A Dream of the Stars

Stark lay flat on the deck of the former Fleet of Fate Mothership.
It was listless and so was he.
They were both formers.
And in losing their place in the universe they felt the weight of the pressure of the universe on their shoulders more keenly.
He watched through the clear nanite-shielded plasteel windows at the three Living Stars.
Stark closed his eyes and his eyes disappeared into his head and his skin flowed away into metallic liquid.
His face showed a mask, eyes were gaping holes and sharp smile opened into nothingness.
Yet he saw the stars so purely in a way where human eyes would have been burned uselessly blind by the suns.
The auras of the Three Living Stars were strong.
They pulsed in rythm with each other, a music so keen he felt it in his membranous metallic-colored skin. He didn't know of what they sang.
But it brought mercurial tears to his empty eyes.

There was seven sets of binery code being pulsed by each of the Living Stars, making a total of 21 different bands of binery code being projected across nearby space.
Upon decoding it he found it to be a hexaploid Chromosomal code.
What was a hexaploid being broadcast by all the power of these Living Stars.
Earther's bread wheat was a hexaploid. And to Stark's knowledge bread wheat did not usually up and conquer planets and travel through space.
He sent a few samples of the code down to his gene labs back in Tarris and hoped for the best.
Soon enough the results would come in, and he would know what the Living Stars were so eager to speak about.
Within moments the Geneticist called back up. The gene sequencers had spat out a quick mockup of the lifecycle and it was some sort of growing plant matter.

Stark remembered the dreams and plunged himself in with both feet.
"I want it grown in a few samples and brought down to the surface of the Dyson Spheres of those stars.
Send loyal Alphas and Omegas, no Betas to muck it all up."

Hours passed and the plant material spread over hours across the surface of the dyson sphere.
Stark was sure watching it grow that within days a functional groundcover would be formed by the plant material. Then? Who knew? It would depend if they could keep the Estrain from taking the Arc of Midas.

Stark laid back down on the deck of the FoF Mothership and waiting listening to the sounds begin to change. The pulsing continued and he felt it patter against his alien flesh. His membrane danced with the joy of the Living Stars as they began their next phase of life.

Once this phase was done they were projecting a new pattern of pulses.
Another 42 chromosome pattern. This one produced a sentient rodientia, though what purpose the rodentia served was unknown.

It would take time for the plant material to spread and finish covering the Dyson sphere, but its growth was exceptionally fast.

And Stark would wait until the skin was on the star before he created their rodent.
And then what would the Living Stars ask for?

He worried if he should share this information with his fellows.
But he knew he could not let the Estrain access the Living Stars.

Colony General Malthus stormed into Stark's virtually empty FoF Mothership bridge.
He had left his honor guard back with Starks brethren.

Malthus had prepared both with a Zela metal Bayonet and with Zela metal tipped bullets in his service pistol. The Kias would explain himself.

He was surprised to see Stark in natural K'ias form exposed to the void of space.
Malthus' undead nature kept him safe but he was surprised to see Stark communing with the Living Planet.

Malthus said, "Our Uloh allies have reported on your illegal testing here. These are unknown sentience Stark, and I'd not have them become laboratory rats for your kind."

"Vampire, do you really think id let you board my flagship if you could hope to be a threat to me?" Bluffed Stark.
He rose up saying, "Your friends in the Uloh would have befriended them and slowly gained their trust over years. I have...other ways of learning what they know."

Malthus had no time for Starks arrogance. He slammed the barrell of his service pistol into the IR officer's neck, "Then next time you radio ahead and run it by my allies."

"Don't think I haven't enjoyed your visit Colony General. I enjoyed sparring with you over Refuge during that little treaty breach in the Northern Kingdoms," said Stark feeling his outer membrane burn where the zela metal touched him, "You are lucky I was already poisoned during the border wars with Zela. Otherwise you would have just prevented me from ever bearing true Kias children. Tainted to only bear Cambions and Annihilators."

Malthus dropped Stark, actually seemingly apologetic, "I'm sorry I was...unaware."

"Vampire, I want to advise you I don't like your kind," said Stark bitingly, "I accepted my fate as a Kias. hated reviled killed on site. Until I could work my way into a position where I could change the laws to save my people. Now all factions have my kin, and we will need a new homeworld and power if we are to raise these children free of political manipulations."