Tessia and Rowan are having a baby scan when D'Branin rushes in and wants Rowan to help him run some tests.

The Volcryn are getting closer, and things are getting even weirder on the Nightflyer. Which now seems to be moving, vibrating and growing independently. And D'Branin is obsessively running tests on the organic material that emerged from the space probe. Lommie is in the computer system with her fantasy world and family, and things aren't going quite as planned – things are appearing that she hasn't coded for. She's having visions and doesn't know how to control it. Matheson tells D'Branin she's a telepath who has been on suppressants most of her life, and the current dosage isn't working anymore. And Captain Eris is still making time with Jhirl. Meanwhile D'Branin is working very hard at communicating with the Volcryn and failing while Lommie is spending a ton of time in a fantasy world she has build in the computer system. Rowan and the bee-lady, aka Tessia, have become a couple and she is VERY pregnant. Oh, and she is also telepathic and D'Branin now knows it. Matheson doesn't love Thale's new hobby, but she has been keeping herself busy by spending a lot of time with D'Branin. They are all pals and passing the time with some scary play-pretend mind games. Thale is way out of quarantine and cozying up to the crew with some fun, new, terrifying games that he is creating with his telepath powers. In fact, eight months have gone by and things are … different.

So, to begin with, a bit of time has passed since we last were on board the Nightflyer.

Volcryn nightflyers