“Valerie, listen,” Magnus said. “I recognize that this… that we could be… You and me, we could…” He hesitated. This already felt more awkward than he wanted it to be. “It’s just that I—”
“You like Awen,” Valerie said.
“Wait… what?”
“You have feelings for her. I get it.”
“Valerie, that’s not what I was going to say.”
“But it’s what you need to say. Because if you don’t, I’m going to keep some hope alive that we could be together. Unless you tell me otherwise right now.” Her eyes searched his face, and Magnus knew he needed to say something.
“There you are, Magnus,” TO-96 suddenly said from down the hallway.
“Not now, bot,” Magnus yelled back.
“But you are needed on the bridge, sir.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Magnus turned back to Valerie.
“Shall I set a sixty-second reminder for you, sir?”
Magnus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Valerie gave a small chuckle. “That’s fine, ’Six. I’ll meet you on the bridge.”
“Very well, sir. Your reminder has been set. And I look forward to—”
“Head back to the bridge, ’Six.”
“Heading back to the bridge, sir. See you there.”
Magnus pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, trying to reign in his frustration with TO-96, and with this whole conversation. Give him a blaster and a battlefield full of enemies any day. But all this relationship stuff? It was damn hard.
He took a breath and looked Valerie in the face. “I like Awen.” Magnus let the truth of the words hang in the air for a second, as much for himself as for Valerie.
“Well, there you have it,” Valerie said.
But Magnus held up his hand. “But you are amazing, Valerie. And I—”
“Magnus, I don’t need a pep talk. I just needed to know where you were at.” She smiled at him. It seemed incredibly sincere. “People in our line of work don’t exactly grow old together, if you know what I mean. So I just wanted to know how I should use the rest of my time. You’ve told me what I needed to hear, and that’s that.”
Magnus was struck with how matter-of-fact she was being. But then again, that was the Marine Corps way. And it was the way of most doctors he knew. No nonsense, bottom line up front.
He also had to admit that the finality of this conversation meant certain things. It meant he was closing the door on any possible future with Valerie. Keeping things open-ended and ambiguous had meant there was some hope out there in the distance. Part of him wanted that, at least the option of it. But that wasn’t fair to her, nor to himself.
This conversation also meant expressing his feelings about Awen. And he’d just done that with Valerie—the other woman he had feelings for. Wasn’t there some rule about not doing that? But he’d done it nonetheless, and it had only made his feelings for Awen more real. Was he committed to her now, even though he had yet to express it in so many words?
“You’re good together,” Valerie said in what Magnus considered a fairly shocking admonition; what was more, Valerie sounded like she meant it. “For what it’s worth, I’m happy for you both.”
Mystics, how was he supposed to respond to this?
“Anyway, you’d better get to the bridge. I think your sixty seconds are about up.”
As if prompted by her words, a small chime went off over the ship-wide communications channel. Then, from the speakers in the ceiling, TO-96’s voice said, “Magnus, please report to the bridge. Your sixty seconds are up, as per your request. Again, Magnus, please report to the bridge.”
“No one can fault him for being punctual,” Valerie said.
“Or blatantly annoying,” Magnus added. He looked Valerie in the eyes and said, “Thanks.”
“No, thank you. I appreciate your honesty… even if I did have to drag it out of you a little.”
“You did. But I’m glad you did.”
“Me too.” She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek. Then she patted his chest and said, “Better get in there.”
“Roger. You coming?”
“No. I’m going to relieve Awen. You need Awen more than you need me.”
* * *
Azelon relinquished the captain’s chair to Magnus, allowing him to sit in front of the gathered audience. Before she got too far, however, he grabbed her by the arm. “Hey, what was that stunt back there?”
“Stunt, sir?”
“You grounded the shuttles without my consent.” Magnus felt the anger rising in his voice and considered taking this conversation elsewhere, or just saving it for later. Normally, this would be embarrassing for someone in Azelon’s position, but Magnus knew she didn’t have an ego like humans did—at least, he suspected she didn’t. Even if she did, he still needed to get this cleared up.
“The statistical likelihood of—”
“I understand your analysis, bot. What I’m saying is next time, you run that kind of thing by me before you execute. Copy?”
The robot looked at Magnus passively, as if his request was nothing more than a small bit of new information to be processed and archived, completely devoid of any emotional component. “I will proceed as you have requested, Magnus. My apologies for…” Azelon seemed to search for something. “For ruffling your ass feathers.”
Everyone else in the bridge snickered at this. For a moment, Magnus thought he might keep a straight face through it, but when he heard someone snort, he lost control and laughed too. “That’s not exactly how the expression goes, Azie.”
“Azelon is attempting to utilize my lexicon more when conversing with you, sir,” TO-96 said.
“Which explains a lot,” added Ezo, still laughing.
“Anyway, you’re forgiven, Azie. Just don’t do it again.”
“I will endeavor to do as you have prescribed, sir.”
Magnus nodded, satisfied that the matter was concluded, and then sat down to look at his core crew. It consisted of the four platoon leaders—Dutch, Abimbola, Titus, and Rohoar—as well as a few members of each squad deemed essential to the next phase of the mission. Dutch included Ezo and Sootriman, who stood so close to one another that their arms touched, as well as Saasarr, who stood behind Sootriman, arms across his chest. Abimbola had asked Berouth, Rix, and Silk to join him, while Titus called up Bliss and Robillard. As for the Jujari, Saladin and Czyz stood to either side of Rohoar.
Magnus was about to begin when the bridge door slid open and Awen walked in. Magnus tracked her with a certain intensity that he realized might be a little much. She seemed to notice too, looking away from him at first, and then returning his stare with a smile. “Sorry I’m late,” she said.
“No problem,” Magnus replied. “I knew where you were.” Mystics, that sounded awkward, didn’t it. “With Piper, I mean.” He looked back at the crowd while Awen slid in beside Rohoar. The only people not present that Magnus felt should have been there were Flow and Cheeks. But he still didn’t know how to introduce them to Rohoar yet. Up until now, they’d only talked about the former mwadim; even that had not ended well. But seeing a Jujari in the flesh? Magnus was worried that would not go well given all that the men had been through. They’d need more time.
“First off,” Magnus said, “I want to extend my congratulations to you and your platoons. While that wasn’t the smoothest mission, it was our first. And, all things considered, it went better than I expected. Well done.”
Those gathered responded with nods and verbal agreement. The feeling of accomplishment seemed mutual, and that made Magnus happy.
“We worked hard for that initial win. Your squads deserve congratulations from you, so see to it when you regroup. Moving on, I’d like to give the floor to Azelon so she can debrief us on the latest attack. Azelon?”
“Of course, sir.” The smooth-white robot strode out from beside Magnus into the middle of the bridge, motioning forward. “As you can see on the main holo
display, a battlecruiser and fourteen FAF-28 Talons emerged from the quantum tunnel.” The display showed the vessels popping into existence. A star map also showed icons of the ships in relation to the Spire and the rest of the planets in the system. Azelon went on to describe the battle in stunning detail, outlining how she and TO-96 commandeered the enemy’s torpedoes, destroying all their vessels without so much as a single shot fired from the Spire.
Magnus was impressed, yet again, with the Novia’s advanced technology, and recognized that Azelon, TO-96, and the ship gave them a huge advantage in future space combat missions. How many enemies they’d be able to successfully take on at once remained to be seen. But Azelon had proven her mettle, and that was good enough for Magnus—for now, anyway.
“Are there any questions?” Azelon asked.
Rohoar raised his ears. Azelon recognized the gesture almost at once and invited him to speak.
“Did these vessels follow Abimbola and I back from Oorajee?” Rohoar asked.
“We believe so,” Azelon replied. “Accounting for the expanding time dilation between the two universes, it is believed that these vessels were pulled from the conflict over your home world and re-tasked mid-operation.”
“So it is our fault they arrived,” Rohoar concluded, a hint of shame in his voice.
“That would be an accurate conclusion. However, given the fact that the enemy already had a presence on Ithnor Ithelia, it is possible that a secondary force would have been sent anyway. Your movement from Oorajee to Neith Tearness was merely cause for additional concern and not the sole impetus.”
While the explanation was supposed to make Rohoar feel better, it didn’t look like it had. Rather, the Jujari seemed put off by it.
“I am sorry for betraying our people,” Rohoar said, lowering his head and twisting it to one side. Magnus knew what this was… a display of submission and inferiority. But he couldn’t afford to let the Jujari be seen in any negative light, not with how much fighting they had in front of them. And, as far as Magnus was concerned, Rohoar was the physical link to the ancient Novia Minoosh. This meant Magnus needed the Jujari warrior fit to lead.
“Nonsense,” Magnus said, standing up and walking toward Rohaor. “Without you and Abimbola recruiting your kin and friends, we would not have had the strength to muster an assault on the Recon team in Itheliana. And that team arrived well before you.”
“If anything,” Awen interjected, “it was I who first alerted Admiral Kane and Master So-Elku of this place. Any further conclusions must take this preeminent fact into consideration.”
Rohoar raised his head and looked at Awen, then at Magnus.
“In conclusion,” Magnus said, “I do not accept your apology for none is warranted. However, I recognize your willingness to accept fault as a mark of great leadership. Consider this resolved.”
“Thank you, scrumruk graulap,” Rohoar said, baring his teeth.
“You’re welcome.” Magnus turned and addressed the rest of the room. “Now, it seems we have a decision to make, which is why I invited you all here. As you know, the enemy was inside Itheliana to obtain something… something that Azelon says is of strategic importance to the Novia Minoosh. While I have asked for a greater explanation than that, Azelon assures me now it not the time.”
“And it remains as such,” Azelon interjected.
“As much as I disagree with her, I recognize—as I think we all do—that we are at the behest of our hosts, the Novia Minoosh. So I will not press the point, for now. Needless to say, the enemy knows how to arrive in the metaverse, knows where Ithnor Ithelia is, and knows there is something of value in Itheliana. As such, I believe we have a crucial decision to make.”
“And what’s that?” Awen asked, still standing next to Rohoar.
“Whether or not we close the quantum tunnel.”
7
Awen felt the collective shock go through the bridge as Magnus brought up the topic of closing the tunnel. This was the first she’d heard of it too and wondered how long he’d been toying with the idea. She also wondered how long she’d need to compete with Valerie for Magnus’s affection, as the woman was clearly interested in him. But this wasn’t the time for her to get sidetracked. There was work to be done.
Abimbola raised one of his large arms. “My first question, before we even discuss how, would be why.”
“And that’s what this is for,” Magnus replied. “To ask questions and talk it through. So, to answer yours, I’ll ask everyone else: Why?”
“It would cut off the enemy from accessing whatever it is the Novia have buried in the planet,” Rohoar suggested.
“And from discovering the QTG,” Awen added.
The room looked at her.
“The quantum tunnel generator,” Ezo said.
“The what now?” Titus asked, looking from Awen to Ezo.
Ezo went on to explain what Awen, Sootriman, and TO-96 had found when they’d made their first big discovery. “We still know so little about it, and we couldn’t risk going back to try it. Until now, that is.”
“Let me get this straight,” Abimbola said. “You are saying that we can use this generator to appear anywhere we wish within the known universe?”
“Universes,” Ezo said in correction.
Abimbola let out a low whistle. “And all we need is a Novia Minoosh starship and someone to operate the contraption?”
“That’s correct,” Awen said. “Up until recently, I was the only one capable of stepping into the Unity to operate the QTG. But I’m certain Piper could do it.” Awen paused, then looked at Rohoar. “And I believe Rohoar can operate it too.”
The Jujari looked down at her, his eyes betraying at least a little shock. “You think so?”
“I do.” Awen nodded.
“So I guess that answers my other question about how,” Abimbola said. “But it seems to me there is some strategic advantage to keeping it open.”
“Go on,” Magnus said.
“Back on Limbia Centrella, we have an animal called the gorespike. It is a nasty creature. Very hard to kill… unless you lead it to a honeypot. Once its horned head is stuck inside the jar, you can deliver a killing blow to the soft part of its abdomen. But without the honeypot, you are likely to be impaled.”
“You’re saying we use the enemy’s knowledge of the existing quantum tunnel to our advantage,” Dutch said.
“Precisely,” Abimbola replied. “The only thing better than knowing your enemy is knowing where your enemy is going to show up next.”
“But is it worth the risk?” Awen asked. “I mean, what if they show up with ten times the force they just did? Can Azelon and TO-96 handle that?” She looked around the room. “Can we handle that?”
“I’m inclined to agree with Awen,” Sootriman said. “If Admiral Kane commands part of the Republic fleet, what’s to stop him from bringing more ships through the quantum tunnel when his latest squadron of fighters doesn’t report back? We could be inviting disaster.”
“Ninety-Six,” Ezo said, drawing the bot’s attention. “How many more ships and torpedoes can you work your magic on with Azelon?”
“That is an excellent question, sir. The answer depends on our proximity to the vessels in question, as well as the complexity of each system’s command architecture.”
“Can you take a guess?” Abimbola asked.
TO-96 regarded the hulking man with his glowing eyes. “I would propose we could handle at least three times the force you witnessed today.”
Abimbola let out a whistle. Awen, too, felt both surprise and relief at the two AI’s protective abilities.
“But I would caution any of you on relying too much on our abilities to commandeer starships and their respective ordinances,” TO-96 continued. “While it is an impressive feat, to be sure, there are enough variables that alternative means of combatting the enemy should always be employed.”
“And you had alternative means at your disposal?” Awen asked. “I mean, we st
ill haven’t seen what the Spire can really do in combat, have we?” Magnus cocked his head at her as if in admiration. Or was that attraction? She stared back at him. “What?”
Magnus offered her a small smile but said nothing.
“That’s correct, Awen. Azelon and I still had traditional munitions at our disposal, should we have needed them.”
Magnus leaned forward. “Which included…?”
“I can provide a complete list when you so desire, sir,” Azelon replied. “For the purposes of this meeting, however, I believe such details to be irrelevant.”
“Fair enough,” Magnus said. “But I want that list.”
“Noted, sir,” Azelon replied.
“But back to Sootriman’s point,” Awen said, “do we really want to risk letting the enemy get so close to us?”
“What if we could do both?” Rohoar said.
“Go on,” Magnus replied.
“What if we could close the tunnel for now but open it later when we want them to come to us?”
“I think this one is on to something,” Abimbola said. “We could subtly promote the reopening in a way that might speed the enemy’s return precisely when we mean to close a trap on them.”
“I like it,” Magnus said. He looked at Awen, and then to the robots. “Is that something we can do?”
“Certainly,” replied Azelon. “The QTG’s functionality is contingent upon the individual operating it.”
“But it still needs someone physically there,” Awen said. “As in, I’d have to be in it to close and open new tunnels.”
Azelon nodded. “That is correct.”
“So, unless I’m staying behind, I have to close the tunnel and then create a new one somewhere else. We’ll have to leave it open so we can travel between proto and metaspace. I’ll need to be back at the QTG’s controls when we want to reopen the old tunnel.”
“Which works to our advantage anyway,” Abimbola said. “We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but right here when the enemy comes knocking.”
Magnus grunted in affirmation. “And we definitely can’t afford to leave you behind, Awen.”
Ruins of the Galaxy Box Set: Books 1-6 Page 105
