Chapter 61: War

The Phébus abruptly exited Drift into the orbit of Camerone-1, a large pale orange planet streaked with ribbons of clouds, its bright color standing out against the backdrop of billions of stars. There, the meager fleet of the Resistance had gathered: two Endymions, one Invictus, and several warships that looked like insects beside these three giants.

Ada wasn’t very good at piloting-in fact, she pushed the controls as if she were fighting them and snapped at the onboard LE systems. The Wau offered to transmit piloting data to her telepathically, but she leapt up, shouting:

- “Keep your hands off my head, Wau!”

He limited himself to giving her basic advice-but she learned very fast. She was very intelligent. If I had her brain at her age, I would have already found a way to counter Aleph.

The Wau announced a recognition code, and the Adventura clumsily entered a hangar, scraping the metal floor. The door opened, and crew members rushed toward the newcomers. They looked at the Wau with hope, holding their breath: perhaps he was the true secret weapon that could change the course of the war.

One of them, Lene, stepped forward and saluted:

- “The Androids have been sent, but I’m not sure the situation has been restored on the Alecto.”

- “I have the situation under control, officer. Could you give your best FAM to my companion?”

- “Uh, the best one? Is she part of the Fleet?”

- “She’s Gorylkin.”

- “The Gorylkin who slaughtered our people on Orion Prime?”

- “The same. Lucky she’s on our side now. Where is Tohil?”

- “On the bridge, Wau.”

He headed to the bridge. Lene, an older officer with a long, straight beard already turning gray, bowed without saluting Gorylkin, finding it hard to believe that this young woman was the legend. Later, they would become friendly, because she was attentive and reserved like any good student, and obeying orders, he gave her his best FAM-his own-a model from two hundred years ago, back when they were still experimental, and when a daring engineer had fitted it with a mini Transient universal fabricator. Thus, it no longer needed to be loaded with mercury or other liquid or liquefied metal to form a propelled sphere-it created one on its own by drawing in the air around and inside the barrel, making it almost completely silent. This weapon of death had a name, engraved in Arabic letters on the stock: Ezrail, Lene told her. The Angel of Death.