"The first order of business, Alber, share the current situation regarding the displaced Ra'Pertian natives," Lucien said.
Alber stepped forward calmly and addressed the room.
"Through the combined efforts of Captain Yoru's and Captain Lambert's forces, the shadow bee colony has been fully eliminated. While we were able to avoid a complete environmental destabilization, widespread damage to infrastructure couldn't be avoided."
"I am deeply ashamed," Yoru said quietly. "Had we acted faster…"
"Regret nothing," Lambert cut in. "They're lucky most of them made it out alive. The only reason it took so long is that we couldn't just level everything in our path."
"Had we done that, there'd have been nothing left to return to."
"And without anyone able to save themselves, survival was already more than they had a right to expect."
"Continuing on," Alber resumed, unfazed. "While a small portion of the population can return to begin reconstruction, the majority will need temporary refuge elsewhere."
"It's the same damn thing every time," Natasha muttered, exasperated. "With how ridiculously massive the Conmundia is, you'd think there'd be no shortage of habitable zones."
"Agreed," Finsten said simply.
The Conmundia, spanning billions of parsecs in tangled, ever-shifting terrain, was a landmass so vast it defied measurement. Yet less than a trillionth of it was viable for life.
And with the ever-encroaching presence of shadow beasts, even that fraction was steadily shrinking.
"As you can see," Lucien began, "the dilemma, once again, is where to relocate the refugees."
"Why not just place them in the borderlands?" Nithya offered. "Isn't that where we normally house the displaced?"
"I'd forgotten you weren't present at the last meeting," Lucien replied. "The 56th's borderlands have reached their limits. They lack the space and resources to accommodate several billion more."
Nithya swallowed, grasping the dangerous implication. But after a brief moment of thought, her eyes lit up.
"No—"
Before she could express her idea, Lucien cut her off.
"I didn't even say anything yet!" she snapped, slamming the table and rising to her feet.
"You've brought this up several times, Nithya. But the answer remains the same, we cannot allow them refuge on Earth."
"And I keep asking: why not?!"
"You're not that dense, are you?" Finsten interjected coldly.
Earth, as understood by most of its inhabitants, is a closed, life-sustaining planet orbiting the sun, a rare sanctuary in the known universe. That belief, however, was outdated by several centuries..
"How do you plan to explain a sudden doubling of the population, especially by non-human entities?"
"By telling the truth," Nithya said. "People deserve to know. The world they live in is far bigger than they've been told."
"And also far more dangerous," Lucien reminded her. "I do understand where you're coming from, Nithya. But you have to consider that the extent of public knowledge in each civilization is directly tied to the level of danger posed by extraterrestrial forces and shadow beast infestations."
"I understand that," Nithya said. "But if shadow beasts keep spreading at this pace, we can't expect the illusion of a fake continent to hold public faith forever."
Her concern wasn't misplaced. To preserve the illusion of Earth as an isolated, spherical planet, unimaginable amounts of energy and resources were funneled into maintaining the barrier that separated it from the rest of the Conmundia. If that illusion were ever shattered prematurely, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"I'm just saying... There may come a time when trust becomes our most limited resource. We can't hope to fulfill our duty if that comes to fruition."
"Nithya, I agree," Natasha said, "but something like that can't be done in a snap."
"I mean, based on your idea," Lambert chimed in, "we'd be telling the world, 'Hey, you've been lied to for three hundred years, but now we've gotta let in some aliens since they've got nowhere else to go.' That about sums it up?"
"When you say it like that, of course it sounds absurd," Nithya said, sighing.
"Either way, it wouldn't work," Yoru added. "Earth's climate is far too cold for Ra'Pertians. Their native atmosphere is the only reason the shadow bees were able to grow and thrive in the first place."
It wasn't enough to simply find habitable land, it also had to sustain the livelihood of its dominant species. This made the search exponentially more difficult. At the rate things were progressing, they would soon have no choice but to either cram the displaced into already overrun territories or send them back to an incomplete homeland.
"How about just opening one?"
Cosmo, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, hadn't known all the details at first, but he not only kept pace, he quickly grasped the heart of the issue and formed a clear opinion.
Every pair of eyes turned to him, expecting an explanation.
"Are you suggesting expeditions?" Finsten questioned. "Even with your inexperience, surely you grasp how problematic that idea is."
"Of course," Cosmo replied. "To free a null world, you'd have to exterminate the Chief Shadowbeast, release the host, and then return ownership to the Creator, through the aid of a blessed worshipper with sufficient authority."
"Even assuming we manage the first two, our deteriorated relationship with the worshippers prevents us from asking for anything beyond the limited cooperation we already receive," Finsten added.
"Wait, maybe it's not such a bad idea," Nithya cut in. "If it's for the sake of helping others, I'm sure they'd be willing to step in, wouldn't they?"
"Even so," Natasha countered, "finding a worshipper with that level of authority who hasn't already left for the Crusade is near impossible."
"To ignore that and cling to wishful thinking is reckless. Don't try to rationalize it, Nithya," Finsten scolded.
"What exactly about what I said sounded wishful?" Cosmo asked, calm and sharp.
It took several heartbeats for the full gravity of Cosmo's words to settle among them. And once they did, the atmosphere turned electric.
"Hath thou discovered a four-leaf clover amidst the ruins of ash?"
"You've found one, haven't you?!"
"Cosmo, speak now. Did you truly recruit a worshipper powerful enough to reclaim a null world?"
A silence followed. Not the kind born from doubt, but the kind that occurs when something monumental begins to shift. If what they suspected was true, it would upend the fate of the entire 56th.
Cosmo didn't speak. He didn't need to. A quiet, knowing smile curved his lips, soft, steady, and impossible to mistake.
That was all it took.
"Captain Cosmo, I hereby issue a reassignment order," Lucien announced sharply.
"I refuse," Cosmo said, the words smooth and immediate.
"You lack the authority to refuse this command."
"Incorrect. Article IV, Command Structure, Term 7. Any captain may reject an order that can be argued as malicious or unreasonable from an immediate superior."
"Article IV, Term 9: Orders issued to preserve the balance of inter-branch interests are absolute."
"Article IV, Term 12: All lieutenants fall under the immutable jurisdiction of their branch captains to prevent dual loyalty among high-value operatives."
Lucien narrowed his eyes. "So you anticipated this and named them your lieutenant in advance. Cunning. Underhanded."
"Careful now, Head Captain, calling it underhanded suggests you're butting heads with your junior."
Lucien's stare hardened, but Cosmo's expression remained unreadable.
"You wouldn't tip your hand this early without a reason," Lucien said. "So what is it you're after?"
Cosmo adjusted his posture slightly, satisfied.
"In full honesty?" he said. "I'm here to propose a contract."