Chapter -72: The walls Of Confinement

Outer Sector Outpost 7, Imperial Periphery

Confinement was a suffocating, alien experience for Valerius. His small officer's quarters, once a private sanctuary for training and System interface, now felt like a meticulously monitored cell. Two Navy guards, their energy signatures steady and alert M2-Kinetic equivalents, were stationed permanently outside his door. His access to the outpost network was restricted to basic, heavily monitored channels. His command overrides were gone. The unstable plasma core, his illicitly gained power source, had been confiscated by Investigator Thorne's team, likely already undergoing analysis in a secure Navy lab.

He was a wolf caged, his claws temporarily blunted by the loss of the System's full capabilities and the Navy's unyielding scrutiny.

<>

Fifteen hours. It felt like an eternity. Without the System, every passing moment was filled with a heightened sense of vulnerability. He couldn't passively monitor Kaelen's activities, couldn't access secure Navy comms for intelligence, couldn't rely on the nanites for perfect energy suppression or environmental analysis. He was forced to depend on his own impaired Wargod senses, his intellect, and a rapidly dwindling reservoir of plausible deniability.

He spent the hours in a state of forced calm, meticulously reviewing his fabricated explanations for the plasma core, for his presence near the testing bay and the xenobotanical lab. He replayed his "unconventional" battlefield maneuvers in his mind, searching for any inconsistencies Thorne or Jian might seize upon during the inevitable formal interrogation. He knew his initial story about salvaging the core was flimsy; his revised explanation of finding it in forgotten storage and studying it out of misguided diligence was only marginally better. They wouldn't believe he, a mere High-Level Warrior (as per his official record), could tap its power, but its mere possession and the secrecy surrounding it were damning enough.

His Spatial Sense, though blunted, became his primary tool for gathering information. He extended it cautiously, mapping the corridor outside, feeling the rhythmic patrol patterns of the Navy guards, sensing the comings and goings in the officer's wing. He detected Kaelen's energy signature passing his door several times, lingering for a moment before moving on – Kaelen was undoubtedly aware of Valerius's confinement and likely felt a grim sense of vindication.

Later that cycle, the door chimed. Not Thorne or Jian, but two different Navy security personnel, their expressions stern. "Lieutenant Valerius," one stated, "you are required for formal interrogation. Accompany us."

Valerius rose, his Wargod energy a tightly controlled ember. He was escorted to a small, secure briefing room he hadn't seen before. It was stark, utilitarian, with a single metal table and two chairs. Investigator Thorne was already seated, her gaze as sharp and unyielding as ever. Lieutenant Commander Jian stood beside her, datapad in hand. There were no holographic displays here, no comforting distractions of technology – just the focused intensity of the investigators. Two more guards flanked the door.

"Be seated, Lieutenant," Thorne commanded, gesturing to the empty chair.

Valerius complied, his posture erect, his expression carefully neutral.

"Let us dispense with pleasantries," Thorne began, her voice cold. "We have analyzed the plasma core found in your possession. It is indeed highly unstable, its containment field severely degraded. Our technicians confirm it matches the energy signature detected by Scanner Unit Two emanating from your quarters. They also confirm that attempting to tap such a core without specialized equipment and at least a Mid-Level Wargod's energy control would be… suicidally reckless."

She paused, letting the implication hang in the air. "Yet, Lieutenant Kaelen's logs show anomalous energy transients near locations you were observed frequenting – the decommissioned testing bay, the old xenobotanical lab – during periods of reduced outpost sensor acuity. Transients that, while faint, share certain characteristics with this core's leakage signature."

"As I stated previously, Investigator," Valerius replied, his voice even, "I was attempting to conduct diagnostic scans on the core's containment field in shielded environments. My methods were unorthodox and a breach of protocol, for which I accept responsibility. I did not attempt to tap its power."

Jian interjected, his tone analytical. "The energy required for your documented actions during the battle, Lieutenant – specifically the disabling of Frigate Two via a 'kinetic pulse' from an overloaded auxiliary emitter – has been a subject of considerable debate. Our replication experiment failed to reproduce the unique subspace harmonics logged by Lieutenant Kaelen. However, the energy output of this plasma core," he gestured towards an unseen location, "is more than sufficient to power such an event, even if channeled inefficiently."

"Are you suggesting I used this core during the battle, Lieutenant Commander?" Valerius asked, feigning surprise. "That would have been impossible. Its instability alone would have made it an unacceptable risk on an active battlefield, let alone trying to channel its power through an auxiliary emitter." He was banking on their perception of him as a High-Level Warrior, for whom such a feat would indeed be suicidal.

"Perhaps," Thorne conceded, her eyes narrowing. "Or perhaps your assessment of your own capabilities, or the core's stability, was… optimistic. Or perhaps you are not merely a High-Level Warrior, Lieutenant Valerius."

The direct insinuation, the first open suggestion that he might be more than he appeared, hung in the air. Valerius felt his carefully constructed defenses waver. Without his System, he couldn't gauge their certainty, couldn't analyze their micro-expressions for tells.

"My service record is clear, Investigator," Valerius stated firmly. "My cultivation level is as documented."

"Service records can be… incomplete," Thorne countered. "Just as initial reports can be falsified." She leaned forward slightly. "Let me be blunt, Lieutenant. We have a Red Scorpion fleet of unknown ultimate intent in Grid 11. We have a destroyed Precursor facility on Moon 7C linked to Void Stone and a high-threat Omega containment signal. We have a powerful, reactive anomaly beneath this very outpost that disabled our most advanced scanner and shares a resonance with the moon signal. And we have you, a junior officer who performs battlefield feats deemed improbable, found in possession of an unauthorized, dangerously unstable power source, and linked to multiple clandestine energy uses in restricted areas."

She paused, her gaze unwavering. "These are not disparate events, Lieutenant Valerius. They are threads in a larger tapestry. And you, whether by design or by accident, appear to be entangled in many of them. We will uncover the pattern. The only question is whether you will cooperate, or continue to obstruct this investigation with implausible denials."

The interrogation had begun in earnest. Valerius knew he was fighting for more than just his career now. He was fighting to protect secrets that could unravel everything he had built, everything he aspired to be. And he was doing it blind.