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  She was gone before Admiral Thomas could reply.

  He shook his head. “CEREBRO, you heard the lady. All hands to their stations.”

  The Etheric

  Ooken

  Bethany Anne turned slowly in the center of the circle, soaking up every detail of the gas planet revealed by the mists. It doesn’t look very hospitable to humans out there.

  It doesn’t appear to be hospitable to any species, Michael returned, indicating rust-colored rain falling around the craggy platform on the other side. I’d say that’s acidic.

  Bethany Anne shrugged. There’s shielding. It’s definitely Ooken since that platform is made of their crystal.

  I wouldn’t call it a platform. A sky base, maybe. Michael’s gaze remained on the churning gases beyond the shield. Do we know where it’s located?

  ADAM is poking around. Bethany Anne frowned. Dammit. It looks like it’s seventeen Gates from Devon for the superdreadnoughts.

  More for the smaller ships—if they can make that many Gates consecutively. Michael looked hard at his wife. You do plan to wait for the fleet?

  Bethany Anne flashed a grin at her husband. It’s like you know me. They will catch up soon enough. I want to see how much trouble we can cause before they get there.

  Michael’s expression did not falter. We have no idea what awaits us on the other side of this door. Prudence would suggest waiting for Bart and the fleet.

  Bethany Anne narrowed her eyes. Yes, but if we do it my way, we’ll be closer to done by the time the fleet arrives. Let them clean up, and we can all get back to Devon before Totto’s closes for the evening. This kind of operation deserves a carbtastic ending.

  You are angling for an impromptu date night while our children are with Tabitha? Michael grinned at Bethany Anne’s raised eyebrow. I’m in. Can you get us back here if we need a sharp exit?

  Bethany Anne shook her head, drawing her right katana. I can get us back into the Etheric, not to this place. I don’t think we have much longer to decide. The door isn’t going to stay open forever.

  Michael offered his hand to Bethany Anne as the circle of mist began to close in around them. That’s good enough for me. Shall we, my love?

  Such a gentleman. Bethany Anne took Michael’s hand and stepped into the membrane. She activated her helmet, getting the sensation of moving through thick jelly. That shit had better not have stuck to my hair.

  Michael activated his own helmet and brought up Bethany Anne’s face-cam in his HUD. Your hair is safe.

  She created the spark of an energy ball in her free hand as the membrane shrank to nothing around them. Thank fuck for small mercies. Goop is always a nightmare to get out.

  That will be the only mercy this place sees today, Michael murmured as they emerged onto the rough crystal drop-off at the edge of the Ooken construction.

  Bethany Anne peered over the perpendicular drop. That’s some shielding.

  You’re telling me. Michael frowned up at the faint glow that was all that stood between them and the churning gases beyond. I cannot see any structure that looks like a generator. What’s the shield powered by?

  Bethany Anne pressed her lips together as she looked into the distance. My guess would be Etheric energy. ADAM is telling me there are hundreds of thousands of small energy signatures coming from those towers.

  Michael turned to scrutinize the towering constructions that stretched in lines all the way to the horizon. My guess is that the answers lie that way.

  Bethany Anne hadn’t missed the unmistakable shapes covering every level of the towers. The faster we move, the sooner we’ll find out for sure.

  The rough crystal smoothed out as they walked, making the high technology sprouting from the ground appear all the more out of place against the backdrop of clinical desolation.

  Bethany Anne sidestepped to get ahead of Michael as they approached the nearest of the eldritch constructions.

  She paused for a moment in the shadows to scout ahead for other minds, spotting an entrance into the tower a short way around the curved wall. I can tell there’s a fuck-ton of Ooken, but all I’m hearing from the hive mind is static. What are you getting?

  Michael frowned, concentrating. The hive mind is strong, but only in number. He raised a finger, indicating the level above. The majority are somewhere above us, present but not active. Perhaps the crystal obscures the hive mind in some way?

  Bethany Anne considered the thousands upon thousands of energy signatures ADAM had picked up. That’s not beyond the realm of possibility. I want to get a closer look before I act. She ducked into the nearest passage. There’s not a chance in hell I’m allowing this many Ooken to be set loose.

  Michael finished examining the outside of the tower and headed after Bethany Anne, his sword held loosely in one hand.

  Bethany Anne activated the spikes on the soles of her boots to improve her traction on the smooth floor and began to ascend the crystalline spiral. All these decades and Jean still hasn’t found a way to build the heels I want into my armor.

  Michael rolled his eyes at Bethany Anne’s back. I can’t imagine running across a battlefield in six-inch stilettos would be very practical.

  I didn’t say they had to be stilettos, she retorted. But there’s no reason I can’t kick ass and look good at the same time. I don’t expect you to understand. Your job as a man is to appreciate my good taste.

  Michael chuckled. Except that your good taste doesn’t matter in this instance since Jean hasn’t found a way to make a heel that can withstand the demands you would put on it.

  Bethany Anne glanced over her shoulder. Except for that. She held up a hand to halt Michael’s progress as the passage opened onto a wide landing lined with Pod-docs. Wait, there could be guards.

  Michael moved past her, sweeping the landing for any unwelcome arrivals. I cannot sense any active Ooken in the immediate area, so we’re good for the moment.

  Bethany Anne returned her katana to its place on her back but kept the spark in her palm alive. Me either, but I’m not taking any chances. They might not be able to see us from a distance, but that won’t mean a thing if a guard comes by.

  Michael made a noise of agreement, his focus on their surroundings. These are Pod-docs. There’s no mistaking them.

  Bethany Anne walked to the nearest Pod and stood on her tiptoes to look through the viewing window, getting confirmation of their suspicions. The Pod held a twitching nest of steel-blue tentacles wrapped around red fur contained within a glowing amniotic sac. This explains why the Ooken aren’t connected to the hive mind.

  Michael came over to see what she was seeing. I wondered. These are much larger than any Pod-doc I’ve seen before, even the ones Eve built for Alexis’ and Gabriel’s toddler years.

  Bethany Anne pointed out the shimmering cocoon around the Ooken’s body. More interesting, that’s the nanocyte suspension, and now we know what it’s used for—growing Ooken.

  Michael peered into the window for a closer look. Although this sample looks…active, somehow. The samples we have do not give off light.

  Bethany Anne’s face hardened, and she waved a hand to encompass everything around them. All of this is comparable to our Pod-doc technology, it’s just different. Her eyes became distant for a moment. TOM agrees with me. The Ooken didn’t build this. The Kurtherians are directly responsible, and there’s no way they would give this technology away.

  Michael’s mouth tightened as he came to his own conclusions. And these aren’t Pod-docs. They’re incubators. He turned to stare at the towers of Pod-docs stretching off to the horizon. But that’s…

  An answer to another question, Bethany Anne finished, heading back toward the passage. We now know how the Ooken can afford to lose so many.

  Michael grumbled as he followed Bethany Anne into the passage, It’s an answer that just raised more questions. Are we saying that the homeworld doesn’t exist? That this…factory, for want of a better word, is where the Ooken are created?

&n
bsp; Sometimes those hoofbeats you hear belong to zebras, Bethany Anne concluded as they descended the spiral. It looks to me like this is a mass-production factory, and the Ooken are both the workers and the product. Based on the evidence so far, we have to acknowledge that the Ooken homeworld was a figment of our mindset. We didn’t consider this as an option.

  She tightened her lips, her mind running with the concept and coming to a hundred and one conclusions, none of them pleasant. If there’s one factory, who’s to say there aren’t more of them churning out Ooken by the billions?

  Then we need to up our efforts to exterminate them at the source, Michael stated, his tone icy.

  That isn’t a solution, just a way to spend another lifetime running circles. We are facing an enemy who gives exactly zero fucks how many of their soldiers are killed. Bethany Anne’s lip curled as she paused by the exit to scan for Ooken. Creating life for the express purpose of sending it to its death? This whole setup disgusts me, and I want it wiped from this universe.

  You and me both. Michael put a hand on Bethany Anne’s shoulder. Small steps, and if there are any more factories, we will find them.

  Bethany Anne slipped out into the night. Not fucking fast enough for my liking. I want a better resolution to this than another long, dragged-out war; one that doesn’t require spending the lives of my people in order to win their safety. She sighed. Either way, we don’t have time to wait for the fleet.

  Michael matched her step for step. I can’t see us making it for dinner. It will still be some time before they arrive.

  The spark in Bethany Anne’s hand flared momentarily, her eyes glowing to match the surge of anger she felt. We need to work out where the weaknesses are so we can concentrate on grinding this place and all the Ooken here into a fine paste.

  Michael nodded his agreement, his eyes flaring to match hers. Lead the way.

  They flitted beneath the towers without being spotted by any of the Ooken working above until they came to a break in the monotonous grid layout.

  Bethany Anne crouched in a hollow in the ridge where the crystal crumpled before taking a rough dip down to the valley below.

  Michael dropped to his stomach beside her. A map would be more than useful at this juncture.

  Bethany Anne considered the available routes. We don’t need a map. We’ve got ADAM. She opened her connection to ADAM and TOM up to Michael. He was about to fill me in on everything he and TOM have found so far.

  >>I can tell you what we haven’t found,<< ADAM complained. >>Any connecting infrastructure. Every one of these towers is self-contained, with its own power source.<<<br />
  Michael frowned. There goes Plan A.

  Bethany Anne waved him off. Nothing is invulnerable. Did either of you come across anything that looked to be out of place?

  Well, there is all of the Kurtherian technology, TOM reminded them. The curious thing is that I cannot say with certainty which clan created this place, only that it was none of the Five.

  Michael paused his careful inspection of the tower opposite. That is curious. What about outside the towers? There must be something generating the power for the shielding, or this whole place would be torn to pieces by the atmosphere.

  There was one strong energy signature. However, it is not emanating from any of the towers or the shielding. There is an undeveloped area just over two kilometers away, to the western end of the valley. It’s coming from below the surface there.

  Then that’s where we’re going. Bethany Anne set off down the slope. She winked at Michael’s face-cam window. One plan goes to shit, and the universe presents another opportunity. ADAM, TOM, keep up the good work. I want to know every way those Pod-docs differ from ours by the time you’re done.

  Michael caught up with Bethany Anne at the bottom of the slope and they darted into the space between the crystal piles that acted as foundations, pausing to scout the way ahead.

  Michael nodded upward. There are more active Ooken above than there were in any of the previous towers.

  Bethany Anne followed his gaze, sensing the same. They will wait. For now.

  Michael’s mouth twitched. I was thinking along the lines of remaining undetected.

  Bethany Anne waved off his concern. Jean didn’t spend so long tweaking our armor and not provide a few goodies. Check your HUD menu and select “Extras.”

  Michael opened the menu and scrolled through the available options. While it is genius, the oxygen extraction system might be overkill. Unless you are expecting to get caught underwater?

  Bethany Anne lifted a shoulder. I expect everything. It saves time when I’m caught by surprise. She braced herself for the pull her armor made on the Etheric through her body, then selected the kanji reading Shinigami from the icon menu. I’ll feel a lot better once this level of protection is available to all of us, not just me, you, and our children.

  Michael made a face of appreciation when Bethany Anne vanished. I don’t know how that woman managed to miniaturize the cloaking system enough to be used in armor, he marveled, activating his own cloaking. As for the armor, it will be available to all of our loved ones as their training with the Etheric advances and they are able to use it without danger to themselves.

  You’re right. Both Tabitha and Gabrielle are getting close. The others will follow, or I’ll just have to put everyone back in the Pod-doc to make sure they are all protected. Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow, a small smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. As to Jean, that’s easy: I tell her what I need, and she works out who to scare the shit out of to make it happen. Do you need a moment longer to recover?

  Michael shook his head. I’m good. We should get going.

  Bethany Anne turned her thoughts over as they resumed their progress along the valley. That substance could be a solution to the armor issue that doesn’t require my level of Etheric control. What is Eve doing at the moment?

  Michael repressed a sigh. She has mostly been complaining about being stationed on High Tortuga. What are you thinking?

  Bethany Anne's eyebrows met as she considered. Too much to put into words right now. We've learned so much from the technology we’ve claimed during these battles, and I’m not the only one who has come to a détente with the Etheric. We’re about to get our hands on up-to-date Kurtherian technology, Michael. Think about it: everything we’ve built has been based on technology over a thousand years behind theirs.

  TOM's discourse on the nature of the Etheric has been extremely useful in expanding my own understanding. Michael chuckled dryly. If only we all had your innate ability to control it.

  Bethany Anne snickered. The universe would be completely fucked within a week. But I have an idea that will make it possible for those closest to me to use Etheric travel with refinements to our technology based on what we gain here. She waved a hand, already three thoughts ahead of Michael. If I decide to go that route, you’ll be the first to know.

  Michael frowned. Why does that sound less like consideration and exactly like I just became your guinea pig?

  Because you’re the manliest man I know. Bethany Anne blew a kiss to her husband. And you’re not the only guinea pig.

  Michael snorted. You want to make it into a contest of masculinity?

  Bethany Anne's mouth twitched at Michael’s protest. Competition—such a useful tool for getting the cooperation of a bunch of headstrong males. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a contest of masculinity?

  Michael shook his head at the wicked glint in Bethany Anne’s eyes. As long as you don’t expect me to pose for a calendar, he conceded.

  They came to the location TOM had told them about, a plain, rectangular crystal structure in the center of an open square surrounded by towers.

  Bethany Anne’s nose wrinkled. Not exactly impressive, is it?

  What did you expect? Michael asked.

  I told you: everything. This, however, she circled a finger as she regarded the building, wasn’t very high on my list of expectations.

  Michael
stopped walking when an alien mind brushed against his. We aren’t alone.

  Bethany Anne didn’t hesitate. I can sense them too, she told him, heading for the building. Can you smell water?

  Yes, underground, Michael replied. We need to be careful. There are plenty of Ooken around to make things difficult if we set off any alarms.

  Bethany Anne reached for Michael’s hand. I’ll take us through the Etheric.

  TOM broke in, startling them both. STOP!

  Bethany Anne froze just before she opened their way. What the fuck, TOM?

  If I had a clue, I would have led with that. There’s something…wrong inside that building.

  Bethany Anne was thrown by the bewilderment in TOM’s tone. ADAM, can you shed any light on what’s in that building?

  >>This is the source of the Etheric energy we picked up,<< ADAM ventured. >>Other than that, I’m still working on the Pod-docs, so I’m in the same position as TOM.<<<br />
  Which is?

  >>We’ll know more when you’re looking at it.<< ADAM’s voice held a touch of regret. >>Downside to all three of us sharing the same pair of eyes. If I had a body, I— <<<br />
  Bethany Anne rolled her eyes. The answer is still no. Are there any nasty surprises waiting for us outside the building?

  ADAM and TOM conferred for a moment.

  >>Not that we can detect,<< ADAM told her.

  Bethany Anne glanced at Michael in her HUD. Then we’re going in.

  13

  Devon, The Hexagon

  Trixa caught her reflection in the glass doors as they swung inward to admit Ricole. She immediately put her claws to use smoothing out her fur. There was no way she was appearing on the planet’s main holonetwork with messy fur.

  Not that she expected to get much screen time. However, Ricole was being shadowed by a vid-crew as today’s feature story on Devon’s Defenders, which her mother never missed. She fully expected to be wrung dry of every detail when she got home that night.

  She dipped her head as the crew swept in behind Ricole, and her face burned when Ricole waved and the camera drone swiveled to the reception desk.