A dull knock broke the silence.
"Dad!"
Osborne and his daughter jolted awake, both looking dazed and at a loss.
Their flight over the past few days had left their nerves on edge. The slightest disturbance brought frightening possibilities to mind.
Had they broken some Imperial law?
The rumble of battle that followed frightened them even more. If space bugs were attacking, that would be worse still.
"Mr. Osborne, are you awake?
I'm the community grid officer. Sister Carly has an important matter to confirm with you—"
The grid officer's voice came through the door. He sounded courteous, as though he had simply come to discuss something.
Osborne calmed down a little when he recognized the voice.
It belonged to Lord Barid, the Imperial grid officer responsible for community affairs and for monitoring the population in this area.
Even so, Osborne remained nervous. Why had the officer come to see him so early?
Were he and his daughter about to be thrown off the ship again?
They had only just found stability, along with a home and a job beyond anything they had dreamed of.
It was hope. He couldn't bear to have it taken away and be left homeless again.
"Stay in your room, and don't move. Dad will see what's going on."
Osborne did not dare delay.
He didn't know what the grid officer wanted, but refusing to open the door was out of the question.
That would violate the law.
If he did, he might well be judged a threat, bringing Order Management Department personnel to enforce compliance.
Such measures were necessary.
Genestealers had already infiltrated the Human Federation, and the Tendril Swarm kept using spatial means to send in new infiltrators. No matter how thoroughly the Imperium screened and searched, some could still slip through.
They