Chapter -50: The Scanner's Shadow
Outer Sector Outpost 7, Imperial Periphery
The deployment of the first deep-penetration scanner unit marked a tangible shift on Outpost 7. Under the watchful eye of Investigator Thorne, the bulky, sophisticated machine was loaded onto a heavy Navy shuttle. Valerius observed its departure from a viewport overlooking the main landing pads, his expression carefully neutral. The shuttle lifted off, its powerful engines cutting through the thin atmosphere, heading towards Moon 7C to begin peeling back the layers of mystery surrounding Project Chimera and the Omega signal.
With Thorne accompanying the primary investigation team to the moon, Lieutenant Commander Jian remained the senior intelligence figure on Outpost 7, coordinating data flow and overseeing preparations for the eventual scan beneath the outpost itself. The second scanner unit sat partially assembled in its designated staging area, a silent, potent promise of future scrutiny.
Valerius felt the timeline acutely. Depending on the complexity of the findings on Moon 7C, the scan here could begin in as little as a day. He retreated to his quarters, maximizing the dwindling time for consolidation and practice. The 35% progress towards Mid-Level Wargod felt like a frustrating plateau, the unstable core beneath his bunk a constant temptation he couldn't indulge.
He focused on refining his Spatial Sense, pushing its limits, learning to filter the dense web of Navy energy signatures now permeating the outpost. He practiced identifying individual technicians working near the second scanner unit, sensing the focused energy of their diagnostic checks. He ran stealth simulations, programming the System to mimic advanced sensor sweeps, testing his ability to suppress his Wargod signature and utilize environmental clutter for cover.
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The results were sobering. Direct evasion against the scanners themselves, if they were actively looking for something like his energy signature, was highly unlikely. His only hope lay in his prior countermeasures – the data scrubbing, the plausible explanations – and ensuring he gave them no new reason to focus specifically on him or the locations he'd compromised.
His passive monitoring confirmed Kaelen was relentlessly pursuing his theories. Valerius tracked Kaelen's comms requests and data access patterns via the System. The Lieutenant was formally petitioning Jian for access to the raw, unfiltered sensor data from the battle engagement, specifically focusing on the timeframe around Frigate Two's disablement and the energy readings near Vent 7G. He cited the resonance link confirmed by Thorne as justification for re-examining all anomalous energy events, no matter how minor or previously dismissed.
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Denied, but not dismissed. Kaelen was successfully keeping his suspicions alive within the Navy intelligence structure. He was building a file, waiting for the right moment or the right piece of corroborating evidence.
Valerius felt the walls closing in, not with overt threats, but with methodical procedure and persistent suspicion. He couldn't risk any unusual activity, couldn't access the power he needed, couldn't stop Kaelen's investigation through official channels. His advantage lay in information, foresight provided by the System, and the Wargod abilities no one suspected he possessed.
He checked the status of the main Scorpion fleet in Grid 11 – still silent, still waiting. It was unnerving. Their inaction felt deliberate, strategic, though the strategy remained opaque.
As the cycle wore on, the first trickles of data began arriving from Thorne's team on Moon 7C as the deep scanner commenced its work. Valerius accessed the preliminary reports shared on the secure network. The scanner confirmed the Precursor structure extended far deeper than initially estimated, with complex energy conduits (now inert) and multiple shielded chambers. The 'Omega-734' signal emanated from the most heavily shielded, deepest chamber, but the signal itself remained undeciphered, its energy signature unlike anything on record. No definitive biological readings, but persistent sensor interference near the signal source hampered analysis.
No breakthroughs yet. No smoking gun regarding Project Chimera. But the confirmation of a deep, shielded Precursor complex containing an unknown, powerful signal source only intensified the mystery and ensured the Navy's investigation would continue relentlessly.
Valerius knew his time was limited. Soon, that powerful technological eye would turn downwards, towards the secrets beneath Outpost 7. He had to be prepared, his power consolidated, his tracks covered, ready to navigate the fallout of whatever truths the scanners ultimately unveiled. The shadow of the instruments of truth stretched long over the outpost.