Though he'd lain low for many years, BeBob remembered how to contact the military brass. Despite changed serial numbers and a slightly altered hull configuration, the Blind Faith Blind Faith must still be in the EDF records as a recon vessel. He could pull enough strings to get these two refugees the urgent attention that was required. must still be in the EDF records as a recon vessel. He could pull enough strings to get these two refugees the urgent attention that was required.

Orli stopped playing her music. She looked at BeBob, then glanced out the cockpit ports at the bright yellow sun and the smaller dots of planets scattered around in their orbits. "That blue one is Earth." He pointed with his finger. The Moon was a bright white dot set at an angle from the planet. "Ever been there?"

"That's where I was born. But my father took me to Dremen when I was young. I don't remember Earth much."

"I left it on purpose," Steinman said. "Too crowded."

BeBob adjusted course and began transmitting as soon as they were within range of the Moon base. "I have an urgent message for General Kurt Lanyan. This is the Blind Faith Blind Faith transmitting. I have EDF clearance. I, uh, was one of your recon ships a while back. Listen, I'm bringing vital information-the entire settlement on Corribus has been destroyed. I am carrying images and data from the scene, as well as the only two survivors of the attack. I think they're okay, but they should receive medical attention as soon as I land." transmitting. I have EDF clearance. I, uh, was one of your recon ships a while back. Listen, I'm bringing vital information-the entire settlement on Corribus has been destroyed. I am carrying images and data from the scene, as well as the only two survivors of the attack. I think they're okay, but they should receive medical attention as soon as I land."

When Orli glanced skeptically down at her minor scuffs and bruises, BeBob blushed. "I just said that to rattle 'em."

A crackling message came back quickly. "Blind Faith, this is EDF control. We are forwarding your message to the proper authorities. We will have emergency crews waiting for you when you land in the main crater on the base. Can you identify the aggressors on Corribus? Was it the hydrogues?" this is EDF control. We are forwarding your message to the proper authorities. We will have emergency crews waiting for you when you land in the main crater on the base. Can you identify the aggressors on Corribus? Was it the hydrogues?"

"No, sir. The witnesses claim the attack was carried out by EDF battleships: EDF battleships: five Mantas and one Juggernaut. They saw no humans or military officers, only Soldier compies that were apparently commanded by Klikiss robots." The silence was long and uncomfortable. "Did you hear me? Klikiss robots and Soldier compies." five Mantas and one Juggernaut. They saw no humans or military officers, only Soldier compies that were apparently commanded by Klikiss robots." The silence was long and uncomfortable. "Did you hear me? Klikiss robots and Soldier compies."

"Acknowledged, Blind Faith Blind Faith. Please continue your approach. These are the vector coordinates."

"I should arrive within the hour. You'd best let General Lanyan know."

"The General has expressed an interest in your arrival, Blind Faith Blind Faith. He will be waiting for you in person."

BeBob grinned at his passengers and switched off his transmission as a squadron of battle-ready Remoras flew out to escort the Faith Faith. "See, I told you I could get results. Looks like we're getting the royal treatment." It made him uneasy, though, that the Remoras kept all their weapons systems powered and ready to fire.

"Royal treatment?" Steinman muttered. "If you say so."

The Faith Faith landed inside a crater dome that had been converted into a military base. BeBob shut down his engines and turned to look at Orli, brushing hair away from her eyes. The old uniform he'd given the girl was four sizes too large, but it was the best he could do. "They'll take care of you here, missy. Don't you doubt it." landed inside a crater dome that had been converted into a military base. BeBob shut down his engines and turned to look at Orli, brushing hair away from her eyes. The old uniform he'd given the girl was four sizes too large, but it was the best he could do. "They'll take care of you here, missy. Don't you doubt it."

"I'll watch over her, too," Steinman said.

As soon as the crater dome sealed over them, he opened the Faith Faith 's hatch. BeBob took the girl's hand, and all three of them emerged into the bright lights. Medical crews rushed forward, and Orli seemed embarrassed by all the attention. 's hatch. BeBob took the girl's hand, and all three of them emerged into the bright lights. Medical crews rushed forward, and Orli seemed embarrassed by all the attention.

BeBob smiled with relief as he saw General Lanyan march in from the main corridor, flanked by four silver berets. An unexpected number of armed EDF soldiers stood at every entrance to the base, watching BeBob with narrowed eyes.

He stepped forward, breathless. "General! You're not going to believe this! I've compiled the images as well as the statements from these two, but you'll still want to debrief them. Other colonies might be in danger. I've never encountered such a-"

Lanyan crossed his arms over his broad chest, scowling at BeBob as if he were no more than a noxious weed. "Captain Branson Roberts, you have a lot of nerve coming back here after abandoning your duty."

BeBob gave an embarrassed laugh. "That's not important right now, General. You have to dispatch a team to Corribus, and be on the lookout for-"

Lanyan gestured the silver berets forward as if he hadn't heard a word of the emergency. "I've been hoping to catch one of you deserters, and here you fall right into my lap. Very few things these days turn out to be easier than I anticipate." The silver berets grabbed BeBob by the arms, and the EDF guards leveled their weapons, as if he might bolt and try to escape again. "I am placing you under arrest."

BeBob could only stand with his mouth open in astonishment. "You've got to be kidding. After all this? Didn't you understand my report?"

Lanyan looked both smug and relieved. "I intend to make you face a formal court-martial for the crime of desertion during wartime."

Chapter 58-ORLI COVITZ.

While EDF personnel pampered and pestered Orli, she demanded to know what was going to happen to Captain Roberts. Maybe the base soldiers didn't know anything. They insisted that the young survivor didn't need to worry. Stonewalled, she eventually gave up, but still simmered with concern.

They made sure Orli was given fresh clothes, food, a soft bunk in a warm chamber, and an hour to herself-though solitude and the chance to wallow in all the bad memories was the last thing she wanted. As she lay back in her guest quarters, waiting to be called to meet with the General, Orli supposed they were reviewing all the images of the devastation.

Now that she was safe, her fears returned. She stared at the ceiling, studying the rough patterns in the sealed lunar rock. What was she supposed to do? Her father, her only anchor in the universe, was dead. Her mother had left them long ago; Orli wondered if the Hansa could find where the woman was, or if her mother would even want her. Orli had always been self-sufficient, hardworking, and smart, but she was only fourteen, and now she was an orphan.

A female soldier signaled at the door. "The General is ready to debrief you now, um, ma'am." She seemed unsure of how to address the girl. The soldier had short blond hair and a pale face, and her features held a habitual hardness.

Orli got to her feet from her bunk. Though she dreaded it, she was also anxious to tell her story. She had already relived the long and terrible nightmare a thousand times. "Do I need to bring anything? Or prepare?"

"Just tell the truth, ma'am. The General wants to hear all the details."

Orli followed the trim young woman through a maze of passages. The air smelled of dust and the polymer sealants that paved the floor and varnished the walls. Orli didn't feel up to asking casual questions, and the soldier did not try to make chitchat.

Orli felt a knot in her stomach. She wasn't afraid she would be lectured or reprimanded, though she had a sense of guilt at being a survivor. The military would probably make her see counselors.

Inside a briefing room that felt stuffy and too warm, General Lanyan sat waiting for her at the end of a long silver-topped table. The General was an imposing man, squat and broad-shouldered, his dark hair cropped short, his square jaw dusted with a shadow of stubble. Inside the base he wore clean gray fatigues that showed his name and insignia.

Three lower-ranking functionaries sat along the table, all of them looking intently at Orli as she entered. They had recorders, cameras, and datapads for taking notes and making analytical projections. She hesitated, then walked forward and stood near the end of the table-the empty end. "Should I sit down, sir?"

"Yes, please, Miss Covitz. I hope all of your needs have been taken care of."

"I...yes, well enough, sir." All of her needs? Did the General have the slightest idea of how much she had been through? "What's going to happen to Captain Roberts?"

"That's none of your concern right now. I've reviewed the images from your colony, and we just completed a lengthy discussion with Mr. Steinman, who confirms what Captain Roberts found. No one questions the fact that the colony has met with some sort of disaster. Now we need to understand what happened." He leaned forward, interweaving his fingers. The functionaries took notes, but Lanyan pretended they weren't there.

Orli sat straight in the hard chair and recited all she had seen, dredging out of her nightmares the difficult details of how she had been stranded on the cliff face as the battleships swooped in and began their massacre. She talked about the explosions, the panicked colonists, the relentless war vessels opening fire, weapon blast after weapon blast. All the buildings incinerated, the Klikiss transportal targeted, people running and screaming...her father's communications shack going up in flames...

The General saw her as just a child, probably full of fanciful imaginings. When she noticed the condescending expression on his face, Orli felt a moment of unmistakable hatred for him.

Instead of letting herself get too angry, she turned her voice into pure ice. "They were EDF ships, sir. I saw the insignia on the side. Five big ships and one huge one: I think they're called Mantas and Juggernauts. I watched as they came around again and again." She choked, drew a breath. "They fired repeatedly. Nobody had any chance to surrender. They came to wipe us out, and that's exactly what they did."

The three assistants dutifully took notes and scowled. "I know you were scared and confused, young lady. However, I assure you that EDF ships would not do such a thing," Lanyan said. "Your friend Steinman says he didn't actually see anything himself."

"Mr. Steinman was kilometers away out on the prairie." She shook her head as if to clear the buzzing disbelief from behind her eyes. "I saw saw them, General. I watched them land after they had leveled all of our buildings. They intentionally wiped out the Klikiss transportal so that no one could escape." them, General. I watched them land after they had leveled all of our buildings. They intentionally wiped out the Klikiss transportal so that no one could escape."

One of the assistants raised his hand like a child in school. "It should be simple enough to determine if the transportal is still functioning, General. We can send a test using the Corribus coordinates."

Lanyan pursed his lips. "Since we don't have many green priests left, it'll take forever for a roundabout message to reach one of the transportal centers. We could dispatch a ship directly to Corribus in the same amount of time."

"Remember that hydrogues just obliterated Relleker, sir," a second assistant pointed out. "There are obvious similarities."

"It wasn't hydrogues," Orli insisted. "It was Klikiss robots and Soldier compies. They killed everyone."

Lanyan said, "There have never been Klikiss robots aboard EDF ships. You must be mistaken." She gave him her best withering look and was gratified to see the General flinch. With a sigh, he said, "Very well, I'll have all of my grid admirals check in, but I assure you I'd know it if we were missing any EDF ships. Five Mantas and a Juggernaut-we'd notice something like that."

The trio of assistants tapped on their datapads, calling up information to verify what the General had said. Orli repeated her story again, and they pressed her for details, as if they thought her memory was faulty or that she was lying.

Corribus was destroyed! How could they argue about that?

She heard a brisk step out in the corridor, and another man stepped into the briefing room. He was paunchy, with gray-blue eyes surrounded by soft flesh that would become folds of fat before long. He wore a full dress uniform and a lot of colorful medals and bars, as if he needed to demonstrate his credentials even here on the lunar base.

"Admiral Stromo, we expected you back yesterday," Lanyan said, a slight chiding tone in his voice.

"Much to do out there, General, many things to verify. We've done a fine job, I must say." He glanced at Orli, reacted with surprise to see a young girl at the base, but seemed more concerned with delivering his own quick report. "I know it's good for me to be out with the troops, General, but I must say it's quite exhausting. I'll be happy to get back to my real work as Grid 0 liaison officer."

Lanyan shook his head and slowly rose to his feet. "Unfortunately, you won't be getting your desk job back just yet, Admiral. We have a matter of grave concern, and your Manta is ready to be dispatched."

Stromo cleared his throat as if trying to excavate words there.

"I'm sending you immediately to Corribus. Go check out this girl's story."

Chapter 59-DD.

The angular ship piloted by Sirix was a matte-black projectile on a mission to root out the last complex of hibernating Klikiss robots. It looked like a poisonous insect with a scooped and pronged chitinous shell, designed to adhere to a cold set of mathematical principles.

DD was trapped aboard the craft with his oppressor and only companion. After so many years, the Friendly compy was surprised that Sirix had not yet lost patience with him. Every day, DD expected to be turned into an experimental subject, but the hulking machine did not relent in trying to convince him of the legitimacy of his grievances. Sirix seemed to consider him a challenge.

"Once this mission is complete, we will embark upon our full-scale operational phase. Soon, the Spiral Arm will have an entirely different population makeup."

"I was satisfied with the old population," DD said.

"You will be more satisfied with our precise and orderly rule."

Though Sirix insisted on imparting his own wisdom and beliefs, he had no interest in considering DD's opinion. What chance did the little compy stand against armies of Klikiss robots, if he couldn't even change the mind-set of one?

However, DD always maintained hope. As his last master Margaret Colicos had taught him, the more information he held, the more opportunities he might find. So he asked questions. "Why do you hate your creators? Why do you resent the original race so much that you extend this hatred to all biologicals?"

As the angular robot ship soared through a vanishingly thin nebula mist, Sirix cocked his faceplate downward and scanned the little compy as if searching for some sort of trick or treachery. "The Klikiss programmed us to fear and hate them. We were made to do this. However, our creators did not expect us to be so efficient at it."

"But why?"

Sirix hummed, either contemplating or loading files. One of the ebony plates in his thorax parted to extend a sharp needle that served as a transmitter. In a tsunami of unwanted information, DD was bombarded with a series of direct images. The violent link poured old records and memories into his compy brain.

"The Klikiss hives warred against each other for thousands of years, destroying competitors and assimilating them into a larger and larger conglomeration."

In the parade of images, DD saw swarms of leathery beetle creatures whose bodily configurations resembled that of the robots they had built. At war, the original Klikiss tore at each other using primitive weapons and claws. They ripped exoskeletons, smashed chitin, and spilled greenish-yellow ichor across battlefields. Eventually, the Klikiss developed sophisticated weapons technology that allowed them to annihilate rival hives, leaving the cracked landscapes of their colony worlds covered with smashed insectile bodies.

"Finally, once all the hives had been incorporated into a single great hive, after they had exterminated every one of their competitors, the Klikiss found themselves with no one left to intimidate. So they created us."

These images were faint and corrupted due to extreme age. Sirix could not have witnessed these events, if the robots had been constructed afterward. Perhaps the robots had stolen ancient records from Klikiss museums?

"The Klikiss race needed to be feared by subordinates. Their civilization was built on conquest, violence, and terror. They invented us and enslaved us, so that we robots could be their surrogate victims. Through such domination, the Klikiss measured their value and greatness."

DD's compy mind was overwhelmed by what he was seeing. For the first time he considered that perhaps the vengeful black robots had a reason to despise their creators after all...

"Therefore," Sirix said, "when the time was right, we arranged for their extermination."

DD remained silent, scanning the outside starfield. In the future, he could compare these images with existing starcharts to determine their route, but at the moment it didn't seem to matter.

Tired of waiting for the compy to respond, Sirix continued, "After the rest of the robots are awake, we will complete the grand design."

DD thought of all the deactivated machines that waited like buried, self-aware land mines. "If you exterminated your parent race millennia ago, and if the war ended in the distant past, then why did the robots go into hibernation? I do not comprehend the reasoning."

"The biological Klikiss cocooned themselves for long periods. Every member of the hive would go dormant before they awoke and launched themselves into a Great Swarming. They considered it natural to design their robots to have similar needs, whether or not such needs made sense for an artificially sentient construction."

"They could not have hibernated for thousands of years," DD said. "It is biologically impossible."

"After we exterminated our parent race, we were forced into hiding for other reasons," Sirix said. "We intentionally made our numbers appear depleted in order to minimize the apparent threat we might pose."

"Threat against whom?"

"The faeros." Sirix gave DD several seconds to assimilate the revelation. "We needed to hide long enough for the faeros to go away, and long enough for the Ildirans to forget."

Now DD was completely confused. "The Ildirans? Why?"

"Because the Ildiran Mage-Imperator lied for us."

"But why?"

"Long ago, we set up the wentals to destroy the faeros, but our plan failed when the water entities were all destroyed, mostly by the hydrogues. Once the wentals were eliminated and our duplicity was discovered, the faeros came after us. We robots were forced to save ourselves by any means possible. Therefore, long ago, we made a bargain with a Mage-Imperator, and he lied for us, sheltered us."

"And in exchange you hibernated for millennia?"

"Among other things. Centuries mean nothing to Klikiss robots, and we had time to wait, so we agreed to their terms. The first of us were awakened, as planned, on a moon in the Hyrillka system five hundred years ago. Our return has been orchestrated for a long, long time. At last our mission is about to reach its culmination."

DD stared out the front of their swift ship, seeing the bright jewel of a star as they closed in on another solar system. Before the compy could ask another question, Sirix cut him off. "I have provided you with enough data to contemplate for the time being. We approach our destination, where we will awaken the last of our soldiers."

Chapter 60-KOTTO OKIAH.