Michael smiled at Eve’s excited spiel. “Little do they know that their real training is about to commence.” He snickered. “Make sure they can beat their first couple of levels quickly. I want them suckered into the endorphins of leveling up.”
Eve snorted. “Are you trying to teach me to suck eggs?”
Michael laughed. “I apologize, Eve. I should respect the true genius you represent.”
“Damn right,” she stated. “OH! They are picking their character classes now. I have to go before Addix takes the one I want. See you when you get back.” She cut the connection without another word.
Michael frowned. “Dammit, now I don’t get to be there when they take their first virtual steps.”
Bethany Anne tapped the table as she listened to the General’s report. She didn’t miss the look of concern her father gave her when he saw the dark rings under her eyes. “I’m okay, Dad,” she reassured him. “So, how did it go from your end?”
“When the satellites hit the system, all they found was smoking debris strewn for kilometers.” He let slip a small smile. “The Leath and the Noel-ni are going apeshit wondering who did this.”
Bethany Anne shrugged. “Let them wonder.”
The concerned look returned to Lance’s face. “I trust there is nothing there to pin this to you?”
She smirked. “Not a sausage. We cleaned up the system, but we left a few clues to divert from looking too hard at it.”
Lance raised an eyebrow. “Clues? To what?”
“The Dread Pirate Roberts Dark Empire Squadron, of course,” she told him. “High Tortuga has come out victorious...” She thought of those who hadn’t made it through the battle. “Although we took some hard losses as well. Next time you come here and bring my brother, I'll show you the video.”
They spoke a little more, then Lance excused himself.
“I have to smooth some ruffled feathers,” he explained. He hesitated before signing off. “I am sorry for the losses the High Tortuga fleet suffered. Thank you all for your sacrifice.”
Bethany Anne nodded soberly. “We may not be wanted, but we’re not asking for recognition either. We will be there in the darkness, watching and waiting. Some of those who whisper will have whispered the truth. One of these days—may it be a long time in the future—the Queen Bitch will be back.”
Lance shrugged. “What will be, will be. For now, it is an enigma that will occupy them for a while. It helps me keep their focus away from all the other shit I'm pulling.”
“Whatever you need, Dad. You know that.”
“You too, pumpkin.”
Michael wandered in just in time to wave to Lance before he signed off.
Bethany Anne took in his smile and his practically jaunty posture and was instantly suspicious. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” he told her. “Just making sure the children are studying.”
“The children love studying. Why would you need to check?”
Michael held his hands up. “Can’t a loving father miss his children while he’s away from them?” He sighed, affronted, then turned and left.
“Hmmm.” The spring in his step told a different story than the pout he’d given her, but she decided to let it pass. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” she muttered as he left again. “He’s taking on the responsibility for the children. I should be happy, excited, and beyond joyous that he’s so involved…”
Then why aren’t you? Tom asked as she headed out.
“Because he’s up to something. Any time that man is that happy, he’s up to something.”
High Tortuga, Space Fleet Base, The Dome
Bethany Anne dropped her robe in preparation for the training session and took her usual cross-legged pose on the mat with her hands resting loosely on her knees and her chin on her chest. She had just begun the breathing part of the process when ADAM interrupted.
>>Bethany Anne?<<
What’s up, ADAM?
>>We have received a data burst from one of the scout explorers, the Loralei.<<
And?
>>The scout ship was attacked by an unknown entity, and as far as I can tell the ship was destroyed. The EI managed to get a partial scan of the attacker, but it didn’t make it to us intact.<<
Bethany Anne opened an audio-only link to the Security Pit. She wasn’t going to get dressed just to make a quick call. “This is Bethany Anne.”
Jennifer chuckled. “I know, my Queen. I would recognize your voice anywhere.”
“ADAM told you it was me calling, right?”
Jennifer’s chuckle deepened into a laugh. “Okay, you got me. What can I do for you?”
Bethany Anne dropped the smile. “I want a team to go out to the coordinates ADAM is about to send. One of the scout fleet has run into difficulty.”
“On it now. Anything else?”
“No, thank you, Jennifer.” Bethany Anne shut down the link. This looked to be another thread of the mystery that she could pull on, and maybe it would be the one that unraveled this whole plot and gave her the understanding of the higher workings of the parts of the galaxy she hadn’t yet reached. “Could be a simple retrieve and return, or something a little meatier. What do you guys think? Maybe it’s the same people we just fought.”
>>It doesn’t seem likely. Loralei didn’t report seeing any spheres when she was attacked.<<
Bethany Anne pressed her lips together and considered the possibilities. Eventually, she shrugged. “Well, whoever it is, life just got a little more interesting.” With that announcement, she settled back in for her training session. “We’re going to work on those mind attacks. No pain, no gain, TOM. We’re going to keep at this until I get it.”
She opened her eyes in the darkness. “I don’t want to be taken out so easily next time.”
Epilogue
Immersive Recreation and Training Scenario, Dungeons and Caves, Base Cottage (The Next Morning)
Alexis smoothed the front of her elaborately-embroidered robe with a hand and shuffled the hem with her foot. She looked up at Eve doubtfully. “Won’t this get in the way when we fight?”
Eve smirked. “Oh, but the mage does not fight with her body. She fights with her mind.” She reached out and plucked a gnarled wooden staff with a ruby topper out of the air. “Here, now you just need one more thing…”
Alexis took the staff from her with a puzzled frown. “What?”
Eve held out her hand with a flourish and gave Alexis the hat that appeared. “Perfect. Now you look like a mage.”
Alexis gave the strange hat a look and put it on. “What exactly does a mage do, and why did you suggest I choose it?” She took a closer look at the staff, which felt a little tingly in her hand. She thought she saw a spark in the center of the ruby.
“You gave me the idea,” Eve told her. “I had not anticipated your solution to the pterosaur obstacle. I had fully expected you to use the environment to your advantage instead.”
Alexis tilted her head back when the hat slipped over her eyes. “You mean the rockfall above the portal? I didn’t see that until I was dragging Gabriel up the dais steps.”
Eve’s mouth twitched. “But you did see it. And you took to channeling energy like a duck to water. It will be easy for you to transfer the knowledge to your role as a mage.”
Alexis frowned, remembering the close shave they’d had by the river in the last scenario. “So we can use magic here?”
Gabriel came out from behind the curtain, plucking at the scarf that covered his face. “Why do we need to wear a costume for this? Our atmosuits were fine.” He held his cloak out from his body and turned from side to side. “This is pretty cool, though.”
Addix shuffled uncomfortably into the room, being careful not to knock any of them with the bulky spiked armor she wore. “I have to disagree. It is uncomfortable.”
Eve shrugged. She swished her kimono, to which she had added a hood and shining armor plates, and looked Addix over. “No, that won’t
do at all.” She tilted her head and closed her eyes for a moment, then snapped her fingers.
Addix started in surprise when the generic armor disappeared and was replaced by something that made the most of her deadly Ixtali nature. The new armor was so black it sucked the light from around Addix, and it fit her like a second skin—except where it curved away from both elbows and all four ankles to form blades. She flexed her limbs and nodded. “Very good, Eve.”
“Cooool,” Gabriel breathed. “Aunt Eve, next time I want to be the fighter.”
“It’s not too late to switch class,” Eve offered.
Gabriel shook his head. “No, thank you, Aunt Eve. I reviewed the information this time, and I want to be the thief.”
Alexis stamped her foot. “The game information! I didn’t read it…again!”
Eve shook her head. “I didn’t want you reading it for this game, Alexis.”
Alexis rolled her eyes. “Is this a nuance thing again?”
“Kind of feels like this scene should have a stirring orchestral piece playing,” Eve commented.
Addix gave her a puzzled glance and went back to looking over the land below the ridge they’d climbed to get a better view of the area. The children were close behind, Alexis using her staff as a walking stick to counter the weight of her robes and Gabriel keeping pace with his sister.
They came to a stop beside the adults, and all four drank in the raging battle that was occurring below. The land heaved with the mass of many species, some that neither Alexis nor Gabriel had seen before.
“Who are they?” Alexis asked. “Why are they fighting?”
“It was in the backstory for the scenario,” Gabriel supplied. He pointed out a band of fighters in the center of the battlefield. They fought from the backs of enormous silver-horned stags with swords and bows and spells. “The tall ones are elves, and they’re fighting the orcs. The good humans and the dwarves are on the elves’ side. All the others are on the orcs’ side.”
Wherever the elves went, orcs and their allies fell.
“Maybe I’ll be an elf next time,” Alexis mused.
“Come, children,” Eve urged. She led them along the ridge to a crumbling watchtower which looked directly onto the battlefield.
“Now remember,” Eve cautioned, “you will feel the pain of any injuries you take, and you can die in this scenario.” She turned to face the children. “This battle is just the scene. The objective is to reach the other side, by whatever method you like.”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes at the fray. “By ourselves?”
Addix shook her head. “No, Gabriel. Eve and I will be there to provide a certain level of protection.”
“However,” Eve cut in, “we will only move as you and Alexis direct.”
Alexis looked up from the ruby on her staff, which was glowing. “I think I have the hang of this magic thing now.”
“Great,” Gabriel told her, looking at the sky and then behind himself. “Was that a dragon I just heard?”
High Tortuga, Space Fleet Base, The Dome
Bethany Anne pushed the plastic curtain aside and stalked over to the door she felt the children’s presence behind. She opened the door and saw Michael and Eve watching the screen wall.
The screen wall that showed her children engaged in battle with a dragon, of all fucking things.
“Michael, what is going on here?”
Michael turned. “Excellent, you are just in time. The children are done with their lessons for the day.”
Three of the four Pod-docs opened and Alexis and Gabriel spilled out, chattering animatedly as they climbed over the sides.
Alexis’ eyes were open wide. “You were awesome when you stole the elf’s bow and shot the orc’s throat out through its mouth.”
Gabriel was just as full of praise for his sister. “I thought the best part was when you used Aunt Addix as a springboard to jump up and stab that cyclops right in its eye with your staff. When you let the magic go it danced!”
The twins caught sight of their mom with their father. “Mommy’s home!” they cried in unison. They ran over to hug their mother as Addix clambered out of her pod.
“We missed you!” Gabriel cried.
“Even though we had fun playing Daddy’s and Eve’s game,” Alexis added.
Bethany Anne gave Michael a pointed look and gathered Alexis and Gabriel to her. “Mommy missed you both so much!” She held them close and kissed their heads. “How about some real food, and you can tell me about all of your adventures while I was away.”
They scampered toward their quarters, with Bethany Anne and Michael walking behind. Eve called to them as they reached the door.
“I’ve sent the review of the children’s scores from the scenario. You’re going to be so proud of them! I know I was.”
FINIS
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
August 9, 2018
THANK YOU for reading this story, and our Author Notes in the back!
There is SO MUCH going on that sometimes I don’t know what I’ve said and who I have told it to. In one week, I’ll be joining tens of thousands of fans at Worldcon 76 in San Jose, California (my first time.) I’m going there to see what it is like, and to promote the company a bit with the SFWA members and generally to check it out.
On the 20th of this month, I fly to Beijing, China to visit the book fair they have going and to travel (check it out) for future ideas. The challenge (for me) is that I’m so picky with my food (pretty much meat and potatoes, with the meat being beef usually), I suspect I’m going to lose some weight on the trip. Not that me losing weight is a bad thing, I have plenty I can afford to give away.
Almost all books are a collaborative effort. (Except my first two—I tried to get a proofreader by Love Lost, I think, but that guy only made it worse. So how ‘collaborative’ can a book be when you support person undermines your effort? I don’t know, that sounds like an existential editor question.) Existential questions aside, I want to point out why (pretty much) all Michael Anderle books are productions of Michael Anderle books more and more (besides the obvious collaborations).
Children
Now, I have three children. But for this Kurtherian Endgame book I needed to bring in children who are really, really young, and I am going to hit fifty-one in about a month.
(Don’t listen to Martha Carr when she says ‘Happy Birthday!’ next month, because she gets it wrong. Last year, I had to go through a WHOLE WEEK of people telling me Happy Birthday because she announced my birthday a week early. She still finds that shit funny as hell.)
Anyway, my kids are 26, and 19, 19 (on the 22nd of August.) I haven’t had to work with younger kids in many, many years. Also, I don’t channel them very well. I looked forward to pulling together this book with a sense of dread. “Children? What the hell am I going to do with children?”
Thank GOD for people who help me make these books happen!
Natale Roberts
For those who don’t know Natale Roberts (She did books 03 and 04 in the Etheric Academy series writing as N. D. Roberts.) Nat was a MAJOR help helping me get this book done. Her insights into the kids and creating their personalities was off-the-charts helpful, as well as many other efforts with the writing. Even while she was dealing with additional projects, she was monumentally helpful in pulling this book together.
Beta Readers
We have changed how we do Beta Reading and I want to SHOUT OUT to the Beta Readers for dealing with the changes. It hasn’t been easy, and I understand that. I appreciate Lynne Stiegler and the team(s) of Beta Readers, Editors, JIT folks and everyone working to deliver as clean a book as we can with these crazy freaking deadlines.
Artists
I want to thank Andrew Dobell, Jude
ed with creating the 3D ship you see at the top (ArchAngel 2.)
Operations
Stephen Campbell and Jami Crumpton help keep the back end of the operations (publishing, notifying, emailing, Facebook updates, responding and fixing typos, working with some marketing and other things) in the books. There is so much more that goes on that Steve’s group manages, that I’m sure I am forgetting something (or many somethings, actually.)
Fans
In my mind, it goes without saying that you, the fans and readers, are a major aspect of doing these stories (not only The Kurtherian Endgame, but all of our series. From your support purchasing (and reading on Kindle Unlimited) to the kind reviews (we always need them) to reaching out on Facebook and Reddit. Yes, I’ve actually been on Reddit recently. Scares me shitless. Not that I mind chatting with folks, but it brings out of me an argumentative side that frankly, I don’t need to even remotely give into. Further, they have this popular trending area on Reddit that has caused me to take productive time and replace it with ‘oh, that was funny! Let’s see what’s next!’ time.
It wasn’t much of a help. Kind of like drinking Coca-Cola isn’t a good way to acquire calories, but I like it so much I do it anyway. There! That’s the message. Reading the popular Reddit posts is a way to lose my nutritious time and replace it with sugar-calorie laden time.
That metaphor was so much more interesting in my mind.
Movies
Nothing has happened (of substance) on the movie front. We have had people interested, but it seems that Hollywood doesn’t want to put much money down in the beginning. Since The Kurtherian Gambit series sells very, very well, often the money offered (if there is any) is equivalent to a few days or a couple of weeks of sales.
The Kurtherian Endgame Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 - Payback is a Bitch, Compelling Evidence, Through the Fire and Flame, All's Fair in Blood and War Page 43
