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thirty seconds to elapse. The light grew more intense and flared as the unit sent a beacon skyward and a matching anchor into the rock under it.
    “I can’t believe that we are growing a Citadel.” She stood with her arms around him, and he didn’t seem to mind.
    “Keep watching, it is starting.” His arm around her back moved in a soothing motion.
    She smiled. Hugging him had been an impulse, but continuing the embrace was taking a lot of nerve. His hand on her back told her that the contact was not unwanted.
    With her family structure the way it was, she had no prospects as far as gentlemen were concerned. Bright was smart, handsome and had a flare for keeping track of her that she was beginning to appreciate.
    As she watched, the nanites did their job and the tower spiralled upward. “Oh, my.”
    They sat and watched as hours passed and the stone beneath the new base was turned into the extruded grid of the towers and eventually thin but tough films of windows.
    “Wow. I didn’t think it would actually work.” Shiver chuckled and watched the outbuildings rise from the ground in a spiralling wave.
    Bright smiled. “Frankly, neither did I. I had heard of the Teklan experiment, but the Avari’s technology is so powerful, it is nearly mythological. That they are willing to part with any of it is entirely due to the new Alliance Ambassador. She has married one of their elders, and now, as long as the tech disables itself after its programmed duty, they are willing to sell us instant bases.”
    “I am not going to ask what she does to get that agreement.”
    He chuckled. “Neither am I, but I am guessing she does it very well.”
    A chime rang out, and Shiver moved out of the very comfortable embrace, returning to the shuttle and grabbing rolls of endless, fine cable.
    Bright followed her and carried his own burden. The spindles projected from the front of the building, and when the cable was threaded in place, they activated the sensors and the spools began to unravel.
    Wires moved into the structure and were connected to each floor, each room and each terminal.
    The Avari had been very precise with their instructions for building the structure. The plumbing was worked out via a complex ground water and filtration system. The gardens growing behind the tower would use up the water after the tower had its way with it.
    After another hour of watching, Bright brought out meals for them as the sun went down.
    He smiled. “So, when do you think the Miikor will arrive?”
    “They are ten minutes out. I can feel their vehicles. The local area is too rocky for most aircraft. The vertical takeoff is a necessity.” Shiver ate her sandwich and sipped her soup from a cup.
    “You can feel them coming?”
    “Of course. I don’t just cause the tremors, I can feel them. I can tell how many, what sort of vehicles and how fast. I also know all the roads around here. They are now nine minutes out.”
    “Then, finish up and we will get ready to entertain.” Bright’s shoulders straightened and his eyes gleamed. He wanted the welcoming committee to know that they were not dealing with locals. The glowing eyes were a pretty good clue.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Shiver stood next to her partner with the glowing Citadel still sprouting behind them.
    Military police were next to the chancellor himself. He walked toward them, and to Shiver’s shock, he extended his hand.
    She had pulled on the gloves that completed her clothing, and it was when she lifted her hand to his that he saw that she was completely covered. The flicker of expression made her suspicious, and as she shook his hand and introduced herself, she felt something crunch against her palm.
    The light waft of krisk sap made her chuckle. “Chancellor, I am so happy to meet you at long last.”
    She gripped his hand in both of hers and gave a sharp twist. The chancellor winced.
    “Shiver; what an interesting name.”
    She rattled his body with her talent and smiled