by C. R. Daems
"How do I get there?" I blurted, not enjoying what Bradley thought funny.
"They will send down a lift, which can only hold one person. They are rightly paranoid. They understand some humans would not only break their word but would do anything to return to Earth, including using Anixians as hostages. Furthermore, some would kill Anixians out of revenge for what they consider a fraudulent agreement."
I nodded, thinking about Doug and Carl. "Do you know what he wants?" I asked.
"No. I know your recent actions have impressed him, but he didn't discuss what he wanted with you," Bradley said. "The platform will be here, outside the launch door at eight hundred hours."
I couldn't imagine what the leader of the House of War wanted with me. As far as I knew, they didn't give out medals or bonuses. If they were considering replacing Bradley, it would be Calum, not me. I was so engrossed in the problem that when I looked around, I realized I had walked right past my quarters. When I finally found my room, Hyun and Hanna were engrossed in manuals.
"Am I interrupting?" I said, looking around the room. They looked tired but managed a smile.
"I'm now working as a weapons officer and have a test in a few days," Hyun said. "Have to score high if I'm going to qualify for captain. By the way, we are beginning to get the new Griffon missiles. I was just reviewing their specifications. Nasty missiles." She smiled.
"I'm studying for the next level in navigation," Hanna said. "That is learning how to get to another system. First, how to find the inter-planetary highway, what is available, how to enter, the speed limits, and how to get off. It's interesting but complex."
"Everyone is talking about you and the way the Saker fighters destroyed the Tullizor cruisers," Hyun said. "You are becoming a legendary heroine," she laughed, "hero as most think you are a man since the Saker fighter pilots have consistently been men."
"Hyun, do you know how many cruisers the Anixians have?" I asked, still curious about our fleet of cruisers.
"Yes, four," Hyun said. That is why the senior members of the Saker House and probably every other house was sick with worry when the Tullizor arrived. I think they secretly thought we would lose all four. That would have meant the death of Anixia since the Tullizor would have bombed the planet to rubble."
"Yes, it was an all or nothing gambit," I said. "There was only one scenario in which we won. That is where we destroyed the Tullizor fleet with no losses. A draw was a loss, driving them off a loss, even defeating them in a cruiser war was a loss because it would have resulted in cruiser, fighter, and pilot losses. Since the Anixians believe Tullizor is an old nation, they will have millions of citizens and many more cruisers. So they can easily replace their losses, whereas we cannot."
"Wow!" Hanna all but whispered. "Good thing we didn't know that, or we would have been nervous wrecks."
"What about your prophecy?" I asked. "That the three of us are here to save the Anixia."
Hanna shrugged. "Fear overrules logic."
"How about the news that tomorrow, Senior Pilot Kayla has a meeting with Black Eagle, the head of the House of War," I said, which ended any further attempt at studying. Hyun went out and brought back a load of snacks and drinks, and we stayed up late into the evening, speculating on why he wanted to see me. They were all ridiculous ideas, but it was a fun evening with good friends, and it took my mind off the real reason, whatever that was.
I rose extra early to eat breakfast, not sure how long the meeting would last or I might have to wait. When I left for the fighter unit, I could not remember what I had for breakfast or how much I ate or drank. Meeting with someone that senior would rattle an older person, and I was only seventeen, or was I eighteen now? The Anixia calendar was not the same as Earth's, and birthdays didn't seem to be celebrated here. Whatever, having a meeting with the head of an Anixian house, which was the equivalent of having a meeting with the president of a small country, since the House of War appeared to be the ruling or dominate house.
"Right on time, Kayla," Bradley said as I entered the training area. "Your transportation just arrived." He pointed to the open door where a one-meter-square platform connected to a long tube ended at two handlebars. I looked to Bradley, not sure what to do.
"Walk over and get on. Your weight will activate the lift. There are no human controls. Only the Anixians can control those platforms."
Thinking they must know what they were doing, I walked through the open door to where the lift sat on a small ledge, stepped onto the platform and immediately grabbed the handlebars as the platform began moving up. It was like one of the outdoor elevators on some buildings where you looked like you were outside because they were all glass. I was literally outside with no glass enclosure to keep me from falling. At first, I was terrified, and my hands were going pale from gripping the handlebars so hard. My tension faded as I looked around at the beautiful snow-capped mountains sparkling in the early morning sun, the puffy white clouds, and felt the gentle breeze on my face. I almost felt like a bird soaring free as I entered one of the clouds. Then I cleared the cloud and was set down on a ledge near a cave-like entrance. I stepped off and proceeded into the cave, which was the foyer to a house, and heard the stone door close behind me. I stared in awe. It looked like someone had taken a glass house and set it into the mountain. Somehow, the whole area was lit with sunlight; the walls looked like you were looking outside at the distant mountain and could see the clouds drifting over them.
"Please sit, Kayla," said the voice box of a black bird-like man in a red robe, standing well over two-meters tall, voice box said as a thin hand with talons pointed to a double-sized padded chair. "Many thousands of years ago, before the Tullizor found us, our houses were made of a clear glass-like material and dotted the highest regions of the mountains. Today, we must live underground," his beak clicked in what I had come to interpret as laughing. "In caves high in the mountains. The walls are like a television screen that replicates what we would see if we weren't encapsulated in rock. The illusion of being free, when, in reality, we are prisoners. Birds with broken wings." He sat in a similar chair and stared at me for a long time, which made me feel like a bug he was considering to eat, squash, or study. "Sorry, Kayla. You are so young to be so…insightful."
"Just lucky, sir," I mumbled, not sure what to say or what he wanted.
"Lucky, maybe the initial observation, but you are quick to see the observation's potential, quick to evolve solutions, and quick to seize the opportunity presented. That is the reason you are here, but first, a question. Should the K-box trained individuals continue to be a separate unit, or distributed equally among the various Houses of War? Do not rush to answer, I have food and drinks coming."
My mind spun like a tornado with dozens of random thoughts having nothing to do with his question, like why me, what is he after, how will it impact me, the Phoenix… I was jarred back to the moment when a small woman in the light green uniform of support put a bowl of stew and a glass of juice in front of me and quickly disappeared. I noticed Black Eagle also had a bowl, but I thought it contained things that were moving. The problem, Kayla, I chided myself as I began eating. I knew the pilots would prefer to be separate, unique, but was that the best strategy for the Anixians? They would be called on each time a threat occurred, training would become boring, and they would get careless and maybe develop bad habits. Letting each House of War have its own could create an unconscious competition and maybe new techniques and a large pool of trained K-box pilots. Maybe…they should be part of each cruiser, but what happens when we produce another cruiser. NO! The fighter pilots, whether K-box or standard, should be part of the same group and the group part of the cruiser.
"Sir," I said and realized the bowl was gone and the image on the walls looked near to sunset. I blushed, judging by the heat in my cheeks.
"As I said, Kayla. There was no rush," the voice box said, followed by clicking.
"I think that each cruiser should have a fighter detachment assigned,
which includes both standard and K-box certified pilots," I said, then hesitated as that wasn't one of his alternatives.
He clapped his hand quietly. "Excellent, you are considering our eventual growth into an independent nation. Yes, as I thought. You are the right person for our path forward." When he finished, my Sleeve buzzed, and when I looked down, the image of a Saker hawk was now the image of a Black Eagle, and a new red eagle with two silver stars appeared. "You are officially assigned to the House of War, not a sub-house, the red eagle is my seal, and the two stars indicate you have my favor. Use it if you have trouble doing anything you feel necessary to implement projects I assign you. I will send word to all the Houses of War that you are leading the implementation of the new configuration. In addition, I want you to start cruiser training. Specifically, navigation, weapons, and ECM." More clicking. "Don't worry, Kayla. You can keep your Pitohui and fly it in your free time and take it with you when you are assigned a cruiser."
I nearly fell off the platform on the ride down. Feeling dizzy and confused, I thought it had stopped and attempted to step off. The only thing that saved me was that I was holding onto the handlebar with my left hand and managed to stop my forward motion and landed on my ass.
"Are you all right, Kayla?" Bradley asked when he saw me sitting on the lift when it touched down.
"No," I said. "I feel like I just fell down the rabbit hole."
"Can't blame you," Bradley said as Calum approached. "We just got word you are in charge of reconfiguring the fighter groups."
"He said he just wanted to ask me a question, and the next thing I knew, I'm assigned to the House of War, and everything has changed, I think," I added because I was still processing his last remark.
"What do you mean, Kayla? You are already in the House of War," Calum said, frowning as he looked me over for injuries. I said nothing, just turned and stretched out my arm so they could see my Sleeve.
"That is a very high honor, Kayla," Bradley said. "I doubt there are five humans that are assigned to an Anixian house. We think we are, but in reality, we are assigned to a sub-house, a Phoenix house with the same name as the Anixian house we operate under. You are now an Anixian."
Chapter 32
New Clothes
"How did it go?" Hanna and Hyun asked simultaneously as they rushed me the second I walked through the door. Each grabbed an arm and dragged me to our small table in the corner of the room.
"What did he want? You look in shock," Hyun said as Hanna put a glass of water on the table in front of me.
"He didn't say much," I said, thinking back to our conversation. "He said he just wanted to ask me a question, and before I knew it, my entire life had changed. It was like he dragged out my mother's…or maybe my father's wardrobe and said, time to grow up, you have responsibilities. According to Bradley, he has adopted me. I wasn't given a choice. You are now part of the family, and here are your duties."
"Adopted?" Hanna asked, giving me an are you all right look.
"I don't know how else to describe it," I said as I showed them a Sleeve with the image of a Black Eagle and the red falcon with two stars.
"What are your duties?" Hyun asked, while continuing to examine my Sleeve. I went on to explain how the fighter units were going to be attached to specific cruisers, and each cruiser would have K-box certified pilots.
"That's huge, Kayla," Hanna said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That means he plans for us to roam the galaxy."
Hyun nodded slowly. I sat confused, thinking only about the Tullizor. "If we have fighters attached permanently, we can fight if we are attacked. So we can travel and investigate."
Hanna was right, and Black Eagle was years ahead of me. Now I wondered about his other comment, 'You can keep your Pitohui and fly it in your free time, and take it with you when you are assigned a cruiser.'
"Hyun, you said the requirement for captain was qualifying in three Bridge specialties," I said, thinking back to an earlier conversation about her wanting to be a captain.
"Yes, the Bridge has four specialties: navigation, weapons, ECM, and pilot. There is also an executive officer, XO, but that is more an individual who is in training to be a captain and is the designated second-in-command," she said. "The requirement for captain is to qualify in three specialties, although the preferred ones are navigation, weapons, and ECM.
"He wants me to train to be a captain," I said just above a whisper. Seventeen-year-old Kayla Trager was going to command a war cruiser and travel the galaxy. It struck home like a K-box option two. I knew Hyun and Hanna were talking, but I didn't hear a word they were saying.
Hyun and Hanna decided to visit the recreational area after dinner. I declined, wanting to talk to Joseph. My life was getting complicated, if not totally out of control. I chuckled at the thought.
"Good evening, Kayla," Joseph said with a huge smile. "Congratulations on your new status. Very impressive. I would imagine it's exciting and overwhelming at the same time."
"Exactly," I said. "I was wondering how that affects my status in the police?"
"I exchanged messages with Black Eagle. Quite frankly, I was also confused," Joseph said, with a short laugh. "He agrees you should remain in the police with increased authority. The Anixians appreciate loyalty above all else, and we agree you are extremely loyal to Anixia. I am to continue to mentor you on police methods, protocols, and current activities, and you will have access to the other houses' activities. When you are up to speed, you will be given your second star." He laughed. "Not that you need it with that red eagle and two stars."
"Why?"
"If you had three stars, your words would be as if Black Eagle had spoken. Two stars is more like, if you disagree with me, we will take it to Black Eagle for resolution, and what idiot would want to do that? It is not like the Anixians would punish anyone for asking for clarification, but who would want to risk reassignment if he decided your questioning made you unsuitable for your current position?"
For a minute, I couldn't breathe. My chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it. Finally, I managed a few shallow breaths.
"Relax, Kayla. Black Eagle recognizes not only your loyalty but your innovative mind. We, the Phoenix and the Anixians, desperately need that if we are to succeed and cannot wait years for you to bubble to a senior position. We need it now, so you and people like you are being pushed into positions you aren't ready for in the hope you will adapt. Without your K-box and your clever attack strategy, the Anixians and the humans would be less than a year away from extinction."
Chapter 33
Looking Toward The Future
When I arrived at the fighter training area, Bradley met me. "Good morning, Kayla. The wing leaders of the fighter houses all were calling me last night to find out what was going on. I suggested we all meet here."
"Thank you. I was going to suggest we all meet someplace to discuss the new," I hesitated, not sure what to call the changes, "organizational changes."
Bradley nodded toward the conference room, and I followed him into the room. "For those who have never met the inventor of the K-box, may I introduce Kayla Trager. Kayla, Jorden Pugh is the Wing Leader of the Krestel House, William VanHorne is the Wing Leader of the Merlin House, and Victor Gramier is the Wing Leader of the Gyrfalcon House."
I hesitated, not sure how to address them. They were wing leaders and all in their late thirties or older. At least in the Saker unit, there didn't appear to be the strict protocol one would expect in Earth's military. Here, it was more respect, not ceremony.
"Gentlemen, Black Eagle has asked me to oversee a change in the way we align the fighter units," I began. "Today, the fighter units are called on in a rotational system. To prevent one unit from being called on for every threat, each house should have qualified K-box pilots."
"Why not qualify all the fighter pilots?" Jorden asked.
They are not happy changing the status quo; therefore, this is going to be a month-long debate if I go down each rat
hole they want to explore, I mused. "I think that is a discussion for after the new alignment has been implemented and evaluated." I held up my hand to stop further discussion. "Black Eagle is thinking several generations ahead, not about the next Tullizor raid. For that, the current system is adequate. The new alignment will have a fighter unit permanently attached to each cruiser." That generated a lot of side conversation and shouted questions. I took that opportunity to pour myself a glass of water to let the room settle down. When talking stopped, I continued, "Some of the basic questions we need to address are:
*What should the size and configuration of an attached fighter unit be?
*How do we train new members to Anixia to be fighter and K-box pilots?
*What happens when the number of fighter units exceeds the number of houses?"
Again, I stopped while multiple conversations erupted. Sometime later, I continued. "I suggest we adjourn for today and let you and your people discuss the idea. I'll give you two days to present your solutions. Remember, the new alignment is not open for discussion unless you wish to discuss it with Black Eagle. It was his decision, not mine."
A half hour later, they had all departed back to their houses.
"I think you handled that well, Kayla," Bradley said. "They want to resist any change since they are comfortable with the status quo and their positions. Seeing a very young girl in charge, they saw an opportunity to intimidate you into stopping or at least delaying implementation by highlighting all of the reasons it wouldn't be feasible." He laughed as Calum, Simon, and Tebos entered. "Tell the truth…it was your idea, and Black Eagle liked it, didn't he?"
"Yes. He asked me if the K-box pilots should continue to be a separate unit or distributed equally among the various houses," I admitted. "Something like an aircraft carrier, which carries fighters for offense and defense."
"Black Eagle immediately saw the future advantages when we ventured out into the galaxy to explore or to take the fight to our adversaries," Bradley said and gave a small whistle. "Why don't you give us what you see as a solution?"