Chapter 87: Doomsday Clock
Director Vortan’s gesture shifted the central hologram. The image of the battle carrier dissolved into a harsh, snow-lashed landscape—Base Kaelum Omega, deep within the Antarctic exclusion zone.
"All fabrication is occurring beneath the Ross Ice Shelf. The facility operates under full cloaking protocols, with geothermal fusion cores powering the manufacturing arrays. These cores were seeded there in 1998, under the guise of seismic research."
He tapped the air. A cross-section of the subterranean compound unfurled. Miles of tunnels, assembly bays, pressure-controlled cryochambers, and quantum forges blinked to life. Hundreds of humanoid drones marched in silence, welding, calibrating, integrating.
"Raw materials arrive via submerged transoceanic drones through pre-glacial fault tunnels. Assembly is handled exclusively by autonomous fabrication units to reduce information leakage."
Khians tilted her head.
"And what of the human slave element?"
Vortan’s expression didn’t change. "Forty-two engineering specialists from the Orion Contingency were cycled in this quarter. They remain under neural suggestion protocols. Their memories are culled every eight hours."
She seemed satisfied.
"And the fleet?"
The projection expanded again—this time revealing not one, but seven warships in various stages of completion. Each bore the Solar Warden sigil: a black sun eclipsing a fractured planet, encircled by golden rings.
"Vessel Chrono Aberrant is 86% complete. Helios Bane, Erebus Lance, and Viridian Wake are entering engine-core fusion. Once the AI core is online, we’ll be able to initiate internal simulation loops for quantum combat doctrine."