The thunderous hum of the forge halls became constant, echoing across the vast subterranean caverns Carl now considered the heart of his new industrial empire.
He had doubled the number of Forge Units overnight—then tripled them within a week.
No longer simple construction drones, these new Forge Prime Units were modular AI-driven fabricators capable of operating independently in harsh environments. Outfitted with plasma torches, nanite sculptors, and atmospheric sealing tools, they could:
Reinforce orbital towers.
Extend the hangar decks.
Lay armored trackways for turret mounts and artillery spires.
"AI, priority override," Carl ordered. "Divert 40% of mineral supply to complete Erebus' spine and fusion matrix. The rest… goes to planetary defense."
Operation Helios went live.
Massive ground-based laser batteries, embedded into reinforced mountain bunkers and shielded under adjustable armor domes, began construction.
Each Helios Lance could fire a focused particle stream beyond low orbit—enough to puncture light cruiser armor or shear corvettes apart with precision tracking.
Carl watched the targeting alignment through the command tower's HUD interface.
"These won't stop a fleet," he muttered, "but they'll make sure nobody lands uninvited."
Meanwhile, deeper within the orbital drydock, the dreadnought Erebus began to take shape.
Its fusion conduits glowed with soft pulses of Voidite-fed power, massive cannons lined its flanks—some ancient Kethrix particle lances, others retrofitted Terran rail systems.
The internal AI core was nearly operational.
Hybrid.
Self-learning.
Carl had fed it not only his own ship's schematics but also fragments of the alien OS pulled from damaged consoles.
"This isn't just a weapon," he whispered. "It's an ecosystem. A mobile citadel."
But Carl knew one warship wouldn't be enough.
"AI, initiate Naval Project Vulture."
Three parallel production lines activated.
Cargo Fleet
Hull Class: Titan Haulers.
Purpose: Transporting minerals, water, and Voidite across vast distances.
Feature: Modular cargo bays, escort docking clamps, and light railgun turrets for defense and heavy shielding
Battlecruisers
Designation: Argus Class.
Feature: Over 200 metres long with dozens of Rotating turret rings, automated targeting AI, high-capacity reactor cores, 3 heavy shielding systems located throughout the ship each with their own voidite power core making the ship capable of receiving heavy bombardment. Drone bay for handling swarms of small light class ships,
Role: Frontline dominance, able to face dreadnoughts toe-to-toe.
Assault Cruisers
Designation: Hydra Class.
Feature: Swarm management systems, flak dispersers, EMP launchers. Large drone bays that not only handle swarms but can cause problems for ships in a higher class if not fitted with adequate Defense systems. Also has heavy shielding
Role: Clearing corvette groups and escorting heavier vessels.
The underground shipyards expanded into three adjacent drydocks, each with a dedicated fleet of Forge Prime Units and microfoundries refining local alloys mixed with alien composites.
"Start the launch tunnels," Carl ordered. "I want them space-capable in a month."
As the dreadnought's keel glowed with its first internal ignition and the first Hydra cruiser took shape beside it, Carl stood in the operations hub, staring at the scanner array.
The red signal was still approaching. Slower now. Almost… observing.
"Good," he muttered. "Keep watching."
"Because next time you come close, we'll be ready."