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"Where has he been?"

Nishant stared at the ground while he walked. Next to him, walking at the same pace was a familiar pine marten.

"Euno's location is not shared, you know that Nishant," replied Tang. She glanced over at the mutated springhare, and he returned her gaze.

"I know," Nishant replied. He knew that she was worried about what Nishant would do with the Creeper's location. He didn't want to cause more conflict by attacking Euno, but how long would the Creepers honor the peace agreement. If Euno was doing something suspicious, he'd want to know so that he could convince that avoiding conflict could lead to their demise.

"You're worried, Nishant," Tang continued. They came across a large river, the largest that was protected by the dome of Sanctuary. The flow of the river had changed a bit since Sanctuary was disassembled but it was still a beautiful river. "Euno's goal is to preserve the planets that can develop an abundance of life."

"We were destroying them," Nishant argued. "Why would he commit to a peace with an enemy that is willing to destroy what he wants?"

"Because he understands that we had no other choice," Tang answered. "Euno understands that this conflict would have been disastrous for everyone. There are those races that will be so self-destructive, they'll destroy their planets; so there will be conflict but we know that we must protect ourselves, and that includes protecting Canidera. Ensuring that our planets survive will leave us in peace. Never again will we be threatened the way we were with our war against the Creepers."

Even though Nishant thought that Tang's words might only be inspired by hope, he saw the logic in her statement. The Creepers had always wanted to dominate the galaxies because they want to have thriving planets. Now with new leadership, maybe the parasitic race can commit to a lasting peace.

Having been following the river upstream, Tang and Nishant wandered to where a lake was nestled in the mountainside. Neither of them said a word while Tang sat down on the sandy shore of the lake. Nishant followed her example and sat down next to her, both of them staring out over the lake.

A casual breeze frequently stirred up the leaves on the top of the trees, creating that peaceful sound of nature. The water rippled slightly, causing only small waves to lap at the shore. A flock of birds went from one tree to another while they all played in the wind. In the distance over the lake was a large splash that caught their attention.

Two otters had rose to the surface, and even though they were distant, Nishant could tell that they were laughing and joking with each other. They were only up for a moment before one tackled the other, and they both disappeared beneath the surface again.

It had been months since the war had ended, and most everyone had already moved on. No one wanted to remember the war, but they did not want to forget it either. Maybe Nishant really was simply having a hard time moving on.

It was difficult for him to move on though, because every time he saw his reflection, he saw the sacrifice that he had made to win the war. His body was mutated, and while it remained in this form, he could not help but to remember the events that had threatened his life, and the very existence of his entire race.

Another splash rippled across the surface of the lake with the otters quickly disappearing again.

"I know why you're worried Nishant," Tang finally said again. "We want to be prepared to defend ourselves if it is ever necessary again. We are doing that. Our ships are being rebuilt, defense platforms and monitoring platforms are being built in nearly every system within the Black Line. With the assistance and knowledge that the Guardian engineers are providing us, we will be more than ready for any threat that comes our way again. Our allies spread across dozens of sectors, and they'll warn us if there is a threat we need to be aware of. While we prepare, we can enjoy our lives."

"Like those two?" Nishant asked, gesturing to the lake where the pair of otters were hidden beneath.

"Exactly," Tang replied. "I have read many of the reports that were recollections of the each individuals experience throughout the war. These two, had lost family during the war. One was fighting out in the stars, out of contact for months, while the other fought here for Canidera. They've seen combat up and personal but now they are trying to move on with their lives. They've fought this war. Our generation has seen enough of it, and all we can do now is to prepare the future generations for war."

Another splash indicated that the two otters were still wrestling with each other in the water. Nishant started to realize that he was worrying too much, and that maybe he didn't need to think about another approaching war.

"I apologize, but I must return," Tang suddenly said. The marten stood from the lake and brushed the sand off from her clothes. "Calvin informs me that Admiral Yelena Cassander will be visiting shortly. She has been in orbit for over a month, and so I'll go greet her in person."

"Thank you Tang Fa," replied Nishant, standing as well. The marten smiled at him before turning and heading off toward one of the few remaining aboveground structures of Sanctuary.

Another splash returned Nishant's attention to the lake. Whatever game those two otters were playing must have been exhausting because they kept returning for air. It was almost as if the war had never happened for those two. Obviously it was no on their mind, and they seemed to be oblivious to everything else around them at that moment.

Nishant could hardly remember how he was before the war. He had trained in the military for most of his life, but he knew that he didn't have the worries he does now. He knew he needed to learn to be like that again. And there is one way he knew he could do that. Turning from the lake, Nishant headed toward the nearest entrance to the underground facilities.

Certainly no one had been willing to forget the war but they had moved on. Nishant had discovered that when he spoke with Tang, and he realized that he needed to move on too. Now he was sitting in the small pod on a remote asteroid, waiting for the ancient machine to activate.

Travelling through this machine, to the other galaxy, would come at a great cost since it'd be years before he could return to Canidera. For him, it'd probably be less than a year, but by then half a decade will probably have passed on Canidera. Either way, he had to go back to that vacant galaxy and try to find a way to reverse his mutation.

With a ball of light, the machine activated and Nishant felt only a slight gravitational pull. The pod that he was in was travelling at speeds that were generations ahead of the Canideran's technology.

The first time he took this trip, he had no idea what he had done when he activated it. The couple hours spent in the pod was agonizing stressful. Not knowing where he was going, if he'd even arrive there safely or if it was some sort of Creeper machinery built long ago. Now, Nishant just folded his arms and closed his eyes while he waited.

He wondered if there really was a way to reverse his mutation. From the few days he spent on the distant planet, he had only learned about the weapons that the ancient race had developed; Nothing about any way to reverse any affects. Either way, he'd return to Canidera with a lot more knowledge when he'll be able to thoroughly study the records.

Nishant dozed off, and was only awoken when the pod reopened. Slowly he stepped out of the pod, to find himself in the other cave. It was still dark in here, obviously with the power being reserved for millions of years. Guided by memory, Nishant walked toward the exit of the ancient facility until he stepped out in the starlight. It was night on this side of the planet, and when Nishant gazed up at the stars, the constellations were completely foreign to him still. He knew that one of those cluster of stars would be the galaxy that nestled Canidera, and hosted the greatest war that he had ever fought, but he could not determine which galaxy it was.

A lazy breeze brushed over the trees, bringing on that disturbing silence. There was no sound of night prowlers; no sound of bugs chirping, and no sound of birds. That realization brought back the nostalgic sensation of how empty this galaxy was.

"I thought we had sent some scientists here," muttered Nishant, wondering where they have all gone. Either way, night time would not be the time to look for them. Turning around, Nishant went back into the cave in the side of the mountain.

This civilization must have some research on reversing the mutation,_Nishant thought. _I must find it, whether it's on this planet or another one that they held. And if they have research on how to reverse my mutation, then they must have some on how to cure the "Perfected Infection" so that not only I can have a normal life.