Corrolth propelled herself across the vast expanse between the stars. Her majestic wings beat in a steady rhythm, a vestige of her youth when she was confined to the surface of a single planet. Now, she covered vast distances through space with each passing second, her magic doing all the work.
She nervously considered the coming years, where she would again be confined to the surface of her ancestral home. Already, she could sense the sparks of life growing inside her, triggering her instincts to return home. Soon, she would have a clutch of eggs to care for. That was why her instincts pulled her to the place of her birth. Her home, a minor planet she had positioned near her star, was much too mana-dense for hatchlings.
Her decades-long journey neared completion. The space-warping effects of her spell ended, and the rocky planet that was the origin of all dragons came into view. She descended through the atmosphere, allowing gravity to do the last of the work. She fell like a massive meteor, slamming into the ground with an impact that created a large crater. Corrolth was utterly undamaged by the force, not even a blemish on her mana-reinforced scales. She smiled at the shape she had made; it would be a suitable nest. She settled in, knowing she would be here for several decades before the hatchlings were strong enough to take to the stars.
She tended to her eggs for several years, having no issue with the solitude. It wasn’t uncommon for dragons to go centuries or millennia without seeing another of their kind. She sensed the life on the planet, with the far smaller Drakes being the predominant lifeform. During that time, she had grown accustomed to the currents of mana within the planet. It was calm and steady, unfailing in its flow. However, on this day, something was different.
Corrolth hissed and bared her fangs in alarm. Something was altering the planet itself, causing vast fluctuations in the mana. It took her several seconds to figure out what was happening. The planet was being pulled into a different plane of existence. Several entities were capable of such a feat, but it didn’t take her long to figure out which was responsible. It was the system.
She continued extending her senses, not believing the conclusion that she had reached. Dragons had an instinctual understanding of the system and knew only planets below a specific density were integrated. The dragons’ ancestral home planet should have been above that threshold.
Corrolth began to think of ways where the system might be thwarted, but it was of no use. She was weakened from her long migration, and this planet's lower mana density further weakened her. Even if she had been at full strength, she doubted anything could be done to stop the system.
She turned her thoughts toward escape, which she quickly dismissed. She could have escaped but refused to leave her progeny, which wouldn’t survive without her. She couldn’t take the eggs with her, as they required a particular mana density to hatch. That left her only one choice: to undergo the integration. She exerted her willpower, forcing the system to recognize her and her eggs as one entity. Even that simple manipulation was taxing on her depleted mana pool as it plummeted to a dangerously low level.
A moment later, it was over. She stood upon a newly integrated planet. She intuitively knew that years had passed, though all living lifeforms had been placed in stasis while the transformation occurred. The terrain around her had primarily remained unchanged, and she was relieved to see her eggs remained by her. Then, she felt the ambient mana and panicked. It had changed, not by a massive amount, but enough that it was now below the minimum the eggs needed. It also wasn’t strong enough to support her mana. She and her children would slowly be starved of mana, dying a slow and agonizing death that would take years.
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Andrew cursed his rotten luck. Of all the assignments he could have been given, this was probably the worst. He and several others had been ordered to investigate the xenoformed area around the docks.
The Azala infrastructure shared many traits with organic structures. In this case, that was working against the salvagers, as the entire mass of flesh had started to decay. The putrid mess stank worse than a sanitation facility on a hot day. It also wasn’t without risks; several people needed healers when their exploration released toxic fumes from the remains.
He wasn’t paid enough for this shit. Instead, he made his way to the perimeter of the rot and decay, making sure to stay upwind to avoid the worst of the stench. That’s how he found himself at the edge of the docks, looking out at the strange mist that had replaced the lake. He took a puff of his vape and exhaled. He watched as the scented smoke mingled with the fog. Suddenly, the mist coalesced into an ethereal form.
Andrew stumbled back, wanting nothing to do with any living monster. He took a deep breath, preparing to shout as loud as possible. If he were lucky, one of those crazy people from Celestia would be nearby.
Unfortunately, he never got the chance. The wraith-like creature became diffuse air, which Andrew accidentally breathed in. Immediately, he began to suffocate, as whatever he had inhaled had wreaked havoc upon his lungs. He coughed and choked, desperately trying to get his lungs to expand properly. He grew terrified as nothing worked, and after a few moments, his consciousness faded.
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AF9MX9AXEIZP, the intelligence nearest the newly integrated planet, continued processing the information provided to them. They had diverted a considerable portion of their capabilities toward analyzing the Imri entity. Despite the significant resources spent on this, their sub-minds had yet to submit a model that could adequately predict what would happen.
If that hadn’t been bad enough, he was now coming into contact with several other significant entities. His battle with the Azalan Queen had been predicted by several of the models. AF9 had considered those predictions outliers and ran diagnostics on the sub-minds that had created the models that produced them. AF9 was incapable of compassion, but they would have apologized to those sub-minds if they were. However, none of them had predicted just how the encounter had occurred. Now that he had the world core, all models had become entirely inaccurate.
‘Confirmation of enigma classification for the entity referred to as Imri. Please confirm,’ an insistent sub-mind sent.
AF9 dismissed the request from the sub-mind, already knowing what needed to be done. They carefully began formatting the data, spending what felt like an eternity ensuring every relevant data piece was included. Finally, the information packet was ready after spending seconds on it. They reviewed the totality of data on Imri one more time. AF9 had reviewed it millions of times, but they reached the same conclusion every time. There was no alternative. With a mental command, they sent the packet.
The information packet would be sent to central intelligence, which consisted of a trio of AIs powered by a mana-dense star. AF9’s star had only a fraction of the mana, giving AF9 far less computational power than even one of the central intelligence AI. However, despite the titanic power of central intelligence, they never rushed to any conclusions. If anything, they were the most meticulous of the entire collective, and it could take weeks or even months before AF9 received a response. AF9 would be subjected to even more uncertainty during this time, a horrifying prospect.
‘Request for enigma classification has been sent. A non-interference exemption will be authorized upon classification confirmation,’ another sub-mind helpfully provided.
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Owen Harper finished delivering his report to his superior officer, Brigadier General McCarthy. The man was in his late thirties or early forties, with a bald head that had been waxed to the point of gleaning.
“I suspect a portal will be opened to Celestia within a day. I’m sure the local government will have no issues with you taking command,” Owen added.
“That won’t be necessary,” General McCarthy said dismissively.
“Sir?” Owen asked in confusion.
“While I appreciate being brought up to speed on the situation, I’m afraid I would be more of a hindrance. You’re the most qualified person to continue commanding our forces in Celestia,” the general explained.
“Sir, with all due respect, I was a logistic officer. I made sure there was enough food and toilet paper. If it weren’t for the integration, I would be retiring later this year,” Owen explained.
“I agree, your rank doesn’t adequately reflect your new responsibilities. So, you’ll be receiving a promotion to colonel,” the general said with a wide grin.
“But the proper procedure…” Owen started to protest before the general cut him off.
“They don’t apply anymore. There isn’t time for bureaucracy or paperwork,” General McCarthy said.
Owen sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get that retirement anytime soon. “Thank you, sir.”
“Now that your rank has been settled, there are more important issues we need to discuss,” the general said.
“Issues?” the major asked.
“We’ve started receiving refugees from other major cities, confirming the presence of more hostile alien factions. It appears Chicago was the outlier, not Minneapolis. For now, you should remain focused on dealing with the Azala, but they are far from the only threat to humanity,” the general explained.
Owen left the meeting, mind reeling. He knew more threats might have been out there, but he had been hoping for aid, not more enemies. For now, Celestia was on its own, and it was his responsibility to command.
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The Azalan Queen sent out a psychic scream as she felt one of the Nodes die. Those pesky humans were beginning to be a thorn in her side, especially Imri. Not only had he taken the world core from her, but he had thwarted the hive's infiltration of Celestia and New Chicago. He had grown stronger in the days since their confrontation, but not so much that the Queen was worried. However, his new ability to reveal her infiltrators was certainly a nuisance.
The typical Azala stratagem was infiltrating and subverting their enemies, avoiding large-scale confrontations until their enemies crumbled from within. Unfortunately, a more direct approach would be needed against Imri. Especially since she didn’t have time to waste; she needed to get that core before any other entities discovered its true nature. She could still sense it thanks to her corruption, which had yet to be fully cleansed. With each passing moment, the core grew stronger. Eventually, its unique traits would become evident to the most dense creatures.
She turned her attention to the system messages. It was only several weeks until the auction, an event that always catapulted the more unified powers. The Azala, being of a singular purpose, were the most significant beneficiaries of this. While the system did impose minimum bids, it was still a turning point in many integrations.
Of course, she wouldn’t be idle until the event. Already, other plans were in motion. Soon, the Chixel would be wholly subverted and serve as excellent fodder for the coming conflict. She also had her agents seize several important Chixel, and they were en route to her hive.