Yet as Lightfoot approached the exit aperture, Capt. Woolsey felt disoriented. The journey did not proceed without incident.

  From the moment they entered, he saw a crystal blue light and heard a voice whisper from deep within claiming his pain was an illusion. It said, You’re at peace now. To which Exeter answered, How do you know?

  He scanned the bridge. No one seemed aware of the anomaly. He checked the hololytics: The wormhole was stable.

  All paths will soon converge.

  The voice seemed as familiar as it was alien. Was it possible to experience joy and immense sorrow in the same instant? The voice, old and worn, carried the weight of both.

  What paths? Exeter asked.

  The important ones. You will see for the first time.

  Exeter felt a hand tug from behind.

  No, it was an illusion. A trick.

  It was …

  “Fire,” he whispered.

  Exeter closed his eyes for a second then viewed the dark wormhole passage again. The crystal light vanished amid a dull fog. Yet Exeter thought he saw a shape dance at the far horizon.

  A rope of fire.

  Was it possible? He hadn’t seen or felt anything like this in years. Not since …

  “Five seconds to exit,” Mid-Star Lt. Sha Ran announced.

  The tug vanished, as did all evidence of another presence within. Exeter snapped back.

  “Here we go,” he said.

  Lightfoot entered normal space.

  “Confirming our position against the INP,” Sha said.

  “Lightfoot’s systems are stable, sir,” Baz added.

  “Crew is maintaining Status Red,” Lex confirmed. “I’m opening the translation filters on wide burst, searching all frequencies.”

  “Speak to me, Sha,” Exeter ordered.

  She swirled around with a relieved smile.

  “INP confirms our location. We’re 2.3 million kay from the planet Esperanza.”

  “The graviton anchor?”

  “I see it, sir. The tether is holding.”

  Exeter glanced over his right shoulder to see Bonju beam.

  Sha threw up a holo of the system, which Lex overlaid with hundreds of tiny silhouettes.

  “Captain, I’m detecting nine hundred ten signatures,” he said, “all with transponders matching Orzed configurations.”

  “Closest, Lex?”

  He zeroed in on a battle group of four warships less than fifty thousand kilometers away.

  “It’s an out-range patrol. They’re holding position, sir.”

  “Not for long, I’ll bet. Baz, bring us to a full stop.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Exeter glanced at Yusef, who breathed a sigh of relief. They entered the Esperanza system at risk of exiting worm too close to a battle group and inciting a confrontation. Fortunately, Lightfoot had breathing room to complete the next task.

  “It’s on you, Captain,” Yusef said.

  “OK then. Let’s say hello before anybody out there gets jumpy.”

  Lex offered a thumbs up.

  “Comms open, all frequencies, sir.”

  Exeter sat back in his chair.

  “Greetings to all ships of the Orzed Confederation, the Shunta Hia, and everyone who is a fellow enemy of the Chancellory Swarm. My name is Capt. Exeter Woolsey of the United Naval Forces Cruiser Lightfoot. We have entered the Esperanza system on a diplomatic mission to secure an alliance in our own fight against the Swarm.

  “To all ships scanning the Lightfoot, you will see our transponder does not match any existing modulation design for Orzed or Swarm vessels. Additionally, we are making no attempt to deflect long-range scans of our engine or weapons systems. We come to you open-handed in the spirit of friendship.

  “I am a former soldier of the Confederation. I served five years in the defense of Hokkaido. My REFNO is 4477J-933698C. Combat Specialist of Unit Zephyr, Fifth Battalion, under the Auspice of Sub-Admiral Jameson Harkness. Unit Zephyr left the Hokkaido system on a classified mission on 12 Halo, Standard Year 4101.

  “I represent an alliance of worlds known as the People’s Collectorate, which lies far beyond the visible realm of this galaxy. Nonetheless, the Swarm pose as great a threat to us as to you.”

  Exeter exhaled and nodded to Yusef, who spoke.

  “My name is Adm. Yusef Matook. I too once belonged to Unit Zephyr, Fifth Battalion, under the Auspice of Sub-Admiral Jameson Harkness. You will find me in Orzed records by REFNO 9116L-503933D, Field Sergeant.

  “I represent the People’s Collectorate. I lead one of many fleets with thousands of warships in Lightfoot’s class. My people have appointed me to lead a delegation in direct talks with the Shunta Hia and the Admiralty. We are prepared to transmit a broad outline of our proposal so you may know our intent is genuine.”

  Yusef nodded to Exeter, who concluded the broadcast.

  “This is Capt. Woolsey. Time is urgent. Our ship will hold position and await your response. Woolsey out.”

  Exeter turned to Yusef.

  “How long do you think they’ll make us wait?”

  “Depends how far they climb the chain. If they ask for visual confirmation on our REFNOs, they’re taking us seriously.”

  “Captain,” Lex said. “I’m curious about something.”

  “Yes?”

  “You told them we came from beyond the ‘visible realm’ of this galaxy. Is there a reason you avoided the precise language?”

  “The truth, you mean? Yeah. High Admiral Aleksanyan ordered me not to reveal it yet. Lex, we don’t know if Orzed has acknowledged the existence of multiple universes.”

  “They hadn’t when we fought on this side,” Yusef said. “Until our unit met Ryllen Jee and Capt. Woolsey, the notion of a multiverse was two degrees shy of mad.” He pointed to Bonju. “Then this man gave us the tools to see it for ourselves.”

  “Keep your ears open, Lex. Speak to me, Sha. Any movement out there?”

  “No redeployment. At least not yet.”

  “Good. Baz, have you configured the worm tracker?”

  “On it, sir. We should have just enough range to cover the immediate system.”

  “Distance?”

  “Two hundred million kay, sir.”

  “If the nearest group jumps, how much lead time will we have?”

  Baz stifled a laugh.

  “From that distance? They’ll be on top of us in seven seconds.”

  “That’s an eternity, Baz. They don’t know we can track them. Simi, don’t let your guard down.”

  “Not at all Captain,” he said. “If they try to surprise us, we’ll show them what’s for.”

  Exeter chuckled. “Let’s hope we don’t have to. Otherwise, our diplomatic mission is over before it …”

  A new transmission caught Lex’s attention. He signaled Exeter, who ordered it open.

  “To the Lightfoot, we request immediate visual confirmation on the men claiming to be former Confederation soldiers.”

  Exeter told Lex, “Give them a peek.”

  A two-way holo opened a scan on Exeter and Yusef.

  After a long pause, the same voice followed up.

  “We have confirmation. Thank you, Talons. At this time, we ask you to maintain your position and await further instructions.”

  Exeter opened a channel.

  “I’m Capt. Woolsey standing by. May I ask who I’m addressing?”

  “Not at this time. We’ll contact you in due course.”

  Exeter asked Lex, “Can you pinpoint the signal?”

  “It’s strange, Captain. At first, I thought it was coming from the nearest battle group, but it seems to be bouncing around. I can’t manage a solid fix.”

  Yusef sighed. “It’s an old Orzed tactic. A bit of misdirection so the Swarm can’t pinpoint the flagship of an approaching fleet. The Swarm believed in cutting off the head straightaway. They’d expose their flanks to throw everything at the flagship.”

  “How often did it work?” Exeter said.

  “Too often.”

  Exeter thought the early moments of the mission followed the script’s projections but for one off note.

  “I’m surprised they didn’t ask for the outline of our proposal.”

  Yusef groaned.

  “Probably means they haven’t consulted Admin Council. They’re still trying to determine whether to annihilate us.”

  “I thought the bylaws limited the Admiralty. They’re not allowed to act on diplomatic requests without the Council’s input.”

  “Those are the laws, Captain, but I never saw it in action when I served. More than a little above my paygrade.”

  Exeter felt more comfortable than he might have predicted.

  “Based on the last response, they don’t seem rushed. Admiral, if they were going to attack, they’d have jumped by now.”

  “I agree. They’re likely running our request up the chain. Plus, they don’t know our defensive capabilities.”

  “Lex, I want you to take the conn. The Admiral and I need to speak privately for a moment.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  His bridge officers raised a few eyebrows, which Exeter thought understandable. Retreating to his office at this critical time seemed odd. Exeter thought so, too, but it had to be done.

  “First hint of activity,” he told them, “link me in.”

  When Exeter bounced from his chair, Bonju tried to follow.

  “Not you,” Exeter told him. “In fact, we don’t need you up here anymore. Security can show you to your quarters.” He nodded to the officer on duty, who obliged.

  Inside his office, Exeter went straight for his pipe. Yusef crossed his arms and stood inside the door.

  “What’s on your mind, Captain?”

  Exeter took a long, soothing puff.

  “There’s an issue I need to get off my chest before the mission moves ahead.”

  “As long as I’ve known you, X, you’ve been a smoker. But I can tell when you’re on edge by how you hold your pipe.”

  He exhaled a long, white stream.

  “That predictable? OK. Here it is, Yusef. Something happened during worm transit. Did you notice anything unusual?”

  “Nope. Standard boring wormhole.”

  “I wish.” How was he supposed to say this without sounding unfit to command? “When we entered the aperture, I saw a blue light. Then something talked to me.”

  “Huh. Before you go on, let me set the stage, X. We’re sitting here on the brink of possibly the biggest moment in human history, and my ship’s Captain claims to be hearing voices in his head.”

  “I know, I know. And look, you don’t have to worry about me. My mind is clear. I’m in control.”

  “But you briefly weren’t.”

  He tapped off the pipe and stowed it.

  “I was fully aware of my surroundings, but there was another presence. It tried to make me feel at peace. It said all paths were about to converge. I thought maybe it was my subconscious.”

  “Hmm. What else did it say?”

  “That I will see for the first time. See what? I don’t know. But then, I realized I’ve encountered this presence before.”

  “When?”

  “Eleven years ago. Artemis Station. I was sixteen the first time Amayas hooked me up to his equipment. I didn’t understand his experiments or realize they were connected to other universes. He buckled me into a pilot’s chair in front of a long cylinder. When he ignited the controls, I started to fly across the stars. At least, it felt that way. Yusef, it was the most beautiful thing I ever experienced.

  “I was one with the stars and the galaxies. I was being pushed and pulled. Then I knew I wasn’t alone. There was something alive. It reached out to me. It had a rope made of fire. It coiled around me and tugged. I screamed. That’s when Amayas shut down the device.”

  Yusef massaged his thin, precisely manicured beard.

  “Interesting story, X. You’re sure there’s a connection?”

  “I know it’s mad, Yusef. Most things Amayas did were insane, right to the bitter end. But here’s the thing. That first experiment scared the shit out of me, yet I kept coming back. I was obsessed. I had to know what that thing was. It changed me.”

  “How?”

  “Before then, I was a victim. The more Amayas allowed me inside the machine, I felt a hunger. I couldn’t explain it. Sometime later, Amayas said my mother was a threat and asked me to kill her. So, I did. I poisoned her food. When he asked me to fire a railgun at a ship with sixteen hundred people onboard, I did. No regrets. I wanted to hurt people. When Amayas threw me into the war, I took to fighting. I liked having the chance to kill people.”

  Yusef nodded with a sly grin.

  “You did convert from helpless babe to a fine soldier without much transition. X, what do you think it means? If anything.”

  “I don’t know, but I can’t ignore the timing. I never felt its presence after I left Artemis. Not until today.”

  Yusef gazed at Exeter with a judgmental air. Did he question Exeter’s competence?

  “You want to be transparent. OK. Fine. I’ve been known to share a few wild stories in my time.” He softened his tone. “We’re brothers, X. You’re one of the finest, most honorable men I know. So, I’m going to make a recommendation. Actually, let’s call it an order from a ranking officer. What you told me goes no further. If Orzed honors our request, I’ll be leading a team planetside. That leaves you as the commander of our forces in Beta universe.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “They depend upon your judgment. If there’s even the slightest question about your mental acuity …”

  “My crew will never have reason to doubt me.”

  “Good. Make sure that applies to you as well, Captain.”

  “Yes, Admiral. Perhaps we should return to the bridge?”

  Yusef smiled with visible unease.

  “After you, Capt. Woolsey.”

  Exeter knew he took a chance. His Talon brother still believed in him, but Adm. Matook would’ve been a fool not to consider the implications if the mission went sideways.

  “Status, Lex?”

  The XO shook his head.

  “Holding pattern.”

  Exeter retook his chair and opened an internal comm.

  “Attention, crew. This is the Captain. We are negotiating with the Orzed Confederation. Maintain Status Red. Alert stations only. Woolsey out.”

  Yusef nodded approval of the downgrade from combat status.

  “I’ll give them five more minutes, Lex.”

  “Sounds fair, Captain. They can extend an invite or tell us to shove off. It’s not hard.”

  “What do you think, Admiral? They’ve run it up the chain?”

  “All the way.” Yusef shifted uneasily. “This is not in the Admiralty’s hands anymore, Captain.”

  “Let’s hope that’s a good thing. We’ll find out soon enough.”

  They did.

  16

  The Actuarium

  Planet: Esperanza

  Capital city: Sinto

  A BRIL DUMA STORMED PAST the first phalanx of security at the Chamber House. She had no time for pleasantries with the Chambermaster. He often regaled her with stories about his nine children, showing photos of you-had-to-be-there caliber. She clambered the marble staircase into the Hall of Reflections and avoided looking askance. No point working herself into a lather.

  “Not now,” she shouted to Tally Murrow, an emaciated creature with a monocle and an ancient gold timepiece clamped to his vest.

  “But Madam, if you please. We must review the …”

  “Leave the cover with my aide and I’ll sign off, Tally. Not now.”

  Abril loathed the comptrollers. Endless rows of obsequious little accountants processed an Empire’s books the same way they’d done for five hundred years. The last time she ventured inside a processing department, a cloud of stale cigar smoke sent her into a sneezing fit.

  “Automate, automate, automate,” she insisted every time the Council gathered, knowing full well she didn’t have the votes.

  She hopped onboard a private lift to Council antechambers and rechecked her tablet. The news worsened by the minute. She planned to barge in and have it out with the Perons – they were damned well tardy for a good Duma whiplash.

  Her brother had other ideas.

  Angel Duma grabbed her the second she stepped off the lift.

  “Far enough, sis.”

  “Have you read this?”

  “Of course, Abby. You’re thoroughly waxed. I understand. I’m not singing a dandy tune myself. But your one-woman stampede won’t change where we are. You’ll hand Garruth and Liv a one-up going into Council.”

  This wasn’t the first time Angel headed off his twin sister. He blamed his level-headedness on being born twenty minutes after her. “Take your time,” he told her since childhood. “The pilot won’t leave you behind.”

  “Angel, the Perons had no right to negotiate without us.”

  He wrapped an arm around Abby’s waist and escorted her toward the friendly side of the antechambers.

  “We might be wise to make an exception,” he said. “We weren’t here when the alien ship arrived. It’s unprecedented.”

  “Alien? But the report says two officers identified as Talons.”

  “Former. Apparently. I’m as thin on the details as you, sis. The Admiralty wanted fast action. Given everything going on, can you blame them?”

  “Was Adm. Harkness involved, at least?”

  Angel shrugged. “Haven’t seen him. I only arrived moments ago. Please, Abby. We need to play this with level heads.”

  “Liv will twist the dynamic to her advantage.”

  “We’ve watched her magic for twenty years. Difference is, she and Garruth won’t have Alazar.”

  Why didn’t she think of that before flying into a rage? Without a third vote, the Peron bloc could be countered.

  “Very clever. We only need two votes for leverage.”

  He flexed his brows. “This is different, sis. A real opportunity.”

  “The report says we received the outline of a proposal.”

  “It’s under seal.”

  “Any chance we can peek before the Perons?”