The command room was darkened, looking a lot more like a third-century stratcom center, the kind of which Airo had been used to. Given his recent conversation with Veralla, he felt the tiniest desire to reconsider his alteration to Ilsorin's HQ. He cast the thought aside, as there were more pressing matters awaiting resolution than deciding upon interior decoration.
The usual upper echelon of the Radiant Knights was present: Magus Dei, Lylana Darkovitz, Glawlrhain, and the arrogant outsider expert Mentoria Astarte. Stamat was also attending, standing by Glawlrhain's side. The meeting wasn't strictly off-limits to anyone, and Stamat also acted as an executive officer in the field, so Airo let the stout Knight stay.
"First, let us take care of the everyday reports," Airo said. "How goes the resonance fields distribution among The Consortium and the Union?"
Mentoria made a sour face, meaning to reply in her usual acid manner, when Yeoman Cloud materialized as a swirl of light above the command table, and boomed flamboyantly: "Allow me to report, Commander! I have all the data right here!" The exotic, scantily-clad aethereal turned her toxic-green eyes toward the SAI's manifestation, murder plainly written in her gaze.
Airo was not impressed. "Report then," he commanded.
"At once, Commander! Streaming full data on indicated screens, and giving verbal overview now."
Yeoman Cloud's overly cheerful voice filled the command room. "Latest data analysis shows both GSC and UTH local military forces have unofficially greenlit the SeReFi technology we've covertly presented them with. Estimates put Consortium nine to twelve days before first prototypes and about two weeks afterward to the achievement of mass production, while the Union is around seventeen days from first prototypes and three to four weeks until mass production.
I've analyzed the research notes Stellana Astarte has provided. Her invention – or rather more appropriately, creation – is indeed exceedingly complex, and my systematical tech audit was able to map out in clear terms only 84% of the production process. As per Stellana Astarte's original statement, the SeReFi technology was indeed out of reach of GSC and UTH research and development capabilities currently available within the Ascendancy system's sphere of influence.
To that end, with the help of Stellana Astarte, Stellarr Dei, Elder Darkovitz, and a few other technology specialists among the Radiant Knights – credited in the visual streams – we've been able to modify the original tech to fit more closely within policy parameters. The underlying structure of the SeReFi has been simplified, enabling their creation in less sophisticated conditions."
"What about our own production line?" Airo asked.
"Thanks to the formula's alterations, our own production can be increased by 102.8%," Yeoman Cloud announced with fanfare.
"Downsides," Airo snapped.
"The cost of these alterations are expressed in created individuals which are severely stunted in their development compared to specimens produced under the original specs. As in, the serefi created are severely smaller in terms of 'size', Commander. In essence, this means their area of effect is severely reduced, to the point most of them are able to function only as passive defense and/or in scenarios where the enemy is engaged at physical-contact range."
Airo studied the data streams to see the figures and predictions for himself. The simulations still didn't look good, yet between the increased production and the recent breakthrough in establishing contact with the Union field military, things once more seemed merely daunting, not a complete write-off.
"That is enough, Cloud," he said, cutting off the SAI which had blabbered on with technical details. "I shall consider this report good news. Carry on. Now, I have another question: why the nanofabricators in section nine on level twenty have been redirected from their regular veronite production?"
"It's because of Veralla's new diet, Commander," Glawlrhain explained.
Airo raised an eyebrow. "New diet?"
"She has refused to eat natural meat which is a required nutrition during her growth. Her dietary requirements have been substituted with Æther-infused crystals, which need aethertech fabrication in order to be produced in readily-available amounts."
"Ah. I see. Retain current production chain, then. Now, does anyone have any issues they need to raise before we tackle the newest trouble at hand?"
"I have a list of complaints regarding working conditions," Mentoria said with contempt.
"Duly noted. Present them to Yeoman Cloud. Anyone else?"
The command room remained silent.
"Very well," Airo said, leaning forward. "Then here is the reason why I have gathered you today. Cloud, parse the data."
The AR screens filled with several colored graphics, pointing to the occurrence of an inevitable terminal condition.
"We are running out of our ability to house evacuated civilians," Airo said. "From the last five missions alone we have brought to shelter more than ten thousand people. We broke six figures in temporary residents two weeks ago. If we stretch our residential space to the limit, we can house around three hundred and fifty thousand people, although in extremely harsh conditions."
He continued, "According to rough estimates, the population still at large is nearly two-point-seventy-five million. About two million of those people are living in Kryoon City and Arcolant. If we trust the Consortium and the Union to keep them alive, that leaves us with seven hundred and fifty thousand evacuees – or potential victims for the Revenant. We can provide shelter to only around two hundred thousand more. This means there are still half a million people who we cannot save – while the enemy can and will use. Our options of what to do with all those individuals are very limited.
"So I ask you: What now?"
Nobody had a suitable reply. A dark mantle fell upon the meeting, the foreboding atmosphere exacerbated by the dim lighting and muted background of the stratcom-esque interior. Airo wasn't making a dramatic pause or anything to that effect; for the first time since he took the reins of the Radiant Order, he was at a loss about what to do.
He studied the other war leaders. Lylana kept a stoic and reserved expression, yet her massive armored bulk shifted almost imperceptibly with the unease of one who's encountered a dead end. Magus was calm and collected like always, though his eyebrows were locked together as if reviewing a private thought. Mentoria's expression was unreadable, her enigmatic and sensual gaze slowly circling the gathering like an outside spectator. Being a dragon, Glawlrhain's features were also difficult to read, yet standing beside him, Stamat carried enough concern for the both of them.
The young Highlander broke first under the tension. "Perhaps we need to build a new base of operations!" he blurted rapidly. "Take over one of the abandoned settlements, and set it up in a sub-fractal region like we did here!"
"This is not something done as easily as described, boy," Mentoria snorted with equal measures of derision and irritation. "This fortress is hidden in its current manner only because I used the original prototypical specimen of my project, which alone is capable of projecting an area of effect at such range. And that was done after months of preparation in advance."
"And raises further questions about your project as a whole," Magus remarked absently. Mentoria threw him an annoyed look, yet the old Knight's gaze remained focused on the AR screens above the command table, lost in thought.
"Commander, maybe we should reconsider our strategy," Lylana said. Her voice was much softer than her usual crude, resonant tone. "We should contact the Consortium and the Union, and convince them to start evacuating people."
"A sensible solution, Elder Darkovitz," Airo said. "However, under my orders Yeoman Cloud has tried to pursue this strategy last week, and all attempts, even with indirect influence from our double agents in the field, have failed."
Lylana nodded in understanding. "I suggest a less optimal approach, then," she said, folding her armored arms. "We'll retain our evacuation schedule, but transport them instead either to Kryoon or Arcolant."
"Again, a reasonable solution, Elder, yet again unworkable. I have discussed the issue with Captain Riley and Major Trahaearn over the QE comms, and they both are of opinion that neither military power will accept anything from the Radiant Knights, even civilians. On the contrary, they might shoot them, provided they do not engage us on sight once we come in range of their groundside defenses."
"Let me be clear," Airo added, "I have not summoned this meeting to ask you about plausible options to this problem. This meeting is because I have exhausted all plausible options, and have been unable to form a plan. That is why I require your assistance."
"Commander Airo, are you saying there's nothing else left that can be done?" Glawlrhain asked, one foreclaw propped up on the command table.
"Not entirely. There are still two actions we can take: one, we do nothing about the issue, leaving the civilians to the Revenant. That is unacceptable. Two, we continue searching for civilians... and then terminate them."
"THAT IS ALSO UNACCEPTABLE!"
"Yes, I am aware of that, Knight Stamat. Please control yourself. However, unless the available elements to this puzzle change somehow, we will be forced to choose one of these two alternatives regardless. I will be forced to choose. And if I have to face that choice, I know which one it will be."
"You don't really mean that, Commander."
"Give me something else to work with, Elder Darkovitz, and I will gladly take the opportunity."
"We can use Ouroboros."
Airo and everyone else looked at Magus Dei. The old Knight was still squinting in a pensive frown.
"You mean the dreadnought, sir?" Lylana asked.
"Yes."
"But it was destroyed during the Starblaze, at the Terra Para Battle."
"Almost, but not quite," Magus replied, casting a quick glance at Mentoria. "It was severely damaged, and most of its systems are nonfunctional. However, the superstructure remains intact. I hid it away after the battle in the far reaches of the star system."
"But why, Magus?" Glawlrhain asked. His draconic voice held a hint of growl. "Why didn't you tell us Ouroboros survived? We could've repaired it. Many things would've been different if the Order still had a dreadnought in its arsenal! The fallout after the Starblaze would have not existed if we had something to oppose the Consortium and the Union! By the Goddess, we even could have helped–"
"The Order of the Radiant Knights was too weakened from the Starblaze, Glawlrhain," Magus interrupted with stern, authoritative tone. "With or without Ouroboros, we could have not fought the stellar civilizations. They would have just brought their own dreadnoughts, and then the occupation of Terra Para would have been much worse.
"It pains me to say so, but twenty years ago, after that fateful battle, our Order was completely removed as a galactic power, perhaps forever. I knew at that point dark days awaited ahead, even as I prepared to go into exile for my own crimes. So I kept the survival of Ouroboros a secret, in case the Order ever needed a black hole advantage – like the current extreme scenario."
"Kind of counter-intuitive to be the sole keeper of a secret if you had gone into exile afterwards," Airo remarked dryly.
Magus gave him a look. "There were a few other Knights who were informed about Ouroboros. Unfortunately, they all have perished in Ferrtau's initial assault."
"Fair point. Though it is still unclear to me how a dreadnought can help our current residential problem."
"By using it for housing," Magus said flatly. "With sufficient repairs, Ouroboros can almost match Ilsorin's capacity to shelter refugees."
Stamat whistled in surprise. Lylana and Glawlrhain shot him with disapproving looks. Mentoria folded her arms, agitated at something.
"Commander, I've reviewed Ouroboros' schematics from the database, and I concur with Stellarr Dei's approximations about the additional living space which can be gained from recovering the dreadnought."
"That still leaves us with two hundred thousand people we cannot house anywhere," Airo said.
"It gives us time to postpone the issue," Magus countered.
Airo paused in thought. "All right. I will accept this as a temporary solution. Now, we need to draft plans for how to transport people spaceward, and build and organize an orbital force to combat the draconic Revenant."
"Sir, we can't do that," Lylana said.
"Your reasons, Elder Darkovitz?"
"We can't combat the dragons who've been turned into Revenant," the hulking Scorchlander Knight replied. "They are beyond the match of our entire remaining forces."
"They are a difficult opposition, I agree. However, we have been able to ward them off during missions, and even I managed to hold my own against a few of them when I arrived in the star system. If we formulate an aggressive strategy, we should be able to take them on."
"I respectfully disagree, Commander. Your perception of the issue is... incomplete. Those dragons, who are now Revenant, are... have been veterans from the Starblaze and the Dragon Independence War. Many of them were exceptionally powerful. They aren't an ordinary opponent by any definition."
"And if Ferrtau has transformed all of them into Revenant, then we're facing nearly a whole battalion of them," Glawlrhain added. "There's a reason why the Consortium and the Union are so crippled right now and lack any kind of orbital support." The sinuous dragon lifted his foreclaw and gazed at his palm as if seeking for some answer there. "And regardless of your capabilities against my kind, Commander, I think you've survived your initial encounter with the Revenant thanks to Kalessia's presence more than anything else."
Airo stood silent, mulling over Lylana and Glawlrhain's words. A memory flared in his mind of him watching the Revenant dragons fight in the sky after his crashlanding. He felt like the event had happened an aeon ago. Hadn't he seen another, darker shape amidst the aerial fray? He couldn't remember. He made a query, and in an instant, Cloud helpfully loaded a recording from the power armor's sensors during that moment.
Yes, there it was. Midnight-blue scales so dark, they looked black against the heavily overcast heavens.
Kalessia had given her life. Perhaps mainly to protect her then still unhatched child, yet in doing so she had also saved him.
Once again, his resolve was rattled to the core.
"I see," he barely managed to reply in his usual neutral tone. "Then, if regular shipping to deep space is unavailable, how are we supposed to bring civilians to the dreadnought in the first place?"
"In this manner," Magus Dei said, gesturing smoothly at the center of the command table. An AR screen appeared, displaying a wide-angle view of a large stone square in the stronghold's gardens. A huge, plain-looking arch rose in the middle of the square, its entire structure made out of golden crystal.
"What is that?" Airo asked.
"It is Ilsorin's psi-gate," Mentoria snorted. "It will lead nowhere, unless the one aboard Ouroboros is also activated."
Airo quickly glanced at the resume Cloud loaded on his HUD. "Mhm, top-tier Æther-based technology. What is stopping us from remotely activating the one on the dreadnought?"
"It comes down to the way psi-gates are built," Magus explained tersely. "They require active operation onsite, for security reasons."
Airo snorted, his annoyance rising. "Okay, you are all mighty Conduits, aethereals, or whatever here. I have seen some of you wield powers which can make even the Magisters of my homeworld envious. Can you not simply teleport to the dreadnought, and do what it needs to be done?"
"I'm not an aethereal," Stamat objected wistfully.
"Neither me, nor Glawlrhain are powerful enough to perform such a feat," Lylana said. "And the rest of those Knights who're Awakened are below us in terms of skill and experience. Yes, we may seem... overly capable in your eyes, Commander, but you lack frame of reference to understand our limits. No disrespect, sir."
Airo looked at Magus and Mentoria. "What about you two? Founder of a galactic organization, and a creator of an entirely new lifeform. Do not tell me you are incapable of accomplishing this task."
"It is not a matter of capability, but of circumstance," Magus said calmly.
Mentoria's response was considerably more overbearing. "You ask of things beyond your grasp, Sleeper," she said. "The act of 'teleporting' on a paraworld always presents heightened peril. I will not risk transdimensional travel only to become trapped in a SUHN-space maelstrom. Besides, you need me to stay here to keep your precious war materiel production running."
Airo folded his arms. "So, no matter of your supposed capabilities, in the end the orbital blockade still needs to be run the straightforward way at least one time, in order for an away team to repair and activate the psi-gate."
"That seems to be the gist of it, Commander!" Yeoman Cloud chimed in cheerfully.
"SAI, respond only if you have something useful to add," Airo warned.
"As a matter of fact I do, Commander!"
"...grid-cast it already, then."
Yeoman Cloud's swirling silhouette above the command table blinked a couple of times. "Simple plan really: you said you want to 'run' the blockade, Commander, and fighting the draconic Revenant isn't a viable option. My proposal is to strap the biggest engines possible onto a vac-sealed hull, equip the jury-rigged construct with an FTL drive, and keep tonnage to the bare minimum. Then blast off, clear the gravity well, and make an unfocused starfall as soon as sensors give green light. Voila, blockade bypassed!"
Deceptively simple indeed, Airo thought.
Yet it might just work.
"I approve of this plan," he said. "Unless someone else has alternative proposals, this is what we will do."
There was a brief pause. Lylana looked over the others, and then shook her head. "I think that is all, sir," she said.
"Then we proceed accordingly," Airo said. "Cloud, begin drafting schematics. Send necessary resources and drone power to one of the available hangars. Elder Darkovitz, assemble an engineering crew. Elder Glawlrhain, Knight Stamat – inform the refugees of what awaits ahead; also, select all of those who have habtech or astro-construction background; we will need them to enact repairs on Ouroboros.
"This meeting is adjourned. You have your... tasks. I shall oversee and lead the mission myself."