Ideals were one thing, but reality was quite another.
Regardless of what either of them thought, Sakti had to process a mountain of backlogged affairs before he could rest. He dove headfirst into group meetings, spending the better part of the day with the Broken-wing tribe to clear away most of the pending matters accumulated over the past five small cycles.
During the journey, Selene had reported urgent issues to the Core through Galla, so what remained now were the less pressing tasks.
In contrast, the Grey-wing technical bugs over at the energy stone refinement production line appeared fraught with anxiety, each becoming increasingly taciturn. They clearly had their own channels for receiving news from the core star systems, but being trapped on this low-grade energy planet with no way to leave, their moods grew progressively worse.
Sakti briefly considered contacting Kleiman to ask about the situation at the satellite base, but the other man had likely just returned to a massive mess of his own. Thus, he pushed the communication back, planning to inquire later.
Having finally dismissed all his buzzing subordinates, the exhausted black female bug carried his suitcase into the nest, only to be embraced once again.
Galla had nearly rubbed sparks off the Information Nest’s connection plug, completing his work ahead of schedule at breakneck speed just so he could sit in the nest and wait. The moment Sakti pushed open the door, Galla pressed himself against him.
"Do you want something to eat?"
The male bug was well-versed in his partner’s unwavering demand for food, having already shelled a massive pile of exotic beast meat. In his anxious waiting, he had used his pincers to crack the shells, unconsciously amassing a small mountain of meat before him.
Without a word, the Core sat down and buried his head in his meal.
Halfway through, Sakti suddenly remembered something. He extended a leg and pushed two small hand-carved suitcases toward Galla.
"For you. See if you like them."
A "straight man" is a Schrödinger-like creature. If you called him blunt, he remembered to bring back gifts from a business trip; but if you said he understood romance, he would offer those gifts with his foot while dangling an exotic beast’s foreleg from his mouth.
It was a truly preposterous display.
Galla froze for a moment, then leaned over to pick up the two small cases. He placed them on a platform and opened the lids.
The Monet silk and secret crystal ore, tossed about during the journey, tumbled out. The white bug reached out blankly to touch the soft fabric, then carefully cradled it, rubbing his face against it.
"Is this... a gift?"
He held that pose for a long time.
Having finished devouring a basin of meat, the Core wiped his hands and stood up. "Yeah, a gift."
In truth, Sakti wasn't sure of the male’s preferences. It seemed Galla would say anything he gave him was good; even if he pulled up a weed, Galla would probably praise the weed for growing so perfectly. By now, he could only be certain that the male truly liked *The Morning Star*. Even setting aside the identity of the giver, the ship itself was enough to make the male bug unable to put it down.
Then, Galla leaped into his arms, still clutching the gifts.
The male’s short tail wagged back and forth, happily rubbing against him as if trying to coat the other in his pheromones.
"I like it very much."
Accompanied by a low buzzing hum, his small white wings quivered.
Sakti held him with one arm, along with the large bundle of white and gold silk, and gently tossed the male into their small bed. The silk, flowing like water, wrapped around the white bug, making him look even more like a butterfly caught in a net. Galla freed one arm and pulled at the Core, dragging him into the net as well.
"Are you going to bully me now?"
He asked in a small voice. The respiratory slits at his waist opened and closed slightly from tension, and his slender scaled tail tentatively reached out to touch the other’s pitch-black tail-whip.
In the next second, the powerful long tail coiled around the trembling small tail, preventing the male from escaping. The tall, formidable female bug pinned him down with almost a single hand, wearing a lazy smile.
"This isn't bullying. It's settling accounts."
"Tracing the Great Information Nest behind my back, hmm?"
The drawn-out "hmm" at the end of the sentence was deep and husky, causing Galla to turn red instantly. He frantically inhaled the other’s pheromones; the scent of iron-rust scales made him go soft. Enveloped by the white silk, he lay there, his body opening up helplessly.
And the wicked Core continued to stroke his small wings and pinch his inescapable broken tail.
"I... I beg for mercy."
With his tail entangled once more, Galla stammered, looking much as he did when they first met, though now there was no trace of fear. Instead, he almost unconsciously clung to the other’s shoulders. "I beg for mercy!"
Something was changing within his body. The organ for incubating eggs in his abdominal cavity was heating up and sinking, reminding him that his sub-adult phase was coming to an end. Since their meeting, the male bug had been fed too well; the dual abundance of spiritual and material resources had given even a genetically defective specimen the chance for a breakthrough.
He had finally reached the node of "The Return."
With eyes full of dazed longing, Galla rubbed against the black female’s neck and sighed soundlessly.
"You... when you bully me, please be a little gentler."
"..."
Sakti’s internal danger radar blared. The last time this kind of atmosphere had taken hold, he had ended up rushing outside the nest to drink the cold wind all night.
A man cannot fall into the same pit twice. He refused to eat cold air at the entrance of the same nest again.
Taking decisive action, the Core grabbed a blanket and threw it over the male, muffling him completely.
"Ahem, I was joking. I’m not punishing you."
He refused to meet the male’s watery eyes, letting go of his restraint and sitting up. He then saw the other bug still in a daze, gently stroking the wrist that had just been held. Red marks had been squeezed into the skin.
The Core frowned almost immediately. "Did I use too much strength and hurt you?"
"No." The white bug still wanted to be close, but he was wrapped quite tightly, so he wiggled and arched his way toward him, resting his head on the other’s leg.
A sense of bewilderment floated in his pale eyes, but his sniffing didn't stop. "I think this is normal. I should be entering my second pupation period soon."
The male bug seemed not to know what he was saying, speaking only through genetic instinct.
Sakti nearly knocked him off his lap. He hurriedly fished the other out of the blanket and sat him upright.
A very sad fact was that since his rebirth, he had almost grown accustomed to all sorts of sudden, chaotic emergencies.
"What did you say? You’re going to pupate?"
Not every bug could achieve a second evolutionary breakthrough. Only members of high-level core genetic tribes possessed this privilege. Male bugs were even rarer; their bodies were frail, making it difficult for them to survive the agony of pupation.
But Sakti had fed Galla—Kroshan—too well and had insisted on daily training. The male bug, whose mental strength was growing rapidly, was about to become the first on Energy Star Ja to encounter this special circumstance.
"Huh? ...Ah."
Galla finally seemed to come to his senses, his hand still resting on his lower abdomen, his wings trembling slightly.
"I think so..." His voice was very soft. "I don't know how to explain the feeling, but my body is telling me that I might be about to get the chance for a second breakthrough."
"..."
Such explosive news had been suppressed until now. Sakti was momentarily speechless.
"What do I need to do?" he asked after a moment.
The pitch-black scaled tail he had just released coiled around the other’s short, broken tail again, comforting his somewhat fearful and uneasy companion. Pulling the male into his arms, the Core gently rocked him with a very slow motion, patting his back. "Don't be afraid. Whatever I need to do, I will do it."
Galla buried himself in the other’s body, nesting in the pheromones that made him feel secure. The fear of failing the pupation due to his genetic defects gradually faded.
"Can you help me build a nest?"
His voice was faint. "Male bugs can't build nests. I want a small nest built by my partner... a tiny one, right by the side of our bed, so I can have a very, very good place to pupate."
"???"
This question was off the charts, making the mentally stable female bug’s vision go dark.
Sakti knew that the Zerg built nests—not "nests" in the sense of a dwelling, but the kind of small cocoon-nests used for reproduction or pupation. Males only had the nesting instinct but lacked the ability; those who could actually build a nest were always the females.
For the first time since his second awakening, the all-powerful Sakti fell into an awkward predicament. He wasn't exactly skilled in this area. He was like a novice swallow parent who didn't know how to build a nest with mud.
Worker females would typically use acidic fluids to melt surrounding materials, constructing exquisite and complex nests that resembled interconnected biological metal vessels for themselves during breeding or for males in the tribe waiting to pupate. Without a proper "cocoon," the lack of security would drastically increase the probability of a sensitive male bug failing his pupation.
The problem was, he couldn't do it at all.
However, a man cannot say "I can't."
The former Supreme Archon, who had been strong-willed all his life, had to follow through on his word. The Core took several deep breaths, suppressing the buzzing in his brain, and made a difficult decision.
"I'll try."
In a corner where the male couldn't see, Sakti wore a mask of pure agony.
"When do you need it?"
He was going to grab Selene, Kai, and all the experienced females under his command and grill them on exactly how this thing was operated. In two lifetimes, he had learned to pilot mechas, repair starships, and twist off heads with his bare hands, but this was the first time he was being forced to learn how to play with mud.
Fate was so fickle; it was an unbearable weight of life.
The male bug hugged him and let out a tiny laugh.
"The sooner the better. Thank you."
*This is the best partner in the entire universe, one you could never find a second of,* Galla thought silently, held in an embrace that made him feel utterly safe. He would succeed in his pupation quickly, become even more powerful, and no longer fear standing by the other’s side to face the oncoming storms.
As it turned out, the next day, before the black female bug could seek guidance from Selene and the others, he received a communication from Kleiman.
The "Tail-Wagger" appeared on the screen with a frozen, icy expression. Unlike his cold but occasionally dark and awkward demeanor during the journey, the Armed Species' mood was currently at an absolute nadir.
"As Clark’s partner, there is bad news I must tell you."
The female bug of the high-level genetic tribe had returned to his original expressionless state.
"A schism has occurred within the Grey-wings. Clark has taken his personal guard and left; we have split in two, and he is currently in a standoff with Krisha."
Sakti already knew this news, but he sensed that Kleiman had more to say.
Sure enough, the other’s dark grey eyes looked over.
"This will be the largest-scale insurrection in our history. Perhaps fearing his own brother, Krisha did not respond immediately, but instead gathered all the armies that answered his call. He has released news that Clark betrayed the tribe, and nearly half the members still choose to obey the current Sub-King."
"I am heading back to Clark’s side. Are you coming?" he asked.
Sakti’s head throbbed.
If he had been asked a day ago, he likely would have agreed—this split in the core tribe was extremely dangerous, like a surging undercurrent beneath a calm sea, but it was also a rare opportunity. He wouldn't miss a chance to intervene.
But now, he could only take a deep breath.
"Can I come two days late?"
He sincerely expressed his soul's plea. "You guys start fighting first."
Before Kleiman could show a look of displeasure, Sakti raised a hand in a silencing gesture to prevent any unnecessary misunderstanding.
"I’m serious. My compa—never mind, my partner has entered his pupation period."
"Give me one small cycle, leave a back door open, and I’ll come find you after."
Kleiman stared at him. For some reason, his expressionless face carried a hint of speechless exasperation.
"Fine," the Armed Species replied.
***
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