Chapter 51: The Academy of Stars and Snow

 

The Bio-Dome hummed with a soft, pulsing light that turned the sub-zero air of the Wastes into a gentle, spring breeze. Inside the shimmering translucent shell, grass began to sprout from the thawed permafrost, accelerated by the ship's hydroponic nutrients and Scarlett’s growth-charms.

For the Lycans of the Iron-Tusk, now the first citizens of the Sovereign Empire, this wasn't just magic; it was an impossible dream. They walked through the lush greenery, their thick fur shedding in the warmth, their eyes filled with a mixture of terror and wonder.

"They don't know what to do with their hands if they aren't holding a bone-axe," Caleb said, standing on the observation deck of the Star-Academy—a sleek building of white jade and reinforced glass that had risen from the ground in less than twelve hours.

He looked at Scarlett, who was currently calibrating a row of "Learning Pods" designed to translate the Prometheus's database into spiritual scrolls.

"Then we give them something better to hold," Scarlett said, her golden eyes reflecting the complex data streams flowing from her jade brush. "Caleb, your people have survived for thousands of years on instinct alone. Imagine what they can do with a basic understanding of kinetic physics and Qi-circulation."

She stepped to the balcony and looked down at the courtyard where three hundred young Lycans had gathered. They were the first "Recruits."

"Citizens of the North!" Scarlett’s voice resonated through the dome, clear and commanding. "You were told you were beasts. You were told your only value was the strength of your bite. Today, that lie ends. This is the Kunlun-Ark Academy. Here, you will learn to speak the language of the stars and wield the power of the heavens."

She waved her hand, and the Stellar Navigator projected a massive holographic map of the galaxy into the air.

"The world you knew is just a tiny speck in an ocean of fire," Scarlett continued. "And we are going to teach you how to navigate it."

The training began not with weapons, but with Logic. Scarlett utilized the ship's neural-link technology to "d******d" basic literacy and mathematics directly into the recruits' minds, bypassing the years of struggle usually required for education.

Caleb took charge of the physical training. He didn't teach them to fight like wolves; he taught them to fight like Sentinels.

"If you rely on your teeth, you can be muzzled!" Caleb roared, standing before a line of armored Lycans. "But if you rely on the kinetic energy flowing through your armor, you are a mountain that moves!"

He demonstrated a strike—a simple punch that utilized the spirit-thrusters in his gauntlets to break the sound barrier. The shockwave shattered a training dummy made of reinforced obsidian.

"That is the Sovereign Strike," Caleb growled, his golden eyes blazing. "Learn it, and no Creator-class drone will ever touch your families again."

As the days passed, the Northlands transformed. The "Sovereign Empire" wasn't just a name; it was a living, breathing entity. Bridges of solid light connected the distant peaks, and small, autonomous drones—guided by the ship's AI—began to mine the rare minerals hidden deep within the frozen earth.

But the rapid expansion didn't go unnoticed.

High in the orbit, far beyond the reach of the Bio-Dome’s sensors, a single, black probe—sleeker and more advanced than the one before—watched the mountain-fortress with a cold, mechanical eye.

"Anomaly Update: Subject 001-Alpha has initiated societal restructuring," a voice whispered through the Void-comms. "The primitive subjects are being upgraded. Threat level: Escalating to 'Regional Threat'. Initiating 'The Scourge' protocol."

Back in the Academy, Scarlett suddenly stopped her calibration. The Stellar Navigator in her hand turned a violent, warning red.

"Caleb," she whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs. "The peace is about to break. They aren't sending scouts anymore. They're sending a virus."

Outside the dome, the sky didn't turn gold this time. It turned a sickly, necrotic purple.

The Creators were no longer interested in recycling. They were interested in extinction.