After taking the night to sleep and allow my confusion regarding my...feelings...for my ROB to dissipate, I decided it was time to tie up all loose ends in this universe. I'd accomplished everything I'd set out to achieve, so it was time to pull out.

My market manipulation had knocked the Korx out of their market dominion, though they still had a significant presence. At this point, I was willing to leave them alone, lest removing them entirely cause even more problems. I sold off most of my assets in the galactic market, only keeping enough to maintain a healthy income if I ever returned. I deliberately allowed the Korx to buy up some of those assets, in order to mollify them and deter them from seeking vengeance. It probably wouldn't help, but hey, I tried.

With my bank accounts settled, I also pulled my forces back and focus my operations only on the territories I had fully claimed as my own. Systems where I occupied only one planet were abandoned, all technology salvaged, recycled and/or scuttled so that no one could use it to gain a leg up on others. Any systems I abandoned that had large amounts of resources on them were surreptitiously placed in the data banks of other galactic powers as targets for future expansion, mostly because I thought people deserved to colonize them. Plus I think nothing should go to waste.

The only systems I continued to occupy outside my established territory were the core ones of the Dread Lords. After negotiating the terms of their surrender, I was not going to let them try and cheat those terms. Additionally, I also wanted to make sure no one tried to wipe the Dread Lords out, seeing how I had managed to achi be the impossible by convincing them to surrender. A large fleet was kept on standby across all Dread Lord systems, with orders to eliminate anyone who attempted to purge the Dread Lords.

Yeah, I might have been naive to assume they would keep their word, but hey, someone has to believe in the innate good of others.

Finally, I wrapped up my final aid to powers of the galaxy by secretly nudging the various research and developement groups across the galaxy toward making certain innovations I'd encountered throughout my travels. I wouldn't hand them over to the native powers, but if they figured out the underlying principles and determined the rest of the details on their own, not my problem.

With the last of my loose ends tied up, I took in one last view of the Gal Civ universe, purchased a few things I wanted, and, finally, returned to my hub universe.

XXXXXXX

Once safely back home, I began examining all my acquisitions. While Black Hole Guns, Doom Rays, and Black Hole Eruptors were all useful weapons to have, my primary interest lay in the civic techs I had acquired, especially miniaturization. Seriously, the miniaturization the major powers in this universe had achieved bordered on disbelief - they could equip weapons meant for capital ships on fighter chassis, albeit without the ability to fit much else on the ship. Combining that with miniaturization technology the Progenitors had, and I could equip those same types of weapons on INFANTRY.

Yes, I did do that. But only as specialist weapons - overkill is a thing when you want to be a hero. So no using them when civilians are/were an issue.

As for the rest of the technology, well, I mostly integrated it into existing technology, seeing how these advances, while mighty, did not supersede what I already had, but could improve it exponentially if properly integrated. The farming tech in particular was something I wanted to examine, if for no other reason then to have something to barter with if I encountered some medieval magic using civilization whose magic I would like to learn about. Hey, you have to cover all your bases, Okay?!

After that was done, I proceeded to do...a whole lot of nothing.

See, while I had pulled out of the Gal Civ universe for the foreseeable future, I was fully leaving to behind just yet. The next month would serve as a trial period, to examine how the galaxy reacted once I left, so that I could see if there were any new threats that needed to be nipped in the bud. Hopefully, without causing a new and bigger problem to show up.

I also made a point of upgrading my forces, taking in the new technologies I had acquired and incorporating them into my existing forces, as well as making new units wholesale to augment my existing ones. Tanks with Black Hole Eruptors, Sniper Bots with Doom Rays, mobile shield generators with the best shielding I could afford, the like. Idly, I wondered how broke my units would be compared to other Commanders if I met more people like me during my journey. I mean, Melissa had confirmed I was not alone on this adventure. If I met another Commander whose origins were similar to myself, would I be able to befriend them, or would war be inevitable? And if conflict proved to be necessary, would I come out on top, or become more of the dust of history?

Food for thought.

XXXXXXXXXX

My laziness also had a secondary reason for occurring: two important days were coming up that I wanted my children to experience, so that they could have at least semi-normal childhoods. As it turned out, Melissa was willing to be involved in the first one.

XXXXXXXXX

I stared at my son, trying to figure out what his choice of attire was. His siblings were also in disguise, Be they as knights, witches, dragons, pirates, robots, or the greys, yet Rory's choice still alluded me.

His chosen form was pitch black in color, and appeared to have a long, flat head, resembling a hammerhead shark, yet no eyes were on the ends of its skull. Vestigial winds were also present, though they offered me no help in determining what he was dressed as.

"...Okay, I give up. What is you costume?"

"I'm a bioraptor. I read somewhere that it was a scary movie monster."

It took me a moment to figure out what he meant, but once I did, I mentally slammed my head against a desk.

I should have figured it out the minute I thought Pitch Black and saw the hammer shaped head...

"...You didn't watch that movie, did you?"

"Well, I tried, but it took too long to load, so I just decided to watch something else."

A quick check of my database revealed that Rory had tried to watch the film a week ago, only for its loading to be delayed by...Synais?!

Wow. I didn't think he had it in him.

Oh, and it just turned seven o'clock pm.

A moment later, I felt a funny sensation behind me. Turning around, I found myself staring at Melissa and...was that a neomorph?!

...Nope, just scanned it, it's only Cassidy in a neomorph costume. Phew.

"So, you ready?"

"Yes, I am."

"Good, then let's show our children the wonders of Halloween."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yes, I took my own children out trick or treating with my ROB. No, I was not interested in her...

Well, actually, I was rather confused about how I felt toward her. I don't think you can say you're attracted to someone if you can't actually describe your feeling toward them.

Moving on, the night passed without much worth mentioning. Our children ended up with several WAGONS full of candy (Melissa had checked to see which neighborhoods on Gal Civ Earth (specifically North America) had the most candy, and had exploited the hell out of teleportation to get us to all of them). I could have used some kind of hover device instead of wagons me to carry their hauls, but sometimes, older is better. Plus people were still using wagons, so why try to stand out?

Once we'd acquired enough candy (and our children had become too tired to keep walking), we returned to my tower, sorted out all the candy collected, let our children have their shares, and after they crashed following their sugar highs, promptly logged out on our supplies of sweets - hey, it was Halloween, so why not enjoy it?

I did if any of my other companions were interested in joining in, but aside from my first three AIs and my sub Commanders, none of them took me up on the offer...okay, the five Crogenitors also joined in. At first they refused because they no longer had physical bodies. I promptly offered them access to my ectogenesis pods and the entirety of their species' genome, which the hidden Crogenitors colony had stored aboard its databanks. The refusal had quickly been retracted, and the Crogenitors had joined my AI companions as being minders for my children and Cassidy. None of them had complained about this, not even Synais or Ingto. And according to the empathic powers I had slowly been training while not leading battles, they were honest in their interest in helping me.

Moving on, following Halloween, most of my time was spent being, well, a father to my children. Sure, I made a time of new units, upgraded existing ones, and the like, but I also spent as much time as I could teaching my sons and daughters, taking them out to see movies and plays, go fishing, really anything I could do that they were interested in. Along the way, I learned more about them: Konrad, for instance, was actually an aspiring poet, while Hideki had significant skill and interest in engineering. Part of me felt bad that all of the technology I had access to rendered flesh and blood engineers obsolete. The rest of me was instead interested in trying to impart the advances in engineering I was acquiring with each universe I visited so that he would still have a place in the world (worlds?) I was going to make. Being able to do things that machines can do is always a good thing, especially if the machine is prone to breaking down.

Eventually, my interactions brought me to the most famous days of feasting, and I spared no expense to make the titular feast as extravagant as possible. And yes, Melissa, her top subordinates, and her daughter joined us.

XXXXXX

"And so, I thank thou for this wonderful life, the wonderful people in it, and the wonderful things I have done with them, amen."

"Amen."

"Amen."

"Allah Ackbar."

(Etc.)

With our thanks done, we wolfed down the massive feast before us. The turkey was the center of the feast, but I'd also acquired venison (via bow, on a literal game preserve planet, and at the cost of falling out of a tree when the deer ran into it and then getting into a fight with a surprisingly aggressive raccoon, which had been annoying as hell), some boar, and even fish, as well as assorted vegetables and pies. As opposed to the dinners I'd grown up with, where there was always some chatter between everyone at the table, this one was painfully silent, barring the occasional chat between the children or some remakes from our other assorted guests. Part of me knew it would be unlikely that chatter would return anytime soon.

After the feast was over, the children filtered out to go and play/Read/have fun, while the others attending the feast (the genetic heroes, my subordinate AIs, and Melissa's most trusted lieutenants) had taken to cleaning the table - despite the fact I had told them this was unnecessary, as I had robots ready to begin cleaning as soon as the feast was done). In moments, only myself and my ROB remained at the table.

"So," began Melissa, "why'd you invite me here?"

"One, because I don't really have any family who can come to this aside from my children, I don't have any friends who can come to it either, and I wanted to invite someone over that I actually knew."

"Okay..."

"And two... I wanted to than you."

"For What?"

"Forgiving putting me in a Commander Chasis."

"...Seriously? You're thanking me for taking you from your very good life and dumping you into a machine that will take you across the multiverse for both my own amusement and to satisfy my superiors goals?"

"Yes."

"Um, WHY?! I mean, I ruined your life."

"Yes, and I haven't forgiven you IN ANY WAY for that, but you did give me the chance to help more people than I ever would have helped in my old life."

"Well, you're welcome, but seriously, why do you keep inviting me over for stuff? I mean, what am I to you?"

"You're a...good acquaintance."

I had almost said friend, but bailed at the last moment. Acquaintance was the best word I could use at the moment that I felt was absolutely true regarding my relationship with my ROB.

"Really?"

"Yes. And if you seem to be so confused by why invite you to such special occasions, then why do you always accept? I mean, I am only your slave."

"No, you are my...servant, and refusing an offer from a subordinate is considered unbecoming for my mothers people."

"I see."

"Glad that you do. Though, I do have to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Why do you keep, well, why do you keep trying to grow stronger withojt a Commander?"

"Explain."

"Why do you invest so much time in developing your psionic and E-DNA powers, as well as your physical strengths? I mean, you're a Commander, virtually nothing in existence can challenge you."

"...Well, nature has Fischer me one thing, and that is this: no matter how strong you are, one day, something else will come along that will be able to do what you can do, but better, and once that happens, you need to adapt, or you will die out."

"I see. Any other reason?"

"One more: i just don't want to be overly dependent on just one way of fighting. I don't want to rely on Progenitor hypertech bullshit to solve all of my problems, lest I become so dependent on it that I cannot defeat a foe that can match my tech and production advantages."

"But nothing else can."

"The artifacts would beg to differ."

"...fair enough. Now, if ypu'll excuse me, I'd like to go and colored your hub universe. See what you've done so far."

"I don't mind."

"Very well, and goodbye."

XXXXXXX

Looking back, I'll admit that I wasn't expecting my skills beyond my power as a Commander to be tested so soon. To face an enemy that truly made me question my limits. To see so many things change. This had been a time when all that I worried about was an annoying ROB freeloading off of me, and even then, that wasn't such a big problem.

Funny, really, but the day of Thanksgiving, just prior to my final pull out of the Gal Civ universe, spent talking to Melissa, was the last time I was under little stress as a Commander. Goes to show how far things got warped in my next universe.

XXXXXXXX

AN: There'll be one more interlude tomorrow, then a couple of Infernopedia articles after that, before I start the Warframe arc. Please stick with me until then.

Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!