Ismail Maylander and his team had been advancing with relative ease, encountering opposition ard similarly to the previous groups they had already dealt with. Despite this, neither he nor the breaching forces aboard the ship let their guard down. Each of them carried a hard-earned lesson from their intensive VR training—battles where they held the upper hand but ultimately lost the war due to complacency. That experience was deeply ingrained in their minds, reminding them that the ti to relax would only co when everything was truly over.
However, they were briefly halted as a sudden wave of weightlessness swept through the ship. The sensation lasted only a mont before their personal gravity devices automatically adjusted, restoring them to a steady 1g. Each soldier was equipped with this device, designed to adapt to both high- and low-gravity environnts, ensuring they could function at peak efficiency under the optimal gravity of 1g, no matter the conditions around them. This seamless adjustnt allowed them to quickly regain their footing and continue their mission without interruption.
Without hesitation, they pressed on, continuing their mission until they found themselves in a long corridor, about half a kiloter in length. However, sothing was different here—one figure stood out among the others who were helplessly floating. This individual was controlling their movent with precision, seemingly using telekinetic powers to part the floating bodies and clear a path ahead. The breaching team’s attention imdiately locked onto him, recognizing that this person was no ordinary crew mber and potentially a serious threat.
Maylander didn’t waste any ti. He fired his weapon, aiming to neutralize the telekinetic figure. However, he quickly realized that the bullet had been stopped in mid-air. Undeterred, he and his team imdiately unleashed a barrage of gunfire, testing the limits of the man's defenses, to see if he could stop every round.
But before each soldier could even fire their fourth shot, the man catapulted himself forward with incredible speed. He almost disappeared from view, reduced to a blur even for their enhanced perception. It was clear this opponent wasn’t just skilled—he was dangerously fast.
{Move to the left,} Cortana warned, her voice calm yet urgent. Without hesitation, Maylander followed the order instinctively. Simultaneously, his active shield engaged, countering the telekinetic pull.
The shield's anti-tractor beam technology had been developed after a critical lesson learned from a simulation where an enemy unexpectedly won a war using tractor beams. This tech was now proving invaluable, keeping him from being seized by the telekinetic force as he quickly adjusted his position, dodging the incoming threat.
But his attempt at evading failed as Xalthar's hand reacted and latched onto his headgear. Before Maylander could make another move or escape the telekinetic grip, Xalthar crushed the helt—and with it, his skull.
{You died.}
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“..............”
Silence enveloped the room as the person on the other end processed the shocking news. The gravity of the situation sank in as they reflected on the intense experience and the outco of the engagent.
{Are you alright?} Cortana asked as a pod opened, revealing a person identical to Ismail Maylander rising from it. He sat, eyes closed, taking a mont to adjust.
“I know I chose this option,” Ismail said, his voice tinged with weariness, “but it still takes ti to get used to when so of the blocked mories return.” He reflected on the intense experiences he had just relived.
With the Empire's advanced technology, they had developed various thods to confront unknown enemies while minimizing the risk to their own soldiers. One such thod involved technology akin to what the Emperor had used for his initial eting with the tree folks that was facilitated by a newly established communication line.
As a result, the forces currently engaged in the ship's takeover were actually avatars, with their operators situated in pods light-hours away, aboard a different fleet. This ant that the entire stealth fleet was being controlled by robotic bodies, which were equipped with the consciousness of their human operators, allowing them to perform all the functions expected of a fully manned fleet.
The decision to use human-operated avatars rather than fully autonomous AI robots was driven by several key reasons. Primarily, it was to mitigate the risk of encountering an advanced civilization that could potentially override or exploit AI systems. Such a breach could lead to significant security issues and operational complications. By relying on human operators within the avatars, the Empire ensured that their forces remained adaptable and secure, maintaining control over their technology in even the most unpredictable scenarios.
Currently, only the spearhead fleets were allowed access to this advanced technology. Each soldier in these fleets was given the choice to be aware that they were operating robotic avatars in the real world or to remain unaware, believing they were in their actual bodies. Ismail Maylander had opted for the latter, experiencing the sensation of death and the subsequent disorientation as if he had truly perished. He was now coming to terms with this reality, trying to reconcile his experiences with the knowledge that he was still alive and operating remotely.
“Do I have to go back again, or are the current forces enough?” Ismail asked, eager to know if he needed to return to the pod and use one of his backup bodies in the stealth fleet.
{As you know, after you die, you spend at least thirty minutes in analysis before I wake you up. During that period, they have already taken over the rest of the forces and surrendered quite easily after we captured what seed to be their leader. The rest were surprisingly willing to surrender, almost as if they were previously fighting only because they were afraid of their leader.} Cortana responded, informing him that the mission was complete.
“Okay then, I’ll be resting since I’ve been feeling quite tense due to the situation,” Ismail said before settling back into his pod, allowing it to provide him with the maximum rest in a short period of ti.
As Ismail rested, the stealth fleet began the process of collecting the enemy forces from the ship. Pods were dispatched to pick up everyone, starting with those who had been incapacitated and moving to those who had surrendered willingly. Given the sheer number of crew mbers—millions in total—the operation was expected to take an entire day.
anwhile, Athena had assigned a specially designed breaching AI to access the vessel's computer systems. This AI was tasked with extracting as much valuable information as possible to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the ship's operations and any relevant data.
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