After sending Kuti back with Junita, Omega did not wait for Roxo's reply and left with the rest, heading back to the freshly captured system. Docking onto the North Pole, Mirian was already waiting for them. While Sylen went to meet with her grandfather, Keshnar heading to meet with Jankho, Omega accompanied Mirian to her private quarters. Mirian sat down behind a slick, white table, where two mugs of coffee were waiting for them. Behind her, the big, oval window provided a great outlook toward the asteroid field, illuminated by the system's shining star. Thousands of drones were dismantling the defeated, destroyed ships and converting them into raw materials. Omega smiled a little, sitting down at the other side of her table, picking up the coffee, and taking a sip before speaking up. It took him an hour to explain everything in detail as Mirian was playing with her hair, thinking.

"We are already moved to start producing Suits of Ares. Keshnar was right. After modifying the station with the help of Dawn, we can replicate them. They are going to be less sturdy than the Xanthe, but we are getting there slowly but surely. We were already contacted by the Alliance and have steady support of Formium."

"Good. We will need that. Especially as to what is coming towards us…." Omega said, shifting his position in his chair. He was not worried about it, but this was not true for Mirian.

"Do you expect that the Wuulfharns will come for us?"

"Roxo should already be gathering his forces. So yes. He will try and subdue us. Use the fact that we turned one of his species' world into a vassal state and mobilize against us."

"How are we going to repel something like that?" Mirian sighed, feeling a headache slowly creeping up on her spine, heading towards her brain.

"With help, of course! Keshnar is close, I am going to let him unlock the secret behind AI, and after that, we are going to upgrade our ships. All of them! With them on our side, we will be faster and more adaptable than anybody in the Galaxy. No matter which species we are talking about, we can adapt and react to them. Or, our AIs can. Just look at Dawn. She easily downloaded everything we wanted from the Alliance's secret research station. Against an AI's attacks, only another AI can defend."

"Like back in the Hegemony's days…." Mirian murmured.

"Yes. We also need to build more warships." He gave her a datapad detailing all those designs he remembered and recorded down for Mirian.

"Their sizes…" Mirian murmured, reading some of the ships, especially those that were under the title of Dreadnoughts. It was clear that something like that would still be impossible to build. But everything under it... may become a reality. But how long would it take? She had no accurate guesses.

"After a true battleship is built, your Veil and Hammer will be nothing but corvettes. Anyway, to build those, Mors Caminus needs multiple AI systems to work together. I am planning to go back and create them myself! We need to start preparing, and we have no time to waste. Not just for the Wuulfharns arrival but as to what we will face after them!"

"If we lose a lot of ships against only one of the Claws… how are we going to…." Mirian asked, trying to gather her thoughts, feeling heavy with war looming so close on the horizon. She was determined to expand and strengthen her people but already being eyed by one of the superpowers of the Galaxy was unnerving.

"We need to make him see us as an equal," Omega said, slurping on his coffee, looking calm and unbothered. "I am going to make sure Mors Caminus is at optimal operational capacity. You will be surprised how fast it will be in building ships when it is back to 100%!" He laughed.

"Hmmm… So you are saying that if he sees what we have and deems that the prospect of a battle would cost way too much... simply to break us… he would not attack?" Mirian bit her lips a little, leaning back in her chair.

"Yes. Remember, they have multiple Claws in their empire! Their clans are just as prone to fighting against each other as others outside their territories. If he deems that engaging with us would weaken him enough for the others to stage a proper backstabbing…."

"He won't attack us," Mirian said, smiling a little. "You do know, this is a risky plan!"

"Heh, of course! But it is the most effective! Also, don't worry; I will manipulate them a little to be even more afraid~ I want them to see us in the perfect light!"

"Meaning?" She asked, leaning forward and crossing her arms as her eyes changed from a bit worried to curious.

"If they see us way too strong, he may call upon the others to attack us jointly. But if he sees us at just the right amount of strength… He may decide to work with us."

"To curb his rivals," Mirian said, catching on quickly.

"Yeah. Do you think there can be multiple alpha males in a wolf pack? Because I don't think so!"

"Haha! You are evil~!" Mirian chuckled.

"When I have to be. I am being hunted. I am going to be found sooner or later, so I can't wait. This is my only shot at…."

"Revenge," Mirian said, standing up, walking towards the window, and watching the blinking lights of the many drones out there, working tirelessly. "There is nothing wrong with that. Also, knowing what is out there… I don't like the idea that a super-advanced being decides that we are a problem… and turns us into stardust! If we die, let us die from our bad decisions and not because of some emotionless monster's whim!"

"That, I can agree with fully. Don't worry! I'll make sure it is going to be gone from this Galaxy."