The wraparound screen flickered, and everyone stared in awe as they watched the huge lava plume erupting behind them. Smoke and ash was filling the sky as the molten rock already began to solidify into the base of what was, apparently, China’s newest . . . and largest active volcano.

Sun stared for a long moment, then began to utter vile and profane words in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

The call went out, worldwide.

The enemy wasn’t where they thought they were. New missions were scrambled, recon imagery was reexamined, and operational orders were adjusted. The five Heroes began to move across the continents, the big ships settling into place over rare earth mines and pausing just long enough to vaporize the ground below right to the mantle.

They tried to avoid the Bellerophon’s mistake of cutting too deep, but more than once they left a smoking hole behind with a rapidly growing cone of ash and rock forming around its circumference.

In each strike, hundreds of thousands of previously hidden drones vanished into their component atoms and molecules, and the carefully crafted plan of the Drasin ship minds went up in plasma right along with them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

THE ODYSSEUS TORE through space at speeds that made a mockery of Newtonian math. Behind her, over seven hundred alien starships all but screaming in pursuit.

Captain Weston looked around the bridge, seeing some new faces, but many familiar ones as he savored the last few moments before the inevitable happened. A presence behind him caused him to half turn and nod as the admiral stepped up to the command console.

She waved him down as he made to get up. “As you were, Captain. I just wanted to be here for this.”

Eric nodded. He could understand that.

“Best seat in the house,” he told her. “Do you have any orders for me, Admiral?”

Gracen looked around, considering the situation, and finally just smiled.

“Make them regret having caught us, Captain.”

Eric smiled back. “With pleasure, Admiral. Commander?”

“Yes sir.”

“We’re not going to have a wingman on this,” Eric said, “so everything I told you about hotdogging . . .”

“Yes sir?”

“Forget it.”

The man known as Stephanos chuckled evilly. “Forget what, sir?”

“Good man. Milla?” Eric half turned to look at the slim and slight Priminae woman.

“Yes Capitaine?” she asked softly.

“Steph is going to be pushing it. Try and keep up,” Eric advised her. “Once we’re in the thick of it, I won’t have time to give you specific orders. When I give the order to fire at will, use your own judgment until I tell you to stop.”

She nodded resolutely. “Aye aye, Capitaine.”

“Alright then. Let’s show these things what happens when you corner a dangerous animal,” Eric said with a sinister smile. “Prepare to come about!”

“Aye sir! Standing by to come about!” Steph answered.

“Bring us about.”