“No, you are on your own. I do not know where the Neána are, or even if they still exist. My people fled the Olyix eons ago; there is no knowing how far they have gone now. I know some part of them remains in this galaxy, for that is where I came from. But we were never given any knowledge of them, in case we were captured. My colleagues and I have discussed this many times. We assumed the logical thing for the Neána would be to leave this galaxy altogether. It may be that they just left automated stations behind, alert for new species so they can send guides like me.”

Kandara looked over at Yuri. “Do you believe her?”

He glanced down at the pale alien flesh inside Feriton’s skull. “I believe they caught Feriton when he was on his spy mission. That means Ainsley was right all along. I don’t know what they’ll do, if they’ll elevate us like Jessika claims, or just nuke us back to the Stone Age. But I accept the Olyix are not our friends.”

Kandara nodded. “I agree—until anything better comes along.” Her targeting laser switched off, and she lowered her arm as the flesh resealed over the weapon. “I’m watching you,” she told Jessika.

If it bothered Jessika, she didn’t show it. “If any of you have received Kcell implants, I would advise you to have them surgically removed immediately,” she said. “They can alter and multiply faster than any tumor; that’s why they were given to you. And the Salvation of Life now has confirmation humans have been warned by the Neána. I’m sorry, but that isn’t good. They will begin your elevation.”

“Yeah? How?” Alik demanded. “I’d like to see them try. The Salvation’s a big-ass ship, for sure, but it’s only one, all by itself. And Alpha Defense has a shitload of real evil weapons.”

“I told you,” Jessika said, “the Salvation of Life contains the entrance to a wormhole that leads back to the Olyix enclave. They will send an armada of their deliverance-class ships through to elevate you. In simple terms, that’s a planetary invasion force.”

“Je-zus fucking wept!” Alik snarled. He turned to confront Yuri. “We have to go. Now! We have to get back to the portal and warn Alpha Defense.”

“We certainly do,” Yuri said.

“How the fuck are you so calm about this?”

Smiling, Yuri took a dark ten-centimeter disk from his pocket and placed it on the floor. “Thread it,” he said loudly.

Callum peered at the disk’s eerily black surface and grinned. “I taught you well.”

Yuri gave him the finger as a slim rectangular portal slid up from the disk.

“You son of a bitch,” Alik grunted.

A wider rectangle was threading out. Callum and Loi deployed the short legs on its back, readying it to thread a full-size portal door. “Old times,” Callum said.

“No,” Jessika told him. “They are over. Forever.”