After they finished the third round, there was a ten minute break. Anailu went looking for Snow to meet her in person, but she was disappointed. Snow was one of the three new players who were participating remotely.
From this point on, each recruit would be eliminated from the test once they were defeated in two rounds, while their opponents, who already outnumbered them, would keep coming back for more.
With each successive round, Snow kept destroying their opponents, Their opponents started trying to gang up on Snow and Anailu. Anailu needed every bit of skill she could muster just to keep up with Snow. By the sixth round, she was surprised that they both kept surviving.
In the seventh round, their opponents changed tactics. They were clearly avoiding Snow and Anailu, focusing on taking out the other remaining recruits. Once Anailu realized this, she told Snow. In response, Snow attacked even more aggressively, but it was too late. Their last teammate was eliminated before they could take out his attackers. Then everyone came after them, and they went down quickly.
After the seventh round, there was a very short break. One of the council members made an announcement. “Normally, we finish the Test in seven rounds or less, but this time, two of our new Bear Claws have made it through all seven rounds with only a single elimination. Congratulations to Snow and Greywind!”
He paused while the players in the room applauded. Then he went on. “That doesn't mean we are done. In the Bear Claws, we just take things up another notch. This time, it will be everyone against the two survivors, and I mean everyone. The rest of our new Bear Claws will be joining us in hunting them down. We get to have a Dogpile Round!”
With that, the eighth scenario started. Ten of their opponents were manning the guns of a massive dreadnought. Anailu and Snow knew they would be destroyed by a single hit from the dreadnought's cannons, with no chance to wear down its shields.
The one advantage they had was the play area, which was dominated by a dense asteroid field. Snow and Anailu immediately headed for its protection.
That didn't stop the rest of their opponents, though. They swarmed into the asteroid field, too. Now Snow and Anailu were on the run, jinking and dodging, using every trick in the book to stay alive, flying close to asteroids to keep as much cover as possible.
Then the dreadnought started pummeling its way into the asteroid field by blasting the rocks in its path. Anailu knew that it was only a matter of time before they lost any protection from the asteroid field.
When the dreadnought passed close to an especially large asteroid, Anailu had an inspiration. “Snow, use that big asteroid to get close to the dreadnought, then stick to it! They won't be able to shoot us there!”
She'd realized that the type of dreadnought they'd chosen didn't have a lot of close-in defensive turrets. It was focused on big guns which were good for attacking other large ships, or (in this case) destroying asteroids.
At first, Anailu wasn't sure that Snow had heard her, but in just a minute, they were zooming around a big asteroid that let them slide in right on top of the dreadnought. Now they were skimming along its surfaces, whipping past cannon emplacements that couldn't be brought to bear on them this close.
For a few moments, the attacks stopped, since the smaller ships didn't want to hit the dreadnought. Then the attacks came back with a vengeance. It was clear that their leader was choosing to ignore damage to the dreadnought, to focus on taking Snow and Anailu out.
Anailu saw that Snow kept taking them close to the cannon emplacements, but it took some time before she realized that Snow was doing it intentionally, using the enemy fire which was aimed at them to disable the big guns of their own dreadnought!
Fifteen minutes into the round, it suddenly ended. The captain of the dreadnought decided to call it a draw. All the main cannons of the dreadnought were disabled, so his planned tactic of destroying the asteroids would now take so long that it wouldn't be any fun; and the smaller ships still hadn't succeeded in taking out Snow and Anailu.
“Congratulations to Snow and Greywind for becoming the first ever Bear Claws to survive the Dogpile!”
Anailu was glad enough it was over; she'd been at her limit. As the other players came over to her station to congratulate her, she stayed seated. She was so wrung out that she didn't want to try to stand up.
Chapter 24: An Unwanted Proposition
Over the next few months, Anailu kept up her usual routine, but now with the added diversion of StellaTactics in the evenings. She spent more time flying with Snow. They became a good team by using the same tactics they'd used in the test: Snow took the lead and Anailu followed her. Anailu wasn't an artist like Snow, but she could mostly keep up. When Anailu suggested that Snow should become a real pilot, Snow just said, “Yeah, that's not gonna happen,” and wouldn't discuss it further.
Outside of StellaTactics, Anailu's didn't have much of a social life after Naomi had to leave early from her position as an assistant to Professor Untsala. She was called home due to some sort of “situation” with her family, but she was vague about what that situation was. They both promised to stay in touch. When she was leaving, Naomi made Anailu promise to let her know if she was coming to the Core Worlds. Her departure also involved hugging.
At least Anailu's professional life was looking up. With her pay from both the University and the Torrells, she was able to pay back her advance and get the most of the Queen's systems up to spec. The only systems not repaired were the main drives, the hyperdrive, the shields, and the environmental recyclers. The first two, of course, were dependent on finding or replacing the missing keystone parts. The third only mattered if she had the first two. The last one, the recyclers, would only be a concern if Anailu had a reason to spend an extended period with the ship completely sealed. The air storage tanks were good enough for short operations without outside air, and replacing the recycler system was expensive, so Anailu decided to leave it alone until she had at least the main drive fixed.
The drives and generators were all still using a little extra fuel, but it was pretty constant. For now, Anailu stopped worrying about it. She'd come to the conclusion it was one of those little quirks that showed up in ships as they aged. If she got the drive fully operational, then she'd think about overhauling the drives, which should correct the fuel usage.
Anailu had started saving up money toward her “Plan B” of traveling to the Core to find and purchase her missing parts, but she still spent the money to buy a top-of-the-line, very secure, personal comm which was sophisticated enough to support all the security options her ship's comm system could provide. She also bought an enclosed aircar – more of an airbike really, except with a little enclosed cabin with space in the back for cargo. In the long run, it was cheaper than renting a car every time she needed to go somewhere in town. It was more convenient, too. She'd chosen a vehicle just narrow enough that it could go up the ramp and pass through the main airlock. She felt that was more convenient than using the cargo lift or even the vehicle bay. It didn't take up much space, and she had plenty of that in the cargo bays.
About five months into the University contract, all the scan points were focused around the plateau above Arch Falls. After a week working on the plateau, Anailu got an evening call from Mr. Torrell, letting her know about a job coming up, just a month out. He gave her the dates: from the 11th to the 15th.
The next morning, Professor Untsala actually came out to the landing pad before they headed out. “I've got good news. We should be finished with our scanning before the end of this week. After that, I won't need you for the regular daily scanning, but I will still need you for one more trip a month from now, somewhere between the 12th and the 14th.”
“Oh, I'm sorry, professor, I already have a commitment from the 11th to the 15th.”
“No! I must have your ship on those dates. It's crucial!”
“I'm sorry, professor, I'm committed. Any other day is free, though. Perhaps you can reschedule your trip?”
&
nbsp; “I don't know! Oh, dear. This is just terrible. I'll try, I just hope they don't mind.”
The Professor left in a hurry, clearly agitated.
Two nights later, Anailu got another call from Mr. Torrell. “Sorry to do this, but our guests have rescheduled for the 15th to the 19th.”
“Well, that's great! Maybe now I can do that last trip for the Professor! I'll call him now.”
Anailu and Mr. Torrell said swift goodbyes, and Anailu was about to call the Professor, when she found that he was already calling her!
She answered, “Good evening, Professor, I was just going to call you. I've got good news, I've just heard that the trip for next month has been rescheduled, so I'm free from the 12th to the 14th!”
“Those dates don't matter now. I managed to convince my visitors to reschedule, so now I need you between the 16th and the 18th.”
Anailu was silent. Then she coughed gently. “Professor, would these visitors happen to have engaged a safari, previously from the 11th to the 15th, and now from the 15th to the 19th?”
“Why yes, how – wait, you don't mean...?”
Anailu sighed. “Perhaps it's best if I add my friend Mr. Torrell to this call.”
Once Mr. Torrell joined the discussion, it became clear that the safari was in fact being hired by the Professor's special guests. Mr. Torrell and the Professor discussed it and chose to stay with the new dates, since changing them back would require at least another two days for communications between Doran and the Capitol. Anailu guessed that the Professor was more concerned to avoid admitting a mistake.
The biggest complication was that the Professor needed to have the Beast along. Mr. Torrell discussed that issue with with the Professor as well, and they worked out a way they could share the Silver Queen.
Since she still had that last trip for the Professor, Anailu managed to wangle the use of the landing pad until then. It was a small thing, but Anailu was trying to save every penny she could.
When the time came for the big trip, they loaded the Beast one last time. It was temporarily placed back in Bay 2, instead of its usual position, since it would have blocked the cargo lift. Then the Professor, Petro, and a select group of assistants (which, sadly, did not include Naomi) came aboard for the trip to the Lightness and the Torrells' base. Positioning the Beast further back allowed the Torrells' cargo to be loaded, but more importantly, it allowed the Torrells' excursion vehicles to be unloaded, once they arrived at the camp above the Arch Falls. Only then was the Beast moved into position in Bay 1 and calibrated for the demonstration scans.
In the morning, after breakfast, Anailu flew out the Professor, his assistants, and his visitors, and the Professor gave his demonstration to the visitors. Now Anailu was even more certain the whole thing was more than just a research project, because all the positions they visited were on and around the plateau. Anailu was tempted to listen in on their conversation, but they had asked for privacy. The rest of the visitors stayed at the camp. Even the Professor's assistants had to wait in the lounge. Only the Professor, Petro, and a select group of his visitors were in the cargo bay.
By lunchtime, the demonstrations were done and they returned to the camp. After lunch, Anailu flew Petro, the Beast and the assistants back to town, while the Professor stayed at the camp with his guests. By the time Anailu returned, it was late afternoon.
When she got back, Professor Untsala and his select visitors were in a closed meeting aboard the Torrell airship.
In camp, there were rumors that Untsala had located some sort of buried ancient treasure or artifacts.
Once the meeting was completed and dinner was done, the visitors had a big party. During that party, Anailu had an unpleasant encounter with Count Forvallete, the obvious leader of the whole group.
She had been in the middle of a pleasant conversation with Petro. He was telling her the amusing story of a prank he had organized while in college, involving 500 meters of purple silk, fifteen chickens, and a high-energy particle beam. The count and of his aides came up to them, and the count spoke to Petro. “Pardon me for interrupting you, Dr. Pahloti. You've met Mr. Barwohl, one of my engineers? He has some urgent questions about your scans. Would you mind speaking with him? It's important to starting the next phase of our research, and with the lag time between us and the Core, he really can't wait.”
Petro acquiesced, took his leave of Ana and the count, and left the room in the company of Mr. Barwohl.
As they walked away, the count turned to Ana. “You know, Captain, now that we happen to be talking, it strikes me that I might have a unique opportunity for you.”
He stepped close to Anailu, speaking in low, conspiratorial tones. “You mustn't tell anyone, but I am the head of a vital Imperial project to be based here on Doran. I will require the services of a personal pilot, and who better than such an attractive, talented pilot as you, with such a beautiful ship as yours? The compensation would, of course, be generous, but more importantly, it would give you very private access to me.”
For a few moments, Anailu considered the possibility of flying the Queen for Count Forvallete. She'd never really been interested in working as a chauffeur, but some captains made good money with that sort of work. Then the rest of what he'd implied hit her.
Is he really saying that?
The thought boggled her.
A wealthy, powerful Imperial count from the Core. Why would he be interested in me? More importantly, why would he think that I am interested in him?
What was more, Anailu could see the countess not ten feet away, talking to another person. How arrogant did he have to be, not just to ask, but to ask in that way, and with his wife right here? Did he think Anailu was some sort of social climber, just looking for an opportunity to jump in the sack with him?
Hell, no!
If this was a spaceport bar, she'd be ready to knock his block off, or provide him with a well placed kick to his family jewels. Since this was a party in polite company, she couldn't indulge in those responses.
“Thank you for your generous offer, Count, but I'm currently engaged in a long term contract. When it's complete, I will be putting all my effort into getting my ship, the Silver Queen, fully operational. Now if you'll excuse me, I have duties I must attend to on my ship.”
As she gave her reply, she realized it wasn't the most politic way to answer, it was as nice as she was willing to be right now.
“Captain, I am most disappointed, but I understand. Have a pleasant evening.”
As Anailu turned to leave, she glanced back at the count. For a moment, she thought he looked almost gleeful, but that didn't make any sense. Anailu said her goodbyes to the Torrells and went back to the Queen.
Anailu thought back on the encounter. Mrs. Torrell had warned her that a certain segment of the elite on the Core Worlds had very permissive ideas about sexual relations. Miss Prithers had included training on “dealing with unwanted advances”, but Anailu hadn't been prepared for the count's astounding arrogance.
Chapter 25: Stopped
The next day was a typical safari day by the Arch Falls, with the Queen staying at the upper campsite until the afternoon, then shifting to the lower campsite. There was a formal dinner that evening, but Anailu had no contact with the count.
In the morning, the ships flew east into the desert and landed in the path of a sandstorm. This was intentional; it was an opportunity to see and hunt the golden sandharn, which only rose from beneath the sands during sandstorms. The winged creature flew tethered to its underground lair like a kite, with the largest specimens flying as much as 300 meters up. Though they were fixed to the ground, they were very mobile, and the weather conditions made the hunt difficult as well as dangerous. Even getting close enough to sight the sandharns was difficult. Only experienced pilots flew the small hunting cars in the turbulent winds. The hunters kept the cars closed until they were ready to take their shots.
The airship and the Queen were sealed up, so the sand wasn't
an issue for the passengers who stayed inside. There was even a rigid tube extended from the airship and sealed to one of the Queen's passenger lifts so people could travel between the two ships without suffering the effects of the storm.
Outside, the sandstorm raged. But in the Torrells' luxury ship, the passengers were insulated from the power and violence of the storm, The ship was so well built that no sound or vibration came through, leaving only darkness and the sight of the sand lashing against the viewports under the external lights of the ships.
Most of the people who weren't out hunting or observing the sandharns were in the main salon of the airship. When the Torrells' staff biologist began his usual talk about the desert ecosystem, Anailu decided it was time to return to her ship. This wasn't her first trip out here, and she'd already heard his lecture more than once. On the way out, she paused to chat with Mrs. Torrell for a minute, then continued to her ship through the connecting tube.
As Anailu walked alone between the ships, the desert wind rose and fell outside, carrying with it a rush of the sand pummeling the tube. Rationally, she knew the fabric was strong enough, but it was a reminder of the force of nature outside. She was glad to reach the Queen's passenger lift.
When she exited the lift on the Queen's upper deck, she was surprised to see Count Forvallete, standing alone in the lounge, looking out at the storm. Every time she had seen him before, he'd been surrounded by sycophants and servants.
He turned around with a smile. “It's so good to see you, Captain. I'm just admiring the storm and its power. Won't you join me?”
“I'm sorry, sir, but I have my duties to attend to.”
The count walked toward Anailu where she stood at the lift. “I hope my previous offer did not offend you. I understand some people value their independence.”
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