‘Lolo Maude is sort of my ancestor.’
‘What?’
She would have laughed at everyone’s reaction if it hadn’t been so damn tragic. ‘I traced my genetic ancestry when I was undergoing . . . treatment back on Juloss.’ She glanced at Alexandre, who gave a discreet nod. ‘It goes all the way back to someone called Bik Heslop. His claim to fame – the only reason he was in our records – was because he was the first human ever to successfully undergo de-cocooning.’
‘So who is Lolo?’ Dellian asked.
‘Sie was the partner of Bik’s brother, Ollie Heslop, who . . . Well, he died in London to help the Saints get on board the Salvation of Life. Both Lolo and Bik left Earth for Akitha.’
‘How does that prove Lolo’s message is real?’
‘Proof is an absolute we can never establish in this case, but it’s another byte of data that adds to the authenticity. Lolo and Bik’s extended family was on the Pasobla; that’s the same exodus habitat that took Emilja and Ainsley from Akitha when the Olyix finally returned to the human worlds. So Lolo must have been on the same generation ship as Ainsley when it left Falkon. Sie was at the Factory. Sie became one of their warships, just like Ainsley.’
‘We never knew before if there were more Factory ships than just Ainsley,’ Alexandre said. ‘So now we do. You’re right, it does add to the authenticity.’
Yirella gave him a small nod of gratitude. ‘You also need to consider how close the Lolo and Ainsley ships were located on a galactic scale,’ Yirella said. ‘It can’t be coincidence. This whole part of space is the front of the human expansion wavefront. Everything is concentrated here.’
‘All right,’ Tilliana said. ‘So the Lolo Maude is a genuine Factory warship, and it took out an Olyix ambush. The Olyix response to that is still going to be automatic; while we sit here, they’re on their way back to that star in considerable force. When they get there, they’ll destroy that transmitter globe as fast as they can. And once they realize what’s been broadcast, they’ll set up an ambush at every neutron star along the expansion wavefront. Like you said, this is where human activity is concentrated – if anyone else is left. The Olyix will be waiting for all the remaining Strike missions.’
‘Exactly,’ Yirella said. ‘But they haven’t got the message yet. It’s too early. So we have to continue our flight to the neutron star. We have the advantage now.’
Kenelm glanced at Wim then Cinrea. ‘Are we ready to resume our flight?’
Wim nodded. ‘Yes, Captain. A year decelerating to here, then another year accelerating back up to relativistic velocity means that we’ll arrive later than we were supposed to, but I’m confident there should be no more problems with our drive systems.’
‘But where’s the other Strike mission now?’ Ovan blurted.
‘Excuse me?’ Cinrea asked.
‘Lolo Maude didn’t build a lure. We know Factory ships just wait in some kind of reduced state for the Olyix. It was a Strike mission, just like the Morgan. Whatever humans were at that star bioformed its planet. So, right now, if they’re following protocol—’
‘Saints, yes!’ Dellian said in excitement. ‘They’ll be heading straight for the same neutron star as us.’
‘All the surviving Strike ships will be,’ Tilliana said. ‘As soon as they detect the Signal, they’ll fly there – and every Factory ship as well. Hell, if there are any left, we might even get some generation ships changing course and joining us.’
‘We won’t be alone any more!’
Yirella hadn’t seen Del as jazzed up as this since they detected the Olyix ship approaching Vayan. This was almost the old Dellian. She reached out and squeezed his hand. ‘Not necessarily,’ she said apologetically. ‘Lolo’s Signal was very clear; humans have to develop a new strategy now that the Olyix know everything. That implies the neutron star will be the last place any human will be going.’
‘Oh. Right.’
‘We can’t speculate on how others will interpret the warning,’ Kenelm said. ‘Perhaps they will all stay away, or perhaps they will send an exploratory mission. However, I’m in agreement with Yirella that – although it is admittedly momentous news – Lolo’s Signal does not alter our objective. Therefore, we will resume our flight to the neutron star. Tilliana?’
‘Yes, Captain?’
‘Liaise with Wim, please. I want a tactical scenario drawn up for our deceleration phase at the neutron star. We will not be caught out and ambushed again.’
Kruse Station
S-Day, 11th December 2206
There were eight principal coordinator seats in the Kruse Station’s Strikeback Command Centre, their solid frames almost lost amid the bright geode stalactite holograms that spiked out from the chamber’s smooth walls and ceiling to fill the air. Adjutant-General David Johnston acknowledged his staff as he came in, then sat in his own seat at the back, giving him a perfect view of more data than any human could absorb. Another sheet of holographic displays curved around him as he took off his wire-rimmed glasses and tucked them into his jacket pocket.
‘Are we ready?’ he asked.
The eight coordinators he’d brought with him from Alpha Defence, immersed in their own digitized nest of laserlight, acknowledged him one by one.
‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends,’ Johnston said softly. ‘But when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger.’ He paused for a moment, eyes shut as he drew a breath, then told his altme to open a feed to the G8Turing that would be directing the Strike. Immediately the graphic dendrites in his displays burst into digital leaf as data surged in. Training allowed him to keep calm when what he wanted was to be anywhere else. Besides, who else could he entrust this job to? But the flood of fresh real-time information did reinforce the suspicion that it was too much. The reality was that he’d be playing a very small part in the attack, a janitor shuffling around the feet of the
