It took Nyx several hours to sift through the vast amount of data collected before she was ready to deliver her findings.
“Using the asteroid field as a natural cosmic phenonon to mask the wormhole’s opening worked in our favor. As far as we can tell, no one in the vicinity detected it,} Nyx stated as she began her report.
A scientist in the room frowned. "There were people where we opened the wormhole? What are the odds of that?"
Nyx responded imdiately.
“While the natural occurrence of life in the galaxy is rare, rember that we are infiltrating Conclave territory. Intelligent life is abundant here. Furthermore, asteroid fields serve as valuable resource hubs for spacefaring civilizations, which greatly increases the likelihood of encountering activity.}
As she spoke, the room’s environnt transford, shifting into a massive asteroid field—a direct projection of the data collected. Nyx had opted to show rather than tell, planning to let the simulation play before diving into further explanations.
Everyone fell silent, understanding what was about to happen. The replay began.
The simulation started from the mont the object erged from the wormhole on the other side.
For the first twenty-four hours, nothing significant occurred, so the playback was accelerated. Occasionally, it slowed down to highlight key details—scanned asteroids, mineral compositions, and other anomalies.
After twenty minutes, the first clear image of the massive asteroid base appeared.
A hushed breath spread through the room as the colossal mothership was revealed, docked against the asteroid, surrounded by thousands of smaller mining vessels.
For the next hour, the simulation continued, thodically displaying each scanned ship, leading up to the mothership itself and the individuals detected during the scanning process.
Finally, the playback looped back to the beginning and paused.
A heavy silence filled the room as everyone absorbed what they had just seen.
"So, either we weren’t detected at all, or the sensors that did detect us are located far enough away that it will take them so ti to investigate," Dr. Musa Aminu, head of the Imperial Space Agency, remarked, offering a possible explanation for their apparent lack of discovery.
Nyx responded imdiately.
{That appears to be the case. The ships we observed were clearly purpose-built for mining, aning their systems are most likely specialized for resource extraction rather than surveillance. There would be little reason for them to have sensors sensitive enough to detect a wormhole opening, especially considering that only the most powerful civilizations within the Conclave possess the wormhole technology. Including such advanced sensors would be an unnecessary expense—one they likely can’t afford, given the rugged state of their ships.}
She paused for a mont before continuing.
{As for the possibility that we were detected and an investigation is already underway—that will take ti to confirm. In the anti, we will deploy more advanced reconnaissance ships to gather higher-quality data. If a response force is en route, we will detect it soon enough.}
A scientist from the ISA leaned forward. "Are we going to attempt to infiltrate their network, or will we simply monitor their actions and try to understand them from a distance?"
Nyx’s response was imdiate.
{The next reconnaissance ship we send will be equipped to infiltrate their systems covertly. Direct access to their data will provide us with a wealth of critical information about their operations and the surrounding space.}
A back-and-forth discussion followed, with scientists and specialists posing theories, asking questions, and offering insights. Nyx addressed the questions she had data for and ticulously noted those requiring further investigation.
This exchange continued for two hours until the eting finally concluded. The lower-level personnel departed, leaving only Aron and John as the remaining humans in the room with Nyx, GAIA, Nova, and Athena joining them.
The next phase of the discussion was about to begin—one where the discussion pertaining to classified strategic planning would take place
"When do you think would be the best ti to send in our spies?" Aron asked, his gaze fixed on John.
John took a mont before responding. "I believe the optimal ti would be during the next mana stone exchange period. That would provide us with a convenient explanation for any spatial disturbances, as they could be dismissed as re anomalies."
He continued, "Until then, we should focus on finalizing our preparations, conducting further tests, and gathering additional intelligence. This window also allows Nyx’s trainees to complete their training, ensuring they’re fully operational. By that point, the absolute coordinate exploration ships will have traveled far enough to minimize any potential link between the operation and us."
Aron gave a firm nod—his silent approval of the plan. He then asked, "What’s the tiline for infiltrating the other selected locations?"
Today’s test had been an initial experint—an attempt to verify their absolute coordinate calculations and assess whether their presence would be detected. To minimize risk, they had chosen a target outside the top thirty most advanced civilizations.
Nyx, the head of the operation, responded promptly.
{We won’t attempt infiltration of the other locations until we’ve completed our mission at this certified safe site. The civilizations we’ve selected for future tests are significantly more advanced and possess superior technology. We can’t afford unnecessary risks. Instead, we’ll first extract as much information as possible from this location and, if possible, use their networks to update our map. Only after we’ve refined our data will we proceed with testing the more advanced locations.}
Hearing her explanation, Aron smiled, satisfied. Her reasoning aligned closely with his own, differing only in minor details. Since they were thinking in the sa direction, he chose to trust her judgnt rather than impose additional thoughts.
The eting continued as they delved deeper into the intricacies of the infiltration operation. Nyx provided updates on training progress, logistical preparations, and current intelligence efforts, ensuring that everyone had a clear understanding of their next steps.
By the end of the eting, all aspects of the infiltration plan had been discussed and finalized, leaving only the execution phase. If everything proceeded smoothly, no modifications would be necessary. However, if any issues arose, they would be addressed as they happened.
Moving forward, instead of holding etings after each infiltration, Nyx would report directly to Aron during the monthly updates she and John provided to him.
With the eting concluded, Aron wasted no ti lingering and imdiately left to continue his research.
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