He nodded to himself, deciding once more that it was risky to trust her, but riskier not to. He returned to his terminal, considering the entry he wanted to add to his History again.

  “Today, I alone directed the domo’shah Ishur in a direct confrontation with two domo’shah of the regime of Domo’dahm Rorn’el, as he sought to put an end to the evolution of our people that would ensure our survival. I alone engaged the domo’shah, and with the power of my new technology and my command expertise, I was able to destroy the domo’shah, and preserve our future.”

  He paused the History. That was a better introduction. Embellished, but not too much. History was written by the victorious, after all.

  He stood again, pacing. He had six days until the clones were ready. He had to make his move before the humans returned to their settlement and collected reinforcements. Otherwise, he would be left waiting again. At the same time, who knew what enhancements they would make in that time? They were an inferior species to be sure, but their resourcefulness was something to commend them on. Could they make the Ishur even more powerful than it already was?

  He was about to return to his terminal when a heavy pounding sounded from the other side of the door. Tea’va almost laughed at the humans’ continued struggle to utilize interspace communications and their reliance on physical presence and force to get one another's personal attention. He flattened his expression and walked over to the hatch to open it.

  The Heil’bek stood in front of him.

  “Can I help you, Gabriel St. Martin?” Tea’va asked, a mixture of hate and admiration crossing through him.

  “The General asked me to collect you,” Gabriel said.

  Tea’va felt a moment of discomfort. Had Shielle said something? Did they know? “Is there a problem?”

  “Zoelle’s team has finished the calculations. General St. Martin has called a meeting of senior officers to debrief before we make the slip. He wants you to be there.”

  “He does?” Tea’va said, surprised. He had been part of the meetings on the bridge before, but not the human’s more confidential discussions.

  “You impressed the hell out of him, and me, with your flying. You’ve earned his respect, which isn’t always an easy thing to do. You’ve also earned a little more of his trust.”

  “I don’t see why he would trust me more. By defending the Ishur, I was preserving my own life as well.” Tea’va smiled. The best way to invite more trust was to point out why it shouldn’t be given.

  Gabriel’s eyes shifted back into the room, as though he were looking for something. Then he shrugged. “Be that as it may, you’ve proven yourself to be a valuable ally. Personally, I think you’ve earned it.”

  Tea’va studied Gabriel’s face, trying to determine if he was going to be walking into a trap. There was no obvious attempt at deception there. In fact, was that pride? “Why do you look at me that way, Heil’bek?”

  “When we met, you told me the Domo’dahm wanted to kill you because you’re different. Because you’re too human. Today, you helped prove that being more human is a benefit, not a malfunction. Now, come on. You don’t want to keep the General waiting.”

  Gabriel turned away from him, taking a few steps down the corridor. Tea’va remained still. Being more human was the benefit? He made himself swallow the sudden fury he felt at the words. Being more human only made his body healthier, so that his bek’hai strengths did not deteriorate beneath him. He was better than the humans, better than the other bek’hai because of that. The thought that there was anything else in the human genome that had improved him was a disgusting one.

  “Well?” Gabriel asked, noticing he wasn’t following and looking back.

  It took all of Tea’va’s will to force himself to smile. “Yes. I am coming,” he said, clenching his teeth once he was done, and at the same time feeling a crack beginning to form in his resolve. He had to forget about the fact that the Heil’bek was proud of him. He couldn’t let that in. Wouldn’t let that in.

  Six days. He had to be patient for six more days. Then he would be in control of the Ishur once more. Then he would be the one returning to Earth to destroy the Domo’dahm.

  Not the humans.

  Him.

  26

  “Do you have any advice for me on how best to present myself, Heil’bek?” Tea’va asked.

  Gabriel glanced over at the bek’hai and shook his head. “Be yourself,” he replied. “If you have an opinion, don’t keep it to yourself. The General doesn’t bring his officers together to kowtow to his ideas.”

  “Kowtow?”

  “Be subservient. Kiss his ass.”

  Tea’va considered for a moment and then nodded tersely. “Yes, I understand.”

  Gabriel smiled. He was happy his father had asked him to retrieve Te’ava and to make him part of the briefing. The Dread had proven himself more than capable in the thick of battle, and his experience in real combat would be invaluable to them as they tried to figure out how to proceed, now that they would have some time in slipspace to prepare for whatever came next.

  He glanced over at the bek’hai again, opening his mouth to speak before putting his head forward once more. He had already made three weak efforts to tell Tea’va he had seen him going into the cloning facility and to ask him why he had been there. He had stopped himself every time. There was something about the Dread that gave him pause. Something in his body language that made him uncomfortable. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet, but for as pleased as he was his father had invited the Dread to sit in on their meeting, he was also feeling hesitant about it.

  He liked Tea’va, more than he had expected he would be able to like one of the enemy. Maybe it was because they were both pilots, and respected one another for the times they had met as enemies in orbit above Earth. Maybe it was because they shared a mistrust in Zoelle, though Gabriel was finding his fading after recent events.

  He wanted to have complete faith in him.

  He didn’t, and so he didn’t speak up. He didn’t want Tea’va to know what he had seen. Not yet. He needed time to speak with Zoelle first, to ask her to check in on the cloning factory. He would go with her, and with Sergeant Diallo, to make sure everything was as it should be. What other choice did he have? None of their crew knew anything about the factory to be able to spot any inconsistencies.

  They reached the hangar, the small personnel hatch sliding open. Gabriel smiled when he saw the Magellan resting there, beaten but not broken. The ramp leading into her was down, with crates resting on either side. Some were old parts to be removed; others were replacement parts to be installed. Soon, they would bring both to the assemblers and be able to put Maggie back together again.

  “You are meeting in your starship?” Tea’va asked, surprised.

  “It was the General’s idea,” he replied. “To remind us what we’re fighting for, and what we started with.”

  “I am interested to see the interior.”

  “I thought you would be.”

  Tea’va made the low hissing sound Gabriel identified with laughter.

  They climbed the ramp into the ship. Gabriel breathed deeply once he was on her, appreciating the smell of grease and alloy, a scent that was missing from the Ishur. The debris had all been removed from the corridors, as had the body of Spaceman Dix, the soldier who hadn’t secured himself in time and had been killed by the impact of the crash. Everything had also been scrubbed down, their reduced water supply replenished by the ample volume stored on the Ishur. She looked as good as she was going to get before they could get the new parts installed.

  The rest of the officers were already present when Gabriel arrived. Theodore, Colonel Choi, Colonel Graham, Second Lieutenant Bale, and two enlisted, Sergeant Diallo and Sergeant Abdullah, along with Zoelle, Guy Larone, and Reza Mokri. He was surprised to see that Sarah Larone wasn’t there as well.

  “Major Gabriel St. Martin and pur’dahm Tea’va reporting, sir,” Gabriel said, coming to attention.

  “At ease, Major,” Theodore said. “Mr. Tea’va, thank you for joining us.”

  “It is my honor, Dahm St. Martin,” Tea’va said, bowing low.

  “Why don’t you and Gabriel take a seat over there,” Theodore said, pointing to two empty chairs near the rear of the table. “Then we can get started.”

  Gabriel led Tea’va to their seats. He stifled his laughter at how awkward the bek’hai was trying to sit in them. He was too tall for their basic chairs and looked uncomfortable when positioned.

  “Now you know how I feel trying to sit on that command chair, Mr. Tea’va,” Theodore said, laughing.

  “Indeed, Dahm St. Martin,” Tea’va replied, returning the laugh.

  “In all seriousness. The reason I brought you all here is because, one, we just kicked the Dread hard enough in the ass to send them packing, and two, we need to be ready to do it again after we pick up the boys and girls back home. We’re just about prepared to head into slipspace for, how long was it again, darlin’?”

  “Twelve days,” Zoelle replied. “Two slips.”

  “You’re sure that is the fastest path?” Tea’va asked.

  Gabriel looked over at him. Did he know something about that, or was he truly curious?

  “Yes,” Zoelle replied, not bothering to look at him. “The first slip will bring us out within fifteen AU of Earth.”

  “Close enough to send a quick message to our friends on the ground,” Theodore said.

  “The second will bring us to Calawan,” Zoelle finished.

  “Any idea how long to get back to Earth after that?” Gabriel asked.

  “I ran some estimates,” Reza said. He looked a little better, having gotten a couple of hours to sleep. “Another eight days.”

  “So, twenty days total,” Colonel Graham said. “A day or two to get our soldiers organized and boarded. Depending on how you look at it, either that isn’t a lot of time, or it’s an eternity.”

  “I’m sure Major Peters would prefer us back yesterday,” Gabriel said.

  “Twenty-two days,” Theodore said. “Let’s start with the basics. When we come out of the first slip, we need to get a message down to Earth to tell the rebels we’re going to load up and come on back for them. Does our new ride have the capacity to do that at long range? Remember, we need to hit their antenna hard to be heard. That question is for you, Mr. Tea’va, or you, Juliet.”

  “I believe our array does have the capability you desire, Dahm St. Martin,” Tea’va said. “However, does such a message not pose a risk if the Domo’dahm intercepts it? You will lose the element of surprise.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. The trouble is, if the ground forces don’t know we’re on our way, how can we organize an offensive? We don’t have enough firepower up here, even with reinforcements, to hit the central Dread capital hard enough to destroy it.”

  “There is truth to your words, Dahm St. Martin. However, I question the capability of the ground forces. They have failed to organize efficiently up until now and with the Domo’dahm intensifying his efforts to destroy them, I fear you may leave such a message and find there is no one remaining to hear it save the Domo’dahm himself. In which case, the element of surprise grows even more valuable.”

  “So you think the rebels on the ground are going to lose?” Colonel Graham asked. “Not that I’m surprised, all things considered.”

  “Colonel,” Theodore barked. “Mind yourself.”

  “I am not offended,” Tea’va said, though Gabriel doubted that was true. “I speak only from experience. The rebels have had some success of late, but they are still greatly outnumbered and possess an extremely limited arsenal. Dahm St. Martin, I would caution against letting your emotions interfere with your tactical mind.”

  “Ha!” Theodore said. “You have a point there, Mr. Tea’va. Nobody here can argue your logic.”

  “Thank you, Dahm.”

  “At the same time, we’re in this together. All of us. Sometimes, emotions have to win out. We live or die as one. Up here. Down there. I know that isn’t tactically right, but it is right.”

  Gabriel noticed Tea’va’s face tighten at the statement. He wasn’t surprised the bek’hai didn’t agree. Even so, Tea’va held his tongue.

  “So we can send a message out,” Theodore said. “Maybe our people can get in position in time, maybe they can’t, but at least we can try.”

  “Agreed,” Colonel Graham said.

  “Next question. What can we do to get ourselves ready? By that I mean, for one, can we get the Magellan flying again?”

  “She’s pretty beat up, General,” Guy said. “I’ve examined her systems. Most importantly, we need to replace the reactors, because they’re completely spent. After that, we need to do something about the armor, the life support, pretty much every critical system. Some of it is minor, some of it not as much.”

  “That wasn’t what I asked, Mr. Larone,” Theodore said. “I know she’s beat up, but I have a feeling the big bird is going to be staying in orbit, taking on some of the other big birds in the air. That means we need a smaller bird to drop our soldiers. Can we get her good enough to use as a ferry?”

  “I think I can get her ready enough to make a drop planetside,” Guy said. “Other than that, I don’t know.”

  “Mr. Mokri, Zoelle, tell me more about these assemblers. You made a copy of the phase modulator in what? An hour?”

  “Yes, General,” Reza said.

  “The duplicate was insufficient,” Zoelle said. “It failed to handle the power requirements and will need further refinement.”

  “I understand, and you’ll have time to work on that. What I need to know is what all we can produce in twenty-two days. Parts for the Magellan? A new power supply? More guns for the troops? That sort of thing.”

  “All of those, Dahm St. Martin,” Tea’va said. “There are twenty-six assemblers on the Ishur. The items you are requesting are all minor as long as we have the resources available, and there is no reason to believe we do not. The scrap from the gi’shah you destroyed can also be used as raw material, along with other surplus material.”

  “I like where it sounds as though you’re going with this, Mr. Tea’va. What else are you suggesting?”

  “We have two assemblers on board that are capable of building ships, Dahm St. Martin, both gi’shah, and ek’shah. They will need modification to utilize human pilots, but we should have materials and time to construct a few. We can also repair your damaged starships, including the Heil’bek’s.” Tea’va looked at Gabriel. “It would be my honor to soar with you.”

  “And mine,” Gabriel said in return.

  “That’s what I want to hear,” Theodore said. “Juliet, do you agree with Mr. Tea’va’s assessment?”

  “I will need to review the logs, but in general, yes.”

  “Excellent. Next question. Mr. Mokri, Mr. Larone, what about those modulation upgrades? The cascading shields are something, but I would prefer full coverage.”

  “I don’t think that will be possible, sir,” Reza said. “It’s a limitation of the design. We might be able to give you a little more control over it, though. To at least try to direct the coverage.”

  “I’ll take whatever you can give me.”

  “I’ll work on it, sir.”

  “Good man.”

  “Sir,” Colonel Choi said, speaking up for the first time. “With regard to our return to Calawan.”

  “What about it?”

  “General Cave wasn’t very happy with us when we left.”

  “Heh. No, he wasn’t. I think coming back in a bigger, better starship might change his mind.”

  “You don’t think he’ll court-martial us?”

  “Him and what army? No. Alan will fall in line. He lost, we won. He isn’t too old or too dumb to see that. Let’s move on down to the nitty-gritty. Colonel Graham, I expect you to organize the ground forces that we’ll be dropping in the Magellan. Let’s get our ducks in a row there. I don’t want any question regarding our plan of attack. Mr. Tea’va, I’m going to need your expertise here. You know how the Dread capital is organized better than any of us.”

  “Of course, Dahm St. Martin,” Tea’va said.

  “Okay then,” Theodore replied, bringing up a map of Earth on the table. The dark splotch that was the main Dread city was visible from space. “We collected this data on our pass through. Let’s come up with a plan. Nobody leaves this room until we do. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  27

  “We’re nearing the exodus, sir,” Gabriel said, watching the terminal in front of him. He was getting the hang of recognizing the different shapes and symbols that made up the bek’hai language, deciphering them more quickly by the day.

  “Great news,” Theodore said, rolling his chair to the front of the bridge and rotating to look out the viewport. There was nothing in front of them but the blankness of slipspace.

  Four days had passed since the Ishur had made the first of two slips, this one intended to carry her from the outer system the Dread called Pol’tek to the system near Ursae Majoris that they called home. For Gabriel, they had passed in an almost literal blur. As one of the highest ranking officers on the ship, he had been assigned the task of keeping an eye on the work being done to prepare for war. That included everything from check-ins on the status of the Magellan, to trips down to the assemblers to ensure everything was set up and coming along according to their designs. It had meant no time to do much of anything else, including his intended conversation with Zoelle about Tea’va’s activity in down below.

  Time had made that conversation seem less important, as Tea’va had been nothing but a model soldier over the past days. He had offered endless help to Gabriel, Theodore, Abdullah, and the others regarding the operational systems of the Ishur, and had even been able to assist Reza in nearing completion on the integration between interfaces. They had already managed to network half of the secondary weapons batteries on the fortress, and given another week they expected to have them all ready to go. Even better, Reza was making amazing progress on cooking up a solution to give them better control over the phase modulation, though he continued to be stumped by the mathematics surrounding full shield coverage.