“All I’m saying is that wasn’t the deal,” they hissed.

Naecia gave a dismissive shrug. “Anyway, as I was saying: The Scythin will tear Aszerat apart until they find the Chime, and they will do it far quicker than we will. They know what they’re looking for and they don’t need...” she fumbled with her security card, “...whatever these are to get around.”

“Try or die,” said Patton with a fist pump.

Aptat spun in the captain’s chair. “Try and die, I fear, is the more likely outcome.”

The ship coasted gently into the port, and the deck echoed loudly with the metal clank of docking clamps.

Aptat’s helmet closed, and they headed for the ramp. “Shall we?”

The others wore their Vortu helmets, which was how they would communicate. Otherwise, their dress was uncoordinated. While Ben had been dredging, Patton had designed matching tracksuits for them both that Aptat graciously printed on the ship’s fabricator. They were powder blue with bright red and orange lightning-bolt accents, and words that went across the front in glittering yellow. Patton’s said PATTON. Ben’s said I’M WITH PATTON.

All but Aptat carried Vortu blunderbusses, accepting the stringhunter’s assurance that the citizenry of Aszerat would be far too busy gambling, scheming, and being intoxicated to pay any mind to the weapons – or the tracksuits.

“These are too much,” said Ben, pulling on the fabric of his zip-up.

“No, no,” said Aptat with a hand wave. “Your costumes won’t turn any heads in this place. But humans would be new to Aszerat, so best to keep your helmets on.”

“Com check,” said Naecia.

Izairis gave a thumbs up, “I hear you.”

“Check,” said Ben.

“Down to clown,” said Patton.

Aptat’s mask shut over their face. “Let’s go.”

They split up as planned, with Naecia and Aptat headed toward the city’s crown. Just off the docks was a station with tubelike transways that ran throughout. Technologically speaking, Aszerat was a mix of old and new, with most of its outward infrastructure design of similar construction to that of the Pangemic planets. Being so distant from her home system, Naecia’d never expected to venture as far out as Effelox Binary and see it for herself. Now with the Switch, she supposed, what was distance anymore?

They pressed through throngs of people making their way into the city. Naecia was taken aback by the diversity of species. Vask was nominally diverse, but no one was journeying into the Pangemic system from faraway stars to be a steam farmer. Effelox Binary was the functional center of a larger cluster of stars, making it a hub for all of the surrounding worlds. But to think that Aszerat was only one of six thousand such cities boggled the mind.