Zeros stood among the floating, glowing entities and said quietly—
but with a tone that felt like the whole planet could hear it:
“Phoenix. Keep it simple.
I’m not in the mood for diplomacy.
You handle it.
Tell them why we’re here.
And make it clear—if they don’t give us what we need—
I’ll take it anyway.The easy way.
Or the hard way.Their choice.”
Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 immediately lit up in a cascade of signals—
like launching a silent disco beneath the planet.
Its hull became language.
Its light—words.
Every phrase Zeros thought turned into pulses: blue, white, violet—sharp as blades.
The Virtixes responded.
They flared too—
but faster, more complex.
And soon Phoenix was locked in a rapid exchange of light:
flash—response—pause—pulse—
no sound.
Not a whisper.
Only darkness.
And color.
After about ten minutes of what looked like a festival of lights, Phoenix finally spoke:
“Alright… translating into human terms.
Short version.”
He sent another brief light sequence, waited for the reply, then continued:
“They are willing to give us the ‘Glass of the Ancestors.’
BUT.
We need to do something in return.”
Another flash from the Virtixes.
Phoenix responded.
Pause—
his tone turned drier:
“According to them… about a few dozen of years SST ago, something fiery fell from the sky.
Same way we arrived.
After that, something appeared on the planet.
They call them—’Dense Beasts.’
They multiplied.
And now these glowing idiots can’t deal with them.”
Phoenix flashed again, received a response, and summarized:
“So.
Their demand:‘Fix what your kind brought here.’
Then…
they’ll let us take
what we came for.”
Zeros stepped back slightly, like measuring distance—
then in one sharp motion jumped—
landing onto the Iron Wraith.
“Alright.
Helping these glowing dumbasses? Not my thing.
BUT—”
He turned the bike toward the distant rock formations.
“Let’s go see what these ‘dense bastards’ are.
Might as well test your new upgrades, Phoenix.
Otherwise why the hell did we sync?”
He hit the throttle and added:
“Tell those neon idiots to get the cargo ready.
And if they try to screw us—
I’ll send them straight to their glass ancestors.”
Phoenix replied instantly, calm as ever:
“Message sent.
And Zeros—you made the correct decision.
We can always kill them later.
But I am also curious…
what exactly arrived here before us.”
He transmitted another light sequence, then added:
“For the record—I will not relay your threats.
Their psychology differs from ours.
Under extreme stress— they enter a reproductive cascade
and multiply uncontrollably.”
Zeros snorted:
“Perfect. Exactly what we needed.
Alright—do your thing.”
The Iron Wraith surged forward.
Behind it, Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 flashed once—message delivered.
Phoenix reported:
“Zeros, scan complete.
Large thermal signature detected. Looks like there are many of them. Arrival in twenty minutes.”
Blindy muttered, staring at the holograms in the cockpit,
as the ship descended after them, keeping low within the atmosphere.
“Guys… I—I’m rootin’ for you up here… hang in there…
kick some… dense asses… or whatever… Call me if you need help—
or anythin’—
I’ll—I’ll be right here—”
He froze.
“Nah… Actually don’t call me.
Just—handle it. I believe in you. From a distance.