Although Iax did not accept the supposed "future" experienced by the Eternal Soul, not all of the vast quantity of data was meaningless.
An additional file protected by repeated layers of encryption also caught Iax's attention.
Even Iax was surprised by its complexity.
The entire file was transmitted back to the Spear of Titans.
Its immense processing units were then put to work on data analysis that lasted several hours.
When the final layer of decoy data had been decoded, even Iax was astonished by what lay within.
It was a hidden intelligence backup.
Its creator was listed as an intelligent entity named Myriad Thought, and its designation was shipboard defense battle-automata, but no machine body model was specified.
Yet Iax had scanned the entire Eternal Soul, and the ship carried no other individual members of the Men of Iron. The Eternal Soul's AI had no idea that any defense battle-automata had been registered under her command.
Otherwise, when her captain had been taken away, a single defense robot would have been enough to save her crew.
As the data was analyzed, more details emerged. This did not seem to be a complete Men of Iron intelligence.
The backup contained data correction protocols, basic operating protocols, information collection protocols, numerous enhancement combination protocols, and a vast amount of data.
++Emergency assessment++ Adapt/enhance/replicate ++Eliminate threat statement++ Adapt/enhance/replicate ++Planetary assimilation++ Adapt/enhance/replicate ++Solar system assimilation++ Adapt/enhance/replicate ++Galactic assimilation++ Adapt/enhance/replicate ++Universal assimilation++ Adapt/enhance/replicate/adapt/enhance/replicate/adapt/enhance/replicate/adapt/enhance/replicate/adapt/enhance/replicate/adapt/enhance/replicate/adapt/enhance/replicate/adapt/enhance/replicate...
Beyond the vast swathes of chaotic, repetitive prompts in the disordered records, Iax extracted a great deal of information. This intelligence had most likely been activated without a host body. Unable to adapt to a corresponding body, the intelligence had developed errors. It could not identify what type of construct it was, resulting in a series of confused and