Book 13 Hitting Back"Standing lookout watch all the way back at the stern of the ship in the middle of the night in the freezing cold looking to see if any demon wolves have come down into the valley is really hard! My watch leader Savannah says it's blacker than blacker but that doesn't make sense. How can it be blacker than black? It's so dark when there's not even stars to see by with all the clouds in the sky. I can't even see her from two feet away, it's like she's not even a dark shadow in the night, like she's darker than the dark. Or blacker than black! Hai! I get it now!"- Fuka Hayakawa age 15, squad 6, Jacks Company, New Hope Colony, Tau Ceti 4, Japan"Just a day before the aliens invaded me and my mates Raven, Sierra, Karlie, Ksenia, Lydia, Julia and Malina spent the day at one of the new beach houses on the Ranger Base. It was brilliant and the weather was glorious! We had a full cooler and roasted bangers on the grill, and we got to lay bums out on the beach! I hope the aliens didn't mess with them; I left my swim togs hanging in the bathroom and my sunnies on the nightstand. I'm hoping for a chance to get them back, you can't buy new ones anywhere these days!"- Lieutenant Jelena Simons, platoon leader, New Zealand detachment, Eagle CompanyThings have been mostly quiet at the New Hope Colony since the battles at the end of the summer and both the aliens and the Colonial Rangers have been licking their wounds and considering what their opponents might do next. The Rangers want to strike first but how and where? Maybe the Hot Tub Brain Trust will come up with something.