The command car circumnavigated the bomb crater, lurched through a drainage ditch, and growled onto the much abused highway. A lizard raised its head, took exception to what it saw, and scuttled away.Admiral Tyson Salom felt her butt leave the seat and was grateful for the lap belt.Colonel Bay Marco glanced in her direction and grinned."Nice one point landing, Admiral... sorry about the road"."The name is Salom... and I'll settle for any kind of landing that I get to walk away from"."So noted", Marco said cheerfully. "Now hang on. The road gets worse before it gets better".The legionnaire's words proved prophetic. The vehicle topped a rise, granted a glimpse of blue, and plunged into a gully. It took the better part of twenty minutes to fight their way through a dry river bed, up a series of ancient switchbacks, and along the side of a heavily eroded cliff. Tool marks left more than two hundred years before could still be seen.But then, just as Salom was

A sentient might have experienced any number of emotions, but the machine was utterly calm. It launched a remote through tube one, waited for the device to reach the stern, and scanned the incoming video. Unlikely though such a circumstance was, it appeared as though two or even three Loliginidae, or giant squid, had chosen to wrap themselves around the propellor shaft and been torn apart. Sharks had been attracted to the scene and were starting to feed.That was strange, but of no particular concern, since the problem would soon resolve itself. Or so it seemed to the machine.Daggers flew regular coastal patrols now, and it was a relatively simple matter for Shola to summon two of the aircraft and point the pilots in the right direction. They located the attack submarine, dropped two torpedoes each, and whooped as debris boiled to the surface.Shola, who had experienced each death as if it were her own, floated in an ocean tears. * * * Luton looked out acro

"Don't tell me, let me guess", Herbert said disgustedly. "You signed on".Jyro looked away. "No, not exactly"."But close".The human turned back. The tone was petulant. "So, what if I did? There was no other choice".The navigational computer would have sighed, had such a thing been possible. "I think the message is pretty clear: They found some Thraki, and the Hoon wants you to kill them"."Why me?" Jyro asked desperately. "The Hoon could kill them by himself"."It's a test", the Artificial Intelligence replied patiently, "to see what you will do".The better part of a minute passed while the human considered the matter. When he spoke, the words fell one at a time."So it's kill or be killed"."Essentially", Herbert replied."Unless..." Jyro said."Unless what?""Unless I could convert the Thraki, and convince the Hoon to accept them"."Dream on", the Artificial Intelligence said simply. "The Hoon is a computer, and

"Then, when the Shem arrive, the aliens will help fight the machines. Who knows? It may be possible to use them as a protective shield. Later, at the conclusion of the conflict, we can either continue the partnership or, if circumstances warrant, turn and destroy them". Silence filled the chamber as the female took her seat. Sector 3's strategy was one of the most cynical, dishonest, and downright diabolical proposals the sectors had ever heard. Needless to say, they loved it. Sector 16 was the first to stomp his right foot, a sector 34 followed, and the rest joined in. After years of waiting, the Facers would have their day. Sector 3 looked triumphant. The Runners scowled. All eyes turned to Adrolopus. The warrior's mind flashed forward to the work that awaited him. He felt a great weariness settle onto his shoulders, and bowed his head. "This sectors have spoken... I will obey".  * * * Jedidiah Jyro waited for the shuttle to settle o

The statue of Christ the Redeemer still stood over the way ravaged city of Rio de Janeiro, but little else looked the same. Great swaths of the once attractive downtown area had been destroyed pro to when the Navy retook the skies. Now, having been victimized by repeated submarine launched missile attacks, the city lay in ruins.The government tower lay where it had fallen, crushing hundreds of lesser structures, pointing toward Guanabara Bay. Sugar Loaf stood as it had been for countless millennia, but the cable cars that carried people to the top lay crumpled where they had fallen, as did a row of three transmission towers.Thousands of dispossessed citizens lived in the enormous soccer stadium, while an equal number camped in the streets. The citizens of Rio had paid a high price for their freedom and refused to let it go.Farther toward the south, beyond the limits of the old city, the latest incarnation of the Hotel Intercontinental still stood, blackened by the effect