The superstructure of the ring was largely complete now. That was, in many ways, the easy part. Construction drones flitted around in the aether, welding the massive steel structure together. Farbin watched it all with a cold, if impatient, eye. Machines had their place. So did the beasts in the other car. But the space-bending technology that would make the gate functional required a level of engineering that necessitated a sapient mind.

He was distracted from his duties when an alert came through on the console. A ship was approaching. He frowned, double-checking the readings. The object appeared to be moving faster than the speed of light. While that was impossible, the object was very real and heading directly for him. Most likely, it was a ship from Greefonya. He would simply have to wait until it got close enough for him to do something about it.

***

“You’ve been trying to size me up, and I just want to make sure I’m clear,” said Lawbine.

Vanbrook turned to him. They had been traveling in the hound-drawn wagon in silence for some time now. Desert hounds made passable beasts of burden, but they moved slowly when carrying much more than a rider or two.

“I intend to win Raivyn back,” continued Lawbine. He said it as simply and matter-of-fact as if he’d been commenting on the color of the stone along the path.

“I don’t intend to give her up,” snorted Vanbrook.

“Well, that’s not up to you, now is it?” asked Lawbine.

“I don’t care what you intend, Lawbine,” said Vanbrook coolly. “But if you try getting between me and Raivyn-”

“I play fair,” interjected Lawbine. “That’s why I’m letting you know ahead of time. Look, Raivyn and I–we go way back. And I always hoped to make her my wife. Still do. I’ve got no problem with you-”

“The feeling isn’t mutual, slick,” interrupted Vanbrook. “So unless you want to start an interplanetary incident I suggest you shut your mouth.”

Lawbine nodded, the infuriatingly easy smile still on his face. Vanbrook rode on in stony silence, brooding over how to handle the troublemaker.

Soon enough they were back to Gred, and Vanbrook was happy to be back in the company of people he actually liked. Gredites were well known for their victory feasts, and they once again delivered. Vanbrook managed to sit by Raivyn before Lawbine could orchestrate other arrangements, and Reclan all but leapt over Lawbine to sit on her other side, blocking the Aeratan, who simply found a seat across from her, instead.

Blissfully unaware of the shenanigans, Raivyn chatted happily with all three parties throughout the meal.

“So how were the hounds?” asked Raivyn.

“Oh, you know dogs,” said Lawbine. “You tell them their proper place and they listen or catch trouble for it.”

Vanbrook looked up menacingly from his meal, not missing the veiled jab. “Good way to get yourself mauled, pal.”

Lawbine smiled and nodded.

“Cheer up, Van,” said Raivyn. “This is a victory feast!”

“Wow,” said Reclan. “Never thought I'd hear Raivyn tell Vanbrook to ‘cheer up.’ You two continue to amaze.”

Vanbrook shot Reclan a “you’re-not-helping” kind of glare.

Further down the table, Hrake sat staring at his plate, looking miserable and doing all he could to avoid eye contact with Dhraka. When the first course was winding down, King Hrynkak stood and called for everyone’s attention.

“I want to thank our rangers and Captain Hrake, as well as Talon Squad and their ally Lawbine for helping us destroy the bandit menace that had recently plagued our roads.” He waited for the applause to die down before continuing. “I am excited to announce that the Captain will be taking the Drihn on its maiden voyage in a few days time, joined by First Mate Dhraka.”

To her credit, Dhaka nodded and smiled graciously. Hrake’s eyes looked grave but he smiled as well.

***

It was a few days later when Hunt called Talon Squad to his office. The office still looked empty to Hunt, who was accustomed to the memorabilia and awards that Jasken had always had on display. His own Naval career still relatively short thus far, Hunt simply didn’t have much to decorate with. He’d considered posters of his favorite musical groups or action serials, but dismissed the notion as unprofessional. Instead, he sat behind his simple desk, a Republic flag hanging behind him and his officer’s cutlass hanging on the wall to his right.

Talon Squad filed in slowly, and Hunt was pleasantly surprised to see Vanbrook was among the first to show up for a change, though he suspected it had more to do with his being attached at the hip with Raivyn than any change of character.

“Thank you for joining me, all,” he began. “I have been discussing something with Prime Minister Skritka and King Hrynkak, and we have decided that Talon Squad will be joining the Drihn for its maiden voyage. Captain Hrake is setting out for Gateway, and the Blue Griffon Fleet will rendezvous with you there.

“Unfortunately, the Aeratans have been involved in the discussion as well, and have requested that Operator Lawbine stay behind with the main fleet.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Lawbine’s face hardened somewhat, but he said nothing.

“That’s a shame,” said Vanbrook, suppressing a smile with great difficulty.

“No,” said Raivyn, shaking her head. “As much as I’d like to be part of Captain Hrake’s historic journey, I volunteer to stay behind with Operator Lawbine.”

Hunt nodded to Raivyn. “We thought you might, and I was granted authority to allow it. Very well. The rest of you, please gather whatever belongings you will need and report to the Drihn as soon as possible.”

Lawbine didn’t look over when Vanbrook glared at him, but the smirk in his eyes was enough to make Vanbrook want to deck him. Stifling the impulse, joined the others in a chorus of “yes, sirs,” and stalked out of the office.

Vanbrook was still upset hours later as he marched over to the Drihn, a large, blocky vessel with a respectable array of cannons and embossed hull panels that echoed the bold, blocky designs found on pillars and doorways in the cities of Hruduk.

He was loaded down with his field gear and a duffle bag, but he could have easily carried twice as much. He’d learned to pack light in the Navy, even as a member of a Special Squad. Reclan caught up to him, panting under the weight of her gear and gadgets.

“You know we’re only going to be away for a few weeks, right?” asked Vanbrook, some of his good humor returning as he watched Reclan struggling under her load. “You don’t have to bring an entire machine shop with you.”

“I just might,” said Reclan. “I’m not sure what kind of tech they’ll have aboard but the Hrudukites aren’t exactly on the cutting edge.”

“No,” agreed Vanbrook. “But the ship was supplied by TalpiTech.”

Reclan stared at Vanbrook, wide-eyed. “We’re- we’re going on a Talpi!?”

Vanbrook smiled. TalpiTech was the most advanced ship manufacturer in the Republic, tracing their origins back to the first breakthroughs in mechanical ripmed travel. They specialized in private shipping and pleasure vessels and usually didn’t work closely with the Navy. TalpiTech ships, or Talpis, as they were called by their fans, were a rare treat for a tech wiz like Reclan.

“Oh, man, this is awesome!” said Reclan. “I see it now. They replaced the rounded edges and smooth panels of a typical Talpi hull to something more reminiscent of Hrudukite architecture. Yeah, I see the bones underneath, though. It’s a Talpi, alright. Explains why they’re planning to make one single, long jump to Gateway. These ships can take it.”

Vanbrook grinned as he listened to Reclan jabber about the Drihn, his mood holding until Raivyn and Lawbine came over for final farewells. Raivyn was all smiles, which did nothing to calm Vanbrook’s uneasiness.

“Sorry to have to leave you again so soon, Van,” she said cheerily.

“Uh huh,” said Vanbrook noncommittally.

Raivyn’s smile faltered. “You okay?”

“He’s probably just a little nervous flying under a novice captain,” said Lawbine. “No offense to Hrake, of course, just that the Hrudukites don’t really have a lot of exp-”

“I’m not nervous about anything, pal,” spat Vanbrook, cutting him off.

Reclan shot Vanbrook a nervous look.

“Calm down, Van!” scolded Raivyn. A bit of the old fire came back into her eyes as she stared him down.

“You have fun with your ‘old friend,’ Rai,” said Vanbrook, walking up the Drihn’s gangplank. “I’ll see you at Gateway.”

“Well, I think you could use the time away!” shouted Raivyn at the back of his head.

Reclan looked mournfully at Raivyn. “You know how he gets.”

“All too well,” she replied. “Stay safe, Rec. And beat some sense into your buddy, if you get the chance.” She turned and left, Lawbine following behind.

Reclan waited for Doc and D’Jarric, who came along a short time later.

“Hey, Rec,” said D’Jarric. “Just got a pretty frosty farewell from our favorite psychic. Trouble with the swashbuckler?”

“Like only he can cause,” sighed Reclan. “Come on, I want to get a closer look at this ship.”

***

Hrake bustled around the bridge of the Drihn trying to look busy and feel useful. In truth, Vritik, the representative from TalpiTech, was doing the bulk of the work in coordination with Ytriv, a Hrudukite blacksmith’s son. Ytriv’s young and brilliant mind had taken to spacefaring technology with a speed that made his father nervous. He’d hesitantly agreed to let his son go on the trip as an engineer-in-training, and Vritik and Ytriv had been inseparable since.

“So the drive is already making one of these little bits of light bigger?” Ytriv was asking. His dark eyes shined with excitement. Being short and thin-framed for a Hrudukite, he had always wished for something beyond the warrior culture he had been born into. And he had finally found it. “And harnessing it to the ship?”

“Exactly,” said the Talpidarian female. “Generation of a massive photon takes time, so we’re ramping up the drive now. Entangling it to the ship will have to wait until we’re aetherborne, so the entanglement field doesn’t bring along any atmosphere.”

“Would that be bad?” asked Ytriv.

“It’s more that it’s… unpredictable,” answered Vritik. “And the last thing we want in space travel is unpredictability.”

Ytriv nodded.

Hrake looked around for someone more grounded to talk to. He supposed he shouldn’t, and that the sentiment was a bit ironic given the nature of their mission. Unfortunately, the only person whose eyes he caught was Dhraka, who gave him a weak but sincere smile from across the bridge. He blushed and turned away, infuriated at himself for his inability to navigate the situation better.

Talon Squad climbed the stairs onto the deck and a wave of relief flooded over Hrake.

“Friends! Welcome!” he said eagerly.

“Hey, Hrake!” said Vanbrook, the sour face he’d been wearing a moment before washed away by a warm smile. “Good to be with you for this. We ready to go?”

“Yes,” said Hrake, motioning to a row of chairs along the bridge’s wall. “Since the Drihn is based on a luxury design, there is ample room in the bridge for guests.”

“Make no mistake, though,” interjected Vritik. “TalpiTech made sure this ship is battle ready!”

“I saw how you incorporated the cannons where most models would have had an awning,” said Reclan. “And that the bridge was optimized for tactical awareness rather than style.”

Vritik nodded happily. “Yes, though I admit we had to twist some arms in the design department to get this model pushed through. I did a stint in the Navy myself so I knew what kind of changes would be needed. Most of the aesthetic changes were based on input from Ytriv, though.”

“I wanted to ensure the ship would reflect Hruduk,” said the young Hrudukite, beaming.

“I am very pleased with the results,” said Hrake. “Now, let’s get this vessel aetherborne.”

Hrake took his seat at the primary console, with Vritik and Ytriv stationed to his left and Dhraka to his right. Despite his nervousness and the complicated relationship he had with his first mate, he looked around in genuine excitement. It had been an extraordinary time to be a Hrudukite ever since he’d seen Talon Squad’s shuttle descending. He’d learned so much, and was sure that this journey would only increase his understanding of the galaxy he lived in. With a deep sense of purpose and satisfaction he watched Hruduk fall away below as the Drihn rose up into the aether.