“What manner of complications?”

  “Sir, I’m not at liberty to discuss that.”

  Caleb knew Goi wasn’t going to like that answer. The general’s expression hardened, and he glared at Tsi.

  “Sergeant, answer the question,” she said. He could tell from her expression that stubbornness would get her punished as equally as him.

  That normally wouldn’t have been enough to make him talk, but they were already in a bad spot, and Space Force protocols hardly applied.

  “One of our scientists brought a Watcher Intellect onto the ship. It was inert at the time, but events during the course of the journey led to its activation.” He paused when he heard a couple of whispered comments behind him. “It wanted to come here so it could warn the Axon that the Relyeh were getting close.”

  Now he heard a few sardonic laughs around him.

  “The Relyeh are closer than it knew,” Goi said. “Arluthu circumvented your system to lay claim to ours before any others had the chance. They are growing more competitive.”

  “Sir, you mean the Relyeh?”

  “Yes. How much do you know of the Hunger?”

  “Sir, I didn’t know anything about them until the Watcher decided me and my team could be of value to it. That was after we tried to get rid of it by ejecting it from our ship.”

  “If only it were that easy,” someone said on his left, the Intellect translating the statement.

  “So you were allied with the Intellect?” Goi asked.

  “Yes, sir. At the time, I believed we had a common goal.”

  “What was that goal?”

  “Sir, to find the enemy.”

  “You had an enemy at your side the entire time.”

  “Sir, ever since I left Earth, I’ve felt like I’m constantly surrounded by enemies. I don’t know who to trust. What I can tell you is that the Deliverance is a colony ship. It is home to over twenty-thousand civilians. Not an army. For all I know, we’re the last twenty-thousand Earthers in the universe. My job is to keep them safe. I allied with the Watcher because I knew it would help me reach the bigger threat.”

  General Goi was silent for a moment, considering his next question. “You defeated both the Guardian Intellect and the Watcher Intellect. How?”

  “Sir, that’s a complicated answer.”

  “In what sense?”

  “Sir, my team didn’t destroy the Intellect.”

  “Then who did?”

  “Sir, that’s where it gets complicated.”

  “I am a patient man, Sergeant.”

  Caleb spent the next ten minutes explaining everything he knew about Riley and David, and how they fit in with the creation of the Watcher and the death of the Guardian Intellect. He omitted anything that had to do with the QDM or Governor Stone.

  General Goi was silent for nearly five minutes after he had finished, absorbing the information with his claimed patience.

  “Your scientists were not wrong about the source of the attack against your world,” he said at last. “Arluthu brought the uluth to your planet. Arluthu is responsible for the destruction of Earth.”

  Chapter 15

  Caleb’s breath caught in his throat. “Sir, Arluthu sent the trife to Earth?”

  “I can not prove it definitively, but it fits with your story,” General Goi replied.

  “And he’s here on Essex, sir?”

  “Essex? He calls it Arluthu’s World. We call it New Inahri . Yes, his city is here, and he is in it.”

  So Riley had been right. The alien responsible for the end of the world was here. If her plans had come to fruition, if she had made her hybrid army, maybe they could have gotten their revenge?

  But what good would that do? Earth was already lost. It would have been better to settle the real Essex. It would have been better to stay far away from this place.

  It was too late for that, too.

  “Where is Riley Valentine now?” General Goi asked.

  “Sir, I don’t know. She ran from the Seeker’s bridge. I didn’t see her again after that.”

  “Sergeant Tsi, did you track another inside the Seeker?” Goi asked.

  “No, General,” Tsi replied. “But we did pick up an energy spike from the hangar as we were preparing to leave.”

  Caleb clenched his jaw. Had Riley found the hangar and a ship? Had she taken it from the city-ship? Why didn’t she seek out Sergeant Tsi and try to talk to her? It didn’t make sense. Then again, she was in the process of mutating into a Reaper. It was obvious during their interaction she wasn’t stable.

  Had she ever been stable?

  “Why didn’t you report this to me sooner, Sergeant?” Goi snapped.

  Tsi lowered her head. “My apologies, sir. My intent was on Sergeant Caleb and his team.”

  “Can you be sure you weren’t followed here?”

  “Sir, we were attacked by the Relyeh on the way back. But there was no sign of any other craft in the area.”

  “Let us hope you didn’t miss the sign,” Goi said. “It seems to me this Riley Valentine is unpredictable.”

  “Yes, sir,” Caleb said.

  Goi returned his attention to Caleb. “Sergeant Caleb, you are wearing the black uniform of a warrior who has yet to pass a Trial. Do you understand what that means?”

  “Not exactly, sir.”

  “As you can see, the Free Inahri have limited resources. We are dependent on this cavern and its adjoining network of tunnels as a place to hide from our enemies. Predominantly, the Relyeh. Every mouth we add to our settlement means a little bit less for everyone else. We can’t allow anyone who doesn’t add value to the community to become a member. In the past, that has always meant Relyeh defectors. Until today.”

  “I understand, sir,” Caleb said. “What happens to the people who don’t pass their Trial?”

  “They know about our community. It is unfortunate, but we have no other option save execution.”

  Caleb had figured as much. He nodded. “To be honest, General, I would prefer to return to my people. To the Deliverance. I understand me and my team are some kind of prisoners of war. Except Earth isn’t at war with the Inahri , and we have no intention of starting one.”

  Goi’s expression turned more somber. Caleb’s heart jumped slightly. It was the look of bad news. “You didn’t mention it during your report, but I imagine that if your ship had a Watcher Intellect on board, it also had a quantum dimensional modulator on board?”

  “Yes, General,” Caleb replied.

  “With the Guardian Intellect destroyed, the Seeker is unprotected. This is both a problem and an opportunity. The Relyeh Inahri will want to claim the ship in Arluthu’s name and use it to begin an assault. Arluthu would be very grateful to claim more worlds for himself before the rest of the Hunger arrives.”

  “Sir, you mean the Axon?” Caleb asked.

  General Goi considered. “The Axon, sooner or later. But right now? I wonder if Earth might be a more appealing target.”

  “You think that if Arluthu gets his hands on the QDM, he’s going to send the Inahri to Earth to finish what the uluth started?”

  “I do.”

  Caleb’s whole body turned cold, sending a shiver tingling across every limb. “We can’t let that happen.” Caleb stood up. “I need to get back to my ship.”

  “Sit down!” General Goi snapped. “You were given no permission to stand!”

  Caleb opened his mouth to argue. He had to stay calm. He had to remember where he was. He forced himself back down.

  “My apologies, General,” he said, bowing his head again.

  “I understand this is upsetting to you, Sergeant Caleb,” Goi said. “It is upsetting to us as well. There has been balance for the last few ens—an equilibrium. But such things can’t last forever. Life continues, and often in ways we don’t desire or expect. I knew there was a reason Arluthu took such an interest in your vessel. I was afraid it was because you have a modulator. I’m thankful to Sergeant Tsi for bringing you here alive, and I appreciate your candor with us. Sergeant Tsi, we are finished for now. The Esteemed will discuss what we have learned. Return Sergeant Caleb to his barracks and await further orders.”

  “Yes, General,” Sergeant Tsi said, getting to her feet. “Sergeant Caleb, you may stand.”

  Caleb stood up again. “General, did something happen to the Deliverance? Is there something you haven’t told me?”

  “Sergeant—” Tsi started to say, to admonish him for his lack of protocol.

  General Goi put his hand up, silencing her. He came to his feet, looking up into Caleb’s eyes. “The Relyeh Inahri attacked your ship. Our Dancers saw them enter the vessel and slaughter a number of your people. As of a short time ago, they are still inside.”

  “Looking for the energy unit,” Caleb said.

  “That is the most likely explanation.”

  “Damn it,” Caleb cursed under his breath. If the Inahri found a way into the city, Governor Stone would fold like a cheap suit. “General, I need to go back to the Deliverance. We have to get the energy unit before they do.”

  “Sergeant Caleb, we will discuss our findings. Return to your barracks.”

  “General—”

  “Return to your barracks!” Goi snapped. Caleb didn’t need the Intellect to translate the man’s meaning.

  “Sir, if you want us to prove our value, this would be the perfect way to do it,” Caleb said.

  Sergeant Tsi grabbed Caleb’s arm, pulling him off the mat. He didn’t resist, lowering his head and falling into line behind her, with the Intellect behind him. He heard the Esteemed begin speaking almost on top of one another the moment they started descending the stairs.

  “You’re going to disgrace both of us if you refuse to show respect,” Tsi hissed at him.

  “I’m sorry, Tsi. I am. But if the Relyeh are already on the Deliverance, it’s only a matter of time before they get into the city. It’s only a matter of time before they get their hands on the QDM.”

  She looked into his eyes, calming suddenly. “Caleb, there is something more you aren’t telling me.”

  How did she know? He nodded. “I told you, the people on the ship aren’t warriors. If the Inahri threaten them they’ll give up anything the Inahri want to avoid a fight.”

  “This is important information. I will inform General Goi as soon as I have returned you to your barracks.”

  “I can help you keep the energy unit from them. I can help you recover it. I know the ship and the people in it, and I’m happy to be your slave or whatever as long as it keeps those people safe.”

  “I understand, Caleb,” Tsi said. “I will speak to the general. But you must follow our ways or you will do more harm than good.”

  “I know,” Caleb said, taking a deep breath. “Please thank Doctor Amali for me when you get a chance. For what she did for Washington.”

  “I will.”

  Sergeant Tsi led Caleb back through the compound in silence. Caleb sank into his thoughts, and by the time they reached the barracks he had made a decision:

  He was going back to the Deliverance whether the Free Inahri helped him or not.

  Chapter 16

  Chief Engineer Joe King rubbed his forehead and eyes, trying to give himself just one more second wind before calling it a day. Parts of a small machine were laid out on the table in front of him, in a state of disarray that might have concerned anyone who didn’t know Joe. He was comfortable with the mess. The inverter was halfway along in its repair, slowed only by the requisite hunt for a part that wasn’t in worse shape than the one it was replacing.

  It was still hard for Joe to believe how drastically everything had changed over the last week. He could still remember the day before the Marines had come when he had spent hours in the scrapyard looking for anything he could alter to match a part they had run entirely out of, even if it wasn’t intended for the use. Two hundred plus years had worn out a lot of equipment which had been quickly and poorly made in the first place. It was one thing when he thought they were in an underground bunker on Earth. On another planet? It was something else.

  “Joe, are you going to take a break any time today?” his wife, Carol, asked, standing in the doorway.

  “I’m almost done,” he replied.

  “You said that the last three times I stopped by.”

  “Do you want to go for four?”

  She entered the room, leaning over him and curling her arms around his neck to get a better look at what he was doing . “Did you find the piece you were looking for?”

  “Yeah.” He pointed to it. “Right there. I know how it goes back together. I’m just a little beat.”

  “You’ve barely slept all week. Governor Stone has you running on fumes.”

  “You should talk,” Joe said. “You’ve been just as busy.”

  “Somebody has to fix this place up so we can break it down again.”

  “Did you see Jackson and Beth leave the mansion earlier?”

  “I saw them from the window. The conquering heroes.” She shook her head. “He threw those poor Marines under the bus.”

  “And then he stomped on their corpses,” Joe said. “And now he’s going to live outside, right next to the river. I hope something sneaks up on him and bites him in the ass.”

  “Joe!”

  “What? He deserves a lot worse than that. I heard from Sweeting that he sent Sheriff Dante out to find Sergeant Card and the other Guardians. He couldn’t just leave it alone.”

  “We should think about moving outside,” Carol said. “We’d certainly have enough work to do, and I’d love to feel a real breeze on my face.”

  “It isn’t safe out there,” Joe said.

  “The Governor thinks it is.”

  “The Governor is an idiot. I think we’ve already proven that.”

  Joe had known Governor Stone since Jackson was a boy. A spoiled brat then, and a spoiled brat now. His father was a great Governor. A kind man. How had things turned out so wrong?

  “He has the best intentions. I believe that. Even if his methods are horrible sometimes.”

  “That’s an understatement. He was going to execute Private Flores publicly. That’s sick, Carol.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “And that makes it okay?”

  “I didn’t say that. Never mind. I think the exhaustion is making us both a little testy.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably it. Sorry, love.”

  Carol kissed his cheek. “I forgive you. I’m sorry too.” She stood up straight, squeezing his shoulder. “But you should get some rest. That inverter isn’t going anywhere.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Joe said. He stood up and turned off his work light. He was supposed to be sleeping. He had snuck the inverter home to work on it without any of the other engineers knowing.

  They moved out of the spare bedroom of their cube. The room was usually reserved for any children they might have had, but Joe and Carol were never able to conceive. It was painful for a time, but acceptance had followed, and then it had become a shared workspace.

  It was right next to the master bedroom, which Carol pulled Joe into. Joe glanced outside through the window beside the bed. It looked out at South Park to the south and the Governor’s Mansion to the east, offering a high-end view reserved for the most important people in the city. As a pair of engineers, Joe and Carol were overqualified for that status.

  There was little action from the strands below. In fact, as he stared down at them, he realized they were empty.

  “Carol, where is everybody?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look.”

  She joined him at the window. “Oh. That’s strange. It’s only four o’clock.”

  “Well, everything’s been a little strange since we landed. I hope Stone’s having a good time skinny-dipping with his wife while we’re slaving away in here.”

  Carol punched him in the arm. “Joe, I doubt Governor Stone even knows what that is. I’m surprised you do.”

  “You never went to Block Thirty-two when you were a kid?” Joe asked. “You never went to the Watering Hole?”

  One of the residents had managed to build a basin on the rooftop that caught the water from the atmospherics. It took about a month for the pool to fill, but when it did he had invited all the neighborhood kids to come swim. The only problem was he wasn’t supposed to have a pool on the roof, so they couldn’t get their clothes wet. It had seemed innocent to Joe as a ten-year-old boy, and nothing had ever happened to any of the kids as far as he knew.

  “No. I think that was before my time.”

  “It’s probably better that way.”

  “Take off your shirt and lie down. I want you asleep in the next five minutes.”

  “Okay, Boss,” Joe said, grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his head. “Are you going to cuddle up?”

  “Maybe.”

  Joe smiled. “Do I need to convince you?”

  “Maybe.”

  He reached out for Carol, but she danced away.

  “You need to be quicker than that, old man.”

  He laughed and rushed toward her, getting his hand on her arm. He pulled her close without resistance.

  Someone knocked on the door.

  “That’s strange,” Carol said. People didn’t usually knock on their door. If they needed either one of them, they used the comms.

  “Could be a neighbor tired of us making so much noise,” Joe said, laughing. They were hardly ever in their cube, and even then they spent most of their time either working or sleeping.

  “I’ll get it,” Carol said. “You lie down.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll wait for you.”

  Carol left the room, making the short trip to the door and pulling it open.

  “Sheriff Zane?” Joe heard her say. “What brings you here?”

  Chapter 17

  “Is Joe here?” Zane asked. His voice was tense. “It’s very important.”

  “I’m here,” Joe said, coming out of the bedroom. “Come on in, Sheriff.”

  Carol moved aside to let Zane in.