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for eight to twelve years. But someday, maybe not too far in the future, they will come for New Terra.”
    “What are your plans for all of those people with you, Admiral?” Christie asked.
    “We left the Arnos system in a running fight with the silver ships, and one of our city-ships, the Unsere Menschen , needs to finish construction. The incomplete environmental systems are overloaded and are about to put its 122,000 passengers in jeopardy.”
    Charlotte was on the edge of her seat, dying to ask some crucial questions when Christie began asking them for her.
    “So, big brother of mine, you’ve saved a planet load of Librans from death. You’ve found a swarm of aliens devastating Confederation colonies, billions of people lost. And you’ve come back to New Terra to do what?”
    “The docking and completion of the Unsere Menschen is an emergency. That’s the first step. Then I plan to outfit our ships to return to Libre to eliminate the silver ships before they can invade another human world.”
    “Are you aware, Alex, that President McMorris is dead and Clayton Downing is our President pro tem?”
    “Yes, Christie, I am. When we exited FTL outside the system, Sharius TSF contacted us and told us they had a message from President Downing,” Alex said without inflection.
    “Oh, but we haven’t heard anything from our government about your return,” Christie replied, playing the naive teenager role to the hilt. “What did President Downing have to say to you?”
    “TSF relayed a message from the President that we were to remain outside the system and under no circumstances were we to cross the ice fields—or his fighters would attack our ships,” Alex said. “Later I contacted President Downing directly and explained our city-ship’s emergency. In essence, he responded that he didn’t care.”
    “So you’re staying out beyond the ice fields even though that endangers the Méridien citizens with you?” Christie said, carefully emphasizing the word “citizen,” incorporating the subtext that her brother wanted conveyed.
    “No, Christie. Our flotilla is on course for New Terra. We will be in orbit within four days. Julien will be sending out requests to New Terran construction firms to complete our work on the Unsere Menschen . Then I intend to reactivate the T-sites and Barren Island for our purposes.”
    “But if the President doesn’t want you to do this, aren’t you breaking the law, Admiral?” Christie asked.
    “Yes and no, Christie,” Alex replied, knowing he was treading a fine line to include this question, but he needed the populace to understand his intentions. “Am I disobeying the order of the President pro tem, a man who hasn’t been elected by the people? Yes, I am. Do I consider it a lawful order when it might condemn over 122,000 people to death? No, I don’t. And do I believe that we must stop the silver ships before they come to New Terra? Absolutely! Now is the time to go after our common enemy. We’ve discovered we can defeat them, having learned their weaknesses and destroyed many of them.”
    “Oh … Mom and Dad wanted me to say hello, and we look forward to your planetfall. And thank you, Admiral, for what you’re trying to do for all of us.” Christie had worked up the closing line herself, wanting her viewers to understand that Alex was trying to save both the Méridiens and the New Terrans.
    “See you soon, Christie,” Alex said with a bright smile for his little sister.
    Cordelia ended the signal from the Freedom , and the media tech switched to Christie. Charlotte sat hunched in her chair, chewing a fingernail and waiting for Christie’s close. She had just a few moments.
    Christie looked into her vid cam and smiled briefly before assuming a pensive countenance. “I hope you’ve enjoyed my chat with my big brother. What he has shown us has given me a lot to think about. In the grand scheme of things, I’m certainly not the best person to understand the