Damon's Ascension-Chapter 143: The Grand Relay

The Normandy slipped gracefully through the final approach corridor.

The Grand Relay loomed before them, a colossal and divine masterpiece of technological engineering and cosmic authority. Its primary gateway pulsed like a sonar, silver-gold rings orbiting a gravitational singularity wrapped in stabilized chaos.

Around the central sphere were ten crescent-shaped arms, each housing a Relay Embassy, Transit Authority, and Race Supervisor Wing. Thousands of ships drifted in layers around it, forming orderly stacks or spiraling patterns as clearance codes transmitted back and forth.

On the Normandy’s bridge, Damon gave a brief nod.

"Felicia, broadcast our credentials. Clearance Class 1-A: Prime Representative of the Human Race."

Felicia tapped the interface. "Sending... confirmed. Priority lane unlocked. Looks like they’re rolling out the celestial carpet."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Hope it’s not the kind of carpet that eats people."

"Only if you piss on it," Levi muttered, straightening his collar.

The ship glided into the main docking vector, slipping past floating monoliths etched with scripture from dozens of species, reminders that this was the last area of law before the descent into chaos.

As the Normandy touched down, a soft pulse echoed from below as the docking clamps hissed into place and a curved archway formed in front of the airlock like liquid silver folding inward. Lights lit in sequence along the ceiling, each one aligning with Damon’s diplomatic clearance.

The inner docking bay was pristine, rather ornate, high-vaulted, and lined with seemingly sentient statues crafted from crystal alloys. Above, a massive sigil burned midair which was that of the Inter-Galactic Union of All Species, flanked by a smaller, stylized crescent leaf which was the insignia of the Elven Race.

And waiting at the base of the ramp...

...was Geisha Vritu.

She stood alone.

Tall, radiant, and utterly still, she looked like she had been carved from living moonlight. Her skin shimmered with a silver-blue hue, her long hair braided into a crown behind her, and her robes were embroidered with glowing stardust threads that responded to the motion of her breath.

Twin pointed ears extended elegantly from beneath her veil of hair, crowned with violet-gold earrings that pulsed softly.

A long curved staff rested in her hand, not as a weapon, but as a symbol of governance.

Felicia inhaled faintly. "So that’s her..."

Damon nodded slowly. "One of the ruling elders of the elf inner circle."

The ramp lowered and Damon naturally descended first, steps precise and measured. Behind him, his vanguard followed in twin rows, silent and composed.

Geisha Vritu inclined her head slightly.

"Prime Representative of Earth Damon Arnan, welcome to the threshold. The Grand Relay acknowledges your arrival. The Pathway to Chaos will open when your identifications are verified and your oaths of jurisdiction submitted."

Her voice was rich and fluid, every word full of authority.

Damon returned the nod. "Lady Geisha Vritu, good to meet you. Make sure everything is done quickly, we are in a hurry."

Geisha raised an eyebrow at the slightly imperious tone, but going by Rank, Damon was actually above her. After all, the elf race was ranked 4th and the human race 5th, and Damon was a Prime Rep while she was only an internal ruler of the elf race.

It was like a king of one kingdom meeting a minister of another, the minister naturally had to show respect.

"I have acknowledged your request. Would you like a primer on the Chaos Realm? I assume you’ve done your research before coming here, but it never hurts to review the basics." Geisha Vritu suggested casually.

Damon paused, titled his head and turned to face his crew behind him then nodded. "Please lead us to the VIP lounge for the human race, we’ll check the primer there."

Geisha nodded stately. "Good. Please follow me."

Damon and his crew were quiet as they followed Geisha Vritu across the polished docking platform. Each of their steps echoed softly in the vast hall, where artificial light mixed with the faint glow of distant stars outside the transparent upper dome.

The path ahead lit up tile by tile as Geisha walked, her staff tapping the floor in a steady rhythm. The statues lining the walls seemed to watch their every move, and even through they were not alive, they were not entirely lifeless either.

Xela leaned in slightly toward Felicia as they walked. "I thought elves were more... poetic. She’s rather efficient."

"She’s both since most elven rulers don’t waste words." Felicia replied softly.

Ahead of them, Geisha didn’t turn but clearly heard. "You are correct."

The corridor curved upward and soon opened into a circular chamber with a VIP terminal set apart from the main traveler sectors. The walls were smooth and silver, inlaid with pale green veins of living light.

An IUAS emblem hovered in the center of the room, while a discreet human flag had been added to the right-hand side of the console wall.

A row of wide seats formed a crescent facing a gently curved viewing pane that showed the edge of the Chaos Realm vortex from afar. It pulsed slowly, like the eye of a storm blinking.

"Please take your seats," Geisha said, gesturing gracefully.

Damon moved to the center seat and remained standing for a moment as his crew settled in around him. This time, no one spoke and even Henry Jasek had nothing snarky to say.

The pressure in the air wasn’t overwhelming, but it was definitely heavy.

This was the last room of certainty before the realm of mutation, madness, and miracles. Beyond this chamber was the one place where even stats and skills were suggestions, not guarantees.

Geisha Vritu moved to a holographic control panel near the far wall and extended her staff.

"Very well, then let this be your final briefing." Her voice remained calm, but her expression turned more serious.

A holographic display appeared before the crew that contained the details of the Chaos Realm, as well as an AI that could intuitively search for what they wanted to know.

A helmet dropped from the ceiling and covered the heads of the crew, taking them into as semi-virtual world where they could research what they wanted without obstruction or interruption.

Damon watched everyone take on their helmet and then rejected his, as he had already done extensive research on the Chaos Realm beyond the primer’s contents.

So, in the end, it was just him and Geisha Vritu in the room who were still ’conscious’.

Geisha, who hadn’t left yet, furrowed her brow seeing that Damon did not take the primer despite asking for it, but did not comment.

"Well, if Prime Representative Damon Arnan has nothing more for me, I will take my leave. I still had administrative work to handle." Geisha said calmly as she nodded slightly and turned to leave.

However, Damon wore a strange smile on his face as he spoke. "Good job not mentioning the 5th Relay so far. You deserve to be promoted for your efforts."

Geisha’s heart sank, but she had to stop and do damage control. "I was under the assumption that you were already aware."

Damon nodded. "I was, but only because I took the time to research it myself. Had I come here without knowing, I would have made great losses, huh?"

Damon sneered. "What a good Elven race. It seems that being made the nominal leaders of the IUAS because no one else can be bothered to do the job has made you grow tiger wings."

Geisha’s eyebrows furrowed but she knew she was in the wrong, so she could only endure.

"I will make a formal apology to Prime Representative Damon for my gaffe and forgetfulness earlier. If you want I can escort you to the 5Th Relay right now and expedite the process."

Damon waved a hand casually. "There’s no need to bother, I already reported you when you dared to accept us here in the 4th Relay."

Geisha paled slightly, and her expression became ugly. "What do you want then?"

Since Damon had already torn face, there was no need to be on a lower pedestal anymore, so she questioned his intentions in saying all this upfront.

"Me? Nothing actually, I just want our trip to succeed. Your actions were predictable, but incidental at best. I don’t have time to capitalize on it right now, but be sure there will be a secret council meeting about it when I return." Damon replied casually as he glanced out the VIP window, towards the neighboring 5th Relay.

Geisha also looked out and sighed. "You may leave when you want, I wont escort you out."

Damon waved his hand once more and Geisha walked out of the VIP room far less stately than before. Meanwhile, Damon chuckled to himself and glanced at Felecia.

"Alright, enough pretending. I know you also did your research."

Felicia pulled off the helmet on her head which had never actually been switched on, her lips pursed.

"I was wondering why you agreed to a useless primer. Are you sure you want to antagonize the elves so early? They might not be a threat power wise once we get the lake, but their political prowess is troubling."

Damon smiled. "Exactly why we must draw the line. They don’t dare to toy with any race in the top ten but dare to play tricks with us, and why is that? Isn’t it because of presumed ignorance?"

He then looked away. "So all we have to do to counter it is to show that we are very, very aware of what is going on."