Claudia appeared without being summoned as Trip was in the secret basement computer lab talking with Rachael.  "Trip, bad news."

      "Go," Trip said, swiveled his chair around toward the desk.

      "I have decrypted the messages between the late general Xian and Earth.  There is a second ship, already three months underway and on a shorter trajectory that will bring them to Tharsis within four more months."

      "A second ship launched seven months behind ours?" Rachael asked. 

      "Correct," Claudia said, "The message is addressed to Xian who must have known some part of the plan and so details are not given, but I extrapolate that the ship contains a large military force."

      Trip grabbed at his hair.  "Fuck!  Rachael, I need your help."

      "I'm with you, Trip, whatever good that does.  Can you bring up the exact decoded message?"

      "Your monitor," Claudia said and Trip pointed out the flat twenty-inch monitor with polished metal frame.  The text came up plain, black on a very light gray ground because Trip was used to viewing text in low contrast. 

      "Point of no return, that means there's a chance to abort the mission and still be able to return to Earth," Rachael said, "Can you send a message as if from Xian? Use the codes?"

      "I can send any message, what is it you wish to send?"

      "Abort mission, now, horrible plague?" Trip asked.

      "No, just doesn't sound believable."

      "If I may, logically, sending abort message from Xian will only delay arrival of forces sent from Earth.  I suggest sending a message from us in their encryption code," Claudia offered.

      Trip bit at his lip, looked up at Rachael who stood behind.  "Honestly I don't think we can even delay them. Claudia send this with the encryption code."  He typed a text message for Claudia: Xian is dead.

      "Encrypting," Claudia said, discontinued use of her hologram.  "Hit key to send," her voice spoke from the speakers.  Trip tapped at his custom keyboard.  "Message sent."

      "We've got to prepare, build defenses, something," Rachael said. 

      "Let me think," Trip said.  He got up and paced the room.  "I need Mara."

      "Wait, Trip, we need to have some kind of plan before we tell them."

      "They might already know!"

      Rachael shook her head, "Not unless they've been trying to break my block, it doesn't feel like anyone has.  Let's assume right now that there's a second ship.  Who sent it?"

      "Xian's people."

      "Why?"

      "Because whether he had killed us by the time they got here or not they intended to come here and take Mars for themselves."

      "It follows a certain logic," Claudia said appearing again.

      "It's not the second ship, it's the third.  Just like my ship, the first ship, it's privately funded, not some international science mission.  Your whole team has been the pawns of both sides in this damn war that has followed me from Earth."

      "I know they hate you, but what makes you think they would follow you here?"

      Trip shook his head.  "It's not that they are following.  They see the number of my family here easier to conquer than all the impure number on Earth.  It's a sickness really, the insecurity that makes a person hate all those who are different in order to live with themselves."

      "OK, so it's a ship full of crackerjacks meant to colonize Mars, and kill all of us."

      "Oh, that's right, Rachael, they'd kill you on sight if they could."

      "I am hardly human," Rachael said with a shrug.  "We have fifteen weeks, lets do what we can to build up defenses in that time."

      "Claudia, send a priority message to every terminal, tell everyone it is life or death important that they meet here in E Den as soon as possible.  Tell those who are in the other settlements to take their portable terminals and get here as soon as they can."

      "Every terminal but those in this room?" Claudia asked.

      "Yes, send the message," Trip said. 

                      ?                ?                ?

      Theodoric was in the shed with his nephew Etan and a sheep already sheered.  He took the long knife from the sheath and wiped it to a shine.  "Sheep, you are meeting your end well, your death will serve us with food, blood, clothing, and small objects made from bone," Theodoric said.

      "Slit its throat already, Dori," Etan groaned.  The Claudia hologram appeared near the stacked hay.  "Wait," Etan said. 

      "Trepidation asks that all family and allies meet him in E Den as soon as possible.  This should be considered an emergency situation.  Do not panic, just make your way to us.  Those of you who are in other settlements please stay with your portable terminals as you make your way here.  Please also inform anyone you meet along the way to join you, as they may have been away from their terminal.  I will repeat this message if you do not notify me of receiving it, in five minutes."

      The hologram faded.  Etan went to his computer and sent a confirmation.  Theodoric was still talking to the sheep.  "Sheep, your life is spared...for now."

      "Schnell, Dori," Etan called.  They left the shed quickly, saw Etan's two wives Arthen and Ovenia leaving the cabin a short distance below. 

      "I'm going to check the castle," Theodoric called.  He ran up the icy hill, knife still in his hand.  "Blath!"  He came to the castle doors and pulled them open. Lade and Airy were in the large hall.  Soon Xmanda came into view. 

      "Father, are you all right?" Lade asked.

      "Did you hear the message?"

      "Of course.  Why are you panicking?  We just thought if there is any kind of emergency we should have our sim suits with us and bring some food to the gathering, it's almost tea time."

      Theodoric smiled.  He sheathed his knife and strapped it again to his leg.  Blath and Adrian came into the hall.  Blath quietly gave Theodoric a pouch containing his suit and helmet.  "Let's go," she said.

                      ?                ?                ?

      Ethe woke from afternoon nap, found Zetjan shaking her.  Eleria was still sleeping beside her.  "You gotta wake up.  This message just came, there's some kind of emergency, we all have to gather in E Den."

      "Caith!" Eleria called out sleepily. 

      The twin came through the curtain, tying the laces of a vest over shirt and skirt.  "I'm here, it's OK."

      "Hurry," Zetjan said, "I'm sure it's important.  I'll get our suits in case we need them, and my gear."

      Eleria and Ethe stood, still sleepy.  Caith put her arm about her sister and led them from the room.  They moved from their hut onto the path outside.  Etan was standing there calling across to Io's house.  Kien, Io's mate looked out from a window.  "We haven't seen Martin today!" he shouted to Etan. 

      "Has anyone checked if Maudlin's daughters heard?" Caith asked.

      "They've gone already," Etan said. 

                      ?                ?                ?

      Trip was sitting on the stoop of his house, portable sitting between his feet so that Claudia appeared to stand below the steps.  Rachael and Mara were sitting with him.  Already a large group had gathered, Claudia told everyone Trip would talk when the others were there, it would be important. 

      Nearby Kei was holding the infant Elise, he'd taken to liking looking after her in the mornings and then having the rest of the day free to study various aspects of the Areian people and culture.  Just now those who had come from B Den were arriving.  Shortly Etan made his way to the front of the crowd. 

      "Kei, have you seen Martin?"

      "No, not today."

      "Claudia—"

      "When Trip is ready he will speak."

      "No, Claudia, I need to know where Martin is."

      "Martin is presently in transit along with Alix, they are in the Cydonia tunnel just ahead of the Weird Sisters."

      "He's all right then?"

      "So far, please leave me."

      "Sometimes she's a little too like my mother," Trip whispered. 

      Mara squeezed his hand.  She already knew what he would be telling the others.  They saw that family from A Den was coming down the road.  "It's almost time."

      "Claudia, tell them we will wait for Alix and Martin."

      Claudia announced to the group that they would wait for Alix and Martin who were just outside A Den in the tunnel. 

      When Blath came down and reached the crowd she pushed her way to the front.  "Hey, Trip!"

      "Ja, Blath?"

      "Is this how you treat guests standing outside your household at lunch time?  Where's the food?"

      "Got your food right here," said Trip and showed the underside of his right wrist.  The crowd laughed, including Blath. 

      She held up a bag.  "Well then the rest of you can share this!" she shouted. 

      Theodoric pulled the bag from her hand and helped to pass food around. 

      Mara went into the Redstone and soon came out with some bread, fruit and glass bottles.  She walked to the crowd of her children and friends that stopped at the fence and passed the food to them.  As she passed the last bottle to Blath it was not taken.  "Drink with us, Mara," Blath asked.

      Mara smiled, tipped the bottle toward the crowd before her then opened it and drank.  Blath clapped her hands as Dori grabbed the bottle to himself.  Mara licked the blood from her lips. 

                      ?                ?                ?

      Alix and Martin came running down the road still in their outdoor suits.  They came to the large excited group of picnickers. "What is this?" Alix asked.  Everyone looked to the house where Trip still sat on his stoop. 

      "Achtung!  Listen up!" he called to the group.  There were forty people gathered around Trepidation, eleven others on their way from Hempshire and Hellas Station, listening in.  "Some days ago we intercepted a transmission.  It was meant for the Earthman General Xian.  Claudia decrypted the coded message and we now know more about Xian and they people he was most definitely working with.  This is important, and it's going to change everything.  There's another ship coming!"  Trepidation waited for all his family and friends to digest what he had just told them.  "the ship will get here and land at Tharsis in less than 15 weeks.  They are not friends.  We have every indication that the ship is funded by and full of people who don't like us, who want to kill us.  The only ones here that have a chance of being safe are Mara, Brittany, Martin, Carlo and Kei.  The other 47 of us are dead unless we make some plans to protect ourselves and take action right now!"

      Rachael walked to stand before Trip, then turned to address the group.  "Mara wants to stay with Trip, but if anyone who's human just wants to stay out of the fight, She'll take you to another location.  But you don't have to speak now.  What's important is that everyone here understand that these people who are coming here are not sent by any nation.  They are not here to explore.  They are here to steal this planet for themselves and make it a place where only pure humans are allowed to live.  They will fight us.  Our only choice is to fight back."

      "We'll kick their crackerjack asses!" Theodoric shouted.

      Rachael rolled her eyes as Blath slapped her mate.  But Trip stood and walked forward.  "No, Dori's got the right idea.  We have to be strong, and be tough.  We need to defend ourselves.  We have at least two months to figure out how.  But from now on all of us will have to go about our regular duties and help with building our defense system."

      Brittany stood up.  "Excuse me, but my fellow humans and I have talked it out and we don't much want this planet to fall into the hands of any sort of radical racists or terrorists when you have let people like us who want to explore and live with you peacefully stay, and with so much welcome.  The four of us are just four, but we're Martians now, Areians if you like, we'll defend our home and our friends."

      "Thank you, Brittany, all of you, Martin, Kei, Carlo.  I really appreciate it.  First priority! Everyone needs to have a pressure sim suit, helmet and air tanks of their own, even babies!  If you don't have one that fits you, or you had one but it's somewhat worn, get a new one.  Lade is our expert on making the suits and I'm sure she would appreciate any help she can get.  Next priority, we need to build defense mechanisms on all six of our settlements, I mean Cydonia, Hempshire, Sinai, Midway, Hellas Station and Eden Base.  Whatsmore I want every one of these six settlements producing food and processing soil and air for any and all elements we use.  This means the Eden greenhouse has to be put up now, planted and fitted with defensive shutters.  And it means Midway and Hellas station will need some sort of food production facilities."

      Claudia spoke: "Iolanthe is on her terminal.  She would like to know the reason Midway needs to be expanded."

      "Fair question," Trip said.  "Can anyone tell me why?"

      "Maybe I know," said Athene.

      "I was hoping a young person would answer, tell us why you think we need six different food producing bases of operation...I'm just trying to get you all to think, I'm open to all suggestions."

      "Well, if one or more of the bases is taken from us, we need the others even more to support our number," Athene said.

      "Excellent," Trip said.  He was pacing about in front of the crowd as those from Hempshire entered the den from above.  They tied off a rope on the highroad above leading from D Den directly to F Den and then proceeded to climb down it two kilometers to the ground beside the house. 

      "Up to date?" Trip asked as the first of them reached the fence. 

      "Yes," said Blaith, dressed as the others with her in Mars Red suit her big hair now free as she held her helmet, "and we've got two suggestions so far," she said holding forward for all to see the index and middle finger of her right hand. 

      "Go ahead," Trip laughed.  The Weird Sisters were great morale boosters. 

      "Hemp for victory!" shouted Athracht.

      "Sab-o-tage!" sang Easterwine.  She then hopped the fence and ran to take her baby girl from Kei.

      "Achtung!" Trip called, "We're also going to have to train in self defense.  Soon Rachael and I will make a plan for this, so tell us if you have any great ideas.  Another thing, and who remembers what things I already mentioned?"

      "Sim suits, defense mechanisms on our bases, food production at six bases of operation, self defense training," Claudia listed.

      "And vehicles.  We need lots of vehicles, and I'm forgetting one of the most important things, tunnels.  We have maybe four months, we need a tunnel from Hellas Station through Eden and up to Cydonia.  Air vehicles too.  Claudia, list."

      "Sim suits, defense mechanisms on our bases, food production at six bases of operation, self defense training, air and land vehicles, Eden tunnel...may I suggest weaponry?"

      "Suits, defense mechanisms, crops, training, vehicles, tunnel, weapons, and yes growing hemp and planning sabotage are good ideas."

      "If I may?" Rachael asked Trip.

      With gesture he allowed Rachael to address the group.  "Trip said suits were a priority, anyone who needs one let Lade know before leaving here.  The next steps are building up of defenses, food production, and processing at all six bases.  Lets decide right now who's best suited to each site.  Athracht, how's Cydonia?"

      "Cydi's got greenhouse plus soil, ice and air processors, just needs some defenses."

      "Easterwine, Avitan, Kieran, Andronic, you may as well go back up to Cydonia, take Elise if you like.  Now, how's Hempshire?"

      "It's pretty well off," Athracht said, completely underground, hidden entrances, crop fields in hydroponic bays and in soil all under lamps, doesn't process soil but has large facility for processing plant fibers into textiles, fuel or plastics even, besides food."

      "Then work there can wait a little while.  I know Eden Base needs help.  Athracht, you and Blaith go there with Kei, we'll decide who else goes shortly, but you three at least can go there, set up the greenhouse and devote the worms to digging a tunnel from there to Cydonia."

      "We'll work with the man from Nihon," Athracht said with a nod.

      "Now, how's Hellas?"

      "I was there not long ago," Blath offered, "I know they have some amount of processing, a hydroponic bay."

      "Hellas does need work, as does Midway, I say we need a sizable team to go there and get things done," Trip said. "How about this, we decide who we absolutely need to stay here and to run up to Hempshire just to look after things and everyone who is left can volunteer for either Hellas, Midway, or Eden.  We'll put all the droids and bugs we can on digging the tunnel."

      Rachael agreed with a nod. 

      "I'll need Lade here producing suits and a small team capable of assisting her," Trip said. 

      "Arthen and I can make the suits if we have some more hands to just follow our orders, they don't have to be the same people all the time."

      "OK, Lade and Arthen will produce suits over in A Den.  I'll need to be here at least most of the time.  I have some ideas I'd like to try out with devices and computer systems, some sims for Claudia to run.  I can also lend a hand with other projects, perhaps building vehicles.  I'd like to have Mara here but I really think Mara would be good at putting together things at Midway, she remembers well when we started with nothing.  Sadian does need to be here however, I realize not everyone knows this but there is a rather advanced genetics lab here in C Den which Sadian is the only one qualified to run completely on her own, we need the plant and animal samples she has in storage to seed the newer settlements.  She also has the first of our AIs there, Thierry.  Requests for the bio samples should go through her."

      "Sadian has a genetics lab?" Rachael asked.

      "Yes, and you might like to stay and learn what she does there, that way you can do some of the same work elsewhere.  Who do we have that can build vehicles?"

      Etan stood, the dark haired one that was Sadian's son.  "Zetjan, Xmanda and I are some of the best techs, and I know Ebrian is also very good with machinery.  Perhaps we could go to Hellas and put vehicles into production there and also help with other tech work they'll need done there or at Midway."

      "Anyone on weapons?" Trip asked.

      "I think I can make pretty good armor," Theodoric said, "and blade weapons."

      "Bullet proof armor?" Rachael asked.

      "I don't know."

      "We'll have Claudia look up the process for that in the database," Trip said.  "In any case let's concentrate production of armor, suits, helmets and other clothing in A Den.  We'll move everything on vehicles down to Hellas.  I want those dishes up if possible, scan for incoming messages or ships."

      "Martin and I both would like to volunteer to go to Eden base and build up the living quarters, also devise some defenses.  I also have learned a lot about caring for animals, I think we should have animals at the other sites," Alix said.

      "Of  course.  Astoric is best with animals.  Astoric, you think about what animals we can easily supply the other bases with, any that can be food or act as guardians."

      "Anything else?" Trip asked.

      "I'm sure we'll figure it out," Mara said.  She came to Trip's side.  "Let's just try to be organized.  If it's computers, ask Trip, if it's animals, Astoric, building underground crop production the Weird Sisters.  Etan's on vehicles.  Sadian or I can answer medical questions.  Leave lists with Claudia of teams you assemble.  Stay in contact.  And don't forget to get rest and eat, that's very important."