“Three.” We went closer.
“Two.” I held my breath, hoping the tentacles didn’t take aim at us.
“One.”
Luther let out a whoop as he released the bombs. The pair searched for the nearest energy output and latched on to the belly of the Squid. The explosion threw us forward and down, and my Racer skidded over the road, skipping like a stone on a pond. Instead of landing, I yanked the yoke, flying into the sky.
I checked the rear camera feed and watched the giant Velibar Squid go dark. All light sources turned off, and the pulsing tentacle went limp, hitting the street. The ship gave in to gravity, crashing with a violent thud.
“We did it,” I whispered.
“Pilgrim, the Stin are moving to assist the secondary region.”
“Thank you, Stin. We’ll be—”
Varn’s frantic voice cut through the speakers. “Where the hell have you been, Hawk?”
“What is it?” I asked.
“The Squids. I think the city was a distraction. Two of them have left for the transports. We’ve managed to slow them, but you’d better convince our friends to hurry up if they want to live!” Varn exclaimed.
“Roger that. We’ve destroyed one, going for number two. Order the Stin to attack that solo Squid. Understood?” I asked.
“Sure. Shoot the baddies. Got it.” Varn ended the call.
“Jade, come in.” I tried to reach her. The line was silent. “R11, do you copy?” He didn’t respond. There was one more idea. “Stin, can you access R11?”
“We can contact.” All twenty-five remaining Stin vessels were surrounding the other Squid, slowly chipping at its defenses.
“Tell him they need to leave. Now!” I turned Pilgrim around and saw the incoming Squids block the system’s star from sight.
“Message sent.”
My Racer flew over the steady stream of Darlor on the streets attempting to flee their demise. I was hoping we could still save my friends. When I arrived, one of the transports had already evacuated the planet, its thrusters glowing hot orange. I glanced at the ground and spotted Trid’s boxy Pursuer.
“What’s the plan?” Luther asked.
“That transport needs an escort.” I landed on the crop and rushed for the exit, racing across the field toward the hatch I expected Jade and R11 to be inside.
A Darlor shouted at me, but I shrugged him off. “Jade!” I called as I shouldered past another Darlor. “Jade!”
“Yes, Arlo,” she said, and I slowed when I saw her. One of the bulbous-headed Darlor was at the entrance, and it held a weapon. Why would he be armed near the workers? There was no ground assault.
“They’re coming. The Velibar will arrive in ten minutes.” I’d done the math and estimated they’d probably reach us even sooner.
“We’re almost finished. We got the first one off the ground, but they aren’t equipped for interstellar travel at this point. They’ll have to return to the ice world and recuperate while they…” Jade held an alien tablet, and she was typing on it.
“Jade, this is too dangerous.” I tried to drag her out, but she didn’t budge.
“We’re not leaving until this ship is in the air. Then we can help see them off,” she told me.
“What can I do?” I asked, and she passed me a wrench.
“Do you know what a cosmic balancer is?” She smiled as I nodded.
____________
The seconds ticked by, and we ran from the hatch while the engines fired up.
“There are more people left,” I told her.
“Trid knows but says to abandon Refuge.” Jade and I stepped away while the transport rose. The Squids were close, but the Stin and two of the Darlor Pursuers were blocking their passage. None of them fired. They appeared to be in a standoff, with the red-ended tentacles prepared for battle.
“Let’s board,” I said.
We reconvened in the cockpit, where Luther waited. “Varn’s got some news.” He didn’t seem pleased.
I rushed to the pilot’s seat and switched the feed on. Varn’s face was drawn, his eyes bleary. “We tried, Hawk. We really tried. We damaged her, but she took the transport.”
“Took it?” I looked to the sky, where the second and last Darlor vessel flew toward the atmosphere and closer to space with each breath.
“The gateway. They had one ready. They slammed the transport with their tentacles and fled. I almost went after them,” Varn admitted.
My stomach sank.
“We have to tell Trid.” Jade was on it, relaying the message.
I checked the radar. The two Squids in the city had been dealt with, and another had escaped into the gateway. That meant two remained.
I reached out to Trid. “Are we fighting?”
He paused, and I saw his ship lift from the ground. “They know our location.”
“They won’t be back anytime soon,” I guessed.
“We cannot be sure of that.”
“Let’s destroy these Barges, Trid. No more hiding from the Velibar. We won’t concede our planet to them, and neither should you. Join forces with us, and we can mark the first day of our rise against your enemy. We’re not going to stand by and let these beasts assault Earth. We have to work together.”
I held my breath while waiting for the Darlor leader’s verdict. “You’ve convinced me, Arlo Lewis. Let us seek our revenge. Tomorrow will be a new day.”
“You heard the man,” I told my crew. I couldn’t help but crack a smile. “We’re going in.”
The entire local fleet fought like this was their last chance at life, and it very well could have been. The Squid was relentless, unwilling to concede. I wondered how many of the Velibar were on board, but shoved the concern for their losses out of my mind.
Nearly all of the Stin were present, along with the four Darlor Pursuers. We broke into two squadrons, with Varn coming to join the second group. Trid was with us, and forty Stin.
“They don’t stand a chance,” Luther said, firing at
