NOVPUBOne of the reasons that Anton was reluctant to continue exploration was that he might be needed by the lower realms. However, that was becoming less and less true. Furthermore, their ability to call upon him had increased greatly. Not only would he sense strife in his Unity systems, there were methods to send messages directly to him now.
Or rather, to Bear Hug. Because one of the secondary reasons Anton didn’t continue to explore alone was loneliness. He was an old man who had seen many friends come and go, but that only made him desire friendship more. He could get along for a while with new discoveries and interesting places, but he always wanted to return to civilization for contact.
But bringing along a friend who didn’t have obligations elsewhere was quite convenient. Though technically, Bear Hug had many other places to be. They could just do that at the same time. It was quite astounding that such a valuable ability fell into the hands of a former individual that hadn’t really sought it out. It came about not through specialized training but instead mere coincidence. Bear Hug was able to split into multiple parts, and they didn’t have to be next to each other. Though the actual details were a bit more complicated and involved sufficient quantities and the like.
Anton’s travels were slower with Bear Hug, but he wasn’t currently in a rush. If he had to hurry, he would leave Bear Hug somewhere with abundant natural energy and move at his maximum speed alone. Anton very much hoped that wouldn’t be necessary for a long time.
Though they were approaching the end of the cycle, so he doubted it would be that long. The lower realms already had plans for how they would act against the upper realms, if it came down to that. Many systems wouldn’t be reached by the tides except through Scarlet Alliance territory. They weren’t just going to assume it couldn’t happen- but they expected some forewarning. Then again, there always was some. The tides allowed individuals on both ends to be senses to some extent, such as assailants gathering for war.
“Where are we going?” Bear Hug asked. “Aside from this way.”
Anton was surprised they hadn’t asked a hundred lightyears earlier. “We’re almost there, in fact. Some of our explorers logged an interesting system previously. Occupied by humans, as far as they are aware.”
From a distance, it appeared to be a single bright star. However, as they were drawing closer Anton was beginning to pick out its true form- a close-knit conglomeration of five stars. Four stars in an equilateral triangular pyramid around a central larger star. They were far too close for it to be a natural arrangement, though there was some possibility that the system had stumbled into a sustainable formation based on the ebb and flow of energy from various stars. More likely was that someone had moved them there.
Those were the sort of people Anton was interested in meeting. Not because he needed to move stars- though if he did, he could probably do it alone as long as he was able to bind to them- but because they would be people of significant power and knowledge. Unless it had been destroyed in the past… which wasn’t all that unlikely with how the Trigold Cluster did things. The Exalted Quadrant too, but their current location was easterly so that defined the region they had to deal with.
Bear Hug squirmed nervously in the combined spatial bubble the two were traveling in. “Do you think they’ll be excited to meet us?”
“Excited? Most certainly. But not all excitement is positive,” Anton said. “If it turns to conflict, we’ll leave swiftly. Though first, I want to approach and determine their receptiveness. I wouldn’t want them to think you’re tasty.”
“I am tasty,” Bear Hug pointed out. “But I don’t want anything big to try to eat me.”
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There was something strange about the arrangement of stars- aside from its mere existence. Anton couldn’t put his finger on it. Was it their similar compositions? It wasn’t strange that they would have been chosen for balance.
“I’ll try to retain a connection here,” Anton said to Bear Hug, who he left on a distant planet with a minimal atmosphere. It had natural energy for Bear Hug to be comfortable for a few days, at least. “But I may have to sever it to avoid detection.”
“It’s okay! I’ve got my communicator!” Bear Hug held up the portable computer designed for their use. Mainly, its screen emitted energy instead of simply light and it was all quite waterproof. “You can just message me with yours. We aren’t far, right?”
Anton nodded. “It would be a bit slower, but I can.”
“If they’re friendly, you have to come get me soon.”
“I will,” Anton said. Even if they had been exploring an openly hostile wilderness, Bear Hug would have been with him. But organized people could be far more dangerous than simple powerful beasts.
As Anton drifted closer, trying to minimize his energy usage, he tried to pick out the strongest cultivators on the three rings rotating around the strange star setup at different distances and directions.
Some people would be very excited to confirm the megastructures. Initial scans from outside the system only picked up strange mass signatures, and the images weren’t clear enough. The scout had decided not to approach closer.
Ultimately, it showed a group with very advanced capabilities… though it was strange that they only occupied a single system. As Anton approached closer, he noticed the three rings had significantly different rotations around the tightly packed star cluster. The outer ring rotated around its length, end over end. The middle ring had no relative end over end motion in comparison to the central star, instead rotating around its north and south poles. The final ring combined both sorts of motions, appearing to move faster than either of the others though it was likely just because it was smaller. A single rotation might last a similar period.
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From a certain perspective, the setup was similar to the Imbued Fragments and the Harvesters. They had taken a significant amount of their planetary mass and reformed it into something else, while at the same time building structures around their stars.
However, there was an entirely different feeling to it. If Anton had a sense for anything, it was the health of stars. They weren’t drawing upon the stars more than they naturally released natural energy, simply drawing in that energy. The three rings created an atmosphere that drew in a large quantity of the natural energy coming from the central stars- though there was so much that Bear Hug was still sufficiently powered near the far edges of the system.
Anton decided the outer ring had to be the correct option. It was a bit rude to fly into the central area directly. He would also bypass fewer formations along the way. If he wanted to be stealthy about things then-
Perhaps it was too late. He felt something reach out for him, locking onto him. Not an attack just yet, but potentially a precursor. Anton kept his energy steady, not sensing any energies that could easily threaten him. Even outside of his bound systems, he was still something like a powerful Enrichment cultivator. At a distance, he was quite confident in his safety.
For the moment, Anton made no change to his velocity. If they had truly noticed him, there was no reason to alarm them with a twitchy reaction. However, he did slow himself gradually as he approached a barrier around the ring-planet.
He noticed a number of ships moving about between the various rings and along them, but one was clearly heading towards him- a sleekly designed specimen that bore little resemblance to naval vessels. He waited for it to approach, prepared to say hello. They reached out first, projecting their energy.
Then speaking in a language he didn’t understand at all. That was more than surprising, because he could feel they were humans- as far as he could tell. Even the most isolated planets- some cut off from others for many centuries- tended to keep a recognizable form of the galactic language.
Anton was about to respond, but he stopped himself. His insight told him that it wasn’t a coincidence that they spoke a language he had no context for. So in turn, he did the same. He simply didn’t use sounds.
Abioye would be proud. The team hadn’t come up with a universal energy sign for fun, but to be used. Primarily for things without a spoken language, but it was perfectly good where said language didn’t overlap.
“Greetings. I am Anton of the Order of One Hundred Stars.” His energy twisted and formed visible images along with the motions it made. He presumed they had visual senses to include as well. He knew they could sense energy, because there were cultivators among them. Even post Life Transformation. Experience revealed that nearly every civilization would develop something similar if Ascension was unappetizing for some reason.
Anton knew they wouldn’t fully understand his words immediately, but it was a way to determine their willingness to communicate. He was ready to use Star Steps to be halfway across the system in an instant, should they decide it wasn’t worth it.
A pleasing response came from the strongest cultivator aboard. A man with a visual age similar to Anton himself, though doubtless far younger given the cultivation gap between them. His energy gestured to himself and those around him, then the system in general. Anton took it to mean that this was their system.
Indicating he was a visitor and not an invader was a delicate task. He had come from afar to… interact with these very people. More or less. There was only so much that could be conveyed during the first experience of the energy language, but it was easily learned and taught.
Combined with the gestures were other words. Anton only responded with his own name, not the language he was used to speaking. He still felt it was a poor idea. His counterpart appeared to be called Gerhard. The system or star or planets were Temine.
“Are you… an enemy?” That was how Anton interpreted the next part.
For his own part, he motioned to his bow- still positioned on his back. “I come peacefully,” he attempted to convey. “What enemies are you worried about?” He pointed towards the upper realms- a leading suggestion, but by far the most likely option. The ring did happen to be in the way, so his energy stretched all the way around, bolstered slightly to still remain obvious enough. Random citizens would likely be concerned about the interaction, but making Gerhard understand was most important.
At this point, they were speaking so little that Anton should have just brought along Bear Hug. Now, there was some small chance that the locals hated plants- though what he could sense of the closest ring planet said otherwise. There was also some possibility they would be greedy, seeing Bear Hug as some sort of spiritual herb that they could refine into medicine. They might even be right, though that would lose the vast majority of the value.
But since Gerhard and his people didn’t attack Anton, he eventually communicated about his friend. He didn’t directly point to Bear Hug just yet, but he did pull up a picture. Then a video- complete with simple energy replication.
The locals seemed very interested in the video capabilities of Anton’s device, and he showed them various things. When they came to the subject of enemies- Anton felt hostility in both the words and the motions- he showed some groups from the upper realms. The replica upper energy seemed to make Gerhard more antagonistic- though he understood it wasn’t real. However, the hostility was more… general.
Anton tried the Swirling Swarm. Slight interest. Then the Tilki Clan. It wasn’t strange that one of their most recent enemies was clearly hostile. However, Anton then showed the dead bodies that had been used as a fear projection- explaining they were also enemies. And then, because he had recently been reminded, the Twin Soul Sect. After very subtly scanning everyone around him.
Gerhard almost punched the screen. He hastily apologized for his reaction, but that showed they had been at conflict with multiple upper realms sects. Perhaps they simply weren’t quite far enough east to run into trouble with the Swirling Swarm.
The two of them were rapidly becoming better at communicating, and Anton saw the subordinates doing their best to pay attention as well. Actual practice would help.
Anton intended to bring Bear Hug over soon, providing more examples of ‘proper’ speech. If they hated plant people, even if they had mutual foes Anton simply didn’t want to be friends with them.
