UGT: 22th Aether 280 a.G.A. / 10:59 a.m.

  Location: ASF Aurora, inside the Woch-Hor'Nubis system (black hole, 49x the Sol star mass), Inner-Noran sector, Ruidan Raider Association, Milky Way

  The silence after the override felt heavier than the void itself. I stared at the screen, the words already gone, erased as if they had never existed. But I had seen them. Heard them. The Inheritor-Protocols had taken control, blocking any attempt to uncover the truth. My truth. I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. "Fen," I said slowly, carefully keeping my voice steady. "Run another search. Same parameters."

  [ Sorry, May, but I don’t seem to have anything even resembling that name in my databank. ]

  A perfect replica of the response from before, down to the exact tone. Artificial, forced. A lie.I exhaled sharply, pushing myself up from the chair. The memories still pulsed behind my eyes, ghostly imprints of another life, one I could barely grasp. A bridge in flames. Blood on my hands. A voice calling my name. Kril Sethar. And now, nothing. No freighters, no data, no records. Just more questions and the undeniable feeling that someone, something, had just slammed a door in my face. Fen, normally so eager to help, remained silent. I turned away from the main console, my mind racing. "Status of the fleet?"

  [ All SHF ships report no damage from the shockwave. Commander Ashcroft is requesting an update on the situation. ]

  I let out a humorless chuckle. Oh, he would love this. No evidence, no prisoners, just a spectacular explosion and a mysterious blackout in my own systems. "Put him through."

  A moment later, Ashcroft’s face appeared on the holo-screen, his expression unreadable. "Captain Lunaris." He said my name like a formality, not a greeting. "Would you care to explain what just happened?" I crossed my arms, my posture rigid. "The freighters self-destructed. They wiped themselves clean before we could board them. No survivors, no data left."

  His brow furrowed slightly. "How convenient."

  I met his gaze. "If you have suspicions, voice them."

  "I don't deal in suspicions, Captain. I deal in results." He paused, tilting his head. "Did your ship detect anything before they exploded?"

  I hesitated for a fraction of a second. The truth? That I had found a name that shattered my mind with memories I didn’t understand? That the Inheritor-Protocols had locked me out of my own past? That Fen, the one constant in my life since waking up, had been forcibly silenced? I exhaled slowly. "No. Nothing useful."

  A pause, followed by a slow nod. "Understood. Then unless you have reason to believe otherwise, I suggest we continue toward our objective. We have already lost time."

  The black hole system. Our mission. The one thing I could still control. "Agreed," I said, before cutting the transmission. For a long moment, I simply stood there, staring at the empty screen. No way forward. No leads. No truth. Just a name burned into my mind, and the certainty that whoever Kril Sethar was, they were important. But I'd have more than enough time to think about this stuff later. Right now my focus should be on the massive space station that orbited the black hole. The facility was the prize we'd come to secure after all. The station was an antimatter production hub, essential for both the Ruidan and their adversaries. Now, it would belong to the Federation, an asset to be controlled, not destroyed.

  The FSF forces, having taken charge of the operation, were preparing for their landing. The ASF Aurora hovered like a titan in orbit, its sensors scanning every inch of the station, ensuring no hidden surprises waited in the darkness. The FSF would take it by force, and my role would still be to ensure they did so without interference. The station, a testament to the Ruidans' engineering prowess if they managed to actually work together and fund something for once, stood tall against the cold void, its gleaming metallic surfaces reflecting the distant star's light.

  The Ruidan fleet had capitulated, leaving the remaining ships in a state of disrepair or surrender. Only a few vessels could still be salvaged or repaired, and their personnel, once proud warriors, were now prisoners, forced to accept their defeat. Even then, there was no need to rush, the primary objective was the station. The station would be secured, the antimatter production facility operational once again, and the system would be under SHF control for the next eight days before the fleet would leave. It was a matter of waiting, watching and making sure everything went according to plan.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The minutes stretched into hours as the FSF forces advanced on the station. From her vantage point aboard the ASF Aurora, May watched the tactical feed update in real-time. The FSF troops moved with precision, clearing section after section, encountering minimal resistance. The Ruidans aboard the station had already surrendered in accordance with the fleet’s capitulation, and the primary concern was ensuring no sabotage or hidden traps lay in wait.

  "Fen, status on the station’s critical systems?"

  [ Power remains stable. No evidence of self-destruct sequences or large-scale sabotage. Some sections show signs of minor damage that was likely intentional, but nothing beyond repair. Shields are offline, weapons are inactive, and station control has been mostly abandoned. ]

  May exhaled slowly. That was better than expected. The Ruidans, ruthless as they were, often preferred destruction over surrender. The fact that the station still functioned meant they had either been caught off guard or saw no value in its destruction. Probably because antimatter alone had no higher value on this campaign. The SFS had enough after all. "Keep monitoring for any hidden failsafe systems. I don’t want any surprises."

  [ Understood, Captain. I will run deep scans for any latent threats. ]

  The display flickered as updates continued to roll in. FSF forces had reached the command center and secured it without incident. The remaining Ruidan personnel were being rounded up, their fates now in the hands of SHF command. Some might be pressed into service, others interrogated for intelligence, and a few would likely never leave the station alive.

  [ Commander Ashcroft has signaled that the station is secured. He is requesting a status update on the surrounding space and confirmation that all remaining threats have been neutralized. ]

  "Tell him the area is secure. The only thing left is to begin operations and assess how much value the station has for our immediate fleet."

  [ Acknowledged. Sending response. ]

  I leaned back in my chair. The station was ours and the next eight days would be spent ensuring it was fully operational under SHF control before they moved on.

  "Fen, log everything we’ve secured here. I want a full report on what we stand to gain from this station before we leave the system."

  [ Already compiling the data. Expect a full analysis within the next few hours. ]

  I nodded. It was at least one victory for today. The next few hours passed in a blur of reports, status updates and logistics planning. The FSF had locked down the station without a fight, and with the Ruidan fleet in our hands, the system was firmly under our control. But there was no time to celebrate.

  I stood in the center of the Bridge, arms crossed as I watched the tactical display. The station hung in the void, a massive construct of reinforced plating and industrial machinery. Lights flickered across its surface, repair crews already moving to assess and restore full functionality. If this place was going to serve its purpose, we needed it at peak efficiency as soon as possible. "Fen, give me a preliminary assessment. What’s our production capacity looking like?"

  [ The station's antimatter production capabilities are intact, though running at reduced efficiency. Current output is estimated at 46% of maximum capacity. With necessary repairs and recalibration, it could be restored to full output within four to five days. ]

  That was better than I expected. "And storage?"

  [ Antimatter reserves are lower than projected. Based on Ruidan logs, they were transferring materials off-site regularly. Only 12% of the station’s total capacity is currently filled. Enough to be useful, but not enough to sustain long-term fleet operations. ]

  As expected . Good thing the FSF fleet Had quite the reserve of their own. The ASF Aurora would obviously try to generate some antimatter in the offtime for us as well.

  [ Commander Ashcroft has already begun organizing the garrison force. He intends to leave a detachment of FSF personnel to ensure security. ]

  I nodded. That was his responsibility, not mine. "Good. Then I want full oversight on the repairs and refits. If we can maybe even push the construction of a nearly build RRA ship to completion, it could be useful."

  [ Understood. I will coordinate with the engineering teams to explore viable construction sites. ]

  I exhaled, letting my arms drop to my sides. The pieces were falling into place. We had the station, the production lines were still online, ship construction was about to be accelerated and our hold on the system was solidifying. Eight days. That was the deadline before we moved on.

  I glanced at the tactical map one last time, then turned away. There was still plenty to do, but for now, at least, things were going according to plan once more. No reason to worry about stuff I had no way to change anyways. The next days would either grant me more information from searching the system or not. Either way, for now I had to be patient.