "Don't ask me what it does, but it looks important."

The technicians examined the sphere, their excitement growing.

"This… this is incredible," one of them said. "It's a data core. If we can decode it, it might give us direct access to their systems."

"Can you do it?" the leader asked.

"It won't be easy, but we'll try."

---

As the team worked, the leader gathered Luther and Jester for a private discussion.

"We've got a location," the leader said, pointing to the star chart. "If we're going to stop the Vanguard, we have to take the fight to them."

"Sounds like a suicide mission," Jester said, though his tone lacked its usual sarcasm.

"It might be," the leader admitted. "But if we wait for them to regroup, we're done."

Luther nodded. "Then we strike first. Before they have a chance to recover."

---

The outpost buzzed with activity as preparations for the mission began. Ships were repaired, supplies were loaded, and every able-bodied fighter was briefed on the plan.

The leader stood before the assembled Resistance fighters, their voice firm and resolute.

"This is it," they said. "The Vanguard came here to destroy us, to take everything we've fought for. But we're not just survivors—we're fighters. And we're taking the fight to them."

The crowd erupted in cheers, their fear replaced by determination.

---

As the fleet prepared to launch, the leader took a moment to reflect. They gazed out at the stars, their thoughts heavy with the weight of the mission ahead.

Jester approached, his usual grin back in place. "You know, if we pull this off, you're going to be a legend."

The leader chuckled softly. "I'll settle for survival."

Luther joined them, his expression as stoic as ever. "We'll survive. And we'll win."

With their team by their side, the leader stepped onto the command ship, ready to face whatever awaited them among the stars.

---

To be continued...

_________________________________________

Visit out patreon for more episodes. Exclusive only on patreon

https://patreon.com/YOGAGANESH_2103