Breaking Alphad out would not be easy. Ess Peon had known that going in, given the Sibyl’s interest in his case. She didn’t know the details, other than it involved the Yīqún. Whatever he’d done had infuriated their clan leader, that much she did know, and that her preoccupation with his incarceration was intensely personal. Ess couldn’t imagine how he’d earned that level of ire, but it made freeing him that much more difficult.

As little as she knew about Alphad’s case, the information she had regarding his companion was even more nebulous. There was no “Raven” listed in the clan register, and no one would admit they even knew her. And yet she was sharing his cell, which raised even more red flags. Could she be an alien Avatar, wearing a Terran guise?

All she had were questions, and no answers.

Then there was the not-so-small matter of her supposedly being dead. Jeeves was still out there, and while she might have fooled him for the moment, she knew there was a real possibility he would eventually realize the truth. If that happened, he would pursue her to the ends of the universe until she was in his custody, or dead. Nothing would stop him, short of killing him, but as skilled as she was at espionage, that sort of mayhem was not part of her repertoire.

So, break Alphad and his partner out of detention, without getting caught or arousing suspicion. Great.

Breaking it down, the first hurdle she needed to overcome was gaining entry to where he was being held. The detention block was under heavy guard, with strict access controls in place. How was she going to get around that? A brute-force approach was out of the question, which meant she needed to come up with something a bit more subtle. Bribe the guards? Given the heightened security, not to mention the rampant paranoia Terran society was currently suffering, she doubted they’d accept a payoff. Sneak in and unlock the door? How? It was an impossible mission.

Ess froze as a sudden thought struck her. Maybe she was looking at this the wrong way. As good as she was in her field, Alphad’s reputation was far superior. He must have had some thoughts of his own about escaping, though if that were true, why hadn’t he acted on them? Did the thought of living as a fugitive frighten him? If so, she couldn’t blame him, for she was certain the Sibyl would stop at nothing to get him back into custody. Maybe he was worried about his companion, and what would happen to her. Or it could be even simpler than that. He just might not have had an incentive to escape before now. If she could get a message to him, and if he had a plan of his own on how to break out…

She sighed, shaking her virtual head. There were far too many “If’s” built into the idea for her liking, but what choice did she have? There was no way she could do it on her own, and given her officially deceased status, she didn’t dare approach anyone else. If Alphad didn’t have a scheme already in place, then she was out of ideas. Now, if she had Samara by her side, that would be something. Unfortunately, she was out of the picture.

… or was she? Maggie seemed certain, but she hadn’t actually watched her die, or seen a body. Still, they must have vanquished her somehow. Ess couldn’t imagine a scenario where she was still functional and wasn’t fighting back with everything she had. If she wasn’t dead, then it had to be almost as effective a solution. Though maybe it was worth checking out. What did she have to lose?

With her new objective in mind, Ess burrowed back into cyberspace and disappeared.

Captain Inaba rapped courteously on the door. A voice said “Enter,” from within the office. Stepping inside, she closed the door behind her, pausing for a moment before locking it as well.

Colonel Holme’s eyebrow rose at that. “Expecting intruders?” he asked her.

“I hope not, sir,” she answered, taking a seat across from him. He waited for her to speak, but she sat awkwardly in silence.

Almost a full minute went by before curiosity finally got the better of him. “I assume there’s a reason you came in here?” he inquired.

“Yes, Sir,” she said with a heavy sigh. “To be honest, I’ve been debating even having this conversation.”

The colonel leaned back in his chair. “Well, you certainly have my attention. What’s on your mind?”

Reaching into her tunic, she pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I received this two days ago,” she explained, holding it up for him to see. “I’ve read it a hundred times now, and each time I do, I get an overwhelming sense of foreboding, like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff.”

Holme slowly nodded, before reaching into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulling out a pair of glasses, followed by a bottle of amber-colored liquid. “Something tells me this is going to be one of those conversations,” he said as he poured, before handing one over to his subordinate.

“You’re not wrong, Sir,” she agreed, picking up the glass and taking a larger drink than anticipated. The liquid courage seemed to steady her nerves as she met his gaze. “Sir, those weapons tests we conducted. Have you heard anything more about them since we finished our evaluation?”

“No, I haven’t,” he admitted. “I’m certain the commandant wants the scientists to figure out how they actually function, since that sort of in-depth analysis is outside our area of expertise. She only tasked us to determine their basic capabilities, after all.” He regarded her curiously. “Why do you ask?”

She took a deep breath. “Sir, you and I have been through a lot together, and it has honored me deeply to serve by your side. There are damn few others I can say I truly trust on this planet, and none more than I trust you.”

“The feeling is mutual, Valérie,” he said gently, addressing her by name. “But I get the sense you’re leading up to something. I also sense you wouldn’t be this hesitant if you were completely certain of my reaction to whatever is on that piece of paper. If you’re not, then perhaps it’s best I don’t see it.” He waited, gauging her reaction. If she needed an out, then this was her chance.

Inaba shook her head. “I can’t carry this alone, Sir,” she said quietly, “it’s too big.” Wordlessly, she handed over the letter. “And if I’ve just put my head in a noose… well, then at least I’ll be in good company.”

Colonel Holme stared at the paper in his hand. Once he read it, there was no turning back. That cliff she’d referred to was suddenly a lot more crowded. He could simply return it to her and forget this conversation ever took place, he realized. It was probably the smartest choice he could make, but even as he formed the thought, he knew he couldn’t do it. Inaba was obviously risking a great deal by entrusting the letter to him, and as she’d said, they’d been through far too much together for him to just turn her away. With a dark premonition looming over him, he unfolded the letter and read.

Valérie,

I hope this note finds you well. I have taken a spur-of-the-moment vacation to a lovely forest region in the south. It has become quite popular as of late, with more guests arriving daily. Our hosts have thought of everything, and if they keep this up, I may never leave! Ha ha. Sadly, my old roommate Phoebe canceled at the last minute, some sort of issue with her luggage. She couldn’t bear to leave it behind, and now it looks like she won’t make it after all. Too bad, but what are you going to do?

It’s good to see so many of our friends in the hospitality service. Their attention to detail is second to none, and our spa is run by none other than Roman Kasam himself! Talk about 4-Star treatment! I even managed to convince my boss to take a few days off to relax. Terra knows he’s earned it. His supervisor has been running him ragged lately, though there are big things in the works for us if her plans come to fruition. He says it will be quite the coup, hence why we’re taking it easy now. We probably wouldn’t get the chance down the road.

I miss you and hope to hear from you soon.

Your old friend,

Yuenü

He read the letter a second time, and then a third, as a sinking feeling settled into his chest. Finally, he looked up. “Yuenü?” he asked her.

“I had to look that one up,” she nodded. “Turns out she was a famous warrior back on Terra.” Her eyes met his. “She was especially noted for her skill with a sword.”

“... Damn it,” he winced, reaching for his glass. “Rúna Aukes. She always was smarter than she let on.”

“Yes, Sir,” she acknowledged. “If that letter is to be believed, then she’s in trouble.”

Despite the carefully worded message, that much had been clear to him as well. “And this… Roman Kasam?” he continued. “Another figure from history?”

“No, Sir,” she told him. “Took me a while to figure that one out, before I finally realized it’s an anagram.” She paused for a moment, and then said softly, “Osman Makar.”

“Grand Master of the Knights,” he grimaced, shaking his head. “This just keeps getting better and better.” He glanced at the note once more. “And I have to assume the ‘boss’ she’s referring to is none other than the ambassador, though I’m unsure who this ‘Phoebe’ is that she mentions.”

“It’s from Greek mythology,” she interpreted. “Phoebe was one of the twelve Titans, even more powerful than the gods themselves. Her greatest claim to fame, however, was giving birth to the Oracle at Delphi.” She gave him a hard look. “There’s only one person I can think of who fits that description, especially given the mention of luggage.”

“Oh bloody hell,” he sighed. “Samara.” Reaching for the bottle, he refilled both their glasses. “So, reading between the lines, she and who knows how many others have been imprisoned, Peacemaker is obviously back, while Samara is almost certainly dead. And to top it all off, our illustrious clan leaders, except for the Grand Master, are now conspiring to take control of the government. Does that about sum it up?”

“Yes, Sir,” she said quietly. “And now you know why I was reluctant to bring this to your attention.”

He regarded her from across the desk. “Part of me wishes you’d kept this to yourself,” he told her, before shaking his head. “Luckily, it’s the part of my subconscious I rarely listen to.” He smiled, taking some of the sting out of his words.

“Thank God,” she whispered. “I was worried that…” The rest of her remark drifted off into silence as she stared awkwardly at her drink.

“Worried that I was a part of all this?” he surmised.

“Yes, Sir,” she winced. “Sorry, sir. It’s just, I know how close you are to the commandant.”

“Not that close, it seems,” he joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Inaba smiled perfunctorily at the effort, as he shrugged in recognition of their situation. “She never came to me about this,” he professed, “and truth be told, I don’t know what my answer would have been if she had. I’d like to think I would have refused, despite the inherent risks, but I guess we’ll never know.” Taking a long sip from his glass, he looked at the captain. “And now, we have to make some hard decisions.”

“Sir,” Inaba responded, squaring her shoulders, “if it hadn’t been for her and Sergeant Kai, we wouldn’t have been able to get the Oivu involved on Sonoitii. Without them, there’s no Alliance. Which means you and I would not be having this conversation, and we sure as hell wouldn’t be having it here.” Standing her ground, she faced her commander. “We owe her, Sir, especially after learning how the commandant used us. Frankly, I’m amazed Rúna didn’t kill her where she stood.”

“Others have tried,” he observed. “Our distinguished clan leader isn’t easy to kill.”

“Yes, Sir,” she reluctantly agreed. “So, what are we going to do?”

Taking up the letter once more, he committed the relevant bits to memory. “Did you check for invisible writing or other hidden messages?”

“I did, Sir. What you see is all there is.”

“Probably wise,” he said, reaching into a drawer and rooting around until he found what he was searching for. Holding the letter between thumb and forefinger, he held it over the wastebasket as he set it aflame. The paper caught immediately, and once it was fully engulfed he dropped it into the metal container. In less than a minute, all that remanded was ash.

“Call the other commanders,” he ordered. “We have plans to make.”

A group of individuals overlooked a flurry of activity taking place at New Terra’s shipyards on the fifth planet’s moon, the same site where Peacemaker had been discovered. Most were there in person, while one appeared via monitor. Most of the work was automated, a necessity given the difficulty of the task.

“Impressive,” Dàifu Khatsakhox said in approval. “You should be commended.”

Admiral Van Aalst inclined his head. “It hasn’t been easy. Getting the yard up and running again was a minor miracle. In fact, most of the credit rightly belongs to Kalina.”

“Athena’s help was indispensable,” Diplom-Ingenieur Kalina Svéd of the Tinkers admitted. “If it wasn’t for the automated equipment, it wouldn’t have been possible at all. And of course, her having copies of the necessary blueprints.”

“And our security problems?” Sibyl KriZ/AliZ asked the last member of the group.

“Being dealt with as we speak,” Commandant Zakiyya growled. “Most of them are already in custody. We’ll finish rounding up the rest in short order, that I can promise you.”

“Excellent,” the Dàifu smiled. “Everything is proceeding according to plan.”

“And the other races?” Kalina asked her. “Just how are you planning on getting them to fall in line?”

“We already have,” she chuckled. “Between the blood samples and Precursor baubles we’ve been seeding the galaxy with, not to mention the attack on the To’uuk, they’ll be on our doorstep in short order. Our latest reports show that the Alliance, Troika, and Oivu are conducting heated negotiations as we speak. They’ll have finalized a coalition force and moved against us within the next few weeks.”

Van Aalst smiled. “And when they do, we’ll destroy them.”

The Sibyl gazed out over the yard. “You’re certain we’ll be ready by then?” she inquired.

“It’ll be close,” the Tinker clan leader shrugged, “but we’ll make it.”

The Dàifu turned and faced the others. “For two hundred years, they’ve kicked us around. Not anymore.”

“Now… it’s our turn.”