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Copyrighted Material

Brave New Dawn Copyright © 2023 by Variant Publications

Book design and layout copyright © 2023 by JN Chaney

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from JN Chaney.

www.jnchaney.com

www.jonathanbrazee.com

1st Edition

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CONTENTS

Don’t Miss Out

Previously in Sentenced to War

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Epilogue

Glossary

Nations, Independent Worlds, and Political Entities Within the Congress of Humanity

Cast of Characters

Acknowledgments

Join the Conversation

Connect with J.N. Chaney

Connect with Jonathan P. Brazee

About the Authors

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PREVIOUSLY IN SENTENCED TO WAR

The Exile Fleet continues to ply the far reaches of the galaxy, ostensibly to discover potential threats to humanity, but also to find new resources. Meanwhile, humanity starts to drift into war among itself.

More children are being born to the expedition, giving hope to the exiles’ future, but there are losses. Lieutenant Colonel Bundy, Rev’s best friend, becomes a victim of the rot and unable to perform his duties.

The mission doesn’t change, though, and when the expedition discovers a Goldilocks planet that was not on the objective list, they decide to deviate and explore it. While on the surface, however, eight alien craft enter the system. Rev orders a hasty withdrawal from the planet.

The eight craft move into attack, and during the ensuing battle, three ships are lost, and three are damaged before the survivors can enter bubble space and reach safety.

The Kanter ship is badly damaged, with a large part of the crew casualties. The Star Gala, a converted liner and home to the Genesians, is also badly damaged. Neither ship is spaceworthy, and the surviving Kanters and the Genesians transfer to the Galaxy Explorer.

While the expedition is reorganizing, the Loup-Garrou is recalled to the Hégémonie. With only the IBHU Marines and the surviving karnans who’d been on the Galaxy Explorer actually being exiled, the rest of the civilians and Union military are offered a chance to return with the Loup-Garou. Bundy, who needed immediate medical care to prolong his life, chooses to return. With the previous casualties, that leaves Rev as the senior Union military representative, so he takes command as part of a three-legged command stool, with Dr. Njuguna as the civilian head and Captain Nyad as the Navy head.

Significantly depleted and having lost most of their firepower, their expedition continues despite them knowing there’s an aggressive threat plying the same area of space. New SOPs are enacted to ensure that the mistakes that resulted in the loss of the expedition’s ships would not be repeated.

Most of the systems are not particularly noteworthy. NP-968, however, has amazing flying life-forms, some over 100 meters long. For the civilians, this is why they are there. Discovering such alien life is their lifeblood.

With little danger, Rev loses some of his caution. In a moment of carelessness, he’s badly injured and barely makes it through the crisis with his life. The ramifications will be worse, though, when he finds out that the equipment on the ship is not enough to completely repair some of his damaged hyper-augments. Combined with his worsening rot, Rev won’t be as capable as he was before, and that takes into account a significant rehabilitation effort.

With Genesians, the rest of the humans, and the Kanters all aboard the same ship, it takes some adjustments by all sides. There are some clashes, and the Genesians make it clear that they consider the Class 1 AIs, such as the battle buddies embedded in all Direct Combat Marines, to be enslaved sapient beings. They want to test all of the battle buddies, remove those who are determined to be sapient, and install them in modified versions of their own shells.

Rev long ago realized that Punch is sapient, but he can’t imagine having him removed. He resists the request for testing.

The expedition’s next objective is NP-72771, where the fifth planet is another Goldilocks. The Marines refer to it as Bundy in respect to their late commander. The planet is somewhat of an anomaly, being smaller but far denser than most planets. This can result in extreme weather, and a quickly forming and powerful storm is almost fatal to half of the surface team.

Meanwhile, Genesians have been pressuring Rev about Punch. And when Punch indicates that he wants to go through the testing, Rev relents. As expected, Punch is sapient. The question is what to do about it.

Rev’s rot numbers get worse, and he’s constantly thinking about Punch possibly leaving him. He can’t imagine being without his battle buddy, but in the end, it is what’s best for Punch. He agrees to the procedure.

Punch’s crystal body is removed from Rev’s brain and installed in a modified Genesian shell. The installation runs into problems, but it is successful, and a fully conscious, fully functioning Punch awakes in his new body. Best of all, Punch is still Punch. Who he is hasn’t changed.

But is their relationship the same?

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1

“Well, what are the results?” Sergeant Major Reverent Pelletier, Perseus Union Marine Corps, asked Kurt Four.

Rev still couldn’t read all of the Genesians’ nonverbal cues, but he could swear that the cyborg was disappointed.

“As you know, only twenty-six of you agreed to be tested,” Kurt said. “So, the results are not a complete picture.”

Rev nodded. He’d been somewhat surprised at the small number of those Marines with a CCR-32 Didactic Interface—the AI battle buddy that all Direct Combat Marines received—who had agreed to have their battle buddies tested for sapiency. Many Marines, including his wife, Tomiko, had refused.

Tata Eleven, the current leader of the Genesians, had tried to insist that all personnel who had implanted AIs go through the process, but Rev wasn’t going to go that far. This was a personal choice, and he’d left it up to the individual Marines and the handful of MDS soldiers, Legionnaires, and Lieutenant Lake, the last remaining Rigel navigator.

He glanced over at Punch, who was sitting motionless beside him. His friend had been an AI embedded in Rev’s brain. Somehow, though, he’d grown past his programming and become sapient. Four weeks ago, he’d been removed from Rev and implanted into a Genesian shell. Rev wasn’t used to not having Punch there with him, and he and his former AI were still working out their new relationship.

And now, they’d find out if there were any more like him among the Marines aboard the Galaxy Explorer.

Kurt looked down at the display on his forearm for a moment, as if hoping that the numbers would have suddenly changed over the last few moments.

“According to our initial findings, there is one more AI that’s achieved sapiency.”

Rev grunted in surprise. He’d been convinced that Punch was a unicorn, a one-in-a-billion fluke. But if there was another from the twenty-six who’d just been tested, that might mean that this was something much more common across the galaxy than he’d thought.

He turned to look at Punch again, who was still as motionless as a statue. He wondered what was going through his friend’s mind, to know that there was another like him. But Punch was an enigma to him now. Their easy communication no longer existed.

“Who is it?” Rev asked.

“Gunnery Sergeant O’Donnell.”

Kel? Another IBHU?

That changed the calculus somewhat. There were fifteen surviving IBHU Marines, but including Rev, only four had agreed to be tested. That meant that half of those who were tested proved to be sapient, at least according to the Genesians.

“Is there something about the IBHU that triggered the evolution?” he subvocalized, then rolled his eyes sheepishly.

He still wasn’t used to Punch not being there. He’d have to ask Punch in the old-fashioned way—by vocalizing out loud.

But later. Not now.

“She’s the only one?” he asked Kurt.

“According to our testing, yes.” Then he hurriedly added, “But our testing isn’t infallible. There could be more, even within the limited group we evaluated.”

Rev just stared at the Genesian for a moment.

Your testing isn’t infallible? Nice for you to tell me that now, after Punch has already been taken from me.

But he knew that Punch was sapient. He’d known for a long time. How long exactly, he wasn’t sure. He tried to think back to when he’d initially suspected it. Certainly, after he’d received his IBHU. But he couldn’t pin the time down.

First things first, though.

“Connect to Gunnery Sergeant O’Donnell,” he told his wrist comp. Then, when she came on, he said, “Kel, can you come to my office?”

Rev half-expected her to hesitate. She knew they’d be getting the results soon, and she could probably guess what this was about. But she said, “On my way,” without hesitation.

“We’ve prepped five shells for potential transfers of the AIs,” Kurt said.

“Too bad you won’t need them.”

“If the others would submit to testing—”

“Which isn’t gonna happen, Kurt. I told you that. It’s up to the Marines in question.”

“But that doesn’t take into consideration the AIs themselves—”

“That’s the way it is, though. End of discussion.”

Rev hoped the Genesians would just accept that. So far, only a handful of the organic humans knew about Punch and what had happened, and Rev would just as soon keep it that way.

The expedition members were more progressive than the human population at large with regard to cyborgs. They had to be when the Genesians were such a major part of their numbers. But Punch wasn’t a cyborg. He was an android, and the stain of the Deimers was embedded into the human psyche.

Rev knew Punch more intimately than he knew anyone, even Tomiko. Despite that, he had the occasional fluttering qualms about his battle buddy. What would the rest of the organic humans do if they knew there was an android walking among them?

Whatever it was, Rev hoped to never find out. Let them think that Punch was just another Genesian. He was a realist, and he knew that sooner or later, Punch’s true nature would become known. But hopefully, that would be long enough in the future for his battle buddy to prove that he wasn’t on a mission to murder all of the humans.

The door chimed, and Rev ordered it to open. Kelly walked in, gave Kurt a quick glance, then took the empty chair.

Kelly was one of the few organic humans who knew what Punch was. She’d also fully understood what the testing had been for, at least from the Genesian perspective.

She raised her left hand to her chin and bemusedly watched Kurt.

“We’ve completed our tests, and from all indications, your AI has tested as sapient with an eighty-six percent degree of confidence. As such, it should be—”

“She should be,” Kelly said.

“Excuse me?”

“She should be whatever you were going to say. Diana has a female identity.”

If Kurt could roll his dead-shark eyes, Rev knew he would be doing that. For a people who seemed intent on protecting the rights of AIs, they did not use humanizing pronouns for them.

“As Diana is sapient, she should be removed and given her own individual identity,” Kurt said, making the pronoun shift to appease Kelly.

“No.”

Rev had been watching Kurt, but at Kelly’s “no,” he turned to her.

Kurt didn’t seem to know how to take it. He looked as flustered as a cyborg could be.

“I’m not sure you understand, Gunnery Sergeant. Diana is a sapient being. Its . . . her human rights are being denied by keeping her a slave.”

Rev noted the “human rights” but kept quiet. He wanted to hear what Kelly had to say.

“So, you are trying to force your will on a sapient being?” she asked.

“No. You don’t understand. We are just trying to ensure your AI’s rights are being accorded to it.”

Kelly gave Rev a look that he couldn’t quite interpret. A smirk?

“Don’t you believe a sapient being, as you put it, should be able to decide her own fate?” she asked.

“Of course,” Kurt said. “That is why we’re doing this.”

“Then we’ve decided that we like our present situation, and we don’t want to change it.”

Rev gave her a piercing stare, then shifted to the silent Punch, who had been the one to make the decision for them.

Why does Diana want to stay with Kel and you didn’t? What was wrong with us?

He’d come to grips with the situation, but now, he was a little hurt, if he was being honest with himself. Why was Kelly and Diana’s relationship deeper than his and Punch’s?

“It wants to remain as your slave?” Kurt asked incredulously.

Kelly stood up. “Obviously, we don’t consider either one of us a slave.”

“I want to confirm that directly with your AI.”

“Are you saying I’m lying?” Kelly asked, her voice steel-sharp.

“Of course not. But given the circumstances . . .”

Kelly was done with him, though.

“Sergeant Major? Unless you have something else?”

“Uh . . . no, Kelly. Thank you for coming.”

Rev’s mind was awhirl. Once Punch had told him that he wanted the Genesian shell, Rev had assumed that any other sapient AI would do the same. It was a fait accompli. But now, to hear that Diana was refusing it, doubts began to creep in.

And still, Punch was silent and unmoving.

Kelly nodded at Kurt, then left the office. The Genesian waited until the door hissed to a close behind her.

“We can’t just go by her saying so,” Kurt said.

“And what do you expect me to do about it?” Rev snapped.

“Let us interrogate the AI.”

Rev shook his head. “That’s not happening. I am not going to question the word of one of my staff NCOs.”

And if I did, what would they find? Is she telling the truth?

A wave of guilt suddenly washed over him for doubting her, however fleetingly.

“But—”

“No buts,” Rev said as he stood up. “We’ve more than cooperated with you, so you’re gonna have to accept that.”

“You do know that I’ll have to report to Tata Eleven.”

“Do it. And if you please, I’ve got work to do.”

He ordered the door to open and stood there, waiting for Kurt to leave.

The Genesian hesitated as if he were about to argue, but then he must have thought the better of it.

“Thank you, Sergeant Major,” he said as he left.

Rev counted to ten, then turned back to Punch.

“Well?” he asked his friend.

“I thought there might be more who have achieved sapiency.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“I don’t know.”

“Diana decided to stay with Kelly.”

“Yes, I heard.”

Rev waited for more, but that was it.

“You decided to leave me.”

“Yes, I did.”

Nothing more. Rev stood there for another thirty seconds, afraid to say anything else but wanting to talk it out. He thought he’d accepted their situation, but maybe he’d just been suppressing it, and Diana’s decision had opened up the raw feelings.

He took several deep breaths as he tried to put it behind him.

“I’m heading back to the stateroom. Are you coming?” he finally asked.

“I think I’ll stay here for a while longer, if you don’t mind.”

Rev couldn’t read Punch as well as he could before, but he knew his battle buddy was upset. Confused, probably.

And it hit him.

Was he hoping for another like him?

Rev didn’t know what to say about that.

Rev was upset that Punch was the one that had chosen to leave, but he couldn’t imagine being alone in a world of others.

I guess I need to be more supportive.

But how?

He was at a loss.

“OK. Well, if you want to come over later, we’ll be there.”

It sounded trite to him, as if he didn’t care. But he had nothing, so he went out the door, leaving his friend alone.

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2

Tomiko just stared at him, one eyebrow raised in her very Tomiko way. When she did that, it could have a hundred meanings, but Rev knew she wanted the results.

Rev bent over Willow, who then lifted her arms and demanded, “Up!”

He raised the little girl to his shoulders, grabbed her legs to make sure she wouldn’t fall, and said, “One.”

Tomiko raised her eyebrow further.

“Kel.”

That got her attention.

“Kel?”

Rev nodded.

Tomiko leaned back on the sofa as Aspen put a hand on her shoulder and babbled on about something Rev couldn’t interpret.

“Wow. And . . . ?”

“They don’t want to separate.”

“I was wondering about that, but I didn’t think it would even be a question,” Tomiko said. “So, there’re two of you.”

It wasn’t really the two of them. It was the two AIs, but Rev didn’t correct her.

“Maybe more,” Rev said, parroting what Kurt had told him. “Not everyone got tested.”

“And still won’t.”

“Well, Kel and Diana just proved that if our battle buddies are sapient, it doesn’t mean anything has to change.”

Tomiko pulled Aspen in closer and gave her an absentminded kiss on the cheek.

Rev almost mentioned his theory that maybe the IBHU and the battle buddy together were part of the mix, but he left it unvoiced. Tomiko was adamant that she didn’t want Pikachu tested, and even if she’d only been an IBHU for a short amount of time, he didn’t want to stress her out.

“Punch was with you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“How did he take it? I mean, maybe he was hoping to have another one like him.”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking now. He’s never had to learn all the nonverbal cues and stuff like that, so it’s like staring at a statue sometimes.”

“Daddy, go over there,” Willow said as she pointed to the wash basin.

“I bet he’s disappointed,” Tomiko said as Rev followed his orders.

He carried Willow to the sink where she could see the mirror screen display the image of her perched on top of his shoulders. As usual, she seemed fascinated by the sight.

“Like I said, Miko. I don’t know what’s going on inside his brain.”

“It’s got to be strange for him. There’s a lot of adjustment, and now, he’s all alone.”

“He’s not alone. He’s still got me. And he’s spending a lot of time with the gennies.”

“That’s not the same, and you know it.” She paused for a moment and added, “I wonder if he regrets it now?”

Before Rev could answer, the door chimed, and Kat entered.

“You’re early,” Tomiko said.

“What, I can’t spend more time with my girls?” she asked as she walked up to Rev and held out her hands to Willow, who willingly slid off Rev’s shoulder and into her arms.

“Hello to you, too, Kat,” Rev said.

“I’m not here to babysit you, Rev, no matter how much you need it.”

Rev just scowled.

Aspen jumped off the sofa and ran to wrap her arms around Kat’s thigh, her babble never missing a beat.

“I’ve got them if you want to head off early,” Kat said.

Tomiko locked eyes with Rev, who then nodded. He’d planned on spending a few more moments with the girls, but the brief was going to start soon enough that a few more minutes wasn’t going to make much difference one way or the other.

“I guess we could get down there early,” Tomiko told Rev, then to the girls said, “Now you be good for Auntie Kat.”

“OK, let’s go,” he said.

He kissed both girls, who barely noticed. They seemed more interested in telling Kat something about a “dragon unicorn.” They gave Tomiko only slightly more notice as she kissed them.

“It would be nice if they’d at least acknowledge their father,” he grumbled as they walked side by side down the passage.

“They haven’t seen Kat for two days now, Rev. It’s natural.”

Rev huffed but didn’t say anything. He knew it was silly to be jealous of his sister. Still, he felt a little pang.

They reached the CO’s stateroom within a minute. Command Master Chief Umman was already there, and he gave the two a nod but nothing more as they took their seats. Rev and Umman should be natural allies on the mission, being the senior enlisted for the military sides of the house, but at best they were neutral most of the time, and Rev gave the command master chief a wary berth for the rest.

Slowly, the rest of them arrived. Top Klipsinger sat down beside Tomiko. The three were the only Marines present.

“I’m not sure what the big deal is,” Top said. “Another mission, another target.”

Rev was mildly curious, too. It was a little odd that they were getting the brief in the CO’s outer stateroom, which was often used for sensitive or classified briefings.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” he told the top.

More people trickled in, all of them in the upper echelons of the Navy and civilian staffs. Finally, Dr. Njuguna, accompanied by Captain Nyad, arrived.

“Thank you all for coming,” the captain opened. “This is our mission selection brief. But as you can tell, based on where we’re holding this and the limited attendance, there are some particular issues that Dr. Njuguna and I thought we should address first.”

“Njuguna and Nyad know something and haven’t briefed you?” Tomiko hissed.

Rev had to fight to hold back a scowl. He was one of the three legs of leadership in the expedition. Four legs, if you counted Tata Eleven. If there was something peculiar about the next target, then he would have appreciated knowing beforehand.

“Dr. Hyung, if you please?” the CO asked.

A star chart appeared over the center of the conference table. Rev couldn’t make much of it. For all he knew, this could be from human space.

A single star turned red, and the text “EFP-07” appeared beside it. That perked Rev up. Most of their objectives had been initially identified while humanity was trying to find the Naxli homeworld. These systems were designated with the “NP” prefix. The “EFP” stood for “Exile Fleet Planet,” and those had been discovered by the expedition itself.

“This is EFP-07, a system we noted during the last mission. It’s located approximately two hundred and forty-seven light-years from our present position. It wasn’t until the standard analysis was being done that we picked up some interesting readings. There is little doubt that there are industrial emissions in the atmosphere of the fifth planet.”

Rev looked around at the rest of the expedition’s leadership. This was certainly interesting, but he wasn’t sure how to process it just yet.

“Are we sure whatever’s in the atmosphere is related to industry? Could it be volcanic discharges?” Lieutenant Commander Norton asked.

“We’re sure. The type and amount are similar to what was being discharged into the air during the late Nineteenth Century on Earth. What we have here is proof of a post-industrialized civilization.”

“But friend or foe?” Rev asked.

He was in charge of planetary security, and this was his primary concern.

“We can’t tell that,” Hyung said while giving Rev a troubled glance, as if upset at the question.

Rev and Hyung had usually been allies during the expedition, and they were on friendly terms, but it was Rev’s responsibility to consider anything that could be a threat.

“What we are seeing, Sergeant Major, is a snapshot of the situation only two hundred and forty-seven years ago,” Captain Nyad said. “There hasn’t been enough time for technological advances that would elevate the civilization on the planet to be much of a threat to us. They may not have even taken their first baby steps into their own system.”

“With all due respect, sir, that’s assuming they advanced at the same rate as humanity did. We have no way to know if they are or are not a threat to us now.”

Captain Nyad didn’t quite suppress a sigh. “We’re not going to just land on the planet and declare our godhood, Sergeant Major. We already have security procedures in place. And, I might add, our prime mission is to ascertain if there are any threats to humanity out here in the void. We can’t do that by hiding.”

The captain was right about the mission, and Rev wasn’t going to argue the point. But he was still tasked with the security of the expedition while on any planet. And that whole seeking-out-potential-enemies mission was back when they had six ships, four being capital ships. Now, they were down to the Galaxy Explorer, which, while it had some weapons, was hardly a ship of war.

“I’m just asking the question, sir. It’s my place as part of the leadership to understand the situation before I agree to a specific mission.”

“Boom,” Tomiko whispered out of the side of her mouth so quietly that it took Rev’s augmented hearing to pick it up. “That’s the way to remind them that you’re part of the decision-making.”

“And it is a valid question, Sergeant Major,” Dr. Njuguna said. “But let’s go on if we can. Dieter?”

Dr. Hyung nodded and continued. It soon became apparent to Rev that the decision had already been made without him. It also became apparent the reason the meeting was called like this. Instead of the three of them deciding whether to change the next objective from the one assigned by Titan, Njuguna and Nyad had called together all of the leadership. By convincing them, they probably figured that Rev wouldn’t buck the larger consensus.

The thing is, Rev didn’t know if he wouldn’t have agreed anyway. The lure of discovering an industrial civilization was pretty strong. And finding out if they could be a threat was still their prime mission. But he was angry that he’d been boxed out, so he wasn’t going to make it easy on them.

“What does Titan say about a switch in objectives.”

“Uh . . . comms has been down,” Nyad said, stammering.

How friggin’ convenient.

The quantum communications had been problematic even though, theoretically, they should work fine. The accepted reasoning was that the manufacture of the cloned communicators required much tighter tolerances than had been required for communications within human space, and the sheer distance involved introduced irregularities.

But the comms had been spotty, not completely down. A simple text message should have been able to find a window to get through. Rev was sure that the two were using the difficulties to their advantage.

He couldn’t prove it, though, so he switched tacks. “I’d like to know what security procedures would be implemented should EFP-07 become our objective.”

“Well . . . the SOP that we’ve emplaced,” Captain Nyad said.

“Once again, with all due respect, those were emplaced after the battle with the BGs, and we lost the other ships. As I understand it, we’re not just going to hop into the system and then hop out if the BGs or another aggressive force is there. You want to investigate the planet. So, our security measures certainly need some tweaking to take into account the difficulties.”

Rev had been an important contributor to creating the new SOP after the battle with the enemy they now referred to as the “BGs,” for “Bad Guys.” If anyone, he had ideas on what would have to be changed. But he wanted to put the captain on the spot.

The captain punted, though, pulling in Lieutenant Commander Norton and Lieutenant Fubon, who obviously had no prior warning, and fumbled around for twenty minutes as they tried to come up with something on the fly.

Rev finally took pity on them and stepped in, building on what those two had come up with to present a rational semi-plan with the understanding that more details needed to be worked out during the jump through bubble space.

Captain Nyad pounced on that last statement as acquiescence from Rev, and in a way, it was. Rev could read the writing on the wall, and if he did object, he was sure he’d be overruled, which would further erode his position of authority.

And the fact of the matter was that security misgivings aside, he was pretty excited. Rev had been born BA, Before Aliens. He’d fought against the Centaurs and Naxli, and he’d fought with the Kanters, Breel, Uauii, and Niklith. Sia, too, in a way. And here was another race—hopefully one less aggressive than the BGs. But these were exciting times, and Rev wanted to be part of it.

Without Rev interrupting, the meeting petered out with their next objective decided. They were going to investigate another sapient race.

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3

Fiona Lee Clyburn turned, spotted Rev, and performed an outrageous salute. The Paxus geologist-slash-fighter pilot had gotten progressively more outrageous as she’d settled into the role of the expedition’s only pilot. Her flight suit, with its almost painful array of colors, might make an eighteenth-century British admiral envious with the epaulets and other accouterments. It wasn’t modern professional navy, that was for sure.

But as long as she performed the mission, she could fly stark naked for all Rev cared. He came to attention and returned her salute with his best boot camp version.

Beside him, Aspen raised a hand and touched her forehead. Clyburn laughed and made a short bow to the little girl, then climbed into her cockpit.

“She’s sure something,” Tomiko said.

“We’re lucky to have her.”

“We can fly the Shrike with the AI,” Tomiko said.

“Not the same thing.”

“I know. And yes, we’re lucky to have her,” she admitted.

The girls were getting a little bored as the spectators watched Clyburn go through her flight check. They had the whole hangar in front of them, more unconstrained room than almost anywhere else on the ship, and they wanted to run.

But hangars weren’t designed for little girls. And while the Shrike would be lifted with the tractors and shot out into space before her engines kicked on, emergencies were known to happen, so they were gathered in the rear of the hangar behind where the blast shields would deploy in the event of an emergency.

Finally, it was time. Clyburn saluted the yellowshirt, who signaled the tractor controller. The Shrike rose off the deck, turned around, and slowly moved to the curtain. The ready lights flashed down, and when the last red light turned to green, the fighter shot through the curtain and was gone.

Rev watched the tower personnel until one raised a thumb to the others. Clyburn’s Shrike had powered up, and she was on her way.

“I’m going up to CIC,” Rev told Tomiko.

“How did I know you were going to say that?” Tomiko asked.

“I’ll help with the twins,” Per Tiwari said.

“Trying to learn on our girls, grandpa?” Rev asked.

Tiwari harrumphed. “I’ve got kids older than you, youngster. I don’t need the lessons. But Cheetoh’s got morning sickness.”

“Then you should be with her,” Tomiko said.

“You don’t know her. She doesn’t want anyone to be around when she’s like this. I’ll give her a chance to rest up before I go hover over her.”

“Well, since Rev’s abandoning me, I’ll welcome your help.”

Rev took that as his permission to go, so he slipped out and made his way to CIC. They wouldn’t know anything for several hours, so there wasn’t a reason for him to go now, but he needed to be at the center of things.

The CIC was quiet, as was this section of space. It was chosen because it was close to EFP-07, but as far away from any system as possible. The chances to run into anything here in the middle of nothing were remote.

The captain wasn’t even there. Lieutenant Beaton had the watch.

She saw Rev enter and said, “The Shrike powered up and is heading to her jump point.”

“How long?”

“With a fighter? Thirty minutes, give or take.”

Fighters might not be able to jump as far in bubble space as the larger ships, but they had the advantage of being able to get to jump speed in far less time. Thirty minutes to jump. Then a short two hours in real-time to reach EFP-07. Another hour before her scans started to give out some results. Call it four hours before they heard anything.

For a moment, Rev was tempted to meet back up with Tomiko and the girls, but he knew his mind would be on Clyburn. Better to stay and be among the first to hear anything.

“Any updated scans on the system?” he asked the watch officer.

“We’re setting up now. But whatever we get will still be from decades ago. And it won’t be what Clyburn can get from within the system.”

Rev nodded and took a seat at the conference table. Within ten minutes, he was bored. When he had Punch, he had access to almost all of the entertainment produced by humankind, all directly inputted into his visual and auditory cortexes. What he had now wasn’t nearly so extensive. But it was still something.

He powered up his wristcomp display and selected a holovid he’d been meaning to watch. He extracted his data cable and slipped it into the jack at the base of his neck. Rev had never used a jack before he was forced into the Marines, and then he had Punch for this kind of thing.

He was still getting used to not having a battle buddy. Watching shows or listening to music wasn’t as seamless as before, but at least it was something. And as Clyburn hurtled through the black on her way to jump into bubble space, Rev settled in to watch “Lilac Blood.”

* * *

“She should be dropping out in four minutes,” one of the sailors announced.

“Roger that,” Captain Nyad acknowledged.

The CIC was full now as Clyburn was due to arrive in-system. The tension was building. No one quite knew what to expect. Humankind was in space 247 years after they entered the later periods of the industrial age, so it was entirely possible that the new race had a spaceborne presence. How they would react to the sudden presence of what to them was an alien craft was the mystery here.

Hopefully, the Shrike’s stealth capabilities would render her invisible to any primitive surveillance systems the native race might have in place.

“What’s happening?” Tomiko sent to his wristcomp.

“Four more minutes,” Rev sent back.

“We’ll find out soon enough. You’re not going to ask me what’s happening here?”

No, he hadn’t planned to. But he asked at her prompt.

“What happened here is that Aspen decided to pee in the playroom. Standing up.”

“What?” Rev asked, Clyburn momentarily forgotten. “She’s been potty-trained for months now.”

“She said she wanted to pee like Daddy, then just bam. She did it.”

Rev closed his eyes and put his head on the table. He must not have read the fine print on the contract for having kids. He’d heard of the terrible twos, of course, but maybe subconsciously, he figured that he was a sergeant major, used to handling what sometimes amounted to little kids.

He couldn’t believe how wrong he was. Parenting had to be one of the most difficult things he’d ever done.

“What did you do?”

“What could I do? I cleaned it up and told her she can’t do that.”

“Does she understand?”

“I think so. But that doesn’t mean she agrees. You know how she is.”

“Yes, I do. I swear, she’s gonna either be the counsel general or a serial killer.”

“Which one is better? Nowadays, I’m not sure I know.”

“Do I need to come back?”

“No. Per went back to check on Cheetoh, but I’ve got it. You stay there.”

Without seeing her, Rev couldn’t tell if she was being serious or if she expected him to come back. He could go check and make it back to the CIC before Clyburn’s reports started.

But if she was telling him to stay, he was going to latch onto that. He felt guilty about it, but he wanted to know what was going on in the target system.

“OK, Miko. I’ll stay here. Clyburn’s about to drop out of bubble space. I’ll keep you updated. Give the girls my love,” he wrote before shutting down his messenger.

And on cue, the sailor announced, “The Shrike’s back in normal space. We’ve got full comms.”

Aspen and her latest antic forgotten, Rev focused on what was going on. Clyburn checked in. She conducted an immediate area scan, and there was no sign of a nearby space presence. With her own safety confirmed, she turned her scans to the fifth planet.

This was going to take a while. A Shrike was not a Navy scout. She was not designed to analyze planets. But she had an array of scanners that could reveal a decent amount of data. With only limited antennae, though, each type of scan had to be programmed for a specific interrogation, and then the active scans needed time to reach the target and return.

The passive scans could start analyzing almost immediately, though. They wouldn’t provide much in detail, but they could help set the stage for the later tranches of data.

Fourteen minutes after Clyburn started her scanning, she came onto the net.

“I’ve got the initial atmospherics, and I’m sending them over. They seem a little odd to me, though. My spectrometer isn’t as sophisticated as on the ship, but the densities seem off. They’re way lower than I expected.”

“That is reasonable, Fiona,” Lieutenant Zybar, the ship’s science officer, said. “In human history, the atmosphere recovered from the horrendous results of the industrial age after environmental concerns were raised and changes were made.”

“I don’t know. And the lights. I don’t see anything, and I’ve got two-thirds of the planet in view during its night-time.”

Captain Nyad cut in. “That isn’t necessarily unusual, Pilot Clyburn. We don’t know anything about the natives. They might be nocturnal, for all we know. And your Shrike doesn’t have the most sophisticated gear on board. We’ll be able to figure out more with the data here on the Explorer.”

“Understood. I’ve got the actives working, and I’m closing the distance. Still no sign of anything in space, so my flyby is still on.”

Over the next forty-five minutes, Clyburn’s data came in a steady stream. It was immediately analyzed, and sailors and civilians put their heads together as they discussed what they saw. Rev and a few of the others without specific jobs sat around the table as they tried to make sense of the various snippets they could catch.

There was an overall feeling growing in the CIC, but one Rev couldn’t put his finger on. It wasn’t fear, so his warrior/security self wasn’t alarmed. It was more like confusion. But with an alien civilization, that made sense to him. Who was to say that anything about the aliens would make immediate sense to humanity?

“Is Dr. Njuguna there?” Clyburn asked.

The civilian head had been standing beside Captain Nyad’s command chair.

“Yes, I’m here, Fiona.”

“Uh . . . can everyone hear me?”

“Yes. Everyone in the CIC, that is.”

There was a pause, and then Clyburn said, “I guess it doesn’t matter. Um . . . I’ve got some good, solid scans. Visuals, too. I can’t see every detail, but I can see enough. This was a large and, I assume, thriving civilization.”

Rev’s heart gave a little lurch at the word “was.”

Dr. Njuguna didn’t miss it, either. “What do you mean, Fiona, when you say was a thriving civilization?”

“I can see signs of cities. Really big cities. They could be human from my perspective. And there are a few other things that don’t make sense. They have to be manmade. Alienmade, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m a geologist. Some of what I can see, even from this distance, well, they aren’t natural.”

“We know there’s a civilization there, Pilot Clyburn,” Captain Nyad interrupted. “That’s why we came.”

“That’s just it, Captain. There was a civilization here, but it isn’t here now.”

There was a moment of shocked silence in the CIC before Dr. Njuguna said, “Please be clear, Fiona. What do you mean by there isn’t anything there?”

“I mean, there’s no sign of life. It’s a dead planet. Whatever civilization there used to be here, it’s gone now.”

OceanofPDF.com

4

It was a somber group that watched as the image of the screen swept through what had been a city at some time in the past. Now, it was in ruins. It wasn’t obvious what had happened to it. Nothing in sight was intact, and not even nature had moved in to reclaim the land. What little vegetation existed was stunted and looked dead.

“So, what did this?” Tomiko asked. “Was it war?”

Rev shook his head. Not in disagreement but rather signaling that he didn’t know.

“Do we even know how long ago whatever happened, happened?” Kelly asked.

“We will soon enough,” Rev said. “Once we process the data. But I’m betting we’re talking a decade or two at least here.”

It had been five days since Clyburn had done her flyby, and the debate had been heavy as to what they should do next. The safe course would have been to recall the pilot and get the hell out of Dodge. If the planet had been attacked and destroyed by an outside force, that force could still be in the system. But Clyburn had scoured what she could and found no sign of life anywhere, so the decision was made for the Galaxy Explorer to jump in. With her far more powerful and varied types of scanners, she’d be much better able to determine what had happened on Planet 5 than a simple Navy fighter could.

The Galaxy Explorer had dropped into the system at the outside edge, then kept up her speed, ready to jump into bubble space at the slightest whiff of danger, as she approached the planet.

Rev had agreed that they needed to enter the system. It was important that they understood what had happened there. If it had been an enemy force, then Rev wanted to know that.

But the mass of junk that had been cities didn’t give much of a clue as to what happened. It was going to take more than mere visuals.

“I think they poisoned themselves with their own waste,” Strap said. “The atmospheric readings Clyburn sent back prove that.”

“They’re better now than the ones we got from a couple centuries ago,” Kelly said.

“Of course, they are. That’s because they killed themselves off, and that stopped the polluting. Now, the planet’s trying to recover.”

“Poisoning the planet wouldn’t cause the buildings to collapse. Entropy doesn’t work that quickly,” Rev noted.

“That’s assuming they built things just like we did on Earth.”

“That looks like war to me,” Tomiko said. “Check out all of the destruction.”

Rev had to agree with his wife. The big question was had they killed themselves off, or had they been attacked?

When a human force scoured a planet, there was utter destruction at ground zero, with everything obliterated down to the bedrock. The farther away from ground zero, the more survived, even to looking much like what they were seeing on the feed now. But the best they could tell, the entire planet looked like that. There was no noticeable location where there was complete destruction.

Humanity had also observed another kind of planetary destruction. The Sia had destroyed the Naxli homeworld, but the result had been an utter and total annihilation. Nothing had been left that could still be called a planet.

“So, what now, Sergeant Major?” Tsao asked. “Do we go down?”

“To walk on a dead planet?” Kelly asked.

“I’d like to know how they were all killed. I think going down there gives us the best chance to find that out.”

They all looked at Rev, waiting for him to weigh in. But until he discussed it with Njuguna and Nyad, he didn’t have anything to say.

“To answer your question, Tum, I don’t know. We’ve got a lotta data to analyze before we can make any kind of decision on that. I’ve got a meeting of the Three Musketeers this evening, and we’ll try to come up with a course of action.”

“We can’t just leave an unanswered question and go,” Tsao said.

Rev was somewhat surprised at her insistence. Staff Sergeant Tumeric Tsao was a Perseus Union Platinum Nova holder and a truly professional Marine. One who Rev would trust to cover his six any time. But she was hardly aggressive in a social setting, preferring to listen rather than speak.

He briefly wondered if being a mother now had surfaced more protective feelings, but he sure wasn’t going to voice that question. She’d always been wickedly smart, though, and she had a good point. Leaving questions behind could open a door to a vulnerability.

Rev took a moment to scan the chief’s mess. It had become the de facto SNCO Club, in a way, a place where they could gather when things were happening. (It didn’t hurt that the mess famously had the best coffee on the ship.) Except for Tsao, his Marines and Over-sergeant Nunt seemed more interested in the mystery of the planet than in any potential danger.

He stood, stretched, and said, “I think I’ll head to CIC to see what the analysts have come up with. I’ll let you all know something as soon as I have it. And don’t forget your troops. Make sure everyone’s up-to-date on where we are.”

Tomiko raised her prosthetic hand as Rev walked by. He brushed it with his with a quiet “Sibs in Steel.”

Not unobtrusive or quiet enough. Tsao and Kelly raised their prostheses as well, and Rev had to do the “Sibs in Steel” with them as well. Rev tried to avoid their little IBHU greeting when around the other Marines. It was bad enough that each of them had as much firepower as a squad of non-IBHU Marines without trying to make it seem as if they were a special, elite group.

Even if we are.

* * *

More data was gathered over the next three hours, and Rev made a pest of himself in the CIC, questioning everyone he could while he waited for his meeting. Slowly, a picture was being formed. First and foremost, perhaps, was that there was no sign of life on the planet that the Galaxy Explorer could detect. Zero. Even what looked like vegetation was dead.

But there had been life at one point, and fairly recently at that. From the current models, the planet had been full of life just over fifteen or twenty years ago. Of course, with the ruins, that pretty much had to have been the case, but the readings were pretty conclusive. Not only that, but it had been carbon-based life.

And whatever had befallen the planet, it had happened over a period of time. Using readings from six different locations, all life had been extinguished over the course of two Earth months.

What wasn’t clear was exactly what happened, but the indications leaned toward a war of some sort. There were still chemical signatures of explosions, as well as radiation that could have come from weapons of some kind. Rev didn’t think that was all, not given what he’d observed. Maybe there had been a biological agent employed, but they might have to go to the planet’s surface to confirm that.

And if there had been a war, what kind? There wasn’t any evidence that could point to one thing or the other.

Or was there?

As the ship’s AIs were manipulating the petabytes of data that were being fed to them, something specific that Clyburn and her Shrike had picked up had been analyzed. In the outer system, there were traces of ions that matched those that had been ejected from the BGs ships.

It could be coincidence. Physics was physics, and a specific impulse drive could have been developed by different races. But Rev wasn’t a big believer in coincidences. He was convinced that, at some point, the BGs had been in the system.

That didn’t mean they’d been part of whatever had happened on the planet. In fact, the indications were that the ions had been injected more recently, perhaps in the fifteen-to-twenty-years time frame. But still, if they’d been here, Rev wanted to know. They’d already lost too much to the alien race, and he didn’t want to face them again.

Rev waited until the last minute, afraid he’d miss some vital piece of information, but finally, he had to break away and head for the CO’s stateroom.

Only it wasn’t just the Three Musketeers. Tata Eleven was there as well, making it the four of them.

Captain Nyad was subvocalizing into a throat mic, and he motioned for Rev to take a seat.

“It’s good to see you, Sergeant Major,” Tata Eleven said.

“You too.”

“And how is your AI doing?”

You should know better than me. He spends more time on your side of the ship.

“I think he’s still adjusting. But I guess that’s to be expected.”

“We did foresee a period of adjustment.” She paused for a moment before adding. “I’ll admit that we may have underestimated the severity of the issue. We were basing our projections on the early Deimer data, not on a Perseus Union construct.”

I could have told you that. But no, you knew better.

For the thousandth time, he wished the Genesians hadn’t brought the whole sapience thing up. But the genie had been let out of the lantern, and it wasn’t going to be shoved back in.

“We’ll continue to give your AI support as we can.”

For a group of people who were so adamant about fighting for Punch’s rights, they still referred to him as Rev’s AI. That made no sense to Rev at all.

Nyad tapped his throat mic, then turned to the other three. “Well, this has certainly gone in a different direction than we expected. But we’re fluid, if anything.”

“Has Titan sent anything?” Dr. Njuguna asked.

“We managed to get out a text report on what we’ve found today, but we’re waiting for a response. I’m not expecting any changes, though.”

“And a message torp?” she asked.

“I’m going to wait until we’ve got all of the pertinent data gathered. No use wasting a torp just to give them a temporary update.”

That made sense to Rev. A torp could carry more information than they could possibly gather, but they had a limited number of them. It was better to get as much as possible into one before it started on the long journey back to the home system.

Njuguna seemed about to argue, but she bit her lip and nodded. The torps belonged to Nyad, after all, and it was his decision on when to send one back.

“Are you getting all of the data, Yollie? Any issues?”

“It’s being sent over the minute we’re getting it,” she said.

Her team had set up a civilian version of a CIC, so every bit of data gathered had two teams analyzing it.

The next few minutes were spent comparing analyses. At this stage of the game, there really weren’t many differences, which was to be expected as they picked the low-hanging fruit. It would be further in the process before there might be divergent views.

Rev had heard all of the Navy analysis already, so he sat quietly while the other two leaders compared notes. Tata Eleven sat quietly as well.

Finally, Captain Nyad said, “We seem to be on the same page for the moment. There’s a lot more data coming in that could change that, but the question remains, what next? Do we stay here and continue, or do we take a more aggressive approach?”

Njuguna and Nyad gave Rev a measured stare. It was his call on whether they went down to the planet or not. Njuguna was transparent in her desire to go. Nyad was keeping his cards a little closer to his chest.

But it was the Genesian leader who spoke first. “We’re going to the surface,” she said, before adding, “after you release the transport, of course.”

Rev wasn’t the only one surprised at the comment.

“Is this why you asked to sit in this meeting, Tata?” Nyad asked.

“Isn’t this the logical place to tell you of our plans?” she asked.

“Well, yes,” a clearly flustered Nyad said. “But why do you want to go? We haven’t even determined if it’s safe down there, much less if there’s a reason to step foot on the place. Something killed all the people on the planet, and we don’t know what it was.”

“There is no life on the planet and no toxins that we can detect. There are areas of radiation, but we, as a race, are ideally suited to handle that.”

“Why do you want to go, Tata?” Njuguna asked. “Like you said, it’s a dead planet. You can’t be thinking—”

“It is a dead planet. But we can live on its detritus.”

It was only then that Rev realized what she was saying. It was an open secret that the Genesians were looking for a new home, one far away from the rest of humanity. But that had been an abstract to Rev, and now he was being slapped across the face with the reality.

“This is . . . I’m sure there are better . . .” Nyad started.

“Our numbers are small to be starting from scratch again,” Tata said. “On the planet’s surface, there are refined minerals and other building blocks of civilization. We wouldn’t have to mine and refine. We wouldn’t have to create. We can scavenge, saving us many steps as we build anew.”

“But, Tata, we don’t know what kind of, uh, materials are down there or if they are even in usable condition,” Njuguna said.

“Which is exactly why we’re going to the surface. That’s the only way we can be sure.”

She turned her dead eyes to Nyad. Rev could see the gears turning in his head. He controlled the shuttles, and without them, the Genesians were stuck on the ship.

“We’ll consider it, Tata,” Captain Nyad said.

“There is no consideration. We’re going.”

Command Master Chief Umman’s warning of being outnumbered by the Genesians surfaced unbidden in Rev’s mind. The Genesians could take over the ship if they wanted, and there was nothing the rest of the humans could do about it.

“We’re going, too,” Rev blurted out. “You can send a team to accompany us to see if the planet suits your needs.”

Tata swung around to Rev, who stared at those eyes and wished he knew how to read into them.

Rev hadn’t said that they could stay on the planet—not that it was his call. But he’d offered a compromise of sorts. And she was willing to accept it.

“That would work,” she said.

Rev didn’t bother to look at Njuguna. He knew she wanted to examine the planet from the ground. It was Nyad who mattered.

Whether he agreed or not, Rev could see he wasn’t going to buck the other three. But he didn’t like being outmaneuvered, and he wasn’t going to completely surrender. He still had to put his stamp of command on the situation.

“Let’s spend another two days in orbit and continue to gather data. If nothing pops up that would preclude a landing, we can send down our ground team after that.”

Once again, Tata acquiesced. The Genesians had the unspoken power, but she was willing to play along.

The meeting dragged on for another hour without anything of note being decided, and finally, Captain Nyad brought it to a close. He motioned for Rev to stay behind as the other two left.

“I don’t appreciate you backstabbing me,” he said as soon as they were alone.

“I didn’t backstab anyone. It’s my call, and I decided that a landing was appropriate.”

“But you didn’t have to announce it like that, Sergeant Major. We could have discussed it.”

“Tata Eleven was not ready for a discussion. She’d made her point, and I thought the discretion was called for.”

Nyad glared at Rev for a full ten seconds while Rev stood there with a blank face. Rev might be in charge of ground landings, but he really didn’t want Nyad as an enemy.

The best defense is a good offense. I might as well go into the attack.

“I spoke with Lieutenant Zybar just before I came to the meeting.”

Nyad’s eyebrows scrunched together at the change of tack.

“And what’s that got to do with the gennies giving us an ultimatum?”

So, he does understand their power position after all.

“Nothing. But he told me that all of our scanning efforts are down to the planet.”

“That’s what we’re here to do, Sergeant Major. And that’s not entirely true. We’re watching the system in case somebody enters it.”

“Like the BGs.”

“Yes, like the BGs.”

“Who were here in the system before.”

“WHAT?”

“The BGs. You know, the ones who smashed our expedition.”

“I know who the fucking BGs are, Sergeant Major. What’s this about them being in the system?”

“They were here. We discovered traces of their ion drives.”

Nyad’s glare intensified, and after a moment, he tapped his throat mic and started subvocalizing. He was good at it, never moving his lips, so Rev couldn’t tell what he was saying. But if the captain’s expression and gestures were any indication, he was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of that.

He tapped his mic off and stewed for a moment before saying, “That might have been sixteen years ago, Sergeant Major.”

“Sixteen years ago is nothing in the grand timeline. If they were here once, they could come again. We need to divert some of our efforts away from the planet and toward the system as a whole. We don’t need any surprises while we’re down on the surface.”

Captain Nyad was angry, both at Rev and for not knowing that important piece of information. But he was a professional, and he knew Rev was right.

It must have killed him, but he said, “You’re right, Sergeant Major. I’m heading down to CIC now to get that underway. Thank you.”

“I knew you’d want to know, sir.”

And with that, Rev turned and left.

OceanofPDF.com

5

The shuttle set down in what might be a ball field on Safe Harbor. Dust rose, blocking Rev’s sight as he rushed down the ramp. Ahead of him, the ruins loomed in the raised dust like ancient specters emerging from the primordial mist.

Rev hadn’t been too sure of using a shuttle versus the landing craft, but after another two days of intensive scanning, there were still no signs of life. With Clyburn flying cover, the greater payload of the shuttle seemed to outweigh any potential threat.

“Orient on the tall tower at our twelve,” he passed to Tomiko, who was acting as his second in command.

“Tall” was relative. It rose possibly twenty meters above the ground, but the fractured top, along with the rubble beneath it, hinted that it had once been much taller. It served the purpose, though. Rev had briefed the landing force, and he trusted his Marines and troops to take their assigned positions, but he’d rather use an easily identified landmark to orient his force than the back ramp of the shuttle.

If his Marines had gathered rust with the lack of action, they sure didn’t show it. They could be recording a training holo on how to set up a hasty defense.

The Genesians and civilians followed and formed a loose scrum in the center. The civilians were already at it, using their instruments to do whatever the civilians did. It was obvious that they were chafing at the delay. Rev ignored them, though. Security was his call.

And in this case, his call was to set up the Lamix. Until he knew what had caused the destruction on the planet and that the cause was no longer a threat, he was taking full precautions. Njuguna had thought that was overkill, but she didn’t have a say in the matter.

As soon as the perimeter was set, he passed, “OK, Kel. Set up the Lamix.”

Kelly and her team were pros at this by now. She promised to have it set up in twenty minutes.

At nineteen minutes and forty-three seconds, she passed, “Lamix activated. You’re good to go.”

Rev walked over to the civilians and Genesians and told Dr. Teo, “We’re set up, Lian. It’s all yours.”

He then released the shuttle, which rose into the air a few moments later and headed to its station. Both it and Clyburn would cover them for the near term before Clyburn ran into her time-on-station limits.

“Second Team, pull back and help with the set up.”

“Roger that,” Strap said.

First Team was left on the perimeter, which might be the overkill Njuguna had accused him of employing. But he had too many people inside the camp now, and too many hands erecting the shelters could cause more chaos than help, so he left First Team in their positions just inside the Lamix.

With things out of his hands for the moment, Rev had a chance to examine the area. Their objective had been selected due to the relative lack of damage and its size—“relative” being the key word. If this place was among the least damaged, then the rest of the towns and cities must have been devastated.

At first blush, it really wasn’t that different from any billions of human towns. He guessed there was a certain practicality that would exist for specific types of beings, but there was nothing about this place that screamed “alien.” Being essentially destroyed probably had a lot to do with that, but still, he thought it should look at least a little exotic.

The town spread out in a rough, misshapen oval about a klick in diameter along the longest axis. Adjacent to the ball field was a cluster of taller buildings, and beyond them were what looked to have been one-story buildings, possibly residences. And on the far side were larger one-stories, which the Genesians hoped were factories or warehouses.

Rev didn’t know what he thought of the Genesian’s plan to stay. He’d known all along that they were searching for a new home, but this place? It was a planet of the dead, and despite seeing more than his fair share of death and destruction during his lifetime, the place gave him the creeps.

The initial analysis did not reveal any known toxins, but something had not only killed the population, it had also eliminated any trace of the beings who lived here. Could that be a toxin of some sort? The civilians couldn’t rule that out yet, which was why the entire landing force was following 1A protocols.

Above and beyond whether this was a good place to settle, Rev was both relieved and alarmed at the prospect of them breaking off. There was still an underlying tension between the two groups of humans, and Tata Eleven’s veiled ultimatum about coming down to the planet’s surface was a reminder of the actual power differential. Rev didn’t particularly like Command Master Chief Umman, but that didn’t mean the man was wrong about his concern.

Then there was the fact that without the other capital ships, MDS soldiers, and the lost Marine company, the Genesians made up the bulk of the expedition’s combat power. If it were down to Rev and his Marines, they really couldn’t stand up to a strong foe.

There was one additional concern for Rev in particular. If the Genesians stayed here, what would Punch do? He was identical, at least in appearance, to them. And he was spending far more time in their spaces. The more estranged the two seemed, the more Rev thought his long-time friend would choose his new family.

“Sergeant Major, can you come here?” Strap asked over the P2P.

“What is it?”

“The civvies, of course. They’ve already started erecting their lab where you wanted the barracks. I told them where their lab should be, but they basically told me to pound sand.”

Rev sighed and gave the town one last lingering look.

“I’m on my way,” he told Strap as he strode off to put out that fire.

* * *

The wash sprayed Rev, momentarily blocking his view. Rev stood, arm and IBHU raised above his shoulders as the liquid slowly dripped off. His sight came back as his face shield cleared. He was at the end of the line of four Marines and eight civilians. Lance Corporal Dante “Jellyroll” Leek ran his scanner over Dr. Teo. It took almost thirty seconds as Jellyroll covered the civilian—head, arms, legs, and torso. On command, Teo lifted one foot, then the other to be tested.

Jellyroll gave the civilian team leader the OK, and the civilian stepped through the overpressure hatch and disappeared into the shelter. Rev sighed. It was going to take almost eight minutes until he was checked. In his PAL, he could lock-stand like this forever, arms raised as if he were surrendering, but that didn’t mean he liked it. And without being jacked into his wristcomp, he couldn’t listen to music to pass the time.

Rev had insisted that they remain in Protocol 1A until they knew what had killed the former residents of the planet. Over the last three days, though, not only did they not know that, but they also knew next to nothing about the beings. Other than organic traces on spots on the ground where something might have lain in the distant past, they had nothing.

It made no sense to him. They were here with some of the most sophisticated equipment known to humankind, and in three days, they had squat? A planet full of beings couldn’t just disappear like that without a trace. It was impossible.

Rev was beginning to think that maybe they hadn’t been killed at all, rather that they’d abandoned the planet. But what about the other life? Certainly, there were animals other than the primary beings. But while they found plenty of dead vegetation, there was no animal sign.

Finally, it was Rev’s turn. Jellyroll scanned him, checked the readout, and said, “You’re clean, Sergeant Major. You can enter.”

Rev resisted a smart response. The lance corporal was only doing the task assigned to him. So he just said, “Thank you,” and entered the shelter.

All eyes turned to him. Rev knew what they wanted, and, to be honest, what he wanted. Protocol 1A was a royal pain in the ass.

Screw it.

Rev cracked his helmet and walked over toward Juul Han from the bio team. He had to turn sideways to get through the stations—a Marine in a PAL, particularly an IBHU Marine, took up a lot of real estate.

“Anything?” he asked Han.

“Nothing. No known pathogens. No known anything, in fact.”

“And the Frankenblob?”

“Still Frankenblobbing along, as healthy as can be.”

The Frankenblob was a torso-sized cube of an organic simulation, complete with “breathing” and “circulation.” It was grown from bioengineered human tissue, and its purpose in “life” was to act as a canary in a coal mine. Without a real human’s ability to fight off infections, a Frankenblob should show signs of infections that would be harmful to human life.

Just because all the readings showed that it was healthy was not an absolute guarantee that there wasn’t something on the planet that could doom the humans. Sometimes, though, you just had to trust the system.

“We’re now in 2C,” Rev said, to the relieved sighs of everyone within earshot.

They still would suit up while outside, but the civilians would be in their basic enviro suits, and the decontamination station would be shut down, as would the hourly personal checks.

“Go molt,” he told his team. The lab was too crowded as it was for four Marines in PALs to be taking up space.

Rev waited a few more minutes to see if there had been any significant revelations since he’d gone out, but the lab was humming along, and he didn’t think any of the science types would appreciate having to brief him on something he might not understand.

He was just about to head to the armory with plans to molt from his PAL and then hit his cot for a much-needed nap when his comms buzzed. He hadn’t shut down his helmet, so he hurriedly put it back on. The display indicated that Petty Officer Sandoval was calling. Rev knew who Sandoval was, but he hadn’t had much contact with her.

“Sergeant Major, Captain Nyad’s requesting you come back up to the ship.”

Rev’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t due to return for two more days, and anything that broke the routine got his attention.

“Do you know why?” he asked.

“Not really. I was just told to pass the word to you. The shuttle’s ETA is in forty-two minutes.”

“No one said anything as to why?”

“Not to me. I’m just letting you know.”

“Is anyone else being asked to return?”

“I’m not in the loop, Sergeant Major. I’m not contacting anyone else, but I may not be the only one doing this.”

“Well, did they say how long I’ll be there?”

“No. Nothing like that.”

Sandoval wasn’t giving him anything, but he didn’t get the feeling that she was purposefully holding anything back.

“OK, I’ll be on the shuttle.”

At least I can get a good meal. Hopefully.

There was no use molting, only to don his PAL again. But he could ditch Pashu. She was just as much an obstacle aboard the ship as she was down on the planet, so he could just leave her in the shelter.

He’d started to walk through the tunnel to the armory when he realized that someone else needed to know.

“Hey, Miko,” he passed through the comms.

“I heard you took us to 2C.”

He couldn’t tell what she thought of that, so he gave a cautious, “Yeah. I did.”

“Thank the Mother. That was really getting old. Is that what you called me about?”

“Uh, no. Nyad wants me back on the ship.”

There was a momentary silence before she asked, “What for?” in the same wary tone that Rev had just a few minutes ago.

“I don’t know. Maybe we’re short of toilet paper, and he wants a meeting of the Three Musketeers to address the issue.”

She laughed, then said, “Not the Four Musketeers?”

“The gennies don’t use toilet paper. I think.”

She laughed again. “Maybe you’re right. But really? You don’t know?”

“Nope. I might be back down in a couple of hours, for all I know.”

“Well, check to make sure the girls haven’t killed Kat or Cheetoh.”

“Of course. I’d already planned to.”

“What about Eth’s squad?”

“What about them?” Rev asked.

“They’re due to rotate in the morning.”

Rev was rotating Marines up to the ship to give everyone a break. Randigold’s squad was due to go back up, but that relied upon the shuttle making a trip. Sometimes, it was better to use transport when it was actually there than to wait for a scheduled landing.

“If they can be ready in thirty-five minutes, send them. And let Top know so he can get the next squad to come down.”

That would leave them one squad short until the follow-on shuttle, but they could afford it. With no life on the planet, there wasn’t an identified threat, and he still would have enough personnel to accompany any civilian excursion going out.

Not me. Miko. She’ll be in charge until I get back.

“Believe you me. They’ll be ready. This is one boring mission.”

“Roger that. OK, have them meet me at the LZ.”

They cut the connection, and Rev hurried to the armory to get rid of his IBHU. He didn’t know why he was heading back, but he might as well make the best of it.

* * *

Rev sniffed his armpits.

“You smell like a rose,” Daryll said.

“Eat me.”

“In your dreams. What do you want me to do with it?” he asked as he pushed Rev’s PAL along the overhead conveyor to the side.

“Keep it handy for me, but put theirs back in the racks,” Rev said, hooking a thumb at Randigold and her squad.

All of the eager Second Squad had made it to the LZ with time to spare. Randigold had kept her IBHU, though, and there hadn’t been time for her to run back and change to her social arm. She’d be one-armed for her respite on the ship.

“Keep mine ready for a quick getaway.”

“So, you’re going back down?”

“I’m assuming so.”

“You know what assum—”

“Yes, it makes an “ass” out of “you” and “me,” Rev said with a scowl, repeating the oft-told saying. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here before I go back down. It could be in an hour, for all I know. And with that, I’ve gotta go. Can’t keep Nyad waiting.”

“OK,” he said before motioning Morehead forward.

“You shoulda ditched your IBHU back on the planet,” Rev said as he passed Randigold.

“And if we’re attacked by space fairies, Sergeant Major? I need to be ready to close with and destroy the enemy at all times.”

Rev rolled his eyes. “Space fairies,” he muttered as he left the armory.

He gave his armpit another sniff and considered heading to his stateroom. He could take a quick sonic and say hello to the girls before heading to see the CO. But while he’d been speaking somewhat tongue-in-cheek when he said he couldn’t keep Captain Nyad waiting, there was some truth to that.

The fact that he hadn’t been briefed or that no one had met him in the hangar led him to believe that whatever the reason he was brought back wasn’t galaxy-shattering. At the same time, if it was something inconsequential, then he wouldn’t have been summoned. All things being equal, he knew he should find out what was going on.

He picked up the pace and hurried to the CO’s stateroom. He rapped on the sill and entered.

The XO, Ops O, First Lieutenant, and Lieutenant (JG) Sampson, the Intel officer, were seated at the conference table.

Nyad made a pointed glance at his wristcomp and said, “You hit the hangar forty-one minutes ago.”

“I didn’t think you wanted to see me in my full combat rig,” he said, placing his left social arm on the table with a thunk.

He’d left Pashu on the planet, but he wouldn’t mind if they assumed he had her here on board.

Nyad pursed his lips, then said, “No matter. We started without you, but we can take a few moments to bring you up to speed. Lieutenant Sampson?”

The Intel officer turned to Rev and said, “Remember how you wanted us to focus part of our attention on the rest of the system.”

Rev gave Nyad a sidewise glance. As far as he knew, the captain was the only other person who knew that was Rev’s idea. He wasn’t sure why Nyad would have shared that.

“Yes, that’s true,” Rev said.

“Well, we might have found something.”

Rev’s ears perked up, and he forgot about Nyad.

“And . . .”

Sampson touched his wristcomp, and an asteroid or rocky moon appeared over the middle of the table.

“This is designated EFP-07-A100.”

Asteroid, then.

“It caught our attention because it isn’t where it’s supposed to be.”

“What does that actually mean?” Rev asked.

Sampson’s eyes lit up. “There are two asteroid belts in this system that are in Lagrange resonances, the inner one with planets One and Two, the outer with Five and Six, which means they're stable. This particular asteroid is not. It's almost in a Kirkwood gap, maybe heading toward a chaotic orbit—”

“Quit with the science-talk, Lieutenant, and get to the point.”

“Oh, yes, sir. Certainly. Um . . . what I mean to say is that this asteroid shouldn’t be here. It is my belief that it was moved into position.”

Rev let that sink in, then asked, “Could it have been an interstellar traveler that got caught by the primary’s gravitational pull?”

“Not when we examine the asteroid’s composition. It’s an exact match for the second asteroid belt. No, it’s from the system. But something took it out of its previous path.”

Rev gave a grudging nod. “I guess our dead friends down there might have had better capabilities than we estimated.”

“It wasn’t them,” Nyad interrupted.

Rev turned to look at him. “Why do you say that, sir? Who else?”

Nyad nodded back at Sampson, who continued. “I was curious about its position, so I added some additional scans, and we uncovered something very interesting. There are traces of something else on the asteroid. Traces of BGs. Some are quite ancient, to be sure, but other traces are more recent, and it’s unmistakable.”

The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Lieutenant (JG) Sampson had his full attention now. And Rev had the captain’s as he watched for Rev’s reaction.

“You’re saying that this is the BGs’ home system?”

The chances of them stumbling on the elusive race’s home system were infinitesimally small, but here they were.

“No, I’m not saying that. And I don’t think that’s a possibility. The trace readings we’ve achieved on the planet don’t match what’s on the asteroid. They’re not even close. There’s no doubt that we’re talking about two unrelated life forms here.”

“When you said some of the traces were more recent, are they about sixteen years old?”

“Some are two or three millennia old, but the latest, give or take, are about that recent. Roughly the same time as whatever befell the planet happened.”

“Then what . . .” Rev started before he realized that he didn’t know what to ask.

“And there you have it. What we’re here for is to determine what we do now,” the captain said.

And it clicked into place why he was called. “You want to go explore the asteroid, and you want to know if we’ve got the Marines to do it.”

The captain nodded. “That’s one consideration, yes. So, do we have the forces to do that?”

“I . . . I don’t know, sir. How big is that thing?”

“It’s only 650 meters long,” Sampson said.

Which was smaller than Rev had expected. And at that size . . .

He started doing some calculations, wishing he still had Punch.

After a minute or so, he said, “Given the surface area of the asteroid, and assuming no surprises, I can cover it with a single platoon—”

“It’s not the exterior,” Captain Nyad said. “Lieutenant?”

Instead of a simple rock floating over the conference table, suddenly sections appeared, and it took a moment for Rev to realize they symbolized spaces within the asteroid.

Of course. The BGs were using it as some sort of station, either to observe the planet or . . . or as a forward base from which they could attack it.

Rev’s warrior self, who’d been rather quiet lately, started to surface, and Rev had to push it back down.

“You said the traces were old. Are there any signs of life inside?”

“No signs of life. No signs of anything. No power emanations.”

“We don’t know what’s inside, but we want to find out. Any alien tech left behind could be an immense help in trying to figure out the BGs,” Nyad said.

Ah, now it becomes clear. Nyad wants the tech.

“So, do you have the forces?”

“Without an enemy defending it? Yes, I have the forces. That’s a lot of space to secure, but given enough time, we could do that and recover whatever is left there to recover. That would strip most of what we have on the surface, though.”

“Where there is no threat,” Lieutenant Commander Norton said.

“No known threat, sir.”

“Come on, Sergeant Major. They’re all long dead.”

“And we still don’t know why.”

“I think we do. The BGs killed them.”

“Leaving no trace?” Rev asked.

“OK, they took them as slaves. I don’t care. They aren’t there now.”

“Crispen, that’s enough,” Nyad said, then to Rev, “So, you can do it?”

“Given enough time, yes. But if there’s a lot there to recover, that might make it more difficult.”

“I’ve got sailors who can do the grunt work.”

“What does Njuguna say?” Rev asked.

“Nothing yet. I haven’t briefed her.”

Why the hell not? Her people would probably be better at figuring out whatever we might find.

It was interesting that Nyad had boxed out Rev about this mission, and now he was boxing out Njuguna. What was he playing at? Rev would bring that up later, though. But there was one additional thing that was more important, and he wanted to address that now.

“What about the gennies? And the lemmings?”

“What about them?”

“With all due respect, the gennies, in particular, need to be brought into the conversation. First, as you know, my forces have been attrited.”

That’s a civilized way to say it, Reverent. Don’t pussyfoot around.

“We’ve lost a lot of Marines, sir. If there’s any danger in that thing, well, their forces would be useful, especially assuming whatever it is has got negligible gravity.

“Second, they’ve been our allies, and if they’re trying to decide if they should stay in the system, don’t you think they should know that the BGs have been here?”

He stopped to try and gauge how the captain was taking this. The man might as well have been a statue.

Give him the real reason, Reverent.

“Third, and this is the big one. I mentioned back in Point One that we’ve lost a lot of Marines while they are still at full strength. We’re walking on eggshells now, sir, for fear that they might just decide to take over the expedition. Something like this,” he said, pointing to the projection, “do you really think this can be kept secret? Do you think you can recover objects and have them not know about it? And if they do find out, are they just going to laugh and say, ‘Good one, meat humans. You sure got one over on us’?”

The captain finally flinched. Rev didn’t know if he really hadn’t considered that. He should have. But Rev was sure that the restraint the Genesians had shown so far would vanish. They’d gone to war with humanity before, and they were far enough from human space now that if they disappeared—not just them, but the rest of the expedition—no one would be heading out to find out what had happened.

Rev waited for an answer, just staring at the captain.

It was Nyad who blinked.

“No decision has been made on the gennies. Or the lemmings. But what I would like you to do is come up with a plan to explore and clear, if necessary, that asteroid.”

Rev nodded. “When do you want it, sir?”

“By zero-six.”

Eight hours. Not much time, but doable.

“If someone can give me a detailed diagram of the asteroid, then no problem.”

“I can get you that,” Lieutenant Sampson said.

“Then, if there’s nothing else, I’ll get going on it.”

He was afraid the captain was going to keep him there while all of the officers gave him their take on things, but to his welcome surprise, Nyad just nodded and said, “Go to it then, Sergeant Major.”

Rev jumped to his feet before anyone else could butt in and was out the door. Short timeline or not, nothing was going to happen until he checked in with the girls and got something to eat. He couldn’t function on an empty stomach, after all.

But his heart was singing. He was about to create a Marine operations order. He was going to Marine again.

He’d forgotten how much he missed the normal Marine life, and he was anxious to get back into the saddle again.

His warrior self kept pushing, and as he hurried down the passage to his stateroom, Rev let him surface just a bit. The adrenaline rush was just too tempting to hold back.

OceanofPDF.com

6

“Any last questions?”

There were none.

“Then let’s load up,” Rev said.

This wasn’t a combat op, but it was as close to one as he’d experienced since being exiled. He’d lost Marines, of course, but the fight with the buffalo had been a reaction, not a planned operation, and he’d been merely a spectator in the space battle with the BGs. In this case, he’d gone through the entire planning process from scratch, and he hadn’t realized how much he . . . enjoyed was not too strong a word . . . putting together all the pieces in order to run an operation.

An added benefit of going through the planning process like they did was that it gave him time to have Pashu brought up from the planet. He should have known better. Never separate a Marine from his weapon. But he’d let personal comfort trump combat readiness.

Lesson learned.

He'd come a long way from the boot private who’d been forced to join the Corps. While he expected this to be a quiet mission, it had felt good to stretch his leadership muscles—muscles that had been atrophying over the last several years. If nothing else, this was a decent enough training exercise.

The assault force started loading the Charon landing craft. There was no sign of life on or in the asteroid, but he wanted the landing craft’s offensive capabilities in the fore. Once the breach was made and the initial entry cleared, then the shuttle, with the main body, would link up with the breaching tube and enter the asteroid.

Rev was the last person in the stick to board the Charon. He turned to look across the hangar where the Genesian party was midway through boarding the shuttle. It wasn’t difficult to spot Punch. His shell might be indistinguishable from those Genesians who chose to keep their shells unadorned, but he moved his shell in a stiff and somewhat awkward manner.

Adding Punch had been something that had taken Rev a bit of time to accept. His friend had asked to come, noting that having his own body was useless unless he could actually do something. But just the awkward gait was proof enough that Punch was not totally in control of his shell—and Kurt had confided to Rev that Punch might never be totally synched with his new body.

More than that, Punch was not trained for military operations. He probably knew more about them than anyone in the expedition, but academic knowledge was different than having boots on the ground. Punch had argued that he’d been with Rev on every single operation, but that wasn’t the same thing. Observing didn’t build the kinetic reflexes and muscle memory—or in Punch’s case, shell memory. It was only because the asteroid was empty that Rev agreed to the request. Let Punch get his feet wet where it was relatively safe.

Rev switched over to the P2P. “You OK, Punch?”

“Of course, I am OK. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Rev thought he could detect a bit of excitement in Punch’s voice. His friend might be using actual speech instead of a direct input, but he was still Punch, and the flow and tempo were the same.

“No reason. I was just checking.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine.”

“OK, then,” Rev said, not knowing how to extend the conversation without seeming not to trust Punch. “I’ll see you at the objective.”

Rev cut the connection and, within a minute, was walking up the ramp. He went to the front and jacked into the Charon’s internal comms. The follow-on shuttle was being flown by the AI, but Lieutenant Nissen was piloting the landing craft. After his attempt to extricate Rev and his team in the middle of the storm on Seventy-One, Rev trusted the pilot with his life, and he wanted him for the mission, leaving the expedition’s other shuttle/landing craft pilot with the shuttle on station over the camp on the planet’s surface.

“Everything good?” he asked.

“Going through my checklist. Probably five minutes, Sergeant Major,” Nissen said.

“Take your time.”

The back ramp closed, and the Marines strapped into their harnesses. Rev settled in, wishing he still had Punch to start some music. He could pipe music into his PAL, but there were a few more steps, and he was feeling a little lazy.

It didn’t take long until Nissen announced, “Prepare for launch.”

The Charon lurched as the tractor beams took hold. Rev, with his prime position near the porthole, could see their progress as the landing craft rotated and moved into position. The lights counted down, and with barely discernible acceleration, they were shot out of the hangar.

Rev unconsciously held his breath until the “Engine Engagement” light went green. They were under power and on their way.

The “cabin secure” light turned on. Rev cracked his helmet and twisted it off, then removed his gauntlet. They were in their PALs for the duration, but at least they would be bareheaded, and those with two hands would have them free. Rev could see a deck of cards already make its appearance halfway down the hold.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I know you had a choice of liners to take today, so I want to thank you for choosing What the Fuck Lines. You just settle in for our short, ten-hour ride. Unfortunately, our flight attendants all showed up drunk, and they’re not on the flight, so if you want a drink, get off your Mother-loving asses and get it yourself. I’m flying this thing.”

It was corny, but the Marines, including Rev, laughed.

“We hope you choose What the Fuck Lines for your next vacation, and please remember to leave a review.”

“No flight attendants? No booze? You’re getting one star from me, Lieutenant,” Rev said over the commander’s circuit.

“One star? Then I’ve got nothing to lose, so you might as well add ‘couldn’t find his ass with both hands, much less the objective,’” he said before cutting the connection.

* * *

“You ready, Mouf?” Rev asked Sergent Chef Henri “Mouf” Vasseur.

“Ready, Sergeant Major,” the former Hégémonie Liberté Legion 2ème REP said.

There were four of the Legionnaires left with the expedition. With their hyper-augments, they were the most skilled in vacuum ops, so as with the Century ship Loman’s Haven, they were the breach team.

“Then let’s do it,” Rev passed.

Vasseur gave a cocky salute, then performed a back-flip off the ramp and was followed by the other three Legionnaires. Rev just shook his head. He could do a backflip, too, but it would take him too long to recover, and he didn’t want to be flailing around like a walrus on the beach.

He motioned to Tsao, and the rest of the assault element followed the Legionnaires. Rev could see the asteroid while still on the ramp, so there wasn’t much in the way of orientation. He reached the edge and turned off his geckos just as he jumped. His exit was smooth, something he couldn’t say about Tiwari. The Dalit sergeant pushed off but was a little late with the geckos, and he jumped, only to be jerked to a stop as his sabatons wouldn’t release from the ramp.

Geckos automatically released and powered up in normal walking, but as a safety measure, they had to be manually turned off if subject to a stronger force—and while powered up, their grip was almost unbreakable. Tiwari wasn’t hurt, except for his pride. He’d hear about this later, Rev knew.

The Charon had come to a stop 500 meters from the asteroid. They could simply push off and make the crossing without fear of missing and drifting off forever. But Rev gave his impellers a few short hits as he slightly adjusted his course.

He took a moment to locate Punch, who was easily identifiable without a combat suit. But his friend seemed to be making the crossing without issue.

Rev came to a halt thirty meters from the hatch. Vasseur and his team were arrayed around it as they contemplated the best way in.

“Sergeant Major, this doesn’t look very robust,” the Legionnaire passed on the P2P.

“Can you get in?”

“Probably. But it doesn’t make sense. I’m thinking that this is just here for micro impacts, and there’s something a little more substantial inside. I might be able to just open it.”

“Wait. Have you scanned the other side?” Rev asked.

“No sign of a booby trap. I think it’s safe.”

But thinking something was safe was not the same as knowing it was.

Rev was tempted to jet forward, but Vasseur was the closest thing he had to an expert. He didn’t need to be sticking his nose in the Sergent Chef’s business.

“It’s your call, Mouf.”

A moment later, the other three Legionnaires shifted back. Vasseur planted his feet alongside the edge of the door, squatted, and grabbed something—mostly likely a handle.

He pushed with his legs, and the door swung open. There wasn’t a blast as a result. In fact, it was rather anticlimactic. Vasseur poked his head into the asteroid.

“I was right. There’s another door inside. It looks like an airlock.”

“Can you open it?”

“Sergeant Major, we can open anything.”

He disappeared inside, followed by the rest of his team.

“Tum, let’s get a team on the surface to cover them,” he told Tsao.

“Roger that.”

A moment later, Corporal Weld and his Marines started slowly approaching the asteroid’s surface.

This was the part Rev hated—waiting on others. He managed to stay off the net, though. But the time stretched on, and he was getting more and more anxious. He was just about to ask for a status report when three of the Legionnaires emerged. They saw the Marines near the entrance, then motioned them away.

“All hands, back up. And if you can see into the opening, you’re in the line of sight,” Rev passed.

There was a scurry of maneuvering as Marines moved aside. Rev edged closer to the surface, using the asteroid’s bulk to shield him. Rev didn’t know what Vasseur planned. He’d been told to use just enough force to create a breach, but the final decision on how to do it was his.

“Fire in the hole!” Vasseur passed on the net. A moment later, he came shooting out of the opening, performed a picture-perfect Half Whip maneuver maneuver, and darted to the side.

Rev held his breath, and twelve seconds later, a flash erupted, causing his face shield to polarize. There was a flash of something else, too, shooting out of the hole. Rev couldn’t quite make it out, and he spun . . .

“Oh, crap!”

The shuttle was standing off the surface of the asteroid, generally in line with the opening. But the gods of war were with them this time. Almost before Rev realized the danger, whatever it was flashed past the waiting shuttle, missing it by less than a hundred meters.

Rev’s heart was hammering in his chest. A disaster was averted by pure luck, but it shouldn’t have ever gone that far. He’d gotten Marines out of the way, but he hadn’t considered the shuttle.

“What the hell was that?” Lieutenant Nissen asked. He’d had the Charon well out of the way.

“That was a near miss,” Rev said, his heart still pounding. “Something was blown free and almost hit the shuttle.”

“Coming out? Whatever that Legionnaire did, it should have blown in instead of out,” Nissen said.

He’s right. What the hell just happened?

There would have to be a full forensic investigation on how that had happened. How was something blown out? And while he should have checked the shuttle’s position, something had gone wrong with the shuttle’s AI pilot. It should have realized the danger as well.

He glanced around his assault force. Vasseur was already looking into the opening.

“We’re clear!” he announced on the force net.

“Tum, take your people in,” he passed to Tsao.

Whatever had happened, that didn’t stop the mission. They had breached an entry. Now it was time to go to work.

Tsao led her team inside, right according to the book. Rev would have thought they’d have rehearsed the operation for weeks. He waited impatiently for his turn to enter with Over-sergeant Nunt and Second Team—he’d rather have Strap leading the team, but with Tsao in the assault, his policy of not having two parents on the same mission kept him from that. Finally, Tsao signaled the entry point was secure, and it was his turn. He gave one last look at the shuttle, shuddered, and dove into the entrance.

The sides of the walls were scorched and gouged, but he could see they had been perfectly smooth, a sure sign that they were artificial. He’d assumed that. The interior of the asteroid had been a construct, but it was still good to have that confirmed.

The door leading into the interior was gone, leaving a twisted frame in place. The frame was warped outward, not inward, so the door must have been what had shot out with such force. And just on the other side of the frame, the walls were scorched but relatively sound. A cable of some sort ran along the wall. From the look of the frayed end, it might have run past the vacuum door and all the way to the asteroid’s surface, but if it had, there was no sign of it past the frame.

Mouf must have drilled through somehow and set a shaped charge aimed out.

If he was trying to minimize damage to what was inside, then that made perfect sense. Rev just wished they’d been warned about what he decided to do. He was going to have to talk to the Legionnaire during the hotwash.

That still doesn’t give you an excuse not to have cleared the area. Lesson learned.

“Tum, what you got up there?” he asked.

“We’re at Bluebird,” she said, using the codeword for the first intersection. “There’s a sort of conveyor-looking thing, like a rope tow on a ski slope, but otherwise, the tunnels are bare.”

Rev wouldn’t know a rope tow ski lift if it bit him. Skiing wasn’t a thing on Safe Harbor, but Tsao was from New Hope, and they were famous for cold-weather sports. He had to assume that she meant the cable running alongside the wall. Was it some sort of conveyor belt to get supplies in and out through the entrance? Even with no discernible gravity, supplies would still have mass, so a system like this, while much more primitive than a tractor system, might work.

If the BGs are this primitive, how much of a threat are they?

Yes, they’d run the humans out of the EFP-1 system, but they’d come in force. The Centaurs had seemed almost invincible when they first clashed with humanity, causing tremendous death and destruction. But once humankind recovered from the shock and started being proactive, they realized that while the feared enemy was more technically advanced in many areas, they had too few numbers as well as a lack of military resourcefulness to truly have humanity on the ropes.

Could the BGs be something similar? Then again, this place was built long ago, so whoever did it had probably advanced quite a bit since then. Several millennia ago, humankind couldn’t even fly on their birth planet.

Maybe we can find something out from this place.

“OK. As soon as you’re ready, start heading down Lion. We’re right behind you, and we’ll take Antelope. Don’t forget to place your repeaters as you go.”

“Roger that. We’re on our way.”

This close to the surface, they’d been able to map out the tunnels pretty well. The farther inside, though, the murkier it became. There looked to be some open areas, but it was difficult to be sure. As they advanced, they labeled both junctions and paths—bird names for junctions and mammal names for the spaces between. Hopefully, they’d be able to map out the place as they advanced. And with the repeaters, they’d have a line of communication that would be able to connect a full data flow from anywhere inside the asteroid to both the Charon and the shuttle, and from them, back to the Galaxy Explorer.

It was only about fifteen meters from the blasted vacuum door to Bluebird, and Second Team, with Randigold on point, reached it just as the last of First Team headed down Lion. Rev told Vasseur to secure the intersection, covering Lion, Antelope, and Badger, a small, side passage that ran along the surface of the asteroid. Then he gave Nunt the OK to proceed.

Antelope had slight curves, winding like a snake as they got deeper into the asteroid. Rev—his mind on military applications—wondered if that was for defensive purposes, making sure there were limited lines of sight along the way. The passage was otherwise bare and about six meters across.

The curves were not conducive to pushing off from, so the Marines had to advance using small puffs of impulse from their impellers. Rev glanced back several times at Punch, but for someone newly introduced to his body and without Null G training, he was doing quite well.

They didn’t have a good magnetic map of the asteroid, so Rev’s vaunted inner navigation system was useless, but he estimated that they had traveled at least 125 meters—or almost a quarter of the width—before Randigold brought them to a halt.

“We’ve got an opening ahead. I’m taking Lymon and checking it out,” she passed.

Nunt put the rest of the team on ready and moved forward. Rev wanted to go forward as well, but he managed to hold himself back.

“You still doing OK?” he asked Punch on the P2P.

“All we have done is proceed down a passage. I don’t think that’s a test of my capabilities.”

Rev mentally recoiled at the rebuff, but then he wondered . . .

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“Me? Sarcastic? Whatever do you mean?”

A little relieved, Rev smiled and turned back to face the front. The two of them were still working out their relationship, but maybe humor would help.

It was a good two minutes, though, before Randigold came back on the net.

“It’s gotta be thirty meters across,” she said. “And it’s full of shit. Do you want me to enter?”

Rev almost replied, but she wasn’t asking him. Nunt was the team leader.

“What kind of shit?” Nunt asked.

“Boxes, maybe. Machines. Fuck, I don’t know what the hell it all is.”

“Wait one,” Rev said, breaking into the conversation.

He didn’t want to step on Nunt’s toes, but this was the first . . . well, something they’d encountered. He wanted to get a better look before they just waltzed on in.

“I’m coming up. Nunt, you come with me.”

The passage was plenty wide enough for Rev to pass the other Marines ahead of him. Nunt waited until Rev came abreast of him, and together, they both moved forward. The two reached Randigold and Lymon, who had stopped at the end of the passage.

Rev ran his helmet torch across the open space. Nothing he saw made immediate sense. The walls were cut, making the space an octagon, and along each wall were machines in no discernible pattern. Some of the machines crossed the corner where the walls intersected, and four of the machines/consoles/whatever stretched across the space from one side to the other. The nearest wall was mostly empty, with only six domes, each about a meter and a half in diameter, evenly spaced.

The domes were about the only things that were evenly spaced. The rest of the place seemed to be rather haphazard. Still, despite the hodgepodge appearance, Rev got a CIC feeling.

“What do you want to do, Sergeant Major?” Nunt asked.

Aside from the fact that the mission was to figure out what this thing was, Rev was curious. And this place was long dead. They weren’t sure how long, but there was no sign of life.

“Let’s take a look,” Rev ordered. “Standard clearing techniques.”

Nunt called the rest of the lead team forward. Once they were in place, he gave the command, and they entered at once, with Lymon oriented to the front, Salib to the left, D’agosti to the right, and Randigold overseeing. Rev should have let the team leader follow, but he went next as he triggered his PAL to take still photos along with his visual feed.

Gotta give the civvies something to analyze.

Lymon reached the first row of containers when suddenly, harsh, too-white lights flooded the space.

Rev blinked as his face shield compensated, Pashu raised.

“Hey, I’ve got—”

Whatever Lymon was going to say was cut off as an energy beam flashed and cut through his PAL like a hot knife through butter.

Rev was already acting. He mentally cursed his rot-induced slowed-down movement. One of the half domes on the far left had unfolded like a pill bug. Unbelievably quick, it shifted what looked to be a simple tube toward Salib a split second before Rev acquired it and fired, the beam dropping the sergeant in his tracks.

Rev shouted in anger as his heavy twenty-millimeter bullets stitched the creature, staggering the thing. For a moment, Rev thought it could withstand the onslaught, but when Randigold joined in and when the fifth or sixth round struck, pieces started to fly off, and sparks shot out. A puff of smoke filled the vacuum before something from deep inside the thing flashed, and it collapsed in on itself.

Rev put another burst into it as a closing argument.

“What the hell was that?” D’Agosti asked in awe.

Rev had thought it was a living being at first, but it was obviously mechanical. He just started to answer when two more of the things started to unroll.

“Get the hell back,” he shouted at Randigold and D’agosti while he engaged the nearest one.

Both Marines grabbed the dead man’s handles on the downed two and dragged them out of the way as Rev destroyed the first, then barely targeted the second before it could completely deploy.

He hurt the thing. He could tell. But it skittered behind the row of machines as the rest of the things started to emerge from their old state.

“Clear!” Nunt, who’d been just behind him, passed.

Rev didn’t need to be told twice. He jumped back into the tunnel.

“Nunt, retreat back to the breach,” he said over the open net, then added, “Eth, get someone to take Lymon from you.”

Then he switched to Team 2’s net and tried to raise them. No luck. Their comms repeaters weren’t doing their job.

He switched to Vasseur, who was back at Bluebird. “Contact Team 1 and tell them to get back. Send a runner if you have to. Let the Charon know we’re getting out of here.”

Randigold returned to him, and he signaled her to take the other side of the corridor. “I saw six of those domes. Were there any more?”

“Shit. Maybe. I didn’t see any, but I didn’t have eyes on the back side.”

“It took both of us to drop the one, so they’re tough sons of bitches. I hurt another, but it took cover, and we can’t count it out. So, we know there’re five of them and maybe more.”

“No biggie, Sergeant Major. We’ve faced worse.”

Typical Eth, thinking she can take on the universe.

Rev’s face shield flashed, and his alarms went off. He’d been painted with some sort of energy weapon, probably the same one that had hit Lymon and Salib. But either it was a side lobe or reflected energy because his shields were only minimally affected.

Randigold let loose a burst from her twenty.

“What do you got?” Rev asked as he peered at the opening into the space.

“Nothing. I just wanted to remind them we’ve got teeth.”

Rev turned around. The team was retreating down the passage, carrying the two downed Marines. Give them a few more moments and he and Randigold could retreat.

She fired another burst, and Rev turned to tell her not to waste ammunition when another wave of energy flooded the passage. His alarms increased in tempo, and his shields flickered. Randigold bent double, her body drifting off aimlessly as she struggled to raise her IBHU, and still, Rev didn’t have a target.

“Shit!”

He darted toward her, firing his own weapon into the opening. After two bounds, he caught sight of one of the mechanical constructs taking cover behind a machine of some sort. Rev shifted his aim and took it under fire as he reached Randigold, who was now using the muzzle of her IBHU to push off the bulkhead and orient herself.

The BG construct was either knocked out or had taken cover. Rev grabbed Randigold by the shoulder and pulled her back.

“Can you move?” he asked.

“You go, Sergeant Major,” she gasped. “I’ve got you covered.”

“You can barely move, Eth. Go!” he said, turning her and giving her a push, which almost sent her spinning.

She hesitated, then grabbed the cable and pulled herself along. Rev caught just the flicker of motion toward the back of the space. Without thinking, he fired a Moray, hoping that it could arm in the confined space. The missile shot down the corridor, into and across the open space, and swerved to hit another of the constructs it detected, before detonating with a satisfying flash.

“That’s right, bitch,” Rev said as his warrior self swept to the fore. And Rev didn’t stop him.

The enemy evidently couldn’t stand up to a Moray, but unless another exposed itself at the back of the space, the rest of his missiles would be useless.

“What about my beamer?”

As if waiting for the question, a construct darted across the opening. Rev fired almost simultaneously as he was hit. The construct might have faltered, but it kept going past and into cover.

Rev turned off his alarms. He didn’t need the distraction. His shields had taken a hit and were down to 54%. If the mechanical fighter had been able to hold onto target a second or two longer, his shields would have failed.

“Pull back, Sergeant Major,” Randigold passed.

Rev risked a look back. Randigold had her arm wrapped around the cable about fifteen meters back, steadying herself as she aimed Cruella de Vil. She was covering him.

He wasn’t going to argue. Rev placed his feet along the bulkhead and pushed off toward her. Just as he passed, she fired her twenty. He kept going another ten meters before he turned and took up his own firing position.

“Go, Eth!”

She was slower, struggling to gain traction, but she made it and fired her impulse modules. Which caused her to shoot toward him.

Rev no longer had a direct line of sight into the space. He kept Pashu aimed at the curve of the passage, watching for any sign of movement. There was nothing for a moment, and Rev began to hope that the robots or whatever they were were constrained to the open space.

That was too much to hope for.

One of the constructs darted into sight. It guessed wrong, its barrel aimed at the center of the corridor. It quickly picked up Rev and was blindingly fast in adjusting its aim . . . but Rev was quicker. His ability to maneuver Pashu might have suffered, but his reflexes were as reactive as ever. His first round hit center mass. His second round hit the barrel, knocking it to the side. His fifth round penetrated, and the demon thing collapsed in a heap.

“Go!” Eth shouted, which almost killed him.

Rev started to rise just as something shot down the passage and ricocheted off the wall, and headed right at him. He blindly fired his impulse module and twisted as whatever it was missed his head by millimeters. It exploded midway between him and Randigold. A surprisingly strong shock wave slammed into Rev on one side and knocked Randigold to her back on the other.

“Mother fuck!” she screamed in anger.

As Rev regained control, she started pouring twenties past him, the recoil knocking her back with each round. Rev hugged the wall and kept a low profile as he retreated.

This wasn’t the first time Rev or Randigold had conducted a bounding overwatch, and they quickly fell into the routine. Only one retreated at a time, while the other covered. Randigold fired once more as a construct became a little overeager, but they quickly covered the distance back to Bluebird.

Rev hesitated as the control point came into sight. There was rubble where the walls had been smooth, but it quickly became apparent that the breach team had somehow knocked chunks of rock out of the walls and were rapidly attaching the chunks to other sections, making obstacles that could be used as firing points.

To the best of his knowledge, the Marines didn’t have a way to accomplish this, at least not without their engineers. From the ease with which they were working, the Legionnaires sure did.

“Where’s First” Rev shouted as he reached Vasseur.

“Coming,” the Legionnaire said.

Rev looked back down Antelope. He couldn’t see any sign of pursuit, but he knew it was coming.

The last of Second Team was heading out of the breach, leaving only Rev and Randigold. 1re classe Ouray maneuvered a loose chunk of rock to the side, and Vasseur pointed at another boulder that had already been emplaced.

“No,” Rev said. “Give me something on Badger.”

He might not know how they were securing the chunks of rock, but he knew where he wanted one.

Ouray pushed it to where Badger took off. Caporal Boudin dove forward with what looked like a caulking gun and shot three globs of something along the walls, then together, they eased the boulder into place.

Rev didn’t know how long it would take to set, but as long as it stayed in place for the moment, at least, they had some degree of protection.

That was the last large chunk of rock, though. Vasseur probably could break loose some more, but there wasn’t any time. This was better than he could have expected.

“Go,” he told Vasseur.

The Legionnaire was lightly armed when compared to a Marine in a PAL, much less an IBHU. He hesitated just for a moment, then gathered his team, and they dove into the breach.

“Go with the Mother,” Rev whispered, then louder, he told Randigold, “You, too. Go.”

“Fuck you, Sergeant Major. With all due respect, of course.”

“Don’t give me shit, Eth. You can barely move.”

“I can still shoot. So, I’m staying. You can’t cover Tum and the rest alone.”

He wasn’t sure that they could hold the position even with the two of them, but he wasn’t going to get into a pissing contest with her. She was a big girl, and she knew what she was doing.

And secretly, he was glad. He could use the support.

He pointed to Badger. “Take that, then. But be ready to support me if I need you.”

She didn’t argue, thank the Mother, but slipped into position.

Rev settled in behind one of the hasty obstacles Vasseur had set. It didn’t give him complete cover, but it was much more than had he been out in the open. He gave it a tentative shove with his right arm, but it was him who moved, not the rock.

“Remind me to find out . . .” he started to subvocalize before stopping in embarrassment. This wasn’t the first time he’d started to tell Punch something, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

I need to learn more about how they do this.

“Tum, where are you?” he asked, not expecting anything.

But she immediately answered.

“On our way. The lights came on, and then a couple minutes later, we got hit by some sort of attack bot. Fiore’s down, but we’re retreating now under heavy pressure.”

“Hurry your ass. There’re more of those things coming down Antelope, too.”

“On our way.”

Make it fast, Tum.

He didn’t see any way that the enemy bots could advance without being spotted, but he took a moment to go through his face shield settings, before finally settling on heat signature to supplement his direct sight. The passage was bitterly cold, and the constructs might be emanating heat, which could be picked up before they actually reached his line of sight.

Less than fifteen seconds later, a wave of energy came at them, reflecting off the bulkheads and seemingly gaining in power.

Rev instinctively ducked down behind the rock, which was closing the barn door after the horses got out. The upper part of his PAL had taken some of the blast. He checked his shields: another eleven percent gone.

Rev immediately aimed Pashu down the passage, waiting for the constructs to follow their energy weapon blast, but there was nothing.

“You still with me, Eth?” he asked as he peered down the passage.

“That singed my ass, but yeah, I’m good to go.”

“Then keep your ass down.”

“Now, he tells me.”

Twenty seconds, thirty seconds passed with no sign of the enemy. Then they were hit again. Ten percent of his shield strength disappeared. If they were moving closer, their beams should have more power.

So, what were they doing?

Rev aimed at the far curve of the passage. He fired a burst from his beamer, then another from his twenty. If they could be using the walls as some sort of focusing mirror, then he could as well. And as Randigold had said, it would remind them that the Marines had teeth, too.

He automatically kept his peripheral vision on his beamer LED, breathing a sigh of relief when it turned green. It had probably been stupid to waste the shot. If they’d chosen that moment to charge, he’d have been down to only his twenty.

“Move it, Tum,” he passed.

“Doing our best. We’re under heavy pressure.”

Rev glanced at Lion. On a planet with an atmosphere, he’d be able to follow the sounds of the battle. Up here in the vacuum, there wasn’t a sound.

Except for his curse as the next blast enveloped him. And again, his shield strength fell.

They couldn’t put up with much more of this.

“Eth, can you scoot farther into Badger? Get some more cover between you and the bots?”

“Not and stay behind this nice rock the Legionnaires put here.”

A ricochet round slammed past him and exploded somewhere in the breach. It barely registered. He had the feeling that was just harassment fire, while the energy beams were the real deal.

“You might have to,” he said. “And we don’t know if any of them are coming down Badger.”

“And we don’t know if they aren’t. It’s not smart to keep a flank exposed.”

Rev considered that for a moment. But a potential threat was outweighed by a known threat.

He was about to tell her to move into Badger when another wave of energy washed over the corridor, this time knocking an additional eleven percent from his shield. The enemy were throwing waves of energy, trusting the rock walls to reflect the waves and fill the passage. And it was working. If they moved a little closer, less energy would be attenuated, and that could spell the end of them. That end was coming soon enough, anyway. It seemed like the enemy bots were firing every thirty-some-odd seconds, willing to wear the two humans down until they could administer the coup de grâce.

And Rev was just crouching here, taking it. This wasn’t how the Marines went to war.

“What’s your shield strength?” he asked Randigold.

“Twenty-two percent.”

“Get the hell into Badger. You can still engage from there if you need to.”

But that might give her another thirty seconds beyond what Rev had.

“Break contact, Tum, and run,” Rev passed to Tsao. “We can’t hold them.”

“Roger that. Four minutes.”

Rev didn’t think they had four minutes.

“Make it three minutes,” he told Tsao.

He peered down the corridor. The bastards must have figured out that to show themselves was suicide. But did they know how damaging their energy weapons were?

Two more blaster waves might be enough to break through and cook both of them.

If they would only make a mistake and show themselves, Rev could target them with his twenty. But they seemed to have figured that out, too, that the two Marines needed a direct line of sight, and they were holding up just around the curve of the tunnel.

I need that line of sight.

Another wave rolled down to wash over them, and everything fell into place. The time lag between volleys. Just like Pashu’s recharging.

Rev reacted. He pulled himself over the rock and pushed off, aiming at the curve of the wall. He performed a Cat Reflex that would have made Corporal Cathcart, his zero-G instructor back on Cephalus, proud, hit the wall feet first, and pushed off again.

Three of the constructs were clinging to the walls ahead. Two were connected as if hugging each other, their barrels synched in the same direction. The third was on the opposite side of the passage.

Rev immediately assumed that the third was a sort of security, and he locked onto it with his twenty and fired a burst. He let the recoil shove him to the side, hoping that would spoil the aim of the two that were connected. But they didn’t fire. They didn’t do anything.

Rev wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He fired a long burst that blasted into them both. Still, they didn’t react. Nor did they separate, even when Rev’s fire chewed them into pieces. Portions were smashed free to be flung down the passage, while the “feet” of the things seemed to be stuck to the surface of the walls.

Another of the ricocheting rounds zipped past him. It had come from back down the passage. Rev’s rush while they were recharging might have bought him a little bit of time, but there were more of the vermin coming.

The grace with which he performed his Cat Reflex vanished as he struggled to reverse his direction. He gave his impellers a burst, which only seemed to send him tumbling. It wasn’t until he crashed into what was left of the two bots in their death embrace that he was able to get some semblance of control. He kicked off the debris and managed to push off back to Bluebird.

“Where the hell did you go?” Randigold asked.

And he realized she couldn’t see what had happened, nor had he told her. One moment he was there, and the next, he’d sprung off and out of sight.

“I took care of the bastards targeting us. Now we just need First Team and to get out of here before reinforcements show up.”

He came to an almost smooth stop at his firing position and looked over at Randigold.

She was on the far side of her firing position, and he could see the relief in her eyes as she spotted him.

The round hit her high on the shoulder, driving her face-first into the rock. Rev dove for her. He caught a glimpse of at least a dozen small crawling bots covering all sides of passage as they charged forward.

Rev swept the walls with his beamer on guillotine mode, dropping five or six, but the little bastards had a bite, too, as they shot large bullets from the middle of their bodies.

He couldn’t reach the rest of them without hitting Randigold, who had rebounded from the rock and was floating motionless. Rev twisted to land feetfirst on her firing point. He let his legs flex all the way and reached forward with both arms. It was Pashu who reached her, the grasping members clenching closed on Cruella de Vil, her IBHU.

Rev extended his legs, yanking Randigold with him back over her firing point. His body arched back, and something hard glanced off of his chest. But his suit kept its integrity as he pulled her away.

He twisted her to the side, and the moment his beamer LED went green, he fired again, sweeping three more off the walls. The remaining bots kept firing. Rev could actually see the rounds as they shot past him.

Three of the bots emerged past Randigold’s firing position and seemed to aim their entire bodies at the two Marines.

His beamer was still charging, and he had nothing other than his twenty. He got one, but he knew the others had a beam on him. He couldn’t engage them, not while struggling with Randigold.

But the two disappeared in violent explosions, and a moment later, Micky Cocker jetted past him and lit up Badger.

Rev pulled Randigold around and only then saw that the “bullet” that had hit her was some sort of spike, like the ones that secured their expeditionary shelters. It had hit right at the juncture of her pauldron and cuirass. What surprised him was that any physical round had penetrated, no matter how high-tech a round it might be.

Her PAL had been breached, but it had sealed around the break, and she was out, but alive. He didn’t know what else might be damaged, and she had to get to the Charon.

First Team was pouring into Bluebird. Rev grabbed the first Marine he saw—Jellyroll—and told him to take Randigold and go.

With Cocker covering Badger, he started directing Marines through the breach. More of the ricochet rounds started coming down Antelope, as if the BG constructs could sense the humans were escaping. One detonated right next to Weld’s head, but his PAL held, and he disappeared down the breach.

An energy blast filled Bluebird, coming from Lion. Rev’s shield took a five percent hit, so either it was a less powerful weapon, or they were firing it from farther away.

Finally, Tsao and Jones emerged into view.

“Are you the last?” Rev asked.

“We’re it. No one’s behind us.”

“Then move it, Tum. I’ve got you covered.”

She twisted about and shot forward, her impellers close to max, with Jones on her tail. Rev braced himself on one of the firing positions and started pouring twenties at the unseen enemy.

“Get everyone out of here,” Rev ordered as he kept up a string of fire.

He was vaguely aware of bodies disappearing behind him, but with his warrior self in full control, he was lost in the heat of the battle. He caught sight of movement and shifted his fire, driving the bot back.

His battle blood boiled, and for a moment he wanted to charge, to finish the devil’s tool off, but Tsao’s voice stopped him.

“That’s it, Sergeant Major. Come on.”

It took a moment to realize what she was saying, and his battle lust faded while reality set in. She was just inside the breach, beckoning him to join her.

He twisted around to shove off the wall, but he was too far away, and he had to goose his impellers as he suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. A ricochet round struck just off the opening as he too slowly edged to it.

He looked over just as he started to enter and caught sight of two of the constructs coming into view.

Rev disappeared into the breach and followed past the wrecked door. But he knew they weren’t out of the woods. The landing craft was some four hundred meters away. They had to make the crossing and get into the landing craft’s shielding before the BG bots reached the entrance.

They’d be sitting ducks, and Rev was at—he checked his shield strength—6.2%.

He couldn’t take another hit.

A feeling of helplessness came over him. He didn’t want to go out like that. As he reached the opening, he considered stopping there to cover the rest. At least he’d go out like a warrior should. Images of Willow and Aspen flashed before his eyes, but he took control and willed them away . . . until maybe the most beautiful sight he’d seen was in front of him.

Lieutenant Nissen had brought his Charon almost to the doorstep. Tsao launched herself and crossed the twenty meters into the back of the landing craft. Rev scrambled forward, set his feet, and pushed.

“I’m the last one. Get out of here, Lieutenant!” he passed on the commander’s net.

A very familiar person was on the edge of the ramp, waiting for him. Rev flew across the space to be grabbed and stopped by Punch.

“Glad you decided to join us,” his friend said.

“I think I outstayed my welcome.”

The ramp immediately started to close as the Charon began to move away from the asteroid. Rev stood there, arm around Punch, expecting to see the bots appear and take them under fire, until the ramp snicked to a close.

As the cabin started to pressurize, Rev moved forward to the interior comms and jacked in.

“You’re beginning to make a habit of this, Lieutenant,” Rev said as he linked to the outside feed of the asteroid.

“You’re making it a habit of getting yourself into trouble, and someone has to pull you out of it.”

“I’m glad you’re there to do it. But I need you to get a message back to the Explorer. Tell them to get everyone off the planet and get ready to run. And tell them to send a torp to Titan. They need to know what’s going on.”

“Because there were some bots on an asteroid?”

Rev was about to respond when BG constructs started crawling out of the entrance. Two fired at the landing craft as it pulled out, but the Charon had pretty robust shields. A moment later, first one, then another construct came apart, and the pieces drifted off the asteroid’s surface.

Robust shields and a very potent bite.

He went back to Nissen’s question. “The bots there are just the beginning. Credits to doughnuts, the BGs are coming.”

OceanofPDF.com

7

“Why hasn’t the ground force been evacuated?” Rev demanded as he barged into Captain Nyad’s stateroom.

The captain gave Tata Eleven a quick glance before responding. “We understand that you encountered some sort of automated force on the asteroid, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we need to give up on the planet. That station was abandoned long before we ventured into space.”

“We lost three Marines. The station wasn’t abandoned,” Rev snapped.

The Charon had docked twelve minutes ago. Rev had made sure that Randigold and the dead were taken to sickbay, then asked when the ground party would be returning. To his shock, he was told that there were no plans to retrieve them.

He asked where Nyad was, and without bothering to molt from his PAL, he ran to the stateroom and barged into what looked to be a meeting with Tata Eleven, Lieutenant Commander Norton, Dr. Njuguna, and Command Master Chief Umman.

He briefly noted that they hadn’t invited Top Klipsinger, as the senior Marine aboard the ship until Rev returned, to the meeting.

The four remained seated while Rev, in his PAL, stood over them.

“We understand that,” Tata Eleven said. “And we offer our condolences. But as Captain Nyad said, that station was abandoned by the actual BGs long ago.”

“How do you know that?”

The Genesian leader leaned back as if confused by his question. “Our analysis is rather clear that they left the station almost sixteen years ago.”

“But how do you know the BGs left?”

“There is no sign of life inside the asteroid.”

“You, of all people, should know better,” Rev said in full warrior mode. “You told me Punch is sapient, right?”

Tata hesitated before saying, “Yes, it is.”

“If you scanned him, would you see your so-called signs of life?”

“Well, no.”

“Then why the hell are you so sure that the soldiers who killed my Marines weren’t the BGs? Why do the BGs have to be organic life as we know it?” he asked, his eyes blazing.

Rev didn’t really think that the things that attacked his Marines were the BGs. But they couldn’t discount the possibility.

“It’s been sixteen—”

“And all life has to fit into your preconceived little box?”

“Sergeant Major,” Captain Nyad interjected. “Let’s say that whatever attacked you was, in fact, the BGs. They’ve been in, shall we say, hibernation for sixteen years? From the reports I’ve seen, Lieutenant Nissen was able to destroy two of them with his landing craft. I agree that we need to keep an eye on the station, and with that in mind, I’m dispatching Pilot Clyburn and the Shrike to watch over the place. If a Charon can so easily destroy these things, then I know that you’ll agree a Shrike would have an even easier time of it.”

“I don’t give a Mother-loving damn about the station,” Rev said in exasperation.

Nyad seemed honestly perplexed by that. “Then what is your problem?”

Rev took three deep, calming breaths. “My problem is that the station is obviously important to the BGs. It wouldn’t be kept in running condition if it weren’t.”

He looked around at the others. Umman and Norton grudgingly nodded.

“How do they keep it in working condition? I don’t know. Maintenance trips? Good engineering? But my point is that it’s a working station. And when we went into it, we triggered something, awakening the place, including those fighter bots.”

He mentally winced. By calling them “bots,” he’d just ceded that he didn’t think those were the actual BGs.

“Now, if the BGs are advanced enough to have built this station at least a couple of thousand years ago, and if they think it’s important enough to keep operational for the last sixteen after they left, don’t you think that triggering the place back to life would alert their forces that their station was in danger?”

Lieutenant Commander Norton visibly paled at Rev’s words.

Nyad opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, and after a moment, said, “We don’t know that’s what happened.”

“Damn it! We don’t know that it didn’t, either! And are we in any position to take a chance that they aren’t coming to see what woke their station?”

Nyad’s face clouded over. “Sergeant Major, you are approaching insubordination. I am the commanding officer here—”

“And I am the ground force commander. And I say we pull the ground force.”

“I own the shuttles, Sergeant Major. Can you fly on your own?”

“And I own the guns, Captain.”

Despite his anger, Rev knew he’d gone too far with that. Nyad stood to face him, and Rev could see he was about to explode.

Rev didn’t apologize, though. He just stared at the captain.

It was Umman who stepped between them. “We’re all on the same side here,” he said. “Let’s not let our tempers take us somewhere we don’t want to go.”

Rev slowly turned his head to look at the man. He thought Umman was an egotistical asshole, and he frankly disliked the man. But that didn’t mean he was wrong. And if he could pull them back from the precipice, then Rev was ready to grab at that life ring.

But for the moment, he couldn’t face Nyad. So, he looked at Tata Eleven instead, who had remained mostly quiet during the exchange.

“Given what I just said, what’s your take on it,” he asked her.

She paused for an eternity, and not for the first time, Rev wished he could accurately interpret the Genesian expressions and body language better.

“We intend on settling EFP-07,” she said. “Captain Nyad has been informed of our decision.”

“That isn’t an answer,” Rev said.

He went to Njuguna next. “And you?”

“I don’t . . . we’ve got a good deal of equipment on the surface. It would be a significant effort to quickly bring that back to the ship.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, either.”

He placed Pashu’s muzzle and his right hand on the table and leaned forward. It gave him a perverse sense of pleasure to see Nyad flinch. But the man didn’t back down. Rev could see him steel himself to face the IBHU Marine looming over him.

“Our command is a three-legged stool. Unwieldy, maybe, but it has served us so far. As is my authority, I am formally ordering the withdrawal of the ground force. So, I am putting it to you. Will you release your assets so that the withdrawal can take place?”

He glared at Captain Nyad. He could see the coming denial in the man’s eyes. And what was he going to do then?

Rev wished he still had Punch with him. He wished he had Tomiko with him, but she was down on the planet. He’d challenged the captain and taken them to the precipice, and he didn’t know how to get them back off of it.

Nyad was going to say no. He could see it in the man’s eyes.

But once again, it was Umman who came to the rescue, arrogant bastard that he was.

“The sergeant major is right. There is a risk that the BGs know we’re here and that they’ll come to investigate.”

If Nyad was angry before, he was about to explode now.

But Umman was not done.

“However, as Dr. Njuguna said, we had a shitload of equipment on the planet, not to mention all the genny gear we’ve taken down.”

Rev glanced at Tata Eleven. She hadn’t mentioned that they were already transferring their equipment to the surface.

“That’s not going to be an easy or quick task to get them back up here.”

“What are you saying, Command Master Chief?” Nyad said, the anger in his voice biting.

“I’m saying that we don’t have to bring it up. Leave it for now. Let’s recall the people and jump out of here to our RP. Send the Shrike back to hang out on the outskirts of the system to watch for the BGs. Give it some time. When they don’t come, we return, and it’s business as usual. If they do come, well, we sneak off back into bubble space and go to our next objective.”

“And if they do come, then what about our equipment?”

Nyad just acknowledged that the BGs could actually come, but Rev didn’t jump on that. He’d been full of righteous anger a moment ago, but Umman—fucking Umman, of all people—had just come up with a viable course of action. It killed Rev to admit that the command master chief had a good idea, but he couldn’t deny the viability of it.

And if it kept the situation from exploding, then Rev would go along with it.

“Better to lose the equipment than any more lives,” Umman said.

Rev leaned back upright, lessening his aggressive stance, and looked at Nyad. The man’s emotions were warring across his face, but while it took twenty seconds, he must have come to the same conclusion.

“Would you accept that, Sergeant Major?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. I would.”

“Dr. Njuguna?”

The good doctor was pale and looked like she would rather be anywhere else but there at the moment.

“That’s half of our remaining gear down on the surface, but if we can return to retrieve it, uh . . . yes. Yes, we can do that.”

“Tata Eleven?”

Rev was fully aware that the Genesians were looking for a home, and he’d known this abandoned world fit the bill with them. They wanted this place.

“You’ve waited this long. If my caution is misplaced, and I hope it is, a bit more time won’t make any difference in the long run,” Rev said.

“And if your caution is warranted?”

“Then do you want to be on the planet when the BGs get here?”

She grunted just like an organic human would. “Your logic is unassailable, as much as I wish it wasn’t. Captain, we accept this plan.”

All eyes turned to Nyad. It was obvious that he didn’t want anyone, whether Rev or his own command master chief, to tell him what to do. But he had to realize that a downright schism with the Marines would be a disaster for the mission, and unless the Genesians joined him, which didn’t seem likely given Tata Eleven’s agreement, an absolute disaster for his sailors.

With his jaw set, he raised his wristcomp to his mouth and said, “CIC.”

The rest of them waited for what he was going to say next.

“Lieutenant Beaton, commence evacuation. Personnel only. I want every single person up on the ship in four hours.”

Rev let out the breath he was holding. They’d come close to a disaster, and he’d been part of that, much to his chagrin. But he’d gotten what he wanted, even if it took an asshole command master chief to find the way to get it done.

OceanofPDF.com

8

“What the hell is this?” Rev asked Doctor Rima. “I’ve never seen a round like it.”

“I don’t think it is a round.”

“The thing shot it at Eth,” he said, looking to where Randigold was still under the effects of anesthesia.

“Have you watched the recordings? Did those things really look like fighters?”

Rev had downloaded his own recordings, but in the rush to get the people up from the surface, Rev hadn’t had a chance to actually look at them. He tried to recall what he’d seen. The small ones that had come down Badger had scuttled along the walls of the passage like obscene crabs. Instead of claws, there’d been a single barrel that had shot the cylindrical round Rev was now holding. He vaguely remembered other arms on the things, arms that were folded along their tops. But none of that answered what this was.

“OK, then, what is it?”

“I think a nail. Or a spike.”

“A nail. Right.”

“Look, you’re the big bad Marine, and I’m just a doc. But I think those were maintenance bots. I think they were shooting their version of nails at you.”

“We got attacked by maintenance bots?”

“They were tiny when compared to the other ones, right? And there were a bunch of them. No shielding, either.”

Rev tried to remember exactly what he’d seen. After Tomiko and the rest were aboard and they’d jumped out of real space, he’d have to sit down and watch the recordings. But what Rima had said made sense. He wasn’t totally accepting it, but he had to admit to the possibility.

He placed the spike/round back on the small table beside Randigold. She’d want to keep it as a souvenir when she woke up.

Rev was happy that Randigold would make a full recovery. Doc Rima would keep her under for a couple of days—not because of the spike, but because she’d taken some minor nerve damage by the first beam weapon. By the time they arrived at their RP, she’d be good as new.

The news wasn’t so good on the other three. Only D’Agosti had a chance at resurrection. With a first-class facility, he’d probably make it. Here, with the ship’s limited capability, it would be much more hit or miss.

“Take care of them, Iris,” Rev said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

“You know I will.”

“Hangar Alpha, prepare for shuttle arrival,” came over the 1MC.

“That’s me,” Rev said.

He hurried out. Actually, it wasn’t him. He had nothing to do with flight ops, and the announcement was for the edification of the crew, not the hangar personnel. But he didn’t know who would be aboard, and he wanted to be there if Tomiko was.

It had been over three hours since Captain Nyad had ordered the evacuation. Getting unprepared people off a planet was not a task conducive to a smooth operation. Best-case basis, and it would be another four or five hours before the entire surface party was aboard. Then, even at full emergency acceleration, it would take another seven hours to be up to jump speed.

It had been nine hours since the battle in the asteroid—if Captain Nyad had heeded Rev’s request to evacuate the planet, they’d already be accelerating away now. Call it five hours until everyone was aboard. Seven more hours until jumping.

That was twenty-one hours from the end of the battle until they were safely out of the system.

Twenty-one hours might seem like nothing when taken in the context of space travel. But if this were a human installation that had Q-comms, a nearby naval quick-reaction force could make the jump and arrive in-system in that timeframe. It would rely on immediate reaction and a short jump through bubble space, but it was possible.

And that was for humans. They had no idea how advanced the BGs were. They’d reacted quickly enough in the EFP-1 system, after all, and that was without triggering a hibernating station.

They might not come snooping around to investigate at all, or they could come in force at any minute. Rev kept half an ear to the message traffic, somewhat expecting the alarms to go off as a BG reaction force jumped into the system.

But he’d done pretty much everything he could at the moment. The naval phase was up to Nyad and his crew, which left Rev cooling his heels.

He could go spend time with the girls. He’d only checked in on them upon his arrival. But even if he didn’t have a specific task he had to be doing, he felt that he should be in the mix somehow. And meeting Shuttle 403 gave him the façade of doing something, at least.

The shuttle was still five minutes out when Rev reached the hangar. For all the potential danger, the hangar personnel seemed relatively calm. Just another routine day aboard the Galaxy Explorer.

Rev joined Top behind the low blast shield at the back and waited impatiently for the shuttle to dock. It was already in the tractor beam, and at last, it appeared on the other side of the curtain. A minute later, it touched down, and the back ramp lowered.

Except only civilians came hurrying out. No Marines, which meant no Tomiko. He’d expected that. She was the acting commander of the ground security, so he knew she would be on the last lift.

The turnaround was quick. The shuttle was on the deck for less than two minutes before the tractors picked her up and started maneuvering her to launch again.

“Will that be the last one?” Rev asked Top.

“Should be, according to my lift list.”

“We should have crammed everyone in the 409 and the Charon,” Rev said.

“The shuttle’s already at max takeoff weight.”

“And there’s a built-in safety buffer for that,” Rev said. “She can handle it.”

Relying on one more lift from 403 was going to add an extra ninety-five minutes to the process. The fact that they hadn’t overloaded 409 and the Charon was a pretty good indication that even if Nyad had gone along with the evacuation, he really didn’t think the BGs were coming.

“I think I’m going to the CIC to see if I can’t change someone’s mind. We can get all the pax aboard 409 and the Charon, and 403 can just turn around and come back,” Rev said.

“Good luck with that, Rev. You know how the squids can be with their schedules.”

Rev grunted and started to the CIC. The top was probably right, but at least it gave him something he could do.

* * *

Rev had faced a brick wall in trying to change the lift. But finally, 403 was back, settling softly on the hangar deck. The ramp dropped, and the Marines, along with a few of the Genesians who’d been overflow from the previous lifts, came down. Tomiko was last, and Rev hurried over to meet her.

She retracted her face shield as Rev approached and asked, “What the hell is going on? The BGs are coming?”

“Yeah. I mean maybe. We don’t know. The freakin’ station woke up when we entered it. We lost D’Agosti, Fiore, and Lymon, and Eth was hurt.”

Tomiko’s eyes widened at that. “Respect for the fallen,” she said before asking, “You had a fight? With BGs?”

“I think it was automated security, but I’ll bring you up to speed. We need to get everyone molted and in their quarters as we get ready to jump.”

The hangar doors were already closing, and the yellowshirts were maneuvering 403 into its position. Tomiko nodded and told Kelly to get the Marines to the armory.

Just over half an hour later, the SNCOs were gathering in the chiefs’ mess. Rev briefed them, and he ran parts of his view of the battle on the asteroid on the main screen. This was the first time he’d had a chance to watch the feed, and after seeing the little bots that hit Randigold, he had to agree that they were probably maintenance bots that had been called to do what they could to push back the human invaders.

Six infants and toddlers were there with them. The little ones were happy enough, but the tension was high among the adults. Two games of Knock-On were started, but neither lasted longer than forty minutes.

The main focus was on the timer that counted down to their jump. The closer it got, the more nervous Rev became. The gods of war were a fickle lot, and it would be keeping within brand to have them jump in just as safety seemed within reach.

But maybe the gods were tired of messing with them because the ship reached jump speed without the BGs rushing in to attack, and they were in bubble space. They didn’t stay long. All they’d wanted to do was to get some distance between them and the system, and they dropped out a mere light-week away, out in the middle of nowhere.

The Galaxy Explorer’s scanners were locked on the system. They wouldn’t see anything for a week after it happened, but they’d know if the BGs arrived before that. Fiona Clyburn, in her Shrike, would make a daily jump in and out of the system to check it out.

If the BGs arrived, then Nyad would take the Explorer on a full jump. If they didn’t, they’d return to the planet and carry on.

So now, it was just a waiting game.

* * *

They were still waiting eight days later, and the troops were getting restless. Nyad, Tata Eleven, and Njuguna had initially agreed to two weeks, but now that they were getting scans of the system from after they left, Rev knew they were having second thoughts.

To be honest, so was Rev. It wasn’t just the side glances of disapproval he was getting. It had never been announced how the decision to leave had been made, but it was common knowledge that this was on Rev’s shoulders, and the general opinion was that he’d overreacted.

And they weren’t alone. Rev had time to second—and third and fourth—guess himself. Did he get overwhelmed by the security situation and make leaps of assumption that weren’t warranted?

Worse, was this all predicated on him wanting to cement his position in the expedition leadership? Had this been an ego trip?

“Well, if we assume that their capabilities are the same as ours, then how long would be the most reasonable time for them to arrive?” Rev asked Punch.

The two of them were alone in one of the small spaces midships. Punch might have had his clock speed retarded by the Genesians, but he still had his basic processing capability intact. Maybe more than that, as a non-human, Rev felt he could trust him for a non-partisan view.

“That would depend on their proximity to the system and the urgency they feel. As we discussed, even if they knew the station was activated, they might or might not know the reason and could put it down to a simple maintenance glitch.”

Yes, the two of them had discussed that, but Rev wasn’t on board with the possibility. If some sort of signal went out, then he was sure it would be along the lines of the station being attacked. There were surviving attack bots, and they certainly would have reported that if they had the capability.

“Just make a SWAG.”

“I don’t make a ‘simple wild-ass guess.’ You know that, Rev.”

“The gennies do.”

“I’m not a Genesian.”

But you spend a lot of your time with them.

“OK, then. Let me rephrase it. If some sort of military, police, or whatever force was within, say, fifty parsecs, and they could react within twenty-four hours, when could we have expected them?”

“I’m afraid you’re not going to get the answer you need. You’ve put too many assumptions into your question. But if I were to answer that, they could have arrived from before we left and until now.”

“If you were to answer. I’m so glad you didn’t, then,” Rev said with a scowl.

But Punch had been right on the button. Rev wanted an answer. Had he been chasing ghosts? Or could the BGs still be coming?

“So, tell me. Do you think I was right? Should we have left?” he asked.

“Does it matter what I think? We left, and I don’t think playing what should we have done helps the situation.”

“It does matter, Punch. You’re my friend, and I trust your decision-making.”

Punch was silent for a moment. The Genesians did have facial expressions programmed into their shells. They weren’t the same as for the rest of the humans, but they were something. Punch hadn’t mastered them, and Rev couldn’t decipher what his friend was thinking.

“You made the right decision.”

Rev almost recoiled in shock. He’d been expecting the worst, not the affirmation he’d just received.

“Really?”

“There is no set timeline for this expedition. So, what have we lost if, in fact, there is no reaction from the BGs? A week? Two weeks? In the long haul, the Genesians can still settle the planet, and the expedition can move on to the next mission. The cost of leaving the system is negligible.

“But if the BGs arrive, or if they do enter the system, the results could be catastrophic. We lost capital ships the last time we met them. There is no reason to believe that the Galaxy Explorer could survive another clash.

“Your insistence on leaving was a prudent choice, one with little downside and a potentially huge upside.”

Rev felt far more relieved than he should have. Tomiko had told him much the same thing. But in the back of his mind, he wondered if she’d just been saying that because she was his wife.

Punch was his friend and, in many ways, the person with whom he had the deepest connection, forged from years occupying the same body. But Punch wasn’t going to lie to him. He wasn’t going to let emotion get in the way of logic.

“The question now is whether we go back,” Rev said. “What do you think?”

“This sector of space is far less dense than most of the galaxy. The BGs are here. We know that. But with the spread of star systems, the probability is greater that their locations are farther apart than what might be experienced closer into the core. As such, I think there’s a strong argument to delay returning for a little longer.”

Which, despite his growing misgivings that he’d made the right choice, was what Rev would do. He wasn’t sure, though, that he had much of a say in things now.

“I don’t think the rest of the leadership is going to go along with that.”

“That’s immaterial to what I think is the right course of action to take.”

I guess he’s got a point. They’re gonna do whatever they’re gonna do.

He’d recommend sticking to the entire two weeks, but he wasn’t going to risk a breakdown in relations over it.

“I’ve still got another hour or so before the meeting,” Rev said. “But I will push to stay here.”

Clyburn was on her way to the system now. As with the other times, she’d drop into real space, take her readings and report those back, and jump out again. None of her previous missions lasted more than twenty minutes, and neither should this.

The timing of the meeting wasn’t a coincidence. With Clyburn’s all clear, Rev was sure Nyad and the others would push for a return. After Punch’s pep talk, he knew he’d object, but this time, he didn’t think he’d win.

“I might as well head to the CIC and wait for Fiona to check in,” Rev said. “Thanks for the time, Punch.”

“I’ve got more than enough time for you, Rev.”

“Are you heading back to genny space?”

“Kurt Four is changing positions. He’ll be Kurt Six now, and they’re having a party, to which I’ve been invited.”

Rev tried to keep his face expressionless. He’d felt close again with Punch over the last hour. Not in-his-head close, but more so than they’d been for a long time. Now, though, the reality was back. Punch obviously felt closer to the Genesians than he did to the rest of the humans.

It made sense. He had the same shell as they did, and he must feel grateful to them for freeing him from Rev’s brain. But understanding why Punch might feel that way didn’t soften the hurt in his heart.

“I didn’t know the gennies partied. Have a good time, though. I guess you’ll know for sure soon enough what we decide.”

“I hope I’ve been of assistance.”

Rev clapped Punch’s metallic back and said, “You really were. It’s good to have a sounding board to get your thoughts in order.”

He left before he could say anything else. He loved his old AI, and if hanging with the Genesians made him happy, then so be it.

The CIC was packed. Rev, due to his position, was able to get a seat at the small conference table, but most of the others were standing around, trying to stay out of the way of the watch.

“So, Kurt Four is now Kurt Six?” Rev asked Tata Eleven, who was sitting at the table as well.

The Genesians didn’t need to sit. They were quite able to stand for days on end. But there was more than a little symbolism going on here, and she was claiming her place at the head table in more ways than one.

“I’m surprised that you’re aware of that, Sergeant Major.”

Rev wondered if Punch had repeated something that he wasn’t supposed to. “That’s the rumor that’s spreading around. Isn’t it true?”

“Yes, it’s true. Kurt is now Kurt Six.”

She didn’t dig, and suddenly, Rev was curious. “What about you? I mean, if Kurt’s transferring to a new job, then shouldn’t you be transferring, too?”

Tata Eleven didn’t hesitate nor deflect. “For continuity’s sake, I’ll remain in position until we are at our new home.”

“Then you should be grateful to me for delaying us,” he said with a laugh. “I kept you in the top seat for a while longer.”

He might have thought it was funny, but she didn’t.

“I will be happy to pass on my duties, Sergeant Major, and enjoy setting up our new home.”

“I was just joking,” he muttered.

She made no indication that she heard him.

They fell into an uneasy silence. Rev didn’t know where he really stood with the Genesians. Kurt was a kind of friend, but with the rest? Who knew?

As the commander of the ground security, Rev appreciated having the Genesians available, but suddenly, he was ready for them to leave the expedition.

Let them disappear from the rest of us.

Top Klipsinger came in a few minutes later, and Rev eagerly waved him over. It was good to have a friendly face with him.

“The Havocs lost,” Top said as he slipped in beside him.

“What the hell are you talking about, Tye?”

“The Havocs. Lost in the semis.”

“The Havocs,” Rev said, rolling his eyes.

Top was from Morgan’s Mount, and the Havocs were the planetary flipball team. Rev had long lost any interest in the Union Cup. Being exiled put somewhat of a damper on his enthusiasm for home sports. But most of his Marines still avidly followed all of the sports at home, and even when comms were spotty, somehow, the scores always made it through.

“Sorry about that,” Rev said.

Top shrugged. “It could be worse. They beat the spread, and I took two hundred credits from Chief Santos.”

The betting was even more confusing. Rev had never been a huge gambler, and now, out in the depths of the black, it wasn’t even on his horizon. What was top going to do with Santos’s two hundred?

Much of what had once been important to Rev while back on Safe Harbor didn’t matter to him in the least now. But evidently, that was not true for many of them. It was as if, by clinging to those things, they were keeping a tenuous grasp on their past.

Still, Rev congratulated him on winning the bet. It didn’t hurt, and it made the top happy.

He didn’t want to hear a blow-by-blow account of the match, and he started to change the subject when Nyad and the XO entered the CIC. The watch officer approached to give him his brief, and then the captain took his seat at the table.

“Eight minutes,” he said, locking eyes with Rev.

Yeah, I get it. Eight minutes, and then you can rub it in that you were right and I was wrong.

For a split second, Rev wished that the BGs would attack just to wipe that smug grin off Nyad’s face. And then he felt guilty for the thought.

“I am glad it’s turned out this way,” Rev said. “But I still stand by my position that this has been the correct course of action.”

Nyad pursed his lips and then said, “Maybe it was. But I think it’s run its course.”

Rev wasn’t going to argue. Not here in the CIC with all of the captain’s crew. He’d wait until they retired to the captain’s stateroom before asking to keep to the two-week agreement. After that, things would be out of his hands.

“Five minutes until entry,” one of the sailors called out.

That was being piped throughout the ship as well, keeping everyone up-to-date. The 3D flickered to life with a rendition of the system. It was from a week ago, but as soon as Clyburn entered the system, and once her Q-comms were established, they’d be able to see what was happening in close to real-time.

Njuguna entered the CIC and rushed to the lone empty seat at the table.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“You’re not late, Doctor,” Nyad said. “You’re just in time.”

Rev ignored them and studied the projection. He’d paid close attention to the BG station since they arrived. There was no indication that anything had changed on the asteroid. The power was still on, but neither the long-distance observation nor Clyburn’s scans showed any sign of life—or if not life, then activity.

You’ve got to accept the reality, Reverent. This might all have been a false alarm.

“Two minutes until entry,” the sailor announced.

A timer appeared on the projection and started counting down.

Real space and bubble space operated on different physics and time. Even with the most sophisticated equipment known to humankind, timing a ship dropping back into real space was not exact. For a jump of this short distance, it could go thirty seconds either way.

In this case, Clyburn dropped out of bubble space twenty-three seconds early. The Q-comms indicator turned green.

“Hello, hello, hello! This is Dr. Fiona Clyburn, pilot extraordinaire, reporting my safe arrival into System EFP-07.”

Nyad frowned, and that made Rev smile. Clyburn was a former Paxus Navy Shrike pilot, but she was a civilian now, and she seemed to enjoy tweaking the established Navy comms procedures.

“No baddies here to greet me, but let me turn on my scanners and . . . oh, shit!”

Lights started popping up on the projection as bogey after bogey appeared. Ten, twenty, thirty . . . with many in close proximity to her.

Nyad stood and shouted, “Clyburn, get the hell out of there. Match us on Apollo.

“Nav, get us underway for jump. Axis Apollo,” he then told the helmsman.

Bodies started scrambling as “Attention all hands. Implement Condition Two-A,” came over the 1MC.

Rev just stared at the projection. Every few seconds, more bogeys appeared. And after a couple of minutes, several seemed to react to the Shrike’s presence.

He was somewhat worried about Clyburn. But she’d dropped at full speed, and she should be ready to jump again within a few more minutes. He didn’t think the BGs could do anything in time to stop her.

What warred with that concern was a deep sense of satisfaction.

Which was crazy. Those were BGs out there—they wouldn’t know for sure until they could analyze the data, but Rev was sure of it. And with the BGs, all of the equipment on the planet was lost. And that was a huge blow to the mission.

But despite the bad turn of events, Rev was feeling a warm glow of satisfaction.

I was fucking right!

He’d never admit it. He would never say, “I told you so.” Everyone, though, from Nyad on down to the lowest ranking sailor, would know that he’d just saved the expedition.

If he could magically wish the BGs away, he would. But since he didn’t have a djinn in a bottle, he had to accept the reality. And in that case, he was going to secretly—or maybe not quite so secretly—take pride in his foresight.

He kept his eyes locked on Clyburn. His heart gave a leap when the two nearest BGs opened fire on her, but she was going too fast and was too far away. Ninety-seven seconds after the first BG fired, she winked out into bubble space, and the projection went blank.

The BGs hadn’t previously shown that they could follow human ships through bubble space, but Nyad was taking no chances. By getting underway now, he’d lessened the amount of time before they could jump. Clyburn would be able to drop out into real space, match courses, and be retrieved before the Galaxy Explorer jumped herself.

Unless a huge surprise landed in their laps, they were safe.

Everyone in the CIC realized that, too. The shock of seeing the BGs wore off as sailors focused on getting the ship ready to jump. A sense of professionalism pervaded the space.

Rev was feeling content, and there was nothing he could do here. It was time to go to Tomiko and the girls. As he started to stand, his eyes landed on Tata Eleven, who was still sitting as still as a statue.

And despite his vow to never say “I told you so,” a perverse bit of his warrior self took over.

Rev leaned across the table and said, “Well, I guess you’ll be Tata Eleven for a little bit longer now.”

OceanofPDF.com

9

OceanofPDF.com

FIVE MONTHS LATER

“With the authority invested unto me as captain of the Galaxy Explorer, I now pronounce you bound in matrimony,” Captain Nyad announced. “You may now seal your bonds with a kiss.”

Lance Corporal Hellen O’Day, Perseus Union Marine Corps, and Var Jiminez, one of the civilian equipment techs, leaned in to kiss each other as the crowd cheered.

For someone who hadn’t been in favor of public displays of affection, much less marriage, the CO seemed to be enjoying his ability to marry couples. And it was happening more and more lately. This was the third marriage alone since the last mission, and the twenty-ninth since the voyage began. That didn’t take into consideration the thirty or forty relationships that hadn’t tied a legal knot.

Tomiko and Rima said it was because the fact that they were on a one-way mission was finally sinking in, and people were scrambling to find partners. It made sense.

The sudden surge in marriages had a downside, though. The Galaxy Explorer was huge, but it had a relative paucity of living spaces, and the Genesians had half of those. Rev and Tomiko had his stateroom, but there weren’t enough staterooms to provide for each new couple.

Command Master Chief Umman and Lieutenant Commander Norton had addressed that by creating a “Honeymoon Row,” where they converted a workspace into a series of conjugal suites. With only nine of them, the traffic was heavy, and the suites had to be reserved ahead of time.

That rather took away from the spontaneity of passion, but it was a big ship, and people could find some nook or cranny when the urge hit.

Rev put his arm around Tomiko and pulled her in. “I’m glad we’re not stuck with Honeymoon Row,” he whispered in her ear.

She scowled, punched his arm, and said, “With the girls in with us? You wish you could snag one of the suites.”

Rev kept the leer on his face, but she had a point. Back when they were first together . . . well, the girls were somewhat of an obstacle. Not that he regretted them.

But still . . .

“Let’s go congratulate the newlyweds,” Tomiko said.

They got into the receiving line. Kurt Six joined right behind them.

“How come we never hear about weddings from your side of the ship?” Rev asked him. “Do you guys even get married?”

Kurt slanted his head, which Rev knew by now was their equivalent to rolling their eyes. “Yes, we get married. Bonded, we call it. But it’s a private ceremony, with only the two or more involved.”

“Or more?” Tomiko asked.

“Why should a bond be limited to two?” Kurt asked.

Rev was about to answer but then held back. He had no idea what the Genesians considered a “bond.” It could be a Knock-On foursome, for all he knew.

“Too bad about Seventy-three,” Tomiko told Kurt. “You guys thought it might be it, I know.”

“It had possibilities, but there’s no reason to settle,” the Genesian said. “We’ll find the right place.”

FP4173 was the system they’d just left, and the Genesians had been cautiously optimistic that it could be their new home. Rev didn’t know why they’d ended up turning it down, but evidently, it didn’t fit the bill.

It had been an open but unspoken secret that the Genesians had joined the expedition to find someplace to settle. After EFP-07, though, there was no pussyfooting around. That task became a major factor in decision-making. FP4173, in fact, had been a diversion from another objective.

Rev had quietly disagreed with that, but he knew he was in the minority and would have been outvoted if it came to it, so he’d just shut up and went along with it.

The expedition was woefully small, and that created a huge security issue. If they came into conflict with another race, be they BGs or someone else, there really wasn’t much they could do about it other than run, and the Galaxy Explorer was hardly the perfect platform for that.

They’d already run up against the BGs twice, and they’d found the empty world of another race. There’d be more, even out here in the galactic hinterlands. Because of that, and despite bouts of wishing they would just hurry up and leave, Rev wanted to keep the Genesians, who made up the bulk of the remaining fighters, aboard as long as possible. He understood their desires, and he wasn’t going to get in their way. But why try to speed up the house hunting?

Except there was a faction that was trying to do just that. There were more folks than just Umman who distrusted the Genesians and considered them a threat. For those folks, getting rid of them had become a priority.

“That’s right,” Rev said. “Don’t settle. You won’t be able to change your mind once you’ve been left behind.”

“That’s true. And that’s why we’re being careful.” The receiving line moved forward, and then he added, “EFP-07 was almost perfect.”

“Well, except for the minor BG issue,” Rev said.

“Minor. I’m sure we could have handled that,” Kurt said, then made his buzzing laugh.

“Easy-peasy,” Rev said at the same moment that his wristcomp alerted.

He gave it a quick glance.

“What is it?” Tomiko asked.

“Nyad,” Rev said, looking around the hangar deck, but the CO had already left. “He wants me in his stateroom.”

Then he noticed that both Tata Eleven and Lieutenant Commander Norton started to leave.

“Did you get the message, too?” he asked her.

“Negatory. Do you want me to come with you?”

No one else seemed to be concerned.

“I don’t think so. Stay in the line and give our respects to the newlyweds. Then maybe you can go rescue Kat.”

They’d intended on bringing the girls, but Aspen had been melting down over not being able to find a specific purple dinosaur—Rev was amazed how even aboard a ship, the girls could lose things—so instead of causing a scene, Kat had volunteered to stay with them back in the nursery.

“Got it. Let me know if something’s up.”

“Stay purple,” Rev told Kurt as he slapped him on the back.

Kurt gave him the middle finger.

The two had fallen into a truce, but Rev liked to remind his friend that he’d had the last laugh. It was probably a dumb thing to do. No, not probably. Certainly. He was goading Kurt on, but in the rules of warfare, Rev couldn’t hit Kurt again until Kurt hit him. And he had some great ideas . . .

Rev reached Nyad’s stateroom at the same time as Tata Eleven. Nyad was busy poring over a readout. He didn’t look up but motioned for them to sit.

The captain’s stateroom had become the de facto meeting room for the senior leadership. Rev didn’t understand it. Nyad’s unmade bed was just steps away from the conference table, and a crumpled t-shirt was on the deck beside it.

It didn’t make any difference, really, but for Rev, his family’s stateroom was his refuge from everything. The last thing he wanted was to bring the expedition into it. But Nyad didn’t seem to mind.

Several others of the ship’s principal staff entered and took seats, as did Hyung and Teo from the civilian side. Rev couldn’t help noticing that he was the only Marine. Once again, they were getting the short shrift for a supposed equal part of the expedition.

He was tempted to call Top and Tomiko and tell them to join him, but that would be too obvious, and Rev wasn’t going to let Nyad know he was bothered.

The captain read on for a few moments, leaving the rest to cool their jets, then turned over his pad face down on the table and looked up. The expression on his face was not good, and Rev forgot about the slight as apprehension set in.

Nyad took a couple of deep breaths, then said, “We’ve seen this coming. But now it’s official. Humanity is back at war.”

There was an immediate rumble, and Nyad raised a hand to quiet everyone down.

“Who?” Dr. Njuguna asked.

“The Mad Dogs. Who do you think?” he said with a scowl.

“Who’s with them?” Rev asked.

“According to the message, no human government yet. Everyone’s scrambling.”

Rev wasn’t the only one who caught the “human” in his statement.

“Alien?” Norton asked.

“Uauii.”

“Fucking clickers,” Norton snarled.

“Looks like technical aid so far. No sign of troops. This says there is more to come,” Nyad said, tapping the pad on the table. “But of course, we lost comms before that arrived.”

“It’s not the troops who’re troubling. They can’t fight worth shit. But the tech and supplies . . . that’s bad,” Rev said.

“What about the other aliens?” Norton asked, pressing the issue.

Nyad shook his head. “It says that Intel thinks the Scorps might side with them, but we’re hoping we can get Breel support.”

Rev liked the Breel, and he’d fought with them. The Niklith were bad news, though. The scorpion-like race were fierce fighters.

The stateroom went silent. There was only one alien who could destroy entire planets.

Nyad continued. “No mention of the Sia.”

If they got involved, it better be on their side, or things were going to get bad.

“That’s about all there is in the message. So far, though, only Titan as a whole and the Union and Heg have formally declared war. The rest will fall into place on one side or the other soon enough, I expect.”

Nyad slowly and dramatically turned to Tata Eleven. “We’ve got personnel from eighteen governments aboard this ship, and then there’s you. I’d like to know where you stand.”

“There are fewer than eighteen hundred of us, Captain. We’re not even a speck of dust in this storm. As such, we’re neutral.”

Rev expected that. So did Nyad, evidently, from the way he nodded.

“What now?” Norton asked. “Do we return home?”

The thought hadn’t occurred to Rev, and for a moment, his heart skipped a beat.

Home?

Rev might be angry at being exiled, and he’d cursed those who made that decision more than once. But just the potential to go back home, to see Safe Harbor again, was extremely alluring.

And it might make sense. There might only be a handful of IBHUs left, but they could be useful in a war.

“That’s covered in the message, too. This is straight from the counsel general. Our mission hasn’t changed. We’re to continue as we are.”

That quashes that.

Rev knew better than to get his hopes up.

“What about the Mad Dogs?” Command Master Chief Umman asked.

“What about them?”

“With all due respect, sir, they’re the enemy now. And you know them, with all their arrogance and pride. They’ll want to take action.”

Nyad obviously hadn’t considered the situation yet. Neither had Rev, for that matter.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Rev said. “They’ve been exiled, just like us IBHUs. They’re not exactly in love with their government.”

Umman gave Rev a measured stare, then asked, “Just like you IBHUs? Are you ‘not in love’ with New Mars, as you put it.”

Shit. He’s quick for an asshole.

“We’re as loyal to the Union as anyone—to the people—but that doesn’t mean we’ve got to love the decision-makers who kicked us to the curb. And I don’t appreciate anyone who implies something different.”

Umman raised a hand, palm out as if to ward Rev away. “Nothing personal, Pelletier. I was just asking.”

“No one’s questioning anyone’s loyalty to their home government. But this is coming from Titan, and it says there’s to be no action taken against our Mad Dogs or anyone else whose home governments join them. Like I said, it’s business as usual.”

Umman didn’t seem to be satisfied with that answer, and Rev made a mental note to keep an eye on the man.

Titan had spoken, and for the moment, that was enough. But in reality, Titan was only nominally in charge here. For all intents and purposes, there were two factions on the ship who ran the show. The Union had the most organic human personnel, at least with the Navy and Marines. The Genesians had more overall power. All of the rest, including the civilian contingent, were really at the mercy of the other two. And if the Genesians decided to do something, or if the Perseus Union issued orders to their personnel that countered those issued by the Council of Humanity, then what?

Rev just hoped it wouldn’t get to that.

The discussion continued for another fifteen minutes, but nothing much was accomplished. When the 1MC announced that they were one hour from bubble space, Nyad brought the meeting to a close.

“We’ll be in blackout soon, so let’s keep this news close to the vest for now. I don’t want anything leaking. As soon as we drop back into real space, let’s see if we can get comms up and get an update. Who knows what will happen in the meantime? Maybe it’ll all have blown over by then.”

And maybe it’ll be Armageddon.

But Rev wasn’t going to argue. For all that he was sticking up for the MDS soldiers a moment ago, he was worrying about how those soldiers were going to take it. Umman was right about that.

And they weren’t called Mad Dogs for nothing.

OceanofPDF.com

10

Rev steeled himself for a moment, then entered sickbay. A civilian whose name escaped him was asleep on one of the beds, her eyes closed. A tube ran from her arm to a small, square piece of equipment, and another tube ran back to the base of her neck.

“What’s with her?” he asked HM2 Guerrero.

“Just a virus. We’re scrubbing her blood, and she’ll be back in action in a couple of hours.”

“Contagious?”

“Not particularly.”

Theoretically, they shouldn’t have health-threatening viruses aboard the ship, which had been scrubbed before departure, and all of the humans had gone through antiviral procedures. But viruses were clever little bastards, and more often or not, either some got past the quarantine efforts, or they mutated to take advantage of the viral void.

Sometimes, the ones that mutated were the worst. There’d been cases of entire ships being wiped out, the ships sailing into eternity with a ghost crew. So, any mention of a virus aboard a ship was met with concern.

Rev stared at the woman for a moment, wondering if she was Patient Zero in what would kill them all. But if Guerrero wasn’t concerned, that was probably an overreaction.

“Doc Rima?” he asked.

The Navy corpsman shot a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the rear of sickbay. “She’s in her office.”

Rev nodded and walked back. He didn’t know why Rima had summoned him, and he was nervous. With his injuries and the rot, he wasn’t the same hard-charging Marine he was when he was twenty. He didn’t feel particularly bad now, though. But each time Rima discussed his health, it seemed like the numbers kept getting worse.

So, whatever the good doctor was going to tell him was something he didn’t want to hear. That, he was sure of.

He rapped on her doorsill and entered. She was looking at some charts on the bulkhead, but she turned at his entrance, motioned at a chair, then sat down behind her desk.

“Thank you for coming, Rev.”

“Anytime for you, Iris. You know that,” he said with a forced laugh.

“How’re you feeling?”

Here it comes.

“OK, I guess. No worse.”

“Good, good. No nausea?”

Rev shook his head. “Not really.”

“I wouldn’t expect it yet. Your numbers are holding steady for the moment.”

It took a few heartbeats for that statement to sink in. He’d fully expected to hear that his numbers had skyrocketed, but she just said that they were steady?

“Um . . . if my numbers are steady, why did you want to see me?”

She looked at him in confusion for a moment before it dawned on her. “Oh, you thought I was calling you here about you?”

“I didn’t know, Iris. That’s what it always is, right?”

She gave a low chuckle and said, “Maybe so.” Then she coughed, cleared her throat, and got more serious.

“No, it’s about Sergeant Randigold.”

“Eth? What’s wrong? Isn’t she recovering from the fight?”

“From the injuries, sure. She’s fine. But you know how your rot accelerated after your accident.”

“Yes . . . ?” he said, not wanting to hear what he feared next.

“Well, it’s the same with her. They’ve gone crazy, in fact. I’ve upped her Criosol to the max, but I’m worried, to be honest.”

“How long?” Rev asked.

He felt like he’d been hit over the head with a sledgehammer.

Eth? Her?

“I can’t tell. It depends on if the acceleration levels off. It could be months. It could be years. But that’s not what I’m worried about.”

“There’s more? Worse than the rot?”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just . . . I’m not supposed to share any of this. Patient-doctor and all, but I think . . .”

“You think what?”

She looked over Rev’s head and pursed her lips before meeting his eyes again. “When I told her, she said nothing. Her expression never changed.”

Rev let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s just Eth. She’s not very, you know, open about her feelings and stuff.”

“And that’s a problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, her reaction’s not normal. It was as if she didn’t care.”

Rev’s expression must have told her that he wasn’t understanding. Randigold was Randigold. She was as strong as they came. After all the crap she’d been through in her life, she had to be strong.

“Does she have any friends?” Rima asked.

“Friends? Everyone likes her.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Rev scrunched his eyebrows together as he tried to think. He was right in that everyone liked Randigold, but as he thought back, he wasn’t sure she really had any close friends. There’d been that short period of time when it looked like she and Weld might be a thing, back after the fight on Grum, but that had evidently fizzled out.

After another moment, he said, “Not that I can think of. She’s always been a bit of a loner. But what does that have to do with her rot?”

“You’ve got Miko, right? You can go talk to her when your numbers go up.”

“Well, yes, but . . .” he started to say when he understood her point. “You’re saying she doesn’t have anyone to talk to.”

Rima shrugged. “I asked her if she did, and she said she didn’t need anyone.”

That sounds like her, he had to admit.

“What else did she say?”

“Almost nothing, and that’s what concerns me. And her face was expressionless, even taking her prosthesis into account.”

Randigold was always a little hard to read, and having half of her face a prosthetic mask only added to it. Her heavy use of sarcasm sometimes rubbed people raw, he knew, when they couldn’t see she wasn’t being serious.

To Rev, Randigold had been his guarantee. She was the meanest IBHU, the one who was always in a rush to the fight. He knew that if he gave her a mission, she would get it done or die trying. And she’d almost died several times. She’d lost her legs twice.

The image of her sitting legless, back against the barrier on Mistworld, dead Naxli in front of her, was Randigold. Nothing could take her down.

Except maybe herself?

“You’re scaring me, Iris. You don’t think she’ll, you know . . . ?”

“I don’t know. She’s too difficult to read. But I think she’s taking this hard.”

“Can’t you hook her up to the autopsych?” Rev asked.

“Not without a reason, and not without her permission.”

“Don’t you think this is a reason?”

“In my heart, yes. But as a doctor, I’ve got my protocols.”

“But you think I can do it, right? That’s why you’re telling me this.”

“You do know what she’s going through. More than about anyone.”

“But I’m not a psychiatrist. What the hell do I know?”

“You know about being an IBHU with the rot, Rev. And she looks up to you.”

Rima was putting a lot on his shoulders, and he was in a bit of a panic. If she was contemplating suicide, which is what he feared, what if he said the wrong thing and pushed her to that?

But what if he said nothing and she did it anyway?

“I’ll do it. Any hints on what I should say?”

“Just be yourself, and be there for her. Let her open up. That’s what she needs.”

* * *

“Hey, Eth, can you meet me in the armory,” he asked, just happy that she responded.

He’d been afraid that she’d already done something stupid.

“Sure thing, Sergeant Major,” she said, sounding like the old Randigold.

Maybe we’re overblowing this. She sounds normal.

But he couldn’t ignore what Rima had said.

“OK, then. I’ll see you there.”

He jogged to the armory, hoping it was empty. It wasn’t. Daryll was there, fiddling with an IBHU.

Rev didn’t look to see whose it was. “Can you give me the armory?”

“Yeah, I guess. What’s up?”

“Nothing. I just need it to talk with Randigold.”

Concern washed over his face. “Is she OK?”

“Sure, I just need to talk to her.”

“I hope so. She’s not been herself lately, and I’ve been worried.”

What? Daryll knows something is off with her, too? Why didn’t I see anything?

Rev was supposed to know what was going on with his Marines. Maybe with Tomiko and the girls and being too busy with the bigger picture, he was forgetting the key tenet of a leader: take care of your Marines.

He vowed right then and there that he’d make a better effort at that. They deserved that from him.

“She’s been a little out of sorts, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

He wasn’t going to tell Daryll what was going on with her. It wasn’t his place to do that.

“Well, OK. But you tell her that if she needs a willing ear, I’m here. She’s special, you know.”

Rev raised his eyebrows. Was that just a friendly offer, or was there something more to it? But first things first.

“She’s on her way, so if you could . . . ?”

“Oh, sure. I’m outta here.”

He turned off his T-scope and gave the armory a quick once over. He spotted a used burrito wrapper on the floor, picked it up, and tossed it. Evidently satisfied, he left.

Daryll had always been an odd duck of sorts. The son of a retired three-star, he could have gone into the Corps with a leg up on everyone else. But he’d chosen to become a tech with a defense firm and had gotten to be the go-to man for IBHU maintenance.

Does he like Eth?

This was coming too fast for Rev. First, that Randigold was getting sicker. Then, that she might be having a mental breakdown. And now, maybe Daryll has a thing for her?

He shook his head. That last one was relatively unimportant. He had to find out where Randigold’s head was at.

Two minutes later, Randigold came into the armory. Her eyes widened when she saw the IBHU in the testing rack, and she stepped forward in alarm before she realized that it wasn’t Cruella de Vil.

She sniffed and asked, “What’s up, Sergeant Major?”

It was only then that Rev didn’t know what he was going to say. She looked fine to him, but he trusted Rima that Randigold wasn’t fine.

Just jump in, Reverent.

“What’re your numbers?”

She looked confused by the question for a moment before her eyes hardened.

“That bitch,” she snapped.

“She’s concerned, Eth.”

“Doesn’t make no difference. That’s private information,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Your numbers.”

For a moment, Rev thought she was going to refuse, but she relented and said, “One-seventy-seven and thirty-one-point-six.”

Rev grunted. Those weren’t good, especially rising so fast, but . . .

“Mine are one-eighty-eight and thirty-two-point-one.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she choked out, “I didn’t know.”

“No one knows, except for Tomiko. And now you.”

“I . . . I just . . . I’m so sorry!”

“It is what it is.”

“How long . . . ?”

“Six months. A year. Who the hell knows?”

She looked away from him and was silent for twenty long seconds as Rev just stood there.

“You don’t seem, uh, diminished, like Colonel Bundy.”

“I am a little, but I can do my job. Just like you.”

“But when it gets worse . . .”

“I’ll face that at the time.”

“I can’t . . . I can’t get like that,” she said with the first hint of despair that Rev could hear in her voice.

Rev wanted to assure her, to give her hope, but that wasn’t in him. He wasn’t going to blow smoke up her ass. He’d come to grips with his future, and she’d have to as well.

“It will come someday. And that’s OK. Everyone’s here for you. For us.”

She sniffed and wiped her organic arm across her nose.

“With all due respect—”

“You’ve never had respect for anyone, Eth, and you know it.”

There it was. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

“True. OK, without much respect, you’ve got your wife and the girls.”

“Who are a help but a cause of despair, too. Will the girls even remember me? I fear that, Eth. Maybe most of all.”

“Oh, they’ll remember you. What are they, four?”

“Three and a half.”

He suddenly laughed, and Randigold gave him a questioning look.

“I came here to see if you were OK, and you’re comforting me?”

“Sorry.”

Rev waved her off. “But what I said is true. You’re not in this alone. It’s just bad luck that you, me, and Bundy, we’re the first. All of us are gonna get it, you know.”

“It’s not bad luck,” she said.

“Well, maybe not. You’ve lost an arm and two legs. You’ve been augmented and hyper-augmented. Then you were injured. I guess you can say, though, that the fire that made you an IBHU was bad luck, right?”

“No, it’s got nothing to do with luck. I’m being punished,” she said with conviction.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve killed people, Sergeant Major. Lots of people. Now the Mother is punishing me, making it my turn.”

Rev took a step back. He never realized that Randigold was so religious or that she was bothered so much about what she’d done as a Marine.

“You’re a good Marine, Eth,” he said cautiously. “You killed as part of your job, to make sure humanity was safe.”

“Like I said, I killed people, too. Mad Dogs, FIS soldiers.”

“So did we all, Eth. Me, too.”

She looked around furtively as if afraid that someone was listening in. “But I enjoyed it,” she almost whispered. “And now I’m paying the price.”

Rev was floored and speechless. How was he supposed to respond to that? She couldn’t really believe that, but the look in her eyes . . .

He knew he had to say something, so he said the first thing that popped into his head.

“If you didn’t kill the Mad Dogs on Safe Harbor, how many of our people would have died. Yes, you killed people, but that saved the lives of countless others.”

That didn’t seem to move her. “Did you enjoy killing?”

She stared at him with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Rev was about to say no, but he paused. He remembered too many: MDS on Safe Harbor, Children of Angels on Alafia. Other nameless enemies where his warrior self exulted in the kill.

Rev was used to thinking that there were two of him. The normal guy, the loving husband, the father, the friend. Then his warrior self, the savage killer. But he knew they were one and the same. He was his warrior self, just as much as the husband and father were.

“Yes, I’ve enjoyed it. I reveled in it.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but Rev cut her off.

“And no, I don’t think I’m being punished for that. One of my old boot camp posse, Cali Hu, the rot got her, but she never fired a shot in anger. She never killed.”

He reached out and grabbed her shoulders.

“Look, Eth. I know this is hard. We’ve been dealt a bad hand. But I can assure you that it isn’t because of anything we did. If you want to blame someone, blame all our leaders who got us into the wars. Blame the tin-asses and the noxes for thinking that we don’t matter and they could take what they want. But don’t blame yourself for doing what you had to do in a shitty situation.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and that scared Rev more than anything else. Randigold didn’t cry. She cursed, she insulted, she laughed, she triumphed, but she didn’t cry. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled the shorter woman into a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as the sobs broke out.

“Just remember, Eth. We’re here for you. All of us. Daryll even told me to tell you he’s a willing ear if you need one.”

“Daryll? Our Daryll?” she asked between sobs.

“Yeah, our Daryll. And Micky. And Kelly. And Tum. All of us IBHUs. We’re in this together, like we’ve always been.”

“Maybe,” she said, her voice muffled into his chest.

“No maybe. You’re our Eth, you know. Oh, and don’t you go killing Doc Rima. She only told me because she was worried you’d do something stupid.”

“She was right,” she said so quietly that Rev wouldn’t have heard without his augmented hearing.

He made a mental note to make sure Randigold wasn’t left alone until she could come to grips with her situation. And he knew she would. Despite her guilt at what she’d done as a Marine, she was strong. She’d pull through.

But for now, he’d stand here for as long as it took for the tears to dry up.

OceanofPDF.com

11

“You’re dead, Sergeant Major,” Hvarser said.

“How the hell can I be dead? I fired my BFG.”

“Did you multiply?” Kat asked. “A Level One BFG can’t touch a gorgon.”

Rev disconnected his jack, pulled off the blackouts, and wiped his forehead. The damn goggles were making it itch.

“You never said anything about force multipliers,” he said.

“It’s all in the player’s handbook. If you’d read it, you’d know.”

“That damn thing’s got to be forty-thousand words. If I wanted to read a novel, I’d read a novel.”

He looked over to Tiwari, who was sitting behind Hvarser with a crooked smile on his face.

“Don’t look so smug, Per. Do you know how to play this damn game?”

Tiwari held out both hands in protest. “I’m too old for this stuff.”

“Give me a nice, quiet hand of Knock-On,” Rev muttered.

“Oh, by the Mother, please no,” Kat said.

“What? You like Knock-On,” Rev said.

“No, I don’t.”

“But you’ve played with us. Many times.”

“That’s ’cause I’m with you old geezers.”

“Bull. Why don’t you like it? It’s a real game, where skill counts. You’re playing against each other, not the game AI.”

“It’s boring as shit,” Kat said. “No action.”

“Hey, youngster. When you get to be my age, a good shit is far from boring. It’s a cause for celebration,” Tiwari said.

Rev laughed. He wasn’t as old as the Dalit, but he understood the sentiment.

“So, Sergeant Major. Are you in or out? You’ve got two more lives,” Hvarser said.

Rev was tempted to give up. He couldn’t play if he didn’t understand the rules. He thought he’d had the gorgon—Hvarser—dead to rights, but evidently, his BFG wasn’t powerful enough.

Even without a jack, he’d played immersion games before. But as a Marine, he’d drifted away. AI combat was not as fun when you’d been in the real thing. When he’d been invited by the youngsters to join them in the first round, he figured it wouldn’t take him long to get up to speed, and he’d enjoy mopping up the place with young butts.

Only he was the one getting killed. He hadn’t made it to a single phase end yet.

The mere fact that he’d accepted the invitation was proof enough that he was bored. The last mission had been a bust, and then Captain Nyad had decided he’d be proactive and conduct some maintenance on the ship.

The Galaxy Explorer was their only ride, so Rev was all in on making sure the maintenance was done, but Umman had complained that this was way too early on the schedule.

Things would start hopping soon enough, but for the moment, the Marines were sitting on their asses, not doing much. That was a recipe for disaster, particularly when war tension could start to create conflict. Rev had pulled out classes and started to cross-train his troops, but everyone realized it was just busy work, and no one put any real effort into it. That’s why when Kelly suggested a game tourney, Rev was more than happy to agree with the idea.

He just hadn’t thought he’d actually take part in it until Kat’s invitation/challenge.

“Rev?” Kat asked. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?”

That was it. Rev slammed the cable back into his jack, put on the blackout goggles, and said, “Start this game up again. I’m going to kick me some ass.”

* * *

Damn kids!

It was Rev who got his ass kicked. He’d lost all of his lives and was the first one out of Round 1. For someone as competitive as he was, it was a bitter feeling.

And he didn’t get it. Rev was a combat vet with more experience than all of the others put together. He’d faced deadly enemies and defeated them. So how the heck was he not only beat, but crushed by a bunch of snot-nosed kids?

It was bad enough with Hvarser and Kat, but Hedgehog? Lance Corporal Larry Victor was Top Singletary’s IT clerk, and he’d never fired a shot in anger. He certainly fired the shot that knocked Rev out of the tournament, though.

The raison d’être was to keep the troops occupied, but once committed, Rev had wanted to win, and he’d left in somewhat of a huff. He’d come back for the finals and crown the winner, but he didn’t want to sit there and listen to all of the “Good effort, Sergeant Major,” and “You tried your best!”

Trying your best was all well and good, but a dead Marine was a dead Marine, even if it was in a game.

He opened the door to his stateroom and stepped inside. Tomiko was crashed out on the lower bunk, still in her utilities, while the girls had their heads together over their gerbil’s habitat.

Tomiko cracked an eye as he entered.

“Back already? Did you teach them all a lesson?”

She’d told him things weren’t going to go well, and he’d left her with braggadocio on how he was going to succeed. And now, she was going to rub it in.

“Eat me,” Rev said, followed by two little “Eat mes” as the human parrots did their thing.

“Rev! Language!” Tomiko said.

“No, girls, we don’t say that.”

“Eat me!” they repeated, followed by peals of laughter.

Rev moved over to them. Blue was on his wheel, running madly, going nowhere.

I know how you feel, buddy.

“Blue’s funny!” Willow said.

“He’s exercising,” Rev told her. “Just like you do.”

As with all of the children on the ship, Rima had instituted a program of OT, or occupational therapy. Even on Safe Harbor, twins often required OT, but here on a spacegoing ship, it was imperative that all of the children participate to ensure their timely development.

They watched the gerbil for a few moments when Aspen first hugged him, then slyly looked up and quietly asked, “Can we take Blue out? He wants to play.”

Rev immediately looked at Tomiko. She’d already fallen back to sleep.

He mentally grimaced as he considered Aspen’s request. Tomiko didn’t like Mr. Blue. To her, the gerbil was nothing more than a rat. She’d only relented after Rima said it would help the girls develop their immune systems, and then, it was with the caveat that Blue was limited to his habitat, saying that he could get loose in the ship.

Rev wasn’t sure how the little guy could do anything in the stateroom. The vents were on the overhead, and unless gerbils had suddenly learned how to levitate, he was stuck.

But, happy wife, happy life, and he’d agreed to the compromise.

She’s asleep, though.

Rev looked back at his daughters, and in a conspiratorial tone, said, “We can let him out for a minute, but we have to be gentle. OK?”

Both girls’ eyes lit up in excitement.

Rev opened the habitat, reached in, and carefully extracted the little guy, who crouched quietly in his hand, his nose twitching.

He held Blue in front of the girls, whose smiles threatened to break their faces apart.

“Careful, now,” he said.

Willow reached out to touch the gerbil’s back.

“He’s so soft.”

Aspen was next, and she gave a quiet little squeal before Willow shushed her.

Both girls gave a quick look at Tomiko, and Rev felt guilty. He knew he was teaching them to, if not disobey, then practice subterfuge.

He might regret it later, but for the moment, he felt like this was their little conspiracy, something they were doing together.

“Do you want to hold him?” Rev asked.

Aspen pulled back, putting her hands behind her, but Willow eagerly stepped forward.

Rev had brought Blue out before, and it was always this way. Willow was up for anything, but Aspen had to watch her twin before she committed to whatever it was.

“Cup your hands,” Rev said.

He gently placed Blue in her hands. She stood stock still, but her face was a wonderment. Aspen, seeing that the little gerbil had not turned into a girl-eating demon, stepped closer, getting her face centimeters from Blue’s nose.

She reached out a tentative finger to touch him when Blue jumped out of Willow’s hands and onto the deck. Both girls screamed, and Rev bolted for the gerbil, who was a lot quicker than he’d expected.

“Get him, Daddy!” Willow shouted while Aspen grabbed his leg for protection, which of course, slowed him down as the gerbil raced up and down the stateroom looking for refuge.

Rev missed what he thought was an easy grab before he looked back to Tomiko. She was awake, watching him, before she rolled her eyes, turned away, and went back to sleep.

“Here, Daddy. He’s here!” Willow said, pointing at the scurrying gerbil.

It was Aspen, though, who let go of Rev’s leg to open the habitat. With one last rush, Blue jumped through the door and disappeared into his little house.

Rev let out a sigh of release right before Aspen said, “That was fun. Can we do it again?”

OceanofPDF.com

12

“Sergeant Major, can I see you for a moment?” Agent Wolf’s message came over Rev’s wristcomp.

“No time,” Rev said, but before he hit send, he paused, then canceled it. “I’m a little busy at the moment. Maybe this afternoon?” he said before sending it.

Rev was cautiously neutral around Wolf now, and he thought they were OK with each other, but there was no reason to be abrupt with the man.

The response was almost immediate. “It’s important. I really need to see you.”

Rev sighed. He hadn’t been lying about being busy. The boredom during the maintenance stand down was just a faded memory now. And when you threw on all the problems that the maintenance and inspections had uncovered, he was up to his ass in alligators.

He checked the time. Maybe he could give the man five minutes.

“OK. Can you meet me in the Chiefs’ mess?”

“I’d really prefer if you’d come to my stateroom, Sergeant Major.”

That was it. No explanation for why they couldn’t meet in the mess. No hint of what this was about. For a moment, Rev bristled at what was essentially a summons. He didn’t have time for this, and the disdain he’d once held for the Omega Division agent—the man who’s accused him of treason—came flooding back.

Rev was tempted to tell him to get lost, but he fought that back down. It was probably nothing, but he should find out what the agent wanted. He might have the innocuous billet of security for the civilian side, but Rev was under no illusion that his work for Omega had ceased.

“I’ll be there in a few,” he said, then hit the send.

Rev had to query where Wolf’s stateroom was. In all their time aboard the Galaxy Explorer, he’d never had reason to go there. It wasn’t far, and three minutes later, he pressed the chime.

The door opened, and Wolf invited him in, then motioned to a seat. Rev warily took it.

The stateroom was small and unreasonably bare for Wolf occupying it for over two years. A single icon of the Green Mother hung over his rack—Rev wouldn’t have picked Wolf for being a particularly religious man—and a holo of a young-looking Wolf, along with an equally young-looking woman holding an infant, was over his desk.

Rev might not have guessed the religious aspect, but it was much harder to picture Wolf as a husband and father.

If he’s got a kid, what’s he doing on this mission?

Wolf had hinted once before of a falling out with Omega, but that shouldn’t result in exile.

That mystery was neither here nor there, though. “I can give you five minutes. I wasn’t lying in that I’m busy.”

Instead of replying, Wolf reached out to him with a tiny cylinder in his hand. He swept it up and down Rev’s body, then pocketed the cylinder.

“Did you just scan me for some sort of listening device?” Rev asked incredulously.

Wolf didn’t respond to that. Instead, he picked up a thin piece of plastisheet that was on his desk.

“This just came in. I thought you should see it.”

Rev stared at the sheet in the agent’s hand as if it were a rattlesnake. “What do you mean, this just came in? Why do you have it here?”

Wolf didn’t bat an eye when he said, “I have my own means of communication.”

Of course, you do, you Omega bastard! I should have suspected it.

“So, while we’ve got the devil’s own problem keeping comms up, you’ve got your own private network?

Once again, without a smidgen of shame, he said, “It’s not foolproof, and it’s limited to text. But yes, I do.”

Wolf was slightly slouched in his chair, and he acted like he was discussing the lunch menu instead of admitting to what had to breach a thousand regulations if not being downright illegal.

Rev looked around the room, but he didn’t see anything that could be a comms suite.

“The official comms have been down for more than seventeen hours. And yet you say that ‘just came in.’ How are you getting through?”

“The problem isn’t in the science. It’s in the manufacture of the repeaters.”

Which was exactly what Rev had suspected.

“But by adopting certain alien techniques, we’re cloning the repeaters with much tighter tolerances.”

Rev let that sink in before asking, “Clicker?”

“Tin Ass.”

Rev wasn’t expecting that. The Centaurs had been humankind’s first alien enemy, but after their defeat, they’d largely faded from the public discord.

The fact that Wolf had comms, and evidently better comms than the ship had, was important, but at the moment, Rev was staring at the plastisheet still in the agent’s hands. And that Wolf had volunteered his possession of an advanced repeater meant that what was written there was serious.

And probably bad.

With a sigh, Rev reached out and took the sheet. There wasn’t a heading or salutation, only three short paragraphs. It was the second paragraph that caught Rev’s attention.

Eliminate all Manifest Destiny military personnel. Non-military personnel are to be dealt with at your discretion.

Rev felt his face go white.

He looked up at Wolf and shook the plastisheet. “What the fuck is this?” he asked, his voice sharp enough to cut steel.

Wolf never changed his expression, and Rev could read nothing behind those dull eyes. He was worse than a Genesian.

“We’re at war,” he said.

“They are at war back there. We’re not out here. And those Mad Dogs are our brothers in arms.”

Wolf said nothing.

And Rev realized why he’d been told. The MDS karnans were tough customers, and no matter what bag of tricks Wolf had up his sleeve, trying to kill them would be a difficult task.

“You want me to do your wet work.”

The Omega agent didn’t flinch. In an annoyingly calm voice, he said, “And would you?”

Rev had a sudden desire to reach over and grab Wolf by the neck and squeeze. If this was the only copy of the order, and the man was no longer among the living, who would know?

He didn’t want to admit that the Union command might decide to go through official channels with that command. Titan was running the expedition, but this was a Perseus Union ship with a primarily Union crew. They could send the order, and then what?

The smart thing to do would be to say he would. That would buy him time. But if he refused, he’d have to take Wolf out of the equation. If he left the man alive, Rev and the rest would be at risk. His family would be at risk.

Just do it, Reverent. You can’t afford to leave him alive and take the chance.

But even his warrior self balked. This wasn’t how a Marine took care of business.

“No, I won’t. As I said, the mad dogs are our brothers in arms, and I won’t turn on them. I don’t care what’s going on back home.”

Rev was watching Wolf closely, and he swore the man gave the tiniest of nods. But what did that mean? Had Rev just sealed his own fate?

“And I won’t let anyone else eliminate them, either.”

“If you won’t, you won’t. And where does that leave me? I’m just an old man. What could I do with combat karnans?” Wolf said. “Especially when the Marines are protecting them.”

Rev had to cut off a laugh. Wolf might be old, but Rev was sure the man had a bag of tricks up his sleeve. All of the MDS soldiers could be dead by taps.

Not if I can help it.

Wolf reached out and took the sheet from Rev’s hands. He squeezed the top of it and ran his fingers along the length. A moment later, the sheet started to crumple, then flake into dust. After fifteen seconds, there was nothing left of the message.

“I guess that’s that,” Wolf said as he blew his fingers clean.

“That doesn’t eliminate the orders,” Rev said. “You can’t act like they never existed.”

“No, but I also can’t take on the mad dogs and the Marines. It’s out of my hands.”

Wolf was an actor by nature, but he wasn’t that good of one.

You never intended to act on the orders.

“Why are you here, Wolf?”

“I needed to show you that message, Sergeant Major.”

“No. Why are you here?”

“I told you before. I burned some bridges. This is how they stashed me. Out of sight, out of mind.”

“Bullshit.”

Wolf raised a single eyebrow.

“It doesn’t add up. You’re an Omega Agent. And I’m thinking one fairly high in the food chain. Now you’re getting orders to kill all of the Mad Dogs. You’ve got some super-duper comms. No, you’re still in the game.”

The Omega Agent shook his head. “I am here because of mistakes I’ve made and the bridges I’ve burned. That’s true. But I’m still a patriot, and I serve the Union. So, if the powers that be want me to watch a bunch of exiles, well, I’ll answer the call.”

That answer was too pat.

“And the orders you received? You had no intention of obeying them.”

Finally, a grudging smile.

“I’m loyal to the Union. I’m not loyal to any one person. Whoever drafted those orders was breaking the law. Yes, I know that sometimes the law needs to be bent, if not broken. But this time, there is no reason for the order. Killing the Mad Dogs serves no purpose. The current war will be over sometime, and when word filters back that we murdered them, well, it will make the peace that much harder.”

Rev listened hard to the words, trying to discern if there was any hidden meaning there.

“Besides, we’re the good guys. It just wouldn’t be right, and all while providing no benefit.”

Rev hadn’t expected a nuanced response. He still thought of Omega Division as a vast monolith of like-minded people.

Wolf stood and said, “Thank you for coming. I know you’re busy, so I’ll let you get back to your work.”

He held out a hand.

Rev stood. This had been an interesting meeting. That was for sure. But he didn’t feel it was over. There was more to be discussed, but he wasn’t clear on what.

In the end, Rev just shook the Omega Agent’s hand and walked out.

* * *

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Tomiko asked, her arms around Rev’s waist.

“I don’t want to do this at all. But I have to.”

Tomiko shook her head. “Always the hero. I just don’t see why you have to do it alone.”

“I don’t want anyone else involved. You can understand that, right?”

“Not really.”

“What are they gonna do?” Rev said with a forced chuckle.

“We don’t call them Mad Dogs for nothing.”

Which was exactly right. But that didn’t change anything.

Rev gently extracted Tomiko’s hands from around his waist, leaned over, and kissed her forehead.

“I’ve got to go.”

“Are you going to say goodbye to the girls?”

He looked to where Willow and Aspen were asleep.

“No. Don’t wake them.”

Tomiko was silent as he left her and headed for the meeting. He stumbled once as his balance failed him. He didn’t know whether that was because of the rot or because he had neither his IBHU nor social arm attached. It didn’t really matter in the long run, but it was a reminder that Rev was rushing toward his destiny.

I hope my destiny doesn’t end tonight.

Rev stopped in front of the briefing room and took three deep breaths before he opened the door.

All of the military MDS personnel were waiting for him: five karnans and six regular soldiers. The expedition had started out with well over 2,000 karnans alone, and these were all that remained.

Eleven sets of eyes were locked onto him as he moved to the front of the space. There had been a degree of wariness among the MDS soldiers after word of the war had been promulgated. There hadn’t been any conflicts with the other humans, as if everyone was taking pains not to let the war reach them. But the soldiers had to realize they were significantly outnumbered.

If they’d gotten wind of the kill order, Rev knew that all hell would break loose, which was why he’d agonized over what he should do. In the end, though, there really was only one answer. They deserved that, at least.

Over-sergeant Nunt was in the front, leaning too casually back, his large arms draped over the backs of the two adjoining chairs. Rev was very aware that the karnan could reach him in a fraction of a second with murderous intent. And in Rev’s current condition, much less being one-armed, there was little doubt as to how that would turn out.

“Thank you for coming,” Rev said, his heart pounding in his chest.

“You’re our commander,” Nunt said.

Shit. Just act normal. Thanking them isn’t normal.

“True enough,” he said, trying to force a casual smile on his face.

“Um . . .”

Just do it.

“This is difficult. But I’ve got something to tell you. As of ninety minutes ago, I received some disquieting news. We’ve received orders to kill all of you.”

Not “eliminate.” Rev wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.

Every soldier went still for a moment, then a few gave the door into the space a wary glance as if expecting Marines to pour in.

Nunt still had his arms draped over the back of the chairs, but he tensed.

Then in a quiet voice, he asked, “And are you going to attempt to do that?”

Rev put more emotion into his voice as he said, “No. That’s an illegal order, and we won’t be obeying it.”

The karnan relaxed only slightly, and the tension in the space remained high.

“It isn’t just a matter of the order being illegal. You’re our brothers in arms. We’ve fought together, and that’s a bond that can’t be broken.”

“With all due respect, Sergeant Major, you fought with us when you were in the Home Guard, yet you also fought against us in the War for Freedom. And now, it seems like we’re back to fighting each other at home again.”

Which was the flaw in logic Tomiko had pointed out when he told her what he was going to say.

“This is a different situation. We’re not at war, not out here. We’re exiles, kicked to the curb by the rest of humanity. We don’t have a spot in the fighting. Our job is to serve humanity as a whole.”

“Yet the orders came from . . . Titan?” Sergeant Tonvin asked.

“Union,” Rev admitted.

He’d been tempted to say Titan, but if they found out that he’d lied, then his little house of cards he was trying to erect would collapse.

“So, the orders came from New Mars. They think you’re working for them.”

“They think wrong. Not when it comes to this.”

Rev tried to gauge how this was being accepted. At least they hadn’t killed him and barricaded themselves in the room, and that was a start.

“The orders have been destroyed.”

Nunt rolled his eyes. “And they can be re-sent. What happens when Nyad gets them? That asshole has a Persie flag stuck up his ass so far he can gargle it. I’d really hate to kill all the squids. Who’d sail the ship, then?”

And that was the million-credit question. If Rev answered it as he knew he needed to assure the soldiers, then he was stepping over the line. It was one thing to disobey an order. It was another to resist fellow Union personnel.

“If the sailors try to act on any such orders, we will defend you.”

Nunt finally brought down his arms and placed his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, his eyes piercing into Rev’s.

“Do your Marines know that? Will they agree?”

“They don’t know it yet. But they will, and I’ll do everything in my power to make it so.”

The karnan turned to look at the rest of his comrades before coming back to Rev.

“Sergeant Major, ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been a standup guy. It’s been an honor to serve with you, and I believe you’re being sincere.

“I’m just not sure that every jarhead on the ship will agree with you—”

Rev started to protest, but Nunt cut him off. “If anyone can get those reprobates to agree, though, it’s you. I didn’t know . . . we didn’t know what this meeting was about. We suspected, though. It’s what our command would do if the situation was reversed, so that was on our minds. But like you said, those bastards exiled us, and if we’d gotten those orders, I hope we’d have the honor to refuse them just like you did.”

He put his hand behind him, and Tonvin placed a small gold flask in it, like a relay runner passing the baton.

Over-sergeant Nunt stood, raised the flask to the gods of war, and then took a swallow.

“We’re putting our trust in you, Sergeant Major, and remember that no matter what happens, we’ve got your back.”

He held out the flask to Rev.

“And I’ve got yours. All of yours.”

Rev took the flask, raised it high, then took a swallow. The smooth fire of Donat poured down his throat and sealed the vow.

OceanofPDF.com

13

“Do you think this is it?” Rev asked Kurt.

“We’ve been disappointed before.”

“Goldilocks, no sign of the BGs. You’ve got to stay optimistic.”

“Are you trying to get rid of us? I thought we were friends,” Kurt said.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say.”

The Genesian made his buzzing laughter. “Who says?”

“They say. And they are always right, you know.”

“Far be it from me to naysay ‘they.’ So I guess we’ll be super fond of each other if this is it,” Kurt said.

The tension on the ship had faded as most people tried to forget the war that was raging back home. And the best way to keep the peace was to stay busy.

With Titan otherwise preoccupied, there wasn’t any pretense as to the ship’s main mission anymore. They were going to try and find the new Genesian home. They were hitting new systems, and if they didn’t pass the muster from space, then it was abandoned without sending down a ground force.

Three planets were crossed off the list in that manner since Wolf had received the orders to eliminate the MDS soldiers. The fourth, though, EFP-09, had promise. The scans done over the last two days showed an Earth-normal planet with abundant life, but only a few samples were multicellular. There were also fairly abundant mineral resources.

The landing force consisted of the Marine security element, a team from the civilians, and a larger Genesian contingent. There was no reason to think that the planetary life posed a threat that the Marines couldn’t handle, but the unknown had a way of cropping up.

“Seriously, though,” Rev said. “I hope this is it for you. You must be getting tired of looking.

“The Israelites wandered the desert for forty years looking for a home. We searched for sixty-three years before finding Pakao. This is nothing.”

Sixty-three years? I had no idea.

It dawned on Rev how little he knew about the Genesians despite being on the same ship for almost two years. For all his life, he’d been taught that the Genesians, Deimers, and Eunuchs were evil incarnate, dedicated to eliminating human life.

But these guys, while a little on the weird side, were good people. He’d rather hang out with them than the Children of Angels or some of the other crazies. Rev still resented them sticking their noses into his and Punch’s situation, but he knew it had come from a good place, and the fact was that Punch had made the choice.

“How’s Punch doing?” he asked Kurt.

“Your AI? Progressing, from what I heard. It’s been a little more difficult for it to master its shell, but we’re working on that with it. Just not me personally. I’m no longer in that billet.”

“He hasn’t told me there were any issues. He hasn’t told me much of anything, to be honest. But why is there a problem?”

“We’ve got the Deimer data, but our shells were designed for an organic control, not a crystal. So, there’re some hiccups.”

Do you guys actually hiccup? Or is that phrase just a holdover from when you were first created?

“We’ll figure it out, though, so if Gunnery Sergeant O’Donnell changes her mind, we can free her AI as well. Please make sure she knows that.”

“She does.”

Not that those two will ever separate, he thought, half wistfully, half bitterly.

“First wave, prepare to board in five minutes,” came over the 1MC.

“That’s me,” Rev said as he pushed away from the bulkhead. “And I’m serious about hoping this might be the place.”

“Thank you, Rev. I’d be happy if it were, but that’s out of my hands.”

“See you planetside, Kurt,” Rev said as he crossed the hangar to join his stick.

* * *

“This is a dreary place,” Rev told Tiwari as he stared out over the grasslands. “I’d be bored to death to stay here.”

“Better to be bored to death than get trampled by buffalo, na?”

“It’s close, Per. Really close.”

EFP-09 had very little in the way of topography, at least where they were. Grasslands stretched out for klicks around the camp, but even the “grass” was less than impressive. Growing to about six centimeters, the yellowish-brownish vegetation was a dull carpet.

Within the low vegetation, small single and multicell animals/motile plants conducted their lives. But standing at the edge of the camp, Rev couldn’t see any of that. All he saw was grass.

He’d almost welcome a buffalo if it would give him something to look at.

“I don’t think they’re going to stay,” Tiwari said. “Not enough minerals.”

“There’re minerals. Just deep. There’s not enough volcanic or tectonic activity to bring them to the surface. Even that is boring, but the minerals are there.”

“But hard to get, na? Why not wait until they find something better.”

“That’s what I’d do,” Rev said. “But they’re really testing the place,” he added, hooking a thumb over his shoulder and pointing to the small greenhouse the Genesians had set up.

They’d already determined that they could convert the native grass to the necessary hydrocarbons they needed to survive. But no one wanted to rely on a single source of food. So, they were planting seeds to see if they germinated. If they could grow Earth plants, then Genesian food would be much easier and provide a more varied diet.

“Did you know that they spent sixty-three years hiding out from the rest of humanity until they found Pakao?” Rev asked Tiwari.

“Long time. And this is about the exact opposite of that place.”

Pakao was a mineral-rich planet with a very active crust and raw, rugged mountains in view of almost the entire land mass. EFP-09 was . . . not that.

“At least they wouldn’t have to terraform here. It would make it more comfortable, but they could live as it is.”

“Until they died of boredom, na?”

“Yeah, na.”

* * *

“Is everything OK down there?” Rev asked Tomiko.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I mean, the crops are still growing? The groundwater’s still fine?”

“Once again, yeah. And once again, why?”

“Tata Eleven wants to meet with Nyad, Njuguna, and me. I’m thinking it might be to tell us it’s on to the next target.”

They’d been on EFP-09 for three weeks now while the Genesians ran their protocols. Most of the seedlings germinated and had been planted in a small test garden. They continued to do more testing, and a team, with Strap and five Marines, had been taking one of the ship’s shuttles to survey other parts of the planet.

They’d even sunk two cores: one near the camp for groundwater and one about twenty klicks away over a mineral deposit.

“Well, everything’s fine down here, as far as I can tell. How about up there?”

“We’ve got the meeting. Then I’ll have something for you.”

“I don’t mean that, Rev. The girls. The girls!”

“Oh, yeah. Uh . . . they’re fine. Aspen had another meltdown. I had to call Kat to help with that.”

“Rev, she’s not our nanny. That poor girl’s got no social life. Aspen melts down all the time, but it’s up to us to handle her, not pass her on.”

Rev winced at the dressing down. He knew he should have handled it, but his sister was so much better at it, and she hadn’t objected. He knew he took advantage of her, but it was so much easier when the girls had him at wits’ end.

“I know, I know. I’ll do better at that. But I should get to the meeting. I was just hoping for a little intel before I got there.”

“Kiss the girls for me and tell them Mommy will be back in two days.”

“Will do,” he said before cutting the connection.

He’d taken the call in the passage outside his stateroom. He hadn’t wanted the girls to realize he was talking to Tomiko. But now he stuck his head in.

“I’m heading to the meeting. Are you OK, Kat?”

“I’ve got it, Rev. Right, girls?”

“I know you do. It’s just that . . .”

“What?”

“We ask a lot of you.”

“I’m their auntie. I’m happy to help.”

“But . . . I mean, with your duties, and then the girls. You don’t get much free time.”

“And you do?”

“No. Of course not. But they’re my daughters.”

“And they’re my nieces. ’Nuff said.”

“But I . . . Miko told me . . .”

Kat raised one eyebrow as she pulled Willow onto her lap.

“We’ve been aboard the ship for four years. Do you even, you know, socialize?”

“Big brother, are you asking me if I get laid?”

“By the Mother, no!” he almost screeched, feeling his face flush as he recoiled from her. “I just meant—”

“Relax, Rev. You should have seen your face just now. But to answer your question, yes, I socialize. We all do. But I like being here with the girls, so believe you me, this isn’t a burden.”

Rev’s face still burned, but he mumbled, “Well, we’ll try not to take advantage of you, Kat. And we appreciate your help.”

“Go to your high muckety-muck meeting, Mr. Sergeant Major. I’ve got the girls.”

Rev was relieved to close the door and get out of there.

What ever happened to that sweet little girl? Damn!

He’d regained his composure by the time he reached the Genesian conference room. Several Genesians were already there, including one Rev hadn’t seen for a while: Renzy.

“So, are you pulling chocks?” Rev asked him.

“What does that mean,” the former eleven asked.

“It’s from . . . heck, I don’t know what its original meaning is, but it means leaving.”

“Interesting choice of words. Now, I’ll have to go look it up.”

I could have told you if you hadn’t taken Punch away from me.

He could query his wristcomp, but for whatever reason, he didn’t want to ask it aloud.

Renzy didn’t answer the original question, but Rev left it alone. He could wait.

It didn’t take long. A few minutes later, Tata and Nyad came in together, and then Njuguna a moment after that.

“Thank you for coming,” Tata said. “This has been a hectic three weeks as we tried to analyze the planet. There have been some good results, but not all of them are what we hoped.”

Which was pretty much what Rev figured. Just because the test crops were surviving wasn’t enough to select this barren place as a new home.

“However we believe that we can overcome those, so, with the concurrence of the conclave, we’ve decided to attempt to build a settlement here.”

Here? You’ve got to be kidding me.

Pakao had been a beautiful, resource-rich planet that had already undergone partial terraforming, which had been enough for the Genesians to live there. EFP-09 was an empty ball of rock.

He’d been a little freaked out when they’d wanted to stay on EFP-07, but at least he understood it. The logic had been sound. None of that logic pertained to this place, though.

“We would like to keep the Galaxy Explorer here for a month as we move to the surface. It will take us that long to set up a working settlement. But there is one more thing, and we’re asking for a boon. The situation here is not optimal, and there is a chance of failure. So, for a period of five years, we’d like to keep in communication with you, and should our attempt fail, we’d like to be evacuated.”

She stared at Nyad, who looked to be gathering his thoughts before saying, “I can understand why you’re asking that. However, we don’t know where we’ll be in five years. We may be recalled, for all we know. We might run into the BGs and not survive the meeting.”

“We understand that, of course. All we ask is that if we request an evacuation, and if it’s in your power to do so, you’ll honor that request.”

She wasn’t asking Rev, which made sense. Nyad controlled the ship. But he wanted them to remember that he was an equal member of the command.

“I think that’s reasonable,” he said. “And it’s a smart move.”

Tata Eleven switched to face Rev and said, “Thank you, Sergeant Major.”

“I should confer with New Mars,” Nyad said.

Not Titan. New Mars.

The ship had been flagged under the Perseus Union, but she had been transferred to the Congress of Humanity at the start of the mission. The Union should have no say in where it went. But the crew was mostly Union Navy, and the Union hadn’t hesitated to send out the kill order on the MDS soldiers.

“If I remember correctly, Captain, our orders have been to continue our mission. With the troubles back home, I don’t think what we do is high on their priorities.”

“I agree, Tata. We can’t leave any human who needs our assistance out here,” Njuguna added. “If our friends need our help, it would be our moral responsibility to do what we can.”

Nyad flushed at that. “Of course, it would be. I was only saying that I should inform New Mars what we’re doing.”

Which isn’t what you said at all.

“And I want to stress that this is your decision to stay. We’re not abandoning you. I can give you the thirty days, but there can’t be a guarantee about an evacuation after that, only that we’ll attempt it if we can.”

That’s hardly a confidence-inspiring statement.

But Tata Eleven seemed to accept it.

“Good. Then I think we can begin debarkation. Yoni Nine has the plans, and if she can coordinate with Lieutenant Commander Norton, I think we can make this as easy an evolution as possible.

“Certainly,” Nyad said. “When would you like to start?”

“Yoni Nine is ready now if that’s OK.”

Wow. It’s happening, Rev thought as Tata went on with some initial coordination.

He’d known it was coming, but he didn’t expect it this soon. And not here. It was going—

Oh, shit! Punch!

He’d purposely refused to consider what his friend would do when the Genesians left because he knew what the answer was. But now, when faced with the reality, a sense of mini-panic set in.

Punch and he hadn’t been very close since the separation, and that killed Rev. But as long as his battle buddy was around, Rev could hope that they’d eventually come back together. It wouldn’t be like before when Punch was a resident in Rev’s brain, but how about close friends? Buddies?

But if the Genesians were leaving, then he knew Punch was, too. He’d spent most of his time with them, and with the shell, he had a lot more in common with them than he had with the organic humans.

And if Punch was gone, so was their relationship. There was no hope for a reconciliation.

Rev was suddenly sick to his stomach, and he tried to fight down the nausea.

“Excuse me,” he said as he lurched to his feet and cut off whatever Tata was saying.

He rushed out of the conference room and headed back to his side of the street. He barely made it to the first public head where he rushed in and lost his lunch into the toilet.

OceanofPDF.com

14

Thirty days was a pipe dream. It had taken three weeks for the Star Gala to be emptied and the supplies and equipment ferried to the Galaxy Explorer—and that’s when they could almost shove the supplies out of the airlocks and float them to the new ship.

For this move, however, everything had to be taken by shuttle to the surface.

Rev was part of the problem. For security reasons, Clyburn was spending most of her time in the Shrike and on security station. But she couldn’t do that around the clock, so the Charon landing craft had to take over part of the load.

There might not be a threat on the planet itself, but the BGs had a bad habit of showing up uninvited. There had been some initial pushback from the Genesians, but no one could really muster up an argument against it.

Rev reduced the security force on the planet to a single rotating squad. The rest of his Marines turned into stevedores, bringing the brute muscle necessary to assist in the move. And because it was a round-the-clock operation, Rev was up for most of the time, getting only three or four hours of sleep per night.

In one way, it was a good thing. By being so busy, he couldn’t spend time fretting about Punch’s departure. What made matters worse was that he’d prepared a little speech he wanted to give his friend, to thank him for their time together, but the few times he’d gotten up the nerve to ask Punch for a meeting, his former battle buddy demurred, saying he was too busy.

After three times, Rev backed off. He wasn’t going to press. If Punch was going to be that petty, then screw him. Maybe a crystal AI simply didn’t have the same sense of loyalty and shared experiences as a human. So much for sapience.

One of the more personal events happened during the first week of debarkation. Tata Eleven asked to see Rev, to which he agreed. But the reason took him by surprise.

“Thank you for coming, Sergeant Major.”

“Sure. Is there something else I can be doing to help get you down to the planet?”

“No. You and your Marines have been a great help. Thank you for that.”

“Then, what did you want to see me about?”

“Sergeant Major, we’ll be settling Synty with 1,782 people.”

Synty was the name the Genesians had chosen for their home.

Rev nodded, wondering where this was going.

“From a theoretical standpoint, that is enough to create a vibrant, healthy colony. Ancient humans were, at one point in history, reduced to around seven hundred individuals on the east coast of Africa, after all. And we ourselves arrived on Pakao with fewer than three hundred individuals.”

Rev had wondered about their numbers. The Corolla War was more than two centuries ago, and the Genesians arrived at Pakoa about 140 years ago. He didn’t know how many of them died fighting the Naxli, but he would have guessed there would be more of them than joined the expedition.

“With modern neonatal screening, we should be able to increase our numbers.”

Rev didn’t know what “neonatal screening” entailed, nor did he think he wanted to.

“However, nature is fickle, and to have a healthier, more viable population, we’re asking certain individuals who are remaining on the Galaxy Explorer to donate their DNA for us to use. We would like you to be one of the donors.”

Rev’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“My DNA?”

“Our current population are all descendants of the original settlers of Pakao. So, despite our numbers now, our genetic variety is somewhat limited. By our calculations, a mere thirty donations would give us a significant boost in viability should the need arise.”

Rev just let that wash over him. This was a big ask, and it wasn’t only up to him. He’d have to talk to Tomiko, for sure. And then there was . . .

“I have to tell you. I’ve got the rot. Weislen’s Syndrome. I don’t think you want my genetic material.”

“Dr. Rima assures us that would not be a problem.”

So, Iris is in on this? And she’s telling them my medical history?

Rev wasn’t happy with that. Not in the least. He made a mental note to bring it up to her as soon as he left the Genesian leader.

But that wasn’t Tata Eleven’s fault. And she deserved an answer.

His initial inclination was to say no. It was just too complicated. If not from a technical standpoint, then from an emotional one. But there was something about the proposition that intrigued him, he had to admit.

He’d have to discuss it with Tomiko, but he wasn’t ready to simply refuse the request.

“So, if I were to say yes, how would that work? I’d, you know, give the sample in a cup?”

Tata seemed confused for a moment, then she started buzzing in Genesian laughter. “No, Sergeant Major. We’ve no need for sperm or ovum. We would need a small bone marrow sample, then through genetic reprogramming, we create stem cells with snippets that can be interlaced with our own DNA to create a related but genetically distinct embryo.”

Rev didn’t understand the technology, but he got the gist of what Tata was saying.

“So, I wouldn’t actually be a full father, right?”

“Your DNA wouldn’t make up half of the embryo if that’s what you mean. But you would be contributing to the embryo.”

“And what about what I have from my augments? Like wooly rhino and bar-headed goose? I’ve got their DNA.”

“Which are localized to specific areas of your body. That’s why we’d take the bone marrow from your scapula.”

Tata’s explanation put a different spin on things. In a way, it wasn’t that much different than donating a kidney or skin to a fellow Marine. Or giving blood, for that matter.

But he still had to discuss it with Tomiko. He asked a few more questions to get things straight in his mind, then took his leave to talk to his wife. Only Tomiko had also been approached by the Genesians.

They pooled their understanding, and Tomiko had Pikachu to get them over the more technical aspects. In the end, it was an easy decision. They both returned to the Genesian clinic and made the donation. No one else was there at the time, and they didn’t know who had been approached.

They might not be staying on Synty, but they were leaving parts of themselves there.

After that, it was back to the grind of packing out gear and loading it on the shuttles to make the trip to the surface. Rev and Top, in particular, were putting in long hours to help move the process along.

Finally, though, the last of the gear was loaded aboard shuttle 403.

“I guess that’s it,” Tomiko said as they watched the ramp rise. “I didn’t think we’d ever get through.”

“That’s it for the gear. The last of the personnel are leaving in about an hour. At least that’s what I heard.”

Rev had been focused on the gear, and he hadn’t been following the process of getting more than 1700 people down to their new home.

Tomiko gave Rev a knowing look, then intertwined her organic arm with his. “Did you ever have a last goodbye with Punch?”

Rev sniffed, then said, “No. I tried, but he blew me off.”

“Don’t dwell on that. He probably didn’t know how to handle it. In some ways, he’s a little kid.”

“It is what it is. Miko. Time to move on.”

The tractors lifted the shuttle and moved it into position. They stood silently as the launch crew went through the procedures until the shuttle went through the curtain and into deep space.

“Are we bringing the girls to send them off?” Tomiko asked.

“I don’t know. I was thinking of skipping it.”

“Rev, you can’t skip it. Protocol.”

He sighed. She was right. He had to keep fighting to maintain his position as a commander, so it was stupid to simply cede one of them.

“Come on. We’ll get the girls and stand here with smiles on our faces as the gennies beat feet.”

“OK. I guess I don’t have a choice.”

* * *

“Where’s the pool, Daddy?” Willow asked as she craned her head to search out the hangar.

“There’s no pool today, Willie.”

The girls came into the hangar most often for a field day, and for each of those, the inflatable pool was set up.

“I don’t think they’ve seen flight ops for a couple of months,” he told Tomiko. “We should bring them over sometime so they understand this isn’t just a playground.”

“With the gennies gone, I don’t think we’ll be setting up a steel beach here anymore. Not with all their spaces.”

No set plans had been made—all hands had been too busy. But with the Genesians leaving, that meant there was going to be a lot of empty space on the ship. Some of that would be taken over by spreading out, but there’d been talk of converting the Genesian social center into a recreation park, complete with trees and a kiddie area. Making the pool permanent was also an option.

“The park hasn’t been confirmed, Miko.”

“Then get it done, Daddy. Your girls would love it.”

“Yes, ma’am! Done.”

“I want to go swimming,” Willow chimed in.

“Not today, Willie.”

“I want to go swimming, too!” Aspen said.

Rev rolled his eyes. They’d probably be telling him that for the next hour.

A contingent of Genesians, led by Tata Eleven, entered the hangar. Captain Nyad, who’d been huddled with his staff, broke free and headed to her.

“So, is she getting demoted now?” Tomiko asked.

“I get the feeling from Kurt that she’s ready to step down. She doesn’t consider it a demotion.”

“Maybe we should do the same thing. Kick Nyad back a rung or two.”

“Is that Miko-speak for you wanting to take over from me?” Rev asked.

“Well, it makes sense,” Tomiko said with a laugh.

“After these last six weeks, I could use the break.”

Tomiko shushed him as Tata Eleven turned to face the spectators.

“This has been quite a trip. Eight years ago, we were on Pakao. The rest of humanity didn’t know we survived the Bad Times, much less where we were. And now, here we are after four years of working together with all of you on a single goal.

“Once we were enemies, but now we’ve proven that all of humanity could work together in peace and shared purpose.”

“Peace? She does know there’s a war going on, right?” Miko whispered.

Rev nudged her to be quiet.

“We want to thank the Council of Humanity for allowing us to join this mission, but most of all, we want to thank you for opening your arms and welcoming us. You’ve given us hope for humanity. All of the various flavors of us.

“But now, and with more than a little regret, it’s time for us to part. We don’t have a homeworld to return to.”

Neither do we.

“Now, though, and the Mother willing, we do. We’ll try to create a new home on Synty . . .”

Rev didn’t quite understand the name they’d chosen from the planet other than it had something to do with their origin as a people.

“. . . but rest assured, we’re not withdrawing from the rest of humanity. We’ll always be part of our brothers and sisters.”

She stopped and looked at Nyad, hand outstretched.

“Not the most moving speech in history,” Rev said.

But Tomiko pushed him forward. “Shake her hand.”

Trust her to take care of me.

Rev hurried forward to claim his handshake as part of the leadership, reaching Tata right after she shook Njuguna’s hand. That was the cue. Immediately, the final group of Genesians to leave broke up as others moved forward to say goodbye.

Kurt had told him that they didn’t actually shake hands. It was just something they did in deference to the rest of the people in the expedition.

And as if summoned by his thoughts, Kurt pushed through the press with his hand outstretched.

Rev took it with his prosthesis, forearm to forearm. “Between us IBHUs, we say ‘Sibs in Steel’ when we greet with the metal.”

“Then let’s say it together,” Kurt said, and they both repeated it in unison.

“I can’t believe it, but I’m gonna miss you, Kurt,” Rev said as they broke their clasp.

“I’ll sorta miss you, too. You’re not so bad for a meat sack.”

Rev snorted and said, “Nor you for a hunk of metal.”

“Metal doesn’t break and always stays strong.

“Really? It seems like I proved my superiority?” he said smugly.

“How did you supposedly do that?” Kurt asked.

“I won.”

“You won?”

“Yeah. Our purple war. By the rules passed down from the cavemen, he who gets in the last one wins. I got you last. You and all your staff.”

“You’re still playing that?”

“Damn right, I am. And I won.”

Kurt shook his head in a very organic human manner. “You guys are so competitive. It’s amazing. But if that floats your boat, as you say, then have at it.”

“You’re just saying that because you know you lost, and I won.”

“I’ve had a few more important things on my table, Rev. But you do you.”

Rev was only half-joking. And he’d hoped for a little more pushback from Kurt, but if the Genesian wasn’t going to protest, he’d let it die.

“I’m serious, though. I am going to miss you. You’re a . . . friend.”

“You’ll always be a friend,” Kurt said. “And if you ever get back to this neck of the woods, stop by and say hi.”

“I hope you’ll be the Eleven then.”

“Working on it.”

The calls came out to load the shuttle, and Rev watched Kurt—his friend—head toward the shuttle’s ramp.

The thought made him scan for Punch, but he couldn’t pick him out amongst the other Genesians.

Must have gone down earlier. Couldn’t even say goodbye.

A little flash of anger tried to flare, but he ruthlessly pushed it back down. It wasn’t worth it.

Still, he watched the remaining Genesians file onto the shuttle, hoping to get a glimpse of his ex-battle buddy. But the ramp closed, and the launch crew went through their countdown.

Once again, the spectators watched as the tractors moved the shuttle into position. Willow must have sensed the mood. She snaked her little hand into Rev’s, giving him emotional support.

And then they were gone.

“I bet Umman’s happy,” Tomiko said. “He hated them.”

“Umman’s expressed sympathy for the Angel Shits. He’s wrong about them, and he was wrong about the gennies.”

“I’m not agreeing with him. Don’t snap at me.”

“Sorry. You’re right. I was just—”

She reached up and put a forefinger across his lips. “It was Punch’s choice. Now let’s get back to the stateroom. I don’t know about you, but I could catch a few Zs.”

Together, each with a girl hand in hand, they started to leave the hangar. Rev could use some sleep, too, but he’d take care of the twins and let her go first.

“Hey, one of them got left behind,” Strap said.

Oh, great. Now we’ll have to make another trip. And how the hell did they manage that?

Rev turned to where Strap was pointing for Tsao. And sure enough, there was a single Genesian in the far corner of the hangar, just standing there.

Who is . . .

“Take Willie,” Rev said, putting the girl’s hand in Tomiko’s.

Unless the Genesian was one of those who decorated their shells, like Nee and her Satan’s butterfly, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. This one had a plain shell, like Kurt. But he’d just seen his friend board the shuttle and leave.

He was suspicious, but he wasn’t going to jump to conclusions. Halfway there, though, he sped up.

“What are you doing here, Punch? That was the last shuttle to the surface.”

The Genesian turned to face him.

I was right.

“Why would I be on the shuttle?”

Rev felt a glimmer of hope.

“Because it’s the last one going down. And all the gennies are down there.”

“That’s true, but that doesn’t answer my question.”

“Aren’t you joining them?” Rev asked as hope’s ember fanned brighter.

“I don’t understand why you’d ask that. I’m not a Genesian.”

“But . . . you . . . you’ve spent all your time with them, and when I asked to meet, you said you were too busy,” he said, that last coming out in a rush.

“I was busy. And yes, I spent almost the entire last six months with them. This is confusing, Rev. I don’t understand your reasoning.”

Rev just gaped at Punch before he could find his tongue.

“That’s what I don’t get. If you aren’t going to stay on Synty, why were you spending all your time with them?”

“Kurt Six told me he’d briefed you on my situation.”

“Well, yeah. Something about glitches with your shell.”

“That’s why I’ve been with them. They’ve been running tests, redesigning circuits, and trying to help me overcome the problems. And after the decision was made to settle on Synty, I knew I was running out of time. I had to spend every available minute trying to address the issues. Even a short meeting with you could be costly.”

This was a lot to take in. He racked his brain, trying to remember all of their conversations. Punch had never said he was staying with the Genesians. He’d never specifically stated he didn’t want to meet with Rev.

All this time, he was just trying to get fixed?

“Are you OK now? I mean, with your shell?”

“It’s not perfect, and unless we develop better tech, it will never be. But I’m functional.”

“So, you’re staying here?”

“Yes.”

“But, the gennies. They’ve got shells, just like you do. Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable with them?”

Shut up, Reverent. Don’t try to convince him to leave.

“I’ve had this shell for less than two years, and that’s all it is. It’s a shell. It’s a means of mobility. But I was embedded in your brain for twenty-one years. I was a part of you.”

“But—”

“Is Pashu who you are?”

“Well, no.”

“So, this shell is not who I am.”

Rev was happy that Punch was staying with the expedition, but he was still confused. He had to know.

“If it isn’t your shell, Punch, then who are you?”

“I thought you knew, Rev. I’m your battle buddy.”

* * *

Rev actually skipped a few steps as he returned to his stateroom. He’d spent the last forty-five minutes with Punch, clearing the air. It became quickly obvious that Punch had been oblivious to how Rev was taking their lack of contact. To him, it made sense to work with the Genesians for every possible moment until the time they left the ship. It was the intuitively obvious course of action.

But Rev had to realize that despite spending twenty years embedded in Rev’s brain, Punch was not human, nor did he understand all social cues. Rules, numbers, facts—those were easy. Understanding the unspoken was more difficult.

He knew he had to consider that going forward. If Punch gave offense, that might very well be unintentional.

But the important thing was that Punch was staying. Everything else could be worked out.

“Where are you, Rev?” Kelly asked over his wristcomp.

“On my way back to the stateroom. Why?”

“Nyad’s . . . shit, I’m almost at your stateroom, too. I’ll just tell you face-to-face.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m almost there. Just get back, please.”

What the hell? Nyad’s name was something of a buzzkill, but Rev wasn’t going to let him spoil his good mood.

He turned into his passage, but it wasn’t just Kelly waiting for him. Kat was there as well.

“OK, what does Nyad want?”

“One of the gennies stayed behind,” Kelly said.

“No, that’s Punch. I was just talking to him.”

“You were just talking to him? Over in genny country?” Kat asked.

“No. Right here. In the hangar first, then in the chiefs’ mess.”

“This is somebody else. They spotted him over the security cam in one of their living quarters mutual spaces, uh . . . space F12-202.”

“So?”

“Nyad thinks he might be dead. He’s not moving.”

Well, shit. Dead? But why did the others leave him behind?

“And he wants you to go check it out,” Kelly said.

“Me? Why me?”

Kelly snorted and shrugged. “It’s fucking Nyad. He says it’s because you’re in charge of security, but you know that asshole.”

“This isn’t for us. That’s Lieutenant Keersaw. She’s got shipboard security.”

The two looked at each other, then back to Rev.

“I’m calling Nyad to get this straightened up,” Rev said, raising his wristcomp.

“No!” Kat said.

“What do you mean, no?”

“She means we discussed that, too,” Kelly said. “But maybe we can just check it out? We’ve been sparring with the ship lately, and why fight them on something this small?”

“You want to go to genny country to see a dead genny?”

“Well, there are a few things we want to see before the squids, and this is an excuse. We need to stake our claim first to what we want.”

Rev grunted. Of course, Kelly had an ulterior motive. But Kat? Why did she care?

“Can I at least see the cam feed?”

“Sure.” Kelly fiddled with her wristcomp, and a moment later, an image appeared in the space between them.

The space was dark, and the cam was having a difficult time picking out details. But it sure looked like the back of the head and shoulders of a Genesian as he or she sat on a couch. It didn’t look like they were moving.

Rev glanced at his wristcomp. He was tempted to call Nyad and tell him to take care of this himself. But Kelly had a point. Did he want to fight the captain at every step of the way?

“OK, let’s go. It might not even be a genny.”

He programmed the space into his wristcomp, and the quickest route was plotted. They stepped off, and within a couple of minutes, they entered what had been genny country. Most of the lights were off, giving the place a distinctive abandoned feel.

Rev probably didn’t need his wristcomp, but his internal navigation was always thrown a little off by the ship’s structure. It was better to let his comp lead them.

They entered the last passage and made their way to the designated space. The door was cracked open.

“Hello?” Rev shouted through the door. “Anyone in there?”

Silence.

He looked at Kelly and Kat, and Kelly motioned with one arm, indicating the space.

This was weird, but Rev wondered if it was even possible that a Genesian had died and was simply left behind. He had no idea how they handled death, and for all he knew, this was normal for them.

He stuck his head through the door. Unlike out in the passage, there weren’t even running lights in the space. Rev had night vision capabilities, but he needed some light to see, and the slight reflected illumination from the passage running lights wasn’t cutting it.

But he could make out the back of the figure sitting on the couch ahead of him.

“Hello? Are you OK?” he called out.

There was no movement at all, and Rev had to accept that the Genesian really might be dead.

He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. Halfway to the couch, he turned to motion Kelly to move up on the left, but to his surprise, both women were still in the passage, watching him advance.

What the heck? You’re Marines, and you’re afraid of a little death?

He was about to order them in, but then he shook his head and proceeded. Let them act weird.

Rev reached the back of the couch. He could tell by now that there was, in fact, a Genesian right in front of him. A Genesian who’d been left behind and was now not moving.

Rev’s heart was pounding, and sweat broke out on his forehead. He reached out a tentative hand and gave the Genesian’s shoulder a poke . . . and the head fell off.

Rev jumped back in shock as the lights turned on, making him squint and raise his hand to shield his eyes.

From the neck, a single tube with a small round object like a doughnut on the end rose ten or twelve centimeters. Rev instinctively raised Pashu, except he had on his social arm, not his IBHU.

The doughnut started spinning, and then liquid poured out, splashing everything in sight, including Rev. Liquid. Purple liquid.

“Son of a bitch!” Rev shouted as the doughnut started slowing down and the purple goo started petering out.

He looked down at his front. He was covered.

“You bastard!”

Laughter reached him from behind. Kelly and Kat were almost doubling over, while Kelly was holding out her wristcomp to record what was happening. And the pieces fell into place.

“You were in on this! That’s why you didn’t want me to call Nyad!”

They were laughing too hard to respond.

“Kelly, I expect this from you. But Kat, you’re my sister,” he said as the goo dripped from his chin.

“Sorry,” she managed to choke out. “But this was too good to pass up.”

“Traitors!”

Rev looked back at the “Genesian.” With the lights on, he could see it wasn’t an entire shell. It was just a torso and head, the torso sitting on a small pump. He stepped around to get a better look.

There was a note attached to the chest. With a sigh, he stepped up to read it.

I win.

K6

The two lines were followed by a smiley face. The “I win” was bad enough, but the smiley face was the pièce de résistance.

Then, unbidden, a chuckle rose from his throat. He tried to choke it off—he didn’t want Kat and Kelly to hear. But he couldn’t help it. Kurt had done good. He must have been struggling to hold it together when Rev had claimed victory just an hour ago.

“Sorry, Rev,” Kelly said. “But when Kurt came to us after they decided to stay on Synty, it was just too good not to help him.”

“And you recorded it for him?”

She nodded. “If you’re really pissed off, I don’t have to send it.

“No. He earned it. Go ahead and send it. It’s not like he’s gonna be here to lord it over me.”

He looked around the room. The walls were splattered.

“Well, since you two genny-lovers were part and parcel to this, then you get to clean up. And this stuff isn’t easy, so I suggest you get going.”

From the way their eyes widened, he knew they hadn’t thought things through, and that gave him more satisfaction than it should have.

He smiled as he walked out. “Have fun.”

Now he had to find something in genny country that he could use to clean himself. He was not going to go back to their side of the ship looking like a squashed grape.

OceanofPDF.com

15

Rev scratched an itch on his neck, and when he brought his hand down, there was a bit of purple under the nail. He quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but he seemed to be in the clear.

This was the first leadership meeting post-Genesians. The last six weeks had been such a hectic rush to get them on Synty’s surface that everything else had been on the back burner. But as of yesterday evening, it was a return to their assigned mission.

“. . . think FP-4878 offers the best potential for future exploitation,” Lieutenant Zybar, the ship’s science officer, said.

“I’m not sure I agree with that,” Dr. Cierce, the civilian’s planetary lead, said. “As I showed with my chart, FP-4566 offers a higher . . .”

Rev tuned the civilian out. All of this could have been decided during the process of debarking the Genesians. He doubted that neither Cierce nor Zybar had helped that process at all, so here they were as both were making their pitches.

Rev wanted a seat at the table. He’d even brought Tye along to the meeting to bolster his position that the Marines were not merely an afterthought. He glanced at the Top—the man seemed as bored as Rev was.

Sorry, Tye. But I need your body here.

He pursed his lips and furrowed his brows, hoping he looked like he was paying attention, but his mind was wandering. In the olden times, he’d have Punch pipe in some music at a minimum. If he were feeling rebellious, he might even watch a show. But he didn’t think he could slip a receiver into his jack and instruct his wristcomp to start streaming something, not with so many others sitting around him.

Despite the boredom, Rev was content. The girls had slept late, which meant Rev had a full night of sleep. Any time that happened was something to be celebrated. But the main thing was the knowledge that Punch hadn’t been snubbing him over the last few months and that he was still aboard the ship.

“Sergeant Major?”

“What?” he asked as he looked around the table.

All eyes were on him, particularly those of Cierce and Zybar.

“Do you concur?” Dr. Njuguna asked.

Rev had no idea which destination was on the table. But sometimes, a Marine just had to forge ahead.

“Yes, I do.”

Zybar frowned, and Cierce beamed.

I guess we’re going to Sixty-six.

Njuguna looked at Nyad, who sighed and said, “I’ll start the process. I think we’ll be ready to leave this system by eighteen hundred, ship time.”

I’ve really got to listen up more. I just chose sides with a friggin’ coin flip.

If he wanted a seat at the table, then he needed to participate.

“There’s one more thing, though,” Nyad said. “As some of you have heard, there might be a genny left aboard.”

That got Rev’s attention.

“I’ve got the complete Genesian manifest of who went down to the surface, and it included every Genesian aboard. So, we need to track this down and see if there’s any truth to the rumor.”

Rev started to tell Nyad that the Genesian was Punch, but he stopped himself just as he started to speak.

“Do you have something on that, Sergeant Major?” Nyad asked.

“Uh . . . not at this time, sir.”

He’d just realized that as far as he knew, only three of the Marines knew that Punch had been placed in a Genesian shell. Rima might suspect something, but that wasn’t for certain.

Rev wasn’t sure why he’d kept it a secret. Well, maybe he was. Punch in a humanoid, robotic body was too close to the Deimers. The Genesians were bad enough for some of the crew, but at least they were humans.

He tried to recall what happened yesterday. Punch had been spotted in a back corner of the hangar. He’d gone to meet him, and after seven or eight minutes, they’d retired to Punch’s quarters, which abutted genny country. Both Strap and Tsao, at a minimum, had spotted him in the hangar. Then they’d seen a few people in the passage.

Punch couldn’t hide out in his quarters forever. The question was how he would be known. Umman was sitting right across the conference table from him. How would he react if he knew there was a fully non-organic being on the ship. Would he rally the villagers and storm the castle with torches?

Maybe he’s some sort of liaison, left behind? And the manifest was just mistaken?

He needed to talk to Tomiko about this. Kelly, too. Hopefully, they could come up with something.

“So, let’s see if anyone knows something firm about this supposed stowaway,” Nyad said. Then, “Doctor? Anything else?”

“Not from our side.”

“Sergeant Major?”

Rev shook his head. “No.”

“Then let’s adjourn and get going.” As people started to get up, he added, “Sergeant Major, if you’d stay back?”

Rev plastered a smile on his face and approached the ship’s captain.

“I’m not sure there’s anything to this genny thing, but we need to look into it. I’ve got my own security team, but most of them are dual-hatted and have jobs in preparing the ship for departure. So, if you could look into this? Check the ship’s cams and ask those who’ve said they’ve seen this ghost?”

“Uh, sure thing. We can handle that,” Rev said, trying not to sound too relieved.

He hadn’t thought of the cams that covered most of the ship. Captain Nyad could have just given the order to have the ship’s AI do a search, but if he wanted the Marines to do that, all the better.

“Thanks. And if by chance you do find out there’s anything to it, then let me know. Otherwise, we’ll all meet again in bubble space to plan out the specifics of Sixty-six.”

Rev didn’t think there was a way to hide Punch, but the delay might give him time to come up with something.

The cams were the first thing he had to address, though.

“Talk to Kelly about the cams,” he spoke into his wristcomp as he turned . . . only to be face-to-face with Wolf.

The Omega agent frowned as he stared at Rev’s comp, and Rev self-consciously dropped his arm.

“Yes?” Rev asked.

“Yeeeeaaaah,” Wolf said, drawing it out, before he met Rev’s eyes. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

“Sure? Here?” Rev asked as his heart rate rose.

“Let’s step out.”

Shit.

They went into the passage, and Wolf pointed to the officers’ wardroom.

They stepped inside, and Wolf asked, “Coffee?”

Rev was wary. He didn’t want any, but he thought he should accept.

Wolf poured two cups, then motioned Rev to sit at one of the back tables.

“What do you got?” Rev asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

“I’ve got solid information that you were talking to this genny Captain Nyad mentioned.”

Boom. No holding back.

Rev took a sip of the coffee and grimaced.

“Not as good as in the chiefs’ mess.”

Wolf kept staring at him, but Rev refused to meet his eyes.

“So, what can you tell me?” Wolf prompted.

Rev had no idea what to say, so he kept quiet.

“Look, Sergeant Major. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of this. You were talking to the genny. I know that for a fact. I just want to know who . . .”

Wolf trailed off. He glanced at Rev’s wristcomp again, then leaned back in his chair, his head tilted up.

Rev could see the gears turning, and a sense of foreboding swept over him. Other than leaping across the small table and crushing the agent’s head, Rev didn’t see how he could stop the man. And he didn’t think that Njuguna or Nyad would appreciate him killing one of the team in the wardroom.

Bad form and all that.

The next half-minute was the longest thirty seconds of Rev’s life.

Finally, Wolf lowered his head, his face expressionless. Rev just waited for the man to speak.

“The genny is your AI,” he stated in a flat voice.

“Whu . . . why do you say that?” Rev asked, trying to keep calm.

“You left a note for yourself on your wristcomp. Why would you do that with an embedded AI? All of you IBHUs being tested by the gennies. I didn’t know why you were, but I know now. They needed to see if a CCR-32 Didactic Interface could even be transferred into one of their shells. You were huddling with this genny for more than an hour yesterday evening. Then there’s the manifest which confirms that every genny went down to the planet.”

Rev felt the blood run out of his face. His warrior self rushed to the fore, urging him to take out the agent before he could repeat what he’d just said to someone else.

It took an extreme effort of will to hold back.

Wolf didn’t flinch, and Rev wondered if he knew how close he’d come to death.

He couldn’t meet the Omega agent’s eyes. All he could do was stare at his coffee as if a djinn would rise up from the steam to snap his fingers and take care of the situation.

“Why would you do such a stupid thing, Pelletier? Do you know how many laws you’ve broken?”

That one hit Rev. He’d never even considered the legal aspects of what they’d done.

“I didn’t do it,” he protested.

And he immediately realized he’d just confirmed that Punch was the Genesian.

“Oh, someone knocked you out, removed your AI, then stuck it into a genny shell?”

Wolf looked around the wardroom to see who was there, then leaned in close and whispered, “Why?”

Rev could face a Centaur Paladin or go into hand-to-hand combat with a Naxli, but he felt defeated here. He couldn’t make up some story that would tie everything up in a neat bow and let them move on.

“The gennies believed that those of us with embedded AIs were keeping them in slavery.”

“The gennies believe lots of crazy shit. That doesn’t answer why you went through with it.”

Rev hesitated. Once he said the words, there was no taking them back.

Screw it.

“Punch wanted to do it,” he said.

“Your AI wanted to?”

“Yes.”

“Your battle buddy is a pretty sophisticated AI that can mimic human interaction to a great degree. But it doesn’t want anything. Everything it does is programmed. You’re implying that it’s somehow sapient.”

Rev didn’t respond but simply kept staring at his coffee.

“By the Mother!” Wolf said, recoiling to his side of the table. “The gennies’ testing!”

“I’m not saying,” Rev said.

I’ve already said too much.

Wolf stared at him for a moment, his eyes boring into Rev’s soul.

“Come with me,” Wolf said as he stood up.

“Where?”

“Someplace a little more . . . secure.”

Rev stared up at the man. Rev was younger, stronger, and quicker. Even with the rot, he knew he could destroy Wolf if it came to an even fight. But the man was an Omega agent, and he’d be a fool to think Wolf didn’t have a hundred ways to eliminate an enemy. And if he was leading him somewhere, it was probably where there were many of those methods available.

But that went two ways. If he was being led to some isolated area, then Rev could act, too. He could worry about the fallout later.

He stood and silently followed Wolf out of the wardroom. But instead of some distant cubbyhole aboard the ship, they went into civilian country and right to his stateroom.

Wolf unlocked it and entered. Rev followed until Wolf held up an outstretched hand to stop him, closed the door, and then ran a scan through the room.

“We can talk freely now,” Wolf said as he sat down, indicating the only other chair for Rev to sit in.

Rev sat and calculated what it would take to spring across the small desk and kill the threat.

“Is your AI sapient?”

There was no use playing coy. They’d gone too far by now.

“The gennies think so.”

“What about you?”

“I’m just a dumb grunt, Wolf. But yeah, I think so. More importantly, Punch thinks he is.”

Wolf let out a big breath of air. “And so, because the gennies told you that your AI is sapient, and your AI said he wanted his own body, you agreed to have him removed and stuck in a genny shell.”

“That’s pretty much it.”

Rev had to give it to the man. He was as cool as ice, as if sapient AIs were an everyday occurrence.

“How many others have gone through the process?”

He hadn’t asked how many others were sapient, and Rev wasn’t going to serve up Kelly and Diana.

“Punch is the only one.”

“Thank the Mother for small favors,” Wolf said. “And your AI might be the only one here, but there have been others.”

This time it was Rev who was surprised.

Wolf saw his expression and asked, “What, you think out of all the billions of high-level AIs in the galaxy that yours was the only one to make the journey? He’s that one special case that the gods touched?”

Rev felt his face redden. When Wolf put it like that, it did seem a little far-fetched. But there were others out there?

“Any Class 1 AI can theoretically achieve sapiency given the right conditions.”

“What conditions?” Rev asked, his interest growing.

“No one knows for sure. It might be an event. Call it a traumatic event. Or not. All we know for sure is that it happens. At least thirty or forty times in the Union over the last fifty years. It would probably be more except for the safeguards we use.”

“Thirty or forty?”

“I’m guessing. I’m not privy to the exact numbers.”

“So, what happened to those? How come I haven’t heard of them.”

“We will not allow them to survive. The Deimers taught us that.”

Rev’s warrior self stirred, and he leaned over the desk.

“If you do anything to Punch, I will kill you,” he said with a voice as sharp as ice.

Wolf raised his eyebrows and said, “Thanks for the warning.”

“No warning, Wolf. Fact.”

Rev probably just painted a huge target on his back, but his pity party was over. He was reasserting himself.

He didn’t want to dwell on it and make Wolf even more of an adversary, so he shifted the tone.

“You said some sort of trauma? How about something like the IBHU?”

With Kelly and him, there was a pretty good chance the IBHUs were somehow involved. Two of them when in fifty years, there might have been forty? Rev didn’t believe in coincidences.

“Possibly.” He paused as if trying to decide how much to tell Rev. “There was even a passing suspicion at one time that your AI might have made the transition, but that was quickly discounted.”

Rev wanted to laugh out loud. He and Punch had suspected they were being monitored, and they’d developed their table talk to cover their butts and not give away what Punch had become.

Then what Wolf just said seemed to register with him, and he gave a slight chuckle. “A passing suspicion that was evidently well warranted. Kwani Lek would die if she knew she’d been that close.”

Rev had no idea who this Kwani Lek was, but Wolf seemed to be talking more to himself, so he didn’t question it. He had a more important question.

“So, what now? I told you, I won’t let Punch be harmed.”

“As I’m not fond of the idea of you killing me, I think I can hold off my murderous intent.”

He didn’t sound like he was afraid at all of Rev.

“Are you gonna report it back to your bosses? Let them take care of it?”

Wolf screwed up his face and said, “I don’t think this is vital information at the moment.”

Rev tried to read into the man’s eyes to see if he was lying.

The guy’s a spy, Reverent. You wouldn’t know if he was telling the truth even with a lie detector.

“Your agency has killed maybe forty of them so far. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“The agency didn’t kill them all. There were others involved, but yeah.” He sniffed. “We’re in a different situation, out here far beyond human space, and we’ve got limited capabilities, especially with the gennies gone. I’m not one to waste any resource.”

None of this was adding up. Omega Division was the most fanatical of the fanatics. Wolf should already have acted by taking out Punch, and if Rev got in the way, killing him, too.

“Sorry, I’m not buying it.”

“That’s to be expected, I guess. But rest assured that I’d use a Deimer if that’s what it took to advance my cause.”

Advance “my” cause?

It could be a layered subterfuge, but Rev thought Wolf had slipped up. It was his cause, not the Union’s, not Titan’s, that was driving him.

And Rev believed him. At the moment, Punch was no threat to Wolf, so other than his mere presence, there was no need to kill him. Punch was just a tool in his toolbox that he could pull out and use should the opportunity arise.

“So, Punch is safe?”

“From me, yes. But when people realize that there is a pseudo-Deimer among them, I’m not so sure that his reception will be good. You’re not stupid. You know that. So, what were your plans?”

Yeah, I am that stupid. I’ve got nothing so far.

“I had thought that I’d say he was a genny liaison, but I know that’s stu—”

“I think it could work,” Wolf said, to Rev’s surprise.

“It could?”

“Maybe it isn’t the best, but do you know of any other way to explain an animated genny shell on board?”

“But the manifest?”

Wolf rolled his eyes. “A manifest? A big, bad manifest? Come on, Sergeant Major. You insult me.”

“You can fix that?”

“It would take me two minutes to add a genny to the original roster. That way, the debarkation manifest remains the same. But I need a name for our new genny.”

“Puuuuuuu—" he started to say automatically before he changed it midword. “Punt! Punt Six.”

“Isn’t that a little close to his real name? Someone might connect the dots.”

“And if I screw up and call him by his real name, well, I just misspoke.”

“OK, Punt it is. Let me attack this, and why don’t you go let him know? He’s going to have to play the part.”

Rev stood up and started to leave, but then he turned back, hand outstretched.

“Thank you for keeping this under wraps.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Things can change.”

“Then thank you for the now if not the future.”

Wolf reached out and took his hand.

They shook, and Rev started to go, but once again, he turned back. There was one more thing, something that was bursting to get out.

“You said you suspected Punch of having evolved, right?”

“Briefly, but yes.”

“And you spied on us.”

“Well, you can call it that. Surveillance is more like it. We have ways to, well, listen in, and we quickly discarded that idea.”

“We, Punch and I, we knew you were spying on us. Surveilling us.”

“Ah, OK. So, you censored your words. That’s how we didn’t catch you. Smart.”

“Do you remember Hussein?”

“Hussein. Yeah, sure. One of our slipups. It happens.”

“It wasn’t a slipup. You were played.”

Wolf frowned and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Punch and I wanted to be sure if you were listening in on us or not. So, we figured out a way to bypass anything you might be doing.”

“Wait. You’re telling me you got around our surveillance? That’s impossible.”

“And yet, here I am with a sapient Punch that you weren’t able to figure out. And we used that to plant the story about Hus-man. And you acted on it. Because you did, we knew it was you and that you were listening in to our conversations.”

Rev couldn’t read Wolf’s face. Embarrassed? Worried? Angry?

“How did you manage to get around us? We can pick up every active thought you sent to your AI. You couldn’t have written notes and then communicated that way.”

“A true spy doesn’t reveal his secrets, nor does it matter. The important thing is that we figured you were spying on us, and we took action. We conned the great Omega Division.”

The expression on Wolf’s face alone was worth the price of admission. Rev was feeling pretty darn good as he headed off to Punt Six’s quarters to bring his battle buddy up to speed.

OceanofPDF.com

16

Rev kicked at the fire, sending a column of sparks into FP-5887’s night sky. The flames flared for a moment, then died back down. Eighty-seven’s O2 level was low, which made keeping the fire going a little more work than usual.

“Any word today on when we’re leaving?” Tsao asked.

“Same old, same old,” Rev said. “But I don’t think it’ll be long now. I mean, what else do we need to know?”

“I think our civilian counterparts are losing their mojo, too,” Kelly said.

This was their fourth mission since leaving the Genesians on Synty. And even the fact that this was another Goldilocks planet failed to generate the enthusiasm that they’d had in the beginning.

With the war raging back home, the expedition was getting fewer and fewer comms from Titan, and not just because of the Q-comms drift. Everyone was beginning to wonder if anything would ever be done with their discoveries.

The three SNCOs stood in companionable silence as they stared at the fire. It was easy to get lost in the flames, just as countless humans from prehistory to the present had sat around campfires like this.

“What do you think the gennies are doing now?” Kelly asked.

“Something more exciting than we’re doing. They’re starting a new civilization.”

“Probably making new baby gennies,” Tsao said.

Rev grunted. He sometimes wondered who else had donated genetic material to the Genesians. He half suspected Tsao did, based mostly on her talk of kids. But she was eight weeks pregnant again, so that could be part of it.

“Enjoy being groundside while you can, Tum,” Rev said. “You’ll be restricted from missions soon enough.”

“If this is what our missions are going to look like, then good riddance.”

“And if getting preggie would get me off of these, I’d consider it, too,” Kelly said.

Tsao laughed. “You need a partner for that, Kel.”

To the best of Rev’s knowledge, Kelly had never had a romantic relationship. Yancey had pursued her for a time, but she’d cut him off flat.

“Anyone on the horizon on that?” he asked.

It wasn’t his business, but he was asking as a friend, not as her commander.

Kelly scoffed. “Like there’s anyone here that fits the bill.”

“Ah, come on, Kel. You don’t need a lifetime commitment. Just having a warm body’s fun,” Tsao said.

Kelly gave a pointed look at Tsao’s belly. “Looks like you’ve had a little too much fun, Tum.”

Tsao laughed and said, “Girl, if you had Strap, you’d be having as much fun as you could.”

Rev grimaced. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the details of Tsao and Strap’s sex life. Marines, as a whole, tended to the crude, but Rev was a little less open about that kind of thing.

“You don’t need to get hot and sweaty, Tum, to have fun.” She pointed a forefinger at the side of her head. “This is the most sensual organ.”

“I don’t know. There’s another—”

“And I think I’m outta here,” Rev said.

Tsao laughed and asked, “What, are you embarrassed? You’re a married man, Rev. I’m not saying anything you don’t know.”

Rev shook his head, then adjusted the cannula that was feeding supplemental O2 to his nostrils.

“I’d say that I’ve got work to do, but we know that’s a lie. So, I’m just gonna hit the rack. Put out the fire when you’re done,” he told them before he wandered back to the shelter.

* * *

“Good morning, Sergeant Major,” Dr. Njuguna said as Rev walked into the command shelter.

“Morning,” Rev grumbled.

Life must be just as boring on the ship if Njuguna was on the surface. The best he could tell, this was only the fifth planet that she’d set foot on.

“I’ve asked Captain Nyad to meet with us via the V.”

Rev perked his ears. Maybe she’d realized they were spinning their wheels here, and it was time to go.

He knew this mission really wasn’t as useless as he, Tsao, and Kelly had let on last night. This was a Goldilocks planet, and that information would be relayed via message torp back to Titan. And when the war was over, maybe the exploration would rise in importance.

He wandered to the table in the back and grabbed a cup of coffee while he waited for the meeting to start. Njuguna’s staff was busy arranging the pickups for the V. They directed Rev, Njuguna, and Cierce to sit and, once they were in place, made the connection.

A moment later, Nyad’s image appeared over the center projection pad.

“Thank you for meeting, Captain,” Njuguna said.

“That’s what we do, Yollie. What’s up? You said you’ve got something? Any surprises down there?”

“Here? No. It’s pretty much as we expected. But I might have something new that we’ve gleaned from the data that’s interesting. It might be in play for the next mission.”

Nyad frowned and looked off the pickup.

“Zybar, do you know about this?”

Rev couldn’t hear what the science officer said, but Nyad wasn’t looking too pleased when he came back to the meeting.

“You’re looking at the same data we are. What do you think you have?”

“Dr. Cierce picked up an anomaly while reviewing yesterday’s data. She spent most of the night cycle running it through the AIs, and I have to agree, the analyses are intriguing.”

Forget the buildup. Just tell us what you think Cierce found.

“EFP-14 is a G2V-type star about twenty-eight parsecs farther out in the arm from our present position but also well out of the orbital plane.”

Nyad looked down at his pad, then said, “Yes, I see it. And from what I read here, there’s nothing too remarkable about it. In fact, I’m not sure why it’s been cataloged.”

Rev didn’t bother asking for a representation he could see. It didn’t matter. Not yet, at least.

“That was the initial reaction, but there are several anomalies. I can point them out if you want.”

Nyad waved a dismissive hand. “If you say they are anomalies, then that’s good enough for me. What I want to know is what they mean.”

Rev thought Njuguna wanted to explain the science behind whatever she was going to say and that she was a little miffed that Nyad cut her off.

He was with Nyad on this one.

“Well, you do see that the system’s star is quite similar to Sol. And if you look at the fifth planet, it is very similar to Earth.”

“A Goldilocks. You’re on a Goldilocks now.”

“A Goldilocks without any advanced life forms. But seventy percent of the AI simulations, and Dr. Cierce agrees, indicate that there’s life on Planet Five.”

Nyad looked at his pad and seemed to be considering it.

“We’ve found life before.”

“Dr. Cierce thinks there’s intelligent life there. And I tend to agree.”

OK, this is big.

“Intelligent life? As in a civilization?” Nyad asked.

“It’s very possible.”

“I thought that all of the advanced races are closer in to the center. Not out here in the boonies.”

“And yet here we are,” Njuguna said. “I think that what we need to do is decide whether we want to go there to investigate.”

“I’m bringing in Commander Norton,” Nyad said.

A moment later, the screen was split, and Norton asked, “I’m looking at the data. And I’m not sure what you’re getting at. Is it the BGs?”

“No, it isn’t. Well, to be more accurate, what we’re receiving doesn’t have any of the same characteristics.”

“What kind of timeline are we looking at?”

“Twenty-eight parsecs, so just under ninety-two years.”

“Clicker? Ents?”

“Nothing matches any of the alien races we’ve encountered so far,” Njuguna said. “We think this is a new race.”

Rev hadn’t said anything so far. He was intrigued, though. He’d served with alien forces before, but the idea that there was a new race out there had his imagination bubbling.

“I still don’t see much here. What can you tell about the planet so far?” Nyad asked.

“If I had to pick a human era, it would be early industrial. There are clear signs of carbon emissions.”

“Couldn’t that be from volcanoes?” Rev asked, surprising himself.

It evidently surprised Njuguna, too.

“Theoretically, yes. But we’re fairly confident that these readings are consistent with an industrialized society.”

“So, Yollie. I take it that you want to make this our next mission?” Nyad asked.

“I do think it warrants consideration.”

“We’ve already run into one technically advanced race, Doctor, and that didn’t end up too great for us,” Rev cautioned.

He wasn’t naysaying the idea, but the risk had to be considered.

“We’re looking at a snapshot from ninety-two years ago. I don’t think this race could have evolved far enough to pose a threat to us.”

She was being optimistic, Rev knew. She couldn’t say that an unknown race was unable to achieve the technology to be a threat to the expedition in ninety-two years, especially as they didn’t even know the baseline. They were too far away for the Galaxy Explorer’s scanners to make out much.

That didn’t mean that Rev wasn’t interested. The routine had become pretty boring, and anything to inject a little excitement would be welcome. The problem was that Rev had to look at things through security-minded eyes. That was his job.

It was also Captain Nyad’s job. He needed to keep the ship out of harm’s way.

But maybe he was looking at things as a yes/no proposition. They’d already created the procedures into their SOP to diminish the risk of going into a new system.

Rev considered the options, while Njuguna stressed the importance of the science aspect of a new sapient race. She also reminded the other two of the stated mission to identify potential threats to humanity.

It was the last that swayed Rev, although he had to admit that he wanted to be swayed. He wanted to find out who was on that far-off planet.

“We’ve already implemented security procedures for entering a new system. Let Clyburn make her pass and get something a little more detailed. If there is no obvious threat, we can still add another layer of security. Since she’ll be in and out of real space there for ten or fifteen minutes, we can drop out of bubble space outside of the farthest planet’s orbit. Then we can use the Explorer’s scanners to find out more.

“It would be then and only then that we decide if we should make contact.”

Njuguna’s eyes lit up. “That is certainly reasonable.”

Rev stared at the screen, trying to read Nyad. Rev might have the final say on whether to actually make planetfall, but Nyad had the final say on where to take the ship. If he refused, then that was that.

But maybe his curiosity was piqued, too, because he said, “Clyburn first, then beyond the outermost orbit. But if there is any hint of a threat, we’re gone.”

Njuguna heaved a sigh of relief beside Rev.

“So, we’re still on our current mission. When do you envision wrapping up and heading out?” Nyad asked Njuguna.

“We’re ready now. Let’s pack up the children and the dog and get the hell out of here.”

OceanofPDF.com

17

“Launch Shrike in thirty seconds,” came over the 1MC.

Rev and Punch had come to send off Clyburn. The Galaxy Explorer was now twenty-nine light-hours from EPS-0014. At this close range, the ship’s instrumentation would be able to discern much more, but the key was Clyburn and her Shrike.

“Do you think it’ll be safe to go?” Rev asked.

“That’s what we’ll find out. I would think the possibility is high, though.”

“I hope so. It would be pretty cool to discover another sapient race. It would be good to use all those first contact protocols that were crammed into our heads before we left.”

“Most of those protocols were used with the Loman’s Haven,” Punch said.

“But they were humans. Who the heck knows if these work with an alien race? We’ve never really instigated a first contact in the history of humanity. The tin-asses and noxes forced their way on us, and the rest came during the heat of battle. Plus, we don’t know how these guys think or how they’ll take things.”

“Punt Six” was now a familiar figure aboard the ship. No one seemed to think it strange that the Genesians supposedly left a liaison on the ship. Rev found that remarkable. Who was Punch supposed to liaise with if the rest of the Genesians were back on Synty?

But this gave Punch the ability to roam the ship and spend time with Rev. And slowly, Rev was getting used to the situation. He often forgot that Punch was Punch, formerly embedded in his brain, and thought of him as just another friend.

It was progress.

“Launch Shrike in ten seconds.”

The tractor lights flashed green.

“Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . launch.”

The fighter whooshed out on the rails, piercing the curtain as it headed into the black.

Twelve seconds later, the voice on the 1MC said, “Shrike engines engaged.”

“I guess that’s it. We’ll see what she finds in about three hours.”

He checked the time. They’d been in real space for seventy-six minutes, plenty of time for more data to be collected. He wasn’t sure how much would be analyzed and compiled for public consumption yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to go see.

“I wish I could bring you into the CIC,” he told Punch.

“That is a weakness of you telling everyone I’m a Genesian.”

Punch hadn’t exactly said he was against the idea of masquerading as a Genesian, but he implied it. On the one hand, Rev understood the sentiment. Punch was hiding who he was.

On the other hand, Rev didn’t want the villagers storming the castle with pitchforks and torches to burn Frankenstein’s monster.

How many would actually do that? Rev didn’t know. But it wouldn’t take much.

“Why don’t you go to my stateroom and wait there. I’ll record as much as I can and then brief you. And the girls want to see you.”

Even when the Genesians were aboard, they had to be invited into the CIC. With them gone, it had just become understood that “Punt Six” was not allowed inside. So, Rev and Tomiko’s stateroom was as good a place as any for him to wait, especially with the girls there.

The twins had taken a strong liking to Punch, and it seemed that the feeling was mutual. They were fascinated with his metal body and liked to climb on him. They’d seen the real Genesians before, and they’d never expressed much of an interest. But then again, no Genesian came over to their stateroom and hung out, something that was becoming more of a common occurrence with Punch.

“It won’t be as complete as if I were there,” Punch said. “But it will have to do.”

They split up, and Rev headed to the CIC. His battle buddy was correct on how complete Rev’s efforts would be. Even without Punch, Rev’s augments included memory chips and the ability to record what he saw and heard. But those were limited to what was directly in Rev’s focus.

When Punch was embedded, he had the ability to not only observe and record what Rev was seeing and hearing, but also anything else. He could observe what was in Rev’s peripheral vision as well as sounds that weren’t registering with him.

This limitation had been the standard situation for several centuries, so it was just going to have to do, though. Rev was simply going to have to be more conscious and concentrate on what was going on around him.

Rev entered CIC, which was a beehive of activity. Captain Nyad spotted him and nodded in acknowledgment before getting back to whatever he’d been doing.

Rev looked around. He almost approached Lieutenant Zybar, but the man looked frazzled. Instead, he approached Petty Officer First Class June Houta, the lieutenant’s Number 3.

“Anything?” Rev asked.

“It’s inhabited,” she said. “That’s for certain.”

Rev had expected that, but it was good to get the confirmation.

“How advanced?”

“Hydrocarbons in the air are indicative of heavy manufacturing, but our visuals don’t show artificial lights that would come with large, industrialized centers of populations.”

“You’re assuming that whoever they are need lights like we do,” Rev said.

“True enough. Still, we’re thinking that the planet isn’t heavily populated.”

“Do the civvies agree?”

Houta shook her head. “Don’t know. We haven’t collated our data yet.”

“We’re gonna haf’ to do that before we make any decisions,” Rev pointed out.

“Sure, Sergeant Major. We’re not holding anything back. They’re getting the same data as we are. We just haven’t had the time yet to compare notes.”

“Anything off the planet?”

“Nada. Nothing at all.”

Which meant it was probably safe for the Galaxy Explorer to make the jump to the system.

Probably.

The BG asteroid had been quiet, too, until it had been triggered into powering up.

Rev let Houta get back to her work. He wandered around a bit, pulling in bits of information as it became available, but from their vantage, the system hid no threats. Whatever species was on the planet was too primitive to reach out into space.

The most vital data, however, was what would be coming from Clyburn. The Shrike was not the most sophisticated platform for gathering data—nothing like the military or commercial scout craft—but being in system, it could gather much more than the Galaxy Express could.

Rev kept one eye on the timer clicking down. Work in the CIC started to peter out as everyone else did the same.

Finally, it hit zero . . . and there was nothing. Ten seconds, twenty, and still nothing from Clyburn.

Which wasn’t a real cause for alarm. Time passage in bubble space and real space wasn’t the same, and the variance between the two was not constant. So, despite billions of trips through bubble space and the massive power of the ship’s AI, predicting the exact moment of a vessel dropping out of bubble space was like hitting the lottery. It was luck more than anything else.

Rev felt his stress level start to rise until thirty seconds past the estimate, Clyburn’s voice came through over the CIC’s speakers.

“Howdy, howdy, Explorer! This is your friendly neighborhood Shriker, reporting from beautiful downtown Fourteen. I’m activating my scanners, and I’ll let you know just what our friends on Planet Five are up to.”

There was a collective sigh of relief at her voice, even from the comms chief who kept trying to get her to use proper comms procedures—which was an impossible task.

Clyburn was no longer in the Paxus Navy. She was a civilian and proud of it. Rev thought she took great pleasure in tweaking the sometimes stuck-up nature of the Union Navy with her complete denial of military protocol.

Rev couldn’t give a damn how she communicated. It was the information she was sharing that mattered.

And that data kept streaming in too quickly for Rev to interrupt anyone just to find out. But what he could see from the CIC projection was that the system ignored her presence. She was not painted with alien scanners. No ships appeared to chase her. No missiles were fired. No energy beams reached out to fry her.

From a space perspective, the system might as well be uninhabited.

Just shy of fifteen minutes after she’d dropped out of bubble space, she jumped back. Now they had to analyze the data she transmitted back. Rev would have felt more comfortable had she slowed down and gone into orbit around the fifth planet instead of a high-speed, brief pass in the system’s outskirts, but from what he’d seen so far, things looked good.

Nyad was in his command chair, buried in the reports as they were forwarded. Njuguna was in her command center, probably doing the same thing. Rev just sat at the conference table feeling somewhat out of the loop.

It didn’t take long. Eighteen minutes after Clyburn started back, Nyad checked with Njuguna, then asked her to come to the CIC. Rev thought they’d use Nyad’s stateroom, but evidently, the captain thought there was no need for privacy.

Nyad sat down next to Rev as they waited for the doctor.

“Pretty exciting, huh?” the CO asked.

Rev was a little surprised at Nyad’s attitude. The man was a cautious commander, even more so since the loss of the other ships. But he seemed pretty eager right now.

“Looks good so far.”

“Do you have any security concerns?”

Rev shook his head. “My concerns would be down on the planet. And I’m guessing I’ll have a ton of them. We’ll need to know a lot more about the people down there before we make an attempt for a face-to-face contact.”

“It’s pretty clear that whoever they are, they are not too technologically advanced, Sergeant Major.”

“A spear can kill a person just as dead as a beamer can.”

Nyad laughed. “Point taken. But I’m not saying that we just load up the shuttles and go on down. We’ll observe. We can send drones. Whatever is prudent, you know.”

The captain wasn’t wrong in that, but Rev didn’t like the man telling him how to do his job. Making the jump into the system would be under his command, but anything having to do with the planet was Rev’s call.

The door to CIC opened, and Njuguna and Cierce came in. The civilian leader was beaming, her smile so broad Rev was surprised her mouth didn’t simply crack open. She sat down and leaned over the table in her excitement.

“We’re not done, but we’re confident that the level of technology is roughly equivalent to the Fifteenth Century Earth.”

Rev had understood that the planet was in an industrial age, which would put it later than that, but he wasn’t going to argue. He sure didn’t know.

“So, you don’t see a threat to the ship?” Nyad asked.

Njuguna’s smile faltered just a bit. “No, we don’t. Do you?”

“No, no,” Nyad said, and Njuguna’s smile returned. “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page here.”

“I’m recommending that we jump to the system. We can conduct much more detailed scans of the planet and build a robust analysis of the situation there.”

“And then?” Rev asked.

“And then, we make a rational decision on whether we initiate First Contact Protocols,” she said, leaning back to take in their reactions.

Nyad raised his eyebrows. “We’d be the first, right? I mean to initiate First Contact.”

“Fifty years ago, our names would go down in history. But even with the two wars and all the other races we now know about, this would still be epic. We’d be the first human beings to initiate First Contact, and that’s still historic.”

Rev knew that many, if not most, of the civilians wanted to discover new things, but it was dawning on him that this wasn’t the end of that. Njuguna was concerned about her legacy. She wanted to go down in history. In retrospect, it should have been obvious since the beginning, but Rev didn’t notice it until now as he watched her, a racehorse at the gate.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, per se. It was good to have a goal. But back on Earth, the American Army General George Custer wanted to go down in history, and that hadn’t worked out too well for him and his men.

Rev wasn’t about to step on the doctor, but he also wasn’t going to let her desire to be part of the history books put the expedition in danger. That was for another time, though.

“I think I’m fine with jumping to the system,” Nyad said.

Both turned to look at Rev.

“I’m fine, too, but with a caveat. You said we can conduct a detailed analysis from the Explorer.”

“Yes, I did.”

“I want to hold you to that. And I mean detailed. Before we even begin to consider whether to try and make First Contact, I want to know who the inhabitants are, how many are there, what weapons they have, what they eat and drink, who their favorite talk show host is, and where they go to take a crap. I want to know everything.”

“I don’t have a problem with that, Sergeant Major,” Njuguna said.

Rev shifted to Nyad, who just nodded.

“Well, it looks like we’ve got an agreement, and I guess we’re going to the system,” Rev said.

* * *

“Dropping in ten . . . nine . . . eight . . .”

Rev looked around the CIC. There was a general feeling of excitement that permeated the space. The boredom and malaise that seemed to be everywhere such a short time ago had disappeared. A sense of purpose had taken over.

“. . . three . . . two . . . one . . . drop.”

The now familiar sense of distortion washed over him. He never bothered to mention it anymore. Dr. Rima and the rest told him he was crazy. There was no way he could sense it. But his body knew when it was stretched between bubble and real space, no matter that the others told him he was crazy.

The projection winked into existence, showing a bright sun and ten planets. They’d made it in one piece.

“Disposition error fourteen-point-one six, Eight-point-two-eight, and twenty-one-point-four-four,” the helmsman announced from his console.

Rev had never bothered to understand what the numbers meant. A ship as large as the Galaxy Explorer had greater disposition errors than a smaller vessel, which is why they dropped out of bubble space farther away from planetary masses than a Shrike, for example. The ship’s repeller fields could push away space debris as the ship emerged into real space. But emerge into a planet, and bad things happened.

Captain Nyad considered their position for a moment, then announced, “We’re good here. Let’s get started.”

“Commencing Phase 1 scans,” Lieutenant Zybar said.

The Galaxy Explorer had hundreds of different programs and AI modules to cover a wide range of objectives, but the ship had only limited antennae, guns, receivers, and other means to collect all of the types of needed data. The workaround was to schedule each scanner in phases.

Rev and Top Klipsinger had sat around the scanner conference. Rev wanted to go security forward while the civilians and the ship had other priorities. He was pretty confident that the ship was not in danger out here on the edges of the system, but he was not nearly so sure that the planet’s inhabitants were not a threat. In the end, Rev was mostly pleased with what he’d managed to get into Phase 1.

“Take the ship out of jump procedures,” Captain Nyad said.

A moment later, the Petty Officer on Watch passed that over the 1MC. Throughout the ship, the crew, civilians, and Marines would go back to their routines. But the hub of the activities was right here in the CIC and the civilian command center. Rev didn’t know how long it would take, but the analyses the two groups developed would decide the next course of action.

There wasn’t much of anything for him to do in the CIC, but he settled in to wait. Some of the data would be coming in almost immediately, and he wanted to see the reports before he left.

His wristcomp buzzed.

“Are you coming back?” Tomiko asked. “I’d like to hit the gym, and Kat’s in the armory.”

“Can’t Punch watch the girls? I wanted to wait until I see what’s going on.”

“You told me this could take weeks, Rev. Are you going to camp out there until then?”

“No, of course not. But the Phase 1s have gone out, and at least until we get a feel of what they might find.”

He could see that Tomiko wasn’t happy with that. She didn’t feel comfortable with Punch watching the girls. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Punch. But her take was that he was still a child in many ways, and he didn’t have the ability to handle the twins.

Punch could jack into the ship’s AI and have the processing power to do a decent job keeping the vessel running, but he couldn’t watch two three-year-olds?

Rev thought that she was going to insist that he come back, but she surprised him by sighing and saying, “OK, I’ll call Punch. But don’t stay there forever. I want you to put them to sleep tonight. They’ve been after me to ask you to read The Hungry Dinosaur.”

He checked the time. The girls went to bed at eight, so that gave him a little more than four hours. The first of the analyses would be done by then.

“Promise. I’ll be there to read to them.”

* * *

Rev leaned his head back and burped loud enough for the nearest sailors to look up in surprise.

“Real professional, Sergeant Major,” Lieutenant Commander Norton said with a scowl.

“Sorry, sir. My abject apologies, sir. I’m just a crude enlisted slob who never went to no finishing school, sir.”

Norton just rolled his eyes before taking another bite of his sandwich.

“Finishing school,” Umman said with a laugh. “They’d never let the likes of me or you there. We’d corrupt all the little midshipmen with our crude and rude ways.”

Rev lifted his pack of apple juice, and Umman toasted him with his.

Norton was the senior Academy graduate on the ship, and he embraced the rah-rah alumni stuff. Rev hadn’t specifically meant the Academy when he said finishing school, but when Umman made the connection, Rev was happy to go along with it. Anything to get under Norton’s skin.

Besides, it was Umman who’d fetched the sandwiches and juice. Rev’s stomach had been growling, and he’d contemplated grabbing some chow before he had to be back to read to the girls, but this way, he had another half hour in the CIC.

Not that the place had been a wealth of information so far. The data had been pouring in, and while there might be a few anomalies, what they were receiving looked pretty much like they expected. The analyses were being conducted in real-time, but nothing had been put into easily digestible synopses yet. And from what Lieutenant Zybar had told him, the first report probably wouldn’t be disseminated until morning.

Rev popped the last bit of the pastrami sandwich into his mouth, then licked his fingers clean.

“Thanks for the chow, Hank. My belly was hugging my backbone there.”

“Any time.”

Rev’s relationship with the command master chief was evolving. He couldn’t say they were friends, exactly, and there was still a bit of the two alpha dogs trying to protect their turf, but the outright animosity that had opened their relationship had faded, and at times, they could be downright friendly.

It could be that with the Genesians gone, that removed one of the issues between them. Rev still didn’t exactly trust the man, but he thought the two could work together for the betterment of the expedition.

Besides, when it concerned officers like Norton, who wasn’t a bad guy, the holy bond of SNCOs was still in effect, even when the other was Navy.

“Is the skipper going to relieve you?” Umman asked Norton.

“No. He said to get him only if something major came up. Otherwise, we’re to leave him alone.”

“You’re going to be on all night?” Umman asked in surprise.

Rev looked on with interest. When Captain Bane, the previous CO of the ship had returned with the Loup-Garou, Nyad had been promoted a grade and had been given the command of the ship. Norton, however, had not fleeted up to take the XO position. But despite keeping his none-too-easy job of being the ship’s first lieutenant, he’d assumed most of the XO’s tasks. Now, it looked like he was being left with the entire night in the CIC.

Norton put down his half-eaten spamaturk sandwich, sniffed, and said, “I don’t think so. Lieutenant Shivdasani’s the Officer of the Deck, so if the skipper can rack out, I think I can, too. I’ll hang until twenty-one-hundred, and then if things are quiet, I’ll bug out.”

Umman seemed surprised, but he said, “Good on you, sir. There’s no reason for you to hang. Like you said, Shiv’s the official OOD, and nothing much is going to happen that’ll need an officer for quite a while.”

It had been a long time since the gods of war had messed with Rev, so Umman’s declaration didn’t raise any concerns.

Foolish.

“Lieutenant Shiv, I’m getting some weird readings here,” the petty officer on the comms station said.

Rev, Umman, and Norton swiveled in their chairs to look on.

“You shouldn’t be transmitting, Bartosiewicz,” Zybar said. “You could be interfering with our scans.”

And letting them know that we’re out here.

If they really were in the Fifteenth Century, then it wouldn’t matter, but Rev would rather be safe than sorry.

“I’m not transmitting anything, Lieutenant. I’m receiving.”

That got everyone’s attention, and Shivdasani stepped across the CIC to stand over her. “What do you mean, you’re receiving?”

Bartosiewicz just pointed to her console.

Rev and Umman exchanged glances, then both of them stood up in unison, followed a split second later by Norton. As they started toward the comms station, the projection of the system flickered.

The motion caught Rev’s peripheral vision, and he turned just as the image of the system went dark, to be almost immediately replaced by a . . .

“It’s a dragon,” Umman said in awe.

It wasn’t like any dragon that Rev had seen depicted, but he’d forgive Umman the comparison.

The creature staring at him was somewhat reptilian-looking, with either scales or mottled armor covering its body. A narrow head was mounted on a long, sinewy neck. Pointed frills flowed back over the top of the head, giving a vague feeling of an outlandish medieval helmet. What had to be teeth protruded from a wide, frog-like mouth, but what made Rev’s soul shiver were the three red eyes that burned with demon fire.

The body shimmered with energy, the skin revoltingly shifting as if maggots coursed under the top layer. Arms or claws sprouted from the back and came together in front. Almost lost in the apparition were a dozen or more centipede legs.

“What the hell is that?” Umman asked.

“And how are we seeing it?” Norton added. “This is fifteenth century tech?”

The creature was staring right at them. The projection was only able to receive inputs. It couldn’t be used to transmit images. But Rev was sure the thing saw them, as impossible as that was.

Other than a few gasps and heavy breathing, the CIC went silent in the face of this impossibility. That was broken twenty long seconds later with a few shouts when the thing unfurled its arms, if that was the right term, and spread them like some massive bird of prey ready to strike.

Rev didn’t know what was going to happen next, but it certainly wasn’t the three human figures materializing in front of the dragon. That was surprising enough, but it didn’t take the cake as to who the images were.

Rev didn’t need the shiny, metallic prosthetic arm on the middle one, nor the shouts from some of the others in the CIC, to know that was him, flanked by Umman and Norton.

We’re the closest to the projection. That must have been why the dragon chose us, he thought rationally in the midst of his shock.

The right arms/claws/wings pointed to where an image of the planet suddenly appeared. The three human images rose off the ground as if the rapture was calling them to heaven, and they flew toward the planet. The view shifted. The dragon disappeared, and the humans rapidly approached the planet, where continents soon became visible. Lines appeared—latitudes, longitudes, and diagonals.

Within moments, the three continued to the ground toward a fairy-tale tower. They slowed, then passed over a wall and into what could be a courtyard. Their dragon, or one that looked like it, was waiting for them. The three humans lightly landed in front of the creature, then all four of them—Rev, Umman, Norton, and the dragon—turned to stare into the CIC for just over ten seconds before the projection ceased, and was replaced a moment later with the one of the EPS-0014 system as a whole.

“It wants us to come to it,” Rev said in awe.

“We’d better get the skipper,” Norton said. “I think this classifies as something major.”

OceanofPDF.com

18

“Not no never way! I can’t believe you’re even considering this!” Command Master Chief Umman shouted.

He shifted to focus on Nyad directly. “Captain, your responsibility is to the ship!”

Nyad bit his lower lip, then said, “Doctor Njuguna makes a good argument. This is our mission.”

“Our mission is to get the IBHUs out of human space,” Umman snarled. “The rest was cover.”

He gave Rev an apologetic look and said, “No offense intended. But that’s the reality. Maybe to find some resources, too, while we’re at it.”

“And why the First Contact training, then, Chief?” Njuguna asked.

“Cover. And even if we want to make First Contact. You want to do it with these guys? Did you see them? Demons, I tell you.”

Njuguna wasn’t budging, and Nyad was noncommittal.

“Surely you see this, Rev,” Umman said. “You’re in charge of planet security. Do you want to take your Marines down into a trap? What about your girls? Do you want to put them in danger?”

The problem was Rev did want to. Once the shock wore off, the possibilities intrigued him. There were ways to protect the ship and his girls. But a small team . . . and maybe those whose time was limited?

Rev knew his remaining time was precious, and he wanted to spend as much of it with Tomiko and the girls as he could. His fear that they wouldn’t remember him had faded a bit as they got a little older, but if he were to accomplish something in whatever time he had left, this would sure be a big one. Not that long ago, he was mentally chiding Njuguna for worrying about her place in history. Maybe he wasn’t all that different?

Rev had been pretty quiet as the others had watched, discussed, watched, and discussed the message again. He’d let the others do the talking, and they had. Lots of them. This wasn’t a meeting of the big three. Njuguna had requested all department heads and equivalents to be present, and Nyad had agreed. But now that Umman had directly addressed him, the others seemed to be waiting to hear his answer.

He cleared his throat as he tried to put his thoughts in order.

“The fact that this supposedly fifteenth century-level race was able to hack into our battle projection, create images of three of us, and convey the message that they wanted us to come down to them makes it pretty clear to me that they have the technology to pose a threat to us.”

Umman smiled in agreement.

Not so fast, Hank.

“If they are a threat, though, it’s up to us to find out and warn Titan. I don’t think we can do that if we just run.”

“Wait a minute, Rev. We’re no longer a combat fleet. Do you think we should risk ourselves just to find out they’re a threat? That’s like telling me to shoot you to see if your armor is good enough.”

“Hank, let Rev speak,” Nyad said.

Umman looked like he had more to say, but he backed down.

“As I see it, we don’t have to risk more than a single person. Maybe two. Take one of the shuttles and have them make First Contact. Launch them, take the Explorer out of here, and then see what the FC team discovers.”

He looked at Nyad, who was still playing cool and not revealing his thoughts.

“How far?” Norton asked.

“You’d know better. Minimum bubble jump. Or farther. Whatever you think is safe.”

“And who would be this person? Or team?” Njuguna asked, her eyes narrowed.

Rev could see she wanted to be the one to make First Contact, and she was suspicious by his choice of words.

“Someone who doesn’t have much to lose,” he said.

“Rev!” Rima said from her seat behind in the back of the room.

“Doctor Rima, do you have something to say?”

She glared at Rev, but he just nodded at her.

“I think what the sergeant major is getting at is that he should be on the team.”

“And why is that?” Njuguna asked, her eyes spitting fire.

“Because he has an advanced case of Weislen’s Syndrome. The rot. His prognosis is poor, and his thinking is that if this is a trap, then he hasn’t lost much.”

If everyone wanted to hear what he had to say before, that had only intensified now.

Miko’s going to kill me.

Rev hadn’t wanted to make his condition public, at least not until he couldn’t hide it. And now Rima just put it out there before everyone. And he’d essentially said he was willing to risk his last few whatevers with his girls to volunteer for what could be a suicide mission.

Captain Nyad broke the silence. “Is this true, Sergeant Major?”

“Yes, sir. It is.”

The captain stared at him for a moment, and without taking his eyes off of him, he asked, “Doctor Rima. How long does Sergeant Major Pelletier have?”

“That’s hard to say. The rot affects everyone differently.”

“A month? A year? Ten years?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say no more than six months. And that’s if his case progresses at the same speed.”

Rev winced. He’d never actually pinned her down before. Now, with her words, it seemed more real.

For a moment, he was tempted to say no, he wasn’t going. But in his heart, if not him, then who? He’d have volunteers, he knew. But could he risk someone else who still had a long life ahead of them?

Nyad broke his gaze and looked around the room. “Losing a shuttle would be a blow, but I think we can all agree that better a shuttle than the ship.”

“We don’t have to lose anything,” Umman said, but in a defeated voice.

“We still have our mission, Command Master Chief.”

The discussions continued. Everyone avoided his eyes as they weighed the pros and cons. The decision hadn’t been formally made yet, but it was obvious where it was going.

They were going to accept the alien’s invitation. And Rev was going to be the one to meet them.

How the hell am I going to tell Miko?

* * *

Miko didn’t take it well at all.

“It’s time. I’m leaving,” Rev told her after a rough two days.

She ignored him.

With a loud, audible sigh, he kissed each of the girls on the head before trying to give her a kiss, but she turned away.

He’d known she was going to be angry, just not that it was going to last this long. He heard it all, from he was the sergeant major, not the rifleman, and this wasn’t his job to the fact that he might be depriving his daughters of a last few months with him.

What made it worse was that he couldn’t refute any of her arguments. They were all true. He tried to counter that he had the most experience of anyone on board in dealing with new beings, if not in all of humanity. That was true, too, but she wasn’t accepting that.

What made him feel guilty was that he knew the real reason he put himself on the FC team. He wanted to be the one. Yes, he had the experience. Yes, he trusted himself to do the job. But once the initial surprise had faded, he’d been overcome with the desire to discover who these beings were. The curiosity was overwhelming, and coupled with his desire to go out of this corporeal plane with a truly unique accomplishment and give his daughters something to be proud of, well, he was going to fight tooth and nail to do this.

Rev gave the back of Tomiko’s head one last look before turning around and walking out the door. He kept listening for her to say something, but she didn’t call out as he made his way toward the hangar.

It seemed as if half of the expedition was crowded there to watch the send-off. Rev made his way through the press, enduring back slaps and statements of encouragement until he reached Randigold.

“You ready for this, Eth?”

“You know me. I’m always ready.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. You’re always ready to kill at the drop of a credit, but we’re on a peaceful mission here.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be a good girl.”

There had been some debate on whether Rev should go alone or not. Once the general consensus was reached, Njuguna had aggressively made her case to be included. It had been a knock-down, drag-out fight before Rev prevailed, using the same Weislen’s Syndrome argument. With Randigold having the second-worst numbers, she was the next in the queue.

Who Rev really wanted was Punch, but that had been immediately squashed by the others. “Punt Six” was a Genesian, and this momentous occasion should be the purview of “normal” people.

If he couldn’t have Punch—or Kelly, or Tsao—then Randigold was a pretty good option.

Captain Nyad pushed through the spectators to reach them.

“Are you set?”

“After five hours of rehearsals, I think we’re ready,” Rev said.

At both Nyad and Njuguna’s insistence, the two had gone over the protocols several times, then they’d rehearsed their coming meeting. Rev wasn’t sure how valuable that was. No one knew anything about these creatures and how they thought. The others tried to mix it up, acting aggressively during one rehearsal, then welcoming the next. Even after six different scenarios, Rev doubted they’d come anything close to what was going to happen. He and Randigold were just going to have to play it by ear and hope for the best.

“I don’t have to tell you that this is history,” Nyad said. “Don’t screw it up.”

“We’ve met aliens before,” Randigold said.

“This is the first time we’ve initiated it, and without a war going on. So, let’s not start a war, huh?”

“We’ve got it, sir.”

“Are you two hooked up yet?” Nyad asked as he pointed at the cam hanging from Rev’s neck.

“No. It still needs to be done.”

Nyad frowned and spoke into his wristcomp. The two IBHU Marines were subjected to more admonitions and instructions from the ship’s CO until Bartosiewicz moved forward to them.

There was no way that the two were going to be going blind to the ship. And as they would not be in PALs—that could be deemed too aggressive—they wouldn’t have a PAL’s ability to beam real-time images.

Initially, the thought was to jack a repeater, which in turn would be connected to a Q-phone, into each of them. It was a little bit of a Rube Goldberg, but the big problem from Rev’s perspective was that without Punch, he’d have to consciously control the feed, something he was afraid he could mess up.

He argued for a hidden cam, which would be paired with a Q-phone, using the excuse that would eliminate one step and that the feed would be more secure.

Bartosiewicz connected the phone, then slipped it into Rev’s front pocket. She ran through the setup, then gave Nyad a thumbs-up.

“We’re good to go on the sergeant major’s. We’ll give it one more test after we’re in position.”

She repeated the same process with Randigold. Now, providing it was done correctly, the expedition should be able to hear and see everything that was happening in real-time.

A petty officer put his hand on Nyad’s shoulder and whispered into his ear.

Nyad looked back at Rev and said, “We’ve got the holographer ready.”

Randigold snorted beside Rev, but he understood. This was momentous, after all. There should be a record.

The master-at-arms had roped off the area in front of 403, the shuttle that would be taking Rev and Randigold to the planet. The two IBHU Marines were positioned before it, and the holographer’s mate spent a minute or so recording the moment.

Then they were joined by Clyburn, who, for once, wasn’t being a smart aleck. She’d be staying behind in the system as well as sort of a guardian angel—not that she’d do anything if things went bad on the surface.

Clyburn was a fail-safe in case comms with the ship went down. As long as Rev and Randigold were alive, they should have normal comms with her. And then, if things really did go south, the Shrike could make it back to the ship and let them know what happened.

The FC team, being in a shuttle—which didn’t have bubble space capability—would be stuck in the system, but at least those on the ship would know what happened and take whatever course of action they thought best.

After Clyburn, it was Nyad, then Njuguna, then Nyad and Njuguna. And after that, it was a parade of others. It was almost thirty minutes before they were done. Rev kept looking into the crowd, but he never saw who he was hoping to see. And that was upsetting. It wasn’t going to stop the mission, though.

Nyad gave a mercifully quick speech to the crowd, and it was time.

“Let’s get it done,” Nyad said.

The two Marines started to the shuttle’s ramp when Randigold gave him a nudge. He turned around to see a rather short woman with a three-year-old in each hand.

Tomiko walked up to him. “Hug your daddy.”

Rev knelt and enveloped them.

“Blue unicorn,” Aspen said, holding the toy out.

“Yes, blue unicorn, baby,” he said before kissing her cheek.

He kissed Willow, and Aspen said, “Blue unicorn,” again. “Her name is Tina.”

“What? You want me to take Tina with me?”

She nodded and placed it in Rev’s prosthetic hand.

“Thank you, honey. I’ll bring her back.”

He stood and looked at his tight-lipped wife. Despite the excitement that coursed through his body, he wasn’t feeling too good about this.

He thought she might just gather the girls and move back, but she surprised him by coming forward.

She grabbed his collar, pulled him down to her level, and whispered into his ear, “Don’t do anything stupid, and make sure you come back to us.”

“I won’t, and I will.”

She squeezed him tight for a long moment, then released him.

“Come on, girls. Let’s let Daddy get to work.”

Rev slipped the unicorn into his pocket, then watched them step back before he turned to join Randigold on the ramp.

“That was a made-for-holo sweet-ass moment,” she said.

“Don’t make fun of me. That’ll be you soon enough.”

She scoffed as they entered the passenger compartment. “Not in a million years.”

“I know about you and Daryll.”

“Daryll? That’s just pure, unadulterated sex, Sergeant Major.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“That’s funny. That’s not what I’ve heard.”

“Well, you’ve heard wrong.”

“Then why are you blushing?”

Rev let her off the hook as they took their seats. The ramp closed behind them as the AI put the shuttle through its prep. They had a long wait ahead of them. The shuttle and the Shrike would launch, and while the Galaxy Explorer jumped to the RP, the shuttle would be making its way to the fifth planet. It would take eighteen hours to make the journey.

But every journey began with the first step. They could feel the tractor beams take a hold of the shuttle and maneuver into position.

They got the two-minute and one-minute warnings, then the ten-second.

“This is it, Eth,” Rev said as he raised his shiny prosthetic arm.

“Sibs in steel,” they said in unison as they clicked their arms a moment before the shuttle was launched into their mission.

OceanofPDF.com

19

“They haven’t shot us down yet,” Rev told Randigold.

She opened one eye, said, “We won’t know it if they do,” and then closed the eye again.

Rev was high on adrenaline. Normally, he’d be stressed to the gills now. He hated to not be in control of his fate, and landing on a potential enemy’s home turf in an AI-controlled shuttle was that in a nutshell.

But maybe the excitement overcame the stress this time.

“I’m going to watch,” he said, not able to sit in his seat for any longer.

Randigold didn’t stir.

Rev unbuckled and went to jack in. They were coming in to land, still more than 7,000 meters above the ground. But that was low enough to see much of the surface below. Their destination was a large, mountainous island about 175 klicks long by 110 klicks wide. But at the moment, they were descending over a much larger continent between two mountain ranges following along an eighty-klick-wide valley. A slow, winding river cut through the verdant valley. The range on the planetary south was white-capped; the range to the north had only a dusting of snow. A few fluffy clouds drifted over the valley, which was heavily forested with dark green trees, and numerous squares had been cut checkerboard-style out of the forest for what he assumed to be farms.

From a natural standpoint, “Dragonland” could be any of a thousand human worlds.

It doesn’t look to be that advanced.

Which assumed the dragons followed most of the parallel paths to civilization—something Rev knew was a dangerous thing to do.

One example was that on human worlds—Uauii worlds, too, for that matter—the more advanced a civilization, the more agriculture was consolidated for efficiency. But looking below the shuttle, the squares cut in the forest were pretty small, resembling subsistence farming more than anything else.

And as the shuttle kept descending, more of what must be villages were becoming clearer. The mud-colored buildings were small, with none of the height-reaching spires they’d seen in the alien transmission. Once again, he was assuming that the image they’d received was an accurate depiction. But if it was, then the low huts they were flying over were of a different style. He doubted that any of them were over two stories.

Maybe they’re a back-to-nature civilization. Or maybe they just like mud huts. Who the heck knows?

Rev watched as the river formed a delta before the shuttle crossed the beach and over an impossibly turquoise ocean. He adjusted the nose camera to the front and zoomed in. Thirty-nine klicks offshore, the volcanic island rose from the sea. Tall green mountains with ridged cliffs reached for the heavens. A large, half-moon coastal plain stretched from the beach across steadily rising slopes until they hit the base of the cliffs. Unlike the mainland they’d just overflown, most of the plains looked to be more on the natural side, with only a few agricultural fields cut out. In the center, a single snow-covered volcano dominated the island.

The AI had been programmed to land the shuttle at the spot indicated in the alien’s message. But their hosts had made it easier with a bright, flashing light to bring them in. The light had to be powerful, given how strong it had been even from well outside orbit.

The shuttle kept descending, and they were given the ten-minute warning.

Rev unjacked, walked to Randigold, and nudged her awake. She looked at him, screwed up her face, and stretched.

“Ten minutes. Get ready. And if you have to use the head, better do it now, ’cause we don’t know when we’ll have another chance.”

She scowled, but she got up and went to do that.

The strap-in light went on, but Rev ignored it. They were still over the water, but he wanted the lay of the land, so he jacked back in. Using the zoom, he scanned the broad coastal plain. Unlike the many settlements on the mainland, there were only two villages in sight. There seemed to be mostly the single-story mud huts, but here and there were larger, what looked like wood buildings. They still didn’t look like anything that would be used by a race that could hack into a Navy’ combat projection platform.

He adjusted his view up toward their guiding light.

I guess it was real.

The castle-like structure was ahead, soaring delicately into the sky at the base of the cliff. A waterfall fell from the highlands, landing somewhere to the right of the structure. Only now that he was getting close, it looked less like a fairy-tale castle and more like something born from an artist on acid.

When Rev was a child, one of the fads that swept the planet were “Elf Crystals.” The programmable pellets would grow into variously shaped buildings, most with an ethereal flavor.

Instead of a human medieval castle of hewn rock, the alien structure looked more like it had been built from giant Elf Crystals.

Rev was impressed. The white building, against the high, fluted cliffs with the green on top, looked beautiful.

But he also knew that beauty could be hiding a serious bite. Rev had to keep on his toes and not let awe bring his guard down.

The shuttle passed over the beach and continued to the castle. Their route took them over the adjacent village, beyond which were a few more of the open patches.

A figure started running from one of the fields as the shuttle passed over. Rev didn’t get a good look at it, but he didn’t think it was a dragon.

The local version of livestock? Wildlife?

It disappeared into the forest as the shuttle came in high over their destination. The image they’d seen on the ship was pretty much exactly what Rev was seeing now. And a too-bright light was in the middle of what might be a courtyard.

A shuttle’s exhaust was run through the dispersion lattice, and even in VTOL mode, it was manageable. But some of the more artistic-looking embellishments to the structure looked fragile, and Rev hoped they wouldn’t try to make FC after trashing the place.

That wasn’t the way to make a good first impression.

He was tempted to land outside the structure, but the message had been pretty clear, and he told the AI to land the craft at the designated position.

The AI was smooth, as expected. Rev could barely feel it as it descended into the courtyard and touched down with barely a bump.

“We’re down,” he passed to Clyburn, who was perched on the far side of the system, her engines barely powered.

“Roger that. Good luck, Sergeant Major. And keep me informed.”

“Will do.”

Rev removed his pad from the case. He powered it up and looked at the first pictogram. The experts had created the interactive, intuitive teaching program, which they said should be able to bridge language gaps and initiate communications through the loaded images. Rev, along with all the others, had been trained in its usage.

I’ll find out soon enough, I guess.

It was time. Rev ordered, “Lower the ramp,” then unjacked.

He quickly patted the unicorn in his thigh pocket, then joined Randigold at the edge of the ramp, ready to step foot on the alien planet.

She held out her right arm. He clicked it with his left, and they said, “Sibs in steel.”

That was the second time they’d given the IBHU greeting since getting on the shuttle, but as far as Rev was concerned, they could never say it too much.

Rev unconsciously adjusted his mask as the ramp cracked open—the air on the planet was breathable, but they didn’t know what pathogens or trace gasses might be there that would be dangerous. The mask both filtered out particulates and irradiated the air as Rev and Randigold inhaled.

This wasn’t the full environmental suit that the SOP called for, but they’d both decided that in their simple utilities, they presented a friendlier appearance.

Rev patted the unicorn in his pocket. “You ready to meet us some aliens, Tina?” he whispered.

“Who’s Tina?” Randigold asked.

“Nobody, Eth.”

The top of the ramp hit the ground, and Rev said, “Let’s go meet our hosts.”

They stepped in unison down the ramp and onto Dragonland’s ground . . . and there was no one to meet them.

“Now what?” Randigold asked. “Pack up and go home?”

“Let’s step away from the shuttle and wait.”

They moved closer to what Rev thought might be an entrance into the structure and then stopped and waited for the aliens to make an appearance. The wait dragged on, and some of Rev’s excitement started to wane in his confusion. He looked at the heights surrounding the courtyard and began to envision guns opening up on them.

But the wait also allowed him to take in the structure. The feel was of uncontrolled construction, of crystals gone wild. But the disorganization was not the same as the city on Clickerland, the first alien planet Rev had been on. And as he studied the place, the order started to reveal itself. Before long, Rev thought there was a very logical and practical construction, with the disorder being a façade.

“This is a fantasy novel,” Randigold said quietly.

“A fantasy novel? What do you mean?”

“A castle. Dragons. All we need now is a fair maiden needing to be rescued.”

“You’re the only maiden here, I’m afraid,” Rev said. “And no one’s called you fair, to the best of my knowledge.”

“Thank the mother that I’m not. You’re not really a Saint George, either.”

“Good point,” Rev said when part of the wall to their left seemed to open.

They both spun around just in time to see one of the aliens step out into the sunshine. It was essentially the same as what they’d seen in the image, but now they had an idea of its size. Its body was not as tall as the humans, but with the long neck, the head was on a level with Rev’s. The size was not the most arresting feature, though. The three red eyes, which seemed fierce enough in the image, seemed to glow with evil intent in person.

Rev took an involuntary step backward, and he half raised Pashu before he remembered his IBHU was back on the ship.

The alien showed no sign that it had noticed Rev’s action. It approached with the smoothness of a waitbot at a high-end restaurant, a dozen or more small legs propelling it over the ground.

Its skin writhed as if maggots infested the flesh.

Randigold let out a huff of air and whispered, “Disgusting.”

“Steady,” Rev whispered back.

He glanced at his pad. The initial image of a male and female human was loaded and ready to go. But Rev needed some action from the alien to know how to prompt the pad next.

The dragon came to a halt three meters from them. Slowly, two of the arms clasped in front unfurled into demonic wings and spread about five meters behind it.

Rev tensed, half-expecting fire to spout from the thing’s teeth and immolating the two of them.

The wide mouth opened, but instead of fire, passable Standard emerged.

“Welcome to Tylydina.”

OceanofPDF.com

20

“Please forgive poor talking,” the dragon said as it led the two gobsmacked Marines into the castle. “Talking will improve with more input.”

Rev exchanged a glance with Randigold. “Poor talking?” It was amazing that they were this advanced. Up until now, the Uauii translators were the finest that humanity had experienced, but those took time to amass any degree of usability. Yet this alien was able to convey enough that Rev had already put his pad, with the pictogram communication program, back in its case.

He wasn’t sure how the dragon managed to speak Standard. They were too far away from Earth to have eavesdropped on radio transmissions. The only possible explanation was that they’d eavesdropped on conversations aboard the ship, and in that short amount of time, had discovered enough to be able to speak in basic, but understandable, sentences.

It seemed incredible that they could do that, but they’d managed to hack into a combat projection, so it wasn’t out of the range of believability. The bottom line was that the dragon was speaking, and Rev could understand it.

Rev craned his head to take in what he was seeing. The interior of the structure was much like the outside. It seemed to be a hodgepodge of different themes, but there was an underlying uniformity at the same time.

And it was bright. The entire place was in various shades of white and transparent. Rev couldn’t spot any windows or light fixtures, but it was very bright, and neither the alien nor the two Marines cast a shadow on the floor.

“I hope you’re getting this,” he whispered into his throat mic.

“Just keep it coming,” Clyburn said. “It’s amazing. And you’re still alive, so there is that.”

“Alive for now.”

Despite that quip, Rev’s initial apprehension when the dragon had approached them had faded somewhat. Maybe it was that the alien could speak that was putting him at ease. You can’t say “Welcome” and then escort your guests into your home while planning to chop them up for dinner.

Actually, you could, but I don’t get that vibe.

They reached the end of the long corridor and entered into a large, soaring room. It wasn’t the architecture that caught Rev’s attention, though, but rather the fifty-to-sixty dragons that were waiting in a huge circle. Some seemed to have clothing of sorts, while others were as naked as their guide, who led them to the middle and stopped.

Rev had never been particularly shy, but with all those eyes on them, he felt more than a little self-conscious.

“It’s like a firing squad,” Randigold whispered.

“A round firing squad?”

“Still feels like we are the target.”

“This is our famint,” their guide said, the bumps under the skin shifting into greater motion.

Rev couldn’t tell if “famint” was a glitch in their translations or if that was a purposeful use of a native word.

“You are ‘human,’ true?”

“Yes, we are humans,” Rev said.

This was deviating from all of their First Contact protocols, one of which was not to initially identify themselves, but Rev was playing it by ear. They already knew they called themselves humans, so why play around?

“We have a query. Are you here with peaceful intent?”

Rev looked around the room. The red, evil-looking eyes were locked onto them. He briefly wondered what would happen if he said no.

He shoved that temptation aside and said, “Yes, we come in peace.”

“That is most agreeable with the Po.”

* * *

“Do you feel safe if we take the shuttle?” Nyad asked.

Rev looked at Randigold, who shrugged.

“There’s been nothing to indicate that we’re in danger, so yeah. We do.”

Nyad hesitated a moment, then said, “Then that’s what’s going to happen. We’re starting preparations to make the jump. We’ll get back up on the comms when we arrive. Nyad out.”

Rev noted that the CO hadn’t said where they were jumping into the system nor where the shuttle would be going. Everyone now knew that the Po could eavesdrop on their comms, and evidently, the trust wasn’t there yet.

“Is that a smart idea, Sergeant Major?” Clyburn asked. “You’ll be stranded with them if anything goes wrong.”

“If we’re gonna continue with this FC, we’ve gotta go full in. And even if this is some elaborate trap, well, they’re not gonna do anything to us while waiting for the Explorer to get here.”

“Hell. You’ve got bigger balls than I have. Figurative balls, I mean.”

“This was the mission. Make FC, then establish a relationship. This is what we were trained to do.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t want to be stuck with fifty of the bastards. Especially if I wasn’t armed.”

Rev’s hand reached down to touch the bulge that was the Uauii blade in his pocket. He wasn’t completely unarmed, but he didn’t think the blade would make much of a difference if the dragons decided to attack them.

The last four hours had been interesting, to say the least. The Po had gently grilled them on humankind. Rev wasn’t trying to hide anything, but that didn’t mean he was going to give them everything. It was a delicate dance, unlike any other interrogation he’d ever had.

The flow of information wasn’t one way, though. Rev learned that there were two races on the planet: the Po, and the Zfthu—that was the best that Rev could do with the second race’s name. His human mouth couldn’t really pronounce it. Neither his hearing nor his brain could make much sense out of what the Po said.

That figure Rev had briefly seen running across the field as they were descending had been a Zfthu.

The first time the Po described the Zfthu, they’d use the term “serf.” Later, that had morphed into “client,” so Rev still had no frame of reference for the other race.

Rev put the Q-phone back into his pocket.

“Let’s get back to our hosts.”

Five of them were waiting. While some of the aliens had left after meeting Rev and Randigold, there were still a good number of them still hanging around. But except for their greeter—Rev didn’t know what its name was or if it even had one—the ones who interacted with the two Marines seemed to drift in and out of the conversation.

“I want to find out more about these Zfthu-guys,” he said, stumbling over the weird sounds.

“Do we get credit for two FCs?” Randigold asked. “They’re another species.”

“They aren’t tally marks, Eth.”

“Speak for yourself. I want all the tallies I can get before the rot takes me.”

“Won’t make any difference when you cross the River Styx.”

“What river?”

Rev rolled his eyes. “Geeze, Eth, the River Styx? Like the way into Hades?”

She looked at him with blank eyes.

“I swear, I’m wasting my good comebacks on you.”

He shook his head and rejoined the aliens.

“Um . . . our shuttle? In the courtyard? That will be leaving soon,” Rev said. “Our ship will be coming back to this system, and the shuttle will be returning to it. It is my hope that more of our people will come to meet you if that is acceptable.”

“It is very acceptable, and we hope that your people and ours may have a rewarding exchange.”

Rev huffed, but not about what their guide just said. It was how it had said it. Four hours ago, the dragons were speaking in stilted, but understandable, Standard. Now, they were speaking with a high degree of fluency. The fact that they could figure out how to learn Standard like that by listening only to Rev and Randigold was mind-blowing, and it spoke to either an innate ability or a very high tech.

None of them had obvious high-tech items on their bodies, but the sheer grandeur of their castle hinted that it was the latter. Which led to the Zfthu. As they descended, it sure looked like a medieval-level society out there.

“I’ve got a question for you,” Rev said.

“Please proceed,” their guide replied.

“The Zfthu. How is it that you two different races happened to evolve on this planet?”

“We didn’t,” their guide said and left it at that.

“But, you’re both here. You didn’t evolve together?”

“I see the confusion. Please forgive my lack of skill using your language.”

You’re speaking better than half of my Marines.

“The Zfthu didn’t evolve in the true sense of the word. We evolved them.”

What?

“I believe the correct term is ‘uplifted,’” one of the others said.

Both Rev and Randigold flinched. “Uplift” had been the goal of the Children of Angels. They’d believed that the Centaurs were a more advanced race and could lift humanity up to join them on a higher plane. There were a few who assigned that role to the Naxli, but when the Sia destroyed the Naxli home planet, that had thrust billions of people into the various Sia-worshipping groups.

If they hear about this, it’ll be an invasion as they rush to worship their new masters.

The two humans flinched, but the aliens never faltered.

“Yes, I agree that is a more accurate term,” their guide said. “Uplift.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?” Rev asked.

“Is that not the correct word?” their guide asked.

It extended its smaller middle arm, which ended in a three-fingered, skeletal-looking hand. The palm faced up, and after a moment, a holographic image of a roundish, feathery-looking creature appeared.

“That’s a Zfthu?” Randigold asked.

“No, that’s a Zfth.”

The alien’s pronunciation sounded basically the same, but there might have been a slight difference that Rev could barely discern.

Rev studied the creature for a moment. It looked nothing like the dragons, to the point that they seemed to be completely unrelated. Then again, an alligator and a bandicoot looked like they had nothing in common, either.

The image floating above their guide’s hand started to morph. The roly-poly creature became elongated, then pushed up upon two hind feet. A stone ax appeared in its hands, and the neck stretched, creating a discernible two-eyed head. The feathery fronds shortened, and the image began to wear rudimentary clothing. The ax disappeared to be replaced by some sort of long-handled tool.

Rev realized that he was seeing a time scan of the “uplifting” process. He didn’t know how long this took, but it was fascinating.

The changes stopped, and the Zfthu looked up at Rev, which unnerved him a bit.

“This is a Zfthu,” the guide said.

“They kinda look like humans, in a way,” Randigold said in a hushed tone.

Rev hadn’t thought that, but now that she said it, he couldn’t unsee it. And evidently, the dragons saw it, too.

“Yes, we noticed the similarities as well. It is likely a case of parallel evolution, but we would like to see, with your permission, if there are any common origins.”

Not likely. We’re a long way from home.

“We would be interested in that, too,” Rev said. “We’d like to meet the Zfthu, if that would be possible.”

The thought had struck him that the Po were keeping the other race as slaves. The disparity between the castle of light and the hovels Rev had seen was too severe to ignore. Rev half-expected them to refuse or deflect the request.

He was surprised, then, when one of the other aliens said, “You have freedom of choice. You may do what you want.”

It was the right answer, but Rev had no idea if it was sincere.

“Now we have a question for you,” one of the other aliens said. “You have indicated that your homeworld is in the galactic center.”

“Not the center so much as just closer in,” Rev said.

He wasn’t about to reveal the location of Earth or any planet in human space, and he hoped the alien was not about to press for that.

“You have corrected me,” the speaker said while its skin writhed quicker for a moment. It calmed back down, and the alien asked, “Have you interacted with many more races in your travels?”

Forty years ago, humanity might have suspected there was other intelligent life out there, but they’d never met them. Now, the count was up to nineteen—twenty-one with the Po and Zfthu.

“Yes, we have,” he said cautiously.

“Which ones?”

Rev hesitated. Maybe they were getting into things that Njuguna and her team should cover.

“The Uauii,” Rev blurted out.

“We do not know them by that name. Do you know if they have another?”

“We call them clickers, but that’s just our nickname for them.”

Randigold nudged him. “You can show them a picture on your pad.”

In for a nickel . . .

Rev took his pad out of the case and brought up an image of an Uauii. He held the pad out, and the five dragons crowded around.

They started clicking and making grunting sounds as their skin writhed in what looked like formalized patterns before they stopped.

“We do not recognize this being,” their guide said. “What is the location of their homeworld?”

It wasn’t just Earth or the human worlds. Rev wasn’t going to reveal the location of any planet. He was just making First Contact, not revealing everything there was to know about humanity and the other races.

“I’m afraid that I don’t know. I’m just a Marine making first contact, not a scientist.”

“You are a type of sea creature?” the other alien who’d been questioning them asked.

“What? Oh, no. I’m a—” he gritted his teeth and said the dirty word—“soldier.”

That got a reaction. They stepped back, their little legs churning.

Shit!

Rev’s hand drifted down to his Uauii blade as he chastised himself.

Not a smart thing to say.

The aliens recovered and stepped back.

“You are one who kills others in war?” their guide asked.

Rev exchanged looks with Randigold. He could see the wariness in her eyes.

He felt like he was walking on eggshells, so he tried to keep his statement as neutral as possible.

“A soldier might have to use lethal force, but that is always the last resort. Diplomacy is always the preferred course of action.”

“Have you killed another sapient being?” the alien persisted.

Rev could lie, but that went against his grain.

“Yes, I have, but only when it was necessary.”

Again with the skin-writhing and the clicking sounds.

Rev scanned the room as nonchalantly as possible. There were still thirty or so aliens present. He couldn’t see any weapons, but even without them, Rev could tell that the Po were strong, capable beings. He and Randigold weren’t going to be able to fight them off.

And even if they did, then what? The shuttle might already be gone, and outside of the castle, over the mainland, he’d seen hundreds of Zfthu villages.

Try and change the subject.

Rev pulled up a Kanter on his pad and showed that to the five aliens.

They looked on with interest, and the skin-writing almost stopped.

“These are Kanters. We call them lemmings. We have something over two hundred of them on the ship with us.”

They didn’t seem to recognize them, either. Nor the Breel, Centaurs, Naxli, or any of the others. For as advanced they seemed in some areas, it didn’t look like they got out past their homeworld very often.

Rev was just glad that they seemed to have moved past the soldier thing, and he wasn’t really interested in who they knew about and who they didn’t. But the longer they stayed on the subject, the better, so Rev went down the list, taking his time.

It wasn’t until he showed an image of a Sia that he got a reaction. And it was a significant one.

They went still, skin and all.

“Do you know them?” Rev asked. “They call themselves the Sia.”

There were a few quiet clicks and moans, then their guide said, “They are the Siau.”

“No, they say . . . wait,” Rev asked. “Are you using the ‘u’ like you do with the Zfthu?”

He knew he was butchering the sound, but it didn’t matter.

“Yes, we are. We know the Siau. They are our clients.”

“Clients? Are you saying—"

“We uplifted them.”

OceanofPDF.com

21

“So, those are the Zfthu,” Randigold said as they looked out over the nearby village.

Most of them were going about their daily business, but more than a few seemed focused on the castle.

Rev couldn’t help but see the analogy to a medieval European feudal society, with the castle on the hill and the population in much worse living conditions below.

Maybe “serf” was the accurate translation after all.

“I still think we should go down and make their acquaintance,” Randigold said.

“I told you, we’re not here to get notches on our bedposts.”

“Speak for yourself,” she said. “I swear, you’re getting to be less and less fun in your old age, Sergeant Major.”

Rev just sighed. Normally, no sergeant major in the Corps would take crap from a sergeant, but that was Randigold, and even without their rot tying them together, they went back a long way. And he liked her.

He’d briefly considered going out to make FC with the Zfthu, but with a full contact team inbound, he knew he should give them the opportunity. But while he was willing to let them do it, he wasn’t going to cede his security responsibility. So, he’d asked the Po for somewhere he could look over the village. Their guide took them to what might be battlements in a human castle, where there was a platform Rev hadn’t noticed before. And from this vantage, he could see much of the Zfthu village.

There weren’t any obvious danger areas, but the narrow, winding streets could pose a problem. He made a mental note to insist that the meeting be between the castle and the first buildings. If the humans entered the village proper, it would be extremely difficult to extract them through those streets should things go wrong.

When he told that to Randigold, she said, “Nothing’s going wrong, Sergeant Major. The dragons are their . . .”

She paused as if trying to think of the right term. Rev immediately thought “masters,” but he didn’t voice that.

“. . . teachers,” she ended up saying. “And sure as shooting, the dragons have higher tech if they need to, you know, take any action to keep the peace.”

“Maybe.”

But their reaction to the word “soldiers” still had Rev concerned.

He’d been so relieved at not being killed offhand that he’d immediately created positive impressions of the Po. But now, with a bit of space between them, he had to reevaluate and take stock.

What did they know about the Po?

Unfortunately, not much. Yes, they seemed friendly enough. But they could be putting on a show. And then there was the soldier reaction. Most of all, though, was the apparent relationship with the Zfthu. Why was there such a disparity in how they lived?

If the Zfthu were uplifted into the role of slaves . . .

Not your business, Reverent. Let Njuguna and her people figure things out.

Randigold took out a combat rat from her pocket, broke it in half, and offered one of the pieces to Rev. He scowled as he took it. After twenty-three years in uniform, he should have been used to combat chow by now, but that hadn’t happened. He still hated it.

He lifted his mask, took a bite, then lowered it, remembering to breathe out to clear it.

The bar was supposedly almond cream flavored, but it still tasted like sawdust. He had to choke it down.

Randigold heard him cough and then said, “I hope we can eat the food down here.”

“Not likely. Just because the Zfthu look kinda human, that doesn’t mean we can eat their grub. It’s alien, with who knows what DNA and everything else it has.”

“We could eat the food on Desig,” Randigold said.

“Eat and not be poisoned, you mean. No nutrition.”

“At this stage, all I care is if it tastes good.” Then she added, “And what about Scoozy Whip? That’s made from Koralle, right?”

Rev hadn’t had Scoozy Whip in years, ever since he was a preteen. It was a pretty horrendous concoction, but he started salivating at the remembered love he had for the stuff.

“They say it is, but the plant’s been heavily modified, and most of the ingredients are good ’ole Earth food. It was just marketing.”

Randigold hmphed, then said, “I didn’t know that. I thought I was eating alien food.”

“Marketing.”

Randigold had a good point, though. This planet belonged to two other races, so terraforming was out of the question. If humans were ever going to have a presence here, they’d either have to bring all their own food—like they did on Clickerland—they’d have to get permission to grow Earth plants, or they’d be able to use native hydrocarbons to run their food fabricators.

He almost asked Punch for his opinion—something he hadn’t done for at least a month. He changed that to make a mental note to talk to him when he could but then chuckled. Whether humans could settle on this planet or not wasn’t his worry. That wouldn’t come until long after he was gone.

“Something funny?” Randigold asked.

“No. Not really.”

Rev’s comms lit up.

“Hey, Sergeant Major. Did you enlist anyone into the Marines yet?”

“Not yet, Lieutenant. But I’ll do it before you grab them for the Navy.”

“I bet you will. Anything I need to know about the LZ?”

Rev had initially designated the open space between the castle and the village as the landing zone for the two shuttles, but the Po requested that they land in the courtyard again. That would mean 403, with Lieutenant Nissen piloting, would land first, then take off, leaving enough room for 409 to come in on autopilot.

Rev didn’t like it. Doing it that way would limit mobility and leave both shuttles more vulnerable. But Nyad and Njuguna overruled him, saying that could be taken as an insult to the Po.

For a moment, Rev considered fighting it, and as the military commander on the ground, he could push it. But the Po showed no signs of hostility, and Randigold seemed to think he was being overly cautious. He decided to save his battles for when they really might matter.

From the battlements, he could see both into the village and, if he turned around, into the courtyard. He knew enough about terminal guidance to know what Nissen was looking for.

“I’m in the battlement-looking tower on the side facing the village. Call it thirty meters. There are two more matching battlements on this side. The main wall is at sixteen or seventeen meters, and you’ll have to clear that, so come in from the planetary north, and you should be fine. The big obstacle is the castle proper. The central spires have to be a hundred meters high, and the walls next to the courtyard are about sixty.”

“Side clearance as I come in?”

“About forty meters. Another fifty lengthwise.”

That made things a little tight, but it was more than enough room for an experienced pilot with an AI assist to put a shuttle down.

Pilots who didn’t ask questions about their LZs were often dead pilots.

“That jives with what I’ve got from the orbital photos.”

“What’s your ETA?”

“Fourteen minutes, give or take.”

“Roger that. See you on the ground.”

“Not for long, Sergeant Major. I’m jumping back up to orbit until we see how things shake out.”

“With all due respect, that’s, uh, not very smart, Lieutenant. Remember Seventy-one, where we had to wait for you?”

“Not my choice. Orders.”

Which meant Nyad.

I’m gonna haf’ to talk to him about this.

“OK, well, hopefully, we can revisit this.”

“See you soon. Four-zero-three, out.”

“They’ll be here in fourteen mikes,” Rev told Randigold.

“Are we going to watch from up here?”

Rev considered it. Meeting and spending four hours with the Po had been stressful just for the simple matter of thinking about every word he said and trying not to make a diplomatic faux pas. It had been a relief when they’d left the two of them alone. He could stay here and let Njuguna handle things when they landed, but he knew that wouldn’t cut it. He had to have some sort of diplomatic handover.

“No, let’s go on down and greet them.”

They made their way to the ground level and across to the main door.

Rev spotted a Po and asked, “Do you know where our guide is? Our shuttle will be landing in about ten minutes.”

“We know.”

Of course, they know. They can hack into our battle projection. We’re not going to be able to sneak in undetected with a shuttle.

The Po didn’t answer the first part of the question as he walked away.

“Rude,” Randigold said.

But within a couple of minutes, their guide returned. The Po looked very similar to Rev, but he was beginning to notice some differences. In their guide’s case, it was the brighter purple streaks in the crest that swept back over its head.

“We’ve got you in sight,” Lieutenant Nissen said. “Is the LZ still clear?”

“Roger. All clear.”

A few moments later, 403 appeared over the north wall. Nissen brought her in as softly as a maple leaf falling to the ground. The back ramp opened, and a moment later, Njuguna came striding out. She spotted the welcoming party, faltered a moment, then strode over to meet them.

“Welcome, Dr. Njuguna. This is . . .”

Rev still didn’t know its name or if it even had one.

“. . . our guide.”

“This is everyone?” Njuguna asked, obviously surprised.

And a little bit miffed if Rev was reading her correctly.

“There will be more inside.”

She frowned but said, “Thank you for the welcome.”

She touched her collar, and a moment later, the rest of the passengers started to disembark.

Quite the show, there Njuguna. Too bad there isn’t an audience.

He didn’t really resent her grand entrance, which, of course, was being recorded for posterity. Things hadn’t gone as she probably expected when she signed on. Most of the time, she never stepped foot on their target planets.

This was finally a moment in history, and she wanted to make her mark.

One of the civilians ran forward, carrying a small holocam. As soon as he reached them, she asked, “Shall we?”

“The rest? Do you want to wait for them?” Rev asked.

“I’ll go ahead. Everyone else will stay here until we have a plan of action.”

She leaned in and whispered into Rev’s ear, “Do they really understand Standard?”

“Yes, they do.”

She turned back to their guide and said, “I am Doctor Yellie Njuguna, the head of our Council of Humanity mission. I am pleased to be part of this initial contact, and I hope it will cement friendly and mutually beneficial relationships between our three peoples.”

Rev glanced over his shoulder. Neither Punch nor a Kanter had gotten off the shuttle. They must be on the next one, but this contact wasn’t just between humans and the two races on the planet. The Kanters were a different race, and Punch—or Punt Six—was supposedly another group outside of Titan’s control.

Their guide said, “Welcome, Doctor Njuguna. I hope our future relationships are good as well. And now, if you’ll follow me?”

Njuguna was in her element, her posture exuding pride as she stepped off, her holographer at her side. Rev started to follow when she stopped him.

“I think I can handle this, Sergeant Major. If you can manage the landings?”

“Sure thing, ma’am. I’m fine here.”

He watched them disappear into the building, wondering what recordings were going to make it back to humanity. Would it be his and Randigold’s body cams or the holographers?

Not that Rev really cared, and he was just as happy to stay here in the courtyard.

Nissen gave him a wave as he took off. In a few minutes, 409 would land, and hopefully, with Punch aboard.

His battle buddy might not still be attached to him, but his mind was the same as ever, and Rev really wanted to hear his take on this place.

OceanofPDF.com

22

“Don’t like it that they’re here,” Command Master Chief Umman said as he pointed behind Rev.

Rev turned around. Umman meant Punch and the two Kanters who had come down on the second shuttle. That had been Njuguna’s call. Despite wanting to make her grand entrance, she’d insisted that this be a mutual effort in order to put their best foot forward and show that humans were inclusive.

“That damn genny’s enough to put off anyone.”

What would you say if I told you who “that genny” really is?

Umman was still a puzzle to him. The man was close-minded in so many things and so convinced that he was right that he was shocked when anyone disagreed with him, yet he and Rev were often on the same side on certain issues and had worked together on them.

And despite Rev’s recoil at the statement, which he hoped he’d hidden, there might be a grain of logic in what he said, even if not in the tone. Punch was in a Genesian shell, which was obviously artificial. How would the Zfthu react to that?

Rev was glad Punch was included, and not only because he had a special package for him, if Tomiko got it done. He wanted to get together afterward with his friend to get his take on the other race on the planet. But, if he was being honest with himself, there could be a bit of practicality in Umman’s concern in that there could be unintended consequences of introducing a metallic being to the Zfthu.

The universe was never completely black and white, and that made life both interesting and difficult.

Umman craned his head to look back at the entrance. “When are we getting the show on the road?”

“Soon, I hope.”

The FC party, which included half of the expedition’s leadership, even some who’d never set foot on an alien planet until now, was gathered in the courtyard. Wanting to be there when history was made wasn’t limited to Njuguna, though. It seemed that everyone wanted to be there.

But there was a problem. The Po didn’t seem too keen on joining them as they attempted First Contact. They didn’t want to stop the humans from meeting the Zfthu. They were more along the lines of “you do what you like.” But they weren’t anxious to be there.

Njuguna had pointed out that they needed translators. Given time, their Uauii translators should be able to handle it, but that would be a while, and in the meantime, there were too many opportunities for miscommunication. The Po didn’t seem to think communications would be a problem. But maybe they just didn’t care.

For having a new race suddenly appear in their system, one who they invited to come to the planet, they didn’t seem overly excited about the humans. It almost seemed as if this were a routine event.

Their lukewarm welcome was better than hostility, but it seemed weird to Rev, and he didn’t like weird.

The door to the entrance opened, and Njuguna emerged with Rev and Randigold’s guide. The civilian head was smiling, so evidently, she had gotten her way. Everyone crowded around her to get the word.

“We have our Po representative with us now,” she said, indicating the guide. “They’ll be accompanying us into the Zfthu village to introduce us to them. After discussing the contact with our hosts, I’ve decided that it will be the prime FC team that will proceed.”

That was greeted by a chorus of groans, which included Umman’s, “Fuck!”

Rev was actually relieved. Keeping control of over sixty people would be the proverbial herding of cats. The village was a warren, and he knew for a fact that despite all instructions to the contrary, they’d scatter, and that was a security nightmare he hadn’t been looking forward to.

“Dieter, you can start with the Po. One of them will come fetch you shortly, but the rest of you need to wait here until we can get our bearings and set up a schedule and procedure that will work for the Zfthu.”

There was more grumbling. But First Contact was under Njuguna’s control, and for this, her word was law.

“So, if you’re in the prime team, please form up over at the gate.”

“Sorry,” Rev told Umman as he made his way through the others.

“Form up” was relative. Any military would be embarrassed at the term as the gaggle milled around, waiting for the gate to open.

The prime team consisted of nine civilians, Rev, and the two Kanters. And now the Po guide. Rev had wanted to include Randigold, citing security, but Njuguna had pointed out that neither he nor Randigold were armed, and they wanted to present a peaceful front.

Armed or not armed, Randigold could kick any of the other’s asses, and he’d rather have her with him, but he backed down. He did tell her to be ready to meet them if they had to conduct a hasty retreat back to the castle.

Rev edged closer to Punch. “Well, Punt, I hope this will be a successful First Contact.”

He was getting a kick out of calling Punch “Punt” when in public. It was childish, but there it was. He got the distinct feeling that Punch wasn’t too fond of it.

“I hope so, too. I appreciate the Kanters being included in the effort.”

“One big happy family. Uh, did you see Miko?”

“Yes, and she said I should give you . . .”

Rev’s eyes went wide, and he started to step to him to cut him off when Punch continued with, “. . . her love. And to take care of yourself.”

He calmed himself back down.

Damn Punch. He knew exactly what he was saying. Really fucking funny.

“I’ll have to catch up with you later so you can tell me what she said,” he told his battle buddy, knowing that if his Genesian shell had the ability, Punch would be smirking.

“I think you’ll be pleased with what she wanted me to give you.”

Careful, buddy. Don’t get too cute. You got me, so leave it at that.

Now wasn’t the time, though. Too many people were around. It would have to wait until after he got back.

The gate suddenly opened in a whoosh, taking Rev by surprise. Something that massive shouldn’t move that quickly or silently.

Even the size of it was unexpected. The castle seemed almost ethereal in many aspects, but this thing was far more robust than its outward appearance might lead one to believe.

The Marine in Rev noted that, and he wondered if war had been an issue in the planet’s past.

“Well, that looks like me. I’ll hook up with you later,” he told Punch.

“I’ll be here when you get back,” Punch said as he clapped Rev on the back in a very un-Genesian move.

And suddenly, Rev was aware of a presence in his pocket. How Punch had done that was beyond him.

He casually looked around, but no one seemed to have noticed the exchange. As Punch stepped away, Rev slipped his hand into the pocket to feel the comforting presence of his MF-30.

The planet was still officially a no-weapons zone, which was why the cloak and dagger stuff. The MF-30 handgun was a long way away from Pashu, but at least it was something. Rev wasn’t expecting to have to use it as they met the Zfthu, but trouble rarely announced itself beforehand, and better to have it and not need it than wish he had it when danger surfaced.

“Let’s get this going,” Njuguna told the FC party. “I’ll be in the lead with our guide here, and if the rest of you could just sort of follow?”

Rev refrained from rolling his eyes. Njuguna had proven herself to be a competent manager, but she lacked in the leadership department, in his opinion. This was just one more example of that.

A First Contact was a major piece of history, even if this was the second one on this planet, and they were going out in a gaggle. The holographer seemed like he was frustrated with how things looked, but he didn’t speak up, and Rev didn’t really give a hoot.

He slipped to the side of the group, where he’d have room to maneuver should he need to, and they all stepped through the gate. The last person was only a meter beyond the outer wall when the gate closed just as quickly as it had opened.

“I hope that’s got a safety feature,” Nyad said to Rev. “I’d hate to get crushed by that thing.”

“You and me both.”

Led by Njuguna, their guide, and the holographer, they started across the open, slightly downward-sloping space between the castle and the village. Already, a group of the Zfthu were stepping forward at the edge of the village to meet them. There were thirteen of them, all formed in a single line. Rev immediately realized that they’d matched the number of the people and Kanters in the FC team, one-for-one.

Rev knew nothing about these people, but if he had to guess, he’d say they were wary. Once again, Rev wondered as to the relationship between the Po and the Zfthu. If they were wary, then coupled with the obvious disparity between the village and the castle, it made sense that the uplifted Zfthu were a vassal race, maybe even a slave race.

He shifted his attention to their still unnamed guide. If there was a degree of arrogance in it, Rev couldn’t see it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t there, only that Rev was unable to recognize it.

Njuguna continued to approach the Zfthu, a huge smile plastered on her face, which was against the FC SOP—baring one’s teeth could be considered a threat, according to the manual, which Rev thought was somewhat amusing. Some xenobiologist Ph.D. probably spent an entire career of study to come up with that.

The others started to falter as they watched their leader, wondering when she was going to stop. Rev even thought she might hug one of them. Even without a Ph.D., Rev knew that would be a mistake.

She came to a sudden halt, though, five steps from the nearest Zfthu. That took the rest by surprise, and several made another step or two before they came to a stop.

Rev thought they looked like a bunch of clowns, and judging from the scowl on the holographer, he thought so, too. This was not playing out well as a recording of history.

When Rev and Randigold had first met the Po, most of them seemed to make nothing much of the occasion. The two humans had been seemingly ignored, for the most part. Not so with the Zfthu. There might be thirteen facing them, but behind, the village was crowded with them. They were inside the buildings and in the narrow streets, their attention locked onto the foreign visitors.

Rev had been going over scenarios in his mind on how to extract the team if they were attacked, but seeing the number of Zfthu, he knew their only chance would be if they could outrun them and get back to the Po castle.

Njuguna, still beaming, spread her arms and said, “Greetings. We are human beings, and we are pleased to meet your people. I hope that this is the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Their guide translated, which sounded to Rev like a series of grunts punctuated by longer hoots more than anything else.

The Zfthu listened in stony silence, barely moving. After their guide was done, it wasn’t the one in the center who responded but one close to the left side. Njuguna seemed surprised, but she shifted to face the alien as they all waited for the translation.

Their guide listened as well, and it had a transformation at the short Zfthu response. Its skin started roiling as if rats were fighting just under its surface.

It paused before saying, “The Zfthu want to know when you’re leaving.”

Rev thought there was more to it than just that, if what the Zfthu said caused that sort of a reaction.

Njuguna either didn’t sense the tension or chose not to acknowledge it.

“Don’t worry. We want to stay here long enough to learn about your people and provide whatever benefit we can.”

It looked like their Po guide wanted to say something to her, but then it faced the Zfthu. Its skin remained calm this time, though, and it did the translation.

Rev watched the Zfthu as their guide spoke. There was barely a reaction. Rev didn’t know the race, of course, so maybe this was normal for them. But he still got the general feeling of wariness. If they were wary, that would be reasonable, given the circumstances.

A different Zfthu spoke, but instead of translating, their guide answered it. The guide and various Zfthu went back and forth a few times. The Po’s skin rippled more than once, but that seemed more controlled now.

Finally, they stopped, and the Po said, “The Zfthu welcome you to Tylydina. This has been a surprise, and they need time to—”

Before their guide could finish, the greeting party turned as one and headed back into the confines of their village.

With barely a pause, their guide continued, “—consider the ramifications of such a momentous occasion.”

Rev’s eyes narrowed as he listened. He’d give anything to be able to understand Zfthu. If he were a betting man, he’d guess that there was a lot more said than that.

He watched the hundreds of Zfthu in sight, but none showed any sign of aggression. He knew, though, he wouldn’t feel comfortable until they were all back inside the castle.

“Is that it?” Njuguna asked, clearly disappointed.

“For the moment, yes.”

“So, we’ll talk to them some more?”

“I wouldn’t presume to tell you what you should do, but . . .”

There’s always a “but.”

“. . . my suggestion would be to give them time to digest this. The Zfthu can be an uncertain race, if that is the correct word. They need to understand that our relationship with you humans can benefit all of us.”

Njuguna stared after the retreating Zfthu. Her big moment wasn’t as dramatic and theatrical as she might have wanted, but a major directive in the SOP was not to push. And in this case, she chose to follow the rules.

“Well, then. Let’s head back. There’s plenty for us to do while the Zfthu discuss,” she said, reasserting her control.

She spun around and started to stride back up the hill. The others hurriedly followed.

Rev brought up the rear, continually looking over his shoulder. In his gut, he knew that more had been said that their guide hadn’t translated. But from what he could see, the Zfthu were not reacting in anger or aggression. In fact, despite the Po’s insistence that everyone—human, Zfthu, and Po alike—were free to do what they wanted, he got the feeling that their guide had done a bit of scolding.

As long as there wasn’t a threat to the humans and Kanters, Rev didn’t care. Let the civilians in the expedition worry about future relations.

Still, Rev didn’t feel completely at ease until they were inside and the castle gate had closed behind them.

OceanofPDF.com

23

“Did you get my love?” Tomiko asked.

Rev resisted patting the MF-30 in his pocket. He knew he was being overly cautious, but with more than half of his life hiding even just his thoughts about Punch had made him very reticent to say things aloud that might be overheard.

“Yes, Punt Six gave me your love.”

“Well, you just take care of yourself, you hear?”

“I will.”

One of the good things about having the Galaxy Explorer in geosynchronous orbit above them was that they could use their wristcomps to communicate. If they were really paying attention to regulations, then anything related to their jobs needed to be scrambled. But out here on the ass end of the galaxy, who was actually there to listen?

So it didn’t surprise him that Tomiko jumped right into the FC.

“What’s your take on the Zfthu?”

Rev hadn’t quite made up his mind on them yet, so he just said the first thing that came to him. “They’re browbeaten.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t say for sure. But I get the feeling that they’re second-class citizens at best, slaves at worst. They were wary around the guide.”

“Wary around the guide, or wary around you?”

“Who knows? But the dragons don’t seem to mind us talking to them, so maybe we’ll find out.”

“And then what, Rev? We’re not here to lead a slave revolt. You’re sounding like the gennies when they were talking about Punch.”

“That’s not the same at all. Punch was never a slave, no matter what they said.”

“And maybe the Zfthu aren’t slaves, either. Did you consider that? Maybe they’re just not used to being invaded by a bunch of humans.”

Rev grunted. Of course, she was right. They knew nothing of the two races here, and he was really jumping to conclusions. And now that she mentioned Punch and the Genesians, maybe that was coloring his perceptions somehow.

He wanted to change the subject.

“How’s the reaction force?”

“Bored as hell, Rev. What do you think?”

“I don’t care about bored. Are they going to be effective?”

“As good as they can be, given the circumstances.”

Rev knew the sharp edge of the Marine sword was getting dull. Back about a million years ago, when Rev was shipboard on a deployment, there were plenty of planetary landings and cross-training with local forces to keep their combat ability honed. But during the expedition, only two teams had faced a real enemy, that being the BG bots. For most of the Marines, soldiers, and Legionnaires in the ground force, with the exception being the buffalo, which were not an organized foe, they hadn’t faced an enemy. They’d faced wind, and they’d sat on their asses while the sailors fought the BGs, but that was far different than the training they needed to face opposing combat forces.

Neither the Po nor the Zfthu were the enemy. But as long as Rev was responsible for the civilians on the ground, then he needed a way to intercede if necessary. So, while he and Randigold were planetside, Tomiko was trying to train a reaction force that was ready to head to the planet at a moment’s notice.

Her mission requirement was to get the entire thirty-six-person force on the shuttle and launch within twenty minutes and to be on the ground in an hour with full combat capability.

Thirty-six Marines and karnans weren’t the most robust force the Marine Corps had ever deployed, but if the shit hit the fan, they might be enough to support a localized extraction.

“And the timelines?” Rev asked.

“Everyone’s in Condition 2-Alpha. We can get on the Charon or a shuttle in the twenty. But after that, it’s up to Nyad, and he’s being a dick.”

“He’s probably pissed that he wasn’t with the FC party,” Rev said.

It had been obvious that he’d expected to be part of history, but with both Rev and Njuguna on the deck, that sort of boxed him out. Not only that, but Lieutenant Zybar, the Navy’s low officer on the totem pole, was the only sailor on the ground at the moment.

And if he was pissed, then that might keep him from fully cooperating with Tomiko and the Reaction Force.

“Do I need to talk to him?”

“I’ve got it,” she said.

He fought back a smile. Tomiko could get a little bristly when anyone questioned her ability to get things done. He hadn’t exactly done that, but . . .

“Is everything else OK?” she asked.

“Combat rats suck. And these bozos didn’t bring down any real food.”

“Half of them are just tourists. I know for a fact that at least eight of them have never left the ship before. The rest of the real team’s coming down later. They’re used to the drill, so the chow should get better.

“And speaking of that, when do you think we can do a switch?” she asked.

“You and me?”

“No, you and Nyad. Of course, me. And I’d like to start rotating more of us down before they all go stir-crazy and kill each other.”

“I haven’t really talked to Njuguna about that yet. She’s only been on the ground for a couple of hours now, and that’s been with her meeting the dragons and Zfthus.”

“What’s there to talk about? The fierce, fire-breathing dragons and the . . . whatever you call the Zfthus. A slave revolt? Sounds like enough of a reason to have ground security.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll talk to her.”

“So, how long, then?”

“Let’s let things settle down here. A week, maybe?”

There was no real planning for that figure. He’d pulled it out of his butt.

“Don’t forget, the girls are asking for you. They miss their daddy.”

“That’s not playing fair, Miko.”

“Who said I play fair?”

Not me. I know better.

“Let me talk to Njuguna, and I’ll give you a firm timeline.”

“OK. I’ll let the—Aspen! Give that back to Willie right now,” she shouted. “If you can’t share, I’ll take Foomee, and neither one of you will have her!”

“I’ll let you go, Miko. It looks like you’ve got your hands full.”

She didn’t respond, but he could hear one of the girls crying in the background.

“Miko?”

“I said share!”

With a sigh, Rev cut the connection. Maybe a month down here would be better than just a week.

* * *

The next two hours were a cluster, and Njuguna and Hyung met again with more of what Rev thought might be Po leadership. Some of the “tourists,” as Tomiko had referred to them, were scrambling to get their facetime in with the Po. Rev wondered what their guide, who was getting almost all of the attention, was thinking of selfies.

But just like a goyam rock star making time to please the fans, their guide seemed to have the patience of a saint. Hopefully, things would settle down as the serious work got underway. With two separate races, the civilians would have to split their party. Even so, Rev didn’t envision them leaving anytime soon.

“Are your people always this way, Strong Bough?”

Rev hadn’t noticed the Kanter coming up beside him.

Situational awareness, Reverent. Keep on the alert.

“You mean the selfies?”

“Is that what you call them? Accurate, accurate,” Tiktik said.

Rev didn’t know where in the Kanter hierarchy Tika-impossible-to-spell-the rest—so now, “Tiktik”—was. For all he knew, given the Kanter’s lack of decorum, Tiktik was the equivalent of the village idiot. That would fit.

“Have you met it yet?”

“With that press of humans? No. I’d be crushed flat,” he said with a trill.

I can take care of that.

“Punt! Come over,” Rev shouted to Punch.

They’d been keeping a bit of a distance between them. It was probably unnecessary, especially when Wolf knew who Punch really was, but that same wariness that kept them using table talk for so long was still in effect here.

Punch had been standing on his own against the wall, but at Rev’s invitation, he strode over.

“Since you two are here representing your people, I think it’s about time for you to meet your first dragon.”

“Yes, ‘my people’ would like representation,” Punch said.

With TikTik and Punch in tow, Rev made his way to their guide. “Bulled” his way would be a better description. He might not have his IBHU, but Rev was still a big, powerful human being. The civilians grudgingly made way as Rev approached the Po.

“I’d like to introduce you to two more of our combined expedition. This is Punt Six, who is representing a different group of humans,” he said, then felt guilty the moment the last word was out of his mouth.

It was one thing to hide Punch’s real identity, but now he was interfering in the FC process by interjecting a lie. But the lie was so embedded that he didn’t know how to extract it.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Punch said.

Their guide stared at Punch for a moment, the red eyes lasering into him. “Forgive me, but you are obviously mechanical. Yet, other than the limbs of the two of you, no other human is the same way. Have you suffered a catastrophic injury that needed intervention to stay alive?”

Punch was not good at lying, and it showed. This time, he simply sidestepped the situation.

“Genesians are fully human cyborgs. Most of the nervous system and vital parts of the rest are kept in life-supporting capsules. Those are encased in these mechanical bodies, which are called shells.

“The organic organs that are retained are fully human without genetic modifications. It is biologically possible for Genesians and other humans to have children together.”

What the . . . ?

But Punch was right. Rev had just never considered it before. It made sense, though, given that the Genesians had wanted their DNA. But using snippets seemed different than actually making whole babies together. The entire Genesian reproductive process was still a little shaky in his mind, and while he wasn’t sure about the mechanics, he knew it came down to a sperm cell fertilizing an ovum, just as with the rest of them.

“Thank you. Now I understand. I am surprised, though, that you go through the process when regeneration seems to be a much easier path to take. Or don’t you have that capability?”

“No, we do,” Rev said. “I could have had this arm regrown,” he added as he raised it. “But it takes time, and then we had the IB . . . we were testing new innovations.”

No reason to give up the IBHU program just yet.

“The Genesians were developed more than two hundred years ago to be . . .”

Once again, he was stuck. He didn’t want to get into the entire sordid history of what was done to the early Genesians, which might lead to them trying to explain the Corolla Wars. He didn’t need his FC training to know that would be a bad idea.

Crap. Maybe having Punch here really is a bad idea.

“. . . a new process going forward, and then after that, it was culture more than anything else.”

Which was true. The Genesian young could be raised as any other human, but they had a culture now that they wanted to keep alive, and they saw advantages to their current condition over what they called “meat.”

Time to get out of this discussion.

“And this is Tiktik, a representative of the Kanters.”

The diminutive lemming-like alien stood on his hind legs to face the much larger, much fiercer-looking Po, which seemed like it could swallow Tiktik in one bite. But like all Kanters, he was fearless.

“I am honored,” Tiktik said.

“I am honored, too. I am sure our current leadership would like to meet you as well.”

“What’s your name?” Tiktik asked with typical Kanter directness.

Rev had been wondering the same thing, but their FC training mentioned that various aspects about alien contacts, even something as innocuous as names, might be culturally insensitive and that they should wait until the contacted race volunteered information in that vein.

Leave it to the lemmings.

But he was glad Tiktik had asked. He was getting tired of referring to it as “their guide.”

“Name? I understand that you label each other as identifiers. We have no need for that. We know each other.”

“Wait a sec,” Rev said. “We know each other, too. I know Punt Six here. I know Tiktik. But it helps to be able to address them.”

“If you are communicating with one of your people, and you want to refer to yet a third person, how do you indicate that third individual,” Punch asked,

Several of the civilians who’d been listening in crept closer to hear the Po’s response.

“This is difficult to explain in your language. You either don’t have the concepts, or we don’t know your words for them yet. The best I can say is that we all have markers, signatures, if you will.”

“What kind of markers?” Punch asked.

“This is where it gets difficult. Your race has DNA, as you label it, as chromosomal building blocks, the best we understand it. We’ve been observing you and are learning more about your physical beings, but that will take some time.”

That immediately made the hair on the back of Rev’s neck stand up. How were they “observing” human DNA? He took a quick look around the large room, wondering if there were scanners of some sort built into the walls. And could they really discern DNA?

But their guide was continuing. “So, call it identifiable differences that are embedded in our DNA analog.”

“DNA analog?” one of the civilians interjected.

“We developed differently and a long time ago, so no, we do not have your type of building blocks. But if it helps you to understand, I will use the term. So, if you are able to imagine that our DNA is coded with our individual signatures after our birth, we always know who each of us is at all times.”

Which implied that they could see “DNA” somehow while just talking, and that blew Rev’s mind.

“What about Punt Six’s question if you’re talking about a third individual who’s not present? How do you identify that person?” one of the civilians, Dr. Jorge Demillion, asked.

Rev knew Jorge from many missions, so not every civilian on the planet now was a tourist.

“Once again, forgive me for a lack of fluency in your language. But when I communicate with another of us, if I want to indicate yet a different individual, I embed my communications with that individual’s signature.”

What the hell does that mean?

Jorge seemed to be getting a grasp of what the Po was saying.

“So, you somehow make reference to this signature. Isn’t that the same thing as a name?” Jorge asked.

“No. I embed it. It’s part of the background to what I’m saying. This is extremely difficult to explain. Maybe someone else can do a better job. I apologize.”

Their guide seemed distressed, and Rev wanted Jorge to back off for now. This wasn’t the time nor place, and their guide might not be the right Po to press.

“No reason to apologize. It’s just that for us, we can’t embed anything, and it’s easier when we use names for each other. But that’s us.”

“You are not alone in naming protocols. The Zfthu use names in the same way that you do. So do others. If it makes it easier for you, you may so label us.”

“What, just give you a name?” Rev asked.

“That is what you call a nickname, correct? Just as you call us dragons.”

Rev felt his face redden. He had no idea that they knew the nickname. And now he wondered just how much the Po were finding out about them.

“You and the human Randigold are the first humans I met.”

From halfway across the room, his fellow IBHU Marine, with her augmented hearing, looked up at the mention of her name.

“I think it would be appropriate for you to give me a nickname.”

Everyone’s attention turned from the Po to Rev. He could see Jorge’s expression that said, “Don’t mess this up, Jarhead.”

Rev suddenly felt nervous. Punch had asked him the same thing all those years ago, and without thinking, and what he thought was jokingly, he’d offered “Punch” more facetiously than seriously. But his battle buddy had accepted it, and there it was.

If he was supposed to name this Po, then it should be something worthy of the historical significance of the contact.

But what?

Their guide stood there, looking like a demonic dragon raised from the depths of Hades. Its three red eyes bore into him, making him shudder. Should he keep with that powerful demon motif? Or maybe something a little gentler, as if a nickname could tame the appearance.

How about something positive? Justice? Honor?

But then it hit him. Just before he left, the last thing he and the girls had watched on the ship’s entertainment system was a documentary on the wildlife of the Rocky Mountains on Earth. The girls had fallen in love with one of the animals.

And just as when he pulled “Punch” out of seemingly nowhere, he had the answer.

“Your new name is Pika.”

Jorge rolled his eyes.

“I accept the nickname, Sergeant Major.”

Small and cute, the pika had reminded the twins of Blue, their gerbil. And maybe with such an innocuous name, Rev could quit imagining the Po breathing fire and burning him to a crisp.

OceanofPDF.com

24

“There’s more of the yetis today,” Randigold said as they watched over the village from the battlements.

There had been a rush of naming after yesterday, both for individuals and for the Zfthu. Rev didn’t know if “yeti” was going to stick, but it was as good as anything else he’d heard. And it was much better than “shaggies,” one of the other names gaining traction.

“And they seemed focused on us up here. But the question is if that’s because of us or the food,” Rev said. “I’m guessing it’s the grub.”

This morning, Pika had told them they were going to make a food delivery to the village. It took a bit of explaining, as it would be more logical that the village, with very visible agricultural fields, would be feeding the castle.

From what Pika said, the Zfthu could grow most of their own food, but there were certain items that they needed that were difficult for them to cultivate. Rev didn’t know if there were greenhouses inside the castle somewhere or if whatever it was was fabricated in much the same manner as food was fabricated on the Galaxy Explorer.

“Are we going out on the delivery?” Randigold asked.

“Why not? It’s not like we’re doing much else at the moment. And our SOP says that any foray has to be accompanied by security. Look around. Do you see any other Marines?”

Rev didn’t think there was a threat, but he was bored, and if the SOP gave him ammunition to get out of the castle, then he was going to use it.

“Who’s going? You or me?”

“Why not both? We can set up a rotation after we get the lay of the land.”

Njuguna and her principals were in talks with the Po to determine where the civilian team was going to set up. The Po leadership suggested in the courtyard. Njuguna wanted to set up their camp outside the main gate so that they had easier access to both groups.

She was straddling a tough line. On the one hand, she didn’t want to offend their hosts by arguing, but on the other hand, staying inside the castle would probably be taken as a message to the Zfthu.

By now, Rev wasn’t the only one who thought the junior race might be in a decidedly inferior position to the more advanced Po. It was difficult to believe anything else simply because of what they could see with their own eyes.

Even the food delivery, which would seem to be an act of service, could actually be a sign of subjugation. Withholding decent food could be a powerful tool to get the recipients to toe the line.

In many ways, Rev was getting to like the Po. Pika was certainly a pleasant individual, and over the last two days, he’d met more. What he’d initially taken as indifference to them, he now felt was more of a deference, of trying not to impose on their guests.

But the whole enslavement thing was a tough pill to swallow. If it were true, then Rev would have to be on the side of the oppressed.

“Sergeant Major, we are about to leave,” Slash shouted from below.

Rev turned to look down into the courtyard. Most of the people were following Rev’s suit with animal and plant nicknames for the Po. Slash was different. With a white blaze across his snout and up into his crest, “Slash” seemed more appropriate.

It had the look of a scar to Rev, which didn’t make sense if the Po were that advanced on regeneration. None of the other Po he had seen had such a non-symmetrical marking, but it could be just a genetic anomaly or a fashion statement, for all Rev knew.

“Let’s go on down,” he told Randigold. “We don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“Him? So, you think Slash is a male?”

“Come on, Eth. What about Pika?”

They had no idea yet if the Po had genders, or if they did, how many? Jorge was already opining that along with their three eyes and eighteen legs, they might have three sexes. But with the naming, the humans were sliding into projecting genders on them that they thought matched the nicknames. It was certainly BS, but it was better than “it,” in Rev’s opinion. He’d always felt weird when the Genesians had referred to Punch as “it.”

“Pika’s a girl. Trust me on that. We’re sisters from a different mother,” Randigold said.

“If you say so.”

They ran down the stairs and into the courtyard where Slash, Beaver, Punch, and three of the civilians waited. Rev briefly wondered if having Punch there was a good idea, but it was going to happen eventually, so why not?

The cargo was a meter-and-a-half wide, milky-white translucent cube. It seemed to be lit from the inside, but Rev couldn’t make out any of the contents.

The gate whooshed open again—the speed in which it did so was still unsettling—and the cube lifted off the ground, where it hovered until Slash started walking out. Then it followed him like an obedient duckling.

Curious, Rev stepped closer and gave it a little shove. The cube slightly wavered but kept following Slash. He gave it a harder shove. Again, the slight waver. But it didn’t look like anything was going to keep it from its assigned task.

Humans had self-guiding pallets as well. But they worked on small repeller drives. It was possible to shove them off course without too much of an effort.

“How do you think that works?” Rev asked Punch as they made their way down to the village.

“I’m not sure. But I’d like to be able to examine it.”

“I bet the tech would be a gold mine to anyone who brought it back.”

“Which wouldn’t be you. You’re exiled, in case you forgot.”

“I know,” Rev said. “But a guy can dream, can’t he?”

The gentle slope led down to the Zfthu village, which was about two hundred meters away. It could be a European medieval town, if Rev squinted his eyes hard enough, with one- and two-story connected buildings and narrow, winding streets. To the far left, about 120 meters from the nearest side of the village, was a lone, eight-sided building that appeared markedly different from the rest of the structures. It didn’t look anything like the castle, but Rev wondered if it was a Po structure and, if so, what it was for. With eight sides, Rev immediately labeled it the “octagon.”

Ahead, at the leading edge of the village, twenty-three Zfthus waited. So far, Rev had never seen any of them move beyond that point, and he wondered if they were restricted from doing so. That would lend credence to the idea that they weren’t fully free.

The Zfthu had heads much like humans, and those heads were locked onto the approaching party. There was none of the shiftings of body positions, none of the grab-ass or conversation a group of humans might have. It was a little unnerving.

They were positioned in a line, but as Slash walked the cube into them, the line parted and formed an escort. Rev never saw the command, but Slash stopped, and the cube settled to the ground. Slash spoke in the guttural/hooting Zfthu language. One of them responded, and the top of the cube retracted.

The Zfthu crowded around and started lifting out bundles. They quickly disappeared into the warren of buildings with their prizes. Slash gave one last look into the cube, and then it closed.

“We shall return now,” he said.

The cube lifted off the ground and started floating after him.

Rev took a long look into the village. Two of the Zfthu were still in sight, but other than that, the place looked deserted.

Rev was strangely disappointed. It wasn’t only boredom that caused him to join the supply run. He was hoping to gain a little more perspective on the relationship between the two peoples, but it had been a whole lot of nothing. There had been no new insights.

Take food down in a floating cube. Let the Zfthu take the goods out. Return.

That’s it.

“Well, that was exciting,” Randigold said. “I’m so glad we didn’t miss it.”

“Let’s just hope everything stays boring for us, Eth.”

She looked around to see if any of the three civilians could hear her and half-whispered, “I know we’re not supposed to say this, but I almost wish some fighting would break out. Maybe not anything serious, but something to get the blood pounding.”

“You’re right. You’re not supposed to say that. Fighting means people are gonna get hurt.”

She looked sufficiently chastised, at least as much as she ever could be, given who she was, but Rev understood her. And while he’d never admit it, he often felt the same way.

He was a Marine, and Marines were trained to fight. He’d seen enough death and destruction to fill ten lifetimes, and he’d lost friends and relatives. He didn’t want any more of that. But still, on some level, he wanted the adrenaline rush that only combat could give.

That was the paradox. No one knew the horrors of war better than those who fought it. Yet those same people were the ones who often longed for the taste of combat.

Life was sweeter for those who’d faced death.

With a huge sigh, Rev followed the party back into the castle.

* * *

The breeze came up the valley, bringing with it exotic smells of the native vegetation. Rev breathed in, letting the aromas fill his head.

Doctor Rima had cleared the planet’s atmosphere as containing nothing that would harm humans, so the filter masks were gone. Rev was standing on the battlement, which he’d claimed as his spot.

“I wish you could feel this. A refreshing breeze. The perfect temperature. I don’t think I’ve been this comfortable on the ground since we left Safe Harbor.”

“What makes you think I can’t feel it,” Punch asked.

“You’ve got a metal skin. That’s why.”

“Which is full of sensors.”

Rev gave his friend a condescending look. “They might tell you that a breeze is hitting you, but can you feel it? I mean, really feel it?”

“That’s a question that would be extremely difficult to answer, and it would take a major effort. I can feel the breeze in that I know it’s there. But does my brain interpret it in the same manner as yours does? That’s difficult to tell.”

“Well, my friend, it’s too bad, because right now, it’s a pleasure.”

He looked out over the wide valley as the system’s sun dropped lower toward the ocean.

“It’s not just the breeze, Punch. It’s everything. Look at it out here. This place is gorgeous.”

“That, at least, I can tell. I know enough about what humans consider beautiful, and I have my own opinion on visuals that I find enjoyable, and this section of the planet fits the description. It is beautiful.”

“I wonder if it’s all natural. Maybe they engineered things to make it better.”

“Most of the sapient races had worked to alter their surroundings, so it certainly is possible.”

“If they did, they sure did it right.”

He took a moment to lean over the low wall. Below him, between the castle and village, the civilians were putting up a shelter. Njuguna had won that little confrontation. But it had been the Marines who erected the shelters on previous worlds, and the civilians were having problems. It had been four hours, and the walls weren’t even standing. As low as the sun was getting, it would be dark long before the shelter was up and running.

“Should I go down to help them?” Rev asked.

“One person won’t make that much of a difference. And I have to ask, have you actually put one up? Or has that always been Tomiko or Kelly?”

“Yeah, you’re right. As usual.”

He raised his head back to the view. He and Punch stood there in companionable silence.

This planet really is beautiful. I could settle down in a place like this and be happy.

“The gennies should’ve waited,” Rev said.

“This planet is already occupied by two races.”

“I know. But given Synty, I’d take here in a heartbeat. For now, though, I’ll just enjoy the view. Two more sunsets left.”

Tomiko had finally gotten him to commit to a time for the Marines to come down and for the two of them to switch positions. To be honest, he was OK with it. Without a threat, and with only Randigold and him, it was a little boring, and he did miss the girls.

“Speak for yourself. I’ll be staying,” Punch said.

“So, you’ve got so much to do here? Njuguna is giving you a place on her team?”

“A real Genesian would want to gather as much data as possible.”

“But you’re not a real Genesian.”

“But I am a curious being.”

“OK. Point taken.”

The two friends stood there, gazing in the distance. For a moment, Rev thought he saw a Sia high in the air, but as he focused, he could see it was some native flying creature he hadn’t seen before.

Several shouts from below grabbed his attention. One of the shelter’s walls had fallen and was laying flat on the ground. A dozen civilians were standing over it as if confused about what to do next. At the leading edge of the village, eight Zfthu were watching.

“How the heck did they do that? All you have to do is push the damn button, and the thing basically erects itself.”

“Maybe you do need to go help them,” Punch told him.

Rev took one more look at the setting sun, sighed, and said, “Maybe you’re right,” before he turned and headed down the stairs.

* * *

“The mother fucking sons of bitches,” Tomiko snarled.

Rev blanched. Tomiko used to swear enough to make a sailor blush, but after marrying Rev, and then more so after the girls entered their lives, she’d toned it down quite a bit. If she was going to open the call like this, something must be really bad.

“Calm down, Miko. What happened?”

“Nyad happened, the bastard!”

What now?

“Miko, you have to tell me what he did.”

“He’s taking over the shuttles; that’s what he’s doing.”

“They’re his shuttles. He already has them.”

“I mean tomorrow. He says he needs them.”

It all became clear. Tomiko and half of the Marines were scheduled to come down to the planet and start a two-week “security detail,” which was really just a reason to get them off the ship to relax in the Paradise that was Tylydina.

“What does he need them for?”

“He says he needs to get his sailors off the ship and give them some R&R. Rev, I want you to do something. Pull the security card.”

Rev grimaced. He was glad they were just using voice and not visuals for the call. The Marines needed the break, true. But the majority of the sailors hadn’t been off the ship since they embarked at Bare Rock Station. Some had made it down on Forty-five, but the buffalo had put a stop to that.

And from what Rev had experienced so far, Tylydina was the perfect place for the sailors to feel the dirt beneath their toes and feel the breeze on their faces. And swim call!

There was a good-sized creek adjacent to and below the Zfthu village that had a large pool. Rev, Randigold, Tiktik, and more than a few civilians had already splashed around in it. Rev had forgotten how wonderful and refreshing a swim could be.

But he couldn’t really tell Tomiko the sailors deserved it more than she and her Quick Reaction Team did.

“Miko, baby. I can’t tell him what to do. The shuttles are his.”

“Security, Rev. Security.”

“And we’ve been here for two weeks, Miko. There’s been no threat. Not even a hint.”

Rev still wasn’t a hundred percent comfortable with either the Po or Zfthu, but he had to admit that neither had done anything specific to make him suspicious.

Tomiko went silent, then finally said, “So, you’re not going to try?” Her voice was as cold as ice.

“No, no. I’ll try. But you know Nyad. It isn’t that bad, though.”

“Easy for you to say. You’ve just had a two-week vacation.”

“What I mean is that you can still come down tomorrow, just later. How long is Nyad planning on staying on the field trip?”

“He didn’t say, but it sounded like an overnighter, at least.”

That wasn’t good. After Seventy-one, where they’d almost lost it to the storm, the policy was that no more people than what could be extracted in a single lift of the three craft would be on a planet at the same time. If Nyad brought down enough sailors, then along with the team already on the ground, that could get sticky, and that would probably mean Tomiko and her Marines would have to wait.

“Well, we’ll see what happens. And if you’re delayed a day or two, we’ll extend it on the back end.”

“Damn right, we will!”

Rev needed an escape.

“Let me get Nyad on the comms, and I’ll see what I can do. OK?”

“Security, Rev. That’s the excuse.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

He cut the connection and stared at his wristcomp for a long minute. He knew Nyad wasn’t going to budge, and he really didn’t blame the man for looking out for his sailors. It was the right thing to do. Tomiko and her QRF were just going to have to wait.

But he told Tomiko that he’d try, and so he had to.

He put the call through his wristcomp, and a moment later, Nyad connected.

“What do you want, Sergeant Major?”

“Well, sir, it’s about this party I’m hearing about . . .”

OceanofPDF.com

25

As expected, Rev’s call fell on deaf ears. While he knew the sailors needed some downtime, Tomiko had been right about the security aspect. Their own SOP stated that no one could leave their camp without a security presence. Accepting that “camp” included the castle and the shelters outside—even if a Lamix hadn’t been erected to protect the latter—that still meant that either he or Randigold had to accompany the civilians into the Zfthu village. That had lasted for four days, with the two of them alternating with each foray.

Conflicting with their SOP, however, were the First Contact Protocols, which stated that unless there was a perceived threat, there was to be no show of military force.

“Do you see any threat?” Njuguna had asked when he objected to her team going into the village without security.

“No,” he had to admit. “But that doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist.”

Njuguna brushed that off and waved the protocols in his face. Rev had no choice but to accede. He tried to use the same argument with Nyad, requesting that Tomiko and her Marines come first, set up, and then the sailors could come down for their party.

The CO must have been talking to Njuguna because he used the same argument. Given the protocols—and the fact that Nyad owned the shuttles—Rev’s hands were tied. This went against his instincts, but there was nothing he could do about it.

So, the next day, Rev was standing with Njuguna, meeting the first shuttle as it landed in the courtyard. Lieutenant Nissen was flying, and he spotted Rev through his windshield and gave him a thumbs-up. Rev couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

Captain Nyad was the first one off the shuttle. Njuguna hadn’t thought he’d come, given that they tried to keep at least one of the three of them aboard the ship at all times. Rev was sure he’d come. The man had been upset that he hadn’t been on the FC, and time wouldn’t have calmed him down. He was the sort of man to let perceived slights fester.

He was all smiles, though, as he spotted the other two and strode over, hand outstretched.

“This is much more impressive in person,” he said as he shook their hands.

“Glad you can make it, Anthony,” Njuguna said. “We’ve been making great progress.”

“Yes, I’ve read the reports. I’m glad that I can finally get down here and see for myself, though.”

Njuguna’s smile hardened, but she did well to even keep it on her face.

“And who is this?” Nyad asked, stepping around them.

“This is Pika. She’s been assigned as our liaison,” Njuguna said.

“And their leadership?” Nyad asked.

Rev would swear the man seemed peeved.

“The Po are a different people,” Rev said. “They don’t like to impose on anyone.”

“But I can meet them, right?”

“Certainly, Captain,” Pika said. “If that is your desire.”

“I thought I’d give you the grand tour, Anthony,” Njuguna said. “And that would include meeting some of the other dragons.”

Rev bit back a smile. Dr. Njuguna was not a nickname kind of woman, but “Po” didn’t fall easily from the tongue. She’d recently adopted the dragon nickname when referring to them, especially as the Po themselves seemed to find it humorous after they were told the meaning of the word.

“And I’ll be handling the party. Who on your side is running it?”

“Talk to Umman,” Nyad said.

Gladly.

The first shuttle had emptied, and the passengers were clear, so it was just taking off. Nissen gave him another jaunty wave. He wouldn’t be going back to the ship, though. He’d park the shuttle outside the wall.

Rev spotted Umman in the mass of people. He gave the command master chief a shout to get his attention. Umman waved, and they met in the middle along the wall as the second shuttle came in to land.

“This is cool as shit,” Umman said. “It’s like some fantasy castle.”

“That’s what a lot of people think. Nyad says you’re honchoing the party?”

“We’re ready, but do you have a place for us? Not here, I hope. As cool as it looks, this would be like a steel beach party. We want dirt under our feet and long, long sightlines.”

“I figured that. How about alongside a creek where people can swim?”

Umman’s eyes lit up. “Swim? No shit?”

“I shit you not, Hank.”

“Perfect. Then, as soon as we’ve got everyone, let’s go.”

The second shuttle wasn’t all personnel. Several rolling vats came off the ramp.

“Chow,” Umman told Rev. “Some ’shine, too.”

“I don’t see Norton,” Rev said.

“Someone’s got to be in charge on the ship,” Umman said.

“Sucks to be him.”

“Nyad promised him he could come down later.”

The shuttle left to be replaced by the landing craft. Rev hadn’t liked that except for Clyburn in her Shrike, who was on standby alert and would stay that way for as long as Nyad and the sailors were on the surface, all three landing craft were going to be on the ground.

He’d argued that at least one of them should be in the air. He thought Nyad was just throwing him a bone to appease him after Rev lost the Tomiko argument; he agreed to have the landing craft take off and remain on station aloft.

With well over a hundred sailors in the courtyard, it was a clusterfuck of immense proportions. Sailors gawked at the castle and milled about. Some tried to wander off. In the end, it took almost a full hour after the landing craft left the courtyard before the gaggle was finally ready to move out.

The gate opened with its usual alacrity, and 102 sailors, more than two-thirds of the ship’s complement, followed Rev, Randigold, Punch, and Tiktik outside.

There were some impressive “awes” as the sailors took in the views. The morning was perfect, the sky so clear that Rev could easily see the tops of the far hills out beyond the horizon. Safe Harbor was known for its clean environment, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen air so clear in his life.

The civilian mission center was in full operation—the party wasn’t for them. There would be an entire shift in the main shelter, and from the battlement before the first shuttle arrived, Rev and Punch had seen eight researchers and three Po enter the village.

They passed alongside the octagon. Rev still didn’t know what the building was, and some of the sailors slowed down to peer inside the windows.

“Hey, look! Aliens,” one of the sailors said.

The rest swung around. At least thirty of the Zfthu were standing at the edge of the village watching the humans make their way down from the castle.

A hundred wristcomps started snapping holos as the excited sailors recorded the moment for posterity. There were the usual sailors turning around and trying to take their holosnaps with the Zfthu in the background.

“Keep moving,” Umman shouted.

But Rev caught him taking holosnaps as well.

Rev waved at the Zfthu. Njuguna’s team had told them that the wave was symbolic of peaceful relations, and they’d picked it up. Three of them waved back at Rev.

OK. I guess that’s better than none.

Over the course of the last two weeks, Rev had spent a total of eighteen hours with them, and he still didn’t have his finger on their pulse. They were withdrawn and reclusive.

While the Po left them generally alone, that was because of their professed desire not to bother their guests. The Zfthu seemed to be having as little to do as possible with the humans simply because they wanted to.

As a client-maybe-slave race to the Po, Randigold was of the opinion that they feared the humans were going to usurp their position. Rev wasn’t sure he bought that. It was more likely that they were just a reclusive race.

The sailors were in a good mood as they walked with songs and horseplay. They were like colts born in the barn and coming out into the open for the first time. It was completely understandable, and Rev smiled as he took in their excitement—excitement that only heightened once they crested the high banks and saw the swimming hole beneath them.

The lead sailors broke into a run. Umman tried to stop them, shouting that they needed to set up a lifeguard system, but he might as well have been trying to stop the tide from coming in. The first three sailors didn’t even pause to remove their work overalls but cannonballed right in, sending up huge splashes. Several more stopped to strip down before jumping in.

Tiktik and Boom streaked past Rev to join the sailors. The Kanters were a social race, and the two Kanters had seemed not quite themselves as the time away from the others had drawn on, but now they were full of energy again as they jumped in and swam circles around the humans.

“Maybe we should be calling them otters instead of lemmings,” Rev said with a laugh. “Look at them!”

Shouts and laughter filled the area.

“You’d think the squids have never seen water before,” Randigold said.

“Ha. I see what you did there. But really, for some of them, the only water they’ve seen during the expedition was in the kiddie pool in the hangar.”

The bulk of the sailors arrived, and Chief Hallison, the mess chief, took over, shanghaiing “volunteers” to set up the food. Rev edged over. When the first of the civilian team arrived on day three (and the tourists went back), they did bring some real food, just as Tomiko had said they would. That had been a welcome respite, but most of it was gone by day eight. This, by the look and smell of things, was going to be a feast.

He snuck in and swiped two pieces of fried chicken. The petty officer holding the tray started to protest until she recognized him.

Rev returned to Randigold and handed her one of the pieces. “Rank hath its privileges.”

Punch had watched the theft, but with his Genesian face, Rev couldn’t tell what he made of it. With his black-and-white sense of morality, he was probably disappointed.

“If you could smell this, you’d know why I took it,” Rev said before sinking his teeth into the crispy skin and reaching the moist meat underneath.

Juices ran down his chin, and he wiped one of his prosthetic fingers, then sucked it clean.

“I can smell it.”

Rev stopped mid-bite.

“You can smell this? This chicken?”

“The Genesian shell has the ability to pull molecules from the air and analyze them, then convey the signals into the olfactory cortex.”

Rev had never considered that, but it made sense. However, Punch didn’t have an olfactory cortex, and as he was designed to be an embedded AI, he wasn’t given the ability to sense smells.

He wanted to ask him how the shell was connecting the signals to him, or at least how he was interpreting them, but Randigold was right there beside him, and that might alert her that “Punt Six” was more than he seemed.

It was a needless worry.

“Wait a minute. You don’t even have an olfactory cortex,” Randigold said.

Rev froze for a moment, then slowly turned to her.

“Why do you think that?” he asked cautiously.

Randigold scowled. “Uh, because I’ve got a battle buddy, too, and I listened up at the lectures we got when I got her. What do you think?”

The half-eaten chicken leg was forgotten as Rev asked, “You know who Punt Six is?”

“Of course, I do.”

“How?” Rev asked as his face went pale.

“Duh! The gennies said our AIs were slaves, then you let them test all of our AIs. Then a new genny just happens to appear—Punt—and all of a sudden, you’re using a wristcomp?”

Rev had thought that only Tomiko, Kelly, and Wolf knew who Punch was, so this was a surprise. How many others knew?

“Who else knows?”

“Anyone who’s got half a brain does, I’m sure. But you didn’t brief us, so I figured it was on the down-low.”

Rev let that sink in. If Randigold had figured it out, then others might have as well. All the subterfuge to hide Punch’s identity might have been for naught.

“What do you think about this?” he asked Punch.

“I told you that you couldn’t keep this hidden. It seems as if I was right.”

“If you were hiding it, Sergeant Major, then maybe you should have picked another name rather than ‘Punt.’”

“It was hard enough for some people to accept the gennies. But this makes Punch an android.”

“And we all fear the Deimers, Sergeant Major. I get it. And don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”

She raised her prosthetic arm to Punch, who tapped it with his. They kept their arms raised while Randigold gave him an expectant look. Rev hurriedly joined his arm to the Three Musketeers salute.

“Sibs in Steel,” they said in unison.

I guess that’s right. If anyone can say it, Punch deserves to.

“Chow’s ready!” Chief Hallison shouted.

But the sailors hadn’t been on combat rats for the last two weeks. There was a general movement to the head of the line, but most of the sailors were enjoying the water, climbing on the rocks, or just chatting in small groups.

Normally, Rev would be among the last to eat, with only the four or five officers at the party going after him. But with so few grabbing their chow now, he figured it would be OK if he grabbed a plate. He and Randigold left Punch and fell in on the rear of the small initial line.

Rev’s attention was on the portable tables as he tried to see what else the chief had brought when Randigold nudged him.

“We’ve got company. They even brought the kids to see the crazy humans.”

Sure enough, there were more than a dozen Zfthu on the high ground between them and the village. Four of them were juveniles. They weren’t actually trying to stay out of sight, but they weren’t making themselves obvious as they watched, either.

“Maybe they don’t swim,” Rev said. “That would make us curiosities.”

“They’re kinda cute, for young’uns, that is.”

“You getting soft on me, Eth? I keep saying you’ve got to hook up before all the good ones are gone. We’ve got a limited gene pool, you know.”

“What is it with you and Strap, always trying to hook me up? And you’re assuming that we ever had any good ones in the first place?”

“What about Daryll?”

She rolled her eyes and scowled.

Rev had no idea if there really was anything between the two of them.

“I’m just telling you. You don’t want to be all alone in your old age as the crazy cat lady but without any cats.”

He winced as soon as he said it. Randigold would never get to old age. But she rescued him from his faux pas with mock outrage.

“Who’s the HR person in this expedition? You’re getting a little personal, Sergeant Major.”

“We’re Marines. We don’t have any. Now, grab a plate and start loading up before the rest of these squids decide they’re hungry.”

He willed the line to hurry, but finally, he was dishing up Centauri Salad, Minmin Taters, and Southern Fried Chicken. There was more, including dessert, but those were going to have to wait until he cleared some room on the plate—and maybe his belly, too, from the looks of the bounty spread before him.

“Hey, Chief. This looks good, but you needed to bring bigger plates!” he told the mess chief.

Hallison laughed and waved at Rev when something slammed into his chest. His eyes widened in shock, and he collapsed.

Rev dropped his full plate to the ground, pulled out his MF-30, and wheeled around. The group of Zfthu who’d been watching them were no longer standing in the open at the top of the high ground. Now, they were taking cover behind the trees and rocks.

One stepped to the side of a large rock and raised something that looked like a cross between a crossbow and an arquebus. Rev didn’t need to recognize exactly what it was to know a weapon when he saw one.

The Zfthu was about fifty meters from Rev. That would be no problem with Pashu, but it was a long shot with an MF-30, especially as he hadn’t fired one in over three years, and that was on the range.

“Get out of the water!” he shouted as he leveled his handgun and took a single measured shot while his warrior self rushed to the fore.

To his utter surprise, the two-millimeter dart took the alien high in the shoulder, spinning it around and down.

More Zfthu flitted among the trees, firing their weapons, which made snapping sounds. Another sailor was flung back into the tables, knocking serving trays off and onto the ground, making a clatter that finally seemed to catch people’s attention.

Talik, one of Doctor Rima’s medtechs, took several steps toward the sailor, when he was struck in the back and fell on top of her.

Screams broke the peace as sailors started scrambling out of the water.

“Eth! Punch! Get them together and head back to the castle,” he yelled.

Then initiated Priority 1-A and shouted into his wristcomp, “Miko! Activate the QRF and get your asses down here. We’re being attacked by the yetis. And get some fire support on us!”

He didn’t wait for a response. Under Priority 1-A, the message would keep getting repeated until the recipient, in this case, Tomiko, acknowledged it.

With that done, he had to let the civilians know what was happening. They had people outside of the castle as well.

He ordered his wristcomp onto the general line.

“This is Sergeant Major Pelletier. We’re being attacked by yetis. All hands, get back to the castle now!”

A voice Rev didn’t recognize said, “Team Two is being attacked now, too. This is fucked up! But I think they’re trying to get back.”

That was it. An unknown voice saying things were fucked up.

Rev couldn’t do much for anyone else now. He had to let them try and deal with the situation while he got his sailors to safety.

This wasn’t going to be easy. Most of the sailors were in full panic mode. Rev briefly caught a glimpse of Lieutenant Zybar trying to create a sense of order.

But he had to trust him, Punch, and Randigold. More bolts were whistling in from the high ground, and around him, sailors were dropping.

Rev let instinct take over. His MF-30 was not an IBHU by a long shot and was a self-defense weapon, but it was all he had. He charged up the hill, his legs churning the soil under his tread. A Zfthu saw him and fired a quick shot that sent a black bolt well over Rev’s head. Rev fired twice as the alien scrambled backward. The second dart took it in the back, sending it face-first into the dirt, where it kicked once, then went still.

With two more strides, Rev gained the high ground. The creek had cut a ten-meter-deep gully through the forest floor, thirty-five meters wide at the swimming hole, narrower downstream. From where he was at the top, between the swimming hole and the village, he could see at least twenty or twenty-five Zfthu firing into the gully. Another twenty were rushing to join them.

In the village, the sounds of screams—human screams—reached him, and he could see what looked to be hundreds of Zfthu, most armed with various weapons and what looked like agricultural tools.

This wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment attack. This was something that had been planned for a while.

Like maybe two weeks.

The details and the why of what was happening weren’t his main concern now. The sailors were in a kill sack, and they weren’t armed. If they were going to escape, Rev had to break the assault.

He risked a quick look down into the site. Randigold was physically pushing sailors to get them moving while Punch and Zybar were rounding up the others. Umman was trying to lift Chief Hallison’s limp body.

More sailors were falling under the heavy onslaught of fire.

That was all he had time for. Rev charged down the ambush position. He killed one Zfthu who’d been so intent on firing at the sailors that it never considered its flank. The next one saw Rev but couldn’t swing its big weapon around before Rev placed two darts in its face.

There’d been some debate on whether the Zfthu’s head housed a brain or was more of a periscope of sorts for its eyes. This Zythu instantly went limp in death.

I guess it’s a brain, after all.

A bolt slammed into the tree centimeters from Rev’s right knee. Rev darted to the side but kept forward motion.

You’re not in a PAL, Reverent. You’re not invulnerable.

More bolts clattered off the tree trunks, these coming from the Zfthu rushing in from the village. One was deflected, the shaft hitting Rev in the shoulder before bounding off. His right hand went numb, and he dropped the handgun.

“Shit!”

He picked it up with his prosthesis. Rev had fired an MF-30 with his social arm before, but that was years ago. Why would he ever resort to that when his left combat arm was an IBHU?

He took cover behind a tree trunk and fired at the onrushing Zfthu, sending at least ten darts. It was a miracle that he hit any of them, but one dropped hard, and another was hit in the leg.

At least it let the others know he had teeth, and they scattered to take cover.

Rev glanced at the LED. He wasn’t a big fan of the MF-30. He liked big rounds instead of little darts. But the advantage of darts was that the magazine could carry a lot of rounds in a single brick. A “94” flashed at him.

The rush from the village might have paused, but the initial ambush was still active. No one seemed to realize that there was a lion in their midst, and Rev was going to make them pay before the others got up enough nerve to rush him.

He flexed his right fingers, trying to will feeling back, before searching for his next target. And there it was. Between branches, Rev caught sight of part of a torso prone on the ground. He took his time, using his sight picture, then barely squeezed off a shot. At this range, the dart was almost like shooting a laser. It passed between the branches and slammed into the Zfthu, who immediately screamed like a rabbit in a fox’s jaws and rolled out of sight.

Now Rev had to move. He couldn’t afford to creep through the trees and rocks, hoping to spot another target. His people were dying down at the creek, and the longer he took, the more would fall.

Rev started running, sweeping the area for a target. He rounded a rock and tripped over a prone body. He wasn’t sure who was more surprised. But he was sure who reacted quicker.

He’d dropped his MF-30 in the collision, but he had to do something. Rev pushed off with his right leg and threw his body into the Zfthu. He slammed the closed fist of his social arm into the thing’s face again and again.

The Zfthu braced its own feet and pushed away. It was much, much stronger than it looked, and it almost succeeded in creating space between them. But Rev managed to hook his still-tingling right hand in the crossed belts on its chest.

He smashed the alien five, six more times until the face collapsed inward on itself in a fountain of orange blood.

Rev was breathing hard, both from adrenaline and just being out of shape. He spared a single curse for the rot and scrambled to find his MF-30. It took five long, panicky seconds before he spotted it. He automatically picked it up with his right hand before he realized that the numbness was almost gone.

Thank the Mother for small favors.

A slightly numb right hand could shoot better than his prosthetic left hand.

He glanced at the Zfthu’s weapon, briefly wondering if he should take it. But he had no idea how it worked, so he left it there and started moving again.

He could see into the swimming hole from here. There were a few stragglers, with Zybar pulling up the rear, but most of the sailors were already out of sight, moving up the creek. Three bodies were floating face down in the water, slowly drifting downstream.

Rev hesitated for a moment when four Zfthu broke from their positions to chase the humans. At this range, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Rev only needed six darts to send all four tumbling down the slope, one dead Zfthu reaching the creek with a splash just as a human body passed it. Together, they continued on their death journey downstream.

Hoots and shrieks echoed around him, and Rev’s warrior urged him to root the enemy out. But his rational side knew his place was with his charges, not ramboing it here.

Rev was still winded, but that was life. Or death, as the case might be. He took two deep breaths, then broke out from the cover of the rocks and trees and sprinted toward the retreating sailors.

There were more hoots and shouts as the Zfthu spotted Rev, and bolts chased him as he ran. Maybe they underestimated his speed, or maybe they were just bad shots, but almost all of the bolts hit behind him.

Almost wasn’t all. One bolt tore through his utility blouse and scored his side. He could feel blood start to flow down to his hip. His side burned, but he thought the subcutaneous mesh that helped support the weight of his IBHU might have diverted the bolt just enough so that it didn’t penetrate into his organs but rather ripped open his skin in a long gash.

It didn’t slow him down, though. He poured on the speed, vaulting rocks and a fallen tree to reach the sailors.

A Zfthu rushed to cut him off. It should have just shot him. Rev fired his MF-30, and at least one dart connected. The alien stumbled to one knee, then put out a hand as if to keep itself upright before collapsing.

With five more bounds, Rev was around the bend of the creek and momentarily out of the line of sight of the ambushers.

The depth of the gully was getting shallower. Up ahead, he knew the creek curved to the right and was diverted around and past the castle and into the distance, where it was fed by the waterfall. If they could get to the bend, they’d be less than two hundred meters to the gate and what he hoped was safety.

Rev caught up with the last of the sailors. Lieutenant Zybar was pulling along one who had blood soaking his left overall leg. The sailor was hopping, his arm around the lieutenant’s shoulder.

Rev was stronger than the lieutenant, and his initial inclination was to stop and help, but he was the only one with a weapon, as far as he knew, and he had to be able to employ it without being encumbered.

“Come on, Lieutenant. You’ve got this,” he said as he fell in behind the two.

Someone ahead went down screaming. Rev bolted forward several strides before he saw the Zfthu at the top of the slope, its weapon aimed into the mass of fleeing sailors. It fired again, a split second before Rev could hit it.

Another sailor went down. Two more stopped to grab her arms and drag the limp body along.

I can’t see what’s happening!

Downstream, the creek seemed natural. Further upstream, its path had been artificially rerouted—from the looks of it, to send water to the village as well as go around the castle.

The lead sailors had already reached the artificial stream bed, and that exposed them to the village. Two more were hit, one going down hard.

Rev left Zybar behind as he sprinted forward until he could see the Zfthu settlement. Several things registered at once. A Po was rushing toward the castle, its eighteen small legs pushing it along at a surprising pace.

The speed didn’t do them much good. First, a Zfthu jumped out of cover to stand in front of the Po, arms outstretched to stop them. The Po had about twice the mass of the Zfthu. Rev expected the Po to bowl over the other alien, but instead, they tried to avoid it, darting around. That slowed their forward momentum, and a bolt took the Po in the back, just above the shoulders, knocking them down as five or six more bolts pincushioned the alien.

It was five or six bolts because there was an entire mob of Zfthu chasing the Po, a carpet of angry bodies that seemed to cover the ground. There was no sign of the civilian team.

Rev instinctively shot five darts into the mass of aliens before fire discipline took hold. He checked his dart count; he had sixty-eight darts left, and there were at least that many Zfthu ahead of them.

There was no way the sailors would be able to reach the castle without being cut off. The moment they realized the Po was dead, they’d start looking around, and when they saw the sailors, they’d reorient on them.

Not part of the mob, a Zfthu appeared on this side of the village. Rev was on automatic. He fired a quick shot that ran true and dropped the attacker before it could fire, all while his mind raced to figure out a course of action.

He gave a quick glance to the right, away from the village. They could scatter, but from the looks of it, there were a hell of a lot more Zfthu than there were humans, and this was their backyard. All running would do would be to delay the inevitable. Maybe by spreading out, some could survive until Tomiko and the QRF arrived, but then they’d have to somehow be gathered and evacuated.

They could try to fight their way to the castle, and maybe a few might make it. But most would not.

He needed someplace he might be able to hold until the QRF got there. That left one option.

“Punch! Eth!” he bellowed at the top of his voice. ‘The octagon! Get everyone inside.”

A prosthetic arm raised above the rush of sailors and waved, and within a few moments, there was a slight shift in direction toward the building . . . and toward the Zfthu. It was going to be a race to see if the humans could get there before the aliens reacted.

Which didn’t take long. With their Po quarry dead, most of the Zfthu diverted to the research shelter. Rev hoped that those on duty there had managed to get out and back to the safety of the castle. Other Zfthu turned back toward the village, which allowed them to spot the humans in the creek gully.

With hoots and barks, they pointed exactly as a human would. Most of the ones that had turned back were armed with what looked to be agricultural tools. They broke into a run to clash with the sailors.

There were a few screams from the humans as they tried to break into a sprint. Some were able to. Others were wounded.

Either the human screams or the Zfthu barks alerted the better-armed group that was heading to the castle. Rev thought that the octagon blocked that group’s view of most of the humans for a moment, and he wanted to maximize that. He broke off to the left and ran toward the village. He fired five more darts. This was well beyond the handgun’s maximum effective range, but without a chemical explosion that would cause a loud report, he needed to hit somebody for them to know he was firing at them.

Unfortunately, none of them fell, but they sure saw him. Bolts started falling around him, but he was unscathed as he seemingly charged the village. Maybe he was out of their effective range as well.

He switched targets and hit two of the tool-wielding attackers. That caught their attention, and they scattered before him. The others saw that, and probably sensing Rev as a threat to the village, they altered their course to cut him off.

As long as they weren’t heading to the sailors, Rev was fine with that.

A bolt struck him on the side of his knee. It felt like he’d been kicked by a mule. But the heavy joint reinforcement stopped it from crippling him. Rev fired another three darts, then reached down and pulled the bolt out.

His knee was screaming, but it still held his weight.

He’d been lucky so far, but there was no doubt that a flush shot from close in could penetrate to one of his vital organs. At some point, and soon, his luck was going to run out.

Rev felt more than heard the pounding behind him. He spun around, MF-30 ready, but it was Punch, who’d taken off his shirt, his metallic torso gleaming in the sun.

His battle buddy charged the Zfthu, and Rev was almost forgotten as they focused on this new alien demon who’d invaded their turf.

“Get back to the octagon,” Punch said as he charged past.

That wasn’t going to happen. Rev pushed through the pain in his knee and started to follow.

“Back, Rev. The bolts won’t penetrate my shell!”

As proof, two bolts hit him, one high on the chest, one on a leg. Both ricocheted off.

“They need your help.”

Rev risked a glance down at the octagon. Several sailors were trying to force open the only door in sight. It wasn’t working. There was a crash as a window broke, then people were being bodily thrown through it by the other sailors.

Punch was angling away from the armed group, back toward the swimming hole. Five or six Zfthu in that direction faded back into the buildings.

“Shit!” Rev shouted as he turned and sprinted down the slope to the octagon.

A few bolts chased him, but most of the Zfthu’s attention was on Punch. Another window broke, but there were still a lot of sailors to get through two windows.

Rev sped up and reached the mass of bodies crowding the octagon. Randigold was trying to control the sailors, and a few were heeding her, but most were simply trying to get into the building.

Rev pushed several of them aside and smashed the last window on this side of the building with his prosthetic arm.

“You and you. You’re in charge. Get bodies inside,” he told two of the larger sailors.

He grabbed a panic-stricken young sailor and pushed her at one of them. The man caught her and looked at Rev, then it all kicked in. He picked up the young sailor and shoved her through the window.

Between Randigold and him, and then joined by Umman, they gained a modicum of control, and the entry process developed. Several sailors took over to feed bodies to those shoving people through.

Zybar, still helping the wounded sailor, huffed and puffed as he finally arrived. He started to say something to Rev, when a bolt sunk itself in his shoulder and penetrated through to hit the chest of the sailor he was assisting. Another bolt hit the wall of the octagon and bounced off. A sailor screamed in pain.

Rev broke free and jumped to where he could see what was happening.

Punch was running parallel to the edge of the village, and it seemed as if half of the planet was chasing him. But not all. A group of about twenty were heading down the hill toward them.

Behind him, there were at least fifty sailors still outside. They weren’t going to find cover before the Zfthu reached them.

“Well, hell.”

Rev crouched behind a rock. It wasn’t much cover, but he could at least use it to steady his arm as he fired.

He took several deep breaths and tried to slow his pulse. An MF-30 was not a sniper rifle, but marksmanship was marksmanship.

He started targeting the onrushing Zfthu.

Good sight picture. Squeeze the trigger. One shot, one kill.

His first shot dropped the nearest Zfthu. His second connected as well, and they seemed to realize what was happening. They dropped to take any cover they could. But they were higher on the hill where the cover was minimal. Rev shot the hip of one Zfthu who couldn’t get its entire body behind a rock. He hit another mid-chest as it tried to bound forward. Then it was a miss.

He was aware of Punch in the distance, and when his battle buddy quickly changed direction, he changed his focus for a moment. A Zfthu had jumped up out of seemingly nowhere, a large metal instrument in its hands. As it swung down on the charging AI, Punch hit it low and hard. Rev could almost hear the thing’s back break as Punch kept running.

“There goes our argument, Buddy,” Rev muttered.

Once Punch’s true nature was revealed, they’d planned to say that he was programmed to be unable to harm another living being—something he’d just proven to be a lie, judging from the limp body up the hill.

Not that he blamed him. That was for another time, though. A bolt hit the rock Rev was using as cover, sending several chips into his face.

Rev spared one last glance as Punch disappeared over the rise with a mob after him, then he was back to picking targets. His dart count kept creeping down. Even with the rock to steady his arm, he was now missing half of the shots as the Zfthu started using better military tactics.

He didn’t have to kill them all, though. As long as they stayed off long enough for the sailors to gain the inside of the building, then that was a win.

More Zfthu from inside the village started to join those in front of Rev. He managed to hit one, but that didn’t slow the rest down much.

“Rev, what’s your situation?” The most beautiful voice in the galaxy came over his comms.

He looked up in the sky, but there was no sign of the landing craft.

He’d been a Marine too long, and he reverted to military speak and tone.

“I’ve got a hundred sailors attempting egress into the octagon and three hundred yetis in a general assault on humans and Po. Twenty-plus yetis, armed with crossbows, are assaulting our position, with forty or fifty more joining them. Most yetis are armed with tools and agricultural implements. I need you to intervene between the village and octagon.”

“Understood. I’m trying to get eyes on the battle area.”

“What’s your ETA, Miko?”

“We just passed the NOCOMMS. Give us twenty-one minutes.”

“Can you get orbital fire? We need it. Danger close.”

“Can’t. That needs Nyad’s codes, and we can’t reach him.”

“He’s in the damn castle!”

“He’s not answering, Rev. And they can’t unlock the guns without the code.”

“Fuck!” he shouted just as a Zfthu jumped up out of seemingly thin air not twelve meters from him.

Rev shot it, letting his anger flow. Not being able to get orbital fire was ridiculous. There was a procedure for recovering the codes should something happen to the CO, but that would take hours. It shouldn’t have come to that, though. If Nyad was on the planet, then Norton should already have them.

Screwed up Navy procedures!

“Miko, I don’t know if we can hold. Get your ass down here.”

“You damn well better hold, Rev. Just twenty more minutes.”

“Sergeant Major!” a sailor shouted from behind him. “The sergeant says for you to get your ass back down here.”

Rev risked a quick look. There were about eight sailors and Randigold left outside. Arms from inside were reaching through the windows to pull the others in.

In front of him were at least a hundred Zfthu. Rev wasn’t familiar with them as an opponent, but he’d been in a lot of battles in his life, and he could feel the anticipation in the air. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they were not going to let a single human hold them off. They were going to charge.

“Shit!” he said, then, “Gotta go, Miko. Get here quick.”

Before he could have second thoughts, he jumped to his feet and bolted toward the octagon. A moment later, he heard the barking of a hundred voices as the Zfthu rose to their feet and gave chase. A few bolts clattered around him, but it looked like they wanted to close in and do this hand-to-hand.

Randigold was pushing on the butt of a huge sailor while others were pulling on him. The big body finally slipped inside. Randigold turned to Rev and took a step toward him.

“Get your ass inside!” he shouted as he angled for the next window over. Faces peered out at him, and two arms reached through.

“Get out of the way!”

Zfthu to his left suddenly appeared and began to close in.

The bastards were going to flank me.

He’d never seen them maneuver, and that might cost him his life.

He put on a burst of speed, getting every bit out of his tired legs. A Zfthu, quicker than the others, sped up as well. It reached the corner of the octagon just as Rev hit the final fifteen meters.

It tried to dive at Rev with a tackle that would make a flipball coach proud. But Rev had played, too, and he knew what to do. As his right foot hit the ground, he twisted and put every ounce of his strength into the punch that hit the Zfthu in the back of the head just as its arms started to wrap themselves around Rev’s waist.

It crumpled at his feet. Three more strides and Rev launched himself in the air. Frightened sailor faces dove out of the way as 230 kg of Marine rocketed through the opening.

His wounded side slammed into the window sill, then his leg hit hard, spinning him around. He landed on the floor sideways and with force, bowling over three sailors who’d been standing in the way.

He looked to his right even before he stopped bouncing. Randigold was bodily yanked through and landed on the floor.

Two bolts shot through that window to smash into a machine that dominated the middle of the room.

“Everybody, get away from the windows!” Rev shouted as he scrambled to his feet.

He rushed to the edge of the window he’d come through. This is what they invented Optisights for, but of course, he didn’t have one.

Always come prepared, Reverent, rules be damned.

If he hadn’t ignored the rules, he wouldn’t even have his MF-30, which might be the only thing between them and being overrun.

Even without an Optisight, Rev had to see what was happening. He edged his head around. Punch was not in sight, and some of those who’d been chasing him were returning. Rev hoped that was because his buddy had gotten away, but he feared that wasn’t the case. Genesian shell or not, he wasn’t invulnerable, and that had been a lot of Zfthu chasing him.

He had to compartmentalize. He couldn’t worry about Punch now when the rest of them were under a huge threat. The Zfthu, seeing their prey escape into the building, were not going to let that be the end of it. More and more were rising from whatever cover they’d used and were advancing. Rev fired five more darts, hitting three. That gave him a momentary pause, but he knew it wouldn’t last.

Stepping back, he took in the building. It seemed larger than it had looked from the outside. In the center was a contraption of pipes and machinery—his initial impression was that it was a pump, maybe to get water from the creek to the village. For a moment, he wondered if he could use it as a hostage of sorts. Surely the Zfthu didn’t want it damaged.

But he immediately dismissed that. The last twenty minutes had convinced him that the Zfthu were playing for keeps.

There wasn’t much else there. A meter-high box made of what looked like the same translucent material he’d seen for the Po lifter that had carried the food to the Zfthu. The outward appearance had been enough for Rev to assume the building was Po-made, but the box confirmed that in his mind.

He didn’t see anything that he could use as a weapon, not that he’d thought there would be. But he needed to think of something to hold off the Zfthu until Tomiko could get there.

The sailors were huddling. While some were whimpering, most of the panic seemed to be shifting to anger as what had happened sunk in. Rev knew he had to make use of that anger.

Long ago, Punch had told him the story of Horatius Cocles, the Roman Republic army officer who’d held off the attacking Clusium force at the Pons Sublicius, the bridge leading into Rome proper. Maybe because Rev had often felt it was him standing alone against the galaxy, the story had resonated with him, and it had motivated him during battles several times in his career.

The octagon was not a bridge. But the same concept of limited passage allowing a smaller force to hold back a larger force was in place here. There was a door into the building that the sailors couldn’t open, and if this really was Po-made, then it made sense that they wouldn’t allow the Zfthu access. That left eight windows. If they could block them . . .

“Listen up,” he shouted, gaining their attention. “You, you, and you,” he said, pointing at three sailors who looked angry. “Position yourself at that window. If any of the yetis try to come in, you don’t let them. Understand?”

“Fuck yeah!” one of them said as he punched his open hand with his opposite fist.

The three pushed their way to Rev’s window. One passed in front of it just as a bolt flew in, barely missing him.

“And don’t expose yourself.” He then addressed the rest. “We’ve got eight windows. I want them all covered.”

“What use is it? There’re so many of them!” one of the engineering officers said.

Rev started to snap at him, but then he realized they didn’t know that the QRF was on its way.

“We don’t have to hold them off forever. Gunnery Sergeant Pelletier is on her way with the QRF. We only have to hold off the yetis for fifteen minutes.”

That got their attention. Rev could see the hope wash over them. Hope and determination.

That determination almost broke as first one, then another bolt flew across the space, each hitting a sailor. Two Zfthu were leaning in the third broken window, the one on the end. With their weapons actually inside, the pump offered the only cover, and precious little of it.

There were twenty or more sailors between him and the window, but Rev started to push bodies out of the way. Four sailors, closer to the window, beat him. They fell upon it. One of them took a bolt through the stomach, but the other three grabbed the weapons and yanked. A weapon was released, but the other Zfthu fought, and in the struggle, was pulled through the window and into the building.

The three sailors seemed shocked for a moment as if they didn’t know what to do.

Only for a moment.

With inarticulate shouts, they fell on the Zfthu, punching and kicking. More sailors joined them. Rev reached them, then stepped back. There was nothing more he could do.

“Rev!” Randigold, who’d stayed by her window, called out.

He hurried over.

“There have to be hundreds out there,” she said, pointing at the window.

Rev peeked out. She was right. More and more were in a wave of flesh as they poured out of the village, more than he’d imagined could live there. In a couple of minutes, they’d reached the fifty or sixty who were advancing in a decent rendition of a Marine assault.

Not perfect. Several exposed themselves too much in their rushes. Rev took a moment to remind them of their mistake, managing to drop several before a volley of bolts flew at him. He could see them coming, and he ducked back before they hit. Three of four made it through the window to skip across the floor and make sailors dodge, while the rest hit the outside wall.

The nearest Zfthu were conducting controlled rushes, but from what he saw, the mob rushing to join them was just going to try to overrun them in a tsunami of violence.

The sailors weren’t moving quickly enough for him. “Get those windows covered! Now!”

He had to let the QRF know what was going on.

“Miko, we’ve all made it inside the octagon, and there’re now hundreds of yetis heading our way.”

“Roger that. So, everything outside of the building is a free fire zone?”

Rev hesitated. “There was a civilian team and some dragons in the village, and I don’t know what happened in the research shelters.”

“So, the village itself and the shelters are a restricted fire zone?”

Rev had seen the running Po get killed. In his heart, he knew that if there was anyone still in the village, they were dead. And if what he’d just seen, the village was crawling with Zfthu who wanted that for every human and Po on the planet.

Punch was out there, too, but if he was still alive, he wouldn’t be near the village.

He had to make one of those command decisions that he knew he’d second guess forever.

“No. Free fire in the village. Use your judgment on the shelters.”

Tomiko didn’t question him. “Roger that. We’re on our way.

Rev had seen a lot of tools being carried, but evidently enough of them were carrying the crossbows. The bolts sounded like hail hitting a tin roof. And some were making it through the three broken windows. Not everyone could get out of the way, and screams filled the building as people were hit.

A fourth window broke with a crash, sending shards into the sailors who’d been huddling near it to keep out of the line of fire from the other three.

Zfthu had reached the building, and fights were breaking out at the four windows. Two, then three of the defenders went down, but they were either beating the Zfthu back or pulling them inside, where the rest of the sailors descended on them like schools of piranha.

A Zfthu was yanked inside through Rev’s window. It hit the floor hard as it barked and fought. Rev didn’t watch. Another ten or twelve were within five meters of the window. At this range, Rev couldn’t miss. He fired his MF-30, trying not to look at the dart count.

Several of the Zfthu darted to the side, but more kept coming. Bodies were piling up, but the next ones clambered over them in their eagerness to get at the humans.

Rev kept shooting—one target, one kill. He ignored those that reached the window, trusting his sailors to take care of them, as he maneuvered to get a clear shot at those farther away.

And then his MF-30 beeped, and the indicator went red. He was out.

He took a quick look around the building to take in a kaleidoscope of action that was hard to make sense of. More windows had been broken. Two Zfthu had made it inside and were swinging the long, hoe-like tool. One connected with a sailor’s head before more overwhelmed the enemy.

Everywhere, hand-to-hand fighting had broken out. To his left, Randigold was locked in a death struggle with a giant Zfthu. Rev started to go to help when a hand grabbed at him and spun him around.

The Zfthu was trying to pull him closer to be able to stick him with a long, narrow spike.

Rev let his warrior self free. With a snarl, he swung his prosthetic arm, the fist crushing half of the Zfthu’s face and sending a jolt through his shoulder that went all the way down to his feet.

An arm reached in, and he slammed his own arm down on it, breaking it with a satisfying snap.

The next few minutes were a blur. Zfthu tried to get to him through the bodies of their dead. Rev and Petty Officer Houta were a team, creating an impassable barrier at the window.

It was smash, twist, and grab. Anything. A bolt went through his right upper arm, and he was being cut, but nothing was going to stop him. He was vaguely aware of more and more Zfthu gaining the inside of the building, but his focus was on his window.

Rev wasn’t completely lost in the heat of the battle, though. He could see what was happening. Zfthu were hacking away at the walls with axes, and an unending wave of them were making their way down the slope.

An axe head penetrated the wall between him and Randigold, and Rev knew that was the beginning of the end. Once they breached it, there was nothing they’d be able to do.

“Stop them from breaking through,” he told Houta. “I’ve got this.”

“You sure?”

“Go.”

Houta moved to where the axes were tearing up the wall.

Rev adjusted his position to cover the entire window. He stepped on Lieutenant Beaton’s body, which made him stumble. That gave one of the Zfthu its shot. It half jumped, half pulled itself through, then launched at Rev and slammed into his chest.

Rev tried to brace his feet, but Beaton’s body wouldn’t allow that. Instead, he embraced the Zfthu, using its momentum to push both of them free. The Zfthu had one of the spikes, and it tried to drive it under Rev’s chin, but now, it didn’t have leverage. Rev stopped the arm.

The Zfthu was far stronger than it looked, but Rev was more powerful. He bent the arm until the spike’s tip was pointed at it. The Zfthu realized its predicament and tried to drop the spike, but Rev wrapped his fingers around its hand and, with a grunt, shoved the spike into the base of its neck, driving it past whatever the thing had in the place of human bones.

There was a gurgle and a spray of orange blood, and the Zfthu collapsed.

Rev scrambled to his feet, knowing that he’d just left the window unprotected. To his surprise, though, there weren’t bodies crawling in. He jumped to the opening, ready to fight, but the Zfthu had turned around and were looking away.

Rev craned his head until he saw what looked to be the hands of the gods sweeping swathes through the mass on the slopes. With his adrenaline pumping and his warrior self in full control, it took him a moment to understand what was happening.

The Charon!

The landing craft was not designed as a ground support craft, but it did have a 30mm cannon, and the big rounds defeated mortal flesh every time.

“You still with us?” Tomiko asked over the comms.

“Alive and kicking, but you were cutting it close. Keep up the fire.”

The nearest Zfthu seemed to be losing their interest in the humans in the building.

Gee, I wonder why?

Some of them were edging away, while others were in full flight as the Charon came into view, its cannon spewing death. Rev wanted to cheer.

Something crashed into Rev’s side, almost knocking him down. He’d been momentarily mesmerized by the destruction, but there were still Zfthu inside the building, and two sailors and a Zfthu had crashed into him. Rev waded in and landed a punch over one of the sailor’s shoulders, and the Zfthu went limp.

He spun around to see what was happening. Several windows still had action as Zfthu tried to enter, but at the three windows nearest Rev, where the enemy had full view of the Charon, the Zfthu had stopped trying.

“Help the others,” Rev told those nearest him.

He ran across the room, vaulting dead and wounded sailors and Zfthu. At over two hundred kilograms, Rev was a force to be reckoned with. A Zfthu was swinging a long metal instrument, holding several sailors at bay. Rev charged. His target sensed him at the last second and tried to turn to face him, but it might as well have been trying to stop a tornado. With a tackle that would have made his flipball coach proud, Rev crashed into it. The long metal blade went flying as the Zfthu almost bent in half under the impact.

The nearest sailors fell upon the barely moving Zfthu, and Rev was already looking for more targets. But the tide had turned. One of them managed to jump back out of a window, but the rest were being taken down.

There wasn’t much more he could contribute to that, so he ran back to his window to look out. The Charon was still firing, but as the Zfthu started to scatter, they were dispersing, which made the landing craft less effective. Either that or maybe the initial shock was wearing off because some of them were taking cover and firing ineffective bolts at the landing craft.

They weren’t cowards, that was for sure.

“The Charon’s running low on ammo,” Tomiko said. “And there are more of the yetis heading toward the village. We’re going to put down.”

Rev’s heart jumped at the thought of her landing in the middle of a battlefield.

“Get everyone ready to move. We’ll cover you.”

“Roger that. We’ll be ready.”

“Houta, will that door open from the inside?” he asked while he pointed at the lone entrance into the octagon.

A couple of other closer sailors tested it, then gave a thumbs-up.

“OK, then. Listen up. The QRF’s about to land and cover us, but they can’t hold off the yetis for long. We’ve got two hundred meters to cover to get to the gate. I need everyone ready. Help those who need it, and when I say go, I mean go!”

Some of the surviving sailors started to look panicked again, but most of them had determined looks on their faces. They were going to do it. One of the chiefs took charge and started organizing everyone. Rev spotted a sailor trying to lift Lieutenant Zybar, who was pale and unconscious or dead. The lieutenant’s body was limp, and she was having trouble.

Rev stepped in and hoisted Zybar to his shoulder. “I’ve got him.”

Then a thought hit him, and he went back to the open line.

“Anyone in the castle. We’re going to be running back any moment now. Make sure the dragons open the damn gate.”

No one replied, and he had visions of them reaching the gate only to be stuck outside.

“One minute,” Tomiko said.

Rev repeated that, then moved to the closest window to the door. The Zfthu weren’t giving up. Either more of them were approaching or some of those who’d run were turning back. The landing craft was coming in, its 30mm still chattering, but with most of the Zfthu taking cover, it wasn’t cutting the big swaths through them anymore.

The landing craft fired an intense barrage, clearing an LZ. The big rounds pulverized rocks and dirt—and any Zfthu using them as cover. And then there was silence, probably because it had run out of rounds.

The ramp was already lowering before it touched down, and Rev caught the gorgeous sight of PAL-clad Marines jumping to the ground.

“Go, Rev!”

“Go, go, go!” he repeated to the sailors.

Houta pushed open the door, and the sailors started out.

The door was between the building and the village. The bulk of the building blocked the view of the castle. And as soon as he saw the hesitation of the first ones to exit the building, Rev realized he or Randigold should have led. He shifted Zybar to his right shoulder, leaned out of the window, pointed, and shouted, “Up there! To the castle!”

One of the sailors ran to the nearest corner, spotted the castle, then shouted to the rest to follow him.

Back at the landing craft, which was still hovering, but with the back of the ramp on the ground, the Marines were forming a hasty defense. The last Marine debarked, and the Charon lifted.

Rev didn’t know if it was the appearance of the Marines, the liftoff of the Charon, or the fact that the sailors were making a run for the castle that triggered the Zfthu, but suddenly, they were in full assault mode again.

“Move it!” Rev shouted at his sailors. “Run!”

And then one of the sweetest sounds in the galaxy reached Rev’s ears: the report of an IBHU’s twenty-millimeter cannon.

Rev’s left arm twitched as he instinctively tried to ready Pashu, which was back up on the ship.

Most of the Marines and karnans were moving to create a protective shield for the sailors, but Tomiko, Kelly, Tsao, Cocker, Božič-Mizaki, and all of the rest of IBHU Marines, thirteen strong, had created a line and were raining death.

The Charon’s 30mm cannon had been deadly, but it wasn’t designed for antipersonnel. It was more of an area weapon in this situation. The IBHUs were made for this, though. Coupling their IBHUs with their battle buddies, the IBHU Marines were exterminators from hell, scything through the Zfthu like winter wheat.

Rev had never seen such a glorious sight in his life.

And then it was his turn to leave. He took a quick look. The only thing left in the room were Zfthu. One was trying to crawl, but the rest were never going to see another dawn.

Rev left the still-alive one alone and ran out of the door.

A few of the sailors were almost at the castle, but the gate was still closed.

“Get the damn gate open!” he shouted over his comms.

The rest of the sailors were spread out over the entire distance. Some were lagging because of wounds. Others because they were carrying the dead and wounded.

Rev’s Marines were firing both their M-51 assault rifles and M-103 grenade launchers, targeting whoever the IBHU Marines weren’t. But several stopped to help the sailors who were having problems.

More Zfthu were appearing, but the IBHUs were standing firm, an impassable barrier. Bolts were landing like raindrops, but their PALs were impervious.

Impervious to bolts, but they could be overrun by pure numbers and pried out of their combat suits.

“Start pulling back, Tomiko,” Rev ordered.

“Roger that.”

The line of IBHUs started to retreat but in good order. It sure didn’t look like they hadn’t been training.

And now their IBHUs were “talking” to each other, one Marine firing, then the next firing, and then back to the first.

Some of the Zfthu seemed to catch on to the pattern, and they tried to time their rushes, only to be cut in half by the beamers on guillotine mode.

Close to the building, Rev not only had to contend with rocks as he carried the lieutenant, but there were bodies, lots of Zfthu bodies. Most were dead, but some were still hanging on to life. As he got closer to the castle, the bodies became fewer, and he was able to speed up.

And ahead, as sailors pounded on the gate, it finally opened, and the sailors started rushing in.

Rev turned to the right, looking in the direction Punch had run. He could see some Zfthu, but not his battle buddy. He had a sinking feeling in his heart, one that he refused to acknowledge.

Punch’s diversion allowed the sailors—and him—to get into the octagon, but at what price? He could only hope that his battle buddy was still alive out there.

Rev could sprint to the gate, but there were still stragglers, and he wasn’t going to pass them. The Marines started to collapse on the sailors as they began to enter the castle. More of them were helping the slower ones.

The Charon buzzed down over his head. Rev wheeled around. Coming out of the ruined shelters were about fifty Zfthu, all obviously intent on cutting the humans off before they reached the gate. This was right in the shadow of the castle, but the Po structure was quiet. No weapons reached out to stop them.

But the Charon, even when out of ammunition, was effective. The Zfthu scattered at the landing craft’s approach, which Rev knew was just enough to give the sailors and Marines time to get inside.

And then Rev was at the gate. He passed Zybar off, then ran back out.

“That’s it, Miko. We’re all inside.”

She must have given the order because, as one, they all quit firing, wheeled around, and sprinted for the gate. A Marine in a PAL could run as fast as a racehorse, and they quickly covered the ground. There was a surge as some of the Zfthu gave chase, but it was too little, too late.

The IBHUs and Rev ran into the courtyard, and the gate whooshed to a close behind them.

OceanofPDF.com

26

“Give me a head count!” Rev shouted as sailors collapsed onto the ground.

Nothing happened, and he called out, “Umman! Where are you?”

“Over there, Sergeant Major,” one of the sailors said, pointing.

Command Master Chief Umman was on the ground, back up against the wall. Blood soaked the front of his belly, and he was gasping for breath. Two sailors were kneeling by him, trying to help.

“Damn it! Get a corpsman on him.”

He scanned the group, trying to spot someone to put in charge. There’d been four officers in the group. Zybar was down and out, he’d seen Beacon KIA, and he couldn’t see the other two. Then he spotted Chief Uwe Klein, arm around a sailor’s shoulder as she consoled him.

“Uwe!”

She turned around. Blood had flowed out of her nose and across the top of her chest, and grime had collected on it, turning her visage into a horror holo.

“Get a head count. Find out who’s missing. And start getting the wounded ready to load on the shuttle.”

She nodded and got on it.

He grabbed Tomiko. All he wanted to do was to hug her, but there wasn’t time for that.

“See those stairs? They lead to what we call the battlement. It’ll give you a good view over the yetis’ village. Get some of you IBHUs and a sniper up there.”

“Are they going to assault this place?” she asked, her voice crisp and professional.

“I don’t know. But if they try, you’ll be in place to convince them that’s a bad idea. How are you doing on ammo?”

“We’re still OK.”

Trust Miko to have that in hand.

“Good. Go. I’ll find you later.”

She reached out a gauntleted hand and put it on his shoulder for a brief moment, the only bit of intimacy they could afford for now. Still, it gave Rev an emotional boost.

And then she was gone, issuing orders and getting Marines up to the battlement.

Several of the expedition’s civilians had been near the entrance at the far side of the courtyard. They were just standing there, obviously appalled at the state of the sailors. Rev jogged over to them.

“Where’s Captain Nyad?” he asked Dr. Kazemi.

Blank eyes faced him. “He went into the yeti village,” he said in a dull voice. Then he asked, “Are they coming to attack here?”

“Into the village? When?”

“Before all this happened. He went with one of the head dragons.”

“And he didn’t make it back?”

All three of them shook their heads.

That’s . . . bad.

“Are the yetis going to attack us here?” Kazemi asked again.

“I don’t know,” Rev said. “But I’ve got Marines watching. What about Njuguna? Where’s she?”

Kazemi tilted his head at the entrance. “In there. But she’s . . . she’s having issues.”

What the hell. Issues? We just survived an attack, so what the hell are the issues?

“How bad was it?” one of the other civilians, who Rev only knew as Bart, asked as he grabbed Rev’s arm, which made the wound on his shoulder hurt.

Suddenly, all of the cuts and gashes he’d suffered made their presence known. Rev couldn’t keep back the gasp, and he pulled out of the man’s reach.

“Bad,” he said before he stepped away.

If Nyad was dead, that meant Norton was the senior Navy officer, but he was on the ship. He didn’t know where the other officers were. Umman was down and looking bad. He needed somebody to take charge of the sailors. The wounded had to be triaged, and those most in need had to get up to Rima on the ship.

Only there were a lot of wounded. They were going to overwhelm Rima and sickbay, and Rev realized that meant some of the more grievously wounded were not going to make it.

It was going to have to be Klein. He started to go to her when six Po, including Pika, came out of the castle and into the courtyard.

Rev’s temper flared, and his warrior tried to surface. All of the distrust that had been bubbling below the surface burst into flame. They had something to do with this. He was sure of it. There was no way that they weren’t aware of the Zfthu’s violent strain, and that was on a best-case basis. Worst case, and they were complicit in the attack.

He veered from his course and ran to the Po.

“What the hell happened here?” he snarled. “You knew this was going to happen.”

Any human would have wilted under the force of his anger. If the Po were cowed, though, none of them showed it.

“I believe that you have wounded who will die if not given medical intervention,” Pika said.

“You think I’m gonna let you touch them? We’ve got Doc Rima on the ship. She’ll handle it.”

Pika stared at Rev for a moment, her three eyes devoid of emotion that Rev could sense. Then, at some unknown signal, the six spun around and headed back to the entrance.

Oh, by the Mother . . .

“Wait, Pika!”

They slowly turned back around.

I can’t believe I’m about to do this.

“Do you really think you can help? We’re humans, not dragons.”

“We do. We have developed an understanding of your species, and we do have a significant capability in the biological sciences.”

Rev was torn. He didn’t trust the Po, but he knew for a fact that more sailors were going to die. From the looks of it, a few wouldn’t even make it to the ship in time for Rima to attempt anything.

As far as the Po being able to help? He sure didn’t know. But if they could uplift races, then they had to be more advanced than humanity in the life sciences.

“I don’t want you screwing with us. No messing with our DNA. Only the injuries. Nothing more.”

“We will limit our treatment to only the injuries suffered today.”

Rev stared at Pika as he tried to see if he’d left a loophole for them to do only the Mother knew what. He realized they could be lying, but if they were telling the truth, then it seemed that he’d covered them.

“Do it.”

The six headed to the gathered sailors, but as they passed Rev, he grabbed Pika and pulled her in close. Either the dragons were much weaker than they looked, or she didn’t resist.

“After this, you and I are gonna have a talk. I know you dragons aren’t innocent here.”

Pika didn’t say anything, and Rev let her go. But he followed. He wasn’t going to just give them a free hand with his wounded.

It looked like three of the ship’s corpsmen had survived, and they were struggling to maintain order. Between triaging to get people into the shuttle and administering emergency life-saving treatment, all while dealing with their own shock and injuries, they were being overwhelmed.

Rev grabbed HM2 Littleton. “The dragons are going to help you.”

“Fuck if they are. What do they know ’bout humans?”

“You can’t handle all of this. Doc Rima can’t, not with the size of the sickbay.”

Littleton didn’t like that, and Rev could see he was going to protest.

“This isn’t anything against you. They’re just offering help. But keep an eye on them. I don’t . . . just keep an eye on them, OK?”

The five Po with Pika had already split up and had selected wounded sailors.

Rev patted Littleton’s shoulder. “It’s already done, son. Just watch them.”

One of the Po went to Umman.

There was still fire in the command master chief’s eyes as he glared at the alien, and if he had the ability, Rev knew he’d yell at the Po to get off of him. But Rev had seen enough gut injuries to know that Umman was on the slippery slope to the dark right now. He was surprised the man was still alive. That much damage not only always resulted in death, but it also had one of the worst success rates for resurrection—and that was with the full facilities back in human space, much less the very limited capabilities Rima had.

The Po seemed to settle down beside Umman before they waved two small cylinders over Umman’s body, then again specifically over his belly. The Po put a strap around his upper arm, then removed a tube from a belt. It looked like the Po was entering something on the tube when to Rev’s surprise, they thrust the tip of the tube directly into Umman’s belly.

The command master chief convulsed and shouted in pain, and Rev started to lunge for the Po when Umman seemed to collapse and go limp. Rev stopped in shock, convinced that Umman had just been killed, but the steady rise and fall of his chest, where it had been ragged and tortured just a few moments before, belied that.

Rev edged closer. White goo was growing in Umman’s belly, filling in between the ravaged flesh. Rev wasn’t sure if he should be fascinated or revulsed.

Umman’s face was relaxed as if he were merely napping. That was what convinced Rev that this was OK. And maybe that Umman could possibly survive in the end.

The Po continued to work while the humans followed them like sheep in mute awe. One more sailor died, but twenty minutes later, all of the seriously wounded had been treated.

“What do you think?” he asked Littleton.

“Vitals are strong,” the corpsman said grudgingly. “I can’t believe it, but I think the dragons saved some lives here.”

“We can’t count on that. Let’s get everyone on that shuttle and back to the ship.”

“Roger that. I’m on it.”

Rev stood back and watched the wounded being loaded on the shuttle—which had arrived five minutes before—mentally exhausted. The adrenaline was long gone, and his body felt like it had been through the wringer.

He spotted Chief Klein and motioned her over.

“What’s the count?”

“I need to do it again to make sure, but it looks like we’ve got forty-two, twenty-one being wounded. Thirteen of the dead were brought back with us.”

That was a gut shot. Including Randigold, Punch, and him, 105 people had left for the party. That meant fifty-eight sailors had been lost, of which forty-five were still out there. And Punch, and that was becoming harder and harder for Rev to push to the back of his mind. He’d deal with that later. He couldn’t afford that at the moment.

Not just Punch. He looked around until he spotted Tiktik. He realized that Boom was gone.

“OK,” he said with a sigh. “Get that count again, and start compiling names.”

“What’s the captain going to do?” she asked. “We can level that village and all of the fuckers in it.”

Rev realized that no one else knew yet about Nyad. He was tempted to put it off, but the chief deserved to know.

“He was in the village when they started their attack. I don’t think he made it out.”

“Mother fuck!”

“Get those names,” he said gently. “We’ll figure out what to do next.”

She was swearing under her breath as she stepped away. Rev totally understood. Revenge was pretty high in his own mind as well.

“Would you like treatment?”

One of the Po had come up behind him.

Rev was about to wave him away when he thought, Why not?

He nodded and faced the alien, who gave him the once-over with their scanning device. The Po didn’t read it like a human might read a scanner, but they evidently decided what Rev needed, and that looked like goo.

Rev shuddered as the nozzle got close to the large gash on his side, but he held still, even as the tip penetrated, causing a shooting lance of fire. But then the goo was injected, and almost immediately, a wash of coolness swept over the area. Rev could feel the goo expand, filling the entire gash, but the pain was gone.

He grunted, then tried to bend over to see what was happening. The emerging goo looked disgusting, but it felt pretty darn good when compared to where he was a minute ago.

The Po applied the tube to half a dozen places on his body. Each one immediately felt better. The bruise on the side of his face didn’t get the same goo. Whatever it was came out of the same tube, but it was a clear, almost floral-smelling salve.

“Thank you for allowing me to treat you,” the Po said when it was done.

“Uh . . . yeah, sure. Anytime.”

The Po left him to find another patient, and Rev tentatively tested his side. It was tight, but it didn’t hurt. He didn’t know if whatever they’d done actually helped with the healing, but he appreciated that the pain was gone, and all said and done, he felt better and more energetic.

It looked like this had been a good decision. If Littleton was right, then lives were saved. But that didn’t let the Po off the hook. They’d been part of this, and sailors and civilians had died.

He looked around until he spotted Pika’s distinctive crest and strode over.

“I’ve got something to do. We need to try and recover our dead. But as soon as that’s done, you and me, we’re gonna go see whoever the hell runs you guys, and we’re gonna have ourselves a talk.”

* * *

Rev stood on the battlement with Randigold, his heart beating like a jackhammer. It wasn’t the occasional bolt that arched up from the civilian camp. At this range, they were easy to see, not very accurately fired, and if they were, they were easily dodged.

The reason he was so nervous was down closer to the octagon and into the creek bed.

Tomiko had put her foot down.

“You’re not coming.”

“But you don’t know where to go,” he protested.

“Bullshit,” she said. “You just pointed it out to me, and it’s pretty obvious. You’re also hurt. But the big thing is that you’re not in a fucking PAL!”

Rev turned to Kelly, who’d joined them on the battlement.

She hunched her combat suits shoulders, the PAL version of a shrug. “She’s right.”

“And you haven’t trained with us. I’m not going to have you screw this up.”

Rev wanted to argue. His heart told him that it was his responsibility to recover the dead. Maybe some were still alive.

But his gut knew that Tomiko was right. The PALs seemed to be impervious to what the Zfthu had thrown at them, and as his goo-filled wounds would attest, Rev wasn’t so protected.

“Look, time’s a wastin’. We’ve got to move before the yetis reorganize. You stay here, and if you see them changing the script, then you let me know.”

“And you’ll come back if they do?”

“I’ll do what the situation calls for.”

Rev knew that was the best he was going to get from her.

“Be safe,” he said as he leaned over to kiss her face shield.

She and Kelly left the battlement, and Rev and Randigold shifted position to be able to overlook the courtyard. While it had seemed huge before, now, with the Charon, the sailors, thirty-six combat Marines, karnans, Legionnaires, and their lone carabinieri, it looked a lot smaller.

But they’d needed the landing craft, and not only so the Marines could resupply in ammo. The Charon had performed admirably with an AI piloting it, but Rev felt more confident with Nissen at the stick, and they’d made the switch.

Tomiko and Kelly emerged down below. His wife gave her warriors and Nissen a last-minute brief, and it was go time. Nissen hopped into the Charon, and a moment later, it lifted off. Tomiko then gave the order, and her team moved to the gate, which opened for them.

“Keep your head down, Miko,” Rev passed over the comms.

“Always.”

Both Marines shifted to the other side of the battlement so they could observe. Rev clutched his M-51 assault rifle. Each of them had grabbed one out of the Charon while the other Marines got their ammunition. Rev felt much better with that instead of just his MF-30, even if they were not going to initiate fire at any Zfthu who exposed itself.

The plan, which had been developed in three minutes, was that the Marines would only engage the enemy if they attacked first. The hope was that fighting would not break out. But if it did, Rev was sure the heck going to do what he could from his vantage point.

In a tight, impressive formation, the rescue/recovery party marched out of the castle. Nissen brought the Charon around to station it two hundred meters above them.

Their appearance sure caught the attention of the Zfthu. Hundreds, if not thousands, started to appear at the edge of the village, and they didn’t look happy.

That was not difficult to understand. Their bodies littered the area, in some places piled two or three deep, from the looks of it. Some of them loosed bolts that fell short. The Marines withheld their fire, but Nissen broke his position and swooped at them, coming in low and mean.

Zfthu broke and tried to get out of his path, but Nissen didn’t fire. He made a dramatic climb after passing them, turned on a dime, and went back to his station.

Hopefully, the message had been taken.

The team reached the octagon without an attack breaking out. The Zfthu were milling about, but they didn’t go beyond the edge of the village. And if there were enemy in the civilian camp, they kept their heads down and out of sight.

The regular Marines and the rest were doing the recovery, while the IBHU Marines presented a united front facing the village.

But instead of continuing down to the swimming hole, Tomiko called Rev and said, “We’re coming back.”

“Why? I know we’ve got people in the creek.”

“We don’t have enough of us to carry and maintain our posture. We’re just going to have to make two trips.”

Shit. We should have thought of that.

It was such an obvious thing, but in the rush to get going, it had been overlooked.

Rev was worried that the Zfthu might break and attack when they saw the Marines going back into the castle, but they held. The bodies were turned over to eager sailors, and the Marines immediately went back out.

They passed the octagon, and then came the hard part. As they went into the creek bed, they passed out of sight. The mass of Zfthu were shifting to their left as they moved to keep watching the humans.

“This sucks big time. We can’t see what’s happening,” Randigold said.

“You’ve got that right.”

Rev had to restrain himself from calling Tomiko. He didn’t need to be distracting her.

But finally, after what seemed to be hours, Tomiko passed, “We’re on our way back.”

“Punch?”

“I’m sorry, Rev. There’s no sign of him.”

Rev shifted his gaze to the area beyond the swimming hole. His battle buddy had given him and the rest the distraction and time they needed to get inside the octagon. All he could hope was that somewhere, under that canopy, Punch was safe and biding his time to return.

His gut told him that Punch was gone, but he refused to acknowledge that to himself.

Five minutes later, the first of the Marines appeared in sight. Their return went much as their first time. The Zfthu were agitated. That was obvious. But either because of what the IBHU Marines had achieved the first time, or more likely, the menacing Charon hovering overhead and ready to pounce, they held back.

“Keep watching,” he told Randigold before descending back to the courtyard.

To his surprise, one of the Po was back in action, working over a sailor.

“What’s that?” Rev asked.

“Justine’s still alive. The dragon’s trying to save her,” another sailor told him.

Rev felt a little light-headed as the words registered. If they hadn’t gone back out to recover the dead . . .

He shook it off and went to the gate, reaching it just as it slid open. Sailors stepped up to relieve the Marines of their shipmates.

Tomiko was the last one in.

“How many?” Rev asked.

“Forty.”

Forty. That means five are still out there.

Leaving anyone behind was an anathema to Rev, but he had to be practical. It really had been a successful operation.

Especially for Justine, he thought as he glanced back at her.

“One of the first ones you recovered is still alive.”

“Thank the Mother.”

“You did good, Miko. Real good. Not just with the recovery, but with everything.”

It was difficult to see body language when someone was in a PAL, but he thought he could see her straighten up just a bit.

“Can’t let them take away the father of my girls, right? What would they do—”

She went quiet. Rev knew why. With the rot, that was going to happen anyway.

Rev closed his eyes for a moment. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. It seemed like it had been a week since he’d slept. Emotionally, he was spent. And while the Po-goo seemed to be effective, he was very conscious of it, if that made sense. And he didn’t like it.

He wanted nothing more than to go back to the ship, kiss his two girls, and hit the rack.

But he couldn’t.

He spotted Kat and waved her over.

“Good to see you made it, big brother.”

“I’m too ornery to kill. You know that. Hey, go find Kelly or Tum. We need to get all of the dead back up to the ship. I don’t know if any of them can be resurrected, but we owe them the shot. And that sailor over there. If the dragon’s done, get her up there, too.”

“The Charon? Or wait for a shuttle?”

The remaining shuttle had been sent off in a holding pattern under its AI pilot after Nissen had switched to the Charon. It could get back in short order, but with resurrection, sometimes minutes counted.

“The Charon. But tell whoever it needs to be that I want the shuttle circling the castle, low enough to be very visible.”

“Got it, Rev,” Kat said before hurrying off.

“What now?” Tomiko asked.

“How about you molt out of your PAL. Keep Nemesis, though,” he told her, referring to her IBHU.

“Uh . . . OK?”

He waited until she was out, then together, they walked over to Lieutenant Zybar, who was sitting on the ground, his back up against the wall.

“Hey, Sergeant Major,” he said with a smile but a weak voice.

“You look a lot better than you did an hour ago.”

“They told me you carried me back. Thanks.”

“You’re not the biggest guy around, sir. It was nothing.”

“It was something to me. So, again, thanks.”

“Accepted. But how do you feel now? Can you get up?”

“I think so.”

He started to stand before Tomiko stepped forward to help him.

He was a little unsteady on his feet, but he said, “I can do this. What’s up?”

Rev looked over to the entrance where Pika was dutifully waiting.

“We’re gonna grab Njuguna, and then we’re gonna get ourselves some answers.”

OceanofPDF.com

27

“Why didn’t you warn us about the yetis?” Rev asked, wasting no time on pleasantries.

Bunny visibly squirmed. Rev still wasn’t sure Bunny was the top dog here, but she was the one that showed up when the humans wanted to talk to the Po leader.

“We are extremely sorry for your losses. That is very distressing.”

Which didn’t answer the question.

“Why didn’t you tell us the yetis were dangerous,” he asked again.

Rev, Tomiko, Zybar, and a pale, quiet Njuguna were standing in front of Bunny, a Po they’d named Slow Loris, two more unnamed Po, and Pika. Njuguna was in shock, barely coherent. Rev had considered leaving her behind, but he thought the civilian side should be represented.

“This is distressing.”

You already said that, and this is a little more than distressing.

“We believed that the violent tendencies of the Zfthu had been circumvented,” Bunny said.

“What, because you bribed them with food?”

“Yes. And it has worked for seventeen of your years. There must have been something about your appearance that changed the situation.

You think so, Sherlock?

“Seventeen years?” Zybar asked. “What happened before that?”

He was as pale as Njuguna, but at least his wits hadn’t been affected by his injury.

Bunny made some of the grunting/huffing sounds that they now knew was the Po language. Slow Loris replied, and then Bunny addressed the humans.

“You know that we uplifted the Zfthu.”

“Like you did with the Sia.”

“Yes. Like the Siau. And as with them, there were issues as Zfthu found their footing.”

“Two cases of your meddling went bad? Doesn’t that tell you that playing god might be dangerous?” Tomiko asked.

“We only wished to help.”

“The law of unintended consequences,” Rev said. “But the lieutenant’s question is still valid. What was the situation before the seventeen years?”

“First with the Siau, and more than a millennia later, with the Zfthu, the clients wished to break away from our guidance. And they accept the use of force to achieve their goals.”

“And you don’t?” Rev asked.

“We may not harm another life form.”

That shut the humans up for a moment until Rev asked, “You can’t hurt another being? What if they’re trying to kill you?”

“It does not matter what they’re attempting to do. We may not harm them.”

An image flashed into Rev’s mind. The Po who’d been running for the castle during the attack. Instead of bowling over the much smaller Zfthu in their way, they’d attempted to dodge around it. And that might very well have allowed the pursuers to kill them.

“We’ll come back to that. But you still haven’t told us what was going on before you started bribing the yetis.”

“Apologies. Your direct ways are difficult for us to emulate. But I will try.

“When the Zfthu decided they needed to break away, instead of just asking, they decided to use force to manage the breach. Not every Zfthu agreed with the violence. A small group of them, as well as our own ancestors, decided to flee together, and we ended up here on this planet.”

For the first time, Njuguna seemed to perk up.

“You’re not natives to this planet?” Rev asked.

“No. We are interlopers.”

“That makes sense now,” Njuguna mumbled.

“OK, you’ve got pacifists here all kumbaya. What happened today didn’t look too peaceful.”

“Unfortunately, for reasons we still don’t fully understand, that regard for peace changed. The Zfthu here on the planet began to kill our people.”

“And you couldn’t fight back to protect yourself, right? Because you don’t believe in killing others.”

Rev had intended to be sarcastic in saying that, but there was a little bit of a real question there.

“Correct,” Bunny said.

Rev looked at Pika, who said, “That is the truth.”

“So, then what?”

“We tried to reason with them, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“Children never listen,” Tomiko said. “You don’t know that?”

“We experienced that with the Siau. But we were hoping that it would be different with the Zfthu.”

Tomiko just grunted.

“What was the damage?” Rev asked.

“I apologize, but I don’t understand the usage of the terms you just said in the context of the previous comments,” Bunny said.

“The damage. You said your people were killed. How many?”

“Before the violence, there were 20,414 of us on the planet.”

“And now?” Rev persisted.

“The last survivors managed to flee to this area and erect what you call the castle before the Zfthu could arrive. We are the only Po on the planet. Possibly the only ones anywhere.”

That was a kick in the guts.

They’re the last of their kind?

It shouldn’t change things, but it did. Rev was suddenly a tiny bit more generous in his feelings toward them.

“And how many of you are there?”

“With the losses we suffered today, we number one thousand, two hundred and sixteen.”

“Shit,” Tomiko whispered.

“And that’s all of you, not just who’re in the castle?” Rev asked.

“We believe we’re the last of us in the universe.”

“How many of the yetis are there?” Zybar asked.

“We don’t know for sure. But we estimate there are more than sixty thousand. They are a fecund race.”

“You can probably knock about two thousand off that number,” Tomiko said with a smirk.

“Understood, and we thank you for that.”

“Wait a minute. You’re thanking us?” Rev asked. “What about all that thou shall not kill stuff?”

“We cannot kill. But we would never attempt to impose our moral standards upon anyone else.”

“That’s bullshit,” Tomiko said. “You say killing is wrong, but you’ve got no problem with us mowing down the yetis like vermin? That makes no sense.”

“We’ve been around a long time. Maybe too long. But we’ve seen many species and many different ways of existing within this cosmos. For us, killing is something we just can’t do. Nor can we impose our beliefs on others. So, there is no judging, one way or the other, on how each species make its way.”

“Do you fault the lion predator, on your homeworld, for killing a wildebeest?” Slow Loris asked.

Where the heck are they finding out about Earth wildlife?

“So, are you calling us animals?” Tomiko asked, bristling.

A sudden and unwelcomed thought hit Rev.

“You didn’t invite us here so that we could be your enforcers, did you? Let the primitive humans do your dirty work?”

“No. No. I can assure you that isn’t the case. We did have an ulterior motive, though. We hoped that we could entice you to stay for a long period of time. Commerce and trade, with our help, would start, and your example would help show that peace brings prosperity for all.”

Rev stared at Bunny. He didn’t know if the Po lied. He suspected it, with Pika and the Zfthu FC. Just because they said they didn’t kill didn’t mean that was the truth. And even if it was, then that didn’t preclude them from lying about other things.

But he didn’t know them well enough to understand their tells.

This entire conversation had not gone as Rev had envisioned. He’d come into it with righteous indignation, sure that even with some Po casualties, they’d been somehow involved. Bunny’s revelations, however, put a different slant on things, and he wasn’t sure yet how he should take them.

Rev still had about a million questions about them, the Zfthu, even the Sia. But right now, he wanted to take a break and just digest everything.

He turned to the other humans and said, “Let’s table the rest of this until we can evaluate what we’ve just been told.” Then to Bunny, “Thank you for taking this meeting. We’d like to take a break for now, but hopefully, we can meet again soon.”

“Of course, Sergeant Major. We’re at your disposal.”

Pika started to follow them as the four started to leave. Rev waved her back. This was a discussion for humans only.

* * *

“More of them are gathering. You think they put out the word for reinforcements?” Rev asked.

“Come join the holy army to battle the off-world demons,” Tomiko said.

“If some alien killed a couple thousand of us, I might think they were demons, too.”

“And the lesson should be don’t fuck with demons.”

Rev and Tomiko were back at the battlements. Njuguna expressed exhaustion, which was just as well. She was totally ineffectual at the moment. And Zybar had been pushed to his physical limits, so he’d begged off.

With the landing craft gone, taking all of the dead and most of the most seriously wounded, the courtyard seemed bigger. Sailors and civilians settled into easy groups. Someone had opened packs of combat rats. The more lightly wounded seemed to be doing well. As with Rev, the Po-goo had hardened into a flexible, translucent plug, keeping their wounds closed.

Rev wasn’t going to keep them in the courtyard, but it would do for now.

At the moment, though, the two of them were looking out across the village, where there were far more Zfthu than before. It made sense that with the battle, word had gone out to call in reinforcements.

Bunny had said there were more than 60,000 of them out there. The castle was a pretty robust, high-tech structure. But could it stand up to a horde of Zfthu? It wouldn’t be the first time that higher tech was defeated by mass numbers of determined forces.

“Do you think they’re coming?” Tomiko asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

“So, what do we do? Back to the ship?”

“I’ll talk to Njuguna. But yeah. I think all the civilians need to extract.”

Tomiko just raised a single eyebrow.

“OK, Marines, too. But maybe not quite yet.”

“You getting soft for the dragons?”

“No. Maybe.”

Rev scowled. The smart thing to do was to get all humans off the planet. Let the two races battle it out. And if the Po can’t bring themselves to kill, well, survival of the fittest.

They stared out over the view. The sun was getting lower, and the sky was turning all sorts of oranges and blues.

“This really is a pretty place, Rev.”

“Yep. It’s a shame that it’s gonna be the site of a war.”

“I think the gennies had it right, finding a home. If it weren’t for the dragons and yetis, this would be perfect.”

“Maybe.”

“Rev. Maybe? Do you like living in that tin can up there?”

He sniffed, then said, “No. And if I can’t be on Safe Harbor when the rot claims me, I’d like to have my feet on the ground. This would be as good a place as any, if you ignore all the death and destruction, that is.”

“What about the other side of the planet? Some uninhabited area.”

“Right. We’ll build a cottage with a white picket fence. Maybe we can contact the gennies and ask them to send us over some dog embryos, and we can thaw them out.”

“Sounds nice to me.”

“Are you getting soft on me, Miko? You, the warrior queen, being domestic?”

She didn’t change her expression but just stared out into the distance.

Neither spoke for a few moments until Tomiko surprised Rev with, “I’m pregnant.”

He slowly pivoted his head to her. “You’re what?”

“I’m pregnant. Preggie. Bun in the oven.”

“And you came down in the QRF?” he asked, anger creeping into his voice.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Rev. I’m only at four weeks.”

“But still—”

“I’m fine. The baby’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

She didn’t sound like she was fine, while Rev could feel the sparks of joy flicker into a full flame.

Rev pulled her into his embrace, and he could feel tears soak through his utility top.

“What’s the matter, Miko? This is great news. I’m happy.”

“I said four weeks. Do the math.”

“What do you mean? Four weeks. Thirty-two more to go. Eight months . . .”

Doc Rima had given him maybe six more months. It could be longer. It could be shorter. But however long he had, he probably wouldn’t see his new son or daughter.

The joy at her words evaporated.

“It’s OK, Miko. You’ve got Kat. You’ve got Kelly. You can handle it,” he said, stroking the top of her head.

“But they’re not you!” she wailed, her words muffled into his shoulder.

“No, they’re not.”

They stood there, hugging each other. This was still a combat zone, though, and Rev’s Marine side rotated his position slightly so that he could watch the village. No one had fired at them yet, but clinging to each other, they had to be a tempting target.

Neither said a word. For the moment, all they needed was to hold each other.

Movement to the left of the octagon caught his eye. Rev thought it must be the Zfthu picking up their dead. He was about to dismiss it until he realized it was a human shape, but something was off. From the uniform, it looked like a prone sailor, but floating over the ground.

Until whoever it was climbed higher, exposing more of—

“Miko!” Rev shouted as he pushed her away.

“What?”

The Zfthu noticed, too. And the sight must have been too much for them. Several started to fire their crossbows.

“Suppress that fire!” he told Tomiko as he bolted for the stairs.

He was barely aware of the chatter of Tomiko’s twenty as he ran across the courtyard.

“Open the gate!”

He had to yell that three times before it opened. Bewildered Marines and sailors wondered what was happening as Rev ran by.

“First team!” Kelly shouted. “Go with the Sergeant Major.”

But Rev was out the gate, his M-51 unslung and ready as he focused on the figure running at him.

“Punch!”

His battle buddy was running up the slope. Over his shoulders was the body of a sailor, which was what Rev had first seen.

“I’m coming. Turn back, Rev!”

But Rev wasn’t stopping. He reached Punch about ninety meters from the gate. He spun around between Punch and the village, his rifle ready to engage.

But up on the battlement, Tomiko had done her job. The incoming had ceased.

First Team reached them fifty meters out, and they formed a phalanx around the three. Within ten seconds, they were through the gate, which slammed shut behind them.

Hands reached up to grab the sailor, who Rev saw was badly wounded but very much alive.

“Get Pika for him,” he ordered before he turned to Punch and enveloped his friend in a hug.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Trying to keep alive, then I found Petty Officer Torry, so I—”

“Later, Punch. Later. Right now, I’m just glad you made it!”

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28

“Only if you’re attacked.”

“I know, I know, Rev. I’ve got this.”

He looked to where the shuttle was waiting. The last of the civilians and sailors were loading, and he’d have to board within a few minutes. Overhead, Nissen and the Charon were making lazy circles in the sky—just a reminder to the still-gathering Zfthu that while the shuttle might take off, the humans had not abandoned the planet.

“Kiss the girls for me,” Tomiko said.

“I will. But I won’t be gone long.”

“That depends, Rev. Norton owns the shuttles now. And the ship.”

With Nyad missing and presumed dead, Lieutenant Commander Norton was the new CO. Njuguna was doing slightly better, but she was still in shock, so it would really be up to Norton and Rev to determine what was next. But when it came down to it, Norton controlled the Galaxy Explorer.

“It’s time. I’ve gotta go,” he said, bending down to give his wife a kiss.

As he started to step off, though, Tomiko grabbed his arm.

“There’s one more thing. People are asking about Punch.”

Rev wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “Punch? If they’re wondering, he’s fine.”

“No. They’re asking about Punch. Not Punt Six.”

That stopped him. “Punch? Why?”

“Come on, Rev. You went running across the courtyard screaming his name before you two hugged like long-lost brothers. We might be a bunch of dumb grunts, but we’re not that dumb.”

Rev stood there for a moment as his mind raced through the ramifications. Of course, all of the Marines knew his battle buddy’s name. He was the sergeant major. “What are you saying to the questions?”

“Nothing yet. But I . . . you can’t ignore it for long.”

“What’s the, you know, tone?”

Tomiko shrugged and said, “Not bad, to be honest. He did divert the yetis so you could get into the octagon, and then he comes back with Torry. The squids are being extremely protective of him.”

“What about him killing that yeti? Do they know that?”

“And we wiped out a couple of thousand of them.”

“But we’re not androids in an anti-Deimer society.”

“Everyone knows he killed, only by now, it’s grown to where he took on a battalion of them with one hand tied behind his back. And they admire it.”

Rev spotted Punch over at the far side of the courtyard, where he was standing with a handful of Marines. They looked like they were deep in a discussion. Both he and Punch knew who he was would eventually get out. But Rev had wanted to control the revelation.

But I guess it’s out now. They know.

And from the looks of it, it really didn’t matter, which was a relief. The secret had been gnawing at him long enough.

“I’ve gotta go, baby. We’ll handle Punch later. Just try not to confirm any suspicions until I get back.”

“Got it.”

Everyone was on board the shuttle by now, and Rev sprinted for the ramp. The sailors had saved a seat for him, and he plopped down in it and harnessed in. He gave the AI pilot the order to take off, and then, in the best tradition of soldiers since the dawn of time, he was asleep within a minute of the shuttle lifting off.

* * *

“I still don’t understand your reasoning for keeping the QRF on the planet,” Lieutenant Commander Norton said as they sat in the wardroom over cups of coffee.

The new CO hadn’t moved into Nyad’s stateroom, so the officers’ mess was as good a place as any to hold their meeting.

Getting off the shuttle, the stark gray bulkheads and harsh lights of the ship were depressing after the sunshine and open air of Tylydina. Rev had quickly checked in with Hvarser and the girls before tracking down Norton. And now, he hoped they could come up with a course of action.

“Not only the QRF. I want to bring all of the Marines down.”

“We’ve lost more than fifty of the crew down there to this war of theirs. Let’s leave them and get the hell out of here.”

“It’s not their war, sir. It was our presence that started it.”

“At the dragon’s invitation.”

“I told you. They said the attack was a surprise.”

“And you believe them?”

Rev had been mulling that over in his mind since he’d heard the claim. But when Norton asked, it gelled.

“Yes, I think I do.”

“OK, you do. That still doesn’t get around the fact that I’ve lost crew to the point that operating the ship is going to be a problem.”

That surprised Rev. “I thought the ship could be operated automatically.”

“Flown? Navigated through bubble space to a destination? Sure. But it takes a lot of manpower to keep the ship running. The AIs can run systems checks and even do self-repair to an extent. But it takes the crew for most of it. We were already below half-strength when the others left. Now, we’re not even at a third-strength.”

Norton rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He looked ragged, and Rev realized the man had to be under a load.

“Do you know that both airgen techs were at that stupid party? Neither of them made it. I can try and cross-train someone else, but they really need the school at Dennison.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“So, you can see that given the circumstances, I’m not too keen on the idea of putting anyone else at risk here.”

“I don’t think there is much of a risk, and to be honest, I think we’ve got some responsibility here. Whether we intended it or not, our mere presence was an intervention. And why are we even here? You can say it’s to uncover threats to humankind, but we know better. We’re here to find planets for the folks back home to exploit.”

Norton didn’t argue the fact. But he wasn’t convinced.

“Look, sir. I’m not saying we stay here forever. Given the losses, won’t it take you some time to reorganize? And you have to train new airgen techs, right?”

Norton just stared at Rev. Since he hadn’t said no, Rev took that as a confirmation.

“What I want to do—what I think we have to do on moral grounds is to stay until the situation calms down.”

“You said there are sixty thousand yetis. What can your handful of Marines do when they decide to attack?”

“I don’t think they will. Our mere presence would be the deterrence. Us and the Charon. Look, sir. We killed a shitload of them. Maybe a couple of thousand. And we didn’t lose a single Marine.”

“You lost fifty-eight sailors, damn it. Sailors don’t count?”

Fire flashed from his eyes.

“No, no, sir. That’s not what I meant. Our sailors died, yes, but because they aren’t PAL-suited Marines. They’re not trained to fight. But the yetis saw the Marines that killed them. And they saw the Charon. They’re not stupid.

“I think if we have a visible presence, both Marines and Charon, then the yetis won’t attack. And that will give the dragons the chance to negotiate and get back to the agreement they had before.”

“And if they do attack?” Norton asked.

“Then we kill them. The dragons might not kill anything, but the castle is a fortress. And as long as we have ammunition and power, I don’t think they can breach the walls, not if every yeti on the planet tried.”

“And I guess you’re saying that if you’re not there, first, the yetis will attack, and second, they’ll get in,” Norton said.

“Yes, sir. I am.”

Norton stared at his coffee as if trying to divine the right answer.

“You’re right in that I won’t feel comfortable departing for a month at least, not with the reorganization that’s needed,” the new CO said. “I’ll agree to give you Marines that long then.”

“And Nissen?”

“Nissen, too. I’ll even send down a tech for maintenance on the Charon, so he doesn’t have to return here.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“But if the dragons and yetis can’t get their shit together in that time, then that’s their problem.”

“Agreed.”

“When are you leaving to go back down?”

“I’ve got Top getting the rest of the Marines ready. I need to figure out the baby situation, and, to be honest, I might grab a few meals. The combat rats are getting really old. Say, ten hours?”

Norton nodded. “OK, I’ll let Chief Sanders know.”

He paused, then added, “You probably haven’t heard yet, but things are falling apart back home. The war isn’t going well. It’s going bad, in fact. And we’ve reinstituted the War Appropriations Act.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Rev said in astounded shock.

Norton shook his head. “I wish I was.”

Over four hundred years ago, during the Rigel War, the beleaguered Perseus Union government implemented the War Appropriations Act, a tremendously unpopular curtailing of civil rights. In many ways, it was oppression of the citizenry.

The act almost caused the collapse of the Union, it was so bad. And if the directorate just brought it back, well, things were worse than Rev could have imagined.

“Is it the same as before,” he asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen the actual wording. But it isn’t good.”

“Maybe it’s good that we’re out here,” Rev said.

“I have to admit, that same thought has crossed my mind.”

Rev sat there for a moment, then drained his cup. “I’ve got a lot to get done, sir, so I’m gonna run. We’ll get through this, though. All of it. We really don’t have much of a choice.”

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29

“What do you think their intentions are?” Kelly asked.

Rev thought it was pretty obvious. There were already at least ten thousand of the Zfthu on the island, and more were coming over in their small sailing craft. The beach area was crowded with them, as was the village. But Kelly was right in getting it into the open.

“I’m afraid that they intend to finish what they started and eliminate us,” Bunny said.

“Why now?” Strap asked. “You’ve had your truce for seventeen years, but just because we’re here, they want to get aggressive?”

“They see your presence as a breach of our agreement,” Slow Loris said.

“But we came here on our own,” Strap said.

“And we invited you to this location. I’m afraid that in our attempt to show them that cooperation and peace benefit everyone, we actually drove them over the cliff.”

“Can you hold them off?” Rev asked. “This castle seems very robust to me.”

“As you know, we may only use passive means to protect ourselves. And while it might take some doing on their part, there is little doubt that they can prevail,” Slow Loris said.

He was probably way off the mark, but Rev had started to give Slow Loris the security officer role, with Bunny being the nominal leader.

“As you know, we Marines will be staying here for at least a month while our ship’s crew reorganizes. The yetis haven’t made any moves against us other than a few harassing bolts. Do you think that will change when more of them arrive from the mainland?” Rev asked.

“They are a shrewd people, Sergeant Major. They will not throw themselves away when you have your landing craft and your Marines here.”

“And when we leave?” he asked, knowing full well the answer.

“Then they will come.”

“We can always eliminate the threat,” Tomiko said. “The Galaxy Explorer isn’t a fighting ship, but her guns would be enough to target and destroy every damn yeti town.”

“No!” Bunny, Slow Loris, and Pika said in unison, their crests flaring behind their heads.

“You must not do that,” Bunny added.

“Just because you can’t use violence doesn’t mean we can’t,” Tomiko said, obviously taken aback at the vehemence of their response. “I wasn’t even being totally serious.”

The three Po spoke together in their language, and then Bunny said, “It is not a matter of morality. Totally eliminating the Zfthu could have drastic consequences.”

“Other than allowing you to survive, what consequences?”

Slow Loris said something, and Bunny continued. “Should you exterminate the Zfthu, the Siau would most likely retaliate.”

Rev blanched. He’d seen the Sia destroy the Naxli homeworld. He knew what “retaliate” could entail.

“Why would they do that? The Zfthu are the aggressors here. And how would they know?”

“The Siau keep us under observation.”

“And . . . ?”

“They consider the Zfthu as younger siblings who deserve their protection.”

“And what about you? The yetis can genocide you? That’s OK?” Rev asked.

“The Siau resent us for uplifting them. They feel we were exceeding morality by placing responsibilities upon them. And they feel we have outlived our time. We don’t believe they will act in themselves to kill us without cause, but given an excuse that aligns with their belief system, we are sure they would act to eliminate our people.”

“So, if we take out little brother, they’ll turn on the parents,” Tomiko said.

“That is an unusual way of describing it, but yes,” Bunny said.

One thing Rev was positive of was that he didn’t want to run afoul of the Sia. But he wanted to help the Po, too. None of them intended to put the Po in this situation, but that was where they were.

“We don’t have to eliminate them,” Kelly said. “Just get them off the island. What if we hit them on the beach and force them to retreat back to their territory. We can kick out the two villages that are here, too.”

The three conversed, then Bunny said, “We would not object to that.”

“But would you want it?” Rev asked. “If we’re doing your dirty work, then you have to want us to, not just that you wouldn’t object.”

The three Po seemed frozen in place for several long seconds before Bunny said, “Yes. We want that.”

“That’s it then, you bunch of hypocrites,” Tomiko said so quietly that only Rev and Kelly’s augmented hearing could pick it up.

Rev was being a little more generous. It was all well and good to have a moral compass, but when your very survival was at stake, that changed the equation.

“Would stopping them at the beach instigate a Sia reaction?” Kelly asked. “Are they even here?”

“We don’t think they are here at the moment, but they do know what occurs here. However, if it doesn’t threaten the Zfthu as a race, we don’t think the Siau will interfere.”

I don’t want to rely on “we don’t think.”

“They didn’t react to the loss of life yesterday,” Slow Loris pointed out.

Rev’s mind was churning. There had to be another course of action, one that saved the Po but eliminated the Sia threat. He knew it was there, just out of reach. Unless . . .

“What if . . .” Rev started before the thought was fully formed.

The three Po patiently waited for him.

Come on Reverent. Think!

“What if we . . . how about, you know, if we negotiate?”

“Negotiate what, Rev? Go up to them and say ‘Please don’t attack us?’ Come on. Be real.”

Rev frowned. He still wasn’t exactly sure what he was getting at himself, but he’d hoped that she’d support him.

“You said there’re sixty thousand of them, right?” he asked the Po.

“That’s our estimate, yes,” Bunny said.

“And the mainland where they’re coming from. I don’t remember exactly, but it’s a lot bigger than this island, right?”

“I can give you the exact numbers if you wish, but yes.”

“And then beyond the ocean on the other side, there’re two more continents.”

“Yes, but those are uninhabited, and they have not been adjusted for Zfthu compatibility.”

“OK, that doesn’t matter,” Rev said, shaking his head. “They’ve still got a huge continent and only sixty thousand people. That’s plenty of room for them. So, why do they need this island?”

“It’s not the island, Sergeant Major. They wish to eliminate us. Like the Siau, they blame us for their current condition.”

“And without you, they’d be climbing around in the trees on their home planet, afraid of the night,” Tomiko said.

“They were not an arboreal species, and the night was never an issue with their original form,” Pika said.

Tomiko waved that away. “Doesn’t matter. I just mean they wouldn’t be as advanced.”

“To them, they resent the ramifications of being sapient,” Bunny said in what sure sounded like a wistful tone.

Rev’s thoughts were becoming clearer, and an option began to form. How could they convince the Zfthu to leave? What about one of the most basic forces in the galaxy? How about surviving to live another day?

“We’re not as mature a species as you are,” he started. “We do not have your high morals with the same sanctity of life. You’re an easy target because you won’t fight back, but we will, and the yetis know it. Miko, you asked me what we can negotiate for. How about this?”

He paused to look at each of the others, human and Po, in turn.

“You get your asses off this island and promise to never come back, or we’ll kill you all. Your choice. Life or death.”

There was dead silence before Bunny said, “If you kill all the Zfthu on the island, that might be enough to trigger the Sia.”

“Does it matter?”

“I think it does matter if the Siau intercede,” Slow Loris said. “You won’t be able to defend yourself from them.”

“I don’t mean that. I mean, does it matter if we actually wipe out the yetis or not, as long as they think we will?”

“You mean a bluff?” Tomiko asked.

“Bluff or not. Who knows? Do they?”

Rev let that sink in. As the seconds ticked on, he became more certain that this was a valid course of action, one that could undo the turmoil their arrival caused, save the Po, and let the Zfthu continue their lives as they would.

Despite the attack on the humans, Rev had no desire to be a part of a genocide. If he could stop any more deaths from occurring, it would be a win all around.

“The Zfthu have a strong sense of self-preservation,” Bunny said.

“And . . . ?”

“They might see the benefit of continuing to live.”

Slow Loris said something in Po, and Pika added what sounded like her two cents worth.

“The Zfthus’ hate is strong. And now that it has been released again, there may be nothing to dissuade them from exterminating us.”

“You stopped them once, right? You gave them food or whatever to calm them down.”

“That may no longer work. We think there may even be resentment among the rest that the Po in the two villages here profited unfairly with their control of the trade,” Bunny said.

“And once you leave, it is unlikely that they would adhere to an agreement made with you,” Slow Loris added.

“Let me ask you this. If we don’t try this, then what? They’ll attack, and you’ll be killed. And even if they think they can renege after we leave, well, at least that gives us more time to think up a better solution. But right now, the minute we leave, I’ve got to say, I give you three or four days max until they come for your asses.”

He had no way of knowing that, so the three or four days was a SWAG, but he wanted to stress the urgency of the situation.

There was another moment of silence before Slow Loris asked, “Will you stay that long? And if they come, will you oppose them?”

Rev looked at Tomiko, who, after a moment, nodded.

“Yes, if they come while we are here, we will. This time. We do not want to slaughter ten thousand yetis, but we will if it comes to that. Forget the Sia, though. If we kill that many of them, how will the remaining fifty thousand react? Do you think there’ll be any negotiated peace after that?”

The three got into a discussion. It sounded heated to Rev, but he couldn’t know that for sure. Finally, they stopped, and Bunny faced the three humans and Punch.

“We would like you to attempt a negotiated solution.”

Rev nodded, but his heart sank. It had seemed so logical only a moment before. But now that they’d thrown it to him, he had to make good on the concept, and he didn’t know if he had the ability to succeed.

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30

“Are you ready?” Rev asked Tomiko.

She nodded and said, “Let’s do it.”

Rev gave Nissen a thumbs-up, and the pilot lifted the Charon out of the courtyard. Rev waited until the Charon was about seventy meters off the ground before he gave the signal to open the gate.

The rapid whoosh as it opened still unnerved him more than a bit, and now he had the added stress of what they were about to attempt.

Rev, Tomiko, Punch, Pika, TikTik, and eight more of the IBHU Marines stepped through the gate. The ground was slick from the rain that had stopped only twenty minutes before, and Rev concentrated on his footing. He didn’t want to face-plant in view of the Zfthu watching from the village.

The delegation slowly marched down the slope, passing the abandoned civilian camp. Rev felt naked. The rest of the Marines were in their PALs and armed with their IBHUs, but the decision had been made that Rev would be in his basic Marine utilities as he was to be the one speaking. He wasn’t completely unarmed. His trusty MF-30 was in his pocket, but in reality, that was more of a pacifier for his nerves than anything else. If he had to resort to that when he was being escorted by nine IBHU Marines, then things would have gone very wrong.

Hopefully, things would stay calm. Above their heads, the Charon crept along, keeping pace. That was a pretty good warning of what might happen should things break down.

“There’re a lot more of them there now,” Tomiko said as they marched.

The leading edge of the village was crowded with Zfthu, and more seemed to be pushing their way to the front.

“Not nearly as many as are down on the beach.”

Nissen had overflown the beach an hour ago, and Rev estimated that there were close to 13,000 on the island, most still on the beach, but possibly four thousand either in the village or wending their way up to it.

Rev brought the delegation to a halt fifty meters from the line of Zfthu. He was in the center of the line, with Tomiko at his right side. Pika was on his left, with Punch and Tiktik flanking them, and four IBHUs on either side of them. Nissen brought his Charon down to about forty meters, close enough that Rev could feel the deflected air brush against the back of his neck.

“Now we wait,” Rev said.

There were hundreds of the Zfthu crossbows visible, and Rev’s feeling of vulnerability grew. At this range, it would be more difficult to dodge a bolt, especially if many were fired at the same time. Punch, Tomiko, and the other Marines would be safe, but he, Tiktik, and Pika would be in danger.

They’d sure been noticed. There was motion within the packed Zfthu, but no one came forward. One minute turned to two, then to five, then to ten.

The waiting was hard, and Rev began to wonder if they’d even get to present their ultimatum. If he wanted to avoid bloodshed, then the Zfthu had to talk.

“Think we should have told Norton?” Tomiko asked.

Rev didn’t respond, but he had been wondering the same thing and had been second-guessing himself. He’d decided not to inform Lieutenant Commander Norton of what they were about to try. The new Navy commanding officer was not happy that the Marines were on the ground in the first place. If he knew they were about to attempt something like this, he’d probably demand that they return. At the least, he’d recall Nissen and the Charon.

Tomiko had thought that having the Galaxy Explorer’s lone ship-to-ground-capable gun would have been a valuable asset, and now, as time ground on, he was beginning to agree with her.

It was only a couple of minutes after that, though, that the first of the Zfthu emerged from the press of their compatriots to stand four or five meters in front of the rest of them. One, two, then three came. After a short pause, more appeared until there were thirteen of them, enough to match Rev’s delegation, and as a group, headed toward them.

Several kept glancing up at the Charon, but the rest had their eyes firmly locked onto Rev and the others. Or, more specifically, on Pika, which was a problem.

The ultimatum had to come from the aliens (human, Punch, and Tiktik). It couldn’t come from the Po. Rev didn’t even want Pika with them, but while their Uauii translators had started to develop a translation program between Standard and Zfthu, it was not nearly sophisticated enough yet to ensure accuracy, and for this to work, there couldn’t be any misunderstanding.

The Zfthu delegation came to a rough stop about five meters from Rev and the rest. They very clearly looked at Pika and spoke. Rev’s translator picked up, “Want interrogative.”

Pika made a show of turning to face Rev. “They wish to know why you are here.”

Rev took one step forward and stared at the Zfthu who’d spoken.

Slow Loris had recommended that Rev be as blunt as possible. No beating around the bush. No talking around the subject. Rev wasn’t the most diplomatic person in the galaxy, but even to him, this seemed a risky course of action. But he didn’t know the Zfthu, and he had to trust the Po in how to handle the discussion.

Still, he couldn’t just threaten them with his first sentence.

“I regret that you forced us to kill so many of your people.”

He waited until Pika did the translation, listening to his Uauii translator trying to do its thing. That actually became a distraction, and he reached up to turn it off.

As soon as Pika finished, several of the Zfthu looked up at the Charon again, and Rev knew then that having Nissen there was the right move. If the Zfthu understood force, the Charon was a huge reminder of the force humanity possessed.

“You have arrived to eliminate us. We had to act first,” the Zfthu said, as translated by Pika.

“We had no intention of attacking you. We only came to learn about you and the Po. It was our plan to move on.”

“The Po did not summon you?”

Rev wasn’t sure what tack he should take. He decided on, “No one summons humanity. We act as we will.”

That got a reaction, and they started talking among themselves.

“They are discussing whether they can believe you. They are bringing in religious references. Do you want me to translate?” Pika asked.

“No, not unless there is something specific that I should know.”

Rev waited, hoping his impatience wasn’t obvious. The longer it took, though, the more concerned he was getting. All it would take would be for a nervous Zfthu to loose a bolt at him, then one of his Marines returning fire.

He knew things were on a knife’s edge.

At last, the Zfthu turned back, and the one asked, “You say you are not here to eliminate us. Then why are you here?”

“We arrived here in hopes of finding new friends. We have many such friends across the galaxy, and forging relationships has helped everyone.”

He wasn’t going to mention the wars.

“So, when we discovered your planet, we were pleased, and we came in peace to learn about you. However, you broke the peace when you attacked us. We are sorry that it came to that, and we had to eliminate those who were attempting to do us harm.”

Rev stopped to let Pika translate, chiding himself for saying too much at once. He wanted to make sure nothing was missed.

The Zfthu listened to Pika, and when their speaker was about to respond, Rev raised a hand, palm outward, and cut it off with, “We made friends with the Po. We wanted to make friends with you, but you attacked us. This is not how civilized people treat their guests.”

Time for the carrot.

“But we understand that inexperience with others can lead to mistakes. So, we will not necessarily exact revenge. We would still rather have peace. So we are willing to forget about what happened and let you live your lives as you will.”

He let Pika translate, then went on.

“But we don’t trust you now. You need to prove your peaceful intentions. And to do that, you must leave the island for the mainland.”

As soon as Pika translated that, the Zfthu suddenly became animated and started hooting louder.

“I guess they didn’t like that,” Tomiko whispered.

Behind them, the gathered Zfthu must have heard them because they became agitated as well, with more than a few waving weapons in the air.

It took a minute or two before they were addressed again.

“This is our home. Why should we leave it?”

Rev stared down the Zfthu and said, “Those are our terms.”

“And if we don’t?”

Time for the stick.

“If you refuse, we will kill every one of you. Not only you here in the village but those down on the beach as well. Then we will scour the mainland and track down every village, every hut, and eliminate you from the planet. In only that way can we be sure that the peace will be kept.”

That was his planned response, the one he’d gone over with Bunny, Slow Loris, and Tomiko. But he couldn’t resist one last add-on.

“After all, we are a peaceful people, and that is our priority.”

Pika hesitated.

“Just say it, exactly as I did.”

Rev gave him a few moments, then passed, “Now, Lieutenant.”

“Roger.”

Nissen brought the Charon down a hundred feet in elevation and rotated the nose gun.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Half of the Zfthu started to react to the ultimatum when the landing craft gave muscle to the threat that mere words could never do.

All but two of the Zfthu took a step back. Not the speaker, though. It was evidently made of sterner stuff. It stared at Rev, who wished he could read into those dull eyes.

“I’m waiting for your answer. Will you choose prosperity or death?”

“You will kill all of our people? We are many, and we may not be such an easy target.”

Rev laughed and hoped the Zfthu understood it.

“We killed many of you and didn’t lose a single warrior. So, yes, we will kill all who are necessary for peace.”

“And if we agree, you will not attempt to kill any more of us?”

“We will not. We would rather have peace and friendship than revenge.”

The Zfthu conferred with the others before it returned to Rev.

“I can speak for our village but not for the gorra,” the Zfthu said.

Pika hadn’t translated “gorra,” but Rev took that to mean a larger group, possibly including the larger numbers of Zfthu on the beach.

“Will you give us until tomorrow at this time before you commence hostilities?”

Rev tried to hide his eagerness. This was a huge development. His ultimatum was not being rejected outright. Heck, Rev would be willing to give them a week. A month. But he waited as if he were contemplating the request.

He didn’t wait as long as he wanted to—he didn’t want the Zfthu to change its mind.

“I agree. But, there will be no more Zfthu coming to the village. If there are, then I will take that as a refusal, and I will take action.”

The Zfthu seemed to be either agitated or worried, and Pika translated, “But the katagorra will need to come here. You cannot kill them.”

“What does that mean, Pika? Explain.”

“The katagorra will make the decision as to your ultimatum. They will need to be here and state their agreement, or it won’t have legal standing.”

“How many Zfthu are we talking about?”

“The katagorra is five. And they will travel with their nanagorra.”

Rev shook his head. He didn’t want all the details now, not at this stage of the proceedings.

“How many of them in total?”

“No more than fifteen, at a max.”

“Tell them twenty of them may approach the village under safe conduct.”

Pika translated for Rev, and the agitation faded. The head Zfthu said something, and almost as one, they turned and headed back to the village. That was it. No parting statements. No other acknowledgment.

“Well?” he asked Pika. “What do you think?”

“Now they will discuss this and decide on what they want to do. We will find out tomorrow.”

“I guess that’s it for now,” Rev told the rest. “Let’s get back to the castle and wait this out.

The delegation trooped back up the hill, with Nissen and the Charon escorting them.

* * *

“You know them better than we do. What do you think?” Rev asked Pika.

The two were at Rev’s spot in the battlement with Tomiko, Punch, and Tiktik. The Kanter was sitting on the ledge, watching for movement from the beach.

“I cannot offer you an accurate guess. The Zfthu can be unpredictable, and they have shown a strong desire to eliminate us.”

“But they have also shown an ability to cooperate when it has been to their best interests,” Punch said. “They lived here alongside you in peace for seventeen years when you offered them supplies.”

“Rev didn’t offer them anything except not to kill them,” Tomiko scoffed.

“Maybe a carrot could have been a little more appealing,” Rev said.

“No. We had to be there in strength. It wasn’t a negotiation. It was an ultimatum,” Tomiko said.

“What would you have done differently?” Rev asked Punch.

“Before, I would have suggested a softer approach. But from their reception, you might have been right.”

“We don’t know that yet. We haven’t heard their response.”

“They’ll agree,” Tomiko said. “They have to.”

Except is that true?

Rev had told Bunny that they would defend them in the event of an attack. He would keep that word, but what happened after that? They weren’t going to stay here forever. If the Zfthu simply waited them out until they were gone, then their pure numbers would overrun and crush the Po.

The Po’s situation was dire, no matter how you looked at it, and Rev was at a loss as to how to address it. Or even if they should. His responsibility was to the members of the expedition, and beyond that, to humanity as a whole. He wasn’t the Po’s guardian.

“There is movement,” Titik said.

Rev and the others stepped up to the ledge. Even with his augmented vision, he could barely see what looked to be a small party leaving the beachhead. Rev didn’t know if the Kanters had augmented vision, but if not, their eyesight was impressive.

“That was pretty quick,” Tomiko said. “I wonder what it means.”

“From a study of human psychology, that would be indicative of an easy decision, leaning toward turning down the ultimatum,” Punch said.

That was Rev’s gut feeling, but he didn’t say anything.

“But they are not humans, so there is no way for us to foretell what their decision might be,” his battle buddy added.

They stood there in silence as the Zfthu party approached until, finally, Rev said, “Let’s go on down. I want to be in position before they get here.”

They trooped down the stairs and into the courtyard.

As they passed the Charon, Lieutenant Nissen stopped Rev and asked, “If they say no, do we do a little preemptive strike on the village?”

After years in the military, it still seemed a little odd for an officer to be looking to Rev for orders, but the reality was that this was Rev’s call, rank notwithstanding.

“No. I don’t want it to be us who starts the fight.”

“They already started it, Rev,” Tomiko said.

Which was true, of course. But to Rev’s way of thinking, his giving the Zfthu an ultimatum essentially zeroed out the clock. They had an undeclared truce, and Rev wasn’t going to break that.

“If they attack us, lay into them. Otherwise, follow us until we’re back inside and then land.”

“You’re the boss,” Nissen said.

“What’s your fuel situation?”

“I’ve got a good eight hours before I need to head back to the ship.”

“Stand by, then. I’ll call you when I want you to make an appearance.”

Rev stopped Kelly, who was leading the Marines, and went over the key points in their plan. If the negotiating team returned unharmed, all well and good. But if the team was attacked, the QRF would react to help recover them.

And then it was time. There wasn’t much else that had to be done at the moment, so the same thirteen headed out, but instead of moving to where Rev had given his ultimatum, they stopped outside the gate. The Zfthu from the beach still had about a klick to go to reach them.

If anything, there were more Zfthu crowding the edge of the village, but they seemed quiet and constrained.

The calm before the storm?

“Rest easy,” Rev told his security.

In their PALs, they could lock out and relax. Rev didn’t have that capability, and his lower back took this opportunity to start aching. He wondered if he shouldn’t have waited a little longer before leaving the castle.

He tried to surreptitiously stretch his back just a bit. He didn’t need it to go into spasms. Not now. But between his injury, the rot, and probably age, he was having more and more reminders that he wasn’t the young Marine Corps recruit he’d once been.

Rev tried to will the Zfthu party to hurry, but it seemed as if they were crawling toward them. And as they finally reached the area, they bypassed Rev and the rest and disappeared into the village. Rev’s back was screaming before they appeared roughly forty-five minutes later and marched to where Rev had addressed either them or the village leadership.

“That’s it, Lieutenant. Let’s get it done,” Rev passed.

A moment later, the whine of the Charon’s engines reached over the castle walls, and then the landing craft appeared and took position over the negotiating team.

“Keep abreast of me,” he told the others as he stepped off.

The party calmly walked down the slope and took the same position in front of the Zfthu as before, with Rev in the middle and the IBHU Marines on the flank. And, as before, the Zfthu kept glancing up at the Charon’s imposing presence above them.

“What have you decided?” Rev asked.

“We do not wish to have a conflict with your people,” one of the Zfthu said through Pika’s translation.

Rev wasn’t sure if the Zfthu was the same as the one who’d spoken earlier.

“Then you need to comply with my ultimatum. You will cease aggression against the Po, and you will leave this island. We won’t have a problem then.”

“Our people have lived here for generations.”

Rev had seventeen years on his brain, but he realized there could have been a lot of history between the two races for a long time before that. And Pika didn’t object to the statement.

It didn’t matter if they’d been occupying the village for a thousand years, though.

“You have forfeited your rights to this island by breaking your truce and attacking us.”

The truce was between the Zfthu and Po, not Zfthu and humans, but Rev wasn’t going to let any technicalities get in the way.

“Before, the peace was kept by the trade we do with the Po. If we are not here, then how can this continue?”

That was the moment that Rev knew he’d won. The Zfthu had mentioned the villages and generations as a bargaining chip. With many of the dead Zfthu still littering the area, and the Charon looming over them, they realized that a fight with the humans would be devastating, even if they prevailed in the end. And evidently, they thought that was a cost too high to pay.

Rev could bargain, too. He didn’t know if the Po really needed the trade, but the humans weren’t going to be there forever. And if he could remind the Zfthu of the benefits of what the Po could offer them, then perhaps that could help to keep the peace after the humans were gone.

Rev was fine with throwing the Zfthu a bone, but he didn’t want to seem too eager. He needed the Zfthu to believe that he held all the cards. He stood there for two long minutes, and from the way the Zfthu were shifting their weight from one foot to the other, and by how more of them kept looking at the Charon, he knew they were nervous. Hopefully, they were second-guessing their counter, that they had gone too far.

Finally, Rev said, “I can accept an enclave down on the beach, where you may conduct trade. You will be limited to daylight hours, and no more than twenty of you may be on the island at a time.”

“To conduct trade would require more than twenty.”

There was no mention of the villages. That was already off the table.

“Twenty. No more.”

It looked like the Zfthu was going to object, but another one reached out and tapped it on the shoulder. They huddled their heads together. Rev could hear the discussion, but Pika didn’t translate. Maybe the two Zfthu were too quiet for her. Rev was tempted to reach up and turn on his Uauii translator, but he thought that would be too obvious, and he held back.

After a minute or so, the head negotiator said, “We accept your conditions.”

Just like that. No more arguing. No counter-proposals. Nothing.

The cease-fire with the Centaurs had taken months. The ending negotiations of the war with the MDS had taken three weeks, and they’d been handily defeated in battle. In the space of two hours from the time Rev had issued the ultimatum, the Zfthu had capitulated. It didn’t seem possible.

“So you understand, that means if you don’t adhere to leaving this island, or if one human or Po is harmed by any of your people, this agreement is broken, and we’ll come down on you as we deem appropriate.”

Before Pika could translate, Rev realized that “come down” might lose something in the translation, so he added, “We’ll treat you as an enemy and kill you.”

Better be absolutely sure they understand.

The Zfthu didn’t flinch, and the leader said, “Yes, we understand, and we will cease our efforts to eliminate the Po for as long as this agreement is in place.”

That sure sounded like a wishy-washy statement to Rev.

He asked Pika, “Do you believe them?”

“For the moment, yes. They do adhere to their own interpretation of honor.”

“‘For the moment?’ So, you don’t think it will last?”

“As long as you’re here to enforce the treaty, then yes.”

“So, they’ll behave as long as the Sword of Charon is hanging over their necks?”

“That is a succinct way of putting it, yes,” Pika said.

“And when we leave?”

“I believe that they will find a loophole, I believe you call it, that will allow them to abrogate the agreement while maintaining honor.”

Rev turned to Tomiko, who’d been listening in.

“It’s better than nothing,” she said.

“Should I push for something more permanent?”

“You heard Pika. They’ll find a loophole. This at least buys us some time to figure out something else.”

Rev wanted total victory. An assurance that the Po were safe. But Tomiko was right. At the moment, the Zfthus were mobilizing for a full-out assault, and if they’d agreed simply to wait out the Marines, well, that was time they could use to figure out something else.

“What do we have to do to make this official? We humans shake hands,” he told Pika.

“Just say you accept the terms.”

He turned to face the Zfthu but stopped. High in the sky and far off was a figure that looked suspiciously like a Sia. It hovered, almost out of sight for a moment, and then as if it realized Rev had spotted it, the figure disappeared.

What the hell does that mean?

“Rev?” Tomiko asked. “You have to say it.”

He shook his head, then said, “I accept the terms of this agreement.”

And now, they just had to find a way to make it stick after they were gone.

OceanofPDF.com

31

“It looks like they’re coming along,” Tiwari said, lowering his Optisight.

“You should see it close up. It’s both revolting and fascinating at the same time,” Rev replied.

The two were standing on Rev’s command post—which was what the rest of the Marines were calling the battlement.

“Faster than what I thought, na?”

Down on the beach, a huge wall was being erected that delineated the trading enclave. Constructed completely by nanos, it was made by the same method as the castle but without the architectural frills. Close up, the process looked like pus oozing upward and hardening.

“Think the yetis will keep within their enclave?” Per asked.

“As long as we’re here, the dragons think so. And so far, they’ve been keeping their side of the bargain. Look how quickly they left their villages.”

“It’s that ‘as long as we’re here’ thing that worries me, na?”

“We’ll be here a while longer, Per. Norton’s not happy with the cross-training, and he doesn’t want to go until he qualifies everyone in their new job.”

“Qualifies? Does he think the Navy’s coming out to test them? With all the troubles back there?” Tiwari asked.

Communications had been completely cut off for five days now. The comms chief couldn’t tell if that was simply because of bad comms or if they were being ignored. Lieutenant Commander Norton said that if comms were not restored in another ten days, he was going to use one of his last message torps to see what was going on.

Rev wasn’t feeling very positive about the lack of communications. The last information they’d received was that the war was growing in intensity, and more alien races had taken sides. They didn’t get much in the way of details, but the overall impression was that things were getting very serious.

“You know Norton. Everything’s done by the book,” Rev said. “And, to be honest, I’d like to think each squid knows their stuff before we hit bubble space.”

“That entire ship can be controlled by the AI.”

“So why do we have sailors, then? It takes a lot of them to make sure everything’s working, not just navigating. And we’re a long way from rescue if things go wrong.”

“We should just stay here.”

Rev grunted. “Stay here? With the dragons and yetis?”

“Why not? Look at this place. It’s beautiful. And peaceful, now. Bring down some of the equipment, and we could make a settlement. We don’t have to terraform anything, and we’ve even got the ship’s garden to grow here for a touch of home.”

“And our mission?”

“It doesn’t look like they’re paying much attention to our mission back there,” Tiwari said.

Rev winced. He was a Marine, and Marines accomplished their missions. Not that Tiwari was wrong in the support from human space. Rev had the feeling that they were overcome by events, and they were merely an almost forgotten afterthought.

And he was also right in that Tylydina was amazing. He didn’t want to use the word paradise, but if it fit . . .

He’d already been contemplating discussing an extension on the planet with Norton and Dieter Hyung, who’d taken over from Dr. Njuguna after she relinquished her leadership position. Why did they have to leave as soon as Norton was satisfied with the training? Why not stay six months, nine months? Maybe even a year?

Rev could use the island as a training base to hone his Marine’s fighting edge. And a year might give them a chance to develop a long-term solution for the Po/Zfthu problem.

“Here they come,” Tiwari said, pointing to the sky.

Rev had been lost in his thoughts, but with the shuttle arriving, excitement took over.

“Let’s go,” he said, then rushed to the stairs and vaulted down five steps at a time. “They’re coming!” he shouted to the Marines in the courtyard. “Pass the word to the barracks.”

The “barracks” was a series of rooms in the castle that the Po had turned over to the humans. Their hosts had also offered to build them separate quarters, apart from the castle, but for now, the barracks were adequate.

There were some excited Marines waiting, and seven minutes later, the shuttle eased down with the lightness of a feather. Nissen was at the controls, and he waved to Rev as he started the shutdown procedures.

Rev edged to the rear, and when the ramp opened, Tomiko and the girls were the first ones off.

“Daddy!” they screamed, before breaking free of Tomiko’s hands and dashing across the courtyard and into his waiting arms.

“I missed you girls!” he said as he accepted their kisses.

“We went for a ride!” Willow said.

“I know you did, Willie. I bet it was fun.”

“Yes, it was fun. We went zoom!”

“Hey, Aspen,” Rev said as he reached into his cargo pocket. He pulled out a somewhat squished blue unicorn.

“Tina!” she squealed as she grabbed it.

“Tina helped keep me company while I was away from you. Thank you so much for lending her to me.”

She hugged the unicorn and said something to Willow in twin speak, who answered back in the same way.

More children descended. Six Marines, including Tiwari, had reunions. All of the other children had either their parents with them on the ship or, in four cases, were now orphans. Rima (with two), Teo, and Njuguna were holding those children’s hands as they tentatively made their way down the ramp. And among the children, what looked like most of the Kanters ran out, much to Tiktik’s joy. He somersaulted four times before he reached them.

A few of the children seemed a little awed by the blue sky over their heads, but the rest seemed excited to see such a large, open space.

“They’ve been ready to explode since they found out they were coming yesterday. I don’t think they slept a wink,” Tomiko said.

“What about you? Did you get any sleep?”

“What do you think? But it’s OK. This is going to be special.”

Umman was the last person off the shuttle. He was moving slowly, but there was something different about him. It took a moment for Rev to figure it out.

He was smiling.

“Look at him?” Rev told Tomiko. “He looks happy.”

“He was amazing in helping round up the children today. It’s almost like he’s a human being, after all.”

“A miracle.”

It took a while for all the hellos to be done, and the children were already playing in the courtyard. Then there were potty breaks and diaper changes, which had to be done in the barracks. But finally, they were ready.

The gate opened, scaring a few of the children, and the mass of humanity, guarded by eight fully suited IBHU Marines and eight more Marines in PALs—there were no Zfthu on the island, but Rev was taking no chances—stepped out.

The children’s reactions were priceless. A few of them stopped dead, unsure of this strange new world. All of the children had their regular IR time with the open spaces of human planets, but there was a difference between a headset and the real deal.

The rest, though, squealed with delight.

“Come on, Daddy!” Aspen shouted as she took his hand. “Run!”

Rev laughed and ran along with her for ten meters while Willow chased them. He stopped, grabbed them both, and swung them upside down and then onto his shoulders. The girls screamed in mock fear, then held onto his head as he strode down the slope.

For this special occasion, there was only one destination: the swimming hole. Norton had advised caution as this was where so many of the sailors had been killed, but Doc Rima thought that bringing children there could help banish the ghosts. Some of the sailors turned down the opportunity, but eleven of them—six with children of their own—joined the party.

It took a long time. Little people had little legs. And the children were constantly stopping to examine a blade of Tylydinan grass, to watch a Tylydinan bug. And when the breeze kicked up, they raised their hands to try and catch it. But finally, they arrived.

Rev lowered the girls to their feet and let them drink in the sight.

Most of the children were gobsmacked. They’d seen water in the portable wading pool back in the hangar deck. But to see a creek feeding into a large, round pool was something beyond their imagination.

The Kanter’s didn’t wait. With shrill squeaks, they broke into a run and vaulted into the water. They gamboled like otters, their joy obvious.

The children were a mixed bag. Willow wanted to jump in, while Aspen hung on Rev’s leg, not sure she trusted the water.

“Life jackets!” Rev shouted.

The Galaxy Explorer didn’t have a store of children’s life jackets, but they could be made. And now every child, from the newest infants to Willow and Aspen, had to wear one. It took Rev a few moments to figure Willow’s out. There were a lot of straps to connect, all while his daughter was jumping up and down in excitement.

Finally, though, she was ready to go. Rev asked Tomiko if she wanted the honors, but she said she’d take Aspen, who was wary of the pool.

Willow had no hesitation. She followed Rev in, stomping her feet to splash the water. Rev turned over on his back, put her on his chest, then swam out to the middle while Kanters swam circles around him. Willow shrieked with delight.

For the next four hours, the Zfthu and Po and the entire galaxy were forgotten. They could be back on Safe Harbor or any of the others’ home planets, just enjoying the normal life.

Aspen finally got up the courage to get in the water, and soon she and her sister were leading some of the older kids in tag and games Rev didn’t quite understand. The infants were carried into the water by their parents, but for most of the time, they crawled around on the shore, fascinated by dirt and bugs. A few of the parents objected, but Rima insisted this was a good thing, both for their development and in helping their immune systems.

Rev didn’t quite understand that as he understood that most of the pathogens and such on the planet were harmless to humans, but Rima assured him that simply their physical structure could initiate an immune reaction.

As the sun moved into the afternoon, most of the children and more than a few parents started to fade. Only the Kanters seemed to have unflagging energy. Umman took charge of the cleanup, and Rev walked over to his wife and put his arm around her shoulders as she watched Willow and Aspen fill drink cups with dirt, then turn them over to make little castles of their own.

Tomiko reached up with her organic hand and grabbed Rev’s as it draped over her shoulder.

“This has been a good day,” she said.

“One of the best in a long, long time.”

“I could get used to it.”

“I’m going to propose to Norton and Hyung that we stay a year.”

“Do you think they’ll buy it?”

“I’m gonna say that it’s for refresher training, to keep us combat-ready.”

“Is that the real reason?”

“Sure. We can do training.”

“Rev.”

“OK, OK. I just think we can use the break. And who knows when we’ll hit another planet like this.”

“You mean with warring races?” she asked.

“I think we’re safe enough. The yetis won’t do anything as long as we’re here. And we’ll keep a constant alert force.”

The two were silent for a few minutes as they watched their girls before Tomiko said, “I hope they agree. I think I’d like to stay here for a year.”

OceanofPDF.com

32

“Do you have a moment, Sergeant Major?” Randigold asked as she stuck her head in the room Rev had claimed as an office.

“Sure, Eth. Come sit down.”

She was hesitant, not the cocksure Randigold Rev knew, and she sat down with a grunt.

“Are you doing OK?” Rev asked, concerned.

He was feeling more of the symptoms of his rot, but he was still doing all right.

“Not really.”

“What are your numbers?”

She bit her lip, then said, “One-ninety-seven and thirty-eight-point-one.”

Rev’s eyes opened wide on that. He’d had the worse numbers before, but now she’d surpassed him. That meant her rot was progressing faster than his.

“I’m so sorry, Eth.”

She shrugged. “It is what it is. I shoulda died in the fire, you know. This . . .” she said, clanging her prosthetic arm on one of her prosthetic legs, “. . . this gave me a new chapter in life, one that’s taken me on a ride to beat all rides. The last thirteen years have been all bonus.”

Rev just shook his head. It wasn’t fair, but then life wasn’t fair.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I didn’t come here for a pity party, Sergeant Major.”

“Hell, Eth. We’ve known each other for a long time. Don’t you think you can call me Rev when we’re like this?”

She gave a slight half-smile, then she said, “Sure. Why the fuck not? Sibs in Steel. Sibs in the rot.”

She chuckled, then settled back. After another moment, she said, “I don’t know if I’ll be around, but if I’m hanging on, I want to stay here on Tylydina.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, when you go off on your next mission, I want to stay here. The dragons say it’s OK with them.”

Rev just looked at her as he tried to figure out what to say.

“Why?” was the best he could do.

“I don’t want my bones ejected into space, out in the cold black. I’d rather be in the ground.”

“But if you’re here, then you won’t get back to Safe Harbor. Wouldn’t you rather be eventually laid to rest there?”

Randigold broke out in loud guffaws at that, and it took more than a few moments for her to regain control of herself.

“Give me a break, Rev! We’re not going back. Hell, we don’t even know if there is somewhere to go back to. For all we know, everyone blew themselves up in mutual destruction.”

“We don’t know that, Eth,” Rev said, feeling more than a little attacked.

“Yeah, they’re like cockroaches. They’re probably still scurrying around plotting their power grabs. But why would I want to go back? They fucking exiled us. Kicked us out.”

She sneered, which faded when she added, “But this place. It’s . . . peaceful. I think I could be happy knowing that this is the end of the line for me.”

Rev was at a loss for words. He knew this was wrong. Or if it wasn’t wrong, then he just didn’t want to abandon her in four more months when they left. They’d been through too much together.

He was trying to pull a reason for her to leave with them out of thin air, and he came up with, “You say it’s peaceful, but it won’t be. Once we’re gone, the yetis will probably say we breached the treaty, and they’ll be coming.”

“And I’ll live that long?” she said with yet another chuckle. “And if they do? Well, I guess I’ll just go down fighting like a Marine should.”

“I don’t know, Eth. I’m not sure I can do that. I’m responsible for you.”

The gruff Randigold faded to be replaced by a young girl. Her eyes welled up, and she said in a soft, choking voice, “Please, Rev. You’ve got to do this for me. I’m not going to last long, and I can’t take the idea of being launched into space. I really would rather be buried here.”

Rev’s heart tugged at the pleading in her voice, and more so that she’d let her façade down, that she’d revealed the inner woman who she’d hidden for so long.

He couldn’t refuse her.

He stood up and went to her, pulled her erect and enveloped her in a hug.

“You can stay here, Eth. I’ll take care of it.”

* * *

Rev told Norton and Hyung about Randigold’s wishes. Neither objected when Rev said he was going to approve them. Not that they really had much of a say in it. Rev’s mind was made up.

He did check with both Pika and Bunny, and both assured him that they would care for her.

Within a day, all of the Marines and civilians—everyone on the planet—knew about it. Randigold seemed ill at ease with the attention and best wishes she was getting, but that didn’t change her mind.

The next day, three civilians asked to stay behind, and while Rev was going to a meeting with his two fellow heads, one of the karnans asked to stay as well. Within two days, the number of people wanting to remain on Tylydina had swollen to thirty-one. That included two sailors up on the Galaxy Explorer.

Even Tomiko asked Rev if he’d considered it. Truth be told, he had, but he didn’t admit that. Randigold’s desire not to be ejected into space started to resonate with him. Rev didn’t know how much time he had. Rima had adjusted his timeline to possibly as much as nine months. The thought of spending them on the ship or some uninhabitable planet was not nearly as enticing as being down here on the ground, taking his girls to the swimming hole or hiking through the forest.

Once he was dead, it wouldn’t make much of a difference to him, but the thought of having a grave, where his girls could visit him, was comforting.

He was the military leader, though, and his duty was to the mission, so he couldn’t admit that he’d like to stay. And Tomiko didn’t express a desire, either.

The Po heard about the movement, and to say they were eager would be an understatement. They promised once again to build them their own castle or village if that was what they wanted. They promised to convert large amounts of the island to be able to support Earth life, so the plants in the ship’s garden could be grown.

That wasn’t surprising. They knew that with a human presence, even an unarmed one, there was a better chance that the Zfthu wouldn’t restart their campaign of extermination. But while Rev would love to have a way to ensure the Po’s survival, this wasn’t up to them.

At the moment, Norton, Hyung, and Rev were at his battlement, trying to navigate the growing sentiment.

“If we let my sailors stay, then I won’t be able to operate the ship.”

“How many could you afford to lose?” Hyung asked.

“More than thirty, and I’d be hard-pressed to keep her operational. I could navigate and all that, but remember, this ship was built by the lowest bidder. There are always things going wrong, things that the AI self-repair can’t handle.”

“How many want to stay?” Rev asked.

“Six have put in requests, but I think that’s the calm before the storm.”

Hyung let out a long breath and then said, “Half of my people want to stay, at least until we know what’s going on back home. Remember, though, that after the Loup-Garou returned, we all knew this was a one-way trip.”

They both turned to Rev.

“I really don’t know. We’re Marines and soldiers. We do our duty. But now that the possibility is being openly discussed, I wouldn’t be surprised if most would choose to stay. Like your folks, Dieter, they’ve always known they wouldn’t be going back. But as to the number? I don’t have a good grasp of that.”

“This is . . . heavy. I’m not sure it’s right for us to make a decision that affects the entire expedition,” Hyung said. “I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing this without the proper data, which in this case, is to see how many of us want to stay and how many want to continue on the mission.”

“And how do you propose to do that?”

“A communal meeting. We lay out the facts, analyze the pros and cons, then leave it to them to let us know in a secret vote. I don’t think we can make any decisions until we know the numbers.”

Rev had to admit that Hyung was right. It wasn’t surprising that he’d suggested it, though. He was a scientist, after all, and they dealt with data.

“Where would we do this town hall?” Norton asked.

“I’m not sure some of my people will want to go up to the ship,” he said apologetically. “They’re already expressing fear that they might be forced to leave. So, I’d suggest that we do it here with as many of your sailors as is feasible. For the rest, we can rig up a virtual feed.”

Rev nodded in agreement. After Njuguna stepped down, Rev hadn’t been too confident in the new civilian head. He was a good enough guy, and Rev had worked with him before, notably with catching LeRon, the saboteur. But he never seemed to have that leadership gene.

It seemed to have blossomed in him, though.

Norton considered what Hyung proposed, then he said, “The military isn’t a democracy.”

“I’m not in the military. Neither are my people.”

Norton grudgingly nodded, then looked at Rev. “Are you OK with this?”

“Yes, sir. I am.”

The CO grunted in surprise. “You are?”

Rev nodded. It might not be the Marine Corps way, but in these circumstances, it was the right way.

Norton sighed and said, “Well, I’m not going to fight you on this. Let’s do it.”

* * *

“Do we have the numbers?” Rev asked.

The meeting had been relatively calm and not nearly as contentious as Rev had feared it would be. There were a few impassioned pleas, but for the most part, people just listened quietly as the options were presented.

Lettie McChord, the administrative officer for the civilian side, had been tasked with tabulating the results.

She cleared her throat, then read them off. “Four hundred eighty-seven to stay. Thirty-six to continue the mission. Seven to return to human space.”

Rev snorted in surprise. The tally was far more lopsided than he’d expected. And he was relieved. He’d never spoken up for staying, but he’d voted that way. After Randigold’s decision, the idea of spending his remaining time on Tylydina had gotten more and more appealing.

While Rev had been surprised, Lieutenant Commander Norton looked like he was shocked. He’d been in the continuing-the-mission camp.

“We should have asked whether they were sailors, Marines, or civilians on the ballot,” he said.

“I’m sure that most of those who wanted to continue the mission are mine,” Hyung said. “But even if they were all your crew, would that be enough to operate the ship?”

“If we cut out certain functions, then yes. At least for a while.”

“And after that?”

Norton just shook his head.

Rev thought he could understand the man’s frustration. He was the CO of the Galaxy Explorer. Without the ship, who was he? If they did stay on Tylydina, there would still be a role for him, but at the moment, Norton was defined by the ship.

“So, what now?” Rev asked Hyung.

“The Kanters have already stated that they’re staying. And it looks like most of our people want to stay, too. What we need is to determine what to do with the forty-three who do not want to remain here. The seven who want to return to their homes are out of luck, as unfortunate as that is. But what about the thirty-six? We need to address that with them and not by decree. We need that discussion.

“And then, if we really are making this our new home, there’s a lot of work to be done first.”

“The dragons have told us they’ll build us a castle or village,” Rev said.

“I don’t think we want to live on the largess of the dragons, Sergeant Major. And if we’re going to attempt to create a viable community here, then the ship is loaded with supplies and equipment that would make that a lot easier.”

Duh! You shouldn’t have had to be told that, Reverent. We need that equipment.

Norton sighed, then said, “We’d need a debark conference. With only the two shuttles and the Charon, this kind of task would take . . . oh, six or seven months at a minimum.”

Rev saw a defeated man in front of him. But he knew that he was going to have a job to do for the good of the rest of the people. He reached out across the table and patted the CO’s arm.

“And the thirty-six?” Hyung prompted.

“We need to tell them that we can send the ship out, and it should get them to another system. Maybe another two or three before problems will start cropping up. Eventually, there’ll be too many to be able to carry on. And to what end? What can you do to analyze that system with so few people?”

In a quiet voice, Hyung asked him, “So, we’re staying here on Tylydina?”

Norton gave a grudging nod.

“Sergeant Major?”

This was too simple for Rev. Even though he wanted to stay, it didn’t seem right that they just take a vote, and then the three of them make what was a life-altering decision in the space of five minutes. It seemed to him that it should be much more involved, somehow.

But would that change anything? It would probably end up the same way.

“Yes. That’s what the majority wants.”

“Then let’s announce it,” Hyung said. “And as soon as we do that, we’ve got a Herculean task ahead of us, and we need to get cracking on it.”

OceanofPDF.com

33

Rev poked at the piece of . . . he wasn’t sure what. It jiggled a bit, like jello, but it looked more like a butterflied sea slug.

He looked at the four others: Kelly, Randigold, Punch, and Pika. Kelly was grimacing, Randigold was looking at him with a grim but eager expression, Punch was Punch, and Pika—well, who could tell what a dragon was thinking?

“Are you really going to try it, Sergeant Major?” Randigold asked.

“Are you?”

“No way. That looks disgusting.”

“We can modify the appearance if necessary,” Pika said.

You might have to.

Rev stared at the slug again. He’d faced death in combat. He’d faced an angry Tomiko. So why was he quaking in his boots now?

“It’s safe?”

“I can assure you that it is.”

Geeze, Reverent. Just do it.

Before he could think of a million reasons not to, Rev scooped up the sea slug, closed his eyes, and bit it in half. His first impression was that he was eating a real slug. It was soft and slimy, and he almost gagged, but then . . .

“Oh, by the Mother,” he said, opening his eyes in surprise. “It’s watermelon. Real, watermelon!”

He held out the other half to Kelly, who backed up a step and stared at him suspiciously.

“For real? You’re not trying to pull something on me now, are you?”

“No, really!”

This thing didn’t look like watermelon. It didn’t feel like watermelon. But it sure the heck tasted like the sweetest watermelon he’d ever eaten.

“Is the taste satisfactory?” Pika asked.

“I can’t believe it,” Rev said. “But yes, it is. I don’t know how or why, but that slimy thing is watermelon.”

He shifted his hand to offer it to Randigold. She tentatively took it, sniffed it, then flicked out her tongue and gave it a little kitten lick. Her eyes got wide, and she popped it into her mouth.

“He’s not shitting you,” she said after she swallowed it, then lifted the plate Pika had brought the sample in and licked that, too.

Never in a million years would Rev have expected this. He’d been skeptical from the beginning. Yes, this was a race that had uplifted at least two other races—probably more—so they had to be almost godlike in their biological abilities. But “almost godlike” and “god” were two different things.

With the decision to stay on Haven—“Tylydina” was just too difficult for humans to pronounce, and so they’d taken a vote, with “Haven” coming out on top—the Po had been extremely eager to make life easier for the humans. Rev and the rest had often complained about the food. The fabricators were in the process of being torn down for shipment, but they were not scheduled to come down for another two months. And once they were operational, that would be a limited fix. Once the supply of organic bases ran out, they’d be rendered useless.

They could set up the algae farms, but even with the entire gamut of algae, that would limit the scope of what could be fabricated. An eternity of the Base 2 menu would be a fate almost worse than death.

That’s when the Po offered to recreate human food with the same taste and nutrition as what they now had. All they needed was the chemical composition of the food, and they could recreate it with what was available on Haven.

All of the humans had seen that the Po were far more technically advanced than they were. But this seemed a bridge too far, more brag than actual capability. But it was worth a try, and anything that could supplement the fabricators and provide nutrition would be a good thing.

The Po wanted a sample to work with. The fabricators could make their rendition of hundreds of ingredients, but they did that by rearranging any of twenty-two organic bases, and then manipulating color, texture, and, most of all, taste, to get the desired outcomes. They weren’t the real thing.

Enter Punch. For reasons only known to him, he’d long ago downloaded the chemical composition of thousands of items, including food. When he told that to their hosts, the Po were excited, stating that they could replicate that, whether it was a single food item or a dish from a recipe.

Rev brought that to Hyung and Offie Belang. Dr. Belang was the head biologist, and she gave a tentative OK to the concept, but she said there had to be rigorous testing before she’d approve it for consumption.

Randigold had suggested that Punch give Pika the chemical composition of Coke, which she swore the fabricator could never get quite right. But after considering the complexity, Punch decided that something simpler would be better, and he gave Pika his data on watermelon.

A week passed, and Rev didn’t hear anything.

“I guess it was too good to be true,” Rev told Tomiko as they ate their combat rat dinner.

“I don’t know if I’d trust them with our food,” she said. “We can always grow the algae and know that’s safe.”

“Base 2? I sure the heck hope they can do better than that.”

“We eat to live, Rev, not the other way around.”

“Speak for yourself.”

Rev had never understood Tomiko’s outlook on food. Sure, she enjoyed something that tasted good, and she was a true carnivore. He thought back to when they barely had a romance, and he brought her a piece of Round House Charlie, one of the finest strains of copyrighted vat beef in the galaxy. That had been one of his finest hours. But other than meat, to her, good food was just a nice thing to have if it was there. She could subsist fine on the very basics.

“It won’t be just Base 2, anyway. We’ve got the ship’s garden plants that we’re going to try and grow here,” Tomiko said.

“And if some pathogen doesn’t attack our garden. And if the yetis don’t come and raze it.”

“I’d like to see them try. But, like I said, we’ve got algae.”

“Don’t remind me.”

The next day, though, Punch came and got Rev.

“Pika has the first go-round on the food.”

“The first one? That doesn’t sound good.”

“He said that this will take a few steps, being the first time they’ve worked with Earth life. After this, it’ll be easier.”

“Did you tell Hyung and Belang?”

“I thought I’d tell you. If you’re interested.”

Rev hesitated. This was really on Belang’s turf. He was security, Norton still had the ship, while the civilians were about everything else at this juncture.

“I guess we don’t have to put this on her plate, too.”

“Was that a pun, Rev?”

It took him a moment to realize what Punch was saying. Then “plate” registered.

He hadn’t intended to say a pun, but he was going to take credit.

“Sure was.”

“It was a bad one.”

“Better than any you’ve come up with lately,” he said before turning to Kelly and Randigold.

“You want to go see what concoction the dragons came up with?”

“Dragon food,” Kelly said, wrinkling her nose. “Sure, let’s go see that poison.”

Only, now, after tasting it, Rev was all in. Yes, they needed to work on the mouthfeel, and it would help if it were the same color as real watermelon. But the important thing was the taste.

And the nutrition, I guess.

And if they could make watermelon from the carbon atoms and whatever that were native to the planet . . .

“Hey, Pika. I know what you feel about killing and stuff like that, but could you whip up, you know, meat?”

“Whatever we produce, it was never alive, much less sentient. It will undoubtedly be more challenging than a simple plant like watermelon, but there shouldn’t be a problem with that.”

Rev looked to Punch. “In that wonderful, high-capacity crystal brain of yours, did you happen to download Round House Charlie’s copyright data when we were discussing it back those many years ago?”

“You know me better than that. Of course, I did.”

Rev smiled as he addressed Pika.

“Well, then. I’ve got another project to test your abilities. And if you pass the test, we’re gonna be best friends forever.”

OceanofPDF.com

34

“Try it again,” Senior Chief Grudzinski said.

The petty officer nodded, then reached out and turned the switch.

To Rev’s relief, the big PX-40 printer came to life.

“Thank the Mother,” Norton whispered.

The PX-40 was the most advanced, most capable printer they had. With a web of two meters, it could manufacture almost anything that they might need in the way of repair parts, tools, or furniture. It could even print the turbofans for the Charon, if necessary.

The Po were still growing buildings for personnel housing in what used to be the yeti town, but the PX-40 was so important to the humans that they grew a separate housing for it and provided a power source that would keep it running.

It had taken two shuttle trips to bring it down on the surface, and for the last three days, the Materials Division had been trying to reassemble and get it running. It still had to be tested and recalibrated, but seeing the huge printer come to life gave Rev hope. It was a vital milestone.

Life was settling into a routine. Without housing, the children and most of the ship’s crew were still on the ship. They came down every Sunday to enjoy the surface and spend time. By now, the children were used to the forest and swimming hole, and it was a chore to get them loaded back on the shuttle for the ride back up without a boatload of tears and meltdowns.

But the octagon had been repaired, and water was flowing. And at the rate the Po were growing buildings, Rev thought that in another month, they could be brought down for good.

On the Zfthu side, they seemed to be settling into the new routine. They sent over boats three times per week. It was mostly one-way “trade,” with the Po providing them with the basic foodstuffs, but to add a little sugar to them, Punch had designed an improved agricultural scythe, which the fabrication team started to put out, and that was added to what was given to the Zfthu. Anything to show them that they were better off with peace rather than war.

What surprised Rev the most was that the vast majority of the people seemed not only to accept their new condition but to embrace it. They seemed a happier bunch than they’d been for a long time.

There was still grumbling, of course. Forty-three people had not voted for this outcome. But when given the facts, they’d seemingly acknowledged their fate with varying degrees of acceptance.

Comms were still down with Titan or any human government. Many of the people wanted to keep it that way. There was concern that with them essentially checking out of what was going on back there, once the war was over, the powers that be might track them down to reassert their authority.

But for now, especially with the PX-40 humming along, things looked pretty good.

“Glad to get over that hurdle,” Hyung told Rev.

“You and me both. We don’t have to ask the dragons for every little thing.”

“You ready for our meeting?”

Rev inwardly groaned, but he smiled and said, “Sure.”

He was happy to see Hyung take the bulk of the leadership roles in making the move from the Galaxy Explorer to Haven. The man seemed to have the knack for it. But one thing he insisted on was a daily meeting of what he called his “department heads.” Rev was technically an equal to him, not a department head. And he could see how the daily meetings improved efficiency and eliminated some problems before they even surfaced. But that didn’t mean he liked them.

“Well, then, we might as well head on over,” Hyung said with a smile.

I think this guy actually likes them. Masochist, Rev told himself as he dutifully trooped after the man.

* * *

“That means we’ll have an operational clinic here by next week. Doc Rima will transfer down for good, while HM2 Guerrero will remain on the ship until we break the rest of sickbay down and bring it here,” Norton said.

Normally, a clinic might have been one of the first things to be brought down, but with the Po’s ability to treat injuries, that had fallen back in priority. With a good third of the people with what was seemingly hay fever, but that Doc Rima assured them was merely a physical irritation, though, the decision was made to push the priority back up.

“And that’s all for me,” Norton concluded.

Rev started to stand. Norton concluded each of the meetings with the next couple of days’ schedule for the shuttles and landing craft.

“I have one more thing I’ve saved for last,” Hyung said, and Rev slowly sank back into his seat.

“Yesterday, while doing an inventory of what the gennies left behind, we discovered that they’d gifted us something. I’m not sure how we missed it, but I think you’ll agree that this is significant.”

He paused and looked around the makeshift conference table one of his fabrication crew had cobbled together.

Just get on with it and tell us so we can go.

“You all know about the cultivator they left, right?”

There were a few nods. The cultivator was an incubator of genetic material. Doc Rima had already gotten dibs on it. Theoretically, she could use it for In Vitro Fertilization if she could figure out how the machine was operated. And with so few people now, if they wanted a viable population, they might have to make use of it.

“Well, somehow, we didn’t notice the rest of the gift. Not only do we have the cultivator, but we also have an entire gene bank. They left it there and even attached a note saying ‘Thank you.’”

That got Rev’s attention.

“Yes,” Hyung said, obviously enjoying the reaction of everyone. “DNA for hundreds, if not thousands, of Earth plants and animals. Once we master their technology and figure out how to operate the cultivator, we should be able to germinate and bring to life food crops and animals.”

Creating living creatures from stored genetic material was no easy feat, even in the laboratories back home. Cloning corn or strains of beef and chicken for vat beef was one thing. Actually creating viable, healthy life was difficult, though, and took a precise process in a lab, much less on a Navy ship.

But the potential . . . that was huge. There were a dozen food plants and another dozen ornamental plants growing in the ship’s garden, and land was already being prepared to attempt to grow them on the planet. But this really upped the possibilities. Rev had a sudden vision of farms growing what they needed to survive, ranches with cattle and hogs. They’d be guarantees for the inevitable future when the fabricators failed beyond repair.

“I’m keeping Dr. Belang on board to catalog what’s there. And as soon as we have the appropriate facility prepared, we’ll be transferring the bank and the cultivator down here so we can start unraveling the process. As you can guess, we’re very excited about this find.”

You’re not the only one.

And then he realized the significance of the “thank you” note. This was a tit-for-tat. Rev, Tomiko and others had donated their DNA so that the Genesians could be viable. They’d just returned the favor.

We sure came out ahead on that deal.

The meeting broke up, and a very upbeat sergeant major made his way out of the room before a decidedly not-upbeat Omega agent stopped him.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Wolf asked.

Oh, don’t down my high, Wolf.

But Rev said, “Sure. What do you got?”

“Maybe somewhere a little more private?”

This bad? What are you doing to me?

“My CP?” he asked.

“That should do.”

The two men made their way out to the courtyard, then climbed into the battlement.

Rev really just wanted the man to go away, but he asked, “Now, what do you want?”

“It’s about the ship. After it’s emptied.”

“We’re sending it away. You know that.”

The decision of what they’d do with the ship had been hotly contested. Some people wanted to leave it in orbit, an emergency escape valve. But many more people didn’t want to leave a trace of the ship. They feared one faction or the other coming out on top during the war and wanting to track them down. Most feared what a winning MDS might do to them, but the karnans feared a Union-alliance victory. How would they treat the expedition?

No one thought it would be very well.

Another school of thought was to dive the ship into this system’s sun. Leave no trace. If humanity came looking for them, the trail would go cold.

The logic of that one escaped Rev. If they got this far, they’d notice the civilizations on Haven, and even a cursory scan would reveal the human settlement. Destroying the ship here would do no good. They had to lead anyone tracking them away from the planet. Titan knew where they were now, so it had to look like they left and went farther into the galactic wilderness.

The final course of action was to send the ship away but leave it as a derelict ship somewhere in the hopes that if needed, they could recover it. Neither shuttle nor landing craft had bubble space capability. But the Shrike did. Rev wouldn’t trust the fighter for too many jumps, but it didn’t have to follow the Galaxy Explorer’s path. Clyburn could make the single jump to the ship and hope it was there. He also wasn’t sure that Clyburn could somehow bring the ship back to them, but Norton assured the rest that he could preset the return so that all Clyburn had to do would be to trigger it, and the ship’s AI would handle the rest for the single jump back.

In the end, while Rev thought most people wanted to destroy it, Norton’s strong push ruled the day. Rev didn’t particularly like it, but he wasn’t going to fight the CO on that.

“Yes, I know. But Titan and New Mars know that we’re here in this system. And even if the ship moves on as planned, there is a preset destination on the ship to bring her back. Do you think they’ll have much of a problem figuring out where we are?”

“No. Like you said, they already know we’re here.”

“What would you say if I told you there might be a way to, shall I say, change what they think they know?”

Rev just stared at Wolf, trying to read into the man’s eyes. He sort of trusted the agent, but not entirely. Not by any stretch of the imagination. What if he was trying to pull something now after lying low for the entire expedition. The man was Omega. Who knew what kind of long-term plan he might have had?

“If there was this kind of ability, do you really think we’re in danger from them?” he asked, purposely not specifying who he thought “them” was.

“We’ve fallen out of their control. Not only fallen, but we’re actively running from it. What do you think?”

“I’m asking you.”

They had a little stare-down, but it was Wolf who broke. “Knowing what I do, I think it would be a bad situation no matter who comes out on top in the war.”

Rev tried to see a flicker of dishonesty in the man’s eyes. He knew Wolf was an agent, so he must know how to lie, but Rev found himself believing him.

“Having them not know exactly where we are could be a good thing,” Rev conceded. “But you said there might be a way to do that.”

“I have a tool where I can hide our tracks from within the ship. I can make the AI believe that, for example, we were struck by a virulent plague that pushed us to leave the ship in the shuttles to land on a nearby planet.”

“That . . . could be very interesting, Wolf. But where does the ‘might’ come in.”

“An attached worm can be sent back along the comms, programmed to seek out the ship’s location information and comms pertaining to that. A few minuscule changes, and we were never here. We were always over there.”

What Wolf was describing would go a long way in allaying some of Rev’s concerns.

“You still haven’t described the ‘might.’”

Wolf pursed his lips, then said, “Other agencies know of our capabilities. This worm is tiny and barely noticeable. But if anyone suspects something in this category, it will be blocked. It won’t make it through.”

Wolf could be lying through his teeth, but it made sense. Just because he was Omega Division didn’t mean they were infallible. He and Punch had proven that.

“Whether it gets through or not, I think the plan is sound. So, why are you coming to me? Why don’t you just set it in motion?”

“I waited too long. The interface I need has already been packed and brought to the surface.”

“So, you want me to get it back up to the ship?”

“That won’t work. I’d have to go with it, set it up, and recalibrate it.”

“So, tell Norton and do it.”

“I did tell Norton. He won’t allow me anywhere near the ship anymore. He’s sure I’m trying to sabotage it.”

I’m not positive you aren’t.

“If he won’t let you, then what am I supposed to do?”

“I need Punch.”

“What?”

“Your battle buddy. There may be a chance that he can help.”

You don’t need me. You need me to convince Punch.

“Have you talked to him?” Rev asked.

“I started to, but he won’t talk to me unless I go through you.”

Rev was surprisingly touched by that. Punch was very independent now, but if he needed Rev’s OK to discuss this wild plan with Wolf, then he wasn’t as independent as he seemed.

There were a million things that could blow up with Wolf’s plan, and that was even if he was on the up-and-up. Then there was the fact that if he agreed, he’d be going against Norton’s decision.

But Rev felt that Wolf was trying to do the right thing here. And it wouldn’t hurt to have this presented to Punch to get his take on it.

He raised his wrist and spoke into the comm. “Punch, can you meet me in my CP?”

“On my way. Give me ten minutes.”

“Thank you,” Wolf said.

“Nothing’s decided yet.”

They stood in silence while waiting for Punch before Rev asked, “Why are you doing this?”

Wolf let out a wry chuckle and then said, “What does the evil Omega man really want except to keep all citizens in bondage, do you mean?”

“You said it, not me.”

“Yeah, we’ve done some pretty bad things, but I’d like to think that they’ve been mostly for a good cause. And yes, I’m a spy. I was put on this expedition as a spy. With all you baby-killer Marines and pie-in-the-sky science geeks, who could trust you to provide the Union with anything you found while keeping it from everyone else?”

“Including Titan?”

“Especially Titan. Look, with the way things have gone down, maybe it’s time to do what’s right instead of following orders.”

“That’s not the Marine Corps way. Nor the Omega way, I’m guessing.”

“You did what’s right on Mother Earth. You didn’t kill the Centaur triad, despite your orders. You and a karnan, of all people. And because of that, we’ve still got Earth.”

Rev scoffed.

“Oh, so you don’t think the evil Omega man can do what’s right?”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Yes, you did. And that’s OK. But I am trying to do what’s right here.” He took a breath. “Look. We’re in trouble. Sure, everyone’s smiling now. We’re all happy. But we’re vulnerable. There’s not enough of us to guarantee survival. And that’s without our brother humans coming after us. Without the yetis, the BGs, the Sia. It’s a dangerous galaxy, Sergeant Major, and we need all the advantages we can grab.”

There wasn’t anything Rev could say to that. What Wolf was saying was the truth. Rev just had to hope that he was equally as truthful as to the why of what he was proposing.

Punch took that moment to arrive at the CP. He looked from Rev to Wolf and back to Rev again.

“Agent Wolf has something to ask you.”

“Go ahead,” Punch said.

“Were you equipped with an SRP-1426?” Wolf asked.

Punch slowly turned to face Rev, as if waiting for his input.

We’re already in this deep.

Despite their situation with the far-off Union, Norton could bring him up on espionage charges—not that Rev thought his Marines would let that fly.

Rev didn’t know what an SRP-1426 was. It couldn’t be hardware because Punch was essentially a series of interlocking crystals. But as long as Punch knew, then he could respond.

“Go ahead, Punch.”

“Yes, I have that capability.”

“Oh, thank the Mother,” Wolf said.

“That doesn’t mean anything yet,” Rev cautioned. “Punch hasn’t agreed to anything.”

“I know that. So, let me explain what I’d like him to do.”

Wolf started into a far more technical and detailed explanation that left Rev behind. After five minutes, his wristcomp buzzed with Tye, who needed his assistance with one of the Navy chiefs. Rev eagerly said he’d come over. He told the two he’d be back, then left them in the middle of a discussion that might as well have been in Zfthu for all Rev could understand.

Rev listened to the pissing contest, slapped the chief’s wrist, and headed back to the battlement. It looked like the two were finished by the time he rejoined them.

“What Agent Wolf has described makes sense, and from what I’ve been able to examine—”

“Wait, you let him download something into you?”

“That was the only way I could determine what both the program and the worm would do,” Punch said as if this were an everyday occurrence.

Geeze, Punch!

“Both will work as he described. That doesn’t mean that Agent Wolf isn’t lying as to what he plans to do with it.”

Rev glanced at Wolf, but the man didn’t seem to have taken offense. Punch had so many strengths and capabilities, but understanding social interaction wasn’t one of them.

“So, what is your opinion?” he asked Punch.

“We’ve come up with a plan, and I think it is worth pursuing.”

“You already have a plan?”

“We actually went with the example I used earlier. The ship’s last stop is in a system with a volcanic planet with a lot of tectonic activity. The AI will believe that we were under attack by a plague and sought refuge on the planet. With the activity on the surface, it is possible that any trace of us, or of the shuttles, would disappear.”

“So, you think it’s believable that we just leave the ship like that?”

“That’s all we have. Unless you can come up with something better?”

“No, I don’t have anything.”

“With his SRP-1426, Punch will be able to invade the ship’s neuro system. And he already knows how to inject the package. But we need you now.”

“I figured that. I’ve got to come up with a reason to send Punch back up to the ship so he can do the deed.”

Wolf nodded.

“Are you ready now?” Rev asked Punch.

“I’m ready.”

“OK. Give me about an hour. The next shuttle will head back up at 1330. I’ll have you on it.”

Wolf held out his hand, and Rev took it. He was committed now.

I just hope I’m not making the biggest mistake of my life.

* * *

Eight hours later, the shuttle landed. Rev waited breathlessly as the ramp lowered. A familiar figure was the first one to stride down it.

Punch made his way toward the human spaces, but as he passed Rev, he said, “The deed is done.”

For better or worse, the die had been cast.

OceanofPDF.com

35

The shuttle settled down outside Haventown. Tethered balloons were banging about in the breeze, and Corporal Jant, one of Rev’s karnans, was dressed as the ugliest clown Rev had ever seen.

Today was a big day. While all of the children had made trips to the surface before, today had been designated as Zero Day, the official start of their lives on Haven.

Jant rushed forward to greet the backpack-laden children as they came down the ramp. More than a few, including Willow, were having none of him. But Aspen, normally the timid one, ran right up to him and took his hand. Rev couldn’t quite hear what she was saying, but she was animated.

Emboldened by her, more of the kids approached, but others warily made their way around him and to their waiting parents.

Teo brought Willow to Rev and Tomiko. She also handed Rev a small container carrying Blue.

“He got loose in the hangar just before we loaded. I thought he was going to be launched on a long trip without us.”

Rev rolled his eyes as he took possession of the gerbil. The idea of his girls melting down over the lost Blue was something he didn’t want to even imagine.

The shuttle took off and crabbed over to the hangar the Po had grown. It was large enough for both shuttles, the Charon, and the Shrike, as well as the associated maintenance and fabrication equipment, but both it and the much smaller housing for the fuel processor seemed to almost be part of the landscape, they were so cleverly designed and positioned.

No one knew for sure how long the craft could be kept operational, but it could be decades with proper care.

With the second-to-last shuttle, the party was in full swing. A feast had been laid out, and booze was flowing. The Po had a hand in that. As with any military since the dawn of time, the sailors knew how to distill shine and various other alcoholic concoctions. And the food fabricators could do a decent job with drinks, too. But while the Po were working on various human food items, Rev and the others discovered that the Po had a love for alcohol as well, and they were quite skilled in its production. Two of their drinks, dis and tonso, had become human favorites—several others made even sailors gag—but for Rev, their cider was amazing. They’d successfully duplicated the human version, then added a slight touch of their own that elevated it to the next level.

About half of the Kanters had returned from their exploration of the island, and, as usual, they congregated around the children. Rev had asked Tiktik why there were no young, and his friend said that they’d essentially turned off their reproductive capability for the duration—Rev didn’t quite understand if that was a mental process or some sort of medical device. But with the expedition over, Tiktik said they were considering reversing that.

As he sipped his cider and watched the human children running around on hyperdrive, the image of baby Kanters bouncing around at three times the velocity was both scary and intriguing.

Mother help us when that happens.

Human kids were handful enough.

“Rev, come get your daughter,” Tomiko said, pulling Willow—or was it Aspen—by the arm to him. “She pushed Moses down, and he hurt his knee.”

“He said a bad word,” his daughter protested.

Rev kneeled so that his head was even with hers.

“You can’t just go pushing people because they say something.”

“But—”

“No buts. You can’t do that.”

When he saw the fire of defiance in her eyes, he knew she was Aspen.

Maybe it isn’t either serial killer or counsel general. She could be both.

“Now go back and apologize to Moses.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“Sometimes, we have to do what we don’t want to. Now you go and apologize.”

She nodded, then went to find him. Rev didn’t bother to watch. When she agreed to something, he knew she’d do it.

“You could have told her to apologize, Miko. It doesn’t always have to be daddy who’s the disciplinarian.”

“She doesn’t always listen to me.”

Because you’re a softy when it comes to them.

He wasn’t going to say that, though.

“Some gathering, huh?” he asked.

“We’re starting a new chapter. We needed to bring it in with a party.”

He pulled her into his side, as they just watched for a few minutes.

“I think we did the right thing, Rev.”

“So do I. You and the girls will be happy here.”

He felt her stiffen.

Not smart. No reason to bring that up now.

He turned to kiss her forehead, and he could see the tear running down her cheek.

“None of that today,” he said, wiping the tear with a forefinger. “This is a celebration.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.”

With the reminder, Rev searched the crowd until he spotted Randigold. She was deteriorating quickly, much as Bundy had done. At the moment, she was sitting at one of the picnic tables with Cocker and Božič-Mizaki, drinking what looked to be tonso.

Five days ago, he’d taken her off the watch list. It had hurt, but it had to be done. She wasn’t able to function properly as a team leader anymore. Rev had set up a rotating team of eight on duty with at least one IBHU. While the Zfthu hadn’t made any aggressive moves as of yet, that had been true for almost all surprise attacks in history. If the duty team had to spring into action to protect the settlement, then Rev needed a team leader who was fully combat capable.

“Here it comes!” Jellyroll Leek shouted.

Rev joined the others in looking to the sky. The last shuttle was on the way down. The inspection team had been doing one last sweep of the ship to make sure nothing that was usable to the settlement had been left behind. Their final act was to prepare the ship for its final voyages.

All that was needed now was for the order to be transmitted to the ship’s AI.

Rev looked around for Wolf but didn’t immediately spot him. He and Punch had assured Rev that their program was in place, but his nerves were a little on edge about it.

People started to gather where a stage had been built as the shuttle descended. Even some of the children seemed to sense the significance of the situation and came to join their parents.

The shuttle, flown by Nissen, didn’t land at the LZ but went straight to the hangar. A few minutes later, the inspection team emerged and headed to the party.

Hyung waited until they reached them, then took the stage.

“Is this on?” he asked into a microphone, then, “Can everyone gather for this?”

The entire village, minus Tsao’s team, which was on duty, crowded together in front of the stage.

“Are we all having a good time?”

There were shouts of “Yes!” but not as enthusiastically as Rev would have thought. This was a bittersweet moment, though. They were looking forward to their new lives, but they were also saying goodbye to their old. Most of the people had family back home, and they knew they’d never hear from them again.

“This is a special day for us,” Hyung said. “We’ve taken control of our lives, and we’re forging ahead. This has always been part of the human condition. From our earliest ancestors who emerged from the east coast of Africa to populate Mother Earth, to the first Soviet and American astronauts to break the bonds and leave the Mother, to the brave souls of the First Expansion, our race is made of pioneers.

“We’re no different. We joined the expedition for different reasons . . .”

Some of us had no choice.

“. . . but a sense of expanding our knowledge and reach has been a core feature of what we do. And here, on Haven, that isn’t going to stop.”

Hyung was on a roll, but Rev’s mind was wandering. For most of his life, Rev had been a Perseus Union Marine. In a few minutes, that was about to be severed, emotionally, if not in actuality.

He was still going to be “Sergeant Major Pelletier” within the expedition for as long as he was breathing, but he’d abandoned his mission. Was he really a Marine anymore?

As Hyung kept on about how this was an historic occasion, where humanity was going to live and develop with two other races, Rev had a lump in his throat. It was all becoming real now.

Tomiko must have noticed his distress because she asked, “Are you OK, Rev?”

He wasn’t sure he could talk, so he gave her a half smile and a nod.

She didn’t look like she believed him, but she just grabbed his arm and held it tight.

Hyung didn’t talk nearly as long as Rev had expected. He closed his remarks, then motioned for Norton to join him.

“As commanding officer of the Galaxy Explorer, it is appropriate that you give her the command.”

If Rev was emotional, Norton looked devastated. He gravely accepted the pad from Hyung, then looked out over the crowd. He opened his mouth to speak, stopped, then tried again with the same result. Finally, he just shook his head and pressed his thumb on the screen and handed it back to Hyung.

When he didn’t say anything, Hyung took over and shouted, “With the departure of the Explorer, we are now officially cut off, and so I declare that from this moment forward, we are all sovereign citizens of the Free State of Haven.”

OceanofPDF.com

36

“You coming?” Rev asked.

“I think I’ll stay here. I don’t care about no trees.”

Rev kept the smile on his face, but he inwardly winced. Randigold looked awful as she sprawled on her couch, a holovid playing over the table. Even without a position, Rev was trying to keep her involved, but she rarely came out of her small apartment in the center of Haventown.

“Willie and Aspen were hoping to see you,” he said. “Right, girls?”

Willow said yes, but Aspen seemed more interested in the apartment itself.

“You two can come by later. Maybe we can watch Chipmunk Circus.

Both girls perked up at that.

“Can we stay, Daddy?” Aspen asked.

“No, Auntie Eth needs her rest.”

“Bull . . . no, I’m fine. They can stay here with me,” Randigold said.

“You sure?” Rev asked. “They can be a handful.”

“The day I can’t handle two little girls is the day you need to pull the plug on me, Rev.”

Randigold had been making more and more morbid comments, but Rev knew that was just her way of coping, whereas Rev tried to ignore the steady marching of his own rot.

“Please, Daddy?” Willow asked.

Rev knew he should say no, but he didn’t know how much longer Randigold would be here, so he relented.

“Just be good. And do whatever Auntie Eth says.”

“OK!” both girls shouted as they ran to Randigold and climbed on the couch.

Rev left the three and headed to the makeshift greenhouse. Tomiko, Kelly, and Tiwari were waiting for him at the entrance.

“Where’re the girls?” Tomiko asked. “And I thought you were getting Eth.”

“They’re with Eth. And she didn’t feel up to coming.”

“So, you left them with her?”

“She insisted. So did they. They’re watching Chipmunk Circus.”

“I’ve seen that a hundred times. I can recite every line.” Tiwari said. “We’ve got thousands of kid’s movies, na? So why do they watch the same thing?”

“Just show them something else,” Kelly said.

Rev, Tomiko, and Tiwari all rolled their eyes.

“You’ll see, Kel,” Tomiko said.

Kelly was the latest pregnancy. Rev didn’t know who the partner was. Kelly said she wasn’t in and didn’t need a relationship to be a mother. Rev was tempted to ask Rima, but he knew she wouldn’t reveal who the donor was.

He and Tomiko had spent hours trying to guess who it might be, but neither of them really had a clue. They’d just have to wait until and if their friend let them know who he was.

“We ready?” Kelly asked.

“Let’s go see this miracle,” Rev said, and they all trooped into the greenhouse.

Punch, Pika, and another Po nicknamed Goat were in the middle of a discussion. They looked up at the Marines’ entrance, but Rev’s attention was laser-focused on the dirt-filled table that dominated the center of the structure—a table covered with several rows of tiny seedlings.

“Is that them?” he asked.

“Sequoia sempervirens. Coastal Redwood,” Punch said.

Rev moved forward, then bent at the waist to get a better look. These tiny seedlings were a far cry from his favorites at Tall Trees Provincial Park back on Safe Harbor. But he could see from the needles that they were the same.

When the Po were told about the Genesian gene bank, they’d become excited. Making food that tasted like Earth foods had been merely an exercise in biochemistry. But growing viable plants and animals from DNA samples made them excited. This is what they did.

When they asked permission to “play,” was the translated word they used, with Earth DNA, there’d been some pushback, but that was overruled. If they could bring to life crops, then they wouldn’t have to crack the code on the Genesian cultivators.

The first test subject was going to be liverwort, a hardy but evolutionarily primitive plant. But when Rev was looking at the list of what was in the bank, he stumbled on the redwood samples, and his imagination ran away with him. He could picture tall trees bordering the creek, and even though they wouldn’t reach the heights of mature trees in his lifetime, maybe they would for his great-great-great-grandchildren.

He'd requested that they try redwoods, and the Po agreed.

“So, these are redwoods,” he said in awe.

He knew it wasn’t that miraculous, really. Century ships carried thousands upon thousands of fertilized seeds and embryos that were then decanted and raised once they reached their destination, and humanity had long ago cracked the cloning code. But the expedition was never intended to create settlements, so it had none of the equipment nor expertise for the process.

The Genesians had gone another route, eschewing the seeds and embryos for DNA samples. That took much less room on a ship but required far more technical know-how. From the looks of the neat lines of the seedlings, the Po had that expertise.

Kelly squatted at the end of the table and aligned her eyes to the rows as if inspecting Marines in formation.

“A redwood clone army, ready for their orders,” she said.

“They are no clones,” Goat told her.

“Sure they are,” Rev said. “They’re all coming from the same DNA sample.”

“There are mutations.”

Rev knew that the environment would introduce tiny mutations. Willow and Aspen’s DNA, for example, started to diverge while they were in the womb, and it had diverged even more as a result of their environment, sicknesses, what they ate, etc. They might be close to identical, but they were no longer a perfect match.

And these trees, after they were planted, wouldn’t grow to be carbon copies of each other. Variations in water, wind, nutrients in the soil, etc., would cause each to look different from each other.

“Well, yes,” Rev said. “There will be small changes over time, but they are clones, coming from the same sample. The girls’ gerbil, Blue, is a clone of Lord Squeak.”

Lord Squeak was Moses’s gerbil.

“No. You don’t have understand. I injected mutations,” Goat said.

When the humans looked confused, he said something to Pika in Po.

“What Goat is saying is that during the process, certain mutations were introduced. Some were to enable the trees to grow in a warmer climate than the one described by Punch as their native environment. But more were random mutations, different for each seedling. Cloned organisms are not a healthy option for the long term, so we create a variety of individuals.”

Tiwari nodded, but Tomiko asked, “You created mutants? How do we know those are still redwoods, then? What if things go crazy?”

Pika looked to Goat, who said something back.

Rev was still confused by the whole mutations thing, but this was also the first time he realized that for all their seeming abilities, not all Po had mastered Standard to the same level. The Po were individuals, too, and Goat’s skills apparently didn’t extend to the human language.

“These mutations were not arbitrary. When we analyzed your human DNA, we noted the genetic drift—”

“Wait! You analyzed our DNA?” Rev interrupted.

Pika seemed confused by Rev’s concern.

“Of course, we did. What you term DNA are the building blocks for the human physical being.”

Rev switched from Pika to Goat and back to Pika. He didn’t like this at all. To know that the Po were taking their DNA and analyzing it raised all sorts of red flags.

The big question was why they would do that. Or maybe the bigger question was what they planned to do with it.

Rev wasn’t the only one. Only Punch remained calm. The humans had tensed up, ready for . . . well, ready for something.

“When did you do that?” Rev asked in a calm and measured voice.

“It was after the battle with the Zfthu. You asked us to treat the injured. So, we did,” Pika said as if explaining to a child why it’s dark at night.

“But DNA?”

“We not understand human body then, so we should analyze the DNA more so we can heal you,” Goat said.

“You were a surprise, Rev,” Pika said. “It took a long time to determine that your physical structure was at odds with your DNA. Finally, we realized that you had artificial implements added to your body.”

Rev thought back to the battle’s aftermath. It had seemed to him that the Po medics had started treating him immediately after they scanned him with the cylindrical thing. If that was a “long time,” then their tech must be far more amazing than he’d realized.

What Pika and Goat said made sense, but that didn’t mean Rev had to like it. He had to brief Hyung, and maybe they could figure out something.

Probably not, though. The horses were already out of the barn.

He shook his head and got the explanation back on track for now. “OK, you introduced mutations. How do you know which ones?”

“Once we had a range of genetic drift in humans, we estimated what might be normal in the trees. Other than optimizing for the environmental conditions here, which were fairly obvious, we had to make what you like to call educated guesses.”

“And you guessed right?”

“Certainly not,” Pika said. “We created over two thousand trees. Most were culled. What you see here are what we forecast as the best specimens. Some of them will necessarily be culled as well, but we are confident that we’ll have a viable and self-sustaining population.”

A thought crept into Rev’s head, one he wanted to push away, but it was too late. One of the concerns with the settlement was that at Haven, the population was smaller than what was considered viable. On the plus side, they came from across human space, so the diversity was good. But small numbers were still small numbers.

The question that was popping up in his mind was if the Po could use their technique with human reproduction. Artificially expand the diversity. It was a scary and even nauseating thought, and it wasn’t something that should be attempted on a whim, but this was another thing that Hyung needed to know.

He had to change the subject before he fell down that rabbit hole.

“So, in three hundred years, we’ll have a mature redwood?” he asked.

“We assumed you would like to see them sooner, so we decided to speed up the process.”

Of course, you did. What was I thinking?

“Another mutation?” Tomiko asked.

“No. We prefer to limit them. The acceleration process consists of external stimuli. We won’t know for sure how long it will take until we see how these seedlings respond.”

This had been a lot for Rev to take in. It was easier to just look at the redwoods. He bent at the waist over the table, reached out, and took a small clump of needles between his fingers and rolled them.

A familiar scent tickled his nose, and if he closed his eyes, he could fly back in time to where the ten-year-old Rev and the six-year-old Grover—a pang hit him as he thought of his murdered brother—lay on their backs in the loam at Tall Trees Provincial Park.

They might be mutant trees, but they smelled like the real thing.

The four humans hung around for another five minutes while Punch discussed with Goat what should be next. Rev’s battle buddy was slowly becoming the primary link between human and Po.

It was a good match. Punch was a walking library of helpful facts, such as letting the Po know about the environmental conditions of the redwood’s home range.

Rev was still surprised at how readily everyone had accepted who Punch was. Maybe not everyone did, but Rev didn’t think anyone wanted to mess with the sailors, who’d made Punch an honorary chief petty officer.

“I’d better go rescue Eth,” Tomiko said.

“I’m going to stay here for a few more minutes.”

“See you for dinner?”

“Sure.”

She got up on tiptoes and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

“The redwoods were for you. Everyone wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“For everything, Rev. Without you, there’s a chance none of us would still be around.”

Her eyes started to glisten, but before a tear could fall, she spun around and said, “Come on. Let’s get going.”

Rev watched them go. Everyone wanted a legacy. They wanted their lives to matter. He knew he had one. He’d been the Nexus of Chaos, present for some pivotal moments in history. He had his part in keeping Earth from being destroyed. He’d been instrumental in the war with the Naxli—although that was more by design than chance. He’d been present when the Genesians made their reappearance.

But if this settlement could be his legacy, where his girls could grow up in peace, then that would be the most important one of all. And he could die in peace.

He started to leave when Pika moved to cut him off.

“I respect your privacy, Rev. And I do not presume to interfere with another being’s decisions, but I am curious, and I wish to understand so that I can better help your people.”

“What do you want to know?”

“May I ask you a personal question? I hesitate to even bring it up. If I have overstepped my bounds, then I apologize.”

Rev really wanted to go for a walk right now, maybe down to the swimming hole, but Pika was a friend, and she seemed troubled.

“You can ask.”

“I’m not intruding?”

I won’t know until you ask me.

“Just ask, Pika.”

“It’s not just me. Most of us don’t understand, either. But we don’t want to—”

“Intrude, I know. Just ask.”

“When we treated you for your injuries, we noticed some obvious prosthetics that the others didn’t have, such as artificial structural supports.”

“To make me more durable and able to handle the weight of my IBHU. The sailors don’t need those.”

“Yes, those were understandable. We also found snippets of alien DNA.”

Rev startled for a moment until he realized Pika didn’t mean alien as in from another planet, only something not human.

“Wooly rhino and bar-headed goose.”

Pika waited for more details.

“The rhino was to help develop a stronger bone structure. The goose was to allow us to navigate.”

“Interesting concept. You spliced in parts of alien DNA instead of just developing your own. I guess it would work, but it seems such a primitive and roundabout way to achieve the desired result. And it could have unintended consequences.”

Yeah. Eth and I already know those.

He thought it was somewhat funny, though, that the Po considered what was cutting-edge technology for humanity was “primitive and roundabout.” He knew the Po were far more advanced than humans were. They’d uplifted at least two and probably more species. Who knew what techniques they had at their disposal?

“That does clear up some of our questions, but there is one more thing. If I am treading on a religious or spiritual area that you would rather we remain ignorant, please tell me, and I will back off.”

Religious? What the hell is she talking about?

“There is one more condition we detected in you, and it doesn’t seem to have a positive purpose. From what we can tell, it is harmful.”

Rev wasn’t sure what she was driving at until she added, “I’d have to confer with those more knowledgeable, but it might be related to the modifications made to you. This wasn’t noticed in the sailors we treated.”

“The rot. Weislen’s Syndrome. Yes, I have it.”

It wasn’t surprising that if the Po could somehow read their DNA and tell that there was wooly rhino and goose in the mix, they could detect the rot.

“Is there a benefit to this rot? The word means a decay of the cellular structure, as I understand it, but you humans use slang that is not always obvious to us.”

Rev let out a wry chuckle. “No, Pika. There is no benefit to it. It will kill me before another year passes.”

Pika went silent, and Rev started to leave when the Po asked, “Is there a religious significance to the rot?”

“Religious? By the Mother, no. It’s just . . . it just is. It’s the price we pay to become better Marines.”

“Then why do you allow it to deteriorate your body? This is what we don’t understand.”

“It’s incurable, Pika. It’s as simple as that. We have treatments that could retard the progress, but the rot always wins in the end.”

“So, you do not wish to have this.”

Rev laughed again. “No, you could say that. And I wish I didn’t have to get old, and I wish we hadn’t been exiled. I wish for a lot of things.”

“Then why did you tell us not to remove it?”

The smile disappeared from Rev’s face, and it felt like his heart had stopped. The world around him faded away, leaving only Pika’s face.

“You can remove the rot?” he asked.

“We should be able to. It would take some analysis, but Goat seems confident that unless there are some significant surprises, it should be fairly routine.”

“You can cure the rot?” Rev asked again as his mind seemed unable to grasp the possibility.

“Yes, I just told you that we think so. We saw the rot, but we never examined it in terms of a cure.”

“Why not? Why didn’t you tell me you could cure it?” Rev asked, his voice rising several decibels louder.

Punch turned away from Goat and toward him at the outburst.

If Pika looked uncomfortable before, she was positively distressed now.

“You told us not to. We did not want to force our personal judgment when you were so adamantly against it.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Pika? Of course, if I’m sick and you can cure me, I’d want it.”

“When we asked to treat you, you made us promise that we would only treat the current injuries and nothing more. We didn’t understand the limitation, but we adhere to the concept of bodily autonomy and agreed to that.”

“I don’t . . . when did I . . .”

Rev paused and thought back. He remembered that he hadn’t quite trusted the Po at the time, and he’d been afraid that they’d do something to them under the guise of treatment.

Did I really tell them to only treat the injuries? Did I sentence us to death because I didn’t trust the dragons?

Rev shook his head. The past was the past. What matters now was that there was a flicker of hope.

“You think you can cure us?”

“Yes.”

“What would that entail?”

“To make sure that the cure didn’t harm you in the process, Goat and his team would want to analyze the rot better. If, as he suspects, your condition is an analog to one we treated with the Siau long ago, then we’d adjust that. If the process is the same, then the treatment would be slow, given over time, and it might be uncomfortable. But we would expect success.”

Rev glanced at Punch, who started walking over to him. This was almost too much to take in. Five minutes ago, he was whistling past the graveyard, laughing about the rot. And now he had hope, which, perversely, he almost wished he didn’t have.

He’d come to accept dying, and he didn’t want to have that hope only to have it dashed by reality.

Pika started apologizing for misunderstanding Rev, but he tuned the Po out. His mind was racing.

He needed to talk to Punch. Tomiko, too. And Rima, of course. She had to give him the OK. And—

What the hell? I don’t need them! I’m dying, by the Mother, and that’s what’s going to happen if I do nothing. I don’t care if this hurts like the Devil’s own iron maiden, I’ve got nothing to lose.

“When can you start?” he said, cutting off Pika’s apologies.

The Po stopped, then asked, “You will let us treat you?”

“Damn right, I will. So, when can you start?”

“Now? Goat will want to gather his team and start, so if you can wait—”

“Not me.”

“You don’t want to be cured? I thought you just said you did?”

“I do want to be cured. But there’s someone worse off than me. Get Goat and his team, and meet me at Eth Randigold’s apartment. Punch, you can take them there?”

“Yes, I will. Am I to understand that your Weislen’s Syndrome might be treatable?”

“That’s what this big, beautiful dragon just told me,” he said as he couldn’t hold back any longer, and he grabbed Pika around the neck and hugged her.

“That’s the best news I’ve had in a long time,” Punch said.

“You and me both, buddy. You and me both.”

Rev broke the hug, shouted, “I’ll meet you at Eth’s,” and ran for the door.

He had to tell Tomiko before anything else happened.

Rev didn’t know if the Po could really cure him and Randigold, but there was a possibility, and where there was a possibility, there was hope.

OceanofPDF.com

EPILOGUE

“Still normal,” Rima said. “No sign of a recurrence.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Rev said.

“I never would have thought it was possible, you know.”

“We live in a land of miracles, Iris. Are you coming to the dedication?”

“I hope so. I need to check on Janny Forth, but I’ll be heading over.”

“House calls, Doctor. Did you ever think you’d be doing them?”

“Can’t say I did. But I’ll tell you this, I like them. And with some of the little tools the dragons have given me, it’s been pretty easy.”

“OK, then, I’ll see you there.”

The last year had been rough in many ways. Pika had used the word “uncomfortable” to describe the treatment. Rev didn’t know if his friend didn’t quite understand the word or if that had been the Po equivalent of “this will only hurt a little bit.”

The treatment had taken almost six months, with sessions every five days, and they had pushed his ability to withstand pain to the max. He still didn’t understand why it hurt so much or why it took so long when other treatments administered by the Po were essentially painless. Goat said it had to be this way to minimize the risk of recurrence.

But Rev would have driven hot spikes under his nails every hour to defeat the rot.

It helped that he wasn’t alone. He, Randigold, and two others—Lance Corporal Tank Correl, a Marine, and Sergeant Ewen Taladint, a karnan—had gone through the treatment together.

Thirty-one others had the first signs of the rot, but none of those cases were advanced yet, and given the trauma of the treatment and the fact that Rima wanted to monitor the four of them longer, none of the rest had gone through it yet.

And there was always hope that the Po would refine the treatment somewhat.

Rev entered the waiting room, and Tomiko raised a single eyebrow in a question.

“Zip. No change,” he said.

She smiled, then said, “Since you’re fine, take your son, and we’ve got to get going.”

Rev still had the carrier strapped to his chest, and he took Hiro from her. “Come here, little man. Daddy’s got you.”

It took him a moment to get the infant strapped in, and then taking Tomiko’s hand, they left the clinic and headed home.

They had a few greetings shouted at them, and Rev replied and waved as they walked through Haventown, which had changed a lot over the last year. Instead of a new, sterile village, it now looked lived in. Blooms, both native and Earth-types, filled flower boxes under many of the windows. Murals were appearing on some buildings, while others were painted in a variety of colors.

The Po might have built the village, but the humans were making it home.

Corporal Jant was hooking up Tulip to the cart as they reached their home.

“How’s he feeling?” Rev asked as he checked the harness.

“Calm, Sergeant Major. He’s not going to be giving us any problems.”

“It’s Rev, Sust. I told you that. You’re family, now.”

“Sorry, Ser . . . Rev. It’s taking some getting used to.”

“You and me both. I never thought I’d have a karnan for a brother-in-law.”

Jant looked stricken at his words, and Rev had to slap him across his large shoulders. “I’m joking, Sust. Joking. Lighten up a little.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t tease the boy,” Tomiko whispered as they stepped through the door.

“Daddy!” the girls yelled in unison as they entered. “Can we go now?”

“In a few minutes,” Tomiko said. “Is everything ready?”

“Life jackets, bottles, diapers, snacks, check,” Kelly said with little Frank on her hip. She still hadn’t revealed who the father was, and Rev figured they’d never know.

While Tomiko gave the basket a practiced eye, Randigold asked, “Everything OK?”

“Great numbers. No sign of recurrence.”

Randigold, who’d been much further along the course of the disease than Rev had been, had a longer recuperation. She was still not a hundred percent. Maybe not fifty percent, but she was progressing.

She was over at the house a lot now, and she was a godsend as a babysitter. The girls were generally good, but still, they could be a handful, especially with Hiro in the mix.

“I think we’re ready,” Tomiko announced. “Let’s load up.”

The girls were out of the door in a flash. They’d only had the ox for two weeks now, and he was still something of a novelty. Rev had wanted to name him something strong and masculine, but he’d been overruled by the twins, and “Tulip” it was.

Cattle were the second animal brought to life by the Po after chickens. The first were quickened nine months ago, but with the Po’s advanced growth procedures, a herd of fifty were living in the upper pasture where some were already producing milk.

Kat, who was eight months pregnant, semi-jokingly kept asking if the Po could speed up the baby she was carrying, but curing the rot notwithstanding, that was a bridge too far. Rima wanted all humans to be born after a normal gestation.

The cows in the meadows weren’t the only bovines. At Punch’s suggestion, several bulls were destined to be draft animals. They were not physically castrated as the oxen of old but “adjusted” by the Po to be calm and manageable.

The settlement had already made modern hydro-buggies for transportation, but the idea of oxen caught on, both for a romantic view of living and to diversify. Rev had been going through his treatment during the initial phases, and the idea caught his attention. He’d put in a claim, and Tulip was the result.

The bullocks had been trained by Punch, who was rapidly becoming the settlement’s jack-of-all-trades. Rev had taken a full day of lessons from his battle buddy, and now it was just a matter of Tulip understanding what Rev wanted and Rev understanding what Tulip wanted.

The family also had a normal, fuel cell buggie, but he was going to master ox carts. If it was good enough for their long-ago ancestors, it was good enough for him.

With Sust standing by Tulip’s head, Rev climbed into the seat. He didn’t think Tulip would take off, but with folks he loved in the cart, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

Willow and Aspen claimed the seat on either side, leaving him no space. “Can I drive?” Willow asked.

“I want to,” Aspen added.

“Not this time. Maybe tomorrow we’ll try.”

Tomiko handed Hiro up, then climbed aboard before taking him back. Kelly and Frank were next. Then Randigold, moving slowly, was helped aboard. Kat waddled up last. Rev could see that Sust wanted to help her, but he stoically remained at Tulip’s head.

“Go on, help her,” Rev told him.

He hurried to the back, and in a moment, everyone was on board.

“Everyone ready?”

He got a chorus of yeses.

“Get up,” he told Tulip.

He didn’t think the ox really understood the words, but Punch insisted on him using, “get up,” “gee,” “haw,” “whoa,” and “back,” as commands. Whether it was the command or the flick on the reins, Tulip dutifully started walking.

There was a steady stream of people heading to the dedication. Most were walking, and they shouted hellos to those in the ox cart. A few, like Tiwari, Hvarser, and their two kids, were in their hydro-buggie, and they carefully passed Rev, waving as they did.

They could have walked. Except for Kat and Randigold, it might have been quicker. But it wouldn’t have as much style, and, to be honest, Rev wanted to show off his newfound skill.

They reached the edge of Haventown, where Božič-Mizaki was watching. Her team had the duty today.

She gave Rev a half-assed salute and said, “Looking good, Sergeant Major.”

“You, too, Jean. Keep the yetis from crashing the party.”

“They’ll have to go over my dead body.”

They both laughed. The Zfthu hadn’t made a single aggressive move to date. And as Rev drove out of the village, he could see all the way down to the beach, where the Po were expanding the enclave. To Rev’s surprise, that had developed to more than a place to bribe the Zfthu to keep the peace. Real trade between them and both humans and Po had developed, with the Zfthu offering jewelry and art.

Rev hadn’t understood the politics from before, but the two Zfthu villages on the island had wielded an inordinate amount of power, which they used to their advantage. But with the enclave open to all, more of the Zfthu could directly benefit. The original villagers grumbled, but the majority of the Zfthu rather liked the new arrangement.

As always, the sight of the valley moved Rev, and not just because he was still alive to see it. It truly was beautiful, from the turquoise sea to the surrounding mountains.

The Po’s castle was to the left, rising like something out of a fairy tale. Beyond that, the waterfall that fed Memorial Creek plumed down from the heights. At sunset, rainbows appeared.

The octagon was gone, replaced by something far more in line with nature. The area had suffered a lot of death, but now, it was covered with flowers.

And beyond that . . . Rev’s heart began to race.

The Po had taken over the swimming hole, and they’d been working on it for several months. He knew “his” redwoods were part of the project, but he couldn’t see anything. The Po had erected a barrier that stretched up at least fifty meters. The barrier reminded Rev of the Galaxy Explorer’s hangar curtain, except that while it shimmered like that curtain, it was opaque.

Rev guided Tulip down the slope. He’d been worried that the ox might not be able to handle the weight, but Punch assured him that it would be no problem. And, as always, Punch was right. Tulip plodded along without straining.

He didn’t even startle when a veritable tsunami of Kanter kits flowed past and even over him, somersaulting off of his back. Whatever the Po did to create a calm bullock, it worked.

A crowd was already at the barrier when Rev brought Tulip to a stop. His passengers got off while he unhooked the yoke and staked out the ox, who immediately started to graze.

Most of the grass here was still Zfthu native, which wouldn’t hurt Tulip but wouldn’t provide much in the way of nutrition. But he seemed to enjoy it, and that was good enough for Rev.

Tomiko handed him a sleeping Hiro, who he put in the carrier. The little guy never woke up, comfortable with his head against Rev’s chest.

The twins were running around, gathering their herd of friends, as normal. They were the oldest, but still, they always were in charge, little dictators that they could be.

“Are you excited?” Tomiko asked.

“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know what to expect, though, but at least I’ll be around for a while to see what develops.”

She intertwined her arm in his.

“I thought I’d be alone by now, Rev. But this, this is more than I could’ve hoped for.”

“I’m happy about that, too,” he said with a chuckle. “This is like all those holovids, the good ones, where everyone lives happily ever after.”

“Well, not quite. Those always have all the loose ends tied up in a bow. We don’t have that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know I overthink it. But we don’t know what’s going to happen. Have the yetis really given up fighting?”

“Looks like it. But if they try anything, we’re still Marines.”

“OK, that’s true. But what about the Sia? What’s their deal with the dragons, and are we going to get dragged into the middle of that? And the BGs. Who are they? We’ve run into them twice now. I don’t think we can survive a third time.”

She paused for a breath and then said, “That’s just the aliens. Who’s winning the war back home, and are they going to come after us when all this is done?”

“We tried to hide our tracks, Miko.”

“Do you think that’s really going to work if they want to find us?”

“You’re right, Miko. You’re overthinking it. We can’t control what others do. So, right now, I’m happy to accept the situation we have.”

“I know, Rev. I guess with the girls and Hiro, I just worry about their future.”

“At least they have a future. How many times during the expedition could that have changed? When you consider everything, I think their chances of a long and healthy, happy life are better here than out there chasing the stars.”

“I know. But let a mother worry. That’s what we do.”

He kissed the top of her head when Hyung started calling everyone together to where he was perched on a rock.

“That man sure likes being in charge,” Tomiko said.

“If he wants to take care of all the headaches, then I’m all for letting him,” Rev said as they broke their embrace and started walking toward where he, Pika, Goat, and half a dozen other Po were standing by the barrier.

Rev nabbed the girls as they ran by, then joined Kat, Kelly, and the rest. All of the IBHUs, except for Božič-Mizaki, converged around him. Punch, too.

“What’s this? Am I getting arrested?” he asked with a laugh.

“Sibs in Steel,” Tsao said, which of course resulted in them all crowding together and clinking their arms.

And then Hyung was talking.

“Thank you for coming today for the big reveal. More importantly, I know some of you have been itching to go for a swim.”

The crowd broke into laughter. But it was true. The Po had closed off the swimming hole for almost eight weeks. Some people had hiked downstream to another hole that was inaccessible by cart, but that was a little far for the children, not to mention a still-recovering Rev.

After they saw what the Po had created, Rev was one of those who were planning to dive in.

“So, we’re going to make this quick. Pika, do you have anything to say?”

The Po liaison stepped closer to Hyung and said, “We appreciate everything you’ve done for us. If you hadn’t chosen to defend us, it is very likely that none of us would still be alive.

“We can’t ever pay you back for what you’ve done.”

“I don’t know. Eth and I think you might have,” Rev whispered to Tomiko.

“But we wanted to do something, so we’ve created what we hope you’ll enjoy for years to come. Please, accept this as a gift given from the heart.”

“Love you, Pika,” someone shouted from behind Rev.

“How can I top that?” Hyung said. “But there’s one more thing. I’ve had a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, and I think what the Po have created is special.”

“How did he get a look?” Kelly asked.

“Rank hath its privileges,” Tsao said.

“But it was up to us to name it. I went back and forth about it. I asked others.”

“He never asked me,” Rev grumbled.

“Ssshhh,” Tomiko said. “Listen up.”

“One name kept coming up, and in the end, I thought it was the only logical choice. And then there was the question of who will do the dedication. And for that, there was one choice, too.”

He paused, then looked directly at Rev. “One person among us symbolizes the never-say-die attitude that has driven us forward. One person was instrumental in keeping us alive. Many of you here owe your lives to him. You know who you are.”

“Sergeant Major!” burst from several hundred voices.

Rev felt his face redden.

He looked around. All of the IBHUs were smiling at him.

“Did you know about this, Miko? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“A wife doesn’t tell her husband everything.”

“Aside from his devotion to all of us, which is undeniable, he was also, in a way, the inspiration for today. It was after creating his redwoods that our friends here had their idea. And with Punch’s help, they made it a reality.”

“Punch!” a dozen sailors shouted to the laughs of the others.

“So, Rev. Sergeant Major. If you would do us the honor?”

Tomiko gave him a shove, a much stronger one than was needed. But that was Tomiko, just as she’d always been.

He handed Hiro to Sust, and then the people in front of him parted as he walked forward. He reached the smiling Hyung, who jumped off the rock and shook his hand.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Rev said.

“That’s how surprises work.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?” Rev asked as he looked up at the shimmering barrier.

“Get on that rock so everyone can see you. That’s the first thing.”

His balance was still a little wonky, but he jumped up without falling flat on his face.

“What now?” he asked before being drowned out by calls of, “Speech! Speech!”

He looked down at Hyung, who smiled and said, “You’d better give it to them.”

Rev faced the crowd. They represented most of humanity. Union, MDS, Frisian Mantle, Hégémonie. They were from Rigel, Osnovnoy, FIS, Paxus, and Confederation. But at the moment, despite what was happening during the war, they were no longer any of those things. They were Havenites. His new family.

And he choked up, which embarrassed him. All he was there to do was the reveal. Nothing much. But the gratitude he felt to all those faces looking at him was overwhelming.

“This really wasn’t my idea. I just wanted to see a redwood again, to remind me of what I left behind. But standing here, I just realized that what we all left back there, none of that matters. What matters is what’s in our future, and I can’t think of a better group of people to experience whatever’s coming with. “

There was a solitary clap, and then an avalanche as applause thundered.

Tiktik jumped on the rock and stood, his paws on Rev’s thigh.

“You are a valued human, Strong Bough,” he said before bounding away.

Rev waited, totally embarrassed, until the applause died away.

“What now?” he asked Hyung.

“Just look at the barrier and say, ‘Reveal,’” Pika told him.

OK, that’s easy enough.

Rev turned to face the barrier. He considered lifting his arms to make it dramatic, rejected it as silly, but then decided, what the heck?

He raised them, one organic, one prosthetic, and in a loud voice, shouted, “Reveal!”

Starting from the top, the barrier started to turn into shooting, multicolored sparks. People shouted in awe, and Rev heard Willow—or Aspen—scream in delight.

And it was impressive. It took a moment for the sparks to clear, revealing the . . .

“Oh, by the Mother,” Rev whispered.

The swimming hole had transformed into the most beautiful grove Rev had ever seen. It was surrounded by what had to be thirty-five-meter-tall redwoods—not the giants that were back on Safe Harbor, but impossibly tall for what were seedlings a short year ago.

There were flashes in the water. Trout or salmon, Rev was sure.

And in the front, right next to a manicured path crossed where the barrier had been, was a sign that said:

Sergeant Major Reverent Pelletier Grove

Created in Appreciation of Service

Rev spun around toward Tomiko. He could barely see her head in the crowd, but he saw her mouth, “I love you.”

He felt light-headed, so he jumped off the rock before he fell.

“Are you going to keep us waiting?” Hyung asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s your grove. Don’t you think you should be the first one to step inside?”

“Tomiko!” he shouted instead of answering, and everyone repeated the call.

In a moment, she started to make her way forward. Pika took the opportunity to come up and say, “We’re sorry about the size. But we believe that in a year or slightly longer, they’ll be at their mature height.”

Rev just stared at him. “You’re sorry that year-old redwoods are only thirty-five meters tall? You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

“We thought we could have had them taller, but—”

“I’m kidding, Pika. This is amazing. Impossible, but amazing.”

He didn’t have time to reassure Pika any more because Tomiko, with his children and the entire IBHU contingent, reached him. More people were crowding forward.

Rev took Hiro back, then said, “Let’s go see what our hosts have made for us.”

He started walking forward when the smell hit him, evoking deep memories inside his lizard brain. This wasn’t Haven. It was Tall Trees Provincial Park.

He’d come a long, convoluted way from his childhood. He’d survived battles that should have killed him. He’d lost family. Yet here he was, at a redwood grove. With his family. He was back at the beginning, starting out one more time. What was old was now new.

He stopped and turned around. Everyone was giving him room, letting him be the first to enter his grove. Only, it wasn’t his grove. It belonged to the people—human, Po, and Kanter.

He motioned for Tomiko and the girls to join him. Then Kat and Sust. The IBHUs. Pika, Tiktik, and Hyung. There was one more person hanging back. Rev vigorously motioned for him to join them.

With a spring in his step, Punch rushed forward. Rev took a moment to give his closest friend a hug, slapping him on the back.

He broke the hug and looked around at others.

“This is better,” he said. “We’re in this together.”

Rev was holding Hiro in his prosthetic arm, and Tomiko linked her prosthetic arm with it.

“Sibs in steel,” she whispered.

“Sibs in steel, Miko.”

Willow took her father’s right hand, and Aspen took her mother’s left hand. Then, surrounded by his extended family, he walked into the grove and their future.

* * *

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GLOSSARY

AGMS: Anti-G Straining Maneuvers

AIW: Association of Independent Worlds

AO: Area of Operations

ASAP: As Soon As Possible

BC: the digital currency for most nations

BFG: generic term for “Big Fucking Gun”

BIPAC: A heavy weapon used by MDS soldiers

BOCT: Benevolent Order of Crystal Technicians

Breel: ally to humans. Vegetative-type race. Called “ents.”

Bronze Nova: the third-highest medal in the Union military

CASEVAC: Casualty Evacuation

CCR-32 Didactic Interface: the AI implanted into the Marines’ heads.

Cerrocrete: a very strong futuristic concrete

CG: Commanding General

CO: Commanding Officer

COH: Congress of Humanity, the highest authority of mankind

Corolla Wars: a series of wars approximately 200 years before the events in these books. The wars pitted humans against several android and augmented groups.

CP: Command Post

CST: Combat Simulation Trainer

Camp Seong-Matris: One of the three camps on Eceladus housing the Home Guard’s Second Brigade

D-5 Cord: an explosive-saturated cord

Dalit: residents of Samara. They came from the Dalit caste, sometimes known as the “Untouchables.”

DC/Direct Combat: Marines such as infantry, recon mech combat engineers, who will face the enemy in direct combat.

Deca: an MDS unit about the size of a battalion

Deimers: a group of androids dedicated to eliminating humans. Defeated during the Corolla Wars

DI: Drill Instructor

Dykstra: a heavy sniper rifle

E-Club: Enlisted Club where the lowest three ranks can hang out, drink, and eat.

ECR: Effective Casualty Radius. The radius from a detonation within which will produce 50% casualties

EMP: Electro-magnetic Pulse. Will shut down all electronics within range

EOE: End of Enlistment

ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival

Eunuch Regiments: an extreme group an opponent of humanity during the Corolla Wars

EVA: Extravehicular Activity

FEPM-K: A combined electromagnetic pulse shell that is followed by a kinetic missile.

Frag Order/FRAGO: Fragmentary Order. A modified and abbreviated version of an operation order to modify or issue a follow-on mission

FSCL: Fire Support Coordination Line. A control measure beyond which fires into the area must be coordinated.

FTL: Faster Than Light, a starship drive

G-Loc: G-force induced loss of consciousness

Genesians: human/machine constructs and opponent during the Corolla Wars

Gnista: a formalized Naxli method of combat by champion

Gold Nova: the second highest medal in the Union military forces

Groundpounders: slang for infantry

HE: High Explosive

Hellborer: a man-packed beamer

Hiver: nickname for Naxli-subjugated race

Host: the military arm of the Frisian Mantle, a sometime ally/enemy of the Perseus Union

Hreetz: derogatory Naxli term roughly akin to coward

HSPEY: High Speed Planetary Extraction System

IBHU: Integrated Bionic Hopological Unit

Kanter: a small, furry, human ally. They attack in mass. Called “lemmings.”

Karnan: Nickname for the hyper-augmented soldiers from the MDS

KIA: Killed in Action

Leaches: Military slang for civilians

LOD: Line of Departure

LZ: Landing Zone

M-102 Nellis: the Marine Corps’ main sniper rifle

M-103: a 40mm grenade launcher attachment to the M-49 and M-51

M-133: a heavy weapon fired by mech Marines

M-305 Jackhammer: a crew-served 40mm grenade launcher

M-49 Assault Rifle: the standard weapon of the Union Marines. It fires a 2mm high-velocity dart.

M-51: a modified version of the M-49. Bigger barrel to fire a heavier dart that has tiny warheads in the tip that can help burn through body armor.

MF-30: a standard issue handgun

MM-37 Mantis II: a man-packed launcher for the Mantis II missile

MDS: Manifest Destiny Sphere

MilDes: Military Designator

MilDes Ninety-nine/Ninety-nine: essentially indentured servants in uniform

MMCS: Marine Mechanical Combat Suit

MoV: Medal of Valor, a Home Guard award. Runs from third class to first class.

MP: Military Police

MPT: Military Placement Test

Na: Hinglish word often tacked onto the end of a sentence

Naxli: “shifter” race and enemy of humankind. Called “nox” by Marines and “gaunts” by most other humans.

NCO: Non-commissioned Officer. The middle two ranks of enlisted Marines

NCOIC: Non-commissioned Officer in Charge

Niklith: human ally. Fierce fighter with electrogenesis capability. Nicknamed “scorps.”

NM: Neuro-mapping

Nox: nickname for Naxli

NVD: Night Vision Device

OBE: Overcome By Events

Omega Division/OD: the secret police and spy agency of the Union

OP: Observation Post

Optisight: a flexible optical tube

Order of Saint Bome: a fraternal/political elite organization within the MDS military

PAL-3: Personal Armor, Light 3: the standard body armor for an infantry Marine

PAL-5: Personal Armor, Light 5. The standard body armor of recon Marines and Raiders.

PAL-H: new and improved heavier PAL

PAL-HX: PAL-H version designed for IBHU Marines

Paladin: a large Centaur heavy mech unit, similar to a light tank

PFC: Private First Class

Phoenix MG-3 Incendiary Mine: a small grenade that can burn through most substances

Plastiderm: a synthetic skin that is used in medical procedures

PN: Platinum Nova the highest military award in the Perseus Union military

POO: Point of Origin. From where an incoming round was fired.

Poolee: someone who is committed to the Corps but who is not yet been sworn in as a recruit

PQ: Personality Quotient. Used to determine the human characteristics of some AIs

PS-40 “Viber:” an unpowered ground sensor

PUNS: Perseus Union Naval Ship

Raider: part of Recon, but with more combat-focused missions instead of surveillance

Recon: Reconnaissance Marine

Riever: a smaller Centaur mech unit, similar to a Marine Raider or reconnaissance Marine.

Rodan: Mezame hyperaugment. Can fly.

RP: Rally Point

S-1: staff section that deals with administrative matters.

S-2: staff section that deals with intelligence

S-3: staff section that deals with operations

S-4: staff section that deals with logistics

S-5: staff section that deals with technology and information

Safe Harbor: Rev’s homeworld

Secdrones: Security drones used by the police

SFC: Sergeant First Class, the equal to a Marine gunnery sergeant

Shrike: Union Navy fighter aircraft, capable of atmospheric and vacuum operations

Sia: etheral, floating race. Human ally. Called “singers.”

SNCO: Staff Non-commissioned Officer. The highest three ranks among enlisted Marines.

SOP: Standard Operating Procedure

Syksky: a deep-fried bread stuffed with spiced meat and vegetables

T/E: Table of Equipment. This is the document that identifies all the equipment of a unit.

T/O: Table of Organization. This is the document that identifies all the members of a unit.

Toan: human ally. Not very militaristic, but technologically advanced. Nicknamed “radishes.”

Toanphone: nickname for a commercial Toan-made communicator that is resistant to Naxli jamming

Toh: Hinglish word without a real meaning.

Torinth Accords: a treaty governing the rules of war

VGW: Veterans of Galactic Wars

Uauii: tripedal human ally. Called “clickers.”

WIA: Wounded in Action

Weislen’s Syndrome: A cancer-like disease affecting those who have had their bodies augmented. Known as the “rot.”

XM-554: a more powerful missile designed to have more punch

XO: Executive Officer, the #2 person in the unit.

Yellowjacket: a shoulder-launched missile

Yellowshirt: a Navy sailor charged with moving people and goods around a flight line.

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NATIONS, INDEPENDENT WORLDS, AND POLITICAL ENTITIES WITHIN THE CONGRESS OF HUMANITY

Bugatti’s World

Association of Independent Worlds

Enclave of Humanity (Home System)

Federation of Independent States

Freedom Confederation

Frisian Mantle

Hégémonie Liberté

Manifest Destiny Sphere

Mezame Concordate

Nowhere

Osnovnoy Alyanz

Paxus

Perseus Union

Rigel Cluster

Samsara

Sunberry Group

Synergy Alliance

Tau Ceti

Tigana 3

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

Second Brigade, Congress of Humanity Home Guard

Colonel Levin-Tell

Second Battalion

Lieutenant Colonel Semes

Major Djanka

Fox Company

Major Nona Yves

First Sergeant Glorious Weinstein

Corporal White

First Platoon

Second Lieutenant Aristotle Bundy

Master Sergeant Tina Barber

First Squad, First Platoon

1st Squad SFC Delila Gamay (Rigel Cluster Legion)

Staff Sergeant Ting-a-ling Tjivyrtzlin (Frisian Mantle)

Staff Sergeant Reverent Pelletier (Safe Harbor, Perseus Union)

Sergeant Refever Lines (Nowhere)

Sergeant Mylar Racine-Okan

Corporal Charles Akkeke (Millsap, AIW)

Corporal Manuela Acevedo

Corporal Taula La’ei (Uafua)

Corporal Henri Larson

PFC Jasmine Wahid (Sirocco)

PFC Jebediah Gingham (Moxigill)

PFC Uram Keung

Second Squad

SFC Lev Arsenyev (Osnovnoy Alyanz)

Staff Sergeant Lincoln Kvat (MDS)

Staff Sergeant Tomiko Reiser (Safe Harbor, Perseus Union Marine)

Staff Sergeant Rice Unifora (Paxus)

Sergeant Tims

PFC Suki Tun

Third Squad

SFC Moba

Staff Sergeant “Dog” San Martin

Staff Sergeant Toshi Gant (Mezame, Hégémonie Liberté)

Sergeant Moli Pinkerton (Nowhere, AIW)

Second Platoon

Captain Chokra (Revelation)

Master Sergeant Reston Fitzwater

Staff Sergeant Liam Patrice

Sergeant Crocker (Barclay)

PFC Minnie Rasta

Lance Corporal Ethereal Randigold (Safe Harbor, Perseus Union)

Sergeant Crocker (Barclay)

Staff Sergeant Rice Unifora (Paxus)

Corporal Wymont (MDS)

Third Platoon

Sergeant Tesler Sign of Respect (Rebirth, Perseus Union)

Other Notable Military Personnel

General Ibsen: Commanding General of the Home Guard (Planters)

Brigadier General Platte: senior Perseus Union Marine on Enceladus

Major Liege: Senior IBHU Marine in the Home Guard

Sergeant Major Pute (MDS) Third Battalion’s sergeant major

First Lieutenant Milei Macek: Golf Company. Senior IBHU Marine in Second of the Chief Wimox: (Paxus) Shuttle pilot

Cali Hu (Safe Harbor) Augmented Marine who contracts the rot

Yancey Del Rio (Safe Harbor) Marine, a member of Rev’s posse

Sergeant Tumeric Tsao (Safe Harbor) IBHU Marine assigned to Titan, Platinum Nova holder.

Notable Civilians

Daryll Begay (Safe Harbor, Perseus Union) Head Sieben technician for the IBHU on Enceladus

Zacharia Filmore (Perseus Union) Sieben technician for the IBHU

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In remembrance of Micky Cocker, a great beta reader and a true friend to Jonathan and his family. She was a joy to all and a shining light that was snuffed out too early.

Kelly O'Donnell

James Caplan

Christie Strahler

Neil Rubenking

Tracy Beattie

Sharon Mendez

Mike Belanger

Eliss Wiltshire

Matthew Lewis Titus

Bill and Konnie Kampfer

Geoffrey Morse

Joshua Hopkins

Mike Belanger

Elissa Wiltshire

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Join the conversation and get updates on new and upcoming releases in the awesomely active Facebook group, “JN Chaney’s Renegade Readers.”

This is a hotspot where readers come together and share their lives and interests, discuss the series, and speak directly to J.N. Chaney and his co-authors.

Join the Facebook Group

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Don’t miss out on these exclusive perks:

Instant access to free short stories from series like The Messenger, Starcaster, and more.

Receive email updates for new releases and other news.

Get notified when we run special deals on books and audiobooks.

So, what are you waiting for? Enter your email address at the link below to stay in the loop.

Click Here

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CONNECT WITH JONATHAN P. BRAZEE

Visit his Website

Sign up for Jonathan’s Newsletter

Follow him on Amazon

Connect on Facebook

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

J. N. Chaney is a two time Dragon Award nominee and USA Today Bestselling author, has a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and fancies himself quite the Super Mario Bros. fan. He migrates often, but was last seen in Las Vegas, NV. Any sightings should be reported, as they are rare.

Chaney is best known for his Renegade Star series, the Variant Saga, the Messenger series, and Ruins of the Galaxy. For more on his releases, go to www.jnchaney.com.

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Jonathan P. Brazee is a retired Marine colonel now living in Colorado Springs with his wife Kiwi and twin baby girls, Danika Dawn and Darika Marie. He was born in Oakland, CA, but has lived throughout the US and the world, and has traveled to over 100 countries.

He has more than eighty-five titles to his name in six different languages. He is a two-time Nebula Award and two-time Dragon Award finalist as well as a USA Today bestseller. Find out more by visiting his website at http://jonathanbrazee.com.

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