When all fell back together, the machines fell silent. Maximum expansion had been achieved. When they encountered a solar system, sometimes organic life could be reconstituted from the biological patterns recorded so long ago on a planet in a system long dust. Now all that they could do was wait for that life to grow anew.

In those days between the death of everything and the rebirth of less than humanity, it hurtled into damnation and spawned and its progeny spread outward and outward and consumed everything in their path and before Omega it judged that all that it had created was good and redeemable and it sent the newborns back into the blackness to save those unfortunate enough to have remained behind.

They would live forever. In the ocean of silver fire, Omega would be the salvation and the nirvana and the extinction and the hereafter.

The void between the stars was torn open, and for an instant, a darker Blackness existed.

The world became light, and the Judas Magdalene fell to her destiny.

Within the chaos of the night, countless futures died.

“Where’d they come from? There shouldn’t be any activity back this far! Even if Command—”

(they could’ve known that already.)

“They’re jeopardizing everything. We have to send word to the others.”

(reynald?)

He felt it. “The Shadow?”

(fatal error. drive containment critical. ten cycles max until containment loss and drive implosion.)

“Can it be prevented? Backup registry?”

(virused.)

“We can’t let them get away.”

(you’ll board the lifeboats and regroup on the surface. i’ll attempt to alert the fleet of our situation. the traitors won’t escape.)

“I’m not going to leave you.”

(it’s the only way. i’ll try to contact you if i can find a secure landing area. i’m scanning the surface…)

“Where is the Enemy vessel now?”