The Martial Unity

“We are noticing unusual seismic activity.”

“Energy levels picking up.”

“Thermal signature rising.”

Admiral Soehok stood at the core of the command center as she watched the gargantian planet in the distance. “You’re telling me that planet is not only sentient and intelligent, but also a member of a species? A planet?”

The three-dimensional hologram beside nodded with a serious expression. The man wore a militaristic uniform that contrasted with the elegant attire of the admiral of the omni-ship. “That is the intelligence that His Majesty supplied us directly. We are dealing with the member of a species, not just a planet.”

Admiral Soehok grew even more grim. She didn’t know where the Emperor of Water had gotten this information from, but if it he who was insisting on this information, then it was undoubtedly true. It was difficult to fathom, however. That she was looking at an actual species of planets.

“How do they reproduce?”

“Similar to the ‘alien virus’ that His Majesty declassified to senior military and space officials,” Admiral Drelhic remarked. “They planet their seed into normal planets, and that eventually terraforms a planet into a planet just like them. And if they do this enough times, they can constitute their own species.”

Rui had spread the knowledge of the alien virus among the high-ranking officials and leaders of the world, the true and full story. It allowed the leaders of the world and the leaders of space organizations to understand the scale of the threat and what they were dealing with. And it reminded them to always be on guard and never grow complacent when outside Gaia.

The cosmos was alive, filled with life, and quite hostile, as the pioneer trips to foreign worlds proved. They could never be too careful. Admiral Soehok pondered about their course of action as she considered their option.

The headquarters of the Panamic Space Organization had ultimately decided to give her authority on this matter. She was present in the field, and had access to live information and other developments. On top of that, she and her crew were the ones with stake in this mission, more than anybody else.

The situation had diverged beyond what they were prepared for. Pioneer V had prepared for a star system without planets, and they had somehow found a hostile planet that evaded their detection from Gaia. She would be entirely within her right to abort the mission and prepare for a return back to Gaia. There, the mission would either be scrapped or Pioneer V would be refitted and equipped with the necessary supplies to be much more prepared for this star system.

On the other hand, that would likely take more than a year. She turned towards the hostile gargantian, still heating up and quaking like it was throwing a tantrum.

The entity was dangerous, no doubt.

It had managed to crush Martial Sages, albeit young and inexperienced, in the blink of an eye. And it had managed trap Sage Ceeran, an older Martial Sage within its grip, overwhelming with its environmental power.

This was a highly dangerous entity.

And yet, it was also an opportunity of tremendous value.

A planet filled with esoteric resources.

It was nothing short of a gold mine.

“Admiral, you have a call,” her assistant spoke with a serious tone. “His Majesty wishes to speak with you.”

Admiral Soehok immediately straightened her back, growing more serious. She was forty-three years old, meaning she was born in an era where Rui had already become a super star as a Martial Master in the Kandrian Empire and had gained renown across the entire continent.

From that point on, his fame in the Panama Continent had only grown more and more, hitting uncharted territories when he became the Emperor of Kandria six years ago. She had spoken with him once in an official public setting, before he had broken through to the Transcendent Realm. She knew that he was the one who had facilitated aid into the Sirius system using his Transcendent power, a feat that she still couldn’t bring herself to believe despite the presence of the 36th, 52nd, and the 190th fleets of the Panamic Space Force guarding her omni-ship.

She accepted the call, causing a hologram of none other than Rui Quarrier to appear in front of her. “Your Majesty.”

Everybody before him knelt in his presence, lowering their head.

“Rise, admiral.” His voice seemed to ring in their ears directly, beyond the electronic transmission of it. “We have more important things to do than observe formalities.”

They did as he commanded, resting their gaze on the projection of his person.

Despite the fact that it was just a transmission of information, they could feel the impact his presence had on the very fabric of reality. The very world seemed to unravel, as flickers of change seemed to ripple through the very fabric of reality itself. Everything was Water.

And when they stood in his presence, they could appreciate this truth. The truth that his mind infringed upon reality simply by existing. The phenomenological uniformity of his consciousness overpowered the fundamental tenets of causality itself.

“You lead this mission, Admiral Soehok.” His voice was like ripples across the surface of water. As if the world itself adaptively evolved to propagate his words across the universe. “You are the one who must decide what you do from this point on.”

His ethereal eyes shifted towards Gargantia knowingly.

Within their depths glimmered a hint of interest.

“That right there is a member of one of the most powerful species in our galaxy. A gargantian. A sentient planet. It is of great danger. And yet…”

His tone grew more encouraging. “It is of equally great opportunities.”

He turned back towards her. “If you wish to return home due to how unprepared Pioneer V is for planetary missions, then so be it. You will not suffer any consequences for this decision. You will remain the admiral of this omni-ship and you will be able to return to this world if you please. Or be assigned to another star system. However…”

His ethereal eyes sharpened.

“If you decide to remain in this star system and pursue this mission. Then I swear to you in the name of Gaia that you will receive all the aid, resources, and manpower that you need to fulfill this mission. This, I guarantee to you as the Supreme Commander of the Panamic Alliance and the Chancellor of Gaia.”