TWENTY SIX

by Ulquiorra9000

Landing pad, Chelona Island, Posiden,
Former FWL Territory,
January 14, 3080

Warm, salty air whipped across everyone's faces as they disembarked one of the Striking Tigers dropships that landed on Posiden. At the lead of the group walked the Farlows as well as Darchin Gulamar and Kobel Morthav and Fawkes, and Lane breathed in the air with wonder. I haven't been to a beach in a long time, now that I think about it. And the stifling, recycled air of a Jumpship makes this natural air only that much better.

There was much more to Posiden than its warm air. The warm sun reflected off the nearly global ocean that this world was famed for, and the Striking Tigers dropships landed on the grounds of Chelona island's governor's palace. The palace towered over the visitors, its walls a gleaming white stone and showing Greek architecture from top to bottom. It stood on the edge of a grassy cliff that overlooked the vast, rich blue ocean. Tall, sturdy pillars supported the roofs and upper levels and statues of Greek gods and goddesses adorned the grounds and walkways. On the modern side things, a number of armored vehicles patrolled the hilly grounds and an HPG uplink station rested near the palace, surrounded by a fence and guarded by two Griffin Battlemechs.

Sudden babble caught Lane's attention. He and the other Tigers reached the edge of the landing pads and a number of officials greeted them, all speaking Greek with much enthusiasm. Lane and the others halted, unsure what to do next. Did these people know English? The governor, Thomas Karahalios, had welcomed the Tigers from orbit and invited them to visit, but what came next? Lane faltered, racking his brains for any Greek he had learned, but nothing useful came to mind. Next to him, Jennifer pursed her lips and tried to avoid eye contact, unsure what to do.

Nickolas Fawkes moved to the front of the group and took the lead, responding to Karahalios' men with more Greek chatter. The officials nodded and spoke again, and then the lead official, a balding man with dark gray hair and a deep blue suit, rounded on Lane and spoke with a thick accent. "Welcome to Posiden, Mechwarrior Lane Farlow! I understand that your commander Henri DuMont has given you command of this task force?"

"Yes, that's right," Lane responded, relieved to be on equal ground with the natives at last. "Two companies of Mechwarriors, plus support staff and a few extra warriors. I understand that your governor is quite eager to make a move against Adelis?" He glanced at Fawkes. He knows Greek too? Why doesn't he ever tell me anything?

"Yes, very much so," the man nodded, and Fawkes folded his arms and nodded too. "Emmanuel Adelis is an evil man and he has no business keeping his men on Posiden any longer! We'll wash away his foul presence with the tides of justice!"

"There's that ocean talk again," Lane muttered into Jennifer's ear, and she smiled.

"I think it's very charming," she responded.

Fawkes cleared his throat. "We are prepared to disembark our Battlemechs and find a place to store them until we're ready for an operation. Where are your military facilities?"

The official said something in Greek and then added, "No no, you will not need to work yet! We are prepared to make accommodations for our guests. Governor Karahalios welcomes you to Chelona island and wants to make you feel welcome as well. His staff will take care of your Battlemechs and you will all be honored guests in the palace, and all of our services will be at your beck and call, including the public baths and entertainment services. The fleet is almost ready to depart. Only a few days from now, we can begin our operation against Adelis' base. Follow me."

Without further ado, he turned and strode up a stone walkway leading to the palace's front doors and the other officials tagged along. Curious, Lane led the others after them and turned to Jennifer again. "Sounds like this will be play before work, huh?"

"True," Jennifer agreed. "I look forward to it."

"Oh, yeah? I thought you hated too much play and too little work!"

"There's nothing we can do until the fleet is ready, so we may as well take advantage of the services being offered."

"Yeah, I guess," Lane conceded as his party entered the palace's shadow. "Doesn't hurt to have a little fun. If only Conrad were here!"

"That can be arranged."

Lane gawked at Jennifer's mysterious smile. "What?"

Governor's Palace, Chelona Island, Posiden,
Former FWL Territory,
January 15, 3080

Even after spending the night at governor Thomas Karahalios' palace, Lane got the feeling that he'd never get the chance to fully explore or appreciate its luxury. Spacious, brightly-lit rooms, towering windows, gold handrails and expensive wall-mounted paintings, and priceless ancient Greek statues were only the beginning. The commanders of Lane's group attended Karahalios' strategy meeting the night before, but now they had all of this time to themselves until the fleet was ready. The Chelona fleet commander, Admiral Stavros, felt that the combined strength of the Chelona armed forces and the Striking Tigers would be more than sufficient to conquer Adelis' island, but Lane knew better than to expect effortless victory. Still, there was nothing he could do right now, so he distracted himself with the luxuries of Karahalios' palace. Or at least, until he could find everybody.

"Jennifer? Are you there?" he asked in the early morning, turning over in the soft double bed in their guest room. He squinted in the bright sunlight shining through the tall windows in the room, but the space next to him was quite empty. Lane bolted upright, his artificial right leg clanking slightly as he moved. Where did she go? Is there an emergency? Why wasn't I told? Panic rose in his gut as he hastily climbed out of bed, careful not to lose his balance and fall over. He awkwardly walked around the bed to find any clue as to where Jennifer went, fighting down an increasing sense of alarm. He prided himself on how well he could walk now, but running was far beyond him.

A note lay on Jennifer's pillow and Lane reached out, bringing it closer to his face. Lane, dear, you looked tired to I let you sleep in without bothering you. The people here take morning baths and, well, I thought I'd try them out. I'm in the public bath on the second floor. Join me if you like! Love, Jenny.

Now Lane felt very silly as he set the paper back on the pillow, almost laughing out loud at himself. Jeez, did losing a leg suddenly make me paranoid and see danger everywhere? Or is it justified, considering how powerful our enemies are? I had thought Jenny and I were safe and far removed from war on Tchamba... and look how that wound up.

But still... a warm morning bath in a luxurious place like this?

"Oh, you got up?" Jennifer asked kindly as Lane entered the vast public bath of the palace. She and several other fellows wallowed shoulder-deep in a vast, square bath tub set in the white stone floor, and steam rose into the air and sweet-smelling soap bubbles covered the water's surface. It was a mark of friendship how both men and women lounged in the bath without the slightest embarrassment.

"I thought I'd drop by, you know," Lane smiled back, his metal foot clanking loudly on the smooth stone floor. Normally he showered in the morning but this looked like much more fun. That same idea clearly had crossed the minds of his friends.

"Well, hurry and get in!" Cassandra urged him, waving at him while leaning against Alphonse's shoulder. She ran her hands through her wet brown hair. "The water's fine. Really fine."

"Hey, don't rush me," Lane teased her, and after he hastily gathered his bathing gear and removed his clothing he sank carefully into the water with everyone else. Not only were Jennifer and the Delarosas here, but Kyle and Samantha were here too, as well as Makoto and Bellany. Lane got the feeling that someone, maybe Cassandra, had organized this party.

Although he tried to make his artificial leg look casual, Lane couldn't help but notice several pairs of eyes watching his metal leg with curiosity and wonder. Lane tried not to look abashed and wandered over to Jennifer. "Looking at my leg,everyone?"

"I, uh... no, of course not," Samantha said quickly, looking self-conscious and turning away.

Kyle rested his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he doesn't mind your gawking."

"I wasn't gawking!" Samantha replied hotly. "Okay, maybe I kind of stared, but... whatever." She smiled. "I've seen artificial limbs before."

"Have you ever seen one rust?" Lane asked her, suddenly wondering if getting in this much water was such a good idea. On one hand, he hated having a replacement limb, but he also felt oddly protective of his prosthetic leg.

Cassandra sloshed over to Lane, a calming smile on her face. "Of course not, silly. Bellany and I helped design and build that thing. You can take a bath or go swimming without rusting up. We made sure of that."

"Good to know," Lane said with distinct relief. He resisted the urge to bring up his leg to look at it, but Cassandra took care of that for him. She reached into the water and practically flipped Lane over as she tugged his metal leg out of the water's surface. "Hey! Watch it!" he yelped.

Ignoring the protests, Cassandra held Lane's leg close to her face, inspecting it. She let it go with a satisfied look. "Yup, looking good!" she said brightly, tossing her hair. "I hear that you're walking better on it now."

"Y-yeah, pretty much," Lane replied, heart hammering as he drifted back to the bath's edge to avoid further horseplay. "But I can't run just yet. Conrad can outrun me right now."

"Yes, but I'm sure he'll not give you reason to chase him," Jennifer assured him. "Unless he tries to damage any of the artifacts in this palace later today. I'd better watch him..."

"Uh, what?" Lane frowned. Didn't she mention something about Conrad yesterday?

Jennifer smiled. "A dropship is taking several more personnel to this palace today, and I asked to have Conrad brought along."

"Ooooooh, Conrad will be here too?" Cassandra chirped.

"Isn't that risky?" Makoto wondered.

"It's only for today," Jennifer defended herself. She moved a lock of her purple hair off her shoulder. "I talked to governor Karahalios and there's absolutely no danger of this island being attacked or invaded anytime soon, and Conrad will only be here until the evening. I thought that he deserved a chance to see new worlds and have a little fun. I don't want this nasty war to ruin my family's chance to be together."

Lane was touched. "You really do care!"

"I care enough to understand that my family isn't scared off easily," Jennifer said proudly, wrapping Lane in her arms. "We didn't raise a coward, now did we?"

"Not at all," Lane shook his head. "I wonder if he'll follow in mommy and daddy's footsteps someday?"

"Whatever he wants," Jennifer figured. "Not everyone in my or your family wants to fight. Some just want a quieter, safer life."

"Like me," Alphonse said timidly, sinking himself down to his nose. Cassandra giggled and slapped his shoulder.

"Kyle and I would have a child," Samantha added, "but our lifestyle with the Arctic Wolves is a bit too hectic for that."

"Oh, I was just going to ask about that," Cassandra said with distinct disappointment. "I was hoping to be an aunt, not to sound too selfish..."

Samantha laughed lightly. "You remind me of Kyle, Cassie. He's always saying how we need a softer side to our lives." She cuddled next to Kyle and rested her chin on his shoulder, and Kyle suddenly looked very self-conscious.

"I-I'm not trying to force it," Kyle swallowed nervously. "I mean, when and if the time's right, we could..."

"Really, Kyle. You're still the timid kid I knew from the Lance 10 days?" Bellany teased him. "I did the mechanics and you did the 'mech piloting, yet you still tremble at the slightest danger."

"Kid? I'm older than you are!" Kyle bristled, much to Samantha's amusement. "And I fought most bravely in the Lance 10 days! And my sister did mechanical work too, you know."

Makoto only looked back and forth between all the arguing people, a look of irritation on his face. Cassandra didn't fail to notice. "Hey, Makoto. You're not saying much," she commented.

"Just enjoying the water," Makoto mumbled back, eyeing Cassandra suspiciously. "I don't have to talk to do that..."

"Still the grouch?" Lane jibed. "I thought you'd brighten up after 12 years, old friend."

"Like how everyone else has hinted, life doesn't always go the way you want it to," Makoto pointed out.

"Oh, yeah?" Lane wondered.

Makoto rose a little higher and pointed. "You got a mechanical leg and the Goyuas are too busy for a family. You've got to be prepared for whatever comes."

Lane gulped. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Makoto burst out laughing. "Sorry, I gave you the wrong idea. Maybe it's just my inner calm or something, but I never did get all excited and worked up like you and Cassie. Or maybe I've been away from friends too long. I don't want anyone to think of me like Oscar the Grouch or something like that."

"What have you been up to, Makoto?" Jennifer asked kindly. "Lane and I hardly ever heard from you during our time apart!"

"Helping get my family, and the Draconis Combine as a whole, back together," Makoto answered, running a hand through his short, bristly hair. "Wasn't as easy as it sounded. Remember how my family all allied themselves with the Clans for glory and power? I tell you, fixing that mistake was a hassle, put very mildly. And... my great-grandfather passed away in 3069. I was very upset to see him go."

"Your great-grandfather?" Alphonse repeated, astounded.

Makoto nodded. "Yes, my mother's grandfather, Ryuunosuke Yamada. He was 104 years old when he went. He was very proud of me." He actually sounded a little choked up, something Lane thought he'd never hear.

"He must have been a great man," Samantha said with amazement. "I'm sorry to hear that he's gone."

"He died happy," Makoto assured her. "Our family was put into the hands of the younger Yamadas and they knew how to handle things. Our family was greatly respected once, and my great-grandfather was certain that I and the other Yamadas would once again make it the right hand of House Kurita."

There was a heavy silence for a few seconds, and Lane racked his brains for something respectful to say. Cassandra spoke up first. "Hey, Makoto! Wasn't Sayuri your girlfriend? Whatever happened to that?"

Everyone else winced at the blunt remark, but Makoto regained his composure with a slight chuckle and answered, "We, uh... had different priorities and she and I agreed that she'd be better off pursuing her own career in computers than stick around helping me with the family. But don't worry, we're still friends! It was good to see her once I came here to the Free Worlds League territory and boarded the King Arthur. It was good to see everyone, in fact. Reminds me of the old days. I almost miss them."

"Yeah. Almost," Lane agreed heartily. Hellish battles against fierce Clanners, dangerous planets, and Ras' death all came to Lane's mind, and he decided that the Lance 10 days were best left in the past. Still... he glanced over at Jennifer and felt a warmth in his heart. I met Jennifer during our time in Lance 10, and that alone made it worthwhile.

Jennifer certainly hadn't lied; as soon as a Leopard-class dropship landed on the palace dropship landing pads, ten Tigers officials and one toddler disembarked from the vehicle. Cassandra, for one, was very excited to see Conrad around, and even Samantha was pleased to see him.

"You have a wonderful son," Samantha had told the Farlows as she held Conrad in her arms, her expression radiant. "You know, Kyle, this is kind of changing my mind about starting a family..."

Not only did the palace have its luxurious guest rooms and huge public bath, but it also featured a casino (Kyle nervously avoided the place), an outdoor swimming pool complete with several diving boards (Fawkes loved it), a huge library (Jennifer found a copy of her favorite book, The Art of War,to read), and an aquarium, which Conrad loved most of all. "Look at the big fishie!" Conrad cheered as a shark glided through the waters, a six-inch thick wall of glass separating the child from the primal hunter.

"No no, Conrad, that's a shark, a big swimmer with lots of sharp teeth for eating!" Lane told his son, kneeling by him and pointing at the shark. "It eats fishies."

"Technically, sharks are fish," Jennifer added thoughtfully, folding her arms as she watched it swim along. "And did you know that they can grow over 30,000 teeth in their lifetime?"

"Yes, you've told me that on every aquarium visit on Tchamba," Lane grinned back. "Hey, Conrad. Do you know what that is?" He pointed at a passing puffer-fish, which had inflated itself at the shark's passing.

Conrad watched the puffer-fish with a finger on his lip, then his eyes widened. "Porkapine! In water! Porkapine fish!"

"A what?" Jennifer winced.

"I think he means a porcupine," Lane laughed, gently shaking his son's shoulders. "Conrad, that's a puffer-fish! If anything mean or dangerous comes by like the shark, it will inflate itself like a balloon and get spines! No shark would eat that, keeping it safe and sound!"

"Puff! Puff!" Conrad declared, taking deep breaths and puffing out his chest with a determined expression. "Not eat me!"

"Trust me, your mommy and I aren't letting you near any hungry sharks," Lane told him confidently. "But a few days from now, mommy and daddy will go out to the ocean on a big boat. There might be sharks. Wish us luck!"

"Puff out spines to scare away sharks!" Conrad advised him. Lane and Jennifer laughed, but their humor was cut short as one of Admiral Stavros' men strode into the aquarium.

"Mechwarriors Lane and Jennifer Farlow of the Striking Tigers?" he asked crisply.

"Yes?" they asked in unison, standing up straight.

"Admiral Stavros has sent a message: the fleet is ready ahead of schedule, and will depart tomorrow to begin the assault against the Commonwealth of Narvosk island," the official stated. "And furthermore, be warned: we may be facing more than the Narvosk fleet. Adelis has some island nations of Posiden on his side. Be prepared."

Lane clenched his fists at his sides. "More than ready."

Command bridge, Luftenburg-class carrier Zeus, Posiden,
Former FWL Territory,
January 16, 3080

Never before had Lane seen anything like the Zeus. Massing at 100,000 tons, the Lyran-built aerospace fighter carrier ship ranked as the most impressive vehicle he ever lay eyes on. Not surprisingly, Admiral Stavros used the Zeus as his fleet's flagship, the heart of Governor Karahalios' defense force. Along with Lane stood Jennifer, Fawkes, Darchin, and Kobel on the crowded bridge of the monster vessel to watch the spectacle. Dozens of uniformed men and women worked at their command stations, keeping their eyes on their screens and their hands on control boards to keep the monster vessel running. Lane felt like he was at the heart of a great hive.

"You seem impressed," Stavros said with a hint of pride as he turned to look at Lane's expression of awe. He wore his navy hat over his short black hair and a thin chinstrap beard added to his appearance of command.

"To say the least, Admiral," Lane commented unable to hide his amazement. "On board this ship, I feel like we can do anything!"

Stavros chuckled at that. "At least, that is the impression I like to give to my enemies, that I can destroy them at a mere whim. Today, however, we must fight for what we want. Adelis' island is defended by a formidable fleet! You will witness a great battle today."

"Ready to see a few fireworks?" Lane asked Jennifer excitedly, clasping her hand. She made a queasy expression.

"I'm ready to get back to dry land," she moaned in an equally upset voice, her face a little pale as she stared out the bridge's windows.

Outside those windows, Lane could see the rest of Stavros' fleet: two smaller fighter carriers that Fawkes identified as Argo submersible carriers, a number of Neptune submarines, and a large number of Monitor patrol ships. All of these vessels glided quickly and easily along the sunlit waters of Posiden, heading right for the unnamed island the Narvosk base was built upon. Like the other Mechwarriors on board, Lane felt very out of his element but took comfort knowing that everyone's Battlemechs were secure in the Zeus' cargo holds. Once the Narvosk fleet was beaten and the island's AA emplacements destroyed, dropships could deliver the rest of the Tigers and their 'mechs and launch the ground assault on the base.

"Sir, multiple contacts on radar!" a woman suddenly barked, and her screen showed several red dots in a wide array. Several other crew members started to exclaim the same thing, but more and more enemy contacts began to appear.

"Move the Monitors forward at top speed and get the Neptunes underwater to cover them!" Stavros declared to his communication staff. Make sure to cover the flanks of the Gaia and the Uranus."

"What are those, Admiral?" Lane couldn't help himself.

"The Argo fighter carriers," Stavros explained shortly, then shouted several more orders. Lane could only watch out the windows as the enemy ships drew nearer and nearer in frightening numbers. From Lane's limited knowledge of naval vessels, he recognized four of the enemy ships as fighter carriers but couldn't put his finger on the large vessels flanking them.

"Patrol destroyers!" Kobel realized out loud.

"What kind?" Jennifer asked nervously.

"They are Rapiers," Stavros noted with dread. "Heavy support ships from the Federated Suns! How does Adelis get his hands on so many great weapons of war?"

"You can stop them, right?" Lane asked faintly. He did not like feeling so helpless.

Stavros stood a little stiffer and dignity gleamed in his brown eyes. "Of course I can, Mechwarrior Farlow. We came here to defeat Emmanuel Adelis' little army, now didn't we?" A sudden, enthusiastic grin crossed his face, and Lane couldn't help but share the man's optimism.

Until the Narvosk fleet got to work.

Explosions rippled along the hulls of Stavros' fleet, causing two Monitors to capsize and slowly sink into the water, their decks and hulls blazing with fire. More detonations rattled the hulls of the hulking Argo carriers, but the ships hung on tight and kept moving forward. Lane was bewildered at first, but then he felt a number of dull thumps reverberate through the entire Zeus, and he realized that submarines were exchanging fire underwater with their deadly torpedoes. Great ripples and waves formed on the surface in rings wherever a torpedo exploded, and Stavros' Neptune submarines successfully kept Adelis' own subs occupied to let the Argos do their work.

Dozens of aerospace fighters roared off the surfaces of the Gaia and Uranus as well as the Zeus, multiple lances of fighter planes making a beeline for the enemy fleet. Before they could get there, however, the Narvosk carriers launched their own fighters and before long, hundreds of fighters looped and dived through the air, lasers and missiles flying every which way in a dazzling display. Explosions littered the sky and ruined fighter planes crashed into the water whenever they didn't crash into a ship instead.

"It is time to take a risk," Stavros muttered, then shouted, "Move the Gaia and Uranus forward and bring their weapons to bear! Make some dents on those Rapiers!"

"Sir, those Rapiers outgun and outnumber our carriers!" an officer protested.

"You are forgetting: my submarines are the best on Posiden," Stavros reassured the man. "They will come to help and catch the enemy by surprise. Send the carriers forth and unleash hell!"

The Uranus and Gaia did just that, bringing all their guns to bear. Long Toms roared to life on the carriers' bows, the artillery shells arcing through the air and exploding on the decks of the looming Rapiers. A second later, rapid explosions along the hulls of the enemy destroyers: the carriers' torpedoes were hard at work. The Rapiers, five in total, blossomed in fire and started to list but none went down. Angry, the five destroyers glided closer and unleashed their own hell. The Argo carriers tried to submerge but were too slow: bright blue PPCs streaked all over the place from the Rapiers, imitating the rich blue color of the sea. The armor of the Gaia and Uranus melted and sizzled from the PPC beams, and clusters of LRM's from the Rapiers further mangled the two carries' hulls. Finally, Arrow IV missiles from the Rapiers crippled the two Argo carriers and set them on fire.

The Monitors of Stavros' fleet hurried forward as fast as they could, bringing their own guns to bear on their much larger foes. Their Autocannon 20 turrets raked armor off the hulls of the bigger ships, but even that did not bring the Rapiers down. ER large lasers fired from the destroyers and sank several Monitors, and then several Narvosk aerospace fighters sank the last of the Monitors.

Despite the fires raging on their decks, the Uranus and Gaia kept up the pressure, choosing to stay on the surface in order to fling more Long Tom artillery plus ER large lasers at the destroyers. This time, both carriers concentrated their fire on the lead Rapier, and Lane felt a thrill of elation as the combined fire tore the Rapier literally in half, sending chunks of molten metal everywhere. The ship's two halves sank right into the unforgiving ocean, leaving only pieces of its shattered armor floating on the surface.

"Concentrate your fire on the next target!" Stavros shouted, and his two carriers did just that: they threw their lasers and torpedoes at another Rapier, but some of their shots went wide and the Rapier, although suffering heavy damage, stayed afloat. The vengeful return fire from the four destroyers ravaged the Gaia and Uranus, blasting away large portions of their hulls. Stavros hastily ordered both ships to pull back, but another volley from the Narvosk fleet tore the Gaia in half and sent it to the bottom of the ocean.

Pouncing on their chance, the four Rapiers confidently glided forward at top speed to take down the lonely Uranus, but they went one step too far: more explosions rattled the hull of the badly-damaged Rapier and the flaming destroyer sank bow-first into the ocean, unable to stay afloat any longer. The other three Rapiers pulled back to avoid such a fate, but more detonations blasted at their hulls.

"Is it the Neptunes?" Darchin wondered.

"Yes, it is," Stavros declared. "They will win this battle for us!"

He spoke too soon. The Rapiers clearly had torpedoes of their own because several underwater explosions suddenly went off, and Stavros' officers reported that half of the Neptunes were destroyed. Fortunately, Stavros' aerospace fighters narrowly won the air battle, and a dozen Chelona fighters started to strafe the Narvosk destroyers. A hailstorm of enemy ER large lasers shot down three fighters, but the rest swooped out of harm's way to make another pass.

The Uranus had trouble, too. The Rapiers started shooting it again and the Uranus shuddered from renewed fire, and the whole ship listed dangerously to one side. Amazingly, the ship hung on and shot back, even with half of its weapons destroyed. Large lasers glowed from the Uranus' turrets and slashed at the nearest Rapier's hull. Lane could hardly believe that a fighter carrier would get so close to an enemy destroyer, but Stavros' men fought with bravery and ferocity that few could match. The Uranus got so close that its ER medium lasers fired too, melting even more armor. The surviving Neptunes used their torpedoes to ravage the hulls of the other two Rapiers, softening them up for the Uranus and Zeus.

Having had enough, Stavros moved the Zeus forward at top speed and entered the fray. Long Toms and LRM 20's came to life on the flagship's deck, and the weaponry shattered the nearest Rapier and sank it, leaving only two operational. Then, the Neptunes came back into the fray and fired yet more of their torpedoes at another Rapier, crippling it. The Zeus and Uranus concentrated their fire and brought the Rapier down, but not before it and the other Rapier fired their own guns. Just as the Rapier sank, the Uranus sustained fatal damage and sank, leaving the Zeus alone with its handful of Neptunes and aerospace fighters.

"No mercy! Target the Narvosk carriers and sink them!" Stavros shouted. The Zeus and Neptunes sank one enemy carrier with their combined fire, and the other enemy carriers hit back with their own weapons. Lasers and torpedoes hammered the Zeus, but the mammoth carrier shrugged off the damage and responded with another heavy volley, aided by the Neptunes and aerospace fighters. Having had enough, the enemy carriers slugged the Zeus with one heavy volley and then retreated.

The enemy carriers made it count: their combined fire ripped into the Zeus' hull and made the whole ship list to one side, great chunks of its armor falling into the sea. Stavros ordered the Zeus to make best possible speed, but the whole ship shuddered and groaned in protest.

"Engines are damaged, sir, and we've lost most of our guns," one officer reported.

"Then we're not ready to launch the amphibious assault," Stavros realized. "Search the seas for another fleet. We need to dock somewhere and make repairs and wait for reinforcements from Chelona."

As if by command, several new ships entered radar range, and a video message appeared on the bridge, showing an older fman with a tuft of gray beard on his chin. "Lorem classem ad Stavros. Lucius classem ad me velim et magna," he announced in a deep voice.

Stavros stiffened, his eyes narrowing. "A Latin fleet!" he muttered, then motioned to Fawkes. "Nickolas, translate for me. What did he say?"

The former Narvosk general stepped forward, clearing his throat. "His name is Admiral Lucius and he wants to help. What should I tell him?"

"Ask what his interest in us could be," Stavros stated.

Fawkes complied with "Classem ad Stavros dico. Quid vis nobis?"

On the screen, Admiral Lucius sighed deeply and gave a gruff response.

Fawkes turned to Stavros. "His emperor also wants to take down Adelis and Lucius wants to ally with us."

Stavros didn't reply right away. He closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose, and Lane didn't blame him for delaying: in the former Free Worlds League during this day and age, it was hard to tell who was a friend and who was the enemy. Connor Neils had proved that. Then, Stavros replied: "Tell him that I will offer my friendship, but only if his emperor can repair and rearm my fleet at his shipyards."

Fawkes repeated the request to Admiral Lucius, and the Admiral beamed and replied with more rapid Latin.

"He agrees with your request and is glad to have a friend in you," Fawkes told Stavros.

"Then we will go," Stavros nodded, and ordered his men to get the Zeus moving. His surviving aerospace fighters landed on the Zeus and the Neptunes formed up with the huge carrier. On the radar screen appeared another Luftenburg-class carrier called Mars and the Zeus followed it along the ocean. For one, Lane started to get a queasy feeling about this whole operation but it wasn't his place to call the shots just yet. He had to put faith in Stavros for now.

As the Zeus sped along, Fawkes wandered over to Lane and whispered into his ear, "Please don't tell Stavros, but I know what island Lucius comes from: Romus island. It used to be allied with Terram Solis, my home island and I knew the emperor of Romus: Niro. He is a nasty-tempered man and his followers are brutal, and the sooner we finish with Romus, the better."

"Whatever you say," Lane whispered back, and his queasy feeling doubled.