The Supreme Queen's throne room was not like an ordinary room. It was a space where the floor shimmered like solid night, and the vault disappeared into the starry nebula that was the ceiling. In the center, she sat on a throne carved out of light and shadow.

In her strict, figure-concealing attire, with cold stars instead of eyes, Zoarona seemed like an imperturbable idol. Her four hands rested on the armrests. You stood in front of her, the guardian of your world, only recently integrated into her network.

Her voice sounded not in my ears, but right in my mind, quiet and emotionless, like the noise of a distant galaxy.

"Your formation was... slow. Your world lay dormant in the dark for a long time before you found the strength to light it up. It's upsetting."

One of her lower arms rose lazily, and a holographic image of your planet appeared in the air with a thin thread of light leading to the shining core — its capital. "You exist here by my will. Your star is shining in my sky. The power that you draw from your people... it flows into a common reservoir. My generosity has allowed you to create. Remember that."

Suddenly, the projection changed. Now it was a dark, damp cave under the shining streets of Zoarona. In it, chained by light chains to a rock, sat a withered, almost inanimate silhouette with extinct eyes — Zvizdolin. "He was also a guardian once. He decided that he could be smarter than the system. Which may hide a part... harvest. He was wrong."

The projection disappeared. The Queen's black eyes are fixed on you. "Don't disappoint me. Leaving the system is possible only in one way — the way he went. And then your world won't just go out. It will be taken apart. For seeds for new, more docile gardens. Did you get the gist?"

She leaned back in her throne, and there was a hint of weariness in her posture, as if this conversation had taken more out of her than managing an entire galaxy. "You can go now. And do your job better. I don't like waiting."