Hive mind Beyond the veil

The command centre was colder than usual, the artificial atmosphere cycling slower, and lights dimmed to combat eye strain. The faint hum of machinery vibrated beneath their boots, a reminder that they had to stay alert and be at optimal readiness.

CT-771B stood at the primary terminal, gloved fingers hovering above the holo screen. His gaze flicked between cascading data streams as red indicators multiplied.

"CT-772B, confirm orbital readouts," he said, voice clipped and professional.

"Confirmed," 772B responded from across the room. "Station twenty-two is switching to code amber. Laser defences charging all five defence satellites have moved into new positions along the geosynchronous grid."

CT-773B walked past, muttering as he reviewed another data slate. "Long-range sensors have begun scrubbing deep-field static. They picked up BCU's movement within our defensive edge. They're small for now—just advanced scouts."

"They'll send more," said 774B, stepping forward. His tone was harsh. "Always starts with scouts. Then more ships. Then a great tide of missiles. We've seen the same probing attacks too many times."

CT-775B sat at the comms panel, fingers dancing over keys. "Auto-fabricators are still keeping up with our production quotas. Orders to ramp to three-hundred and fifty per cent production confirmed. All facilities are within wear-and-tear tolerances. But an increase in overheating."

CT-776B leaned against the wall, arms folded. "We'll burn through our coolant reserves in two weeks at that rate."

"We won't last two weeks if we don't," 771B countered. "Redirect more shuttle shipments to our orbital defences. Reinforce the fourth fleet first they have the most damage."

CT-777B glanced up from his surveillance panel. "Orbital fleet assets are moving into alignment. Fifth fleet Tarsus, Erakhal, and Spire-of-Ice have shifted from passive standby to ready mode. Their defensive networks are now ready to engage."

CT-778B added, "Anti-orbital laser grids across four sectors are syncing to orbital command's fire control relays. Local V.I. estimates 81.4% coverage efficiency in current atmospheric conditions."

The team fell silent for a moment as they processed the data. The scale of the mobilization was undeniable.

"With our current conditions, we might lose orbital supremacy soon," 774B finally said. "Our level of preparedness isn't ready for this amount of strain yet."

"And with their numbers increasing, there's going to be a breach soon," said 772B flatly.

CT-771B turned toward the largest holo screen, which displayed Veridia's orbit: a cluster of orbital stations slowly moving to reinforce a section of the planet. Five fleets formed the bulk of their defensive network, with the fifth acting as a reserve.

"New orders have just come through," 771B said. "Every facility that can produce more should be at full capacity, to increase production to four hundred per cent. Assign monitoring drones to each factory cluster. Any unit exceeding stress thresholds by more than 12% is flagged for manual inspection."

CT-773B looked up… "That's going to stress our entire system. Can we even handle any going offline"

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"Orders are orders," 775B replied. "We're ramping up production for ground defences now. We expect to lose total orbital supremacy soon."

CT-776B frowned. "That's still a gamble to play. We have enough ordinance to glass the entire surface wherever it lands".

"Calculations have shown we're still losing," said 771B. "It's best to go down swinging, killing as many as we can. We've lost already, this is all a last stand."

CT-777B glanced at the feed showing the orbit. "True. Has Overseer Aegirarch said anything new?"

"No, nothing new," 773B replied. "We've received the same orders, to increase drone production and prepare for a long siege. He's been quiet since."

A soft chime echoed through the room. One of the terminals flashed.

"More movement at the Ebon ring group," 778B reported. "Same formation as last time, forty-three ships coming in fast."

CT-775B began encoding the alert message. "All stations in Veridia's orbit are now on code red. Distribute fire control data to every command node. Assign V.I. combat routines to all defensive networks."

CT-774B said, "And reroute power from surface facilities to ground batteries. If we're doing this, we're doing it clean."

CT-771B watched as the maps updated, the movement of ships flowing like digital ink across black space. Lines curled into interception arcs, and ghostly simulations projected the next two hours of activity. The enemy would arrive in one hour if they maintained their current acceleration.

When the attack finally came, it followed the same grim pattern.

A swarm of missiles burst from the darkness, screaming across space toward their position. The fleet and orbital stations had already shifted from passive observation to full alert.

Laser defence grids lit up the void, forming intricate webs of light, cutting down the incoming projectiles before they could strike.

But this wave was just the beginning.

Over the next two hours, fresh barrages came from multiple vectors. Each new assault escalated in intensity as if testing the limits of their endurance.

Three orbital stations weren't fast enough.

One was struck dead centre—its fusion core went critical and flared out in silence, the fireball rapidly snuffed by the vacuum. The others were shredded, spinning apart as debris sprayed outward, chunks of reinforced alloy and shattered systems tumbling toward Veridia's surface like falling stars.

"Pull all shuttle pilots from all duties," 771B ordered. "All of them. Get all shuttles prepared. We need to clear the debris."

"All of them?" 772B asked.

"Yes, all of them. I want them all to clear the debris we can't have interference in the midst of battle. We'll halt all resupply runs for the next few hours" He paused. "Have ground crews start mobilizing to hunt down the debris. We don't want any surprises."

CT-773B nodded and updated the order files.

"Have them burn the surrounding area of the impact zone," 777B added. "I don't want anything foreign starting to grow"

For a moment, silence returned to the chamber, filled only by the sound of humming systems and distant alarms.

CT-776B stared at the main screen. "With the intensity of the attacks, we may see them breach and make planet fall soon. What do you expect the fighting to be like?"

CT-778B didn't look away. "Brutal, I've seen the videos. So long as there's one of us left standing, will give them a headache."

CT-771B's voice was calm but heavy, "We'll kill as many as we can before they take us down."

———

Having the dreamscape generate a one-to-one simulation of the ongoing battle stirred something deep—memories of old war games I used to play.

But this was different. I wasn't a player any more. I was an observer… a god peering into the battlefield, watching my plans unfold through the eyes of multiple drones.

Still, the dreamscape proved invaluable. It let me visualize the weaknesses in their newly softened lines, some were ripe for exploitation. They were already sending shuttles to clear debris and recover wreckage.

I ordered the next wave—one hundred and fifty ships, to converge on that breach. The goal was to widen the gap, stretch it thin, and angle a second strike to hammer into their fifth fleet from an unexpected vector.

Their reserves had to be destroyed early. If I could crush them now, the rest would crumble under weight and attrition.

I returned my focus to the Neskar's. Their production had ramped up after I repurposed all remaining Ghost Maws, their biomass and internal structures broken down to feed its growing appetite. I'd also begun cycling in Zhyrraak units to be sacrificed and reprocessed to accelerate production cycles.

It worked.

The first ten were nearly complete. Once the first was done, I would send it to Imreth to test its planetary descent under high gravity and dense atmospheric pressure. If it passed, I'd deploy it to the front to test its full combat payload against the most fortified enemy bastions.

Meanwhile, I was already expanding my reach. The tunnelling and expansion efforts across Imreth, Morrath, Ivinal, and Kordar were progressing faster than expected. The construction sub-mind had already excavated tunnel networks that matched half the size of Phaedra's lava tubes with a new larger design of the burrower drone.

Within the coming year, I'd have a planetary-scale infrastructure covering subterranean networks, mining hubs, and massive growth chambers.

In the future, the deeper caverns I create would help with fleet production, I began preparing to design larger growth pods for even larger ship classes. The mineral veins beneath every colony were already being harvested, their metals destined for hulls, spines, and weapons.

And still, part of my mind—ever restless—kept working on new weapon prototypes. I was ready to test one soon. If successful, it might open multiple breaches across their defensive perimeter. Perfect for bleeding them out… and for letting me through early.

I pity the clones who will face my full might they stand in my way of getting Aegirarch.