"It is true," Krinia said. "As long as there have been Mewiis, we have known the Hrono. Only in recent centuries have the feared Kraaqi longships become known to us."

"There were wars," Saris added in a reflective tone. "We fought against the Hrono in the beginning.

Then there was the Great Peace. The Kraaqi destroyed that when they first showed up. The many centuries since have been turbulent with only short periods of peace. The Mewiis have not thrived in this environment, which is why we have endeavored to find habitable worlds far away from the Three Kingdoms-for our children."

"Will the Hrono and Kraaqi not join us in this mighty struggle?" Jaric asked in disbelief. "Otherwise the T'kaan will destroy you all-one by one!"

The Mewiis grew silent, then Saris again spoke.

"In the Book of Wars, the Mewiis have allied with the Hrono against the Kraaqi many times. When the Hrono have acted destructively, when their leadership has been changed and they have sought dominance, we have even fought with the Kraaqi against the Hrono."

"Butnever have the Hrono and Kraaqi fought together," Krinia added matter-of-factly. "They are sworn enemies?" Kyle thought out loud.

"They are sworn enemies, forever." Saris said with emphasis.

"We seem to have a problem with our proposed alliance," Mother's voice whispered to her children.

"We must not be dismayed by obstacles," Minstrel's voice whispered a moment later.

"This is no small obstacle," Kyle whispered into his communicator.

"Sworn enemies. Lifelong enemies," Jaric added.

"Do humans always talk to themselves in this strange fashion," Krinia asked.

Becky, Kyle and Jaric brought their heads up with a sudden jerk.

"We apologize. We were conferring," Becky said sincerely.

"Who is this Minstrel?" Saris added.

"Oops." Minstrel's voice said from nowhere. And everywhere.

"We are not a backward race," Krinia said. "I cannot pinpoint the source of this Minstrel, though Mother's communications originate from the large ship of the humans."

"That ship," Jaric said with an edge to his voice. "is our Mother."

Kyle glared at the Mewiss, deeply insulted.

The Mewiis grew silent as they exchanged furtive glances with each other.

"We know the importance of parents to children. We apologize. Ours, too, is a society where the parent/child relationship is cherished. But," Krinia added, "we do not understand your relationship with the MotherShip."

"With our Mother," Becky added with a smile.

Saris and Krinia looked at each other in surprise. "We would hear more of your Mother. We must also discuss this terrible enemy and what we can do to protect our children. Please, all of you, come."

The meeting was promptly moved to the Mewiis shuttle for dinner and entertainment. There Saris, Captain of the Mewiss ship, spoke of the history of the Mewiis race-of their heritage, and their life.

Females were the leaders of this matriarchal society. It was a society that sought peace, but seldom found it in this dangerous universe.

Saris explained that the children were the most important segment of Mewiis society. For they were their future.

Mother listened intently. After Saris finished speaking, Jaric explained their relationship with Mother; how Mother had been designed as the ultimate warship to fight the T'kaan in humanity's losing war. He revealed how the age-old dream of creating artificial intelligence had finally been accomplished and then joined together in the M Project to create Mother.

But all too late to turn the tide.

Jaric also explained how Mother's creators, Ron and Rita, had come up with a new plan in the growing desperation of humanity's last days. They had uploaded the entire knowledge gathered by the human race into Mother's vast long-term memory storage. This was to become the last bastion of knowledge, the last memories of the human species.

They had also put together an equally desperate escape plan.

Once again, the T'kaan had foiled even this frantic attempt during those tumultuous last days. In the end, during the climax of the final battle, Rita had sent the ship outward with only three young occupants-Becky, Kyle and Jaric-when they had hoped that they and dozens of others on the project might have escape, with only the MotherShip between them and certain death.

They spoke of their long years of searching while the T'kaan young grew on the desolated human worlds; the years of fruitless searching for any other possible survivors. Finally, they explained their decision to leave the dead worlds behind as the T'kaan fleet had learned of the existence of Mother and the children and begun to hunt them down. The T'kaan had dedicated themselves to finish the grisly task of destroying the last of humanity as well as Mother.

"That is the fate that awaits the Three Kingdoms," Kyle said with a sobering tone.

"That is the fate that awaits your children," Mother added, again through the communicator around Becky's neck. "If you want your children to live," Mother paused, letting the words sink in, "for your children to have any kind of future, then you must defeat the T'kaan. Or they will destroy all. Only with an allied fleet of Mewiis, Kraaqi and Hrono can you hope to succeed."

The Mewiis grew silent, reflecting on the hard words and the hard path before them.

"The Hrono will fight, they have powerful ships." Krinia began. "And the Kraaqi will fight, their longships are strong and many." Krinia paused. "But will they fight together to defeat this dark menace? I myself cannot conceive such an alliance. It is unthinkable."

"You told us that the Hrono, the most technologically advanced, will be the most reasonable to deal with, correct?" Mother's voice asked.

"Yes. We must go to them first. They will listen. But their strength is also their weakness." Saris said.

"What do you mean?" Becky asked.

"They are obsessed with technology. It is their G.o.d. They live for it. They die for it." Saris smiled.

"Technology and adventure. That is what drives the Hrono."

"Perhaps they will be able to repair Mother's sub-light engines, since they are so enamored with technology." Kyle looked from Becky to Jaric with a hopeful expression. "Yes, they will appreciate her," Saris said enthusiastically.

"Sounds like they might worship her," Becky joked.

"No, but they would be keenly interested in just what makes her work," Krinia said.

"Have you or the Hrono no dealings whatsoever with the Kraaqi?" Minstrel asked. Minstrel had revealed its presence at the beginning of dinner, due to the importance of this meeting and the results it would have for three entire races. But in keeping with the code of its kind, Minstrel was still reluctant to reveal it true form at this early stage of first contact.

"We trade with the Hrono. We even have some of their people living among us, and some Mewiis live on their worlds. But the Kraaqi are a strange, fierce people." Saris looked at Jaric. "But there is one here they might welcome."

"Who, me?" Becky asked.

"No," Saris smiled. "Only the Mewiis are led by their females. The Hrono have both female and male leaders. But the Kraaqi are male dominated."

"Well, that's probably part of their problem right there," Becky said with a chuckle.

"Who might they welcome?" Mother asked.

"The Kraaqi are strongly loyal to their individual Bands. If not for the constant bickering and wars among themselves, they might long ago have conquered us and the Hrono." Krinia looked around the room. "We are a smoothed-skin people, like humans but completely hairless, and we have many shades of green complexions. The Hrono are covered by scales, but their race is a single iridescent green in color. The Kraaqi are also covered by smooth skin, and they have hair like yourselves."

The Mewiis looked at Jaric.

"They are most proud of their ebony skin." Saris began. "If one of their young are born light skinned, it is a curse to the entire family. Though now that terrible caste system is almost ended even among them.

Still, a light-skinned Kraaqi can never hope to become Chieftain, though they are now accepted up to the warrior cla.s.s. But no further."

"Even then, never to the rank Captain of one of their warships." Krinia added. "At least, it has never been known."

"True. And though he does not look as strong, nor does he have the long hair of a Kraaqi, still, the one you call Jaric would be welcomed as equal with them." Saris smiled.

"Then we must make plans. Even now I fear the T'kaan Third is interpreting the data from the Mewiis ship they destroyed. Soon, very soon, the horned fleet will be coming," Mother said.

The next day, plans were formulated and their outworking began. Minstrel had at last revealed itself fully, as well as its ship, to the Mewiis.

Mother was another story. At first, the Mewiis had trouble comprehending that technology could be alive. Even the detailed explanations from each of the children and Minstrel failed to help. It was only after revealing Mother's actions-how she had protected and raised the children over the years-that the Mewiis began to accept the fact that the ship was indeed not only alive, but was also their mother. That was a concept that they fully understood.

It was decided that Minstrel would go to the home world of the Mewiis, there to speak before the High Council and impress upon the Mewiis leaders how complete the coming day of destruction would be.

Saris seemed certain that between her own report about the T'kaan attack, and the convincing tale that Minstrel would relate about the destruction of the human race, that the High Council would call an immediate and system-wide alarum; if for no other reason than the fact that every Mewiis child on every world was in imminent peril from this menace.

Mother downloaded certain of her own cherished schematics into the Mewiis ships-those pertaining to her weapons systems as well as to her engines. She urged Saris to immediately begin upgrading their most powerful warships and then to refit the rest of the Mewiis fleet. If they acted now, they might be able to refit the majority of their ships before the T'kaan arrived.

Mother would go to the Hrono. Alone. Only Guardian and the other robots would accompany her.

There she would not only share her personal technology with them, but also present the plan for the proposed great alliance; an alliance of the combined fleet of Mewiis, Hrono, Kraaqi and Human ships.

An alliance that would stop the oncoming horde of the T'kaan. Most important, she would have to impress upon the Hrono that this was the only hope they had in stopping them.

But would the Hrono put aside their lifelong hatred for the Kraaqi?

Mother ran her models and felt hope at the percentage of success that the intelligent Hrono would listen.

But her processors burned with activity when she considered the mission of her children.

Becky, Kyle and Jaric would put their fighters inside a Mewiis starship that would take them to the borders of the Kraaqi worlds. But the Mewiis were afraid to take them further than the outermost border. There, within two days of the first Kraaqi planet, the three humans would take to their fighters and fly toward the Kraaqi home world of Hakama. That is where the Kraaqi Bands sent their Chieftains to enforce order among the loose-knit Kraaqi Empire, to bring the intense rivalry of the competing Bands into line. The High Chieftains ruled from that central location.

Jaric would lead that mission.

"You must be careful," Mother said with a hint of apprehension. Her children were already inside their fighters as they prepared to launch to make the short journey to the waiting Mewiis ship.

"We will," Kyle said nonchalantly. "If they give us any trouble, we'll show them just how tough a human can be."

Becky looked with concern at her brother.

"There will be no need for fighting," Jaric chimed in quickly. "We'll let them know that we're their allies.

We'll tell them that there is another enemy-one we all hold in common, one that must be destroyed."

"Only a combined Mewiis, Hrono and Kraaqi fleet can do this," Mother added. "Such a combined force will give us a fleet equal in number to the T'kaan Third." "Then they have to listen to us," Kyle said.

"But what if they won't?" Becky looked with concern at Kyle and Jaric.

Only silence answered her.

The three quickly entered their c.o.c.kpits. Shortly afterward, Jaric and Becky's ships began engine power-up. Kyle alone looked up. He stared into the optic where Mother watched.

"You are the strongest," Mother said. "Jaric is the best one to lead and negotiate. He has a good, clear mind."

Kyle smiled. "Yeah, he's the smart one. Becky's the pretty one. I'm just the stubborn ol' black sheep."

"No, you are not. You, too, are my son," Mother said with emphasis.

Kyle nodded. "Well, if the Kraaqi try to play rough, I'll watch out for the others. I promise."

"If I have not received a message from any of you within two weeks, I will come for you," Mother's voice had become low and forceful.

"Heaven help the Kraaqi then!" Kyle laughed as he began the power-up sequence.

"Remember the schedule," Mother added.

Kyle gave a thumbs-up and smiled at Mother.

Mother watched the radar signal of her children until they were safely inside the Mewiis ship. The warship turned, and with a flash, was beyond the speed of light.

"They will be fine," Minstrel said as its spherical ship prepared to leave with the Mewiis colony ship.

"I feel so strange, though. There is so much activity taking up my processing cycles that I cannot focus properly on my key thoughts. I must run a Level II diagnostics."

Minstrel chuckled knowingly. "Your children have left you for the first time. You are worried."

Mother realized at that moment that she had been subconsciously polling all of her visual monitors, watching the empty corridors, and not realizing she had been actually looking for the familiar forms of the children who were no longer there. "You are correct."

"It's only natural." Minstrel said.

"Well, I will redirect those wasted processing cycles. I must adapt my schematics for the hybrid weapon to the Kraaqi ships and the Hrono. The Hrono will be the easiest, as the Mewiis have a detailed knowledge of their ships due to their Trading agreements. But it will take me longer to prepare the Kraaqi plans." Mother grew silent as she rea.s.signed her internal tasks.

"It's just as well. The children will need time to introduce this proposed alliance, and themselves, to the Kraaqi warriors." "I hope the Kraaqi will be reasonable and listen," Mother said. "Time is of the essence."

"We can hope," Minstrel sighed. "We can only hope."

Chapter Twenty-Three.