"Phelim took your harem into custody. They're already here. I've got the best genetic team on Ellezelin ready to treat them. The problem is, we didn't read your memories from that long ago."

Likan glared at her fearfully.

"Which three, Likan? Once I know, you'll be released; you have my word as the Dreamer on that. A starship will take you wherever you wish to go. We can even reprofile you first if you'd like."

"What's the point?" he wailed, close to tears.

"The point is success. Do you think that ultimately I will succeed? Or will you and your way of life? I know which choice Nigel Sheldon would make. Do you?"

His head dropped. When he brought it up again, the shakes and tics were overridden by a ferocious snarl. The old Likan was glowering out at her. "Oh, yes, Madam Dreamer. I'll take your deal; I will comply. But remember, it will leave me free to hunt you down when you fail, because a miserable f.u.c.k-up like you couldn't pull off something this grand in a million years, not a chance."

"We'll see," she growled back.

"Marakata, Krisana, and Tammary," Likan said.

"Thank you."

"They'll kill you, your new friends, even if I don't get there first. Once you've given them what they want, they'll kill you. This is too big for you. You were small-time when I picked you up and screwed you, and you're still small-time now."

"Win-win for you, then," she said coolly. At the back of her mind the Skylord was showing an interest in why she was becoming so agitated. "Get rid of him," she told the security guard.

Likan was hauled roughly to his feet. There was a starship waiting for him at Greater Makkathran's s.p.a.ceport. She'd organized it all last night, using her u-shadow to send messages to Phelim and Rincenso and Ethan in private, editing it all out of what she released into the gaiafield. Phelim had few troops left on Viotia, but he was desperate to redeem himself, so he expended every effort. She knew poor little Clemance and the others would have been terrified as the remnants of the Welcome Team s.n.a.t.c.hed them: bundled into a capsule when the rest of the planet was rejoicing the lifting of tyranny, not knowing where they were being taken or why, then being forced through the wormhole to Ellezelin itself. If the Dreamer Araminta was now regarded as the devil, this planet was surely her realm.

But in a couple of hours they'd be reunited with Likan-those who wanted to be. The starship would fly them to an Inner world of his choice. She'd supplied untraceable funds, she'd supplied new ident.i.ties. There was nothing more she could do.

The three he'd violated would spend a couple of months in a womb-tank here in Greater Makkathran having their psychoneural profiling reversed. When they came out, they could make their own choices again. That's if there's a galaxy left to come back out into That's if there's a galaxy left to come back out into. It didn't matter; she'd done the right thing.

She looked over at Darraklan. "Is Ethan ready?"

"Yes, Dreamer."

"Right, then." She got to her feet, starting to resent Inigo's stupid proscription that no capsules should be allowed to fly above Makkathran2. It meant such long walks or gondola rides (which she actually quite liked) or riding on horseback, and no way was she going to do that; her one time on a pony when she was seven hadn't ended well.

A squad of bodyguards in constable uniforms fell in around her as she left the back of the Orchard Palace. They went down the sweeping perron and into Rah's Garden with its sweet roses and immaculately shaped flameyews. Clerks peered out of their offices as she carried on through Parliament Building on the other side. Then she was out in the open and walking over the Brotherhood Ca.n.a.l bridge into Ogden. That at least was a short straight path to City Gate. People were running frantically across the meadowland to greet her. She didn't need Likan's old melange program to help her slip into her mildly aloof public persona: greeting a privileged few overawed followers with a handshake or a murmured word of thanks for their support, smiling graciously at the rest while allowing her squad to keep her moving past them.

The crowd at City Gate was a lot larger, but more guards were there, in ordinary clothes. She suspected that the shimmering semiorganic fabric covered up some muscle enrichments; they certainly seemed extraordinarily strong as they pushed people aside. Three capsules were parked just outside the crystal wall, waiting for her, with another five defense force capsules drifting overhead. Ethan stood beside the door of the largest capsule. He bowed graciously as Araminta approached.

"Your morning has gone well, then?"

"It certainly did, thank you," Araminta said. "I appreciate your help in preparing the medical treatments."

"My pleasure, Dreamer."

They stepped up into the capsule and sat at the front while the bodyguards took the rear seats. It flew swiftly along the coastline, keeping Greater Makkathran on one side, heading for the broad estuary to the north of the city. With the security forces flying escort, no civilian capsules tried to approach. It left Araminta with a clear view of the landscape through the transparent fuselage. Once again she marveled at the vast metropolis sprawling across the land beyond Makkathran2.

Living Dream built all of this out of nothing, she thought. If they can do that, if they are so creative, why do they want to go to the Void? The reset ability isn't that different from our own regeneration. Humans have been able to start again from scratch for over a thousand years If they can do that, if they are so creative, why do they want to go to the Void? The reset ability isn't that different from our own regeneration. Humans have been able to start again from scratch for over a thousand years.

It had to involve not a small amount of avarice lurking in everyone's heart, she realized sadly. Effectively it was a universe where only you could regenerate, giving you a vast advantage in terms of knowledge and experience over everyone else. That and the whole telepathy and telekinesis thing-that was raw power.

"Oh, Lady," she muttered as the starship manufacturing field came into view. She recalled that the last time she'd seen it was on a unisphere news report a while back, when the ground was being prepared by big civil construction machinery. Regrav units had propelled streams of raw earth and crushed rock through the air as ma.s.sive bots crawled across the bare soil, driving in thick support stanchions and spraying down acres of enzyme-bonded concrete.

She'd expected to see huge hangars spring up where thousands of bots would crawl along scaffolding gantries, bringing together a million components that formed the starships. Instead, the starships were a.s.sembled out in the open, floating in the middle of regrav fields. The bots were there, though, tens of thousands of busy little black modules buzzing about like wasps around their hive entrance.

"That is something else," she admitted. For once she didn't bother restraining the emotion that swarmed out of her into the gaiafield. "Did you organize all this?" she asked Ethan.

"I wish I could take credit," he said ruefully. "But the plans for the Pilgrimage were begun back in Dreamer Inigo's time. Indeed, the main driving factor behind Ellezelin's economic dynamism was to provide us with the resources to build the fleet when the time was right. These ships have been in the design stage for over fifty years, constantly being improved as new techniques were developed. The National Industrial Ministry also had to match production systems to the requirements, making sure we had sufficient capacity. Nearby Commonwealth planets complained that we were unfairly subsidizing our manufacturing corporations, while in actuality we were preparing for this moment. Every section and component can be fabricated either locally or on a Free Market Zone world."

"Incredible" was all she could say.

The entire fifteen square miles of the construction yard was cloaked by five layers of force fields capable of protecting it from just about every known weapon system. Unlike the weather dome Colwyn City could throw up, this one went right down to the ground, then carried on binding soil and rock molecules together to guard against any possible subterranean threat.

Twelve of the mile-long cylinders hung gracefully above the vast expanse of concrete, each one the center of its own airborne cybernetic swarm. The hulls were all complete, leaving the thick streams of regrav-propelled machines to wind in and out of huge ports and access hatches. Thousands of tons of equipment was being delivered to each ship every hour. The majority of it now was made up of the identical dark sarcophagi of suspension chambers: twenty-four million of them. They were being produced all over Ellezelin and the Free Market Worlds, Ethan said, churned out by replicator systems that were close to level-three Neumann cybernetics. "All we have to do is provide the chambers with power and basic nutrient fluid. Essentially, that's all the ships are, warehouses full of suspension chambers with an engine room at the back."

The capsule slipped down toward one of the five materiel egress facilities s.p.a.ced equidistantly around the rim of the force field. Their capsule with its escort flew through a series of sophisticated scans before landing outside the entrance of a thirty-story office tower, one of fifty ringing the yard. They were greeted by quite a crowd of senior project personnel headed by Cleric Taranse, the overall director. For once the gaiafield wasn't just filled with excitement and admiration for her. Everyone working in the construction yard was devoted to the project, delivering a strong and very pleasing sense of achievement. That didn't stop thousands of them from taking a break and pressing up against the windows to watch her. Araminta slipped back into full politician mode, thanking the group with the director for their extraordinary effort.

As they walked alongside the first ma.s.sive cylinder, she was struck by how arid the air was inside, almost as bad as the desert around Miledeep Water. An errant thought made her wonder how Ranto was doing right now. Searching the desert in vain for his beloved bike, or had he bought a flashy new one that would boost his status among his peers by an order of magnitude?

The dryness was nothing compared to the noise. With so many machines operating inside the dome, the humming and buzzing was constant, all-pervasive, and loud. Araminta heard the ponderous motions of larger systems through her rib cage. The sheer quant.i.ty of metal flying around on regrav units stirred up small fast gusts that whirled along each avenue between hulls like microclimate winds in perpetual conflict. Her hair and robe fluttered about with every step. The giant regrav fields supporting the ships induced disconcerting effects in her inner ears as she moved. Walking in the yard was akin to keeping one's balance in an earthquake zone; a mere couple of paces through the invisible conflicting fields could bring on unexpected queasiness that secondary routines in her macrocellular cl.u.s.ters had difficulty suppressing.

To counter the nausea, she tried picking a point in the distance and focusing on it; that led her to look up. The metallic-gray fuselage curved away above her, presenting an impression of size and weight almost as great as the one given by the length of the d.a.m.n thing stretching on ahead. Holes the size of skysc.r.a.pers were open all the way along the side, with fleets of bots and freight sleds zipping in and out. Now that she could see them up close, she noticed that most of the sleds were carrying identical consignments. Twenty-four million medical suspension chambers; Twenty-four million medical suspension chambers; she couldn't quite get her head around that number. It was more than the population of Greater Makkathran. But not of Ellezelin, and as for the billions of followers across the Greater Commonwealth ... she couldn't quite get her head around that number. It was more than the population of Greater Makkathran. But not of Ellezelin, and as for the billions of followers across the Greater Commonwealth ...

"I've heard this referred to as the first wave," she said.

"Yes, Dreamer," Cleric Taranse said cheerfully. He had the appearance of a man in his biological fifties, even down to thinning hair and wrinkled skin; the deliberate elder image, she suspected, was an attempt to give him an aura of experience and confidence. But then, a lot of Living Dream followers allowed themselves to appear to age because in the real Makkathran, everyone grew old. "Now that the production systems have been established, they can continue at remarkably little cost. Ellezelin can certainly afford to keep on producing them."

"But won't Ellezelin's population be the first to leave? When they've traveled into the Void, who will keep the economy going?"

"We are ultimately hoping that some kind of bridge can be established between Void and Commonwealth," Ethan said smoothly. "Such a thing can hardly be beyond the ability of the Heart."

Araminta remembered the way the boundary had distended out to swallow Justine's little ship. "Most likely." She glanced up again as she moved through another clash of regrav waves. The sight of the starship was drawing the Skylord's attention, building antic.i.p.ation. One question she was never going to ask it was: Can you reach us here? Can you reach us here?

"I will need to be awake during the voyage," she said.

Both Ethan and Taranse smiled an indulgent smile, not quite belittling her but close.

"The life-support section is in the center of the ship, Dreamer," Taranse said. "Each will have a crew complement of three thousand. There are a lot of systems to maintain even with smartcore and bot support."

"Of course. That's very rea.s.suring."

"The cabins will be fully equipped with every luxury; your voyage will be spent in complete comfort and security. You have nothing to worry about."

He wasn't joking, she realized. "How do we stay in contact with Ellezelin during the flight?"

"The ships will be dropping relay stations at frequent intervals, just like the navy link with Centurion Station. As well as TD channels, ours will have confluence nests."

Araminta felt very rea.s.sured by that; she'd been worried about what might happen if she pa.s.sed out of range of the bulk of her followers. The ships would, no doubt, be crewed by Ethan's loyalists. "So now we just need the ultradrives and force fields," she said as she checked the timer in her exovision. There was only a couple of minutes left.

"I have every confidence," Ethan said easily.

"Oh, I'm sure it wants us to get there, all right," Araminta said.

He stopped and gave her a look of reluctant admiration. "You were correct in what you said to Ilanthe. The Void will always triumph. I was ... gladdened by your faith in it."

"Do you have any idea what that thing wants to achieve inside?"

"No. But it will be some soulless technocrat scheme to 'improve' life for everyone else. It is the kind of delusion of which her kind dream constantly. That is why I never really concerned myself about it."

"Yes, I thought as much." For several nights after her arrival in the Orchard Palace, Araminta had tried to feel for Ilanthe's thoughts to gain a sense of what her intentions were. Bradley and Clouddancer had said the Silfen Motherholme had sensed whatever it was emerging from the Sol system, but either Ilanthe had somehow slipped from the Motherholme's perception or the Silfen in their wisdom weren't sharing. She thought the latter unlikely.

"They're here," Cleric Taranse announced happily.

Icons from Ellezelin's civil s.p.a.ceflight directorate were popping up in Araminta's exovision. She'd never realized just how much information even a nominal head of state such as herself was supposed to absorb on a daily basis. How actual heads of state coped, she had no idea; expanded and augmented mentalities, presumably.

Thirty-seven large commercial freighters had just dropped out of hypers.p.a.ce two thousand kilometers above the planet. A secure link to the Ellezelin defense force fleet headquarters informed her that five squadrons of Ellezelin warships were emerging around the freighters in a protective formation. This was the critical stage, the one window of vulnerability left to those who opposed the Pilgrimage. Until the freighters got under the construction yard's force fields, they were dangerously exposed.

The freighters were given clearance to descend. Sure enough, eight craft lurking in orbit dropped their stealth effect and opened fire. Weird mauve and green light flooded across the ground at Araminta's feet at the same instant the exovision displays reported what was happening. She tipped her head back reflexively to see what was going on, but the dome had opaqued above her. All she saw was rapidly expanding colored blotches in the grayed sky, like borealis storms as bright as sunlight.

More icons appeared, a.s.suring her that the Greater Makkathran2 force fields were also up and protecting citizens from the terrible torrent of hard radiation slicing through the atmosphere. She even felt a start of anxiety leaking out of Ethan's gaiamotes and smiled in sympathy. The pilgrimage fleet probably could make it with standard hyperdrives, but without the force fields the Raiel would reduce the ships to radioactive fog.

Though the Void might just be able to stop them, she thought. The Raiel could never beat it The Raiel could never beat it.

Her u-shadow told her the head of planetary defense, Admiral Colris, was opening a secure channel. "Dreamer, we've eliminated the enemy ships."

"Are our ships all right?"

"Three badly damaged; eight took temporary overload hits, but they're still flightworthy."

"How badly damaged?"

"We'll recover the crews. Don't worry; it's what we train for, Dreamer."

"Thank you. Was there any damage to the freighters?"

"No. Lady be praised. It looks like those new force fields are as tough as advertised."

The whole Greater Commonwealth that was gaiafield-attuned blinked at the burst of Araminta's surprise. "The freighters are protected by Sol barrier force fields?"

"Yes, Dreamer."

"I see. Please pa.s.s my thanks to your crews."

"Of course. They'll appreciate your concern, Dreamer."

Ethan and Darraklan were both watching the force field overhead gradually clear. The sky beyond was reverting to its usual pristine blue. A few violet scintillations burned through the ionosphere as disintegrating wreckage hurtled downward. Ethan's delight and relief were open. "Those would be the best ships our opponents could deploy," the Cleric said.

"Yes," Araminta replied, not quite knowing if she should be celebrating.

"We can begin installation at once," Taranse said.

"How long until we're ready?" she asked.

"If the systems function in accordance with the details they supplied, we'll be looking at a week."

"Excellent," she said. Then I can finally try and stop this madness. I just hope there's enough time left Then I can finally try and stop this madness. I just hope there's enough time left.

They waited in the construction yard as the freighters dropped down through the atmosphere. Taranse left them to organize the unloading. Araminta and Ethan watched the operation begin from the front of the big office tower where their capsule was parked. She was a little disappointed at how dull it all was. The units were all encased in smooth metal sh.e.l.ls, providing no hint as to their function. For all she knew, they were just water tanks.

"Your moment draws near, Dreamer," Ethan said.

She wasn't surprised by the way he was studying her so intently. She'd felt his curious thoughts wiggling through the gaiafield, trying to gain a hint of her true feelings. She suspected that when they arrived in the Void, he would prove a formidable telepath.

"It does indeed," she said levelly. "Where do you suppose all this came from?"

"It is irrelevant now. That it is here is what matters."

"And because of that we can reach the Void. Yes. That just leaves me and the Skylord now."

"I will be honored to fly with you in the flagship to offer what support I can."

"Which one ..." Her hand waved idly at the row of ships.

"That one. The Lady's Light Lady's Light."

Araminta had to smile at that. "Of course. But shouldn't that be Lady's Light Two Lady's Light Two?"

"If you wish it to be so, Dreamer."

"No. The original has been unmade, and it was a redoubtable ship. Let us hope our own voyage is as successful."

Ethan's smile was tight. He clearly still couldn't work out what Araminta's game was, which was exactly how she wanted it.

The capsule lifted through a thick sea mist that was rolling in fast from the sh.o.r.e. As soon as they were above it, Araminta saw the change that had spread across the fields and forests that stretched away from the city's perimeter. The lush green squares of gra.s.sland and crop fields had become a sickly yellow. Long lines of wildfire burned furiously through the forests.

"What happened?" she asked in confusion.

"Radiation downspill," Ethan explained. "The orbital fight was directly above us. Those who understand such things explained to me last time that starship weapons today are extraordinarily powerful."

"Last time?"

"Two ships fought above Ellezelin shortly before you came forward. We never did find out why."

"Great"-she nearly said "Ozzie"-"Lady. What about people caught outside the city force field?" The mist as well, she realized, was a part of it: surface water flash-boiled by the energy deluge.

"Not good. A majority of Living Dream followers don't have biononics or memorycell inserts."

"Because the Waterwalker didn't." It almost came out with contempt.

"Quite. But the clinics will be able to re-life those that did."