To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

The Knot of Minds is waiting for them at Tschetter’s coordinates. Falconi wakes up the crew, but they decide to leave Gregorovich in cryo until Vishal can examine him. Tschetter and Lphet, the head of the Knot of Minds, come to the Wallfish. Tschetter tells them that the Seeker has escaped and that there is a conflict between one of the largest UMC fleets and the other Jellies. They wish to stop it before damage is done and have a plan to escort the Wallfish to the largest Jelly ship as a captured ship. Once there, Kira and the xeno will destroy Ctein, who is in the largest ship. It is the first time in four hundred years Ctein has left their planet, and they need Kira because Ctein has genetically programmed the Jellies to be unable to harm it.

Tschetter suggests that Falconi send the Wallfish in with Gregorovich alone as pilot. The crew decide that Gregorovich deserves to take part in the conversation, so they wake him up but cannot get a response from him. In the end, the crew and the Entropists all decide to go on the ship with Gregorovich. When they arrive at the location, they see the UMC Seventh Fleet is clearly unmatched. The Jelly fleet is mining a small, nearby planet. The Knot of Minds arranges their ships around the Wallfish as they approach the Jelly fleet. They contact Admiral Klein, who is in charge of the Seventh Fleet, tell him the plan, and ask him to hold his fire. Klein agrees, thinking he can convince The League to ally themselves with the Knot of Minds.

After examining the ship’s mind, Vishal tells the crew that within a day Gregorovich’s connections will be severed, isolating him completely. Kira believes she can use the Soft Blade to heal the ship’s mind. Over the crew’s objections, Falconi agrees. Kira repairs Gregorovich’s damaged connections and finds herself connecting to him. She experiences the memory of his shipwreck and isolation, but he is deeply withdrawn, and after the repair work is done, she retreats. The xeno formed a direct neural link between herself and Gregorovich, and for a time they had a hive mind, like the Entropists. She has repaired him, but they still do not know if he will ever fully return to himself.

That night, Kira is filled with fear for the next day. She goes to Falconi’s cabin, and on the way, she sees Nielsen going into Vishal’s cabin. Falconi is awake and welcomes her into his cabin. They talk and then have sex. They fall asleep and Kira has a dream about the xeno, but it is abstract and only partly comprehensible. During the dream, the xeno apologizes for the Adra crew’s death. It also communicates its name: Seed. Kira wakes up understanding how badly she has misused the xeno.

The Wallfish and the Knot of Minds ships arrive at the Battered Hierophant, the Jelly’s largest command ship, which has Ctein on board. The Jellies, who are simultaneously fighting the UMC, have directed Tschetter to bring in the Wallfish for examination. When they get within range, Falconi orders Sparrow to load the Casaba-Howitzers, but the Hierophant turns as the first missile is launched, ruining their best chance of destroying the ship and Ctein. Jelly shuttles are heading toward the Wallfish, and their systems are being hacked. They are hit, heavily damaged, and prepare to be boarded by the Jellies.

The aliens swarm into the ship. One of the Jellies uses Runcible the pig to taunt and bait them. Gregorovich suddenly comes to life, telling the Jelly to put the pig down. He closes a door on the Jelly’s tentacle, severing it and freeing the pig. Gregorovich is back, and he takes control of the ship again. They decide to dock the Wallfish alongside the Hierophant, using the hole they blew in the hull earlier. Kira will enter the ship and kill Ctein. She wants to go alone, but the crew insists on accompanying her. After they dock, Gregorovich reports that the nightmares and the Maw have joined the battle between the Jellies and the UMC.

The Maw is much larger than even the Hierophant, and Kira does not believe the Seed can win against the Maw. Falconi reminds her to focus on Ctein. As they make their way through the ship, Kira protects the crew by creating a shield from the ship's metal. Nielsen is injured, and Itari locates Ctein and leads them through the ship. As they face Jellies throughout their trip, Kira utilizes the xeno to keep herself and the entire crew safe, testing its limits. One of the Entropists is killed, and both Sparrow and Hwa-jung are injured.

Kira is nearly torn in half when a mine goes off. She is so badly injured that the xeno may not be able to heal her. The Jellies swarm her, and Falconi, Sparrow and Itari fail to fend them off. Kira lets the Seed take control of their form. She feels it grow throughout the ship, as it had done in her cabin, killing every Jelly while holding Falconi, Sparrow, and Itari safe. The xeno has mended her injuries, but her body does not feel quite right. Then she is unexpectedly attacked again, and Falconi is injured while protecting her. They decide that the crew should return to the ship, and Kira will continue alone. She finally reaches Ctein’s chamber and tries to attack it, but she is too slow. Ctein moves to shoot her, but before it can, something blows an enormous hole in the room, exploding Ctein’s watery chamber. Kira and the Seed are flung into space. 

Kira is in space, but the Seed is protecting her. She calls to all the remnants of the xeno that were left on the ship, and they come to her. A nightmare ship has rammed the Hierophant, but Ctein is still alive. Kira uses the xeno to maneuver back to the ship, where Ctein fires a railgun at her. After battling Ctein for a time, she realizes that its armor is similar to the Seed. Finally, she sees a small gap in Ctein’s armor and decides that the only way to destroy Ctein is to join with it. Kira drives the xeno through Ctein’s armor and into its body. The xeno does not destroy Ctein but remakes it into lifeless stone.

Kira, the Wallfish, the Knot of Minds, and the UMC are allied now and turn their attention to the nightmares and the Maw. As things stand now, they cannot win against the nightmares. She decides to achieve a victory against the Maw, even though it will cost her life.

Kira asks Falconi for his last Casaba-Howitzer, and he sends it out. She catches the bomb and attaches herself, sending the xeno into it. Because of the xeno, she is able to communicate with the Maw and tells it that if it releases everyone else, it can have her and the xeno. The Wallfish crew try to talk her out of it, but she is adamant. Falconi tells her how to arm the bomb, and she says her goodbyes. Kira flies into the center of the Maw and discovers that her xeno and the Maw’s xeno piece are trying to combine. She can tell that without the xeno holding them together the human/Jelly being would die within minutes. She feels compassion for the Maw, finally understanding its pain, and there is a shift. The Maw begins flowing into Kira’s xeno rather than the other way around. She lets the xeno take control to combine with the Maw. Kira works her way through the Maw’s flesh to its consciousness. Just as she is about to kill it, one of the UMC ships activates the Casaba-Howitzer that she is still attached to. She has no time to escape, and there is a bright light.