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Chapter 6 - The Aetherians Were Crazy (And Paranoid Apparently)

  UTG: Unknown

  Location: Unknown yellow dwarf system

  "Finally, I'm done!" I shouted, elated. It had taken way too long to get through my priority list! Well, at least the part I could actually repair for now. And even that had taken three whole days. Three days of the Federation and the Association shooting at each other directly over my head. Whatever. At least I managed to scavenge a decent amount of fusion rods from them. Honestly, it was surprising how passive both sides were, but it wasn't my problem for now. "Aso, give me the outpost's status."

  [ ASO-17309 STATUS REPORT ]

  [ Preservation Systems: 100% ]

  [ Life-Support Systems: 85% ]

  [ Sensor Systems: 78% ]

  [ Defensive Systems: 60% ]

  [ Energy Systems: 60% ]

  [ Camouflage Systems: 50% ]

  [ Computer Systems: 26% (GROWING) ]

  [ Utility Systems: 1% ]

  [ Weapon Systems: 1% ]

  [ Industrial Systems: 0% (OFFLINE) ]

  [ Propulsion Systems: 0% (OFFLINE) ]

  [ Communication Systems: 0% (OFFLINE) ]

  [ Overall Operational Status: 38.4% ]

  [ Inner Outpost Integrity: 62% ]

  [ Inner Hull Integrity: 53% ]

  [ Outer Hull Integrity: 18% ]

  [ Shield Integrity: 100% ]

  [ Overall Outpost Integrity: 58.3% ]

  [ Show spaceship list as well? ]

  [ Y/N ]

  Honestly? I was impressed with myself. Sure, the outpost was still in terrible shape, but it was a good bit better than it had been a few days ago. In that short time, I'd pushed the outpost's integrity past 50% and more than doubled its overall operational status. That was an achievement! Although, to be fair, I had been a little dramatic about its condition at first. The framework was still intact, and I had all the means to repair it. All things considered, it could've been worse. At this point, I truly believed I might be able to fully restore the outpost one day. "Alright, Aso, I need a new priority list. I want this outpost back in perfect condition as fast as possible. What do we need?"

  [ The fastest way to fully restore ASO-17309 is to bring the industrial systems back online. ]

  [ INHERITOR PRIORITY LIST ]

  [ 1. Manually restart industrial systems. ]

  [ 2. Reconnect industrial systems to main operational systems. ]

  [ 3. Manually restart deactivated computer systems. ]

  [ 4. Reconnect disconnected computer systems. ]

  [ 5. Use Inheritor-Protocols to create a new individual AI. ]

  [ 6. Repair Electromagnetic Creation Field. ]

  [ 7. Repair Nanite Production Plant. ]

  [ 8. Restart communication systems. ]

  [ 9. Manually recalibrate communication systems. ]

  "Only nine things? Really? I was expecting at least a few dozen," I said, slightly perplexed.

  [ Nanites can repair the outpost to its currently achievable maximum operational status, given enough time. No additional tasks are required from the Inheritor beyond those listed. ]

  "Aso, how much time are we talking? Because if I had to do this alone, it would take months, if not years."

  [ Estimated time for nanites to complete repairs: 61 days (approx. 2 months). ]

  "Only two months? That's great! Then we'll go with your plan!" I grinned. "Alright, lead the way!"

  [ Path to industrial center highlighted. ]

  "So, now that I finally have some time again, tell me, what's going on above us? Do I need to expect a boarding party crashing down on me in the next few hours?" I wasn’t even joking. Two days ago, both the Association and the Federation had concentrated their fleets around this moon. That alone told me everything. I’d been found. Still, both sides were hesistant to end the fight, fearing a loss. Based on Aso's information, this was the first Association attack on the system and yet, they already had established bases on the fifth and sixth moons of the third planet. It was entirely possible that they had intended to expand their influence in secret to this moon as well. That was when they somehow identified Aetherian presence here. And in response, they did the only sensible thing: They halted all operations in the system completely. No movement, no expansion, nothing. They wanted to make sure the Federation wouldn’t notice anything until it was too late. And when the time was right, they assembled an invasion fleet. Somehow and I still had no idea how exactly, the Federation found out anyway and sent their own fleet after them. My guess? Spies inside the Association. But in the end, I just didn’t know. "Alright, Aso, what's the current situation?"

  [ The Association forces are in the process of being destroyed, but they refuse to retreat from their position directly above us. The Federation is also taking heavier losses the longer the battle drags on. Based on current fleet cohesion and combat data, the Federation will win in the coming days. The only reason the battle hasn’t ended already is that both sides are hesitant to fully commit to an attack, as doing so could tip the fight in either direction. ]

  [ Industrial center reached. ]

  Sure enough, I now stood before a sealed door, a small terminal mounted beside it. I frowned. "Say, Aso... is it really secure to have the terminal to open the door right next to the door? What if the ship gets boarded?"

  [ No one would dare to board a ship of the Aetherian Empire. ]

  I groaned. "Oh, come on. Can you not? You're an AI, not an Aetherian. Don't fall for that ‘Aetherian superiority’ propaganda, okay? Just because the Aetherian Empire was powerful doesn’t mean security should be this lax."

  [ This unit’s last statement was neither a sign of superiority nor propaganda. It is a fact proven across 14,000 wars recorded in this units databank. ]

  [ A standard Aetherian terminal can be deactivated, destroyed, or even detonated with the correct authorization. It has 216 layered protection measures and security blockers, is permanently monitored by a dedicated sub-AI, and includes 13 different self-destruct mechanisms. The more important the terminal, the higher the security level. ]

  [ Furthermore, every Aetherian Empire vessel maintains a minimum of 25% additional crew as ASS-Troopers. ]

  [ Additionally, every ship has five different self-destruct methods, all secured against enemy interference by— ]

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "Alright, alright, I GET IT!" I threw my hands up. "The Aetherian Empire was just a bunch of paranoid lunatics who were too lazy to add even more security measures, because otherwise they would have!" I exhaled sharply. "But yeah. I totally understand now why no one in their right mind would try boarding an Aetherian ship." I pointed at the terminal. "Now, please just jumpstart the damn thing so I can be done with it."

  [ Local terminal jumpstarted. ]

  "Thanks," I said, once again butchering the operator code beyond recognition.

  [ Operator code incorrect. ]

  [ Access rejected. ]

  [ WARNING! ]

  [ INTRUDER DETECTED! ]

  [ Outpost reactivating automatic defensive measures! ]

  [ Inheritor-Protocol #2-A override. ]

  [ Operator rights accepted. ]

  [ Access to industrial center granted. ]

  The heavy door slid open with a deep, mechanical groan, revealing a completely dark room. I sighed. "Aso, what happened here?" I asked, no longer bothering to comment on the deteriorating state of the outpost.

  [ Local electrical grid malfunction detected. Automatic repair initiated... ]

  [ Processing... ]

  [ Processing... ]

  [ ERROR. ]

  [ Local electrical grid can only be repaired via the local industrial systems terminal. ]

  [ Path to local industrial systems terminal highlighted. ]

  I frowned. "Is the terminal even working with the power grid down?"

  [ Every local terminal has an autonomous emergency power supply with an average lifespan of 1,500 years. ]

  "Right. Aetherian paranoia. Even if the entire station crumbles, at least the terminals will still work," I muttered sarcastically.

  [ Local industrial systems terminal reached. ]

  [ Local industrial systems terminal jumpstarted. ]

  As soon as I laid eyes on the interface, I let out a triumphant cheer. Finally! A properly organized terminal! Most terminals were a complete disaster. Cluttered, inefficient, a nightmare to navigate. Even sorting through them took hours at best, and that was way too long. But the organized ones? Those took minutes. This one was a dream. Less than twenty minutes later, I had the local power grid reactivated and reconnected to the main system. Another hour went into restarting the industrial systems which, surprisingly, were in decent condition despite this being the most heavily damaged part of the station. Reconnecting them to the main operational systems? Ten minutes. And just like that, less than two hours after receiving my new priority list, two tasks were already checked off.

  [ Path to Bridge (computer room) highlighted. ]

  "Ah, back to the Bridge? The last time I was there was on my first day after awakening. I didn’t even know our computer systems were there."

  [ ASO-17309’s computational systems are distributed across the entire outpost. The two core nodes are located in the engineering center and the command center. Restarting or reconnecting the computational units in these two locations provides enough processing power to create and manage a new individual AI. ]

  "Ah, got it. Thanks for the explanation. Now, how's the situation above?"

  [ View forces cohesion? ]

  [ Y/N ]

  "Sure, but include our own forces as a third party if possible. I want a clear picture of how much influence I can exert on the battle if needed."

  [ Federation fleet composition (Aetherian Empire ship classification): ]

  [ 2x Corvettes ]

  [ 4x Cutter/Corvette Hybrids ]

  [ 7x Cutters ]

  [ 11x Patrol Ships ]

  [ Total: 24 ships ]

  [ Association fleet composition (Aetherian Empire ship classification): ]

  [ 1x Corvette ]

  [ 2x Cutter/Corvette Hybrids ]

  [ 7x Cutters ]

  [ 3x Patrol Ships ]

  [ Total: 13 ships ]

  [ Aetherian Empire fleet composition (Classified by operational strength): ]

  [ 1x Cruiser/Destroyer Hybrid (ASO-17309 – current operational strength) ]

  [ 1x Destroyer (ASF Aurora) ]

  [ 1x Frigate (Stationary, heavily damaged – ASF Honos) ]

  [ 2x Corvettes (ASF Nox, ASF Nyx) ]

  [ Total: 5 ships ]

  "Wait, we have ships on the station?! Actual, functioning spaceships?! ASO, why didn’t you tell me this sooner?! This changes everything!"

  [ Inheritor was informed multiple times about the presence of functioning spacecraft on ASO-17309 but declined to view ship cohesion data. ]

  "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOU—" I froze. "Oh." Every time ASO had shown me the status report of the outpost. "I'm such an IDIOT!" I screamed, repeatedly smashing my forehead against the nearest wall. "WHY THE HELL DIDN’T I NOTICE THIS SOONER?!"

  [ This unit advises the Inheritor to cease self-harming activities before bodily damage occurs. ]

  Sighing, I stopped and let out a breath, reluctantly agreeing with him. I still had an outpost to repair. Sure, I might have ships at my disposal now, but if just one percent of the weapon systems and 60% of the defensive systems were enough to classify this outpost as a Cruiser/Destroyer hybrid, already stronger than anything the Federation or the Association had. A fully operational station would have to be an absolute monster. Actually... I could just ask Aso. "Hey, Aso, what classification would this outpost have with its full battle capabilities?"

  [ ASO-17309 would be rated as a Battlecruiser based solely on combat potential. ]

  "Hm, only a Battlecruiser? I was hoping it could reach Battleship classification... but given that the station has Carrier aspects and is only a hemisphere, I guess that makes sense."

  [ Even if ASO-17309 were a fully operational battle station instead of an outpost and a complete sphere rather than a hemisphere, it would still fall significantly short of Battleship classification in every aspect. Even at full capacity, its battle capabilities barely justify ranking it as a Battlecruiser rather than a Battlecruiser/Cruiser hybrid. ]

  "Yeah... The Aetherian Empire really was insane with their ships. No wonder they were seen as undefeatable." I paused, then smirked. "Say, Aso, what's the biggest ship the Aetherian Empire ever built?"

  [ The largest ship ever constructed by the Aetherian Empire was the ASF Titan, a (DATA LOST) with a diameter of (DATA LOST). It served as a movable habitat, and its sheer size rendered it indestructible by anything short of a supernova or even stronger cosmic events. It remains one of the greatest achievements in Aetherian history and should, theoretically, still exist somewhere. ]

  "Of course. Data lost. Why did I even expect a straight answer?" I muttered. "Still... you're saying the biggest ship the Aetherian Empire ever built is still out there somewhere? Even if it wasn’t a warship, that’s... interesting." I exhaled sharply. "A shame, really. Would've loved to get my hands on that thing one day." I shook my head. "Alright, Aso, let me rephrase the question. What’s the largest warship the Aetherian Empire ever built that you actually have data on?"

  [ The Noctis-Tartaros class warships belonged to the Juggernaut classification. They were spherical in shape and had a diameter of 4.2 kilometers. ]

  I blinked. "...4.2 kilometers? Aso, are you kidding me?"

  [ This unit is incapable of lying to the Inheritor. ]

  [ Destination reached. ]

  "Yeah, that’s what I figured." I exhaled, rubbing my temple. "You know what? I’m just going to forget I ever heard that. Instead, I’ll focus on repairing the outpost. Yep. That’s the plan. I heard nothing." And so, I got to work, doing my best to ignore the traitorous little thought whispering in the back of my mind: I have no idea what I’ve actually gotten myself into.

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