“I know how to find their key.” Duncan slid his laptop toward Kol. “From a file on the Dreamthought Project, compiled in the nineties by the IHSA Administrator Theta. She claims here that the Project members all utilized an isotope smelter to make small symbol pendants. She believed these were the keys the Project made to access the stolen trove.”

“I don’t understand the significance.” Kol moved the laptop even closer. They were alone, back in the suite. Max was again in his room, silent. He’d spoken to acknowledge their return, but not a word since. He hadn’t left his room and had stayed inside even during mealtimes. Kol tried not to think about it. He and Duncan had enough to consider.

“This Theta ran the IHSA division that was tasked with finding the Dreamside Road,” Duncan said. “When you’re finished reading the Cloud personality profile, you need to check this out. It has all of this woman’s theories, but the most important one is her idea that the Dreamthought Project had keys made from Cobalt Nine. You know what, read this.” He tapped at his laptop screen.

“’If I am correct.’” Kol read the words on the screen. “’Truce or not, we must discover the location of the trove.’ What’s she saying about a truce? That’s something we didn’t know about.”

“I have no idea. Keep reading.”

“’If I am correct, Operative C-Nine will be able to detect these keys for us. I am writing now to secure the funding on a new project, an effort that will work with Nine, developing a device to detect the unique radio signature from Cobalt Nine.’ Does she mean Tucker?”

Duncan nodded. “Do you still have the isodar he gave you? Please tell me you brought that thing with you.”

“It’s in one of the supply crates I packed,” Kol said. “But you haven’t sold me on this. I’m not sure we should proceed until we know what this truce is about. This could be why the IHSA let the defectors live normal lives.”

“If we delay, we could be caught up in Sloan’s attack.”

“Fine, say you go – how exactly do you plan on getting close enough to use the detector, even if this Theta was correct?”

Duncan reached to his laptop and clicked to another page, a faded scan of a flier. “The Corwin farm hired seasonal or temporary work for over eighty years. I’ll go in there and say I’m looking for a job.”

“This is pre-Thunderworks information. It’s from fifteen years ago. Who’s to say they still welcome workers? If they’re actively fighting against us, going there alone could put you in significant danger.”

“Maybe, but it also gives me reasonable cover to go there. If I didn’t have the Corps paying me, I’d definitely pursue any work lead I could find, even if it’s really old. What other options do a lot of people have? I’ll just have to take my chances. Whether I get a job or not, this gives me a good reason to be in their town.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You’re not going to like it. There’s a lot to iron out, but at the end of the day, I have to go in there and secure the key. That’s always going to be dangerous.”

“There has to be…”

Both of their communicators chimed at once. Kol removed his from his pocket. “This is a command hale, full spectrum. Brielle.” He answered the message.

“This is Major Gabrielle Rinlee. In the coming days, Defense Taskforce One will be launching a support mission to aid Governor Kent Sloan of the Southwest Trade Corridor. His vital supply route is facing constant attacks by the outlaw Captain Orson Gregory of the vessel Aesir.

“I have been aware of the situation in Governor Sloan’s territory since early this morning. At that time, I had no intention of sending more than a token force of Shapers or an extra security detail. But matters have changed. A longtime associate of the governor, a man who was sent to apprehend a member of the outlaw crew, has gone missing.

“Yesterday, thirty good men and women died in the service of the Southwest Corridor in an attempt to apprehend the Aesir. I can only imagine what’s happened to this latest casualty in our quest for peace, and I won’t stand by and allow these crimes to continue. This is a practical threat to our supply lines and a moral threat to the Liberty Corps. Expect full assignment listings and temporary structural changes to arrive in your file by tomorrow morning. I fully intend to depart by the end of the week to aid Governor Sloan.

“We have a tight timeline on our hands, but I want to provide more information about the crisis along the southwest frontier. I’m going to share with you the full broadcast from Governor Sloan. This information will also be shared to your electronic filing.”

“I am calling for assistance from all Corps outposts in the Western Barony defensive agreement.” A man now spoke, the recorded message from Sloan. “We’ve lost a lot of lives to these bastards, and now a good man and personal friend has gone missing. This needs a hard and fast response. I want a war force with five hundred guns, and swords, and Shapers to secure this territory. If you aren’t sold yet on bringing the law to the outlaw Gregory, listen to the demands he sent me.”

“Attention Liberty Corps forces.” A recording of Orson Gregory began. “Requisitions Day is cancelled. All official Liberty Corps operations are cancelled. You’re not safe. When you rob people and terrorize them, you aren’t safe. While you exploit the desperate, you aren’t safe. When you kill to build your empire…”

“Brielle didn’t tell you about any of this, did she?” Duncan spoke over the recording. “She has to know this totally screws over what we’re doing, right?”

“She didn’t tell me, no,” Kol said. “I think if we want to get you in and out before this begins, we need to leave right away.”

“We?”

“Yes,” Kol said. “I might be able to delay this long enough for you to get into Littlefield.”

Orson’s recording continued. “If you need to see what I do to people who prey on the defenseless, just ask your Captain Maros. He…”

“That son of a bitch,” Duncan said. “Maybe we should help kill him.”

“Your plan is the best way,” Kol said. “We’ll both go. We’ll drive out tomorrow morning. We’ll talk to Max. None of us can stay here. We get the key. Then we go back east. We travel on our own terms. Maybe once things stabilize… No, I can’t think that far ahead.”

“Did you hear that?” Sloan yelled, when the recording of Orson ended. “Did you hear that? He threatens all of us. He threatens our need for requisitions to build a new world. But this Gregory’s an anarchist. He prefers the lawless hellscape. We’ll show him the law. We’ll teach him that we speak for this land and for everyone in it. We’ll go to this Littlefield where he’s hiding. Death to anarchists and terrorists and outlaws! We’ll execute Gregory. We’ll execute his crew. We’ll execute anyone and everyone who tries to stop true law from returning to this great land.”

“You’re attacking the Aesir again.” Max had emerged from his room.

“Sloan is.” Kol lowered the volume on his comm and slid past Duncan. “There’s something Gregory has that we need to find the Dreamside Road, but I have no intention of joining this fight.”

“What will your girlfriend say to that?”

“I don’t think she is my girlfriend, but even if she were, none of us should stay on this base. Duncan and I need to move on to finish this part of our mission. I’ll arrange some passage for you, back to the Safe Home.”

“I’m not going back to the Safe Home,” Max said. “I’m headed west, like you. I’m going to see the Aesir too.” He raised the book from his lap, the one he’d been carrying with him since their departure from Philadelphia. It bore the sketched image of a road surrounded by trees. “I’ve been reading Orson Gregory’s memoir.”

“What?” Duncan yelled from the couch. “Why?”

“The Aesir is connected to the phenomenon that changed this world, and I want to see it. If it clashes with the Liberty Corps, doubly so.”

“We will be in extreme danger,” Kol said. “I don’t want you in danger.”

“You don’t want me to see the Liberty Corps attack Littlefield or attack innocent civilians. I have ears. I could hear Major Rinlee and this Governor Sloan. You’re not going to snow me, Kol. Either I go with you, and you can genuinely look out for me, if that’s what you want. Or I can find my own way there.”

“I don’t understand this,” Kol said. “You’ve seen war. Why would you want to witness a battle?” His brother did not answer him. He met his gaze, in silence. Kol didn’t look at Duncan, but he felt his friend’s eyes on him too.

“Fine.” Kol nodded. “If you insist. We all leave first thing in the morning.”

* * *

It was almost sunrise by the time Orson stepped back aboard the Aesir, the morning sky a rapidly lightening indigo. “There’s no way to tell whether it’s enough.”

Enoa sat with Jaleel on the cabin floor, the aeropine waddling between them. “But,” Orson continued. “Mr. Corwin’s guys and I got that bounty hunter’s truck into Wallower’s Gulch. We took all his research materials and put some of the bloody tatters of his pants in the driver’s seat. The transponder’s still there and the gulch is thirty miles from here, so hopefully the Liberty Corps will think scavengers got him, and they won’t come here right away.”

“Hopefully.” Jaleel reached toward the aeropine. In response, the animal stretched out a paw. “Wesley, say “hi” to the captain. Say “hi” to Orson.”

“Wesley?” Orson asked. The aeropine looked at him around Jaleel. “It’s a bad idea to name him. We don’t know yet if he can come with us.”

“He’s already so domestic.” Enoa held her hand toward Wesley’s face. The aeropine sniffed her fingers. “We only need to figure out how to keep him safe when we’re traveling.”

“I have some ideas,” Jaleel said. “How long will it take for the Pacific Alliance to get here?”

“Uh, the Corwins only just got the votes to join the P.A. yesterday. I guess Eloise’s oldest brother, Rob, is flying out to the Alliance base in Twentynine Palms. He’ll be dropping off Mr. Bounty Hunter and accepting the deal the town hopes to get. But it’s a government. They could be ready to come here in hours, or they could drag their feet for a month. I don’t know these people or how they operate.”

“Do we know that this Alliance can actually defend Littlefield from the Liberty Corps?” Enoa held a piece of sliced apple toward Wesley. He chirped gleefully and took it from her fingers, holding the apple between his paws. “The Great Lakes Alliance didn’t help us with the Sabres Unlimited until we already beat Nalrik’s space-armor gang.”

“Allegedly, these folks have way more resources.” Orson removed his coat and sat in an armchair. “I don’t know what we can do if that isn’t true. I think in the long term we’re a real danger to this town. It’s one thing to hang out here for a few days or however long, until an armed defensive presence can get here, but I think it’s dangerous to everybody if we stay too long.”

Wesley waddled toward Orson, still nibbling on his apple slice.

“See, he wants to stay with us.” Enoa said.

“Well, we’re sure to be nicer to an aeropine than Kappa was, but that’s not saying a whole lot.”

“At least he won’t be left all alone to fend for himself,” Enoa said. “With bounty hunters kicking him.”

“He came out of the fight looking a lot better than the bounty hunter.”

“So we’re just gonna wait around now?” Jaleel asked.

“I don’t see what else we can do.” Orson nodded. “We should still do our training, but I think we’ll mainly need to keep our eyes peeled until the P.A. gets here.”

“That’ll give us plenty of time to get everything ready for Wesley.” Enoa gave the aeropine another piece of apple. As the animal nibbled at the fruit, she inched her hand toward his exposed stomach.

Wesley dropped the apple piece and fell forward onto all fours, chattering at Enoa. He backed away.

“Look what you did,” Jaleel said. “Now he stopped eating.”

“I went too fast,” Enoa said. “I need to gain his trust. Then I can pet his belly.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, gang, really,” Orson said. “But do you think you’re taking the Liberty Corps threat seriously enough? That bounty hunter guy had records of all of the properties Corwin owned.”

“That man tried to shoot me in the chest, Orson. I’m very serious, but he only found us because we were unlucky. If the house belonged to someone other than the family, before Eloise and Carlos bought the place – that man never would have found us.”

“Yeah. Maybe it’s just a really unlucky coincidence. That seems to be all we’re having lately. But now Sloan might have Eloise’s home address! Even apart from the Liberty Corps, there are people gunning for the old Aesir crew.”

“Ruby’s been telling us when anybody comes near the house,” Jaleel said. “We got a warning about a bat flying over, just after we got back here. We’re paying plenty of attention now.”

“Okay…” Orson stopped speaking when a knock came on the door.

“Do I hear talking?” Eloise’s voice was captured by the ship’s external mic. “I hope I’m not waking anybody, but I heard from an old friend of mine. She does geographic and oceanographic imaging. She thinks she can find your island, but she’ll only be in range to call us for another fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes?” Orson bolted for the door. He maneuvered around his crewmates and pulled on his coat.

“What about Wesley?” Jaleel asked. “We have nowhere to go with him yet?”

“Stay with him,” Enoa stood. “This obviously can’t take very long.”

Orson opened the door. “AH!” He groaned and spun around, without acknowledging Eloise, standing in the doorway. He almost collided with Enoa, as he charged back toward his room. “I forgot the screenshot.”

“Screenshot?” Eloise asked.

“We have a screenshot from one of my aunt’s films, where my aunt is pointing to the island’s general location, and Orson thinks it’s important.” Enoa stepped out of the Aesir. She always imagined the southwest as a warm place, but the ground was crisp and hard. Her breath steamed from her mouth. She shivered, but didn’t take the time to turn back for her cloak.

“We’ll be in the office!” Eloise called into the Aesir. “I really don’t think a photo will turn up well in the video call. The screen quality is really, really low. Over half of the Star-Bound Satellite System was destroyed or isn’t working. That’s why the communication windows are so brief.”

“I don’t know anything about that.” Enoa followed Eloise into the house. They walked through the kitchen and the sitting room, where both Carlos and Dino were snoozing on a loveseat.

“I know less than I should.” Eloise lowered her voice until they were inside the office. One of the computer monitors showed the image of an older woman in a thick sweater. “Orson’s on his way, Dr. Stan. This is his crewmate, Enoa Cloud. Enoa Cloud, this is Doctor Sophia Stanislakova.”

“Hello,” Enoa said. “Thank you for offering us help.”

“Certainly.” Dr. Stanislakova spoke with a slight accent. “Eloise gave me few details about the project, and I’m somewhat perplexed by the possibility that an island of any real size could be consistently omitted from charts, but any friend of Eloise is a friend of mine.”

Orson walked inside. He held a small photo printout and joined Enoa in front of the monitor.

“Captain Gregory, I presume?” Stanislakova said.

“This is Dr. Sophia Stanislakova,” Eloise said. “She worked with Arthur and me on the League of Nations IHSA declassification.”

“I understand our time is very short,” Dr. Stan said. “And Eloise tells me this is a very dire matter. I am happy to help find an island for you. Arthur Haydn was a great help to me, many years ago, and he had nothing but kind words to say about you.”

“Haydn’s an old friend,” Orson said. “I have nothing but good to say about him, as well. I’m sure he’d know how important this situation is. I hope you understand I won’t be sharing too many details. That’s probably the best for your safety, but it involves items taken from the old Hierarchia.”

“If Eloise and Arthur are vouching for you, then I trust you,” she said. “Have you seen Arthur? I don’t want to waste time, but I don’t believe I’ve heard from him since the shutdown.”

“Neither have I,” Orson said. “I hope he’s well and that our paths cross again, some day.”

“Dr. Haydn was another member of our old crew,” Eloise whispered to Enoa.

“Is he a scientist too?” Enoa asked. “Or is he a medical doctor?”

“Neither,” Eloise said. “He was a professor. He taught Literature and the Classics, mythology.” Before Enoa could question the presence of an academic in a crew of adventurers, Orson walked to the screen, photo raised.

“See, this is Enoa’s late aunt,” Orson said. “She left Enoa record of the island’s location, but the information was lost, so the best we have is this image of her pointing.”

“I’m afraid that’s not much of a starting place.” Dr. Stan smiled. Her outward cheer didn’t cushion the incredulity in her voice. “But I have some ideas about how an island might be omitted and what sort of place this might be. Currently, I am working in the former National Laboratory in the Crystal Dune Ballistics Research Compound. I have enough detailed pre-shutdown satellite imaging that I can likely compile a short list of potential islands in that general location.”

“That assumes Enoa’s aunt was pointing to the right spot,” Eloise said.

“This is true,” Dr. Stan said. “It would be a much taller order to examine the entirety of the International Dateline. That could be years worth of work, assuming my theories are correct.”

“My crew is staying in Littlefield longer than we’d initially planned,” Orson said. “While we’re here, we can look through some of the IHSA archives we have available. That might help narrow the search.”

“Anything you can give me will be a great help.”

“Now that we’ve made contact with you,” Orson said. “We can send most of our messages through tight-beam…”

“Ms. Corwin, Captain Gregory!” A woman in Corwin coveralls ran into the room. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but this may be an emergency.” She stopped between words, breathless, as if she’d sprinted.”

“We’re on an important call, Doris,” Eloise said. “Just five minutes.”

“If you can tight-beam the rest to me,” Dr. Stan said. “Everything else can be decided later.”

“Please,” Doris puffed. Eloise nodded and stepped close to her. Enoa wasn’t sure what to do, but the woman looked at her too, expectantly, so she also moved closer to the winded newcomer.

“The Liberty Corps arrived at Wallower’s Gulch. They’ve recovered the truck and set up a camp there. We estimate at least seventy cars and trucks, so far, two hundred armed men, most with guns. More are coming all the time. They haven’t found the camera yet.”

“At least we can keep an eye on them,” Eloise said. “But they must be planning an attack. If they come now, the P.A. won’t get here in time to help.”