“I may not know who I am, but I know who I'm not.” Ben.

As Raul scanned the street in both directions, Ben ran across to check the door of the facing building. Darts whined overhead as they raced between the taller buildings taking shots at the odd alien ships. Making precipitous turns, the ships disappeared around a corner. Raul followed Ben, who had moved to the next door.

“Go blue,” said Raul to Merlin's military. As he caught up with Ben, a smile on his face, he said, “Try calling her.”

Ben immediately tapped on his comm. “Heaven. It's me, Ben. I'm here in Hell's Balls with Raul. Where are you?”

Raul peered in an office window as Ben listened for a response. He turned from the dark interior to look sympathetically at his friend.

Raul said, “With the city overrun, I imagine she'd be making her way to the edge of town.”

Ben looked up from his wrist and tapped off the comm. He looked at both ends of the street. Dead alien bodies were scatted at one end and the smell of burnt fur lingered in the air. Ben walked to another door and found that it had been broken through.

“Here,” he said to Raul. “She came this way.”

Raul had taken a step in Ben's direction when an alien ship appeared behind Ben. It hovered above the street and took a shot at Raul. Even as Raul crouched behind a cement tree planter, the force of the blast sent him tumbling across the sidewalk. Without hesitation, Ben loaded the injector with a charged tube and fired.

Not more than three meters away, the detonation knocked Ben from his feet and sent him flying. He saw the ship crash into the street, and his pirini helped him fall effectively. He already had a tube in hand, ready to fire as aliens rushed from the wreckage.

Raul crouched beside Ben and took the injector from him. “Too close, viejo,” he said. “I'll do the injector. You use the gun.”

As an alien stumbled from the burning ship, Ben pulled the gun from his belt and dropped the beast where it stood. He rose to his feet, passed the remaining tubes to Raul, then walked to the dead alien. He took the alien's gun.

“You're too reckless,” said Raul, “but, thanks. I wonder if you were like this in your previous life.”

Ben turned and passed Raul's gun back to him. “I may not know who I am,” said Ben, “but I know who I'm not. Heaven needs me.” His response was somewhat testy.

“I got you, man,” Raul replied. “I'm right here with you.” Raul followed Ben to the open door. There, they stopped and shared their resolve in a steeled glance; they would find Heaven, no matter what it took. “We make a good team,” said Raul with a nod.

Heaven's hair had fallen in disarray; the knees of her trousers were soiled and a large hole stared from her coat like a swollen eye. It was a lucky shot. She put an elbow through the window and carefully reached through the broken glass to unlock it and climb through. The aliens had chased her through town with dogged determination. Her guns had long since lost their charge and Heaven carried one of the handguns she had plucked from a dead alien's hand. She found it large and unwieldy.

Heaven crept through the dim interior of a municipal building. The artificial flower displays were gaudy, the murals behind them were of no import. She made her way to the granite stairwell and sought the upper floors. From an upper window, Heaven might determine her next move. What she saw did not bode well. The municipal building was surrounded. Using the stock like a club, Heaven broke the glass of an upper window. She pressed the stock against her body and fired the overlarge handgun like a sawed-off shotgun.

Ben puzzled over the alien weapon as he followed Raul through the empty building. It had been a clothing store but all that was left were empty racks and the odd hanger.

Raul looked back at Ben and said in a low voice, “You're face is scuffed.”

“Me?” asked Ben. “Look at you.”

Raul said, “Let me check the exit. She may have gone straight through.”

Ben and Raul stopped as both of their wrist comms lit up and Heaven's voice came through on a wide band Mayday. “This is Constable Langley of the Royal Pendragon Constabulary. I need assistance.”

Ben answered. “Heaven. Heaven, where are you?”

“Ben? Where the hell are you?!” Heaven sounded displeased.

Ben said, “I'm here in Hell's Balls with Raul. Tell me where you are. I'll come for you.”

“Are you insane?” asked Heaven. “This is exactly where you shouldn't be. Looks like Raul's royal ass is due a spanking. Put him on.”

“I'm here,” said Raul into his comm.

“How dare you bring my PUP into such danger!” Raul backed away from Heaven's tone of voice.

He answered, “It's more like he brought me.”

Ben interrupted. “Just tell us your location. Please. We can help.”

Heaven sighed her exasperation, then said, “I'm in some municipal building with reliefs over the front door.”

“I know the place,” said Raul.

Suddenly, a loud noise came through their comms. The transmission ended. Ben called desperately, “Heaven. Heaven!”

Raul and Ben ran to the back exit and threw open the door. The sudden sunlight made them squint as the door frame exploded in a rain of alien fire.

Time slowed as Raul and Ben ducked back inside. Wooden splinters, cement, and plaster flew past their faces in what Raul thought was the final curtain. Ben reached around the ruined frame and took five shots. The ear-splitting noise of the alien weapons was oppressive. Ben Took another five shots while staring hard at Raul. He made an urgent nod toward the injector in Raul's hand.

Raul came to. “Pendejos! I hate these guys.”

Raul put a charged tube among the ranks of aliens; the blast shook them. As Raul reached for another tube of Pyrox, Ben stepped through the door firing. Gaping at the audacity of his friend, Raul followed at the ready. Ben stooped and took up a second weapon. He walked across the street firing both weapons. Stunned aliens fell where they stood.

Taking cover behind cement columns, Ben continued firing as another squad of werewolves marched around the corner. Raul lit them up with the final tube of Pyrox and tossed the injector to the street.

“That's it for me,” said Raul. He took his handgun from his belt and dropped stumbling aliens.

Ben called back to Raul, “Which way to Heaven?”

Raul answered, “Through them.”

Another squad marched around the corner, alternating fire, and walking over dead bodies. Just then, a blue Dart raced up the street strafing the aliens with low-yield incendiaries. Raul cheered loudly.

Ben ran for the corner firing. Raul ran after him avoiding the dead in a dance of delicate hops. Beyond the corner was clear, Ben ran full speed and Raul was at a loss to keep up. Ben slid to a stop at the next corner and peeked around the building. Raul skidded to a stop behind Ben, taking deep breaths.

Ben turned to Raul. “Which way?”

Raul shook a finger around the corner of the building as he said with a slight wheeze in his voice, “Two more blocks.”

An alien ship flew low along the street. Ben and Raul were forced against the storefront as the ship took a wild shot at them. A Dart swooped down from the sky raining incendiaries. The alien craft spun out of control and crashed into buildings just down the street.

Raul looked at Ben with a smile on his face but found that Ben was gone. He stepped to the corner and saw Ben half a block away, running at full speed. Raul shook his head and followed.

Above the abandoned mining town, aliens and Darts fought a pitched battle. Ships caught fire and fell into closed shops. A massive explosion sounded from several blocks over, causing Raul to swear beneath his ragged breath. Hell's Balls burned. Ben disappeared around a corner, and Raul marveled, wondering if he should just slow down and render a more dignified support.

Raul came to the corner and leaned against it, breathing deeply. Ben was at the large double doors of the courthouse attempting to kick them in. Failing, Ben stood back and fired both weapons repeatedly at the locks. Ben seemed desperate. He kicked and the doors swung open.

Malmogat was twice as large as the average Sharanttan. The Murdrian towered over his Generals, instilling fear with a mere glance from his scarred face. The red light of Operation Command onboard the Murdrian's private yacht pulsed slowly. Malmogat moved with the utmost confidence, spreading his four base legs and gripping the textured deck with the hooks on his toes. His mobile outer eyes pivoted in a quiescent sweep before coming to rest on the smallest of his Generals.

General Sawmalal took a nervous step back from the Murdrian's piercing glare. Malmogat tapped his gold embossed breastplate with his short upper arms. With their eyes on their stations, the other Generals were fairly certain what was about to play out. Malmogat did not accept failure.

Malmogat said to Sawmalal, “Woman is not in my hand. Why is that?”

Sawmalal stammered a response. “Planet defense has engaged with us. Slaves have met heavy opposition. The woman,” said Sawmalal with a fearful pause, “has escaped.”

Malmogat took a step toward the General and stared down at his subordinate. “When slaves fail, it is a failing among Command. I thought too highly of you.”

Sawmalal hurried to point out, “It was the planet defense, M'd'ian. It,” stammered Sawmalal. “We.”

Malmogat stepped quickly to the shaking General. He took the silver-clad subordinate in his four upper arms and sank his feeders into the brain sacs of the unfortunate Sharanttan. Malmogat's eyes rolled back as he drew the fluids down into his throat and swallowed with loud delight. Sawmalal writhed but could not free himself. Malmogat grunted satisfaction as he drew again and again until Sawmalal depended from his grasp without moving.

“Ah!” said Malmogat, dropping the body. “How sweet the taste.”

He stepped behind General Attamol who stiffened reflexively. Then he turned in place, surveying his frightened Generals with relish. He stepped to the dead body of Sawmalal and lifted it from the deck. He turned in the exit and spoke in a husky no-nonsense voice.

“One of you will take slaves. Show me that my confidence is not misplaced. I will be in my cell with Sawmalal. I am famished. Call me when you take the female. Do not fail me; I doubt Sawmalal will be sufficient.”

Malmogat sauntered arrogantly from Command dragging the General's corpse. Sawmalal's armor made a rasping noise against the deck. When the Generals were sure that Malmogat was gone, they turned to one another and took a collective breath. General Attamol tapped the console pads that ordered up more slave squads. For good measure, he punched up an extra battalion of ships.

He could all too easily imagine himself in the mouths of the Murdrian, his brain fluids trickling into Malmogat's gullet. The thought made his armor shake. What made him most fearful was the echo on his long-distance sensor. It was large, and the stats painted a dismal picture. The size and shape meant only one thing. An Orlainese warship had just entered planetary space. Suddenly, Attamol thought of his brood brothers back on Sharantta. Would he get a chance to say goodbye? Would they know when he churned in Malmogat's belly?

Raul entered the forsaken courthouse with a casual stride. He had caught his second wind. Ben was far ahead, calling Heaven's name into every dark corner. Raul mounted the granite stairs and slid his hand along the dusty banister. Having some experience with the military mind, Raul thought Heaven would reasonably seek a high point from which to assess her situation. Who knows? Maybe she found a way across to a neighboring building.

Thoughtful, Raul followed a path of overturned tables and paintings thrown from the walls. He entered a corner office and strode to the broken window. He peered through. In the street below lay dead alien bodies. He spied in the distance Merlin's military vehicles dropping fire retardant on burning buildings. By the looks of it, the fighting was over.

Back in the upper hall, Raul sought the other end of the building. He judged the distance between the courthouse and neighboring buildings to be too great. Heaven would necessarily have fled from the lower floor. Raul turned and listened. He could not hear Ben. As he headed back, Ben met him at the top of the stairs.

Ben said, “They blasted a hole in the wall.”

Raul said, “Heaven got away. Let's go.”

Raul and Ben walked down the stairs side-by-side. The mood was grim. At least, Merlin's military held the upper hand. Dominance of the sky aside, there still could be pockets of aliens on the ground. Heaven was still in danger. The question in Raul's mind was, why such a large effort centered on her? It didn't make sense; Ben was the mark.

Stepping from the bottom stair, Ben turned to Raul. “I'm really worried about Heaven,” he said.

“Me too,” said Raul. “What I can't figure is, why lure her here and spend such an effort to capture her?”

“Because they can't beat her,” Ben said with a measure of pride.

Raul looked up from his thoughts. “What?”

“Yeah,” said Ben. “They can't get to me til she's out of the way.”

They walked to the ruined double doors, stepped through, and shaded their eyes against the sun. Squads of Merlin's finest patrolled the streets. A young Lieutenant in combat gear approached.

“You two alright?” asked the Lieutenant. His face showed no emotion.

Raul answered, “Yes. Thank you, Lieutenant. I am Ambassador Ruiz of the Orlainese Embassy in Ashpall. We're here looking for a colleague.”

The Lieutenant said, “Streets are overrun.” He turned and whistled, hand in the air. After a brief military exchange, the Lieutenant turned back to Raul and said, “I'm placing an escort with you.”

Raul replied, “We'll be fine, thanks.”

The Lieutenant answered in an adamant voice, his young face straight and stern, “No arguments, Ambassador.”