After the overwhelming revelations in the information dimension. Stephen announced a break. "We'll reconvene to discuss strategy in a few hours. Tanya, would you join us for lunch?"
It wasn't really a question, but it didn't feel like a command either. More like an invitation that carried meaning beyond simple politeness. Tanya was struggling to separate Stephen, the father of her friends, from The Lady, a higher-up in the gardener society.
The dining room on Stephen's ship was surprisingly normal. Something you would find in any home, with the comfortable disorder that spoke of actual family meals rather than diplomatic occasions. Tanya met Cameron and Janet's mother, Clara, a woman with kind eyes and the practical demeanour of someone who'd raised children on a starship.
"So you're the famous shipwright that my kids just had to go and see," their mother said, setting a plate in front of Tanya despite her protests that she wasn't hungry. "Cameron's told us about your work. Impressive stuff, from what I understand."
The conversation that followed was refreshingly ordinary after the morning's revelations. Stories emerged that painted Cameron and Janet as thoroughly normal children despite their unusual upbringing.
"Cameron got lost on the ship once when he was seven," Clara said, producing photos on her tablet. "We were frantically searching everywhere, checking the airlocks. Three hours of panic before we heard muffled chewing sounds from a storage cupboard."
"I was hungry," Cameron protested, his face reddening. "And I found those protein bars."
"He still likes those protein bars. He hides them on board our ships even now," Tanya replied smugly. And Janet nodded along, happy to indulge in her brother's embarrassment.
"Janet's rebellious phase was even better," Stephen added with the satisfied tone of a parent sharing ammunition. "Show her the pictures."
The images that appeared made Tanya laugh out loud despite everything. Teenage Janet was wearing the most aggressively rectangular outfits imaginable, with sharp angles and geometric shapes that made her look like a robot constructed from cardboard boxes.
"I was making a statement about conformity and social expectations," Janet said defensively.
"You were making a statement, all right," Cameron said with obvious glee at his sister's embarrassment. "The statement was 'I have no idea how clothing works.'"
For a brief, wonderful moment, Tanya forgot about Scourges and Builder Cities and galactic-scale threats. These were just people, a family sharing stories and food in the warm chaos of domestic life.
The strategy meeting reconvened with all five bonded present, though the atmosphere had shifted from the cosmic revelation of the morning to practical planning. Everyone understood the stakes now, but nobody wanted to give anything away for free.
Tanya couldn't tell if it was simple human nature or something deeper. The same instinct that made merchants haggle over grain prices while their city burned, maybe. Nobody wanted to feel like they'd been outmanoeuvred by people who'd been playing these games for centuries. She wasn't immune to it either. Whatever she contributed to this alliance, she wanted something real in return.
"We need to coordinate our efforts," Stephen said without preamble. "But I understand everyone has their own priorities and resource constraints."
Raymond spoke first, his cybernetic eye focusing on Tanya with mechanical precision. "My intelligence networks could be exponentially more effective with proper navigation equipment. Your beacon technology would let us scout regions that conventional sensors can't reach."
"What are you offering in return?" Tanya asked.
"Complete research files on neural interface technology and mechanical prosthetic integration. Everything we've learned about consciousness bridging and cybernetic enhancement. Our research on you shows you are working on that."
Tanya was concerned that they had that level of knowledge about her research projects and would be investigating that later. She considered the offer. The technology could provide solutions to training and helping people escape. Using a neutral interface to pilot a ship would open up more options for making escape pods.
"Deal," she said. "Navigation modules in exchange for full technical documentation. We can work out the specifics later"
Lady Flowers leaned forward next, her smile carrying predatory charm. "Tanya, you should examine Genesis's historical records more carefully. I can provide keywords that will help you locate some interesting entries."
"What kind of entries?"
"Experiments that were conducted off the official records. Settlements that were established without public documentation. Projects that might provide you with... workforce solutions."
Tanya's expression hardened. "I'm not interested in clone armies or manufactured people."
"I'm not suggesting you create anything new," Lady Flowers said smoothly. "But there are existing populations that might be eager for purpose and direction. The research I'm requesting would help improve their situation considerably."
What research?"
"The experimental records from the battleship. All of them. The neural interface work, the fighter program, the consciousness transfer protocols."
Tanya realised how much she had relied on Captain Davidson's intelligence network. Without his warnings, they were flying blind into situations like this. Lady Flowers clearly knew more about their salvage operations than she was comfortable with.
She thought about the brain-in-jar horrors they had discovered, the rows of preserved consciousness trapped in laboratory containers.
//She will use that research to create an army of disembodied minds,// Sage warned privately. //The scale would be beyond anything you witnessed on that ship.//
Tanya already knew that, but she also knew the political reality. Refusing outright would mark her as uncooperative, potentially losing whatever influence she might have over how the technology was used. But she didn't want to share the information either, so she gave a noncommittal answer.
"I'll consider it," she said finally. "But I want oversight on how the information is applied."
Stephen started outlining his larger plan. It was not the same Stephan Tanya had lunch with. A subtle change in posture, a different quality to his voice that reminded Tanya uncomfortably of the presence she had felt from The Lady earlier. It was clear that the Lady was posing as Stephen. She outlined the plan with the calm efficiency of someone who had orchestrated political movements across centuries. "The five major governments won't unite voluntarily. They need external pressure. A threat that seems credible and large enough but isn't actually world-ending."
"A shadow fleet," Malcolm said, understanding immediately. "False flag operations."
"Controlled opposition," Stephen corrected. "Malcolm's will create the force to provide the military pressure. Lady Flowers' assets will make up a credible ground force. Together, you create a threat profile that forces cooperation without triggering actual wars."
"That's manipulative as hell," Tanya said, eyeing Stephen warily.
"Yes," Stephen agreed, acknowledging her assessment without apology. "But manipulation in the service of survival is still survival. Your peacekeeping fleet will play a crucial role. Arriving to provide aid after these controlled conflicts, building a reputation for reliability and humanitarian assistance. When real crises emerge, people will trust you because they've seen you help before."
Tanya felt a chill that had nothing to do with the ship's environmental systems. She felt played with. All 4 in the room were just playing along to the Lady tune.
The meeting ended with rough agreements rather than firm commitments. Everyone understood the necessity of cooperation, but trust would take time to develop—especially when you couldn't be sure who was actually speaking at any given moment.
"Could you do that to me?" Tanya asked Sage privately. "Take control over me like that?"
//Not without your permission,// Sage replied, though his mental voice carried uncertainty. //But I wouldn't.//
As they prepared to return to their respective ships, Tanya realised that the family lunch had been as strategic as everything else. She had seen Stephen and his family as people first, political actors second.
It was harder to mistrust someone after you had laughed at pictures of their children's fashion disasters.
Walking back to the Explorer-2, she reflected on how quickly her simple goal of building peacekeeping ships had evolved into something far more complex.