My Fiorell team and I have since regained control of our musculature far enough to walk independently around the room. I ask the computer system for clothes and the floor in the center of the room opens. A cylindrical wardrobe slides up from the opening, which contains clothing for the people here in the room. We dress and then Larana instructs the other soldiers in short military command language to take up positions around me. The elite aellirian soldiers follow the order and arrange themselves in an arrow-shaped formation. Three of the Fiorell soldiers in front of me and the other two to my sides. Larana moves to the side behind me. This formation will adapt depending on the situation to always protect me in the best possible way.

My Fiorell soldiers don't have their equipment and weapons yet, but that doesn't mean they are harmless. Aelliri soldiers are 3m tall biological fighting machines, which can move extremely fast, are very resistant and have enough strength to destroy the armored door in front of us with their bare hands. My Fiorell Elite soldiers have excellent training and have also learned unarmed self-defense. Myself with a height of 1,95m and Larana with a height of 2,40m seem quite petite compared to the tall Fiorell soldiers.

Using my psionic link, I give the signal to depart to my bodyguards and we start moving at the same time. The soldier at the head of the formation opens the door as we approach it. He presses a contact on the side, whereupon the door slides open upwards. In the next room, the lights are just coming on and I can see a food counter. Next to it is a training area to get fit again after cryosleep. The last thing is the equipment for me and my team.

I spend half an hour here with my team to get fit again and take in some food porridge. Solid food will come later when the digestive system is back up and running properly. I instruct the station A.I. to keep me informed of the intruders' progress, but receive no alerts during my time here in the second room. I inform myself that the other 114 subjects are going through similar procedures, but in a slightly different form. Lastly, I begin to gear up with my team.

I myself put on a shape variable combat suit, a model created for me personally. My suit has an integrated Halatium-based psionic amplifier, as well as an optical cloaking field and tracking protection. Just like my Fiorell's combat suits, this one is also space-qualified, has a built-in force amplifier and a holographic helmet display for showing tactical data in combat. Unfortunately, my combat suit does not have a shield generator, since as a strong psionic I could normally generate my own psionic shield. However, due to my memory problems I am not able to do so at the moment.

After my Fiorell put on their heavy armored combat suits, their personal individual shields activate with a slight flicker. The shields are calibrated to let slow or low-energy objects pass and have a polarity so that you can shoot from the inside out, but not vice versa. Next, my Fiorell take their weapons, each one a Transphasic short sword, a Disintegrator pistol, and a heavy Melter rifle. Each soldier also equips himself with a fragmentation grenade and a melter charge. I myself take a masterfully crafted Melter pistol, a Vortex grenade, and my personal psionic Delta class artifact as my primary weapon.

My primary weapon looks like a dark lance with a red glow shining from within. As I reach for it, I can feel the weapon psionically connecting with me. It recognizes its owner and bows to my will. This lance is able to temporarily tear open real space with its attacks. Until the tear in real space closes again after four seconds, it sucks all things in its immediate vicinity into the Zerex, from where these things usually never return. The lance protects the owner himself from the triggered effect.

Well equipped, I leave the second room with my bodyguards and find myself in a hallway. There, two Aelliri Fleet Trooper are already standing by. They have slightly different equipment than my Fiorell and are easily recognizable by their white Viper class combat suits, while my Fiorell's Nightwish class combat suits have more purple and blue colors. The two soldiers salute as I appear in the corridor and I immediately establish a psionic link with them. Through them, I learn that these two have been waiting here to accompany me to the command center of this section of the installation.

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I remember that we Aelliri do not build our planetary colony buildings high into the sky, but instead expand them into the depth of the planet. The more important components are deeper in order to be better protected against the use of weapons of mass destruction on the surface. I have already inquired from my capsule that I am in a planetary colony of expansion stage IV. Since only five expansion levels exist, this means that I must be on a core world. Actually, billions of Aelliri should live here, how come there are a million cryo capsules and unknown intruders trying to get access to the central A.I. system of the installation? This whole thing is very mysterious and I don't like the conclusion that is becoming more and more solid ...

We soon arrive at the command center, where another two soldiers keep guard. I stretch out my psionic aura and feel all the Aelliri near the command center react submissively. So I am the highest controller here, which means no other Thi Khasurn members besides myself are awake. The guards open the door to the command center for me and I enter along with my Fiorell team. I see before me a room with several control consoles and holographic images of different sections of the installation. Some Aelliri are already working on the consoles, wearing only light protective suits, identifying them as non-combat personnel.

I count a total of six people, one of whom has stopped her work and turned to me. The helmet of the female leader class is folded back and I can read her name on her chest, Lie'vara se Lhoril. She is silent and waits for me to start the conversation, as persons of my rank are supposed to do. I clear my throat and speak in a melodious voice: "I am Ise'lya of the Hathor Thi class Khasurn. I am here to take command."

First, the central A.I. system answers me over the loudspeakers, "Identity has been confirmed by individual psionic signature. Transferring all control functions to Ise'lya se Hathor." Lie'vara waits a moment and then introduces herself, "Welcome Verienta, I welcome you to the command center. I am Lie'vara from the Lhoril Tai class Khasurn and the senior first officer. I too, recognize your authority. How can I be of service to you?"

I consider for a moment before continuing. In Aelliri society, there are three levels for the leader classes. The highest level with the most capable individuals is the Thi Khasurn. Below them are the Tai Khasurn and below them are the Kator Khasurn. All leadership positions in Aelliri society are held by these Khasurn. For the Aelliri middle class there are the so-called Zoltri. The lowest class is made up of drones with soldier or worker classes. Population-wise, it is the other way around, as a normal Aelliri population is two-thirds Drones and about one-third Zoltri. Only 1% of the population is divided into the Khasurn, with significantly fewer Tai Khasurn than Kator Khasurn, and the same is true for the ratio of Thi to Tai Khasurn.

If Lie'vara se Lhoril is the senior first officer on the bridge as a Tai Khasurn member, then the other five people on the bridge are Kator Khasurn members. That explains why they don't feel the need to introduce themselves to me, their rank is too low to expect this honor. I turn my gaze to Lie'vara and ask her, "Give me a status report. Show me a picture of the intruders."

Lie'vara repeats the honorific salutation, "Yes Verienta, as you can see here," she points to a holographic display off to the side, "the intruders are still trying to gain access to the central A.I. system. The heavily armored gate leading to it is secured with an energy shield that prevents the intruders from using heavy weapons from afar. The problem is that it won't be long before the intruders have burned their way through the heavy gate. Estimates are that they will break through in 90 to 120 min."

I take a closer look at the intruders on the screen. They are humanoid figures, about the same size as myself, maybe even a little smaller. I can make out soldiers, scientists and workers. All are about the same size with only slight variations. I can recognize the workers and scientists by their light protective suits. The workers operate the machines that burn their way through the armored bulkhead, while the scientists conduct investigations with delicate equipment. There are also soldiers, clearly identifiable by their heavy combat suits and the weapons in their hands. I can't make out their species because of the protective suits, but they are definitely not Aelliri. Their equipment looks too alien for that and their body sizes are not right either. Aelliri would also have no reason to break into their own planetary colony. The whole thing is very strange. I decide to collect more data before interacting with them directly. I have to hurry, though, because I don't have much time left.