Chapter 762: Far Star United's Contact
Dr. Hanson looked up, meeting Raynor's eyes directly: "If possible, I hope to stay on the Hyperion temporarily. My expertise and research capabilities might be of help. Besides, you guys... shouldn't be stopping here, right? I've heard of 'Raynor's Raiders.' You are not the type to turn a blind eye to a distress signal."
Raynor and Matt exchanged a look. Matt nodded slightly.
"You are right, Doctor," Raynor sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We really can't just leave it alone. Matt has already received at least three new distress signals from different fringe colonies. The Swarm's advance is too fast; many places simply don't have time to organize an effective defense."
"We need to help more people evacuate," Matt added, bringing up the data-slate on his wrist. "But resources are a realistic constraint. The Hyperion's space, supplies, and medical capacity are all limited. We need to prioritize the colonies that still have a chance of being saved, and our operations must be highly efficient."
"I can help optimize the evacuation process, especially the medical and biodefense aspects," Dr. Hanson said immediately. "Additionally, my research into Swarm behavior patterns might help predict their primary attack targets, allowing us to avoid their main forces and buy time."
Valerie silently noted all of this down. Civilian evacuations, Swarm advances, Dominion retractions—this information was all crucial. She needed to report to Ryo immediately.
More importantly, Dr. Hanson had decided to stay. This provided an excellent, continuous opportunity for contact.
"If the Doctor needs a temporary laboratory or research equipment, Far Star United might be able to provide some assistance," Valerie offered at the right moment. "Our security team brought some portable analytical instruments. While not as good as a formal lab, they are more advanced than basic equipment. Consider it a bit of support for our partners."
Dr. Hanson looked at Valerie. The wariness in her eyes lessened, replaced by gratitude and anticipation.
"That would be greatly appreciated, Miss Valerie. Any equipment assistance will accelerate the research process."
"Also," Valerie mentioned seemingly casually, "you mentioned earlier that the Swarm is attacking multiple colonies simultaneously. Have you noticed if they are specifically targeting certain locations? For example... areas rich in specific minerals or containing special ruins? When our company conducts risk assessments, we need to consider if the Swarm's attacks have a specific pattern or objective."
The question was posed naturally, fitting her identity as a "risk assessor."
But in reality, Valerie was probing to see if Dr. Hanson knew more about the Artifact or similar Xel'Naga relics—the things Raynor and Tychus were searching for.
Dr. Hanson thought for a few seconds and shook her head.
"From the current observation data, the Swarm's attacks do not seem to have a clear resource orientation. They devour all organic matter and alter the environment to suit themselves. If I had to say, densely populated colonies are indeed priority targets because they are rich in biomass resources. As for special ruins... I have no relevant reports."
She paused and added: "However, the Swarm's actions sometimes exhibit a perplexing purposefulness, not entirely like simple predation. This requires more research."
Valerie nodded and did not press further. Information needed to be gathered slowly.
The brief conversation concluded.
Dr. Hanson went to assist the medical team with the wounded, Raynor and Matt headed to the bridge to plan their next move, and Valerie returned to her temporary cabin.
She locked the door, activated her encrypted communication device, and reported the situation to Ryo.
"Dr. Hanson is confirmed to be staying on the Hyperion. She possesses high-level biological expertise, has studied the Swarm extensively, and holds a strong interest in Earth Sphere technology. As per your instructions, I have indicated that we can provide some biotechnological data to establish a connection."
She paused slightly and continued her report: "The Raynor team's next course of action is responding to distress signals from other colonies to conduct civilian evacuations. There is currently no clear information regarding the location of the next Artifact fragment. Dr. Hanson appears unaware of this. I will continue observing and attempt to acquire relevant intelligence from Raynor or Tychus."
Soon, Ryo's reply arrived. The directive was concise and clear: "Maintain current contact strategy. Provide Tier-1 non-core technical data to Dr. Hanson and observe her reaction. Continue monitoring the Raynor team's movements; Artifact fragment intelligence remains the priority. You may appropriately utilize Dr. Hanson as an information channel, but exercise caution."
Attached to the reply was an encrypted data packet. After decrypting it, Valerie found summaries and partial theoretical explanations of several biotechnologies.
She scanned through them quickly. These technologies did not seem particularly earth-shattering to her; they primarily focused on highly efficient genetic sequencing algorithms, rapid simulations of specific protein structures, and a nanofiber-based cell culture scaffold design.
Just as Ryo said, the level was average, but the concepts were somewhat novel, differing from the common tech trees in the Koprulu Sector.
Valerie compiled these materials into a briefing document that appeared professional but contained no core secrets, storing it on her data-slate.
She walked over to the simple workbench in her cabin and began planning her next moves.
Dr. Hanson was a valuable lead; the relationship needed to be maintained and deepened.
Raynor and Tychus were the keys to the Artifact fragment intelligence; she needed to wait patiently for an opportunity.
As for herself, she had to continue playing the role of the Far Star United Commercial Representative on this ship full of variables, while gathering more information for the Eternal Seeker regarding this sector, the Swarm, and those mysterious relics.
The Hyperion sailed smoothly through the sea of stars, carrying survivors, along with their respective secrets and goals, heading toward the next battlefield in need of rescue.
Two days later, the Hyperion was en route to its next target colony—an agricultural world named Tal'Deria.
Life on the ship gradually settled into a temporary, stable rhythm.
The civilians were settled in expanded living quarters, and Dr. Hanson and her assistants cordoned off a small area on the medical deck as a temporary research lab.
Although the ship had a formal research lab, it still needed to be cleared out, so Dr. Hanson had not moved in yet.
Valerie chose a relatively quiet time and brought her prepared data-slate to Dr. Hanson's temporary lab.
The lab space was small, consisting of a few mobile workbenches, an older biological microscope scavenged from the ship's storage, and some basic reagents and sample storage containers.
Dr. Hanson was leaning over the microscope, observing a sample of suspected Swarm spores collected from the clothing of an Agria casualty.
Her two assistants were recording data on the side.