A low-frequency vibration hummed through the soles of his boots. It wasn't an earthquake; it was rhythmic. A pulse. "Command," Elias whispered, "the rock is warm."
He looked up at the gas giant above him. In the shifting clouds of the planet, he saw the same patterns—gigantic, floating nervous systems miles wide, feeding on the radiation of the star. He looked at the asteroid belt, seeing now that the rocks weren't tumbling aimlessly; they were drifting like plankton in a cosmic current. A low-frequency vibration hummed through the soles of
Elias didn't move. He realized then the gravity of the ancient law they had ignored. Space wasn't a void to be filled. It was a crowded room. it was rhythmic. A pulse. "Command