WSP 055

  Preparatory Steps

  It was a bright, clear day, unusually warm for the end of fall in Kroan. A large gathering had formed around the front of the Palace, at such a position that the rising sun was hidden behind the grand structure’s domes, surrounding it in a brilliant, picturesque halo. The crowd had formed a fair distance from the Palace’s front doors, creating a semicircle of people, held back by various Royal Guards.

  They were, after all, expecting a spaceship to land right there.

  Everyone’s eyes were glued to the sky, trying to locate the expected arrivals. Had the sun not been hidden behind the Palace, many would have injured their eyes in the attempt. As the day of arrival had not been specifically planned far in advance, this was a notable turn of good fortune for all present, able to scan to their heart’s content.

  At the front of the crowd, separated from them by only a few Royal Guards, stood most of the Royal Family, standing on a simple raised platform to elevate their status.

  Via was wearing an extravagant dress with poofy parts everywhere, so large that her gauntlets were completely hidden, and had her hair poofed out into a sphere with intricate weaving patterns along its exterior. She tapped her foot, looking at the sky with concern. “Shouldn’t they be here by now…?”

  Tenrayce was simply in her Green Wizard robes, reading a book. “Travel time is not exact, Via, and you know it.”

  “I know, but, what if… what if something happened?”

  “Haven’t they proved themselves capable enough?” This came from Hyrii, who was in a simple, form-fitting, but very sparkly orange dress. “Considering how much you talk about them and what you say…”

  “Y-yeah…” Via nervously wrung her wrists together. “I just… never mind, you’re right, it’s not an issue.”

  Wyett crossed his arms, the armor on them clattering as they moved. His long robe shifted dramatically with the movement. “Concern is valid. Our enemies could have tried to intercept them.”

  “Wyett…” Via shook her head. “I wasn’t thinking they were attacked…”

  “Then what were you thinking?”

  “Um… I… hadn’t gotten that far?” She laughed nervously.

  “It’s probably just nerves,” Riikaz said, placing her arm on her daughter’s shoulder. Riikaz herself was wearing her pristine wolven furs, as usual at events such as these. “You need to learn to let those things go, Via. Not ignore them, but let them go.”

  Wyett clenched his jaw.

  “I know…” Via locked her hands behind her back and looked to the sky. “I just… I wish they’d get here quicker.”

  “Oh, they’ll be here soon,” Seskii said.

  Everyone but Riikaz jumped away from the suddenly present pink gari.

  “Guards!” Wyett called.

  “Ignore that,” Tenrayce said with a sigh. “Wyett, this is Seskii.”

  “Wh… what?”

  Seskii dropped to a knee and lowered her head to Wyett. “Well met, my king. Glad to finally come properly face-to-face with you.”

  Wyett glanced with concern at Tenrayce.

  “She’s strange, yes. Surprised she’s bowing.” Tenrayce turned a page. “She’s with the Space Program, works as their secretary.”

  “Did… did they land somewhere wrong!?”

  “Oh, no, I came on Alexandrite.” Seskii pointed over to Alexandrite in the crowd.

  “...How’d you get past the…”

  Riikaz slapped Seskii on the back. “She could get past most of our guards without breaking a sweat, I bet!”

  “Aww, does that mean you remember me?”

  “Would be hard to forget that day in the cave, have to say.”

  Wyett sighed. “Look, Seskii, I understand that you have… surprisingly personal connections here, but this is the Royal Podium.”

  “Wyett!” Via put her hands on her hips. “We’re waiting for the Space Program already, she’s welcome! She’s even on the guest list!”

  “But…”

  “And she’s great and will make waiting a ton less boring!”

  “I’d prefer a boring wait myself,” Tenrayce commented. “But I do agree, don’t just throw her off.”

  Wyett fixed Seskii with an uncertain glare.

  Seskii met his glare with a dumb smile. “Yes, I have totally brainwashed them to like me with nefarious evil magics.” She gave him a thumbs-up.

  “Seskii!” Via hissed.

  Wyett grumbled and turned his back to her.

  “Seskii, what if he had believed you!?”

  “That was the one thing I could say to make sure he didn’t think that,” Seskii said, dusting her hands off. “Anyway, you must be Queen Hyrii!” She bowed to her. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  “I’ve heard a lot about you!” Hyrii said, smiling warmly. “Keeping the Space Program held together with blood, sweat, and tears!”

  “Mostly sweat, but the other two do happen. The blood’s never mine, though.” She winked.

  Riikaz scratched her chin. “What is your weapon of choice, Seskii?”

  “Chemistry.” She waggled her eyebrows, pulling out a vial of a pink sparkling liquid. “Oh my, I wonder what dangerous thing this does?”

  Wyett whipped around. “What foul dangers have yo—”

  Seskii downed the concoction in one gulp. “Ah, strawberry.”

  Wyett stared at her, dumbfounded.

  “Not everything inexplicable is out to get you, my king.” Her expression became somewhat sad all of a sudden. “It’d be best if you would remember that, in the future.”

  Wyett once again turned his back on her in a huff.

  “I’m afraid he has no patience for you,” Tenrayce said.

  “You don’t either.”

  “A different sort of lack.”

  “Well, I sure do hope the rest of them arrive soon, because otherwise I’ll probably drive our great King insane with my antics.”

  “Please don’t.”

  “Bu—”

  “I see them!” Via shouted, pointing at the sky.

  Everyone stopped whatever conversation they were having and looked to the sky. Sure enough, a metallic, glinting shape was descending from the sky. Barely visible as a speck of light at first, it quickly grew in apparent size, revealing the spherical shape of the Moonshot II with the spherical knobs all glowing with Orange power as it descended to the ground at an alarming speed.

  “They’re going too fast…” Via said, putting her hands to her mouth. “Oh no…”

  “Jeh’s showing off,” Tenryace said, for once not looking at her book.

  “That… okay, yes, that’s probably right.”

  The speed of the Moonshot II lowered dramatically less than ten seconds before it hit the ground, coming to a smooth, gentle stop right in front of the palace. The crowd cheered.

  The Moonshot II lifted a few inches into the air and awkwardly rotated to point the hatch at the crowd rather than at a random Palace wall. There was a soft hiss as the airlock popped open and became a ramp leading to the ground.

  A few seconds passed before Jeh poked her head out of the hatch and held her hands wide, grinning. She was not in her bear furs, but rather a nice reddish-brown suit—not a dress, as that would have been decidedly awkward to fly the Moonshot II in. “Hello Axiom! We’re here!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers again.

  Wyett descended from the platform to greet the members of the Wizard Space Program as they arrived. “Greetings to the brave scientists, pilots, and explorers of the Wizard Space Program!”

  As soon as Jeh reached the bottom of the platform, she started to extend her hand to Wyett. This time, however, she remembered proper procedure and instead dropped to her knee. “It is an honor, my King.”

  The others emerged from behind her. Vaughan was in his red robes, as even on this grand occasion, they were considered appropriate. Blue actually wore a glittering bow on her tail, her Wizard hat on her head, and a vest with a wide, stiff collar, which was considered abnormally fancy dress for unicorns. Krays came out carrying Scurfpea, both of them in simple but neat dresses. Margaret, as she had not been flying the ship, came out in a decidedly stunning black dress of her own design, marked with the patterns of constellations. All of them bowed, though Krays could only half-bow with Scurfpea in her arms.

  “Rise,” Wyett said. “And welcome to Axiom. In a week’s time, you will be indispensable for the success of the greatest feat of international collaboration in known history.” He turned to the crowd, and though his face was rather emotionless, his voice boomed with fire. “Soon, we will lay the foundation for the City in the Sky!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers again.

  Wyett turned back to the Wizard Space Program. “Come, we have much to discuss.” He snapped his fingers. The great doors of the Palace lit up with Orange auras and slid open, allowing them to enter the great hall. He led the way, Hyrii at his side, with all others following behind.

  Blue fell back to Via and Tenrayce, stretching her neck. “I. Hate. Fancy clothes.”

  “You’ll live,” Tenrayce said, flipping a page in her book.

  “If I thought otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. But I will complain to everyone I can.” She grunted. “By the way, do we… really have much to discuss?”

  “No, that’s just the speech,” Tenrayce said. “I suspect he won’t stay for long at lunch either. He wasn’t in a people mood to start with, and Seskii hasn’t helped that.”

  Seskii let out an innocent whistle.

  “At least you’ll get to enjoy a proper feast!” Via said, clapping her hands together.

  Blue rolled her eyes. “I’ve already eaten at the Palace several times. You were there.”

  “Oh, those were never full feasts. You’re all guests of honor now; the chefs get to go all out, the real rare stuff gets put out, oh, and the wine.” Via laughed giddily. “That’ll be a treat!”

  “I suppose…” Blue glanced to Jeh. “I’m more worried about her. We… did drills on the right forks to use and when, but… honestly, I have more faith in Scurfpea than her about keeping the air of decorum.”

  Tenrayce nodded, flipping another page in her book. “Refinement… does, unfortunately, matter. I am glad to hear you did some preparations. I speak with no ill will when I say the behavior of the people of your program is absolutely disgusting.”

  Via gasped. “Tenii!”

  “I simply speak the truth.”

  “Maybe we’re too uptight!”

  “Attempting to have a subjective argument with me. Dangerous.”

  “I… well… er… um…”

  Hyrii slid back to them. “Hey, Tenii, Via? Can we try to be a bit more… regal? I can tell this disorganized trek is… bothering Wyett.”

  Tenrayce sighed. “I’m going to have to have a talk with him…”

  “Can you… wait until after the dinner, at least? Give him a chance to… relax?”

  “You know he won’t.”

  Hyrii glanced at the nearby Blue and grimaced. “...Just try.”

  Tenrayce nodded. “As you wish.”

  “Thank you.” Hyrii bowed slightly and returned to her position at Wyett’s side.

  “Do we really have t—” Blue started.

  Seskii tapped Blue on the shoulder and shook her head. Noting that neither Via nor Tenrayce were talking anymore, Blue shut herself up and continued walking with the others. Tenrayce’s expression was unreadable, but Via’s was an open book: dour, disappointed, and stifled.

  I hear about things being wrong with Wyett somewhat regularly… guess I finally get to see it firsthand. She looked forward at the flowing robes on Wyett’s back. This is our King? He… is nothing like his father.

  They soon arrived at the grand banquet hall. The food was already set and somehow piping hot as well. There were only around a dozen guests entering, but the table could easily seat over thirty, and every square inch of the table was covered in food. Grand meat dishes, deserts that looked like towers, a large variety of vintage wine bottles, drinks that fizzed and sparkled, fruit Blue had never even seen before, and fruit Blue had seen before cut into ornate shapes, including a few shaped like the members of the royal family, matching right down to their current outfits.

  “Seating order… seating order…” Blue caught Jeh muttering and counting on her fingers. At least she remembered. Jeh did manage to get the wrong seat, but swapping places with where Margaret was supposed to be was not the end of the world.

  King Wyett took the head of the table, naturally, with his wife to his left. Further to his left was Queen Riikaz, then the Princesses. The Old Queen Ursulii was not present. To Wyett’s right sat Vaughan, followed by Blue, Seskii, Margaret, Jeh, and then Scurfpea at the far end. Krays actually sat on the other side, past the Princesses, to keep the two sides balanced.

  It had been somewhat of a shock to Blue to learn that Krays did, in fact, have very diluted royal blood in her. Krays had not felt the need to elaborate on the subject when Blue asked, and Blue hadn’t pushed.

  Alexandrite entered the room last, led through a larger side door separately from the rest of them. He got to sit at a special table in the corner, slightly in front of and to the right of Wyett. Such was tradition when dining with dragons… that were small enough to enter the dining hall, anyway. He got far larger dishes with far larger plates, but less variety and artistic flair.

  Once everybody had sat down, a strange silence fell over the room. Nobody did anything but breathe.

  Wyett reached out and undid the cork on one of the wine bottles and poured himself a glass. He set the bottle down and put the glass to his lips, taking a lot more in than the traditional sip to start the meal. He raised the glass into the air, letting it glint off the light coming through the stained glass windows. “I name this feast in honor of the stars, which we so doggedly pursue.” He flicked the glass with his finger.

  “May we eat in honor of the stars,” everyone said in unison.

  “You may begin your meals,” Wyett said. With an Orange crystal, he levitated over to himself a roasted leg taken from a large bird, drizzled with a thick sauce filled with suspended green spots.

  Jeh almost started levitating food to her place too early, but saw Queen Hyrii start first and quickly rammed her Orange crystal back into her pack. She looked like a trapped, terrified animal.

  Poor kid… Blue thought. I don’t have to deal with the fear of messing up, but she does…

  The dishing up order went in a zig-zag pattern across the table. Once a plate was served by every individual sitting adjacent to or across from someone, they could begin eating. Which meant Wyett started as soon as Hyrii and Vaughan had set their plates. He said nothing, even though, strictly speaking, once he was eating, there was no more tradition to observe.

  Thus, Hyrii spoke up as soon as she was able to start eating, rather than dig in. “Well, Vaughan, I have heard so much about your delightful program and the colorful characters involved. Did you ever expect it to come out like this?”

  “Not at all, my Queen,” Vaughan said. “Even once I realized what we were really trying to do, I never expected it to extend this far beyond the sleepy town of Willow Hollow. It was a simple little project to me, not a… dramatic world-changing technology. Althoug,h given what we’ve seen, it was possible to predict some of these changes. The change in communication and transportation speed is one of the ones we could have foreseen… but, as has been somewhat of a pattern for us, when we’re in the midst of work, we tend not to see much outside of it.”

  “That is a fact of life we here in the Palace have observed as well,” Hyrii said. “Tenrayce in particular knows it well, given her line of work.”

  “It is a weakness to push through,” Tenrayce admitted.

  Hyrii continued. “Why, just last week I was looking over some diplomatic correspondence for Wyett, and forgot entirely about the situation in Vraskal during it, simply because I had been so fixated on Descent in the previous documents. Wyett had to remind me!” Hyrii looked expectantly to her husband.

  He didn’t say anything. He just kept eating his food.

  Hyrii managed not to grimace at this and simply continued after the awkward pause. “Speaking of Descent, Via visited there recently on business. But she’s had so many stories to tell us of the things she saw while not on business.”

  Via perked up. “It’s such an interesting place! Blue, you would love it, they have entire massive vent systems to make sure air gets to people up on the mountain, and they have a statue that represents the spirit of… inquiry, I think it was? They’re all about research and innovation, the entire city! There’s even an undercity and it was incredible…” as Via started rambling, the tense air around the table died down, letting everyone relax a little. Soon, most of the guests were enthralled by Via’s enthusiastic tales of her visit to Descent, even though some had clearly heard the stories before.

  The moment she took a break to take a drink, Wyett stood up.

  “It has been a wondrous honor dining with you all,” he said with no hint of actual warmth in his voice. “However, I have many duties and much to work on in preparation for the station’s launch. Please, continue without me.” He stepped aside, leaving the head of the table empty.

  Hyrii stood up to follow him.

  “No, no, you enjoy yourself, Hyrii. Please.” He lifted up her hand, kissed it, and walked away.

  The moment he was gone, Tenrayce looked Blue right in the eyes. “No, he does not have much work to do. I do. But I’m here anyway.”

  Via sighed. “I worry about him…”

  Hyrii shifted awkwardly. “Um…”

  “They’re friends,” Tenrayce said. “You can trust them, Hyrii. Just don’t tell them anything classified unless they bring it up.”

  “I… okay.” Hyrii frowned. “I guess… you all already kind of know each other. I just feel a little awkward.”

  Riikaz moved herself to the head of the table and sat down loudly, kicking her feet up and snapping her fingers. “Well, now that we can ignore the… traditions, maybe we can actually have a good time.” She somehow kicked one of the wine bottles off the table and into her hand, chugging directly from the bottle. “Ah, that’s the stuff!”

  “...Can I stop worrying about which fork to use now?” Jeh asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank goodness.” Jeh grabbed the largest fork, stabbed it into a bird’s win,g and started ripping the meat off.

  Krays followed the Queen’s example and put her feet up on the table. “Ah, that’s much better.”

  “Oh, Blue, you can remove the jacket now,” Via said. “There’s a coat rack over there.”

  Hyrii tensed. “Um, well, er…”

  “Oh, sorry Hyrii, I didn’t realize that…”

  “No, no, it’s fine…” Hyrii waved her hands side to side quickly. “You all get comfortable, I just…” She rubbed the back of her head. “I’m… not used to letting decorum slide, is all.”

  “Someone grew up in a noble house and didn’t see much outside it,” Krays muttered.

  “Krays!” Blue shouted.

  “She’s right,” Tenrayce said.

  “She… is,” Hyrii admitted. “I haven’t made many trips out of the capital, and the last one was… rather unpleasant. Diplomatically.”

  “Shimvale…” Via shivered. “At least they aren’t really much of a problem anymore.”

  “Tell that to Wyett,” Tenrayce muttered.

  “He… he means well.”

  “Tell me, was he being rude just there?” Blue asked. “I’m not sure about…”

  “Eh…” Riikaz tilted her hand side to side. “It’s within what’s expected of a King, but if a normal noble had done that, absolutely. That said…” She grinned. “I’ve done far worse, publicly, at dinners like this, in front of people with diplomatic power.”

  “Your escapades are… legendary,” Hyrii admitted.

  “Such as…?” Krays asked.

  “I kicked a Mikarolian diplomat between the legs for attempting to court Tenrayce.” She took another chug of the wine. “The Emperor laughed at that one, good day. Not for the diplomat.”

  “Is Wyett really the only one making you all keep up the… decorum?” Blue asked.

  “There is a purpose to it, Blue,” Tenrayce said. “Decorum allows people who hate each other to still talk and get things done, and if decorum is always maintained, it becomes second nature. Dealing with diplomats from unknown or enemy territories greatly benefits from such traditions and honor. Were you simply a professional team from the Academy, it would likely smooth things over. However, as we’re mostly well acquainted at this point, decorum just… obstructs.” She folded her hands together. “It is no secret to those at this table that I’m running this Kingdom, and Wyett is simply the face of it. He is well aware of this, but nonetheless can reject me at any time. Thus, I’m not going to push to remove decorum when he’s decidedly uncomfortable.”

  “I wish he would be willing to make friends…” Via said, hanging her head.

  “I’m more concerned that he’s…” Blue glanced at Hyrii and shut her mouth.

  Hyrii sighed. “I do not wish to be an obstruction to your free words. I should go.”

  “Please don’t,” Scurfpea blurted out.

  Hyrii stared at the dryad child. “Wh—why not?”

  “If he’s not going to make friends, you should!”

  Hyrii put her hand to her chest. “Well… aren’t you just the most precious thing! Scurfpea, the pilot, was it?”

  “Yep!”

  “How does someone so young learn to fly a spaceship?”

  “I want to go to the moon!” Scurfpea thrust her hands into the air. “And I was so cute they couldn’t say no!”

  Everyone at the table chuckled.

  “In reality, she’s a plant spirited,” Vaughan explained. “Not a kind we had around, and she was willing to help us learn about how plants breathe. In exchange, we taught her how to fly ships.”

  “Will she be flying on the station mission?” Hyrii asked.

  Jeh giggled. “Oh no no no she’s not that good yet. Margaret and I have that covered!” Jeh flashed her a grin. “Trust me, I’m older than I look.”

  “You only have, what, four years of memories?” Krays asked.

  “Hey, I remember a lot of time in the forest! It just alllll blends together.”

  “So yeah, four years of memories, and a ton of other forgotten stuff.”

  “Hey! I haven’t forgotten that much!”

  “How would you possibly know what you’ve forgotten?”

  “Well, uh… you too! Maybe you only have four years of actual memories in that head of yours! Ever think of that?”

  “Yes. Just now. Since you mentioned it.”

  Vaughan adjusted his hat and turned to Hyrii. “I do feel the need to apologize…” He realized with some shock that Hyrii wasn’t listening to him, but was looking at Jeh and Krays’ antics with a joyous smile on her face, laughing at their back and forth.

  With that, he let himself relax, finally sitting back to properly enjoy his meal.

  “Finally, no longer afraid it’s going to go completely wrong?” Blue asked him.

  “I think I’ve just realized that there’s no danger. And… that we are actually friends with these people.”

  “Told you.”

  “Would you have believed me if I told you we’d get personal connections to the Kroan Royal Family when all this started?”

  “I wouldn’t have believed you if someone told me I’d actually get to become a wizard.” She looked up at the brim of her gray hat and smiled. “And to make it even more absurd, it’s one of the things I’ve gained that I care about the least.”

  “Well, in that case, you’re welcome.”

  “Oh, you didn’t do all the work, old man.”

  “I’m not old yet!”

  “Really? I think I see more gray hairs in that beard of yours.”

  “You really think so?”

  Blue gave him a smug grin. “I really do. And you put half those old “wise” farts in the Academy to shame anyway.”

  “I’m not particularly brilliant.”

  “No. Being brilliant is my job. Your job…” Blue shook her head and chuckled. “Your job is to inspire us all with your simple wonder at the stars. Your job is to care. The rest of us can get so lost in our work or personal ideas. You… you always seem to be able to have some perspective.”

  “My, praise from Blue? I must be dreaming.”

  “Or… maybe Blue’s just changing.”

  “She’s speaking in the third person, that’s certainly something.”

  “Most things are.”

  “Hey! Hey!” Margaret suddenly stood up, pointing at Via and Jeh. “I know we’ve all collectively agreed to throw out the social contract, but we do not need a food fight right now! We are all in really nice clothes! Don’t become complete animals!”

  Jeh and Via turned to look at her just in time to see an orange bounce off her head.

  “S-sorry!” Hyrii called. “I just… I thought we were…”

  Margaret pointed a finger at her. “You…” She flashed Hyrii a grin. “Are fine. You needed to loosen up this entire time. Glad to see you did. I… know what it’s like, to feel outside the joy of everyone else.”

  “So can I throw this now?” Jeh asked.

  “No! I don’t want my dress ruined! I worked hard on this!”

  “You made it?” Hyrii asked.

  Margaret nodded, posing to let the stars glint in the light. “Yes. I may be paid to be a pilot, but I’m also an artist. These are the constellations. You won’t recognize some, because they’re from the Southern sky…”

  And so lunch continued, with the ice broken and decorum mostly thrown out the window, a joyous time was had by all.

  Seskii leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her wine. “And I didn’t even have to do anything.”

  ~~~

  “There she is!” Via said as she threw the hangar doors open with some Orange. “The Crystal Control Module!”

  The lights in the hangar quickly flicked on—Via was powering the Purple devices by placing her hand on a receptacle on the wall. The Module itself was a large, metallic rectangular prism with a width slightly smaller than that of a Moonshot, but a length over three times that. It hung from the ceiling of the hangar by a series of reinforced chains. The Module’s smaller faces were dominated by circular airlocks, only one of which was opened, the flaps on the door hiding within the prism’s walls. The long faces each had a single circular reinforced window, perfectly centered. There were eight knobs, two on opposite sides of every window, but unlike with Moonshots, these knobs did not stick out very far, though they were still spherical. The exterior was only asymmetrical in one regard: the arcane beacon device situated on what was currently the upper face. It was a vaguely onion-shaped glass bulb filled with Magenta and Purple crystals. Currently inactive, it was still glowing with Magenta rather intently.

  “How bright is it when it’s on?” Blue asked as she filed into the hangar with Vaughan, Krays, Jeh, and Margaret. Alexandrite had been called off to business with Gronge, and Seskii and Scurfpea were out exploring the town. The other royals, besides Via, had remained in the Palace.

  Via put her hand on her hips. “It’s got several modes, but the one we intend to use is so bright it’s quite blinding if you’re close. Have to be able to find this thing in the darkness of space, right?”

  Jeh walked around under the Module, trying to get a look inside through the lower window. She could make out the “pilot’s” seat, which was just a chair suspended in the air with straps on it next to the engine. It didn’t have any gyroscopes or swivels. “That’s going to be a lot more boring to drive.”

  “It shouldn’t be driven very often,” Blue said. “That’s just there to keep it in orbit. It’s not going to accelerate it very fast.”

  “Yep. We’ll be doing that manually first!” Jeh put her hands on her hips. “Margaret, you ready for that?”

  “Six ships pulling a station in unison…” Margaret shook her head. “I know we’ve done all the math that says it will work if we tie everything together properly, but… I don’t know, getting ships to keep speed with each other is hard enough.”

  “That’s what the ropes are for,” Vaughan said.

  “I know. I know. I trust Jeh here, but I have to trust… well, two whoevers from Mikarol, and then two from Descent.”

  “It’ll be fiiiiiine,” Jen said, tilting her head to the side to see more of the interior. There were a few chairs and cabinets in the various walls, with no regard for any singular “floor,” exactly as it should be. She also noted a lot of large Colored Crystal conduits, no doubt there to manage all sorts of things running to the rest of the station. “Hey, wait a second, how do these conduits connect with other modules?”

  “Take a look at the new airlocks,” Blue said, gesturing with a hoof.

  Jeh walked to where Blue was and looked at them. “They have… tiny extra hatches?”

  Blue nodded. “One of those is the air vent to keep air circulating. The others don’t have air, they have Magenta hiding behind them. When another station module’s airlock interfaces with this one, those hatches open, allowing Magenta signals to travel between them like in a Magenta cable.”

  “Huh. Neat.”

  Margaret examined the chains holding the Module.

  “Any problems?” Via asked.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “It… it looks secure enough. Jeh and I have to lift it by these things, have to be familiar with it. I’d prefer a test run, but trying to bring this thing back down after lifting it up any amount would be… problematic. It may not be balanced, either.”

  “Hey, we already talked about taking it slow and deliberately,” Jeh said, waving a dismissive hand. “We’ve got this, Margaret.”

  “Tempting fate… never a wise thing to do. As I recall, none of the ‘first’ missions the Wizard Space Program has attempted have ever gone exactly as planned.”

  “And yet we did make it to the moon!”

  “True…”

  Vaughan stroked his beard. “It’s… interesting.”

  “How so, bearded boy?” Krays asked.

  “Everything else we’ve worked with was largely built by us. Sure, we ordered some parts, but every final product was constructed at Willow Hollow. The first Skyseed, the first Moonshot… but this? We did nothing, we just sent them plans and they made it.” He tilted his head to the side. “I think I have less of a connection to it.”

  “Well duh, it’s not your baby, it’s your cousin’s baby.”

  Via blinked. “...How is it like a baby…?”

  “Have a kid, maybe you’ll understand.”

  “But… you don’t have a kid…”

  “Yeah, I don’t understand.”

  “But…”

  “Krays is just messing with you,” Blue said.

  “Oh.” Via snorted. “I suppose I am an easy target. Continue to fire at will.”

  “...It’s less fun when they roll over and take it without firing back,” Krays muttered.

  “...I mean, I do have my firearm on me…”

  Krays facepalmed.

  Via waggled her eyebrows up and down. “Gotcha.”

  “OhohohohoHO! Princess Moron thinks she can play in the big leagues!”

  Via put her hands on her hips and grinned proudly. “Not at all! It just makes you happier if Princess Moron tries!”

  Krays deflated again, putting her hand on a nearby wall. “So much whiplash, my neck hurts…”

  “I have some salve that can help with that!”

  Krays was so sure that she was joking that her jaw dropped when Via pulled out a little tin with some cream in it. “No, I wasn’t being…”

  Via waggled her eyebrows again.

  “DIADEM IT!” Krays punched the wall. “Why isn’t this working?”

  “Perhaps because I’m so stupid it’s impossible to tell if I’m actually falling for something or just messing with you in return?” Via tilted her head to the side and winked. “Also, I have it on good authority that I’m ‘insufferably nice,’ or something.” She held out the little tin. “By the way, this is real salve. You do look tense, this’ll probably help.”

  “...I will accept the gift of neck butter.”

  “...It’s not neck butter, it’s…” seeing Krays’ eye twitch, she stopped herself. “Oh, just a colorful description, got it. Sure! Take the neck butter! And the… arm butter while you’re at it! And… uh… oooh, back butter!”

  “It’s my turn to say ‘ew’ now,” Jeh said, raising a hand.

  Vaughan chuckled. “Good to see we’re all getting along.” He patted Krays on the head.

  She tried to bite him. Instead, she fell over. “Uuuuugh…”

  ~~~

  The Wizard Space Program had been given rooms at the top of one of the nicest hotels in the city, a large suite with a balcony overlooking Axiom, facing away from the Palace, towards the great tree.

  Blue was on the balcony, looking wistfully at the stars and planets in the sky.

  “Can’t sleep?” Seskii asked, approaching her from behind.

  “I think I could,” Blue said, staring up at the stars. “I… just don’t want to.”

  “Memories of our little trip to Benefactor?”

  “...You’re freakily good at reading people.”

  “Comes with experience.” Seskii leaned on the railing. “Honestly, it’s incredible you’re not suffering from more nerves, considering all the memories, things that could go wrong, and the course of the world shifting beneath your hooves.”

  “Couldn't care less about the world shifting beneath my hooves at this point,” Blue muttered. “Just… grown to accept it. It keeps happening.”

  “I expect you’ll still be surprised by how quickly it changes.”

  “I’m expecting to be on the interplanetary ship when we build it. It’s not, like, going to be something I give to the next generation, I’m going to be on it.” Blue shook her head. “Telling me change is going to be even faster than that?”

  “I mean more in other ways, but you are right to see that that’s fast. Incredibly fast. It’s almost like magic is cheating.”

  Blue looked down at the ground. “Seskii…”

  “Yes?”

  “Is it… wrong to have power, and not to use it?”

  Seskii folded her arms. “I take it you’re talking about Jeh’s abilities with the cubes.”

  “I’m not even surprised you somehow know about that.”

  Seskii nodded. “Good, makes this less awkward. The answer is… it depends.” Seskii looked at her own hands, narrowing her eyes. “To be a little cheesy, with great power comes great responsibility.”

  “Who said that?”

  “Nobody you’ll ever know,” Seskii said with a chuckle. “Nevertheless, it is true. When you have great power, you have to decide very carefully when to use it and when not to use it. We grow and change because of struggle, and to shortcut through that struggle keeps us from learning lessons. You know that better than many—would you have learned not to trust your mind for everything had you not been driven to follow that kankathi to Benefactor?”

  “It… would have taken a lot longer, that’s for sure.”

  “So to trivialize things, to skip to the end… that is not good. However…” Seskii’s expression became dark. “To have power and not use it also may mean others suffer. To take our example, should we create a cube that can create an infinite amount of food for everyone on the planet? Ignoring the fact that, logistically, it wouldn’t work, say it could. Just snap our fingers and feed everyone.”

  “...I mean… when you put it like that, it sounds like we should…”

  “Society collapses when you do that,” Seskii said.

  “What?” Blue blinked.

  “Ultimately, most people work for the money to buy what they need to sustain themselves. If everyone wakes up every day, never having to work for anything they need or want, they do not work. This is fixable if you, say, simply don’t give the food to people who aren’t working, but then you’re starving the select few who are really stubborn, and it’s hard to justify that…” Seskii shook her head. “To do good with power is to help people. But help people too much, and it eventually goes downhill.”

  “Seskii… right, guess I can’t ask that question.” Blue sighed.

  “Right on the money.” Seskii locked her hands behind her back. “...I am sorry, I can’t give you the comfort you want. Yes, Jeh has the kind of power where she will eventually have to think about these kinds of things. It truly is a horrendous curse.”

  “...I don’t want that for her.”

  “It’s my opinion that the best world is the one where no one has power. Yet, we don’t live in that world, and Dia has seen fit to make this one.” Seskii smirked. “Most likely to teach us some kind of lesson.”

  “At the moment, it feels like some kind of joke. Oh, it’s good to help people, but don’t help them too much if you have the power to do so, then things just fall apart.” She paused. “Reminds me of the story of the unicorn and the Unknown Goddess we told around the fire in the Wild Kingdoms.”

  “And what was the solution there?”

  “She had to kill everything and start over. Which… how can that ever not be evil?”

  “You should know better than most, Blue, that in every situation, there is always the point of diminishing returns.” Seskii paused. “Actually… no, no that’s not true, not in every situation. One of the lessons I still have to learn… is that hoping against impossibility is, in fact, worthwhile.”

  Blue turned to her. “...You don’t have many lessons left to learn, do you?”

  Seskii snorted. “Blue, you’re right to think I understand things a lot, lot more than you do. But… no, it’s not in my experience that anyone ever gets to stop learning.” She lifted her eyes to the stars and smiled softly. “The more I grow, the more I see how much room I have to grow.”

  Blue also looked at the sky. “Seskii… I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Awww, and this from the unicorn who wanted to run me out of town for running a racket when we first met!”

  “I was wondering where your silliness was.”

  “It wasn’t the time for it. You were asking a very serious question. And… when someone knows me well enough to actually trust me, I do like to actually help.”

  “But not too much.”

  “Oh, never too much.” Seskii grinned. “The real answer to that question is, by the way, ‘give them what they need, not what they want.’ And people need smiles and joy in their life. That includes me, by the way.”

  “...Thank you. For watching over us.”

  “Thank you. For caring enough to notice.”

  “Pfft. Me. Caring about people…”

  “Another change for the better, wouldn’t you say?”

  Blue rolled her eyes. “My brain hurt a lot less when I dismissed you all the time.”

  “To be fair, I do encourage that. Hurting brains aren’t always the best.”

  “...Seskii, can I ask you for a favor?”

  “You can always ask.” Seskii chuckled. “But I won’t promise anything.”

  “Watch over Jeh, even after all this… whatever this ends up being… is over.”

  Seskii was silent for a moment.

  Blue turned to her and was shocked to see tears running down Seskii’s face.

  “Seskii…?”

  “I… am not always successful, Blue.” Seskii swallowed hard. “But I will try. Try so much harder than you know…”

  “Hey, that’s all I could ask for. Uh…” she made an awkward attempt to put a leg around Seskii.

  Seskii chuckled. She kneeled down and draped Blue’s leg over her shoulder. “You can’t just surprise hug a gari, Blue, we’re too tall.”

  “Well, I, uh…”

  “You’re trying. The thought means so much more to me than the gesture.” Seskii buried her head in Blue’s mane. “I… really do hope the day comes when I can tell you everything.”

  “...I don’t think I need that day to come anymore, Seskii.”

  “Which means it won’t be bad for you to receive it.”

  ~~~

  The next day, it was time to sign Jeh and Krays up at the Academy. Vaughan led them to the central tower—a boring, white structure, at least compared to the elaborate constructions the individual Colored towers had.

  “Now, we might be here a while,” Vaughan said. “Your two’s enrollment is a little nonstandard.”

  “A little?” Krays asked, raising an eyebrow. “We’ll be flying to and from here every day on a spaceship.”

  “Well… yes, there’s that, but there’s also the fact that your education is… mixed.”

  “Hey, we passed the written exams!” Jeh said, crossing her arms. “Stupid as they were.”

  “Well, yes, but you scored very well in some areas and poorly in others. Jeh, you have no formal schooling, and Krays’ education is that of a trade school. There are holes in your knowledge where there wouldn’t be with most students enrolling.” Vaughan paused. “Actually, Blue was probably in a similar situation in that regard, considering she was raised on a farm.”

  “Her brain probably educated her on everything on that test,” Jeh offered.

  “True enough,” Vaughan admitted. “And you have lots of secret knowledge you don’t even know you have.”

  Jeh grinned smugly. “You betcha!”

  Krays smirked. “So you’ll get to the top on cheaty-cheaty little pieces of insight, and I’ll get there by my own blood, sweat, and meaty mettle. And I’m going to do better.”

  “You think you’ll do better? I’ll learn everything so fast you’ll be sleeping!”

  “That doesn’t even make any sense. Why would I sleep if you were going fast? If anything, I’d go faster to keep up! Which is what you’ll be doing!”

  “For most students, I would encourage not focusing on grades,” Vaughan said. “Practical magical skill and research skills are far more important, but you two already have both of those things in spades. You’re here to fill in gaps in your knowledge and perhaps forge connections.”

  “And also to get big pointy hats!” Jeh said, beaming.

  Krays nodded. “Clearly, the most important part of this whole endeavor.”

  As they approached the large doors at the foot of the white tower—most public buildings had to have massive doors suited for dragons—they noticed a familiar face.

  “...Tenrayce?” Vaughan asked, looking at the bundle of green robes reading a book in front of them.

  Tenrayce nodded. “Yes. Don’t bow, even though the people around here are more used to my presence than most, I’d rather not draw a scene.”

  “As you wish. Aren’t you busy, though?”

  “Extremely, but I can make paperwork much faster just by giving clerks a look.” She flipped to the next page in her book. “I’m also here because I’ve heard tell that certain individuals may try to make your visit more difficult on purpose.”

  Vaughan groaned. “Is it Rigelia?”

  “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  “What is with her?” Jeh asked. “All I hear about her are terrible things!”

  “She wants respect she doesn’t deserve, simple as that,” Krays said.

  “A true assessment,” Tenrayce said. “Anyway, shall we?” She gestured at the normal sized door inlaid next to the huge one. They entered without much fanfare, entering a wide room with a polished wood floor. There were a few dozen people running around, more than half of which had Colored robes on, though the majority of these were gray, indicating minor wizard status.

  Virtually all of them automatically moved out of Vaughan and Tenrayce’s way, giving the full wizards respect, even though most of them clearly didn’t recognize Tenrayce, bundled up as she was. However, Jeh did catch a few gasps from the crowd, so at least a few had noticed.

  The four of them arrived at the desk, which was manned by a human man in Purple robes. “Welcome to the High Magic Academy of Axiom! Wizard Gideon Vaughan, Wizard-Princess Tenrayce Kroan, a delight to see you!” He looked over the counter at Jeh and Krays. “You must be Krays Piper and… Jeh.”

  “I take it you were informed of our arrival,” Vaughan said.

  “Naturally. I understand this is probably hard to believe, Vaughan, but you are a high-profile name in the Academy these days.” He tipped his hat. “In fact, my little brother cited you as an inspiration for signing up last year.”

  Vaughan blinked. “R-really?”

  “Yes, really. This is just between you and me, but it’s good to see that you don’t have to be stuffy or crazy to get into the big leagues.”

  “To be fair, my recent success has been somewhat of a happy accident.”

  “All the better! …I was kind of hoping to see Wizard Blue when you came in, to congratulate her.”

  “She hates this place,” Jeh said, bluntly.

  The man shook his head. “Understandable… still, may have been worth it. And Tenrayce, don’t think you can just sit over there and disappear into a book!”

  Tenrayce sighed. “I understand I’m semi-disguised, Frederick, but I am no longer your classmate.”

  “Ice queen, that one,” Frederick said with a chuckle. “Good to see you’re the same as ever.”

  Tenrayce flipped the book to the next page.

  “Regardless, welcome, welcome! I’ll get you signed up right away. Just, uh… well, it’s a good thing Tenrayce is here. Because…” He reached down and pulled up a giant stack of papers, separated in the middle by a larger green page. “Requests from up top have asked for… a lot of paperwork.”

  “Mother of…” Vaughan shook his head. “I was expecting difficulty, but… they managed to pull this many forms out?”

  “Even I’m surprised, no wonder I heard about it,” Tenrayce said. “It’s going to take some time for me to go through this and figure out which ones actually are necessary.” With clear annoyance, she put her book to the side and started flipping through the forms. She threw most of them haphazardly over her shoulder.

  Vaughan used his scepter to levitate the thrown pages back to Frederick. “When I signed up back in the day, there was only a two-page form.”

  Frederick sighed. “Even those with the least unusual situations have to fill out a five-page form now, and that’s only given to well-documented Axiom residents.”

  “Yeesh.”

  “It’s actually a deliberate choice to some extent, to keep enrollment from swelling too much. We get too many applications from people who won’t make good wizards at all. The space program’s success is actually taxing our application process; we’re trying to get new dormitories built and everything, and it’s not going fast enough.”

  “A triplicate request for housing denial…?” Tenrayce muttered, throwing another page away. “Absolutely absurd.”

  “Please don’t make an edict to force us to lower the paperwork, please.”

  “Getting really tempted.”

  “We are strained, Tenrayce.”

  “Then I’ll find a way to…” she paused. “Drat. I actually don’t have the kind of time to devote to making a smooth transitioning edict, and I don’t have a secretary I trust for that.”

  “Get yourself a Seskii, works wonders,” Vaughan said.

  “I’m tempted to steal yours. But she actually has difficult paperwork to fill out. Most of this is just garbage. …Overage and underage application exemption forms? Make up your mind!”

  Jeh rubbed the back of her head. “Ehe… looks like me being me is a problem again.”

  “I told them… Frederick, schedule a meeting with Wizard Rigelia.”

  “W-why?”

  “You and I both know she was the one who did this. She will pay.”

  “Well… oh, what do you know, there she is!”

  Rigelia was floating over to them in a cloud of Orange sparkles, a malevolent sneer on her face. Tenrayce whirled around and fixed her with a death glare. Rigelia quickly started floating back the other direction.

  “...Please don’t fire her,” Vaughan said. “We do need her devices.”

  “I. Know.” Tenrayce twitched. “I’ll think of something. Later.” She gave a form to Jeh. “You’re actually going to have to fill this one out; it matters that we have a record of your personal details signed by you, present at the time of admittance.” She handed another one to Krays.

  “Oh, all right.” Jeh put the paper down on the counter. She had to climb up on a nearby stool to actually be tall enough to write on it. “Let’s see… uh… Jeh. No last name. Human-with-an-asterisk…” She hummed to herself as she filled in the details until she came to a seemingly innocuous line.

  Other aliases.

  “Um… Vaughan? Should I put… Jenny Zero?”

  Vaughan frowned. “I… hmm, you are a unique case, I’m not sure.”

  “Jenny Zero?” Frederick asked.

  “You’re not authorized to know what that means,” Tenrayce deadpanned as she threw another page over the desk. “No, don’t write it down, just put ‘none’ there.”

  “Okay. You sure?”

  “I’m the Princess of books, of course I’m sure.”

  Jeh shrugged and did as she was told.

  Tenrayce found a few more actual forms for them to fill out, but the vast majority were absolutely nothing. Toward the end of their search, a familiar face walked up to them.

  “Boo!” Pepper shouted, dropping from above and landing on the counter. “May Dia’s light shine upon you!”

  Krays, Vaughan, and Tenrayce jumped back. Jeh just smiled. “Hi, Pepper!”

  “I hear you two are enrolling! So, of course, I showed up to welcome the space travelers!” She jumped down, jostling her halo of fire as she did so. She rapidly shook both of their hands, grinning from ear to ear. “So, filling out paperwork? Gotten to the ‘Wizards whose work I’m interested in’ section yet?”

  “I was going to have them skip that,” Tenrayce said. “Considering…”

  “Oh, good, then I won’t have to fight for them.” She leaned down to them. “How would you two like to work in my lab where we experiment on heat transfer and legendary monsters!?”

  Jeh and Krays both raised their hands immediately.

  “Excellent! I didn’t even have to give the spiel! Yes!”

  “Your reputation precedes you,” Vaughan said.

  “Aww, thanks!” Pepper clapped her hands together.

  “Do be sure not to teach them like true beginners, they already know how to run experiments and—”

  “Oh, I know that, I want them because they have experience. And what benefit will they receive, you ask? Why… combat skills.” She cracked her knuckles and smirked. “You lot are changing the world, and as invincible as Jeh here is, she could use some training.”

  “I already have combat training,” Krays said. “...I am not turning you down, monster hunting is exactly my cup of tea, crazy fire plant.”

  “Ooooh, overconfident! That’ll be fixed real quick. But don’t worry about that now. Now… you get to explore the Academy and learn how to live here!”

  “They’re flying in every day from a Skyseed,” Vaughan said.

  “...Oh. Well, then I guess we skip that part.” Pepper clicked her tongue. “Oh, and…” Pepper blinked. “...Princess, uh, sorry, didn’t realize that was you there.”

  “It’s fine, I am just doing paperwork.”

  “As you wish. Though… now that I think about it, could you…”

  “I’ve already increased their clearance to whatever level you might need, don’t worry.”

  “You’re the best! May Dia bless your reign.”

  Tenrayce sighed. “...Thank you.”

  “I, um, may have some weird…” Jeh began, but Pepper put a finger over her mouth.

  “Shhhhh, we’ll talk about how to make the most use of your abilities somewhere more private.” Pepper winked. “You may be protected, but there are wizards here who’ll get ideas.”

  “Like Rigelia?”

  “Actually, no, she doesn’t have the patience for that. There’s a growing sect of Yellow wizards looking for volunteers to run tests on, for instance.”

  “...I am kind of interested in Yellow magic.”

  “My my, choosing the rarest major are we?”

  “I thought I didn’t have to pick yet…”

  “You don’t! But it’s good that you’re thinking about it!” Pepper finally jumped off the counter and landed with an extravagant bow. “Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you two! I am, however, off on a hunt in less than an hour, so I’ve got to book it!” She flicked a Blue crystal out of her robes and dashed away from them, creating a minor whirlwind in the hall.

  “Well,” Krays said. “We got lucky.”

  “Not really,” Frederick said. “You are the exact kind of people she wants. Experience with the unknown and unexpected. Students with the inherent skills and personality to face monsters aren’t exactly common.”

  “We’re lucky we fit then!” Jeh said, beaming. “Yay! Monster slaying!”

  “I’m a better hunter than you,” Krays said.

  “I’ll be a better hunter, just you watch!”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “I’ll get more monsters and more grades!”

  “You’re on!”

  Vaughan rolled his eyes. “Their first day has already been better than mine…”

  “Even with all this paperwork?” Frederick asked.

  “Yes. Because I did it, walked into my dorm, and then quickly realized no one cared about me and thought I was worthless. They get to skip the ‘brand new student suffering’ part of this.” Vaughan chuckled. “Not that I’m complaining, I wouldn’t wish anyone through that.”

  “Really?” Frederick tilted his head. “A lot of people who’ve gone through that said it was a humbling experience that kept them from getting too haughty and sure of themselves.”

  “Hmm… I suppose there is wisdom in that.”

  ~~~

  Deep in the heart of Vraskal, a brilliant white occulari stood, staring at a wall with his singular eye.

  He was the only one in the room. He had told all the others to leave long ago. They had asked him to come with.

  He had refused.

  He hoped that, through some miracle, he was wrong about what was happening and that he wouldn’t survive what was coming.

  The ground rumbled.

  They have no need to drop those explosives anymore. Nothing more than a statement.

  He continued to stare at the wall. Upon it was one of the great ancient murals of Vraskal, from before the Second Cataclysm. It was a simple drawing of a circular ring sitting on the ground, with all seven colors of Colored Crystal represented in the ring’s frame. The mural showed people celebrating the ring, lifting their hands up—perhaps even in praise.

  Tradition titled this mural Before the Death of Fools.

  The ground rumbled again.

  The occulari heard shouting nearby. Then screams.

  He knew that he had told the guards to evacuate. Apparently, they hadn’t.

  Fools. Fools, the lot of them.

  Fools, the lot of us.

  He could make out words now. Mikarolian words. He knew the language well. Commands given by people who expected a fight. Resistance.

  One of the voices was that of a woman.

  So, you came personally, as your honor dictates. Were this situation different, we would have this place rigged to blow, to take you down with us and scratch all honor from the record. You would face disgrace upon disgrace.

  But it is not you we are really facing, is it? It never has been.

  Our true enemy’s face has never been seen. You are but a pawn.

  The door blew open. The great Mikarolian Thaumaturge strode into the room, her armor glittering with the colors of magic, rainbow hair waving in a breeze that did not exist.

  “High Secreteer Blanc, it is over.”

  “I know,” Blanc said. “And with those words, you have confirmed my suspicions that you are not here to kill me. How unfortunate, I was hoping your people’s supposed love of honor and final victory would kick in.”

  “You are no warrior.”

  He turned around, fixing her with an intense glare. “You would be surprised.”

  “You are still no warrior.” She lifted up her head. “And, to be frank, we need you in the days ahead. Vraskal may be conquered, but we will need your presence to maintain that.”

  “Which is why I hoped you would kill me. Then the people would revolt in perpetuity; you would never have our land. But with me… it will be a long time, but they will forget what makes them Vraskalian.”

  “What makes you Vraskalian is suffering. I am here to end that.”

  Blanc laughed. “Your delusions are pathetic. Vraskal itself is suffering. The ground is cursed. We are the survivors.”

  “The Empire’s resources will be put to bettering these lands.”

  “Your Empire, vast as it is, cannot hope to fulfill the needs within the darkness.”

  The Thaumaturge sat down at the table across from Blanc. She waved the soldiers behind her away. “Secure the area. I’m going to have a… chat with our enemy here.”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  The Thauamturge took off her helmet and looked at Blanc with… sad eyes he had not been expecting.

  “...You know you are a pawn.”

  “Yes. We were given an offer we couldn’t refuse. You deserve to know that much. Vraskal was given to us as a bargaining chip.”

  “May I ask to whom?”

  “Unfortunately, n—”

  She was interrupted by a cloaked figure appearing in the doorway. “Oh, great Thaumaturge, do you presume that I have no desire to be known at this final moment?”

  The Thaumaturge’s face twisted into anger for a moment before settling into resignation. “Forgive my assumption, Sandy.”

  The hooded figure revealed her face. That of… a dryad. With actual real cat ears.

  Blanc stared at her. “You… are the enemy.”

  “An enemy you never expected to show her face, so you haven’t rigged the place to blow.” She sat down in another chair. “Thank you for that, by the way, I was thinking I wouldn’t get to make use of my newfound freedom.”

  “You…”

  “Used your nation to get Mikarol to do what I wanted, yes.” She leaned back and smiled. “I assure you, it was for the good cause of ensuring the world doesn’t die when fools celebrate.” She gestured at the mural behind him.

  Blanc turned back to the mural. He was silent for a minute. Then he shook his eye. “No. If you are who I think you are… you caused our curse.”

  Sandy’s eyes widened in surprise. “My, I won’t deny it, though I will say my reasonings then were the same as today. I am surprised you managed to figure that out.”

  “Who else could tear us down from the inside with intricate knowledge of our ways and positions, but an enemy that has been with us since our inception?” He turned back to face her. “I simply must ask, why wait so long to cash in this investment?”

  “To cash you in required revealing our existence. That exceeded the cost of your entire nation, until now.” She folded her hands and flicked her cat tail back and forth. “Circumstances have changed. No, your people had nothing to do with it. It is unfortunate. But, in the long run, this will be better for your people.”

  “Oh, have we been conquered to be saved from some imaginary world-ending threat, as you have implied?”

  “While true, that is not what I am referring to.”

  Thaumaturge nodded. “Rest assured, Blanc, your people will be treated well, so long as they do not revolt. We had no need to use our spacecraft to conquer you, but we do have a need for them to hold Vraskal. It is now feasible to start delivering food and resources into Vraskal at high volumes and high speeds without facing the dangers of your land; we can simply come in from above. Furthermore, as part of our deal with Sandy, we have obtained blueprints for numerous devices and techniques to improve communication speed, road-building techniques, and crop yields.” She folded her hands together. “To put it simply, we can afford to hold Vraskal without using an iron fist. And your desperate people will soon sing of us as saviors.”

  Blanc was silent for quite some time. Then he turned back to the wall. “Then it is worse than I feared.”

  “Eh?”

  “To be Vraskalian is to be forged by suffering. You have not simply conquered us. You have signed the end of the Vraskalian way of life. In a generation, maybe two, we will be just as insincere and hollow as you nations outside. We will not persist, for what makes us who we are is being taken away.”

  The Thaumaturge narrowed her eyes. “I do understand that the situation is not perhaps as you would like it, but should you not wish for better lives for your people? To escape the curse of this land?”

  “Think, great Thaumaturge. Those of us in positions as high as mine could afford to leave or live in the border territories. Yet we choose to stay. We were forged by this land, and we would not have the strength we have without it. Even if this land keeps the name Vraskal under your rule, you have convinced me that there will soon be no Vraskalians.”

  The room fell silent.

  “I am in no position to resist you. I will cooperate,” Blanc said, eventually. “Needless continued war serves no one, and that is all I could ever accomplish.”

  “Thank you, High Secreteer Blanc,” the Thaumaturge said, standing up. “You will be treated with the greatest honor. Simply ask, and you shall receive any luxury we can procure. Though, given how you have just spoken, I doubt you will use that power all that much.”

  “You would be correct.”

  “Then farewell.” She got up and left the room.

  Sandy stood up. “I know barely constrained rage when I see it. Why not give in?”

  “I am Vraskalian.”

  “That is no answer. I have manipulated your people for millennia. The hardship does not make most Vraskalians strong. It makes most desperate. It makes most angry at existence, ready to be set out on the world like a bunch of attack dogs.”

  “Then, even after all this time among us, you do not know what strength is.”

  She was suddenly right next to him. “You are wrong. Think of what it must take to do what I do.”

  Without another word, she left the room and followed after the Thaumaturge.

  “The conquest is complete!” Sandy declared, holding her hands wide. “It’s time for the victory feast, is it not?”

  “That conversation has left me undesiring of victory feasts,” the Thaumaturge said.

  “Then think not of victory in battle, which was admittedly a little cheap this time, and instead think of the cultural victory you have just secured. The last great Mikarolian enemy is no more, treaties have been signed for peace with other powers, and we are about to go to the stars… with you at the helm.”

  “...You have given us much, this I cannot deny. I am also glad I will be back to witness the launch of the space station.”

  “As you should be. Such a historic moment. A moment of great international collaboration and resource sharing! Why, you and Kroan must be so happy at this moment! The stars are so close now!”

  The Thaumaturge kept walking.

  “You have a very good poker face, not even flinching at the offhanded suggestion Kroan might be happy with this deal. But to take a page out of your book and put you at ease, I will simply let you know that I know you’ve sent most of the plans over to them. And I don’t mind, I have no desire to keep up this unneeded farce between us.” Sandy folded her hands together. “Of course, you giving it to them was the unspoken part of the deal I had planned long before we put it in writing.”

  “We had suspected as much,” the Thaumaturge admitted. “Two Space Programs working would be better than one. I suppose, though, you would have preferred just them doing it?”

  “Yes. Make no mistake, the price of Vraskal was very steep, so steep that only having one Space Program would have been worth it. But now… well, I suppose things have changed.”

  “A nation for progress?”

  “A nation for progress.”

  “Sometimes I wonder at your heartlessness.”

  “You shouldn’t, Miss Conqueror. For you know you are not heartless.”

  The Thaumaturge stopped walking. Sandy continued without missing a stride in her step.

  “Do you not fear they will act against you with the knowledge you have let them have?” The Thaumaturge called after her.

  “They are welcome to try, but what are they going to do with it? Not go to space?”

  ~~~

  “What did the Emperor get us?” Wyett asked, as the royal family sat down in the room of the Memory.

  “So much I’m convinced Sandy wanted us to have it,” Tenrayce said, dumping a bunch of arcane device blueprints on the table. “There are devices for extracting the power of lightning from Purple. Two-way long-range communication, far better than what Benefactor gave us. Methods for growing crops in extreme excess. Road construction techniques. Several designs no doubt thought to be useful for space travel: special sealing techniques, lightweight materials construction, non-spirited rigid construction techniques… but perhaps most incredibly of all…” She pulled out a particular blueprint from all the others. “This is a manufacturing device that manufactures other arcane devices.”

  Riikaz’ eyes widened. “I thought the wizards said that was impossible.”

  “In theory, it wasn’t. In practice, no one thought you could avoid wear and tear enough to make one useful. This one manages to create a copy of itself with lower wear than it currently has, so it can keep creating other devices. And, perhaps most jarringly…” She pointed at the blueprint they had on the wall of the Colored Crystal pattern that was stored in Memory. “The designs look eerily similar to many sections in the Memory.”

  The Memory flashed excitedly. “Really?”

  “Really. And that solves one of the major mysteries of what the pattern stored in you is. We always assumed it burned through all of itself rather quickly, so it had to be some kind of one-use thing. However, if it’s generating more devices as it runs… it may be able to self-perpetuate itself.”

  Wyett narrowed his eyes. “Tenii… I thought you told me once that nothing could run forever.”

  Tenrayce nodded. “Correct. Everyone agrees that there are no true perpetual motion machines. Clearly, whatever it is would need an input of power, no doubt from the Gronge field. I suspect it’s just extremely efficient in its use of it, able to lose almost no energy to the system as it does… whatever it does. With an extremely large amount of magical power moving through crystals that, as best I can tell at this point, are vaporized and recreated in rapid succession.” Tenrayce glared at the blueprint. “Yes, my initial calculations indicate that it should easily reduce the amount of ambient magic available for its use to zero, but there are still parts that I have no idea what they do. Maybe there exists a mechanism to draw more Colored Crystals in. It kind of has to.”

  “A magic vortex…” Via’s eyes lit up. “Like the Tempest! A big swirl!”

  “...Perhaps.”

  “A consideration. Perhaps this is a Crystalline One Producer?” the Memory wondered aloud. “That would be a design worthy of being kept safe within me, and I can think of many who may want to reform, say, a Great Crystalline One, or something on the scale of Benefactor or Wanderlust.”

  “Creating one in a controlled environment…” Wyett said, scratching his chin. “You could… control the stimuli.”

  “It’s… possible,” Tenrayce admitted. “I don’t know, though. It clearly is an extremely power-hungry design, to do something… incredible. Something that needed to be protected, even through the Second Cataclysm.” Tenrayce stood up, looking at the map of stars engraved on the wall over the Memory. “...Let’s think for a moment, we have a lot more information now. Maybe we don’t need to understand the blueprint, but rather history, to know what this does.” She started pacing around the room. “From what little we know from our history, the Memory was specifically saved and protected from the instant of the Second Cataclysm. Someone, somehow, saw Sandy’s curse coming and made sure all of this was kept safe with Leslii. She knew nothing when she woke up, but she somehow knew to protect the Memory.”

  “She knew it so strongly that the wish was passed on through generations,” the Memory said.

  “...Which makes me think that her memory loss was intentional,” Tenrayce said. “To protect you, somehow. Perhaps from demons, perhaps Sandy, perhaps both. Whatever you held, it was important that nobody actually know about it for a long time, long enough for a Crystalline One to form. If you were protected from demons, perhaps it’s a weapon for use against them.”

  “Draining all the magic in an area will kill them,” Riikaz said. “I have some… personal anecdotes from Pepper. They don’t just vanish their minds into wherever it is they go when their bodies normally perish, they’re just gone.”

  Tenrayce nodded. “And yet, such devices can’t be that complicated to build, if we can already run those tests. This has to be something far greater. Unless… it’s a device that tries to kill all demons.”

  Wyett frowned. “Wouldn’t that be impossible? There’s no way it draws in crystals embedded deep in the ground.”

  “We can’t know for sure, we don’t know what it does.” Tenrayce tapped her foot. “But I do find it unlikely that it’s just some kind of anti-demon weapon. There would be no need to make it so… complicated. Which means it is probably something Sandy wouldn’t like, rather than the demons.” She glared at the designs. “We know Sandy fears powers that could destroy the world… we also know that Jenny Zero’s people were putting their resources into exploring the origin and nature of magic… this…”

  “...It’s hers, isn’t it?” Hyrii asked. “Jenny’s… great work.”

  “Whatever they found, or whatever they were looking for, it made this.” Tenrayce paused. “And they thought it important enough to save. Given what we know, that means even if it is dangerous, its primary purpose can’t be to destroy the world.”

  “But it probably could be used for that,” Riikaz pointed out.

  “That’s the difficulty here.” Tenrayce put her hand on the designs and looked everyone in the eye one at a time, even pausing a moment to linger on the Memory. “As we don’t know what it is, we could be bringing the world closer to destruction by pursuing it.”

  “Tenii…” Via swallowed hard. “Are you suggesting we… give up on our family’s quest?”

  “...I hope not,” Tenrayce said.

  “We will not,” Wyett said. “Danger or no, to throw away such a possible edge against our enemies is absurd.” He stood up. “We are going to continue pursuing the magic of the Memory, as the Lineage of Kroan always has. We will not let it end with us just because we thought it might be dangerous.”

  “But… what if it is?” Via asked. “I… I don’t want to, but… what if we suddenly blow up everyone?”

  “Again, that can’t be its primary purpose,” Tenrayce said. “It has to have some other use. Something related to the nature of magic, if our deductions are correct.”

  “...Potentially something to do with Eyda,” Riikaz added.

  “It can’t be a threat to the demons, we already—” Tenrayce paused. “Wait, maybe… it doesn’t have to be a threat to them. Maybe it helps them somehow.”

  “Who would want to preserve knowledge like that?” Wyett declared.

  “...Who’s to say Leslii wasn’t a Gonal before she wiped her own mind?” Tenrayce tapped her foot. “There are too many unknowns, and the one person who might know more is someone we assuredly cannot ask, cannot risk her actually knowing about this. Because the more I go down this route, the more I look at all these provided technologies… she has no idea the Memory exists. The plan to preserve you has worked. For whatever purpose it was intended.”

  “The possibility that I am a vessel for a demon plot is a… haunting one to be sure. I do not believe I had ever properly considered my purpose could have been… destruction.”

  “Your purpose is not destruction,” Wyett said.

  “How can you know that?” Tenrayce challenged.

  “Our lineage has been guided through thick and thin across many, many impossible events over the course of Ikyu’s history. There has been nothing but Dia’s hand guiding us during that time, ensuring that the Memory survived, despite it all.” Wyett glared right at Tenrayce. “Have some faith, sister, that the Memory has been preserved for a purpose. The plan to preserve the Memory did not have to work, and we have many stories of it almost failing. It has not. She was meant to be here, with us, at this moment.”

  Tenrayce glared back at him. “...You make a good argument. But we both know you just don’t want to throw away potential power for use against enemies. Enemies that may no longer desire to hurt us.”

  “I have made my statement. And I am the King. We are not throwing it away.”

  Tenrayce bristled. “...You are fortunate I agree such an action would be foolish. And that I have come to conclude that it could not be a demon plot for a very simple reason.”

  “Oh?” Riikaz asked.

  “Most people hate demons; only Eyda-serving Gonal are somewhat rare, and even then, they tend to be self-serving, as her scriptures promote. If there were to ever arise someone who could understand the pattern—say, a very large Crystalline One with inspiration, or someone thousands of years into the future—they would be able to spot the trick coming a mile away. So it can’t be that kind of trick. Whatever it does…” Tenrayce ran her hands across the designs once more. “It must be important. Something relating to the origin of magic. Something… something grand.”

  “...We can start building it, can’t we?” Ursulii asked from the corner, her creaking voice startling everyone present.

  “...I believe so,” Tenrayce said. “It will take… many years, and there will have to be a lot of testing. But with Benefactor, these designs, and the rush to get to space… we could. I’ve even identified how to turn it on.”

  “Won’t it need a spell of some kind to start it?” Wyett asked. “I know how arcane devices work, the spell has to be stored within them, someone has to be able to cast the individual components of it.”

  Tenrayce turned to the Memory. “It’s going to be a Yellow spell.”

  The Memory sparkled and shifted. “Fascinating… one would think it would be stored in me somehow, but I’m not sure how it could be, as I only recall… the symbol, the star map, and the design itself.”

  “Yellow spells have to do with consciousness and memory. I wonder if, somehow, simply by remembering, you would be able to trigger it.” Tenrayce pointed at a section of the device’s plans. “There’s a crystal-shaped receptacle here with no crystal in it, directly where I have identified the activation node to be. So either you have it. Or…” Tenrayce paused, a deep grimace crossing her face.

  “Or…?” Via asked. “Tenii, come on, I can tell it’s troubling.”

  “...Or Jeh has it. The only thing guaranteed to survive as long as necessary.”

  ~~~

  SCIENCE SEGMENT!

  No science segment today. Next chapter’s about space station assembling, I’m sure there’ll be plenty to talk about there…