Getting a Technology System in Modern Day

The command center on Planet Kumpo hummed with disciplined efficiency. Orders, rapid-fire and precise, flowed from the tactical consoles. “Reinforce sector seventeen point five! Place three more stealth mines in that area, set to alternating energy output for optimal stealth. Increase patrol fleet density by two, and ensure constant comms, all data transmitted the instant it’s generated!” The strategic directives, forged by the supercomputers in conjunction with Dreznor’s human “think tanks,” were being implemented with practiced ease. This brief respite from the Conclave’s initial probing attacks was being used to solidify their defenses.

Kumpo was a jewel in Dreznor’s nascent domain, one of the earliest liberated star systems from the Bilakis civilization. It had quickly integrated into the fully post-liberation “Dreznor ecosystem,” becoming a core system due to its abundant metallic mineral deposits in the asteroid belt. Its strategic value was immense.

Horak, an analyst monitoring the flow of military orders, leaned closer to a holographic map. The display showed the Conclave’s probing fleets in fast-forward, their rear ships igniting lightspeed drives. More and more joined them, a clear, unmistakable withdrawal. “They’re pulling back,” he murmured to Postack, another analyst at his side. “Do you think they’re giving up?”

Postack, a veteran of countless simulated conflicts, shook his head. “I don’t think so. They’ve gathered their intelligence. This isn’t a retreat; it’s a regroup. They’ll be back, and they’ll be fully prepared for a decisive strike.” He gestured to the retreating fleet. “It’s like watching a crash in slow motion, knowing you can’t change anything. We know what’s coming, but our options are limited.”

“That’s the disadvantage of being on the defending side,” Horak agreed, a grim edge to his voice. “The attackers dictate the terms of when the fight starts, when it ends. We just have to conform.”

“It’s not as if we can move the planet away,” Postack countered, his eyes sweeping over the hovering, photorealistic hologram of the entire star system. He zoomed in on a sector littered with the debris of recent skirmishes, showing a patrol group meticulously scanning the area for any lingering spyware, collecting every scrap of data before unleashing an EMP pulse. “But being on the defensive has its advantages, if we exploit them. First, though, we need to sweep this system clean of their digital junk.”

“We can’t initiate a counter-strike until we’re absolutely certain there’s nothing monitoring us,” Horak said, his voice tight. “But even then, our options are limited.”

As they watched the holographic map, a section of space within the star system, previously clear of Conclave forces, began to distort. Goosebumps pricked at their skin. This was no scheduled wormhole opening, no pre-warned emergency. The distortion was marked as unknown, a clear sign of a surprise attack.

Horak and Postack, being part of the planetary defense analysis team, were in a different VR area than the main command center. Despite knowing that shouting was futile in the simulation, they both screamed, a primal, terrified sound that transcended the digital barrier: “TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!”

Moments later, with a deafening BOOOOOOOOOOOOM that vibrated through the very fiber of the simulation, defensive mines in the vicinity detonated. The explosions interrupted the tearing of space, introducing new, chaotic variables that the wormhole opener from the other side had not anticipated. The distortion shuddered, then collapsed.

Horak and Postack exchanged a brief, shaky breath of relief. It lasted only a moment.

Then, ten more distortions ripped open. One of them shimmered in the exact same spot where the first attempt had failed. BOOOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!

Explosions once again thwarted the attempts. The original wormhole failed to reopen, the space still too unstable, its frequency yet to return to normal after the ripple effect of the first detonation.

“Oh my god,” both analysts whispered in unison. A new wave of distortions appeared, this time not stopping at ten. Fifty wormholes began to tear open simultaneously. BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

Forty-seven blinding explosions followed, rocking the entire sector with furious energy. But neither Horak nor Postack felt a shred of relief. Only three wormholes had successfully opened. And through them, like monstrous, living shadows, emerged five massive fleets.

“They are serious,” Postack said, his voice flat. He slammed a hand onto his console, pulling up a new display. A few other star systems under Dreznor’s control were now showing a similar process. Five of them were under breaching attempts, three among them already failing to prevent the formation of the wormholes. Only two, thanks to superior preparedness, managed to hold.

The lead fleet, having just exited its wormhole, immediately ignited its lightspeed drives. It dispersed its massive forces into a pre-planned, intricate formation, taking advantage of the intelligence gathered by the probing group just ten minutes earlier. They positioned themselves in the most vulnerable sectors, an additional advantage gained from the element of surprise.

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Amongst the invading armada, one colossal ship stood out. It didn’t move. Instead, its active shielding shimmered, and massive openings began to slowly appear along its hull, revealing an inner maw. Then, biological monstrosities, a million strong and growing, began to spill forth, rushing to exit the vessel. Their bodies slammed against each other, shaking with a silent, unseen tremor. Their mouths gaped open, as if screaming, but in the vacuum of space, no one could hear them.

“The Erythians,” the two analysts whispered in unison, a cold dread seeping into their bones. Only one of the top ten Conclave civilizations possessed the capability to create and mobilize such an overwhelming force of bio-engineered horrors.

This was a definitive shift in tactics. This was no longer a probing attack. A second top-ten member had joined the fray, and the war for the Conclave had truly begun.

While all they could do was watch in stunned silence, the command center was already in motion. They had pushed the time acceleration function of the VR system to its extreme limit, buying precious moments to absorb the rapidly evolving situation and devise countermeasures. Every second counted because how they responded to these new adversaries could determine whether they called for reinforcements they knew didn’t exist.

Dreznor’s forces were stretched to their breaking point, and there was nothing left to pull. They were playing chess with half a board, and the enemy had just placed a queen.