[b][u]Iteration
The New Universe
Legacy Territory
Inner Boundary
Senur System
Planet Nualia[/u][/b]

Something was wrong.

Had been wrong for a while now. Tien'diad had been an astronomer amongst his kind before the Ennedi has came. His homeworld, now scarred and wartorn, had left him bereft and constantly running in fear and terror for his life. Even now though, he did not need any of his old instruments to tell when every single star in the night sky was out of place. The Galaxy's arms were missing. Especially conspicuous was the absence of the Barrier Nebula, a massive cloud of stellar matter that was supposed to be less than three lightyears away from the system, which normally completely eclipsed the skyline every other night. He had not seen it for several cycles now, as if it had just vanished.

Tien'diad was a Domodet - a long serpentine creature, his skin a rubbery white texture when both his scales and fur were retracted. His six powerful limbs and thick body filled with coiled, wiry muscles had been in excellent shape. Running for your life through underbrush and across partially destroyed urban landscapes had a way of doing that, and thankfully food wasn't scarce. Yet. Most of his kind were not aware of the change yet - too busy running and dying from the invaders care. The invaders definitely knew though. Their 'Foreign Integration' centers had been relatively inactive since the change, and the fleet in orbit had suddenly started targeting structures that previously held little to no strategic value - observatories, parabolic receptors and sensor arrays, even stellar-optic panels. All structures capable of identifying specific celestial objects in the sky, if you didn't already know what you were looking at. The Ennedi did not want their victims to know that something was wrong the universe. Probably because they wanted to be perceived as the biggest concern present, vain and self-important creatures that they were. Maybe the Ennedi Legacy no longer existed, wiped away with only the few fleets stationed here over the planet remaining.

Tien'diad flicked at the air with his tongue experimentally as he gazed at the unfamiliar stars, trying to discern any kind of pattern. He did not know much about what was going on these days. But even he knew that the Ennedi were in big trouble now.

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[b][u]Legacy Territory
Outer Boundary
Plasero System
Nemt'urye Gas Giant[/u][/b]

[i]"...their movements seem much more cautionary as of late, it is for certain."[/i] Adlivun signed, their electroplaques flaring brightly in the otherwise dim confines of the Blendec stealth vessel. [i]"Despite no longer being surrounded on all sides, they act as though they are under siege. Their fleet movements have been few in number, and their watch over their conquered prizes is close."[/i]

[i]"Almost as if they are wary of further revolt...Along with the new stars, one might be forgiven for thinking that perhaps some of their forces went missing along with the rest of the universe."[/i] Eoanr signed back. The two Blendecs were obese, softly undulating balls of slick membrane, each with four long and slender tendrils supporting their frames - waving, shimmering through the air. [i]"It will not last. For all our pretentions to the contrary, they are a cunning species...cunning and needful. Needful of glory and dominance to revel in, for the short time they have."[/i]

[i]"Perhaps...we might waylay them yet?"[/i] Adlivun half asked, half suggested. In this new universe, what were the chances that only the Ennedi and their victims had been reduced to the only intelligent life present? If anybody was out there, warning them would be prudent. Especially if they could grant asylum to the survivors.

[i]"No. Not yet."[/i] Eoanr signed back, appendages waving lazily and easily - not rushed, but certain and steady. [i]"We would be as alien to them as they would be to us. Even if native to this universe, to them it would be as this entire region appeared as if from the void. They would also be too wary to assist us. No, we shall permit the Ennedi to stir the flames of their passions. Then, perhaps, they might help us. Nothing helps primitive species unite, quite so much as a mutual hatred.[/i]

[i]"You imply that we are now a primitive species."[/i] Adlivun accused.

Eoanr continued to stare at the viewscreen, filled by the image of their burning homeworld, completely devastated. [i]"Are we not?"[/i] He returned mildly.

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[b][u]Legacy Territory
Shen System
Planet Machairodus[/u][/b]

[i][b]"This is a catastrophe."[/b][/i] Hokkaido signed. Unlike the Blendecs, the Ennedi lacked electroplaques - their signage was simple and rudimentary gestures executed via their maxillae. The language required large, sweeping and looping gestures in order to be clearly interpreted by weak Ennedi compound eyes. Combined with their massive stature, the process of more than one Ennedi having a conversation entailed motions typically only observed during the demolishing of derelict buildings. [i][b]"I do not even speak in regard of the issues with the foreign refuse, though that is not good by any means. Arbitrators have reported an increase in overt aberrant behavior. There have been thousands of internal sector conflicts due to uncertainties regarding policy in the wake of the transition. Individuals are becoming distracted by the external universe. Productivity is down across all systems."[/b][/i]

[i][b]"This issue is quite unusual in precedent."[/b][/i] Marozi, one of the heads of the Industrial sector signed back. Actual, physical meetings between sector heads was a rare and largely unnecessary practice. Preparing to arraign before the Censors though, now was one of the rare occasions when it saved more time to physically sign to one another than to use the building's coenocyte circuitry. [b][i]My predecessor made a recorded decision to leave the matter specifically to the Censors on account of not being sure how to proceed.[/i][/b]

[i][b]"Notation from their predecessors indicates the same. A display of confusion."[/b][/i] An erratic swiping gesture accompanied by a clipped folding of the proximal maxillae conveyed Hokkaido's disapproval. [i][b]"The correct procedure would have been to consult with the heads of the other sectors, and yet somehow both sectors independently reached the conclusion that the issue must be left to the censors. I received an inquiry for a rim sample from the Arbitrators in order to prove my lineage was free of defects.[/b][/i]

[i][b]"It seems aberrant that the Censors should have taken so longer to have finished their analysis of the situation..."[/b][/i] Marozi signed, their maxillae fluttering faintly with untold accusations. [i][b]"Though I suppose they might be forgiven for the magnitude of the problem. Have you spoken with Amarok yet?"[/b][/i]

[b][i]"Yes. They agree with the proposed implementations, and implied there has been internal dissent amongst the Armada...I suspect Command Arbitration has been quite busy with wetwork."[/i][/b] Hokkaido replied. [b][i]"We should be able to slip this particular piece past the Censors easily enough. It is a bold, but decisive response. They should only strike it down if there is evidence that the situation is deteriorating, which is unlikely even should the policy not have the intended effect."[/i][/b]

[b][i]"Contingency in all things. We do not know what revisions they will have decided are currently necessary. They may instruct Amarok to initiate a complete, systemic purge for all that we might predict of their decision."[/i][/b] Marozi cautioned, a tense curling of their distal maxillae evident. 

[b][i]"While that would be most troubling, I feel even then that this new policy would retain its efficacy.[/i][/b] Hokkaido signed in return, even as they lumbered away towards the Censor's rotunda. [b][i]"Enough speculation. The time has come to declare our greatest victory."[/i][/b]