The Aldevarian Standard Work Cycle lasted nine days. Zell much preferred the shorter Human week, but unfortunately, the schedule wasn’t up to him. This Cycle had been one of the most stressful of his long life. This wasn’t the first planetary integration he’d worked on, but it was the first he would oversee as Lead Administrator. He’d worked hard to get here; this was the culmination of decades of effort. He was right where he wanted to be, and he would be lucky if it didn’t kill him.

  The observation port of his study looked out over the vast expanse of the Cosmos Class capital ship Worldbreaker. The towers and bays made it look like a nighttime cityscape, with shuttles and maintenance drones buzzing from place to place like busy traffic. Watching it reminded him of his last glimpse of the megacity that had been his home, before the Aldevari had come. His eyes rested on the scene, but his mind was on his plans.

  Today was his one day off per Cycle, but he couldn’t afford to relax. It had been five days since the Integration had been initiated. He finally had enough information about Humanity in general and its front-runners in particular to make some hard decisions. One agent had already been sent to the surface to make contact with Charlotte Adair. If all went well, she’d have a dreamstone in her possession before the end of another Cycle.

  The dreamstones were a risk. Unauthorized contact with candidate trainees was a Class-3 offense. He could have his Core burned out if he was caught, but enforcement was laughable this far from the Core Worlds. He had a lot of leeway as Lead Administrator of the Induction. If he authorized sending troubleshooters to the surface, he wouldn’t be questioned, but still, the risk was there.

  His worry, now, was deciding which of the other front-runners was worth the risk of contacting. He leaned back in his chair and pulled up the records on his tablet.

  An ebony-skinned man named Yama had been the first on Earth to complete a dungeon. He’d taken a Fire Domain Core and was close enough to level 20 that he’d probably be using it in the next day or so. He was a strong warrior, a spear user. And, he had a couple of interesting bloodlines as well. He’d gathered a number of survivors together and was teaching them to fight. A good sign.

  Teodor Drazic was a unique case. He’d found a skill crystal early on and figured out how to use it. Ever since he’d discovered how to move his mana, he’d been playing with it, learning how to shape it, even without any affinities. He even had a title for casting a spell without any affinities, a Core, or any instruction. The man was old by the standards of Humanity, but he appeared to be a magical prodigy worth watching.

  The Yowie-blooded woman from the smallest continent, Adele McLeod, was cutting a bloody swath through every monster she could find. Her bloodline was strong, almost pure, and her rage over losing her family was incandescent. He knew that sort of rage. Pointed in the right direction, it could tear down empires. If she could get that anger under control, she’d be a good candidate to recruit.

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  Riley Knox was a bit more concerning. He was on the cusp of forming a Core and had been the third person on the planet to finish a dungeon, but he seemed to be gearing up to become a warlord. He was gathering people together, but he was ruthlessly dividing them into warriors and a servant caste. He would need watching, but Zell didn’t think contacting him would be a good idea. His ideology seemed a little too close to the way the Aldevari thought.

  There were more. A woman from the desert who had a natural Fire affinity from her Djinn bloodline, who seemed to have some sort of religious delusions of being divinely chosen. He would keep an eye on Naima El-Ghazali, but he wouldn’t be contacting her.

  It might be worth sending a dreamstone to Hye-Jin Park, an AI researcher from Asia who was starting to unravel how the interface worked. She was already causing glitches, and he wouldn’t be able to hide her invasions for much longer, which was a shame. The stone wasn’t likely to make it to her in time, but he would try.

  He continued to sort through the list, and, in the end, he found a dozen people whom he judged were worth the risk. It would be a long time before any of them were ready to confront the Dominion, but he could plant the seeds. Maybe, with a little hope, with a concrete goal to fight toward, they would work even harder to get strong. They didn’t know him, wouldn’t fight for him, but they might be convinced to fight for their own world. He just had to make sure they knew how to avoid the pitfalls and temptations of the Aldevari.

  He paused in his work to listen to Kaari playing in the next room. He longed to be in there with her, playing and laughing. She was growing up so fast. But sacrificing these hours was worth it if it meant he could improve all the years of her life.

  Once again, he considered the idea of approaching Nichala. She was three generations removed from her race’s induction; she had never been free herself, but she knew the casual cruelty of the Aldevari. She’d suffered at their hands. She was efficient and smart, and he’d caught the simmering look of hatred that had flashed like a shooting star across her face when Lord Delar had checked in for a briefing.

  Another secret rebel would lessen the burden on his shoulders, but every person who knew was another point of vulnerability, as well. He would approach it carefully. The staff was so used to seeing her dart about everywhere that she was practically part of the scenery. That sort of invisibility would be an invaluable boon.

  He clicked off the tablet and rose. Gardele would be waiting for him. He’d sent the Mundari a message to meet him for a surprise inspection of the Nytheron breeding tanks. He checked his sleeve to make sure the virus tablet was still in its hidden pocket in the hem. He could delay the worms for a while, but he couldn’t stop their deployment entirely. He sent a whispered prayer to the gods of his ancestors that the delay would be enough.

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