Boris took a deep breath, and raised his eyes to look at the Chairman. The man was an intimidating presence, all calm confidence and resolve. “The Rampion accords were signed in a very different time.” He tried to keep his voice steady, “Two centuries ago, Humans still thought they were alone in the universe, and…

Once you felt it, you knew: It had always been there. It had always been racing forward from the ancient past to find this moment. It had been banished once, but it knew that the rituals to return it whence it had come would someday be forgotten, so on that distant, antique day, it chose…