AETHERBOUND: Rise of the Valtheris Empire

The landing gear of Sylas's borrowed F-35 Lightning II touched down softly on the hangar floor of the colony ship.

The hangar was dimly lit, illuminated only by the soft glow of overhead lights. As soon as the ship settled, the engines powered down with a low hum.

Sylas opened the cockpit and climbed out, landing lightly on the deck. He scanned the spacious hangar, eyes widening slightly in appreciation.

Rows of starfighters lined the walls, each one meticulously maintained.

There were sleek interceptors designed for speed, heavy gunships bristling with weaponry, and even a few strange models Sylas didn't immediately recognize.

Whoever had assembled this collection had been preparing for something far more significant than simple space travel.

Sylas felt a flicker of excitement—he'd always had a fascination for ships, and this collection was a treasure trove waiting to be explored.

Before he could indulge that fascination, Sera's voice came through his earpiece, calm and efficient.

"Sylas, I've activated the cloaking system. We're moving now. Come to the bridge—we need to discuss our destination."

With a sigh of reluctant curiosity, Sylas tore his gaze away from the ships and made his way toward the command center.

The halls of the colony ship were wide, clean, and eerily quiet.

Despite its size, it felt empty—too empty, as if waiting for a crew that never came.

The doors to the bridge slid open with a soft hiss, revealing the command center. In the middle of the room, a large command seat faced a curved viewport that offered a panoramic view of the stars outside.

Consoles lined the walls, and holographic screens flickered with data streams as Sera managed the ship's systems.

Sylas approached the command seat and sank into it, feeling its cold surface mold to his form. It was designed for someone with authority, and the moment he sat down, he felt a subtle shift.

Sera's voice broke the silence. "Where to, master?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her tone.

Instead of answering, Sylas reached into his ring and pulled out the data drive that he copied from the base.

He held it between his fingers for a moment, examining the metallic sheen as if weighing its significance.

Then, without a word, he inserted it into the console beside him.

"Download the contents into the system," Sylas instructed. "We'll figure out our destination based on what's on this drive."

Sera nodded—her avatar flickering briefly on one of the holographic screens before disappearing as she began the download.

Sylas leaned back, watching the data streams flow across the screen.

A few moments passed in silence, filled only by the soft hum of the ship's engines.

While they waited, Sylas turned his attention back to Sera. "So… what exactly do we have on this ship? I didn't get a good look before."

"Do you want the detailed or…"

"Detailed… display it before me."

"Yes Master."

[Weapons]

[Ka-Bar fighter knife X 110,000]

[Plasma compact Pistol X 110,000 with 10 mags each]

[Assault Rifle X 110,000 with 100 mags each]

[Aether Precision rifles X 1,000 with 10 mags each]

[Gauss accelerator sniper X 100 with 10 mags each]

[Plasma Missile Launcher X 10 with 10 mags each]

[Grenades]

[Aether Fragmentation Grenade X 1,000]

[EMP Grenades X 10,000]

[Aether Smoke Grenade X 10,000]

[Disruption Grenade X 10,000]

[Spice Gas Grenade X 10,000]

[Tank]

[Stealth Recon Tank X 100]

[Anti-air Tank X 10]

[Space Ship]

[Aether Scout ship X 10 (Stealth installed)]

[Mining Ship X 10 (Stealth installed)]

[Cruiser X 1 (Stealth installed)]

[Carrier X 2 (Stealth installed)]

[Frigate X 10 (Stealth installed)]

[Disruption Corvette X 2 (Stealth installed)]

[Falcon Style Destroyers X 2 (Stealth installed)]

[Starfighters]

[F-22 Raptor X 20]

[F-35 Lightning II X 10]

[SU-57 Felon X 50]

[Rafale X 10]

[MIG-31 Foxhound X 10]

[F-14 Tomcat X 20]

[SR-71 X 50]

[Vehicles]

[Aether Bike X 1,000]

[Aether Armoured bike X 100]

[Aether Combat Jeep X 10 (Stealth installed)]

[Aether Troop Carrier X 100 (Stealth installed)]

[Cannons]

[Aether Perimeter Defence Cannon X 100]

[Aether City wide Defence Array X 10]

[Aether Fortress Cannon X 10]

[Anti Air Turret X 100]

[Mech]

[Aether Construction Mech X 10]

[Aether Assault Mech X 10]

[Special Edition Aetherian Assault Mech X 1]

[Aether Heavy Battle Mech X 10]

[Sentinel Enforcers X 10]

[Droids]

[Light Combat Droids X 10,000]

[Gladius Unit X 10,000]

[Reaper Automata X 1,000]

[Builder Units X 10,000]

[Medica-Bot X 10,000]

[Cargo Haulers X 1,000]

[Aether Drill Unit X 1,000]

[Earth-breaker Rigs X 100]

[Fixer-Bots X 10,000]

[Titan Smiths X 10]

[Star-ship Repair Drones X 1,000]

[Aether Raptor X 1000]

[Anti-Aetherian Armour]

[Mark L X 1]

(A.N: you can check out the design from ironman marvel that is the name of the suit there as well)

[Normal Armours]

[Clone Trooper Armour X 110,000] (Clone wars)

[Mandalorian Armour X 100] (Clone wars)

[Mjolnir Armour X 10]

[Special Additions]

[Jet Packs X 1,000]

[Massive Cloaking Generator X 1]

[Aether Gathering Array X 1]

[Aether Storage X 1]

[Advanced Training Pods X 10]

[Food X 100,000,000]

[Water storage and filter system X 1]

[Air filter Array X 1]

[Changes of clothes X 330,000]

[Aether power cells X 1,000,000]

[Different metals X Tons of them] (I couldn't decide on a specific number)

[A.N: Please keep in mind that I am using the names because that is what I want you guys to visualise it as, they might even have similar stat and abilities, and I will tell you so. For instance, the Iron man's suit (Mark L) has similar abilities, but it comes in various colours and in place of an arc reactor this one is powered by the energy generated by sun. It has an anti-Aether field and Anti-Aether shield; they are similar but have different uses. I will explain it further in the story.]

Sylas stared at the hologram screen in front of him as he scrolled up the more, he saw the more he was surprised.

"Where are the large spaceships, I didn't see any in the hanger and I doubt they can all fit in this Colony ship with everything here?"

"Indeed, all the parts of the ships have been manufactured and packed we will have to assemble them ourselves."

"What..."

"The Crimson Empire is carrying out an experiment, they want to see if sending 'Invisible army behind enemy lines will be effective."

"Wait this is all for an experiment?"

"Yes Master."

 *******

Sylas sat on the edge of the command deck, the lights of the massive colony ship flickering faintly behind him.

His eyes burned with frustration, reflecting the cold expanse of space beyond the viewport.

He clenched his fists tightly, feeling the weight of seven long years of struggle settle over him like a suffocating shroud. With a bitter voice that trembled with a mix of anger and disbelief, he muttered, almost to himself,

"Six years... Six years to destroy this base, and it didn't even matter to them. All of this—just another experiment."

Sera stayed silent for a bit her voice soft yet unwavering, carrying a comforting warmth that only she could offer, sounded from the ship.

"Sylas, now we understand what we're truly up against. This is just a beginning."

"You have time to plan, time to make them pay for what they did to your family. And I will be by your side through it all. Even if death claims you, I will not stop. Not until every last one of them is erased from existence."

Sylas paused her words breaking through the storm raging within him. 'Indeed I wasn't the only one from my family that survived that day.'

He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself. In that moment, something inside him shifted—a spark reignited, tempered by years of pain but fueled now by purpose.

"Thank you, Sera," he said, his voice calmer, but beneath it lay an edge of steel.

"We will have our revenge on them and I know exactly where we'll begin." He rose to his feet.

"Set a course to the chaotic space, use their military lane if you have to."

As Sera turned to carry out his command, the soft hum of servos announced the arrival of a Reaper automata.

It glided into the room, holding a tray with three objects—an intricately crafted band, a sleek sword handle, and a triangular device with rounded edges.

The dim lighting of the deck gleamed off their polished surfaces, casting a faint golden glow.

Sylas reached out and picked up the band, examining its finely engraved runes.

He then took the sword handle, feeling its unfamiliar weight in his hand, a promise of battles yet to come.

Finally, he lifted the triangular device, studying it thoughtfully. He glanced at Sera, and a rare, almost fleeting smile touched his lips.

"Cheers," he said quietly, raising the triangular object slightly, "to a new journey."

"To a new journey," she echoed.