Chapter 6 6

Automatically, I look down at my hands. All the veins in them, and stretching up over my wrists, rising up over my forearms, are glowing brilliant Neron blue. So are Valen's.

It's been long enough now that I've kind of forgotten it isn't normal.

Valen and I look at each other. A small smile crooks in the corner of both our mouths.

"There's a lot that's happened in the last few lunars," I say. I look back at the group. "Let's head to base and get you all updated, shall we?"

I've never been prouder of my family.

They don't even wait five minutes after being brought up to speed on all things pertaining to the Neron War before they each get to work.

I don't even have to ask Zayne. He immediately goes to work on some kind of cloaking device, going off about how we need to hide this planet as best we can, make it harder to find, as well as improve our own detection systems. We need to better see the ships coming at us.

My father goes straight for the ships on the ground, and while most of them have been at ninety percent for the past few weeks, I know they'll be at one hundred percent when he's finished with them.

A little to my surprise, Edan starts interrogating anyone and everyone about Cyrillius' whereabouts. He gets in communication with Arden Black once I connect them, sorting through all the information she's gathered from others in the galaxy over the past few lunars. I even put him back in communication with Commander 12-3, who is saving our lives and this mission, feeding us insider information.

Nymiah speaks with the other leaders of war, gathering information on what we need. That's shelter. Our numbers are growing by the day, and we have nowhere safe for them to stay.

She heads out into the jungle, canvasing the best area, and then she goes to work. Using her Nero abilities, she begins carving a bunker into the side of a mountain.

I smile throughout the day, in awe at how easy this is.

None of this should be easy. And I guess the long view of it all, isn't easy. But they've slipped into this so naturally.

With all of them being so useful and productive, I get to work myself.

I've been collecting data of every planet within a one lunar journey from Kaelea. I've been in contact with their leaders, asking for help, trying to rally alliances.

It doesn't always work. Some of these leaders laugh coldly and tell me I'm going to die a very painful death. Some of them are too afraid to step out of line. Others simply won't talk to me.

But there are some who just listen. They hear me out. They take in the facts I tell them. That Valen Nero has turned against Cyrillius. That he'd been manipulated his entire life. That we have three Neros on our side. That we are building forces to take down Dominion.

Every single one of the leaders I speak to has the same question: if we win, if we end Dominion, then what? What takes its place? Who will regulate Neron if Cyrillius is dead? What would be better?

The first time I was asked the question, I just stuttered and couldn't answer. I didn't know. I truly didn't, and hadn't taken much time to consider what would happen if we won.

But over these weeks, I've had to think about it.

And I still don't know the answer.

Thankfully, I am not in this alone.

Lazarus Riot was the one to come up with the idea. The idea for a council. A creed.

The regulation of Neron shouldn't be left to any one person. Neron is found throughout the galaxy, it belongs to all of us. The galaxy deserves to be represented.

So this was what I brought back to those world leaders.

This is not my initiation. I will not be in charge of any part of this. But I will be the sounding board. I will let people know that they can step up.

At the moment, it isn't a solid plan. There is no clear leader right now and I only pray it comes about and forms and develops.

For now, it's a start. A suggestion.

And today, when I talk to a leader from a planet in the J Sector, she agrees that she wants to see a change, and promises two-dozen space fighters will arrive on Kaelea in three days.

This is how we grow. This is how we rally. A few ships at a time, pulled from every planet in the galaxy who dare to rise up.

I've just stepped back into headquarters when Cyra looks up at me, standing over Zayne's shoulder, who is still working tirelessly on the scanner system.

"We've got another ship approaching," she says. "The man says he's a space caster. He says he wants to join us."