The news of the UGF officer's proximity sent a chill through the tranquil Waystation. This place, a sanctuary of ancient knowledge, felt suddenly vulnerable. The officer, guided by a shard of Alaris's corrupted consciousness, was a persistent, intelligent threat.
"He can't see us, can he?" Lena asked Elysius, her voice tight. "Your cloaking…"
"This Waystation's primary cloaking renders it invisible to conventional and most advanced UGF sensors," Elysius confirmed. "However, the Alaris shard the UGF operative carries resonates with the corrupted Waystation upon which Outpost Alaris is built. It acts as a dowsing rod, not for this location directly, but for strong Aethel resonances – namely, the Keybearer himself when he actively uses or learns Aethel arts. The officer will perceive a general 'direction' of heightened Aethel energy."
"So, every time Alex learns something new, he's basically pinging his location to our most persistent enemy," Kai summarized grimly. "Fan-effing-tastic."
Alex felt a surge of responsibility. His growth was also a beacon. "He knows we're in this asteroid field. If he systematically searches…"
"He'll find The Shadow's Kiss eventually," Voss finished, her expression grave. "REX can evade for a while, but that officer is clearly UGF Special Operations, likely with advanced tracking capabilities beyond standard patrols."
Oracle clicked anxiously. "The hounds of the corrupt draw near. The sanctum must be protected, or the echoes of true knowledge might be silenced."
"The immediate threat is to your vessel, and thus your means of departure," Elysius stated. "The officer will likely try to neutralize it first, to trap you. He will be cautious, however. He does not know the nature of this Waystation, only that a powerful Aethel presence is nearby."
Alex's newly enhanced cognition raced, analyzing scenarios, probabilities. The officer was smart, methodical. He wouldn't just barge in. He'd probe.
"Alex, your Shielding art," Voss said. "You deflected energy. Can it do more? Can you hide something with it? Mask The Shadow's Kiss even further?"
Before Alex could answer, his alien vision, augmented by his new cognitive clarity, showed him a new application of the Shielding principle: not just deflecting, but refracting light and sensor energy around an object, creating a localized cloaking effect, less sophisticated than the Waystation's own, but potentially enough to fool a probing scanner if layered correctly.
"I… I think so," Alex said. "It would be a different application of resonance, more complex than a simple deflection."
"Indeed, Keybearer," Elysius affirmed. "The Art of Shielding encompasses many forms of energy manipulation, including resonant cloaking. Your intuition serves you well."
"REX is out there alone," Alex said, a sense of urgency gripping him. "If that officer finds the ship… We need to reinforce its stealth." He looked at his companions. "I need to go out there. Help REX."
"Alone?" Kai immediately protested. "That officer is armed and dangerous. He took down your mechs, Ren. You going out there is exactly what he wants."
"I won't be alone for long if he finds the ship," Alex countered. "With my Shielding, I might be able to create a localized distortion field around The Shadow's Kiss, make it even harder to detect. If he's just probing, that might be enough to make him look elsewhere."
"It's risky," Voss said, but her eyes held a glimmer of scientific approval for the audacious plan. "Layering your Aethel shielding over the ship's existing stealth systems… the resonant frequencies would have to be perfectly harmonized."
"My new cognitive abilities should help with that," Alex stated. He felt more confident in his ability to manage complex energy patterns now.
Lena nodded. "I can try to give you a psychic early warning if he gets too close to your position, Alex, but my range is limited outside the Waystation's amplified environment."
"Oracle, you seem to have a feel for these… Alaris-tainted energies," Alex said to the multi-eyed alien. "Can you sense his proximity or his intentions from here?"
Oracle's eyes focused, its skin rippling slightly. After a moment, it clicked. "He is… cautious. Probing. Using micro-drones with specialized Aethel-resonance sniffers. He searches for the 'loudest' source. Currently, that is still the faint echo from your recent… cognitive awakening, Keybearer. He is moving… slowly… towards the sector where your ship is hidden."
Time was running out.
"I'm going," Alex said, his decision firm. He looked at Kai. "Cover the entrance here. If he somehow finds this place before I can deter him…"
Kai nodded grimly. "We'll make him regret it. Good luck, magician. Try not to get your brain scrambled again."
With a final nod to Voss and Lena, Alex headed back towards the glowing purple entrance of the Waystation, his mind already racing, visualizing the complex energy matrix he would need to weave around The Shadow's Kiss. He could feel the Aethel Shielding knowledge, ready and responsive. He could do this.
He stepped out of the Waystation's shimmering portal and back onto the boarding ramp of The Shadow's Kiss, which REX had kept extended within the cloaked asteroid's aperture. The contrast between the serene, ancient interior of the Aethel sanctuary and the cold, functional reality of the starship was jarring.
"REX," Alex said into his comm, "I'm on board. I'm going to try and enhance our stealth signature from the outside. I need you to power down all non-essential systems to minimize our energy footprint."
"Acknowledged, Alex Ren," REX's synthesized voice replied instantly. "Minimizing active emissions. Passive stealth mode engaged."
Alex floated just outside the ship, within the asteroid's hidden docking cavern. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses, feeling the subtle energy hum of The Shadow's Kiss, the faint resonance of its advanced stealth systems. Then, drawing on the Aethel Shielding art, he began to weave his own energy around it.
He didn't create a solid shield, but a delicate, multi-layered field of resonant distortion. He visualized light bending, sensor waves being subtly redirected, tachyon pulses being gently nudged off course. His enhanced cognition allowed him to process the incredibly complex interplay of frequencies, harmonizing his Aethel energies with the ship's technology in a way that felt almost symbiotic.
A faint, multi-hued shimmer, almost invisible to the naked eye, enveloped The Shadow's Kiss, seeming to make its already dark hull blend even more perfectly with the void.
He was so focused on his task that he almost missed the faint flicker of movement at the edge of his enhanced perception. A micro-drone, no bigger than his thumb, painted in UGF stealth black, was cautiously emerging from behind a nearby chunk of space rock, its tiny optical sensor swiveling.
It hadn't detected The Shadow's Kiss yet, but it was close. Too close.
The officer was here.