Sector Zero did not announce itself the way I had imagined.
There was no glowing boundary, no wall of light, no visible marker declaring that we had reached the heart of the Blue Spiral Galaxy. The stars ahead looked no different at first glance, still distant, still cold, still scattered across the void in familiar patterns.
It was the ship that knew.
The moment we crossed a certain threshold, the hum of the engines changed, subtle but unmistakable. The navigation array recalibrated on its own, star maps collapsing inward, routes rewriting themselves as if older paths were no longer valid. Even the light outside the viewport seemed sharper, cleaner, as though the void here had been scrubbed of noise.
Steve slowed the ship instinctively. "Okay," he said, leaning forward slightly. "That’s new."
Aurora drifted closer to the main console, sparks flickering faintly along her hair as she studied the readings. "We’re at the outer perimeter," she said. "Not inside yet."
I stepped closer. Ahead of us, space bent in strange, controlled ways. Massive structures floated in the void, partially phased, their edges difficult to track unless you focused directly on them. Stations, gates, and anchor arrays formed a loose ring, all of it positioned around an area that looked... empty.
"That’s the entry," Aurora continued. "Or more accurately, the only part they let you see."
Steve whistled softly. "Let me guess. We can’t just jump in."
"No," Aurora said. "Definitely not."
She gestured, and the display zoomed in. Patrol ships moved in layered formations around the structures, their hulls bearing different designs. Some were sleek and flowing, elemental in construction, almost grown rather than built. Others were elongated, scaled, unmistakably Naga in origin. A few carried Feran markings, heavier, angular, built for endurance rather than elegance.
"All entry and exit into Sector Zero is monitored," Aurora explained. "Constantly. The demons told me the access points aren’t just coordinates. They’re permissions. You approach from a designated vector, stop at a controlled distance, and wait."
"And if you don’t?" Steve asked.
She shrugged lightly. "You get turned away if you’re lucky. If not, you don’t leave."
The two demon escort ships maintained position on either side of us. They hadn’t spoken since we entered the perimeter, but I could feel their attention shift, subtle changes in formation signaling that we were approaching the end of their assignment.
Ash stood near the back of the control room, silent as always, red eyes fixed on the structures ahead. He hadn’t spoken since we entered this space, but his attention was sharp, almost hungry, as if the architecture itself was something he wanted to dissect.
"This place is layered," he said finally.
Aurora glanced back at him. "You can tell?"
"Yes," Ash replied. "The space here has been instructed to behave with runes."
That earned him a look from Steve. "I really don’t like when you say things like that."
We slowed further, engines dropping to a controlled idle as a signal pulse washed over us. It wasn’t aggressive. It wasn’t even intrusive. Just a sweep, precise and clinical, brushing against the hull before moving on.
A channel opened.
"This is Sector Zero Perimeter Control," a voice said, neutral and composed. "Identify your approach and present authorization."
I stepped forward.
Before I could respond, the demon escort ships broke formation smoothly, drifting slightly ahead of us. One of them transmitted first, a short, encoded burst that carried information.
Then it was my turn.
I took out the sealed letter Kharzun had given me.
Even before activation, the metal casing pulsed faintly in my hand, responding to proximity. When I infused a trace of Essence into it, the seal unfolded, projecting a layered rune into the air. It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t need to be. The Demon Monarch’s authority was written into its structure, undeniable and absolute within its scope.
I transmitted it without embellishment.
The response wasn’t immediate.
Several seconds passed. Long enough for Steve to shift in his seat. Long enough for North to subtly adjust her stance. Long enough for the escort ships to hold position without a single unnecessary movement.
Finally, the channel opened again.
"Authorization confirmed," the voice said. "Demon Monarch seal acknowledged. Escort vessels, your duty ends here."
The demon ships responded at once, pulling back in perfect synchrony. As they turned away, one final transmission came through, short and respectful.
"Safe passage," the demon captain said. "Dragos will remember."
Then they were gone, slipping back into the outer dark without ceremony.
Ahead of us, one of the massive structures shifted.
Space folded inward along precise lines, revealing a corridor of controlled void, stable and narrow, extending just far enough to invite approach without revealing what lay beyond.
"Entry vector assigned," Perimeter Control said. "Proceed at current velocity. Deviate, and the corridor will collapse."
Steve let out a slow breath. "No pressure."
We moved forward.
As the ship entered the corridor, the stars around us vanished, replaced by a muted, featureless void. It felt like moving through something held together by constant attention, as though the moment that attention faltered, everything would simply... stop existing.
Aurora watched the readings closely. "They weren’t exaggerating," she murmured. "This place isn’t defended by force. It’s defended by control."
Ash’s gaze remained fixed ahead. "Appropriate," he said.
The corridor began to widen.
Light returned gradually, revealing a distant sprawl of structures, layers upon layers of stations, habitats, and constructs suspended in perfect balance. Energy flows crisscrossed the space between them, invisible until they weren’t, forming a living network that felt less like a city and more like a system that had decided to exist in three dimensions.
Sector Zero awaited us.
The ship continued its steady advance through the controlled corridor, the structures of Sector Zero slowly growing clearer on the forward display. No one spoke for a while. The scale of what lay ahead seemed to demand a moment of quiet acknowledgment.
Steve was the first to break it.
"So," he said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms, "are we just visiting, or are we planting our flag somewhere?"
That got a few looks.
North turned slightly toward him. "You’re already thinking about staying?"
"We can’t keep drifting forever," Steve replied. "Every time we leave a place, we leave leverage behind. Dragos worked because it had structure. If we’re going to operate out here, we need something similar. Even if it’s small."
Aurora floated closer to the central display, eyes bright as she studied the layered stations ahead. "A base in Sector Zero would be... complicated," she said. "Everything here is watched. All the time."
"Complicated doesn’t mean impossible," Steve said.
Ragnar shifted his new demon made armor slightly. "Why not simple?" he said. "Find a large asteroid. Hollow it out. No politics. No neighbors."
Lyrate glanced at him. "Isolation limits influence," she said calmly. "But it protects autonomy."
"That’s my point," Ragnar replied. "If people want to find us, they work for it."
North considered that, gaze still on the display. "An asteroid base gives us control over access," she said. "But it also makes us predictable once discovered."
Aurora shook her head lightly. "And power generation would be an issue unless we anchor it near a major flow. We’d have to build infrastructure from scratch."
Ash spoke then, his voice even and unhurried. "A static base is a vulnerability regardless of location."
Steve sighed. "See? Even the creepy new guy agrees with me."
Ash ignored him. "Mobility increases survivability," he continued. "However, influence requires presence. A balance is required."
Lyrate turned her head slightly. "What about aligning with an existing power center?"
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
She gestured toward a cluster of distant structures. "The Naga capital maintains several auxiliary platforms in Sector Zero. They are politically dense, but structurally stable."
Aurora winced. "Living next to the Nagas would mean constant oversight. They don’t do ’hands-off.’"
"Neither do the Elementals," Steve added. "And the Ferans would try to marry us into their bloodlines within a week."
That earned a faint huff from North, almost a laugh. "We don’t want to belong to anyone," she said. "But we can’t pretend we’re invisible either."
I listened without interrupting, letting the conversation unfold naturally. Everyone was circling the same idea from different angles.
"We don’t need a capital," I said finally. "Not yet."
The room quieted.
"We need a foothold," I continued. "Something modular. Expandable. Somewhere we can retreat to, plan from, and defend if necessary. Sector Zero is about visibility. Whatever we build here will be seen."
Ragnar nodded slowly. "So not hidden. Just... prepared."
"Exactly," I said. "An asteroid is an option. A mobile platform is another. Even a leased structure, if we can ensure autonomy or an entire planet of our own."
Aurora tilted her head. "The demons mentioned something like that," she said. "Independent void platforms. Neutral ground, technically."
Steve looked intrigued. "Now that sounds like a negotiation I can survive."
Ash’s gaze shifted back to the display. "Whatever you choose," he said, "others will react to it. Establishment is declaration."
North met my eyes. "Then we choose carefully."
I smiled. "No need to worry. We will cook something good."
==================
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