Emerging from the deep cloud decks and racing away from the newborn sun, strange spherical objects glittered as if their skins were made of diamond. The transparent globes streaked away from the flaming clouds, moving faster than even an Ildiran stardrive could propel them.

The Mage-Imperator recoiled, his face expressing astonishment, even a glint of fear. “Show it to me again.” His dark eyes were intent, hungry.

“These objects came from within the gas planet, Liege. They are unlike any phenomenon ever encountered in my experience, certainly not any sort of spacecraft. I have read pertinent sections of the Saga of Seven Suns and scoured through other relevant records, but I have learned nothing. Do you know what this could mean, Liege?”

“I know nothing whatsoever about it.” The Mage-Imperator seemed angry, on the verge of an explosion, but he said nothing more.

Kori’nh had seen shock and recognition on the Mage-Imperator’s face, and he wondered why the great leader would hide such information. But he also knew with utter certainty that no Mage-Imperator would ever lie to his subjects, so he dismissed his doubts as a simple misinterpretation.

He bowed. “That is my full report, Liege. Shall I distribute images of these strange objects to my other officers, so that we may better keep watch?”

“No. There is no need.” The Mage-Imperator’s voice left no room for discussion. “We must not overreact to a minor mystery.” The leader stroked his long, twitching braid where it lay across his belly. He propped himself up so that he could look directly into Kori’nh’s face, as if he had suddenly come to a decision. His tone became less intense, more conversational as he changed the subject. “For now, I have another important mission for you—one that cannot wait.”

Kori’nh clasped his hands in front of his chest again. “As you command, Liege.”

“You and the Solar Navy must rescue our splinter colony on Crenna. Bring them home to Ildira.”

Surprised, Kori’nh straightened again. “What has happened?” He could not keep the hopeful sound out of his voice. “Is this to be a military operation?” He had read many stories in the Saga and wanted to have his own part, however small, in an epic conflict.

“Crenna was barely large enough to be a true splinter, and now they are suffering from a terrible plague, which has already killed a substantial portion of the colonists, including my Crenna Designate. Through the thism, I have felt their suffering—the sickness first blinds its victims, then kills them.”

“K’llar bekh!” Adar Kori’nh felt cold. “That is terrible, Liege.”

The braid twitched again. “Since the colony has dropped below the critical population density for thism to function, I have decided to abandon it. Rather than assigning more and more colonists to this hazardous place, we will remove our people.”

“It shall be done, Liege,” Kori’nh said. “Rapidly and efficiently. I hope we can act quickly enough to prevent further loss of life. Are we to recover our equipment and buildings?”