There were five types of colonized planets: Farm Wolds, Harvest Worlds which were strictly used for the harvesting of minerals or other resources, Assembly Worlds, Port Worlds and Military Outposts.

Zua’s base of Operations, Proxima, was on a Hybrid World which was a combination of a Port and a Military Outpost which allowed her to generate income while also keeping a strong hold on her citizens.

Tsotsi watched, from the bridge of his ship, as endless streams of traffic went in and out of atmosphere via the six ports on Proxima's surface.

His ship, the Quiet Moon, landed on the port in the capital where he left it before taking two of his strongest men to the capital building. A massive, dark tower in the centre of the megalopolis.

He had arranged an appointment so his entrance went unimpeded although he had to leave his men in the lobby.

He then made his way the top floor where two Archons greeted him by a set of doors which they promptly opened revealing an unreasonably dim office.

The door was closed behind him as he entered to see an Archon, dressed in a blood red suit and with matte black heels.

Her most striking feature, however, was her E-Soul which had a dull orange instead of the usual cyan.

She was none other than Zua, the Blinding Flare one of the Five Fingers on the Council that governed Epsilon’s Territory.

“Well, well. I didn’t know rogues were punctual.” Her deep, sultry voice would have normally had Tsotsi on edge but he felt strangely calm even though Zua was infamous for having eaten ten Archons.

Rumours said that this was the reason her E-Soul was orange.

She was potentially having to constantly deal with the code of ten other Archons desperately fighting for control in her own mind which forced her to use more processing power to silence them, hence the heat and light.

"I try.”

“And I appreciate the effort. Please, sit.”

Tsotsi sat on the chair in front her desk and faced her directly.

“You can imagine my surprise when I learnt that a head hunter had asked for an appointment but what you wanted to discuss had me so intrigued that I couldn’t resist letting you in. So, go on. Tell me everything.”

Every word flowed out from Zua like poetry.

It was as if she was reciting her part in some big play.

And it would have captivated Tsotsi under different circumstances but he simply disregarded her act and recounted everything he had witnessed.

“But I know all that. What do you want from me specifically?” She crossed her legs.

“How unified is the Council of Fingers?”

“I don’t know why you expect me to tell you but, since you are my special guest, I’ll let you know that we are a united front and, in anticipation of your next series of questions, the status quo won’t change and no single leader needs to be chosen although our benevolent Epsilon left us with a way to deal with any potentially cataclysmic issues.” If Zua had a mouth, she would be smirking.

“What if I told you that it wasn’t enough?”

“Then I’d ask what you have in mind.”

“We need to get him involved. He’s her creator and should have some sort of counter measure.” Even thinking his name made Tsotsi’s mind shudder but he retained a calm air.

“Huh… I will consider your advice although I must admit that I’m a bit disappointed. I would have thought that you had something more concrete.” Zua deflated with a long sigh.

“Trust me. There’s nothing else that will work. We are talking about a level of adaptability that supersedes anything the galaxy has ever seen.”

“Yes, yes. I heard you. You may leave now.”

Tsotsi clicked an imaginary tongue before standing up and leaving the office.

He then returned to his men who followed him out of the lobby.

“How’d it go, boss?” One of the heavily augmented humans asked.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to find that fucker ourselves.”

“But where do we even begin? That guy basically kicked himself off the edge of the universe, ya know?” The second asked as followed Tsotsi down a crowded street although the human pedestrians made way for them.

“There’s one person who might have an idea.”

“Who?”

“Q.”

.

..

Meredith gently rested her unarmoured hand on the white cylindrical container which housed Maya’s Ashes.

It sat on a table in her quarters which was a brightly lit rectangular space with a bed and a bathroom.

Chin and B had the rooms next to hers and while they usually spent time their time in the armoury with Gudo’s men, who had converted it into their headquarters where they trained and studied to be proper officers, Meredith had been called to the Bridge so she changed into her newly made uniform, a white blazer and trouser set, and made her way to the helm where she stood behind Vice Admiral Heatdeath although it was hard to determine his orientation since he was a sphere.

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“Captain Meredith, reporting!”

“Good morning, Captain.” Heatdeath rotated but said nothing afterwards.

“Is… there something I can help you with?” Meredith asked before softly gasping as Heatdeath let out an exasperated sigh.

She wondered what an Archon would find so difficult that he’d make such a sound-

“Tell me… what is the Admiral like normally? Is she always so… fearsome? Mistake not my intentions for those of malice or treachery. I simply want to know if the aura of death constantly clads her so.” Heatdeath chuckled robotically although the slightest hint of fear couldn’t also be heard.

“Well, I’ve only known her for a few days myself as well so I cannot speak with confidence. You could try speaking to her in a more casual setting. That could help you understand her better.” Meredith suggested with a smile but Heatdeath half rotated away.

“Mmm… that is a good idea but how about you go in my stead. I too considered it but I have to… err... manage the fleet.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s curious to see if she has a soft side?” Meredith frowned at Heatdeath’s cowardice.

“I know you’re curious about her too and I believe it was you who awakened her so you owe it to her to be her guide through the waking world.”

Meredith’s eyes narrowed.

“You Archons and your ravenous thirst for knowledge.” Her true feelings accidentally spilt over.

“You humans and your self-destructive curiosity.” Heatdeath scoffed and the two glared at each other for a moment before simultaneously sighing.

“Sorry for my rude remark, Vice Admiral.”

“No, allow me to apologize. I’m the one who called you up here and tried forcing such a heavy burden on you although I know for certain that you’re curious about her true nature as well, no?”

“I am and have been fascinated from the very moment I met that… sublime gaze of hers,” Meredith admitted.

“But we were so busy fighting for our lives that I didn’t even get a chance to thank her for getting us through that whole mess.”

“Mmm, well now’s your chance since she’s taking one of her scheduled naps.”

“And what do you stand to gain from this?” Meredith crossed her arms.

“Fostering good working relationships will ultimately lead to a more cohesive fleet and whatnot.” Heatdeath nodded at his own words but Meredith didn’t buy it.

He was definitely using her to get more information on Ardi but his reason, at least on the surface, seemed to be pure so she turned around.

“Alright. Let me inform my Unit that I’ll be heading out but you owe me one, Vice Admiral.” She scoffed before realizing that she was now speaking more comfortably to not only an Archon but the Vice Admiral.

Was this his plan the whole time?

She shook the thought away and instead turned to her thoughts of Ardi as she made her way to the Armory.

Ardi had called herself a Homo Provectus female.

A woman who stood as the next evolutionary step of mankind but she seemed to be the only one of her kind.

How did she plan on perpetuating her new species?

Meredith wondered such things as she entered the now quiet armoury.

A building had hastily been fabricated to occupy half of the large space and that is where Gudo’s men studied.

Chin and B, on the other hand, were training in the target area which had been converted into a training field.

They both wore their Mark III Nanitesuits along with their matching white helmets and they exchanged powerful blows while a small crowd of the New Genesis’s crew watched.

Chin kicked B behind the knee and while this would have been enough to send even an augmented human down, he remained standing and tried kicking Chin in her gut only for the woman to dash backwards but B wasn’t done, he continued after her, tackled her to the ground and raised his fist to punch her in the face.

Chin narrowly avoided his fist and instead punched him in the face, sending him reeling backwards.

Chin then forced him off before straddling him and punching him in the face which sent Meredith a notification.

[Warning: B’s DI is at 0%!]

Her new HUD blared.

“That’s enough!” She barked prompting the two to stop and stand.

“Morning, Cap’n!” Chin chirped.

“Good morning. I’m going to meet the Admiral so behave until I get back.”

“Got it!” Chin gave her captain a sharp thumbs-up while B nodded.

Meredith then made her way out of the New Genesis and eventually found herself in the Repository’s central elevator which took her to the floor beneath Ardi’s office.

A certain pair of humans then opened the doors leading to Ardi’s quarters.

Meredith had set up her meeting via a quick transmission so the two silently guided her to the main bedroom where they opened the door revealing a sleeping Ardi.

Meredith was about to ask if it was okay to walk in while the Admiral was sleeping but the humans closed the door behind her.

Silence followed and it allowed Meredith’s advanced sensors to pick up Ardi’s soft breathing.

The captain cautiously approached the bed.

She knew that there was no conceivable way she could sneak up on Ardi but kept her steps light regardless.

She reached the bed and saw that Ardi had her face down and her eyes closed, something which she could see because the Veil had been deactivated.

Meredith’s mind returned to when she first saw her sleeping in that pod.

A moment of agony from the wounds she had at the time and awe.

Meredith wasn’t particularly religious but she felt grateful that things turned out the way they did, even though she knew that peaceful moments such as these were fleeting and so she simply relished in Ardi’s presence.

“How long are you gonna stare at me for?” Ardi asked without opening her eyes.

“I was going to wake you up in a moment.” Meredith took a step away from the bed as Ardi sat up, her eyes still closed.

“How considerate. Did you have something you wanted to discuss or did you just want to spend time with me?”

Meredith knew that Ardi was only teasing her but her face was without expression so it was a bit tricky to tell.

“It’s a bit of both. Firstly, I wanted to thank you for saving the lives of me and my men.” Meredith bowed but Ardi dismissively waved her hand as she activated her veil.

“I simply did what I needed to do to survive. Although I’m glad that we ended up teaming up.” Ardi crawled out of bed and led Meredith out of the bedroom and into the open living area which consisted of a four couches to the left.

The two sat and were served tea and cookies by Orion and Andromeda.

“Do you even need to eat?” Meredith accidentally asked aloud.

“No, but I cannot help it if there’s so much delicious food out there!” Ardi pumped her fist in the air and for a fraction of a second, Meredith forgot that she was a godlike being and remembered that she had only just awoken.

She couldn’t help but smile at this.

“What?” Ardi asked.

“It’s nothing. I’m just surprised to see that you have a pure side.”

This visibly confused Ardi but Meredith found even that to be charming.

The way she awkwardly danced on the line which divided man and machine and transcendence.

“You do remember that I killed no less than fifty individuals, right?”

Meredith could tell that Ardi was raising a brow and it was here that she thanked Heatdeath for pushing her to come.

All the tension had been wearing her down and it felt nice to just open the valves and allow her thoughts and feelings to flow freely although she’d never admit this to anyone yet.

“I know but those were mostly Archons so I have no qualms.” Meredith took a sip of tea.

“Your callousness is understandable but I hope you won't turn a cold shoulder to Gudo and the others when they need you.”

“I won’t. Oh- and speaking of Captain Gudo, how’s his work going?”

“The captains are all cooperating and everything should be ready in a month if everything goes well,” Ardi reported.

“And… is there any way we can be of use?” Meredith asked with a restlessness that was clear to see.

“Mmm… our initial assumptions about the political developments in Epsilon’s territory were off. They’re not infighting or anything so we’ve decided to go the more diplomatic route.” Ardi finished her tea and let out a saddened sigh even though she could simply just get some more.

“We’re going to ask them to join in our eventual allying with the SIH. If they agree, they’ll maintain their autonomy but will either stay out of everyone’s way during the war or aid us.”

“And if they decline?”

Meredith already knew the answer.

She had seen what Ardi did to people who didn’t immediately side with her and posed as potential future threats.

“Then they will be dealt with swiftly."