Even though they were best protection vests of their kind, Nondel found the orange vest of the regular uniform to be much more comfortable. "Look at these things," Nondel muttered as he snapped the two halves of the thick, dark vest together around his torso, "Almost as stiff as Rion."

"At least they'll take bullets for you better," Xslav commented, lacing up his large black boots with a vest of his own.

Nondel began to buckle the weapons belt around his thighs. "The sooner these get broken in, the better."

"Better them than us," Xslav muttered, slipping on a pair of pitch-black gloves.

Nondel tapped on the left side of his bulky vest, hearing a soft yet stern knock in return. "Ion coating too," He said, "No wonder they're so stiff."

"It'll sure take a ton of damage before that coating melts, too," Xslav added.

"Just in case we make any mistakes," Nondel said, "And we need all the second chances we can get."

Xslav suddenly gave Nondel a grim stare. "Second chances?" Xslav asked. "I doubt it."

*****

The rain was heavy at the Xian World Military spacefield that day. It had begun seconds after Nondel and Xslav's surprise briefing, and the shocking demands of Deth. As the rain pelted against the vertical-launch bay doors on the ground, concealing Nondel and Xslav's rocket ship underneath, both Xians could not help but to feel unsteady. As they both lay in thier seats, tilted vertical and strapped in firmly, all they could do was let their minds wander as they waited for liftoff clearance.

"Let's go over the plan again," Xslav said in the pilot's seat. Nondel nodded from the co-pilot position. "You drop me off at one of the seven Deth Sattelites that Deth's dragged along with him, and you try to to get to the one that's directly above it."

"I still think this splitting up is a bad idea," Nondel muttered. "I don't think Deth's going to be so relaxed as he was when I dropped in for a visit."

"Maybe," Xslav muttered gravely, "But if we split up, we'll cover more ground, and maybe find a way to Deth Fortress where the Armageddeon Laser is."

"Hard to believe," Nondel said, "That giant fortress is a fully-mobile warship."

"Right," Xslav said, "Which means that Deth can pick whatever spot he chooses to destroy X from."

"Well, this time around, I'll have Simui watching my back," Nondel said, tapping on the tiny reciever plugged into his ear.

"A Xian spotter?" Xslav asked, glancing sideways at his own device in his ear, "The only spotter I've trusted since Zeta-Nine is the one I built myself."

"Wait, you were that guy who built that supercomputer-spotter?" Nondel murmured.

"Yes," Xslav replied impassively. "It's still running in HQ perfectly."

"I could only wish I had your technical know-how," Nondel muttered.

"It wasn't easy," Xslav said, "But building that thing wasn't so difficult."

Nondel paused and rubbed his chin. "D'you really think he's going to destroy X?" Nondel asked, completerly shifting trains of thought. "He only wanted to conquer it last time."

Xslav muttered in dismay. "I don't know what he's planning," he said, "But I think we should just assume he's not bluffing."

"He's crafty, Xslav," Nondel muttered, "I don't think we should take anything as a given." Nondel glanced to his left, away from Xslav. "It's all up to us to stop whatever he's planning."

"That'll be easier for you," Xslav said gravely. When Nondel gave him an inquizitive look, Xslav said, "Back on Zeta-nine, a pulse-grenade exploded in our trench. My vision in my right eye hasn't been the same since." Xslav grimaced. "All we could afford to take with us is a gun each," he said, "and my aim isn't what it used to be."

"Then I think you'd need this more than me," Nondel said, reaching into the left flap of his vest. When he pulled his hand out, he held the handle of a beam saber.

"A beam sword!" Xslav gasped, "Where's you get that?"

"Someone dropped it on Deth Fortress," Nondel said, "So I 'borrowed' it."

Xslav glanced at the handle uneasily. "You know that taking any other equipment than what we were assigned with is a direct violation of protocol," Xslav said.

"Sometimes rules need to be broken," Nondel said, handing the butt of the handle to Xslav, "Especially if the whole world depends on it."

With a small amount of guilt, Xslav took the saber from Nondel and stuffed it into his vest. "You sure you won't be needing it?" Xslav asked.

"Like I said," Nondel said, "You'll need it more than I will."

Suddenly, the small monotone voice of the onboard computer spoke up. "Launch commencing in one minute."

The dull roar of moving heavy plates grinding along each other filled the air of the cockpit, and the two Xian knew that the bay doors were steadily opening. "Brace yourself," Xslav said with just ten seconds before launch, "These vertical takeoffs are rough."

Before Nondel could reply, a thunderous jolt shook the rocket, jarring the two Xians as a loud roar filled their ears. As the shaking subsided and the roar intensified, Nondel and Xslav knew that the ship was now propelling itself into the air. And with a burst of speed that felt like being dragged underwater by a speedboat, the two Xians were shot off into space.

*****

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Nondel gave Xslav a nod before turning to the control dash. Xslav in turn gave Nondel another nod, fastened inside a large tube-like structure behind a plate of a clear wall, seperating the tow Xians. And with the push of a button, Xslav and his tube container were sucked out of the ship. Knowing that he risked detection if he sat around too long, Nondel sped the ship upwards, skimming past the surface of Deth Satellite Twelve. Quickly checkng his onboard computer, Nondel immediately set course for the nearest of his foe's stations, Deth Satellite Fifteen. Unfastening his seatbelts and readying his pistol, Nondel glared at the main screen on the dashboard, seeing the open docking bay doors of Deth Satellite Fifteen. And just as the ship floated gracefully inside the bay, Nondel grinned, "Showtime."