The fact that a mysterious intruder had penetrated the base scared everyone half to death. No damage had been done, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be done again. If this had been a real enemy strike, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
It meant there was a serious security flaw in Deep Space Base No. 2.
Before they even attempted to read the mysterious data box, Blin ordered a full search of the entire base. He personally led a six-hundred-fighter patrol loop around the base perimeter several times.
Nothing turned up. Maybe the intruder had already left. Maybe she was good at concealment or stealth. Wyatt suspected a bio-engineered lifeform like CST—something that could travel through space without a ship. Blin insisted she must have slipped in and out with the mining ships, because a hull that big—and cargo that chaotic—could hide a person far too easily.
…
With no answers, everyone’s attention collapsed onto the palm-sized metal box.
Merc hauled in a terminal. To avoid infecting the base mainframe, he severed the network first, then connected the storage unit in isolation.
When the terminal finished reading, the room went silent.
No one could believe what they were seeing.
Inside was detailed data on every single Phantom Forge base hidden in the Star Ring.
The data showed six bases—twice Julian’s number—spread across Zones Five through Nine. Each entry included location, size, ship distribution, defenses, and affiliated mines and factories. The file set was comprehensive.
And the black box itself was the key: the authorization needed to enter and control the mainframes of all six bases.
Whoever that mysterious girl was, she’d dropped a gift on their doorstep at exactly the moment they needed it most. The meaning was obvious. If they could absorb the nearly two hundred thousand combat units assigned to those bases, they would instantly have the strength to face Edean in open war.
“That’s impossible. This has to be fake,” Little White said, still staring. “How could anything this good happen to us?”
“It’s suspicious, cha-cha-cha,” Blin agreed. “Phantom Forge valued secrecy above everything. Even before it was terminated, this would’ve been top-tier classified. It would never let a subordinate unit learn anything beyond its own scope. Right, Wyatt?”
“Correct,” Wyatt said. “I spent years at Grayrock Base. I didn’t just not know about space bases—I barely understood Bayvalley Base next door.”
“Then if the data is real, there’s only one possibility…” Bit said.
“Phantom Forge itself delivered it,” Merc said.
“But wasn’t Phantom Forge terminated?” Mesha asked.
“Rowan Finch,” Morag said, “are you absolutely sure that wasn’t CST?”
“Absolutely,” Finch said at once. “Professor, you had me help you in the Level 295 lab. I spent days face-to-face with that monster.”
They argued in circles. Every theory felt like it had teeth—and every theory had holes.
In the end, three working possibilities emerged:
1) The information is fake; the sender isn’t Phantom Forge; it’s bait meant to lure them into a trap.
2) The information is real; the sender isn’t Phantom Forge; it’s an unknown party—hostile to Edean or friendly to them—offering help for its own reasons.
3) The information is real; the sender is Phantom Forge; it is handing them forces to fight Edean, but with a hidden failsafe.
Blin made the call, and everyone accepted it.
“Real or fake, integrating Phantom Forge’s bases was always our next move,” he said. “We don’t break our rhythm. We proceed as planned. Two prongs: one team goes to Twinmoon Bay on Lansen to steal Integrity. The other takes this box and verifies the nearest Phantom Forge base. After we get confirmation, we decide what comes next.”
Once the decision was made, preparation became a sprint.
Blin upgraded the base defense system, ordered inspections for every mining ship coming and going, and assigned recon flights to patrol nonstop around the outer perimeter.
Wyatt repaired his own damage. Linneya improved rapidly—by the second day she could get out of bed and walk around. Medications had kept her asleep for two days, and she had no idea she was even inside Deep Space Base No. 2. When Morag removed the bandage over his eyes, he recovered partial vision just as Mesha had predicted.
On the third day, everything was ready, and the operation began.
The team heading for Lansen to seize Integrity consisted of Blin, Wyatt, Merc, and Little White. They took 2 carriers, 3 interstellar cruisers, 6 attack ships, 24 escort ships, 1 refitted rescue ship, and 850 fighters. The freshly repaired Limit served as flagship.
The second team would head to Star Ring Zone Five to check the closest base listed in the black box. That team was Dancer, Dorian, Big Blue, Morag, and Rowan Finch, with 1 battlecruiser, 2 medium carriers, 6 escort ships, 4 scout ships, and 160 fighters.
Bit stayed behind to hold Deep Space Base No. 2. The remaining ships and fighters remained stationed there, ready to support either fleet and guard against incoming threats.
Linneya was still too weak to travel, so she stayed with Mesha.
Free Will—under stealth—moved ahead as vanguard.
Soon after departure, Wyatt received an encrypted message from Cole…