Weathers hadn’t lied. Opening the closet revealed more clothes than he’d ever seen in one place. As someone who’d made do with what he had, Magnus found the amount of options overwhelming. Strangely, all the clothes fit perfectly, as if they had been tailored to his exact body. Doing his best to ignore that fact, he eventually decided on a clean white button-up shirt, black pants, and a long charcoal overcoat. It was by far the simplest outfit he was offered, but that appealed to him.

  “Who would even wear a neon pink suit?”

  Admiring himself in the mirror, he felt satisfied with his appearance. It’d been a long time since he’d felt so clean. It was almost as if a new man peered back at him. Smiling with teeth too sharp, he took a moment to gather himself and stepped back out into the general area of the Lightsinger.

  “The clothing is to your liking I trust, Master Magnus,” Weathers said, appearing out of nowhere.

  “It is Weathers, thank you. I don’t think I’ve worn anything quite so expensive before.” Magnus puffed his chest out, pleased with himself. Frowning momentarily, he shook his head and carried on. “Tell me, can you help me identify this please?” In his hand he held the knife he’d taken from Roarke.

  “A High-Matter edged weapon, how peculiar," Weathers said, looking at the blade. “May I?”

  “Sure.”

  Taking the blade tenderly, his eyes glowing brighter for a dozen seconds. After they returned to normal he blinked a few times and handed it back.

  “It’s of poor quality. The High-Matter weave is low grade, and whoever transferred it from its original weapon did a rough job. Judging on its internal make up it was likely a sword, but was either damaged or stolen and turned into this. The metal is a common alloy.”

  “It’s that bad?”

  “Have you much experience with High-Matter, Master Magnus?” When he shook his head, Weathers continued, “Only in the solar foundries orbiting Earth and Mars can High-Matter be made, carefully woven into its form over days. What you have here is a bastardisation. This knife only has a thin coating along its edge, and while it’s able to cut through most things, it is a pale imitation compared to a proper High-Matter weapon.”

  “That's… disappointing.”

  Turning the knife over, his face contorted into a frown. The only thing he knew about High-Matter weapons was that they were expensive and rare. Media portrayed them as precise and deadly weapons used by royalty or highly advanced soldiers. To find out his spoils were so mediocre was disheartening to say the least.

  “My apologies if it is a treasured heirloom, Master Magnus. It was not my intention to disparage. I merely sought to explain to the best of my ability.”

  “No, it's fine Weathers, don’t worry about it.”

  “Indeed. Onto more pressing matters, I am pleased to inform you that the Lightsinger is approaching your destination. I am told that beholding Prime Nexus from space is breathtaking. Perhaps that will improve your mood.”

  Pocketing the knife he mused over the fact that a few hours had passed. He’d completely lost track of time in the shower, and unfortunately hadn’t had the chance to research like he’d initially planned.

  “Oh well. It was worth it.”

  Stretching, a series of pops and cracks made him sigh with delight. The baptism of boiling water had soaked through his body thoroughly, making him feel rejuvenated, and ready to take on the universe. If the little information he had on the Zodiac War was to be believed, he very may well have to.

  The Lightsinger continued its flight towards Prime Nexus speedily. Having only ever heard about it from the wistful tales of his elders, it had always been described as a man-made Garden of Eden built amidst the stars. Looking out the window, he understood why they called it that.

  Starting off no larger than a pinprick it grew larger by the minute. Sitting against the backdrop of space, he didn’t have a frame of reference to its true scale. That was until the ships came into view. Miniscule in comparison, even the largest spacefaring vessels were completely dwarfed by the structure. How humanity had managed to construct something of its size was beyond him.

  Made up of an intricate combination of metal and glass, he peered inside at the vast skyscrapers and cities that filled Prime Nexus. Every inch of space was used, whether for housing, industry, farming, or even the manicured wildernesses that were sporadically placed. Organised chaos it looked like to Magnus. A marvel of engineering and human ingenuity, its construction measured in decades, the work never ceasing.

  “It’s beautiful…”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Enamoured by the glittering jewel of glass and metal, Magnus could hardly believe he would step inside it. Him, a nobody from a backwater station situated in the middle of nowhere.

  “How many people live on Prime Nexus, Weathers?”

  “The population is in a constant state of flux, as the centrepoint of trade, commerce, industry, and travel in the Solar System. In the absence of a hard number, I estimate no lower than several hundred million inhabitants.”

  “So many!” Magnus was shocked, unable to even conceive of so many people. “How can so many people live there?”

  “Humanity always finds a way, Master Magnus. Chasing the money, as it were, has been a time honoured tradition amongst your people. Prime Nexus is quite aptly named, considering how it has blossomed into the centrepoint of humanities territory. Technological innovations have come a long way, rendering a station of this size not just feasible, but enticing to many.”

  “I guess. Still, that’s a lot of people.” Staring out the window, he was unable to look anywhere else. It was as if he was mesmerized, watching the artificial habitat grow larger by the minute. It was already starting to blot everything else out. “What will happen when we arrive?”

  “Not to worry Master Magnus, everything is already arranged. I will continue to guide you to your destination.”

  “How long until we arrive?”

  “A few more minutes.”

  Magnus stayed rooted in front of the window for a long time, activating his sense for the first time on the trip. Blazing like beacons in the dark, were eight other Chosen, already lurking somewhere within the depths of Prime Nexus. A tremor of excitement went through him.

  The Lightsinger skipped the long queue of other spaceships dutifully waiting to enter any of the dozen or more spaceports, instead, flying straight into one exclusively reserved for only the highest echelons of society. The entire structure hummed with life. Led down the gangway by Weathers, he found himself in a cavernous cargobay.

  Soaking it all in, his sightseeing was cut short when the android ushered him into a sleek white vehicle emblazoned with a logo he vaguely recognised. Resigning himself to staring out the tinted window instead, it brought the two out of the spaceport and into one of the many main city structures on Prime Nexus. The skyscrapers towered high above them, the backdrop of space making them look all the larger. One thing he couldn’t help but notice was the sheer amount of people walking the streets.

  “I need to be careful with my powers. It'll be dangerous to fight with so many people around… Is that why Rooster seemed happy that the Chosen were all converging on Prime Nexus? Does she think the civilian presence will make people more likely to hold back?”

  He’d be able to ask the woman soon, as the vehicle came to a full stop. At Weathers beckoning Magnus stepped out, amused by the scent of Prime Nexus. It was almost identical to Craigton Station as impossible as that sounded, the similarity comforting. Everything may look grander, but some things stayed the same.

  Peering up, he belatedly realised that they were standing beneath one of the largest skyscrapers, though calling it by that term did the monstrosity of a building a great disservice. It felt like it had more in common with a mountain, sprawling outwards in every direction. A circlet of red stars covered the front, a name in glowing white light just below it.

  Constance Industries.

  Now he remembered. Even on Craigton, even so insulated and inexperienced, Magnus had heard of the technological behemoth that was Constance Industries. Spanning the solar system, their tendrils could be found in every industry imaginable, employed millions of workers, and were worth trillions. This was all the more incredible because Constance Industries wasn’t a centuries old institution, or even one of the pioneer corporations that took advantage when humanity launched itself into the stars. No, Constance Industries was a mere four decades old.

  “Are you sure we're at the right place Weathers?”

  “Indeed. Now, if you will follow me inside, Master Magnus.”

  Staring up at the massive structure, he wondered how they could ever make use of the space efficiently? It boggled the mind. Quietly following the android, he sneakily tried to activate his sense to figure out where the Chosen were, but found an incoherent mess of information. All he knew was that they were around somewhere, nothing more specific.

  “Of course it wouldn’t be that simple.”

  Evidently his presence was a peculiarity to the corporation's workers, his passage drawing plenty of stares. For some reason the lobby appeared more like a grand hall plucked out of a historical holoshow. Security guards patrolled routinely, and the plethora of cameras ensured every movement was tracked. Everything was sleek, stylish, and infused with cutting edge technology. Magnus imagined it’d be very easy to get lost in the labyrinth of white marble and metal halls, but thankfully he had Weathers leading him.

  “How much further Weathers? It feels like we’ve been walking forever.”

  “Not much further, Master Magnus. You won’t be late, I can assure you.”

  Grumbling to himself at the android's ability to talk but reveal little, he realised that he hadn’t a clue where he was in the headquarters. They’d gone through dozens of rooms, down long hallways that branched off into the distances, and up several elevators. Getting out would be trouble.

  “Well, if I need to get out in a hurry, I can tear through the walls.”

  Magnus hadn’t seen another soul in awhile, and as they stepped into another elevator, he could tell something was different about it. Unlike the others, this one was utilitarian to the extreme. Weathers imputed a lengthy code into the control panel lightning fast. The screen flashed and the elevator began to ascend rapidly. After a short time the door opened to a small reception, with a heavy set of black wooden doors on the far side.

  Following Weathers out, his instincts screamed, making him spin on the spot. His arm was already coming up to protect his head from the attack he imagined already on the way.

  “You’re no fun,” a mischievous voice said, its owner jumping backwards impossibly fast.