They followed Castles. She led them through the hangar and shouted at people to let her and the civilians pass. They reached the edge of the hangar and stepped under a wide arch. Then, they hurried down a metal hall. The hall was empty of personnel, and Castles began to run. They matched her pace. Camellia found the feat easy. There were no stars for lightyears.

An open doorway framed the end of the hall. A metal door stood to the side, tucked into a recess. The thick slab possessed both bolts and a locking wheel.

“There’s a safe room in the next hall,” Castles said. “We can hide you there.”

Camellia wondered if the safe room would have the same sturdy door. Or, would it be more discreet?

An explosion shook the ship, and the doorway swung closed. On its own, the wheel turned into a locked position, and the bolts slid shut.

Another explosion rocked the ship, and Alim landed on the floor. Benham and Camellia caught themselves against a wall. Meladee and Castles kept their feet, courtesy of Eva’s help and robotic balance.

As dust filled the hall, Camellia lost sight of her friends. She felt a breeze: one ahead and one behind. Camellia had the distinct impression that the warship had a few new doors.

“Oh, shit,” Castles spat. “Get on the ground. Stay near the wall. We’re already breached.”

Dust settled, and Camellia could just see Castles’ black hair. Castles crouched, tucked herself against the wall, and drew a weapon.

Camellia followed and stayed close. Eva and Meladee slid against the opposite wall. Camellia spotted Eva’s vibrant red-head and Meladee’s dark outfit. She heard Benham and Alim huddled as well.

Ahead and behind, invaders streamed into the hall through the holes they had just blown in the hull. Smoke shaded the figures as they stalked into view. They looked like shadows: tall, short, fat, thin, and with several configurations of limbs.

Camellia stared. She forgot the setting and focused on the people ahead. They represented a lot of cultures, and Camellia’s curiosity awoke.

“Fuck this,” Meladee whispered.

A magic circle struggled to come in to being. It glowed white, and Camellia thought she recognized shield symbols.

Castles continued to call for help into her com, until she saw the magic. That made her pause but not stop.

Eva jumped up and, in a blur, took off down the hall. She kicked a pirate and scooped up his baton and gun.

Castles continued to speak into her com: something about an entry point being near the hangar. Oh, and civilians under attack – as well as one attacking civilian.

Benham grabbed Camellia and tried to push her curious head out of the line of fire.

“Meladee get over here!” Benham beckoned vigorously.

“Quiet! I’m summoning my damn basan.” Meladee sat, and light radiated from her person in the form of a new magic circle.

Camellia glimpsed a shield shimmer into place and felt a tad bit safer.

Then, Meladee stood and began the spell to summon the basan. The circle took on a blue hue, and the basan materialized. It promptly bumped its head on the ceiling, ducked, and glared at Meladee.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you angry. Take it out on those guys. Really fuck ‘em up.” Meladee pointed back towards the docking bay.

The basan screamed and charged the invaders.

Camellia listened. Terrified screams surrounded them. None of which belonged to her friends. With Eva ahead and the basan behind, Camellia felt safer still. Dust began to clear, and Camellia looked up at Meladee.

Meladee rubbed her hands together. “What next? What do you think?”

Two guns slid into the bubble.

Meladee jumped.

Camellia picked one up. “Presents from Eva.” She doubted anyone heard her soft-spoken words.

Benham scooped up the other. “This is the trigger.” Benham nudged Camellia.

She looked at his hands. He fired once towards Eva’s side to demonstrate his point. His shot went right through the bubble, blinking the shield into existence for a moment. Benham paused to examine the magic.

“It’s okay, you can shoot through,” Meladee said.

Benham nodded. Then, he looked at Camellia. “Try to wait till they come close. We don’t want to hit Eva or...Meladee’s monster.”

Camellia test-fired towards the basan’s side, missing him by an inch. But, she hit a pirate, and judging from his anatomy, she seemed to have gotten his butt. Camellia cringed and readjusted her aim. Her vampiric sight and hearing sought a new target.

Easier than bow hunting, and a lot like a carnival game. She couldn’t help hearing an internal stream of carnival music that accompanied her every shot, like a soundtrack. With increasing accuracy and a little guilt, she shot into the fray, choosing farther targets.

Meladee choose her targets guilt free. Unwilling to risk fiery spells in such a tight space, she tested her ice magic with glee.

I’m definitely done with fire magic...for a while.

Meladee shot icicles from the walls, pinning a group of pirates for the basan to pick off. She set an ice block in each hull breach, stopping pirate reinforcements and trapping those that tried to flee.

“How are you…?” Castles asked, looking up at Meladee.

Meladee grinned.

Casltes didn’t bother to shoot anyone, and she almost missed a crackle from her com.

“Someone’s calling you.” Meladee pointed.

Castles activated the com.

Meladee looked towards the hangar and saw that the large door remained closed. Meladee conjured a simple two ringed circle. It appeared on the door and brought a magic drill into being. The drill worked at the locks, but nothing happened. Meladee frowned. She wanted her ship. Who knew what kind of damage the pirates might do?

Castles spoke into her com, “Yeah, you heard me right. There’s a monster, like a mythical dragon, down here.”

Meladee smiled at Castles comment as she pondered a new way to reach their ship. She cast another spell, and tiny bugs crawled over the far-off door. Meladee willed them into the lock, but the bugs wouldn’t go.

“That never works like I want,” Meladee growled.

A pirate screamed and slapped at the bugs.

“It. Is. A. Freak. Show,” Castles stressed every word.

She’s got that right. What kind of pirate can’t handle a few bugs? Meladee shouted to her basan. “Hey!”

The basan looked back.

“Open the door. We don’t want them to steal our ship,” Meladee said.

The basan roared, batted aside some pirates, and placed its beak on the wheel. It might take a while, but the basan could get the door. Meladee helped by firing icicles into the backs of pirates, not enough to kill, but certainly enough to make them very uncomfortable.

“Get it out!” one shouted.

“It’ll melt! Let it melt,” another called back.

Meladee crossed her arms.

She heard Castles say, “No, we don’t need reinforcements. Do you need them? Because I think I can offer you some soon.”

Eva, deep in the band of pirates, clubbed a short reptilian man on the head and shot a tall furry woman in the legs. Both fell, and Eva reached the door. She tucked her weapons under her arms and twisted the wheel. The door didn’t want to open.

Eva read the nearby panel. “Lockdown procedure.” She turned and shot another pirate, leaving him wriggling in the dust. “Lockdown is all good and well, but not with us trapped in here.”

Eva shot the panel, but it didn’t help. She had to wait for the ship’s engineers to take care of it.

“Ow.”

A shot grazed Eva’s arm. It sliced her golden skin.

Eva looked at the injury and saw a hint of wiring. Her nanites might need a week to fix the break. Eva frowned. She turned and faced the pirate.

He sat on the ground, injured. He clutched his leg and raised his gun to fire again. The sound of the gun got lost in the sounds of battle, but it fired.

Eva simply dodged, moving too fast. She took two quick steps to the pirate’s side and knelt before him. Then, she ripped the gun from his hands. He grimaced in pain, and she glared at him, thinking she might do more than disarm him.

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The door swung open.

Eva stood and whirled, taking the pirate’s gun with her.

Military men and women waited on the other side. An engineer crouched by the door and froze. He dropped his tools and stared into the carnage.

“About time,” Eva said. “Is this the only breach?”

“No, there are four more,” the engineer said. “This is just the stupidest. Nowhere for them to go. They probably didn’t plan on being trapped in here with you either.”

Eva gave him a short nod.

Meladee looked to Eva’s side of the hall. Crewmen worked to capture the battered pirates, and Eva spoke to them.

That’s all good and well, but we need to get to the hanger, not deeper into the ship.

Meladee’s basan had cleared the pirates. At least, the basan had incapacitated them. The men and women lay in heaps, and the basan still worked to open the hangar door. It twisted its head and fought for purchase on the wheel’s slippery metal. Meladee might as well give it some help.

“Come on, guys! We need to check on Halfmoon.” Meladee beckoned Camellia and the others forward.

She cast a simple magic circle, well ahead of their position. The spell hummed over the walls and became a shield. Meladee ran forward to the new shield’s location.

Just as the new shield fizzled into being, Benham, Camellia, and Castles got up and followed. Alim was the last to join the group.

At her new shield, Meladee stopped and looked around.

Pirates groaned, unable to pick up and wield their weapons. There was no one to contest Meladee’s progress.

Meladee shrugged and walked through the shield. Her friends could hide behind it. She didn’t need it. She peered through the thin dust and saw only her basan, still working on that door.

“Come on. What’s it gonna take?” she asked.

The basan whipped its head and looked back at Meladee. It let go of the wheel and stepped back. The basan relinquished the space to Meladee, challenging her to unlock the door.

Meladee squeezed by.

The basan faced the tunnel that connected the pirate ship to the warship’s hull. Meladee’s ice block melted, already half gone.

The basan screeched and stuck its head into the tunnel. It pulled a tall, burly man out by his legs. The man screamed. He would find no escape, not from a frustrated summon.

Meladee waited for an opening and dispelled the rest of her ice block. The block melted, leaving a large puddle of water behind. Several pirates slipped on the water. They saw Meladee’s basan and turned around; they headed back to their own ship.

“Can I get near that thing?” Castles nodded at the basan.

“Oh yeah. Sure.” Meladee waved her on.

Castles approached the basan slowly, shooting a fleeing pirate as she walked. When she reached the hangar door, she touched the panel and input a long code. After several moments, the wheel spun and unlocked. The bolts slid open.

“Onwards!” Meladee called to her basan.

The angry chicken looked at the hangar door and roared.

Castles struggled to push the door open before the basan shoved its way through. Casltes pressed herself to the wall, and the basan ducked and strode into the hangar.

“Okay, guys, time for personal shields. Stay still ‘cause this is a harder spell.” Meladee closed her eyes and imagined a three-ringed circle.

A personal circle appeared around everyone: Meladee, Castles, Camellia, Benham, and Alim. Eva was too far and not still, so Meladee left her out. The shields flashed into existence, hugging their persons. Castles nodded her approval and followed the basan.

Meladee also ran into the hangar. To her relief, only a few pirates remained. They had not succeeded in getting the big hangar doors open. The crew had stopped them, preventing them from boarding more pirates or taking off with the ships parked inside. It was hard to tell what the exact goal had been. So many pirates lay in the wake of the basan, which had come from behind without warning, like a monster from a fairytale.

“We missed the fun in here,” Meladee said.

Castles nodded. “Wait by your ship.” She left the group to talk to her fellow crew.

“Wow, Meladee.” Benham watched the basan. “What is that thing?”

“That’s my basan. He always used to breathe cold fire, but I gave him the icy feathers custom. You know – to fight Ah’nee’thit’s mom-dad.” Meladee smiled. She gestured around at the large hangar. “I’ve got a dragon. I could have summoned him in here, but the hall was way too small.” Meladee pointed at her basan. “Do you like him?”

“Yes, but unfortunately, he’s probably going to attract more Finial attention…”

“That was very impressive work.”

The five companions stood before the warship’s commander, a black-haired woman, with skin the color of burnt umber. She wore a uniform of blue and gold. Her name was Wren Rooks, but they knew to address her by Commander Rooks.

Camellia thought the Commander looked friendly if a little intimidating.

The Commander walked down the row of guests. She stood about six inches taller than Eva, and that was who she stopped before.

Rooks smiled. “Of course, I continue to be surprised by the abilities of our more advanced robots. Not for your destructive capabilities but for your restraint. We have a lot of living pirates to question thanks to you.”

Eva seemed to shuffle under the Commander’s gaze, which Camellia felt was a bit odd and out of character. Almost as if Eva harbored some shame.

Rooks continued down the line and addressed Meladee. “And that ice you made. Not to mention that creature. I would be curious to know how that was done.”

“Magic,” Meladee said.

The Commander frowned at Meladee’s serious tone, coupled with her seeming joke of an answer. “Alright, why don’t you do some magic for me?”

“Oh, I can’t right now. I’m tired,” Meladee excused herself, with a wave of her hand.

Rooks gave Meladee a suspicious stare but let it go. “Later, then. Regardless, you are to be commended.”

“We would do anything for our Halfmoon. We love her.” Meladee put both hands to her heart.

Rooks kind of smiled.

“That’s right,” Benham interrupted. “May we be on our way? We have an appointment with the Syndicate for Sentient Aid to get help for their planet. It’s urgent.”

“Yes, you may be on your way.” Rooks opened her mouth; a dismissal must have hung on her tongue. “Actually, if it’s that important, we can ferry you there ourselves. The Fauchard needs repairs, and Rasamal is one of our better options.” Her gaze roved over the companions. “Fauchard can travel much faster. You’ll save fuel and have less chance to be attacked by pirates.” She must have seen some resistance because she tried to sweeten the deal.

Camellia straightened. “I beg your pardon, but based on the current scenario, I wonder if we’re more likely to encounter pirates traveling with you.”

Rooks laughed. “Fair enough, but should you run into pirates, you have a better chance to win with us.”

Camellia smiled. She liked Commander Rooks, and a part of her wanted to accept the offer. But, she also wanted to stay out of the Finial’s reach. She looked at Eva and Meladee. In Groazan, she asked, “What can it hurt?”

Meladee frowned. With reluctance, Eva nodded.

“Alright, we’ll ride with you,” Camellia agreed.

“Wonderful. Why don’t you join me for dinner in my mess?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t. I have to write a speech.” Camellia unwrinkled the paper in her hands. She could barely read the words, folded and scorched from the battle. “And, I think I have to start again.”

“There’s time to write your speech and eat. Camellia.” Rooks tried out the unfamiliar name. She smiled reassuringly and beckoned. “Come to dinner.”

The group sat in Commander Rooks’ private mess. Camellia tried to keep her expectations unbiased, but in truth, she expected the room to be decadent and large, something like the private dining rooms in Groazan mansions or Southern Palaces. In reality, Rooks’ private mess was a clean, small room, with a couple paintings and modest furniture. The room had one small window and a dim lighting scheme. They sat so close to the window that Camellia felt they had dinner among the stars.

Rooks took the head of the table, with Eva and Meladee on her right and left-hand sides. Benham and Alim sat across from each other, and Camellia took the other head.

It made her feel like a guest in her father’s house. Her father always reserved the head of the table for guests, the better to stare at them – until they left. So far, dinner with Commander Rooks was nothing like dinner with her father. For one, he had never let her work at the table.

Camellia thought all of these things while she copied down her ruined speech. As she neared the end, she looked up, and saw Rooks, calm and smiling. I’m not in Groaza anymore, Camellia reminded herself. Quickly, she finished her notes.

“Ready to join us?” Rooks asked.

“Yes, I copied my work, but I still haven’t made much progress.”

“It’s a twelve-hour ride, and we should reach Rasamal at its sunrise. Your meeting isn’t till mid-morning...” Rooks leaned back in her chair and calculated. “So that gives you...about seventeen hours to finish your speech.”

Camellia put a hand to her head. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Rooks said, with genial authority. “As I see it, you have one hour to eat. Five to write your speech. Eight to sleep, and three to get ready.” As she relayed her plan, Rooks folded her hands and relaxed.

Camellia felt differently. “As I see it, I have an hour to eat. Five to write my speech. Six to lay awake worrying about my speech. Four to pass out from exhaustion, and one to get ready.”

Rooks laughed. “So that’s how it’s going to go? Maybe, we ought to give you a little something to help you sleep.”

Camellia didn’t answer. Secretly, she hoped Rooks meant every word.

Alim reached for Camellia. She looked at the man and noticed the concerned look in his eyes.

Camellia did a double take. His eyes!

In the dim room, Alim had removed his glasses. His big black eyes where humanoid in shape, but larger. They lacked whites and reflected much of the room. Though she had seen them in his mind before, Camellia stared with open curiosity.

Food arrived, and Rooks worked to clear her part of the table. She’d brought her work too – a large tablet and pen. She urged the chef to serve everyone else first, while she made some space.

Camellia got her food and smelled a strong scent of meat. She smelt a kind of bean, and spices on the air. She leaned over her food and inhaled it.

Rooks thanked the chef and sent him on his way. At first, she didn’t speak. She just ate, fast too. Rooks got through her meal before everyone else. Then, her questions started.

The topic turned to Iruedim. Camellia explained their quest, and the creatures: Ah’nee’thit and Ul’thetos.

Then, to a room of rapt listeners, Meladee explained magic. Camellia watched as Rooks narrowed her eyes in a kind of desperation to believe, maybe to understand.

Rooks asked about Eva next, but Eva declined to detail her personal construction. Everyone let the subject drop.

Finally, Camellia spoke a bit about dhampirs and her life as an anthropologist. To her dismay, everyone wanted to see her tiny fangs. Rooks commented that they could have come in handy when she was a cadet, and Alim marveled how cute they were. Camellia blushed.

With Rooks’ curiosity satisfied, Camellia turned the conversation to the Girandolans. Alim told her about his people: their underground dwellings, nocturnal lifestyle, and relatively small numbers, which allowed them to reproduce at rates higher than other Finial members. Hellirs could have up to four children. Camellia wasn’t sure why Alim felt the need to state that, but she expressed her happiness for him just the same.

She skipped Benham, picking up on his disgruntled and somewhat anxious mood. That left Rooks.

“How long have you been in command of Fauchard?” Camellia asked.

“Must be almost four years now.” Rooks looked up from her tablet. She had a habit of multi-tasking, and she’d done it through most of Alim’s parts of the conversation. “Fauchard is a good ship.”

“It’s a big ship.” Camellia looked out the window. “I could never have this much control over this many people and this much metal.”

Rooks smiled. “It’s not for everyone. You might be surprised to hear that I command more than just Fauchard. There are five other ships in our team: the Bardiche, Guisarme, Voulge, Ranseur, and Corbin. While we waited at the checkpoint, they were patrolling. I called them during the battle, and now, they’re bringing our prisoners to a holding station and escorting us for repairs.”

Camellia looked outside for glimpses of the other ships.

Rooks laughed. “You won’t see them. They’re well ahead and behind our position.”

“What about the pirates?” Eva asked. “Who’s running the checkpoint?”

“No one at the moment, but considering we just destroyed near forty pirate ships, that’s fine. We’ll get repairs, and then resume our duties at the checkpoint. I imagine it’ll be quiet for a long while.” Rooks sat back in her chair and looked at her empty place setting. She’d stuck her dish on a nearby cart to make room for her work.

Camellia thought the Commander looked a little sad.

“That’s good,” Meladee said. “I used to hate pirates. I worked on a shipping and salvage vessel. They were a big problem for us.”

Rooks nodded. “It’s certainly good to be rid of the pirates, but it takes the excitement out of the day.”

Meladee’s eyes widened. “Come to Iruedim if you want more pirates. God, we had to deal with them once a month. We always ran. Usually successfully.”

Rooks considered Meladee’s words. “If that was a real offer, I’d be tempted.”

Meladee shot Rooks an incredulous look. “Even with the monsters?”

Rooks cocked her head. “Maybe. I joined the Finial’s navy to do more exploring. Unfortunately, we are not to move beyond our borders. It happened a year before I graduated from training. There’s a neighboring government on the other side of the galaxy, and we have a pact not to cross outside the Finial’s claimed space. There are several planets in between us and the other government, but no militaries can enter. All the exploring goes to civilians.” Rooks shrugged. “That’s how I came to find out that I’m good at catching pirates. It’s not what I envisioned, but it works.” Rooks took a drink from her glass.

“Why didn’t you quit?” Camellia asked.

For a moment, Rooks’ eyes widened. She set her glass down. “I don’t do that. No matter how bad things get.”

Camellia watched the Commander and wondered.