Torrent Hafnym sat in the briefing room across from Imperator Kama Dean and Chief Astronomer Wendell Raul with his head in his hands. "Three days out? Three damn days. How is this even possible?"

The chief astronomer cleared his throat. "Our automatic infrared scans are set to alert on human habitable temperatures. This vessel reads as an icy comet."

"Why are your temperature scans defective?"

"My apologies, Chief Executive, but the temperature scans are not defective. We don't have the manpower to have a human investigate every icy body detected in the solar system."

"You give me a three day warning that the Chekowan are arriving and don't think you failed?"

"The vessel is small. Based on our preliminary estimates, we think it is a standard Angmari shuttle."

At that, Hafnym took his hands from his face. "Just a single shuttle? There aren't more of them?"

"We don't detect any other bodies of any temperature undergoing changes in acceleration."

Hafnym took a breath. One shuttle. "How many people could they fit on a shuttle for an extended trip? It can't be many, right?"

The Imperator answered. "Assuming that is a standard shuttle, we can make an educated guess about what to expect. Fleet protocol recommends that a crew of three occupy a shuttle for no longer than one week. The life support system is designed to chemically sequester carbon dioxide for later reprocessing. So right away, we know they have a teleotic on board to maintain the atmosphere, probably by precipitating elemental carbon. The next critical problem with a shuttle is water supply. The condensers do a good job of recycling water vapor, but the urine converter is only ninety percent efficient. There is also no mechanism to recover moisture from solid waste. This means that in addition to carrying all of their food, they will need to bring a lot of water on the trip. Our best guess at the moment is that this vessel has been separate from the Chekowan fleet for approximately six months. We might be able to field two people in a shuttle for that length of time, but I don't know how we would keep them healthy and sane. So two people is the cap on what we think is possible. My opinion . . . it's just one full paragon. He would have the kinetic talent to perform deceleration and cool the vessel exterior plus the teleotic talent to maintain the atmosphere. Only one person means more space is open for exercise and recreation, which is a requirement for this length of time."

"Full paragon?" Hafnym questioned.

"Based on the speed of deceleration, it's either an ignited kinetic or an ignited paragon."

Hafnym drummed his fingers on the table. "Who did the Chekowan have?"

"You're asking me who specifically is on that shuttle?" Imperator Kama Dean frowned. "We don't have reliable intelligence on which of them survived the destruction of Earth."

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"Who is our worst case? Vandilla? Caszetlan? Fiero?"

"Vandilla," the imperator said. "He was rumored to be their top warrior."

"You're not worried about Fiero?"

"Fiero was certainly their top strategist. I never heard anyone mention his combat prowess, though. And Caszetlan's fame apparently derived entirely from being the personal disciple of Chemekti."

Hafnym paused. "Chemekti? I'm not familiar with that name."

"Chemekti was a legend among the Chekowan for his research into the talents. One of the first humans on the Chekowan Earth to attune as a paragon. He trained under the representatives of the Outsiders personally and became a teacher when he failed to ignite. The Chekowan revered the man for his skill. I'm surprised you don't know of him."

"The most time I ever spent among the Chekowan was during the liberation of the Angelship," Hafnym said. "No one mentioned Chemekti at the time."

"Well, he doesn't really matter. The person on that shuttle is most definitely ignited. If it's Vandilla, we might have to worry about a boarding. Are you comfortable defending the docks yourself?"

Hafnym's eyes drifted to the table. He was every bit as strong as any of Nallit's disciples had been. Unfortunately, he had spent his time since those early days pursuing political power and not honing his combat skills. He didn't like his odds in a fair fight. "We will mob the Chekowan when he comes aboard."

"Chief Executive," the imperator grumbled, "anyone we send with you will die. They can at most be a distraction. The Fleet cannot afford to lose kinetics."

"We have the Synths," Hafnym snapped.

Imperator Kama Dean drew himself up. "With respect, Chief Executive, your reputation has already taken a major hit after it became known that the Navigator won't obey your commands. If you throw away the lives of our soldiers, I don't think you will retain your position in the next election."

"Then we skip the next election."

The imperator huffed. "Hafnym."

"I'm the last remaining Savior of the Fleet. This is my Angelship. The rest of you stay here at my discretion."

"Or at the discretion of the one who bests you in combat."

"Careful, Dean."

The imperator snorted. "You can't afford to replace me. You are short on allies at the moment and anyone else appointed to my position would expect the Savior of the Fleet to guard the dock without assistance."

Hafnym's glare intensified. "Do you provide me any value?"

"Coordinate a response with Cassandane."

"That traitor and her mercenaries will not be allowed near the Fleet."

"Then coordinate with the local governments. The nations speaking Angmari analogues would lose the advantages we afforded them under the Chekowan's rule."

Hafnym chewed on the suggestion for a few moments. "Maybe. They have enough kinetics to be useful. I don't want them stepping onto the Angelship, though."

"We can send down ambassadors with the next shuttle. Figure out what you want to say."