Chapter 388 - Operations Center

Chapter 388

Red Sands Desert, Aurorean Empire

Dungeon Factory, Operations Center

Alexandra looked around, impressed.

For a while now the command center had gotten...well, a mix of 'too crowded' and 'not crowded enough'. When the shit really hit the fan it was too tight, but on a day to day basis no one really maintained a watch, besides the AI who weren't really there to begin with. Once the vampire maids had handled that, especially to keep an eye on the prisoners, but they were now staying quiet.

That was probably because, all things considered, it was cheaper to keep them happy than oppressed, and despite the overwhelming urge to toss them into a biorecycler she'd instead opted for treating them more like forced guests. If they were here for the long haul, might as well.

The result was that their standards of living were probably better than they had been before their emprisonment, by quite a significant margin, their erstwhile comrades pinned to the walls after attempting some rather violent breakouts notwithstanding.

In any case, the command center worked for strategic overviews but when things went to a more tactical level it started breaking down.

So Ghost and Subtlety had made an operations center. Which wasn't really a single room, but an assembly thereof, with a central hub for a global overview, an operations room for planning, and various other subsections for more specialized commands.

That way they could separate high and low level functions. Kind of like the regular bridge and the flag bridge on the Dawnstar. Or the bridge and the Combat Information Center on regular warships.

There was no real need to man that center either but a few golems were on hand regardless. They were praetorian guard officer types, with a lot of processing power to spare and since their networking abilities were causing the entire damned golem army to start to evolve, she might as well give them a boost and get them some broader experience, just like you would a junior officer who didn't know yet which end of the railguns pointed forward.

Just so long as she didn't hand them compasses and maps they should be fine.

"You did a great job." She said, finally, as she turned towards Ghost and Subtlety. "Color me impressed."

"Thanks. But it's not complete." Ghost shrugged. "With Frankie and the triplets headed towards the Republic and handling all of that mess, we didn't really get the reinforcements we expected in terms of brain power. In fact it's getting worse, since Subtlety is more and more having to handle the Kingdom. We need more AIs."

Alexandra nodded.

"Sure. You'd advocated one to handle ground ops, right? We can start with that, then start working on a few for civil administration, and maybe a diplomat."

"A diplomat?"

"We're going to have to do a lot of talking as part of the Empire and even just to the other dungeons. And honestly dumping it all on Emilia isn't fair."

"Not gonna argue with that. Given the need, do you mind if I inload some info packets to kickstart personality development? They take a while to get going otherwise."

"Sure." She was of the school of thought that it was better to nurture an AI and let them grow naturally from their environment and interactions, but she knew many back on Earth were advocating for giving a little nudge, via inloading a bunch of data into them at the start. Many argued it was like the imprints many children would already have through the sounds and other experiences they'd have had in the womb. "We can try on a couple."

"Good." Alexandra frowned slightly, as Ghost moved on. She just had the inescapable feeling of having done a terrible, terrible mistake suddenly. The kind where her other self was setting her up. "Your new drones passed their preliminary trials, by the way. We can't go much further without, well, letting them fly for real I'm afraid. Are you ready for this?"

Alexandra grimaced.

Launching the drones should be fine. After all they'd launched the stealthed but much more conspicuous 'shuttles' she'd kludged together for the raid on the supply ship with no issues. But it was nonetheless something that would have to be done carefully, especially given how many eyes were on her now.

Thankfully the mesa fortress was huge, filled with weird mechanisms, and replete with random drills and odd energy spikes. Hiding the launch of a compact high tech drone made to be invisible should be a walk in the park.

Emphasis on 'should be'.

"Not really, but when am I ever?"

"Eh. Good point. Meeting with Allya go alright?"

"...I kind of broke down a bit."

Ghost's face softened.

"Yeah. I could feel it. What happened?"

"I...don't think I should tell you. Not just yet."

"Alright. Well, let's get to it." Ghost clapped her hands. "Prepare launch procedures! Let's get some birds in the air!"

*****

Allya had seen some terrifying sights in her life. Even more so after she'd started this mad ride with Alexandra.

But hegemony square was definitely up there.

It was packed with people. A crowd so immense that even she, someone who was used to counting large numbers of people at a glance, couldn't even guess how many were there.

She was 'there' as a courtesy, relayed through an hologram whose projectors the Hegemony had found Gods knew where.

The Hegemon stepped forward. Aria Esteris was, by all account, a dangerous woman. Not just because of her own prowess, but also her ability to rely on her people.

It took a special kind of strength to have to be literally supported by two officers to move upright, and not only look undiminished but even made greater by the assistance.

"My people." Said Aria, her voice amplified by thousands of speakers not only throughout the square, but the entire Hegemony. "I come to you today with important news. With important, joyous news." She coughed, and Allya had to stop a wince. Resurrection sickness would have been merciful compared to the amount of punishment that woman had endured. Even arcane healing had its limits when someone put this much effort into killing you. "Because today...today is the end of a long night. For the first time in a thousand years, our continent is a fractured, war torn land no longer. For the first time in a millennia, we will stand united. As one."

The Hegemon gestured, and Allya stepped forward.

"Empress Allya Nouvelle-Aurore has promised us a new dawn. And I believe her. I believe her because I have seen her actions, and not just her words. Through her deeds, Sunrise has fallen. Through her labors, slavery, the great blight on our continent, is finally over. And thanks to her help, the nation who had once saved us from annihilation, the Elkis Republic, is reborn anew."

The Hegemon moved to face her, and the two officers flanking her helped her kneel before Allya. The Empress -who had trouble thinking of herself as such still-, had to hold back a wince. She'd tried to convince the Hegemon not to do it beforehand, but she'd insisted.

"Your Imperial Majesty. In the name of the Hegemony, its strategic council and its people, I offer you our fealty. Now and forevermore, we will fight by your orders, and die by your orders."

Well that's fucking grim.

She raised her hand, and carefully put it on the Hegemon's shoulder, in such a way that the hologram didn't start to glitch but still 'touched' her.

"And I accept it. Rise, Hegemon Aria Esteris. Rise...and welcome to the Aurorean Empire."

*****

Allya leaned against the wall, sighing, the hologram glitching as it met the solid surface.

As expected, this formal announcement had kicked off a massive frenzy.

It was also...poetic, in its own way. Technically, it was the first official ceremony of any nation joining the Empire. Though they were the last to join, so far at least.

The Kingdom and the Republic didn't mind though. In fact they seemed to be preparing something. Trira's people had found the aides of the royal magistrate and Malcom talking.

"I hope this is worth it."

The Empress opened her eyes, and gazed at the pink haired woman in front of her.

Saratoga. High commander of the Hegemony's military. Extremely aggressive, she'd almost started the invasion after the Hegemon's almost but not quite successful assassination. Which was no doubt the intended effect of it, if the Order was indeed behind it. Also, technically it wasn't hair, but a naturally growing pink crystal lattice.

Incidentally, she was also the Hegemon's girlfriend.

Why do I always end up meeting psychotic military lesbians with strange hair?

"What is?"

"This peace. This Empire." Saratoga looked at the empty hallway, then back to Allya. "Look, I don't know who the hell you are. Seriously. You came out of nowhere, and swept the damned board. You've been juggling thirty different pieces and I'm amazed and impressed you've made it this long. But do you seriously think you can hold this together? We've been at the Republic's throat for a century and a half. More, really, if you count when they started applying pressure for us to 'join'. I know Aria wants to believe Amelia and her clique of mutineers, because yes, that's what they are, mutineers, can reform it. But I don't think that general is going to miraculously reinstate a centuries dead democracy. Particularly not when she's under a literal Empire."

"And this troubles you how, exactly? You are, last I checked, the second most powerful person in what is effectively a military dictatorship."

The high commander colored.

"The Hegemon is elected by our people." She hissed.

"And when was the last time there was a candidate who wasn't both an officer and a member of your strategic council?"

The hallway fell silent.

"I suppose that answers that." Finished Allya. "I don't begrudge you your skepticism, high commander. It is a healthy thing to have in these trying times. But like it or not, you work for me now."

The high commander stared at her, before slowly saluting.

"Aye aye. What are your orders, ma'am?"

"You already have them. We're going to end the old Republic. After that?" She smiled. "We're going to tackle the UDC." Or at least, its isolationist remnants. "You want to fight evil and the enemies of your people? I can give you both in spades."

And then some, to say the least.

She could give that little warmonger more and greater enemies than she had ever dreamed of.

*****

"Thank you for attending, and my apologies that I was not able to dedicate as much time to you as I would have wished." Said Alexandra as she sat down in front of the advisors. "The side effect of having a massive, once in a lifetime summit to use as cover for this particular meetup is, unfortunately, that I have to deal with said massive summit and its many, many consequences."

There was a round of polite laughter, and Alexandra smiled.

She didn't even remember how long ago she'd started planning for this. But here it was. Twenty six dungeon advisors in the same room, at the same time.

They'd arrived over the last few days, most as the summit kicked off. She'd more or less palmed the job of welcoming them to Emilia which, apparently was more or less expected. The maids had helped of course, but they had the equally vital task of mingling among their fellow servants -not all of them had maids- and gathering info.

They'd spent a lot of time touring the 'public' parts of the dungeon, AKA anything she'd have trusted Allya with before she was brought into the whole 'hey I have high tech and I used to be a meatbag like you'.

"I hope my hospitality has proven acceptable. But since time is short, and there are many events afoot in the world, some of which will require our attention shortly, I think it better to skip the rest of the niceties. You have all come here so that we could meet and coordinate for the coming campaign. Because let me be perfectly clear: I have beaten back the mad remnants of the UDC but they are not yet defeated and will not give up so easily. The UDC's bases and force concentrations in the South, thanks to dungeon core Eternia," she nodded towards one of the advisors, who smiled. "have been largely neutralized. But there remains one key holdout, which has already struck at me directly, been a hub of enemy activity and which, right now, is no doubt preparing to repair and rearm the fleet that so disastrously attempted to destroy my army. We must invade Tivaro, and neutralize its dungeon core."