Chapter 291: Chapter 289 — Authority
Chapter 289 — Authority
Half an hour passed.
During that time, Gaius remained seated inside the living room, quietly reviewing every report available regarding the Covenant.
Fleet engagements.
Colony losses.
Known Covenant tactics.
Historical battles.
Anything that could help him better understand the enemy before they arrived.
He read through report after report without interruption, carefully building a clearer picture of the war humanity had been fighting for decades.
The Covenant possessed overwhelming technological superiority in many areas.
Orbital supremacy.
Powerful energy shielding.
Highly disciplined fleets.
Entire colonies had disappeared because humanity simply could not contest them in space.
Understanding the enemy was the first step toward defeating them.
Then, his communicator activated.
A familiar tone echoed through the room.
The incoming call displayed Commander Osman.
Gaius accepted immediately.
A hologram appeared above the communicator.
Commander Osman looked back at him.
"Gaius."
Gaius inclined his head slightly.
"Commander."
Osman didn’t waste time.
"I spoke with Admiral Parangosky."
The room became quiet.
Everyone nearby instinctively turned their attention toward the conversation.
Gaius remained silent, waiting.
Osman continued.
"She agreed."
That simple statement immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Osman looked directly at Gaius.
"Not only military authority."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Admiral Parangosky is granting you authority over Cascade’s preparations."
"Military."
"Industrial."
"Civilian."
"Everything related to preparing the colony for a Covenant attack."
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Mindy’s eyes widened slightly.
Even she hadn’t expected authority on that scale.
Giving someone operational control over an entire colony was not something done casually.
Then Osman spoke again.
"There is one condition."
Gaius remained silent.
"The evacuation of civilians is the highest priority."
"If necessary, resources allocated to military preparations are to be redirected toward evacuation."
The room waited for his answer.
Gaius considered her words for several moments.
Then he gave a small nod.
"That is what I will do."
He accepted the condition without hesitation.
If this had been the Imperium, the decision would have been different.
Entire planetary populations were rarely evacuated.
Instead, civilians would be moved into shelters.
Fortresses.
Massive underground bunkers.
Defensive hive cities.
The war would still be fought.
And if there was not enough time, then there simply was not enough time.
Resources would never be diverted toward evacuating billions of civilians.
But this was not the Imperium.
Humanity here was different.
They did not possess millions of inhabited worlds stretching across the galaxy.
Every colony destroyed weakened them.
Every civilian killed permanently reduced their already dwindling population.
From a purely strategic standpoint, preserving humanity itself was the logical decision.
Osman gave a slow nod.
"The authorization documents have already been transmitted."
"Effective immediately, every military and civilian organization on Cascade has been instructed to cooperate with your requests."
Gaius nodded once.
"Good."
He rose from his chair.
His massive frame immediately drew everyone’s attention.
"There is no reason to delay."
"The evacuation begins now."
For the first time since learning that the Covenant might attack Cascade—
Preparations officially began.
Now that authority had been granted, waiting served no purpose.
Gaius immediately activated his communicator again.
This time, he contacted Marcus.
The connection was established within seconds.
Marcus’ hologram appeared.
"Gaius."
"I have already received the orders from above."
"You now have authority over Cascade."
He looked at Gaius expectantly.
"What can I help you with?"
Gaius answered immediately.
"I want every available civilian transport prepared."
Marcus nodded.
"I want all personnel informed that evacuation procedures are beginning."
"Every spacecraft capable of transporting civilians is to be catalogued."
He continued without pause.
"I require their passenger capacity."
"Cargo capacity."
"Operational range."
"And current location."
Marcus’ expression immediately became serious.
The evacuation was no longer a possibility being discussed.
It was happening.
"I’ll begin immediately."
Gaius nodded.
"Good."
Then he continued.
"I also want every construction vehicle, engineering team, and industrial asset catalogued."
Marcus paused.
"The evacuation isn’t your only priority."
"No."
Gaius answered calmly.
"The civilians will leave."
"But Cascade will still be defended."
Marcus immediately understood.
Evacuation alone would not be enough.
Bunkers needed to be constructed.
Defensive positions prepared.
Planetary defense installations built.
Every possible advantage had to be established before the Covenant fleet arrived.
Marcus gave a firm nod.
"I’ll inform them."
The hologram disappeared.
Silence settled over the room once again.
Gaius turned toward everyone gathered there.
"Naruto."
Naruto immediately straightened.
"Yeah?"
"You will assist evacuation efforts."
Naruto nodded without hesitation.
"Got it."
Gaius shifted his gaze toward the others.
"Saeko."
"Diana."
"Mindy."
"Tanya."
"You will assist local authorities."
He continued listing their responsibilities.
"Organization."
"Logistics."
"Crowd management."
"Transportation."
All four women nodded.
None of them underestimated the scale of evacuating an entire colony.
Millions of civilians.
Countless families.
An enormous transportation network.
Every mistake could cost valuable time.
After assigning everyone, Gaius walked toward the nearby window.
Outside, Cascade continued its normal daily routine.
People moved through the streets.
Vehicles crossed intersections.
Aircraft flew overhead.
From the outside, everything appeared peaceful.
The Covenant had not arrived.
Which meant they still possessed something priceless.
Time.
And Gaius intended to use every second of it.
...
Meanwhile, inside the workshop, Tony Stark and Dr. Catherine Halsey received the official notification regarding Gaius’ newly granted authority.
Catherine carefully read through the authorization.
Her eyebrows rose slightly.
"This is quite a surprise."
Tony looked over from the design platform.
Catherine continued.
"Admiral Parangosky giving someone authority over an entire colony..."
"That is not something she does lightly."
Tony nodded.
He had only interacted with Parangosky a handful of times, yet even he had a good grasp of her personality.
In many ways, she reminded him of Nick Fury.
She trusted very few people.
If she had delegated this level of authority, then the situation was far more serious than most civilians likely realized.
Without wasting any time, Tony activated his communicator.
After a few seconds, Gaius appeared.
"Gaius."
"We’ve started working on the planetary defense weapons."
Gaius nodded.
Tony continued.
"Catherine and I are designing weapons capable of threatening Covenant ships that try to remain in orbit."
That immediately captured Gaius’ full attention.
"What do you require?"
"Materials."
Tony answered immediately.
"Lots of materials."
"But no manpower."
Gaius wasn’t surprised.
"I will have the necessary resources transferred."
Tony smiled.
"Good."
Gaius then added another request.
"Send me the capabilities of the weapons once they are completed."
"I need to know how they will fit into the defense plan."
Tony nodded.
"You’ll get the full specifications."
With nothing else needing discussion, the call ended.
After the communicator went silent, Gaius reflected for a moment.
Tony requesting no manpower wasn’t surprising.
He still remembered the battle against the Chitauri.
The countless autonomous Iron Man units.
Automated fabrication systems.
Advanced nanotechnology.
Tony Stark could effectively construct entire facilities with remarkably little human assistance.
His greatest limitations had rarely been labor.
Instead, they were materials.
Resources.
Time.
Fortunately, obtaining materials had become significantly easier now that he possessed authority over Cascade’s industrial resources.
Now all that remained was seeing exactly what Tony Stark intended to build.
...
The moment Admiral Parangosky’s authorization spread across the colony...
Cascade began changing.
The orders did not slowly work their way through countless layers of bureaucracy.
They originated from the highest authority available to the colony.
Military command centers received them.
Colonial administrators received them.
Spaceport authorities received them.
Emergency management offices received them.
Factory supervisors received them.
Every terminal connected to Cascade’s communication network displayed the same notification.
Emergency Evacuation Protocols Authorized.
Authority Holder: Gaius.
Priority Level: Maximum.
Questions naturally arose.
Many personnel had never even heard the name Gaius before.
But despite those questions...
There were no objections.
The authorization codes attached to the order removed any possibility of doubt.
They carried the authority of ONI.
They carried the authority of Admiral Margaret Parangosky herself.
That alone was enough.
Within minutes, military communication networks became active across the colony.
Transport manifests were rewritten.
Civilian population databases were opened.
Available spacecraft began being catalogued.
Docking schedules were revised.
Cargo priorities changed.
Across Cascade, countless individuals suddenly found themselves carrying out the orders of someone they had never met.
Because those orders now carried the highest authority available.
At the primary spaceports, civilian transport vessels began receiving entirely new assignments.
Military logistics officers coordinated loading schedules.
Civilian officials began notifying residential districts.
Emergency shelters were activated.
Evacuation routes were established.
The colony was already beginning to move.
Meanwhile, Gaius’ assignments were also taking effect.
Naruto immediately joined the evacuation effort.
The usefulness of his Shadow Clone Technique became obvious almost immediately.
Hundreds of shadow clones appeared throughout transportation hubs.
Some loaded cargo.
Others moved supplies.
Several transported emergency equipment.
Many assisted construction crews wherever additional manpower was needed.
The clones did not replace the existing workforce.
Instead, they dramatically increased the efficiency of every operation they participated in.
Workers who would normally require hours to complete a task suddenly found dozens of additional hands assisting them.
Across another section of the colony, Tanya joined the evacuation command staff.
Her experience as a military officer quickly became apparent.
She examined transportation schedules.
Identified inefficient routing.
Corrected supply bottlenecks.
Improved resource allocation.
Several administrators found themselves quietly impressed by how quickly she understood the logistical challenges before them.
Elsewhere, Saeko, Diana, and Mindy assisted local authorities throughout Cascade.
They worked at registration centers.
Civilian staging areas.
Temporary shelters.
Medical facilities.
Everywhere additional manpower was needed.
Nobody remained idle.
At the same time, another series of orders spread across the colony.
This time, they originated from Tony Stark.
Materials.
Industrial equipment.
Manufacturing assets.
Construction machinery.
Anything requested by Tony immediately began moving.
Warehouses were opened.
Strategic stockpiles were redirected.
Factory production schedules were reassigned.
Military cargo transports began delivering enormous quantities of resources directly to Tony’s designated construction sites.
With Gaius’ authorization behind every request, the transfers happened without delay.
By the time evening approached, Cascade no longer resembled a peaceful colony preparing for another ordinary day.
Military logistics operated around the clock.
Civilian evacuations continued gathering momentum.
Factories accelerated production.
Construction crews worked continuously.
Every available hour was being used.
The colony had begun transforming.
Not into a city waiting to be attacked.
But into a fortress preparing for war.
And this...
Was only the first day.
~~~
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