The Martial Unity

The director’s words struck Rui as rational. Indeed, the laminars had come to Sol for reasons that didn’t add up cleanly in a monetary cost-benefit analysis. The fact of the matter was that they had come to Sol because they were extremely determined to destroy every infected planet they could get their hands on. “What about the nebulars?” Rui asked with an intrigued expression. “The nebulars have also proven to be extremely determined in re-infecting our world at the virus’s behest, right? How do they fit into this model?”

“Good question, Your Majesty,” Director Brenner remarked as he zoomed into the depiction of the Milky Way. “The nebulars are different. They are spaceborne organisms that, from the data we have collected and the data that the laminars have provided us, are located in nebulae. They have evolved for a thin atmosphere in space and thus have grown to enormous sizes in a region with very little gravity, making them the ultimate combatants. They don’t fit cleanly on the star strand model that I have provided. Instead…”

He sent a command to the interface with his neural implant, causing several marked spots to appear on the map of the Milky Way. “…they are found spontaneously in different parts of the Milky Way, wherever there is a nebula.”

Rui’s expression hardened. The nebulars were agents of the alien virus. The fact that they controlled the nebulae in the galaxy as their territory meant that they also controlled future stars born from those nebulae. Something that didn’t bode very well. “…Very well then, continue with the briefing.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Director Brenner turned back to the map. “Putting aside galactic geopolitics for a moment, let us focus on our own situation in a little bit more depth.”

He zoomed into the Orion Star Strand until it occupied the entire screen. The first thing that stood out to everybody in the room was the fact that, unlike the other star strands, the Orion Star Strand was not connected to the galactic core.

Instead, it just sort of hung between Calcicet and Mariv Star Strands, disconnected from the rest of the galaxy. It also happened to be the smallest of the star strands in the galaxy. “As you can see, our star strand is very much disconnected from the galaxy. It is also disconnected from the galactic core,” the Director continued, pointing to the boundaries of the Orion Star Strand. “We do not have an easy path to the galactic core. We are stranded closer to the edge of the galaxy and don’t have much of a scope in any direction. In other words…”

He turned towards Rui. “…We are the Milky Way’s equivalent of country bumpkins.”

The description evoked a laugh out of Rui as well as a wry smile from the other leaders of Gaia. To think that after all they had accomplished as a civilization and all the power that they had mobilized, that they were just the interstellar equivalent of countryside hippies who were disconnected from the more ‘happening’ places in the galaxy.

“So be it,” Rui remarked with an unfazed expression. “Allow me to take this moment to remind everybody what our priorities as a civilization are.”

He raised a finger.

“Survival. Ideally, thriving survival. I have no intention of becoming an intergalactic overlord or anything silly like that. Even the expansionism that I advocate for with the Gaia Reproduction Plan is one that I conceived as a means to bolster our civilization.”

His ethereal eyes sharpened. “We face threats in the form of distant forces in and even beyond the Milky Way who have likely detected my and our shenanigans with the information dimension. We know that the power of Transcendence is one that is sought after even by these galactic powerhouses like the Laminar Civilization. That makes us a target.”

Those words hung in the atmosphere, making the world around them feel heavy.

“That is the reason we must expand and grow stronger.”

The thought of powerful alien entities invading their worlds in order to obtain the secrets of Transcendence was, frankly, terrifying. The worst part was that they didn’t even have clarity on when these forces would reach them.

The Laminar Civilization had simply warned them that, if it was able to detect the virus’s calls, then there would be others as well. However, they hadn’t been able to get any more information regarding what kind of threats, where, and when they would face them. The uncertainty meant that it was almost impossible to plan for such events beyond simply growing stronger.

Some of them had even considered the notion of abandoning Gaia and running away from Sol to other regions in the galaxy. But unfortunately, this was a deeply unpopular idea among most races and civilizations. Gaia was their home.

And they would fight to protect themselves and it. And if they had to perish in doing so, then they would do that as well. Rui was inclined to agree, although he knew that he would never let anything happen to Ria. At least, as long as she was still a child. Perhaps after she became an adult and began progressing as a Martial Sage, he would give her the opportunity to choose her death in battle should the worst ever unfold.

He heaved a sigh, shaking his head. These were fatalistic thoughts; he had no intention of giving up. And he was confident that it would be possible for human civilization to grow stronger and bigger and defend itself from any threats.

After all, they managed to push back the nebular invasion from an entire nebula. Of course, that was done with Rui’s Transcendent power. But it was still something that spoke to the quality of human civilization. If their populations exploded across many star systems and across the Orion Star Strand, then they would have the opportunity to grow stronger. “For now, let us limit our focus on the Orion Star Strand,” Rui remarked knowingly. “And within the Orion Star Strand, let us focus on our immediate surroundings. What does the region we can feasibly target within the next decade look like?”