Winter World (The Long Winter #1)(53)

I haven’t blushed this hard since middle school. “Well, I doubt that.”

“Don’t believe her, guys,” Harry calls out. “She’s the all-star in the lab.”

James introduces the Fornax crewmembers by name, and they greet me in their native tongues.

“Bonjour.”

“Ciao.”

“Hi, Emma.”

And last, Dan Hampstead. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

And just like that, I feel a part of the family again.

James addresses both groups: “The last thing to discuss is what to do from here. We’ve transferred the plans for the Midway drones to you all. We’re going to launch the fleet as soon as it’s assembled. After that, we’re going to inspect the unresponsive Janus comm drone when it returns. I don’t think we can make a plan until we know what happened to that drone.”

There are nods among both crews.

Antonio, Min’s counterpart on the Fornax, is the first to speak. “That sounds reasonable. Listen, we’ve had a long discussion here. Without drone-building capability, we feel the Fornax’s best use is offensive.”

There’s a long pause, neither side reacting.

Dan Hampstead speaks for the first time. “Just so we’re all on the same page, I want to add that the nuke isn’t like the drones. It will need to be piloted from the ship. That means active comm traffic. The artifact could be capable of evasive maneuvers, and it might trace the nuke back to the ship. Whatever ship fires the nuke needs to be able to fly it—and we should recognize the risk profile of that action.”

The implication is clear: once the Fornax launches the nuke, it’ll have a target painted on its back.

There’s no hint of hesitation from the Fornax crew, only unblinking resolve. Their selfless act has given us all pause. It’s humbling. And inspiring.

James nods. “All fair points. Let’s see what we find out from the comm drone and go from there.” He looks up at the screen and the crew of the Fornax. “It was so good to see you all.”

An hour later, the tether is detached and the ships are drifting away from each other, and I think every single one of us on the Pax is thinking the same thing: that may be the last time we ever see the crew of the Fornax.





The Janus comm drone has returned. The scout drone attached itself to it and has pulled it in.

We’re all gathered in the bubble, waiting for Lina to establish a comm-patch connection with the scout.

“Contact,” Lina says, hunched over her tablet.

James asks the first question.

“When did the drone lose power?”

Lina: “Right after first contact.”

Charlotte: “A software glitch?”

Lina bristles at the comment. “Possible. Doubtful.”

James: “What can the scout drone tell us?”

Lina: “Not much via comm patch.” She works the tablet. “The comm drone issued the Fibonacci numbers via multi-frequency broadcast. Response from Beta after the forty-sixth number. The comm drone issued the forty-eighth Fibonacci number. Response from the artifact is non-numeric. A complex message. Then nothing. Log file ends.”

Charlotte: “We need to see that message.”

Min: “I agree.”

Harry unlatches from the tablet. “Shall I prep the guest suite? I mean, the cargo module?”

That gets a few laughs. Except for James. He’s looking away from the group. I can almost see the wheels turning in that big brain of his. Harry is almost out of the bubble when James speaks, quickly, his voice distant. “No.”

Everyone stops.

“No, Harry, we need to keep it outside the ship.”

Before Harry can answer, he continues. “Emma, use the arms to get it from the scout. Attach a data tether. Lina, we need a firewall. Not a software firewall. Full isolation.”

She nods. “Of course. I can attach a system directly to the tether. It will have no connectivity to the ship’s systems.”

“Good.”

Charlotte seems annoyed by all this. “Can I ask what’s going on here?”

“Drone could be Trojan Horse,” says Grigory.

James still doesn’t look up. “Yes. That complex message could have been a virus. Or the artifact could have disabled the drone some other way. And lastly, it could be a simple malfunction. We need to figure out what happened to it. And fast.”





The control module is cramped. I’m working the panel for the robotic arms, Lina sits beside me with a tablet connected directly to the tether, and James, Harry, Min, Grigory, and Izumi are all crammed in behind us.

On the second try, I connect the tether to the drone’s data port.

Lina taps quickly, her hand almost a blur.

“It’s dead. Won’t even respond to a diagnostic.”

Silence. All eyes drift to James. He has that far-off look again.

“Open it up.”

“Out there?” Grigory snaps. “We’re going—”

“I know how fast we’re going.” James’s voice is neutral. He doesn’t make eye contact with Grigory. Instead he looks directly at me. “Activate the cameras on the arms. Be very careful when you open it. It’s important.”