She nodded again. Mysterious soldiers were coming down the second swirl, catching the Empire by surprise amid the Earth Race celebrations. Her cousin Joxx had or-ganized the defense of a very strategic planet. A rescue force was on the way.
The spy took a deep, troubled breath. "My lady, the defense of the planet Megiddo did not go well. Your cousin Joxx is dead. The invaders have not been stopped."
Xara began to say something, but the spy just kept on talking. "Even worse, the invaders attacked a cargo station about forty light-years from Megiddo — a complete surprise. They stole six cargo 'crasher spaceships. Now, those 'crashers are not armed at all. In fact, they are simply huge enclosed cargo bays with a prop core on the back and a cockpit up front. However they can travel in Supertime. And there are indications the invaders will arm them and use them in an unconventional manner. It is clear now that capturing these ships had been the invaders' intention all along."
Xara just shook her head. This was disturbing news, but why was the spy telling her? And not her father? Or the top military commanders?
He was coming to that.
"I have in my possession an image that will answer your question," he said. It was his turn to read minds.
He used his right hand to carve a square out of open space. It soon turned into a viz screen. On it, a slightly fuzzy sequence showing the invaders' attack on Trans-World 800 appeared. Six blue and chrome starships could be seen rocketing in and out of the action.
The spy froze the image and pointed to one of the attacking starships. There was an emblem emblazoned across its fuselage up near the cockpit. It was a red, white, and blue square, with thirteen stripes and fifty stars.
"That flag?" he asked her. "You're familiar with it?"
Xara's hand went to her lips. It was the same flag that Hawk Hunter always kept in his pocket.
Her eyes lit up. "Oh my God. He's alive?"
The spy nodded. "We believe he is — and I thought it was important for you to know."
Xara unintentionally rose about eight inches off the couch before settling back down again. She couldn't help it — she was that happy.
But right away, dark truths came flooding in. "He's the one attacking the Empire?"
The spy nodded slowly. "He and his friends: the explorers, Erx and Berx; the hero, Calandrx. Just where Hunter's been since he deserted the X-Forces is a matter of conjecture, though I know in the basement of the Solar Guards headquarters, there have been many — how shall I say it? — theories about his whereabouts. But it's very clear at the moment where he is. Not so clear is what he's doing — or why."
Xara could just barely see the spy's eyes hidden in the shadow of his turned-down hat. But it seemed as if they were two laser beams shooting out at her now.
She had a deep secret to tell. She was the one who sent Hunter out to the Fringe in the first place, where he quickly disappeared. And worse, she sent Erx, Berx, and Calandrx out to find him — and they'd been swallowed up by the stars as well.
But the spy was kind. When she started to speak, he simply raised his hand and put his fingers to his lips.
"There is no need, princess," he told her. "I already know your tale. The reasons don't even concern me. What is important now is that I have shared this information with you. Because the really bad news is still to come."
Xara braced herself.
"Hunter and his friends have pulled off a major coup here," the spy began. "And I can predict with ease that this place — the Palace, the city below, the Galaxy itself! — will never be the same, once word of this gets out. We have fought space pirates, tax criminals, rogue mercenaries, and many other kinds of space trash out on the Fringe for five hundred years. There have been major wars and innumerable smaller ones. But never has anyone attacked the Empire itself. This is a big moment. A historic moment. I think you and I should work toward the common goal of making sure it does not turn into a disastrous moment."
Xara was nearly beyond words. "What do you mean?"
"First things first," he said. "That these invaders have taken over six cargo 'crashers is already known to the top men of the Solar Guards. And they have already devised a countermeasure. Apparently, as a solution should any of their vessels fall into unwanted hands, the SG planted a number of tiny sensors in all their ships, hidden among the power tubes and bubblers. When activated, these sensors become like beacons, you might say. They will allow a special antispace rocket to home in on them very quickly and with great stealth, while still in Supertime. In case of mutiny, or a commander gone mad, or maybe just a way to eliminate a crew that had seen too much, such a ship would be easy to destroy. A sort of fratricide theory really, as only Empire ships can achieve Supertime. And so typically paranoid of the SG. But now, in light of events, somewhat brilliant.
"The Rapid Engagement Fleet is heading for the trouble zone. They will soon be sent a secure message string from Black Rock, telling them that their mission has now changed. They will now hunt down the stolen 'crashers. The message will also contain the information they need to replicate the precise weapon that will home in on the sensors buried inside the stolen ships. Once the REF assembles what's required, they will find those six cargo ships and utterly destroy them. Your friends will not have a chance. In fact, without help, they will never even know what hit them."
He looked up at Xara. She was in tears.
"You mean Hunter's come back to life," she sniffed, "only to get killed again?"
The spy could only shrug. "An unanswerable question, my princess…"
Xara wiped her eyes. If someone could actually look more beautiful while crying, it was her.
"War, rivalries, empires! I don't care about any of it, you know," she whispered. "I hate the politics, the intrigue, the endless dramas that everyone within the realm seems so intent on playing. I know these things are fueled by nothing more than greed and the thirst for power, no more than right here in the Palace itself. And I don't care about any of it! All I care about is Hunter. I want him safe. I want him alive."
She wiped away another tear. "But what choice is this? If I try to help him, I defy not only my family but the Empire itself. If I do nothing, Hunter and his friends will surely be killed-and whatever he found out there, whatever spurred him to take on the Empire in the first place, will be lost, too."
The spy said, "There may be a way we can prevent both things. But it is a journey you will have to undertake, my princess. I can guide you. But it will be up to you to see it through…."
Her face brightened again. The room seemed to lighten up as well. "I'll do anything," she said.
The spy pulled his hat further down around his eyes. "You might just have to," he said. "But we must leave immediately. There is something at my hideout that I must show you, explain to you. If you agree that this is the way to go, we can proceed. But I must warn you, time is our biggest enemy now."
She looked at him strangely.
"We know my reasons for doing this," she said to him. "I'm trying to save Hunter. But what is your motive? Why would you want to help these invaders? It borders on treason."
The spy thought a moment.
"Did you hear what happened in the Blue House the night of the Great Saturnalia?" he finally asked her.
Xara shook her head no.
The spy almost laughed. "They found a leak, my lady. In one of the water pipes. Caused quite a stir, I'm told. Some of the clankers actually blew circuits because they didn't know what to do. They had never seen a leak. This was something totally new to them, and they did not like it. I heard it was the same for some of the human workers, too. No one knew how to fix it.