Sabine glared at him. “But she’s still young. She shouldn’t have to take care of herself!” She sighed and sat down in the chair next to Mark’s. “You can’t blame me for being concerned. We have no idea where she is or what she’s going through.”
Mark turned back to the console and continued typing. “I know, but the network wasn’t designed to pinpoint a single Yollin in a huge city. We’re working as fast as we can to find her.” He pointed at another screen. “We have a call.”
Sabine checked the screen and picked up right away when she saw that it was Tabitha. “Hey!”
Tabitha grinned. “Hey, yourself. How’re things for you guys?”
Mark slipped his headset off one ear. “Is that Tabitha? Tell her I said hi.”
Sabine smirked. “Of course. Then the next time you piss me off, I can tell Jacqueline.” She winked at him and turned back to the screen. “Mark says hi.”
“Hi, Mark,” Tabitha called. “Give Jacqueline my love.”
Sabine immensely enjoyed the bright shade of red Mark turned. She grinned at Tabitha, who was cackling with laughter with her audio muted. Sabine waved to get her attention. “So, what can I do for you? I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”
Tabitha got control of herself. “You guessed right. I’ve got some pretty big news, and I need you guys to keep it to yourselves for now.”
“What’s up?” Sabine asked.
Mark piped up, “Are you pregnant again already?”
Tabitha’s mouth dropped open.
Sabine reached over and slapped Mark on the back of the head.
Mark grabbed his head. “OW!”
“Be glad I wasn’t there to do it myself,” Tabitha told him. “Although I will be. Soon. That’s my news. Peter and I are moving to Devon for a while. We thought you kids might know a good neighborhood to set up house.”
Mark snorted. “Yeah, High Tortuga. This place is still a dump.”
Tabitha pointed at Mark. “Does he have to be here for this?”
Sabine nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. But we can go somewhere else.”
“Great idea,” Tabitha agreed. “I’ve already got one male whining in my ear. Oh, he’s pooped.” Tabitha held up a finger. “I’ll be back in, like, eight minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”
Sabine listened to Tabitha coo to her baby for a moment, then muted the audio and transferred the call to her tablet and headed out. “Tell me if anything changes with K’aia,” she called back.
“I’ll let you know as soon as we find anything,” Mark assured her. He switched to their link. Just don’t let Tabitha hurt me.
Sabine rolled her eyes as the door locked behind her. She made her way to the cafeteria on the fighter’s level, looking for a hot meal.
Tabitha returned as Sabine took a seat with what the chef insisted on calling a rarebit, but she knew as a croque monsieur. She rested her tablet against the condiment basket and blew on her food.
“Whatcha got there?” Tabitha asked, eyeing the steaming plate curiously.
Sabine pulled the two halves apart. “Cheese—not real cheese, ham—not real ham, and toast—which is real bread, since we can get grain out here.” She took a small bite and chewed quickly. “I know a few places for sale. You want room for people to stay, right?”
Tabitha nodded. “Oh, yeah. Maybe rural, but still close enough to see people when we want to. And plenty of outdoor space.”
Sabine’s eyes lit up. “How do you feel about a lake view?”
Tabitha shrugged. “You know, I’m ambivalent, but I think Peter would like that. For some reason, he’s taken a liking to fishing. Keeps taking me on boat trip scenarios.”
Sabine snickered. “Maybe he’ll leave you home if you get him the real thing. Actually, there’s something you can help me with.”
“If I can, I will,” Tabitha replied. “What’s going on?”
Sabine quickly recounted the story so far; K’aia showing up out of the blue, kicking Ricole’s ass, and then leaving; how she’d somehow slipped Sabine’s surveillance.
“I just want to confirm that Bethany Anne knows this Yollin,” she finished. “And if she would approve her passage to High Tortuga, then she should do so before the youngster gets herself in trouble attempting to sneak aboard one of our ships.”
Tabitha looked off for a moment, her eyes unfocused. A minute later she nodded and turned back to Sabine. “Done. Also, they’re watching for her now. She’ll be okay.”
Sabine felt a weight lift. “Thank you. You’re all more than welcome to stay with us while we find you a place to live.”
Tabitha shook her head. “We wouldn’t want to intrude.”
Sabine understood that what Tabitha really meant was that she had a small baby and she didn’t want to be intruded upon. “The residential part of the building is entirely soundproofed. We all live communally, so we knocked three of the apartments into one. That left the penthouse apartment for guests, and you’re honestly welcome to it for as long as you need.”
Tabitha grinned. “In that case, we’d be glad to impose on you. We’ll be there in a few days. Can you get the place babyproofed?”
Tabitha dropped the connection before Sabine had a chance to ask what “babyproofing” was.
She blanked the tablet screen and bit into her croque monsieur with a very Gallic shrug. “I’ll figure it out, somehow.”
Chapter Seven
Devon, First City, Spaceport
K’aia threaded her way through the crowd in front of the spaceport, careful not to jostle anyone and draw attention to herself. The last thing she wanted was to get noticed by one of the Guardians right before she attempted to sneak into the port.
Sneaking wasn’t the ideal choice, or even an easy one, given her four-legged Yollin physique, but K’aia’d had years of practice at being invisible, and she didn’t see she had any other choice.
K’aia left the line to come at the problem from another angle. She had originally thought to buy a ticket at the gate with the credits she’d earned in street fights these last few days, but it didn’t look as though that was an option.
She had only been in the line for a minute when a trio of disgruntled Yollins walked past. One bitched loudly that this was the only way to get to High Tortuga. Another snapped that they had better get the relevant permissions to travel before she dragged them all out here again.
Her hastily revised plan was to find a way into the spaceport to stow away aboard a ship that looked about ready to leave. She would throw herself on the mercy of the captain once they were underway.
K’aia was entirely aware of the stupidity of her plan, but at the same time, it was freeing to know that it was her stupid plan and not some slave driver’s.
If only Barien could see her now.
That morning she had thought of him while eating a breakfast of strange pastry and bitter juice under an awning in the bazaar, surrounded by every color and smell imaginable. He had always believed they would break free. She wished he was here to experience the First City with her.
Now she was just a face in the crowd, dwarfed on all sides by ships far larger than anything she’d seen outside of holovids.
K'aia was resigned to the fact that she probably wouldn't make it to High Tortuga this way. Still, she had to try. There was no life for her here.
She shrugged her pack to adjust the weight and walked past the gate, making certain she didn’t gawk. That was the fastest way to let anyone whose job it was to watch know you didn’t belong somewhere.
Nevertheless, it seemed she had managed to draw the attention of a couple of Guardians. K’aia put her head down and fought to maintain the same pace, hoping she was being paranoid and it was the Shrillexians ahead of her that they were heading toward.
No such luck. She turned, feeling a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you K’aia?” the female Guardian queried. “We’re looking for a Yollin named K’aia.”
K’aia was surprised to hear
the human version of her name. She looked the Guardians over. They weren’t acting in a hostile manner, and they weren’t armed—but then, Guardians didn’t need to be armed. “What do you want? How do you know who I am?”
The one who had yet to speak looked at his wrist. “Yeah, it’s her,” he told the female before turning back to her.
“K’aia, the Queen has requested you join her. We’re going to get you there, but we have to hurry, or you’ll miss your ride.” He waved for K’aia to follow and set off back toward the gate at a brisk walk.
K’aia’s mandibles moved without making a single connection. Bethany Anne wanted K’aia to join her? She had thought her path lay in the military, earning her keep. Not as a hanger-on, pampered like some pet.
The female Guardian held out a hand. “I know it’s a lot, but we really have to get going. We’re gearing up for war and time is something that seems to be in short supply.”
K’aia nodded, feeling better at the mention of something she understood. She let her four feet carry her after the Guardians, who led her straight past the line and into the spaceport. Too overwhelmed to say a word, she trailed behind the Guardians while they showed her to one of the ships she’d been in such awe of just a few minutes ago.
She finally found enough of her voice to thank the Guardians as the ramp descended to take her aboard. “I’ll tell Bethany Anne how helpful you were when I get to High Tortuga. What are your names?”
“I’m Fletcher, and this is Thistlemar,” the female told her. “But you’re not staying on High Tortuga. Like we said, we’re at war. The Queen is on the move.”
K’aia nodded. One location was as good as another. “Will there be work for me there?”
Fletcher nodded. “There’s work for anyone who wants it. What do you do?”
The young Yollin’s eyes didn’t waver. “I’m a fighter,” she replied.
The Guardians snickered, and Thistlemar waved her on with a grin. “Then you’ll be just fine.”
QT2 System, QBBS Helena, Shipyard
Bethany Anne exited the Izanami and walked down the ramp to meet Admiral Thomas. “How are my ships?” she asked in greeting.
“It’s good to see you, too,” he replied. “Never let inane personal updates get in the way of a good ass-kicking.”
Bethany Anne waved a hand as she walked past him, a small smirk playing at the edges of her lips. “We know how we are,” she countered. “Busy. Later on, we might not be so busy. Now,” she rolled a finger in a circle, “my ships?”
Admiral Thomas had no retort for that. He escorted her to the roamer he had waiting to take them to the command center. “We have a total of seventeen battle-ready superdreadnoughts, plus all the ancillary ships to back them up thanks to Lance for coming through with the materials to build them.”
Bethany Anne nodded. “Giselle sourced a hell of a lot of it too,” she reminded him.
“Most of that went into building the shipyard,” Admiral Thomas informed her. “Lance was able to deliver a literal shitload of metal through the Interdiction for ship construction. Otherwise, we’d have stalled before we hit double digits.”
Bethany Anne made a mental note to send her father a thank you gift. “What about the crews to run all these new ships?”
Admiral Thomas grinned. “Peter has been a godsend. The training program for new arrivals from the Federation is running well. It helps that the recruits are mostly young Wechselbalg who turned up at Devon looking to blow off some steam.”
Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. “So, what…they got planetside and found that Devon is just a bit wilder than they were anticipating?”
“Pretty much spot on,” he agreed cheerily. “Giselle hasn't stopped singing Peter's praises. He had Tim send teams down to round them up before they get hurt or killed, then he gives them the option to be shipped home or come out here to harden up some.”
Bethany Anne pressed her lips together in amusement. “Good. The last time I was on the Meredith Reynolds I thought there was getting to be a surplus there.”
Admiral Thomas shrugged. “There haven’t been too many requests for transport back to the Federation.”
They reached the transfer station, and both sat back to enjoy the show the universe put on for everyone who used the transfer rail.
Bethany Anne looked back to take comfort in the sight of her fleet. She was momentarily struck by the endless backdrop of stars, allowing her gaze to wander until the roamer pulled up in the station at the other end.
They left the rail and the roamer crossed the transfer station floor, rolling to a stop in one of the elevators.
Bethany Anne tapped her fingers on her armrest. The admiral noticed her eyes flicking back and forth, too fast for him to follow. He assumed she was reading through the status reports of every ship while they waited for the elevator to get where it was going. She stopped and looked up at him. “Looks like the three of you have everything sewn up here.”
Admiral Thomas nodded as the roamer exited the elevator and crossed the concourse. “We’re operating well as a team, and the station is settling into a rhythm. It’s good.”
“You'll be operating even better once Jean gets here.” Bethany Anne looked out of the window. “You did get my message about making room for her, right?”
“I did,” he chuckled. “Qui'nan wasn't too pleased about sharing her space at first, but she came around when Jean's equipment started arriving yesterday.”
Bethany Anne's mouth twitched. “I'll bet. I expect Michael will arrive sooner rather than later. I know my husband all too well.”
Admiral Thomas chuckled dryly. “I don’t know about that. I’d argue that it's Michael who knows you.”
Bethany Anne spotted a note from Qui’nan. ADAM, what is Qui’nan trying to say? It looks like production at the shipyard could be higher.
>>She appears to be voicing her disappointment that the shipyard isn’t being used to its full capacity,<< ADAM replied.
Bethany Anne pressed her lips together. Hmmm…
>>Bethany Anne?<<
One minute, I need to deal with this.
“Is something the matter?” Admiral Thomas inquired.
“I’m just working out how many more ships you can turn out once I leave.”
He frowned. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“Well,” Bethany Anne drew her words out, “I get that you had to keep production tight while the station was under construction. However, construction is expected to be completed any day, so I can expect an immediate increase in yield. Yes?”
Admiral Thomas tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Technically, the station is still under construction,” he pointed out. “And I did have something of a resource nightmare up until the point Lance came through. But yes, we can increase production now.”
Bethany Anne dismissed the report. “By a third.”
Admiral Thomas sighed, bitching to the gods inside his head. His Queen rarely missed opportunities to increase production and reduce the time one had to accomplish anything. “By a third—providing our supply chain remains intact.”
The roamer pulled up in an alcove that was lined with the vehicles, and they got out and headed for the elevator to the command center.
Bethany Anne nodded. “Fair enough.”
>>Bethany Anne?<<
Bethany Anne held up a finger to Admiral Thomas. “It’s ADAM.” What’s up?
>>The SSE ladies have found one, maybe two more splinter worlds.<<
She frowned. Only maybe?
>>Saffron and Savannah located the planet, but they can’t get close. This colony knows how to use their technology to its fullest.<<
Bethany Anne thought on her feet. How would you like to take another joyride?
>>Probably about as much as you would like a new pair of shoes.<<
Bethany Anne chuckled at the excitement in his voice. Saddle up, then. You’re on. Get me the intel on both of those planets.
>>I’ll hav
e Jean get my ship ready.<<
You should take Loralei if she’s up and fighting again.
>>Yeah, because what I need is more ammunition to feed the SSE rumor mill. It’s a shark tank, Bethany Anne.<<
ADAM.
>>Yes, Bethany Anne?<<
You’re not making any sense.
>>Sorry, but you’re female. You know how terrifying you all are.<<
ADAM.
>>Yes, Bethany Anne?<<
There was a pause before she finished her thought.
Be careful out there.
High Tortuga, Space Fleet Base, Hangar 001, QBS G'laxix Sphaea, Twins’ Quarters
Michael put his head through the door adjoining his and Bethany Anne's quarters and told the twins, “I have to take care of a small matter before we leave. Would either of you care to join me?”
Gabriel shook his head, still absorbed in his artwork. “I'm good here, thanks.”
Alexis jumped down from her bunk and dropped her book on the nightstand. “What’s the problem? We're due to leave in an hour.”
“Not a problem,” Michael clarified. “We are collecting our final passenger. This shouldn’t take too long, and then we can be on our way to join your mother.” Michael withdrew his head.
Gabriel looked up, having gained interest for half a second. His head dropped a second later, however, his interest waning just as quickly.
Alexis half-jogged to catch up, falling into step beside her father. “Who is the passenger? I just checked with Phyrro and everyone is aboard already.”
Michael indicated a place farther along the long corridor that linked the series of almost identical doors. “Not everyone. There was a last minute addition to the list, someone who helped your Mom and I free some slaves not too long ago.” He snorted softly. “I suppose it would be more like ten years from your perspective.”
“Oh.” Alexis frowned and changed the subject. “Dad, is it weird for you and Mom that our ages are all messed up?”
Michael’s brow furrowed as he glanced down at his daughter. “How do you mean?”
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