In an unprecedented event that left several prominent figures flustered and scratching their heads, researchers across the Empire were suddenly clamoring to figure out what the hell chickens were.
This was especially true at the capital’s leading research institute.
Inside one of its main halls, a gathering of exhausted experts stood hunched over terminals like academic zombies, firing off increasingly frantic questions at one another.
"What the hell is a chicken?"
"Look at the scale of that thing."
"Get the streamer to ask about the species. If not possible, then the genus. Or at least the class."
"Look at those talons. They’re so... tiny?"
"Look. Is that how they eat?"
"With a head that small, it definitely cannot eat anyone’s head."
The silence that followed that last statement was heavy.
No one argued.
And they were not alone.
Because in the chat of an entirely spontaneous livestream, one that had now caught the attention of Star Net’s monitoring team, a literal explosion was underway.
If Reeve had not set his terminal to Do Not Disturb, his entire arm would have gone numb from how violently it was vibrating under the weight of incoming messages.
The chat scrolled too fast to read.
Then too fast to process.
Then it simply became noise.
[...are we sure those aren’t juvenile forms?]
[Maybe there are other self-defense mechanisms?]
[Mr. Anchor, please move forward. We need a better angle. I really need to see those toes.]
The chat kept on overflowing with such messages that didn’t even include all the other people who had no other choice but to take the stream to heart.
Like certain cadets from enemy lands who watched the stream in silence, teeth clenched, expressions carefully schooled into something neutral as they were led around by their assigned tour guides.
They nodded politely but begrudgingly.
They pretended to listen.
But they absolutely weren’t interested in the useless booths built by other children.
Who needed to see mecha advancements that looked like their technology from ten years ago?
Not them.
And yet.
They kept walking.
After all, they were viewing something they could never really admit to watching. And so they simply continued on as the stream proceeded to reach a new fevered pitch.
Because the redheaded cadet said something deeply concerning.
"Give me a sec," he said, sounding entirely unconcerned and even a bit excited. "It looks like we’re lucky enough to get eggs for this tour."
The word hit like a detonation.
Eggs.
The viewers froze.
The tour attendees froze.
Everyone froze.
Because the camera feed was still very clearly showing beasts that were small, round, and pecking peacefully at the ground inside that strange containment facility.
They were fat.
They were calm.
They weren’t attacking anyone.
And now he was saying there were eggs.
[Is the glass one way? Can’t the chickens see all the people?]
[Is that why they’re not acting territorial and vicious?]
The panic mounted.
The disbelief deepened.
But then the chat evolved into something far more frenzied.
This time, however, it was not just the livestream viewers spiraling. Even those inside the greenhouse reacted just as dramatically when their tour guide calmly walked to the back of the enclosure and opened a small access panel built neatly into the structure.
The movement alone caused several people to inhale sharply.
Then Jax reached inside.
A collective gasp echoed through the greenhouse when his hand appeared on the other side of the glass, lifting out something smooth and ovoid.
Then another.
Then another.
And then even more.
Only after that did he turn back toward everyone else, wearing a wide grin as he held the objects up for all to see.

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