Chapter 146: Way To Advanced

Cassian’s plan was simple.

He intended to send the Arachnids back to their home civilization aboard the very starship they had used to reach Planet Roca.

Once there, they would infiltrate the Arachnid Empire, gather intelligence, and provide him with an invaluable vantage point to monitor the civilization responsible for the crisis on Roca.

As for sending them to the Lord’s Domain, there was little point in doing so at the moment.

The Arachnids had no immediate role to play in the development of the Graveshade Expanse, and Cassian could always reassign them later if necessary.

Besides, this was a golden window of opportunity to slip beneath the empire’s radar.

The Worldbreaker Core incident had only just concluded. The operation on Planet Roca had failed, their local forces had suffered catastrophic losses, and the Astral Dominion would soon begin a sweeping investigation into their networks.

Depending on how much real-time telemetry the Arachnids had transmitted before their communications were severed, their high command might not yet comprehend the full extent of what had transpired.

Cassian intended to exploit that exact uncertainty.

The longer he waited, the greater the chance the Arachnids would tighten border security and launch an inquiry into the unknown force that had dismantled their operation.

An opportunity like this could not be squandered.

He was still finalizing the operational details when soft footsteps echoed across the hangar.

Nyxara entered alongside Silas and the other undead Arachnids. The Undead Elf glanced briefly at Cassian before shifting her violet gaze toward the impressive spacecraft occupying the center of the bay.

”So this is the vessel you wanted to inspect, my Lord?”

”That’s right.”

Cassian approached the ship, running a hand over its smooth metallic hull before turning to Silas.

”Silas, I assume the vessel uses biometric authentication to restrict access. Can you open it?”

The High Undead Arachnid instantly understood his master’s intent. “I will try, my Lord.”

Silas stepped forward, approaching the main boarding ramp.

A faint, pale scan-beam swept over his body. For several seconds, the automated security system analyzed his physical structure, moving from his facial features to the intricate golden mark etched into his forehead.

Then, a cool mechanical voice chimed throughout the hangar.

[Captain identified.]

Cassian’s lips curved into a quiet smile.

’Just as I thought.’

During the multi-stage synthesis, he had deliberately included the original Arachnid leader as the core component for Silas’s creation.

Although the creature had lost its former memory and soul, key biological markers and genetic authorizations had clearly survived the transformation.

The starship’s security database recognized those exact markers.

As far as the vessel was concerned, Silas was still its rightful captain.

The main hatch hissed open, lowering a ramp that revealed a sleek interior corridor illuminated by strips of pale blue light.

Cassian gave an approving nod. “Let’s go.”

He led the way inside, followed closely by Nyxara, Silas, and the remaining unit.

The interior was considerably more spacious than its exterior profile suggested.

The primary corridor ran deep into the ship, its bulkheads lined with reinforced alloy panels and embedded interface terminals.

Occasionally, Cassian noted sealed blast doors leading to storage bays, armories, or environmental compartments.

The air inside was crisp and cold, accompanied by the gentle, steady hum of an active power core beneath their boots.

Everything was in peak operating condition.

Cassian continued forward, mapping the vessel’s internal layout in his mind. If his unit was going to operate deep inside enemy space, understanding the ship’s full capabilities was essential.

Eventually, they reached the bridge.

The command center was expansive, featuring several specialized control consoles arranged around an elevated command dais.

Translucent holographic displays hovered above the stations, streaming lines of alien telemetry and technical readouts.

Beyond the main viewport, the dark walls of the underground hangar stretched out in the distance.

At the focal point of the bridge sat the master terminal.

Cassian stepped up to it, examining the floating interfaces for a moment before looking at Silas.

The High Undead Arachnid needed no further instruction.

Stepping up to the console, Silas placed one of his taloned hands against the biometric interface.

The main computer responded instantly.

A brilliant cascade of holographic panels unfolded across the room, bathing the bridge in shifting blue symbols and complex data streams.

Silas’s eight eyes moved with inhuman speed across the displays as his fingers began deftly navigating the system.

Cassian watched in quiet satisfaction.

‘Good. The fusion preserved enough of the original captain’s muscle memory and technical knowledge for him to pilot the vessel seamlessly.’

That made the logistics vastly simpler. He had no desire to waste days deciphering an alien control scheme when he had the vessel’s former commander executing his orders.

Silas continued tapping into the core mainframe, retrieving system diagnostics, power levels, and sub-light navigation logs.

Cassian folded his arms, patiently awaiting the diagnostic report.

….

Silas continued navigating the spacecraft’s computer, his taloned fingers moving across the holographic interface with fluid familiarity.

Technical data gradually unfolded across the bridge displays, laying bare the vessel’s specifications, internal systems, and overall operational parameters.

Cassian examined the information with sharp, growing interest.

The more he analyzed the spacecraft’s design, the more certain he became that something was fundamentally wrong.

‘This vessel is far too advanced.’

The Arachnid Civilization was officially classified as a Tier V civilization, placing it on roughly the same standing as the Astral Dominion.

While natural variations in resource allocation, military specialization, and technological focus existed between civilizations of the same tier, their overall strategic capabilities should have remained within a predictable range.

Yet the starship before him defied that baseline expectation entirely.

Its most remarkable feature was its specialized cloaking matrix.

According to the technical specifications, the active system could completely mask the vessel’s electromagnetic and spatial signatures from detection by a Tier VI Lord.

That was an extraordinary capability, one that even the Astral Dominion’s most sophisticated military detection arrays would struggle to replicate.

A Tier VI Lord was already a terrifying entity, possessing sensory perception and raw power far beyond ordinary limits.

Concealing a starship from such an existence required technology that vastly surpassed the conventional standards of a Tier V civilization.

And that was only a single component.

Its sub-light propulsion systems, defensive energy shielding, and integrated spatial navigation technology were equally alarming.

Even the raw energy efficiency of its power core surpassed the baseline standards of several top-tier Dominion warships.