This time, the communication used a covert source-matter wave channel, courtesy of Dr. Warren's arm. Though that excellent military engineer had become the "King of the Worms," with no will of his own, his technical skills were still intact—in fact, sharing the swarm's knowledge had dramatically improved his abilities.
He had organically connected a high-performance technological terminal to the neural network of the Leviathan bio-warship. That meant Shali no longer needed to waste precious zero elements on occult communications whenever she wanted to contact the outside world. She could even sit in the Leviathan's belly, browse the internet, post on message boards, read the news, watch shows, and play games.
Of course, the other party paid for the source-matter wave communications, so Shali didn't mind the expense at all. She was even happy to keep them talking a little longer.
She scrutinized the woman on the screen. Her face was utterly ordinary; only her eyes had that sinister, alluring depth to them. That meant the signal was coming through clearly, and the image quality was as good as it could be.
The King of the Worms was a good bug helper. Shali was very pleased with him. Lately, she'd been hoping more and more to find helpers of his caliber.
She squeezed out a smile. "I should thank you, of course. I may not be some Imperial Dragon King, but I know how to appreciate kindness and repay a debt. Still, doesn't the Thorn Witch's gift come with a price of fate attached from the start?"
The ordinary-looking woman on the other side of the screen merely shrugged, smiling with a folksy warmth. "This isn't my gift. It's a gift from the universe itself. The Spiral Cross Nebula may be the part of the galaxy that most resembles the starry