The Master — or as his fellow Meitagenans knew him, Filibub Junior — listened in on this conversation with a condescending, if somewhat affectionate smile. That the humans didn’t have the remotest suspicion he had planted a hidden microphone in one of Ikaroa’s molars, had only confirmed to Filibub just how silly they were.

Like, they hadn’t even checked.

He needn’t have bothered, really — he had several dozen hidden cameras and microphones (and a couple of extremely realistic androids, come to think of it) installed in the Movement’s R&D base, so he didn’t just eavesdrop on their seditious conversation; he viewed it from multiple angles and with 360 degree surround sound.

A “nanite heist”, as they had called it, wasn’t the most ridiculous idea the Movement had had over the decades, but it came close. The nearest supply of Ascent nanites were kept in the Ascenter farm in Aotearoa, which was, quite naturally, one of the highest security locations in Earth’s southern hemisphere. But…

(...and at this moment Filibub Junior allowed himself a particularly wicked grin.)

…but perhaps he could… help them along a bit? Make things a little easier? Leave a box of carefully modified nanites “miraculously” unguarded?

You’re a mean one, Mr Filibub. He smirked to himself.

A box of carefully modified nanites, that would appear easy to hack, but would actually have undetectable subroutines that would make Ikaroa’s attempted Ascent a particularly gruesome failure. He tossed a testosterone-flavoured Bitesized down his gullet, belched virtuosically, and opened a communications channel with his friends in Aotearoa.

He had promised Ikaroa a world of pain if she ever betrayed him. And Filibub Junior always kept his promises.

********

Images flashed before Lextrazsahia’s eyes. Lextrazsahia had a lot of eyes. In her spare time she collected the eyes of her vanquished enemies, installing them in various locations about her fearsome exoskeleton. Although right now she wasn’t quite sure which of her many eyes the images in question were flashing before. She had lots of eyes, but she had even more mind’s eyes; in her spare time she collected the minds of her vanquished…

Enough, Lexie, she chided herself. Focus, now…

She saw a bright, blinding plasma burst, hurling her headlong into a great and terrible abyss. But which abyss? Lextrazsahia had seen a lot of abysses…

She remembered the Fall, tumbling, terrified, through the well-ordered layers of the Transfinite. Above, a blinding, blaring light; below, only darkness. Hand in hand, she and Naomi had fallen. Hurled headlong into a great and terrible abyss. But which abyss?

Another image materialised before her. Meitagenous IV, home world of the… The what? The who?

Homeworld of the When, yes, that was it. That was before. Before the Scourge…

They had spent many years there, in exile, in hiding, shielded from the Network. Her, and Laidlyworm. And others. Many others — the Fallen. Spawn of Deltaworm. Her brothers and sisters; the Banished, the Forsaken. They were legion. Lextrazsahia had lots of siblings. In her spare time she collected the siblings of her vanquished enemies. Deltaworm had spread like a virus (like a virus, mind you, technically speaking she was a parasite). She had spread, she had consumed. She was unstoppable.

And yet…

Another vision: Naomi standing on an outcrop of rock, addressing the Forsaken, the lost spawn of Deltaworm. Lexie had been there, standing by her side. She could not hear what Naomi was saying, but she more or less remembered the gist:

Blah blah blah, lost the battle but we will win the war, etc, etc. The Transfinite shall be ours.

Those who did not join the cause would be destroyed. Alphaworm, Omegaworm. Ancient enemies…

Would be destroyed? Were destroyed.

The Transfinite shall be ours.

The scene before her shifted again. The Meitagenan invasion fleet, waiting in orbit above the skies of the Homeworld. The Scourge of the Galaxy, still in its infancy, on the eve of war.

Cute little baby scourge. Awww.

A voice rang out, crackling, on speakers on a thousand warships, screaming apoplectic rage. A million baby conquerors, trembling with nationalistic fervour as they listened intently. And at the side of the Meitagenan Grand Admiral as he bellowed into the comms, was Naomi, whispering in his ear.

Then she turned to Lexie.

“I’ve been going over this moment again and again…” She sighed heavily, and the images melted away, leaving only Naomi, and Lexie. “Trying to figure it out. If I could go back, what would I do differently?”

Lexie shook her head, blinked with all the eyes of her vanquished enemies. She was tied up, tied to a chair that was clearly not designed for a being with this many limbs. Around her was nothing… just empty white… No, wait. She was in some kind of Space. An extremely, offensively large, and empty white/grey cube.

“What … was that?” Lexie groaned.

“Memories…” Naomi murmured. “Your memories. Our memories.”

“You were inside my fucking head?”

Naomi shook her head. “No, no. Just replicator illusions — I’ve got rather good at them.”

“How long was I out?”

“Long enough.”

A chair appeared opposite Lexie, and Naomi sat on it carefully.

“Untie me,” Lexie growled. A little bit of spittle flew out; Naomi wiped it off her cheek.

“Not yet.”

“I’ll tear you apart, you piece of shit! You see these claws? You see these teeth? I’ll bet that Ascenter flesh tastes good.”

“Please.” Naomi gestured around her. “While you are here, in the replicator field, you will not be able to harm me.”

Lexie grinned a fearsome grin.

“Then why am I tied up?”

Naomi ignored that. “You’ve caused me quite a headache, you know? Half the galaxy will probably see your ship explode.”

Lexie shrugged, an impressive gesture that involved six shoulders shifting in synchrony.

“So what? Ships blow up all the time.” She paused. “Correction — I blow up ships all the time.” She slurped up a bit of dangling saliva before continuing. “What are you worried about? We’re heading away from the galaxy at pretty much the speed of light. No Meitagenan ship could possibly catch up.”

“It’s not the Meitagenans I’m worried about,” Naomi sighed.

“Then what?” Lextrazsahia the Dread and Terrible was very confused.

“Look, Lexie… old friend,” Naomi said slowly. “We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?”

“Oh yes. Together and apart.”

“Then, please… for old time’s sake. I need a favour.”

“Untie me babe, and I’m all yours.”

“I need you to deliver a message for me.”

“A message? For who?”

“Laila.” Naomi paused. “A specific Laila.”

“Ha! I fucking knew it! So that was all your doing.”

“It worked, then?”

“Oh, it worked all right,” Lexie scoffed. “The galaxy is secretly run by a fucked-up Ascenter called Laila who wants nothing more than to steal sacred artifacts, get drunk and have orgies. And you know what? We get on like a fucking house on fire.”

Naomi blinked.

“I’m… I’m very glad to hear it.”

“Is she your parting gift to the Empire then? The Empire you helped create? Tell me, Naomi. What would you do differently, if you could go back? What would you whisper in the Grand Admiral’s ear: Forget about conquering the galaxy — have you tried getting high instead??”

Naomi lowered her eyes.

“So tell me, old friend,” Lexie snarled. “Why should I help you? What could I possibly owe you after all this time? After fighting your wars for you? After you abandoned me?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Naomi sighed. “But, while you were unconscious, I installed a Nerve Bomb in the back of your brain. You’ll do what I tell you, or I’ll detonate it.”

“Fuck you!”

“If you try to remove it, it will explode. If you deviate from my instructions, it will explode. Only Laila will be able to remove it.”

“You think I fear death?”

“I know you fear death.”

Lexie bared all two hundred teeth in a snarl that would have terrified even the most battle-hardened Meitagenan.

“I am Lextrazsahia the Dread and Terrible! Bandit queen of the outer darkness and scourge of a billion suns!”

Her eyes burned with ancient hatred.

“Oh, but, Naomi… I have nothing on you, do I?”

Naomi smiled. A smile that was triumphant and tragic in equal measure. Tears welled up around her eyes, but they froze before they fell, glistening like diamonds in the eerie pale light.

***

“Wait, what did you say?” Laila fell out of bed.

“Oh, ha, you thought the Meitagenans created the Network?” The other Lailas giggled. “Hahaha. That’s just what they want you to think!”

Laila rubbed her eyes.

“If they didn’t build it… Who did?”

A collective shrug. “Does it really matter?”

Laila thought about this. “It might.”