Harry sat at the counter with a mug of beer, watching the suds rise. It had been over thirty-six hours since the first reports came in from Alios, and his stomach was in knots. He had promised to let Melissa live her life, to stop trying to protect her. But that promise didn"t make it any easier to let go. There was nothing he could do, of course. He couldn"t break his promise even if he wanted to, but he could worry.
Behind the counter, a tall man with a dark beard and buzzed hair was transfixed by the images on the TV. Well, it was actually a screen of SmartGlass on the wall opposite the bar, but for all intents and purposes, it was a TV.
“Could you turn up the volume?” Harry muttered.
“Volume!” the man said gruffly.
“And the latest reports from Alios say that the Ragnosian fleet has
