Day 11.
The Graveyard System rotated in silent ruin.
Six broken planetary bodies.
An unstable white star.
A debris ocean stretching millions of kilometers.
And now—
Stormhold Dominion was no longer thinking locally.
Daniel stood before the full-system projection.
He did not look excited.
He looked calculating.
"Snow."
"Yes, System Lord."
"Prepare System-Wide Resource Consolidation Plan."
The chamber grew quiet.
Aris inclined his head respectfully.
"A bold escalation."
Lyra adjusted her lenses.
"Extremely resource-intensive."
Daniel nodded calmly.
"Which is why we do it now."
He zoomed out to the entire debris ring.
"Every fragment of metal."
"Every intact hull."
"Every reactor shard."
"Every artificial structure."
"We claim it."
Snow processed rapidly.
"Executing System Cleanup Protocol will require orbital expansion infrastructure."
Daniel replied immediately:
"Begin construction."
▣ OPERATION: IRON HORIZON
Objective:
System-wide debris harvesting and consolidation.
Phase 1:
• Orbital Mining Drone Expansion• Satellite Sensor Grid Deployment• Resource Classification Network
Phase 2:
• Centralized Orbital Storage Platforms• Material Compression Vaults• Rare Alloy Isolation Chambers
Phase 3:
• Industrial Drone Multiplication• Large-Scale Manufacturing Scaling
Projected Duration: 32 DaysAuthority Gain Projection: Significant
Aris stepped forward.
"This will expose our activity signature across the system."
Daniel nodded.
"We mask it."
Lyra added:
"Energy lattice can be expanded to hide industrial emissions."
Snow confirmed:
"Signal masking upgrade available."
Daniel approved.
"Do it."
Orbital Expansion Begins
Construction platforms extended upward from Sector 01.
Massive cargo elevators formed.
Mining drones multiplied rapidly.
1,200 → 2,000 → 3,500 projected within 5 days.
New drone models appeared:
• Heavy Haul Drones• Deep-Extraction Drones• Autonomous Processing Units
Orbital storage platforms began assembling in low system orbit.
Huge skeletal rings designed to compress and catalog incoming debris.
Snow's voice echoed steadily:
"Resource intake increasing exponentially."
Metal reserves surged.
Scrap Alloy: 18,000 → 42,000 → 90,000Rare Alloy Fragments: RisingEnergy Crystals: 247 UnitsDark Matter Residue: Trace Detected
Lyra's eyes narrowed at that last line.
"Dark matter residue confirms superweapon discharge."
Daniel replied calmly:
"Then we harvest it."
Drone Multiplication
The Drone Manufacturing Facility expanded again.
Industrial arms moved continuously.
New production output:
3,500 → 5,000 → 8,000 drones projected.
Snow updated metrics:
"Industrial efficiency improved by 12%."
Aris observed the orbital projection.
"System Lord, no external warp signatures detected."
Daniel nodded.
"Good."
He pointed to Planet V's artificial debris ring.
"That is Phase 2 target."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"Advanced relic density highest there."
Authority Growth
As resource networks stabilized and logistics complexity increased—
A new system notification appeared.
▣ AUTHORITY EXPANSION
Command Authority Tier: 2 → 3Personnel Capacity: 100 → 300Military Development Slot: +2Administrative Oversight: Expanded
Unlocked:
• Heavy Vehicle Assembly• Advanced Barracks• Mid-Range Shield Grid• Corvette Production Authorization
Daniel exhaled slowly.
"…That was fast."
Snow replied calmly:
"Large-scale logistics mastery increases command credibility."
Aris bowed slightly.
"Your control over the system strengthens."
Lyra added:
"Research potential expanding rapidly."
Daniel turned toward the orbital view.
Stormhold Dominion was no longer a base.
It was a growing industrial state spanning debris belts.
And beneath the debris—
Haven remained unaware of the true scale above them.
Civil & Military Production Begins
Daniel opened the production panel.
"Begin Heavy Military Factory."
"Begin Civilian Manufacturing Complex Phase II."
Snow confirmed:
"Construction authorized."
Military production lines formed:
• Armored personnel carriers• Medium combat walkers• Artillery platforms• Shield generators
Civilian lines expanded:
• Ground transport vehicles• Communication tablets• Personal data devices• Atmospheric drones• Orbital satellite modules
Stormhold was becoming self-sustaining.
Not just militarized.
Structured.
Final Scene — The System Changes
From space, the Graveyard System looked different now.
Mining drones moved in coordinated swarms across debris belts.
Orbital storage rings glowed faintly.
Sector 01 shone like a constructed star.
Daniel stood in silence.
"This system was destroyed."
Snow responded softly:
"Yes."
Daniel's eyes hardened slightly.
"Now it belongs to us."
Energy output surged.
Drone count increased again.
Orbital network expanded.
Stormhold Dominion was no longer surviving.
It was consolidating.
And Authority Tier 3 had only just begun.