In another context, Royal might have agreed. He spent his best years on that planet. He remembered his last Ascension, watching the miracle of Huryo passing through the Kye-Do rings. He was a kid, standing beside the man he’d soon fall in love with. It was a good life … for a while.

  “Yeah, kid. It’s real pretty. There’s no place like Hokkaido. Yours or mine.”

  “Thank you, Royal.”

  “Hey, kid, I want you to know it’s not looking real …”

  “My brothers and sisters will be happy now. It’s all I ever wanted. I love them so much.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know, kid. You’re like their second father.”

  “Where did you leave them?”

  “They’re on an island. Another big house. Kind of like before, but without the Swarm. Your mom is looking after them, and your dad will be there soon enough. The Tarons can start over.”

  “I’m cold, Royal.”

  Fuck.

  “Yeah, we’re having a problem with life support. Temperature’s going down. But it’s gonna be OK, kid. Hang in there.”

  Royal listened to himself. Kid. He spoke to Moon like Ham used to talk during their many encounters in Zozo. Ham had a knack for settling down the new immortal during the boy’s darkest hours. He always had a plan, a philosophy, or a life lesson. He used big words strung together in poetic form. He carried the aura of a man who knew how to slip out of every noose unharmed and unfazed.

  What did Royal have to offer now but lies to make the boy’s end more bearable?

  Moon stretched out his arm.

  “Please hold my hand, Royal.”

  Royal’s armor phase-shifted when he wrapped his fingers around Moon’s bloody left hand.

  “When I was little, I had nightmares. Father came to my room and held my hand until I fell asleep.”

  Shit. He knows.

  “Look, that’s nice and all, but I don’t want you falling asleep. You need to focus. You’re a tough kid.”

  “I need to be like a wolf. Right?”

  “You got it, kid. A wolf. You’re tougher than you think. You were like a soldier back there on the ship. You killed two of the enemy. You came up aces. I’m proud of you, Moon.”

  “I had to fight. Aunt Hoija was a cunt.”

  “That’s the fucking spirit. The look on her face was priceless. She never saw you coming.”

  “Where’s Father?”

  “He’s in a different fighter. We’ll hook up later.”

  “Huh.”

  Moon closed his eyes.

  “Kid?”

  Royal tightened his grip and raised his voice.

  “Moon? You still with me?”

  He slapped at the helmet, which drew a response. Moon opened his eyes as if returning from a peaceful dream.

  “Just a little more, kid. You need to keep talking.”

  “What about?”

  “Anything. Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

  “I’m not very inter … interesting.”

  “Hey, now. C’mon. You got a helluva story to tell.”

  “No. I’m tired.”

  “OK, then. How about I tell you a story?”

  Moon nodded in silence.

  “So, I met this kid when I was in Sai-Por City. His name was Ash. He was, I don’t know … twelve? He was a crazy little fucker. Damn if he didn’t love killing people more than me. But, um, see, here’s the thing, Moon. This kid Ash, he didn’t have a future. He knew it, too. He was looking for a great way to die.”

  “… happened to him?”

  “I gave him what he wanted. I wasn’t trying too hard, though, because I was searching for my Splinter. The little shit followed me like a puppy. I didn’t warn him off. Swarm gunned him down. They probably threw his body in a burn pit before sunrise. He wanted to be remembered, but he won’t be.”

  Moon flexed his fingers.

  “You do.”

  “That don’t count for shit. I could’ve saved that kid if I wanted to, but he weren’t worth it. There wasn’t a future for him. That’s not true about you, Moon. There’s still a future. You’re worth saving. You’re a good man. There’s not enough of you around.”

  The planet dominated the view in every direction. The fighter was minutes from the atmosphere. Wasn’t there some other way?

  Royal reached inside his armor and grabbed the Splinter he fought so hard to retrieve on Beta Hokkaido and which allowed him to tether safely back to The Hold. All he had to do was look inside and see the path.

  “I can’t f-fight anymore,” Moon said. “I’m so tired.”

  “No. Not yet, kid. You need to stay focused a little longer. Tell me something about … OK, how about this? Tell me the names of your brothers and sisters. Oldest to youngest. Can you do that?”

  “Yeah.”

  He didn’t, so Royal helped him out.

  “Go ahead. I remember the oldest. His name is …?”

  “Yong.”

  Royal detected a faint smile.

  “Next?

  “Meena, Muna, and Nan.”

  “OK. And? There were twins?”

  “Liu and Lin. They’re my favorites.”

  “And?”

  “Sela. She liked to climb my leg.”

  “Good job.”

  Royal had a farfetched idea, seeping into the realm of fantasy. Luck was one thing, but defying the impossible was another. The rule for tethering through a Splinter was clear: Only humans who joined with the Splinter at the point of origin could return. Every test and the showdown at Arakaat Shipyards on Euphrates verified this constant.

  He rubbed Moon’s blood on the Splinter.

  “You still with me?”

  “Tell my family I loved them.”

  “No. You can do that, Moon. Give me your other … oh, never mind.”

  Royal leaned over and pulled Moon in close, interlocking their arms.

  “Amayas said these cubes control life and time. Well, I wanna live, Moon. I ain’t going out like this. You either. Hear me, kid?”

  Moon didn’t respond.

  If Royal was wrong and returned to The Hold alone, Moon would burn to death. Maybe it was more merciful to lift the boy’s helmet and ensure he passed away without any more pain.

  He left it in place.

  “I’m a piece of shit,” Royal said, staring into the Splinter. “I never asked anybody to forgive me. I hope you will.”

  His eyes saw through the quantum singularity at the Splinter’s heart and into the mirrors that reflected universes of causality. He saw the path home.

  Soon thereafter, the debris of a Legion raced across the upper atmosphere until its last ember burned away. Hundreds just like it created a dramatic meteor shower viewed by millions of Hokkis.

  32

  K ARA NEVER FELT MORE HELPLESS. From C&C, she watched the eleven Talons – including three Hokkis returning home to defend it – step onboard Scramjet Horn. Chi sent her a brief goodbye and promised a wild night out in Zozo when the madness ended. Po Wynn and Jai Zaan wore the Talon black, though their training was incomplete. Yet neither hesitated. Unlike with Green Sun, they truly were fighting for the safety of The Lagos.

  “They’ll survive,” Ham said as he studied ground analysis data and worked with Crowfoot to organize comms for the landing teams. “We can give them the best chance, Kara, if we focus on our job. I need your help.”

  He highlighted the locations where four Swarm dropships landed, equidistant from each other on the same wide avenue, spanning eight city blocks. Lizard-green F-grounders spread out largely on a north-south pattern, killing the instant they jumped into action. Already, bodies lay in the streets, and crowds fled before blue energy projectiles from Force Drums.

  This region of Dywan was congested with thirty-floor residential high rises, open air markets, and a popular shopping complex Kara knew well, having visited often with her school friends. Public hoppers and personal rifters clogged the streets, although most vehicles close to the advance were abandoned or in flames.

  “How many did they land?” She asked Ham.

  “I can’t pin down a precise number, but more than two hundred.”

  “Do you think Cando’s right? They’ll kill everyone they see?”

  “He knows the Swarm mentality. These soldiers have been left behind with no chance of rescue. They’re not doing this for military gain. That alone makes them especially dangerous.”

  “Cando never talked much about the war, but he said the Force Drum was the most savage weapon a man could carry. He said only Swarm and Talon armor could deflect the energy bolt, and even then, there were limits before the armor collapsed. Those people down there don’t have a chance, and our numbers are so small.”

  “Not as small as you think.”

  The last response did not come from Ham.

  Shin Wain spoke from Charybdis.

  “My men here and on Hermes will be joining the fight.”

  “Your men?” Ham said. “You have soldiers?”

  “They are called the Splinter Vanguard. Though I can only provide seventeen, please know they are well trained. However, their greatest strength is their next-generation armor. Nothing – even repeated hits from a Force Drum – will break through. Capt. Cortez, if you will kindly provide a strategic landing zone for our Scrams, we’ll proceed.”

  Ham and Kara shared a fleeting smile that said, “Sounds great, but we’ll believe it when we see it.”

  “Cando, did you hear Capt. Wain’s proposal?”

  The Talon responded with audio only.

  “I did. If they can deliver, they’ll be a huge help. We’re landing dead in the center of this beast.” Ham pointed out that location on the holo, one block between two Swarm dropships. “Have them follow the pattern, Capt. Wain, and spread out.”

  “Will do.”

  Kara knew nothing of military strategy, and this one was improvised, changing by the moment.

  “What are they attempting?”

  “The enemy landed four ships here, on Doraan Way. They’re advancing north and south in waves. The Talons and Shin Wain’s Vanguard will start from the same position and chase from behind. We don’t have the numbers to stop their advance, but we’ll engage a few dozen, for starters. We need the Aeternans to slow everything down. Not to mention their numbers. Michael, your status?”

  The Minister studied the same view of the Dywan district.

  “I see what you’re going for. My people are ready.”

  “I assume they’ll be laying fire from the air?”

  “Birds of a feather, my friend.”

  “I’m not as big a believer as you in this technique, but I think our situation might be tailor-made for your, um, birds. I want you to bring them in directly above the attacking waves. Engage them but don’t expect much luck in taking them out with conventional blast rifles. The idea is to disrupt and allow our ground forces to engage.”

  “My people can go mano y mano, Captain.”

  “Have they gone up against Force Drums?”

  “No, but …”

  “I also want to form a cordon so we can contain the spread. Some Swarm are bound to break through.”

  Ham did not allow Michael another word as he outlined a circular containment zone several blocks beyond the waves.

  “Direct the remaining platoons to these ground positions. They should fortify themselves. If we slow the broader advance, the math will be on your side when the Swarm reach the cordon.”

  “This looks a damn fine plan, but what happens when these fuckers realize what we’re up to and decide they’re better off fortifying themselves indoors? Urban warfare is a bitch times ten.”

  Amayas entered the holo beside Michael.

  “I’ve spoken to my contact in the KumTaan, as well as Alliance members in the government. They’re sending emergency decrees to everyone in the immediate region, telling them to take secure refuge indoors. We’ll coordinate with their emergency services. Hokki civilians are being told to report enemy movement nearby.”

  “If we have to fight door to door, Michael, this will be ugly and drawn out. The sooner we can position all our forces, the greater chance we’ll avoid a quagmire. Remember, the enemy wants to kill indiscriminately. They are not interested in holding territory.”

  “Gotcha.” Michael turned to his Nav. “Set your coordinates. Let’s do this thing. Persephone, your units will take the north. Crowfoot will handle the south.”

  “Yes, Minister,” Capt. David of Persephone said.

  “To my people: Launch Occip for all comms and tactical, starting now. Hit it.” He motioned to the Nav.

  Seconds later, Crowfoot and Persephone exited apertures much lower than the warships, swinging above the city like dance partners circling each other. Rather than releasing shuttles or Scrams, immortals flew out of the hangar bays like hornets from a nest. Their numbers matched the Swarm – if not exceeding – a fact which brought Kara mild comfort.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.

  Ham crossed his arms.

  “I once belonged to a battalion in the Guard with similar abilities, but we used it for dramatic effect when we arrived on scene to wipe out an enemy with no chance of winning. It’s impressive.”

  “I hope it’s enough.”

  “It will be, in the end. How we get there is an open question. Still, who would have thought it? Talons, Aeternans, and the Inventor’s personal army fighting side by side.”

  “Three are Hokkis, born and raised here.”

  “I have a feeling they will fight the hardest.”

  A street-view holo showed the Talons charging into the city.

  “We’re on it,” Cando said. “Time to kill scorpions.”

  * * *

  Chi Baek wasn’t prepared for what she saw on Doraan Way and the neighborhoods into which her unit advanced. Bodies young and old lay scattered like rag dolls tossed from high windows. Whiffs of smoke rose from gaping, six-inch holes in Hokkis struck down in the chest or abdomen. Others lay headless. Almost all were shot in the back as they fled.

  A menagerie of abandoned vehicles mixed amid debris from a high-rise whose upper floors were decimated by Cromartie’s guns. Smoke poured out of that building, and residents screamed for help from their balconies, saying they were trapped. The Talons couldn’t assist, and Chi knew what those poor Hokkis probably did not: They weren’t safer on the ground.

  Chi weaved through the catastrophic scene alongside Cando and Paul, her Force Drum feeling lighter on her right arm than it ever did in training. She had no reservations about what lay ahead, despite the many war stories she heard over the past months. She couldn’t kill those bastards soon enough. All she had to do was think about planets the Swarm conquered, where they sent in hordes of these soulless monsters to obliterate everyone in their path.

  She grew up here. She shopped in nearby stores. Her parents lived half a kilometer east. Chi tried not to think about them; they resided outside Ham’s proposed cordon. They’d hunker down if the threat neared. They were resourceful; they’d be OK.

  Finally, every step of the journey made sense. After she survived the battle at Y-14, she found a connection with the Talons. Her blood heated the first time she hunted an enemy in a training simulation. She accepted the black with tears of joy. She did not hesitate when she had to kill a man on Zwahili Kingdom. She exulted flying through space alongside the immortals. The one-time princess of a Haansu household had returned as a warrior.

  Was this the elusive concept they called destiny?

  “We’re closing fast, Chi. Be ready to engage.”

  Cando’s voice echoed inside her helmet’s UI, which laid out the battlefield ahead. Laser blasts rained from the sky as Aeternans arrived to slow the Swarm advance. FGs responded with blue pulses.

  Chi was honored to face down the enemy with Cando. Each of the Hokkis was placed in a different group in order to ensure a veteran presence. Chi didn’t know if Cando chose her at Kara’s request – keep my best friend close – but she didn’t care. He trusted Chi enough to go into battle with her. She’d never undermine his belief in her skill as a soldier. Had he ever faced FGs with so few Talons at his side? Paul, he knew like a brother. But the new girl? He trusted her like a sister.

  “All units,” Cando said. “We’re stretched thin out here. Go for double-taps wherever feasible. Keep agile footing. Do not allow them to pin you down. Aim high and low. Neck and knees. That’s where ninety percent of our kills begin.”

  From the outset, the Talons taught Chi about the relative weak points of FG armor. The neck collar had the greatest tendency to buckle when trying to redistribute Force Drum energy, but it was a narrow target: five centimeters thick. Only a direct hit might force a reset in the helmet’s user interface or cause the helmet to malfunction altogether. The synaptic interface narrowed above the kneecaps by ten millimeters. It wasn’t much, but multiple, well-timed hits often created a tremor which radiated through the legs, straining the calves and quads. It didn’t kill FGs, but it slowed them down.

  “Here we go,” said Cando, pointing out targets dead ahead.

  Three FGs were stalled, trying to bring down fast-moving Aeternans, while three others broke away to chase civilians into an open-air market and its maze of stalls. Chi prepared to sprint toward the market, but Cando surprised her. He pointed to the occupied threesome.

  “Our best chance,” he said inside her helmet.

  “But what about the people trapped in the market?”

  “Exposed enemy first. The others will have to make do until we can get to them. Remember, necks and knees.”

  The three FGs stood with their backs to each other, pivoting in a circle as they rained Force Drum flares at a platoon of ten Aeternans whose laser blasts bounced harmlessly off the green armor. The immortals bobbed and weaved. Though their hits appeared to have no effect, Chi knew even the sturdiest armor weakened over time if bombarded with steady doses of any energy weapons.

  A scream and a sizzle preceded a crash. Just beyond the enemy, an Aeternan lay dead on the street. Another immortal spun out of control, his jetpack on fire, and smacked into the side of a building.