Page 132 of Defiant

“Skyward Seven,” Catnip called. “Callsign: Catnip. I’m here. I can’t believe I’m still mixed up with you lot.”

“Skyward Eight,” Kauri said, “and all thirty of us are here for you. Did…the Masked Exile arrive?”

“He is here,” Hesho said from his controls. “And is grateful for your concern, and your leadership.”

“Skyward Nine,” Shiver said. “They say we need callsigns. I’m thinking Stalwart. We’re here.”

Dllllizzzz flashed her comm light, to indicate her presence as well.

“And I’m here too!” M-Bot said. “Hello, everyone! I’ve been resurrected. But I’m not starting a religion. I’ve decided they’re too much work.”

“Skyward Eleven,” Kimmalyn said, moving her ship in next to mine. “Callsign: Quirk. I’m here.”

I watched Brade’s shield go down to a web of destructor blasts, and I sent a message telling the others to hold their fire.

“Skyward Zero,” a voice said in my ear. Jorgen’s wonderful voice. “Always with you, Spensa. Even when I can’t be there in person. I told them that this time you hadn’t run off. Iknewyou’d been kidnapped.”

“Thank you,” I said to him. “For believing in me.”

Brade slowed her ship, realizing she was surrounded. Outgunned. I could see her turn her fighter toward me, could almost make out her expression as she considered.

Then she bolted, trying to escape.

I vaporized her cockpit with a single shot.

“Skyward Twelve,” I whispered. “Callsign: Spin.Confirmed.”

Epilogue

Valizode, as prime controller of the elected assembly, wassupposedto be the most powerful being on the planet Monrome—homeworld of the dione people, center of culture for the entire Superiority. Yes, there were Superiority officers ranked higher than Valizode was, but they were out of contact right now. The Superiority was a mess anyway. So Valizode, well, they should have been the most important person around.

They didn’t feel like it. Instead, they felt strangely cold as the others led them through the primary communications node on Byled. Now a mess of broken-open machinery, holes ripped into it like the hearts had been taken out for surgery.

It was a cold, icy thing to realize you—the most powerful person on aplanet—were helpless.

“All of our communications systems,” Lekilid said softly, gesturing to another set of ripped-open machines. “Every one on theplanet.Even in the secret places of intelligence…they’re all like this. Vandalized in a moment last night.”

Valizode bared their teeth. Something they prided themself on never doing. So uncivilized, it felt. But what other response was there?

“Same with the hyperdrives?” Valizode asked.

The other diones in the room nodded. Something, a force they didn’t understand, had ripped intoeveryship in the system and taken out the hyperdrives. And the inhibitors. And every other secret piece of biological technology on the planet. Somehow, this force had found themall,no matter how hidden. It was like nothing else ever recorded.

If reports were true—scattered and fragmentary as they’d been before communications had shut down—then this was happening all across the Superiority. Worse, something terrible and terrifying was involved. Delvers.

Valizode left the room and stepped out onto a balcony, formal coat rustling as they put their hands on the railing and looked out over a sea of lights. Light to push back the darkness. Ever since the diones had achieved prime intelligence, they had been a light to the galaxy. Pushing back the twin darknesses of barbarism and aggression.

Now…

Now Valizode was scared.

Terrified.

“What do we do?” Yaksurma said, walking up, terror painted on their bifurcated face, half-blue, half-red. They were a draft, doing an internship. It wassupposedto have been an easy couple of weeks for them to prove themself. That had been before the reports had started coming in. First an assault on the secret Superiority taynix storage facility a few days back. Then terror around the galaxy.

Now this?

Valizode looked up at the sky, stars twinkling high above. It had been a long,longtime since a dione had looked up there and been frightened. They’d mastered their universe. Claimed it. Until…now…

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