"What's our status?" Mims ran an exhausted hand through his hair. They were back on the Encounter, safely docked in a shipyard in New Pixa Sector. Yvian had spent nearly two days stuck in her armor, eating protein paste and fantasizing about real food. Now that she had it, she didn't want it anymore. The pizza was perfect. The beer was cold. Why did it all taste like ashes?

Kilroy spoke. "We have evacuated all the pixens that could be reached. We could not reach the pixens that were on Brilend Prime itself, and thirty one point six percent of the population refused to leave." His eyes were a steady depressed blue. "This unit estimates there are three million citizens of Pixa that have been left to face the Vore."

"Three million." Mims shook his head. "Damn it."

"What are the Haulgoods doing now?" Yvian asked.

"We are attempting to evacuate the other species," Kilroy reported. "We will save as many lives as we can."

"Good." Yvian nodded. Her eyes were watering. "That's good."

"Surprising," Scarrend remarked. "I didn't expect your kind to care about anyone who wasn't Pixen."

"We do not," the Peacekeeper confirmed. "We are acting on the orders of Lissa Kiver."

"It's a smart move," said the Captain. "Gets us some good will, and there's always the chance we'll pick up a few pixens who come to their senses." He shook his head again. "And it's the least we can do, after failing them like that."

"Affirmative." Kilroy agreed. "Evacuation efforts will continue for another eighty four minutes."

"Yeah." Mims looked at his wrist console. "I guess that's all the time we can spare."

"I didn't think the Sphere's would arrive for another..." Yvian trailed off. "The Needles," she realized. "The ones they shot at us."

"They're still accelerating," said Mims. "They'll hit Confed space in about two hours. We can't have anything with a jumpdrive there when they do."

"Are you sure we can't go back?" Yvian knew they shouldn't. She didn't even want to. But there were billions of souls on Brilend Prime. Three million of them were her people. She couldn't ignore it. Couldn't bear the weight of it. If there was even a chance... "If we worked with the Confed..."

"We'd die," said Scarrend. "The Vore will spread throughout the sector, multiplying as they go. The Skygem won't be enough to stop them." He growled. " The full might of the Empire wouldn't be enough."

"The Confed Military won't be much help. They don't have the tech or the firepower to take on the Vore," Mims added. "They'll just be fodder."

"The Pixen Stellar Defense Force would be fodder, as well," stated Kilroy. "We are insufficient."

"And if we show up, we bring jumpdrives with us," Mims continued. "We'd doom the whole galaxy."

"Crunch." Yvian looked down at her pizza. "There has to be something we can do."

"There isn't." Mims took a swig of beer. "There never was." He glared at the wall of the kitchen.

There was a chirp. The Captain checked his wrist console. "It's Fightsmart." He accepted the comm request. "This is Mims."

"Mimsey-cake." The Krog Admiral's guttural bass rumbled out of his wrist. "You know what happening Brilend Prime?"

"Yeah." The human chugged his beer and set it down.

"Mangy Vrrl come," said the Admiral. "Mangy Vrrl leave. Mangy Vrrl not come back."

"Yeah," said Mims. "How secure is this line?"

"Secure," said the Admrial. "No one hear but us."

"Good." Mims took a breath. "The Vrrl are working with us. We had a weapon that could shut down the Vore."

"Weapon to kill Vore?" Fightsmart's voice sharpened. "What weapon? How get? Can still use?"

"It's an alien ship," Mims explained. "Lucendian. Shuts down all tech in a set radius."

"Alien ship..." The krog was silent a moment. "That who helping stupid slutty pixens?"

"No," Mims told him. "We found it on a derelict in a sector full of dead Vore. The problem is, the Vore hit New Pixa a few weeks back."

"You used weapon," Fightsmart guessed. "Now Vore know. Took countermeasures."

"Pretty much." Scarrend looked like he was about to speak, but Mims held out a hand and gave him a look. "If the Vrrl commander had figured it out two seconds later, we'd all be dead." He frowned. "How'd you know I was involved?"

"Didn't," said Fightsmart. "Princess Bossypants suggested I comm. Said Mimsey-cake always show up when trouble. Look like she right. Why Vrrl come?"

"The Vore took one of their worlds," Mims explained. "They want payback."

The krog grunted. "New Pixa. That you?"

"Sort of," said the human. He looked at Yvian. She nodded. The krog were the closest thing to allies she had in the Confed. Telling Fightsmart was a risk, but it was one she was willing to take. "Blockhead wanted a planet for the pixens." Yvian shot Mims a glower at her name among the krog. "We found the Lucendian homeworld, and that's where we're operating out of."

"So that's why you bought fleet," the Admiral mused. "Warships. Base kits. Haulgoods. You make country for stupid slutty pixens."

"Pretty much." Mims stifled a yawn.

"You come Krog Prime," the Admiral decided. "Report to Tallest."

"That's not a good idea," said the human. "The Office of the Unknown made a run at us two days ago."

Admiral Fightsmart grunted. Mims continued, "I can fill you and King Tallest in later, but right now we've got bigger problems. Who's in charge of cutting off the Gates?"

"Officially?" the Admiral snorted. "No one. High Admiral Bruck ordered save planet. All costs. Failure not option."

"I was afraid of that." The Captain let out a breath. "There's no way in fuck they can win."

"And no way to save Confed if Vore get through Gates," said the Admiral. "Fightsmart knows. Has task force. Will fix."

"Won't that get you in trouble?" Yvian asked.

"Blockhead worried?" the krog Admiral chuckled. "Fightsmart like Blockhead, too. No worry. High Command can fuck itself. Fightsmart is Master. Fightsmart answers only to Tallest."

"Thanks, Fightsmart." Mims rubbed his temples. "I was worried we'd have to kill the Gates ourselves."

"Bad idea." Master Fightsmart warned.

"I know." The Captain agreed. "But if it's that or let everyone die..."

The krog grunted again. "You good krog, Mimsey-cake. Still weird, seeing wicked pervert human be good krog."

"It's weird for me, too," said the human.

"Must be cause Blockhead and Prettypants," Admiral Fightsmart gave yet another grunt. "Got things to do now. Will comm later. With Tallest. Maybe make deal with New Pixa, if New Pixa is you."

"Sounds good," said the Captain. "Stand proud, do good Master Fightsmart."

"Always do." The krog Master replied. "You too, Blockhead and Mimsey-cake." He ended the transmission.

Mims put his elbows on the table and slumped forward, resting his face in his hands. "Fuck." He took a deep breath through his nose. "That takes care of the Gates. I think that's the last thing we had to do today."

"Are you..." Scarrend hesitated.

"Are you alright, Mims?" Yvian asked.

"No." Mims didn't look up. "No. I'm pretty fucking far from alright."

"What's wrong?"

"We failed." The man's voice was matter of fact, but his shoulders shuddered as he said the words.

"We could not have known the Vore could share information over light years," said Kilroy. "Nor would that knowledge have helped us defeat them. We do not have the technology to destroy them without the element of surprise."

"I failed," the Captain repeated. "I failed, and because of that..."

"No one blames you, human," the Vrrl tried to reassure him. "You did all that could be done."

"Scarrend..." the human raised his head just enough that Yvian could see the glazed, dead look in his eyes. "I've been a privateer for over thirty years. Before that, I was a soldier. In all that time..." He sank back into his hands. "In all that time... I've never failed a mission."

Scarrend blinked. "Never?"

"Never." Captain Madlad Mims, the most famous privateer in the verse, took a deep breath, trying to still the shaking of his hands and body. "I complete my objective..." In this too, he failed. "I complete my objective no matter the cost." A single, choked sob escaped the man.

The sound set Yvian's eyes to watering. The Captain was right. They'd failed, and now billions of people would die. It didn't matter that they'd done their best. It didn't matter that there had been no way to win. If anything, that made it worse. Their best had been useless. They were helpless in the face of calamity.

Even worse, they'd run away. When their plan didn't work, when danger loomed, the entire fleet had cut and run. Yvian had done nothing to stop them. She hadn't stopped them because she was afraid. She didn't want to be eaten by nanomachines. Yvian had been afraid to die.

The Warmaster had been right. If they'd waited even a few more seconds before turning tail Yvian would be dead. The Vore would have taken their jumpdrives and destroyed all life in the galaxy. Yvian knew that. Running had been the right thing to do. The only thing to do. It still left her feeling weak. Helpless. A coward.

How much worse would it be for Mims? After what happened at Aldara, after killing his own family in his attempt to stop the Klaath, the human had dedicated his whole life to completing the mission. Every mission. Every time. It was more than just a phobia. It was more than obsession. It was madness. A madness he carried to cover the hurt in his heart.

"Scarrend. I need a favor." The Vrrl turned at her words, then resumed staring at the Captain. "I need you to get Lissa over here, and I need you to stay out of the kitchen for a while."

"Stay out of the kitchen?" Scarrend pulled his attention away from the human again. "Why?"

"The human is on the verge of an emotional breakdown," Kilroy informed him. "The human would not want anyone to see." The Peacekeeper turned to Yvian. "Lissa has been informed. This unit will be on the bridge. This unit will record and monitor the destruction of Brilend Prime."

"Thank you," said Yvian.

The Vrrl hesitated. "I've sworn my... If there's anything I can do...?"

"Get out," the human's voice cracked. "Please."

Scarrend started to growl, but stopped himself. "I have reports to write. I'll be in my quarters." He followed Kilroy out of the kitchen, but stopped just inside the corridor. "If you need me..."

"We'll comm," Yvian assured him. The Vrrl gave a nod and continued on his way.

"You too," said the human. "Please. I'd like to be alone."

"I know," said Yvian. Her own tears were starting to flow. "I know. But I don't... I don't want to be alone right now. Let me stay. Please. At least til Lissa gets here?"

The human raised his head. "I don't want..." He blinked, taking in the sight of her silent sobs. For just a moment, his dead eyes softened. "No. You're right." He stood. "Maybe neither of us should be alone right now." He walked away.

"Then where are you going?" Yvian demanded as he left the kitchen.

"Storage," said Mims. "Come on. We're going to need more beer."