It wasn’t a difficult analysis just then, and Barron already knew what he would do…if it came to the very end. If Stockton could fly, even partially, there would come a time when he would allow it. It would be a combination, two near-opposites coming toward each other, Stockton’s abilities vs. the situation with the enemy.

  “Okay…sir…”

  Barron could tell two things from Stockton’s tone. First, he was tired, really tired…and he was going back to sleep.

  And second, that he would raise the issue again…probably every time Barron saw him.

  * * *

  Atara sat quietly on the bridge. It had been over two months since the battle, and the enemy had not pushed farther ahead than one system past Striker.

  What had been Striker. Atara knew the station was gone, that even if through some miracle, her forces managed to take the system back, the facility was destroyed.

  She was on the bridge, as she had been almost as much as during the battle. She counted a couple times, but the numbers she came up with, and the smallest was more than seventeen hours, were too depressing, so she stopped. Seventeen hours was the least time she’d spent on duty in at least a week.

  She didn’t know why she put so much time in, especially when she had ships out in the system ahead. She didn’t doubt the enemy would come…but she would have more than enough notice to get out of bed, shower, have a nice breakfast. Still, she was posted on the ship’s bridge, almost like part of the equipment…waiting.

  Tyler was the same, though he spent much of his time in his office. Alone. Atara was spent, frazzled, she knew there wasn’t much of a chance…but she couldn’t imagine what Tyler was like. He didn’t believe in the alternative measures, even though he’d allowed the second phase to begin. Atara knew he’d done that because he’d agreed to if the last battle was a defeat, because he felt he owed it to Andi, to all those who did believe in it. But she knew he still didn’t buy it, that he didn’t expect it to succeed.

  She knew why he spent so much time alone, and despite his protestations and maneuvers, and the many things that he did with his time, it was simply that he didn’t know what to do. He would fall back on the Confederation, she knew, with or without Chronos and Akella and the rest of the Highborn…but he knew there was no real hope. Atara wasn’t a huge believer in the alternative measures either, but she did think there was more hope than she knew Barron did.

  And Andi. She knew Barron and his wife had come together, more because he couldn’t find any reason to oppose the plan, than he really thought it would succeed. But he probably didn’t expect to see her again, or at least he thought her chances were poor. That was true of Vian Tulus, Clint Winters…a lot of Barron’s closest friends were out on the desperate mission. But Andi was going back to the first planet they had assaulted, and she was landing. And both Atara and Tyler knew Andi well enough to realize she was going to be on the planet herself, and at the head of her team.

  Then there was Cassiopeia. Atara knew Tyler and Andi ached for their daughter, that not a day went by, hardly an hour, in either of their existences, without thoughts of the young girl. Andi felt the pain, too, for herself, but mostly for the two parents, stuck deep in the fight while their daughter resided back home.

  She pulled herself together, focused on what she knew was the only true hope her people had left. Perhaps Tyler couldn’t believe in it, but she could. She struggled to accept that the attack would work, that her side would regain its momentum…and she mostly succeeded, at least for the moment.

  That would likely pass, she knew…but then she would engage in the same thought process, the same effort she’d just gone through. She didn’t know if she actually believed in the plan, or if she had just convinced herself it would work. And she wasn’t sure she cared anymore.

  Chapter Forty

  Beta Telara III

  Year 329 AC (After the Cataclysm)

  Andi was soaked with sweat, pressed down behind a small pile of stones…and firing. Her entire force was shooting, except of course, the ten she had who were dead. They were spread out over about a hundred meters, and they were facing in multiple directions. The enemy was coming from almost three sides, and while they weren’t overwhelmingly strong, they were making some headway.

  “Jones, extend the right flank…at least another twenty meters!” She shouted out, hoping to cover the distance to her subordinate. She wasn’t sure she’d managed it, not for perhaps a second or two, until the man’s response came.

  “Yes, Andi…right away!”

  Andi didn’t say anything else, not for the next couple of minutes. The fight was happening in the center of town, very close to her objective. She hadn’t known what to expect from the enemy, or even whether Hegemony residents had been sufficiently broken to serve, to fight against their previous allies. She was battling regular humans, but everyone she’d run into on the mission so far had been possessed by one of the Collars. That didn’t mean the invaders had no support at all among the unmodified population, but it did suggest that most, if not all, of the people were not trusted by the Highborn.

  That, as vague as it was, bolstered her, at least a bit. She hadn’t really expected that the Highborn had turned the population against her forces…but she didn’t know all that much about the junior ranks of the Hegemony’s population. She realized now that she had imagined large numbers of them at least listening to the enemy pitch…but so far, the only ones who’d attacked her people, at least all the ones that she’d realized, were those under wearing Collars.

  She jerked her head to the side, checking on her orders to Jones. She had expected them to be obeyed, but even she was surprised how well he had relocated, himself and seven others. They were already out close to twenty meters, and they were holding their own.

  She had tried to get an idea of the strength attacking her, of whether she was doomed, or if she had a chance. She was attacking an entire world, she knew, and that fact diminished her opinion, at least at first. But she wasn’t trying to take the planet, she just wanted to capture a few of the Highborn…and as soon as she did, she would leave. Her people had come through eleven fights, the last one bloody and damaging, and now all she had to do was find a Master or two and she could go home.

  Wherever that was. She wasn’t even sure where Tyler was, and Cassiopeia was far away, back on Megara. She realized she had no home, at least nothing save a ship or two. She’d believed, at times at least, that she would eventually have a real place, and she knew her prisoners, the ones she was fighting to take, were the true route there.

  She seemed so close to that goal, and yet so far. But she told herself that the enemy, at least the force currently engaging her, was fairly small. It wasn’t hard to imagine overwhelming forces on the planet as a whole, but her people were at least holding their own. She wasn’t sure if there were any Highborn with the force opposing her…but she figured there was probably at least one.

  One thing she was sure about, though, was that the situation wasn’t going to get any better. Time was definitely on her opponents’ side, and she knew more forces would show up sooner or later. She had to increase the intensity now. She had to launch her troops forward, take on the enemy full bore…and maybe capture an enemy Highborn.

  Or die trying.

  She looked to the left, and then to the right, monitoring the fire, both coming in and going out from her forces. Her people had the edge, she was sure of it, at least a little…but that wouldn’t last long.

  “Ross, we’re going to push forward. We’re going to hit them hard, and we’re going to do it now. There’s a Highborn with them, at least one, there has to be…and letting more time go by isn’t going to help us at all.”

  She could feel the tension from her comrade, but she was sure he agreed with her. She was convinced everyone would agree, at least that the longer her people were on the planet, the worse things would get.

  “Yes, Andi…” Tarren looked both ways, too, scanning the line. She knew he was with her…but he was nervous, too.

  “Alright, everybody…” She shouted, as loudly as she could. “Get ready…we’re going forward in twenty seconds.” Andi had learned a lot over her years of action, but nothing perhaps so effective as the use of time. Perhaps if her mission had been complex, if there had been much to learn, it would have made sense to delay. But it was simple…advance and fight, to the end. Either her people would prevail, or they would be wiped out.

  And there was nothing to be gained by delaying either.

  “Forward,” she screamed, as she lurched ahead, driving on toward the enemy. “Forward!” she repeated, even more loudly, as she raced ahead, firing as she did.

  * * *

  Andi fought, perhaps harder than ever before. She had a rifle in one hand and a pistol in the other, and somehow, she was firing them both. She’d had the rifle exclusively before, but now she was so close to the enemy, it made sense to deploy them both.

  They’re not the enemy…they’re allies, enslaved to fight…

  She knew that was true, but it didn’t really matter to her. The people she was fighting against were Hegemony Kriegeri, just like the ones that had fought at her side for more than seven years. But they had been surgically altered, enslaved by the Collars. They were victims, completely controlled, she knew that…but she didn’t care. They were enemies, at least as far as she saw it…and she gunned them down like crazy. If she paid for it, it would be later, after her mission was done. And she could live with that.

  Her attack had seemed insane, at least to anyone who hadn’t been carefully watching. Indeed, her entire move against the planet seemed bizarre, at least to anyone who forgot that their purpose was simply to remove one or more of the Highborn.

  She wondered if the enemy would know why she had come, and when she’d been attacked, she’d been close to assuming they did. But, she quickly realized that the enemy force was far from what she’d have expected if they had really been on to her.

  She fired, again and again, taking down at least a dozen enemies. She’d taken one hit herself, but it was a light wound, a grazing of her back, and while she knew it was bleeding, she basically ignored it. She would do the same if she was hit again, even if it was worse. She had two speeds now…full and dead.

  Her head snapped around, looking all over for any sign of one or more Highborn. The enemy force was big enough, she assumed, and she couldn’t imagine that they were out on their own, without any of the Highborn leading them. But she hadn’t seen any, not yet at least.

  Then, suddenly, her eyes focused…and she realized she had spotted one. He was far back, but it was definitely a Highborn. That was clear just from his height, eight feet tall.

  Andi realized that he would have the best weaponry and armor, better than hers, and she suddenly felt a few seconds of hesitancy.

  But just a few.

  Then, she moved forward, shouting out to the people around her. She knew leading them forward, exposing herself—and them—more, would cost lives. But the very purpose of the mission was in front of her. Everyone lost in the battle, and all those killed on the ground, died so she could get a chance at capturing one of the enemy.

  Now, she had the chance. And if one of her people, any one of them, managed to escape with the captured Highborn, it would be worth it.

  She redirected her fire, targeting all the personnel around her target. She carefully avoided the Highborn himself, aware that she needed him alive. He wouldn’t be easy to capture, she realized, and she wasn’t going to take any chances. And she wasn’t going to allow anyone else too either.

  “Do not fire at the Highborn…take everyone around him out, but don’t shoot him.”

  Even as she spoke the words, though, she realized she was going to have to target him after all. The Highborn were larger, and faster, than her people, and when he realized what was happening, he would take off…and unless she was willing to shoot him, he would get away.

  She felt her rifle angling, just seconds after she’d issued the order not to shoot him. And she still meant it, at least for her people. But she was going to aim at the Highborn, and she was going to wound him, and take him down. Whatever it took.

  He was still far away, too far for precisely accurate fire, but she knew if she waited too long, he would pull even farther back. She had to stop him, and stop him soon, so she aimed.

  She fired…and then again. It was only her firing at the Highborn, which reduced the chances of scoring a hit…but it also left him under fewer shots, perhaps too few to notice right away. He just might stay in place a while longer.

  She shot, a third time, a fourth…and then a fifth. And the fifth shot scored a hit. The Highborn fell backwards, stumbling, and she could barely see the blood flowing from his leg. The shot had been almost perfect. It was a serious wound, but not an immediately life threatening one. The Highborn would have a difficult time escaping now…unless his Kriegeri could hold out long enough.

  Andi was far enough back that she couldn’t hear the Highborn’s commands, but it was obvious what he had said. The Kriegeri had been retreating, but now they stopped. They scrambled to find rocks and logs—anything to hide behind—and they maintained their fire, even as their commander began to withdraw.

  The Highborn was wounded, but he managed to get up, one arm over the shoulder of one Kriegeri and the other over a different one. It took a few seconds before Andi could see what he was doing…and she knew what she had to do.

  She fired, slowly, carefully. She was aiming at the two Kriegeri, trying as hard as possible to avoid hitting the Highborn again. She snapped out her commands, reminded all the others not to shoot at the Highborn, or the two men helping him off the field.

  They were hers.

  She thought for an instant about the two Hegemony soldiers, about how they were controlled by the Collars, about how they likely despised what they were doing. How they were allies, save for the Collars controlling them. She knew that was probably true, but she pushed it aside. Millions had died in the war, perhaps billions would perish before it was done. She didn’t have time to consider two Kriegeri…men who were helping the enemy she was targeting, whether purposefully or not.

  And she wondered if it would matter if they were two Confederation soldiers? She couldn’t be sure, but she didn’t think so. Only success mattered now, and the cost was irrelevant.

  She fired again…and one of the men went down. The Highborn stumbled…but he managed to continue with only one helper.

  Andi raced forward, almost oblivious to the fire still sporadically ripping into her position. The enemy was beaten, at least until more came, but that wasn’t the same thing as wiped out. And anything less than total destruction was insufficient against the enemy. The Collars kept the men and women fighting…until they were taken down.

  She continued forward, firing all the way as she did…but she couldn’t take down the last soldier. She was running now, almost oblivious to the remaining fire. She knew she could take a hit at any second, that she could end up out of the fight…even dead…any time. But she pressed on, even as her body began to rebel.

  She was out of breath, and she knew it was affecting her shooting. But she was just as aware that the soldier had to be as well. She knew enough about the Collars to realize that the Kriegeri would keep going until he couldn’t any longer…but the Highborn was also exerting some of the effort.

  She fired again…and again…

  And she hit the last soldier.

  She was well beyond her troops, though she knew at least some of them had come after her. She saw the Kriegeri stumble…and then fall right to the ground.

  The Highborn tumbled as well…and then he got up, partially at least, and he was trying to get away. But alone, he didn’t have the strength. Andi was tired, but she was far less injured than the Highborn. It took less than a minute to catch him. She was cautious at first, uncertain whether he had maintained some form of arms. But when she got to him, he just rolled over onto his back, and he looked at her.

  There were a number of impressions she got from the expression on his face. But most of all, she got one…and exhausted, still worried about any enemy approaching, she smiled widely.

  It was fear.

  Chapter Forty-One

  CWS Donallus

  Vela Tracasys System

  Year 329 AC (After the Cataclysm)

  Andi sat on the bridge, tired—exhausted actually—but glad that she’d found Dauntless so quickly. She’d imagined Tyler had retreated all the way to the Confederation, even that the enemy had closely pursued, perhaps even that he was dead. But she’d found him just three jumps back from Fortress Striker’s location…waiting.

  He was waiting until the enemy advanced, until something happened. He hadn’t heard from Akella yet, though Chronos and Vian Tulus had both survived their excursions. Actually, with her return, all four of the forces had come back, and if that meant they had completed all their missions—and to Andi it meant nothing else—at least 41 worlds had been infected. That was far from everywhere, every planet, the enemy fleet…but it was a lot, and Andi drew some satisfaction from that.

  And she had brought back three of the Highborn, the wounded one she had captured, and two others taken by her other groups. Her four ships had lost a lot of people—thirty-one percent was the lowest, and the highest was over seventy—but two of her other teams had also succeeded. She was glad about that, triumphant about the success…especially as what remained of her fleet set out.

  But none of the enemy showed any signs of infection.

  She knew that there would be no indication, not until the disease struck, and the information on the time that would take was spotty at best. She realized it could still work, that it could strike at any time. But she was beginning to lose hope.