Chapter 11

Smoke still rose here and there across the peninsula but most of what we saw was dull grey ash. It blew up in a cloud as we landed, and we waited a few moments for it to blow away before disembarking.

Drusera looked around sadly.

"W-where are all the trees?"

"This is what the Dominion does. They had no use for it and did not want us to use it, so they burned it all."

"How cruel."

"They did this to my entire world." Arwicks voice was tight with suppressed rage. "I can never forgive them for what they did to our planet and sought to do to Myala."

His hands clenched tightly as his jamadars appeared in them. The double bladed fist daggers glowed redly against the ash. Then he realized what he was doing and forced his hands to relax and return the blades to his digital storage.

Myala stroked his long hair reassuringly. "We'll return to Arboria someday, honey."

"I know, beloved. I just cannot deny this rage I feel."

"I would never ask that of you, Arwick." She looked around the ruined landscape to the cybernetic wreckage of Elderroot. "So much we could have learned from so ancient a tree."

Then she blinked. She looked at the remains, her cat ears quivering and her tail lashing. Then she began determinedly marching towards the pile of eldan metal, beckoning us after her.

We trooped through the ashes to the metal mask that had once been Elderroots "Face", and Myala walked through the open mouth into the burned-out wreckage before dropping to her knees in a small puddle of light that penetrated the scorched metal.

I scooted behind her to see what she was looking at,

There, poking up from the ashes a few new shoots were growing up and spreading leaves. She spread her hands on either side of them as a faint green glow appeared around her hands.

"He still lives. He is wounded, but his roots remain and in time he will regrow."

Drusera nodded. "I sense much Primal Life spread throughout the earth." She reached down to touch the earth. "I sense he is sleeping. Healing. In time, he will awaken."

Tears streamed down Myala's face. "Thank the Mother Tree."

Arwick stepped behind her and knelt to twine his tail with hers.

"Life finds a way. Beloved. Life always finds a way."

"Yes. Yes, it does. And we too will find a way." The determination in her voice was unshakable.

Our escort straightened to military attention at Myala's words, looking proud to serve her.

I stood, letting Arwick see me miming throwing up a comsat and pointed to Myala and miming a hug before quietly leaving the wreckage with Drusera and the guards in tow. They guarded the pathway to the interior while studiously ignoring the sounds of Myala's relived sobs. I gave em a thumbs up and quietly moved a little way out from the wreckage to set up the first com.

"She… inspires?"

"That she does, my dear. That's why I love her."

"But you will not say you love her?"

"Words cannot always say what is in your heart. All I can show her is my actions."

"You love her, but cannot say it?"

"I- I learned that words can be used as weapons. That they can lie. But actions never do. She knows my love and why I cannot say the words so easily. I had someone who treated me like the Entity does you. I know why you are scared, why you hesitate. I've been there myself, with my own version of him."

Drusera gave me a sad look. I gave her a small smile as my com beeped. I looked at the reading and stood, taking Drusera's hand and leading her to the other side of the small hill and what my satcom's sensors had found.

There among the ashes a small shoot had pushed up from the ground.

I knelt to look at it. Drusera hovered nearby and smiled.

"Life… regrows."

"Yup. And as it regrows, it will be without the machinery the Eldan shoved into the trees. Give it a century, and a pristine forest will cover this land, free from the meddling of the Eldan." I stood and spread my hands to indicate the ashes. "The destruction of the old to make way for the new. It may be a tragedy now. But in time it will become a miracle."

"Destruction can… make miracles?" She seemed dubious.

"It can. It always hurts for a time. But the hurt can heal, and new growth can blossom."

"I… will have to reflect on this."

We traveled towards our original shuttle landing point to place the second satcom. Along the way we found dozens more tiny sprouts among the ashes and charred Eldan tech. After we set up the secondary satcom and headed back, Drusera twined her tail around mine and said hesitantly. "I remember what the Eldan were doing here. They sought the knowledge to create sentience. Elderroot was the result."

"So they twisted a whole forest to create a single intelligence?"

"Yes." She hung her head, "It was an early step in creating me."

"At least something good came of it."

"Did it?"

"Of course it did! You came from it!"

Drusera looked conflicted, "There is much you do not know."

"Drusera, there is nothing you can do or say that will convince me you are anything but a miracle."

Drusera stopped, her tail unwinding from mine, the air heavy with tension as she stepped back. She waved her hand, and a glowing rift appeared before us, its light shimmering in the cool twilight of Nexus.

Her voice was hesitant, tinged with both fear and hope.

"Will you still say that once you know the truth?" Her eyes searched mine, uncertain.

Without hesitation, I stepped closer to her, my voice firm and unwavering.

"Of course I will!" I met her gaze, locking my eyes with hers. "You're not the Eldan's creation, Drusera. You are who you choose to be. And that's more than enough."

Her eyes dimmed, her tail twitching restlessly as she looked at the portal. Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper.

"I want to believe... But I'm so afraid..." Her tail curled tightly against her body, and she couldn't tear her gaze from the rip in the air. The portal seemed to call to her, pulling her toward confronting the very parts of herself she had buried for so long.

A long pause. I could see the conflict in her eyes—torn between the urge to face the truth and the fear of what it might mean. She took a step back, almost retreating from the portal.

Her voice quivered. "The first step lies there. It's dangerous. I don't control that place..." Her words landed between us like a heavy stone.

My heart ached seeing Drusera so vulnerable. I could feel the urge to reach out, to take her hand and reassure her that everything would be okay, but I knew this was something she had to face alone. Still, I stepped closer, my voice warm yet unyielding.

"I understand your fear. But I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to face this alone, Drusera. Whatever happens, we're in this together."

Drusera's eyes flicked to mine, then back to the portal. Her fear was palpable in the air between us.

"I... I don't know if I can control what happens when I step through," she murmured, almost to herself. "The Eldan left their mark on everything here. This place—it's tied to my creation. I am... the product of their madness. It hasn't been visited in centuries."

I stepped even closer, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. My voice was steady, filled with quiet confidence.

"You're not their product anymore, Drusera. You're your own. You've already shown me that." I squeezed her shoulder lightly, willing her to feel the truth in my words. "You're not their creation, Drusera. You're who you've become since then—the woman you've chosen to be. You're a miracle, remember? Not a monster."

Drusera took a step forward, her tail flicking nervously, then turned to face me one last time.

"Are you ready?" Her voice was stronger now, despite the tremor of uncertainty still lingering.

My response was calm, determined, and full of quiet assurance. "As ready as I'll ever be. Just let me tell Arwick what's up."

I pulled out my comm and messaged Arwick: Drusera has something to show me. Be back soonest.

Before he could order me not to go, we stepped through the portal.

We emerged into what appeared to be an Eldan facility. We were surrounded by a ring of green holograms, their symbols fuzzy and shifting. Beyond this holographic barrier, various machines stood, and green light pulsed from panels in the walls. A corridor led deeper into the facility.

"The Eldan strived for but one purpose on Nexus: to create the Genesis Prime."

"You mean everything on this planet was simply to make you?"

"Yes. There's something here I need to show you, but the exo-lab systems are offline. You'll have to restart everything first."

She floated over to an oddly shaped hexagonal panel set before a computer core with glowing red lights. She reached out to touch it, and I heard a soft whirring noise as various panels around the room lit up. Then a vaguely conical device materialized beside the screen. It bobbed for a second, then stabilized. A figure of an Eldan male projected from the top.

Unlike Drusera, he appeared muscular, broad-shouldered, dressed in a similar hooded robe. The face beneath the hood was stern, with circuit traces descending from eyes that seemed filled with madness—and he was red.

Arwick had warned me about this guy—the Nexus planetary A.I. The Caretaker. Normally green, articulate, and helpful, but when he was red… his insane side came out.

"Non-Eldan primal pattern detected! Your presence in this facility is not authorized!" He glared at me with wild eyes. "Security protocols active! And very, very angry! Now die, if you'd be so kind!"

Drusera appeared before me, blocking the red lightning that shot from the Caretaker's hand. A symbol floated above her head—two chevrons pointing to either side, their upper arms longer than their lower.

"Oh no!" she cried. "I didn't expect this! I'll handle the Prime Security Avatar, but the security bots are going to be a problem!"

I pulled out my pistols. "I'll deal with them."

There was a hum as small portals opened around the room, and Eldan security drones materialized. I dodged the initial blasts and started picking them off one by one.

"We need to trick the system into thinking you're an Eldan! I need the nanomodules from the constructs first, though!" Drusera cried as two larger mechs emerged from hatches on either side of the room.

The Caretaker, lightning still crackling from his fingers, glared at Drusera. "Your pattern is unique, familiar even. Who are you?"

"Don't you remember me?"

I dodged a swinging fist from one of the mechs and poured fire into the chest plate's glowing core. Ten shots in, and it finally fell, sparking. Then I dimension-stepped across the room to engage the second.

The Caretaker responded to Drusera as I fought. "Should I? Your attempts to control my systems are intriguing, if somewhat ineffectual."

"I'm just getting started!"

"Entry to Exo-lab Prime is forbidden!"

"I'll see about that!" Drusera shot a beam of blue lightning that began pushing the Caretaker back.

I eliminated the second mech and started digging through it for the nanomodules. Once I had one, I moved to retrieve the module from the first mech.

"I will not allow you or that spellslinger to enter!" the Caretaker screamed.

Drusera's lightning continued to push him back as his hologram flickered. The Caretaker's figure dissolved into static.

"Hurry! While he's rebooting, we need to use those modules to fake an Eldan Primal pattern for you!" Drusera darted to a secondary terminal and pointed to a slot. "Put the modules there and I'll forge a new entry for you!"

A voice echoed from the screen: "Override accepted. New entry for Valya Moonbreeze accepted."

"It worked!" Drusera said excitedly. "Now to make the system think you're Eldan!"

She went back to the main panel, and I noticed the Caretaker's hologram device was still struggling to reboot.

"There! Now the system should think you're an administrator."

The panel spoke: "Access to Exo-lab authorized."

The Caretaker reappeared, "Now, where were we? Hmm? It appears your credentials have been… authorized?" He froze, screaming, "Critical failure! Error detected!" Then he dropped to the floor and winked out.

A data cube appeared over the now completely green computer core. Drusera pointed at it, and I grabbed it. Scanning it with my comm, I read the contents:

Within this facility, we will achieve the single greatest accomplishment in the history of the Eldan: the creation of the Genesis Prime. Even with their vast knowledge, the Eldan have struggled to create the necessary technology. But I have come to an agreement with an… interested party. The required designs will be available soon. —Jariel the Archon

Drusera sighed. "This is where I was created. The Genesis Mainframe is in the next room."

We moved on, and when we reached the next room, another offline computer sat waiting.

"We need to find a way to activate the primal sequences generator," Drusera said. "But be careful—no one's been in this lab in a long time."

I hunted through the room for control panels and activated them. Once the generator powered up, the computer came online, and I grabbed another data cube.

Beyond these doors lies the protoplasmic resonator, a machine so complex, even I do not yet completely understand it. Once activated, it will fill the six vessels with massive amounts of primal energy, deconstruct their primal matrices, and reconstruct them into one being. It is truly an extraordinary piece of technology. I have pressed the Archon to reveal where he acquired the designs, but he has vehemently refused to do so. —Vorion the Maker

We moved through a teleporter into a massive chamber. Across a yawning chasm, a bridge of green light led to a platform surrounded by six pedestals. Above, a fractal pattern of energy foci pointed toward the center.

Drusera hovered to the center of the platform. "This is where I was created. Everything the Eldan did on Nexus was for my creation. This is the center of the planet. The Genesis Chamber."

She pointed to a floating data cube beside her. I collected it and read:

It appears the Eldan have been successful in their efforts to create the Genesis Prime, a being they've named Drusera after the oldest and most powerful goddess in their pantheon. Once she is fully trained, she will have the power to do… well… just about anything. I suppose. She is also quite a pleasant individual, which seems like a beneficial trait if one is, for all intents and purposes, a god. —The Caretaker

"Congratulations, intruder," the Caretaker's voice echoed all around. "I have reasserted control of this facility and have taken this opportunity to overload the generator. Have a nice death!"

Drusera looked distraught. "I thought we had taken care of him! I'm too drained to fight him again. We must leave!" She waved her hand, and another portal opened, but she staggered from the strain. I went to catch her, but she flickered out. Grimacing, I dove through the portal as it started to close.

I landed next to our flyer. Arwick and Myala looked relieved to see me. Myala glanced around, her eyes searching.

"Where's Drusera?"

"She's resting. Two portals wore her out." I tried to keep my voice calm, but I couldn't hide the worry in my chest.