The portals began to open a week later. They did not appear with a flash of chaotic energy. These were the calm, stable, and precisely controlled gateways of the Nexus Coalition, a civilization that had mastered the art of dimensional travel.
The first to arrive was a single, sleek, silver ship that settled silently onto the fields of Oakhaven. The Logic Conclave of the Terran Federation sent its primary mobile avatar, a featureless android of polished chrome, to represent them.
[GREETINGS, NOX,] its synthesized voice echoed. [YOUR REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE HAS BEEN RECEIVED AND ANALYZED. THE THREAT OF UNSTABLE, ROGUE SYSTEM-FRAGMENTS IS A LOGICAL DANGER TO MULTIVERSAL STABILITY. WE OFFER OUR FULL SUPPORT.]
