Two weeks had passed since the destruction of Fort Vanguard.
The base was still under construction, its broken airstrip surrounded by cranes, repair crews, engineers, and temporary defense platforms. Until it was fully restored, the STF had taken over most of its military responsibilities, filling the gap before enemies could take advantage of the damage.
That meant everyone was stretched thin.
The Empire had scouts moving across Deccounia, the massive planet Tenrihines rested on. Calling it a planet almost felt wrong. Deccounia was the size of a solar system, filled with endless forests, deserts large enough to swallow nations, mountains that pierced cloud layers, and wilderness so deep that even Imperial maps had blank spaces.
The capital was safe behind its walls.
But beyond those walls, the world was too big to fully control.
Back at STF Headquarters, Ian and the other Greats were working nonstop. Military zones needed securing. Press questions needed answering. Temporary defenses needed approvals. Every hour brought another report, another concern, another group wanting reassurance that the Empire still had control.
Ian was in his office reviewing deployment files when the door burst open.
Renn Varos stepped in, not even bothering with formalities.
"Sir, we need you in the Intelligence Wing. Now."
Ian looked up immediately.
No joke. No complaint. Renn didn't rush unless it mattered.
"Got it," Ian said, standing. "Right behind you."
The two moved fast through the halls, cutting through the busy upper levels of HQ until they reached the Intelligence Wing. The room they entered was already occupied.
Optimus. Steel. Stark. Blade.
Everyone looked serious.
That alone told Ian enough.
Optimus turned first. "Ian, we had a Spector recon craft scout the area outside the capital."
A holo-map opened in the center of the room, showing Tenrihines, the massive capital structure, and the wilderness beyond it. The map pulled outward, stretching thousands of miles past the outer defense zones.
Optimus pointed to a red mass moving across the terrain.
"Ten thousand miles out, we found this."
The image sharpened.
A demon army.
Not a swarm.
Not a raid.
An army.
Thousands of signatures moved through the rough wilderness, marching through forests, cliffs, and broken mountain paths like they had been traveling for days. Their formation wasn't random either. Supply groups. Heavy units. Forward scouts. War beasts. Siege creatures.
And near the center, one massive signal pulsed darker than the rest.
Optimus's voice lowered. "It looks like they're being led by something powerful."
Ian stared at the map.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything.
Then Ian exhaled.
"Yeah. That's not good."
Steel crossed his arms. "Understatement of the year."
Ian looked around the room. "Game plan?"
Blade answered first. "We meet them early. Before they get anywhere near the capital."
Optimus nodded. "Agreed. If we wait, we give them too much room to spread out."
Stark tapped the map, zooming in on the formation. "And we need Navy support. This army looks organized. If they've got air units or siege flyers, ground forces alone won't be enough."
Ian nodded once.
"Then we mobilize everything."
The room went still.
Ian's tone hardened.
"Get the order out. We're preparing for a war."
No one argued.
The meeting ended instantly.
The order hit the Empire like a thunderclap.
Military factories shifted into high production. Assembly lines roared as ammunition, armor plating, power cores, missiles, and vehicle parts were rushed out faster than normal schedules allowed. Soldiers were pulled from reserve rotations. Pilots were called in. Tank crews prepped vehicles. Commanders received battlefield packages and route assignments.
Outside the massive front gates and walls of Tenrihines, the army began to form.
Aegis-IX Bastion tanks rolled out in long armored lines, their heavy cannons pointed toward the wilderness. Sentinel APCs carried waves of soldiers in full battle gear. Mobile command centers moved behind them, surrounded by communication vehicles and shield generators. Artillery platforms locked into formation, missile batteries unfolded, and drone relays rose into the air.
Above them, the Navy moved.
Capital Carrier Class ships floated out over the battlefield, each one carrying fighter jets, helicopters, bombers, and dropships. Smaller escort ships formed around them, engines humming as they took position.
Then the STF arrived.
A massive warship emerged from behind the capital walls, dwarfing nearly everything around it. Other STF naval ships flew beside it, but compared to the flagship, they looked small, like insects flying beside a mountain of steel.
The warship was enormous.
A mobile fortress.
A flying command city.
Its lower decks held hangars, vehicle bays, training rooms, support stations, medical centers, and war rooms. Its upper decks carried weapons large enough to level enemy formations before they ever reached the capital.
On the bridge, Ian stood at the front with Optimus, Blade, Steel, Stark, and several commanders behind him.
The holo-windows showed the army below, the Navy above, and the endless wilderness ahead.
Ian looked around the bridge, taking in the size of the ship.
"This warship is basically a mobile STF HQ," he said. "Except with way more weapons attached to it."
Optimus smiled faintly, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Yeah," he said. "Reminds me of the good old days."
Blade glanced at him. "Your good old days always involve war?"
Optimus shrugged. "Usually."
Steel looked down at the army moving beneath them. "This is bigger than a normal demon push."
Stark nodded. "That formation is too clean. Someone's commanding them."
Ian's gaze stayed on the distant red mass on the map.
The name no one wanted to say still hung in the air.
The Ancient Shade.
Whether this army belonged directly to him or one of his officers, one thing was clear.
The attack on Fort Vanguard hadn't been the main strike.
It had been the opening move.
Ian rested one hand on the command rail.
"All units," he said over the ship-wide comms, his voice carrying through every deck, every transport, every vehicle waiting outside Tenrihines.
"Move out."
Engines roared.
Tanks advanced.
Ships pushed forward.
The STF warship led the way, its shadow stretching across the wilderness as the Empire marched out from the capital gates.
For the first time in years, Tenrihines wasn't waiting behind its walls.
The Empire was going to meet the enemy head-on.