Two nations that had been rivals for over a century now sat at the same virtual table, forced together by circumstances neither wanted to accept.

On one side of the projection, the Empress of the Silver Phoenix Empire sat on her throne.

Beside her was Princess Ariana, calm as always.

On the other side, the Headmaster sat at the head of a long table in the Academy's war room. General Ironwood stood behind him. Various other military leaders and advisors filled the remaining seats, all looking exhausted.

And there, near the end of the table, sat Jonah and Vanessa.

"Let me be clear," the Empress began. "Your nation's failure to contain a domestic terrorist has resulted in that terrorist achieving the ability to travel and operate across the galaxy."

The Headmaster's expression stayed neutral. "With respect, Your Majesty, Sterling was not a terrorist. He was a businessman who operated within legal bounds until he didn't. By the time we realized the full scope of his operations, he had already built his power base."

"Excuses." The Empress leaned forward. "Your 'legal bounds' allowed a madman to start mass-producing incredibly powerful weapons. And now he has a fleet."

"A fleet we are all not ready to face," General Ironwood added, his voice sounding rough. "Which is why we called this summit. For us to work together to fight back."

"You want to work together?" The Empress's laugh was bitter. "What you want is our resources. Our ships. Our soldiers. To fix your mistake."

Jonah shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Vanessa squeezed his hand under the table. They had been told to observe, not participate. The adults would handle the politics.

But watching them, Jonah wasn't sure the adults were handling anything.

"Sterling now has control of your capital," one of the Empress's military advisors reported, pulling up holographic displays. "His human forces are few, maybe five thousand loyal soldiers. But his robotic armies count in the hundreds of thousands."

"War-golems," another advisor corrected. "Ancient Artificer technology, reverse-engineered and mass-produced. They don't eat. They don't sleep. They don't question orders."

"And they are expanding," Ironwood confirmed grimly. "They have taken control of three major cities in the past week."

The Empress stood abruptly. "Then you have lost already. I will not throw my nation's resources into a war you cannot win. I'm recalling my forces and strengthening our borders. When Sterling's fleet arrives, we will meet him with the full force of the Silver Phoenix Empire. On our terms. In our space."

"Your Majesty, please," the Headmaster began.

"This discussion is over."

"Mother, wait."

Princess Ariana's voice interrupted the rising chaos. Everyone turned to look at her.

She stepped forward, looking confident. "Before you make that decision, I ask that you hear a different perspective."

The Empress frowned. "Ariana, this is not the time for..."

"This is exactly the time." Ariana moved to stand in the middle of the holographic projection, where both sides could see her. "Because everyone in this room is thinking like soldiers. And that's the problem."

General Ironwood suddenly became angry and alert. "Princess, I've been a soldier for thirty years. I know..."

"You know how to fight a war," Ariana interrupted. "You know tactics. Strategy. But Sterling didn't defeat us with an army. He defeated us with a better idea."

That got everyone's attention.

Ariana pulled up her own display, showing Sterling's factory, his fleet, his entire operation in detail.

"Look at this. Sterling didn't just copy Jonah's power. He mass-produced the soul itself. He turned what should have been impossible into a repeatable process.

"We know this already," the Empress said impatiently.

"But do you understand what it means?" Ariana looked across the faces of everyone present in the room. "It means that our normal way of fighting is now useless. You can't fight his next war with the tactics of the last one. No matter how many ships you build or soldiers you train, he can simply produce more."

The Headmaster leaned forward. "What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting we stop thinking like soldiers and start thinking like Artificers."

THUD.

Ironwood slammed his hand on the table. "The Artificers destroyed themselves with that thinking! Their obsession with war machines led to a civil war that collapsed their entire civilization!"

"Exactly." Ariana smiled, but it wasn't a happy expression. "And Sterling is following the same path as the Forge-Masters. Creating soulless machines. We need to follow the other path."

"The Life-Weavers," Jonah said quietly.

Everyone turned to look at him. He flinched under the sudden attention but continued.

"The Artificers who believed in symbiotic creation. In working with life instead of trying to control it. That's what you mean, right?"

Ariana nodded. "Exactly. Sterling thinks he's won because he's perfected the industrial model. But he as forgotten the flaw in that philosophy. Machines can be perfect, but they can't adapt. They can't create. They can only follow the programs they are given."

"And you think we can?" The Empress sounded doubtful, but her voice was not as angry now. At least she was listening.

"I think Jonah already proved it at the factory." Ariana pointed toward him. "He defeated Sterling's weapons not with force, but with an approach Sterling's programming couldn't predict or counter."

Vanessa spoke up for the first time. "You want us to rediscover the Life-Weavers' lost science."

"More than that." Ariana's face became more serious. "I want to form a joint research division. Equal representation from both our nations. Full access to both our archives, resources, and technology. Led by the only two people who have already proven they can think beyond limits."

She pointed at Jonah and Vanessa.

"Wait," Jonah said, his eyes going wide. "You want us to lead a research division?!"

"You are innovators," Ariana said. "You created a living spacecraft capable of surviving in space. You discovered how to perform synthesis at the cosmic level. Yo are not just students anymore, Jonah. You are pioneers."

The room went silent as everyone processed this.

The Empress spoke first. "You are suggesting we give the future of both our nations to two teenagers?"

"I'm proposing we give them the tools they need to do what no one else can," Ariana replied calmly. "Besides, they won't be alone. They will have advisors and support from both our nations' best minds."

"It's insane," Ironwood muttered.

"So is fighting an interstellar fleet with yesterday's weapons," Ariana shot back.

The Headmaster stroked his beard thoughtfully. "What exactly would this division's order be?"

"It's simple. Rediscover the lost art of space engineering. Learn how the Life-Weavers built their living ships and symbiotic technologies. And most importantly..." Ariana pulled up a new display showing Sterling's fleet. "Figure out how to take this war to Sterling. On his base. In space."

"You want to build a fleet," the Empress said slowly.

"I want to build an answer." Ariana turned to face her mother. "Sterling believes he as already won because he thinks we are trapped on this planet, struggling to defend ourselves. What if we are not? What if we take the fight to him before he brings it here?"

Jonah felt his heart racing. They were talking about building spaceships. About going to war among the stars. About rediscovering secrets that had been lost for thousands of years.

It was impossible.

But then again, so was everything else they had already done.

"I need to consult with my advisors," the Empress said finally. "This is a decision I must think about very carefully."

"Take the time you need," the Headmaster replied. "But we all know Sterling won't wait. Every day we delay is another day he prepares."

The summit ended with no clear resolution, just an agreement to meet again in twenty-four hours. As the holograms faded and the connection cut, Jonah slumped back in his chair.

"Did that really just happen?" he asked weakly.

"Yes." Vanessa looked equally stunned. "We just got promoted from students to... what exactly? Cosmic engineers?"

The Headmaster turned to face them, a small smile on his face. "Artificer Research Division leaders, technically. If the Empress agrees, of course."

"And if she doesn't?" Jonah asked.

"Then we do it anyway, just with fewer resources." The Headmaster stood, adjusting his robes. "Ariana is right. This is not a normal war anymore. We need ways to solve it that are new and different. And you two have shown you can come up with those solutions."

"But we don't even know where to start," Vanessa protested. "The Life-Weavers' knowledge was lost thousands of years ago. How are we supposed to rediscover something that ancient?"

"You already have a clue." The Headmaster pulled out a small data crystal from his robe. "The Artificer data you recovered from the Sunken City. You barely scratched the surface of what's stored on it."

Jonah recognized the crystal immediately. They had used it to help create Nomad, but the encryption had been so complex they only accessed the first few layers.

"You think there's more on there?"

"I think," the Headmaster said, placing the crystal on the table between them, "that the Artificer who left that crystal behind wanted someone to find it. Someone worthy. Someone who would use the knowledge wisely."

"Someone like us," Vanessa whispered.

"Exactly. Take this to the deepest level of the archives. Use every resource the Academy has. Break through the rest of that encryption." The Headmaster's eyes were intense. "Find out what secrets the ancients left behind. Because if we are going to fight a war in the stars, we need to learn from those who fought there before."

Jonah reached out and picked up the crystal.

Inside this tiny object might be the key to everything. The knowledge to build ships. To fight Sterling. To take back their world and protect the future.

No pressure or anything.

"We'll do it," he said.

Vanessa nodded beside him. "Together."

The Headmaster smiled. "I expected nothing less. Now go. Time is not our ally."

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