Chapter -45: Countdown To Exposure
Outer Sector Outpost 7, Imperial Periphery
The knowledge that specialized deep-penetration scanners were en route, specifically tasked with probing the depths beneath Outpost 7, hung over Valerius like a suspended blade. Eighteen hours until the equipment arrived, then deployment time… he estimated he had perhaps thirty-six hours, maybe less, before Navy technology far exceeding the outpost's capabilities started mapping the very ground that held his secrets and the outpost's own dangerous anomaly.
Every moment felt critical. He pushed his Wargod consolidation relentlessly in the privacy of his quarters. The 35% progress towards Mid-Level felt agonizingly insufficient. He needed the power contained within the unstable plasma core hidden beneath his bunk, not just for future ambitions, but potentially to deal with unforeseen consequences if the Navy scan did uncover something related to the anomaly.
His Spatial Sense became his lifeline, a constant probe extending outwards. He mapped the movements of Navy patrols, tracked Kaelen's persistent presence near the command center or engineering logs, and monitored the energy signatures of Jian and the other Navy officers, searching for any indication that the scan timeline had accelerated or that suspicion towards him had solidified.
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Kaelen wasn't letting go. He was building a circumstantial case, linking Valerius's actions directly to the strange physics potentially at play. While Jian hadn't acted yet, the report added another layer of scrutiny Valerius would face.
He considered the unstable plasma core. Tapping it again in the decommissioned testing bay felt impossibly risky now. Kaelen's focus on energy anomalies meant that area would be under passive, if not active, surveillance. The brief energy transient logged during the last shutdown was likely already flagged in Kaelen's files.
'System, re-evaluate all shielded locations within Outpost 7 suitable for high-energy transfer with minimal detection risk during standard operations. Include decommissioned labs, deep storage, isolated maintenance nodes.'
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Xenobotanical Lab 3. Decommissioned years ago after a containment breach involving aggressive fungal spores. Less shielded than the testing bay, but also less likely to be actively monitored for energy signatures, especially if Kaelen was focused on the lower levels. It was still risky, but potentially less so than returning to the testing bay. The upcoming ration replenishment offered a brief window of distraction.
Valerius weighed the options. Wait, hope the Navy scan missed everything, and continue slow progress? Or risk tapping the core one more time in a different location, aiming for a significant power boost before the deep scanners arrived?
His ambition, coupled with the growing sense of unease about Project Chimera and the anomaly, made the choice clear. He needed to be stronger, now.
He began meticulous planning for an infiltration of Xenobotanical Lab 3 during the next cycle's ration replenishment window. He studied the old lab schematics, the patrol routes in that sector, the specific energy signatures of the older sensor nodes the System would need to mask.
Updates from Moon 7C were minimal. Thorne's team awaited the heavy scanners. The 'Omega-734' signal pulsed faintly, undeciphered. The main Scorpion fleet in Grid 11 remained silent, a brooding presence. It felt like the calm before a storm, or perhaps, the quiet focus of a predator digesting its meal before moving on.
Valerius felt the pressure mounting from all sides. The Navy's tightening grip, Kaelen's relentless suspicion, the ticking clock of the deep scanners, the volatile power source hidden in his room, and the vast, dangerous mysteries surrounding Project Chimera and the anomalies. He was juggling too many secrets, too many risks. Something had to give. He intended to ensure it wasn't him. The power within the plasma core was the key, and he would claim it, whatever the cost.