2.1 Gdps -

And the price of the truth—the real truth—had just been set at 2.1 giga-dollars per second.

They paid it.

A double helix. Surrounded by a circle.

“How much have we racked up?” Aris asked.

“They knew we were coming,” Aris breathed. “They left a message… four million years ago.” 2.1 gdps

He grabbed her wrist. Not hard. Just… present.

“Shut it down,” he whispered, his voice dry as the Martian dust outside the habitat. And the price of the truth—the real truth—had

But to send data across 4.2 light-years without a four-year delay, they’d used the quantum entanglement relay—a miracle of physics that cost more per second than most nations printed in a year. The relay was leased from the Conglomerate, a post-human cartel that didn't negotiate. They simply billed.