Draconis March, Federated Suns

21 May 3027

Andrew smiled as he watched over Melissa's shoulder from the back of the cockpit. Captain von Breunig, never dreaming that the young woman was anyone more special than Joana Barker, pointed at the long silver cylinder hanging in space. "That is the Bifrost,Barker. That circular collar on the side is where the Silver Eaglewill dock with the JumpShip."

Andrew glanced at a chart on the wall, then frowned. "Captain, the assignment board says that the Meridian was to be our transport from Fomalhaut to Errai."

Von Breunig did not turn, and so did not catch the glance Melissa gave Andrew. "The Meridian suffered a helium failure," the Captain said. "You see, Miss Barker, the Keamy-Fuchida jump drive requires liquid helium to stay cold enough to conduct all the energy needed to rip a hole in space and to propel us up to nine parsecs from here. The Meridian lost some seals, and so the Bifrostcame in to keep the trip on schedule."

Melissa smiled. "The name, 'Bifrost' .. . Why does that sound familiar?"

Von Breunig smiled easily as the JumpShip slowly filled the forward screen. "Mythology, Miss Barker. Bifrost was the rainbow bridge that Heimdall guarded. In many ways, I find it a comfort to find a JumpShip named after a mythical bridge or ship or fantastic beast."

Andrew laughed. "You black-ocean sailors are all the same— superstitious."

The Captain took Andrew's remark for the good-natured ribbing that it was. "True," he said, "but you mud-marchers would be out of business if not for the likes of me."

The pilot half-turned in her chair. "Captain, the Bifrostsignals that she'll be ready to go as soon as we hitch up."

"Good. Signal the passengers that we are fifteen minutes to jump." A soft, pulsing tone filled the air, then a computer-generated voice began to instruct passengers on their options during the upcoming jump through hyperspace. The Captain smiled at his guests. "If neither of you requires dralaxine to combat the travel sickness, you are welcome to join me in my cabin during the jump."

Melissa and Andrew nodded their pleasure at his invitation, then followed Captain von Breunig from the bridge down through the narrow, dark corridor to his quarters. Though the cabin was small, von Breunig had filled it with a galaxy of nautical charts and artifacts. Despite the abundance of sealife samples from across the InnerSphere, Andrew and Melissa noticed only one thing about the cabin.

Hanging high above them, burning like an opal disk, the clouded face of Fomalhaut V shone through the cabin's transparent ceiling. Surrounding it, stars burned diamond-white and sapphire-blue. Without atmosphere to mute and warp their light, they neither winked nor wavered. Rather, the suns stared down harshly at the people watching from the Silver Eagle.

The Captain spoke softly. "It often affects me that way."

A smile spread across Andrew's face. "Those stars are like watchful eyes . . . Almost as though the universe were alive." He reached up a hand toward the ceiling as though to grab a star and hold it in his hand.

Melissa shivered. "It looks so cold and unforgiving."

Von Breunig nodded. "Space is an anvil upon which the meek are broken. The mariners on old Earth both feared and loved the sea. I feel the same way about space."

A second warning tone sounded through the ship. In compliance, the Captain waved his guests to chairs and then buckled himself into one, too. "I hope, Leftenant, that your Prince Davion and his New Avalon Institute of Science will find a way to manufacture gravity. Going weightless when we shut down our acceleration drive is bothersome."

The Captain punched several buttons on his desk and a view-screen raised itself from a compartment hidden in the deck. It was clear that the image flickering to life on the screen came from a camera mounted in the bridge. The trio watched as the pilot expertly docked the Silver Eaglewith the Bifrost.The computers spun and contracted the various interlocking rings on the docking collars, then the pilot extended the K-F drive boom and locked it into position on the Bifrost.

Her voice echoed from a small speaker on the Captain's desk. "Request permission to jump, sir."

"Granted."

Melissa gripped the arms of her seat. A final warning tone— this one more urgent and insistent—rang one minute before jump. Melissa felt the perspiration trickling down her neck and between her breasts. She forced herself to breathe normally and to keep from screwing her eyes shut. No, you won't do that this time.

They jumped.

The stars above them blurred, then flared and filled Melissa's eyes with a flash of light. Is the universe screaming in pain? Can it feel us pierce its flesh and rend its soul?The fabric of the ship crushed in on her in one instant, then everything seemed to draw away and to stretch out like the distorted reflection in a carnival mirror.

Just as suddenly, everything snapped back into focus with a nearly physical impact. Melissa shook her head to clear away the dizziness, and fought back against the nausea. More sweat wrapped her in a cold, clammy blanket. She closed her eyes and immediately tasted bile in her throat. Still battling the nausea, she leaned back and looked up.

A planetoid larger than Tharkad City filled the overhead view-screen. Blue lights blinked on high towers. She picked out an obviously man-made dome among the pockmarked cliffsides and canyons on the surface of the tan-colored rock. Then, as the rock rotated, she spotted the lighted square dug into the planetoid's stony skin.

Something caught in her throat. She barely heard the urgency in the pilot's voice, or the worry in Captain von Breunig's hastily snapped orders. Melissa knew, instinctively, that something was very, very wrong.

43

Luthien

Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine

23 May 3027

Subhash Indrahar bowed deeply to Takashi Kurita. The black kimono swathing his barrel chest and broad shoulders seemed somber for a man whom others had named "the Smiling One" for his gregariousness. The somberness was appropriate, however, to the great seriousness of Indrahar's mission.

Takashi Kurita, Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, returned the bow of the Director of the Draconis Combine's Internal Security Forces. With an elegant gesture, he indicated that Indrahar should seat himself on the pillow to the Coordinator's right—a place of honor. As the ISF Director crossed to that pillow, Kurita gathered up the sheets of rice paper that he had filled with calligraphy and set them aside.

Indrahar knelt on the pillow. "Dono arigato,Kurita Takashi-sama." Indrahar allowed a smile to tighten his lips for an instant, then the gravity of his mission smashed it flat. "I have information that might best be described in terms of the Liao curse: 'May you live in interesting times.' "

Kurita nodded slowly. "Hai? "

Indrahar straightened his kimono, then looked up at the Coordinator. "We may have in our grasp the means to force incredible concessions from the Lyran Commonwealth. I have reason to believe that Melissa Steiner, the Archon-Designate, is currently in the Draconis Combine."

Kurita's head snapped up and Indrahar felt the extent of the Coordinator's shock. "How do you know this?"