A/N: I made a new cover. But now it looks like a sci-fi romance haha. I'm going to give it a try and see how much traffic it delivers.

This chapter (first draft of course) may be susceptible to plot holes. If anything doesn't make sense, feel free to point it out. :) Enjoy!

When Maeyune and Reo arrived inside the operations room, General Soras ushered them back out. But before they left, Maeyune caught a glimpse over her shoulder at what was displayed on one of the room's large monitors. There was footage of several Wobeck ships hovering in the distance over an expanse of desert. She watched as their black masses descended into an immense canyon, disappearing from the camera's view.

"In here," directed the general, gesturing toward the nearby conference room. When all three of them were inside, he closed the door after them. As Maeyune glanced around, she saw that there were two other individuals who already occupied the room.

Deiyu stood near the head of the room's table, and beside him was a tall, elder man with hands folded in front of him. The man's slender frame was concealed underneath the heavy folds of his sand-colored robe. She saw the faint, pale glow that emanated from his body, and she immediately drew his familiar face from memory.

It was the High Priest from Eno, the city where she and Reo had fought against each other and had consequentially destroyed the city's sun temple.

When she met the elder man's eyes, he smiled and bowed his head.

"It is a pleasure to cross paths with you again, warriors of Yunra and Shivra," the High Priest greeted, his patient eyes glancing between Reo and Maeyune.

Reo gave a curt nod, but Maeyune performed the formal Suolani salute. When she rose from her bow, she met Deiyu's eyes. Hesitation flitted across the commander's features before he glanced away.

She was not surprised to see that he was uncomfortable. The secrets she had forced him to unveil yesterday still left an angry mark inside her. He had kept a terrible truth hidden from her, and as a result, she had delivered her power onto him. At this point, they no longer trusted each other.

She was not sure how she felt about that.

General Soras joined the two men at the table, positioning himself in between.

"Why are we in here?" Reo finally asked, taking note of their isolated meeting.

The general placed three holographic devices on the table, pressing each in turn to activate them. Their holographic screens immediately flashed into the air and rendered frozen images. Both Maeyune and Reo moved forward for a closer look.

The first was an image of the same Wobeck ships that Maeyune had seen in the operations room, their dark shapes drifting over a desert horizon. The second displayed a visual of a forest and a small aircraft seen jutting out above the canopy; she was unsure whether it was leaving or landing.

And in the third hologram...

Maeyune took another step closer to examine the translucent picture. In the third device's picture, she counted four dark figures inside the shadows of a forest glade. Their armor was distinctly Wobeck. The photograph captured them walking toward a partially-shown Wobeck aircraft.

At the front of the group was a Wobeck who stood as tall as the others but was wider, bulkier. Its unique blue armor appeared heavier and more elaborate, identifying it from the others.

Maeyune narrowed her eyes. Given the nature of its appearance, this Wobeck was clearly something - someone - of importance.

General Soras began, "Our recon teams captured these images at two separate locations earlier this morning." He pointed at the first hologram of the desert. "These ships are currently hidden inside Pride Canyon."

"And these?" Maeyune inquired, nodding at the other two holograms of a forest. "Where were these taken?"

"They were taken around the same time inside Eastwood Forest, miles away on the edge of the Great Desert."

Maeyune took the chance to introduce the question. "And who is that?" she asked, pointing at the predominant Wobeck.

General Soras and Deiyu exchanged brief glances before turning their eyes to the High Priest. The elder man acknowledged the question with another slight bow of his head.

"The gods call his kind the Overlords," the temple guardian answered, his deep voice calm.

"Overlords?" Maeyune echoed.

"Yes. Twenty years ago, our Sun Goddess passed to my predecessor a vision of the Wobeck leader who destroyed her. He was the threat who delivered his fleet to our world, but he wore armor that was emerald in color." The High Priest paused to gesture toward the third hologram with a hand. "This one is sapphire, a second Overlord who has breached our heavens."

"You said the first Overlord killed Yunra," Reo said, scowling. "What happened to him?"

"We believe Shivra saw to his demise," the High Priest replied, "before death claimed the Moon God as well. It was what brought an end to the first celestial war."

"We have never seen one of their leaders until today," General Soras interposed, face grim. "And now we have an opportunity that we must seize."

Maeyune's eyes remained concentrated on the Wobeck leader. Her curious gaze had grown so intense, she might as well have burned a hole into the hologram.

Overlord. The word sprung back and forth inside her mind, almost as if her thoughts were tasting it to find a familiar flavor. The High Priest had said that in Shivra's former existence, the god had killed the first Wobeck leader. But she could not remember that time.

Reo had been born a day before Maeyune. Yunra must have passed her soul into his unborn body when her own body was destroyed.

"What is the Overlord doing so far from the rest of his ships?" Maeyune asked.

"We're unsure of what they're doing there, but our forest team believes they are looking for something," said General Soras. He paused, a frown of uncertainty shaping his expression. "We have invited the High Priest from Eno here, because, frankly, he can explain it better." He gave the High Priest a questioning glance, encouraging the latter to continue the conversation.

"Warriors," announced the High Priest. The urgency in his voice drew Maeyune and Reo's attention. "It is with grave importance that we bring an end to this second war. I fear their foreign presence has begun to plague the energies of our planet."

Maeyune didn't know why, but for the first time in an incredibly long time, she remembered the conversation that had nearly altered her perspective of the aliens. With the chaos that had transpired in the past days, she had not stopped to reconsider Tin's words.

It had been the conversation between her and Tin, the conversation that had concluded with Wobeck poison in her bloodstream. It was the day the Wobeck had first returned, the day when Tin had shown her that alien capsule with Vaius's green life force - the blood of the planet.

Tin had introduced her to an idea so extraordinary, she had refused to believe it. Vaius was not only the planet, but also its soul, as the scientist had said. He had believed that the Wobeck, too, carried life forces. It made sense though, seeing as the Wobeck were also living, breathing creatures.

Why had the Wobeck arrived? Why had they returned? And what had ever happened to that capsule? Had Ristoff taken it?

"High Priest," Maeyune began slowly, brows furrowing. "Do you know why the Wobeck are here?"

The elder man closed his eyes and bowed his head. "They are here for our sacred planet," the High Priest responded.

He pressed the side of his thumb to his brow and lifted his hand into the air in blessing. When he opened his eyes again, Maeyune regarded him with heed. "Is Vaius alive?" she heard herself ask.

The other three men in the room gave her a strange look. The High Priest smiled, and she read the gentle humor on his old face. "It always has been, Shivra incarnate."

"All my life," she murmured, "the moon temple guardians never told me what Vaius truly was."

"They did not have to," he replied. "It is not a separate entity from us. We are all Vaius. The trees, the lakes, and even the smallest critters. We are all Vaius' children and its vessels. Vaius is our sacred energy, the circle of life, and we are its guardians."

Maeyune absorbed the High Priest's words, and her expression grew meditative.

"Wait," Reo muttered, glancing between her and the elder man with vivid confusion. "Did I just miss an important lesson?"

Without looking at him, Maeyune answered, "There is some kind of life force energy that is contained inside the planet." Her voice was soft as she listened to her own words. She gave a slight nod toward the High Priest, adding, "The Wobeck are here to take it, and we are all that stand in their way."

"What happens if they get their hands on it?" General Soras asked. Although presently wearing the demeanor of a skeptic, he was listening attentively.

Maeyune looked to the temple guardian again, and the latter nodded, confirming her suspicion. "If the Wobeck get their hands on Vaius' life force, the planet dies," she said quietly. "And we will eventually perish along with it."

"And so a negotiation of coexistence is out of the question," Deiyu declared, steady eyes meeting Maeyune's.

Reo crossed his arms, and his posture demonstrated apparent disbelief. "If they wanted to destroy us, why did this Overlord not bring his entire fleet like the first guy? All that we've seen this past week is a bunch of ships trying to use guerrilla warfare against us, and failing."

Maeyune gave him a solemn glance. "They must have thought our gods were still alive," she replied quietly.

Reo could not hold her eyes for more than a few seconds. He turned away, but he accepted her answer.

"And now they are trapped underneath the moon's shield, without any means of reinforcement or escape," Maeyune added, turning to face the other three men.

"Speaking of which," the general said. He studied Maeyune carefully. "How much longer will this shield remain around Vaius?"

"That I do not know, sir," she said. "I imagine until the Wobeck are all eliminated. Until I, or Shivra, deems the planet safe again."

Her response appeared to please the general.

"We will have to prevent them from claiming whatever life force this is," Deiyu inserted. "With their limited numbers, it must be the only thing that can aid them."

Maeyune nodded, the movement clear and precise. She and Reo exchanged glances before returning their eyes to Deiyu and General Soras.

"What will you have us do?" she asked.

The general glanced around the room, his gaze holding each individual with care. Then, he returned his focus to Maeyune and Reo. "You two need to understand the direness of this situation," he said, lowering his voice. "And this is why you are both in here and no one else. Whatever is said in this room can not be passed beyond these walls. We cannot risk this mission falling apart."

Mission? Maeyune thought.

She and Reo both nodded grimly.

"We are going to be the first to launch the offensive against the ships in Pride Canyon. We are unsure of how many more are scattered around the globe, but this will be a blow to their forces," General Soras declared. "You, Mr. Castell, will lead the assault. We will attack in two hours. There is a chance they will be expecting us."

His eyes transfered over to Maeyune. "Miss Ereni, you will take your team into the Eastwood Forest and capture the Wobeck leader."

(Continue in Part 2)