The Geryon continued to fire its heaviest weapons at the Nest Moon. Even before the separation of its foundering rear half, the Ostrakoi habitat was hundreds times the length of the Myrmidon ship and many thousands of times its mass, but the exchange had been like a giant made of paper wrestling a dwarf made of iron. Whole swaths of its surface had been reduced to wastes of toppled towers and tunnel mouths that vented gas and smoke or were already choked with debris. In several places, tactical fission bombs had created veritable lakes of glass and molten rock still dull red with heat. The spire at the north pole had toppled, and its counterparts were off-center from the Nest's characteristic right-angles orientation.
"Deploy the visual signal arrays," Aeacus ordered. "Signal them to withdraw. Prepare an antimatter bomb if they do not."
"My Captain!" his Second cried out. "We have a new signature. It is the Amphion!"
Sure enough, the Amphion rose over the upper pole of the Nest Moon. On its right flew the Alexander… and on the left, a Gemini called Orthrus, the ship of Amyclas.
The Amphion and its companions raced toward the Geryon. The remaining fighters hastily regrouped to intercept or pursue, but they had taken heavy losses. All three ships fired continuously ahead. It was the Gemini that made the difference, smashing a whole formation of fighters that tried to block their path. "We will be in gamma bomb range in 30 seconds," Meliboia said. "It's a little one, about 50 meters radius of maximum effect. We can be out of it in the time it takes for the bomb to reach the target. 20…"
Aeacus turned to his Second. "Is the identification of the Gemini confirmed?" he said.
"Yes," the Second answered. Nopalina started to speak. The Chieftain made a gesture. She clutched at the collar at her throat.
"Then fire," said the Chief.
"Mel," Amyclas said. "I…" He paused. "Agape."
"My brother," Mel said. "To the furthest…" Before she could finish, a blast destroyed the entire portside fuselage of the Gemini.
"Bomb is away," Mel said, her voice flat. "Detonation in 3, 2, 1…" The sky lit up behind them.
And a moment later, the Amphion exploded.
And suddenly, Ajax cried out, "Princess!"
"Our command center is disabled," the Second said. "We are entering the upper atmosphere. It appears that our docking clamps are damaged. We must choose whether to stay together or make an emergency separation."
"Yes," Aeacus said. "I must go assess the damage." He rose, and beckoned Nopalina to follow. She complied. From her small satchel, Prince Robert's frog stuck out.
Beneath the Geryon, the Hippomenes approached incrementally, fighting the turbulence in the wake of the larger ship. "Listen," Infra said through the airlock speaker. "I have a bond with Ultra that is more than you know. You could call him father, brother, husband, son, and still not capture the reality. The price is that every time he has fallen, I have felt his pain and the emptiness of oblivion. Each time, I have restored him to a new body.
"This time is to be different. Ultra was convinced of the justness of your cause, the love you have for your family and the evil of those who would take your child from you. We have a plan to take control of the ship, but it would cost Ultra everything. I am altering the plan. What you must do is look for me aboard the Geryon if any part survives. If you find me, whatever my condition, take me back and connect me to the lab equipment I left at Midgard. Now, I go." Even as she spoke, she leaped up, and vanished.
Ajax flew his ship in aimless circles around the Geryon, looking for any activity. "Princess?" he continued to call out. "Princess? Princess! Princess!" He wiped away tears. Then firmness returned to his voice. "Mel? Mel, if you hear me, answer. You are my Princess! My Lady! My Queen! Answer me, even if it is from the Furthest Shore!"
Finally, he pulled in behind the Geryon. "This is King Ajax of the Red Realm," he said authoritatively. "You are in an uncontrolled descent over the Empire of Savai. If you do not surrender, you will only cause the destruction of your craft and irreparable loss of life wherever you may land. Signal your surrender, and I will do what I can to aid you!"
And behind him, the form of a copper crescent rose up.
Aboard the Geryon, Aeacus entered a holding area. On one side was a holding cell where Naam was still shackled. On the other was an incubator that held Prince Robert in peaceful sleep. "Aeacus!" Naam called out. "The battle is lost, is it not?" He leaned forward. "Release me, and I will call on my subjects to aid you!"
"It is too late," Aeacus said. He opened the incubator and lifted Robert. He drew a sidearm as he led the way to a docking bay with two hatches, Robert still over his shoulder. He pointed down the open hatch on the left. "Go down and prepare the craft," he said to Nopalina. "I will follow. Remember, you cannot leave without me."
He turned and examined the other hatch. He opened it with his free hand, unsatisfied. There was a strange red light at the bottom, slowly pulsing on and off. He drew his pistol instinctively, then relaxed. By the surprisingly bright light, he made out the form of a feminoid robot, lying completely still in front of an access terminal. He slammed the hatch, then looked up as he listened to the sounds around him. The crew were shouting orders and desperate requests, but they were fixed on their duties and especially on saving the ship. He also listened to the sounds from outside. The sound of violent winds was evening out, and the shocks of turbulence had subsided to steady vibration. "They might pull through," he said, as if bemused. He turned at a sound. The other hatch had shut. Nopalina stood before him. In one hand, she held the frog purse, with the compartment in the roof of its mouth open. In the other, she held a tiny pistol.
"Give me Prince Robert," she said. "And remember, a muscle spasm could set this off by accident."
"Not bad," he said. "So, you want your own leverage…"
"Believe what you want," the Maiden said. "You are not keeping him any longer." The Chief transferred the child to her shoulder. They kept their weapons on each other as she backed up to the hatch. It opened at her approach, then shut again.
Aeacus immediately followed. He planted his gauntleted hand on the access panel, unconcerned. Nothing happened. He tried again. There was a buzz, and a red light turned on, signaling a lockout. "Ship artificial intelligence," he said, "I order an override."
In the center of the nearest panel, a light came on. "Your order is declined," a voice said. He knew it, but it took a moment for full recognition to come: It was Infra. He moved to return to the bridge. A bulkhead slammed down in his face. He backed up. There was a buzz as a hatch opened, directly overhead.
Nopalina managed to climb down the hatch with one arm. She set Robert down at the bottom, and set his frog beside him. After a moment, she laid her jacket over him and kissed him on the cheek. She backed up to the airlock. She nearly jumped in surprise as it opened. She stepped through cautiously. She clutched at the collar for a moment. There was a spark, and it dropped to the deck, smoldering. She raced into the cockpit of the parasite craft.
Finally, the right hatch swung open. A gun and a half-seen helmet protruded. Mel climbed up. "Well," she said, "remember I did all the work." Aeacus was at her feet, pinned by both Daffodils. The Mirror Daffodil was doing the bulk of the work in Lindorm form, laying across the Chief's hips and lower back. The High Queen sat between his shoulder blades, with Robert asleep in her lap. The Lindormess cooed and tickled the little Prince's foot with a talon. He smiled without waking.
The hatch on the left opened of its own accord as Meliboia approached. She climbed down, still wary. She looked out through the airlock porthole. Before her were the jungles of the Middle Kingdoms and the ocean beyond, all the way to the Wild Wastes and the curve of the edge of the World Island. She thought, perhaps, that she saw a flash of light. But it was already gone, if it had been there at all.
She turned and climbed back up. At the top, she set her helmet on the deck. She stooped over Robert. Daffy shifted to let her brush back his hair. His eyes fluttered as she took his small hand. His gaze turned up to meet hers.
"Mel," he said.