The chamber under the sea was always cold. It felt like home to the people who lived there. But even so, Reue missed the chaotic, rocky landscape of Thaumas. She missed the jutting trees of crystal that exploded from the gravel mountains and glowed on the horizon. She missed the splashes of color against the muted world. Here, everything was too saturated. Too unreal. She would say too happy, but none of them were happy.

"Are you coming?" She asked Kompira as she trailed into the forge. Her colleague was always absorbed in his work, but recently he seemed to be hiding in the forge more and more often.

At first, he did not even look up, but she could tell he saw her, and he was considering her question.

"The three have called us." She said. "We cannot ignore them."

"I know." He replied.

"And yet you do not move." She scooted towards him, a few more inches. "I do not want to tell Mordenna you are disobeying her, but I will."

Now Kompira looked up in a panic. Reue held his gaze, trying to show her hesitation, but her resignation as well.

"…Reue." He said, and she could feel the synapses in his mind tremble. "I…I don't want to go."

Reue said nothing, and soon he continued. He held up his lower right arm and she saw it was swollen and stiff.

"Camazotz struck me, and my arm will not heal properly." He said quietly. "I tried to set it, and it won't…" He broke off.

"What did you say to him?" She knew Camazotz was unpredictable, sometimes even more so than her Mordenna. "You should not have angered him."

"I was just trying to protect him." Kompira's thoughts were wavering with the effort of speaking. "I am afraid if he sees me, he will break my other arms, and I'll never work my forge again."

Reue wanted to tell him that was a silly fear, except it wasn't, and she'd seen Camazotz do it before. Thus, she said the only thing she knew would convince him otherwise…

"If you are absent from this meeting, Vox Camazotz will kill you." She said simply. "I would not like you to die, Kompira."

He sighed, looking old and utterly broken. Reue moved forward and held out one arm. "May I see your wound?"

"It is an old scar now." Nevertheless, he held out his arm for her, and Reue looked over the poorly healed bone. It seemed to have fused lopsided, creating a calcified mass right in the center, around the joint. It would require rebreaking if it ever had a hope of healing properly again.

"Will you come?" Reue repeated.

"Only if I must." Kompira met her eyes. "Go like a dog and tell your beloved Abyzou."

Reue reeled back. "How dare you?"

"We all see how you look at her." He said simply. "I pity you, Reue."

"I do not need your pity." Reue turned sharply and fled the forge, his mind reaching out after her, following her.

"She does not love you." Kompira insisted.

"And Camazotz hates you. Yet here we are."

.

.

"So what does Prima mean?"

Kon-Mai flinched as Tygan pulled on the bandages around her leg. It had been a few weeks since the fracture, and it was healing well, but the skin around the bone was still raw and sore, and the bone was healing awkwardly because of the strain she kept putting on it when she walked. Thus, here she was, much to her chagrin.

Shen was there in the infirmary today, trying to fit her with a cast that would allow her to walk on her injury, but it was taking a while. Luckily, Shen's talkative nature kept the silence from being deafening.

"Prima was one of my titles." Kon-Mai replied. "It means 'Assassin.'"

"So the Ethereals had assassins on their home world?" Shen asked.

Kon-Mai shook her head. "I do not know, I have never been to Thaumas, I'm not even sure if I could survive there." She laid back. "I know it comes from the word 'prih,' which is a verb meaning 'to kill.'"

"And the people called you Vox Prima." Tygan spoke up. "Fascinating."

"What about your name?" Shen asked. "Your real name, Kon-Mai? Does that have a meaning?"

Kon-Mai thought for a moment. "…Mai has to do with dancing." She finally said. "I believe Kon means…delicate? Small, but not as in size. Small, as pertaining to a term of endearment. And Mordenna is the title used by an heir to the throne. It was my mo…" She cleared her throat. "It was Abyzou's title."

"Are your brothers below you then, my lady?" Tygan may have meant it as a joke, but Kon-Mai bristled at the statement. For all intents and purposes, it was true. She did not like to think that the Elders favored her, especially now, but that fact was very present in their names.

"Okay, let's try this." Shen came over with a splint that had two metal springs on either side. "Hopefully if we hook you in here…" Kon-Mai let her maneuver her foot into the metal boot. "The springs should carry most of your weight on this side and take pressure off the bone itself, we just have to make sure it's tight enough so it doesn't bounce around and break your leg again."

"You do not have to do all this for me." Kon-Mai insisted, once more.

"You were the one who refused to use crutches." Shen giggled. "Or the wheelchair. Had to come up with something."

Kon-Mai's blue skin turned purple as she blushed with embarrassment. Thankfully, the door opening drew attention away from that.

Zhang stepped inside. Despite his performance in the field last mission, he was leaning heavily on his cane. "Lily. Tygan." He nodded. "Shrinemaiden."

"How are you doing, Zhang?" Shen asked. "Like, emotionally."

Zhang blinked. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

He didn't answer, exchanging a look with Tygan as she sat across from Kon-Mai in a folding chair. Tygan tapped Shen on the shoulder and whispered something in her ear, something displeasing if her expression was any indication.

He watched Kon-Mai warily, and she knew he was still frightened by her appearance, her closeness with the Elders. The hybrids were one thing, they were bad enough. She was literally their child.

"How is your leg?" He finally asked.

"Healing, albeit slowly." She replied. "Occasionally I do miss my sarcophagus. Injuries and death were of little concern to me."

"Well, now you actually have to take care of yourself." He said, almost cracking a smile. Almost.

Shen snapped the splint into place. "Okay. Get up for a second and tell me how that feels to walk on."

Kon-Mai stood slowly and gingerly put her weight on her injured leg, expecting it to hurt. She felt the dull sting she was used to, but as she shifted her weight onto it, the springs kept it from taking damage. She bounced a bit, then took a few steps. The limp was still prevalent but it no longer caused pain.

"I think it's a bit tall." Shen patted the table again. "Let me fix that."

"I can walk with it." Kon-Mai protested. "And that is its purpose, is it not?"

"Yeah, but I don't want you teetering on one really long leg." Shen began tightening the boot again. "Besides, this is my work you're wearing. Gotta make sure it looks good~"

"Your father would have said the same." Zhang chuckled, leaning forward on his cane. "Wish he was still here."

Shen froze, her sure hands faltering. Zhang didn't seem to realize what he said, but the silence that hung in the air spoke millions.

Kon-Mai stood once again, testing her splint. Nothing had really changed in between but she made a point to smile and nod. "This shall be perfect. Thank you, Shen."

"Mhm." Shen smiled but it was clear she was trying not to cry. "Hey, um, I gotta…check on something in engineering, so…"

"I can take over." Tygan said. "Go on."

Shen quickly jogged out of the room, Kon-Mai staring after her.

.

.

Gur-Rai tapped his foot in time to the song he hummed as he flipped his screwdriver, catching it midair behind his back and jamming back into the ROV-R. If he could just tighten this one screw then the armor plating would keep the little guy protected. Shen was gonna love-

Speak of the devil, he heard the heavy boots of his friend and quickly hid his project under the bench just as she came stomping around the corner. He leaned on his hand and clicked his tongue as she entered. "Long time no see, Doc~"

She was completely silent, and that worried him. Normally she would respond to his quips with a groan or at the very least an eye roll. Today, she brushed past him like he wasn't even there, opening and closing drawers forcefully enough to shake the contents inside, grabbing random tools and throwing them onto the table.

Gur-Rai came up behind Lily curiously. "Did Bradford not let you fly the ship?" He chuckled.

Again, silence.

"Well, this thing is a bucket of rust anyway. Controls like absolute gar-"

"Gur-Rai, just…" She stopped, her head pressed firmly in her hands. "Not now, okay?

"What happened?" He insisted.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She muttered. "It's nothing."

"That's an awfully loud nothing." He noted as she slammed a drawer shut.

"I just don't wanna think about it." She said. "We need to get to work anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She said quietly, the only quiet thing she'd done since she walked in.

He nodded, conceding that he would not win this, and turned back to their unfinished projects on the workbench. These would be enough to keep him busy a while.

"What's that noise?" Shen asked, looking up from the tools she'd pulled out.

"Noise?" He listened briefly. "I don't hear anything."

"Are you serious?" Shen sighed and moved to the center of the room. "…You can't hear that?"

"My ears really aren't as good as my sister's." He said.

Shen closed her eyes, this minor distraction seeming to have taken her mind off of her previous annoyance. "…It's coming from the vent."

Now Gur-Rai pulled away from his workbench and followed her as she stood up on a crate, peering into the darkness of the ventilation shaft. "…I can't see, it's too dark."

"Here." He grabbed a nearby flashlight and handed it to her.

"Thanks…" She shone it into the dark opening. "…Is that an animal?!"

He hopped up beside her, not having to stretch nearly as far, and peered inside. "That looks like a ball of yarn."

"Do balls of yarn move?' Shen asked.

"Only if you-"

"That was rhetorical." She cut him off, and began making a whistling noise with her mouth. "Hey buddy, what are you…?"

The animal looked up, it's eyes glowing a greenish yellow. The two locked eyes with it and they all stared at each other for a moment. Then it got up and slipped into the vent, turning around a corner.

"Shit." Shen began to pry the vent off. "Bradford's gonna throw a fit if he finds out there's an animal in the vent."

"I think that leads to Dhar-Mon's room." Gur-Rai hopped down. "Lily, try to crawl in and scare that thing toward the opening. I'll get it from the other side."

"You want me to crawl in the vent?!"

"You'll fit." He assured her.

"How do you know?!"

"Because I do!" And with that he took off out of the room.

Shen grumbled as she pulled off the vent, stripped out of her vest, and climbed inside.

.

.

Dhar-Mon cursed as he pricked himself for the fifth time. It hadn't broken the skin that much (he hoped), and at least this time he wouldn't have to worry about bleeding on the piece of silk he was trying to embroider. He envied his sister, with her lithe, thin fingers that were perfect for beading and sewing.

He put the silk down. It was a deep green color, and he was currently trying to sew beads into it in the shape of a flower and it was going badly. The flower looked more like an explosion than anything that was ever alive. He hoped it would be pleasing to Malinalli, he'd chosen the closest color to her eyes that he could find.

There was a frantic knock on the door, and it swung open and Gur-Rai came sprinting in.

"Brother!" Dhar-Mon exclaimed in utter surprise. "What are you-?!"

"Shut up, no time." Gur-Rai went straight for the vent, practically ripping off the wall and climbing up to peer inside. "There you are, ya little fuck." He grumbled. "Shen!"

There was a banging noise from inside the vent, then a cacophony of shrieking and clawing noises. Gur-Rai jumped into the vent, his legs hanging out and kicking frantically as he tried to wrangle whatever strange creature was infesting the ship.

Dhar-Mon jumped up and ran over, dodging back and forth to try and see what was happening. Unfortunately his scrawny brother was blocking the way.

There was a loud thud. "I GOT IT!" Gur-Rai cried. "Dhar-Mon, pull me out!"

"What?!"

"PULL ME OUT!" His legs were kicking wildly and Dhar-Mon heard something making a growling noise. Thinking on instinct, he grabbed his brother by the waist and heaved, flinging him backwards onto the floor and almost causing Gur-Rai to drop the furry package he was holding. Thankfully he turned over onto his stomach and managed to wrangle the creature before it could wiggle out of his grasp.

Dhar-Mon stood, dumbfounded at the scene before him. "Brother what the fuck?" He let slip, too shocked to catch himself.

"Language." Gur-Rai chuckled as he got to his feet, holding out the furry creature, that seemed to have calmed down. It was a huge, mouse-like being that was the size of Gur-Rai's hand. "What the hell are you?" He said to the creature as it stared at him in a mild sort of confusion.

They heard thumping down the hall, and Shen came running in. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah!" Gur-Rai held it out. "What is it?"

"Oh my god." Shen looked confused, horrified and enamored all at once. "That's a possum!"

"A…pardon?" Dhar-Mon shook his head.

"A possum!" She held out her arms and rushed to Gur-Rai, and the possum cuddled back into the Chosen's body. "It's a marsupial, they're like koalas and such. Oh my god I can't believe one is alive!" She reached out, using one finger to scratch it's head. "Hey little guy."

The possum seemed to relax at Shen's touch, and even sniffed her finger a bit.

"I love him!" Shen cooed. "Oh my lord, he's perfect!"

"He's so fluffy." Gur-Rai also took to scratching the possum on his cheek. "Look at that little nose go~"

"Please do not get attached." Dhar-Mon muttered. "The Commander will never let you keep an animal on this ship."

"She let us keep you." Gur-Rai stuck out his tongue.

"Ux naví par touxeiz." Dhar-Mon slapped Gur-Rai on the back on the head. "The dog of the Elders I believe they called you."

Gur-Rai fell silent, and even Shen could feel the sting of that comment. Quickly, the tugged on Gur-Rai's sleeve. "Hey, does this little guy look odd to you?"

"Odd?" Gur-Rai at least partially snapped out of his funk at that. "Well, Lily, I've never seen a possum before."

"No like…" She felt along it's sides. "Come on, let's take him to Tygan. I think he might be hurt."

.

.

Walking on this contraption felt odd, but at least it no longer hurt.

Kon-Mai maintained her slow pace through the ship's hall, staring out the large windows into the orange clouds and blue sky. She wondered if this ship had come with windows. She knew her old masters held the stars in high regard, would they have wanted to see them as they flew?

She sopped briefly, staring out one window for a while, trying to imagine the wind on her face. It was one of the things she missed about her stronghold; the open rooftops, the balconies, the utterly quiet places where she could just sit and let her thoughts absorb her.

"Excuse me."

There was not a moment of quiet on this ship, was there? Kon-Mai opened her eyes and addressed Annette Durand, now dressed in clean civilian wear. While most of her injuries were fully healed, she still looked incredibly tired.

Kon-Mai bowed. "Taymallat. It is good to see you well."

Annette Durand stepped up beside her, glancing out the same window. "Do you like it here?"

Funny, she had just been thinking about that. Kon-Mai actually had to think for a moment. Yes, she missed her stronghold's quiet. But here, she had her brothers close enough to go to should she ever need comfort, and vice versa. Here, though the soldiers still kept their distance for her, she had the potential to make friends. She had opportunity to grow.

"I do." She finally nodded. "The Commander literally gave me a second chance at life. I can never repay that dept."

Annette didn't say anything to that, just stared out into the setting sun. The moon was rising in the distance, a faint white outline against a hazy sky.

Then she looked over. "I have killed many like you."

Kon-Mai's heart began to race. Did she have her dagger? Did Annette have a gun? Had she come to finally end what she saw as the alien invader on her ship?

Annette glanced back out the window. "All the aliens start looking the same after a while." She sighed. "I lost my mind out there, could not tell Viper from Chryssalid. I…" She tucked some hair behind her ear. Despite the fading grey, she looked incredibly young. Kon-Mai briefly wondered if psionics had a role in that.

After a long silence, Annette continued, her voice quiet and low. "I was never a good soldier." She whispered. "I was 19 years old when XCOM helped me. I was a civilian captured by the Elders, probed and prodded and tortured." She looked up at Kon-Mai. "I do not know what they wanted with me but for all I know…you could have been me."

"…And how does that make you feel?" Kon-Mai felt her own voice was nearly silent. Speaking hurt.

"Terrible." Annette did not hesitate. "Is it true you were once human like us? Is it true what those salauds did to you?"

Kon-Mai crossed her arms, almost hugging herself. She wanted to say no, not her. She was a clone. Her brothers had suffered infinitely more than she had. She was a tank child. A doll. A jewel on the crown of the Elders, made to be worshiped but never held.

But something in her made her say "Yes." She nodded. "Yes. My brothers and…we were all once human." She expected to feel awful. Instead, she felt liberated.

Annette closed her eyes and took a breath. "Then I am so sorry I failed you." She whimpered. "I should have saved you from this."

"You were fighting day and night." Kon-Mai assured her. "And please, Taymallat, I do not need saving." She cracked a smile, showing her sharp, almost yellow teeth and hoping that the sight was a comfort. "I am the edge of your sword, the glint of light of the moon, and I shall blind the Elders, so you may strike."

Annette actually smiled in return. "…I like that. You speak with such beauty." She looked up, perhaps about to say something, but they just kept their eyes locked for a moment.

Kon-Mai bowed to her. "Should you ever need me, Taymallat, call my name and I shall answer."

"And likewise, Shrinemaiden." Annette bowed to her as well, and the two exchanged another smile.

.

.

The med bay doors swung open, and in ran Shen and Gur-Rai, Dhar-Mon following a ways behind. It's inhabitants looked up, Tygan and Zhang raising confused brows and Bradford's face twisting into a look of dread. "Shen…"

"Doctor, we found this in the Avenger's vents!" Shen exclaimed, the incident having put her previous troubles out of her mind, at least for now. "It's a possum!"

"I see that." Tygan approached Gur-Rai and took the fuzzy animal gently from his grasp. "Hm. Surprisingly calm…"

"He's so cute!" Shen squealed. "I love possums."

"Konnie is gonna flip when she sees that thing." Gur-Rai chuckled.

"Kon-Mai?" Bradford sighed. "The COMMANDER is gonna flip when she sees that."

"Now, now. She tends to like strange, lost creatures." Tygan plunked the animal on the table and gently let it go. Instead of running, the possum stayed still, sniffing it's surroundings curiously. "Hm. It does not seem to fear humans."

"Maybe it was someone's pet." Zhang suggested. "Perhaps someone from a resistance camp that…sadly can't care for it anymore."

Shen glanced over at him, and her face fell again as she remembered the conversation earlier. Thankfully at that point, Dhar-Mon spoke up. "Perhaps it would make sense to keep it on board to care for it."

"No." Bradford crossed his arms.

"Oh come on." Gur-Rai whined.

"I'm serious, Darkstrider, we are not keeping a fucking possum on the Avenger." He glanced over to it. "That thing is going back outside."

"I would hesitate on that, Central." Tygan lifted one of the possum's legs. "It…he seems to have a few injuries that need to be treated. I do not like how it's breathing."

"Seriously, Doctor?" Bradford shook his head. "Not gonna back me up here?"

"This animal may very well be the last of its kind." Tygan said. "I would find it shameful to send it to it's doom."

.

.

"Come here!" Shen snapped her fingers and made a clicking sound, trying to attract the possum's attention. "Come here, boy! You still need a name."

"Possy Bear~" Gur-Rai suggested, the possum sitting contently in his lap as he stroked it, like he was petting a cat.

"Unimaginative." Dhar-Mon rolled his eyes.

"Well, what about you two? I don't see you pitching suggestions." Gur-Rai picked up the possum and put him in the ground, where he sniffed the floor and began to teeter over to Shen.

"What about Pangu?" Shen said softly. "In Chinese myth, Pangu was the first living being in the universe. It was a fuzzy creature that was born from the primordial chaos aligning itself for just a moment…"

"It's weird." Gur-Rai smiled. "I love it."

"It's an appropriate name for something like this…" Dhar-Mon reached out and touched Pangu on his back, and the possum turned toward him.

"Shen." Gur-Rai piped up. "You feeling better?"

"Hm?" She sighed. "I guess."

"Better?" Dhar-Mon looked confused. Gur-Rai was about to tell him to leave it be, but Shen finally spoke.

"…I think people still wish it was my dad here, not me." She let Pangu crawl into her lap. "Zhang said something like that today…"

"Well then, Zhang is an idiot." Gur-Rai replied.

"I don't want to say that." She scratched Pangu behind the ears. "I used to look up to him. I think he still sees me as a child, and it's frustrating."

"Are you certain he was not simply reminiscing?" Dhar-Mon suggested. "He knew Raymond Shen quite well."

"Maybe." She ran her hand along Pangu's coat. "It still hurt. Like, is my work not good enough? I pour everything into my projects."

"I know you do." Gur-Rai stood and scooted closer to her, squatting beside her. "And you're an amazing engineer, Lily. Your father would say so."

"It is always the struggle of the child to match the success of their Elders." Dhar-Mon added. "And I do believe you surpassed your father."

"Well, that struggle is different for some of us." Gur-Rai avoided looking at his brother.

"Gur-Rai." Dhar-Mon, too, drew close to the two. "I am sorry for my comment earlier. It was out of line."

Gur-Rai said nothing at first, but he did make eye contact.

"I know how Camazotz saw you." Dhar-Mon admitted quietly. "And to have perpetuated that is a crime I cannot repay."

"Oh shut up, you lugnut." Gur-Rai finally cracked a smile, scooted over and flopped into Dhar-Mon for a hug. "You're my big brother. All is forgiven."

Shen smiled warmly, scratching behind Pangu's ears as the possum yawned in contentment.

.

.

Kompira did follow Reue into the Great Hall, and with the speed of molasses, the rest of their company emerged. Xezbeth looked particularly bad today, their body rattling as they moved. Their joints were beginning to come loose. Tiyanak was by their side, arms around them as they moved, slowly, towards the center where the others stood.

On Xezbeth's bare legs, Reue could see the distinct blue marks that Bhandasura left behind. For a moment she felt a pang of sorrow in her chest. Then, she shook it off. Xezbeth had a mind that did not know when to stop running. They should have shut up when told.

One by one, the three emerged. Bhandasura was leading them, but he looked beaten down, and under his robe, Reue caught the sight of a purpling bruise on his arm. Abyzou and Camazotz were close behind. Abyzou looked between her husbands, and Bhandasura nodded and spoke.

"Our Chosen are alive." Was all he said.

Silence. They all knew what was coming next. The worst news. Reue was shaking.

"They have betrayed us for XCOM."

Abyzou shoved him aside. "We must find our ungrateful children." She hissed. "Remind them that they are NOTHING without us! Nothing!"

Silence again, and Camazotz scoffed. "They've made it clear that they want to fraternize with traitors and leeches, why should we offer them any chance at redemption?"

"Because they are our children." Bhandasura said, his thoughts dripping with resignation.

"Children." Camazotz shook his head. "I have never seen any child hold their elders in such low regard. I say, good riddance. They were nothing but a burden on us from the start."

"Cama!" Abyzou cried. "How could you?! Your son-"

"'Son' is a generous term. He was more of an ill-tempered hound." Camazotz clasped his hands as though he were perfectly calm. "He had no self control whatsoever, in fact I think the Chryssalids were better trained than him."

"Perhaps he was the most flawed." Bhandasura conceded.

"But the others." Abyzou sobbed. "My precious jewel, my little Vox Prima-"

"Is not as innocent as you like to paint her." Camazotz cut in. "Who knows what she will do with her newfound freedom, Abyzou? Who knows who she might meet? What she might do with that weapon of hers~"

"And that is why I must find her!" Abyzou snapped. "She is not capable of her own thought! She cannot be trusted! I am her guide, her light in the darkness, and she is the prism through with that light shines!"

"She will not come willingly." Bhandasura said. "She was seen working in tandem with XCOM in the field. If all three are alongside each other, then the bond they have established will overwhelm all reason."

"Dhar-Mon might be dead." Camazotz offered.

"Part of me hopes so." Bhandasura sighed. "I do not see how I could ever forgive him."

"Listen to yourselves!" Abyzou snapped. "These are our PROGENY! We created them! We birthed them, we gave them our own blood!"

"I never wanted them." Camazotz shook his head. "I told you we should have just used the robot Shen left behind."

"The insane one?" Bhandasura crosses two of his arms.

"Yes. He is at least fun." Camazotz chuckled. Then he sighed. "…I will compromise. Prima was always the best of them. The quickest, the smartest, and I had thought the most loyal. If any of them are worth saving, it would be she."

Abyzou paused. "…Do you mean it so?"

"I do." Camazotz took her emaciated hand in his. "I cannot forgive my failure of a spawn, nor can I see us reinstating Nergal, if he is even alive. But to have little Prima back might give us back our edge."

"I agree." Bhandasura put his hand on Abyzou's shoulder. "Our daughter was our magnum opus. I believe she is worth capturing."

"I…" Abyzou nodded, wrapping her arms around Camazotz and burying her face in his neck. "Thank you, dhay. Thank you. I love you like a black hole loves the light."

"I know." Camazotz chuckled, rocking her side to side. He met Bhandasura's eyes and the two shared a warm look.

Bhandasura turned to the rest of the collective. "Vox Nergal and Vox Zagre are to be killed on sight. Vox Prima shall be captured and returned to us alive." He said. "Imdugud, I want all Sectoid patrolls doubled in areas where XCOM was sighted. If she is with them, then where XCOM goes, so will she."

"What should I do upon confirming her position?" Imdugud said with a bow.

"If you have the chance to catch her unaware, take it." Bhandasura said. "But know that she will not go without a fight."

"On pain of death, I will bring her back to you." He bowed.

Bhandasura turned to the others. "Reue." He said, and the woman straightened her back. "Monitor all radio channels we know of, what they are saying about the Chosen, specifically Vox Prima. They may refer to her by her birth name. News like this would likely not go unannounced by XCOM. They will flaunt this accomplishment, and it will lead us right to them."

Reue bowed. "Nothing shall pass their lips without it reaching me."

"Good." Bhandasura now looked to Kompira. "Our daughter uses blades of our design. We need weapons good enough to counter that."

"Her sword is made of Thaumic Crystal." He protested. "It is forged with blood and bone. It is more art than a sword. Surely nothing can surpass it."

"You shall make a weapon that does." Bhandasura lifted his hand. "Or need I remind you who you obey, lowly Dessurik? Who is your lord?"

"…It is you, Vox Bhandasura, and your two dearest loves." Kompira bowed. "I apologize. I will make your weapon…." Reue could feel the anguish in his thoughts.

"Very good. Xezbeth and Tiyanak, all of our gifted prisoners shall be expedited through training. Form an elite unit; we will need our best."

"Understood." Tiyanak bowed, and Xezbeth nodded meekly.

"Our daughter will be found." Abyzou muttered into Camazotz's shoulder. "We must find her before she is ruined forever."

(Bit of a shorter one today, but I needed a more relaxed chapter after the madness that came before. And this one was quite relaxing to write, I think my mental health really benefited from it!)