"Violet? Are you in position?" "I'm at 500 meters up and west of the crash-site." She tried not to sound terrified or overly excited. She readied to turn on the spot-light. She watched the three, huge main battle tanks slide up the skid-marks toward the vessel. The huge, billowing steam clouds starting to disappear for the ruined engineering section. She said,"Steam's disappearing. Did the start up of the remaining engine go well?" Narchi said, "Affirmative. Activate spot-light to illuminate the meeting site, aft of the engines." She thumbed on the light, and noticed one tank hung back, and point it's huge tri-plasma cannon at her. She shrunk back in her seat with a cringe. She broadcast on the sub-carrier band, *Father. Thistledown? Are the drop-ships clear of the transport hull?* *Affirmative. Last Drop-ship just cleared the hull. The tanks have not detected our Cyclops Stealth-Cloaks. I'm going to set down next to the stay-behind. If they try to fire, I'll beep you, so you'll up to one second to dodge, and I'll penetrate their joint to the cannon with my multi-weapon.* Thistledown sounded confident and soothing to his daughter. She tried so hard to be adult, but she wasn't. Yet. Violet fidgeted, and asked,*Any word from Snowflake?" Thistledown tried not to sigh over the radio. *She's 430 kilometers south-south-west under a fake volcano. She and Pazu are alive, and being held by human survivors of the nuclear devastation that befell this world two hundred years ago. We heard from her that there may be more races on planet than just humans, and the Frigian cyborgs/androids. Now be quiet and watch with the high-powered sensors, and be ready to dodge if they are hostile* Violet tried not to sound sulky as she snapped,*Yessir, Commander!* Thistledown wasn't sure if that girl would ever measure up. He landed, invisibly on the ice next to the huge hover tank and took up aiming at it. Thistledown regarded the snowy, dead city. All the floors and roofs were burned out, and it lay dead, as if ghosts regarded his invisible form with eyes of the dead. Adamesh had seen enough death and killing. He hoped the Frigian Machine-Lives were friendly. --TO BE CONTINUED!--