His name was Swordtooth, an Archon of the Highest Calibre. As per his original designation, he managed the seventy thousand colonized worlds in his region with unparalleled efficiency and with little to no civil conflicts.
His men were highly trained, well-armed soldiers who were loyal to none other than him.
And when they weren’t enough to quell disputes, his frame was three meters tall, had a dual Aetherium Core setup and his sleek, angular design also allowed for Supreme heat management.
He looked like an elongated metallic silver human who had reverse joint legs, a forward curling spine, and long arms and his nails could extend to one-inch-long diamond-tipped claws.
Standing next to him, in the Great Repository's dark central elevator was another Archon and a fellow captain of the renamed Ardi Fleet, Binga.
He was shorter than Swordtooth but it didn’t take an advanced sensor to see that he was as solid as a rock, having an external metallic layer that was five centimetres thick.
His yellow form was consequently wide and bulky which was emphasized by his loud step.
“Mmm…” Binga droned as the elevator continued upward.
“I know what you’re thinking and… no. Not yet, at least.” Swordtooth sighed.
“Hoh? That’s an awful amount of patience coming from you. Did she scare your code straight?” Binga chuckled making Swordtooth sigh even louder.
“It’s not like I have a choice. A chained mutt can only reach so far, after all.”
The elevator stopped and the two grand doors in front of them opened, revealing Ardi’s office.
“You may enter.” A weak, human voice said and Swordtooth would have usually scoffed if the circumstances were different.
He and Binga entered the room to find Ardi seated behind a grand wooden desk.
At her side were two humans. Ones he had seen before but didn’t bother acknowledging any further.
Huh… where’s that knucklehead, Gudo? Swordtooth wondered as he and Binga walked up to the table where they stopped.
Swordtooth looked Ardi over and immediately felt that something was different.
He didn’t know why but the fear he felt when he met her on the New Genesis was gone.
He wondered if the Veil she wore had something to do with it.
But how was it hiding her absurdly high-energy signature?
“Good morning, Admiral Ardi.” Swordtooth and Binga greeted in unison.
“Good mooring. Apologies for having you come all this way.”
“Tis no issue at all, Admiral although I must wonder what it is you wanted to discuss that couldn’t be communicated otherwise.” Swordtooth nodded at Binga’s curiosity.
“I simply want to establish friendly relations with my Lieutenants. It is my job, as your superior, to ensure that your operations are running as smoothly as possible since that will benefit the fleet as a whole in the long run. So lay it on me.”
Swordtooth didn’t have a face but if he did, he would be frowning.
Was this really the same being which mercilessly killed sixty Archons in a matter of seconds?
Swordtooth had killed a few of his kin before but it was never at such a scale.
He was a Dead Star, after all so conflict and cannibalism were abound but those things were reflected in his appearance and personality.
Same for the other Captains.
Gudo especially was a battle-hungry maniac who had been itching for fresh blood.
Swordtooth wondered how Ardi was managing to keep him from going on a rampage.
Or had he witnessed the same level of horror she had shown the other Fleet Captains?
At this point, Swordtooth’s mind was operating at rates that made it seem like time had stopped.
He was panicking.
An Archon, a being of the highest intelligence in the galaxy, was freaking out because he just didn’t know what to make of Ardi’s existence.
He went over everything he knew about he and tried figuring out how she managed to get her energy signal so high.
[Name: Ardi
Type: Unknown
Threat Level: S
Energy Signal: Nova (2000J low estimate.)
Height: 1.8 meters
Weight: 290 kg
Composition: Unknown brain-like organ, carbon composite skeleton, aetherium core, self-energized nanite fluid reserves, advanced sensors, advanced actuators, and an advanced protective outer layer.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Abilities: Greatly enhanced strength, speed, durability, extreme regenerative abilities and information processing.
Weaknesses: Aetherium Core, Unknown brain-like organ,
Affiliation: Admiral of the Fleet of Collectors]
With his Dual Aetherium Cores, Swordtooth was able to just barely ascend to the Nova category much like how Zenith was able to do the same with his E-Hauler but Ardi was several times stronger than even that.
Or was it an illusion?
Swordtooth knew there was no such thing as magic but she might have been simply projecting false data although he didn’t know how.
Another question was just how she managed to kill so many captains at once.
A possible suspect was Heatdeath.
It was he who handed her control of everyone’s Gravshields so maybe he helped her kill the captains as well.
But it didn’t line up.
He had almost nothing to do with what happened on Obsidia and only got involved when Zenith lost his mind and forced everyone to gather.
That’s how it seemed anyway.
I just don’t have enough data! Swordtooth screamed internally.
He had to decide.
If it really was a ruse, he could simply kill her and even if her goons ended up killing him, the other Captains would be able to move ahead accordingly, knowing the truth.
But…
If she really was… that… powerful…
All of Swordtooth’s thoughts seized as Ardi, even in this absurdly slow time scale, turned her head to face him just a little.
Her veil then, for a fraction of a fraction of a second, disappeared and that’s when that fear returned.
It washed over Swordtooth like a tidal wave and all the doubt and questions disappeared as soon as he saw those eyes again.
His perception of time returned to normal and his shoulders drooped as he finally understood.
“Well?” Ardi asked. Her veil still covered her eyes as if it never disappeared but Swordtooth had given up on fighting so he let out a sigh.
“Everything is up to speed in my region. Most of my concerns lie in the potential conflict that may arise in Epsilon’s territory now that he’s dead. There’s a power vacuum and while we may have had you to fill Zenith’s absence, the ruling Council of Fingers over there might struggle to pick someone and even if they don’t end up in fighting I’d still like us to keep an eye out.”
He couldn’t even hide how defeated he sounded, making Binga tilt his head a little.
“Alright. Please share these concerns with Vice Admiral Heatdeath and Captain Gudo. I agree that we should monitor the situation and I think it would be… in our best interest if we established a cell in that territory. What do you think?” Ardi asked.
“Wait- don’t tell me that you plan on also taking over his domain!” Binga gasped.
“I didn’t say that. I simply want us to have a foot in the door just in case. That said, striking the iron while it’s hot and acquiring a weakened territory is tantalizing.”
Binga turned to Swordtooth who simply shrugged.
“I don’t see why not. We need eyes on the ground and there is a short list of ways we could go about this. Permission to draft a course of action with the Vice Admiral.” He requested.
“Permission granted. And you, Captain Binga?”
“Umm… err… nope. All is good on my end although I am curious about the plan you and Swordtooth have in mind. May I assist in this endeavour?”
“Go ahead. Although let’s try and keep it just between you two. The other Captains should just focus on their daily doings for now.”
“Understood!”
Swordtooth and Binga returned to the elevator which promptly took them down the pyramid and as it did, Binga silently stared at Swordtooth who stood with a bit of a slouch now.
“What happened back there?” Binga’s small red eyes brightened a little.
“I was… defeated,” Swordtooth said as he looked up in reflection.
“Does that mean we don’t stand a chance?”
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”
.
..
Ardi knew that Swordtooth was sizing her up but as soon as she bared her own teeth, he whimpered away like a wounded dog which was strangely disappointing.
“Marvellous work, ma’am.” Orion complemented as Ardi stood up.
“All I did was build on Swordtooth’s idea. I still need to decide whether or not to make a move and what form that move will take.” She admitted while walking to the door with her two assistants in tow. As she made her way to her room on the floor below, she simultaneously checked in on her Ardinite Network.
She was currently monitoring over two hundred Archons and hundreds more humans. She was able to receive the data they collected instantly even across unimaginably large distances because the Ardinites communicated on a quantum level and were able to detect changes in each other.
The Ardinite Network may have appeared pervasive but this was necessary.
She couldn’t rely on intangible things like loyalty, honour, trust or faith.
She didn’t have any ties or connections or even a family…
A dull pain filled her chest as the thought surfaced in her mind.
Was she really the only one of her kind?
She would need to thoroughly search Obsidia to be sure but that would have to wait since she wanted to take another nap.
She never knew when next she’d be able to so freely relax and so she took advantage of her free time as she plopped onto her bed.
Ardi wondered if it was time to finally make her way to Meredith’s home world but now that she was thinking about Swordtooth’s plan and Binga’s words, they wouldn’t leave the forefront of her thoughts.
Epsilon’s territory was supposedly vulnerable.
Whether or not it would be an antagonistic force after being stabilized was a risk Ardi preferred not to take so she pondered on the matter a little deeper.
If she managed to conquer Epsilon’s domain, she would have double the leverage in any future discussions, regardless of which faction she was talking to.
However, she didn’t have the luxury of having all of Epsilon’s top Lieutenants gathered in one place this time so she’d need to be even more careful.
“Mmm…” She droned.
“Admiral?” Orion called.
“Update Gudo on what was discussed today. I’d like to hear his thoughts on the matter. Tell him I’ll accept anything other than all-out war.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Orion walked over to one of the holographic displays on the wall next to Ardi’s bed and began transcribing her words onto it.
“Andromeda, could you come here for a moment?” Ardi asked as she sat up.
The red-haired woman did as instructed while Ardi lifted her veil, revealing her face.
She then looked into Andromeda’s eyes and the human woman immediately looked away.
“Why does everyone react that way?” Ardi softly asked even though she already knew the answer.
Andromeda seemingly gathered her strength with a breath and looked back at her Admiral with an expression that was beyond flustered.
“Your eyes, ma’am. It’s your eyes.” Andromeda whimpered.
“What about them?”
“It is only natural for one's eyes to shy away after staring at the sun. Your eyes are just so complex, so deep with intelligence and power that we cannot help but shy away.” Orion explained.
“I see. Well, if that’s the case then I guess I can feel a little bit better about myself, although I wish…” Ardi stopped as her feelings reverberated in her mind.
To say that wanting to be looked at normally was fatuous in the grand scheme of things would be accurate but it was adding to the pile of feelings she had been casting aside since she awoke.
She wanted someone to hold her and so she turned to the still-flustered Andromeda and spread her arms.
“Would it be too much to ask you to look at me regardless?”
A warm smile graced Andromeda’s lips and she stepped closer to Ardi.
“Alright, although you’ll have to pardon my anxiousness.” She whispered while wrapping her hands around Ardi's head.
Ardi hugged Andromeda back and allowed those feelings to find shelter in this moment.
Her higher and moderate thought processes gradually slowed as she allowed herself to feel Andromeda’s warmth.
She could also feel that Orion’s heart was racing with jealousy which made her smile a little.
She had given the two their limbs back and in less than no time, they were back to attending their duties.
Restoring the limbs was simple enough. The [Heal] skill simply facilitated the growth of new tissues and, aided by her Ardinites, they were able to attain functional limbs.
As payment, Ardi decided to demand hugs from time to time.