“So you meant it! If the Voorstoders have a Door, they could come through anywhere!”
“It wouldn’t be what we’d call safe. They’d have to expect some losses. Without a Door at the other end making constant feedback corrections, as things shift, you end up out in space or inside rock or at the bottom of a sea. But, yes, with a good technician they could come through anywhere. I thought that’s why you were worried, because you knew that.”
Sam allowed that he would have been a good deal more worried if he had realized what it meant. He also asked Emun to excuse him, because he needed to get to CM and see that the proper warnings were sent.
He and Dern spent the afternoon directing warnings to various individuals and offices: Queen Wilhulmia; the Bureau of Doors at Authority; Authority itself; the planetary governments of Thyker and Phansure; the supervisory bodies of other Belt worlds.
“Ninfadel!” Sam shouted, mostly at himself. “I’m not thinking, Dern. That’s the first place we should have informed! Ninfadel!”
The message was accordingly sent. There was no response, but they expected none. Response would be relayed through Ahabar and might not arrive for some time.
Queen Wilhulmia’s aides received the warning and passed it on to her and to Commander Karth, who attempted to reach Ninfadel and was unable to do so. He attempted to rouse the guard post by all available means and received no answer. The Door on Ninfadel was not available to Ahabar.
After a day of this, a ship was readied, one which would carry a company of Royal Marines, all of whom had seen duty as guardsmen upon Ninfadel. Ships were so seldom used that preparations took some time. Queen Wilhulmia and those of her advisors who knew what was happening were considerably worried by the time the ship lifted.
The news was received on Thyker and was generally dismissed.
“I can’t imagine that a thousand or so Voorstoders and their families, without arms, can do much damage to Thyker,” said Reticingh.
“Isn’t it Ninfadel where the Porsa are?” asked Merthal. “I wonder if they could come through the Door as well. That’s all we need, a plague of Porsa.”
Reticingh changed his mind about the damage that might be done and set a planetary watch into effect, along with a message to biological research.
The same thought occurred to people on Phansure. Patrols of sparsely settled areas were increased. Satellite surveillance systems were programmed to report the telltale sparkle of Door usage in non-Door areas.
No one on Hobbs Land, no one on Thyker or Phansure or even Ahabar itself considered another place the Voorstoders might go—or might already have gone—which was where they actually were. Eight Thykerian days after the raid on Hobbs Land, five hundred prophets and an equal number of the Faithful went through their archaic Door into the large reception bay on Enforcement. They had not needed to tune their Door on Ninfadel. They had needed only to set it as instructed by Ornil and Faros and come through en masse at a prearranged time. Ornil and Faros had previously killed the watch officers and disconnected the alarms. Except for a few men locked in their quarters, the moon and the army of Enforcement were entirely in the hands of Voorstod.
“Awateh,” murmured Altabon Faros from his knees, his head bowed, thinking of Silene.
“Faithful son,” murmured the Awateh in return. He had not liked the wrenching, inside-out feeling of the Door. He did not anticipate the next, similar event. To postpone it, he looked about the cavernous reception bay, large enough to handle the largest Doors ever made, large enough to transmit the largest soldiers ever constructed. The Doors themselves were like the piers of giant bridges. “Can you leave that one open to Ninfadel?” he asked Faros.
It was Halibar Ornil who answered. “We can, Awateh, if there is good reason to do so.”
The Awateh had had a vague idea of retreat or escape. He had no intention of mentioning this, certainly not of explaining it. He drew himself up to his full height and glared at Ornil.
“You have my command! Is that good reason?”
Ornil prostrated himself. It was not good reason. Leaving unattended Doors on continuous two-way feed was dangerous. Unquestioning obedience, however, was the measure of the Faithful. “Certainly, Awateh,” he murmured.
“Get up,” the Awateh prodded him with a toe. “Where does that other Door go?” He indicated the second of the enormous reception bay Doors.
“It is set for Authority, Holy One. The soldiers have been prepared and are waiting to go through. We will send them immediately, when you command it.”
One of the prophet’s sons spoke up. “How do we get to Hobbs Land. The Awateh wants to go first to Hobbs Land.”
Faros pointed behind them, some distance from the two permanently installed Doors, where another huge Door stood amid scaffolding and braces. “An army Door, Holy One. As soon as you are ready, we will begin tuning it.”
“Tuning it?”
“To find Hobbs Land, Holy One.”
“One would think it would have been done,” snarled a son. “Since the prophet commanded it long since.”
“Forgive us,” said Faros. “But the Doors on Hobbs Land were destroyed when the Baidee invaded. This is the only one we can use, and if one wishes to make a surprise attack, it cannot be set until the time it is to be used. We regret the inconvenience this causes, but it is the nature of the device …”
“No matter,” murmured the Awateh, smiling horribly. “While they do that, we can watch the soldiers go to Authority. I want to see them go.”
• Sam Girat woke in the night, suddenly, as from a prophetic dream. He rose, dressed, and left the brotherhouse to find Theor Close and Betrun Jun just coming from the direction of the guest quarters, where they’d been staying for the last few days. Since the Combat Door was still the only access to
