The Graveyard of Stars was a vast and desolate expanse.
As the ruins of the Federation’s Fifth Army, the Jinwu Fleet, this place had once been home to humans stationed there a century ago. Countless times, they had repelled the tides of alien species that sought to breach the embankments and flood human-habitable space.
In the legends of the old world, Agamemnon sacrificed his eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess of the hunt to pray for the Greek fleet to cross the endless sea.
Centuries later, others had pushed the Fifth Army onto the altar like kindling, using them to fuel their insatiable ambitions. Cries of indignant sorrow had burned in Kamlan for endless years, turning every inch of the sector into ruins.
Too many planets had been caught in that catastrophe. The tides surging from Akasha flowed slowly, and the three rifts created by the overlapping seismic collapses were like eternal fires that could never be extinguished.
When the life of the surviving fleet commander reached its end, the Primal Starship had descended once more upon this land, which had nurtured a century of karma.
People said the White Emperor accompanied his partner to bid a final farewell—to old friends, to comrades, and to the human race.
Since then, having severed all ties with the world, the *Fahna* set sail for the sea of stars.
Carrying its beloved master and his long-sleeping partner, it waded into the valley of the shadow of death surrounded by Acheron, sinking into the depths of a rift where no living creature could tread, never to return.
Subsequent generations of humans abandoned the exploration of this sector due to its extreme difficulty.
Though many ruins remained scattered like stars, the vast majority of facilities had been destroyed in the calamity. Aside from blood and tears, not much worth commemorating was left behind.
True to its name, it became a graveyard in a place of silence, forgotten by the people.
The universe was too vast, with too many regions to explore. It was impossible for rulers to invest disproportionate amounts of manpower and resources to excavate a historical site that constantly spewed pollution, all for the sake of a sentiment living in the past.
That was, until the defectors from the Federation settled here and discovered the Model Remnants that were still barely functioning.
Terrified and cautious, they hid this secret carefully to evade the gaze of the Empire and the Zerg.
The living conditions in Kamlan were once so harsh that it was difficult to survive normally, and there was not enough energy for the remaining models to use. The computational systems spent far more time dormant than they did active.
But the arrival of a young man changed everything.
He brought the swarm, and he brought an unlimited supply of Star Core energy.
The young man had a nurturer from the Grey-wing tribe—a strange, unconventional female who threw massive amounts of energy stones into the barren borderlands regardless of the cost.
And so, the Model Remnants of Kamlan woke up completely once more.
Everything was like a prophetic omen sent by fate.
At this moment, the young man who had accepted his friend's request was checking the remaining planets of the Kamlan sector one by one, digging deep along the roots of the models.
Everything submerged beneath the surface and hidden within the soil was being churned up simultaneously.
On the other side of the communication line, the black Core Seed looked at his partner, quickly shaking off his post-sleep grogginess.
"What are you looking for?"
Sakdi had already realized that the male was pulling off a staggering operation.
"I’m looking for the answer you’ve always been chasing," Gela answered softly. He thanked Arthur and scrutinized the massive wreckage in the image. "Can you be sure?"
"I can't give a hundred percent guarantee, but... I believe so."
The young man stepped closer, slowly stroking the exterior wall of a piece of wreckage that had been cleared of debris. "Of the seventeen planets I've finished checking, this is the only anomaly that caught my attention. It also fits Sa's identity and your hypothesis perfectly."
"When I came to understand Clark's past—why he found me on a human planet—I searched for records of that history countless times. In the surviving texts and logs, I saw another Core Seed genetic lineage that had been exterminated. I saw their history and their destruction."
Where the mechanical arm touched, a line of long, complex inscriptions was clearly discernible.
Even after decades, they had not been corroded.
The remains of this warship had once been shaped like flesh and blood, bristling with coiled weapons, but most had been incinerated by high temperatures upon atmospheric entry. After touching the rainwater and the moist soil, they had been enveloped by fresh green plants.
"This is a transport ship of the Hard-wing tribe."
Arthur looked toward where it met the earth, where small flowers of various colors were blooming sporadically among the leaves.
The low-density pollution made these plants even more vivid; the bright stamens hanging down looked like magnificent tapestries. When someone approached and whispered, they swayed with the sound—a biological trait infinitely amplified by the erosion of the tides.
"It fell from the sky, into the embrace of the Jinwu."
The human adjusted the camera angle, allowing his friends to easily see everything he saw.
"Fifteen years ago, Clark was hunting the remnants of the fleeing Hard-wing tribe. He crossed the boundary line set by humans and stepped into the Graveyard of Stars."
Even through the thick protective suit, Sakdi could tell there was a very faint smile in that voice.
"That was where I met him."
"The panicked Hard-wings fled in all directions. This transport ship, carrying the serial number of the Hard-wing fleet, must have crashed in Kamlan at that time."
The human crouched down, a movement made difficult by the bulky protective suit.
"I searched along the coverage area of the Model Remnants and finally discovered it."
"I think at the very least, there were living Hard-wings on the ship when it landed."
Spiral patterns had etched deep marks into the ground once paved by the human garrison. They had weathered into irregular shapes, but the textures remained clearly recognizable.
That was where old blood had flowed, extending all the way to the complex of buildings beneath the fractured surface.
"The facilities buried underground detect a much stronger source of pollution. It’s almost like... some kind of leftover warning."
"I sometimes wonder why the Model Remnants were never discovered by anyone in two hundred years, yet showed such active properties after the Federation refugees settled in Kamlan."
"However, as a human, I think it will be difficult for me to investigate any further."
"Thank you."
Expressing his gratitude, Sakdi had already organized all his gear with crisp, rapid movements. That hint of morning haze had completely vanished. He adjusted his weapon belt while crouching down to hand a coat to his partner.
"Don't go any further. The risk of high-concentration pollution is too great for humans. Prioritize your own safety."
"Do you intend to seek the answers to these questions yourself?"
The young man was sensible and wouldn't act recklessly when his safety was truly at stake. He simply stood up and brushed off the plant debris clinging to him—these tiny fragments also contained unimaginable pollution, and they continued to twitch minutely after falling to the ground, like clusters of tiny ghosts.
"I will keep this matter hidden. Once you arrive at Kamlan, you can peel back the veil of the mystery yourselves."
When he looked up again, his voice carried a hint of bashfulness.
"Also, please don't tell Clark for now. Rest assured, I have no intention of keeping it from him; I will explain it to him afterward."
"But I don't want him to worry unnecessarily because I'm running around all over the place."
*Your 'explanation' will likely be a masterpiece of human linguistic art.*
As a fellow veteran in the art of selective reporting—processing facts to make a heart-attack-inducing situation seem relatively acceptable—Sakdi saw right through the young man's tactics.
"Regardless, get out of there quickly. Don't go near any more dangerous places."
"Thank you," Gela added. The white male looked at the friend who had trekked deep into the polluted zone for his sake and expressed his gratitude very seriously. "Thank you for everything you've done. If you ever need my help in the future, I will be by your side."
"No need for thanks, Roxanne."
The human turned his gaze toward him.
"True friends don't need to keep such an accurate tally of what they've given. Even if someone asks for something, it’s more like seeking a kind promise than settling an account."
"Moreover, you two have already given me the most important thing. Sa went deep into a collapsing King Zerg nest to bring Clark and me out. And while I was far away on the energy planet, you disabled an entire Leg-wing fleet at the cost of harming yourself, allowing my beloved to return to me unharmed."
A gentle laugh came through, accompanied by the characteristic static of the protective suit's vocalizer.
"I often wonder what I can do for my friends. It feels like nothing is enough to express my gratitude—not just because we can help each other, but because you and Sa both deserve such sincere friendship."
"Stop with the flattery."
Sakdi couldn't help but laugh. He glanced at the human while ruffling Gela's hair. "Save the praise for Clark. Your friend is already turning red from your compliments."
"I am not red!"
The male's tail perked up, and he added in a small voice, "You can't stop friends from telling each other the truth."
"Please temporarily seal off this planet."
Sakdi pulled his partner into his arms, cradling Gela. His chin rested on the other's shoulder, and his black whip-tail intimately entwined with the straight, white-scaled tail that was pointing toward the sky, swaying it gently back and forth.
"In the near future, on the eve of the negotiations, I will personally go to Kamlan for a follow-up investigation."
"Clark is negotiating the conditions for opening the River of Time with the humans. That day won't be far off."
"They need to review our proposal."
Just as the Core Seed had predicted, in the meeting nest a short while later, the silver-grey female tapped the light screen and withdrew the entire report. "The risk of opening a passage between core planets—the Capital Star—is very high, so the humans are deliberating."
"They didn't think the risk was very high when they ran into the King Zerg's nest."
The cold-faced leader of the Armed Species couldn't help but snap back. The Red Tai-sui had left too great a psychological shadow on Kliman. Any Zerg who jumped through a warp point to a battlefield only to have a crimson starship shoved in their face would be terrified enough to have their scales stand on end.
That had been the period when Kliman's mental state had most thoroughly collapsed: the old King's nest was blown up, the Great Information Nest was eaten by the crimson starship, the Sub-King was unconscious, and all the Grey-wings looked like they had been taken prisoner... It was truly a sight to make one weep.
"At least it saved many Grey-wings."
As a former human, Sakdi felt compelled to say a few words for his old partner. An accident that had nearly become a major diplomatic incident and a fuse for war was indeed a severe test of one's heart.
"It also protected your Great Information Nest and prevented the collapse of the River of Time interface on the original Alpha starship."
"Once the proposal passes, I will head to Kamlan immediately."
Pulling the straying topic back on track, the Core Seed abandoned his usual lazy posture. "Finish organizing the list of the Armed Species escort as soon as possible. I need to review it personally."
"Send a copy to me as well."
The Sub-King sitting nearby broke his silence, signaling to Kliman, who was nodding in agreement.
"???"
The Armed Species leader, who had just escaped his bad mood, slowly sprouted several question marks.
"The list of accompanying members has been drafted. Gela is handling information security matters; he told me to wait a bit, and I will synchronize the relevant information as soon as possible. But..."
The dark grey female, his expression cold, hesitated for a moment, his tail swaying slightly behind him.
Ultimately unable to hold it in, Kliman looked at the Sub-King, who clearly didn't intend to offer any further explanation.
"You... you're both going?" he asked tentatively.
***
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