Spy Individual

"Decelerate!"

Following the cluster leader's command, the antimatter shields directly ahead of the jump organisms flared with blinding light. Reverse thrust began slowing the entire jump-organism cluster. The star-rainbow phenomenon gradually weakened, and the stars filling the sky slowly slipped free of the star-rainbow ring, returning to their proper positions.

What entered the Collectors' field of vision was their destination: the source of the distress signal, the star system that had given birth to the Kax civilization.

"All units, alter course, 37.84 degrees!"

After glancing toward their destination, the cluster leader issued a new command to the cluster.

The entire jump-organism cluster began to alter its heading, approaching the star system at an oblique angle.

"Our objective is to understand that insect species before they understand us. Therefore, the cluster cannot rashly enter the star system. Doing so would be equivalent to revealing information to them in advance."

The cluster leader spoke over the channel again, lest any individual overlook this crucial point. If the other side came to understand the Collectors instead, the collective would be placed at a severe disadvantage.

However, preventing information leakage entirely was impossible. As long as something existed, it constantly released information into the outside world, and once it began moving, it released even more.

Individuals within the cluster had already determined that every intelligent life-form in the destination star system had learned of their cluster's approach.

"The intense gamma radiation produced by our deceleration should already have drawn their attention."

When decelerating from near-light-speed travel, matter-antimatter annihilation released enormous amounts of gamma radiation. This effectively added a star to the cosmic background—something visible in the night sky even to the naked eye without instruments.

Unless the intelligent species in the star system—the Kax and the insect species—were both blind, there was no way