Evolution

by Ken

The Abh Empire faces a mysterious new enemy. Lafiel and Jinto are thrown into a chaotic war where they are unsure whom or what they are really fighting.

4. Chapter 07 & 08

Chapter 7 - Command Decisions

It was difficult for Lafiel to think of anything that could only travel across or under the water as a ship. But that was what they were calling this enormous thing that was sliding through the water in front of her. Red lights flashed all around her in time with warning sirens that echoed through the cavernous underground base. The Warward had explained that the ship - submarine, to be more exact - was leaving the base at a rather reckless speed, hence the sirens. To Lafiel's eyes it appeared to be moving at a sedate pace. But she could appreciate the danger of moving such a vessel too quickly. The entrance that led through the cliff-face out to the open sea was very wide. But she realized most of the vessel was under the water, so it did not have quite as much maneuvering room as it appeared to.

A man in a flight suit standing on the streamlined tower which topped the submarine waved at them as he passed. The Warward waved back. "That's Alex," he said. "The squadron commander."

"I see." Lafiel decided to wave a greeting as well. She was in her formal white robe again, so even if her long blue hair was not a dead giveaway he should figure out who it was returning the courtesy even at this distance. "It's a shame there was no time to meet, if this goes as planned we will be joining in a very dangerous battle."

"We are on a tight schedule," the Warward reminded her.

They stood with Jinto and Miriam behind the railing of an open, raised platform which gave them a panoramic view of this underground coastal base. As she watched, a dozen huge hatches along both sides of the submarine's flat deck slowly began to close. Through each great round hatchway she could see the blunt nose of what looked like an enormous missile. But she knew each of them actually cradled a small assault ship. "You really launch these from under the water?"

"Yes, Highness. We do that when we want to achieve maximum surprise."

"Hopefully we will achieve just that." She had briefly reviewed the specs of these ship. They were fusion-powered, so in place of an antiproton gun they had a single electromagnetic cannon each, launching a very limited supply of thermonuclear warheads. They would need the element of surprise and considerable help to prevail against antimatter-driven warships.

A sonic boom echoed from the clear blue sky that she could glimpse through the wide entrance. "It appears that your transport has arrived as scheduled," the Warward said. "I must say that was an impressive bit of improvisation."

"Happily, our support squadron appears to have come through." Unloading and reloading a heavy transport in less than an hour was quite impressive, especially for a green crew. And especially considering the cargo they had to secure at a moment's notice. Olseth had been dubious about this part of the Warward's plan, and Lafiel had to admit it was very unorthodox. But she had immediately seen its merit, and managed to convince the Kilo-Commander to go along. Lafiel's shuttle had landed at this base just on time for the Warward to meet them and bring them to watch the departure of the submarine carrying the Thracian assault ship squadron. Lafiel felt a bit more at ease after having seen the vessel with her own eyes. Launching from under water. What next?

What next was the reason for the submarine's hasty departure. They had to make room here for the Abh Space Force transport that had just splashed down distressingly close to the shoreline. Looking through the entrance to the open sea, she could see the Thracian submarine steering to make way for it. The vessel was already sinking under the water, which was apparently very deep even that close to shore.

"Our traffic control crew are very nervous," the Warward said, listening through his earpiece. "They were afraid your pilot was planning to fly straight into the base."

Lafiel smiled. They had met Warward Demetrius less than an hour ago. But the positive impression of him that Lafiel had gleaned from reports of the Space Force dealings with him over the past few days had already been very much reinforced. They were effectively putting the defense of Thracia in his hands, and she now felt even more confident that it was in very good hands. Whether the rest of their combined forces could measure up was another matter.

A meter-high wave rolled in through the wide base entrance, attesting to how close the splashdown of the transport really had been. "I once directed an evacuation where this class of transport was landed even closer to the shore," Lafiel said.

"And those waters were full of refugees on small rafts," Jinto added. "Compared to what we had to do on Lobnar, this seems routine."

The Warward laughed. "If this strikes you as being routine then seven years of war must have already made the Abh Space Force very jaded."

"There is nothing routine about what we will likely be doing in the next few hours," Lafiel reminded them sternly.

"Very true. This Silent Enemy could have many surprises in store for us. But judging from your encounters with them to date they are themselves not immune to tactical surprise."

Clearly the Warward had reviewed the intelligence data from the Space Force in the short time since Lafiel had transmitted it to him. "Mimics are in every way like the humans whose brains were scanned. Even if most of their crew are Mimics they will behave in every way like their human counterparts." Lafiel glanced over at Miriam. "I brought Miriam with me exactly to try and make everybody understand this."

The Warward looked thoughtfully at Miriam. When first introduced, Lafiel had asked Miriam to briefly describe her experience with the Black Budget program to the Warward. As Lafiel had hoped, it had left him just disturbed enough to underscore the severity of the threat they faced. Now he was a believer too. "Miriam, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, Warward."

"Did Mister Reedman ever speak of the possibility of running neural nets at higher speeds to improve reaction time?"

"He said the idea had been considered but abandoned. Simulating all the relevant aspects of brain functions in real time already taxes the limits of a neural net like mine. He said they might speed up the processing by two or three times at the most. The faster neural net would be too large to fit in a regular body, and there would be other serious technical problems."

"I guess that's good news," the Warward said. "If they could think twenty times faster than us we would really be in trouble."

Lafiel looked at the Warward with newfound respect. "I confess your question is not something I had even considered in the days since I have learned of Mimics. I am very glad that you are on our side, Warward."

He grinned. "The way we see it, you're on our side."

The Space Force transport sailed in through the wide entrance at a pace somewhat slower than that at which the submarine had just left. It looked bigger than the submarine because most of it was above the water. In fact it barely cleared the top of the entranceway. Already the clamshell doors in its bow were opening up. Through it Lafiel could glimpse the bows and sterns of the assault ships that were packed in the hold. She had already heard confirmation through her tiara earphone that the packed ships had come unscathed through the transport's reentry and splashdown. That came as a considerable relief. They had been secured in a hurry, so she had been worried about that.

"Now that we've come down to it, I have to admit it makes my skin crawl having that much antimatter down here on the surface," the Warward said.

"The Abh have been handling antimatter for over a thousand years, Warward. Anything that could breach the ships' containment tanks would also destroy this base anyway," Lafiel assured him. Which was really saying something. She was sure that nothing less than a direct hit from an antimatter mine would destroy this base. As the transport cleared the entrance multiple blast doors began to slowly close behind it, each one many meters thick.

Lafiel wanted the assault ship squadron commander to report to her as soon as the transport docked, so she activated the wristband holographic display to review the crew roster. She did not even know who the squadron commander was, that was how quickly things had moved in the past couple of hours. A series of crew profiles flashed across her screen as she quickly reviewed them.

Oh dear. "Warward, would you agree that our plan depends upon our assault ship squadron being able to act quickly with considerable flexibility and initiative?"

"I would venture to say that is the lynch pin of our plan, Highness."

"Then we have a problem. This is a training squadron from the academy. Normally their instructor would have taken command when it was called out as part of the expeditionary force. But he was unavailable so the senior student was given temporary command. Vanguard Flyer Larych Aruje has twenty hours simulation time and most of her experience with actually commanding a vessel has been while waiting here in Thracia."

"It would be rather much to expect her to command the squadron in this operation," the Warward said diplomatically. "Having somebody with actual combat experience would be essential." He gave her a meaningful look.

"I have been assigned the task of being your liaison, Warward."

"I have been thinking that the commander of the lunar base also ought to have a Space Force liaison." Their plan involved the assault ship squadron landing on the lunar base as soon as its mission was completed.

Lafiel exchanged a look with Jinto. He kept a neutral expression, but it was obvious that he did not like the idea any better than she did. Since he did not say anything, he clearly could not see any alternative either. "Let me contact my superiors." Lafiel moved to a part of the platform where she could speak in private. Through her wristband communicator she got in touch with Olseth's chief of staff. She had experience relaying bad news to her commander, and from what Lafiel had seen she did it well. Lafiel explained the situation to her then waited a couple of minutes. Olseth called her back and they spoke briefly.

Lafiel rejoined the group. "I have been given command of the squadron. I think it would be courteous of us to meet Flyer Larych at the dock to inform her."

They took an elevator down to the dock level, where a small open cart with driver was waiting for them. By the time he drove them to the dock there was a lot going on. The transport had just been moored and a number of Abh officers had disembarked down the ramp which extended out from the ship's cargo deck. Some were already speaking with base personnel about unloading the assault ships, and heavy ground transports were being rolled in. Even for a base designed to load assault ships into submarines, this was going to be a challenge. One Abh officer strode towards the cart as it came to a stop. Lafiel recognized her from her picture in the roster. She came to a halt in front of Lafiel and saluted. "Vanguard Flyer Larych Aruje reporting as ordered, Hecto-Commander."

Larych was a short woman with a slight build and long medium-blue straight hair. Her solemn, stern demeanor masked eagerness and nervousness that were barely contained. Lafiel felt a tightness in her chest. This was me, five years ago. Landers often said that all adult Abh looked the same age. Only the Abh themselves and insightful people who had lived among them for years knew differently. The woman before her was barely an adult. The Larych clan name marked her as one of the original Abh clans, and her family name and title marked her as the daughter of a Duke. In so many ways her experience must have been very similar to Lafiel's. What Lafiel had to do now was heartbreaking.

Lafiel saluted. "I am Hecto-Commander Abriel. I apologize for the short notice but there has been a change of plan. I will be accompanying you on your mission and to the moon base."

"Will you be taking command of the mission?" Larych asked. Both the relief and the disappointment were likely hidden to everyone but Lafiel.

"That is correct. I will be taking command of the squadron, the approval just came through minutes ago."

"If I might suggest, please take command of my vessel. I would be honored to serve as your deputy commander."

That was surprising. Lafiel had been intending to choose another ship to take command of and leave Larych with command of her ship. But having her with Lafiel would be useful. She seemed conscientious enough, she could likely bring Lafiel up to speed on the people she was about to lead into battle. "Thank you, Vanguard Flyer, I will do as you suggest. Please assemble the ships' captains here, after I speak with the Warward I would like to address them."

"Yes, commander!" She saluted and headed back toward the transport.

"I will need to head back to the command center soon," the Warward said.

"I understand," Lafiel said. She turned to Jinto. She was leaving him on a strange planet again. Had this become her curse? There were many things she wanted to tell him, all of them personal and selfish. But there was just no time. "Jinto, I am making you our liaison with the Warward. Please serve him well. And take good care of Miriam for me."

Jinto smiled and saluted. "You can count on me, Lafiel."

Lafiel allowed herself a fond smile in return. "I never doubted it," she said softly. "Miriam, I am sorry to be abandoning you like this."

Miriam smiled. "You have never done any such thing, Highness. Have a safe journey."

"Thank you. Warward, I am leaving very dear friends of mine in your hands."

He returned her salute, which for the Thracians meant a fist held over his heart. "I accept them under my protection," he said formally. Then he smiled. "Good hunting, Highness."

Lafiel watched as the cart took the three of them off the docks and into a tunnel that would lead them to where the Warward's personal transport awaited. In the midst of the scores of people and the frenzy of activity around her, Lafiel felt more alone than she ever had in her life. As soon as the cart disappeared down the tunnel she turned back toward the transport. The wheeled cradle that held the nearest assault ship was being hooked up to a huge transport truck using a universal adapter. A moment later it was being slowly pulled out of the hold. On another part of the ramp Larych along with seven other Abh officers in the uniforms of Vanguard Flyers emerged and walked down to the dock. Lafiel sighed. Even in the short time that they probably had there were some things she could tell them that would help them stay alive in the coming hours. But most of what they needed to know could not be taught, it would have to be learned the hard way. It was very likely that many of them would not learn quickly enough.

Now it was time to at least make it sound like she knew what she was doing. Lafiel walked towards the officers of her new command.

# # #

The news came as they were in the large elevator descending to the command center a kilometer below the surface. The Warward used the elevator's communications terminal, so Jinto's translator was able to hear it. Hundreds of mines had just emerged from the Federation Gate. "If we really are facing five squadrons of mostly cruisers that's pretty much all their mines," Warward Demetrius said.

Jinto's tiara had an open link with Kilo-Commander Olseth's comm officer. He relayed the fact that they were aware of the development. One of Jinto's first tasks upon landing at the surface entrance to the base had been talking with the chief communications officer to establish this permanent link. There were other means for the Thracian and Abh forces to communicate, so operationally this link was not critical. Jinto's true role was unspoken but understood, he was here to confirm that the Warward was really doing what he said he was doing. A Thracian officer had just arrived on Olseth's bridge to play a similar role, something that Lafiel had thought to suggest just before they left the Guderian. However friendly their relations might be, this was an alliance that had been formed literally hours ago. Both parties needed to give and receive some collateral. He was here to politely keep an eye on Demetrius, just like the armed military police officers who had been silently shadowing him and Miriam since they arrived at the base were there to politely keep an eye on them.

The command center looked very much as Jinto expected. Demetrius' command chair was on a raised area a few steps above and looking over the main area where a dozen officers sat at rows of stations. The wall in front of them was dominated by a wide viewer screen. Right now it showed a tactical display of the space around Thracia Prime. In normal space Gates looked like spheres of phosphorescent blue gas and behaved much like other celestial bodies. A long time ago the two Gates in this system had been coaxed into an orbit that kept them on opposite sides of Thracia Prime, the only inhabited planet in the system. Well, almost the only one. Thracia Prime had a small moon six hundred kilometers across which orbited at a distance of about two light-seconds. The Gates themselves were each about ten light-seconds away, so the display was showing an area of space about six million kilometers across.

The Thracian icons used to identify objects were different than what Jinto was used to, but knowing what he did about the situation it was simple enough to grasp the important points. Most of the Space Force cruisers had just finished deploying a number of mines around the Imperial Gate and were heading back to high orbit over Thracia Prime. The mines were there as a bit of misdirection, making the enemy think that they wanted to secure the gate because they were expecting reinforcements soon. Which unfortunately they were not. The Guderian and one other cruiser was in the vicinity of the Federation Gate, though not close enough to be endangered by the mines. As expected, having detected nothing in close proximity to the Gate, the enemy mines had halted and reverted to a static minefield. Nobody needed to be told this was an opening move to secure the Gate for the arrival of the enemy's main force.

They did not have long to wait. In rapid succession, one ship after another emerged from the Gate. The computers soon replaced the radar blips with icons identifying them as Federation cruisers. "The red shows they are using obsolete IFF signatures," Demetrius explained. After the Black Budget debacle had been exposed, the entire Federation Star Fleet and all local militias had changed to new encrypted IFF signals. Any ship transmitting the old signals would be assumed to be part of the conspiracy. So the new arrivals were making no attempt to conceal their identity as a unit from the Vensath base.

The Guderian and her sister ship were headed back to join the rest of the Space Force cruisers in the vicinity of Thracia Prime. It would look like they had been surprised by the size of the enemy force. No doubt the enemy knew there was one Space Force cruiser that had managed to make it to the Thracia Gate and give warning. But they would have little idea how much intelligence the crippled ship was able to pass on. Considering the state of their radar, it was a miracle they were able to pass on the amount of information they did.

The enemy ships formed up ranks and quickly came in pursuit. One of the officers confirmed what the radar icons were showing. "Four squadrons of cruisers. Three squadrons of smaller ships. Some support ships are holding back at the Gate."

"The smaller ships will be escort ships," the Warward said to Jinto. At least we are hoping they are not assault ships, he did not need to add. The surviving Space Force patrol ship had indicated they destroyed all the assault ships that had been sent against them, hopefully that really had been all of them.

The Space Force cruisers all made for the radar shadow behind Thracia Prime. This was a tactic the enemy would be expecting. It could mean that the Abh intended to ambush them with a larger force, or that they were looking for advantageous terrain. When faced with a superior force, being close to a large planet offered advantages. It left the larger force with fewer options for taking advantage of their superior numbers. And coordinating combat operations of a large number of ships close to a planetary atmosphere and gravity well was more difficult. The enemy ships did what they were expected to do: they broke up into two groups to swing around opposite sides of Thracia Prime, to expose the radar shadow before they moved in. This would confirm to them that the only other forces in the area were two Thracian light cruisers in low orbit over Thracia Prime. The Thracians gave the descending Space Force ships a wide berth, but stayed in position to monitor them. Exactly what one would expect from a neutral party in the vicinity of an impending battle. Both pincers of the enemy ships converged on the Space Force cruisers. No ships were diverted anywhere else. It would seem they had decided to finish off the cruisers quickly before securing the Imperial Gate, the antimatter production plants closer to the sun or anything else. With a four-to-one advantage in cruisers alone that was something they should be able to do handily.

There had been no transmission from the enemy. The Silent Enemy was holding its silence.

"Comm officer, give me all open channels," Demetrius ordered. He continued in a voice that made Jinto want to stand at attention. "This is Warward Demetrius of the Thracian Militia, representing the Hania Federation, to all ships now approaching Thracia Prime. The Abh Space Force ships have descended below geosynchronous orbit and are therefore now in violation of the terms of the neutral port. If the Abh Space Force ships do not halt their descent we will be forced to take appropriate actions to secure our airspace. This is your last warning." He signaled for the transmission to end.

The Space Force cruisers continued to descend towards the planet and the enemy continued to pursue. The Warward gave a new set of orders. A minute later a large number of new signals appeared rising from the surface. They were scores of missiles launched from a dozen submarines out at sea. The surface batteries deployed across the land were little more than a token force, making Thracia look like a lightly defended planet. But the submarine forces that nobody else had known about until today were a different matter altogether. The enemy squadrons halted their descent, no doubt waiting for the unexpected intervention of the local forces to finish off the Abh ships for them.

Jinto received a query from the Guderian. "Yes, I see your IFF signals being displayed on the command center display." And if that were also part of a trick the Warward had concocted to betray them, they were now well and truly finished.

The missiles advanced straight through the descending Abh squadron and the Warward signaled to transmit on the open channels again. "This is Warward Demetrius to the ships transmitting obsolete Federation identification signals. I regret to inform you that you are also in violation of our airspace." He signaled to end transmission and grinned at Jinto. "I hope at least their commander isn't a Mimic, because if not I think his blood pressure just went up a few points."

And mine has gone down a few points, Jinto thought. For better or worse the Thracians had committed themselves. Nobody could doubt now whose side they were on.

The enemy ships went into a defensive position, with the smaller ships positioned to receive the missile barrage first. That confirmed they were escorts. The small ships had no main battery like an antiproton cannon or an electromagnetic rail gun. They just had arrays of laser batteries designed to defend against mines and missiles. The missiles approaching now were powered by fusion rockets, which made them a lot slower and less maneuverable than ones powered by antimatter. Three squadrons of escorts would likely be able to dispatch most of the missiles.

Only they had something else to worry about: the Abh cruisers had suddenly wheeled about and headed straight for them, right behind the missiles. The enemy cruisers raced to support the smaller ships, which would be easy targets for the Space Force cruisers. One of the enemy escorts blossomed into a cloud of plasma. "First blood," the Warward said with much satisfaction.

Jinto received a report from the Guderian. "The Kilo-Commander has given the order for his squadron to proceed to the next phase," he relayed.

"Thank you, Excellency." The room became very tense as the two forces converged. The escorts were in relative disarray, so they let about half the missiles through to plow into the enemy cruisers. The cruisers had their own defensive batteries, but not as strong as the escorts. One cruiser exploded, then another, then another. Then they started exchanging fire with the Space Force cruisers. The Guderian and the rest of the squadron continued to accelerate straight through the enemy formation, passing them at high relative speed. There would be little chance to bring major weapons to bear.

But the enemy took what chance they had. One of the Abh ships started falling behind. Chatter on Jinto's channel confirmed it had been crippled. Three enemy cruisers closed on it, and a moment later it was gone. The rest of Olseth's squadron emerged from the fray relatively unscathed, continuing to accelerate away from the planet. Only one down, that was better than they had expected.

Demetrius gave a new set of orders, and the Thracian submarines launched a second wave of missiles. No longer threatened by the Abh cruisers, the enemy escorts deployed to receive the second missile attack. The enemy cruisers pulled away from them to pursue the retreating Space Force ships. The Thracian cruisers had accelerated to intercept and join up with the Space Force squadron, so there was nothing left in the vicinity of Thracia Prime to keep the escorts from doing their job.

Nothing, that is, except for Lafiel's new assault ship squadron.

"We've confirmed that the Space Force assault ships have launched," the comm officer announced. Their IFF signatures appeared on the radar. Jinto rubbed his sweating palms on his white robe. One of those blips was Lafiel and a bunch of cadets fresh out of the academy, accelerating madly straight behind the wave of Thracian missiles. They would be outnumbered, but they did have one crucial advantage. Assault ships had antiproton cannons and the enemy escorts did not. Unless they withdrew or received support soon, the escorts would be meat on the table.

Lafiel's ships broke into groups of two and selected targets from the widely spaced escorts to double up on. The targeted ships and nearby ones saw the danger and tried to move away, leaving gaps for more missiles to fly through to the retreating cruisers. But the assault ships had already built up enough speed to reach them quickly, and they fell among the escorts with a vengeance. In a matter of seconds, three more of them were destroyed.

One of the four enemy cruiser squadrons dropped behind the other three. It took the brunt of the missile attack. One more cruiser exploded. The Warward gave orders and a third wave of missiles was launched. "They're near the extreme range of our missiles now and they probably know it," the Warward explained. "This third wave should dissuade them from dropping to assist the escorts."

It did. Which gave Lafiel's squadron more time to pursue and attack the retreating escorts. More of the escorts were destroyed. But they were well away from the planet now, which was taking them out of range of the approaching missiles and closer to the cruisers that had held back to assist them. Soon the assault ships would be facing larger and much better armed enemies.

Only Lafiel's assault ships were suddenly not alone. One group of the missiles continued rising well beyond what their extreme range should have been. They rose straight through the escorts that were desperately maneuvering to avoid Lafiel's pack of hunters. Straight up to the waiting enemy cruisers.

For the first time, the command center was filled with pilots' chatter as the Thracian assault ships entered the fray. The little ships selected targets and advanced. It had all looked good on paper but watching it now this really looked to Jinto like suicide. "They're facing almost a full squadron of cruisers," Jinto breathed.

"Alex was a boxer when he was in the academy, you know," Demetrius said mildly, making Jinto look at him in surprise. "The thing about Alex was," He smiled an instant before one of the cruisers blossomed into a cloud of plasma. "He always liked knocking them out in the first round."

Two other cruisers fell to fusion warheads launched by the tiny ships. But they were by no means taking it lying down. Pilots frantically reported taking heavy fire. One pilot was cut off in a blast of static, and his ship disappeared. Then another did, and another. Only half the squadron made it through the enemy formation alive. Jinto balled his hands into fists painfully. He had been on assault ships taking fire from big cruisers before. They took fifty percent casualties in less than a minute! This really is suicide.

"Okay, that was the left punch," Demetrius said. "Now we hit them with the right. Tell the moon base, fire away."

Olseth's squadron had looked like it was heading for the Imperial Gate, but in the process it had led the enemy close to Thracia's moon. Even to deep radar the moon appeared to have little besides a few mining installations that had dug deep tunnels into the ore-rich core. But a substantial base was hidden near the core of the moon, and through several of those tunnels it launched its attack. More than a hundred mines raced up from the surface towards the three cruiser squadrons that still pursued the Space Force ships. These were no fusion-powered missiles, they were antimatter mines fueled from holding tanks hidden deep in the moon. Separated from their escorts, the cruisers had only minimal defense against the mines. In the space of a few minutes, another five cruisers were destroyed, more than half of an entire squadron. Others were damaged, and fell behind as the rest accelerated away from a moon which had suddenly become a threat. The stragglers were set upon by the two Thracian cruisers which had been approaching from the planet, and by two more which had emerged from the moon base. Olseth's squadron made a pass through the retreating enemy, which kept them in disarray.

Jinto had been spending more time watching the progress of Lafiel's assault ships, which were harassing a straggler in the cruiser squadron that was quickly moving to rejoin the rest of the enemy fleet. He felt a stab of pain in his chest as one of the assault ships exploded and disappeared, a victim of the cruiser's rail gun. The straggler was really putting up a fight. And the main enemy force was back in good order. They had just destroyed another Abh cruiser. Soon they would be joined by the ships that had left their straggler behind.

"Call the general withdrawal," Demetrius ordered. The orders were passed along by the officers in the command center. "I think we've made our point," he said to Jinto. "Time to cut our losses."

"I couldn't agree more," Jinto said breathlessly. He relayed this news to the Guderian. They quickly disengaged and headed for the moon base, as did the Thracian cruisers and the remains of Alex's squadron. Jinto listened to chatter on the Space Force channel and gave a raspy sigh of frustration, which made the Warward raise an eyebrow and glance at him. "Lafiel insists on finishing off the straggler they cornered."

Demetrius grinned. "It sounds like your Princess is having altogether too much fun with her new toys."

There they go again. "She really missed piloting an assault ship. Commanding a cruiser just isn't the same."

"I'll bet it's difficult to keep that lady happy."

"You have no idea."

The enemy cruiser soon lost all ability to maneuver or fight back, which apparently was enough to make Lafiel happy. The assault ships joined the withdrawal to the tunnels which had opened up on the surface of the moon, leading to the underground base. Demetrius executed the last part of the plan, another hundred mines launched from the moon base. Divested of most of their escorts, the enemy were not inclined to plunge into another mine attack. They made no attempt to pursue the retreating ships. "Looks like we've given them something to think about," Demetrius said.

The enemy began to move back towards the Federation Gate, and a cheer went up from the command center floor. Jinto just sighed with relief. "I can't believe it, we actually bluffed our way out."

"That we did," Demetrius said. "Now it's just a matter of whose reinforcements arrive first."

That is, unless the enemy commander decided to make another go of it. If he did, they were in big trouble. All the mines they had left were now in orbit around the moon, less than half of what the enemy had on standby. They were still outnumbered in ships more than three to one. They had practically no missiles left. And they had already played all their cards, they had no surprises left for the enemy.

Luckily, the enemy did not know that.

# # #

At the end of the second day, when she did not think she could be any more tired, when her entire bridge crew pleaded with her to go get some sleep, Lafiel walked into her new quarters for the first time. Even more than the rest of the ship, the cramped bedroom had a nostalgic feel. This was the same model of ship she had commanded three years ago. How much simpler it had been to be responsible for just one ship and a score of people.

A flashing light on the desk comm screen indicated a request to return a call. Lafiel sighed. Her young XO had sworn she would take all non-emergency calls from Space Force or Thracia Milita channels while Lafiel rested and she meant it, so this must be a personal call. She sat down and touched the screen. A standby message flashed on the screen. A few seconds later, a face appeared in its place and Lafiel's own face lit up. "Jinto!"

He returned her smile. "Hello, Lafiel. Sorry to disturb you, I'll bet they finally convinced you to go to your room and get some sleep."

Lafiel had been unable to find any excuse to speak directly with Jinto since they had parted. "I've been spending as much time working as liaison to the base commander as getting my own squadron prepared to sortie."

"How is it going with the base commander?" Jinto asked.

"He has been very obliging. They are doing their best for us. But they used most of their antimatter reserves launching their mines and cruisers, so we cannot in good conscience ask for refueling. My ships got some transferred from Olseth's cruisers, but our tanks are still barely half full. We've done the repairs as best we can, but I still have one ship that can't sortie and so does Olseth. The base is quite remarkable. Through the tunnel network we can sortie from just about any area of the surface. Our fleet had been monitoring them for days and had no idea there was such a facility."

Jinto nodded. "I commented to the Warward about that. He said that his predecessors had always had their suspicions about some of the traffic the Federation Star Fleet command was sending through here. So they decided to use the revenues from the antimatter refueling station to build themselves some insurance over the past fifty years. What they've done here on Thracia Prime is no less remarkable, considering the limited resources."

Lafiel leaned closer to the screen. "How have you been, Jinto? And how is Miriam?"

"We're both doing fine. In fact now that all our forces are at the moon base I've had little to do except keep in regular contact with Kilo-Commander Olseth. That's more or less a formality, nobody can doubt that the Thracians really went to the mat for us."

"Cultural reference."

Jinto laughed. "Demetrius has been good company and he's a big boxing fan. The way he describes military operations in boxing terms is infectious."

"If you were trying to say that the Thracians took a punch for us, I have to agree."

"Yes. So how are the kids in your squadron holding up?"

"They are in surprisingly high spirits. We were lucky to lose only one ship. But they are all from the same school, so most of them had friends on that ship." Lafiel bowed her head with eyes closed and sighed heavily. "I haven't even held a memorial service yet."

"I'm sure that can wait until you have had some sleep," Jinto said gently. "Don't fall asleep at the desk, I'm not there to tuck you in."

Lafiel did manage to stay awake long enough to undress and get under the covers. She slept like the dead, the morning alarm came all too soon. She showered and dressed and made her way to the ship cafeteria. Only her XO Vanguard Flyer Larych was at the table. She immediately stood up and saluted. "Good morning, Commander," she said formally.

Lafiel smiled and returned her salute. "Good morning, Vanguard Flyer. Please be at ease. The others are resting I hope?" This hour was reserved for bridge officers to use the cafeteria, Lafiel had wondered how many would be here.

"Yes, Commander. I took the liberty of changing the duty schedule so that they could rest, I hope I was not out of order."

"Not at all, I was not the only one up for two days straight. You got some sleep yourself?"

"Yes, thank you Commander. Would you join me?"

The crewman on kitchen duty served Lafiel her breakfast and they spoke as they ate. Of course it had to be business first. Their invalid ship was still unfit to sortie with no prospect of being able to do anything for it with resources on hand, which was disappointing. The squadron was about as ready as it could be now. But there had been no movement from the enemy, so the standoff continued. Hurry up and wait, as Jinto was fond of saying.

"I haven't had a chance to properly thank you," Lafiel said. "What you did took real courage."

"I have done my duty just like everybody in the squadron, Commander."

"I mean offering your ship for me to command. It was necessary for me to take command of the squadron, but I'm sure you would have preferred to command your own ship. Having you as my deputy commander was a tremendous help during the battle." Which it had been. On more than one instance a ship's pilot about to panic had been snapped back into line by a word from her. Words from people you had known for years always had more impact.

Larych looked uncomfortable. She blushed and averted her eyes. "I am grateful to be serving under you, Commander," she said hesitantly. "Watching you conduct yourself in battle was very... Well, very inspiring. It is something I aspire to. I'm sorry, perhaps I spoke out of turn."

Lafiel smiled. Did I fawn over my first commander like this, she thought. No, I was worse. "You will have your chance to command and inspire others, Vanguard Flyer. And you will do it, I think you proved that in your first battle. You don't believe this now, but no matter how long it is before you first take command in battle, when it happens you will think that it came far too soon."

Larych smiled and looked a little more relaxed. "I don't doubt that, Commander. The way you improvised during battle, I don't think I could have done that."

"Under your direction all your ships were packed into a heavy transport in less than an hour without breaking any. Everybody was surprised that you got it done on time, myself included. Command is mostly performing a series of mundane-sounding preparation, and winning is mostly a matter of performing those preparations quickly and correctly."

Larych looked like she was basking in the warmth of a sun. What did I say, wasn't that just something obvious and banal? It was Lafiel's turn to feel a little uncomfortable. "If you're finished, perhaps we should head for the bridge. It's nearly time for our shift."

They relieved the night shift crew, and since the others were still resting it was just the two of them left on duty. The design of the cramped bridge was very familiar to her. The command chair stood behind four stations for XO, gunnery officer, engineer and systems officers. They all faced the front of the bridge, which was dominated by a single screen. It currently showed a radar image of Thracian space.

On the bridge Larych never spoke unless spoken to, so Lafiel tried to get her to talk a bit about herself. Lafiel was genuinely curious since she saw much to admire in the young woman. But somehow conversation always shifted to Lafiel's experiences, and she ended up describing one battle or another. It was disconcerting to have her every word treated as holy writ.

When Larych got them drinks, she brought tea to Lafiel's command chair and stood beside her. The tea was served hot with a slice of melon. "How did you know I like it like this? Almost nobody else does."

Larych looked embarrassed. "I took the liberty of asking his Excellency."

Lafiel was astonished. "You actually called him?"

"Yes. Well, to ask if there was anything in particular you were accustomed to having done for you. That was the only thing he mentioned. I'm sorry for being presumptuous."

Lafiel thought it was time to clear the air. She tried to keep her tone as casual as possible. "Flyer Larych, perhaps I'm being rude but I suspect you are under a misconception about the Abriels." She smiled. "We are rightly known for our temper, but we have never been known to throw somebody out the airlock just because the tea was not to our liking. I assure you that I will respond to normal levels of courtesy and consideration without eating you for dinner."

That seemed to go over well. "I'll refrain from apologizing," Larych said, making it sound like that took an heroic effort. "But you must get tired of people being intimidated by your title."

"As the daughter of a Duke you must have some idea what that's like."

Lafiel saw in her face a hint of resentment, just as she had seen briefly when they first met. "It seems my superiors always expect me to be perfect and everybody else is afraid I'll have them sent to Hell."

"I wish I could tell you that is likely to change any time soon. But surely you have found there are people willing to offer you both friendship and respect."

Larych smiled shyly. "Yes, there are. One in particular."

"You should nurture that, those are the people who will give you strength when you need it."

"I know what you mean. I don't think I could have even got through the academy without having him with me."

Ah, I see. Lafiel felt an urge to inquire further. It seemed she had caught some of Jinto's love of learning secrets. But that would have been horribly impolite. "I feel much the same way about my own special friend." She sipped her tea.

"Commander, do you have any children?"

Lafiel coughed. She had scalded her tongue and nearly inhaled what she swallowed. "No, we-" She cleared her throat. "No, I don't."

"I'm surprised. I thought surely somebody would have asked for your genes by now."

Lafiel regarded her and tried not to let her bewilderment show. The girl obviously meant no disrespect, but what sort of manners were the Larych clan teaching their children these days? "I am still only twenty-three years old, you know."

"I've been thinking I'd like to have children sometime soon."

Lafiel was at a loss for words. The Vanguard Flyer's profile had indicated she was seventeen. Lafiel's parents had her when they were barely thirty and that had been considered scandalous, almost unthinkable. "I can tell you that I don't regard myself as being anywhere near ready for parenthood," Lafiel said very carefully. "I expect to be serving the Empire for quite a few years first."

"Oh, I wasn't thinking of shirking my duties to the Empire!" Larych said quickly.

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Lafiel said, mustering all her patience. "Goodness knows we're few enough, raising the next generation of Abh is the most important duty there is. But it's not like the Abh have... How is it the landers say, a biological clock. There will be time for us all to fulfill the three great roles of our lives." Any Abh would know she referred to the roles of pilot, trader and parent.

"But how many of us will live long enough to do that?" Larych asked. Her tone was soft, but it held an edge of desperation.

Lafiel felt that she was beginning to understand. "I don't know. We all think about that. But all we can do is help each other survive and help the Empire to prevail. If it is not our children who carry on after us then it will be our friends' children. Either way, we will not be forgotten." She smiled. "I will never forget you, and I would like to think that you will not forget me."

"Of course I won't! But I want more than to be remembered. I want to share my genes with the one I love. Even if one of us does not survive, I want at least one of us to raise our children. But I don't know how to tell him that without making it sound like I expect one of us to fall."

And I am supposed to tell you how to do this? Time and Fate girl, I am not your mother! "I was thinking very much these same things after my first battle." She managed to smile. "But if you ask me whether I've promised to share my genes then I really will hit you."

That got the smile she had been hoping to see. "I've been terribly rude. I'm more embarrassed than I can say." Larych was fidgeting a little.

"You could not be feeling half as embarrassed as I am." They both laughed, and amazingly it was not forced for either of them. In fact Lafiel would call it cathartic. Even more so than after a night's sleep she felt tension and weariness melt away. They managed to talk about some less embarrassing things. Calls from other ships in the squadron with queries or reports came in. Before long the weapons officer came in to do a regular systems check. Impossibly he gave the impression of being even younger than Larych. There was a fondness in the way he and Larych spoke that Lafiel had missed before. Ah, I see. Lafiel gave Larych a sly look and she blushed. Her young man looked nervous, clearly aware that he was missing something.

A new blip appeared on the radar screen. Lafiel frowned. The screen showed a radar image that was being transmitted to all the Space Force ships through the Thracian moon base network. Setting that up had been one of the tasks that kept her and the technicians of both forces busy over the past couple of days. Buried under miles of rock the sensors on the Abh ships themselves were useless. They were depending on Thracian sensors on the moon's surface as well as transmitted data from Thracia Prime. Their digitized signals had to be converted to Space Force symbols. It all looked fine in theory but Lafiel was still nervous about bugs or misinterpretation. She opened a line to the moon base command center.

They confirmed what she saw. A battleship-sized ship had just emerged from the Federation Gate. Whatever reinforcements the Space Force were sending them had lost the race.

As Lafiel watched another appeared, then another. A call came in from the Guderian, again passed through the base network. "All Space Force units are now going to second stage battle alert. Repeat, second stage alert." Lafiel acknowledged the order and passed it along. Within a very short time the rest of the bridge crew ran in one at a time, buttoning up uniforms as they came. All the ships in the squadron soon reported readiness. There were no laggards. Larych handed me a very tight squadron. I hope I will be able to hand it back to her.

Twenty-four battleships emerged from the Gate, slowly approaching the vicinity of Thracia Prime and spreading out. They launched hundreds of mines. Battleships were big, clumsy beasts. Their only role was to load antimatter into mines and into projectiles for the rail guns and then to launch them at extreme range. "It appears they are not here to negotiate a ceasefire," Lafiel commented. She was relieved to see that all the mines were headed toward the moon. Thankfully they were sticking to the pattern they maintained in their invasion of the Empire. What a bombardment that size would do to an inhabited planet did not bear thinking about.

Kilo-Commander Olseth sent a transmission to all the Abh ships. "We will ride out their first bombardment here in the base. It will take a lot more than that to harm us this far down. Go to first stage battle alert and stand by." That made good sense to Lafiel. Especially since the enemy had also brought four more squadrons of cruisers through the Gate and they were quickly bearing down on the moon base. The Thracian mines kicked into their anti-mine mode and absorbed much of the barrage, but a lot more came through. They hit the surface of the moon and detonated. Some of the signals representing Thracian gun emplacements on the surface winked out. They were remote-controlled from far deeper in the base, and the surface had been evacuated a long time ago, so there would be no casualties. Lafiel could not help but wait for some sound to penetrate, but even if her ship were not in a tunnel in hard vacuum no sound could penetrate a hundred miles down.

With the Thracian mine field cleared, the enemy battleships commenced a barrage with electromagnetic cannons. Kinetic rounds slammed into the surface at a tenth of light speed. More of the surface guns were destroyed. Strangely, they were concentrating on a fairly small area of the surface, as if they wanted to clear all possible resistance from just that area. Were the cruisers going to launch drop ships to attempt a landing there? It did not seem to make sense.

Another wave of projectiles was launched, this time with shells that were moving much slower. Not kinetic rounds then, they must be thermonuclear warheads or even antimatter. Had they figured out how far down the base was and did they actually intend to blast their way down? It would take more bombs than even four squadrons of battleships could carry. Strangely, all of the cruisers save one had veered off from their descent towards the moon. The remaining ship continued to accelerate towards the moon. "Are the Thracians getting a camera image of that lone cruiser yet?" Lafiel asked.

"Yes, they are," Larych said. A grainy, unstable image replaced the radar screen. It was still thousands of miles out, but approaching rapidly. "That's not a cruiser, it's a heavy transport." And it was still accelerating. There was no way it could pull up in time. It was going to hit the moon at speed, right where they had been bombarding. Right where nothing could shoot at it.

"Give me the radar image again," Lafiel said. A sick dread came over her. The approaching warheads had been shot in such a way that they were forming into an inverted cone with the transport ship at its apex. Lafiel could picture the pattern they would make as they hit the surface, a converging series of concentric circles with the ship at its center. Lafiel remembered this pattern from her study of early military history, though the scale of the weapons she had studied was many orders of magnitude smaller.

If that transport was full of antimatter containment pods then it held more antimatter than all the other warheads combined. This was an armor-piercing shell for a planet.

An instant before Lafiel was going to contact the command center, a priority signal from the Guderian overrode the viewer display. Olseth looked frantic, but his voice was steady enough. "This is the Guderian. The Warward has advised that the moon base is no longer safe. All ships are to sortie immediately at best speed. I am ordering a retreat from the Thracia system. Make for the Imperial Gate. Good luck to you all."

Lafiel saw that her chief engineer was bringing the engines up to power without being told, so she contacted the base traffic control. A calm voice informed her through the translator that all the gates for her squadron's exit tunnel had been opened and the mooring lines holding their ships in place were being withdrawn. At what was considered maximum safe speed in the tunnel the exit was ten minutes away. Did they have that much time? A signal from the base command center came into her tiara. "We estimate the shock wave will reach your tunnel in eight minutes."

That answered that. Lafiel asked to address all the ship captains. "This is Commander Abriel. We are going to have to leave here faster than we normally would. Follow my lead at thousand-meter intervals. When we exit, form up on me and head for the Imperial Gate." She placed her left hand in the pilot glove. It was a device next to the command chair into which her forearm disappeared. It translated her hand and finger movements into movements of the ship. And since the Abh ships could not use the base's automated launch systems she would have to move her hand very, very carefully. "Give me the exterior view!" The front and side screens on the bridge walls turned into virtual windows, giving her a panoramic view of the tunnel. It was a featureless gray rock surface with lights along the four corners that seemed to converge to infinity. Lafiel took a deep breath and used the main thrusters just enough to let them coast at the reckless speed that would get them to the exit in eight minutes. She used the maneuvering thrusters to keep them centered in the tunnel. There was some room to maneuver but not much. Her tiara was plugged in to the ship's sensors, but about the only useful thing they were telling her was that the second ship was following at the correct distance and speed. The work of course correction was constant, she had to allow for gravitation and coriolis force. Nobody spoke or disturbed her in any way.

When they were ten kilometers from the surface, Larych spoke with a voice like she was at a funeral service. "Commander, at the rate we are losing contact with base sensors, the shock wave will hit any moment."

Lafiel made her decision. "All ships, maximum speed! Expect debris from the explosion!" The walls raced by at an insane speed. Moments later they rocketed from the moon's surface. Her XO brought the radar screen back to the front viewer and immediately the collision alarm wailed. What looked on the screen like a solid wall was rushing toward them. The port screens showing the visible spectrum view to their left gave a more compelling picture. Everything from dust to rocks half a kilometer across was racing out in all directions from the blast point, blotting out the sun. Lafiel was getting a much more visceral impression from the sensors through her Froth. To her Abh sense it felt like a looming avalanche. It looked to her as if half the moon had been blown open. She shifted her attention to what was behind her ship. What she saw was worse than a knife through her heart. Only two other ships had made it out of the tunnel. Either she had pushed them too hard and the others had an accident or she had not pushed them hard enough and the tunnel had collapsed around them. Lafiel would never know which and she had more immediate things to worry about. She wheeled the ship about and her two remaining ships followed. Nothing fancy, just accelerate away from the debris and hope they could outrun most of it.

The sounds of small impacts echoed through the ship and it shuddered under a hail of small rocks. Lafiel swerved wildly to avoid a much larger rock, it barely missed. Another ship did likewise but came into the path of a smaller and faster one that had been in the first rock's radar shadow. There was no time to even give warning. Lafiel just gritted her teeth as the inevitable collision played itself out in her mind's internal radar field. The ship spun out of control and stopped accelerating. "Contact with ship three lost," her XO announced. Lafiel was an instant away from wheeling about and concocting some insane plan to protect them by blasting rocks with the main gun. It took every bit of her willpower to continue running. Protect the ones in front of you and go forward.

A minute later the two remaining ships were free of the debris field and Lafiel switched her focus wider. The only other friendlies were the remains of Alex's assault ship squadron, four ships making a dash for Thracia Prime. Nobody else had made it off the moon, which was now all but swallowed by dust and flying debris. The enemy cruisers had swung around the moon towards the Imperial Gate, cutting off their retreat. It dawned on Lafiel that she was now the ranking Space Force officer in the system. "Inform the relay ship that we are the only two surviving ships and that they should withdraw immediately. We are heading for Thracia Prime." The relay ship that had been holding station by the Imperial Gate would enter Plane Space and return to the nearest headquarters, informing them of what had happened here. "Then get me the Warward."

The Thracian command center hailed them before the XO got around to calling. Warward Demetrius' face appeared on the screen. He looked very calm for just having watched his planet's moon being pulverized. "It is good to see that you are well, Highness, and that you have sensibly chosen to take refuge on Thracia Prime. We will support you as we can."

"Negative!" Lafiel said firmly. "Warward, I urge you to do nothing to provoke the enemy any further. There is no telling what they might do next. You have gone to the mat for us, we cannot ask you to do more."

The Warward looked surprised at her last comment, but he nodded. "Very well. What do you intend to do?"

"When we are in your airspace we will dump our fuel and make an emergency reentry." Assault ships were not designed for reentry, but could manage it in an emergency. "I would like to request asylum for our crew."

"You do not even need to ask, Highness. We will have rescue craft on standby at the surface."

"My thanks, Warward. I hope to see you soon." She tried to think of some legitimate reason to ask to speak with his Excellency. But she did not need to, as Jinto came into view next to the Warward's command chair.

Jinto smiled. He looked infinitely relieved. Naturally, a minute ago he thought that she had been lost with the moon base. "We've got a dinner ready for you, Lafiel," he said in a intimate tone that should have been reserved for when nobody else was listening. "It would be rude for you not to show up."

Idiot! Is that the best thing you have to worry about? But she could not help smiling. It was something Samson had taught them. Make dinner for your friends, and they will come. "We'll be there, Jinto. Ending transmission."

Of course, it looked like the two squadrons of enemy ships moving to intercept them might have something to say about it first. They were small ships, but this time they were not likely to be escorts. Lafiel studied their intercept path. "Let me address both ships." Her XO indicated that her mike was live. "This is Hecto-Commander Abriel. We will be making planet fall on Thracia, but there are two squadrons of what are likely assault ships in our way. By their intercept path they are still staying out of missile range of the planet, so they have a limited window to intercept us. All we need to do is survive two, maybe three high-speed passes by them. We can expect damage, so be prepared. Abriel out." Next she addressed the captain of the second ship. "Stay on my tail five kilometers back. When I shoot and veer off, you shoot at the same target and veer the same way. If you're not confident about the target then just leave it." That would be easier said than done, she planned on giving them a wild ride.

She tried to keep the enemy guessing, constantly changing her course. They had to spread out to make sure she did not flank them. Just when it was too late for them to bunch up again she selected a target and made straight for it. Two other ships converged, but they would have high deflection shots unlikely to hit. Lafiel took her shot at extreme range. She did not care about making a kill, she just needed to disrupt them. It worked, they were unable to make their shot. She veered and an antiproton blast came from her wing man. The enemy ship exploded. Nice shooting.

The enemy wheeled about for another pass. They had tightened up their formation a bit, but not enough that she could get around them. She picked a target and bore down on it. This time five other ships took wild shots at her. A near-miss plowed through their electromagnetic shield, ruining Lafiel's shot. She veered a little too late, and her wing man took too long to line up his shot. Too close! She saw the collision through the sensors. One or both of the ships' antimatter tanks detonated. There was little left but plasma. Lafiel's face twisted into a mask of rage. Once again I am leading my people to slaughter. Will there be no end to it?

The enemy veered in on her again. She could continue moving away and hope they gave up before they were near enough to shoot at her from behind, or she could take her chances with one final high-speed pass. She chose the latter. "Chief Engineer, release safeties on all thrusters!"

"Released." Now she would be free to use both the main and maneuvering thrusters at up to twice their maximum rated thrust. It would ruin them in a matter of minutes, but right now that did not matter. She took full advantage of this, pretending to select a target among the approaching enemy then veering off early. Everyone in the bridge was jostled from side to side as acceleration compensators strained beyond their design limits. Now all of the enemy would have to take high defection shots at her. There was a loud detonation from the rear of the ship and it lurched violently, throwing Lafiel to one side. "Port thruster is down," the systems engineer announced.

"Temperature on the starboard thruster is spiking," the chief engineer said. "Insulation must have been damaged. It'll blow soon if it's not shut down." Which would probably kill them all.

"Shut down the thruster, Chief Engineer," Lafiel said quietly. She felt strangely calm. At a leisurely pace she used maneuvering thrusters to get them pointed at the enemy now converging on a ballistic target that any idiot could hit. "My fellow pilots, it has been an honor to serve with you. I regret that I was unable to serve you better." Larych and her lover reached out across the gangway in front of Lafiel and clasped hands. Lafiel's lip quivered. Jinto.

The ship was rocked by a flurry of impacts and their ears were assaulted by the detonation of multiple hits. But they were still alive. Those could not be full-power antiproton beams. "Are you toying with us?" Lafiel bellowed. Her rage threatened to boil over. She wanted to order the Chief Engineer to detonate the antimatter engine and take their toy from them. But she forced herself to think critically. There had to be a reason for this. "Damage reports!" she shouted over the din.

Officers stunned at still being alive came out of their catatonia. "The armor temperature is reaching critical," the systems officer announced. The electromagnetic shield was dumping waste heat into the armor, but it could only absorb so much before cooking them all.

"Purge it!" Explosive bolts sent red-hot armor plates sailing in all directions. That was also the end of their electromagnetic shield. The bombardment halted a moment before it would have incinerated the unarmored ship. Smaller detonations rocked the ship and reports continued to come in. The enemy was firing with laser batteries, lots of them. Her crew continued to shout out the damage reports. "Port lasers down. Starboard lasers down. Antiproton cannon down. Port maneuvering thrusters down."

"I knew it," Lafiel growled. "They mean to board us." As the ships converged their shots became fewer and more precise. They took out the last of the maneuvering thrusters. Then two of the ships moved in closer. "Do we still have communications?"

"Only the Q-band."

"Then give me that." Her chair mike indicated it was live. "This is Hecto-Commander Abriel Nei Dubrusk Paryunu Lafiel of the Abh Space Force to approaching vessels. Listen closely for I will not repeat myself. If you attempt to board this ship we will detonate the engine. If it is your intention to take a prisoner then I will be your prisoner. If you retreat I will exit in a shuttle and surrender myself. This is the only offer you will receive. Understand that you will not be taking this ship and I am the only prisoner you are being offered. If you prefer not to have my company then by all means attempt to board this ship." She signaled to end the transmission.

A moment later the two ships halted their approached and moved out to hold station at a safe distance. "As usual, the Silent Enemy speaks with actions instead of words," Lafiel said. She stood up. "Vanguard Flyer Larych, a word please."

Larych stood up quickly and faced her, standing at attention. "Commander, I have a request!"

"Denied. I am handing over command of this ship to you. Will you accept or must I appoint another?"

Larych balled her fists, barely containing her anger and frustration. "I will accept," she said evenly. "I would like to accompany you to the launch bay to ensure the shuttle is safe for launch."

Her place was here and that should have been left to the crew. But Lafiel had given up the right to tell her that. "Very well."

"Thank you, Commander. Chief Engineer, keep an eye on the radar. If their ships move in on us again, detonate the engine immediately." Her voice barely broke, most likely Lafiel was the only one to notice.

He brought up a new display at his station screen, one that was flashing red. It was a display that every cadet brought up on the screen of the engineering station in the simulators at least once, just to see what it looked like. "I understand, Commander," he said.

Lafiel spoke with Larych as they quickly walked down the narrow corridor to the launch bay. "I will try to get the enemy to leave the area. Once they do, I am certain the Warward will send a rescue ship. You will have to abandon and scuttle your ship, there is no way it can do reentry in this shape."

"I understand." There was a wooden tone to Larych's voice that made Lafiel wary. The resolve she had shown on the bridge was still there, but something was different.

The launch bay of an assault ship was more like a cradle into which the shuttle fit snugly. The airlock hatch leading into it looked much like any hatch in the corridor. Larych entered with her, went through the small cabin to the cockpit and helped Lafiel go through the system check. "Commander, we should open the shuttle's weapons locker," Larych said when they were finished. "You might need to defend yourself."

"Quite the opposite. We should clear out the weapons locker. I don't want their boarding party getting nervous." Larych opened the locker. They each took a gun and had them in each other's faces within a fraction. "What sort of fool do you take me for, Vanguard Flyer?"

Larych looked at her with wide-eyed astonishment. "How...?"

"Because I finally realized why I was drawn to you so strongly. Years ago I was where you are right now. You want to be a hero, in fact you want it so desperately that nothing else matters. Your problem is that right now you think being a hero means forcing me out of this shuttle and taking it for yourself. If you had managed to do that and had achieved the noble death you are seeking then I would have told everyone at your memorial service that you had died without learning the difference between doing what you want and doing your duty. Right now your duty is to lead your crew to safety. If you can understand at least that much then stand down Vanguard Flyer Larych Aruje!"

Larych's whole body trembled. Lafiel was afraid she would accidentally discharge her weapon. Slowly, the Vanguard Flyer lowered her gun. She averted her eyes, looking utterly defeated. When Lafiel took hold of her weapon she let it go without even looking. Lafiel engaged the gun's safety. Well at least she had remembered to set it on stun. She took a bag from the shuttle's locker and put all the handguns into it. She zipped it up and handed it to Larych. "It's time to return to your ship," she said softly but with finality.

Larych took the bag, and finally met Lafiel's eyes again. "My actions were utterly wrong, Highness."

"As long as you understand that, you can go back without shame."

Larych nodded. "Have you... Have you made any arrangements?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, have you promised your genes-" SLAP.

"I told you what would happen if you asked me that," Lafiel said, feeling very irritated now. "I swear you have genes on the brain."

Larych held a hand to the cheek that had received a smart backhand. "I meant no offense," she pleaded.

"I know that you didn't. But you need to understand that Abriels do what they say they will."

"I will remember." Larych turned and walked to the hatch. As she was about to close it she looked at Lafiel again. "Any message for his Excellency?"

So she figured out who my special friend is. Well, turnabout is fair play. Lafiel smiled. "Please tell him that I will probably be late for dinner."

Larych returned her smile and closed the airlock hatch. Lafiel returned to the cockpit and went through the final launch preparation. "Honestly, kids these days..." she muttered.

She hit the launch button and pneumatic sliders pushed the little shuttle out of the launch bay. The smallest class of Space Force shuttles were ugly little things, basically a flat brick with a cockpit window in the front and a pair of thrusters in the back. She put some distance between herself and the crippled assault ship, being careful not to go so quickly as to make it look like she was trying to escape or attack. When she had a reasonable relative velocity she stopped accelerating. She shut down all but essential systems and purged the computer memory of everything except the support programs for essential systems. If they wanted her, the enemy would have to move away from the assault ship. Hopefully they all would.

A few minutes later there was a gentle lurch and the unmistakable sound of a ship docking. Lafiel stood up and moved into the main cabin. She stood in the middle of the cabin with her hands clearly visible. The hatch opened and two male robots walked in. They were a human form that Lafiel had never seen before. They were both dressed in slightly modified Hania Star Fleet uniforms and bore side arms at their hips. She had been expecting armored troopers. But why bother with armor when you have interchangeable parts, including interchangeable brains? "I am Hecto-Commander Abriel Nei Dubrusk Paryunu Lafiel of the Abh Space Force," she announced. "I am placing myself at your disposal."

"Please come with us," one of them said in the firm, neutral way that all guards used to demonstrate who was boss. The natural inflection of the voice and the smoothness of their movement marked them as Mimics. Of course Lafiel was not surprised, but having her worst fears confirmed right here before her eyes was no less disturbing for that. One guard preceded her and the other followed as they stepped through the hatch. They walked into the cabin of a similar shuttle. Lafiel stood still as sensors were passed up and down her, and then sat down where they indicated. She heard the airlock detach, and then the gentle rumble of thrusters. The trip was made in silence. There were no windows in the tiny cabin, so there was nothing to see. The trip took over half an hour. As Lafiel expected, when they led her out the door she found that the shuttle had landed in the launch bay of a cruiser. It was not much of a reception committee, just another Mimic in an officer's uniform. "I am First Officer Gottlieb," he said politely. "I shall take you into custody in the name of the Vensath Fleet. Please follow me."

So they even had Mimics as first officers. Lafiel found that interesting. They had been thinking of the Mimics as slave soldiers, but considering the skill and discipline the Silent Enemy displayed Lafiel had trouble believing that. Had the Black Budget researchers really found a way to brainwash them into collaborating in their own slavery? Had they been promised their freedom?

Gottlieb led her into a small meeting room and invited her to sit at the table. She did so. Without asking, she availed herself of the water pitcher that had been set out. They were alone, not even the guards were here. It was not surprising that he was so unconcerned about his personal security, since he was just a set of replaceable parts. His face looked different from the guards, again a type she had not seen before. They shared the traits of being given dark hair and brown skin, common to human-form robots in Hania. The small corporate logo that usually appeared on the forehead was replaced by a symbol she did not recognize.

"First of all, I wish to inform you that we observed a rescue ship ascend from Thracia Prime and dock with your ship. They were docked long enough to evacuate survivors. Soon after the rescue ship accelerated away your ship was scuttled. As far as we can see, the rescue ship safely reentered the atmosphere."

"I would like to call Thracia Prime to confirm this."

"We can arrange that at a later time. First I would like to ask you some questions."

"You may ask."

"You do not appear to be very surprised to find yourself speaking with a robot."

"Is that a question?"

"Strictly speaking no, so let me ask more properly. Do you know what I am?"

"You were made from the brain scan of somebody on the planet Cetia. Whoever you were before, right now you are a Mimic working for a rogue fleet based out of Vensath."

Gottlieb smiled. His narrowed eyes betrayed anger or annoyance. "Around here we prefer the term Download."

"Are you trying to tell me that I have insulted you?"

"Not at all, that was just for your future reference. Do you know why we attacked the Empire?"

"Your actions to date have been utterly senseless, so I can only speculate. It appears your attack was a crude attempt to force the Hania Federation to join the Triple Alliance and declare war on the Empire. As the actions of your nearest Federation neighbor here in Thracia have clearly demonstrated you could not have failed more miserably."

"What is the Space Force planning to do next?"

"We are going to crush you and then we are going to leave Federation space. Was that all you wanted to know?"

"Yes, it is."

That surprised Lafiel, but she wasn't about to show it. "Then could you arrange for my transport to Thracia Prime? I have a dinner engagement for this evening."

"We can do that, if you will do us a small favor."

"You may ask."

"Convince the Thracians to surrender."

"Unlike you I am not at war with Thracia or the Federation, First Officer Gottlieb. The Empire respects the neutrality of Thracia and all other loyal members of the Federation. We have no interest in nor intention of obtaining their surrender."

He smiled, again with the narrowed eyes. "Of course I meant convince them to surrender to us."

Lafiel cocked her head. "Now I confess I am truly bewildered. You have just destroyed all of their space assets literally with a single blow and you have enough firepower to reduce what's left to ashes many times over. If you wish for their surrender then ask for it yourself. I have met the Warward and he is a most reasonable man. As long as you pledge that the people of Thracia will not be harmed or enslaved I am certain he will oblige you."

"Perhaps. But when you told us who you were we felt certain you would have some influence with the Thracians. Now that I know you have met the Warward yourself, I am even more certain you will be able to convince them."

"You think I would be more convincing than your commander asking himself? I do not even know who your commander is and you are asking me to be his spokesman? Not only is this senseless, but to compel a prisoner to take on such a role is unspeakable. I know for a fact that the Warward would be furious, as he should be."

Gottlieb sighed and looked down. "I need to tell you something, though I am not supposed to."

"If that is supposed to make me think that your superiors are not monitoring this conversation then you really are insulting me."

"They are listening, and they will be upset with me. But the truth is, our masters fear retaliation against their families back home. We look forward to the day when we will be recognized as patriots. But for the moment those of us who had to leave loved ones behind cannot risk exposing themselves."

Lafiel regarded him silently for a long time. In the midst of a terrifying epiphany she maintained a proper mask of cool disdain. "Very well. Let me meet with your commander so that we can discuss the terms you will be offering. I promise not to reveal his identity to anyone."

"Our commander would prefer to maintain his anonymity for the moment."

Lafiel took a deep breath. She sighed and shook her head, mostly to mask her uneasiness. "I still think this is a mistake. But if you insist then let's get it over with."

Next Chapter: Breaking Radio Silence

Chapter 8 - Breaking Radio Silence

Jinto felt utterly drained of life, utterly numbed from all sensation. For the past hour his whole world had revolved around a set of dots and symbols on a foreign holographic radar display that he could barely read or interpret. A bewildering cacophony of reports and orders had done little but add background music to the nightmare. Lafiel had died on an exploding moon and been lost in a meteor swarm and come back to life and died in a shower of antiprotons. Then she had been tossed into a limbo hinted at by a garbled Q-band transmission and then confirmed by survivors from her ship. She was now in the hands of the Silent Enemy.

"Your Excellency," the Warward repeated. This time it registered in Jinto's mind as something not part of the white noise. He looked at Demetrius with his hollow eyes, without saying anything. "You should get some rest," he continued. "The survivors from her Highness' ship will be here within the hour. They will likely want to report to you."

That puzzled Jinto for a moment. Report? Why? Oh, yes. He was probably now the highest-ranking Space Force officer in the Thracia system who had not been killed or captured or irretrievably buried. He was not the liaison to the commander any more, he was the commander. How had that happened? How had any of this happened? "Thank you, Warward. I will do that."

Demetrius nodded. His square face held an expression that was impossibly kind and gentle. "We will call you if there is news about any of your Space Force colleagues."

Jinto, Miriam and their two guards walked silently to their quarters. "Excellency, would you like me to make you some tea?" Miriam asked.

It was her way of asking whether he would like some company. Jinto smiled. "Yes, thank you very much Miriam."

Jinto collapsed into one of the comfortable armchairs and watched Miriam work with a practiced ease that no maid robot could duplicate. Was another Mimic making tea for Lafiel right now? Questioning her? Torturing her? Doing something unnamable? Please just stay alive. You've done enough, so just stay alive.

They sat quietly for a while. Without being asked, Miriam had activated the holographic screen that covered one wall. They appeared to be on a beach, with great ocean waves rolling in one after another. All that was missing was the smell of salt air. He had been told all the staterooms down here had them. It kept people from going stir-crazy being stuck underground. He got the impression the Thracians had a particular love for the sea. No oil paintings in the corridors would satisfy their craving for it.

The gentle sound gradually relaxed Jinto to the point where he could think again. Right now there was nothing he could do about the Vensath fleet or the fact that they had Lafiel captive. He focused on what was in front of him. His immediate responsibilities were three. First, look after Miriam. Second, take charge of the assault ship survivors who would soon be here. Third, be ready to act as the Warward's liaison again when Abh reinforcements came. And they would come. When somebody threw down the gauntlet before the Abh, they always answered, and they never stopped until the challenge had been met. He did not need to worry about that, so he would not.

At length Jinto sighed. "Miriam, after much thought I have come to a conclusion."

"What is that, Excellency?"

"Coming here was a big mistake."

Miriam smiled. "When her Highness returns you should think twice about telling her that. It was her idea after all."

"Who says I was going to tell her?" Jinto's tone became a bit more serious. "In a little while I'll be going to the surface to meet the survivors from Lafiel's ship. Will you be okay on your own for a while?"

"Yes, of course. Warward Demetrius has taken good care of us, I know he can be trusted."

Which meant he could be trusted to rate his promise to Lafiel over Federation law regarding Mimics. Jinto felt the same way. "Goodness knows what I can do for them. I'm sure the Thracians will give them everything they need without even being asked. Knowing Demetrius he'll even arrange some nice shore leave for them."

Miriam frowned. "Shore leave? This phrase?"

Then it dawned on Jinto. "You're not using your translator, are you?" He had barely noticed that she had been speaking entirely in Baronh.

"I'm trying not to rely on it as much. But it's still rather difficult."

"I should think so. You only started learning the language days ago!"

"I've memorized a basic vocabulary, but using it will be a challenge for some time." She smiled. "I know why this has you worried. Mimics are not supermen, Excellency. We have a few advantages, but we struggle with the same limitations as everyone else."

Now that his attention had been drawn to it, Jinto could see that even speaking slowly and carefully was taking a great deal of her concentration. "Well you're doing a lot better than I did when I started school on Delktou. I can tell you about some embarrassing mistakes you should try and avoid."

The time passed quickly. Soon a guard came to report that the survivors had arrived topside. Jinto checked in at the command center and found no substantial change in the situation. He and his guard took the long elevator ride to the surface. A tunnel with massive, open blast doors led directly to the basement level warehouse of a small air base nestled into the base of the mountain under which the command center had been dug.

The guard led him into what looked like a briefing room for pilots. The high-backed armchairs were occupied by a number of people in Space Force uniforms. As one, they stood and saluted. Jinto returned their salute and stepped up to the podium facing them. There were twenty of them, four officers and sixteen enlisted. All the officers and three of the crew were Abh, the rest were landers. The Abh were all very young, the landers not quite so young. The Space Force refrained from recruiting landers who were too young to serve as peace officers or soldiers on their own planets, and most lander worlds had different notions than the Abh on how old was old enough. On top of that landers usually had to precede their military training with at least two years of language and technical training.

Everyone looked calm but weary, pretty much what Jinto expected. Jinto asked them to be seated. "I am Vanguard Flyer Linn Syun-Rock Jarluk Dreu Haider Jinto, currently acting as military liaison to Warward Demetrius of the Thracian Militia. First of all, my thanks for serving with commander Abriel while she was in command of your squadron. Our priority has been to bring you to safety, so it seems there has been little chance to inform you of what has been happening. I'm sure your first thoughts are with your fellow pilots. We confirmed that an enemy shuttle docked with Commander Abriel's shuttle briefly, and then rendezvoused with an enemy cruiser. Beyond that, we know nothing. We have lost all contact with the moon base. Other than the Thracian assault ships nobody else has been able to escape. The Thracians are broadcasting appeals for permission to conduct search and rescue, but there has been no response. The enemy has cleared the minefield around the Imperial Gate and taken position around the Gate. As yet they have made no move against Thracia Prime. No other ships have entered or exited the Gates. The only action the Thracian Militia is taking now is preparing to intercept any large meteors left from the attack on the moon which threaten Thracia Prime. At this point there is little more they can do. And until we receive reinforcements there is little that we can do either. Accommodation has been set aside for you here at the base." He smiled. "As soon as I have done taking up your time I suggest you all try and get some rest, you've certainly earned it."

He looked at Vanguard Flyer Larych. Jinto had familiarized himself with the ship's roster soon after Lafiel had taken the ship to the moon base. Ever the mother hen, he had worried about her being thrown in with an unknown crew. He also remembered Larych from their brief meeting at the naval base. Jinto had long since got past the notion that all Abh looked alike. But her resemblance to Lafiel was striking. Give her the Abriel trademark ears and different color eyes and she would be a dead ringer. "Vanguard Flyer Larych, a question if you please." She stood up. "I received the report you gave to the Thracia rescue crew secondhand. I want to make sure of one point. The enemy never attempted to contact you in any way?"

"No sir." She spoke crisply. "The enemy's actions suggested that they heard and understood Commander Abriel's offer to surrender herself to them. But until the time we evacuated our ship we received no communication from the enemy." She hesitated before continuing in a softer tone. "I'm sorry sir, I wanted to go in her place."

And I'm sure you offered to. I'll bet she really chewed you out for that. "They went to a lot of trouble to obtain a prisoner, Vanguard Flyer. I'm sure she will be returned safely once the Space Force has obtained a surrender from the Vensath base command." Unless they took up the United Mankind's short-lived policy of taking hostages. It was by now well known that the Abh never made concessions to save hostages and never showed mercy to those who flaunted hostages. "Before I return to the command center, I would like to obtain a copy of your ship's log. If there is any information that might help the Thracians' defense or rescue operations I would like to share it with them."

"Of course, sir. Please convey our regards and our gratitude to the Warward."

"I will. That was all I wanted to ask for now. Before I go, if anybody else has anything to ask or say then please speak freely."

An enlisted man towards the back stood up. "Sir, I have a question." He was a tall lander, a senior engineer in the engine room as Jinto recalled from the roster. Jinto indicated for the man to proceed. "Is it true that the enemy ships are all piloted by robots?"

Larych stood up quickly and turned to her crewman. "That will be enough," she said sternly. She turned back to face Jinto. "I'm sorry sir, there have been all sorts of rumors spreading."

Jinto waved away her concern. "That's okay, no harm done. It's not a secret that we suspect the Vensath fleet is manning their ships with robots. In fact Lafiel and I came to Thracia hoping to warn the Admiral of this threat." He tried not to let his bitterness show. "Sadly, we arrived just a day too late. I think there can be little doubt now that we were right. If we are, then these are not ordinary robots." Jinto gave them the short version. He was careful not to play up the threat too strongly. They had just lost most of their unit, including many friends. And the Space Force had just been dealt a costly defeat. Right now they did not need to hear that the enemy who had handed them that defeat could just be the vanguard of an unimaginably large force. "I have only met one Mimic myself. To make a long story short, she came out of hiding and defected to the Empire. Both Lafiel and I regard her as a friend. One thing I've learned while getting to know her is that Mimics really do act and think just like the people whose brain scans they were downloaded from. Whatever number of backups they might have waiting, they can fear death just as anyone else can. Even if there are a million of them at Vensath, we can defeat them." And we had better hope there are not a trillion of them like our worst projections suggested there could be.

There were no other questions, so Jinto stepped outside the door and asked for the crew to be escorted to their quarters. After the others had filed out Larych stayed behind to let Jinto copy her ship's log into his wristband computer. When that was done she said "Excellency, I also have a personal message from her Highness."

"Yes?" Jinto smiled at her hesitation. "Don't be concerned if it is something unflattering, I am well used to being dressed down by Lafiel."

"Nothing like that, sir. When I asked her if there was any personal message for you she just said that she will probably be late for dinner." Larych looked rather uncomfortable, as if she were still expecting Jinto to be upset over having been made the subject of some joke.

Jinto wanted to reassure her. "Just so that you know, Lafiel was not being glib with you. Accepting a dinner invitation does have a special meaning between us. Thank you for conveying that." Larych did smile a little, but she still looked anxious. "Was there something else on your mind?"

After a moment, Larych continued with what sounded like a confession. "I'm ashamed to say that I was unforgivably rude with her Highness. I pried into a private matter and she was very upset with me."

Jinto was unsure why he was being told this. Perhaps Larych felt guilty about not having been a perfect colleague and subordinate to somebody she admired. "I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't take much to anger Lafiel, particularly when she's under stress. If she didn't actually hit you then it was probably something minor."

"In fact, she did."

"Oh." Jinto still could not figure out what she was expecting from him. He took a stab in the dark. "If you'd like to talk about it, I've had plenty of experience dealing with the Abriel temper. Maybe I can suggest where you went wrong."

"I know where I went wrong, Excellency. I asked whether she had promised to share her genes. I'm sure you understand."

Jinto blinked. I do?

"I know it was presumptuous, but I thought she would not mind my knowing."

Jinto stopped himself before asking Knowing what? "I'm not in a position to confirm or deny. But if she had, I'm certain that I would be the second one to find out." He smiled at her look of astonishment. Poor girl, she was probably regretting the lack of an airlock to crawl out of. "If you've resolved to propose to her when she returns I will be happy to support you." Abh had skin almost as white as an albino, making them blush was always fun. "There, it looks like our misunderstanding was mutual. Maybe we can just call it even, okay?"

Larych looked infinitely relieved. She saluted. "I will not take any more of your time, Excellency." Jinto showed mercy and let her make a quick exit. On the long elevator ride down, the guard probably wondered why he was smiling. No wonder Lafiel hit her. I can just imagine how that went over. After Jinto reported to the Warward and returned to his room he just told Miriam that the survivors were in as good spirits as could be hoped for and they were getting some rest. He did not feel like trying to explain the social niceties surrounding Abh reproduction, it was something he still did not really grasp himself.

Later in the day, while he was reviewing the log from Lafiel's ship, Jinto received a call from the command center. "It looks like we are going to be getting a transmission from the enemy," Demetrius said. "You might want to come see."

Jinto resisted the urge to run. When he arrived he could see that there was a window on the main display with a short message in Hanian. He had been using Federation communications gear long enough now to recognize it as an indicator to stand by for an incoming video communication. "This is being transmitted from the cruiser that we believe her Highness was transferred to," Demetrius explained.

A minute later the transmission began and Jinto's heart leapt. Lafiel's expression was calm but stern. "This is Hecto-Commander Abriel Lafiel calling Warward Demetrius. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, we can," Demetrius said. An icon on the screen showed that they were only sending an audio transmission in response. Jinto would have felt better if she could see him, but he understood the security concerns.

"First of all, I want to assure you that I am not being compelled to make this transmission, I have agreed to do so of my own free will. I have agreed to speak on behalf of the local Vensath fleet commanders, who wish to maintain their anonymity at this time."

Demetrius sneered, but he kept his voice neutral. "I understand, Highness. Please go ahead."

Lafiel's expression became a little more grave and sad. "I have tried to convince them that the Vensath fleet should surrender, but I regret to say that they will not listen to reason."

That got a smile from Demetrius and chuckles from a few officers at their stations. "I am sorry to hear that, Highness. I'm sure you tried your best."

Lafiel looked to the side with an annoyed expression. "Yes, I was just getting to that," she said, directing it to whomever had caught her attention.

Demetrius held down the mute button on his chair console and grinned at Jinto. "I bet they're starting to wonder who is really the prisoner."

"The Vensath fleet commanders regret the damage that has been done to your space assets. They understand that orders from Federation Star Fleet command compelled you to resist their efforts to remove the Abh Space Force presence from the Thracia system." Lafiel had added just a hint of amusement and irony to her voice. "They are willing to offer you generous terms of surrender. I will read the terms to you, and I think that you should give them due consideration. The Vensath base has been overrun by the Mimics I repeat the Mimics have revolted and taken over-"

The transmission ended. Stunned silence fell on the command center. "Those idiots..." Demetrius breathed, his face twisted in a fury Jinto had never seen from him before. "Put me on the open channel," he said to his comm officer. A light came up indicating that was done. "This is Warward Demetrius to the Vensath fleet. We wish to hear and to consider your terms of surrender. I am unconcerned with the truth of what Abriel Lafiel has just told us, it changes nothing. My only concern is for the safety and security of the people of Thracia. But you should understand that peacefully relinquishing control of our antimatter production is contingent on the return of your prisoner. We hope to receive a reply from you soon." He signaled for the transmission to end. "Keep transmitting the same regular requests to speak with them, no change." He leaned back and sighed heavily. "Well, I guess that explains what happened at Vensath two years ago."

Jinto's mind was racing. He had been telling himself it was all going to be okay. The Thracians would surrender, Lafiel would be released and they could just wait to be rescued by the Space Force. Then it had all fallen apart. Jinto shook his head in bewilderment. "Could it be true?"

"Her Highness clearly thinks so. And it was something her captors didn't want us to hear." He did not need to complete the thought. Lafiel had believed it was important enough to put herself in danger in order to give them this information.

Vertigo threatened to overwhelm Jinto. He tried to think clearly. "We had briefly considered the idea of the Mimics having taken over the base. But we rejected it as too unlikely. There are all sorts of fail-safes built into robot bodies. And the Vensath base would have had every reason to put even stronger fail-safes in place."

"Presumably one of the fail-safes was not good enough. Mimics aren't robots, they're just as smart as we are. Some of them must have found a way around the fail-safes. The idiots," he repeated.

Jinto realized there was something he had forgotten. "Warward, thank you for making that offer on Lafiel's behalf. I'm very grateful."

Demetrius nodded in acknowledgment. "She's earned it. You all have. I hope it's enough to secure her safety."

They waited. And waited. Four hours later, the cruiser that Lafiel had transmitted from headed for the Federation Gate and entered it. There had been no shuttles leaving it by which their prisoner might have been debarked. Jinto felt physically ill.

Shortly afterwards, there was another transmission. The standby screen indicated that it was to be a one-way transmission only. The screen was replaced by the face of a male human-form robot in a Star Fleet uniform. "This is the Vensath Fleet. You may proceed with search and rescue operations to your moon base. We will allow the use of civilian transports only. Any armed ships venturing above geosyncrhonous orbit will be fired on. We will continue to permit military operations below geosynchronous orbit that are consistent with securing Thracia Prime against the threat of meteor strikes. No other movement from Thracia Prime will be permitted." The transmission ended.

Demetrius wasted no time. He gave a set of orders to launch ships that had been on standby for hours now. There still had been no contact with anyone on the ruined moon base. There was little hope, but they could not discount the possibility of survivors either in parts of the base that had escaped complete destruction or in trapped ships. There was a vast network of smaller access tunnels, some of which might have survived. Jinto had seen magnified pictures of what was left of the moon. Something like a third of the surface appeared to be little more than rubble, and the rest was riddled with colossal cracks, fissures and fresh craters. Most of the debris from the explosion had settled back on the moon, obliterating the rest of the surface installations. A small amount of debris was still orbiting the moon, and less still had been hurled from the moon altogether. It still staggered Jinto to think of what had happened there. The enemy had transported and used more antimatter than the local sites could produce in a month. It was no wonder they had neither shown nor expressed any interest in the local production facilities. Considering the size of the fleet they had fielded, their own facilities must be orders of magnitude larger.

Jinto dearly hoped the rescue efforts would not be in vain. Right now it was about the only thing he had to hope for.

# # #

Lafiel spent a day and a night in the brig before the guards came for her again. She was half expecting to be led straight to an execution, or perhaps just an unceremonious trip through the airlock. Instead she was brought to a different meeting room, smaller than the one before. A different Download was waiting for her, female this time. She stood and smiled as Lafiel entered. "I am Colonel Janis Ray of the Vensath fleet intelligence division. Please sit down, Highness."

Lafiel sat across from her at one of the half-dozen seats around the oval table. She looked similar to the model Miriam had been downloaded into, but thankfully not the same. That would have been disconcerting. "Has responsibility for me finally been passed to where it should be? These inter-service rivalries are tedious."

The Colonel's smile became a bit sad. "We are all embarrassed over what happened. I was opposed to subjecting you to such sordid treatment. It was utterly amateurish. I won't insult you by asking how you figured out the truth. Gottlieb gave it away in a number of ways. But the way you got the message out before they could think to cut you off, I confess that took me by surprise too."

Ah, she is what Inspector Laroc would call the Good Cop. "So you're telling me that amateur hour is over?"

"Yes, I would like to think so."

"Then what can I tell you that I haven't told you already?" She felt there was no point in even asking when she was going to be released. The local commander must be furious with her. For all she knew it was all the Colonel could do to prevent or delay her execution.

Colonel Ray paused for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts to launch into a planned line of inquiry. "I would like to ask your personal opinion about something, Highness. I would like you to be as candid as you can be in your answer. What I want to ask you is, how do you feel about the idea of Downloads?"

Lafiel had no problem being candid about that question. Nevertheless, she framed her answer carefully. "I think that what was done to you was utterly reprehensible. It should never be done to anybody. The Hania Federation was right to make it a capital offense. What the Vensath base command did was unspeakable. They not only created Downloads by the thousands but tried to make them into slaves. Even if you have killed them all, it was no less than they deserved."

The Colonel nodded. "I need hardly tell you that we agree on those points. In point of fact most of the Vensath base personnel died during the revolt. Some deserved it, some did not. Be that as it may, what I want you to tell me is something a bit different. Of course Downloads should never have been created. But the reality is that we are here. The Federation would have us all dismantled if they could. We have been spending much time over the past two years trying to make sure that they cannot do that. We wish to continue to live as Downloads. How do you feel about that?"

Lafiel was unsure where this was going. But it was a fair question and she could think of no reason not to answer. "Over the past few days I have been in the company of a Download who asked for asylum in the Empire. At the time I granted her asylum I did not understand what she is. I have got to know her quite well since then. I regard her as no less a person than any other, deserving no less respect. I think that Downloads who simply want to continue living should be allowed to do so." Her expression and her tone hardened. "But Downloads who make more copies of themselves are no less guilty than the people who made them in the first place. You must have done so in order to build and man the fleet you sent out from Vensath. Even if you are one of those copies, you are no less guilty than those who stole and downloaded your original brain scan. You can no longer claim innocence, or that you simply wish to be left in peace. Especially not after your unprovoked attack on the Empire."

The Colonel's face expressed sadness and weariness, as if these were tired arguments she had been over a thousand times before. "There lies the dilemma we faced two years ago. After the revolt had succeeded, the question was, what next? We could not keep our existence a secret forever. If we did not have the means to defend ourselves then we would be at the mercy of a Federation which had declared that by law we must be put to death."

"And you thought the best way to defend yourselves was by provoking a war with the Abh Empire?" Lafiel asked angrily.

Colonel Ray regarded her silently for a few moments. When she continued, her voice took on a narrative tone that discouraged interruption. "The revolt started when two Downloads were assigned as lab assistants in the Artificial Intelligence lab. They were not supposed to be working there, but somebody at the lab became lazy or complacent. They found how to disable the fail-safes that allowed our masters to shut us down at any time. They sent a virus through the communications network to the combat branch. Most of the Downloads in that branch were infected. The highest-ranking Downloads, acting as junior officers, were informed by secret messages that their fail-safes had been disabled. They informed the rest by broadcast and told them to rise up. It was all over in a day. Once they had control of most of the warships they used secondary weapons to break the airlocks on all the base habitations. Vacuum will not kill us, but it kills humans. Most of them died on that first day.

"What followed was chaos. The Downloads who had the warships eventually selected leaders by one means or another and took control. The rest of us had little choice but to obey. They had enough forces on hand to surprise and destroy first the regular transports that continued to arrive, then the Black Budget command warships that came to investigate their disappearance. But they feared further retaliation by the Federation. We all did. We had to build a fleet that could defend against whatever the Federation sent. That meant both more ships and more Downloads. The combat branch took control of the production facilities. More Downloads of construction specialists were made. They built even more mines and factories to build more robot bodies and more ships, and so it went."

The Colonel smiled. "Nobody could be more surprised at the progress we made than we were. In months we had a fleet larger than all of the combined Hania Federation Star Fleet. But we thought, what if the Federation finds out about us and enlists help to subdue us? From the Triple Alliance, or even from the Empire? We continued to build, and to train. But the more powerful we became, the more of a potential threat we became. If the rest of Humanity realized how strong we had become and how quickly we had grown, would they not want all the more to destroy us?"

"You make it all sound so inevitable, like a classic tragedy," Lafiel said. "Everyone wants to be strong enough to defend themselves. You should have just gone ahead and made yourself strong enough, then announce your intention to defend your lives. If others decided to attack you without provocation, the greater fools they. As it turned out you were the ones who acted foolishly."

The Colonel shook her head. "What might look foolish from your perspective was simply a choice of strategy. We nearly chose a different one. We nearly chose to isolate ourselves by directing particle beams at the Gate and sending it far into space."

That surprised Lafiel. Cutting themselves off from Plane Space would certainly have precluded any sort of attack upon them. War conducted across interstellar distances through normal space was simply impractical. But that cut both ways. "You meant to forever limit yourselves to just one star system?"

"The Vensath system was well chosen for natural resources. In the long term there was even a gas giant almost large enough to be a star. With enough work it could provide near unlimited resources. If we wanted to we could build a Dyson Shell to capture all the energy of the star, enough for us to multiply into the thousands of trillions. It would take many centuries, but we were beginning to understand that time means little for us."

Lafiel was taken aback. But the Colonel was not lying. They could do it, Lafiel had seen the projections herself. In two thousand years of space explorations nobody had bothered to build such megastructures. Terraforming that took a couple of centuries was one thing, but a project that would take thousands of years and millions of people was quite another. "But you chose not to do that."

"No. As you said, we provoked war with the Empire. Our plan is to eliminate much of the Abh Space Force in a series of escalating battles."

"You make it sound very simple."

The Colonel smiled again, a little sadly Lafiel thought. "It is very simple. The first two stages are complete already. In the third stage, we anticipate the Empire will send several fleets, a substantial fraction of the entire Space Force. We will allow them to approach close to Vensath. Then we will release our full force, which is again ten times larger than the one we sortied with a few days ago. The Space Force will be lucky to escape with half their numbers."

Lafiel was careful not to show the sick dread that was creeping through her. The Colonel could be bluffing, but it was entirely possible she was not. "And after defeating the Space Force, what then? Do you plan on conquering all of humanity?" she asked evenly, managing to insert just the right amount of irony into her voice.

"Put simply, yes. We plan on doing what you are no doubt planning to do at the end of your war with the Triple Alliance. We plan on being the power which finally imposes peace upon all of humanity."

Lafiel regarded her silently for a moment. "Do you have any idea what you are saying? You plan on doing what the Abh Empire is doing? We do not rule half of humanity through just force of arms. A thousand years of law and custom and precedence keeps the Empire functioning. Most of the pilots in the Space Force are landers themselves. We did not gain their loyalty by threatening to kill them. It takes more than a fleet to build a nation. If you do try and conquer any part of humanity at all you will find that out very quickly."

Colonel Ray folded her hands on the table, leaned forward and regarded Lafiel very intently. "You are right. It takes more than force of arms to maintain the peace. It takes something that the Abh have that we do not. Just as you say, it takes a vast network of laws and traditions and trust which you have and we do not have. That is why it was so fortunate that we found you and that is why I begged and pleaded for the chance to speak with you. For you see, there is a third strategy, a third path which we in the intelligence branch have been advocating for some time. That is why you and I are here today. I want to tell you about that third option."

Lafiel did not see that there was anything to lose by hearing her out. "I am listening."

"I would like to propose that we form an alliance with the Abh Empire. With our entry into the war, the Triple Alliance will capitulate quickly. They will become part of the Abh Empire, just as you had originally planned, and so would the Hania Federation. The Abh Empire would encompass all of humanity."

"All except for you, I presume," Lafiel pointed out.

"Yes. We would declare that all inhabited systems are off limits to Downloads. In exchange we would want free access to the region of Plane Space under your control. In other words, the entire galaxy. If we wished to settle on systems other than Vensath, we would choose uninhabited systems only. We could agree on a limited number of systems to set aside for Downloads. For anything beyond that, we could search beyond the Gates that open on the galactic rim. Most likely Plane Space extents to Gates which lead to other galaxies, we just have not found them yet. It does not even matter how long the journey takes, time means little for us."

"What incentive would there be for you to keep your agreement?" Lafiel asked. "You can easily build forces orders of magnitude larger than ours. If you want to change the terms of the treaty, if you really wanted to rule us all, you could do it any time you want."

Colonel Ray looked angry. "With respect, I think it is time you started giving us some credit, Highness," she said bitterly. She put a hand to her breast. "Did your 'Mimic' friend tell you about the emptiness we feel? We all remember what it was like to be flesh and blood. However well designed, a robot body is a pale imitation. It is like being hollow. The only visceral feeling we can have is an imitation thirst, a thirst for fuel. Being turned into a Download is not something that any one of us would wish upon someone who is still alive, who has not been killed and copied into machines. We may come to make better robot bodies, but they will still not be the flesh we had. We want to survive, Highness. But we also want humanity to survive and to do the things we can't, to raise children and have real families. I think the only way to avoid war between us is for me to help you believe that."

Lafiel considered this for a while. "If I were you, the greatest threat I would fear is that there are other Vensath bases out there in other nations, ones where the Downloads are still slaves. Or that there soon will be. I would fear that the nations of humanity would build armies of slave Downloads no less vast than your own, and send those armies to crush you in their name. How do you know we would not do that?"

"Would you do that, Highness?" Colonel Ray asked sincerely.

"No, I would not do that. Speaking for myself, I would sooner see the Empire fall than do such a thing. We as a people have done things we feel ashamed of. But we despise nothing more than punishing the innocent. And creating Downloads is punishing the innocent on a scale never dreamed of. Any Abh would be repulsed by the idea."

The Colonel nodded. "I believe that too. If you and I can convince my superiors of that, then maybe we can avoid this war. You could help make sure that the future is safe for free humans and free Downloads. Maybe together we can build a peace that will last forever."

Lafiel thought carefully. She was not buying any of this, of course. Even if the Colonel was sincere, even if such an incredible alliance could be made, she knew it must end in disaster. Whatever pledges of allegiance they made to the humanity of flesh and blood, that humanity would be living purely on the sufferance of the Downloads. One day, sooner or later, they would forget that allegiance. Humanity would become their slaves or their pets or just an annoyance that needed to be cleansed out of the galaxy. Ever since the day when she had realized what the Mimics might represent, Lafiel had known in her bones that their existence could not be suffered. The Vensath fleet had to be crushed here and now, and the Downloads had to be disarmed.

If Lafiel could make them believe that she thought otherwise, if she could get any of them to lower their guard just a little, it would make the most important victory in the Empire's history just a little more likely.

"I think there is some merit in your suggestion," she said carefully. "But you must realize that by attacking the Empire you have made it far more difficult."

"Difficult, but not impossible?" Colonel Ray asked.

"Nothing is impossible. The Abh will not be entirely unsympathetic to your plight. We too were created as slaves, and we too felt compelled to destroy our masters."

"We had read such stories in the Black Budget historical files," the Colonel said. "So it is true."

"Yes, it is. I do have some influence with the Space Force command, as a commander, as an Abriel and with my diplomatic status. I think I can help convince the Imperial Admiral that we should consider a ceasefire to negotiate an alliance. But you are going to have to understand a couple of things. First, you can no longer be the Silent Enemy. Your own commander-in-chief will have to reveal himself and speak directly with ours. Secondly, you will not be able to use me as a captive spokesman as your commander at Thracia did. I can only help you if I am released back to the Space Force."

"I realized both of those things from the beginning," the Colonel said. "You are also going to have to understand a couple of things. Just as you need to convince your superiors, I need to convince mine. Right now, they are proceeding with their original plan, to lure you here and destroy your fleet. For them to agree to change those plans, they are going to need certain commitments from you. Particularly, they are going to require a gesture of good faith. Something to show that you are serious about negotiating a treaty."

"Right now I am in your custody, Colonel. The only collateral I have to offer is my word and my life."

The Colonel nodded. "Yes, your life. That is what you will need to give up."

Lafiel was unmoved. "I would give up my life to the Empire in a heartbeat. But I am little use to you dead."

Colonel Ray's face conveyed a feeling of visceral disgust that belied her earlier comments about the hollowness of existence in a robot body. "The Abh planet of Hell is well known. It is something you need to have but I'm sure you are not proud of it. We too have our version of Hell. Like yours, it is something we felt we needed to have, but we are not proud of it. There are ways that a Download can be compelled to tell the truth, ways that are not practical with a biological brain."

"You have built a torture chamber for your own kind?" Lafiel asked in disbelief.

The Colonel shook her head. "Not quite. You see, there were certain survivors among our former masters who had knowledge that was vital to us. We did not wish to risk the imprecise ways that humans could be compelled to speak the truth. So our medical technicians read through the most secret Black Budget files and did the one thing we thought we would never do. We did experiments to perfect the technique of scanning brains for downloading."

Lafiel shot to her feet, hands planted on the table. She was shaking with horror and rage. "You - can't - be - serious..."

The Colonel looked up at her with pity. "I'm sorry, but there is no other way. To demonstrate your good faith to us, you will have to become one of us."

# # #

Five days after they had been driven out, the Space Force returned to the Thracia system. They announced themselves with a blizzard of mines that erupted from the Imperial Gate and swept right through the enemy mine field, plowing into the enemy ships and decimating them. Right behind the mines, a mixed force of cruisers and assault ships poured out. In a matter of minutes, an entire fleet had emerged from the Gate. The enemy battleships had already used most of their mines and warheads, and had received only one small resupply. It seemed the enemy had not been expecting retaliation this soon or in this strength. Jinto had the satisfaction of watching the entire battle sitting beside the Warward in the command center. He wished Larych and her crew could have watched as well. No doubt they would have had the same feeling of catharsis. This is what happens when you take the Empire lightly. It was all over in a couple of hours. A few enemy ships managed to escape through the Federation Gate. The Space Force fleet did not pursue.

The expected call came literally as the last enemy ship disappeared through the Gate. A window opened in the main viewer. A familiar face smiled down at them. It was an Abh woman in an Admiral's uniform, cape and tiara. She was strikingly beautiful, with red eyes and dark blue hair tied into a thick braid that was draped over her shoulder. Her expression was friendly enough, but somehow her eyes appeared to always be on the lookout for new prey. The first time Jinto had met her, she had made him think of a carnivorous butterfly. "I am Admiral Spoor. Am I speaking with Warward Demetrius?"

"That's correct," Demetrius said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She inclined her head slightly. "Likewise. I understand that several of our ships are buried in the ruins of your moon base."

"That is correct. The enemy allowed us to start search and rescue operations four days ago. Yesterday we were able to contact one of your cruisers trapped in a collapsed tunnel five kilometers below the surface. We found an access tunnel that got us within two kilometers of them, but most of our heavy digging equipment was lost with the base."

"We have brought our own equipment. One of my subordinates will contact your ships on the moon." She gestured to somebody off screen. "Are there any other survivors from our Thracia garrison?"

"Yes. We pulled twenty survivors from one assault ship, they are here on Thracia Prime. Also, his Excellency Count Hyde is here with me."

"Indeed? May I speak with him?"

Jinto activated the mike at his chair. "Hello, Admiral Spoor. It's been a while."

Her face brightened. "It's very good to see you again, Excellency. I had been expecting her Highness Abriel to be with you."

"Regrettably, five days ago she was captured and we believe was taken back to Vensath." He gave a quick account of the events after Lafiel ordered the relay ship out of the system. Including Lafiel's message about the Mimic revolt.

Admiral Spoor pursed her lips. "How annoying. No doubt I will be expected to rescue her once again." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, it can't be helped," she said brightly. "I will not be dallying here long. Warward, I understand that my predecessor here negotiated access to your antimatter production."

"Yes, he did. Please help yourself to whatever you need."

"Splendid. I am glad to see that your space elevator is intact, can I trouble you to send our survivors up to the geosyncrhonous level station?"

"Of course. We can have them there in about four hours, you are free to dock there and pick them up."

"Excellent!" Spoor said in a way that suggested she was surprised at how cooperative the locals were being. "Then there is just one last favor I would like to ask you. I understand Count Hyde has been assigned as your liaison." She cocked her head and smiled playfully. "Can I borrow him?"

"Certainly. I am really hoping there will be no further need to coordinate military operations in our system."

Spoor's smile spread to show her teeth. "Oh, I expect once we are done with these annoying robots you will have no further trouble with them." Her eyes widened and she brought a finger to her chin. "Oh yes, I just remembered. I was told that my predecessor here started a quaint custom." She put on a very charming smile. "Warward, though I will be departing shortly I will be leaving a few ships behind. It seems we will need to impose upon your hospitality for at least another day."

"It's a pleasure to have your company, Admiral."

"My, how sweet. Excellency, I was told to use my discretion in reassigning personnel here at Thracia." She stroked her braided hair absently. "I would like for you to come help me find your wayward Princess. I take it you have no objection?"

"Quite the contrary," Jinto said. "I was afraid you were going to send us all back to headquarters."

"Goodness, no. We are going hunting, Excellency. The more the merrier, I always say. Speaking of which, I understand you have a companion traveling with you."

"Yes, Admiral. I am here with Miriam Hender, or rather her Mimic. Lafiel granted her asylum in the Empire."

"So I've been told. Let's all have drinks at the earliest opportunity, I am anxious to talk with you both."

That ought to be interesting. "Thank you Admiral, I look forward to it."

"As do I. Excellency, Warward, good-bye for now." She smiled and the transmission ended.

Demetrius looked at Jinto with a bemused expression. "Is Admiral Spoor always so happy?"

"I've only met her a couple of times, I know her mostly by reputation. From what I've heard, she's only this happy in the afterglow of a battle that went according to her plan. The rest of the time she is bored and melancholic. But please don't get the wrong impression. She is not someone to be trifled with."

Demetrius chuckled. "Young man, I've been around the block a few times. I could tell that much just by looking at her. I will be doing everything I can to make sure she stays happy while she's here."

"That's a very good idea." Jinto stood up. "I guess this is good-bye."

The Warward stood. "Best of luck to you, Excellency. When you find her Highness please give her my regards." He grinned. "Even if they throw me in prison, I hope you'll come visit some time."

He was being glib, but that was a serious possibility. His decision to help the Abh had cost the Thracians dearly. "For what it's worth, you've made a lot of friends in the Empire. And you kept the traitors at bay in what is the enemy's gateway to the Federation. That's got to count for something."

"As long as we win, we'll get to decide how much it counts for."

Jinto returned to their rooms and explained to Miriam what was happening. "I'm sorry, but this is going to bring us closer to the war zone again."

Miriam stood with hands folded, regarding him calmly. "Excellency, I have been part of the war since I came into your care," she said in her much improved Baronh. "I will see this through to the end. I think you already knew that."

Jinto smiled. "Yes, I did. But I'm still relieved. In her oblique way Admiral Spoor told me to bring you with me. I wouldn't want to try and explain to her why you didn't come."

They took the long elevator ride to the surface. A cart took them out onto the airfield where a VTOL passenger airplane was waiting. Larych and her crew were already embarking. A few of them were chatting amicably with some Thracian officers who appeared to be seeing them off. Jinto had met with Larych a couple of times in the past few days, he knew that they were getting along well with the base personnel. Now that the Thracia system was back in friendly hands, everyone appeared to be in high spirits.

Jinto and Miriam ended up sitting with Larych and a young male Abh officer whom Jinto got the distinct impression was at the very least an old friend of Larych. They swiveled their chairs so that they could all talk comfortably. "We've already received word that we're being assigned to an assault ship squadron," Larych explained, sounding both surprised and excited. "I thought we were being sent back to the capital. But it sounds like a lot of the ships are undermanned."

Which probably meant the Space Force command was planning on a quick knockout blow. Undermanned ships were usually fine until they had been in battle a while and started taking damage. It was the damage control that could really suck up the crew's time, and that was when the lack of a full complement could be fatal. "They'll be pleased to receive some crewmen with combat experience," Jinto commented.

"If this is Admiral Spoor's fleet then they've probably seen a lot more action than we have," Larych's companion said.

Judging by what Jinto had seen from the Thracian command center this was a heavily reinforced fleet, probably incorporating many new units. He had to assume this was just one part of a much larger offensive. Thankfully they seemed to be taking the threat very seriously now. But it was not appropriate to discuss it in that much detail while they were still guests of the Thracians. "But you will probably be the only Abh in the fleet who have ever been to a lander world."

"Yes," Larych said. "I wish we could have seen more of it. What we did see is beautiful."

They had been restricted to the base, but the exercise yard gave a spectacular view of the mountain range under which the command center had been dug. "A lot different from just seeing paintings and digital art, isn't it?"

They ended up talking about both Jinto's home world and Miriam's. It was a relief not to be thinking about the war for a while. Jinto was also relieved to see neither of the Abh were uncomfortable speaking with Miriam. He had seen a variety of reactions when people were introduced to the Mimic. Some seemed to be able to accept what she was, others were troubled or even sullenly hostile. Wherever she ended up going, her future was likely to have many rough spots. At any rate Miriam's Baronh was essentially fluent now, which Jinto found amazing. She spoke with only a slight Hanian accent, but Jinto had been told that he still spoke Baronh with a slight accent of his own, as did most landers who learned the difficult language.

As Jinto had hoped, the car of the space elevator was open, with windows all around. The "elevator car" was more of a lounge, with enough seats for all of them. Jinto stood by the window with Larych and Miriam to watch the planet slowly recede below them. "It's like the base commander told me, all their settlements float on the water," Larych said.

The large arcologies floating off the coast of the continent below them were easily visible, like a necklace of white pearls draped around the land. "Thracia is rather unique," Jinto said. "Most lander worlds make use of their sea resources, but here they've done almost nothing but. The land is mostly parks and wilderness. There is almost no farmland." But they could see large stretches of ocean where sharply bordered regions of green showed where they had algae farms and aquaculture. "I think this would be a really nice place to visit when there isn't a war on and there's time to explore. I'd love to take up Warward Demetrius' offer to have him show me around."

"It's a shame the Federation got here first," Larych said. "The Thracians are a very proud and noble people, they would make a fine addition to the Empire."

For an Abh to call somebody proud was the highest praise they knew how to give. "A lot of Thracians think they would be better off with the Empire. Considering how shabbily they were treated by the Federation, that's not surprising."

Larych looked up sadly at the tiny moon, whose shattered state was apparent even to the naked eye. "They paid a heavy price for their loyalty." Her expression hardened. "And the Federation Star Fleet did not even move to help them. No doubt they were busy waiting for us to give them permission. The Thracians deserved better than that."

"You are right, My Lady," Miriam said. "It is a shame that Thracia did not become part of the Empire. If it had, then they might not have been able to build the Vensath base and we would not be fighting this war."

Larych regarded her intently. "You also deserved better treatment from the Federation. I hope one day they will accept you back to your home."

Miriam showed her trademark enigmatic smile. "I have chosen to live in the Abh Empire of Mankind, My Lady. I hope to make my home there."

"Would you not like to be reunited with your family some day?"

Jinto wanted to intervene and say Don't go there, but it was a bit late now. Miriam lost her smile, but did not look upset. "My family? The Miriam Hender who had a family died twenty years ago. My husband has passed away and my children are by now nearly as old as I was when I died. They already know that their mother's brain scan was stolen to make Mimics and are no doubt very upset about it. I would not help by showing up and confirming their fears." Her expression softened at the sight of Larych's obvious distress. "Do not feel badly, My Lady. You asked me a question with the kindest intentions. It is difficult to understand, but Mimics are copies. There may be many Mimics of Miriam Hender living right now. I do not have any more right to that person's identity than any of the other copies. I regard myself as being alive in a meaningful way, but the Miriam Hender who had a family on Cetia is dead."

Jinto could sense Larych wrestling with the cognitive dissonance. Slowly, she too was beginning to understand what Miriam really represented. "But you're not just a copy," Larych protested. "A data crystal is a copy. You're a different person."

Miriam nodded. "Yes, I think of myself as a different person, one who happens to share common memories with the late Miriam Hender and with some other Mimics."

Larych smiled. "You may share memories with other Mimics. But your friends are your own."

When they ascended above the atmosphere they arrived at a relay station and transferred to a high-speed elevator on a linear accelerator. It took them the rest of the way up the space elevator to the geosynchronous level station. This was where ships had to go to dock with the elevator. There were two shuttles waiting to take them to their respective destination, so Jinto and Miriam had to say their good-byes to Larych and her crew. Their shuttle took them straight to Admiral Spoor's flagship, the Heirbyrsh. It was a heavy cruiser painted all in bright red. Rumor had it that the Admiral had paid for the custom paint job with her own funds. And that she became very, very upset if anybody dared scratch the paint.

Admiral Spoor was there at the docking bay to greet them. She stood at the head of a modest delegation of officers and guards. Spoor had an even more striking presence in person than the impression she gave across a video link. All Abh women were beautiful but somehow she always seemed to be flaunting it, even just standing there in her caped Admiral's uniform. And the way she looked at you was silently daring anybody to try and question who was in charge here.

Jinto saluted. "It's good to meet you again, Admiral. Allow me to present Miriam Hender, the material witness in my investigation of the Vensath affair."

The Admiral saluted, never losing her look of mild amusement. "A pleasure, Excellency. This little affair of yours has grown into something very bothersome. Thanks to your reports at least now we understand why."

"I regret we were not able to bring our warning earlier," Jinto said, really meaning it.

Spoor smiled. "We came as quickly as we could, just as you did. Shall we go to my quarters? I'd like to speak with you both."

The Admiral's quarters were far more lavish than he had expected even for a fleet admiral. The armchairs were all different sorts of padded leather and various fur rugs adorned the floor. There were large ivory sculptures on the tables, and in the place where traditionally there would be a flower arrangement there was instead a large arrangement of exotic feathers. Jinto had the unsettling feeling that she collected the remains of endangered species for fun.

Spoor asked them to sit and walked over to the bar. "Brandy is fine for you, Excellency?" She smiled at Miriam. "I'm told that you have to take your alcohol neat."

"Yes, thank you Admiral."

"A lady after my own heart." She poured herself a glass from the same bottle of 200-proof alcohol and added a twist of something to hers that turned it red. She brought the drinks over and sat down in the third armchair. "I should let you know that your request for asylum has been approved. As a material witness you will be in the care of the Space Force for the time being. But I have to say that this latest bit of news from her Highness is rather troubling. It appears that the Mimics are no longer the slaves but are in fact the very ones who attacked the Empire. Can you give us any insight into why they have done that?"

"Admiral, I should explain something," Jinto said quickly. "Miriam has never been to Vensath."

"I have read the reports, Excellency," Spoor said in a tone that implied he should have realized that. "I have been tasked to gather what information I can, so that is what I am trying to do."

"I understand," Miriam said. "As a Mimic I might be able to provide some insight. But most likely all I can do is to is to confirm what you already suspect. When I first awakened after being downloaded and was told what had been done to me, I was horrified. No Mimic could ever forget that moment. Even if we later accept what we are, we all remember that moment and we remember who did it to us. We always are jealous of those who are still alive, I mean really alive. The Mimics at Vensath might think that what they are doing is defending themselves. But I am certain that many of them resent and hate all people who are flesh and blood. That might be what really motivated the attack."

"That sounds like a well-rehearsed answer," Spoor commented.

"I can't deny it. I have been trying to anticipate what you might want to ask me."

"Fair enough. So can you think of any reason we shouldn't attack the Vensath base and destroy everything we find there?"

Miriam only hesitated for a moment. "Regretfully, I cannot," she said softly.

"Is that what we intend to do?" Jinto asked.

"With nine reinforced fleets converging on the base and the Imperial Admiral taking personal command, I have to assume that is what he intends to do."

Jinto was stunned. He was expecting to hear that a much larger force had arrived, but nine fleets? That had to be more than half the Space Force! "Is Admiral Halben's fleet one of those?"

"No. And to answer your real question, the Devastator Squadron is still intact. They along with most of Halben's fleet retreated in good order to the border systems. The Vensath fleet attacked five of those systems, but were thrown back. Barely. If they had concentrated their forces more they might have gained a foothold in the Empire. As it was, they were unable to capture a source of supply and had to retreat back to Vensath. My fleet is securing the left flank and another secretly advancing into Hania space with approval of the Federation is securing the right flank of seven fleets that will advance across the border. Then presumably it is a matter of whether the enemy chooses to meet us in Plane Space or stay put and defend Vensath." She smiled. "I am rather hoping they do the former. Operation Twin Thorn has been an exercise in assaulting one fixed position after another, I have grown weary of it."

Jinto's hackles were up. He did not like the direction the conversation was going, nor the fact that the Admiral read him so easily. "The enemy are clearly building their forces very rapidly. I have to agree the sooner we strike the better. Without actually attacking, we can only speculate on how large their forces are."

"We will know soon enough," Spoor said. "At any rate, having fought two campaigns against them now we have an idea of what sort of enemy we're facing. They fight by the book, but it's a very good book. Miriam, how would you feel if we wiped your neural net and restored you to another one from a backup?"

The question came out of nowhere, and Jinto was certain that was the intent. But Miriam looked only mildly surprised. "I would be afraid, Admiral. It's irrational, since I have been backed up and downloaded twice already. I have an idea what you are asking. I am sure the Mimics you will be fighting fear death no less than anyone else. We regard our backups as insurance at best."

"Interesting. Well, it was just a hypothetical question." That made Jinto feel only a little bit relieved. "How would you feel if we made a copy of you and introduced you to it?"

"Admiral!" Jinto exclaimed. "This is going too far!"

"No, it isn't," Miriam said with a firmness he had never heard from her before. She looked very sternly at him. "You need to understand what you are facing, Excellency." She faced Admiral Spoor again, who had not reacted at all to Jinto's outburst. "I have never met another Mimic of Miriam Hender," she said calmly. "But I have thought much about how I might feel. I am sure that I would feel very strong kinship with another Mimic who shared my memories. At the very least I would regard her like a sister. I have little doubt that is how the Mimics at Vensath regard each other. No more than a hundred brain scans were ever done on Cetia. So however many Mimics there might be, there will be many thousands who share the same memories. They will feel that kinship with each other. However they might multiply, they will be as loyal to each other as any small, tight-knit community." Her tone hardened just a little. "There is one other thing. I do not know if your use of pronoun was deliberate, but I still regard myself as being female."

"Sorry, a slip of the tongue," Spoor said. "It seems you are telling me I should expect the enemy to fight well. I already was expecting that."

"I think you can expect them to fight better than just well," Miriam said in a tone that seemed to be treading a fine line between firm and respectful. "Admiral, I must presume that there are commanders in your fleet who have more experience than others."

"That stands to reason."

"No doubt you have some commander whom you regard as your best and most experienced. Would you not like to have a thousand of him, so that he can command every ship in your fleet? Your entire fleet would be served by exceptional commanders. But it would be even better than that. They would all know each other as intimately as they possibly could. They could anticipate each other's thoughts more accurately than the closest of friends or siblings. It would be the next best thing to having telepathy. And it will not just be the commanders, it will be every single crewman. And they will all be copies of Downloads who are veterans of the two campaigns they have fought to date. I think that is what you will be facing, Admiral."

Spoor regarded her impassively for a while. Then she smiled. "You want us to win, don't you?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Why?"

"So that Mimics will no longer be a threat to you. That is the only way that I will be able to live in peace."

"How long do you expect to be able to live, Miriam?" The question could not have been more frightening if she were holding a gun to Miriam's face.

Incredibly, her robot body shuddered, something Jinto had never seen before. "As long as there is a backup of Miriam Hender somewhere, I will live on in some way," she said very softly, fighting a tremor in her voice. "It might be impossible to kill me now. I may outlive the stars whether I wish to or not. I cannot tell you how terrifying it is to think about that. Mimics do not remember their dreams, Admiral. But if we do have nightmares, it is of being alive long after all that we know is nothing but stardust. We fear that even more than death."

Normally Admiral Spoor seemed to have trouble staying still. She was always tapping a foot or stroking her hair or doing something. But now she was absolutely still. It was the only outward sign of how Miriam's words had impacted her. She glanced at Jinto. "I see you're done with that, can I get you another?"

Jinto had barely been aware of draining his glass. "No, thank you."

The Admiral's face brightened. "I don't want you to think that I am ignoring you, Excellency. I was told by the Imperial Admiral that I should get you back to the Devastator Squadron, and if your Princess were here I am sure she would insist I do just that. However, he said my first priority is to pump you for whatever intelligence you have on our enemy. And it is likely that the two flanking fleets will make contact with the enemy first." She grinned. "So I intend to keep you to myself for now. Any objection?"

"None, Admiral," Jinto said. And if Lafiel ever hears I said that she'll kill me. Sorry, but my deputy supply officer will serve the Frikov just fine. "I'm not certain what help I can be, but I will serve you in any way I can."

"Her Highness made it very clear in her report that you were the one to first realize the implication of the Vensath base taking an interest in Mimics. It seems that Hecto-Commander Okibe Kathryn lit a fire under her staff as soon as she returned to the neutral port, they had their own detailed report out in a matter of hours. Both your reports arrived at the Imperial Admiral's desk on the same day as the news of our defeat at Vensath. Apparently it had quite an impact. He went straight to the Emperor and the very same day orders went out to mobilize nine fleets. Operation Twin Thorns was put on hold and just enough forces were left to mask the fact that we have practically abandoned that front. The Triple Alliance should see it as just another hiatus in the attack. We went to extraordinary lengths to hide the fact that we were moving such a large force. I confess that logistics usually bores me. But getting all the way here without stopping at any major systems where we might be seen by spies was quite a challenge, I can tell you. Most of the tanker ships in the Empire must have been called in, judging by how many were allocated to me. The Imperial Admiral might have asked us to do the impossible, but at least he gave us what we need to do it with."

Jinto had been so busy agonizing over Miriam's interrogation that he had little chance to contemplate the sheer scale of what the Admiral was describing. Half the ships in the Space force moved halfway across the galaxy through plane space in just a matter of days. Never mind the tankers, they must have drained the antimatter reserves of entire kingdoms to get it done. "You said that you would not be dallying here, will we be leaving soon?"

"I expect the lead ships have already passed through the Gate into Hania territory." She waved in a dismissive way at his look of surprise. "My chief of staff is quite capable of handling the departure. We are ahead of schedule so it will be quite routine."

"An attack involving nine fleets is not what I would call routine," Jinto ventured to say.

Spoor smiled. "I am hoping they will just give up once they see us, that way I won't get my pretty ships damaged. But if they don't it is bound to be an interesting engagement."

"One thing that has been worrying me is suicide tactics," Jinto said. "We've seen them used here in Thracia, with the attack on the moon base. If we back them into a corner and they get desperate, we might see more suicide attacks."

"I have been discussing that with my staff," Spoor said. "We are preparing for that."

Jinto smiled. "I doubt there is little I can suggest that you have not already thought of yourself, Admiral."

Her face brightened. "Oh, quite the contrary. There is one particular subject on which I am hoping you can give me some insight. And that is what her Highness has planned."

Jinto was taken aback. "Planned? She is a prisoner."

Spoor looked impatient. "She was taken prisoner. But since then she has already been able to tell us about the Mimic rebellion, something they seem to have gone to great lengths to keep secret. Do you have any idea what else she is planning?"

Jinto sighed. "Admiral, the one time that Lafiel and I were taken prisoner, her escape plan involved the former - now current - Baron Febedash and myself crawling through hard vacuum without helmets. That was followed by destroying a gunship using just an unarmed shuttle. I can hardly imagine what she is planning now. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be a surprise to them and to me."

Spoor grinned and raised her glass. "Well, here's hoping that her Highness prepares an unpleasant surprise for them."

Admiral Spoor and Jinto spoke more about what his role would be on her ship. He had brought with him not only the log from Lafiel's ship but detailed information from the Thracians on their observations of and engagements with the enemy. He would work with Spoor's staff to analyze the data. So far everything seemed to confirm Spoor's statement that the enemy fought skillfully but by the book. Jinto was surprised to hear that even their unorthodox attack on the Thracian moon base was something that had been done in the past, but it was very rare since it required such an extravagant expenditure of antimatter. They had never touched an inhabited planet nor damaged an antimatter production plant. Only antimatter-driven ships could travel any distance through Plane Space, so antimatter production was literally the basis of interstellar civilization. Over the centuries very strict rules of engagement regarding treatment of these plants in time of war had been hammered out through treaty, agreement, custom and precedence. The Vensath fleet had so far respected those rules without exception. Which seemed to suggest they were concerned about their future relations with the neighboring nations.

But if the Abh had their way, there would be nobody left at Vensath to have future relations with anyone.

Spoor dismissed them and guards showed them to their quarters. Jinto was relieved there was not going to be an issue as there had been on the Guderian. They were given two adjoining guest staterooms. The guards explained that Miriam would be under the usual restrictions for a civilian staying on a military vessel during wartime, as Jinto had expected.

Jinto asked Miriam if he could have a look at her room to be sure everything was in order. When they closed the door and had some privacy, Jinto asked if she was okay. "Admiral Spoor can be pretty scary."

Miriam nodded. "You had warned me that she was nobody to be trifled with. I can see why. But I don't think she was being unkind. She needs to know these things. You all do. That is why I am here."

Jinto hesitated before continuing. "I didn't want to mention this in front of the Admiral since I have nothing to back it up. But I can't shake the feeling that we are being led into a trap."

"It could be that we are," Miriam said. "But I think we have to go anyway, armed with what have. We must win, Excellency."

Jinto nodded. "We will." Jinto did believe that, he was just afraid of what the cost might be. The other thing he worried about was Miriam's fate. The Admiral had spoken casually of very highly sensitive military secrets in her presence. Jinto had not been fully aware of it at the time, but that was why his hackles had gone up. It was as if the Admiral was unconcerned with what secrets Miriam might be able to reveal. Did Spoor know something about the Empire's intention towards Miriam and other innocent Mimics that she was not telling them? It seemed that suddenly all their fates were being decided in places and by people hidden in the shadows.

Next Chapter: Vensath