Editing Summary:Evershore

When they returned to the feast, Jorgen found the other members of Skyward Flight helping prepare food. Kauri had thought it rude of the kitsen to have their guests working, but FM had insisted. As the feast begins, Goro boasts that their full bellies will make them more easy for his champion to slay. Jorgen meets Juno, a kitsen lorekeeper. Jorgen asks Juno about the food, and about the dangers of sailing on the oceans. Jorgen grows uncomfortable with the conversation, and leaves to walk down to the beach, feeling the pressure of all sorts of matters pressing down on him. FM comes by, concerned about him. She tries to talk to Jorgen about his parents’ death, but Jorgen refuses to discuss it, saying that he’s fine. He orders FM to go prepare for the senate meeting to avoid the topic, then watches sadly as the other members of the flight have fun on the beach together.

Jorgen, Skyward Flight, Kauri, Juno, and Goro attend a senate meeting for a discussion of the human’s proposal of an alliance, though Cuna doesn’t attend, largely becuase Jorgen worries about them offending the kitsen. Adi, the director of the senate, moderates the discussion with impartiality, giving Kauri and Goro the floor first. Goro asserts that the humans are violent and are invaders, saying that they must be taught a lesson through trial by combat. Kauri defends the humans, saying that they are friendly, and are there mainly to retrieve their injured comrades. Kauri argues that the humans of the past were invaders, but that the kitsen and the current humans have a common enemy: the Superiority.

After being invited to speak, Jorgen tells the senate that he is sincere, and has no interest in fighting them. Jorgen lets his mind wander as the senators debate, and his parents’ death plays over and over again in his mind. His emotions wind up inside of him, and suddenly release as he shoots out mindblades everywhere into the senate chamber. Though the blades aren’t formed enough to badly injure any kitsen, the mindblades cause complete chaos in the senate meeting. Jorgen eventually gets the senate’s attention, and tries to recover and ask the kitsen once again to join him, spinning his explosion as a show of the power he has at his disposal to use against the Superiority. He tells them of what happened to his parents and the National Assembly, then leaves abruptly.

Jorgen arrives at the medical tent, and one of the med techs reports that when they tried to move Cobb and Gran-Gran, their condition deteriorated rapidly. They decide to not to take risks, and to treat them there for the time being. Jorgen tries communicating with Gran-Gran again, but to no avail. He wonders if perhaps their minds got stuck in the nowhere without their bodies. Juno says that Cobb and Gran-Gran first emerged in the main kitsen library, so the group heads there. One of the walls in the library is a smooth stone slab, with cytonic power radiating from it. Jorgen realizes that it must be a portal to the nowhere, like the one on Detritus. At Jorgen’s prompting, Juno says that all their cytonics met in a great summit in the room to compile knowledge, but they disappeared. Jorgen theorizes that the kitsen cytonics got sucked into the portal, and are trapped there, and calling for help. Before he has time to think on it more, Arturo radios Jorgen to tell him a Superiority carrier ship has arrived. Juno volunteers to accompany Jorgen into combat to help him with his mindblades.

As more kitsen come through the portal, Cobb and Gran-Gran begin to stir, though Kel says that they won’t be in good enough shape to help in the fighting. Jorgen contacts Alanik, who reports a bomber ship, with what Jorgen knows is a lifebuster. Jorgen speaks into Arturo’s mind using his ability, and Arturo reports that the lifebuster ship is heading for Dreamspring. Going out onto the beach again, Jorgen gives orders for Alanik to try and get the lifebuster out and into the atmosphere. Jorgen also offers to let the kitsen senators escape to Detritus using the transport they’d intended for Cobb and Gran-Gran, and assigns a few members of Skyward Flight to oversee it. Kimmalyn shoots down the bomber, and Alanik snags the bomb with her light-lance. She takes it out of range and hyperjumps away as it explodes. More Superiority carriers arrive, and this time their pilots spread out to attack other kitsen cities. Jorgen sees that their goal is to make the kitsen pay a heavy price by inflicting a lot of collateral damage.

After the battle, Jorgen overlooks the city of Dreamspring. Though its lower structures are heavily damaged, the main upper city remains mostly unharmed. Jorgen apologizes to Juno for what happened, then goes down to meet Stoff, who is arriving. As Cobb walks up, Jorgen decides not to expose Stoff’s cowardice. FM, however, speaks bluntly and honestly to Cobb, saying that he dumped all the responsibility on Jorgen. Cobb reprimands Stoff, and tells him to leave. FM also leaves at Cobb’s request, and Jorgen apologizes to Cobb for acting rashly. Cobb tells Jorgen that he had been awake for a while, listening in on the radio, but hadn’t let the medtechs tell Jorgen lest it distract him. Cobb decides to promote Jorgen to vice admiral, which is a shock to Jorgen. Cobb also decides to retire from service, at least for a time, and gives operational command to Jorgen. Cobb reasons that Jorgen and his flight have the most experience with other planets and the Superiority now, and that people who don’t want to take control make the best leaders. Cobb tells Jorgen that his parents would’ve been proud of him, and Jorgen breaks down crying. Cobb comforts him, and tells him he can do what he wishes with Stoff. Jorgen decides to relieve Stoff of his position, but to not punish him further.