Characters:

• Prometheus/"The Master": A scientist and iconoclast, and the first alien ever encountered by humanity. Prometheus was traveling toward our solar system when he detected and intercepted the Swift after boarding its uncrewed predecessor, the Gulliver. Prometheus' species (The Masters) is parasitic and can take direct control of a host's nervous system. They can also implant small nodules of blue matter into creatures' brains to enslave them.

• Ren: A life support maintenance tech. Ren was the first human to be enslaved by Prometheus and now acts as his majordomo/main adviser. Ren acted as Prometheus' second-in-command until recently transferring those duties to the revived, enslaved bridge crew.

• Ted: A med-tech maintenance worker and Ren's best friend. After being enslaved, he became Ren's boyfriend and lieutenant.

• Eliot: A med-tech worker who is friends (and more) with Ted and Ren. As part of an experiment to test whether humans can be mind-controlled without the use of scarce blue matter, Eliot was hypnotized and brainwashed to believe the aliens are helpful, harmless mascots. He has been hypnotizing and brainwashing other humans using the same methods, but with mixed results.

• Anastasia: A member of the bridge crew specializing in flight operations, Anastasia is best friends with Ted, Ren, and Eliot.

• The Dei Consentes: The human honorific name for the 12-member alien governing council. It is the ultimate protector of the aliens' society, and sets policy for all their planets. It arose centuries ago when Prometheus first discovered blue matter and its founding members used it to overthrow the tyrannical regime that ruled their planet. Prometheus is technically a member of the Dei Consentes, but has been flouting their policies. The Dei Consentes are traveling to the Swift to judge Prometheus, and also to decide what to do about the threat posed by humanity.

• Jupiter: The most wealthy and powerful alien, and leader of the Dei Consentes. He was the leader of the rebellion that overthrew the Titans and was the one who killed the tyrant leader. As he has aged, Jupiter has become more cautious and conservative, and views himself as chief protector of The Masters' empire.

• Minerva: Created through parthenogenesis by Prometheus, Minerva was originally Prometheus' closest ally, confidante, scientific collaborator, and financial backer. However, her views have increasingly diverged from Prometheus'. She has has repeatedly opposed his disruptive strategies and tactics, siding with Jupiter's faction in their disputes. Minerva has also taken over Prometheus' prior role as the aliens' leading scientist.

------------

24 hours before the arrival of the Dei Consentes

Anastasia fidgeted as she picked at the food on her plate. Everyone at her mess table was bubbling with excitement about imminent arrival of the Masters' ships (The Dei Consentes, she corrected herself. She still wasn't used to the preferred honorific title for the aliens). Everyone on the ship was excited that they would finally be able to fulfill their mission. Since she had been awakened from cryostasis, she had wanted nothing more than to help the aliens achieve their rightful mastery over all of humanity, and now that the others would be available to help The Master ("Prometheus!" she corrected herself while shaking her head), those plans could finally begin to unfold.

As Anastasia sat deep in thought, she was surprised to feel a gentle touch on her face. <<YOU ARE LOST IN YOUR THOUGHTS, FOR NOW>> Prometheus blatted as his tendrils stroked the side of her face affectionately.

"Master! I mean Prometheus..." Anastasia said with embarrassment. "I was just thinking about how wonderful it will be when the Dei Consentes arrive tomorrow and we can finally begin enacting your plans for humanity!"

Prometheus pulled his tendrils back from her face and slowly intoned <<YOU WILL SOON ORIGINATE AND NOT RECEIVE PLANS. SHE HAS CHOSEN YOU TO SERVE>>

Anastasia looked confused for a moment, but then proudly said, "I am honored and ready to serve the Masters in any way they choose. What service will I be performing?"

Prometheus pulled away from Anastasia and began slithering away, squawking, <<MINERVA IS WISE AND HAS CHOSEN. YOU WILL AID HER CORPOREALLY. IT IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF SERVICE. I WILL ASSIST WITH YOUR PREPARATION>>

Anastasia continued looking confused as Prometheus left the mess hall. She didn't pretend to fully understand her alien master's emotions, but based on what she had seen in her months of service, he almost seemed... sad? Her thoughts were interrupted as her data pad beeped and showed her incoming orders. It confirmed that she was being placed on extended detached service with the Dei Consentes and would need to brief her temporary duty replacement ASAP. She rolled her eyes in frustration when she saw who had been assigned as her temporary replacement. "James? But he's a dumbass! Why didn't they assign Carol?" she groaned as she began typing a terse message to Ren... then sighed and changed the recipient to the new XO. "Ren would have assigned Carol," she grumbled.

-------

"Ted, could you stick around a bit to help me with something?" Eliot asked as he and Ted finished their shifts in the medbay. Ted, who had been deep in thought, looked startled and glanced at his chrono. After a pause, Ted nodded.

"I've got something urgent right after this, but if it's important I can take a minute," Ted said. "Wait, where are we going?" he said as Eliot pulled him insistently into an unoccupied exam room.

"Okay. Sorry," Eliot apologized. "I just wanted to show you some odd scans I came across when I was clearing out the buffer in the soft tissue scanner yesterday. Could you take a quick look?"

Ted looked surprised, but quickly reset his face to a more jovial expression that didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. "Sure, I'd be happy to help. Glitchy med-tech certainly calls for the expertise of our glitchiest maintenance tech! Let me at the offending scanner," he said, cracking his knuckles theatrically.

Eliot sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't seem to be a hardware issue, and I'm not sure it's actually a software issue, either. I noticed the raw buffer files all seemed to show dark, string-like occlusions on brain scans we've run recently, but I ran the test loop on the unit and it passed with flying colors."

Ted nodded knowingly and said, "So it's an intermittent fault. Maybe its interference or drop-outs on the power line? That's caused similar..."

Eliot held up his hand to stop Ted and interrupted, saying, "No, definitely not that. It's a clean isolated ground line and I checked the logs for power drop-outs and found none. But that's not the weird part... the really odd discrepancy came up when I looked at the version of these same scans that had been stored in the patient files. And do you know what I found?"

Ted sighed and suddenly looked very tired. He massaged the bridge of his nose as he stood silently thinking for a moment, then said, "Actually Eliot, can this wait until tomorrow? We're behind on everything, I'm on extended duty with the maintenance crew, and Ren and I have a lot to discuss before the Dei Consentes arrive tomorrow. Much as I'm not looking forward to all that, it has to take priority over a minor equipment glitch."

Eliot looked perplexed for a moment, then blurted, "But Ted, this isn't a minor glitch at all. And I thought you and Ren weren't even..." Eliot trailed off as he saw Ted's shocked, pained expression, then continued with a gentle apology: "Oh, sorry Ted. That was completely inappropriate of me. Your and Ren's personal affairs are none of my business."

Ted looked up sharply and said quietly, "Now you know that's not entirely true, Eliot."

Now it was Eliot's turn to look shocked and pained.

Ted again tried to deflect the tension with humor that seemed forced to Eliot: "You know I was just using Ren to advance my career. Now that he's no longer running things, I've been angling to catch the eye of the captain, who is much more attractive now that he's been unfrozen!"

Eliot snorted, but could see the pain on Ted's face, even as he put on a good front. "Seriously, Ted. You know I care a lot for both of you and don't want to interfere or take sides, but I hate to see you two suffering. You never really told me what happened--aren't you the guy who tells everyone everything?"

Ted looked like he was going to deflect Eliot with another joke, but then sighed and shook his head resignedly. "I guess you might be the only person I could talk to about this who might understand our situation, but I didn't want to drag you into the middle of all this, Eliot. Let's just say that Ren and I are trying to work through some things... some pretty awful things, actually, and I am having a hard time processing it all, much less talking about it."

Eliot nodded, but still looked perplexed. "I'm not sure what you mean about me being the only person who could understand? You mean because we have shared... experiences?" Eliot said hesitantly, his face reddening as he continued. "I can help in any way, let me know. You two are my favorite people on or off this ship, and I really thought you were head over heels in love. You seemed incredibly happy."

Ted looked pained and started to say something, then stopped himself. Then he began again: "You aren't wrong. Ren and I were happy when we were together... probably the happiest either of us have ever been. But that happiness was built on a lie. No, wait, not a lie--a betrayal. And that betrayal has poisoned everything that came afterward," Ted spat out bitterly.

Eliot looked shocked, but nodded sympathetically. "Based on that, you think Ren betrayed you? And I take it he disagrees?"

Ted snorted vehemently, surprising Eliot. "No, that's not it. Ren actually completely agrees that he betrayed my trust in a horrible way. I honestly think that if he regretted it I could forgive him and we could move on. But he doesn't. In fact, he said he would do it again in a heartbeat."

Ted stopped and looked completely lost. In all their years working together (and more), Eliot had never seen him this distraught. Nothing ever seemed to get to Ted, but now he clearly was on the verge of breaking down. Eliot gently asked, "But Ren really seems to be a fundamentally good guy, right? Surely if he feels that strongly about the situation, he has good reasons to have done what he did?"

Ted nodded. "He thinks he does. If he hadn't betrayed my trust, he thinks we would never have gotten together. And honestly, he's probably right about that. So he thinks that I should ignore the betrayal and focus on what we've had since then."

Eliot was still looking confused as he processed what Ted was saying. After taking a deep breath, Eliot shook his head and continued, "But Ted, what you're saying doesn't make any sense. How did Ren betray you, and why would I understand it more than anyone else?"

Ted took a deep breath and grasped Eliot by the shoulders, his face contorted with obvious pain. "The real kick in the balls is that Ren betrayed me the same way that I am betraying you: Enter mascot training mode command shell, superuser Ted, authenticate," Ted said, his voice weighed down with sadness.

Eliot's face quickly morphed from shock to confusion to placid blankness. In an emotionless voice, Eliot droned, "Command Shell Initiated for Superuser Ted," and stood motionless.

Ted gave an exhausted sigh, then said, "Wipe all memories of the conversation we had since entering this room. You now understand that the discrepancy you observed with the brain scans was the result of power line interference from an improperly installed power junction, which has now been repaired. In the future you will clear the scanner buffers without examining their contents, and you will continue to alert me to any other discrepancies you notice before making any official notation or alerting other crew members. Acknowledge." Ted said grimly.

Eliot paused briefly, staring blankly, then spoke quietly. "Acknowledged."

Ted took a moment to compose himself, then continued, "We have just had a brief conversation about Anastasia's new assignment, which makes us both proud. You will now return to consciousness without noticing any time has passed or anything unusual about the situation. Initiate."

Eliot took a deep breath, and then turned to Ted happily. "I'm so jealous Anastasia was picked. I wish I could have a chance to spend more time with the new mascots. We are so lucky to have them help us work better as a team!"

"Lord knows we could use some help with our teamwork at this point," Ted muttered under his breath. Seeing Eliot's confusion, Ted continued with forced cheer, "Well, actually, I'm on the support team for their arrival... maybe I can get you assigned to that, too, so at least you can get some facetime with the new mascots?"

Eliot nodded happily. "That would be great! We are all devoted to the Mascots!" he said, looking at Ted expectantly.

Ted looked back with irritation, then sighed, "The Mascots deserve our devotion. Goodbye, Eliot," and started to steer Eliot out of the exam room as Eliot continued to nod happily.

Ted caught the eye of one of his old maintenance crew buddies conspicuously loitering outside the medbay and headed his direction, muttering, "Here's hoping the Mascots get exactly what they deserve."

------

Ren sighed as Prometheus continued to wrap him tightly with his tendrils. "Thanks, I really needed that," he said, as Prometheus gave a consoling brapping noise and retracted his tendrils. "Are you okay?"

<<WHAT MUST BE BORNE WILL BE, BUT SOME CUTS ARE DEEPER>> Prometheus intoned.

"We'll get through this...Our team might not be very happy with you now, but I'm sure you can count on them if the Masters really try to go through with it. We're not going to let them drain you, either," Ren exclaimed. "You've done everything you can to try to save them, and this is how they reward you!"

<<SOME LIVES ARE WORSE THAN DYING; SOME DEATH IS NEEDED FOR LIFE>> Prometheus responded.

"None of us are dying today," Ren said determinedly. "My team offloaded the weapons storage pod and turned off the cargo tug's transponder. No one seems to have noticed, so their options for managing mass opposition are now down to cafeteria utensils. I like those odds," Rend continued.

<<ODDS COMFORT, BUT HIDE UNYIELDING FATE BEHIND A CLOUD OF FALSE OPTIONS. THERE IS NO EASY PATH AHEAD.>> Prometheus said with noticeable sadness.

"Well, we didn't sign up for easy, and the costs keep going up. But we will do what we have to do, one way or the other," Ren said defiantly.

Prometheus did not respond verbally, but his touch as he slid past Ren toward Engineering told him that Prometheus' glum prognostications were not robbing him of all hope. Ren stood watching his Master slide through the hatch. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Ren spied two of the Dei Consentes ships passing the viewport as they made their approach to the docking ring.

"We're almost out of time," Ren thought to himself as he headed toward the hangar bay for the welcoming ceremony. "Now I have to put on my finest outfit and pretend I don't hate these assholes," Ren thought to himself. "Maybe I'd make a good diplomat after all!"

-----

5 minutes before the arrival of the Dei Consentes

As Anastasia and the other chosen human hosts waited in the docking corridor, they could hear the thumps and clanks of the Dei Consentes' ships docking to the Swift. "Why am I nervous?" Anastasia thought to herself. "This is a dream come true for me," she thought unconvincingly.

As her mind raced, Anastasia struggled to get her body as calm and impassive as her fellow selected hosts, who seemed completely placid. As she stood fidgeting and trying not to be concerned about the thumps and creaks coming from the airlocks ("I guess it's not surprising they're a little stiff when no one has used them for at least 16 years!"), she again looked at her fellow hosts and tried to figure out what criteria the Masters had used to select them all. They were obviously all young--the multi-decade nature of the Swift's journey had ensured that was the case for all but the most senior staff. Their calm, dispassionate expressions suggested they were much better at managing their anxiety than Anastasia. And they were honestly all in better shape than her: some definite gym rat and security beefcake was on display. She didn't have a sense of the Masters' computer tech (although it was apparently very advanced since it used the same blue matter that resided in her skull right now and managed the complexity of her thoughts. The fact that it had prevented her from running away from the airlock in sheer terror demonstrated its effectiveness). Actually, the implants in their brains were probably an excellent source of information about the host candidates... she could imagine that Prometheus had given the Dei Consentes information from...

Anastasia was interrupted by a series of loud "Thunk!" noises as the airlock doors unlocked and slowly began to swing open. Her pulse raced as individual Masters began to flow into the corridor. She was a little surprised at the uniformity of their appearance, since Prometheus seemed to change his appearance on a daily--or even hourly--basis. She wondered why a species that could change its shape at will would choose total uniformity instead of...

Anastasia's train of thought was derailed as one of the masters touched her leg. She could feel a cold river of data passing through her body between the Master (Minerva, apparently) and her implant. She couldn't understand the information that was being passed, but she suddenly felt a faint urge to remove her uniform jacket. In the corner of her eye, she saw her fellow hosts doing the same, with a few of the male crew members stripping almost completely, so she joined in. As she finished, she felt Minerva's tendrils coiling around her legs and slowly pulling its bulk up her frame. As Minerva made more and more contact with her skin, she could sense the accelerated flow of the river of data Minerva was sending to her implant. In response, the implant felt like it was growing thinner and beginning to coat the surface of her brain. "Something's different," Anastasia thought to herself, "it's more like the implant is encapsulating my thoughts instead of improving them."

Even more worrisome, as more and more of Minerva's bulk pressed up against her bare back, she felt her body growing more disconnected. As her senses dimmed, Anastasia could no longer see her fellow hosts, and she could not feel (or move, she realized) her limbs. The sum total of Anastasia's existence now seemed to reside in a featureless sphere within her mind. "HEY!" Anastasia tried to yell, but she no longer seemed to be able to control her voice. Anastasia tried to hold back her panic (and she could feel her implant ineffectually trying to smother that, too), but it seemed clear that something had gone wrong... "Dammit! WHAT'S GOING ON?" she thought with as much force as she could. Encouragingly, she could feel the implant's barrier ripple and bow out with the force of her exclamation, so she began launching a veritable parade of profanity against the barrier, causing it to ripple and attenuate at various points. She was gathering her strength for another big push when a massive pulse of hissing static pushed against the implant barrier, but this time from the outside. The static began to modulate and reverberate and stutter, even as Anastasia tried to match its volume with incoherent noises of her own. The vibrations began to form more and more complex patterns and resonances until she could make out an irritated voice. As the sounds firmed and clarified, the voice commanded, "CEASE your clattering or I will silence you permanently."

-------

Eliot watched quietly as Ted stood next to Anastasia, who now had a Mascot fully mounted on her body. Ted repeated, "Are you functional, Minerva? Are you able to speak?"

After a moment of rigid silence, Anastasia's head suddenly snapped toward Ted, a scowl covering her face. "I am perfectly in control of this host, but this creature's brain is buzzing in an annoying manner," she stated loudly, looking at the faces of her fellow Dei, all of whom seemed to be stretching and smiling and enjoying their new hosts.

"Perhaps you chose a defective one," said the Dei called Mercury. "This host's brain is completely silent and unobtrusive, and the body is quite pleasing to operate!" The other hosts seemed to share the sentiment.

"The body is perfectly acceptable," Minerva snapped. "But the host's mind is not maintaining the boundaries of its sequestration. Perhaps the implant has become defective?"

"Perhaps the poor creature was simply frightened by your technique?" the Dei known as Venus replied. "I simply fixated my host's mind on their most pleasant memories as I began to sequester them. Then I gradually reduced the flow of oxygen to their prefrontal cortex and used the implant to contain any random impulses. Now they are as quiet as hard vacuum. It was certainly easier to manage than a Grak!"

Minerva looked at Venus with irritation. "Of course you would choose that option, since you do not rely on your host for any co-processing and don't need to rely on your host's trained fine motor skills. But I have experiments to run and studies to conduct on these creatures, so I need a compliant, fully-functional host!"

The Dei known as Vulcan walked over and pressed itself up against Minerva's side. "You have had engaged hosts before, Minerva. There can be many advantages to a closer connection to such a mind if you invest the time to train them well," he continued, using his finger to trace the outline of her arm.

"I have more experience with controlling hosts than any of you!" Minerva snapped. "I am fully in control of the host... I just require an end to this irritating..." Minerva trailed off as her face scrunched up with irritation.

--------------

After the annoyed voice had disappeared again, Anastasia had continued to think her loudest thoughts in an attempt to push through the suppressing blanket the implant was draping over her mind. Alarms, bells, acid rock, explosions, and any other loud noises she had experienced were blasted one by one through her thoughts. "I won't be ignored, lady," Anastasia muttered to herself as she threw some fireworks into the mix.

"You must cease generating unregulated noise," the voice commanded. "If you do not, I will redirect blood flow from you brain and render you insensate. You must comply."

"I just want to talk," Anastasia thought. "I am happy to serve you in any way I can, but you can't just lock me away in this prison!"

"Your happiness is irrelevant." Minerva snapped back. "You will serve me regardless, even if I have to reduce your mind to an empty shell."

"If that's true, then why are you talking with me now instead of ignoring me or lobotomizing me?" Anastasia retorted. "It seems like you need me around for something? Who knows... if you actually tell me what you need or ask me to help, I might be able to serve you better!"

"What I need is a new host if you continue to be defective and insubordinate. Now silence your annoying thoughts," Minerva said icily.

-------

As Ted looked nervously at Minerva's motionless body, she once again snapped into motion. "You!" she said impatiently. "Have the alterations I ordered for my laboratory been completed? I would like to begin my work immediately, assuming I don't have to waste time acquiring a more suitable host."

Ted nodded. "The bio lab has been modified to your specifications, and we have forwarded the list of key technicians and biologists based on the requirements you sent. We will arrange to thaw them for your implantation at your convenience. We have also assembled your selection of biological samples, although our ship only has virtual samples for some of the more exotic varieties, so it will take time to synthesize the final agents from raw components. After the ceremony, I will escort you to the lab and familiarize..."

"You will take me now." she interrupted.

"Of course, we just need to make a short diversion to the ceremony. The hangar is on the..." Ted continued, before Minerva interrupted him sharply again.

"I will not be attending the ceremony. It is a waste of my time. Now take me to my lab at once. Unlike these vain dandies, I have work to do." Minerva said sharply.

Ted looked around at the other Dei--all of whom were conspicuously avoiding eye contact--and at Eliot, who looked stunned. "Can you finish up here without me?" Ted asked Eliot.

Minerva snapped, "Do not ask him what he thinks: I gave you a command and you will execute it. You..." she said, gesturing to Eliot. Ted's face darkened as she continued to berate them both. "Make sure you clear the filth from the airlocks before I return to my ship," she said curtly as she pulled Ted brusquely up the corridor.

Eliot stared at the two retreating figures, then turned toward the mascot. "Do you need for me..."

"Our hosts' memories all contain the route to the hangar," Vulcan said dismissively as he gestured toward the open airlock doors. "You may see to your task."

As Eliot passed the door and walked into the airlock, he gasped and then gagged. Sprawled out limply on the floor was a spindly, bleeding, insectoid alien. The creature had a series of wounds along the perimeter of what Eliot assumed was its back, and its faceted eyes stared blankly at him. As Eliot stared, he saw the creature haltingly take a breath, and then exhale with a dry rattling sound.

Eliot sprang from the airlock into the corridor and called out to the departing mascots. "WAIT!" he yelled. "There's an injured creature in the airlock!"

Vulcan looked over his shoulder with irritation and snapped, "I said for you to take care of your task! Dispose of the transit hosts before they start to decay. They have served their purpose... which is more than I can say for you!"

One of the other human workers grabbed Eliot and pulled him back toward the airlocks. "Dude, didn't you read the briefing materials? The mascots needed these hosts to sustain themselves over their long journey."

Eliot stammered, "No, Ted was supposed to send..." and trailed off, then gestured emphatically toward the open airlock where the wounded alien was still audibly struggling to breathe. "Don't they understand this one is still alive? We have to get it to the medbay and try to figure out what's wrong with it!"

The other worker looked at Eliot incredulously. "You really didn't read the briefing material! When the mascots dismount a host that is no longer useful, their SOP is to send a kill command first so it doesn't go feral and injure them. If your alien isn't dead now, it will be shortly. We have to load them onto a cart and vent them from the aft airlocks since the docked ships are blocking these. The mascots might need to access their ships after the ceremony and there will be Hell to pay if these are still fouling them when they come back," the worker said impatiently.

Eliot suddenly found he couldn't breathe. He gasped and staggered forward to clutch the hatch handle to steady himself as his vision clouded and his stomach threatened to lose its contents. He could see the other worker yelling at him and gesturing angrily, but couldn't hear him over the rushing sound in his ears. The other worker shook his head in disgust and left the doorway, leaving Eliot alone.

His thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. "The mascots brought...aliens...on board when they...arrived on their spaceships. The mascots kill their hosts when they no longer need them. The alien creatures were their hosts, and... now..." he tried to steady himself as the enormity of the situation came into focus for him. "Now the mascots have human hosts. So the mascots will...kill the human hosts when they are no longer useful to them. Anastasia..." he put his head in his hands. "Anastasia has a mascot on her back that will kill her when she is no longer useful to it. The mascots..." Eliot felt like his own mind was fighting him as he tried to finish his thought. His developing thoughts kept shredding and swirling and trying to block him, but the shadow of the horrible conclusion was so dark and imposing, he could still see it clearly through the swirling cloud.

"The mascots are aliens!" he thought to himself.

He gave a shudder, then thought, "No, the mascots are monsters."

-------------

As the Dei and the off-duty crew assembled in the Hangar bay, Ren radiated anxiety, anger, and discomfort... Discomfort from his dress uniform, which he had always hated with a passion. Anxiety about having to speak on behalf of Prometheus, who was awaiting judgment (and anger that the same alien assholes he was going to be praising would be judging his Master). Anxiety that he did not see Ted, Anastasia, or Eliot in the crowd, which made him worry that something had already gone seriously wrong. Anger with the Dei stealing the bodies of his friends and parading around like they were lords of all creation. Anxiety that he was not good enough at hiding his emotions, which put everyone he cared about at risk. Ren was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he jumped when the captain gently tapped his shoulder and said, "I think everyone is here who is coming, so why don't we get started?"

Ren pulled himself together enough to welcome everyone and present an abbreviated version of the formal transfer of authority he had delivered over the wireless earlier (this time without the actual transfer of the command keys), reiterating the Dei's divine ownership of the Swift. Everyone--including his master--accepted the supreme authority and exceeding wisdom of the Dei, and every implanted human would gladly sacrifice their life to protect their new gods. Having heard the true nature and historical record of the Dei from Prometheus, Ren had balked at lionizing them so lavishly, but Prometheus had insisted. The Dei must be comfortable and complacent, and their considerable egos must be stroked with vigor lest they lash out. Ren recognized the wisdom of his Master and soldiered through his section, but was glad when the Captain took over.

Ren worried the Captain was laying it on too thick, but fortunately his delivery felt absolutely sincere and enthusiastic...Ren realized it was because the Captain actually believed what he was saying. To him, the Dei were gods who had returned to lead mankind. He was completely devoted to serving them. He sincerely believed they could do no wrong. Only Ren and a select few knew the truth. Hopefully that would be enough.

Ren was pretty tuned out from the actual speech, which had largely been ghostwritten by Prometheus (with his help). His Master had become fascinated with human history and myths, and particularly Roman and Greek mythology. It had been his idea to recast the Masters as the Dei Consentes. He wanted to appeal to the Masters' vanity and arrogance, but also make them perceive humans as superstitious sheep. It was vital for the Dei to underestimate humanity and view them as weak and easily led. Prometheus said the Masters had used spirituality, superstition, and religion as a lever to undermine primitive societies in the past, so they might be inclined to believe humans would happily follow their "divine" guidance, as well.

Ren paid more attention to the next section, though, and especially tried to gauge the Dei reaction to it. The Captain was citing Cicero to extol the Roman virtue of pietas--“Where Rome has surpassed all other nations and peoples is in piety and religious devotion and in this unique piece of wisdom: for we have discerned that the universe is guided and ruled by the sway of the immortal gods.” The Captain followed that with Livy's vehement advice to follow the gods in all things. Ren tried to gauge how the Dei were responding, but their faces were unreadable to him.

Soon, the Captain's speech concluded with an exhortation for all of humanity to be ruled and guided by the Dei, which led to cheering from the assembled crew. Ren quietly moved aside as the crew's adulation washed over the assembled Dei. Suddenly, Jupiter strode forward to the podium, confidently raising his arms in a triumphant victory stance. The crew exploded in adulation and after a few seconds Ren saw the corners of Jupiter's mouth twitch upward into a smile. "Take comfort," Jupiter called out to the crowd, "Your gods have returned!"

For the first time that evening, Ren smiled. The annihilation of humanity had been postponed...at least for another day.