General Claymore made some sensory fumbling in the direction of the blue beam before feeling the cool, breezy contact. It wasn’t immediately easy to do things without a familiar corporeal form. How does one grab without hands? Just… grab. When the connection was there, he felt the extent of its channels – by way of the Signalman’s internal pathway to receptive Vedani counterparts, branching toward their frontline programming into a fractally multiplied magnitude of connections to the variety of entry points in their targets. There was a fresh tingle at these ends, like they had literally just now repurposed this technology for what they were about to attempt; yet there was a solidity of competence. While they may have just now done this, this is exactly the sort of thing they can do.

He let go and grabbed on to the tether, let go and grabbed on, like fiddling with a microphone, feeling the difference of connection and disconnect. The bare technical details were rapidly discussed with Sturlusson and a forthcoming Vedani presence, who merely and quickly stated themselves as Vedani – a new enough concept to General Claymore. He now knew what to say to the soldiers, and was feeling those distinct breaths that come before telling people what to do with their lives in the face of risk.

Coming to a decision, he addressed Raev Sturlusson first. “I want you to send me with them. Can you do that?”

“You have this connection… we, they, could actually do that. From ‘here’.” Sturlusson paused. “Your body would go, too. You know there’s a chaotic element to this emergency rescue which precludes us knowing exactly where you will end up, besides in relative safety. Are you sure you want to do that?”

“I’m sure that I’m sending them with little other option. I think this is the only way that I can choose to do so. Wherever we go, however we go, I will help them from there. And then, I think they’ll go.”

“Okay, then we will do that. I hope you’re wearing something.” Sturlusson sounded as though he knew this kind of situation.

“Be that as it may.”