Renegade Star Libro 1
Author: J.N. Chaney
Date: 2017-08-22 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Science Fiction; Space Opera; Fiction; Science Fiction Fantasy; Space; Adventure; Novels; Mystery; Humor
Description: Publisher's Pack: Renegade Star #1, Renegade Atlas #2 Renegade Star, Book One Jace Hughes is a Renegade. That means taking almost any job that comes his way, no matter the situation. So long as he can keep his ship floating, he's free to live the life he wants. But that all changes when he meets Abigail Pryar, a nun looking for safe passage out of the system. Too bad there's something off about the cargo she's carrying. Jace knows he shouldn't ask too many questions, but when strange sounds start coming from inside the large, metal box, he can't help but check it out. Big mistake. To make matt

J. N. Chaney

Copyrighted Material

Renegade Peace Copyright © 2020 by Variant Publications

Book design and layout copyright © 2020 by JN Chaney

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from JN Chaney.

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1st Edition

Book Description

The epic conclusion is here!

As the Celestials make their way to Earth, humanity must make its final stand. The Union, Sarkonians, Eternals, and the free people of Earth must stand together or face extinction. But doing so will not be easy.

Despite all their preparations, all their work and steadfast resolve, Jace and the crew of the Renegade Star must scramble to unite the galaxy before the enemy arrives. They will need help from every government, rebel group, and anyone with a ship to step up and fight. That means calling on both soldiers and criminals, allies and enemies, all in the hope that they will understand what is at stake and unite together for the greater good.

Mankind's final test is about to begin. Will we rise to the challenge? Or will we allow our petty disputes and political vendettas get in the way of our own survival?

Experience the conclusion to the international bestselling Renegade Star series. If you're a fan of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, or Cowboy Bebop, you'll love this pulse pounding scifi thrill ride.

Books By J.N. Chaney

The Variant Saga:

The Amber Project

Transient Echoes

Hope Everlasting

The Vernal Memory

Renegade Star Series:

Renegade Star

Renegade Atlas

Renegade Moon

Renegade Lost

Renegade Fleet

Renegade Earth

Renegade Dawn

Renegade Children

Renegade Union

Renegade Empire

Renegade Descent

Renegade Rising

Renegade Alliance

Renegade Evolution

Renegade War

Renegade Peace

Renegade Star Universe:

Nameless

The Constable

The Constable Returns

The Warrior Queen

Orion Colony (with Jonathan Yanez)

Orion Uncharted (with Jonathan Yanez)

Orion Awakened (with Jonathan Yanez)

Orion Protected (with Jonathan Yanez)

The Last Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Fear the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Blade of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Wings of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Flight of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Wrath of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Will of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Descent of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Hunt of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Bastion of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

The Fifth Column (with Molly Lerma)

The Solaras Initiative (with Molly Lerma)

The Forlorn Hope (with Molly Lerma)

Resonant Son (with Christopher Hopper)

Resonant Abyss (with Christopher Hopper)

Galactic Law (with James S. Aaron)

Galactic Judge (with James S. Aaron)

Galactic Jury (with James S. Aaron)

Galactic Executioner (with James S. Aaron)

Deadland Drifter (with Ell Leigh Clarke)

Deadland Wanderer (with Ell Leigh Clarke)

Deadland Sentinel (with Ell Leigh Clarke)

The Renegade

The Deal (coming soon)

Ruins of the Galaxy Series (with Christopher Hopper):

Ruins of the Galaxy

Galactic Breach

Gateway to War

Void Horizon

Black Labyrinth

Imminent Failure

Terminal Fallout

Quantum Assault

Rise of the Gladias

The Messenger Series (with Terry Maggert):

The Messenger

The Dark Between

Star Forged

The Silent Fleet

Dawn of Empire

Worlds Apart

Rage of Night

Heaven’s Door

Radical Dreamer

Cosmic Ride

The Sol Arbiter Series (with Jia Shen):

Sol Arbiter

Intrinsic Immortality

Digital Chimera

Memetic Drift

Standalones:

Their Solitary Way

The Other Side of Nowhere

Forever Family

Contents

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

Author Notes

Renegade Star Universe

Join the Conversation

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Preview: The Amber Project

Books By J.N. Chaney

About the Author

Join the conversation and get updates on new and upcoming releases in the Facebook group called “JN Chaney’s Renegade Readers.” This is a hotspot where readers come together and share their lives and interests, discuss the series, and speak directly to J.N. Chaney and his co-authors.

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"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

-Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince

1

The air in the city was cold, and I wanted to go home.

“Jacey, you need to keep up. Come on, now. Don’t walk so slow.” My mother held my wrist with a firm grip as she tugged me along through the street. “Your daddy thinks he can just run off with Jasper like he ain’t got no responsibilities. Like he’s sixteen again! Gods have mercy, just wait til I see that no good son of a—”

We passed by a corner with two women and a man, all three with barely any clothes on. One of them, the woman with pink hair, stared at me and smiled. I wanted to go up and ask them where all their clothes were and if they were cold, but there wasn’t any time for that.

“I swear to gods, Jacey, if he’s not over here, we’re gone for good. We’re leaving his sorry ass.”

Sorry ass, I thought to myself. I’d heard her say that so many times before. Always about my father. Always with the same angry voice. It never changed.

“Momma, I wanna go home,” I muttered too low for her to hear. “Maybe Daddy went back already.”

“—and I’m missing my games! You know how hard it is to get a spot at the table with Maeve? You have to book them a week out. I was gonna win this time! I had the feeling!”

My mother tugged me along the sidewalk and up a small set of stairs toward a sliding glass door. I had no idea where we were or how we’d gotten here. Only that I didn’t like the look of any of it. I knew we were still in Rescue because we’d only been on the bus for ten minutes, but I’d never been to this part of the city before. It wasn’t like our street. There were no kids.

“—and Otis and Jasper are probably up there with your daddy right now, the damned fools. Probably hatching some scheme like a couple of idiots with too much time on their hands. They’re nothin’ but a bunch of lazy, dog-headed—"

The elevator was out of service, marked off with a sign I couldn’t read. I was five years old and I only knew some of the letters, thanks to Rosy, my friend from next door. She was older than me. Seven, maybe, but sometimes we’d meet in the hall and she’d talk to me and show me her book about the dog and his pet boy.

I liked that book a lot. It had nice pictures.

“—asshole doesn’t appreciate me or anything. Just wants to keep wasting my time. What about me and my life? My momma said I could have anyone and anything. I should’ve just listened to her. Damned fool ain’t worth a credit. Oh, I wish I’d just—”

I counted the stairs as we climbed, using the song I learned in school. One, two, three, four. Pinky pinky, door door. One two three four. That’s the way you count to four.

“—and I know I coulda just had Mable watch you, but she ain’t no good this time of night and everyone in the neighborhood knows it. Nothin’ but a love sick hussy, bless her soul—”

We stopped at a brown door with a long scratch mark. The paint was chipped and it smelled like smoke. My mother banged her fist against the wood, each beat hurting my chest, it was so loud. When someone didn’t answer right away, she kicked it.

I could hear movement on the other side, and a dog barked. Whoever we were going to see, I hoped their dog was friendly.

Friendly like the one in Rosy’s book. His name was Oscar.

The door swung open and a skinny man, taller than my mother, stood in front of us with a confused look on his face. He paused, staring at each of us before finally licking his lips. “Can I, uh, help you, lady?”

“I’m here for my godsdamn husband,” my mother snapped.

“Oh, you must be—” He cleared his throat and quickly turned around. “Hey man, I think your wife and kid are here.”

“My kid?” The sound of my father’s voice felt good and I wanted to run inside and hug him, but my mother’s hand was tight around my wrist, so I knew I couldn’t.

The skinny man stepped out of the way, quickly replaced by the face of someone I knew better than anyone else. “What the hell are you doing here?” asked my father.

Even from the floor, I could smell the beer on his breath. It wasn’t very thick, but it was strong enough that it carried down to me. Was this where he went before coming home in the middle of the night and sleeping on the floor? What was he doing in this place? Were these his friends?

My father’s eyes fell on me, and I gave him a cautious smile. “Hi Daddy.”

He looked up at my mother. “You brought the kid with you? What for?”

“I’m leaving you if you don’t get your stupid ass back to the apartment right now,” she whispered, although it was so loud I wondered what the point was.

“What the hell for?!”

“What for?” she asked. “What for?! You’re supposed to watch”—she yanked on my hand and I stumbled a little—“our son tonight! I’ve got my time at Maeve’s table and you’re out doing gods know what in this dank place you call a—”

“An office,” he snapped. “Trebo’s got a new set of jobs in, and he’s asked me to help. What do you expect me to do? This was the only time he could fit me in. We both got shifts in the morning at the mine.”

She scoffed. “I don’t give two damns about all that.”

“Well, maybe you ought to! All I heard last night was why I ain’t bringing in more creds and the second I do, all I get is a bunch of grief because you’re gonna miss some gambling?”

She shoved him, taking me along with her. I caught myself on the wall as the two of them stepped through the doorway.

I could feel my chest pounding, and for some reason I couldn’t find the right words to say to get them to stop. All I wanted to do was go home.

“You think it’s easy?!” my mother shouted. “I’m stuck at home all day while you go off to that godsdamn mine with your godsdamn friends, and then you don’t even come home to help! You just come here! All I ask is for one night a week to spend away and you can’t even give me that.”

I eased down to the floor, my feet sticking as I shifted against the cold metal beneath my shoes. I wondered what Rosy was doing. Was she already asleep? It was late and I felt so tired.

“Just…just calm down, baby, please,” my father begged. “I’m sorry, okay?”

I thought about the book again. The Dog—Oscar—he met the little boy in the park one day, because the boy gave him some food when he was hungry. Oscar talked to him, said that he was the only talking dog in the whole wide world. That’s when they became friends.

“Sorry doesn’t get me back my time. It sure as shit doesn’t get me back the last five years!”

Oscar told the boy that he would look after him the same way the boy had tried to look after Oscar. He said he would always be with him, because dogs are loyal to their boys. That’s the way it works.

I leaned down and put my hands around my head, covering my ears. I tried to imagine that I had a dog. A yellow one like Oscar with big eyes and lots of fur. But Rosy said it’s hard to get a dog because they are so rare, that they’re only in stories for kids like us.

I felt my eyes burn as tears filled them, and I quickly covered my eyes with my sleeves. I had to wipe them, because momma would tell me I was bad if she saw, and then they would fight again.

But I couldn’t stop it. My nose was running, and I hated myself for it. I hated this place. I hated this city. I hated this planet. And I hated my life.

I just wanted to be the little boy in the book. I wanted to be with Oscar.

I—

The weight shifted in the floor beside me, and I heard familiar breathing from above my head.

“I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my eyes before burying my face in my arms again. “I didn’t mean to…I didn’t mean to cry.”

My father bent down beside me, and the scent of his cologne grew thick and comforting.

He let out a long sigh and slid his feet down to stretch his legs, then banged his head against the wall. I felt the thud in my chest. “Ain’t your fault, son,” he told me. “Your parents are just a couple of fools is all.”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what a fool was. All I knew was that I didn’t like it when they yelled, and I wanted to go home.

“Your momma’s tired and she’s mad. Says I don’t spend enough time at the house.” He sighed again. “Maybe she’s right. I don’t know. I’m just trying to get paid so we can get out of this shithole. You know what I’m saying, Jacey?”

I nodded. “Uh-huh.”

He reached his arm across my shoulders, then pulled me closer. He was thick and strong, and bigger than anyone else I’d ever known. “You ain’t gotta worry about me and her splittin’. We’re fine. And she ain’t mad about nothing. Just a little upset right now because of me. I’m stupid, Jacey. Sometimes real stupid. But she knows I mean well. End of the day, that’s all a woman wants. For you to mean well.”

I looked up at him for the first time since he sat down. He was smiling at me, smiling so wide that I felt myself do the same. “I mean well, too,” I told him.

He bobbed his head. “You sure do. We Hughes boys, we’re a sorry lot, but we always pull through. Any girl can see it if she’s smart. And your momma is smart.”

I reached around and gave him a hug, laying my head against his stomach. He smelled good, and it made me feel like he must be right.

“Come on now. Let’s get you back home. Your momma’s in there getting my bag, but if we don’t get up, she’s gonna let Trebo have it.”

“Okay,” I agreed, quickly getting to my feet.

My mother appeared from inside the door, carrying a bag. “Got it. Let’s get out of this awful building. It smells like a bathroom. And I talked to Trebo. You can take the work, but”—she pursed her lips, leaning in closer to my father as he neared, then stuck a finger against his chest—“if you pull this again, I swear it’ll be the last time.”

He smiled at her, scratching the back of his head. “Don’t you worry about that, baby. I won’t let you down again.”

They kissed, and I turned away. It was so embarrassing, and it always happened after the big fights.

A second later, my father’s hands gripped my sides and pulled me off the floor. He swung me onto the back of his neck. “What say we get our boy home?” he asked, spinning us both around.

I laughed, suddenly full of energy, and when I looked down and saw my father, I knew I could do anything.

2

“You sure you want to do this, Doc?”

I adjusted the beam of my light to shine down inside the break in the wall and into the darkness beyond. The gap was plenty wide, but most of it was blocked by a small mountain of broken wall.

Dr. Dressler had been adamant that there was an important data cache somewhere in Earth’s core. Problem was, large portions of the silver city had been destroyed. I had my doubts on whether this data cache had survived, but Dressler had insisted we send a couple of teams to investigate. Her hunches were usually right, so I didn’t see the harm.

“Of course, Captain. As I mentioned before, the base files for Project Reclamation will be there. I believe the data may help with our current problem. From what I was able to decipher from Gaia’s fractured memories, this area is important to the final terraforming phase.”

By “problem,” she meant the impending Celestial threat hanging over our heads. All of the Alliance was gearing up for our enemy to launch one final attack. Thanks to Mareses and the Precursors, half of the Celestial attack fleet had been decimated in one battle. Faced with that kind of power, they had left to lick their wounds, retreating to places unknown to regroup.

I didn’t know how long it would be until they hit us with their remaining forces. Given our knowledge of the race, they wanted to erase us from the cosmos. Permanently. That being said, I had my doubts about whether spelunking in the ruins left in Earth’s core was the best use of our time. Still, we were already here and the doctor seemed convinced, so I decided it was at least worth checking out.

I regarded the slim hole. “There isn’t a spot big enough for us to fit through in the suits.” Without hesitation, the doctor went to remove her helmet. I reached out and put a hand on Dressler’s shoulder. “Hold it. The suits stay on.”

“Well how else do you expect to get inside? There’s too much debris.”

“Just let me check in with Abby and see if they’re having better luck.”

It didn’t take long for Abigail to respond to my hail with an update in the negative.

“Nothing yet, Jace. It’s a mess down here. So far we haven’t been able to get past the wreckage. How are things on your end?”

I paused, taking a moment to peer down the open shaft. “Not sure yet. There’s a break in the wall, but it’s not on any of the maps Gaia had. We’re going to take a look. Just need to find a way in.”

“Sir, I believe I may have a solution,” Sigmond broke in over the comm.

My ears perked up at the news. “Oh yeah, Siggy? And what’s that?”

“Other teams are encountering similar obstacles, which is hindering progress.”

“While that’s quite the revelation, Siggy,” I replied. “I don’t see how it helps.”

“I was getting to that, sir,” said the Cognitive. “The drones are making better headway cleaning up the debris in the main core. If you wish, I can send a vessel to each team to help.”

“Yeah, I think that’ll do,” I replied.

“Stand by. Deploying drones now.”

“Okay, Abby. Sounds like help is on the way. Keep me updated.”

There was a slight pause from Abigail’s side. No doubt she would have preferred to come with us, but it would’ve been a waste of time to wait. “Just be careful. We need you both.”

“Woman, I don’t plan on dying today or any other day. You just worry about keeping Freddie in one piece for Petra. Can’t have the groom missing the wedding, can we?”

I could almost hear the smile in her voice. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. He’ll be there.”

With that, Abigail ended the transmission, leaving me and Dressler with no choice but to wait for Sigmond’s drone. Since the doctor wasn’t much on small talk, I didn’t interrupt when she pulled out a pad to do a little work. I didn’t blame her for squeezing in the extra time—every second counted.

That’s why it took me by surprise when she looked up, her helmet’s light falling across my visor in a jerky movement. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

I stared back, confused. “What is?”

“The wedding, Captain. Despite our current… situation, it’s good to remember what we’re fighting for.”

Folding my arms, I leaned against the nearby wall and regarded her, genuinely surprised. “Really? I would have thought you’d find it a waste of resources and time.”

She shook her head, making the light beam dance across the ruined corridor. “I suppose I would have thought as much before, but I’ve come to realize the importance of morale during times of heavy stress, particularly wartime. The wedding might be an indulgence, but it may very well be the last one we allow ourselves. And that, to me, seems worth the effort.”

I smiled, even though she couldn’t see it under my helmet’s visor. “You make a good point, Doc. But what about you?”

“Me?”

“Will there be wedding bells in your future?”

She started to answer, but then hesitated. “I don’t… I don’t know. I suppose that will depend on the outcome of this war, don’t you think?”

The question was meant to tease, but I could see she was serious. Unsure of how to reply to the idea of her and Alphonse tying the knot, I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the gap.

Sigmond’s drone arriving saved me from having to come up with anything. We moved out of its way and watched in silence as mechanical arms slid out and began hauling the biggest chunks out of the way.

I shifted from one foot to the other, feeling both eager and a little anxious. It wasn’t that I was nervous, exactly, but neither was I keen to have a repeat of the last time we came down here.

Remembering the horde of trilobites that had nearly taken us out, I had to suppress a chill. Not long after that, Leif and his people had come crashing into the core through the largest slip tunnel any of us had ever seen. At least at the time.

The result had been a lot of destruction, most of which was still evident to this day, even despite Sigmond’s clean-up efforts.

“Ready, Captain?” Dr. Dressler’s voice cut into my musings and pulled my attention back to the task at hand. The nearby drone had made enough space for us to get through and Dressler motioned toward the newly made opening. “Shall we continue?”

* * *

Inside, we found most of the continuing hallway had largely remained intact. It stretched on, unobstructed and empty, until we came to a turn. It only went to the left, which certainly made things easier.

“We aren’t far from one of the designated coordinates,” remarked Dressler.

“Good,” I grunted. “You said you’re looking for Project Reclamation files. What are you hoping to find?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But we’re out of options. Without the Precursors to help, I thought it best to explore other ideas. Some of the data led me to believe the final phase of Project Reclamation may prove helpful to the cause.”

With the full suits on, it was hard to converse like normal. “Helpful how? If this last phase of it is anything like the others, I don’t see how it’ll help us with a war against a bunch of genocidal monsters. More domes, animals, and plants aren’t going to stop the Celestials. Not even close.”

Something like a snicker came over the comm. “I assure you, this will have nothing to do with domes or animals. I haven’t given you any details because I don’t know everything yet. However, I can say that some of the fragments I put together mentioned a substantial energy source. My hope is that whatever it is, we might be able to redistribute the power supply for other means.”

I considered that for a moment, imagining an oversized pulse cannon wreaking havoc on Celestial forces. “Let’s hope you’re right, Doc. At this point it’s going to take nothing less than a minor miracle to win.” After a short pause, I continued. “It’ll be nice to be in control of Project Reclamation for a change. I’m tired of almost dying every time we hit a new phase or activating this shit accidentally.”

Dressler responded with a quick snort.

Before I could say something else, she stopped and held out her pad. “Aha. We’re almost there. Just around the corner and we’ll be in a larger alcove. After that it is murky. Gaia’s memories were too damaged to be accurate.”

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” I handed the pad back and started forward again. “Lack of information hasn’t stopped us before.”

“Perhaps not, though it has caused us significant trouble. Need I remind you of the trilobites?”

“No,” I said, giving a hard shake of my head. “I’m still pissed they took my boot.”

“Just be glad it wasn’t your foot,” she said, stoic. “Here we are.”

We had rounded the last bend and now stood in a wide open area with the drone still following faithfully behind us. Without the more confined space of the hallway to contain our helmet lights, they were lost in the chasm before us. I immediately went tense until my visor adjusted. Even then it didn’t give me more than a few meters of visibility.

A set of pillars loomed ahead, and now I couldn’t help but think of the trilobite swarm Dressler had disabled. “Sigmond, can you have the drone do a sweep of the area? I don’t want any surprises.”

“One moment,” he replied.

Dressler and I moved aside to let the little craft through. It slid out into the open in a smooth motion. I didn’t see any outward indication that it was doing anything, but my Heads Up Display updated as the scan rendered.

“Scan complete,” announced Sigmond. “The area is empty, but I do detect a terminal at the far side.”

“I don’t understand,” Dressler murmured. “According to the data we’ve managed to recover from Gaia, there should be something here. I suppose we should inspect the terminal.” She adjusted the satchel at her side and looked at me expectantly.

Usually the doctor didn’t bother to wait for my go ahead, so the gesture both pleased me and took me aback.

“Alright, Siggy. Keep your watch drone on alert. If anything changes, I want to know.”

The Cognitive was quick to reply, his voice calm as usual. “Of course, Captain. Please proceed with caution.”

I moved forward, my steps careful. Dressler kept pace with me, her small form sticking close. I didn’t blame her. We’d both seen enough to be wary of what might be hiding from us.

It didn’t take long to reach the terminal. The small station sat quiet and dark, making me doubt whether or not it even had power. As soon as she was within arm’s reach, Dressler reached out to touch it.

Before I could stop her, she was pulling off her suit glove. “MaryAnn, what the hell?”

She didn’t even pause. “If it works the same as the other eternal tech, I’ll need to touch it directly. Otherwise we came here for nothing.”

“Captain Hughes. If I may interrupt?”

I grunted. “Go ahead, Siggy.”

“The drone has not detected any issues with the atmosphere. It is perfectly safe for Dr. Dressler and yourself to remove your suits.”

“Go ahead, Doc. I’ll keep mine on, all the same.”

She let out a little snort and touched the terminal once more. At once it came to life, a bright glow emitting from various sections.

Dressler made a hmm sound. I knew better than to interrupt and ask anything. She didn’t make me wait long anyway.

“This terminal is not connected to any other networks,” she announced. The tone of her voice told me this was a good thing, but I didn’t know why.

“Isn’t that bad?”

“On the contrary. This system was not subject to the same decay that Gaia suffered. It’s separate. Not only that, but from what I can tell there is an independent network housed somewhere beyond this room.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I told her. “We don’t have enough time to explore the whole place, Doc.”

“I’m connecting the network to my pad. Be patient.”

Patience wasn’t really my strong suit, but I let her go, her fingers flying over the pad as she worked. Dressler tended to mutter to herself when dealing with complicated tasks, but this time she sounded excited. With a final flourish, she swiped a finger over the screen, then stepped back.

From our left came a slight hum, almost like a whine, followed by a swatch of green light a few meters up on the wall. I took a step back, motioning for Dressler to get behind me. A circle appeared, about chest high, then grew. As I was about to tell Sigmond to set the drone on it, the circle became an opening taller than me.

A doorway.

Dressler poked her head around for a better view, then looked at me. “Terrifying, Captain Hughes.”

“And don’t you forget it. Siggy, why don’t you send the drone through to make sure it’s safe? We’ll follow.”

“Good idea, sir. Standby for updated scans.”

The drone nudged forward through the opening a second later. When nothing blasted it into little bits, I chanced going in behind it. As soon as I crossed the threshold, lights came on above me, illuminating a bright corridor.

I whistled under my breath. “How about that? Another hallway.”

Dressler snickered. “I told you there was more here. The data cache has to be in there.”

“So you did. Let’s not waste time standing around then. Any idea what this place looks like?”

“No, though I expect we’ll know it when we see it,” she replied. “If it was built at the same time as the city in the core, it could be familiar.”

When we came to a split, Dressler pointed to a placard on the wall. “We don’t want to go left—that’s the cafeteria and living accommodations. Right will take us to the labs.”

The text was unfamiliar and didn’t mean anything to me, but she spoke confidently. I stared at her for a second. “You can read that?”

She looked back at me, her grin clear in the bright hallway. “Of course. You can’t?”

I cocked my head at her in a hell no gesture. “Stop messing around and let’s get on with it. I’m not leaving here empty handed.”

The new hallway only took us a short distance before we hit the first door. Dressler read the contents and shook her head. “Device storage.”

On the third try, we struck pay dirt. According to the good doctor, it was a lab. At her touch, it opened to admit us. Just like before, the lights blinked on as soon as we were over the threshold. When I caught Dressler’s sharp intake of breath, my hand flew to the pistol at my side.

She put her hand on my arm to stop me from pulling it out at the sight before us: trilobites in assembly. They were splayed out on examination tables, their parts strewn about. I recognized it as a workspace for the little buggers, but it still gave me a good jolt.

“I don’t think any of them are in working order,” I said, taking my hand off my holster.

“It does not appear so. However, I didn’t get a chance to study any of these as well as I would have liked. I’d like to take one back with us.”

“Gotta say, Doc. I’m not big on the idea. What if messing with them turns them back on? The last thing we need is another horde of mechanized killers to deal with.”

“While I understand being cautious, we did come here to obtain something. For all we know, I can program the trilobites to be of some use.”

“Fine,” I said grudgingly. But don’t come after me if one tries to turn you into a pile of goo.”

The drone couldn’t fit inside the lab, so she hauled the small robot out on a hovercart that had been stashed in a corner.

That done, we moved on. It took nearly an hour, but we finally found what we were looking for.

“Must be the place,” I said when the door opened. Before the overhead lighting activated, we were met with a sea of blinking points. There was no mistaking that we had found the server room.

This time, Dressler didn’t wait. She made a fast track for the terminal just inside the door and had the computer on in seconds.

“This is it!” She didn’t quite shout, but it was close. “The corrupted files, they are all here, intact.”

In her excitement, the doctor unsealed her helmet and let it drop to the floor, then bent over the terminal once more. After a few minutes, she stood and dragged a hand through her hair before turning to regard me with a wide smile.

“Don’t just stand there grinning,” I said, exasperated. “Talk to me.”

“I have an idea how the final phase will work. If I’m right, it might just give us the edge we need to win this once and for all.”

3

I adjusted my clothes before going into the makeshift tent that had been set up for the wedding party. Weren’t people supposed to dress up at these things? Nothing in my wardrobe could even be loosely described as formal wear.

To be honest, my mind hadn’t been completely on the subject. After finding the servers in the ruined core, Dressler had announced that there was too much data to go through with the equipment she had. I’d left her to it after securing her word that she would make it back for Freddie’s wedding. Another team would have to go down and assist. That was fine by me, though I couldn’t help but wonder what they might find.

Sigmond spoke over the comm in my ear. “Sir. I have the update you requested. At the moment there are 1,527 active drones in service.”

“Those are good numbers, Siggy. Get us more. As many as you can.”

“Of course, Captain. I will continue to update the totals as production finishes.”

“You be sure to do that. Everything needs to run smoothly. We can’t have any hiccups. Right now, your drone facilities are critical to prevent us from getting our asses kicked.”

“Well put, sir.”

I knew I had to turn the work off for a bit and get through the wedding, but it wasn’t easy. Hard to ignore the threat my people faced, even for a few hours. Truth was, I didn’t want to disconnect, rest, or really do much of anything else until the Celestials were handled. But that was me. People like Freddie and Petra deserved to have a break from the bullshit and take a second to breathe and enjoy a moment or two. Gods knew we might not have many more.

Glancing around, I took a long breath as I examined the scene around me. The grassy fields spanned for hectares, a sign that the terraforming was a continued success. A small river ran under some trees nearby, and a few kids played there, splashing each other and laughing so loudly that I could hear them all the way over here.

Though the towering scaffold still stayed high above the surface, most of our people were here on the ground because so much had changed.

Where the planet had once been a gravesite, full of nothing and home to no one, it now stood as a beacon of hope in an otherwise dreary galaxy. The once barren wasteland of the surface had been transformed into a paradise of green and blue, boundless fields and forest crooks that stretched into the snow-tipped mountains of a great, wide world. There were no dragons and fairies here like in the old stories, but it was close enough.

Maybe it was better to remember that instead of being so cynical. These moments were what humanity fought for. I pushed the Celestials to the back of my mind. Not completely away, but for the next few hours they would take the backseat.

After this last report.

“Siggy, what’s going on with Dressler. How is she doing down there?”

“Very well, Captain. The trilobite has been moved to her lab and she is prepared for the wedding. Her team is working on the new data now. She says the results so far are promising.”

“All good news. I’m going to head in—”

“Sir, pardon my interruption, but you have a video transmission request.”

I frowned, not wanting to be bothered by anyone just now. “Take a message. I have to fulfill my best man duties.”

“If that is what you wish, I am happy to relay that response. However, I believe you may want to answer this call. It is Halek Cain, the ex-Union Reaper you’ve been trying to contact.”

Cursing, I turned away from the festivities, pulled out my pad, and found a quiet spot where I could talk. “Fine, put him through.”

The video came on my screen, warbling some before it settled, and a man’s face came into view. It only took an instant for me to see this man was someone I wanted on our side. There was no doubt he had seen some shit. A roughhewn face held scars, reminders of a painful past.

In his eyes—or eye, since one was cybernetic—I saw death. He was exactly the kind of asset we needed right now.

I smiled, showing my teeth. Something told me he wasn’t much of a talker. “Cain.”

The voice that answered was made of knives on gravel. “Hughes. Someone mentioned you have an infestation.”

“Something like that. What have you heard about the Celestials?”

He grunted and leaned back, twirling something in his hand. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a cigar. His arm—from the tips of his fingers all the way to above his shoulder—was entirely cybernetic. He had the appearance of a lifelong veteran, someone with enough blood on his hands to drown himself. “Not much,” he finally replied. “Big, dangerous. A general pain in the ass.”

“That about sums it up. Is any of that something you might want to help out with? Can’t say it’ll be easy, but you’d be helping a lot of innocent people.”

“Maybe.” He put the cigar in his mouth but didn’t light it. “What made you come to me? I hear you folks have a fine assortment of weapons that put the rest of us to shame.”

“My sources say you’re known for making it out of impossible situations.” That was putting it mildly. According to Shaw, Halek Cain was a force to be reckoned with. He had single-handedly taken down an entire fleet of Union ships, special operatives, and all manner of threats that had come his way. Through everything, he’d survived. Even prospered.

One corner of his mouth curled up into a grim smile. “I’m still here, yeah. Guess that counts for something.” He leaned forward again, focusing both his organic and his cybernetic eye on me. “And I hear you’re the man who brought the Union and Sarkonians together. Quite the feat, I gotta say.”

He said the word Union with enough contempt that it was almost palpable. It backed up what I’d learned about his history in all the various reports I’d read in recent weeks collectively referred to as The Last Reaper. The government had supposedly screwed him over on a proposed deal they’d given him, but the details were a little fuzzy. Not that it mattered. The simple fact that Cain had stayed alive and held his own against the Union was enough for me. I didn’t care if he was a criminal or a vagrant. I just needed him to be strong.

And by all accounts, he sure as shit was.

I shrugged. “If it were up to me, I never would have gotten involved with either of them, but the Celestials forced my hand. Humanity doesn’t have the luxury of infighting. Not anymore. If we don’t come together, we’re all dead. Not just Earth or the Union, but everyone.”

“You can save the speech. I’ve seen the footage.”

“Then you know what I’m saying is true.”

Cain didn’t answer right away. He just sat there, his eyes steady as he stared at me, as though he were trying to glean some new insight, but everything I’d told him was the truth… and I had nothing to hide.

He finally lit his cigar, then nodded. “Tell you what, Renegade. I’ve been itching for a fight recently, ever since I went into semi-retirement. Besides, I’m pretty keen on staying alive myself.” He paused. “I do have one condition, though.”

“Name it.”

He took a drag off the cigar and licked his lips, then exhaled the smoke. “The Union leaves me the fuck alone. They try anything stupid, like bringing me in or whatever, then we’re gonna have a problem on our hands. You follow?”

“Leave that part to me. You’ll be under my protection.”

“Don’t need protecting, Hughes. Quite the opposite, in fact.” He took another puff. “I’d hate for someone to come at me and then you’ve lost some useful soldiers. It’d be a real waste.”

I suppressed the urge to smile. Whoever this Cain guy was, I had to admit I liked him. “Deal.”

“Alright, then,” he said, sitting up. “We’ll leave within the hour. See ya soon.”

The line went dead abruptly, signaling the end of the conversation.

“That is good news, sir,” said Sigmond.

“Seems like. Have we heard back from anyone else?”

The Cognitive was quick to reply. “Not as of yet. There are reports of conflict occurring with Captain Cortez and the Solaris Initiative.”

That set alarm bells off in my head. We couldn’t afford for anyone to split their forces. If the Empire was wasting resources going after the Initiative, that would leave even less to help defend against the Celestials.

“What kind of conflict are we talking about?”

“It would appear that Vice-Admiral-Kaska has launched a campaign against the rebellion. It began with an attack on the planet Neblinar.”

“Great,” I muttered. “Just what we need. I’ll talk to Sanchez. What about the other feelers we put out?”

“Positive responses. The Renegade network is abuzz with the news.”

“Abuzz, eh? Alright, good. Let’s see if we can give some incentive. Anyone who fights with us will have the chance to live on Earth. Make it clear there won’t be a free ride—everyone has to live peacefully, but they won’t be held responsible for past crimes.”

“Understood. I will revise the message and keep you apprised. Now, sir, if I may offer a suggestion?”

“What is it, Siggy?”

“Join the wedding party before any other interruptions arise.”

I grunted out a laugh. “Yeah, I better. Hold any transmissions during the ceremony unless they’re an emergency.”

“With pleasure.”

Taking a deep breath, I pushed everything else away and entered the tent.

* * *

“Captain, you made it!” Freddie’s voice wasn’t quite shrill, but close.

I looked over to see that he was decked out in formal attire. Someone had either made it for him or loaned it to him from their own wardrobe. Either way, it fit well, and the younger man looked sharp.

“Damn, Fred. You cleaned up nice. Almost respectable.”

He smoothed the black suit jacket down. “You think so? I hope Petra likes it. I haven’t seen her at all today. Or last night. Some old tradition.”

He jabbered on, clearly nervous.

“Freddie, relax.” I put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to stutter and fall silent. “It’s normal to have some nerves, just so long as your feet don’t get cold.”

To be honest, I didn’t know the first thing about weddings—I was making this shit up as I went. That might not have been the best idea because Freddie gulped and went sheet white.

“Cold feet? You don’t think Petra’s feeling unsure… do you?”

I scoffed, as though the idea was completely unheard of. I hoped it was, for his sake. “Of course not. That woman loves you—don’t ask me why—and you love her. Everything is going to go smoothly.”

He swallowed hard, then squared his shoulders. “Got it. Nothing to worry about.”

Beaming, I slapped him on the back. “That’s the spirit. Now, what do you say we go see the rest of your party? From what I understand, drinks are a requirement before the ceremony.”

“Required? I’ve never heard of that tradition.”

“Well, don’t forget you were a priest for a while,” I reminded him. Using the hand still on his back, I guided him to where Alphonse, Bolin, and Josef stood waiting. All of them were drinking, prompting me to gesture at them. “See? Tradition.”

Freddie watched them throw their glasses back and then refill them. “I guess so. Yeah, I should definitely have a drink. To calm my nerves.”

“Ah, there’s the groom!” called Bolin jovially.

Alphonse pushed a glass into Freddie’s hand, then mine. When no one said anything else and they all just looked at me, I realized they were waiting for me to say something. Oh, right. The best man was supposed to say something.

I wrapped an arm around Freddie’s shoulders and lifted my glass. “To Freddie, the sorriest son of a bitch I ever met.”

A short chorus of “here here” rang out, giving me a precious moment to think about what to say next.

“Until he met me, of course. Now he’s a helluva soldier and friend. These are uncertain times. Times when it’s easy to get caught up in the combat. We have to remember not to lose focus.” I turned to Freddie and nodded. “This is your chance. You’ve got a beautiful bride in there. Better lock that down before she has a chance to run for it.”

Music began to play outside, our signal to begin lining up.

“Time to go marry your woman, Fred.”

* * *

After the ceremony was over, the celebration continued at a small reception. While the new bride and groom made the rounds, I took a moment to breathe with a whiskey in hand, and soon Sigmond materialized next to me.

Even though moments ago he’d been on the other side of the room talking to Karin, his sudden appearance didn’t startle me like it had in the old days. I simply raised my cup.

“Captain, please forgive the interruption, but there are a number of updates. If you prefer, I can have them sent to your pad.”

I swirled the amber liquid left at the bottom of my glass. “What updates?”

“Your call to arms has generated a significant response. I have a list of ships on their way here, as well as several inquiries from interested parties who seem to have heard about what we’re doing and want to assist.”

As much as I wanted to deal with coordinating the combined militaries of the entire human race, the scene playing out in front of me demanded my attention. Dressler, out of her lab coat for once and in a curve-hugging black number, shimmied on the dance floor opposite Alphonse.

Meanwhile, Octavia and Hitchens stood apart from the crowd, her arm wrapped around his, and she smiled and kissed the professor on the mouth.

“I knew it,” I muttered under my breath.

A slight frown creased Sigmond’s forehead. “Knew what, sir?”

I fanned a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Just thinking out loud.” Duty could damn well wait another hour, couldn’t it? There was no sense in rushing off to work, not right now. Not when this might be the last time we all had the chance to be together. Even if we survived the war, what were the chances that we would all be there when it was all over with? I didn’t want to think about it. Not right now, here in the middle of this party, watching everyone let loose and pretend that the apocalypse wasn’t right around the corner. “Go ahead and send the data, Siggy. I’ll deal with it later.”

He gave a short bow, then nodded at the festivities. “This is quite the event. Much different from the last wedding you attended.”

His words brought back memories of a bawdy affair that had ended in a fistfight. “I know that’s right,” I replied. “And this definitely is a big deal. It’s the first wedding on Earth. Let’s just hope it’s not the last.”

“That’s a touch cynical, don’t you think?” Abigail asked. I looked to my side to find her walking toward me, dressed in her usual attire instead of something elegant.

“No dress?” I asked, raising my brow.

She merely shrugged. “Better to be prepared.”

I was a little relieved to see she hadn’t put on some frilly get up for the affair. It wouldn’t have suited her anyway. This is who we were, gods help or damn us.

4

As it happened, the rest of the night went off without a crisis.

When we woke the next morning, it was to an urgent message from Major-Sanchez and Vice Admiral Vick wanting to meet.

Coming alert in an instant, I rolled out of bed and started pulling on my clothes. “What happened? Are there Celestials?”

My thoughts were already reeling, imagining an incoming fleet of Celestials bearing down on Earth.

“Not that my scouts or sensors have picked up,” replied Sigmond. “I believe they wish to discuss preparation and tactics, as well as updates on the Sarkonian fleet’s ability to assist.”

Letting out a breath, I shoved an irritated hand through my hair. “Dammit, Siggy. Next time start with that.”

“My apologies, sir.”

“It’s fine. Just tell them I’m on my way.”

I glanced over to see Abigail pulling on clothes. “You coming to the meeting?”

“Can’t. I have to take Lex to her training, then drop her off for lessons.”

There was something about the simple statement that sounded so normal. We might be in the midst of a war for the survival of humanity, but some things didn’t change. I decided that was good. Normalcy in dubious times such as these helped people stay grounded.

Ten minutes later, I walked into the meeting room to find the other two leaders waiting for me.

Vick shot me a curt nod. “Hughes, glad you’re finally here.”

I returned the gesture and took my seat. Not so long ago, I would have taken that comment as a dig and responded in kind. It had taken the threat against humanity to stop the feud between us. For now. We might not ever be friends in any sense of the word, but at least now the Vice Admiral didn’t give me shit.

The second I was situated, Vick sat up a little straighter in what I was sure he considered his most authoritative pose. He was clearly eager to start the meeting, and I was more than happy to let him do it.

A holo display sprang to life in the middle of the table. Data, cleanly organized into a matrix, outlined different Union class ships.

“What is this?” I asked, leaning closer for a better look.

“The cavalry, as it were,” replied Vick.

Something in his tone had me glancing back at him. The lines of his face were grim, but there was something else there that bothered me. Guilt, maybe, though I couldn’t say why the Vice Admiral would feel guilty about sending help. Unless it wasn’t everything the Union had to offer.

Cocking my head, I sat back against my chair and studied the numbers again. More data joined the first set, this time depicting Sarkonian ships. The count wasn’t even half of what the Union had listed.

“The Sarkonian fleet,” said Sanchez, speaking for the first time.

I gestured at the display. “Seems a little light.”

From the pinched lines of his face, he agreed. “Unfortunately, this is what the Emperor has approved. As you know, the Empire has been dealing with an influx of Ravagers and pirates. They don’t share our views on protecting humanity and are using this opportunity to expand their territories. Certain sectors must be protected.”

Barking out a short laugh, I shook my head. “Major, if we fail to take out the Celestials, Ravagers will be the least of the Emperor’s worries. No sector will be safe.”

Sanchez’s lips pursed together, and he fixed steely eyes on mine. “I’m aware of how dire the situation is, Captain Hughes. Rest assured, I am working to get more ships. In the meantime, this fleet will be departing shortly, as soon as security arrangements have been made.”

I turned my attention back to Vick. The man usually took any opening to spout off about the Union and how they were better, but he was suspiciously quiet. “I take it you’re having similar conversations with your superiors?”

His head came up in surprise, but he didn’t deny it. “That’s correct. Secondary evacuation plans are being put into effect. If we don’t win… that is to say, if the Alliance and Earth fall, humanity may have a chance.”

“Because they’ll be on the run.” I scoffed, unhappy with the idea. Leif’s people had done the same and came very nearly close to extinction. It was a bleak prospect.

“That may be, but it’s better than being wiped out,” Vick returned.

Tapping my fingers on the chair’s armrest, I considered. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but I still had to get help from Vick. Switching tacks, I brought up the Reaper. “He’s willing to help, but only if you leave him alone while he’s here. No side missions to try and kill him off.”

Surprise flickered over Vick’s face before it shuttered again. “You mean Halek Cain. He’s a defector. Worse.” It wasn’t a question. As Shaw had mentioned, the Reaper’s reputation preceded him. Vick folded his hands and hesitated before speaking again. “However, he is also… efficient. Intel says that he has access to his own fleet. If Cain is willing to help, I’ll work it out with upper administration.”

“Good,” I replied, happy to have that dealt with. “Then let’s move on. I’ve had word from Renegades and a few others. Plenty are willing to help and some are already on the way here.”

Sanchez cleared his throat, signaling he was ready to join the conversation again. “This is good news. It would appear that citizens are taking the issue seriously. I would also like to bring up that we haven’t seen any evidence that the Celestials are heading this way. It could be that after their previous defeat, they no longer wish to engage.”

It was an intriguing thought, but one that didn’t cut it for me. “Listen, just because they’re biding their time doesn’t mean the assholes aren’t coming. It’s more likely that what remains of their fleet is regrouping. I don’t expect them to arrive for a little while, but we can’t take that for granted. The gate bought us time, and we have to use it wisely.”

Vick made a sound of agreement, then picked up his pad. “While the Celestials are our first priority, I do have other concerns. Namely, how to feed, house, and clothe everyone with the sheer number of ships coming to help with this assault. If the Celestials make us wait—which would be smart on their part—how do we ensure that our allies and citizens have the resources they need.”

It was a damn good question; one I didn’t have the answer to.

“Sir, I have information that may be helpful.” Sigmond’s voice in my ear had me lifting a finger to Vick and Sanchez. “Miss Brie and Professor Hitchens, along with Athena, have been working to erect temporary housing structures in order to accommodate the influx of new arrivals. Ships can be temporarily located somewhere to conserve their fuel and oxygen.”

I relayed the information and followed it up with an update about Earth’s resources. “Earth has enough food and water for the time being. I don’t think the Celestials are going to make us wait too long. In their opinion, we aren’t going to be able to take them. Waiting for us to give up isn’t going to register for them.”

“Let’s hope you’re right about that,” Sanchez murmured. “All of our fleets have lost too many ships. Thanks to the Precursors wiping out half of the Celestial forces, we now have a chance.”

“We should still have a plan for the civilians on planet,” I added. “The way I see it, when the time comes, we just stash everyone who isn’t fighting in the core.”

Vick’s eyes slid over to meet mine. He looked grim again. “I hate to be the one to propose the idea, but it must be said—what is the plan if the Alliance falls? Any survivors on Earth will immediately be at risk. If they take refuge in the core, what’s to stop the Celestials from wiping them out?”

I thought about it, picturing the scenario in my head. “We’ve created a slip in the core before. If things start to swing the wrong way, we’ll do it again, then close it for good. It will give survivors a chance.”

And a life of looking over their shoulder, though I didn’t voice the thought.

“That should work,” Sanchez agreed. “It isn’t ideal, but better than the enemy killing everyone.”

At that, Vick steepled his hands and turned to me, and I noticed the older man looked tired. Judging from the shadows under his eyes and the added lines of gray to his hair, this war was starting to take its toll. “Now that we’re talking about it, Hughes, I wanted to bring something up. There’s been some pressure from our leadership. They wonder if the Alliance has a chance in hell of winning. I know what I think, but I’d like to hear from both you and Major-Sanchez before I give them an answer.”

I didn’t hesitate this time. “It’s all or nothing,” I said simply. “Losing isn’t an option. With help coming from outside the Alliance, it puts our chances up. I’m also working with Dressler on another weapon.”

That might have been stretching the truth, but I knew Dressler would come up with something.

Sanchez lifted a hand and gestured at the holo display once more. “I will petition the Emperor for more ships. There are other means we have not tapped yet. The Sparrows should be able to contribute something. With reinforcements assembling now, I expect they will arrive soon. If the Empire can commit to a 20% increase in forces, can the Union respond in kind?”

Vick nodded. “I believe so. I, too, intend to ask for more. It’s my opinion that the Ravager threat can be dealt with after the war is over.”

It wasn’t set in stone, but it was something. Still, the Sarkonians weren’t exactly known for following through. Until their reinforcement fleet showed up, I wasn’t going to count them in. “In the meantime, Sigmond’s factory is working to produce as many drones as possible. That will help pad our numbers.” I put the data up to join the others, then switched to the subject of our enemy. “These are the numbers we really need to worry about. Without Mareses and his friends to help, we’re going to be dealing with the Celestials on our own. Carl, what are we looking at there?”

The Cognitive materialized in the corner and flicked a wrist to bring up the new data. “From what I have been able to ascertain, the Celestials retained one of their warships. We have significantly more crafts, but this only evens the odds. As you know, it will require advanced tactics and combined efforts to take out their vessels.”

Everyone in the room went silent for a beat. We all knew what Carl meant. This wouldn’t be a regular spacewalk. Even with more ships, we weren’t a sure bet.

Finally, I broke the silence by clapping my hands together. “Looks like we have our work cut out for us. I suppose we best get started.”

5

After the meeting, I went to Tartarus to check on training. Given that the massive ship had more room and facilities for training, we’d opted to keep people there.

As I passed by one of the holodeck areas, the sound of arguing drifted out. Worried that soldiers were going at each other again, I poked my head in. Instead of military personnel, I found Camilla and Bolin having a tense discussion.

“I don’t understand you! You’ve always been proud of my training and fighting in the simulation. Why don’t you want me to help?”

The look on Bolin’s face could only be described as the exasperation of a father. He let out an irritated sigh and threw his hands up. “Simulation is just that—not reality. Camilla, you’re my only child. I can’t just let you run off into a war. Especially not this one.”

“Oh, I see. You don’t think I can hold my own.” A line of hurt creased her forehead but she held her ground, chin jutting out in defiance.

“Of course you can. I’m not saying you lack the skill. I’m saying I’m not willing to risk your life.”

“You said before that I take after you. This is what I’m meant to be doing. Everyone else is risking their lives. I can’t sit back and do nothing.”

She didn’t give him a chance for another rebuttal. The woman turned on her heel and walked off without another word.

“Seems like Camilla is pretty set on fighting,” I said, coming up behind Bolin.

He turned to me and crossed his arms. “That she is. Doesn’t mean I’m going to take it lying down. The girl was right when she said she takes after me. Her head is made out of stone, same as mine. Say, Captain. Maybe you could have a word with her? She might listen to you.”

I didn’t like the idea of getting involved in Bolin’s family business, but I understood where he was coming from. If the conversation had been between Lex and me, I’d have put my foot down too. “Look, Bolin. I get it, believe me. But you know that trying to hold her back is just going to make her want to do it more.”

He let out another hefty sigh, this one signaling that he was considering my words. “You’re not wrong. Still, I’m willing to deal with that if my daughter survives this war. I’ll give it some thought. In the meantime, what’s your take on this?”

“Don’t think too long. We don’t know when the Celestials are going to show their hand. The last thing you want is for Camilla to sneak off without telling you.”

I almost couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. Me, Jace Hughes, the Renegade, giving parenting advice? It was no secret things had changed, but this was new territory. Personally, I didn’t consider myself qualified, but my friend didn’t seem to feel that way.

Bolin rubbed one hand over a chin gone rough with stubble. Stubble that was grayer than when I’d first met him. It seemed the war was taking its toll on everyone. “I suppose you’re right, Captain. Can’t keep her under my wing forever. Gods know how rebellious I was at that age.”

“She’s a good kid. I wouldn’t worry too much.”

The easy smile dropped away, and his mouth set into a grim line. “I’m worried that she’s right. We need every able bodied soldier and pilot to join in this fight. But I’m her father… it’s my job to protect her, not send her out into the bloody war. Everyone is making sacrifices.”

An image of Lex, cold and clear, leapt to the forefront of my mind. It was the moment after she’d killed a man to save my life. Her hand was small on the grip of the gun she held, her eyes wide with shock. Looking back, if there had been a way to spare her that experience, I would have.

Nodding, I clapped Bolin on the shoulder. “No one, least of all the likes of me, will think badly of you for protecting your kid. Just say the word and I can have Carl or Athena lock Camilla out of the ships.”

My friend’s eyes stayed troubled. “Thank you, Captain Hughes. I’ll give it some thought and let you know.” His pad beeped, halting any further conversation. “Alphonse has a new batch of recruits getting certified in a few minutes,” he said after reading the message.

“Go ahead,” I said, waving him off. “I have a meeting with Dressler, but keep me updated.”

I watched him move away, wishing there was something more I could offer. The truth was that I couldn’t guarantee him anything. None of us were promised tomorrow, whether or not we fought the Celestials. Feeling the weight of the task ahead, I headed for the good doctor. Maybe she would have good news.

* * *

When I walked into Dressler’s lab, it was clear she was excited about something. Her white coat flapped around her legs as she bounced back and forth between two workstations. Abigail stood off to one side with Lex, watching from a safe distance.

“What’s going on?”

She leaned over and spoke in a low voice. “I’m not sure yet. She’s been talking about the data cache you two uncovered.”

While we waited, Lex broke away to walk around the room. Since the kid knew by now not to pick up anything that she ought not to, I let her go and filled Abigail in on the situation with Bolin and Camilla.

Her eyes shot to Lex and I knew exactly what she was thinking.

“By the time I was Camilla’s age, I had seen my share of bloodshed. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone.”

“I get it, Abby. Bolin knows we have his back and will help if we can.”

When Dressler stopped moving and turned to face us, we let the subject drop.

“Captain, Miss Pryar. Thank you for coming. I am still deciphering the data cache we discovered, but I believe I found something. One system is intimately connected to the trilobites.”

I frowned. After our less than pleasant encounters with the robots, I wasn’t too keen on repeating the experience. “What about them? Don’t tell me you want to reactivate them.”

She waved a hand to dismiss my concern. “Gaia and I are still going over the details. Last time we had no control except for the kill switch. If we could control them, that would give us another weapon against the Celestials.”

Folding my arms over my chest, I met her serious gaze with one of my own. “That sounds dangerous.”

“It is,” she agreed. “That’s the point. The trilobites have proven to be quite adept at dealing out damage. Why not put them to use against our greatest enemy?”

“Maybe. What about the energy source?” Abigail prompted. “You mentioned possibly being able to tap into that.”

Dressler’s brow creased in a slight frown. “That is correct. However, given our prior difficulties with Gaia, I thought it would be better to proceed with caution. Those systems are being scanned and processed for reintegration. Until Gaia has been reset, I won’t know all the details of Project Reclamation’s final phase.”

While the bit about the trilobites was interesting, the news didn’t quite warm my heart. In fact, it seemed doubtful at best. Granted, the way they could liquify material wasn’t anything to brush off, but I wasn’t sure how they could measure up to Celestials.

“Listen, Doc,” I began, ready to list all the reasons why I thought this was a bad idea.

Before I could launch into the explanation, a movement on the other side of the room caught my eye. It was Lex, messing around at one of the tables. When I saw the trilobite that we’d brought back from the tunnels, I shifted focus. Lex’s hand was stretched out, a spark of curiosity lighting up her eyes.

Abigail spotted her at the same time and beat me to the punch. “Lex, get away from that. We don’t know—”

Everyone froze when one of the trilobite’s legs moved. I didn’t stay paralyzed for long—whether it was reflex or instinct, I wasn’t sure, but my hand flew to the pistol at my hip and had it out in record time. I didn’t like how close the kid was to the robot, but I trusted my aim well enough to take care of the little tin can if it tried anything.

For her part, instead of being scared, Lex just giggled.

“How did you do that?” Dressler’s voice came from behind me, and the shock in it had me lowering my pistol some.

Lex spun around with obvious guilt on her face. “I’m sorry! I just wanted to see what it felt like.”

“You’re not in any trouble, Lex,” Dressler assured her. “But I don’t know how you made it move. I have the remote right here.”

She held up one hand to show her pad.

Lex just shrugged and turned back to the trilobite. Without warning, she poked it with one finger. The moment she made contact, it stood up.

“Kid, get back!” I snapped, rushing forward.

To my relief, she listened, scooting away from the table and putting herself in arms reach. I pulled her behind me, out of harm's way, and leveled my pistol at the now activated trilobite. Not wanting to take any chances that it could come after us, I squeezed the trigger.

“Wait!” Dressler’s sharp cry threw my aim and the shot went high.

“What the hell, Doc?”

Dressler pushed my arm down and gestured wildly at the robotic insect. “It’s not moving. Not attacking,” she qualified. “I don’t believe there is any danger. It seems to be waiting for direction.”

I glanced back and saw she was right, but that didn’t mean I was about to let my guard down. “Wait a second. You said there was a remote?”

She nodded and held it out for me to see. “That’s what I was going to tell you. The trilobite system isn’t independent. With some help from our Cognitive associates, I’ve been working on a program to control the robots.”

Her frown told me something was off. “Why do I think that it responding to Lex wasn’t supposed to happen?”

“It wasn’t,” she said simply. “Up to now, we had only accomplished activating them and simple directional movements.”

“Are you saying you have no idea why the trilobite would be responding to Lex?” Abigail asked, alarmed.

Dressler nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I wasn’t aware there would be a reaction to human touch. I must admit that I didn’t think it was possible at all. This is a new development that must be explored.”

Lex came out from behind me and pointed at the table. “Do you want me to touch it again?”

“No,” both Abigail and I said in unison.

“The trilobite doesn’t show any signs of aggression,” argued Dressler. “It should be safe.”

“Should be isn’t good enough,” I countered.

“You’ve seen what it can do to human flesh,” Abigail pointed out, referring to Petra and her arm.

Not that any of us needed the reminder. The grisly day would be seared into my memory for a long time to come.

I glanced at Abigail. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” she said, worry tightening her lips into a narrow line. “We don’t know if this is something she could heal from.”

“I understand your hesitation,” Dressler continued. “However, I see no cause for alarm. I think we should let the girl try to work with it. It will help me understand how it operates and bring us closer to weaponizing the trilobites.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not scared,” Lex piped up. “When I touched it, it felt just like being on Titan.”

“Alright,” I conceded. “Go ahead. Just be careful.”

She walked toward the table once more, showing no fear at all. When she was in arm’s reach, Lex put her hand out and touched the back of the trilobite, then stepped back. The robot, roughly the size of Pumi the pet goat, jumped off the table and waited at her feet. Lex walked back to us and the thing followed, right on her heels.

I turned to Dressler and grimaced. “Got to say, Doc. I don’t like this at all. We don’t want another Petra situation.”

“Calm yourself, Captain Hughes. Have a little faith in the child. She’s proven herself smart and capable.”

“Sure,” I intoned. “So long as you don’t count the times she’s wandered off or picked up things she shouldn’t.”

Abigail chuckled, but if the doctor heard me, she chose to ignore the comment.

Dressler began to put Lex through a few basic commands, trying to find the extent of the kid’s control. Which, as it turned out, wasn’t much. The little robot could perform basic commands but seemed to only be able to do one thing at a time.

“Why don’t we try something new,” Dressler suggested after nearly half an hour.

“You sure you want to waste more time on this?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a waste of time, Captain.”

The words came out a little cool, so I spread my hands in a peaceful gesture. “Fine. What did you have in mind?”

6

By the next morning, Dressler still didn’t have an explanation as to why or how Lex could control the trilobite. To add to the matter, the girl had even named the damn thing.

At that very moment, she had both the newly-minted Leonard as well as Pumi the goat out frolicking in an open field.

I’d made sure that none of the repopulated cows or other animals were nearby in case the trilobite got out of control.

Still, it was hard not to be a little nervous about the whole thing. I’d seen firsthand what a trilobite could do, and no matter how much control Lex seemed to have over this one, I kept imagining the whole situation going south very quickly.

The day was starting out overcast, with thick heavy clouds hanging above like a warning. Ominous weather or not, there wasn’t much I could do at this point. The doctor had insisted that Lex continue to interact with Leonard so she could observe, but I wasn’t about to let the kid run around without some supervision.

And I wasn’t going anywhere.

Lex was having a blast because it meant she got to skip her school lessons for the day. Even though she was at the top of her class and an avid reader, she was still a kid. When given the choice between sitting indoors and playing outside, she’d always choose the latter.

Her giggle rang out, bright and clear, pulling my attention. Despite my reservation about the whole ordeal, I still smiled at the sound of her voice. Fun was fun, after all, and I was just glad to see her living her life. She’d earned it.

So far, the trilobite followed the girl’s every command. It had some autonomy, but only to a point. Dressler also had a mini drone recording the trial run so she could analyze it later, and the little robot hovered above the girl in the field, recording everything.

“Good job, Lex!” the doctor called out. “Now I’d like you to try telling it to stay, then walk away.”

Lex did as she was instructed. When she’d gone nearly to the other side of the field, Dressler had her call the robot. For the first time, the trilobite didn’t do anything.

It didn’t seem like a good thing, but Dressler made a sound indicating she found it more curious than anything else. “As I suspected. The trilobite has enhanced sensors but doesn’t understand her commands from a distance. Fascinating.”

“So far so good,” murmured Abigail from her position beside me.

She had her eyes focused on the trio as Dressler shouted different commands.

I grunted, not entirely convinced this was a good idea. “For now,” I responded under my breath.

Abigail’s gaze broke from the field to find mine. One corner of her mouth played up into a knowing smile. “I’d say you’re prepared.”

Her amused tone wrangled a short chuckle out of me. She wasn’t wrong. I had a rifle in my hands and hadn’t taken my eyes off the trilobite since it came to life. One might even say I was just looking for an excuse to shoot it. And maybe that was true, but it would be stupid and irresponsible to just let it run around unsupervised.

Lex let out a short squeal. Abigail and I both snapped to attention, and my hand went directly for the gun.

Pumi charged at the girl, head down. I’d seen them do that plenty of times before. That wasn’t the problem. What made this instance different was that Leonard had moved to intercept the goat, clearly perceiving their play as something more sinister.

Lex stood in an authoritative stance, her feet planted, shoulders squared, and hand out.

“Stop!” she commanded.

The trilobite already had Pumi’s front leg in its pincers when she said the word, but completely froze at the sound. For his part, the little goat let out a bored bleat and attempted to get away. He didn’t seem to realize what kind of danger he was in.

Unwilling to take any chances, I lifted my gun. Lex saw it and waved her other hand at me to hold off. “Wait. It’s listening to me.”

I shifted focus to the trilobite again, surprised to see it had let go of the goat and now faced Lex. It looked at her almost expectantly, like an obedient pet. Gods knew Pumi never followed directions like that. I had the ruined boots to prove it.

“How did you do that?” I asked, more than a little surprised. “And more importantly, where were you on that mission where we almost got liquefied?”

Lex laughed. “You’re being silly. I don’t remember that.”

“You’re right, Lex,” Dressler interjected. “The captain is being silly. But he did have a good question. How did you control the trilobite without touching it?”

The girl thought about it for a few seconds before lifting a shoulder. “I dunno. When I saw Leonard go after Pumi, I got scared.” She glanced back at the trilobite, a confused expression scrunching up her nose.

“Was there something else?” Dressler pressed.

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Lex confessed. “It just feels like I’m connected to it, even when I’m not touching it.”

The doctor made a small grunt, or something like it. “I think I am beginning to understand what is happening.”

When she didn’t elaborate, I decided to press her on it. “Care to enlighten us?”

“What? Oh, yes. But first I’d like to confirm something. We’ll have to do it in the lab.”

“Of course. The lab again,” I complained. “It’s not like we have anything else going on.”

The doctor directed a sharp eye at me. “If you have something else in mind, I’m all ears. Captain.”

I shook my head in apology. “I’m just a little on edge right now with this damn thing walking around with us. Add the Celestials to that and—”

“I understand,” she said with a nod. “Rest assured, we are doing everything we can. I wouldn’t waste time on this if I didn’t think it would yield a worthwhile result.”

“Then tell us what your hypothesis is, Doc. I don’t care if you need to confirm it later.”

She let out a short sigh. “Very well. I believe Lex’s ability to communicate with the machine has to do with the cure that Hygeia administered.”

“You think it altered Lex in some way we didn’t detect with all those tests?” asked Abigail.

Dressler bobbed her head. “It’s not entirely unheard of. You’ll recall our dealings with the Precursors and Captain Hughes’ exposure and newfound abilities.”

“Of course,” I said.

“Being able to control technology with one’s thoughts and feelings is nothing new, even for Eternals. And remember, that is exactly what the trilobites are. Eternal machines. Lex is completely unique today, but she was born two thousand years ago and her genes reflect that. It stands to reason that the cure she received from that Cognitive has awakened certain abilities, using that DNA. We saw that with her strength enhancements as well. However, I do have an additional theory—"

Sigmond chose that moment to hail me on the comm, cutting Dressler off. I held up a finger to the doctor and she paused. “What is it, Siggy?”

“Take cover! Incoming assault!” The Cognitive’s voice was rough and strained, not something I was used to hearing, and it jarred me.

Before I could relay his message, an explosion tore across the atmosphere, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Suddenly the sky was streaked with flashes of orange and plumes of smoke. One of them barreled toward the ground instead of exploding in the air, and my eyes grew wide as the realization of the moment came over me.

“Run!” I shouted, so hard and loud that it strained my throat. “Siggy, tell everyone to get to cover!”

Lex faltered, then screamed. “Pumi!”

He couldn’t keep pace and had fallen behind. I spun to see the goat was frozen in fear, its entire body stock still. Cursing, I doubled back the few steps and scooped up the terrified animal. The four of us sprinted to the dome and sealed ourselves inside.

“Dressler, how much can these domes withstand?” I asked once the door was shut.

“They are well protected. I don’t know how long they can withstand direct attacks though.”

I knew that much—it was part of the reason why the domes weren’t part of our final plan and the civilians would use the core as a holding point.

“Take Lex and get to safety,” I ordered.

For once, the woman didn’t argue with me.

Abigail was already at one of the consoles and bringing up feeds from the defense network. “Sigmond, what are we looking at?”

“I am picking up a form of kinetic bombardment. Specifics are unclear at this time.”

I turned to Sigmond when his hard light body materialized beside us. “What the hell is kinetic bombardment, and why didn’t we have any warning?”

“In this case, the Celestials are employing the use of small asteroids diverted to Earth via slip tunnels. As for the second part of your question, I must apologize. An attack such as this has never been recorded before. I’m sorry to say that this was not an eventuality that we prepared for, but let me assure you it will not happen again.”

“Fine,” I said, waving a hand. “We’ll talk about that later. For now, start evacuating people to the core, like we planned. Anyone who isn’t fighting needs to get underground.”

Sigmond bowed his head. “Already underway.”

“Jace.” Abigail’s tone was urgent, drawing my attention to where she pointed at one of the screens. “This isn’t good.”

“Fuck no it isn’t,” I replied. “Siggy? That ain’t no asteroid.”

An oblong silver pod floated gently to the ground, its design immediately familiar. A Celestial craft, smaller than I’d ever seen.

“You are correct,” Sigmond replied. “It would seem the enemy used the kinetic bombardment to camouflage their arrival pods. Due to the size of the crafts, our sensors were unable to detect them. A smart plan indeed.”

The snarky response died on my lips when the pod tilted up until it was standing straight on one end, then it split open.

“Here we go.” I planted both hands on the table, waiting to see if a Berserker or Ranger came out.

A limb that seemed made of squirming wires stepped down, followed by another. I thought it was a foot, until it began to slither. When the rest of a writhing body of amorphous flesh cleared the pod and began moving on all fours, and roaring from a large fanged mouth, I knew we had a problem.

This new Celestial was something I had never seen before.

* * *

Abigail sucked in a sharp breath. “What in the galaxy is that thing?”

I hailed the only one that might have an idea. “Carl? This wasn’t exactly on your list.”

The Cognitive in question shimmered into focus. “Unfortunately, I am not sure,” he admitted. “It appears as though the Engineers have created something new.”

“Something new,” I repeated. “Why not?”

Not that I had expected things to be easy, but this new creature posed a problem. If it was anything like its Celestial counterparts, it wouldn’t be easy to kill.

As I watched it prowl around a nearby field, something occurred to me. “We can’t risk sending pilots out in this mess.”

“I must agree,” said Sigmond. “Though you should know that is likely by design.”

“They want all their little hell spawns to hatch before we start taking them out,” I guessed.

Abigail crossed her arms. “Then we shouldn’t let it happen. How do we disrupt their plan?”

“We can only guess,” I said. That much was true. Much as I might not want to acknowledge it, the Celestials were at the top of the food chain for a reason. They were cunning, and all that intellect had been honed to a lethal point aimed at the rest of the galaxy. “Is there any way to deal with the asteroids?”

“I could attempt to destroy or divert the largest ones before they have a chance to break through the atmosphere,” Sigmond offered.

“Get on it,” I suggested, then turned to Carl. “What about those… things? You said they’re new, but is it possible to get us a profile?”

Carl flicked a wrist, bringing up data on one of the displays. “I have been monitoring them since we became aware of their presence.”

A picture of the new Celestial, still down on four legs like a grotesque canine, rendered on a secondary display. It was sharper than the feed we’d been watching and gave an almost too-clear picture of our latest opponents.

“Gods, that is one ugly bastard,” I said, taking the image in.

“There’s something off about it,” Abigail added.

I could have made a joke then, but she was right. Ever since the creature had stepped out of the pod, I’d gotten an odd feeling about it. Taking a closer look, I tried to put my finger on it.

Dressler’s voice came from behind us and we turned to stare. “So far, every class of Celestial we’ve encountered has been the pinnacle of perfection for whatever task it was created to perform.”

“Like the Berserkers,” I commented. “They’re big and dumb. Heavy artillery, so to speak, but not smart enough to turn on their master.”

“Exactly.” Dressler’s head bobbed up and down.

“Hey, I thought I told you to hide,” I said, suddenly reminded of that fact when I spotted Lex beside her.

The doc made a dismissive sound and gestured at the surrounding dome. “These facilities were built to survive thousands of years and all manner of conditions. They were not, however, meant to be a means for shelter in the middle of a war. Still, there is no place to hide that is safer than where we are right now. Besides, I am of better use helping, don’t you agree?”

As if to illustrate her point, Pumi let out a loud bleat.

There was no use arguing with the woman, so I decided not to waste my breath. “Fine. What do you think this Celestial’s specialty is?”

Dressler’s brows shot up. “Isn’t it obvious?” When none of us answered, she continued. “This isn’t our standard Celestial.”

“The tentacles kind of gave that much away,” said Abigail, her lip curled in disgust.

“That’s just one difference,” Dressler replied, her tone implying that she was already growing impatient. “Observe the jaw, for instance. One thing the different classes all have in common is a humanoid foundation. This is the first we’ve seen that breaks pattern. I believe its primary function is to slaughter.”

Upon closer inspection, I saw she was right. Large fangs protruded from the mouth, reminding me of a dog, but I didn’t see how that made it more of a killer.

“How do you figure that’s different than what they already do?” I asked.

She held up a pad to reveal footage of the Celestials attacking. “I have been observing the creature.” After a few taps on the pad, her feed transferred to the display. “Watch.”

The Celestial almost seemed to slither across the ground as it crossed to an enclosed paddock where some of our newer cows were kept. In one deft movement, it was over the fence and landing on the other side. The instant its feet touched the ground, it was off again, making a direct line for one of the calves.

“I get it,” said Abigail. “They don’t look like the others because they aren’t like the others. It’s an attack dog.”

“That is my theory,” Dressler replied.

There was still something off. “The way they move,” I said, pointing at the tentacle-like limbs. “We’ve seen that before. When we first found Carl in the hub on Tartarus.”

I turned to the Cognitive and he nodded. “Yes, Hughes. You are correct. The same mechanics have been applied to this new monstrosity.”

“Monster is right,” I muttered. “Though I have to say it’s more of a nightmare.”

“Indeed. These limbs afford the Nightmare new improvement. Speed, dexterity, stability.”

“Why is it attacking the livestock?” This latest question came from Abigail.

“Excellent question,” Carl said. “Taking Dr. Dressler’s theory into account, I believe I have an answer. The Nightmare was created to attack, which it is doing, just indiscriminately.”

I zeroed in on the revelation. “That doesn’t seem very efficient. Did the Engineers make a mistake?”

The Cognitive considered that for a brief moment, then shook his head. “That is unlikely. Perhaps the better description is unintentional.”

“You sure about that?” I gestured at the image again. “The other Celestials are all white. This one looks more grey, almost sickly.”

Carl nodded. “An astute observation, Hughes. This is common for new experiments that have not been perfected.”

Dressler made a sound reminiscent of a squeak. “This is an unfinished product? That is good news.”

“She’s right,” I agreed. “This means our little stunt with Mareses has them slipping up some. They aren’t hitting us with their best, and we need to take advantage of that. Siggy, can you direct your drones to start taking them out?”

“Of course. The bombardment is beginning to recede. Now would be an excellent time to begin civilian evacuation, as well as prepare for offensive tactics. The Renegade Star is waiting outside. My drones will provide cover.”

“Read my mind, Siggy.” Appreciative of the Cognitive, I gave him a quick nod.

“I do aim to please, sir.”

“Damn right. Now, let’s get to the Star before the Celestials try something else.”

I jogged from the dome to the Star, with Abigail and Lex flanking me. It came as no surprise that the kid kept pace so easily. When I glanced at her over my shoulder, it even seemed that she might have been slowing. The grim determination caught me a little off guard, so different from her earlier giggles.

Turning my sights back on the Renegade Star, I pushed the thought away. The Celestials had struck first, and the final countdown had begun. The end was coming, and I was more than ready to greet it.

7

We had nearly made it to the door when a pod hurtled to the ground in front of us, effectively blocking entry to the Star. The small craft, which wasn’t so small now that it was right in front of me, unsealed and the door cracked open.

I lifted my rifle and took aim, anticipating what was about to happen.

Before I could react, however, the Nightmare exploded from the pod. It rocketed free of the container, its tendrils moving chaotically around it as I fired into the swirling mess of metal and fury.

“Siggy, how about that backup?” I shouted into the comm.

“Working, sir.”

Drone fire slammed into the ground where the Celestial had been just a second before, only to miss it entirely.

This thing was fast.

Abigail laid down more suppressive fire while I reloaded. “I can’t hit it!”

Her magazine went dry as I slammed my reload into place.

Too late, I realized. The Nightmare was already coming through the air.

I barely had a moment to register that we wouldn’t be able to get clear when something small and black raced through my peripheral.

The blur leapt up to meet the Nightmare, slamming into the mesh of tendrils and knocking it off course. They hit the ground, sliding in the mud, and they quickly separated.

It was Leonard, Lex’s trilobite.

The tiny robot quickly latched on to the Celestial and began the process that would liquefy whatever it touched. The Nightmare let out a screech of pain and thrashed violently in an attempt to get free.

For a few tense seconds, none of us knew what to do.

“Sir, I suggest you get out of there,” said Sigmond.

His voice snapped me out of it and I grabbed Abigail by the shoulder. “Move it, get your asses on the Star!”

No one hesitated. They each sprung into a flat run that carried us the rest of the way and up the ramp.

The gate closed immediately, and the ship's engines roared to life.

* * *

The four of us were still in the cargo area since the trip would only be a few minutes. We intended to get Lex to Shaw, who would see to her safety while the Alliance battled things out on the ground with the Celestials.

“That was too close,” I said.

Abigail nodded, but Dressler ignored me, her eyes focused on the pad still in her hand.

“You alright?” I said to Lex. She didn’t look hurt, or even scared, but I wanted to be sure.

“I’m okay,” she replied. “Just worried about Leonard. Do you think he’s okay?”

The question took me aback a little. I wasn’t used to attributing feelings to a mindless robot like the trilobite, but it had saved our asses back there. “I’m not sure, kid. It sure looked like he was handling things okay.”

“Speaking of,” Abigail began. “Did you make him attack the Nightmare?”

Lex’s brow furrowed in concentration. “Maybe. I just didn’t want it to hurt us. I guess I got a little scared.”

“As I suspected,” Dressler interrupted. “The trilobite follows your direction, even if it is unintentional.”

“Doc,” I said, drawing out the word. “Lex wasn’t touching or speaking to Leonard. How could he know what she wanted?”

“Pheromones.”

I just stared for a second. “Phero-what?”

“Pheromones, Captain. Try to keep up. It is a behavior-altering agent. Typically, they only trigger changes within the same species, but—as we know—Lex is unique. My current theory is that when she touched the trilobite, it bonded with her on a biological level.”

Deciding not to risk another rebuke from the sharp-tongued doctor, I merely nodded. “How do we use this to our advantage? It’s all good and fine that the trilobites can supplement our forces, but I’m not willing to put Lex out front and center.”

“Agreed,” said Abigail. “Is there some other way to control them?”

Dressler’s lips pressed together, but I couldn’t tell if it was in annoyance or thought. “Perhaps. I was already working on that possibility before all this happened. I would like to continue my research to determine what kind of limitations there will be.”

I didn’t care for the fact that we were still dealing with the unknown. “Any way you can speed that up? I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re out of time. The enemy isn’t just at our doorstep, they’ve invited themselves in.”

“I understand. As soon as I have something, you’ll be the first to know.”

It would have to be good enough. If anyone could pull off a miracle in this 11th hour, it was Dr. MaryAnn Dressler.

“Sir, we are nearly to the rendezvous coordinates,” Junior informed. “ETA is two minutes.”

A tug on my sleeve had me looking down to where Lex sat between me and Abigail. “I don’t want to go with Mr. Shaw. Do I have to?”

I smiled and tousled her hair. “Yeah, kid. You’ve got to go. We have to make sure you stay safe.”

“But Dr. Dressler says I can’t be hurt.”

I had to admit, it was a valid argument. Not that I would say it out loud.

“That’s true, Lex,” Abigail said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “To a point. But that doesn’t make you invincible. Fighting the hard light simulation isn’t the same as fighting the Celestials.”

The girl didn’t look convinced. “But you guys can get hurt and you still fight. I want to help keep you safe.”

Abigail lifted concerned eyes to mine, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. It had been some time since Lex had resisted getting left behind. This was different from those early days though. Back then there had been fear in her expression. Not now. Now, all I saw was steadfast resolve.

“You don’t have to worry about us,” I promised. “Abby and I always take care of ourselves, don’t we?”

After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.

Further conversation was cut off by the Star’s landing procedures, and a few minutes later we exited to find Shaw waiting.

“Captain.” The former Admiral held out a hand and I promptly shook it. When Lex walked off the ramp, Shaw’s lips widened into a genuine smile. “Hi there, Lex. Are you ready to go?”

Still a little pouty, she just frowned, but answered in the affirmative.

Shaw sent me an inquisitive look, to which I shrugged.

“Get her and Dr. Dressler to the core,” I told him. “If you have any issues, I want to know right away.”

“Of course. Evacuations are already underway. I’ll let you know the moment we arrive.”

“Good enough for me.” I turned to find Lex enveloping Abigail in a tight hug. When they broke apart, I made sure she saw there would be no arguing. “You good, kid?”

Her chin jutted out, reminding me of Camilla. “Do I have to go?”

“You do,” I confirmed. To break up the solemn interaction, I pulled her to my side and gave her shoulder a light squeeze, then winked. “Try not to give Shaw too much trouble. I’m not sure he can handle it.”

That earned me a snicker, and Lex threw her arms around my waist. I looked at Shaw and nodded once. He returned it, the message clear between us. He would take care of her, or die trying, if it came to that.

Lex finally let go and patted her leg to call Pumi. He ran up to her, better trained than I expected. Abigail’s hand found mine and squeezed. Together, we watched as Lex took Shaw’s hand and boarded their small ship with Dr. Dressler, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time we saw them.

* * *

Though I wouldn’t have minded staying planet side to help deal with the Nightmares, I didn’t want to be distracted by the lesser evil. Alliance squadrons assigned to defend Earth and her evacuees were dealing with that issue. I had come back to Tartarus with Abigail to begin final preparations.

For her part, she would be in charge of the Galactic Dawn. It almost felt wrong for her not to be by my side for this, but she knew the Dawn inside and out. The crew manning the massive warship trusted her leadership, and I trusted no one else to act as Captain in her place.

We stood outside my ship, stealing a last few seconds of privacy before going our separate ways.

“This is it,” she said, tilting her face to look up at me. “If we win, things will change forever.”

“They’ll change forever if we don’t,” I pointed out.

One corner of her mouth lifted in a wry smile. “How about a little optimism, Renegade? You can’t go into a war with Celestials with that kind of attitude.”

“Woman, I’d rather not be in war with the godsdamned Celestials at all,” I grumbled. “It’s a little hard not to be negative when we lost such a big opportunity with the Precursors.”

The smile turned into a frown as she considered that. “Thanks to them, half of the Celestial forces were destroyed. That’s better than nothing. We have a chance now.”

“Point taken,” I allowed. “Just cover your ass out there, okay, Nun?”

I wasn’t much for speeches or declarations, but I figured she knew what I meant.

In a rare show of affection, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine. “You too, Jace. Don’t make me kick your ass for dying.”

I fanned a hand in a mocking gesture. “Stop being so sappy, you’re embarrassing us both.”

She snickered, then set off, leaving me to my own tasks. I started to head for the hangar where Alphonse and Bolin were organizing their squadrons, when a figure clad in black caught my eye.

From the size and body type, I judged them to be female. The way they were slinking around told me the person didn’t want to be seen, but it was too late for that. There was no reason for anyone to sneak around, unless they were up to no good. Thoughts of some Union or Sarkonian spy messing with the ships pissed me off.

We were about to face off with humanity’s greatest enemy, and someone was trying to sabotage us? I didn’t have time for this. When they made it to one of the strike ships, I rushed over, careful not to make any noise.

I caught them just as the ramp opened and they were hurrying inside. I drew my pistol and made sure they saw it. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing on one of my ships?”

The woman squealed, tripped over her own feet, and fell in an ungainly heap to the floor. When I got a good view of her face, I let out a curse.

Bolin’s daughter, Camilla, stared up at me, eyes going wide with fear and a healthy dose of guilt. For just a moment, I saw her as she had been the first time I met her. A teenager, one who had yet to see how harsh the galaxy could really be.

Holstering the weapon, I cast an irritated glare at the girl. She scrambled to her feet and had the audacity to try for innocence.

“Captain Hughes! Fancy seeing you here.” When I only cocked a brow, she continued hastily. “I was just checking out the inside, in case we have to go.”

I folded my arms over my chest and let out a snort. “You don’t think I’m really buying that bullshit, do you? Why don’t you tell me why the hell you’re trying to steal a ship when you’re supposed to be evacuating to the core.”

Caught, Camilla gave up on the sheepish act and planted a fist on one hip. “All right, fine. My dad told Captain Malloy that I wasn’t allowed to fight. That’s bullshit. You’ve seen me run the sims. I can fly with the best of them.”

“No one says you aren’t talented, Camilla. But a good soldier knows how to obey orders. Right now, I’m ordering you to stand down and find shelter. Bolin’s going to be pissed enough when he finds out you’re here instead of Earth. Find a transport going back and get underground.

I could tell she wanted to argue, but my comment about being a good soldier stopped her. Schooling her features into compliance, Camilla spun on her heel and left.

Once she was gone, I let myself smile. It was just the kind of stunt I would expect from Bolin’s kid. And Lex too. It wasn’t all that long ago that she’d snuck aboard the Star and hid in a healing pod when we’d gone to a planet named Novo in hopes of fixing Athena.

After nearly turning the ship around when we found she was missing, things had eventually calmed down and worked out for the better. Somehow, I didn’t think Bolin would feel the same way if I had let Camilla take the ship.

“Athena, you around?”

Her hard light form rendered in front of me.

“Good evening, Captain. How can I be of assistance?”

Athena beamed at me, almost a little too brightly, too forced. While her files were no longer corrupted and in a state of degradation, I wondered if the Cognitive was trying hard to cover something up. Sometimes it was easy to forget that they were more than a collection of data and processes. Each Cognitive was sentient and had their own personality. Human in every way except the flesh.

I made a note to ask Dressler if there could be some sort of aftereffects for Athena, and if so, how we could help. For now, I had to deal with Camilla. “I need you to block Camilla Abernathy from the strike ships,” I instructed. “And keep an eye on her. If she tries to take another ship, or doesn’t head back to Earth, alert me.”

Athena momentarily went still, a sign she was in the middle of a process, then bowed her head. “Of course, Captain. Miss Abernathy’s clearances have been adjusted and I am tracking her whereabouts. It does appear she is following your directive.”

“At least one thing is going right. Since you’re here, can you update me on the Nightmares?”

“Standby, Captain.” This time when she stopped flickering, her face showed minute signs of worry.

Uh-oh. I steeled myself for whatever bad news she was about to deliver. “What is it?”

“I’m afraid there is a slight problem. While over one hundred Celestial pods have been identified, only forty-two have been eliminated.”

“Forty-two?” I echoed. “Where the hell did the rest go?”

“Unknown at this time. The creatures are faster than expected and quite difficult to strike. They are proving to be adept at evasive maneuvers.”

“Great. Make sure there’s no one on the ground that might have a run in with them. It took a trilobite to take one of those bastards out.”

“I will do that now,” Athena said.

No sooner had she gone than Sigmond took her place. Like before, his tone was urgent. “Captain. Another tunnel has opened, and Earth is now under heavy bombardment. This is likely phase two of the Celestials’ attack. I have launched Earth’s defense network. Drones are en route.”

Unable to stand there any longer, I sprinted back to the Star and was strapping myself into the pilot seat in record time. “I need numbers. Get the word out for squadrons on Earth to pull back. Where are we with backup?”

The orders were popping out as soon as I could think them, but Sigmond could handle it.

“As of now, 239 Celestial fighters have come through, though that number grows with each second. I see no sign of their warship. The Sarkonian fleet was deployed, but they have not arrived yet. We received word that a small personal fleet is approaching the slip tunnel. I estimate they will reach Earth within the next thirty minutes.”

I grunted. “Good. Who is it?”

“One moment. They are coming through the SG Point at this very moment. Patching your transmission through now.”

“This is Captain Hughes,” I began once the connection was made. “Who is this?”

“Captain Hughes, nice to meet you in person.” A man in an unfamiliar uniform stared back at me. “Commissioner Gage Walker reporting on behalf of the EnerTron Corporation, here to assist.”

I’d never heard the rank of Commissioner before, but that meant nothing. Neither did the name Gage Walker ring any bells. EnerTron, on the other hand, I recognized, albeit only in passing. The corporation owned a few planets and was big into the artifact game, once upon a time. It was a little hazy, but I was pretty sure I’d delivered an item or two to the CEO, an industrialist named Oragga.

“Well, Walker. I don’t know who the hell you are, but I’m glad you’re here. We can use the support. I’ll patch you through to Constable Malloy. He’s in charge of coordinating.”

“Roger that, Captain.” The Star broke into Earth’s orbit just before the first wave of Celestial fighters. I could see them on my holo display, too many red markers to count.

“Captain Hughes, another tunnel is forming within our system,” Carl announced.

“Perfect,” I muttered. “Why not? Carl, get me—”

“Pardon my interruption, sir,” Sigmond broke in. “You may want to see this.”

The display changed from the war markers to one of the feeds. The colony was under attack, which was no surprise. I could make out the tent where Freddie and Petra had had their nuptials only days before.

Nearby, one of the Celestial bombardments had left a haggard trench in the ground, wreckage in its wake. The drone zoomed in where the thing had left a crater. Smoke billowed thickly. making it hard to see anything.

At first, I thought Sigmond was just showing me the damage, then a shadow moved.

"Uh, what the fuck is that?" What emerged left no doubt. The bombardment wasn't a bomb. Like the Nightmares, it had merely been a delivery system. "Siggy, get the word out. We're in deep shit. They sent the mobile armor troops."

It wasn't just any Celestial crawling out of the crater. It was a mobile suit of armor.

8

More bombs streaked through the air. Most were aimed at the makeshift colony, toppling the new structures and causing an erratic stream of destruction. I could only imagine how many casualties we’d already sustained.

“Sir,” announced Sigmond. “I have an urgent transmission from Mr. Malloy.”

“Put him through,” I ordered, preparing myself for more bad news.

Alphonse’s face materialized in the holo display, deep lines of concern already apparent on his forehead. It was rare to see him rattled, but it was becoming more common with each passing week as this war progressed. Even the most composed of us is bound to break after so much grief and stress. “Captain, ground forces are under attack from the bombardments. They’re being targeted and pinned down.”

“We need to do something about that, Al,” I hastened to say. “The bombs aren’t just bombs. It seems the Celestials are pulling the same trick twice. The mobile armor suits are back.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. They want to pin us down so they can get to our ground forces and take them out.”

“Alright, let’s provide some backup, shall we?”

Sigmond updated my map to show where Alphonse was with his team.

“Where the hell is Freddie?” I asked over the public comm channel.

I hadn’t seen the kid since the wedding and hadn’t had time to reconnect since the attacks began.

“Right here, Captain.” One of the markers flashed on my screen, indicating his position.

“You’re in the air?”

“Sure am, sir. There wasn’t time to get to Tartarus, so Petra and I commandeered one of the Celestial retrofits that was parked down here.”

I appreciated the younger man’s growth since the first time I’d met him. Back then he had been afraid of his own shadow. Now, he was still afraid but damn if he didn’t step up anyway to get things done.

“Smart move, Fred. Flank me. We’re going to help Al and the others clean this mess up before it gets any worse.”

“Copy that!” the former priest snapped. I could almost feel the adrenaline in his voice. He was ready for payback, and it showed.

Or, perhaps, like me, he was simply ready to get the fight over with so we could all start living.

He was a married man, after all. He had a honeymoon to get to.

“Don’t forget about me,” chimed another voice that I recognized instantly.

“Abby? I thought you were on the Dawn.”

“I didn’t get the chance,” she explained. “Sigmond told me we were being attacked, and I was still in the hangar on Tartarus. Figured you might need me.”

I felt a slight pang that she was in another ship. If it were up to me, she’d be by my side, riding the weapons controls like old times.

Old times...

For just a moment I could see the past, and a flash of memories swept through my mind reminding me of how simple it used to be. Back when we were all on one ship and she sat beside me, always there where I could see her safe. That was all gone now, slowly torn away a little at a time as necessity had forced us to grow and divide. Now there were fleets and planet-ships to contend with, and our troubles had grown with them.

It wasn’t the first time I longed for those days, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last. Not before all of this was done.

For now, I had my crew with me, and they had me. Abigail was still here, even if not physically, and she went with me into battle still.

And neither of us would let the other lose.

“Form up, then,” I ordered. “The game is search and destroy. We need to deal with the mobile suits. If one of our trusty Cognitives would be so helpful as to provide us with trajectory paths, we might even be able to shoot these Celestial assholes out of the sky. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they are destroying Verdun.”

“Oh, I noticed,” Abigail responded. “At least we got everyone out before they did. Right now it’s just the buildings.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” I replied, but suspected before this was over we’d have plenty of casualties.

Part of me was worried. We’d run out of time to prepare. We had no major weapon at the moment, not like the one we used back at the Gate of Eternity. Dressler was dealing with her little experiments, but she still had nothing solid to show for it. No solution that could turn the tide and bring us to victory.

I forced myself to get back on track and deal with the here and now. The rest would come later. I had to believe that.

“Captain, dropships are on the way,” informed Sigmond. “I cannot penetrate the ships to determine what is inside, but I believe the Celestial forces will be a mixture of more armor, Berserkers, and Rangers. Perhaps more Nightmares.”

I tried not to groan. “We’ll deal with it, Siggy. Just keep pumping out more drones.”

“Of course, sir.”

My display beeped, then updated with hundreds of lines. “Your requested trajectories, sir,” Carl explained.

“Good, now divvy them up based on coordinates,” I instructed.

Seconds later, I had my targets.

All communication went silent as my people got to work.

Shooting what amounted to meteors out of the sky was no easy task.

Once the Celestials figured out what we were doing, the meteors began evasive maneuvers.

“Junior, I’m going to need a hand here,” I barked out, working the Star’s controls.

“Of course, sir. I am here to please. What would you like me to do?”

As much as I hated to give up any control, I couldn’t pilot and go after the bombs. “Just deal with flying. Keep the Star on target. I’ll take care of the shooting.

“Working.”

The ship’s AI took control then, easing the Star into the first target’s path. I began the heady task of shooting the Celestial bastards out of the air. The first fell fast, the pod tumbling to the ground in a chaotic spiral.

“Yes!” I shouted. “Next.”

“Sir, I do not wish to take away from this victory, but I don’t believe the Celestial is dead.”

“What?”

I watched in abject irritation as the display showed the ruined pod, except not so ruined, had opened to let its rider out.

“Son of a bitch. Now what?”

“I think I can help,” said a new voice over the comm.

“Angus?”

“That’s right, Captain. I took the liberty of introducing my detection system from Z-28K. It should help. I can send ground troops to deal with the new problem now that we have air support.”

I didn’t hesitate. “Do it. If they get into trouble, I want to know.”

“Understood.”

Karin and Leif were in charge of the Alliance ground troops on Earth. The two had been preparing our soldiers for this moment from the beginning. I knew our people were itching for this fight to happen, mostly so it could be over, but I knew that we wouldn’t get out of this unscathed. Again, it wasn’t something I could worry about. Every person fighting knew exactly what we were up against. They had signed up anyway. So had I, even if it was the last thing I’d expected since hooking up with the nun Abigail Pryar and her ward.

Now, they were my people and I’d die to protect them. Yes, even the Union and Sarkonians. Right now, we weren’t just an alliance of three nations. We were simply one species: human.

“Junior, let’s move on to the next.”

My next target lit up in bright yellow. The AI steered the ship to it, and I wasted no time firing on it. The display lit up, showing I’d made contact, but the little pod didn’t start to fall as I’d expected. Instead, it turned and began to run.

“Oh no you don’t,” I hissed under my breath. “Don’t lose him, Junior!”

“Working on that, Captain.”

When the Celestial craft stopped, twisted, and began to head toward me, I knew exactly what it was doing.

“He wants to play,” I said, feeling a little gleeful. “Let’s see who blinks first, pal.”

I realized then how stupid that idea was. The Celestials didn’t get scared, and they weren’t crazy. If anything, they were smart and callous enough to send soldiers into war that were expendable. It didn’t matter to them if their people died.

The ship coming at me wouldn’t turn. It would either shoot until I was dead in the air or it would hit me dead on, just to take me out.

Cursing, I took control again and veered off. The Celestial followed suit. It had neatly turned things around, and now I was the one running.

I was ready to put the Star into a dive when the pursuing vessel blinked and went gray, indicating the Celestial was out of commission.

“You’re welcome,” said Abigail.

“I had it, Abby,” I told her. “Just needed another second.”

“Right, of course. Well, now you don’t.”

There wasn’t time to respond. More trajectories needed dealt with, and they didn’t seem to be letting up.

I took out five more before the tide began to change in our favor. A quick study of the display showed me that it wasn’t just the enemy’s numbers that had gone down—ours had too.

Alphonse came on the display looking strained. “Uh, Captain? We have another problem.”

“What is it, Al?”

“You know those missing Nightmare Celestials?”

I closed my eyes, realizing the news was about to be bad. “Don’t hold out on me now, Al. What about them?”

“They’re meeting up with the mobile suits. Almost like... pets. Making it hard to attack.”

“Any suggestions?”

“We need pulse cannon support, maybe heavy artillery ground transport.”

None of that had been sent to earth’s surface yet. I had assumed we’d be waging this war farther away, somewhere in the open void of space. It was a mistake, one I hoped wouldn’t cost us too dearly.

“Okay, Al. Get with Leif and Karin. I’ll talk to Vick and Sanchez, see what we can do. We’re trying to clean up the mess, but maybe we should be focusing on—“

He clicked off, leaving me to contact the other Alliance heads.

When I had them both on the line, I laid out the problem. Sanchez looked grim. “I’m sorry, but the Emperor did not include any of those. I do apologize. It was not included on the request.”

I had to resist calling them cheap bastards to his face. It wasn’t Sanchez’s fault. I could tell from the way one side of his mouth angled down that he wasn’t happy with the Emperor’s decision either.

“The Union will assist in this effort,” said Vick.

I waited for a smug comment. While the Vice-Admiral and I were no longer in direct opposition, I knew he still believed his people were the superior government. And, to be honest, he might not be wrong about that.

“Our armored ground transport is the latest designed,” he boasted, true to form. “Recent modifications should prove useful.”

I didn’t know why, but something about hearing Vick sound more like himself made me feel better. It pained me to realize that when he’d been wary and defeated, unsure of himself, I’d felt some of that in myself.

If he wasn’t giving up, I sure as hell wouldn’t either.

“That’s the spirit, Vice Admiral,” I said, using his title for once. “Let’s take them out before they hit orbit. That’ll give Karin and Leif’s ground units the ability to mobilize immediately.” When the plan was agreed upon, I filled in the rest of my people.

“Our first troops are ready,” Karin told me. “More than ready, actually. Eager.”

I couldn’t see her face, but her words confirmed what I had already suspected. Her mother Lucia had sacrificed herself to give Abigail and me a chance to survive—and it had worked. Karin didn’t blame us, but the need for vengeance was there, all the same. I could see it in her eyes every time we spoke.

Now, finally, she had the opportunity to seize it.

“I know they are,” I said, replying to Karin’s question. “You’ll have support from above, but you know the deal. The Celestials are unpredictable. Those Nightmares are nothing to play around with. Make sure they’re dead.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Captain.”

She hadn’t complained all this time, I realized. After Lucia’s death, I’d assigned Karin to training our soldiers. In my mind, no one else was better suited for the job. All of the Descendants had been raised on Glacio, the forgotten ice planet once tasked with finding the cure to the Eternal’s degradation problem, and they were bred and trained for war. More than the rest of us, Karin’s people lived and breathed combat, and today it showed.

Not for the first time, I was glad to have them on my side.

She signed off, leaving me to refocus on the battle. The bombardments were slowing, but more than a few had gotten past us. I contemplated heading for the void, thinking I might be more needed there, when a hail came over the comm.

“I’ve lost my engines!” The panicked voice had my gut clenching. It was Freddie. “We’re going down!”

I pulled up the display, looking for his marker. Of course, it was on the far side of a valley over one hundred kilometers from the main colony camp.

His ship wasn’t hurtling to the ground as much as it seemed to be gliding. Nevertheless, it was heading down. Instinct told me they’d survive the crash, but then they’d be helpless.

“What are you doing way over there?” I demanded.

“I’m sorry, Captain! We were chasing one of the ships, but it pulled a maneuver and I couldn’t react fast enough.”

“I’m closer, Jace,” said Abigail. Her marker peeled off and shot in the direction of Freddie and Petra. “I’ll pick them up. Just provide the cover.”

“On it.” I scanned the display and found the Celestial, which Junior had helpfully changed to a bright orange dot.

Sure enough, the enemy had circled back and was headed straight for our stranded pair.

As Abigail swooped down, I saw the slight change in the Celestial’s trajectory. It was obvious they were going to go for her first, but I was ready for it. I hit the enemy with the Star’s mounted pulse cannon and watched the craft stutter, then stall.

Alone in my cockpit, I grinned, just for a second, before using my upgraded beam weapons. What was left of the Celestial’s ship took a nosedive and started falling to the earth at full speed. When it hit, I let loose another stream, just to be safe. “Someone let me know if that took it out,” I called out. “I don’t want them coming back.”

Sigmond was the first to answer. “My scanners have confirmed that you eliminated the threat, sir. Miss Pryar has collected Mr. and Mrs. Tabernacle.”

For a moment, I was slightly dumbfounded. Even after the wedding, it was somewhat of a shock to hear a Mrs. in front of Freddie’s last name. “Good,” I finally managed. “Then let’s all get our sorry asses back into the fight.”

There was a slight pause, then Petra’s voice came over the comm. “I think it’s over, Captain.”

Surprised, I pulled up more feeds on the display at the command center. Sure enough, all the trajectories were grayed out, with the exception of a few stragglers.

Unwilling to accept that the war could be over so soon, I hailed Leif to ask for a report.

“That can’t be right,” I said.

“We’re nearly done here,” he proclaimed, all smiles. “Thanks to your quick thinking, we didn’t have to deal with too many of the suits. I expected more of them, but then again, we have been destroying them as of late.”

I grunted, thinking it over. “We have, but something doesn’t seem right. Siggy, you and Carl ran the numbers from the Gate of Eternity. Could this account for their leftover forces?”

“No, it cannot,” the Cognitive replied, appearing next to me with haste. He flicked a wrist at the holo and brought up the information I’d been shown earlier. “Based on accumulated data, this would not even account for one eighth of the Celestial’s remaining fleet.”

I didn’t say anything for a minute, trying to work the puzzle out in my head. Knowing how capable the Celestials were was making me reexamine the recent attacks.

First, the Nightmares had come through the new slip tunnels like a slingshot. That had been unexpected, throwing us enough that we had scrambled to deal with them. Then, they’d sent a second wave right in our faces.

I had thought it just another show of their arrogance, but what if it wasn’t?

“They didn’t cloak,” I said slowly. “Even though we know how to detect them, it would have made more sense. We would have had a difficult time tracking them. Enough that we’d still be scrambling.”

“You’re right,” Abigail agreed. “We focused all of our attention on dealing with this attack. I don’t know about you, but it wasn’t hard to take out the fighters.”

“That ship should have been able to circle back and kill me and Petra,” Freddie added. “Instead, they let us drift down, almost guaranteeing survival.”

I recalled the almost lazy arc the Celestial had taken and came to a new conclusion. “This is a distraction. But from what?”

“Jace, they’re smart,” Abigail began. “Why would they go after Earth first? Besides the evacuees, who don’t pose any kind of threat to them, there’s nothing here. Isn’t it odd that they wouldn’t know Verdun was empty?”

“Yeah, it is. So, the question is, what would they go after instead?” I flipped through the mental images of our biggest assets. Tartarus, the Galactic Dawn, our fleets of ships. Then it hit me. “Siggy, start beefing up security around your drone production. We can’t lose—“

“Warning! Warning!” I was interrupted by Athena’s automated voice coming through the comm and an alert flashing on the holo. “Earth’s Defense Network has been compromised.”

Ice slid down my spine and pooled into a ball in the pit of my stomach. “Siggy, talk to me, what’s happening?”

“Your suspicion was correct. A large scale attack has just been launched on all drone production. All active drones are being directed to counter-attack. Please stand by.”

I swore violently, beyond pissed that I’d fallen into the Celestials’ trap. Unable to sit back and do nothing, I put a call out on the open channel while directing the Star to the factory. “Everyone, listen up. The Defense Network is under attack. All available pilots report to the given coordinates.”

A flurry of responses flooded in, but I muted the din. Even though I knew we would be too late, I had to go.

The trip was only an hour, but that was time enough. When I arrived, all that was left was a burnt out facility and thousands of destroyed ships, both Celestial and human alike.

Though I already knew what the response would be, I called for Sigmond anyway. “Give me a report.”

“A total loss, sir. I’m afraid there will be no more drone production.”

9

Back on Earth, I paced the lounge of my ship and tried to come up with another plan. The drone production facility was—or had been—one of our greatest assets. Losing it hurt like a kick to the groin.

The final report was still forthcoming, but what I knew so far wasn’t promising. Fewer than 500 of Sigmond’s drones remained active. With Oragga’s personal security fleet being the closest, they’d responded first and lost a good number of their forces.

All in all, this was turning into a shit day.

Ever since the attack, I’d been waiting for the other boot to drop, so to speak. I didn’t understand why the Celestials would strike, putting us in a vulnerable position, only to leave. To my mind, it was the ideal time for them to attack us. The Alliance was far from at its strongest and there was a good bet that we might not have been able to win.

Carl had concluded that the Celestials’ goal was to buy time. It was the only thing that fit their actions. Normally I’d be skeptical that our opponents would be willing to give us anything, but it also made a certain amount of sense if they were feeling desperate.

When Mareses and the Precursors took half of the Celestials’ fleet in one fell swoop, it must have given them quite a jolt. By all accounts, they had never lost anything. Not until they met us, anyway.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Sure, at the beginning we had gotten lucky. I’m sure that’s how the Celestials saw it. If there was one thing they couldn’t see around, it was their own egos.

Dumb humans like us shouldn’t be able to compete, not on any level. And yet, here we were. Surviving.

Maybe that was the key. The Celestials were used to being in first place. Time and time again, they’d failed to bring us to heel. That had to do more than sting. It must outright piss them off.

Enough that they were second guessing a full scale attack.

It was still coming; of that I had no doubt. But I agreed with Carl—it seemed like we had a breather. This was good news. It meant Dressler might be able to pull something out of her ass after all.

“Captain, I do have some good news,” said Sigmond.

I hadn’t even noticed he was in the room. “Oh, yeah? Please tell me it’s that the backup Sarkonian fleet has arrived.”

A slight frown wrinkled his brow. “I’m afraid not. An updated report has brought the unaccounted Celestials down to seven. Their whereabouts are known, and they should be eliminated in quick order. One Nightmare is in this sector. Mr. Abernathy is on the task but has requested support. Would you prefer to delegate?”

I almost said yes. There were a million things I needed to stay on top of. Checking on Dressler, dealing with new arrivals, and yet another meeting with the Alliance heads to come up with an alternate plan.

All boring shit.

Thinking of it that way, hunting rogue Celestials suddenly seemed like the better option.

“You know what, Siggy? Tell him I’ll be right there,” I said on a whim.

The Cognitive gave one of his little bows. “ Very good. I’ll send the coordinates.”

I found Bolin easily enough. The pilot had put his ship down near one of the birthing domes and was waiting inside for me.

A good idea. Given how fast the little bastards could move, it was better to err on the side of caution.

He met me outside in full armor with a rifle in his hands. “Thanks for the assist. I was tracking this one but lost it in the field. Sigmond’s still tracking it, says our target is chowing down on one of the goats.”

I groaned. “Let’s make sure none of the kids find out about that.”

“Sure thing. I wanted to avoid killing our new animals if possible, so I figured Sigmond could use a drone or one of our ships to drive it toward us.”

“That should work,” I replied. “And it will allow us to create a tunnel. Siggy can herd it right to us.”

Bolin nodded. “Exactly my thoughts. Just didn’t want to try it alone.”

I clapped my friend on the shoulder. “No problem. We’ll take care of this, then get back.”

Since the Star would work a little better for what we had in mind, Sigmond opted to use that. It didn’t take long before we heard the telltale sounds of a battle. Screeching filled the air, then a thumping that grew closer.

“Here it comes,” Bolin murmured.

I nodded and lifted my rifle, ready to take the creature down as soon as it showed that ugly face. The pounding came nearer, as did the sound of ship guns, and I felt the ground begin to tremble beneath our feet. Any second now, I thought.

The second the Nightmare came into view, I knew we were in trouble. It was a blur of movement leaving a wake of destroyed grass and flying dirt.

“Take it down, now!” I shouted. “Go for the head, I’ll go low.”

Bolin didn’t argue.

We met the oncoming beast with a barrage of bullets. I aimed for its legs, hoping like hell it didn’t have the same type of hard light shielding that the Berserkers did.

The Nightmare let out a roar of rage and pain. It tried to veer, but Sigmond kept a steady stream of fire on its hind end, forcing it to stay on its current course.

When it leapt toward us, I had to reload.

“Back up,” said Bolin, running dry at the same time.

With the Celestial bearing down on us from barely forty meters away, I tossed the empty magazine and slammed a fresh one into place. There wasn’t time to aim. I squeezed the trigger, spraying from the hip and praying one of them connected.

It screamed again, then tripped.

Instead of stopping, the creature used its momentum to roll, then spring back up to its feet and leap into the air.

Straight at me.

Letting out a stream of curses that would have made Fratley Oxonos blush, I tried to strafe right.

True to form, the Celestial was a work of perfection. It adjusted course slightly when it landed, pouncing from powerful back feet that sent it hurtling toward me.

From there, everything happened quickly.

Something solid hit me, knocking me to the side. As I fell, I got an up close and personal introduction to the Celestial attack dog’s teeth. They dripped with saliva, and I had a split second to wonder if they were poisonous.

Then the Nightmare twisted overhead, and I realized it hadn’t actually touched me. Bolin had been the one I felt, pushing me out of the way and leaving himself in danger.

“Bolin, get—“

He was already swinging around to meet our combatant but wasn’t fast enough. It only took a single swipe and he was lifted bodily into the air.

With a grunt, I sat up and started firing at the Nightmare. It felt the pain, that much I could tell from the noises it made—terrifying high pitched screeching—but the Celestial didn’t stop. Bolin wasn’t moving, either passed out from the impact or... I didn’t want to think about the alternative.

I forced myself up and extended the hard light blades from the cuffs at my wrist. Breaking into a sprint, I tried to catch up.

Before I did, the Nightmare went rigid. I almost stopped, confused as to what was happening.

“Captain, I’ve deployed a pulse stream. That should give you an opening to use the hard light weapon.”

I rushed the last few steps and buried both blades into the Nightmare’s back. It shuddered, still unable to move from the pulse hit, then collapsed.

A rustling behind it brought Bolin into my periphery, and I grinned. He had a few bruises and scrapes but otherwise looked fine. “Nice of you to wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”

He smiled back. “I don’t know what that is, but I’m alive so I don’t really care, Captain.”

I started to explain about the ancient fairy tale Lex had learned when the Nightmare shuddered once more. Before either of us could react, one of its limbs shot out and hooked around Bolin’s waist.

His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a scream when the Nightmare yanked him to its head and buried its fangs into his torso. The other front limb twisted around him, and I heard a snap and crunch before he went limp.

“Bolin!” I screamed.

The cuffs were still activated, and I swung out carelessly, slicing into the Celestial’s flesh. I cut clean through one appendage, but didn’t stop. I hacked at the head until it let go and slid the corpse to the ground.

Bolin’s still body landed with a thump, and I retracted the hard light blades before going to him. His eyes were still open, but there was no life in them.

My friend was dead.

I simply stood in place for a moment, gutted. My ears were ringing from the stress and I thought Siggy might be saying something, but I ignored it.

Only I couldn’t ignore the screaming of a ship overhead.

It was on a collision course with the nearby dome, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it.

Where were Siggy and the Star?

An explosion shook the earth as the ship collided with the side of the birthing dome. I was close enough for it to throw me aside, but I was on my feet again in moments.

I’d forgotten my rifle, but I didn’t plan on using it. If the Celestial inside was still alive, I was going to take it apart with the hard light blades.

“Sir, I would recommend waiting for backup,” Sigmond began.

“Go ahead and call for help,” I said, seeing red. “But I’m going to kill me a Celestial.”

To his credit, the Cognitive didn’t try to sway me.

Remembering how the Nightmare had played dead, I approached with caution. The dome had extensive damage to the exterior, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. As for the usually smooth Celestial craft, it was now broken open like a shell, the debris of much of its hull scattered about.

A fire burned on the aft section, and I wondered if the being inside had survived.

My question was answered a moment later when a large metal plate flew out. Whoever was inside was trapped, that much was clear when they didn’t emerge. I didn’t wait for the Celestial to climb out. There was no way it would leave here alive, and I didn’t care if I had to kill it while it was pinned down. I activated the blades again and advanced on the enemy with a singular thought in mind.

“Captain Hughes, wait!” a voice called out.

Surprise had me turning around to see Dr. Dressler, who was accompanied by her beau, Alphonse Malloy. Between them, on a hovercart, was a pulse cannon.

“Not the time, Doc,” I spit out. “They killed Bolin.”

She held up both hands in a sign of peace. “I understand, but I’ve discovered a way to contain them. Perhaps we can talk to them.”

“Honestly, I don’t care. You know there’s no rationalizing with them, and I ain’t looking to make conversation.”

“I don’t think MaryAnn wants to… talk,” Alphonse cut in. “What she’s trying to say is we might be able to extract useful information.”

That gave me pause and opened up a new line of possibilities. As much as I wanted revenge for Bolin’s death, I had to think in different terms. The stakes were too high to start making half-cocked decisions. If we could beat the Celestials’ plan out of this soldier, we might learn something useful and change the outcome of the war.

I couldn’t pass that kind of opportunity up. Nodding, I stepped back and gestured at the ruined Celestial ship. “Just how do you plain on containing one of these, by the way?”

“I’ve been working on it for quite some time,” Dressler explained. “Making a new version of the transportation device aboard Tartarus.”

“The one the Celestials used?” I blinked at her. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

The doctor shook her head. “You don’t normally want to hear about all of my experiments. Besides, it isn’t technically finished. Instead of transporting items, I’ve only managed to put them into a partially unphased state. It has been quite difficult to replicate the original design. We accidentally created a Cronenberg at one point and—”

I held up a hand to stop her. “Put it in terms I understand and leave out all the crap that doesn’t matter.”

She sighed. “Very well. Essentially, the device cannot complete the transportation process in its entirety. Instead, it keeps whatever is inside in a state of phasing. A state in which the mass is neither fully here nor there.”

“In short, it becomes a sort of prison for whatever object is trapped inside,” Alphonse added. “The traveler loses all mobility.”

“A prison? I like the sound of that,” I said.

“I thought you might,” he replied.

“Alright, let’s go get us a prisoner of war, then.”

Alphonse nodded and readied the cannon. “Thirty seconds,” he announced.

I glanced back at the ship. The noises had stopped, but I didn’t think the Celestial was dead. Since it was still locked inside, I wondered how we were going to get it out so Alphonse could hit it with a pulse wave.

“Al, I hate to break it to you, but neither of us is strong enough to break into the hull.”

He offered me a smug smile. “Don’t worry, Captain, we came with a plan. Athena?”

“My apologies,” the Cognitive said over our comm. “I am arriving--” She paused, briefly. “Now.”

A Celestial armor suit lowered to the scorched earth, the movement somehow graceful. Of all the Cognitives, Athena had taken to the physical body the fastest and seemed to have a natural aptitude for piloting it.

When questioned about it, Sigmond had offered some excuse about Athena having been a Cognitive for much longer. Maybe that was true, but it seemed more likely that he was just embarrassed. Hard to say when it came to a digital superbeing. Navigating other people’s emotional states was hard enough.

“It’s fine, Athena,” I replied. “Let’s just get this over with. I want to interrogate the prisoner as soon as possible.”

“As do I,” she remarked.

When Alphonse and Dressler were in place, she stepped forward and gripped a section of the metal that had peeled back. With a sharp tug, the piece came off. I waited, tense, for the Celestial to come roaring out to fight us, but that didn’t happen.

“Athena, what do you see?” asked Dressler.

“One moment,” the Cognitive replied.

She pulled on another portion of the hull, making the hole even bigger, then reached inside. There was a short scuffle, then a strange guttural sound that I recognized as Celestial speech.

“I have the Celestial,” Athena announced. “Is the pulse cannon ready?”

“It is,” Alphonse confirmed.

As soon as he finished speaking, Athena reared back and tossed the enemy. It landed directly in the cannon’s line of fire. Alphonse fired, hitting it dead on.

The creature froze in place.

“Athena, don’t take any chances,” I said, jabbing a finger at it. “Keep it restrained until we can get it in Dressler’s contraption.”

“With pleasure,” she responded.

Once she had it secured, I got a better view of it.

“Gods,” said Dressler. “It looks...”

“Human,” I finished for her. This Celestial was different from the others, but I still recognized it from Carl’s descriptions. “See how the head is bigger than the rest of it? This is one of the leaders.”

“Why would they send one of them here?” Alphonse wondered. “Why not a scout? That was pretty efficient last time.”

“It’s likely we’ve already encountered them when facing off against their fleet, but this would be the first time we’ve seen them up close,” Dressler began, moving forward to study it. “There could be several reasons for sending them, but it seems likely they were growing concerned after our victory at the Gate of Eternity and wanted to see with their own eyes what we were capable of, rather than rely on accounts from their lackeys, so to speak.”

I scoffed. “Lackeys? Every class is a trained killer, MaryAnn. Created to destroy. Just because this one might have had a hand in doing the engineering doesn’t make the creations lackeys.”

“You misunderstand,” she continued as Athena began to walk to the Renegade Star. “The only downfall of sending others to do your work is that you don’t get a firsthand account. All the information is filtered through what the soldiers saw and reported back. By sending one of the Engineers, that changes.”

“It shows that they felt the need for a better report,” Alphonse added. “We’re making them do things they never had to before. I’ve studied their tactics for eradication. As far as I saw, the Engineers have never been seen in person outside of their ships.”

“All the better for us, then,” I said. “That means they might trip up and make mistakes. Let’s hope they do.”

I paused to watch as Athena climbed the ramp. Having a live Celestial on board wasn’t exactly comforting, but I trusted her to keep it from causing any problems. The Engineer appeared to be unconscious, but I wasn’t buying it. It was just biding time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

And it would keep waiting.

“Let’s go. I have to let Camilla know what happened.”

Since Bolin’s ship didn’t have a pilot, Sigmond took control and guided it back to the hangar at Tartarus. I didn’t want Bolin’s body on the same ship where one of the enemy was, so Alphonse promised to take care of it.

There would be no time for a funeral, not until all of this was over. With a heavy heart, I took my place in the cockpit once more and prepped the Star for takeoff.

10

I stood in Dressler’s lab, facing my crew. Abigail had been helping to eradicate the remaining Celestials that were still the planet’s surface but had come when I called for her. Alphonse was here too, and we were joined by Freddie and Petra shortly thereafter.

“You caught one of them?” The disbelief on Abigail’s face turned to disgust. “You should have killed it. They don’t communicate, so there’s not much point in letting any live.”

“Actually, I think this one might,” Dressler cut in. Now that she had everyone’s attention, the doctor went on. “This Celestial is not a mindless drone, nor is it a soldier. We’re dealing with one of the leaders now… which leaves us with a new opportunity.”

I gave the doctor a quick nod to continue. She got the others up to speed quickly and explained how this particular Celestial was a new class, one of the intellectuals.

“An Engineer,” Freddie said in awe. “They sent one down after all.”

“So what?” Petra asked, seemingly unimpressed by the discovery. “It wants the same thing the others did: to kill each and every one of us. They can’t be bought, bargained with, or made to see reason. What can we hope to get out of this?”

Freddie paused and blinked at her, apparently surprised by his new bride’s unrestrained hostility.

Dressler fixed solemn eyes on the woman. “As I explained to the Captain, this Engineer may be open to communication. If they won’t talk willingly, then…”

Her eyes drifted toward me.

Abigail followed her lead, frowning at me. “Then what?”

“Then we do it the hard way,” I said, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “We’ll pry the information out of its godsdamn mouth until I’m satisfied enough to let it die.”

The room went quiet all at once. Freddie looked especially surprised. Petra, on the other hand, just nodded in agreement. Maybe it was her experience in the war so far or the trauma of losing her arm. Maybe it was growing up on a hostile frozen tundra of a world and facing death at every turn against literal monsters. Whatever the case, she showed no remorse or fear when it came to war and doing what she believed had to be done, especially now, here at the end.

In that sense, we were very much alike.

“Captain, we can’t do that,” sputtered Freddie. “It’s not right. Killing it is one thing, but torture is unethical.”

I aimed a cold stare at the younger man. “Is that what you think?”

“Don’t you?”

“Honestly?” I asked. “I don’t give a damn about ethics right now, Fred. The Celestials picked this fight, not us. We were perfectly fine to make a living for ourselves right here on our own. They couldn’t let us just be. No. They wanted a war. They begged for it. And now that it’s here, they’ll take whatever the hell we give them.”

“But, Captain--”

“No, he’s right,” Abigail said, cutting him off. “There’s a real chance we’ll be overrun, even with everything we’re doing. Failure isn’t an option here, and if there’s a chance to get ahead, we should try. I don’t like the idea any more than you do, but these creatures aren’t human. They don’t play by the same rules.”

“Exactly,” I said. “We find out what they have planned, and who knows? Maybe this Engineer will be open to some discussion. Maybe we can negotiate and come to an agreement. But if that doesn’t happen, if we’re forced to make the hard choice, then we won’t hesitate to kill that bastard along with the rest of them. We’ll end this whole war once and for all. Whatever it takes.”

I said the last part not because I believed talking to the Celestial was a possibility, but to calm Freddie and give him a sense of hope that things might not escalate and his fear might not be realized. He was a former priest and a scholar at heart. He carried his values on his sleeve. It was why I trusted him, why I kept him at my side whenever possible. It was one of the many reasons I liked him so much. But in this, he was wrong, and soon enough he would understand that. We were surrounded by death and destruction almost daily. The fact that he could still have empathy spoke to his character and kept the rest of us a little more grounded.

Thank the gods for people like Freddie Tabernacle, I told myself, then looked again at Dressler. “Doc, why don’t you tell our people here what you’ve come up with?”

She bobbed her head and gestured at the display. The image of a ragtag looking transportation device appeared. It wasn’t as sleek as the one on Tartarus, but it looked functional enough.

“I’ve been using the phasing research, combined with this modified version of the transportation device to keep the Celestial contained.”

More like trapped half phased in its own private hell, but I didn’t say that out loud. I knew firsthand how it felt to have my atoms rearranged. To say the least, it wasn’t pleasant, and I hadn’t been in a phase state for more than a few minutes at a time. The idea of staying that way indefinitely was enough to make me shudder.

“So when do we talk to it?” Abigail asked.

Alphonse and I shared a look. We had discussed this already before anyone else had arrived, so we had something of a plan. First, however, I had to lay some groundwork.

I cleared my throat. “Let’s discuss where we are right now. Sigmond sent word out that anyone with a ship needs to get here ASAP. It was an open transmission with video files of the Celestials. We don’t have time to waste anymore. The war is here.”

Alphonse stepped forward and pulled up a damage report. “The Celestials destroying the drone facility is a problem. Hopefully that transmission pulls in the right kind of help. It’s clear that the bombs were intended as a long range assault to distract us, maybe gauge our defenses. We think that’s because the Celestials need more time to regroup after the loss they suffered at the Gate of Eternity.”

“That’s right,” I said, casting a glance around the group. “The invasion is coming, and soon. The Celestials tried to cripple us before they got here.”

“Haven’t they succeeded?” Petra said under her breath.

Part of me wanted to agree and say she was right. We’d lost one of our own, someone close to me. There had been a time in my life where friends were a luxury I didn’t think I wanted… didn’t think I needed. But time had proven me wrong about that, and soon I realized how empty my ship had actually been. Bolin’s loss, along with Lucia’s, I knew, would walk with me all the days of my life.

Despite that, I had to lead by example. Even if I agreed with Petra, I couldn’t say it. Not about this.

“No, they haven’t.” I aimed a hard gaze in her direction until she finally looked away. “The asteroids got past our defenses because they were looking for fleets. No one expected them to use slip tunnels as a delivery system. Even then, our ships shot most of them down, and we’ve eradicated the rest as we’ve found them. Even got ourselves one of their so-called Engineers.”

“It could have been worse,” Freddie pointed out, though his tone was that of a man trying not to incur the wrath of his woman.

Petra looked like she might argue, then her eyes drifted down and her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. Two of the clan fell in battle. They were as good as family.” When she lifted her head again, most of the fury had disappeared, replaced with a solemn, thoughtful expression. Her eyes had relaxed. “You’re right, Captain. The outcome is what matters.”

I nodded briefly at her and felt some of the tension ease in the room.

Dressler spoke up next. “I have something to consider. I’m still working on the trilobite situation. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get it to react the same way it did with Lex.”

She paused, giving me the feeling she was holding back. “But?” I asked.

“But,” she continued. “I expanded the core program and I now believe that Lex can access the system.”

I just looked at her. “We already knew that.”

“You don’t understand. I mean she can access the entire trilobite network. Not just the one drone, but all of them. At once.”

Abigail’s head jerked and her hand came up to play with the zipper on her jacket. “Are you telling us that Lex is in control of every trilobite on Earth?”

“She could be, under the right circumstances, yes. I believe—”

“Whoa, hold on a second. I’m not good with that,” I interjected. “She’s too young. We’re not going to put her in a battle with the Celestials.”

“I have to agree,” said Abigail.

I crossed my arms and went on. “We won’t stop now by putting her life on the line for some theory that hasn’t been proven yet. Those things are lethal, and the one she touched could easily have been defective.”

Even as I spoke, I knew I was off, at least by a small margin. Lex may have been physically young, but she hadn’t been a kid for a while. The girl had seen too much. Maybe it made me a hypocrite, but I wasn’t ready to put her in danger even if it did help the cause.

“I wasn’t finished.” Dressler’s voice was calm and relaxed, a good contrast to my own. “With some adjustment, the program might allow her to operate them from a distance. If that can be accomplished, Lex could do this from somewhere safe.”

“So she’d use them remotely?” I asked.

“Correct.”

That certainly changed things, I had to admit, but there were still a lot of questions to ask. “What’s the distance on that? Could she be in the core or onboard a ship?”

“We’re working on it,” she said simply. “I’ll have more details for you soon, but I can assure you she won’t have to be present in the battlefield, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

I nodded slowly, still uncertain. “Keep on top of it. Tell me when you have something to show.”

“Do we tell the Alliance leaders what we have?” asked Petra, her gaze sliding to me.

“You mean our new prisoner?” asked Abigail.

I shook my head. “Not yet. Not until we have a chance to speak to it. If nothing comes of it, I don’t want to distract Vick and Sanchez from the Celestials no doubt making their way here. They’re supposed to be handling more support from the Unions and the Sarkonians.”

“Speaking of,” Alphonse interjected from where he leaned against the table. “The Sarkonians are taking their sweet time in getting that fleet here, which is a little worrying. We need the numbers if we’re going to succeed.”

“I’ll check with Sanchez and see if he has an update.”

“Now what?” asked Freddie.

“Now I have to talk with Camilla,” I said, already wishing that job could go to someone else. “She should hear it from me.”

The meeting broke up and I left to deliver the news that would shatter a young girl’s heart.

As I walked through the partially destroyed remains of Verdun’s camp, I took in the aftermath of battle.

Bolin wasn’t the only person we’d lost today. Soldiers on clean up duty were already addressing the carnage. Medical personnel were checking for identification and moving bodies covered in sheets to orderly lines until we could figure out how to bury their dead. Before this war was over, there would be more.

I hesitated when I got to the temporary structure where I’d instructed Camilla to wait. Taking a breath to steady the nerves, I went inside.

“Captain Hughes. I demand to speak to my father. He’s not answering any of my messages. This is totally unfair. I want to help!”

Lex had said the same thing earlier. What was about these kids that made them want to jump headlong into danger for others? I supposed it had something to do with the way they saw us do it so often.

“Camilla, we have to talk,” I said, keeping my voice gentle. “Sit down.”

All at once the color drained from her face. She folded her arms tightly across her chest and backed up. “No. I said I want to talk to my father.”

I could see the pain etched into her eyes and couldn’t help but think of Lex. When all was said and done, would someone be sitting where I was right now, about to tell her that Abby and I hadn’t made it?

Forcing myself to focus on Camilla, I cleared my throat, then began to tell her what happened.

11

I sent Camilla to the core to stay with the wife of one of Bolin’s pilots.

She hadn’t argued with me. I’d expected sobs, or, at the very least, for her to yell at me. Instead, the girl had proven her strength and accepted her father’s death with obvious grief but a clear head.

“Captain, Vice Admiral Vick would like a word,” said Sigmond’s voice in my ear.

“Any chance you know what he wants?”

“I believe it has to do with activity in the system and new arrivals,” the Cognitive replied.

I sighed inwardly. “Go ahead and put him through.”

“Hughes.” Vick’s words were clipped, a sure sign I wasn’t going to like whatever he said next. “I’ve just gotten word that Celestial activity was detected yesterday in the Balder system.”

The Balder system was unfamiliar, but that wasn’t what bothered me. “What do you mean, yesterday? I would have heard from Siggy or Carl if they detected something.”

“Yes, you would have,” he agreed. “If they knew about it.”

“You’re going to want to explain that one to me, Vick,” I said with a snarl.

He exhaled, sounding weary, but just then I didn’t care. “Balder is just a nickname,” he explained. “Not that it matters—it’s a black system. It’s unrecorded, totally off book.”

Now I was starting to lose my patience. “I know what a black system is. What does that have to do with this? You know damn well that the Defense Network is supposed to have access to all Union scanning systems, for exactly this reason.”

“Yes, Hughes, I am aware,” Vick replied, tossing my earlier words back at me. “However, I was under strict orders not to speak of Balder for security reasons.”

“Security reasons?” I sputtered. “You do realize that the fate of humanity is at stake here? We don’t have the luxury of withholding this kind of information from each other. Especially over some Union black site.”

“It’s not a black site,” he replied. “It is one of the government’s contingency plans. A place for officials to evacuate to, including the Commander in Chief. I won’t apologize for following orders, Hughes, but I will say that I didn’t agree with the decision to keep you and the Empire in the dark on this one.”

In truth, I couldn’t blame him too much. “I guess there was probably a lot of pressure for you to keep a lid on it,” I said, relenting.

“Indeed. Besides, I have yet to hear about this Celestial you captured. You aren’t the only one with eyes watching.”

I should have known the Union and Sarkonians would have picked up on the altercation. “I guess that makes us square. When it’s ready to talk, I’ll be sure to let you know. Now, tell me more about this Celestial activity.”

“Fair enough. Two unexplained signals originated outside the Balder system. When investigated, the scouts were able to tie the readings to known Celestial data. It’s not clear whether the enemy was cloaked and biding its time, or just passing through. Almost the same exact thing occurred in another system today.”

“Another black system?” I asked.

“No. Z44-BP is just barren. Still considered Union territory, so there was a scanning hub. The thing is, Z44 is closer to Sol. Logic says the Celestials are on the move.”

My gut clenched at the only conclusion one could draw. “And they’re headed here.”

“That seems likely,” Vick agreed. “I’m sending the data to Sigmond now. My sources say we have a day, minimum. Perhaps the Cognitives can give us more precise timing.”

“You hear that, Siggy?”

“I do. Carl is verifying calculations as we speak,” he replied.

“Keep me updated, Hughes,” said Vick. “I want to know what comes of the Celestial.”

“Yeah, you will,” I told him.

Once he signed off, Sigmond came back with a confirmation.

“Twenty eight standard hours, given current data,” he informed.

“Damn, that’s not a lot of time. And that’s saying what we know is true. That’s a big if, Siggy. Too much room for error.”

Far too much for my liking, anyway. In the long run, maybe it didn’t even matter. As long as we could get our shit together, I had to believe the Alliance would come out on top. We’d come too far to lose it all now.

“Captain, I’ve received several transmissions over the last few minutes. More than a thousand friendly ships are inbound. I believe you will recognize several of them.”

“Finally, some good news.”

“Indeed,” Sigmond agreed. “Would you like me to direct the new arrivals to Tartarus?”

“Yeah, that’ll work. Tell them I’ll be there to meet them.”

Abigail made it back to the Star in time to hitch a ride back to Tartarus. I was glad to have her company again, even if it was only for a little while.

We used the duration of the trip to satisfy an itch we hadn’t had time to scratch lately. There was something almost desperate and frantic about the lovemaking, as though we both thought it might be our last time.

When it was done, we both just lay there for a few minutes, trying to get our breath back.

“Wow. I think my vision is starting to come back,” I joked. “How about you?”

Abigail smiled slyly up at me. “I’m fine, and I was the one doing all the work. I thought you Renegades were more—”

I tickled her, making her giggle. It was a carefree sound I hadn’t heard nearly enough over the past few months. “Keep it up, lady. There’s more where that came from. If you think you can handle another round, I’m more than happy to oblige.”

“Maybe I will.” She reached up and pressed her lips to mine. “But, I think we’re close to Tartarus.”

“Miss Pryar is right,” confirmed Junior.

“Well, why didn’t you say anything?” I grumbled.

“I would have, sir, but you forbade me from interrupting when—”

I put up a hand to stop him from talking. “Yeah, yeah. I remember.”

With a reluctant sigh, I rolled off the bed and walked to the shower. I glanced at Abigail, but she shook her head.

“You won’t be able to control yourself, so I have to be the responsible one. Make it quick, I want to be there too.”

Fun time was over. Now we had to get back to work so we could finish this fight once and for all.

* * *

“This is better than I expected,” I mused, surveying the full hangar with Abigail at my side. “It almost makes up for the drone factory.”

She cast a critical eye over our newest allies. “Not quite, but it helps.”

The hangar had been empty before, just an open storage space that the Celestials never utilized. That was good because the others we used on a regular basis were full. It felt good to see so many people come together in the name of survival.

I hadn’t been expecting them so fast, but my urgent call to arms had put plenty of asses in gear.

Thousands of ships had shown up, though not all had opted to come inside or even identify themselves. Those outside had moved into position around Earth, creating a protective cage.

“Siggy, you said I’d recognize some of them. Who were you talking about?”

His hard light form shimmered into view, encompassed by the familiar golden glow. “As promised, the Constables are here,” he revealed. “So are the Sparrows.”

“The Sparrows? I take it that means the Sarkonian fleet finally showed up.”

“I’m afraid not, sir. Major-Sanchez did inform me that they were still coming, but they have not arrived yet. I am happy to report that Captain Cortez arrived with a sizable battle force. I’m told the Solaris Initiative offered half of their armada to fight here, half to stay behind and help keep the outlaws in check.”

“You don’t say? Damn, I wasn’t expecting them to get involved. This is looking better and better.”

“I must agree. Halek Cain and forces are here as well. More than one hundred Renegades are in attendance, though most are part of the defense grid surrounding Earth.”

“Of course they are,” said Abigail, smirking. “Might want to watch and make sure none of them go after the silver.”

“Very funny, Abby. You said most, Siggy. What Renegades are in the hangar?”

“One of them is headed this way.”

I started to swivel, looking for a familiar face, when I heard someone call my name. A woman was moving through the throng of people, her arm raised in greeting. For a second, I didn’t know who it was. Then when I took in the dark hair and laughing smile, my eyes widened.

It was Calista.

She broke through the crowd and wrapped both arms around me before planting a friendly kiss on my cheek. “Gods, it’s you. Jace Hughes, the Renegade.”

“If it isn’t the freelancer.” I grinned and turned to Abigail. “Abby, this is Calista. We ran a few jobs together back when I was just starting out.”

“Is that right?”

I knew the woman well enough to see that Abigail’s smile was forced.

Calista’s faltered a little, then understanding dawned clear on her face. She smacked her own forehead then held up a hand to reveal a silver band. “Of course. Silly me, you two are together. Believe me, Hughes here is like my big brother. My husband is around here somewhere. I told him to come say hi, but he wanted to double-check the ship while he had a chance.”

Abigail’s smile defrosted and she stuck a hand out. “Nice to meet you, Calista. I’m sure you have some interesting stories about Jace’s younger days.”

“You better believe it.” Calista grinned.

I didn’t like where this was going, so I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Wait a minute, you got married?”

Calista’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “Sure did. I have a small fleet of my own and we run the operation together. No one gets left home. It works for us.”

“Sounds like it. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back. I just wanted to let you know we were here.”

“Thanks,” I said, meaning it. “You should know, the Celestials are no joke. Watch yourself out there.”

Some of the sparkle left her eyes and Calista nodded. “I saw the footage. We knew what we were in for when we made the choice to come.”

I let her go then and watched as she strode to her ship. The woman looked almost the same, but there was something different about her too. Confidence, I decided, and she wore it well.

“She’s nice,” said Abigail, watching Calista join hands with a man that had to be her husband.

“I don’t know about that,” I told her. “She once stole a coffee maker right out from under me. The woman doesn’t even drink coffee.”

Abigail snickered. “And if I know you, you did something to deserve it.”

“That’s not the point.”

Just then, I spotted another familiar face: Edwin Carson. He was scanning the crowded hangar, along with his siblings, from the ramp of their ship. It looked new, and I had reason to know they had done well for themselves since our last meeting. Though we didn’t keep in constant contact, I’d had Sigmond keep an eye on them.

“Come on,” I told Abby, taking her hand. “There are some other people I want you to meet.”

* * *

A few hours later, Abigail and I returned to Earth’s surface to check in with Dressler. All of the new arrivals knew what to do and had been assigned coordinates by Carl.

I was exhausted and more than ready to snag a few much needed hours of sleep. Before I could finish taking off one boot, Shaw was hailing me with an urgent transmission.

I picked up my pad and engaged video. Shaw’s face appeared on the screen, looking contrite. Since that didn’t translate to an emergency, I could only presume he was calling about Lex. “Shaw, don’t tell me she’s missing.”

The contrite expression turned somewhat guilty, something I wouldn’t have expected from the former Admiral. Usually the man was as solid as they came, but Lex had that effect on people. “She’s not missing, at least not in the usual sense of the word. She told me that she left something aboard the ship, so I let her go get it. I didn’t realize she knew how to fly.”

I groaned a little and shot Abigail a look. “Me neither. Don’t worry about it, Shaw. I should have known she’d try something stupid. We’ll track her down.”

“Please keep me informed. I feel terrible.”

I promised that I would, then ended the transmission.

“Sigmond, can you take control of the strike ship and send it here?” Abigail asked.

“Certainly, Miss Pryar. Lex will be here in less than five minutes.”

When the girl walked out of the vessel a few minutes later, she didn’t even attempt to look ashamed, greeting us with a bright smile. “Hello.”

I crossed my arms and did my best to act stern. “Young lady, we’re very—what the hell is that?”

There was a trilobite trailing her.

“Oh, this is Arthur. I found him when we landed in the core.

“Of course you did,” said Abigail, sounding less than thrilled.

“So… can I stay?” Lex looked up at us with wide eyes.

I debated sending her right back down with Shaw, but part of me was proud she’d made it up here alone. “Here’s the deal,” I said. “We’ll let you stay tonight, but you’re going back down tomorrow and there won’t be any whining. And, you’re not going to pull a stunt like this again. Understood?”

She bounced up and down before leaning in for a hug. I ruffled her hair, and together the three of us climbed into the Renegade Star. I hoped not for the last time.

12

I rose before light the next morning. The night had been long and far from restful.

My first order of business was to check on the captured Celestial. Despite the early hour, Dressler’s text response was almost instantaneous.

The message was short and to the point, with just enough information to satisfy my question. The Celestial had been damaged in the crash and required a round in the healing pod. Due to their altered physiology, it had taken the chamber time to adjust and fix the Celestial. She estimated at least a couple more hours before it would be in any shape to talk.

“I guess it wasn’t faking after all,” I said to no one in particular.

Abigail and Lex were still sleeping and I’d been careful not to wake them just because I was restless.

Impatient, I moved to the lounge’s coffee maker and made myself a cup before contacting Sigmond.

My friend appeared at once, a genial smiled lifting his features. “Good Morning, sir. How may I be of assistance?”

I took a long pull from my coffee, then leaned back against the counter. “Can you tell me anything about this Celestial? I mean, if it’s so advanced, I don’t see why it needs the healing pod.”

Sigmond went still, his form flickering to indicate he was processing data.

I could have asked Carl for the information, but I had a preference for Sigmond, who had been with me from the beginning of my career as a Renegade. It hit me how much the two of us had been through over the years. Hundreds of jobs. Adventures, each experience with its share of ups and downs.

At the time, I’d thought that was the life I wanted. And for a while, it was. But things had changed. I wasn’t the same man, that much was true. Sigmond had grown from a simple ship’s AI to a sentient being. I’d come to respect him, something I would have laughed at in my younger days.

The break didn’t last long, then he was back. “There is no data regarding the Engineers’ genetic make up. I believe this is because they didn’t want a record of that in case Tartarus was ever compromised.”

“Which turned out to be smart,” I acknowledged. “Didn’t they start off human?”

Sigmond bowed his head in affirmation. “Yes, but that was long ago. They had more than two millennia to make changes. While the Engineer’s outer shell retains a humanoid look, I’m afraid the physiology is far removed.”

“Okay, I get that part, but aren’t they supposed to be advanced? Lex isn’t a Celestial, and she’s damn near invincible.”

“Carl has spoken of this before,” Sigmond continued. “The Engineers were never meant to see battle. They are the intellectual pinnacle of the Celestial race. I don’t have specifics, but it is generally known that the Engineers did not allow for a more resilient build so as not to lose any of their mental acuity.”

“In other words, they chose brains over brawn,” I drawled. “So, this Celestial we’ve got couldn’t handle the crash as well as others we’ve seen.”

“That is correct, Captain. However, I wouldn’t worry. The healing pod has been updated with the required information. If nothing else, we will now have the makeup of the Engineer.

I had my doubts as to whether that would do anything for us in the long run.

“Will it even be able to understand us?”

It occurred to me that in all our interactions with the Celestials, never had a spoken word been exchanged, except for the gutteral sounds it made when we pulled it from the ship. For all we knew, they didn’t have a language. Maybe they used telepathy or binary code.

“I’ve finished modifying one of the translation devices,” Sigmond informed. “There shouldn’t be any problems with communication if the Engineer chooses to engage.”

“That’s going to be the problem,” I agreed. “It has no reason to talk to us. We don’t have anything to negotiate with. I can’t think of a single thing they would want besides to wipe us out.”

“This does appear to be the Celestials’ motivation,” the Cognitive agreed. “However, I have a theory, if you would like to hear it.”

I drained the last of the coffee and set the mug down. “I’m all ears, Siggy.”

“Very good, sir. It has been noted that the Celestials are arrogant to a fault. They seek to exterminate every sentient race in the universe. This hasn’t been a problem, due to their advancements. Until now. Humans are fighting back, admirably so. It should have been an easy task, but they have been met with strong opposition time and time again.”

“We’ve gotten lucky,” I pointed out.

Sigmond shook his head in disagreement. “I think not. It goes back to the arrogance. Every step of the way, they have underestimated you. It is very likely this Engineer will be curious.”

“You think he might talk out of curiosity? I don’t know, Siggy. That feels like a leap to me.”

I went quiet, turning the idea around in my mind. Maybe he had a point. Hadn’t I come to the same conclusion about the Celestials acting hastily?

“It is an angle to consider,” Sigmond replied. “Though the Celestials are no longer human by our definition, they possess higher brain function. Psychology applies.”

“Ah, I see where this is going,” I told him. “If we play this right, the Engineer might give something up. Not bad. It’s worth a shot. Good work, Siggy.”

“You’re welcome, sir. As you know, I do aim to please.”

“Where are we at with new arrivals?”

Sigmond smiled and flicked his wrist. “More ships enter the system every hour.”

As I scanned the data he put on the holo, my eyes widened. “Now that’s what I like to see. Those are damn good numbers.”

“Indeed, sir.”

I knew better than to think we had a guaranteed win. That was when people got sloppy. In spite of that, I began to feel humanity at least stood a chance. I reminded myself with the drone factory out of operation and too destroyed to fix any time soon, it was far from wise to get my hopes up.

“Sir, Halek Cain has arrived. He would like a word.”

I looked up in surprise. “The Reaper is on Earth?”

“Yes. Mr. Cain is waiting in Verdun.”

“Let him know I’m on my way. This should be interesting.” I pushed off the counter and headed for the door, eager to meet the Last Reaper in person.

If the stories were true—and I had no reason to believe otherwise—the day was off to a good start.

* * *

Cain waited for me outside one of the few standing structures of the colony.

He stood in the middle of the path, surveying the disfigured encampment around him. “These Celestials sure know how to fuck a place up, don’t they?”

“This is nothing,” I replied. “They aim to take humanity out. Not just us, either. A mass universal cleansing, if they get their way.”

“I wasn’t sure I believed your story,” Cain said. “Thought it might be a ploy to get me to the Union.”

The admission momentarily caught me off guard, but I didn’t let it show. “And you still came?”

He shrugged. “If it had been a trap, I would have just killed you.”

“You wouldn’t be the first to try. Cain.”

The Reaper laughed, a short, harsh sound. “I like you, Hughes. Most men wouldn’t have the balls to say that to my face.”

My answer was stopped short by Lex calling my name. Cain looked back at the sound and his eyes lingered on the girl, who was walking with Abigail.

“Hey, kid,” I called back.

They came to a stop next to us and Lex looked up, her yes shining in awe. “Whoa. Who are you?”

“Lex, honey. Don’t be rude,” said Abigail.

I shifted subtly so that I could keep my eye on the Reaper. Not that I expected him to do anything, but I wanted it to be clear Lex was under my protection. The motion didn’t go unnoticed, and he angled his head down in a discreet nod to say he understood.

“I’m Hal,” he said. Most people would try to make themselves less threatening when in the presence of a child, but Cain just stared down at her as if she were a short adult. “You can call me Reaper if you want. Everyone else does.”

“Hmm. That doesn’t sound very nice.” Lex stuck out her hand, which Cain took and gave a quick shake with an air of mild surprise. “I’m Lex. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hal, but I have to go.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked, glancing up at me, then back down at the girl.

She nodded seriously. “I made a promise.”

He nodded back, just as seriously. “Then you better keep it.”

“I will. Bye!”

We watched them go, Lex holding Abigail’s hand and walking with a bounce in her step.

“Some family you got there, Hughes,” Cain said when they were out of earshot. “Interesting kid.”

“That she is.”

“I saw one of the Celestials on my way into camp,” he said. “Ugly sons of bitches. Hard to kill, too. Isn’t that right?”

“And then some,” I agreed. “I’ve put together a briefing package. Critical information on their tech, ships, and species. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and it ain’t going to be easy.”

“Word of their stealth attack hit us when we came out of the slip tunnel. Sneaky. I’ve given my crew all the available data, but the more you have, the better it’ll be.”

“You ain’t wrong,” I told him. “Be prepared. Those bombs caught us by surprise, but I don’t think they’re going to do the same thing again. When the Celestials hit next, it will be with everything they’ve got. It’s going to be winner takes all.”

The Reaper grinned, but it wasn’t pleasant. “Let them come.”

* * *

In Dressler’s lab once again, most of my crew and I, along with Rackham, studied the transportation device. Or to be more accurate, the containment device. A clear barrier of hard light encircled the makeshift prison.

Even though the sides were open, there wasn’t much to see. The only indication that there was anything inside came from intermittent flashes.

According to the doc, this was a good thing. It meant the Celestial was fluctuating between its phase and corporeal states but was unable to hold either long enough to make an escape.

Rackham watched the creature warily. “Dr. Dressler, are you absolutely sure that this will hold it?”

“Not absolutely, Lieutenant,” said Dressler. “It is impossible to know for sure. However, I’ve had Carl run probabilities and I am confident in the results. In any case, the Celestial is under constant surveillance and I am monitoring closely.”

Alphonse patted the pulse cannon beside him. “I took the liberty of setting this up. If the Engineer gives us trouble, we have this.”

Rackham held up a pistol. “Hard light rounds. Just in case.”

“Good man,” I told him, then set my sights on Abigail. Not only did she have a pistol strapped to one hip, she carried her usual rifle and the hard light cuffs on both wrists.

“I guess that’s as good as we’re going to get. But if that thing does manage to get loose, I don’t want any hesitation. You get a shot, take it. Got it?”

“No argument here,” said Abigail. “If we didn’t need information from it, I’d suggest killing it now rather than trying to open dialogue.”

“You and me both, Abby. We have to try. If we can get the Union on our side, maybe the Celestials can be swayed, too. Crazier shit has happened.”

It was all bullshit. The Engineer could hear every word we said, and I had talked to the others beforehand. I wanted it to think we were naive enough to believe peace could be achieved. The dumber it thought we were, the better. My main goal was to discover whether the Celestials had any real weakness to exploit.

When everyone was ready, I instructed Dressler to disable the containment device. She did, and we stood in tense silence while the machine powered down. Within seconds, the flashing inside stopped, and a body began to materialize.

Standing upright, the Engineer didn’t even seem to be much taller than Abigail. Its head was about half a size larger than what would have been considered normal, held up by a squat, beefy neck. Like its creations, the skin was white and it had no hair anywhere that I could see.

Abigail, Alphonse, and Rackham trained their respective weapons on the Celestial. It looked back at us with flat eyes and a look of disdain on its features.

I didn’t say anything, just took in the Engineer in with what I hoped was a bland expression. After a few seconds, it finally spoke.

“You must be the one they call Hughes,” he said.

“And you must be an asshole,” I replied.

As intended, my comment provoked a response. The Celestial leaned forward, then winced in obvious pain. “You will pay for your disrespect, human.”

He said human the way Cain had said Union, the word dripping with unbridled disgust.

I held up my hands in an “oh well” gesture. “Look, friend, you came after us. Now, I’d rather just kill you right where you stand, but I have the entire human race to think about. I’m sure we can work out some kind of deal. You know, maybe split up territories. The universe is a big place. There’s plenty of room for all of us.”

The Engineer let out a derisive laugh. “My superiors were wrong. You and your kind are even less intelligent than previously thought. Your species is about to become obsolete. We are the gods among the stars. Would gods make a deal with livestock?”

I whistled low, making sure he knew I was mocking him. “Hear that, guys? We’re livestock now. Funny how a bunch of livestock have managed to thwart the so-called gods at every turn, isn’t it?”

The Engineer inclined his head. “Very well. For livestock you are somewhat clever. Perhaps we can keep a few alive and start a zoo.”

With my arms crossed, I cocked my head and lifted a brow. “Buddy, that is the definition of irony. You’re the one in a cage.”

He didn’t seem to have an answer to that and just stared at me.

Deciding to take it down a notch, I raised both hands in a sign for peace. “Listen, we don’t have to like each other. Is killing off every sentient race really worth your time? As the most advanced race in the galaxy, that goal feels a little basic. Primitive, even. I’m offering a chance at peace here, for both of us.”

His lips curved up into an insidious smile. “Peace? What a pathetic ideal. No, human. There will not be any peace. No negotiation. The only thing we will give you is death. As we speak, the entire Celestial armada travels to your precious system. We only needed to bide our time—in one of your Union’s territories, no less. You cannot hope to stand against us.”

It wasn’t a bombshell, but it was confirmation.

“Thanks for the info.” I turned my attention to Rackham. “Get on the horn with your boss. Tell him our suspicions about the signals your people picked up were right. Then make sure everyone knows that we’re about to get hit with the entire Celestial force. “

When I looked back at the Engineer, I felt a swell of satisfaction. His smug smile had dropped away and he watched me from eyes gone dark with realization. “Perhaps not so stupid after all.”

Letting go of all pretense, I fixed a cold stare on the Celestial. “I get the feeling you aren’t used to pain. That’s good, for us at least. So, here’s the deal—the only one you’ll get. I’m going to give you one chance to help us. If you don’t, my buddy Al here is going to make you. Hard or easy, either way we’re going to get what we need.”

The Engineer’s eyes widened in shock. “You would dare to threaten me?”

“Oh, I’d do a lot more than that. With pleasure. Personally, I hope you take the hard road. See, one of those little freak shows you sent down killed my friend. Someone’s going to pay for that, and it might as well be you.”

Done talking, I turned my back on the Celestial. Alphonse stood just behind me, waiting patiently. At my signal, he walked forward.

“He’s all yours, Al.”

With that, I left the lab, Abigail falling into step beside me. As we reached the door, the first scream rang out, but I didn’t look back.

The Celestial had made his choice, just as I had made mine, and we’d both have to live with them.

13

In less than an hour, Alphonse had finished.

He joined the rest of us in the Renegade Star’s lounge. I could tell by his empty eyes and the way he held his shoulders stiffly that going a round with the Celestial hadn’t been easy for him.

I sometimes forgot that the former Constable was almost the same age as Freddie. Like me and Abigail, his past had ghosts and shadows aplenty. I felt bad asking him to revisit it, but this war was forcing us all to make sacrifices.

When Alphonse saw me watching, he nodded, the unspoken message clear. He’d be fine.

With the Celestials poised to show up at any time, Abigail was eager to get to the Galactic Dawn. She stood at the table, drumming the surface absentmindedly. Dressler had opted to stay in the lab and continue her research in hopes of finding some last minute saving grace. Though I had every faith in our doctor, I wasn’t going to hold my breath there. It seemed we were going to finish this war the old fashioned way. With brute force.

Freddie and Petra, along with Rackham, rounded out our group. That was good. The lounge felt small enough as it was, and any more bodies would have had us living in sin.

“Okay, Al. We’re all here. Why don’t you fill us in with what you’ve learned.”

He stepped forward and used a pad to bring data up on the nearby holo. “As we suspected, the battle at the Gate of Eternity wiped out roughly half of the Celestials’ forces. That includes all but one of their largest warships.”

“That is lucky for us,” said Petra. “Tartarus should be able to handle it, yes?”

“Not really,” he replied. “Not only is Tartarus smaller, but it lacks the same weaponry. It would fall quickly if pitted against the Celestial warship.

“That can’t be right,” argued Abigail. “We all saw what happened to Titan. You’re telling me the Celestials have something even more powerful?”

“Sorry to say, but it’s the truth. However, there is a chance we can disable the Celestial ship from the inside.” Alphonse brought up a new page. This one depicted schematics, no doubt belonging to our enemy.

Freddie scooted closer to study the new data. “If I’m reading this right, this ship is massive. How do we get a team out in time?”

“We don’t,” Alphonse replied. “It would be a suicide mission for any living person. We’ll have to use drones or empty strike ships that one of the Cognitives can control. It’s the only way. If we don’t disable this ship the second it hits the system, our chances of winning this war drop dramatically.”

“Then that’s what we do,” I said, sweeping a gaze over my people. “It won’t take them long to figure out what we’re doing. That means we need to come up with a plan to get the drones past the warship’s shields.”

“If I may interrupt,” said Sigmond over the lounge’s speakers. “I believe it to be a simple matter of predicting where the Celestials will exit slip space. Carl can assist with bypassing the shields and finding a way inside. There is one problem, however.”

“Why wouldn’t there be?” I said, then waved a hand for him to continue.

“Due to the warship’s size, this mission will require all of my remaining drones.”

Everyone went quiet.

After the attack on his production facility, I’d resigned myself to the loss of so many of the drones. Taking them completely off the table for the actual fight wasn’t something I’d planned for.

“All of them?” Rackham demanded.

“By my calculations,” Sigmond confirmed. “My apologies. I understand this is not ideal.”

Far from it, but I didn’t see a way around it. “We’ll make it work,” I said finally. “Siggy, how much time do you estimate until the Celestials arrive?”

“Approximately nine hours and fifty-three minutes.”

“That’s not a lot of time,” Alphonse remarked. “It might be time to revisit the trilobite idea.”

“No,” said Abigail. “Not until MaryAnn discovers a safer way to control them.”

“Let’s make what we have count,” I said, stopping the discussion in its tracks. “Siggy, schedule a public transmission in five. I want to address everyone in the system.”

Alphonse wisely let the subject drop, and five minutes later I was in the captain’s chair, ready to give my second speech in as many days.

“Transmission is live, Captain,” announced Sigmond.

I stared at the little camera with a slight hesitation. Public speaking ranked among my least favorite things to do. I hadn’t prepared beforehand, preferring whatever I said to be organic and unfiltered.

“This is Captain Jace Hughes of the Renegade Star,” I began. “You all know why you’re here. The Celestial Invasion is at humanity’s front door, and they aim to see us dead. It starts here, but if we fail, we won’t get another chance. The enemy won’t stop until they erase all trace of us from the cosmos.”

I paused to let that sink in before continuing. “It ends today. The assembled fleet is unrivaled by anything in history, but it might not be enough, and victory is far from guaranteed. When the Celestials come, fight like you have everything to lose. Put it all on the line, because that’s the godsdamn truth.”

After signing off, I leaned back heavily in my chair.

“Do you really believe that?” asked Abigail from the doorway.

I turned to face her, confused by what she was asking. “Believe what?”

“That the Alliance fleet won’t be enough. We outnumber them by far.”

“Yeah, but numbers only go so far, Abby. Most of our forces have never seen a real Celestial, let alone fought one. I’d say that if Sigmond’s drones can get inside their warship and take it out of the fight, then we’ll be on even ground.”

Seeing Abigail’s troubled expression, I got up and went to her. “We’ve stood against worse. What has you worried?”

Her answer was simple. “Lex.” Abigail cast concerned eyes up to me. “Maybe we should rethink the trilobite angle.”

I hadn’t expected her to have a change of heart, but the more I thought about it the more I realized there really was no other choice. “Without the drones to provide cover, the ground troops will be vulnerable. If the Celestials hit us with more of those damned Nightmares, or mobile armor units, things will get dicey.”

“Then it’s settled. We need the trilobites.”

“I’ll let Shaw know I’m coming to get her,” I said, pulling out my pad. “You coming with me, or do you need to get back to the Dawn?”

“Oh, I’m going. Octavia can manage without me for now. I want to be there, at least for a little while. Just in case.”

She didn’t have to explain what she meant. After the final shot had fired, the course of history would be changed forever. If we lost, that was that, no one would remember. But if we won, a lot of people wouldn’t be making it home. There was a good chance Abigail and I would be among them.

I pushed the thought away; that kind of thinking wouldn’t do any good. “All right, let’s go. The clock is ticking.”

We spent the trip to the core in companionable silence. Getting sentimental wasn’t our bag. Besides, the two of us had said all that needed saying.

When Abigail got up and left the bridge without a word, I didn’t think much about it. She popped back in a few minutes later, holding a bottle and two cups.

“For old times’ sake,” she explained, filling a cup and passing it over.

I took it with a smile. “I knew there was something I liked about you, Nun.”

She sipped her whiskey, then laughed. “One day you’re going to stop calling me that, Jace.”

“Maybe,” I grunted. “But not today.”

We sat that way for the next few minutes, content with each other’s company. I couldn’t help but think that if this all worked out, the rest of our lives could be so easy. Sitting with my woman on a porch, looking out over a place that was ours alone.

I let myself imagine, at least for a short while, what the future might hold for a sorry son of a bitch like me.

* * *

Dressler met us in the core. She wasn’t quite bouncing in place, but it was close. A rare smile graced her lips, and I wondered what had her so amped up.”

“You okay, Doc?” I teased. “Looks like someone had a little too much coffee today.”

“This is hardly the time for quips, Captain. I’ve had a breakthrough.”

Abigail squeezed my arm and stepped forward. “You found a way to control the trilobites?”

For a second, Dressler looked confused. Then awareness bloomed and she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. The program is too complicated to change in such a short time. We’ve made headway, but it is not complete yet. I was speaking of the servers, Captain Hughes.”

Now it was my turn to be confused.

Seeing my puzzlement, Dressler continued. “The data cache we found a couple of days ago.”

“Oh, right. What about them?” In truth, I had forgotten all about the servers. Gaia completing Project Reclamation seemed like the least of our worries, so I was surprised that Dressler would focus on that.

“Our analysis is complete. I was able to use the backup to restore Gaia’s processes. Her damaged memories have been replaced, and she has regained full function.”

“That’s great,” said Abigail, relaxing beside me. “But wouldn’t you have to wait until the war is over before finishing Project Reclamation?”

Dressler shook her head. “Not at all. In fact, it may just be the answer we’ve been looking for. The final phase involves a major energy event.”

Abigail and I exchanged a look.

“What kind of energy event are we talking about?”

“The kind that can kickstart a planet’s core. Think of it like a gigantic pulse cannon.”

Starting to see where this was going, I felt my own smile broaden. “Dressler, you’re a genius.”

“Well, that is a verified fact, Captain. Nevertheless, I believe this will be of great help.”

“You ain’t lying, Doc.”

“This is good news,” said Abigail. “Should we call off the trilobite plan?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” asserted Dressler. “Right now, all I know is that the wave of energy that will be created is massive. My calculations currently give me an area of effect that extends one kilometer beyond the atmosphere. Anything in range could be affected, including our own ships.”

“Good to know,” I said, feeling cheerful. “We’re going to go have a chat with Lex and make sure she understands what it is we’re asking.”

“Come see me after.” Dressler held up her pad, indicating she had more information to share. “I might not have the trilobite system figured out for one of us to control it, but I have some theories about Lex and Gaia that may prove useful.”

With that, she turned and hurried back to the area she’d set up as her temporary lab.

We found Lex and Shaw in an empty office across from one of the intact rooms that had been outfitted to act as a sort of common area. Hundreds of evacuees were crammed into the space, hanging out in tight knit groups. Plenty of kids were running around, many of whom I recognized as being friends of Lex.

I frowned, wondering why she and Shaw were isolated from the rest.

My question was answered when I looked into the room and saw Lex playing with Arthur. No doubt the trilobite had something to do with it. After the incident with Petra’s arms, all Verdunians and visitors were cautioned about getting near the destructive robots.

Abigail and I stood in the doorway, watching her play. I wanted to give her these last few minutes to be a kid. Well, as much as one could when playing with a dog sized insect capable of liquefying any substance known to man.

Part of me felt foolish. I knew Lex couldn’t stay a child forever, and on many levels she’d matured far beyond her age, simply by being who she was. First, the Union government had experimented on the girl, then hunted her across multiple star systems. She’d been subjected to violence at the hands of others, and she’d witnessed more death than most soldiers in her short years. Then, when we finally thought it was all over, the Celestials joined the mix. Maybe that was why I felt this way. Lex spent so much time being brave and resilient. It was nice to see the kid kick back.

But, as they said, all good things had to end.

I rapped my fist on the door frame, making Lex spin around. She squealed when she saw us and bounded over to hug first me, then Abigail. “You came back! Did we win, is it all over?”

“Not yet, kid,” I replied, reaching out and ruffling her hair for form.

She giggled, then sobered, looking between me and Abigail. “So… why are you here?”

“I think I’ll take a break, let you three talk,” said Shaw, easing by us.

To be honest, I’d forgotten he was in the room. “Thanks. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”

Once he was gone, Abigail spoke first. “Lex, sweetheart. Jace and I need to ask you for help.”

“Okay,” she replied. “What can I do?”

I chuckled and held up a hand. “Slow down a minute. You haven’t heard what we want.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Doesn’t matter what it is. I want to help.”

Sinking down until we were eye to eye, I laid a hand on her shoulder. “I know you do, and I appreciate that. Still, I’ll feel better if I know you understand. We need the trilobites to help protect Earth. Since you’re the only one who can control them, that means you’d have to come up where the fighting is.”

Lex showed no signs of fear or hesitation. “Okay. I can do that.”

“It’s going to be dangerous. Life or death dangerous,” added Abigail. “If you don’t want to do that, we’ll understand.”

“I can do it,” Lex repeated. “You guys always protect me. Now it’s my turn to protect you and everyone else. Don’t worry, Abby. I’ve been training really hard.”

“We know you have,” I told her. “But this is a big deal. This is nothing like a hard light sim.”

She bobbed her head up and down. “I understand.

“Okay then” I said, straightening once again. “Let’s go see Dr. Dressler.”

We left Lex with the doc and Shaw so they could keep testing Lex’s abilities with the trilobite network. Once we were down to the final hours, I’d come back to get her. I was still hoping they might find a way for us to do the controlling, but Dressler made it pretty clear that was a pointless dream.

The silence was different on the return trip. According to Sigmond’s calculations, we were down to just under seven hours before the Celestials arrived in system. The tension was building, making me antsy.

I adjusted in my seat several times, trying to find a better position, but nothing worked. Finally, resigning myself to a few more minutes of discomfort, I gave up.

“Thank gods,” said Abigail. “Much more of that and I was going to send you packing to the cargo bay.”

Snorting, I cocked a haughty brow at her. “Abby, you know better than to make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’m always happy to go a round,” she invited, a mischievous glint coming into her eyes.

I opened my mouth to respond with a witty retort when Sigmond’s voice came over the bridge’s communication system. “Captain, you are three minutes from landing in Verdun.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “Thanks for the update.”

“You are most welcome, sir. I thought it prudent to inform you before you and Miss Pryar engaged in”—he seemed to hesitate, but only for an instant—“extracurricular activities,” he finished.

“Is that right?” I said, too shocked to articulate anything better.

“Indeed. Also, I would suggest conserving your energies for the fight ahead.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I retorted.

Abigail laughed, then tried to cover it with a cough.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Something funny to you, Abby?”

She shook her head, struggling to keep a sober face.

“Oh dear,” said Sigmond. “I’m afraid I’ve misspoken. I was referring to you and Miss Pryar—”

“Oh, we got it. Let’s just land the damn ship,” I grumbled.

I’d conserve my damn energy all right. At least for the time being.

14

The next few hours passed in a blur. Freddie and Petra were working with the forces staying in Earth’s orbit that weren’t part of the main defense grid. These additional ships would be responsible for hunting down any Celestials that made it through.

Though I hadn’t seen him, I knew Rackham was acting as a liaison for the Union. The three Alliance factions only made up around three quarters of the collected human force.

I’d taken just a few minutes to observe all that we had achieved. It wasn’t uncommon in tense situations like this for arguments to erupt and turn into fights. That very thing had happened when we first arrived on Earth and Leif’s people joined the mix.

You could hardly expect harmony when new people of vastly different cultures were jam-packed together and anxieties were high. It never took much to set people off; accidentally running into someone, talking too loud. Hell, I’d seen men commit murder over someone else chewing with their mouth open.

By all accounts, the conditions should have been volatile, but no sounds of discontent ever reached my ears. It was a good thing, and it spoke to something more powerful than petty emotions. This was our last stand, and everyone seemed to get that. For the first, and maybe last time, all of humanity was unanimously joined together for one cause.

Pulling up drone feeds, I got a good look at the united forces peppering our little system. Even the Celestials would recognize that this wasn’t going to be a massacre. I didn’t plan on losing this fight, but if we did, the Celestials would remember us for a long time.

I reached out to tap my Foxy Stardust bobblehead. It sent her bouncing merrily and I smiled. One day they would be making holo vids and cartoons of what happened here today. It was a strange thing indeed to witness the writing of history. I guess I’d have to make sure we didn’t fuck it up.

Laughing to myself, I worked on answering the various questions and reading reports that were coming in. I had no shortage of tasks to keep me busy after Abigail left to take the helm of the Galactic Dawn. It was a job I didn’t envy. She was responsible for 20 percent of the Alliance’s combined fleet. Octavia was her second in command, so I knew she was in good company.

Still, a good portion of the assembled ships weren’t military. They were a strange brew of civilians, Renegades, and private security. It wouldn’t be easy to command people who weren’t used to following orders. I anticipated lack of experience would be responsible for more than a few deaths. Unfortunately, the most we could do was provide every captain and pilot with data on the Celestials’ tactics in hopes their AIs help compensate.

More ships were arriving hourly, but there was still no sign of the Sarkonian fleet. I was beginning to suspect that one of two things had happened. It could be that some tragedy had befallen them, and they couldn’t call for help, or the Emperor had never sent them in the first place.

Both were equally plausible. Either way, I was out of patience. It didn’t help that Major-Sanchez wasn’t taking my calls. Frustrated, I had Sigmond send the Sarkonian leader another transmission, this time with the message I wouldn’t take no for an answer.

It took five full minutes, but the Major’s face finally filled my holo. “About damn time,” I snapped. “Where’s the fleet your Emperor promised, Sanchez?”

The man didn’t bat an eye. Most Sarkonians wouldn’t have tolerated the disrespectful approach, but Sanchez was not a run of the mill Imperial. I’d long suspected him to be a Sparrow, which he’d more or less confirmed without confirming. Like the Union Constables, Sparrows specialized in covert activities. Rigid training taught them how to blend and be the master of whatever role they happened to be playing.

That training seemed to keep him calm now, but I thought I caught a flash of annoyance before he got it under control. “Captain Hughes, I apologize for my late response. In truth, I had hoped to have an answer for you by now. It is with great regret that I must inform you that we have lost contact with the fleet.”

Stunned, I tried to make sense of what he’d said. “How do you lose contact with an entire Sarkonian fleet?” I demanded.

The Major’s mouth turned down into a sharp scowl. “That is what I am trying to find out. The Emperor is most displeased and has ordered us not to speak on the matter until it has been resolved.”

I leaned forward and thumped a fist on the console. “You know we’re waiting on the help.”

First Vick had withheld knowledge of the enemy signals, and now this. Maybe it wasn’t the Celestials who were screwing up after all.

“Yes, Captain. I am well aware of that fact. They didn’t send out a distress call. When they entered the slip tunnel, everything was fine. It was only when several hours had passed with no update that we realized something was wrong. Scouts are trying to determine where they might have gone.”

“Assuming they weren’t ambushed in the tunnel,” I said darkly. “There won’t be any trace left if that’s the case.”

“Yes, that is what I fear has happened as well.”

I sat back and considered what that meant. “If they aren’t coming, we need to let Vick and our people know and plan accordingly. And don’t give me any of that crap about the Emperor’s orders. We can’t withhold critical information hours before the fight.”

“I happen to feel the same way.”

It was the closest an officer in his position would come to disagreeing with his leader, so I let it go.

For my part, I was more than glad to let Sanchez break the news to Vick. There was a good chance the Vice Admiral would have something to say about it, and I didn’t care to hear it. I did, however, fill Abigail and Alphonse in.

“This isn’t good, Jace,” said Abigail. “Once word gets out, people are going to start talking. Some of them might decide to leave.”

“If a minor setback is all it takes for them to cut tail and run, they wouldn’t have been good to us anyway,” I replied.

“This may not be as bad as it looks,” Alphonse cut in. “I used Sigmond’s confirmed numbers when I coordinated the defense effort. The Sarkonians weren’t included. Data wise, nothing has changed.”

“That’s good news, Al. I’ll let Vick and Sanchez—”

“Captain,” Sigmond interrupted, appearing beside me with a grave visage. “New activity has been detected in the system. A rift is opening at this moment. I estimate the Celestials will come within firing distance of Earth some time in the next hour.”

I didn’t let myself dwell on the new information. “Make sure everyone understands what’s going down. Al, who’s taking over Bolin’s squad?”

“Chelanah,” he replied. “She’s a hell of a pilot and a strong leader. I trust her with this.”

“Okay, you know what to do. And Al? Watch your back out there. Dressler will kill me if anything happens to you.”

He shot me a wry smile, saluted once, then signed off.

“Jace, Lex is still in the core,” said Abigail when it was just the two of us. She made no attempt to disguise the worry.

“I’m headed there now. Don’t worry, Abby. I won’t let her out of my sight.”

I watched her physically gather herself and nod curtly. Inside, she had to be terrified for Lex, but on the outside her training kept a lid on things. “Take your own advice and watch yourself.”

A look passed between us, just for a beat, then we cut the transmission.

One hour. That was all the time we had left. It wasn’t that far from Sigmond's original estimation, but time felt rushed.

I started to begin takeoff procedure when Athena appeared on the bridge. “My apologies, Captain, but there is something you should know. Miss Abernathy has taken a ship.”

My hands paused over the controls. “How the hell did that happen? I thought you disabled her ability to operate one of our ships.”

“I did. Miss Abernathy was able to obtain a vessel not under my control.”

I took that to mean that Athena couldn’t take command and bring the stubborn girl back.

If the Celestial situation hadn’t been so critical, I might have laughed. Camilla had waited for the perfect time to make her move. I had to respect that, but it still pissed me off. This was the last thing I needed to worry about right now.

“Godsdammit. It never ends. Can you track the ship? I want to talk to her.”

“Yes. Her location is now on the display. Stand by for call connection.”

The marker’s path left no doubt about where the ship was going. She was going to join the defense grid. It occurred to me that I couldn’t force Camilla to take my call. To my relief, she did.

I fought to keep my temper in check. All yelling would do at this point was make her hang up on me. “Camilla, someone is pissed you took their ship.”

“Hello, Captain. Please don’t ask me to come back. I won’t.”

Her young face had aged considerably since hearing the news of her father’s death, and I saw little trace of the teenager I’d met in Spiketown.

“It’s not what he would have wanted. You know that.”

“I didn’t want him to die,” she countered. “This is a war, Captain Hughes. There’s no room for grief and emotion. It’s about surviving. My father wouldn’t have sat out because he believed you would succeed. I do too, but every pilot counts.”

I had to admit that Camilla surprised me. Instead of an angry girl hellbent on vengeance, she’d shown me that she was focused and clear headed.

“Besides,” she continued, a little smug now. “The Celestials are here. Do you really have time to chase me down?”

She had me dead to rights on that count, but I wouldn’t let her know it. “Don’t think I won’t,” I said, bluffing. “I’m open to your joining the movement if you promise to follow all orders from here on out.”

“I will,” she assured me.

“Good. Just remember. I may not be able to do anything once this battle starts, but if I hear you disregarded even one command, you’ll never fly again. Understood?”

“You have my word.”

“Fine. Report to Alphonse. Tell him he can check with me if need be.”

Camilla smiled. “Thank you, Captain Hughes! You won’t regret it.”

“Already am,” I muttered, signing off.

As I made my way back to the core to reconnect with Lex, I made sure Karin and Leif were up to speed. For the first time since Lucia’s death, I saw something besides steadfast resolve in Karin’s eyes. Anticipation, maybe. As though the woman had been biding her time and was about to be rewarded.

“Our troops are in position,” she reported. “The domes Dr. Dressler said were most important have ample ground and air support, as does the entrance to the core.”

“I know I don’t have to tell you this, but be prepared for anything,” I warned. “I don’t know if they’ll try the slip tunnel attack method again or just send drop ships.”

Karin gripped her staff and smiled. “We’re ready, Captain. They will not find an easy victory here.”

“No, they won’t,” I agreed. “I’ll see you on the other side, Karin.”

“If the gods will it,” she replied.

Her words echoed in my head after the call ended. I didn’t understand how someone who had lost so much could still believe in the gods. For me, this war would be decided with violence and by whichever side could overpower the other.

Then again, I mused, faith had gotten us here. Before I’d met Abigail—hell, even for some time after—I hadn’t believed in Earth. I wasn’t alone, either. Plenty of people thought the Church of the Homeworld was a bunch of religious hacks, but here we were.

Point was, everyone had faith. The only difference was what they put it in.

I passed the ships and troops stationed at the entrance to the core, and I was impressed by the show of force they represented. Smiling to myself, I decided they were where I put my credits at, so to speak.

Humanity was a collection of many things, both good and bad. I figured people like Fratley were worth dealing with if it meant we got to have people like Lex. It was about balance. The Celestials messed things up, which was why we found ourselves in our current predicament.

I aimed to even it back out again, even if it cost me my life.

“Siggy, show me the Celestials. I want to see firsthand what we’re up against.”

“Of course, sir,” came the reply over the ship’s speakers. “Working. I will have to use several drones to compile an accurate view.”

A dozen feeds popped up on the holo, which was overwhelming at first. The colossal warship moved through the void unimpeded. I remembered thinking the first time I’d seen Titan that a ship the size of a moon seemed impossible. Then Tartarus had come along and shifted my perspective. This… Colossus—the designation I’d already decided on—had to be the zenith of engineering.

Titan—and the other ships like it—used tritium cores for a power source. Seeing how big the Celestial flagship was made me wonder what kind of power source it required. What did it look like inside?

According to Carl, the Celestials had no home planet. They preferred to live in one of their creations. I supposed it was just another example of their egos. Every living soul who wouldn’t be flying or fighting would be inside.

I tried to imagine what it was like. For some reason, I just couldn’t picture Celestials in a cafeteria, eating cheap meals and shooting the shit with their coworkers. Seeing as how most of their subordinates were grown in tanks, I doubted little kids ran around laughing and playing. Not like here.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. If they were too much like us, it would have been harder to destroy the ship.

Studying the feeds, I noticed there weren’t any other ships around Colossus. “Since it’s alone, I’m going to assume that the rest of the Celestial fleet is inside.”

“An astute observation,” the Cognitive replied. “The scanners have not picked up any other energy signatures, so it is unlikely the Celestials are cloaking any vessels.”

I scoffed. “They probably expected us to run the second we caught sight of that ship. I kind of hoped they might try to communicate. At least ask us to surrender. Should have known better. Why aren’t they trying to take out the drones, though?”

“To attack, Colossus would have to drop its shields,” Sigmond explained. “While the ship is well fortified, that would leave it somewhat vulnerable. My assessment is that they will do so when they are closer.”

“Do you think they’ve predicted what we plan to do?”

“I would say that is a strong possibility.”

I checked the holo display, zooming out to get a better idea of how far out the enemy was. “Siggy, that thing is bigger than Mars, right? What could happen if it reaches Earth?”

He paused before answering, I presumed to check the data. “If Colossus gets too close, Earth could experience seismic activities, weather changes, and tsunamis, to name a few possibilities.”

“That doesn’t sound too good,” I said. “I think we should try to engage with it, strike first. That should give us the element of surprise.”

I switched the view again and saw I was nearly to the core.

“Siggy, get with Abigail, Alphonse, Vick, and Sanchez. Tell them what we talked about and help them come up with a strategy that will force the Celestials to drop their shields. I’ve got to round up Lex and as many trilobites as I can.”

“I’m happy to do so. Captain, if I may?”

“Yeah, what is it, Siggy?”

“Please take care of yourself and young Lex. I would be most disconsolate if either of you were to be hurt or killed.”

“Perish the thought,” I told him, playing off one of his common phrases. “But thanks, Siggy. It means a lot that you care.”

“Have no doubt of that, sir.”

“I don’t,” I assured him, taking the controls in hand. “Now, let’s give them hell, Siggy.”

15

When I landed in the core to get Lex, the atmosphere had changed dramatically.

By the look of it, every person who had been evacuated was gathered in the cleaned up areas outside the silver city. The interesting part was that they appeared to be waiting in more or less orderly fashion.

My pad beeped, signaling an incoming message. I adjusted the rifle in my hands to pull it out and saw a text transmission Dressler, telling me to meet her, Lex, and Shaw. Another beep followed, this one with a set of coordinates that my pad could navigate to.

I followed the little line as it took me through the open area. Several civilians recognized me and called out, but I didn’t have time to talk to them. I did want to know why everyone was standing around as if they were waiting for something, but I couldn’t fathom what that might be.

A tug on my shirt sleeve pulled my attention downward. I saw it was a young boy around Lex’s age.

“Mr. Hughes!” When he spoke, I recognized him as one of Lex’s friends. His name was Tiler, if memory served.

For a moment, I wished I’d thought to use one of the personal shields in my pockets for a disguise. I’d swiped a couple from my stash, but they were in my pocket. It was too late now anyway—the kid had seen me.

“Sorry, kid. I don’t have time to chat. We’re under attack, in case you hadn’t heard.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that we were wondering when it would be time to go.”

I wasn’t sure who “we” referred to, but that didn’t change my answer. “It’s hard to say. As soon as we can get everyone out, we’ll send word. Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.”

Fear dogged his eyes, and he looked at me as if to say “no it isn’t, dumbass.”

I was reminded how the war affected everyone on Earth. Like Lex, all of Verdun’s youth had grown up to expect danger and unrest as part of everyday life. “Run along,” I told him. “You’ll hear something soon.”

He did as I asked, scampering off and disappearing into the crowd. I didn’t see where he went, and all I could do was hope he found his people. With everything else going on, it wouldn’t be hard for people to get separated.

Moving on, I found my own group standing off to the side, away from the main crush of evacuees.

“Mr. Jace!” Lex ran to greet me and threw her arms around my waist.

“Hey, Lex.” I gave her a one-armed hug before turning to Dressler and Shaw. “Can someone explain to me what’s going on?” I demanded. “Why is everyone out here?”

Dressler raised a brow. “Didn’t you get my message earlier?”

“Nope,” I told her. “Lady, the Celestials are here, in the damn system. Checking my messages is the last thing on my mind. Why, what did it say?”

She blew out a breath and began to talk so fast I could barely process what she was saying. “Gaia is waiting to activate the final phase of Project Reclamation, but we must evacuate the core first. Just before you arrived, I contacted Alphonse. He put Frederick and Petra in charge of evacuations.”

“Evacuation to where, Dressler?” I waved a hand around to encompass the open core. “This was the plan. There isn’t anywhere else to hide them.”

“There is,” she disagreed. “Transport vessels are on the way. They will take our people to Tartarus. When Gaia begins the sequence, it will open the rift. Tartarus will open a slip and pass through the inner core, then go out to the system beyond. Once the rift closes, everyone aboard will be safe.”

I just gaped at her. “Am I hearing this right? You want to take our biggest ship and tuck into the system where we found it?”

“That is correct. It is the best I could come up with on short notice. We could, I suppose, leave the civilians to fend for themselves in the war zone, but that seemed a poor choice.”

“So it takes Tartarus out of the fight. Have you seen what the Celestials are packing?”

Flicking a glance at Shaw, I waited for him to agree with me, but he just shrugged a shoulder.

“Yes, and it is quite large. However, I believe this may achieve an additional result. One you need.”

We didn’t have time to be arguing like this, but I had to understand what she was thinking. “Go on, but make it quick.”

“I told you that the last step in Project Reclamation will create a powerful energy burst. If Tartarus appears to be running, it should be fairly obvious to the Celestials what the plan is. If they attempt to follow, we should be able to use the burst to disable a great number of their ships. We just have to get Tartarus on the other side of the rift first and make sure our ships are protected.”

It didn’t sound like a bad plan, all things considered. “How do you make sure our ships don’t go down?” I asked.

“I’ll take care of that. You need to help Lex with the trilobites.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Dressler just pushed a pad into my hands. “This is the remote module I came up with.”

“Wait, you figured it out? Hallelujah. Then I want Lex to evacuate with the others.”

“It won’t work that way, I’m sorry to say. I ran out of time. Lex is still the only one who can interface with the trilobite system. It also has another limitation. Right now, it’s operating off a short range signal. Lex needs to be near at least one trilobite for it to work. The robots can communicate, but again, they will need to be in close proximity to stay connected.”

I scratched my head, trying to understand. “Like in a group, or what?”

“No. Think of it like shouting. If you stand within hearing distance, we are connected. Go too far, lose the connection. Got it?”

“Sure. So what do you need from me?”

“There are trilobites scattered all over the city and in the tunnels. I’ve highlighted the routes that will take you to the surface. Get as many trilobites as you can before Gaia starts the PR program.”

“Then what?” I prompted.

“Then get to the surface and set the robots on the enemy. You will be able to take a ship, but not the Renegade Star. It’s far too big to fit in the tunnel.”

I didn’t care for the idea of leaving my ship behind. It was as much a part of me as one of my limbs. Losing the original had been hard, and it gave me pause to let another be destroyed.

“Wait a second,” I said, looking at Shaw. “What about the little escape cruiser you and Lex brought?”

“It’s still here,” he confirmed.

“Well?” I looked at Dressler. “You’ve seen it. Is that small enough to fit the tunnels?”

“Mmm, yes. That should work.”

Relief flowed through me, and I tucked the pad she’d given me under my arm. “You and Shaw help get these people out of here, then take the Star. But I’m warning you, Dressler. Take care of my ship. If I find a scratch on it, one of your precious machines just might go missing.”

A lesser woman might have rolled her eyes at my immaturity. The doctor just ignored me and turned on her heel to leave with Shaw after he gave Lex a hug goodbye. Or so I thought. As they walked away, I heard her mutter “juvenile” under her breath, and I smiled.

Satisfied with this new turn of events, I looked down at Lex. “Well, kid. You ready for this?”

She didn’t offer one of the toothy grins I was used to seeing. Instead, she nodded sharply and reached for the pad.

I held it back for a second. “You sure? It’s okay if you’re a little scared. Things are about to get real dicey.”

“I’m not scared,” she declared. “I’m focused, just like you and Abby taught me to be.”

“Good on you,” I told her, then handed the pad over. “You know how to work this thing, right?”

“Sure do. Dr. Dressler explained it all to me. I’m ready to go now.”

I stepped back, indicating she should go first.

Once we were in the tiny ship, I turned to Lex again. “Where’s Art, or whatever his name is? The trilobite you were playing with before.”

Lex pointed ahead to an opening in the core’s wall. “In there. Mr. Shaw said it was better if Arthur stayed out of sight because some of the people were scared of him. I don’t know why, he’s been a perfect gentleman this whole time.”

“I’m sure he was,” I told her. “But one just like him hurt Petra. Sometimes it’s healthy to be scared of things so you don’t get hurt.”

“We’re not avoiding the Celestials,” she pointed out.

“No,” I agreed. “No we are not. But, this is different. There are always exceptions to the rules, Lex.”

I shut up then so we could follow Dressler’s map, and we picked up Arthur along the way. He followed along obediently, and I began to think he made a much better pet than the goat. We found the next few trilobites within minutes.

It creeped me out some to hear the clicking of their little metal legs on the floor behind our shuttle. It made me feel like they were chasing us rather than falling in step with their master.

Every few minutes or so we’d stop and Lex would send the robots scuttling off, searching for more of their siblings. After a half hour of this, she held up the pad and smiled. “We have over 2000 trilobites. I don’t think I can come up with that many names.”

I laughed at the idea but didn’t say anything. Once we’d entered the tunnels, our signal was lost for a little while. That left me in the dark as I couldn’t get updates on how the second evacuation was going or if things were heating up outside.

The tunnel began to climb, and I could just make out the horde of trilobites staying close to the ship. Or, rather, close to Lex. They seemed to almost coat the walls like a weird ass coat of moving paint, and I had to force myself not to stare.

Beside me, Lex sucked in a breath.

“What is it?” I asked, sharper than I intended.

“I’m not sure what I did,” she admitted. “Maybe I messed something up. There are a lot more of Arthur’s friends.”

“Maybe the group found a bunch huddled up somewhere,” I suggested.

Lex frowned. “I don’t think so... The pad says there are 7000 active connections.”

The ship’s communicator beeped before I could answer. Dressler’s voice came over the speaker, sounding as close to panicked as I’d ever heard her.

“Captain Hughes! If you can hear me, please respond!”

“Yeah, Doc. Go ahead,” I said.

“Oh, thank gods. I’ve been trying to reach you for the past ten minutes. Gaia has activated the Project Reclamation process.”

“That’s good,” I responded, unsure what all the fuss was about. “Did we get everyone out?”

“Almost, but they’ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about. The fusion reactors we previously discovered have begun to recede. Gaia is at this very moment preparing to create the new core. Smaller devices should be okay, but unless a ship is powered down, the pulse will act as an EMP and fry the systems. That blast is going to happen soon.”

“Well slow it the hell down,” I barked.

“I can’t,” she replied. “The sequence is nearly finished. We couldn’t alter it once the process started. You have to get out!”

I didn’t get what she was so worked up about. The doctor hadn’t said anything about the pulse affecting humans, so I figured it was worry over the ship crashing. If the energy blast shut it down, we’d just walk the rest of the way. Still, alarm began to spread at her insistence, making adrenaline surge through my bloodstream.

“Lex, tell those things to make a break for the end of the tunnel.”

She didn’t respond. Her head bent down and she bit her lip in concentration as her fingers worked her pad in swift motions. In the back of my mind, I registered that she looked like a miniature version of Dressler.

I sent the small craft surging forward. Without warning, a low rumble started coming from the walls around us. It grew louder with each passing second, and I began to understand what Dressler was afraid of.

The tunnels were collapsing.

“Holy shit!” I bellowed, pushing the engines as fast as they would go. “Hold on, Lex, it’s about to get rough!”

Pieces of the ceiling began to come loose, and I was soon dodging and weaving to avoid getting taken out by a stalactite. Or stalagmite, I could never remember which was which. It reminded me of the time Lex and I had had to fly through a debris field that surrounded a planet we’d been trying to reach. I’d made it through that just fine, if you didn’t count the crash landing.

“There!” said Lex, pointing out the front window.

Sure enough, up ahead was a faint sliver of light. We were nearly to the surface.

“See, kid? I told you it’d be—“

A loud thump sounded, and Lex covered her ears. The ship went pitch black as every light inside went dead. My stomach lurched as we dropped and hurtled toward the tunnel floor.

Lex let out a short scream, then went silent as the ship hit the ground.

The safety harnesses kept us from being thrown about the tiny cabin, but the collision still wrenched me some.

Metal crunched from the hull’s impact with hard rock, and my shoulder exploded in pain as something sharp jabbed into it. Next, everything went still and quiet.

The silence was unsettling, more so because we couldn’t see. I tried to make out Lex’s form, but the ship was too dark.

“Lex, talk to me, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. At least I think so.” Her voice came out strained, and I couldn’t tell if it was fear or if she was hiding an injury.

Rustling sounds came from her direction, and a few seconds later the cockpit was filled with light again.

“I had a flashlight in my bag.” She held it up for me to see.

“Good girl,” I said through rapid breaths. I tried to undo my buckle, but the motion sent more pain searing down my entire arm.

“Oh! You’re bleeding.”

She shone the light on my injury and my blood-soaked clothes.

“It’s just a flesh wound,” I told her. “No big deal.”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” she said, adamant. “That’s a bad gash. Hold on, I know where the medkit is.”

The girl eased out of her seat and disappeared. I could hear her moving things somewhere behind me. From the sound of it, the crash had made a mess of things.

“Got it!” Lex came back, eyes shining with triumph. “Now, hold still. This will only take a minute.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said, trying to joke.

I was thrown by how grown up she sounded. Her fingers were light and quick, deftly cleaning the wound without causing me much pain.

The last time she had to take care of me like this had been when the Sarkonians kidnapped her and I’d been shot trying to save her. Even then her skills were impressive, but now she was as adept as any trained nurse.

I let her work in silence. by the time she’d used the portable healing wand to close up the laceration, I felt fine.

“There,” she said, stepping back. “All done.”

I rolled my shoulder, testing it out. “Thanks. It’s good as new. Now, what do you say we get out of this busted ass ship?”

Lex giggled at the light curse, then pointed behind us. “I saw the door back there. It looks like it will still work.”

She held the light while I went to inspect it. She was right about it not being damaged, but we still didn’t have any power. It took a few minutes, but I finally found the manual mechanism and got the door open.

“Shine your light down there,” I instructed. “We don’t want to just jump down and find ourselves in a tight spot.”

She obeyed, shuffling to the open space and aiming the light down.

Lucky for us, the drop was only a couple meters. I swung my legs over, gripping the edge of the doorway, until my feet touched the ground. Lex came down next and pushed off, trusting me to catch her.

A strange clicking noise met my ears and I went still. If more of the tunnel was going to collapse, we were in deep shit.

“Arthur!” Lex squealed in delight.

All around us, lights flashed on. My heart skipped when I realized the clicking was coming from the horde of trilobites. Thousands of them going back dozens of meters.

16

I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I had a bad moment upon seeing the tunnel full of robotic insects. Memories of my last encounter with them were fresh enough to have me swallowing back the sting of bile. I could still feel the weight of the trilobite that had nearly liquified me, and I’d lost my boot to another.

Almost involuntarily, my hand gripped the rifle tighter. My doubts about the little bastards. For all I knew, the pulse had reset them and cleared all the programming, making them want to kill us again.

Lex patted my arm, the gesture gentle and comforting. “Don’t worry, they’re not going to hurt us.”

“You sure about that?” I asked. “Why don’t you use the pad and double-check that everything’s working properly.”

“Okay.” Without hesitation, she reached into her pack and pulled the tablet out. “Oh no,” she whispered.

I groaned. “It’s broken, isn’t it?”

She winced. “It won’t turn on.”

Great, just great. The ship was destroyed beyond repair, the robot remote was dead, and we were surrounded by thousands of potentially killer trilobites.

I tapped my comm, hoping it might still work, but got nothing.

Perfect.

The urge to kick something was powerful, but I didn’t want to risk setting off the trilobites.

“Nothing’s ever easy,” I complained.

“Wait,” said Lex, holding up a hand. “Something feels... different.”

She held her hands out as though feeling the air, but nothing happened. Then she flipped her hands up and leaned forward, her brow furrowing as she focused. All at once, every trilobite in the tunnel sprang to life, then went still, perfectly in sync.

Moving only my head, I looked sideways at the kid. “That was you, right?”

Smiling, Lex opened her eyes. “Yep! I don’t know how to explain it, but they’re listening to me now. I don’t have to touch them to make the connection work anymore.”

I didn’t know what miracle had caused this development, but I sure as shit wasn’t going to question it.

Grinning, I gave Lex’s shoulder a light squeeze. “Let’s get out of here. It shouldn’t take us too long to reach the surface from here.”

Now that my eyes were adjusting, I could see the exit. It was even closer than I’d originally thought because it had been obscured by a shallow turn in the tunnel.

As we neared the opening, a faint beep sounded from my pocket. I reached in and pulled out my communicator. There was a large crack in the screen, but it was otherwise functional.

The beep I’d heard was an incoming transmission.

My earpiece crackled once, a short burst of static, then a voice came over it.

“Captain Hughes, do you copy?”

It was Alphonse.

“Yeah, I read you, Al. Loud and clear.”

“You’re alive,” he replied, clearly relieved. “Had us worried there for a few. Our plan worked. The people inside the core made it to Tartarus and are on the other side of the rift. I hope you’re almost out of those tunnels. The second pulse is going to be even stronger than—“

“Whoa, stop,” I said, cutting him off. “What do you mean, second pulse? I thought that was it.”

“Afraid not, Captain. MaryAnn said there was a slight mistranslation and that the reactivation process would send out two energy events.”

“A mistranslation,” I repeated. “Is that the only one?”

There was a slight pause before Alphonse answered me. “That we know of.”

“That first one took out our shuttle. We’re going to need a ride. How are things looking up there.”

“We’ll get someone to pick you two up. The first energy wave took out a few Celestial ships here and even dropped some of their mobile suits. Problem is, now they know what we’re up to and they’ve started sending all of their firepower to the core entrance.”

Lex and I reached the opening and I stopped, then I motioned for her to do the same.

“If they knew there was a second pulse, the Celestials wouldn’t keep coming. If we’re lucky, they think the first pulse was our only weapon. We’ve still got an edge here.”

“I agree,” said Alphonse. “Captain, you might want to hurry. Things are heating up around the core’s entrance. While you’ve been in the tunnels, the Celestials have been hitting the surface hard with ground troops. More than we anticipated. I suspect they knew we’d use the core all along. It’s highly probable they knew what its purpose was before Dr. Dressler figured it out.”

That made sense to me. I recalled our first Celestial visitor, the scout who had wreaked havoc on Verdun after sneaking in through the rift.

Everything it had done spoke to it having knowledge of Project Reclamation, though we didn’t know it at the time.

“I didn’t think of that,” I admitted. “It hardly matters now, though. Lex and I are coming out, and we’ve got backup.”

“I am mighty glad to hear that. Keep your communicator on. I’ll let you know when your taxi arrives.”

He cut the transmission and the line went dead.

“Get ready,” I told Lex. “The war ain’t over yet, and we’re going to be in the thick of it for a few minutes.”

The girl reached out and squeezed my hand. “Don’t be scared. Arthur and the others will protect us.”

Together, we left the tunnel and stepped out into the evening air. We stood on the side of a mountain. It seemed the tunnel had brought us out a little way above the core’s main entrance, giving us a view of the valley below.

I could just make out small figures below. The distant pops of firing weapons set me on edge, and I picked up the pace.

Wind buffeted the cliffs around us, and I had to work to keep my balance. Lex didn’t seem to be having too much trouble. She picked her way down the natural rocky path with ease.

The horde of trilobites continued to follow us, flowing out from inside the planet like a black river. Since they had yet to slip the leash and do something stupid, I began to relax a little.

As we got further down the mountainside, the sounds of battle grew more obvious and unmistakable.

Neither Lex nor I were wearing protective gear, but that didn’t mean we were completely vulnerable. I pulled out the two personal shield packs I’d grabbed on my way out of the Star and passed one to her.

When I slapped mine to my shoulder, she mirrored the move. Both shields activated without issue, making me feel a little better. I’d been a little concerned the EMP blast would have disabled them, but they seemed to be working okay.

Booms split the air at the base of the mountain. For a few minutes, all the noises blended together. It didn’t take long before we could make out the individual reports of weapon fire and the screams of the injured and dying.

“Almost there,” I told Lex. “We’re going to get the lay of the land first, then decide how to make our way down, alright?”

“Okay,” she agreed.

I spotted a rocky outcropping with thick brush growing down the side. We crouched down and eased forward as far as we could to give us a better view.

Alphonse hadn’t been exaggerating. The place was swarming with Celestials of every class. I caught glimpses of Berserkers, Rangers, and mobile armor duking it out with the Alliance ground infantry.

A familiar blast of blue light had my head jerking to the side. I picked out Karin as she fought with one of the hulking Celestials. She was in trouble, that much was clear. The Celestials outnumbered our people, forcing them to fight one on one.

Karin was fierce, there was no denying that. Another blast spat out the end of her staff, then she pulled it back, twisting with the momentum, and delivered a punishing blow to the Berserker’s head. It connected, but the Berserker just shook it off and lunged for her. The Eternal danced back, but she looked tired.

Similar battles were happening all around her.

“We have to help!”

Before I could stop her, Lex was running the rest of the way down.

Cursing, I followed, trying to keep up. It was tough; the kid was faster than me, but I just bore down and dug deep for speed.

Out the corner of my eyes, something moved. A quick glance told me it was the trilobites. They spread out, covering the earth like a blanket, splitting momentarily to go around me. Then we were in the fight, and all hell broke loose.

The robots began to disperse, taking off in all different directions. At first, I wasn’t sure what they were doing, then a small pack of them leapt on one of the mobile armor suits. At once, I understood.

Lex had directed them to attack.

It was almost beautiful, the way they moved in unison. The robots were barely recognizable as the terrors they had once been, and I found myself looking at them in a whole new light.

Karin staggered into my line of sight, and I could see she was bleeding from the side. The warrior held up her staff and blasted the advancing Berserker in the face. The blow stunned it, but it kept coming. Leaping into action, I raised my rifle, already preloaded with hard light rounds. When the Celestial was in my sights, I squeezed the trigger twice. The slugs found purchase in the attackers neck, finally sending it to the ground.

“You okay?” I asked, jogging the few steps to Karin’s side.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “I would have finished it off, you know.”

I smiled wryly. It was exactly the kind of thing Lucia would have said to me.

“I know, but I wanted to feel manly.”

Karin snorted. “Right, I’m sure that was it.”

All around us the battle seemed to be winding down. Our opponents weren’t surrendering, much to my disappointment. It turned out to be a good thing, however. For all their advancements, the enemy was having a hard time with the trilobites, who were making quick work of the Celestials.

The Rangers were fast, but the trilobite’s liquefying beams did a lot of damage.

In the middle of the chaos stood Lex. More than once the enemy tried to go for her, but they never even got close. Hundreds of the robots surrounded her in a protective circle, eliminating any threat who dared approach.

Keeping my eye on her, I hailed Alphonse on the comm to ask for an update.

“It’s messy up here, Captain. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Engineer lied to us. There are a lot more than he claimed.”

“Of course he did. What about Sigmond’s drones. Did they make it inside?”

“They did,” he confirmed. “And they’re doing some damage, but so is whoever is inside Colossus. We’re losing them fast, and we’re taking heavy losses to our fleet. The Celestials just keep coming.”

He sounded tired, I realized. Worn out. “Okay, Al. Watch yourself out there. I’m going to see if I can contact Gaia and get an update on the second pulse.”

I cut the transmission and reached out to the Cognitive responsible for Project Reclamation.

“Hello, Captain Hughes.”

“Gaia, where are we at with the final phase?”

“The suns are 75 percent receded. Earth’s new core is initiating. Project Reclamation is nearly complete. I estimate the final pulse wave will trigger in four minutes and thirty seven seconds.”

“Make sure all the Alliance forces know to pull out of range when the time comes,” I said.

“Of course, Captain. According to reports, an influx of Celestial fighters are inbound. It seems they have taken the bait.”

“Good. Now we just need to get through the next few minutes.”

They were tense, at least for me. I wanted to do something, contribute more than just standing there with my rifle, but the trilobites had eliminated almost all of the Celestials. Finally, word came down that the Alliance forces were pulling back. The defense grid dissolved, each ship clearing out of orbit and retreating a safe distance.

I listened intently to the radio as voices overlapped with pilots reporting out. It sounded to me like the move had confused the Celestials, just as we’d intended.

Everything went quiet, like the calm before a storm. No alliance ships were still in the air, all having either landed and shut down or flown a safe distance away.

“Final pulse event commencing in ten seconds,” announced Gaia.

She began to count down. As she did, the anticipation rose.

3...

2...

1...

A thump rattled the ground beneath our feet, followed by a vibration that almost knocked me on my ass.

Then several things began to happen at once.

“Up there!” Lex called out.

I looked at where she was pointing and saw black pinpoints in the sky.

“What the?”

My eyes widened when I realized what was happening. “Everyone get to cover now! Ships are dropping!”

That set off a mad dash as Alliance soldiers ran for the core’s entrance on the side of the mountain.

While we were still running, Sigmond’s voice came over the comm. “Warning! Colossus is approaching Earth. If it does not stop, prepare for major natural disasters at Earth’s surface level. A detailed overview has been broadcast on the network.”

I’d already had this discussion but the others hadn’t. We’d be lucky if people on the ground didn’t turn tail and run at the first sight of a tornado. Since I couldn’t control the weather, I had to focus on what I could deal with now.

“Siggy, how are your drones doing?”

“Encountering resistance, sir. However, I believe they will complete their objective soon.”

I wanted to try Abigail, to check on her and make sure the Dawn hadn’t fallen. No one had said as much, but that didn’t mean they would have told me in the first place. I held back, not wanting to distract her if she was in heavy combat.

When bangs went off outside the cave, it almost sounded like bombs. The fallen Celestial ships were crashing to the earth at full speed and exploding as they hit.

“Don’t move out of cover,” I commanded. “The ships are turning into shrapnel on impact.”

As if to prove my point, the debris from one of the ships whipped by and crashed into a wall.

I’d almost forgotten about the new core forming in the center of the earth, when a rumbling started. The walls began to shake, and we were faced yet again with falling debris from the cave ceiling.

It was going to force us back out into the open. Neither place was safe, but I definitely didn’t want to get taken out by a Celestial ship dropping on my head.

“Can anyone see the Celestial ships?” I said over the comm. “We’re going to have to vacate this cave in a few seconds.”

Sigmond was the first to answer. “It should be safe now, Captain. Ships continue to fall, but not in your sector.”

“Good. Have you taken out that flagship yet?”

There was a hint of amusement in his reply. “Not yet, but I am working on it. I believe I have found the correct point of entry. My drones are headed to Colossus’ power source now.”

A wide crack split the ground outside, and I went completely still.

“That’s good news, Siggy, because I’m pretty sure that seismic activity you mentioned is happening right the hell now!”

17

“Oh dear,” said Sigmond.

Lex, who had entered the cave right behind me, stood at my side, eyes wide. The protective detail of trilobites had come with her, but they had dispersed some since she wasn’t in immediate danger.

The cave shook violently around us and sent scores of rock wall crashing to the ground.

This was bad. The ceiling was a ticking time bomb, and everyone inside was at risk of getting their asses killed by natural—sort of—disasters rather than direct enemy attack. Neither was preferable, but no one wanted to be remembered as the victim of a cave-in during the Great War with Celestials.

I briefly wondered if the trilobites could do something, maybe use their beam weapons to shoot falling debris out of the air, but just as quickly I dismissed the idea.

“Everybody move!” I yelled.

No one hesitated, trusting that I would lead them to safety.

Lex stuck by me, easily navigating the now uneven footing.

“Al,” I barked into the comm. “How’s that ride coming?”

“Delayed, Captain. Sorry. The second pulse made it too dangerous. Things are getting rocky up here, but we’ll send transport down for everyone as soon as we can.”

It wasn’t the news I wanted to hear.

“What’s the problem? Didn’t the wave take out the Celestials?”

“That it did,” he confirmed. “Just not all of them. The Colossus seemed to figure out what was happening. They pulled back some, but now they’re advancing again.”

I took in our surroundings, studying the chaos happening in hopes of coming up with a new plan, but nothing popped out to me.

“Sounds like we wasted our damn shot,” I said.

“Not entirely. Sigmond’s drones are inside the flagship and encountering less resistance.” I started to reply that I thought that was something at least when he kept going. “Unfortunately, that’s because the Celestials were holding out on us. More of their fighters are coming out now. We have our hands full, to say the least.”

I let him go so he could focus on the fight happening in the void. For the most part, his position as my appointed commander of the defense grid had him out of the bulk of the combat. I had a feeling that if things were as bad as he made it sound, then he’d be joining the fight.

Outside the core’s entrance was a damn mess. The remains of the crashed Celestial ships littered an expanse of land nearly five square kilometers.

Reverberation under my feet reminded me that Project Reclamation had entered its final phase. With all the changes happening in the core, what would happen if Colossus just kept coming? Images of the Earth cracking open like an egg had me wincing when a shout sounded from behind me.

I looked back to see one of the soldiers pointing frantically.

One of the Celestial ships was moving. Alarmed, I watched it shudder, then I started to relax when it went still again. All the tremors were probably moving things around. It moved again, more insistent this time.

“What the fuck?” I started to take a step toward the ship when it blew open.

My stomach lurched when a Berserker stomped its way out, looking dazed. A few meters away, another of the vessels popped open. I expected another Berserker but was met with a Nightmare instead.

One by one, the rest began to follow, hatching open to reveal the surprise Celestial within. All around us, Celestials were emerging alive and well from what should have been their tombs.

I groaned and stowed my rifle on my back before activating my hard light cuffs. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Siggy, how are the Celestials still alive? The crash should have killed them.”

“I am unsure,” he admitted. “Though if I had to hazard a guess, I would say that they utilized a personal shield.”

“Lex, to me,” I called out when I saw she’d wandered a little farther than I liked.

“Coming,” she replied.

She wasn’t smiling, but she didn’t act scared either. Maybe it was because she was young and inexperienced, but the girl had an air of calm, as though it were any other day.

I realized with a jolt that she didn’t have a weapon on her. The only protection she had was the trilobite. While they were dangerous and formidable enough in any number, I wanted her to have more. I knew that Abigail had been training her with weapons, but I was still leery about giving her a gun. After a short deliberation, I slipped one of the hard light cuffs off and handed it to her.

“You know how to use that, right?”

Lex nodded. “Abby showed me. She said I’m pretty good.”

“Okay, you use that if you get into trouble, got me? Just try not to hit me.”

She flashed a grin at me. “I understand.”

The time for talking was done. I saw Karin rallying her troops and turned to face the enemy. The first Berserker seemed to have regained its faculties and was advancing on us with haste. It let out a battle roar and leaped.

One of the Eternal warriors sprinted out to greet it. She went low, swinging a staff as she dove between its legs. At first I didn’t think she’d connected, then the Celestial stumbled. Was it limping? It became clear when I saw that the bottom of its leg had been severed.

After that, the battle began in full force.

I wasn’t about to let the trilobites do all the work this time. Activating the single cuff I had left, I broke into a run, heading for the nearest Celestial.

A Nightmare, as it turned out to be. Its writhing body seemed to slither toward me, the white tentacles snapping in the air like whips.

Thinking it better to have more than one weapon, I unholstered my modified pistol and squeezed off a few hard light rounds. They slammed into its chest, knocking the creature back a few steps. It let out a screech that made me wish I was deaf.

Grimacing, I roared back. It tilted its head at me, as if I’d just confused it. Taking advantage of the moment, I fired another shot, trying for the head.

It missed.

The Nightmare darted forward, covering the last few meters in a matter of seconds. I slashed up with the hard light blade and caught it in the shoulder. Wrenching the weapon further, I cut the limb off.

Unlike the Berserker, the Nightmare didn’t stumble and fall. It rose up on hind legs and bellowed. Then, to my horror, the tentacles began to rearrange and rebuild the missing appendage.

Cursing, I started hacking. How much could it take before it could no longer fix itself? I didn’t know and was afraid to find out, but I was saved the trouble.

A trilobite scurried past me and latched onto one of the Nightmare’s hind legs. The beam shot out and had just begun to melt flesh when another joined it, then another. Before the Celestial knew what was happening, a pack swarmed it.

I didn’t wait to see how that ended. I turned to check on Lex and found her facing off with two of the Berserkers. They were finally acknowledging the trilobites and trying to stomp the little robots before they could turn their devastating attack on the opposition and liquefy every atom.

The scene prompted me into action and I ran to Lex’s side. Just before I reached her, an unexpected impact lifted me off my feet and threw me to the side. I landed on my side and rolled several times before coming to a stop. At first I thought a bomb had gone off, so powerful was the force.

“Shield at 55 percent,” said Athena’s automated voice.

Disoriented, I tried to pick myself up. My ears rang and my body didn’t seem to want to listen to my commands. I blinked rapidly and tried to make sense of what the fuck had just happened to me. My vision started to clear and I barely got out of the way of a flying projectile.

A Ranger stood atop one of the crashed ships, focused on me.

Oh, hell. That direct hit had messed me up, and I had no hope of dodging many more of its attacks. The Ranger class of Celestials were fast, designed to be apex hunters with deadly accuracy. They liked to carry blue orbs that devastated, even with a personal shield.

Our eyes connected for the briefest of moments, and I saw nothing in his. Knowing it had me, the Ranger took aim. If the Celestials had been capable of expressing feelings, this one would have been smirking at me.

I willed myself to stand and lifted my pistol with a shaking hand. The son of a bitch wasn’t going to kill me while I lay there helpless.

The blue orb arced toward me, almost too fast to track. Diving forward, tucked in. I was still too fuzzy to pull it off and tripped over an uneven spot in the ground when I landed. The move still worked as intended, and the orb hit the spot where I’d been standing a few seconds before.

The Ranger growled and jumped off the ship, landing several meters closer to me. My head was starting to clear, and I pushed up to my feet, ready to do battle.

My opponent faced me, but it didn’t have another orb to throw my way. Instead it had a hard light blade fashioned with a wicked curve.

I reactivated my cuff to find that it had been damaged, likely during my fall.

The Celestial took a step forward, raising the blade in preparation of its attack. With no other recourse, I tried the pistol again. I knew better than to try and aim; the Rangers were too fast, so I opted for the spray and pray method. Shooting from the hip without lining up my shots, I squeezed round after round.

My efforts resulted in at least a few making contact. The Ranger jerked in surprise, then looked confused at the blood leaking out of one of the visible wounds. It let out a high pitched scream and lobbed an orb at me. It hit the ground near my feet, knocking me back.

I scuttled back as fast as I could but already knew it wouldn’t be enough to save my worthless hide. It would all be over in a matter of seconds, then it would move on to the next human in sight.

A blur of movement caught my eye, pulling my attention away for the briefest of seconds. The Celestial saw my reaction and its eyes flicked over to see what it was. A form streaked toward it.

Lex.

The Ranger howled again and started to do its orb thing. Lex, hard light blade extended, pushed off and seemed to fly through the air. I didn’t know who was more stunned, the Celestial or me. Lex landed and immediately did a handspring forward. Coming out of the motion with perfect balance, she stepped into a turn and twisted so the blade swung in front of her.

To my shock, the Ranger’s head toppled from its body and hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Lex spun back around, her eyes searching for me. They shone with relief, and she walked back to meet me.

I started to speak when I saw something over her shoulder. A Berserker had a Union soldier in its hands. The poor man let out a death scream as the Celestial brute squeezed. When the sound ceased, the Berserker let the lifeless body fall, then turned its sights on Lex and me.

“Move!” I yelled at her.

Startled, the girl swiveled her head to look back at whatever the new threat was. The kid might have been a fast healer, but a hit from a Berserker would do some damage.

I leapt forward and pushed her out of the way before the Berserker could reach her. She hit the ground as I aimed my pistol once more and only managed to get off one shot.

The Celestial bellowed a wordless challenge and swung out with a meaty fist. I tried to protect my head by raising my arms. It caught me in the side and tossed me into one of the ruined ships.

Something in me gave, a rib maybe, and I couldn’t stop the shout of pain.

Somewhere nearby, a voice screamed. “Daddy!”

Despite all my pain, the voice registered and my head snapped up.

Lex attacked the hulking Celestial with grim determination. She was strong and fast but limited by her own body mass.

My vision wavered as the pain screamed through me.

In a haze, I watched as my girl fought with the Berserker. As she darted in and out of its reach, more trilobites joined her. Another mass of them surrounded me, the business ends facing out like they had with her. Protecting me. It was turning out to be one hell of a day. I fought to hold on to consciousness, but things were starting to fade.

“Dad!”

The sound of Lex’s sweet voice brought me back for a moment, and I blinked. Her face swam in and out of focus, but she was unhurt.

18

The soldier jabbed at the dragon, striking a deadly blow across the monster’s chest.

“RETURN YE TO HELL, O’ BEASTY!” shouted the armored hero, whose name I decided must be the same as mine.

Sir Jace Hughes, knight extraordinaire, hero and royal prince, star of the show, thank you very much.

I stood near the far wall of a bar, playing on the only working game machine still standing. There had been more, according to the owner, but they’d all stopped working and he didn’t have the money to fix them. That was fine with me, though, because this game was the only one I cared about right now. It was also the only one I’d ever played: Knight’s Fury.

“Hey Jace!” shouted the bartender. His name was Louie. A short, pudgy guy with a thick beard and a scar down his left arm that he said was from a botched surgery. I was pretty sure that was a lie, though, because my friend Donny said he heard he used to be in prison.

I slammed my finger on the button and moved the joystick, causing the knight to spring forward and jab the dragon again in the mouth. The monster roared and screamed, blood spurting out from its head as it took more damage. “HAVE AT YE!” shouted my avatar.

“Boy, are you listening to me?” asked Louie.

“Yeah, I hear ya,” I returned, but didn’t take my eyes off the holo screen.

“We ain’t letting kids in here past six. You know the rules. Get your ass outside, and don’t try to sneak back in or I’ll have to call your pappy.”

“Okay, just a minute,” I said.

The dragon extended its neck and grabbed the knight with its sharp teeth, but I pulled away with the control stick, moving it left and right rapidly to get free.

A bar appeared above the dragon with a moving line in the middle. I had to fight it by constantly moving the stick. If I wasn’t fast enough, the dragon would kill me. Minigames like this were everywhere in Knight’s Fury. You had to memorize them all if you wanted to get to the—

Something hit my shoulder and shoved me out of the way. I let go of the control stick and began to fall, and I barely caught myself on the edge of the game cabinet.

“Outta the way,” said another boy. He was stalky and big, although I didn’t recognize him. “I get last play.”

He moved the stick around, almost in a circle, but not the way you were supposed to do it. I tried to push him out of the way, but he just elbowed me in the stomach and kept going. “You’re not doing it right! Hey, you’re gonna mess it up!”

Sure enough, the line on the bar went all the way to the left, toward the knight, and a big red “X” appeared on top of it.

The dragon raised its head and opened its jaw, then slammed its teeth into the avatar.

A message popped up and began to blink, YOU LOSE.

“Ah, stupid game,” said the other kid.

“You lost it?” asked another boy from behind us. He was sitting at one of the pool tables and was a great deal skinnier but taller than the first. “Too bad. You wanna hit up the store strip?”

“Nah,” said the first one. “Let’s do something else this time.”

I steadied myself on the gaming cabinet, staring up at the boy next to me. “Hey!”

“Huh?” He turned around. “Oh. You still here?”

“Y-You can’t do that,” I told him.

He answered with a push, knocking me back. I tripped over my own feet and hit the floor, exhaling hard as my shoulder landed.

The next thing I knew, a leather boot struck me square in the belly, forcing the air out of me. My eyes bulged in pain as I tried to gasp.

“Fuck off, shithead,” said the boy.

“M-my dad’s gonna…” I could barely get the words out, but I wanted him to know. “He’s gonna…”

“What’re you kids doing there?” shouted the bartender. I felt his footsteps as he started coming this way. “Now I done told you boys to get out. Don’t make me call your parents.”

“Alright, alright,” said the fat one, stepping off of me. He looked at his friend. “Come on, let’s go. This place sucks anyway.”

“Yeah,” said the second kid. “I heard they’re ripping it down soon.”

Tears had already filled my eyes, making it hard to see, but I knew when they’d left thanks to the bell on the front door.

I would have gotten up right there and ran away if I could have, but I was still trying to pull their air back in. I wanted to tell them that if my dad was here, he’d beat them up and show them not to mess with me. He was tough and everyone knew it. Tougher than all of them.

If only I could be like that. Then no one would be able to touch me.

“Hey, Jace, that means you, too,” said Louie. “Don’t think just cuz you got yourself a beating, you can sleep on my floor. Up with you now.”

I pushed myself back to my feet, then wiped the snot and tears from my face. “I’m going.”

“And tell your old man to come in here and pay his tab. I ain’t giving him no more free drinks!”

“Okay.”

I walked to the door and stepped into the street. There was an old bench beside the bar, which I’d used dozens of times before. My dad was always late to pick me up, but that was just because he was busy.

The seat was made out of hard stone, so it was cold when I sat on it. I pulled my feet up so that my whole body was on the seat, then wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my head in my thighs.

It was Saturday, so Mom was playing cards. She wouldn’t be home for another five hours, way after midnight. I hoped Dad didn’t forget me. He was a busy man, so sometimes he forgot stuff.

The air was getting cold.

People started walking into the bar. None of them noticed me. Or if they did, they didn’t say anything.

The sun was down now, and it was already getting dark. Dad would be here soon.

* * *

I opened my eyes to the light of a nearby streetlamp. It was completely dark outside. When had that happened?

And what time could it be? Almost no one on the street, but the bar was still open so it couldn’t be midnight yet.

Where was my father? When would he come back for me?

I was scared and cold, and I wanted to go home. I repositioned myself and turned away from the lamp, then I buried my head inside the bench.

Maybe I would sleep here the whole night. Then I could wake up and play Knight’s Fury again in the morning. The bar doubled as a breakfast place. That wouldn’t be so bad. Venessa usually opened, and she always gave me a free muffin if I stopped by.

I liked Venessa.

She was nice.

* * *

The sound of a motor woke me this time. I shifted.

“Easy there,” said a deep, familiar voice. “I got you.”

My father’s arms were strong and big, like a giant’s. We were on the auto-train, already at the second stop. When did we get here? I wondered. How long had I slept?

“Here we go,” my father said, stepping onto the platform.

I recognized this place. This was where we lived. Right next to this station in the apartment building.

He brought me up the stairs and onto the street, then to the front door of our place.

“I didn’t mean to take so long,” he told me when he set me down outside our front door. He took out his key. “Guess I got caught up.”

“It’s okay,” I muttered, my voice drained and soft.

“Nah it ain’t,” he answered as he unlocked the door.

We walked into the tiny home, and I went and sat on the sofa. It was old and patchy, already used and torn when we first found it on the side of the road. My dad had sealed the stitching himself, even found a way to get rid of the rotten smell in the cushions. That was two years ago.

He went to the counter in the kitchen and grabbed his whiskey. I tried it once and threw up, but Dad told me I’d grow into drinking. He said it was just a part of getting older.

Like finding a woman.

But I didn’t think I’d ever want either of those things.

My father sat beside me, a small glass in his hand. He poured a little of the drink and threw it back in his mouth. He smacked his lips and let out a sigh, the way someone does when it’s hot outside and they take a swig of water.

He poured another, then set the bottle between the cushion and the sofa arm beside him.

Neither of us said anything for nearly a minute. I wondered, briefly, if I should just go to bed.

But then he looked at me, and said, “I know I let you down today. I keep on doing it. I keep on wrecking things up.”

I didn’t answer.

He drank again from the little glass and coughed. I thought he might stop after that, but he just poured another.

“I went to the dock today and asked about a job. Marty told me he could get me one. But he’s a liar. Dunno why I thought he’d deliver.”

The clock near the kitchen said it was nearly midnight. Mom was probably still playing cards. I’d gone there a few times with her on days Dad worked. She told me I wasn’t supposed to say anything about that, so I never did, but I was pretty sure Dad knew.

He looked at me again, his eyes fixed on mine. “Hey, you wanna see something?”

“Okay,” I said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mini-pad. There was already something on the screen when he turned it on—a picture of someone sitting inside a cockpit. The man had a great big grin on his face, like he was the happiest guy in the galaxy. “You know who this is?”

I shook my head.

“That’s a Renegade. His name is…” He leaned closer to the screen, scrunching his nose and brow. “Ah, Vince McAbrey. Yeah, that’s it. You ever heard of a Renegade, Jacey?”

I said that I hadn’t.

He smiled, then put his glass of whiskey down on the floor beside us. “Renegades are tough sons-a-bitches. They fly their ships all over the galaxy. Ain’t that somethin’? And they do jobs for rich folk, get paid for being free. That’d be the life, huh?”

“Wow,” I muttered, staring at the picture of the strange man. He looked like someone out of a holo show, with his brown coat and the gun next to him. I’d never seen anyone like that in real life.

“There’s a whole article here about him. Says he makes a thousand credits a day on average. Ain’t that somethin’? Just for flying his ship and helpin’ people out.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Sure is,” said my father. He placed his hand around me and brought me closer so we could both see. He swiped his finger across the pad, turning the pages. Different images followed, each showing Vince in a different place. We even got to see his ship—a big, incredible ship with huge engines and tons of windows. My eyes widened as it went on. I wanted to be there.

After a moment, Dad set the pad down on his leg. “So what do you think, Jacey?”

“It’s really something,” I said, trying to hold back my excitement. I didn’t want to sound like a dumb kid right now.

“What would you think if your old man was one of these?” he asked.

The question caught me by surprise, so it took a second to react. When I did, I couldn’t help but get excited. “That would be so cool!”

“Seems silly, don’t it?” he asked, grunting like he was about to laugh. “I been thinkin’, though, and I don’t know. I bet I could do it.”

“You could do it, Dad,” I exclaimed. “You could if you wanted.”

He laughed, squeezing me in his arm. “You know I could!”

I giggled along with him, all that tiredness gone in an instant.

“Well,” he finally continued, letting me go. He leaned back and looked at me. “I got some good news, Jacey.”

“Huh?”

“I’m looking into it. That’s where I was all day today,” he explained. “I went to the docks like I said, but then when it didn’t work out, I saw this article and decided to go ask about it.”

“Where did you go?”

He tilted his head, remembering. “All over the place. First to Gary’s. He knows everything, so I figured he could help. He says most folks get an investor. Someone’s gotta pay for that ship. So I asked where I could get one of those, and he said he didn’t know. I figured maybe if I can get a connection, then it’ll all work out. That’s what you gotta do, Jacey. Get those connections. That’s how the game works.”

“The game?” I asked.

“Well, sure. The game of life. Everyone’s trying to beat each other, always aiming for the top. And we’re playing it all the time. Even you.”

“Really? You mean like Knight’s Fury?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, just like that, except this ain’t no kid’s game. This is something for men. And you’re a man, Jacey. Or you will be. Same as I am now. We’re the Hughes boys. We’re tough and we get shit done.”

I decided that was good to know, because games were fun. You just had to practice until you mastered them. And every game has secrets. Some even have cheats.

“Don’t you worry, son. I’ll find us a way, whatever it takes. I ain’t told your mom yet, but she’ll be on our side, too. Everyone will talk about the Hughes boys someday. We’ll be the baddest Renegades in the business.”

“The baddest!” I repeated, finding it difficult to not sound so excited.

“And when we get there, we won’t have to settle for nothing we don’t want. No shitty food. Only the best drinks. The best beds. You want that? You want to live that life?” He stuck his finger on the pad, bringing up the image of the Renegade man. “Just like that guy.”

“Yeah,” I said, smiling so hard it hurt my cheeks.

He placed his hand on my shoulder, his face suddenly more serious. For a moment, it felt like looking at a stranger. My father was always so cheerful, or he was yelling or passed out. Sometimes angry.

But he never looked like this.

Everything he said sounded so wonderful, but most of all, I liked seeing him this happy. It was fun to talk about this stuff.

“You’d be proud of your old man, huh?” he asked, his eyes a glassy gray. “If I could do this, you’d be proud, right? Of course you would. Well, I promise, Jacey. I’ll do it. I’ll take care of you better and make it real. All three of us in a ship of our own. You understand what I mean?”

Before I could answer, he pulled me close and into his chest again, burying my face in his shirt.

“I’ll show your mom that I’m worth a damn, that I can take care of you.”

I didn’t say anything.

His heart was racing, pounding in his chest so hard I could feel it against my head.

After a moment, I felt him sniffling, and then his arms began to shake.

We sat like that for a long time, just the two of us.

Until I fell asleep again. Only this time, I didn’t wake until the morning.

But I did dream.

I dreamed of space and captains. Of Renegades and starships. The galaxy was great and big and there was plenty of room in it, just like in those old shows.

I dreamed of me and my father, sitting in the cockpit of our very own ship. He sat so tall in his seat, the same determination and bravery on his face that the man in the picture had.

And just like him, my father was smiling.

19

I opened my eyes to Lex holding my hand. Another form hovered over me and gave me a start, but it was just a field medic. They waved a wand over my torso, and it gave a pleasant sort of feeling.

“You’ve got a broken rib, Captain,” she told me. “Or had one. The wand is doing its job. The break is healing up well enough to keep you comfortable until you can get to a healing pod. I already treated the head wound, so you might feel some residual pain up there, but nothing drastic.”

“Uh, thanks,” I said, sitting up when she put the wand away.

It was quiet. Much too quiet for me to be in the middle of an active battle. I turned experimentally and found that there was nothing more than a twinge of pain in the rib. My surroundings finally registered, and I recognized we were just inside the entrance to the core, sheltered by its walls.

“How did I get in here?” I asked Lex.

She smiled. “The trilobites. See? Told you they would protect us.”

“So you did,” I replied, trying not to think about the creepy robots transporting my body.

Now that the fog was lifting I could make out the sounds of warfare still going on outside.

Karin’s voice came over the open comm line, strained and full of pain. “We’re being overrun! We need reinforcements or this post is going to fall.”

Groaning, I got to my feet.

“Captain Hughes, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to move around so much,” the medic warned.

I ignored her and began to limp toward the fight. Then I felt a gentle hand on my arm. Annoyed, I swung around to tell the medic she could piss off and found myself facing Lex.

She paused, uncertain. I wondered if I should say something, respond to her calling me Dad for the first time, but I didn’t want to break the spell. Maybe she hadn’t meant it. Hell, maybe I’d imagined the whole thing.

Gods knew I wasn’t father material. I was just a former Renegade who happened to have a soft spot for kids. Sure, maybe ever since I met Lex I’d felt responsible for her, but that didn’t mean much. The girl seemed to inspire affection in nearly everyone she encountered. And... and that was all bullshit.

Who was I kidding? Lex and Abigail were the two most important people in the universe to me. I’d killed for both. And would again if the need called for it.

Suddenly, Lex looked as she had before all this crazy shit had started: young and vulnerable. “I don’t want you to go out there!” she blurted. “You can get hurt.”

In that moment, I was reminded of all that this young, brave, girl had seen. More than once, I had almost died in front of her. Understanding the problem, I laid a hand over hers.

“It’s okay to be scared, Lex. I’m a little afraid myself. It’s what we do when we feel that way that matters. I can’t leave Karin and the others out there when they need help, same as I wouldn’t leave you.”

I held out my hand. Squaring her small shoulders, Lex nodded, more to herself than to me, and took my palm in hers.

“When we get out there I want you to call every trilobite you can reach. Have them help as best you can. If their numbers start running low, get out of there.”

“But—“ She started to protest, but I shook my head.

“No arguments. That’s non-negotiable, got it?”

“I understand,” she replied, albeit with a small frown. Then she met my eyes and I saw a change come over her. The frown flattened and set into serious lines. “Then take this. Your other one is broken.”

She slid off the cuff I’d loaned her and handed it to me. I almost refused it, but I could tell she was going to argue and hold us up, so I accepted.

I squeezed her hand once before releasing it. “Alright, kid. Time to go.”

The talking done, we moved to the opening of the core’s access point.

Outside, things weren’t going so hot for our fellow humans. Nightmares were squirming all over the damn place. The monsters might be unfinished, but it looked to me like they had picked up a thing or two since the first attack. Using rapid strikes, they would rush in, then retreat before taking a hit from the soldier.

It was effective, and in the short time since leaving the cave I had watched four of our people succumb to the enemy.

Interestingly enough, the troops facing off with Berserkers and Rangers fared better. I imagined this was due to all the training. Both on Earth with Karin, and on Tartarus, where the Alliance factions had come together and learned from each other.

I took in the chaos just long enough to get my bearings and recognized a Union defense tactic being utilized by two Sarkonians trying to take down a Ranger. Nearby, an Eternal warrior and Union grunt were boxing in a Berserker. The beast was too dumb to realize that a third soldier, a Descendant by the uniform, was lying in wait.

It wasn’t going to be enough; I could see that.

We were playing a numbers game, and losing. Badly.

“What do you say we even the odds?” I said to Lex, raising my voice to be heard above commotion.

Signaling she understood, the girl bent down to touch the trilobite closest to her. It went still, and I wondered if the thing had malfunctioned, which would have been just our luck. Like a wave, the effect spread rampant through the rest of the robotic army. Then, all at once, they began to move. Packs split off and began to target the Nightmares. At first I thought it was random, then it clicked what Lex was doing.

The Nightmares were the hardest to predict, and they were the Celestial class giving us the most trouble. The trilobites put them in check, which evened out the scales, so to speak. It was almost a thing of beauty to observe when a Nightmare tried to take a swipe at one of Lex’s pets. It connected, but instead of knocking it away, the plucking bot held on and began the liquefying process.

“Clever girl,” I said, though there was no one within earshot.

I was proud of Lex and hoped to the gods I didn’t believe in that we all made it through this so I could tell her in person.

Ahead of me, two of the Berserkers finally got a clue and teamed up, standing back to back for mutual protection.

There weren’t any trilobites around, just two Alliance soldiers. One of Karin’s people lay close by, either unconscious or dead. Her staff had fallen next to her and I jogged over to scoop it up, thinking it would be better than trying to get close enough to use the hard light blade. I still had my pistol, but that wouldn’t do much against two of the Celestial heavyweights.

I passed the staff from my left hand to my right, getting a feel for it.

Long ago, Lucia had told me the story behind the weapons. When she was a girl, it had been common practice for youths to prove their mettle by completing tasks and challenges. One of those challenges had them traversing the abandoned underground facilities in search of fusion cores—a dangerous task as they had to avoid the Boneclaws and not get themselves killed. If that weren’t enough, the young Eternals were given the assignment of designing and building a weapon that would be powered with the fusion cores they recovered.

Frankly, the whole idea had seemed pretty barbaric to my ears. Then again, we were talking about a group of people who had managed to eke out an existence for thousands of years on a nearly uninhabitable planet, forgotten by the very people who sent them there.

What I deemed harsh was simple survival for Lucia’s people.

The staff didn’t amount to much to the untrained eye, but I’d seen firsthand what they could do. I eased over to the two soldiers and helped them circle around the pair of Berserkers.

“What do you want to do?” I asked.

“We need to drive them over there,” said the first soldier, a Union private. He indicated behind us where a large crack had split in the ground from the earlier earthquakes.

“It’s deep enough?” I questioned, a little impressed with the trap.

“Oh yeah. Problem is forcing them to move.”

The two Berserkers chose that moment to try for an attack, probably thinking the soldiers were distracted. We jumped out of reach and doubled back around, then I aimed the staff at their legs and fired.

“Drive them back!” I called out to the others.

I doubted they could understand Common Tongue. If they could, we’d be in an even bigger world of shit. Another fine example of the Engineer’s hubris. They didn’t want their underlings to do anything besides what they built them for. It kept the foot soldiers from knowing too much and rising up, but it also restricted their ability to make smart decisions in the field.

Bred to attack, they also lacked self-preservation. The Engineers had relied on the brute strength and high levels of aggression.

That might have worked in the past, but we knew how to exploit it. The Berserkers tried to push forward, but we didn’t let up.

The staff in my hands pumped out brilliant blasts of blue energy. Damn, I thought. Though I would never give up my pistol, this was the kind of weapon I could get used to. It was easy to see why Lucia and her people liked them. So much power in what amounted to a long stick.

One of the Celestials went down on its knees, bellowing in pain. Blood spurted from the multiple injuries it had sustained, and I almost felt bad for the creature. Almost, but not quite. Their kind had killed my people for no other reason than they were told to. Free will or not, they deserved what they got.

That thought in my head, I thrust the staff forward again. It hit the still standing Berserker in the chest, knocking it back a few steps until it was teetering dangerously on the edge of the gaping fracture in the earth. Beside me, the two Alliance fighters hit it with round after round of hard light bullets until the unfortunate beast joined its friend on the ground.

It should have been easy work after that. The slugs tore into flesh and sent fresh splatters of blood flying, but the Celestials didn’t fall. In fact, they were hardly moving at all. Confused, I tried to see if they were holding onto something. It looked like they were punching the ground, which confused me even more. Then I saw one of them pick up an arm and pull the hard light blade it had been using to anchor itself free from the ground.

Okay, maybe not as stupid as I assumed, I thought, echoing the imprisoned Engineer’s earlier words to me.

“Get out of the way!” a voice shouted from behind.

Reacting on instinct, I dove left, then I looked back in time to see Leif Wisand barrel by with a pulse cannon on a hover cart.

He thumbed the control, hitting the Celestials with an invisible blast. The effect wasn’t immediately evident, but I knew exactly what had just been achieved. The cuffs were inactive, effectively stopping the Berserkers from phasing or using the deadly blades.

I ran forward, aiming the staff. When the blast erupted from the end, the Berserkers tried to jump out the way. They both went the same way, which was good for me. The blast collided with the first one, hitting it in the side. The force spun it around and into the next. Neither could keep their balance, and they pitched back.

For one almost comical moment, they windmilled, trying to keep from tumbling into the fissure. I raised the staff again, ready to help them over, when my Alliance friends did it for me.

Smiling, I turned back in time to see a Nightmare streaking toward us. It had its sights set on Leif. He fumbled with the firing button, then slammed it while the Celestial was a few meters away. It was a solid hit but the creature had too much momentum. It crashed into Leif and the cannon, taking them both over the side of the crevice.

I sprang forward, reaching the edge in seconds. When I looked over the edge, resigned to seeing my friend’s broken body somewhere below, I was stunned to find Leif hanging on to a slight edge by his fingertips.

“Help me!” I called out behind me.

Leif looked up at me, his mouth tight as he struggled to keep from falling.

“Hold on,” I told him as the two Alliance soldiers appeared at my sides. “Grab my ankles. I’m going to pull him up. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”

“We have you, Captain,” one of them replied.

He was the burly sort, so I didn’t worry about getting dropped. The pair lowered me down, but I struggled to reach him. Leif was straining now, his face red with the effort and beads of sweat beginning to roll down his forehead.

I extended my arm, ready to take his hand, when my friend slipped. Panic made his eyes go wide, and I watched in horror as his feet slipped against the shear wall, trying to find purchase. They finally did, but the little slip up had taken more energy and now his arms were trembling.

“Leif, you’ve got to reach up. Take my hand, dammit!”

“I can’t hold on, Captain. If I let go with one hand, I’ll fall.”

“The staff,” I said, pushing it down.

It reached him easily, and Leif gave it a considering visual examination before grabbing on, first with one hand, then the other. When he had a secure hold on the business end, I signaled for the others to bring us up.

The Eternal’s added weight made the staff slippery, and I struggled not to lose my grip.

“Captain, I appreciate the rescue, but please don’t shoot me in the face,” Leif joked.

I didn’t laugh, too worried I might do just that on accident.

Finally, we were hauled up over the edge and back on solid ground. It would have been nice to relax, just for a few seconds, but that wasn’t in the cards for us.

Somehow there were more Celestials than before. “Where the fuck do they keep coming from?” muttered one of the soldiers.

I had the same question, but when it came down to it, that didn’t matter. All around the bloody arena, battle ensued. Dead Celestials littered the ground, as did humans. To my shock, the Celestial corpses seemed to outnumber our side. And the Alliance was tired, I could see that much.

Grouped together in numbers of five or more, the ground forces were on the defensive, just trying to stay alive.

Noticing Lex and a small force of trilobites off to one side, I sprinted for her. Leif and the other two followed, padding our numbers some.

“Is this all you have left?” I asked Lex, motioning at the robots.

She looked around at those remaining, which I estimated to be a few hundred. There were a few more scattered about, still attacking the Nightmares, but nothing like when we started.

“I… don’t think so,” she replied. “It’s like I can feel more, but I don’t know where they are. Let me try and call them.”

The girl went still, spreading her arms, palms up. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. In an odd way, it was beautiful. Lex seemed to hum with some internal power, and I half expected to see her levitate off the ground.

When the ground trembled again, my first thought was that we were experiencing more seismic activity, either from the core restoration or Colossus. Leif cast an alarmed look my way, but I just shrugged.

“Look, over there!” one of the soldiers cried.

I didn’t see what he was staring at. There was nothing but divots in the ground. Then they started to move. My hand tightened on the staff. I was ready to start blasting through whatever fresh hell we were about to find ourselves in.

We didn’t have to wait long. Thin legs poked out of the mounds, followed by small bodies covered in dirt.

Trilobites.

Halle-fucking-lujah.

20

Thousands of the little buggers dug their way out of the ground and went for the Celestials.

“Alliance ground infantry, this is Captain Hughes. Pull back and stay out of the way.”

I didn’t want to step on Karin’s toes, but the warning seemed prudent. Just how much control Lex had over the trilobites was still unclear, especially with numbers like this. The last thing we wanted to happen at this point in the game was the trilobites to injure one of our own.

When our people were at a safe distance, all we had to do was watch. I didn’t leave Lex’s side because she was still in that strange position, like it was taking all of her concentration to work with the trilobite network.

Now the Celestials were the ones outnumbered. The robots could only be described as a swarm, something I’d read about but never understood the concept of. They carpeted the ground and covered the enemy like a bloodthirsty pack of razorbacks. Razorbacks could supposedly strip a large animal down to nothing but bone in under a minute, but I thought the trilobites had them beat. It took them no time at all to completely break down the Celestials.

The visual was horrific and fascinating at the same time. When the trilobites attacked, there was a Celestial shaped body one moment, then nothing in the next.

It didn’t take long before the enemy was gone, completely eradicated except for the dead. I turned to check on Lex, glad to see her eyes were open, if a little glassy.

“Hey, kid. You alright?”

She seemed a little dazed, her gaze slow and unfocused as she took in the battlefield. “It worked?”

Concern shot through me when she swayed a little and I reached out to steady her. “Yeah, Lex. It’s over. Down here at least, we won.”

“That’s good,” she murmured. “Tired… Just going to sit for a minute.”

I barely caught her before her eyes rolled back in her head and she started to fall. Lowering her gently to the ground, I called for help. I would have preferred Dr. Dressler, but I hadn’t heard from her since we left the tunnels.

Karin brought a medic, one of her own people. He knelt down and started inspecting Lex for injuries but came up with nothing. He ran the healing wand over her, but it didn’t do anything.

“Fix her!” I barked, pissed that I was less than useless.

“I can’t, Captain. I don’t think the girl is hurt, if that helps. It’s like she’s sleeping or something.”

That gave me pause. When I’d helped Dressler test out the phasing cuffs, the same thing had happened to me. My body went into a catatonic state for more than seventy hours. I hoped that wasn’t the case here, but it was better than some unexplainable injury.

Since transportation was tied up in orbit and the battle was still raging in deep space, I sat with my girl, keeping watch as the sun began to dip on the horizon.

* * *

I was exhausted. The reprieve gave me a chance to lean on one of the burned-out Celestial dropships and catch my breath.

Lex had woken up from her nap after thirty minutes, much to my relief. She sat cross-legged on the ground, resting while her trilobite pals spread out on clean-up duty. I watched them go from corpse to debris, liquefying everything that didn’t belong. It was a good feeling.

I tapped my comm and called for an update. At this point I didn’t care who gave it to me, I Just wanted to know what the hell was happening up there in the black.

“We’ve taken heavy losses,” a familiar voice answered. It was Abigail, and she sounded just as tired as I felt. “So have the Celestials. Thirty-five percent of Alliance ships are down. We’re down to a whopping fifteen percent of Sigmond’s drones.”

It only took me flagging down one of the Alliance officers to obtain a data pad and pull up a feed from the Dawn. “What about the Celestials?” I demanded.

“There are too many,” she replied. “For every fighter we take out, three more come out of Colossus. I’m not sure—”

The stream of curses she let out had me wincing. The reason for them was made clear a second later. It might have been disabled, but that wasn’t stopping more from pouring out of the massive flagship.

“Damn it, Jace. We can’t hold them. They’re going straight for Earth.”

Alphonse came on the main channel again, shouting orders. “Every available ship in the system, we need assistance. This isn’t over yet. Form up to the defense grid and prepare to protect Earth.”

Not wanting to distract my crew at such a critical time, I contacted Dressler.

“Yes, Captain, what is it?”

“Do you know why the Celestials are so hell-bent on getting to Earth? There’s nothing here but Verdun, and that’s all but destroyed. I just don’t see why they care so much. The number of ground forces isn’t enough to rate this kind of attack.”

I thought the doc would tell me she had no idea, but she didn’t. “I do have a theory, but it’s far from concrete. Project Reclamation. Until now, the planet has only been partially restored. The final step was restarting the core. If it gets interrupted, it will stop.”

“Let me guess, it can’t be restarted again.”

Dressler hesitated. “Yes, that’s true. But that isn’t all. If Project Reclamation is disrupted, the new core’s formation process will become unstable. The seismic events that occurred earlier will be nothing compared to the fallout from a disruption at this point. Earthquakes will be off the charts, doing untold damage and changing the configuration of the continents until the stress eventually rips Earth apart from the inside out. I don’t suppose I have to explain what that will be like.”

“No, you don’t. Where’s my ship, Dressler? If there’s going to be a final all-out battle for our planet, I need to be there.”

“I can direct Junior to bring us back to you. Estimated time—”

She cut out and I tapped my earpiece to see if it died. “Doc? Where the hell did you go?”

“I’m here, but I have an update. The final phase caused the domes to temporarily shut down and the power systems to reboot.”

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to hold on to patience. “So what? I’m not worried about the domes right now, MaryAnn.”

“Well you should be,” she snapped. “The prisoner escaped.”

It took me a second to remember who she meant. “You mean the Engineer? I repeat, so what?”

“Don’t be so cavalier. He’s top of the Celestial pecking order. It would be nothing for him to hack into one of our systems and disrupt something. He could be on his way to sabotage Project Reclamation as we speak.”

“Dammit, I don’t need this shit right now. Is there any way to tell where he went?”

A yelp sounded behind me before Dressler could answer. I spun to find the asshole in question, smiling at me as he held Lex by the hair, one skinny arm around her neck. I wondered how he’d gotten past all of our people until I saw the cuff on his wrist. He had to have swiped it from Dressler’s workspace in the dome.

“Never mind, Doc. Found him.”

I cut off the transmission and held my hands up in a sign of peace.

He scoffed, watching me through beady eyes. “So easy, Jace Hughes. Take the girl, bring you to your knees. You’ll do anything for her, won’t you?”

“Yes,” I agreed. “Now, let her go or—”

“Or what?” he interrupted. “You will kill me? See, that is the difference between Transient trash and Celestials. Emotional… What is the human word? Luggage. You let emotion rule you. I must admit that for animals, you are quite resourceful.”

The Engineer held up the phasing cuff.

“That’s why we’re still alive,” I pointed out. “Maybe you should stop trying to kill everyone in the damn universe and try making friends instead. Trust me, it’s better in the long run.”

He chuckled. “For you, maybe. But there is nothing you can teach me. The ones you call Precursors, now that would have been interesting. But you turned them against us and cut off any chance of our joining them in slip space. No matter.”

I yawned, hoping to keep its focus on me. “Are you done yapping yet? For intelligent beings, nay, gods as you say, you sure do talk a lot.”

Bristling, the Celestial activated the hard light cuff and extended the blade. “You think you are so amusing, Jace Hughes. Will you still laugh when I separate the child’s head from her body?”

“Don’t you touch her,” I warned him, taking a step forward, then stopping when he held the blade to Lex’s neck.

Part of me was royally pissed. After all the running and fighting and everything else I had done to keep Lex safe, here she was again, at the mercy of one of our enemies. Whether he hurt her or not, this son of a bitch was going to pay.

“I studied your file, Hughes. I know what this girl is to you. She’s your chance to be the father yours wasn’t. A chance for a real family,” he mocked. “I can take that away with a single motion.”

His words hit the right buttons, something I was having a hard time wrapping my head around. After everything we’d learned about the Celestials, I hadn’t expected them to understand humans on such a level. But most of all, I felt a burning rage that he would use my kid like that.

The Engineer studied me with clear eyes, waiting for me to do or say something. Careful to keep my face blank, I considered my options.

Nonplussed, he continued. “Don’t you think she’d be better off without you? You’re a criminal, Jace Hughes. Hardly father material. Do you really think you have what it takes to care for this small human?”

“Shut up, you dumb jerk!” Lex’s face was a mask of fury, and I was half afraid she might do something stupid, but the Celestial just laughed.

None of the Alliance soldiers had dared move since the interaction began. I didn’t trust them to take the Celestial out before he hurt Lex, so that idea was out. I had one functioning phasing cuff and the staff in the opposite hand.

“What do you want, exactly?” I asked, stalling for more time. Where were the godsdamned trilobites?

“Nothing,” he replied, smiling. “I’m going to kill your daughter and there is nothing you can do. I will die, but so will she. At least I will go knowing I took what mattered most to you, and you will live knowing you were too inadequate to stop it.

I’d kept an eye on Lex during this exchange and noticed she kept shifting. My first thought was that she was in pain, then I noticed the kid was slowly changing her position. I recognized the stance at once.

Smiling back at the smug Celestial, I leaned on the staff as though I didn’t care one way or the other what happened. “That’s a nice plan you came up with. Diabolical. But you’re forgetting one thing. Lex is my daughter, and she ain’t no one’s victim.”

His face registered confusion for a moment, then a hardness came into his eyes. “I won’t be distracted by your pathetic attempts—”

All his breath came out in a whoosh as Lex elbowed him in the gut. I had the staff up the instant she was clear and aimed point blank at his face. I thought of a witty final line, then decided it would be a waste.

My turn to save Lex, I thought. And fired.

* * *

The trilobites made quick work of the dead Engineer, erasing any sign he’d ever been here at all.

I was glad it was over, but his words continued to echo in my head. Even if he had been trying to piss me off and get under my skin, that didn’t mean he was wrong.

Was I projecting my feelings of fatherhood on Lex?

My final memory of my father was of him leaving, but that was far from the only memory I had. His excitement at the notion of becoming a Renegade had stayed with me all my life. Hell, I’d become what he always wanted, living my life free among the stars and getting paid to have fun.

The man had loved me, I knew that much. But for all his hopes and dreams, he had been flawed. Never seeing what was right in front of him, always chasing something better. It had eventually killed him.

Now I was on the other side of the galaxy, light years away, with a family of my own. I might be a criminal, there was no denying that, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t take care of Lex.

Nah, I wasn’t my father. At least, not all the way. I was my own man, one with hopes and dreams of his own. I didn’t need more though.

I smiled down at Lex and tousled her hair. When she smiled back, I knew I had more than enough.

21

“She looks fine,” said Dressler, examining Lex’s eyes with a penlight.

The doctor and Shaw had shown up in the Renegade Star about five minutes earlier. We were sitting in the med bay so the kid could get a once over. I was concerned that the trilobites didn’t come to her rescue when the escaped Engineer had her in his grip.

“You sure?” I asked, unconvinced. “She passed out when all the trilobites came busting out of the ground all at once like that. That kind of thing isn’t supposed to happen, what with her perfect genes, right?”

Dr. Dressler straightened and tucked the light into her lab coat pocket. She folded one arm across her chest and tapped her chin with the opposite hand as she considered my question. “It’s true that Lex has a flawless genetic makeup. However, it must be considered that the child is unique. We don’t know everything.”

“That’s the short way of saying you have no idea what happened to her,” I replied with a snort.

The doc’s eyes narrowed at the insinuation. “Did I say that? Lex may be an Eternal, but she is still human. If I had to guess, I would attribute the loss of consciousness to exhaustion. Even a full battery drains if overused. Interacting with the trilobites for so long was slowly using her energy. It’s logical to think that it took an exponential amount of her strength to call the trilobites from below ground.”

“And the incident with the Engineer?”

“You mentioned she had just woken up. I doubt she was recovered enough to issue new commands. The trilobites were still doing what she had ordered them to but didn’t receive any new instructions. I won’t know for sure unless more testing yields different information. For now that’s all I have.”

During the conversation Lex had kept quiet, but she spoke up now. “I feel okay...” Her voice trailed off, but her eyes lingered on me.

I heard the unspoken word as surely as if the kid had said it aloud.

Dad.

Wanting to reassure her, I started to say something only to be cut off by an emergency transmission from Alphonse.

The younger man sounded as grim as I’d ever heard him, and I paused to listen.

“This is Captain Alphonse Malloy speaking. The Celestials are gearing up for a full scale attack in an attempt to destroy Earth. Every available vessel, get your asses to the provided coordinates.

I turned to Shaw, who had been listening from the doorway. “Take Lex somewhere safe. I need to help.”

Lex rushed to me and threw her arms around my waist. I thought she was going to beg me to stay, but the girl let go and stepped back. “I’ll see you in a little bit. Kick some Celestial butt!”

The juvenile saying made me chuckle. “Yeah, you got it, kid. Now get out of here. Your old man has some work to finish.” I jerked a thumb at Dressler. “You too, Doc. People are going to need your help.”

To her credit, the scientist didn’t argue. “Very well.” At the door, she paused and looked over her shoulder at me. “Do yourself a favor and try not to worry about Lex. I’ll keep an eye on her and monitor for any changes.” She paused. “Focus on staying alive.”

“Careful, Doc,” I said as she started to walk. “Keep talking like that and some folks might think you actually care.”

She scoffed as she entered the hall. “I never said I didn’t.”

* * *

When the ship was empty, except for me, I made my way from the cargo bay to the bridge. As I traversed the interior of the second iteration of the Renegade Star, I couldn’t help but think of all that I had done in my life.

From the time I’d made it off Espy, to working my way down each new path that would eventually take me to Fratley. The Ravager leader might have been a pain in my ass, but if not for him, I doubted that I would be where I was right now. Because of him I had not only the Renegade Star, but Sigmond.

Best thirty thousand credits I ever spent, I decided.

The kitchen was clean, something I’d never been really big on doing, so I assumed I had one of my crew to thank. Thousands of meals had been eaten between my two ships. A great deal alone, but enough were shared with friends and family that the space held memories. Some good, some bad, and some bordering on lewd. Not that I’d ever tell anyone, Abigail especially.

There were just some things a man needed to keep to himself.

I sprinted past the lounge where I’d watched cartoons with Lex, read to her, and even taught her to play a couple of games.

No doubt about it: the Star was an integral part of my life. A home for more than five years. I was taking it to face the next surge of Celestial invaders, and I knew it would serve me well. After sitting down in the seat that fit me like a glove, I strapped the safety harness on with a resounding click.

I took the controls in hand and prepared to join the battle.

For just one instant, I hesitated. This was it, the beginning of the end. One way or another, this war was ending. Today, right now. When the last fire burned out and all the ash settled, would humanity be victorious?

We would if I had anything to say about it.

I looked around the empty cockpit, almost nostalgic about the whole affair. All of my crew were off doing their own thing. Abigail and Octavia were on the Galactic Dawn. Freddie and Petra were helping protect Earth with the defense grid, which Alphonse was now commanding. Hitchens was watching over his charges, as he should be.

And me? I was right where I belonged.

It was going to end the same way it started.

Alone.

Except for Foxy Stardust.

I flicked her helmet and the perpetually cheerful bobblehead did its usual dance. I smiled, thinking that truthfully, she had been with me the longest.

Well, maybe that was true, but there was someone else.

My oldest friend.

“Junior,” I said, looking up to check the holo display. “No offense, but I’m going to have to ask you to take the backseat on this one.”

“Of course, sir. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” I said, placing my hands on the dash. “Siggy, it’s time to get to work. Think you’ve got one last dogfight in you?”

The Cognitive blipped into view next to me and bowed, a warm and bright smile strewn across his glowing face. “Why, sir, I thought you’d never ask.”

I gave him a brisk nod, and with the engines primed, brought the Renegade Star into the air.

“Okay, then,” I said to the oldest friend I had. “Time to finish this.”

* * *

I wasn’t going to leave the core’s entrance. There were enough Alliance ships in the vacuum and acting as orbital defense. What we needed was more vessels to catch the Celestials that broke through the defense grid.

As much as it pained me to realize it, they would. The feeds Sigmond brought up on the holo were far from promising. Dead ships from both sides were strewn about the expanse of the system like scattered playthings left out by a naughty child.

The Alliance fleet was down by half, maybe more. They had given as good as they got to our assailants, but the fight was far from done.

It seemed Sigmond’s drones had been able to disable the Colossus, but it wasn’t destroyed. A large squadron exited from one side and advanced on Earth’s position.

“That’s what Alphonse was talking about,” I said, watching as the Celestial group was swarmed by the Alliance offensive. While the skirmish raged on, another squadron exited the great warship.

“Indeed,” Sigmond replied. “Unfortunately, we don’t have concrete data on their numbers. Given the size of the Colossus, the number could be in the tens of thousands. Perhaps more.”

I grimaced at the thought. “So they can just wear us out,” I muttered. “How many drones do you have left in there?”

“One hundred and twenty five. They are attempting to find a way to cause a bigger disruption. Their original mission was waylaid by the Celestials inside, but they have not stopped searching.”

“The second group isn’t attacking,” I observed.

On the holo, hundreds of ships began to form up together until they almost looked like a single mass. I didn’t see anything bigger than a standard Union cruiser class ship, which was roughly double the size of the Star. Sarkonians had them too, but their clunkers always seemed smaller to me. then again, maybe I didn’t give them enough credit. From everything I’d seen lately, they’d seriously stepped up their game.

“It appears they are planning a large-scale assault,” noted Sigmond. “This may be their final strike. In fact, Captain, I believe this may be the remainder of the Celestial forces.”

“Good,” I said, emphasizing the word. “Then let’s hope we’ve got enough juice to take them on.”

“I have every confidence in you and the armada you have built, sir.” When I scoffed, he held up a hand, killing my humility. “I cannot say how this war will end, but if I might be so bold, I do know one thing. I am utterly and completely and unabashedly proud to have served at your side, Captain Jace Hughes. Your friendship has meant more to me than you could ever know.”

“Siggy, I…uh…”

“Don’t worry, sir. I know you’re not one for—”

“The feeling is mutual, you rust bucket,” I said with a scoff. “Now stow the sentimentality and keep that super brain of yours on the job. This ain’t no different from any other.”

Sigmond chuckled. “Right you are, sir.”

I nodded at the assembled fleet. “They’re done coming out of the Colossus. Shit’s about to get real, Siggy.”

“Indeed, but as you would say, let us kick some Celestial ass.” He paused. “Sir.”

As the enemy advanced, the Alliance came together to put as many armaments between the Celestials and Earth that we had left.

The two groups clashed in a maelstrom of firepower, trading beam cannon fire and missiles alike with devastating results. The Celestials had the upper hand. Not only were their ships better than most of ours, they had a slight edge on the number side of things.

My gut clenched as the enemy ships began to break through and go around the defensive guard.

“Alliance lower orbital defense squadrons, this is Jace Hughes. Prepare yourselves. The entrance to the core must be protected at all costs.”

A battle cry came over the comm as each ship responded at once. The tension in my stomach cleared some and I felt a squeeze in my chest at what was unfolding before me. Humanity may have been the underdogs, but we weren’t out of this. The Celestials had picked the wrong sentient beings to fuck with.

The first Celestial ship broke through lower orbit and streaked toward our position. Three of ours rose to meet it, employing the tactics developed in the training sim on Tartarus. They dispatched it without much fuss and without taking any damage, much to my approval.

When a dozen more Celestial fighters appeared on the holo, I joined the fracas.

I picked a target and locked in so the others would know what I was doing. With the Renegade Star having one of the pulse cannons, I could be the most helpful by disabling attacking ships to give our offense a few seconds to launch a devastating assault.

The enemy swerved, trying to lose me, but I knew how they worked. My ship also had also been built using Celestial parts, which they wouldn’t know. The Star easily kept pace, and I used that to my advantage. Still, dogging the other ship proved moderately difficult until I anticipated a hard turn and met it with a blast from the mounted pulse weapon.

I finally got it and strafed out of the way to give the offense team behind me a clear shot. After verifying they had it handled, I circled back around to where chaos was breaking loose.

No less than one hundred Celestials had descended, and the carefully practiced sims had never featured a large scale battle that I knew of. In hindsight, we should have thought of that, I realized. There was no way to keep the formations and cover each other’s backs from the horde of enemy ships.

Beside me, Sigmond flickered. For one awful moment I thought the Celestials had launched some cyberattack and he was malfunctioning “Siggy, you okay over there?”

He came back and turned to face me. “Captain, there is a new signal in the system. It is Sarkonian.”

A wave of relief swept over me as the fleet approached. “About godsdamn time.” I hardly dared to think it, but we now had a chance to win this thing.

I swung the Star toward the nearest Celestial, grinning like a fool when the pulse blast had it dead in the air. There wasn’t anyone else in the vicinity to take a shot, so I switched to my beam cannon. A blaze of purple lanced out and hit the enemy vessel dead center.

News of the Sarkonian fleet’s arrival spread quickly. The Alliance responded with a spurt of visible energy. We attacked with vigor, rallying one last time. Alphonse ordered ships from the grid to drop, adding to the planet’s collected ground and air support.

On the Celestial end, those still in the atmosphere and the void turned to take on the reinforcements. They didn’t have enough.

Four of the Empire’s warships advanced, flanked by an armada. I was pretty sure that the Emperor had been holding out on us, but I didn’t really care. They were sweeping the enemy and turning the tides. The injection of fresh ships into the fight was much needed, and they were making quick work of the Celestials’ now flagging forces.

In the airspace surrounding the core, combat still raged, but we were winning. The Celestials didn’t give up, but neither could they staunch the bleeding that had begun.

“The last combatant in this sector has been disabled,” informed Sigmond. “Permission to terminate survivors on sight?”

“Fuck yeah, Siggy. Take no prisoners, give no quarter.”

“Those two phrases mean the same thing, sir.”

I shrugged, not really caring. “I knew that. You take my meaning though. No survivors, not this time. We already tried that. Do me a favor and relay that order.”

When the last Celestial was dead, I landed the Star and walked out to the scorched earth. I looked up and saw that the last explosions in the atmosphere were still so bright and heavy that it seemed like they might never fade, but fade they did.

An eerie silence engulfed me, and I just let it settle before me. Maybe I was still in disbelief that we had done it.

That we had not only endured the fire, but somehow extinguished it.

“It’s over,” said Alphonse on the open channel. “The Celestials have been defeated. Humanity has won. I repeat, the war is over.”

There was one more beat of silence, then my comm came alive as every person with an active transmission link cheered.

22

Ships started landing all around me, their crew spilling out onto the planet’s surface.

Smiles beamed out brightly as people hugged and celebrated. I took it in, still trying to convince myself it was real. Everything that we’d endured to get to this point had taken a toll, but we had survived and would heal from it.

I studied the deep furrows that crashed ships and heavy weapons had scored into the earth. Ruined ships, both Alliance and Celestial, littered the area here at the entrance to the core and near Verdun. It would all be cleaned up, eventually.

The dead would be buried, sooner rather than later.

As I considered that undertaking, my comm clicked, signaling an incoming transmission from Sigmond. “I hope you’re not about to ruin my good mood, Siggy.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir. Halek Cain would like a word, if you have a moment.”

“Put him through.”

The Last Reaper in the known universe’s rough cadence filled my ear. “Hughes. That was one hell of a fight. Those Celestials didn’t fuck around, I’ll give them that much.”

I let out a harsh laugh. “No, they didn’t. But they’re dead now,” I said, relieved to hear his voice. “I appreciate the help, Cain. You planning on sticking around? You can fill me in on your story over a round of drinks. Gods know I’d love to hear it.”

“Can’t this time, but I’ll take a raincheck. Besides, I’m almost to the slip tunnel. Just wanted to let you know I appreciate you keeping your word about the Union. No one gave me any shit, which is always a surprise.”

If I didn’t know any better, I would have said the man was wistful. “You held up your end,” I replied. “More than that, actually. You and yours are always welcome here. It might not look like much now, but we’re going to build this planet into something special.”

He laughed. “You sound like me,” he said. “And you know what, Hughes? I believe you. I’ve seen some shit. Things that no one who wasn’t there would believe. But now everyone knows that Earth is real, at least. There’s no denying that much. Yeah, you’ve got some big changes coming. Who knows, I might come back and take that drink, and maybe I’ll tell you about the other monsters.”

“Looking forward to it, Cain.”

He paused. “Take care of that kid of yours, Captain.”

The line cut out before I could respond, but that was probably better. I didn’t know how to answer something like that.

I put the word out that everyone should return to Verdun. Sigmond and Athena worked on identifying survivors and sending assistance.

Carl brought the evacuees back, getting them back to earth by creating a transport assembly line. Once his charges were offloaded, he moved to overtake Colossus. I kept an eye on the process, a little worried the great ship would come to life and hit us with a world-ending strike, undoing all that we had achieved.

It didn’t happen though. The Union and Sarkonians had plenty of ground teams to deploy, and I added to it by sending some of Karin and Leif’s people to clean out the remaining Engineers. They had used all of their resources, leaving them completely vulnerable.

I made sure that no one tried to take any samples for later study. There was no way in hell that the Celestials might be resurrected or recreated, which thankfully everyone agreed on.

To be on the safe side, I ordered Carl to destroy Colossus, which he did by infiltrating its systems and overloading the core from the inside. To keep from pissing Vick and Sanchez off, we told them it was a self-destruct timer and we just couldn’t stop it. They bought the story, or maybe they just didn’t care and were glad to be done with the fight. Either way, I didn’t really care.

Back at Verdun, reunions were happening everywhere. I already knew my people were safe, having checked in with each of them the second I’d had a chance. Lex and Dressler were aiding the medics, offering help where they could, and I let them be. With no bedside manner to speak of, it was best I stayed away from that end of things.

Hitchens rounded up all the children who didn’t have an adult to supervise and kept them busy with stories and games in one of the short-term tent setups.

Standing on the ground again, I heard someone shout a name. “Frederick!”

Petra came running from a small hover quad. The two met midway and she leapt into his arms. I was more than a little shocked that he managed to catch her.

He held on tight and didn’t drop his new wife, and they locked lips almost frantically, exchanging a sloppy kiss. When it showed no signs of slowing down a few seconds later, I averted my eyes. They’d earned a little PDA as far as I was concerned, but that didn’t mean I had to watch.

They were far from the only ones, too. Another couple leaned up against a nearby ship. The woman was an albino, and she wore a flight suit, though I wasn’t sure whether she was from Glacio or Leif’s Eternals. When the pair broke apart, I was surprised to see the man was none other than Lieutenant Oberon Rackham.

Well, didn’t that just beat all?

He looked a little dazed as the woman blew a kiss over her shoulder and sashayed away. I approached and clapped his shoulders with both of my hands. “Rackham, you old dog. I didn’t know you still had it in you. Who’s the unlucky lady?”

“I… don’t know,” he admitted, still in a state of bewilderment. “I was just walking, seeing if anyone needed help. Next thing I knew, that young woman grabbed me and laid one right on me. I thought she had the wrong guy.”

“She probably did. Worked out okay for you though.”

“Yeah, I guess it did!” He watched her disappear down the street and let out a sigh. “Boy, what a day.”

He got a summons from Vick a few seconds later and left, his head in the clouds. I didn’t know how much we’d see each other now that the fighting was done, though I had a sneaking suspicion his boss would have plans involving Earth. But that was an issue for another day.

I spotted Alphonse walking with purpose down the path to where Dressler was standing. She had her back to him and didn’t see the Constable coming. When he spun her around, the shock making her features go slack almost had me laughing out loud.

Then he dipped her back and planted one on her, much to the delight of everyone around. Catcalls and whistles pierced the air until they both came up for air. Now it was Dressler’s turn to look dazed. As if that weren’t enough, Alphonse pulled a little box from his pocket and dropped to one knee.

I wasn’t the type to tear up, but damn if the sight didn’t make my cold heart feel a tug. Today would be written in the books as the end of a war and the birth of a new nation. It felt right that it was also the start of something new for my two friends.

For all of us.

“Athena, find me Camilla, will you? I want to check on her.”

“I’m happy to assist, Captain,” she replied. “One moment.”

It worked out in my favor that Bolin’s daughter wasn’t far away. She’d been helping to tow disabled ships to a nearby field where they would be evaluated for repair or salvage.

I waited where Athena told me Camilla’s next drop off would be and hailed her. She saw me and landed after dumping her cargo. When the younger woman stepped out of the ship, it was with a wary expression. She probably thought I planned to rip into her for stealing the ship, but I had no intention of doing that.

“How did it go?” I asked, giving her a subtle once-over.

She appeared unhurt, but she knew something was up. “I’m alive. The assholes who killed my father are dead. That’s the best it’s going to get for a little while.”

“I’m glad you got to help. I also wanted to tell you that you’re not alone. Abby and I want you to know you always have a place if you need it.”

Abigail had been more than open to the idea, but I wasn’t sure that Camilla would take the invitation.

Her eyes softened and she smiled at me. “That’s very nice of you, Captain Hughes.”

“But?” I prompted.

“But I just fought in a war,” she said. “And I survived. Alphonse—Commander Malloy is talking about creating an Earth Defense Force. It would operate just like any other military. If I sign up, there’s a bunch of perks, and he promises to make a difference. He said their main focus is to help people in the Deadlands. People like me and my dad.” She looked up at me. “I could do for someone else what you did for us.”

“You can do that,” I agreed. “But that’s going to take time to set up and get put in motion. Listen, Camilla. You can do whatever suits you, and you’ll always have my support. Your father was my brother. He was family, and that’s what you are, too. Every single person on this planet has your back. Still, though, our door is open if you need it.”

She looked relieved. “Thank you.”

I nodded. She had a free spirit, just like her father, and despite everything that she’d undergone, I knew she’d be fine.

“I’m proud of you, kid, and your dad… he’d feel the same. I hope you know that.”

Her eyes dropped to the ground, but still, she smiled. “I think so too, Captain Hughes.”

She climbed back into her stolen ship and left without another word, getting back to work. The war was over, but its effects would be long-lasting, especially for people like Camilla who lost someone. Working was good. It would be a distraction, and we had plenty to do.

For now though, it was time for our people to celebrate.

* * *

Everyone was exhausted, but people held on long enough to drink and be merry. I was standing inside one of the larger tents that we had converted into a dining hall, which had been intended to feed everyone and provide amenities, but a trading ship had landed an hour ago and delivered some bottles of Androsian Ale, a case of whiskey, and some other high quality drinks.

So the feast had become a party, resulting in singing and too much laughter.

It helped that the healing pods cut recovery time down to almost nothing, so long as the injuries weren’t too bad. In the end, our losses had been heavy, but not so much that we couldn’t rebuild.

Carl explained that the Celestial’s strategy had changed from outright killing to simply disabling ships. Kill our engines and run, focus on small groups of us at a time.

It was smart and might have worked if not for the Sarkonian’s timely arrival. The Emperor wasn’t going to let anyone forget that he’d been responsible for mankind’s survival, especially Earth. He was so smug that I started to think it had all been a ploy and he’d waited until the last possible minute to assist.

Regardless, it could have been worse, so there was plenty to be thankful for, and everyone knew it.

I was drinking a beer someone had passed to me when I saw Abigail enter the door. She scanned the room. I didn’t draw her attention, preferring to watch until her eyes met mine.

When they did, she paused, just standing there for a moment. I thought back to the night of Freddie’s wedding when I’d been glad to see her dressed the way I was used to seeing her. At this moment, she wasn’t dressed in armor, but I still saw the warrior. Her rifle was slung over her back, and her hair was tucked out of the way, giving me a good view of her sharp jaw and beautiful green eyes.

I set the beer down and started walking toward her. She met me halfway. Without saying a word, I took her face in my hands and dragged her closer for a rough kiss.

The surrounding crowd erupted in roars of approval, but we ignored them. In this moment, she was the whole world to me, and I wanted to hold it forever.

* * *

Later, while the celebration was still going on, I stood at the edge of the water with Abigail on my left and Lex at my right, each of us holding hands.

I had wanted to be alone with them, far away from everyone else, just for a few minutes of quiet to be with my family.

“We did it, Jace,” the former nun said. “I can’t believe we pulled it off.”

“I can,” I told her, cocking my brow and looking at her with a sideways grin. “It was a little touch and go there for a bit, but damn it all, we did it.”

I turned to Lex and tousled her hair. She didn’t pull away, but I had a feeling my days of treating her like a kid wouldn’t last much longer, and I wanted to enjoy them for as long as I could. “You did a hell of a job out there, Lex. I’m not sure what to do with all your new friends though. Maybe Gaia will have an idea.”

The sun had already set, and now the water glistened with starlight. It was peaceful here. “I’m so glad it’s over,” said Abigail, after a moment. “Now we can finally get on with everything else.”

“On with what?” asked Lex.

“Living, I think,” her mother said. “Just living.”

“Sir,” said Sigmond, appearing next to us with the assistance of one of his few remaining drones. “I have updated damage reports and data on the Celestial ships. It is quite a collection, if I may say.”

I shook my head. “Siggy, unless we’re under attack or there’s some other dire emergency, I don’t want to talk about it. Now right now. I just want to enjoy this for two seconds.”

“My apologies. You are of course correct. Please, take all the time you need. The information will be here when you are ready. I shall return when you--”

“Wait,” I told him, jerking my chin at the view. “Just take it in for a few with us. Think you can do that?”

“Me?” he asked. “Are you certain?”

“You’re part of this family, too,” said Abigail.

“Yeah,” said Lex, propping her hands on her hips. “Mom, Dad, me, and you.”

Sigmond smiled and gave the girl a bow. “If you insist.”

And so he did, and the four of us stared out over our new home.

“I like the sound of that,” said Abigail, casting a glance in my direction. “Mom and Dad.”

“It’s okay, isn’t it?” asked Lex.

“Of course it is,” I told her, then squeezed her hand in mine so she knew it was true.

She smiled. “Good.”

Long stalks of grass swayed in the gentle wind, and everything was finally as it should be.

Rebuilding would take time, but we now had all that we would ever need. The war was over, the threat eliminated.

Finally, our family could rest. Then, and for a long, long time, we would live.

Epilogue

A warm gust of wind blew through the valley, and I found my mind wandering as I sat in a hand-carved rocking chair on the front steps of my cabin.

White, puffy clouds littered Earth’s cerulean sky as it bent into the nearby mountains. Those peaks stretched from one end of the continent to the other. Rivers ran through them, passing into valleys, forests, and into the sea. I planned to walk them all, after a time, but had only managed a few dozen cliffs so far, with many more to come.

After the Great War had ended and the galaxy had gotten back to living, the Earth had found a way to thrive.

And I had been here for it, along with the rest of my people, so far from where we started.

Three apples sat on a small clay plate, a short knife beside them. I took the nearest fruit and cut myself a piece, then I popped it into my mouth and savored the taste while I watched the animals in the field. Seven sheep grazed in the open grass, along with two young corgi dogs.

It was hard to believe, staring at them now, that neither species had existed a decade ago. Yet here they were, alive and well.

So it was with the planet.

I cut myself another piece of the apple and got to my feet, then walked to the other side of the porch. In the distance, to the East, I could see the capitol city, Verdun. It bustled with life and industry, and it was home to fifteen million people, some who had even been born here.

“Feeling nostalgic, sir?” asked an old, familiar voice in my ear. “They say that happens when one grows old, you know.”

“Do they, now?” I asked. “What can I do you for today, Siggy?”

“Nothing in particular,” said the Cognitive.

In that moment, a small burst of light appeared before me. It swirled briefly into the shape of a man. The light formed an aura around him, dimming to little more than a soft glow, and he smiled.

“How’s work today?” I asked.

Sigmond began to walk toward me, his hands clasped behind his back. “It’s ongoing. Terraforming work on Mars is still underway, but Gaia believes we will reach our monthly quotas. The trilobites are working as hard as ever.”

“That’s good. I take it Hitchens is still doing alright?”

He nodded. “As always, along with Octavia. They plan to return from their posting within the month, once the next phase is done.”

A few years after Project Reclamation ended and we began the Earth Reconstruction Project, starting with Verdun, Sigmond had requested that we set up hard-light emitters in every population center. I agreed, naturally, so long as he was willing to share with the other digitized boys and girls.

When I finally built my cabin, Sigmond had quietly taken to installing a set of emitters on the property. That had come as a surprise, but a welcome one, and now he came to see me nearly twice a week.

“Any news from Carl?” I asked, bending under the porch railing and stepping into the grass.

Sigmond and I began walking, nearly in step with one another. “Indeed. He reports three potential sites of consideration. However, he believes further analysis is required.”

“He seemed optimistic about the last few, too, if I remember right,” I reminded him.

“You do, indeed, sir,” said Sigmond.

“Maybe this time will be the one. Those other Transient colony ships have to have gone somewhere.”

In the years after the end of the war with the Celestials, I had given Carl the job of tracking down any other survivors of the mass Transient Exodus from Earth. There had been thirteen ships, according to Athena’s records.

In that time, we had found two: the Orion and Oceanus.

Unfortunately, neither had yielded any survivors. The Oceanus had encountered a radiation storm and lost the full use of its Tritium Core. It was similar to what happened to Titan, except that the Oceanus had not been near any habitable worlds, which left its residents with nowhere to run.

When we found it, the colony ship had been littered with mummified corpses. Even the Cognitive couldn’t be salvaged.

The Orion was a very different story. According to Carl’s report, the ship crashed into a habitable planet somewhere on its original course. It didn’t even reach the original destination, which made locating it pretty difficult. In fact, the only reason we did find it was because of an old beacon the colonists left behind in orbit. The beacon had a message on it that took weeks to reconstruct, and a whole lot of the data had been lost. Still, we managed to salvage a few lines from the initial greeting:

We, the survivors of the Orion seed ship, leave this record of our time on the planet known as Genesis. Should anyone visit this place in search of us, please know that we remain alive and well. We go now in search of a new home…and a new life.

Please, come and find us. We are waiting.

The rest of the message, including what Carl believed to be the coordinates and details of the colony’s final destination, had been too far gone to recover or make any sense out of.

But that didn’t mean we wouldn’t try.

Shortly after we found the planet, Carl managed to locate a series of ancient slip tunnels, much of which were unusable or had collapsed. Still, they gave us somewhere to start, and Carl remained hopeful he could reconstruct the Orion crew’s flightpath eventually.

In the meantime, we had ten other colony ships out there, waiting to be found.

“Where are we going, sir?” asked Sigmond, after a few minutes had passed.

I motioned ahead of us. “Just to this hill over here. I like the view under the oak.”

“Very good, sir.”

I enjoyed spending time with Sigmond. Since he’d upgraded his systems, it meant he could perform multiple complex tasks at once, which meant I never felt like I was wasting his time. He also knew when to let things go quiet, unlike so many living breathing humans who just didn’t know when to shut up.

We began our climb to the top of the hill and finally stopped under the shade of the tree. Its long branches covered enough ground that I could sit here and never get direct sunlight, no matter the time of day. I’d built myself a chair and placed it here some months ago—the perfect spot to contemplate yesterday and tomorrow.

Or, at least, that had been the plan. Even in my semi-retirement, interruptions came near daily, but I’d get to it someday. Eventually.

I took a seat and crossed my legs. Sigmond sat down beside me, creating a hard-light chair of his own that looked identical to mine.

The mountains before us stood tall, and the valley between was vast and full of life, including a flock of white birds that had just taken off from a set of trees and were now on their way toward the city.

That was when the comm in my ear buzzed with a message. “It seems you have a call, sir,” said Sigmond.

I pulled my pad from my sleeve to see who the caller was. “It’s Abigail. Mind giving me a minute, Siggy?”

“By all means, sir. I’ll return tomorrow, if you’d like,” he told me, standing up. The chair disappeared beneath him. “Give my best to your wife.”

“Always do,” I said.

He vanished in a cloud of light, then I eased back in my seat and accepted the call. “What I can do you for, Miss Lady.”

“Oh, listen to you,” she said. There was a little static behind her voice thanks to a damaged satellite. She was currently in low orbit around Mars, manning the Galactic Dawn. “I just wanted to see what you felt like doing about dinner. I can pick something up on my way.”

“Don’t bother,” I told her. “Just bring your ass to the table and I’ll take care of it.”

“You don’t mind?”

I chuckled. “What else do I have to do? Besides, I’m getting pretty good at cooking steaks.”

“Hm. Yes you are.”

“Then it’s settled. Steak and potatoes. Maybe I’ll throw some corn on there, too.”

“My, what a husband I have.”

“Play your cards right and I’ll give you more than that.”

She giggled. “I hope Lex isn’t in earshot right now.”

“You just missed Sigmond, but nope. No Lex.”

“Well, make sure you tell her to be there for dinner. If you don’t, she’s liable to stay out until midnight again.”

“I’ll remind her.”

“Oh, before I forget,” said Abigail. “Octavia tells me you haven’t visited her for your monthly revitalization treatment.”

“Yeah, yeah. Tell her I’ll come down there in a few days.”

“If you don’t take the injections, you’ll begin to age again. Is that what you want? Back pain and arthritis?”

“I know how it works. And besides, I’ll age eventually anyway. Those treatments just slow the whole thing down. But fine, I’ll go just to shut the both of you up.”

“You’re so difficult.” Abigail let out a quick sigh. “Oh, shoot. Alphonse is supposed to call in an hour.”

“Is he? And what’s our boy been up to? Any good news?” The former Constable was currently the ambassador to the Union, working directly out of our embassy on Androsia. He checked in every week with updates on all Alliance projects, including the newly announced colonization missions to former Eternal and Celestial worlds.

“He’s doing well enough, considering he has MaryAnn to contend with,” Abigail said with a laugh. “I have a meeting with her right after I’m done with him, actually.”

“Those two never stop. Alright, I’ll see you tonight. Tell the crew I send my best. Or whatever you want to say.”

“I’ll tell them you miss them terribly.”

“Hey, if you want to lie, then by all means.”

The comm clicked off and I got to my feet. When I did, I caught sight of something in the distance as it moved through the valley. It had appeared from the edge of the woods near the base of the mountains but was now moving quickly in my direction.

It only took a few seconds to recognize that it was someone on a horse. Someone I knew quite well.

I sat back down and decided to wait for her to get here, however long it might be.

As the clouds moved across the field, their shadows passing me by, the wind picked up again and sent a few leaves gliding down from the tree above me. They blew into the field towards the woman as she continued her ride, her hair flowing like water as she galloped through the emerald grass.

I smiled as her face became clear. The face of my adopted daughter.

Lex Hughes.

And on her back, she carried an old, familiar staff.

When she was close enough, Lex smiled and waved, hurrying the horse toward the little hill where I waited. The horse’s hair matched her own: perfectly white. The animal’s name was Lucy, and she was gifted by Gaia when Lex was still just a teen.

And she had taken to it well, learning to ride in only a few short months, mastering it within the year. Since then, she’d gone on daily rides through the nearby woods and fields, always looking for what she called adventure.

I wondered, sometimes a little too often, how long it would be before she asked to leave. To find her own way in the galaxy. She had the spirit for it, the same as me. The same as all of us.

And when the day came for it, I wouldn’t stand in her way.

But I hoped each morning that it wouldn’t be today.

She dismounted at the base of the incline, letting the horse be on its own. The animal walked a few short steps before it got to grazing, and Lex began her climb.

“I was about to call you,” I said, not bothering to get up.

The young woman smiled. “What for?”

“Your mom wants you to be home for dinner. I’m making steak.”

She collapsed onto the fallen leaves, then crossed her legs. “Again? You should try something new for a change. Maybe a brisket. Or even some tacos.”

“What are tacos?” I asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“They’re like sandwiches you can bend.” She waved her hand. “It’s hard to explain, but I can show you later. Athena made me some last month when I went to the city.”

“At the restaurant?” I asked, referring to Athena’s latest venture. After the war concluded and we began to rebuild, Athena seemed to think ancient Earth cuisine was something that people would enjoy, so she started a small cafeteria style stall in the middle of the city. She offered things most of us had never heard of, so many took an interest, and the tiny shop grew rapidly. Two years later, it had become the largest restaurant in the city, serving new delicacies from old Earth civilizations each week. I’d gone a few times, but these tacos that Lex mentioned were something new.

“Yep. She said they used to be pretty common street food. Cheap, greasy, salty.”

“Sounds like my kind of food,” I told her.

“That’s why I’m surprised you haven’t had them yet. You need to get out more, Pop. Add some new recipes to that menu of yours.”

“So does that mean you don’t want any steak tonight?”

Her eyes widened. “Hey, I didn’t say that. I’ll still eat it.”

I grinned. “That’s what I thought. We’ll try your tacos another time.”

She laughed at that. “Say, did you finish the book I gave you yet?”

“Not yet. I was just gonna do that when you walked up. Blame yourself for interrupting.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, I guess I ought to leave you to it.” She nodded and got to her feet, then looked down the hill at the horse. “I need to put Lucy up, but I’ll meet you at the house in time for dinner. You better finish that book by the time we eat.”

I grinned. “See you then, kiddo.”

She smiled and waved. “Later, old man.”

It had been so many years now, but hearing her call me that made me think of my own father, however briefly. One of these days, I’d tell her about him.

Tell her that he was the reason I became a Renegade in the first place, that he inspired me to get out there and find my way in the galaxy. Tell her that he was broken and flawed, but that if it weren’t for him, I’d never have found her. Never have come all the way across that sea of stars and settled on a long forgotten world.

My father had been a man of trouble. He’d suffered and failed at his dream. And if you had asked me years ago what I thought of him, I might have said. “nothing at all.”

But looking at my own daughter, here in the light of this kind place, I understood something about being a parent: that my father, like so many others, had been more than the sum of his flaws. I knew that he was trying to do right by me, all those years ago, only he didn’t know how.

Like so many fathers, mine was just a boy, trying to be a man.

And I knew something about that. Something that I didn’t know when I was young and angry.

I watched with a smile as my daughter ran down the decline, slowing as she reached the horse. She leapt onto its back and secured her staff—the same kind that Lucia had owned all those years ago. Watching her ride away, she reminded me so much of the old woman I had met in that cave. Had it not been for the age difference, I wondered if I could’ve told them apart at all.

Lex had grown so much in the time since I found her inside that pod aboard my ship. She’d been shy and feeble, hardly capable of doing anything on her own, always needing protection. But now she was the most capable person I knew, and not just because of her enhanced strength, but for everything else, too. She was better than me. Better than I could ever have hoped to be.

She was my kid.

And I was proud of her.

When I was a boy, living on the streets, I’d only wanted to leave. To be free.

I thought it would make me happy, being alone with only my ship and the stars to guide me. Yet here I was, quietly sitting under a tree on a world that shouldn’t exist, watching a girl from another time, doing all the things I said I’d never do. Despite all my kicking and screaming, I’d somehow been domesticated.

And I had to say, it wasn’t half bad.

The universe sure has a funny way of telling you you’re wrong.

“Still, there’s so much more to do,” I whispered to myself, turning my eyes toward the city on the horizon.

Verdun was becoming a metropolis in its own right and growing all the time. More cities were being built right now by Sigmond’s drones on every continent. Ships arrived every day with refugees, travelers, and all sorts of people looking to start fresh.

“Earth is the world of opportunity,” the gal-net had called it, shortly after the war. “Join the legendary Renegade himself. See the land of your ancestors. Help reshape the galaxy.”

As much as I hated the way they said it, the commentators and travel agencies were right. This place was growing all the time, and there were plenty of new opportunities for those looking to seize them.

And I was glad for that. I was glad about all of it.

Because now I really was free.

I pulled out my pad and opened the reading app. I’d never been big on books, but Lex had pushed me into it, and I had to say I was starting to like it. Over the last few months, I’d managed to read ten books.

Now I was working on a new one. Lex’s favorite, actually. The Little Prince.

The screen brought up my last place, which I’d left off from yesterday. The book was good so far. A story about a pilot who crashed in the desert and met a little kid who taught him how to live.

Or something like that. I wasn’t done yet.

I adjusted myself in the chair, then let out a long sigh. The day was moving and the world was turning, but here I sat with my little pad on my little hill, getting ready to read a children’s book.

And it was all I wanted to do.

My eyes scanned over the picture at the top of the page. A hand-drawn image from the original author showing an animal of some kind, sitting alone in a small hole in the ground.

I smiled, and it reminded me of when Lex had read some of this book to me. That moment, like so many others, would never come again, but that was okay. There would be many others soon, and far more beyond that. Because there was still more life left in me.

I wasn’t done with the world. Not yet.

So I began to read.

And as I did, my smile grew wider, and I thought of my little girl.

And I was so glad to be here.

Here in this ancient, wonderful place.

It was then that the fox appeared.

“Good morning,” said the fox.

“Good morning,” the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.

“I am right here,” the voice said, “under the apple tree.”

Author Notes

Dear Reader,

Wow!

That’s all I can think of to say right now as I sit in my office, having penned the epilogue of this final entry in the Renegade Star series. It really is the only word for how I’m feeling.

I began my journey with Jace Hughes in the spring of 2017. As you might imagine, it started in the cockpit, with Jace sitting in his chair, looking out over a battlefield and talking to Sigmond. I had written that scene with no plan in mind, no long term story to guide me. I just had this image in my head of a smuggler struggling to survive. But from that scene, I got to know Jace rather quickly, all in a single page. At once, his voice was clear, and I knew right away that this was the guy I wanted to pal around with as I traipsed across the galaxy, doing all manner of morally gray things.

Then I stopped and let him breathe, gave myself the chance to talk to him. I didn’t write anything else for a few weeks, but Jace was always on my mind. I developed his story soon thereafter, and before long I knew exactly where I wanted to take him.

I was always a fan of archeology and ancient civilizations. The idea of digging up old artifacts and learning about a lost history has appeared in most of my books in some form or another. The Variant Saga was built entirely around this concept before evolving into something greater, but that guiding archeological curiosity was always there. The same is true of Renegade Star, whether we’re talking about Dr. Hitchens leading Jace to a planet so that they can plug Lex into a chair to get a map to Earth or uncovering an underground megacity at the center of Earth’s core. And I don’t think this fascination with our lost past is unique to me. There seems to be no limit to the number of stories throughout history that refer to places like Atlantis, Thule, the Wandering City of Patagonia, and plenty of other mythical kingdoms. Having read about so many of these over the years, I began to wonder, what if in the distant future we began to view Earth like we do Avalon? What if it was nothing but a fairy tale for children? And then what would happen if it turned out to be real? How would people react?

As my mind raced with ideas about that possibility, I realized that Jace and his crew would need a map and a way to find this place. Well, as it happened, I had just finished playing a game called Persona 5 on the Playstation 4. In it, there’s a secondary character you meet who runs an airsoft store named Iwai, but he’s also former Yakuza (Japanese mafia) and has a neck tattoo. He also has an adopted son named Kaoru. As you progress through Iwai’s story, you learn that when Iwai was in the Yakuza, a woman approached him with an offer to sell her infant son in exchange for drug money. When he refused, she abandoned the boy and disappeared. Iwai decided he wanted to provide a better life for this child and do right by him, so he left the gang and started his shop. Iwai has a salamander tattoo because his son has a scar on his neck (from abuse), so he got the tattoo to show him that they were in this together (salamander represents family).

Well, that story really stuck with me afterwards and I really liked the idea of this vagrant guy adopting a kid. I had already written a few scenes about Jace at this point and it just felt like a natural fit to pair him with Lex and Abigail. I also liked the idea of tattoos, but instead of giving one to Jace like Iwai had, I thought it would be far more interesting to give them to Lex. She could be his treasure map, in a sense, and lead everyone to Earth.

And that is where our story began.

As it continued, the lore grew deeper and the universe far bigger. It was more than I ever could have imagined.

Honestly, I never thought I had it in me to write such a long series. I didn’t even plan for it at the start. Originally, this was going to be six books and cover the journey to Earth, but when I finally got there, I realized there was still more story to tell. We had to talk about what happened to the Eternals, right? They had to leave the planet for a reason, which led me to exploring the Earth’s core and uncovering more about its history. Oh, but we couldn’t stop there, either. Now we had the Eternals arriving again, and look! They’ve been under attack on the other side of the galaxy by another group, the Celestials. Who the hell are THEY?

I’m sure you can see how we got here.

But regardless, the story expanded and grew, and I was surprised by the enthusiasm everyone had about more books. It didn’t take long for me to start wondering about where other characters came from, like Abigail, Lucia, and Alphonse, so I wrote books for each of their origins. Other authors approached me, asking to write in this universe, and we now have a collection of over 50 Renegade Star Universe books. I still can’t believe it.

Now, our story is done. Jace can rest in exactly the way I imagined when I began this story three years ago. He’s sure earned it.

I’m sure you’re wondering about what comes next. The answer is complicated, but I’ll try to keep it short. We still have books coming in the RSU. Not a ton, but still a few, including another prequel about Jace, called The Deal. But the main story is done, and I have to say I am very happy with where we ended up. Writing this ending made me feel things I never expected. It was like saying goodbye to a piece of myself, because that’s exactly what Jace was for me.

I hope if you’re reading this that you got something more out of these books than simple entertainment. I hope you felt something as you read, that you connected with something, whether it was little Jace watching his dad abandon the family on a dark night, never to return, or the older Jace learning to forgive him for it. Only you can say for sure.

But for me, at the end of the day, it was watching an old Renegade learn that there’s a place in the galaxy for an orphan to find a family, whether he thinks he deserves one or not.

Thank you so much for coming with me on this journey. It has been one of the great pleasures of my life to write this story and share it with you.

I plan to keep writing for as long as I can, so I hope you’ll continue to read them.

Until then, and certainly not for the last time,

Thank you for reading,

J.N. Chaney

P.S. Curious about what I have coming up? Well, aside from The Deal, I’m also writing a brand new series called Exodus Ark, which is coming very soon. Ruins of the Earth is also on the horizon, as well as several other upcoming stories. Most of these are in their own separate universes, so you don’t need to read anything else to jump in. For more on these and other projects, join the Renegade Readers Facebook Group or find me online at my website: www.jnchaney.com

Renegade Star Universe

The Renegade Star Universe

Click the titles below to reach the book’s Amazon page

The Renegade Star Series

They say the Earth is just a myth. Something to tell your children when you put them to sleep, the lost homeworld of humanity. Everyone knows it isn't real, though. It can't be.

But when Captain Jace Hughes encounters a nun with a mysterious piece of cargo and a bold secret, he soon discovers that everything he thought he knew about Earth is wrong. So very, very wrong.

Climb aboard The Renegade Star and assemble a crew, follow the clues, uncover the truth, and most importantly, try to stay alive.

The Last Reaper Series

When a high value scientist is taken hostage inside the galaxy's most dangerous prison, Halek Cain is the only man for the job.

The last remaining survivor of the Reaper program, Hal is an unstoppable force of fuel and madness. A veteran amputee-turned-cyborg, he has a history of violence and a talent for killing that is unmatched by any soldier.

With the promise of freedom as his only incentive, he’ll stop at nothing to earn back his life from the people who made him, imprisoned him, and were too afraid to let him die.

The Orion Colony Series

Humanity’s Exodus is about to begin.

When half of mankind revolts and demands more opportunity, those at the top decide on a compromise: they will build the first colony ships and allow those who are willing to discover new worlds to leave and start over.

Twelve ships are built, the first of which is called Orion. Many are eager to go, but only one hundred thousand are chosen for each vessel. Far from Earth, a new life awaits, and it promises the prosperity they’ve always wanted.

But still, resistance stirs, eager to sabotage this new expansion effort, threatening the promise of a new life. As Orion moves through the void of space, towards a distant world, its passengers must fight for survival in an unprecedented conflict.

Win or lose, their future will be forever changed.

The Fifth Column Series

After a soldier is left for dead, Eva Delgado's life begins to unravel.

The truth of what happened remains a mystery, and the government will stop at nothing to keep it buried.

Together with the unit's medic, Eva finds herself branded a terrorist and enemy of the State, hunted by two opposing governments.

When the pair uncover a plot that could have ramifications for the whole galaxy, they know they have to act, but it will take all of their training, cunning and just a bit of luck to do what no one else has achieved.

But what do you do when every secret begets another? And how far will you go to find the truth?

Nameless (Abigail’s Story)

Abigail and Clementine were just a couple of orphans looking for a home.

But when the two girls witness something terrible, they have no choice but to leave their orphanage and go into hiding. The only person willing to take them in is a man named Mulberry, but his home isn't the safest place for two innocent children.

Abigail and Clementine quickly discover that their new caretaker is the head of a guild of assassins, and the two are thrown into a whole new world of danger. To survive, they'll need to adapt, focus, and learn how to survive in a world of killers.

The Constable (Alphonse’s Story)

My name is Alphonse Malloy, and I see everything.

From a simple glance, I know your hobbies, what you ate for breakfast, how well you slept, and whether or not your wife is secretly seeing the high school biology teacher when you're not around.

I can't explain how or why I get these feelings, only that I know they're true.

All the little secrets you're too afraid to tell.

Sometimes, that means helping people. Other times, it means staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

I wish I could tell you I was using this ability for good.

I wish I could tell you a lot of things.

* * *

The Constable Returns

Alphonse Malloy may just be the smartest man alive.

A year has passed since Alphonse joined the Constables, but his work is only just beginning. In order to graduate and achieve full Constable status, Alphonse will need to complete one final mission.

When new information about an old enemy arises, Al and his mentor Dorian must head deep into the Deadlands in search of answers.

But in a galaxy of secrets, the truth is often more elusive than it seems.

As the search continues, Alphonse's talents will be pushed to their absolute limit, and he'll need everything he's learned to make it out of this one alive.

Warrior Queen (Lucia’s Story)

On a lost world, far removed from Earth, a group of humans struggle to survive.

Two thousand years after their ancestors lost control of a hidden genetics research facility, the descendants of mankind have been reduced to a tribe of two hundred survivors. They fight, kill, and die in an endless cycle, all in the hope that things will get better.

Lucia is one of these colonists and the daughter of the tribe's leader, the Director. Together with several other candidates, she must soon undergo a trial to decide her father's replacement. The winner will shape the future of the entire colony.

But the trial is dangerous, meant to test each candidate's wits and strengths to see who is truly worthy. To claim victory, Lucia will need to venture out into the tunnels near the city to search for lost artifacts known as Cores--small but powerful devices capable of harnessing endless energy.

But there are monsters here, waiting in the dark, and they are always hungry. Beware the Boneclaw, Lucia's father use to tell her, for it lives only to kill and to feed.

Lucia must do whatever it takes, learn as much as she can, and fight with every ounce of strength if she hopes to make it through the day.

Forget winning the trial. The real challenge is staying alive.

Resonant Son Series

30 floors of nightmare fueled action. An ex-cop with nothing left to lose.

After losing his job and family, Flint Reed finds himself in the middle of a terrorist attack. With nothing but his wits and experience as a former Union police officer, he must do everything he can to stay alive.

As he soon discovers, however, there are also hostages, and no one is coming to save them.

All hope falls to Flint.

But as he fights to navigate the building, the real answers begin to unravel. What are the terrorists really after, and why are they so intent on getting into the vault?

Experience the beginning of the Resonant Son series. If you're a fan of Die Hard, Renegade Star, or the Last Reaper, you'll love this epic scifi thrill ride.

Galactic Law Series

Lethal force is authorized.

In the wild space of the Deadlands, Taurus Station is where miners and tourists come to play, and the ravager gangs follow close behind. Out here, far from the civilized world, the Law has a name.

Gage Walker is the son of hard-nosed asteroid miners. Brash, rough, and crude, he's one of the few deputies working the station.

Still a rookie, Walker is tasked with the security of a mining magnate's daughter, an easy job that quickly takes a turn for the worst.

The ravager gangs want her, and it falls to Walker to find out why.

In a chase across Taurus Station, Deputy Walker must prove he's fit to wear the badge and issue his own form of justice...one body at a time.

Deadland Drifter Series

When a dental appointment goes sideways, former Union Operative Jack Burner wakes to find himself drugged, and imprisoned.

And he's given a choice: assassinate an Admiral... or allow himself to be killed.

With no other option, Jack reluctantly accepts the mission, only to find himself being trailed by a mysterious blonde woman... and she may or may not want him dead.

As if dealing with a terrorist group wasn't enough.

With the fate of the Admiral and thousands of lives on hanging in the balance, Jack stands in the middle of an event that could ignite a war on the edge of the Deadlands and Union Space.

Despite his exceptional abilities, training, and tenancy, even Jack has little to no chance of preventing this particular powder keg from exploding.

He's going to need a miracle.

The Renegade Series

Jace Hughes is a Renegade.

That means taking jobs and not asking questions, whether that involves smuggling, transporting runnaways, or performing other, far less wholesome work. Whatever the situation, Jace is willing to do what it takes to achieve his dream and live the life he’s always wanted.

That is, until he comes face to face with an item of unprecedented value—something that could give him everything he needs to pay off his debt and be free.

The only problem is that selling it would also shift the balance of power between the two largest empires in the galaxy.

And spark another intergalactic war.

Unfortunately for Jace, he won’t have long to decide. Renegades, assassins, and government cronies are after the item, too, and unlike Jace, they won’t hesitate to kill.

Join the conversation and get updates on new and upcoming releases in the Facebook group called “JN Chaney’s Renegade Readers.” This is a hotspot where readers come together and share their lives and interests, discuss the series, and speak directly to J.N. Chaney and his co-authors.

Join the Facebook Group

He also post updates, official art, and other awesome stuff on his website and you can also follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

For email updates about new releases, as well as exclusive promotions, visit the link and enter your email address.

Click Here

Enjoying the series? Help others discover the Renegade Star series by leaving a review on Amazon.

Preview: The Amber Project

Documents of Historical, Scientific, and Cultural Significance

Play Audio Transmission File 021

Recorded April 19, 2157

CARTWRIGHT: This is Lieutenant Colonel Felix Cartwright. It’s been a week since my last transmission and two months since the day we found the city…the day the world fell apart. If anyone can hear this, please respond.

If you’re out there, no doubt you know about the gas. You might think you’re all that’s left. But if you’re receiving this, let me assure you, you are not alone. There are people here. Hundreds, in fact, and for now, we’re safe. If you can make it here, you will be, too.

The city’s a few miles underground, not far from El Rico Air Force Base. That’s where my people came from. As always, the coordinates are attached. If anyone gets this, please respond. Let us know you’re there…that you’re still alive.

End Audio File

* * *

April 14, 2339

Maternity District

MILES BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, deep within the walls of the last human city, a little boy named Terry played quietly with his sister in a small two-bedroom apartment.

Today was his very first birthday. He was turning seven.

“What’s a birthday?” his sister Janice asked, tugging at his shirt. She was only four years old and had recently taken to following her big brother everywhere he went. “What does it mean?”

Terry smiled, eager to explain. “Mom says when you turn seven, you get a birthday. It means you grow up and get to start school. It’s a pretty big deal.”

“When will I get a birthday?”

“You’re only four, so you have to wait.”

“I wish I was seven,” she said softly, her thin black hair hanging over her eyes. “I want to go with you.”

He got to his feet and began putting the toy blocks away. They had built a castle together on the floor, but Mother would yell if they left a mess. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get home. I promise, okay?”

“Okay!” she said cheerily and proceeded to help.

Right at that moment, the speaker next to the door let out a soft chime, followed by their mother’s voice. “Downstairs, children,” she said. “Hurry up now.”

Terry took his sister’s hand. “Come on, Jan,” he said.

She frowned, squeezing his fingers. “Okay.”

They arrived downstairs, their mother nowhere to be found.

“She’s in the kitchen,” Janice said, pointing at the farthest wall. “See the light-box?”

Terry looked at the locator board, although his sister’s name for it worked just as well. It was a map of the entire apartment, with small lights going on and off in different colors, depending on which person was in which room. There’s us, he thought, green for me and blue for Janice, and there’s Mother in red. Terry never understood why they needed something like that because of how small the apartment was, but every family got one, or so Mother had said.

As he entered the kitchen, his mother stood at the far counter sorting through some data on her pad. “What’s that?” he asked.

“Something for work,” she said. She tapped the front of the pad and placed it in her bag. “Come on, Terrance, we’ve got to get you ready and out the door. Today’s your first day, after all, and we have to make a good impression.”

“When will he be back?” asked Janice.

“Hurry up. Let’s go, Terrance,” she said, ignoring the question. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. “We have about twenty minutes to get all the way to the education district. Hardly enough time at all.” Her voice was sour. He had noticed it more and more lately, as the weeks went on, ever since a few months ago when that man from the school came to visit. His name was Mr. Huxley, one of the few men who Terry ever had the chance to talk to, and from the way Mother acted—she was so agitated—he must have been important.

“Terrance.” His mother’s voice pulled him back. “Stop moping and let’s go.”

Janice ran and hugged him, wrapping her little arms as far around him as she could. “Love you,” she said.

“Love you too.”

“Bye,” she said shyly.

He kissed her forehead and walked to the door, where his mother stood talking with the babysitter, Ms. Cartwright. “I’ll only be a few hours,” Mother said. “If it takes any longer, I’ll message you.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Mara,” Ms. Cartwright assured her. “You take all the time you need.”

Mother turned to him. “There you are,” she said, taking his hand. “Come on, or we’ll be late.”

As they left the apartment, Mother’s hand tugging him along, Terry tried to imagine what might happen at school today. Would it be like his home lessons? Would he be behind the other children, or was everything new? He enjoyed learning, but there was still a chance the school might be too hard for him. What would he do? Mother had taught him some things, like algebra and English, but who knew how far along the other kids were by now?

Terry walked quietly down the overcrowded corridors with an empty, troubled head. He hated this part of the district. So many people on the move, brushing against him, like clothes in an overstuffed closet.

He raised his head, nearly running into a woman and her baby. She had wrapped the child in a green and brown cloth, securing it against her chest. “Excuse me,” he said, but the lady ignored him.

His mother paused and looked around. “Terrance, what are you doing? I’m over here,” she said, spotting him.

“Sorry.”

They waited together for the train, which was running a few minutes behind today.

“I wish they’d hurry up,” said a nearby lady. She was young, about fifteen years old. “Do you think it’s because of the outbreak?”

“Of course,” said a much older woman. “Some of the trains are busy carrying contractors to the slums to patch the walls. It slows the others down because now they have to make more stops.”

“I heard fourteen workers died. Is it true?”

“You know how the gas is,” she said. “It’s very quick. Thank God for the quarantine barriers.”

Suddenly, there was a loud smashing sound, followed by three long beeps. It echoed through the platform for a moment, vibrating along the walls until it was gone. Terry flinched, squeezing his mother’s hand.

“Ouch,” she said. “Terrance, relax.”

“But the sound,” he said.

“It’s the contractors over there.” She pointed to the other side of the tracks, far away from them. It took a moment for Terry to spot them, but once he did, it felt obvious. Four of them stood together. Their clothes were orange, with no clear distinction between their shirts and their pants, and on each of their heads was a solid red plastic hat. Three of them were holding tools, huddled against a distant wall. They were reaching inside of it, exchanging tools every once in a while, until eventually the fourth one called them to back away. As they made some room, steam rose from the hole, with a puddle of dark liquid forming at the base. The fourth contractor handled a machine several feet from the others, which had three legs and rose to his chest. He waved the other four to stand near him and pressed the pad on the machine. Together, the contractors watched as the device flashed a series of small bright lights. It only lasted a few seconds. Once it was over, they gathered close to the wall again and resumed their work.

“What are they doing?” Terry asked.

His mother looked down at him. “What? Oh, they’re fixing the wall, that’s all.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Probably because there was a shift last night. Remember when the ground shook?”

Yeah, I remember, he thought. It woke me up. “So they’re fixing it?”

“Yes, right.” She sighed and looked around. “Where is that damned train?”

Terry tugged on her hand. “That lady over there said it’s late because of the gas.”

His mother looked at him. “What did you say?”

“The lady…the one right there.” He pointed to the younger girl a few feet away. “She said the gas came, so that’s why the trains are slow. It’s because of the slums.” He paused a minute. “No, wait. It’s because they’re going to the slums.”

His mother stared at the girl, turning back to the tracks and saying nothing.

“Mother?” he said.

“Be quiet for a moment, Terrance.”

Terry wanted to ask her what was wrong, or if he had done anything to upset her, but he knew when to stay silent. So he left it alone like she wanted. Just like a good little boy.

The sound of the arriving train filled the platform with such horrific noise that it made Terry’s ears hurt. The train, still vibrating as he stepped onboard, felt like it was alive.

After a short moment, the doors closed. The train was moving.

Terry didn’t know if the shaking was normal or not. Mother had taken him up to the medical wards on this train once when he was younger, but never again after that. He didn’t remember much about it, except that he liked it. The medical wards were pretty close to where he lived, a few stops before the labs, and several stops before the education district. After that, the train ran through Pepper Plaza, then the food farms and Housing Districts 04 through 07 and finally the outer ring factories and the farms. As Terry stared at the route map on the side of the train wall, memorizing what he could of it, he tried to imagine all the places he could go and the things he might see. What kind of shops did the shopping plaza have, for example, and what was it like to work on the farms? Maybe one day he could go and find out for himself—ride the train all day to see everything there was to see. Boy, wouldn’t that be something?

“Departure call: 22-10, education district,” erupted the com in its monotone voice. It took only a moment before the train began to slow.

“That’s us. Come on,” said Mother. She grasped his hand, pulling him through the doors before they were fully opened.

Almost to the school, Terry thought. He felt warm suddenly. Was he getting nervous? And why now? He’d known about this forever, and it was only hitting him now?

He kept taking shorter breaths. He wanted to pull away and return home, but Mother’s grasp was tight and firm, and the closer they got to the only major building in the area, the tighter and firmer it became.

Now that he was there, now that the time had finally come, a dozen questions ran through Terry’s mind. Would the other kids like him? What if he wasn’t as smart as everyone else? Would they make fun of him? He had no idea what to expect.

Terry swallowed, the lump in his throat nearly choking him.

An older man stood at the gate of the school’s entrance. He dressed in an outfit that didn’t resemble any of the clothes in Terry’s district or even on the trains. A gray uniform—the color of the pavement, the walls, and the streets—matched his silver hair to the point where it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. “Ah,” he said. “Mara, I see you’ve brought another student. I was wondering when we’d meet the next one. Glad to see you’re still producing. It’s been, what? Five or six years? Something like that, I think.”

“Yes, thank you, this is Terrance,” said Mother quickly. “I was told there would be an escort.” She paused, glancing over the man and through the windows. “Where’s Bishop? He assured me he’d be here for this.”

“The colonel,” he corrected, “is in his office, and the boy is to be taken directly to him as soon as I have registered his arrival.”

She let out a frustrated sigh. “He was supposed to meet me at the gate for this himself. I wanted to talk to him about a few things.”

“What’s wrong?” Terry asked.

She looked down at him. “Oh, it’s nothing, don’t worry. You have to go inside now, that’s all.”

“You’re not coming in?”

“I’m afraid not,” said the man. “She’s not permitted.”

“It’s all right,” Mother said, cupping her hand over his cheek. “They’ll take care of you in there.”

But it’s just school, Terry thought. “I’ll see you tonight, though, right?”

She bent down and embraced him tightly, more than she had in a long time. He couldn’t help but relax. “I’m sorry, Terrance. Please be careful up there. I know you don’t understand it now, but you will eventually. Everything will be fine.” She rose, releasing his hand for the first time since they left the train. “So that’s it?” Mother said to the man.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She turned and walked away, pausing a moment as she reached the corner and continued until she was out of sight.

The man pulled out a board with a piece of paper on it. “When you go through here, head straight to the back of the hall. A guard there will take you to see Colonel Bishop. Just do what they say and answer everything with either ‘Yes, sir’ or ‘No, sir,’ and you’ll be fine. Understand?”

Terry didn’t understand, but he nodded anyway.

The man pushed open the door with his arm and leg, holding it there and waiting. “Right through here you go,” he said.

Terry entered, reluctantly, and the door closed quickly behind him.

The building, full of the same metal and shades of brown and gray that held together the rest of the city, rose higher than any other building Terry had ever been in. Around the room, perched walkways circled the walls, cluttered with doors and hallways that branched off into unknown regions. Along the walkways, dozens of people walked back and forth as busily as they had in the train station. More importantly, Terry quickly realized, most of them were men.

For so long, the only men he had seen were the maintenance workers who came and went or the occasional teacher who visited the children when they were nearing their birthdays. It was so rare to see any men at all, especially in such great numbers. Maybe they’re all teachers, he thought. They weren’t dressed like the workers: white coats and some with brown jackets—thick jackets with laced boots and bodies as stiff as the walls. Maybe that was what teachers wore. How could he know? He had never met one besides Mr. Huxley, and that was months ago.

“Well, don’t just stand there gawking,” said a voice from the other end of the room. It was another man, dressed the same as the others. “Go on in through here.” He pointed to another door, smaller than the one Terry had entered from. “Everyone today gets to meet the colonel. Go on now. Hurry up. You don’t want to keep him waiting.”

Terry did as the man said and stepped through the doorway, his footsteps clanking against the hard metal floor, echoing through what sounded like the entire building.

“Well, come in, why don’t you?” came a voice from inside.

Terry stepped cautiously into the room, which was much nicer than the entranceway. It was clean, at least compared to some of the other places Terry had been, including his own home. The walls held several shelves, none of which lacked for any company of things. Various ornaments caught Terry’s eye, like the little see-through globe on the shelf nearest to the door, which held a picture of a woman’s face inside, although some of it was faded and hard to make out. There was also a crack in it. What purpose could such a thing have? Terry couldn’t begin to guess. Next to it lay a frame with a small, round piece of metal inside of it. An inscription below the glass read, “U.S. Silver Dollar, circa 2064.” Terry could easily read the words, but he didn’t understand them. What was this thing? And why was it so important that it needed to be placed on a shelf for everyone to look at?

“I said come in,” said Bishop abruptly. He sat at the far end of the room behind a large brown desk. Terry had forgotten he was even there. “I didn’t mean for you to stop at the door. Come over here.”

Terry hurried closer, stopping a few feet in front of the desk.

“I’m Colonel Bishop. You must be Terrance,” said the man. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” He wore a pair of thin glasses and had one of the larger pads in his hand. “Already seven. Imagine that.”

“Yes, sir,” Terry said, remembering the doorman’s words.

The colonel was a stout man, a little wider than the others. He was older too, Terry guessed. He may have been tall, but it was difficult to tell without seeing his whole body. “I expect you’re hoping to begin your classes now,” said Bishop.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“You say that, but you don’t really know what you’re saying yes to, do you?”

The question seemed more like a statement, so Terry didn’t answer. He only stood there. Who was this man? Was this how school was supposed to be?

“Terrance, let me ask you something,” said the colonel, taking a moment. “Did your mother tell you anything about this program you’re going into?”

Terry thought about the question for a moment. “Um, she said you come to school on your birthday,” he said. “And that it’s just like it is at home, except there’s more kids like me.”

Colonel Bishop blinked. “That’s right, I suppose. What else did she say?”

“That when it was over, I get to go back home,” he said.

“And when did she say that was?”

Terry didn’t answer.

Colonel Bishop cocked an eyebrow. “Well? Didn’t she say?”

“No, sir,” muttered Terry.

The man behind the desk started chuckling. “So you don’t know how long you’re here for?”

“No, sir.”

Colonel Bishop set the pad in his hand down. “Son, you’re here for the next ten years.”

A sudden rush swelled up in Terry’s chest and face. What was Bishop talking about? Of course Terry was going home. He couldn’t stay here. “But I promised my sister I’d be home today,” he said. “I have to go back.”

“Too bad,” said the colonel. “Your mother really did you a disservice by not telling you. But don’t worry. We just have to get you started.” He tapped the pad on his desk, and the door opened. A cluster of footsteps filled the hall before two large men appeared, each wearing the same brown coats as the rest. “Well, that was fast,” he said.

One of the men saluted. “Yes, sir. No crying with the last one. Took her right to her room without incident.”

Terry wanted to ask who the last one was, and why it should be a good thing that she didn’t cry. Did other kids cry when they came to this school? What kind of place was this?

“Well, hopefully, Terrence here will do the same,” said Bishop. He looked at Terry. “Right? You’re not going to give us any trouble, are you?”

Terry didn’t know what to do or what to say. All he could think about was getting far away from here. He didn’t want to go with the men. He didn’t want to behave. All he wanted to do was go home.

But he couldn’t, not anymore. He was here in this place with nowhere to go. No way out. He wanted to scream, to yell at the man behind the desk and his two friends, and tell them about how stupid it was for them to do what they were doing.

He opened his mouth to explain, to scream as loud as he could that he wouldn’t go. But in that moment, the memory of the doorman came back to him, and instead of yelling, he repeated the words he’d been told before. “No, sir,” he said softly.

Bishop smiled, nodding at the two men in the doorway. “Exactly what I like to hear.”

Get the Amber Project now, exclusively on Amazon

Books By J.N. Chaney

The Variant Saga:

The Amber Project

Transient Echoes

Hope Everlasting

The Vernal Memory

Renegade Star Series:

Renegade Star

Renegade Atlas

Renegade Moon

Renegade Lost

Renegade Fleet

Renegade Earth

Renegade Dawn

Renegade Children

Renegade Union

Renegade Empire

Renegade Descent

Renegade Rising

Renegade Alliance

Renegade Evolution

Renegade War

Renegade Peace (Coming Sept. 2020)

Renegade Star Universe:

Nameless

The Constable

The Constable Returns

The Warrior Queen

Orion Colony (with Jonathan Yanez)

Orion Uncharted (with Jonathan Yanez)

Orion Awakened (with Jonathan Yanez)

Orion Protected (with Jonathan Yanez)

The Last Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Fear the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Blade of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Wings of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Flight of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Wrath of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Will of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Descent of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Hunt of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

Bastion of the Reaper (with Scott Moon)

The Fifth Column (with Molly Lerma)

The Solaras Initiative (with Molly Lerma)

The Forlorn Hope (with Molly Lerma)

Resonant Son (with Christopher Hopper)

Resonant Abyss (with Christopher Hopper)

Galactic Law (with James S. Aaron)

Galactic Judge (with James S. Aaron)

Galactic Jury (with James S. Aaron)

Galactic Executioner (with James S. Aaron)

Deadland Drifter (with Ell Leigh Clarke)

Deadland Wanderer (with Ell Leigh Clarke)

Deadland Sentinel (with Ell Leigh Clarke)

The Renegade

The Deal (Coming soon!)

Ruins of the Galaxy Series (with Christopher Hopper):

Ruins of the Galaxy

Galactic Breach

Gateway to War

Void Horizon

Black Labyrinth

Imminent Failure

Terminal Fallout

Quantum Assault

Rise of the Gladias

The Messenger Series (with Terry Maggert):

The Messenger

The Dark Between

Star Forged

The Silent Fleet

Dawn of Empire

Worlds Apart

Rage of Night

Heaven’s Door

Radical Dreamer

Cosmic Ride

The Sol Arbiter Series (with Jia Shen):

Sol Arbiter

Intrinsic Immortality

Digital Chimera

Memetic Drift

Standalones:

Their Solitary Way

The Other Side of Nowhere

Forever Family

About the Author

J. N. Chaney is a USA Today Bestselling author and has a Master's of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. He fancies himself quite the Super Mario Bros. fan. When he isn’t writing or gaming, you can find him online at www.jnchaney.com.

He migrates often, but was last seen in Las Vegas, NV. Any sightings should be reported, as they are rare.