Important: Some special names and item names may differ from the in-game translation.

Agent Makalani looked thoughtfully at his report, flashing in green letters on the monitor screen. As always, the Committee would be dissatisfied with his conclusions. Rysina would shout and slam her fist on the table, but he had no other options for them. Many years had been spent on fruitless searches, on the ghost chases. He had constantly been hindered, but he did not give up and continued his work.

For a long time, he wondered, “Why?” Why didn't the powerful and ruthless machine of the Empire finish him off? Could it be that he had mysterious patrons who had repeatedly rescued him from seemingly hopeless situations?

However, this time, it seems they left him... Months of trying to solve or even get close to the mystery led to nothing. Deep in thought, he went over his report again:

"The community of the Arisen on the Kadagan allod has its own peculiarities, which can be perplexing to those accustomed to other representatives of the Zem people. However, it is widely known that Nefer Ur himself divided his natives into three groups: Absolutists, Progressives, and Mystics. Perhaps for many, the image of the Arisen standing at a laboratory table, expanding the horizons of knowledge, has become somewhat canonical. Think about it—for us, these are the closest followers of Ur himself, whom he referred to as those who believe that “the future of the world cannot depend on chance.”

But there is another part of the Zem people who believe that there is nothing more to strive for, that their condition is already close to the absolute ideal, that time has stopped, and that only luck and a mere coincidence of circumstances allowed them to achieve immortality. They are decadents and pessimists for whom life is just a memory of the past.

Yes, the peoples of Sarnaut know the first very well, but as for the second... they know almost nothing about the “absolutists.” Kadagan, the steel heart of the revived civilization of Hickut, where the bustling city of Sar-Iram is home to a large population consisting mainly of the living dead, will introduce you to them as the dominant group.

But did you expect that all those who were resurrected would forget how they were alive?"

He looked back at his companion. Her charm was so... flawless? Perfect gray skin, embedded implants and augmentations, wearing only an elegant mask, limbs made of blackened metal. She was perfection of her kind. What a pity that she was only assigned to him to keep track of his every move.

Every morning, she leaves with a jeb-card hidden in her tail neuroshunt, onto which she transfers the information he has collected while not seen by him.

He continued reading his report, ignoring her greedy gaze. Of course, she is devoted... to that man. The one whose name is hidden under the most strict prohibition. The one whom even the Committee officials do not know about, because even the guards have to be guarded.

"Absolutists also do not represent a unified community bound by mutual interests. They are divided into many groups, each with its own goals. Several of these can be identified on Kadagan.

The first of these I will call “hebetts”, also known as “henens,” representatives of a subculture that is gradually penetrating all sectors of the Empire. Their origins can be traced back to the final years of Hickut, at a time when technologies created by mechanics made it possible to build highly complex technical devices. These devices, collectively referred to as “jeb-tech”, serve to display a kind of illusory reality on holographic screens or directly transmit it to the brain. An example of extremely high-level “jeb-tech” was the world of illusions created by Tep, but more primitive models are also very attractive. Hebetts spend all their time on the jeb-network or with jeb-devices, playing and entertaining themselves, without interruptions for any other activities. They also organize various tournaments, where Hebetts gather in clubs specially equipped for them.

The second group I would call “kheni”. Kheni are active listeners of musicians belonging to various musical genres. The bards of Kadagan are a separate, highly respected group, but due to their critical attitude towards the Empire and its politics, they are not represented in the army, unlike agitators and balladeers. Here, these bards are called “shemau”, and each of their concerts attracts crowds of fans. However, depending on the Shemau they worship, the Kheni themselves are divided into separate categories. Currently, two groups have gained the most popularity: the “sekhems,” who have accepted their death and made peace with it, and the “yahkebs,” who try to imitate the emotions they have lost by exaggerating their expression.

Among those who are worth mentioning, I must name the “haysatkas”, once priestesses, now dancers, who attract those Arisen whose minds still cling to lost joys, no longer accessible to the living. The pleasures of the flesh are now replaced by rich imagination, and the numerous productions that the haysatkas produce now adorn the walls of Sar-Iram everywhere. However, they also actively use the jeb-network, offering entire sessions for enticed viewers who are willing to throw away their last money for this.

Having mentioned the shameless but law-abiding damsels, I am forced to move on to those who are not so harmless. The Committee may know them by the collective name of the Zem Heretics, whom we have encountered more than once outside Kadagan. But here, this criminal gang has managed to take root and even begin to challenge the authority of Nefer Ur himself. The fact is that the heretics are actually the true rulers of Hickut, overthrown in a successful uprising shortly before the plague of Tep. Now these formerly powerful priests and nobles dream of regaining their power.

They are now recruiting a special caste among the Arisen—the so-called “robo-beasts”: adherents of old cults and fans of additional augmentations. Among them are the youngest members of the Zem people, who are willing to do anything to increase their own strength, even agreeing to get down on all fours, like mindless beasts.

However, there are also allies of Nefer Ur among the nobility—for example, the Khadmon family, who possess their own mansion in the city and have long been responsible for funeral rites and burials in Hickut, are loyal to him. Now their responsibility extends to restoring the bodies of the newly resurrected and controlling those bodies that have not found their own Spark, for which they cooperate with the local branch of the Necroincubator.

However, not all “absolutists” indulge in entertainment — another group includes the “kahutei”, manual laborers who work both at the local quarry and in the astral port. The Kahutei disapprove of everyone else, especially those who do not work with their own hands in factories and plants, those who are engaged in purely intellectual pursuits. They, in turn, call all of them “shepesei”, and the confrontation between the "kahuetei" and the “shepesei” is growing every day.

Speaking of, there are a great many scientific projects being implemented on Kadagan, ranging from the development of a new type of portal network to biofarms where biomorphs are bred. However, I would like to draw the Committee's attention to some of them that are of particular interest.

First and foremost, it is a library-informatory, a collection of information about everything that exists. The current head of the informatory, Negus Menes, and his girlfriend, Nomarch Miu, are extremely interested in the history of the last months of Hickut and the personality of Tep. Rumor says that Negus Menes has managed to dig up some extremely inconvenient facts that could cast a shadow on the entire civilization of the Arisen.

Another project is being carried out by Negus Kambizet, who manages the local astral energy station, KAES. KAES has an experimental high-potential reactor, but for unknown reasons, in recent months it has not been powerful enough to provide uninterrupted power to the entire Kadagan. Some say that it may be due to power consumption, but what exactly is it being used for? Some believe that it is used to extract jeb-hedge, which is calculated on nefet-devices, while others think that the shemau and their technology are to blame for the problems. But I have a different theory, which I am not yet ready to present to the Committee — first of all, I need to get into the underground rooms under the station to understand what exactly was installed there by Nefer Ur employees recently.

If you are interested in the “robo-beasts” I mentioned above, I can say with certainty that they were created by Negus Pylis, head of the “Dome” project, which conducts research into the protoblood that allows us, the Arisen, to function, and into the possibilities of interaction between the living and the non-living. “Dome” is a closed facility whose experiments are very dangerous, and emissions from this enterprise have caused large-scale mutations in the fauna remaining on Kadagan.

Nefer Ur himself is currently busy with the “Carcass” project, which is somehow related to possible protection from Tep. According to my information, the “Carcass” project, located right in the center of the city, will somehow neutralize the threat from this God of Death in the future, as well as from other potentially dangerous gods. At present, Carcass is still far from completion, and Nefer Ur is entirely focused on its implementation, handing over all control of Sar-Iram to Negus Shuponu.

Finally, in my opinion, the key project led by Negus Jibayid is the project of short-range space flights beyond the astral plane. This program, which has been in development for a long time, should ultimately allow us to reach Sarnout's natural satellite — the moon, which is believed to have survived the Cataclysm. At the moment, the first orbital flight is planned, to be followed by others...

The greatest deed that other people of Sarnaut will compose legends about."

He ended the report. He couldn't say anything else, but that wasn't all. He still had to find a way to shake off the surveillance and pass on the necessary information.

“I want to take a walk...” he said casually, pressing the send button. Her bright green eyes followed his every move. Let her stay here and rummage through his things, but there must be another way to communicate.

He went out into the street. Sar-Iram was crowded and noisy, as it always was for every minute of its existence. He would find a way to deliver the message.

Agent Sarang Makalani stepped out onto the street and disappeared into the crowd. A little later, someone's hand slipped a note into the gap between the wall and an old holo-projector. And if there was someone who could read what was written, they would see the lines:

"Everyone lies. Space port is just a cover. They are already here."