The SFS Valiant was nothing like Octavia had ever seen before. As the second largest vessel of the Federation Navy, it had to house the population of a small city at the best of times just to keep everything running smoothly. As it stood, when Octavia and the crew of Longsword 771 transferred to the Valiant above the Federation military complex of Garbonix Prime, they had taken on the entirety of the Federation’s infantry reserves, filling the enormous ship to the absolute brim with people. The sheer amount of population combined with the fact that the crew usually had to spend several weeks or months at a time between opportunities for shore leave meant that the ship had a distinct need for amenities and entertainment.

As Octavia stepped out of one of the arterial hallways into the open plaza, her uncovered eyes were assaulted by the artificial sunlight streaming through the skylight above, causing her to squint against the harsh light. As her eyes adjusted, she took in the sights and the sounds of the busy area, designed to look like a human promenade. There was a central avenue paved with interlocking bricks and decorated with fountains and shrubbery, flanked on either side by two levels of storefronts and restaurants. The second floor featured a balcony that overlooked the central avenue, interspersed with several footbridges that crossed from one side of the second floor to the other.

The sounds of bird calls and the gentle gusting of wind emanated from hidden speakers throughout the planters of the avenue like phantom voices hidden beneath the churning sea of people. There were humans, alari, amaranthians and ryjax as far as the eye could see, tucked in this way and that in various storefronts and restaurants as they conversed with one another. The vast majority of them were decorated in Federation blue in one way or another, many wearing dress-downs and casual wear, but Octavia spied several uniforms amongst them.

“Well this is elaborate,” Mack commented with an awestruck voice, “I’ve always wanted to visit one of these shipboard promenades.”

“Does it live up to your expectations?” Vita remarked curiously.

“It’s actually bigger than I expected,” Mack admitted through a short bark of laughter.

Octavia’s eye twitched slightly as she regarded the sea of people in front of her, her gaze flicking to the myriad of signs and displays along the fronts of the buildings. There were cafes, bookshops, restaurants, VR arcades, and overall a little of everything. Something itched through the side of her head as a phantom memory bled through her neurolink; a similar street on a human planet she had never visited, its blue sky looming overhead with nary a cloud to be seen, an older man with her fleshy hand in his.

Octavia forced the foreign memory out of her head with a brief shake of her head, bringing herself back to the present with the motion. She found herself vaguely surprised to see her own furred hand at her side rather than the pale flesh-covered hand of her memory, but she swallowed the confusion and fixed her gaze towards the staircase to her side. The holographic projection in her retinal display was leading her to the address in the promenade, which took her up the stairs to the second floor.

“Hey, babe, make sure to swing by one of the cafes on the way out of here - I’ve been missing good old fashioned donuts lately,” Mack remarked eagerly.

“Will do,” Octavia replied with a smile, “I’ll even get something caffeinated and disgustingly sugary for you.”

“You’re the best,” Mack praised.

Octavia spotted the end of her navigational hologram in front of a nondescript storefront without any windows, a sign above the door written in Amaranthian proclaimed it as The Desert’s Bounty. She didn’t see her dinner date in front of the building, so she paused for a moment to glance from left to right before she gripped the handle of the door and pulled. She was immediately greeted by the scent of cooking meats and root vegetables, a wave of nostalgia crashing into her with all the subtlety of a freight train as she stepped inside.

The restaurant was a dull and quiet affair, laid out in a simple symmetrical square with six undecorated columns flanking a black carpet from the front door to the featureless back wall. The walls, ceiling and columns had been painted a matte mulberry, and the floor was composed of silver metal tiles that did little to spruce up the place. Several wrought metal tables and chairs provided the only decorated aspect of the restaurant, masterfully crafted by amaranthian metalsmiths to make each piece of furniture a work of art itself. Only two of the tables were occupied.

At one table sat a black-furred amaranthian in an unzipped blue mechanic’s jumpsuit, revealing a modest white t-shirt underneath. He was no older than Octavia, and was currently eating a positively tantalizing dish consisting of seared meat and vegetables served on top of a dense flatbread. She immediately recognized the composition of kjolden, one of her favorite childhood dishes, and she was surprised to find that she was actively drooling at the sight. Octavia had to focus on keeping her mouth closed as she swallowed her own spit, trying not to look like an idiot in front of the other occupant of the room.

“Guardian Tiberius,” Admiral Felix greeted as he stood up, the seven-foot tall amaranthoid positively towering over her as he crossed the room to greet her. He held his metallic hand out to her as his segmented features shifted into a smile, “Glad you could join me.”

“Glad you invited me, sir,” Octavia replied politely, reaching out to grip his hand in her own. She gave the metal limb a firm shake, but even her cybernetically enhanced strength was pathetic in comparison to the perfect death machine in front of her. Their hands parted quickly after the shake as Admiral Felix gestured to the bare back wall.

“Have you connected yet?” he asked as he began leading Octavia towards the rear of the storefront.

“Not yet,” Octavia admitted awkwardly. She reached through her neurolink and found the store’s portable network instantly like a beacon of the brightest lighthouse on a dark and misty shore. Her request to join the network hung in the air for a moment, pending approval as she crossed the carpet to the far wall.

Octavia’s retinal display pulsed once in a flash of mulberry, and as the flash faded away the world around her lit up in a brilliant display. Holographic advertisements appeared along the walls, displaying high-resolution examples of dishes and drinks that were available. The columns in the center of the restaurant lit up as a multitude of house banners flickered into view, the eclectic collection of house banners representing all of the most recognizable amaranthian houses in the Empire. She even saw the banners for house Tiberius proudly displayed front and center for all to see, as well as a high-definition bust of Empress Tiberius herself on full display.

The suddenly lively and brightly decorated storefront was both an assault on her eyes and a welcome change as the familiarity of the amaranthian network began to flood her senses once again. A neon blue amaranthian appeared in the chair across from the black-furred male she had seen on the way in, the two obviously sharing a private discussion as they shared the dish between them. She averted her eyes from their table, turning her attention to the digital menu that took up the entirety of the back wall.

“Ahhhh,” Vita sighed loudly, the purple amaranthian stepping into Octavia’s view with her arms stretched skywards, “I have missed amaranthian networks, let me tell you,” she exclaimed enthusiastically, coming to a stop next to Octavia.

“Well, this is weird,” Mack commented, causing Octavia to whirl around in shock. Standing in front of her was a holographic yellow human, still wearing the same tank top and pants as Octavia remembered from her digital mind space. Mack had her arms extended and was looking at the array of black tattoos breaking up the yellow of her holographic form, twisting her hands this way and that as she regarded herself.

“Mack!” Octavia exclaimed breathlessly, her eyes wide as dinner plates as her vision settled on the form of her dead girlfriend in realspace for the first time since Destiny.

“Guardian Tiberius, is there something you should be telling me?” Admiral Felix asked with a concerned tone, turning on the spot to regard the two DIs that had appeared alongside Octavia.

Octavia stammered for a moment, her attention tortuously divided between the mind-boggling sight of Mack appearing before her on the amaranthian network as a DI, and the concerned features cresting Admiral Felix’s face. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound as she grasped for words before she finally shut her mouth with a distinct clack and turned her attention towards the Admiral.

“No, sir,” she reported, shaking her head once, “Nothing to report.”

The Admiral didn’t seem convinced by her response, but he didn’t press the matter, instead turning his gaze back towards the menu in front of them. Octavia spared one more glance at the holographic version of Mack before she turned her attention to the menu as well, pushing the conflicting thoughts out of her mind for the moment. She didn’t need to regard the menu for long as she hastily put in her order for a plate of kjolden and a sparkling beverage. The holographic menu dinged with a joyful tone at her input, then her retinal display lit up with a transparent marker above her designated table.

She didn’t notice what the Admiral had ordered, but she noticed that he was looking at her expectantly by the time she was done, so she quickly turned and led the way to their table. She pulled her chair back and took a seat with a quiet sigh as Vita took the seat to one side of her. Mack hesitantly took the seat on her other side before her features shifted into a look of surprise.

“I actually feel the chairs?” Mack reported in an astonished tone. She shifted her rump on the chair for a moment, rocking back and forth before her expression shifted from shock to joy, “This is awesome!”

Mack’s outburst caused Admiral Felix’s expression to sour as he took his seat across from Octavia, his mechanical gaze locked firmly on the holographic human. Anxiety began to build within Octavia’s stomach, rising to her chest until she felt like she was going to struggle to breathe. It took all of her focus to not hyperventilate as her heart fluttered deafeningly within her chest, the sensation of her pulse in her temple driving a headache through her mind.

The tension was palpable as Mack stopped shuffling and raised her gaze to look first at Octavia’s nervous expression, then over at Vita’s awkward look. Finally she turned her gaze towards the Admiral with a raised eyebrow, visibly oblivious. She opened her mouth for a moment, closed it, then finally spoke up, “Did I do something wrong here?”

Admiral Felix’s expression softened slightly, the officer slowly leaning back in his chair as he regarded the three women in front of him. His eyes flicked from Vita to Octavia and finally settled on Mack. After a moment he shook his head.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he replied politely before his eyes turned pointedly towards Octavia, “But you…”

“Admiral…” Octavia began pleadingly.

“Octavia, I understand that the neurolink provided to royalty is considerably more advanced than what a typical amaranthian has access to, but that doesn’t change the fact that neurolinks are not designed to house more than one DI at any given time. How long have you been overclocking?” the amaranthoid asked firmly as he crossed his arms in front of him, his features shifting into a displeased look.

“Since Destiny, sir,” Octavia replied quietly, resting her forearms on the table as she deflated in her seat slightly.

“You’ve been overclocking for three weeks?” the Admiral asked, the shock clear in his voice.

“Yes, sir,” Octavia admitted, her eyes falling to her hands as her pulse pounded at the back of her head, her cheeks heating up as blood raced to her face in shame.

“Octavia, that’s not healthy,” the Admiral replied hastily, his features shifting into abject concern as he leaned in towards the table, “Cyberpsychosis is a real problem, you can’t keep doing this to yourself!”

Octavia grit her teeth and shook her head, her hands balling into fists on the table in front of her. Her eyes stung slightly as she forced herself to raise her head, looking up at the Admiral through furrowed brows, “I can and I will, damnit,” she replied lowly, her ears pinning backwards against her skull.

“Babe, what’s he talking about?” Mack asked with concern, reaching over to set her hand on Octavia’s back. The phantom sensation of the hand on her back made Octavia jump slightly, but she settled as she turned her head to glance at Mack through the corner of her eyes.

“You haven’t even told her?” Admiral Felix asked in shock, “Octavia! You need to snap out of it,” he insisted firmly. He leaned up in his chair and began to reach across the table towards Octavia’s head.

The switch in her combat suite had been flipped before the thought of protecting Mack had even crossed the forefront of her brain. In an instant she had the Admiral’s wrist clamped in her grip, her cybernetics working overtime as she gripped the amaranthoid’s unyielding joint in her grasp. She felt the bones in her hand straining under the pressure, sharp pangs of pain lancing through the nerves in her wrist as her secondary skeleton increased her grip well beyond her natural capabilities.

“Octavia…” Admiral Felix warned, his eyes narrowing as he glanced down at her grip on his hand. He was about to say more, but his eyes went wide as he saw her barehanded grip tightening even further until the hyperdense alloy of his chassis began to crumple in her hand, “Octavia!” he insisted, his voice shifting into one of distinct fear.

The tone of his voice snapped Octavia out of it as she blinked, her attention shifting towards her hand. Her fingers had settled into small dents that perfectly matched their length and width, the metal piling up around her hand. She hastily forced herself to let go, prying her hand away to reveal the damage underneath. She was surprised to find the inside of her hand had turned red with small dribbles of her own blood, while the rest of her palm had instantly bruised a vivid purple.

As soon as she had let go, Admiral Felix recoiled in his chair, clutching his wrist with his opposite hand as he eyed the damage in disbelief. His mechanical gaze flicked from the dented wrist to Octavia’s bloody hand, then up to Octavia’s face. Finally he let his hands fall in silence, fixing her with a pointed look.

Despite the regret she felt at assaulting the Admiral, Octavia couldn’t bring herself to apologize. She was protecting Mack. Mack was all that mattered. She lowered her bloody hand until she rested it on Mack’s holographic thigh, the haptic feedback joining with the pain she felt in her palm. Turning her gaze towards Mack, she offered a quiet, “I’m sorry you had to see that, love. Don’t worry about it, I’ll explain everything later,” she reassured softly.

Mack looked worried, but she offered a single nod at Octavia’s response. Her own yellow hand fell down to cover Octavia’s, her thumb gently brushing against the back of Octavia’s knuckles, “Okay, babe,” she agreed quietly. Mack turned her gaze back towards the Admiral, her eyebrows arched in a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

Silence reigned over the table for a moment as Octavia, Vita and Mack stared down Admiral Felix, only for him to return the gaze. The silence was interrupted as a slot in the wall next to them opened up and a small mechanical arm procured a delicate plate filled to the brim with food, which was swiftly set on the table in front of Octavia, shortly followed by a glass of amber fluid. The stone-baked flatbread was positively covered in meat and root vegetables, the smell immediately causing Octavia’s stress to bleed out of her body. The only reminder that she had of the conflict was the dull throbbing in her hand.

A second plate was procured from within the wall, though this one was significantly smaller and had no food on it. Instead there was a single computer chip placed daintily on top of a decorative napkin. The mechanical arm set the plate with the chip directly in front of the Admiral, who regarded it briefly before his gaze returned to Octavia.

“Do you remember the very first news article on the Hazar Swarm, Admiral?” Octavia asked quietly, her gaze slowly trailing up from her dish to the Admiral’s eyes.

“Of course,” he replied, his tone short and defensive, “New Threat from the Void! Hivemind Consumes Xixada IV! It was the twenty-second issue of The Federation Times of that year. I read it in front of the Imperial complex on Amaranthia Prime. One hundred and five years ago, nearly to the day.”

“Well, so do I,” Octavia replied calmly, “And I remember the twenty-third issue; Spiders from Space: The Hazar Swarm Consumes Utopia!”

“What is your point?” Admiral Felix asked tersely.

“I remember reading them on the days they came out,” Octavia clarified, emphasizing each word heavily, “I remember them as if I read them yesterday.”

Octavia watched as the Admiral’s expression lingered on confusion for a few moments, his head tilted slightly to the side and ears perked as he tried to understand the significance. She felt no small amount of shame as his expression suddenly changed as if a switch had been flicked, his features shifting from confusion to realization, and from realization quickly to a warped look of pity and sorrow. His mouth opened for a moment before he shut it again, reconsidering his words. Finally he spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Admiral Felix replied, his tone softening into one of regret, “I… didn’t realize.”

“No one ever does,” Octavia remarked bitterly.

“How long were you genskipped for?” the Admiral asked, his voice lowering to a whisper as his eyes flicked towards the other occupants of the room as if it were a state secret.

“They took me out two years ago,” Octavia admitted as she took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before she let it go, “I am Cassia Tiberius’s daughter,” she admitted, raising her gaze to regard Admiral Felix cautiously from beneath her furrowed brows.

The butterflies in her stomach threatened the bottom of her esophagus as she watched the Admiral do the math in his head, his expression shifting into a look of disbelief before quickly shifting into one of horror. He stammered silently for a moment, thrown onto the backfoot at the information.

“The Cassia Tiberius? Valentina Tiberius’s twin sister?” the Admiral replied, the abject disbelief impossible to miss in his tone.

“The very same,” Octavia agreed with a small nod, “I don’t think I need to explain the rest.”

“No,” he replied quietly, shaking his head once, “No, you don’t.”

“Then can you understand why I have Mack?” she asked pleadingly, her hand squeezing down on Mack’s thigh. Even the slight squeeze was enough to send an electric shock of pain up her arm.

The amaranthoid’s eyes flicked between Octavia and Mack for a moment, jumping between them twice, then three times before he finally let out a quiet sigh. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table so he could cradle his face in his hands, his metal ears folding backwards as he muttered resignedly, “Yes, yes I can.”

A great weight fell off Octavia’s shoulders as she let out a quiet sigh of her own. Relieved that the Admiral at least understood the reasons for her decision, she rested her own forearm on the table and leaned forward, “Thank you,” she replied in a quiet, grateful tone.

“That doesn’t mean I approve,” Admiral Felix added quickly, raising his head out of his hands to regard her from across the table, “But I understand.”

“That’s all I ask, Admiral,” Octavia replied with a tired, lopsided smile, “I need her. Consequences be damned, I’m not letting her go.”

“Well, I won’t push the matter further,” he replied, holding up a hand placatingly, “But I hope that you know what you’re doing. You’re a good soldier, Octavia, and I don’t want to see you fall into the abyss of cyberpsychosis. It’s a one-way road, and it’s not one I recommend that anybody travels.”

“Noted,” Octavia agreed with a single nod, “But I’ve made my decision. It’s worth the risk,” she added, squeezing Mack’s thigh for emphasis with another lance of pain, “She is worth the risk,” she concluded, turning her head towards Mack. The human looked concerned at the exchange, but when she caught sight of Octavia’s gaze her expression quickly shifted into a tender smile before she leaned in to press her weight against Octavia’s shoulder supportively.

“I hope you’re right, Octavia,” Admiral Felix replied. He finally offered a small smile across the table at her, “Very few of us ever have such conviction in anything. I hope your conviction pays off.”

“-in other news, the Federation Navy’s most recent extermination deployment has been heralded as an incredible success. Here’s Brett Tyler with the incredible story out of the Amaria System. Brett?”

Octavia’s ear twitched at the sound, bringing her attention upwards. One of the digitecture screens hanging in the air was showing a Federation news broadcast, its audio filtering at a low level through the restaurant. At Octavia’s motion, Admiral Felix shifted his gaze as well, his metallic features shifting into a look of curiosity.

“Thank you, Sarah. I’m standing here in the temple city of Destiny within the joint Amaranthian-Alari system of Amaria. Behind me, you can see loyal Federation Regulars cleaning up the remains of a machine hive located right here within the center of the city. Three weeks ago, the Federation Navy conducted an extermination operation to root out the source of this corruption.”

The sight of the ruined command center brought an ache to Octavia’s heart, a wince racing across her face at the same time. Even illuminated in the bright spotlights of the cleaning team, the sight of the darkened corners and endless rows of shelves reminded her of the encounter with the Seraphim. Just looking at the wreckage was enough to send a short spike of pain through the center of her back where the Seraphim’s claws had dug into her spine.

“Do you want me to turn it off?” Admiral Felix asked, shaking Octavia out of her stupor.

“No, no. It’s okay,” Octavia reassured with a small shake of her head, “I’m curious.”

“During the operation, Longsword 771, popularly known as the Rumbling Rednecks, touched down in the city with a second team. During the ensuing firefight, the entire crew of the second team, Longsword 1013, were mercilessly slaughtered by the rogue machine elements. The corrupted machines, standard alari attendant models, struck out against unarmed alari civilians in what has been described as the worst war crime perpetrated by the machine menace to date.”

Octavia scoffed, “They know that’s not what happened, right?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Admiral Felix replied quietly, “The media presents what they’re told to present. They probably believe every word of it.”

A sigh escaped Octavia as her shoulders slumped unconsciously, “I guess ‘the civilians were allegiant to the machines and when they tried to kill the Federation soldiers they were killed in turn’ doesn’t work as well for propaganda, does it?”

“Not quite,” the Admiral agreed with a small nod, “If the rest of the Federation knew just how much sympathy the Omni have, there’d be a call for the dissolution of the Bastion.”

“Starting to think that wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Octavia muttered, turning her attention down to the food on her plate with a despondent look.

“The fact that you’re only starting to think that now means you’re still young,” the Admiral replied with a small smirk.

“And what do you think?” Octavia asked, glancing up at the Admiral from beneath her brows.

“I think…” Admiral Felix paused to look down at the table with a discerning eye before finally speaking once again, “That the Federation tells so many lies because they know the truth would destroy the status quo. And I think that the truth paints a very different picture than what the story of the Omni Virus would suggest.”

“Omni Virus,” Vita scoffed, shaking her head with a bemused look, “What a load of shit.”

“Prettiest lie ever told,” the Admiral agreed with a tired sigh.

Octavia was about to reply, but she was interrupted by the sound of an excited scream coming from behind her. Her ears flicked at the sudden sound and she turned to look over her shoulder curiously and immediately caught sight of the source. The black-furred amaranthian had his muzzle covered with both hands and a look of absolute shock on his face as his tail wagged violently behind him. His DI was on one knee in front of him, holding out a holographic amarkai in both hands towards him.

“Yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!” he exclaimed, his voice rising to a near-girly pitch as he reached out and gripped the holographic weapon in one hand, revealing his toothy grin and the streams of tears pouring down his face. He leapt from his chair and grabbed his DI in a massive hug, picking her up off the ground as he spun her around enthusiastically as if the rest of the world didn’t matter. He spun her around several times before pulling back to grin widely at her, only for their lips to meet in a passionate kiss. As he broke away, he raised the digital amarkai above his head and screamed as loud as his high voice could, “I’m getting married!”

Despite the tension that had loomed over her meal, Octavia couldn’t help but grin at the display as her mood elevated, a pool of joy collecting deep within her chest. She felt light and warm at the display of love, her ears perking to full mast as she raised her hands and began to clap. Pain lanced up her arm, causing her to recoil instantly after having forgotten about her bruised hand. She adjusted her hands and clapped her healthy hand against her opposite wrist, compensating the best she could.

“Laws be praised!” the Admiral cheered, the infectious positivity even spreading to the gruff amaranthoid as his face split into a wide grin. He raised his hands to clap for the newly engaged couple, the sound of metal against metal booming over Octavia’s flesh against flesh.

“Young love is so adorable,” Vita commented with a grin of her own, draping an arm over the backrest of her chair as she peered across the restaurant at the two, “Congrats!” she exclaimed enthusiastically.

“I have no idea what just happened, but that was cute,” Mack commented awkwardly, grinning as she glanced from the couple to Octavia expectantly.

“The amaranthian equivalent of a proposal,” Octavia clarified, turning to look at Mack with a grin, “Presenting an amarkai to someone is more-or-less saying ‘I want you to guard me for the rest of my life’, but that’s kind of ancient history.”

Mack blinked for a moment and a memory came unbidden to the forefront of Octavia’s mind as she extended a fleshy hand in the rain, holding out an unsheathed amarkai to a silver-armored amaranthian. In the reflection of the pearlescent mirrored visor, she saw Mack’s face with a green light prominently glowing against the side of her head. As quickly as the memory came, it left her mind, leaving Octavia slightly dazed and a flustered expression on Mack’s face.

“So that’s what that means,” Mack replied with an awkward chuckle, a hand raising to rub at the back of her own neck in embarrassment.

“Well, on that note,” Admiral Felix began, interrupting them as Octavia and Mack turned their heads towards the Admiral, “Your food is going to get cold. And I’d like to reminisce with you about Amaranthia Prime, if you’re in the mood to dispel some homesickness,” he offered, presenting her with a genuinely warm smile.

“Admiral,” Octavia started, picking up her fork in one hand as eagerness began to swell within her, the sensation of saliva building in her mouth doing little to quell her excitement. She looked up at the amaranthoid in a new light as she continued, “I would like nothing more.”