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The powerful ships had quickly managed to secure a corridor for their tower to approach, and docking with the monstrously large vessel was a simple process. As the tower slid into the cradle, the ship carrying the Shinzen slid into the one right next to it, connected to the same hangar. The four of them disembarked to cavernous hangars while the battle still raged outside, and noticed the Shinzen were happily jumping from side to side, seemingly coming back home. The word frolicking would've been appropriate to describe their actions.

The four of them were not the only ones fondly looking at the antics of the Shinzen, as someone had come to the hangar to meet them. Several someone’s. The scaled humanoid lizardfolk dressed in a rather simple garb looked more like hunters than guards, but in this case, they were obviously fulfilling the role of a guard. Guards that for some reason seemed reticent to approach the four of them. Leading these guards were two cats. Not beastmen of the cat tribe, but actual literal cats. One of them looked like a typical, if slightly large, housecat dressed like an officer, while the other one was clearly a panther dressed like a civil official. While the panther was walking normally, the other cat was perched on a hovering pillow, which immediately drew Karna’s interest.

The Panther spoke in the general language of the Divine Planes. “Greetings guests. Welcome aboard the Tal’Nachazzar. My name is Moonshadow, and this is Lilly. I’m the Ambassador of the ship, while Lilly is the personnel officer. We’ll be in charge of you for the time being. As you might guess, the ongoing battle is currently occupying the attention of our leader. Until she is available, we will see that your needs are met and perhaps we can exchange some information so we can ascertain why you are here.”

“Well met Ambassador. I am Karna, also known as Wrath, the one your AI Nox made contact with, and these are Envy, Hope, and Valor. We'll be happy to follow along with your guidance until such a time your leader is available. I must say, I'm eager to meet the Keeper." Karna responded.

The ambassador nodded. “Three of the four of you appear human, but we’ve learned that in this universe looks can be deceiving. You don’t need to tell me, but I feel obliged to ask if that is the case here as well? I’m mostly asking in case we have to make any special preparations. This battle seems to be stretching, and you might have to be here for a while.”

"As you already noted, I come from the feline tribe of Beastmen." Envy gestured to herself. "Hope here is human, while Valor would rather keep his race a secret for now. Karna is…complicated."

“Complicated?” The cat sitting on the floating pillow asked curiously.

"Strictly speaking, I'm a child born between gods, which makes me a Godling. I'm also an Aura cultivator of a very particular type, which means I am many things. There are no special considerations though." Karna summarized.

“Right. That. Gods are an actual thing in this universe. Takes a bit of getting used to.” The cat stated, more to herself than to them.

“Well, this is also a bit of a bad place if you wanted to avoid running into them, being the Divine Planes and all.” Valor suggested.

“That is what we have gathered so far. We’ve also been able to gather that things are a bit of a mess right now.” The Panther ambassador glossed over the topic for now. “Would you follow us, please. We’ll lead you to somewhere more appropriate for such discussions instead of standing in the hangars.”

As they walked through the vessel to a transit point, Envy, Hope, and Valor were a little weirded out by the geometry of the vessel. The hallways were hexagonally shaped, and the corridors had high ceilings. No doorways had doors, and many of the rooms they glanced into looked oddly empty. “The rooms rotate in the furniture and other things you need. A single room can become anything you need.” Karna explained with a whisper, already familiar with the design feature.

Her voice was caught by the Panther’s sharp ears. “You seem familiar with the design. Nox also reported that you spoke the language of the Eternal Empire.”

“I’ve been to your universe in the past.” Karna only said with a slight smile.

“If you’ve been to our universe when the Eternal Empire was around, then you’re a lot older than you look.” The cat on the floating pillow said in a clearly shocked voice.

"I think you should assume we're all older souls than we appear." Karna didn't elaborate further.

Just then the platform that had transported them from the transit station deposited them in front of what could only be described as a suite of high class, with a large meeting room as the main feature. “Perhaps you might assist us then. Arriving in this universe was relatively easy, although it happened under strange circumstances, but leaving has proven more difficult. We haven’t yet tried to force the issue with sheer power, but…”

“I might be able to assist with that yes, though we will have to negotiate the details. The process for this universe is more complicated than you’d expect.” Karna already had something to bargain with.

The group settled into the room and exchanged niceties and shared a little about themselves without going into too much detail. The ambassador was great at keeping their attention and telling stories without revealing too much. In contrast, the one known as Lilly was a gaffe machine when it came to keeping information, but she was also very entertaining and fun company. At some point, they were provided refreshments by both the AI Nox and a slightly irate Zuellni that was less than pleased the meeting wasn't taking place inside the tower.

Eventually, Karna's senses told her thing would get more interesting. "It seems the enemy has chosen to retreat for now." She informed the rest just as the AI was about to do the same.

"Good senses." The ambassador, Moonshadow, nodded toward her. "I'm good at sensory abilities myself, but even I can't sense everything that's happening outside the ship."

“I believe that’s on purpose. Or rather, the intent was that the enemy couldn’t sense inside the ship. It simply works both ways.” Karna explained, once again showing off that she knew more of the ship’s construction than those currently crewing it.

While the others couldn’t sense what happened outside the ship, they all clearly felt it as a very powerful being suddenly appeared very close to them. Whether this happened due to the ship’s system or the being’s own power was unclear. The being itself made itself known as it floated into the room. She, as the being was female, was not flying or using technology, but simply floating under her own power, as if it was the most natural thing to do.

The being was over 2,5 meters tall, roughly humanoid-shaped with long arms and legs, a dark blue skin that faded into almost white in places and almost black in others. Her head was slightly elongated compared to a human or an elf, with no visible mouth, nose, or ears. Instead of hair, the being had five long and thin tentacle-like appendages coming from the back of her head. Veins of power seemed to be running under her skin, and she seemed somehow almost intangible. The four reincarnators immediately recognized this as a quality of a being made of energy, which was standard for rank 14 beings. That also meant she was in this form out of choice, and not because she had to be. The being’s eyes, glowing with power, were currently looking at the four of them.

“I was told one of you spoke the language and even visited the Empire.” The being said in a melodic voice, speaking the same language Karna had spoken to attract the attention of the AI.

"That would be me, Honored Keeper," Karna responded with the same language and gave a polite nod, respectful but not any further. She also knew why the question had been asked. It had been done in such a way that forced her to not only speak the language but to respond in a way that couldn’t be allowed by a simple translation spell. A spell wouldn’t get the perfect emphasis on certain syllables correctly.

The being looked at Karna for a moment, and she could feel that the powerful being was looking deeper, at her soul instead of just the skin she wore. “You seem familiar indeed, though I can’t place why.” The being finally said and turned to the two felines and the guards standing by the door. “I will meet with them alone.” Her tone was that of a command, even if her word choice might have not been commanding.

As soon as the crew had left the room, the being addressed the AI. “Nox, make sure absolutely no one can hear us.”

“Done.” The AI promised.

The being then turned back to the four of them again. “This should make it possible for us to talk openly. So. Reincarnators? All four I see, since I’m able to talk about it. And one of you lived a life as one of my people.”

“That is correct Honored Keeper.” Karna allowed magic to surround her, changing her appearance to one that was very similar, but also subtly different from the powerful being. Where the being’s skin was blue, Karna’s was more gray, and her attire had seemed to morph to that of a warrior. A high-ranking one, but a warrior nonetheless. “It’s good to see at least one of the People survived, Selendil.” She addressed the being by name, having recognized the Keeper.

Karna’s appearance clearly took the being by surprise. Her eyes grew larger and her voice was a bit shaky as she spoke. “Grand Admiral Siroth.” Another realization hit her. “Siroth. Our word for Wrath. I see. I heard you announced you carry that Name. We always wondered what happened to you when you passed. The Keepers attempted to store your strategic brilliance and wisdom.”

Karna’s form changed back to her own as the spell ended. “As you might imagine, being a reincarnator isn’t exactly conducive to having an imprint of all your knowledge stored.” She smiled gently. “I was being honest. It is good to see at least one of the People survived. I returned to that universe only once after my death, and by then the Eternal Empire was no more. I wonder if you could tell me what happened.”

The being nodded and they got the distinct feeling that if she’d had a mouth, she’d be smiling. “Of course. I would like nothing more. Though I will not bore your companions with that story. I believe we’ll have to find some time to reminisce. I believe that’s not why you’re here though.”

“Before that, I want to know more about this Grand Admiral thing.” Envy interjected. “It seems to me you know each other. Not closely but still.”

"By reputation, more than anything. I think we might have met twice after you became a keeper?" Karna looked toward Selendil to check. It was always a bit awkward when you came into contact with someone you knew from a previous life, rare as it was, though luckily they had not been very familiar with Selendil.

“Thrice. We also met before, while I was still in training. The Grand Admiral was someone everyone in the Eternal Empire had heard legends about. Her success in war was unparalleled. She was sorely missed when she disappeared.” Selendil explained. “She inspired many young Dhar for thousands of years. I must admit, her exploits were one of the reasons I worked so hard as a child myself.”

“I was already quite old by the time she became a Keeper. Dhar had largely eliminated aging as a cause of death, but I decided it was time to move on.” Karna looked towards Selendil. “You’re of course not aware, but I’m somewhat of a rarity among the reincarnators in that I prefer to live shorter lives instead of sticking to every life as long as possible and trying to reach the peak of power. I find the first few centuries are usually the most interesting period anyway, and the rest is just gilding the lily so to speak.”

“Well, while I could spend the next year talking about the past and reconnecting with another Dhar, even in a new body, the enemies might return at any point. We should probably get back to the topic. I appreciate you helping the Shinzen get back to us. It feels a little like you found my lost puppy or something. However, that’s not why you’re here, is it?” Selendil returned to her earlier question.

“That is true. We’re here for two reasons. I believe you might benefit from having someone inform you what is going on in this universe, and I also have a proposition for you.” Karna admitted. “Though it might be prudent to first find out why you’re here. In this universe I mean. Pieces of the Crossroad might have ended up here by accident, but Ysendra gave me the impression that you were already traveling this way before that happened. Even more, she implied you might have been looking for me.”

“She said that?” Selendil seemed surprised by that. “Well, to be honest, we were not quite sure who we were looking for. Ysendra sent us this way with some Names, of which Wrath wasn’t one, and we got caught in the phenomenon that this universe seems to call the Expansion. We were hoping to find the person Ysendra mentioned, to assist us with a little project, but the Expansion threw another issue our way. Not only were our forces scattered, and the other Nakshatra whose name is Dee has been gathering our people, but we’re stuck here.”

“Stuck?” That caught the interest of Valor.

"Yes. There seems to be some sort of enormous magical formation that we suspect spans the entire plane, perhaps the entire universe. Worlds seem to be the focal points of this formation, and for some reason, this formation is treating this ship as one of those worlds. Because of that, the ship is stuck until we can detach it from the formation somehow." The Dhar Keeper explained.

“Huh. The pieces of Crossroads didn’t seem to have the same issue.” Hope pointed out.

“Or maybe they did, but Ysendra just chose not to tell us. Still, the Higher Planes are not as heavily influenced by the formation. Scourges and even the Wei-Jin are capable of moving worlds. I could probably do it in the Higher Planes now.” Karna speculated.

"I hasten to point out that there are no proper magic users among my crew, so that might be part of the problem," Selendil added. “We haven’t wanted to ask for help until we have to, but we ended up in a very dangerous place and the constant attacks are admittedly wearing us down.”

"I could take a look," Karna promised. "Though something like this isn't the work of a couple of days. We'll need to stick around for a while. Discovering the issue and fixing it are also separate matters."

"Understandable. But even slow progress is more than we have at the moment. I tried to forcefully move the ship and managed it to some extent, but the formation just adjusted, and now we're even more stuck. Brute force doesn't seem to be the answer and I'm concerned about trying to force it since I'm not sure of the consequences." Selendil continued. "Also, if you really are the person we came here to find, then it would be great for us if you could stick around for a time. Dee is actually the one that needs your help with a little project, and she's not here at the moment."

“What kind of project?” Karna asked the obvious.

“She has an intelligent magical item of some kind. She wants to give the identity of the item a body and a life. We managed to build a mechanical body of sort that the item is piloting, but it’s not a true body. Ysendra mentioned that you are an expert with magic of this sort.” Selendil explained.

“She’s an expert in all kinds of magic.” Envy added a little smugly.

"Hmm, I'd need to take a proper look, but it doesn't sound impossible. It would be a complex bit of soul and life magic, but it should be doable. Depends a bit on the item and the specifics of how the intelligence within is created." Karna speculated. She'd done something similar before.

“That would be excellent. Now, we’ve talked about two favors you might be doing for us. What do you want?” Selendil asked again, and this time they needed to provide an answer.

The four of them launched into the explanation of the decree handed out to the reincarnators and the political situation. It didn’t take long for Selendil to grasp what they were here for. “I see. It seems you could use the support of someone as powerful as Dee or myself. Is that the gist of it?”

“In essence, yes.” Karna made her case as simple as possible.

"Well, one of us will have to stay to protect the ship, but I believe the other one could help you. If for no other reason than just to have a bit of fun. I know Dee at least came to the Crossroads partly to seek adventure, and I know I'd like to see more of this universe. There is also the fact that if the position you're fighting for really has the kind of authority you're implying, then it could solve this problem as well." She waved to the ship around her. "And we wouldn't want someone wrong to take the position either. You're of course aware that we'd be monitoring you to make sure you're not a wrong kind of person either, right?"

“Of course.”

"Then I believe there might be an agreement we could reach," Selendil promised.