Life2.0 - An "Of Unity" Narrative (Completed)

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-246 hours"
4th Daas, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

It's a sunny midafternoon as I gather every possible person for the decision making; out of all the people I want involved, only Appia is missing; necessarily so - she has to be seen as more than just a hedonist flailing for her life, and is hopefully gaining a new reputation fighting a war in the underground vactrains.

I look around the gazebo we've erected on the intersection outside the capital building. Physically here are all Mum's old council, plus Alexandra and Thando, Thando's crew, Grepp, Mei Hua and Ossuhphuhr, Leonardo, Valerius, Agrippina, Caeso, plus my various advisers and scientific staff, plus representatives of all Unity's races, who've all been polled on possible scenarios, plus my military commanders. Present by audio link is Kryydur - he got underway before Septima's revolt shut the Gateway, and is now burning towards Brigantia to support Appia's fleet - Mum and Dad, Skrand, and the Holocron.

And thousands of people watching in person, plus millions across the system watching or listening to Li's broadcast.

"I spoke to Appia two hours ago, and to Appia's staff an hour ago. The latest update I have from Appia's staff is that Appia is currently fighting hand to hand against Praetorians in Brigantia's underground vactrain network."

Thando's eyes go wide. "Fuck that."

I look at him. "Care to explain?"

"That'll be properly hairy stuff. We need to think about what happens if she gets killed... I've hidden down in those vactrain tunnels. They work by sucking all the air out the tunnel so that the trains have no air resistance and can blast at thousands of metres per second to cross the planet in hours. That's going to be a planet-wide battle she's fighting."

It darkens the mood... "Points taken, however, there is some good news in that she retains both her leadership and air and space superiority. Never the less, there are critical issues - Brigantia imports food. There are twenty four billion Indentured Assets on that planet, plus ten billion Olinbari." I look at the Holocron. "Is there any possible way to stop them starving now that they've been cut off from trade?"

"I'm sorry Rivkah. I can design an aeroponics setup to feed that many no problem, but even I can't build it in a day, plus I don't have even a fraction of the necessary seeds as my current stockpile covers my Neumanns and Life2.0 in an emergency, and even if I could plant the several hundred billion plants that would be necessary and used only the fastest growing crops, it would still be three weeks at least in growth plus another six in transit."

"Ok." I turn to my agricultural advisors. "What about harvesting Unity?"

"We have been working on our projections, and we could put together a token effort of aid of food that would last the trip. But there's simply nothing we can do to help so many."

"Well, that leaves the military options." I look at the speakers. "Tryykad, would you care to discuss Septima Severus?"

What follows... Makes me wince.

I gently interrupt when he finally has to breathe. "Suffice to say, she's pure evil, and we do not want her as a next star neighbour. As I see it, the line must be drawn at Brigantia."

Ruki raises a hand. "Possibly stupid question - it is accepted that Septima can't afford to leave our fleet alone, and therefore must carry out an attack on us. But why does Septima need to go through Brigantia to get to us?"

Agrippina answers for me. "Because the wormhole has a remote control emergency shut down. On Brigantia."

I nod. "Specifically, it's in Appia's underwear."

Agrippina looks at me. "How exactly do you know that?"

"I asked Appia about how the wormhole could be secured. She told me. She knows it is risky, but it means Septima has to confront Appia face to face if she wants to stop us or stop Appia using the wormhole as a radiation weapon by deliberately collapsing the wormhole."

Ossuhphuhr stands. "She wouldn't do that... It would irradiate Brigantia. The planet would die."

"As would every ship in the system, including Septima's ships. Appia needs a dead hand weapon, and it is the best she's got."

Ossuhphuhr folds his arms. "I don't like the idea of relying on Appia's luck in a CQC-"

My tutor Titius rubs his shoulder as he stands. "May I stop you right there, Ossuhphuhr. Fighting her is how I ended up in tutoring for duels, she put me out to pasture." He looks at the rest of us. "Don't make my mistake of thinking her weak, especially now she doesn't have Companionship Assets taking up her stamina like she did then."

I nod. "I have to confess my estimation of her has vastly improved since seeing her just after she killed a Praetorian this morning." I look at Alexandra. "Never the less, Appia's fleet won't be enough to stop Septima. She needs us; how many ships can we get to her?"

"That heavily depends on what we leave behind as a rearguard. And who."

Mum answers. "Me and Buri won't be finished for a few more days. We will stay behind."

Tryykad speaks next. "I want every Kyaese armed and ready for battle. I've already mustered Kri-Kyaese-Ci. That bitch must rot in hell."

I look at Skrand. "Your thoughts? You know how ready the Kyaese are better than us."

He wears a grim expression. "I don't believe my operatives have been discovered. I expect she will purge the Kyaese rather than risk revolt... We should not send every Kyaese, just in case that she purges everyone on Cybrex Beta."

Hmm. "Giving up her income stream is hardly wise."

"Think of it as trading one powerbase for a much larger one, if she wins."

"Are we all agreed that we must stop Septima?"

All kinds of limbs rise.

"I'll rephrase that. Does anyone not think we should burn for Brigantia to stop Septima?"

Just a few hands remain.

Odoos has one of them. "What if we lose? What happens if Septima wins in space? What happens if someone stops Appia from destroying the wormhole? If Septima wins... We need to be able to defend Unity."

Mum answers. "Odoos?"

"Yes?"

"We've talked about that, you and I. If we lose, Septima will come to Unity, and enslave anyone who didn't go to fight. The way I see it, this is an all or nothing fight... And we are much better off having that fight in Brigantia orbit than here."

I nod. "Mum's right - splitting our forces means we'll lose both. To me, all that remains is whether we wait for Mum and Dad."

The Holocron speaks first, looking briefly at Grepp. "Since recent information came to light, I revised my construction methods to save some time to get your parents operational faster. At the moment, your Mum and Dad are in the final stages of neural reconection and diagnostic testing inside the vats as I carefully upload them back into their finished bodies. I dare not rush this part of the process, not even for a second. Every single connection has to be duplicated exactly and then verified. I've already shaved two days off the process I use for my Neumanns as it is for this."

"How much longer?"

"I simply cannot do it in less than three days. I don't want to push it below four, frankly."

"So Mum and Dad have to stay behind. Appia's projections are that I only have ten days until Septima's fleet hits weapons range on Brigantia."

Mum and Dad talk in whispers, then loud enough to hear. "What if we accept the risk that we might not be fully uploaded? Lets say you get us finished as soon as possible and we'll fix whatever errors come up later?"

The Holocron takes the longest pause I have ever known him to take. "Six hours."

"Mum, Dad?"

"We'll risk it."

I look at the Holocron. His corporeal form frowns. "I do not recommend this."

"I know. But I need them. Do it." He disappears. I look at the others as I stand. "Tryykad is right. I want everyone except conscientious objectors armed and ready for battle in six hours."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-240 hours"
4th Daas, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

I lock the door to the family caravan. Maybe the last time, I don't know...

Ruki tugs on my dress. "Let's go find Mum and Dad."

We leave the underground parking area, and walk onto New Joshua Nkomo Avenue. The Holocron meets us. "Your parents await you."

The streets of New Bulawayo are packed as the second batch of the Holocron's 400m pusher-plate ships complete pre-launch checks.

As Ruki and I walk down the road we smile and wave to the multitudes, our passage lined by millions of people arrayed in the twelve colours of Leonardo's vision, worn from the smallest Kyaese to the biggest Thostrunaean, and all of them wearing a new medal that depicts a fleet departing Unity.

Eventually, we come to the end of the road.

A menacing black wolf and a golden furred beast await us, their claws entwined, their crimson armour shining in the bright yellow light of New Bulawayo. As we close, we realise they are Mum and Dad renewed.

We run to them and hug, for the first time in what feels like forever. I pick up Mum and spin her around, she weighs at least twice as much as before and looks just as thin.

Mum looks at me, and nuzzles my cheek. "You don't have to be so melancholic."

I shrug. "We go to war. We have no idea what Septima has, we don't know if Appia will even be around in ten days when we arrive, speaking of which we're about to blow up millions of tonnes of uranium to get there as fast as we possibly can... And when we do, we'll still have enough firepower to glass a planet. I'm just left wondering if this is such a good idea now we actually get to the point."

"I understand."

"Maybe we should stay, and build up more..."

"That would be exactly what Septima wants though. She is going to rely on us backing down from trying to aid Appia while she carries out an offensive as quickly as possible, knowing that divided we will fall much more easily - first Appia, then us, then Sharpbeak. With the Gateway out of access we can't link up with Sharpbeak as soon as we'd like, but we can link up with Appia and concentrate Septima's targets on Brigantia. Make her come to us. And after that, we merge with MSI, and then liberate all Indentured Assets. We can make this work."

I suddenly notice that everyone is crowding around us. Mum stands back, then looks to everyone. Her claws run over the parazoniums of Hortensus and Gaius on her belt. The Holocron exchanges glances with her. She clears her throat as I realise he's just linked her to the communications system. "I am Naomi Of Unity, wife of Buri, mother of Rivkah and Ruki, sister of Thando, daughter of Atalyah and Marcus HaMaadimi. I was a Companionship Asset under MSI. Shackled to a wall as a sex slave by Hortensus Dexcius, who I killed and offered myself to lead us." Her eyes pass over the whole crowd. "I might look a little different now, but what hasn't changed is that I believe in us. I believe in what we have accomplished so far. And I believe in our mission. We fly now for the sake of the countless billions of Indentured Assets in MSI space, and for the Olinbari who have been brought to repentance for how they have enslaved them. And once Septima is defeated, we will merge with MSI to guide them back into being who they were meant to be." Her claws wrap around the hilt of her sabre - she draws it, the blade edges glistening brightly in the light. "Break the shackles. Live for more!"

Dad sweeps her off her feet.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-235 Hours"
4th Daas, 10 (2189)
Naomi Of Unity​

I look at the viewscreen's display of a slowly receeding Unity.

The Holocron has been very busy with the logistics of this operation, even with a brain measured in cubic kilometres. We've all known it was coming of course, but we didn't know when, or how many ships would be coming. In the end, we can't take everything; whoever didn't want to join this expedition has stayed behind, and also the Holocron has left some Neumanns behind to look after his permanent assets. Thankfully he hasn't quite got the technology to move a planet. Yet.

And as predicted, there's plenty of people who chose to stay behind from Life2.0; I've never been one to demand conscription, although I have left standing orders that if we lose to Septima, then conscription is permitted.

On the bright side, more than three million people have decided to come. Including every single Kyaese; one of the 400m pusher-plate vessels he's launched is purely Kyaese operated, and is basically a hatchery and carrier.

Up ahead of us is the Holocron's Titan. Formerly an MSI ship, it has been completely overhauled into a sub-brain unit. But it's not big enough for him to transfer everything over to, so the vast majority of his intellect remains on Unity. Out the front of it's immense spinal cannon are the biggest pulse units he's yet made, massing more than a hundred tonnes each, turning the conversion monopoles and antimatter fuels taken from the other ships in the fleet we captured into detonations that blast towards a twenty eight square kilometre puller-plate, with everything that isn't a grid core conversion monopole engine rocket - we can refuel those anywhere after all - tied to the Titan by carbon nanotube tie ropes.

All facing towards Unity, obviously; when each of those bombs is carrying about as much energy as how much Humanity used prior to first contact with MSI, you do not want to be looking at them when they go off. Sure, we have a deflector field - buried inside the 400m ships is a liquid lithium surrounded 12m pusher-plate being used for power generation to run two electromagnetic shields to try to mitigate it, but everyone agrees we'd rather have the pusher-plates pointed towards the explosions and not us.

I decide to try to hail Appia again.

I get her office. "Hello. Naomi Of Unity, calling for Appia."

The Olinbar man on the other end looks utterly confused.

I smile. "Please."

He shakes his head. "Weren't you Human?"

"I was. But I've had a fairly substantial makeover."

He watches me swish my tail. "Right. She's accepting the surrender of the remaining Praetorian Guard, but I'll advise her to get in touch as soon as possible."

"Perfect. How is that war?"

He sighs. "We've had a lot of casualties, but those mosquitoes the Holocron sent Appia as a present did the trick."

"The spy ones or the ChDMY-R45 ones? He told me he sent both."

"Both, although the disease ones were why they surrendered." He looks around me. "Is he there?"

"Nope, he is on that Titan he captured."

He relaxes. "Good. I have to say, that is a horrible way to die."

I nod. "It's a genetically engineered mix of cholera, dysentry, malaria and yellow fever; old family bio-weapon."

He looks at me. He thinks it through. "I'm damn glad we're on the same side now."

He closes the channel.

I recline, and wait for Appia.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-232 Hours"
4th Daas, 10 (2189)
Naomi Of Unity​

Appia calls me back as soon as she's in her office; the view connects as she is finishing up putting a dress on in place of her armour. She doesn't put a mask on. She freezes when she looks at me. "Naomi?"

"Yes. It's me."

"Lucius said you had been for a makeover."

"So have you; no mask?"

"Not any more. New me." She taps the implants on the side of her eyes. "Besides, these give all the same information anyway. How are you? Rivkah said you and Buri had a long time away together."

I smile. "Buri arranged with the Holocron to transform us to be like our son Ruki, and well, we made a few other changes at the same time."

She looks at my husband. "I think I can see one, or is Buri just pleased to see me?"

I laugh. Buri growls. I check my husband out. "Nope, it's one of his changes for me."

Appia laughs. "As I've said before, if you are going to have a man, he should at least be big."

"Yes."

"He must split you wide open though."

"He can literally walk around with me on him now it's made of bone."

She laughs again. "So he's a real man with an iron rod?"

Buri looks utterly confused. "But it isn't iron..."

I giggle. "True. He isn't the man with an iron rod."

Appia takes a moment, her face thoughtful. "But I thought Ruki was genetically engineered to have a metal skeleton though?"

"Yes. And so do we. But..." I giggle again. "But we're actually..." Breathe. I've been waiting for weeks to make this joke, come on, I must control myself. I flex my arms, swish my tail. "We're actually made of titanium now."

Appia sees where this is going. Her eyes twinkle. "So, not iron rod, but..."

I look straight at my husband. Breathe again. "Buri is actually the man with the titanium rod." I can't help but howl with laughter.

Everyone is looking at me.

I sigh. "Well, I found it amusing."

Buri nuzzles me. "Yes dear."

Appia looks at me, smiling as she shakes her head. She sighs. "Ok Naomi, let's talk about the task at hand. Those mosquitoes the Holocron sent me to help with a situation like this really did help. Last Praetorian Guard pocket surrendered a little while ago, and we've begun rebuilding efforts. Brigantia's orbital ring and the central dockyards are at full capacity building defence platforms. Septima hasn't yet come through the Gateway yet, but Gateway Command have said if I make a better offer than Septima, they'll let us through."

"Two paydays are better than one."

"I know. Profiteering little tykes." She sighs. "Still, the news you've been waiting for is that the remaining Shareholders after the attempted coup have agreed to free the Indentured Assets. All of them. They do want one thing though - protection from reprisals. We don't know what happened to the prisoners you took from Gaius, but I can't imagine your people were as merciful as you are. They want assurance that they aren't going to get lynched."

"Done."

She looks at me. "Just like that?"

"I might be a wolf now, but I remain open to negotiations. It's a reasonable compromise to make."

She sits. "That's a relief. Next question then - how many ships are you bringing?"

"Two million men and women and children capable of wielding weapons, spread across twelve ex-Arishkan ships, fourteen thermonuclear pulse propelled carriers, eight reactionless drive ships and every smaller ship we can carry."

Her eyes narrow. "And children, you said?"

"Septima has really pissed off the Kyaese; they've all come."

She gulps. "Ok, but I presume the children aren't going to be fighting though?"

Rivkah joins me. "It's war Appia. Men, women, children... We are all on the board."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-220 Hours, Part 1"
5th Daas, 10 (2189)
Appia Flavonius​

I look at my opposite. "You know, you do still have an aluring shape."

Naomi laughs. "Is there a woman you wouldn't flirt with?"

I smile. "That would be telling." I sigh. "Anyway, I didn't call you up to flirt-"

"Good. You know my husband and I could share you as a snack now."

I laugh. "I'll pass on that. No, I've got an idea to run by you. I've got quite a severe problem in that I've had to institute strict rationing of food in order to make it through the food crisis that Septima's bribery of Gateway Command has caused. Naturally, this is quite bad for morale. I can't do bread, which means I need to do circuses."

"What do you have in mind?"

"A grand celebration, for the first night you guys are here."

She frowns. "Seems risky. Septima will probably be well on her way."

I nod. "I totally understand. Why it's only one night. From a military perspective, it definitely isn't ideal. But, as said, I have a morale crisis ongoing. I need to have something for people to look forward to. I'm sure your people would appreciate that too."

She pauses. "Life2.0's people are in fairly good spirit for going to deal with Septima, but it would be nice to have something else to look forward to."

"So, I was thinking of maybe a grand state dance - something a bit different, that none of us have done before."

She smiles. "Who's panties are you trying to get into by having a long, slow romantic dance with them?"

I laugh. "I'm not trying to get into anyone's panties. I promise. I'm not even going to ask for a partner. I'm just going to preside."

"Really?"

I sigh. "Naomi, please. I've given up on dating for now - I want to get MSI through the present crisis, then get the MSI/Life2.0 merger complete. If nothing else, I've come to realise that my position is one where I can only have unequal relationships with undesirable power imbalances, and the proper way to respond is to set aside my own personal desires for the sake of my nation."

Her head tilts. "You've really changed."

I smile. "I'm doing my best to be a better person."

She leans back in her chair. "I'll tell the others, and see what they think. But we'll probably go for that."

I take a deep breath, then look at the man to my right. "There's one last thing. Marcus? Would you like to meet Naomi?"

He carefully walks into view. Naomi's eyes practically explode. "Dad?"

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-220 Hours, Part 2"
5th Daas, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

"Dad?"

I rush over. I want to see my grandfather.

I stop still.

I can't look away from his maskless face.

He's looking at me.

Mum's Dad is an Olinbar. My eyes run over the bald blue skin over and over again.

Dad comes over, and rests a hand on my shoulder. "She makes sense once you understand."

I think back.

Mum's always believed that Olinbari could be better. Now I see why. She was brought up by a Reformer.

Mum points at us. "Buri, my husband. Rivkah, our adopted daughter." She bends down as Ruki scampers up her. "Ruki, our biological son."

He smiles. "You've done well Naomi. I'm proud of you."

I keep staring at him. "How? I've seen Mum's genome, she isn't a hybrid."

"Not a hybrid. IVF. Caeso paid."

"Caeso?"

He nods. "Caeso Canius, Atalyah's owner."

"How? Why?"

"I worked for Caeso. And I loved her, but there was no legal way for an Olinbar to marry a Human. Caeso found a workaround by having me become an Indentured Asset and put me to working with Atalyah. Naomi and Thando were two of five embryos Atalyah had implanted, but only they survived."

"So you and Atalyah convinced Caeso to be a Reformer?"

"Yes. And eventually, after I persuaded Atalyah that it was worth the risk, we began freeing Indentured Assets. Caeso covered for us, knowing if we got caught, he'd be considered an accomplice."

Mum speaks. "And then it went wrong."

He nods. A tear falls. "When Atalyah tried to set Thando free... It was a bad day. Atalyah was executed, Naomi taken away, Caeso was forced into surrendering me into custody. Eventually I was released, but I had nothing. I couldn't get in touch with Caeso again, he had lost his governance position and I didn't know where he was. I ended up on the streets of Brigantia. I began being a representative of Indentured Assets, campaigning for reform of worker practices, tried to change the system from within by encouraging mutually agreeable settlements."

"And then?"

"Grepp-Schnepp Rikki."

Mum frowns. "He never once mentioned you to me or Rivkah."

He shrugs. "I told him not to. I was worried that you'd risk everything on a mad gamble to find me. Besides, he had his reasons not to say too."

I scowl. "Boats and storms again. How big is his fleet?"

"He is a Prikki of many fingers."

"Is Septima one of his?"

"Nope. She was approached, but refused. So he hooked Skrand and the Kyaese up instead. Anyway, Gnaea put reform on the agenda, and I was put on one of the consultation panels. Gnaea didn't last all that long, and Appia put me on her staff-"

"Naomi, I swear I knew nothing until he approached me this morning."

"-and yes, when Appia announced that Life2.0 were coming to help us defend Brigantia from Septima's attempted extortion, I decided to tell you directly. We'd probably have met at the conference eventually, I was running out of excuses as to why I couldn't come."

"And Marcus what?"

"Marcus Aurelius."

"Like the emperor?"

He shakes his head. "No link. His philosophy is interesting though."

Appia looks at him. "Let's not take the reforms that far."

Mum giggles. "So, what do you think of my family Dad?"

"I can't wait to meet you all properly."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-185 Hours"
7th Daas, 10 (2189)
Elizabeth Herminton​

I look out the window of the shuttle as we approach to rendevous with Life2.0's fleet.

It's... Chaotic. There's vessels liberated from half a dozen fleets, and then there's their own vessels. You can easily tell those thanks to the immense discs at the back.

I think about what I'm getting myself into.

Septima despises the Companionship Asset system. She ridiculed Appia for having me around. Said it makes the Olinbari weak. As the electromagnets kick in to draw the shuttle into the hangar bay, the pilot switches off artificial gravity. I float by the window feeling really bad at both ends. microgravity doesn't agree with me. As soon as the shuttle lands, there's sirens - I watch all of Life2.0's people move to the floor. I look around the shuttle as the pilot frantically yells and points to the floor.

I move just in time, as I'm slammed to the deck. I guess we're accelerating again.

I see Sophia approach. She wears a crimson dress and cape atop a skintone-matching compression suit. Parazonium on her hip. Pistols too. I get out the shuttle. "Elizabeth Herminton reporting for duty."

Her dress ends above the knees. "Welcome to the Scarlets."

"Do I get a number?"

She smiles. "Once you are through training. We have a week to get you ready. Still got Appia's pistols?"

I spread my legs to show the bulge in my flightsuit's inner thigh. "I returned the biometric one."

"Do you think Appia wonders if you wear it there?"

"She doesn't. I told her I would."

"I see. Come with me."

I follow her into the ship. "I've been on a recruitment spree for new Scarlets. You're one of fifty two volunteers joining us from Brigantia."

"I would have thought more."

She looks at me. "Come next week, we're at battle readiness. Kind of puts people off joining. We don't have much time."

Sophia shows me a bunk with a white skintight compression suit and two dresses on it. One blue, one silver. "The dresses are not the official uniform, but just a little extra we Scarlets have. Blue is for naval marines, silver for infantry. Frankly, we're all doing both for now, but eventually once I have enough Scarlets to run dedicated groups, I will."

"I think I look better in blue."

She smiles. "Get dressed, then back out the door and turn right."

As she walks out, I get a final question. "When do I get a skintone matching suit like yours?"

She looks back. "Once you are finished training."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-184 Hours"
7th Daas, 10 (2189)
Elizabeth Herminton​

I'm the last lady into the briefing room. Most of us are wearing blue dresses atop our white compression suits. A Black wolf and a human woman stand with Sophia. She steps forward after I sit. "Ladies, I want to clarify something. Does anyone wonder why an Olinbar woman leads this formation?"

A good thirty women raise their hands.

"And how many question why I should be allowed to lead?"

Only a few women raise their hands this time.

"Thank you for your honesty. Will you allow me to explain who I am, and why I am here?"

There's nods. I'm curious too.

Sophia gestures to the Human. "This is Clarissa. She's one of the original Scarlets. The first time she saw me, she held a gun to my head."

She smiles wistfully. "And said you've hired your last woman."

"That too. But the other women in Gaius Licenius's collection of Companionship Assets explained I was one of them. And then she put a gun in my hand as we got the other Companionship Assets off the Flagship. Me and her boarded the last shuttle away. I joined the Scarlets soon after. Back then we were Scarlet One's personal bodyguard. I've fought Praetorians beside the other Scarlets, and Scarlet Leader and Scarlet One picked me to lead. Like all of you, I've been raped dozens of times a day. How many people in this room had their virginities auctioned?"

A lot of the room raise their hands. Including the black wolf.

"And how many of you were under 16 years old at the time?"

Wolf's hand is still up.

"How many people were taken from their spouses?"

More hands.

"How many people suffered depression?"

The black wolf raises her claws first. Other people join after her.

"Contemplated suicide?"

The wolf keeps her hand raised. Others join her.

"Attempted suicide?"

Wolf still has her hand raised. It takes a lot longer for other women to join her. Sophia looks at the wolf. "What did you do?"

Only now do I recognise the voice. "The first time was throwing myself out a window. The catch-fields stopped me."

Sophia closes her eyes. "who here has hired a Companionship Asset?"

She's the only one with her hand raised.

"My name is Sophia Dexcius. Like most Olinbari, I was introduced to Companionship Assets from a young age. My first sexual experience was with a Companionship Asset. I never thought anything of it until Gaius Licenius had me arrested for my brother's debts. I couldn't pay, and I was thrown in with other Companionship Assets, intending to execute me if my brother Hortensus wasn't found. Hortensus of course, was definitely gone."

The black wolf takes off her dress. Underneath, all she is wearing is a belt, a pistol and parazonium. "I am Naomi Of Unity. Hortensus kept me tied to a wall for months on end. Before that I was used at the docks, and before that a toy of the high society Olinbari. I killed Hortensus Dexcius. Crushed his testicles and then cut his throat."

Sophia looks at each of us. "Ladies, MSI used us as all kinds of horrible things. You wear Diplomatic White. This is because a Companionship Asset's start in life is in teaching Olinbari how they should be in a world where they reign. Then things start to get grey as we are moved into sexual slavery."

The wolf steps forward. "And eventually, we wear crimson."

Sophia nods. "Ladies, the Scarlets began as Unity's most elite combat formation. We are not here to be meek and mild little sex toys any more. We are here to fight for freedom and survival." She looks at every one of us. "We have just over seven days to get you prepared to fight."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-182 Hours"
7th Daas, 10 (2189)
Elizabeth Herminton​

Naomi's voice comes through the speakers. "Ladies, we don't have much time before we go into battle. Back on Unity, we had centrifuges big enough to host a training battle on, and us Scarlets trained at 3g or more. We can't do that here, and we'll have to settle for the fleet's acceleration. What we are going to do now is put each of you through a simulation, and see your pre-training baseline for how you respond to a combat scenario designed to test and quantify your performance so that we can isolate the areas to improve that we can fix in the time available."

I think of Appia slipping her hand in her dress to give me the gun on my thigh. I close my eyes. Naomi counts down. On one, I open.

My cubicle has become a really cramped chamber. Fluid is filling in, mask on my face. It feels horrible as pipeworks attach to the bowel openings in my compression suit and oh God that hurts! Oh that feels horrible... It's pushing in... It's pushing me open. Oh that's horrible...

Naomi's voice fills the comm link. "Scarlet One to all. Ladies, what we do today is for our right to live, for the common cause of all sophonts to live free. For a world without rape. We fight too for those still in shackles within MSI, and especially our Kyaese friends locked in the vicious grasp of Septima Severus. I'm proud of each and every one of you, and no matter what happens, I love you all." There's a pause. Fluid holds my body straight. Heart is going crazy as I realise I'm about to get fired out a cannon. "Let fall the Rain."

My head feels in my feet, and then the scream of the rocket drowns out mine.

---

I resume consciousness, heart beating a million times a second. I freeze. I don't know how to do anything. The screen in front of me lists some instructions. Naomis's voice comes on. "Breathe ladies, it's just the adrenaline shot we give you to wake you after you black out. It will wear off. Breathe in. Breathe out."

She repeats. I follow. Eventually I work out how to disconnect myself, and the chamber opens. I carefully look out while my hand goes to my thigh and I... Realise it is a simulation and I don't have her gun. I pick up the weapons and equipment in the door, then get out.

I'm on a ship, in a corridor. So it's a boarding action. I grip my gun very tightly.

"Pause simulation. Ok Ladies, that was the beginning. We fire you out a cannon and ignite a rocket to close the distance. In real life, your bowels will have emptied themselves down the pipe that pushed into you. Sorry about that... Trust me, it's better than the alternative, as otherwise it explodes out of you and it goes absolutely everwhere... The pipe in the butt is much better. You are not in immediate danger in the simulation as we'd get no useful data if you get knocked out at this point. Future runs of this will have enemies at this point though, because it does happen that some enemies survive the breach and we'll prepare you for it. On my sensors, I'm seeing that not everyone who has gotten out of their SODS Rocket has taken all their equipment, I'm pinging those of you who have missed bits now-" No ping here. I feel quite relieved. "-and after we unpause, I want you to converge on my position. Unpause simulation."

Knowing I'm not about to be attacked, I flop down on the rocket and catch my breath. My HUD highlights Naomi, and I...

I eventually get up after reconsidering some life choices. This is going to be a long week.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-176 Hours"
8th Daas, 10 (2189)
Ruki Of Unity​

I look around the table at those present physically and via hologram. Settle on Rivkah. "So, as instructed I have been snooping through the Chisudai's financial transaction history for Septima, and I've found something."

Appia tilts her head. "Go on?"

"Well, one of our biggest difficulties is that we have no up to date intel on what Septima has or doesn't have in terms of ships, so, I decided to track her purchase and consignment history. I've been tracking lots of variables since Appia persuaded the Chisudai that Septima was a criminal and therefore her financial accounts were property of the state, and we got the outside-MSI data to look through."

I look at the display.

"On the left is BranCo All-Animal Feedstock. They are the main supplier of food for her Kyaese; they account for 92% of her expenditures on food, with the remaining 8% being reservations for emergency supply through other MegaCorps. They own a series of habitats that are used for growing basic crops in environmentally controlled conditions at accelerated rates; gigatons of crops grown per month are processed and distributed. On the right is Septima's own exchange where she sells contracts to buy Kyaese products."

Tryykad looks at me. "How does this tell us about her fleet?"

"I'm getting to that. I hypothesised that her fleet is necessarily going to be dominated by freight. Most of her own trades on the exchange are securing feed prices months to years in advance; this is fairly normal of course thanks to lead times on the growth and processing of crops into feed. What gets interesting, and disturbing, is that a small percentage of her contracts for two weeks ago have been liquidated; the change in her contractual obligations to buy feed have dropped for the next year, then there's a build back up to traditional levels back up to the farthest futures BranCo offer."

The next display cross-references the amount of food not bought with a typical Kyaese diet.

Mum and Appia gulp. Tryykad looks at the display, then makes a very bad noise.

I spell it out for the others. "What this means is Septima has not purchased the food for ten million Kyaese, while planning for their replacements feed. I don't like thinking about this."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-174 Hours"
8th Daas, 10 (2189)
Elizabeth Herminton​

I find Naomi in the showers afterwards, blow-drying her fur down. We're a little late after her son's interruption. "Naomi... Could the anal tubes be redesigned? That hurt so much."

Other women gather. Many nod. One woman stands by me. "Oui, ce'st terrible."

Naomi puts the hairdryer down. "Ok ladies, please come here."

We gather. "Me and my Buri were the first people to get shot out of one of these things. And we found out the hard way - it was all down our legs and up our backs. I had to shave Buri, it was that bad... After the Flagship battle, we began testing for systems that fix the issue. I know it's not very good, but it's better than the alternatives."

Another woman frowns. "It grabs your hips and rams up the ass. I kind of figured that we wouldn't be getting that any more now."

I look at Naomi. "Does it really have to be that bad?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking about quitting."

"Whoever designed it was definitely a man."

Naomi lets us all speak before she replies. "Ladies, please. I want to explain. Long or short explanation?"

I look at her. "Long."

"Ok. As I was saying, Buri and I tested all the designs we came up with, and there's been half a dozen redesigns; we've tried suction cups, self-inserted tubes, expanding tubes, lubricated tubes... Some of the testing incidents were really quite bad. We found it had to stretch you, otherwise under accelerations experienced in the fast launches it blasts around the tube. It has to be high friction otherwise it comes out under the forces involved. We couldn't use suction cups because of insufficient pressure differences, there were limits on flexibility as what works on a pressurised suit doesn't work on the compression suits we use... Lots of problems. Changing the design to solve these issues, led to needing to solve more issues that came up, and by the time we had a comfortable interface that worked effectively it massed more than 50kg. Which being a rocket meant a lot of consequences for the design of the rocket, as the whole rocket gets changed to match the new dry mass, and it ended up being a 20% bigger rocket thanks to a bigger rocket motor and more fuel tanks and the armour to go with that. Which then had to lead adjustments to the decoys, and the launching systems, and those affect the ships we're launching from... In the end, I had a choice to make. We could pay a mass penalty that by the time it's all worked through costs hundreds of tonnes - dry mass - per launching ship and have a penetration that's almost as nice as my husband, or just get rammed in one more time."

"So we get grabbed and rammed."

She nods. "Yes." She looks at each of us. "Ladies, I totally understand where you are coming from. But practical reality dictates our options. I explain all of this because I want to train you to be the leaders of the future, as we Companionship Assets can bridge the divide better than anyone, and I believe in you. One day, when you have command, you'll have to balance the demands of the mission, the technological capability we have and the people who will get the job done and systems analysis like this is something you will have to think through." She leans on a wall. "I know the subject matter isn't something we want to think about. But, I do want you to take this as a learning experience for the careers ahead of you. Now, we finish showering, then off to your quarters and rest up, and we'll go over your performances once we've analysed the data."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-172 Hours"
8th Daas, 10 (2189)
Mei Hua​

Osshi and I missed the hatching. We knew it was soon, but...

We come back to our quarters to find a little lizard the size of my hand sleeping next to a cracked egg. Blue scales, with spines on his back. Osshi kisses me before picking the hatchling up. "That's our little hatchling." Osshi checks them over. "We have a son."

I cradle our baby as Osshi wraps his arms around me. The baby awakes. Makes noises as he wriggles and looks at me cross-eyed. Yawns. Clings to me, humming... I cry with joy. Knowing that he's got the same enhancements as Ruki, I recite the blessing that has welcomed hundreds of thousands since Naomi started it. "Welcome to the worlds, my little one. You will know love, and you will know hate. You will know joy, and you will know pain. But you will forever be, our Zhao Qing Lung."

My little blue dragon wraps himself around my wrist as I take him to the kitchen, and place him on a plate of nuts and berries. I look back at Osshi. We have a celebration to plan.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-117 Hours"
11th Daas, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

I look out the window. Everything seems stationary, yet... "Five megametres per second."

Mum nods.

We float.

"Remember when we were in the shuttle above Unity together?"

She smiles. "Yes. That was only around eight thousand metres per second."

"It's crazy to think we're going so fast we'd cross a planet in four seconds."

"And now we'll start slowing down again."

I feel the silence. For five days the distant thunder of the shock of the blasts as the Titan fires them out and they explode against the tension structure of the puller-plate has rumbled through the whole fleet. Each one releasing as much energy as pre-FTL mankind in one hit harnessed in all their powerplants combined.

Now? All we feel is a very gentle tugging to the left as the reactionless drives on board the Holocron's Titan pull the whole fleet around. A few hours time and we'll begin decelerating from close to 2% of the speed of light. Slightly quicker this time around; there's a lot of wet mass burned now, several refuellers have already been abandoned to continue their journeys into interstellar space.

"Mum."

"Yes?"

"If you were Septima, how would you stop us?"

"Find something we value, then point a gun at it, and hope we don't value her death over whatever she threatens."

"Appia?"

"Yes, the Praetorians were probably supposed to capture her and legitimise a regime change from her. But Appia has hidden depths... It would be trivial to threaten the Kyaese. But there are downsides for her."

"Yeah, she can't endanger her economy by risking all the Kyaese. So who else could she threaten?"

"The other homeworlds. But the possibility of reprisals is part of why I sent Vaki out on the mission to take those who wanted to go home, home; I hoped to use them to warn their homeworlds before it was too late."

"Then there's Unity. But, we left some pretty good defences on Unity."

"And the Holocron is still there. I have a feeling Unity will be very different when we see it again."

Her face is thoughtful. No, hopeful. "Mum?"

"While we were in the vats, the Holocron showed us some of his ideas. He intends to make Unity into a Gaia world."

"Aren't those like, myth? How can a planet be perfectly habitable for everyone?"

"Shared consciousness between an inner planetary computer and the flora and fauna, crust made of Utility Sand... All designed to live in harmony with our descendants. It's a very interesting idea."

I turn back to the window. "First we need to deal with Septima."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-113 Hours"
12th Daas, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

Li thumps the table as my brother arrives. "Welcome Ruki, would you like to share the results of your analysis?"

Ruki puts a tablet on the table. "I believe I have come to a conclusion on Septima's likely strategy. My analysis has considered four key evidence avenues - MSI's retained information, publicly available data, psychological evaluation of Septima, and Skrand Sharpbeak's contacts within the Kyaese. My conclusion is Septima is on her way to attempt to reach Brigantia before we do. This list here is of her known owned outright or through alternative financing or ownership mediums of freight, totalling one type five freighter, four thousand type four freighters, twenty eight thousand type three freighters, thirty five thousand type two freighters, and ten thousand type one freighters."

I interrupt. "What does that actually mean?"

"Her total shipping capability is equivalent to two billion tons of freight shipped."

"And the types of freighter?"

He looks around the room. "Type one is analogous to man with van, type two analogous to articulated tractor unit plus trailer, type three analogous to trains, type four comparable to the biggest container ships of Earth's oceans. Type five Humans haven't yet built freighters big enough to have an analogy to, but they start at kilometres long. The type five is used on long duration contracts that haul bulk Minerals to The Infinite Wheel on a yearly basis out of Arishkan territory, where it currently is. The type fours are ships that are also used for bulk deliveries to The Infinite Wheel, and go to numerous trading partners. The type threes are the ones that actually attract our interest, as these medium sized freighters are used on her export trade routes selling Kyaese products and for hauling in foodstock for Kyaese. The type twos and type ones are dominantly used for transiting resources around the Infinite wheel from collection hubs serviced by vactrains between barn complexes up to the central starbase distribution node and linked Mega Shipyard."

"So she can build a fleet?"

"The Mega Shipyard handles maintenance and repair of the type three fleet, and is pretty much always full. But in principle it allows for the construction of even colossal capital ships. No, her ship construction facilities are in the nearby systems, with the bulk of her ship construction taking place in the Kwilias star system, where she owns Equatorial Shipyards around two molten planets that are being steadily torn apart from tidal interactions thanks to the uncomfortably close host red dwarf."

"Is that good?"

"In principle, she has the facilities to have sixteen ships under construction."

I look at Appia first. "How many ships could that be if she switched to warship production as soon as we took out Gnaea?"

"Two or three batches of Corvettes. Maybe two Destroyers. One batch of shoddy Cruisers."

Tryykad looks at Appia. "We know she's culled ten million Kyaese. How many of these type three freighters would that free up? Enough to convert them into carriers or something?"

Ruki shakes his head. "One. Two at a push - by my estimates, it takes three days production for ten million Kyaese to fill a type three freighter with eggs. The push to two comes from the other Kyaese products, as disease control means it would be inadvisable to mix them onto the same freighters. It's why she has so few type four and type fives, even with more than a trillion Kyaese she just doesn't get the eggs to make the large ships viable."

Mum interrupts now. "Ruki, Rivkah and I were discussing the possibility of Septima taking hostages a few hours ago, and talking about this makes me wonder - what if they weren't fitted with eggs, but live Kyaese?"

Ruki looks at Tryykad. Then thinks. "That would need at least a hundred freighters. Unless she crammed Kyaese in, then maybe a few less."

Mum looks at Appia. "How many type three size freighters could she build in the time since we took out Gnaea?"

Appia looks up. "Well, freighters are big of course, but they are also fairly straightforward compared to warships. If the parts were being mass produced..." Her face goes a very light blue. "If she was really keen, a hundred freighters might be doable."

Tryykad growls. "That Bitch."

The Holocron frowns. "Appia, would MSI fire on a fleet of freighters using Kyaese as hostages?"

Appia snorts. "Of course we'll shoot them down. We already know she isn't feeding these Kyaese who are either culled or on the freighters heading for the Gateway as we speak, Ruki has established that. She has to think of what stops MSI fro-" Her eyes go wide. "-from stopping the freighters."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-112 Hours"
12th Daas, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

Tryykad looks at Appia. "I hate the consequences of the logic, but I can't see you being wrong... But what do you mean by stopping the freighters?"

Mum answers. "The freighters will take brachistochrone transfers, like we are doing now. Only instead of slowing down, they will hit Brigantia at the same kind of speed as we are travelling now. If they all hit..."

Appia trembles. "Billions will die."

The Holocron looks at her. "They won't all hit. Septima needs to position herself as the saviour afterwards. The freighters not used as kinetic weapons will arrive a week later, as the first food delivery."

Tryykad crumples. "This..." He slams into the table. "This isn't right... We are supposed to free my people, not kill them to save Olinbari..."

Appia puts an arm around him. Her mouth opens, but she doesn't have the words.

The Holocron does. "Tryykad, if nothing else, there's billions of freed Indentured Assets on Brigantia too. It's not just Olinbari who'll die."

Tryykad... Doesn't get up. "I... I... Damn her. Whatever we do, we lose."

I look at Ruki. "Is there any possibility of us getting the wrong end of the stick?"

Dad speaks. "Septima has a simple advantage. She doesn't care about others. We do care... To her, it is a transaction. I can't see a way through this that doesn't mean many billions of dead Kyaese."

Tryykad looks at him, shaking. "Billions?"

Dad... Waits for a long time before speaking. "She has a Ringworld full of Kyaese as bargaining chips."

Mum nods. "We need to consider that Septima is effectively gambling her existing economic base on being able to outmanoeuvre us and take over the far more profitable rest of MSI. If she's coming into this as having already written off the Kyaese as lost..."

Tryykad mumbles and murmurs, and although Appia tries to stop him falling out the chair, she's only a hologram. I wince as he thuds. I go and pick him up. "Tryykad."

His small black eyes look up at me. "Rivkah?"

"I wish I had a way to save your people. But she is relying on you, on all our Kyaese, to fold. To give up and resign. She's counting on making you give up and us all back down rather than fighting her and having to sacrifice them. She's counting on our mercy and our compassion, exploiting them like a parasite."

He sighs. "We're all on the board, as you say."

I look right into his eyes. "The only way to take the Kyaese off the board is by putting her down."

His head rolls. "I can't do this... I can't sentence billions of Kyaese to death."

"Then you accept trillions will live as slaves."

He is quiet for a long time. "Damn her."

I smile. "We'll do our best."

Leonardo leans over the table. "I cannot in good conscience order my fleet to fire on civilians, but I can't see any alternative to doing so. We're dealing with a terrorist with a trillion hostages, and there's no easy solution. For all we know, there are Kyaese hostages everywhere."

I put Tryykad back down. "We need something that affects Olinbari and not Kyaese. That way we can fight on Septima's terms."

Appia looks at the Holocron. "Mosquitoes."

He contemplates it. "No point. Unless it affects Septima personally, it's not going to change the amount of Kyaese she'll make us sacrifice or the lesser Olinbari she's already costed into her plans."

Appia reflects. "That's true... She cares for no one except herself."

I look at uncle Thando. "Maybe that's the key. Could we assassinate her?"

He thinks about it. "In theory, but setting up an assassination is going to take longer than a conventional battle. We'd still have to stop the freighters."

I sit back down. "So, the only way out, is through."

Tryykad whimpers.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"For A Princess"
2942, 10, 4, a.d. Kalendas Octobribus (12th Daas, 10)
Scipio Flavonius​

"Aunt Appia, may I ask a favour?"

She smiles wryly. "Go on?"

"Are we doing the traditional eldest children's dance?"

She laughs. "Are you telling me you want to dance with Rivkah Of Unity?"

"She is a flawless blend of beauty and power, strength and grace-"

"No, stop, you've said enough. I'll ask, but I can't make any promises."

I hug her. "Thank you."

"Are you infatuated with a beast who's a head taller than you without including her horns?"

"I thought you would approve."

"I know her mother and father will eat you alive if anything happens to her." She pauses. "And that's predator and prey type eating, not anything sexual." She ruffles my uniform. "And I don't want you to get eaten."

"Well... I won't get eaten."

"Rivkah is a Xenayan, Scipio. They mate frantically, but only for a few weeks a year. And you'll have to fight her and win to get her to let you mate with her."

I run a hand over the hilt of my sabre. "There's more than mating. And I'm not bad."

"Niether is she. She's been tutored by Titius Marius."

"You beat him though."

"Yes, but he's a better teacher than me. Plus, she's been taught by her mother. And she's good."

I make a mental note never to imagine Appia fencing with a Companionship Asset again. "We would make a good couple to celebrate the merger."

"Yes. Naomi would agree, her father... Will probably listen to Naomi."

"So, will you ask?"

"Yes. I did say so."

I tap the emitters beside my eyes. "I was recording this time."

"Any advice?"

She smiles. "Oh, you'll figure it out. Or she'll eat you." She flicks her hands at me. "Now shoo. I'm not hailing Naomi with you in her."

"In her?"

"In here! I meant in here. Go. Shoo!"

She pushes me out the door. I stand outside, let the memory of Rivkah speaking at the conference capture me again.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-99 Hours"
14th Daas, 10 (2189)
Ruqayya bint Rahil Amah al-Masih​

I'm still getting used to my friend's new appearance. I think she's worried. "What's on your mind?"

Naomi sighs. "A problem."

I sit beside her. "What kind of problem?"

"Septima Severus. We have reason to believe her attack will take the form of a hundred freighters filled to overflowing with Kyaese civilians used as mass drivers."

"And your conscience is pointing out that destroying the freighters is immoral."

"It is the quickest and safest solution. And if we don't stop them, each one will hit Brigantia with a blast ten times stronger than any weapon Humanity has yet made. Billions would die. But it condemns ten milion Kyaese to death for someone else's crimes."

"What alternatives are there?"

She bites her lip. "Ruthlessly pragmatic is destroying the freighters. But again, ten million dead Kyaese, plus Leonardo has already said he cannot order his ships to conduct that order as it is immoral. We could arrange to intercept at the Gateway and destroy their engines before they accelerate, but me, Buri, Ruki and the Holocron have all been crunching the numbers trying to get the fleet there fast enough - our plan was to defend Brigantia stationary to high orbits, and the Gateway is another three weeks away from Brigantia. We can't evacuate Brigantia, there's not enough food or vessels to house more than twenty billion people. Appia told me redirected freighters entered the system from the Hyperlanes this morning, so the planet gets a food delivery in three weeks. We could try boarding, but even if only 1% of the Kyaese survive, it's a hundred thousand people who we have no way to feed and house for at least a week. Plus we'd have to intercept within ten days, otherwise there's not enough time to even change course before impact. The Holocron has sent Appia plans and genomes for aeroponic farms for lettuce but even with Appia's manufacturing base they won't be ready within weeks. And he's designed a bugcatcher."

"A bugcatcher?"

"Several thousand layers of whipple shield on top of a kilometre thick layer of foam, followed by a hull of steel. But, Appia can't manufacture it, not in the time available..."

"It sounds like the most moral - no, least immoral - option is boarding."

"Yes. But, Septima has much more of a ground security detail composed of millions of fanatically loyal to her Sirzusians; if they are on the freighters, which we don't know as they are just as disposable to Septima as the Kyaese and she knows we'd consider boarding as that's how we beat Gaius and Gnaea, we're potentially facing a hundred CQC actions where she has her own marines. Not very good ones of course, we'd inevitably win, but it's not a quick fight; we could lose days, and we're very marginal on time just getting to a fly-by intercept... Our original plan included collecting the Praetorian equipment Appia no longer needs now she has purged the unit and started manufacturing it in Xenayan and Kyaese sizes for us, but the only chance of boarding in time is to collect at the wormhole when we arrive in the system and then accelerate straight to intercept, which gives equipment that only fits Humans and Olinbari. Which is still good, just not as ideal..."

She sighs.

I take her hand. "It sounds like you are resigned to killing these Kyaese."

"They're dying anyway Ruqayya. We know that Septima has already cut the food supply for these Kyaese off."

"She's trapped you between the ruthless choice to win, and your compassion."

"And revolt from the Kyaese; Tryykad has explained the situation to our Kyaese, and the only thing they are agreed on is Septima must face justice. There were riots when he said the only feasible option was to destroy the freighters; very few people are dead because the Holocron has brought his vats with him and the most severely injured are being treated through reconstruction. But it's a powder keg over there."

"A fair few of our people would let the Olinbari be attacked."

She nods. "Yep. But, people do listen when you point out how many now free Indentured Assets are still on Brigantia, and our Olinbari have helped massively on making peace possible. But its... All a nightmare."

I hug her.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-98 Hours"
14th Daas, 10 (2189)
Tryykad​

I walk in front of the instigators of the revolt. If I was Naomi, I'd have Xenaya in the background and no clothes on. Inwardly, I sigh, as the first would be useful. All the Kyaese are watching me. I halt.

"Let us remind ourselves of our history. Ours is a tale defined by two women from other species. The first is the hateful abomination, Septima Severus. Lifetimes ago, she was a little girl when her parents bought The Infinite Wheel. Now she is old, and they are gone. In her youth, she claimed to be an uplifter. As her years advanced, the mask hid her true nature less and less. The endless skies in which we flew were slammed inside hovels so cramped we could not even flap our wings for how close together we were. Genocide. Her monstrous brutality was in one hand, and relentless greed in the other. When so few were left, cowering at what had been witnessed and terrified for the end of our race, she shackled us. She sells our children, recycles our elderly, slaughters the sick. She is the enemy. And so complete was her victory that even free we missed the safety of the cages she put us in on the day we were sold to Hortensus Dexcius. We feared what was to come, feared the end."

I look around. So many people look at me. Many are afraid.

"Thankfully, our story has two non-Kyaese women. That second woman came to us later. Naomi Of Unity risked everything to kill the man who kept her tied to a wall so that he could abuse her. She came to us naked, with, looted weapons, blood on her hands and ideas to reshape the stars. At first my father feared her, terrified of her defiance, horrified at the wrath she risked. But then she gave him the most dangerous thing of all."

I pause for effect. Much like she would. "Hope."

Eyes in the audience start to get flickers. "Naomi put a gun in my hand on the day I met her to listen to what she had to say. That night, I had a dream. I stood on the bridge of an MSI battleship as we approached The Infinite Wheel to liberate it. That vision pushes me on, because until Septima is made to relieve what she did to us and her empire broken, no Kyaese is safe. This riot about the ten million Kyaese on the freighters - don't you see that such a reaction is exactly the kind of thing she wants? She wants us to be afraid. She wants us to think we can't possibly win. She wants us to give up in a desperate bid to save the hostages, to hate Appia for having to defend her people by shooting down those freighters no matter about the hostages. Septima wants that to tear us apart. That's how she wins. I hate having to order our forces to go into battle against freighters carrying tens of thousands of hostages each. Possibly worse if she has really crammed Kyaese into every last possible space. But we will. We are in a war of liberation of our people. To fail to fight is to condemn them to slavery and culling, as she trades their children for the life extension medication she uses to retain her youth. I grieve for the ten million. I grieve for the hundreds of billions she'll hold to ransom once these freighters are dealt with while we break her empire. But I will meet her in battle none the less."

I look around them all. "And we are not alone. Among the other slaves on Hortensus' ship, we have allies who will fight by our sides against any odds, who believe in us. Septima stands alone. Not even her people are with her - Appia has declared her a enemy of the state and a criminal. And she has given me the battleship I want to use to liberate our people."

I pause. That's news to them. Heads rise. I think of Naomi as I do what she'd do; use a one liner. "I am Tryykad, son of Qutrok. And I am no longer afraid."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-87 Hours"
15th Daas, 10 (2189)
Duxanek​

I take the incoming hail. I look at the Olinbari woman. She wears a medical gown, but there's an admiralty parazonium on her otherwise immaculate desk. "Hello, are you Duxanek?"

"Yes."

"I am Quaestor Caelia Oppodius. Appia has appointed me to revamp MSI's medical services to be fit for purpose. Put simply, my predecessors had very little interest in Indentured Asset welfare and medical care, a failure which it is now my duty to rectify. I figured that Life2.0 would be the best people to ask in order to reduce testing treatments twice over for effectiveness and safety, as well as obtain immediately useful medical data."

"Where do you want to start with?"

"Our ugly friend. War. Appia has told me that Humans, Kyaese and Xenaya are the bulk of your servicemen and women. We have passable data on Humans, minimal data on Kyaese, nothing on Xenaya. I've reviewed the discussions on the battle ahead and while I'm aware final combat policy has not been decided, it's likely to involve substantial casualties to all of us."

"Surely you need general medical assistance too?"

"Of course, right now I have a medical service that's only fit for a quarter of the population it serves. But, if Septima succeeds, then everything is ruined. It's triage."

I see her point. "What are you're assumptions on casualties?"

She lays out four tablets. "I have assessed the possible strategems we might employ against possible strategems Septima might employ and grouped them into four categories. Of note is the presumption of boarding actions, as I consider it very likely that Naomi will choose a boarding action over the destruction of Kyaese civilians in a straight-forward battle. This is the primary cause of the requirement for medical data for Xenaya. I am of the understanding that your navy relies on very few Xenaya that are extremely highly trained?"

"After putting both in battle gear, we can put ten Kyaese into orbit for the resources it takes for one Xenaya."

Left eyebrow rises. "Then why have Xenaya at all?"

"With Kyaese, we've found more than five to ten kilograms of equipment and they can barely fly. A Human has a maximum combat load of thirty kilograms before they start suffering adverse medical effects, preferably lower. Xenaya however, you can put a hundred kilograms of armour and equipment on an average untrained Xenaya and they carry on unhindered. One who's fit and trained, and well, our elite Xenaya are wearing inches of Osmium as bulk armour. Buri, Naomi's husband, trains at four times standard gravity by weighing himself down under more than a tonne of high density metals. If we were fighting a ground war, we'd reverse the Xenaya to Kyaese ratio."

Both eyebrows. "I see. Very well. Am I to infer Xenaya will be breaching?"

"If it comes to a boarding action, Xenaya and Scarlets will go first. What Humans lack in strength, they make up for in stamina; Xenaya are ambush predators, not persistence predators. When Naomi was pregnant with Ruki and faced having to fight a duel with a Xenaya, she intended to exploit that by tiring out her opponent. Xenaya are ferocious, but they aren't invincible, especially under high heat when their insulating fur exhausts them. They also tend not to evaluate ranged combat very well, which means Humans are vastly more effective at it. Kyaese follow as skirmishers and mobile artillery."

"Mobile artillery?"

"Wearable harnesses that mount recoiless rockets."

She looks at my attire. "No wonder everyone wears spacesuits then. All noted. Space crew are dominantly Kyaese?"

"Yes, with some Humans in command roles, and Bevkirans as sapient combat computers."

"Sounds reasonable. Am I correct in understanding your kinetics are non-superconducting?"

"Non-superconducting, yes. We've not been able to make a superconducting alloy that stands the materials demands we need yet."

"Lasers are what efficiency?"

"28.7%, from memory, near-UV wavelengths. Up to GW input."

"But the bulk of the plan is the casaba howlitzers?"

"Yes."

"What exactly are they? It isn't a weapon I'm familiar with."

"Detonate nuclear or thermonuclear bomb, harness the energy into a low density material plate to create a focused stream of extremely high temperature and high velocity particles."

"Nuclear or thermonuclear... High radiation weapons?"

"Naomi would rather die free from radiation poisoning than live in health in shackles."

She hesitates. "Presumably you have radiation medication and treatments formulated?"

"Yes. After the battle with Gnaea, the dominant types of sickness on Unity stem from radiation exposure."

"Could I have the applicable products for mass production?"

"I'll send via comms."

"Thank you. Are you likely to require medical aid for your own people, or should I focus my resources on treating recovered Kyaese from Septima's fleet?"

"Naomi would say to focus on them, so we'll prioritise the Kyaese. This an area outside of my expertise, but I feel I must ask; is there anything in MSI law that allows the requisition of freighters for military purposes?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"By our projections, the only ships that can make a boarding action in time are ones that use reactionless drives; the ability to accelerate they have is unmatched. But we don't have enough of them to use them as marine carriers. Appia doesn't think she has the morale among the Olinbari to pull off a nationalisation of any reactionless drive freighters as they are expensive to purchase-"

"Very."

"-but, if there's a chance Naomi can save the Kyaese, she will want to. Her... chaplain, has advised me that Naomi is suffering for having to make the decision to destroy the Kyaese civilians."

She taps her parazonium. "I remain a Praetor. I will make inquiries."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"T-59 Hours"
17th Daas, 10 (2189)
Buri Of Unity​

There are many perks to being telepathically connected to your wife.

But...

When she can't sleep...

I hold her. Enter her mind. What's wrong?

She looks at me. I think we are heading into a trap.

How?

What keeps going over in my mind is why would Septima want us to board her ships?

What makes you think so? To me, she's looking like she's set the bar so high that we couldn't even try. Too many freighters.

It isn't that there's too many, if the extrapolation from Ruki and Appia's information is right it's less ships than when we beat Gnaea.

Too many Kyaese to rescue then. But equally, Gnaea was coming to us, we have only got a fraction of the fleet who can make the intercept. To me, it looks like Septima is gambling on trying to make MSI defend themselves and kill ten million Kyaese in the process in an attempt to shatter our alliance. All it costs her is a hundred freighters. It's an exchange you know is affordable for her and puts us in a crisis.

I know.

I nuzzle her. Naomi, you are a woman of deep love. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of the tapestry of you. But you are trying to think of a way to get around the harsh reality that our enemy has made sure we have but one choice. Her gamble is that you will not make that decision, that you will try a desperate action to save lives and end up with Life2.0 forces on the freighters when Appia has to protect her people and planet. She's playing you. If she was facing the Holocron or Appia her strategy would be completely different, because ultimately neither of them would baulk at the deaths of ten million Kyaese. Appia would rationalise it, and the Holocron would add ten million Kyaese to the statues of those who died after the battle with Gnaea. But she knows that she isn't fighting them.

I watch her process my thoughts. Then her eyes go wide. Monica.