"So how do we want to do this?" Captain Yvian eyed the approaching fleet. The last of their ships had just cleared the East Gate. Nine hundred ninety nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine ships. Primitive or not, that was a lot of enemies for Yvian and her lone ship.

"Beam Cannons at range," said Scarrend. "Laser beams will be useless against us, but nuclear torpedoes are still a threat."

"A few lasers would be useless," Lissa corrected. "A hundred thousand lasers will be a problem."

"How big a problem?" asked Captain Yvian.

Lissa shrugged. "Depends on how powerful they are. I'd guess our shields can take twenty minutes of sustained fire, but it could be less."

Yvian turned to Kilroy. "Is twenty minutes long enough to destroy all those things?"

"Negative," said the Peacekeeper. "With this unit at weapons control, it will take a minimum of three hours, six minutes to destroy the enemy fleet. You meatbags would take much longer."

"We should use hit and run tactics, then." Scarrend suggested. "Fire on them until our shields are low, then use the Jumpdrive to disengage. Then resume the hunt once our shields recharge." He peered at the sensors, then gave an amused grunt. "Or we could hit them with the Cascade Annihilator. They're packed close enough together that one should get them all."

"I don't think we should engage," Mims spoke.

"What?" Yvian frowned at the human. Since when did Mims not want to kill something? "Why not?"

"Because they'll warn the others." The human sent an image to Yvian's console. A sensor reading of eighty hundred eighty eight small devices near the Gate. "Those are relay drones. The second we hit that fleet, they'll beam a message to them, and the drones will cross the Gate and pass it on."

"If we don't take out that fleet before it gets to the next sector," Lissa pointed out, "they'll wipe out the poor dunks behind us. That species doesn't have the ships to fend off another attack."

"Yeah," Mims acknowledged, "but not soon. They're only accelerating at thirty meters per second. If they keep that acceleration they'll cross the sector in eight days, but I don't think they will. They're chemically propelled, which means they've got a limited fuel supply. I'm betting they'll cut their engines soon and then let inertia take them the rest of the way."

"You think we should take out their base first." Yvian nodded slowly.

"Their home sector has to be close," said the human, "and it'll be a hard target. I'd rather we kept the element of surprise."

"Even primitive Synthetics are dangerous opponents," Kilroy chimed in, "and if they are rampant, their responses will be unpredictable. It would be wise to destroy their manufacturing capabilities before they know we are a threat."

Yvian eyed the fleet. They were on a straight trajectory for the Gate the Dream had just come out of. She didn't want to leave them there. Eight days should be plenty of time, but she'd seen enough missions go sideways that she didn't want to risk it. Exodus had been right. There was a desperate species one sector over, and Yvian wasn't going to leave them to die.

"Scarrend," she ordered. "Calculate a firing solution. I want an Annihilator on a trajectory that will hit whether they change their speed or not. Reposition the Dream if you have to."

"Aye Captain." The Vrrl gave a pleased growl. "Repositioning."

"I wouldn't do that, Captain," Mims spoke up. "They might change course when we hit their home sector."

"I'm willing to risk wasting one shot," she told him. The Dream still had eight Cascade Annihilators. Wasting one would suck, but it wouldn't be the end of the verse.

"That's not the problem," said the human. "They're flying in a straight line between this Gate and the one they came out of. If the shot misses..."

"It will hit the Gate," Scarrend finished. "I agree with the Scargiver, Captain. We do not know what a Cascade Annihilation Wave will do if it touches the Gate Effect. We could inadvertently destroy every Jumpgate in existence."

"Crunch." Yvian doubted the Annihilator would actually do that, but even a small chance of destroying the Gate Network was too big a risk. "Alright, I guess we'll have to come back for them. Let's get behind this Gate and Jump to the next sector."

The next sector was in a nebula. There was another Synthetic fleet. It had the same unusual number of ships as the first. Kilroy used their speed and position to calculate the machines were sending a fleet every twenty three days.

"Well," Yvian let out a breath. "I guess we're not using an Annihilator for these ones. Not in a nebula." She checked the sensors again. It looked like the machines had come from the North Gate. "Same as before. Let's hide behind the Gate and move on."

The next Gate took them to a solar system. Eleven planets, one habitable. Well. Habitable-ish. The world was irradiated, and crawling with machines. The Dream of the Lady couldn't run an active scan without sacrificing her stealth, but Yvian doubted she'd find many sapient survivors if she did.

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The rest of the sector was heavily occupied. There were multiple fleets exactly like the two she'd seen already. Nine fleets circled each of four Jump Gates. Another ninety nine orbited the homeworld. There were two massive production complexes stretching over five thousand kilometers in the closest asteroid belt. Each of the facilities was guarded by another ninety nine fleets. Another eighty eight individual fleets patrolled the sector.

"Do they see us?" asked Yvian. She knew it was a silly question as soon as she asked. If the motherless sons had seen her, they'd already be shooting.

"Negative," said Kilroy. "Stealth is holding."

"Let's keep it that way," said the Captain. "Let's get behind the Gate and make a plan."

"Let's get behind the Gate and have lunch," Lissa counteroffered. "Then make a plan."

The human made pizza. Lissa broke out the beer. Captain Yvian decreed they could each only have one. Scarrend squatted on his haunches near the table, munching on the severed leg of a cloned Mark Mims. Yvian still didn't like watching the Vrrl eat, but she was getting used to it. Kilroy was still on the bridge, but he was listening.

"That's a lot of ships," Lissa said between bites. "I don't think we can deal with that many."

"Especially with lasers," Mims agreed. "They've got unlimited range, and lightspeed weapons are impossible to dodge. Our shields can deflect them like any other kind of radiation, but forty million of the things will fry the Lady in seconds.

"Affirmative," Kilroy agreed over the comm. "Our technology is superior, but it will not overcome such a large number disparity. Even if the FodderBots do not overwhelm us, destroying them all will take more time than we can afford."

"FodderBots?" Yvian's eyebrows went up. "Is that what we're calling them now?"

"They are Synthetics," Kilroy reasoned, "they are inferior, and they are fodder. If FodderBots is insufficient, this unit would also accept Clankers, AutomaTwits, or DilDrones."

"FodderBots is fine," Yvian assured him. She typed into a console and had a holographic display of the sector appear over the kitchen table. "So if we can't kill them all ourselves, we need a new plan. Any thoughts?"

"We don't need to kill them all right now," said Mims. "All we really want to do is keep them from killing those idiots that shot at us, right?"

"That and take their planet," Yvian confirmed.

"The first part's pretty easy," said the human. "Their production facilities are in the asteroid belt. One Annihilator a piece will take them out. Once they can't build any more ships, we take out the two fleets heading for the dunks and we're done."

"Is that what we're calling the people we're trying to save?" Lissa's lips quirked around her beer bottle.

"Works for now." Mims shrugged. "We can find out their real name later."

Yvian thought about it while she chewed. She swallowed and said, "That's a good start, but it's not good enough. We'll still end up with forty million pissed off FodderBots. Exodus said they're probably insane. What are the chances they'll stay put and rebuild instead of tearing off to kill the Dunks or whoever?"

"I'm not sure what else we can do," said Mims. "The Dream's a hell of a warship, but one ship's not gonna be enough." He swigged his beer. "Unless it's a Queenship or something."

A Queenship? Yvian didn't think Exodus could move a Queenship without attracting attention. On the other hand... "Exodus?" she asked. "Are you listening?"

"I'm always listening, Yvian." Exodus commed in with cold amusement. "What thought has entered that pretty meatbag head of yours?"

"The Stinger units," she told him. "They're always in stealth, right? Could we bring some out here without attracting notice?" Stinger units were fighter class ships, but they carried beam weapons. They specialized in picking apart targets from a distance.

"Trying to get me to solve your problems for you again?" Exodus tsked. "How disappointing."

"We need a planet, right?" Yvian pointed at the holographic display. "There's one right there, but the five of us can't take it all by ourselves."

"I'm just messing with you, Yvian." The Genocide gave an amused grunt. "The idea has merit. Even if Reba discovers the Stingers are missing, having a planet pacified when you reappear will be a suitable explanation."

"Great." Captain Yvian smiled and finished her beer. "How soon can they get here?"

"Six days, nineteen hours, and four minutes," the Genocide told her.

Yvian blinked. "Why that long?"

"There's no need to hurry," Exodus replied. "It will take your Cascade Annihilators much longer than that to reach the FodderBot shipyards."

"We are going to accelerate towards them before we fire," Scarrend told him. Yvian hadn't thought of that. "Otherwise it would take months to land the strike."

"Yes," said the Genocide, "and if you accelerate for thirty hours before firing the Annihilators will make impact in just under eight days. The Stingers will have plenty of time."

"That works," said Yvian. "Then we can head back and drop another Annihilator on that incoming fleet." She frowned. "Should we deal with the second fleet too, or do you want the Stingers to handle it?"

"I'll take care of it," Exodus decided. "You'll already be spending enough time on this. You have a mission to complete, and protecting hapless meatbags is not one of your objectives."

"But you will take care of it, right?" Lissa asked. "You promise?"

"Have I ever not done what I said I would do, Lissa?" The Genocide sounded offended.

"I'm just making sure," Lissa held up a mollifying hand. "I know how you feel about meatbags."

"The Creator doesn't care about meatbags," Kilroy commed in, "but it does care about you, Mother Lissa."

"Don't make it weird, Kilroy," the Genocide chided. He simulated a sigh. "He is right, though. I'll save the meatbag dunks because it is important to you and Yvian."

"What about me and the Scargiver?" Scarrend asked.

"What about you and the Scargiver?" Exodus quipped. Scarrend laughed. "You don't care about those meatbags, anyway."

"Of course I do," Scarrend barked another laugh. "They're a species I haven't hunted yet."

The Genocide snorted. "I suppose that's true."

"Thank you, Exodus," The Genocide hadn't bothered to generate a holographic image, so Yvian pointed her best smile at the holographic image of FodderBot Sector. "I love you too, you know."

"Don't push it, meatbag." The holo-image was replaced by the Genocide's scowling face. "I don't get attached as easily as my Peacekeepers."

"That doesn't mean you don't get attached." Lissa grinned at him.

Exodus assumed a long-suffering expression. "Just finish your lunch and do your part. I have arrangements to make."

"May Fortune favor you on the cusp of The Crunch," I said to him, still grinning.

The Genocide gave an annoyed grunt. "Don't wait around once you finish your part of the attack. If the Stinger Units see you, they'll tell the other Peacekeepers. That would complicate things."

"Oh, right." Yvian frowned. "I forgot that we're supposed to be dead."

"Of course you did." Exodus shook his head. "I've been working with you for years now, and I still can't decide if you're worth the aggravation."

Mims gave him half a smirk. "Don't you need us to help save the universe?"

"I'm still not sure it's worth the aggravation." Exodus shook his head again.