The throne room of the newly completed Spire of Dawn was not a place of gilded oppression, but a living chamber. The floor was polished stone from the mountain itself, inlaid with veins of Living Stone that pulsed with a gentle, rhythmic light. The walls were living crystal, grown by Vaktari's art, showing shifting scenes of Arthoje's landscapes. At the room's center was not a single throne, but a Circle of Five Seats, carved from a single, massive piece of Starwood, arranged around a central dais where the Living Stone's main shard hovered.
This was the Sovereign's Circle, reflecting Skodar's role and the pillars of his reign. The first council meeting of the new Arthoje Protectorate was about to begin.
Skodar entered, no longer in warrior's gear, but in a formal tunic of deep blue and silver, the silvery scars on his skin glowing faintly. He took the central seat, the Seat of Resonance, directly facing the Stone.
One by one, his Queens entered, each taking their designated seat, their roles formalized and vital to the state.
1. Lyra took the Seat of Shields. As High Commander of the united Arthoje Defense Force—composed of her Stonewardens, freed Vakhas warriors, and Brute auxiliaries—she was the realm's protector. She wore sleek, functional armor adorned with the Dawnspire crest, her crimson Yunvarn skin a stark, martial contrast to the organic chamber.
2. Elara took the Seat of Whispers. As Spymistress and Head of the Echo-Net, her network of informants and communicators was the nervous system of the fledgling nation. She wore elegant, flowing garments in Ciel feather-patterns, data-pads subtly woven into the fabric, her silver eyes constantly observing, calculating.
3. The Moss-Witch (Anya) took the Seat of Roots. Having left the Twist, she was the Voice of the Wilds and the People, connecting the government to the common folk, the forgotten tribes, and the planet's own ancient spirit. She wore robes of living moss and woven bark, smelling of earth and strange herbs, a smirk always on her lips.
4. Valeria took the Seat of Stars. As the ambassador from the Crystalline Diaspora and Skodar's cosmic bride, she represented the future and the wider galaxy. Her form, solid light and crystal, was the most alien and awe-inspiring, a constant reminder that Arthoje was no longer a backwater slave world.
The fifth seat, the Seat of Memory, remained empty. It was reserved for Vaktari, who presided not as a queen, but as the spiritual guide and living history of their race. Her form flickered near the Living Stone, a silent witness.
"The Circle is whole," Skodar said, his voice calm, carrying the authority of one who had faced the void. "We begin."
The first order of business was grim. "Remnants of the Varikdar Slave Guild have fortified themselves in the Ashen Expanse," Lyra reported, a holographic map blooming. "They are using geothermal vents for power and have a stockpile of illegal plasma weapons. They refuse the Concordat."
"They hold perhaps two thousand slaves," Elara added, her voice cool. "Mostly Vakhas and Grott. Their leader, a bitter old merchant named Gorvik, believes the empire will return and reward his loyalty."
Skodar's jaw tightened. "We will not allow slavers to fester on our doorstep. But we will not repeat the empire's brutality. Lyra, you will lead the Peacekeepers. Surround them. Cut off their vents. Offer terms: immediate surrender, freedom for the slaves, and fair trials for the slavers. No summary executions."
"And if they refuse?" Lyra asked.
"Then you show them the difference between imperial terror and Protectorate justice," Skodar said, his eyes glowing faintly. "Use non-lethal resonance fields from the Stonewardens. Disable, don't destroy. We will build a prison mine where they can learn the value of the labor they stole."
It was a measured, strategic response, showcasing a new kind of rule: strength tempered with principle.
The next issue was from Valeria. "My father's ship, the Dawn Chaser, has completed its preliminary survey. They have located three other dormant World-Heart Shard sites on the planet. One is deep under the polar ice, one is in the core of a dormant volcano, and the third…" she paused, "is directly beneath the ruins of the imperial governor's palace in Taksipa."
Anya cackled. "The empire built its seat of power on top of our world's heart! No wonder the place always felt sick."
"We must secure and awaken them," Skodar said. "But carefully. Valeria, you and Vaktari will lead that effort. We must learn what the shards remember. They may hold keys to technologies, to histories we've lost."
The meeting continued for hours, covering trade agreements with nervous Varikdar merchant houses, the establishment of Awakening schools under Makosra's guidance, and the delicate integration of the Brute clans into the agricultural sectors.
Through it all, the Queens debated, advised, and executed. Lyra was direct and tactical. Elara was analytical and anticipatory. Anya was intuitive and grounded. Valeria was visionary and diplomatic. Skodar listened, synthesized, and decided.
It was a governance of balance, of multiple perspectives orbiting a central, unifying will. As the meeting adjourned, Elara lingered.
"My love," she said softly, approaching his seat. "The Echo-Net is picking up faint, encrypted signals from beyond the system. Not imperial. Something… older. More curious. The galaxy has taken notice of the little slave world that broke an Archon."
Skodar took her hand, the warmth of her skin a comfort against his own cool, scarred palm. "Let them look. We have nothing to hide but our strength, and nothing to offer but a new way."
But in his heart, he knew. The peace was a foundation, not a ceiling. The real work—the galactic work—was just beginning.