Max searched the sensor data for signs that the lesser energy beings were becoming more organized while the others worked on repairing and adjusting the ship and its defences to their current situation, and slowly he began to realize that something wasn't right with this layer.
The sensor scans extended to their maximum range, with garbled but somewhat reliable data, which was incredibly useful, but also, not generally possible. The curvature of the planet should have limited them to much less range than this, and unless the data was skewed, this planet had to be the size of a large red star, or completely flat.
The gravity didn't match either of those scenarios, so there was a chance that it was artificially managed, and if they had actually killed the Greater Energy Being, it might have either dissipated or gone into wild fluctuations that would have killed every unprotected life form on the surface.
But that was only half of the strangeness that was present in this layer of space. There didn't seem to be an up here either. The atmosphere extended up for about fifty kilometres, and then it just stopped, with no other readings from their sensors.
Either the region above them was completely empty, or it simply didn't exist.
How that was possible or what it meant was a problem that Max could work out later, but his working theory was that this portion of the layer had been segmented off somehow, possibly to protect the Golden Legion.
Max realized that he didn't really know much about the abilities of the Greater Energy Beings, or the so-called Gods that backed them up. They were supposed to have some sort of power over the layers of space, but nobody had ever been able to analyze it, so it was all theoretical.
If he could do it now, they might learn more about what these creatures were capable of, and with that, they might be able to more effectively keep them out of his home layer. Preventing them from entering in the first place would make the battles much easier than fighting them after they arrived.
He wasn't going to get much time to wonder about the being that made this strange place, there were already signs that the Lesser Energy Beings were organizing and heading toward the Cutter, and the Golden Legion was beginning to get their armies in order.
"Nico, we've got about ten minutes before I expect the artillery to start. How are we doing back there?" Max called out to where the team on board were working with the Androids to get the Mecha operational.
"We can have most of the Mecha operational by then, and the ship's shields will be up to full capacity in the next minute. We're just linking multiple secondary power sources to get the total shield output up to the standard it was at with the Warp Drive online.
How are things looking out there?" She replied.
"Like we're not flying away to anywhere in the near future, and we're in for a fight.
I don't know how the Golden Legion is going to react to our presence, but if they're really part of the Cathedral Ships fleet, the answer is pretty obvious. I'm not sensing rampant hostility or blind rage from the Greater Energy Being, though, and it has retreated to recover from the wounds it took when the portal imploded.
If they are being mind controlled for hostility, there is a chance that we can get out of this without killing everything that we see, but that sounds pretty optimistic to say out loud."
The rest of the team laughed at Max's realization, but didn't slow their work. They were determined to have the Mecha online and ready when things turned ugly.
In the worst-case scenario, they could use the power from the Mecha to reinforce the ship's shields, and only send out a few units to fight. That would at least keep their method of return to their home layer intact, and the ship was still capable of moving about, just not of leaving the planet until they had all the systems altered.
Not that there was anything resembling "In Orbit" in this layer of space, or at least not in the portion that they were occupying.
As they gathered, Max realized that the lesser energy beings weren't gathering for an attack, they were gathering for safety in numbers. There were vicious wild animals here, and they were able to tear apart the solidified bodies of the demons, scattering the energy of their bodies to the winds.
It looked like they were going to be reforming within a matter of hours, as the energy cloud remained cohesive, but that was still enough that the wildlife was a serious threat.
Whatever this place was, it was not a paradise environment created for safety and an easy life. It was more of an extreme challenge, preparing the residents for survival. That alone would be enough to tell Max that the Golden Legion hadn't changed much, but the real question was if they were going to remember what Nico did to them the last time around.
If they had learned from that experience, despite the reset in time to a point when they had never met, then this could get very difficult. But if they hadn't, then Max already knew the weaknesses in their tactical knowledge that Nico had exploited to overrun their entire civilization faster than a response fleet could arrive.
But they weren't alone this time, there was a Greater Energy being here. A wounded one, but still a Greater Energy Being, and it might not be the only one.
It wasn't often that thoughts about one's own species status went through their conscious thoughts, so even if there was another, as long as their power didn't make them overwhelming, like the being that was watching over the Myceloids, then it would be nearly impossible for Max to find them.
The energy beings had nearly all formed into groups already, and the ones that had fallen to the wildlife had congregated around the others, but in incorporeal form. That was attracting the Golden Legion, which didn't seem to know that they were nominally on the same team.
Or, perhaps they weren't until they were forced into battle.
There was so much confusion after the blast that had destroyed the city that no clear answer could be found, and the stalemate was giving Nico and the team much more time to work than he had expected. Just a few more minutes and they would have the ship completely online.
