The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

the Toremi soldier Toum, one of the New Mother’s guards, watches the GC fleet from a feeding garden. He finds the species of the GC confusing. They do not all speak with one voice, and he cannot trust them despite the new alliance. Hiul, a female Toremi, joins him and tries to talk to him about the aliens. She knows that he is conflicted and doubts the course chosen by the New Mother. He becomes angry, but she calmly deflects him by tugging at his feelings of doubt. Hiul is part of a faction within the clan that opposes the alliance. Toum has access to his own ship, and she wants him to let them use it.

The Wayfarer emerges from its final jump to Hedra Ka. The crew is stir-crazy and glad to have arrived. Ashby joins Sissix in the control room where they take their first look at Hedra Ka. It is a primordial planet riven by veins of lava. Ashby is surprised by the design of the Toremi ships that seem very delicate to him. Ashby asks the crew to get clean and dressed to receive visitors. Toum attempts to meditate but finds his thoughts drawn back to Hiul. He cannot admit to himself that he did not kill her because he shares in her doubts. The New Mother tells Toum and Fol, her other bodyguard, that she intends to meet the crew of the Wayfarer.

At a reception aboard a GC ship, the crew, except for Corbin and Ohan, discusses their plans for ship leave after they punch the tunnel. Dr. Chef is jealous of the GC ship’s superior stasie, so Rosemary offers to see if it would be viable to buy a new one. Kizzy tells them that Jenks has plans to go the beaches on Wortheg. Dr. Chef intends to visit his old friend Dave at Port Coriol and do some gardening. Rosemary doesn’t have anywhere to go, so Kizzy invites her to join her at Mudskip Notch when she visits her dads.

Three Toremi enter the reception, the New Mother along with Toum and Fol. As she observes the Toremi, Rosemary realizes that the two guards are carrying weapons sold by her father. Rosemary becomes angry when she realizes that the GC ambassadors are doing the same thing as her father; they will give the Toremi military assistance in exchange for their resources. After the reception, Toum tells the New Mother that he overheard the Wayfarer crew talking by the window and that they do not agree with their leaders. The New Mother explains that the GC species are discordant but speak with one voice at negotiations.

Toum insists that this is false, arguing that the GC species fake their agreement to maintain order. The New Mother invites Toum to speak further. He asks if it is wise to bring still more instability to the clan at a time of such great changes. She tells him that the unity of the Toremi Ka will counter the influence of the aliens. When Toum cannot state his total agreement with the New Mother, she instructs him to meditate on it. As Toum passes GC species in the corridors, he becomes disgusted and determined to sabotage the Toremi Ka’s accession to the GC.

Aboard the Wayfarer, the crew take their stations ahead of the punch. Ohan must be carried to their station. Dr. Chef instructs Ashby to inject Ohan on the back of the neck if they lose feelings in their hands. Ashby tells Ohan that it has been a privilege to work with them, and Ohan respond that, to some degree, they wish they could remain on the crew longer. As the crew goes through its final check, Ashby notices a Toremi ship approaching the safety perimeter. Kizzy begins the bore. As it powers up, Lovey tries to warn Ashby that the Toremi ship is building up energy. The shot from the Toremi ship hits the Wayfarer right as the tunnel opens, and the ship goes tumbling into the sublayer.