Unlike most of his colleagues in the scientific community, Tadek had no burning desire to leave his home planet and set off for some distant, unknown corner of the cosmos in search of either meaning or something more tangible. He had enough meaning right here, and as for material comforts – he had long since grown accustomed to being content with what he had. He was not much of a traveler either, though he had visited many of the world’s largest cities, yet knew them only through their libraries.

Nevertheless, he had promised Tay, with his wife’s eager approval, and to the great delight of Tay’s own spouse that he would one day visit their home on Karina.

«I need some sleep», Tadek thought. «My head refuses to work, and morning, as they say, is wiser than the evening, and certainly far wiser than the dead of night.»

The high-speed hydro-transport was racing through a vast, multilevel water tunnel, the main artery connecting all the moons of Ilion. At peak velocity it was nearly impossible to lift one’s hand from the armrest, and Kane, seated beside Maarv, amused himself by pulling faces, mimicking the expressions of his friends, and quoting their favorite lines and gestures.

The crew of the Armaon had arrived on one of the moons only the day before. Because of the heightened and unprecedented security measures, Iida had gone through considerable effort to obtain clearance even for such a renowned ship and its distinguished crew. The friends still had not lost hope of finding Tarion, who since the tragic events had remained out of contact and was listed among the missing.

The passenger cabin of the transport was almost empty – in recent times, the local inhabitants traveled only when absolutely necessary. Maarv, glancing at Kane, could not stop wondering how he managed to remain so carefree and composed in nearly any situation. Kane never missed a chance to have a bit of fun, especially in a place as extraordinary as this.

«Just imagine what John would say if he saw those blue flashes of the moons against the dark spherical structures», Kane went on. «Something like – ‘The ornament of beauty is suspect, a crow that flies in heaven’s sweetest air.’»

«You’re not bad at it», Maarv laughed. «Sounds just like him!»

Kane looked at his friend in surprise. It had been a long time since any of them had heard Maarv laugh, and the sound lightened his heart a little. The two of them were heading to the Rion representation office, hoping to learn at least something about Tarion’s fate.

The young Rionian clerk shook his head.

«I’m afraid we have no information about the councillor», he said. «We’ve searched for him everywhere, used every possible resource, and came to the conclusion that after the Council meeting he left the moon right at the moment when the enemy ship struck.»

«But there’s no record of his departure!» Kane objected carefully. «We checked everything ourselves. That may mean Tarion is still somewhere here!»

«True», the clerk said thoughtfully. «There is indeed no such record in the system. But the councillor always did things his own way.»

He paused for a moment, then added, «By the way, you’re not the first to inquire about him. About a week ago, two men came here claiming to be from the Security Service», the clerk lowered his voice a little. «They said they were conducting a classified investigation and started asking strange questions.»

The Rionian shifted uneasily in his chair, as if recalling something unpleasant. «Then they demanded access to his personal files in our database. Naturally, we refused – no one has clearance for the councillor’s records, not even us, and that’s well known.»

He drew a slow breath before continuing. «After that, they began to threaten us and promised to return. We filed an official inquiry with the local authorities, but they had never heard of them. They were declared wanted, surveillance footage was reviewed, and we’ve reinforced security here, just in case.»

The friends thanked the Rionian and left the office. A few seconds later, Iida came through on the comm.

«I’ve found out that none of the Council members were harmed», she said, «but at the moment, none of them are on Ilion! Most likely, in the chaos they all scattered to their home worlds, so we’re unlikely to speak with any of them anytime soon. I also learned that someone tried to dig up information about Tarion – I’m sure you’ve already been told that! Anyway, that’s not the main thing.»

«I’ll fill you in on the details when we meet», she hurriedly interrupted Maarv, who was about to ask something. «I suggest you make your way to the Vriinian embassy – let’s meet there! It’s not far from you.»

At the entrance they were met by an entire guard of Vriinian soldiers in full protective armor. After checking their documents, the soldiers saluted smartly.

«Welcome», the security officer said with formal gravity. «You’re expected inside the embassy.»

After receiving special entry tokens at the entrance, Maarv and Kane walked past several offices and descended to the floor below. Two armed guards suddenly stepped out from a narrow alcove, scanned their tokens, and let them through.

«Now this I call unprecedented security measures», Maarv muttered as they passed yet another checkpoint. «Even our supreme ruler isn’t guarded with such pomp. And here, an entire army!»

«It’s more of a psychological thing», Kane smirked. «You know, for reassurance. Everyone understands that if things ever come to a real firefight, no army of soldiers with office scanners is going to help.»

In a small, cozy room reached through a narrow, winding corridor, Iida sat curled in a chair before a huge curved holographic monitor. She was wrapped in a soft blanket, and on the table beside her stood a glass of something that only vaguely resembled coffee. Unlike the earthly kind, the drink was dark green and, though similar in taste, was thicker and more astringent.

At the sight of her friends, she jumped up joyfully and, without bothering to put on her shoes, tiptoed over to Maarv and embraced him warmly. Kane, meanwhile, strolled to the table and unceremoniously took a sip from the glass, grimacing slightly – the drink was bitter, without the slightest hint of sweetener.

«Sit down, my dear friends», Iida said hospitably. «Food will be served in a moment!»

And indeed, the door slid open, and a sleek metal cart rolled quietly into the room. Stopping by the table, it unfolded, revealing an array of delicacies – from freshly made spicy Vriinian galettes and appetizers to an assortment of colorful drinks.

Iida watched them with quiet pleasure as they ate, until at last Maarv protested, nearly choking under such silent scrutiny.

«Well, come on then! Tell us what you’ve managed to find out», he said. «At the Rion embassy they didn’t tell us anything new. Except that some suspicious types have been hanging around, but you get those everywhere, so that’s hardly news!»

«Personally, I’ve learned little – about as much as you have», Iida replied. «But long before we arrived here, I asked one of our ever-resourceful mutual acquaintances to assist us if possible…» She paused, took a deep breath, and went on, «in finding Tarion.»

«So you don’t believe he’s alive?» Maarv said after a moment, half question, half statement. He rose nervously and began to pace the room. «Well… if he were alive, he would have shown up somewhere by now!»

Iida’s monitor flickered on, revealing the image of their ‘ever-resourceful acquaintance’ dressed in a fine, well-tailored uniform with a fur-trimmed cloak thrown over it, the very latest in Vriinian fashion.

«Vriin greets you, my dear friends!» declared Kvaon in his usual grand manner – ceremonious, yet laced with irony, raising his chin slightly. «How fares the valiant crew of the Armaon, dwelling now in the holy of holies of our galaxy?»