The three Zi’i escorted Sage through the dark, cave-like tunnels of their warship.

Now and then, they passed other Zi’i. So far, none of them had looked worried or been in a hurry. Sage’s people must not have stormed the ship yet. Either that, or they had managed to keep the sentries from alerting the rest of their crew. He wished he could comm Hierax or Ku to check, but of course, he could not while his escorts walked scant feet away.

The warship’s passages were cold and alien, less than ten degrees above freezing. The thin air smelled of fermented araykai, the only vegetable the Zi’i ate, one that smelled much worse than any of the meat they consumed. Sage distinctly remembered the numerous times he’d been close enough to the aliens to smell it on their breaths.

The group entered a lift that could take them to the bridge. It could also take them to the brig. Thus far, the ship’s layout had been consistent with that of the warships he’d fought against—and memorized the specs for—years earlier. He watched to see which button his escorts would push.

Sage also watched the one with the death launcher. If he could get ahold of that weapon, he could do some damage. So far, the Zi’i had been alert and hadn’t given him an opportunity to catch them by surprise. During the skirmish in the cargo hold, he’d deliberately not fought with his full capabilities, in the hope that they would underestimate him later. But even if they did, battling three would be suicidal unless something else was distracting them. And he would prefer to have his helmet on for such a confrontation. One sweep of those powerful paw-hands could tear his head from his neck.

If they took him toward the brig, he would have to act whether he found an opportunity or not. He couldn’t allow himself to be locked up.

One Zi’i tapped the topmost bar on the control panel. To the bridge. Good, that gave Sage a few more minutes. And maybe he could gather some intel if he spoke to the admiral.

The doors opened straight onto the bridge, and he found himself looking at the reclining admiral. Zi’i didn’t have chairs, usually standing to work at their computers, but they sometimes rested in nest-like structures built into the deck. Admiral Grsh was in one in the center of the bridge, a few holographic displays floating in the air around him.

Three other Zi’i stood around the circular bridge, manning stations. With the three escorting him, that put the enemy count at seven. This was definitely not the opportune time for an escape attempt. Besides, it would be better to wait until he knew his people were aboard, so he could reunite with them.

Sage continued to record with his helmet, sending the feed back to Hierax. He wouldn’t be surprised if a comm officer up here caught the signal, but he would keep it going as long as he could.

“Captain Sagitta,” Grsh said in a long drawn-out growl. “You’re much shorter than I imagined from your reputation.”

“Am I?” Sage turned slowly, looking around the bridge, subtly shifting his helmet to record the displays he could see from his position. “You’re much younger than I would expect for a Zi’i admiral.”

“I am a gifted warrior and was promoted often and with great fanfare.”

“Because of battle prowess? In which battles did you command? Perhaps we’ve fought before.”

“I was mostly patrolling the outer systems during the war.” Grsh’s tail flicked in a dismissive gesture.

Sage narrowed his eyes. Something wasn’t matching up here. He’d never heard of Grsh, and, at least during the war, he’d known all the captains and admirals, by name if not by face. It was certainly possible this Zi’i had been promoted to this position in the six years since the war ended, but he still would have to have been a captain back then. Unless this was an instance of nepotism. Some of the Zi’i clans were more inclined toward that than others, but, in general, the species awarded promotions based on excellence in battle.

“Interesting that you’d be given the command of an invasion fleet, then,” Sage said. “Or is this a privately funded mission rather than one sanctioned by your government?”

The next tail swish was more agitated.

Sage wished the answer to his question mattered. It would be better for humanity as a whole if all of the Zi’i hadn’t decided to declare war on his people, but the sheer size of this armada meant it represented a great threat to Dethocoles, whether it had been sent by their government or by a private backer.

“You will be a great prize to take home to my people,” Grsh announced. “You have been wanted dead for many years. To have you alive so that we may kill you ourselves, slowly and with great zeal, will please many.”

“I’m so happy to hear it. I came, as I agreed to come, and you agreed to let my ship go. Yet you still have it. Why?”

“I will let it go, as I promised.”

“Admiral?” one of the bridge officers spoke as he peered more closely at the display above his console. “There are—I’m getting mixed readings, but there seem to be humans on our ship. It’s probable they came from the Star Guardian ship. We are still attached to them via the airlock.”

Grsh’s eyes sharpened and locked onto Sage’s.

Sage gazed back blandly, though he shifted his helmet so he could don it as quickly as possible.

“If there’s an infestation of humans, see to it that it’s exterminated,” Grsh told his man without looking away from Sage. “Wriss, what is the status of our team on the Star Guardian ship?” He asked it smugly, as if he already knew the answer.

“There is resistance,” one of the officers said, “but our people are pushing through it. I am in contact with them now. They report that they will have engineering and the bridge shortly, and they found humans guarding a door in a random corridor. They can hear many more humans behind it—civilians, they believe—and are eager to claim them for feeding, if it is permitted, Admiral.”

Sage kept his face neutral—frozen—but horror made his gut turn to lead. They’d found sickbay. The women. Tala.

“We only agreed that the ship and its crew would be permitted to leave,” Grsh said, his growls like purrs of smug contentment. “Civilians, Captain Sagitta?”

“They are my crew and under my protection and must be left alone, per the agreement that you put forward.” Sage tried to keep his voice calm, knowing he dared not show desperation, but his neck was flushed and hot, and he wanted nothing more than to spring at the smarmy admiral.

“Once again,” Grsh said, “I do not believe you. Wriss, tell the mission leader that he is more than welcome to those humans if he breaches that door. I’m sure our people are hungry after battling the Star Guardians.”

“Yes, I’m certain of it, too, Admiral.”

Sage’s hands balled into fists.

If he’d thought dying here would do any good, he would have thrown himself at the admiral, hoping to kill him before the others took him down, but with seven other Zi’i warships out there, it would be a futile gesture. He needed to use his brain, not his brawn.

“Squad Leader Gurgg,” another bridge officer said, the one who’d reported the infiltration onto the warship. “Report on your section. Are you still at the airlock?”

Sage felt a faint thrum of satisfaction at the silence that was the officer’s only response, but problems on this ship would do little to help the women.

“Gather twenty Zi’i,” Grsh told one of Sage’s escorts, “and see to the infestation.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

The two Zi’i jogged to the lift, leaving the one with the death launcher pointing the weapon at Sage’s back. He was down to five enemies, but the odds were still poor. He needed Hierax to get to engineering and provide some distractions.

“Whatever you think your piddly invasion team of Star Guardians can do,” Grsh said, “I assure you that you are wrong. I believed you would trick us. We are ready for you.”

“Good.” Sage lifted his chin. “It would be a hollow victory if it were not hard-fought.”

Grsh grunted. “You cannot best my hundred Zi’i, not to mention the hundreds on the other ships.” He pointed to another of his officers. “Just in case this human can do more than I think, Grig, send a message to the captains of the Third Claw and the Winter Fang.”

Sage couldn’t hold back a grimace. That was the one thing he couldn’t allow. And it looked like Hierax hadn’t been able to jam communications yet because the Zi’i merely grunted an acknowledgment and bent over his console.

He had to act now or it would be too late.

The thumps against the walls and the sickbay door, and the occasional shouts and canine-like roars from the corridor, made it hard to concentrate. Tala had the complete list of chemicals, medicines, preventatives, and even wound- and floor-cleaning antiseptics and detergents up on the display, and was sharing them with Indigo, who had pulled up a list of drugs, gases, and various toxins known to sedate, incapacitate, or kill Zi’i.

“This would be easier if this was in an operating system I was familiar with,” Indigo grumbled. “Fortunately, it’s somewhat intuitive.”

“If you say so,” Tala muttered as text scrolled by. Eridanus had translated everything to English for her, but most of the drug names had no translation, and she’d only learned a couple dozen of them so far. “Wait, stop. I think we have that.” She pointed to a name floating in the air next to a chemical formula and a molecular diagram. “Dysotherolokolis. Something like that.” It didn’t matter if she could pronounce it, just if she could find it in sickbay.

“If you mix it with that,” Indigo said, pointing at a chemical, “then it creates a substance highly toxic to Zi’i and known to knock them unconscious. With continued exposure it will kill them completely.”

“If we knock them out, someone else can decide about the rest.” Tala pulled up a description of the two compounds and also of the one it created. “Er, it’ll kill humans too. It acts on the lung tissue.”

“Yes, but not through armor if it’s an inhalant, right?”

“Hm, I think so. Eridanus?”

“Yes, Doctor. I am still present. The bridge is being successfully defended, so it hasn’t yet become necessary for me to terminate myself.”

“That’s good news. Can you tell Zakota that we want to pump some gas into the ship’s corridors? Wait, can it be made into a gas? Ah, yes, that’s its natural form. Excellent. Tell Zakota.”

“That you wish to flood a dysotherolokolis-based gas into the ship’s ducts and distribute it through the ventilation system? Yes, I will do so.”

“He’s speedy,” Indigo said.

“Good for us. Eridanus, we need to make sure and close the vents in sickbay, so the gas can’t bother us.” Tala shuddered at the idea of accidentally unleashing something that knocked them all out. Or worse.

“A simple matter, Doctor, since you are in an enclosed area. But you will need to produce copious amounts of the gas to distribute.”

In a sickbay full of women. Tala wished there was a lab in here. She ought to be wearing a biohazard suit to work with those chemicals.

Something clanked against the sickbay door hard enough to leave a dent. They wouldn’t be in an enclosed area for long if those aliens broke in.

Lulu, still standing in the doorway to the office with Angela, growled. Out in the main room, Orion might have done the same. The only man in the sickbay full of women, he appeared quite determined to do his job. So far, the Star Guardians outside were keeping the Zi’i at bay, but for some reason, the aliens were incredibly persistent. Tala couldn’t imagine why sickbay would be important to them, but they definitely wanted to get in.

“Can we just distribute it to the parts of the ship where the Zi’i are located?” Tala asked, easing past the bulky svenkar blocking the office doorway. She had to find the drugs before she could mix them.

“It would be possible to distribute the gas to localized areas, yes,” Eridanus said, “but it would dissipate quickly and lose its potency. If some of the blast doors in the corridors were lowered, a smaller dispersal area could be created. A door blocking the Zi’i from reaching the bridge is already down.”

“Figure out how to do that, please, Eridanus,” Tala said. “For obvious self-survival reasons, I’m mostly worried about the aliens outside my door. And make sure nothing can get in here.”

“I will work on this problem, Doctor.”

“Thank you.”

Tala navigated past the women crowding sickbay and opened the cabinet Sage had delved into earlier. Orion glanced toward her. A display was projecting from his logostec, showing the corridor outside. Tala caught a glimpse of blood on the walls out there and grimaced. She hoped the Star Guardians’ armor was protecting them from claws, and that the blood belonged to their enemies. It looked like the five armored men were all still on their feet, but the Zi’i had shoved their way through the weapons fire and closed to grappling distance.

Hoping she had time to mix her concoction, Tala grabbed the ingredients. The drug came in tablets, so she would have to find a mortar and pestle to pulverize some before pouring the liquid chemical in.

“I need to turn the office into a lab,” Tala said, approaching it again, but pausing since Lulu still stood in the doorway, her muscled bulk filling the space. Squeezing past had been less intimidating when Tala had been coming from behind. “So I need to be in it,” she added, looking at Angela. “And you all should probably be out of it in case I spill something.” She gave Lulu a pointed look. “All.”

“This way, Lulu,” Angela said, leading her by a leash into sickbay. Women scurried away at the big animal’s approach. “We’ll see if we can find some snacks out here.”

“I hear aliens are tasty,” Juanita said, following her out with Katie. “Low carb and gluten-free.”

“Don’t give the Star Guardians any ideas,” Angela grumbled. “Their diet is already overly meaty.”

Tala stepped inside the office, set her items carefully on the desk, and hunted around for empty bottles that could hold the final substance. She glanced at the information still hovering on the display to figure out how hot she would have to get the liquid to turn it to a gas. She hoped the medical robots had a way of heating substances because she couldn’t imagine a situation where she could heat the liquid while simultaneously blowing the gas into a ventilation system.

“Eridanus, I need a mortar and pestle,” she said. First things first. “Is there something in sickbay, or do I have to get creative? A hazmat suit wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. At least a mask.”

“In the closet to the left of the sink,” Eridanus said. “Excuse me, Doctor. Problems are arising. I must place my full attention elsewhere.”

“That doesn’t sound at all ominous,” Tala grumbled, as another thud reverberated through the wall.

“I will attempt to return when you are ready to distribute your concoction.”

Indigo, who hadn’t yet left, watched Tala, looking like she wanted to stay in the office—or maybe under the desk. “Will you need any more help?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not sure about the ventilation in here. It’ll be safer out there.” Tala nodded toward sickbay.

One of Lulu’s growls floated back to them.

“You’re sure?” Indigo asked.

“Not really.”

Indigo snorted, but she did leave.

Tala jogged out again to get the mortar and pestle and hunt for equipment. There wasn’t a hazmat suit, but she did find goggles, a mask for her nose and mouth, and gloves. They would have to do.

An ear-splitting screech came from the corridor and raised all the hairs on Tala’s neck. She hoped that had been the sound of one of the aliens dying.

But as she smashed pills into her mortar, the main sickbay door was wrenched open with a squealing of metal. Women screamed, Orion yelled a battle cry, and Lulu roared like a lion.

Tala leaned back to glance out in time to see two huge Zi’i warriors spring into sickbay, one after the other.

All except a few of the women scurried back, tripping over the beds and each other as they tried to get away. Katie and Juanita lifted weapons, but they didn’t have clear shots.

Lulu leaped and crashed into one invader, her claws and fangs slashing. But the Zi’i also had claws and fangs, and it returned the svenkar’s attack.

Orion fired at the second Zi’i, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air. The Zi’i did not fall, even though the energy bolt slammed into its chest. It whirled and sprang at Orion.

Other Zi’i crowded the door to sickbay. What had happened to the Star Guardians outside?

Tala lunged for the office door and hit the button to close it. She didn’t lock it, figuring people would try to flee inside to hide, but she didn’t want the Zi’i to learn what she was doing and rush in to stop her. She felt cowardly for hiding in the office while the others had to deal with them, but if she could get this concoction together, maybe she could stop them.

“Yeah?” she grumbled to herself as she poured the powdered drug into one of the bottles and reached for the chemical to pour in. “And how are you going to poison them when they’re in the middle of your people now?”

The smoking concoction did not answer her.

A thump against her door made her jump. Was that one of the women? Or one of the aliens?

She was certain she hadn’t locked the door, but she dared not stop in the middle of her pour to check.

Just as she finished, the door opened, and two women, one bleeding from a gash torn in her shoulder, stumbled inside.

“Careful,” Tala said. “Don’t bump that.” She found the cap to screw on, afraid the women would inhale the fumes.

The amount of liquid in the single container seemed paltry. Did she need to make more?

Screams of terror and pain came from sickbay. There wasn’t time.

“Eridanus?” Tala asked. “I need—”

No, the AI couldn’t help her, not yet. Tala pushed past the women and to the door of her office in time to see Katie and Juanita fire at a Zi’i that had leaped atop a bed, its head brushing the ceiling as it slashed at Lulu.

Poor Lulu bled from a dozen cuts. There were four Zi’i in sickbay and three armored Star Guardians had followed them in. Everyone was attacking everyone. God, it was hell out there.

“Orion,” Tala cried, catching sight of his brown hair—it had fallen out of his bun again and hung around his shoulders. “I need you guys to get the aliens out of here.”

“We’re trying!” he yelled, throwing her an exasperated look as he tried to find room to fire at a Zi’i lunging for a woman.

“Eridanus,” Tala said, “where do I have to take this so you can disperse it?”

“To Access Panel Eight in Corridor Three Alpha.”

“And where the hell is that?”

“Give your beaker to the medical robot, and I will direct it to the appropriate place. The robot will be immune to the end product and can also heat the liquid to the necessary temperature to turn it gaseous.”

“Will it be immune to getting torn to pieces by an alien?” Tala asked, slipping out of her office and squeezing past more terrified women as she held the bottle. She was glad the medical robots were close to the office, in a corner where they stayed when dormant.

“Star Guardians,” she yelled as one of the robots activated and rolled toward her. She placed the bottle in one of its mechanical grippers. “I need someone to accompany this robot to make sure it gets where it’s going.”

None of the armored men glanced her way. Had they even heard her over the screams and roars and cries of pain? The Star Guardians inside sickbay were trying to push the Zi’i back out. That was good, but it did nothing to help her with the gas.

“Orion?” Tala yelled.

He was closer to her, standing protectively in front of Juanita as she took shots when she could, and he glanced back.

“Tell them to escort this robot!” Tala wanted to explain further, especially when a confused furrow creased his brow, but she had to assume the Zi’i would understand her. The last thing she wanted was for them to figure out what she was up to and put all their efforts into stopping the robot.

“I’ll do it,” he said as the robot rolled toward the exit with the bottle, oblivious to the chaos and carnage around it.

“No,” Tala yelled as he started after it. “It has to be someone in armor, someone with a helmet.”

Someone with an independent air supply, she wanted to yell, but the Zi’i on the bed squinted toward her. Its eyes focused on the robot, and it bunched its muscles, as if to spring at it.

“Attack, Lulu,” Angela cried.

The bleeding svenkar sprang out of the crowd to slam into the Zi’i on the bed. Instead of leaping after the robot, the alien tumbled to the deck between two beds with the svenkar on top of it. Angela gave Tala a thumbs up from across the room.

A couple of women hiding under the beds screamed and scrambled away on hands and knees as alien and animal fought inches away from them. They tried to find safer hiding spots, not that there were any.

“In my office,” Tala yelled to them, then turned toward the exit again to further warn Orion of the dangers. Her heart missed a beat. He and the robot were already gone.

“Eridanus,” she blurted. “Can you warn him?”

“I will inform him of the dangers when it is safe to do so, Doctor.”

“Final push, men,” one of the Star Guardians yelled. “Let’s get these animals out of here.”

Tala started back toward her office, wanting to stay out of their way, but her foot slipped on something wet. Blood. She flailed, trying to catch her balance, but a huge, furred alien slammed into her.

She fell hard, losing all her air as she landed hard on her back.

The Zi’i that had struck her loomed over her, intelligent eyes staring down from the face of a monster. Hot breath that smelled of rotten meat and something like kimchi washed over Tala, and she saw her death in that face.