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Corps operatives always traveled with civilian documents, though they could, and did, pull in clout when it was necessary. Andrei preferred to slip unnoticed through the public berths.
    Most people hated crowds, but as they were waved through, Andrei again thanked all the reasons crowds were so annoying. All the noise and bustle tended to interfere with people’s ability to really concentrate. Not so him, but most others. And while they stumbled around, he could get his job done.
    Julian tipped his chin toward the line of public conveyances for hire. “Let’s catch one to Vincent’s.” Vincent was Vincenz Fardelle, son of the leader of the Imperialist Universes. He’d left some standard years before, seeking asylum in the Federated Universes, and had been integral to their information gathering here on the Edge.
    Andrei followed him toward the conveyances. Shadows lived in Julian’s gaze. Andrei knew them well enough; he supposed he had some of his own. It did no good to give in to the gulf of grief simply waiting patiently to swallow a man alive.
    Julian was alive. Andrei had known Marame. Intimately for nearly a standard year. He knew she’d agree that being alive was a good, solid thing. It was all a man had at the end of the day when the lights were off and there was no one around to lie to him.
    In the meantime, there was work to be done and Marame wouldn’t have been offended one bit to know they were going to avenge her murder.
    The conveyance driver nodded as Julian gave him the address. Andrei approved of the surly, quiet man who drove expertly through the madness of the crowds.
    Settling back against the cracked, stiff material of the seat, Andrei looked through the window at the passing scene outside. The streets of the portal city teemed with travelers. With vendors and polis. Hustle and bustle, Daniel had called it. But beneath the frenzied stream of people and the hum of their activity there was also tension.
    People were stirred up, scared and feeling adrift. Andrei understood it. He had far more details than they did, and he’d thought himself beyond being stirred up. Not so, as it happens when one discovers one’s enemy capable of biological warfare and collapsing portals, cutting off millions of people.
    Vincenz’s house wasn’t very much farther, but they didn’t want to get out too close, so Julian had the driver pull over, and they walked the rest of the way, each man in his own thoughts, not speaking, but keeping an eye on their surroundings.
    People they passed moved just slightly farther out of the way than was necessary, kept their gazes down. Their insides knew these two men were far more than two guys out for a stroll.
    Vincenz opened his door, his blond hair—nearly as pale as his sister, Carina’s—standing on end. “Come in. The connection just established, so head back.” With that, he turned and hurried back into the house, clearly on a mission. Andrei figured the connection would be Daniel Haws, the leader of Phantom Corps, right hand to Wilhelm Ellis. And their boss.
    Julian locked up, setting the alarms again before trailing Andrei back to the communications center at the heart of Vincenz’s home.
    Vincenz indicated the table with the vid screen at the head. Daniel was there, looking back, his features drawn.
    “Glad to see you’ve made it safely. I want you all on high alert. One of the special teams had two losses last week. Keep your communications to the phoenix level only. Even our contractors are under scrutiny to find these leaks. This new interface is as locked down as we can possibly make it. Please be sure to use this in the future when you communicate back with anyone on these issues unless it is absolutely necessary. The new code has been loaded into your personal comms.”
    Andrei paused, mulling over the way Daniel had just told them they had leaks at high levels within either the Federation Government or within the military corps. Gods, or both. He