With the planet subdued and the Vhalar resistance utterly crushed, Queen Saumu returned to the Giza Mtuji, her flagship now anchored high above the broken world. She ascended the landing platform surrounded by her five elite Royal Guards:
Nyota, her ever-watchful commander, stalking forward like a sentinel.
Kato, silent and calculating, eyes scanning every datafeed.
Asha, her enforcer, fists clenched, stained with the blood of the last rebels.
Lena, the vigilant scout, assessing environmental risks.
Juma, already a shadow among shadows, vanishing as they moved through the hangar corridors.
Their boots echoed with authority, matched only by the whispered prayers of bound slaves hauled through the halls.
Saumu did not speak as she passed her officers. Her thoughts were already with what would come next.
The Ascension of a War World
In the central command chamber, under a high obsidian dome where the galaxy's stars shone holographically above, Saumu stood before her assembled leaders.
"My Queen," Kizito declared, bowing low, "the operation is complete. The Vhalar capital lies in ruins. The shadow pylons have silenced the ley-lines. All clan leaders are either dead, enslaved, or awaiting judgment."
Tano, the Vice General, followed with brutal precision.
"The few remaining warriors are scattered in the outer wilds. Our scouts are hunting them down now. The slave camps are secured. The elders have been executed. Resistance is no more."
Liora, the bio-engineer, stepped forward next, her robes lined with synthetic tendrils.
"The shadow-fusion terraforming protocols are 86% complete. We've repurposed the native flora—merging Vhalar roots with synthetic growths. A stable biosphere is forming, ideal for supporting colonists, soldier gestation vaults, and long-term resource mining."
Saumu raised a hand. Silence fell.
"This planet will no longer bear the name of the Vhalar," she said. Her voice resonated through the chamber, cold and final. "From this day forward, it shall be called Zamuku—the Heart of Shadow. The first of our War Colonies. The capital of our conquest across the Uli System."
A murmur of awe and reverence passed through the room.
"The Vhalar thought their gods protected them," Saumu continued. "But their gods are ashes. We are now the divine—our will is law. Begin construction of the Underground Megacities. I want four core zones, each a pillar of the coming expansion. One for labor. One for military training. One for science. One for faith."
Kia, the chief technologist, stepped forward.
"We have begun excavation using quantum drills and shadow plasma tunneling systems. The cities will reach five strata deep, shielded against orbital bombardment and temporal disruption. The central spire will house your throne and the Temple of Eternal Shadow."
Saumu nodded.
"Perfect. This world shall be both sword and sanctuary. A bastion of Mahasimu control."
The Birth of a New Deputy
Later, alone in her chamber of obsidian and flame, Saumu sat upon her shadow-carved throne, fatigue pressing against her limbs like molten chains. For a rare moment, she allowed herself stillness. Her fingers traced the edge of her throne's armrest—engraved with the names of every world she had conquered.
Then her holo-comm flared to life, its shimmering core pulsing with an ancient energy. The silhouette formed slowly—an ethereal being of roiling shadow, timeless and divine.
The Ancient Queen.
"Saumu," the voice echoed, vast and calm. "Your conquest of Zamuku honors the bloodline. The shadow runs deeper with you."
Saumu bowed her head.
"Your will guides me, my Queen. The Vhalar world burns. Its bones are ours now."
A brief pause, then the Ancient Queen spoke again.
"You shall not rule it alone."
"I gift you a sister—Safi—born from my essence, forged in the psionic womb of the Void. She is young, but fierce. She will be your Vice Deputy, molded by your hand. Together, you will rule the Uli System, and from there, plunge into deeper dominions."
A flicker of surprise crossed Saumu's face—but quickly turned to a satisfied, predatory smile.
"Safi… I accept this gift. She will learn beside me—and lead when the time comes. I will mold her into a Queen of Flame and Shadow."
"Train her well," the Ancient Queen whispered. "She is the future of the Empire."
The transmission faded, leaving the room cold.
Saumu's eyes glinted as she whispered into the dark:
"A new shadow rises…"
The Final Preparations
The high command reconvened within hours. Word of Princess Safi's arrival spread through the decks of the Giza Mtuji like wildfire. The officers knelt as Saumu re-entered the command dais.
Shailia, the psion-spiritualist, bowed low.
"My Queen, I have begun the retrieval of Kara and Moro. They remain resistant, but cracks are forming. I will present them to Princess Safi as her first bond-servants. Their hatred will serve her—if properly bound."
"Bring them," Saumu said. "Let them kneel. Or let them break."
She turned to Kizito.
"The war colony's walls must rise. Dig until the sun dies. And when the Uli stars tremble let them know who cast the first shadow."
And So It Begins
As the drills thundered beneath the ground and the first spires of Zamuku's underground megacities rose in jagged splendor, the people of the Mahasimu Empire watched with reverence.
The shadows were growing, fed by blood, by psionic flame, and by the will of queens ancient and new.
The world was quiet no longer.
It now sang in whispers low, terrifying, endless chants that echoed through steel caverns and forgotten groves.
"The Mahasimu have come. The darkness has roots. The empire is eternal."