As the Lightning rushed towards its target, its nose cone camera began picking out small silver steel spheres among the fragments of rock. These were the Kimprak bots rolled up in their armoured ball-bearing configuration that was almost indestructible from anything but a direct hit.

  ‘EMP pulse in three, two, one...’ Ruby said.

  A huge flare lit the atmosphere high above us on the central viewing screen as the torpedo video feed blinked out, then less than a second later a crackle of static passed through our displays. On the tactical map, a blue sphere was rushing out from the origin of the Lightning’s detonation designating the electromagnetic pulse that was beginning to fade as it grew wider.

  ‘Successful EM pulse detonation has been confirmed by our sensors,’ Ruby said. ‘Instruments confirm no harm to our systems thanks to them being battle-hardened and being sufficiently far away from the blast. Having said that, our ship would have only been taken offline temporarily if we’d been closer.’

  I nodded as I stared at the rapidly approaching swarm of debris on the video screen.

  ‘The question is, did it work on the Kimprak?’ Erin asked.

  ‘We should find that out any moment because we’re receiving a video feed from one of our X103s in close pursuit,’ Ruby said. ‘Putting their camera feeds on our screen now.’

  A zoomed-in view of the debris field appeared with at least thirty Kimprak in view. Every single one of them had uncurled into their trilobite form, but crucially their glowing red eyes had gone dark.

  Ruby punched the air. ‘Boo-yah! Take that, bitches.’

  Erin was nodding. ‘It certainly looks like that EMP burst knocked them out.’

  A sense of relief surged through me. ‘This will make all the difference when…’ My words trailed away as one by one the eyes of the Kimprak started to flicker. ‘Bloody hell, they’re powering up again.’ I was already scanning down the tactical options that had just appeared. ‘Delphi, initiate Charlie option.’

  ‘Charlie option initiated,’ Delphi replied.

  On the 3D tactical map, a stream of mini-gunfire opened up from our X-craft fleet, bullets streaming towards the Kimprak. On the zoomed-in video view we saw several of the Kimprak being sliced apart by the armour-piercing rounds as their eyes flared back to full brightness.

  Our mini-guns opened up as Ruby got on the case and we raced towards the Kimprak too.

  There had to be at least a thousand of the Kimprak remaining and I was painfully conscious that our window of opportunity to stop them was closing rapidly.

  ‘Erin, how long till they reach the upper atmosphere?’ I called out.

  ‘Sixty seconds,’ she replied as she looped us to the side of the swarm and then formed up with the rest of our fleet chasing after them, their mini-guns scything through the Kimprak’s ranks.

  My blood ran cold as the Kimprak began to curl back in on themselves. From our first encounter with them, we knew that in their armoured ball configuration they could survive the atmosphere. But the experience of launching that last torpedo was also conjuring up a possible solution in my mind.

  ‘Ruby, launch another Lightning,’ I said.

  ‘But we already know the EMP pulse only lasts long enough to knock them out for sixty seconds tops,’ Ruby said.

  ‘Trust me, if I’ve got this right, then that’s all we’ll need,’ I replied.

  With a sharp nod, Ruby pressed the trigger and another Lightning torpedo leapt from one of our launch tubes and sped towards the Kimprak swarm.

  Our X-craft fleet hurtled towards us even as they tracked the enemy. With a deft spin of the controls and one of the incredible right-angle manoeuvres Ariel was capable of, Erin switched our direction.

  Now, in formation with the rest of the X103s, we were close enough to eyeball the silver balls reflecting light from the Earth beneath us as they raced towards it. And more specifically, towards Eden base, located in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.

  The need for secrecy had long passed since we’d started flying so many sorties above it and we had quickly worked out where the Sky Dreamer Corp’s underground base was situated. Also, the need for ongoing security since the run-ins with the Overseers had stopped so that had also reset the requirement for absolute secrecy in that regard.

  As our squadron of ships continued to pour fire into the swarms of Kimprak, our torpedo detonated among their ranks with a flash of blue light visible overhead.

  This time our virtual cockpit completely blinked off and suddenly our bridge was only lit by the glow of buttons around us.

  Erin was already toggling switches on her console. ‘We were a bit too close to the pulse that time, but our systems are already coming back online.’

  With a soft hum, the virtual cockpit flickered back into existence to show that the Kimprak swarm was racing past us towards Earth. But the crucial difference was that their eyes were all dark again, and more importantly for my plan to work, they had uncurled into their trilobite forms as they raced by.

  ‘Why are you just sitting there, Erin? Get after them,’ Ruby said.

  ‘We can’t yet, our REV drive is still powering up.’

  I glanced at the virtual cockpit to see that the rest of the wing were drifting too, the EM pulse had obviously had the same effect on them.

  ‘Okay, Ruby, raise Eden and let them know that if my plan doesn’t work it will be down to their point defence grid to take out those remaining Kimprak.’

  ‘You mean your plan is still in play?’ Erin asked as Ruby began toggling icons on her CIC screen that had just powered back up.

  ‘Yes, and hopefully any moment now…’

  Then, just as I hoped they would, the swarm started to glow first red, then orange, and finally white-hot as they left a trail of molten metal behind.

  ‘They’re burning up!’ Erin said.

  I let out a relieved sigh. ‘Exactly as I’d hoped, Earth’s atmosphere is doing the job for us. The Kimprak in their trilobite form are much more exposed to the intense heat of reentry.’

  ‘You mean you planned to literally melt their asses?’ Ruby said looking across at me.

  I gesture towards the 3D tactual maps as every single one of the Kimprak robots blinked out of existence. ‘Well it worked, didn’t it?’

  She snorted. ‘You’re so the boss. Well played, Commander, well played. Shall I cancel that order to Eden defence grid then?’

  ‘Yes, and instead let the rest of the squadron know that I expect to see all of them in the Rock Garden later tonight to celebrate.’

  ‘Yes, Commander,’ Ruby said snapping me an almost polite salute.

  Erin shook her head grinning at us. Then, with the REV drive back online, she curved us round back towards Eden as the wing of X-craft formed up behind us and we got ready to head home.

  CHAPTER TWO

  With the Kimprak raid, this had been a trickier Monday than most. That was the downside, but the one thing that always elevated this day of the week was that it was also curry night at the Rock Garden with an interesting Sri Lankan twist, thanks to Chef Pete Duminda. He normally worked at one of the main Eden restaurants, but come Mondays he always offered up his services to serve up a taste of his home country in the Rock Garden. Pete always referred to his dishes as simply curry and rice, but it was so much more than that humble title would suggest.

  His menus included everything from cuttlefish curry to a sticky aubergine, one that I could never get enough of. Then there was also a rather mind-blowing barbecued chilli crab that Jack had once declared his undying love for. He certainly would have adored being here tonight, and I’d already made a mental note that when I headed back to Tempest I would ask Pete to make Jack some so I could take it to him. I knew the way to my man’s heart.

  It was in the Rock Garden that I now sat with Alice, Niki, and Jodie. Erin was sitting with Ruby at the next table who was holding centre court with her buddies from the security team. She also had a plate piled high enough with several curry combos to feed a small army.

  Niki raised a glass of frozen chilled Icelandic vodka that he’d insisted we all try and clinked it against our glasses. ‘Here’s to a very successful demonstration of your new torpedoes, Jodie.’

  Even though she clinked her glass against his, Jodie still frowned. ‘Hmmm, a partial success. Those Kimprak are far harder to knock out than I expected. I’m going to need to do a lot more tweaking.’

  I reached across the table and squeezed her arm. ‘As far as I’m concerned, they worked spectacularly well and made a huge difference in our mission, especially the Hammer Torpedoes. They literally did the job of a hundred railgun rounds in a fraction of the time.’

  That managed to elicit a small smile from Jodie. ‘Yes, the kinetic closing speed of the area effect shrapnel blasts should make a real difference intercepting those meteoroids.’

  ‘There certainly seems to be a lot more attacks than there used to be,’ Niki said shaking his head.

  ‘My guess is that they’re using some sort of mass launcher, which is basically a scaled-up version of one of our railguns, and they’re firing more as they close in on our solar system,’ Jodie replied.

  Alice frowned. ‘They’ve certainly stretched both Earth and Psyche 16’s fleets to the maximum trying to intercept them, especially as our printers work flat out to replace the ships lost in battle over Antarctica.’

  ‘We shouldn’t forget Area 51’s TR-3B fleet either, that the Kimprak were somehow able to locate,’ Niki added. ‘According to our intelligence sources, they’ve come under bombardment almost as frequently as we have. But so far, like us, they’ve been able to keep them at bay.’

  ‘Which is great news, but I just wish that we’d been able to keep the lines of communication open with the USSF,’ I said. ‘As we proved we can do at Antarctica, both sides should still be working together, combining our forces, rather than pursuing our own separate agendas.’

  Alice sighed. ‘I know, but I think in fairness, that the USSF losing so many ships has made them even warier of working with us.’

  ‘If it helps to build some bridges, then I’m more than happy to share the schematics of our space torpedoes with them,’ Jodie said.

  ‘That is certainly something we could look at,’ Alice said.

  Jodie gazed down at her plate of aubergine curry with a side of spiced garlic okra. ‘Yes, but maybe let me try to do something to at least increase the yield of the Lightnings first. Otherwise, they’ll accuse us of trying to sell them a dud.’

  Before I could respond, Niki held up a hand. ‘I think we’ve talked enough shop for the evening, and besides, we have the meeting tomorrow to discuss all of that and the general state of preparations for the Kimprak mothership’s arrival. For now I say we kick back, enjoy some great food and drink, and make the most of each other’s company.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ I replied. Then I raised my glass to Jodie. ‘Here’s to you, Jodie. You never cease to amaze.’

  A warm smile filled her face. ‘And to you too, Lauren, for the exact same reason. Now let’s fill our faces with this delicious food before it goes cold.’

  ‘Amen to that,’ Alice said, smiling too.

  The barbecued crab was every bit as good as I remembered it and I was making a mental note that maybe I should get two portions of crab for Jack when a very uncharacteristic squeal came from the next table. Ruby was up on her feet and rushing across the floor towards a red-haired woman.

  It took me a moment to realise that it was Julie, who we hadn’t seen for months as she’d been working out at Tranquillity base on Psyche 16, a massive metallic asteroid the size of a moon that we’d been mining to produce more ships. Julie had been helping to set up the automated factory production there. She looked every bit as lit up at seeing Ruby as both women threw their arms round each other.

  Alice smiled at them as we all watched. ‘Julie just got back from her tour of duty for some R&R time.’

  ‘Oh, that’s why Ruby was so keen we stayed an extra day before heading back to Tempest,’ I replied.

  ‘You mean she didn’t tell you that she wanted to take a brief holiday with Julie, even if it was just a day?’ Jodie said.

  ‘No, but then that woman keeps her personal life close to her chest and I’m not one to pry. Anyway, she can certainly have her day because there’s plenty that I can do here.’

  ‘I hope you’re ready for visitors soon,’ Niki said. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s all been going onboard Tempest.’

  ‘You’re not the only one, it’s high time I made a site visit to Tempest too,’ Alice said. ‘Videos and photos are all well and good, but there’s no substitute for seeing it with my own eyes.’

  ‘We’d be delighted to have you, and I’m sure you wouldn’t overlook the chance to fly an X103 to get yourself there, Alice.’

  Considering Alice was president of Sky Dreamer Corp that made all of this possible, including Ariel, and a former stunt pilot, the prospect of that made her eyes light up.

  ‘Now, there’s a wonderful idea,’ Alice said beaming at me as we all returned our attention to our food.

  It was at moments like this that I realised how all these people had become part of my extended family over the years. But at the centre of that family for me was Jack, and as always I found it hard to be parted from him even for a few days, like we were now. Not that we were joined at the hip, just life always seemed brighter when we were together.

  But I knew Jack was having the time of his archaeologist life as he pored over the contents of Tempest, cataloguing everything he found. One of the setbacks that we’d suffered from the loss of seven of the micro minds—the AIs that helped rebuild and run Tempest—was the loss of the systems and databases that detailed all aspects of the starship. Even now, there were vast sections of the starship that still hadn’t been explored.

  Mike was having a similarly great time onboard Tempest too, up to his neck in tech and science as he worked alongside Lucy.

  Yes, both the main guys in my life were in their happy place right now. As for me, even though I’d surprised myself in the way I’d stepped up to the role of commander, deep down I’d always be a woman who loved looking up at the stars and getting lost in the wonder of it all.

  I pushed my plate away and helped myself to another measure of the rather great Icelandic vodka that Niki was sharing with us and then I stood.

  I raised my voice so everyone in the Rock Garden could hear me. ‘Hey, I would just like to raise a glass here to everyone in Eden, onboard Tempest, out at Tranquillity Base, and all the crews out there currently patrolling space. Whatever else we all are, we’re one hell of a team working together to protect humanity. May we never lose our mojo.’

  ‘Hell yes,’ Ruby said, squeezing Julie’s hand.

  Everyone in the room was nodding, especially Alice who was smiling at me.

  ‘Well said, Lauren,’ she said as she raised her glass. ‘May we never lose our mojo!’ she called out.

  ‘May we never lose our mojo!’ everyone echoed as they raise their glasses and took a sip of their drinks. That was followed by raucous applause, led most of all by me.

  CHAPTER THREE

  We all sat in the briefing room around the large oval table in Eden. This was one of the regular monthly updates where everyone was kept up to speed with how preparations were going for the Kimprak invasion. It wasn’t lost on me that the defence of Earth had become an ever more complex machine with many moving parts, and one of the biggest parts of that equation was now Tempest and the difference she could make. Everyone back in Antarctica was working flat out to make sure it could play a major role in the coming battle.

  Around the table sat Alice, Jodie, Niki, and myself, me with a large pot of Lapsang Souchong tea and one of the many excellent bagels that Alice always brought to these meetings for us to share. Of course, normally I was at the other end of a video feed for these updates onboard the bridge of Tempest, otherwise known as the Citadel, so being here made for a novel change.

  On the wall was a countdown timer to the Kimprak mothership arrival in our solar system and that currently stood at five months and twenty-two days and they were everywhere across Eden. It was Alice’s not-so-subtle attempt to keep everyone focused on the task at hand, that we all needed to do everything we could to defend our world. It absolutely worked too, stopping meetings from running on too long. The unspoken priority was that we all needed to get on and actually do the things that we discussed in meetings like this one.

  Alice, who’d been studying a tablet of notes and chatting to Niki, turned towards Jodie and me. ‘Are you ready to start?’

  We both nodded.

  ‘Then let’s get this meeting underway,’ Alice said. ‘Delphi, please initiate a conference call with Tempest and also with Tranquillity Base.’

  ‘Initiating conference call,’ Sky Dreamer Corp’s omnipotent AI replied.

  The large screen that filled the entire wall at the end of the meeting room switched from a view of rolling waves and was replaced with a mosaic of webcam feeds.

  I immediately sought out Jack, because even a few days away from him felt like a lifetime. I spotted his video windows in the top left-hand corner where he and Poseidon, one of the Angelus AIs android avatars, appeared to be standing in a museum with statues and display cases that they’d recently unearthed in one of the unused habitation zones.

  Jack looked a lot more tired than the last time I’d seen him thirty-six hours ago, when I’d departed Tempest. He looked a lot less lit up too. Probably just overdoing things, like usual, with his research work.

  But at least the others on the conference call looked happy. Mike was in one of Tempest’s engineering sections with Lucy, standing in front of a large room lined with a number of large spheres with pointy spikes sticking out of them, a bit like a silver sea urchin.

  Below his video window was Troy, the commander of the Sol fleet. He appeared to be sitting in the control room of the Psyche 16 base. He had a mug of coffee in his hand and was nodding to us as his stream came online.