Zion's body still ached as he made his way down the corridor toward the elevator, his attention focused on the schematic projected inside his eye.
'This is beyond anything I've done before,' he thought, narrowing his eyes. 'If I'm not extremely careful, I might make crucial mistakes.'
As he neared the elevator, the doors slid open with a loud hiss and the schematic slowly vanished from his eye.
"Thanks, Uriel," Zion said, glancing at the items as he stepped inside.
[No problem at all, Host,] Uriel said cheerfully.
Staring at the items, Zion nodded slowly. 'Thankfully, they all seem to be in good shape,' he thought. 'Though I won't be sure if the gravity regulator managed to survive this long.'
After carefully picking up the items, Uriel guided him deeper into the ship, heading straight for the old hangar inside where he could find the plates for the framework.
As he walked, Zion's mind filled with many questions as he stared at the items in his arm. For the first time, he really noticed how familiar everything felt.
'No… it's not just similar,' Zion realized, tightening his grip. 'These parts are almost identical to what the Sovereignty uses now. But if this war was millennia ago… what does that mean?'
For a moment, he stopped walking as a strange feeling set over him.
"Did you fight the Echelon Sovereignty in the Ancient War?" he asked.
[Host… Although I cannot name the details regarding the war,] Uriel answered after a pause. [I can assure Host. The name 'Echelon Sovereignty' did not exist back then.]
"Then why," he muttered, brows furrowing, "does the Sovereignty still use your technology? After millennia?"
[That is not unusual, Host,] Uriel replied softly. [Countless empires rise and fall with time. Most stop inventing once they realize they can simply plunder it instead.]
Zion nodded slowly, processing the information when he realized something.
"You're right," he said, shaking his head slightly.
Looking back at it, he understood that all those ancient artifacts and relics they were collecting were simply ways to make the Sovereignty even more powerful.
As the corridor widened, Zion snapped out of his thoughts and concentrated on the task at hand.
[We are here, Host,] Uriel said as a massive metal gate started to slide open.
"Wow," he muttered, eyes widening.
The gate was massive, nearly thirty times his height and width. Even the thickness of the gate was off the charts, being about a dozen meters long.
Zion stepped forward slowly, finally able to overlook the space inside.
[Welcome to the largest area in the ship,] Uriel's voice echoed through his mind. [The hangar.]
"Unbelievable," Zion muttered in amazement. "I can't even see the end of it."
To say that it was massive was an understatement. He found himself standing on a wide catwalk that branched out in all directions, suspended high above the hangar floor below.
Small and massive cranes were spread out beside each landing platform, coupled with other machinery Zion couldn't name.
"This is all just the hangar…" he mumbled, eyes still wide.
[It's best if Host doesn't linger here,] Uriel suddenly said. [The ship doesn't have enough leftover energy to continuously power the hangar.]
Zion let go of the railing and took a step back. "Right… got it."
[Continue heading forward and take the first catwalk to your right. There'll be a staircase leading up to the repair bay you need.]
Zion followed the catwalk, his boots echoing on the metal floor. The path curved right, just like Uriel said, leading him to a staircase that climbed toward the upper levels.
Adjusting the parts in his arms, he began to ascend. Each step echoed into the empty space, but the structure held steady.
"Almost there," he muttered, pushing through the ache in his legs.
At the top, a wide metal door blocked the way. Its edges glowed faintly as Uriel's voice returned.
[Repair bay detected. Opening now.]
The door slid open with a sharp hiss, revealing a chamber lined with all kinds of machines inside. Old drones and tools were scattered across the room, frozen in place as if abandoned mid-task.
Zion slowly walked inside, eyes scanning the large chamber for the items he needed.
Finally, in the right corner, he found bundles of alloy plates stacked neatly against the wall, alongside other basic items such as wires and tubes.
"Looks like everything is here," Zion said, letting out a sigh of relief.
After carefully placing down the items he'd taken with him, he kept moving with his gaze lingering on the silent machines hanging above the empty landing spot.
"Uriel," he said, turning his head slightly. "Can you get any of these machines working again?"
[Of course, Host,] Uriel replied without hesitation. [It would be impossible to build a ship in two weeks' time without them.]
"Good," Zion said, exhaling softly as relief flickered across his face. "That's much better than having to build everything myself."
The moment he finished speaking, faint blue lights started flickering above him. Power lines along the walls lit up one by one, until countless machines in the room suddenly started twitching.
Zion moved closer, watching as several cranes unlocked from standby and started moving around freely.
[Basic functionality restored,] Uriel confirmed. [Repairs and construction can now begin, though control on some machines is still limited.]
"That's more than enough," he said, smiling slightly. "Thanks, Uriel."
The schematic for the simple scout ship flickered back inside Zion's eye, this time including a work instruction that would guide him through the process.
"Two weeks," he muttered under his breath. "That's all the time I have."
[With precision, Host, it is possible,] Uriel replied.
Zion clenched his fists, determination flashing in his eyes. "Then let's get to work."