have a real space program any more. Blue has a tiny one, just enough to service the moon base and Austra launches satellites, but that's about it.”
Goody.
Tor raised an eyebrow. A single one. Something he’d never managed before.
“Well, at least that's more interesting than just wanting to take over the world, but why not tell us this before? Why a Larval army? What the heck is with that?”
Denno looked down and blushed. Tor doubted it was real.
“Would you believe me if I said we needed the troops just in case we have to fight? The Larval aren't perfect, but they're the best we have. One Larval is, or at least was, about equal to one of the Four-ten. Except they may be coming back with centuries of changes to their system. They were an adaptive group. Huge, violent and able to survive almost anything.”
Ah.
“I see, and we have how long before they get here?” Tor couldn't build anything yet. Lyn could, and the Lairdgren group. He glanced at his brother and sister. Come to that, there were others that could be called in. His mind raced so fast he nearly missed what Denno said.
“Inside nineteen years. We need to hurry.” He sounded scared.
Right. Ancients lived for ever. Nineteen years was probably like a few weeks to him practically. It was the length of his whole life so far though. Tor nodded anyway. At least they had a little time to try and figure things out. If nothing else, they could just fly out to meet them and do battle there. When he said that out loud Denno had to smother a laugh. Burks just looked sad and Lyn…
Agreed with him.
“We can do that. It's a bigger project than it sounds like Tor, but given time, I think we can. We need space capable vehicles and the speeds have to be improved a lot. Tens of thousands of times minimum. The speed of light or better. Using an organic model, like the fast craft you made, will that work?” She asked this as if he'd know.
Silly.
“Possibly. We can try, that's for certain. I need to learn more though.” He wanted to shrug.
More to the point he wanted to go climb into bed and sleep for a week. This was all crazy talk, wasn't it? Who had aliens coming to chat and possibly take their stuff? Some of them weren't even aliens though were they. Maybe none of them. For all he knew Denno was just lying about the whole thing. Burks could be too, but if it was just a trick, getting the whole group together for a summit seemed a little spotty.
Sigh. Well, Tor could only do what he could. That's why they had all those Ancients around anyway, to make sure things got done correctly, right? It worked for Tor at least, though the others all seemed more than a little scared. Except Weasel. He just grinned like a fool. Then he was an eleven year old boy. It probably seemed like a grand adventure to him.
Brilliant. Tor stuck his tongue out at the boy and shook his head.
“Right then. I'll go myself, but Denno…” Tor went silent and just looked at the man who was suddenly smiling as if he'd just been given a present. “Thousands of years old or not. Might of a whole land behind you or not, if this is a trick to harm us, know that I won't be… pleased.”
As threats went is wasn't much of one, but the man just nodded.
“It's just a meeting. The worst that will probably happen is a heated discussion or two. Unless Black and Orange get into it. Those two almost always get into a fight. It's conflicting mind sets and biology’s. They almost can't help it.”
Ah. Doesn't everyone get into fights with Black though? Tor didn't say it, just feeling too tired for some reason. Then everyone wanted to ask questions and chat about what all this meant for hours, but Tor had to beg off after a bit and just go to bed. It was rude, he knew, but his eyes just weren't going to stay open any longer, were they? Finally he mentioned it and smothered a yawn.
“Sorry everyone. I'm just…” He did it again and smiled. “Exhausted for some reason. Plus, you know, the whole world reeks right now. I'm off to go have nightmares about Baron Rochester now.” He waved his hand a little and stood slowly, his body stiff and aching to a point that he almost didn't make it all the way up.
Burks let his eyes go wide.
“I… didn't hear about this. What happened?” His words were dark and slightly angry suddenly.
Probably because it was bad to go around killing people.
No duh. Tor felt the same way, but just waved a hand again and didn't explain. Lyn spoke softly and in a foreign language, which got not just Burks, but Denno to go wide eyed. Whatever was said it let him get out of the room and up to bed, so Tor took it. He could be scolded later for his failings. He deserved it no doubt.
No one was in bed when he settled, but after a few hours two warm figures settled around him. It was Ali and Trice, he knew. He could feel the patterns he realized.
Then he dreamed.
None of them were good, but it was mainly Daria Serge mocking him, teasing him for about being so slow and stupid.
“Seriously Tor, you can't see it? Austrans here in your capital, people dying and the names going to my agents? Who do you know that knew me? Wouldn't it make sense to check there first? Moron.” She giggled when she said it, which was maddening.
Worse, she kept trying to get him to have sex with her, one blue eye and one brown staring at him, trying to be seductive. Petra's brown eye.
Ah. Right, he'd healed her in Debbie's shop. That was back before Box had come to work for her there.
And started dating Daria. Lilli.
No. That couldn't be right could it? The facts were there, but Box was a good guy. Always hard working and friendly. He was a friend.
One that lived very close to the Coltress family home.
Tor didn't like the thought and decided to go and clear the man as soon as he and Trice picked up Smythe in the morning. It was a heinous thought and he'd probably hate Tor from then on, just for asking. Still, he had dated Lilli, which meant someone should ask about that, right? Maybe Smythe already had? That would be better. Tor decided to just ask him and hope that was the case.
By morning he was pretty well convinced that he was wrong and that internal Daria Serge was just as bitchy and unhelpful and the real one had been. Trying to make him go around acting all mean and stuff. That made sense. The stupid, evil, dead girl was just screwing with him.
It was a fight to get out of bed, Tor had to wake up both girls to help him up, his body had nearly frozen in pain, locking up completely. It wouldn't have been so bad, but he'd left his Not-flyer off. Ali looked worried, almost scared, but Trice just shook her head, brown and light blond fuzz flying a little, still looking sleepy headed like a little kid. Sober though. Neither girl had gone to their cups the night before, even in celebration of the war ending. That was a good thing. Especially since Trice had to work.
She gave him a long suffering look and shook her head at him.
“You know, you could call in sick. If you can't move out of bed alone, no one expects you to go and save the kingdom. It's a rule.”
He shook his head, which ached at the base of his skull.
“What and have Smythe think I'm easy prey? No thanks. I'll just soak in a hot tub for a while and stretch for a bit. I'll be fine.” He grinned himself and winked at Ali.
“Just, you know, could you hand me that amulet there on the night stand?”
It was three whole feet away after all. Three long and pain filled feet. Trice climbed over him and got it for him, even putting in place. But only after turning her own arm on. She mainly slept with it off for some reason.
The whole morning took a lot longer than Tor had thought it would, first near two hours to warm up and get ready for the day himself, then, after flying his nice purple carriage into the palace complex, nearly two hours to find Smythe. He was sober of course, the man didn't drink at all, but he was in a side room, questioning Austrans already. Tor hobbled in, then decided to float, hoping it would look more impressive to the foreign agents. He half expected to find the older man torturing someone, but instead they were just eating a late breakfast and sitting at a table, in the guest house.
“Lord Baker! Baronetta Morgan. Sorry to have missed our meeting place, but these individuals came to me early this morning. Apparently they're our first batch of Austran agents? In this case the ones that worked here in
