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He only answered after Kimmalyn nudged him with a rifle. Not because he was resistant to us, but because he still seemed so scared.

“Fifteen fighters,” he said.

“Send authorization for them to be moved,” I directed. “By us. No questions asked.”

We let him use a data terminal under close supervision to send that exact message. The others scrutinized the message several times,but this guy was so frightened, I didn’t think we had anything to worry about.

“Alanik, Arturo,” I said, once the message was sent, “looks like this warehouse is out of cargo. Leaves plenty of space for some fighters. Want to go start bringing them in? Grab one each, and fly in through those cargo doors?”

“We’re stealing their fleet?” Arturo asked. “We came here for fifteen fighters?”

“No,” I said. “They’re bargaining chips. How do I communicate with the people on the other side of this?”

Kimmalyn nudged the lead alien again. “You don’t,” he said. “They’ve shut off our ability to do that.”

“Is that so,” I whispered, closing my eyes. Reaching into the portal with my mind. It was locked, as I’d sensed so many times from the other side. Like opening a door between two adjoining rooms, I unlocked this side—but the other side was still closed. But radiation or something leaked through. We knew that because an increased number of cytonics were born in the area around nowhere portals.

And fortunately, I had someone on the inside.

M-Bot,I thought,you still in there?

I am,he replied.What did you just do a few minutes ago? Everything wentcrazyin here.

I went crazy out here,I replied.But right now, I need to talk to Peg. Can you find her?

She’s out in the belt,he sent me.I’m in the center, the true nowhere. I might be able to help you reach her though.

Good enough,I thought, letting M-Bot act like an operator. I reached through him, much as—I suspected—machinery reached through hyperslugs to facilitate communication. Using his strength, I quested out and found her mind, on the other side of this doorway.

Peg,I said in her mind.

She responded with shock. I wasn’t good enough with mypowers to read the thoughts of a non-cytonic yet. Jorgen had mentioned he could do it, but everyone had talents in different areas.

Hopefully this would do.

It’s me, Spin,I sent her.I need you to unlock the portal.

Skepticism. I could sense that much from her. She thought this was a trap.

It’s me. I lost themulunyou gave me, Peg. But I did get out of the nowhere. I left Shiver with a promise, and I intend to keep it. I need you to open the portal for me. Then maybe, once this is all done, I can taste those seven fruits of contentment you talk about.

I hoped that referencing our final conversations would be enough. I hovered at the side of her mind, watching her work through the implications—the potential costs, the potential gains. Finally, she projected a thought. I couldn’t hear the specifics but…she wanted to know…

Oh!We talked about life,I sent her.We were alone together in the garden by your tree. Right after you gave me themulun.I asked why a people like you, who seemed so aggressive, would grow trees. And you told me it was about life.

That seemed enough for her. A short time later, I felt the gateway unlock. Light spilled over me as the stone glowed white, then vanished, becoming a large glowing field.

I didn’t dare go through, not when my powers were acting so strangely. So, hoping I’d be forgiven, I pulled Peg through to our side.

She appeared a moment later, forming as if from light. A tall tenasi—a reptilian species with wide hands they held out before themselves, balancing with a large tail. A snout and teeth reminiscent of something from Earth’s very ancient past. She looked at me, then at the gathered soldiers behind me—and the three aliens we held at gunpoint—and gave a loud, barking laugh and grabbed me in a hug.

Kimmalyn immediately sighted on Peg with her rifle. I waved a warning hand, panicked, as the hug just about crushed me. Fortunately, Kimmalyn didn’t fire.

“Spin!” Peg said. “Words! Youdidit! Here, I thought it would be years before I heard from you. I’ve barely had time to start planting, and here you are growingfantadsand pulling me into…” She trailed off, looking around. “Pulling me into the somewhere.”

She let go of me, seeming awed. It had been over twenty years for her, spent in exile. Betrayed by the Superiority.

“I’m out,” she whispered. Then she looked at me again. “What have you done?”