When the first Time River port was successfully established in Kamlan, the new alliance of the Core Gene Tribes had only just entered its second Great Cycle.
Sakti, who had always prioritized efficiency, unashamedly "copied the homework" of his predecessors, modifying the curriculum as he went. He had previously flipped the entire Federation's dining table, only to turn around and bring that same table back to his own house to serve his meals. There was truly nothing more brazen.
The Galactic Federation system, a legacy of the White Emperor era, had operated quite smoothly for a time in the early days. A federal polity often seemed like a paradox: if the management was too loose, everyone plotted independence for the future; if it was too strict, they clamored for independence immediately.
During this period, what the Core-species did most was deliver a slap followed by a sweet date. The "dates" were so large and enticing that they left a crowd of greedy opportunists gasping for more.
After the first trade settlement, Clark immediately upgraded all energy stone purification production chains. The Grey-wings held the technical keys to this process; what they had once provided to humans was merely the basic version, while the true core remained firmly in the hands of the Direct-lineage.
The sheer volume of wealth brought by trade was staggering, causing even the Sub-Kings to fall silent for a moment.
The Flash-pattern and Mandible species, who had followed the Grey-wings to get a taste of the spoils, were now clamoring with anxiety, repeatedly expressing their desire to invest more in future collaborations. To this end, the Sub-King of the Flash-pattern species even attempted to pull some strings in private.
Well-informed individuals had somehow learned that the Core-species carried the bloodline of the Hard-wings. They began making pointed, saccharine insinuations around Clark.
"We can be considered old acquaintances; we have known each other since the era of the King Insects. I never imagined a day would come when the Hard-wings would share the seat of the alliance's supreme leader with you."
The speaker in the remote communication appeared deeply sincere. The Grey-wing Warrior-species responsible for the day's guard duty seemed to blend into the shadows, while only the scent of tea drifted through the empty meeting nest.
Unfortunately, when he wasn't entangled with humans, Clark’s mind was exceptionally sharp. The only person capable of trapping him was far away in Kamlan; at this moment, the silver-grey female was immune to all mental magic attacks. He merely smiled, and after seeing the guest out, he went straight to find the Core-species leader who was currently reorganizing the fleet's personnel.
"Taking a break?" he asked his "brother-in-arms," who looked like he had lost all will to live. Before Sakti, the light screen was stacked with document titles nearly as tall as a Zerg; clicking any one of them revealed hundreds of pages.
"Break!"
Finally finding an excuse to slip away, Sakti looked resolute. He didn't hesitate for even a second, instantly pushing away all the windows of various sizes that were floating in the air and circling his head. It was as if the chair were lined with needles.
"Let’s go, let’s go, hurry up."
He didn't even ask why Clark was looking for him. As long as he could escape the hell of paperwork, anything was fine.
Consequently, the white male Zerg processing reports from the Fourth Quadrant in the Great Information Nest soon received an emergency call.
The Grey-wing on duty that day was a Zerg with a youthful mindset. Perhaps a bit *too* youthful—he was the one who had once sounded the alarm at Angon of the Pedipalp species, and had also earned himself a detention package for climbing over a wall in the middle of the night to deliver a gift to his crush.
"Rodland was just badmouthing Sakti in front of Clark, and now they're fighting!"
The Sub-King of the Flash-pattern species was actually named Roland. However, because Sakti had consistently mispronounced his name from the start, the Warrior-species close to him had also been led into the ditch.
The Grey-wing, eager and excited by the gossip and the sight of the "fight," had immediately contacted Gela after coming off duty.
The male Zerg, halfway through signing a document, slowly felt three question marks pop up over his head. "Who is fighting whom?"
"Our Sub-King and Sakti."
Even across the vast distance, one could hear the *thwack-thwack* of the young Zerg’s tail wagging. "At the training grounds! Come quick! Come quick!"
In truth, the Core-species leader, who hadn't personally taken the field in a long time, was having a thoroughly enjoyable combat experience.
Clark had asked him to go to a private training base for a bout to stretch his limbs. Females were always full of competitive drive; upon seeing a powerful companion or adversary, that itching desire for slaughter was difficult to extinguish.
"After this round, how about we settle our scores from the previous battles?"
Sakti, in his hybridized state, was still in the mood for jokes. His brother also carried a hint of lethargy, not truly harboring any killing intent; both sides kept their pheromones well-restrained.
Such matches were a little game that Sakti and Evelyn—formerly human—never tired of playing with each other.
"Save the sleep-talking for when you're dreaming."
Silver-grey wings snapped open, and a long, powerful whip-tail hovered behind him. The Sub-King, also in a semi-hybridized state, let out a sneer. "Your head is still increasing in value. Even... the kind and benevolent Roland couldn't help but feel deep concern on my behalf."
The Core-species leader laughed. Their carapaces bore scattered marks from the strikes they had just traded. Sharp talons could easily tear through the armor plating of a light cruiser, and in a fight, they could rip thinner scales out by the roots.
"I'm going to go give him a thrashing."
Clark’s tongue was truly merciless when he was being sarcastic, pushing the Core Gene Tribes' essence of "the more polite the smile, the more indirect the insult" to its limit.
This alliance was remarkably stable.
It would be more accurate to say that the Sub-King, when not acting out of madness, was far gentler than most. The decade or so spent with a human child had polished away the heavy, primitive bloodlust from his being; he no longer retained the savage, crude edge seen in the Zerg of other tribes.
The bond of interest between them had grown even firmer with the passage of time. An understanding of each other's character and personality became the foundation of their cooperation, proving far more cost-effective than trusting an outsider whose depths could not be fathomed.
Essentially, Sakti wasn't afraid of anyone "tattling" on him. Moreover, he suspected that his good brother had, in some sense, guessed his connection to the human race. After all, the Red Taisui stopped by to visit every single time it passed through the Grey-wings' star sector.
Sakti had previously sent a formal invitation to the Empire, spouting some nonsense about further observation and scrutiny regarding the cooperation between their two races. In the end, Evelyn had signed that transit permit, allowing the independently cruising starships to set foot in the Third Quadrant for routine friendly visits—these behemoths possessed clear autonomous consciousness, so calling them "visitors" wasn't entirely wrong.
Sakti used this borrowed authority to his advantage. Now, all the Core Gene Tribes knew the terrifying legend that "the Grey-wings can summon human starships." For two Great Cycles, the waters had remained calm; the other Sub-Kings were as quiet as mice, and the integration work had proceeded with unbelievable smoothness.
But Clark never spoke of such matters, nor did he ask probing questions. His sophisticated social boundaries were something even the Core-species admired. His brother had mastered the essence of cooperation: once a thing was determined to be harmless, he would not dig for the ultimate truth, gracefully leaving room for mutual dignity. Had the situation been reversed, Sakti would have found it difficult to suppress his curiosity. The tact and shrewdness of the High-species—which Sakti had once treated as nothing more than toilet paper—became very considerate in moments like these.
In some ways, they had reached a tacit understanding that went unspoken.
This bout ended in a draw. Neither side had struck with lethal intent, so neither sustained serious injuries. The minor abrasions were repaired by the females' formidable self-healing abilities before the fight even concluded.
Sakti felt as though every bone in his body had been liberated. The despairing cycle of crouching at a conference table every day to read documents, revise documents, lose his temper, and sign documents was nearly enough to cause indelible psychological trauma to his sturdy cervical spine.
Fighting was great; it made his tail wag.
Meanwhile, his brother, also having deactivated his hybridization, picked up a scale from the ground, lost in thought.
"Sorry, I scraped off one of your scales."
The black female Zerg, sitting haphazardly on the ground, chuckled. Some of their scales had shattered; such occurrences were inevitable during a grapple. His friend wouldn't get angry over something like this.
Instead, Clark sighed. "My scales haven't looked very lustrous lately."
As if troubled by something, the silver-grey Zerg paused, seemingly considering whether he should also sit on the ground, but the reserve inherent to his Direct-lineage upbringing prevented him. "They don't look as bright as they used to."
"???"
*Friend, what are you talking about?*
The Core-species leader with a partner had acquired more of an "idol's burden" than before, paying attention to his image and almost never fighting until his clothes were shredded anymore, but he wasn't so meticulous that he monitored every single scale.
"They look the same as always," the bewildered Zerg replied with blunt honesty.
Thus, the male Zerg who had rushed all the way to the training base entered the nest area only to see his partner—who had abandoned work to play truant—huddled with the Sub-King of the Grey-wings, whispering as they studied something.
Both Zerg looked up simultaneously and greeted Gela.
"Hello, Roxanne."
"What are you doing here?"
Gela didn't sell out the young Grey-wing who had tipped him off. He shook his head with a smile. "I came to call you for dinner."
Sakti fully demonstrated what it meant to choose a partner over a brother. He stood up on the spot and patted Clark’s shoulder. "Don't worry about it. They're fine—bright enough to use as a mirror."
Catching the male Zerg in his arms, the Core-species leader's tail wagged. He asked his ally with perfunctory politeness, "I'm going to eat. Are you coming?"
The other only smiled politely and didn't move. "You two go ahead."
The Sub-King remained in deep thought until Sakti led Gela out of the training grounds.
"What's wrong with him?" Once they were far enough away, the male Zerg asked softly, "I tasted a hint of anxiety."
"He thinks his scales aren't as healthy as before," the black female replied, his tail involuntarily entwining with Gela's, not letting go even as they walked. "I didn't see any difference. He was quite fierce when we were fighting; he didn't seem sick at all."
"..."
The Zerg who had already come to understand that his partner possessed the brain of a "straight man" let out a laugh.
"Of course he isn't sick." Speaking softly, Gela swung their joined hands, his mood light. "He's just thinking about some things."
"Humans... find it hard to accept partners much older than themselves, don't they?"
They walked together toward their small residential nest. After the alliance was established, the Sub-King of the Grey-wings had suggested moving to a larger residence, but Sakti had refused. He quite liked his current small nest and the lake behind it; there was no need to move for the time being.
Gela slowly explained human psychology to his partner who possessed a human soul—it was a rather absurd scene.
"When we met Evelyn, she expressed surprise and teased me about the fact that I had only recently reached adulthood. I think for humans, an excessive age gap creates pressure between partners. Their—your—culture seems to believe that peers are more compatible."
"Clark isn't human." Sakti’s understanding of romance only earned a passing grade when it came to his own partner; at all other times, he scored a zero. "He hasn't even reached the midpoint of his prime; he will remain at his peak for a very long time. Humans would only look at him with envy—or perhaps be terrified out of their wits."
"But his partner is human."
Sighing softly, Gela did not let go of the other's hand. "He loves Arthur very much, so he develops unnecessary worries."
"Creatures in love are all fools." This was the male Zerg’s verdict on himself. "I am like this, you are like this, and every human or Zerg who fears gain and loss is the same."
"We all worry that we aren't good enough; we always want to show our very best to the other, even when we know it lacks reason."
Love is a rebellious bird that none can tame. It is in vain that one calls it, and if it suits it to refuse, one calls in vain.
"He finds it difficult to find a balance between the role of a guardian and the role of a partner. Arthur is too young to him—a child he watched grow up. Before he has even learned to accept this change in their relationship, he has already begun to worry about the future."
He worried that the human would one day depart first, and he also worried that the other would witness the weakness he would display after leaving his peak state. And all of this was a path that all life must eventually tread.
"For humans, the decline of parents signifies that the offspring has successfully grown into an adult. The passage of time brings sorrow, but it also brings joy and a new future. However, for lovers, it becomes difficult to accept."
So, the silver-grey female, whose nature was once defined by slaughter and who viewed anything other than victory as nothing, would now actually concern himself with the aesthetic appeal of his scales.
Sakti felt a surge of solemn respect. "Professor Gela’s private tutoring has taught me knowledge I've never encountered before."
In response, the white tail gave Sakti a playful flick.
Finally, Gela couldn't help himself and laughed along. "Actually, this kind of thing is very easy to solve," he said confidently, his small scaled tail swishing rapidly. "Just let Arthur talk to him."
"Now that the Time River port is established, the path between the Grey-wings' habitat and Kamlan is unobstructed. Clark can go visit his human whenever he wants."
Gela, still unaware that he and his partner had just discussed a plan that would "pit" their friend into a startling situation, excitedly held his partner's hand as they walked toward their little nest.
"Arthur is very capable. We should just trust him."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 闪纹种 | Flash-pattern species | A Zerg tribe characterized by flashing patterns on their bodies. |
| 鳌种 | Mandible species | A Zerg tribe, likely named for prominent mandibles or pincers (chelae). |
| 罗兰德 | Roland | Sub-King of the Flash-pattern species. |
| 硬翅 | Hard-wings | A specific Zerg lineage/bloodline. |
| 罗德兰 | Rodland | A mispronunciation of Roland's name. |
| 盛年期 | Prime state / Prime period | The peak physical period of a Zerg's life. |
