As related by Prince Lugh Carrick, Twice-consul and Most Magnificent Engineer of Skarsia
« How far away are you? » I ask.
« I can see the station, » says Lens. « Probably less than ten minutes till we’re down on the beach. »
« Here’s the plan, » Ailann says, and he says it aloud so that the other passengers on the train can hear. « The recognized ones are going down to the beach. The unrecognized ones wait a few minutes and follow behind. We’re going to repeat Tara’s strategy, and try to draw our enemies into a trap. »
« What if the unrecognized get attacked by the pleroma? » asks Balin. « Shouldn’t one of us stay with them? »
« That will only draw the invaders’ attention, » says Ailann. « And the invaders are more dangerous. »
We’re down to nineteen of them. It’s starting to seem like a manageable task. There’s a moment of silent satisfaction. Then Ace says, « Cüinn is pretty hot. He can come down to my pad anytime. I’ve got a great setup for pollination. »
He is hot. I have to admit it.
« I discovered him, » says Harsh. « It was just like in those old movids. He took off his lab coat and I said, “Why, you’re beautiful.” »
« Benbow took the boat, » says Evan abruptly. « He couldn’t stand the idea of abandoning Quennel and Briscoe and Vassali, so he went after the Elusive Queen. »
« Benbow marches to his own drum, » says Marius.
« Don’t write it off, » says Ace. « It’s good to have a wild card. »
« We’re in New Merenis, » says Evan. « Down under the docks, at Steward’s Wharf. »
« Good thinking, » says Balin. « That will provide cover, and we all know exactly where it is. »
« They’re coming your way, though, » says Marius. « They know your position. »
« Train’s at the station, » says Ailann. « My team, follow me to Steward’s Wharf. »
I can feel them getting closer, which is a warm feeling, and I can feel Tara getting closer, which is the best feeling in the world. But I can’t feel Owen, which is horrible.
I glance up at him, and he’s looking at me, and I know he’s thinking what I am. « I miss you – I miss everyone. We’ve been too insular. We should interact with other branches more. »
« I know. I really wish I could see this thing with Cüinn. »
« Well, you know Cüinn. »
He laughs. « Yeah, I do. Some of the younger branches don’t know him as well, though. »
« Looks like they will. »
We bump fists.
« They’re getting closer, » says Marius.
« Everybody but Lugh and me – go to Maxxa’s, » says Evan.
« You’re kidding, right? » says Owen.
« Marius is right. We’re in a defensible position, but not a secret one. If you can, try to join up with the stealth team. Now go! »
I look at Evan admiringly. Leadership and courage were not the first adjectives I would’ve used to describe him. Actually, I’d still use sublime beauty and incredible talent, but he has impressed me.
« I’m scared witless, » he says. « But there’s no sense in setting the others up for unnecessary risk. Also, I’d use sublime beauty for you, too. »
I grin, then quickly check my quiff in a reflective piece of scrap metal. « Maybe we can dazzle them with our loveliness. »
« Incoming, » says Marius.
And then I realize that if they know where we are, they’ll bomb it. At least one of them had a grenade.
I grab Evan by the hand and run towards the beach just as the wharf is reduced to rubble. Evan pitches forward onto the beach, unharmed, but stunned by the blast. I can see the woman who lobbed the grenade now. She runs for cover, but I’m faster.
I hear a quick patter of gunshots in the street, then a shout.
« Tara got one, » Balin says. « Remember, don’t be afraid to kill them – it’s just kicking them out of the pleroma. »
That’s still not my style. Besides, we’ve been trying to get one to interrogate for some time. I tackle the attacker, then use alchemy to make her black out. I’m not as good as Ailann, but altering air composition is easy.
Evan staggers to his feet. « We’ve got to restrain her, and then get one of the unrecognized ones to interrogate her. If she tries to use her telepathy on you or me, the scene with Ace will repeat itself. »
It’s easy to find rope at the docks. As I tie her, there’s an enormous explosion. « That was Balin with the plasma cannon, » says Lens.
« Another one down, » says Marius. « No, make that two. But one vanished up around Maxxa’s. »
« That’s one for the stealth team! » cries Cüinn.
« The remaining one is running directly at the center of Ailann’s group, » says Marius. « It doesn’t make any sense. I’d seriously be considering a retreat by now. »
« They have no fear, » says Balin. « The SongLuminants couldn’t care less what happens to these people. »
« But it doesn’t make sense tactically, » says Marius. « Right now, thanks to Manan and Thomas, they can’t bring in reinforcements. They’re running low on operatives. It seems pointless to sacrifice one in a futile gesture…»
Exactly. And then it hits me. « Get the fuck away from him! Run! »
« They have explosives, » says Marius, getting it. « A suicide bomber! »
There’s a roar from the center of town, and then screaming. I throw my arm around Evan protectively, and we watch in horror as a line of black smoke streams into the air from the epicenter of the blast.
« Fifteen left, » says Marius.
« Jamey and Mickey got hit by shrapnel, » Ailann reports. « But no one on my team is critically injured. Everybody rendezvous at Maxxa’s, so that we can get a head count. »
I throw the unconscious attacker over my shoulder. Evan holds my hand as we climb up the beachhead. « It’s horrible, » he says. « We have no way of knowing about the others. »
« Yes we do, » says Marius. « I’m tracking them, and nobody’s dot vanished. So we know they’re all still alive. »
Owen was already at the bar with the rest of our group, Daniel, Tielo, Dermot and Malachi. « We didn’t see much action, » said Tielo apologetically. « Mickey jumped right in there and took one out – and then he was going for that second one when you warned us about the explosive. »
A few minutes later, Lucius and Valentin arrive with Mickey. « I’m all right, » he protests.
« No, you aren’t, » says Valentin. « That’s a nasty gash down your back. »
« Sit still and let us fuss over you, » says Lucius, winking.
« I got greedy, » says Mickey. « I thought I could take out another one. »
Balin comes in, carrying Jamey, who has an enormous bruise on his brow, and a trickle of blood down the side of his face. Cüinn comes in behind them. « He got hurt trying to get me out of the way, » says Cüinn.
« Is he going to be all right? »
« He’s been knocked out, » says Balin. « Which means he’ll be okay more-or-less, but percussive head trauma is not a good recreational activity. »
Ailann comes in, followed by the rest of the recognized ones. I’m surprised by how good he looks, strong and confident. Did Harsh do that? Or Tara?
« Ask Marius how far away the remaining attackers are, » says Tara.
« They’re scattered, » says Marius. « It looks like three or four are headed Ace’s way. The rest are all across the map. »
« Right, » says Tara. « I’m having a drink. Too bad Tommy isn’t here to tend bar. »
« Nothing for me, » says Ailann. « I’m good. »
Harsh and Ellery share a look of relief. Tara raises an eyebrow.
« I wouldn’t mind a beer, » says Mickey. « My shoulder is throbbing. »
« You’ll need more than a beer, » says Tara. « I wish we had some real medical supplies. »
« I suppose we could go to the hospital, » says Valentin. « It might not be a bad thing to check out Jamey. »
« I’ll take care of it, » says Ailann. He places his hand on Jamey’s forehead. « The skull’s not fractured, but there’s a bit of a cerebral contusion. I can manage. »
Jamey blinks a bit, then sits up. Thank you, he signs to Ailann.
Ailann places his hand on Jamey’s shoulder. « Thank you, » he says.
Cüinn gives him a hug. « You’re my hero. » Jamey smiles, blushing.
« Jamey’s going to get a piece of that action, » says Lorcan, coming through the door. « Jamey is kinkier than he lets on. »
« We need to interrogate the prisoner, » I point out. « We need to use unrecognized emanations. »
« I’ll be the bad cop, » says Lorcan. « Who wants to be the good cop? »
« I’d say Lugh, » says Owen, « but he can’t. »
« If Mickey weren’t injured, I’d suggest him, » says Balin. « He’s got experience in these things. »
« Let Solomon do it, » says Tara. « He’ll figure out the right questions to ask. »
« Take her to the pub across the street, » says Ailann. « I’ll have a look at Mickey. »
“Beat del N’stl’d, Drum Admiral of the Unified Fleet. 41st to emanate, 2 in the color scale, resonates to 3. 1.752 meters tall, cock size 16.62 cm when erect, apparent age 43. Sonic engineer. Totem is Adansonia gregorii, the boab, fixed star is Tseen Foo, the drumsticks or heavenly raft. Esoteric symbol is the Platonic solid, cube. Dessert is warm nau’gsh pandowdy. Function is exegetic insight, proto-conscious tendency is rhythm, designated Beat. Blazon is paly argent and charcoal, a drum, proper.”
« Woot! » shouts Harsh.
« What did you do? » asks Balin.
« We were down on the beach, » says Beat. « Me and Whirljack and BJ. And we heard the greatest sound – it was a whale song! We were all so excited, and then BJ says, Wait, achievement #69 is “Sing to a whale.” He only remembered that because of the number, I’ll bet. So Whirljack and Blackjack tried doing “Star-crossed and Embossed” acapella, but nothing. Then I tried a double-vocalized chant, and the whale responded! And it had a lot of interesting things to say, too, most importantly, the locations of both the swan boat and the Elusive Queen. »
« Good man! » says Ailann.
Solomon comes running through the door. « We found something important! »
« From the interrogation? Already? »
« No – I noticed the name of the pub – it’s the Moth and Lamp. »
« That’s a quest achievement, » says Tara. « Did you get the Beers of the Galaxy card? »
« I did, but we thought we’d better discuss who should take the easy achievement. »
« How many beers are on the card? »
« Um…500. »
« That’s not an easy achievement, » says Tara. « That’s an encounter with a stomach pump waiting to happen. »
« Maybe you just have to buy the beers, » suggests Valentin, « or take a sip of each. »
« According to the card, you have to drink them, » says Solomon.
« Whirljack and Blackjack only count as one entity in the pleroma, » says Cüinn. « They could do it in half the time. »
« I thought of that, » says Solomon, « but I don’t think the pub would allow it. One to a customer. »
« Assign someone who is useless in battle, » suggests Mickey, by which he means assign someone who would only get in the way, and needs protection.
« Driscoll, Hurley, Seth, Rainier, Darius, Daniel, Malachi or Dermot, » says Ailann.
« I don’t drink beer, » Driscoll sniffs.
« I occasionally indulge, » says Seth, « but the sort of binge which would hamper my reasoning has no appeal to me. »
« I’m old enough to know better, » says Daniel. « Really. »
« Oh come on, » says Mickey. « I can’t believe that we have more volunteers to defeat the Robot of Doom than to go to a pub. »
« We don’t want to get left behind, » says Hurley.
« Lorcan and I will be there, » Solomon assures. « I think it’s going to take some time to interrogate the prisoner. »
« Not 500 beers’ worth, » mutters Rainier.
« I’ll do it, » sighs Dermot. « Somebody has to. »
« All right, » says Ailann. « The rest of us need to move northward. We’ve got enemy troops converging on a relatively small party, and they need backup. If we go on foot, we’ll never make it in time. I’m going to suggest that we go to the monitoring room, plot their projected course, and then take the hovertrain to the station closest to their projected destination. »
« Ailann, » says Tara.
« Yes? »
She gazes at him inquisitively, shakes her head. « Never mind. Should we do anything about Benbow and the prisoners on the Elusive Queen? »
« I wouldn’t advise it, » says Mickey. « We don’t want to split up any more than necessary. We can use the same strategy Ailann proposed to plot where we think they’re going. Once we have the mecha, we can catch up with them in the air. »
« Come here, » says Ailann. « Let me see your back. »
« Oh! » says Mickey. « That feels really good. Warm and…intimate. »
« Get in line, » Harsh snaps. Everybody breaks into laughter.
« All right, » says Ailann. « Let’s move. »
« Um, Ailann? » I say timidly. « I think we might have a problem. »
Ailann looks at me significantly, waiting for me to continue.
« It’s just that – I don’t know that anyone has noticed, but we seem to have lost Aran. »
« He was with us, » says Whirljack. « But he said he was going to cut back around to the docks while we went down the beach. »
« Nobody has seen him since then? » asks Ailann. « All right, it’s probably a good idea to keep someone here capable of communicating with the main team anyway. So Lugh, take Owen and look for Aran, and keep your eye on the guys in the pub. »
Before we leave, I hand Tara the apple I collected from Balin’s branch, saying, « You might need this. »
« It’s probably nothing, » says Owen as we jog out into the street. « Aran is a pretty tough guy. »
« Cillian was a pretty tough guy, » I murmur. « I don’t think we should take anything for granted. »
« Yeah, I’m honestly surprised at how fast Ailann bounced back from that. He lost it for a while, but now he’s really stepped up to the plate.* »
« Better than ever, » I agree. And then I start thinking that there’s something wrong with that. I don’t want to take anything away from the inspirational abilities of Harsh and Tara, but it doesn’t seem…well, I can see into Ailann’s branch. The last time he made a breakthrough with his alcoholism, it was an arduous process of self-reflection. But this was almost…
« It’s almost too good to be true, » says Owen, knowing my thoughts even if he can’t read my branch.
« We’re getting paranoid. We can’t even trust the good things that happen anymore. Come on, let’s look for Aran. »
*The actual idiom was “poked a hole in the spacetime continuum” – trans.