Getting off the planet would be tricky. None of the cruise lines ever came down. He’d have to catch a shuttle at just the right time.

The problem was that the spaceport was closed. Or, rather, always open, but unstaffed.

At least, he could easily pull up the schedules on his TriVid screen at the hotel.

Halden booked the earliest flight he could find and requested a shuttle pickup.

Three days later, he was on a cruiser headed straight for Assalin. It was a much smaller ship than the previous, but it still offered countless amenities... which he ignored. Once again, he was drawn to the open space view of the panorama deck, at the very top of the ship.

Though the memory was still fresh in his mind, he refused to let the shooting dictate his moves. Besides, it was very unlikely something like that would happen again now that he’d been through it once.

So it was with peace of mind that he spent most of the trip contemplating the stars above his head while thinking of how he would tell his story to whoever would want to hear it.

While he had waited for his shuttle, back at the hotel, he had jotted down what details he remembered of his time-traveling experience. He had worried they would fade or that he might misremember them. He reread his notes now, trying to memorize them.

The trip to Assalin would be quite long, as the Emperor’s homeworld was at the very heart of the Imperium. There were quicker ways to travel, of course, but they were much more expensive.

He decided to warn Marthus.

“Assalin?” His friend was clearly surprised. “Why are you going to Assalin?”

Halden shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to. It seemed as good a time as any.”

Marthus pondered this for a moment. “You know what? I’d argue it’s a better time than any, considering how focused you tend to be on your work. I’m glad to see you enjoying yourself for a change.”

He hated lying to his friend like this, but what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t tell him the truth. Marthus would not understand. Besides, it would make him an accessory to Halden’s crime. Nobody could know about him copying that holofile.

“I just needed a change of pace,” he said meekly.

Marthus laughed.

“That has to be the understatement of the year. Well, you’re welcome to take the time you need and go wherever you want. I’ll somehow make it work, don’t worry about it. Just try to avoid the rim.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Thanks, but why not the rim?”

“It’s bound to get heated out there... You haven’t heard?”

“No, what happened?”

“The Qevahri have declared war on the Imperium. They wiped out two Imperial fleets—one at Rimzana, another above Qevahr. It’s got everyone on edge.”

Halden frowned.

“Aren’t they a devout and peace-loving people?”

“Crazy, right? Who would have thought. Anyway, I have to go. Work calls. But do take whatever time you need. I have your back.”

He thanked his friend again before Marthus cut the communication.

Halden stared at the stars above him.

Could this war be connected to the one he’d seen in the future? Had it started already? Was he too late?

No, it couldn’t be. The Qevahri were humans; the creatures he’d seen were not.

But this meant the Emperor already had his hands full and might not be so willing to hear him. It had been a long shot from the beginning, but he still felt like he needed to try.

And if not the Emperor, maybe he could approach one of his advisors.

He’d have two months to come up with a plan, so he decided to just enjoy himself.

During the trip, he heard more news about the war. It baffled everyone. For many reasons. First, it made no sense for a peaceful people like the Qevahri to rebel against the Imperium. Second, they should have been crushed by now. Third, not only had they not been crushed, they were beating the Imperial fleet to a pulp.

What was going on?

Halden had no clue. It was just one more mystery added to the mix.

Another one that troubled him was the recording he’d received from his dead daughter. Since he had not much else to do, he spent time re-watching the video, trying to understand what bugged him.

“It was warm and sunny,” said Lucy to the camera, a big smile on her face. “Such a lovely day. I went to the park with Rees—it’s a new one. They built it right in front of the Regency. It has trees, bushes, a little stream... It’s quite lovely. I’m sure you would love it. I hope you can come and see it soon. We could go together. I miss you, dad!”

He wiped a tear from his eyes, trying to focus.

“Oh! Speaking of the Regency, I went back in for the first time in a decade. You remember how we used to go there when I was a kid? I—”

He paused the video and stared at the image.

His daughter was looking to the side, and the smile had faded from her lips. There was a tightness to her jaw, too.

But what caught his attention was something else.

He only now realized she had mentioned the Regency three times in the recording. Which was unusual. They had not talked about it in years. Why suddenly mention it three times?

It could just be a coincidence.

He fast-forwarded to the second instance.

“I know you’re not happy about it,” she told him with a laugh, “but Rees and I will move when we get married. It won’t be so bad, you’ll see. We’ll always have TriVid, and we’ll drop by to see you. You can come over too, of course. We already picked a place. It’s right next to the Regency. It looks a lot like the one here, where I used to play as a child. You remember that? Of course you do. I was always fond of that place.”

The whole thing was off. Why did she laugh when she talked about moving away and knew he didn’t like it, then became so serious when she referred to a cherished memory?

He skipped to the third mention.

“—I visited the recreation room where I used to play as a kid. It hasn’t changed a bit, can you believe that? They even still have that swing in the atrium that I loved so much.”

Again, her tone was serious. Her smile only returned when she switched to a different topic.

It was odd, because she was cheerful throughout the video. The only times she wasn’t were when she talked about the Regency. Which made no sense.

What did it mean?

He rewound the recording and played the whole thing over again.