“Well, the Japanese are much more patient. I was spoiled and didn’t know it.”
The left side of Michael’s lips curved up for a moment. “Well-played.”
Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow when the vault door opened to admit Tabitha, Peter, John, Scott, Darryl, and Eric. Gabrielle pushed through the guys and smiled at Bethany Anne. “We didn’t want to miss this.”
Bethany Anne’s toe tapped on the floor. “Anyone else want to crash my children’s return?”
Tabitha grinned. “Oh, hells, yeah. I didn’t think you’d want everyone in the Hexagon down here, though.”
“You thought right,” Michael agreed.
“But you are all welcome,” Bethany Anne added. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d like to share this moment with.”
Eve left the console and glided over to the Vid-docs. “Two minutes.”
Bethany Anne forgot her annoyance when the Vid-docs lit up, signifying that they were about to open.
Inside the Vid-docs, Alexis and Gabriel regained consciousness, followed by K’aia and Trey a moment later.
Alexis climbed out and darted over to dive into Bethany Anne’s waiting arms. “Mom!”
Bethany Anne held Alexis close, letting go with one arm to include Gabriel in the embrace as he joined the two of them. Her heart felt complete holding them in her arms, leaving her momentarily speechless.
“It’s so good to see you, Mom,” Gabriel murmured into the crook of her neck. “Did you see the end of the scenario?”
They opened their arms again to include Michael, whose voice had a slight quaver when he spoke. “Time is a strange thing,” he told his children. “It feels to me like it went as slowly for us as it did for you two.”
“We’re home,” Alexis announced, letting go of her parents so she could hug the rest of their greeting party. “I’m so happy to be back on Devon!”
Bethany Anne pulled K’aia into a hug. “You don’t get away that easily,” she told her. “You did well in there.”
K’aia was sure she was blushing, whether it showed on her carapace or not. “Just doing my duty.”
Mahi’ gasped when she laid eyes on Trey. “I cannot believe it,” she breathed, looking him up and down. “You are magnificent, my son.”
“Kingly,” his father added as the three embraced. “You’re a son to make anyone proud, and a warrior our people will sing of for generations to come.”
Trey was overcome with emotions. “I missed you, Mahi’,” he managed through his tears. “And I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Father.”
Bethany Anne couldn’t stop smiling. “This calls for a celebration.”
Gabriel grinned and looked around, then under her chair. “Where did you hide the Cokes? I know you didn’t come down here without any.”
Tabitha lifted the lid of a cooler she spotted and laughed. “I’m guessing you’re right. Here.” She handed the first two to the children.
“You know, that was the one thing we missed in there,” Alexis told everyone. “If you hadn’t stepped down as Empress, Coke wouldn’t have made it out of the Empire.”
Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, ’s good.”
Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow, then dissolved into laughter. “You two are most definitely my children.”
“They do have your caffeine addiction,” Michael agreed.
Alexis finished her drink and grabbed another from the cooler. “What we have is taste. Now, are we going to just hang around in here all day?”
Bethany Anne noted Alexis’ impatience, so like her own. “Well, no. You completed the process just in time.”
“In time for what?” Gabriel inquired, seeing the seriousness pass over his mother’s face. “Did the Seven attack again?”
“No,” Bethany Anne told him. “You’ve missed a lot while you were in the Vid-docs. We’ll tell you about it on the way to the ship.”
Alexis’ eyes widened as she realized there was a voice missing from her mind. “Gemini!”
“Her ship is berthed on the Baba Yaga,” Michael assured her.
The conversation continued as the group made their way to the surface. By the time they’d reached the Baba Yaga, the twins had been updated about Gödel.
Alexis met Gabriel’s gaze with a hard stare. It’s funny. I hadn’t expected to know the name of the Kurtherian we’re going to destroy. They’re usually more…generic. You know?
Michael’s voice cut into their mindspace. You will leave Gödel to us.
The twins whirled on Michael. “But Dad!” Alexis protested. “She owes us for Aunt Addix!”
“I have another task in mind for your team,” Bethany Anne told them firmly. “Gödel is mine, and mine alone.”
Alexis was about to argue further when Gabriel stayed her with a hand. “What task?”
“You’ll find out,” Bethany Anne promised. “Just as soon as we arrive at the Meredith Reynolds.” She cut off their questions with a wave. “We’ll get to the reasons for the tour soon enough. First things first; we have a reception dinner to get ready for.”
Gabriel groaned. “For real? We just got back to reality, and we have to work a diplomatic event?”
Bethany Anne broke into a grin as she reached over and tousled his hair. “Welcome home, son.”
QSD Baba Yaga, Top Deck, Twins’ Quarters
“At least we have the day to get settled in,” Alexis consoled Gabriel as they entered the lounge. She looked around with a frown. “Does this place feel smaller to you?”
Gabriel nodded, heading for his room. “Yeah, but I figured it would.”
Alexis picked up the purple sparkly cushion from the couch. “We need to update this place. Starting with this.”
Gabriel’s laughter filled both rooms. “I take it you’re over your girly phase,” he teased, coming out of his room with a book. He dropped into a chair and draped his legs over one arm. “What’s inspiring the need for change?”
Alexis held the cushion out and looked at it for a long moment before hugging it to her chest. “The sparkles don’t really speak to maturity, do they? I want to be taken seriously, not treated like a little girl.”
“I don’t see how giving up something that defines you shows maturity, but if it helps you make your point, go ahead and arrange for a remodel.” Gabriel got up and gave his sister a hug. “After all the time we spent in barracks, I’d be glad of a few comforts.”
Alexis hugged Gabriel in return, then released him and headed for the door. “It’ll be heaven in here by the time I’m done, just wait and see.”
“Where are you going?” Gabriel called.
Alexis paused to grin. “Shopping, of course.”
Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “But the dinner is soon. You haven’t got time to shop for furniture.”
Alexis laughed, waving as she turned to leave. “I know that. But I haven’t got a thing to wear for tonight.”
Chapter Five
Devon, The Hexagon, Outdoor Arena
Sabine paced the sand, anxiously watching as Ricole controlled the training mechs slowly. “Get a move on, Ricole. We don’t have time for this.”
“Someone shouldn’t have skipped breakfast this morning,” Ricole replied, her teeth showing.
“Forgive me for being concerned when we have an event starting in a few hours and our entire moving crew came down with the flu,” Sabine barked. “We need to get this deck laid.”
“These things are tricky,” Ricole told her as the mechs began moving as one. “You have to program them as a group.”
Sabine barely waited for the mechs to place the last section of the deck before she jumped onto it and started giving Ricole directions on where to have them place the tables.
Jacqueline laughed, dodging two of the mechanical Ookens as they came by carrying one of the long, heavy tables between them. “Who knew they’d be useful for more than teaching people how not to die?”
“You could have waited a minute,” Mark complained, ducking a
metal tentacle. He got back to attaching the steps, grumbling about the last-minute rush to prepare.
Sabine ignored him and started unpacking the tablecloths. “Did the caterer call back to confirm the menu is compatible with the Larians?” she asked, shaking one of the white cloths out over the head table. “The last thing we need is to poison them at their welcome dinner.”
She missed Jacqueline’s reply, distracted by Bethany Anne entering the arena. “Tools down,” she called. “Everyone take fifteen minutes.”
The mechs stalled as Ricole fumbled the controls. “Give me a second.” She grunted. The mechs ground to a halt, and Ricole joined Sabine, Jacqueline, and Mark on the deck.
Bethany Anne glanced at the progress of their preparations as she crossed to the deck. “I can see you’re all busy. I’ll make this quick. ADAM told me you’ve liquidated most of your assets here on Devon. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Sabine looked at all of them. “We were planning to talk to you and Michael after the dinner,” she answered. “We decided as a group that while our work here has had value, it is done, so yes. We took care of our businesses, and we’re ready to move on to the next challenge.”
Bethany Anne sighed. “Here we go with the pride and heartbreak again.”
“What do you mean?” Jacqueline asked.
“You will understand when you have children of your own,” Bethany Anne told her. “Whether they’re yours by blood or not, it’s hard when they’re ready to leave home.”
She smiled. “But as much as it hurts to let go, there’s no better feeling than the one I have right now. I have an assignment for you all.”
“What’s the assignment?” Mark asked.
“I have Akio’s team guarding one of the back doors into the Federation,” Bethany Anne told them. “There are a number of places where the Federation is no more than two colonies that are light-years apart. If what you’re looking for is a challenge, the frontier won’t disappoint you. There are pockets of uninhabited space all over. The FDG has most of them locked down, but this quadrant lies outside Federation borders.”
“How can it be a backdoor if it’s outside the Federation?” Ricole asked.
“Because the Federation isn’t a perfect sphere,” Bethany Anne told her. “In fact, it’s not any shape I can name. Tina’s model looks like a 3-D paint splat.”
Sabine nodded. “We heard how it is out there in Akio's letters.”
“Yeah,” Ricole cut in. “They’re up to their necks in Ookens. Count us in.” She looked around at the others. “Yes? Right? Did I jump in too fast?”
“I’m in,” Jacqueline agreed.
Mark chuckled. “Me too.”
“What about Demon and Sam?” Bethany Anne asked. “I haven’t seen them since Alyssa left with her father and Amanda.”
“You know Demon,” Sabine replied, smiling at the memory of the redheaded Magus. “She goes where I go, and Sam is happy to tag along.”
“Then it’s decided. I’ll have your transport ready in the next few days. Finish up any business you still have to take care of and wait for my call.” Bethany Anne smiled. “I’ll see you all at the dinner tonight.”
Ricole was first to speak after Bethany Anne had vanished into the Etheric. “Well, crap. There won’t be a dinner if we don’t get moving.”
Devon, The Hexagon
Reynolds undid his tie for the third time, unhappy with the way it refused to sit symmetrically in the space between the points of his stiff collar.
He wedged a finger under the offending material and wiggled it in an attempt to release the chokehold the penguin suit sent by Jiya had on his neck.
“I feel ridiculous,” he grumbled.
Takal came in at the tail end of Reynolds’ complaint. “Well, you look very distinguished,” he told his captain. “Perfectly suitable for a dinner celebrating your achievements.”
“Our achievements,” Reynolds corrected. “We took down that cult as a team.”
He pointed at Takal's tuxedo with a smile. “You went with human formal wear?”
“Would you argue with Jiya when her mind is set?” Takal asked him with a grin. “They bumped into Bethany Anne’s daughter in the bazaar. Apparently, your Queen takes these matters very seriously.”
“Is that why we suddenly own coordinated clothing?” Reynolds asked.
Tactical cut in. “I hate to spoil this touching moment, but there’s an EI bugging me to tell you that your presence is expected in the outdoor arena in twenty minutes. Jiya is waiting in the lobby with Ka’nak, Geroux, and Maddox.”
Reynolds and Takal headed for the elevator, which took them to the lobby.
Ka’nak waved, then looked at his armpit and grinned. “Just look at this tailoring,” he enthused as Reynolds and Takal joined them. “I could throw punches in this jacket all day and not tear a stitch.”
“Looking good, Captain,” Jiya remarked.
“Thanks to you, I hear,” Reynolds replied. “The rest of you don’t clean up badly either.”
Jiya extended a foot from the hem of her floor-length evening gown, revealing the reason she was three and a half inches taller. “Heels are a thing here. Alexis assured me that I’ll be able to both run and fight in them with practice.” She smirked and showed them the stiletto. “Have you seen anything prettier? More likely, I’ll take them off and use them as weapons.”
Geroux twirled to make her skirts fly out around her as they set off to find the arena. “I like human fashion.”
Jiya and Geroux shared their experiences of shopping in the bazaar while Winstanley guided them past the indoor arenas, most of which still had training going on inside.
“Now that’s dedication,” Maddox commented.
“The Guardians and the Defenders share this facility,” Winstanley informed them from a nearby speaker. “The facilities are generally in use around the clock.”
The courtyard between the indoor and outdoor arenas glowed with soft lighting wound into the trailing plants that spilled from latticework fixed to the walls. Jiya lifted her hand to capture one of the blossoms, cupping it gently to take in its sweet fragrance. “This is...beautiful.”
Reynolds extended a hand to indicate the open doors of the arena. “I’m sure you’ll find the whole evening to be magical,” he told her with a smile. “Let’s go.”
They were the last to arrive.
Reynolds paused at the steps of the deck that had been laid over the sand and looked for Bethany Anne. His general crew was seated at tables arranged on a deck that filled half the arena. He smiled, seeing them at ease with Bethany Anne’s people.
This is swanky, Tactical remarked for Reynolds’ ears only.
Bethany Anne doesn’t do things by halves, Reynolds replied, catching his Queen’s eye.
Bethany Anne got to her feet, and silence fell over the arena. She opened her arms wide and graced Reynolds with a smile that melted his mechanical heart.
“The AI of the hour is here,” Bethany Anne announced to the guests. “Reynolds!” She waved a hand at those seated. “Everyone.”
The crew of the SD Reynolds stood and applauded, joined by the rest of the guests sitting at the tables on the deck.
This was it—the glorious moment Reynolds had imagined to keep himself strong when the going had been rough. He bowed and lifted his hands in supplication to the crowd. “All I can say is, it’s good to be home.”
He mounted the steps with his closest friends at his back and made his way to the head table. While weaving through the tables, Reynolds came to the realization that the good feeling he had was due less to being celebrated than it was to the connections he’d made with these people during their shared trials and triumphs.
Bethany Anne greeted him with a hug. “Welcome home, and welcome to your crew.” She gestured to Reynolds and the others. “Please take your seats. Welcome to you all. Tonight we are not just celebrating the return of one of our own, we are celebrating new friendships. O
ur family has grown again as we forge connections across the universe.”
Jiya opened the comm to Reynolds. She does know we don’t represent our home planets, right?
Reynolds nodded. You can be sure she has already sent a delegation to the Chain galaxy to inform the leaders of her intentions.
Jiya wondered what intentions Bethany Anne had.
Bethany Anne glanced at Jiya as if she had read her mind. “I intend to bring the Seven to Justice. Everyone here tonight is focused on the same goal. Reynolds and his crew have proved that Gödel doesn’t have unlimited resources to keep throwing at the Federation. She came here with all guns blazing, expecting to put the hurt on us, and we chewed up the best she could throw at us and spat them back out.” She raised her glass to the applause that broke out. “Here’s to new alliances!”
The cheers were deafening. Reynolds took in the feeling, making sure it was captured in the most secure memory area he had on him. In those moments of darkness he could easily calculate would happen in the future, he would retrieve this moment to help him.
And then go out and kick more ass.
“We came out on top,” his Queen continued. “So did the crew of the Reynolds. But you can bet Gödel will be back.” Bethany Anne put her glass down. “While the Seven are rebuilding, we will be taking time to strengthen the defenses around the Federation. Since Reynolds has agreed to join the tour, which is a secret, I’ll assume everyone here knows already.”
That drew chuckles from the attendees. Bethany Anne smiled and took her seat as the food was brought out. “Eat and enjoy, because tomorrow we’re back to work.”
The meal passed quickly with good conversation to help it along, then the chair-hopping began.
Bethany Anne’s mouth was set in an amused curl when Sabine took the seat next to her. “I don’t have to read your mind to know you want something,” she told the young woman she thought of as an adopted daughter. “Spill.”
Sabine flushed. “Well, I was talking to Nickie—”
“Nickie, who missed the planning meeting and hasn’t bothered to show up tonight?” Bethany Anne cut in. “Where is that hellion?”
Return Of The Queen: The Kurtherian Endgame™ Book Eight Page 5
