I am once again indebted to a team of people who were very giving of their considerable skills. Jennifer Donovan and Hannah O’Grady were always ready to assist behind the scenes. Kristopher Kam and Sarah Bonamino were invaluable for getting the word out. Edwin Chapman’s eagle eye saved me from any number of little mistakes and from some big ones as well. Ian Tregillis was the guinea pig who read the rough draft and offered numerous brilliant observations so that the readers who followed him didn’t have to suffer as much. Second readers, John Chris Hocking and Kelly McCullough, rode to my rescue with keen eyes and sharpened quills when I needed them most, and I’ll be forever grateful for their timely and essential feedback. Pete Wolverton was an ever-steadying hand, keeping the story and characters honest and on the proper path. Bob Mecoy was always ready to assist, and helped with plot knots and sanity checks as the deadline ticked down. Lastly, an extra-special thank-you is owed my long-suffering wife, Shannon, whose work on this text was invaluable. A whole lot of idiotic things are absent thanks to her, and an untold number of passages are finer for her insight and input.