[b]Bella and Redana![/b]

"I can prepare sedatives," said Iskarot. "Your choice of delivery mechanism - airborne, skin contact, saliva. This ship has enough residual Lethe water for me to brew a full reset for her as well. Any chemical effect you imagine I can brew - but I can't guarantee its effectiveness. Protocol for an Ikarani flying this high was always to leave the system and watch the explosions."

He took out a bulky metal slide-rule and opened a reinforced panel to reveal a thermometer; it was an ungainly brick the size of his arm, but it was meant to measure the temperature in plasma reactor cores. "Speaking of, whatever she is doing this time is drawing the ire of the God of the Sun. That's expected - an unbound Adept always progresses to the final stage of enraging Apollo, it's why we gave them the name. Temperature and disease protections are recommended."

Does he... not know that this is moonlight? It might take a moment of conferring, but it's plain: the Ancient Craftsman who contributed to the biomantic construction of the Ikarani Adepts had no idea that this buildup of energy is coming from Artemis. It's the kind of misdiagnosis that recontextualizes centuries of work - but he never had the Auspex with which to test his theories.

[b]Dolce and Dyssia![/b]

"The problem is the Ceronians," said Omn, the Subject Matter Expert to whom you have referred for advice. "It is the deepest part of their design. Place them in any situation and they will work to seize control and influence. They can't help themselves, they can't stop themselves, they can't be content - it's that drive that makes them the galaxy's premier warrior species despite centuries of competition. Other designers build for use cases, build for control, build for reliability - the Ceronians were built to accumulate power, endlessly, whatever it takes. In one famous incident, an entire clan - the Harem Blades - sold themselves into slavery and spent centuries working as janissary soldiers for some primitive empire. Eventually they were able to erode the empire from the inside and collapse it amidst corruption, civil war and economic collapse."

The sphere reconfigured, glowing arcs rearranging into a galactic display with orange light radiating out from a single world. "Humanity only ever maintained control over the Ceronians by limiting their numbers, only turning Ceron to full production during times of war and calamity. But that strategic lever is unavailable to us and we must recognize that the presence of Ceronians at all represents a continuously building coup against any and all authority figures."

"But this is also the key to riding this wolf in the short term, so to speak," said the machine intelligence. "The Ceronians are expanding against the Summerkind because they sense weakness and opportunity. You can redirect them in the short term by offering them richer pickings elsewhere - the Ceronians know how to play the long game when it suits them. Naturally, that will have consequences as we travel towards the Shogunate. The Pix, while similar, are more introspective and less fanatically expansionist, so they are primarily a danger when attempting to counter Ceronian power grabs."

*

You pass the first Pylon of the Endless Azure Skies

A vast diamond-shaped monolith the size of a moon. Closed black, reflective and dark, surrounded by great orbiting grav-rail loops. No windows, no entries, no spaceports.

Inside is a civilization. Five billion servitors sealed inside this massive device, forever, a perfect little bubble society designed to exist in peace and harmony forever. They have no desire to explore, learn, grow, or push the boundaries of their little world - they are there to maintain the shrines and the machines that empower the Pylon, enjoying a timeless idyll. This little space habitat will drift on forever, inner utopia blind to all war or calamity unless it should somehow breach those massive walls.

It is the first Pylon in a network growing into the thousands. In the distance more and more of them are visible. In order to perform the great working of the Endless Azure Skies, gravity must be bought to heel on a level unimaginable and unprecedented. These Pylons are the ring-fence that will hold together the Skies, the monumental effort required for mortals to reshape the laws of physics into more beautiful forms.