“Do we know when the Grand Alliance arrives?” Genvass asked his Avatar deputy.

“Soon,” Ess Peon shrugged. “Within the next day or so.”

“Then there’s no time to waste.” He turned his attention to Remi and Taneka. “We’re going to need a ship,” he told them.

The Corsairs eyeballed one another. “Finding a ship is easy,” Remi said finally, “but getting it past the enemy and into high orbit? That part’s gonna be trickier.”

“Let Guardian fly her,” Samara advised, “or more to the point, Erhair Dresh, one of the cognates,” she continued. “He’s saved my ass more than once with his piloting skills.”

“Normally I’d hate surrendering the helm,” Taneka said after a moment, “but given the circumstances? We’re gonna need every advantage we can get in order to pull this off.”

“Agreed,” the ambassador nodded. “Assuming we can find a ship and actually make it off-world, how do we convince the fleet to stand down?”

“You’re asking the wrong question,” Rúna interjected. “It’s not ‘How do we convince the fleet?’, it’s ‘How do we convince the Paygan to stand down?’.”

“That’s a good point,” Genvass acknowledged. “How do we do that?”

“It’s like I said, engage his sense of honor,” the Valkyrie reminded him. “As for how, one possibility leaps to mind, but I promise you won’t like it.”

“If it prevents further bloodshed, I will somehow learn to live with the disappointment,” he said dryly. “What’s your plan?”

She took a deep breath. “We surrender,” she told him.

Genvass blinked. “We surrender?” he repeated, flabbergasted by her suggestion. “Wasn’t one stretch in a POW camp enough for you?”

“Trust me, I’m not thrilled about it either,” she grimaced, “but if we request a parley, he’s liable to just shoot us out of the sky. But I’m betting he won’t do the same thing to prisoners.”

“And why is that?” the ambassador pressed her.

“Because the Ixians are an honorable race,” Blye spoke up. “Killing helpless prisoners would offend them on a deeply personal level.”

“She’s right,” Rúna agreed. “They don’t even like using modern weapons. If they could, they’d settle all their conflicts with cold steel. It’s more chivalrous, in their eyes.”

“And if they simply refuse to accept your surrender?” Inaba asked bluntly. “What then?”

“Then we’re fucked, and it was all for nothing,” she sighed. “So, what else is new?” Her former commander shrugged, conceding the point.

Alphad shook his head. “It’s not much of a plan,” he said unhappily.

“No, it’s not,” Rúna acknowledged. “Just the only one I can think of that might actually work.”

Genvass looked up to see that all eyes were now on him, waiting. He wrestled with his decision, but in the end, what other choice did they have?

“All right,” he said at last, “then that’s the plan. Find a ship, fly out to meet the fleet, surrender, and then find out if they’ll see reason. Anyone have anything to add?”

Those gathered glanced around at the others, all of them hoping someone had a brilliant idea to share. As the seconds dragged on, it soon became clear that was not the case. With a sigh, the ambassador turned to the Corsairs. “So… where do we find a ship?”

“Wish we still had Peacemaker,” Remi grumbled, “but there’s no way they’ll let us get anywhere near it.”

“That ship started this whole mess,” Genvass snapped. “Besides, if we showed up with Peacemaker, they’d skip straight past talking and simply open fire.”

“They could try,” the pirate sneered.

“Have you been listenin’ to a damn thing anyone’s said?” Maggie fired back. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

He glared at the Tinker, but after taking a moment to gauge the room’s mood, he chose not to respond.

“Well, forget Asgard Spaceport,” Taneka spoke up. “I guarantee they’ve locked that place up tighter than a drum.”

“Then where?” Genvass said in frustration.

The Corsairs shared another look. “There’s only one place I can think of,” Remi said finally, “and that’s the Barbary Coast.”

“The what?” Colonel Holme said, eyeing Remi curiously.

The captain shrugged. “It’s a port I know. The kind of place that specializes in goods and services that are… off the books, you might say.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard of it,” Inaba commented.

“That would sort of defeat the purpose, don’t you think?” Remi grinned.

“So, it’s a smuggling den,” Rúna snorted.

“A smuggling den that might just save your ass,” he fired back, “so how about we lose the condescending attitude?”

The pair glared at one another, enough that Genvass felt it necessary to intervene. “That’s enough,” he snapped, before facing the Corsair. “How far is it?” he asked.

“A day’s travel… more, if we have to be sneaky about it,” he said after a quick mental calculation.

“And they’ll have a ship for us?” the ambassador continued. “One that can get us past enemy forces?”

“They’ll have shuttles,” Taneka corrected him. “The ships are off-planet, though acquiring one might be a problem.”

Genvass sighed. “And why is that?” he asked with a sense of fatalism.

“Because they’re smugglers,” Remi said, rolling his eyes. “They’re not exactly known for their charity work.”

“This isn’t charity,” the ambassador replied, “this is about protecting humanity. Surely they can understand that.”

“Uh-huh… so, you’re going to pay them?” the pirate inquired.

“I’m sure we can work something out,” Genvass said, now somewhat flustered, “though it might be a while before we’re able to secure the funds…”

“They’re not big on credit, either,” Remi interrupted. “Seriously, do you not get how things work in the real world?”

“Then what do you suggest?” the ambassador said tersely. “We need a ship. We have to prevent the Grand Alliance from attacking New Terra. So you tell me, how do we go about doing that?”

Remi smiled.

“You know we’re pirates, right?”

The convoy came to a halt, as Colonel Holme stepped out of his vehicle and approached Genvass and his team. “This is where we part ways,” he informed him. “My people will do what they can to stop the Clan leaders. You’ve got the harder job, I’m afraid.”

“We’ll do what we can,” he vowed. “That being said… I’ve got the best crew on New Terra for backup,” he said with a grin, glancing over at the others.

“Damn straight,” Samara chuckled.

Holme smiled, extending his hand. “That you do. Good luck, Ambassador.”

Genvass clasped his hand firmly. “And you, Colonel.”

The Valkyrie commander began heading back to the convoy, only to be brought to a halt when a voice said, “Hold on a moment.”

Colonel Holme froze, then turned back to face the group. “Yes?”

There was a pause before Maggie and Blye both rose to their feet. “We’re not going with you,” the Knight said quietly.

Genvass stared in confusion. “May I ask why?”

“Cause I got two traumatized boys to look after,” Maggie sighed. “‘Sides, I’m gettin’ too damn old for this kind of foolishness, and Mairead’s as good a Tinker as I ever was. You’ll do just fine without me.”

“Of course. I understand,” Genvass said gently. “And you?” he asked Blye.

“Because I’m blind,” she said quietly. “I’d just be a burden to you. I bulled my way into a boarding action once before, only to have my disability prove to be a hindrance. I’ve tried denying the fact my inability to see isn’t a handicap, but I’ve learned my lesson.” She grimaced at the admission, but then a wry smile graced her features. “However, there is one thing I can do for your crew.” Reaching down, she unhooked the sword belted at her waist and held it out to them. “I expect you’ll be needing this, Rúna,”

The Valkyrie blinked in surprise as she made her way over to her. “I…” she began, staring at both the Knight and her sword, before trying once more. “I can’t take your sword, Blye,” she mumbled.

“You can and will,” she insisted. “Think of it as a loan until you get your own sword back. Just… promise me one thing.”

“Name it,” Rúna said hoarsely, her fingers curling around the scabbard as the Knight relinquished it to her.

“That you be absolutely certain,” she cautioned. Her hand reached out to grasp Rúna’s. “You know what I’m saying.”

There was a pause, before she bowed her head and whispered, “... I do.”

Blye nodded in reply. “I expect you to bring it back to me. When it’s over,” she said softly.

“I will,” she promised.

She nodded once more before taking Maggie’s arm. “May Holy Mother Terra watch over you, and grant you success in your mission,” she said solemnly.

“I’ll take all the help I can get,” Genvass replied. “Good luck, both of you.”

“Try not to get yourselves killed,” Maggie chimed in, before the pair fell in behind the colonel as they headed back to the convoy. Rúna clutched the sword to her chest before carefully belting it around her waist, returning to her seat with an unreadable expression.

Genvass cocked his head, regarding her. “What was that all about?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she answered… though he couldn’t help but notice the rest of her security team sharing a look he couldn’t quite decipher.

“Come on,” Remi growled, “we’ve got a long trip ahead of us if we’re gonna make the Barbary Coast.”

“You’re right,” he agreed.

“Let’s go.”

It was just before dawn when Remi called for a halt. “Barbary Coast is just beyond that hill,” he advised them. “Time to make some plans.”

“I assume appealing to their sense of patriotism is out of the question?” Genvass sighed.

“You assume correctly,” the Corsair said dryly. “If you don’t have the credits to meet their price… and trust me, you don’t… then there’s only one way to play this.” He turned and gave Rúna a pointed look.

“I figured it was going to come down to that,” she said in resignation. “What sort of defenses can we expect?”

“Wait a second,” the ambassador interrupted, “there has to be another way. Some way we can do this without bloodshed.”

“There isn’t,” Taneka spoke up. “Barbary Coast is rough-and-tumble even by our standards. You can either pay them up front, or else take what you need by force. There is no third option.”

“Maybe we could make a trade,” Genvass said desperately, “or we could owe them a favor. Something… anything. Anything besides violence.”

“God damn it… have you learned nothing after all that’s happened?” Remi snarled in sudden fury. “I would have thought by now that even you would realize you were going to get your hands bloody on this. It’s not some problem that can be solved over a friendly cup of tea.” He leaned forward, invading the ambassador’s space. “It’s time for you to choose, Ambassador. If we don’t stop that fleet, the Clan leaders win, and if they win, the galaxy and every sapient being that calls it home will be under their boot for the next million fucking years. So you need to ask yourself one thing… just how far are you prepared to go in order to stop them?”

Genvass could only stare in sick horror as Remi spewed his tirade before turning in desperation to Rúna. “He’s right,” she said quietly. “I wish there was another way, but there isn’t. If you truly wish to save our people, not to mention everyone else, then you better be prepared for what it’ll cost.”

He winced and looked away before gazing at the heavens for inspiration. The first hints of indigo were appearing on the horizon, as a new day greeted the planet. Dawn was supposed to be a time of rebirth, when anything was possible, but as the stars disappeared one by one, an icy chill seemed to settle deep within his bones.

“... Keep the casualties to a minimum if you can, Captain Aukes,” he said at last, with a voice that seemed light-years distant, and as old as space itself. “Whatever else they might be, they’re still a part of us.”

“Of course, Ambassador,” the Valkyrie acknowledged, before issuing orders of her own.

The fighting didn’t last long; Rúna and her team, with Samara on point, infiltrated the smuggler’s den and subdued most of the Corsairs before they realized they were under attack. But the assault was not entirely bloodless, and as Genvass and the others arrived at the clandestine spaceport, the aftermath lay strewn around them. A group of prisoners were huddled near one of the spacecraft, kneeling with their hands behind their heads under the Valkyries’ watchful gaze.

“Their shuttle took a hit to its plasma manifold,” Taneka informed him, “but the other two are in decent shape. Either of them will get us into orbit.”

“And them?” Genvass inquired, nodding towards the prisoners.

“We’ll lock them up in the damaged shuttle,” Rúna answered. “We’ll need to disable communications, plus the engines on the other craft, but Mairead assures me they can do quickly it. They’ll escape eventually,” she shrugged, “but by then we’ll be long gone.”

“And once we’re in orbit?” the ambassador probed. “How are we going to sneak up on a ship that can see us coming ten thousand kilometers away?”

“Leave that to me,” Samara chuckled. “You might say it’s one of my specialties.”

“Look, we’ll handle the details of getting us there,” Remi said brusquely, “you just worry about stopping that fleet.”

“Trust me, I am worried,” Genvass replied. “I still have no idea how to convince the Paygan to stand down.” He glanced at his security chief. “I don’t suppose you have any thoughts on the subject?”

Rúna turned to face him, her expression a mask that revealed nothing of her true state of mind. “I’m… working on one,” she said at last.

There was a pregnant pause. “Well?” he snapped. “Don’t leave us in suspense.”

She shook her head. “It’s not ready yet. I’m still… wrestling over some details.”

“Well, let’s hope you figure it out before the fleet arrives,” he glowered. “In the meantime, we’ve got to get moving. We risk being spotted if we stay here any longer.”

“We’re working on it,” Taneka assured him. “We should lift in less than an hour.”

Unwittingly, he found himself gazing up at the sky once more.

“Let’s hope it’s in time,” he murmured to himself.