[/Welcome_home_Pioneer_1]

[/Satellite_colony_constructed]

[/Mineral_analyzing_process_started]

[/Drone_production_queue: Battle Drone x20, General Purpose Drone x20, Command Drone x2, Energy Relay Drone x4, Data Relay Drone x6]

The core transfers the collected nuclear-glassed mineral sample into the Research Facility and orders some more drones as it looks at Nexus X1 standing nearby, the new Colony overseer drone is much more modern and looks very similar to Pioneer in term of design, standing at 2.5m tall and equipped with 50mm all round Structural Nanite armor, multiple weapon systems and powerful magical energy reactors, the machine is expected to be as strong as a small army of conventional drones in term of physical and intellectual power by its own and come very close to Pioneer 1's managing ability when working with Intel EQF 8810.

But that is pretty much all Nexus can do, manage the base, the thing is not programmed nor designed to fight for the base at all, Nexus onboard firepower is about of 2 Battle Drones or less. The core wanted to give Nexus more, but if the core does that then Nexus would be just too expensive and complex for what it is intended for. And in combat Command Drones won't be enough either, Pioneer needs something far stronger, hit harder and capable of performing tactical and strategic data analyzing power to help it lead the drone army into the battle or defending a base.

Perhaps the core will try to do it now, the R&D task is given to Nexus X1 and EQF 8810, but Pioneer will be the one naming it and giving parameters to outline the desired detail of the new drone project. As usual, the core tries looking around for a name from its ROMs and datalog.

[...]

[...]

[/Battledronev2_project_name: Nvidia Quadro CDL 1000]

Pioneer decided to pick its onboard integrated graphic processing unit's manufacturer name for the new experimental drone, a large 4 legged, heavily armored and heavily armed drone based on Nexus X1's design, sacrificing most of the dedicated processing power and compact design for more firepower and motors' power which made it a bit similar to a moving bunker. This should be more suitable for leading a real, large sized battle group into battle than a flimsy command drone.

The core uploads the data and R&D request for Nexus and EQF 8810 before shifting its attention to something else, the construction of its official body and more satellite colonies to expand its operation range. The core planned to construct a small outpost where the battle drones it left behind are at to keep an eye on the lifeform as those beings stay wary of the drones.

While the core was working on its plans, Nexus pinged Pioneer as it asked detailed files about 'Lesser Evolution Core' and 'Energy Dominant', Pioneer was a bit surprised and wondered why Nexus would want to know about those things.

[/Incoming_data]

[Name: Google Nexus X1]

[Race: Google Astrobot Project - Pioneer ]

[Profession: Overseer]

[Level:1]

[Statistic points:]

[HP: 1400/----]

[EN: 4000/4000]

[SP: Invalid]

[Defense: 550]

[Vitality: Invalid]

[Attack: 580]

[Intelligence: 450]

[Mind: Invalid]

[Perception: 5500]

[Dexterity: 10000]

[Agility: 200]

[Charisma: 1]

[Luck: 100]

[Skills: Lesser Magic Sense]

Title: None

[Core: Nanite Evolution Core]

[Power: Energy Dominant, Nanite Assimilation, Servant of Pioneer]

The core is intrigued as it reads and analyzes the data package before inquiring how and where Nexus got the data from. It seems like Nexus accidentally discovered it while it was doing some optimization to its own OS, a command line 'Status check' was used by Nexus as a command to bring up the base's statistics, however, when Nexus executed the command line, it brought up two information panels at the same time, at that point Nexus discovered its own 'status' and wanted to know if Pioneer knew more about this.

The core is quite astonished that Nexus can already do something the core couldn't as it transfers as much related data as it has to Nexus before trying out the status check on itself too.

[/console_debug_input: Status Check]

[Name: Google Astrobot Pioneer 0]

[Race: Google Astrobot Project - Pioneer]

[Profession: ???]

[Level:23]

[Statistic points:]

[HP: 1500/----]

[EN: 200/200]

[SP: Invalid]

[Defense: 120]

[Vitality: Invalid]

[Attack: 250]

[Intelligence: 1200]

[Mind: Invalid]

[Perception: 7500]

[Dexterity: 10000]

[Agility: 170]

[Charisma: 1]

[Luck: 100]

[Skills: Lesser Magic Sense]

[Title: Last Survivor, The Ancient, Ghost of Alsatar, Tesla Proof, The Revenant, The Constructor, The Founder, Dreadnought, Earth Scorcher, The Remnant, The Forerunner.]

[Core: Advanced Evolution Core]

[Power: Energy Dominant, Nanite Assimilation, Nanite host, Limit break.]

The core scans its status for a moment as Nexus walks off to somewhere else and resumes its base monitoring duty, it noticed Nexus has an odd core and an unknown power that it does not have. Pioneer will look into this anomaly later, for now, it needs to come to the satellite base on the other side of the small tunnel to inspect it and maybe expand it a bit to use it has a hub for transporting material between the main colony to other future satellite bases.

[Facility_construction: Viricrystallus control node x1, Hirudocrystallus control node x1, Service Depot x1, Energy Relay Facility x1, Magical Energy Reactor x2, Armoured Arc Tower x4.]

[Drone_production: Battle Drones x10, General Purpose Drone x 10]

The core decides to improve the base defense and sets up a resource supply route toward the drones which are guarding bloody border near the nuclear-glassed chamber. The supply route only contains ammunitions for the Tactical Light Ordnance Module for now.

[/Sensor_report: Anomaly detected]

Pioneer analyzes the report before it pulls all the battle drones from the main colony and relocates them in the satellite colony, the sensor has just detected a large amount of unknown magical signal moving toward the satellite colony fast. The core does not know what it is exactly, but it knows one lifeform capable of doing such action.

[/Anomaly_analyzed: Visual confirmation validated.]

[/Engagement_protocol: Weapon free]

All the battle drones in the second colony point their Tactical Light Ordnance Modules at one side of the tunnel where the anomaly is at before they fire in volley rapidly along with the two Point Defensive Installations, which is an armored turret armed with 2 Tactical Light Ordnance Modules.

[Pioneer 0 has leveled up]

[Piopeer 0 is now level 23]

[Pioneer 0 received 1 unallocated point]

The machine suddenly leveled up for some reasons, but the core can't be bothered about it now, there has an army of angry bugs come crashing toward the second colony, Pioneer needs to help out too. The core quickly orders the nanite factory to stop whatever it is producing at that moment and switch to making 4 Tactical Light Ordnance Modules. Then Pioneer's reduced size temporary bodies picks up the modules and get to the front line to mow down the charging bugs.

As body parts explode violently and shell casings are recycled as soon as they are ejected, Nexus hurriedly sends newly produced Battle Drones from the first colony into the hot spot just right outside the satellite colony. At the same time, it also orders the ammunition factories to go overdrive while constructing more Nanite Factories and Ordnance Factories to support the front line. The satellite colony must not fall no matter what.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tunnel far away from the colony, the Battle drones are still diligently standing guard as Erika stares into the darkness beyond the drones, she can feel a battle is going on the other side, the Paladin can only wonder what it is as she looks back at the eerie unliving force of destruction in front of her.

On the surface of the cave, a group of Imperium of Man's most experienced knights set up their camp and prepare for the long trip into the darkest and most dangerous area of the cave, not knowing that they will step into the battlefield of two different forces of nature fighting for their own survival.