A blinding light struck, and Skashi raised a hand to shield his eyes, leaving only the narrowest gap. A hazy, illusory silhouette stood upon the distant horizon.
Perhaps because the silhouette was too enormous, Skashi could not tell how far away they truly were from it.
All he could do was watch as its four-fingered hand gathered the battered warships one by one and swept the nightmares from their hulls with majestic, supreme light.
"What... are you?"
Anfen had already gone numb with shock. She stared blankly at the hazy silhouette, unable to find the words.
The silhouette showed no signs of rage or madness. It merely cupped the survivors in its hand.
Two eyes, shining like stars, emerged from the shadows. "Greetings, children."
"Are you a god?"
"I am, and I am not."
"Then what are you?"
The silhouette fell silent for a moment before answering the survivors in a cheerful tone. "I am the Greater Good, and I am also the Greater Good God."
The survivors erupted in an uproar. The Gue'vesa knelt in the silhouette's palm, praying and offering their devotion to the Greater Good God.
But the T'au did not follow the Gue'vesa's example. The education they had received and their social traditions contained no such false concept as gods.
Skashi cursed furiously at one of the Gue'vesa, condemning them for defiling the great concept and ideal of the Greater Good.
"You damned fools! Why did we take you in to begin with?! You bastards will only stain the Greater Good with religious superstition! For the Greater Good, I'll wipe out beasts like you!"
"Wait, Captain!" Anfen wrapped her arms around Skashi. As an Earth Caste member, she could clearly restrain Captain Skashi, who had come from the Air Caste, with ease.
"We should hear what