Chapter 53: Troubles Pile Up

Vyran

I woke up and noticed a pink mech not too far from me. It was Aegisa!

"Deros!" I said, smiling as I sat up.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw Deros standing by the fire, stirring a pot of soup. The aroma filled the air, and my stomach growled in response. It had been a while since I had eaten anything substantial.

"Hey, Vyran! You're awake," Deros called out, his voice carrying a mix of relief and joy. "How are you feeling?"

I pushed myself up, feeling a bit disoriented. "I'm... not sure," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "What happened?"

Deros walked over with a bowl of soup and handed it to me. "Varia said you used your new skill, Cosmic Resonance, and it took a toll on you. You've been asleep for quite some time."

I took the bowl, the warmth from it seeping into my hands. "Cosmic Resonance..." The words felt foreign yet familiar. I had a vague recollection of a dream, a meeting with the Hero-God, and a surge of power unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Varia joined us, her expression softening as she saw me awake. "You scared us, Vyr," she said, sitting down beside me. "But you did it. You split the sea and scarred the land. It was incredible."

I looked between them, the weight of their words slowly sinking in. "I did that?" I asked, incredulous.

Deros nodded. "You did. And it might just be the key to defeating Titanos."

I sipped the soup, letting the flavors and the reality of the situation wash over me. If I truly had such power, then maybe, just maybe, we had a fighting chance.

"But we need to be careful," Varia added. "Your power is immense, and we don't fully understand it yet. We can't risk you overexerting yourself again."

I knew she was right. The last thing I wanted was to become a liability to our cause. "I'll be more cautious," I promised.

"Anyway, I managed to fix Valkyrie," Varia said, grinning. "Now, let's eat and head back to the ship. We have to go back to our planet and get reinforcements. Even with Cosmic Radiance, I rather have a more assured victory.

I nodded and ate more of my soup.

The warmth of the soup filled my belly, and I savored each spoonful.

As we finished our meal, Varia stood up. "Time to get back to the ship," she said, her eyes determined. "We'll gather our forces, strategize, and prepare for the big confrontation."

I nodded, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

She and I walked over to Valkyrie. I opened the cockpit with my mind and jumped in. Deros jumped into Aegisa and we both took off into the atmosphere.

Our eyes widened as we saw a storm moving toward the island we were on. 

"What is that?" I asked, having zooming in on it. It was a super powerful hurricane. Even at a distance, its winds created large waves.

Varia sighed. "I think someone on this planet activated the weather controller. They probably want to use it against Titanos, but the cost..."

"W-we need to stop it! Else my family is gonna die!" Deros said over the coms, his voice was shaky, filled with urgency.

"Deros, do you know where it might be?" Varia asked.

Deros hummed and gasped. "Yeah. I think it might be in the city where I got the parts to fix Valkyrie. It's in the other side of the world."

"Why there?" I asked.

"The high commissioner, the person who oversees my planet, probably fled there after the capital fell. He would have the weather controller on his person."

Varia clicked her tongue. "This planet's communication jam is really biting us in the butt. Titanos might just suffer because of it. This storm is for them. There probably are other storms positioned to destroy the encroaching enemy. The Orginal High Commissioner must be desperate to rid this world of the invaders."

"We might have to split up again," I muttered. "We might not make it." I gritted my teeth as the winds began to push against Valkyrie. "It's speeding up!"

"Let's aim for the satellites!" Varia yelled. "One of them must still be working, driving the storms."

I nodded and flew Valkyrie into space.

The atmosphere around us grew thinner as we ascended, the vast expanse of space spreading out before us. The storm below roared in fury, its monstrous size dwarfing the island we had left behind.

I could see the satellite network orbiting the planet, a constellation of artificial stars created by the people of Orginal. Most of them were dark, knocked out by the Titanos invasion. But a few still glowed with faint lights, their signals weak but present.

"There!" I pointed, spotting a satellite that was glowing brighter than the rest. "That one's still functional!"

Varia nodded, her eyes never leaving the controls. "It's the closest one to the storm. If we can override its control system, we can redirect the storm away from the populated areas."

"But how are we going to do that?" Deros asked, his voice filled with worry. "None of us are engineers."

"We have the next best thing," Varia replied, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Vyran's Cosmic Resonance. If he can sync with the satellite's system, he might be able to override it."

I looked at Varia, a bit surprised. "You think I can do that?"

She nodded. "I believe so. Your Cosmic Resonance is more than just a power source, Vyran. It connects you to the cosmos on a level we don't fully understand yet. If you can form a connection with a mech, why not a satellite?"

I nodded, a new determination filling me. "Alright. I'll do it."

With my suit on, I opened the cockpit and got closer to the satellite. Luckily, we had gotten satellite repair lessons back in the space academy. Else I would've felt like a fish without water.

As I neared the satellite, I could feel a strange sensation building within me. It was as if I was being pulled towards it, a magnetic force drawing me in.

I closed my eyes, reaching out with my Cosmic Resonance. I felt the connection form, a bridge of energy stretching between me and the satellite.

I could sense the satellite's control system, a complex network of complicated algorithms. It was a language I didn't fully understand, but I didn't need to. I just needed to guide it, to shape it.

With a deep breath, I pushed against the system, my Cosmic Resonance flowing into it. I could feel the algorithms responding, bending to my will.

The storms below began to shift, its path changing under my control. Slowly, it began to move away from the populated areas, heading back towards the ocean where I had them break apart.

As I pulled away, I could feel the strain on my body. But I held on, the thought of saving Deros's family driving me.

Finally, shutting down the machine, I let go. I opened my eyes, gasping for breath.

Varia was looking at me, her eyes filled with awe and relief. "You did it, Vyran," Varia said, her voice filled with pride.

"Thanks, Vyr," Deros said, sounding tearful.

I nodded, a weak smile on my face. "Yeah, I did. But the system might be rebooted while we are gone. Assuming Titanos doesn't capture the High Commissioner by the time we return."

"Then we need to make haste. Let's hurry up and back to the ship."

I nodded and got back inside Valkyrie. 

Deros and I flew out mechas toward Orginal's moon. It looked to be a captured astroid from the looks of it. 

Varia gasped. "Titanos!"

I gasped as I noticed several mechas on the moon. Machines were hard at work, building a lunar base for the enemy.

Deros took a deep breath.

"Keep calm, Deros," Sis said.

"I know," Deros muttered over the coms.

"We can't engage them right now," I said, my eyes scanning the enemy mechas. They were different from the ones we had encountered before, larger and more imposing. I could almost sense the raw power emanating from them.

"Let's keep a low profile and head straight for the ship," Varia suggested, her voice steady despite the tension. "We don't have the time or resources for a fight right now."

I nodded in agreement. "Deros, follow our lead. Maintain a safe distance and stay out of their detection range."

Deros gave a brief affirmation and we moved in unison, keeping our mechas low and using the moon's craters for cover. The enemy mechas didn't seem to notice us, too engrossed in their construction work.

As we neared our ship, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. We had managed to navigate through enemy territory undetected. Now, we just needed to board the ship and set a course for Quadra.

Varia had the ship move closer to is and opened the docking bay. I landed Valkyrie next to Aegisa, and we quickly disembarked from our mechas.

"Set sail for Quadra!" Varia yelled.

"Setting sail to Quadra," the female A.I. voice said.

I sighed as I fell to my knees. Cosmic Resonance's fatigue was setting in. Stopping such a powerful weapon like the weather magic was draining.

My eyes widened as I felt space begin to distort. But the ship hadn't activated warp drive yet. So what was going on.

Varia gasped as a giant tear in space opened up right in front of us. A large ship like the railgun one that had messed up our coms flew out of the torn space.

Varia moved the ship as the enemy opened fire on us. But it wasn't the ship, but the mechas that were on the moon.

I ran over to Valkyrie, but before I could reach her, the ship got struck, sending us flying to wherever the enemy had come from.

"Varia!" I yelled as I got flung back by the spiralling ship. "We've taken too much damage! Back to the mechas!"

The ship was heading straight to a densely forested planet!