Re-Awakened: I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner

The morning sun filtered through the crystalline windows of Noah's guest quarters, casting rainbow patterns across the polished floor. He woke slowly, his arm draped around Sophie's waist as she slept peacefully beside him. They'd spent the night talking about simpler things. Childhood memories, academy stories, the kind of conversation that reminded them why they'd become friends shortly before they'd become anything else.

"Morning," Sophie murmured against his shoulder, her voice thick with sleep.

"Morning," Noah replied, pulling her closer. Their peaceful moment was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, followed by Lucy's voice carrying through the reinforced wood.

"Meeting in one of the standby ship's war room in thirty minutes. Palace guards would direct you when you are ready," she called out, her tone suggesting this wasn't optional. "We've received communication that requires immediate attention."

Noah groaned, burying his face in Sophie's hair. "I was hoping for at least one morning without a crisis."

"Welcome to our life," Sophie said with a rueful smile, already sitting up and reaching for her clothes. "Come on, let's see what fresh hell awaits us today."

---

The war room buzzed with quiet energy as the team assembled around the central holographic display. Lucy stood at the head of the table, her usually immaculate appearance showing signs of having been awake for hours. Uncle Dom sat in his usual chair, examining what appeared to be a small communication device with obvious fascination.

"This arrived three hours ago," Lucy began without preamble, activating a holographic message that materialized above the table. The transmission was brief—a series of spatial coordinates followed by a time stamp, then nothing else.

Kelvin leaned forward, his cybernetic arms extending sensors as he analyzed the data stream. "Okay, that's definitely coordinates. But they're not for any fixed planetary body. These numbers are constantly shifting, like whatever's sending them is moving."

"That's what our technical staff concluded as well," Lucy confirmed. "The signal source appears to be in motion, traveling through space at significant velocity."

Lucas frowned as he studied the coordinate patterns. "Any idea who sent it?"

Lucy held up the small device Uncle Dom had been examining. It was roughly the size and shape of an old Earth smartphone, but its surface was made from what looked like crystallized fire—deep red material that pulsed with internal heat.

"This arrived with the message," Lucy explained. "Our analysis indicates it's of Ares construction. The crystalline matrix is consistent with their technological signatures."

Diana's eyes widened slightly. "The Ares family sent us coordinates for a moving target? I'm assuming this is like a meeting point, no? Why not just invite us to their homeworld like civilized people?"

"Because," Uncle Dom said cheerfully, looking up from his examination of the device, "the Ares family doesn't have a homeworld in the traditional sense. Haven't for decades, actually. Lovely people, but they've always preferred a more... mobile lifestyle."

Sophie crossed her arms. "Uncle Dom, what exactly do you mean by mobile lifestyle?"

"Oh, you know," Dom waved vaguely, "traveling around the galaxy, following their interests, never staying in one place too long. Very free-spirited approach to governance."

Kelvin's sensors were still analyzing the device, and his expression was growing more puzzled by the minute. "This thing is actively updating the coordinates every few hours. It's like they're broadcasting their location in real-time."

"That's because they are," Lucy said. "We've received three separate coordinate updates since the original message arrived. Each one indicates a slightly different position."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kelvin said, his voice rising with characteristic enthusiasm mixed with confusion. "Are you telling me that each family has their own star system to rule from, but the Ares family just... doesn't? Their planet just moves around space like some kind of cosmic nomad?"

Uncle Dom chuckled. "Not exactly, dear boy. More like they've adapted their governance style to match their philosophical approach to existence."

"Which is what, exactly?" Diana asked, her patience wearing thin with Dom's cryptic explanations.

"Living in the moment!" Dom declared with obvious delight. "Why tie yourself to a specific location when the universe is so vast and full of interesting places to visit?"

Lyra looked up from her tablet, where she'd been cross-referencing historical data. "Actually, that's not entirely accurate. According to the records, the Ares family does have a traditional homeworld—Ares Prime, in the Flame Reach system. But they've been conducting extended 'cultural expeditions' for the past fifty years."

"Cultural expeditions?" Sophie's tone suggested she found this explanation less than convincing.

"Think of it as very long field trips," Uncle Dom replied helpfully. "Educational tours of the galaxy, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures. The Ares have always been the most... adventurous of the seven families."

Lucas was studying the coordinate updates, his tactical mind working through the implications. "If they're constantly moving, how do they maintain administrative control over their territory? How do they govern their people?"

"Remote administration," Lucy said. "Advanced communication networks, appointed governors for each major settlement, and periodic return visits to handle matters that require personal attention."

Noah found himself impressed despite the unconventional approach. "That's actually pretty sophisticated. They've essentially created a mobile government."

"Sophisticated or completely insane," Diana muttered. "I can't decide which."

"Why not both?" Kelvin suggested with his usual grin. "The best ideas usually are."

The coordinate updates continued to arrive as they discussed their travel plans. Each new set of numbers indicated that their target was moving through space at considerable speed, following a course that seemed to spiral outward from the galactic core.

"Travel time?" Lucas asked, already running calculations on his personal tablet.

"Approximately eighteen hours at maximum velocity," Lucy replied. "Though that assumes we can intercept them successfully. If they continue course corrections..."

"We could be chasing them across half the galaxy," Sophie finished grimly.

"Actually," Kelvin said, his eyes taking on that green tint that indicated his technopathic abilities were active, "I think I can solve that problem. The device they sent isn't just broadcasting coordinates—it's designed to interface with our navigation systems. I can link it directly to our ship's autopilot."

He connected several fiber-optic cables from his mechanical arms to the crystalline device. Almost immediately, their ship's navigation display updated with a projected intercept course that accounted for the target's continued movement.

"There we go," Kelvin said with satisfaction. "Now we're locked onto their signal. Whatever they're flying, we'll follow them automatically."

---

The journey to intercept the Ares fleet was unlike anything the team had experienced before. Instead of traveling to a fixed destination, they found themselves chasing a constantly moving target through regions of space that showed no signs of permanent human habitation.

"This is actually kind of exciting," Kelvin said during hour four of their pursuit. "It's like following a treasure map, except the treasure keeps moving and we don't know what we're going to find when we catch up to it."

Uncle Dom had spent most of the journey entertaining himself by trying to guess what the Ares fleet would look like based on what he remembered from his youth. His predictions ranged from "a collection of elegant pleasure cruises" to "massive mining operations that happen to have throne rooms attached."

"The Ares family has always been unconventional," he explained as their ship adjusted course for the fifth time. "When I was young, they threw the most incredible parties. Celebrations that lasted for weeks, with guests from all over the galaxy."

"Parties in space?" Sophie asked, her curiosity getting the better of her skepticism.

"Oh yes! Fleet formations that would transform into massive entertainment complexes, artificial gravity fields that let you dance in three dimensions, concerts where the acoustic systems used the vacuum of space itself as a resonance chamber. Well, so I was told since I never really left Raiju...at all" Dom's eyes were bright with memories that clearly weren't his but he seemed to see it that way. "Absolutely magnificent. Though I suspect the current generation has refined their approach considerably."

Lyra was monitoring their target's signal strength, which had been growing steadily stronger as they approached. "Whatever we're chasing, it's big," she reported. "The energy signature is massive—probably multiple large vessels traveling in formation."

When they finally achieved visual contact, even Uncle Dom's elaborate predictions fell short of reality.

The Ares fleet wasn't just a collection of ships—it was a mobile world. Hundreds of vessels flew in perfect formation, their positions creating a spherical pattern that stretched for dozens of kilometers in every direction. At the center of the formation, a massive structure pulsed with deep red energy that seemed to flow between all the surrounding ships like a circulatory system.

"Jesus Christ," Kelvin breathed, his face pressed against the viewport. "That's not a fleet—that's a living city. A city that flies through space!"

The central structure was clearly the heart of the formation, but calling it a ship would have been laughably inadequate. It was a biomechanical fusion that seemed to grow rather than having been built, its hull undulating with organic curves that suggested musculature beneath the surface. Veins of molten energy ran along its exterior, pulsing with the rhythm of a massive heartbeat.

The surrounding vessels were equally unusual. Instead of the angular, utilitarian designs favored by most human fleets, these ships curved and flowed like living things. Their hulls were a deep crimson color that seemed to shift between red and orange depending on the viewing angle, and each one was connected to its neighbors by streams of energy that created a web of shared power throughout the formation.

"How is that even possible?" Diana asked, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. "The coordination required, the energy distribution, the navigation—"

"The gravitational effects alone should tear them apart," Lyra added, her tablet out as she tried to run calculations on what they were observing. "That many massive objects in close proximity should create tidal forces that would destroy smaller vessels."

"Unless," Kelvin said slowly, his technopathic senses picking up readings that his instruments couldn't detect, "they're not separate ships at all. What if it's one organism? One massive living entity that's been shaped to look like multiple vessels?"

Lucy stared at the formation with growing recognition. "I've heard stories about this, but I thought they were exaggerations. The Ares family's 'Great Work'—a project they'd been developing for generations."

"You knew about this?" Lucas asked, turning to stare at his sister.

"I knew they were working on some kind of advanced fleet integration project," Lucy admitted. "But I thought it was just improved coordination systems, maybe shared power distribution. I didn't know they'd created... this."

Their ship's communication system activated with a low chime, and a voice filled their cabin—warm, confident, and carrying the kind of natural authority that made people want to listen.

"Raiju diplomatic vessel, this is Lieutenant Commander Theron of the Ares Royal Guard. You are cleared for approach to docking bay seven. Please maintain current speed and bearing while our guidance systems take control of your vessel."

"Guidance systems?" Noah asked, but he could already feel their ship's controls becoming unresponsive as something external took over their navigation.

Their vessel moved smoothly toward one of the larger ships in the formation, a red craft that was extending docking clamps like metallic arms reaching out to embrace them. The docking process was surprisingly gentle—their ship settling into the alien craft's bay with barely a tremor.

The airlock opened onto a corridor that immediately assaulted their senses. The walls weren't just red—they pulsed with deep scarlet energy that flowed through visible channels carved into the surface. The air itself felt warm and slightly thick, carrying the scent of heated metal and something organic that wasn't entirely unpleasant.

Lieutenant Commander Theron was waiting for them, and Noah was immediately struck by how different he was from the Raiju personnel they'd grown accustomed to. Where the Grey family's people moved with electrical quickness, Theron had the slower, more deliberate bearing of someone who generated heat rather than speed. His uniform was deep red with gold accents, and his dark hair showed streaks of premature silver that suggested years of exposure to extreme temperatures.

"Welcome aboard the Eternal Pyre," Theron said, offering a respectful bow to Lucy before acknowledging the rest of the team. "His Majesty is eager to meet with representatives of House Grey, though I should warn you—our cultural practices may seem unusual compared to what you're accustomed to on Raiju Prime."

"Unusual how?" Diana asked, though her tone suggested she was bracing for something complicated.

"The Ares approach to governance emphasizes passion and spontaneity over rigid protocol," Theron explained as he led them through corridors that seemed to breathe with contained heat. "His Majesty prefers to conduct business in environments that encourage honest emotional expression rather than diplomatic restraint."

Uncle Dom clapped his hands together with delight. "Oh, this is going to be fun! I remember the old days when Ares meetings were basically elaborate parties with policy discussions thrown in for spice."