The area housing the experimental subjects was even quieter.
They wore uniform gray training attire, possessed robust physiques, and their eyes held an instilled determination alongside a silent regard for the unknown.
A Tech-Priest read the mission summary to them: they would deploy as a vanguard testing unit into an alien world containing multiple hostile organisms, with the operational objective defined as "combat evaluation and data acquisition."
There were no further explanations, nor did they require any.
Obeying directives and fulfilling tasks was the core logic hardwired into the deepest layers of their cognition.
Valerie crossed the dimensional channel, arriving smoothly at Nexum base.
Looking travel-worn but moving efficiently, she reported directly to the command center.
The second avatar was already waiting for her.
"Situation briefing." The second avatar offered no pleasantries, bringing up Jim Raynor's profile and data on the planet Mar Sara.
"Your directive is to serve as our primary liaison window with the target individual, Jim Raynor, and his organization.
Establish contact, secure localized intelligence on the theater, trace the distribution of major factions, and specifically gather detailed telemetry regarding the Zerg threat.
Evaluate the reliability, combat strength, and potential utility of Raynor and his outfit.
Maintain a low profile, avoiding premature exposure of our scale and true intent.
You may utilize a cover identity as independent prospectors or technical groups from other colonies; handle the specific field nuances based on live conditions."
Valerie analyzed the data carefully, her eyes—honed by the darkest corners of Night City—rapidly parsing the information.
"Jim Raynor...
insurgent leader, decadent middle-aged man, frequents bars.
A person like this is either a genuine waste or a dangerous figure hiding his true thoughts.
We need to probe his background and real motives.
Telemetry on the Swarm is the primary focus; securing direct coordinates of Zerg operational zones and hive locations holds the highest value."
"Correct," the second avatar confirmed.
"During the initial phase, you will carry a compact communications relay to infiltrate Mar Sara ahead of the main force and establish contact with Raynor.
The auxiliary support and testing detachments will choose an appropriate window and methodology to intervene once sufficient intelligence is secured.
You hold authorization to request limited orbital support or extraction during emergencies, but you must minimize any exposure of our presence."
"Understood." Valerie nodded.
"I need local currency, clothing matching the local style, and a few gadgets capable of quickly building trust or extracting data.
For weaponry, a concealable compact laser pistol and some non-lethal gear will suffice.
Too much noise will compromise the operation."
"All have been prepared.
Retrieve them from the logistics division." The second avatar pulled up an authorization slate.
"You have forty-eight hours to prepare, including mastering all known intelligence, drafting an initial contact plan, and adapting to potential environmental variances.
Depart with the vanguard reconnaissance team in forty-eight hours."
"Sufficient." Valerie turned and walked away, her stride steady.
To her, this was simply another operation requiring meticulous planning and execution; the target had shifted from a corporate executive in Night City to a decadent insurgent leader, but the essence remained identical.
---
Aboard the Eternal Seeker, Osiris's prime persona completed the final inspections of all warship systems.
The primary weapon system checks cleared, leaving the planet-killing armaments in a standby launch status.
The dimensional navigation systems maintained a stable harmonic bond with the Pandora Gate, and the translation parameters were loaded.
Fabrication facilities and resource stockpiles were verified.
Inside the shipboard hangars, several compact aircraft configured for reconnaissance and rapid deployment stood ready.
The crew and resident Tech-Priests entered absolute standby status.
He returned to the bridge, standing before the massive viewport.
Outside lay the barren orbital expanse of Nexum, and in the distance, the relocated Yautja homeworld gleamed a dark red under the starlight.
"Report the final status of personnel and materiel," Osiris's prime persona commanded via the encrypted channel.
"Unit-01 is retrofitted, and the pilot is ready.
The one thousand Skitarii have assembled, clearing their final equipment audits.
The twenty-three experimental subjects remain stable and have concluded their tactical briefings.
Valerie has received her directive and is completing her pre-departure preparations.
All assets are projected to complete embarkation within forty hours," the second avatar's report arrived.
"The Eternal Seeker is prepared, cleared to initiate the dimensional translation sequence at a moment's notice," Osiris's prime persona responded.
"Per the operational parameters, all personnel will complete embarkation in forty hours, at which point we will initiate maneuvers toward the coordinates of the Dimensional Gate.
The translation sequence will initiate within twelve hours following the conclusion of embarkation."
"Understood.
I shall oversee the final embarkation protocols and maintain supervisory duties at Nexum base once all assets have transferred," the second avatar stated.
The transmission concluded.
Osiris's prime persona brought up the final iteration of the operational schedule, reviewing every link once more.
This deployment differed from past squad-level explorations.
Transporting a cruiser-class vessel like the Eternal Seeker across dimensions was a validation of the Dimensional Gate's ultimate engineering limits.
Entering a sector containing multiple interstellar civilizations while carrying planet-killing weaponry brought concurrent risks and opportunities.
The Swarm held exceptional value as a testing subject, but improper handling could draw excessive scrutiny or hostility from the Protoss or local human authorities.
Yet the risks fell within calculated limits.
The fire-projection capabilities of the Eternal Seeker were sufficient to counter most conventional threats, and the planet-killing weaponry remained available as a final contingency.
The core objective of the deployment was data acquisition, not conquest or occupation, affording greater strategic flexibility.
His logic core evaluated the potential variables, running through different response models.
Ultimately, all analyses pointed to the feasibility of the operation.
---
Forty hours elapsed amidst final preparations that clicked forward like the teeth of interlocking gears.
Asuka, Valerie, the entire one thousand-man Skitarii regiment, the silent column of experimental subjects, and the red-robed Tech-Priests transferred methodically into the massive hull of the Eternal Seeker via an array of shuttlecraft.
The cruiser, acting as a metallic leviathan, utilized its complex and efficient internal circulation systems to absorb, categorize, and station the newly arrived personnel and materiel into pre-allocated compartments and combat positions.
The entire process proceeded solemnly and silently, with only the hum of servomotors and the low echo of mechanical transmissions vibrating through the corridors.
At Nexum base, the second avatar stood motionless like a sculpture, the cold observation window reflecting the outline of his mechanical form.
Outside, the Eternal Seeker in low orbit slowly detached from its physical docking cradle, smoothly extracting and retracting several thick energy and data conduits.
Across the hull, lighting sequences signifying different zones and operational statuses illuminated in succession, resembling eyes opening as a great beast woke.
Micro-thrusters spat precise directional flares, pushing the multi-kilometer steel fortress into an elegant turn, aligning its bow toward the pre-calculated coordinates within the void at the system's outer rim.
"May the data harvest be bountiful," the second avatar's transmission was brief, mimicking a final checklist item.
"It shall be so," Osiris's prime persona replied from the bridge, equally devoid of redundancy.
Yet beneath the flat electronic synthesis lay an absolute anticipation and command over the unknown testing ground about to open.
The command was issued.
A low, powerful pulse vibrated from deep within the hull of the Eternal Seeker—the resonance of the primary power core drastically increasing its output.
Driven by an immense thrust capable of warping space, the Eternal Seeker accelerated continuously, leaving its anchorage behind as it steered unswervingly toward the dimensional gate connecting to the Koprulu Sector.