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SAFES Liaison's Log, Science Vessel _ Searcher _, September 23rd, 2555:

I've read historical accounts in which the writer, usually someone who's personally involved in a battle, speaks of a point at which the battle is still raging but they can tell that their side has already won. They describe an unconcious sense that the enemy's will has broken, that fear or defeat has seized them, and that they continue to fight as a sort of formality. I had trouble giving such accounts credence until today, when I was watching from the holographic display on board Searcher and could instantly tell the exact moment that General Wilson's forces had seized control of the command ship, even though it was nearly an hour before word was conveyed to me. The will of the two fleets seemed to evaporate and although they continued to pour fire into our battle line, it struck me as listless and obligatory, as if they were aware that victory had suddenly ceased to be possible. Not even the actual Majesty practically cracking in half from a core overload so visibly sapped them. It speaks volumes about the kind of commander that Grand Admiral Kaarchan is that the fleets seemed to believe that victory was inevitable so long as their commander remained on the field, even as their forces disintegrated around them at a frightening pace.

Now, it's all over but the mopping up. Admiral Williams has switched the frigates and snubs over to crippling attacks, seeking to preserve as many lives as she can now that fleet cohesion has vanished. This has been a battle of many heroes and it's been a rare honor to be a witness to the triumph of the common man over the forces of a remorseless empire. In this battle, names like Wong, Rousseau, and Andropoli will be celebrated alongside Williams, Wilson, and Lee-and, for that matter, ATLAS and Athena. Who could have ever imagined that a computer and her biological extension could come out of a battle as legitimate heroes? And yet, ATLAS performed under real fire like it was a sand table exercise, doing everything an autonomous biological executive officer would. And Athena proved to be just as capable as her 'mother', plugging into the Hammer and using its full capabilities with all the casual ease of a battle-hardened veteran. Unfortunately, even as so many were giving their utmost to this battle and paving our way to victory, a shadow hangs over it all. There is no question that Captain Santos will be brought before a drumhead tribunal to decide what's to be done with a ship officer who totally abandoned her responsibilities in the middle of combat and took her critical capabilities off the board. I suspect that Captain Sakura will also answer since Santos is under her command and by tradition, the commander is responsible for the conduct of those under their command. Frankly, I hope Santos goes to prison; her baffling actions cost lives and the only reason they didn't cost many more is that Captain Wong stepped into the breach and pulled the attack back until Searcher and Lady Lexington could cobble together an effective replacement for the lost battle control computers. As to Sakura, my only guess is that she somehow lost control of the situation although it's more than a little strange that the thing Admiral Williams very specifically told her not to do is what occurred in the battle.

In the end we are victorious, and that is good. But how can it stop here? We've just smashed two fleets of a very large empire and we remain floating above their home world. Our victory is an insult and I very much doubt that the Kaa can allow it to stand. Make no mistake: war is coming.

_ Dr. Melinda Campbell, SAFES _

"Out of curiosity, Shodan, what would the response of the Viis Empire of your own time have been to us appearing unannounced above Viisymel?" Sera had asked, seating herself on the edge of the tub. After he'd returned with medical supplies, Silver had politely pushed them out of the main room so he could get Malice into a state where Shodan could simply watch her without needing to worry about details, leading them to have their conversation in the luxurious bathroom

"Diplomacy, naturally." Shodan responded, looking genuinely surprised at the question. "Every friendship and every conquest makes the Empire greater and glorifies the Kaa. Allies glorify the Kaa more, however, because it is more difficult to gain them. Is it different with your...?"

"Governance." Sera supplied. "And no, it's not. The Governance, which is ruled by a council we called the United Sol Congress, is itself a vast alliance between the nations of our central world. Had things been different, I think we'd have been happy to be Gorlicans."

Shodan smirked. "I very much doubt that, General. The Gorlicans were not allies or even trusted. They were, and probably still are, traders and all they love is their money. They can be relied upon to do what will best profit them, which is why the Empire tolerated them during my time. As a mark of the distrust we had, and because the warm viis regard them as extremely ugly, they are made to wear masks in our presence."

"I thought it was solely because the 'warm' viis were offended by them." Sera remarked, noting with interest that Shodan had unconsciously shifted to the present tense. "Speaking of the 'warm' viis, is there an actual term you use for them? It gets sort of..."

"Awkward, yes." Shodan frowned. "There is a term we use for them, but it is extremely insulting, much like the term they use for us."

Sera eyed her. "Malice gave us the impression that the relationship between 'warm' and 'cold' viis was cordial and respectful."

Shodan snorted. "It would have been improper in the extreme for her to have said anything else," she replied. "Just as a family does not air its disputes and shames before the outside world, we do not air our disputes and shames to outsiders. The eimdil are the more wealthy, living where the most resources can be found. The selbst are the stronger, the more well-educated and physically able to make war. That they are wealthy and weak and we are impoverished and strong makes our relationship... tense."

It wasn't her imagination; Shodan was definitely speaking entirely in the present tense-which meant that she was probably more aware of the things going on outside her room than she'd admitted. Sera decided to test this. "I'm surprised that continues to this day."

Shodan looked taken aback. "Why?"

"Well, throughout our own history, the strong and impoverished have overthrown the weak and wealthy, taking their wealth for their own so that they can be both strong and wealthy." Sera explained, suppressing a smile; Shodan hadn't corrected her or protested ignorance of what was going on in the present day. "The way it was put by one of the ancient philosophers of our world was 'the strong will do what they will and the weak will suffer what they must'. I'm surprised it's different among your own people."

"Taking their wealth would force us to leave our homes and take theirs." Shodan replied simply. "If we wanted to be 'warm' as they are, we would have left the frozen regions with them millennia ago."

"You willingly remain impoverished because you don't want to move?" Sera blinked.

"We would no more leave our home lands than we would saw off all of our limbs." Shodan snapped. "Our frozen home represents all that we are. We are proud that we can live and thrive under the unfeeling gaze of the deadliest of elements and wouldn't give that up for any number of baubles."

"I apologize. I meant no offense."

The AI-in-a-body nodded. "I realize that, General. I am not offended by your ignorance."

"Well, we haven't had much chance to learn about the viis during the time we've interacted with your people." Sera paused. "Shodan, why the façade?"

Shodan looked curiously at her. "Façade, General?"

"Pretending to be an ancient AI that is totally unaware of the current time period." Sera clarified.

The simulated viis looked appraisingly at her before smiling a little. "What gave it away?"

"You switched into present tense when discussing the Gorlicans and then, when I implied a question about the present day, you didn't remind me that you were unaware of current events." Sera replied, smiling back. "So why the façade?"

"I wanted to see your polyglot force for myself." Shodan leaned back casually against the wall. "Indulge a sense of nostalgia for the time when we, too, were a polyglot force."

"It was a masterful job." Sera told her honestly. "If you don't mind the question, how much are you based on Saesrae?"

"I thought I was clear, General: save for where the neurological patterns are stored, there is no difference between me and Saesrae daes Kaa." Shodan replied, almost beaming with pride. "It was the entire point of the system: particularly brilliant or important individuals could literally talk to themselves. Saesrae used me as her way of capturing the warmth and close bonds of family that the selbst have."

"It's more than just wealth and strength, isn't it?"

"Until theUnion, the viis were as divided as they could be without being declared enemies." Shodan confirmed. "Before theUnion, we actively loathed one another. If it was possible for you to be deeply familiar with our history and the two viis peoples, you would see why."

"Can you summarize it?" Sera inquired hopefully.

Shodan hissed with amusement. "No more easily than you could summarize the story behind the creature you brought with you to your first meeting with the Kaa."

Sera furrowed her brow. "What creature? The small black..?"

"No, the pale one with the light mane. The only one that was unarmed."

"Pale one with the light..." Sera's eyes widened. "Wait. Hold on a second. The Grand Admiral could tell he wasn't human just by looking at him?"

Shodan stared for a moment, her expression becoming troubled. "You... did not know he was a different species than the rest of you?"

"Not at the time." Sera replied.

"That is... very worrisome." Shodan's short finger-claws traced the faint tigerstripe pattern in her facial scales idly, an unconscious gesture Sera took to be similar to someone scratching their chin. "Is he rare?"

"Extremely, but why is it worrisome?"

"Because it is the long experience of the Viis Empire that hiding in an entirely different shape is unique to spies, assassins, and gremains." She hesitated. "And it would have been very saddening to see a cunning and worthy enemy destroyed by treachery before we could test their mettle."

"That would have been tragic." Sera agreed. "But he is now imprisoned on our command ship and looking forward to a future of being experimented on."

"Really now. So you object to live experimentation only when the raw materials are albiru?"

"We object to live experimentation on slaves that's pointless, fruitless, and unscientific." Sera retorted. "Even with my basic understanding of virology and pathology, I know that you don't devise a cure by impregnating a slave and then doing a vivisection on her newborn daughter."

For some reason, Shodan smiled at that. "Is Ampris well?"

Both the question and the abrupt shift in subject took Sera aback. "Is she famous or something? Every viis I've conversed with seems to know her."

"One of the most popular slave gladiators in the history of the games." Shodan grinned toothily. "First and only aaroun after the murder of Sargas Three who's ever been able to teach herself the use of the slajii and it made her fights very bloody and very exciting. Her popularity was such that without the 'Crimson Claw', the games fell into poverty and ceased entirely."

"Surely there were other aaroun gladiators."

"There were, but none that could use the slajii correctly." Shodan sighed nostalgically. "I actually saw her once, at her prime. She was art, General, painted in blood and metal."

"You can leave this ship?" Sera blinked.

"Of course, General. The 'painting-in' apparatus encloses my entire self in a biological body. Nothing ties me here but duty and choice." She smirked a little. "Not that I can go about openly, mind you. There would be considerable disruption if Saesrae daes Kaa was seen walking around hundreds of years after she died."

"I can imagine how that might be... awkward. So if Ampris was so talented, how'd she end up in the glue factory?"

"The... glue factory?"

"The laboratory." Sera clarified. "The glue factory is a reference to how a beast of burden on our world, called a horse, would be processed into adhesive when its useful life was over."

"I see." Shodan thought. "Yes, the reference would be appropriate. She ended up in the 'glue factory' as you call it because her leg was shredded by a fever-maddened zhrelli she had compassion on. I still suspect that it was put in the arena as some sort of perverse test to see if she would be so obedient that she would cut down another helpless slave for her masters and if that was the intent... well, it depends on which result you regard as best. She failed the test in the eyes of her masters and instead of being repaired, was sent to die."

"You disagree."

"Actually, I don't." Shodan corrected her. "No matter how I regarded a slave or how kind I was to it, I would expect unwavering obedience. I wouldn't expect it because I am always right but because there will always be a time when I know how a wrong thing is actually right."

"You treat a slave the way you'd treat a soldier." Sera observed.

"Of course, for during my time, slaves were soldiers." Shodan smiled broadly. "Very fine ones, for that matter. In my day, most of the best staff officers were albiru and even many eimdil were beginning to speak of a day when faithful and brave slave soldiers would retire from service with their freedom. Yes, they spoke very softly about it but for viis that lusted for wealth, speaking at all of surrendering that wealth was world-shaking."

"So if you agree with Ampris' masters, who disagrees?"

"Kaarchan, naturally." Shodan responded. "He has said many times that he has plenty of obedient soldiers but what he lacks are soldiers that are strong enough to disobey when disobedience is needed. In his eyes, Ampris passed the test and there was a great deal of ugliness between he and the kaa when he was forbidden from purchasing Ampris. Enough so that the kaa truly feared for his life before Kaarchan centered himself and obediently accepted his kaa's command. He was very pleased that your forces chose that laboratory, of all possible laboratories, to raid."

"So if fate had taken a different path, we would likely have met a childless Ampris acting as the adjutant to the most important military officer in the Viis Empire." Sera chuckled, shaking her head in wonderment. "He is truly different, isn't he?"

"Different than an eimdil." Shodan reminded her. "His attitudes are fairly ordinary for a selbst although his intellect is unusual. And while you would not know it from the limited success of his plans for dealing with you, he is also a highly-regarded strategist."

"What do eimdil and selbst mean anyway?"

"Roughly, 'arrogant' and 'meritorious' although your language does not have a good way of conveying the extremely insulting nature of eimdil. Likewise, your language doesn't have a good way of conveying how foul the insult of untacht, which roughly translates to 'reject' is. Untacht is how the eimdil refer to us while selbst is how we refer to ourselves."

"So how do the eimdil refer to themselves?"

"Viivergol which means 'golden viis'." Shodan snorted contemptuously.

Sera had to chuckle at that. "All that glitters is not gold."

Shodan eyed her before grinning. "You speak truly, General. So, is there any other information I could give you?"

"I'd sort of like to know how the battle outside this ship is going, if you know." Sera replied hopefully.

"Two major fleets are on their way to becoming two large debris fields." Shodan replied shortly, almost brusquely. "I've never seen gunners that can achieve the level of precision yours do. One of your precision kill ships gutted the Majesty with a single shot from outside visual range and your counterpart to Overlord is taking our battle line apart as if it was made of paper."

"Actually, it's a mobile dockyard and it was loaned to us by a merchant organization called Leviathan Heavy Industries." Sera grinned at the suddenly aghast expression on Shodan's face. "Granted, its weapons are small-scale versions of our ship-smashing anti-orbital batteries but it's still a mobile dockyard we're borrowing from the owners."

"Our fleets are being defeated by a giant maintenance ship?" Shodan demanded.

"Well, to be fair, its weapons are normally impossible to emplace away from a planet..."

"I hope you'll forgive me for passionately hating you, General." Shodan grinned. "Were it any other foe, I would believe that you had chosen to use your mobile dockyard to defeat us as a deliberate insult."

"I forgive you." Sera grinned back. "And no, it wasn't intended as an insult. Truth be told, we weren't aware that the dockyard was so heavily-armed before it arrived."

Shodan shook her head in amazement. "Your people are the strangest and most incredible power we've ever known. Your armaments, your variety, your way of war, the structure of your government, the presence of these vast merchant powers... and all in a single star system."

"How big is the Viis Empire then?"

"Including both outer and inner colonies, about one hundred star systems." Shodan replied. "Most of which are lightly inhabited and one of which is presently... not available to us."

Sera whistled softly; the scale that Shodan was describing, even if most of the systems were lightly inhabited, was staggering. "And a tiny planetary power is tearing your fleets apart with just an expeditionary force?"

"You forget that your current position gives you an incredible tactical advantage." Shodan pointed out. "You're further away from Viisymel and firing in its direction, forcing our ships to stay close enough to absorb or deflect weapons fire that has the potential to impact the surface. It's impossible for us to use our high-speed gate network to strike you with our vast fleets all at once because the stations on this end are so vulnerable. The accuracy of your gun crews borders magical such that getting to a range at which we can fire back requires us to arrive badly mauled. Your precision kill ships can destroy our heaviest ships with impunity and your mobile dockyard seems to have the power of an enraged god. Because we must feed our fleets in piecemeal and cannot call them off once they commence the final leg inwards, you're at a constant numerical advantage. This is literally a battle we cannot win unless you make incredibly foolish errors."

"And we're on our way to capture your military's most significant command asset." Sera added.

"Not kill?"

"If we wanted to kill him, we would have had our dockyard destroy this ship instead of invading it." Sera replied. "There's no richer source of information about the viis military of which we're aware. Or, at least, that's how we thought before meeting you."

"It is still true." Shodan informed her, "I have a great deal of nostalgia and general information but Kaarchan is the more knowledgeable about the current military."

There was a polite tap on the door and Silver poked his head in. "Malice is stable, General, and can be safely monitored by Shodan. I hate to break up what sounded like a pleasant conversation but we've got an offensive to attend to. I'm surprised you haven't been getting buried in communications from everyone else."

"Councilor quarters, mostly the bathing areas, scramble every form of communication to thwart spying devices." Shodan smirked. "So your fellow soldiers likely think you disappeared into the nothingness or were killed when debris crashed into the corridor near you."

"Ya seems amused by that." Akeya observed, lightly pushing Silver aside so she could enter. "You were shinin' us on, weren't ya?"

"Shining... you on." Shodan looked at her for a moment. "Your planet has very strange expressions. Yes, saedtodhelt, I was deceiving you."

"Uh... the name's Akeya, not 'Saedtodhelt'."

"I do not care what your name is." Shodan retorted with a hit of annoyance. "You are saedtodhelt whether you wish to be or not, just as I am daes Kaa whether I wish I was or not."

"Oh, OK." Akeya nodded. "I get it. 'Saedtodhelt' is the short form of 'she who deals death' in your language."

"Indeed." Shodan frowned thoughtfully. "Although in your case, I think you are more saedtodtaelt because you do not strike me as a bloodthirsty murderer."

"I'm... assuming that's good."

"Saedtodhelt obey the Kaa alone. They would force a mother to watch them murder her family by slow cutting, just to prove that they cannot be held back, save by him." Shodan's expression grew dark. "They are an abomination. Saetodtaelt are the personal guard of the nobility, the military elite. Before being made Grand Admiral, Kaarchan was saetodtaelt."

"I thought that medallion around his neck was some sort of award."

"It is the symbol worn by nobility who are also recognized combat veterans." Shodan supplied. "Very, very rare for even the most admired soldiers are almost never raised to the aristocracy. I... Saesrae and Kaarchan are among the very few who were, although Saesrae was born into the nobility rather than raised to it."

"All very interesting, Shodan, but we need to leave Malice in your capable hands and make our way towards the command section." Silver looked at Sera. "General Lee talked to me when he couldn't raise you, General. Sergeant Zanardi's marines affected a breakthrough ten minutes ago and are driving the garrison they were engaged with in the direction of what he believes to be the bridge. General Lee's arm of the offensive has cut their way through several armored doors and are currently pinned in one of the barracks with light wounded but Lee believes they're in no serious danger."

Sera nodded. "What about the engine rooms?"

"Sergeant Morris reports that they've secured most of the generating facilities and believe they have enough of them shut down to prevent this ship's planet-scouring weapons from being used." He reported.

"Sergeant Morris reports?" Sera blinked. "What happened to my adjutant?"

"Richard has decided that all the combat engineers belong to him and they seem to agree." Silver grinned. "Your adjutant tells me that he would throttle him but can't reach his throat. More seriously, he turned over command of that part of the mission over to Boom so he could concentrate on coordinating your portion of the attack."

"Good man." Sera commented approvingly.

"Simply a good marine, General." Silver smiled. "Apparently, at least from what Richard tells me, being cut off from command and shoulder-high in trouble is the life of a good devil-dog."

"Your operation goes well then." Shodan commented, smiling. "I am pleased to hear this."

"Why?" Akeya asked, giving her a strange look.

"Because it means an opportunity to see something I fondly remember but have not seen in centuries: professional soldiers of all shapes, sizes, and species plying their craft in battle." Shodan responded, her smile growing sad and nostalgic. "It is almost as if the great Viis Empire of our past has come into our own day to humble us and show us what we once were."

"Dude, it's Facundo." Sergeant Zanardi's voice greeted her cheerfully as they exited the quarters. "Really glad to hear that you didn't get dead, boss. I hear tell you found yourself getting all friendly with yet another girl, which makes me wonder..."

"Sergeant, I had an interesting discussion about Imperial history with an AI." Sera interrupted tiredly. "I didn't start canoodling with her and the only reason we were alone is that Doc Prower here wanted peace and quiet."

"Ah." Zanardi responded wisely. "So, on to the fun part. It appears that, by sheer coincidence, you getting stuck only a few hundred yards from where you started puts you lots closer to the big boss than any of us."

"...what?"

"Yeah, it is laid out all stupid, isn't it?" He chuckled. "Anyone, your adjutant is routing you some additional combat power in case there's a barracks between you and the brains behind this carnival. Last I hear, though, they're sort of lost so you may still be on your own."

"Speaking of combat power, how's yours?" Sera asked him, coming to a tee in the halls and heading left, as Shodan had instructed. "Captain Prower tells me that you broke through and are chasing the garrison."

"Combat power is pretty green still." He replied. "Turns out that their armor-piercers are wicked awesome but are so small-caliber that they just punch holes and it turns out that they can't make it through both a riot shield and an armored suit. When the bullets started bouncing off and pissed-off marines started dribbling them, they got smart and made for the sticks."

"If they have the munitions to pierce armor, why the hell did you charge them?" Sera asked with a touch of disbelief. "I know your marines specialize in..."

"Got eyes on something that looked an awful lot like the super-piercer you warned me about." Facundo interrupted. "It was big enough to take down my cover and kill my marines and these scaly bastards ain't earned the right to kill my marines. Me and a coupla the Old Man's armored boys stole some shields and stomped over to have a word with them and you know marines... when they saw us getting all the asses to ourselves, they wanted some of their own."

Sera chuckled. "Bet that surprised 'em."

"Scared 'em shitless." The sergeant assured her. "Now these garrison types, they might be scaly bastards but they're my kind of scaly bastards, all professional and the like. Smart enough to make tracks when the mass hit 'em and they've been stingin' and movin' ever since."

"Any word on General Lee?"

Zanardi laughed. "Old Man Lee? That sour old sonuvabitch is too pissed-off and mean to get dead by the hand of mere mortals. Last I heard, his light wounded are in the best shape you can be after getting a few extra holes in 'em, owin' to that scary-good field surgeon pack the gods of war blessed 'em with. He's pinned at the moment but that'll last until the three fire teams pivoting into the garrison flanks appear to put boot to ass."

"So the offensive's in excellent shape." Sera stated. "Would that be an accurate bottom line?"

"Yup." He confirmed cheerily. "Gotta say, General... I don't know what the hell we're planning to do with this hulk when we get it back home. We don't need no stinkin' Death Star and it's too butt-ugly to turn it into a Colossus. I guess that's why they pay me to shoot instead of think."

"Don't give up on thinking, sergeant. I don't know what we'll do with it either although I'm sure being part of the capture team is worth a date or two with a cute SAFES girl."

Zanardi laughed. "General, I like the way you think. Shiloh out."

"The gunny makes a good point, boss." One of the riflemen said as they went down the hall with the armored marine taking lead. "Or at least, so I gather from your end of things. The Grand Admiral is a fine catch in terms of intel and the corporal tells me that the AI's pretty cool but we've already got enough dockyards to rebuild SAFN from scratch in the field. I mean, I guess it'd be peachy keen to have our very own superbattleship but the entire terror weapon thing gives me the heebie-jeebies."

"Katyusha and Leviathan might have some ideas." Akeya commented. "I hear tell they built most of the Hammer from mining scrap from shipwrecks, scrapyards, and junkyards. The amount of metal in this thing could make a whole bunch of cruisers or even a few battleships if we want."

"Don't you think it a bit early to be counting our chickens, Major?" Silver inquired mildly. "We have them on the ropes and this has been a jolly good time so far but for all we know, they're holding back large numbers of reserves at chokepoints around the command area."

"Makes me sort of wish we'd brought a riot shield with us." Sera frowned. "It'd make it a whole lot easier going forward if our armored marine could just bounce the AP, assuming they get the idea to use it."

"Don't you worry, General." The armored marine assured her. "We marines die hard, and this marine's got tank armor and a big ol' machine gun to make 'em wish they'd never messed with the big green power."

He took his place at the front of the squad and started clanking along the halls, heading towards the exit from the luxurious officers' quarters area. Once again, Sera was struck by how out-of-place the entire setting seemed in a military vessel, especially one that mounted a planet-scouring superweapon. Even the clanking of the marine's armor was mostly the metal and ballistic plates bumping against each other as he moved rather than the impact of his heavy feet against the floor. Almost too soon, they were at the door leading back into the more utilitarian corridors of the main ship, recognizable because of its stark metal surface in contrast to the faux wood plating all the other doors.

"OK, same order of battle as before: marine, you will charge through first and lay down cover fire if needed and we'll follow." Sera instructed. "Make ready."

The armored man nodded curtly and racked his assault rifle. "Marine is ready, ma'am."

"Good." Sera nodded to the combat engineer who got up flush with the wall and with an extended arm, shoved the door open. The marine clanked through and a cacophany of pzoom sounds erupted, slightly deeper than the reports of the weapons the last garrison gathering had used and this time, Sera heard a good half-dozen plinks as the projectiles struck the wall. The significance hit her about the same time that a shout of "gunner down!" deafened her.

"Dammit!" She snarled as the two rifles changed through their rifles blazing to force the garrison to go for cover. Over the sounds of assault rifles and submachineguns, she could hear the armored marine still clanking, his steps a bit unsteady as he moved to a side.

Akeya went through next and Silver leaned around the door. "General, the corridor is mostly blocked by what look to be very heavy shipping or supply crates." He told her. "Based on where the piercers struck, they must not be able to penetrate those crates. The corporal is still standing but I can see exit holes on the back of his armor, about where his shoulder is. Follow me through."

"Thank you, Captain." Sera acknowledged. Waiting for the wolven medic to raise his archaic-looking weapon and pass smoothly through the door before following right on his heels towards the left side. She caught a brief glance of what looked to be thick armor plates raised up from the floor and the shapes of armored viis soldiers taking shelter behind them. The crates provided excellent cover, one of them even laying right down the middle, but it had done the armored marine no good as he couldn't duck behind things.

Holstering his 'Tommy' gun, Silver went over to the still-encased marine, unpacking a probe from his pack and tearing the sterilization wrap off, as usual without even needing to look.

"Don't worry about it, doc." The marine told him as he brushed a hand over the tiny-looking entry holes, moving the prove up to slip it in. "It went straight..."

"Corporal, you will not tell the captain with a medical degree and serious trauma surgeon chops not to worry about a bullet wound." Silver snapped, gently pushing the probe into the hole and moving it slightly before giving the other the same treatment. "Ah, just as I suspected... fractured humerus and scapula."

"Huh?" The marine tried to lean forward and look at the wound and Silver promptly shoved him back.

"You were struck with two bullets, Corporal, and they fractured enough of your arm so as to render it useless for fighting." He turned to look over at Sera, shaking his head. "General, I can't repair this well enough to return him to combat effectiveness. The arm must be immobilized and for that, he must be removed from the armor, which precludes the possibility of simply switching which arm he uses for his weaponry."

"Great." Sera huffed, peeking slightly around the corner and being rewarded with the kerpow of a shot from one of the viis guns ricocheting off the crate. "Rifles, I need options."

"Don't got one, boss." One replied instantly. "Frag ain't doing shit to that armor, ain't got smoke, and we're not fitted for demo."

"I can't cut the charges down, General." The combat engineer said before Sera could ask. "Detonators need at least an inch of material to go off and I can't cut 'em without disabling the detonators."

"So let me get this straight... we're pinned, my heavy weapon is gone, grenades can't do it, and the combat engineer can't improv." Sera looked down at Akeya who was busily switching out rifle modules. "OK, Major. The situation looks untenable at the moment. This is why you got to tag along."

Akeya snorted. "Super-soldier, not super-human... uh, draccian..." She paused. "Natural. Not super-natural. Hey Tails... I need your wound camera."

Silver sighed audibly and unpacked the fiber-optic instrument, passing it to Sera who tossed it to Akeya in a gentle underhand gesture. The draccian plugged one end into a port at the level of her right eye and then threaded the other end up to the scope of her modular rifle. She then looked over at Sera with a cheeky grin. "All that said, it's OK to hate me for my genius."

"Hate to burst the bubble, Major, but you're not the first person who's hooked a camera up to the scope of a rifle." One of the rifles pointed out.

"But I'm the first one that did it on the fly being shot at." She returned, unshouldering the mid-sized viis weapon she'd picked up and handing it to the soldier. "Stick this up like you're leaning around to get a look."

She took the weapon and promptly did just as Akeya had asked, extending the gun so it seemed as if she was leaning around to get a look. Just as the whine of ricochets started up, Akeya held her rifle with the butt cupped in her hand and the gun pointing upwards and leaned into the other doorway, lifting the end so she was holding it aimed backwards over her shoulder with her thumb on the trigger. The modules she'd installed on it made it significantly shorter than usual but it did nothing to change the fact that the slight draccian looked mildly comical holding the much-larger-than-her rifle in such an awkward way.

The funny aspect instantly vanished when she pulled the trigger and Sera heard the distinctive klunk of a viis in their full armor being thrown to the ground as Akeya's shot hit him, likely a fatal shot given that it was Akeya. Her rifle barked again with another impact before the garrison apparently got wise and concentrated their fire on the protruding gun.

Akeya withdrew the gun and planted the butt on the ground. "I got two." She announced. "Though I think I'll need more decoys if I'm going to get my bag."

"Before you do that, I'll check on any help. No sense in risking yourself or your weapon if we can pull off a converging assault." Sera reached up and tapped her com to turn it on the right channel. "Vicksburg Actual, Vicksburg Actual this is Wolfpack Actual."

"Vicksburg Actual, General." Lee's voice replied, amazingly calm for a man who'd spent the last several minutes pinned down. "We're all green over here and Ah predict that we shall be nearing the bridge soon. How're things on your end?"

"Armored marine is down with a busted arm so he's no longer combat-effective until he gets a cast at a field hospital." Sera replied. "No other causalities but we're pinned just outside some luxury quarters in close proximity to the bridge. SpecOps Gunslinger managed to kill two of the garrison but the rest is dug in hard and has us in a prepared crossfire. At last call, my adjutant was routing combat power to us but we still haven't seen hide or hair of them. Can you help us out?"

Lee paused. "Luxury quarters... Luxury quarters... ah there, Ah see your position. We're actually one corridor separated from you. Ah'll route a fireteam your way right now, callsign will be Vicksburg Two, frequency is minus three kay-hertz."

"Vicksburg Two, minus three kay-hertz." Sera repeated. "You're an officer and a gentleman, General Lee."

"Ah thank you kindly for the compliment, General Wilson. Ah estimate that my personal command will be at the doors to the bridge in five more minutes and after, we shall await your word to breach. Vicksburg Actual out."

Sera used a claw tip to lift up the small Spectra flap over the comm adjustment controls and dialed in the frequency Lee had given her. "Vicksburg Two, Vicksburg Two, this is Wolfpack Actual."

"Just splitting off from Vicksburg Actual, Wolfpack." The officer replied. "I am two riot marines, two armored, combat engineer, and medic. Can you give me enemy positions?"

"Enemy is in hard cover consisting of branch corridors and low obstacles obstructing the main corridor." Sera told him. "I estimate them at fifteen to twenty soldiers based on the last garrison we encountered. Be advised that their armor-piercing can penetrate suit armor but not a combination riot shield and suit armor."

"Vicksburg Two copies. What're your thoughts on a converging attack with us drawing fire while you hit their flank?"

"Iffy. We'd have to cross ten yards without cover and unless you split your command, part of their entrenched forces would have an easy bead on us during the crossing."

The officer was silent for a moment. "Wolfpack Actual, it's my understanding that you have a SpecOps asset. Can you confirm this?"

"Yes, SpecOps Gunslinger is attached to my command." Sera confirmed. "She has recently informed me that she is a super-soldier, not super-natural."

That drew a snort from the other end. "Wolfpack Actual, I mean no disrespect but you've clearly never worked with a SpecOps, especially a draccian one. Please patch her in and let her tell me that what I'm thinking is beyond her abilities."

Sera blinked at that, momentarily taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"General, I'm about two minutes out. I can either be useful or I can avoid hurting your feelings. I think you want me to be useful so please, ma'am, acknowledge that you're a smart-as-hell officer with shit for experience and put SpecOps Gunslinger on the damn radio." Vicksburg Two reported impatiently.

Sera narrowed her eyes, feeling a flare of resentment-which she quashed brutally; after all, she herself had protested to more than one person that she had almost no experience. "We'll have a discussion about being insubordinate after we win, Vicksburg Two." She told him levelly as she switched to the general frequency. "Major Obsydien? Turn your comm to minus three kay-hertz from Vicksburg Actual. Our reinforcements want you to hear this."

"I know, I was listening." Akeya responded promptly. "I'll kick his ass for you, if you want."

Sera grinned at that. "I prefer that you kick viis ass, Major. Just switch over." Without waiting for a response, she switched over herself. "Okay Vicksburg Two, SpecOps Gunslinger is on the line."

"Good. Major Obsydien, would it be practical for you to...?"

"No trouble at all." Akeya interrupted. "These corridors are high enough for me to use an atypical angle of attack but not with a bunch of entrenched viis watching."

"We're planning to be one helluva distraction, ma'am."

"Good." She paused. "Oh, and Vicksburg Two?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I hope being mouthy with General Wilson was worth it because you know, and I know, that General Lee is going to kick your ass for it."

Vicksburg Two was silent for a moment. "True, ma'am and totally worth it, ma'am. Assault from my end is tee minus thirty seconds on their right flank."

"So... it was worth it to him to shoot his mouth off to me." Sera commented.

"The marines love Lee. Admiral Williams made you senior to Lee. It's generally assumed that she's your girlfriend." Akeya replied in a tone of voice that made it clear she was grinning. "Do the math, boss."

"Wonderful." Sera sighed. "So can you really get across ten yards of field before they can draw a bead?"

"Without even trying." Akeya replied. "Especially since they've probably never had someone attack them from above."

"Above?" Sera began to turn and look at the draccian when she heard a sharp cry and peeked around the corner just in time to see a soldier fly across the corridor in an arc that made it clear that he'd been picked up and thrown. The other soldiers turned and began firing, their weapons making a high-pitched whining sound before a pair of armored marines carrying riot shields clanked into view. They didn't even bother with weapons, using their shields like giant clubs to beat their way through the stunned garrison.

A moment later, Sera caught movement out of the corner of her eye and watched as Akeya vaulted over the crates they'd been using for cover, pulling out a sidearm as she went, her wings snapping open to full extension. With three more steps she mounted another crate, leapt into the air, and kicked off the wall to give herself altitude. Sera could feel the rest of the squad staring as the draccian SpecOps banked and dove so she'd just barely clear the barrier on the other side and crashed into a pair of viis soldiers at full speed, taking them down with her. From her position on the ground, she seemed to flow onto her feet and with a unconscious gesture, she cocked and aimed her sidearm at the soldiers around her, just starting to recover from her attack. Five shots dispensed with three soldiers and a brutal stomp from her armored boot put down one of the ones Akeya had tacked. By this time, the two armored marines had reached her, the rest of their squad trailing them with submachineguns and shotguns visible.

"Wolfpack Actual, the barrier is clear." The officer of Vicksburg Two informed her a moment later. "We all full green and I count six romeo dead, all others injured or surrendered. Can we steal your medic to make sure the wounded don't get dead?"

"Only if you give him back." Sera responded, skirting the scattered shipping crates they'd been using as cover. "But now that the barrier's clear, I've got a breach to run. I'm stealing your two armored marines and heading forward to the nearest bridge door."

"Yes, ma'am." He acknowledged with a nod.

"Captain Prower, stay here and help with the wounded. The rest of you come with me." She instructed, tilting her gun so she could see the ammo indicator on the magazine. "That was pretty impressive, Akeya." She commented as the rest of the squad formed up. "And you said you were just a supersoldier."

"I am." Akeya shrugged as she retrieved her rifle. "There's nothing all that unusual about a draccian with wings. Even less unusual is a soldier who can hit something at point blank range."

"That's not the point, and you know it. It's not that you have wings or are able to hit what you aim at, it's that you're so fluid making use of those skills. For you, jumping off a crate and using a wall to get altitude was so second-nature that it didn't look like you even had to think about it." Sera pointed out as Akeya joined her beyond the barrier. "I can see why that marine was disdainful when I expressed doubts about you being able to cross the no-man's-land so quickly."

"The training was good to me." Akeya said cheerfully. "So, how do you think this is going to play out? I'm hoping for a preemptive surrender myself because when guns start going off, it makes it possible that we'll kill one of the only cool viis in the entire galaxy."

"My plan, at the moment, is to use armored marines with riot shields to rush the defenders and disable them." Sera replied. "I seriously doubt that they could have fit one of those super-guns Malice warned us about onto the bridge so all we have to deal with will be the small-scale ones that can't get passed both a shield and an armor suit."

"I like it." Akeya's ice-blue eyes beamed through her mask. "Say, do you think any of these marines thought flash-bang? That'd done some real wonders for your plan if everyone inside was stunned and confused."

"I'll check." Sera switched over to the frequency with Lee. "Vicksburg Actual, are you F/B loaded?"

"Not that Ah'm aware." Lee responded. "Ah believe that Gunnery Sergeant Zanardi's personal command is equipped for non-lethal but at last call, he won't be able to join us for our breach."

"Then we'll have to resort to a rush by armored marines with riot shields and hope that ricochets don't..."

"General Wilson, me lass. How are things down on th' ground?" Aurora Foxx's cheerfully Irish voice interrupted.

"Wolfpack Actual, Corporal." Sera corrected her. "And we're lining up for an assault into the bridge. Why are you contacting me directly? Shouldn't you be routing communications through and coordinating with my adjutant?"

"Well, see, there was a mite bit o' complication with that, General dearie." Treeni's voice replied. "Ye see, your charmin' adjutant doesn't know where we are."

"May I ask why?"

"Because we mighta forgotten t' mention our cunnin' plan related to this bugger's ductwork." Treeni admitted. "But ye'll be forgivin' us right quick when ye hear what we can do for ye."

"And what might that be?"

"Glad ye asked, General." Aurora replied. "Ye see, it so happens that we're both parked in this ductwork straight above the Grand Admiral. We can see his defenses and with a bit o' luck and some fancy shootin', we can assist your assault."

Sera heard Akeya laugh through her mask and shook her head amusedly. "Our plan is to use our armored marines to charge and disable. We're trying to avoid guns and casualties. How can you help?"

"By tellin' ye that the Grand Admiral has the smartest defensive arrangement that he could have with just a few." Came the response from Treeni. "Minimal force in front, everyone else spread along your entrance walls so as to fire from flank."

"Clever." Sera sighed. "There's no way to get the armored marines into that room without the defenders getting a free shot where the riot shields can't intercept."

"Have faith, love. You see, we bein' proper scouts an' all, we have a whole mess o' flash-bangs to drop on their bonny little reptile heads. Unlike them marines, dearie, we're sort of locked into th' entire evasion strategy, being agile but not bein' so well-armored."

"Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them." Akeya offered with another laugh. "Next you two are going to tell us that you can do some sort of uber-ninja martial arts craziness and disable them all before a leaf falls from a tree or something."

"Oh no, dearie..."

"...but our cousin from Formosa can."

"You don't have a cousin from Formosa." Akeya pointed out. "He's from Kyoto. His girlfriend's from Formosa and he met her on one of those ten-cents-a-minute video sites."

There was a long silence on the other end. "An'... how do ye know that?"

"Please, you two... do you honestly think a 19-year-old girl is going to have access to the world's largest source of juicy info and not have a taste?" Akeya grinned.

"Darl, ye scare us sometimes." Aurora commented after another long silence. "Anyway, General, just give us a holler and we'll take care of your little solider problem."

Sera pursed her lips a moment in thought. "OK, here's my revised plan: at my mark, you drop the flash-bangs and get set up to take out any garrison threatening the flanks of the armored marines. They'll blow in at a five-count and do their work. I'll emphasize that unless there's no other choice, the Grand Admiral is to remain alive and preferably unharmed."

She didn't wait for acknowledgement from the twins, switching over to the frequency with Lee. "Vicksburg Actual, it turns out that we have two scouts infiltrated into the ductwork in the bridge ceiling and both are equipped with flash-bangs. My plan is that at my mark, they'll deploy flash-bangs and at a five-count later, the armored marines with riot shields will make entry followed by rifles."

"Ah concur." Lee responded. "My combat engineers believe that the power locks on the bridge doors can be manually bypassed and that they'll automatically slide open upon being bypassed."

"Excellent. Less chance of collateral damage than explosive breach. Can the bypass be triggered precisely?"

Lee was silent a moment, apparently getting the information from one of his engineers. "Yes, Wolfpack Actual. Give my engineers time to convey instructions to yours and we can get lined up for deployment."

"I copy. Give me word when you're ready." Sera glanced over at Akeya. "Major, did you seriously abuse SpecOps informational resources to dig up gossip on Aurora and Treeni's cousin?"

"Not at all, General." Akeya replied seriously. "SAF military intelligence including every scrap of information it could dig up on the Foxx twins in their official dossiers wasn't my doing. Believe me when I say that you can't even begin to imagine how obsessive true-blue intel weenies are about data, especially about acquiring data. It doesn't even have to be valuable data; I know for a fact that they derived great joy out of learning the name of my pet gator."

Sera turned to stare at her. "Is this another juvenile joke?"

"No, I'm being perfectly serious." Akeya insisted. "If you're willing to wait for about twenty to thirty generations of offspring, you can breed good temperament and affection into pretty much any species. Before World War Three, there were some Russian biologists who got pretty rich breeding wild foxes into affectionate dog-like pets."

"OK, fine. So what was its name?"

"Gummy."

"...Gummy."

"Gummy."

Sera sighed. "You get real joy out of being contrary, don't you?"

"Absolutely." Akeya smiled and patted Sera on the back. "You should try it sometime. Getting joy out of being contrary, I mean. It can be very enjoyable to..."

"Wolfpack Actual, this is Vicksburg Actual." Lee's voice interrupted. "Ah'm told that everything's ready to go, on your mark."

"Thank you, Vicksburg Actual." Sera cleared her throat and switched to the general interrupt frequency of her more short-range transmitter so everyone nearby could hear her. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're prepared to assault the bridge. Remember that live prisoners, especially the Grand Admiral, are top priority, right below staying alive. Assault line, make ready to enter one five-count after my mark. Sound off."

"Vicksburg assault element stands ready."

"Wolfpack assault element stands ready."

"Wolfpack reconnaissance element stands ready."

"Very good then." Sera silently counted off fifteen seconds in her head. "Mark."

She honestly hadn't expected to hear anything through the doors so it came as a surprise when there was a sharp crack that sounded like a rifle had gone off next to her head to mark the detonation of the flash-bangs on the bridge. It seemed like an instant later that the door whooshed open and the two armored marines charged through, the solid armored slab of their riot shields in front of them as they went. Right after them went the two rifles that were with her. It could not have been more than one minute later that one of the rifles poked her head around the corner.

"General, we're clear." She informed her. "The guards have laid down their weapons and there is no resistance on the part of the crew."

"I can imagine so." Sera commented as she entered, trailed by Akeya.

"I don't think it's for the same reason you're thinking." The soldier commented as they slipped between the two hulking armored marines, both of whom had drawn their sidearms but were holding them casually, reminding everyone that they were armed and dangerous without directing it at anyone in particular.

The bridge reminded Sera more of old photographs of mission control for the various 20th century space agencies than the spacious layouts that SAFN used: there were several rows of control consoles with chairs in front of them, each occupied by the predominantly "albiru" crew, and a massive screen divided into dozens of smaller ones directly ahead. The only break in the half-dozen solid rows was a slightly elevated platform with a railing all the way around it and a chair in the center, obviously the place of the officer commanding the ensemble, now occupied by an oddly immaculate-looking Grand Admiral who was regarding the marines with a mixed expression of curiosity and polite interest. In fact, as Sera came to a stop and glanced around, the expression was on the faces of most of the crew. The feeling in the room was distinctly odd, more like that of a family greeting unexpected but not unwelcome visitors rather than the bridge crew of a large ship carrying a superweapon that had been flash-banged and rushed by aliens in massive armored suits. What made the placid reaction of the crew even more strange was the fact that Sera could see that every one of them seemed to be confined to their chair with ponderous-looking chains but they seemed in no hurry to escape their apparent confinement. In fact, they looked almost... comfortable where they were. The strangeness was making Sera's fur stand on end and she was conscious of her tail twitching agitatedly as she took it all in.

"Good day, General." The Grand Admiral said in his strangely flawless English. "I've recalled your rank correctly? You are in fact a general?"

"Yes." Sera managed.

"Very good. I'll ask your pardon for not standing but the weapons you used to prepare the room seem to have made it difficult for me to maintain my balance when I try to rise." He actually smiled very slightly. "I'm sure the effect will wear off in a few more moments."

Sera just stood there, unable to come up with a response. Granted, the Grand Admiral had been very polite in both her previous encounters but his air was very much at odds with that of an admiral who'd just had a vital part of his fleet seized by enemy forces. Again, Sera had the strange feeling that she as being regarded as a visitor rather than an invader and again, it was a distinctly surreal feeling.

The Grand Admiral apparently divined her discomfort because he suddenly grinned widely. "I take it that I am not acting the way that an admiral that has just lost the most powerful vessel in his empire's fleets should be acting. I gather that my crew is also not acting like slaves who are chained to their duty stations should be acting."

"Were these more civilized times, Kaarchan, you would owe me a fine meal." The voice of Shodan informed him from one side. Sera turned and noticed that tucked into a corner, unnoticed until that moment, was one of the "painting in" devices that were in the luxury quarters and just stepping out of it was the lithe form that was an exact duplicate of Saesrae daes Kaa's body. "As it is, I shall accept acknowledgement of my superior analysis."

"I acknowledge that your analysis of the outcome is superior, Shodan." He replied politely, nodding to her. "I eagerly anticipate studying your formal report."

"That may be a long time in coming, sir." Lee said as he stepped around his own armored marines, dressed in the standard infantry armor with his three stars pinned to the shoulders. "Ah believe it's appropriate that we take your formal surrender at this time."

The Grand Admiral paid him a passing glance before looking back to Sera. "I'd be delighted to offer you my surrender but for two minor points of protocol: first, you are the adjutant to my counterpart so it would be inappropriate for me to offer you surrender. The second point of protocol is that I lack the proper ceremonial symbols for an honorable surrender."

"So you won't surrender because... I'm not the right person and you don't have a sword to hand over to me, or whatever your ceremony is." Sera stared at him, forgetting how weirded-out she was by the atmosphere in the room. "I guess the reasonable question is... what else do you propose to do?"

He smiled. "Maintain the polite illusion that I have not yet surrendered to you until the proper protocols can be observed. That said..." He stood and descended from the dais. "...I, and every soldier and vessel crew under my command on this vessel, are your prisoners and Overlord is now under your command. What arrangements would you prefer for our confinement?"

"I'm not sure." Sera looked over at Lee. "General Lee, recommendations?"

"Ah recommend confinement to quarters." He replied. "By far, the most simple thing to implement since we have no ability to remove them to a different location for confinement as prisoners of war."

"Workable." She nodded. "Grand Admiral..."

"Kaarchan." He interrupted. "An admiral without so much as a single ship under his command is not an admiral."

"Um... Kaarchan then." She looked at him for a moment before giving her head a little shake and continuing. "Is it necessary for us to also confine your crew?"

He blinked, clearly taken aback. "Why would it not be?"

"Well, our experience has been that slaves don't tend to be very loyal to their..."

"We ain't slaves, fuzzy." Sera jumped a little as the 'slave' chained to the console nearest to the Grand Admiral spoke up. It vaguely resembled a wolven, but thinner and with much more wiry fur, a kelth if she remembered correctly. "We are duly commissioned officers of the Viis Imperial Fleet, thank you very much."

"And the chains...?"

"Wot, these?" The kelth reached down and hefted the chain, which clanked rather than clinked. "Prop, fuzzy, in case some stupid rill-head officer or some equally stupid fuzzy..."

"Unterstellvert, that is quite enough." An aaroun on the other side of the dais interrupted, his English almost as good as Ampris' but with a slight thickness that Sera attributed to a barely-visible scar running over his nostril and upper lip. Unlike Ampris, his coat was a pale sandy shade with irregular stripes of a dirty brown. He turned to Sera and inclined his head in a gesture of polite respect. "The deception of the chains is necessary, General, because it would cause a great deal of trouble for our esteemed commander if it was known to others that he used his 'slave' crew intelligently. The restraints are a very light substance that, if we desired it, we could simply snap in half with no particular effort. Extremely brittle, you see."

"Yanno, General, it seems to me that there's no reason to uproot the bridge." Akeya commented, not bothering to moderate her voice using the communicator built into her suit. "Maybe stick the soldiers in armor somewhere, sure, but we don't know how to operate this hulk so there doesn't seem much sense in imprisoning the folks that do before we've made a safe rendezvous with the rest of the fleet."

"Speaking of the rest of the fleet..." She turned and looked up at the Grand Admiral who was watching her with visible amusement. "Hey, Kaarchan... would you mind lighting up the screen and showing us how the fight goes?"

He hissed with amusement. "You are by far the most amusing saedtodtaelt I have yet known. Yes, I will 'light up the screen' for you." He looked towards a zhrelli on the front row. "Uberstellvert, please show us the most current battle disposition report on the main viewscreen."

"Herr." The zhrelli acknowledged, turning around and tapping at its board. "I am sorry, but the earlier impacts have destroyed the instrument connections to the battle analysis computers, sir. I cannot relay readings later than two dreib prior."

"I'm guessing that's about the time that whatever it was crashed into the side of this thing." Akeya commented.

"Your own ships, saedtodtaelt." The officer told her. "Large, well-armored ones that were long and came in very large swarms."

"The Hammers." Sera sighed. "Dammit... something must have gone wrong with the guidance when they dropped in. How bad was the damage?"

"Devastating to the outer edge of our left flank." Another zhrelli, this one on the back row of consoles, replied. "No damage to the integrity of the whole. No damage to important systems."

"Is your communication equipment considered 'important'?"

"It is, General."

"Excellent, because we need to find a way to communicate to our admiral that our mission is accomplished." Sera said to him. "We can reach the Executor on a frequency of eight point twelve gigahertz."

The zhrelli looked blankly at her. "What is... gigahertz?"

"Billion cycles per second." Akeya answered. "The 'hertz' is our unit of frequency measurement."

"And what is billion?"

"One multiplied by ten to the ninth exponential power."

The zhrelli looked pleasantly surprised by the answer. "Ah. Then I will immediately tune our communications equipment to operate on a frequency of eight point twelve billion cycles per second."

"Much grass."

"You are welcome, saedtodtaelt." He replied pleasantly as he tapped at his controls which seemed to consist of lighted icons on a flat interactive screen of some sort. "There, I have tuned the equipment. Would you like me to begin signaling?"

"If you would." Sera nodded. "Do I just talk at your viewscreen or is there a microphone...?"

"What is a...?"

"Never mind." Sera sighed. "Where do I speak so the other person can hear me?"

"You may just speak, the Executor will hear so long as you are on the bridge. And now I have opened the connection, you may begin to speak."

"Executor, this is Wolfpack Actual." Sera said, choosing to face towards the viewscreen out of habit.

"Hey Wolfpack Actual." Shadow's voice came back, sounding fairly cheerful. "Do you have good news for me?"

"The ship and the Grand Admiral are secure." Sera reported. "It's my pleasure to present to you your very own planet-killing superweapon, slightly dented."

There was a long silence from the other end. "They were using the Death Star as their command ship."

"Seems like it."

"Well, I suddenly feel much less guilty about thrashing two entire viis fleets." Shadow snorted. "I don't suppose you have the Grand Admiral within reach?"

"I'm here, Admiral." Kaarchan said before Sera could reply. "What may I do for you?"

"You can answer a question honestly and frankly." Shadow replied. "Why is my little task force so successful?"

"I would have no idea, as I know nothing about your vessels, Admiral."

"But you do know yours and when one side outnumbers the other by a factor of four or five, the smaller force should be hard-pressed to be victorious and if they are, suffer grievously. Yet, our forces have not. Why is that?"

"You suspect a deception." He observed, smiling. "Admiral, you must know that if I'm attempting a ruse, you would be the last person I'd tell."

"I know. I'm giving you a golden opportunity to convince me that the battleships crumpling under the bombardment of my own battleships are, in fact, actual warships with actual firepower." An edge of anger entered Shadow's voice. "I'm giving you the chance to explain to me how these fleets ensured that while the Viis Empire once had enemies, it now has none. I want you to tell me how the wrecks burning around me are a symbol of your Empire's greatness."

Kaarchan apparently heard the same angry note as Sera had. "You seem... angry."

"Grand Admiral, I have spent three months in your space. In that time, I have been treated like the primitive savage before the shining brilliance of your all-powerful emperor." Shadow replied, her tone becoming more measured. "I have been referred to using terminology that I know is the height of insulting and spoken to as if I am a stupid pathetic creature that fat, lazy, lifelong bureaucrats deign to pay attention to. Until our encounter with your military power, I was under the impression that the crude treatment came out of a justified sense of superiority, the best I could expect from an all-powerful multiple-system empire. Today, I have learned that I have been abused for three months by witless reptiles whose greatness extends no further than their own minds. Pray tell, why should I not be angry?"

"I would be angry as well, Admiral." Kaarchan acknowledged. "But imagine, if you will, being born into the reality you described, living in it for your best years, and being bound to defend it as a matter of personal honor." He paused, his expression carefully neutral. "The anger eventually goes away."

"I direct none of my complaints against you, Grand Admiral." Shadow pointed out, sounding slightly chastised. "The few times we have encountered one another, you have treated me as a peer. Perhaps you are typical of those viis that take up the military as a career; I would have no way to know without a long conversation and unfettered access to the Royal Archives."

He smiled. "I appreciate that, Admiral. So, have any of my fleet had the good sense to surrender themselves instead of be destroyed?"

"We've begun to cripple instead of destroy." Shadow replied. "After the command ships were hulled and most battleships blasted in half, we've been able to overwhelm the smaller vessels and leave their crews mostly alive, although drifting helplessly. Barring the appearance of a force more in line with that of a mighty empire, this battle appears to be over."

"Good." He stated. "I look forward to delivering my formal surrender to you when it is most convenient."

"Just keep in mind that until that happens, General Wilson is my representative and General Lee her second-in-command. I have no doubt that you will be honorably deferential to them but... it needed to be stated out loud, nonetheless." Shadow sighed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have unpleasant business. Sera? Be safe and I'll see you again soon."