it myself.”
“Lord Marce was the one who discovered the emergent Flow stream to Dalasýsla,” Grayland said. “He has since predicted other new streams whose existences have been confirmed by local scientists. If he has high confidence in a prediction, we trust him.”
Admiral Hurnen had a brief expression cross her face, quickly removed but nevertheless one that Marce registered. He knew it was Of course you’re confident in his prediction, you’re fucking him. Marce looked over to Grayland and noticed she’d caught it too, and that she didn’t appreciate it even as she realized it was entirely fair. “Of course, neither Lord Marce nor we expect you to take our word for it. Lord Marce’s data will be available for your own scientists to examine and verify.”
“Who else has seen it?” Hurnen asked.
“No one,” Marce said. “When I informed the emperox about it, she asked me to separate out that information from the data I was sharing with other scientists. No one else has that particular data, and no one else’s models have that particular evanescent Flow stream appearing.”
“Unless someone else has seen it and kept it to themselves, like you did,” Bren said.
Marce nodded. “That’s possible. The one thing I would say here is that for better or worse, every scientist working the data is working off models my father originated and that I refined. I know what the hole in my own public data looks like and how it affects the models derived from it. It’s very small, mathematically speaking, but it’s there. I’d notice if someone was hiding the same the data I was. I’d see it in the models.”
“You’re confident of that?”
Marce shrugged. “It’s just math.”
“You understand that the fate of dozens of ships and thousands of my people would be riding on your math,” Hurnen said.
“It’s more than that, Admiral,” Grayland said. “It’s the fate of billions.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Hurnen accepted the correction. “However, it will be my people’s fate first.”
Grayland nodded. “If Lord Marce’s data is satisfactory, then how long will it take to assemble the ships and plan a campaign?”
Hurnen turned to Marce. “In your model, where does the Flow stream originate and what’s the transit time?”
“It originates in the Ikoyi system,” Marce said.
“That’s the home system of House of Lagos,” Bren said.
“Yes.”
“Does this present issues, General?” Grayland asked.
“They’re touchy.”
“Let us handle that part,” Grayland suggested.
Bren smiled at this. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The transit time to End would be three months,” Marce continued.
Hurnen’s eyebrows raised. “Really.” The trip from Hub to End was a nine-month journey.
“There’s a catch,” Marce warned.
“What is it?”
“I predict the Flow stream from Ikoyi to End will only be open for about five months.”
“When does it open?”
“About three weeks from now.”
“And we don’t want to be in the Flow stream when it shuts off,” Bren said.
“No,” Marce said. “Some Flow streams collapse from one end or the other; others collapse intermittently; others collapse all at once. This will be one of those ‘collapse all at once’ ones.”
Hurnen turned to Grayland. “What I’m hearing is at best we have three months to assemble and task a group suitable to retake End before that stream collapses and takes any ship still inside with it.”
“Yes,” Grayland said. “Is it possible?”
“It’s … difficult.”
There’s that word again, Marce thought. Grayland had noticed it too. “That is not what we asked,” she said.
Hurnen grimaced. “I understand that, ma’am.”
“Then let us be clear, Admiral Hurnen, General Bren,” Grayland said, fixing both with her eyes as she said their names. “We have no intention of leaving End to the Nohamapetans. They are a threat to the current citizens of the planet, and they are a threat to anyone who flees there for refuge. Those refugees are already on their way, Admiral. There will be many more before all this is done. If this is possible, then we will have it done, difficult or not.”
“It’s possible, Your Majesty,” Bren said. “But with all respect, you have to be aware of what you’re asking. You’re asking for a massive and sudden commitment of forces that will have to be assembled from the systems we can reach and which can send ships and personnel to the Ikoyi system in time to use the Flow stream before it collapses. Every ship, every marine, every crew member we send to End is taking a one-way trip. They are not going to see their spouses or families or children again. Everyone who joins the service understands they are making a commitment, one that takes them from