Araminta slipped out of Danal's apartment, and tiptoed across the vestibule to her own. Outside, a brash dawn light was lapping against the weather dome. The crowd was cheering ecstatically. That felt good.

'Well whadda you know, I saved the universe. Araminta grinned wildly at the ridiculous knowledge, then yawned. Being a hero was actually quite exhausting. She sank down into the big old armchair with its strangely lumpy cushions. Just five minutes' rest.

Cheriton McOnna didn't like the 'in character' clothes Beckia had produced for him out of the replicator on board Elvin's Payback. Really didn't. Nothing wrong with the touch of them, a cotton shirt, wool-lined waistcoat with brass buttons, and trousers that were like suede but a great deal softer. No, it was the colours and style, the shirt's lace-up front, its grey-green colour which was more like a stain than a dye, and the odd tight cut of the black trousers. He plain refused to wear the felt ha I with its flamboyant green and blue feathers; although he reluctantly agreed to carry it after Beckia got all stroppy. It wasn't good to get Beckia stroppy.

She'd been right, of course. As soon as he walked into the Confluence nest building on Daryad Avenue in the centre of town, he fitted in with the Ellezelin workforce. Security was strong around the building, an old brick cube with dark arching windows. Colwyn's three confluence nests were the first priority for the occupying forces. But Liatris McPeierl had done his job well, infiltrating a complete legend for Cheriton, including DNA. When he walked into the airy marble-floored lobby he was told to put his hand on a sensor pedestal while three armed and armoured guards watched him cautiously. The building's new net cleared him, and they waved him on. He gave them a cheery smile, backed up with a contented emanation into the gaiafield.

The nest itself was housed on the fourth floor in a sterile chamber which took up half of the available floorspace. He reported for duty to Dream Master Yenrol in the overseer's office, which looked out into the nest chamber through a glass partition. Normally, the office was only occupied a few hours each day when the overseer or their assistant ran a six hourly assessment to ensure the nest was operating smoothly. Now there were seven technicians all struggling for elbow space as they installed banks of new hardware, while on the other side of the glass more technicians were blending fresh bioneural clusters with the original nest.

'What's your field? Yenrol asked. He was both agitated and puzzled. Cheriton's late assignment coupled with the pressure to get the job done was making him very twitchy.

'Pattern definition, Cheriton replied equitably. 'The routines I've developed will help isolate the Second Dreamer's thoughts within the gaiafield. It should give us a stronger source to trace.

'Good, Yenrol said. 'Okay, great. Start installing the routines. He'd turned back to a half-completed hardware unit before Cheriton got a chance to reply.

'Okay then, Cheriton mumbled, keeping his gaiafield emission a level flow of eagerness and enthusiasm. He found a free console seat, and nodded to the man in the next seat.

'Welcome to the eye, his new colleague said. 'I'm Danal.

'Glad to be here, Cheriton said. 'What do you mean: eye?

'Of the storm.

Cheriton grinned. 'This is the quiet part?

'Exactly!

Danal, it turned out, had been on Viotia for some time now. He and Mareble had come in anticipation of being close to the Second Dreamer. 'We wanted to be here when he revealed himself, Danal admitted. 'I've been upgrading nest sensitivity since we arrived in the hope our Dream Masters can locate him. He gave Yenrol a guilty glance, stifling his gaiafield emissions for a moment. 'I wasn't expecting this, he confided.

'I know what you mean, Cheriton said, all sympathy. 'I was praying to the Lady that Ethan would be elected Cleric Conservator, but I didn't think anything like our presence here would be necessary.

Danal gave an awkward shrug, and got back to work. Cheriton continued loading in the routines he'd concocted. They did perform the recognition function, but in reverse, so that the nest would develop a mild blind spot should it receive any thoughts originating from the Second Dreamer. It would inform Cheriton first before reverting to the advertised function.

The modification team's frantic work stalled as Justine's madcap flight swamped the Unisphere.

'She's so close, Danal said in awe as the Silverbird's sensors revealed the undulating surface of the Void. Then everyone winced as the Raiel transformed the second moon into a hyperluminal quake.

'How are they doing that? Cheriton murmured, fascinated by the level of extraordinary sophisticated violence involved.

'Who cares? Danal said. 'The Void can resist their devilry. It has for a million years. That's all that matters.

Cheriton raised an eyebrow. It took a lot of self-control not to leak his dismay at the man's bigotry into the gaiafield. 'Let's hope Justine's ship can withstand it, too.

'She's not a believer. She's an ANA creature.

'She's human, Cheriton said. 'That means she should be able to get inside. Somehow.

'Ah. I hadn't thought of that.

'Please, Yenrol entreated the modification team. 'Keep working. If the Second Dreamer is going to show himself, it will be tonight.

Danal flashed Cheriton a shamefaced smile.

Oscar hadn't expected things to happen quite this fast. He should have known better. If the Starflyer War had taught him nothing else, it was that events ruled people, not the other way round.

So here he was encased in a stiff paramilitary armour suit, sitting halfway down the passenger section of an Ellezelin police capsule, floating over the Cairns. Beckia was sitting on the bench next to him, while Tomansio was forward in the command seat. The capsules were designed to hold fifteen paramilitaries. However, its original occupants were now resting in a drug-induced coma back in the Bootel & Leicester warehouse, so at least he had plenty of room to stretch out.

Like the rest of the Commonwealth, they were accessing Justine's mad dash through the Gulf.

'The welcome team has just stepped up to active status, Liatris reported; he had stayed behind in the Elvin's Payback to monitor the occupying forces and provide Unisphere support. 'Everyone thinks that the Second Dreamer will intervene for Justine.

'He didn't after Gore's appeal, Oscar said.

'The Raiel should give things a degree of urgency, Beckia said. 'I agree with Living Dream, if it's going to happen it'll happen tonight.

Oscar shrugged, which didn't come off well in his armour.

'Did you know Gore and Justine? Tomansio asked.

'I think I met her once, some senior officer function on High Angel. Everyone was trying to chat her up.

'Including you? Beckia teased.

'No, I was aiming for the ones she turned down. Rejection always leaves you vulnerable to a quick bout of cheap meaningless sex.

'Ozzie, but you're dreadful.

'Anything from Cheriton? Tomansio asked.

'Nothing since his last check in, Liatris reported. 'Nobody questioned his appointment to Yenrol's staff. He's installed his routines in the nest.

'Is he wearing his hat? Beckia asked innocently.

Oscar couldn't help the smile creeping on to his mouth. That had been quite an argument.

'I'll find out next time, Liatris promised.

'What have you got for us on the welcome team? Tomansio asked.

'All deeply loyal Living Dream followers; it doesn't look like Phelim fancied contracting out for this job. They're on secondment from the Makkathran2 cabinet security office.