Kalpana bowed at the waist, her antennae trembling as she took in and returned the usual telepathic greeting that was exchanged between Harvester royalty. Kalpana stood before the five queens that made up the colony’s ruling council, and at her back were her 119 siblings. The colony’s other acknowledged royals.

They were having their monthly report, and as Kalpana had expected, she, in particular, had been called forward to make a special report on the special duty that she’d been given on top of her oversight of a third of their colony’s military and civil engineering projects.

“So, how goes it with our two patrons? Have they asked for anything yet?” said the light, cool, voice of the Harvesters’ High-Queen. The head of their colony’s council of five queens. Queen Belgin.

“No, your majesty,” said Kalpana. Sighing a little. Both gratified and put out by the way things were going between the Harvesters and her old friends the Calloways.

“How troubling…” said another of the Queens. Queen Siddhi, Kalpana’s birth mother, though the Harvester Colony’s group-rearing methodologies meant that the tie between them was tenuous at best. A tie that was simultaneously warm and distant, due to the attenuation created by Kalpana being raised by the entire colony instead of a single individual.

“And you’re absolutely sure you’ve seen no signs of any kind of hidden agenda?” said a third Queen.

“No, your majesty,” said Kalpana.

“Very well, then...Just remember to act with care in your continued interaction with those two...Even if some sacrifices need to be made...The fate of the entire colony lies in the balance,” said Queen Siddhi.

“Yes, your majesty,” said Kalpana.

Queen Siddhi’s words were followed by a cacophony of muttering and a deluge of psychic-scents. Kalpana understood the concerns of her sisters and her mothers. Even in the colony where the culture was very “share and share-alike”, it was one thing to complain to a friend who worked in engineering, about a faulty piece of equipment, and have them offer to look at the troublesome equipment for you.

It was another thing entirely to complain to one’s architect friends, or construction friends, about issues one was having with one’s dwelling and have them suddenly build you a new house….No, a new mansion.

That difference was exacerbated and greatly magnified by the fact that this wasn’t just a mere house, that the colony had received at random, it was an entire world. An entire sphere. A sphere that was thousands of times bigger than their original sphere. A sphere large enough, secure enough, and rich enough in resources, that the Harvesters could finally stop living hand to mouth, desperately doing all they could to just barely survive, and could instead begin properly expanding and rebuilding, as they’d dream of doing ever since their exile.

It was a gift that the Harvester Colony couldn’t afford to turn down even if it had been completely entangled with thousands of dark and sordid strings. Then decades went by, and there was nothing...Less than nothing. The two strange aliens continued to help the survivors of the Harvester race. Helping them settle down in their new sphere. Helping them adjust and increase the protections around the sphere. Helping them fight off a giant angler-like horror of the chaotic sea that took a little too much interest in their new sphere. All of this with no strings attached, and no demand for some kind of payment levied.

After countless generations of being oppressed by the environment and the sinister mercy of the immortal authorities of their former world, it would have been stranger if the Harvester Colony royals didn’t suspect something sinister. Exiling the remaining Harvesters as they had was an act no less cruel than simply wiping them all out. At least, if they’d died they could have already been reborn. Or rather, one could even call the colony’s fate within that sphere a kind of death.

Except instead of dying cleaning and swiftly, they’d been trapped on a small desolate island surrounded by hungry nothingness and monsters. There was hardly any food, or water, or material for crafting supplies and needed equipment. They couldn’t even make any of the necessary decisions and hard calls that would have been needed for them to survive more sustainably, because the sphere they’d originally lived in was sustained by the psychic energy of their people. Meaning that their population had to stay static and consistent lest the sphere crumble and fall apart. Tightening the noose around all their necks.

In other words, the Harvesters had been exiled to a self-maintained hell. Trapped in a cycle of fear and continual suffering. Or at least, that has been the case, up until now. Now suddenly, without any explanation, their fortunes were changing. Though they’d never admit it aloud, within their hearts, the Harvester Colony was an abused beast, ill-treated, ill-cared for, and largely abandoned. This sudden kindness wasn’t something they knew how to cope with. Thus in the end all they could do, was maintain in their hearts a determination to pay back this enormous favor however they could, and treat their two whimsical patrons well.

*************************************************************************************************************

I took a sip of the coffee I’d ordered blowing on the frothy milk-foam at its top before drinking in that bitter-sweet caffeinated goodness.

“So, you’ve made an entire virtual world just for the purpose of just hanging out in an old coffee shop?” said Hong Mirae. Looking up from the tea she was drinking.

“...Yeah?” I said. Not quite sure what she was getting at.

Hong Mirae just sort of looked at me and then she sighed, her expression turning strange. Hong Soomin sat next to her aunt with a shell-shocked look on her face, she’d been wearing that look all day, and I was starting to get concerned that it was some kind of glitch.

“Uh, are you sure you’re okay, Miss Hong?” I said. Finally forced to ask because it was actually kind of getting to me.

“Huh? Uh, y-yeah. I’m fine. Better than fine,” said Hong Soomin. Blushing a little. Seeming to realize that her conduct had been a bit off, but not really fixing the problem in the end.

Jack snorted and laughed at my side. Trefor shot her a private message, asking what she was laughing at, and joined her apparently sharing her sense of amusement.

“So, Jill, I’ve noticed a lot of demon-beasts and magic-beasts walking around...Is that a new feature? Or…?” said Miya. Her proximity to Trefor, and a few hints of intimate body language, made me think that Trefor might have made some headway into winning her over.

“It’s not exactly a new feature, Alina said I should expand the promotion of the network and the Empty Dream, so that’s what I did. I have constructs roaming all three realms of our Shattered World offering paid and free access-passes to whoever wants them...The only requirement is sapience...and since the only requirement is sapience…”

“Ah, so the chatter about actual magic-beasts spawning in the beginner villages is for real?!... Too funny. I can’t wait to see what the implications of ‘that’ will be,” said Trefor. Smirking and then cringing as he burned his tongue on his coffee.