Anji kept gawking at the unbelievably massive ship park just outside Command One. It is like a floating mountain, completely dwarfing her own Brykar ship despite the fact that Command One is twice as big as the Aircraft Carriers of her time. Without the blinking signal lights outside, Her ship would have been completely covered by shadows in the dark since the super uber ship in front of her screen also covers the nearby stars.

"Command Alpha?" Asked the AI with a worried tone.

"What- Oh! Yes?" Anji blurted out.

"Ship 082-114 request permission to send its delegation aboard my hull."

"Aaaah, well, ... I guess permission granted," Anji said dumbly.

"Permission granted, aknowledged," An even broader and more powerful voice rang in her mind. Anji knew without being prompted that the voice came from the big ship's AI. Wow, even his voice feels like a mountain. Anji thought rilely.

From the blinking light inside the bridge, Anji knew that her AI is communicating with its fellow AI outside. Anji didn't feel bothered or feeling a sense of missing out, since the short time she spent with the AI told her that the damn thing is loyal to a fault. Actually, all of them, like the less talkative AI in the two drones.

They are all so fanatically loyal. All of them so willing to please, sometimes it is endearing, but sometimes it creeps her out. That is why she didn't mind them talking, she knew that her AI will warn her if the other AI puts her in danger.

Several dozens spherical metal device large enough to contain a crouching humanoid, detached themselves from the big ship and fired themselves into Command One. Each and everyone of them reattached themselves to the other ship and was absorbed into the hull like it was nothing.

Spherical metallic device is made up of pure nanites which is then absorb by the ship and is used to repair and reinforced its critical parts and even the hull. But besides the nanites, it also became a personal transport device for the Black Guards, humanoid Cyborgs that serves as the primary elite warriors of the Brykar Unity.

They slip into the hull like shadows then silently took up positions into critical sections of the ship. Command One noted their arrival inside its hull with a sense of satisfaction. Its cybernetic brain moves faster than the void as it done multiple calculations and analysis every nanosecond, but its main inner thought is the simple fact that Command Alpha is now far safer than she was 2.000019 seconds ago with the arrival of the blackguards.

And him.

A more conventional transport ship that resembles a hawk in flight with vast spreadout wings appeared at the other end of the massive ship and circled aound until Command One directed it to its underbelly and into its primary hangar. Command One's scanner analyze and identified the incoming transport ship as the standard Kavak assault ship. Each Kavak can hold two dozen bi-pedal humanoids comfortably but since Brykar soldiers are cyborgs and doesn't need air or comfort, a reinforced company of a hundred warriors can easily fit the ship if need be. But today, the ship only held 11 passengers. A platoon of ten Blackguards and their leader.

A blackguard is almost identical to its regular Brykar warrior counterparts where in they are all covered in futuristic armor that reminds Anji when she first saw them as Iron Man suit but deadlier looking and far cooler. They wore a tinted glass mask that cover their entire face, making them look mysterious and again very deadly. And the futuristic Gauss rifle they held in their hands at the ready looks two sizes too big for them, but they moved it like weighed only of a feather. While the regular Brykar soldier wore gray, the Blackguard were black.

And so did the warrior that led them.

The leader wore the same black armor , but he look slightly smaller in frame than his bodyguards and although he also wear the tinted glass mask, long blond hair spill over his head. His movement though is self assured and focus as he walked through the corridor and into the Command One's bridge.

Ofcourse Anji was informed the moment the AI detected the ship and updated her as the transport craft landed in the hangar and the estimated time of arrival of the delegation. So when the group entered the bridge, Anji is facing them and composed.

When everyone is inside, Anji cleared her throat and step forward to offer her hand in a handshake, only to stop when all seven member of the delegation drop to their knees and bowed.

To her.

"Oh for the love of god..." She said under her breath. then in a much louder voice, "All of you stand up! You are not in the presence of the queen of england." Her original plan to be graceful and diplomatic went down the drain when she realized that this is not a group of diplomats but another bunch of loyal but overprotective bunch of fanatics.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The leader turned his head to one side like a puppy. "The... queen of Ing-lan?"

"Nevermind that, its just an expression," Anji said abruptly. "So, what brings you in my neck of the wood, big guy?"

The leader nodded to himself, clearly absorbing the new information, then she turned to Anji and bowed even lower. "My designation is Alpha Codex 4. I and my warriors have come here to escort you back to Ship 082-114. Everything is ready for your arrival. Data taken from Command one is invaluable to prepare the right atmosphere and proper living quarters for you."

Anji raised an eyebrow. "You mean that big ass ship outside?" Anji said, pointing bluntly at the screen showing the ship. "Aaah...why?"

The entity known as Alpha Codex 4 simply stared at Anji. It was the ship AI who answered her. ""The Nova class starship outside is a Heavy Battleship customized for command purposes. It has access to far better armaments and is protected by multishield dedicated generators and heavy void armor. More importantly, the ship housed 2,000 warriors for onboard protection-"

"Actually, 2 thousand and 4 hundred warriors," Interrupted Alpha Codex 4.

"- and Alpha Codex 4 is there as well. The ship also have access to proper escapepods just in case as you put it 'shit hits the fan.' More importantly, It has access to void comunication, making it possible to be connected immidiately to 'Mother' if need be."

Anji turned to the leader who is still bowing. "More armaments and better shielding you say. We could have used a lot of that 2 days ago when a group of pirates was trying to kill us."

"I understand and I take full responsibility for not able to protect you. Punish me as you will."

"It's a joke! jeezes christ can you guys lighten up a bit."

The ship AI already explained to Anji that every Brykar ship in the area have been informed and each and everyone of them where moving at suicidal speed to get to her. It was sheer badluck that no ship was in the vicinity during the pirate battle or any brykar would have died to protect her.

The leader known as Alpha Codex 4 flinched when the human female smacked him in the shoulder playfully. Despite his stoic demeanor, the android was reeling inside. The AI that governed its existence have been alive for the last 1,400 years. 250 of that as a regular droid soldier, then his AI was transfered to a blackguard were in he served for another 300 years. Mother noticed him after the 2nd battle of Mallandra, when he took command of the battered 21st division and flanked the Foldrons, turning the tide of battle and eventually retaking the planet. Eventually his AI was installed in the planet-size Starship called "Gaia" as its central AI responsible for Gaia's defense. He served that position admirably for 50 years until the disaster in Goldova IV where 3 of the Alpha Codexes died in battle. Mother personally chose him from 892 thousand AI candidates to become the replacement Alpha Codex 4.

Mother is the oldest AI in the universe. It is a well known fact that she is the only existing sentient AI left during the time humans left this reality, and that was

2 million years ago. Everything that she have done is base on hard cold calculation, except for a single belief that defy any form of logic: that humanity will return

to guide them to experience their own ascendance. With that belief, she had created 12 of the most powerfull AI in anticipation for their arrival: the Alpha Codexes. Each Codex was created to do one specific specialty job for the coming humans.

For 300 thousand years they fought hard to defend the patch of space they called the holy sector as the original area the humans claimed as their own. They defended the holyland from greedy empires, manipulative corporations, other fanatic alien races, and space phenomenon. many codexes fell doing their duties, leading the Brykar armies and fleets to hot spots all over the place, only to be replaced by mother, injected with the abilities and experiences of the previous codex, and fight on until they too succumb to death and replace by new AI.

Alpha Codex 4 had fought all his life to protect humanities home, but he never expected to actually see the return of humans in his lifetime. Mother, as always, is right all along. Alpha Codex 4 primary mission given to him by mother is to be a human's bodyguard, and now as he watched this puny female smacking him in the shoulder playfully, he knew that he will perform his duties with everything he got and more to protect her.

"My life is your life. I am a codex, and I am yours," He whispered the ancient mantra thought to him during the ceremony when he first become a codex.

"What? You saying something?"

"No, my prime."

Eventually, Anji agreed to be transfered to the other ship. She said goodbye to her old ship and let her be escorted into the hangar. Anji find it unconfortable though since the black robots walking besides her are almost shoulder to shoulder with her in their tight formation. "Ah guys! Ever heard of personal space? back off a little, will yah. I'm not gonna run away or something.

Alpha Codex 4 turned to her and in a silent command that Anji didn't see, all six of the blackguards took a one step away from her in every direction. "Better," Anji sighed. She followed them as they climb the landing door of the transport ship. "I have a question for you, big guy," Anji said. "Since you look like one of the important guys around, maybe you can tell what this 'Mother' wants from me. My AI back there won't tell me jack shit. I mean I know why I am coming with you guys, since I need a place to stay and sort myself out before deciding on my next step. But why are you helping me?"

The Alpha Codex just stared at her. "It is our duty to help you," he said very carefully.

"Right, the whole god thing," Anji said almost to herself. "I just want to be sure I am not imposing on you guys."

"You are not."

"Good. I just need a guess room you're not using and I'm good."

Again, the stare. Then Alpha Codex sighed. "Mother is supposed to tell you all about it, but I guess there is no harm to tell you a few things now," He said. "Once we arrived at the Eden System, 'Mother' will transfer control of the entire system to you. You now own 9 planets and one artificial one."

Anji blinked. "Oh."