“... planetary insertion complete. Orbital trajectory is stable, Cap’n,” Xuilan reported.

“Excellent work, as always,” Remi nodded. “Contact Bzaachyojdham Traffic Control and inform them we are on station as requested,” he ordered. “Once that’s done, let our friend Genvass know we are standing by to take him aboard.”

“Aye aye, Cap’n,” the pilot agreed, as she began making the call.

Slavko turned around in his seat. “You sure this is a good idea, Cap’n?” he asked. “What about our… other passenger?”

“I’ll remind the good doctor to stay out of sight until Genvass is off the ship,” he replied. “The rest of you, until he has disembarked, be damned careful what you say around him. I don’t want any hints dropped about our mission or our ‘special guest’. If he gets wind of this, then we have a problem.” He gave them a stern look. “I do not want to have a problem.”

“No worries, boss,” Slavko said in a rush, holding up his hands. “No one’s gonna say anything.”

“Glad to hear it. Xuilan, let me know when the Dharmist is inbound.” He rose from his seat and headed aft, tracking down the purser. “Isi, make sure the Dharmist’s quarters are as far away as possible from the aliens’. I don’t want to tempt fate.”

“Already done, Cap’n,” he grinned. “I figured that’s how you’d want it.”

“Good man,” Remi smiled, clapping him on the back. “Find Mairead and remind her not to let slip our little secret while he’s on board. In the meantime, I need to have a chat with the bug and remind him.”

“You got it, Cap’n,” he nodded, as made his way towards the passenger cabins. Arriving at Axchxairx’s hatch minutes later, he rapped his knuckles on the bare metal. The hatch opened almost immediately.

“Captain Hadad,” the Eleexx said cordially. “Your appearance is most welcome.”

“Doctor,” Remi answered, somewhat more formally. “I just came to inform you we’ve arrived at Bzaachyojdham, and that we’re expecting our passenger to arrive shortly. I wanted to remind you to remain in your cabin and out of sight until he departs.”

“Of course, captain, of course,” Axchxairx agreed, bobbing his head. “As I have already stated, it is in both our best interests.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said sincerely. “If there’s an emergency and you absolutely must speak to someone, comm me directly. We’ll sort it out from there.”

“I understand,” the scientist agreed. “I will, of course, abide by your instructions.”

“Excellent,” Remi beamed, putting on his best diplomatic face. “I need to greet our new guest, so I’ll take my leave. Until you hear from me personally, keep your hatch locked at all times.”

“I will,” the alien said. “Until we speak again, captain.”

“Until then,” he replied, waiting till he heard the hatch close, and the locking mechanism engage before heading forward once more. Once back on the bridge, Xuilan addressed him.

“We’ve just received word that Genvass’ shuttle is inbound,” she reported. “ETA is fifteen minutes.”

“He must be in a hurry if he’s already en route,” Remi mused. “Wonder what’s so urgent?”

“Maybe he has to skip town,” Slavko offered.

“I don’t think so,” Xuilan countered. “It’s a government-registered shuttle that’s bringing him up, and when I spoke to the crew, they mentioned nothing out of the ordinary. If he was in some sort of trouble, I’d expect them to call him a prisoner or something.”

“That’s a good point,” the captain agreed. “I’ll be sure to ask him when he arrives.”

“Cap’n?” Slavko piped up, “why are we taking him on? Is this something for the Admiral?”

“No… it’s not for the Admiral,” Remi glowered. “Let it drop.”

“Aye aye, Cap’n,” the gunner swallowed, returning his attention to his console.

As Slavko hurriedly looked away, Remi cursed himself yet again for agreeing to Maggie’s terms. The thought of having something to lord over her had been too tempting to pass up, but he’d been experiencing buyer’s remorse ever since. He should have realized the crew would have questions about the deal, given their mission, and the more he shut down their questions, the more questions they had. I swear, this is the last time I ever make a deal with that woman, he thought to himself in disgust.

“Shuttle is on final approach,” Xuilan reported, interrupting his reveries. “They should dock in just a few minutes.”

“Then I believe it’s time to greet our guest,” the captain announced, standing up and heading for the main hatch. With the thought of Maggie and her devil’s bargain still fresh in his mind, it reminded him of another trip to the airlock, one that hadn’t ended well. The Tinker and that imp of hers ambushed him and sabotaged his ship, disabling them both. Of all the losses he’d been forced to endure over the years, that one cut the deepest, and that didn’t mean the knife wound that little bastard Diggs had given him.

Gyrfalcon was his ship. Here, his word was law. For an old woman and mute orphan to turn the tables on him, to so thoroughly shame him in front of his crew… oh, how he longed to balance the scales. It wasn’t impossible; he knew people, but contracting out that sort of work inevitably left fingerprints. Since the Admiral had made it clear how important she was to his operations, a thorough investigation was all but assured, and given their history, he’d be high on the list of suspects.

Besides, if he were going to take them both permanently off the board, he preferred to do the job himself.

Glancing down, he saw his fists were clenched and felt the familiar ache in his jaw as his teeth ground against each other. Remi forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. Losing control now was something he simply could not afford. So Maggie had beaten him. You couldn’t win every fight. One had to be philosophical about such things, no matter how much they stung.

But if the opportunity to revisit the matter ever presented itself…

Remi shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Now was not the time. He arrived at the airlock to find Isi already standing by, in his official capacity as purser. “When he arrives, see to his baggage,” he informed him. “He and I need to have a private conversation.”

“Sure thing, Cap’n,” Isi agreed, as a tremor reverberated through the ship’s hull. Peering through the airlock’s porthole, he then glanced back at his captain. “It’s them,” he reported. “They’ve got hard dock.”

“Very well,” he answered, adopting a more formal pose as they awaited his arrival. Several more minutes passed before the shuttle’s hatch opened and a suited figure stepped into the airlock, towing a crate behind him. Remi got a brief glimpse of other figures behind him as he gave them a wave before closing the hatch and equalizing pressure. That done, he crossed the small space to the inner hatch, waving at them both as Isi cycled the lock. A hiss of escaping air accompanied the hatch, sliding open even as their visitor crossed the threshold and worked to remove his helmet.

Genvass took a deep breath as he got his first whiff of semi-fresh air, sighing with a weary smile. “Captain Hadad, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” he said affably, before turning to the second man. “And you as well, Isi.”

Something about the Dharmist’s demeanor caught Remi’s attention. The last time he’d seen him, he was more than a little standoffish, not to mention constantly looking to avoid confrontation with anyone and everyone. Being completely honest, he’d never given him a second thought, simply because he couldn’t imagine a more thoroughly inoffensive, non-threatening individual. He could have broken him in half with one hand, without even trying. Now?

Now, the individual standing before him gave off a very different impression. He was more assured, more confident, more obviously comfortable in his own skin. Whatever he’d been up to since they’d parted ways had apparently agreed with him, and he couldn’t help but wonder what that might be, and how that might affect their mission.

“Genvass,” he answered, inclining his head, “welcome back to Gyrfalcon. If you’ll remove and stow your suit, Isi will take your gear to your cabin.”

“Thank you,” he said gratefully, quickly shucking his suit and stashing it inside the crate. “Feels good to get out of that,” he smiled.

“I’m sure it does,” Remi agreed. “Before you get settled in, I’d like a moment of your time. There’re a few things I want to discuss.”

“Of course, captain,” Genvass nodded, “my time is yours.”

“I’ll stow this in your cabin,” Isi told him, grabbing the trunk’s handle.

“Thank you,” Genvass smiled as Remi led him back to his own quarters. Once inside, he closed the hatch before taking a bottle out from his footlocker and snagging a couple of glasses. “Have a seat,” he told him, as he poured them both a drink before sitting down as well.

The Dharmist took a sip and then nodded his thanks. “What did you want to talk about, captain?” he asked.

“A couple of things,” he said nonchalantly. “First off, I would prefer it if you didn’t discuss who arranged this trip. That Maggie was the one playing travel guide makes things awkward on my end.”

“I was actually wondering about that,” Genvass said after a moment, “and I certainly get the awkwardness after what happened between the two of you. In fact, it surprised me when she said you’d agreed to it.”

“It’s complicated,” Remi sighed, “though her owing me a favor is something I can trade on should the opportunity present itself.”

“I understand,” he nodded. “You have my word. My lips are sealed.”

“I appreciate that,” he answered, taking another sip of his drink. “I’m curious though, what’s your business on Sivor Uq’ish? Or on this world, for that matter? Something’s obviously changed with you. You’re a far cry from the individual we took to Earth. No offense.” He’d already decided to take the diplomatic approach with the Dharmist. It was the smart move, given their history.

“None taken,” Genvass shrugged. “Well, you might recall that when the last mission ended, I’d had something of an epiphany regarding my clan?”

“I remember you weren’t as certain they were on the right path,” Remi allowed.

“To put it mildly,” he sighed, taking another drink. “I recognize why my father, and those like him, made the decisions they did. After losing Earth, survival was all that mattered, and it forced everyone to make hard choices. The chance to live on a planet and breathe free air? To feel the sun on your face? Not having to worry about your ship suddenly losing containment? Like I said, I get it.” He sighed and stared into his glass. “But if we as a people are going to survive, it can’t be on the sufferance of others. We must chart our own course, find our own path… and we’ll never be able to do that on an alien world, where we’ll always be second-class citizens.”

Remi gazed at him thoughtfully. “I can’t disagree with any of that. So you’ve been out spreading the word, trying to get your fellow clan mates to see the light?”

“At first,” he admitted, “but as time went on, everything we’d learned on the other mission began to sink in. I started wondering what would happen if we found New Terra.” He leaned in, eyeing the Corsair. “Don’t you wonder about that?”

“Of course,” he nodded, keeping his expression carefully neutral. “We’ve had little luck in that department, unfortunately.”

“It’s a big galaxy,” Genvass agreed, “and there’s a lot of systems to search. But now that we know about it, do you imagine that we’ll ever stop searching for it?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “Even if it is a longshot, the potential payoff is just too great to ignore. We’ll keep hunting for it, no matter what. To our dying breath, if it comes to that.”

“Exactly,” he exclaimed, pointing his finger across the table. “Which means eventually, someone will find it. If it’s the Troika or someone else, then we’re screwed. But if we’re the ones who locate that planet, and if we somehow find a way in… what happens then?”

“Then I imagine we’ll see the biggest human caravan since Task Force Odin split apart,” Remi mused, “all burning hard for New Terra.” He looked at the Dharmist curiously. “Where are you going with this?”

“Out of the seven clans, six can pack up and head for New Terra at a moment’s notice,” Genvass stated, “but us Dharmists? We’re planet-bound, at the mercy of other species, all of whom wanting a piece of the action should we strike gold. Look at me. I had to make a deal with Maggie just to get a ride. You think the Baishain, or the Qi-Tam, are just going to lend us a ship to make the pilgrimage without wanting something tangible in return? Assuming they let us go at all, that is… let’s face it, my clan makes for excellent hostages, if they really want to push it.”

“Yes… you do,” Remi grimaced. “That puts a disturbing wrinkle on things.”

“It does, which is why I’ve been talking to anyone who’ll listen to beg, borrow, or outright steal a ride, if we ever find it,” he said emphatically, before fixing him with a desperate look. “I know you’re close to the Admiral, captain,” Genvass told him. “Will you speak to him on our behalf? Even a handful of ships could make an enormous difference.”

“I’ll pass your request along with my endorsement,” he agreed. “If they hold your clan as hostages, we’ll be forced to either give up our advantage… or watch them die. Neither is acceptable,” he growled.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “I’ve also been creating alert networks, should the balloon go up. One call starts a chain reaction on each planet as the messages go out. I’m hoping that if we find New Terra, we can comm the Dharmist worlds and have them form up so when the ships arrive… if the ships arrive… they can board at a moment’s notice.”

“Clever,” Remi nodded. “You realize you’re going to have stragglers, no matter what you do?”

“I know,” he said quietly. “We’re still debating that. Some want to force them aboard the ships regardless of their own wishes, while others are happy to leave them to their own devices. We don’t have a consensus on that just yet.”

“And you?” he asked. “Where do you stand?”

Genvass was silent for some time. “We can’t afford to leave anyone behind,” he said at last, “not if they’re going to be used against us. Which means dragging them kicking and screaming aboard transport against their will, treating them like cargo.” He shook his head. “I don’t like it, but I don’t think we have a choice.”

“Tough call,” Remi agreed solemnly, when he was struck by a sudden thought. “You know, if we find New Terra, things won’t be all that different for you.”

“What do you mean?” Genvass asked.

The Corsair chuckled. “You’ll still be on an alien world, living on their sufferance.”

“Maybe,” the Dharmist said with a wry grin, “but with the original owners off playing absentee landlord, they shouldn’t be surprised when the squatters make a few changes.”