Seven

The seventeen Carryx colony ships emerge from asymmetric space and approach Anjiin, detecting an unexpected signal from the planet's surface. After determining the signal poses no immediate threat, they establish a node matrix around the planet and begin analyzing its inhabitants, ultimately deploying killing machines to devastate one-eighth of the planetary population as a demonstration of dominance.

The Carryx fleet successfully navigates through asymmetric space and approaches Anjiin, their target world. The navigation half-mind confirms the transit was successful and identifies the planet as expected. Upon approach, the ships detect an unexpected signal from the planet's surface—a technological achievement the Carryx did not anticipate from this civilization. Though unsettling, the half-mind determines it is a local invention rather than evidence of enemy presence and poses no cause for alarm. The fleet proceeds with caution, dropping their protective gravity bubble and scanning the system; no protector arrives to challenge them. The Carryx ships deploy their nodes—the first step of colonization—which organize themselves into a vast matrix around the planet. The half-mind analyzes the planet's two intelligent species: the primary species communicates through sound and light, possessing technological sophistication and rich language patterns; the secondary species communicates chemically and is deeply integrated with the local biome, moving slowly and lacking awareness of the cosmos. The half-mind recommends focusing only on the primary species initially. On Anjiin's surface, leaders of various nations and factions detect the arrival and attempt unified but disorganized communication and military response, launching missiles at the node matrix. The Carryx methodically disable the missiles and destroy the missile installations and nearby military bases in a display of overwhelming superiority. The half-mind then translates this action as "breaking the limb"—establishing dominance through a single, overwhelming act of violence. Using their matrix, the nodes map and categorize all 3.67 billion members of the primary species, dividing them into eight equal populations. The half-minds select one group for immediate culling and issue targeting orders. One hundred thousand nodes deploy, transforming into vast, trembling quasi-entities that unfold in the atmosphere and begin descending toward the surface, carrying an announcement that the inhabitants of Anjiin are now under Carryx authority and will be sorted into the moieties.