“We got Cybers in among us now,” Toby said, and told the women about the screen-thrower they had hit.

Shibo nodded. An IR burst crackled nearby. “Won’t be long before Jocelyn hits the plain.”

“See any Cybers comin’?” Besen asked. Her round face held a slight grin that occasionally, for no visible reason, broadened into a sunny smile.

No one answered for a long moment as they surveyed the valley’s dun-colored jumble sprawling to the horizon. Runoff from the mountain range was cutting a broad new river down the center, fed by several white-water tributaries.

Shattered mech factories covered the once-flat valley floor. Broken walls stood like snaggled teeth, casting pointed shadows in the late afternoon sun. Evidently Cybers had fought a large battle here before, because mech carapaces littered the ground. Burnt-out mech carcasses of every class were beginning to rust. Killeen reflected uneasily that the Cybers probably knew this terrain quite well.

Killeen found himself uneasy also at the eager way Besen longed for combat. The years aboard Argo had perhaps given him a sentimental coating that would take a while to wear off. Family Bishop was again a grimly practical band of foragers. He would have to get used to that.

“Spotted two,” Shibo said. She sent the image into the arrays of the others. Fuzzy forms rippled and danced among the fractured terrain near the broad, muddy river. “They’re messing with our sensoria some way.”

Toby said, “I get just darts and splashes.”

“Where?” Killeen asked.

“Spread all ’cross the valley. Movin’ slow but I can’t get a fix on ’em.” Toby fiddled irritably with the controls on his collar tab.

Killeen saw the same fitful hints. If each momentary flicker was a Cyber, and not some ruse, the enemy was closing in and there were a lot of them.

“Let’s get down there,” Shibo said. She sent a call to her party, which was spread across the nearby hills.

Faint calls over comm told Killeen how matters were going below, even without expanding his sensorium. Halfhearted shouts and the ragged pang-pang-pang of Family microwave volleys implied uncertainty, confusion. As he moved and searched for targets Killeen automatically kept the running tally that anyone, once a commander, never neglected. How many casualties so far? Were their skirmishing lines moving uniformly? Was a salient vulnerable to a flanking attack? Was the star formation closed up, distances between parties short enough for mutual support? Did tactical alignments fit the terrain? Did the constantly shifting fields of fire leave any opening to the enemy?

The elusive Cybers were harder to judge. How steady was their fire? Were they holding off? Clearly the flitting forms were advancing down the valley, trying to cut off the salient under Cermo’s command.

For some reason, a firm and unhurried approach was far more intimidating than attackers at a run. But the Cybers’ pace was furtive, odd, seemingly running at angles to what Killeen expected. Still, the Bishops were drawing the main force away from the Tribal attack point for the breakout.

Up from the fractured valley crisp bolts came echoing. Jocelyn’s vanguard was spilling down onto the plain. A fault line ran straight through the floor of the valley and already streams had converged on the cleft. Waterfalls crashed down from steep jutting ramparts, cutting at the freshly exposed strata. The newly formed river was a muddy finger pointing at the horizon. Against this image Killeen saw the ghostly, wavering dabs of momentary fog-thin light that might be Cybers.

“Time for the Tribe to make their run,” he said.

Shibo nodded. “Cybers comin’ fast.”

Their comms suddenly sprang to life: general call. Jocelyn cried,—Shibo! I’ve hailed His Supremacy three times. I get no answer.—

“Sure you’re getting through?” Shibo said.

—Must be. I can pick up his carrier.—

“You give ’em the start-down code?”

—Course. Cybers closing in.—

Killeen said worriedly, “She’s pretty exposed down there.”

“Let’s go,” Shibo said.

“We’re serving as flank guard here,” Killeen said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Shibo licked her lips. “Won’t need flank enfilade if they’re overrun.”

“We can provide covering fire when they pull back.”

Shibo’s mouth compressed. “Let’s go.”

They all followed her down through the remaining foothills. Killeen agreed with Shibo’s decision when he saw the fire that raked the Bishop skirmish line. The Cybers used few projectiles, so the battle appeared mostly as lancing signatures in the IR or UV or microwave. The bursts struck Bishops and knocked out their systems, sometimes flooding inside powerfully enough to kill. Cermo was taking a lot of hits and Jocelyn had bogged down already. For the first time Killeen was genuinely glad he did not wear the Cap’n’s emblem.

—Can you hear anything from the Tribe?—Jocelyn sent again.

“No,” Shibo replied.

Killeen swore softly. “Combat without comm’s always a mess.”

Shibo popped the release on her comm. “Supremacy! Hear me?”

To Killeen’ s surprise the man’ s calm voice immediately replied,—Yes. I have been following the situation.—

“Then why in hell aren’t your Families breaking into the valley?” she demanded.

—The Cyber demons are far stronger than I believed. I think it unwise to commit my main body until their full strength is known.—

“Full—!” Shibo gaped in astonishment. “We’re getting cut up down here!”

—Regrettable, yes. But I must know more.—

“We can’t hold ’em long,” she said.

—Dusk is falling. I think I shall move only under sufficient cover of darkness.—

Shibo shot a glance at Killeen. “Pull back,” he said.

“Jocelyn!” Shibo called. “You hear that?”

—I, I caught some. I can’t believe…—

“Better believe it. He’ll make his move when he wants, never mind what we planned.” Shibo’s face was a glazed mask of anger.

—What… what can we do?—Jocelyn’s voice was ragged with fatigue.

Toby broke in, “Dad? Three Cybers.”

Killeen followed Toby’s indices in his sensorium. Three flickering images were hardening into substantial forms. The pale ghosts descended the hills just behind their position. “Damn,” Killeen said.

Shibo took this in instantly and said, “They’ve got the high ground here. Closing fast.”

Jocelyn sent,—If we retreat we’ll have to fight uphill in the dark.—

Cybers saw best in the infrared. As the land cooled, human body heat would stand out against the background. They had planned to be across the valley by nightfall, holding positions on the far mountain range. Then the Cybers would have no convenient moving targets. Instead, they would have had to attack upslope against a closely ordered line.

—Let’s make a stand in the valley,—Jocelyn sent sharply.

Shibo frowned and looked at Killeen. “Why?”

—His Supremacy must make his break soon. We will be in a good position, can link up.—

Killeen said, “Assuming he means that.”

—Why shouldn’t he?—Jocelyn demanded hotly.

“Could be ’cause he’s sacrificin’ us. We’re foreign. We’ve already given him trouble. Killin’ us off’ll take the Cybers time.”

Shibo nodded slowly. Besen and Toby looked stiff and grim.

—I, I don’t know if I agree with that.—Jocelyn’s clear, commanding tone had slipped into hesitation.

Toby said, “Dad, looks like two more Cybers’ve worked ’round behind us.”

Killeen checked and saw the trap closing. “Jocelyn better be right. We got no choice now.”

“Not much time,” Besen said. Her face was drawn, her eyes large.

Shibo threw Killeen a despairing glance. He replied, “Start thinkin’. Must be some way out.”

Without a word they all began running toward the main body. Ahead, Bishops fired and fled and fell.