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  “What do you think the director wants?” I asked.

  “I wish I knew,” he said, sighing. “I can’t imagine what is worth the risk of angering her political enemies by bringing you back to the station. Something big is going on, Zeke. You are going to need to step very carefully.”

  “You know, I still never found out about how you got to the Confederation in the first place,” I said.

  He laughed. “That’s a strange story, but a long one. It will have to wait until you get back.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” I gave him another hug. “I’ll see you soon.”

  He smiled at me, shaking his head, like he couldn’t believe this was it, that I was really going, leaving him behind on Earth while I went back into space.

  Jacinto and Colonel Rage came into the room. Jacinto came over to me and shook my hand.

  “Don’t forget the little people, okay?”

  “Thanks for everything, Jacinto. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

  “It turns out we were running away from the good guys. They would have caught up eventually, and you’d be right here, doing just what you’re doing. The way I see it, I mostly kept you from getting to your friends sooner.”

  “We did it the hard way, that’s for sure,” I agreed, “but we didn’t know that at the time. We thought I was in real danger, and you took a lot of risks to help me.”

  “I just wanted to see if this stuff was real,” he said. “Besides, it was fun. You ever need to go on the run again, give me a call, all right?”

  I laughed. “Given my track record, I may end up doing just that.” I looked around. “Where’s Alice?”

  Jacinto shook his head. “Alice took it kind of hard, being left behind. I know, I know, it wasn’t your call, and she would have been out of her depth, but she wanted to go. You understand, right? I think it would have been too upsetting to say good-bye.”

  I did understand, but I was also angry. She and I had been through a lot. I owed her, and I meant to repay her someday. I understood she wanted to head out with us, but that she would let me go without even wishing me good luck felt crummy.

  “Thank her for me, will you?”

  Jacinto nodded. “I will. Now go do what you’ve got to do.”

  Colonel Rage led us to a door, and we were all ushered through. I took one look back, catching a last glimpse of my parents before I left the planet.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  * * *

  I mostly felt disbelief while the shuttle took off and broke atmosphere, but once we were in space, and the ship loomed ahead of us, it all felt so real. Here I was, sitting with the former delegates from Earth, my friends, heading toward a Confederation starship. Part of me feared it had all been some terrible trick, and we would be flying directly toward a Phandic cruiser, but I was pleased to discover I could cross at least one worst-case-scenario off my list. The ship looked a lot like the Dependable—a long, unadorned black rectangle with a pair of engines at the end and another along the middle.

  “What’s it called?” I asked Urch.

  He snorted with distaste. “The Kind Disposition.”

  “Eeew,” I said.

  “Here we go,” Mi Sun said, rolling her eyes.

  “It is not the most intimidating of names,” Urch agreed. “However, this vessel has weapon upgrades based on the technology you brought to the Confederation. If the Phands bother us, they’ll find this ship’s disposition not nearly as kind as they would wish.”

  “Can’t argue with that,” I said, enjoying his bravado. “How do you like serving on this ship?”

  “Captain Hyi is not Captain Qwlessl, but he is an excellent commander.”

  “And the crew?” I asked, remembering what my father had said.

  “Do not trust anyone but me,” Urch said darkly. “I was only brought in because you know and trust me. The other officers seem to resent me for it. Many of them openly belong to the Movement for Peace, but I believe even the ones without armbands are members as well. They simply wish to disguise that the entire crew serves Junup, not the captain. As for me, they shun me because my species is carnivorous.”

  “That sounds uncomfortable.”

  He snorted. “It has been worth it to aid the director on this mission. I have a great deal of admiration for her, but don’t repeat anything she says to any of the crew—except, of course, the captain.“

  “Isn’t he going to get irritated if we act like we don’t trust his crew?”

  “I am not sure Captain Hyi trusts them either. The roster was forced on him by Junup’s allies. This ship has been newly retrofitted to be state of the art, and Captain Hyi wanted to command it. To do so, he had to accept a crew of Junup’s choosing.”

  Colonel Rage broke into our conversation. He pointed to the screen. “That ship looks impressive, but does it have it where it counts? What kind of firepower does it possess?”

  “I cannot answer that question in relative terms,” Urch said. “I can tell you that we match weapons with the most destructive of enemy cruisers, and while we equal them in offensive capabilities, their shield and sensor technologies are generations behind ours. That means we can see the enemy before they see us, and we can take more damage. As a result, we will win any battle so long as our forces are not outnumbered more than six to one.”

  “That sounds like a lot of boasting, son,” Colonel Rage said.

  Urch, to my surprise, did not respond to being called son. Instead he activated his data bracelet and changed the view of the screen. It panned several degrees up and left, and then something came into view. It was the floating wreck of two Phandic saucers, lifeless and dark, hovering in the void.

  “We did not want to alarm you with this while still on your planet,” Urch said, “but shortly after Zeke left the Confederation, the Phandic Empire decided to take revenge upon him and his planet for having shamed them. Here, in your system, is where they learned that we had mastered their weapons technology and were no longer going to ignore their violent expansion. For years we watched, powerless, as the Phands conquered peaceful worlds, but that ended at your world. Four of our ships made this change of policy clear to the Phands, destroying, disabling, or capturing fourteen large cruisers that had come to conquer Earth.”

  My stomach did a series of unpleasant flips. My planet had been threatened, almost attacked, by a devastating force of nasty aliens. None of us had known anything about it.

  “When did this happen?” Colonel Rage asked.

  “Perhaps three months ago,” Urch said. “Our interstellar spy drones picked up the first signs that the Phands were building a subspace energy relay near your planet. It’s the first sign of colonization, since their occupation forces are very energy dependent. The usual operating procedure for the Phandic Empire is to establish infrastructure and then invade. When we moved in to destroy that infrastructure, they launched an attack against our forces.”

  “You went to war to save our planet?” Mi Sun asked, clearly surprised. When we’d last left the Confederation, politicians like Junup had seemed more interested in hiding from the Phands than confronting them.

  Urch nodded, clearly understanding what she meant. “Last year the Confederation was still hiding behind treaties and agreements meant to appease the Phands. The ships you and your friends captured changed all that. It is fitting that the Battle of Earth is regarded as one of the great turning points in our civilization.”

  “I am grateful,” Charles said. “I thank you for doing this for us.”

  Urch snorted. “I wasn’t there, unfortunately, though there were other battles I had the chance to savor before the Phands agreed to a new treaty. But as far as I’m concerned, no thanks are necessary. Helping weaker worlds fend off bullies is the responsibility of the Confederation. You are wise to be cautious with anyone who wants anything from you, but Director Ghli Wixxix did save your world.”

  “And Junup?” I asked. “Did he support protecting Earth?”

&nbs
p; “He warned of the risks and urged the Confederation not to endanger itself on behalf of primitive worlds. Then, when the battle ended so decisively and the Phands were in full retreat, he revised his position and claimed he had supported it all along.”

  “Not surprising,” I said.

  Urch shrugged. “He’s a political [perspiration-licker] who will throw his best friend in the recycler unit to save his own shell.”

  ”Then whatever Ghli Wixxix wants from me, Junup is probably going to be against.”

  “I think that goes without saying,” Urch agreed. “You will have to be careful.”

  “Your ships,” Colonel Rage said, interrupting my thoughts. “They’re good at fighting these Phands now, you say?”

  “That’s right,” Urch said.

  “And your other enemies?”

  “We have no other enemies,” Urch told him. “The Confederation seeks neither hostility nor territory. The Phands were our enemies only because they chose the path of conquest and oppression. Now we have confined them to their borders.”

  “What about the planets they’ve already conquered?” Mi Sun asked.

  “Yes,” Urch said. “There are beings, such as Ghli Wixxix, who believe we are obligated to liberate them. However, Junup’s faction has swayed public opinion, and the current position of the government is that we have weakened the Phands, so now it is up to those individual societies to determine their own fate.”

  “And what do you think?” Colonel Rage asked.

  “I know that if it were my world that had been conquered, I would not wish for the Confederation to turn its back.”

  “Can’t blame you there,” Colonel Rage said. “Sounds like your leadership is trying to avoid a long and expensive war, using bogus morality to cover up caution and selfishness. We get plenty of that on Earth, don’t you worry.”

  “All sentient beings have much in common,” Urch said. “It is our linked ancestry.”

  Colonel Rage stared at Urch for a moment, as if not wanting to think too much about how this warthog being could be his cousin. “What happens if this internal disagreement in your government turns ugly? How do these upgraded ships of yours do when fighting each other?”

  “Confederation ships do not fight one another,” Urch said. “For most of our citizens, argument and disagreement are all the conflict they can stomach.”

  “Still, it’s best to be prepared. Surely you run scenarios.”

  “It can be done in sim,” I said. “When we get on the Kind Disposition, I’ll show you how to work the simulation room. I think you’ll like it.”

  I was looking forward to getting back into the sim room myself. I’d missed spaceflight, simulated or otherwise.

  We pulled into the shuttle bay, where we were met by several of the crew, including Captain Hyi, a stick-insect alien like I’d seen on the Dependable. He was surrounded by beings of a variety of species in uniforms, all of whom wore blank expressions. Some were aliens I’d seen before, like the blood-red humanoids with cranial ridges, and even a goat-turtle like Junup, with a black uniform stretched awkwardly over his shell. All of them looked at me with barely disguised contempt. These were not the welcoming smiles I’d encountered the first time I’d come aboard a Confederation ship.

  “Anything to report, Mr. Urch?” Captain Hyi asked.

  “No difficulties, Captain,” Urch said. He then proceeded to make introductions. When the captain had met all of us, he presented each of us to his crew, none of whom seemed happy to meet us. They were crisp and precise in their discipline, but I had the feeling they were doing their best to show us how much they didn’t want us on board while making sure they did nothing to get themselves in trouble.

  “Mr. Reynolds,” the captain said, “Director Ghli Wixxix understands you have been through an ordeal, and has asked if you and the rest of the people from your planet could meet her tomorrow at 1300 hours?”

  I nodded. “Of course, Captain.”

  “Then perhaps you’d like to go to your quarters.”

  The goat-turtle stepped forward. On its right arm, I noticed, was a black band with a squiggly line that I thought might be supposed to represent a flame. “Captain, permission to escort the primitive alien Ezekiel Reynolds to its quarters.” His voice was deep, like Junup’s, though he sounded much younger, and the number 32 above his head confirmed it. I couldn’t tell just by looking at him, since it’s hard to guess someone’s age when their face is covered with shaggy fur.

  “Very kind of you, Mr. Knutjhob,” the captain said, “but I think we’ll let Mr. Urch have that honor.”

  Don’t do it! Smelly roared inside my head. An entity doesn’t have to live inside your head to know what you’re thinking. Control yourself.

  It was great advice—really it was—but I was unable to resist. “Nut job?” I asked.

  Colonel Rage winced.

  “K-nut J-hob,” the goat-turtle repeated very slowly. “Does my name signify something in your language?”

  “Just sounding it out,” I said casually. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard nonhuman names. But Knutjhob. Yeah. I like it.”

  There was a moment of silence. “It is always pleasant to be flattered,” Knutjhob said, leveling his goaty gaze on me, “by the sort of being who might break numerous laws and codes of the society that is hosting him, steal a spaceship, betray trusts, and create an interstellar incident.”

  “That is a rather biased view of what happened,” Charles said.

  Knutjhob snorted. “Name mockery is precisely the sort of irresponsible behavior my uncle told me to expect from you.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “Junup is your uncle? I’m in an enclosed space with Junup’s nephew?”

  “There will be no hostilities or rivalries aboard my ship,” Captain Hyi said, like a teacher trying to break up a fight between little kids. “Mr. Knutjhob, you will avoid Mr. Reynolds as best as your duties permit. Please refrain from speaking to him unless it directly relates to ship’s business. Mr. Reynolds, the same goes for you.”

  “Not a problem,” I said.

  “Crew dismissed,” Captain Hyi said with evident weariness. “Mr. Urch, please take our guests to their quarters.”

  “I can’t believe this,” I said, as soon as we were away from everyone else. “Why is Junup’s nephew on this ship?”

  “Obviously to keep an eye on things,” Urch said. “You wasted no time in antagonizing him.”

  “He was looking to start something,” I said. “Besides, it’s not my fault. He has a funny name. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Try not insulting him,” Mi Sun suggested. “Avoid making trouble for once in your life.”

  “I only make trouble sometimes,” I said.

  “That’s true,” Nayana said. “I’ve seen it happen. I think about a third of the time the trouble is of his own making. The other two thirds, trouble looks for him.”

  “It’s still a lot of trouble,” Mi Sun grumbled.

  “Let’s try not to make trouble with anyone else,” Colonel Rage suggested, “especially when they’re related to powerful people in their government who happen to hate you.”

  That is excellent advice, Smelly offered.

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” Charles said. “It is not merely that he looks like his uncle, whom we all have reason to dislike. It appeared to me that he wished for a confrontation with Zeke, and Zeke merely provided an excuse. I believe this is a setup.”

  “Thanks, Charles,” I said. “I agree.”

  “As do I,” Urch agreed. “Knutjhob clearly has adopted his uncle’s grievances as his own. Additionally, I consider him a [barf puddle] of an officer. They all are, I’m afraid.”

  The interior of the ship was a lot like the other Confederation vessels I’d been on, but there was no doubt that changes had been made to accommodate the new military power. Every few yards there were signs pointing the way to escape pods or impact shelters, and at every junction were panels to op
erate emergency decompression barriers. The Dependable had been designed to avoid and escape conflict, but the Kind Disposition had been built to dominate it.

  By the time I got to my quarters, I was exhausted. It had been a grueling bunch of days, filled with terrors and surprises, the majority of which, it had turned out, were not bad.

  I awoke the next day with a knock on the door. Urch was standing outside, holding a length of glistening black material for me. A data bracelet. Without hesitating, I grabbed it and put it on my left wrist.

  “Thanks, man. I’ve really missed having one of these.”

  He nodded. “It is easy to grow used to them. I am also here to tell you that we have received a communication. Our diplomats have successfully negotiated asylum for the Rarel girl, Tamret. Final arrangements are being made, and she will most likely arrive on Confederation Central several days after you do. I am informed that she is in good health.”

  I sat down on my bed and let the relief wash over me. Whatever nightmare Tamret had endured, it was finished. Maybe it was terrible, more terrible than I could imagine, but she was alive and she was free. I had promised her I would get her off that planet, and I’d done it. If this excursion to Confederation Central accomplished nothing else, then I would consider it a victory.

  And I was going to see her again. In only a few more days Tamret and I would be back together.

  “And Steve?” I asked.

  “Yes, the Ish-hi is also on his way. But you seemed more interested in the girl.” Urch opened his mouth to show his teeth, his version of a smile.

  “Maybe a little,” I admitted.

  “I understand. The Ish-hi sent a message.” Urch activated his data bracelet to send me Steve’s message. As if I had never taken my bracelet off, I called it up. It was a single line of text. You still owe me, mate.

  I laughed. Then my mood suddenly soured. “Was there a message from Tamret?” I asked.