von Kristov sat on the bridge. The command room was located at the heart of the craft, fortified by the rest of the ship around it. He felt a twinge of longing, much preferring to witness the imminent spectacle with his own eyes as opposed to seeing it through an electronic one, but an exterior bridge would have been tempting fate. He was arrogant, but not that arrogant.

West had held up her end of the bargain. She’d been bought by the allure of wealth and stability, but von Kristov could not have cared less if she survived or not. As for the silkmongers, their defense systems were failing, and they were scrambling in panic. He gave the command to his Needle Ships, and long tungsten rods ejected from them. They gained velocity as they fell to earth, flipping the sound barrier the bird as they did. The devastation they imparted to their targets was total, the result of gaming the laws of physics for massive damage.

Soon, very soon, would the Inverse Confederacy liberate the helium, and eliminate its captors.