Having learned lessons about how to function and not live to merely defeat your adversaries, Solaris fared considerably better after the dissolution of Project Unification than they did when the Great Black Void was first defeated. Growing old and wishing to retire after nearly twenty-five years of leading the group, Director Harper began to take Mizuki under his wing and prepare her for leading the group. The plan was disaster relief, with David, Lagardia, and Zankuro to be trained to be a new Solaris team.

However, in the midst of the restructuring, danger struck. An abstract alien force attacked, using the Director as a vessel with which to manifest, and Mizuki barely defeating it and saving the Director though he was left comatose. Exhausted and bedridden, Mizuki was forced to stay on the sidelines as Acting Director, but resolved to see Solaris lead the charge against this new threat and stop it before it threatened the world.

Lagardia helpfully was able to explain that these entities were the "Empty Ones", creatures that could only exist in empty space, and who would reproduce by asexual division as the universe continued to expand. Their previous attempt at reproduction had occurred during the reign of, and been halted by, the Ebon Court. But there was no Court anymore. Someone else would have to ensure humanity's safety to take back the light and lives stolen by the Empty Ones.

And that team was... the SolTaker team!