Chapter 698: Arrival at the Predator Homeworld
The pressure was being applied with surgical precision.
The efficiency of the RDA's field operations visibly plummeted, and morale began to waver. Colonel Quaritch faced mounting pressure from the board of directors regarding security costs and production losses. He began to more seriously evaluate the "Seekers" as potential collaborators or a mercenary force, though his pride and suspicion kept him hesitating.
Within the Na'vi clans, Sutai's status gradually rose due to her "steady" advocacy, while the radical faction's momentum suffered following successive losses and setbacks. More importantly, an invisible doubt began to spread: why did the attacks always accurately pinpoint specific targets? Was there a problem from within?
This suspicion further undermined the radical faction's influence.
Following Ryo's instructions, Maine's squad continued to provide "limited" assistance to the Na'vi—usually early warnings and information sharing, with occasional area sweeps after a "Predator" attack occurred. This maintained Sutai's connection with the Seekers while deliberately avoiding truly resolving the threat.
The help the Na'vi received was a drop in the bucket; the overarching sense of crisis persisted.
Everything was developing precisely in the direction Ryo had designed. Pandora was being slowly and firmly wound up by an invisible hand.
While the situation on Pandora advanced according to script, the Predator mothership, having traversed the vast sea of stars via jumps based on its native navigation data, quietly arrived at the fringes of the target star system.
Inside the bridge, Farseer Irian and Techmarine Cassius stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the gradually enlarging planet on the main screen.
It was a planet with a dark red hue. Large expanses of brown landmasses and dark oceans were visible on its surface, with ice caps at the poles and a somewhat murky atmosphere. From a distance, there was no dazzling glow of civilization, fitting the hypothesis that a martial race would lean toward dispersed, concealed settlements.
"Initiate full-spectrum passive scanning. Release psychic probes at minimum power, for sensory feedback only," Irian ordered in a low voice.
The Eldar technicians operated the intricate instruments, and several probes quietly extended from the mothership's hull. Simultaneously, several shuttle-sized wraithbone constructs were ejected. Emitting almost no energy signatures, they drifted toward the planetary orbit like cosmic dust.
The human sensor arrays were also activated in sync, gathering physical data such as electromagnetic spectrums and background radiation.
"Multiple low-orbit signal sources detected, suspected to be defense satellites or space stations. Sparsely distributed, but covering critical orbital arcs. No signs of large-scale fleet assembly," an Eldar scout reported.
"Surface scans detect multiple high-intensity but discretely distributed energy reaction points. They do not match the characteristics of large settlements or industrial facilities; they are more likely individual armories or ritual sites. No obvious urbanized energy network covering large areas found," Techmarine Cassius analyzed the readings on his data-slate.
This slightly deviated from their expectations. The Predator civilization's technology tree seemed heavily skewed toward individual armaments, hunting tools, and spacecraft technology, rather than large-scale ground infrastructure or high-density habitation.
"Gravitational readings are stable. Planetary axial tilt and orbital parameters have been recorded. Beginning to map the planetary internal mass distribution model to calculate primary gravitational equilibrium points and weak spots." Irian remained focused on his primary objective.
Moving a planet was by no means as simple as dragging it from point A to point B. It was akin to pulling a specific block from a complex Jenga tower; one had to preemptively calculate the impact of its extraction and its placement in a new location on the overall gravitational structure of both the original and the new star systems.
The ancient Eldar rites could handle this level of intervention into the fabric of reality, but only if provided with extremely precise "blueprints" and "construction points."
The mothership maintained absolute silence, moving slowly in a distant orbit far from the planet, conducting a comprehensive scan that lasted for days.
The released psychic probes acted like invisible tentacles, gently brushing across the planet's exosphere, perceiving the "texture" of space and traces of potential artificial constructs.
Finally, Irian pointed to a vast mountainous region in the planet's northern hemisphere with relatively complex energy readings. "Here. The spatial structure is relatively 'soft,' the geological history is stable, and it is far from major energy nodes."
"More importantly, the planetary mass distribution beneath this region has a natural 'bulge,' which can serve as an ideal initial leverage point for the rite to exert force. Establishing a spatial anchor here will result in relatively controllable cascading gravitational disturbances, making subsequent stabilization work much easier."
He pulled up a complex psychic mathematical model to demonstrate. "Preliminary calculations show that if we initiate a dimensional displacement from this point, the orbital shift of the primary planets in the original system will remain within acceptable parameters. It will take approximately three to five thousand years for a significant chaotic trend requiring artificial intervention to emerge."
"As for placing it at the predetermined coordinates on the edge of the Death World star system designated by Honored Ryo, the impact on the new system can be nullified by preemptively deploying gravitational equilibrium arrays."
Techmarine Cassius reviewed all the physical data. His logic core processed for a moment before he nodded in approval. "Data link is complete; risk assessment is within predetermined thresholds. This region simultaneously satisfies the requirements for establishing a concealed outpost, conducting deep scans, and serving as the starting point for future 'construction'."
"I recommend proceeding to the next step: dispatch a ground team to physically confirm the geological stability of the anchor region and deploy the initial beacons."
"Agreed," Irian said. "I shall lead two Pathfinders and one Howling Banshee for the ground survey. Techmarine, please remain on the ship with the other Astartes to maintain orbital overwatch and communication relays. Once the mobile wraithbone beacon we carry is activated, it will establish an initial resonant link with the ship's main probes and the rite core back on Pandora, paving the way for the subsequent massive power projection."
The plan was set.
A compact assault craft, utilizing psychic camouflage and mimicking a Predator design, was silently deployed from the mothership's underbelly. Carrying Irian and three Eldar elites, it descended toward the surface of that dark red hunter homeworld like a piece of falling meteor debris, gliding precisely toward the selected mountainous anchor point.
Far away on Pandora, Ryo received the phased report and the anchor coordinates transmitted by the recon team.
Standing before the star map, looking at the newly annotated details beside the point of light representing the Predator homeworld, he knew the most critical "positioning" phase of the plan was nearing completion.
Simultaneously, the Eldar "actors" left behind on Pandora had just finished another "precise raid" against an RDA logistics convoy, ingeniously leaving behind forged clues pointing to a neutral Na'vi clan.
Both ends of the chessboard were advancing in accordance with his established tempo under his watchful gaze.
The season of harvest was approaching.