It was a one-person ship that was no larger than the common light airplane prior to the Octron attack. There were enough stored in the larger UFOs so ...that every Homlin could take one and assist in the search for humans. As soon as they would find a likely place for humans to be living, the small UFO swooped down and broadcast Ann’s message.Strangely enough, the GPS satellites were still in operation, and the Homlin sent its position to our headquarters in Buena Vista whenever a human was. “How bad is it?” Gunnar asks as he approaches Kate leaving the general’s side a few hours after the battle.Kate looks at him, a sour look on her face. “Ninety-five percent of our force was wiped out,” she says unhappily. “We’re searching for survivors now, but it doesn’t look good.”There is a silence between the two longtime friends for a moment. “How is Harlan? I haven’t had a chance to go and see him.”“He has a few lacerations but nothing that won’t heal,” she says with a grin. “You did a. ..”That’s as far as he got because Rob started hooting in laughter. Joey scowled at my laughing hyena cousin and was about to say something when Rob held up his hand and turned to me.“This is your down low?” he asked incredulously.My mouth that had been hanging open as if I was some sort of moron, snapped shut. I nodded and then asked the obvious.“You two know each other?”“Yeah, Jethro and I did community service together down at the park. We were on trash detail for a week,” Robert answered.I. I tried to find out a little more about her but other than a name, Veronica, which she hated and insisted on being called Vee, and that she was just over twenty one, I discovered nothing. As she spoke I could hear the uncertainty leave but could still detect some anger in her voice. We made arrangements to meet up at three the following afternoon at the Victoria Gardens Bandstand in Newcastle-under-Lyme.I arrived about ten minutes early and was pleased to see nobody waiting. I then set about.