“Is that a Hun’kui?” said Nicholae. “Indeed it is,” said Vasiliy. “Why is it here?” Vasiliy moved closer to the large tank. “Some month...

Given the boy’s obvious distaste for his homeland, Vasilily couldn’t simply ignore the question of precisely which government Nicholae migh...

“It was a last-minute thing,” said Nicholae, gently peeling his grandfather off of him. “I won’t be staying long.” “Even so,” said Vasiliy,...

They proceeded deeper into the facility, now with Vasiliy’s mind racing about what he might say to his grandson when he saw him. The fallo...

The other man nodded furiously, but it was really the terror in his eyes that convinced Vasiliy that he would listen. He let the guy up an...

Soon enough, the testing facility came into view. It was a gargantuan structure--as Grandfather preferred them to be--being comparable to an...

Vasiliy continued his argument with Regomiss for a while longer, finding no agreement one way or another, until eventually deciding that it ...

‘ No one, as far as I’m concerned ,’ said Regomiss, also in Valgan. ‘ They’re all just spinning their wheels, wasting time and money and ene...

Even after deciding, however, Vasiliy was slow to get up. He was in no rush to deal with all of the nuisances that today was going to bring....

Hector said nothing, instead just letting Caster continue thinking it over. Frankly, if Caster wanted to rescind his offer, then he would be...

And the more Hector mulled it over, the more upsetting this whole thing looked. Inside his helmet, Hector’s brow slowly lowered, and he squi...

Hector eyed the newcomer with skepticism. “Why should I agree to that, exactly?” “Because he will be my eyes,” said Caster, clapping Loren ...

Hmph. The guy could “see” that, huh? Hector wished he had a clearer picture of how this dude’s “sight” worked, but now wasn’t really the tim...

‘ Sounds plausible enough ,’ said Voreese, having hovered up next to Hector, just ahead of Roman. ‘ Our world is one in which the physical a...

Hector knew there was no point in trying to hide it. “It is. You can’t just start building here, though. This is a nationally protected natu...

“Well?” said Hector, removing the Amir-22 from his back and readying it in his hand. “What do you have to say for yourself?” “...It would a...

Hector considered his options for a while longer, eventually settling on the opinion that he didn’t really have any. He simply couldn’t risk...