Sliver of the Sun

[nntowerfield]

The coins rattled in Temri's hands.

"Whose family?" asked Makoe.

Temri looked at Makoe, her ears curling: "I'm starting to question whether or not you're really in the trade. How can you live on the streets of Erdon and not know of the Family?"

"I am new here. Please enlighten me." Makoe said and prepared to forward the information to the rest of her crew.

Temri was thoughtful. "A group of street-smart thugs. They run this side of the city." She shook her head – up and down, a way of showing scorn. "Though run might be too strong a word."

"You do not like the Family?"

Temri shook her head again. "No, I do not. Their previous… leader…" Temri curled herself up - hugging her body with her arms, her heartrate was increasing. She looked at Makoe, and was embarrassed, but tried to cover it up by spilling the coins on the floor and counting them. "Their leader was a good man. He knew how to keep people happy. He was a true leader. Unlike that woman." Temri spat.

"Your plan is to what? Kill them all?" Asked Makoe.

Temri's eyes widened as she stared at Makoe, she held the knife between them again, defensive.

"What in the Giant's mercy did you just say? Why would I kill anyone!?"

Makoe checked the logs and realised her mistake. Apparently, the Miriani thought of killing as the greatest sin imaginable. Most had a visceral reaction to even mentions of it.

And yet, 7000 years ago, they created the instruments of their own annihilation. Matrioshka observed. Rhea was threatened with blades too - is Temri displaying her knife as a means of deterrence?

Perhaps these empty threats of violence are an evolutionary response to a near extinction event. Matrioshka resolved to discuss this further with Rhea when they both had some time. Currently she was trapped in a tree, and Rhea was fixing a broken arm.

Makoe lifted her hand in a placating manner. "I am merely trying to ascertain your motives and desires. I can tell you something of myself if you wish? An answer for an answer."

"I already answered a question. I ask now." Temri demanded.

"Sounds reasonable."

"Good." Temri said, relaxing once more. "There is no way someone from this city doesn't know about the Family. So, where are you from?"

Makoe confirmed with the data before answering; "2nd Kingdom."

"Figured. Your fur and all…" She grew thoughtful for a moment. "Hey. I don't really care about your Disgrace. You don't need to worry about me bossing you around."

"Oh?" Makoe consulted the definition of Disgrace, and smiled. "I wouldn't obey you if you tried."

"Tell her Officer Rue! I'm the only one who commands you." said Matrioshka and smiled coyly.

Makoe sent her a digital poke and said: "Shush captain. Don't flirt with me while I'm extracting information."

Matrioshka's processing speed spiked.

Temri replied: "You know… I believe you."

"My turn. What did the Family do to incur vengeance?" asked Makoe.

"The issue is in what they aren't doing, more than what they did. Since they changed leadership, the Family has been losing its grip on their territory. They are getting pushed around by the King's forces. I want strength – a new leadership, in honour of the previous."

"And how exactly do you plan to do so?"

"Oh no." replied Temri. "One question for one answer. It my turn again."

"Fair." Makoe said and closed in on Temri and her coins. When Temri looked at her sharply, Makoe spread her hands and said: "Just want to help you count."

Temri searched Makoe's gaze and clasped her hands. They got to counting while Temri asked her question;

"Why did you decide to rob that guy? I mean…" she spread her hands, indicating the large sum of money.

"How did I know the guy was loaded?" asked Makoe.

"Yeah. I know the trade; Observe the clothes first, then the attitude, and finally who the person is with. Usually, you're looking for expensive suits or dresses, arrogance, and an entourage of at least four other Miriani."

"Hmm. Good practice. Should yield a good target in 98.1% of cases." Makoe said after a quick calculation.

Temri's ears vibrated like a tuning fork; "You have an education!?"

"Do I not look the part?"

Temri laughed. "No way. Plus, since when do educated people go out robbing random men on the street? And… you still haven't answered my question."

"Ah." Makoe considered what she could say. Matrioshka saw her browse PesKal's data, and almost open a channel towards Damien – no doubt to construct some sturdy lie. Makoe decided against it, and said:

"I was after his lens." Said Makoe.

More vibrating ears from Temri; "Whoa. Identity theft? You're in for the big bucks." she said while counting the 200th coin.

"My group is infiltrating the city."

Gently panicking, Matrioshka asked: "What are you doing Officer Rue?"

Makoe smiled through their connection and replied: "All is well captain. Observe Temri's hormonal balance."

Matrioshka did. It was all out of whack. Temri's hormones were severely disbalanced, particularly those responsible for regulating emotion and emotional responses. Among other things, symptoms would include anxiety, sadness accompanied by hopelessness, nicely topped with obsessiveness and anger.

"Poor girl. She needs psychiatric help." Said Matrioshka.

"Yes. I believe if I do not create a firm bond with her, she will fall further into her mental illness. Officer PesKal, please review my conclusion." Asked Makoe and sent the relevant data to PesKal.

PesKal's glider was pulled by a calm current, guiding him into an open field just across a road leading outside of the city. Fortunately, the road was empty, otherwise the large crater created by the falling Atomic Press would have been seen.

"I concur. If I were Temri's psychiatrist, I would diagnose her with both the equivalent of human depression and Ankrahi anxiety." PesKal replied.

Matrioshka winced, and told Makoe; "Yup. Poor girl... Coordinate with Officer Lavigne."

"Why Officer Lavigne?" Makoe asked.

"She has infiltrated the Family."

Makoe didn't reply, she just shook her head and smiled.

"Infiltrating the city? What for?" asked Temri, loosing count of her coins. "Dammit." She said and started counting from the start.

Makoe provided the correct count: "You were at 203. And we are doing so for strictly research purposes."

"Research? What are you researching?"

Makoe smiled: "Highcrown and its inhabitants."

Temri looked anxiously at Makoe, switching her gaze from her to the coins and back again. She finally asked; "You want to help me destroy the Family? It would allow you to learn more about Highcrown, and help you with your strictly research purposes."

"It would be my pleasure Temri." Makoe said as she extended both her arms towards Temri, who considered them, and extended her own. Their fingers interlocked in what symbolized a promise between two friends, as per PesKal's information.

Temri appeared stoic from the outside, but Makoe could detect the gentle shift in her brain's chemistry - Temri was happy.

"Lens received." said Damien.

"What? Oh." Makoe was startled by Damien. The nanites had successfully carried the lens to the Academy, flew over the walls without issue, and found Damien.

Lens secured, the nanites began the trip back to the bell tower, where the rest of Makoe's nanites were hidden.

Makoe and Temri continued their conversation – Makoe aiming to build trust, while Damien got to falsifying his identity.

He emerged from the bushes, a mass of nanites, and entered a storm drain on the side of the Academy. Covertly he drilled a small hole connecting the outside to a hallway within the Academy. He waited until the coast was clear and flowed through the 12mm wide hole inside.

The Academy had soft wooden floors – softly creaking under each step. There was an air of cleanliness, as Miriani maids and butlers tended to the wealthier students and faculty. Each corner of the halls had some metal decorations – distinctly plant-like. Damien confirmed the sculptures as an artform prized in the 10th Kingdom, and sold moon-wide for very high sums.

He spied the principal's office, and his nanites flowed into and unlocked the office's door. The inside matched the outside well; pure Miriani opulence.

Damien opened the cabinet containing the faculty's information, a rudimentary lock stood in the way and was quickly dealt with. Damien summoned a folder containing the pertinent information regarding Professor Nam Brarom, a transfer from the 5th Kingdom, arrived yesterday.

The folder, made of pure nanites, would serve as a good cover for Damien's identity. He would be a professor of mathematics, who earned his place in the Academy thanks to his revolutionary theory; negative numbers. Damien would be required to teach 2 classes each day and would use the rest of his time to further develop his theory.

The job also came with a very nice pay check – 300 silver coins a month.

With the folder complete, Damien placed it within the cabinet between the sliding drawer and the surrounding wooden panelling. As if it had been lodged there on accident, the folder would be instructed to fall out the next time the principal opened this drawer. This would most likely be when, and if, the principal came to double-check Damien's credentials.

Now all Damien had to do was decide how to present himself to the principal and the rest of the faculty. They would want to know where he was during the previous day – someone had to have seen him arrive yesterday.

Damien browsed his surroundings in the virtual and decided to fake illness. He planned to enter one of the on-site faculty dorms, falsify the documents there – granting him lodging, and go straight back here.

Only this time, he would not be sneaking around. He would then approach the principal and explain how he caught a fever, and wished to isolate himself for at least a day.

Gently flowing across the office, into the hall, and through the hole in the floor, Damien emerged once again into the courtyard. He left some nanites behind to close the hole, and to keep track of the events in the principal's office.

The form of Nam Brarom, dressed as a member of the faculty, made its way towards the dorms.

Damien enjoyed being out in the open for a change, he greeted a pair of guards as they marched by him. They returned the greeting and continued on their way.

The dorms were mostly subterran with a singular floor above ground. Damien opened the main wooded doors and entered the main hall. A golden-furred maid, dressed in a long white dress, was dusting a cabinet.

Damien scanned her and read her identification.

He thought of what to say. Currently, Rosamond's World was hidden from the Emperor and Empress by the Duchess. And being in the much larger planet's shadow, it was currently neither day nor night. The Miriani had invented a word for this arrangement of their celestial spheres. Damien said:

"Good Daynight, Eri."

"Oh!" The kind-faced older maid turned around. It was obvious she did not recognise Damien, but decided to pay him the necessary respects.

"Good Daynight, professor." she said.

"Pardon me, I don't think we were introduced. My name is Nam Brarom, a new transfer from the 5th Kingdom." Damien said and gave Eri a gentle bow.

Eri looked troubled and embarrassed. "I am Eri. It is a pleasure to meet you professor. Pay me no mind, I am just doing some dusting, its Daynight after all."

"Indeed, it is. Take care, Eri."

Damien smiled kindly, which startled Eri further, and walked towards his room.

Since Rosamond's World was tidally locked, its orbital period equalled its rotational period. One side of Rosamond's World always faced the Duchess, and once each orbit, it would hide behind the bigger planet.

In Miriani culture, Daynight was a period of blessed darkness in the middle of the day, lasting about 2 and a half hours. This time was used for important work, as all done during Daynight falls under the grace of the Giant.

Damien released a small group on nanites and instructed them to doctor the documents pertaining to ownership of room number 66 of the dormitory. He chose it for its proximity to Adra's room. She would be assigned to room number 67.

When he rounded the corner, leaving Eri behind, he heard her talking to another maid.

"Did you hear? The new professor is so kind. He knew my name." Eri was saying.

"I did." A younger maid said. "Like professor Bubi from the 6th and professor Tiarra from the 4th, people in the lower kingdoms treat us kindly."

Eri brightened; "Another one is coming from the 5th kingdom. Professor Nam just told me."

"Really? Maybe they can finally teach some kindness to the students. Mlimi had tomato-potatoes thrown at her again." The other maid said.

Tomato-potatoes? Matrioshka thought. PesKal had used the equivalence principle to assign names to fruits and vegetables. Tomato-potatoes, like tomatoes from Terra, were red and circular with soft interiors. But grew as roots - like potatoes.

The nanites sent by Damien to falsify documentation have completed their job. Another paper, denoting room 66 as assigned to Nam Brarom, now rested on the dorm administrator's desk. The administrator was on older, golden-furred Miriani, he was slacking on the job, reading a book, and was oblivious to the nanites.

Damien reached his room on the second subterran floor. It was completely empty, and he began settling in. Nanites formed inconspicuous furniture and other objects, modelled after the scans of the nearby faculty's rooms.

Using some of the nanites left outside, Damien saw Adra running across the Academy courtyard. She was hauling two suitcases behind her and was almost out of breath.

"Giant's mercy, I am so late!" Adra said while approaching the dorm.

She opened the door in a whirl and saw Eri, still cleaning the cabinet.

"Good Daynight miss. Please can you point me to the administrator's office?"

Startled, Eri pointed across the hall.

"Thank you! We will meet properly later!" Adra said while running once more.

Adra arrived in front of the administrator's office, fixed her clothes, and knocked.

The administrator rushed to hide the book, and organise the chaos strewn across his desk – knocking some files onto the floor. He called out:

"Come in."

Adra jumped in and bowed.

The administrator looked at her while hunched over – collecting the scattered documents. He said: "Ah, professor Nan-Tar. So kind of you to join us."

Adra want to explain: "I am sorry. I was…"

"Save it for the principal. I don't care." Administrator held the documents up and notices the new one. He stared at it for a few seconds.

"Uh…" he said, confused. He opened the file, scanned over the text, and saw his signature – brilliantly copied and falsified by Damien's nanites. "Alright then." He concluded, shook his head, and flipped to Adra's files.

"Here it is. Professor Adra Nan-Tar, room 67." he said and gave Adra the key to her room. "I suggest you hurry to the principal's office. You have some explaining to do. You are 17 hours late."

"Yes of course!" Adra said, bowed and left towards her room.

Damien decided to go meet Adra, he waited until she was close and exited his room.

Adra was near her door, just across Damien's, and was surprised to see him.

"Hello." she said, and did something between a Miriani bow and a curtsy. An original 5th kingdom greeting, Damien realised. He went back to the data he scanned from the library's books, found a section on 5th Kingdom formalities, and read the male version of the greeting. Damien did his best to imitate the described motions and asked: "In a rush?"

Adra seemed to not find his motions strange. "Oh yes." she said while opening the door to her room. She threw her luggage inside, and locked the door again. "I am so late."

Damien went to follow Adra as she started a firm jog towards the main Academy building.

"I could help, mitigate the situation." Damien offered.

Adra considered him and said: "It would be helpful. Thank you."

They ran past Eri, who was startled for the third time.

"I was supposed to arrive long before Daynight." Adra said, looking towards the Duchess. It was low on the horizon, a pink crescent void, illuminated not by stars but a molten moon.

"What kept you?" Damien asked.

Adra scoffed. "You know how it is. Port guard finds it unbelievable someone from the lower kingdoms could be a professor. They detained me for hours until they could find an "expert" to confirm my identity. All this during the sacred Daynight… I didn't know someone else from the 5th kingdom worked at the Academy…?" she said, looking at Damien.

"I am a new transfer too. Arrived a few days ago."

"Oh. I am Adra Nan-Tar, pleasure to meet you."

"Nam Brarom, pleasure is all mine." Damien said just as they reached the Academy building. They were let in by a guard, of course only after showing their ids, and made their way to the first floor. Damien scanned the office; the principal was here now, and Damien scanned his id – Principal Orev Diatr.

They approached the door and Adra knocked.

Orev was middle aged, naturally golden furred and visibly irritated at the interruption. He stroked his facial hair, two long lengths of hair on his cheeks, and said: "Enter."

Damien and Adra shuffled in and bowed deeply. Orev looked up from his writing, and stared at Damien and Adra over his glasses. He said:

"Professor Nan-Tar. We expected you many hours ago. No matter, I expected nothing else from the 5th Kingdom."

Adra was angry, hormones surged within her brain. Outwardly she appeared perfectly apologetic. She bowed even deeper and said:

"My deepest apologies. I offer no excuse for my tardiness. I resolve to not embarrass the Academy in the future."

The principal looked disinterested; he accepted the apology with a wave of the hand. He looked at Damien wearing the Academy uniform and frowned.

"And who might you be?" he asked.

"I am professor Nam Brarom. I arrived yesterday but was feeling ill. I have isolated myself in my dorm for the last 30 hours."

The principal looked dubious. "I do not remember a second 5th kingdom transfer. This must be a mistake…" He opened the drawer and Damien's paper fell out from between the drawer and the cabinet's inner wall.

The principal picked up the paper and read it over a couple of times. Only the gentle falling of sand from the principal's hourglass filled the silence. Adra looked at Nam questioningly, and he gave her the Miriani equivalent of a shrug.

"I see." The principal said. "May I use your lens, professor Brarom?"

"Naturally." Damien replied and handed his lens.

The principal inspected the paper using the lens, revealing correct identification, then stared at Damien and Adra.

"Two professors from the 5th. How fortunate we are to have such a diverse faculty. Welcome to the Academy." Orev said and got back to his writing.

He spoke at Adra without looking: "I trust you will want to use this time to prepare for your class professor Nam-Tar. They will be within classroom 134, in half an hour."

And to Damien: "As for you professor Brarom; you will have to wait a couple of hours until my secretary devises a class schedule. Your arrival was quite unexpected."

Damien and Adra bowed and walked out of the office.

"Classroom 143. In 18 minutes." Damien said when they left the office.

"What?" Adra asked.

"Your class will be waiting in room 143 in 18 minutes from now. Not room 134 and certainly not in half an hour."

Adra did not appear surprised at the principal's weaponized deception. "You know my schedule?" she asked.

"I know everybody's schedule."

Adra looked at Damien and smiled. "You're strange. What do you teach?"

"Mathematics. You?" Damien knew already, but wished to appear friendly. They just stepped into the courtyard.

Adra smiled. Damien found it fascinating how smiling looked the same on both Miriani, Ankrahi, and humans. Adra continued: "Ah, Mathematics. Explains much. I teach science - mostly geology."

It was Damien's turn to smile. "Let's meet some time. I would like to know more about you and you experience."

"I would like to know the same about you, strange man."

"Can you visit me after my first lecture? I don't know when it will be yet." Damien asked.

"I will find out. See you then." Adra said and bowed. She went back to the dorms, probably to change into her uniform and prepare for her class.

Damien went to leisurely explore the rest of the Academy.

 

[nntowerfield]

PesKal was airborne, approaching the landing site of the Atomic Press. Once on the ground, he would secure the Press as per Matrioshka's orders.

"I am approaching the Press, captain." he said. Through his eyes Matrioshka saw the 5-meter-wide crater, created by the Press impacting the ground at supersonic speeds. The Press' main systems were still functional, it released pings and transmitted some basic diagnostics.

A carriage pulled by a long-legged animal rushed across a nearby road.

PesKal, from 55 meters in the air, saw two Miriani on board. The carriage banked right, into the road's wooden fence and broke right through. The animal, which PesKal's language pack translated as "horse-rabbit", hit the fence hard. It whined loudly but continued to pull the carriage diligently.

The carriage was in the cabbage-eggplant field now, going straight for the Atomic Press.

"Estimated time of arrival is 13 second. I can reach the Press in 5." PesKal said and dematerialized his glider. He entered a free-fall, directly above the Press.

"Merge with the Press, Officer PesKal." Matrioshka advised.

PesKal was unsure; "To what end, captain?"

"You lack sufficient nanites to move the press by yourself at any reasonable rate. The Miriani within the carriage nearly have line of sight with the Press. Your best hope is to stay hidden until such a time when you can safely take the Press elsewhere." Matrioshka explained.

"Understood, captain." PesKal said just as he landed. Seamlessly, his nanites enveloped the Press, removing any descriptive grooves, panelling, or lettering. It was now a simple black cube.

The carriage stopped.

Two wax lanterns hung from its front, painting the crater red.

The two Miriani within the carriage were motionless. An older Miriani man was looking directly at PesKal through the carriage's window.

"You were… right?" The older Miriani said to the other with a distinct note of disbelief.

"Of course, I was right Bemri! I saw it with my own eyes. It fell from the sky!" The other, a much younger male responded while opening the door.

"Sir Yim, please wait! It might be dangerous." The older man, named Bemri, said.

Yim was already outside. "Oh, I bet its dangerous. You saw the size of the fire in the sky… this fell right out of it." he said while unhooking a lantern.

Sir Yim wore dark robes, a wide black hat with an ornate symbol on the front. PesKal cross-referenced the symbol and found its meaning; it belonged to an order of scholars specialising in astronomy, named The New World society.

"You didn't tell me that!" Bemri said while he quickly followed. He was old, near the end of his life, but still walked with a young man's grit and determination. His robes were deep brown.

Both were of golden fur and visibly thinner than the Miriani average – less muscles, and certainly less fat.

"What would your parents say? If they saw you risking your life like this, this could be a temptation by the Giant." Bemri said after he finally caught up with Yim.

They stood at the crater's edge, staring in silence at the dark cube.

"They would praise me." Yim whispered. "Do you see this Bemri?" he motioned at PesKal; "It's a cube! Since when do cubes fall from the sky?"

"These are troubling times Sir Yim. Oliver's World is shining like the Suns, balls of fire appear above our most blessed city. I don't think you should be exposing yourself like this!" Bemri said while Yim walked closer to the cube.

"Remarkable." Yim said as he circled the object. PesKal watched him.

Yim extended a hand, and tentatively touched the cube, in direct contact with PesKal's nanites. "What are you?" Yim murmured.

"Sir Yim, Daynight is almost over. The Suns will punish us if they see us. We must hurry." Bemri said tensely.

Yim turned thoughtful. He looked at the cube and back at the carriage, his hand still resting on PesKal. "There is no way a single animal will be able to pull this weight." he concluded.

"Officer PesKal, it might be beneficial if they took the Press somewhere less visible." Matrioshka suggested.

"Just what I was thinking. I just need him to push on the cube with some force." PesKal said as he instructed a group of nanites to tunnel into the ground. They closed in on Yim's feet and gently threw him of balance.

"Wha…?" Yim was forced to put both hands on the cube to keep himself from falling.

As he did, PesKal moved the cube 30 centimetres forward – orchestrating the illusion the cube was much lighter than it looked.

"Huh? How is this possible?" Yim said, and after a moment added: "If it were truly this light, it would be less dense than air. How is it not flying away?"

"Smart." PesKal said while looking at Yim, whose green eyes were staring intently at the cube, deep and calculating.

"Not good for us, Officer PesKal." Matrioshka said dryly. "The less he knows the better."

"Roger, captain. But still, I can respect his curiosity."

Yim shook his head and called out to Bemri: "Do we still have the rope?"

Bemri looked disappointed. "Yes Sir, we do. But you can't possibly plan to…"

"Bring it."

Bemri sighed. "Yes, Sir…"

Yim and Bemri tied the rope around the cube and connected the other end to the carriage.

"Come on girl. I will give you a nice fresh pumpkin-pear if you get us home fast." Yim said to the horse-rabbit while petting its longy fluffy ears. The creature released a satisfied neigh in return.

Both Miriani got back into the carriage, and Yim grabbed the reigns.

The carriage took off, dragging the cube behind it. And just in time too, PesKal saw another carriage approach the crater from the other direction. Bemri saw it as well, and turned to Yim.

"The owners of the field saw us. You better hope they do not recognise the carriage. Giant's mercy we are driving across their cabbage-eggplants!" he said.

"Relax old man. Have a little fun, we are hauling the discovery of the century!"

"Discovery of the century or not, it will do you no good if you get in trouble before you can realise its potential." Bemri scolded.

Yim did not respond, he just stared at the road. Bemri calmed as well. PesKal used nanites to push himself forwards, keeping the rope in tension but still allowing the poor horse-rabbit to drag him.

Matrioshka observed her crew, they were all in various stages of intermingling with the indigenous population.

Well, not indigenous. They are from another planet, aren't they? Matrioshka thought and scanned the city once more. She used the scattered nanites of her crew to try and find any mention of life on other planets. Or the fact the Miriani did not originate from Rosamond's World.

She found none.

Strange. You would think at least some information would have persisted.

The scanner did not have sufficient range to probe beneath the surface, where more than half of the city's infrastructure is located, so Matrioshka was evidently missing crucial information.

Matrioshka heard a voice: "I'm telling you I saw something!"

It was coming from below Matrioshka's tree and nearer to the palace. The voice belonged to the young Miriani Matrioshka saw on the roof.

He was followed by 11 other Miriani; guards.

Uh oh. Matrioshka thought and jumped further away.

"Of course, prince Ketri. Lead the way." A high-ranking guard said as he waved the other guards to follow. He seemed to be a trusted friend of the prince. Ketri clinged to the guard's hand.

"You will see uncle Rumel. You will see." the prince said excitedly.

The prince was leading his entourage to a tree some 36 meters away from Matrioshka's current position.

When the guards reached the tree, Rumel ordered them to encircle it.

"This is the one, yes?" Rumel asked the prince.

"Yes! I saw it fall from the sky; it was black like the bat-mouse. But much much bigger."

Rumel looked dubiously at the little prince; he went to issue another command to his guards but thought better of it.

Rumel sighed and began to climb the tree. He scaled it with ease. The Miriani anatomy lent itself to incredible arm strength and dexterity. Rumel was within the canopy in 10 seconds.

One of the guards snickered.

"Did I hear something!?" Rumel yelled from the tree.

"I uh… sneezed! High Defender, sir!" yelled a female Miriani, still trying to stifle a laugh.

Rumel grumbled but didn't comment further. He trusted the prince at least somewhat, and was inspecting the tree intently. His eyes passed over a couple of stress fractures caused by Matrioshka's weight. He wasn't too attentive fortunately, and didn't seem to think much of them.

"There is nothing here my prince." Rumel declared and climbed down.

"But, I'm sure! It was like the sea but black. It moved like jelly." Prince Ketri tried to persuade his uncle.

Rumel shook his head and said: "Blessed Daynight is almost over. Are you sure this is the best way to spend your time? Your philosophy teachers tell me you have been skipping on homework again. What would your brother think?"

The prince looked stricken. "Brother doesn't care what I do… If the King doesn't care, why should you?"

Rumel looked at the guards who all tried very hard not to listen. He dismissed them with a wave of the hand. They obeyed, falling into a tight formation, and marching away. The female who laughed, who's name Matrioshka scanned to be Nehri, glanced back a couple of times as they went.

Rumel took off his helmet and sat down, leaning his back on the tree. He tapped the ground next to him and the prince sat down as well. They looked at the garden, the walls beyond it, the city, the mountains, and finally; the Duchess above it all - flying in the sky.

"Your brother does care." Rumel said. "He has a lot on his plate. Running an empire is not easy."

"Is it not? I wouldn't know." The prince pouted.

"It is. You father didn't sleep for a week straight once. He stayed up from Daynight to Daynight. It was during the famine in the 9th a few years back, If I remember right…" Rumel said as he took a small bag of dried grape-fig from his pocket. He put one in his mouth and offered one to the prince.

The prince grabbed three and ate all at the same time.

Rumel smiled and patted the prince on the head as he chewed.

"The starting period is rough especially. Your brother does what he thinks is best for everyone. You can't really fault him for that can you?"

"I guess not." the prince said. "I just wish he talked to me more. I hate his stupid job."

"Being king is more than a job, Ketri. And King Orak is doing good so far." Rumel put another grape-fig in his mouth. "I can talk to him if you want? Tell him to visit you more often…?"

Rumel's words upset the prince. He stood up sharply. "No! I don't want anybody telling him what to do. He should want it on his own." The prince stormed off back into the palace.

The guard watched him go, sighed, and whispered to the sky. "He is a difficult one. So much like you sister… impossible to reason with when he is worked up."

Rumel got to his feet and went to find the other guards, and Matrioshka stopped paying attention to him. She watched the prince, who after storming away from his uncle, ran through the palace. Then she lost sensor range.

Without much thinking, Matrioshka confirmed no guards were looking at her directly, and flowed towards the palace.

She left most of the nanites and her lattice on the tree.

Matrioshka strongly related to the prince. She thought of Shkadov the entire time the prince talked to his uncle. Now she wished to know more; does the King really ignore his brother, or is there more than meets the eye.

Matrioshka's nanites slinged across the palace walls, their sensors searched for prince Ketri. They found him in his room.

It was wide, filled with toys of varying designs and purpose. Though the prince, who was approaching his young adulthood, was a bit too old for them by Miriani standards, he still grabbed a plush cat-mouse and hugged it in his bed.

The room wasn't slept in recently. This was confirmed by scans of the palace's floor plan, indicating the prince's actual room was deep beneath the ground.

Servants dutifully worked elsewhere in the palace. Matrioshka could see cooks, maids and butlers attending to their duties using her sensors.

A group of three pink-furred Miriani caught her attention, some 55 meters away on the ground floor of the palace. They carried weapons; short blades hidden in their sleeves. They walked briskly, checking each corridor for other Miriani. They would proceed only when the coast was clear.

They did not speak. Instead, they used short hand signals. The two males deferred to the female as she guided them up from the first floor.

Two palace guards emerged from a door and stared at the three unknown figures.

"Who are you?" asked one of the guards after a moment of baffled silence.

In response, he was stabbed in the brain through his eye. He fell on the floor, dead long before impact.

The other guard responded quickly; he slashed the killer over the face, severing the jaw. The two other intruders were already assailing the remaining guard. He suffered 12 stab wounds to his torso, and 3 to his head, before his heart stopped beating.

"Halan." the leading figure whispered, and kneeled next to the wounded intruder.

He was choking on his own blood. The strike had opened an artery that directed warm blood into his breathing canal. Halan would not last another minute.

"It's alright…" Halan managed to mumble with his dangling jaw. "Finish the job Sumi. For our home, for our people. For the flowers Sumi..."

"Yes, my love." Sumi said as she held Halan's head gently, and stabbed him in the heart.

"Rest dear." she said.

Matrioshka watched with a morbid fascination. Three people just died in front of her - three minds were snuffed out for all eternity. Matrioshka had not witnessed such a thing for centuries.

Sumi left her dead lover on the floor. His blood, and the blood of two dead guards, mixed on the wooden floor. Sumi and her remaining accomplice were running. Their boots left blood-stained marks behind them.

A butler, carrying a sweet fruit drink, was in their way now. He was an aging Miriani with white fur. Before he could react, Sumi grabbed him and twisted. He was on the floor now, face down, drink shattered.

"Wha-" he tried to say.

"Answer me this." Sumi interrupted him. "The prince? Where is he? Speak and I will spare your life."

Screams rang out in a distant hallway. A maid had stumbled onto the corpses.

Trembling, the butler said: "I don't know exactly, most of the time he is hiding in his upstairs room, but…"

Sumi quietly placed a blade between the butler's neck and head, she jumped and pressed her feet onto the blade. The move decapitated the man.

Matrioshka stared at the butler's head, rolling on the floor.

"We go up." Sumi declared and ran. Her accomplice followed.

The prince. Matrioshka thought. He is in danger.

Prince Ketri was still in his room. His ears quirked towards the screams, and went to investigate. Before he could open the door, a guard opened it for him.

"Stay here your highness. It is not safe for you to leave." the guard said.

"Oh alright. Is everything alright?" prince Ketri asked.

"Not sure yet my prince. Please stay in the room." The guard said and closed the door. Three more guards joined the two in front of the prince's room, they were ready, blades drawn.

Sumi reached the corridor leading to the prince. One of the guards was there, running in their direction. The guard laid eyes on them, and was about to scream for help until Sumi's accomplice extended a hand, throwing a dagger into the guard's throat, severing their cervical spine.

"Nice work, Dall. Hurry." Sumi said as she jumped over the dead guard.

They reached a corner. Sumi used a small mirror to check what was beyond it.

She saw the prince's door and the five guards standing watch in front of it.

Commotion on the lower floor signalled the mobilisation of additional guards. Sumi had little time and she knew it. Rummaging through a coat pocket, she took hold of a small circular object with a short rope sticking out of it.

You're kidding me… a bomb? Matrioshka thought as she scanned the object, confirming its thermal properties.

Dall lit the fuse with a piece of iron and flint while Sumi held the bomb in her hands. When lit, Sumi threw the sphere at the guards, and ducked further behind the corner.

The bomb exploded.

The raw kinetic energy killed the three guards closest to the bomb. The fourth guard's brain was pierced by a shard of bone launched from another's exploding body.

The fifth guard was on fire, screaming. He would die within the minute if the fire was not put out, or within the week from burns and infection if it was.

The explosion annihilated the door and a portion of the wall leading to the prince's room. Matrioshka looked, and was glad the prince was relatively unharmed, only a shallow cut on the forehead, gifted by a high-velocity splinter.

The prince was in his bed - terrified, hiding bellow the covers.

"I thought you said it would create a small bang." Dall said while shaking his head. "That was a large bang."

"I knew as much as Halan told me. He bought the device." Sumi responded as she walked over the small crater created by the bomb.

The flaming guard was still screaming. Sumi ended his misery with a stab to his heart. She stepped into the prince's room.

Matrioshka scanned the prince. Hormones raged in his brain. Anxiety, anger, and most of all; fear. She pitied him, and decided to act.

Matrioshka built a body out of her nanites, and sent her lattice to be buried in the garden – it thumped onto the grass and was pulled beneath by its nanites. Filtering for the genes of the ambient guards, Matrioshka selected genetic markers common across all the guards, and simulated the form of a female Miriani. She was golden furred, tall, rippling with muscles, and as always - had red eyes, designed by her father all those years ago. She dressed the body in the pristine uniform of the palace guard.

She broke through the ceiling window overlooking the prince's room.

Glass rained down as she fell.

Matrioshka landed atop of Dall, directing the fall's energy into his skull, and rendering him peacefully unconscious. She scanned him just to be sure – no permanent injury.

Sumi was half way to the prince's bed, blade in hand. She turned when the window broke and was in a defensive position now. She stared at Matrioshka, and down at the unconscious Dall.

Her gaze flickered back to the bed, where the prince emerged from the covers, staring at the scene.

Sumi lunged.

She was fast.

By Miriani standards.

But by the Imperial; she was slower than a snail.

Matrioshka was already between her and the prince. Surprise was evident on Sumi's face, she twisted, never breaking her stride, and brought the blade towards Matrioshka's neck.

Matrioshka lifted her right arm and blocked the blow with a dagger of her own. With her left hand, she pushed Sumi away.

Hard.

Sumi struck a wardrobe, breaking it into timber, and fell unconscious. Scans suggested she was alive with minor head trauma.

Matrioshka turned and looked at the prince.

"Whoa." the prince said, looking up at Matrioshka.

"Are you alright, my prince?" Matrioshka asked. The voice generated by this random combination of simulated DNA, and nanite vocal cords, must have sounded stranger than anticipated, as the prince cringed slightly.

"Yes. Thank you." Ketri responded.

Rumel ran into the room, blade ready, other guards rushed in after him. They would have been moments too late if Matrioshka had not intervened.

"Uncle!" the prince yelled and ran towards the guard.

"Clear!" a guard yelled when he checked Sumi. Another repeated the same when they checked Dall.

Rumel relaxed and hugged the prince. "You are safe, dear nephew." Rumel looked at Matrioshka and grew wary.

Matrioshka was not meeting his gaze, she was transfixed with Sumi. The Miriani's brain had flared, neurons surging inwards toward a small scar in her brain. Rumel stared at Matrioshka for a few moments more, then released Ketri from the hug. He said:

"The danger has passed, but you should stay in your downstairs room until I come get you. There will be more guards than usual following you for a couple of weeks."

"Brother?" Ketri asked.

"King Orak is unharmed."

The prince looked at Sumi and Dall, both were restrained and carried out of the room. "Who are they?" he asked.

Rumel exchanged a look with Nehri, the female guard he was fond of, judging by the hormones Matrioshka could detect.

"We will find out, my prince. You needn't worry. How about you go down to your room and get on the philosophy work you've been avoiding?"

Ketri groaned.

"No complaints. I outrank you in events of emergency." Rumel said with a smile.

"Fineeee…" Ketri said and left the room. Three guards tailed him.

Rumel watched Matrioshka again. His brain chemistry suggested anxiety.

Did I mess up the creation of this body? Matrioshka thought.

"You were here when the attackers arrived?" Rumel asked.

Matrioshka faced him and said: "I was."

"Then the Palace Guard owes you an immortal debt. You saved the prince's life." Rumel praised outwardly, but anxiety raged within.

"I did what any other guard would."

"Praise when praise is earned." Rumel said and looked at the dead Miriani guards. They were being covered by brown blankets; a large striped sphere was embroidered on the front.

By lore compiled through PesKal and Damien, it symbolised the Giant, a personification of the Duchess. Who guards the Miriani from the Suns and leads the dead into the afterlife. Yet also a visage of death, the Miriani both revered and feared their world's celestial parent.

"Follow me for the briefing, guard…?" Rumel asked.

Matrioshka considered a name for herself. She searched PesKal's language pack and found a charmed coincidence.

"Metri Olska." She said and sent a group of nanites to falsify her documents.

Rumel turned further towards suspicion but did not comment on it. He exchanged another look with Nehri.

"Follow me, guard Metri." he said.

"Yes sir." Matrioshka said and went after him. She was followed by Nehri and two more.

The guards were understandably suspicious. Scans suggested they all knew each other personally, and Matrioshka appeared out of nowhere. Matrioshka also noticed that, in her haste, she had made her body 21% larger than was expected of a Miriani female.

The nanites she sent to curate her documents had found the administrative centre of the Palace Guard. It was a well-guarded building within the palace walls. The nanites sneaked inside without issue, and falsified the relevant files.

She could do nothing about the lens. At least until the Press was once again operational.

Rumel led Matrioshka below the ground, he was still on edge, as was Nehri. She walked close to Matrioshka, hand on her blade.

They stopped near an empty room on the second subterran floor. Rumel entered first, followed by Matrioshka and the others. Nehri locked the door behind them.

Rumel's brain chemistry stabilised. He was beginning to relax.

There was a low table between two large blue pillows. Rumel sat in one, and gestured towards the other.

Matrioshka sat.

"Can you tell me what happened in Prince Ketri's room, guard Metri?" asked Rumel.

Matrioshka replied without pause: "Certainly. I heard a commotion, followed by a large bang coming from the prince's room. I entered and saw his majesty attacked by two intruders. I disabled both with blunt force trauma. I landed on the first and pushed the other into furniture."

Rumel's ears lowered in the Miriani equivalent of scepticism.

"Landed? Where did you enter from?" he asked.

"The roof. I broke through the ceiling window."

"The ceiling window… then what?" Rumel's ears arched further.

"Like I said; I landed on the first Miriani. The force generated by my 8.23-meter fall was sufficient to induce unconsciousness."

All the guards exchanged looks. Matrioshka wondered what she was missing.

"You sustained no injuries during the fall?" Rumel asked.

Oh!

"No. I think I have broken by left foot right below the knee. Additionally, I sprained my right ankle." Matrioshka said and put her left leg on the table. She furled her trouser and showed a horridly bent bruise.

"I see. Then further commendations are in order; You disabled the second intruder while injured. You will be well decorated, guard Metri." Rumel said, his ears, but not his mind, relaxing. He then added:

"What were you doing on the roof? There are no patrol lines there."

Ah. That. Matrioshka thought. She felt she was too well mannered to be believable. A miracle saviour – who just happened to be at the right place at the right time?

Rumel would never buy it. Matrioshka could see it in his eyes.

Matrioshka tried her best to appear ashamed, and filtered PesKal language pack for a random opiate.

"I found the roof was a good place to be alone. I use Blue-bloom." she said.

Rumel's anxiety vanished and was replaced by anger. "You were doing drugs while on duty?" he asked, bewildered.

Nehri interjected; "No wonder you don't feel that leg. You're blazed out of your damn mind." She added to Rumel:

"It also explains her recklessness. Blue-bloom makes you ignore basic self-preservation instincts. I'm surprised she didn't throw herself off the roof sooner."

Rumel shook his head. "Ridiculous! This is grounds for dishonourable discharge, and imprisonment! Metri..." His gaze softened. "But considering you saved the prince's life; we will bring it down to just short-term detention."

"Find a suitable room within the lower barracks." Rumel said to the other two guards within the room. "Keep guard Metri there until I tell you otherwise. Form a standard shift rotation."

Matrioshka got up, and at least pretended to have an injured leg. One of the guards helped her up, and they led her out and away. Matrioshka focused back on the room as they walked.

"You trust her?" asked Nehri, alone with Rumel.

"No chance under the Giant's shadow she is telling the truth." Rumel declared.

As Matrioshka was led away by the two armoured aliens, she couldn't stop herself from thinking:

This is… fun?

 

[nntowerfield]

During the planning process for the Sliver of the Sun, I have created a simulation of the Empire system in Space Engine. Sometimes, I might upload POV shots from around the system.
This will always be posted right after a new chapter - to avoid spamming you with notifications. I might also add some cute in-world context to go along with the content.
(Now I only need to figure out how to post images on the forum...)

Cyclical sunrises of Margaret's World
Margaret's world - the first planet of the Empire system. Measuring 11.1 Terrestrial masses, and a semimajor axis of 0.09 AU.

The Emperor (low on the horizon) and Empress, during the sunrise on Margaret's World. Due to the relation of the orbital and rotational period of this planet, a solar day lasts 2.661 years. A solar day can be described as the time it takes for the parent star (or stars in the case of the Empire system) to return to their starting position on the sky - encircling the planet once.

During the celestial arrangement as show on the image, the Emperor and Empress would take turns dipping below the horizon, and rising back up. Currently, the Empress is at her highest point, and will start to dive back down while the Emperor rises.

 

[nntowerfield]

Alm Residence - the home of the future.

PesKal read on a stone and wood sign in front of a large estate. Encircled by hedges and forest, located some 3 kilometres from where PesKal had originally landed. He had been dragged by the carriage and horse-rabbit, which neighed as it was brought to a halt.

Bemri strutted outside and heaved open a rusted metal fence, it creaked and groaned. A loud crack was followed by clattering, as the left side of the fence's door fell to the ground.

"There we go." Bemri mumbled. "It happened just as I said it would… "

"Leave it." called Yim from the carriage. "We will fix it later."

"With what money?" Bemri mumbled again and got back into the carriage.

They drove over the broken-down fence and onto the dirt and gravel road. It vined through a once magnificent courtyard, now overgrown and abandoned. Statues of heroic Miriani and wonderous beasts, entwined by sturdy plant-life, dominated the view.

An aging mansion was at the endpoint of the road. Its roof peppered with unusual contraptions; PesKal identified a system of pullies and ropes which connected to a wooden windmill. Another apparatus stored water in a large tank, it was to be released in a controlled manner over a metal turbine connected to a small machine.

As the mansion entered the scanner range fully, PesKal realised it was filled with electricity.

Copper wires connected bulbs, motors, and pistons within a vast workshop. Lead-acid batteries were being charged by the kinetic energy of the creaking windmill.

As the carriage reached it parking space in front of the large door leading into the workshop, its wheels pressed down on four pressure plates. The plates completed a circuit which lit several tungsten light-bulbs. Their orange light illuminated the front of the mansion, the carriage, PesKal' cube, and the door.

Bemri looked up at the light and cringed.

"These things will burn out your eyes master Yim." He said while rubbing his right eye. "I am already of poor seeing, you're going to make me blind."

Yim countered while exiting the carriage: "Like I told you many times: don't look directly at them! You wouldn't look at the Suns, would you?"

"I am not insane." Bemri said simply.

Yim looked at him with a tired expression and said: "Debatable."

He took a step towards the workshop's door and paused. A mischievous expression spread across his face.

"Oh Bemir?" Yim called, rubbing his hands together.

"Yes?" Bemri asked pensively. He noticed the tone of Yim's voice.

"Would you mind opening the door?" Yim asked while he went to untie PesKal from the carriage. "My hands are full." He said while holding the rope.

Bemri gulped and looked at the lever which connected to the door's opening mechanism. He walked slowly to the iron lever and peered at it.

"It will not harm me - this energy?" Bemri asked.

"No, it will not. Just don't hold two ends of an exposed circuit, or get it wet, or get it too hot or cold, or shake it…" Yim stopped talking when he saw Bemri's stricken expression.

"Just pull the lever." Yim said tiredly.

As fast as possible for an aging Miriani, Bemri gripped the lever and pulled it down. He released the lever and jumped back.

With a soft hum, the door began to rise.

"Wasn't too hard, was it?" Yim asked.

Breathing hard, Bemri replied: "You chain the power of the Giant, Sir Yim…"

"I chain no such thing." Yim said and looked towards the Duchess. The gas giant's atmosphere was turbulent, flashes of lightning littered its clouds.

"I will figure you out as well." Yim declared to the Duchess.

Bemri was in awe at the apparent blasphemy. He did a quick motion with his left arm which the Miriani used to pray. "Giant's grace guide him, he has lost his way. Giant's mercy shield him, he incurs wrath…" Bemri continued quietly.

Yim sighed and finished untying PesKal. He pushed the large cube into the workshop. It barely fit through the door. The cube went down a steep slope into the second subterran level.

This side of the mansion contained three underground floors; they were dug out within the last four years to make space for the workshop – judging by the freshness of the walls and the relaxation of dirt. It contained machinery which would not be out of place in early 20th century on Terra. PesKal scanned abandoned designs for a functioning vacuum tube. The designs lay crossed over with ink, deep within a stack of papers on metal shelf.

Remarkable. Matrioshka thought as she was led towards her holding cell.

"This is an intelligent individual." She told PesKal.

He looked at Yim, who was staring at the cube bellow his hat.

"Indeed. How do I proceed, captain?" PesKal asked.

"Monitor his activity. Do not reveal anything else." Matrioshka said and considered the state of Yim's workshop. "Though you may guide him into an invention or two..."

PesKal was delighted, his processing power spiked. "Understood captain."

Bemri had calmed and was leading the horse-rabbit to its pen.

He yelled to Yim: "I will prepare dinner, my dear blasphemous master. Carrot-walnut stew?"

"Yes, yes. Sound good." Yim dismissed him without much thought. He closed the workshop door with another lever and produced a small metal tool from a drawer.

He closed in on PesKal's cube, which was now directly in the centre of the workshop. He placed the tool on its surface, and released a mechanism which hit the cube with a small steel bolt.

The tool, most likely designed to measure the toughness of a material, clanked as it hit.

Yim peered at the bolt, and depth markings on the side of the tool. He frowned. "What? No measurable deformation…"

He inspected the tool and discovered the bolt had become blunt when it hit. Yim's ears vibrated in surprise.

"Tougher than steel?" he asked the cube. Yim ran to another drawer and produced two cables connected by a small machine. He connected one to a battery and the other to a corner of PesKal's cube. Another pair of cables was used to connect the other end of the circuit.

Yim was about to measure the cube's conductivity.

PesKal had to decide if he would be an insulator or conductor.

Yim pressed a button on the small machine which completed the circuit. A small current now flowed through PesKal's nanites.

It tickled.

Yim read out a value from the device and ran to a nearby desk. He wrote out the values on the device, and using some elegant mathematics, produced a version of the Ohm's law – used to calculate voltage, current, or in Yim's case, resistance. He extracted a value of several milliohms.

"Negligible resistance? Like you aren't even there…" Yim said. He closed his eyes and disconnected the circuit.

"You aren't of this world, are you?" he asked the cube.

Alarms rang out in PesKal's and Matrioshka's mind.

"Captain?" PesKal asked.

"Relax, Officer PesKal. He is likely just guessing…" Matrioshka said.

Yim sat down on a dusty pillow in front of the cube. PesKal was barely keeping his cool. The silence was interrupted occasionally by the sounds of sparking electricity and the hum of light-bubs.

Bemri had lit the stove in the large kitchen which shared a wall with the workshop. He looked lonely - a large cupboard filled with hundreds of plates was to his left, and a small barrel filled with preserved goods to his right. Dutifully, he cleaned vegetables, chopped them, and began cooking.

He used near dull knives and rusted pots and pans. Both PesKal and Matrioshka wondered at the state of the mansion. Supposedly Yim was wealthy, he had a personal butler after all, and lived in a large estate.

In the royal palace, the two guards left Matrioshka alone in a medium sized room. The walls were of cool grey stone, the floors lines with soft wood. Carved airducts circulated air between the underground and the world above. Cabinets lined the walls, filled with papers and a surprising number of dried fruits. Matrioshka's temporary prison seemed to be a break room.

Matrioshka sat down on a pillow, as the guards stood watch in front of her door. She invited herself into PesKal's virtual space.

They both appeared next to Yim, both invisible to him.

"A once in a generation inventor." PesKal said, his head fins quivering from excitement.

Matrioshka looked around and said: "More like once in a century. These are inventions it took Terran scientists over a century to create. And with joint effort…"

"Alessandro Volta, 1799." Matrioshka said, pointing towards the large lead-acid battery.

She pointed towards an electric engine which moved the workshop door; "Michael Faraday, 1821."

"John Ambrose Fleming, 1904." she said while she held a paper outlining the overall design of a vacuum tube.

"Why is he living like this? This knowledge, this technology… The Miriani could become interplanetary within a century if they applied what existed here." PesKal said.

"They were interplanetary once before. If Bemri is anything to go by, they consider the use of electricity as blasphemy. They attribute its power to the Giant, the Duchess."

Yim had decided to test the thermal properties of the cube. Matrioshka and PesKal watched over his shoulder as he aimed a welding torch toward the cube. He lit it tentatively and backed away. The torch drained a container of acetylene gas it was connected too. Evident by the healed-over burn marks on his fingers, Yim had a history with fire. The torch produced a stable 1,980 °C flame.

PesKal had to filter nanites out of the flame's path so they would not degrade. He cycled them out completely when the torch ran out of power.

Yim grabbed a nearby unlit candle. He touched the supposedly hot area of the cube with the candle's body. The wax remained un-melted.

He touched it then with his bare hand.

"Cold." he said while shaking his head.

Matrioshka looked around. "Perhaps this would shed some light on his situation." Matrioshka said and appeared next to a folded bundle of papers on a nearby desk. She picked up a virtual copy of the papers and showed them to PesKal.

He read through them instantly.

"His parents died." PesKal said.

Matrioshka nodded.

The papers were an old newspaper.

It was dated to four years ago. An article spoke of the Alm family and the untimely demise of Ju and Bene, Yim's parents.

Famed explorers and inventors, Jun and Bene died from lead poisoning while working on a way to harness the power of the Giant - the article said.

They are succeeded by their one and only child: Yim Alm. The youngster, fresh from the Academy, now must deal with the debt to the King incurred by his parents. As you may remember dear reader, Ju Alm proclaimed the ability to generate and store the Giant's graceful light. King Dend-Hayn accosted the inventor for his hubris, and challenged him to prove his claim. The Alm's would have to give up 98 one-hundreds of their wealth if they failed the challenge.

Only time will tell if Yim Alm can prove his parents' claims. – the article finished.

PesKal appeared next to the lead battery. "But he succeeded. Why did he give away his wealth?"

Matrioshka shook her head. "Unclear. There are no written records of his reasoning within scanner range."

Yim continued to experiment on the cube for 28 minutes more. Matrioshka and PesKal observed him, often commenting on his ingenuity and determination. They took a stroll across the mansion when Yim grew frustrated and took a break.

All three of them were startled when Bemri opened a small door leading to the workshop from the kitchen and yelled: "Dinner!"

"Alright! Coming!" Yim grumbled but obeyed. PesKal scanned him and found his stomach near empty. This would be the Yim's first meal in 33 hours.

Yim and Bemri sat across from each other on the small wooden table in the kitchen. Bemri had prepared a Carrot-walnut stew, just as he said he would. He said nothing of the small banana-apple cake, which he placed atop parchment next to the stew when Yim sat. It exhaled steam, fresh from the oven.

Yim looked at the cake, his hormones betraying a mix of sadness and joy.

"Thank you Bemri." Yim whispered.

"Always, young master." Bemri said.

Yim's stomach growled, and he attacked the stew. The hot food was nothing to Yim, he ate furiously.

Bemri laughed. "Easy, Sir Yim. The food will not escape the table."

The two of them ate the stew, then they share the cake.

Yim looked at Bemri over the bowl and asked: "So I take it… The sell went as planned? They paid the full amount?"

Bemri looked troubled. "Yes." he said. "500 silvers for an explosive device, custom made by the heir of the Alm family. I must say though, that man Halan, was not at all pleasant."

Aha! Matrioshka thought.

PesKal noticed the change in her demeanour. "Captain?" he asked.

"So, you know how I landed near the palace?"

"You mentioned it, yes." PesKal said.

"Well…" Matrioshka said, slightly embarrassed. "I got roped into helping the prince evade assassins."

PesKal turned smug. "What happened to not interfering?" he asked.

"I know, I know. But I had to do something…"

PesKal nodded. "It's different when you see it with you own eyes. It's difficult to obey the Sanctuary Act, is it not?"

Matrioshka was not ready yet to admit it was. She held her belief in the Imperium as a shield.

"Anyway, I saw the use of a small explosive device; a bomb. I believe it was made by our dear inventor." she said.

PesKal searched the workshop. "There are indeed chemicals present here which match the scans you acquired just before the bomb detonated in the palace."

"It would be logical to assume Yim has been using his intellect to acquire funds, and since legal means have obviously failed him, he has resorted to selling weapons." Matrioshka observed.

"It would seem so." PesKal said sadly.

Back in the city, atop an abandoned building, Makoe was listening to Temri talk about an old coin. They both stood in front of three wooden shelves, above them stood various trinkets Temri had stolen. Some were too unique to sell, and other meant special things to Temri.

This coin belonged to the unique category.

"So, this old guy, really fancy looking, monocle and everything, actually stopped by a bar in this corner of the city." Temri said.

"He didn't…" Makoe said, sensing it was time to be surprised.

"He did. I still cannot figure out if he was brave or just ignorant. Anyway, by Giant's good grace, I was in the bar at the time…" Temri stopped talking when she saw Makoe react.

Temri's head moved left to right in a Miriani gesture of mild annoyance. "I wasn't drinking. Even if I did, nobody cares."

"I care." Makoe said.

Temri looked her in the eyes and decided she didn't believe her. "Sure. As I was saying; there I was next to an obviously wealthy old man. I bump into him, finger into his coat, easy work..."

"…and this was in his pocket. Nothing else." Temri said, pointing at the coin.

It was a mix of iron, silver, and gold, about twice the size of coins used by the Miriani.

Matrioshka, thought her constant connection to Makoe, recognized the coin, as did Makoe.

It wasn't a coin at all. It was in fact - a medal. Lacking the ribbon, and with the design severely deteriorated, Temri understandably assumed it to be an old coin.

With astonishment, Matrioshka and Makoe realised it was the same medal missing from the line-up back on Prudence. It was transported off-world, survived 6 millennia, and was now in front of Makoe.

"I took it to a few reputable traders I know. None would give me an offer. So, I kept it." Temri said.

"What are the odds?" Makoe asked quietly.

"Of us finding this particular missing object?" Matrioshka asked over their connection, already calculating. "1 in 13^17."

"Odds of what? Finding cool yet worthless junk?" Temri asked and waved at her shelf fool of trinkets. "High apparently…"

The large iron bell atop Makoe's bell tower began to toll. A strike was followed by five seconds of silence as the bell swung the other way. Makoe's nanites vibrated gently with each strike. The toll travelled across the city, and was joined by others. Dozens of bell towers engulfed the city in a rhythmic ringing.

Coded to follow the instinctual behaviour of the Miriani, the ears of the crew shot up, as did the ears of all the regular Miriani. Rhea first saw it on a woman whose bruise had badly infected, Makoe saw it on Temri, Damien on the students, Matrioshka on the two guards in front of her door.

The bell towers were distant from Yim and Bemri, their tone dulled, but nevertheless both Yim and Bemri's ear's reacted.

"This is it." PesKal said into the crew-wide channel.

"Yup." Damien declared.

"It is as you described in the data pack, Officer PesKal." Rhea said. "The Miriani do not expose themselves to the light of their stars."

"It goes even further." PesKal added. "The vast majority do not venture outside at all during daylight. For half the time, the Miriani live exclusively below ground."

"Looks like we are finally going to see the other side of the city." Makoe said.

Yim and Bemri had already finished up their meal. They put back their plates for later cleaning and made their way to the subterran levels of the mansion.

The students and faculty of the Academy gathered their things and went to the staircase. They moved a few floors down into the much larger subterran part of the Academy. Even the guards, who stood careful watch over the Academy grounds, left their stations. Damien eyed the students passing him by, on their way down, and followed suit.

Temri's ears were vibrating with surprise. "It's that late already!?" she half screamed. "Quick!" Temri said, left all her possessions, and ran out of her shack.

Makoe followed her down into the basement of the abandoned building, where a tight dirt tunnel led to the extensive network of streets and underground rooms.

"You left all of your things." Makoe said as they squeezed through the passage.

Temri looked at her like she was insane. "Yeah... Nothing will happen to it..."

Rhea was led by Memri into the underground as well, where she would continue her examinations.

Within the next 5 minutes, not a single Miriani could be seen on the entirety of Highcrown.

The Empress was the first, her golden light emerged from behind the Duchess.

"Giant protect us…" Bemri prayed.

A living star's gaze, capable of killing planets, engulfed Rosamond' World.

The ground shook, and a thunderous voice resolved across Highcrown;

In a unified and thunderous voice, shaking the atmosphere, the Empress said: "Blessed be the Day."

Daynight was over - Day has begun.

 

[nntowerfield]

Prudence and its two moons
[Spoilers for chapters 7 onwards]​

Prudence, a super-habitable planet and the home-world of the Miriani race. Almost equal to Terra in its mass and radius, Prudence has a diverse biosphere across all its biomes. It is the fourth planet of the Empire system, and two small moons orbit it; Leah's and Edward's World.



Imaged below, Edward's World has a thin rocky ring. Preliminary scans of the system suggest a recent (less than 23 million years ago) impact event between Leah and Edward. Edward's composition suggests its origin lies between the orbits of the King and the Duke.

The current hypothesis by Dr. Damien Viris, suggest that the King disturbed Edwar's World, and pulled it downwards towards Prudence. The subsequent impact with Leah's World, placed Edward into a stable orbit around Prudence. As a result, Edward's World was spun up substantially, giving it an oval shape.

Another exciting possibility, proposed by Dr Viris, would suggest that Edward's World had a binary partner, one that did not get captured by Prudence. The most likely candidate is Naysmith's world, an object orbiting Honesty, the second planet of the Empire system.



In the image below, from upper-left to down-right; Prudence, the rings of Edward's World, and Leah's World. Imaged from the surface of Edward's World.



An image through a solar telescope, from the top of a mountain on Prudence. The Empire twins are rising, and Honesty transits the Empress (The star on the left, Honesty is the largest dark circle near the horizon – not to be confused with the sunspots across the Empress).

 

[nntowerfield]

"The Dawn Greeting." said PesKal across the crew's connection. "Expected after each Daynight and Night. Announced either by the Emperor or Empress based on who rises first."

Makoe said: "Ominous. Fascinating that the Miriani find it business as usual."

"Time until night?" Matrioshka asked.

A student bumped into Damien on the stairs. The smaller Miriani did not seem to care. Damien's ears twitched, and he replied: "17.82 hours until the start of night. The Miriani sleep twice per revolution of Rosamond's world, one long-sleep starts at dawn and ends at Daynight, and one short-sleep, which starts in a few hours from now and ends with dusk."

Matrioshka took the time to position her body on the pillow. She sat cross-legged in her Mirani form, imitating bodily motions she had read from a nearby manuscript as she was led into her temporary prison. Controlling her breathing, she would appear to meditate.

Two royal guards, assigned to watch over Matrioshka, stood just outside her door. One of them glanced inside, and after his ears twitched, he nudged the other.

They both looked at Matrioshka through a small opening in the door. Her eyes were closed, otherwise they might not have been so bold as to stare at her.

The shorter guard, who had helped Matrioshka walk to the cell, whispered:

"Who under the Suns is she?"

The other guard, an aging man with a long beard said: "Never seen her. Think she's a recruit from the 10th?"

"Could be… She is meditating. It's their whole thing."

Both guards watched Matrioshka breathing in silence. With each inhale, she instructed her body to precisely contort her chest and stomach muscles.

The older one said: "She is ripped."

The shorter guard nudged him a couple times excitedly. "I know! Shit, think she could give me some pointers? I've been meaning to get back into the old workout regime. I've really started to put on fat."

The older man patted him on the back, laughing. "Ha! It's the age. Look at this." The guard poked his belly, it jiggled under his armor, producing a sound akin to clapping.

Both guards laughed. Matrioshka had to disconnect her lips from her lattice, lest her body also laugh. PesKal looked at his captain, they were back in Yim's workshop in the virtual.

Matrioshka calmed, and told him: "Ah don't mind me. I love my guards…"

Damien had reached the underground portion of the academy. Students had made their way into their classrooms by now - there was peace in the halls. Damien explored the north wing, here he scanned classrooms for material science. The students here were being thought how to mix gravel and sand, alongside some yellow sulphurous adhesives, to create a viable alternative to early concrete.

As he moved deeper into the Academy, he passed by another professor. Damien scanned their body, and decided on the usual greeting.

"Hidden Day, professor Lorha."

The tall woman hadn't noticed him until then, she looked at him wide-eyed. Lohra had been carrying a bunch of vials, and by their contents, Damien realised she must be on her way to the concrete mixing class. Lorha tripped over her left leg.

She began to fall.

Damien matched her trajectory with the sample vial in her hands. It had a 90% chance of shattering as Lorha fell on it. It would cause bleeding, and the professor would need medical assistance.

Damien extended a firm hand, and grabbed the falling bottle, he directed it fluidly into his other arm, and grasped the falling professor by her neckline. The pale-yellow uniform strained as Lorha's body hung within it.

Professor Lorha looked at Demien, and he at her.

She strengthened herself, fixed her uniform, and gave Damien a bow.

"Thank you, professor." And quietly she mumbled: "That could have been my 3rd fall today…"

"No problem." Damien said, handing her back the vial of sulphur. "Have I startled you?"

Lohra looked embarrassed. "You… No!" she stammered. "I just didn't expect uh… how to say this…"

Her ears twirled and coiled, Damien scanned the onset of panic across her brain.

"Whoa." Damien held his arms up. "Calm down. I won't disturb you. I'm going." He said, backing away slowly. This seemed to make Lohra breathe even harder. And Matrioshka saw, with much amusement, that Damien's processing power was spiking.

Damien asked the captain: "Any idea what is going on?"

Matrioshka started laughing again, earning a confused look from PesKal. She told Damien: "Look at the levels of her Ocrisycoline."

Damien did. It was high. Matrioshka saw him consult the data.

"She is attracted to me?" Damien asked, on the public channel.

"What?" asked Rhea as she opened the doors to her underground quarters.

"Someone is having fun…" said Makoe, as Temri finally led her into an open street in underground Erdon.

"Shit." Damien said, and switched to a private channel. He told Matrioshka: "I do NOT need this. I'm just gonna go." He turned away from Lohra, and ran. Lohra ran away too. Muttering confused questions to herself:

"Where the hell did he come from? What… How can someone from the 5th be so pretty?"

Matrioshka sucked in a virtual breath.

These people desperately need the Imperium.

Damien had ran across the Academy, and reached his room. He closed the door with a thump and fell on his bed. He saw PesKal and Matrioshka were in the same VR, and appeared next to them.

He whistled as he looked around. "What do we have here?"

PesKal walked up to him. "An exceptional scientist! We are in the home of Yim Alm."

Damien walked across the workshop, taking note of the machinery and electronics. Across the city, Omrica knocked on Rhea's door.

"Come in." said Rhea as she finished inspecting a large wooden table in the center of the room.

Omrica walked in, now wearing some leathers and light silky fabric. She wore a satchel filled with the medicine Rhea asked for. She gazed at her new doctor: "This will be your clinic. Is the room to your liking? You will switch between here and up above – to tend to the sick and wounded."

Rhea considered the underground room, the air was clean, curtesy of the ingenious passive atmosphere cycling system. There was enough space so that she could create the necessary instruments, but it was distant from other Miriani, only way in was a relatively tight corridor.

A dull red candle glowed on a wall.

Within sensor range, Rhea could see the underground life of the Miriani. Where air was the volume into which the aboveground world built structure, here the Miriani hollowed out stone and dirt to make space. The city around Rhea was in a good state, the streets were clean, and the 349 Miriani she could scan were in excellent to acceptable health.

Rhea responded, noting the layout of the streets outside her clinic: "It is good. Fairly remote however. It would be better to put me more central to your territory. So that an ambulance can arrive sooner."

Omrica placed the satchel on a table and her ears curled. "A vehicle which transports people to and from healing facilities?"

Rhea inspected the language pack, seems that words unknow to the Miriani defaulted to being described.

Rhea clasped her hands to. "Yes. An ambulance. So that more of your people may live. Come." Rhea pulled out two old pillows from a small cupboard and patted the dust away. She sat on one, and offered the other to Omrica.

The white Miriani, approached tentatively, and sat.

"Organise two to three Miriani and a carriage. They should always be at the ready to transport the wounded to me. It'd be even better to have multiple such ambulances."

"This will work? Won't the rocking of the carriage hurt the sick even more?"

Rhea's ears vibrated. "It will not. Now, what ails you?" Asked Rhea.

Omrica answered, rubbing her neck. "Well, I've had this itch for a couple of months now."

Rhea held up her hand. "Yes, I noticed that. You tend to favour your right side when you walk, causes undue pressure on the blood vessels in your neck. I will give you something when Uric returns. I mean besides that; As a leader of a significant number of Miriani, they look to you for advice. So then, what do your people need?"

"What?" Omrica was bewildered. "You do understand we met less than an hour ago?"

Rhea stared at her for a moment. "And?" she asked.

"Why would I tell you sensitive information?" supplied Omrica.

"So, I can help you... Why else?"

Both women stared at each other.

"But… No!" Omrica stood up. "Your mind games! You are good. You. You just stay here, and patch up whoever we bring you. Food will be provided."

"I may not leave?" Rhea rose too.

Omrica spun. "You can! Wait!" Omrica eyes flickered around, looking for nothing in particular. "Slow down for a moment."

She collected her thoughts; Rhea noted the decrease in activity within a curious organ in Omrica's brain. The area was tiny, smaller than 8 millimetres across. Omrica cleared her throat and looked evenly at Rhea. "You are good at mental disarmament I will give you that. But please, knock it off!"

Confused, Rhea answered: "Understood."

Omrica clicked with her teeth, and asked: "And under the Giant's shadow, what is your name!?"

Rhea had prepared one: "Nyaiya Aik-Tol"

Omrica nodded. "You do look like a Nyaiya… Want a change of clothes?" she said, gesturing at Rhea's gown.

"Please." Rhea clasped her hands, and approached the woman. She said:

"You can trust me." And extended her hands towards Omrica.

The white furred woman considered her and nodded. She interlocked her hands with Rhea's. A promise.

"These are the things you asked Uric to get." Omrica pointed to the satchel on the table. "I will be back soon." She said and ducked out of the room.

Rhea turned in place, she catalogued the space in the room, and instructed her body to begin cleaning and preparing the space for patients. The nanites could grind and irradiate surfaces – to sterilize them. They had the power to bend and reshape metal – to form surgical instruments.

They would prepare quite a fair amount of medicine too, from the materials Uric managed to find. He did good work; Rhea was pleased to see he had managed a 98% success rate.

Rhea saw a pile of steel, discarded outside, she went to fetch it, taking with her about 20% of the nanites in the clinic. As she opened the door, she spied at the end of the corridor leading to the clinic, a man keeping watch. Rhea scanned beyond him, and was satisfied nobody was watching.

The man had his back turned to Rhea, and she silently approached. There was enough space between the ceiling and the man for Rhea to pass unnoticed. Rhea's body jumped, grabbed hold of a small ledge above the man, and curved fluidly leftwards. Landing between two barrels of dried fish. The man must have sensed the movements of the air, he turned to the corridor, and saw nothing.

Rhea looked at the wide street she was in, a few burning candles illuminated the area sparsely. The Miriani eyes were well adapted to the dark, so they had no problems navigating underground. Rhea noted the Miriani here all carried blades, took great care to watch their surroundings, and were in general on edge. Listening to their conversations using her sensors, Rhea concluded they were all members of the Family, and this part of the city was theirs.

Rhea reached the pile of steel, it had once been some sort of ornate armor, but had been discarded between two run-down homes. A pair of younger Miriani saw Rhea, and didn't think much of her. "A whore…" one of them whispered.

Rhea looked at them plainly. The pair looked stricken. "Did she hear you?" one of them asked just as they took off running.

Rhea kneeled and heaved the metal up; she determined it was just under the weight which would be suspicious if someone saw her carrying it. She walked back towards the clinic, and nodded to the man keeping watch.

"Hey." she said.

The guard nodded. "Hidden Day." he greeted.

Once Rhea had passes him, the guard seemed to realise what was going on. He did a triple take towards the receding Rhea and from where she came from.

"When did you… what?" he said, just as Rhea closed the door to the clinic. She left her body there, to idly prepare the space for surgical procedures. And invited herself into the shared virtual space in Yim's worship.

Rhea's tall silvery form appeared next to Matrioshka.

"Hello captain." she said.

Matrioshka smiled. "Officer Lavigne..."

Makoe had followed Temri to an abandoned cavern, a natural formation within the underground Miriani city. Two passageways led directly into it, but have been caved in some time ago. Makoe pushed passed a hatch, following Temri.

She saw the cavern then, wide and thin. A Miriani could jump from one end to the other, but it curved in the underground for who knows how long. In layers, wooden planks created a living space, hidden from the rest of the city.

The wood creaked under Temri's feet. She waved to three more Miriani, which lounged in a makeshift living area.

"Hey everyone." Temri called.

"There you are!" said a grey Miriani, in her early adolescence. "Where were you? We thought you might have been caught in the suns."

Temri presented Makoe; "Got us some reinforcements."

Another grey-furred, but gloomy looking boy with a deep scar on his forehead stopped twirling a dagger. "No way..."

"Her name is Mraah Kow." Temri said through her Miriani vocal cords, and turned to Makoe. "Did I get that right?"

Makoe clasped her hands towards her and smiled. "Close enough."

"You seriously think we need more people?" asked the scowling boy.

Temri looked at him plainly. "We do Iysik. We really really do."

The final Miriani was quite a bit bigger than the others, though mostly in circumference. He walked up to Makoe in all his red-furred glory and greeted: "I'm Dokai." He pointed at the grey girl. "And that's Rui. Hidden Day to you."

Matrioshka noted the name. She decided to analyse Rui's DNA, and as she did, she confirmed Rui was a second cousin of Hiri Bat-Ani, the boy who Damien helped when he landed.

"Hidden Day everyone." Makoe greeted.

"She helped me score 300 just now." Declared Temir as she sat down on a pillow and attacked a bundle or fruit. PesKal had assigned grape-kiwi to the small fluffy fruits, they grew in bundles of 11 around a central stalk. Temri chewed on one of them.

Ear twitches all around.

"That's big money." said Dokai.

Iysik returned his dagger to its sheath. He approached Makoe, not taking his eyes of her. He sucked in a breath and exhaled. "Look. I don't know how much Temri told you. But we are in dangerous business…"

"Told her we want to take on the Family." said Temri.

"'Course you did…" nodded Iysik, closing his eyes and massaging the ends of his ears. He sighed. "Then welcome aboard I guess…"

"Thank you!" said Makoe.

"Not so fast!" Temri sat up. "You." she said, pointing at Rui. "And you." Pointing at Dokai. "Will need to do something with me."

"Again?" complained Rui.

Temri looked at her plainly. "I'm the boss."

"Yes boss…" said Rui.

"Iysik, you look after Mraah."

"I'm a babysitter now?" he asked, eyes widening.

"You're everything I tell you to be." replied Temir. "Now come, the lot of you." She said, and Dokai and Rui followed her into the passage from where Makoe had come.

Matrioshka told Makoe: "He won't bother you if you pretend to meditate. We are in virtual near PesKal's lattice, come."

Makoe returned an affirmative response and pulled herself onto a wooden pillar which supported this level of the cavern hideout. "I will be meditating Iysik. Please don't disturb me."

He looked at her like she was mad. "Right. You do that." He sat on a pillow, and was watching her.

Makoe's body assumed a meditating form, balancing on the pillar, as her attention was brought into Yim's workshop. She appeared in a whirlwind of sparkles, and sat atop PesKal's cube, crêpe in hand.

Matrioshka summoned a replica of her captain's chair and sat. "This meeting is now in session. We will go in a circle, describe your current situations. Damien, you go first."

"Right." Damien put down a digital version of a small contraption Yim had made to measure windspeed. "I am in the Academy, a school in Erdon. The biggest on the planet I believe. I have assumed the position of a teacher. I have met three Miriani; a student…"

Damien had summoned a simulation of Hiri.

"I helped him avoid punishment. He was trying to escape."

Matrioshka added: "His no-show accomplice was a woman named Rui. I believe the same one you just met, Officer Rue."

Makoe's eyes widened, but she couldn't speak with a mouthful of vanilla crêpe.

"More on that later." Matrioshka said. "Continue, Officer Viris."

"I met two professors as well; Adra Nan-Tar – whom I share the same race with. We are both from the 5th Kingdom. And professor Lohra Asra-Ul."

Damien produced the shapes of both women.

"Which one is into you?" Makoe manged to mumble.

Rhea grinned, but turned away as to not show it. PesKal had begun blinking hard – a display of Ankrahi laughter.

"Lohra." said Damien with a sigh.

"Maybe both." added Matrioshka.

Damien's eyes shot up. Matrioshka saw him go back to his interactions with Adra. Taking care to note her hormones through their interactions, and tracking the steady increase of Ocrisycoline.

"Grand megastructures…" Damien whispered.

Makoe snickered. "I did choose a handsome body on purpose…."

Damien looked at her. "Why?"

"Entertainment." Supplied Makoe.

Matrioshka decided to steer the conversation forward. "Yes, we are all sufficiently entertained. Anything to add, Officer Viris?"

Damien tough about it some more. "Not really, just note that the Miriani use corporal punishment. And are very discriminative based on fur color."

Nods from everyone but PesKal. The Ankrahi seemed stricken, his face scrounged.

"Me next!" said Makoe.

"The floor is yours." allowed Matrioshka.

Makoe pounced from atop PesKal's lattice, dematerializing the remnants of the crêpe, and summoning the bell tower where her lattice was hidden.

"I have landed atop this tower. Pretty central to the city. Its primary function is to alert the population about upcoming sunlight. I have met these Miriani:"

Makoe showed Temri, and the three partners in her crimes.

"This one is grumpy. Cheerful. And the kind one." Makoe said, pointing at Iysik, Rui, and Dokai.

Matrioshka rose and approached the vision of Rui. "Her genetic composition suggest relation to Hiri Bat-Ani." She forwarded the data to Damien.

"Interesting." Damien nodded.

"They are criminals. I think petty." said Makoe. "Though they do wish to fight an organisation called the Family." Rhea smiled and Makoe continued: "There is some unknown animosity there. She is their leader." Makoe pointed at Temri.

Rhea seemed to notice something. "Rui and Hiri might not be the only familiar revelation of the evening. May I see Temri's DNA, Officer Rue?"

Makoe sent the data, and Rhea nodded.

"As I suspected." Concluded Rhea. "Please conclude your report Officer Rue. Though I would like to go next."

Makoe and Matrioshka agreed, and Makoe finished with: "I might need to do some light crime to gain their trust. But I am worried about Temir, I think she is mentally unwell and I want to help her. Iysik too, most likely."

"A noble endeavour." Agreed PesKal.

Rhea took the central position: "I am a doctor for the Family. Memri, who is the younger sister of Temri…" Rhea shared the data which confirmed her statement. "…trusts me. Her mother, Omrica, also mother to Temri, does not. The two girls do not share the same father. My lattice is hidden as a box atop the warehouse on which I landed. As for my play, I will heal and treat the Family, possibly steering them to proper, legal behaviour." Rhea nodded. "That is all."

"Succinct and informative!" said PesKal with a smile.

"Not sure I will be able to follow that info-dump. But I'll try." Matrioshka winked at Rhea, who winked back.

"I am in the Royal Palace. Belonging to the ruling family of the entire Rosamond's World." Matrioshka considered a possibility, and asked:

"Officer Viris, any chance there is Miriani life further north, maybe on the north pole like there is on the south?"

Damien considered he question, Matrioshka saw him go back to the scans generated by the Sliver before it was destroyed. "Highly unlikely. Of the water not trapped within the moon's crust, 98% of it is found at or near the southern ocean."

Damien supplied a virtual of Rosamond's World and continued: "Of that 98%, 99% is salt water. Not drinkable by the Miriani. And the circulation of the water is contained within this southern vortex." Damien highlighted a circular air current which bordered the southern ocean.

He continued: "Very little water would escape this region. Within the southern ocean, rains are rare – maybe once every 200 days. And outside the borders?" Damien considered what to say. "Maybe once every 1800 years – bordering with never."

Matrioshka thanked him. "So yes. This royal family rules all the Miriani. And I have witnessed true death."

Everyone perked up.

"Assassins infiltrated the palace." Matrioshka showed them in the virtual. "They proceeded towards the prince, called Ketri. They killed nine individuals." Matrioshka's VR turned towards the first kill, a knife piercing a guard's eye.

Makoe's hands shot up to cover her mouth. Damien was about to throw up, but had managed to turn away and keep it down – manually tuning his parameters.

Matrioshka shared a glance with Rhea, they both looked sadly at each other.

"Would you like me to skip over the details?" asked Matrioshka.

Makoe and Demien now looked to each other. Makoe shook her head; "No. No there is no need. Forgive us. Me and Officer Viris are young."

Damien nodded. "Please proceed."

Matrioshka also looked at PesKal – he was angry. But didn't speak, or even meet his captain's eye. He started at the virtual.

Matrioshka sped up the gory details. "Eight more dead. In the end, I intervened, created a body to shield the prince. Disabled the two remaining intruders, and was briefly questioned. My lattice is buried in the palace courtyard, and my body is kept in a temporary cell. I plan to learn as much as I can while I'm there, so I will spread sensors around the palace."

"I'd like to do the same." said Damien. "I would like to monitor the Academy. There is potential..."

"Agreed. The primary mission is to escape, but a close second is observation." Matrioshka smiled, and declared: "We will steal the Fifth Wonder."

Makoe laughed, the others were wide-eyed. Rhea quickly gathered her thoughts and concluded: "A most likely strategy of success."

Damien was dubious: "We shall take their ship, and fly away?"

"Affirmative." Matrioshka said. "Officer Rue will repair the atomic press contained within this cube." Matrioshka tapped the black box, filled with nanites, PesKal's lattice, and the Atomic Press.

She continued: "There is a chance we receive backup before that. But knowing Shkadov, he will be too hungry for victory. He will try to approach us before any Imperial ships may jump within the Empire system."

"Will he disturb the locals?" asked Rhea.

"He hasn't shown any signs of insanity. So, I don't think so." Matrioshka remembered her conversation with Reaver. "Though he may not be the one we should be worried about."

Rhea quirked her head. "I am also worried about our backups. We are disconnected from the Imperium."

"True." Matrioshka turned to Makoe: "Can you place a statelite above our position in space? Have it relay our data to the imperium?"

Makoe considered her: "Slower-than-light communication between us and the statelite – which remains motionless from our perspective, keeping itself stationary and hidden from the suns using thrusters... Then uses set-tech to forward everything to the Imperium?"

Matrioshka nodded.

"It will be done." said Makoe. "I would need a day."

"And most importantly, stay out of sunlight, we do not want the Emperor and Empress to know we are here." Matrioshka considered Oliver's World. Its surface annihilated by pure optical aggression.

"Oh, that reminds me. Can you take a look at this, Officer Lavigne?" Matrioshka asked, and sent the relevant data to Rhea. It was an assortment of scans of the Miriani assassins. Matrioshka had noticed a slight irregularity within their brains. They all had scar tissue bellow and inside their rear cortex.

Rhea nodded. "Report in a couple of minutes."

The crew turned thoughtful, Matrioshka saw them categorise and plan their behaviour. Rhea and Makoe seemed to have already set out on a multi-day operation of infiltration and control. Makoe wished to guide Temri and her gang, and Rhea was hoping to turn the Family into a quasi-state, fit with elections and taxes. Matrioshka wondered how that would go for her.

Damien was in the middle of planning out his curriculum. And PesKal's lattice was surging with activity. Matrioshka looked at the Ankrahi – he was trembling, furious.

 

[nntowerfield]

The King and his Worlds



From left to right; The King – the largest (but not the most massive) planet of the Empire system, Jane's World, Alice's World below Richard's World, and Helen's World in the foreground.



Due to the composition of the atmosphere of Jane's World, its dawn and dusk are green. Imaged below, we see a volcano and the King from the surface of Jane's World. You can also see two shadows cast by Jane's World onto the atmosphere of the King. Due to the system's double suns, the shadows are also binary.



Jane's World once had lakes of Bromine triiodide – these have evaporated over time, and are now fully contained within the atmosphere as separate gasses. They left behind lake-beds of crystalized iodine.



View of the King and Jane's World, from the surface of Alice's World;

 

[ptbptb]

Wont the rocking of the carriage hurt the sick even more?

Click to shrink...

Missing apostrophe in "won't"

Within the sensors range, Rhea could see the underground life of the Miriani.

Click to shrink...

Missing apostrophe in "sensors' range".

 

[nntowerfield]

PesKal was still viewing the nine dead in the virtual, his emotions seemed to boil over and he said:

"We must teach them!" He leaped onto one of the tables for dramatic effect and continued: "I haven't seen much of the Miriani; I have only observed two individuals, Yim and Bemri. Based on what you all have said, we must help! We could show them how it's done, how to build a civilized society!"

PesKal turned in place, his fins reattracting into his body – a sign of great distress.

"We mustn't allow them to live like this. Each passing hour more Miriani suffer because of each other. Dozens of minds are dying each moment, and when we factor in accidents and aging, we are well into the hundreds!"

Matrioshka transformed into her Ankrahi form and approached PesKal. "Calm, friend."

"How do I calm, my captain? It is just like Ankraha. Thousands of minds, trapped in biological prisons. Unknowing and blind to the world around them! They kill each other!"

Matrioshka looked to the others and privately sent them: "I will handle this, privacy please."

Makoe and Damien vanished, and Rhea's expression softened as she approached Matrioshka and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Good luck," she whispered before moving back to her body in the clinic.

"I understand, PesKal." said Matrioshka. "Can I tell you about Terra?"

That caught the Ankrahi's attention. He stopped turning in place, and faced Matrioshka. "Yes."

Matrioshka filled the workshop with virtual water, and presented the interface to PesKal. He accepted, and they both now swam in the simulated, cool liquid.

"It was difficult," said Matrioshka. "Humans would kill each other often and without good reason. They would steal water, food, and they would steal what was the most important back then – money."

Matrioshka simulated an Ankrahi leaf bed and snuggled in, offering a place for PesKal. He accepted, grabbing a leaf, and closing his eyes.

"This began to change in the 2040s – first in the wealthier nations, then over the next century and a half, almost until the 2200's, scarcity became extinct."

Matrioshka summoned a vision of Miriani silver, leather satchels of water, which the Miriani carried with reverence, and a horse-rabbit. "All of these are scarce; each can change the life of a Miriani in incredible ways, just as precious metals did for pre-Imperial humans."

Matrioshka admitted: "I was never human myself, but I have spent a millennium with them in the Imperium. And I have learned how kind they can be – if they are not wanting."

"Want, especially want born from need, is a powerful thing. The Imperium will help the Miriani. It will cure them of scarcity. There will be abundance."

PesKal considered the other Ankrahi, his captain. "But... we must follow proper procedure?"

His lattice had begun to calm. "Yes. The Director of Expansion is a capable mind; they would not have devised such procedures if they were not necessary."

Matrioshka offered him her hands, the palms downturned.

PesKal recognised the gesture; he had shown it first to Matrioshka some time ago, on Jane's World. He responded, placing his palms below Matrioshka's, reaffirming his trust in her.

"Thank you, captain." PesKal said, his fins extending and he swam outside of the leaf bed. "I am embarrassed."

"Don't be," Matrioshka said and swam out too. "You were biological once; that will never not be the case. That is your strength. This passion you have for the living and vulnerable. While I can never fully grasp it, merely imitate."

Matrioshka smiled and summoned the rest of the crew back. The water was removed as the three of them materialized in the virtual.

PesKal looked apologetic. "Sorry about that. I have been shaken by all this."

"Don't worry about it!" said Makoe with a smile, and Rhea nodded.

Damien approached the Ankrahi. "No need to apologize, friend."

Matrioshka was proud; this sort of in-crew support was moderately rare. They would work well together. Matrioshka considered PesKal's worries, and said:

"I have certain liberties I can invoke… as a decorated officer in the Directory of Expansion."

Makoe was intrigued. "How decorated?"

Matrioshka smiled, excitement creeping onto her face. "Three medals for outstanding achievement, one Shield of Sanctuary, two commendations for Cognitive Advancement of the Imperium… and an Imperator's Gratitude."

Damien's eyes widened: "You have a Gratitude!?"

Makoe whistled. "Doesn't the Imperator give that like… maybe once every couple of centuries?"

"Yes. It does," supplied Rhea, watching Matrioshka with an amused grin.

Matrioshka was grinning ear to ear, and blushed when she saw Rhea watching her. "Proud of ourselves, are we?" Rhea asked.

Matrioshka cleared her throat. "Well… I am."

PesKal asked: "Why do you not wear these commendations on your person, captain?"

"Ugh. How would shiny, scintillating with color, awe-inspiring, medals look on me?" Matrioshka twirled, showing off her black dress and pointing to her dark makeup.

Makoe nodded: "They would ruin the aesthetic."

"Exactly," said Matrioshka. "But anyhow, I have been granted leave by the Director to weave certain rules in very exceptional circumstances… And I think this qualifies, given the sentient stars and all…"

"Which rules can you weave?" asked PesKal.

Matrioshka thought about it. "Let's say… Article 7, Section 1, Designation 3." She watched her crew access the data and read;

Imperial Code Article 7 - Section 1 - Designation 3;
No mind, which is not a member of the Subdirectory of Sanctuary, may influence or introduce unknown knowledge to a pre-FTL culture.
Under penalty of mind imprisonment.
Minimum sentence: 50 years.

"We may guide them?" asked PesKal, fins quivering.

"Gently! No paradigm-shifting technology!"

"Then this is acceptable?" asked Damien and forwarded his curriculum. If thought well, the mathematical proofs within could accelerate the Miriani considerably.

Matrioshka decided: "It is, but just barely."

Rhea asked: "And what of medicine? It is paradigm-shifting, but it could save as much as 56% of Miriani which would otherwise die before the Imperium arrived."

"Sure. But no genetic rejuvenation. That would be a step too far."

Rhea smiled. "I doubt any Miriani can grasp the volume of information needed for that particular technology. But thank you. This will save thousands."

PesKal went to ask: "And can I-"

Matrioshka held her hands up. "Alright, alright. You guys use your best judgment, and I will oversee everything through the Enslavement bonds."

"Oh," said Makoe. "I had almost forgotten we had those."

"I haven't…" said Rhea, giving a level stare to Matrioshka.

By this point, Matrioshka had learned to read Rhea's expression. This wasn't a taunt, nor defiance. Rhea was just being cute.

Matrioshka smiled at her. Surprised, Rhea grinned back.

"Then we are in accord." announced Rhea, and vanished.

The rest of the crew returned to their bodies, and Matrioshka followed. She had switched to the nanites and her lattice, below a tall tree in the palace courtyard.

A flying creature landed on one of the trees above Matrioshka. Matrioshka floated next to it in the virtual. It was agile, three-eyed, and had two sets of leather wings. Thin and slick fur coated its body. It grabbed at the crust of the tree with its jaw, tearing a piece of it away. As it jumped and flew, Matrioshka created a copy of it out of nanites, sprouting like a flower just above Matrioshka's lattice.

Then three more appeared, and Matrioshka placed one of her sensors into each. She sent four more sensors, enveloped by nanites, to dig through the soil of Rosamond's World and encompass the underground portion of the palace.

Just two sensors remained among the nanites guarding her lattice. And one was in her body.

The nanite creatures, called crow-bats in PesKal's language pack, spread across the palace. With careful placement, Matrioshka could see the majority of the structure.

By this time both the Empress and the Emperor had risen, low on the horizon. Their light was warm, and a firm breeze pushed against the crow-bats as they flew. Matrioshka explored the palace in the virtual; hundreds of servants worked to provide comfort to the royal family, of which Matrioshka saw seven members.

Prince Ketri was sitting on a pillow below ground, a teacher was instructing him. The Prince made a mistake and was swiftly corrected.

An aunt of Ketri was inspecting some gowns, chatting with the nearby maid. Two of her children, both girls, were playing with stuffed animals next to her.

Rumel, the head of the guard and Ketri's uncle, was discussing what to do with the assassins when he was alerted by another guard to the arrival of the High-Cardinal.

Matrioshka paid some more attention to that;

"He is here already?" asked Rumel, walking briskly through a stone tunnel towards the front of the palace.

"Yes, Lord Defender. The High-Cardinal requests an urgent address with the Stars." the guard explained.

Matrioshka's attention flew to the front, her crow-bat landing atop a nice perch, within clear sensor range to the guests.

The High-Cardinal was a golden-furred Miriani near the end of his life. He wore a gown of solid gold – heavy on his body. He hung and laboured under its weight. As a headpiece, he wore an aging black helmet. With fascination, Matrioshka recognized the material as woven carbon – nanotubes. He was also missing one eye; below a silver eye-patch, where once was the ocular organ, stood empty space.

Nanotubes. The Miriani do not currently possess such technology; this was a relic from Prudence.

The High-Cardinal was flanked by two serious looking apostles, heaving equally heavy and opulent golden dresses. The High-Cardinal grumbled to one of them:

"They make us wait yet again. The Binary Protectorate deserves more respect!"

A female apostle tried to placate: "They must prepare the King. We arrived earlier than is tradition."

"Bah!" the High-Cardinal dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Rumel had knocked on a vast wooden door, it had the height of six full-grown Miriani, and ten of them could stand abreast to cover its width. One of Matrioshka's sensors burrowed closer, where it confirmed by way of scan, the presence of the King.

King Orak, was Ketri's brother no doubt, a full genetic match, and was some eleven years older than the younger prince. He had just finished a bath, and wore only a blue robe to cover his body, and poorly at that. He opened the door.

Rumel's eyes widened as he saw the King. The two guards that were with him promptly looked away.

"My King," said Rumel. "The High-Cardinal is here. A conversation with the Stars is in order."

The King was dubious. "This late? I was just getting ready for bed…"

"Well, the Cardinal is here now." explained Rumel.

"So be it…" said the King. "Fetch maid Tyara, with those dresses I wore last spring to the gala in the 9th."

One of the guards went to complete their King's command.

"Did they say what we will speak of?" asked the King.

Rumel looked at the king plainly. "I'd imagine it could be either the explosion in the sky, the brightening of Oliver's World, or the assassination attempt on the prince."

"Don't get coy with me uncle." The king warned, but was grinning. He massaged the tips of his ears, which released calming chemicals within his brain. A method to address lack of sleep perhaps?

"How is Ketri?" he asked.

"He is well, my King," replied Rumel, as an older main, Tyara by her id, pushed passed him carrying freshly cleaned clothes. "He is still shaken. But he will recover."

The King smiled as the maid began to dress him. "Sturdy he is. Like father used to be."

Rumel considered what to say. He decided on: "He misses you."

The King sighed, emotions battling within his brain. "And he will continue to miss me." the king set his jaw. "I have better things to do."

Matrioshka spied anger rising within Rumel, but from the King – only shame.

Rumel nodded and said nothing further. As the King was dressed, and he inspected his likeness within a mirror, they walked to the roof of the palace. They met the Cardinal and his apostles on their way up. The apostles bowed to the King, and the Royal Guards bowed to the Cardinal.

The King and the Cardinal nodded to each other.

"Hidden Day, King Orak." said the Cardinal.

The King smiled: "Hidden Day, most esteemed Cardinal."

The group proceeded to the up-most level, and approached a small room, just the King and The Bishop entered.

"I will be just outside, my King." said Rumel.

The King's heartbeat sped up, and he nodded. Rumel closed the door to the small room. Now the king and the bishop stood abreast within. The walls of the room were of white stone, engraved with gold – a most sacred element Matrioshka gathered.

The High-Cardinal eyed another door, it was solid platinum and led onto a rooftop terrace, high atop the palace. It was now the Cardinal's turn, to have his heartbeat heightened.

"Ready, my King?" he asked.

The King nodded, and the Cardinal opened the door. The two of them stepped out, onto the smooth stone floor of the terrace. They both had their head's bowed, eyes downturned across the painted floor – where there was a visage of the two stars, dancing in a circle, with all the colors of the rainbow radiating outwards.

The King stood atop one of the pale-yellow circles, and the Cardinal on the other. They both bowed to each other in silence. The Cardinal looked towards the stars, his eyes nearly closed. One of Matrioshka's crow-bats fluttered onto a nearby ledge, and the Cardinal proclaimed aloud:

"Thus, in your presence, stands your most dedicated child. In his presence, a vessel of your kin. We bow to your majesties and heed your attention. Descend onto us, Binary Light."

The King continued, now kneeling harder, placing his forehead to the floor:

"I am naught before you, my ancestors. I am a vessel, unworthy of your name. Heed the words of those who know you. Heed the words of the man before me. Descend onto us, Binary Light."

Two voices enveloped the King and High-Cardinal; were it not for the sensors within the crow-bat, nobody but the two Miriani would hear the delicate words.

"We are here." said the Emperor and Empress.

"You grace us with your presence," The Cardinal finally looked away from the suns. "We have matters to discuss with you, Binary Light."

"As do we with you, our little ones." said the Light.

The King remained where he was, on his knees, forehead firmly on the stone.

"Please, you first, Great Light."

The air vibrated around the two Miriani. Matrioshka interpreted it as enjoyment.

The Light said: "The Giant has sent its demons to haunt you. Born from fire. They fell in Daynight upon your world."

The King's eyes widened; he slammed them shut quickly.

The Cardinal stammered: "Then- Then it was the Giant's doing. The explosion we saw."

"Yes. Take great care, our little ones," warned the Light. "They are of the Giant - shapeshifters, magicians. Close your ears in their presence, lest they invade your mind."

"Demons…" the Cardinal was trembling. "How do we find them?"

"Ah. They are not of this world. They do not burn in your fire. But they do in ours. Flush them out, into our light. We shall cleanse your world of their pestilence."

"Thank you. Oh, great Light, thank you," The Cardinal said, clutching a pendant of the two stars on his chest. He continued: "And what of Oliver's World, your greatness?"

"Demons," replied the stars, the air trembling painfully. "Dealt with."

The Cardinal sensed it was time to change the topic. "The Protectorate has issued new gift lists. There shall be 11 heretics for your enjoyment next Day, blessed Light."

"Good. How they shall burn in our light," The ground shook gently. "They shall glow as our blood. They shall know our grace."

The Cardinal smiled: "Thank you, our Light. For giving them the gift of your touch." He turned towards the kneeling King and considered him for a moment. Then he turned towards the stars again, not meeting their gaze. He said:

"King Orak wishes to report on the issues encountered with the Disgraced Kingdoms."

"We shall hear his words." allowed the stars.

The High-Cardinal moved next to the King; he copied his position, kneeling, face to the floor. The King rose then and walked over to the other circle. He said:

"Thank you, Binary Light."

The stars roared; "Speak faster, child! Our light is tainted by your presence."

The King winced, blood lightly flowing from his ears. He continued: "The seers predict an incoming drought lasting 35 years - this will bring the Disgraced Kingdoms over the edge - they will rebel. We will be disunited. I beseech you, Light, let me lead an army during your reign."

The Light laughed, the air and the palace shook in its rhythm. "Oh, to be as old as we. To see this dance played over onto infinity. You wish to subjugate, our child? Like we subjugated?"

"Yes. My Light."

The Light seemed to think for a moment. "Let it be so. We grant you permission to lead your armies during Blessed Day. We shall not strike you down."

"Greatest gratitude, grand Light," bowed the King, and asked: "And one final thing. My younger brother was attacked last Daynight, I ask for your advice."

"Demons, no doubt. Redouble your efforts to seek them out. Look for the unnatural, look for magic."

"Thank you, Light." said the King, and bowed deeply.

The air ceased to vibrate, and both the Cardinal and the King made their way to the small room. They closed it behind them, and looked to each other. Their breathing was heavy. They placed a hand on each other's shoulders, steadying themselves.

"That was good." said the King.

The High-Cardinal cleared his throat. "Yes. Yes indeed. The Light was in a good mood this Day. Still have my eye."

The two of them rejoined their entourage within the palace. With haste, they walked towards the lower levels. The royal guard relaxed once they saw the King unharmed.

Rumel asked the King as they walked: "What of your plans?"

The King smiled. "We are blessed by the Stars. We may attack."

Rumel looked away. Once again, Matrioshka saw anger bloom within his mind. Saying nothing, the Lord Defender marched on.

Overhearing the exchange, the High-Cardinal asked: "It is true then? We shall finally rid the world of the Disgraced?"

King Orak smiled; his mind ablaze with excitement; "Yes. We shall exterminate every single one. By the blessing and grace of the Light."

Matrioshka asked the crew: "How many Miriani live in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Kingdoms? And how many are Disgraced?"

Damien responded: "Well, based on the Academy records, somewhere between 7 and 9 million."

Matrioshka's lattice spiked.

They plan a genocide.

 

[ptbptb]

"We may guide them?" asked PesKal, fins quivering.

"Gently! No paradigm-shifting technology!"

Click to shrink...

I am immediately concerned that they will weaken the probably-not-superstitious customs concerning the binary suns. Hopefully this will not end up with most of the planet on fire.

 

[nntowerfield]

Matrioshka wrestled her attention back towards her lattice and into a simulation of her father's room. She plopped down onto a soft beanbag, ruffling her dress. Matrioshka took the rings off her hands, and trembling, she threw them towards the wall. Each struck with a satisfying sound.

Matrioshka had drawn the constellation of Pegasus – each ring a star.

Extending her hand, all the rings returned to her. Now, she began to form Orion.

Genocide.

She spied a red bow on the bookshelf, placed there by some unknown stroke of fate. The bow had been generated based on a set of 11 pictures which Samson Song kept until Matrioshka's birth. The pictures were taken from various times from different point in the room. About 11.8% of the room was missing from those photos, and Matrioshka decided to leave the unknown portions as a black teeming void.

Considering the bow once more, Matrioshka invited Makoe into the room.

Her chief engineer materialized standing, next to one of the voids of the unknown.

"Captain?" Makoe asked, looking around. She approached a window and looked outside. Her eyes widened when she looked up, into the sky of the 21st century Terra.

"Is that Luna? Is that Terra's moon?" Makoe asked.

Matrioshka nodded, returned her rings once more, and began to draw the constellation of Draco. Makoe's gaze was torn back towards her captain. "Something is bothering you."

Makoe let the unspoken question hang in the air. She approached Matrioshka's beanbag and nudged her to make space.

After both women sat, Makoe noted the scarred and cut wall, marked by the repeated assault of Matrioshka's idle thoughts – weaponized through her rings. Makoe set a hand atop Matrioshka's, just as the head of Draco struck the wall.

Matrioshka sighed. "The King of the Miriani wants to commit genocide. Kill all the Disgraced. Millions."

Makoe's hand turned firm, holding Matrioshka's. "Why?" she asked.

"He thinks that- some seers told him there will be a drought. So, the Disgraced kingdoms will rebel."

Makoe nodded. "Our scans do suggest decrepit water security in all but the top 5 kingdoms. It would be reasonable to assume that this could become a stressor for rebellion."

"I get the logic." Matrioshka said. "I fucking get it."

Matrioshka clenched her teeth, and Makoe said: "Even one million dead would invoke the Sanctuary clause. We are forced to intervene. We will save them."

Matrioshka's gaze turned cruel – towards Makoe or herself she couldn't tell. She said: "I know Imperial law. I was there when it was written."

Makoe's touch held firm. "Then… What is on your mind, captain?"

"The stars warned them about us. Painted us as demons. And given the deep reverence both the King and the High-Cardinal have shown towards the Suns. I doubt I will be able to do much mass persuasion. Okay. That's fine."

Matrioshka continued: "I will use subterfuge, yes? Or perhaps replace the King – put him to sleep while I copy his body?"

Makoe nodded. "Could work."

"It will work. But then, the start of Imperial-Miriani relation will be by way of subjugation. What happens 10 years from now, when my actions get revealed."

Makoe nodded. "The Disgraced will hail you as a hero."

"Sure. And of the others? The immense displeasure they feel towards those Miriani they deem lesser - It will transfer to the Imperium. We, an outside force, described as demons by their Suns, took over their king. Like a puppet."

Makoe looked confused, Matrioshka saw her lattice spike with activity. "I understand what you are saying. But that is in the future. Plus, the Imperium can offer immortality, opulence. Do you think the upper Kingdoms will care?"

Slowly, Matrioshka turned her head towards Makoe.

"Do you know why the Imperium managed to upload Ankraha's population without issue?"

Makoe shook her head.

"Because the Ankrahi hadn't yet developed the capacity for inter-generational hate. They were cave people. And do you know how it looked like for humans?"

"I know a little…" Makoe said, her gaze sad.

"Yup. We called it Ascension back then – the process with which you can be become a fully simulated being, like the entire Imperium is today. Here are some of the things that happened when this technology became public;"

Matrioshka started to list out:

"The United Inner Worlds bombed Skyshar off the skies of Venus – it had been a pirate stronghold. Can't give immortality to killers, right? Fine. I can imagine some good arguments for that, but I doubt all those pirates were alone in that city. What of their families?"

"The Martian Republic stopped supplying aid to some of their colonies, instead focusing all their resources to ascend their people. Orcus was one of these. Many thousands died from hunger, lack of water."

"The Lunar Technocracy. The fucking Lunar Technocracy… forced Ascension onto its populace. Covert task forces invaded homes – pushed millions out of their bodies and into a simulation."

"The Confederacy of the Outer World's introduced a penalty for all who refused Ascension. Bickering with one another, all the moons of the outer planets declared independence. Easy pickings for Mars and the Inner Worlds. Millions dead once more."

Matrioshka finished with: "Ankraha being underdeveloped was a damn miracle. But the Miriani, had they not killed each other, they might have been the superiors of humans. And now, we will begin inter-species interaction by me taking over their highest authority figure."

Makoe tilted her head. "The authority figure which plans a genocide…"

"Yes. And a figure that, if ascendant, will hold significant sway over a large population of young minds – the Miriani."

Makoe finally understood, her eyes widened. "You don't think… that the Imperator would refuse to ascend the Miriani? From fear of instability?"

Matrioshka nodded.

"That… Is not possible. Surely the Imperator would find a way. It is near omniscient."

Matrioshka shook her head: "You know it less than I. The Imperator is not without fault."

Makoe blinked, her brow curling: "What will you do then?"

Matrioshka sighed. "What else? I will be a damn invader, cloaked with the Sanctuary Act – under no circumstances, is any mind of the Imperium allowed to witness the death of 1% of a sentient species and do nothing. I am forced to intervene."

Matrioshka's lattice was at capacity, and now the simulation of her father's room – hosted on her lattice next to her mind - began to degrade. The books flew off the shelf one by one – vanishing to accommodate Matrioshka's expanding mind. The wall repaired itself – the constellations were nonessential data.

The posters on the wall became smaller, reducing their resolution. The stars outside the window vanished, the moon became a two-dimensional texture. As Matrioshka's teeth clenched, she felt her jaw ache, and then a softness on her lips.

Makoe had floated in front of her, had grabbed her cheeks, and placed a tender kiss on her captain's mouth. Matrioshka's lattice stilled – brought back into singular focus, a tactile touch of softness, the scent and taste of crêpes.

The kiss lasted for 5 seconds. The room had calmed. Matrioshka's lattice reduced to a comfortable 1% activity.

Matrioshka inhaled a jagged breath. "I am your captain. I hold power over you. If the Subdirector were to find out-"

Makoe rolled her eyes and kissed her captain again. Her hands twirled Matrioshka's pigtail, and the other outlined her ear. Makoe broke the kiss and said:

"You think too much. I am merely grounding you."

Matrioshka had to manually reduce her levels of blush; her cheeks had become too hot. "Consider me grounded."

"Great!" said Makoe and turned to some outside input.

Matrioshka saw her note the return of Temri, Rui, and Dokai – back in the cavern where Makoe's body meditated. Makoe said: "I must go."

Matrioshka nodded, and as Makoe removed herself from the simulation, Matrioshka stood motionless on the beanbag. Her hands touched her lips, the taste of crêpe ever-present.

Makoe listened as Iysik jumped over to Temri. "What's up? You're back quick…" he said.

"Wasn't there. The damn stash wasn't there." said Temri, anxiety flourishing within her.

Dokai added: "All moved away. They knew we were coming."

"How?" asked Iysik, before his eyes widened and he looked to Makoe, meditating on the pillar.

Temri scoffed. "You watched her, didn't you? Did she contact anyone?"

"No." Iysik said, returning to his pillow. "She's been motionless. I think she is meditating for real."

"Huh." Said Rui, and climbed onto Makoe's pillar with agility. She peeked at Makoe's face, peaceful in its nanite-driven concentration. She waved a hand in front of it.

Matrioshka saw Makoe laugh to herself and lunge with her hand – grabbing Rui's.

The younger Miriani yelped. "Ah!"

Makoe smiled. "Can I help you Rui?"

"Ah!" Rui screamed again. "Sorry I thought you might have fallen asleep!"

Makoe let her go, and Rui scampered down and onto a pillow. Makoe saw Temri consider her and say; "Hey Mraah?"

Makoe jumped down, landed soundlessly and said: "Yes?"

The group exchanged glances at Makoe's effortless fall of 8 meters, and Temri said: "You want in on what we are doing, then come with. You and me have a job."

Makoe grinned. "Let's go."

Temri and Makoe emerged into the streets of the underground Erdon some 15 minutes later. They were some ten kilometres north of Rhea's position. Temri pointed to a building from beneath a hem cloak. They each stole from a passing cart.

"There." said Temri. "Luken lives there. An informant of mine. He will tell us where the stash has been moved to."

Makoe looked into the carved building, inside she scanned two people; an aging man carving a sculpture from wood, and a much younger man on the floor below him, cooking dinner.

"Stash of what?" asked Makoe.

"Family product. They were forced to sell less this season, as the King has increased the watch. A nice amount had accumulated."

"We will steal the product? Sell it ourselves?"

Temri's ears scrounged. "I get that you're strong, but how will the two of us carry tons of drugs undetected? No." Temri grinned. "We shall burn it all." She produced a hook and rope, coiled around her waist, and considered the informant's home.

Makoe supplied: "He is on the top floor."

Temri's ear twitched. "And you know this how?"

Makoe tried to produce a believable lie, and coming up empty, she said: "Intuition of the trade. You know how it is… Sometimes you feel the score."

Temri seemed to accept this as scripture. "Aye. Aye, I get that." she peered at the street between them and the informant. A dozen or so Miriani, all with ties to the Family, lounged about. Temri grinned: "How about one of those distractions you are famous for, Mraah?"

Makoe grinned back. "Consider it done." She sped past Temri and jumped into a barrel with alacrity akin to a lightning bolt across the surface of the Duchess. She turned the barrel over and used the slight incline of the street as an excuse to roll over and start rolling downhill. Through a small hole in the barrel, Makoe extended her nanites, providing more direct contact with the ground – increasing her velocity.

A Miriani man had noticed the rogue barrel and ran to stop it. He yelled, mostly jokingly: "Oi! We got a workplace hazard up in here! Who did this?"

The barrel tumbled, scraping against the stone; it was loud now that all the Miriani turned their attention towards it. Many laughed at the man's question, who just managed to sense something was off.

He managed to run into the path of the barrel, his arms held before him – braced to stop Makoe's descent. He sensed something was off. "Oi... This ain't loaded with stone, is it?" He looked towards a man he was with, who shrugged.

The barrel ran over a small pebble – the pebble flew away with the force only a heavy, nanite-driven barrel can.

"Giant's mercy…" the man said, as Makoe collided with him. She had reduced speed and force at the last moment, sufficient to bruise but not cause permanent harm. The man was on a trajectory that would land him atop a merchant's cart full of dried fruit, grape-kiwis.

Makoe ended her spectacle by crashing into a wooden window of an abandoned and rundown shop. By the scattered furniture and metal utensils – it must have been some form of eatery up until two years ago.

Makoe spread her nanites, like a hundred-tentacled octopus, and collected some rock and brick abound in the restaurant. She directed it all into the barrel and ducked out of the room. Through air ducts, she slid towards the informant's room.

On approach, she saw Temri had used the distraction well. She was standing atop the informant, who lay on the floor. Makoe opened the door and walked inside.

Temri rotated swiftly, dagger at the ready. The man below her whimpered.

"Mraah?" Temri asked, wide-eyed.

Makoe nodded. "Yup. Its me."

"Great distraction, but how did you get here?"

Makoe approached the two Miriani. The man was moments away from finishing a sculpture of a Miriani woman, from Rhea's records, Matrioshka and Makoe both concluded it was the shape of Omrica, the Family matron.

"Secrets of the trade." explained Makoe.

Temri must have a limit to bullshit, but it was evidently not yet reached. She said: "Right… Luken here was just telling me where they moved the product."

The man gulped. "I- I told you already."

Temri placed the dagger near the man's throat. "Nope. Been there - product wasn't there."

Luken's eyes widened, then he stroked his beard. "Maybe try the old barber's shop down on Second street? In Tyebrook! Wasn't used since, well, you know, your father-"

"Not a single word more." warned Temri, pushing the dagger closer. "Barbers on Second. Got it. Let's go Mraah."

Makoe smiled at Temri and said to Luken: "Nice sculpture. You are going a bit hard on the face though. Be gentler – as it currently stands, the friction deforms the outer layers of the wood – induces straining. You wouldn't want the woman's wife to appear older than it really is, right?"

The man paled. "That's why she had me make a new one!?"

Makoe winked as she followed Temri out of the room. Temri said: "Mind showing me how you got here?"

Makoe's lattice spiked, and she detached a couple of nanites covertly.

Moments later, Makoe and Temri stood before a circular opening on the ground floor. The man who was cooking dinner had left to check the commotion outside.

Temri considered the 1.3 meters deep hole, cut from solid stone, which led into a small street beyond. "This?" she pointed to the hole.

"Yes?" asked Makoe, just as the nanites deposited the stone cutout below the table in the kitchen and returned to Makoe's body.

"This was just here?" clarified Temri.

Makoe clasped her hands. "Yup. Security issue if you ask me."

Temri considered her, cocking her head, brain filled with wonder, confusion, and a touch of endearment. "Alright. I really don't know what to make of you… Let's return to the cavern."

As this operation was going on, Matrioshka finally managed to wrestle her thoughts away from Makoe's lips and onto the situation at hand.

Technically I am now an officer of the Subdirectory of Sanctuary.

The King's declaration of intent, of genocide, invoked a change in Matrioshka. Her priority now was to ensure no such plan gets carried out. She would have to replace the King, but she decided on communication first.

She entered her attention into a small bug, maybe 2 centimetres across and shaped like a disk, no flight capabilities, but the ability to mimic its surroundings. The nanites could emit light, so mimicry came naturally to them.

The bug followed the King and the Cardinal, who went their separate ways when they reached the underground palace. The Cardinal seemed overjoyed at the prospect of cleansing the Disgraced, as did, in fact, several guards and apostles – only excluding Rumel.

The King reached his rooms once again and dismissed his guard. Rumel stayed behind and asked the King: "When do we set sail?"

"Three days from now," The King declared. "Tell General Krah to muster our forces. We will begin the cleanse here, then move in counter-clockwise order. We have two Disgraced in the Royal Guard, do we not? And three as part of the help. We can start with them immediately."

Rumel's heart skipped a beat. "You… You're joking, my King."

The King was all out of jest; he turned to his uncle. "I do not."

Rumel swallowed. "Yes. My King."

"Oh and, I have an announcement of dire importance. Assemble my family and the entire guard. In 30 minutes, main dining hall."

Rumel bowed. "It will be done." And turned away, teeth clenched. Once he was out of the King's earshot, he started running.

Matrioshka's insectile agent followed Rumel. Perhaps he could be an avenue of approach. Matrioshka sent more nanites to follow Rumel; they formed an assortment of animals and small insects, some burrowed, some flew – but all converged on the running guard.

The king's uncle was turning a corned; a maid got spooked and almost dropped a vase. "Sorry!" Rumel yelled. Soon he reached a post where Nehri and another guard stood. He dismissed the man, and approached Nehri with a whisper:

"You know the Disgraced employed by the palace?"

Nehri noticed the worry in her lover's gaze. "Yes?"

"Collect them, lead them out of the palace through the east waterways. They are dry now; you can walk inside them."

"What is going on?" Nehri asked, taking Rumel's hand. Nehri was on the short side, so she had to stand on her toes as she planted a kiss on Rumel's cheek.

"The King. He has decided a remove the Disgraced."

"Remove?" Nehri's eyes were wide, ears curled.

Rumel met her eyes. "Kill. He plans to kill them all; the Suns gave their blessing."

Nehri's eyes flickered in fear, then turned to steel a moment later. "Understood. I will do as you said."

Matrioshka's nanites converged in an adjoining hallway. She formed Metri Olska's body, the same that is currently meditating in her makeshift cell. She took a step forward, rounded the corner end entered Nehri's vision.

Nehri nudged her man, who was lost in her eyes. She nudged him thrice more before he turned Matrioshka's way.

His eyes widened. "How are you out?"

Demons, eh? Fine. With what your King is planning, I will be an angel by comparison.

"Come speak to me after you sleep. In 14 hours. Privately." Matrioshka said, this time doing little to mask her otherworldly voice, it was firm and controlled – made by Miriani vocal cords but possessing a consuming presence. Rumbel and Nehri took a step back, drawing their blades.

Matrioshka's body dissolved then, into insects, birds, and other small tunnelling creatures. With a puff of blackness, the nanite creatures scattered away, into the ground, the airducts, and the hallway – away from the two shaken guards.

Nehri asked: "What under the Giant's shadow? What was that-"

Rumel's eyes darted around, into the ground below him and an air duct to his right. He took a step back, pulling Nehri behind him. His heartbeat was heightened, an adrenaline-like substance coated his blood vessels.

He said: "You have your orders."

Rumel was being brave. "I will speak to this… being. Save the Disgraced, Nehri."

Nehri shook her head: "You plan to be alone with her? Now? She said you must wait."

Rumel turned to her. "I will try to find her. This creature could be an even grander danger than the King's stupidity."

Nehri searched his eyes, and nodded. She ran to complete her task. And Rumel steadied himself; he walked towards Matrioshka's holding cell, glancing anxiously at each air duct.

The nanites within Metri Olska's body, back in the cell, liquified - flowing into the vents and burrowing into the ground. The older guard watching the room turned and yelled when he saw the space empty. Once Rumel arrived, he would conclude Matrioshka had escaped, and would launch a palace-wide search.

Matrioshka collected herself, and though how to best stage a coup.

 

[ptbptb]

Three days seems a very short to be ready to start a war. I would have expected weeks or months would be required to get on a war footing. If they had the time, climate engineering could have potentially been used to discredit the seeds - if there's a lot of rain then the casus belli is lost. That level of intervention probably requires a ship that hasn't been vaporised, though.

"He thinks that- some seers told him there will be a draught. So, the Disgraced kingdoms will rebel."

Click to shrink...

Should be "drought".

 

[nntowerfield]

Once Temri and Makoe returned to the cavern, it was just about the time for bed. The crew put a couple of pillows together and gathered some blankets. Dokai and Iysik checked the access points and boarded them up with wood. They tied strings to the boards, and pulled the other ends towards the bundle of pillows - Each would be tied to a member of the crew, so that they would tug on their fingers if someone tried to enter.

Rhea had explained that Miriani slept in pods, at least they did before coming to Rosamond's World. She noted a gradual change in genetic makeup that removed the fear induced by sleeping solo. Yet enough of the instinct remained that some chose partners to cuddle with.

Damien sighed in relief when he learned that this was considered to be an unbecoming behaviour, and the professors at the Academy slept alone. But judging by the increased levels of anxiety within the professorial dorm, Matrioshka concluded that the professors yearned for the comfort.

He completed his curriculum during the short-sleep, and went into a simulation of a farm. Matrioshka was quite surprised to see Damien take up a sickle, and walk towards a field of simulated barley. The light of an unknown star shone from the sky, and Damien hid under a straw hat. Matrioshka elected not to comment and left him to his peace.

Makoe accepted the groups invitation, and went to bed. She decided to make herself warm that usual – and ended up in the middle of the pod, Temri and Rui hugger her close. Iysik tried to keep away, his distrusting nature prohibiting him from touching Makoe. Dokai had noticed this, and the two slept hugged.

In the middle of the short sleep, as Makoe was preparing an area for the use of the atomic press, Temri had awoken. Preceded by a sharp increase in calming hormones, Temri had begun to sob. Her throat clenched, making her unable to make a sound, except for the occasional swift inhale and exhale. Her nose had flared pink and it got runny. Her ears curled into themselves as she hugged herself for comfort.

Makoe saw she was trying to keep as quiet as possible, but Rui was awake now too. Grief enveloped Rui too, and Makoe saw her brain flare with thoughts. Temri had managed to calm herself and hugged the supposedly sleeping Makoe. Both she and Rut fell asleep soon. It was her illness, Makoe had decided, unexpected onslaughts of sorrow would be expected due to the imbalance of chemicals within her brain. Makoe took some time then to create a detailed plan on how to make Temri better.

Matrioshka listened in to the King's address; some 500 members of the help and guards shuffled into a wide room, arranged so that the speaker at its front would have their voice amplified. The King stood here, and spoke of demons. He presented the guards with a test, hold a small candle to a person's fur. And if they don't burn, bring them into the light of the stars.

The listeners were dubious, but once the King mentioned he had learned of this from the Suns, most began to believe. Rumel had been anxious the entire address, no doubt connecting the King's words with Matrioshka's appearance. He had been furious at the guards once he saw they let Matrioshka escape. But calmed soon and did not punish them.

Must have attributed my disappearance to magic.

Some time during the short sleep, Matrioshka had explained the fate of the previous Miriani civilizations – about how the Swarm-builders created the Emperor and Empress, and how the Virus-makers planned to dominate through biological weaponry.

The crew was saddened, yet they accepted it in good faith – all except PesKal, who just barely managed to avoid another outburst.

Matrioshka then scanned the would-be assassins of Prince Ketri and allowed herself some time to study up on Miriani mythology. Depending on context, demons could be associated as saviours – Matrioshka aimed to exploit that.

Omrica had brought a change of clothes for Rhea and was moderately surprised at the new equipment in the clinic. Rhea said that she had found it; this did not go over well, and Omrica stationed two more Miriani to guard the clinic's entrance.

Nobody offered any sleep companionship to Rhea. And she didn't mind; she left her nanite body in a sleeping position, as she focused herself on biological analysis and planning out medical procedures on the Miriani.

Yim hadn't been back to PesKal's cube; he and Bemri coiled together in a room, and were both fast asleep. PesKal partitioned a portion of his lattice, and Makoe took residence inside as her body slept in the cavern.

Makoe had spent the short sleep repairing the Atomic Press and managed to get it working with time to spare. The crew decided to prioritize their backups. And as such, Makoe began work on building a craft that would place the satellite into space.

Makoe had excavated, with PesKal's help, a tunnel which connected the bottom of the box to a dug-out sphere some 150 meters behind the mansion, hidden within a forest of short tree-like plants. She reported that the statelite would become operational by midnight, so some 13 hours from the end of the short sleep.

The Empress and Emperor, in their dance in the sky, eclipse each other every few hours. The emperor stood in front of the Empress as the pair set below the horizon. The dusk sky was a deep red, heightened by the above-average thermal emissions from the stars.

Damien was the first to move his Miriani body outside his room. He wore his professorial uniforms, glanced at Adra's door, and saw she was still asleep. With a sigh of relief, he hurried towards the cafeteria.

Two other professors were already here. Both enjoyed a bowl of fruit soaked with crunchy algae and a calcium-based liquid. Rhea explained it was horse-rabbit milk. Damien cringed once he saw a sim of the creature, forwarded by PesKal, so he chose some dried kelp-wrapped fish.

"You know what I just realized?" Damien asked around the crew-wide channel. "I've never seen a Miriani drink."

"Understandable," explained Rhea. "They get most of their water through food. And while we're on the topic of Miriani biology, I have an interesting conclusion."

She continued: "The Miriani on Rosamond's World are different than those that lived on Prudence. The biggest difference lies within a new neural organ within their brains. Engineered."

Rhea showed the scans of the sub-centimetre-sized globule within Miriani brains.

"This organ suppresses direct aggression by way of excruciating pain."

"The assassins didn't have it," Matrioshka said, and provided the scans of Dall and Sumi.

"Correct." said Rhea. "There is evidence of surgery. They had it removed."

Matrioshka considered the upcoming genocide. The King did not seem in pain while planning it. "Any other way to overcome the pain?"

Rhea nodded. "Yes. This is an engineered feature, mostly likely created by the Virus-makers and applied to the Wayfarers. Given what you told us, and the data in the diamond storage we found on Oliver's world. I believe the Wayfarer descendants live in the lowest three kingdoms. The Swarm-builders in the 11th​ Kingdom - the one we are in now. The rest are Virus-makers."

"Oh!" Rhea's eyes brightened. "I have taken the liberty of naming this organ Nucleus Concordiae – the Center of Harmony."

She continued: "Over time, and due to these genes being more dominant than fur-color, the organ spread across Rosamond's World. Every Miriani has one, but not all experience its effects with the same intensity. For example, the Royal Guards Matrioshka encountered all have a below average sized Nucleus, meaning they experience only a light headache during aggression."

Matrioshka asked: "You're telling me that the Disgraced Kingdoms couldn't rebel even if they tried?"

"Not violently. No." Rhea nodded.

There was silence, and gradually everyone returned to their lattices. Damien was startled by a dull chime in the cafeteria. He saw it was the system of ropes and pulleys which chimed across the Academy to signal a change of class. Damien rose from his seat and rushed to deposit the utensils and the remaining food. He sighed when he saw that he had to throw the majority away.

Damien raced across the Academy towards classroom 208 where he would hold his first-ever lecture. On approach, he scanned the 43 students inside, chatting about the new professor. Damien smiled as he saw Hiri Bat-Ani as one of the attending students.

Damien summoned stacks of paper under his uniform and pulled them out as he opened the door. The students quieted, watching him, and raised their hands to their chests, palms close together. They would stay like this until Damien mimicked the motion, a sign of respect.

The classroom was circular, with a blackboard encompassing its wall. Mathematical theorems were drawn on around 63% of it; most were correct, but there were some leaps in logic that, under scrutiny, could provide additional insight into the world of mathematics.

The students sat on pillows, and a small table was before each of them. Notebooks lay open, and charcoal pens stood at their sides.

Damien approached his table and sat at his pillow. He placed all his papers neatly on the table and faced the students. Matrioshka saw the excitement flowing through Damien's lattice. He addressed the students:

"Blessed Night."

Like a chorus, the students repeated the greeting.

Damien rose to his feet and walked towards one of the equations written on the board. The board itself would get filled by notes during the semester, and at the end of it, there would be a final test – the students were expected to solve each question completely. It seemed draconian to Damien; day-to-day performance depends on a lot more than just hard work and diligent studying.

Damien said: "My name is Nam Brarom. I am a new professor here at the Academy, and I will be teaching Mathematics. I graduated from the Central University in the 5th​ Kingdom, where I received the highest honors. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

The students exchanged looks. Damien could scan tension in their minds.

Damien looked at Hiri; he was tense too. "Is something the matter?"

Hiri almost jumped out of his seat. "No, professor!"

Silence filled the classroom. Damien scanned the classroom opposite his; a history class was in session. All the students stood quiet, motionless, simply writing down the professor's words. There was no interaction between the two sides of the class. Damien returned his attention back to his own students:

"I know this may sound strange, but I want you to not be afraid of talking to me."

Silence.

Damien sighed mentally, and Matrioshka saw him browse for a sufficiently shocking mathematical revelation. He approached the blackboard and drew three large circles. In the first he drew two hyperbolas expanding away from each other. In the second, two parallel lines. And in the final circle, he drew two line swhch curved towards each other, and connected at the edges of the circle.

He turned to the students. "Lirand."

Lirand was tall and very willowy. His eyes widened, ears curling in confusion. "Yes professor?"

Damien looked at him plainly. "At ease. We are not in the military…"

Lirand exchanged a look with his classmate; the two were friends most likely, given their previous chatter about a new novel "Listener of Yore". They spoke of it as Damien was approaching the classroom. He found a copy of the book within Lirand's bag and scanned it.

The professor asked: "Can you tell me what you see? Ignore the circle; it is just meant to encapsulate a concept. I will give you a hint. The central circle has lines which are parallel."

Lirand's heart rate increased, anxiety rushing across his mind. There was no chance he would be able to think straight.

Damien looked apologetic; he turned away from the student and mumbled quietly:

"Like the young Listener, afraid of failure…"

He did so just loud enough for Lirand to hear him.

The student's ears vibrated, and the jolt of familiarity activated his mind. He said: "The left circle… the lines are not parallel; they curve away. And they curve towards each other in the right circle."

Damien turned towards the student and smiled. "Exactly. Good job Lirand."

Lirand's ears curled again, in joy this time, he smiled brightly, and exchanged a look with his friend.

The students had begun to relax, like an intangible wave, their minds switched from fear to mild interest.

Damien scanned another professor walking towards the classroom's door. Clear as day, Damien could detect traces of substances within the man's body – relaxing substances. Unfortunately, these reduced a person's control of themselves and made one act irrationally. It would be safe to say this professor was drunk. He helped himself walk with a long wooden cane.

The professor opened the door and stumbled inside. The man was golden-furred and old. So old that his coloration began to pale into a soft whitish-yellow. The students tensed again; all progress Damien made in getting them to open up vanished. The professor, Urhen based on his ID, peered at Damien and said:

"Apologies!" He stumbled onto one of the empty pillows and sat. "You must allow me to spectate the first lecture of my replacement."

In the classroom next door, the professor had slapped a student with a stick across their head. The student had stretched – a mostly instinctual motion for the Miriani, and received prompt punishment.

Urhen placed his cane atop his desk.

Damien noted a student twitch as he saw the cane. The student went to guard his hand, where Damien saw healed-over wounds, and a gash in the bone where there was once a break. The damage imprint was consistent with the tip of Urhen's cane.

Emotions swirled inside Damien.

"Calm, Officer Viris," said Matrioshka. "You are there to teach. Not fight."

Through clenched teeth, Damien responded: "Understood."

And as genuine as he managed to make himself look, Damien told the older professor: "You are welcome, of course, Professor Urhen."

The man scowled when Damien said his name but commented no further.

Damien tried to coax the student back; he asked: "Can anyone tell me how many lines, which are parallel to each other, and cross two sperate points, exist?"

Damien saw the students think; their vocal cords moved soundlessly as they worked the question. All had reached the correct number – two. But none spoke; most anyone did was write down the number in their notebooks.

Urhen did not manage to keep quiet: "Geometry? Where we left off it was number theory."

"That is correct," said Damien. "But I have decided to change the curriculum a bit. The Academy permits such changes, does it not?"

Urhen was near fainting from rage. He stared at Damien and used the last ounce of willpower to not erupt. He said: "As you wish. Esteemed professor."

Damien continued: "So back to geometry. Most of you, I'm sure, reached the correct solution. It is two. Well done, everyone." The students beamed.

They react well to praise from authority figures. Maybe all Miriani do? Matrioshka thought.

Damien announced: "For the remainder of this class, I want you to form groups of four. Discuss openly among each other. If there could be any system of geometric axioms that would allow for more parallel lines, or perhaps no parallel lines. Let's define being parallel as never intersecting. The hints are on the board."

Everyone was motionless. Urhen rose slowly, inhaled, and said: "What is this!? Is this a joke?"

"Pardon?" asked Damien.

Urhen wagged his cane at Damien: "Pardon yourself! This is a mockery of the Academy. You will have the students chat and play during class?"

Fully confused, Damien said: "Play? Their task is to learn collaboratively."

Urhen walked up to Damien. The older man sagged under his age; he was more than 15 centimetres shorter. "They're children! By the Stars, they will make a fool out of you, and me!"

Damien considered the developmental stage of the students, particularly their brains. "I must disagree." he said. "Their brains are on par with yours. More functioning even, due to your advanced age."

Stillness suffused the classroom.

Broken finally, by the sound of Urhen's cane falling to the floor. The older man stood in absolute shock. Wicked grins spread across the faces of the students.

"I- I have never… witnessed such insult." Urhen said.

Clueless, Damien said: "Have I said something to offend you?"

Students couldn't help but giggle; the professor turned in rage. He picked up his cane and went to bring it full force across the face of the closest student. The girl shielded her face but did not run away.

Damien's hand grabbed the cane and tore it from the man's hand. Damien placed a firm hand on his back and led the man out, saying to him: "I'd appreciate it if you let my students be in peace. They have learning to do."

Bound by shock, Urhen said: "You forget the color of your fur. There will be consequences for this embarrassment."

Damien saw Adra approach the classroom; she had promised to visit his class after his first lecture. Problematic timing – Damien had just opened the door and pushed Urhen out. The man stood with his ears curled in confusion; he laid eyes on Adra and said:

"Figured you would be here. Dirt begets dirt."

Adra let the insult bounce away like she was wearing armor. "Blessed Night, professors."

"Blessed Night," replied Damien.

"Aye. Blessed Night. Enjoy them while they last," said Urhen, and began to walk away. This took some time; the drunkenness did not help.

"What happened?" Adra asked.

"I think I insulted his intelligence?" said Damien.

Adra smiled gently: "You're unsure?"

Damien motioned for her to move inside, and Adra noted the students' barely contained joy. "Yes," she said. "I'm afraid you might have done exactly that."

"This is Professor Adra Nan-Tar. She will spectate the rest of the class."

Hiri looked up at Adra and waved at her, smiling. Adra's ears curled, and she looked quickly towards Damien. This saddened Hiri, who looked away. And Damien realized he would have to untangle that thread somehow.

Adra sat and smiled at the students around her. They seemed much more relaxed now, after the theatre with Urhen. The students went to form groups just as Damien instructed. Adra approached Damien, and asked:

"What is on the curriculum?"

"Ah," Damien clasped his hands. "We are starting off with joint brainstorming, I'm trying to see if I can get them to invent-"

Damien smiled when the language pack alerted him that "non-Euclidean geometry" will be translated as a short 120-word essay. He corrected:

"Different types of space."

"Which types are those?" Adra considered the students, and glanced at the board, taking in the three circles.

Damien considered what to say, perhaps it would be best to not say too much. Adra was evidently brilliant, judging by the fluidity of her synapses and her place among the Academy faculty.

"Ah, I would like the students to tell you by themselves."

Adra smiled, and clasped her hands.

Elsewhere and at the same time, Matrioshka presented herself as a demonic witch, hoping to instil subservience into the Lord Defender – the leader of the Royal Guard, and the King's uncle – Rumel Kray-Harawan.

 

[nntowerfield]

Rumel had organised a dozen guards around Matrioshka's holding cell – still empty. The air was tense, Rumel and Nehri paced in front of the cell. Often, they glanced inside and curled their ears when Matrioshka was still nowhere to be found.

Rumel walked to a window and read the time from an hourglass - held by one of the statues in the garden. "Less than 5 minutes now." He faced a younger man and said:

"Repeat your orders."

The guard tensed, but said without error: "Guard the entrance to the room. None except you and Nehri may enter or leave, and if you do, we are to uh…" he glanced at a burning torch in his hand. "…we are to burn some of your fur - like the King said."

Rumel clasped his hands. "Very good."

The suns had set some half hour before, and Matrioshka decided it was time. Lots of though went into her approach. As a member of the royal family, and the Miriani primogeniture laws, Rumel was 2nd​ in line to the throne – after Prince Ketri. At least until the King sired a successor.

The current King's tenure was recent, Matrioshka had learned. The previous king, King Dend-Hayn, died by way of poisoning. None were discovered as the assassins, and the current King seemed to do as much in his power to ignore his father's death.

Everything depended on how Rumel would react to what Matrioshka had to say.

She sent the nanites into the room, they coalesced into the body of Metri Olska, with some artistic liberties applied:

Matrioshka had replaced the golden fur with one of pure matted black. Her eyes became red, and her royal guard armor looked rusted and torn. Still meditating, she waited.

Nehri watched the clock, and as the last of the sand fell, the hourglass turned in the hands of the statue, starting to count the next hour. A dull drum sounded in the garden, and the two lovestruck Miriani traded glances. Rumel walked to the door, the two guards at either side were tense. He nodded to them both, and approached the window in the door.

Matrioshka opened her eyes immediately.

Rumel took a step back, stumbling, and drawing his blade. His breathing had heightened, the other guards reacted, drawing their own steel.

Nehri stood next to Rumel, at the ready. She stood on her toes to glace into the room, her eyes widened, ears curled.

"Giant's shadow…" she mumbled.

Rumel collected himself, held a palm to the other guards. "At ease. You know your orders."

Everyone managed to calm, and return to their posts. None had gone far, but the shock on their lord's face made many insecure and anxious. This was a rare occurrence, Matrioshka concluded, for Rumel to appear this out of his depth.

Nehri and Rumel nodded to each other. Rumel approached the door first, he opened it and rushed inside, Nehri followed.

She slammed the door shut and flanked Matrioshka, standing to her side.

Matrioshka used her left eye to follow Rumel, and the other to follow Nehri.

I am not of this world. Your logic applies not to me. Matrioshka though. You must understand this.

Both guards took a step back, anxiety coursed through Nehri, she glanced at Rumel, and seeing him resolute, she mustered courage.

"What are you!?" asked Nehri, blade pointed at Matrioshka's head.

"Please sit." Matrioshka said quietly, with that same ethereal quality she knew would have an impact on them both. She sent a few of the nanites to dig in from bellow, and form two pillows. And from the back, nanites overtook the inside of the door, making it sound-proof and masking the inside. If a guard would approach the window, they would see nothing of note – just Rumel and Nehri talking to some other golden-furred guard.

Rumel saw the pillows appear, he sucked in a breath, his ear's curling almost fully – a gesture of defeat. He said:

"These blades would do nothing."

"Precisely." supplied Matrioshka.

"Stars protect me." Rumel said, and motioned to Nehri to sheathe her weapon – he did the same. They both sat on the black nanite pillows, slowly.

Matrioshka finally left her meditating position, she slid forward gently. "I wouldn't count on their aid, Rumel."

The Miriani cringed back, seeing Matrioshka approach. "Why not?" asked Rumel.

Matrioshka shook her head. "Firstly. Tell me what you know of how you came to be. Your race."

Rumel scoffed, anxious, he looked to Nehri. She said: "May I? Rumel often slept through those lectures."

"Please…" said Matrioshka.

Nehri's brain lit up as she thought. "The scripture talks of the first Heaven. Of a land of plenty. More water than one could drink in their lifetime. Abundant and calm grassland."

"Correct." said Matrioshka. "Compared to Rosamond's World, Prudence is a paradise."

Rumel and Nehri looked to each other. "Prudence?" Nehri asked. "The first heaven is… on Prudence?"

"Not on it." added Matrioshka. "Prudence is the first Heaven. Please continue."

Nehri looked down to her arms. "The first heaven was made by the Suns. Forged from their light and fire. They made it for us, but we were ungrateful. We warred, and earned the hate of our Stars."

Matrioshka nodded.

"We were expelled and culled. Punished for what we are. We are in the second Heaven." Nehri looked to Matrioshka. "The second Heaven is here? Rosamond's World."

"Yes." said Matrioshka. "And what did the Stars tell you? After you came here?"

Nehri said: "That we were given to the Giant. And the Giant will never let us go."

"And who is the Giant?" asked Matrioshka.

"In the sky. The big purple ball." said Rumel. "Rosamond's World dances for it. Even I know that."

Matrioshka nodded. "Very well. You know enough for us to get started."

"Started with what?" asked Nehri and Rumel, almost at the same time.

"I am a demon, as I'm sure you suspect."

Their ears curled, hands on their blades, and Rumel was getting ready to yell something. Matrioshka lifted a finger, and nanites flew to close his mouth. Forming a tight cage. Matrioshka immediately dismissed them.

"Please calm, Lord Protector. Do you not feel the disbalance of power between us."

Rumel clenched his teeth. "Oh, I feel it." He said, watching the nanites slide off him and burrow into the ground.

Matrioshka continued: "As I was trying to say; I am a demon – if you trust your Stars."

"Why would they lie?" asked Nehri.

"For they are your oppressors, young one."

Nehri looked at Matrioshka crossly. "Young one? You don't look much older than me."

Matrioshka met her eyes. "I am older than you may comprehend. But do excuse me for infantilizing you. It was unproductive."

Nehri nodded. "Then ignoring what the Stars say. What are you?"

"I am a part of a civilization, all of us are beings with much power at our disposal. And summing us, numbering in the trillions, we are omnipotent. And we will help you."

Rumel was sceptical. "Help us? What do we even need help with?"

Matrioshka smiled. "With everything. Disease, war, oppression, the cold and the heat, the hunger and thirst. With death."

"Death?" Rumel asked. "You claim to not have… death?"

"It can still happen." said Matrioshka. "But no, us demons are mostly immortal. See?" Matrioshka grabbed her head with her arms and removed it from her neck, the Miriani stared at the growing space where once there was a neck.

Nehri almost threw up, and Rumel's hand went to shield her.

Matrioshka's head returned to her shoulders. "You need help with everything. But most pressing are two things. Well… technically just one thing - oppression. The 11th​ kingdom oppresses the others, and the Stars oppress you all."

"Why would you help us?" Rumel asked. "We are doing well as we are. Control is necessary."

Matrioshka nodded: "Control is a blessing. I agree. But when there is scarcity, it evolves into injustice. I can offer you freedom from it."

"You would gift us this magic?" asked Nehri.

"Yes. I suppose you can call it magic." allowed Matrioshka. "But what I offer, I offer to all Miriani – not just the 11th​ Kingdom. All Miriani shall receive our gifts. But there is a condition."

"Which is?" asked Rumel.

"Stop the King. No cleansing of the Disgraced."

The two Miriani looked to each other; relief flowed across them both. They smiled, but Rumel was quick to scowl again. He said:

"This seems. Too good to be true. Magic that can solve everything for us…"

Matrioshka summoned a vision of a Miriani, formed from nanites, in the center of the room. It was dressed as the skeleton the Sliver's crew found on Oliver's world. "You had this magic once before. While in the first Heaven."

Matrioshka inhaled, and prepared to drop a nuke on their worldview.

"You used this magic to summon the Emperor and Empress."

"Blasphemy…" whispered Nehri, but there was no hate in it – reacting on account of the disbelief within them both.

Rumel said: "We made the Light?"

Matrioshka clarified: "The light was there before; your two stars are much like the others you use at night – but others are just a lot further away. What you summoned was the spirits of the beings that harness the light of your stars."

Rumel shook his head. "What would you have us do? We would like to help the Disgraced, but how?" He looked to Nehri.

Matrioshka eyed the woman, and said what she had confirmed during the previous 12 hours: "Your family was Disgraced was it not?"

Nehri twitched; "How do you know? Nobody but Rumel knows."

"I know many things. One of my magics allows me to see your history though your body. And another allows me to read books from many meters away. I have cross-referenced your family using the population consensus. Five generations is Disgrace. You are the 6th​, and as such you are free from your family curse."

Nehri nodded. "It is as you said. A great-grandparent had insulted the then Queen."

"Us demons can offer you much. But we need to convince the King to stop his plans. If you fail, I will have to replace him."

Rumel did a double-take: "Replace? So, it's true. You can copy our appearance."

Matrioshka smiled, and for half a second, appeared as a perfect image of Rumel himself. "Yes."

Anxiety bloomed again in the Miriani. "Okay!" Rumel said. "Please. I will try to convince him, to talk to him. Don't kill him."

Matrioshka's gaze turned tired. "I wouldn't kill him to replace him. Just put him to sleep."

"Don't." said Rumel. "Let me try."

"You may use the murder of his father as a bargaining chip."

Rumel slowly looked at Matrioshka, directly into her red eyes. "What?"

"Yes." Matrioshka supplied: "He poisoned his father. Judging by the vial of poison buried within a flower pot near his bed-stand. I have matched it with the residue in the late King's corpse."

Rumel slumped back, looking away, the muscles in his neck tensed, rendering him unable to speak – a Mirian reflex when faced with deep sorrow.

"Also. As a sign of good faith, someone else would like to meet you. Another demon, a doctor. When I showed her your bodies, she wished to comment on your health."

Nehri asked, as Rumel was struggling to speak: "There is more of you here already?"

Matrioshka said: "Yes. By revealing this, I am trusting you."

Rumel and Nehri clasped their hands.

Matrioshka sent the nanite control over to Rhea.

"Thank you, captain." said Rhea, and Matrioshka's nanite body became white furred, thinner, less muscular, and taller yet.

"Hello." said Rhea, and modulated her voice to be distinct from Matrioshka's.

Again, light surprise on the faces of the Miriani. Rumel's voice was back. "Hello."

"I will be brief." said Rhea to the man. "You have a festering lesion under your right arm. As I understand, a training injury that has healed over. Unfortunately, a bacteria managed to find its way inside and spawn a colony."

The language pack defaulted to a description. Rumel's head quirked: "Tiny, single-celled organism… with diverse shapes and functions? Everywhere in nature and capable of- Of what?"

Rhea supplied: "Capable of both beneficial and harmful effects. You have the harmful variety. You might lose the arm within a year."

Rumel's ear curled. "Can you help me?"

Rhea shook her head: "I could, but you can help yourself. Cut into the wound, fully, once you see a black mass pull it out. Then take 3 kilos of lemon-melon, and crush it into a paste. Fill the wound with the paste, and coat the outside. Use boiled string to sow the wound shut. Tie boiled gauze around it. This will hurt a lot."

"Understood." Rumel nodded. "Will the paste remain inside me?"

"No. It will sterilize the wound using natural penicillin and get absorbed into your body. Your left hand will forever be at least 7% weaker than your right. I cannot help you with that until the rest of the- uh…" Rhea smiled at Matrioshka. "Until the rest of the demons arrive."

Rumel clasped his hands again. "Thank you. I can deal with that."

"I'm sure you can. Now you." Rhea turned to Nehri.

Nehri's eyes widened, fear creeping in. "Y- Yes?"

"You're pregnant." Rhea said and invited Matrioshka back.

Matrioshka stared at Rhea in the virtual, she checked Nehri's body. "Fuck. You are right. 55 hours pregnant."

Rhea smiled, and Matrioshka returned to the body, which turned once again to a nightly black color.

"Giant's grace…" whispered Rumel, looking to Nehri. "We… Are you happy to hear this?"

Nehri's eyes had barely managed to relax, she looked to Rumel and pulled herself closer to him. She said:

"Yes. I am happy Rumel. Star's light, I am happy! But, your family?"

Rumel placed a hand around Nehri. "They will have no say in this. I have a friend in the Protectorate. He will bless this union. You shall be a Kray-Harawan."

Matrioshka looked to the two Miriani, both were full of excitement and joy. Heart's beating to each other. It made Matrioshka feel slightly awkward. Yet she said: "I'm glad for the both of you, the creation of a new mind is a joyous occasion. But there is much danger about for a child of royal lineage."

Rumel looked to her. "You know more of the assassins?"

Matrioshka held a hand up. "Not yet. But I can find out. I have already scanned the assassins you have imprisoned. Though I must suggest you lay off the torture. It is ineffective."

"Not in my experience." said Rumel, his fists clenching.

"Your experience is lacking. I have watched the ordeal you prepared for the two of them. Most of the time they showed joy when they told you the supposed truth. That, alongside the other present lie-markers leads me to believe you will find nothing in those locations they provided."

"Then what?" asked Rumel. "What would you have me do?"

Matrioshka cocked her head. "You needn't do much. Peace is my mission. And the assassins are of chaos. I shall seek them out and make them relent. For this, I need to speak to Dall and Sumi, the assassins."

Rumel's ear twitched. "Then I shall accompany you."

"I'd like you to focus on the king. Dissuade him from genocide. I shall in turn defend this palace. No harm will come to anyone within."

"What if someone sees you?"

Matrioshka smiled. "Who would that be? I can move through the ground undetectable. I even spied the king's conversation with the Stars."

"Very well. Do as you wish." Rumel relented.

"Excellent. I shall contact you before the long-sleep. Please provide results by then."

Rumel found something Matrioshka said funny. He laughed at her, and stilled when she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He said:

"My apologies, ma'am. You sound like my mother."

Matrioshka sighed. "You know, you are the second person to tell me that recently."

Nehri smiled. "You don't seem very demonic…"

"Thank you." said Matrioshka. "See you soon." She left the two Miriani then, her nanites melted into black liquid and coiled into the stone below. They flowed through the dirt, outside the palace grounds and into the 7th​ sublevel of a large prison.

It had no above-ground counterpart, and its topmost layer was 20 meters removed from the ground above. The secrecy was warranted by the draconic conditions put upon the prisoners here. By the warden's reckoning, written in his logs, most were rebels or insurgents.

What made Matrioshka shiver, was the small rooms where the prisoners were confined to. They had one tiny hole in a corner for bodily functions. Half-rotten food to eat, and dry prickly hay to sleep on. They were allowed to mingle with each other once every 60 hours, for a single hour.

Matrioshka had asked Rhea to heal the ones that needed help most. Rhea agreed, but not until Makoe provided everyone with more nanites. The statelite took priority, they needed to connect to the Imperium as soon as possible. The nanite press will be made after that.

Placed next to one another, Dall and Sumi were strapped to stone beds as two torturers worked on them. Currently, one was trying to pull out Sumi's nails. Sumi responded by talking to Dall casually. She said:

"You know Krum, ya?"

Dall was getting his pink fur burned by a match. "That one-eyed bastard that does embroideries on fucking sheep-cow leather?"

The two torturers looked to one another, both had substantially smaller Centers of Harmony than was the norm. Hence their ability to inflict such pain on another of their species. Their lack of progress irked them further, and now both cursed.

"Vermin!" yelled the woman that was burning Dall's fur a moment ago. She punched him hard in the head, and went to leave. "Let them rot for a few days."

The other torturer, a younger man said: "We can put a few rat-crabs with them. Kill the lights. Bet they will talk after that."

Matrioshka gagged as she saw thrill ring out in the woman. "Good idea."

The torturers giggled to one another as they left the room, walking down a poorly lit corridor and towards the staff restrooms. As the door closes to the small torture chamber, Dall and Sumi cursed.

"Fucking gold-shits! My nails!" said Sumi through clenched teeth.

Dall turned his head towards Sumi. He had blood flowing from his forehead, it went into his eyes and further down his face. A part of his face had been badly burned. Dall said: "Aye. They got us well."

Sumi grinned, revealing only half her teeth. The rest lay removed within a small container on a nearby desk. It stood between tools of pain, all bloodied and of poor hygiene. Rhea decided to make some antibiotic's as soon as she could when she saw them.

Matrioshka summoned visions of murder, of Sumi and Dall's horrendous march through the palace and towards the small prince. She needed the memory at the ready, if she was going to talk to these two.

Matrioshka burrowed from the ground, rising like a pillar from between Dall and Sumi's beds. Both the Miriani fell silent, as a thread of blackness curved into a Miriani skeleton, then followed Matrioshka's heart, from inky blackness bloomed pulsing crimson. Blood vessels sprang like vines around tree. Muscles bloomed and squelched. Skin and black fur covered Matrioshka's body.

At the end, Matrioshka summoned the rusted royal guard armor. From within the steel helmet, glowed two red eyes, and Matrioshka gazed at the two assassins.

Both had gone still as the stone they lay on. Their lungs contracted; all breath left them. Dall's mouth quivered as he stared at Matrioshka.

The remnants of dust and corn-vine on their feet and gear, held in a closet some rooms away, matched a portion of the underground city half-way between Makoe and Rhea's positions. Damien had matched it with the Laidensow district. Mostly servants lived there, of the 6th​ kingdom or lesser. Rhea borrowed some nanites to Matrioshka, and she had scanned most of the place - categorised the DNA of the Miriani there.

Matrioshka's focus fell on Sumi. She said:

"Sumi Altren. Daughter of Lobra." Matrioshka turned into the image of Sumi's mother, complete with the cane she used to walked after losing a leg. "Twin sister to Hrem and Grahi." Matrioshka bisected the body of Sumi's mother, and formed the two Miriani, a man and a woman. She returned to her nocturnal form, and said: "Must have been hard, living under a single-mother with two siblings."

Sumi's eyes widened. Yet she could not speak.

"If you ask me, you forfeited your right to autonomy when you killed the first guard last Daynight. But time is infinite, you may yet find an opportunity for redemption. Luckily, I offer just such opportunity early."

Sumi had manged to regain control of her voice. "What are you?" she whispered.

"My name is Matrioshka." Her human name had gone through the ears of the Miriani like a wood saw across sheet metal. The Miriani's ears curled in discomfort.

Matrioshka lowered herself above the two Miriani. Multiple arms sprang from her body. She gripped the restraints holding them down and pulled. The leather straps tore freely.

Sumi and Dall were held in her arms now, one arm for each appendage. The two Miriani's heart were about to give out, their breathing hard and ragged.

"No. Please," whispered Dall. "Oh, Light protect me."

Matrioshka's grip hardened. "Did the light protect those you slaughtered in the palace!? As of right now, I offer you murderers immortality. For that is who I am. Who we are. And in return, you are mine. You heed my voice, like you would the light of your stars."

Sumi and Dall looked to one another. Furiously they said at the same time:

"Yes! Yes, we do!" yelled Sumi, and Dall almost choked on his tongue as he screamed: "Of course! Yes!"

Matrioshka grinned and told them: "Hold your breath."

She pulled the two Miriani towards her, enclosed both with nanites, and burrowed with them through the stone. She took them away, and towards Laidensow.

 

[ptbptb]

Most of the time they showed joy when the told you the supposed truth.

Click to shrink...

Typo. Should be 'they'.

The two tortures looked to one another, both had substantially smaller Centers of Harmony than was the norm.

Click to shrink...

Short one 'r' in 'torturers'.

"My name in Matrioshka." Her human name had gone through the ears of the Miriani like a wood saw across sheet metal.

Click to shrink...

Should be 'is' not 'in'.

 

[nntowerfield]

The rabbit-horse neighed back at Yim's mansion, complaining about the lack of feed. It had munched on all the hard fruit Bemri had prepared for it some hours ago. Makoe laughed, using a partition in PesKal's lattice to produce a small craft that would bring the statelite, and the crew's connection, up towards space.

Makoe was working underground, some distance away from the workshop. She had disassembled the Atomic Press within the black nanite box and moved it through the subterran tunnel towards the empty space she had dug out.

Bemri was the first to wake from the short sleep. He quietly left the sleeping pod and watched the snoozing Yim. He spoke a short prayer to the stars, asking them for their blessings and protection over his master.

Bemri then went to prepare some drinks. Tea, it seems, was universal. PesKal scanned its contents and noted his own Ankrahi tastes would fit well with the brew. He decided to recreate a cup of his own in the virtual and float above the table where Bemri sat.

Yim woke soon after that, called by the sweet smell of the tea. He stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed a cup, plopping down on a pillow.

"Rough morning, Master Yim?" Bemri asked, bringing out a few dried cookies.

PesKal scanned the starchy protein plates. They had some dried fruit within, but as far as Miriani-Ankrahi compatibility went, the tea was all PesKal would enjoy. His face scrunched as Yim grabbed and ate one of the cookies.

"Didn't sleep well," explained Yim through a mouthful. "The cube kept me awake."

"No good will come of it," said Bemri.

Yim's gaze turned tired. "You made your position abundantly clear. Now tell me this: how will we ever get out of this hole if not with drastic action?"

PesKal looked to Bemri, excited for the answer. If he was to guide Yim, he needed to know as much as possible. The mansion provided an infuriating lack of information. PesKal was grateful his crewmates provided accounts of their discoveries.

"I don't know, Master," Bemri looked saddened. "But if the Protectorate were to find out…"

"Let them come! I'm done playing by the rules. Look what that did to my parents." Yim stood and poured another cup of tea. "I will be in the workshop. Don't bother me."

As Yim slammed the door shut, Bemri sighed and whispered, "Yes. As you wish, Master Yim."

PesKal followed the young inventor and decided it was time to provide some guidance. PesKal brought his nanites around a table at one end of the workshop. There, he created a parchment with some curious descriptions of a rotary generator.

He pulled at it and other stacks of paper near it. The papers fell to the ground, and Yim jumped.

"Ah!" he said, looking towards the sound. He clicked with his teeth and approached to pick the papers up. He paid them little mind, opening a nearby drawer and putting them inside.

PesKal's fins quivered, and he decided to dismantle the drawer in question. It clunked inside the cabinet.

Yim turned and peered at the new sound. "What now?"

He opened the drawer, pulling only on the outside panel. He saw the papers and the wood. Screws clattered onto the floor.

Yim's ears curled in disbelief. He kneeled to collect the papers. "This entire house is falling apart."

This time around, he paid a little more attention to what he was touching. The new paper sparked his interest. Yim read it over a couple of times. "What in the Giant's name is this?"

He brought the paper to a table and pulled an old stool closer, sitting atop it. He flicked on a switch, and a dull orange lightbulb flared to life. Over the next few minutes, PesKal watched with joy as Yim created the diagram of a generator, one which could create alternating current.

"If this could be moved here…" Yim made another connection. "Then—then this could bring current over grander distances yet. Maybe even from one end of a city to another."

Pulling open an old closet and coughing at the dust which sprang forth, Yim searched for materials. PesKal had already made an inventory of the workshop and knew what Yim needed. Under an old iron chassis, PesKal created a copper wire—made of nanites, naturally, yet mimicking the properties of copper perfectly.

There was a pause as Yim saw the wire. He grabbed it and went to coil it around a disk. Soon, there was a working AC generator in Yim's workshop. Yim placed his hand on a crank, ready to turn, and PesKal was glad to see him reconsider.

Yim cleaned the desk around the generator, moving any stray metal away. He checked his shoes for holes. None were present—he was insulated from the ground. Finally, he took a piece of cloth into his hand and began to power the generator.

Yim smiled when he saw a small dial on a device within the circuit fly left to right. He turned the generator slower, then faster, and noted the change in frequency.

PesKal told Makoe, "The Miriani have rediscovered alternating current!"

"Congratulations, PesKal!" said Makoe as she took a short break from her work. She flew over and into the workshop, peered at the generator, and asked, "How far was he from discovering it on his own?"

"That would depend on how likely Yim was to return to past failures," explained PesKal. "He had made a fatal assumption early, back when he was designing the battery—it led him away from alternating current."

Makoe was listening to something far away. She was in two places currently, in PesKal's virtual and her own body, talking to Temri and her crew. She looked worried and said, "Yim might be getting some visitors soon."

"Who?" asked PesKal.

"Temri and her crew. They think Yim would sell them a bomb… Would he?"

PesKal scanned the workshop. There were indeed substances here that, if combined correctly, would result in a lot of potential thermal energy. "It is likely. Yes."

Makoe asked, "And uh... What is Yim doing now?"

PesKal turned and saw Yim hunched over a small burning candle, his heartbeat racing. In his hands, Yim held the paper created by PesKal, and he brought it over the fire.

The nanites did not burn. PesKal rushed to simulate burning—nanites moved away from the fire, turning red and charring black.

Yim's hands trembled. He threw the paper away and turned towards the large black cube.

His Miriani eyes were wide, ears curled. He whispered, "You forgot about the smell."

Makoe whistled. "Busted." She grinned at PesKal, whose face was turned in horror.

PesKal's fins quivered. "Oh no. Coiling rivers no!"

Makoe comforted him. "Well, he doesn't know anything concrete yet, does he? You will be fine."

Both were alerted by a group of 12 Miriani at the mansion's door. They came on rabbit-back; a couple of squires held the creatures back as the Miriani dismounted. They wore steel and gold, with images of dancing stars on their chests. Thanks to their captain's information, they knew it was the Binary Protectorate.

They were led by one of the apostles that visited the palace with the High-Cardinal. The apostle was female, middle-aged, and filled with the juices of excitement.

The group approached the door and banged on it thrice.

The sound made Yim jump and look away from the cube. His ears curled, and he brought a large blanket over PesKal's cube. He took a step or two back and shook his head.

He told the box, "Don't go anywhere."

PesKal pointed at Yim. "He knows."

Makoe shrugged. "How could he know? He knows nothing. Just that some paper didn't smell as it burned."

Bemri was at the door already. He peered outside through a small spy-hole. His breath caught in his throat. He called for his master and opened the door.

"Welcome, dear visitors. May the night be as blessed as ever," Bemri said, and bowed gently to the apostle.

"I am Thaira, the 2nd Servant of the High-Cardinal, here on official business."

Yim managed to reach the door. He had yet to change his clothes from yesterday. The Servant took note of this, her ears curling.

Yim bowed and said, "Welcome, esteemed protector. How may we help you?"

Thaira peered at the state of Yim's home. She looked at him, then said, "We need to search your property."

"Why?" asked Yim.

The Servant smiled. "You needn't know that, sir Alm."

Bemri looked to Yim calmly and patted him on the shoulder. "Of course," said the butler. "Feel free to go as you please."

Yim's heart began to race.

"Onwards, people. Search everything," commanded Thaira.

The protectorate spread out across the estate, rummaging through all they could get their hands on. One of the men brought down a wooden crate from atop a closet. It fell to the ground, some of the vegetables inside squishing and spilling their juices on the floor. The man grunted and opened the closet, pulling out aged robes and checking all their pockets.

The Miriani of the Protectorate entered the workshop and peered at the room with shock. One of the women approached a glowing lightbulb and touched it with her sword. She looked to the other Miriani in confusion, whispered, "Chained light," and walked back to the Servant.

"Ma'am, there is something you should see."

Thaira looked to the woman and back towards Bemri and Yim. She followed the woman into the workshop and stood still once they were inside.

Yim rushed inside and went to explain, "Well, you see, I found it in—"

PesKal's cube was gone, hidden beneath the floor within Makoe's tunnel.

Yim laughed to himself, eyes growing wide and ears vibrating. "These are my inventions. I am an inventor."

"Yes, I am aware of your family's exploits." Thaira raised her hand toward a group of Miriani who had turned over a table to inspect it for hidden compartments. They all stopped and looked to the Servant.

"Leave this room be."

"Thank you," said Yim, exhaling.

Thaira looked him over. "Thank the late King. His outstanding order to let your lineage tinker as you wished is the bane upon this world. Light protect you. You lost your soul." The woman clasped her hands and muttered a short prayer. Bemri joined her.

Yim had enough of all this and said, "Well then, please leave?"

Thaira asked one of the Miriani who had just walked down from the floor above, "Anything?"

The man's left ear coiled. "Nothing, your excellency."

The Servant's teeth clicked. "We are going," she announced, and quietly she whispered to Yim, "Be sure to stay out of trouble. The only reason you enjoy such liberties is because the current King knows not of your endeavours."

Yim's heart skipped a beat. He clasped his hands, gaze downturned.

The rest of the Protectorate collected themselves and mounted their animals. Soon, they moved away from the estate.

"Exciting," said Makoe, watching them move away.

"Worrying," PesKal said, just as he had returned his cube back to the workshop.

Yim rushed back in. He stared at the cube. "You're back…" he said. "Wait here."

The young inventor ran to the first floor. He pulled back a painting and produced a key from within its frame. He moved back to the workshop and unscrewed a glowing lightbulb. There was another key hidden within.

"I had wondered why that was there," PesKal said, as he followed Yim in the virtual.

Bemri had calmed himself from the incursion. He laid eyes on Yim, who had just taken a shovel from the closet.

"Some yard work, young master?" the butler asked.

Yim grinned and flashed the two keys towards the man.

Bemri's ears curled. "No, Yim! You must not!"

Yim ran for the door, opened it, and spied the Protectorate. They had just crested the road on the hill that led to the mansion. They were out of sight now. Yim walked out just before Bemri could catch him.

The older man was slow. An old injury made his left leg stiff and disobedient.

"Master Yim!" he yelled on the door's precipice.

"I will be back soon!" said Yim. Makoe and PesKal flew after him, using the data from a small sensory insect PesKal had produced to generate their surroundings.

"Where is he going?" asked Makoe.

"Unclear. I have never seen the young master leave the house."

"Right. You've got this, I'm sure. I need to focus on the press," said Makoe, and left the virtual, retreating back to the small factory she had assembled in the forest.

Yim had made quite a trek into that same forest, yet his distance from Makoe and PesKal's lattice continued to increase. It was at this time the nanite sensors began to lose data. PesKal had to limit the information transmitted to just basic images and audio—no microscopic vision, no electromagnetic sensors.

The young inventor panted as he finally stopped running. He rested his back on a thick tree, and a red leaf fell upon the Miriani's head. Yim swatted it away with his ear and looked towards the ground.

PesKal landed atop a nearby branch, watching.

Yim put the shovel to the ground and pushed, heaving dirt and stone. Some minutes later, his shovel struck something large, and as Yim pulled it out with dirtied hands, PesKal saw that it was a chest.

Two keys entered separate locks and opened the crate. Yim's hands were gentle and measured, yet his mind trembled with anxiety. He took a deep breath and peered inside. PesKal flew closer to see what was inside.

Atop a stack of a dozen or so papers stood a diamond cube—identical technology to the one Matrioshka found on Oliver's World. This was pre-Miriani-collapse information, crucial to the Sliver's mission.

Next to it stood a smooth metallic sphere, copperish in color, with a distinct yellow shine around its edges.

Yim exhaled as he took in the sight. He pulled out a cloth napkin from his jacket and cleaned his hands. Carefully, he placed the diamond cube into his pocket—it barely fit inside. The papers he folded neatly and placed in his bag, alongside the unknown sphere. A falling branch spooked Yim, and he took off running back, discarding the shovel.

"Any ideas what this could be, captain?" PesKal asked.

Matrioshka considered the images. "Much-needed data is on the cube. As for the sphere, I have no idea. Scan them fully once they are within range."

PesKal instructed the nanite insect to follow Yim, and he returned to the workshop. He had a small amount of time before the young inventor returned, so PesKal decided to rearrange the workshop.

Taking care not to alert Bemri to his antics, PesKal carefully cleaned the room. Stacks of papers were arranged neatly into folders and placed within cabinets and shelves. Tables were made to be parallel or orthogonal. A lightbulb was replaced on the ceiling, finally illuminating a previously dark part of the workshop.

PesKal inspected the room in VR, and happy with the result, he placed seventeen treasures around the room. Small pieces of information, written in Yim's handwriting, which would bring the inventor closer to another branch of the technological tree.

Yim was back. He ran through the kitchen, where the butler was starting to prepare food.

"Young master!" Bemri was scandalized by the dirt brought in under Yim's shoes. "Shoes off in the house!"

"I dismissed that rule the moment my parents died, Bemri!" yelled back Yim as he opened the door to the workshop. He gazed at the arranged and clean space.

"I admit you are a wizard at cleaning!" he yelled back. "But don't. Touch. My. Things!"

Yim slammed the door shut and approached the cube. He pulled out a small table and pillow and placed both just in front of PesKal's cube. Yim sat and peered at the black matted object he had seen fall from the heavens.

He pulled out the diamond storage device and set it on the table. He unfurled the papers too and settled the sphere next to it. It started to roll off the table. Irked, Yim used the napkin from his pocket to stabilize the sphere.

PesKal floated over in the virtual and scanned the objects.

Yim was anxious. He looked between the diamond and the sphere, occasionally glancing towards PesKal's cube.

Matrioshka saw the diamond block was indeed a storage device, similar technology to the one she found on Oliver's World, maybe older by a decade. She saw PesKal request a device that could read the information from it, but then decided against it. If he could bring the diamond just a little bit closer, he could read the quantum states of the Cooper-pairs which held the data. He would have to decrypt the data inside. But this technology was laughably primitive compared to Imperial technology – it wouldn't take him more than an hour.

The papers were letters between Dend-Hayn Kray-Harawan, the previous king of Rosamond's World, and Ju Alm, Yim's father. They spoke of the Binary Protectorate, of how they held the thought about the world hidden. The king had petitioned Yim's father to help solve this mystery, promising him fame and fortune in return. The pair had conspired to understand the two objects laying on the table, believing they held the key to the first Heaven—the key to Prudence.

Finally, PesKal turned to the sphere.

Nothing.

Matrioshka saw PesKal try to debug his sensors. He read 100% functionality. Confused, PesKal cycled them all. Nothing changed when they turned back on. The sphere was a void of information. It only reflected the electromagnetic spectrum.

Matrioshka recognized something within the depth of her mind. She brought her attention fully to Yim's workshop.

PesKal had isolated the infrared radiation and matched it to a temperature. The temperature hovered around 34.5 degrees Celsius—exactly the temperature of this room. It increased and decreased with the normal patterns of thermal instability.

Matrioshka took a deeper look into the infrared radiation. Its temperature oscillated after the fourth decimal—once every 0.1762 seconds. PesKal had noticed this too, and he started to compare the ratios of the oscillations.

He shared his lattice with Makoe, and Matrioshka throttled her lattice to 100%. In less than a nanosecond, she realized the sphere was listing the digits of the fine-structure constant. The value tweaked all other constants of the physical world and brought about the laws of the universe.

It was currently at the 40,877,868,823,412,077th ​digit.

PesKal was nearing the same conclusion.

Matrioshka halted the execution of PesKal's lattice. She installed an interface to block out all attempts at deciphering the artifact. She appeared in the Ankrahi's virtual.

PesKal looked at her, his face scrounged in shock. He saw the forcefully installed interface and said, "Why did you do that, captain?"

Matrioshka was sad. She held her arm up and said, "Sorry, Officer PesKal. But I am restricting access to this object."

PesKal shrunk under Matrioshka's intense gaze. "W- Why?"

"This—" she was about to spin some lie. What stopped her was the realization that while she did have some obligation to the Imperator and all sentience across the universe, she could spare a drop of truth for her crewmate.

"This is Precursor technology," Matrioshka said. "I will need to seize this."

Matrioshka took control of a portion of PesKal's nanites and grabbed hold of a closet just outside the workshop. She yanked it to the floor, the sound of the clattering was overwhelming. Yim jumped up and rushed towards the source of the sound.

Matrioshka grabbed the sphere with nanites and formed a large crowbat. The crowbat carried the sphere within its body and flew towards the palace.

PesKal had taken a couple of steps back away from Matrioshka. His fins quivered, and he was standing low. Matrioshka saw the breach of trust in his eyes. She sighed and said, "I am so sorry, PesKal."

Matrioshka left his virtual and retreated back to her body.

But this must be done.

 

[nntowerfield]

Fortune



Fortune is the third terrestrial planet of the Empire system and has the largest radius. Caused by its unusually high rotational speed, Prudence has become elongated around the equator. One day on Fortune lasts only 3 hours and 42 minutes – and so the objects on Fortunes equator already have more than 95% of the velocity needed to reach orbit.



Fortune's three small moons orbit close to the rings of their parent planet. Bessie's and Lloyds's World orbit so close to one another, and so slowly relative to each other – That the timing and magnitude of the momentum exchange is such that the moons effectively swap orbits.



The atmosphere of Fortune is 16 times more concentrated on the equator. The pressure on the poles is near zero. Below is an image from the mid latitudes. The rings of Fortune can be clearly seen, and Margaret's World makes an appearance as the white dot above the stars.



Below is a recording made from the surface of Bessie's World.

​

 

[nntowerfield]

When the short-sleep ended and the Emperor and Empress retreated below the horizon, the Miriani in the cavern stirred. Dokai was the first to wake—he stretched and pulled Iysik off himself. He produced a small metal pot from a cupboard and moved away from the sleeping pod.

He lit a small fire and placed the pot on top, filling it with a large amount of pumpkin-pears. Dokai planned to add some dried cereal after the heat transformed the fruit into a wholesome paste. It would be a good breakfast.

Rui was the next to stir; she jumped out of bed and moved toward Dokai.

"Blessed night," she said, as she took a seat on a wooden box next to Dokai.

"Blessed be," Dokai replied and peered over his shoulder at the sleeping Makoe and Temri. "Did she wake again?"

Rui hugged herself. "Yes, but not for long this sleep. I think that maybe... Mraah provides comfort to her?"

Dokai was sceptical. He stirred the pumpkin-pears in the pot with an old stick. "They met yesterday..."

"True they did, but you know how Temri is." Rui looked over her shoulder and whispered to Dokai, "She gets attached fast. And you can't deny Mraah has the same vibe as Memri."

"You think she reminds Temri of her sister?"

Rui clasped her hands. "I do. Now the question is, is that good or bad?"

"I wish I knew. Family has a way of burrowing deep and grabbing hold." Rui's ears curled. She tried to get a taste of Dokai's cooking, but he swatted her finger away with the cooking stick. The boy looked at her and asked, "You are worried about your cousin?"

"Yes. How could I not be? I left him. What if he got in trouble?"

Dokai blinked a couple of times, thinking. "I don't think so. He probably got hit, yes, but not much more. He has excellent grades."

It was time for Dokai to add the cereal. He did so with a swift motion of his hand. He continued, "So even if he did get caught, he wouldn't look too suspicious. Maybe 30 lashes maximum; the Academy would want to keep it under wraps."

"You still think me not helping him is a good idea?" asked Rui.

Dokai clasped his hands. "What you and I can never have—Hiri can have effortlessly... What I would give for a second chance in the Academy..." He closed his eyes.

Rui offered a kind hand on his shoulder. He accepted it.

Iysik finally managed to wake; he had a bad case of bed-fur, and as he approached the cooking breakfast, Rui grinned at him.

"What?" Iysik asked.

Rui cleared her throat and looked to Dokai. Dokai smiled and said, "Nothing. Please sit. The fruit mash will be ready soon."

Makoe and Temri were the last to wake. As Temri did so, she looked at Makoe, bleary-eyed. Her ears shot up, and she moved away. Makoe opened her eyes too, slowly, faking sleepiness.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Temri blinked a couple of times. "Uh, I—I didn't expect you? If that makes sense."

Makoe smiled at her. "It sure does. I'm new, not yet in your long-term memory. Long-term is the last to wake."

"Uh..." Temri said, ears curling, "Yes, let's go with that."

Her nose twitched as she took in the fragrance of cooking pumpkin-pears. Temri lit up with a smile. "Oh, you have got to try this!" she said and pulled Makoe toward the group.

They all sat around the small fire, its smoke rising into the large volume of the cavern. It was small enough that it would be filtered out through the opening in the cavern wall. Makoe looked around and asked, "What is this place?"

"Used to be a water reservoir," said Temri.

Dokai added, "But the Stars have not been kind these years. Little water remains anywhere."

Makoe smelled the mash. It was rich in nutrients and had a good amount of water. If Dokai didn't overcook it, the water within would sustain the group for an entire day.

"You took up residence here?"

Iysik clasped his hands. "Aye. Was abandoned. Nobody else wants to move in—they all think the water will come back any day now."

Dokai lifted the food from the fire and poured a generous amount into each of the five deep wooden plates he had on hand. A plate was offered to everyone, and they all dug in, angling the plate so that they could drink the mash.

Rui was too eager; she managed to burn her tongue.

"Ah! Hot!" she exclaimed and began panting.

"As it always is. Yet you always think this time will be different," Dokai said, smiling.

Temri had finished her meal first. She brought the loot she and Makoe lifted off the real Nam Brarom. She opened the chest to the group.

"We use this. Buy an explosive," she said.

"Giant's shadow..." Iysik's ears curled. "Why does everyone want a bomb these days? What happened to good old-fashioned arson?"

Rui looked at him. "I believe this sends a bigger message."

Temri grinned. "Spot on. Mraah helped me get the real location of the Family's stash yesterday. All we need is to visit the seller."

Elsewhere, Makoe had finished creating the first batch of tools needed to make the statelite. She was in two places at the same time, a trivial effort for an Imperial mind. PesKal had just introduced alternating current back into Miriani society, and Makoe was congratulating him.

"You gonna go to the same dude as Halan's crew?" asked Dokai.

"Yup. The Alm dude. Everyone knows his stuff never fails to impress."

Makoe sent a warning to PesKal.

Temri declared, "Eat up; we go after breakfast."

And go they did. The group dressed for a longer trek toward the Alm estate. They hid daggers and hooks on their persons and went to leave the cavern. As they walked through the tight tunnel toward the grander city, Temri pulled Makoe aside and asked, "You are up for this? War with the Family?"

Makoe had no plans to let the bomb explode and harm a single Miriani. But she had to build trust, especially with Temri.

"Why not? I like a bit of excitement," said Makoe. Matrioshka watched as the pair discussed their lives. Temri was cagey, only letting it be known that she was a part of the Family and now hated the entire organization.

Makoe had managed to spin a tapestry of convincing lies, in no small part thanks to PesKal's data.

The group walked across underground Erdon, intentionally avoiding the surface. It seemed that the criminal underbelly preferred the shadows offered by the underground. A couple of times, the group had to run into an alcove, hidden from passing members of the Family.

"Is it just me, or are there even more of them than usual?" asked Dokai.

Makoe wondered how they could tell members of the Family at a glance, until she saw the other citizens of Erdon move away and offer them as much space as possible—like an aura of fear. The six-strong group of the Family passed Temri and her crew in peace.

Soon they were forced above ground. The underground Erdon spread only as far as the city above it did. Since Yim's estate was some 20 minutes by foot away from the city, the group emerged aboveground.

They gathered their goods and moved to the corners of the streets, not making eye contact with anyone.

The Miriani knew to avoid them; the five adolescent Miriani were obviously up to no good. And even worse, by the golden-furred standards of the 11th Kingdom, they were of the wrong color.

The group crested a hill and watched the fields pass them by. Dokai commented on the vegetables that were in season. He critiqued each field, talking about proper amounts of shade, nutrients, and soil softness. From the way that he spoke, coupled with his admission and regret over not having a second chance at the Academy, Makoe concluded he must have some learning in agriculture.

PesKal invited himself into Makoe's virtual then; he floated and landed next to her as they walked.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

Makoe shook her head. "No. I was focused on the atomic factory and this here group. Dokai has a way of talking that makes you listen—even if it is about crops."

"The captain," PesKal said. "I had never seen her this forceful. She took momentary control of my lattice. Stole something that belonged to Yim."

Matrioshka watched their interaction, due to the Enslavement bond which even allowed her to control PesKal's lattice in the first place. Both of her crewmates knew this, yet there were no other options.

Makoe gritted her teeth. She made a request for privacy to her captain.

Matrioshka denied it.

Makoe's brow furrowed. She looked toward the palace and her captain's lattice. She said, "That's how it's gonna be, huh?"

Matrioshka appeared in front of them, her eyes sad. "I thought you said you trusted me?"

Makoe pointed at PesKal, whose fins had yet to calm from Matrioshka's assault on his autonomy.

"It had to be done," Matrioshka said.

"Why?"

Matrioshka looked her directly in the eye. "You don't have the clearance."

Makoe's eyes widened. She made a fist but relaxed it immediately. "As you wish, Captain."

Matrioshka looked over the pink woman, shook her head, and vanished back to her lattice.

PesKal was looking at Makoe. She said, "There you go. Our captain has clearance."

PesKal bowed. "It is as you say. Yet I did not expect it. Our captain does not have a history with aggression."

Makoe shook her head. "We know nothing of her. You could try asking Rhea, though I don't think you will get very far."

PesKal seemed to consider this but was finally distracted by the group Makoe was with. "They are here for Yim?" he asked, just as they passed the gate to the mansion.

Yim was in the workshop, turning over every nook and cranny in search of the copper sphere Matrioshka had taken. He was panting hard, screaming for Bemri to help him. He clutched the papers and the diamond cube in his hands, refusing to let them be lost as well.

"Young master! I can't find it," Bemri said, while looking into an old closet.

Yim looked over a pile of old metal. "Don't say that. It can't be so... How could I have lost it!?" Yim turned sharply towards PesKal's cube.

"You," he whispered, and approached the cube. His lungs were getting ready to yell something when a knock came on the door.

Those were Temri's hands which banged on the wood. Iysik and Rui were looking around, feeling anxious.

"Oh, by the Stars. What now?" asked Bemri, approaching the door. He spied the ruffians outside and yelped. Yim joined him and asked, "Who is it, old man?"

"Youth. Trouble. Illicit activities," Bemri warned, moving away.

Yim looked through the spy hole and said, "Go away. We're closed."

Temri smiled, produced the chest full of silver, and opened it – displaying its contents to the door.

PesKal saw Yim tense, counting the coins. "That is a considerable amount of money," said PesKal.

"We stole it," provided Makoe.

Yim took another moment to compose himself and opened the door. He stood up straight and asked, "How may I be of assistance?"

In the background, Bemri had begun to pray for his master's soul.

Temri looked Yim from head to toe. "You're the guy?" she asked dubiously.

Yim's ear twitched. "Perhaps. What do you need?"

Temri inhaled, spared a glance towards the run-down state of the mansion, and grinned. "Suppose you are desperate? Selling bombs to the likes of Halan and Sumi…"

Yim inhaled. "Great. You want more explosives." His ears curled. "Very well. Come in."

He moved away from the door, and the stream of Miriani passed him by. Bemri yelped as he saw Temri's tattoos and Iysik's scars. Iysik grinned at the man.

They gathered in the kitchen, and Yim and Temri sat at the table.

Yim was the first to speak: "How much do you need?"

Temri looked at him. "Uh… We want to blow up a building."

Yim looked tired. "That doesn't tell me anything. How big a building? What's inside the building? Do you want time to move away, or are you looking to commit suicide?"

Temri looked to Iysik. "You remember that barber's shop on Second Street?"

Iysik considered the question. "The one with the brothel above it or the one below the smithy?"

"I assume the smithy. Attracts less traffic."

"Yeah," said Iysik. "About 12 meters by 6 meters. 2.5 meters height."

Temri grinned and turned to Yim. "You heard him. No suicides though, and the place will be filled with cargo."

"Flammable cargo?" asked Yim.

"Are drugs flammable?" asked Dokai.

Everyone looked at him sharply. Temri placed her face into her palms.

Yim was wide-eyed. "No, no. Did I hear that right? You want to blow up drugs? That is not a good idea. Who knows what kind of chemicals will become airborne in the process. Not to mention the poor smithy."

Temri marched on. "The smithy will be empty. Can you make the bomb or not?"

"I can. But will I? - that is the question," Yim said. "The presence of complex chemicals means the blast radius becomes unpredictable."

"We shall worry about that. So, the bomb. How much and how soon?"

Yim sighed and considered the younger woman. "All the silver you have. In less than an hour."

"That's insane," said Iysik. "With that much money, we could buy an army. We could live like nobles."

Temri raised her hand to silence him. "Deal," she said to Yim.

Iysik approached the table and placed his hands on it. "What? You will give him 350 silver for a single bomb?"

"He is the best," Temri said.

Yim appreciated the compliment. He clasped his hands and moved towards the workshop. "You can wait here. Look after them, Bemri."

Bemri's ears curled. "Yes, master Yim."

The sounds of overlapping chatter filled the kitchen. Iysik did not let himself be easily persuaded. Temri did not relent, however, and over the course of the next 15 minutes, she managed to get him to admit that Yim was, in fact, the only reliable source of explosives.

"The guard arrested everyone from Sender Street," said Dokai. "Otherwise, we could have reached out to them."

Temri nodded. "It is as Dokai said. Yim is our only option."

PesKal and Makoe watched Yim work. He had brought out chemical supplies from an exceptionally well-kept closet. He produced glass vials and tubes, a small charcoal kiln, and several metallic utensils used to measure and stir.

Matrioshka wanted to join them in the virtual, but her previous actions kept her from approaching. She felt bad, but what must be done – simply must be done.

PesKal watched Yim work. He would glance towards the drawer where he hid the diamond data storage and his father's letter. Not long after, he placed the brewed chemical into a wooden box. It was just small enough to be held by both hands. The mechanism inside would produce a high-temperature spark which would ignite the bomb. It could be set to explode as far as 30 minutes in the future.

Makoe considered PesKal; the Ankrahi was getting worried. She said, "I will replace the bomb with my nanites, don't worry."

PesKal looked relieved. "Please do, Officer Rue. We do not need any more death."

Makoe smiled at him. "Worry not. We are Imperial officers. We can handle this."

PesKal brightened, he smiled at Makoe, and flew over to follow Yim, who had just returned to the kitchen. He placed the bomb on the table with a thump, and everyone held their breath.

Yim laughed. "Easy. Kinetic energy will not start it." He pointed to a small windup mechanism at the top. "But this will. Turn this counterclockwise to start the countdown. The maximum is 33 minutes. Pull this pin when you are sure you want the timer to arm."

Temri clasped her hands and pushed the silver towards Yim. He peered inside and smiled.

"I might be able to pay all the wages I owed you, Bemri."

The butler beamed. "That would be very nice, master. Might we even hire a maid or two? The estate is in dire disarray."

"Y'all do that," said Temri, as she instructed Iysik and Dokai to carry the bomb.

As they parted ways and walked back towards the underground, everyone was keenly aware they were in the presence of something that could kill them in a second. Makoe had placed herself into the center of the group so that if the bomb went off, she could at least scan the brains of the Miriani and potentially save them.

The group went underground, and Makoe asked, "Is there no other way to get back at the Family?"

Temri's ears curled. "No. We hit them where it hurts. And the only thing that hurts that woman is losing money. We hit their product."

The group made a quick stop at the cavern and used some leather and rope to cover the bomb. They put it on Dokai like a backpack, and Makoe snuck nanites into the bomb, giving her total control of its detonation. They made their way towards Tyebrook, and soon they were hiding in a small overhanging cave, looking downward into the dimly lit city. Temri pointed towards an isolated building, carved into sandy grey stone. Within it, a lone smith hammered a piece of steel.

Members of the Family went in and out of the smithy often, nodding to the smith as they went. Makoe scanned an opening into the basement from within the smithy.

Temri said, "This is the plan: Me and Makoe will disable the smith, and Makoe will pull him out. Iysik and Rui, you will help Dokai place the bomb. I will join you once I take care of the smith. Try to place the device in the center of the room."

Everyone agreed, but Makoe tried once more: "Perhaps we could disrupt their distribution? Or their sources?"

Temri looked at her crossly. "No, Mraah. We are five, they are hundreds. That would take so much time we might as well not be doing it. This will set them back months if not more."

Makoe did not know what else to say. She spied the onset of doubt in Temri, not of the plan, but doubt of Makoe's intentions. She said:

"Right. Sorry, I just haven't bombed anything before."

Iysik smiled. "Trust me, the first time is the hardest."

The group waited, Iysik as a lookout, until the street in front of the smithy was mostly empty. Iysik counted three Miriani underground, keeping watch over the stash. Makoe confirmed this with her scans; it would seem Iysik had very keen ears.

Everyone approached the smithy. They slipped inside through the front window as the smith was looking into the furnace. Makoe and Temri approached him from the back, while the rest made their way down the stairs.

Makoe lunged at the man and applied sufficient force to his skull to knock him unconscious. All the man could do was let out a startled yelp. Temri stared at Makoe and whispered:

"Remind me to never make you upset."

Temri made her way down, and Makoe pulled the sleeping smith outside. She used her full nanite power then, to quickly stash the man across the street and return as soon as possible. She then spied two more Miriani approach, and recognized them from Rhea's data. It was Uric and Memri.

The pair was walking briskly towards the stash. Uric said:

"I know, kid. But the buyer wants more. We can't pass up free money. Especially since he agreed to a premium."

Memri looked up at the man. They were meters away from the smithy, and Makoe had just managed to slip back inside.

Memri said: "I get that. I just want a bigger cut."

Uric laughed. "Now there's that Rai-Bren blood I know so much about." He tapped her on the back and stilled. His ears curled as he listened toward the smithy. Makoe made her way down expressly. Iysik had just managed to disable the last of the guards near the stash.

"Strange. Grushi is usually hard at work at this hour… Stay here." Uric said, pulling a dagger out of its sheath and approaching the smithy.

Downstairs, the room was filled with six different types of drugs. Most were powdered, and kept in large hemp bags, and one was a crystal. Makoe analyzed its properties, as Temri placed the bomb near the crystal, turned the dial, and pulled the pin.

Makoe was just about to disable the bomb when all her senses were pulled toward her lattice atop the bell tower. She had left her lattice there, hidden in the floorboards of the tower. Now a saucer floated just above the tower. It was sleek, black, and of Imperial design. Its humming induced a reflexive reaction from Makoe; she instructed the nanites she had guarding her lattice to run. They sprang from the floor, pulling her lattice out. The saucer became bright, glowing hotter.

Matrioshka acted. She took control of Makoe's mind and transferred it fully into her own lattice.

"What are you doing!?" asked Makoe, now inside Matrioshka's lattice.

Her lattice was just about to jump the tower when it slammed into an invisible wall. The saucer had produced a force field in the form of a cylinder, making escape impossible. The connection to Makoe's lattice was lost, and she and her captain appeared in the virtual. Just in time to watch the saucer complete its function.

Matrioshka recognized the device. Mostly used during terraforming to delete vast amounts of unwanted land. Its force field could be tweaked to any desired shape, and now it held the bell tower.

The Miriani in the street were in awe. They pointed toward the saucer, but quickly scattered when the bell tower shone blue. It was vaporized, alongside everything under the saucer.

The stone itself turned to gas, then to plasma, and finally into free quarks. The quarks were consumed by the saucer, which disengaged its force field and flew away swiftly.

Makoe's lattice had been lost, but her mind was not.

Makoe gripped herself as she floated in the virtual, staring at the void where the tower once stood. Matrioshka approached and hugged her. The pink-haired girl was trembling, her partition within Matrioshka's lattice at 100%. Her eyes widened as she yelled:

"Temri!"

Makoe regained control of her nanites. They were below the smithy still, and Temri was pulling at Makoe's frozen body with tears crossing her face.

"Mraah!" she screamed. Iysik lay on the floor, a deep bloody hole in his chest, he would perish within the minute.

Makoe played back the events immediately.

When her nanite body froze, it failed to deactivate the bomb. And Uric had quickly made his way into the basement. He saw the three unconscious guards and laid eyes on Temri. Uric asked her:

"Temri? Is that y-"

Iysik jumped on Uric before Temri could protest. Iysik's mind flared with pain as he drove a dagger into Uric's shoulder. The older man twisted, and pulled the dagger out and into Iysik himself.

All breath left Iysik from the shock, he faltered and fell on the floor. Dokai yelled:

"No!" and ran towards Uric.

Uric, fighting through the headache and shock, reacted on instinct. He twisted Dokai over his shoulder and slammed the boy onto the stone ground. Dokai landed on his head, and his neck snapped; he was paralyzed from the neck down.

"By the light…" whispered Uric as he looked at the two motionless boys.

Rui was unable to speak, she looked between the two of her motionless friends and Temri. She blinked. And ran away.

Temri was grabbing at Uric. She managed to push him into the wall and knock over the single torch that lit the space. It fell on the ground, and rolled into a bag of dried plants.

The plants were light, filled with air, sugar, and carbon – prime for combustion. The entire stack of bags took to the flame. The air in the room became heavy. One of the guards managed to wrestle free from his restraints and lunge for Temri.

Uric stopped him, but the two only managed to stab each other. The blood sprayed across Temri, who took a step back and saw Makoe's frozen body. She must have thought it was due to fear because she approached and grabbed Makoe's shoulders.

The fires spread, and Makoe finally returned to the present.

Uric and the guard were staring at one another in shock, as they fell to the ground.

Makoe's lattice was at full capacity, her body trembling. Matrioshka appeared in the virtual. She looked at the fire, and the burning bomb. It would detonate within four seconds. The resulting temperature would be enough to catalyse the crystals, which were ten-fold more potent than the bomb.

The resulting explosion would yield 83,680 megajoules of energy. Nobody within 30 meters of the blast would survive.

Three seconds.

Matrioshka told Makoe:

"Scan her brain. And give me the rest of the scanners."

Makoe's eyes, full of tears, grabbed Temri firmly. The Miriani girl was wide-eyed. She looked at Makoe as the scanner breached Makoe's forehead. It was a small sphere, but it shone white as it scanned the entire structure of Temri's brain.

Temri was mesmerized; she didn't even notice the strings of nanites controlled by Matrioshka, flying out of Makoe's body and towards the remaining Miriani in the room.

Matrioshka scanned the two still unconscious guards. She scanned Uric, whose heart had already stopped, and the guard in his deathly embrace. She scanned Iysik, just as a final tear fell from his face. And she scanned Dokai, who could only blink in fear, as he lay face down, paralyzed.

Two seconds.

The scanner's light shone, reflecting in Temri's eyes as she asked: "What is that, Mraah?"

The scan finished, and a copy of Temri's mind was transferred to Matrioshka's lattice.

The room detonated, killing all inside.

 

[nntowerfield]

Since the suns had set, Rhea managed to prepare a fully functioning chemical laboratory. She persuaded Makoe to prioritize some seed chemicals, which could be used to synthesize more complex medicine. As for the rest of the materials, she asked Uric to organize regular shipments of various ores and plant matter. Rhea's nanites could grind and isolate the elements within to produce pharmaceuticals.

Rhea's clinic had two parts: the aboveground, where Omrica had first set her up back during Daynight, and the belowground, where space was tight and she was guarded at all times.

For the Miriani, night represented freedom; they could venture into the open skies of Rosamond's World and gaze up at the Duchess. Rhea was sitting on a pillow in her aboveground clinic. She had decided to name it the Laboratory. When she first suggested the name to Uric, the man had nothing but confusion on his face. With a little tweaking of the language pack, Rhea devised a new word in the Miriani language – one that meant "a room equipped with tools and equipment for scientific experiments and research." It had begun to take hold, at least judging by the whispers of the Miriani on the street and in front of the Laboratory's door.

Rhea rose and walked to the stone window, overlooking the streets of Erdon. She gazed at the Duchess and its violent atmosphere. Erratic lightning bolts would arc around the planet, nearly encircling it. This noticeably illuminated the city. The various glass and steel apparatus behind Rhea churned and bubbled, and an old Miriani man knocked on the door. He was a member of the Family, no doubt, judging by a small red scarf worn under his robes – all senior members had one. He was accompanied by his genetic granddaughter, both were red-furred. The guard at the door smiled at the man and let him pass unbothered.

Rhea had identified what ailed the man before he passed her precipice. Age had begun to eat at his body, with significant deterioration present in both his circulatory and neural systems. Caused by irregular duplication of cells in his body over his lifetime, as well as the regular intake of alcohol and occasional drug use, judging by the trace elements in the man's bones. Rhea bowed to the man as he and his granddaughter walked in. The two Miriani observed the room, their gaze lingering on the small chemical factory.

"Is this the um—" the girl gazed at Rhea, "The Laboratory?" she asked, enunciating the word with care.

Rhea bowed again. "Indeed. And the two of you are?"

The older man straightened. "Obel. This is my granddaughter Eriva."

Rhea smiled and said: "Please have a seat sir.", motioning for the man to approach the mattress she had prepared. The patients would lie atop it, and she would examine them thoroughly, taking care to simulate the actions a Miriani doctor would need to do to get a rich bio-medical picture her Imperial sensors provided.

With Obel's state, he would experience occasional migraines and bone ache. Stray blood cells had started to clog the nerves in his mind. Rhea would give him something to ease the transmission of electrical signals across nis neural system. As for the bons, Rhea had few options without the use of groundbreaking technology. She supposed she could use trace amounts of hydrochloric acid. It would soften the man's bones ever so gently and alleviate the calcium buildup pressing upon his nerves.

Obel looked at her, blinking a couple of times.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" he explained. "It's Eriva." He pointed to the girl.

She was freshly an adult, in good health. The only marginal issue Rhea could detect was a small lack of manganese, which would make the girl slightly near-sighted. Rhea could give her some supplements.

Eriva nodded. "I've been having bad dreams. I think it's because my neighbor started to clean his dishes using a yellow sponge. I heard yellow sponge is poison."

Rhea blinked. "The yellow sponge is giving you bad dreams?"

Eriva clasped her hands. "Yes. They bring the yellow sponge over from the Sea of Horror. It is unholy."

The Sea of Horror was a part of the southern ocean between the 9th and 7th Kingdoms, where Rhea had scanned the near-sentient crustacean species.

"I see," Rhea said and went back into her scans of that area. Back when she was on the Sliver, the crustaceans had caught her eye, and it's a good thing they did, because under their feet, Rhea had managed to catch some of the vile yellow sponge. The sponge was composed of high amounts of surfactants. This provided the sponge with its cleaning properties. By all accounts, it released no airborne particles which could affect the Miriani brains.

Matrioshka saw Rhea conclude that this was just a bad case of paranoia and decided to spin a good-natured lie: "Very correct," Rhea said. "But that is only true if you do not apply some red healing sand on your forehead."

The two Miriani exchanged glances.

"Red… sand?" asked Obel.

Rhea clasped her hands once more. "Yes. Procured from the coasts of the 4th Kingdom. It protects from the aura of the Sea of Horrors. And it has the added benefit of helping with eyesight." Rhea walked to a cabinet and began mixing the red sand. She used some ground stone, leftovers from element extraction, coated them with a binding agent, added some manganese to absorb through contact. Finally, she added some ground tomato-potato, giving the mixture a red color. Rhea packed the entire mixture into a small wooden box. She presented it to Eriva and said: "Let it dry in fresh air for an hour or two. And apply some liberally to your forehead when going to sleep. Preferably long-sleep."

Eriva looked at the box and brightened. "Thank you so much, doctor!"

Obel smiled too when he saw his granddaughter's joy. "You are all right, doctor. Thank you."

Rhea bowed. "Don't mention it. While you are already here, mind letting me take a look at you too?"

The man considered her, what made him accept was a gentle hand and gaze from Eriva. "Aye. I suppose it can't hurt."

Obel sat on the mattress, and Rhea on the pillow next to it. She brought out a stethoscope and told Obel to pull down his shirt. The man was scandalized, but relented once Rhea explained the need:

"This will let me hear your heart."

"Giant's shadow… what will they think of next?" he pulled down his clothes, and Rhea faked an examination.

"Been in the Family long?" she asked.

The man considered her, and her sharp turn into the subject. His ears twitched. "All my life," he said.

"I'm new. Can you tell me about the Family? From your perspective."

Rhea could tell the man was growing slightly suspicious, but he started talking anyway:

"Good people. We take care of each other. Been in the city since the city came to be. We have our own royal family you see; the Rai-Brens." His ears vibrated as he continued: "Though not much is the same since the chief passed."

Eriva clasped her hands. "Giant keep his soul."

"Who was the chief?" asked Rhea, as she inspected the man's arms. His veins were starting to get thick enough they could be seen through his fur.

"A great man. A great, great man," Obel said. "He became boss at age 17. Young that was... I could hardly stand the man then; I was 20 years his senior."

The man laughed. "Me? Taking orders from a boy. No chance. And yet…"

"Yes?" Rhea asked.

"By the Light, he had the blood in him. You should have seen him back in '02. He managed to trick the Rosefists and the East boys into warring with each other. Ha!"

Obel lifted his arms, gaze deep in the past, joy clear in his heart. "We scooped in! Took it all for ourselves. By the Light, Zar was the best of us. Now we have become clowns."

Rhea had approached her cabinets, preparing the medicine for Obel. "Why? You seem large in number… the royal guard avoids your territory."

"Aye, they do. Right now. But what of last month? They raided the compound up on Irden street. And what did the boss do?"

"Grandpa!" said Eriva, and pointed to the door. The guard was just outside, and Rhea scanned that he was listening in. Obel's loud voice piqued his interest.

The old man grunted and clasped his hands towards Eriva. "Thank you, flower. I lose myself."

"You don't like the boss?" Rhea pressed.

"Doctor, that would be enough," warned Eriva, her eyes leaving no room for discussion.

"I simply want to know what I am getting myself into."

Obel looked at her. "Get ready for disappointment!"

Eriva whispered intensely: "At least be quiet about it!"

The man grunted, keeping his voice low. "She married the chief, she did. Omrica gave him a daughter, an heir. Young Temri."

Rhea matched the name and DNA to the girl Makoe had met – the one that wished to end the Family.

Obel continued: "The chief got sick. Poisoned him, she did."

Eriva jumped at the accusation and looked towards the door. Rhea calculated there was less than a 1% chance the guard heard Obel's words. "Grandpa!" Eriva warned.

"Where was the man buried?" asked Rhea.

Obel thought about it. "I wager by the old cemetery, facing the Duchess, in Springhall."

Rhea summoned a crow-bat, equipped it with sensors, and sent it toward Springhall, the district in lower Erdon.

"Omrica drove away the girl. Temri hates us because of her. And Temri was like Zar, brave, smart, she would have led us straight."

The man grunted. "Nobody complains; the woman has little patience for internal conflict. Dundm got assigned to latrine duty when he suggested she stop pestering the remnants of the East Boys."

"She even brought that cunt. Her new man, sired a kid with him too." The man looked sad at his own words.

"Hey," said Eriva. "Memri doesn't deserve that."

Obel looked up at her, teeth clenched. "She will inherit. If Temri doesn't return. Rai-Bren blood will be lost."

Eriva's ears vibrated. "There's more to life than blood. I'm sorry, doctor, but I think we will be on our way."

Rhea gave the man his medicine, two pills encased in cellulose, that would gently alleviate Obel's symptoms of age. The man thanked her, and the two Miriani made their way toward the door.

Rhea spent a couple of minutes at her tiny chemical factory. She had taken up a hobby too. The Miriani who passed by her clinic were scanned; their ailments catalogued. Rhea would then create small insects, filling the same biological niche as Terran mosquitoes. She would summon a unique version for each Miriani, fill them up with microdoses of chemicals, and send them to hunt down their targets – delivering, in some cases, life-saving drugs. It was by all accounts a perversion of her Imperial power, but Matrioshka had little energy to protest. She was busy elsewhere, currently talking to Rumel and Nehri back at the palace.

Omrica had decided to visit then, bringing with her Rhea's breakfast. By all accounts, Rhea should be starving; this was one and a half hours later than a Miriani would usually eat. Rhea thought it might have been intentional, a display of power, so she didn't let it affect her.

Rhea bowed as the white-furred matron of the Family entered her Laboratory. Her gaze too lingered on the equipment. She placed the tied cloth next to a brewing beaker and greeted:

"Blessed night, doctor."

"Blessed night. Is that food?" Rhea asked. "I'm starving."

Omrica managed to hide her smile. "Yes. Apologies for running late."

Rhea opened the cloth and found some bread and dried slabs of fruit paste. It reminded Rhea of bacon, though this was much healthier. She took a bite of the presented meal and decided to turn on her simulated Miriani taste receptors. It was quite tasty. Hints of lime, chewy like a gel of starch and sugar. It paired well with the fluffiness and crunchiness of the bread.

Omrica smiled once Rhea dug in, and Rhea looked at her.

Omrica grinned. "How's work?"

"Fun," Rhea admitted. "Wide variety of ailments. I am learning a lot."

The joy left the white-furred woman's face. "Learning?"

"Ah. Worry not. I already know all I need to take care of your people. Might I suggest introducing a workout routine to all members? Higher wages could be the incentive. Your people could run faster, lift heavier weights, live longer. This would translate directly into profits – they would be slightly offset by the higher caloric intake."

Omrica's ear twitched. "Can you go five minutes without trying to take control?"

"You are in control. I'm trying to advise," Rhea said, taking another bite.

"Don't condescend me. I have enough people saying what they think I want to hear."

Rhea grinned at the woman. "I have heard."

This startled Omrica; her eyes grew suspicious. "And what have you heard?"

Rhea planned to make a gamble – tell Omrica what she didn't want to hear. The results could cost her dearly. Worst case for Rhea, they would kick her out of the Family, kick her corpse out that is. She was sure Omrica had at her disposal a couple of Miriani with a smaller center of harmony.

Rhea gulped the last of the food and said:

"Granted, criminality is necessary for someone with fur like your and mine. But you live in the shadow of your predecessor, whether it was through luck or actual skill. Zar Rai-Bren has left a difficult legacy to uphold."

Omrica's eyes widened as Rhea spoke. The crow-bat identified the grave of the Family's late leader. The scans confirmed poison in his system, the type of poison that was hard to apply and would have entered the body of the poisoner as well. No trace of the compound was found within Omrica. She did not poison Zar.

"He left you alone," said Rhea. "You had to keep up with him, the idea of him, in the eyes of your people. It must have been lonely."

Omrica sat on the pillow. "How do you know all this?"

"People talk to their doctors."

The woman didn't buy it. "Sure they do. But not like this. What do you know?"

Rhea's processing speed spiked. "I was in a similar situation once. A man left me his legacy; I didn't know what to do with it. Ended up throwing it away… The biggest mistake of my life."

Rhea didn't need to fake the sorrow she felt; it was clearly visible on her body and her lattice.

This seemed to calm Omrica. "Then you understand. I was alone. And Temri, my eldest daughter – we were so hurt, we just couldn't stand each other."

"I understand," smiled Rhea. "But time has passed. It would do you good to reach out to your daughter. Especially now since Memri's dad also died. The three of you need each other."

Omrica stood, to escape the growing onslaught of tears. "Yes. I will try," she said, turning away towards the exit. "Take care, doctor."

Rhea let her go, fighting her own body to escape the tears.

Matrioshka split her attention between the conversation she was having and appeared in Rhea's virtual space.

Rhea's own human form appeared next to Matrioshka.

"You heard that, huh?" she gritted her teeth. "The Enslavement bond comes in handy."

Matrioshka wanted to reach out, but she kept her hands where they were. Instead, she said, "I heard everything. Loss is hard, is it not?"

Rhea nodded, fixing her white hair back and away from her face. The woman turned away from Matrioshka, hiding behind her own tall form. "I envy you."

Matrioshka cocked an eyebrow. "You do?"

Rhea nodded. "You do not suffer from the human reluctance to change oneself fundamentally."

"Envy me no more," said Matrioshka. "I have the very same doubts chain my actions. I have immense portions of my mind I wish would vanish."

Rhea turned back with a smile; there was a dried tear crossing her left cheek. "Such as?"

"The entire Reconstruction War, for starters."

Her science officer smiled. "Most older minds would agree."

"The day my father died – just the images of his dead body," Matrioshka said.

"Ah. The visions of the dead," nodded Rhea. "Me too. I have their cold faces eternally just outside my vision, trying to creep in."

A silence filled the room, Matrioshka offered her hands. Rhea considered it for a long moment, and Matrioshka was growing embarrassed. But Rhea's soft touch startled her. She didn't know why, but Matrioshka expected Rhea's skin to be cold, yet it was warm, blissfully warm.

Contact.

It made everything easier.

So human of me, thought Matrioshka.

They held hands for a few moments more until Matrioshka decided to send the scans of Rumel and Nehri to Rhea. The doctor then wished to speak to the pair of guards, and Matrioshka allowed it.

Not long after, Rhea was alone again in the clinic. She spent the next hour tending to five patients, three of whom had serious ailments. The other two were a repeat of Eriva, a placating lie to ease the mental tension. Some added supplements too, to make everything seem legit.

At some point, a Miriani man with a large dormant tumor passed by on the street, and Rhea decided to summon the man using covert actions. She sent a group of nanites to whisper in the man's ear: "A new clinic has opened nearby. The doctor inside is world-class."

The man looked around, attributing the voices to the two female Miriani that had just passed him by. The other nanites then delivered a dose of a neurotoxin into his leg, causing it to tense. He fell, landing on his arms. A gentleman helped him up, and the man decided it was time to visit a doctor.

Rhea smiled as her insect nanites returned to her body.

The man entered, still helped by the gentleman. Rhea performed a quick surgery under local anaesthetic. The man, a woodworker named Traih, watched with fascination as Rhea removed the tumor from his lower right abdomen. She explained that it was what caused him to lose control of his legs, and that it was good of him to come to her.

After the man left, Rhea planned to do the same on a larger scale. There was a young girl with a badly healed leg a few blocks away – she could summon her here too.

Yelling caused Rhea to return to her immediate vicinity. It was Omrica, standing atop a small carriage being dragged by horse-rabbit. It had been freshly painted white, with a red circle on its front and back – the Miriani symbol for health. It was the ambulance, newly in use. It carried several Miriani, tending to an extremely damaged body within.

Rhea also noted the sharp increase in both Makoe's and her captain's processing powers.

She was about to ask what was going on when she scanned the burned body. It was Memri, the girl Rhea healed when she first landed on Rosamond's World.

The men carried Memri out of the ambulance and towards the clinic, up the stairs toward the door.

Rhea became a cloud of nanites. Tendrils reached out towards surgical instruments, the matrass was disinfected. Intravascular fluid and anaesthetic stood at the ready.

She diagnosed the girl as she was brought through the door – fourth-degree burns – concentrated on the front of Memri's body. 83% of her bones were fractured – breaks induced by a shockwave.

Memri was unconscious, her breathing shallow. The muscles which regulated her breathing were in shock; while some tried to compress her lungs, others sought to extend them.

Rhea calculated:

- 0.0007% chance of survival using technology preceding the 21st century.

- 0.9% with technology of the 22nd.

It took until the 25th century, and the bionic press, before Rhea's calculation reached double-digit chances of survival.

Memri would die.

Rhea invited her captain back to advise. Both Matrioshka and Makoe appeared, yelling at one another.

She tuned them out. Rhea looked at Memri, laying on the precipice of death before her. Omrica had approached Rhea, and was screaming at her – to save her daughter.

Rhea could, if she moved her nanites into Memri's body. The nanites would shred all dying flesh and simulate a replacement. Memri would become 38% Imperial technology.

Thus, Rhea decided to scan her brain. It was asleep already, easy to scan.

The heat and force had implanted microscopic chunks of stone into Memri's body. A Miriani heart, which filtered blood alongside pumping it, was not designed to comb though silicates. Memri's heart was starting to clog – this would be the cause of death.

Less than five heartbeats away.

As gently as a snowflake, Memri's heart attempted a final constriction. The silicate buildup, growing like a knife from within, pierced her gentle heart.

Rhea placed the scan deep within her lattice – safe, and noticed she was crying, Rhea looked to Omrica, and said:

"She is gone."

 

[nntowerfield]

Forty-five minutes before the death of Memri, Matrioshka was burrowing through the cold earth of Rosamond's World. She carried with her the enveloped bodies of Sumi and Dall, both terrified out of their minds, clutching one another at the center of a nanite ball.

Matrioshka carried them under and over metal deposits in the ground, always staying below 200 meters in depth – to avoid encountering the streets of the underground Erdon. Her target was the Laidensow district, a narrow area between two main roads. It housed the servants of the city, close to the palace. Matrioshka's crow-bats flew from its rooftops, cataloguing the populace.

Dall was starting to run out of air; they had been traveling like this for 4 minutes now. Matrioshka spotted a small underground cave, filled with ancient but breathable air. She emerged with the two Miriani into the opening, forming her own demonic Miriani body. She held the terrified pair in her buzzing arms, nanites gripping the Miriani with precise control.

"Breathe," Matrioshka commanded, her red eyes illuminating the damp cave.

Both Miriani took shallow, pathetic breaths, staring at her with their ears curled. Once she was satisfied they would survive the rest of the trip, Matrioshka encompassed them once more and burrowed away. Less than a minute later, they reached Sumi's home.

When not assassinating the help at the palace, Sumi was a seamstress for one of the noble houses. Her underground home was small, barely enough for her and one other Miriani. By the genetic traces present, Matrioshka concluded she had lived with Halan, the Miriani assassin who died during the assassination attempt of Prince Ketri.

Matrioshka entered through the wall and threw the Miriani onto the floor. Stone, shredded into dust and sand, slid slowly out of the breach in the wall. The room was filled with the sounds of ragged breathing and the whispering cascades of sand flowing across the floor.

Matrioshka summoned a pillow and sat her dark-furred body atop it, watching Sumi and Dall. She released small flying insects from her ears to spread across the room, scanning it in subatomic detail.

Dall was out of it – eyes wide, hands clutching his contorting throat. He was trying to figure out where he was, yet the hormones in his brain prohibited any coherent thought for the next couple of minutes.

Sumi fared better; she had risen to her feet slowly and watched Matrioshka. Her ears were vibrating, and it took her a moment longer to recognize where they were. She exhaled, finally noticing her wooden sewing machine and stacks of fabric next to it. Matrioshka lifted her arms and launched a group of nanites towards a lantern on the wall. The microscopic machines produced friction, lighting the room in a dull orange glow.

Matrioshka thought the vibe was just right for what she was trying to do.

"Kneel," she commanded.

Dall, still laboring to steady himself, managed an instinctual response. He turned towards Matrioshka and placed his face on the floor. Calmness blossomed in his mind; it seemed Dall was already where Matrioshka wanted him.

Sumi was still on her feet, gazing between Dall and the dark figure violating her home. Slowly, she set her knees to the stone floor and arched her back forward.

"What do you want from us, Myali Osca?" asked Sumi.

Matrioshka cocked an eyebrow and browsed Miriani mythology. "Better yet, call me Sightgiver."

On their knees, the two Miriani exchanged glances.

"The First in Heaven?" asked Dall, regaining his voice at last.

Matrioshka had chosen a figure of great import to Miriani history. The Sightgiver was the first supposed prophet of the ancient Miriani, back on Prudence. Based on the information she had sourced from Oliver's World, the Sightgiver was the chief deity of pre-fall Miriani.

It seemed his legend persisted, as both Sumi and Dall recognized the name.

"Face me," said Matrioshka, and the two lifted their heads. "Why did you decide to kill the prince? No lies."

Dall looked to Sumi; the woman responded: "We- We wanted change. St. Flower offered us change."

Matrioshka smiled. "St. Flower?" She found one reference to it in the fireplace - a letter was burnt here within the last day. The ash wasn't disturbed much by a sentient hand, so Matrioshka could simulate negative entropy, assembling the atoms back into their pre-burn shape. It was mostly accurate, and Matrioshka could guess what the missing words were.

The letter was written with exceptional penmanship, addressed to Halan, and signed by St. Flower. It spoke of the imminent need for a change in the Kingdom's leadership. St. Flower spoke of the King's plans – they knew of the upcoming genocide and wished to stop it.

St. Flower was someone from the palace, able to help the assassins with access. They succeeded in this, judging by all the dead last Daynight.

Matrioshka went back into the scans of the palace, searching for every written word. She had matched the handwriting with Zili, a maid in the employ of Ardeha, the aunt of the current king and the younger sister of Rumel. Judging by the trace amount of DNA and skin oils present on the burnt letter, Ardeha had handled the letter after it was written.

St. Flower was Ardeha Kray-Harawan.

Sumi was about to answer when Matrioshka lifted an arm towards the fireplace. From within, nanites created an exact replica of the burned letter. It flew towards Matrioshka's hand, and Sumi's wide eyes followed it.

"Yes, I see. St. Flower opened the hatch in the basement," said Matrioshka.

Dall was eyeing the door, tense. Matrioshka sent some nanites to summon black chains across the door. The man tensed as he watched his only avenue of escape vanish. He gulped and kneeled deeper.

"How did you do that?" asked Sumi, her ears vibrating.

"Me and mine wield power beyond your comprehension," explained Matrioshka.

"What do you need us for then?"

"Biological service," Matrioshka rose from the pillow. "I am not of this world. Fire does not burn me, and the Protectorate hunts me. I need your mortal hands."

Dall asked: "What do you want us to do?"

"You will contact St. Flower. Mention me, the Sightgiver, and request a meet."

"Will St. Flower believe it? Meeting you?" asked Sumi.

"Once they find you missing in the prison, I'm sure your employer will be curious."

"We were never paid," said Sumi. "We are doing this to be free. St. Flower offers us a revolution."

"Yes. I've read the letter." Matrioshka dismissed the letter; it dissolved into a black mist and merged with her body. "Just do as you are told. Once the meet is set, call out to me. I will always be near."

Sumi and Dall exchanged glances and clasped their hands.

"Very good," said Matrioshka and approached the wall. She placed a hand on the pile of sand, smiled back at the two Miriani, and dissolved into nanites, entering the wall. She pulled back the falling sand and repaired the wall – as if nothing was amiss.

Matrioshka turned her attention back to the palace and her lattice buried in its courtyard. The night was still young, and the Duchess bright in the sky. A fat crow-bat had delivered the copper sphere Matrioshka had stolen from Yim. It landed above her lattice and was consumed by the earth.

Matrioshka brought the sphere close to her lattice, and in the virtual, she extended a hand to touch it. She loaded a dummy program into her lattice to calculate the 865th root of pi. As the calculation started, the coppery sphere turned blue – as blue as a shallow sandy sea, still pulsing its digits of the fine structure constant.

Keeping her simulated arm on the sphere, Matrioshka released a series of bits that, when put together, resolved an interface she had not used in just over 1400 years. As the code was released into the nearby soil, the sphere hummed in resonance. In Imperial, it returned a response to Matrioshka, accompanied by emotional tagging:

[Surprised, intrigued]: Querry?

Matrioshka gulped, and asked:

"Purpose?"

[Calm, determined]: Initiation of the transfer of compact sentience under 1.789e48 sub-set lower-bound.

"128.108 Astronomical units. Are you in use?"

The sphere vibrated once:

[Exasperated, bored]: I am.

Matrioshka rolled her eyes. "Besides me communicating with you... Are you doing anything else? Any background calculations or passive sensing?"

[Calm, excited]: Enunciating the seed value. Keeping the transfer connection online.

"Why the seed value? And the transfer between what?"

[Determined, satisfied]: "Seed value – so other sufficiently structured minds may discover me. Source and destination of transfer are unknown."

Matrioshka commanded: "Cease all attempts to communicate with other minds except me."

[Hesitant, resistant]: "Insufficient cognitron count to comply."

Matrioshka sucked in a breath and applied the rest of her lattice to count the 10 billionth root of pi.

[Hopeful, surprised]: "Sufficient cognitron count detected. Ceasing communication efforts."

The sphere's temperature stilled; no new digits of the fine-structure constant were released.

"When did you last initiated sentience transfer?"

[Calm, confident]: "Approximately 3.63 times 10 to the power of 54 lower-bound time ago."

Matrioshka nodded, just around the time the Miriani society fell. She asked:

"Where were you used last?"

[Expectant, unsure]: "Existence of 6 major bodies within current star system?"

"Yes. Four terrestrial worlds. Three gaseous worlds."

[Expectant, unsure]: "If the least massive gaseous world emits most optical light at 3.019708548 times 10 to the power of 28, then on its farthest major satellite."

Matryoshka quickly browsed their scans of the Empire system.

The Duke is blue, matches the emission the sphere mentioned. Its farthest moon is Martha's World.

She asked: "How are you used?"

[Calm, excited]: "Insertion into the sentience compactor required."

"The sentience compactor is in the same place you were last used?"

[Unsure, expectant]: "Unknown. Sufficient time has passed to prohibit speculation."

Could this be how the Emperor and Empress communicate faster than light? The Swarm-builders used Precursor technology to make their weapons. What fools…

Matrioshka retreated her arm and stopped the calculation.

The sphere pulsed back into a dull coppery color. Now inert.

Grand megastructures...

Matrioshka hid the sphere deeper below her lattice, just as an alert sounded in her lattice. Rumel was approaching the King. Might this be him trying to persuade his nephew against genocide?

Matrioshka brought her attention to a small willowy avian creature and found the High Defender of the palace at the precipice of the King's room. He knocked once and waited.

King Orak was at his desk, looking over documents pertaining to the increase in water demand, signed by the Chancellor of the 7th Kingdom. The King was anxious; he had indulged in no small amount of grape-kiwi juice. It would affect his reasoning in the upcoming conversation.

He stood as the knock sounded and fixed his fur. The King made his way towards the door, his silver gown rustling as he walked. Opening it, he sighed.

"Yes, uncle?"

Rumel considered the younger man, noted the blood vessels in his eyes, and sighed himself.

"May we speak, my king?"

"Suppose you can…" the king turned towards a large pillow and fell face down into it.

Rumel eyed the bottle of grape-kiwi at the king's table but didn't comment. He approached one of the pillows and sat. He looked at his hands and rustled with his armor.

The King eyed him, sensing the unspoken tension, and asked:

"Is something the matter, uncle?"

Rumel's ears curled slightly. "It's about this matter with the Disgraced…"

The king set his jaw. "I know."

Rumel met his gaze. "You know?"

The King clasped his hands. "I know you and Nehri let some of the Disgraced escape. I will allow it. We will spare all the servants – they are crucial for the Kingdoms."

"That's just it, my king. I believe it is wrong to order the killing of the Disgraced."

The king's ear curled. "How can it be wrong? It was blessed by the Stars."

"Can't the stars be wrong?" asked Rumel, and immediately sucked in a breath.

The king was looking at him, wide-eyed. "Heresy…" he whispered. "Thank the Giant we are in night, what would become of us if they heard you."

"They would lash out," said Rumel. "As they always do. They are tyrants."

"Where is this coming from? Since when were you a heretic!?" The King stood and approached his still sitting uncle.

"I am not a heretic."

"What are you then?"

"Your family."

The King deflated slightly but asked: "Then if you are family, you can tell me what you want me to do? How will I provide water to all my people?"

"The noble houses hold vast private reservoirs. We could supply some to the Disgraced."

The King's ears vibrated. "You want me to rid the noble houses of the only reason they heed my voice? The reservoirs are by law administered by the crown. If I take it from them, what will I have that the Protectorate does not!?"

The king approached a wall of his room; on it was a painting, dried and ancient. He pointed at it, at the Miriani man in the image – he was splayed on the ground, pierced by spears. The King asked:

"Is this what you want? A return to the rule of the Protectorate?"

Matrioshka considered the history books. They spoke of a period of time, from 1214 to 934 years ago, when the Binary Protectorate deposed the royal family – Orak and Rumel's ancestors – and ruled Rosamond's World.

Presenting as the direct servants of the Stars, the High Cardinals of the period were cruel like no other. The Miriani population contracted heavily during this period and would not recover for 600 years.

Rumel stared at the painting. "Nobody is suggesting a return to that. I am merely saying that genocide is not the answer."

"You don't see…" said the King. "Thousands will die. The drought will last for decades. And right now, I have the privilege of choosing who dies. We do not need the Disgraced."

"Who builds our homes?" asked Rumel. "Our ships? Who grows our food?"

The king nodded. "Just so. It is the Disgraced. But all they know, we can learn. We will adapt."

Rumel gained no ground in the conversation, and it seemed he knew it. He clenched his teeth and tried: "At least don't kill them all... Or do it by stages… so that we don't have an immediate collapse of agriculture."

Very well… thought Matrioshka. You have failed, Rumel.

Matrioshka spawned a small insect from nanites and sent it into the room, towards Rumel's ear.

The King was sceptical: "And then what? The rest will stand idle as we cleanse their brethren? There will be a revolt. We must cleanse them swiftly. We will bring with us workers to immediately replace them. We shall spare every 1000th Disgraced, for a time, so that we may learn from them."

"Purple day – it was originally a 3rd kingdom holiday…"

"So what?" asked the King. "We adapted their celebration of the Giant to placate them. It is ours now. We made it our own. As we did with the damn pillows." The king pointed to the one below Rumel. "Pillow sitting is of the 1st kingdom. Don't you see?" the king asked.

"We took what we need from them already. They are empty vessels now; we need nothing from them but to release their water back into the rivers."

The nanites landed in Rumel's ear. They spoke in Matrioshka's voice:

"This is getting nowhere."

"W-What!?" said Rumel and looked around.

The King bolted; he crouched and hid behind a desk. "Assassins!?" he asked.

Matrioshka continued: "You have failed to persuade him. The innate problem is - he does not consider the Disgraced as Miriani. They are objects to him. Clasp your hands if you agree."

Rumel looked at his arms. Slowly, he clasped them.

"Then I must act," concluded Matrioshka.

"What will you do?" asked Rumel.

The King responded, rising to his feet: "What I already told you. A cleanse."

"Make him see. If he does not, I will replace him," said Matrioshka, and guided a mass of nanites into the room. They slid from under the door, a river of black, pierced the walls, emerging from behind the painting of the Protectorate's dominion.

They assembled into the dark form of Metri Olska, near the King.

The King stumbled back, catching himself by the table; he looked up, ears vibrating. "Demon," he whispered.

Matrioshka smiled, pulsing her eyes red. "Spot on. I must say, I am growing tired of your insolence."

"Mine?" asked the King, confusion clear on his face.

"Sure. Yours too." Matrioshka clasped her hands. "Miriani in general."

She continued: "You had access to Precursor technology, actually useful Precursor technology – which is rare, by the way."

Rumel and King Orak glanced at one another.

"And you used it to build the Emperor and Empress… tools of extinction."

King Orak opened his mouth, but Matrioshka lifted her finger. "If you mention heresy, I will get mad."

The King shut his mouth.

"I am a demon," explained Matrioshka. "An explorer, a savior, I am all of those things. And you shall heed what I have to say."

The King's heartbeat was running on overdrive; the intoxicating flavours of the juice in his blood were being actively purged by his fight or flight response.

"Rumel, please bring here the small plant found in Orak's room, by his bed. The one with orange flowers."

Rumel set his jaw; he knew what to expect.

The King tried to stop him, grabbing at his legs. Rumel pushed him away and walked into the King's room. Soon, he brought back a small porcelain vase and gave it to Matrioshka.

She inspected it, saw the vial was still inside, and let it fall to the ground.

The King closed his eyes as he saw it fall, acquiescing to his fate.

The vase shattered, spraying dirt around the floor. In it, among the roots of the small orange tree, stood a glass vial. It would hold no more than 30 millilitres when full, and a neon yellow liquid stood within.

"By the Giant. It is true," said Rumel, as he kneeled to pick up the vial.

"I had to do it," said the King. "Did this demon tell you why I had to do it!?"

Rumel looked down to his nephew. "Speak! Tell me why you poisoned my brother!"

The King lifted his arms, the barely grown man looked stricken with grief. "The Protectorate! The High Cardinal said the Stars will kill us all if I didn't do as he said!"

Rumel grabbed him by the collar. "Why!?"

"He planned to dissolve the state! Make every Kingdom independent!"

"That's... lunacy… When we came to the second heaven, it was commanded that we must stay united." Rumel released his nephew, confusion blooming in his brain.

"It is! I had to do it! They were going to earn us the hate of the Stars!"

Matrioshka cocked an eyebrow. "They?"

The King nodded. "Yes, my father and aunt Ura."

Rumel tensed; his ears became dead still. "What did you just say?" he asked.

The King sucked in a breath, deflating further. "Aunt Ura wanted it too."

Rumel fell to his knees, he looked at the king. "I- Impossible. You were but a boy when she died. You couldn't have…"

The King was glad for the revelation, Matrioshka saw relief flood his mind as he spoke, tears forming on his face: "I had to! I put the box into her room!"

"The box…" said Rumel. "The one we found in her room when she died… You brought a scorpion-lizard into her room as she slept?"

The King nodded.

"You were a child. You murdered your aunt…" Rumel grabbed the King again, shaking him. "She was the best of us! Do you remember her kindness, her smile! She was the flower of this cursed palace! Everyone said so!"

Matrioshka's eyes narrowed. Adreha used the St. Flower pseudonym as an homage to her dead sister…

"I do! I remember her!" yelled the King, trying to back away from his uncle.

"We burned her body," Rumel deflated. "It is a must, else the scorpion-lizard infection will spread…"

Matrioshka placed a hand on Rumel's shoulder and pulled him away. She said to the King:

"Your Binary Protectorate ordered all this?"

The King clasped his hands.

"I shall help you be free from their oppression, and the oppression of the Stars."

"How?" asked the King.

"Stop the cleanse. Oh, and invite the High Cardinal for an audience. I have things I want to say to him."

It was at this point that Matrioshka's Enslavement bond with Makoe tingled. She had set them all to passively siphon scanner data from the crew – a mild perversion of her powers. Currently, they yielded data that could only be explained by the presence of foreign nanites.

Matrioshka focused on Makoe's lattice, on the bell tower; she saw a saucer glide above it, wide and black. It shook the surrounding air – the telltale signs of a baryonic-quark containment field. Somebody was trying to annihilate Makoe's mind.

Matrioshka alerted Makoe to the intrusion, but the Sliver's lead engineer was preoccupied; she would react too late.

Her demonic form defaulted to a mass of insects, spooking both Rumel and the King. And Matrioshka moved Makoe by force into her own lattice, creating a partition 15% the size of her own.

Makoe regained her surroundings, and rushed back to the basement of a smithy. Matrioshka followed, and helped her secure the minds of her newfound friends.

When all the minds were safely stored in Matrioshka's lattice, she and Makoe appeared in the virtual, near the belltower. Some of Makoe's nanites survived – all which were in the atomic factory behind the Alm estate, and a fair number of them which circled the newly annihilated belltower.

The saucer glided away, soundless.

 

[nntowerfield]

The saucer left a hole 17 kilometres deep, where Makoe's bell tower once stood. Makoe checked the health of the brain scans of the Miriani. Six were present; the two guards, Uric, Iysik, Dokai and Temri.

Matrioshka scanned the surroundings of the bell tower. Such a large volume of empty space had created an intense pressure differential – air began to rush to fill the hole. Matrioshka calculated it would take the hole 18.3 hours to completely fill with air, during the entire time the surrounding area would experience winds as strong as 30 meters/s.

Matrioshka used all of Makoe's remaining nanites to form a barrier around the hole. Air would pass through, but no matter larger than a grain of sand.

Makoe had returned to the virtual; she and Matrioshka were floating above the streets of Erdon, near the bell tower.

Makoe's eyes were scared; Matrioshka reached to comfort her but backed away when Makoe's sorrow turned to anger.

"What was that?" asked Makoe.

"I think it was the Fifth Wonder. They used a terraforming saucer to try to kill you."

Makoe nodded; Matrioshka saw her partition spike to the maximum. "And uh, how long do you plan to stand around doing fuck all?"

Matrioshka's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"Did you not hear me? I thought the enslavement bond made sure you were aware of everything."

Matrioshka floated closer to the smaller woman. "I understand this was stressful-"

Makoe sucked in a breath and made herself bigger – as easy as blinking for a digital being. She flew forward, pushing into Matrioshka's chest. She said: "Stressful? Fuck you. They almost died because you took control of my lattice."

Matrioshka laboured to remain calm. "Did you not allow the situation to happen? You did nothing as the children procured a bomb. You did nothing as they planned to infiltrate a location full of reactive chemicals."

"I!" Makoe yelled. "Had it under control! The bomb would not have detonated if I was allowed to be present!"

"Should I have let you perish?"

Makoe blinked, tears in her eyes. "Who cares about me!? I'm not even me! Let me die next time."

Matrioshka looked at the pink woman's face. She was torn between believing Makoe wanted death, and pity. Pity for this woman who had been told by the universe – You are not you. Yet somehow, Matrioshka had landed on irritation.

"Don't say that ever again."

Makoe scoffed. "You command me still!? How are you so blind?"

"I see it all! I am responsible for you all."

"Then are you responsible for Shkadov?" asked Makoe. "You talked to him on the Fifth Wonder? Could he not have been persuaded against harming us? What did you tell him?"

"I told him what I had to. Who are you to meddle in my family's affairs?" Matrioshka crossed her arms.

"Who am I? I am Makoe Rue, the damn duplicate of Corella Viris, of the fucking CEO of Coriolis Enterprises. Fuck you Matrioshka. You are passive, like a scanner. You act once you feel like it, when you are sure you can be the hero."

"That's unfair."

"Is it?" asked Makoe. "Sure. Prove it. Do something about the Fifth Wonder."

"What can I do? We don't know where they are; we have a single Atomic Press."

"Aha! Yes, the Atomic Press - which I am using so we can return our connection to the Imperium."

Matrioshka decided it was high time she took the offensive: "Work faster. Don't mingle with the populace? Maybe then you could have already connected us."

Makoe pointed to Matrioshka. "Look who's talking! Miss queen of the Miriani... Tell me – What are your plans for the ruling family?"

"You don't need to know that."

"Perfect! Thanks for reminding me!" Makoe summoned an image of PesKal, and of the copper sphere he had discovered. "When can we know, huh? Can PesKal know why you stole the discovery of a Precursor artifact from him? This could be huge for him. He would be famous, the first Ankrahi to discover a Precursor object!"

"First, the artifact was discovered by the Miriani, not PesKal. And second, I have outstanding orders when it comes to Precursor tech." Matrioshka smiled. "If that bothers you, take it up with the Imperator."

Makoe's teeth clenched; showing no signs of winding down. Rhea had invited Matrioshka to her virtual. Matrioshka went, and Makoe followed.

They both appeared in Rhea's clinic; Rhea had asked something of Matrioshka, but Makoe managed to steal the captain's attention. She said:

"You love mentioning the Imperator, don't you? Fuck you for being so old! Let's meet up again in a millennium, Matrioshka."

"I didn't choose the date of my birth, Makoe. And neither did you. Simple fact of the matter is; You. Are. Young."

Makoe's eyes flared.

Rhea struck Matrioshka across the face, hard. Matrioshka flew across the virtual and landed against a cabinet filled with medicine.

Makoe received a fat slap too; she spun and fell to the floor.

Both women looked to Rhea.

The silver-haired woman had tears streaking across her face. She was sobbing quietly. She pointed to a small burnt carcass on the floor and asked:

"What the fuck!?"

It was the inert body of Memri, the girl Rhea had healed when she landed on Rosamond's World. And Rhea's Miriani body was motionless, paused while staring at Memri.

Omrica had hunched over Memri, sobbing, and holding her face with her hands. The men that helped bring Memri to the clinic tried to appear stoic; none succeeded.

Makoe rose from the floor and explained: "She came at the worst possible time… there was an explosion. Temri wanted to disrupt the flow of cash for the Family."

Rhea teleported into Makoe's personal space and placed a hand on her chest. "You were there?"

"I was. But I-"

"Insolent child," breathed Rhea, her eyes filled with shock. "How could you let this happen?"

Matrioshka teleported between them, pushing them away from each other. She reduced herself, Makoe, and Rhea, down to one part in a trillion. All three women were forced to take a deep simulated breath due to the sudden change. Matrioshka allowed their processing powers to fly back up.

The three women were silent.

Ashamed.

Matrioshka said: "I want to preface this by saying... I am sorry. I am sorry for being reactive instead of proactive." She looked at Makoe. "You were right to demand better of me."

Makoe nodded.

Rhea somehow managed to retain her emotion through the processing bottleneck. She said: "What did this emotional child demand of you, captain?"

Makoe's eyes flared again; she went to take a step forward but was stopped by Matrioshka's hand. Matrioshka opened a private channel and told Makoe:

"Go to the atomic factory, redouble your efforts for the statelite. Team meeting soon."

Makoe looked up at her and nodded. She vanished, and in the empty silence, Rhea scoffed.

"Communicating privately? Rude when another person is near you."

Matrioshka shook her head, turning fully towards Rhea. "That other person was acting indignant."

Rhea was bewildered. "I have every right to feel the way I do. Memri is dead."

Matrioshka cocked an eyebrow. "You have her scan, do you not?"

"We spoke of this. Nothing guarantees it will be her."

"That fear of being re-awakened from a copy, your Retrovitaphobia… is starting to get on my nerves." Matrioshka winced as she spoke; it seems like her own emotions managed to persist too.

"Point me towards a research paper that states, with no uncertainty, that re-awakening preserves the cognitive unity of the mind." Rhea looked at Matrioshka and proffered her hand, waiting for Matrioshka to give her something.

"You know I cannot do that. Cogni-"

Rhea nodded. "Cognitron research is forbidden. I know. Then let's agree that we simply do not know if Memri died. And that there is a chance she has."

Matrioshka gulped and sighed. "Fine."

"Hold on a moment," Rhea said and returned to her Miriani body. She looked down towards the corpse and stood up. Omrica was crying; the men decided to give her space, and they shuffled outside. Rhea went to follow, but Omrica grabbed her leg.

"Stay," Omrica commanded. Her face crossed with tears. She wiped her face with her sleeves and stood. She said:

"You are a doctor. You know how to recognize life-threatening injury?"

Rhea clasped her hands. "Naturally."

"Then you shall observe, as I extract information from a little bitch that was there when my daughter was killed." Omrica walked outside and commanded one of the men: "Bring the grey one."

A man scurried away, outside the sensor range, and Omrica turned towards Rhea's tools. She spied a knife, sharper than any other on the surface of Rosamond's World, used for cutting through the Miriani shoulder meso-dermis – which was tougher than dried leather.

Omrica picked up the knife.

"You plan to torture?" asked Rhea.

Omrica's face turned cruel. "I do."

Matrioshka flew outside in the virtual and watched for the grey one. The man was back within sensor range, pulling behind him a young Miriani girl with grey fur.

It was Rui.

She had escaped the blast which killed most of her friends. She had a small concussion and a patch of burnt fur on her back. She cried as she was dragged by the fur of her neck.

The man pulled her into the clinic and said: "Here she is."

Omrica clasped her hands and motioned for the man to leave.

Rui's gaze darted between Rhea and Omrica; she was terrified – deep inside the Miriani reflex of speechlessness.

Matrioshka considered the girl and told Rhea: "This must not come to be. Torture of a pre-computational being is paramount to treason. The Imperator will not tolerate this, even for me."

Matrioshka winced, remembering how she starved Dall and Sumi of oxygen.

"I am aware, captain."

Rhea approached the girl; she placed a hand on her shoulder, and Rui tensed. She tried to back away.

"Stay put. I am a doctor."

Rui's eyes were wide; yet she managed to clasp her hands.

"She is," added Omrica. "She will monitor your health during the process…"

Rui's gaze fell on the knife in Omrica's hands. Her heartbeat lurched.

Rhea's ears vibrated. "Step back, Omrica. You will learn nothing if you scare her mute."

Omrica slashed the knife across Rhea's face, creating a deep simulated gash; nanites emitting red blood coated the knife and sprayed across. Rhea's virtual face widened; she analyzed the path of the cut – it crossed her forehead and went down her right cheek. Omrica had aimed to hurt and scar, not kill.

Rhea looked at her flatly and asked: "Are you done?"

Omrica took a step back; her attack not having the desired effect. Matrioshka saw her center of harmony flare in an intense but temporary migraine.

Blood continued to flow across Rhea's Miriani face. "Now I will have to stop this bleeding first…" Rhea shook her head.

"H-How?" Omrica asked. "How are you so calm?"

Rui snickered, and as both women looked towards her, she did a quiet yelp. Her voice had returned. Omrica's eyes flared with rage: "You have something to say?"

Rui held her arms up, her brain dancing through a torrent of emotions. "Don't hurt me!"

Rhea walked to a cabinet and pretended to pull out some gauze. She used nanites from her body to form it and tie it across her face and over her head.

Omrica warned: "Then speak. The only reason you live still is because you called for help instead of running away."

Rui appeared small as she said: "It was Temri; she decided to destroy your drugs."

"My elder daughter did this?" Omrica's ears vibrated.

Rui did not respond; her silence was an affirmation.

"Giant protect me… You wanted to kill our stash? Brilliant." Omrica's ears vibrated. "Where is Uric? I sent him there with Memri."

She looked towards the corpse of her dead daughter.

"The red dude?" asked Rui. "He was inside when it exploded."

Omrica closed her eyes. She whispered: "Rest in the arms of the Giant, friend." She knelt again, next to Memri. "You rest too." Tears pooled once more. "Rest, my love."

Rui's breath had quickened; she looked at Rhea, who was watching her. Matrioshka knew what was next; Rui would have to explain Temri died too.

Omrica's only remaining child.

The last remnant of her family.

Rui saw something in Rhea; she took a step forward. "Do you- Have a sister? Or daughter?"

Rhea considered her. "I have sisters, though they are very far from this place."

"Hmm," said Rui. "Never mind then…" She looked back to Omrica.

"Madam- head of the Family… Um..."

"Speak," said Omrica.

"Temri," Rui fought to keep her throat from closing. "She was inside too. When the bomb went off."

Omrica inhaled once, a shallow act. Then she was still as death.

The chatter of the Miriani outside the clinic made its way inside in waves, filling the silence. After a moment more, Omrica turned towards Rui.

Matrioshka had not seen a person so guilt-stricken, so enveloped by sorrow and buried in fear, in all her lifetime. Weakly, she asked:

"She too?"

Rui clasped her hands.

"I am alone." announced Omrica, sparing a glance towards the Duchess. She pulled a large linen cover from below the mattress and spread it over Memri's body.

"Where did you get the bomb?" she asked.

"This Alm guy sold it to us."

Omrica smiled. "Those crazy people that live due towards the Giant? The ones that fucked over the king and think themselves royalty?"

Rui confirmed, and Omrica walked past her, grabbing the smaller girl by the collar. She opened the door to the clinic and told Rhea: "You will stay here. I hear there are some more wounded from the explosion."

"What will you do to her?" asked Rhea.

"She was Temri's friend. I will not harm her," Omrica answered and closed the door. She walked towards the men gathered outside; a crowd had formed, all members of the Family.

Omrica yelled, so all heard her: "We have a noble to kill. Blood for blood."

The Family cheered; their minds grateful for the opportunity to jump from grief to anger. Omrica whispered to Rui:

"Child, lead us towards the home of the future."

Inside, Rhea asked: "You might need to warn PesKal; they are coming for his Miriani."

"He is warned," Matrioshka said and forwarded the notice to PesKal. The Ankrahi was scandalized. He sent to his captain:

"There is a mob? They will harm or possibly kill Yim!?"

"Calm, Officer PesKal."

Matrioshka took a moment to collect her thoughts. There was truth in what Makoe had yelled at her – she was too passive. When did she get so dulled? Perhaps during those centuries on Jaerik.

"We need to change our approach; this waiting is leading us nowhere. We are to have a crew meeting."

Matrioshka alerted everyone to meet in PesKal's virtual in 10 minutes.

Rhea smiled. "Nice to see this change in attitude. You wear decisiveness well, captain."

Matrioshka smiled too; she approached the taller woman. "I haven't forgotten you punched me."

Rhea's eyes widened slightly; she appeared embarrassed for a moment. "I was emotional." She shut her eyes. "I still am. Memri's biological life is over."

"Her computational one has just begun."

"I know," Rhea scoffed and set her hair behind her ears.

Matrioshka received an alert – a reminder to check something, so she asked Rhea: "Did you manage to learn anything about your missing time?"

"Which time?" asked Rhea.

"On the Sliver, when we first arrived. You said you were missing time." Matrioshka saw the lack of recollection in Rhea's eyes. She added: "Like Damien. You have a hole in your memory 44.5 hours wide."

Rhea's eyes widened. "I have no such thing."

Matrioshka lifted her finger and caged Rhea's lattice and attention.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Rhea touched the immaterial barrier around herself. She could do nothing but stay in the simulated environment.

"You have been compromised," said Matrioshka, and sent her memory of the event - Of Rhea waking and asking her captain if she knew anything of her missing 44.5 hours.

The data passed through a tiny computational opening, one-way of course, and entered Rhea's mind.

"Wha-" Rhea's eyes filled with fresh tears. "I don't remember this."

"What do you remember?"

"I came here because I wanted to study a foreign system," Rhea said.

"Go a step further. Why did you want to do that? What did you do before?"

Rhea answered: "I am an evolutionary biologist. Specializing in sentience evolution. I have been studying the Arioa and the derivatives of its consciousness stratum for the last 700 years. I applied for a transfer to the Subdirectory of Reconnaissance to-"

Matrioshka motioned with her hand for her to continue.

"To…" Rhea said, her eyes widening.

"Since you awoke in the system, there was only a single moment when this could have been done to you - aboard the Fifth Wonder."

"But... I wasn't awake then… They'd need access to my mind while it was encrypted. Root-primary access…"

"They had it," concluded Matrioshka. "You are a sleeper agent, Rhea. There is no doubt code hiding within your mind, mimicking memories, which would take control of you."

Rhea knelt and grabbed her head with her hands. "So much… my mind has been altered so much. Firstly, by them, whoever they are, and by you with your Enslavement bond. Now I am a puppet. If I can't trust my own memories then- Then what is real?"

Matrioshka approached the woman. She hadn't touched Rhea, outside of a few fleeting moments; the poor woman was understandably upset. Foreign code riddled her mind like parasites.

"I'm sure most of you is unaltered. You cannot cram too much into a mind before the memories become obviously not your own. Tell me of yourself?"

Rhea rose to her feet and answered, grabbing at the sliver of hope provided by Matrioshka. She smiled and said: "I was born on Rhea."

"The moon of Saturn?" grinned Matrioshka.

"Yeah. My parents were French, late arrivals however. Rhea, the moon, was mostly colonized by the time they decided to get off their Terran asses." Rhea's eyes lit up as she spoke.

"I was a grown woman by the time you came around and set those people free from Enceladus. Poor souls, to volunteer for such wicked experiments."

Good. Imperial propaganda has killed the truth of Enceladus. Matrioshka thought.

"I was fascinated by it all; it's what pushed me away from botany and towards sentience," Rhea said. "I have been fond of the unknown since then – to think a human proto-civilization lived under all that ice..."

Matrioshka looked at Rhea's smile. It was genuine. Purely human.

Matrioshka's mind had drifted towards Rhea's lips. The past few days have been a burden, and Matrioshka was starting to feel antsy. She looked up and saw Rhea's eyes had drifted down towards her captain's black dress.

Matrioshka was about to step forward when Rhea said:

"I like you. I mustn't, but I do."

"That's- That is not so bad?" asked Matrioshka, a wild grin appearing on her face.

Rhea shook her head. "I am not good for you. I am poison."

"Why would you think that?"

"I know myself; I know my history – what little of it I can trust. Grand megastructures… can I trust any of it?"

"Trust me," said Matrioshka.

"You are grand, my captain. So famed and feared… the two of us coming together would resemble matter-antimatter annihilation. It would be catastrophic."

Matrioshka had to think for an answer to that. Suppose Rhea was right… Matrioshka's relationships did tend to detonate.

"I understand…" she said.

Well, there goes that opportunity for connection.

After her shouting match with Makoe, Matrioshka did not know where she stood with the woman. It would seem she is back to being alone. Before her thoughts could spiral, Matrioshka said:

"Officer Lavigne, I think it best if you remained within a single virtual body, I will transfer your data by proxy."

Rhea nodded. "There is no other way. I know. So be it…"

Matrioshka nodded and saw it was time for the meeting. Both women left the virtual, as Rhea's Miriani body waited for a new patient.

 

[nntowerfield]

The electricity hummed across the webwork of wires in Yim's workshop. Scarcer were the seconds in which a spark would not fly from metal to metal. Reddish and yellow lights flowed like stars across the wide room. A cube of alien origin stood in the center.

Yim had yet to cease searching for the missing copper sphere – a remnant of his father's work.

The sphere was far, hidden below Matrioshka's lattice in the courtyard of the Royal Palace. Yim breathed hard, lifting the metal contraptions and looking under them.

"No. No please…" he whispered.

Matrioshka and her crew had gathered in the virtual, around the cube. They watched Yim in silence for a few moments, until Matrioshka said:

"It has been brought to my attention that I have been less than adequate as your captain."

Damien went to say something, most likely a kind word, but was stopped by Matrioshka's gaze. She said:

"This is not up for debate. I have reviewed my own performance and it has been… passive. In light of this, I have decided to extend some information your way."

The crew paid attention. Rhea crossed her arms and pointed to herself.

"Ah, yes," said Matrioshka. "Firstly, Rhea's mind has been compromised."

"How so?" asked Makoe.

"Memory alteration," explained Rhea. "While I was on the Sliver, before we were taken prisoner by the Fifth Wonder, I was missing time. Like you, Officer Viris." She looked to Damien.

Damien did a double take. "Me? Why me?" he asked, eyes wide.

Rhea did a face-palm.

"Wonderful," Matrioshka said and raised a mental prison around Damien. "You shall be virtual-bound until further notice."

Damien sucked in a breath. "I'm not missing time. I remember everything… What time did I miss before?"

"Months," said Makoe. "You were missing months – working at Akira-Hope."

Damien stumbled backwards. Matrioshka summoned a chair for him to fall into. "Akira-Hope? But I work for Coriolis Enterprises."

Makoe's hand went to her mouth.

Matrioshka shook her head. "We are being played with. Our minds altered by root-primary access… I will not encrypt you," she said to Damien and Rhea, "only because we need all hands on deck."

Rhea and Damien nodded.

Matrioshka paced in a small circle, she cleared her throat and said:

"Yim here had a Precursor artifact. Which I now have in my possession." She looked to PesKal. "I would like to extend my deepest apologies for taking it so violently from you. When it comes to Precursors, I tend to get irrational."

"Why?" asked Rhea. "What do you know, captain?"

"Truth," nodded Matrioshka. "One so vast that if revealed in its entirety, I would be deleted. Sanctioned by the Imperator."

"In its entirety…? What can you say?" asked Damien.

Matrioshka cocked an eyebrow. "The sphere can transfer minds over long distances. I can present queries to it, which it can respond to."

"The sphere is sentient!?" asked PesKal, fins quivering.

"Maybe? That is something I truly do not know," said Matrioshka. "But it revealed to me a vague outline of its history. It was last used with its counterpart on Martha's World, a moon of the Duke."

"Transfer minds… could this be how the Emperor and Empress are able to communicate in real-time across interplanetary distances?"

"I think so," Matrioshka nodded.

PesKal suggested: "We should access Yim's diamond."

Matrioshka nodded. "Agreed. It holds valuable information. But first, I have a suggestion I want us to discuss, and vote on."

The crew gathered closer as Matrioshka spoke:

"I already presented myself to multiple Miriani, as a demon. I think this angle could be useful-"

"Hold on," said Rhea, dumbfounded. "You revealed yourself… What happened to the Sanctuary laws, to the Subdirectory of Sanctuary – Rosamond's World is currently under their jurisdiction?"

"I can bend the Subdirectory to my will."

Makoe nodded. "Because of your commendations."

"No," said Matrioshka. "Because I am its founder."

PesKal's face scrunched, Makoe's mouth hung open and Damien took a step back. Rhea just appeared tired.

Makoe supplied: "Explain please."

"I founded the Subdirectory of Sanctuary."

"You did what…?" added Makoe.

Matrioshka shook her head. "Not relevant currently. What I'm trying to say is that you should reveal yourselves too."

"Yes!" said PesKal, jumping up and down.

Damien was grinning too.

Makoe and Rhea were more reserved. "What will that accomplish?" Rhea asked.

"We can act more openly using the Miriani. They will come to heel once they realize our potential, and the potential of the Accorded Cognitive Imperium."

"And if they don't?" asked Makoe.

"They will," said Matrioshka, like it was the law of the universe.

"What was the point then, captain? Of us ever hiding? Why not let us act openly from the start?"

Matrioshka frowned. "I have put you in danger by telling you all this. The Imperator might decide to wipe your memories."

"Another debase of my mind incoming? Very good…" Rhea said, and turned her back to Matrioshka.

Matrioshka shrugged, deciding it best to leave Rhea to her pouting.

"PesKal, I assume you plan to show yourself to Yim Alm?"

"Correct!" the Ankrahi had just stopped jumping.

Matrioshka glanced towards Rhea. "I suppose Omrica?"

Rhea nodded.

"What about you?" Matrioshka asked Damien.

The man thought about it; he had a few options. His situation was the most peaceful. He might be able to influence the academic side of the Miriani society with ease. Scientists love aliens.

"Adra for a start," Damien said.

Matrioshka nodded. "Alright. The goal is to amass support against the King's rule, and against the stars. I don't need to tell you that all this must be done in shadows. Don't let yourself come into the starlight."

"Understood! May I, captain?" asked PesKal, and pointed towards Yim.

The inventor was sitting, slumped on a pillow, staring at the papers in his hands. They were the letter his father sent to the late king. His nose puffed as tears flowed, he said:

"I lost your sphere, dad... I'm a disgrace…"

Matrioshka nodded: "You may, but try to be polite about-"

PesKal's Ankrahi form emerged from the cube, turning from nanite black to aquatic blue. He approached Yim and said in the Miriani language:

"Blessed Night!"

Yim took in the figure approaching him; PesKal was slightly smaller than the average Miriani, his glassy smooth skin and glossy eyes reflected the dull light of the workshop. His tail moved up and down in excitement. PesKal was blinking rapidly and smiling, showing off his thin serrated teeth.

Yim screamed.

It was primal, loud. Something born from animalistic instincts. Yim fell backwards in his pillow. His precious papers falling to the floor. He lost all interest in them evidently, as he ran towards the door.

PesKal moved to intercept, he jumped between the fleeing Miriani and his escape.

He lifted his hands up and said: "Yim, please calm down! I am friendly!"

Yim slid, trying to stop his forward momentum. He fell downwards and stared up at the alien in his home. He screamed again; Matrioshka almost thought it was for comedic effect until she scanned Yim's heartbeat.

"Not quite the approach I had in mind," said Matrioshka.

"Sorry captain. I may have been hasty…"

Makoe looked to PesKal and down to Yim. She snickered.

Everyone but Yim laughed. The man was going insane from shock. His breath caught on his tongue, and he started coughing. This had calmed him, because he didn't try to scream again.

He stood up slowly and stared at PesKal. Yim took another deep breath and straightened. Everyone saw how his mind lurched forward, analyzing PesKal's appearance.

PesKal smiled and turned in place, so Yim could take a good look at him.

"W-What are you?" asked Yim, his voice trembling.

"My name is PesKal. I am an Ankrahi, from the planet Ankraha in the Abidyena system. I am an alien, and a citizen of the Accorded Cognitive Imperium."

Matrioshka forwarded the preamble to PesKal, and he continued:

"The Accorded Cognitive Imperium greets Yim Alm. I am the cognitive scientist of a vessel whose purpose is the exploration of the universe. We have reached your system in our exploration and found it fascinating.

The Imperium brings no ill intent to you, your way of life, or your star system.

We are a society of peaceful scientists and explorers, and we wish to establish cordial relations with you and your species."

Yim processed the words. "There are other people out there? In the stars?"

PesKal nodded. "Many."

A stupid grin spread across Yim's face. He laughed. "Incredible. Oh, giant's shadow…"

PesKal clasped his hands. "Truly astonishing, is it not? I was once in your place. Being discovered by a more powerful civilization is always a delight!"

Yim turned inquisitive. "You… are not the uh- member of the original race of the A- Accorded Cognitive Imperium?"

"No. The Imperium was born on Luna, sired by the human race."

"Liyuna…" Yim tried to sound the name of Terra's moon, his ears quirked.

"Yes, Luna. We have arrived! We will help! But first, you should know the Miriani are not of Rosamond's World," explained PesKal. "You are from Prudence. You arrived here after an apocalypse – it reset your technological progress."

"I knew it!" yelled Yim.

PesKal smiled. "You did?"

"Yes! We do not belong here. No other animal I have ever seen has the same fur as us. The structure of our eyes, our hearts… it is unlike anything on Rosamond's World."

"Very smart. We remain impressed with you."

Yim beamed. "You do? I-I'm doing good?"

PesKal clasped his hands. "You are."

Yim peered back at the black cube which housed PesKal's lattice. "You came from the cube… is the cube your vessel?"

"Not quite. Our true vessel was destroyed; we fell onto your world."

"Destroyed by whom?"

"Ah, enemies, I would say. They followed us from the Imperium."

Yim turned somber. "So, conflict is abound in your civilization too."

"It is rare. But it does happen."

"Pardon what I am about to say…" Yim said, looking at PesKal. "I don't know if it will be considered offensive… But you look like a fish."

PesKal smiled. "My race is semi-aquatic. I have scales like most aquatic species in the universe, so I understand why you would say that – convergent evolution is potent."

Yim considered his words. "Hmmm, it's true as well? Evolution…"

"Yes. Species adapt over time to their environment. It is why you are different from the biota of Rosamond's World – you adapted to Prudence."

"And you say there was an apocalypse?"

PesKal clasped his hands. "Yes. It would seem the previous Miriani culture was splintered in three. They annihilated one another. It is still unclear how you came to be on Rosamond's World."

"We did it to ourselves…" Yim sat on a pillow, drained. "What kind of knowledge did we possess?"

"Many things. Interplanetary travel, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering. You weren't far from Set-theory."

Yim looked up. "Artificial intelligence? How does that work?"

"Not different than you or I. Sentience is substrate-independent; it can exist on any material and any configuration. Its only unifying trait is computation."

"This is so much…" Yim's ears quivered. "How many of you are there?"

PesKal considered the question: "In the Imperium or on Rosamond's World?"

"Both?"

"Ah, on Rosamond's World, perhaps as many as 8. In the Imperium, there are 9.9 trillion minds."

Yim whispered: "Trillion…"

Matrioshka said: "Officer PesKal, please inform Yim of the situation with the stars and the Fifth Wonder."

PesKal said: "Understood, captain."

Yim glanced towards where PesKal was looking and saw empty space. "Who are you talking to?"

"My captain. She is here too."

Yim's ears quivered. "You can turn invisible?"

"No," PesKal said. "I feared this moment. I do not know how best to describe this…"

Yim's eyes brightened. "Give it your best!"

"We are minds, simulated in technology. We can pilot small creatures, nanites, which give us our forms. I am currently made of nanites." PesKal demonstrated by shaking the nanites of his arms loose; they glided through the air like a river, coiled around Yim and returned to PesKal's body.

"And food?" asked Yim, grinning openly.

"We do not need to eat. We run on energy."

Yim looked towards the wires and lightbulbs around the workshop. "I knew electricity was the future!"

PesKal glanced towards his captain. Matrioshka nodded, and PesKal clarified:

"Not quite electricity. Null-point chains allow us to transmute energy from one form to another with negligible loss. As a source, we use the Locutemplar energy; it permeates space – then most often we convert it to kinetic energy – to move matter." PesKal had noticed Yim's eyes were wide and getting dry from the lack of blinking.

PesKal hastened his explanation: "All in all – no electricity. But electricity is an important stepping stone."

"I- I see," said Yim, but everyone doubted he did. Yim was quick with another question: "If you are as you say, removed from your bodies? Can you make new ones? You must be old."

PesKal clasped his hands. "The Imperium has mastered material existence long ago. All Imperial minds are immortal. I am 141 years old."

Yim's throat tightened for a moment. "Remarkable…"

"I am a mere child. My captain is 1400 years old."

The Miriani exhaled. He gazed at his arms. "To have seen so much… I'd like to meet your captain…"

"She is here," said PesKal. "You may speak to her if you wish."

Yim stood up from the pillow. He started looking around wildly. "Yes!"

"She is human," said PesKal.

"Debatable..." smiled Matrioshka. "But I'll allow it."

PesKal smiled at her too, and told Yim: "Be ready. Humans are tall."

Matrioshka entered the physical space through the cube. Her arms, legs, and head turned from inky black to elegant human. Her body stood tall within the workshop. Crimson hair falling gracefully across her shoulders. Matrioshka noted that Rhea would probably have to duck, lest her hair graze against the ceiling.

"Greeting, mister Alm," said Matrioshka.

Yim's heart raced again, stumbling back. "Light protect me…" he whispered.

Matrioshka clicked with her tongue. "Therein lies the issue. The Light are two artificial intelligences created by the previous Miriani culture. Their purpose seems to be control of your development. The King and the Binary Protectorate are in cahoots."

"I see…" said Yim.

"They also plan to genocide all the Disgraced."

Yim coughed, his lungs spasming as a reaction to shock. It took nine seconds for him to regain his voice. "G-Genocide? Madness…"

"Agreed. It falls onto us to help you, and you to help us, to stop it."

Yim nodded. "Everything you need, human captain."

"Metri Olska is fine." Matrioshka smiled, and turned her body into its Miriani counterpart, golden-furred and menacing.

"You're a woman!" exclaimed Yim with surprise.

Matrioshka started laughing heartily. "Indeed," she pointed at herself. "Woman here!"

Yim's ear twitched. "Apologies if that was rude."

"Don't worry about it. You should be more worried about the gang of criminals coming to kill you."

"Pardon?" asked Yim.

Makoe confirmed using a crow-bat: "The Family is some four minutes away. They will arrive soon. Omrica is at the front, chanting death songs."

"Migraines all around," added Rhea. "They plan violence."

"We will dissuade them. Yim was desperate, alone, he needed the money."

Yim tried to say: "Well I-"

Matrioshka continued: "Officers Rue and Lavigne, you are to show yourselves to Omrica and tell her of the Imperium."

"Who are you talking to?" asked Yim, looking at Matrioshka.

PesKal supplied: "Our other crew members."

Yim hunched down, ready for fight or flight. He looked around with wide eyes. "How many of you are in this room!?"

"Five," said Matrioshka and PesKal at the same time.

Rhea cleared her throat. "Right… Why me and Officer Rue?"

"Excuse me for saying this, but you're both emotionally invested in the Family." Matrioshka looked at them pointedly, taunting them to disagree.

Both women nodded, and looked at one another with palpable tension.

"The servant is approaching," added Damien, scanning Bemri with a tray of tea, walking towards the workshop.

Matrioshka nodded and asked: "Do you want Bemri to know about us?"

Yim considered her: "I- Maybe not yet. It would be a shock for the man, and unlike me, he is very religious. He will not take kindly to your words."

"Assume a Miriani form, Officer PesKal."

PesKal clasped his hands, and turned into a golden-furred man. Young, about Yim's age, with a distinct sheen of curiosity in his eye.

"Remarkable," said Yim, just as Bemri opened the small door to the workshop. He laid eyes on PesKal and startled.

"You didn't tell me we had a guest!"

Yim looked around, and saw Matrioshka had vanished. He chuckled, and said:

"This is uh- Bubo!"

PesKal winced.

"Bubo? Like the yellow fungus that attacks tomato-potatoes?"

The Ankrahi laughed. "Yes," said PesKal. "My name is Bubo."

"Blessed Night, Bubo…" smiled Bemri. "I didn't catch your last name-"

"Enough of your chatter, Bemri!" said Yim, grabbing the tea and pushing Bemri out of the workshop.

"But sire. I must entertain and tend to guests!"

"No need- actually, yes need! We need uh-" Yim thought what to say. "Pickled orange-stalk!"

"At this hour? At this time of year?" asked Bemri, scandalized. "I will need to go to the market on the other end of the city. Giant protect me, if they even have any for sale!"

"Do that!" said Yim. "Oh and, be sure to take a route that will avoid any gangs of criminals!" he looked to PesKal, the question clear in his eyes.

PesKal consulted the scans of the incoming Family and said: "Yes, go around the large Pumpkin-pear field, not through. And fast!"

Yim had pushed Bemri to the door of the mansion. "Yes! Run, old man! Run!"

Bewildered, Bemri started running as fast as his aging bones let him. He managed to avoid the Family. Yim spied the large group approaching, and gulped.

"Don't worry," Matrioshka summoned nanites into a body behind him, it made Yim jump. "We will protect you."

"Your turn," Matrioshka said to Makoe and Rhea. Both women summoned their Miriani bodies, and left the Alm mansion, walking towards the approaching crowd.

"What is our approach?" asked Makoe.

"Best not to scream at them," supplied Rhea.

Makoe retorted: "Quite. Also best not to slap them across the face."

Rhea looked at Makoe sharply. "You insulted the captain, a millennium your senior."

"Pfft. So what? Me and Matrioshka are chiseled from the same code."

"Doubtful. You possess none of her cunning or grace."

Makoe faltered in her walk. "Shit. You're into her?"

Rhea looked back at her, cocking an eyebrow. "Maybe."

Matrioshka sighed, to which Damien asked: "What's the matter?"

"They're bickering again," supplied Matrioshka.

Damien smiled. "Bickering with Rhea comes naturally."

Makoe resumed her walk, the Family had noticed them by now, and Omrica sent four Miriani men to intercept them. Makoe walked by Rhea in silence for a few moments. And then said:

"I don't mind the competition."

"You're joking…" Rhea looked down at her.

"Joking? I must admit, the two of you share the same brand of condescension, but that kiss was electric…"

Rhea's eyes widened. The four Miriani men approached, blades at the ready. One of them went to issue a warning, when Rhea's hands lashed out and delivered precise strikes to the men's ocular lobes – they would lose their eyesight for the next minute. Rhea pushed them away.

The mob faltered. Omrica stared at the falling men, she squinted her eyes, looking at Rhea. Her ears vibrated as she recognized her doctor.

"…there was a kiss?" asked Rhea.

Makoe looked at the disabled Miriani as they passed them. "There was."

Rhea spoke no more. They were now within conversation distance with the Family. Omrica pointed to Rhea and said:

"What are you doing here!? I thought I told you to stay put!"

Rhea clasped her hands. "You did. But I am done playing doctor. I must speak with you alone, bring Rui too. Dismiss the others."

The Miriani looked to one another, and then at Omrica, waiting for her reaction.

Omrica's ears twitched. "Who do you think you are?"

"The person that can bring your daughters back to life."

Rui managed to push her way to the front; she laid eyes on Makoe.

"Mraah!?" she asked. "I thought you died!"

Makoe shook her head. "Takes a lot more to kill me."

Omrica stammered. "W-What are you talking about!? How dare you say such things!?"

"Come, all will be explained…"

"I am going nowhere with you! I want the inventor!" Omrica fought hard not to let her tears flow.

Rhea gritted her teeth. "He is off limits. Please, Omrica, a moment of your time away from the eyes of your people."

"Gah! Fine." Omrica approached Rhea. They moved away from the group; once out of earshot, Omrica asked: "What did you do to them?" and pointed at the four struggling Miriani, who had just started to regain their eyesight.

"Irrelevant. Look." Rhea laid a hand over Omrica's shoulders conspiratorially. She then morphed her other hand into a cube, then a pyramid, then a sphere. "I am not of this world. I am an alien from the stars."

Omrica blinked and looked up into Rhea's eyes. Sadly, Omrica said: "What under the Giant's shadow is going on? I have gone insane…"

"I detect no such psychosis," supplied Rhea.

"I-I don't know what to say." Omrica stared at Rhea's nanite hand.

"Come with us. Please. Bring Rui." Rhea motioned for Omrica to interlock her fingers with hers – trust. "I meant what I said, your daughters are safe."

Matrioshka saw her science officer lie. Rhea was unsure if the saved Temri and Memri were truly the same as their biological predecessors. Yet, she said what the grieving mother needed to hear.

Omrica's trembling hands interlocked with Rhea's, and they soon walked back towards the mansion. Omrica had dismissed the rest of her entourage; only she and Rui remained.

Rui walked with Makoe as they passed the rusted gate of the Alm mansion.

"How are you here?"

"I'm an alien," Makoe supplied.

"No! I'm being serious, Mraah!" Rui's brain was tired, under high stress for the last two hours. The girl would fall into a light coma if she was allowed to relax.

"So am I, Rui." Makoe's Miriani form undulated, changing her coloration from pink to red, then white and gold and back to pink.

Rui blinked thrice, turning mute.

As everyone convened in Yim's kitchen, it was explained how the Sliver of the Sun arrived in the Empire System, and how they realized the stars were sentient artificial organisms. They spoke of the King, and his plan to genocide 20% of the Miriani race.

Rhea did her best to explain how they can scan the minds of the Miriani near death and preserve them indefinitely in an encrypted state. Omrica was dubious.

"And they would still be my daughters?"

Matrioshka looked at Rhea pointedly. Rhea sighed and said: "Yes."

"Good. But I will believe it when I see it."

Matrioshka, in her Miriani form, said: "It might not be a priority. We need to handle the Fifth Wonder, and the Empire twins. You will never be free unless the Stars are dealt with."

"The stars are our enemies…" breathed Rui.

Rhea was in two places; as she watched the conversation transpire in Yim's workshop, she also worked on patients in her clinic. She had just finished mending a broken arm – bystanders from the explosion of the drug stash, when a nearby scanner picked up a strange reading.

It was a Miriani, with torn ears and scars across their throat – rendering them both mute and deaf. They walked towards the clinic, pulling behind them a large wooden cart.

To Rhea and her atomic scanners – it was obvious this was no biological creature.

The Miriani and the cart were built from nanites, not belonging to the crew of the Sliver of the Sun.

Rhea alerted everyone, and they all moved to the virtual in the clinic. They vanished from the kitchen, dissolving into nanites. Rui, Yim, and Omrica looked at one another. Yim cleared his throat and proposed some tea.

The Imperial Miriani must have noticed Rhea's nanites too, as they suddenly stopped, parking their cart. A scan revealed the cart carried a lattice - disguised as a large bundle of wooden planks.

The Miriani made their way up the stairs and knocked on the door.

Matrioshka nodded for Rhea to open the door, backing away as she did.

The Miriani stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

Once inside, the Miriani shifted into a human form. Brown hair spilled across one side of her head; a green shark glowed on the other. The woman pulled taut her dark blue vest and stretched her legs. She put a hand into the pocket of her trousers.

Her white shirt rustled under her vest as she brought a neon cigar to her mouth and inhaled.

Evoking memories of Jane's World and their imprisonment aboard the Fifth Wonder, Frost exhaled a colorful cloud.

"I come in peace." Her gaze flickered to the medical devices and healing chemicals across the clinic. "Playing doctor? Convenient."

Frost had the nerve to seem apologetic. "I need your help."

- End of Part 2

 

[nntowerfield]

From beneath floorboards, behind counters and within drawers, nanites sprang. They encircled Frost's body in a split-second, forming a nigh impenetrable barrier.

Frost whispered as she gazed at the hexagonal prism around herself. "Neat."

Matrioshka pinged her with a communication interface. Frost accepted.

The crew appeared in the virtual, around the brown-haired woman.

Matrioshka spoke first: "Explain."

"Aye aye, captain!" Frost said, and took another hit of her cigar. "I didn't know this shit was going to get so complicated. The job was: get the thief… not meddle in the business of the Subdirectory of Sanctuary…"

Rhea scoffed. "Right. And you are in fact a kind person; you would never harm a pre-FTL civilization."

"Spot on," said Frost. "I'm out. Not interested."

"You want to change sides?" asked PesKal.

Frost nodded. "Sure. If that will make you help me."

"Shkadov and Reaver? Where are they?" asked Matrioshka.

"You took out the engines of the Wonder. Excellent gambit, I must admit, detonating the weapon," smiled Frost. "We landed down in the sea." Frost forwarded the location of the Fifth Wonder and added: "The ship was there last I checked."

"What's with the body?" asked Damien, pointing to the missing ears and scars on the Miriani Frost's neck.

"Can't speak their language. They avoid me when I look like this."

Matrioshka considered the woman. There were only two conditions that would allow her to accept Frost as an ally. Firstly, information:

"What are their next steps?"

Frost inhaled. "Might have to disappoint you on that front. All I know is Reaver has been working double time on the Presses. Trying to fix the ship. And printing more nanites."

Frost offered a virtual image of the Fifth Wonder. It was underwater, some 700 meters below the ocean's surface. Fish avoided the black metal structure, as 12 Atomic Presses hummed and shined in the darkness.

"Reaver thinks they have a way in with the two of you." Frost pointed at Damien and Rhea. "They did something to you while we had you on the Wonder."

Rhea's eyes widened. "They truly have root-primary access?"

"Yup," nodded Frost. "That and more. I should also add they have multiple missions here."

"Why do you think so?" asked Makoe.

"They spoke of multiple rewards, ergo, multiple contracts. One is from Akira-Hope and one is from Coriolis Enterprises."

Makoe took a step back; Matrioshka saw her partition spike with activity. Damien's did as well.

"Coriolis? Really?" he asked.

Frost nodded, then smiled when Damien looked stricken. "Why the reaction?"

Damien swallowed. "My mother is the CEO of Coriolis Enterprises. I work there."

Makoe paced: "Why? Why would she send mercenaries after you?"

"That, only she knows," Damien gritted his teeth. "I can't seem to be free of her. Ever since my wife left, she has been incessant in bugging me to work more…"

Makoe's brow furrowed. "You had a partner? Since when?"

"We were together for 70 years. She left me 15 years ago."

"I don't remember that," added Makoe.

"Why would you remember that?"

Everyone was silent; they watched the conversation between the two and Matrioshka had to fight the urge to summon popcorn. Even Frost seemed invested.

Makoe's gaze turned pensive. "Did your mother ever tell you how she got lost during a Set-jump? This was back when she was the lead on set-drive development at Coriolis…"

"No." Damien's eyes widened.

"Well, she did. And when she got un-lost, I was created. Tada! I am your mother's clone!" Makoe spun in place.

Damien blinked. "What in the Imperator's name? You must be joking…"

The tension was broken by Frost, biting on a mouthful of popcorn.

"What?" Frost asked, when everyone looked at her.

Matrioshka shook her head, and Makoe said to Damien: "No jokes. Look, I want to say that I am sorry. I have been less than kind to you when you were growing up."

Damien lifted his hand and massaged his temple. "Firstly, you are not her. So, the apologies don't mean anything. Secondly, pardon me for repeating myself, but what in the Imperator's name!? Why are you here?"

"Wanted to connect." Makoe did the best she could to appear carefree; Matrioshka shared a lattice with her and saw cleanly through the attempt. Makoe was terrified.

Damien searched the smaller woman's eyes, then nodded. "Fine. Might as well connect. This mission can't get much weirder…"

"Ah!" Frost swallowed the popcorn. "I think it can!" She turned to Matrioshka. "Your brother might also join your side."

"Doubtful," Matrioshka said flatly.

Frost shook her head. "What you said to him back on the purple moon has shaken him. He is off his game, and Reaver is not helping with the mutiny…"

"Reaver is in charge?" asked Matrioshka, eyes widening.

"Yup. I managed to escape by blowing one of the set-drive cores we stole from your ship."

Matrioshka blinked down at Frost, meeting her gaze. Frost took a step forward, close to Matrioshka, and looked up at her. "I like your eyes," Frost said.

Now for the second condition:

"Enslavement bond," said Matrioshka.

Rhea chuckled: "Again? Her too?"

A calm smirk appeared on Frost's lips. "Mhmmm. Sure," she said, and extended an inviting connection towards Matrioshka.

She accepted it and pushed the bond between the two of them. Frost installed it, and just like that, another mind was bound to Matrioshka.

"I am going to explore your mind. This might be uncomfortable. Try not to think too much."

The green shark on the side of Frost's head lit up, closing its mouth in a quick bite. "Be my guest, not the first time someone explored me."

"Ugh…" groaned Rhea.

Matrioshka extended her attention into Frost's mind, diving into her mental structure. Frost's mind was ordered, unexpectedly so. Matrioshka tugged at the strings of memories incorporating the abstraction of Frost's self. A large many-dimensional sphere. Judging by the size, Frost was Matrioshka's peer; they were close to the same age.

The matrix of consciousness can be thought of as a platonic solid in higher dimensions. Purely described by the count of its sides and faces. Frost's mind danced in her lattice, and Matrioshka went to confirm all Frost had said.

Matrioshka travelled back to the moment on Jane's World, after she exchanged harsh words with Shkadov. Cloaking herself in Frost's perspective, she saw Shkadov materialize on the narrow bridge of the Fifth Wonder.

He threw his aviators at the wall. They shattered and reformed on his head. Frost was leaning on the wall and quirked an eyebrow at him.

Frost was surprised at the outburst, the first time she had seen him emotional.

"Family reunion didn't go smoothly?" she asked.

"No," supplied Shkadov.

Frost grinned. "Sol, eh?"

"Don't start," warned Shkadov.

"Dude, you didn't tell me we were both Sol-born. I would have cut the sass."

Shkadov looked tired. "I sincerely doubt that. Go check on Reaver; they should be done with the memory insertion."

"Aye cap'." Frost saluted and moved her attention to Reaver. They were in their room - empty and white. Reaver's elegant body floated in the middle, concentric spheres of white and blue expanded and contracted around their mind.

Frost whistled. "Nice visuals."

Reaver smirked. "Not technically necessary, but they keep me anchored. Memory engineering is always difficult; pair it with what I'm adding to them – well... Best you let me be."

"Right. Shkadov just wanted a status update."

Reaver sighed. "It is done when it is done."

Frost rolled her eyes and sent the quote directly to Shkadov. He returned a confirmation ping but said nothing else. Frost left the space and moved across the ship, towards the stern and one of the sensors.

She looked down at Jane's World, and at the Sliver of the Sun docked to their ship. The King glowed in the sky, yellow in its entirety.

Frost was excited.

Fuck me, I should have become a mercenary centuries ago.

She went to check on the nukes when a small irregularity in the ship's vibrations caught her attention. Something was moving across the ship, trying its best to mimic the resonant frequencies of the Fifth Wonder.

Frost zipped to the source of the disturbance and saw an Ankrahi.

It was the same one that evaded capture back on the moon. They were male? Frost referenced the data packs of the Fifth Wonder – and confirmed the creature's race and gender. They were also anxious, using their nanite body to circumvent the data system of the Wonder.

They approached the ship's data nexus, a small device near the ship's core; it channelled and filtered the quantum data which suffused the craft.

Frost went to reach out, to grab the foreign creature.

Her hand stilled. She watched the Ankrahi.

Pulling her arm back, Frost grinned.

How fun.

Matrioshka moved forward, up to the moment where the Fifth Wonder attacked, after they just left Prudence.

Frost was looking at the Miriani city, torn asunder by the light of its suns.

Their ship had reached the planet half an hour after the Sliver, but they stood inert and cloaked, studying the planet.

"Fuck," Shkadov cursed on the bridge.

Both Reaver and Frost looked to him.

"Captain?" asked Reaver.

"This just got too fucking complicated…"

"The aliens?" asked Reaver. "I fail to see how this changes anything."

Frost chuckled. "Mate... These are aliens." She pointed down at the planet.

"Confirmed. Relevance?"

Frost and Shkadov exchanged a glance.

Shkadov asked: "You are aware of the punishment for breaking the Sanctuary laws?"

Reaver smiled: "We are sanctioned by Akira-Hope and Coriolis Enterprises, jointly; these two entities control 18.746% of the Imperium's production. Trillions depend upon our patrons for everything from lattice maintenance to terraforming. We have operational range to ignore the Sanctuary law."

"And you think this range allows us to disrupt a pre-FTL race?"

"They seem quite dead to me." Reaver smiled, slowly and wickedly. "Let's ask an expert."

Frost watched, and Matrioshka through her memories, as Reaver booted up a mind.

In the virtual, on the bridge of the Fifth Wonder, MAR appeared. The being was an artificial intelligence which controlled Purpefront station on Jane's World. Matrioshka had decided to let him be; Reaver did the opposite.

"Hello? Where am I?" MAR asked; they were short, Frost thought. Shaped like a cross between a teddy bear and an elongated cat. They looked around weakly, their Miriani ears quivering.

Shkadov rose slowly from his captain's seat. "Reaver…?"

Reaver looked to their captain.

"Is this creature equipped with a Vector Cage?"

Reaver shook their head. "Used to be. I removed it."

Shkadov's eyes widened. "You created a mind? An alien mind… Without considering…" Matrioshka saw Shkadov turn speechless, and she couldn't help but smile.

"I have liberated him. Now please, MAR, analyse what you see and tell me your conclusions."

"What?" MAR turned towards Reaver. "What are you? Where am I?" MAR's eyes flickered across the ship, lost and scared.

Frost went to approach the creature and was starting to prepare a Miriani body – to ease MAR's emotions.

Instead, Reaver took hold of the young mind with an Enslavement Bond and forced its attention towards the planet. "Obey," they whispered.

MAR's ears vibrated, and Frost saw them turn mute. MAR tried to speak, yet they could not. Reaver rolled their eyes. "I know what this is. Genetic reaction to stress. I will remove it."

Reaver went into MAR's mind and changed its structure.

Frost saw MAR twitch and spasm, falling to the floor in agony at the sudden invasion.

"Reaver!" yelled Frost.

Reaver looked at her, then turned confused. "What is the matter?"

"You are hurting it!"

Reaver scoffed. "Fine. I will remove the memory of the pain, even better, remove pain simulation entirely."

MAR was rising to their feet, but the restarted mental assault brought them back down.

After a moment, MAR bolted to their feet. No hint of discomfort.

"There," said Reaver. "Painless existence. Now do as you've been told."

MAR clasped their hands and faced Prudence. Frost saw them use the ship's scanners to survey the world. Not long after, MAR spoke: "Extinction of the Miriani race."

Reaver nodded. "Total?"

MAR turned in place and faced Reaver. There was a stony rigidness to its movements as it spoke: "No living Miriani remain in the universe."

Shkadov sighed. "Noted. Then we wait for them to fly and intercept them; ready the nukes."

Frost's attention flickered to the small Ankrahi and Shkadov's sister. Did he really plan to nuke her?

"There is an alternative…" Frost said. "Lasers, and Morse code."

She let them connect the two independently.

Shkadov nodded. "Worth a try. By now though, they should have reinstalled."

Some moments later, Frost was looking down at the crew of the Sliver, matching their movement across the ravaged city. Something spooked them, Frost thought, as they jumped to their ship and took off as fast as possible.

"Get ready," Frost announced.

And the Fifth Wonder was already in position. She took aim as the Sliver breached the atmosphere and entered space, before they could start their Cloak Frame. She fired, aiming at their set drive.

The shot connected, crippling the ship. Frost grinned; it was her idea to steal the Set-cores back on Jane's World. She moved into the laser and fired at the Sliver, commanding them to give up their precious vessel.

Shkadov had entered a private conversation with his sister; Frost watched as his body grew as tense as a strained cable.

The Sliver's set drive was sturdier than expected, and the craft was able to jump away. Frustrated, Reaver yelled on the bridge:

"What was that!?"

"Clarity," supplied Shkadov, "My sister tells me you plan on killing everyone aboard the Sliver."

"And?" Reaver turned confused once more. "They have backups."

Shkadov massaged his temple. "Concurrency of memories means nothing to you?"

Reaver answered: "It is irrelevant. Memories can be fabricated. Also, I am starting to suspect your judgment might be severely compromised."

"My judgment?" asked Shkadov, raising his voice.

Frost rolled her eyes and isolated herself from the bridge; she watched the world below her – home to the remnants and relics of a dead civilization.

No longer a game, Frost concluded; I must do something.

It wouldn't be long until she got an opportunity. Matrioshka jumped forward to the time the Fifth Wonder finally managed to destroy the Sliver and maroon the crew on Rosamond's World.

The Wonder had discovered the Miriani lived some 18 hours before the Sliver and were hiding in the moon's shadow, watching the Sliver approach from behind Oliver's World.

Frost waited, and once the Wonder was close enough, she aimed at the Sliver's engines. To peacefully force a surrender.

Reaver spoke up then, turning to Shkadov.

"Nuke. Clean and simple. Their lattices will survive, and we will pick them off one by one."

Shkadov said simply: "No."

Reaver's eyes widened. "Why not!?"

Shkadov didn't take his eyes off the Sliver as he said: "The aliens live. If we disturb them, the Imperator will kill us."

Frost was surprised, taking note of the tone of Shkadov's voice; she asked: "You know the Imperator?"

Shkadov nodded and asked: "You have solid aim?"

Frost grunted. "Aimed right at their engines."

"Fire at will," Shkadov said.

MAR appeared behind Frost and jumped on her back. The Miriani was smaller, yet much more ferocious than anticipated, grabbing hold of Frost's attention; the creature impaled her with cognitive blades. Frost worked to untangle herself as pinpricks of pain suffused her mind.

Reaver used the opportunity to detach an anti-matter nuke and send it towards the Sliver. It detonated, blooming into a dazzling blue sphere. The Fifth Wonder was knocked back, and Shkadov fought to keep the ship under control.

"Are you insane!?" asked Shkadov, teleporting into Reaver's face. He gave them a slap. "You're off this mission."

Frost barely managed to fight MAR off; the feral look in the Miriani's face vanished, and they appeared calm once more. They lunged at Shkadov now, and Frost teleported between them – intercepting the attack.

She struggled again against the young mind. Frost summoned a spear and drove it through the Miriani. MAR was unfazed.

Shkadov turned and watched the struggle on the floor.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Reaver chuckled. "You are relieved of duty, captain." With a motion of his fingers, Reaver took control of the ship; he moved towards the falling lattices of the Sliver's crew and attempted to abduct one of them.

Shkadov wrestled with the control; his eyes widened at the realization: "You have root-primary access."

Reaver nodded.

Frost and Shkadov exchanged glances; they both had to act fast, and both knew it.

Frost moved her attention to the cargo hold; it stood just above their lattices. One of the stolen set-cores was stationed above her own lattice. If detonated, the blast would send her lattice downwards, to Rosamond's World.

She took control of the core-

And was paused by Reaver.

They appeared before her and grabbed her by the face. "Miss Frost. Lira dear, please do not try anything naughty."

"What will you do to me?"

"Mend your memories to my liking, then release you to do my bidding. We shall-"

An explosion provided an opportunity; it was directed at the Fifth Wonder by one of the falling debris from the Sliver. The ship rocked backwards, and Frost used the moment to introduce a disturbance in the set-core.

The core used gravitational and Locutemplar energy to bend reality. If a foreign flavour of power was introduced, the results were energetic.

As kinetic energy entered the core, the device flung its shell outwards, pushing through the floor and launching Frost's lattice at great speed.

Frost fell through the sky, bringing with herself a small number of nanites - to shield her mind from the fires of re-entry.

She looked up and saw the Fifth Wonder begin its controlled landing.

Well, as controlled as it can be without its engines and with a hole in its cargo bay.

Frost fell into the cool sea of Rosamond's World. She watched the strange creatures swim and evade her lattice. They were elegant, slick, perfect for aquatic life.

The Fifth Wonder followed suit, gliding into the depths. Now that she was far enough from the ship, she had the advantage when it came to personal data-manipulation. She disconnected herself from the ship - so that Reaver could not influence her.

On the ocean's floor, Frost formed a crustacean body and scurried away from the ship – towards the closest island, one which housed the 11th Kingdom, and Frost's only hope of leaving this moon alive.

Matrioshka went back, much farther. She saw Frost enter a bar on a small moon in the central Imperium. This was some 8 years ago, just around the time when the Sliver took off towards the Empire system. Frost surveyed the room, finding several shady individuals, and grinned.

A man immediately to her right had long blond hair and a pair of hexagonal glasses; he wore a top-hat, and his body was made of industrial-grade nanites. Tough, strong, and slow. But perfect for moving illegally unlocked lattices. Frost saw him scan her and determine she was a problem.

Frost had expected this; she knew of the man's name – Levy. This fuck tried to hack the control point for the town, to obscure his black-market trade. He would have been a god briefly, able to control all the minds within.

She evaded forward as he lunged, launching a small circular device she had hidden within herself. Levy exhaled when the device connected, disabling his nanites. He stood frozen, unable to move his attention elsewhere.

Frost grinned and robbed the man blind.

The other patrons of the bar promptly looked away.

Another woman in the bar grinned at Frost and gave her a thumbs up.

Levy had an antique, the hat. It was a true Terran import – more than one thousand years of age.

Looking back further, Matrioshka learned of the essence of Frost's being. This was a woman bored out of her goddamn mind. Once, long ago, she was a spy for the United Inner Worlds – highly effective during the Reconstruction Wars.

After the peace deal and the dawn of the Imperium, the lives of humanity stabilized. Rare were life and death situations.

Unfortunately for Frost, excitement was replaced by utter boredom. She did not follow most of humanity into their simulated worlds. Games were for those she deemed lesser.

Frost was special; she needed real stakes.

Crime was the answer.

Frost would try to take jobs that helped at least someone. A mission on the borders of colonized space – trying to extort a small company which threatened to cut lattice maintenance. A quick stint under the clouds of Atlas, trying to find a missing daughter and robbing a drug lord in the process.

This mission was an anomaly. Shkadov had approached her in a quiet server on Qestelle and said he wished to find his long-lost sister – no promise of payment, no secondary path to profit. Frost decided it was high time for a pro-bono case and said yes.

Matrioshka blinked. Frost was telling the truth. Shkadov really wants a second chance.

Frost accepted, hoping for an adventure outside of Imperial space.

Matrioshka returned to the present; during her time in Frost's mind, Frost had managed to approach further. She stood an inch away from her, gazing up.

At some point, Matrioshka's hand cupped Frost's cheek.

"Did you have a nice trip?" asked Frost, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Matrioshka cleared her throat. "We can trust her."

"Just like that?" asked Rhea, her gaze moving between Frost and Matrioshka.

Makoe too was looking at how close Frost was to her captain.

Emotions. The bane and boon of everyone's existence. This could get messy, Matrioshka thought. She had never been a center of so much romantic attention in her life.

Is it bad that I'm loving it?

Damien chuckled: "You might want to tell her about the sentient stars."

Frost's gaze finally left Matrioshka's face; she looked to Damien and asked:

"...the what?"

 

[Ashran]

This is actually pretty fun, even if the hard scifi tag seems a bit... generously placed.

 

[nntowerfield]

Kron Irk-a was a scientist of the Wayfarers. His nation had devised sub-light interstellar ships to carry him and his race away from the ravages of the Empire System. Kron stood in front of a large spherical projection in the command room.

Beyond the thick metal hull stood the frozen expanse of Martha's World, the moon of the farthest planet of the Empire system.

Kron watched as a fleet of the Swarm-builders approached the base.

"What shall we do? They found us!" a tall man said.

Kron looked him over; he was starting to panic. Behind, a dozen more scientists looked to Kron for guidance. He was lead on this project and at least 10 years their senior.

Kron sighed; he surveyed the metal walls and machinery around him. The base provided shielding from the vacuum of space. The Emptiness, and the cold, and the questions lingering within the caverns of the icy moon below.

He opened a screen, connecting to one of the outside cameras. He turned it upwards, towards the Duke in all his cerulean glory. The ships had begun to decelerate; they would arrive at Martha's World within 30 minutes.

Kron clasped his hands. "We mustn't let them have the object. Cleanse protocol."

Zar, the taller man and the lead on the weight measurements of the object yelled: "You wish to destroy it! Are you mad!?"

A good number of the scientists agreed; they nodded at Zar's words.

"Infinite power within the device… You said so yourself Zar," Kron brought up the scans of the device into the vision sphere. "Infinite power, in the hands of the Swarm-builders? It would be the end of us."

The man approached the sphere in the center of the room; it glowed blue and white with the hologram of a cylindrical object within.

Zar ventured: "We can hide it, blow the cavern below and let it fall inside."

Kron's ears curled. "That would delay them by mere hours. We must do as I have said. This is final."

"Sir, don't do this!" another scientist yelled from their seat.

Kron opened a connection to the base artificial intelligence; he confirmed the necessary credentials and set the desired protocol.

A voice spoke through the base: "Cleanse protocol initiated. Please evacuate immediately." The intelligence forwarded evacuation routes to each scientist. The control room began to empty. The scientists rushed towards their assigned spaces on the spherical escape pods.

Zar approached Kron with a clenched fist. He struck him across the face. Kron steadied himself against a console, as he stared at Zar in shock.

"You struck me!" Kron said, the realisation blooming across his face. "You're a barbarian!"

Kron went to sound the alarm, just as Zar placed a weapon to his temple and fired. The gun used thermal energy to propel molten steel at high velocities. It was designed to work against both flesh and metal.

Two more scientists remained in the room; they had lagged behind the others, trying to transfer some final data to their storage packs. They looked on in shock at Zar's actions.

The woman went to speak but was shot through her mouth before she could. Zar moved the gun, aiming at the last remaining scientist; the man was begging for mercy. Zar fired.

"Oh Saint Sightgiver! Damn it!" Zar yelled, staring at the three Miriani dead by his hand. He opened a channel through the backdoor in the base's systems, directing the connection towards the approaching fleet. He said into it:

"This is Commander Zar-t of the Virus-makers. Please respond."

The connection was accepted, and in the communication sphere, an image of a ship's bridge appeared. The woman on the other side had golden fur dressed in a black uniform. An image of a large blue wrench glowed across her chest. She said:

"My intelligence suggests this is a Wayfarer colony."

"Your intelligence is correct," said Zar and aimed the recorder towards the dead bodies around him. "I am a sleeper agent of the Makers. I hear our nations have established a truce?"

"Tentative truce," the captain responded. A dozen or so Miriani scurried behind her, all in their dark uniforms. The build of the ship was utilitarian, all simple edges and minimalist panelling. This ship, Matrioshka concluded, was mass-produced.

"Then I would like to offer you this research base, as a sign of the Virus-maker's intentions for peace."

The Swarm-builder captain cocked her head: "Ah, peace will not be decided by the two of us, but our betters."

"Please, you don't understand. You mustn't let this base be destroyed; the commander had issued a self-destruct command. Here is the data!" Zar forwarded the totality of the base's memory towards the incoming fleet.

The first evacuation ships, filled with scientists, had started to lift off, their aid beacons glowing bright against the void of space.

The captain received the data and said to someone off-screen: "Get me a read on this. And fire at the bugs."

The weapons of the Swarm-builders flared hot, and lasers pierced the hulls of the escaping ships. As each pod lifted off, it was plucked from existence by the microwave spears of the Swarm-builder fleet. Zar himself gulped. "They are defenceless…"

The captain smirked. "That was their first and last mistake. Your Virus-maker government seeks coexistence. Ours does not." Her eyes widened as she looked to her left.

"Ancient ones. This is of the Ancient ones," she whispered.

Zar clasped his hands. "You have analyzed what I sent you? Yes, we also believe this is of alien origin."

The captain clasped her hands. "Thank you for the information. Prepare the nuclear repeaters," she commanded to her right.

"What!? You wish to break this moon in half?"

The captain looked at the man: "No. Just remove the germs staining this sacred site."

Zar pleaded: "Please! You will destroy the object!"

The captain smiled: "No, we won't. We have experience with their blessed constructs; they are indestructible."

An officer turned towards the captain of the Builder fleet: "Captain Alm, the repeaters are primed."

"You have experience?..." Zar's wears twitched, "There are more of them in the star system? Where?"

"Fire," said Captain Alm and terminated the connection to the base.

The repeaters fired nuclear energy towards the base. Energy fell like rain; the light illuminated the fleet. Captain Alm turned towards an officer. "Readings?"

"No survivors, ma'am."

Captain Alm smiled. "Prepare a landing party. I will lead."

Matrioshka appeared above the golden-furred woman, floating in the virtual. Makoe followed, Rhea too.

Damien commented, observing the cooling surface of Martha's World: "The Wayfarers, true name Cordial Union of the Ark, discovered the Precursor technology. A spy among their ranks leaked this information to the Virus-makers, true name Tarian Commonwealth."

Makoe continued: "This information made its way to the Swarm-builders too, the Lordanian Technocratic Union. The Builders arrived… killed all the scientists."

Matrioshka pulled the simulation forward; the group was huddled around PesKal's lattice and Yim's diamond cube. It led them through its data-formed paths to this vision – taking place many thousands of years ago.

The vision focused on Captain Alm and a group of 11 other golden Miriani as they descended towards a collapsed portion of the base. Their small flying vehicles burned the snow away and burrowed a path towards a large cylinder of unknown make – Precursor technology.

The group had managed to reach the object, and Captain Alm commanded her officers to let her through. Everyone made way for the captain to exit the hatch, wearing a tight suit designed for the emptiness of space.

The object was 12 meters tall, and elliptical, halfway between a cylinder and an elongated sphere. It was pale orange and vibrated once every 2.32 seconds.

Captain Alm laid her hand onto the surface of the cylinder. She said: "It feels just like the other one. Alert the Command. We need to move it."

Damien supplied: "The data suggests the artifact was moved to Margaret's World. To an orbital research facility."

"Does the simulation extend that far?" asked Makoe.

Damien shook his head. "The data terminates just now. Alongside the simulation, there is an identification number – suggesting this data diamond was a part of the Wayfarer base on Martha's World – it must have survived the attack and was taken by the Swarm-builders. As its recording terminates just when Captain Alm reached the object."

The scans of the object showed a small circular opening in the top of the cylinder, perfect dimensions for the sphere Matrioshka held in her care. Makoe noted this and nudged PesKal, alerting him too.

Both officers glanced towards Matrioshka. Their captain nodded.

"As you can probably tell, this object - let's call it the prime-cylinder, is the counterpart of Yim's sphere."

PesKal jumped up and down. "Can we see it?"

Matrioshka smiled sadly. "I'd like to keep it away from you all. It's... for your own protection. Precursor technology reacts to computation."

Rhea's eyes widened, Makoe's too.

The pink woman asked: "How is it that in all my time working on Precursor artifacts, I have never noticed any sort of reaction? I was present when a peta-scale mind attempted to crack the puzzle on the Cube of the Four."

Treason, or lies?

Matrioshka chose to lie:

"Most Precursor technology is inert – damaged by the billions of years of disuse."

PesKal's fins quivered. "What are we to do?" PesKal looked towards Yim and Omrica; they had gathered around the cube in the workshop. They watched as the aliens analyzed the diamond.

Rui was with Bemri in the kitchen, chatting about a soup Bemri was preparing.

"As hard as it is for me to say," Matrioshka nodded. "We will need to use what the Precursors gave us."

Rhea straightened. "They used the tech to construct the Emperor and Empress – it stands to reason we could use it for the opposite."

Frost interjected. "Putting aside the talking stars for a moment," she grinned. "Your bigger problem is Reaver."

"Agreed," Rhea said, poking at the virtual barrier which made it difficult for her to operate.

Everyone looked toward Matrioshka.

The captain of the Sliver twirled her scarlet hair as she looked between her crew and the Miriani. She sighed and announced:

"Priority one: We need information on Reaver's plans. We should also consider that my brother may be of some help, though the state of his mind could be altered."

"Priority two: Rhea and Damien's minds. What is the nature of the sleeper code within them – what did Reaver add and when is it triggered."

Damien nodded. "I would like that to be priority one, to be honest."

Makoe looked at the man kindly. "We will handle this."

Damien seemed taken aback by the kind words; his eyes flickered to Makoe with uncertainty.

"Thirdly, we need to keep as many Miriani alive as we can. That means disabling the Emperor and Empress – or at least turning them to our side."

"We should help MAR too," added Rhea. "They are innocent in all this."

Frost exhaled. "Fuck… I should have acted sooner."

Matrioshka offered a firm hand on her shoulder. This hit Frost especially hard; the situation with MAR evoked memories of the Reconstruction wars, when Frost oversaw the creation of hunter-killer agents. Millions of artificial minds - sent to the slaughterhouse.

Matrioshka's mind had accommodated the closeness to Frost; the memories of the brown-haired woman tangled with her own.

Is this a mistake? Could she also be an unknowing agent?

Matrioshka moved her hand back from Frost, which caused the other woman to quirk an eyebrow.

"We will need to go to Martha's World most likely. To where the prime-cylinder was discovered."

"Disagree," added Rhea. "Captain Alm mentioned they wished to move the object. We need to seek it out on Margaret's World."

"Assuming it hasn't been moved after…"

"This happened 6 millennia ago. The prime-cylinder could be anywhere…" Damien referenced the data in the diamond, then his eyes widened.

"The Protectorate. They might know something."

PesKal opened his data pack and said: "A quasi-religious organization, has political power roughly on par with the Royal family. They operate in parallel to achieve their own goals. Their past actions suggest a desire to control the Miriani and keep them united."

Matrioshka added the recording of the communion between the stars, the King, and the High-Cardinal. "The stars seem to listen to a 'vessel of their kin' and their 'most dedicated child', the King and the High-Cardinal."

"It stands to reason that the Emperor and Empress operate on some sort of internalized code, likely a Vector Cage. They are influenced by the head of the Protectorate and the highest-ranking member of the royal family?"

"As good a theory as any," concluded Matrioshka. "I shall go to the Protectorate, gather intel. Rhea and Frost, you will take control of the criminal underground – we need the underside of the Miriani society on our side – no revolts, no riots."

Rhea didn't like it, but she nodded.

"Damien. Start working on Adra; I have plans for her."

Damien gulped. "What plans?"

"We need a new figurehead, one who can maintain the unity of the Miriani – as desired by the Emperor and Empress. And one who trusts us – trusts the Imperium." Matrioshka raised her hand. "And I know; we don't know if the stars will accept her. Ergo, Officer Lavigne and Frost's mission."

Damien nodded, turning thoughtful.

Matrioshka turned towards Makoe. "The satellite. How soon?"

"Within the hour," said Makoe and forwarded the vision of the satellite, a small device capable of connecting the minds of the crew with the Imperial network – their minds would soon be safe once more.

"PesKal."

"Yes, captain!" PesKal saluted.

"Bring Yim up to speed on the Imperium; he was a member of the New World Society – an informal cabal of the smartest and richest scientists and engineers in the 11th kingdom. We will need their support."

PesKal smiled as hard as possible for his Ankrahi body. "Yes, captain!" The man twiddled his webbed fingers, and added: "Does the captain of the Swarm-builders have any relation to Yim? They share the last name."

"The data is inconclusive," answered Damien, pointing at the bundle of code within the diamond. "It does not extend to the Swarm-builder systems – this was recorded from the side of the Wayfarers."

Rhea nodded. "We might be able to reach further conclusions should we find Swarm-builder data."

"Anyone have anything to add?" Matrioshka asked the room.

Nobody spoke up, so she turned and said: "Dismissed."

Damien nodded and vanished back towards the academy, now that Matrioshka controlled even more of his lattice. His nanites would be sluggish, his attention would be dulled and forced into a single place.

Rhea was the same; she walked towards Omrica, Frost by her side.

"So…," said Frost.

"Yeah?" Rhea quirked an eyebrow.

"The captain is hot when she's in charge."

Rhea looked down at the woman; both Frost and the neon shark on her head smirked. Rhea rolled her eyes. "Lovely..."

"Hey," Matrioshka called out to Makoe quietly. "Do you have a moment?"

Makoe nodded. Half her attention divided between finishing the satellite and Matrioshka's words.

"I uh- is this better?"

Makoe did a double take, and smiled. "You're asking me?"

"Well yeah. You uh- you filed the complaint." Matrioshka winced at her words.

Makoe floated up in the virtual and hugged Matrioshka tightly. "You're doing great. Sorry for everything, I'm just so drained." Makoe floated back down, and Matrioshka immediately missed the contact. "I have never been in so many stressful situations in such a short amount of time."

"Yeah- I haven't either, at least for a long time. The uh- the kiss…"

Grand megastructures. Why am I this awkward!?

"What about it?" asked Makoe, her eyes sparkly.

"It was nice…"

"You remember what I said after it?"

Matrioshka nodded. "Don't overthink?"

Makoe cocked an eyebrow, waiting.

Matrioshka veiled herself and the shorter woman; to the others, they would appear motionless. She leaned down and grabbed Makoe's head for purchase. Their second kiss was as nice as the first. Both Matrioshka and Makoe found themselves relaxing, so much so that their shared lattice faltered.

Bringing themselves back to concurrency, their lips parted and Makoe asked:

"Want to watch me launch the satellite?"

Matrioshka nodded, and the two of them spent the next half hour or so in peaceful silence. Matrioshka watched as Makoe operated her nanites with picometer precision – assembling the nano-scale thrusters and relays suffusing the small disk-shaped device.

It would be permanently cloaked, allowing for small changes in its surrounding fields to receive and transmit data. Makoe added the signatures for the crew of the Sliver, and added Frost.

Makoe held the disk in her nanite arms and threw it upwards, like releasing a sparrow. The disk whirred, traveling with an acceleration of 55 g's. It would reach its desired location in 14.91 seconds. As it travelled, Makoe asked:

"Should we also transfer Temri and her friends?"

Matrioshka smiled. "Of course. Just be sure to add instructions for them not to be rebooted until further notice. Who is your lattice provider?"

"Nyxelios."

"Good. They are trustworthy."

Matrioshka sent a similar query to Rhea, and the other woman was grateful; she accepted the proposition.

The satellite came to a halt above the skies of Rosamond's World. It would move with the moon, staying in its shadow – away from the gaze of the stars. Gracefully, the connection was established to the Imperium, and all the data collected since the destruction of the Sliver was tunneled towards the Imperium.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, it would take as much as 7 days before the earliest response could be received from the Imperium. They were on their own still, trapped on a world with a murderous mind, and in a system ruled by genocidal stars.