Countless ships blinked into existence, filling the infinite blackness with oblong gray shapes. My targeting computer went wild trying to count them, eventually stopping at a thousand.

I gulped. My stomach tried to abandon me. There couldn’t be that many. No one could field a force like this. I tried to think of who had enough money to build this many ships and keep them a secret. The Mining Consortium, the Brothers Without Mercy-

Jorm’s voice interrupted my list. “What do we do?” More quietly. “What can we do.”

Chex answered him. “We’re border guards. So we’ll guard this border. Saliman, I want you to take the Bounce Gate back to Nure’llia. In case things go wrong, the Council will need to prepare. The rest of you, heat ’em up.”

A green light lit up- Saliman’s silent acknowledgement of his orders. His angel peeled away from the rest of ours, its rear thrusters burning hot enough to leave a blinding trail behind him.

I nodded at Chex’s choice. Saliman was the only one out today that had a wife and kids.