Before Riff could fire again, the cyborg reached him and swung his claw.

  The hand of metal slammed into Riff's head, knocking him down.

  He thudded onto the forest floor and tasted blood. He saw stars. He raised his gun.

  Grotter's claw swung again, hitting Riff's hand. Riff yowled, his fingers crushed, and Ethel thumped to the ground. Grotter kicked the gun away.

  No. No! I can't die here.

  Riff rose to his feet, blood in his mouth. "You killed my mother, you bastard. Prepare to die."

  Riff swung his fist.

  Grotter grabbed his hand in his claws, tightened his grip, and crushed Riff's fingers.

  Pain shot through Riff. He screamed. He fell to his knees. The claws kept tightening. Riff heard a finger bone crack. He could barely breathe, barely cling to consciousness. His lifeblood drained away, and all turned to haze.

  "Yes," Grotter hissed, further tightening his grip. "Die slowly. Bleed out here as I crush you, bone by bone. Bleed out minute by long minute. I'm going to make it last."

  Still clutching Riff's hand, the cyborg kicked, driving his boot into Riff's stomach.

  All Riff knew was pain, darkness, stars. All he saw was shadows and light.

  It's like looking at space, he thought, eyelids fluttering. It's like being up there again.

  Before him, through the haze of encroaching death, he saw them again. Steel, his brother, the only family Riff had. Giga--sweet, gentle, loyal Giga, perhaps the dearest friend he had. Nova--the woman he loved, the woman he had loved for years.

  I can't die. I can't part from you.

  He would even miss Piston with his grumblings, Romy with her silly board games, little Twig with her smiles and wrenches and--

  Riff's eyes snapped open.

  He drew a shaky breath.

  "Still alive?" Grotter said. The cyborg glared at him. The human half of his face had melted away, revealing the gears within. In the metallic half of his face, his bionic eye blazed with red hatred. "This is taking longer than I thought. Good. Good."

  The cyborg still crushed Riff's right hand in his claw. With his shaking left hand, Riff reached to his belt and drew Twig's electric wrench.

  "What's that?" Grotter asked. "Need to tighten a screw?"

  Riff clicked the button on the wrench. Electricity crackled to life between its prongs.

  "Screw you," Riff whispered hoarsely and drove the wrench forward.

  He slammed the prongs against Grotter's face.

  Electricity crackled, racing through the cyborg's gears and circuits.

  Grotter screamed. His claw loosened, releasing Riff. The electricity raced over the cyborg, driving down his body, along his limbs, burning, blasting out smoke.

  "What have you done?" Grotter screeched, an inhuman sound, impossibly high-pitched.

  Riff struggled to his feet. "Won our little game. Avenged my mother. Rid the universe of scum. All the above, really."

  He drove the wrench forward again.

  Electricity crackled, and the cyborg screamed . . . then fell silent.

  Grotter thumped down onto the ground. A few last gears turned, then stilled. Riff kicked the creature, scattering bolts.

  Between the rising smoke, a light flickered.

  Riff caught his breath.

  A part of Grotter was still working. Metal clicked. A lens shutter opened. The light intensified and blasted out, forming a hologram in the forest.

  Riff stumbled a few paces back, fell to his knees, and stared.

  A hologram of a towering skelkrin stood before him, flickering, fading, appearing again. This was no skelkrin warrior in armor. This creature wore a black cloak, and a dark crown topped his crimson head.

  "Emperor Lore," Riff whispered, on his knees before the apparition.

  The hologram stared at him with white eyes. The emperor's face twisted with fury.

  "Riff Starfire," the creature hissed. "It is you. The human my slave told me of. I will remember your name and your face, Starfire. When my hosts arrive at your world, you will be the first to scream, the last to die. I will break you slowly. I--"

  Riff rose to his feet and slammed his heel into the hologram projector. The light died.

  "Enough of that rubbish," Riff whispered. He could speak no louder.

  He managed to take a few steps away, then fell. His face hit the ground. Soil filled his mouth. He was tired. The birds fluttered above, and sunlight fell upon him, warming him, and the pain faded.

  Chapter 29

  Homecoming

  Riff's eyes fluttered open.

  He found himself staring into yellow eyes set in a purple face.

  He blinked.

  "Hello," he whispered.

  Midnight smiled down at him, her teeth very white, her smile very warm. "Hello."

  Riff moaned and looked around him. He still lay on the forest floor. The trees rustled around him. Midnight knelt above him, wearing one of the Dragon Huntress's space suits. Her helmet rested in a patch of grass.

  "I'm sorry I shot you," Riff said. "Just want to get that out of the way."

  She laughed. "I'm sorry I blasted you with qi. That makes us even."

  He pushed himself onto his elbows and looked down at his body. His wounds were gone; only scars remained. He whistled softly. "I must be the world's fastest healer."

  "No, but I might be." Midnight raised her palms; they were glowing. "I saw the trail your capsule left through the sky. I ported down here. I found you in the forest, and I healed you with my energy, whatever energy I could muster." She blinked and sat down heavily. "I'm a bit woozy. Healing two Starfires in one day takes a lot out of a woman."

  Riff's breath caught. "Steel! Nova! Are they . . ."

  "Back on the Dragon Huntress." Midnight pointed to the sky. "They're still up there, looking down at us. Ship's badly damaged. Holes all over. Can't even land." She grinned. "You're lucky I know how to port. Within the blink of an eye, I can travel anywhere that I can see. All pirilians can."

  He nodded, feeling woozy too. He pulled himself toward a tree and leaned against the trunk.

  "That's why they wanted you, isn't it?" he whispered. "The skelkrins. Not because of the light you can blast from your hands. Not because of the healing. Because of the teleporting." He swallowed. It hurt. "My father said something about that in a letter to me, how if they caught you, they'd gain power to destroy the cosmos."

  Midnight lowered her head. She wriggled closer to him and leaned against the same tree. She spoke softly, her voice still afraid, still pained.

  "The skelkrins attacked my planet." A tear streamed down her lavender cheek. "For a long year, we fought them. We fought them well, but they were too many, their weapons too horrible. They burned our world from the sky. They bombed us until they realized that we're worth more alive than dead, that we carry a magic inside us they can use." She trembled. "By then only I was alive."

  Riff reached out and held her hand. She was trembling. "I'm sorry, Midnight."

  She closed her eyes. She kept speaking as if she hadn't heard him. "It was Skrum who caught me. He took me to a skelkrin laboratory. And he cut me, experimented on me, trying to learn how to use my magic." She took a shuddering breath, for a moment unable to speak. "His scientists developed a plan. They were to clone me--a clone for every ship in the skelkrin fleet. They were to place me into their engines. They were to turn me into a creature half pirilian, half warship, to use the power inside me to port their ships across the stars. Even in hyperspace, it would take the skelkrins months to reach Earth. But with my clones inside their ships . . . all they'd need is a line of sight. They could send their entire armada to Earth in an instant, then to every other world in this galaxy. They would have been unstoppable, appearing and disappearing, bombing worlds, blinking out of reality, appearing again with more ammo, more troops. The galaxy would have fallen to them, while I screamed inside a million of their engines."

  Riff felt the blood drain from his face. "God," he whispered.

  Midnight nodded, sobbing softly. "It was the Traveler who saved me. An old man with a long white beard. He is known in myths and legends in my world, known by many names. I always thought him only that--a legend. Until he appeared in the skelkrin lab. Until he freed me, placed me on a starjet, told me to fly and find his son." She looked at Riff and touched his cheek. "To find you, Riff."

  He blinked, then laughed. "My father? Midnight, my father is nothing but a street corner magician, pulling rabbits out of hats for the amusement of children. True, he often vanished on long trips. It would sometimes be a year or two before he returned home. But . . . he just traveled as part of his show. To perform as a magician in distant worlds. He's not a legend."

  Midnight stroked his hair. "He is greater than you know, Riff Starfire. You are the child of a hero." She kissed his cheek. "You are a hero."

  He groaned and struggled to stand up. "A hero who can barely stand. God, I feel like a tenderized steak." He helped Midnight to her feet too. "I saw the town a few kilometers north. From the air, it looked like the skelkrin fire hadn't hit it. What say we mosey on in, head to the nearest saloon, and order an actual steak?"

  She raised an eyebrow. "I thought they hired you to remove me, not walk with me into their capital city."

  He snorted. "Oh, they'll see how lovely you are, and they'll feel even worse when they hand over my payment. It'll make things all the sweeter."

  They walked through the forest, leaning against each other. The trees rustled. The birds sang. No explosions, no qi, no bloodthirsty aliens, no killer cyborgs. For the first time in long days, things felt all right.

  * * *

  The Cironan shuttle soared through the atmosphere and out into space, carrying a team of mechanics, a dusty beat-up captain, and a young pirilian.

  As they flew toward the HMS Dragon Huntress, Riff stared out the window and rubbed his eyes.

  "Bloody hell," he whispered.

  The dragon ship looked awful. A large hole, large enough to lead a horse through, gaped open on the roof, exposing Romy's attic. One wing was torn to shreds, and the dragon's snout--right below the bridge--was crumpled up. Soot and scratches covered the hull.

  "It's amazing that the damn boat's still afloat." Riff patted his wallet and looked at Midnight. "It's going to cost me everything I earned to remove you to fix the ship."

  The pirilian smiled. "Aren't you glad you found me then?"

  Of the two other vessels that had orbited Planet Cirona--the skelkrin Crab and Grotter's Barracuda--not a trace remained, only bad memories.

  The Cironan shuttle slowed its flight, approached the Dragon Huntress, and entered orbit beside it.

  Riff, Midnight, and the mechanics put on their helmets.

  "All right, boys!" Riff said. "You know what to do. Patch up the holes, smooth out the dents, a new paint job would be nice . . . oh, and can you take a look at the left hyperdrive engine? Makes a strange rattling noise."

  The team headed out, floating into space, their tools ready. They got to work at once, hovering around the Dragon Huntress with welding tools, bolts, and wrenches that Twig would have drooled over.

  Riff remained for a moment in the shuttle with Midnight, and sudden sadness seeped into him. He stared out at the Dragon and sighed.

  "She's a good ship." He nodded. "She's home."

  Riff cleared his throat; it was suddenly scratchy. He rose to his feet and floated out into space, and Midnight floated with him. They opened the Dragon Huntress's outer door, floated inside onto the staircase, and closed the door behind them. Once the air was repressurized, they climbed the steps, opened the inner door, and stepped into the main deck.

  Everyone was waiting there.

  His shipmates. His friends. His family. They all stood facing him, their Alien Hunters badges pinned to their chests.

  Romy gave a huge wail and leaped forward. She wrapped her arms around Riff, squeezed him, and gave him endless kisses. Her tears streamed.

  "Oh, Riff! I was so worried. So worried for you." She sniffled. "Welcome back." Suddenly her eyes brightened. "Did you bring me any presents?"

  He nodded, reached into his pocket, and handed her a new counter-squares piece carved from wood. It was shaped like a poodle. Romy squealed in delight and raced toward her board game.

  Piston approached Riff next. The gruffle cleared his throat, stared down at his feet, and mumbled something about the engine coils and a job well done, but then a tear filled the engineer's eye.

  "Ah, curse it all!" Piston said and tugged Riff into a crushing embrace, lifting him off his feet. "Welcome back, laddie! I mean, Captain. I mean . . ." He had to put Riff down, pull out a handkerchief, and blow his nose. "It's good to have you back, sir."

  Twig leaped onto Riff next, hugging him tightly. "Did my wrench help?" the halfling asked.

  Riff laughed and handed it back to her. "It's deadlier than my gun, little one. It saved my life. Keep it handy."

  She nodded, chin raised. "I will!"

  The halfling stepped back, and Giga approached Riff next. The android stared at him hesitantly; she seemed unsure of herself, awkward, embarrassed. Riff remembered their kiss, remembered holding her close as fire burned around them.

  He pulled her close again, embracing the android. He whispered into her ear, "I'm back, Giga."

  She held him tightly, and he felt her android tears on his shoulder. "Welcome back, sir. I waited for you." She sniffed and gave him a salute. "I'm yours, my captain. Always."

  Riff stepped deeper into the main deck and came to stand before his brother.

  Steel Starfire, the noble knight, stared back at him, tall and strong and proud as always. The knight stroked his drooping mustache, his pride and joy.

  "Welcome back, brother," Steel said, chin raised. "You performed admirably. You--"

  "Oh shut it, you big tinman." He pulled Steel into his arms and squeezed him.

  Steel stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and hugged Riff back. "Welcome back, brother," the knight said again, and this time his voice was soft and warm.

  Finally Riff turned toward the last member of his crew. To Nova.

  "You look awful," the ashai said.

  He looked at her. As always, she wore her golden gladiator suit, the material as strong as any armor. Her whip hung at her side, coiled up. Her pointed ears thrust out from her mane of blond hair, and her green eyes stared at him with humor, mockery, and love.

  He pulled her into his arms and he kissed her. He kissed her like he'd never kissed her before, not caring that the others saw. He never wanted to let her go.

  "I love you, Nova," he whispered. "I love you and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the man that I was." He touched her cheek. "Do you forgive me?"

  She sighed, rolled her eyes, then grinned and pinched his cheek. "You did well today, Riff. Consider yourself redeemed." She raised her fist. "For now! Don't you screw up again, or I'm going to bash you more than an army of skelkrins and cyborgs."

  Romy hopped up toward them, grabbed Riff's arm, and tugged. "Riffff . . . come on and play with me! I have the counter-squares pieces all set up. The poodle's right in the middle. Come on!"

  He sighed but let the demon tug him over. She wagged her tail and made a move on the board. Her poodle captured his dragon and she squealed with joy.

  * * *

  Steel stood in the Dragon's crew quarters between the bunk beds. He stared out the porthole at the mechanics floating around the ship, welding and patching and painting.

  The other Alien Hunters were on the main deck, laughing and hooting around a rousing game of counter-squares. But Steel had never cared much for games, for social gatherings, for noise or laughter or fun. He stared down at the planet below, thinking of the planet he had left behind--of Earth, of the home he had vowed to defend. And he wondered if he even still had a home there.

  I saved the world, he thought. I slew Skrum, the warlord who would have destroyed Earth like he destroyed Midnight's home. Yet when I return to Earth, what awaits me there?

  His throat tightened. The Knights of Sol had banished him. The Cosmians had destroyed his castle. His mother was dead, his father missing. He had no wife, no children, no friends but for his horse and sword. He would return to Earth, its savior . . . only for nobody to know, nobody to care, nobody to believe him. He would be like he had been, a relic, an outcast.

  He lowered his head.

  A voice rose behind him.

  "Howdy, partner."

  He spun around. He saw Nova standing in the doorway, smiling softly.

  "Hello," he said.

  She stepped into the chamber and stood with him between the bunks. She looked through the porthole down at Planet Cirona.

  "Beautiful, isn't it?" Nova said.

  Steel nodded. "A pristine world. A world like Earth was thousands of years ago. Perhaps . . . perhaps a world more suited for a rusty old relic like me."

  She turned back toward him. "You're not a relic. I'm sorry, Steel. I'm sorry I always called you that."

  He took her hand in his. She was a proud warrior, a great gladiator, a slayer of many enemies, yet her hand felt so soft, so small in his.

  "And I'm sorry too." He bowed his head. "I always scorned you. Belittled you. I am ashamed."

  Nova bit her lip, then squeezed his hand and grinned. "We sure killed a lot of skelkrins together, didn't we?"

  A smile tingled below his mustache. "I believe we're more or less even."

  "Even?" She gasped and playfully slapped his chest. "I killed way more!"

  "We killed them together." Now his smile widened. It was a real smile, a good smile. And he felt young. "We make a good pair of warriors."

  She nodded. "We do, Steel." Her voice softened. "We do. Stay with us here. Stay with me. I need another warrior on this ship. I need another friend."

  They stood together, staring out the window at the green world below.

  Chapter 30

  The Traveler