much worse than what they already are, can you?”
“Good point.” Lomas held up a hand to stop Envaer from objecting any further. “But, seriously, Dash, do you really believe you can get in close enough to . . . to board a Deeper ship? Really?”
He gave the question some thought. “Yes. I have the Archetype, which is something you can’t fully understand yet, but I’ll have something even more valuable in Leira watching my back. That’s trust, firepower, and experience, all in one, and Sentinel can think faster than any being can act. I have no doubts. We’re going in.”
“Thanks, boss,” Sentinel said.
“There we go,” Dash replied. “Now, let’s discuss dinner and a nap, then point us at the Deepers. I’ve got some questions for them.”
“Questions? That’s it?” Envaer asked.
Dash returned a predatory smile. “Yes. Questions. The kind you only get to answer once.”
4
“This is the single best donut I’ve ever eaten.” Dash savored the explosion of sweet flavor that flooded his mouth. “Maybe the greatest in the history of the galaxy.”
He held up the remains of his pastry and frowned at it. Barely a bite left—maybe two. He’d actually had Sentinel unplug him from the Meld so he could enjoy it properly.
“If I hear one more word about donuts,” Leira shot back, “I’m going to pack up and head back home, I swear.”
Dash laughed, popped the last bit into his mouth, then made cooing noises as he consumed it.
“You are enjoying that a lot,” Sentinel said. “Is a partly burned assemblage of hydrocarbons and fats really that good?”
Dash licked his lips. “Oh, yes. You don’t know what you’re missing, Sentinel.” He swallowed, licked his fingers, then had Sentinel plug him back into the Meld. The Archetype’s cockpit vanished as Dash became the mech again.
The Archetype hung among some Kuiper Belt debris at the edge of the system Lomas expected the Deepers to attack. Since they seemed to come directly from galactic rim-ward, it made predicting their route of attack relatively easy. It smacked of overconfidence, but that was understandable. The League wasn’t able to mount much of a challenge to Deeper incursions.
Dash was going to change that, if only to preserve the most awesome baked goods in this part of the known universe. He’d had various things called donuts, the origin of which could be traced all the way back to Old Earth, before. But he’d never had anything as sublime as those Abillart had given him as a snack while they waited for the Deepers to show up.
“A massive object has just appeared well within effective passive sensor range,” Sentinel said. “Again, it does not show the characteristics of a translation from unSpace, but it is apparently some as-yet undetermined means of superluminal propulsion.”
“I need to learn about their propulsion. I want everything we have trained on them. Full scans at all times,” Dash said.
“Doing so now, Dash,” Sentinel said.
“Okay, everyone,” Dash went on, switching to a comm laser channel, “it’s showtime. It looks like this asshole is just going to coast straight in-system, right through the Kuiper Belt. I’m going to stay rigged for silent running until the point of closest approach, then I’m going straight in, hot and fast. The rest of you just stay where you are, but be ready. Might need your guns.”
“Got it, Dash,” Benzel said.
“We’re here, standing by,” Lomas added. Her presence aboard a League battlecruiser had already dramatically upped her in Dash’s estimation. She might be a Proconsul, responsible for overseeing League affairs across several member systems, but she also didn’t mind getting her hands dirty.
“Dash,” Leira said over a private channel. “I’m still not convinced about this. You’re taking one hell of a risk heading straight at a ship that might be damned near anything.”
“I hear you. But I believe in the Archetype and my strong sense of self-preservation. And this is coming from someone who lived through the Bright, the Verity, and the Golden. I don’t want to die, and I sure as hell don’t want to fail all of you.”
“I get that. Of course.” She paused, and he heard a sigh. “Fine. One change of plan, though. I’m coming with you. You’re not going in alone.”
“Leira—”
“You can arrest me for insubordination later,” she snapped.
Dash readied another protest but didn’t bother. He knew Leira well enough to know that she wasn’t going to back down from this. “Arrested. Hm. So . . . handcuffs?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. You can slide it back in there when we’re