Even so, no sooner had the Nipponese man’s words died than a flat, feminine tone filled the air, piped through hidden speakers on every level, confirming my guess. “Imperial forces have entered the system,” it said, then repeated itself in Mandari, “Repeat: Imperial forces have entered the system.” I shut my eyes. Hope was not lost. Though hope was a cloud, I prayed silently then that Lin and Lorian and the lesser captains would prove a thunderhead indeed.
