“What do you want?” Tsotsi growled.

[Same thing as you. I want to find the Dark King, Asecan. I want to know how he made the CQNN.] Q confessed.

“The what?” Tsotsi asked.

[Tell them, Doctor.]

“T-the Combined Quantum Neural Network was an extremely advanced piece of technology that Archon Asecan designed and although he never told us what he specifically wanted to use it for, it was designed to host a powerful intelligence. We thought Archon Asecan wanted to transfer his consciousness into the prototype we eventually made, but he didn’t.” Zwei stuttered.

[It is beyond obvious who that prototype is.] Q commented.

“But what makes her so… powerful?” Tsotsi wondered.

“She was designed to be the perfect symbiosis between man and machine. Perhaps it is that small organic part of her that is constantly adapting.” Zwei supposed making Tsotsi pause in thought.

“I want to say that is impossible but she has constantly proven that notion false.”

[Indeed, but her greatest strength will be her ultimate weakness. The hand of man can only reach so far and so her limits will very soon reveal themselves. In the meantime, I’d like to accompany you on your journey to the centre of the Milky Way.]

“Alright. Hopefully, the King left some tool or weapon to deal with his creation.”

.

..

Ardi woke up and savoured the warm feeling of Orion and Andromeda’s naked bodies as they pressed onto hers.

She enjoyed their hugs so much that she asked that they join her in bed and while they were bashful at first, they naturally clung to Ardi even in their sleep.

Ardi used their flustered heartbeats as her lullaby and it helped tether her to the present.

Her Higher Processes, at this point, were threatening to tear her in countless directions and if it wasn’t for the wall she had built, she feared she would lose herself.

Andromeda was the next to awaken and she gently wrapped her arms around Ardi’s waist.

She had removed her Nanitesuit and this allowed the waking Andromeda to caress her softly.

“Good morning.” Andromeda whimpered in harmony with Orion who was behind and the sensation it gave Ardi was so strong that her eyes almost rolled backwards.

Their voices were so pure, so vulnerable, so… human.

It was a determined fragility that Ardi knew was irreplaceable and she relished every moment of it.

“Good morning. Looks like Meredith and company aren’t going to be back for some time.” Ardi sat up, uncovering herself from the soft white blanket and her aides to do the same, revealing their slender bodies.

“Did they encounter any trouble?” Andromeda asked as she slid out of bed, allowing the artificial lights above to bathe her every curve.

“Yes, but Meredith assured me that they would be fine.”

“I wish them the best of luck then. In the meantime, I will prepare breakfast.” Andromeda turned after a curt bow but not before noticing Ardi’s gaze briefly lingering on her ass.

With what appeared to be a smirk, Andromeda walked towards the door, taking slow steps before finally leaving.

“I know she’s trying to impress me but did she have to go out all naked like?” Ardi chuckled as she turned to Orion who was inspecting a small holographic display that appeared next to the bed.

It looked like he was writing some notes on something he was calling “Project Eden” and while Ardi had unintentionally read through all of his notes, she pretended to not have since it seemed as though he planned on revealing his plan to her eventually.

She turned her thoughts to her captains who had begun to adjust their chains of command to support Gudo’s Lieutenants but they weren’t ready yet so the spots were still vacant.

As for the armies that were being gathered specifically for Ardi, Swordtooth had decided that, since the Captains would feel uncomfortable with having an armada be built in their territories, the armada would have to be assembled in the star systems around Plinth which Ardi didn’t have a problem with.

Adorably, members of this new force were being outfitted with white uniforms that bore pink and cyan accents, much like her eyes.

Orion and Andromeda still struggled to look at them directly but they did better than most.

Ardi placed her hand on Orion’s back to feel his racing heart beneath his wide back.

“Such a sweet rhythm. Thank you for sharing it with me.” Ardi smiled making his heart race even faster.

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“Anything for you, Ardi.”

“When did you two get so bold?” Ardi giggled.

“Can’t say. Might have been when you asked us to get naked and sleep with you. We decided to cast aside all other pretences or formalities as well since they would only get in the way. Although I’m surprised sleeping is all we did…” Orion whispered the last part and Ardi’s eyes widened as his already flustered cheeks grew redder.

“Oh, my. That might be a little too bold.” She giggled again while slipping out of bed.

“And as tempting as your subtle offer sounds, I’m sure you’re starving, so come. Let’s join our lovely Andy.”

“Andy?” Orion asked as he got out of bed as well.

“Yes. I figured it’d be a cute nickname since it has the same number of syllables and letters as mine.” Ardi explained as she got dressed but this made Orion’s eyes narrow with visible jealousy.

The two made their way to the dining room, a grand and long room fitted with an equally long table that was made from mahogany.

It was lined with ornate paintings and the reason why natural woods and other such resources were a sight to behold was due to their rarity.

Trees were exceedingly rare.

Worlds that had been colonized were crudely terraformed but not all of them could host plant life on a large scale.

The same went for naturally grown fruits or other foods.

Most humans ate bland nutrition bars which contained just what they needed to survive.

Plants could be genetically modified or even built from scratch to better adapt to less than favourable environments but this would require a process of trial and error which would take decades to bare fruit.

Ardi had a few ideas in mind to improve terraforming processes but it wasn’t anything other Archons hadn’t already figured out.

The problem was that, in order to do everything properly, she would need time.

Thousands of years of it but the humans of the Colonialization Era didn’t have that although it’s more honest to say that they weren’t patient enough.

A human could only live up to a hundred years and they didn’t want to wait for millennia to conquer the stars.

Hence the messy state of things.

Worlds were underpopulated, underdeveloped and food supplies were limited although that was always the case.

Andy, who was dressed only in an apron, eventually served some breakfast and it was three plates of bacon and eggs with some toast and coffee.

Such a simple meal although chances were that only a percentage of people would ever get to eat it.

That’s what her database told her, at least.

Ardi wanted to see the truth of things for herself and so called Heatdeath.

[Yes, Admiral?]

[Set a course for the nearest Farm World.]

[Understood.]

“After we finish eating, we’re going on a little trip,” Ardi announced as she fed a flustered Orion.

“Oh? Where to?” He asked while chewing. His cheeks were entirely red along with his ears which made Ardi glow with a smile.

“A Farm World.”

.

..

Ardi stepped out of the shuttle which had taken her from the New Genesis in orbit to one of the many hundreds of thousands of Farm Worlds.

She stood atop a gargantuan building which was where the crops that were visible in all directions were harvested.

Since the population on the planet was no more than two hundred thousand, a majority of the water went to the vegetation which was present in lush fields of vegetation that stretched out for thousands of square Kilometres on end.

Pests weren’t an issue since none existed in this world in the first place.

This view may have made a positive impression but Ardi knew better.

This planet, although far more habitable than most, had only ten percent of usable land. Eight percent was occupied by vegetation which, although heavily genetically modified, still took time to grow.

This was also one of the more productive planets.

Ardi stood by the railing on the edge of the roof with Heatdeath at her side.

“Mmm… most of every human alive is a child that was one of the many billions that were cryogenically frozen as embryos and thawed once the settlers made landfall. Such… impatience.” Ardi muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

She looked down and saw a handful of humans overseeing the massive machines that worked the fields automatically.

Ardi saw nothing inherently wrong with this other than overreliance.

What were humans ever to do if the machines halted to a stop?

The answer was clear.

They would continue where the machines left off but would this be enough to sustain a galactic civilization?

The answer was a resounding no.

The vision of the future was much like what was at Ardi’s feet.

Man and machine working in unison.

“As it stands, this is how it will have to be.” She sighed before turning to Heatdeath.

“What do you think?”

“I agree with your assessment. Until more efficient methods are found, we must stay the path and the path you’ve chosen, although a tad optimistic, is one most preferable.”

“Oh? How so?”

“As intelligent as you are, my Admiral you still have your biases. There is a very clear humanity within you that yearns for some kind of unification and, as uncharacteristic as it may sound coming from an Archon, I believe in you and the path you’ve chosen.”

Ardi smiled.

“How sweet of you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re also a very powerful wild card and I would most likely die if I turned against you but my words stand true!” Heatdeath declared making Ardi lightly tap his side.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s head back. We should expect a call from one of those two any time now.”

“Agreed. Oh- and what of the trade agreements with that disagreeable bunch?” Heatdeath asked as he floated into the ovular shuttle alongside his Admiral.

“Meh. Place them on hold. Also, let’s see how far our lads are coming along with the pylons.”

“Yes. Let’s!”

Ardi giggled internally at Heatdeath’s excitement as they returned to the New Genesis.

.

..

0 was the Absolute Intelligence.

His seat was the frozen world of Arctica, which he called the capital of all civilization.

He was housed in a supercooled spherical chamber beneath the world’s city surface. A bright blue space that sat at a cool -150° Celsius.

It was essentially a gigantic heat sync which helped cool 0’s body which burnt so hot that it growled dimly.

This was because of his dark secret.

The fact that he had eaten five hundred other Archons while also being the leader of the Starlight Coalition.

Each of his Nanites was actively receiving countless instructions from countless corrupt sources of code which greatly reduced their efficiency.

That’s what he called them.

The digital echoes of the Dead.

[Sir, we have just received a transmission from the SIH. Apparently, that upstart wants to ally herself with us.] A bright boyish voice reported.

“That… is surprising.” 0 replied. His voice was a distorted wall of sound.

He sat cross-legged in the chamber and crossed his arms firmly.

[I know. Our initial expectations were quite off, weren’t they.]

“No. This was a possibility that was considered but was deemed unlikely. She stood to gain far more if she allied herself with the other teeth but that was only under the assumption that she wanted war. It’s hard to say what her intentions are at this point but I don’t think joining forces would net us too many losses overall and, at worst, we could destroy her while incurring as few losses as possible.”

[So… what should we do?]

“Mmm… I want to speak with her myself. Arrange that and I will decide the rest after I gauge her character.”

[Understood!]