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Flinx stepped forward before his host could reply. “The threat comes from behind a region known as the Great Emptiness, an area of sky blocked by an immense gravitational lens that is impenetrable to the usual array of astronomical instruments.”

“Assikk,” the Emperor murmured. “It iss invissible to telesscopess, to deep-sspace ssenssorss, to magnifying insstrumentation of all kindss—but, asstonisshingly, not to you.” He glanced disdainfully at the anxious Eiipul. “And evidently, not to certain sselected oness.”

“I can show it to you, too,” Flinx responded without hesitation. “That is, not show, exactly. It's far too big to show, or to try and comprehend visually. What I can offer is more in the nature of a shared experiencing. I didn't lie to Lord Eiipul about it and I won't lie to you. The sharing can be dangerous. Not every sentient can handle the experience.”

For a second time, Navvur W gestured amusement. “You will forgive me if I decline your generouss offer, ssoftsskin. There iss only one of me and I wass not raissed up to thiss ssupreme possition to wasste irreplaceable time ssharing ‘experiencess’ with crazed ssoftsskins, however bold they may be. I have little enough time each day in which to disscuss important experiencess with my own advisserss.” He started to turn away again, his tail barely in motion.

“I am ssure, however, that ranking memberss of the Ssecurity Sservicess will find your ramblingss entertaining—at leasst for a little while. They will, I fear, be far more interessted in how you as a repressentative of your sspeciess ssucceeded in arriving ssafely here on Blasussarr without attracting their attention than in any of your entertaining but less ssenssible ramblingss. I will mysself be interessted in the ressultss of thosse engagementss. I ssusspect your revelationss may ressult in damage to more than a few careerss.” With a soft hiss, he turned back to his resting post.

“Remove the creature. Keep me apprissed of any worthwhile findingss that may ressult from itss interrogation. Lord Eiipul I will deal with later. He iss desserving of a little time to get hiss family affairss in order.”

Swallowed up as bodyguards and a handful of close retainers and advisers closed in around him, the Emperor disappeared. Soldiers and nobles immediately pressed forward to contain Flinx and his increasingly panicky host. Weapons were raised and aimed in Pip's direction. Uncertain which of the numerous targets below to deal with first, she flew higher and waited for some kind of indication from her master as to how she should respond.

Flinx found himself reflecting sadly that there was no time. Never enough time to do anything the way he preferred to do it. It didn't seem to matter which sentient he was trying to connect with: a member of his own kind, thranx, AAnn, representatives of other species. Individual minds were always so impatient, individual bodies unable to wait.

A plethora of clawed hands reached for him. He knew he had one chance. It was not the first time in his life he had only had one chance. On that proverbial one chance had frequently hinged his hopes of accomplishing wildly different things.

Facing the place where the Emperor had been surrounded by his protectors, Flinx closed his eyes and focused. Like it or not, the casually dismissive leader of the Empire was going to see what Flinx had seen, experience what he had experienced. Flinx concentrated as hard as he ever had, intent on transporting the mind of that one supremely powerful representative of AAnn-kind along with him on the difficult and dangerous mental journey he had made so many times before. He felt himself slipping, slipping, away from his surroundings, away from the noise and the eyes and the reaching alien hands. It was happening again. Even there in The Eye of the Nye it was happening. He anticipated it, he foresaw it, he expected it.

What he did not expect was taking along all of them….

So many stars, brilliant and blinding. So many nebulae, vast and diffuse. Above all, so much space, stark