They say the Sogmian almost died... But "almost" is a word the winners use. The losers just... don't. Let me tell you 'bout Paizul, last light of her kind Stood in front of ONI with a million in her eyes Said "my people ain't your mining colony," Bekalu smiled sweet, offered "diplomacy" Ninety percent gone before she took the stand That's not a negotiation, that's a blood debt unplanned But the Council loves a genocide they can call a "merger" Sign the papers, shake hands, make the survivors stranger To the concept of justice in a consortium state Where alien means "resource" and resistance means "late" They built a Titan while she begged 'em for a pause Built a weapon while she listed all the species they lost Then they found her capsule driftin' cold near Neuno's rings No declaration, no warning — just the silence that it brings Ghost of Paizul, driftin' through the void Every hollow moon is a promise you destroyed They named a ship after you, a Titan made of war While your people breathe a little less than before Ghost of Paizul— Do you watch from the black? Ghost of Paizul— Are you never comin' back? Bekalu took her partner, gave him consolation A seat upon the Council, a "shared administration" Said "Bekalu, lead us, we are family now" But family don't let family forget the how The how was ninety percent, the how was silent ships The how was "relocation" on extinction's fingertips Bekalu wears her memory like a badge upon his chest But the same hand that signs peace deals signed the manifest That drew the lines around what worlds were "free to take" What species were "collateral" for the Council's sake And now he sits in judgment on Galactic Law The same law that watched Paizul fall without a flaw Without a trial, without a headline, without a single charge Just a leader in the void, driftin' cold and large Enough to make a point: don't stand against the machine Or become a ghost they whisper when they talk about "serene" I met a Sogmian last cycle on a ECOS station Old and tired, full of quiet resignation Asked her why she fights with us instead of them She pointed to the void and said... "Paizul taught us how to live. They taught us how they die. I choose her lesson." Ghost of Paizul, driftin' through the void Every hollow moon is a promise you destroyed They built a Titan from your grief to scare the galaxy But the only thing that scares me is your memory Ghost of Paizul— I carry you with me Ghost of Paizul— You're why I'll never be— Ninety percent... That's not a negotiation. That's a warning. They thought her death would end it. But ghosts? Ghosts don't sign treaties.
