Outer Sector Outpost 7, Imperial Periphery
The full weight of the 7th Battle Group descended upon Outpost 7 over the next cycle. The initial lead elements were reinforced by the bulk of the fleet – more cruisers, destroyers, supply ships, and troop transports settling into orbit or landing heavily armed detachments. The outpost, once a remote and somewhat neglected garrison, was now effectively an occupied forward base under Imperial Navy command. Checkpoints manned by Navy security appeared at key junctions, access codes were updated, and sensor grids were recalibrated with military precision, integrating seamlessly with the fleet's powerful systems.
Valerius felt the change like a tightening net. His successful acquisition of the unstable plasma core felt like a victory snatched moments before the gates slammed shut. The core itself, secured in its dampening case and hidden within a shielded compartment beneath his bunk (a modification subtly created by nanites), was a constant source of low-level anxiety. Its volatile energy signature, though dampened, felt like a beacon to his Wargod senses, and he worried constantly that sophisticated Navy sensors might eventually pick up its faint leakage.
He spent time consolidating the energy gained during his Wargod practice and the brief, risky absorption cycles. His stability was back near peak, and the 18% progress towards Mid-Level Wargod felt solid, but achingly slow. The need for the plasma core's energy burned, but the opportunity to access the decommissioned testing bay during the previous cycle's reactor shutdown had passed while he was securing the core itself. The next scheduled shutdown was nearly a full standard day away, an eternity in the current climate.
He attended mandatory integration briefings, observing the interactions between the garrison officers and the Navy personnel. Commander Vorlag, though still officially the outpost commander, clearly deferred to Captain Rostova (via remote comms from the Vigilant) and her senior staff on all major decisions. There was a subtle friction, the career garrison soldiers slightly resentful of the polished, well-equipped Navy officers taking charge of their station.
Lieutenant Kaelen seemed to thrive, paradoxically, under the new regime. His meticulous nature and adherence to protocol apparently impressed the Navy liaison officers. Valerius saw him frequently conferring with Navy security personnel, pointing out details on schematics, likely related to his ongoing, albeit fruitless, investigation into energy anomalies.
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Valerius felt a cold prickle of alarm. Kaelen wasn't giving up. Unable to find direct proof against Valerius, he was now leveraging the Navy's presence and procedures to request broad sensor sweeps of the very areas Valerius needed to access or had already compromised. If approved, those sweeps might detect the residual energy from his infiltrations, the faint signature of the anomaly, or even the unstable core hidden in his room if the sweep was sensitive enough.
Updates from Moon 7C were slow. Investigator Thorne's team continued their work, hampered by the extensive destruction. They confirmed the 'Omega-734' signal originated from a depth exceeding their current excavation capabilities without heavy equipment, which was being requisitioned from the fleet. Analysis of the Void Stone residue continued, yielding no immediate breakthroughs about its specific application in Project Chimera. The main Scorpion fleet in Grid 11 remained silent, an unnerving, patient threat.
Valerius felt increasingly cornered. Kaelen's indirect pressure, the Navy's pervasive scrutiny, the bottlenecked energy progression, the unresolved mysteries – it created a pressure cooker environment. His ambition demanded action, progress, but the risks were multiplying exponentially.
He focused on what he could control: his training. In the privacy of his quarters, he pushed his Spatial Sense, mapping the movements of Navy patrols, identifying the energy signatures of key officers like Jian and Thorne when they visited the outpost command center. He ran combat simulations against Wargod-level opponents, honing his reflexes and tactical integration with the System. He needed to be ready for anything, conventional or otherwise.
The unstable plasma core pulsed faintly beneath his bunk, a hidden sun waiting for its dawn. The next reactor shutdown cycle was his target window. Kaelen's request for enhanced sensor sweeps added another layer of extreme urgency. He had to get to the testing bay, tap the core, and gain significant power before those sweeps potentially happened.
The outpost was no longer under siege from without, but for Valerius, the internal siege – the pressure of secrets, suspicion, and thwarted ambition under watchful eyes – was just beginning.