Arcadia and its client states were peaceful. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, there were no wars on the horizon, no conflicts brewing, no threats to rise against. The UGN had been dealt a humiliating defeat in a near total sense, spared from oblivion by the very thing they feared and hated the most. The OCS had been financially drained due to investing so much into the war effort, and now was but a shell of its former self.

Arcadia was at peace, while the rest of the galaxy tried to rebuild its government after the mass riots that came after the discovery made by the scouts. The UGN’s military and police forces were not well equipped or numerically large enough at this point to quell the rage the masses felt at their government and its masters for the self-destruction of many, many worlds by order of the top brass. It would be quite a while before the UGN recovered, if it even could. There were already serious talks about secession and revolution being heard in cantinas, meeting halls and workplaces, and it seemed that the once ‘mighty’ United Galactic Nations was doomed to die in an orgy of violence and rebellion.

For now, however, there was a calm after the storm. Or perhaps, before the storm. The fact that there was, for the most part, no wars being fought at the moment felt bizarre to the populace of all galactic nation-states. The seemingly endless parade of warfare and violence that had occupied so much of the recent past had become the norm, and there were some who did not like the fact that there was no more action. Most people simply wanted to try and transition to peacetime, despite how odd it felt.

Arkhan felt that this calm was strange as well. Most of his second life had been spent trying to survive and thrive through the use of superior arms, and now it seemed that the time for military acts and hawkish propaganda was over.

“I have spent more than twenty years living in this world, fighting for survival, safety and prosperity… How exactly am I supposed to live in peacetime again? For so long it seemed like I was stuck in a never-ending war, but now the guns are silent, and I am not sure how to continue from here.”

Arkhan stared off into the vastness of space, contemplating the fact that he was, for the first time in quite a while, completely safe. He no longer had to worry about warships dropping in to say “Hi” in a violent way and he no longer had to worry about stray projectiles or explosives sending him into a new body or killing him outright. He was safe, secure and in a position of great power and influence. The only thing that bothered him was that he now had no real knowledge of how to live in a time where war was not going on.

“I spent so long fighting, albeit by proxy, that I can’t for the life of me figure out what to do next.”

“You should do what you are supposed to do.” Asharia stated as she teleported in behind her husband. “Rule.”

Arkhan sighed. “We both know that I am a shit ruler. I am just a brat from the countryside, with no formal education to speak of and no real knowledge of anything besides conflict.”

“You sell yourself too short.” Asharia countered. “You could not have gotten this far if you were not capable of leading.”

“Leading in times of conflict, yes. But peacetime? I have little to no experience in that. I can’t even rule properly; I need aides out the wazoo to even begin to do anything right.”

“No ruler is capable of doing everything.” Asharia said. “The fact that you realize that you are inadequate in certain fields and leave those to people who are competent at them shows that you are not as hopeless as you think. Besides, where is this melancholy coming from? You won, there is peace, there is prosperity, there is joy. What about this makes you upset?”

“I guess it is because I realize my own inadequacies may very well undo everything we have built.”

“Foolish boy.” Asharia said. “The very fact that you acknowledge that you have failings and the very fact that you willingly have people that cover for them is proof that you are not as bad as you think. Now stop moping like a kicked puppy and get ready. The masses need to see their King, and they will not be pleased to see that he is despondent over insignificant things like what you are upset about.”

Arkhan straightened his outfit and took a deep breath. As he and Asharia walked over towards the balcony that overlooked a major plaza in their capital city, he looked over to the massively OP dragoness that walked beside him.

“I do hope you are right. For both our sakes.”

Asharia let out a bemused huff as she countered.

“As long as you don’t go down that path, you will have my support. And besides, if you really need to hand off something to someone better equipped than you, I am right here. I have all of eternity to spend doing whatever I want, and I have been around for long enough to know the ins and outs of practically every field.”

Asharia and Arkhan stepped out onto the balcony to the cheers of countless people, both organic and mechanical. Fireworks both magical and nonmagical popped off in the sky as flower petals rained down from above.

As Arkhan gazed out over the hordes of jubilant people, he felt better about himself and his capabilities. Maybe it was the faith people put in him, or the realization that none of this would be here if he wasn’t at least partially competent, or maybe just seeing all of this joy and prosperity put on display was what gave him good vibes. Either way, he now felt at least moderately more confident in himself. In fact, he wondered why he had even doubted himself mere moments ago.

“We still have a lot of time to make things even better, you know.”

Arkhan turned to his wife whose words seemed to imply that she had high expectations for him.

“Yeah, I guess we do. Can I count on you to stay by me until the end?”

As Arkhan finished his question, Asharia smiled leaned down to place a kiss on his lips.

“Why the hell not? You’ve kept me entertained thus far, so what is the harm in staying around for another few millennia?”

Arkhan countered, “I won’t be alive that long.”

Asharia merely smiled knowingly and let out an amused chuckle. With that exchange, Arkhan looked out over the masses gathered to celebrate the great victory and thought to himself.

“Maybe things are looking up. Maybe peace in our time isn’t a wild and delusional fantasy for once.”

…

Far away, far beyond the edge of the galaxy, something stirred for the first time in untold ages. Its neurological functions slowly began to spring back to life and its organs began to reactivate from its age of dormancy. Innumerable eyes gazed out into the vast black abyss and found a rich feeding ground. There were uncountable mouths to feed, and the prize in front of it would be a welcome reprieve from the all-consuming hunger that drove it onwards.

The galaxy-devouring scourge began to speed its advance, no longer drifting aimlessly in the expanse of space and instead directing itself towards the feast that lay so close yet so far away.

“CONSUME! EXPAND! CONSUME! EXPAND! CONSUME! EXPAND! CONSUME! EXPAND! CONSUME! EXPAND! CONSUME! EXPAND! CONSUME! EXPAND!”

The two commands screamed by the Hive Mind droned on incessantly. Those two commands were all that needed to be followed. All else was unneeded. There was only the Scourge, there was only The Hunger.

And so, as the galaxy celebrated its first peace in a long time, an ominous shadow drew closer and closer.