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uld do to keep the Black Knight in view。
〃Black Knight〃 was the way he had e to think of his antagonist。 Supposedly； that made him the White Knight； but he felt a poor excuse for one。
And a despicable failure as a father。
He had worried about Miriya from the first； always apprehensive because she had gone through the sizing chamber； had been subjected to so many dangers； had nearly died in battle and childbirth alike…he himself had nearly killed her！ And for Aurora； otherworldly entity from the very start； with her mind powers and unnatural maturation rate； Max had had constant concern。
But Dana； Dana 。。。 what malign brilliance for the being that ruled newspace to test him this way！ He had left Dana behind on Earth against his own better judgment when the SDF…3 set forth。 No one but Miriya…except perhaps Aurora…knew how bitterly he'd condemned himself when he'd heard about the suffering and hardship she had had to bear。
Never knowing a true home； growing up in war； her heart wounded terribly by Zor Prime and her very essence nearly raped by the madman Zand…Max could barely bring himself to think of those things； for when he did； he wished he had never been born。
His love of his family and the sense of calm Miriya and Aurora gave him were the things that had made Earth's greatest Robotech fighter gradually put aside bat over the years。 So of course； what better way to draw him back into war in all earnest than this？ And again it was Dana； poor Dana； suffering because of Max。
What pitiless genius！ The Regis would have her fight。
Max realized he'd been rasping an endless string of soft； monotonic obscenities and stopped。 He monitored the fighter ops and tac nets only to discover that none of the other VTs could get a fix on the Black Knight。 Nor could the SDF…3； even though the bandit was making a paint as big as a house on his scopes。
He was not surprised。
With his burners wide open； he gained slowly on the grotesque mecha。 It was not going at multimach…which it certainly seemed capable of doing…and it was staying at low altitude。 He prayed that that meant Dana was still unharmed。
The Black Knight went all the way down to the deck； and Max lost it in terrain obstructions and ground scatter。 He brought up a detailed topo display from the SDF…3's orbital mapping memory but couldn't guess what the kidnapper's next move would be。
He was so intent on it that he almost died； the night…dark mecha came howling out of a mountain rift； firing a spread of missiles at him from the bulbous pods under its strangely articulated arms。
Max reacted instantly； plying the Hotas but； more important； imaging through his thinking cap。 The uncanny instincts and nearly instantaneous reflexes that had made him a living legend were as sharp； as apt； as ever。 The Alpha rolled vertical； two missiles boiling by just beneath his overturned canopy； then rolled again into a power dive； narrowly avoiding another spike…snouted killer。
Max banked； nearly tearing the VT's wings off； as the enemy came charging straight for him。 The fist that had held Dana was enclosed now； a smooth armored globe； there was no way to tell whether she was alive or dead in there。
The Veritech dodged the Black Knight； then Max went ballistic and poured on full emergency military power as his antagonist launched another spread at him。 He twisted and jinked； cutting in his jamming and countermeasures gear as missiles seared by and left their fiery corkscrews all around him。
Swathed in their trails； he mechamorphosed on the fly； went to Battloid； turning and ing to bay with his rifle/cannon in his mecha's alloy fist as the enemy came howling up after him。
Max was about to open up with the heavy pulsed laser buttery but stopped himself at the sight of the globed fist。 The famed top ace reflexes failed him； and he froze； unable to use his weapons。
The Black Knight opened up with a mecha hand weapon of its own； an affair shaped like a dory； from which purple lightning broke。 Max feinted； jetted the other way； and nearly eluded the shot。 But a snapping tongue of discharge caught the Battloid's left leg； blasting a rent in the armor there。
But in the interim； the distance between the two had closed。 Max gathered himself and kicked in all thrusters； pouncing on the enemy rather than avoiding it。 The Black Knight caught him with terrifying strength。
The two mecha fell through the sky； locked together in mortal bat。
CHAPTER THIRTY？FOUR
And so these equations expose a long…hidden truth： We now know the nature of the heretofore unimaginable energies that existed in the first； irreducible instant after the creation of the universe。 That the last vestige of them is to be found in the distilled essence of a Flower is something to ponder； were there time。
But there is none。
From Exedore's notes； written in the Royal Hall during the approach of Haydon IV
By the time Cabell returned to the observation/mand post high atop the Royal Hall pyramid； the drives of the departing evac ships were mere sparks…there were a dozen or so of them； containing a few thousand clones； human holdouts； a handful of XTs； and a pet or two。
Exedore noted the smudges and stains on the old savant's robes。 〃There was violence。〃
Cabell nodded wearily。 〃I did what I could； but yes。 Less； though； than I'd feared； given the fact that there was only room for a relative few to escape。 All dread the sphere ships' ing。〃
Exedore grunted： Valivarre lay dead in space undergoing repairs； the ore ship might have lifted the entire populace of Tiresia to safety。 But then； there had been no time to organize a large…scale evacuation； those who had escaped on the few ships at the spaceport were essentially those who had been there or nearby when the disastrous battle demolished the Local Group fleet。
〃At least the wait will not be long；〃 he added。 The flock of a hundred…odd ominous metallic bubbles was even then entering the upper atmosphere。 〃The rest will go underground to shelters； I suppose； or perhaps break into the bistros for a final toast to life。〃
〃That's more than the Haydonites got； or the Local Group fleet crews； either；〃 Cabell observed。 There was no