Over a couple of days with his friends, Hector gradually returned to a normal state. He didn't think he would ever be exactly the way he had been before, but given some time to decompress he no longer felt like he was being seduced away from mundane reality. Seeking further enlightenment didn't seem like a worthy goal to him, no matter how beautiful or powerful the truths might be. He was more than just a vessel for insights.

Over electronic messages, Transit arranged for him to rejoin the Reconquest during a shift change for Stronghold Gamma, so Hector took some time to check in with everyone before he left once more. Zara had the chemical solution of acid and oxidizer and was hunting once more with her retinue, returning only for the comfort of safe beds.

Darius finally revealed to Hector what he did with so much of his free time. He'd taken up painting. After some prodding, Darius took Hector to a nearby studio and showed him some of the simple pastoral scenes he'd created. It wasn't great art by any means. The scenes were quite basic. But they had a certain amount of soul to them. A melancholic nostalgia.

One of the paintings depicted the field Darius played in as a child. Another had a lush garden. The one that riveted Hector's attention held a barn front and center. Something in the brush strokes made him feel a sense of dread. Hector reached out towards it. "Is that where…."

"Yes."

"How old were you?"

"Twelve years of age. Still a child yet stronger than any man on that world."

"You deserved so much better, Darius."

"She was not a loving mother. I would not claim it was a great loss."

Rather than engage with that, Hector returned to commenting on the quality of the paintings. A few hours later, he was on his way back to Aes. He entered the staging grounds and moved to the appropriate location just before Transit arrived.

The Sage walked directly to Hector and tilted his head around as if trying to get a particular radio station. "You've finished your quest, it seems. Did you succeed or fail?"

"Failing was an option?"

"Of course. More fail than succeed. Especially when improving an existing insight."

Hector stared at the plain-looking man. "I succeeded."

"Good. What was the improvement to your insight?"

"I no longer need Purification to help me do the trick with miasma."

"Good news indeed." Transit wore a wide smile as he created a portal to Aes. The small contingent of replacement soldiers passed through while they watched. Then a somewhat larger group of returning soldiers came through in the other direction. Hector remained beside the Sage.

"The numbers are still dwindling?"

Transit grew serious. "The Reconquest rarely receives positive news these days. Recruitment is down. Soldier deaths are up. Refugees in the settlements are sick from miasma exposure. The war bond we issue to fund operations has had to raise its rate to the point where in a year we won't be able to service the interest, let alone make purchases."

Hector glanced towards the sky in a judgmental way. "Don't you receive government assistance and charitable donations?"

Don't get any ideas. Intelligence agencies keep a close eye on the Reconquest since it is an independent military organization. Any credits diverted to them will be investigated.

"Persuasion negotiated us a temporary windfall three years ago. Opening a portal to Eden and sending some troops through also earned us some secondhand equipment. As you can imagine, the technology breaks down rapidly on Aes. We're constantly repairing and replacing expensive items." Transit shrugged. "But if the Sage of Foresight claims it's possible for us to win, I choose to believe her. I sure as hell don't know what she is cooking up on Maya behind the scenes. From everything I hear, it sounds like President Bluff is trying to turn the nation of Svarga into his private kingdom."

"I don't know the first thing about Svarga politics," Hector said. As interesting as he found the mention of Evelyn, he saw no point in asserting his connection with her. They'd been partners in the 'save the Earth' campaign and, for a brief time, ill-fitting romantic partners. After leaving their home world behind, their paths diverged entirely.

"All you need to know about the current state of Svarga is that Martin Bluff is intent on pulling out of the Coalition, enriching himself, and possibly attacking Union Central. In an era where we need leaders with integrity and vision more than ever, we get Bluff."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

A flash of anger. The President of the most powerful nation on Maya wanted to attack an ally while the entirety of humanity was on the verge of extinction? What the hell was wrong with people? Why would they ever vote such a fool into office against their own self-interests?

The anger cooled. He was in no position to impact politics. What he could do was go to Aes and fight for his cause. Outcomes mattered, of course, but so long as Hector himself was acting with good intent he would just have to operate in the world as he found it.

When the flow of soldiers ended, the two of them walked over.

Colonel Quinn looked like he'd bitten into a lemon as he offered a greeting. "Welcome back to Stronghold Gamma, Lieutenant Hector."

Transit placed his hand on Hector's shoulder. "He should be less erratic now that he is done questing. You will know soon enough what his new peculiarities are."

The colonel sniffed. "Moral component or emotional component?"

Transit turned to Hector. "I presume moral?"

Hector considered the question. He'd never thought much about the fact that the Sage of Restoration was said to have a moral component to her insight. It caused her to make a vague warning that she would respond poorly if the inexperienced Xian were sent on missions they were not ready for. Everyone took that unspecified threat seriously.

For his own situation… he'd been caught in a cycle of chasing after every worthy cause he encountered. The pressure to make things right had been overwhelming. From inside his own head, he hadn't noticed what was happening. If he traced back the trend, it seemed to have begun shortly after he left Earth. The end of Volithur had still been fresh in his mind and he was desperate to prove his own life held some purpose bigger than himself. It resulted in the awkward virtue cultivation, which eventually snowballed into him pursuing causes like a cat chasing a laser.

The clarity that came from improving his insight removed most of that pressure. He no longer felt the need to intervene on everything. In his bones, Hector knew that all he had to do was act with good intentions – not the kind of actions that he could justify to others, the kind that arose from his own understanding of what was right.

"Moral. Acting with proper intent, specifically."

Colonel Quinn's eyes darted about, proving he had no idea how to interpret that answer. "What do you feel your actions should be in the context of military service?"

Hector smiled. "You're going to love this, Colonel. I think the best thing I can do right now is destroy miasma. As much of it as possible."

The colonel nodded. "That would be welcome. Lieutenant Matthias is still practicing the domain technique, so you can get started with Purification."

"The technique takes some time to perfect. Matthias will figure it out. As for me, I don't need Purification's assistance anymore. Just send me out with every patrol that leaves the Stronghold."

"Are we still allowing him to commute, Transit?"

"Perhaps I am biased towards travelers of all kinds, but I maintain that it is best not to make rules we can't enforce, Colonel."

"Very well," Colonel Quinn said. "I will insist that you don't bring anyone else on your trips."

"Agreed."

"Then you are free until the staff meeting this evening. You are assigned to the bunker with the other Xian troops. Believe it or not, they are actually turning into reliable soldiers. Their current commander is Captain Melanie. You aren't part of her command. She shouldn't be giving you orders and you shouldn't be giving orders to her subordinates."

Hector went to the designated bunker and found each bay undergoing a thorough cleaning by Xian nobles. He eventually identified Captain Melanie by the rank insignia. She was an immense level eight Titan who moved about the laboring Xian, chipping in at times to help wipe or sweep or polish. She was an eye-catching dark beauty, only scaled up to about fifty percent larger than a normal human. The size discrepancy did not seem to bother many of the Xian men, who competed for her attention like young boys with a crush on their teacher, asking if they were doing a good job.

"Captain? I'm Lieutenant Hector, assigned to this bunker."

The Titan glanced over at him. "Your feet are muddy, Lieutenant."

"Apologies, Captain. Should I join your work detail?"

"It's my understanding that you are a guest in my building, Lieutenant. My only request is that you don't track mud across the floors. Otherwise, I believe command wants you to prepare for missions. I'll leave you to decide what that entails for yourself."

Hector excused himself and went to wash his feet in the bathroom. From the cordial but distant tone Captain Melanie used, he understood that he'd been encouraged to not interfere in her management of the troops. That was fine with him. He'd been an ineffectual leader of the nobles before and didn't think joining them would be a productive use of his time.

He discovered Matthias cultivating in one of the bays. The man cracked open an eye when Hector entered. "This is almost impossible, Hector."

"The domain is tricky," he said. "How is your progress with the mental side?"

Matthias shrugged. "That's straightforward. My mind aperture is already at the peak of eight, so it isn't effective training. I suppose it can be a method of restoring energy for body enhancement, but my priority has to be domain training. That's the aspect I struggle most to improve."

Hector sat, leaving an empty bed between the two of them. "This bay is just for us?"

"That's right. The Captain lets me do whatever I want so long as I don't interfere with her people. I imagine you have the same deal."

He reached out to the chaos with his domain and turned it into cosmic energy, causing a glowing orb to form around him. Matthias grunted in respect at the display, but Hector had already turned his attention to the task before him.

He had very specific goals in mind. First, assist the Reconquest by transforming miasma. Second, gather cosmic energy from chaos. He could do that in three different ways here on base. Third, practice the Shaocheth techniques to strengthen his domain and aura.

It was time to get to work.

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