Epilogue
Somewhere else entirely, four figures stood in a darkened stone chamber. A single torch failed to light the cavernous throne room, merely silhouetting those present against the darkness and sparking faint glints from the gems set into the throne.
"My Lord, the accounts we opened in their computer network have been closed." The technician stood straight, but somehow managed to give the impression of cringing. His hereditary lord and leader was not one to take failure lightly, regardless of whether the one who had failed could have done anything about it.
This time, at least, he was lucky. The leader of the Nocturnus flicked a dismissive hand. "No matter. We have the information we needed from Earth. The Knuckles tribe has dwindled to a lone survivor, and not even a memory of Nocturnus remains." His eyes glinted with satisfaction beneath his tall headdress, the only visible part of the being within the purple robes.
"Will the knowledge from the Gizoid be a problem, my lord?" That was another speaker, a female lieutenant who was currently high in favor. Too idealistic, the technician thought, to realize how often their leader lied, or what his real plans were. Brave enough to challenge him when she learned the truth, although it would certainly mean her death. But the leader was raising an eyebrow at him, so he hastened to answer.
"No, Procurator Shade. The Gizoid has destroyed itself completely, so they can learn nothing of us from it or its remains. The peculiarities of that particular model mean that it could not access its memories without being fully awakened, and this 'Doctor Eggman' human ensured that it had no chance to divulge anything about its past once it was awakened."
"Well enough," rumbled their lord, rapping the butt of his staff on the floor. "See to it that nothing of the forgotten Gizoid gets leaked to that traitor Nestor. And continue with our plans. We do, after all, have all the time we need, while theirs is running out without their knowing it."
"Yes, Lord Ix." The technician bowed low, and retreated as quickly as he dared.
"Yes, Lord Ix," Shade echoed, and left the chamber with the easy stride of one who was confident in her position. The golden form of a Gizoid paced silently behind her.
The one left behind fingered the toothed crescent that topped his staff. The crescent moon for the Nocturnus, the teeth of a gear to symbolize their superiority over the blunt, brute force of their enemies. "So Pachacamac," he murmured, "you would not admit our superiority before, and placed so much faith in your precious power stones. Yet who still lives, while your warriors and cities are gone to dust and ruin, and human animals pretend to civilization across the globe? I think the power stones, the 'Chaos Emeralds' as they name them now, will come to us as the gods intended. But not quite yet." He pondered a few moments as he settled onto his throne. "No, not yet. There are a few more preparations to make . . . ."