“Thank you, ma’am,” she said simply.
Sara turned back to the tank and examined the box containing the core. It was nearly identical to the one she had taken from the vault on Colony 788, but the lights around the edge were green instead of blue. She saw the scanner pad at once. “Here goes nothing,” she murmured as she pressed her thumb to the pad.
A green line rolled down the screen, scanning her. What it was scanning, she was not sure; she didn’t know what a thumbprint could tell the machine if it didn't have a database of people to connect the print to, but it did its magic, and the lights running around the edges of the box turned from green to blue.
Sabine gave a shout of triumph. “Now we’re cooking!” he yelled. His eyes were scanning left to right as he tried to read everything on the screen as it scrolled by. “It worked. Everything beyond basic systems is coming back online. Aether Amplifiers, thrusters, weapons, Aether cannons…” He read out each system as it booted up.
Sara was only half paying attention to him, watching Cora for any sign of life. She wasn’t sure what she would see, considering Cora’s body had been asleep since they first took command and initialized the tank, but she watched closely anyway.
“Her brain waves are returning to normal,” Teichek said, eyeing the readings. “She should be waking up any second.”
Sara held her breath, the moment drawing itself out like the pregnant pause of a bad actor.
Just as Sara opened her mouth to ask Teichek what was happening, Cora’s body spasmed. Her arms and legs jerked out as the muscles became rigid and tight. Her eyes snapped open, and she took a deep lungful of the fluid she was suspended in.
Sara leaned against the glass, her hands pressed flat to the cool surface, not knowing if Cora was in trouble, or if this was part of the process. Cora’s eyes rolled in her head until they caught Sara’s. The twins stared at each other until Cora’s lids became heavy, and her arms and legs relaxed. Then she drifted back to her normal fetal position, and her eyes closed once again.
“Is she okay? What happened?” Sara asked, panic in her voice.
“I’m fine. Why? Did something happen? Wait, Sara? How did you get here?” Cora said over the speaker.
Sara nearly sobbed in relief. “Oh, man. Do I have a story for you.”
Cora was quiet for a breath. “Holy crap. It worked.”
“What worked?” Sara asked, confused.
“The core. I know what happened.”
“You mean the battle?”
“No,” Cora said. “I mean I know what happened to the ancient humans. I know how we got to Earth.” She paused. “The core downloaded all kinds of information into my brain. It’s like I have memories that aren’t mine. This is going to take some getting used to.”
Sara was relieved that Cora was awake again, but she didn't know if she liked the idea of the core implanting memories in her sister of its own accord. “Are you okay? It didn't hurt you, did it?”
Cora thought about it for a second. “No. It didn't hurt me. I’m just going to need a little while to get my head straight.”
The tension in Sara’s chest finally let go. “Good. I’m going to contact the destroyer in orbit and have them tow us back to Sol. I don't want you doing anything ‘til we are in safe space. Do you hear me? Nothing.”
Cora’s light laugh gave Sara a boost she didn't even know she needed. “I hear you, Captain. I won’t do anything but organize this mess in my head.”
“Good. We’ll talk later. For now, I need to get that destroyer on the horn.”
3
The Raven bumped up to the hard point on the destroyer Regis, and the ship shuddered slightly as the docking clamps engaged.
“We have good connection, ma’am,” Ensign Connors said, releasing the thruster controls, and scratching at his short, auburn hair.
“The Regis is giving the green light as well, ma’am. They say they will be making for warp in seven minutes,” reported the ensign on comms.
“Thank you, Mezner. Let them know we are good to go on our end.” Sara sat down in her command chair and turned to Grimms, who was in the seat next to hers. He was going over something on his tablet, as usual. “I’m not used to the slower speed the rest of the fleet travels at. This ought to take a while.”
Grimms gave a grunt as he switched off the tablet and joined the conversation. “They’re estimating three days. The fleet has some upgrading to do when we get back.”
Sara smiled. “Thankfully we’re one step closer to getting the tank systems online. I have a feeling with the cores we have, making more is just around the corner. Though, I think Cora’s going to be too busy learning what her new capabilities are to be teaching anyone anything, so they will be on their own in that respect.”
“True enough. I’ve already begun setting up a series of tests for her, to be completed when we get back to the Sol System. It’s going to be an interesting few weeks,” Grimms said, patting the tablet.
Sara gave him a smile. He does like his procedures.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, as the timer that Mezner had put up in the corner of the viewscreen counted down to warp.
Alister jumped up onto Sara’s lap and bunted her chest with his head, wanting some attention. She began roughing him up with both hands, ending with him curled in her lap while she spanked him rather vigorously. Sara could feel through the empathic connection that he loved the treatment, though his loud purring was also a good indicator.
Grimms raised an eyebrow at her handling of the small, black cat, but said nothing.
“What? He likes it. He’s a weirdo like that,” she said, giving her familiar’s belly a scratch.
“If you say so, ma’am,” the commander said with a smile.
Sara was having a difficult time coming to grips with Alister being a pixie. She knew he was a man, but he was also a cat, and liked to do cat things. She would never even consider doing this to him when they met in the Aether, but here and now, he was having the time of his life. The next time they spoke, she would have to bring it up. At least he seemed to have dropped the morose mood he had picked up after the battle. He was probably just happy they got out alive.
The counter was down to three minutes to warp when she turned to Grimms again. “So, about Boon.”
“Hmm, yes. Boon. She’s an interesting case,” he said, readjusting in his seat to better look Sara's way.
“I had no idea she was a mage,” Sara said, resting a hand on Alister, as he purred with his eyes closed.
Grimms took a breath. “She’s not. She has some abilities, but never went to the academy, or had formal training of any kind. She came out of one of those religious compounds in western North America. They were not so keen on the idea of magic, and forbade anyone from using it. In her record, she stated that as soon as she turned eighteen, she left and joined the Navy. She told me that she was thinking about becoming a mage, but wanted to wait ‘til her tour was over.”
“So how did she have enough power to handle a core?” Sara asked, half to herself.
“It must have to do with her being a twin,” Grimms mused.
“She’s a twin?” Sara asked, eyes wide in shock.
Grimms frowned. “Yes, but her sister died when they were children.”
Sara leaned back in her chair, trying to work it out. If being a twin is the only stipulation to handling a core, then my having Alister had nothing to do with it. It was enough that I was a twin, because ships utilizing a core would recognize that authority. But Boon couldn’t initialize the core for Cora because it needed to be done by her twin, so it could recognize the bond between us. That’s why I needed to be the one to initialize the final boot up.
Sara sat up, “Wait. We’ve been thinking about this all wrong. Cores are artifacts for twins; it makes a lot more sense than requiring a War Mage on every ship. Or maybe Boon has the potential to be a War Mage, and the core somehow recognizes that.”
Grimms’ eyebrow rose onc
e again, “If the core can recognize the potential, that would mean that being a War Mage is somehow genetic, not a matter of practice.”
Sara leaned her chin down on a palm, lost in thought. She got an idea.
“Do you think I should teach Boon the Familiar spell? We’re going to need War Mages to win this war, and so far, we don't know how to find them. I’m going to present the spellform to the UHFC in my debriefing, but you know how long they can take to make decisions.”
Grimms considered this before replying. “I agree that we will need War Mages. I just don't know that I like the idea of making them without approval.” He weighed his next words. “However, if she were able to do the spell and become a War Mage, we as a ship would be able to operate at a much higher potential. And you haven’t been forbidden from teaching anyone.”
“That’s because they don't know it’s an option yet. I just came into my powers yesterday,” Sara said, giving him a sly glance.
“Like I said; they haven’t ordered you not to.”
Sara nodded. “You have the bridge, Commander.”
Grimms gave a salute and a smile. “Aye, ma’am. I have the bridge.”
Sara got up, dumping Alister to the floor, where he stretched before following her off the bridge.
“You wanted to see me, ma’am?” Boon said from outside the open door of Sara's cabin, standing at attention.
Sara looked up from her tablet, where she had been doing some reading on Alicia Boon and her particular circumstances. Sara stood up from the couch and indicated the small table and four chairs, where she normally had her meals. “Would you like to take a seat, Alicia?” she asked, using her first name to let her know this was not a formal meeting.
Boon, however, didn't seem to understand the gesture, and stayed at attention. “I’m fine, ma’am. I wouldn't want to be an imposition.”
“Boon, get in here and close the door. This is not a formal meeting. I want to talk to you, and I need you to be honest with me,” Sara said with a sigh. She walked over to the small liquor cabinet and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of something clear. After a moment’s consideration, she put the clear liquid back, and took out a brown one with a grin.
Boon stepped inside, and with the press of a button, the door swooshed closed. She drew a breath and took a seat at the table, not knowing what to expect.
“Why are you so nervous? We see each other every day. You’re my cabin girl, for crying out loud,” Sara teased, taking the seat opposite Boon and pouring a few fingers into each glass. She slid one across and indicated to the girl that she should drink it.
Boon, not knowing what else to do, sipped at the whiskey. She made a face that told Sara Boon was not a drinker. Then Sara remembered that the girl was only twenty, and—being the by-the-book kind of person she was—she’d probably never had liquor.
Sara smiled. This is going to be easy. “Drink it all. That’s an order. Do it in one gulp, it helps with the taste.”
Boon took a few breaths, and stared at the brown liquid like it was going to bite her, but she did eventually down the stuff. She even managed not to cough up most of it.
Sara grabbed a napkin from the small shelf of utensils above the liquor cabinet and threw it to Boon.
“Thank you,” she said, wiping the whiskey from her chin, and dabbing at the spot on the leg of her battlesuit.
Sara felt a little bad and gave her water to wash down the taste. “So, Grimms tells me you are thinking about becoming a mage?”
Caught off-guard by the question and the effects of the whiskey, Boon stammered, “Oh, uh. I guess so.” She wiped at her pants a second longer before her face turned red and she blurted out, “Uh, ma’am.”
“What are your plans to make that happen?” Sara asked, taking a sip of the whiskey herself. She licked her lips in appreciation. It was no craft beer, but still pretty good.
“Oh. Well, I was planning on testing into the academy when my tour finished.”
Sara could see that the flush on Boon’s cheeks had not abated, and figured the alcohol was loosening her up. “Your plan is to wait two years and then try to get in? Then what, serve another eight years in academy training?”
“I guess so. It’s not like I have anything else going in my life. I assume you read my file, and know that I don't exactly have a home to go back to,” she said, sipping at her water.
“Hmm,” Sara mused, squinting at the small, blonde woman. “What would you do with your power? The Marines is the most likely place for you, but there are positions on the larger ships, like the destroyer that’s towing us home. Would you be interested in either of those?”
Boon took another sip of water, thinking it over. “I would do whatever they needed me to do, but I would hope it was something that made a difference. You know, really help people. Like a medic.”
“Could you fight, if you needed to?” Sara asked, getting to the meat of her query.
Boon didn't hesitate this time. “Absolutely. The Teifen have shown us that they are incapable of mercy. We need to fight to keep ourselves safe.”
Sara nodded. She liked Boon—had ever since the girl had served her first meal on the ship. “Did you see what I did on Colony 788?”
Boon’s eyes widened. “Yes, ma’am. Some of the Marines had video from their Aether suits. You were incredible.”
Sara bit her lip. She didn’t want to scare the girl by telling her how close she had come to killing her own troops. It was a balancing act; on one hand, she was scared of what a War Mage could do on a rampage, but on the other, she knew humankind would never survive the war without more of them.
Maybe Boon’s temperance will serve her well as a War Mage. If she becomes one. Sara wanted to know more. “What would you do with the kind of power I have?” she asked the slightly swaying woman.
Boon gave a laugh. “I would take the fight to the Teifen. Make them understand that humans are not just going to stand by and be annihilated.”
Sara leaned back in her chair, sizing Boon up. Alister jumped into her lap and regarded Boon as well, his yellow eyes just coming over the table’s top.
Sara looked down at him. “What do you think? Should we let her give it a try?”
Alister looked up at her so his face appeared upside down. “Merp,” he said with conviction.
“Yeah. I think so too,” she agreed, giving him a pat. She looked up at her cabin girl. “I have a proposition for you, Boon. How would you like to skip the whole training part, and become something better?”
Boon squinted one eye. “Skip it? Like, become an engineer or something?”
Sara laughed. “I was thinking more along the lines of a War Mage.”
Boon’s eyes went wide, and she hiccupped.
4
Sara rubbed at her sleep-deprived eyes, fighting off the urge that Alister had succumbed to hours ago. The little shit hadn’t even tried to keep her and Boon company.
Sara had to smile at the little black cat, though. He was curled up in a ball, breathing slow, deep breaths. He was too cute by far.
One of Alister’s ears twitched, and Sara rolled her eyes. “You little faker.”
“What? I’m not faking it. This spellform is unbelievably complicated,” Boon half-whined, thinking Sara was talking about her. She was sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor, showing no signs of fatigue.
Sara chuckled. “I was talking to Alister. He’s faking sleep.”
Boon’s mouth opened in an ‘O’ as she breathed out with understanding. “Sorry. I’m a little on edge. I don't know how you did this without help; I can barely cast a normal fire spell. I just wasn’t trained for this,” she said, leaning over her tablet and looking at the 3-D models of the spellforms for the hundredth time.
“It was hard, but I’ve been practicing spellforms my entire life. This isn’t supposed to be easy; in fact, it’s supposed to be nearly impossible. From what I can tell, War Mages were rare.”
Boon let out a breath, blowing a str
and of blonde hair that had come loose sometime in the last few hours away from her face .
Sara had started by explaining what a War Mage was. She’d given Boon the small amount of history she knew, which was not much, but Sara's own abilities were all it had taken to convince Alicia that she wanted to be a War Mage. Sara explained that she might not be able to cast the spell at all, but the girl had said she would try until it became obvious she was unable to do it.
People make all sorts of promises to themselves, ‘til the real work comes and smacks them in the face.
Oddly enough, when Sara mentioned that a Familiar was the basis of a War Mage’s power, she was unable to tell Alicia that they were also actually pixies. It was as if there was a block in her mind, a gag.
I’ll have to ask Alister about that next time we meet in the Aether.
“What makes you think I have the ability to become a War Mage in the first place?” Boon asked, raising her arms above her head in a stretch.
Sara considered this. Rationally, she knew it was because Boon had been able to handle the core, but that could have just been because she was a twin. The reality was that Sara just had a feeling. She couldn't explain it, but it was there.
“I don't know. There’s just something about you. Chances are you’re not a War Mage, but I figure it’s worth a try.”
Cora’s voice cut into the conversation from the speaker in the ceiling. “Actually, the chances may be higher than you think.”
Sara sat up excitedly. “Cora! How are you feeling? Back to normal? Shit, it’s good to hear your voice.”
Cora laughed lightly at Sara's exuberance. “I feel great. Sorry I’ve been keeping to myself, but I had to get all this new information sorted in my head. The core downloaded a lot of history into my brain, and I’ve been struggling to make sense of it. We have a lot to talk about.”
“Hang on, I need to get Grimms in here. He should hear this,” Sara said, tapping her comms and connecting with Grimms.
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