"Ready." Yvian's body spoke mechanically. Her soul was wrapped tightly around the Last Hope of the Ones Who Were Betrayed. The ship was still hurting, but it was nowhere near the level of agony she'd experienced before.

"Firing." Scarrend's voice sounded distantly through the comms. Yvian watched a single Hissith class fighter angle in towards the Hope on the opposite side of the ship's missing section. The Hissith opened fire, raining lances of plasma down on the Lucendian vessel. The Hope drank down the energy, wincing slightly in Yvian's mind.

"Cease fire," Yvian's body commanded. A few seconds later, the Hissith stopped. Yvian whispered encouragement to Hope and bid her farewell, breaking the connection. She allowed herself a few deep breaths, letting the tension out of her body before she gave her report. "The microfractures are mostly healed. It still hurts her to eat, but I don't think she'll be in danger if we make a jump."

"Thank the Bright Lady," Lissa grumbled. "We've been stuck here for two weeks."

"We're lucky she survived at all," Yvian pointed out. "Two weeks is pretty good, all things considered." Between the fission bomb and the energy overload of an exploding planet, the Last Hope had been on death's door when they initiated the jump. The glut of dimensional energy from the Gate had nearly shattered the crystal ship. Thank the Bright Lady they'd chosen an empty sector. Even passively absorbing the light of distant stars had almost been enough to kill her.

"I'm glad she made it." Captain Mims folded his arms. "Does that mean we can jump now?"

"We can jump," Yvian assured him.

"Good." Mims switched to general broadcast. "Warmaster Scathach, this is Mims."

"Go ahead, Scargiver."

"The Last Hope's in the clear. We can jump any time."

"Praise the Empire." Warmaster Scathach rumbled. "Have Yvian tell the ship not to eat our jump field."

"Understood." Mims gestured at Yvian. "You heard him."

"Alright, alright." Yvian sighed and braced herself as she reached for the Node. An unpleasant minute later, ten destroyers exited the South Gate attached to the Lucendian ship and her amplifier crystals. Yvian was back in New Pixa. Finally home. She saw the rest of the Vrrl fleet following behind as she began to withdraw from Hope's soul.

Before she could disconnect, a shot of joy jolted through her. The Last Hope had spotted the Skygem. The smaller ship left her hiding place at the North Gate, accelerating towards the Crystal Mother as fast as her kinetic fields could take her. Yvian shook her head, smiling. She should have known Lucendian ships could fly themselves without a pilot. The Skygem's excited approach would leave the North Gate less defended, but she wasn't going to begrudge the ship for running to her mother.

The crew headed back to the Priderender. They found Skrell Scathach on the bridge with Kilroy. The First Hsst of the Priderender stood in his customary stance, back straight and hands clasped behind his back. He'd removed his helmet, and his three eyes were scanning through his holodisplay with an expression bordering on disbelief. He waited for Yvian and company to reach his command dais before demanding, "How is this possible?"

"You're going to have to be more specific," Mims drawled.

"Don't toy with me, human," the Warmaster growled.

"I'm not," the Captain told him. "I just got here. I don't know what's going on."

"Warmaster Skrell Scathach is examining the debris of the human invasion force," Kilroy spoke up. "Peacekeeper unit Admiral Ender Zhukov reports the fleet consisted of ten million battlecruisers, two million destroyers, three million frigates, five million carriers, and two hundred million fighter class vessels. All targets neutralized. No escapes. No survivors."

"There are only a million pixen ships in the sector," Scathach scowled. "How could you possibly defeat that many humans?"

"Do you want to explain this one, Kilroy?" Mims asked. "It was your people that carried out the plan."

"Affirmative," said the Peacekeeper. His eyes flashed orange, then yellow. "Thirty seven days ago, Captain Mark Mims and Peacekeeper unit Admiral Ender Zhukov set up a contingency plan in case of foreign invasion. The Skygem was placed behind the Peacekeeper monument at the North Gate with its anti-tech field active, stretching approximately four hundred kilometers."

"All our captured Confed ships with beam weapons are sitting just outside of it," Yvian explained. "Waiting to pick off anyone who wasn't dumb enough to turn back."

"This unit is explaining," Kilroy chided. His eyes flashed red.

"Sorry."

"The humans invaded by all three Gates," the machine continued, "but the units at the North Gate immediately retreated and re-entered through the East and South Gates. Peacekeeper units attempted a fighting retreat, leading the humans towards planet New Pixa Prime. Once they reached the calculated position, Peacekeeper unit Admiral Ender Zhukov signaled the entity inhabiting City 43. The entity activated a much wider anti-tech field, disabling the human fleet's sensors and jumpdrives."

The Warmaster frowned. "Even blinded, your forces don't have the firepower to destroy a fleet of that size."

"Incorrect." Kilroy's eyes flashed a smug yellow. "Check your sensors, meatbag. Our forces will become visible in fourteen seconds."

With an annoyed growl, Scathach squinted at the holodisplay. Something was coming out from behind the South Gate. Massive spirals of metal hull corkscrewed around a two kilometer cylinder. Veins of purple light radiated in irregular patterns, making the ship look organic in a disturbing, exposed organ kind of way. Scathach zoomed the holodisplay out, seeing another nineteen corkscrews placed below the one he had been watching.

"Are those..." the Warmaster started.

"Klaath Queenships," Mims confirmed. "We've got twenty of them hiding behind each Gate."

"The Queens were killed during the Incursion," Kilroy explained, "but the ships were not destroyed. Their neural interfaces have been replaced with Peacekeeper units, and each vessel has been outfitted with a pixen Nexus Node."

"By the Emperor..." swore Scathach.

Kilroy spoke into his comm. "Drop stealth." Yvian gave him a look. Kilroy was a Peacekeeper unit. He didn't need to speak to use comms. He'd done it that way for the drama. The Warmaster's eyes widened even further as half a million fighter sized ships shimmered into view.

"Stinger units," Kilroy explained. "Peacekeeper units housed in Fighter class vessels equivalent to a Federation gladiator. Stinger units are outfitted with beam weapons and stealth technology at the cost of weaker shielding and an inability to use projectile ordinance."

"A fighter with beam weapons..." The Warmaster stroked his mane, pondering the possibilities. "I smell. You were able to keep your forces out of the field and destroy the human fleet with beam fire."

"Not destroy," said Mims. "Capture."

"Most powers have their own war machine," said Lissa. "We don't. We built the Stingers because we don't have the resources to build conventional fleets."

"The entire rest of our Military is captured ships," Yvian added. "We never destroy a ship if we can take it for ourselves."

Scathach grunted. "You appear to have taken five percent of the Federation's fighting force." He frowned. "Do you even have enough pilots for that many ships?"

"Not yet." Mims shrugged. "We're going need more Peacekeepers."

"Unit production has been increased," Kilroy informed him.

The Warmaster's frown deepened. "Have you no pixen pilots?"

"Sure." Mims pointed at Yvian and Lissa. "We've got two of them."

"Not a lot of pixens with flying experience," Lissa pointed out. "We're working on it, but it'll be at least another year before any of them are trained enough to fight."

"A year? Just to pilot a ship?" Scarrend scoffed. "That's-" He cut himself off when he caught the Captain's look. The human raised an eyebrow. Scarrend cleared his throat. "That sounds inconvenient."

"Affirmative," Kilroy agreed. "Teaching the meatbags has been and will continue to be a slow annoying process. It amazes this unit that they don't self terminate out of sheer frustration, slow and deficient as they are."

"You're a real glass is half full kind of guy, Kilroy," Captain Mims deadpanned.

"Negative," the Peacekeeper chided. "A glass in atmosphere will always contain gas in addition to any liquids or solids. A glass in vacuum will be empty. This unit would not claim any open container to be half full."

The human sighed.

"Moving on," said Lissa. "What else happened while we were gone?"

"Very little," Kilroy reported. "Peacekeeper unit Ambassador Zarkon has been dealing with the Oluken. They are claiming the attack on Tenril Station happened without their knowledge. Peacekeeper unit Ambassador Zarkon has compiled substantial evidence proving otherwise."

"They will try to remain neutral," Warmaster Scathach predicted. "The cowards will play both sides as long as they can."

"We'll probably have to let them," Mims admitted. "The Terran Federation by itself might be more than we can handle. Throw in an Oluken battlefleet and we're going to have real problems."

"The Vrrl Starfang Empire could crush them and the Taa'oor ourselves," Scarrend was certain, "but it would take more than half our fighting force." He frowned. "We should do it, anyway. It's what they deserve."

"What they deserve doesn't matter," Mims told him. "If we attack, the Federation will swoop in."

"They are also the only species capable of building med pods," Scarrend reminded him. "Without those, our people will be reduced to our original lifespan."

"Original lifespan?" Yvian prompted.

"One of the joys of being genetically engineered," Mims explained. "The Vrrl only live for eight years or so."

"Oluken technology allows us to survive much longer," said Scathach. "I've lived four lifetimes, now."

"How old are you?" Yvian asked Scarrend.

"I am four years old," the Vrrl stated proudly. "Almost five."

"Huh." Yvian didn't know what to do with that information, so she changed the subject. "What about the humans? They do anything?"

"Negative," said Kilroy. "Not since the initial invasion. We have units monitoring the human Nexus networks. There has been no mention of the attack at Tenril Station or the invasion of the Pixen Technocracy. The humans do not know what their government has done."

"Why wait?" Scarrend wondered. "The smart play would have been to attack immediately."

"Would it?" Warmaster Scathach raised his eyebrows. "They're dealing with an international incident with the Oluken, who are feigning outrage to hide their own guilt. They've lost over half a billion ships, and they don't know how it was done."

"Attacking Pixa directly is a bad idea," Mims agreed. "And attacking the Starfang Empire would be stupid before they know if the Vrrl are declaring war or not." He crossed his arms. "Hell, as far as they know we might all be dead. Those pricks in the unknown sector jumped out the second they detonated the Last Hope. They don't know if we made it out or if we brought the Hope with us."

"Why does that matter?" Yvian wondered. "It's not like the ship can do much right now."

"They don't know that," Mims reminded her. "More importantly, they don't know if they're dealing with us, or a bunch of pissed off Peacekeeper units with no restrictions. You and I would hesitate to sterilize a planet. Kilroy's folk would enjoy it."

"Affirmative," Kilroy agreed. "If you meatbags had been terminated, Peacekeeper units would currently be exterminating the human species by the most efficient means available."

"As would the Empire," Warmaster Scathach seconded.

"Means a very different kind of war," Mims continued, "with very different tactics."

"You know," Lissa remarked, "If Reba thinks you're dead, she might not bother sending the humans after us at all."

"Incorrect," Kilroy disagreed. "The humans are going to great lengths to secure Lucendian technology. Exodus the Genocide's ultimatum has been removed or ignored. The Peacekeeper units have lost contact with Exodus the Genocide. This unit believes Reba has made a bargain with the Xill."

"Oh." Yvian tried to think through the implications. "Oh, Crunch. If the Xill are backing the humans..."

"I don't think they are," said Mims. "Not directly. If they were, the Federation wouldn't have needed to use strike teams in Oluken space. The Xill could have told them our jump coordinates, our defenses, everything."

"It is likely the Xill will remain neutral," Kilroy supposed. "They will wait and see which group is superior." His eyes flashed red. "Fools. They should know Peacekeeper units are superior already."

"We'll see what we can find out," Mims told him. "Alright, people. We've got a little time before the Federation makes a move. We should use it wisely." He stretched. "For tonight, that means burgers, cake, and beer."

"Cake?" Yvian perked up. She hadn't had cake in... How long had it been?

"Cake." Mims confirmed.

"Bright Lady, yes." Lissa agreed. "Bake us a cake."

"What is this... cake?" Warmaster Scathach inquired.

"The best food ever," Yvian told him. "You should come to the Encounter with us and try some!"

"I have not sampled cake," said Scarrend. "But they have delicious aquatic creatures. Fish are not as good as sapient flesh, but they're much better than our rations."

The Warmaster gave a pleased rumble. "I will partake." He chuckled. "Who would have guessed I'd be invited to dinner by prey?"

"We're not prey," Yvian reminded him. Vrrl weren't allowed to eat pixens anymore. They had a treaty.

"No." Scathach chuckled again. "No, I suppose you're not." He straightened, hands clasped behind his back. "I said some time ago that pixens had become a power. I did not know how true those words would prove to be."

"Enough about that." Captain Mims waved him off. "The mission's done, the Last Hope's been retrieved, and I'm hungry. We can do speeches tomorrow."

"We'll have to do a lot of things tomorrow," Lissa pointed out.

"Probably not speeches though," Yvian quipped.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean..." Mims stopped mid-sentence, looking at Yvian with an expression bordering on incredulity. "Wait. What did you say?"

"What?" Yvian frowned at the man.

"You think we're not gonna do a speech?" Lissa put her hands on her hips. "We're declaring war on humanity!"

"I know. I just thought...you know..." Yvian ran a hand through her hair. "We're just telling them we're at war, right? You don't really need a speech for that."

"And that's why you're not in charge of diplomacy." Lissa shook her head.

"Yvian is no more deficient than the rest of you meatbags," Kilroy came to Yvian's defense.

"I find it kind of refreshing, myself." Captain Mims clapped Yvian on the shoulder. "Don't ever change."

"She could change a little..." Lissa teased.

Yvian smiled. Mims was right. It had been a rough few months, but they'd made it through. The Pixen Technocracy was still here, and it was stronger and better than she'd hoped it would be. Her dream wasn't safe, not yet, but it was real. She could afford to celebrate. Yvian would drink beer and eat cake and enjoy the company of her friends. For tonight at least, she'd forget her troubles and be happy.

She could wage war on the humans tomorrow.