To Sarkdi’s surprise, no violent conflicts erupted between Arthur and the Armed Species.
The Armed Species refused to obey a human, but after spending some time observing him with somber intensity in the training grounds, they ceased their collective silent treatment.
"Considering his species, he is powerful," was Kleiman’s assessment. "He has the best mastery of thermal weaponry I have ever seen in a human."
The Core Species understood immediately. Their race’s obsession with strength was acting up again.
It was clear that Clark had raised the child he’d picked up well. He hadn't treated him like a pet to pass the time, but had meticulously raised him to adulthood across the species barrier.
While the Armed Species acknowledged Arthur's martial prowess, Sarkdi discovered through conversation that the youth was also quite knowledgeable about the workings of the Data Firmament and the Great Information Nest.
"Ah, since you mention it..." The blue-eyed youth smiled, responding easily when Sarkdi brought up the topic during a casual chat.
He was no longer as restrained as he had been at the start. He acted naturally around the black female, joking with a frank and open attitude.
"Initially, he was completely at a loss. As you know, expecting a high-ranking member of the Core Gene lineage to raise a human infant is... exceedingly difficult."
"When we first met, he followed the method for feeding Zerg hatchlings. With a cold face, he fed me a mouthful of raw alien beast meat. I nearly died on the spot."
Sarkdi: "..."
Humans could not consume alien beasts directly. The meat required rigorous processing to clear away pollution and toxins before it could be converted into food. One had to admit that the youth’s early fate was truly ill-starred; he hadn't died of carbon monoxide poisoning, but he’d nearly died of food poisoning.
"Fortunately, after I vomited all over him, Clark managed to save me. He then went to great lengths to study human-related knowledge."
Arthur’s smile held a sense of happiness that Sarkdi couldn't quite grasp. He didn't understand what there was to be happy about in a near-death experience.
"Can you imagine it? A high-ranking Zerg learning human language, human diet, and every aspect of human life, bit by bit."
"Once he recovered from his initial impulsive state, he actually seriously considered throwing me away—returning me to human territory."
"I’m not joking. He even put me on a starship and took me out."
Arthur rubbed his fingertips, his gaze seemingly lost in a past memory, though his smile never faded.
"It was a planet near the border, inhabited by humans. After being dropped off, I stood there alone and wailed. I cried for a long time, until I sat on the ground and fell asleep from exhaustion."
"Then, the warship returned."
His blue eyes lowered, concealing the emotions hidden within those deep, tranquil waters. "He walked down and, without a word, carried me back onto the ship."
This was something that sounded easy but was actually fraught with difficulty. The level of difficulty was comparable to Sarkdi living in human space and secretly raising a Zerg hatchling. Even with his high status, once such a stain was discovered, it would be enough to drag him into the mire instantly, never to rise again.
"He raised you well," the Core Species finally remarked. "It would be hard for anyone else to do better."
"Yes," the youth replied with a smile. "He is the best."
"You probably didn't set aside this time just to chat about my childhood. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
It had to be said that Arthur was a very low-effort conversation partner. It was a mixed blessing. The benefit was that he was reasonable; the downside was that he was airtight.
"Tell me about the humans."
When dealing with someone like this, one couldn't beat around the bush. It was best to take a direct approach.
Sarkdi looked at him. "Don't be nervous. I’m not looking for state secrets. I just want to know the situation with humans over the last few years. Is the Hollman family still in power?"
The blue eyes looked at him thoughtfully. The youth seemed to be weighing which topics were safe to discuss and which were best avoided.
"Are you referring to the current Emperor? Or Evelyn von Hollman?"
The Core Species had just breathed a sigh of relief that the human plot hadn't gone off the rails, only for Arthur to drop a bombshell.
"There were some chaotic disputes a few years ago. Living in the Camlann sector, we don't know much about Imperial secrets. However, I heard that after Evelyn took power, she purged the entire Hollman family. The former Imperial Secretary, Klein Young, also resigned at one point, taking responsibility for certain failings."
Now Sarkdi was truly full of questions. "Who resigned?"
"The former Imperial Secretary." Arthur shook his head. "Forgive me, I forgot you aren't human. Perhaps you aren't familiar with human political titles—"
"I am well aware of them." The black female’s expression turned cold. "What was the reason for the resignation?"
"The specific reason is unknown. Many rumors say the new Emperor was rooting out the remnants of the previous administration." The youth smiled. "Of course, I don't quite believe that. Evelyn is formidable. After taking the throne, she stabilized the human race when it was on the verge of collapse—the previous Emperor passed away too early, and the nascent political collective was in an unstable state. She suppressed all the restless old-guard aristocrats and even purged her own family. The new Empress doesn't seem like the kind of fatuous ruler who would strip an official of their post over factional issues."
Evelyn wasn't that kind of person; Sarkdi knew this better than anyone. That was why he had ultimately designated her as his successor. That wolf-like woman had a sharp eye and a clear head, but she wasn't as obsessed with war as he had been. With her in charge, the Empire should, in theory, have a relatively stable period of development. She wouldn't force a capable official into retirement for some ridiculous reason.
"You said 'at one point'?" He noticed the key phrase in Arthur's words.
"Yes, at one point. Later, the Empress personally went and caught the former Imperial Secretary."
It was a literal "catch."
The former Second Legion Commander and current supreme ruler had personally brandished a whip, kicked down the door of Klein’s home where he had retired prematurely, and dragged the man—who was dead-set against serving any longer—out of his house and all the way into the Red Deer Palace.
"It’s said that when the Secretary was hauled into the aircraft, his screams were heard by everyone on the capital planet. Otherwise, we wouldn't know so clearly all the way in Camlann. Then, the next day, he resumed his duties."
"..."
*Classic you.*
It certainly sounded like something the Second Legion Commander would do. After all, she was the woman who had once whipped Sarkdi until he was running all over the place.
Though the reasons behind it were still unclear, the result was barely acceptable, allowing Sarkdi to relax slightly. Klein was a self-disciplined, meticulous man. Based on his understanding of his two friends, something must have happened that Klein couldn't let go of, causing him to leave in dejection.
Although he couldn't remember every detail of his past, he knew that his thoughtful companion was far more sensitive than he was. Even if Sarkdi could forgive himself and move on, Klein was prone to getting stuck in the dead ends of the past.
However, Evelyn’s way of handling things was just as crude as his own—she didn't coddle anyone's emotions; she only cared about the result.
It was a truly headache-inducing development.
Sarkdi made a mental note. Eventually, he would have to find a way to visit the actual human-inhabited sectors to settle all the loose ends from back then.
The journey out had taken three small cycles, but due to the incident with the Grey-Wing tribe, Sarkdi and the Armed Species had barely stayed in Camlann at all, rushing back day and night. On the return trip, the warship performed five consecutive jumps and crossed two conflict zones, compressing the time to the absolute minimum.
As the energy planet drew near, Sarkdi used his solitary time to organize the information he had gathered.
The amount of information obtained during this voyage was massive: Arthur’s relationship with Clark, Gera’s feat of linking to the Great Information Nest, the reason for the Grey-Wing tribe’s split, the secret of VX197, Evelyn and Klein, and the long-forgotten mystery of his own identity...
The questions he had avoided since his rebirth needed to be carefully sorted—he needed to know the reason why he had woken up in the body of a female Zerg on a scavenger ship.
He didn't believe in ethereal ghost stories, nor did he believe in gods or miracles. Everything happened for a reason. If he didn't figure it out, this cold case would become a splinter embedded in his palm, causing a dull ache whenever he remembered it.
He would pull this splinter out by the root, for better or worse.
While he was lost in thought, sorting through the tangled mess of information and trying to find the end of the thread, the energy planet was already within reach.
Before this, the Core Species had agreed with Arthur that the human youth would temporarily stay on the ship and not wander around the surface. If they decided to go to the Grey-Wing tribe’s sector later, they would definitely take him along.
It was a journey that was neither long nor short. The original seven small cycles had been compressed into five, arriving much earlier than planned.
"Tail-Wagger" and the rest of the Armed Species rushed back to the satellite base; they had clearly heard some troubling rumors.
Before parting, Sarkdi stopped him. "Remember what I said? Keep the comms open. If I decide to head to your core sector in the future, leave a back door for me."
Kleiman gave him a deep look, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. But he didn't say anything to refuse, either. He simply nodded in acknowledgment and led the rest of the Armed Species straight to their station. The two groups went their separate ways.
Minutes later, the Alpha warship landed once again on Ja.
Before he could even fully disembark, Sarkdi was hit head-on by a "little missile" that slammed into his chest. Though it wasn't enough to knock him back, the force was substantial.
Ever since the male had become weakened from linking to the Great Information Nest, Sarkdi had strictly forbidden him from using the information connector to call him except in emergencies.
They hadn't seen each other for one and a half small cycles and hadn't "cuddled" for five. He noticed the other had grown a bit taller. Previously, the male only reached his jaw, but now he was slightly taller than that.
The Core Species caught the "little firecracker" whose tail was wagging like crazy and lifted the white male up entirely.
A pitch-black tail-whip coiled around the happy, swaying white-scaled tail, retracting all sharp spikes to encircle Gera tightly, preventing the male from escaping.
The other didn't seem to want to escape at all. Gera was nearly frantic with joy, unable to even control his usual buzzing. As soon as he opened his mouth, he accidentally let out a "chirp."
This caused the white Zerg to turn red instantly, yet he still refused to let go of the black female’s neck, instead clinging to him and sniffing him desperately.
Sarkdi couldn't help but laugh as he stroked the other’s head and then those soft little wings.
The "cat" was good, but the person was bad; he just wanted to tease him.
Once Gera finally calmed down enough to whisper, "Welcome back, I missed you," Sarkdi tried his best to keep a straight face, adopting an unmoved, serious expression.
"Remember what I told you before?" The Core Species looked cold and stern. "Once we get back to the nest, I’m going to settle the score with you. You’d better prepare to beg for mercy."
In response, Gera hugged him even tighter, burying his entire body against him, their intertwined tails tied in several knots.
"Are we going back now? We can go settle the score right now."
He nuzzled the other, rubbing against the black female’s jaw and letting out a soft, low trill, like a gentle urge.
Sarkdi: "???"
Something felt slightly off. This was not at all the reaction he had anticipated.
***
