Chapter Sixty-Six: In System

Herschel receives a visit from Will through a manny pod while in the lounge of the Bellerophon. Will discusses Operation Bug-Out—a plan to extract thirty thousand people from Romulus—and reveals he can transport them in his ship's hold, arriving at Vulcan after Herschel. They coordinate a rendezvous point, accounting for cloaking limitations that allow approach to within a million kilometers of Romulus and Vulcan but no closer.

Herschel, in the lounge with Neil, receives a ping from Will and provides a manny address. Will materializes in a manny pod and remarks on the Bellerophon's accommodations, noting these are not Skywalker-class ships. Jeeves, an AI-controlled manny styled after John Cleese, serves coffee. Will references Operation Bug-Out—an evacuation of thirty thousand people from Romulus. Herschel expresses concern about where to relocate them, suggesting Vulcan as a temporary holding point. Will reveals he has already solved the logistics problem, stating he can store the evacuees in his hold and will arrive at Vulcan shortly after Herschel's ship. When Herschel accuses Will of misdirecting others about his location, Will admits to various secret projects beyond those related to FAITH, promising a full explanation upon arrival. Herschel emphasizes the operation must execute quickly; detection of either ship in Omicron 2 Eridani space will compromise the mission. Will confirms Herschel has both a cloaking device and an internal drive, replacing old pusher plates. Herschel clarifies that while cloaking allows approach within a million kilometers of Romulus and Vulcan, any closer approach will trigger detection. The two agree to set their rendezvous point accordingly, and Will disconnects through the manny pod.