'Ethan's private bodyguards, Tomansio declared. 'What.m-their enrichments?

'Very heavy duty weapons, and they're accelerated up to at least our standard. But I don't think they have biononics; there's no record in any file I can find.

'Okay, thank you. Keep deep mining, I want everything you've got on them.

'Will do. Files coming over.

Oscar's u-shadow told him it had received the heavily encrypted files. When he scrutinized them he couldn't help a sharp intake of breath. The welcome team that Councillor Phelim had put together to interdict the Second Dreamer were carrying the kind of firepower he'd thought exclusive to members of the Knights Guardian. They were also extremely devout. Phelim hail given them complete authority over all the invading forces to accomplish their goal. 'We need to be quick, he murmured.

'That we do, Tomansio agreed. 'I wouldn't want to be caught in the act by this lot.

'I bet they have got biononics, Beckia said. 'They'll justify it by saying it will help bring about the Dream. Their kind always does.

'I didn't know Living Dream disapproved of biononics, Oscar said.

'Oh yes. Nothing like the Protectorate, though; biononics aren't quite a sacrilege, they simply don't have any place in the Void. Most people believe they won't work in there anyway.

'Why?

'Because there was never any functioning technology on Querencia. The most sophisticated thing the Waterwalker ever encountered was the machine gun. And that's purely mechanical. There was no electricity, no genetics, no biononics. Given the humans who landed, their ship would have had access to the most advanced technology and information base the Commonwealth could provide, it is inconceivable that their new society couldn't even make a battery. They certainly know their chemistry and medicine, even astronomy. Something stopped them from following the electromechanical route.

'The internal structure of the Void, Oscar mused.

'Quite. Whatever the quantum structure is that permits true mental powers, it must also block electricity.

'That's ridiculous. You can't stop current flowing, that implies a whole level of atomic reactions would cease to exist. There wouldn't be any stars.

'The Silfen paths mess with human hardware-based technology, Tomansio said.

'That's direct interference generated by their paths.

'All I'm saying is that it appears there's something inimical to rift ironies in the Void.

'The original colony ship survived to land on Querencia.

'And the Living Dream is still arguing if it landed or crashed, Beckia said. 'The interference with electronics could come directly from the Heart itself, like some kind of overlord making sure civilization doesn't rise above a certain level.

'What the hell would anyone go to so much trouble making the Void in the first place just so they can use it to keep sentient species as pets?

'No idea, she said merrily. The firstlife are alien, remember, they think differently.

Oscar gave up with an irritable wave of his hand. 'All right, so thanks to the whole firstlife zookeeper theory, the welcome team are unlikely to have biononics.

'That's about it, yeah, Tomansio said.

'Either way, Beckia said. 'We don't want to go head to head if we can help it.

'Right.

'Liatris, can you get us assigned to the welcome team back up, please, Tomansio asked.

'Way ahead of you. Your assignment should be coming through in a couple of minutes.

'Thank you.

Oscar drew a sharp breath as the Raiel warships obliterated a gas-giant. 'Jesus H Christ, give the poor girl a break. The Silverbird dropped back into real space. Oscar grimaced at the radiation battering its force fields, his memory flipping back to the fight for Hanko when he'd captained the Dublin. There were a lot of parallels. MorningLightMountain's ships had used exotic energy blasts to smack the Dublin about. And at half a million kilometres above the surface, their force field had only just withstood the star's radiation. All that was nothing compared to the hell Silverbird was now enduring. Oscar couldn't help the burst of encouragement pouring out of his mind and into the gaiafield, as if prayer alone could make a difference.

Justine powered back into hyperspace.

'Good tactic, Oscar said approvingly. Another part of his mind was dwelling on the fact that the Elvin's Payback was the same type of ship as Silverbird. We could be out there doing that.

'Stand by, Cheriton said on the ultrasecure link. 'The Second Dreamer is making contact with the Skylord.

'Where is he? Tomansio growled out. 'Armour active, please. Oscar, do exactly as we tell you, clear?

'Yes. He just managed not to add 'sir'.

'Haven't got his position yet, Cheriton said. 'My routines are still fudging the nest for us.

Oscar opened his mind wide to the gaiafield.

'—close to you now. Feel for her, the Second Dreamer was imploring.

'Here we go, Cheriton said. 'First fix is the Bodant district.

'En route, Tomansio said, and pushed the capsule round in a hundred and eighty degree curve above the dark river. Viotia's dawn sun shone into the capsule through the forward section of the transparent fuselage.

'Ah crap, the rest of the nests are focusing on the origin, Cheriton said. 'I thought they'd take longer.

Tomansio pushed their speed up. 'Ozzie! How long have we got?

Thirty thousand lightyears away, the Void began to extend out towards the Silverbird.

'If it screws with technology is she going to be all right when she's inside? Oscar asked.

'Let's just concentrate on the job you've given us, shall we? Beckia chided. She was activating her armour. The helmet visor rippled shut.

'He's near the edge of the park, Cheriton told them. 'The Dream Masters are pulling out some very precise coordinates. Damn, they're good. Sorry guys, you're not going to make it. The welcome team is being given his location.

'Shit, Tomansio reducing their speed. 'It'll look suspicious if we arrive a couple of seconds before them, and that's all the time we've got.

'What's plan B? Oscar asked.

'Snatch him away from the welcome team, but that's going to be difficult. This is all happening too fast. I wanted to be properly embedded in the occupation forces here before we moved to this phase.

'Kill the wormhole, Beckia said. 'We can use Elvin's Payback to intercept the welcome team in interstellar space when they ship the Second Dreamer back to Ellezelin.

'That would give us a better chance, Oscar said. 'That ship's a damn sight better than anything Living Dream will have.

'We don't know that, Tomansio said. 'And it would take a lot of aggression to take out the wormhole.

'I could go through and do it, Liatris insisted.

'They'd know exactly what happened, and why, Tomansio said. 'This is looking like we'll have to switch operations to Ellezelin itself. Oh, here we go, deployment orders from the welcome team. It's an apartment building.

'Something wrong here, Cheriton said. 'One of my new colleagues Danal is having a fit. That apartment block is where he lives. As best we can determine the Second Dreamer is actually in his own apartment.

'Ah hah, everybody might just be underestimating the Second Dreamer, after all, Tomansio said. 'Good for him.

'And for us, Beckia agreed.

'He's going to have to get out of there quick, Oscar said. He was viewing an exoimage map of Colwyn. Nine cruisers were converging on Bodant Park. Five had orders to establish a secure ground perimeter. Two were assigned to provide air cover. The rest, including theirs, were to back up the welcome team inside.

He glanced down as they passed over the bright illuminum buildings of a marina, then on across the park. There were thousands of people spread across the grass, still cheering and jumping up and down with glee as their all-night vigil was rewarded. A real party atmosphere had developed and the pull it exerted through the gaiafield was intoxicating.