The entity Rayth made a request through the Alpha Centauri router for authority to access the mineral deposits on his newly-discovered satellite, a planet one hundred-twenty times the size of Genesis. Rayth needed the minerals to create a new awareness for his research on Mars, which was similar enough to Genesis as to provide results applicable there, but different enough to not arouse suspicion in the Assembly. All that remained was for Phoenix's soul to leave its entity and take a mortal form on Genesis. Then Rayth could eliminate Phoenix's entity, and take Genesis, the key to this universe, with no contest.
Rayth had guided the evolution of a trillion awarenesses to gain his rank, which granted him immunity from the task probes of the Assembly that so often hindered his research and prevented his attempts to gain a stranglehold on the Genesis universe. Without the intervention of the Assembly, only the entity Phoenix could possibly oppose him in this universe. Rayth was not concerned with the Assembly's reaction to his activities, either. Most likely, there would be no reaction; succession of power was part of the evolution of awareness in this universe, and the Assembly could not oppose it without jeopardizing its experiment here. Even if the Assembly ruled to exile his soul, Rayth would prefer it to sharing this universe with lesser entities.
Rayth could not know pleasure, as it was not in the nature of his pained soul. He did experience a brief sensation of relief, however, as his probes on Mars reported that Phoenix's entity was preparing for a new series of experiments on Genesis. Soon Rayth's own entity would be preparing for his soul's permanent departure. Then his possession of this universe could not stopped.
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