UGT: 31th Ascent 280 a.G.A. / 07:43 a.m.
Location: restricted areas, Aurolin Ruins, Au'Shalis Prime, Clinton's Beak system (red dwarf), Republic of Nox, Second Human Federation, Milky Way
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The corridor ahead was suffused with a soft pulsating glow that seemed to breathe life into the intricate patterns on the walls. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the walls themselves were watching me, the Aetherian designs somehow alive. “Fen any chance the glow is just decorative and not about to incinerate me?”, I murmured, keeping my steps light.
[ Decorative? Unlikely. More probable: adaptive defense systems. I suggest you avoid touching anything you don’t necessarily have to, unless you want to trigger something you can’t untrigger. ]
“Noted,” I said grimly, eyeing the shifting light with renewed caution. The corridor stretched ahead, narrowing slightly as I progressed. The hum in the air grew stronger and my unease grew with it. This wasn’t just the vibration of a hidden power source. No, it was a rhythm, almost like a heartbeat. The closer I got to the end of the passage the more it felt like the entire structure was alive, aware of my presence. I reached a junction where the corridor branched into three separate paths each glowing with a slightly different hue: blue, green, and amber.
[ Interesting. This choice is likely deliberate. Each path may lead to different systems or levels of security. You’re going to need to pick one. ]
“And how do I know which one won’t kill me outright?”
[ You don’t. However, based on the Aetherian design philosophy, the colors may correspond to specific functions. Green likely leads to a maintenance or auxiliary systems. That is probably the safest option, but unlikely to lead us directly to helpful technology for space wars. Blue could be a core system route, though it may have higher security. There we have good chances at finding what we want. Amber… ]
“Danger.“, I finished for him, my eyes lingering on the amber-lit corridor.
[ Likely. It could lead to offensive systems or high-value infrastructure, but it will also be the most heavily guarded. The things we can gain there could probably be the gamechanger of the entire war and our future. If we survive long enough to reach them that is. ]
I hesitated, weighing my options. Green felt like a waste of time, a detour I couldn’t afford. I only had around half a day remaining before I had to head back. Amber felt like asking for death. No way I was risking that. That left blue—the middle ground, the gamble. “I’m going with blue,” I said, stepping forward. The moment I stepped into the blue-lit corridor, the hum around me shifted becoming sharper, more focused. The patterns on the walls seemed to ripple, adjusting subtly to my movement. I kept my pace steady my eyes scanning for any sign of motion or sudden change. The corridor opened into a vast chamber its domed ceiling disappearing into darkness. At the center was a circular platform raised slightly above the floor surrounded by glowing panels that pulsed like veins. A faint mist clung to the ground curling around my boots as I approached.
[ This looks promising. I’d wager that platform is connected to the central system. If you can access it you might be able to shut down the defenses and locate the data we need. ]
“And if I can’t?”
[ Then we’ll find out just how resilient you are under pressure. ]
“Comforting.”, I snorted. I stepped onto the platform, the glow intensifying as my weight activated some unseen mechanism. Glyphs appeared in the air around me, spinning and rearranging themselves in patterns I couldn’t hope to decipher. Fen thankfully could.
[ Hold on… these glyphs are a security handshake. You need to— ]
His voice cut off abruptly as a sharp, metallic screech echoed through the chamber. My heart sank as I turned to see two new figures emerging from the mist. They looked like insectoid robots, strongly resembling gigantic mantis‘, their limbs longer and tipped with vicious-looking claws. Their optics burned a deep crimson, locking onto me with unerring precision. “Of course… Fen, can I multitask here?”, I asked while drawing my desintegrator, switching to concentrated high power beams.
[ You’ll have to. I’ll guide you through the sequence, but you’ll need to fend them off in the meantime. ]
“Fantastic. Just fantastic.“, I muttered but was unable to voice my complains further as the first guardian lunged, its movements unnervingly fluid. I dodged to the side, firing a quick beam that barely put a hull into it’s armor. Against Aetherian alloys the desintegrator was mostly useless. Behind me the glyphs continued to shift, awaiting input.
[ Focus on the pattern in the upper right quadrant. Align the three central glyphs to form a triangle. ]
I ducked under a swipe from the second guardian, sliding toward the console as I fired another beam to keep them at bay. My hand darted toward the glowing symbols, adjusting them as Fen instructed. “Triangle’s done!”, I shouted, rolling out of the way as the first guardian’s claws struck the ground where I’d just been.
[ Good. Next isolate the lower left quadrant. You’re looking for the glyph shaped like a spiral. It needs to align with the central column. ]
The guardians moved with terrifying speed, their claws tearing gouges into the platform as they closed in on me. I fired off another beam, aiming for the optics of the closer one. The shot connected desintegrating one of its glowing red eyes, but it didn’t slow down. “Fen, this isn’t exactly giving me time to play puzzle games!”, I shouted, ducking as the second guardian slashed overhead.
[ You’re doing fine. And I don’t have acess and therefore to manualy decrypt everything. That takes time. You just focus. Lower left quadrant, spiral glyph. Rotate it clockwise three times. ]
I gritted my teeth, darting to the console and swiping at the glyphs. The symbols shifted under my touch and I could feel the platform beneath me vibrate with rising intensity. One of the guardians lunged again, its claws grazing my leg. Pain flared, but I managed to twist away before it could pin me. “Spiral done!”, I yelled, gripping my desintegrator tighter as I prepared for another onslaught.
[ Last step: upper left quadrant. Align the starburst glyph with the adjacent crescents. This will initiate the shutdown sequence. ]
The guardians seemed to realize what I was doing. Their movements became more erratic, more aggressive, as if they were programmed to prevent access to the system at any cost. The damaged one charged recklessly, its claws aimed directly at my chest. I raised my desintegrator and fired point-blank into its already damaged optic. The desintegration beam burned through the remaining eye and the creature collapsed, thrashing wildly as it malfunctioned. The second guardian didn’t hesitate, leaping over its fallen companion to strike. “Fen, this better works!”, I screamed, slamming my hand against the glyphs, aligning them as quickly as I could. The platform shuddered, and the glyphs around me pulsed brightly before vanishing altogether. A deep, resonant hum filled the chamber as the entire structure seemed to react to the input.
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[ It worked. Defensive systems are shutting down. You should— ]
Before he could finish, the surviving guardian lunged again catching me off-guard. Its claws swept across my arm, knocking my desintegrator to the floor. I stumbled, barely managing to stay upright as the platform’s glow intensified. Suddenly the ground beneath us shifted. The platform began to descend its edges sealing off with a hiss of compressed air. The guardian hesitated its eyes flickering as if confused by the sudden movement. I didn’t wait for it to recover. Summoning every ounce of strength I charged forward, slamming into the machine with my uninjured shoulder. The impact sent both of us tumbling off the edge of the platform.
As I fell, I managed to grab onto a protruding edge, my fingers scraping against the smooth surface. The guardian wasn’t as lucky. It hit the ground below with a resounding crash, its body crumpling under the force of the fall. I hauled myself back onto the platform just as it completed its descent. The air around me felt cooler, heavier, as if I’d entered an entirely different environment.
[ That was reckless. Way to reckless. But effective nonetheless, I guess. The defenses in this sector are down and you’re now in the Aetherian core zone. ]
“Reckless is becoming my default setting.”, I muttered, clutching my injured arm. Blood trickled down my sleeve, but the wound didn’t feel deep. I forced myself to focus on the chamber around me. It was different from the rest of the structure, being build sleeker and more advanced. The walls were lined with crystalline panels that pulsed faintly casting shifting patterns of light across the floor. At the far end of the chamber a massive console stood, its surface alive with swirling glyphs and holographic projections.
[ That’s the terminal. If it’s still functional you should be able to access the core systems from there. ]
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. Than I walked forwards. As I reached the console the glyphs flared to life, shifting into a complex lattice of light that wrapped around the terminal and projected into the air. The entire chamber seemed to respond, the faint hum deepening into a resonant thrum that pulsed with an almost hypnotic rhythm.
[ Careful. Aetherian systems don’t just invite you in. This might be the first layer of defense. ]
I hesitated, my hand hovering over the terminal. “First layer? How many do you think there are?”
[ With Aetherian paranoia? Countless. ]
“Figures.”, I said sighing.
The moment my fingers brushed the terminal the glyphs shifted again, faster this time, forming intricate patterns that twisted and reformed like living fractals. Then abruptly the projection froze and a cold mechanical voice filled my mind.
[ Identification codes outdated. Terminal starts self-destruc- ]
[ ERROR ]
[ Innheritor-Protocol #2-A overri- ]
[ ERROR ]
[ Innheritor-Protocol #2-A override failed! ]
[ Terminal continues self-destruc- ]
[ ERROR ]
[ Inheritor Protocol detected. ]
[ Authorization acknowledged. ]
[ Terminal self-destruction stopped. ]
[ Partial system access granted. ]
The words sent a chill down my spine. Partial access? The Inheritor Protocols were supposed to bypass all layers of Aetherian systems!
[ Partial access? That’s unexpected. The Inheritor Protocols are supposed to be an override. If this system is limiting access, it means one of two things: either it’s damaged or it is deliberately restricting you. ]
“Deliberate, if I had to guess. What happens if I try to push for more access?”, I asked while glancing around the chamber. I was relatively sure with the help of Fen I could at least try.
[ Let’s not test that yet. Aetherian technology is famously unforgiving if you go against it's directives after all. Focus on our goal instead. If this system can point you in the right direction that’s progress. ]
The console shimmered, its surface splitting into three distinct holographic interfaces. Each one displayed a different set of glyphs surrounded by Aetherian text that I... was able to read?
Left: environmental and power control systems. Center: localized defense overrides. Right: data relay and archival logs.
I frowned. “Archival logs… those could be what we’re after.”
[ You being able to read Aetherian isn't surprising. After all you can subcounciously speak Terran-English and Ruidan fluently as well. If the technological data is stored digitally, they’d be embedded in an archival node. Check it out. ]
What Fen said made sense. But that was a thought for later. Right now I had something else to check. I touched the rightmost interface. The holographic projection reacted instantly, expanding into a web of connections that stretched across the chamber. Each node pulsed faintly, connected by threads of light that branched into countless pathways.
[ These are relay points. They’re like a map of the Aetherian data network in this structure. See that central node? It’s flagged with high-security markers. That's most likely where critical information, like technological secrets and blueprints, would be stored. ]
“And let me guess. It’s not going to be a simple download.”, I muttered sarcastically.
[ Correct. The Inheritor Protocols can get you past the first few layers, but the rest will require you to manually unlock the system as you go. This isn’t a passive process. ]
“Of course it isn’t.”, I said sighing. I stepped back from the terminal as the projection faded. Ahead another door slid open, revealing a corridor bathed in faint green light. The hum in the air grew sharper, almost like the sound of static on an old radio.
[ Careful. The system’s likely reconfiguring its defenses as we speak. Expect resistance. ]
“I didn’t think this would be easy.”, I shot back at Fen. The corridor felt alive, the walls pulsing faintly with each step I took. I moved cautiously, weapon in hand and ready for whatever came next. Halfway down the passage the static in the air spiked and I froze as a new sound echoed through the corridor. It was a high-pitched whine growing louder with every second. “Fen wha-!?”
[ Motion detected! Incoming fro- ]
Before he could finish a section of the wall ahead split ope, and a new guardian emerged. It wasn’t like the insectoid constructs I’d faced earlier. This one was sleeker, more humanoid, its limbs elongated and tipped with glowing blades. Its single eye sesor burned a vivid red locking onto me with unsettling precision. I raised my desintegrator trying to change the settings but the guardian moved faster than I expected, closing the distance in a blur. I dove to the side as the blade sliced through the air leaving a faint afterimage.
[ This isn’t just a guardian! It’s an executioner-class construct specifically designed for high-level intrusions! ]
Wonderful. The executioner moved with precision, its attacks coming in rapid calculated arcs. I ducked, rolled, and fired off a few beams, but they once again barely damaged its armor. Furthermore it was adapting to me, learning my move patterns even as I fought.
[ There’s a relay point ahead! If you can activate it, it should clear the way to the archival node! ]
“How am I supposed to activate it with this thing trying to kill me!?”, I screamed, dodging another terrifyingly fast swing.
[ You’re creative. Improvise. ]
I didn’t have time to argue. Ahead, the corridor opened into another chamber, this one dominated by a single relay station that pulsed faintly in the center. The glyphs on its surface were already shifting, reacting to my approach. The executioner was right behind me. I sprinted toward the relay, diving behind it for cover as the construct’s blade slammed into the floor where I’d just been. The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, cracking the tiles beneath us. I slapped my hand against the relay and the glyphs flared to life, wrapping around my arm like tendrils of light. The connection jolted through me, sharp and invasive, as the system probed my identity. The executioner didn’t give me a moment’s reprieve. It rounded the relay, raising its blade for another strike. I grabbed my desintegrator and swung it with all my strength. The makeshift weapon struck its arm, throwing off its aim just enough for me to duck away at the last second.
[ The relay’s activating! Just hold it off a little longer! ]
“I’m trying!”, I said forcefully through clenched teeth. The relay pulsed brighter, the glyphs swirling in intricate patterns as the system unlocked. I could feel the connection deepening, a thread tying me closer to the Aetherian network. But it wasn’t enough yet. I needed more time. The executioner lunged again, faster this time and I barely managed to roll clear. My leg throbbed where it had grazed me, the pain sharp and searing. Then with a final burst of light, the relay locked into place. The chamber trembled and the executioner froze, its eye flickering as the system temporarily disrupted its connection.
[ It’s down. Well, for now. But don’t waste time. The archival node is just ahead. ]
I didn’t need to be told twice. Clutching my injured leg I staggered toward the next door which slid open to reveal a new corridor. Beyond it the path to the technology I needed as well as whatever challenges the Aetherians had left for me awaited.