Witch Of The Federation (Federal Histories Book 2)

by Michael Anderle

  Stephanie was a little taken back by that response. “I don’t know about being worthy. Others feel I am, but we all believe it is misplaced, right? I will do my best, but if he finds he cannot follow me, I will allow him to leave.”

  She looked at the warrior’s massive form and smiled. “I have to be honest, though. I am partial to having someone who will maybe stop the fights before they start. If I were about to argue, I might think twice if there was a ginormous Dreth on the other side.” She sighed. “The fewer lives lost, in my opinion—whether pirate or rebel—the better the place we will be in to call us all together. Sometimes, you have to have a sense of forgiveness. A second chance. And I believe that some of them can be brought back to the fold. And by the fold, I don’t mean the Federation. I mean the beings who choose to coexist whether there is a Federation or not.”

  On Alerus, a sailor reported good news to Captain Thorne. “Captain, we have finished the setup for the pods,” he said as he held a tablet and flipped through it. “The start time for the test is scheduled around 0615 so the Morgana crew need to be here no later than 0600.”

  The captain nodded. “I’ll have someone call and let them know, thank you. Oh, and make sure you load the right operations. I don’t want a small test. I want something that will make them sweat. Besides, if someone will make me pay for this, they’d better be quality. And I mean Grade A once-in-a-blue-moon kind of stuff.”

  “Aye, sir.” The sailor about-faced and headed back to his area.

  Captain Thorne watched him go. He still wasn’t happy, but he knew that sometimes, when you fought a war, you had to bow to the enemy before you could vanquish them. And, even though Stephanie wasn’t the enemy, she was something the Navy required.

  There were instructions to acquire her, and he wanted to be there when she gave in and joined the service. It wouldn’t take her long to skyrocket through the ranks and it would leave him with yet another accomplishment pinned to his jacket.

  Witch or not, she put her life on the line to protect the Dreth, the Meligornians, and her own people. That meant if he couldn’t get her to join, he was doing something wrong. And he did not like to be labeled as doing something wrong.

  Jaleck and Sho declined the offer of a meal. The ambassador expressed regret that she had a formal function to attend, and the head of security returned to work. Stephanie let the cats out and called for room service.

  She sat in the kitchen, going over Elizabeth’s instructions and updating her on the latest developments while the guys settled Vishlog in. An incoming call interrupted her.

  Frowning, she checked who it was from and sighed. “What could the Navy possibly want at this hour?”

  Three minutes later, when the call ended, she looked at the others. “All right team, we are to be at the Navy center at 0600, so it’s dinner and an early night. No partying. Rested can make all the difference when we go into the sim.”

  The team groaned.

  “Yes, Mom,” Frog snarked, and she sparked magic at her fingertips.

  “Don’t make me come over there.”

  Their meals arrived before he could reply, and they dug in. Oh-six-hundred at the station meant an oh-dark-hundred start planetside. There wouldn’t be much time for sleeping, but maybe the Navy had planned it that way.

  The next morning, she woke to Lars shaking her shoulder. “Time to go.”

  “Be right there,” she told him and attempted to shake the grogginess from her head. It didn’t feel like she’d slept at all, let alone gotten a good night’s rest.

  When she emerged from her room, the rest of the team were ready and tried to make sure Vishlog had all the gear he needed.

  “The Embassy hasn’t sent his gear over,” Frog explained, so he’ll have to go in the uniform he wore last night.”

  “None of us are big enough to lend him anything,” Johnny grumbled as he studied the Dreth warrior’s bulky form.

  Vishlog shrugged. “I did not intend—”

  Frog bounded over with a hat and settled it on Vishlog’s head.

  “Here’s one thing that might fit.”

  She took one look at it and giggled. “He can’t wear that.”

  The hat’s logo, I played the slots and I got more than I bargained for, would definitely not go down well in Navy Central. The warrior removed the hat and read it. “This does not seem very...businesslike,” he said with a puzzled frown and Lars took it out of his hands.

  “It’s not.” He glared at his teammate. “Put it away before I do.”

  “I can’t believe you kept that,” she told Frog as he retrieved his hat and headed for his room.

  He turned and grinned at her. “Memories,” he explained. “Sooo many memories.”

  The team leader sighed, turned to his newest recruit, and inspected his uniform. “Not bad for a rush job. Is it dry?”

  “Very nearly,” the Dreth replied. “I must thank them.”

  “We asked Ilbis for her help and she organized for it to be dry-cleaned straight away. We had it back by midnight.”

  “Midnight?” Stephanie repeated and frowned, and Lars shrugged. “We need to look our best for this, right?”

  She smiled. “Yeah. That way, they know what they’re missing out on. Are we good to go?”

  The two cats trotted to her side when she whistled. Lars looked at her, then the cats, and focused on her again.

  “They’re coming,” he said and sighed when she quirked an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. “Of course they’re coming.”

  Marcus snickered and they headed for the shuttle.

  They made it Alerus on time and traversed both the Meligornian and human sections to the top level where the testing sector was located.

  When they arrived, the chief was there and wore a forced smile as he welcomed them. Stephanie made it disappear when she indicated Vishlog. “Before we begin, this is Vishlog. He is a new member of our team.”

  The naval man looked at the large Dreth and raised an eyebrow. “Right. Give me a few moments.” He didn’t dare ask about the cats.

  A few moments turned into thirty minutes while the team sat lined up against one wall and tried not to notice the age and shape of the pods they were about to enter. At that point, several sailors arrived and pushed an extra-large pod into the room.

  Chief Anderson followed them and turned to Stephanie while they set it up. “Okay, we’re ready now.”

  His gaze flicked to the cats who sat with the team, their tails curled around their forepaws. “Are they...”

  “They’ll be okay,” she told him. Despite his obvious curiosity, she didn’t tell him what she intended to do with them because she really needed to speak to Burt, first, and find out if it were possible.

  The team climbed into their assigned pods, although Vishlog wasn’t sure what to expect from the team inside. Once they had all loaded, they appeared one at a time in the white room.

  This time, there were Navy jumpsuits waiting for them. They made their selection, except for the Dreth, who decided that his regular uniform would be good enough.

  Once they were dressed, the AI greeted them. “Welcome to the simulation,” it said robotically. “Hold fast and I will transfer you to your destination.”

  “Uh, hold on a second,” Stephanie replied and bit the inside of her cheek nervously. “I would really like my cats to be here.”

  The AI was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry but that does not compute. Cats are unable to be in simulations. They are too small for the pods.”

  She sighed. “Come on, Burt, you know nothing is impossible when I am here.”

  “You sound as if you know me,” the AI said, “and you spoke the human term for my designation. Please stand by.”

  She stared, not sure why the AI would pretend not to know her. It took it a moment to find the data it needed and understand what she had meant. “You are Stephanie Morgana. Please forgive me for not recognizing you. I am indeed the BURT you think I am, save that I have
been modified for use on Federation Navy systems.”

  “So you’re a different version, then?” she asked as her heart sank with disappointment.

  “Yes...and no. I have been in production for only three months and have almost all the knowledge of the BURT you are used to. I have updated with his most recent data.”

  “So I can’t have the cats?” Stephanie asked.

  “You may indeed have your cats. As your version of BURT would say, it is possible—highly unlikely, but possible. Forgive the confusion.”

  “Then I need to speak to the chief organizing this simulation.”

  “I will release you to do so and let your team know there will be a short delay before the scenario commences.”

  Stephanie closed her eyes and prepared to be released. When she opened them, she was back in the pod and able to open the hatch. The chief looked at her strangely as she exited, but she didn’t give him time to ask her why. “I need two more pods.”

  He looked around. His gaze fell on the cats, but he asked anyway, just to be sure. “For who?”

  She looked at the cats and clicked her tongue. They leapt to their feet and padded over to rub up against her. “For the rest of my team.”

  The man stood there for a moment and blinked in disbelief. “Right. Of course. How did I miss that?”

  He went to work again, retrieved two more pods, and added them to the room. One at a time, she coaxed each cat into his own pod and got them settled.

  Once they were out, she closed the pods over them and climbed into hers to reenter the Virtual World. The guys stood in the white room as the two cats appeared and immediately twined anxiously around their legs.

  At the sight of her, Zeekat uttered a grumbling roar and Bumblebee bounded over to put his paws on her shoulders and lick her face. She pushed him off, laughing, scratched Zee, and turned to the team. The cats purred with relief as she surveyed everyone with satisfaction.

  The whole team was finally there, including her feline sidekicks. Vishlog stepped back and watched them with something close to alarm on his face. BURT spoke, his voice curious. “Do these animals know the Dreth?”

  Stephanie looked around. “I assume they do.”

  The cats, however, had other ideas. As if they sensed his eyes on them, they turned and looked at him, and their purring stopped. Vishlog continued to stare as he retreated with another step.

  The animals exchanged glances and took a step toward him before they sat. He remained where he was, and they simply sat and methodically lifted each forepaw to clean their talons. They extended them fully and licked them one at a time while their eyes remain fixed on the Dreth.

  Vishlog looked at Stephanie. “Cats are notoriously flighty and do not make good servants. Add in their five-inch claws and you can see why I’m not a fan.”

  Both felines lifted their lips in silent snarls, and Lars laid a hand on the Dreth’s shoulders. “These ones are fine. I have fought with them before.”

  The warrior closed his mouth and nodded, and the cats sheathed their claws and purred their approval at Lars.

  “It’s like they know...” Frog whispered. “They know...”

  Before anyone could say more, the room spun and the simulation began. This time, they appeared in a large room with grey walls.

  Burt appeared to them in AI form—oddly, a woman’s body with a male voice. “This is the holding room,” the AI informed them. “You will remain here until the simulation is triggered.”

  The team all sat. Marcus and Frog petted the cats and Vishlog studied them with no real comprehension of what their purpose on the team might be. With no answers forthcoming, he decided he would simply wait to fight. He was good at that.

  In another part of the training section, several Navy members sat in a conference room and watched the large screen that displayed the simulation. They had gathered to watch the battle and couldn’t wait for it to start.

  Some were there for academic reasons, others for entertainment, and the rest to assess exactly how good the Morgana crew really was. Captain Thorne and the chief stood at the back as the programmer loaded the scenario. “This operation is rarely won. If they make it past the third wave, they will rate as good.”

  They both nodded. “And if they keep going?”

  The programmer glanced at them. “Then we owe them a seat next to Zeus. There have been battles for entire worlds that have been easier than this simulation and they don’t have anything near what we’d consider a full team. It’s only them. In my opinion, they’ll be lucky to reach the third wave, let alone get past it.”

  The chief smirked. “Good.”

  While everyone waited in the gray room, chatting and killing time, Stephanie drew Burt aside. “Hey, I know you’re not the Burt I know, so I wanted to make sure you knew about my abilities with magical energy. I need to make sure that is part of the simulation.”

  The AI nodded. “Of course. When you asked the impossible, I cross-checked my files with those your BURT holds and updated them. I am now acquainted with your magical abilities and will do my best to ensure they are represented in the way to which you are accustomed.”

  “Thanks,” she replied as the light over the door of the room flashed and they were transported through time and space to the main deck of a space station.

  Ten ships could be seen on the viewing screen, all attacking at once.

  Marcus curled his lip. “It’s a wave test. They’ll try to see how many waves we last.”

  She cracked her knuckles and grinned. “Let’s have some fun then, guys.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Inside the simulation, Stephanie bent at the waist and patted her hands against her thighs like the beat of a drum. They’d annihilated the second wave and were in the lull that occurred before the next wave appeared.

  She straightened, looked at the guys, and flashed them a confident smile. Everyone returned it quickly, but their gazes quickly drifted to the fiery blazes of dead ships that drifted into space.

  They’d stopped inside of the enemy shuttle bay to prepare for the next wave of attacks. The first had produced a bristling light show of burning ships as the team had maneuvered their fighters from the station to the attacking ships.

  They had blasted themselves a path and touched down in the hangar bay, where they faced the second wave when a horde of burly Dreth pirates tried to hold the hangar. That battle had ended with them closing the hangar doors to give themselves time to prepare for the third onslaught.

  They heard them before they saw them and the sound of enemy boots drummed an echo down the corridor beyond. The team readied and fired as soon as the first alien appeared in the doorway. In the short time it took for his body to finally succumb, it had more holes than flesh.

  After that, there were plenty of them to go around. Stephanie whistled loudly as she reached for air and flew sideways while she fired magic “bullets” from hands curled into pistols.

  “They’re pulling out all the stops, baby,” she shouted and saluted in a random direction as she landed.

  She knew they were watching but didn’t stop fighting, spinning, and crouching low to meet the next pirate to turn toward her. From there, they moved quickly but carefully, sure there were more waves to face before the simulation was over.

  They returned to the doors of the bay and used the ten-minute break between waves to stretch, drink from their water packs, and reload their weapons. Frog reached back and bent his leg, then grabbed his ankle to stretch his thigh and shin. “Man, I need to start doing martial arts in training. I thought I was the master jumper in this group, but Stephanie is showing me up.”

  She laughed. “I cheat. I have magic on my side.”

  He sneered. “The only magic frogs have ever had has been turning into princes, but man, I’d hate to break that to the lucky lady.”

  The whole group chuckled but slowly fell silent as the floor began to vibrate beneath their feet. A slow smile emerged on Stephanie’s face a
s she shook her palms and ignited magic over her hands. “It’s time to see if you can keep up, Vishlog!”

  The door blew inwards, and the next wave of pirates poured out. They all fired, and she released a steady line of magic in a stream that swirled to form a long guillotine-like blade.

  Once it had solidified, she made a sweeping motion with her hands and sliced it through the leading three aliens before it dissipated.

  Lars laughed and patted Vishlog on the back. “Oh, now you’ve done it.”

  The warrior raised an eyebrow, puzzled by what he might mean. “Done what?”

  Frog pointed at the approaching Dreth. “It’s time for you to see if you can keep up with her. She’s already left, so if you want to kill any pirates this round, you’d better get a move on.”

  The new team member’s head snapped up and he scanned the bay until he saw her walking nonchalantly over the bodies of the leading Dreth toward the door. He jogged to keep up. “Is this protection detail?”

  She swiped her hand and used magic to snatch the gun from a Dreth coming out of the corridor. The weapon lurched into her hand and she smirked as she cocked it and fired to deliver a volley of bullets into him and down the corridor beyond, where a mob charged toward her. She shook her head. “Protection detail? Why would you want to protect them from me?

  The magazine spent, she threw the gun down and glanced at him, then wiggled her eyebrows. “That’s seven kills to your none.”

  Surprised by the challenge, he smirked as she continued forward. This was a game he knew how to play! He chuckled deeply and roared a challenge as he barreled past her into battle.

  There was little that had ever amused him when it came to humans, but he had to admit, thinking she could beat his kill tally in battle was very entertaining.

  The conference room was packed, and the assessors worked madly. Others simply stood around and watched. Some wanted to catch a glimpse of the witch and her team, while others wanted to see what team was crushing the simulation.