Tatiana suddenly looked horribly embarrassed as her ear folded gingerly, “Oh, my word! We’re doing a concert. You’re not upset about that are you? I mean I didn’t steal your concert from you or anything…”
Rebecca just laughed, “I could never do crowds and every time more than three people were in the room I got incredibly nervous and my singing just became so lifeless and sterile and bleah! You are doing wonderful things up there. Things that I have dreamed about, I admit. But I’m in no condition to even think about getting up there instead of you!”
“We’ll see about that!” chimed Gillian. “Tatiana is talking about stepping down out of the limelight and just doing studio work. I need someone to front on stage.”
“We tried it before, and it didn’t end so well,” mused Rebecca.
“Then we will try again and try a little harder. I passed you off too soon. I should have found a better way to help you.”
“Maybe time is what I needed, we’ll see indeed!” laughed Rebecca as she nodded over her shoulder to Gillian, “She’s awful pushy, isn’t she?”
“Yes, but she does magical things,” replied Tatiana with a smile.
“There is a reason we call her ‘mom,’” offered Zoë.
Rebecca brightened further, “Zoë Sylva! Mea culpa! Zoë Rose!” she laughed. “I’m delighted to meet you. It does seem that I have been following your work whether I knew it or not. They played many of your concert piano pieces at the clinic.”
“So are you out?” asked Tatiana sheepishly.
Rebecca replied with a firm nod, “I’m out on my own, but ‘mom’ here said she’d take care of me.”
“You are coming to the flat? That would be delightful!” beamed Tatiana.
“We do seem to have several spare rooms nowadays,” observed Gillian slyly as she nodded to Edward.
“Not my fault! They just moved in!” protested Edward.
“And I notice how much of a fight you put up, too,” grinned Gillian. “I have arranged another room if need be, but if you three don’t mind her around, then yes, I had hoped she could come back with us to the flat.”
Zoë and Tatiana just smiled at each other, “Please!/Of course!”
Rebecca just beamed, “I won’t be causing any problems then? I mean an older sister hanging around with you three lovebirds in the nest…”
Edwards’ ears were on fire, not the description he was hoping for, but it was accurate.
“Wow! His fur changes colors when he is embarrassed!” laughed Rebecca.
“Yeah,” joked Zoë. “We don’t know what color his fur is supposed to be, we tend to embarrass him so often.”
“That just makes me feel all warm and welcomed,” replied Edward flatly.
“Oh, we keep him warm all right,” mused Zoë.
“Okay, that is enough at poor Edward’s expense, dears,” mothered Gillian. “I’d advocate hitting the shopping district and then having a nice dinner out.”
“No Trevor tonight?” teased Zoë.
“Well, not that I’m going to tell you kids about,” smiled back Gillian.
Suddenly Gillian’s and Edward’s comlink chirped in unison.
“Oh, just make those evil things go away!” snarled Tatiana.
“I do so wish,” mused Gillian as she cued the migraine-inducing device.
“Edward? Gillian? Good to have both of you there,” came Trevor’s cheerful voice. “We have someone walking in from the cold, on conditions of course.”
Gillian looked to Edward more than a little confused while Edward just replied with a shrug, “You lost us there. What can we do for you?”
“You still serious about signing Rebecca Ravesnwell for at least a year?”
“Have signed, two years. Her doctors and legal council request that she waits at least a month before she signs, but it is on file with the trade union. What is this about?”
“Is that a matter of public record?”
“It is open records. One must appear in person to pull the records. Okay, dear, answer the question: what is this about?”
“Jennifer Edgefield has agreed to come in, providing her daughter is given a second chance in the career she’d chosen before Nathan sabotaged it.”
That took them all for a loop.
“You mean she is just going to turn herself in after all that has gone on?” asked Tatiana incredulously.
“With that caveat, yes. And it appears that, if her story holds out, she may not be the source of all of this. There is a lot of conflicting information being bantered about, but hers seems to be holding the most water.”
Edward finally caught the reference, “Walking in from the cold, as in a spy?”
“I said things were complicated,” beamed Trevor. “Take care, all of you. See you tonight, Gillian!”
“Don’t make me wait up too late!” she beamed.
“That is all very weird,” mused Rebecca.
“Don’t worry,” offered Tatiana as she hugged Rebecca. “Trevor can sort it out!”
“So now what?” asked Rebecca with a school girl grin.
“Now!” smirked Tatiana, “we go shopping!”
The three younger ladies had no problem making themselves feel at home in the shopping district. Rebecca found Tazo both creepy and comforting at the same time, much to Tazo’s chagrin, but she quickly adapted. Dinner soon followed; back to their restaurants of choice.
“Last time we were here, Edward stood down some people with an anti-tank gun,” beamed Tatiana.
“I just had to block five rounds, it was Ottra that went toe-to-toe with it. Besides it was light anti-armor gun not actual anti-tank,” corrected Edward.
“Does he have a brother?” asked Rebecca.
“Two, both older and both married,” replied Gillian.
“Yeah, but they are Highlanders. They have big families!” chimed Zoë.
“His oldest brother Llewellyn has quite large family. Along with Ivy there is Maria, April and May,” interjected Tatiana. “And that is before the kids!”
“And I think that a year from now Gwen will be joining the pride,” added Zoë.
“Really? She seemed a little strange to me,” replied Tatiana sheepishly.
“Yes, but she is really devoted to the kids!” beamed Zoë.
“Wow! Old world Highlanders from Afon. You are really a Highlander, right Edward? Do you miss the Highlands?” asked Rebecca.
Edward nodded and smiled, “Yes, I do miss the Highlands. But the Highlands can wait a year or fifty. I’m here waiting on Tatiana and Zoë, and they are worth the wait.”
“Okay Tatiana, I wasn’t jealous before. But now I am,” beamed Rebecca.
“There are other Highlanders and other Silvers as well in the unit. Would you like to meet them?” offered Edward.
Rebecca laughed, “I think I’ll give that a miss until I get my legs under me a bit better, but thank you. Thank you very much. It is so nice to have people I can talk to.”
“Things were rough for you. I’m so sorry, Rebecca,” apologized Tatiana.
“Hey! It’s okay. It’s behind me. And honestly, I didn’t know how bad things really were until these last two weeks. I was just on autopilot for so long.”
“Yuck, that still pissed me off what they did to you,” snapped Zoë.
Rebecca just smiled, “I came here to deal with the present and look forward to the future. Don’t worry about the past.”
Gillian smiled, “Well said. No more sad talk, let’s just look forward.”
“Yes, Mom,” came the chorus in response, Tazo included!
44
It was a dark rainy day. Not so bad really, but it did seem like such a downer after the previous days. Here they were on the threshold of opening night, and there was a good chance the customers were going to be pelted on the way in. Not a pleasant way to start. Still it was fun just to be able to watch the show, a show where people were starting to have fun at their jobs! Suddenly Edward’s comlink sounded off an
d his fur immediately stood on end. The last dress rehearsal was almost over and everything had been going so well… What now? Edward stared at the ceiling briefly hoping the evil device would just go away. He reluctantly cued the device, “Edward here, go ahead.”
“We have a situation,” began Takru. Edward’s fur immediately started churning colors; it was never good when Takru was on the other end of the comlink. “The 1212th has moved half their assets to airborne insertion at our discretion.”
“I’m twice as nervous and none the wiser,” replied Edward.
“Nathan Cogsington is alive, I repeat Nathan Cogsington is alive. It is believed he is bringing serious assets to bear against the concert hall presently. We have at most ten minutes to evacuate the hall.”
“Do we have transportation?” asked Gillian as she listened in.
“Yes, Lady Gillian. They should be there in less than five. We need maximum movement with minimum fuss. By the numbers.”
Gillian waved off the performance and her voice soon filled the hall, “Full stop. Everyone drop everything; we need to leave the building now. Queue up orderly and stay together! Are we clear!”
The mob would have been scared, but they didn’t have time to be scared. What they did have was a remarkable amount of discipline that was suddenly paying dividends.
“I’ll take point,” volunteered Alex and at Edward’s nod was soon at the front of the hall, Live Steel armor flashing as he moved.
“Lucas, you want to take the middle while I pull up the rear?” asked Edward.
“I’m on it.”
They entire cast and crew were soon migrating down the hall while the Highland Taiks and their partners directed the way. As they hit the exit doors, a light assault gunship touched down and the rear ramp opened up.
“Last check, Jake, anything out there?” asked Alex over the link.
There was no response.
Edward slapped comlink, “Jake, are you out there? Paul?”
“Paul here. I can’t make out Jake from where I am. The south corner is covered, unclear about the west.”
Alex sounded off with a few words that Edward was going to need a dictionary to de-convolve. “I’ll cover the arc. Lucas, push!” Alex rushed out the door into west alley to try and draw fire while the mob quickly rushed to the rear ramp. Alex was met with a precise sniper shot that floored him, but his armor held fast and he was quickly back on his feet. A shot from behind them rang out as Paul silenced his opposite partner in the dance.
“We can only take about two-thirds!” called the Shukurae load master.
“Then we’ll take the next! Go, go, go!” screamed Lucas. “Everyone else, back inside. At least ten meters from the door!”
The assault gunships engines redlined as they lurched into the air in a burst of blowing rain and fresh steam. They were going to need to overhaul the engines in the morning, but speed was the order of the day. Edward was surprised that they weren’t using JATO bottles, probably didn’t have time to install them. Just as the craft started to accelerate clear of the buildings there was the streak of a rocket homing in on the already strained engines. The ship’s automatic point defense rounds fired off a giant shotgun-like round shredding the missile in flight, leaving only tattered slivers of metal to harmlessly pelt the side of the craft. The front façade of the concert hall, however was devastated by the blast and steel and cement pieces plunged to the ground below.
“Send the bill to Nathan,” murmured Lucas. “Everyone’s toes okay?” He looked up and down the remaining charges. Nervous but in order, they waited his next command.
Alex came bounding back into the building.
“You okay?” called Edward.
“I’m walking, they aren’t. Score one for Paul. It was more of a whack than a pop, if you know what I mean,” Alex called out reassuringly.
Edward knew what he meant; it was the difference between being pushed over versus being hit and knocked over. May not have been graceful, but Alex was no worse for wear. “What of Jake?”
Alex shook his head, “No clue. Meeka! Ready to ride!”
Meeka nodded, “I assume we are rushing the far building.”
“That indeed!” Alex hopped onto Meeka’s back and in a flash the pair was off. Meeka ran a random pattern and his dexterity amazed all for his size. That wasn’t fair—he was dexterous even for a weasel! The pair danced through the light rain, never slipping once and finally hit the far side with only a single shot sounding off, hitting well clear of the pair. A returning shot from Paul’s direction made for a sarcastic reply.
“Where’s the next gunship?” asked Edward over the comlink.
“Inbound. Less than 30 seconds out.”
Edward sighed with relief as he saw the second gunship slide into position. Suddenly the front of the building across the street exploded sending large fragments smashing into the side of the gunship. Its engines flared and strained, but it was no use, it was off balance. It slammed to the ground and all its weapons soon opened fire on the offending building.
“I don’t see Alex or Meeka,” observed Lucas solemnly.
Edward cued his comlink, “Alex! Are you still with us?”
“We are pinned next to the building, cuts and bruises and bruised ego, but intact. We may need help extricating ourselves, but we are fine so long as no one drops too much more on our heads.”
Edward and Lucas both visibly sighed in relief.
“It does appear that you Highlanders come in two varieties: tough and tougher,” mused Tazo.
“And I thought we were all just warm and fuzzy,” replied Lucas in mock despair.
“Head count,” called out Edward.
“Fourteen of us, including myself,” replied Gillian. “I have no idea about the security detail.”
“We can walk home, ma’am,” countered Lucas, “We just have to get you out safely.”
A flurry of activity from the gunship caught their attention. The engines where whining again at full speed as they strobed the repulsar fields clearing the debris off the craft. The outer turrets sprang to life and offered up a volley of fire in any direction that even looked mean. There wasn’t going to be a pigeon problem in the morning…
“Send them out in fours and fives,” came the voice of the Shukurae load master. “We’ve covering fire and are ready to roll.”
Lucas nodded to Edward and the group inched back to the door. Lucas parted off the first group of four. “Stick close to me. Run when I do!”
A quick quartet of nods came back and the small group rushed the gunship. As expected, they came under fire as soon as they were visible, but between Lucas’s Live Steel armor and the relentless pounding from the turrets, the group made it onboard unscathed. Two heartbeats later, Lucas ran the gauntlet back to the door. Halfway across, he spun as he took a high power rifle shot. Edward watched in awe as Lucas came out of the spin, and a blue streak erupted from Lucas’s off hand returning back toward the far windows.
“He just threw the bullet back at them,” said Edward to Tazo. “I’ve never seen anyone but my brothers do that.”
“Trevor and Takru chose the team well. If not a little scary,” replied Tazo.
Lucas stood in the gap, daring people to fire on him again. Two more people obliged him and he responded in kind, bullets sent return to sender. Lucas Growled. Not a simple guttural growl that other Taik might sound off with when mad, rather it was a guttural, primeval sound that assaulted Edward’s brain more than his ears. Encoded in that growl was an entire conversation, feelings and emotions perfectly passed such that Edward could feel Lucas’s hair standing on end and knew what he was smelling and tasting in the air. Only other Silvers and Aurorans could understand such a growl, and Edward briefly wished he couldn’t as he felt Lucas’s internal rage and anger. Some things are better not shared, but Edward could not deny the utility. Buried in that rage and anger was the rest of Lucas’s streaming consciousness. Suddenly Edward knew what he knew, saw what he saw,
felt what he felt: the locations of the other people on the street, down to their very faces, what they were wearing and what weapons they were carrying.
“We are cut off; they are waiting for us to try and get those last passengers on before they unload the rest of their arsenal onto the gunship,” stated Edward blankly.
“How do you know all that?” asked Gillian.
“Lucas showed me,” Edward tapped his comlink again. “They are waiting for us to drop an anvil on the gunship. Kick the magnetics, fire off the canister rounds and get out! Save yourselves, we’ll find another way out.”
“Punching out! Third gunship is still ten plus minutes out; watch your tail!” With that, the gunship sprang into the air, spewing fire from every turret, dispenser and firing port available.
Lucas rejoined them in the room and Growled a few more short bursts much to the pain of Edward’s brain. Lucas was on the edge of Swifting and he knew it. All his faculties and reserves were into maintaining control; normal language skills were the first victim of his own rage.
Edward coped and nodded as he continued over the comlink, “Too much hardware to risk rooftop, don’t even try. How far from station is the 1212th ?”
“Twelve minutes from station and then ninety seconds from insertion.”
Lucas snarled and Edward’s brain churned.
“I hate those tunnels. I’d really rather not.” Suddenly Edward had a thought that bubbled up from the back of his brain, “Gate stone! But I have no idea how long it will take for Dawn to be able to help. She has to physically make it to the Citadel.”
“Use it; start that clock rolling,” Lucas gasped as he finally started to regain control.
Edward pulled out the small red stone that he had carefully stored away. It was glowing as he held it out in his hand and fired off a Growl of his own. His mind raced as he fought to reach out to his niece Dawn over the vastness of space. Suddenly the stoned flared and started to swell. As it did, Edward started to panic. “The gate is going to open here! I thought I could move it up until she opened the wormhole but the stone is tidally locked to the planet!” As he lowered his hand, the small stone hung there in space, slowly churning.
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