---
Deep beneath the waves, U-01 Shade moved like a shadow.
Powered by its AIP drive, the submarine drifted through the pitch-black waters of Sector Omega-7 at a slow, methodical pace. No light. No active sonar. Only passive sensors and carefully modulated ballast to stay invisible. The thermal layer here was thick—perfect cover for a recon operation.
> MISSION: DEEP REACH
Objective: Investigate Omega-7 Coordinates (Designated Echo Station)
Depth: 5,200 meters
Risk Level: High
Reeve watched the telemetry from Fort Sentinel's sonar command center, where the ocean's acoustic data scrolled like scripture across blue-lit screens. KRIEG, the AI operating Shade, relayed sensor inputs through encrypted relays.
> DESCENT STATUS: Nominal
Hull Integrity: 98%
Power Core: 73% (AIP Mode)
The descent had taken hours, slipping past thermal gradients and microcurrents until the hull pressure reached levels no civilian sub could survive. The coordinates pulled from the orbital descent module had pointed here—somewhere even pre-collapse navies had avoided.
Then the ghostly structure appeared.
---
"Jesus," Keira muttered from the control room, watching the rendered sonar feed.
The Echo Station wasn't a ship.
It was a base.
Domed pressure modules. Spiral towers. Power arrays built into the seafloor. It stretched across a shelf like a sunken city, part-military, part-laboratory.
> FACILITY STATUS: DORMANT
Structural Integrity: 67%
Power Signature: Minimal (Emergency Nodes Active)
> DEFENSE SYSTEM DETECTED – INACTIVE Designation: Autonomous Undersea Drone (A-UHD Class)
KRIEG approached with caution, launching a tethered drone from Shade's dorsal bay. The probe floated toward the main dome's entry hatch, illuminating etchings across its surface:
> "ECHO-CTRL – NAVAL BLACK SITE OMEGA-7 – AUTH ACCESS ONLY"
Inside, the environment remained sealed. Light flickered from internal capacitors, and as the drone touched down, the station's ancient defense systems stirred.
> ALERT: TARGET ACQUISITION – A-UHD ONLINE
---
Back in Fort Sentinel, alarms lit the screen.
"Enemy contact!" Keira called. "Defensive drone activated! It's targeting the probe!"
"Order KRIEG to pull back the drone and prepare torpedoes," Reeve snapped.
> LAUNCH SEQUENCE INITIATED
Torpedoes: 2x DM2A4 Range: 1,200m
The drone charged with pulse propulsion, rapid and erratic, weaving through currents. The first torpedo missed.
The second hit it square in the midsection.
> CONFIRMED KILL – HOSTILE DESTROYED
Damage Report: Minor debris strike – no system failure
With the threat neutralized, KRIEG resumed infiltration.
---
Inside Echo Station, the vault opened.
> CORE ACCESS GRANTED
System Boot: Naval OS v12.1 (Legacy Root)
Data Streams: Fragmented – Stabilizing
The recovered memory banks were vast. Reeve scrolled through the first screen.
> ARCHIVAL CONTENT: – Blueprint Series: AEGIS Combat System (Tier II-III) – Hull Frame Design: Destroyer-Class Hybrid (Guided Missile + ASW) – Power Tech: Miniaturized Reactor (Tier III-Compatible) – Tactical Package: Multi-Grid Command Tree AI (Fleet Management Module)
Keira looked stunned.
"This place wasn't just a listening post. It was a design hub."
Reeve nodded. "Before the Collapse, they planned to standardize autonomous destroyer squadrons. We're looking at their beta site."
He flagged the destroyer framework and mini-reactor data for immediate duplication.
> NEW BUILD PATH UNLOCKED: "Bulwark" – Heavy Destroyer-Class Estimated Resource Requirements:
Steel: 6,000
Electronics: 4,000
Gold: 750
Assembly Time: 24 Hours (Post-Drydock Tier III Upgrade)
---
As KRIEG secured the AI package and began uplinking logs, another anomaly triggered.
> UNREGISTERED SIGNAL: LOCAL
Source: Deep Chamber
Reeve's brows lifted. "What else is buried down there?"
A separate access tunnel revealed a sealed chamber. Inside were six pods—tall, humanoid-sized, cryo-marked, with faded insignias.
> CONTENTS: – Human DNA Signatures Detected
– Vital Status: Unknown (Stasis Unstable) – AI Markings: "TACTICAL BOND – PROTOCOL BLACKCROWN"
"People," Keira whispered. "They left people down there."
Reeve was silent.
"Mark it. We'll need a specialized team for extraction. But whatever 'Blackcrown' is... it wasn't meant to die with this place."
---
By the time U-01 began ascent, the sun was setting over Fort Sentinel. The upload completed. Echo Station was designated an official forward base node.
> BASE NODE ESTABLISHED: ECHO STATION
Function: Passive Sensor Grid + Archive Node + R&D Module
Logistics Link: Pending (Requires Fuel Route & Satellite Uplink)
Reeve stood by the strategy table as the files scrolled across his screen.
Project NEMEAN had just gained teeth.
---
[End of Chapter Eighteen]