The night at the Kamlan garrison base was silent. Aside from the members on duty, all other living beings had long since entered the realm of dreams.
Gela held his partner, his insect wings lightly brushing against the other man as he rocked him slowly.
"Go to sleep, go to sleep," he murmured.
He was imitating the way Sakdi used to soothe him, wanting to coax the Core Seed who had experienced far too much over the past two days. The man always wore a calm expression, but he was prone to burying his deepest anxieties in his heart.
As it turned out, Gela couldn't actually move him.
The black Zerg was far too sturdy; under such slight force, he remained as motionless as a mountain.
Gela: "..."
Sakdi let out a short laugh. He reached out and scooped up the huffing, straining male, effortlessly pulling him into his own embrace.
"A rocking car, hm?"
A hint of mischief flickered in those golden-brown eyes as he let the white Zerg sit atop him. "Want a ride?"
The male’s slender, scaled tail gave him a sharp *thwack*.
But the very, very wicked Core Seed refused to let go.
He held his other half close, hiding him beneath the safety of his wings. His whip-like tail entwined with the little tail that was twitching uncontrollably, and he patted the male’s back, rocking him slowly.
"I’m fine, truly."
"In fact, I’m very happy."
His low voice carried a hint of raspiness. He kissed Gela’s hair, his fingers brushing through the crystal beads and ribbons woven into the strands.
"No one dislikes being loved."
When humans are too young, they often view love as a torrential beast. They are ashamed to speak of it, yet find themselves uncontrollably drawn toward it.
The Sakdi of the past had been too embarrassed to admit it. He hadn't managed to find the time to give a grand, open response of "I love you" to Ms. Finley Young and all his neighbors on V217, and in the years that followed, he lost that opportunity forever.
The shell could change, and the soul could be shattered and reborn, but deep wounds never truly vanished.
By the time he was finally able to speak the "weak" word of love without evasion, he had first encountered this little male who was trying his best to rock him and comfort him.
"Perhaps I haven't said it yet."
The Core Seed cupped the other’s cheeks, finally making up for the words he should have spoken seriously long ago.
"I love you very much, and I am very happy to be with you, Roxanne."
The power of a "straight ball" confession was unimaginably immense.
Especially when it came from Sakdi, whose mouth was the most stubborn part of his entire body. A red giant star could collapse, and the Akashic Rift might occasionally crumble, but even if this Core Seed had been dead for three days, his mouth wouldn't have softened; bury him in the earth for ten thousand years, and he’d leave behind a fossilized mouth.
Stunned by this direct hit, the male dithered for a moment, as if he had heard something utterly bizarre.
Then, he buried his head into the other’s chest.
Gela’s little tail wagged frantically, moving so fast it became a blur. He clung to his partner with everything he had, squeezing with immense strength.
Since his life and work had gotten on track—managing the Great Information Nest and an ever-growing staff—the white Zerg rarely showed such an unsteady side. He understood that a manager's attitude directly influenced the mindset of his subordinates. If the leader standing at the front was constantly worried or plagued by gains and losses, those following behind would only fall into deeper unease.
But now, he couldn't restrain himself.
"*Chirp.*"
This old habit of making strange sounds whenever he was nervous or excited—a habit that used to cause him shame and embarrassment—no longer seemed important.
He was so happy he was going mad.
Sakdi didn't often say such things; the Core Seed preferred to simply put his head down and act.
Once he set a plan, he would directly overturn Katra or rip the heads off two Sub-Kings. A "straight-as-steel" Zerg only cared about results and didn't feel the need to brag about his deeds repeatedly.
It was the same in their relationship. When not a single Zerg had high hopes for the disabled male, Sakdi had dragged Gela out of his comfortable, sheltered nest, forcing him to join training and learn how to use the Information Nest.
Those powerful hands had pulled him forward, giving him enlightenment, a pair of steel wings, and a completely different future.
And now, the final regret had been mended.
Soft white wings fluttered at an unimaginable speed, making a rustling sound.
"I love you very much, too."
The male repeated it over and over, once again turning into a cat desperately clawing at a doorframe, unable to stop the low, vibrating hum in his chest.
"I love you so, so much. More than I love anything else in the world."
The Core Seed smiled.
"When all of this is over..." His deep voice was very soft, his fingers still combing through the male's white hair. "Let's go do the things you haven't done yet."
Under the light, his golden-brown pupils looked like a soft, deep lake, reflecting the colors of a sunset.
"I'll help you build a small house, a nest made of wood and stone, with a fireplace built in the most ancient style."
"Clark dug a lake for Arthur. I might not be able to make one that big, but we can put a tiny pond by the door, planted with water lilies and reeds—just like my room in the Red Deer Palace. Every morning when you push open the window, the wind will bring the scent of aquatic plants."
It was a beautiful, perfect description.
It was a scene that had never occurred and could never have been imagined in the male's long and painful life.
On the night Sakdi had asked if he wanted his hair braided, this vision had flashed briefly in their conversation. But now, the man was seriously considering how to turn it all into reality.
"I'll go to Evelyn and the others to scrounge a large batch of seeds."
The Core Seed spoke of "fleecing" them with such refined poise that he fully displayed the temperament of a doting, decadent ruler.
"Then I'll throw all the Zerg into the fields to farm—those young, strong females should find something else to do besides mining. If they're idle, they'll just fight, so they might as well all go plant trees."
"When the saplings sprout, we'll take the most beautiful one of every variety back to our home and plant them at the door and in the yard."
In the interstellar era, land—especially land without minerals—wasn't particularly valuable.
Sakdi's current status within the Grey-Wing tribe allowed him to easily claim several small planets. But neither he nor his partner needed a vast, empty wilderness; a warm little nest was enough to live in.
"Acacia flowers and figs will hang over the archway, and the hillside behind the house will be covered in anemones."
"I can build a small fence and raise some gentle-natured exotic beasts."
He actually preferred cows and horses; exotic beasts were, at the end of the day, a bit ugly.
However, human livestock might not necessarily survive healthily in the Zerg-inhabited sectors. One had to be careful with the wishes they made; his "straight-man" brain's rigorous logic began to act up in the strangest places.
The dim light made this peculiar night turn tender.
The bizarre sights of the day gradually receded. Having understood all the mysteries, they no longer needed to worry about the unknown.
The male, exuding a sweet scent, held his partner tight, responding to every word he said.
As Sakdi held Gela, the voice of his descriptions gradually grew lower.
In their imaginations, they had already arranged all the furniture for this cozy little nest.
His pure white little star, carrying his dreams of their future life, slowly drifted off to sleep.
A tender, beautiful night should have welcomed the morning amidst sunlight and mist.
When the brilliance of a new day spills across the land, it usually signifies that the things of the past have become history.
Dreams become a safe harbor for every weary traveler.
But all soft things came to an abrupt halt before the morning sun could rise.
In the deepest darkness before dawn, at the hour of daybreak when the stars were about to sleep, a long, distant sound pierced through every sleeping heart, awakening those lost in dreams.
The sound rose from the starport, drifting over the skies of Kamlan.
The armor of the *Red Tai Sui* unlocked, and it let out a long cry in the silent, deserted night.
The artificial intelligence, possessing an incredibly long life cycle, stood steady and imposing, resembling a black mountain in the lack of light. Like a massive wave crashing against a reef, it emitted heart-shaking, cracking notes.
It was a language of mourning from a species with a form of emotion entirely different from humans, like a deep-sea whale calling out to a companion who would never return. In the distant past, it had made the same sound because its leader had departed; now, it was happening once more.
The sound was like a trombone, like the wind calling a flock of geese to return south, traveling a vast distance through the empty night.
Eventually, it transformed into ultrasonic waves beyond the threshold of human hearing, rushing toward the distance in a form humans could not perceive. It caused the humans who heard it to startle awake from their dreams, their tears falling from sudden sorrow.
Sakdi, who had been sleeping with his partner in his arms, sat up instantly. The male straightened his body as well.
A dazed Gela instinctively gripped his hand, fumbling in the darkness.
"What's going on?" Gela asked, frightened and tense, having never experienced a situation like this. "What happened?"
The Core Seed did not answer; he looked out the window.
The crimson dreadnought had unlocked its twelve main turrets, firing them into the night sky in sequence.
But it was not gunpowder or particle beams bringing destruction; it was ceremonial flares bursting against the deep black curtain of the night.
Specks of gold and red light intertwined as they fell, like a magnificent meteor shower.
Gela’s eyes widened at the sight he had never seen before. The drifting spots of light extinguished before they could hit the ground, just like every drowsy star. They closed their cold, observant eyes and sank into a sweet dream.
The male felt that Sakdi’s hand was very cold, even lower than his usually low body temperature.
The man’s face remained fixed toward the night sky, the flickering light and shadow casting heavy darkness across his sharp features.
"...7... 9..."
Counting silently, the Core Seed listened to that long, echoing cry. It was the emotional language of a mechanical lifeform, speaking in a form humans could not understand; if a thousand people heard it, a thousand would weep.
Starships were born in the embrace of short-lived species, cruised through the ocean of stars, gained an eternal soul and long-lasting love, and then stored every person they encountered into their core data.
Their sorrow lasted much longer than that of any human.
"12."
The final flare presented a solid color filled with light and heat, like a white camellia blown down by the night wind.
They fell into the embrace of the universe, turning into fine stardust.
The deep, distant cry stopped.
For a moment, Sakdi tilted his head to catch the lingering resonance of the sound, as if trying to feel things like fate or the soul.
But he heard nothing.
"Twelve main cannon rounds," the Core Seed said slowly. He squeezed Gela’s hand, holding onto that small bit of soft warmth. "It is the highest-specification mourning ritual of the Five Great Legions."
The male had already moved to embrace him, pulling him into his arms.
Sakdi slowly returned the embrace. His voice was calm, as if he were stating a distant fact.
It stood in stark contrast to his slightly trembling arms.
"The Marshal of the Empire has passed away."
***
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