A few minutes later Hal’Neg led them into a big ocher-colored tent at the center of the camp. He didn’t knock and just shouted to announce Robin and his crew as he pulled back the loose flaps.

  Following him inside, Robin saw dozens of heavy crates. A few of them were open and he spotted neatly stacked ammunition and battlegear within. Rows of tables with screens stood at both sides and a few soldiers were observing whatever data was shown there.

  In the middle of the tent stood a tall, muscular man in a military suit. He wore badges on his shoulders that identified him as a higher-ranking officer, even if Robin didn’t know the Elatarn’s structure to guess his exact rank.

  The officer looked up from a table that was full of papers, tablets and little holo-screens and Robin noticed that while his body looked well trained, the man was in a bad shape. His skin was pale and he had dark circles around his eyes. He looked at them with weariness as they entered

  “Captain Tulward, Elder, I welcome you to our camp. My name is Ul’Tak” He greeted them with a friendly but tired smile, “You have rendered great service for my people and saved many lives. We will–”

  Before he could continue, Robin stepped forward and shook the man’s hand, “It’s great to make your acquaintance. But unfortunately we don’t have time for pleasantries just yet.”

  “Oh, of course.” Ul’Tak said and straightened his back, “How can I help you?”

  “Tell me about the Zulbano.” Robin said, “We heard that your men encountered them in the last attack?”

  “Yes, that is correct. We could fend them off however. They have retreated with the rest of the enemy’s forces.”

  “Sorry to be blunt, but that is not how Zulbano are operating. We need to tighten the protection of the Eltaran who know the colony’s location immediately. I’m pretty sure that those are their primary targets.”

  “That…” The man stopped to let what he had heard sink in, “I thank you for your consideration. But rest assured that we have taken measures to secure the pilots already.”

  “Care to let me check these ‘measures’ of yours?” Krez growled and Robin saw him shifting his feet nervously.

  Ul’Tak’s eyes went wide for a moment when he noticed the Zulbano among them but he quickly caught himself and his friendly smile returned, “Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. But I appreciate your offer.”

  Ang’Tue rolled his eyes, all three of them, “Commander, I strongly advise you to use this chance and let one of their own check your security. The Zulbano are terrifying enemies and it would be a tragedy if we lost any more of our men and women now that the battle has ended already.” Ang’Tue hesitated for a brief moment, barely enough for Robin to notice, before he added, “I vouch for this wolf-kin.”

  “Elder, I thank you for your concern. It wasn’t my intention to prevent you from lending a hand, it is just that the four pilots are gone already. We sent them to Data Falls fifteen minutes ago.”

  Robin looked at Ang’Tue and then towards Krez, both seemed as little convinced as he was.

  “Ul’Tak, does anyone in this camp know that they have left or even which route they took?”

  “Yeah, many soldiers supported this idea when we discussed it earlier. We wanted to make sure that we used the distraction you caused to get the pilots away in case things went badly and the camp was taken over by the enemy.”

  Robin looked at Krez once more and the wolf shrugged, “They’ll probably invade the camp and covertly grab single people until they get the answers they want. It’s a long way to the city, if they come to the decision that it’s not too late, the hunters will chase their prey.”

  “You said you sent them off fifteen minutes ago, right? When have you last seen the Zulbano?” Robin asked.

  “Correct, the last contact was during the attack on the enemy’s camp three-quarters of an hour ago.” The Eltaran said, the weariness on his face slowly changing to concern, then he turned to his second in command, “Hal’Neg, conduct an immediate headcount of all personnel. Everyone has to report back. I want to know if we’re missing people. Also, send the second squad to catch up with the transport, just to be sure.”

  The officer saluted and quickly hurried off with the rest of his group.

  “Are there more people that know the location of the colony?” Ang’Tue asked after they had left.

  “No, as you know there are strict regulations about this kind of knowledge.” Ul’Tak shook his head.

  “Fine, how about this.” Robin began while he rubbed his throbbing head, “I wanted to ask you if we could borrow one of your trucks anyway. We, uhm, lost some things in our last fight and I would like to send Alena and Krez”, he pointed at the two, “to fetch those things. Ang’Tue and I will stay here and help you with the cleanup.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. Do you need some of my men to help?”

  “No thanks, just the truck.” Alena interjected.

  The commander nodded and called over one of the soldiers that monitored the screen, “Get them a truck and explain to them how they can get in contact with us.”

  “Aye, Sir.” the young soldier said and stepped out of the tent.

  Before Alena and Krez could follow, Robin stopped them, “No unnecessary risks, okay? The armorplates are replaceable, your life isn’t.”

  Alena nodded and Krez just grunted in annoyance.

  “Remember our deal, pup. This is your chance to get back on track.” Ang’Tue said and threw Alena the remote control for the Suppression Shackles, “No funny business, right?”

  They both nodded and left.

  Just as Robin wanted to continue his talk with Ul’Tak, they heard a loud, exasperated growl and Krez stuck his head back in, “If I were part of their pack and had a hunter to spare, I would try to get him.” He pointed at the commander with his furry claw, “No matter what his people told me, even under torture, I’d never believe he doesn’t know the location.”

  Not waiting for an answer, the Zulbano left again.

  Robin rubbed the bridge of his nose while Ang’Tue addressed the commander.

  “He isn’t wrong. We should take precautions.” Then he paused and looked cocked his head, “Do you know the location?”

  “Of course, Elder.” The man said with a confused frown, “As the head of this waystation, I have to be able to plan the schedules and routes.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “This is nuts!” Robin grumbled while he continued to massage his temples, “Didn’t you just tell us no one else…”

  He left the sentence unfinished and instead took a calming breath.

  “You don’t look good, Robin.” Ang’Tue said and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’m okay, just a really strong headache.” He waved him off.

  “Um, ‘that’ kind of headache?” The old man asked with a wince as he remembered the outburst when they fought the Cetro.

  “Yeah, that kind. Let’s get this done quickly, okay?” Robin replied, not hiding his bad condition.

  “I can’t follow everything, but I thank you for your concern and the valuable information you brought.” Ul’Tak said and sighed, “We aren’t soldiers. Sure, we got our training but Eltaran live in hiding and aren’t used to fighting.”

  “I know, no worries.” Robin nodded, “We need to prepare for a last effort attack of the enemy. When that is done, we go and have a drink together.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” The commander grinned and turned to one of the workstations in the tent, “I’ll open a comm and inform Mul’Jin about the latest information we got.”

  “Sure, please say hello from us. We will use the time to begin with our own preparations.”

  “You’ve an idea?” Ang’Tue asked intrigued.

  “Kind of, yes. Let’s hope Krez is wrong and the Zulbano really left. But until every Eltaran has reported back and we know that we’re safe, we should prepare for the worst.” Robin said and looked at Ul’Tak who was fidgeting with the computer, “Can I borrow a few things from you?”

  ***

  Somewhere far above Bloom I, hidden in the shadow of its sole moon, the Relentless Stride was hovering. A small drone darted around, repeatedly entering and exiting the ship to get new armor plates before affixing them to the two huge legs at the rear of the ship.

  Inside, on the spacious bridge, Happy was lazily lounging in the pilot’s chair and gazed out of the wide window. The colorful planet in the distance was brightly illuminated by the system’s central star, Limolius, and truly a beautiful sight to behold.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” she whispered, “It looks so beautiful, so peaceful. Hardly imaginable that we fought for our lives down there just an hour ago.”

  “You did a great job,” said the artificial voice used by Proto.

  “And yet we nearly died.”

  “Yes, but it was you who saved the ship and its crew… It was you who saved us.”

  “Hm…” Niu grunted noncommittally and kept observing the distant planet.

  There was a long silence while the counter indicating ship’s armor coverage on a small display slowly ticked up, reaching 91% already. The little drone was busy and didn’t slack off.

  “Is that something you can experience?” Niu finally asked, “Amazement, wonder, the beauty of nature and the universe I mean. Can you feel fear?”

  Proto didn’t answer immediately and the silence returned for a good while.

  “In a way,” the AI finally said, “I think what I experience is different from what you may feel, but the result is somewhat the same. The biggest difference is probably that your emotions are based on hormones produced by your body while mine are more… based on mathematical and statistical nature.”

  “Sounds weird.” Happy laughed before she quieted down again.

  Time slowly ticked by until Proto spoke up once more.

  “Niu, I have a favor to ask.”

  “Oh? There is something the great Protector of the Starborn can’t do on his own and needs the help of a simple human? Color me curious!”

  “Smartass!” The AI chuckled but its tone quickly became serious again, “This is important, so please listen carefully.”

  “Roger!” Niu said and sat up from her lounging position. Proto wasn’t fooling around, she could tell that much.

  “You’ll return to the planet to follow the others to the hidden colony. I’ll remain here and take care of the ship.”

  “That’s the general idea, yes.”

  “The Eltaran are the most advanced and knowledgeable race when we talk about genetic engineering. Even more so than the Keeper, despite them needing their help to save their own race.”

  Niu nodded in agreement. She had heard so before, even if the claim about the Etalaran’s competence now gained much more credibility after hearing it from a living remnant of the Starborn.

  “When you are at the colony, I need you to make sure that the Eltaran give Robin a thorough checkup. Not just a basic inspection of his G-Anomaly… I need a complete and detailed report about his genes.”

  Niu squinted her eyes and scratched her chin as the gears in her head turned.

  “You have an idea about the Keeper’s message? Why it is so important that we come here before the request is fulfilled?”

  “Yes. One of my many computations came back with a plausible result. The first and only plausible result so far, no matter how miniscule the probability may be. It’s the only lead I can follow right now. Please help me out with this.”

  “I’m not asking questions I won’t get an answer for.” Niu shrugged, not trying to dig deeper, “So, why not. I’m pretty sure Robin has it on his list anyway because of his outburst on Seavis. He wants to know what is wrong with him.”

  She thought for a moment before adding, “Is this about the same thing?”

  “Maybe. I can’t be sure. I’ve found no comparable incidents in my database. I’m as oblivious about what happened to him back there as everyone else.”

  “I just hope he doesn’t get bad news from the Eltaran after they are done with the checkup.” Happy sighed, “He deserves some happiness.”

  “I hope so as well…” Proto agreed.

  Niu cared for Robin deeply. He inspired her. Robin always tried to look forward and put his concentration on the things ahead, not on chances missed in the past. Despite all that has gone wrong on their journey so far, he never gave up but sat down and made plans for their next big adventure, giving them something to look forward to and to be excited for.

  Niu got used to wearing a mask to show everyone a happy face and while that has gotten much better since she joined this group of crazy people, she knew she still had a way to go.

  “He never had the need to wear a mask. He just does what he thinks is right and doesn't give a damn about what others may think of him.” She mumbled as she slumped down in her chair, “The crew always comes first and he is willing to pay any price for our sake… That’s what a family should be like, isn’t it?”

  “I’ve read the logs and reports from the time before I joined.” Proto said in a low voice, “I think I have to agree with you. He really has come a long way and turned into a reliable captain. Even for me, a mere AI from a long forgotten time, he didn’t hesitate to save my rusty circuits and–”

  Proto paused and screens on the bridge turned on.

  “What is it?” Niu said and sat up straight again.

  “There is a change in the blockade’s formation. They are breaking up.”

  “Are they retreating after they’ve lost the fight on the surface?”

  “No.” Proto said and called up the strategic map, “A few ships are leaving Delta Falls and are heading half around the planet to get away from the blockade. While the Corvette remains stationary, the other ships are fanning out and some are setting an interjection course.”

  “More refugees? They probably noticed that the blockade isn’t spanning across the planet any more and want to test their luck.” Niu guessed.

  “Yes, and on top of that I think the enemy believes they have destroyed us with their last strike.” Proto agreed, “They are sending down a ship towards the location where they hit us with the orbital strike and the remaining ships are lowering their shields back to standby.”

  “You mean… the drone controller is vulnerable for a surprise attack?”

  “My risk assessment indicates that, yes.” Proto said, “But there are other dangers... You’ve already pissed Robin off when you stole his first walk with the Stride. If you now use the cannon without him being here, my calculations suggest he’ll be a greater threat to us than the Corvette.”

  “That… is a good point.” Niu shivered involuntarily and looked at the map that showed the moving ships, “Are you sure it’s not a trap?”

  “95,47% positive.”

  “Enough for me. Could we handle the retaliation from the Corvette?”

  “If we take into account what we learned about its weapons so far and do not engage in direct battle - then yes, we should be fine.” Proto explained, “But we need to make the decision now. When their scout realizes that there isn’t a burning wreck on the planet, our moment of surprise is gone.”

  “Okay, set course. Not only would it be a shame to let this chance pass by, but an attack from us should also ensure that the scout turns around and doesn’t run into Alena and Krez on the planet since those two should be on their way by now.” Niu nodded and grabbed the joysticks, “Open a comm to the Eltaran’s waystation.”