“The record will exist,” stated Agayan firmly. “I have instructed the Pilot to check. You underestimate the care with which the Guild-”

He was interrupted by the appearance of the Pilot herself in the chamber.

“Ah!” he exclaimed. “I presume you have finished your examination of the records?”

“Yes, Guild Voivode.” The Pilot belonged to a spindle-shaped species which found bowing impossible, so she indicated her respect by darkening her purple skin.

“The results?”

“The human planet-there is no name for it, beyond the catalog number-is only two hundred and twelve light years distant. The humans were recruited slightly over two thousand Guild years ago.”

Agayan turned triumphantly to Yuaw Khta.

“You see, Investigator?” He waved a finger-cluster at the Pilot, dismissing her. To his surprise, the Pilot remained planted on her footskirt.

“There is something else, Guild Voivode.”

“Yes?”

“I used a broad-range program in my search, and it brought up all information concerning this planet. In addition to the original sepoy records, there is also a significant-perhaps significant-item of meteorological data.”

Agayan’s finger-clusters began to flex. “What is the point of this?” he demanded.

The Pilot turned a very dark purple, in her attempt to placate the Voivode’s rising irritation.

“The Federation’s Meteorological Survey has been paying close attention to that region of the galaxy. A Transit storm has been moving down that spiral arm for many thousands of Guild years. The human planet and its environs were cut off from all Transport nodes shortly after the sepoys were recruited. The nodes were only reestablished two hundred Guild years ago.”

“Has a Guild vessel returned to that planet since Transit possibility was renewed?”

“No, Guild Voivode. Nor has any Federation ship. But shortly after the nodes re-formed, the Meteorological Survey began detecting oddities in the region, which they eventually pinpointed to that planet’s solar system. They didn’t know what to make of the peculiar data, until they thought to consult with the Federation’s Historiographic Bureau.”