“Dark, what’s the status on Sprite’s echo?” Ling asked.

“She’s still not silent,” Darkholm said, “but also being not visible helps. I’ve managed to bounce her signal around with refractors, so it’ll slow down their processing dramatically.”

“Vapor, update spectators.”

“Traffic is thinning; we’re down to 290. We’ve still got nine specters bouncing around, fewer still in the surrounding sectors. The two ghosts are in opposite corners. They look like they’re waiting on something.”

“Scotty, how close are we to encryption?”

“Eighty-five and rising.”

“Sprite, wait for ninety or greater,” Ling said. “We’re going to give those ghosts a distraction.”