Vellantina had cleaned and checked her revolver long before the others woke up. All was well, safe she was down to her last five bullets. When the dusk barely kissed the sky, she clapped her hands and hurried them like a mean sergeant hurries his recruits. We leave in two. Do your call of nature things, throw your stuff into the transporter and let’s move; that was what she said.

She led the way on the small path, most likely made by deers and bears. The transporter, driven by Khit's and carrying Sem, who’s feet ached, followed twenty yards behind, squeezing laterally on the path to not fall the trees on top of those in front.

Fifteen minutes later, the daylight had appeared but the sun not, and they’ve reached the clearing with the blimp camp. Before they realized it, they were next to the remains of the campfire.

All around, silence. By the bottles and plates lying all over the place, it was clear that most of the revelers were still sleeping except one, who was looking at them with stupor from twenty yards away.

That lady, Elizabeth, she went for a morning walk. And she’s not pretty; she’s gorgeous, though Vella.

The woman was dressed only in her nightgown, her bare feet enjoying the caress of the grass, a small basket full of freshly cut herbs and flowers in her hands.

“Good morning,” said softly, Vellantina.

There was no response. The woman stared at them; they stared at her.

“Ejlsa?” asked Sirinn, like he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Sirinn?” she replied. “What are you doing here?”

“Great scouting, genius!” said Ulius, pointing to a banner which read in big letters: Happy Birthday, Ejlsa is back!”

Ejlsa is back… yes, not Elizabeth… I’m so stupid!

Things began to move at a faster pace and in many directions, and none pleased Vellantina. Everyone in the camp woke. One by one they appeared in the clearing, first the guards, armed both with zweihanders, then the cook, which at daylight was not a cook at all but a soldier in Western Autarchy uniform, carrying a crossbow, and finally, the pilot, in which she recognized, with much amazement, the crippled beauhemian.

“Dharius?” exclaimed Fits.

“Fits?”

Seeing that the two guards and the soldiers were nervous and their hands were taking some not so peaceful positions on the weapons, Vella moved her hand slowly toward her holster while asking politely:

“No sudden moves, please. We are all nice people.”

And, of course, everyone moved. In ten seconds, ten events or more occurred. First, to go into action was the soldier. He discharged his crossbow at Vella while shouting as loud as he could:

“They’ve found us, my love! Run!”

Up to the northern side of the clearing, a woman had appeared, descending the light slope. As soon as she heard him, she turned on her heels and ran back.

Alienor, thought Vella, ducking to avoid the bolt and pulling out her gun.

With her free hand, she grabbed a knife too. Both the guards and the soldier were preparing to attack, and they were too close for her liking.

Mayhem ensued. Dharius transformed a prosthetic in a sort of a gun and fired at Vella in his turn, missing her by a mile, though. Ejlsa started a forcefield as wide as the clearing, obviously to block the path up toward her daughter. Ulius and Estella invoked a shield to protect themselves from strayed bullets. Sirinn was shouting: don’t shoot, don’t shoot! Dharius was frantically recharging his weapons while the guards and the soldier approached to engage Vella in melee combat.

She was ready to shoot them despite her unwillingness to spend the precious bullets, when Khit’s came to the rescue, firing a net that caught all the three in it and zapped them with electricity, rendering the two unconscious.

Good boy, Khit’s!

With those down, she fired at the maimed beauhemian, who was raising his guns again.

Idiot!

Fits had jumped in front of his brother, and both had fallen, motionless. It was not the time to think about it, so she aimed toward Ejlsa and her shield and fired again, this time pulling up the gun and missing by her own will because Sirinn had jumped in front of her, trying to protect the woman.

Another idiot!

Her bullet had accomplished a good deed, though, dissipating the force shield.

Good boy, Uncle Istaìnn. Nice ammunition.

Meanwhile, Sirinn had caught Ejlsa in his arms and pulled her down on the grass, protecting her with his body.

Stupid! I’ll deal with him later; let’s take care of Alienor, for now.

She began running uphill, with the transporter on her heels.

“Khit’s is the only one who’s not a complete moron!”

The clearing was transforming into an alpine pasture and went upward toward a stone wall. Alienor was just a little dot in the distance, but she had been fifteen years on another planet with weaker gravity while Vella was the best runner of her Academy, had killer clone genes, and now some magic to enhance those. She got closer and closer, and at that point, the transporter went a little to the right at full speed. When Vellantina had caught up with Alienor, Khit’s had already cut her way on the other side. The Nemesis was now panting, enemies to her north and south. Seeing she had nowhere to flee, she stopped, conjuring a bright force field, and in her right hand, a pulsating ball of lighting.

“LET ME BE!” she shouted. “I don’t want to fight, but I will if I must!”

“Surrender!” she ordered, aiming her gun. “Your army is no more; your plans had gone to naught!”

“You don’t understand!” shouted Alienor. “I’m i…”

The transporter shot at her a ball of fire, and instantly Alienor let go of her spell too.

Vellantina regained consciousness one minute later.

Goodness! she thought, realizing she had been projected through the air at least twenty yards.

Her sight had two bright spots in it, the light of the explosions; the only way to see something was to look at the sides.

Goodness! she repeated, seeing the destruction around. The transporter had transformed into a shapeless mound of twisted metal. All grass was burned to a crisp on a radius of fifty yards or more; only a thin strip of green remained; on it was Vella, and farther up, Alienor.

Both projectiles exploded! Alienor’s shield was more robust than the vehicle’s armor; it protected me too… or else I’d be ashes now. Good grievance, Khit’s; you shouldn't have been such a trigger happy little monster. I’ll miss you!

Her gun laid next not far from her, on the grass. She took, but it fell from her hands, so weak she was. Weak and dizzy, standing on her two feet was out of the question, so she crawled on all four to the woman. Alienor was unconscious and gravely wounded.

Did I shot her? I don’t remember! My upward pattern, only a little aside. The first bullet hit her chest, the second her shoulder, the third missed. I didn’t hit the heart, yet the wound is still deadly. Goodbye, Nemesis.

Alienor was on the brink of death. Her breath was barely there, frothing blood bubbles. Yet, somehow, she continued to breathe and froth and not die for another minute. Tired of waiting, Vellantina thought to cut the suffering short. She put her hands around the woman’s throat and squeezed, and squeezed, but the breath was still there. She was too weak from the concussion. The neck felt soft and warm, and she was uncomfortable doing it, but things must be done, so she raised a little and let her weight forward instead of squeezing. Now, the breaths were slower and more spastic. Slower… Slower…

Almost gone…

With a brutal shove, someone pushed her away with force.

“Monster!”

Sirinn searched desperately in his pockets, found a small rest from a sandwich he had left for later, unwrapped it, and put the transparent envelope on Alienor’s chest, fitting it over the wound. At the same time, he invoked a healing spell.

“She’s a goner, let it be,” she said, her head throbbing with pain and dizziness. “Not worth the effort.”

But Sirinn did not let go. He kept up his spell, over and over again, until the breath became less spastic, regular, and without the frothing.

“I hope Ejlsa can do more,” he sighed.

Vella was feeling better, though, but not much. She tried to rise and fell again. Leaving Alienor for a moment, Sirinn hurried toward her and tied both her hands and feet with his belt and pieces torn from his shirt.

“What are you doing? Let me go! Traitor!” she called. “I should have guessed you’re on the beauhemians side!”

“Monster!” he shouted back. “Bloodthirsty monster! Brainless brute! You killed Fits, almost killed Ejlsa and me, and now this? What kind of psychopath are you?”

“A what?” she asked, then his words hit. “Providence!” she gasped. “I killed Fits?”

The shock made her faint again.