The chaotic scene came to an end in a truly absurd fashion.
Clark was genuinely enraged. His dignified, reserved facade had crumbled before Sarkti, and his persistent state of semi-alienation signaled that he would not let this matter rest easily.
With human strength, it should have been impossible to restrain a High-ranker of his caliber. Had Clark not instinctively reined in most of his power, Arthur would have been sent flying instantly.
The black-scaled female Zerg had already braced himself for a fight.
This was the price of his attempt to kill two birds with one stone; to gain something, one had to bear a commensurate risk. It was only fair. As long as Clark didn't rip his head off, everything was negotiable.
However, the pushed-aside Arthur was quick-witted. He lunged forward and embraced his guardian from behind once more, his warm, simulated tail easily entangling Clark’s silver-grey tail-whip, which had been poised to strike.
He even mischievously looped his prosthetic tail around the scaled one, tying it in several knots.
"You're pulling too hard, it hurts," the human said.
Sarkti saw the High-ranker’s expression go blank for a moment.
Clark slowly lowered his head, staring at the bizarre sight.
*Like hell it hurts!*
The Core Seed wanted to press his hand to his forehead.
He knew that simulated part better than anyone—he’d made it himself. It was no different from a simple exoskeleton muscle; it wasn't actually fused to Arthur's coccyx. Even if it were snapped off, it wouldn't affect the boy at all.
Yet the youth managed to utter such nonsense with complete naturalness.
Those lake-blue eyes gazed at the female Zerg, who had turned his head slightly, and a low voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible trace of sorrow: "I was wrong."
"I shouldn't have made you angry."
He pulled his guardian—who was slightly taller than him—into his arms, wings and all, looking at him without flinching. "Please forgive me. I love you far more than myself; I never intended to cause you any unease."
*Calculated. He was being far too calculated.*
If Sarkti hadn't known the human's little schemes, he might have applauded this touching reunion. Unfortunately, he knew the truth, and having experienced quite a culture shock because of it, he now only felt his scalp go numb.
The new generation of humans was truly terrifying. Their emotional honesty was real, but so was their refusal to let a single opportunity slip by.
His second-stage alienation "boss mode" had been interrupted several times now. Clark was effectively stun-locked, unable to successfully trigger his outburst.
It was unclear if the High-ranker was simply too stunned to speak, but he opened his mouth several times without a word coming out. He looked as though he were about to crack.
"The tail... what is going on with it?"
When Clark finally managed to suppress his turbulent emotions, he turned around and rasped out his first question.
Arthur flashed a smile and gently unraveled the tangled tails. He reached out to cup Clark's face, leaning in to press his forehead against the older Zerg's, just as he used to do as a child when craftily begging for forgiveness after a mistake.
"I'll tell you privately in a bit."
The High-ranker closed his eyes.
Pressed against the human cub he had raised, the second pair of eyes that had emerged during his deep alienation instinctively began to close. Finally, he reached out and embraced the youth he hadn't seen in so long.
"Never again," he said, his voice incredibly dry.
Immediately after, Clark pulled away to face Sarkti, his expression colder than ever before.
"We will settle our accounts later."
"Fine," the Core Seed replied succinctly.
"You should not have trampled upon my bottom line." Clark's leaden eyes were devoid of ripples, showing he had temporarily suppressed his fury, though the magma still surged beneath the surface. "Arthur is to me like a youngest, beloved son, yet you used your own schemes to coerce him into the Core Star Sector. Do not claim it was at his request; we both know that you were the final decision-maker."
"If someone had brought Roxanne into a battlefield without your knowledge, you wouldn't let their head stay on their neck either."
"That part was indeed my fault. We will settle it between us."
Sarkti apologized bluntly to the High-ranker confronting him.
"But as you once said, you cannot keep him in a safe glass jar forever. He must eventually face his own choices, his own life."
Out of a sense of morality, he couldn't help but add a difficult reminder: "And regarding... the 'beloved son' relationship, perhaps you should reconsider that definition?"
The silver-grey female Zerg looked at him expressionlessly, his wings slowly drooping back into an elegant posture.
"I do not care what other Zerg think. I spent over a dozen Great Cycles nurturing him, and I will continue to keep him sheltered beneath my wings."
"If any Zerg takes issue with that, they are welcome to challenge me to a death match."
"..."
*Brother, we are not talking about the same thing.*
Sarkti saw the human youth standing behind Clark, eyes curving into crescents as he smiled, slightly shaking his head at Sarkti while holding Clark's hand.
Forget it. He was beyond saving.
Taking a deep breath, the black Core Seed felt a throbbing headache. Clearly, Clark was still looking at Arthur through a "cub filter" and hadn't even considered any other possibility.
"Let's talk about the current situation. Since you'll be settling scores with me later, we should resolve the most pressing matters first."
Sarkti finally said, "We just arrived, and the information Kliman provided was limited. I need to know the reason for your conflict with Krisha."
If the romance couldn't be untangled, they might as well all get buried in work. No one was getting away.
"Political disagreement," the High-ranker replied icily. His gentle aura had vanished entirely, showing just how much this sudden incident had incensed him.
"My partner—Roxanne—linked with the Great Information Nest a while ago."
Understanding that he had indeed gone too far this time, the black female Zerg didn't get angry. Instead, he broached another topic. He dropped a bombshell, revealing his own secret directly.
"Some abnormalities occurred during the linking process that I need to confirm with you. Kliman said one of the points of contention between you and the Sub-King Zerg is that you want to close the 'Path.' I believe we must discuss this."
Clark's gaze finally fell upon the white male Zerg, and his expression softened slightly.
"You linked to the Great Information Nest through a reverse-trace of deep-space communications?"
He didn't seem angry about it.
"Yes."
Finally breathing a sigh of relief as the atmosphere calmed, the male Zerg took a step forward to answer the question.
"I'm sorry, I... I tried to do it."
Admitting to "poaching" data to his face still made Gera feel a bit embarrassed.
"And then I was connected," he said softly.
"You are very impressive, Roxanne."
With a soft sigh, Clark leaned down slightly to look at the male Zerg. "I can see you have safely passed your second pupation period. Please allow me to offer my congratulations. Have you tested your mental strength recently?"
"I did, a while ago."
Sensing that Clark truly wasn't angry, Gera gave a shy smile.
"Actually, the reverse-trace wasn't that easy. Sar strictly forbade me from trying again, so I haven't touched the Great Information Nest since."
"He wasn't wrong to do so."
The silver-grey eyes watched the male Zerg. Through sheer restraint, the High-ranker had regained his usual composure, and his tone mellowed.
"The Great Information Nest is not as simple as it appears on the surface. Linking to it without protective measures can easily lead to accidents. Perhaps you and your partner do not know, but the construction of the Great Information Nest is based on..."
He flicked his eyes toward Sarkti, swallowing the rest of his words.
"We will discuss this later. But I believe his anger was out of concern for your safety."
"Though the type of affection differs, if Arthur were to encounter danger on Camlann, I too would suffer from anxiety and desperation."
He didn't say anything harsh; his attitude was quite warm and gentle, displaying the unique patience of an elder.
"We do not fear conflict or slaughter, but the pain suffered by our most beloved kin, children, or partners hurts us far more than any wound torn open by an enemy. Do you understand?"
"I understand," the male Zerg whispered. "Sar told me. I will learn to protect myself as much as possible."
"I don't want to see him sad."
"Thank you," Sarkti said, thanking the other sincerely.
He lacked experience in dealing with cubs or partners, and his own personality was somewhat rough. He was a novice relying entirely on trial and error, often unsure of how much to push when teaching Gera. He worried that if he spoke too lightly, Gera wouldn't take it seriously, but if he spoke too harshly, the male Zerg would be hurt.
Clark, however, clearly had a wealth of such experience. Whether dealing with male Zerg or young Zerg of various ages, he could quickly find the right balance.
"Don't mention it."
The silver-grey female Zerg's expression turned icy in a second. His elegant tone now fully conveyed the polite mockery typical of high-level Core Gene tribes: "As for what you've been teaching Arthur, I will find time to consult with you in detail."
As he spoke, he glanced at the youth's tail swaying behind him. When those smiling blue eyes looked back at him, he forced himself to suppress any further words.
"Let's move elsewhere."
The Core Seed pretended not to hear the death threat. He took his partner's hand and tilted his head. "I don't think this is the place for an in-depth conversation."
"I may have my own selfish motives, but I truly came here to help."
The two rows of Armed Seeds standing behind them remained still, their expressionless, professional stances somehow betraying an excitement that screamed, *'Give me more gossip!'* En and Enna, meanwhile, had remained tense; the pressure from the silver-grey High-ranker was too much for them.
Kliman took advantage of the moment his leader wasn't looking to wink frantically at Sarkti. For some reason, the black female Zerg interpreted those blinking eyes as a desperate demand: *'Quick, explain what the relationship is between this human and Clark!'*
This left the Core Seed speechless. *Buddy, your 'cold warrior' persona is collapsing.*
By the time they moved to a more private, small meeting nest, only Clark, Arthur, Sarkti, and Gera remained for the conversation.
Kliman withdrew with the Armed Seeds, dragging away the two hissing sub-adult cubs.
En was not polite, biting down hard on the annoying female Zerg's hand. However, a direct descendant of the Core Seed was as tough as could be; he couldn't leave a mark.
The expressionless "Tail-Swaying Bro" held one in each hand like two wriggling worms, dragging the brothers—who were significantly shorter than him—outside.
Gera had to go over and speak softly to En and Enna for a moment, telling them they would reunite after the meeting, before the bristling companions were finally pacified.
Even as Kliman walked away, En’s chirping provocations could still be heard.
"Let's start with the Great Information Nest. I believe all subsequent topics are related to it in some way."
Clark sat down, his composure returned and his aggressive aura largely vanished. Arthur familiarly took a seat beside him, neither too close nor too far.
Sarkti and Gera sat on the other side of the table.
The silver-grey eyes looked at the pair of partners sitting close together with their tails entwined.
"Since you are proficient in human languages, you may know some rumors regarding starships. Do you know how many initial models Fafner left behind?"
This was a quite unexpected opening.
It struck a chord Sarkti hadn't anticipated. He sat up straight.
"One. The humans' Data Firmament."
Fafner could not be replicated, nor was it entirely a man-made product. It only gained a fully independent personality and reorganized itself after falling into Akasha. It was a unique miracle in this universe, a convergence of all possible coincidences.
The legacy it left behind became the foundation for the Data Firmament and the River of Time. Its discarded remains were like a segment of incomprehensible technology intercepted from a non-human, eerie realm—far beyond current human understanding. It could neither be mass-produced nor fully decoded.
"Most humans and Zerg believe so."
The leader who governed half of the Grey-wing tribe let out a soft sigh, his finger tapping the arm of his chair.
"But in reality, if you count the incomplete prototypes, there were far more than that."
The High-ranker looked at Sarkti.
"The world in human eyes is different from ours, so they do not understand Fafner's other forms."
"Ultimately, we can only see the parts we are capable of understanding."
***
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