Even though these was just the headquarters of the Imperial Colony Defense Forces, the security was top-notch, like in all of the other military facilities and installations of the Eternal Empire of the Asurya.
It was a sprawling, high-security military complex that served as the nerve center of all planetary defense operations. It was a towering, fortified structure designed for both strategic command and direct military engagent in the event of an invasion.
Because of the militaristic nature of the Eternal Empire of the Asurya, this wasn't really much because even the private estates of the Imperial citizens were built as personal mini fortresses...
Everything ranges from ordinary houses and condos to mansions. Every single building was built for security and defensive purposes at first, so in the case of a full-blown planetary invasion, every building could be turned into a defensive fortress.
In the most extre cases, the Imperial Military could use even ordinary houses as provisionary fortresses for defensive purposes. Even though this caused the price of housing and building houses to be relatively high, at the sa ti, in the cases of the planetary invasion, the enemies that invaded the Imperial Worlds were for a hell that awaited them.
It has happened already several tis in Imperial history, and fighting in the urban areas and suburban areas of the planets of the Eternal Empire of Asurya was hell. Any possible full ground invasion was an extrely hard thing to execute on the Imperial Colony Planets.
"We are approaching the Central Command Building. Prepare the bugs for the transportation!"
Colonel Vetol barked one order after another because the Imperial Manta was already landing down on the landing area of the Central Command Build. The entire building was surrounded by the AI-controlled plasma cannons, missile arrays, and anti-air laser batteries ensure that no enemy craft could approach unchallenged.
And these were just the defenses that were visible to one's eye. For sure, there were many, many more defenses that were hidden, and so defenses were secret to everyone aside from the Governor-General of the Colony and General of the Imperial Colonial Defense Forces of the Ziras IV.
The Central Command Building of the Imperial Colonial Defense Forces was a monolithic, black-tal fortress that lood over the complex, housing the primary war room, intelligence center, top-ranking officers, and other crucial facilities, including the research center, and also the highest-security prison.
The Central Command Building was reinforced against orbital bombardnt; its walls were layered with the most advanced Imperial shielding technology. The Central Command Building was also the place that housed the Planetary Shield Generator, which was capable of creating an enormous energy shield that enveloped the entire planet.
Arcturus observed the marines of the Imperial Colony Defense Forces loading the Brain Bug and Pseudo Queen Bug, which were encased in the protective cocoon, onto the anti-gravitation platforms that would transport the bugs.
The bugs weighed hundreds of kilograms, especially the Brain Bug that weighed a few tons, so it was impossible to transport them by ordinary ans, and using any possible thods, including the Psionic Energy, was absolutely out of the question.
That could reinvigorate the Brain Bug or the Pseudo Queen Bug.
Fortunately, each of these Imperial Marines was at least an Epsilon-Grade Warrior due to the Gene Strengthening Serums, so they were able to load up two overweight bugs onto the anti-gravitation platforms as they landed in the Central Command Building.
Once the hangar doors of the Imperial Manta opened, more soldiers from the Imperial Colony Defense Forces rushed in and took the Brain Bug and Pseudo Queen Bug on the anti-gravitation platform into the deepest underground parts of the Central Command Building, into the special holding prison cells.
"It seems that you have brought sothing extra."
Arcturus, Jeniael, and Zehal turned their attention to Agent rcury from the Directorate, who was standing on the landing platform holding his cane and observing the soldiers of the Imperial Colony Defense Forces, which were in hundreds swirling around the bugs together with floating drones.
"Yes... and it is sothing very, good... sothing that I bet the Empire would pay anything to put their hands on."
Arcturus stated as Agent rcury raised his eyebrow and ran through his mustache with his hand because he could see that he was bringing sothing from the Arachnid Nest, and anything from the Arachnid Nest held research value to the Eternal Empire of the Asurya.
"Well... let's hear it..."
In fact, Agent rcury was curious about what they brought from the Arachnid Nest; as much as he could get from the look, he only knew that it was sothing encased in the cocoon, but even with his power, as Alpha-Grade Psyker, he couldn't see anything.
This ant that it wasn't anything ordinary and most probably had a high value for the Eternal Empire of the Asurya.
"What can the Empire give us in exchange for the Pseudo Queen Bug in the 1st Evolutionary Phase?"
As Arcturus asked that question, suddenly the entire environt went silent because nobody could make any sound. This included a few personnel from the Office of the Planetary Governor-General and Imperial Colony Defense Forces who heard Arcturus as they were standing close to them.
Agent rcury anwhile froze on the spot because out of all possible outcos, this was probably one of the least anticipated. For most of his life, he dealt with the Arachnids, and within the structure of the Directorate, he was in the Departnt of the Arachnids that was primarily dealing with the threat of bugs.
Pseudo-bugs of any category were far more precious as research materials than fully evolved bugs. Pseudo Queen Bug that was in the 1st Phase of her Evolution?
Priceless treasure.
Especially for the research.
"10 Billion Universal Credits."
Agent rcury imdiately said without any speck of hesitation on his face, as the Pseudo Queen Bug was too precious for the Empire to pass. The last thing that the governnt would want was for them to put it into the auction.
The price would be several tis over the roof.
The best course of action for the Empire to secure the Pseudo Queen Bug would be to buy it right now.
Even Zehal was surprised by the sum of money that the Directorate was willing to pay them 10 Billion Universal Credits for the Pseudo Bug Queen. This was even more than she had anticipated, as it would an that everyone would get over 3,3 Billion Universal Credits.
Which was certainly an enormous sum of money for mortals.
For Beyonders, though?
A small drop in the sea.
Zehal was already long ago talking with Arcturus and even with the insufferable Luxford about their future because Jeniael was the one that needed the money the most, and Zehal wanted to step out of the shadow of the House Alvix.
Even though she could easily get an Executive-level position within the Starlight Drive Yard Industries or a Senior Researcher position within any Imperial Agency, the mont she graduated from the Imperial Phoenix Military Academy, it wasn't sothing that she wanted.
She was thinking ahead.
Far ahead.
"While the monetary gains sound very good, we want to negotiate sothing else."
Arcutur fully let Zehal handle the negotiation because she was far more suitable for these things than him, and he knew that she could squeeze more from the Directorate. Even though he was very tempted by the prospect of the money...
His goals were higher than just so monetary gains that he would eventually spend and would be left with nothing. Yes, he could invest a large part of the money into the burgeoning company that still existed as a theoretical concept in his and Zehal's minds.
"We can negotiate inside of the Central Command Building; right now, we need to move to the Prisons and extract the information from the Brain Bug's mind. Afterward, you will join the extermination mission of the few infected people that are being controlled by the bugs."
Agent rcury said that they needed to extract the mories from the mind of the Brain Bug as soon as possible because, according to the reports, even though the condition of the Brain Bug had been stabilized by the Xenobioologist on the Imperial Manta, the creature was still dying.
While they managed to stabilize the damd creature, it still wasn't in a good state, and it was getting weaker and weaker, so it was almost sure that it wouldn't survive the mory extraction.
Most probably, it would die in the process.
So they needed to act as soon as possible as they could, because if the creature wasn't in a good state, it could die during the process, leaving them with incomplete mories, which would be the worst possible scenario.
Fortunately, they had already prepared everything when they got the ssage about the results of the mission in the Arachnid Nest, so they were ready to proceed with the mory extraction right away.
The one that would be personally conducted by Agent rcury as he was the strongest Psyker in the entire colony right now, and he also had the highest expertise with extracting mories from the living targets.
***
Underground Level of the Central Command Building
The Xeno-Containnt Unit is a high-security holding cell designed specifically to imprison captured Arachnids, which was a rather serious need in a planet like Ziras IV within the Nihilus Star Region that was constantly waging war with the bugs and was under the constant threat of the Arachnid invasion.
Because the Arachnids were known for their extre resilience, intelligence, and biological adaptability. The cell was engineered to counter their natural strengths: physical prowess, acidic secretions, Psionic Energy nullification, and hive communication while ensuring zero chance of escape or contamination.
Even the entrance to the area was part of the military bio-containnt classification and was protected by the AI-controlled energy-based turrets, heavily ard sentries and drones, and automated lockdown protocols, together with portable shield generators and other defensive asures to prevent any kind of unauthorized entry into the Xeno-Containnt Unit.
The main cells were constructed from the reinforced nano-alloy infused with energy-dampening fields and Psionic Energy nullification maters, preventing the Arachnids from using brute force to break free or using their Psionic Abilities to wreak havoc in this place.
The entire interior was coated with an acid-resistant tal to neutralize its corrosive secretions, which the Arachnids were able to use.
The holding cell was hexagonal, asuring approximately 10x10 ters, ensuring enough space to monitor the creature's movents without allowing it to build montum for an escape attempt. The containnt was reinforced by an electromagnetic suspension field, keeping the Arachnid slightly levitated to prevent direct contact with the cell's walls.
Agent rcury led the trio of the Highborne Asuryani into the monitoring room, which was in a separate room from the holding cells for security reasons, though they were able to see everything through the holographic projection.
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"You got so neat features as the security here from what I can see..."
Zehal was the most fascinated by the things here because, for the scientist and researcher, this was their literal wet dream.
"Yes... in planets like this, all places need to have state-of-the-art research facilities to house the Arachnids so that we can safely conduct experints on them and research their very own beings."
Agent rcury of the Directorate then pointed at the elderly-looking Asuryani, who was wearing sothing that was a mixture of a military uniform and a white laboratory coat.
"This is General Rathari Vetol Senior, General of the Imperial Colonial Defense Forces of the Ziras IV and the Chief Researcher and Xenobiologist on the Ziras IV."
It seed that there was so familiar relation between the elderly-looking Asuryani and the Colonel that picked them up, as they looked rather similar.
It was evident that they were father and son, which wasn't that unusual within the Eternal Empire of Asurya, where the entire generation served in the various branches of the Imperial Military.
"We are using the High-Voltage Shock Grids installed in the holding cells, including an adaptive Tesla barrier that delivered a precise non-lethal Psionic Electric Discharge on the Arachnid, paralyzing the creature in an instant when they attempted to lash out or do sothing in the walls. At the sa ti, it could also be used to roast them on the spot."
General Rathari Vetol Senior explained the containnt thods of the holding cells as several of them were of his own personal design.
"We also installed the holding cell with the Atmospheric Control, aning the cell's environnt can be manipulated to alter oxygen levels and pressure or introduce sedative gasses, allowing handlers to subdue the creature if necessary. They also have a Contaimnet Field Fail-Safe in the case of an ergency; the cell can collapse into a vacuum-sealed stasis chamber, freezing the Arachnid in suspended animation until further action is taken. We also have the Nuclear Option; in the case the Arachnid goes highwire and breaks free from the constraints, we are able to use an in-buil teleportation device that would beam the entire holding cell into the outer space and shoot it towards the sun. If the engines fail, there is also an in-build Psio-Nuclear Device that would activate and obliterate everything. Zero risk..."
It seed that the safety asures were taken to to the extres in the Xeno-Containnt Unit.
This wasn't that surprising considering the nature of the things that were being researched in this place; they were not conducting experints just on the ordinary bugs but also on the various rare species; so were Psionically extrely powerful.
"What is the strongest kind of power that the holding cell could withstand and safely contain?"
Arcturus asked as he noticed that Agent rcury had already left the monitor room as he went to prepare for the mory extraction; they were left here with General Rathari Velot, who was eagerly talking with Zehal about various things that neither he nor Jeniael really understood.
"Alpha-Grade in generals, for both Warriors and Psionics. Technically, we could also hold and control Psykers, but it depends on the Psyker's Ability. Obviously, these cells were not designed to hold anyone with the Super-High Risk Psyker Abilities and up, Sigma-Grade beings and Professionals, and also the containnt of so Psykers or being with Ability comparable to more destructive High-Level Psyker Ability could be problematic."
It was indeed a state of arts holding facility.
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