She took a knee and pulled Alexis and Gabriel close, inhaling deeply to fix their scents in her mind. It was hard to leave them again so soon. “I wish I could take you both with me.” She kissed them all over their faces. “My delicious ones.”
“Yuck, Mommy,” Gabriel protested, squirming in her arms and swiping his arm across his face. “You don’t have to make a big deal out of it. You’re only going for a few days.”
She blew a soft raspberry on his cheek and released him. Alexis scooted into the space Gabriel had vacated and wrapped her arms around Bethany Anne’s neck. She laid her cheek against her mother’s. “Don’t worry, Mommy. Daddy will take care of us while you’re with Grampy.”
Bethany Anne looked at Michael as she stroked her daughter’s hair. “That’s what I’m worried about, sweetie.”
Alexis giggled. “Daddy’s not going to lose us.”
Bethany Anne laughed. “I guess not.” She picked up her luggage in one hand and pointed at Michael. “Remember, no dinosaur hunting.” She blew them all one last kiss and was gone.
Alexis ran straight to Michael and turned her shining face up to him. “Are we going dinosaur hunting, Daddy?”
Michael smiled enigmatically. “That species’ name actually translates as ‘Moving Mountain.’ Nothing to do with dinosaurs, really.”
Alexis gave him a hard look. “That’s a technicality.”
He nodded. “Yes, my sweet girl. Yes, it is.”
Gabriel huffed. “So are we hunting the big lizards or not?”
“No,” Michael told him.
Alexis made a sound halfway between disappointment and indignation. “Why did you answer Gabriel so simply? You could have just told me instead of making me sift through your substitution… No, that’s not right.” She looked up at him. “Your subtext.”
“Subtext?” Gabriel frowned. “All he did was tell you the name of the alien dinosaur.”
Alexis shrugged. “Word positioning is important.”
Michael smiled to himself at the proof his assessment had been right.
“Because your brother does not require the teaching of nuance just yet. He would take the subtlety and run with it.”
“Like you are?”
Michael chuckled. “You are your mother’s daughter, Alexis. Gabriel has different strengths.”
Gabriel frowned. “Huh?”
“It would go over your head right now, son.”
Gabriel folded his arms and stuck his chin out. “So what? Just because she’s taller than me, it doesn’t mean I can’t jump high enough and catch it.”
Michael ruffled his son’s hair. “I know you could, son.” His eyes glinted when he considered his plans for his children.
If Bethany Anne would have seen him, she might have thought he was about to cheat somehow.
Devon, First City, Main Strip, Bar
Sabine whooped and kicked a bowl of something vaguely peanut-looking into the Krenlock’s eyes before it could grab her legs. She followed through with a swift kick to the face and turned her attention to the door as it opened and another group of wannabes came in looking for trouble.
“Hey, Ricole, we have fresh meat,” she called.
The Noel-ni flashed a sharp grin at the newcomers. “Leave your weapons at the door, and you’re welcome to join in.”
The group of seven protested. One raised his weapon but jumped back when it flew from his hand. He looked up at the bar, where Sabine kissed the barrel of her Jean Dukes Special and winked at them. “Weapons at the door, boys. Otherwise, you stand and watch while everyone else has fun.”
Five of the seven stripped their weapons off and handed them to the two who chose to remain as spectators.
“Fine choice, gentlemen,” Sabine called to the two. “If fighting’s not your game, how about a little bet?”
Above High Tortuga, Repurposed Leath Ship
Bethany Anne looked around the stateroom and wrinkled her nose. “It’s not exactly G’laxix-Sphaea-class comfort.”
Jean dumped her bags and turned to Bethany Anne. “It’s close enough, right?”
Tabitha went over to look in the fridge. “You have to admit that Leath tech is some of the best, besides the Empire’s.”
Jean grinned. “That was why I made sure to have this baby stuffed with all the goodies.” She flopped down on one of the couches and put her feet up with a long sigh. “This is the most well-earned vacation I’ve ever taken.”
Gabrielle came in at the tail end of Jean’s statement. She pushed Jean’s feet aside and sat next to her. “You’ve taken a vacation before? Funny, I didn’t think you even knew what the word meant.”
Jean scowled and put her feet back up. “I’ve taken vacations.”
Tabitha came back from the fridge loaded down with a little of everything. She sat on the couch opposite and pointed the piece of fruit in her hand at Jean. “It doesn’t count as a vacation if you take your work with you.” She bit into the fruit. “Take a leaf out of my book. The only thing I’m going to break on this trip is the bank.”
Bethany Anne grinned. “You and me both. I can’t wait to see what’s changed on the Meredith since we were last there. A bit more than four years is a long time.”
“Ooh, new boutiques,” Gabrielle cooed. “I know for a fact there’s a new shoe designer you’re going to just love.” She leaned over and whispered, “Meredith told me about them.”
“Maybe…” She held up one foot and examined the wrought metal heel of her pump. “I’m definitely looking forward to expanding my footwear selection.”
“Don’t forget all our old favorite haunts as well,” Tabitha reminded them. “You know I sent my orders ahead as soon as I found out we were heading home. My ass deserves custom leather and fine dining.”
Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get noticed.”
Jean turned to Bethany Anne and rolled her eyes. “You know, it’s a good thing we brought that extra storage cube after all,” she admitted. “Glad you made me see sense.”
“Don’t try to pull that with me. I know for a fact that at least a third of that cube will be taken up with tech when we leave.”
Jean laughed and held her hands up. “I’ll plead guilty in advance.”
Tabitha’s shoulders shook with amusement. “So where are we headed first?”
“Family time first,” Bethany Anne confirmed. “Then we go shopping.”
She grinned. “And then we dance.”
Chapter Eleven
High Tortuga, Space Fleet Base
John was standing on the other side of the door when Michael answered it. “You’re early.”
John grinned. “Couldn’t wait to see how Daddy Vampire was coping without any women around to hold his hand.” He peeked inside. “Huh, you don’t have them stuck to a wall.’”
Michael resisted closing the door on John. He stepped back to let him enter the residence instead. “Daddy Vampire is managing just fine, thank you.” He gave John a pointed look. “May I remind you of the first time you were left alone to care for Lillian?”
The children arrived, saving John from further embarrassment.
Alexis let out a happy little squeal when she saw that her favorite uncle had arrived. “Are you coming on the adventure with us?” She waved an imperious finger at him when he nodded that he was.
John looked aside at Michael as he knelt obediently for Alexis to scramble onto his shoulders. “I thought BA nixed your field trip plans?”
Michael shook his head. “I had something planned for that eventuality.” He turned to the twins. “Have you got everything?” Satisfied that they did, he swept them toward the door.
Alexis was as curious as ever. “Where are we going, Daddy?”
“That’s what I want to know,” John agreed.
Gabriel held Michael’s hand and looked up at his father with trust. “Whatever we do, it will be fun because Mommy’s not here to say Dad’s going too far.”
John snorted behind
them. “From the mouths of babes.”
Scott and Darryl joined them as they made their way to Michael’s office. Eric was waiting outside when they got there.
“Is there anybody else who wants to join us?” Michael asked dryly.
“Just us guys,” Scott answered. “Sabine probably would, but she’s off-planet. I think she wants to know if you have it in you. Oh, and Jacqueline would as well, and I suppose…”
Michael held up a hand. “That’s enough.”
Eric shrugged. “We all had to see how this was going to work, I guess.”
Michael led them inside, taking the turn to the wing that was still under construction as far as anyone else knew. He ducked through the plastic sheeting into the corridor beyond. “This way,” he told them, disappearing through one of the doors.
The room beyond contained a small seating area and four devices that looked like Pod-docs. The entire back wall was given over to a screen, and there was a console beneath it.
Alexis bounced around on John’s shoulders until he put her down and ran over to investigate. “They look more like Pod-docs than the IRT-Pods in the nursery.” She turned around and tried to raise one eyebrow, but both went up. “What do they do?”
Michael nodded. “These are something a little better than the interactive recreation training tool. This is the next-level IRT, the Vid-doc. It’s an immersive experience instead of merely being interactive.”
Gabriel’s face lit up. “VR?”
Alexis was less than impressed. “Oh, it’s just a game. That’s so Earth tech, Daddy.”
Michael opened the lid of the Vid-doc and swept a hand over the inside. “Are you sure about that?”
Alexis held onto the side and pulled herself up on her tiptoes to peer inside. “Oh!”
“’Oh,’ indeed.” Michael smiled. “Do you want to play a game?”
Scott leaned over to Eric. “Yes, thermonuclear war.” Eric grimaced, “What, too soon?”
Eric and Darryl chuckled.
Gabriel was already trying to get into the Vid-doc nearest him. John lifted the door and gave him a boost. “I want to play!”
Alexis narrowed her eyes for a split second.
“There are options?” Gabriel asked.
His exclamation stole Alexis’ thought. Suddenly interested, she pulled herself up the side of the Vid-doc with some difficulty.
Michael offered his hands as a step when her foot slipped, but she waved him off and clambered up. She sat astride the lip of the Vid-doc as though it were a mountain she’d conquered and flopped over onto the soft pad inside. “I can do it by myself. See?”
Michael smiled and reached for the door, hesitating a moment before he closed it. “Just remember, you will feel pain during the game. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.”
The twins laughed as one.
“Don’t be silly, Daddy,” Alexis told him. She activated the game menu and began to scroll through the options Gabriel had been so excited about a minute ago.
Gabriel lay back as John shut the Vid-doc door. His muffled little boy voice called, “Dinosaur Island? Alexis, let’s play that one first!”
Alexis selected the option on her menu. “Let’s do this!”
Annex Gate, Repurposed Leath Ship heading to Yoll System
Tabitha looked behind her, eyebrow raised. “And we had to spend hours crawling through this Gate line because…”
Bethany Anne sighed. “Because—for the hundredth time—if we Gated straight to Yoll from High Tortuga, any shady little pirate or anti-Federation fuckwit with the right equipment could follow the trail straight back to the place where my children are.”
Tabitha huffed impatiently. “I am aware of that. I just want to be done with this already.” The clearance to cross came through just then, and Tabitha whooped. “At last! I thought we were going to die of old age before we got out of here, and my lady bits would dry up.”
“As if,” Gabrielle smirked.
The Leath ship emerged on the Yollin side of the Gate, and Tabitha groaned loudly when she saw the slow-moving queue they were about to join. “Oh, just kill me now. I mean it! I’d rather die a quick and painless death than spend the rest of my life wasting away on this ship waiting for whatever the fuck it is that we’re waiting for.”
She turned to Bethany Anne. “What are we waiting for?”
“For me to be informed of your arrival,” Meredith chimed from the speaker. “Welcome home, my Queen.”
Bethany Anne smiled warmly. “It’s good to hear your voice, Meredith. It’s good to be home, even if just for a little while.”
“It’s wonderful to have you here. Will you allow me to bring you in?”
“Of course.” Bethany Anne pushed back from the con, and the ship rose up out of the long line and sped straight toward the center of the Empire she’d built from nothing except her will, her friends, and plenty of gumption.
And some alien technology.
Meredith brought them into Bethany Anne’s private dock, unused since her departure. They took what they needed from the ship and made their way to Bethany Anne’s transfer room.
Gabrielle looked around as they crossed to the hallway which would take them to Bethany Anne’s personal quarters, which had also been sealed on her departure. “It’s a little weird being back here. So many memories.”
Jean snorted. “We’ve only been gone for a few years.”
“That’s why it’s weird,” Gabrielle protested. “It’s like all that time this place was the heart of everything, and the base feels like…”
Tabitha put a finger to Gabrielle’s mouth. “Let me stop you right there before you make a huge mistake. If you say ‘another world,’ I’ll puke.”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “So dramatic. I was going to say ‘another lifetime.’”
Bethany Anne had to agree with that. It was another lifetime, just the latest she was living in a long succession of them. Was she still the same woman who had faced her mortality in a doctor’s office on Earth some two hundred years ago and told inevitability to go fuck itself? She thought she was, at the core.
As for the rest?
Change happened, and you had to roll with it.
High Tortuga, Space Fleet Base, Immersive Recreation and Training Scenario, Dinosaur Island
Alexis and Gabriel found themselves in a rough hut made out of plant materials. Alexis glanced around, dismissed the empty space, and went straight for the door. She pulled back when she touched the handle.
Gabriel, I felt that. She rushed outside and knelt to touch the ground. I can feel this, too.
Gabriel shrugged. So? This is virtual reality. It makes sense that we would be able to interact with stuff.
Dad said we would feel pain. I wonder how much we can be hurt. Slap me.
Gabriel rolled his eyes and hit her across the face with a ringing slap. He knew better than to argue with his twin when she had that focused look.
Her eyes opened, and she drew a hand to her face. “Not that hard!”
Gabriel snickered and quoted, “‘Word positioning is important.’”
“You’re an ass,” she complained, rubbing her stinging cheek.
Gabriel’s eyes widened. “You’re really hurt?” He slapped himself across the face just as hard. “Ow!”
Alexis rolled her eyes. “No nuance whatsoever.”
Gabriel didn’t hear her. He’d already wandered off to explore the area around the hut.
Alexis looked around. The jungle was almost familiar but different enough from the environment she was used to that it gave her a slight chill.
Gabriel paused with his hand on a tree and looked back at Alexis. “I wonder if we can get eaten?”
“Maybe I’ll get lucky and you can tell me?” Alexis snarked. She followed him into the tree line hesitantly. “Here’s a thought… What if Dad transported us to the southern continent?”
“He wouldn’t do that. Don’t worry.” He looked around and saw a fa
int path cut into the undergrowth. “Come on, this way.”
Gabriel’s hand found hers, and they set off into the jungle.
Eric and Scott winced when Gabriel slapped Alexis.
“I can’t believe you thought of this,” Scott told Michael.
Michael threw a piece of popcorn into his mouth and smirked as he chewed. “I figure it’s got to be worth a few years’ entertainment at least.”
John and Darryl returned with a couple of extra chairs from another room, and they all returned to watching the events unfold on the screen wall.
The children walked hand-in-hand into the jungle.
“They look so small,” Darryl commented.
Michael flashed him a wolfish grin. “Don’t be fooled by their size. My children are nobody’s easy pickings, even at this young age.” He looked back at the screen. “Although…they haven’t made the best start.”
“What do you mean?” John asked.
“They’ve taken the right path.” Michael shook his head. “But they missed the instructions.”
John raised an eyebrow, still watching Alexis and Gabriel’s progress through the jungle. A herd of small dinosaurs came into view up ahead.
Scott, Darryl, and Eric turned as one to Michael.
“You guys need to watch,” Michael told them. “I’m going to send one of you in as a consultant to advise…when it’s time.”
John dragged his gaze from the screen. “When will that be?”
Michael settled back to watch. “After their first deaths.”
Chapter Twelve
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Bethany Anne’s Personal Quarters
The General was waiting in the sitting room when Bethany Anne transported the four of them in. “Okay, now it’s weird.” She looked around at her old life and felt a pang of something she didn’t want to examine too closely at the moment. She shook her head and held her arms out to her father. “Hi, Dad.”
Lance hugged her tightly. “It’s so good to see you, sweetheart. How are my grandchildren?”
“Wow, not even a segue.” Tabitha snickered at Lance’s now-red face and waved for him to continue. “I’m kidding. Go ahead, get mushy. I need a shower and some clean clothes.” She grabbed her luggage in one hand and took it through to the bedroom. Lance looked at a suspiciously long and boxy bag she was carrying. “Is that…”
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