Volume 2, Chapter 6 – The Silent Silence. Oil?
Evening.
The convoy had already returned to base. Of course, I understand that all this equipment was only for my protection. After all, the officers can summon it at any moment — they could have simply deployed at the cave and set everything up instantly. But because I went along, they had to deploy all that gear just to protect me. Well, except for Aviana — she couldn't summon a fighter from the ground, since it needs runway and altitude, and the nearest location is over a thousand kilometers away — the Gerald Ford carrier.
But Lelik can do unique things. Swap a helicopter for a plane mid-air, and vice versa. The catch is that he can't instantly appear in the sky in a helicopter — equipment can only be changed or summoned at the altitude Lelik is currently at. But he can summon any helicopter or plane at the altitude of the previous vehicle — meaning he can teleport into a plane that's already in the air. In simple terms: he's flying in a Hercules (whether he's personally there or not), and within a radius of 100–200 meters, he can summon a helicopter — but at the exact altitude the plane is at. And he can teleport into that plane from anywhere in the world. I still can't wrap my head around how he swapped a doomsday plane for a helicopter mid-air.
As for the fleet — I still don't fully understand it. The main thing I know is that they can summon a ship regardless of their location. But there's a catch: if Arleigh summons one ship, she can only summon a second one next to the first. But I don't think that's a downside. What's surprising is that I figured all this out just by reading the book "Officers Are Everything to Us."
And right now, I'm lying in bed, resting while I still can. I only slept for an hour during the ride, but it feels like I slept half a day. Fully rested, fed, and ready for anything. While I'm lying here, the Scientist from CUB is already working on our samples in the headquarters, and CUB has given the order to build a laboratory. I don't mind — they know what they're doing, and if it helps, why not?
"Commander! Briefing," Paladin entered my tent and called me to the meeting.
I jumped up, full of energy, grabbed my XM-7 — I want to carry it constantly now, to get used to the weight and build up my arms — and quickly headed to the headquarters. (What will they present now? It feels like a lecture, but I find it incredibly interesting to listen and watch. This is my life, and right now I'm with family.)
I quickly dashed into the headquarters tent, overtaking Paladin. It was fairly empty inside — only CUB, Arleigh, and Paladin.
"Greetings," the Strategist said, followed by the Analyst.
"Hi..." I walked through the tent in surprise toward my usual chair in the corner, third row. "Where is everyone?" I sat down, holding the rifle.
Paladin calmly sat down to my right, and Arleigh turned from the front row, smiled at me — then her hair attacked her, and she returned to battling it.
"There's no need for the full staff right now. Arleigh and Paladin volunteered to keep you company," the Analyst explained, while the Strategist stepped aside and turned on the kettle.
(No need... So) — I glanced at Paladin — (he and) — I glanced at Arleigh — (she just came here for me. That's so nice to hear. And it's hilarious watching Arleigh fight her hair. The one who commands four Arleigh Burke Flight III destroyers can't handle her own red curls.)
"I'll start the briefing," the Analyst declared, sitting down on a chair under the map, "and the Strategist will continue. My topics: analysis of the Scientist's data and development proposals. Shall I begin?"
Click.
"Anyone for tea?" the Strategist offered, setting cups on the table.
"Me!" Arleigh shouted.
"Yeah, pour me one too," Paladin answered in his rough voice.
"Pour for everyone," the Analyst concluded. "I'd like to explain for Seraphim: we don't need to eat, but since we have taste receptors, why not drink? Unless the Commander object—"
"Not at all. I'm all for it!" I interrupted him. "And yes, go ahead."
"Sugar?" the Strategist asked.
"Three!" Arleigh. "No! Four!"
"One," Paladin.
"None, thanks," the Analyst.
"One, thanks," I said.
We all received hot black tea, warming both our hands and our insides — evening had fallen, and it was starting to get quite cold.
"So. I'll begin. Here's what we obtained from the analysis," the Analyst turned off the light and pointed his pointer at the screen. [Chemical structural formula] — "This is oil."
Chemical structural formula:
A massive, chaotic "web" of hexagons (benzene), with jagged lines (paraffins) branching out in all directions. Woven into this web are inclusions of silicon and metals, and between the layers, unbound particles "float," surrounded by a halo of free electrons.
"Oil?" I said with my mouth open.
"Oil?" Paladin said with interest.
"OIL!!" Arleigh jumped up and ran to the screen, examining the formula.
"Exactly. The creatures produce oil with impurities — so heavy and cold that it's impossible to ignite, and the Tomahawk couldn't even make it emit vapor. According to the Scientist's hypothesis, magic acts as a protective shell," the Analyst explained.
(I see...)
"I can also suggest that magic acts both as protection and as a resource for oil production — you can see how the creatures constantly secrete liquid in the caves. And considering that the caves are angled, everything flows downward — and perhaps there's either an ocean of oil down there, or a creature that feeds on it," the Analyst continued and switched slides. [5 drone frames: a long, snake-like creature] — "This creature is the main candidate for the role of the Alpha of these creatures."
(Wow... I didn't even notice it when I was watching. These CUB guys really are professionals. They think ten steps ahead.)
Sip — I took a gulp of tea. (Good... Hot, sweet, and tart. Just what I needed.) And Arleigh was still standing by the board, staring intently at the screen, as if hoping they'd hand her the oil right now.
"As for development," the Analyst changed the subject. "I propose we start extracting underground resources located in the depths of these creatures' caves. This is necessary for base development and factory construction. Problems: we need to fully study the creatures' weaknesses. It will take time. Pros: we'll be able to build our own equipment — and we receive ammunition weekly anyway. So we'll also need to build storage facilities to move all ammunition there, emptying the 'pocket' and getting a boost to full ammunition replenishment. Currently, we can't do this due to explosive hazards."
Sip — and I fell into thought. Everyone looked at me and fell silent, waiting for my decision.
(Extracting resources to build equipment that isn't tied to my officers — that's a huge plus. It means they won't lose body parts — basically, they won't lose their "clothing." That's a massive advantage.)
(Cons: we don't know what this beast-like creature can do. Maybe it could eat the entire camp in one go, just by drilling through the ground beneath us. And sending soldiers to extract resources inside these caves right now is dangerous — lethal. Well, if it's just Soldier-functions from IB's holdings, that's fine. But can they handle it? Can an XM-7 kill these monsters? Flashbangs make them flee. But when they're at the bottom of their domain, where can they run? Complicated...)
"How will the extraction be carried out?" I decided to ask.
"Open-pit mining. Most of the minerals we've studied through geodesy and sounding are located around the caves. The larger the cave, the larger the radius of metals around it. Such as: silicon, gold, iron, copper, zinc ore, aluminum, titanium, borax, tungsten, nickel, chromium, pyrite, clay, sulfur. All these resources are at different depths, but preliminarily — near the caves," the Analyst listed everything.
(Wow... Why so many resources? I only caught silicon, gold, sulfur, aluminum, and clay. The rest are unknown to me. But what reassures me is that this will be done through open-pit mining. No one will have to go inside.)
"Good. My conditions for approval: work only during the day. As soon as the sun starts to set, everyone leaves the quarry," I laid out my conditions.
"Conditions accepted," the Analyst took a sip of tea. "There's also a pattern emerging: the more complex the resource, the larger the cave entrance and its size. For example, the cave you studied was the largest — five meters high and eleven meters wide. And its resource was tungsten. The smallest was half a meter wide and ten centimeters high."
(I see... So everything will be done safely, and new equipment will be built.)
"And what about the new equipment?" I asked, finishing my tea.
"It will be operated by seven hundred faceless ones. So we have a cap of seven hundred units of equipment. Beyond that, we'll have to switch," the Analyst explained.
"Got it. Understood. You can start building ammunition depots and factories, and mine resources during the day," I answered understandingly.
The Analyst nodded, and the Strategist stepped up to the board with a cup of tea.
"Greetings. My topics: defense and creature weaknesses," the Strategist immediately set the tone, switching slides.
I nodded. Arleigh sat back down on her chair in disappointment — they hadn't given her any oil here and now. And Paladin just sat there, holding his cup with his pinky (his other fingers didn't fit).
"Defense — light. Bright light is their problem, judging by the flashbang operation in the cave. Therefore, floodlights have been placed around the entire perimeter, cranked to maximum brightness," he began flipping slides, showing the base from above. "Creature weaknesses — physics. They were designed to counter magic attacks, and any metal is a threat to them — even though they produce it. But... according to drone and satellite data, we don't know if they have a brain, or brains. And right now it's eight in the evening — the sun will set soon," he glanced at his watch. "My proposal: capture any creature. Preferably different species — for internal analysis and planning further actions."
"How will the capture work?" I asked, holding the rifle throughout the entire briefing — my arms were completely locked up.
"Three plans. Plan A: net. Plan B: containment in a Bradley. Plan C: dig a pit and push the monster into it. Also, during this operation, we'll test all metals for reaction — to understand what these creatures can absorb and what they reject," the Strategist laid out the structure.
"Good. I'm leading this capture," I declared without hesitation.
"Of course. But headquarters will communicate with IB. He'll be your commander — if you don't mind," the Strategist offered.
"No. I fully agree."
"Good. Please put on your military uniform and protective gear — sunset on this planet is in thirty minutes. Since the day here is thirty hours," the Strategist explained and gave me my task.