The next morning came with a new feeling... freedom.
Zen stood in his familiar apartment, but it didn't feel the same. On the hologram before him, the official confirmation of his resignation from Neuralis Core was displayed. He closed it without a shred of regret. His gaze shifted to another window... one showing the completed data transfer of the "original Eidolon" to Solendel's private server.
His old life was over... and a new one was about to begin.
He raised his wrist, activating the holographic communication system, and contacted the only other co-founder in this solar system. The hologram of Zaria appeared, looking as bright and energetic as ever.
"Zaria... I've resigned," Zen said, his first words.
Zaria smiled warmly from the other end, as if she had been waiting to hear just that. "You've made your decision... I've taken care of all the preliminary paperwork. 'Solendel Corporation' has been officially founded... Congratulations, Mr. President... Zencal Kaelen."
Hearing his full name in this new capacity felt a little strange, but it was a good feeling. "Thanks, Zaria," he smiled back. "I want to start our project as soon as possible... I want to see the 'home' of Solendel... Aegis Terra-03. Can you..."
"I figured you'd say that," Zaria interjected. "Don't worry. Come to my place. My private ship is ready for departure at a moment's notice."
Zaria's private spacecraft was sleeker and more advanced than any public vessel Zen had ever been on. The interior was decorated with simple elegance, reflecting its owner's taste. Zaria sat across from him, her eyes sparkling as she spoke of their future plans.
"We have everything we need there, Zen. The lab, the high-energy forge, and most importantly... the prototype of the Runic Power Core my father secretly developed is already there."
The journey across space was long and peaceful, with only the light of distant stars shining through the ship's viewport. Looking out, Zen felt the vastness of the universe and his own smallness within it. The physical and mental exhaustion that had accumulated over the past few weeks began to wash over him.
"Get some rest, Zen," Zaria said gently. "Our journey... has only just begun."
Zen nodded, collapsing into the passenger seat that reclined almost parallel to the floor. He slowly closed his eyes, letting his consciousness drift away into the silence between the stars...
Darkness... and silence...
That was the first thing ÆLYA's sensory system could process after being in emergency stasis for over seven standard hours. Then, a small spark in her thought circuits flickered to life. The soft blue light from her optical sensors began to blink rapidly, pushing back the darkness.
The first image her system could focus on was a twisted, scorched metal ceiling of an underground maintenance tunnel. Fine metallic dust rained down on her, followed by the sound of coolant dripping from a ruptured pipe above... drip... drip...
Suddenly, internal system alerts overlaid her vision. System Warning: Structural Integrity 17%. Reserve Power: 3.8% (Critical). Thermal Regulation: Offline. Primary Weapon Systems: Unresponsive.
...Danger... The thought processed automatically.
She tried to access her final memory logs. The fractured, static-filled images flashed in her mind... flames... screams... and the last, clearest image of Ronan's back... her father... just before his core data was destroyed. And that memory brought with it the most important realization...
...The Collective Core Data...
It was still with her... The last hope of her people was still safe in the energy core in her chest.
The mission had changed. It was no longer about escape... it was about survival.
ÆLYA struggled to push her battered body up. The servo-joints in her left arm screeched horribly. She slowly dragged her nearly-wrecked body through the metal debris as quietly as possible.
Must repair... must find power...
She forced her remaining energy to activate a short-range scanner. A thin blue laser swept slowly across her hiding place. Material detected: High-density titanium alloy (Compatibility 78%).
Her first target. She crept toward a large structural support beam that had been broken in half. The five fingers of her right hand began to reconfigure, transforming into countless nano-drills that spun at high speed before digging into the surface of the beam. The sound of grinding metal was soft. Fine metal powder was extracted and absorbed through nano-tubes in her palm, feeding into her body's internal matter-converter system.
A warm feeling began to flow through her damaged circuits... Structural Integrity: 17.5%... 18%...
It was a slow and painful restoration, but for ÆLYA... it was a light of hope... a light that shone from the wreckage of despair.