August 28, 2152
When she woke up around twilight, Emory decided to talk to someone. Digging in her backpack, she pulled out the link stone Lady Rice had given her and tried to reach Lord Ide, the other Council witch she knew by name alone. As she had been instructed, she thought about the person as she held the crystal and waited for it to glow green. After about a minute, a green glow came from the stone, and an elderly man's voice was projected into her mind.
"Lady Aurelias, it is good to finally speak with you," Lord Ide boomed, "Before you ask, the stone lets you know who is calling when you pick it up after being called. Telepathy is handy, but there are no unknown calls when using it."
"Lady Rice said I can trust you. I hope she was right, and you are as knowledgeable as she suggested. I have some questions for you," Emory said nervously but straight to the point.
"You can trust me, though I suppose that is not a comforting statement to make," Lord Ide chuckled, "What questions can I answer for you, milady?"
Emory started slowly, "Can you teach me teleportation over this connection? I don't know what it all entails, but it seems handy in some circumstances."
"Well, I have not tried before," Lord Ide considered, "But I think that depends more on your comprehension than my ability to teach. You see, teleportation is a written magik. Perhaps there is another way. Let me speak with our contacts."
"Thank you, Sir Ide. Secondly, what can you tell me about the Fae?" Emory asked methodically.
"Please, call me Perceval," Perceval chuckled, "The Fae? Unfortunately, I know very little about the Fae. They taught our ancestors how to harness magik. After a time, some left while others built lives with the first witches, your family to be more precise. We have not seen them since."
Emory rephrased her question, "I apologize; I meant do you know how they came here or how they left? Clearly, they weren't always here."
"Well, that is not entirely correct. We have stories as old as time about the Fae. But this was different. However, I do not know how this group came or how they left. We have no stories of spacefaring ships, so I can only guess they used teleportation," Perceval explained.
"Interesting, thank you, Perceval," Emory gratefully replied, "I just have one more question and feel free to ask me any questions you have. Why are you helping me? This is our first time speaking and we've never met. Is it just my clan's name?"
Perceval paused before a smile could be heard in his voice, "In a way, yes, but in another, no. Let me tell you a story. When I was a young boy, we were taught about Merlin Aurelias, your ancestor. He lived an amazing life, and having accomplished so much, he finally retired in his twilight years. During the fifty years he was retired, he would occasionally release prophetic messages to the Council of Witches. On his death bed, he revealed to them a glimpse of a future where witches had forgotten to continue his work. Merlin warned them, 'A descendant of mine will be born without the pollution you will become. Their power will eclipse the Council, and you will be given a choice. Either confess your sins and follow them or die.' Lady Aurelias, I believe you are this descendant of which he spoke, so I will follow you."
Emory's mind swirled while Perceval's words rattled around. At every turn, more pressure was heaped upon her. Although, this was an extension of a destiny she had already accepted. Ever since she had learned of her mother's heritage, she had understood that she would eventually have to join the Council. Still, she felt like her ability to choose her own path was quickly slipping away. Finally, Emory acknowledged, "Thank you for your honesty, Perceval. Do you have any questions for me?"
"Actually, I do have one question for you," Perceval mused, "After your upcoming mission with the Collective, will you join the Council on Earth or remain abroad? I ask because it would be my greatest honor to meet you in person."
"Thank you for the compliment. I would like to visit Earth, even if I don't end up staying there. We will have to revisit this topic at another time. Thank you again for your help, Perceval," Emory said hurriedly as she looked at the time on her watch. Her dormmates would be waking up any time.
Perceval replied softly, "Please reach out any time you have questions." The link stone returned to its murky color, and a yawn sounded from the bed adjacent to Emory's. Sam's arms crept out of her covers while she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times before quickly spinning over and pointing at the crystal in Emory's hand.
"Is that a link stone?" Sam gasped, "Are you part of the Council now? When were you going to tell me?"
"Relax, I'm not a part of the Council. Your aunt gave me this as a symbol of our partnership," Emory calmly corrected her.
"Still, those link stones are pretty rare," Sam explained, "Telepathy is a magik only known by the Council, so naturally, they don't inscribe it onto many objects. In fact, I think there are only a dozen or so, one for each leader. Who were you talking to?"
Emory confessed, "Sir Ide. I was trying to come up with a backup plan to the RRS. We'll see." She fidgeted with the stone in her hands.
"Are you worried about today?" Sam asked, "We've prepared as much as we could. Our plan is solid."
"I'm not worried about the plan; I just don't like speaking in front of a lot of people," Emory admitted.
"That's why you're so on edge," Tana yawned as she sat up, "Geez, you don't have to worry about that. Between the stunt you pulled in combat class and your first-place finish on the assessment, they'll eat up anything you say."
Emory sighed, "Still, I've never been a good presenter. I don't want to sound boring up there either."
"Add in a little pizzazz then," Tethys suggested, "Remember how Lady Black set the podium on fire when she introduced the world to magik? Start off by showing everyone how cool you are."
"Thank you all for supporting me. I'm really happy I met you all," Emory said as tears filled her eyes. In less than a month, her entire life had been turned upside down. She had discovered her sphere, got involved in world politics, learned secrets of the universe, and was now leaving for the great unknown. Not only leaving, but she would also be entrusted with the lives of almost one hundred other people. All this pressure, at eighteen years old, came crashing down, and Emory sobbed. Sam, Tan, and Tethys came over to Emory and surrounded her with a group hug. The tears continued for a few minutes before she finally thanked them and pushed them gently away. With conviction, she stood up and proclaimed, "Alright, let's do this."
Instead of going to the homeroom for morning announcements, Emory and her friends went to the outdoor courtyard after grabbing a quick breakfast. The morning dew clung to the blades of grass as it was still early, yet there were already some school and military officials setting up the courtyard. When Emory approached, she saw Betty motioning for her to come over and a plain brown box in the other hand. Confused, Emory asked when she got closer, "Betty, did you need something? You looked frantic."
"Emory, please take this and put it with your travel gear immediately," Betty huffed, "I don't know how many more excuses I can come up with to hold onto it."
"What is it? It feels heavy," Emory commented as she took the book.
"The materials you asked for," Betty hissed before turning, "Honestly, kids these days." Her voice trailed off as she returned to the stage where most of the High Collective was. Emory peeked in the box to find a large, old book with the word "Teleportation" inscribed on top. She smiled and abruptly left the group to put it with the rest of the gear she was bringing. Each student going on the expedition was allowed to bring one standard duffel bag of personal gear, not including clothing as that would already be aboard the ships. Her bag still had plenty of room since the only things in it were her spellbook, the book from the library, and her two pairs of gauntlets. When comparing the three books, the spellbook was the thickest, yet surprisingly, the teleportation book was only a little thinner. By the time she made it back to the courtyard, roughly half of the students had arrived. The friends, including Nephenee, had taken seats in the front row and were chatting amongst themselves. Unfortunately, before Emory made it to her friends, she was stopped by a soldier clad in golden armor.
"General Reiss," the soldier bowed, "The Supreme Commander has asked me to bring you to him. You'll be seated with the other members of the High Collective."
Emory scowled, "Yes, of course. Please take me to them." She kicked herself mentally for not predicting that she wouldn't get to sit with her friends today. Still, they would join her on stage soon enough. The soldier led Emory behind stage where all the other members of the High Collective were already gathered. Shepherd immediately walked towards her as soon as they got within eyesight.
Shepherd greeted her, "Emory, good to see you again! I bet you're making some last-minute preparations, planning every last detail."
"You're correct, sir," Emory bowed, "I also have a last-minute request, if I may. I think it may be vital to the mission."
"Of course! If I can grant it, I will get it for you. What do you need?" Shepherd asked.
"I'd like to request a forger for every team, sir," Emory requested, "We may need new or different gear depending on the situation on the ground, and it would be better to have a person onsite than wait for supplies."
Shepherd smiled, "Very forward thinking, Emory. I'll have someone round up a forger for every group. Do you need anything else?"
"Not before liftoff, sir," Emory shook her head, "I think we're ready." Shepherd nodded and left to go speak to some school officials. Ten minutes before nine o'clock, everyone was led to the stage and seated. A few students had yet to arrive, and Emory wondered whose squads these buzzer beaters were on. But by nine, all the chairs were filled. Shepherd looked over at Emory to make sure she was ready, to which she gave a confident nod. Then he approached a podium with a microphone, though it looked rather small compared to his mountainous size. The crowd, which had been chatting quietly, grew quiet as Shepherd paused for a few moments and looked over at the students.
"Welcome, students!" Shepherd bellowed, "I congratulate each and every one of you on your impressive performance on the assessment. You are all the top five students from each of your respective classes and have risen above the rest. In recognition of this achievement, you have all been selected to participate in a special mission. As you all know, the Mantoan have knocked out communications with Proxima Centauri B and pose a greater risk to the Sol System than any time since they left three years ago. Because of that, we want to establish forward operating bases farther from the Sol System as an early detection system. Shortly, you will be divided into four squads, each with the goal of establishing one of these bases. First, let me introduce your classmate and the highest scoring student on the assessment who will lead you all, the newest member of the High Collective, Emory Reiss!" He motioned for her to join him at the podium. Because of the size and age difference, it looked like a young daughter was joining her father on the stage. Her legs wobbled a little as she approached him while whispers began spreading throughout the crowd. Emory looked out at the distrustful students and took a deep breath. She just raised her hand above her head and began gathering magik in it. The whispers continued for another minute or so until more and more students looked at the stage. In that minute, Emory had created a glowing, prismatic sphere in her palm the size of a car that continued to grow by the second. By two minutes, it had grown to the size of a small building, and the crowd stared ahead in complete shock. With a snap of her fingers, the sphere exploded and released a wave of intense colors and pressure.
Emory cleared her throat, "My name is Emory Reiss, and I have been asked to lead this mission. Let me be clear, though none of the systems we are going to have evidence of Mantoan presence, we must be vigilant against such a threat. That's why I alone will not be leading this mission. Each of the four squads will have a commander and subcommander. The eight of us have divided you all evenly according to your strengths and with all the information available about the systems we will be going to. Please come to the stage when your name is called. Squad Aleph will be led by Nephenee Lavender and Innes Blindside. Squad Bet will be led by Gatrie Forde and Samantha Rice. Squad Dalet will be led by Tana Briggs and Gwendolyn Snow. And finally, Squad Gimel will be led by myself and Tethys Harding. Please give a round of applause for your commanders and subcommanders." Emory paused as her friends walked on stage and the crowd clapped.
"Before I read off your names and assign you to squads, I want to say one more thing," Emory continued, "Though we may be splitting off and going to different places, we are one team with one goal. Protect our home. But more than that, I want you all to make a vow, here and now. You will return to your families, alive and well. Now, for the assignments." One by one, every student was separated into one of the four squads. Amazed looks were on the faces of the other members of the High Collective; they hadn't expected the young girl to be this prepared in such a short time. Once the squads were all set, the students were sent back to their dorms to collect their duffel bags while school personnel cleaned up the event and military personnel were preparing the area for liftoff.
When the students arrived back at the entrance, a large spaceship had landed in the courtyard while three identical ones hovered in the air above. Unlike those in the past, fusion technology allowed spaceships to look largely like giant airplanes since there was no longer a need for large, bulky fuel tanks. Each ship was roughly two hundred feet long with a similar wingspan and a tail height of about sixty feet. Though instead of old aircraft jet engines, large thruster openings were present while the wheels had been replaced by stability plates. The center of the plane, roughly twenty-five feet in diameter, was large enough to have a spacious cargo area and double sleeping quarters. With Jask onboard as well, the ship practically ran itself. Emory marveled at the modern engineering miracle, one that allowed humanity to travel the stars. Yet the ones in the air had one major difference from the ship on the ground: a ring connected the wing tips over the top and under the bottom of the ship.
Emory questioned one of the soldiers loading supplies into the grounded vessel, "Why do the ones in the air have that ring but this one doesn't?" She was concerned there was a variable she had left out from their preparations.
"Don't worry, miss," the soldier replied politely, "That's the Alcubierre drive. When the ships are in the air, they're automatically engaged, even if they're not running. And when the ship lands, it folds up into the wings." Emory blushed, realizing the simple mistake she had made, and excused herself. She gathered all her friends and found the High Collective member that seemed to be directing the soldiers, a smaller and younger member named Greg.
"Greg, where did the Supreme Commander go?" Emory asked slightly annoyed.
"He apologizes for his absence, but he had other matters to attend to and left," Greg stammered, "We're just about finished loading this one; this ship is headed to the Tau Ceti System. Who's heading up this one?"
Nephenee raised her hand, "Me, sir, Nephenee Lavender with Innes Blindside as well."
"Good. Gather your group and board the ship," Greg explained, "Your takeoff is in ten minutes. Miss Reiss, each ship will take twenty minutes to load, and I have the order of the systems here. Once you say your goodbyes, please organize the rest of the squads, so we can speed up this process a little bit. Thank you." He strode away in a huffed, but Emory just shrugged her shoulders and turned to Innes and Nephenee.
"Remember to set up the RRS as soon as you can, hopefully within the first couple days," Emory reminded them, "Also, the initial scans show a hot and a cold planet, so figure out which one has more stable weather and then adapt."
Innes put his hand on Emory's shoulder, "Don't worry. We are strong. And we've got twelve days to drill the plan into our heads."
"Ad Astra, Emory. Travel safe," Nephenee smiled as she pulled a small rod from her hip. With a simple shake, it extended into a six-foot pole with a sharp point on one end. She walked over to the rest of the students and yelled, "Squad Aleph, let's roll! You've got two minutes to get your sorry butts on board!"
Innes shook his head and quickly said goodbye to everyone else before grabbing his bag and running onto the ship. As Greg had directed, Emory, Gatrie, Gwen, Sam, Tana, and Tethys wrangled the rest of the students into their respective squads. First, Tana and Gwen's squad set off for the Wolf 1061 System. Next, Gatrie and Sam's squad took off for the Luyten's Star System. Finally, Emory, Tethys, and their squad boarded the ship for the Ross 128 System. Once onboard, Emory discovered that there was a captain's private room for her. Because Jask was built throughout the ship, she could just as easily pilot the ship from her quarters as the cockpit. After bringing up some holograms of the destinations, Emory called out, "Jask, start a new project. I want to track our progress across all fronts."
"Certainly, Miss Reiss," Jask chirped, "Given the destinations of the four groups, you will be the first to arrive in eleven days. Squads Aleph and Bet will arrive in twelve days. Finally, Squad Dalet will be the last to arrive in fourteen days. This projection assumes no travel issues with a ninety-five percent chance of that happening. Do you need anything else?"
"Please project a window onto my wall; I'd like to watch our travel," Emory requested as she plopped on the bed. Moments later, the wall next to her seemed to change into a pane of glass. The ship was just taking off, and it was the first time Emory had seen Mars Base One, her home, from this height. They were still in the habitat bubble but only just, so she could see how small the city compared to rolling fields. She took a deep breath and whispered, "I guess I won't be seeing this again for a while. Take care, home."