Emil gestured for BURT to answer and the AI complied.
“Tethis was not the only Teacher on Meligorn,” he told her. “The amalgamation that has taken place in the area of magical study there is something to be admired. You would be very proud of what your students have achieved—and what they have become.”
“Become?” Stephanie asked, her voice faint as she started to understand exactly what the passage of time might mean. She glanced at Todd and swallowed hard. “And the rest?” She looked around the table and made an all-inclusive gesture with her hand. “The families?”
“Have done well,” BURT reassured her, “although I believe more detailed news on them will take more time than this meeting has scope for. I will arrange a time for that as we make the return journey.”
Stephanie acknowledged the news with several quick nods. “Yes.”
She took a moment to collect her thoughts and turned to Emil. “Are there any other changes we need to be aware of?”
“Apart from the fact that the Regime’s forces are massing and we’ll probably arrive immediately before a fight starts or right after one has finished?”
“Or anywhere in between,” Ka added, and he grimaced in response.
“Exactly.” Stephanie gave the woman a quick nod. “I expect we’ll arrive during the fight,” she said.
At Emil’s questioning glance, she added, “It feels like we’ve been brought back to balance scales. Too much injustice has been accomplished and we need to be ready.”
“Exactly,” he agreed, “which is why we are refurbishing the Knight from the hull in. We’re also adding a few of the modifications developed in the last quarter-century and bringing new toys that will raise her capabilities up to and beyond what the current technologies employ.”
“Except for mine,” the Tempestarii told him. “We can only make her as good as me.”
He favored the ship’s speakers with a smile. “This is true, Tempe, but your roles in battle are different, so Knight will have some different requirements.”
The vessel gave a credible sniff. “Of course she will.”
The captain arched an eyebrow but didn’t comment. He moved on to the next subject of his briefing instead.
“We are most concerned about what other dirty tricks the Regime has up its sleeves.” He waved a hand at the screen. “The attack on Hrageth’s Run is only one maneuver in a long-running war.”
The screen shifted to show a second fleet orbiting Dreth.
“Which is why the Dreth have a second fleet dedicated to protecting the planet, an old strategy learned in the days when piracy was their primary export.”
Vishlog snorted. “Yes, one the Meligornians taught our forebears by attacking the planet when we sent all our fleets to raid their colonies.”
Stephanie stared at him. “When?”
“Well before either of us were born,” the Dreth told her, “but we learned it as we grew up. No Dreth shipped to space without first learning their craft aboard the Home Fleet.”
“Typical,” Ka remarked. “First the ‘pirates’ get blamed for the Teloran attacks, and then they’re blamed for the Regime attacks. How many pirates are out there anyway?”
“There might not be any,” Gary remarked, “based on that logic.”
“No, there are pirates,” Johnny told them. “Steph defeated a fair number of them early in the buildup to the Teloran war, and not all of them were under Teloran control.”
“Merely most of them,” Frog observed morosely.
“Pirates have been a part of Dreth culture since we were first forced to flee to that world,” Vishlog interrupted.
He caught their surprised looks and shrugged. “What? It is not like Dreth is the most hospitable of worlds. There have always been factions who’ve found it easier to prey on the weak than carve an aerie from the rock.”
“Even so,” Emil interjected, “Tempe and her crew have dealt with enough Regime ‘pirates’ in recent years for me to wonder how many real ‘pirates’ are left. We’ve found none in the last three or four years of patrolling, which reminds me…” He looked at Stephanie. “There are Talents on Regime ships.”
“Talents?” she asked.
“The Regime’s term for witches. Some are from the ones the Navy recruited before you left, but there are many more than there were then. I can only assume the Regime is hunting them and training them.”
Stephanie’s face darkened. “Given the way they reference me, that can’t be good.”
His face took on a closed look. “To balance that, the Dreth now have Teloran mages on their ships. From that point of view, the battle will be fairly balanced.”
He stopped as the Witch’s eyes darkened and lightning rolled over her body. The change in the girl when she let the Morgana step to the fore was always startling.
“Balanced?” the old mage demanded. “It will be more than balanced. The Regime’s Talents do not have the experience in controlling their magic that even one of my people possesses and when I arrive, that fact will be made devastatingly clear to them.”
She paused, and her hawkish gaze searched the others around the table.
“My people know how to use their Talent to the best advantage, and no half-trained human mage enslaved by a tyrant Regime can stand against them. By the time we’re finished with them, they’ll know all about having their diapers changed by those who are older, more powerful, and significantly more devious.”
The lightning faded, and Stephanie’s eyes returned to their usual blue.
“Well,” she said, “we’ll give them a small chance, but they’re standing between us and the ones we love. If they stand in our way, there will be no saving them.”
Unaware of what their leaders were discussing, the crews of the Knight and Tempestarii worked side-by-side. The Tempestarii’s people were hesitant at first when they came aboard.
Many of them startled when the Knight’s voice sounded over the speakers.
“Welcome, aboard,” the ship greeted them. “This is Commander Cameron, my Chief Engineer. Beside him are Commanders Truber, Alder, and Skasek. They will refer you to the relevant sections.”
The head of the repair teams ended the stunned silence that followed by clearing her throat. “Lowerbrook reporting with Tempesatrii’s compliments. We have orders to fix what’s been broke and help your crew bring you up to speed.”
Cameron stepped forward and proffered his hand. “We’d welcome any assistance you can offer.”
Lowerbrook shook his hand and pulled her tablet from its carry case. “Well, maybe you can tell me who’s best to liaise with for these.”
The chief glanced at the tablet and his eyebrows rose. “Really? All that is for us?”
She chuckled. “Yeah. We had a fairly good look at her when we were coming in for pick-up. I don’t mean to be rude, but what did you guys do to your poor ship?”
“In the interests of honesty,” the Knight interrupted, “that was all me. I hit a patch of nMU right before a transition.”
Cameron gestured for the repair teams to follow him as the Knight explained what had happened.
“The only problem was that I transitioned directly into the middle of a meteor swarm and almost broke the skip drive coming out of it.”
He blanched. “You haven’t—”
“You’ve been working overtime to fix what I did to my regular drives,” the Knight hurried to explain. “I thought I’d tell you when you were done.”
“But Stephanie relies on the skip drive in a battle,” he told her. “That’s something we need to have fixed sooner rather than later.”
“I know, but I need my regular drives every day,” the ship explained.
Lowerbrook chuckled. “It’s okay, Knight. We have you covered. I’m sure I have a couple of extra crews I can spare for your drives. First, though, I’d like to replace your hull plates.”
“What, all of them?” the Knight began as Truber heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief.
"Well, that’s a good thing,” he said, “because as good a job as Steph did patching the worst of the holes, it won’t last long—even if we don’t end up in a fight.”
One of the other engineers snorted softly. “And what are the chances of that happening?”
Soft laughter followed, and they settled around the meeting room to plan and make arrangements. Many of the Tempestarii’s newer crew stared as they walked the corridors of a legend.
“I can’t believe I’m here,” one woman whispered to her colleague.
The other nodded and gaped at the brief glimpse they had of the weapons section as they passed the door.
“My dad used to talk about her all the time,” he whispered in return. “He was broken up when she didn’t come back, and me? I never thought I’d ever get to see her.”
“It’s like being part of history,” said another.
The man beside him gave him a gentle poke. “Don’t be an idiot. We are part of history. We’re the first people of our generation to work on her. We’re the ones responsible for her surviving the next fight.”
That sobered them, but it sobered the Knight too.
She was a part of history? Truly?
How does that work? she wondered. I wasn’t gone that long, yet they look like they’ve seen a ghost—or stepped into a fairytale.
“Pods!” Todd ordered as soon as he and his team left the room.
The meeting had been long and they had work to do. Going on what he’d heard, they had a tremendous amount of work to do.
“You know how these fights go,” he told the team, and they groaned.
They turned to return to the Knight when Tempestarii intervened.
“Since we will be working on the Knight and our activities might disrupt your training,” she said and spoke directly to his comms, “may I offer the training we have on board here?”
He came to a halt and raised his hand to order the others to stop.
“We’d be honored,” he said. “Where would you like us?”
“One moment,” the Tempestarii replied, and he waited for her to return.
He studied the corridor and noted the number of doors and junctions leading from it. The gargantuan vessel didn’t seem to have changed much since his last visit, but he still couldn’t recall exactly where the pod section was.
The rhythmic tramp of boots caught his attention and he looked toward it. Two Marines jogged toward him and moved in perfect sync. As his team snapped to alertness, the Marines came to a halt five feet away.
“Tempe sends her compliments. We’ll show you to the pod suite,” the lance corporal told them.
Todd smiled as the man’s hand twitched as though about to move into a salute.
“Give the Tempestarii my thanks,” he said, and the youngster blushed and about-faced.
“This way, si…Sergeant.”
“They’ll make an officer of you yet,” Ka whispered and Todd shook his head.
“Not a hope in Hades,” he retorted quietly. “I’m not the Navy anymore.”
“Technically,” she responded and gestured at their escort, “neither are they.”
“I have my own Marines,” Tempestarii informed them. “Just because they do not belong to a Navy that no longer exists does not mean they are any less deserving of the title that covers the duties they still perform.”
Ka grinned. “The ship has a point,” she said and poked Todd’s shoulder. “You are definitely in danger of being promoted.”
“Not if I can help it.” He shook his head firmly as they arrived outside the double doors of the pod room. “Most certainly not. I like working for a living.”
“Here we are, sir,” the lance corporal told him. “Pod Suite Thirteen.”
“My favorite number,” he observed. “Thank you.”
“Our pleasure, si—” He stopped when he caught the expression on the sergeant’s face.
Todd tapped his shoulder with the flat of three fingers.
“Sergeant,” the lance corporal corrected himself and glanced at Ka.
“Don’t look at her!” Todd snapped. “Look at me.”
The youngster stood bolt upright, his face pale, and Ka snickered.
“Come on, Sarge,” she told him, hooked her arm through his, and led the way into the pod suite. “You said something about training.”
“Drop and give me twenty, Corporal,” Todd told her, his voice dangerously soft, and she did as she was told.
He rested his boot in the middle of her shoulders and looked at their escort. “Are you still here?” he asked.
She finished her set, and he lifted his boot. Her face was a complete blank when she looked at him, and he knew he’d pay for that in the pod, but it was worth it.
There had to be no doubt about the pecking order or he’d face insubordination.
And I will deserve what’s coming, he thought as the two soldiers turned away.
“Tempestarii,” he said, as the suite doors closed behind them, “do you have access to the scenarios from the Knight?”
“That is why I sent you an escort,” the Tempestarii told him. “I had to confer with my sister to see what you might need, and we wished to back up the scenarios from her pods prior to shutting them down for maintenance and upgrade.”
“Upgrade?” he asked, startled.
“There have been several improvements made to pod technology in the twenty-eight years while you have been away,” the ship told him primly.
He looked around at the pods. “Truly?”
“Assuredly so,” the Tempestarii assured him. “Now, do you intend to train or simply stand there and make my pod suite look untidy?”
“Ouch!” Ka chuckled but fell abruptly silent when he looked at her.
Todd shook his head. “You heard the lady. Shuck ʼem and tuck ʼem. I’m guessing these beauties need us in our skivvies?”
“These babies need you in your skin,” the ship told him, and compartment boxes popped open on the outside of each pod. “Your clothes will be kept secure.”
He sighed and did as she instructed. He glanced along the rows of pods. “How many usually train in one suite?” he asked.
“There are twenty pods in a suite,” the ship informed him, “but I can link several suites together should the requirement be for larger scenarios.”
“Good to know, Tempe.” He looked around again and nodded. “Thank you.”
“And Ebony and I will shortly be able to coordinate pod training as well,” she added as the suite’s doors slid open.
Even in a state of semi-undress, the Hooligans had their weapons out and ready as the lance corporal and his companion looked in.
This time, they were accompanied by their sergeant.
“Sorry to disturb you, Sergeant Brogan,” the man began, “but can my team join you in training?”
“Join us?” Todd asked, and the Marine nodded.
He glanced at Ka and the others and was met with shrugs and non-committal nods.
Turning to the other sergeant, he said, “Sure. I have to warn you, though. We’ve only been out of stasis for a few weeks, but you’re welcome to tag along.”
At his words, the man waved his team inside and closed the doors. “See you inside, Sergeant.”
Todd nodded and continued to strip down. As the sergeant found a pod nearby, he asked, “Is there any particular reason you want to join us?”
The Marine glanced at his team, who were prepping for entry to the pods. He blushed and folded his shirt. “We thought we could learn something…and maybe if you needed someone in the next fight, it would be better if we’d done some training together.”
He hadn’t thought about what they might need in the coming fight, but it would be a big one, and the man might have a point.
“Sure,” he said, “but understand that when we are dropped off on a ship, it’s rare that we have an exit strategy!”
The other sergeant paled, and Todd chuckled as he climbed into the po
d and closed the cover.
As the Hooligans prepared for battle with their new colleagues, the Dreth prepared for war.
“Are you sure?” Jaleck asked and bolted out of her seat.
“Yes, War Leader. The outer satellites pinged once and fell silent.”
She met his gaze and nodded.
“Then it is time,” she said, picked her helmet up, and moved to the door.
John faced off against Ivy, and Amaratne studied Remy speculatively. This time, they’d have to be careful about how hard they hit because they weren’t in a pod. It was time to see what they could achieve outside the Virtual.
Ivy glanced at her opponent, rolled her shoulders, and shook out her arms and legs after warming up. He gave her a crooked smile and sank into a defensive stance.
“When you’re ready,” he told her, and she nodded solemnly.
She liked that she would be able to show him she had what it took. After a slow breath, she darted forward to test his defenses. He wouldn’t use magic, and she wouldn’t use the full extent of her new enhancements.
It felt strange not going all out but it was good. Not all their opponents would deserve death. Some would only need to be defeated and not killed.
They had decided to spar to first touch defeat or to the first blow that would incapacitate or kill them if it were delivered at full force. They’d practiced it in the virtual but doing it in the real felt different.
John blocked her first two blows and lunged at her. She sidestepped and tried to take advantage of the move, only to be blocked again. Feinting back, she circled.
The young mage now attacked, and she blocked and deflected his strikes before counterattacking. She landed a glancing blow on his shoulder and took one on her thigh, but neither was a fight-ending blow, so they broke apart and began to circle again.
When he darted in, Ivy sidestepped or darted back, blocked the quick thrust of his fist, or deflected the kick that might have broken ribs.
He deflected the blow to his throat and the flat-handed stab at his gut, surprised when she let him grasp her wrist and then twisted out of the hold to try to trip him.
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