“Look,” said Falconi, and he switched the holo back to a view of the system. All across 61 Cygni, the red dots were streaking toward Jellies and humans alike. The Jellies were already altering their courses to face the incoming threats, which meant—for the time being—the Wallfish had some breathing room.

“Captain, what’s going on?” said Trig.

“I don’t know,” said Falconi. “All the passengers back in their hold?” The kid nodded.

“Those ships aren’t the Jellies’,” said Kira. “They’re not.”

“Do the Jellies think they’re ours?” said Nielsen. “Is that why they think we’ve been attacking them?”

Vishal said, “I don’t see how.”

“Neither do I,” said Falconi, “but seems there’s a whole lot we don’t understand right now.” He tapped his fingers against his leg, then glanced at Kira. “What I want to know is whether they jumped in because of that signal you sent.”

“They would’ve had to been waiting just outside Sixty-One Cygni,” said Nielsen. “That seems … unlikely.”

Kira was inclined to agree. But it seemed even more unlikely that the newcomers would have arrived at that exact moment through sheer chance. As with the Jellies showing up at Adra, space was too big for that sort of coincidence.

The thought made her skin itch. Something was wrong here, and she didn’t know what. She opened a message window on her overlays and sent the captain a text: <I think I know where the Staff of Blue might be. – Kira>

His eyes widened slightly, but otherwise, he didn’t react. <Where? – Falconi>

<About sixty light-years from here. I really do need to talk with someone in charge at Malpert. – Kira>

<I’m working on it. They’re still trying to make up their minds. – Falconi>

For a minute everyone was silent, watching the display. Falconi stirred in his seat and said, “We have permission to dock at Malpert. Kira, they know we have intel, but I didn’t tell them who you are or about your, ah, suit. No reason to put all your cards on the table at once.”

She smiled slightly. “Thanks.… It has a name, you know.”

“What does?”

“The suit.” They all looked at her. “I don’t understand all of it, but what I do understand means the Soft Blade.”

“That is so cool,” said Trig.

Falconi scratched his chin. “It fits, I’ll give it that. You’ve got a strange life, Navárez.”

“Don’t I know it,” she muttered to herself.

Another alert sounded then, and in mournful tones, Gregorovich said, “Incoming.”

Two of the newly arrived ships were burning straight for Malpert Station. ETA, a few minutes sooner than the Wallfish.

“Of course,” said Falconi.

4.

For the next two hours, Kira sat with the crew, watching as the strange, twisted ships spread through the system, seeding chaos wherever they went. They attacked humans and Jellies indiscriminately, and they displayed suicidal disregard for their own safety.

Four of the newcomers swept through the antimatter farm situated close to the sun. The ships raced past the ranks of winged satellites, blasting them with lasers and missiles so that each exploded in a flash of annihilating antimatter. Several of the satellites had point-defense turrets, and they managed to score hits on two of the attackers. The damaged ships promptly rammed the turrets, destroying themselves in the process.