The Leath known as Seventh of the Seven stepped around the side of the crowded room and walked behind the desk. She took off her robe and folded it, laying it on the table.
“Goodbye, Gorllet. May you make this transfer successfully.” The Leath sat down and reached around the alien, turning its face towards hers.
“Goodbye, Teret,” the same Leath mouth uttered, albeit in a darker and more sinister voice. “I hope you recognize how patient I’ve been while you hosted me. I will endeavor to remember your graciousness.”
“So it shall be,” she remarked, again in a female voice as she leaned forward to place her lips on the alien. Her body started convulsing.
Levelot turned away from the transfer. It would either be successful and they would be eight or it wouldn’t and they would most likely be seven again, but without the burden of a mentally unstable Kurtherian.
The math didn’t work out when the imaginary number she had to introduce for Gorllet was in the calculations.
The symmetry was flawed.
As glass broke behind the desk, Levelot looked at Behome’t and Torik. “We need to do something about that Empiric Witch and her people.” She took a deep breath, “Or we will never be able to rest.” she admitted as she exhaled.
QBS Shinigami
Baba Yaga halted in her room, her eyes narrowed in concern thinking of her comment. “Shinigami?”
“Yes?”
“Are there creatures that can eat this ship?” the ink-black woman asked.
“Of course,” the EI admitted. “Didn’t you know this?”
“Well,” Baba Yaga thought about the answer as she resumed walking through her outer room to her bedroom and past her bed to find a new set of linens, “I guess I’d heard rumors, but I never thought about running into one of the beasts.” Her voice was muffled as she stuck her head into a storage chest. “Are there any around?”
“None that we can register,” the EI admitted.
Baba Yaga straightened from the chest and tossed the new set of linens on the bed, then walked out of her bedroom, through her suite, and into the hallway. She stopped and looked down the hallway in both directions. “Where are the spare mattresses?”
“Deck two, supplies area. There are only three,” Shinigami reminded her.
Baba Yaga started down the hallway. “Remember to resupply when we dock somewhere that can provide a decent product. I don’t want some lousy lumpy mattress,” she grumped as she took the stairs down a level. She jumped down the last couple of steps and continued along the hallway. “How many large things are out there?”
“Are you asking about organic creatures?”
“Yes,” Baba Yaga answered as she strode toward the supply area.
“Do you want to know everything that is large enough to hurt this ship, or just those species which can survive in the cold of space as well as hurt this ship?”
She ran a hand along the bulkhead in thought. “Cold of space and hurt this ship.”
“There are over twenty-two confirmed organic-type creatures which could hurt this ship. There are a few which can move through space, and others which tend to congregate in one area.”
“And do what?” Baba Yaga asked as she stepped through the supplies room’s door. She looked around the large room and found the rolled-up mattresses, then grabbed one before heading back towards her cabin. “Dock me the cost of this.”
ADAM ignored the command. She had already paid for everything.
“Do we have any research on these behemoths?” she asked as she stepped through her cabin door and walked to her bedroom. She slid off the wrap which kept the mattress rolled up and grabbed the sheets, then laid the mattress down and started making the bed. “You would have thought the future had a better solution for sheets than…sheets,” she muttered.
>>There are multiple types which allow you to use the product and eject it into space, where it will disintegrate in time.<<
That’s not necessarily better, ADAM, just more convenient. What happens if a ship hits one of those items that was tossed out? Baba Yaga asked as she tucked in the first sheet.
>>The mathematical chance of that happening is rather small.<<
I’d rather not be the first to explode a ship due to my laziness.
“There are,” Shinigami replied to her earlier question, “twelve separate confirmed engagements between organics and ships. There are hundreds of suspected encounters which lack proof.”
“What proof do we have?” she asked as she tossed the pillow on her bed. A video popped up on the wall to her left, and she took a moment to sit on her bed. “Wish I had popcorn.”
The view on the screen was of space, and there were three ships. One looked like a warship about half the size of the ArchAngel II, but it obviously was not as advanced. It had been hurt, but not too badly. One of the two smaller ships had been broken in half.
Baba Yaga stood up and stepped closer to the bulkhead screen. “Is that a bite out of that ship?” she asked softly.
“Yes. This is a confirmed attack that occurred a decade ago some twelve systems away. The ship with the bite taken out of it was a mid-range transportation vessel, which issued a request for help. The two warships belonged to a Tulet group which was in-system. The smaller warship didn’t do well; it got too close to the creatures. The battleship was able to pummel the creatures from a distance, and the report says two died but seven disappeared.”
“Son of a bitch!” Baba Yaga waved a hand. “Turn it off. I’m a believer.”
TOM’s voice came on. “Just like that?”
“Yes,” she admitted as she sat back down on her bed. “There is no reason to ignore it. I don’t know why I wouldn’t believe there could be creatures that used space like our oceans back on Earth.”
She turned towards her nightstand. “Now, let’s figure out our future steps.”
2
QBBS Meredith Reynolds
Lance nodded to Admiral Thomas as he sat down with a cup of something akin to coffee in his hand. Team BMW plus Tina, Jean Dukes with three of her team, and six Yollin specialists in gate technology surrounded a large table.
“Thank you, everyone. I appreciate you being here,” he started. “Use your tablets if you want to know who is who. I’ve hated the ‘Go-around-the-table and introduce yourself’ thing for two hundred years. Technology has improved, so use it.” He turned to the woman sitting four chairs to his left. “Jean?”
Jean Dukes nodded. “It’s going to take us a while to pull that oversized gate out of the Leath system.”
“No choice,” Lance replied. “We got it as part of our war reparations and I’m not leaving a back-door like that anywhere. In fact,” he tilted his head toward Admiral Thomas, “I don’t know if I want it here in the Yollin system either. If we can hide that big sumbitch and keep it safe, we need to do that.”
“With what?” Jean asked. “The Meredith Reynolds is the biggest gun we have.”
Lance nodded to Team BMW. “We’re starting large-scale production of the BYPS setup. Let’s plan on using those, plus we need a dead-man switch on the gate. I’d rather blow it up than give someone a straight shot back to Earth.”
Bobcat spoke up. “Can we perhaps not blow it to shit and gone?” He flipped his hand over and back. “I’ve seen the requirements to build another of its type, and while not unique, it would make a banker pucker their butt to have to write another check like that.”
“I’ve seen the cost just to move it,” Lance agreed, “and that is a pittance compared to the actual effort to build one of those behemoths.” He turned to Jean. “Do we have an EI ready for the gate?”
She shrugged. “ArchAngel II says we don’t need a true AI on that fucker, so yes. I’d have preferred to chat with ADAM and TOM on the subject, but I understand that the few comments we get back from them consist of ‘Give them time?’”
Lance nodded. “Yes. Their comments are, ‘She’s safe, she hasn’t found the Seven, and she hasn’t
destroyed a planet…yet.’”
“Not exactly the most comforting message,” Admiral Thomas said.
“Yet brief and accurate,” Bobcat tossed in.
“This isn’t a Baba Yaga meeting,” Lance’s eyes narrowed at the humans in the group, “so let’s focus. We don’t need to give our Empress a reason to concentrate on this project herself, so this gate needs to be moved safely, effectively, and quickly.” He looked down at his tablet, his eyes narrowing at a new number.
“Meredith,” he continued, “is this new projected time to move the gate accurate?”
“Yes, General,” the station operations EI replied. “We have done the numbers, and it will take…”
“Decades.” Lance sighed. “Less costly than building, but more than I’d hoped.”
“Not much we can do,” Admiral Thomas said as he looked at his tablet. The rest of the people around the table started doing the same. A couple of the Yollins had their heads together. Arguing over something to do with the update, he figured.
“Okay, as Dan would say if he were here instead of on Leath, ‘Grab some bricks and start slamming some nuts until someone figures out a solution to make this happen a little,” he looked at his tablet once more, “no, a lot faster.’”
The teams worked on options for another thirty minutes before Lance called for a stop. “Get with the main team liaison and work through the communications group. Bart, Jean, Bobcat and team, please stick around.”
It took five minutes for everyone to finish up their last few questions with each other and step out of the meeting room, but soon there were only seven of them.
“Ok.” Lance looked down the right side of the table, which held Bobcat, William, Marcus, and Tina, and then back up the left with Jean and Admiral Thomas. “We need to deal with getting that big-ass circle here faster.”
“It’s not going to be ‘snap your fingers’ fast, Lance.” Admiral Thomas looked him square in the eye. “Can’t fight physics on this.”
“Not worried about a little time, but I’m sure as hell worried about that much time.”
Bobcat scratched his cheek. “I’m sure we can cut it…maybe in half at least. But,” he pointed a finger up, “we need time to mass-produce enough of the BYPSs to surround a planet and seed them in Earth’s system on likely routes. We can’t build them fast enough to leave here in ten years anyway.”
“When we get Bethany Anne back I’ll let her deal with that issue,” Lance replied. “That’s up her alley anyway.”
“Anyone got a system that needs to be cleaned up?” Jean asked. “She seems to like to straighten out systems. I suggest we give her nothing but a ride and drop her off, then we all get to bet on how many months it will take her to sort out the world.”
“I would give her weeks,” Tina popped in.
“Less than two,” Bobcat replied, smiling at Tina, who was thinking about the bet.
“Not too much to clean up in the Empire anymore since the Rangers have been working so hard,” Marcus commented. “I’ve heard that even Tabitha is bitching about being bored.”
Jean leaned forward. “That’s true, I’ve heard the same. I understand Barnabas is actually eager to find a new criminal organization or two.”
Lance tapped on the table. “Focus, people! Tabitha isn’t our problem at the moment.” He sighed. “I’m personally hoping that Bethany Anne will focus on getting to Earth and securing that area. It would be nice if there was a Michael at the end of the trip.” He looked around, a small smile playing on his lips. “Might as well wish for Santa Claus to swing our way, too.”
“Well, if this were a romance story we would get our happily ever after,” Jean told him. “All by the end of the first book.”
“How the hell do you write one book about a love that spans over a hundred years and finish it with a happily ever after?” William asked. Everyone turned to look at him and Jean raised an eyebrow. “Love is ephemeral.” William snapped his fingers. “It’s here one moment, gone the next.” He smiled and waved a hand when he noticed everyone staring at him. “Uh, forget I said anything.”
Under the table, Tina squeezed Marcus’ leg and nodded in their friend’s direction. Marcus looked at her and then at William, who wasn’t paying attention, and then back at her again. He leaned over to whisper “What?” in Tina’s ear.
Tina rolled her eyes to the ceiling as she squeezed his leg again. She loved her man regardless, but sometimes he was annoyingly clueless.
“The ability of romance writers aside,” Lance continued, eying Jean, who smiled back in reply, “this is real life, not a book. Let’s assume we won’t have the power of Michael to bring Bethany Anne home to us. Once we get her back, we need to have something exciting for her to do.”
“That doesn’t involve taking over another race?” Admiral Thomas asked.
“Assuming she gets the Kurtherians?” Jean added.
“I pray she doesn’t find any more Kurtherians,” Lance heaved a sigh. “Let’s hope Baba Yaga doesn’t burn any worlds in the process.”
The rest of the meeting was over in five minutes and Lance said his good-byes to Jean, whom he hadn’t seen in a couple of weeks, and Tina, who hadn’t been at the last meeting involving the three amigos.
He walked out of the meeting room and picked up his Empress’ Guards as he headed back to his own quarters. Once they passed the military guard post, which protected many of the suites for those in the higher-ranking jobs on the Meredith Reynolds, his security team retired to their own barracks as he walked toward the suite he shared with Patricia.
After he stepped in he loosened his tie and tossed it over the couch, then called as he walked into the bedroom, “Pat?”
He thought he heard a muffled noise so he followed it back out of the master bedroom past his office and down the hall to the guest room at the end.
Where he found his wife with her head under the bed.
“Problems?” he asked as she pulled her arm and head out from under the bed.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, a bright glint to her eye. She held up her hand and grasped a small object in triumph. “Jean’s granddaughter Nickie was over here last Tuesday and was playing in here. She left behind a toy and has been complaining to Jean ever since.”
“I just left Jean,” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “not fifteen minutes ago.” He scrunched up his face. “Where was I when she was here?”
“You were out flying around and discussing where the new hidden R&D locations could be with Bartholomew.”
“I remember.” He stepped out of her way as she went around him and headed towards the living room.
She waved the item over her head. “I’ll get this back to her later. The ladies are going to get together.”
“To gossip?” he asked, a smile on his face as he followed her.
She never slowed down, nor did she turn around as she set the little toy on the counter. “Stop smirking, and stop looking at my ass.”
“But—” he started.
“No butt,” she countered.
“I wasn’t saying b-u-t-t,” he clarified as she turned around. “I was saying ‘but I wasn’t smirking.’”
She eyed him. “You were smiling.”
His smile cracked his face. “Exactly!”
She put a finger in his chest. “You didn’t argue about where your eyes were.”
He stood a little straighter and put a hand on his chest. “That is because I am strategically smart enough not to engage in an unwinnable argument.”
“Uh huh. Then why are you harassing me about gossip?” she asked. “You know we are there to catch up on everyone’s families.”
“Because I’m positive there is gossiping.” He raised an eyebrow in question.
Patricia kept quiet.
“And I like to keep you engaged. I’ll know I’m seriously in trouble when you don’t care if I compliment you or anger you.”
“The opposite of love isn’t hate—” she started.
“It is indifference,” he finished as he put his arms around her and kissed her forehead.
Her face was pressed against his chest so her voice was a little muffled against his shirt when she said, “You have the ability to make me go from pissed off to happy in two seconds, so I think you are still safe General Reynolds.”
“Good,” he told her as he reached up with his right hand to play with her hair. “I’d like to think I haven’t bored you yet.”
“See that you don’t.” She patted his side. “There was a pool boy on L3 who looked appetizing.”
Lance chuckled. “There aren’t any pools on L3,” he told her. “That’s the level for waste and trash.”
He waited a moment for her to check with Meredith to make sure he wasn’t lying before she spoke.
“Oh.” A moment later she changed the subject. “Anything on Bethany Anne?”
He kissed her one more time before he stepped over to the counter and picked up the toy, which was a replica of the original ArchAngel. “She sure was a pretty ship,” he said aloud, remembering how she had looked in Earth’s atmosphere. He set it back down and walked to the couch.
“No,” he admitted as he sat. “She has done a damned fine job of dropping off the face of reality.”
“Nothing from Nathan?” She stepped into the kitchen and pulled out two beers, opening the tops and going back into the living room.
“Thank you,” he said as he reached up for one.
She looked down at him. “Who says both of these aren’t mine?”
“Feeling lushy tonight?” he queried, looking at her with a patient face and leaving his arm still outstretched.
Patricia eyed him before handing him a beer. “You’re lucky I don’t turn one of these over on your head.”
He accepted one of the beers. “Thank you, and I was never in any danger.”
“Oh?” She sat down on the opposite couch. “What makes you say that?”
“While you wouldn’t hesitate to drown me,” he winked at his wife, “you wouldn’t soak the couches in beer.”
Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set Three: Books 15-21, Never Submit, Never Surrender, Forever Defend, Might Makes Right, Ahead Full, Capture Death, Life Goes On (Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Sets Book 3) Page 118
