The next day I arrived at the complex and arrived at the same meeting room. The same group of people waited there. Harry again stood in an obscure corner, watching and listening.

“Emma Miner. I think it would be smart to tell you the current situation.” Kyle spoke now.

“Our patrol vessels are being attacked on their patrol lines. We have seen the fleet the Alliance sent against us. It is 10,000 vessels strong, with at least 100 dreadnoughts and a thousand heavy hitters.”

Kyle breathed in deeply, “We are practically doomed. Except in one aspect. We can distract the fleet and have the Shackleton flee. It would be prudent for all the civilians to be on board that ship, as well as enough fighters to hold off any attack.”

“I believe that you have a choice. You can go on-board the Shackleton to go to Tau Ceti, a paradise world supposedly, and protect it for the year it will be in danger from Alliance attack. You would free up 100 men and women from their duty and let them help us wound the main fleet.”

“Or, you can stay here with a high chance of death against a million weapons of war. Even you can’t stop the horde of ships that threaten to destroy us.”

Silence lasped around the table.

Chose the first choice. Get me out of here.

“NO. I will not give in to your wishes. My mother, Harry, and Will are going to die if I do not fight back.” I replied in my head.

They will die anyway. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.

“Yes, there is something. You talked about superior combat protocols. If we merge, then we can save the fleet.”

NEVER. Steel snarled.

You will do so, when I tell you to. Understood. I’m the boss here.

I woke up from my conversation with Steel. Everyone waited expectantly.

“I’ll stay here and fight. There is something I haven’t told you yet. Beta told me her real name, before coming to our solar system. Her name was Inner Steel. Steel also told me that me and her can possibly combine consciouses to become much more powerful, and useful.”

There were a couple of murmurs around the table, and then Kyle snorted, “Let me guess, Steel is the only one who can start it.”

I nodded, dumbly, “Yes.”

“And she doesn’t want to do it.” Kyle continued, irritated.

“Yes. But if the situation proves dire enough to her, I think it would be possible for the merger to take place.”

“That sounds better.” Kyle announced. “Anyway, I want to tell you our plan since you have agreed to stay.”

“We are rushing the finishing touches to the Shackleton. Everything we are doing is focused around it. If it is destroyed, all hope is lost. So the entire fleet is readying an assault on Magnusson’s home base of Titan. The Noble Sacrifice will lead the charge, and therefore be furthest away from the fighting. Only once they have gone through the ships covering us, they can attack the NS.”

“Already we are receiving thousands of civilians who want to be out of this conflict. It is ordered that all minors, and elderly are to be forced to evacuate. The former does not apply to you for obvious reasons. Anyway, you will be sent on the ship, Eternal Legend to board one of the enemy’s dreadnoughts with a confirmed Android on-board. It will be your goal to destroy this ship. All you have to do is press the self-destruct button in the engineering bay. From there, you are to steal the Mercury, board with the remaining crew members of the Eternal Legend, and rendezvous with the Shackleton. Simple as that.”

“Alright. Can I take Harry Judge along with me?” I asked.

A few glances were directed at Harry, who shrugged.

“Alright.” Kyle answered.

“What about Anna? What will she be doing?” I pressed forward.

“She is a Lieutenant aboard the Noble Sacrifice. She will stay on-board for as long as possible.”

Inside I could feel myself falling apart. She would surely die from the attack.

“We need every available man and woman to man the ship. I would be sorry, but I’m not.” Kyle answered, “I’m also staying aboard, and I look forward to killing a dozen or so Chromes. That is all.” People stood up form around the table. I left the Complex in a daze.

“Don’t worry, Emma. Life is a perpetual cycle of the living, and the dead. There is very little one can do to influence this ceaseless cycle.”

I turned to face Harry, outside of the Complex.

“Harry. Can you not notice my absence for a couple of hours? I need to see Anna.” He looked at me for a second, and then shrugged his shoulders again.

“I’ll endeavor to forget this conversation.” He answered. He turned to walk off to the hanger to meet Will. I turned the opposite direction and then raced to the apartments.

After a few minutes, I reached room 413. I knocked hurriedly. Mom opened the door.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Mom. You’re going to stay on-board the Noble Sacrifice?” I asked.

She gestured for me to come in. As I did so she shut the door. Once seated again in the chairs, she answered, “Yes. Its my duty to oversee the gunnery. It will be my job to outfit the volunteer groups from the civilians with weapons to defend against boarders.”

“You’re... going to die.” I uttered.

She smiled weakly, “I have known this day would come. When the Alliance finally catches up with the Rebellion. I wished I wouldn’t see it with my own eyes, but its life. Unstoppable”

She sighed deeply, “What can one do. I have a duty that I have been fulfilling for the last twenty-three years. I can’t forsake it, even for my daughter. I’m sorry.”

I started sniff, “Why, why why! Everyone I know is about to be crushed under the heel of the Alliance! Why does this happen?” I protested.

“Emma!” Anna said, “You must realize that the only thing we can control is our reactions to circumstances.” She swallowed, calming herself, “You are practically invincible. Yet you are so afraid.”

“I’m not invincible.” I stated. “I am expected to be so, but I am not. I feel as weak as any other person. There is plenty of different things that could kill me. And yet the Rebellion is putting all their trust and hope on me, as if I can change the tide of a war which has raged for thousands of years.”

Anna stood up to face me.

“Emma, the reason we are trusting you, is because we have nothing else that we know can save us from the enemy. You think you are a poor hope, but you are a better hope than no hope at all. Don’t think that we depend on you, because you can’t complete everything. But think that you do one task at a time. Don’t think too big but focus down on each movement necessary to complete your goal. Understood?”

I nodded.