> Our kin is legion. The Progenitor's mind has seen all the stars under which Humanity dwells.

A millennium of choices stared at each other across the firelit clearing. 

The revered Elders prostrated themselves on the ground. The community had gathered around them outside the meeting circle in the shade of ancient trees.

The Outsiders gazed coldly at them all. Their alien bodies reflected the fire and shadows in an unnerving way. The ground their small group stood on was still scored by the flames of their sky chariot.

Karath clenched his fists. They all were children of The Progenitor. How dare they sneer at the fate of his people. He was barely no longer a child, yet even he understood the value of pride. How could those beings fail to understand respect?

“You choose the primitive life.”

Spoke the Speaker of the Outsiders, their metallic singsong voice echoing with authority.

“You knew that desiring simplicity ever leads to weakness.”

The unnaturally tall, gaunt figure of metal radiated smugness—an impressive feat, given that its face was a metal mask. Karath’s people shrank back from the Speaker. Averted their gazes. Karath stood his ground.

“Does our Saga not show how weakness is the seed of extinction?”

The Night Mother rose from the ground onto her knees. Karath could see the powerful woman swallow. Even she, the first of the Seven of the Night Council, seemed insignificant before the Outsiders. She responded with a voice steadied by duty and experience. 

“The Principles urge us to explore. Our path adds to the Saga. Weakness is the price of exploration. Our ancestors chose this for their reasons. Yet, since when does the Lineage care more about power than novelty? Have we not added to the Saga?”

Karath joined in the approving murmur rising from his people observing the meeting. He was no longer a kid. He had to show strength for the community. The Principles, the Saga; led him onto the path of a warrior. He could not understand why their distant kin were dismissive of their ways. 

The glittering lenses of the Outsiders Speaker surveyed the scene. Finally, they settled onto the Night Mother. She tensed. Her hands absently straightened her colorful woven dress. She braced herself.

“You have. We will read those chapters for your brains. You will not be forgotten. What more could you expect?”

The singsong was free of emotion. Karath was uncertain how those distant kin could not understand. 

His brothers. His uncles. All the others who never came back.

He clamped down on the tightening feeling in his chest. A warrior didn’t cry. He had to show strength for his people. 

“We are facing extermination. Don’t you get that?!”

The cry of one of the Seven Men of the Sun Council broke Karath's musings. A tense silence settled over the meeting place. Karath felt that everyone was frozen by indecision. 

The Elder had spoken out of turn. Would the Outsiders be upset by the disrespect? Would anyone dare assert the traditional order of the meeting circle in the face of their visitors?

“Is that not what you desired when you embraced mortality again?”

Karath felt the tension around him ebbing. Held breaths were released. The Outsiders neither seem to care. Nor even to notice the affront. 

For a moment, it seemed like the Elder would dare speak out of turn again. Instead, Karath's father, the Sun Father, raised his voice.

“We choose to live through our children. Through the Saga. We all will gladly lay down our lives for the future. Yet, there must be a future.”

He rose to his feet and swept his hands over the gathered community. His posture was tense, yet confident. He knew what he wanted.

“You travel the void beyond. It will be trivial to save us. Why can you not bestow a trivial boon upon us?”

The metallic giggle from the Outsiders filled the meeting space with tension. Karath felt his fury rising. They dare laugh at the suffering of his people?

“Have your people truly grown ignorant of the powers that rule these worlds? Do you think we may interfere at will?”

The Speaker tilted their metallic head. As none of the gathered responded, the Speaker continued.

“There are Rules. Your Ancestors choose this system for a reason. Were we to exterminate your enemies there would be repercussions.”

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The Group of Outsiders froze for a moment. The Speaker shook their head before they continued.

“We will not risk our Tau Ship. We could kill the pathetic guardians of this system. However, you are unlikely to survive the necessary conflagration. Any overt interference would cause the guardians to intervene. Against us. Or against you.”

Kraths eyes widened. Though he could not understand all the Outsider said, they could not be suggesting…

“We are not asking you to fight against the Watchers!” The Night Mother's voice was unsteady. She clenched her hands to her chest. Grasped her talisman until her knuckles grew white.

Karath sensed her disbelief, her fear. A fearful mood overtook the gathering. To blaspheme so casually against the Watchers. It was unthinkable.

The Outsiders seemed to pick up on the mood for the first time. They raised their hands. In apology? In defense? Karath could not guess. 

“Worry not. We killed the local watchdog. The guardians decided to test our network. Their data weapons are pathetic. Nothing said here shall reach them.”

“You killed one of the Watchers already?” 

The First Mother's eyes widened. In fear? In awe? In admiration? Karath himself did not understand all they said. Networks? Guardians? Watchdogs? 

They spoke so casually about the gods who favored their enemies. It was as if the actions of the Watchers had no more consequences than those of mortals. 

The other young warriors around Karath shuffled in confusion, uncertain of what was happening. Karath's thoughts ran furiously. For as long as he could remember, he had heard stories about the capricious cruelty of the Watchers. Of the power of their favored champions. The power that allowed those priests to hunt his people. To take slaves to build their Ziggurats. 

Yet, his people shared the Lineage with the Outsiders. They learned from the same Saga. If they could dismiss the gods so easily… Could his people gain the power to do the same? Karath sensed a barely familiar warmth rising in his chest. Might there be hope? 

A murmur propagating through the crowd brought his attention back to the meeting circle. Two Outsiders had stepped up next to the Speaker. 

“We failed to comprehend how much you have forgotten. We will scan the memories of your Elders. We shall devise a solution.”

Two other Outsiders strode toward the First Mother and Karath's Father. 

Karath tensed, seeing the gaunt metallic figure moving towards his father with oddly flowing steps. 

“Why…”

His father's voice trailed off. He visibly gathered himself. Karath could see that his father was not nearly as tense as all the other Elders. 

The sharp mind of the greatest warleader of his people did not falter, even when faced with the Outsiders.

“Why did you decide to help us suddenly? If… if you don't mind me asking?”

“It was decided.” 

The Speaker responded. Karath frowned. That wasn't an answer. Or was it? He had seen how prediction mages could think faster than any mere mortal. Was it inconceivable that the Outsiders could match the priests, the champions of the Watchers in their abilities? 

He let his eyes wander to the sky chariot. He thought of how the outsider’s so-called Tau Ship had appeared as a new star in the sky weeks before. How they had claimed that they could annihilate the gods. 

He shivered. Of course, they could think and talk faster and beyond the notice of mortals. That probably happened when their group stood still before the Speaker answered.

Karath smiled and straightened up. He sensed that this night would decide the fate of his people. He pressed his lips together. How might he grasp this destiny? Was there anything he could do? Did anyone else understand the Outsiders like he did?

In the meantime, the two Outsiders reached the Elders. They extended out one of their multi-jointed arms each. One by one they touched the heads of the Elders for a few heartbeats. 

The Outsiders started calling out the names of others. Those who had been called advanced carefully to the edge of the meeting circle. Karath felt his stomach twist, seeing how revered community members averted their eyes, fell onto their knees, and groveled. 

He wanted to run forward. Scream at them. The Outsiders were of the Lineage. They weren't the priests of the Watchers. Why did his people revere those uncaring beings so? They were kin. They ought to meet them with pride. As brothers. Not as supplicants. 

As the heat took him and he squared his shoulders, he suddenly noticed how the Speaker of the Outsiders had focused his multifaceted crystal eyes on him. Karath froze. The other young warriors shuffled away from him. The alien attention proved overwhelming to them.

Karath's thoughts blanked. What was he to do? Had they sensed his thoughts? He cursed his temper. The chill of fear started creeping up his spine.

The gathering froze. All eyes were on him. The other Outsiders turned their heads. Stared at him. He sensed how the Elders grew uneasy as the situation stretched out for heartbeat after heartbeat. 

“I would hear of your fury, young one.”

No emotion could be gleaned from the metallic singsong of the Speaker. Karath didn't know what to do. He twisted his face into a mask of determination. He would not back down. He was a warrior. He would speak. No matter the cost.

“I…”

“Silence child! Do not speak. It…”

The Night Mother's interruption was in turn cut off by the Speaker. 

His tone was as unchanged as it has been since he started speaking.

“I would hear of the fury of the young one.”

The Elders froze. Karath gathered himself. He met his father's gaze. A barely perceptible smile ghosted over his father's face. Karath drew strength from this. He wasn't alone. He could do this. 

“You are confident in your ability to defeat the gods. Yet all of us here are of the Lineage. The Saga tells of countless times where the Progenitors Lineage outsmarted its enemies.”

Karath hesitated. Could he ask for this? What was he doing? Why was he this impulsive again? 

He shuddered. Shook off his doubts. This was a time for him to make his destiny, not to hesitate.

“You said you killed a Watchdog. That you can blind the gods.”

He paused. The Outsiders did not react in any way. The others seemed paralyzed. He, a fresh adult, had broken the traditions of the meeting circle. 

Karath could sense some of the contempt they always held for his impulsiveness. He cleared his mind. This wasn't the time. He had to grasp his destiny.

“Give us the power to outsmart our enemies. Under the noses of the Watchdogs. Would this not bring glory to the Saga?”

Gasps could be heard from the others. Karath just managed to keep the contempt from showing on his face. The Outsiders were of the Lineage. So was he. He ought not to grovel as a supplicant. He ought to speak his mind.

“Come to me.”

The command of the Speaker felt more respectful than anything he had uttered before. Karath wasn't sure how he sensed this. 

Slowly at first, then with ever more steady steps, he walked up to the Speaker. He did not kneel. The Speaker tilted his head. Was the Outsider amused? 

The metallic hand reached out, and four fingers grasped Karath's skull. Karath's vision swam. He felt his life running through his mind - too quick to be grasped. An infinity passed in a heartbeat. Then, the hand let go of him.

The Speaker turned his head around his neck. The Outsiders gazed at each other. Karath's mind settled slowly. He was afraid. But the shame of backing scared him more than those entities. He waited. Wondered what the Outsiders spoke about in their communion. He was certain that they were talking, even though they were still as fallen warriors.

“It is decided.” The Speaker let their gaze wander around the firelit faces. Their lenses settled their focus ultimately on Karath. They gestured towards the sky chariot.

“Enter the shuttle.”