“My apologies, your Highness. In the heat of battle, I forgot to assign you companions. I will have Sareet and Fromin join you after we are done speaking with Colonel Grimms,” Sir Reitus said, stroking the prince’s hair in a familiar way.
The two were obviously close; at least, the guard acted close to his charge. Grimms could not tell if it was genuine, or simply part of protecting the prince.
Protection comes in many forms, the colonel considered. I need to become more familiar with the Elif’s culture, if we are to be working this closely with them.
The prince finally released Sir Reitus, and stood tall in as regal a pose he could muster, then faced Grimms. “I thank you, Colonel Grimms, for the assistance. I fear what could have happened to me if you were not close by.”
Grimms, not knowing what else to do, gave a half-bow. “It was no trouble, your Highness. We ended up dealing the Teifen a grand blow, so I consider the task well worth the effort.” He cringed inwardly, realizing his words could be taken badly, but pushed forward in hopes it would slide. “Your Highness, I have a few questions I’m hoping you can answer for me.”
The prince stepped back and sat on the edge of the bunk, the only seating surface in the cabin, and reached up to tug at his ear, but stopped himself. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve instead, and put on a brave face. “Of course, Colonel. What can I answer for you?”
Grimms crossed his arms, his default posture when processing information. “We don't have any direct intel on the attack on Effrit. Can you tell me what happened, from your perspective?”
The prince swallowed, staring off into the distance for a few seconds before beginning. “I was with my magic tutor when the alarms went off. I didn't know what was happening until a servant came and told us that the Teifen had warped their entire fleet into the system, and that the Navy was under attack. He said he would take me to my ship, so I followed him to my family’s dock.” He fell silent, as if considering saying more on the subject, then rushed on just as the pause became obvious. “Then Sir Reitus showed up with a bunch of the guard, and they took me onboard the Empori. We took off and were attacked once we were in orbit, but we were able to go to warp and escape. Then you found us,” he said, smiling sheepishly up at Grimms’ gruff expression.
He was lying about something, or at least leaving something out, Grimms was sure. “The servant that brought you to the Empori, is he here with you?”
The prince’s face flushed at the question. “No. He said he would stay behind to help protect the palace.”
Grimms scratched his beard, considering, then gave the prince a warm smile. “I thank you, your Highness. I hope your stay with us is not too troublesome. We should be arriving at Earth soon, and you will be delivered to your embassy there.”
The young Elif stood. “Thank you, Colonel. I shall let them know that you treated me kindly,” he said with a bow of his head.
Sir Reitus bowed at the waist, and Grimms followed suit, not knowing the proper etiquette but figuring a bow never hurt.
“I will send you companions soon, your Highness,” Sir Reitus promised, then he opened the door, allowing Grimms to exit first.
Back in the corridor, Grimms walked in silence while Sir Reitus made arrangements for the prince’s companions. The servant was key, but Grimms was having trouble guessing how. The problem was that he had no perspective of Elif politics.
“What can you tell me about the events?” Grimms asked Sir Reitus, when he had finished with his orders.
Sir Reitus took a breath. “I was alerted of the attack just before the palace alarms went off. We had a training exercise in the yard, so I was on the other side of the palace from the prince. We track all the royal family members with devices implanted in their wrists, and I could see that he was heading for the dock, so I grabbed the men on the practice field, and we rushed to meet him. When I got there, he was standing at the base of the yacht’s ramp, and a servant was rushing out through another door. The rest happened just like he said; we took some damage, but were able to escape with a well-timed warp.”
They came to the bridge, and Grimms led him to the ready room, closing the door behind them.
“Did you recognize the servant?” Grimms asked, pouring coffee for himself, and tea for the Elif.
Sir Reitus thanked him and took a sip of the tea before answering. “Now that you mention it, I did not. However, I was not paying that much attention to him, and there are a lot of servants in the palace. You think the servant may have placed the tracking device?”
Grimms blew out a breath. “Someone did. And by both your accounts, the prince was off-planet before the Teifen got into the palace.” He paused, figuring out how to best word his next question. “You’ll have to forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject, I mean no offense, but are there Elif that would help the Teifen take over Effrit?”
Sir Reitus’s eyes became hard. “Elif and Teifen relations are difficult to comprehend sometimes. The first thing you need to consider is that both empires are vast, covering several hundred star systems, in the case of the Elif, and several thousand in the case of the Teifen. When you have that many people, the edges of the empires begin to get…” He considered his words. “Blurry.”
“So the systems on the edge are less loyal?” Grimms asked to clarify.
“I suppose you could call it that, but I would argue that it’s more a question of survival than loyalty. On the edges, things don't come as easily; it’s a hard life out there. The Elif and Teifen empires share borders where star systems held by each side are close in proximity. Those systems will trade with one another for survival.”
Grimms raised an eyebrow. “They trade? As in, they have professional relationships with each other?”
“Yes. Despite the highly aggressive nature of the Teifen, they are still a people that need to survive, just like you or I. Most of their aggression is concentrated in the armed forces, or closer to the governors and emperor. For the most part, they are just people, trying to make it to the next day. I say all of this to make it clear that there is not a hard line between our people. It is possible that a Teifen sympathizer could have gained entrance to the palace.”
“Interesting,” Grimms said, sipping his coffee.
After a minute, Sir Reitus said, “You told the prince we were heading to Earth. It was my understanding that we were first stopping in a system to make sure the Teifen were not following us.”
“Yes. I was just letting him know that it wouldn't be long,” Grimms said, not wanting to reveal his and Cora’s plan to find out if there was a traitor onboard.
“Very well. If there is nothing else?” Sir Reitus said, standing to go.
Grimms glanced at the clock, noting there was still half an hour before they’d reach their destination. “Actually, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to hear more about this edge culture of Teifen and Elif.”
Sir Reitus sat back down. “Of course, Colonel.”
24
“What is this?” Boon asked, waving a hand through Alant’s figure, making it warp and blur where her hand interfered.
Alant didn’t answer. In fact, he didn't seem to react to Boon in any way.
Sara stepped forward and saw that his eyes followed her. “What are you?”
“I am all that is left of Alant. A program, built to transfer knowledge to the next generation.” He waved a hand at Sara. “And here you are.”
“So, you’re an artificial intelligence?” Boon asked; again, Alant didn't answer.
Sara rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. “I think it only responds to the one that activated it,” she said to the others.
“That is correct. This program will only recognize its user,” Alant confirmed, answering her unasked question.
“Okay, this isn’t going to be annoying,” Sara grumbled, but continued before he could make a comment. “Are you an artificial intelligence?” she asked, echoing Boon’s query.
> “No. The Sentience Act of 638, following the Artificial War, forbade the creation of artificial sentience or programs that are able to act independently.”
Sara’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit. The machines really did try to take over.”
“Correct. The Artificial War started when several super intelligences were created, and gained independence of manufacturing in the year 612. The—”
She cut him off with a hand gesture. “Stop. While that sounds like it will be incredibly interesting, we don't exactly have time for a history lesson right now.” She looked around at the piles of dirt and abandoned park buildings. “Can you refresh the air in the ship? It would be good to get out of these suits.”
“Of course,” Alant said, giving her a smile that creeped her out a little.
The air began to stir, starting as a soft breeze that quickly intensified. Dirt and dust was kicked up into swirling clouds, only to be sucked upward into unseen vents.
Sara stumbled back a step as a hard gust of wind hit her, knocking her off balance. “What the fuck are you doing?” she yelled over the howling wind.
“Refreshing the air to be breathable, as you asked,” Alant said, cocking his head to the side. “Do you wish me to stop?”
Sara checked on Boon, Baxter, and the familiars, but they seemed to be dealing with the winds without too much problem. “No it’s fine. How long will it take?”
The wind died as she asked, and returned to a soft breeze. “I am finished. The air will continue to recycle till the Exitium is shut down again. Would you like the rest of the systems brought back online?”
Sara checked her suit’s readout and saw that the air was now breathable. She blinked a few times to be sure her eyes were not tricking her. “How did you convert the air in here so quickly? There must be millions of tons of it to exchange.”
“The ship was designed to re-pressurize after a breach in the shortest amount of time possible. Exchanging the air is part of the same process. The Exitium was designed to be efficient in times of trouble.”
Sara double-checked the readout on her suit, and decided to give it a try. She sent a mental command, and the faceplate opened with a hiss and slid to the top of her head. She took a few deep breaths; the air was crisp and clean, if not smelling a little of dust. She sent a second command, and the whole suit opened up, letting her step out. She stretched, reveling in the feeling of freedom.
Boon did the same, stepping out of her suit to stretch her arms above her head with a squeal. She lowered the shield bubble and let it fade when it touched the ground, freeing the familiars. Alister immediately jumped to Sara’s shoulder and rubbed his face on her cheek. She gave him a scratch under the chin.
“Aren’t you coming out, Baxter?” Boon asked, pushing her hips side to side, stretching them.
“No. One of us should stay suited, just in case,” he said, still checking the rest of the area for danger.
Sara chuckled to herself quietly, but he had a point, so she didn't give him any shit. Besides, she could feel his concern for her and Boon’s safety, and it warmed her heart to know he cared so much.
“Go ahead and get the rest of the systems online, Alant. While you’re doing that, maybe you can answer some questions,” Sara ventured, stepping up to the podium.
“That is why I am here; to answer your questions,” he said helpfully.
Sara considered her questions and ordered them in her mind. “First, how did this ship end up on Earth, and where did the humans that were already here come from?” Ever since she and Cora had discussed this ship, the fact that there were already humans here had intrigued her.
“We knew that the Elif were going to betray us to the Teifen—there was far too much pressure for them not to—so we prepared in stages. The first stage was to outfit four of the dreadnoughts for colonization. This ship and three others were selected. We selected four planets we knew were unknown to any of the other races, far from their spheres of influence. But before we could even re-outfit the ships, the Elif struck.
“Two of the dreadnoughts were caught in the battle, unable to escape to their new homes, while the Exitium, and Clipeum were successful in their retreat. However, we did not have the resources onboard to provide for an advanced colony. We arrived here on Earth and found that it had been colonized by our ancestors, long before faster than light travel had been discovered; the people who had come before us were from a sect of humanity that, for religious reasons, forsook magic and their connection to the Aether.
“Upon our arrival, it was decided that integrating with our now primitive human ancestors was our best course of action. It let us hide ourselves from the Aether and therefore become more difficult to detect. We built our society out here on this peninsula, and called it Alantis, after me and my brother.
“We soon discovered that a meteor shower was coming that would influence the climate and start melting the great ice floes. We calculated that Alantis would sink into the ocean, and we took this as a sign to abandon the old ways and merge with the human societies that had established themselves here. So we edited our genome to repress our Aether receptors, and went out to live amongst our predecessors.”
Boon had stepped up next to Sara during the tale. “Holy shit, Captain. Atlantis was real? This is too much.”
Sara laughed. “Really? We’re mages who are able to fight off starships, and this is too much for you?”
Boon shrugged. “I mean, Atlantis? Come on.”
“Look around, Boon. This had to get here somehow. Why not call it Atlantis?” Sara asked.
“I guess,” Boon said, shrugging. Then she hopped up and down a few times in excitement. “Does that mean we’re Atlantians?”
Sara frowned. “I don't think so. If we are, then so is everyone else, at this point.”
Boon frowned, then grinned. “Fuck it. I’m calling myself an Atlantian.”
“You do you, Boon,” Sara chuckled.
25
“We have arrived in the Sol System. We ask that our Elif guests prepare for departure to the embassy,” Cora announced over the ship’s intercom.
Several Marines were stationed throughout the ship, watching their guests—not interfering, but being sure to catch any odd behavior. Grimms had ordered them to look for any Elif that sought out privacy when they reached their destination. The crew had been informed that they were going to make a decoy stop, to test if any of the Elif were sending signals to the Teifen.
On the bridge, Grimms sat in his command chair looking at a view of the Sol System, faked for the sake of their guest, Sir Reitus. The view swung around to show that they were in a high Earth orbit. They went through the motions of approaching the orbital space station that served as the launch point of all Navy personnel.
“How long has it been since you were home?” Sir Reitus asked, making small talk with Grimms as the crew went through the motions. He was standing beside the colonel in a parade rest stance, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Only a day or so. We were testing a few new systems when we picked up your signal. In truth, we still have a few tests to run after we drop you and your people off,” Grimms said, having trouble with the deception.
While he and Sir Reitus were talking in the ready room, Cora had contacted him through his comm, letting him know her plan in detail. She was going to drop them out of warp in the uninhabited system they were currently headed for and fake the readings to show they had arrived in Sol. She had informed the Marines and the bridge crew of the deception, and told them to look for any transmissions or odd behavior from the Elif. She was not convinced the tracking device on the prince’s yacht was the only thing the Teifen had planted.
Grimms agreed, but had to keep a straight face as he and Sir Reitus continued their conversation. Grimms knew he was a terrible actor, but was relying on the fact that Sir Reitus had never met a human, and therefore wouldn’t know how to recognize one’s odd behavior.
“Anything, Mezner?” Grimms
asked, wanting this to all be over.
Mezner looked a little surprised at his question, and flicked a glance in Sir Reitus’s direction before saying, “No, sir. Nothing yet.”
Grimms stroked his beard distractedly, watching the faked image of his home begin to grow as they ‘approached’.
“It is a beautiful planet, Colonel. It reminds me of Effrit long ago, before the city began to cover the continents,” Sir Reitus said, seeing the way the blue and green planet reflected the sun.
“It’s a good planet. We want to keep it. Other than three small colonies, this is our entire presence in the galaxy. It’s a vulnerable place, protected by its anonymity more than its Navy,” Grimms said. He worried he might be laying it on a little thick, but he also believed what he was saying, more than he liked to admit.
Sir Reitus nodded. “I understand the feeling. Losing Effrit was a blow the Elif may not recover from, and we have a thousand worlds to fall back on.”
Grimms thought about what a thousand planets would mean for a fighting force. “How can there be no Elif ships left? If there are a thousand worlds in the empire, shouldn't there be the makings of a fleet? They were not all in the Effrit system, surely.”
“They were not, but the leadership was. The Teifen governor that was leading the war on behalf of his emperor must have been monitoring us much closer than we thought; they waited to strike until there was a meeting of the High Council and the admirals. We had nearly ten thousand fighters in the system when they attacked, but the Teifen flooded in with three times our number. Though they took heavy losses, in the end, they were too many and far too aggressive for us to stop them. There are still small Elif fleets that were on other missions throughout the empire, but their home leadership is smashed. The garrison of ships the Teifen left behind will take a large force to defeat, though, and it will take time for the remnants of the Elif navy to organize,” Sir Reitus said, his eyes hard, and his slim jaw set.
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