“Oh, I don’t know, a draw maybe?” Tabitha said. “Look, I get that I’m not anywhere near their skill or awareness, but I know I’ve got the potential. I’ve studied like a whore on crack. Believe me, when you are constantly healing all the damn time, it becomes an obsession to get better, fast. One of the reasons I became such a good hacker was it mattered to me for protection.” Tabitha sighed in exasperation, “Now, my teammates are doing it to me.”
“It’s for a good cause,” Gabrielle said as she pulled out two smaller swords. She casually tossed them both to Tabitha, who reached for them but realized they weren’t going to be hitting her hands correctly and jumped out of the way.
“What the hell?” Tabitha said as the swords landed on the soft flooring behind her, “Are you trying to cut my ass up already?” Tabitha glared at Gabrielle.
“No, just testing you, Grasshopper.” She said as she went to retrieve the blades. “It’s what I thought. You haven’t tapped into your true speed yet. Probably because these guys aren’t pushing theirs either. Although, I would wait a little while until you tell them that,” Gabrielle admitted.
“How long, and what am I not telling them?” Tabitha asked, confused.
“Don’t tell them until after you kick their ass a couple of times to get their attention, then you need to let them know, or you suffer the chance they could need the ability in an op and not have the benefit. So, you should tell them soon.” She set the two swords down by one of the bags to pull out fifteen wooden dowel rods, each nine inches long. She turned around to Tabitha and said, “Here, catch.” When the rods were tossed right at Tabitha, the startled target froze for a second before doing her best to catch as many as possible.
Which was five.
“Hey!” Tabitha exclaimed holding up her five rods, “Five isn’t bad, right?”
“I swear, I owe Bethany Anne a huge apology,” Gabrielle muttered to herself. “Yes,” she told Tabitha, “It is bad. You have the ability to catch all fifteen and even throw them back at me. Now, pick up the sticks you missed and toss them back.”
Tabitha frowned but turned around to pick up the sticks that were scattered about, asking, “Ok, are you about to pull some sort of Bethany Anne juju on me?” She grabbed the last stick and placed them in a bunch in her hand. She was standing about twelve feet from Gabrielle and asked, “Ready?”
“Yesterday already,” Gabrielle answered.
Tabitha frowned, and her hand shot out, tossing all of the sticks at Gabrielle, who seemed to blur into action, and three of the sticks came back at Tabitha who yelled, “Ow! Fuck! Shit!” and then continued hopping around thinking she needed to be dodging some more. When nothing came at her, she finally looked again at Gabrielle, who had the twelve remaining in her raised hand.
Gabrielle’s frown was on full display, “How are you supposed to learn how to do this if you aren’t paying attention?” she asked Tabitha; “I told you, you have it in you to catch them and throw them back.”
Tabitha pressed her lips together and nodded once in understanding. “I’ve been acting like friend Tabitha, not student Tabitha.” She walked over to Gabrielle, “I apologize. I was hoping that you had some mystic words and a spell to cast on my head, and all would be complete.”
“Fat chance,” Gabrielle said, “I’m going to show you an advantage which will help you out against most any but the top vampires and most Weres, except the Pricolici for a while until your fighting skill gets better. If you have to fight some of the best, then use your speed to run like hell, got it?”
Tabitha nodded, “Got it. So, is there a beginners’ stick throwing class?”
Gabrielle smiled, “Why, yes there is.” She dropped fourteen sticks on the floor, “So, let’s start with speed enhancement 101.”
“Wait, what did you make me do?” Tabitha asked.
Gabrielle scrunched up her face. “Well, since throwing shit at me was one of the first things Bethany Anne did when I didn’t listen, I consider that class zero, or better yet, class get-your-shit-together,” she replied.
“Oh,” Tabitha responded, “so, what is really going on?”
“Well, has anyone told you about the energy, the Etheric running through you?” Gabrielle asked. Tabitha shook her head, “What wicked plan is Bethany Anne concocting now that she didn’t mention that much?” Gabrielle wondered aloud.
“She told me I wouldn’t need blood if I didn’t extend myself,” Tabitha offered.
“Yeah, there is that, too. I’d call and ask her, but I don’t know what she is doing at the moment…” Gabrielle stopped when Tabitha put up a finger. Gabrielle raised an eyebrow when Tabitha tapped her head.
My Queen?
Tabitha? You can call me Bethany Anne, the my Queen stuff can be for public events or something. What’s up? Tell me this isn’t about an outfit.
No, I have Gabrielle here, and she is wondering why I wasn’t informed about the Etheric running through me?
Oh, that’s because I wanted to wait until you were so frustrated that you asked for help. It’s much easier to teach someone when they have an incentive to learn. Have you had your ass beaten enough? Bethany Anne’s humor colored the connection.
Yes! Thank you very much. Tabitha’s grouchiness colored hers.
Good! Gabrielle will teach you, and I’ll double check what she shows at another time. I’ll have to ask Akio if he wants the Elites with you to also be taught. Once you get your skills to improve, it will be tough for you to continue learning with such a huge advantage over them.
Oookay? Tabitha was confused, just how much faster am I going to be?
Than a human? A lot. Than say, Ryu? Still significantly faster. Enough that it will be tough for him once you get it under control. However, you need to be careful when you hit at speed. The changes in your structure allow you to handle it, but it can still be pretty painful. Bethany Anne told her.
Great, with every advance, comes a negative, Tabitha said, whatever happened to only positive effects?
Not a clue. If you figure it out, come and tell me, Bethany Anne replied. Because I’d like to know the same thing. Remember to watch your energy usage, unless you want to learn how to drink blood.
That’s still not high on my list of shit I want to do today. Tabitha replied.
No? Ok, then you won’t be able to stay at speed for very long. So make sure you pay attention to how much power you have in you. The more you retain, like a battery, the more you will be able to use before either quitting, or sucking blood, Bethany Anne finished.
Ok, thanks. Tabitha said.
The connection dropped.
“Bethany Anne said it had to do with a willingness to learn. Until I was highly motivated, I didn’t need to gain the skill.” Tabitha told Gabrielle.
“Yeah, that sounds about right. She had to kick my ass to get me to want to learn. So, Ryu has done the same for you.”
“Say instead that he kicked it over and over again,” Tabitha replied, while rubbing her butt, “Day and night.” She pointed to three spots in the room, “There, there and over there. Fucking everywhere. I’m ready for some Ryu-ass payback.”
Gabrielle chuckled, “Well then, Grasshopper, it’s time you learned speed and got a little of your own back.” Gabrielle put her stick up in the air. “Now turn around and when I say now, I want you to turn around as quickly as possible and grab this stick. Ready?” Gabrielle asked. Tabitha nodded as she turned away and prepared herself.
“Go!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
PLA General Staff Headquarters - Beijing
The four men stepped into the darkened and quiet room, nodding at each other. No names were to be used, but any agreement reached would be put into effect.
After the appropriate respect had been shown to each of them, the naval representative spoke, “It is not acceptable that we not respond to this intrusion to our vessel,” he hissed. “Why has no command been given?”
The one who represented the politica
l side acknowledged the complaint and turned to the cyber-command representative.
“We have tried, multiple times, and various ways. They are using technology we cannot reach, much less hack,” he said. “We hope they have weaknesses in their systems, but we would need to get into them for anything to work.”
“What happened to our agreements with the commercial group?” The intelligence representative asked the political one.
“The attack was a failure. Just like the ship they purchased from us, the men sent in with the nuclear bomb were ineffective.”
“We should not have trusted those in business with a military solution,” the naval representative responded, “I am still unhappy with the loss of our ship and the supposed way it was defeated.”
“We have video,” started the cyber representative before he was cut off.
“We have second-hand video. We do not know if that is raw or not, nor do we have a proper test against this group.”
“They have ships that fly,” the political representative said, “How is it you wish to test them?”
“I’m not sure, yet. I think we need to bring a submarine under their ships. The torpedoes can be sent out and aimed upward. That should cause a response if we are going to receive one.” The naval representative continued, “If they do not respond, then I suggest we bring our ships back closer to theirs. We have them at that point, forcing them to let our ships in or threatening to hole them from below.”
“You would try to sink them?” the political representative asked.
“They are trying to sink us,” the naval representative snapped back. “This is yin and yang.”
“How, exactly, is this yin and yang?” the intelligence official asked. “They have already been attacked by a Chinese ship. I understand that it wasn’t a Chinese Navy ship, but it does seem logical they might not want your ships that close.”
“This attack on our sovereign ship cannot and should not be allowed to occur without response,” the naval representative stated, “I would rather give up my commission than allow this to be the first time. Our sailors need to know they have the backing of a group that is willing to see the fight through to the end.” He emphatically knocked on the table with each of his points, “No group, not even the Americans, dare do this to us!”
“So, you are not suggesting this is just an American group, now?” the political representative asked. “Before, you were sure that it was just the Americans using it as a front.”
“No, I admit, I was misinformed,” the naval representative responded, “Both of the leads on the business side are American military or American Intelligence we believe. There is much argument between U.S. and Romania about the head, Ms. Bethany Anne. She is also the one we suspect was in the leading plane for the French battle.”
“Where is she right now?” the political representative questioned.
“We believe on one of the two ships, but with their Pods leaving frequently, and at their exit speeds, it is impossible to keep track. Now, she has cars that can fly, too. Ferrari F12berlinettas.”
“Bitch,” the intelligence representative said.
The men chuckled in agreement for a moment before resuming their talks. “If you undertake to attack this group, if it does not go as you say, you will suffer much and will leave the service in disgrace. Do you feel this is the path the Navy must take?” the political representative asked, his hands together in front of him.
Three men looked at the naval representative, who eyed them all, then sharply nodded his head in the affirmative.
“Then, we are done here until your action is completed.” The political representative stood to leave while the three others bowed slightly until he was out of the room.
Once the door shut the naval representative said into the quiet of the chamber, “I need information.”
Ten minutes later, the naval representative nodded to the two others and stepped out of the small room. The cyber representative turned to the man from intelligence and asked in a whispered tone, “What do you think?”
“I think,” the intelligence representative replied just as quietly, “We are going to have a new naval representative soon.”
The cyber representative nodded his agreement.
Manufacturing Facility 01 - Asteroid Fields
Bobcat strode into the bridge, noticing the fifteen faces in and around him, “Thank you all for showing up for our little ride.” He told them, “Take a seat, any seat.” The people sat around the bridge in the chairs.
“For this episode, we are going to have Samantha, the Electronic Intelligence, guide everything. So, we are touching nothing, and if you do touch something, it won’t work. What it will do is piss me off and the walk home is a bitch. So don’t touch anything.”
He looked around, “I’ve built, and rebuilt, helicopters and other ships all of my life. If you want to find out what is good and what is hokey? Well, turn on the engine. Not that I would usually fly the bird mind you, but in this case, we aren’t going very far, and we sure as hell aren’t going to have a gravity problem.”
He looked over the bridge, “I’ve asked you all here because you are in charge of the different areas on this ship. So, you should have the opportunity to say you were here when the first spaceship, an actual big-ass spaceship, was ever tested. Your names will go down in the history books.” He looked around, finishing with a smirk, “One way or another.”
“Samantha?” Bobcat queried.
Her face came on the forward view screen, “Yes Captain?”
“Take us out using programmed locations under Gemini, Gemini Alpha. Minimum power after making sure everything is disconnected and all personnel are safely away from the ship except those who are on station.”
“Yes, sir. All personnel are safely away except for the ten Tug Pods stationed around the ship.”
“Good.” Bobcat agreed, “For everyone’s edification, those Tug Pods will be with us the whole trip. If something goes wonky, you can bet my ass, and therefore your ass, is not walking back.” He smiled to the chuckles around the bridge.
“Let’s go, Samantha,” he said, and the screens lit up with outside views from all around the exterior of the ship. Everyone started watching as the ship ever so slowly started moving from her location into space. The ship was turned and aimed for a straight shot out of the area with no asteroids for a hundred kilometers in any direction.
Two minutes later, Samantha said, “We are at Alpha one location, Captain.”
“Good, please synchronize with the Pods so they can keep up and let's go to minimal power.” Bobcat switched over to another channel, “How are we doing, Marcus?”
Marcus came on, “Bobcat, or Captain, whatever, we are fine. The engines all seem to be connecting well, and the tuning effort was accomplished easily.”
“Very good, how fast are you comfortable pushing the engines?” Bobcat asked.
Marcus paused a second, “I’m okay to twenty percent power. There is a hiccup at thirty-three percent so far, and I’m not sure what is going to happen, we still have the math to figure out.”
“I understand, keep it below thirty-three,” Bobcat clicked off his connection.
“Ok Samantha, the maximum is twenty-five percent. Take the acceleration up in one percent increments each minute until we reach twenty percent. At that time, switch to three-minute increments per percentage point.”
“Understood. This will take us thirty-five minutes to reach twenty-five percent power.” Samantha responded.
“That is fine, let’s see what this baby can do, shall we Samantha?” Bobcat smiled at the group.
—
The lights in the bridge were at half-power, “The fluctuation, Marcus, happened at twenty-eight percent, not thirty-three,” Bobcat told him, “I was well under your thirty-three percent cut-off!”
“Well, we wouldn’t have lost power in the middle of space if you hadn’t pushed it,” Marcus’s irritated voice told him over the speak
er system. “Now, we have been towed back to the shipyard in disgrace!”
“Look, get over yourself, Marcus,” Bobcat said. “My job is to make sure this ship is safe. I’m going to risk a little to make damned sure Bethany Anne isn’t risking a lot. We are safe, the ship is safe, the only thing bruised is your ego. Don’t be so proud you can’t see the goal, man.”
There was a huff on the other side of the line. “Ok. Perhaps there is some truth to what you are saying. But, dammit Bobcat, this isn’t rocket science.”
Bobcat smiled, “That’s why I have the Solar System’s only human gravitic engine expert working on it, not a rocket scientist!”
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