"Ms. Sorune, it's a relief to see you up and about."
"Please, President. Sorune is just fine," she insisted."
"Then you'll have to call me Cosmo in return."
"I wouldn't dare."
Out of all of Dravark's leaders who had been captured by Scar, the two who survived and were rescued by Collins while Alicia served as the diversion were Sorune Croft and the Minister of Defense, Garfield Sonum.
The others had lost their lives to the brutality of the torture they endured.
Those two had survived through little more than sheer luck. And in the end, it had all been for naught, as the perpetrators obtained the information they sought regardless.
Still, despite the unfamiliar environment and the collapse of their former societal structure, the pair had apparently retained the charisma and competence necessary to govern the settling population.
It was fortunate for Cosmo that any formal delegation process for the governmental body would have to wait until the new infrastructure had been completed.
It wasn't that he didn't care about the people. On the contrary, he simply hoped that the lives of millions would not be left for him to sort out.
He had no experience with such responsibilities.
Sure, he had a history of single-handedly saving boundaries, but that did not necessarily require the delicate touch needed to handle a vast and diverse population.
Still, it was also fortunate that his role as 'President' did not require much intervention in the internal affairs of the various new colonies.
His duties were more akin to making executive decisions on behalf of the entire boundary while extinguishing any conflicts that arose among the colonies.
He could only hope Lucien's claim that it was a temporary role was true.
"I'm glad to inform you that the people of Dravark have successfully been divided into four colonies. Diore and Caesar were sure to elevate their protégés ahead of time, and they were quickly installed according to the vote of their respective colonies," Sorune explained.
"Really?" Cosmo muttered. "I'm not surprised. Dravark originally started as a colonial boundary. Of course you'd be quick to settle in. Though this natural reliance on majority vote could become troublesome. As much as I hate to say it, adhering to the opinion of the masses is not always for the best. Especially within a boundary they don't fully understand. If you trust their abilities, that's fine, but it would be wise for us to review the assignment process at a later date. Though it's not to say voting will be ignored, I'd rather not undermine the choices they make. I'd say the process has to be optimized further."
"I understand," Sorune replied. "We'll try not to advance the process too far ahead of the other settlers."
"That's another thing. Did you separate the populations according to the distances I suggested?"
"Of course. Most of them are at least one settlement apart. However, two of them are separated only by a large lake," Sorune clarified. "While it may not be an inhabited zone, it should still achieve the desired effect."
The reason behind Cosmo's suggestion wasn't particularly complicated.
It was meant to deter the inevitable tribalism that would arise among people from the same boundary.
Dravark's population was especially susceptible in that regard, given their isolationist history.
However, problematic Ra'Pertians could not be ignored either.
Some were purists who hoped to preserve only the presence of those who shared their origins despite inhabiting a boundary with a diverse array of other humans.
In fact, there was a possibility they would attempt to reshape the societal and cultural structure of Hortusole in the image of their homeworld. That, in itself, would not be an issue until it began infringing upon the quality of life of others.
Cosmo himself had learned from Clarisse, who had already seen the seed of the Boundary, that there was a unique phenomenon that Hortusole had that would make cooperating a necessity, and he intended to capitalize on it. But that was something to worry about another time.
His suggestions had been accepted surprisingly easily by the two Dravark leaders he had met.
In fact, the extent of their compliance made him uncomfortable. Especially once he realized why.
It was against the law for Cosmo to abuse his influence as a high-level Eminent over Non-Eminents such as Sorune or Garfield. Nor would he ever consider doing so. Yet the true reason it seemed like he had was tied directly to Dravark's secret.
The power source Scar abhorred, the one Dravark had desperately tried to keep hidden from Veil, was one of the final remnants of Bane and its Badgers. And it was not nearly as secret as they had believed.
Though they refrained from exposing it outright, Veil's officials had already compiled reports regarding the incident with that specific reactor listed as a major motive. That only increased the leverage they possessed over Dravark, alongside the debt incurred through evacuation and relocation.
Nothing was ever free.
But it was likely that, while pushed to their limits, Cosmo had become the closest thing they had to someone they could rely on.
According to them, the reactor had been acquired through the black market and paid for through the accumulated capital of every civilization that had combined forces to establish the colonies in the first place.
However, their explanation did little to justify possession of an item obtained through what was essentially grave robbing.
If they wished to minimize the repercussions awaiting them, their best option was to curry favor with someone who might possess influence over the matter. And in this case, that someone was a Captain of Veil who had recently succeeded in an expedition, a feat unseen in recent history.
Cosmo didn't judge them for it.
The reactor and the people's well-being were separate issues.
Even though he couldn't begin to guess how Oliver felt about it, he knew that if the alternative was allowing those under his leadership to suffer for one of his decisions, then he too would curry favor with whoever he needed to.
And given how much they cared about their people, he was sure they would correct or disagree with him when necessary, but he'd still try his best to ease their guard over time.
THUD!
As they discussed the affairs of the settlements, a commotion erupted at the entrance of one of the clinics.
Following the sound of a heavy impact, a crowd quickly gathered around the scene.
"Pardon me."
Cosmo made his way through the crowd, and those who recognized him were quick to step aside.
Red, Sorune, and Rita were not far behind.
They reached the clinic entrance only to find a man being restrained by several others while another lay sprawled on the ground, evidently having been struck.
"Let me go! This bastard had it coming!"
Several attendants rushed from the clinic and helped the man on the floor sit upright, though he showed no interest in standing.
Cosmo approached the struggling man and stared at him in silence, eliciting a confused yet defensive reaction.
"Let him go," he said to those restraining him.
They exchanged uncertain glances.
"It's alright."
Reassured, they reluctantly released him.
"What happened?" Cosmo asked.
The man rubbed his wrists, apparently irritated by how tightly he had been held.
"Are you in charge here, brat? I don't care what you say, this isn't my fault. I was trying to leave, but that prick was just standing there staring at me. Looking at me like he wanted to start something. He kept doing it for so damn long that he was obviously trying to piss me off."
"So you hit him?"
"Guh... yeah. So what?!"
Cosmo sighed and stepped closer.
"I understand you're agitated. Probably stressed beyond measure. No one can say for certain whether you'd have done this under normal circumstances. But the same can be said for everyone here."
The man gritted his teeth and looked away.
"You could have approached one of the security officers or staff members if you were struggling. Resorting to violence is a primitive solution. It completely contradicts why we're here in the first place. We came here to rebuild, not to devolve."
His eyes then caught a necklace hanging around the man's neck.
A black knitted cord.
Attached to it was a small metal gear.
Cosmo recognized it immediately. He had seen them often enough and learned that, on Dravark, they served much the same purpose as wedding rings on Earth.
Despite the man's rough appearance and ragged clothing, that gear remained spotless and carefully maintained.
"You're married..." Cosmo said with a faint smile. "Got kids?"
The man's expression immediately twisted.
His loud, defiant voice lost its strength.
"Yeah... I've got two of 'em," he answered. "Not like I know where the hell they are in this damn confusing place. They were supposed to be at school, but now…"
"...Your wife?"
The way the man's eyes narrowed made the answer painfully obvious.
"My condolences," Cosmo said quietly. "It's regrettable that you have to go through that. Wouldn't you agree it's the same for your children?"
"Of course it is. Even if they're alright, how the hell am I supposed to face them like this? How am I supposed to tell them I couldn't do a damn thing to save their mother?"
"I don't know the answer to that," Cosmo replied honestly. "But I do know you'd better face them as the man they can and will be relying on from this moment forward, no matter what comes. As the man you'd trust them with. The man you'd want them to look up to."
The man looked as though he might laugh.
Then, after holding Cosmo's gaze for several long moments, he slapped both cheeks.
"Yeah. This shitty person can't go anywhere near those little rascals. I'd never allow that."
After saying so, he planted his feet firmly.
"My bad. I'll try to keep my shit together."
Cosmo tilted his head.
"That's great," he replied. "Also, remember that black disc everyone received before entering the portal?"
The man pulled a round object from his pocket.
"You mean this junk?"
"We know navigating all these arrangements is frustrating, so we mass-produced them. Just tap the surface twice and tell it roughly where you want to go. You'll see a green arrow appear on both sides, pointing you in the right direction at any given moment. I'm sure there's a Safe Hub nearby. Ask one of the clerks, and they can locate your children through your records."
"Damn... this little thing can do that? I probably wasn't paying attention when they explained what it was for."
"Right. He doesn't seem to be in the best state at the moment, that's why I'm letting things pass quickly. But if he decides to press the matter, then we will move accordingly. Got it?"
The man nodded with understanding.
He seemed unable to wait any longer and had already begun tapping the device while turning away.
Then he abruptly stopped.
Without looking back, he asked one final question.
"Hey... do you think they're actually still alive? Do you think I'll ever see them again?"
Cosmo did not answer immediately.
Even if he wanted to encourage the man, he wasn't the type to offer comfort through half-baked lies.
"I don't know that either," he answered. "But if I told you the odds were extraordinarily low... perhaps as low as a single grain of sand among all the grains on a shoreline... would you give up?"
The man did not respond.
He never turned around.
He simply walked forward, following the green light he had only just learned how to use.
When the man was gone, and the crowd naturally dispersed, many of them departing with newfound opinions and quietly formed resolutions after witnessing the exchange, Cosmo turned to Sorune.
"Ms. Sorune, could you do me a favor?"
"Anything, Captain Cosmo."
Sorune appeared amused by something, though Cosmo couldn't quite put his finger on what.
"Send a request on my behalf for more Officers of the Nithya Branch to assist however they can. I'm willing to sponsor the commissions myself. They're well-trained for situations like this, and I'd rather avoid incidents like these becoming a common occurrence."
"I understand."
She nodded before bidding him farewell and taking her leave.
Then Cosmo crouched down in front of the man who still refused to stand.
"Are you alright?"
"..."
"I'm sorry that it seems like my priorities are a little skewed. It just looked like your problems would be far easier to resolve without causing a commotion."
"..."
Red stood beside Cosmo as the man continued to offer no response, while Rita remained quietly at his side.
"Actually, he looks pretty beat up himself. He must be from Dravark too," Red suggested.
There was something almost unsettling about how little the man reacted to anything.
"Come on, let's get you up…"
Red crouched down and grabbed the man by the shoulder, attempting to help him to his feet.
However, as the man rose with almost no resistance, Red froze.
He had just caught sight of the expression on his Captain's face.
A scowl.
It was so unusual that Red nearly questioned whether he was imagining it.
He wanted to say something. It was obvious Cosmo himself didn't realize the look he was wearing, yet Red couldn't even begin to figure out what to say before Cosmo suddenly seized the man's collar and jerked him forward.
"You…"
"Whoa, Captain, that's..."
This was the strangest Red had ever seen him.
And he had absolutely no idea what could have provoked such sudden roughness.
Cosmo was staring directly into the man's face.
More specifically, his expression.
It was something far too familiar.
A face incapable of reconciling itself with its own fate.
A face balanced precariously upon a razor-thin line that bordered the darkest depths of nihilism and the faintest lingering trace of desperation.
Life was sin. But such a pleasing one. Such a priceless one.
It truly was an expression Cosmo knew all too well.
Cosmo met Jiru Osama and began with a single question.
"What did you do?"
Jiru jolted.
For the first time since they had arrived, he reacted to something. And what followed was the absolute height of the word.
His body began to tremble, he held his head tight, then he screamed.
The sound tore from his throat so violently that his collar slipped from Cosmo's grasp.
Jiru collapsed where he stood.
He howled in agony, curling inward as though he wished to bury his own head beneath the earth itself.
He didn't seem to care as his face scraped against the dirt, nor when stones scratched his skin raw, or dust filled his mouth.