She let him trail off, only nodding soberly in return. “The Enterprise just got back from a long-range scout of the system. It took a few weeks because they didn’t dare get in close. They had to sit out almost a full light-day from Earth and wait for the time delay to catch up.”

“I knew about the ship returning, of course,” Tanner said, “and I understand that it must have been a difficult mission.”

“More so for having to listen to the chatter of soldiers fighting the Drasin and not being able to get close, yes.”

“Fighting the . . . they are still fighting?”

“As of three days ago, yes.”

Tanner slumped in his chair, his expression shocked. “I . . . I would never have believed it. That many Drasin . . .”

“Should have completely flattened even the Earth’s defenses,” Gracen finished for him. “We know. They’re holding back. Again.”

“This is not like the Drasin. Something is very, very wrong,” Tanner said, shaking his head before his expression devolved into one of almost comical horror. “I don’t mean that it is wrong that your world survives, I just . . .”

Gracen silenced him with a hand. “Relax. I understand. There are elements at play here that we’re missing.”

Tanner shook his head. “Too many such elements. Nothing they have done since they arrived has made sense. What are you to do now?”

“Now we get the Heroics into space,” Gracen said. “Are your people still willing to fill in some of the crew spaces?”

Tanner nodded. “We’ve already secured volunteers from the fleet. There are many who would have given much to serve with the Odyssey before . . . well, you understand. I could have filled an entire starship with those who would desire greatly to serve under the command of Captain Weston.”

Nadine smiled wanly. “If we can find a way to retake Sol System from the Drasin, that could still happen.”

Tanner’s eyes widened in shock. “They told me that the Odyssey was destroyed when Captain Weston took her into the atmosphere.”

“She was.” Gracen nodded. “Somehow he wasn’t.”

“Amazing.”

Something in his tone unsettled Gracen, but she didn’t have the time or inclination to worry about it.

He took a long, slow breath, but nodded finally.

“What can I do to help?”

Stephen “Stephanos” Michaels walked the corridors of the new Odysseus and would have to admit, if pressed, that it was an impressive ship. More of a warship than anything he’d seen in space before, including the Odyssey herself, the Odysseus didn’t match anything the Priminae had put into orbit so far.