They cut our supply lines, stripping worlds of the resources we desperately need in surprise attacks that punch deep into our territory. It’s the pe...rfect Catch 22. Do we spread our fleets thin to protect our supplies, but at the cost of the worlds we are sworn to protect, or do we hold our ground, protecting the cradle worlds from the Void, but grow ever weaker after every battle as supplies slowly dwindle?5 cycles ago, the Rebirth Initiative began. The project aimed to answer the glaring. "How are you?" I'm good. How about you?" I'm good too." They laughed nervously."It's nice in here. It's been really hot out." Yeah. Humid too." So who do you know? How did you get here? I mean who invited you?" Oh, I'm friends with Becky Thatcher," she said enthusiastically. "How about you?" Oh, my cousin Jim Jones was dating Becky's cousin's roommate Annie Williams." Wow, what an amazing coincidence," she said excitedly."Yeah, wow," he gushed."What do you do," she asked?"I'm a baggage checker. There is no middle ground about rape."She looked at us hoping that we would break under her stare. We didn't and she finally wilted. She said, "Why don't you be sick while I try to find a solution. I don't want students to drop out over this. I understand your feelings about it. Your parents have told me about last night. I don't want families to lose relationships with their children over the program."I looked her in the eye and let my gaze go over our parents. "We will return Wednesday. Frustrated, I seek and find one more rallyee to run – appropriately called ‘Twixt the Leaves.‘ Though still eight weeks away, I dread the snowy prison where I will hibernate after this year’s last rallyee.This rallyee day is finally here. I get number sixty-nine so we line up to leave at 10:09 A.M. My car, my navigator and I are all ready and waiting under the fiery, indolent sun and fragrant humidity streaming off the sizzling, oil scented blacktop. Not its usual smooth self, my Triumph too is.