The Weapons and Battle Vehicle building stood before them like a fortress within a fortress.

It was massive, easily one of the largest structures in the Red Crest Clan compound. The exterior was constructed from reinforced steel plating, dark gray and utilitarian, with no windows or decorative features. Just smooth, armored walls rising several stories high. The entrance was a single enormous door, wide enough to drive multiple vehicles through side by side, sealed tight with what looked like reinforced blast shutters.

It was basically a 'reinforced' building.

Above the door, mounted on the wall, was the Red Crest insignia.

Security turrets tracked their approach from recessed positions along the roofline, their sensors whirring softly as they scanned Tatehan and Lyra. Satisfied they weren't threats, the turrets went still.

That made Tatehan smile slightly though. Wasn't that too much security? The building was inside a large compound that was fenced really high and guarded with tall hefty guards with really cool and effective weapons. And yet, the building base had its own security in the form of turrets (maybe another thing?).

That wasn't counting the powerful members of the clan training or going about their duties.

Eventually Tatehan came to the conclusion that it was smart though, who knows, the enemy might drop from the skies or something. And maybe this wasn't a place that was opened to regular members.

Maybe only the commander and Lyra currently had access to it. With some well trusted high ranking members that it is.

"This is it," Lyra said, stopping in front of the door.

She reached into her jacket and pulled out a small card. It was sleek and metallic, with a holographic strip running along its center. She moved to a slot embedded in the wall beside the door and slid the card through.

There was a soft beep, and the slot glowed green.

A moment later, the massive door began to open.

It didn't slide or roll like Tatehan expected, instead it split down the middle, both halves retracting into the walls with a deep, mechanical hum. The sound echoed across the compound, and as the door opened wider, light spilled out from inside.

Tatehan's eyes widened.

The interior was enormous.

It was like stepping into a hangar—no, bigger than a hangar. The ceiling stretched high above them, supported by massive steel beams crisscrossing the space. Rows upon rows of equipment lined the floor, organized into sections. Weapons racks filled with rifles, pistols, and heavy ordnance. Shelves stacked with tech components, armor plating, and ammunition. And in the center of it all, parked in neat formations, were vehicles.

Lots of vehicles.

They stepped inside, and the door began to close behind them with a heavy thud.

Lyra gestured for Tatehan to follow, and they moved deeper into the building.

"Welcome to the arsenal," she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

Tatehan walked slowly, taking it all in. Everywhere he looked, there was something new. Something advanced. Something that looked like it belonged in a science fiction novel.

Lyra stopped at the first section—a display of hovering boots.

They were sleek and compact, with glowing blue strips running along the soles and sides. Each pair was mounted on a stand, hovering a few inches above the surface without any visible support.

"These are standard-issue flight boots," Lyra explained. "They use anti-gravity emitters to keep you airborne. Limited altitude, about fifty meters max, but they're fast and maneuverable. Soldiers use them for quick insertions and aerial combat."

Tatehan stared at them, then reached out and touched one. It felt solid, humming faintly with energy.

"Damn," he muttered.

They moved on.

The next section held small spaceship-like vehicles. Small, single-pilot crafts that looked like a cross between a motorcycle and a fighter jet. They were streamlined, with narrow cockpits and angular wings that swept back from the main body. Each one was painted in the Red Crest colors, deep red with black accents.

"These are Skyblades," Lyra said. "Fast, agile and armed with plasma cannons and missile pods. They're designed for hit-and-run tactics. We use them for reconnaissance and light assault missions."

Tatehan walked around one of the crafts, running his hand along its smooth surface. It was beautiful and deadly.

"You have a lot of these?" he asked.

"Enough," Lyra said. "Though not as many as we'd like. They're expensive to produce."

They continued through the arsenal, Lyra pointing out different weapons and equipment.

There were energy rifles that fired concentrated plasma bolts. Railguns that could punch through armor at range. Grenade launchers that fired explosive, incendiary, or EMP rounds. Heavy weapons mounted on tripods—massive cannons that looked like they could level a building.

And then there were the crazy tech guns.

Weapons that didn't even look like weapons. Sleek, alien-looking devices.

Another weapon generated controlled EMP bursts that fried electronics in a localized area. Yet another fired crystallized energy shards that exploded on impact.

Tatehan shook his head in disbelief.

"You really can fly into the skies with equipment like this," he said.

Lyra nodded. "That's the idea."

They walked in silence for a moment, and then Tatehan spoke, his tone more hesitant.

"I'm still skeptical," he admitted. "About stopping that fortress. Even with all this... it's a lot."

Lyra glanced at him, her expression calm.

"Maybe we can," she said. "You should believe. We've faced worse odds before."

Tatehan wasn't so sure, but he didn't argue.

Instead, he said something else that had been weighing on him.

"I don't think taking the role of battle commander is going to give me much freedom," he said. "I mean, I want to explore Mars. Be a free man. Not get tied down to one place or one mission."

Lyra looked at him thoughtfully, then smiled faintly.

"You can always pass the role to me whenever you don't feel like it anymore," she said. "Or when you want to try something new. The commander knows you're not a soldier at heart. She won't hold you to it forever."

Tatehan smiled at that.

"Yeah," he said. "That could work."

Being a battle commander would restrict him from living to his full potential, which was repairing the Spaceship and getting it to how it once was before.

As battle commander he'd be busy and closely watched, unable to do anything.

Even the thought of hunting the rhino creature Riven earlier told him about started to sound like a chore since he could earn way more here.

He decided he would still do it though, use some of the cores to repair the spaceship and hangout with Riven.

They continued walking, and Lyra led him to a different section of the building, one that glowed faintly with multicolored light.

Tatehan stopped, staring.

It was a storage area filled with cores.

Hundreds of them, maybe thousands, arranged in rows on illuminated shelves. They came in every color imaginable—green, blue, red, purple, silver, gold. Some shone brightly with light, others were dim and inert. Each one was labeled with a small tag indicating its type and function.

"This is the core vault," Lyra said. "We collect them from creatures, salvage them from enemies, buy them when we can afford it. They're the power source for almost everything we use."

Tatehan stepped closer, his eyes scanning the shelves.

"Cores are the backbone of technology here," Lyra continued. "Weapons, vehicles, armor, everything runs on them. The better the core, the better the equipment."

She moved to a different section, gesturing to a separate display.

"These are upgrade cores," she said. "Specifically for armor. They enhance durability, efficiency, and functionality. Do you have armor?"

Tatehan nodded. "Yeah."

"You could upgrade it," Lyra said. "Make it more high-tech and more efficient."

Tatehan thought about it for a moment, then summoned his armor.

The dirty silver material flowed over his body instantly, covering him from head to toe. It was kinda cool but compared to the advanced tech surrounding them, it looked... rusty and outdated.

Lyra studied it, then nodded.

"It's good," she said. "But it could be better."

She reached for one of the cores on the shelf, a silver one, about the size of a fist, glowing softly with some sort of internal light.

"Try this," she said, handing it to him.

Tatehan took the core, holding it in his hand.

"What do I do with it?" he asked.

He knew how to use cores to upgrade, I mean, he just wills them to ... .boom! Upgrade but he wanted to see how it works here.

"Just hold it to your chest," Lyra said. "The armor will absorb it."

Tatehan hesitated for a moment, then pressed the core against his chest.

The reaction was immediate.

The core began to dissolve, its silver light spreading across the surface of the armor like liquid metal. The light intensified, brighter and brighter, until Tatehan had to squint against the glare.

Then…boom!

A wave of energy glowed outward from his body, rippling through the air.

When the light faded, Tatehan looked down at himself.

His armor had changed.

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