They ducked into a side passage and began to crawl through pipes and bundles of wiring. It was tough but in a few seconds they emerged into the weapons dome, where acrid smoke stung her eyes. Beyond the glass, a hundred Baird were swarming towards Rayleen. Several had gotten through a hole in the glass and were hacking their way up towards a lone man at the top of the stairs. Kato lunged at one, while Ketty engaged the other, bringing their advance to a sudden end.

"Cease fire," she screamed at the man in charge. The roar of the sub-guns slowed to a buzz and stopped, leaving a ringing in her ears. Mr. Jimensen came down to Ketty and bent one knee slightly. "Your highness."

"Next person who bows or calls me highness will get a slap on the face, is that understood? My bot is on that ship and I'm going to get him. Get your men down there and help my friend!" She pointed to Rayleen's position which was nearly overrun, but suddenly the entire floor moved behind her in a sea of synchronicity. A thousand bots came to her aid, and there was Purline, waving them on as they followed his commands. Mikenzy was behind Rayleen, struggling with Barron who seemed to be putting up a fight. "Restrain that man!" Ketty ordered. Now Barron had Mikenzy in a headlock. Even at this distance, Ketty could tell she was scared.

Jimensen bellowed into a trumpet and the entire crew of XARC took up arms and made for the ramp. But personally, he wasn't finished. Ketty saw the Baird were unable to bring their weapons to bear because they were too close, so now they began targeting the bots. The pilot was trying to push XARC out of the way and break free. She nodded to Jimensen. "Stop them!"

"Yes your... Yes Miss Ketty." He turned the guns to the rear and began slicing at the reactor housing. "Fire mass torpedo, bearing one seven nine."

Ketty's ears buffeted as steam pushed the slug free, then it lit like a roman candle and embedded itself in the side of the asteroid. The walls were impenetrable layers of metal and high energy shielding. Nothing came in or out unless it was through the doors. "How is that going to help," she asked, unsure of his intentions.

"I'm going to blow the collapse core and disable that ship forever."

"But that will kill us all?"

"Don't worry, I have this well in hand." Jimensen brought every gun online and concentrated fire until the reactor core was penetrated. It could have destroyed them, but the electron starved matter shot straight up to the waiting torpedo. There was something sinister in the way protons carved their way through matter, reclaiming what nature never intended for them to lose. The lack of electrons couldn't be denied. It wasn't a chain reaction, rather a vise like rending, an atomic thunder clap as stability was returned to the universe. "Cover your eyes!" he ordered.

When it was over, the light was still fading, and now debris and air began escaping through the hole.

Launch nano-slugs," he said to a Junior Tech who's confusion was met with a stern look of rebuke. "Fire for effect." The boy activated the dispersal tube which coughed lazily, but there was no results, only the bewildered stare of someone kept in the dark. Jimensen ignored him and turned to Ketty. "What are you waiting for?"

"Come with me," Ketty yelped at Kato, crawling through the crack and scaling the dome to retrieve Boondock. She thought she would be sick, the way they were fawning and pawing over her. She could barely take care of herself and Boondock, let alone protect seventy trillion people. Even the look of passion in Pon-shea's eyes scared her. God she hoped Sedona was still alive, without her she would be lost.

Ketty scrambled up through a gash in the ship, slicing her knee in the process, but she hardly noticed. Her blood flowed into Pon-shea's dried blood, mixing to where they became one. Her shirt was saturated, but she felt a connection to Pon-shea, growing like her and Rayleen. Although she barely knew her, it was something deeper than life. They were sisters now, soul mates on a journey none had chosen. Ketty had made an oath no one would die today and now she had to repay that broken debt. When she finally made it through the wreckage to the bridge, Harazel was there, gloating with Boondock restrained behind him. Her bot struggled and she could see fear in those precious little eyes. For some reason they were alone and Harazel clicked and whistled a sweet little tune, like he had finally arrived at his life's destination. And indeed he had.

This moment, the ultimate fight.

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