Twelve rotations had passed since Saumu's forces utterly subdued the Uli system, their influence spreading like a shroud over the starry expanse. Entire worlds fell in brutal campaigns—cities razed, populations enslaved, resistance crushed beneath the relentless shadow of the Giza Mtuji. The native civilizations, once proud and fierce, now bowed in silence, their spirits broken and their worlds turned into new outposts of the Mahasimu empire.
Saumu's Departure for Planet HydroSix rotations ago, with the conquest complete, Saumu departed for Planet Hydro, a lush water-world at the heart of the Uli system. She moved with a small retinue—only her Royal Guard escort and the Caretaker caste, a sacred order uniquely dedicated to her divine reproductive cycle.
The Caretaker caste was known as The Egg Wardens—an ancient and revered caste, uniquely entrusted with safeguarding her eggs and her body during the Egg-Laying Season, the most sacred time of the year.
The Sacred Egg Chamber and the Reproductive RitualWithin the shadows of her colossal palace—an organic, cathedral-like structure carved from dark crystalline stone—Queen Saumu's body lay in a vast Egg Chamber. This chamber pulsed with biotic energy, bioluminescent minerals, and shadow-infused life. Beneath her, billions of eggs—each a potential new shadow—formed in shimmering clusters, waiting to hatch.
Her body, unready for oviposition herself, was a nexus of divine power, her biological purpose the continuation of the Mahasimu's endless shadow empire. The Egg Wardens attended her closely—nurturing her, guiding her through her sacred duty as her body prepared for the gestation of new shadows.
Saumu's focus was absolute—her divine task to birth legions of new shadow entities, each one reinforcing her rule and expanding the darkness across the stars.
Safi's Obsession and Power PlayMeanwhile, on the Giza Mtuji, Princess Safi—Saumu's younger sister—began to indulge her darker obsessions. Her ambition was burning fiercely, yet her mind was clouded by a dangerous obsession: she fixated on her attendants Kara and Moro.
She openly watched them, fascinated by their strength and loyalty—yet her fascination slipped into obsession. She lingered on their every move, growing impatient and jealous of their closeness to her sister and her own shadowed ambitions. Safi's desire to possess and control Moro and Kara became increasingly reckless as she sought to bend their will to her own—and her obsession threatened her judgment, blurring her focus from her political schemes to her personal desires.
She openly sought reassurance from her closest advisors, but her longing for dominance over Kara and Moro blinded her to the dangers her obsession created.
The Balance of PowerWhile Saumu remained focused on her divine duties—laying the billions of eggs to secure the Mahasimu's future Safi's tumultuous obsession threatened to destabilize their secret empire. Her court was rife with intrigue, plotting, and the silent, deadly power struggles that define the Mahasimu's realm.
Her pursuit of power, her obsession over her attendants, and her unchecked ambition would soon threaten to ignite a shadow war—one that could shake the universe itself.