Agent047

742 - "We Only Need to Win Once"

‘This is very weird,’ Seraphina thought to herself as she gazed at the scattered remains of the enemy soldiers now littering the floor. Fragments of metal, bone, roots, and remnants of mana floated in the air, their strange compositions scattered after the soldiers had exploded. She had effortlessly eliminated each one as they emerged from the breaching pod, but something felt deeply unsettling about the encounter. It wasn’t the act of killing—she was long accustomed to that�...

741 - Improvise, Die, Revive, Adapt, Die, Revive, Overcome, and Repeat.

The breaching pods launched by the stealth forces, despite being accompanied by missiles, weapons, and their own defenses, still had a very low success rate due to the advanced multi-target tracking systems of spacefaring civilizations. To counter this, the empire employed a tried-and-true strategy: overwhelming those systems with sheer numbers. This tactic was only possible thanks to their atomic printers, allowing them to mass-produce breaching pods and launch them to their almost certain d...

740 - 1% Success

From a two-dimensional perspective, an observer witnessing this conflict would see two sides engaged in entirely different battles as a result of the ongoing attacks. The imperial forces remained focused on thwarting waves of incoming assaults, while the Conclave forces were also caught in a defensive struggle against attacks that seemed to emerge from thin air.

The invisible enemy skillfully capitalized on the gaps created by the Conclave forces, who had spaced themselves apart in prep...

739 - A Distinction Forged by Necessity

The imperial first-line fleets reacted instantly as the incoming missiles and spells entered the point of no return. They launched their own counterattack, deploying smaller missiles, which were accompanied by a barrage of sleek, black spheres. These spheres spread out in all directions, tasked with intercepting the incoming threats from every possible angle, given that the attacks were converging from multiple vectors in space to bypass potential defenses.

While the missiles handled th...

738 - The Eternal Flame of Pride

In the next five seconds, silence gripped the Conclave forces as they struggled to process what had just occurred. The concept of a black hole was something they had only studied from afar, a distant cosmic phenomenon at the center of the galaxy, safely observed but never experienced. Now, faced with the unimaginable reality of being caught in its devastating force, panic set in. The terror was overwhelming—horror-inducing, will-breaking, and utterly impossible to combat.

Ten seconds ...

737 - Warning Shots

A brief silence fell over the battlefield as both sides took in the data that was still being collected by their sensors, with the other side immedialtely realizing that Xalthar the person who brought them here has already being captured, making their work harder than inntiatily expeted as not matter where he is they had taken an oath to rescue him and they had to keep that oath no matter what.

At the same time they were also surprised by the sheer numbers displayed before them as despi...

736 - This Part of the Galaxy

Time has a way of moving at exactly the wrong speed, especially for those who find themselves in a moment of anticipation. 

For the inhabitants of the solar system, it felt like time was speeding by when they desperately wished for it to slow down. In the blink of an eye, twelve days had passed, bringing them to thirteen and a half days since Xalthar had sent out his message. The countdown was almost over.

Despite all the preparation, no one in the military felt confident tha...

735 - The Good & Bad news

Once he sensed that the tension had reached a peak, he continued, “As a result, conflict erupted between the two sides... and by the end of the day, we achieved victory,” as he was saying that, he could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from those who had feared they were losing the fight.

He paused his speech as a short video played behind him. It began with Xalthar demanding the emperor’s surrender, then shifted to the opening shots fired at the massive ship. The footage...

734 - Post Assimilation

Aron stepped out of the pod after spending several hours inside, now far more knowledgeable about the Astral Conclave than before. With this newfound understanding, several uncertainties that had previously clouded his thoughts seemed to vanish, as though a fog had been lifted from his mind.

But despite his newfound knowledge, none of the decisions he had made earlier were altered. In fact, his conviction to stick to them had only strengthened. The primary reason for this resolve was no...

733 - Preparations

"How about turning them against each other, making them compete to give you the technology?" Rina suggested, after taking a moment to gather her thoughts and reflect on everything she had learned.

That was all Aron needed to hear. He immediately grasped where Rina was heading with her explanation, but he didn't interrupt, letting her finish in case she presented something he hadn’t considered.

"From what you’ve said, even though they operate under a conclave, they're still com...

732 - Discussion II

“Then at what point do you suggest we interfere? Do we wait until everything is settled between them and fight, or do we jump in amidst their skirmishes and attack all of them?” Youssef asked, now reconsidering his earlier stance.

"I suggest we act after issuing a formal warning once they make their move," John replied without hesitation. "If they refuse to back down, we deploy one of our WMDs to wipe out a significant portion of their forces. That will send a clear message—we're ...

731 - Discussion

“We are fucked” would perfectly capture the situation for anyone who had reviewed the now-assembled information. Although much of it was still being processed and filtered to form a complete picture, certain revelations didn’t need further analysis—particularly the intel sourced from one individual: Xalthar. 

He was the reason behind the chaos that was barreling toward them, and the scale of the threat was staggering. According to Xalthar’s knowledge, combined with that o...

730 - The Spearhead Fleet's Technology

Ismail Maylander and his team had been advancing with relative ease, encountering opposition armed similarly to the previous groups they had already dealt with. Despite this, neither he nor the breaching forces aboard the ship let their guard down. Each of them carried a hard-earned lesson from their intensive VR training—battles where they held the upper hand but ultimately lost the war due to complacency. That experience was deeply ingrained in their minds, reminding them that the time to...

729 - Time to Leave

Within just half an hour, the material blocking the invading soldiers had completely melted away. Without hesitation, the soldiers resumed their takeover, moving swiftly and methodically. The crew aboard the ship, caught off guard by the sudden breakthrough, scrambled to return fire in a desperate attempt to buy time and reseal the inner parts of the ship. 

However, the invaders' speed and precision left them with little chance to mount an effective defense, as the gap between thei...

728- Sealing the Deal

Xalthar stared at the figure on the screen, more surprised than angered by the unexpected turn of events.

"What makes you think we're ready—or even willing—to surrender?" he asked calmly, showing no sign of worry as he was on the cusp of completing the deal that would come to his rescue. In his mind, he was already expecting the enemy to list all the reasons why he and his people were doomed and why surrender was the only logical choice.

But instead, the figure merely replied,...

727- Cold and Calculative

Xalthar sat in silence while waiting for the AI to receive and filter the requests to ensure they met his criteria. During this time, he was informed that the insulation had effectively halted the enemy forces on the outside. This was confirmed by the surveillance system, which displayed the enemy forces as a blob on the other side of the insulation, visible through the spectrum.

Anyone in their situation would have likely tried to find alternative means to bypass the insulation. Howeve...

726 - A Call from the Organisation

As the AI began sorting through the flood of requests for the star system's coordinates, ensuring only those who promised aid within the set timeframe were considered, Xalthar’s communicator buzzed. The heads of his organization were contacting him with remarkable speed, a clear sign they were far from pleased with his recent actions.

Despite this, Xalthar remained unfazed. His circuit-like veins, once pulsing with anger, shifted color to a calmer hue as he accepted the call without h...

725 - An Offer of Unparalleled Worth

“I’m going to use every means of torture known in existence before I allow you to die,” Xalthar's voice echoed ominously from his chair, a chilling promise that was muffled by the soundproof insulation of the room and thus unheard by those in the control room below.

While Quorani's measures to seal off the passages had bought him a temporary reprieve, they had inadvertently sealed Xalthar's fate as well. The closures not only trapped the invaders but also cut off Xalthar’s only ...

724 - Xalthar's Dilemma

[A/N: All of Xalthar's thoughts and communications go through humanity's language filter to avoid further complicating the situation.]

If looks could kill, thousands might have perished under Xalthar's gaze alone. But for him, he didn’t need his eyes to end lives—his hands were more than capable. The proof of this lay before him: three bodies sprawled on the ground, broken and lifeless, resembling smashed dolls. Their mangled forms were a testament to Xalthar's brutal str...

723 - Responsibility Without Authority

Before the front doors of the breach pods opened, all of the pods that had successfully penetrated the ship simultaneously launched small, specialized disks toward the openings they had created. The disks powered up in perfect unison the moment they were thrown, activating immediately upon contact with the surface.

Each disk emitted a localized electromagnetic field, disrupting nearby sensors and alarms, while also generating a stable environment for the soldiers to enter. Along with th...

722 - Opening Punches

“Since there is a limit on how quickly we can transfer information through our current means of communication, we are two hours away from completing the transmission. It should take about another twelve hours for it to arrive, but since they can review it as they start receiving it, we expect answers within twenty-four hours,” Niwildan replied calmly, deliberately infusing his tone with a sense of defeat and hopelessness.

“Good. Tell them that we expect an answer by then, or we wi...

721 - Enjoying the Process

Aron paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to gather his thoughts and process the information he had just absorbed. The weight of what he had learned required a moment of reflection before he could continue reading.

Although much of the information appeared legitimate, Aron remained cautious. He didn't consider it the absolute truth, knowing that the data from humanity's side also contained skewed details—while not outright lies, certain aspects were deliberately vague or not full...

720 - "F*ck"

After five hours, the data transfer from the other side was completed. The transfer of information about humans only required about two hours, but it was intentionally extended by including filler and other white noise to conclude simultaneously with the other side’s transfer. This delay was a deliberate strategy to ensure that the other side wouldn’t cut off their data transfer once they realized that all of their information had been received.

This approach also explained why both...

719 - Probing and Conversation II

For the next few days, there was no direct communication between the two sides. They were either exchanging technical manuals and codes for building the necessary communication technology or receiving them.

Once the transfer was complete, a response came from the other side, stating that they would have the device ready in three hours before going silent again. This response alone hinted at their ability to rapidly produce such technology, suggesting they had advanced fabrication capabi...

718 - Probing and Conversation I

“So, how is it going to work? Are there things I need to keep in mind during our conversation?” the ship’s captain asked the AI, concerned that the script might need revision. The captain wanted to ensure that there were no limitations or special considerations for communication, given the AI's understanding of the other side's system and any potential nuances that could affect the exchange.

{You don’t need to worry about that. During your communication period, I'll serve as the...

717 - Watching from a Distance

The back-and-forth between the two AIs continued as they worked to establish a common foundation for communication. 

Although this could have been an ideal moment to probe each other, neither side attempted to do so, recognizing that the limitations of the communication medium made such efforts futile.

To ensure the communication foundation would allow for the exchange of information with full context and minimize misunderstandings, the process would take several hours or eve...

716 - Speculation Amidst Silence

Outer space.

In the ship’s control room, an air of tense silence prevailed as they awaited a response from the other side.

Half an hour passed without a reply. Then an hour, three hours, and finally five hours went by with no indication of contact from the Visitors.

“Is it possible that our assumption about their understanding of binary was flawed, or are they simply ignoring us?” the captain wondered aloud, his concern growing with each minute of ...

715 - How to Comunicate with Alliens 101

Earth, CUBE.

In the expansive room atop the highest floor of the CUBE, Aron, Rina, Henry, his parents, her parents—his father recently released from prison a few months ago—the heads of the three ministries, Sarah, Felix, the head of all agencies collaborating with ARES on first contact, were gathered. 

Unlike their usual VR instances, everyone was physically present this time. 

The same with Nova, Nyx, Gaia, and Athena who were attending in their nanoma...

714 - Arrival

In the silent darkness of space, if one focused on a specific point with utmost precision, they might notice the faintest distortion in the light—a subtle bending, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. It resembled the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, where light curves around a massive object. Yet, this was no ordinary lensing effect. Only the most sensitive instruments, positioned in close proximity, could detect the anomaly within the vast emptiness of the void.

But tha...

713 - The Fifth Imperial Council Meeting IV

Councilor Ross's report followed the usual pattern but highlighted a notable development: the percentage of awakened individuals among humans had increased from the initial two percent to ten percent. This was a significant rise, reflecting the raising in the age of people who were awakening due to the continual increase of mana density in the planet's atmosphere. 

In contrast, all Proximians had been awakeners from the outset, so their numbers remained constant.

Ross...