“Tell him it’s under control.” Milon flicked a switch, switching channels. “This is space traffic control. Dispatch medical teams to help the wounded.” He turned back to Skuun. “Is there any damage to any neighboring craft in the queue?”

“Nothing major,” the Peasle said, obviously fighting the natural urge of her species to roll into a ball at the first sign of danger. “Although scans are detecting a strange radiation signature. It looks like a conflagrine leak.”

“Conflagrine? What the hell were Jinda dancers doing carrying conflagrine?”

Skuun never had the chance to answer. She had been so preoccupied by the manageable and yet worrying accident that she’d failed to notice the signal of a ship hyperjumping into Valo’s atmosphere at a point where no jumps were supposed to be possible. The signal was joined by another and another and another until there was no missing the myriad signals that appeared on the scope seconds before Thakkery and everyone on the space traffic control satellite were vaporized in the explosion that tore the station apart.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The Innovator, Valo

Bell spotted the boys on the far viewing platform at the rear of the Innovator. Two platforms had been set up overnight to allow visitors to stand on top of the ship’s hull, the perfect image scan opportunity, with the floating islands to the side and the shimmering lake out front. Kip and Jom were laughing, Kip looking far more relaxed than he had been last evening, even from this distance. Bell was on the other platform, near the bow just next to the dock. Ember wagged her tail happily, feeling her master’s relief as Bell raised his comlink to his mouth.

“I’ve found them,” Bell reported, wondering how long it would take him to head down into the bowels of the vessel and make it to the back of the ship. At least he wouldn’t have to follow the route laid out for the visitors. His time exploring the ship at Cyclor meant he knew at least a dozen routes through it, shortcuts that the Cyclorrian workers would surely let him take, especially after everything they had all been through during the Nihil raid.

“Master Gios?” That was odd. Stellan hadn’t responded. Bell waited before switching channels, thinking for a moment that he must have knocked the settings when he pulled the comm from his robes. No, he’d been on the correct channel, there was just no response, nor on the Republic channel he flicked over to when he couldn’t raise Coordinator Ra-oon, either.

Ember growled, drawing a startled look from a nearby Lannik male.

“Settle down, girl,” Bell said, resisting the urge to shake the comlink to see if it was still working. “It’s probably just a bad transmitter.”