It was at that moment that IT swept past him. There was a brief feeling of darkness and unbelievable cold that left him gasping. His ears popped, and his eyes watered. There was a faint “bump” that momentarily shifted everything. And his heart rate shot up.

What was that? He wondered. 

His staff and pack were still nestled close to him, but as he looked around, he realized everything else was different. Although he was no tree expert, these trees were different. They were rougher and older. And the green in their foliage was darker. The pale blue sky had thin white lines arcing high overhead. There was still a path, but it was subtly different as well. There were no borders or markers anywhere in sight. Only a packed-earth pathway winding through a changed landscape. Almost more like a game trail.

Harry stood, and once again shouldered his pack and gripped his staff. Perhaps harder than necessary. There was no option but to proceed. Sitting here would not solve the question of what had just happened. He briefly considered the possibility that the Cascadia subduction had snapped. It had been forecast for a long time now.

But… No. There was no earthquake. And trees didn’t change, and the sky didn’t gain lines, and a chill wind didn’t sweep through the forest because of an earthquake. He could do nothing more than put one foot in front of the other until he could come up with a better answer. 

The shuttle Dauntless sent to pick Taggerty up was as new as the ship itself. In this configuration, there were cushioned seats. Over the course of his career, helping to fight the forces arrayed against EarthGov, he had been in his share of beat-up and shot-up shuttles. Most of those had solid benches to stack troopers and weapons. This was a pleasant change.

Taggerty settled into the seat and leaned back. After twisting his head and neck, he could hear the cartilage crack. He circled his shoulders and flexed his hands. His body appeared to be functioning as it should. Although it kept a battered and sore feeling. He attempted to shrug it off.

Within the space shuttle’s passenger cabin, he was alone. He hesitated to relax, even a little. Until Dauntless left orbit under his command, disaster could still strike. He was certain that the unknown forces were still trying to halt or delay his mission.

There had been so many roadblocks to planning and building the first starship in 250 years. Like funding freezes, experienced crewmen transferred, and many others. It had concluded with the attack in his room. He knew that it had been luck as much as skill that had saved him.

The shuttle pilot stuck his head through the cockpit doorway. He was tall and slim, with black hair and dark brown eyes. “Just you and me today, sir. Everyone else has boarded Dauntless. If you are cinched up, we can proceed.”

“I am loaded and latched, Pilot Yilmaz. Don’t delay on my account.”

The pilot grinned and gave a two-finger salute to his brow before retreating into the cockpit.

Moments later, Taggerty felt the shuttle lift off. He was breaking his last tie to Earth. The years spent shepherding and using every family and political connection he had available to convey Dauntless over the finish line had finally reached this point.

He pulled out his e-notes and was reviewing personnel files as the shuttle rose into the air. Unnecessary traffic around the Kourou Spaceport was discouraged. Compared with most such installations, that was largely the case.

It was one reason the EarthGov Dauntless Team had picked this location for their ground facility. They had noticed less local interference here. He was swiping pages when the shuttle lurched violently to the side. His e-notes slipped from his hand and flew across the compartment.

“You okay back there?” the pilot yelled.

Taggerty straightened in his seat and checked his surroundings. Luckily, he had remained strapped in. Except for his e-notes lying on the floor out of his reach, it was all intact.

“Yes,” he called back. “What happened?”

The unseen pilot answered. “It looked like an out-of-control drone. A large one, too. If I hadn’t noticed it when I did, it would have hit us amidships. Not to toot my own horn, but we got lucky. It was moving fast. Do you want to return and report it?”

The captain considered for a moment. “No, continue as you were. You can message it in from Dauntless. I don’t want to be delayed by a careless drone.”