The transmission reached the outer command tier before it reached the throne.
That alone marked Earth as an anomaly.
Across the Varkhul Dominion, expansion fleets reported routine conquests in clipped, efficient bursts of data. Worlds fell. Resources were catalogued. Resistance was measured and erased. Reports flowed inward, absorbed by doctrine and redistributed as refinement.
Earth's report did not fit the pattern.
The signal originated from the invasion command node already engaged in orbit. Its encryption was priority-class, its data flagged with escalation markers rarely used.
Within the fleet, the invasion commander waited.
Space around Earth burned with intercepted fire. Orbital assets had been lost. Atmospheric superiority was no longer uncontested. Below, planetary defenses moved with discipline that should not have existed on an unaligned world.
A presence answered the escalation request.
The command field shifted.
A towering figure resolved within the projection lattice, its form massive even by Varkhul standards. Armor grown rather than forged wrapped its frame, layered in jagged black and green plates etched with Dominion sigils earned through extinction campaigns.
Its eyes burned with restrained calculation.
"Report," the figure commanded.
The invasion commander inclined its head. "The target world was misclassified. Planetary defense systems are integrated at a structural level. Resistance exceeds acceptable variance."
The figure studied the data in silence.
Rakh, Spear of the Dominion, did not interrupt reports.
He absorbed them.
Energy signatures mapped across Earth's surface. Legion formations advanced in flawless coordination. Orbital denial lattices disrupted established Varkhul supremacy doctrines. Casualty projections ticked upward, not catastrophically, but steadily.
"This world was prepared," Rakh said at last.
"Yes," the commander replied. "Preparation predates the dominant species."
That interested him.
Rakh stepped closer to the projection, massive claws folding behind his back. "Then this is not a rebellion. It is a design."
He turned his gaze to the burning sphere of Earth suspended before him.
"Designation?"
"Unknown," the commander answered. "Planetary command intelligence is non-organic. Central authority remains unidentified."
Rakh's lips pulled back slightly, not in anger, but in recognition.
"A guardian," he said.
The word carried weight in the Dominion.
"Authorize adaptation," Rakh continued. "Shift doctrine from consumption to suppression. This world does not break like the others."
The command node acknowledged immediately.
On Earth, the change was felt within minutes.
Varkhul formations withdrew from scattered engagements, consolidating into tighter, heavier assault groups. Atmospheric craft shifted roles, abandoning harassment in favor of concentrated strikes designed to overwhelm even coordinated defenses.
The war was becoming deliberate.
The Protector registered the change at once.
Enemy doctrine adjustment detected.
Engagement patterns evolving.
Threat classification updated.
Rakh's presence registered as a distinct command signature within the Dominion network. The Protector isolated it instantly, tracing authority flows and strategic influence across the invading force.
Invasion commander identified.
Name confirmed.
Rakh.
The Protector stored the designation without emphasis.
Names were not targets.
Functions were.
Across the planet, Legion units adapted in turn. Formations reconfigured. Anti-armor contingents redeployed. Juggernaut frames advanced to front-line positions, their massive silhouettes cutting through smoke and ruin with unstoppable calm.
Human survivors felt the shift without understanding it.
In a Legion-secured district, a group of evacuees watched as red-black armored soldiers took up new positions along a collapsed avenue.
"They're moving again," someone said.
A Legion officer raised a hand.
The civilians were ushered back without words.
Moments later, the sky tore open.
A concentrated Varkhul strike slammed into the outer perimeter, green energy crashing against Legion shielding in a blinding wave. The ground shook. Buildings crumbled. Smoke swallowed the street.
The Legion held.
Juggernauts stepped forward, their weapons discharging with thunderous precision. Red fire met green. The air screamed as opposing energies collided, ripping through debris and shattered steel.
For the first time, the battle was evenly matched.
Above the planet, Rakh observed the exchange in silence.
"Acceptable losses," he concluded. "This guardian bleeds."
The invasion commander hesitated. "The planetary authority has not deployed its central asset."
Rakh's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then it is waiting."
He turned away from the projection.
"Continue pressure. Force it to reveal itself. Worlds like this are most dangerous when they still believe restraint will save them."
The order echoed across the fleet.
On Earth, alarms flared within the planetary command core.
Escalation thresholds crossed.
Civilian risk increasing.
Orbital strike probability rising.
The Protector processed the data in silence.
He had not yet acted personally.
He did not need to.
But Rakh was correct about one thing.
Restraint had limits.
Across Earth, Legion formations locked into new battle lines. Defensive networks hardened. The planet's response sharpened from endurance to intent.
Deep within the core, the Protector shifted his stance.
Authorization layers realigned.
Personal deployment parameters updated.
The enemy had a name.
The enemy had a commander.
And the war had reached the point where preparation alone would no longer be sufficient.
The next phase would require presence.
And when the Protector stepped onto the battlefield, the Dominion would learn what Earth's guardianship truly meant.