Chapter -67: The Crucible Of Replication

Outer Sector Outpost 7, Imperial Periphery

The day of Lieutenant Kaelen's proposed experiment dawned with a palpable sense of anticipation, at least for those involved in the investigation. For Valerius, it felt more like an impending judgment. He was to be a key observer, the one whose actions they were attempting to replicate, placing him directly under the microscope of Navy scrutiny.

His System remained a frustrating wreck. The nanite network's repair was agonizingly slow, hampered by the residual psionic interference that seemed to cling to the outpost's deeper levels like a shroud.

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Twenty-two hours. The experiment was scheduled in less than three. He would be facing this crucible with his primary advantage still largely inert.

He spent the morning hours in intense mental preparation, reviewing every detail of his fabricated account of the Frigate Two incident. He focused on projecting an aura of professional detachment, of a competent officer willing to assist in a scientific inquiry, even if he privately considered its premise flawed. His Wargod energy was suppressed to the point of near invisibility, a tightly coiled spring hidden deep within.

The experiment was to take place in a specially prepared, heavily shielded test chamber within the outpost's engineering section – a chamber usually reserved for testing volatile components or high-energy weapon prototypes. Navy engineers had installed a salvaged auxiliary emitter unit, identical to the one Valerius had supposedly overloaded, connecting it to powerful, adjustable energy conduits. A battery of sophisticated sensors, far more sensitive than the outpost's standard battle log recorders, was arrayed around the emitter, ready to capture every nuance of the energy discharge.

Valerius arrived at the shielded chamber to find Lieutenant Commander Jian already present, along with several Navy technical specialists. Lieutenant Kaelen stood beside a primary monitoring console, his expression a mixture of intense focus and barely concealed excitement. Investigator Thorne observed via a secure holographic comm-link from Moon 7C, her image sharp and her gaze penetrating even through the transmission.

"Lieutenant Valerius," Jian greeted him. "Thank you for attending. Lieutenant Kaelen will direct the test parameters based on your previous reports. We aim to replicate the conditions of the emitter overload as closely as possible."

"Of course, Lieutenant Commander," Valerius replied, his voice calm. "I will provide any clarification needed."

Kaelen turned from his console. "Valerius. According to your report, you manually bypassed safety limiters and rerouted multiple power feeds to the auxiliary emitter, creating a significant overload to generate the kinetic pulse. We will attempt to simulate that power surge incrementally, monitoring the resulting energy signature and any subspace harmonic distortions."

Valerius nodded. "The overload was extreme, Lieutenant, a desperate measure. The emitter coil fused completely."

"So your report stated," Kaelen said, a hint of challenge in his tone. "Technicians, begin initial power-up sequence. Thirty percent of estimated overload capacity."

The engineers at their consoles complied. Within the shielded test chamber, visible on a reinforced viewport, the salvaged emitter began to hum, its internal coils glowing faintly. Sensors around it came alive, data streaming to Kaelen's and Jian's displays.

Valerius watched, his Spatial Sense, though impaired, trying to feel the energy build-up, comparing it to the immense, focused power he had actually channeled during the battle. The two were worlds apart.

"Increasing power to fifty percent," Kaelen ordered. The emitter's hum grew louder, the glow intensifying. "Seventy percent." The emitter began to vibrate, a stressed, angry sound.

"Energy signature is consistent with standard kinetic emitter overload," a technician reported. "No anomalous subspace harmonics detected at this level."

Kaelen frowned slightly. "Push it further. Ninety percent of your estimated catastrophic failure point, Valerius."

Valerius kept his expression neutral. "The actual overload was… significant, Lieutenant. I was focused on the tactical situation, not precise energy calibration." He was deliberately vague, providing no exact numbers Kaelen could latch onto.

"Understood," Kaelen said, though a flicker of frustration crossed his face. "Technicians, increase power to ninety-five percent of theoretical maximum before coil fusion."

The emitter shrieked, its glow becoming an angry orange. Sparks began to fly from its casing. Sensors flared with warnings.

"Containment field holding," a technician announced, "but the emitter is approaching critical. Still no significant subspace distortion beyond standard EM interference."

Kaelen stared at his display, his brow furrowed. The energy signature was powerful, chaotic, but it lacked the specific, almost alien wrongness of the 'sensor ghost' he had so meticulously logged. It was just a failing piece of machinery, not a controlled manipulation of deeper forces.

Thorne's holographic image spoke, her voice crisp. "Lieutenant Kaelen, is the signature matching your battle logs?"

Kaelen hesitated. "No, Investigator. Not precisely. The power output is high, but the harmonic resonance… it's different. Less complex. More… mundane." He looked towards Valerius, a new kind of doubt, mixed with his earlier suspicion, clouding his eyes. "Valerius, are you certain this replicates the conditions? Was there any other factor? Any other system interacting with the emitter?"

Valerius met his gaze coolly. "As I reported, Lieutenant, I rerouted primary power feeds and bypassed limiters. It was a direct overload. Perhaps the specific atmospheric conditions during the battle, or the frigate's own shield interactions, contributed to the sensor readings you logged." He offered plausible, if unprovable, external factors.

"Push it to fusion point!" Kaelen ordered, a desperate edge to his voice.

"Sir, that's-" the technician began.

"Do it!"

With a final, violent surge, the emitter flashed brilliantly, then died with a sharp crack, smoke billowing within the test chamber. The main power feed cut out.

Silence descended, broken only by the hum of the chamber's ventilation system.

Kaelen stared at the flatlined readings on his console, his face ashen. The signature of catastrophic failure was there, but the unique, haunting harmonics of the 'sensor ghost' were absent. His meticulously constructed theory, the direct link he had hoped to prove, had failed to materialize in the crucible of replication.

Thorne's image remained impassive. "Report, Lieutenant Kaelen."

Kaelen swallowed, his earlier fervor gone. "Investigator… the test failed to replicate the specific subspace harmonic distortions logged during the Frigate Two incident. The energy signature of a standard emitter overload, even at catastrophic levels, is… different." He looked at Valerius, no longer with accusation, but with a profound, frustrated confusion.

The experiment, designed to corner Valerius, had instead cast doubt on the very foundation of Kaelen's primary theory linking the battle anomaly directly to a replicable equipment failure. For Valerius, it was a dangerous reprieve. He had survived the test, but the underlying mystery, and Kaelen's relentless search for answers, remained.