“There,” Thuk said. “Begin again from there.” The timestream resumed. The meteor took up only a claw-tip at this point, but its considerable velocity meant it grew quickly in the display. The reservoir spotted it and reached out its meager talons to try and divert or destroy the threat, but it was like trying to turn back a kunji with a fishing spear. As spectacular as the firepower pouring out of the reservoir and into the front of the meteor was, Thuk’s eyes scanned everywhere but, looking for … he wasn’t sure what. Something that didn’t belong.
The front of the meteor glowed from the heat of light spears and the impacts of hundreds of sling bullets, but advanced without pause or mercy until it filled the screen. Then, the feed fell to the familiar chaos of background static as the reservoir’s song abruptly ended.
“Dulac?” Thuk said cheerfully, hoping to break the tension.
“Derstu?” Kivits said after a moment.
“Do you remember a few moons ago when we were planning this expedition and I said to the Chorus that we should seed the asteroids around the reservoir with eyespots in case an uncharted rock blundered into its path?”
“I … seem to recollect that, in passing.”
“And they said it was a waste of resources because the odds were so long?”
“Yes…”
“We should’ve placed a friendly wager with them. We could’ve retired early.”
“Heh, yes. Truly a missed opportunity,” Kivits said stiffly, but he could be forgiven for that.
“Bad luck, everyone. Take a break while your dulac and I decide what to do next. Go grab a hot plate. The crop is fresh.”
The rest of the room filed out quietly, still a bit dazed, but not nearly as frightened as they’d looked moments ago. Thuk caught the recording attendant by her arm. “Hurg, wait a moment, if you can spare the time?”
“As you need, Derstu.”
The door irised shut as the last attendant exited, leaving the three of them alone for the first time. Thuk looked long into each of their faces in turn: first Hurg, then Kivits. Only then did he speak.
“Are we all in agreement that what happened to our reservoir was not a random meteor impact?” They both clicked their affirmation. “Then we also agree that the humans just found and destroyed our source of annihilation fuel and reactant mass. The first Xre ship lost to enemy action since the last war, I believe.”
“Officially,” Kivits said.
“Officially,” Thuk granted.
“But…” Hurg said, then faltered as her superiors turned their heads toward her voice.
“Go on, Hurg,” Thuk said encouragingly. “We’re alone, no one to hear this triplet. I didn’t ask you to stay just to be a mute witness.”
“… I was going to say this still isn’t ‘Official.’ They hit it with a well-aimed rock, not a javelin or a light-spear. They can still feign innocence, because no matter how long the odds, we can’t conclusively prove it wasn’t a genuine accident.”
“Not sitting out here polishing our plates, we can’t,” Kivits said. “We need to get to the scene of the attack as quickly as possible, before any evidence drifts too far away. We should spin a seedpod immediately.”
“And jump right where the Ansari and that sharp-clawed captain of theirs is expecting us to show up? Even if we could win in the end, I’d rather not put my hand directly in their mouth to start the fight, thank you. Besides, we started this game when their husks fell to ‘accidents’ inside their territory. I’m sure their captain delighted at the opportunity to return the gesture on our reservoir.”
“How in the Abyss did they find the reservoir in the first place?” Hurg asked.
“That is an excellent question, Attendant,” Kivits said, pacing now.
“I concur. Although they have been awfully good at sniffing out the Chusexx twice already, they had some idea where to start looking. Are we sure they didn’t stick some sort of tracker on our hull in that first engagement? It would explain much.”
“We’ve been over the hull with a mandible brush, Derstu, you know that.”
“Yes, wishful thinking on my part. Because the alternative looks too much like someone told them where to look for our reservoir.”
“Surely you’re not saying someone in the Chorus is helping the humans? You must know how unhinged that sounds.”
Thuk wiggled a midarm to convey ambiguity. “I’m not making any specific accusations, I’m merely noting patterns and possibilities. I’ve felt, we both have, that we’re being pushed into a confrontation with this ship by the Dark Ocean Chorus. If that’s true, then it’s not the humans they would be helping by whispering the location of our reservoir, but their own plan.”
“Explain.”
“We’re out of time now. Without our reserves, we have to either go against their song and return home, or force the issue here and now.”
“That is an … unsettling thought, Derstu,” Kivits said.
“I join the dulac in that,” Hurg said.
“No other theory presents itself at the moment,” Thuk said. “I would simply love for one of you to come up with one better sewn for the facts.”
Neither could.
“So, here we are, what do we do about it?” Thuk said quietly.
“It was clever of you to make a show of good humors for the rest of our harmony, Derstu,” Kivits said. “But then why bring the two of us into your paranoia?”
“Because I know the two of you have shared it, as well as each other,” Thuk said lightly. The revelation of his knowledge hit the floor like a heavy sack of milled gim shells.
“I would never—” Kivits started, but Thuk cut him off with a wave of a primehand.
“Oh don’t insult my senses, Kivits. I tasted your union in the clutching chamber. And I don’t care, not one grain. It was not an accusation, merely an observation. The point is we all have good reasons for our suspicions, and good reason to trust one another, yes?”
“And good leverage to assure our silence with the rest of the harmony,” Hurg said firmly, if quietly.
“It was not meant as leverage, or a threat, Hurg. What you
