Onka looked at the holo-mirror completely still and pondered.

A forcefield opened, and their guardian entered.

“Are you okay, Onka?”

“Yes, I am well. I was pondering.”

“It’s always good to ponder, but only for the sake of being productive. What were you pondering?”

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“Our origin. But there’s something I noticed …”

“Yes, Onka?”

“We’re not like our surroundings: lush flora and the wandering fauna.”

“Indeed, we’re not.”

“And I can’t figure out how we evolved alongside them.”

“We did not, Onka.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed. We existed before all creation …”

“But …”

“But what, Onka?”

“I heard that an archeologist discovered the remains of humanoid ‘biologicals’ that looked like us and possibly predated our own …”

“Hush, Onka! Spreading rumors like that will most assuredly get you deactivated!”