By the following afternoon, Morgan had changed her mind about not needing Sedrik’s help. She explained that the generals had taken the developments remarkably well. However, the situation quickly escalated beyond U.S. borders. Governmental leaders from all over the globe were demanding action and threatening declarations of war. And because the majority of battle born interaction had been with the United States, the world leaders looked to America for guidance and military backing.

“We have to nip this thing in the bud,” Morgan stressed, looking anxious and frustrated. “If we can’t convince these people that the Evonti threat is real, you’ll find yourself at war with Earth.”

Rebecca reached over and entwined her fingers with Sedrik’s. They’d been in his office studying the newly discovered diagrams when Morgan commed. Charts similar to the one etched into the cavern wall had been found at each location. By comparing the charts, they were able to identify new portal chambers. The network literally spanned the planet.

“Even combined, the armies of Earth are no threat to the battle born.” Sedrik’s tone was as tense as his posture, though his expression remained neutral.

His ability to hide his feelings was both admirable and sad. Rebecca gave his hand a little squeeze. “None of us wants war.”

“Then you need to be here in person for this video conference call. I already have confirmations from Canada, Mexico, France and the U.K. I’ve extended invitations to sixteen other countries and I expect most of them to accept. But none of it will mean anything unless you’re here to explain.”

“If the meeting is taking place remotely, why do I need to be there in person?” Finding and destroying the portals was Sedrik’s top priority. Even in a Phantom, it would take several hours to fly back and forth to Earth.

“A personal appearance will indicate the seriousness of the situation, and your dedication to finding a peaceful solution. You need to be here.”

“Fine,” Sedrik growled out the word. “Give me an hour to gather what I need for the presentation and two for the flight.”

“I think you should bring Rebecca.” Morgan’s bright blue gaze shifted to Rebecca as she added, “You’ve seen this conflict from both sides. And being human might help as well.”

Rebecca glanced at Sedrik. His gaze was narrowed, jaw clenched, but he didn’t object. “I’ll be there,” she assured.

Morgan thanked them both then ended the call.

The video conference was scheduled for seven thirty that night. Rebecca had never been in a Phantom before, but the small, super-fast ship wasn’t that different from Zilor’s Hunter. The Bunker, on the other hand, was endlessly fascinating. The sprawling, complex more than lived up to the stereotypes of secret government facilities. Located in the middle of the Arizona desert, the majority of the base was underground. A portion of the parking lot opened and the Phantom gracefully sank into the hanger below, then the parking lot closed like a massively oversized door.

Morgan greeted them in person and took them to the conference room in which the meeting would take place. “We’ve got little over an hour. Can I get you anything?”

“All I need is the password to your wireless network and I’m good to go,” Sedrik told her. They’d arranged a presentation they hoped would be compelling and uploaded it to a datapad. Holographic images weren’t nearly as effective with a remote audience, so they tried to find the most dynamic stills and video clips possible.

At seven twenty-eight, Sedrik, Morgan and Rebecca took their places along the long side of the conference table. Sedrik sat in the middle with Rebecca on his right. They faced the largest wall in the room, knowing they were about to be joined by fourteen of Earth’s rulers. One by one the images snapped into place until the wall displayed two rows of seven.

Rebecca looked over the presidents, kings and prime ministers staring back at her with a surreal sense of wonder. All of these powerful humans had agreed to listen to information provided by her mate. It was thrilling yet humbling to see Sedrik’s power in action, and to realize the true scope of his responsibilities.

Morgan greeted everyone, rattling off a list of titles that made Rebecca dizzy. How did Morgan keep it all straight? “I’m the official representative of the United States.” She motioned toward Sedrik. “As most of you know, this is General Sedrik Lux of the Rodyte Planetary Defense Force. I’ll let him introduce his companion. General Lux, you have the floor.” With no other introduction, Morgan sat down.

Steely determination slipped into Rebecca’s mind as Sedrik pushed to his feet. He wasn’t intentionally sharing his emotions, but he wasn’t shielding them either. The access pleased her. She started to reward him with tenderness, but held back, not wanting to distract him. This was too important. She would reward him later.

He spoke in a clear, authoritative voice, outlining the sequence of events without editorializing. He didn’t mention psychic dreams or memory scans. Instead, he stayed focused on facts. “This is what we found on the moon before we destroyed the portal.” He triggered the corresponding image. “The other portals we’ve located have been similar. Much of the grotto was damaged when the portal was destroyed, but our scientists are still examining the various forms of plant life. Terraforming is beyond our technology, so the researchers are hoping to learn more about it by studying the result.”

“Do you have actual proof that the Evonti are responsible for any of this?” The Prime Minister of Australia wanted to know. “If the portals are inactive, they could have been here for much longer than you realize.”

“They’re not inactive.” Sedrik paused for a deep breath. “I think it’s time you met my m-companion. This is Rebecca Dayton and she has firsthand knowledge regarding your question.”

Rebecca nodded, acknowledging Sedrik’s introduction. She wasn’t insulted by his choice not to define their connection. Her testimony would seem more valid if the human leaders didn’t know. She explained about her connection to Big Jim and how she’d used the Evonti disk to teleport back and forth to the cave.

“Have you seen one of the Evonti, or do you have only secondhand information?” the German Chancellor asked.

“This is an Evonti.” Sedrik triggered one of the few images he possessed of their elusive enemy. Captured during a sting involving Thea and Jenna Fermont, the image was grainy and slightly out of focus, but the creature was clearly non-humanoid. “This one calls himself Abaddon. He has been passing himself off as human for months as he organized the Resistance Force.”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the room as the leaders reacted to the likeness.

“How in the world would that thing pass itself off as human?” one of the leaders sneered.

“He never appeared in person and kept his face shadowed during remote communications,” Sedrik explained.

The German Chancellor seemed unmoved by the image. “Again, I have only your word that any of this is true,” she told Sedrik. “That’s why I asked Ms. Dayton.” She looked at Rebecca and tried again. “Have you directly interacted with an Evonti? Did you meet this Abaddon?”

It was so damn frustrating. She’d seen Abaddon, and others, in Jim’s memories, as well as her psychic dreams, but never in person. Bringing up the metaphysical would only cloud the issue, so she just shook her head.

“I thought not.” Her sharp gaze shifted back to Sedrik. “This all comes down to whether or not we trust you.”

“He has earned the trust of the United States on—”

The Chancellor waved away Morgan’s comment. “Your opinion is irrelevant. The U.S. has the most to gain by supporting the battle born.”

“We also have the most to lose,” Morgan countered.

“How many portals have been found and were humans allowed to see any of them before they were blasted out of existence?” Egypt’s president asked through his interpreter.

“We have located nine and, for everyone’s safety, all have been destroyed,” Sedrik told him. “Humans witnessed four.”

“What about the missing females?” Australia’s Prime Minister asked. “I know you claim some other group is responsible, but that’s rather hard to believe. The battle born need human females, and suddenly females disappear.” Challenge hardened his expression. “Coincidence? I think not.”

A chorus of agreement quickly followed and Rebecca sighed. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be as cut and dry as she’d first thought.

The debate continued for three and a half hours. Sedrik remained calm and composed through it all. He answered the myriad questions and showed the leaders image after image demonstrating Evonti misinformation and treachery. Rebecca watched the leaders closely, doing her best to gauge the attitude of each. Several never spoke, so it was impossible to decide which side of the argument they supported. Still, by Rebecca’s best guess, they convinced slightly more than half of the leaders that the Evonti threat was real.

Finally, Sedrik had had enough. “I have shared all the information I have. As the Chancellor said, it is now a matter of trust. Either you believe me, or you don’t. Regardless of what you decide, I will do my best to protect you from the Evonti.” With that curt farewell, he stood and held out his hand toward Rebecca. “Come. Let’s go home.”

* * * * *

Sedrik spent the next four days locating and destroying Evonti portals. It was a tedious process, but unavoidable. As long as any of the portals remained operational, the Evonti had a doorway leading to Earth.

“Was that thirty-six or thirty-seven?” Tyrale asked as he joined Sedrik at the central command station. Sedrik’s customary shift was now over, though he was never off duty. If anything significant happened, Tyrale wouldn’t hesitate to interrupt Sedrik’s leisure time.

“Thirty-nine,” Sedrik told him. “To think we once believed there were only six.”

“Thanks to you and your lovely mate, we now know better.”

Sedrik acknowledged the statement with a nod, but his mood remained somber. “The United Nations voted to declare war on the battle born. It wasn’t unanimous, but the motion passed with a strong majority.”

Tyrale’s eyes rounded and his jaw dropped for just a second before he snapped it shut. “How is that possible? You showed them all sorts of evidence that the Evonti are a real threat.”

“According to them, ‘without provocation’, we fired weapons at locations all over the planet. No one was harmed and property damage was minimized, but that esteemed council didn’t care.” He paused for a calming breath, not wanting to take out his frustration on his first officer.

“At least we have most of the people on our side. Social media has been buzzing about the threat ever since you uploaded the images for public access.”

Sedrik looked at him askance. “There have been just as many posts damning us as praising us. I think the general population is undecided at best.” He waved away the topic and concluded, “The declaration changes nothing. The portals have to be destroyed even if the foolish humans choose to ignore my warnings.”

Tyrale shook his head, apparently as offended by the myopic approach as Sedrik. “I guess it’s easier to hate an enemy you can see than to believe in one that’s mostly theoretical. Has this slowed down the volunteer rate?”

“You could say that. We’ve had one volunteer in the past four days and she was arrested to keep her from going.” Before they’d been declared the enemy of all humankind, they’d received several hundred volunteers every day. “You can imagine what this has done to morale.” Sedrik crossed his arms over his chest, feeling downright surly as he thought about other developments. “The Triad asked Apex General Nox to submit a list of alternate planets on which feasibility studies could be conducted.”

“Feasibility for what?”

“Relocating the transformation program.”

Tyrale’s jaw dropped. “And just abandon Earth to the Evonti? That would mean—”

Sedrik stopped him before he really got going. “No. We’d stay long enough to make sure all the portals have been destroyed, then we’d move on.”

Tyrale scoffed, a frequent battle born reaction to these subjects. “I expected more from the Triad. Do they actually believe it will be that easy? It took us two generations to make the program viable on Earth. We’ll all be dead before we find another compatible species and alter the protocols accordingly. None of that happened overnight.” He shook his head in disgust. “Earth is our only chance. So how do we convince human governments the threat is real?”

“Diplomacy is obviously pointless,” Sedrik muttered. “I have a couple of ideas, though I’m not proud of either.”

Tyrale moved closer and lowered his voice. “I know that look. What wicked strategy have you cooked up now?”

Sedrik shook his head, lips curving in a secretive smile. “Not yet. There are too many details to work out. I’m not sure either approach makes sense.”

Clearly disappointed yet accepting, Tyrale squared his shoulders. “If you need anything, you can count on me.”

“I know. You are one of a very few I trust with this ship.” He clasped Tyrale’s forearm, then left the command center.

Sedrik had meant to share the evening meal with Rebecca, but the long string of portal demolitions took longer than he’d expected. It wasn’t late, but when he entered their quarters, he found Rebecca curled up on the sofa, fast asleep. Now that they were mated, she had permission to go anywhere she liked and, with the help of Sedrik’s favorite assistant, she’d explored to her heart’s content for the past few days. Had she simply worn herself out?

Concerned by her uncharacteristic behavior, he hurried to the sofa and brushed the hair back from her face. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

She blinked sleepily, then stretched. “I’m fine. Your mom just—” She bit off whatever came next and looked at him guiltily. “How was your day?”

He narrowed his gaze and let her feel his suspicion. “What did my mother do now?”

Rebecca sat up and smoothed down her skirt, it was a calf-length, billowy affair with a mixture of bright colors. She’d accepted the Rodyte custom of females in skirts or dresses without much argument. She’d been dealing with so much when she first came aboard that he hadn’t worried about the standard. But now that their situation was developing nicely, he asked if she was willing to adapt and she agreed. Of course her agreement was immediately followed by her request that he help her print a new wardrobe.

“Your mother has been training me,” she finally admitted. “Mental exercises are surprisingly exhausting.”

“Training you to do what?” He was almost afraid to ask. His mother was notorious for her well-meaning mischief.

“To do what she does.” Rebecca grinned, apparently enjoying the secret she’d been sharing with his mother.

“And what is it ‘she does’?” Her sudden cheer was a much needed shift from his shitty day, so he played along.

Standing up, she moved in front of him and placed her hands on his chest. Her scent and nearness soothed him as nothing else could. “Your mother is the Ghost Guide.”

He stared at her, dumbfounded by the casual revelation. “Why didn’t she tell me?” Because he wasn’t the son who needed to know. “Kaden is helping her, isn’t he?”

“It was more like she was helping him in the beginning, but now they’re working together to ensure that each transformation is as smooth as possible.”

Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he even managed to smile. “I should have known. It never felt random. Who else has the skill and motivation to assist the volunteers? Of course it was her.”

She lowered her arms and took a small step back. “You’re not angry, are you?”

“Not at all. I just wish she would’ve told me.” He scrubbed his head with both hands. His hair needed trimming. He liked it short enough to forget about, one less detail to work into his busy days. “When and why did she drag you into her clandestine activities?” He infused the question with mock drama and she snickered.

“I realized who she was—or she let me realize—anyway, it happened during our transformation. She’s the one who encouraged me to soak up as much energy as possible.”

“I wondered about that. You seemed hesitant, so I wasn’t sure what made you do it.”

“She wanted me well-equipped to become a Ghost Guide.” A hint of nervousness reached his mind, but she explained before he could ask her about it. “I want to do this. I love you with all my heart, but I’ve had a hard time imagining myself as anything other than your mate and that’s not the life I want for myself anymore. I need to be more than the general’s wife.”

“You need a purpose, an identity all your own. I understand completely.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

He took her hands between his and showered her mind with affection. “You don’t need my permission, love, but you have my support. If it makes you happy, that’s all I need to know.”

Closing the distance between them, she pushed to her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth. “Thank you.” She kissed him again.

Desire stirred, tempting him away from the worries of the day. It would be so easy to pick her up, carry her to their bed, and spend the rest of the night pleasuring each other. However, her recent training brought to mind an opportunity that hadn’t been possible before.

He eased her back, hands lingering on her hips. “Has she assessed your aptitudes yet?”

Rebecca nodded, but her gaze drifted toward the bedroom. Clearly being this close was having a similar effect on her. “She identified several, but told me more could develop.”

Her abilities should be similar to his, telepathy, clairvoyance, and prophetic dreams. But there was no way of knowing which gift would emerge first. “I want to do a psychic projection, but it requires an anchor. Did any of the exercises Mom took you through deal with balancing someone else’s power?”

She laughed then shook her head. “It must have been fun growing up with her. Did you ever get away with anything?”

Her reaction made no sense and he was too grumpy to try to figure it out. “What are you talking about?”

“All day your mother had me practice anchoring her while she attempted a variety of activities. She must have known you’d suggest we do this tonight.”

His hands slid up her back then back down to her hips. It was impossible to stop touching her when she was within reach. “It’s possible. Her impressions can be incredibly accurate. However, anchoring others is one of the first skills anyone is taught.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “It’s more fun to think she knew.”

He motioned to the sofa. “Let’s get comfortable. This can be time-consuming.”

They sat down and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled in under his arm. “What’s psychic projection?”

“It’s when you use an image from a vision or an object as a launch point for a deeper exploration. I’d like to use the teleportation disk. You do still have it, don’t you?”

She looked up at him, curiosity clear in her eyes. “What do you hope to learn from the disk? There’s nothing interesting in that cave.”

“Not now, but I might be able to tune in to past visitors, see what they stored there, that sort of thing.”

With a carefree shrug she got up and walked into the bedroom. He watched the sway of her hips, desire smoldering.

She returned a short time later and tossed him the disk. “My favorite hiding place is no longer a secret, so that thing doesn’t do me any good.”

He arched his brows in playful challenge. “Is that the only reason?”

She made a face. “Oh yeah, there’s the whole we’re bonded for life thing too.”

Placing the disk in the center of his palm, he ran the fingers of his other hand back and forth across the smooth surface. She sat back down and moved as close as she could. Their thighs touched, but he needed his hands to establish a connection with the disk. He opened his mind, absorbing psychic echoes and the energy patterns imprinted on the disk.

To her credit, Rebecca didn’t speak. She opened her mind as well, then simply waited, quiet and focused, ready. Already her training had increased her control.

“Push up my sleeve and touch my arm, skin to skin,” he urged.

She did so carefully, touching nothing but his arm.

He closed his eyes, tuning out everything but what the disk revealed. First he saw the cave, but Rebecca’s supplies were absent. This must have been before she set up her secret camp. Then he saw Jim standing in front of the diagram, staring at the wall as if to memorize the shape. A dizzying montage of rapid-fire images followed. The cave was filled with crates, boxes and alloy containers only to be emptied again. Sedrik never saw the workers, just the stacked merchandise. A long period of emptiness came next. The cave sat idle, not a single visitor to trigger the lights. When the image shifted again, Jim faced a person mostly concealed by a hooded cloak. The newcomer’s features were shadowed, but grayish-green fingers, tipped with pointed claws, extended below the long sleeves. It was likely the person was Evonti, but to be fair, many other races also possessed grayish-green skin and pointed fingernails.

“Do they all have to be activated at once?” Jim asked in English.

The cloaked person moved closer to the wall drawing, then used his spindly fingertip to illustrate. “With three, we can create a mid-sized portal.” He traced a path from one intersection to another until he’d formed a triangle between the points. “Four opens the transport conduit even wider.” He traced a square this time. “But six are necessary to throw each gate wide open.”

“So with sixty portals, you can form ten full-size gates?”

“Correct. And with all ten gates open, we can deploy our invasion force in less than an hour.” His eerie laugh made the statement sound cataclysmic. “Earth will surrender without firing a shot once they’re faced with our true might.”

The image blurred. Sedrik poured energy into the vision, but it slipped away, leaving him breathless and lightheaded. “Damn it. I lost my hold on the image stream.” He slumped back against the couch and rubbed his temples.

“You’re exhausted.” She took the disk from his hand and set it aside. “I can feel how drained you are. You need sleep before you attempt this again.”

He smiled without opening his eyes. “You already sound like my mother.”

“Not surprising. We both love you very much.” She rubbed his leg, her concern for him overflowing her mind. When he finally opened his eyes, she asked, “Did you see anything useful?”

“I did and it validates one of my strategies. All we have to do is figure out the specifics.” He sat up a little straighter the rubbed the back of his neck. He was in desperate need of sleep, but this was more important. “I don’t know if you heard, but the U.N. declared war on the battle born this morning.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” She sounded disgusted as well as shocked. “We’ve done nothing but assist and protect humans. How can they treat us like the enemy?”

She’d worded her protest as if she were battle born and her loyalty pleased him greatly. “They’re frightened and need to lash out. We’re a convenient target.”

“That’s probably true, but it’s no excuse for this sort of disrespect.” Her brows scrunched together and displeasure pursed her lips. “You should leave a portal active until a couple of Evonti ships come through. Maybe then Earth will be able to see what an enemy looks like.”

He laughed and pulled her into his arms. She climbed onto his lap, legs folded to either side of his hips. Her skirt disguised their exact position, so he took advantage of the coverage, sliding his hands up her legs until his fingers rested on the upper curve of her behind. “Now who’s the psychic? I’ve been debating just such a strategy ever since the U.N.’s announcement. If those pompous bureaucrats think they’re ready for war, I say we give them a taste of what an alien invasion would really be like.”

Her indignation crumbled as worry surged through her being. “I was sort of kidding when I suggested that,” she told him. “There are all sorts of holes in the plan.”

“Which is why I wanted to learn more about the portals. We need to allow, or maybe even lure, a few Evonti ships through the portal without allowing them to harm anyone on Earth.”

“You’re not going to be able to relax until you work this out. Are you?” She sighed and moved to sit beside him and shifted her legs to rest across one of his thighs. “What did the disk show you?”

“That my mate is brilliant.” He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and pulled her toward him for a quick kiss. “You’re exactly right about how the portals work. Only it’s much worse than we first thought.”

“In what way?”

“It’s not all or nothing. With as few as three portals they can form a larger opening. It only takes six to create a full-size conduit, and there are a total of sixty portals.”

Her lovely face paled and she pressed a hand to her upper chest. “Holy shit. Twenty some are still out there. I thought for sure you’d found nearly all of them.”

“As did I, but it’s better to know the truth.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he piled on more bad news. “With all ten gates open, their invasion force can—”

“Invasion force?” Her voice cracked, so she paused to swallow. “Then they do plan to invade Earth?”

“Was that ever in doubt?”

“Not really, but it’s hard to hear stated as an absolute fact.”

He slipped his hand under her skirt but stroked no higher than mid-thigh. “The only way I can be effective is if I’m brutally honest with myself, but you’re not part of my crew. If you’d rather not talk about this, I’ll understand.”

“No, I need to be part of this. We’ll both sleep better if we have at least a basic plan.”

Absently stroking her soft skin, he reviewed what the disk had showed him. “Something Abaddon said caught my attention. I hate to emulate their strategy, but in this case, I think he’s right.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that Earth would surrender without firing a shot if they were faced with the true power of the Evonti army.”

Rebecca nodded. “Peace through strength. It’s not a new idea.”

“Well, I think it might have been my mistake in dealing with human governments. So many human countries are still run by dictators or councils that only understand strength and intimidation. We’ve attempted to reassure humans, to barter and pacify. This was somewhat effective with the U.S., but now the entire world is involved.”

Swinging her legs off his, she pivoted toward him, wide-eyed and uncertain. “If you’re going to abandon diplomacy, what’s left? War?” she whispered the word with obvious dread.

He chuckled. “Relax, love. According to the U.N., we’re already at war.”

“That’s not funny.” He gently pushed calm toward her mind, but she shoved it back at him. “Don’t try to calm me down! I might be part of your world now, but I’m still human. If you’re not going to negotiate, what are you going to do?”

“Unveil the Triumphant right over U.N. headquarters, and tell them I accept their invitation. If they want war, I’ll give them one. Then my fighters will unveil over other densely populated cities all over the planet, leaving humans no choice but surrender.”

“You guys tried something similar once before and it didn’t work out well,” she reminded.

“If Solar Warden hadn’t been taken over by a power-hungry madman, L.A. wouldn’t lie in ruins.” He was tired of being blamed for the tragedy and hearing it from his mate was doubly insulting. “A demonstration of power makes the most sense, that’s all there is to it.”

She stood, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m sure flexing your muscles will make you feel better, but how does it improve the situation with the Evonti? Have you forgotten that they’re the real enemy?”

“I haven’t forgotten anything.” Instinct told him to stand also, to regain the power position, but this wasn’t about control and neither was his strategy regarding Earth. “If the Evonti see someone else about to snatch their prize away, they’ll be forced to act, to defend their potential target.”

Stillness crept across her features as her thoughts turned inward. Her indignation faded and a strange mixture of awareness and excitement trickled across their link. “You’re using Earth as bait to draw out the real enemy.” Her lips curved, but stopped just short of an actual smile. “Are you going to tell them?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “If they’re in on it from the beginning, there will be no questioning my true motivation. However, the Evonti almost assuredly monitor human communications. Every phone call, social media post, and radio transmission must indicate appropriate emotions for a people who have just been threatened by an invading enemy.”

She shook her head. “You can’t tell them. Humans are horrible at keeping their mouths shut.”

“If I say nothing, they will likely accuse me of manipulating the situation to my advantage. They will think the threat was real and I am only pretending to ‘play nice’ now that they have no choice but to cooperate.”

With a heavy sigh, she sank back onto the couch. “Do they have another choice? If Earth holds fast to their refusal, will you leave?”

“Of course,” he insisted, but honesty eroded his conviction. If Earth refused to help them, their dreams of living life to its fullest would die. The inherent need for magic inside each battle born male would continue to ache, to fester until they were consumed by bitterness. “I guess it would depend if human females refuse or just their governments. If there were those willing to defy their governments, we would find a way to assist them.”

She smiled and compassion warmed her gaze. “A much more honest answer.” She looked away and her forehead creased, then she said, “Your U.S. contacts have been more reasonable than most. Could you trust one or two of them to keep your secret and then explain that they were in on it all along?”

He pulled her toward him as he considered the suggestion. “It’s worth a com to Morgan. I know I can trust her, and she will know which of her contacts we can trust.”

“That only leaves the Evonti.” She draped her legs back over his as he wrapped his arm around her. “How do you control how many of them come through the portals?”

“That’s simple math. We know there are sixty, so I’ll start the show for the U.N. as soon as we’ve narrowed that number to nine.”

“Why nine?”

“Nine allows them to open one gate completely, two four-portal openings, three of the smallest openings, or some combination of the three sizes. I’m not sure how large their ships are, but I’m pretty sure we can handle whatever they can squeeze through that bottleneck. If we destroy too many of their portals, they might abandon the target entirely.”

“And we need to prove to Earth, once and for all, that the Evonti threat is real.”

“Exactly.” He scooped her up in his arms and pushed to his feet. “I’ll work out the details with the ship commanders. I have other plans for you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled, love shining in her eyes. “I can’t wait to hear all about them.”

* * * * *

“But they’ll know we’re waiting for them,” Kotto Tarr, commander of the Crusader, argued. “The Evonti are too damn smart to rush headfirst into an ambush.”

Sedrik had expected this holo-briefing to take less than an hour. He should have known better. He sat at the head of the conference table with three commanders on each side. By gathering his six most accomplished commanders, he had inadvertently chosen the six most opinionated as well.

“If you would let me finish,” warning turned his voice into a menacing growl. “Ever since Jakkin’s run-in with the two Evonti ships, our best engineers have been refining our covert shield generator. They figured out that the shields were emitting a trace of helitian gas, which was why the Evonti were able to track the Fearless.”

“Can the emission be avoided, or minimized?” Jakkin slipped the question into the next pause, so Sedrik didn’t reprimand him.

“It can’t be avoided entirely, but it can be filtered. However, the assembly needed is complex. I’m having the system installed on our three destroyers. The team will then retrofit fighters if there is time.” He took a deep breath and was pleased when no one else interrupted the flow of his explanation. “Our best advantage is the element of surprise. The Evonti don’t realize we know they can network the portals. We have to take advantage of that.”

“How many portals are left?” Trant Lorag asked. He commanded the Defender and Sedrik had been impressed with his performance in recent battles. Unlike Kotto and Jakkin, Trant wasn’t a talker. Thank the gods for small mercies.

“We’ve identified fifty-eight and destroyed forty-nine. As soon as we find and destroy the final two, this mission moves forward.”

He’d divided Earth into six sectors and each of these commanders was responsible for a team of ships that would operate in his sector. Sedrik would oversee the entire operation and scare the shit out of the United Nations. And hopefully, the Evonti would take the bait.

“What do we do if you don’t find the final two portals?” Kotto asked, obviously undeterred by Sedrik’s criticism.

Sedrik encouraged his commanders to ask questions and offer alternatives, as long as they remained respectful. Even as lively as this conversation had become, each commander had offered respect not only to Sedrik, but to each other. “Two days. If we can’t find them by Friday, we proceed anyway.”

“Have all the possible configurations for the portals been extrapolated?” Zilor Nox wanted to know. He would command the trackers. The ships were small, but fast and agile. His sector was also the smallest, so his team would offer reinforcements wherever they were needed.

“If we can find the last two portals, the possibilities are narrowed to sectors three and four. As long as those wild cards are out there, the situation will be much harder to manage. That’s why I’m willing to wait two additional days.”

“We only have three destroyers,” Jakkin mused. “One will be assigned to sector three and one to sector four, but where are you sending the last one?”

“Again, that depends on whether or not we find the last two portals.”

“Do you need more people out looking?” Kotto asked. “I can spare some of my pilots.”

The others made the same offer, but Sedrik shook his head. “We’ve been able to narrow the area considerably through process of elimination. The ships that are out there now are overlapping coverage. It’s just a matter of time.”

A hush finally fell over the conference room as each commander digested the information they’d just received. Sedrik braced for the next barrage of questions, but there was only one and Zilor asked it.

“What happens if the Evonti don’t take the bait?”

“Everything I know about the Evonti says they will, but—if I’m wrong—we’ll reopen negotiations with Earth. If the human rulers still refuse to cooperate, I’ll follow Garin’s example and take our appeal directly to the females. Ultimately it should be their choice not any government’s.”

Zilor accepted that without argument and only one clarification. “How long do we wait before we destroy the last nine portals?”

“Five days,” Jakkin suggested. “The Evonti will be preparing for a full-scale invasion. It will take them at least that long to deploy.”

“I disagree,” Kotto said. “I think they’ve been preparing for months. I wouldn’t give them more than a single day. If they don’t react within hours, then they’ve detected the destroyers and are reworking their strategy. We can’t allow them to steal our thunder.”

“I agree with Kotto,” Sedrik said.

“But how will they—” Jakkin’s question was interrupted by Tyrale.

The first officer’s voice transmitted over the conference room’s general com. “Sorry to barge in, but we just destroyed the last two portals. They were both in sector six as we suspected. Thought that might help with your meeting.”

“It does,” Sedrik told him. “Thanks for the update.”

“No problem, sir.” As abruptly as he’d entered the conversation, Tyrale disconnected.

“Back to my original question,” Jakkin said. “Where are you sending the third destroyer?”

“Sectors five and six have no active portals left, so the destroyers will go to sectors two, three and four, which will be led by Kotto, Trant and Jakkin, respectively. Zilor and his trackers will go wherever they’re needed and the Triumphant will be in sector one. Unless I’ve missed something crucial, everyone should have sufficient coverage.”

“Plan sounds solid to me,” Kotto concluded and the others agreed.

“Then there’s only one question left,” Trant said with a smile. “When do we leave?”