September 28, 2152
Tana stood over Emory as she slept on the big bed, sprawling out across the entire area. All the blankets were strewn across the floor while a single pillow was tucked under one arm. With the sheath of her blade, Tana gently tapped Emory's foot. Emory jerked awake suddenly and released a pulse of magik from her foot that sent Tana into the wall. Luckily, Tana's reactions were quick, so she cushioned her impact using her own magik.
"I'm so sorry, Tana," Emory squeaked, "Are you okay?"
Tana coughed, "Remind me next time to be out of your range when I try to wake you. We couldn't find Soren this morning; did he already leave?"
"I sent him home last night," Emory grumbled, "He's going to the battlefield today, so I wanted him to get a good night's rest. Does that make me an asshole?"
"No. You're just aggressive for your friends' safety. Can I get you anything?" Tana laughed.
"Just some coffee," Emory groaned as she sat up on the bed, "I'm a little stiff, but otherwise, I feel pretty good."
Tana giggled, "I would hope so. After all, you slept past noon."
"Past noon!" Emory shrieked, "Why did you let me sleep so long?"
"Chill out; it's not like you slept for days or anything. I know you think you're invincible, but you've got to start self-regulating. This amount of stress can't be good for you," Tana tried to persuade her.
"Now, you sound like he did," Emory glared, "I'll be fine. If this goes as planned, I can relax a little more."
Tana rolled her eyes, "Look, I'm not going to press the issue, but remember, you're not alone. We're all here to help you as well."
"Why don't you come with me today then?" Emory offered, "You've made more progress on the Arcane sphere than Gwen has, and you haven't come off planet since we all landed."
"Now you're talking! Sure, I'd love to come and help out," Tana cheered.
Emory smiled, "Then wait for me on the teleport pad; I'll be there in twenty minutes." Tana nodded and started the coffee pot before she left the room. Emory quickly changed, tamed her hair, and chugged the hot coffee Tana had made. After she finished, she made her way to the pad. As she walked, she circulated her magik and consequently felt quite energized by the time she met Tana.
Teleportation, for Arcane magik users, was a relatively simple process which Emory carefully explained to Tana. Since Emory would be doing the work of directing them to the correct locations, Tana just needed to empty her mind and channel her magik. As long as they were touching, Emory could use a portion of Tana's magik to cast the spell; however, since she was much weaker than Soren in terms of mana pool size, it would be a bit more difficult. Emory couldn't take magik as freely due to those shallower reserves, but she didn't mind. By using massive amounts of magik over the last several days, Emory had essentially done the same training process she prescribed to the outposts on a much higher level. Her body's temperance had rapidly risen in a very short amount of time, though it was hard to tell how this would affect her long-term.
Emory grabbed Tana's hand and closed her eyes before they disappeared in a puff of cold air. When they reappeared, Tana gagged and coughed since she had never teleported before. "Has she arrived yet?" an older woman snapped as she walked through the far doors, "She landed on all the other ships by midmorning while we're stuck waiting until the afternoon."
"Please excuse our delay, Betty," Emory flatly called, causing the older woman to turn a deep shade of red.
"My apologies, Lady Supreme," Betty quickly rushed over and bowed to Emory, "I was only worried that something had happened to you."
Emory shrugged, "It's fine. I don't much care if you all think poorly of me as long as you listen to my direction. I trust the other ships have relayed the general order of this process to you already, right?"
"Yes, miss," Betty nodded, "The ships are all as close as they can be. Are you ready to proceed?"
"Tell the other ships to cut their engines while I prepare," Emory closed her eyes and began channeling her magik while Tana did the same. Once Betty told the other ships, it only took a couple minutes for her confirmation that the ships had stopped their engines. The light emanating from Emory and Tana's bodies grew so bright that everyone had to turn away. Then the familiar pop rang out through the room while the light dimmed. Tana almost collapsed at first until she felt a surge of magik from Emory which jolted her back to full strength. Finally, the light disappeared completely, allowing the ship crew to get up and look out at the simulated windows at Bustrun. Even Betty gasped when she saw the big blue orb in front of them. After she did, she ran back to prostrate herself in front of Emory and Tana.
"Please forgive my earlier comments, Lady Supreme," Betty begged, "I was out of line."
Emory gently pulled her up, "It's fine, Betty. Get ready to unload the troops. We'll return to the planet."
"Yes, Lady Supreme. Thank you for safe passage," Betty bowed again as Emory and Tana turned into a puff of smoke. When they landed back on the planet, Emory dropped to one knee while Tana rushed over to the side and threw up her breakfast.
"Teleporting may be handy and cool," Tana said as she wiped her mouth, "But that pit in your stomach is gnarly. I feel like I just went on a bunch of roller coasters one after the other."
Emory smirked as she pulled herself up, "You'll get used to it. Just imagine the possibilities."
"What will you do now?" Tana asked, still a little green around the gills, "Do you know when or where they will strike first?"
"Jask picked up ship signals at the edge of his range by Temia and Vostea, but for now, I'll head back to Yuzuno to train. Based on Jask's estimates, it would take a day or two for them to reach either of them from their current location. When he senses movement, I'll go where I'm needed," Emory explained.
"A solid plan as always," Tana nodded, "Well if you need anything, just give us a call." The two fist bumped each other before Emory teleported back to her planet. When she arrived, Wolt was already standing by the teleport pad as if he had been waiting for her.
He saluted her, "Commander, you've returned. I take it that means the first wave of troops has landed at each of the outposts, correct?"
"Indeed, the last group is landing on Bustrun as we speak," Emory affirmed, "What about here? How have things been going?"
"The army has set up tents for the time being, but construction on permanent structures has been going well. Cath and Tethys have made schedules for everyone to follow. The High Collective member they sent is very… analytical," Wolt faltered at the end.
"Greg? Yes, I'm surprised they sent him as well," Emory nodded, "He hasn't been a problem, has he?"
Wolt shook his head, "Not at all. He's just very detailed and thorough. He just left command of the army to us and went straight to work on analyzing all the planet and enemy data we've collected so far."
"He's probably not used to the change in environment," Emory considered, "Anyway, do you know where Tethys is now?"
"She's directing the construction as you directed. They're working on all the foundations first before she turns them loose on the walls. Based on the pace earlier today, she should be towards the end," Wolt reported.
Emory thanked him before heading in that direction. Although she could have formed wings and flew straight there, she decided to walk and get a good feel for the changing atmosphere among the people. With the army finally on the ground, the air hung heavy with anticipation and hints of fear. Even when the Mantoan first came to the Sol System, the Collective hadn't mobilized eighty percent of its army in the past. While each of the planets or moon systems contained this many troops at one time or another, this was a completely different feeling being light years away from home. It was a calculated risk keeping this much of the human army millions of miles away from the Sol System, but the Apleem boasted a larger force than they had anticipated. Still, if it didn't work out, Emory would bear the brunt of the blame.
As she walked through the outpost, she found a dozen massive foundations had been laid for the incoming troops. Like most of their constructions, the metal was sourced directly from the core of the planet using gigantic drills the outpost teams brought. Due to the nearly infinite power of fusion, the drills could operate much faster than they had originally been used. However, there weren't enough people to offload and manipulate the ore at high speeds until the army arrived. Luckily, humanity was much more efficient due to the energy crisis they had survived, so the slag and other impurities from the metal frame were used in place of concrete, creating a solid construction with almost zero waste. Combined with the use of magik, Emory wouldn't have been surprised if all these foundations were laid earlier today.
Finally, after meandering through the construction area, Emory found Tethys standing next to another foundation. She was overlooking a critical final step of the base: leveling the floor. Though lasers did most of the actual shaving, it was still operated by a person who could make mistakes. Emory was standing ten feet behind Tethys who was completely oblivious to Emory's presence. The crew finished flattening the base and took a short break while Tethys turned around and almost collided with Emory. "You made it back, safe and sound!" she squealed loudly.
"You make it seem like I was in danger," Emory laughed, "It was simple. You've made a lot of progress already, congratulations!"
Tethys nodded enthusiastically, "It's amazing what we can get accomplished with a couple million people. We should have the bases done tonight."
"That's great news," Emory smiled, "Do you need my help anywhere?"
"No, that's okay; we've got a good rhythm going. Just take a break and rest. If I know you, you've already pushed yourself pretty hard today," Tethys insisted.
"I'll go to the Command Center and find some good locations to put our battlefields then," Emory pursed her lips, "Give me a call if you need anything." Emory headed to the ship's Command Center instead of the one in the outpost, so she could try to avoid most people. However, when she arrived, papers and pictures were strewn throughout the room as if someone else had been using this space. Instead of clearing an area for herself, Emory started going through the information, careful not to disturb the documents in a way that revealed another person's presence.