Alexis took her time with the answer. “Well, Gabriel and I were talking last night about how you and Mom see this world and the game world as completely separate, so to you, we've only been alive for nearly six years. But we’ve experienced fourteen.”
Michael pointed to the next door along. “I have not given it much thought. You and Gabriel are simply teenagers now. I have lived long enough that a mortal lifespan passes in an instant,” he snapped his fingers, “and yet to some of our friends, even we are like mayflies.”
“Mayflies?” Alexis asked.
Michael nodded. “Earth insect. They live their entire adult lives in just a few hours. My point is that when you have a span of centuries instead of decades in front of you, a few years here and there is arbitrary as long as you are living them to your best ability.”
Alexis tilted her head, standing aside for Michael to verify his identity for the door. “I don’t get it,” she admitted with more than a little frustration.
Michael smiled fondly. “You will in time.”
Alexis huffed. “Why can’t we use the Vid-doc to fast-forward to then?”
Michael’s smile widened. “Because that would be cheating, wouldn’t it?”
She made a face. “I suppose so.”
Michael laid a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “It was okay when it was necessary to save your lives, but living inside the game world is not an option for the rest of your life.” He pushed open the door and they entered an office that looked down on one of the hangars.
Alexis dismissed the aversion she had for the crowd below. Instead, she looked over the rows of ships. “They’re coming in on a public transport?”
“You are made entirely of questions today, Alexis.” Michael held the door until she was through and then ensured it was locked behind them. “Stay close.”
Michael led Alexis to the floor below and around the edge of the crowded docks to another office, where he instructed her to wait outside for a few moments while he spoke to a pair of people wearing loose-fitting shipsuits whom she identified as Guardians.
Alexis reluctantly took a seat on a bench made for the four-legged outside the door, next to a Yollin who looked just as happy to be outside the office as she was. She turned around on the padded seat to face the window and kept her eyes on her father, thinking to lipread what he was saying.
Michael spotted her attempt and raised an eyebrow. He waved a finger and the window blind snapped down abruptly, making both Alexis and the Yollin jump.
“Dammit,” Alexis muttered softly to herself. “How am I supposed to find out what’s going on if he keeps figuring out I’m listening?”
The Yollin chuckled. “You could always ask me,” she offered. “Since I’m the one they’re talking about. Might as well get used to this translation software they put in on the way here.”
Alexis turned on the bench to get a better look at this Yollin they had sidetracked for. “You’re the mystery passenger?”
The Yollin nodded and turned to face Alexis. “The name’s K’aia. What’s yours, and why are you with Michael?”
“I’m Alexis. You know my dad?” She lifted her feet onto the bench and crossed her legs to get comfortable. “Tell me how you ended up here. Where are you from?”
K’aia looked at the door of the office where Michael and the Guardians were, discussing her like some adolescent who hadn’t been taking care of herself since forever.
“Oh, they’ll be ages,” Alexis assured her with a wave. “And I really am interested. Dad told me you helped him and Mom free some slaves?”
K’aia shrugged. “I was one of those slaves until about a year ago. I escaped and ran into your parents, and we all freed the rest of the slaves in the mine.”
“So that’s how they know you,” Alexis wrapped her arms around her knees and leaned in to listen. “Tell me everything. What are you going to the Helena for? Are you here to fight in the war?”
K’aia nodded. “If I can.”
Michael’s shadow crossed them. “I have a more suitable role in mind for you, K’aia. That is, if my wife agrees and if you wish to take it on.” He looked distant a moment. “However, the ship will leave without us if we remain here talking.”
Alexis jumped up from the bench. “Yeah, no. Let’s go before that happens. I want to see Mom.”
Kael-ven did not leave without them. Michael walked briskly ahead while Alexis and K’aia followed, chatting as girls did—in his limited experience.
Michael received another message from Kael-ven as they boarded. “Alexis, I’d like you to show K’aia around the ship. Take her to her quarters and then get settled in.”
Alexis nodded and smiled at K’aia. “I’d be happy to. How many Gates away is QT2?”
Michael rolled his eyes in amusement. “More questions? Save them for later. Kael-ven needs me on the bridge.”
“This is the weirdest day,” K’aia confessed once Michael had left.
Alexis looked at her potential new friend. “In what way?” She gestured to K’aia to follow her in the opposite direction.
K’aia shrugged. “Just… I’m on the G’laxix Sphaea, one of the most famous ships in the galaxy. I definitely didn’t expect your parents to take time for me personally.” She snorted. “I still think of your mother as the Empress, and yet here I am.” She raised her hands and turned her upper body to indicate the corridor.
“If you’re here, it’s because you deserve to be. My parents don’t have time for hangers-on.” Alexis shook her head earnestly. “I hope you didn’t call my mom ‘Empress’ to her face.”
K’aia nodded, her eyes wide. “Oh, that was exactly what I did.” She broke into a chuckle. “Believe me, she set me straight on that pretty much as soon as I met her, but she is still the Empress to me.”
They got into the elevator side by side, and Alexis gave the level she wanted.
Alexis grinned at K’aia. “We will go to your quarters, but I’m going to introduce you to my brother first. Otherwise, he’ll just complain for the next hundred years that I left him out.”
K’aia nodded. “That sounds good, but it’s been a long day. Can we do it quickly?”
Gabriel was packing away his art supplies when Alexis and K’aia reached the twins’ quarters. He was more than surprised to see a Yollin he didn’t know come in with Alexis.
Alexis jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “This is K’aia. She’s the mystery passenger traveling with us to the Helena.”
Gabriel nodded. “Hey, I’m Gabriel. Where are you quartered?”
K’aia shrugged. “I just got here. I have no idea.”
Gabriel made a face. “That won’t do. You should feel at home. Phyrro?”
“I was about to do that!” Alexis exclaimed.
K’aia looked from Alexis to Gabriel. “Do what?”
Phyrro’s avatar appeared on the wallscreen. “How can I help?”
Alexis flicked her hair back over her shoulder. “Phyrro, where are K’aia’s assigned quarters?”
Phyrro looked off to the side for a moment. “K’aia is quartered in the suite next to this one.”
Alexis clapped her hands and bounced on the spot. “Great! That means we can hang out.” She spotted the signs of exhaustion on K’aia. “After you’ve eaten and rested. How does that sound?”
K’aia nodded, a touch of her exhaustion creeping through her tough facade. “That sounds like the best idea anyone has come up with ever.”
Michael opened his link to Bethany Anne as he left Alexis to help K'aia settle in.
My love, I have retrieved our young Yollin friend and we are on our way.
I can’t wait to see you all. There was concern in her voice. How is K'aia? Sabine’s call made it sound like she was in need of help.
She's flighty, Michael reported. She needs to spend some time with people who give a damn before the urge to run fades in her.
She's been through hell, Bethany Anne murmured. I wish we could have done more for her the first ti
me we met. We'll do what we can to help her recover.
I've made a step toward that already. Our daughter was taken with K'aia almost immediately, so I had ArchAngel put her in the room next to the children.
Good thinking. She hesitated. You don't think K'aia is too old for Alexis and Gabriel?
I think the three will do each other good. Alexis and Gabriel need to develop friendships outside the family as much as K'aia needs the security of friends she can rely upon. Besides, it can’t hurt that our little Yollin is fierce as a box of kittens, despite her attempts to appear otherwise.
I don't know, I liked how she fought. What does that have to do with this?
You were considering assigning a guard detail to Alexis and Gabriel, Michael reminded her. K’aia’s thoughts were clear on her earning a place here if she was to have one at all. Would it not be ideal for the three to form bonds while they are still young?
Bethany Anne loved it as a solution. Dammit, will you stop being right all the time? How am I supposed to maintain my position as your better half if you keep showering me with wisdom that’s actually…I don’t know, wise? You're killing me here.
Michael chuckled dryly. That would be like asking water not to be wet. If you wanted incompetence in a man, perhaps Bobcat would have been a wiser choice of husband?
I can't believe what I'm hearing. Bethany Anne couldn’t believe the audacity of the man. Then again, she couldn’t say she didn’t like it. Just wait until I get my hands on you.
Michael’s voice was silk over their link, a caress in her mind. I am anticipating it already.
Chapter Eight
QT2 System, QBBS Helena, Meeting Room
Bethany Anne adjusted the placement of her feet on the large conference table. Her fingers drummed a rapid tattoo on the arm of her chair to match the angry beat of her heart against her ribcage, her lips pressing together in a tight line as she regarded the holomap above the polished stone.
Seven Ooken worlds. Seven.
That fucking number was taunting her and her failure to bring her vendetta against the Kurtherians to a satisfactory conclusion.
Right now all she had was the possibility of a lead waiting for her at the end of this war. Granted, it was a very high possibility, not to mention that the task of removing such a serious threat was a necessary one.
The question was how to best apply her assets to the problem to get the most efficient result in the shortest amount of time. She sat up and brushed off the table where her feet had been and resumed her tapping while she worked on the solution.
Bethany Anne's concentration was broken by the arrival of her husband. She looked up as Michael entered the meeting room, savoring the little jump her heart did whenever he came into her presence.
Michael brushed his lips against her cheek as he placed a takeout cup on the table. “The children are settling in well. I thought you’d appreciate some time to arrange your thoughts before the briefing.”
Bethany Anne looked under the lid and smiled. “As much as I appreciate that you knew I was thirsty.” She replaced the lid and sipped her Coke through the straw.
Michael scrutinized the map. “We’re up to seven locations?”
“Mmhmm.” She put the cup on the table and waved a finger at the map. “The sixth is confirmed, and the seventh we’re almost certain about.”
Michael took the seat beside Bethany Anne. “Could one of them be the homeworld?”
“I really fucking hope so,” Bethany Anne shrugged, “but I doubt it. ADAM and Loralei have gone out to confirm it, one way or the other. Kael-ven left with him on the G’axix Sphaea after you guys got here with instructions to get whatever they can get on the third planet.”
Michael pointed out the largest of the marked planets. “That’s this one, with the highest population density?”
Bethany Anne nodded grimly. “It looks to me like they settled that planet first, then spread out. I think that’s the one with the biggest likelihood of giving us a lead to the homeworld. If not, then we just keep on kicking in doors until we find it.”
“I would expect nothing less from you.” Michael took her hand. “Of course, we can always hope for a favorable resolution.”
Bethany Anne squeezed his hand in return. “Fucking right we can. I never give up hope. But we are also smart enough to prepare for the worst, which is why I’m having Jean and Qui’nan step up fleet production here after we leave.”
Michael's brow furrowed. “So Bart has been holding out on you.”
Bethany Anne dropped his hand and narrowed her eyes at him. “You knew?”
Michael lifted a shoulder. “I knew he was up to something. This makes perfect sense.” He was silent a moment. “But we know he wouldn’t hold back without a good reason. Will increasing production cause a bottleneck?”
Bethany Anne sipped her Coke, putting her annoyance at not having already resolved this aside to be realistic for the moment. “Not anymore. The station is complete near as I can tell, and the drain on resources from supporting so many people will ease as soon as we leave with the fleet.”
Michael nodded. “I’m not even going to question the need for expanding so rapidly.”
“Oh, it's completely necessary.” A sad smile touched the corner of Bethany Anne's lips. “Given the information that’s been coming in from the scout fleet these last months, I don’t think we can be overprepared.”
Michael leaned forward, steepling his hands on the table in front of him. “It’s the numbers, right?”
Bethany Anne nodded. “The damn numbers. Seven planets, various population levels on each. There are too many Ooken to fucking count, so it would be beyond stupid not to be cautious.”
Michael had no argument with that. “Agreed. So what’s your plan?”
Bethany Anne tapped a finger on her lips, turning her attention back to the map. “The biggest challenge here is managing the expansion of the fleet in a sustainable way. As for the Ooken, I want to know what they know, then I want them wiped out before they even know we’ve been there.”
Michael looked up as familiar presences tickled his awareness. “We have company.”
Bethany Anne's eyes flicked from the map to the door. “Mmhmm. I heard them too.”
John was first into the meeting room. “See, I'm here on time, Boss.”
Bethany Anne raised her eyebrow. “Good thing, or push-ups on the table would have been your reality for however long this meeting takes.”
John hid his smirk as he made his way to his chair.
Darryl, Eric, and Scott filed in behind him with the usual shenanigans, followed by Gabrielle. Jean and Qui’nan arrived a couple of minutes later, accompanied by Admiral Thomas and Giselle.
Jean grumbled something about this not being what Bethany Anne had promised. She slid into her seat as Akio and Eve slipped through the door.
“This is exactly what I promised,” Bethany Anne sighed with exasperation. “If you stop bitching for ten minutes, you’ll find out.” She waved a hand and the holomap winked out of existence. “Now that we’re all here…”
“Why are we all here?” Jean asked, a little more congenially this time.
Bethany Anne leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. “You, Giselle, and Qui’nan are here because you’re responsible for this part of space while we’re gone.”
Giselle raised a hand.
Bethany Anne anticipated the question on Giselle’s lips. “You will take care of the people and the station while Jean and Qui’nan take care of things like defense and expanding the fleet,” she narrowed her eyes at Admiral Thomas, “in the fastest sustainable time.”
Admiral Thomas shrugged. “Consider us even, and next time you build a ship I can’t find, please don’t.” He pretended not to see the glare she shot him. “It didn’t occur that the first time you did that, we almost lost you?”
Bethany Anne's face softened when she saw glances of agreement pass around the table. “You can all save your conce
rn. I have one focus and one only—eliminating the Ooken on my way to the Kurtherians.”
She got to her feet, her hands remaining on the table. “This has gone on long enough. I want to go home. We have an opportunity to move closer to that goal, and there’s no fucking way I’m going to let it pass. Neither am I going to stand for any species that thrives on the misery of others.”
“Isn’t that two things?” Scott asked, flashing his dimples. There was a sparkle in his eyes.
Bethany Anne returned his grin with a hard smile. “You know, I think I’ve been going too easy on you folks. A training session is just what we all need.”
“Seconded,” Michael agreed as everyone else groaned. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “In the meantime, what are we going to do about the Ooken? We’re in the same situation as we were nine months ago. We have the means to blow their planets to dust, and they have both the information we’re looking for and the numbers to make us reticent about kicking in the front door to obtain it.”
Bethany Anne sat down again. “I agree completely, so we’re going to take a similar tack here as we did on the first splinter world. If it’s not broken, then it doesn’t need fixing.” She held up a hand before anyone could object. “Same plan, with some adjustments.”
Her fingers began to tap on the table again. “We’re going to split into teams, each with someone who can protect the rest from mental manipulation. But honestly, I don’t expect there to be a need for it.”
“Why not?” Eric asked. “I’m not going to lie. As much as I wanted to be there for Peter, I was relieved you benched us the last time.”
Bethany Anne’s face was hard as stone. “I’m not expecting there to be a need because our objective is to get into the administration centers for our assigned colony, and that is all we are going to do. No big stands, no heroics. We go in, get our hands on every bit of information we can find, and get the fuck out.” She clenched her hands into fists, fighting to keep her emotions under control. “I will never put any of you in a situation like we had with the grubs again. This universe would be too small to contain my grief if anything happened to any of you.”
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