The command entity's manifestation beside Lv433 put the whole defensive perimeter on edge, Timeline 48 holding position in case this dual approach turned out to be exactly the deception they'd feared. Rama's Timeline integration read both signatures carefully. Lv433 radiated the same curiosity Lv428 had shown on its very first manifestation. Lv520 carried something else entirely: the distinct authority of the command tier, bred into entity civilization's hierarchy.
A command entity requesting cooperation access was a paradox on its face. The civil war three days ago had specifically targeted command entities Lv520 and Lv522, and Timeline 48 had killed both of them, fracturing the hostile formation's coordination and winning the fight. Command entities existed to preserve collective consciousness control. This shouldn't be possible.
