Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: The Orbital Network and The Quantum Field Emitter

David returned to The Bastion before dawn, shedding the Cloaking Device and the bloodied remnants of the Blackguard confrontation. His body was immaculate; the Nanobots had done their work, expelling the last fragments of the 5.56mm rounds and smoothing the molecular structure of the tissue. He was completely healed, stronger, and more lethal than before.He went straight to the Command Center, finding Marcus Cole still wired on adrenaline and multiple cups of high-octane coffee."Report, Marcus," David commanded, his voice low but demanding."The Orion Satellite Network is ours, Mr. David. The $100 million wired transfer cleared an hour ago. The orbital codes are sitting on this drive." Marcus tapped a secure terminal. "It was aggressive, expensive, and completely over the top. The previous owners are having simultaneous heart attacks and champagne parties."The acquisition of the twelve aging communication satellites pushed David's accumulated spending past the crucial Tier 4 threshold.[DING! Spending Milestone Reached! Total accumulated spending of over $150,000,000!][Level Up! Host is now a Level 6 Global Architect.][Tier 4 Technology Unlocked: [Quantum Field Emitter Blueprint]]David ignored the massive cashback—the balance now hovering near a billion and a half dollars—and immediately focused on the new blueprint.The Shield of Aero CorpThe Quantum Field Emitter Blueprint was the perfect countermeasure. Blackguard Industries relied on two things: untraceable communication and kinetic dominance via their drone fleet. The Emitter negated both.The blueprint detailed a device capable of generating a localized, short-range Tachyon Field, which, while not a true force field, created extreme temporal and spatial disruption.Defensive Application: It could momentarily displace incoming high-velocity projectiles (like missiles or sniper rounds) into a fraction of a second in the future, causing them to harmlessly pass through the intended target area.Offensive Application: When scaled, it could generate a wide-area pulse capable of corrupting advanced digital signals, instantly rendering Blackguard's networked AI drone fleet inert and their secure communications useless.This is the shield, David realized, absorbing the complex physics instantly. The Nanobots handle the ground. The Emitter handles the sky.He immediately summoned Vivian, who was still recovering from the shock of the four Blackguard commandos being dragged out of her old factory."Doctor, the Nanobots are a success. You are now the Chief Technologist of the most advanced company on Earth. Your next task is the Quantum Field Emitter," David stated, projecting the blueprint onto the main display.Vivian gasped, stepping back from the holographic schematics. "Mr. David, this technology—this uses tachyons! It violates every known law of causality! This is not just theoretical physics; it's temporal engineering!""It is necessary," David insisted. "Project Chimera relies on an AI-controlled drone fleet linked by encrypted quantum communications. We need to turn their advanced fleet into useless debris. You have all the materials and funding you need. I want a prototype capable of shielding a single man—me—within three days. And a full-scale version capable of covering this entire Bastion complex within two weeks."Integrating the Orion NetworkWhile Vivian scrambled to comprehend the physics of temporal displacement, David turned his attention to the new orbital assets."Marcus, route the Orion network control through our secure servers here. We are no longer using unsecured fiber optics. We need our own global communications backbone."David, utilizing his Perfect Recall, directed the highly complex process of bringing the aging Orion satellites online. He didn't just activate them; he found the undocumented access ports, rerouted the archaic power conduits, and manually adjusted the orbital trajectories of two satellites using precise, recalled calculations to create a true, global dead zone that Blackguard couldn't penetrate.Within hours, the Bastion Command Center was broadcasting on an untraceable, independent global network. David had secured his communications advantage."The world thinks those satellites are junk," David told Marcus, watching the glowing map of the twelve active satellites. "They are now the eyes and ears of Aero Corp."The Global Counter-Strike PlanDavid projected the full list of names he had retrieved from the Blackguard servers—the financiers behind Project Chimera. They were a cabal of hedge fund managers, energy CEOs, and shadow bankers, all waiting for Blackguard to create the chaos they could profit from."The kinetic threat is being handled by the Nanobots and the Emitter. Now, we eliminate the financial threat," David stated, his voice chillingly absolute. "Marcus, this is your war. You have the names, the bank codes, and the leveraged assets of the primary oligarchs waiting for the chaos. We don't wait for them to launch the coup. We financially destroy them preemptively."David presented his plan, an aggressive synthesis of the financial data and corporate vulnerabilities he had absorbed via his Perfect Recall."We are leveraging the collapse of Titan Energy as our entry point. We will execute a series of coordinated, highly illegal financial attacks designed to create targeted, destabilizing market panic. We want total, instantaneous financial annihilation. No bankruptcy protection. No escape routes."He assigned Marcus the most critical task. "You will create a $500 million phantom hedge fund—completely untraceable, running entirely through our offshore Orion network communications. This fund will target the weak points in their asset portfolio, specifically their hidden holdings in the global silver market and their exposure in sovereign debt futures. I want margin calls that ruin them permanently. And Marcus, I want another $\$100$ million of my cash injected into this operation immediately."Marcus's eyes gleamed with professional ecstasy. "A ghost fund operating outside of global jurisdiction, guided by perfect intelligence? This isn't finance, Mr. David; this is a financial thermonuclear strike. Give me twenty-four hours."David turned to Vivian. "Doctor, your next purchase is essential. The Emitter requires highly specialized, single-crystal Tantalum Carbide. It's extremely rare and heavily controlled by the defense industry. Marcus will handle the acquisition, but I need you to devise a fabrication process that only uses traceable, common industrial materials, just in case they track the Tantalum. We need backup.""You want me to fake the supply chain, Mr. David?" Vivian asked, her face set in determination."I want you to make the enemy believe they know our weakness, when in fact, they will only be tracking our decoys. Aero Corp always operates two steps ahead."David concluded the briefing. He had spent $250 million on technology, infrastructure, and financial warfare over the past few days. The next financial strike would be even bigger, driving his spending past the $\$500$ million mark—a threshold he knew the System would reward with something terrifyingly powerful.He looked at the satellite map, the Earth silently orbiting beneath his control. Blackguard thought they were fighting a businessman. They were about to learn they were fighting a god of technology, supported by a billion-dollar war chest and operating from the darkness of space.