Recaps

Alfred Ashford struggled to contain a crisis in the Ant Colony Plan after a suspected T-Veronica-compatible host was found among trafficked Cereans, while Alexia Ashford had already dispatched U.S.S. to capture the target. Alexia warned Alfred to keep the experiments secret and ordered him to advance the project, leaving their rivalry and her ambition to surpass Sherry Birkin unresolved.

• Sergei Vladimir told Alfred Ashford that U.B.C.S. had failed to capture the compatible host and recommended deploying U.S.S., warning that Rebel Alliance members might include Jedi Knights.
• Alfred refused to deploy U.S.S. and panicked that Tang Xiao would discover the experiments on Cereans, then contacted Alexia Ashford.
• Alexia revealed that she had already sent U.S.S. after the host and explained that she had concealed the experiments by reporting they were being conducted on Noi-Haang Planet.
• Alexia reminded Alfred that the Cerean experiments could expose him to severe consequences, and Alfred insisted that the host would be captured that afternoon.
• Alfred argued that he deserved to pursue Sherry Birkin, but Alexia said Sherry was a perfect G-Virus-compatible host and beyond mortal reach.
• Alexia told Alfred to continue the Ant Colony Plan because Sherry had made progress on Mongar-Mongar research, and revealed that she had dealt with his toys.

Alfred Ashford reacted to Alexia Ashford’s contempt by slaughtering everyone at his estate, while Alexia dealt with a Rebel Alliance raid that stole a compatible subject from Spaceport 19. The rebels escaped to Chalseden Planet with the girl and planned to expose Umbrella’s experiments and find a way to stop the Ant Colony Plan.

• Alexia warned Alfred that the Ant Colony Plan could not fail, then ended their communication, and Alfred discovered that his secret room of Alexia clones had been exposed.
• Alfred raged over his devotion to Alexia and his resentment of Sherry Birkin, then ordered thousands of B-1 battle droids to kill everyone at his estate.
• Sergei Vladimir reported that Rebel Alliance fighters and a Jedi had stolen a compatible subject from Spaceport 19, and Alexia ordered him to contain the incident and conceal the Cerea experiments.
• Alexia continued testing the Ant Colony Plan, a biological weapon intended to create controllable outbreaks and armies on target planets, before Lin Nanyi warned her to manage the fallout and keep Alfred in check.
• On Chalseden Planet, Bosa Oliver brought the rescued Cerean girl to Demi, who urged the rebels to relocate her, publicize Umbrella’s crimes, and study her T-Virus antibodies before seeking a chance to destroy the plan.

Oliver arrived on Takodana Planet and met with a contact to arrange the transmission of evidence that Umbrella Corporation was conducting human experiments on Cerea. The chapter left him preparing to publicize Umbrella’s crimes as the Rebel Alliance weighed how to oppose the Sith and the Duchy of Dawn continued settling Takodana.

• Takodana’s population grew as the Duchy of Dawn developed the planet, and its governor hired local smugglers to serve as public security forces.
• Oliver landed at a rough spaceport, hired a Dagg to repair his ship, and followed him to an inn.
• Oliver used a note to find an elderly Gran selling grilled meat at a roadside stall.
• Oliver paid the Gran to arrange transmission of information through a hyperspace relay station.
• Oliver told the Gran that the Rebel Alliance had evidence of Umbrella Corporation’s human experiments on Cerea and argued that the crimes had to be stopped.
• The Gran agreed to arrange the relay, while Oliver said the Duchy of Dawn was likely preparing Takodana for large-scale immigration from Rendili.

Oliver coordinated a rebel broadcast exposing Umbrella Corporation’s crimes on Cerea, but the operation was exposed and attacked by B-1 battle droids. Peggy Carter and Super Lotus stopped the broadcast, while Alexia Ashford faced prosecution threats and was left to handle the fallout on Chalseden Planet herself.

• The old Gran arranged for Oliver to receive a maintenance worker ID card through a soup shop and explained that local liberal groups would oppose the Duchy of Dawn but not help the Galactic Empire.
• Oliver sent a human comrade into a signal base station to broadcast accusations against Umbrella Corporation and call for a boycott of its products.
• When Oliver received no signal, he realized the operation was a trap and attacked the B-1 battle droids surrounding the base station with a rocket launcher.
• Super Lotus told Peggy Carter that she had intercepted the rebels’ public-opinion operation, and Carter credited her for identifying the likely communication sites.
• Alexia Ashford offered organizational donations to the National Security Bureau and Network Security Department, while Carter warned that Umbrella Corporation would be prosecuted for its crimes on Cerea.
• Alexia said she would explain the matter to the Grand Duke and agreed that Umbrella Corporation would handle the Chalseden Planet fallout without further help from Carter.

Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group deployed a Victory II-class Star Destroyer and searched Chalseden Planet for the immune Cerean girl whom the Rebel Alliance had rescued. Jedi Knight Demi remained trapped on the planet with the girl as Ghost Agents arrived, while Oliver and the others escaped aboard a cargo ship.

• A Victory II-class Star Destroyer bearing Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group's emblem arrived above Colony Seven, and Alfred Ashford ordered U.B.C.S forces to find the missing host.
• Alfred expanded the search across Chalseden Planet and concealed the situation to keep his sister from intervening.
• Jedi Knight Demi sensed Ghost Agents sweeping the area and realized that he and the Cerean girl could not leave the planet.
• The Rebel Alliance had rescued the immune Cerean girl after discovering Umbrella's experiments and suspected her immunity was important to its secret project.
• Oliver and the others escaped aboard a cargo ship, but Demi and the girl remained trapped on Chalseden Planet.

Jedi Knight Demi prepared to sacrifice himself to help the Cerea girl escape and destroy Umbrella Corporation’s experimental data. He attacked Alfred Ashford’s Star Destroyer in an Eta-2 fighter, drawing its fire over Colony Seven.

• Demi learned that Juke had been captured by a Ghost Agent and that the Rebels had killed him to spare him from having his mind destroyed.
• The Rebels told Demi they had secured a Republic-class transport and could assemble it in half an hour, and Demi promised to create an opening for their escape.
• Demi told the Cerea girl that he would also destroy Umbrella’s experimental data so the experiment could not continue.
• A mercenary Commander told Alfred Ashford that Umbrella had not yet found the compatible subject, and Alfred gave him two days to succeed.
• Alfred’s crew detected Demi’s Eta-2 fighter, prompting him to launch Vulture droids and fire the Star Destroyer’s weapons indiscriminately into the city.
• Demi evaded the Star Destroyer’s barrage and the Vulture fighters as civilians and buildings below were struck by the attack.

Jedi Knight Demi attacked Alfred Ashford’s Victory II-class Star Destroyer, forcing its crew to unleash energy pulses that devastated Colony Seven. After crashing into the warship and defeating its droids and a Ghost Agent, Demi continued deeper inside.

• Demi piloted his Eta-2 fighter through the Vulture droids and headed for the Star Destroyer’s open hangar.
• Alfred ordered a spatial bomb attack, whose energy pulse destroyed pursuing fighters and set fire to the western part of Colony Seven.
• Demi’s damaged fighter was destroyed by a second pulse, but he leaped into the hangar and fought through the droids.
• Alfred fled across the ship as Demi advanced into its interior.
• Demi sensed and killed a Ghost Agent, then escaped into a ventilation duct to continue deeper into the warship.

Jedi Knight Demi captured Alfred Ashford aboard Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group’s warship and demanded the destruction of the Ant Colony Plan’s research data. Alexia Ashford arrived, revealed her Force powers and mutated form, and attacked Demi while declaring her intention to study the Force.

• Alfred Ashford ordered the ship’s droids to hunt Demi, but Demi defeated them and forced Alfred to take him to the bridge.
• Demi interrogated Alfred about the Ant Colony Plan, demanded the experimental data be destroyed, and threatened him when he resisted.
• Alexia Ashford appeared and explained that she had come because she expected Alfred to fail; she dismissed the value of his life and refused to destroy the research data.
• Alexia revealed her Force sensitivity and transformed into a mutated creature covered in tissue resembling petals and vines.
• Alexia attacked Alfred with fireballs, but Demi pushed him aside and blocked them before Alexia struck Demi and announced she would use him as experimental material.

Alexia overwhelmed Demi, captured him, and injected him with mutagenic matter before heading for the bridge. After ordering the spaceport sealed to search for a compatible subject, she discovered that Alfred had surrounded the warship with fighters.

• Demi charged Alexia, but her fire and superior speed and strength drove him back.
• Alfred escaped to the hangar and ordered Umbrella's fighters and transports to surround the Star Destroyer and bring in reinforcements.
• Alexia seized Demi, burned him badly, and injected his neck with a tentacle, leaving him violently mutated.
• Alexia ordered a wider search for the compatible subject and told her forces to seal off the spaceport.
• Alexia saw the fighters packed around the warship and froze.

Alexia confronted Alfred over the escape of the compatible host and appointed him to Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group’s Supreme Board of Directors despite his protests. The destruction and deaths on Chalseden Planet became a major scandal, drawing widespread protests and the attention of Francis Underwood.

• Alexia told Alfred that several spacecraft had escaped and demanded he find the compatible host, while Alfred promised to search for her.
• Alfred rushed to the bridge, where officers restrained him as he tried to approach Alexia.
• Alexia appointed Alfred to Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group’s Supreme Board of Directors, and he warned that the decision would damage the company.
• Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group blamed slave traders and the Rebel Alliance for the viral outbreak and the Victory II-class Star Destroyer’s attack on Colony Seven, but offered no explanation for its role.
• The incident sparked protests across the Duchy of Dawn and drew the attention of Prime Minister Francis Underwood.

Francis Underwood struggled with the immense demands of relocating Rendili Planet and managing the Duchy of Dawn’s ties to the Galactic Empire and former Confederacy worlds, while worrying that Hari Seldon might replace him as prime minister. After Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group’s scandal on Chalseden Planet intensified his frustration, Francis sent Douglas Stamp to demand that Alexia Ashford take responsibility, leaving the response to be reported to Tang Xiao in three days.

• Francis Underwood dealt with the logistical burden of relocating Rendili Planet’s six hundred billion people and with diplomatic pressure from the Galactic Empire and former Confederacy planets.
• Francis saw Hari Seldon’s growing influence as a threat to his hopes of remaining prime minister and eventually becoming Imperial Chancellor.
• After Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group’s scandal on Chalseden Planet, Francis ordered Douglas Stamp to confront Alexia Ashford.
• Douglas accused Alexia of letting the incident turn into a public-relations disaster and threatened administrative action unless Umbrella accepted responsibility.
• Alexia agreed that Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group would handle the incident and assume responsibility, and Douglas said Francis would report the matter to Tang Xiao after their hyperspace call in three days.

Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group accepted heavy penalties for the Chalseden Planet disaster, while new troubles involving Alexia Ashford and Sherry Birkin threatened its work and Tang Xiao’s plans. Tang Xiao learned that Sherry’s research on Levik planet aimed to create a second Mongal-Mongal consciousness that could control and remove the existing infestation.

• The Prime Minister’s Office forced Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group to dismiss Alfred Ashford, demote senior managers, rebuild Colony Seven, and compensate the victims.
• Tang Xiao received news that Alexia Ashford had lost an important experimental subject and that rumors of illegal human experiments on Cerea were spreading despite Super Lotus’s intervention.
• Umbrella Corporation’s search for the missing subject drew the Rebel Alliance’s attention, and Alfred Ashford’s indiscriminate bombardment devastated Colony Seven on Chalseden Planet.
• Tang Xiao learned that Sherry Birkin’s research into Mongal-Mongal on Levik planet had run into serious problems while the planet and its hyperspace gate remained under lockdown.
• Sherry Birkin proposed cultivating a second Mongal-Mongal consciousness to command the existing fragments to leave Levik planet.

Sherry Birkin’s attempt to eradicate the Mongar-Mongar on Levik planet failed when a third consciousness escaped, forcing Tang Xiao to seal the planet again and reorganize Umbrella’s divisions. The chapter ends with Tang Xiao realizing the Duchy of Dawn’s expansion into the Unknown Regions had bogged down on both routes.

• Sherry Birkin’s second Mongar-Mongar consciousness secretly created a third consciousness, which escaped aboard cargo ships carrying clones.
• Lieutenant General He Ru’s fleet destroyed one cargo ship, but the others vanished, leaving Mongar-Mongar clones potentially drifting through space.
• Tang Xiao used the Force to threaten Sherry Birkin and ordered her to destroy the Mongar-Mongar; Levik planet was sealed and its stargate shut again.
• Tang Xiao split Umbrella into the Umbrella Pharmaceutical Group under Sherry Birkin, the secret Veronica Group under Alexia Ashford, and the Gene Engineering Company under Professor Modin.
• Professor Modin prepared to travel to Levik planet with a Geth squad to help contain the Mongar-Mongar threat.
• Tang Xiao concluded that the Duchy of Dawn’s two routes into the Unknown Regions had become mired in difficulties.

Tang Xiao forced the Togot Swarm to submit and fed its Mother Nest the corpses of more than seventy million Crustai. Afterward, he met Shien Morabito, the newly appointed governor of Chiss territory, and learned that another visitor was already examining the Killik specimens in the laboratory.

• Tang Xiao confronted the Togot Mother Nest, demonstrated his power, and demanded its submission in exchange for food.
• The Togot Mother Nest agreed to submit, revealed its core to Tang Xiao, and identified itself as the Togot Swarm.
• Tang Xiao delivered Crustai corpses to feed the swarm, prompting its workers to feast and the Mother Nest to lay eggs.
• An assistant told Tang Xiao that reinforcements from Dawn Star Planet had arrived, including his Gene Master, who was inspecting Killik specimens in the laboratory.
• Shien Morabito arrived, explained that he had taken a vacation before assuming his post on Csilla, and joked with Tang Xiao about meeting the Togot Swarm.

Tang Xiao discussed Chiss territory’s political problems with Governor Shien Morabito, who proposed using a campaign against the Killiks to rally public support. Evolution Master Abathur arrived and examined the Togot Swarm, revealing that the Killiks’ intelligence came from mysterious hidden genes; Tang Xiao then tasked him with controlling and strengthening the Togot Swarm so it could become the Killik Swarm’s sole heir.

• Tang Xiao asked Shien Morabito about Chiss territory, and Shien said the reforms had brought no visible benefits to the people.
• Shien proposed a great expedition against the Killiks to redirect internal conflicts and give the public a visible victory.
• Abathur entered Tang Xiao’s office and ate the collected Kilik specimens, prompting a laboratory biologist to report their disappearance.
• Abathur judged the Togot Swarm primitive but identified hidden genes as the source of the Kilik Swarm’s intelligence.
• Tang Xiao asked Abathur to bring the Togot Swarm under his control, strengthen it, and help it eliminate the other tribes; Abathur said it needed more essence and that Zerg genes could not be merged without comparative experiments.

Tang Xiao brought Abathur to the Togot Swarm so it could study and strengthen the Kilik Swarm, hoping to create a force capable of opposing the Grysk Hegemony and eventually challenging the Ones. Abathur began modifying the Togurt Mother Nest, which screamed as its core was injected with unknown substances.

• Tang Xiao and Abathur agreed to use the Togot Swarm as a starting point for researching and evolving the Kilik Swarm, though Abathur warned that controlling it could restrict its evolution.
• Tang Xiao recalled that his contact with Kilik relics and the Force Banshee may have helped him meet the conditions to awaken Abathur, and considered the Kilik Swarm key to learning about the Ones.
• Tang Xiao brought Abathur and Shien Morabito back into the Togot Swarm, where Abathur killed and devoured a soldier bug, judging its genetic sequence to be primitive.
• The Togurt Mother Nest opened a passage into its core for Tang Xiao’s group, but Abathur pierced its protective flesh wall and injected unknown substances into it.

Abathur created three specialized bug types for the Togot Swarm, turning it into a more organized force built around biomass collection and combat. He told Tang Xiao that the swarm’s further evolution depended on studying Kilik genes through war, expansion, and the assimilation of other swarms.

• Abathur developed Broodmothers that consumed bugs and converted them into concentrated biomass for the swarm.
• Abathur created Scythe Drones as specialized fighters and Transport Bugs to gather and carry resources back to the nest.
• Abathur explained to Tang Xiao that the new bugs were efficient but depended on the Mother Nest’s territory and consciousness developing further.
• Abathur said the key to improving the Mother Nest’s intelligence lay in deciphering the Kilik Swarm’s genes.
• Abathur proposed using war and expansion to gather other swarms, analyze their genes, and uncover more complete Kilik genetic sequences.

Shien Morabito assessed Chiss territory’s defenses and planned to stabilize the region before confronting the Grysk Hegemony. Meanwhile, Tang Xiao learned that Mnggal-Mnggal’s consciousnesses might multiply and evolve beyond control.

• Shien Morabito questioned the Togurt Mother Nest about humans, Chiss, and Tang Xiao before leaving Catlia satisfied.
• On Hisra, Shien Morabito met Admiral Qiyala, Lieutenant General Brent, and guild representatives, then reviewed the state of Chiss territory.
• Shien Morabito concluded that the combined fleet could protect Chiss territory while he stabilized its internal situation and awaited more information about the Grysk.
• Professor Modin warned Tang Xiao that Mnggal-Mnggal’s Third Consciousness could cause a dangerous change if it reunited with the primary consciousness.
• Sherry Birkin told Tang Xiao that Mnggal-Mnggal’s consciousnesses might be equal, allowing them to devour one another and evolve.

Tang Xiao reprimanded Sherry Birkin for strengthening Mongal-Mongal, but she defended her research and set out to destroy the collective consciousness by tracing its signals. She ordered a strike on an active signal site and told Professor Modin to activate Mongal-Mongal’s Fourth Consciousness.

• Tang Xiao questioned Sherry Birkin about Mongal-Mongal’s increased strength and silently pressured her until she knelt and proposed destroying its home planet, Mugg Fallow.
• Professor Modin explained that Mugg Fallow’s location was uncertain and might be a trap, while Sherry insisted her signal-tracing research could reveal Mongal-Mongal.
• Sherry regained her confidence and ordered Lieutenant General He Ru to classify Shepard’s squad as killed in action and attack the nearest active Mongal-Mongal signal.
• Professor Modin offered a modified Genophage virus for field testing, and Sherry ordered him to activate Mongal-Mongal’s Fourth Consciousness.

The Normandy landed on a planet fully occupied by Mon-Gal-Mon-Gal to search for supplies, and its crew discovered a strange alien ship at a spaceport. Its researcher, Vishal Singh, revealed that he had studied the infestation for over a century but warned Shepard against going to Mug-Fallow without an invincible fleet.

• Shepard and Jeff Moro surveyed the lifeless planet and confirmed that Mon-Gal-Mon-Gal had occupied it.
• Huang Yehao explained that Mon-Gal-Mon-Gal was trapping the Normandy and expanding its infestation across the region.
• Jeff Moro detected an unfamiliar ship at a spaceport, and Shepard contacted its occupant in Chiss.
• Vishal Singh introduced himself as a Korlok researcher collecting Mon-Gal-Mon-Gal samples and said the planet had fallen to the infestation 170 years earlier.
• Vishal Singh said he did not know Mug-Fallow's coordinates and warned Shepard that Mon-Gal-Mon-Gal might control many bodies and warships there.

Huang Yehao, Shepard, and their team met Vishal Singh, who claimed to have studied Mongal-Mongal for 170 years and invited them aboard his ship. Inside, they found Mongal-Mongal samples and heard conflicting descriptions of Vishal’s research, leaving his intentions and identity uncertain.

• Vishal Singh invited Huang Yehao and the others aboard, offering fuel and a chance to discuss how to fight Mongal-Mongal.
• Huang Yehao urged the team to leave, but Shepard persuaded them to investigate Vishal’s ship.
• The Normandy approached the ship while Jeff Moro kept its weapons ready, and Shepard’s team landed at the spaceport.
• Vishal introduced the team to four Lugubra guards and demonstrated his ability to move meat through the air.
• Shepard and the others found experiments and culture dishes containing Mongal-Mongal samples aboard the ship.
• Vishal said he was studying how Mongal-Mongal’s intelligence formed, but Senluo challenged him, saying he had described his research as studying its life cycle.

Shepard, Huang Yehao, and the Ghost Agents uncovered that the giant scientist Vishal Singh was a holographic illusion hiding a tiny Korlok. Vishal began to explain Mongal-Mongal, but Shepard questioned why he had risked meeting them in person.

• Vishal Singh said he wanted to study Mongal-Mongal and described it as a sapient being with many avatars but one true body.
• Huang Yehao noticed Vishal’s eyes tracked movements from an unnatural angle and questioned whether his appearance and guards made sense.
• Shepard and Reaper confirmed Vishal was fake, and Shepard threatened to use an incendiary grenade unless he explained himself.
• Vishal’s giant hologram vanished, revealing a tiny, many-legged Korlok using Force Illusion to speak.
• Vishal said Mongal-Mongal considered itself inferior to the Grysk, then offered to tell its story.
• Shepard asked why Vishal had risked meeting them if Korloks relied on Force Illusion for protection.

Vishal Singh explained how Mnggal-Mnggal had trapped the Korloks, turning their defenses and shortages into a catastrophe. He left Huang Yehao and Shepard with the account of how the blockade and Lugubra outbreak had driven Korlok society into civil war.

• Vishal Singh warned Huang Yehao and Shepard that Mnggal-Mnggal could hide as microscopic particles, infiltrate machinery, and bring down an empire.
• Vishal described how the Korloks used Lugubra, which could consume Mnggal-Mnggal, as weapons against the infection.
• Mnggal-Mnggal surrounded the Korlok sector, corrupting hyperspace routes and leaving their ships without supplies.
• The Korloks asked the Kaminoans to modify the Lugubra, but the creatures grew harder to control as their population surged.
• The blockade, Lugubra outbreak, and scarcity fueled suspicion and civil war among the Korloks while Mnggal-Mnggal mocked them over public channels.

Vishal explained why Mongal-Mongal was nearly impossible to defeat and revealed that the Korlok had obtained a legendary device called the Mind-harp, which might protect planets from its control. Shepard insisted they could try to activate it, leaving the group with a possible path against Mongal-Mongal.

• Vishal explained that destroying infected planets or attacking Mongal-Mongal's homeworld, Mug-Fallow, would not stop its spread.
• Vishal said Mongal-Mongal could only be defeated by destroying its consciousness core or using the Mind-harp to block its signals.
• Ashley asked about the Grysk, and Vishal said they might be stronger than Mongal-Mongal, while Huang Yehao and the others worried about the Duchy of Dawn's war with them.
• Vishal revealed that the Korlok had obtained the Mind-harp but did not know how to activate it.
• Shepard declared that they could try to activate the Mind-harp.

Shepard learned that Mongal-Mongal may have escaped Levik planet aboard transport ships after a third consciousness emerged, and Vishal Singh warned that it could grow stronger by consuming other consciousnesses. Despite the danger, Shepard insisted on continuing toward the Korlok planet to learn more about Mongal-Mongal.

• Shepard told Vishal Singh about Mongal-Mongal's devastation and revealed that a stargate connected the Unknown Regions to the Milky Way Galaxy.
• Vishal Singh warned Shepard's group to close the stargate, while Huang Yehao inferred it had likely been reopened to return transport ships to Dawn Star Planet.
• Huang Yehao explained that Sherry Birkin had used a second Mongal-Mongal consciousness to gather clones on Levik planet for destruction, but a third consciousness had escaped aboard transport ships that then lost contact.
• Vishal Singh explained that Mongal-Mongal could destroy combat robots and that its consciousnesses might consume one another, allowing the strongest to spread through the Milky Way Galaxy.
• Shepard insisted on traveling to the Korlok planet to learn more about Mongal-Mongal, rejecting Huang Yehao's suggestion to return to Levik planet.