The Temporal Void Read Free

ascertain, we should manage to stay ahead of the boundary. It’s expanding at about three or four lightyears an hour. That gives us a huge safety margin.’
    ‘Is the data still coming in?’ Justine asked.
    ‘Some of it. It’s patchy now, there’s a lot going on in the Wall we don’t understand. I expect most of the disturbances we’re registering are coming from the Raiel defence systems, but even so we can keep a reduced watch until the sensors are overcome. We’re relaying as much as we can to the Navy Exploration Division centre back home.’
    ‘I see.’
    Justine watched the other starships reach her altitude, feeling strangely annoyed with them and herself. Surely there was something else to be done other than simply flee? It smacked of not a little cowardice, ignorant peasants cowering from the lightning storm, howling that the gods were angry, looking for a sacrifice to appease them. And we stopped that nonsense millennia ago. Yet for all our enlightenment we’re right back there sheltering from the onslaught in our nice dry cave. Then the ships were accelerating past her, starting to disperse as they headed back towards their own home stars. The Forleene were the first to go ftl, slipping down into wormholes which closed immediately, a last farewell hanging in the ether from their pack leader.
    The Silverbird ’s cabin rocked again. Eighty million miles away the DFs were streaking into a low orbit against the darkening star. The motion hardened her determination. This is not the way it should be .
    ‘Dad?’
    ‘Still here.’
    ‘What have the Raiel said about the expansion?’
    ‘Sweet fuck all. The High Angel is a lifeboat, remember. Their defence systems are all concentrated round your part of the galaxy. Anyway, we can hardly blame them for not telling us anything. Right now every sentient species in the galaxy is pissed at us over the Pilgrimage, and who can blame them. I’m pissed at us.’
    ‘I know. That’s why I’m going in,’ she said, surprising herself at the speed of the thought.
    ‘You’re doing what ?’
    ‘Heading in to the Void.’ Even as she told him she was instructing the smartcore, laying down the course. Fast. Before I chicken out .
    ‘You’re doing no such thing, my girl.’
    The Silverbird dropped smoothly into hyperspace, heading in towards the Wall stars at fifty lightyears an hour. ‘Tell him,’ she said to her father. ‘Tell the Second Dreamer. Get him to ask the Skylord to let me in. Once I’m in, once I’m talking to the Skylord direct, I’ll try to explain the situation, the damage their boundary is causing.’
    ‘Get your ass back here right fucking now!’
    ‘Dad. No. This is our chance at a diplomatic solution. The Raiel have tried force for a million years. It doesn’t work.’
    ‘Come back. You can’t get in. This thing is killing the whole fucking galaxy. Your ship . . .’
    ‘Humans can get in, we already know that. Somehow we can do it. And if the Second Dreamer helps me, I’ll stand a really good chance.’
    ‘This is insane.’
    ‘I have to do this, Dad. Somebody has to make the effort. We have to try a human method. We’re part of this galaxy now, a big part. It’s our turn to attempt our way. We have the right.’ The blood was pounding in her ears as she hyped herself up. ‘I’m going to carry the torch for all of us. If I fail, then . . . we try something else. That’s being human, too.’
    ‘Justine.’
    Over thirty thousand lightyears she could feel his anguish. For a split second, she shared it. ‘Dad, if anyone can get to the Second Dreamer, if anyone can make them see reason, it’s you, it’s the Gore Burnelli. All he has to do is tell the Skylord I’m out here. Ask him. Beg him. Offer him riches. Whatever it takes. You can do it. Please, Dad.’
    ‘God- damn , why are you always so fucking difficult?’
    ‘I’m your daughter.’
    Bitter laughter echoed across the stars. ‘Of course I’ll ask. I’ll do a damn