“He wants to know where you got that number,” said Kaveh.

“Our understanding is that the Pequod Superorganism is approximately 98.65 light-years away, as several of the Fremda group have claimed,” said Ghasabian.

“He says that distance is correct, but you’re ignoring several other factors,” said Kaveh.

“I SURMISE PERHAPS THAT YOU ASSUME OUR INFORMATION IS RESTRICTED BY THE SPEED OF LIGHT, AS YOURS IS?”

A frost had bloomed at the bottom of Kaveh’s spine and was crawling upward. “He says, you assume their ability to transmit information travels at light speed, same as ours.”

He could see the frost begin to bloom in Ghasabian, as well. Even Kaplan’s mask was starting to slip. “We did assume that,” said Ghasabian.

“THE SUPERORGANISM HAS POSSESSED THE TECHNOLOGY TO INSTANTLY TRANSMIT ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES THROUGH SPACEFOLD FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. THIS TECHNOLOGY IS ANCIENT TO US. EVEN OUR SISTER SPECIES, WHOM YOU CALL PHYSETERINE, POSSESSES THIS TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INSTANTLY TRANSMIT INFORMATION OVER GREAT DISTANCES FOR MILLENNIA.” KAVEH REPEATED HIM, HIS WORDS SLOWING AS THE FROST CREPT UP HIS SPINE, INTO HIS CHEST.

The muscles in Ghasabian’s jaw strained, his already tight skin seeming to draw in on itself. “One hundred years, then.”

“HOW DO YOU SURMISE THAT NUMBER? IT IS NOT ACCURATE.”

“He says . . . that’s not right, either.”

“Please explain,” said Kaplan.

“He says that, the locus of the Superorganism is only that—the locus. Their Superorganism is not concentrated only in one place. They’ve explored the entirety of this spiral of the galaxy. There are Similars traversing great distances at all times. There are limbs of the Superorganism far closer than those one hundred light-years.”

“How close?” asked Kaplan, his voice the edge of a knife.

“He doesn’t know,” said Kaveh, the frost now constricting his throat. The temperature in the room felt like it had dropped ten degrees. “Ampersand and Obelus were about seventeen light-years away when they intercepted Čefo’s message revealing his location on Earth. Nikola was thirty-one light-years away. Who knows what’s closer?”

“THEY KNOW,” SAID NIKOLA. “THE ENTIRE SUPERORGANISM, FROM THE LOCUS TO COLONIES TO OUTPOSTS. THEY KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE. THEY KNOW WHO IS TAKING REFUGE HERE. THEY KNOW THAT A SPECIES THAT HAD BEEN CLASSIFIED AS TOOL-USING ANIMALS IS IN FACT ADVANCING AT A TERRIFYING PACE, AND THEY KNOW THAT THE XENOBIOLOGIST WHO HAD, AFTER LONG STUDY, CLASSIFIED THIS ADVANCING SPECIES AS TOOL-USING ANIMALS IS ONE OF THOSE TAKING REFUGE HERE. HOW ODD IT WILL SEEM TO THEM THAT THE XENOBIOLOGIST WHO HAD ERRONEOUSLY CLASSIFIED AN ADVANCING CIVILIZATION AS NOTHING MORE THAN TOOL-USING ANIMALS WOULD TAKE REFUGE WITH SAID ADVANCING CIVILIZATION. AND THAT THIS ADVANCING CIVILIZATION HAS FAR MORE IN COMMON WITH OUR PHYSETERINE SISTER SPECIES THAN IT DOES WITH OUR OWN.

“BUT IF YOU HAD ASSUMED YOU WOULD NOT SEE ANY RESPONSE FROM THE SUPERORGANISM IN YOUR LIFETIME, YOU WERE WRONG. THEY KNOW. THEY KNOW EVERYTHING. THEY ARE COMING.”

11 February 2008