Northeastern Old United States – 0240 hrs

The jolt of the sudden shift in the terrain sent a sharp twinge into March's temples. He leveled The ATV and eased up on the acceleration. It had been almost two weeks since Brewster removed the implant, but March's head still pounded ever so often. The Colonel had explained that it would take time before the nanites fully repaired the neuropathways. Until then, he'd experience periodic pain and mild dizziness from time to time. He'd spent the last several days sedated; another necessary precaution disclosed by the good doctor. Under normal circumstances March would have been glad just to be up and around, but this was anything other than normal. So much of the man's time involved running, hiding, or fighting that he'd almost forgotten what 'normal' even looked like.

He glanced at the digital display. Just a bit further and he'd be at his destination. His adrenaline levels began rising; pre-execution gitters he surmised. They'd rehearsed the plan several times but until he was actually shooting at something his anxiety would remain high. He squinted and rotated his head hoping to stop the steady aching that seemed to be increasing. He exhaled deeply, longing for a home he knew he'd see again. "What kind of sick society puts electronics in a man's head?" He mumbled.

Brewster had explained that every citizen in the Empire was 'chipped' at birth. Everything about them was placed in the Imperiam Virtual Infobank. The IVI logged anything one did and tracked every person, ape or human, no matter where they went. It had its limitations though. The Imperiam Senate and the military leadership also carried implants. Even the Emperor, himself, possessed one. Because of this, the chips were limited to information gathering and surveillance only. The debate over expanding their use to pacify the population through some sort of brain hemorrhaging or extreme form of pain was never ending. However, as long as Cade and his peers carried the implants that scenario would never come to pass.

Well, it would never come to pass as far as they knew. The Monarch started using the chips over a hundred years ago. Today they were quite different than their original model. The one compromise made long ago was the placement of the implant. Originally, they were put in the hand or paw but too many of the citizenry found ways around that. So the Imperiam medial staff developed a method to connect the chips directly into the brain's neurological functions. People were less likely to stick a knife in their head.

There was one positive side to the implants. They contained a medical history of the host. If a citizen were critically injured and needed specific medications or organ cloning that information was instantly on hand. The Empire was brutal, but those who 'played ball' were generally left alone. That might have meant conscription into military service or servant-hood to a Noble but the alternative was much worse.

Brewster had been the R and D Battalion Commander for over three years. He was also a gifted surgeon. The man was not only familiar with the technical aspects of the implants, but as a physician, he possessed a detailed knowledge of how it affected and interacted with ones anatomy. It was child's play for the Doctor to create a device that could 'pacify' one's behavior. He'd proven that back in the desert ruins after March and Hayes were captured. The man needed to be in close proximity but once that was reached he could cause anything from a mild headache to a full aneurysm.

He was no fool either. He knew the day was coming when the elite and privileged in his society would find a way to enhance these devices and control their population's every move. There were already prototypes in the works; different chips based on certain social standing and public prestige. Long before Cade tried to murder the man, he'd developed a way to successfully remove the chips. And it hadn't been an easy task. It took time and skill to cut into the brain while rerouting motor function and basic corporeal control. Several of his initial subjects died but eventually he'd perfected the procedure through trial and error. The loss of human and simian lives meant little. The ends justified the means as far as the Doctor was concerned.

"Funny" the man pondered. "I wonder how many of his so-called volunteers also had husbands, wives, or children." March saw the double standard before Brewster had finished his first sentence. Yes he was an Imperiam fugitive but he was just as callous as any of the long line of lunatics he'd met from this paradise of an empire. Life meant nothing to those people, unless it was theirs. They all seemed to act in their own interests. His body was still feeing the effects of the beatings and endless interrogations he'd endured at their hands. As soon as they'd verified that Hayes and he were just victims of dumb luck, they'd cut them loose like past few weeks had never happened.

But Brewster had saved March's life and more than that the doctor brought hope. He possessed first hand knowledge of the Imperiam Monarch and his intelligence surpassed that of his friend Hayes. That was no small feat in his eyes either. Until he'd crossed paths with Brewster, Jon Hayes had been the most intellectually gifted man he'd ever met. Having a second body around who was equally as brilliant gave him a renewed sense of optimism. Neither of the astronauts fully trusted Brewster. He had a very unsympathetic, cold-blooded way but March understood him completely. As long as circumstances were acting in Brewster's best interests his actions were 100% predictable. When he spoke of his family's death at the hands of the gorilla General you could see the rage, loss, and hatred. As far as the Colonel was concerned his years of loyalty and service had been rewarded with the murder of his wife and children. Revenge was driving his every move.

Yes, both Brewster and Hayes were Albert Einstein clones but the Air Force Major was not without gifts of his own. The man was a seasoned soldier, a natural leader, and had a knack for sound military tactics. He projected himself charismatically and spoke with a steady confidence. With the combat intelligence provided by Brewster, March saw an opportunity too vital to pass up. The Imperiam was prepping for a major conflict and had deployed several key units across the old continental United States. They were fanning out and preparing for a massive push. Once the ODN was dealt with these elements would spearhead the invasion. They played another key role too and that was logistics. A concrete supply line was forming. If they got everything in place they'd control half of his former homeland; old technology, natural resources…they'd have more than enough for a sustained conflict.

According to Colonel Brewster, approximately two hundred and fifty miles to their east was a company sized Higher Headquarters Section. They were the command and control center for all units involved in the forward thrust. They were the eyes and ears of the Imperiam Military Command back west and the frontline elements in the east. It meant altering their plans to get back to Washington, but if they succeeded it would momentarily cut the head off the snake. They'd be temporarily blind, causing just enough confusion to stop them in their tracks.

000

March gazed through the starlight goggles Brewster had given him. They were remarkable and didn't give off the usual greenish haze. There was also no loss in depth perception like the night vision gear he was used to carrying. Things looked no different than twelve noon on a clear day. It worried the man slightly. He wondered if the sentries carried the same type of equipment. Brewster had assured him that only officers and senior NCOs were issued such paraphernalia. If the man was wrong they'd not only lose the element of surprise but possibly their lives.

The Imperiam HHQ element was quiet with little to no activity. A couple of orangutan soldiers looked bored as they paced back and forth, guarding their sacred post in the middle of a wasteland. They shivered as they shook off the cool morning air. One yawned and stretched and warmed themselves against the heat generators to his side. Tents were set up in the standard bivouac style and it all looked quite tranquil. The RS7's engines were in SV mode (*Soft-Voice) and vibrated with a small hum as the Major arrived at the preplanned location.

"This is Bravo-Two, I'm in position. What's your status One and Three, over" March whispered softly into his mic.

"This is Charlie-Three. I'm decorating the cake, over." Hayes relied.

"This is Alpha-One. The candles will be lit in approximately two minutes, uh …over" The man awkwardly added. He'd never seen combat although he'd played a key role in civil war that ensued when the Imperiam initially appeared.

March acknowledged and went over the plan in his head as he waited. Once Brewster, AKA Alpha-One, signaled, Charlie-Three would lock the auto-drive on the Imperiam Sand Quad. It would then speed forward into the center of the unsuspecting Armor Company. Brewster had modified the power systems to overload in ninety seconds. The explosions and chaos would split the armored elements in two. March and the Colonel, who were in the two RS7s, would advance on an angle. They'd fire the EM disruptors followed by a volley of the ATV's HEAP (High-Explosive Armor-Piercing) self-guided missiles and a barrage of fifty caliber shells. If it worked as planned the entire company would be dead and their equipment destroyed before they ever knew what hit them. Of course, things never quite seemed to work as planned.

"This is Alpha-One …in position, over" Brewster signaled a few minutes later.

His reply was immediately followed by; "This is Charlie-Three; happy birthday. I say again, happy birthday, over."

That was the signal. The Quad was ready. Now it was simply a matter of execution.

"Charlie-Three, you're clear to sing. Bravo-Two out" March stated sharply, giving the order to proceed.

Hayes followed the final instructions Brewster had given him and initiated the battery overload. Next he locked the auto-tracking on the vehicle and sent it speeding forward at an incredible rate. The buggy moved rapidly towards its pre-coded destination but lacked the sophisticated SV technology. It was much louder than the RS7s. The Quad's only tactical advantage was its speed. One of the sentries spotted it just before it reached the camp entrance. The ape sounded an alarm and bodies began scrambling. Random shots ripped through the air.

Unfortunately for the Imperiam, those shots were coming in both directions. Hayes hit one of the orangutans in the chest. The first two rounds only made him stammer but the next shot hit his throat and sent the simian gasping to the ground. Hayes took a play from the Human Coalition's playbook. He steadied his aim and sent a round into one of the apes that was scrambling out of a tent. The projectile hit the ape's knee and decapitated the appendage. The simian wailed briefly just before the next round punched into his head. Quite effective, Hayes concluded.

The element of surprise was gone but it was still two am. Most the soldiers were fast asleep. Those who weren't were too confused and groggy as they jumbled about for their equipment. A soldier fired at the Quad as it entered the site. The vehicle was moving fast and buckled right from the force of the incoming rounds. It ripped through a string of tents wounding several of the personnel. It slammed into a crate of supplies and flipped forward several times. Five – Four – Three – Two – One …

KA-BOOOOM

A ball of fire blew high into the air. At the base it reached out in every direction grasping everything in its path. The area lit up like daylight for a split second. Several of the surrounding structures caught fire. A few unfortunate bodies were also caught in the blast. They were engulfed by the inferno instantly. Their ghastly screams of pain echoed through the open area. One of the officers was attempting to direct mechanized units. He cursed as the EM pulse fried every piece of equipment within his grasp. In the distance, an NCO was positioning soldiers on the perimeter's edge. He'd ordered them to fire indiscriminately, in overlapping sectors. Hayes was shooting at the rabble to pull attention away from the two ATVs several meters away.

"Sober up, ladies. We're going to get hit." The NCO shouted. "You, you, you and you, set up there. You five head north and position yourselves on that hill, there." The Sergeant was concurrently screaming for flares or starlight but too much confusion was taking place. The fire was spreading and growing out of control. Several soldiers were attempting to contain the blaze before it engulfed the entire vicinity.

As the five soldiers headed out and disappeared from sight. The NCO turned back to the group at hand and went on. "That vehicle was just a distract…"

It was the last thing he ever said as the guided missile impacted between several tanks. The ensuing detonation blew chunks of shrapnel and hot metal in every direction. Seared flesh mixed with fragments of dirt, wood, and steel littered the area for several yards. Two more HEAP rounds hit. Within second the right flank was neutralized. Molten metal and burned flesh filled the air. The wounded moaned and cried out in agony. The black smoke and thick orange flames made the area look like the lake of fire. The sweet smell of cooking meat mixed with the rancid aroma of scorched fur nearly made March vomit. He mounted the ATV and cautiously moved forward.

On the opposite side of the Headquarters element, the Imperiam soldiers were beginning to organize. The small arms fire from the small HHQ detachment had Hank Brewster pinned down. He was crouched behind a small hill, several feet from the RS7. The man wasn't the veteran March and Hayes were. Everyone was frightened in battle but he'd let that fear get the better of him and thus had gotten sloppy. That apprehension was now compromising the mission. He'd managed to fire his EM disruptors and few stray rounds of bullets but he ran cover when the element started firing back.

Hayes had shifted his position and caught a couple of the soldiers on their flank. He was grateful they were human. The apes didn't fall as easily. Unless you hit a vital organ or sighted in on their knees they could usually tough it out.

Within his tank, Lieutenant Cin was assessing his environment. "What do we have, Godfrey? Come on, soldier, the clock is ticking. They could bring artillery down on us any second"

Sergeant Joseph Godfrey, a seasoned combatant didn't flinch. He punched in the command codes and waited for what seemed like forever for the results. He mumbled a few curse worse as he listened to his Platoon Leader ramble on like he was the Emperor's prize son. As soon as the heat signatures were identified he spoke up. "Got 'em, Sir; three bios."

"Three? Give me starlight. I want see what were dealing with. There has to be more." Cin shot back. He flinched slightly as two more loud explosions erupted. The ground shook and he felt the vibration as debris peppered the outside of his vehicle. He could also hear the faint screams of the dying but that wasn't his concern. Saving his own pelt was the main priority.

"Negative LT. Biodectors are picking up three human signatures. They're spread out approximately eight hundred kilometers from our current position. One, at seven o'clock, another at nine, and a third is at our eleven. The one at eleven o'clock is moving and too fast to be running. My guess is he's in a vehicle. Maybe another Quad"

"Staff Sergeant Faulkner, this Cin." The chimpanzee radioed. "Sync with our bio reading and lock onto the signature of the body at your eleven o'clock, over." Faulkner didn't reply. He was dead. The Lieutenant radioed to the other vehicles in his platoon simultaneously.

…Static…

"The rest of the platoon is out of it…Give me flares", Cin barked. Before the crew could react he spun around to Godfrey. "Which one's closest?" he asked. Again, he didn't wait for a reply. Instead he anxiously instructed Godfrey to relay it to the driver and ordered the tank forward.

"Flare away, Lieutenant" a voice replied as the vehicle sped forward. "I have starlight, Sir. No visual on the hostile bio but there are two ATVs out there. They look like one of ours but I'm not picking up any electronic IDs. The Bio is behind a hill about twelve meters away. The other two are out of our line of sight."

"Get the flame throwers ready." Cin ordered. "We're going to deep fry whoever's out there. Let's see how they like a fiery welcome."

Brewster's hands shook as he fumbled for the device that would save his life. He rapidly questioned every decision he'd made over the last two weeks. "I'm an idiot for agreeing to this." He said gritting his teeth bitterly.

He warily pulled back from the hill as the far side burst into flames. The heat was sobering and worried him even more. Bullets ripped into the dirt startling the man as he moved about in a confused manner. He cussed loudly as the object he was searching for flipped free from his shaky grip and fell to the ground. He grasped for the small rectangular device and repeatedly tapped its face. "Come on. Come on" he shouted.

He was also begging for help through the headset. Hayes had moved up and was firing at the tank but it had about as much of an effect as a mosquito trying to get blood from a redwood. March was doing what he could but was separated from the two by a long distance and a wall of flames. He'd managed to navigate the vehicle through enough of the chaos to finish off the scattered remnants of soldiers in the camp but it was all he could do for now.

Inside the mechanized vehicle the bio icon on Godfrey's screen went from red to a blinking green. Brewster's signal had fooled their sensors. The man slapped his superior on the arm and said "Sir, wait, he's a friendly. We have a valid transponder code."

The Lieutenant spun around. He gazed at the screen then looked up at Godfrey in surprise. "What? Who is it? Why didn't he register positive when we first bioed his location?" he asked in rapid sequence.

Sergeant Godfrey read the transponder data and answered the chimpanzee without delay. "He's an officer, Sir. A full bird Colonel assigned to the Science Corps. A Colonel Henry Brewster, Commander, 578th Science Division."

"R and D, way out here, that's odd." Cin pondered.

"Maybe he's a prisoner, Sir. Maybe one of the front line elements was hit." one of the gunners stated.

"Yeah, maybe; it makes sense, I guess." Cin answered. "And I'm not getting hung for killing a Colonel; even if he is seven hundred plus miles from home. Target the next bio. Load the neuron-gas. I want them taken alive. We need answers."

The tracks spun and the metal hulk jerked to its port. Déjà vu set in as Hayes's mind flashed back to the Israeli, Syrian skirmish he'd been involved with as a young Second Lieutenant. He was in the process of wiring a bridge, with explosives, when a platoon of old Soviet made T-66 tanks came rolling in. They may have been postwar surplus but they could kill a man, none the less. He gazed around for some type of cover but most of the terrain was relatively flat. Once that thing got rolling he'd be a sitting duck. His only chance was to head towards the burning camp before the armored vehicle had a clear shot. Maybe they'd be hesitant to fire on the camp if they thought some of their own soldiers were still breathing. Of course if any were alive, he might be jumping from the frying pan and into the fire. But he had no choice. If he stayed put he was surely dead.

As Captain Hayes rose to his feet and began to sprint, he felt a cool mist on his back, head and neck. His nostrils took in the familiar smell. It reminded him of the pine trees back in the upper peninsula of Michigan where he used to hunt and fish. Next his equilibrium went haywire. The man fell groggily to the ground. He mumbled the name of his long dead wife. His eyelids closed and his mind drifted to time long ago and a place far away.

The vehicle came to halt as a metallic latch opened and three soldiers spilled out with weapons drawn. Two took up positions on opposites sides. They dropped to a knee and fanned their weapons 180 degrees. They each shouted the word "clear" once they'd verified that all was secure.

The third soldier was the ape Lieutenant. He leapt several feet into the air landing just shy of Hayes. He picked the man up and slung him over his shoulder. The chimpanzee spun around as he witnessed his tank and the two men who were conducting security go up in a ball of fire. The blast threw the ape and his recently acquired prisoner threw the air and onto the hard ground.

Minutes later …

"Sergeant?" the confused chimp muttered out as the silhouette of a man appeared. It was dark and his vision was blurred.

He repeated the one word sentence again. Brewster said nothing in return. He simply flipped a switch on a small pad. The ape convulsed in pain and died seconds later.

Argos – Sigma-Twelve, eight hours later

Sullen limped out of the building putting the majority of the weight on his good leg. He mechanically balanced himself with the cane and stepped forward. He seethed with annoyance knowing that the chimpanzee responsible for his injury was sitting comfortably a few paces away. It was ironic that circumstances caused the ape to suddenly become a hypothetical ally. It wasn't likely, but if they managed to survive that Empire, Sullen wondered what the alliance would ravel into next. Polk was savage and in many ways much worse than the humans.

The simian groaned as he shifted his weight and took another step, followed by yet another. If he kept moving the pain sometimes took care of itself. Some days were better than others. He didn't know if it was the damp midmorning air or the stress of the debriefing but his wounded knee was throbbing more with each stride.

He'd just spent the last three hours in a debriefing with accusations flying everywhere. Grazot almost decapitated, Minister Baluk, the new head of the Ape Science Ministry. Baluk blamed the entire disaster in the Banned Territories solely on the General. What was worse was the comment the orangutan made about the IQ of the gorilla in general. That seemed to be common place when gorillas went head to head with chimps and orangutans over policy. Ironically, the human General broke in, adding perspective. He had a flair for speech making. The man considered himself a soldier but he was equally the politician when the circumstance called for it. Strange that his nation's salvation relied on the very animals he loathed. A century earlier they'd been hunted to extinction in this region. They'd kept a few for study but once the astronauts arrived and nearly destroyed Arum, Ndola butchered every last one of them in an attempt to support his fabricated explanations of their sudden return.

The Lord Prefect hadn't been as critical of the mission, as Baluk but he certainly shared in the pessimism. He couldn't deny that equipment, apes, and resources were all wasted …all gone. And they'd gained nothing. They'd also lost precious time and were now left scrambling for another plan. The nation was terrified and morale was low. It had been covered up but an Imperiam spy had been caught while Grazot was away. No one could be trusted and where there was one spy there could be a hundred. He chuckled. He'd often used that line when talking about men.

And that brought up a good point. Spies weren't the only predicament they faced. Citizens were openly questioning everything that had been taught regarding the human animal, its nature, history, and place in the world. It only made sense that their presence be limited to military installations like Argos Net. But soldier or not, all apes had been told lies about these creatures their whole lives. Now those hated beasts held their only hope for deliverance.

The ape was about ten steps out of the structure when a runner on horseback approached. "Prefect" he shouted, adding a salute. "Someone is signaling on the machines the humans installed, Sir. They claim they know General Grazot. They say it's vital that they speak with him. Something about intelligence information on that western militia"

"Dismount, Corporal" Sullen ordered. "Relay what you just told me to the General …and the humans. They're in the Observation Hall, there. Have them meet me at the Communications Hub"

With that, Sullen mounted the steed and rode off.

The cramped Communications Center was musty as the primates and their homosapien counterparts flooded into the area. Grazot ordered every nonessential ape or human out.

"What's this all about, Corporal?" Grazot barked out once the area was clear.

The Corporal looked up at the General and pushed a button on the equipment. He then stated. "See for yourself, General. You're clear to talk, Sir. He say's he's the human Major who traveled with you into the Banned Territories"

Grazot couldn't believe his ears as the familiar voice of Tom March crackled through the strange looking box. It couldn't be though. The man was dead. He'd died in the counter attack as the humans battled for control of their old capital, hadn't he? But there he was.

March skipped the formalities and flooded the airwaves with the information he had on the Imperiam. It was a condensed version but he brought them up to up to speed on where he'd been and what he'd seen. What he couldn't fill in, Brewster handled.

When they'd finished it was Major Polk who spoke up first. "There's an old ape saying; knowledge is power. But in this case I have to defer to an even older ape saying; what good is a lake full of fish if you don't own a net? We may have the details but they have both the momentum and the might."

"Yes, we …or should I say our human allies, have control of the ancient Orbital Defense Network…" Polk continued shooting a smug glare at St James. "But it's limited. Without access to a global sensor array it can only target predestinated areas. Sure they need to travel through this region to reach its capital and major cities, but they can hit my homeland and the humans from several directions. And although those areas are pre-targeted, we lack the means for a real-time response if multiple locations are hit. A global sensor can pick up on an enemy hundreds of meters away, but again we do not have that type of advantage. And once they get into our cities, what then; do we rain missiles down on Washington, on Ceasera? We'll just be doing their job for them."

"I may be able to help" Brewster stated. "With the equipment I brought and what you have on hand, I might be able to build an early warning interface."

"No offense, Colonel but I don't know you from Methuselah." St James firmly stated. "For all I know you're just a spy or saboteur. You're not going within a hundred miles of the ODN. It doesn't really matter anyway. It would take months to build something that sophisticated."

"Besides, the Major's right." St James added. "The system is blind. It's our best tactical option for sure, but what we need is deterrent. Without a functioning global sensor array the ODN is simply a hit or miss proposition. And we bet our entire hand on that mission east. Those bastards seem to know every move we make before we even make it. Every unit that's moved west has met with utter defeat."

Something in the head of Jon Hayes popped to the forefront of his mind; the island. The old weather station…It contained exactly what they needed. Amie's Grandfather may have found a way to save civilization after all. He stepped forward and identified himself. St James remembered the man. And those memories were not fond. The man was brilliant but insubordinate and a certifiable nut. Yet desperate times called for desperate measures.

"We don't have to go west." Hayes stated. "You have a functioning radar station right in the middle of Lake Nipigon. I think you call it, the Great Fish Pond."

Imperiam Monarch – Forward Base Zulu

"Thank you for coming. My name is Chapman. I'm the Chief of Research here." The man said with a nod.

The civilian spokesman for the group of Cabinet personnel and military officers said something about skipping formalities and getting to the point.

"Nobles" he thought cynically to himself. "What a bunch of arrogant jerks. The only thing worse is royalty". On the outside, the man smiled and said "Of course, right this way gentleman. I think you'll all be pleased."

It was mixture of both human and ape as well as male and female but the term 'gentlemen' was often used when referring to a large body, regardless of the sex or species.

"I hope this isn't a waste of our time." A Cabinet Senator added.

"I agree" Cade said. "We've lost contact with our forward bases in the east. I can't imagine what's so bloody important that you dragged us all down here and away from that."

The scientist leading the group answered with a confident tone. "Oh you're going to find it well worth your time, General. Believe me."

They walked down a long hallway and then into a medium sized room. A physician was inside with several syringes of what he called, Hydrolyzun.

"You'll all need to be inoculated. Trust me it's absolutely necessary. We haven't fully neutralized the radiation". As a sign of good faith, Chapman took the first shot. Once they were all treated he led them outside and to a large hanger.

The civilian leadership were still complaining but stopped as they gazed at the four massive metallic cylinders in their view. Cade's XO recognized both the objects and their markings immediately, as did most of the other military members.

"What is this, Chapman?" the XO asked rhetorically. "Nuclear missiles? That's why were here? His Excellency wants resources, wealth, raw materials, a workforce. He doesn't want a nuclear winter and a radiated continent. Research on this stuff was outlawed a century ago."

"You're missing the point, General Tods." The man stated seriously. "You forget that I spent three years fighting the resistance when we arrived. I have a grasp of tactics and supremacy. Maybe not as much as you, Sir but where you see nuclear winter, I see air superiority."

"Spit it out, Chapman." Cade grumbled. "You're one step away from a hanging. How are four tarnished nuclear missiles air superiority? I have pressing matters I have to address and unless you start giving me a reason to stick around, this little tour of your is over."

"Fair enough, Sir." Chapman replied. "We have metals and minerals but we're shot of compounds and rare elements that can construct power cubes. These devices not only have enough uranium to build several dozen cubes but they also have the necessary components for us to create aircraft. We not only found four missiles, General Cade, we recovered over a dozen old planes as well. Believe me, it wasn't easy getting it all here either."

Chapman nodded to a technician who was across the room. The ape pressed a button and a large curtain began to retract. And there it was; highly polished and fully functional.

"It's a prototype, General." Chapman stated proudly. "The engines are a combination of the old salvaged technology we liberated combined with our own and the uranium from the missiles. It isn't as sophisticated as the crafts we once had, but it is nuclear powered and fully operational. We ran an initial test flight yesterday at sixteen hundred. It held steady at Mach 5".

Cade sent the man several paces forward as he slapped him on the back in laughter. He pulled out his flask of whiskey and shoved it in the man's chest. "Have a drink, Chapman. You just brought the Empire into the next century."