Chapter 75: • Remote Fleet Command

Arthur stared at the holographic planet for several seconds before finally speaking.

"Genesis."

She turned toward him.

?Yes, Master??

Arthur’s expression remained serious.

"From everything we’ve deduced so far, isn’t it only logical to conclude that the Empire already has its eyes on me?"

Genesis was silent for a moment before answering.

?Affirmative. Based on the available evidence, it is highly likely that the Empire already suspected you before the incident.?

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

?Otherwise, following a catastrophic incident like the one observed in the vision, the logical response would have been to investigate the circumstances surrounding your survival and potentially commend or promote you for surviving under such conditions. Instead, you were treated as a dangerous threat and sentenced to execution.?

The words immediately brought the image back.

Lyra.

Her lifeless body lying in his arms.

Her blood covering her combat suit, her skin, and her long dark green hair.

Arthur’s teeth clenched.

He quickly looked away from the holographic planet, his jaw tightening as he forced the image out of his mind.

It was becoming increasingly clear what this meant.

He was being watched.

Closely.

And there was one obvious mechanism through which the Empire could accomplish that.

The Neural Link.

It was mandatory for Imperial officers and cadets.

Arthur’s fingers slowly curled into fists.

The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.

So the Empire already had its eyes on him.

And if the events of the vision were anything to go by, they weren’t merely observing him.

They were evaluating him.

Watching him.

Assessing whether he was becoming something they could no longer control.

Arthur’s expression darkened.

For a brief moment, anger burned through him.

So that was why they considered him a threat?

Because he survived?

Because whatever happened during that deployment proved that he possessed enough power to become dangerous to them?

And instead of trying to understand him, they simply decided that the safest solution was to eliminate him.

Arthur gritted his teeth.

"Those NPCs were given two thousand years..."

His voice was low.

"...and now they want to come play God?"

His fists tightened.

"Bullshit."

Genesis’s expression became slightly more serious.

?Master, I advise you to be careful with your words.?

Arthur looked toward her.

?You are being watched.?

Arthur’s expression hardened slightly.

Genesis continued.

?The future you witnessed was a future you would have experienced if you had never seen it. However, now that you have witnessed it, the circumstances surrounding those events have already begun to change.?

Arthur remained silent.

?The probability of the Empire taking action against you even sooner is therefore not outside the realm of possibility.?

Genesis’s gaze remained fixed on him.

?I strongly advise you to tread carefully.?

Arthur sighed.

She was right.

He slowly relaxed his shoulders and allowed the anger in his chest to settle.

After a moment, Arthur looked down at his hand.

He slowly opened and closed his fingers.

"You’re right."

His gaze hardened.

"Right now, I’m practically powerless."

Arthur stared at his hand for another moment.

"I need power."

His fingers slowly curled into a fist.

"Power that eclipses all logical understanding."

Arthur raised his hand.

With a simple wave, the holographic interface of the Fleet Management system appeared before him.

?Fleet Overview?

?Fleet Personnel?

?Fleet Assets?

?Fleet Operations?

?Fleet Communications?

The familiar interface hovered before him.

Genesis looked at the display, then back at Arthur.

?Master, what do you plan to do??

Arthur’s lips slowly curled into a grin.

He looked at the fleet interface.

Then he looked toward Genesis.

"What I’ve always done..."

His grin widened.

"It’s time to play some Interstellar Lords Online."

Arthur tapped the Fleet Communications tab.

The interface immediately changed.

Several new options appeared before him.

?Fleet Communications?

?Issue Directives?

?Open Command Channel?

?Send Fleet-Wide Message?

?Contact Personnel?

?Review Communications?

?Communication Records?

Arthur’s eyes moved across the available options.

His attention quickly settled on the first one.

Arthur’s gaze shifted downward.

?Contact Personnel?

He tapped it.

The interface changed immediately.

A new window appeared before him.

?Personnel Communication?

?Search Personnel?

?Personnel Directory?

?Active Personnel?

?Command Personnel?

?Assigned Fleet Personnel?

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So I can contact them individually."

Genesis hovered beside him, examining the interface.

?It appears that way, Master.?

Arthur tapped the search option and entered a single name.

Octoria.

The system immediately began searching through the personnel database.

A moment later, her profile appeared.

Arthur’s eyes lit up slightly.

"There you are."

He selected Octoria’s profile and pressed Contact.

As the system began establishing the connection, Arthur couldn’t help but mumble to himself.

"This used to be a feature for player-to-player communication..."

He stared at the interface.

His expression became increasingly curious.

"But now..."

"...the feature is working on a character from the game."

He leaned closer to the interface.

"That’s quite the development."

For a moment, Arthur simply stared at the screen.

He had no idea whether the communication feature would actually function the way it had in the game.

After all, this wasn’t really a game anymore.

These were real people.

Arthur’s fingers tightened slightly.

He couldn’t help but hope it actually worked.

....

Octoria was in the middle of the fleet’s training facility.

The massive room was filled with the sounds of machinery, heavy impacts, and exertion.

At the center of it all, Octoria was lifting an absurdly heavy training weight above her head.

Her muscles strained beneath her training clothes as she slowly pushed the weight upward.

"COME ON, OCTORIA!"

"YOU’VE GOT THIS!"

"ONE MORE!"

Several Iron Angels gathered around her were cheering her on, some clapping while others shouted encouragement.

Octoria gritted her teeth.

"NNNGH!"

With one final push, she forced the weight above her head and held it there.

"YES!"

The Iron Angels erupted into cheers.

Octoria lowered the weight back onto the platform with a tremendous BOOM!

She exhaled heavily, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"That was..."

?Octoria, can you hear me??

"Commander?"

Octoria froze.

Her eyes widened.

She slowly looked around.

Nobody nearby had spoken.

"Commander?"

She didn’t see him.

Octoria’s expression became confused.