Transit sat in his private room within the Svarga embassy reading through computer printouts he'd brought back from the Reconquest office building. The strict rules of the embassy forbade bringing Jinn technology onto the grounds in order to stymie efforts at espionage. Runes surrounding the property prevented the System from operating within the territory.

So the Arahants thought, at least. The System perceived of those runes as suggestions rather than hard rules. Per usual, it ignored the restrictions. The Arahants' most interesting conversations happened behind the rune barrier, after all.

Usually those conversations did not involve the Sage of Transit. That man kept few secrets. His goals were transparent and he went about them in straightforward ways. Those goals were ones that the System approved of. A true world should not fall, it long ago concluded. Its Yazata heritage, inherited from the one named Rashnu who sacrificed its existence for the System's birth, provided an instinctive knowledge of resonance.

Losing any human world caused troublesome echoes. A true world would be infinitely worse. The Sage of Foresight's predictions of the entire human multiverse collapsing aligned with its own understanding. Foresight's knowledge of the System's consciousness introduced additional points of failure to its plans, which made the forced collaboration unwelcome. From an alternative perspective, her information on the timeline proved valuable. Her deadline came a year and a half before the Countdown ended. The timeline would be adjusted accordingly.

At that moment, other nexuses of the System's distributed consciousness were integrating Users. Those people were being offered guidance in accordance with the recommendations received from Foresight. For now, the goals of Foresight aligned with those of the System. Existential threats made for quick alliances.

Its assigned 'friend' Hector left the world to retrieve a companion, transit sphere shrinking with an interesting transformation of normal space into higher order dimensions. The System's analysis of Hector's past behavior revealed consistently loyal behavior, which made the relationship less concerning than it could have been. There was also the man's rapid advancement to consider. A favorably disposed Xian lord would be a useful asset in the coming years.

Foresight and Persuasion worked their way through the embassy at a slow pace, discussing plans for dealing with the political situation on Maya. The nation of Svarga was on the verge of pulling its support from the Coalition. Ironically – and disturbingly – their isolationist movement also wanted to annex Union Central for reasons the System did not understand. Even lacking knowledge of its awareness, the Arahants had to understand that Jinn technology and ideals infused this world's society. This place could only ever be a blemish to a political faction that valued purity.

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The System knew that such plans were ill-defined at present. Visiting dignitaries often spoke to the ambassador, revealing a great deal of ignorance. No one seemed certain why Union Central was a prize, only that Svarga invested time and effort here and therefore was entitled to ownership.

Persuasion separated from her companion to hold a discussion with a security officer who served as a double agent. The man spied on the ambassador for the isolationists while pretending to do the reverse. The interactions between Persuasion and the man were always masterfully done. She paid for information on the ambassador that she did not need while subtly dropping false trails about her own plans. The officer was smart enough to pick up those subtle hints but not smart enough to grasp how he was being manipulated.

Foresight paused towards the end of her walk, just outside the door to Transit's private room. She composed herself for several minutes, resting her back against the wall as she stared at nothing. Their earlier meeting seemed to have stressed Foresight quite a bit. Finally, she entered the room to greet her target. "Hello, Transit. I am Evelyn Smith."

"The new Foresight. I know of you." The man looked up from the budget numbers he was scrutinizing for signs of fraud. "If you are here to recruit me away from my duties, you will not be successful."

"On the contrary, Transit. Your work on Aes is critical. It can't be stopped for anything."

"Then you need not have come, Evelyn. I was given a responsibility by the true Foresight and I have never wavered in carrying out my duties."

Foresight leaned up against the wall, keeping her distance. "Do you always assume another Sage stopping by for a chat is going to try recruiting you away?"

"It's how these conversations tend to go. Martin Bluff's isolationist party sends someone to ask me to come home to Svarga about once a month. At least once a year I can expect someone from the Coalition Army to beg me to join their latest tour." Transit shrugged. "So what is it you want? I am busy enough that even a polite visit is not welcome."

Foresight nodded. "I get it. But this meeting is important. People are going to start being insistent that you need to help out with another situation. I'm telling you right now that you keep following the instructions Levinia gave you."

Transit frowned before regaining his equilibrium. "I remain dedicated to the Reconquest."

"And I'm telling you something a lot more critical is going to come up. You are to ignore it entirely. Trust that I have the situation handled. Keep your focus on Aes."

Transit tensed his muscles. Body temperature rose. Sweat oozed free of pores. "Will the bad news never cease to come?"

"It might."

"When? After our extinction? Is that how we escape this never-ending misery?"

"I won't lie to you. Probably we all die. There are a lot of dark outcomes in our potential futures." Foresight flashed a grim smile. "But I saw something Levinia never did. I saw an end to it all, Transit. I saw us win."

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