Seven days after the initial flight from the singularity munitions, Alysa gave the final tally of loss. A total of 247,561 souls, including Zurui, Radin, and Aeneas. The Talon fleet had lost five capital ships. Three of them Black Eyes had been used as mass-fuel to detonate the singularities, and two more lost to its expansion. Four had been Brigantine class, though substantially larger than their Brigantine. One was a capital-class battleship named The Wydah, after the race of void-dwelling ethereal beings known for their speed and whimsical nature.

Shisoka woke on day eight. Josh had been dozing to sleep in the chair next to him when the commander had opened his eyes, recognized his surroundings, and stepped to his feet faster than Josh could track him.

"Commander..." Shisoka nodded in greeting and stood at ease with his hands behind his back while he gave Josh a few beats to get to his feet. The tall man looked around, "...We appear to have survived the singularities. What is our status?"

"My chief executive officer Alysa Nang has gathered the Talon fleet in a free region of the void. We are one lightyear from the stable event horizon of a newly formed grade four singularity... And please, sir... call me Josh."

Relief smoothed Shisoka's face. "Gratitude... Josh."

Josh bobbed his head. "It was our honor."

Shisoka narrowed his eyes. "...My son?"

Josh told him.

Hearing it, Shisoka's shoulders sagged, and he nodded again in understanding. Then, every inch the battle leader Jinichi had painted him, Shisoka straightened up to continue down his list of concerns.

"Losses?"

Josh told him, and Shisoka's jaw clenched in restrained anger as his eyes cut like lasers. The Essence in his Core blazed forth unrestrained for a split-second. It was so bright Josh had to turn away.

"I will hold the aberration Dod Stal accountable for each of these lives!"

...And then the scorching brightness faded. Shisoka's expression softened, and he smiled a bit chagrined at Josh. "Forgive my outburst. I’ve always believed it more practical to do a thing than say it. More importantly, Dod Stal is a task for tomorrow. For now, I ask you to call your fellow Danshaku...” A crooked smile creased Shisoka’s lips. “...I’ve a tale for Kaizuko ears that must be spoken over several cups. The story of the greatest among us and the most amazing woman I will ever know. Listen and celebrate her life with me."

Josh called them... And they did!

* * * * *

The next day, aside from learning why you didn't try to out-drink your commodore when they were four Attunements above your level, Josh, Sen, and Alysa finally knew the true tale of Noha-3. At least as accurate a story that could come out among a bunch of partially inebriated pirates. But most of it was likely valid as Shisoka swore them all to secrecy, even from Jishin. The information was need-to-know for all until they arrived before the Kaizuko Court and handed over the Talan fleet along with its payload of Zindagee flowers to Kotei Stuado. The items of power would increase the battle strength of the Kaizuko forces and give Dod Stal a wake-up call if he still intended to dominate the Kaizuko in this iteration. At any rate, they all agreed that the mechanical dingleberry had some payback coming, and doubly attuning all the Kaizuko was a great way to kick it off.

They also learned that Shisoka was ready to resume his role as Shiki-Khan. The Prime Commander of the Kaizuko fleets. He had informed the three of them of his and Utsuki's planned date with the Noha system's sun. But now it no longer existed... and that her sacrifice demanded retribution.

In the days that followed, they honored the fallen at the edge of the event horizon, and Shisoka had a small portion of the ongoing harvest of the Zindagee transported to the Brigantine. Over forty thousand Life Attunement items of power. One for each man, woman, and child aboard the Brigantine. Shisoka could only laugh when asked, throwing his hands up in surrender, "You heard my tale. After all, getting every Kaizuko an item of Life Attunement has always been the plan. You and your crew are just receiving yours first."

Josh, Sen, and Alysa had just Attuned, so they secured theirs. But the rest of the active crew and combat forces were chock full of Essence and ready to advance. They started with a core group of twenty and then doubled and doubled. Everyone had been Attuned in ninety-six hours on route to Valhoren, the Kaizuko home system.

All of the noncombatants and children needed more Essence to advance. But there were many stored spirit beasts on the Brigantine from the several weeks-long hunt the crew had performed on the no longer existing Noha-3. Hopes were high that everyone down to six-years-old could Attune before the beasts' Essence had been completely absorbed. Time would tell. Everyone knew that Zurui most likely would have survived if he had been Attuned when attacked by Xsias. And this was enough motivation for all to master their Essence absorption skills.

* * * * *

Josh and Sen entered Alysa and Sophie's soul space during nightly playtime. As he had for the last several days, Hammy, Sophie's garbage truck-sized hamster, greeted them with a broad, flat-toothed smile. "Welcome, father, welcome, uncle. We have been expecting you." Hammy spoke in his high-clear voice. "Thank you, Hammy." They said in unison. It had taken a minute to get used to Sophie's hamster talking to them. But it wasn't that shocking. He was already larger than a family unit of African elephants. On top of this, Josh believed it was best to accept everything that came at them in the soul space with a smile and keep rolling with the punches.

Looking around over the plush green grass and palm trees perfectly dispersed between aquiline pools, Josh saw Sophie's ever-growing multicolored menagerie playing, splashing, and sleeping as their hearts desired. Several new editions could be seen, including a herd of rainbow-striped zebras running on a plain in the distance. Overhead, a flight of pegasi playing hide and seek in the giant fluffy white and pink clouds. But he didn't see Sophie. Josh leaned on his tiptoes to speak softly into Hammy's catcher's mitt-sized ear. "Is she busy?"

Stolen story; please report.

Hammy got down on his forepaws to speak eye-to-eye with Josh. "Sophie asked me to greet you. She had an unexpected visitor and should be arriving momentarily—Ah..." Hammy tilted his massive muzzle skyward. "Here they come now!"

Josh tracked Hammy's vision to see two brilliant white-blue meteors streaking across the sky. A twinkling trail of what Mr. W. Disney would call 'stardust' tracked behind them for all to see. The figures were cut from the clearest crystal. And they internally glowed a radiant golden-white. The figures' anatomy and features were humanoid but not human. Moving with grace beyond mere mortals, their limbs, waists, and faces were thin and perfect idealized forms. Spiritually aligned artists would have used sketches of them to depict transcended beings. Josh knew this was, if not Transcendence, it was a far sight closer than he and Sen were right now.

Words passed unbidden from his lips, and he heard his and Sen’s unified voice say "...Beautiful!" The pair came to a perfectly timed landing several paces in front of them. Josh noticed that one of the impossibly lithe figures stood several feet taller than the second. He fought to keep his bedazzled eyes on the pair as a razor-sharp internal illumination sparkled off the crisp edges of their bodies. Now that the two were closer, the brilliance had become uncomfortable. Josh also couldn't help but note that Shisoka's Core had nothing on the pure light coming from these two.

Cycling Essence to heal their broiled sclera and retinas, Josh and Sen finally had to turn away from the pair as they walked into talking distance.

"...Honey, I think we need to switch back. We're hurting your daddy's eyes..." A vaguely familiar voice that Josh was having trouble placing at this exact moment.

The illumination faded, and Josh heard footsteps run to them through his failing vision. He was still healing his eyes when the comfortable weight of Sophie slammed into his legs, and her little arms hugged him in her four-year-old's stranglehold. "Daddy! Daddy!! Gaia came looking for you. And she showed me so much while we waited! Now that I can adopt my Karmic presence... I can go anywhere! And talk with anyone in the whole giant universe! Did you know that?!"

Josh's brain was scrambling to keep up with everything that had just happened in the last three seconds. Roll with the punches, Joshy. You have to keep rolling with 'em!!

Brisk nod. ~Yes, brother. We must roll!~

Josh kneeled down and smiled a slightly frightened but accepting smile through his still-watering eyes. He saw only joy on her face and knew that this moment was his to amplify or ruin for her. She was definitely comfortable with her new ...level of existence? Is that even the right way to think about it?

Gaia's voice spoke to both of them. Yes. And you're doing a good job right now, Dad. This is her Reality, and it's tougher for her to accept it than you. So, keep up with her!

"Well... Ahh...That's amazing, honey! But remember... No, talking to strangers ...anywhere in the universe... unless me or your mother are there with you. Right?"

Sophie took on a tone that made it clear this instruction was old ground. But she answered out of respect for him. "I know Daddy...and I will also look both ways every time I cross the street. I promise!" She hugged his neck tightly.

"Good girl!"

Sophie disengaged from Josh and ran to embrace Sen's kneeling form. "Uncle Sen'ak! Did you know I can go anywhere and talk with anyone in the whole wide universe in my karmic form!?" Sen feigned surprised and smiled warmly at her as if this was brand-new information. "I always knew you were a special girl. I'm unsurprised that you have completed part of your Transcendence earlier than everyone else!" He said while hugging her back.

Sophie disengaged and ran a few steps. "I have to go tell All'a!" She then transformed into her stylized glowing, perfect crystalline sculpture transfiguration and flew off toward where Alysa was drinking tea with a group of purple and silver-furred gibbons.

Gaia walked up to them in her human form and gave each a warm embrace in greeting.

"Look at you two! How much you both have grown! When the Clone told me you had already Attuned three times, I almost called him a liar. I'm pretty sure that’s a Life Attunement in your pocket and you're both not just glad to see me." The mother of the world leered a briefly wicked but somehow still friendly smile at the two of them. Josh blushed, and when Sen understood the double entendre through the Bond, he blushed as well.

Josh got his voice back and smiled a crooked smile back at the Earth Goddess. "You haven't changed a bit, have you, Gaia? Sophie can go anywhere and talk with anyone in the universe?"

"I showed her how to activate her karmic form... It comes with a few travel and communication perks. She was more than halfway toward activating it herself." Gaia tilted her head and seemed to peer into the distance. As if she was looking far ahead before she spoke again. "Don't worry... She’s a good girl and will stay out of trouble—" Gaia looked back down and lightly swatted the back of his hand. "...And shame on you for not letting me know you had such a special little girl. I had to hear about it from the Clone of all people."

Sen looked up. "You spoke with the Clone?"

“Well, of course I did—Listen, there is a lot I need to tell you, and I can really use your help. The Clone has given me permission to ask you for your temporary fealty. Are you willing to grant me your service?" She again tilted her head and looked over their shoulder as if looking down a long road for what was coming. Looking back up at them, she smiled warmly. "If we succeed, I promise it will be worth it to you in achieving your karmic obligations.”

They looked at each other, but before they could even speak through their bond. Gaia was answering their concerns with her arms out wide as if to encompass their current problems.

"I know you have a lot on your plate. What with the Kaizuko, the Savoy, Prince Ishan, and the Sundai... I'm not going to take you away from any of that. Not really...What I need is assistance in a timeless event. When we succeed, you will be brought back here to this very moment as if nothing transpired between one moment and another. It's time for my people's next Stellar Litigate. Our way of determining which group will be allowed dominance in a whole flight of new systems and their associated worlds!" Gaia folded her hands and looked thoughtfully at their deer-in-the-headlights expressions to what she had just said.

"...Josh, you might think of the Litigate as the Olympics... It is where the concept of nationwide contests came from, after all. I've had some unanticipated openings on my team...and I need you both to fill them.”

She put her small strong hands on each of theirs and they felt that she was being as sincere as any mother would be with her children. “...What do you say? You want to help me out. I promise it's no more dangerous than what you have already faced." She smiled and held her hands up to pat the air and stall their objections again. "...Yes, I know you have been turned into a sentient slushy on at least one occasion ...But the rewards will be worth it. And I know you both will do very well. Are you willing to grant me your service?" The mother of the cosmos finished with a hopeful look and the strangely formal wording again.

~She has helped us….And she seems to really need our help. How can we say no?~

~...~ Sen didn’t have any answers either.

The Mother of the Earth didn't even give them a chance to vocalize their agreement as her smile spread lovingly wide. "Excellent! Let's go!"

And they were gone.

* * * * *

The End

Thank you for reading Love/Undeath/and Robots!