Sebastien smiled. “I like that. Yes. The Axiom. I’m sure their egos would have approved of such a designation.”

“I know a little bit about the Axiom, Sebastien. We shouldn’t play with their technology. It’s dangerous.”

“Nonsense,” he said. “Or, rather, of course it’s dangerous, but not to me, or at least, not significantly. There’s some risk in standing behind a cannon, but most of the risk accrues to those standing in front of it. No, I’m safe enough. The Axiom have receded into the other realms. All that remains in this universe is their shadow, which they hope is enough to frighten everyone away. But I’m not afraid. I’ve seen the records in the deep archives.”

“Do you know where the Axiom went?”

“That’s not as simple a question as you think. The Axiom were on the verge of extinction, and retreated so they could gather their strength, and allow some of their long-term projects to come to fruition. There were factions among the Axiom, too, and since every one of them had powers we would consider godlike, they all set various plans in motion. At this point it’s a contest, of sorts, to see which of their plans will come to pass successfully. There are great clouds of smart matter forming in distant systems, sparkling diamonds with secret intentions. There are places where physical constants don’t behave as they should anymore, and that’s just the beginning. There are factories in the hearts of gas giants constructing the components for larger factories that will consume whole star systems for fuel. Any of those projects would mean the end of the paltry smear of humankind.”

“That’s… terrifying, Sebastien, but how is building a fleet of warships the solution?”

“These aren’t warships. There will be no fighting.” He smiled, and his eyes shone: literally, with the implant’s light.

“If they aren’t warships, what are they?”

“Seed ships,” Sebastien said. “I got the idea from the Anjou, actually. Our ship was filled with biological samples and sophisticated technology, so that if we found a habitable world, we could fill it with all the plants and wildlife, microscopic and macro, necessary to create our own Eden – all the best parts of Earth, exported. In the same way, these ships are filled with the seeds of our future. I studied societies, Elena. Infrastructure. I know the sort of things large groups can accomplish, when they put their petty distractions and divisions aside. Once we combine human ambition with Axiom technology, once we kill the old gods… we will become gods ourselves.”

Elena wondered if the madness had been in Sebastien all along, or if it was the fault of the implants. “I still don’t understand. What do you mean, seeds? Apart from the bio-drones, I haven’t seen much at all alive here.”