Three days later, Lauren, Angie, and I were huddled in front of the cruiser windshield, watching the planets of our solar system pass by. It was weird to see them close up, after a lifetime spent hearing about them on the news, or in documentaries, or described in textbooks. Pluto came first, with its snowy heart showing on the surface. Even if it was technically categorized as a dwarf planet these days, I still liked to think of it as fully-fledged. Then, Neptune passed in an electric blue haze, followed by the peculiar blue of Uranus.

Naturally, Angie snorted. “Ha, I’ve seen Uranus.”

“Real mature, Ange,” Lauren chided playfully.

She shrugged. “What? Someone had to say it.”

We fell silent again as Saturn appeared alongside the cruiser, her icy rings glinting, then the mighty Jupiter with its signature red spot. We started to really get excited as Mars came into view, knowing we weren’t far from home now. Soon enough, we would see the familiar sight of Earth again, and though I was thrilled by the prospect, it didn’t quite seem real. Earth felt like a dream, left over from another lifetime.

As we passed by the welcoming warmth of the rusty-colored Mars, the cruiser came to a standstill, just short of Earth. Even so, we could see it through the glass pane, all three of us in complete awe at the vision of our beautiful blue, green, and white marbled home. Tears sprang to my eyes, my heart overwhelmed at the sight. Turning to my friends, I could see I wasn’t the only one.

There she was, just as we’d left her, with no sign of Queen Gianne and her army anywhere. I wasn’t sure which one brought me more happiness—that we were home, or that we’d reached it before Gianne could.

“Why’ve we stopped?” I asked, turning to Bashrik. I was too excited about going home to think straight.

“I figured we should stay up here a while longer before landing,” Ronad chimed in. “The merevin Feds aren’t here yet, and we should probably get in touch with the lycan contingent before we start setting any shields up. Plus, we’re going to need to conserve our energy up until the last moment, when we put the nudus on.”

Bashrik nodded. “Yeah, the last thing we want to do is start building shields without the lycan Fed knowing about it. They might think it’s an attack and start retaliating.”

So close… and yet, so far, I thought grimly.

Navan came up and put his arm around my waist, before addressing the room. “We need to get in touch with the lycans and make sure they’re fully on board with the plan, so we can figure out how they’re going to prevent mass human panic. We can’t exactly make the shields invisible, so we’ll have to explain it somehow.”

“And how do we contact the lycans?” I wondered, remembering how difficult it had been the last time. “I mean, we don’t even know where their headquarters are.”

Dio, who had been minding his own business in the corner, sat up straighter, attracting our attention. “It’s good you’ve got me, then, isn’t it?”

“What, does your kind have a pack mind or something? Like, a telepathic link?” Angie asked, arching an eyebrow.

Dio laughed. “Not quite. I used to be a Fed agent. I wasn’t stationed here myself, but these will probably be the same bunch I left behind when I got kicked out.”

Xiphio gasped out loud. “You were a Fed agent?”

“I was, though I wasn’t very good at it. Apparently, it’s bad form for a Federal agent to take bribes.” He flashed a wolfish grin. “Anyway, I know how to get in touch with my lycan pals. All I need is a quick lend of the ship’s systems and I’ll have us there in no time.”

Bashrik moved away from the controls. “Sure, do what you’ve got to do.”

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Xiphio protested, evidently struggling with the idea of a dirty agent. For me, it only confirmed something I’d already been suspecting: with a Fed that spanned the universe, there had to be some underhanded activities going on. I’d already wondered if that was how the rebels had been allowed to build their base on Earth in the first place, with their secret being kept by some lycan agent down there. It really wouldn’t have surprised me.

“Relax, Xiphio. I realized my calling in the end—I was always destined for the scavenger life,” Dio replied, chuckling as he made his way over to the controls and started to work his magic. Before long, a flashing light showed up on the navigation system, though it didn’t appear to be coming from Earth at all.

I thought back to the first time I’d been taken to the Fed HQ, after coaxing them out and forcing them to come to us. The air had felt distinctly different—I remembered that much—and there’d been a sharp wind that had carried the scent of saltwater. I’d been convinced we were by the ocean, somewhere on Earth, but this was just confusing. Judging by the flashing light on the navigation monitor, it looked like the headquarters were stationed on the moon. There was a strange sort of irony in a bunch of lycan agents living on the moon, but I didn’t know if it was polite to say in front of Dio.

“Are there two Fed HQs here?” I wondered.

Dio shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me. They’ll have an outpost down on the surface, for immediate purposes, and one farther away. Especially considering this planet is part of the Embryo Project, they’d try to keep their distance, with only a few guys on the ground.”

“There’s one on the moon? The actual moon?” Angie looked stunned.

Alfa padded across to the windshield and looked out, before casting a bemused expression back at us. “Don’t you Earthlings have a name for your moon? Seems a bit unfair, just to call it ‘moon.’”

I guessed he had a point, though it wasn’t something I’d thought about before.

“It’s probably because it was the first one we ever saw, as humans,” Lauren explained, though she didn’t look entirely convinced.

The cruiser jolted forward unexpectedly. “Sorry—not used to these controls!” Dio yelped, as Bashrik swooped in and took over, directing the ship toward the flashing beacon that had appeared on the screen. It was taking us away from Earth, much to my dismay, but I knew we’d soon be back on her surface, forging our shields and keeping her from harm.

Keeping my eyes on her until the ship turned too far in the opposite direction, I added fuel to the flames of the hope that burned brightly within me. We’d made it here before Gianne, and we were about to enlist the lycans into our fold. The merevins were on their way, and Alfa’s Rexombran pals would be coming too. Even so, the thing I was looking forward to the most was sinking to the ground and feeling Earthen grass under my feet again. It would be strange to smell the scent of home again, but I was more than ready for it.

Ten minutes later, the surface of the moon came into full view, the cratered landscape barely seeming real from this distance. It looked like a set, something from a Hollywood movie. The sight completely took my breath away; it resembled one big mountain range, with peaks and gorges. I couldn’t see any sort of building, but that didn't mean there wasn't one down there—the rebel base had taught me that much.

“Since everyone is getting a turn on the controls today, do you want to send updates to your buddies?” Bashrik asked, glancing at Alfa. “I can send them to the merevins, but you all might as well meet us at HQ instead of frightening some poor, unsuspecting humans.”

Alfa grinned. “Thought you’d never ask.”

As soon as Alfa had sent the coordinates, Bashrik put the cruiser into landing mode, and the ship descended toward the rocky, gray landscape. He tried to get as close to the flashing beacon as possible, but as soon as the underside of the cruiser hovered above the given coordinates, a shiver of electricity bristled through the ship with a loud crackle. There was a shield below us, blocking our entry. He tried to touch it again, but the same thing happened, a shimmer of movement rippling outward, revealing the vague shape of a small dome.

Undeterred, Bashrik lifted us up and moved us a short distance away, before setting us down on the silty surface. This time, nothing stood in our way, though I wondered if the lycan Fed would fear we were an enemy ship.

As if sensing my concerns, Dio pulled out a curious-looking object. It looked somewhere between a flute and a panpipe, and was forged from a bronze-tinged metal. Gripping it in his clawed hand, he moved over to the windshield and blew into the instrument’s mouthpiece. A faint whistle emerged. It was difficult for the human ear to hear, but it seemed to be causing everyone else some trouble, as all of them were covering their ears and grimacing in pain.

“Do you hear anything?” I looked to Angie and Lauren.

Lauren shrugged. “A tiny whistle, maybe.”

Angie nodded. “Yeah, same.”

“Are you kidding? I think it’s going to crack my skull open!” Bashrik gasped, squeezing his eyes shut.

A moment later, Dio stopped blowing into the mouthpiece, and a look of relief washed over the face of each alien in the room.

“What the hell was that?” Ronad muttered, rubbing his temples.

Dio grinned. “My calling card. Just give it a minute, you’ll see.”

Sure enough, five minutes later, the comms system sparked to life, an image flickering up on the monitor. There, facing us, was a stern-looking lycan with distinctly feminine features, and she did not look impressed that we had settled on her territory. Her bright orange eyes pierced through the screen, her long, dark lashes giving them a dramatic, almost Egyptian appearance.

“I am Commander Mahlo of the Universal Federal Agency. State your purpose,” she demanded.

I wandered over to the monitor, just as Dio hurried over from the windshield and appeared at my side. She frowned at the sight of me, a glimmer of surprise flickering in her eyes. Evidently, she hadn’t expected to see a human on the ship. As Ronad entered her line of vision, her entire face softened.

“Ronad, is that you?” she asked.

He smiled. “Back from my adventures, Commander Mahlo!”

“What brings you all the way out here? You would be better off consulting with the human relations headquarters on the planet’s surface. I wasn’t aware you even had the coordinates for this facility. Were you not back in Siberia, trying to discover the source of the human disappearances?” There was a glint of suspicion in her eyes, her expression darkening once more.

“We can talk about all of that along the way, Commander. First, we need some help,” I said. “You might not realize it yet, but Earth is in danger. We’ve got backup on the way, but we need to talk with you first.”

She frowned. “What sort of danger? Are we speaking of the rebels? If so, we have not sensed any immediate change in their behavior.”

“That’s part of the problem. There’s a lot you don’t know, but we’ll tell you everything if you let us into your headquarters.”

She paused for a moment. “Very well. I have given your ship permission to enter through the shield. If you set down in the designated area, we shall fetch you so that we can talk further about what you know. If there’s danger afoot, we must hear of it.”

“Thank you, Commander Mahlo.”

As the screen flickered off, Bashrik got the ship back in the air, moving us toward the flashing beacon. This time, when he moved us through the shield, there was only a faint bristle of energy before the ship descended beneath its protective exterior. As soon as we were through, I gaped at the vision before me. A vast, chrome structure of several metal domes stood beneath the cover of the shield, stretching across a large area of the moon’s immediate surface.

Other vessels were parked in an expanse of open space. The Fed ships were instantly recognizable, reminding me of the one we’d used back on Earth, during that first mission to find the rebel base. Although, back then, we’d thought we were only looking for shapeshifters. We’d never expected a band of rebel coldbloods. I shuddered at the memory.

“How do you know Commander Mahlo?” I asked, turning to Ronad.

“She was one of the agents I had to beg for a position in Siberia. I ended up reporting back to her a lot. We’re good pals,” he replied, with a cheerful smile. “Plus, we share a mutual love of Earth TV.”

“Is that all aliens do here—watch trash TV and eat human food?” I remembered Mort’s taste for cheeseburgers, quickly pushing the memory of the shifter out of my head.

Ronad grinned. “Pretty much. I can’t vouch for all human food, but I will say that reindeer blood is freaking delicious.”

I gaped in mock horror. “Not Rudolph!”

“Only at Christmas,” he said with a wink. “I’ve yet to sample those delights.”

As the ship came to a halt and Bashrik killed the engines, a small crew of lycan Feds emerged from the main entrance of the domed structure. They headed straight for the cruiser, every single one of them armed to the teeth, as expected, and dressed in the skintight black suits that I remembered.

“I suppose we better meet them at the door so they know we come in peace,” Navan said with a wry grin. He took my hand as we all headed for the entrance hatch. My stomach twisted with nerves. After all, the moment the lycans agreed to our plan, it would mean we were preparing for all-out war.

“Commander Mahlo has requested your presence,” the first lycan agent remarked, his tone surprised, as we all stepped down the gangway to greet them. “Although, we did not realize there were so many of you.”

“Will she mind?” I replied.

The lycan shrugged. “I guess not. Follow me.”

With our lycan escort, we moved across the surface of the moon, the ground almost sandy beneath our feet. The shield appeared to be augmenting the habitat, pumping oxygen into the space so we could breathe. Still, it took some getting used to, looking up at the stars and the lunar landscape while feeling oxygen in my lungs.

We entered through the sliding metal blast doors of the HQ, arriving in a foyer with marble floors and a desk in the center. It all seemed very familiar to me, but I knew this couldn’t be the same one I’d visited last time. There was no way I’d come to the moon without knowing about it.

The lycan crew took us straight across the foyer and down a hallway, coming to a halt outside an ordinary-looking door. The first lycan knocked on it and then ushered us all inside.

Commander Mahlo was waiting for us on the other side, her eyes showing the same surprise that the lycan crew had shown at the sight of so many of us. She shook it off quickly enough.

“Haka, would you fetch some more chairs?” Commander Mahlo asked, gesturing for us to sit wherever we could find space while the other lycan hurried outside to get more seating.

As soon as we were settled, she spoke again. “So, what is this danger we’re in? We’ve been monitoring the planet closely, so I’m interested to know what you’ve discovered that we haven’t.” There was a strange note in her voice, making me wonder if she was holding something back.

I smiled dryly. “Let’s just say that Earth is going to find out about aliens very, very soon.”