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you on the way.”
    After I hear him out regarding the interdiction on La’heng’s ports, I nod. “I’ll contact Leviter and Tarn tonight.”
    “Excellent.” He turns to Zeeka. “How are you coming with the demolitions training? I need a specialist.”
    The Mareq gives his wide, openmouthed smile. “As best I can. It’s hard to locate helpful texts. The ones I do find are old or outdated.”
    Yeah, for obvious reasons, the Nicuan nobles don’t want the La’hengrin having access to that kind of information. Though they can’t fight, I’m not clear on how far the boundaries stretch. Could they trap an expanse of land? The result would certainly be aggressive, but since they wouldn’t be doing it directly…well, I’ll have to ask Loras. It might be a loophole we can use out in the provinces.
    Zeeka goes on, “But Vel is helping me.”
    On some planets, you could totally get an annex class in
How to Blow Things Up
, but La’heng isn’t one of them. The nobility controls credits, policy, and education, all the betterto keep the natives ignorant and subservient. There’s an underclass among the Nicuan, too, but they had the opportunity to learn before they arrived on world, along with the rest of the house retinue.
    Loras nods. “Keep at it. I need you ready to go in three weeks. Will you be set then?”
    “I will be.” This kid—he’s an adult, but it’s hard for me to think of him as such since I’ve known him since he was a tadpole—gives 110 percent.
    The Mareq have relatively short life spans. They’re grown by five, middle-aged by twenty, and die between forty and forty-five turns. Fortunately, they breed and gestate fast—and in large numbers. They also possess the J-gene, which is rare and lets them navigate faster-than-light ships. Few humans have the capability, and NBS—Navigator Burnout Syndrome—has led to a dearth of jumpers who can take ships safely through grimspace. It’s possible that in a hundred turns, the Mareq will solve the navigator shortage; the star roads will be full of Mareq. When I realize I’ll likely live to find out—via the experimental nanites that prevent normal aging—the epiphany startles me.
    Damn.
Loras is talking, and I’ve missed half of it. I glance at Vel, who inclines his head. He’ll catch me up if I pretend to be current for the rest of the conversation. I tune in with renewed focus.
    “…so it all hinges on Leviter and Tarn. This attack, in and of itself, won’t be enough to get the planet locked down.”
    “There will be damage on multiple fronts,” I say, “but not the kind that closes ports.”
    “Exactly. We need spin.”
    I nod. “Leviter’s specialty.”
    “March is coming, isn’t he?” Loras asks. “Four or five days from now?”
    Oh, March. At last.
Mentally, I do a happy dance, but I don’t show any of my euphoria or trepidation. Outwardly, I’m cool.
    “His visit won’t affect the timetable. He’s staying for two weeks, and you have us scheduled to move in three.”
    “I wasn’t questioning your right to have visitors, Jax.” Loras aims a smirk at me.
    “I sounded defensive as hell, didn’t I?”
    Zeeka says, “Pretty much.”
    This can only lead to ribbing, so I zip my lips for the remainder of our walk. When we get back to the house, Vel updates me with the rest of Loras’s strategy, and it’s solid. Though I’m not a tactician myself, I appreciate a cunning plan.
    In the morning, I set up a meeting with Tarn and Leviter. It doesn’t take long to explain what we need, and Leviter agrees to do his part. On the bounce, he can make the attacks look worse than they are, and he can pull the strings on high-ranking officials to push for getting La’heng classified as a red port, no ships in or out.
    Without a single shot fired, the war has begun.

CHAPTER 4
    March strides toward me like a conquering hero.
    Instinctively, the people between him and me clear out of his path, recognizing the determined demeanor of a