The universe regained.

The silence was finally broken by General e'Kraft. "Have we your permission to resume tactical operations, Puissance?"

Lal looked through him and beyond. For a moment he could feel only the beauty of the luscious gardens and the now safe again stars. But it could happen again. The Enemy could sweep in on any large star in the galaxy and set their bomb. "General, you may retreat, and you may ask the Mush-faces for peace terms." He gnashed his fangs once as he discared his race's dream and accepted a nightmare. "We can spread the news of this day through the galaxy much fast than we can our Empire. And we'll need all the help we can get." But Lal knew with a silent desperation that there would never be enough advanced races to guard all the super stars. "Everything that lives must be banded agaisnt them." He shook a talon at the sky

The woman remained a moment, alone. Her feet seemed planted in the wispy Maelstrom--called the Milky Way by some--and faint air vaoprs encirlced her. She gazed out form the sun and "saw" the Dorvik battlewagson twelve billion kilometers away. Perhaps some good could come of this yet. She hoped so. She wanted very much to belive that they were really good children... all of them.