Back on the bridge, High-Artificer Elara was staring at Kane with a mix of worship and pure, unadulterated hatred.
"You think you've won, Earth-Man," she whispered, her four hands trembling as she adjusted the flow of stellar energy. "But the Dyson-Ring is connected to the Galactic Relay. The Hegemony already knows. They are sending a Tier-10 Arbiter."
Kane turned his head. His Star-Eater's Gaze saw the fear in her soul, but he also saw the truth. A ripple in the fabric of space-time, far beyond the Aurelia system. Something was coming. Something that made the Mercy of Silence feel like a toy.
"Good," Kane said, sitting back in his throne. He felt the Rank 8 power stabilizing in his marrow, his hunger finally quieting into a cold, focused edge. "I was worried I'd run out of things to eat."
"Vance! Doc! Get the Legion ready," Kane's voice rang through the ship. "The tutorial is over. We're going to war with the Galaxy."