Camellia rode Halfmoon to the Bardiche. They traveled beyond the Groazan coast. Through the windshield, Camellia saw waves zigzagging white over the blue water below.

Ahead, she saw the Bardiche, riding atop the ocean. Its lower decks bobbed beneath the waves. The lucky ship would ferry them to Lurren. For now, it floated on the water and waited for its last passengers.

Rooks’ other ships floated some distance away, giving the Bardiche some personal space. The Cleydef floated lower than the rest, with its two blown out decks. If Ah’nee’thit received the wormhole spell, the Cleydef would still carry Ah’nee’thit away, headed through a wormhole sans crew.

Dawn light sparkled over the water, and Camellia got up from her chair. She stood beside Meladee and peered out Halfmoon’s windshield. Rooks occupied Meladee’s other side.

“So, how do we get in?” Meladee hit some buttons and positioned Halfmoon above the Bardiche. Their small ship hovered. “Your ship bay is on the bottom. That’s underwater.”

“We have a small bay on top. Just big enough for two or three ships.” Rooks pointed. “There.”

Camellia saw the bay open.

“Tight door.” Meladee eased Halfmoon over the opening and descended slow.

Halfmoon fit through the hole with plenty of clearance – not so tight as Meladee had complained.

“Shall we get everyone and head to the bridge?” Rooks asked.

Camellia nodded. She paused and watched Meladee shut down Halfmoon. Their little ship would be the only one in the upper bay.

Camellia glanced out the windshield and noted how dark and unwelcoming it was. Equipment dangled from the ceiling and walls, and Camellia spotted some exposed pipes and electrical work. Clearly, this bay was not for civilians.

Camellia turned and followed Rooks. In the lounge, their team of specialists waited. Adalhard and Cernunnos sat together, and the Ferrans occupied a seat nearby.

While Adalhard looked busy, Cernunnos watched Rooks. Inez and Eder also gave the Commander their attention. Inez seemed excited...her brother, less so.

Camellia found Benham and Alim chatting, and from what she could hear, Benham seemed to cheer the other man up.

Meladee finally trailed in behind Camellia, and from below, Sten and Eva climbed into the lounge.

“I think that’s all of us,” Rooks said. “Before we go to the bridge, let’s have a little discussion. We’re about to head to our final destination before Lurren, and we need to get some things ready.”

Camellia took a seat. Her nerves jittered.

From the Groazan coast, Bardiche would move to an undisclosed location in Tagtrum’s northwest. Once there, they would pick up last-minute supplies and finalize their plans. In Bardiche, the flight would be short, so Rooks’ insistence that they get ready held great importance.

Rooks looked between the anthropologists. “Work on the location of the creature’s head. I’d like to have some idea where we’ll find it. Also, I expect you to finish that map before we land, Camellia. I’d like to discuss it at our final preparatory meeting.”

Camellia nodded.

Rooks turned to Eva and Sten. “Plan out our approach, determine our obstacles, and finish those cleaning procedures. Castles will meet you in the main docking bay. Instruct her how to keep our supplies safe. It’ll be her job.”

Sten and Eva nodded.

Rooks faced the Ferrans and gestured for Meladee to come further into the lounge. Meladee had hung back in the doorway, but she reluctantly joined the others.

Rooks said, “Bombs. Make lots of them. I want a couple of large ones as well as several test bombs. I’ve picked a navigation officer to help you set locations for the wormhole bombs. The four of you can work in my office.”

Inez smiled a little. Meladee too. Eder looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Rooks took a breath and looked at Alim and Benham, xenobiologist and scout. “Stock our shuttles with everything we should need. Food, medical supplies, instruments, cloth… And, yes, I’m aware that we need to pick up some special cargo from Tagtrum. Leave space for it.”

“Special cargo?” Benham glanced around the room. “This is the first I hear of this.”

Camellia winced. Poor Benham. He must feel always in the dark lately.

“I apologize, Benham. You missed that,” Rooks said. “Military Director Cloch thinks that there are some people out there who can help manufacture more of Eva’s drug. We don’t have enough – yet.”

“There will be more in Lurren,” Eva promised.

Rooks conceded Eva’s point with a short nod. “While that’s true, it’s also old. I’m aware that drug shelf life often goes beyond the expiration date, but I’m not risking one-hundred years-worth. We’re going to be prepared. Besides, we have to stop once before Lurren anyway to do our final check-in. We might as well see what our new friends have to offer.” Rooks’ gaze moved over the room. She searched for objections and questions. She must have found none.

Rooks smiled. “Alright. Let’s get to work. Camellia, your team can work wherever you like.” Rooks walked to the ladder and started down. “Everyone else, you know where you should be.”

Camellia watched Rooks disappear below deck. Then, she watched everyone follow, leaving her with her two colleagues and their unknown plot.

As much as Camellia had enjoyed Adalhard’s advances, she had to question them.

Eva and Sten left the dark bay and pulled far ahead of the others. Eva let Sten lead. She didn’t know the upper decks. The halls were narrow and dim, winding past small rooms, but Sten seemed to know his way around.

Sten folded his hands in front of him as he walked. “I think we should discuss the obstacles first and plan our approach.”

Eva shook her head once. “The cleaning procedures will need to be written and detailed for Castles to follow. We should examine the shuttles right away.”

“Alright,” Sten inclined his head. “We can walk there, but on the way, let’s discuss those obstacles.” Sten waited for Eva to begin. He stared down at her.

Eva was much smaller, and the very top of her head hovered just above his shoulder. Girandola had materials to burn. Lurrien synthetics all tended to be on the smaller side. Girandolas were giants, although Sten saved some material in his width.

“The creature?” he prompted.

Eva gave him a sidelong glance. “Yes, Ul’thetos is the main obstacle. When we last left Lurren, Ul’thetos lifted its limbs and tried to catch Halfmoon. Since these creatures perceive time so differently from us, I imagine that Ul’thetos might still be ready and willing to wave its limbs around. Plus, it’s summer. The time when the creatures are most active.” Eva frowned.

Sten stopped at an elevator and keyed a button. “If Ul’thetos is still active, we may need some kind of decoy. Maybe, another shuttle, or if we must, we can call in the Cleydef. But, I’m hoping that our approach from the southeast will be out of reach.”

Eva agreed, but she had seen limbs in the water. She was the only one who knew. They would approach from the southeast. Eva was sure that sea remained clear, but they would find out soon enough.

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Sten paused a moment, waiting for the elevator to open. Eva stood beside him and examined their surroundings. The small elevator, likely a maintenance lift, showed its progress on a lit bar. Apparently, it came from the lowest deck and had many floors to go.

Eva filled the time with a study of Sten. She looked up to find that he wore what she called his thinking face. Eva had always been able to tell when organics were thinking. When it came to other synthetics, sometimes she could, and sometimes she couldn’t. She just assumed they were always thinking.

Sten glanced at Eva and double took. He blinked fast. “Something you want to say?”

Such an organic gesture. Eva shook her head.

Sten faced the elevator. “When I worked for the Syndicate, we had a case with a giant creature that awoke from hibernation. The creature wandered a planet, causing damage to the people that had evolved to live there millions of years later. We wanted to rescue the rare specimen, but it proved to be unhinged from lack of contact with its own species. So, we lured it away from habitation and bombarded it from orbit. Ul’thetos is considerably more sinister and less animalistic. I wouldn’t mind bombarding it.”

Eva watched the elevator rise. The lights climbed nearly to the top of the bar.

“I want to live in Lurren when this is done,” she said.

The elevator arrived. It didn’t ding but merely opened. Sten stepped inside, and Eva followed. They remained alone.

“I know.” Sten hit two buttons: one to choose a floor and another to close the elevator doors. “I suppose I’m expressing nerves. I would feel safer in a ship, contacting Ul’thetos from orbit and no closer.”

Eva faced forward but titled her head in his direction. “Aerosolizing the flesh and adding it to Iruedim’s atmosphere would be a mistake. On rare occasions, synthetics and organics have been infected by flesh particles in the air.”

“Indeed. Still, if we could determine where the head is, we could bombard just that location.”

“Camellia only has second-hand memories of Ul’thetos’ original prison, and for all we know, Ul’thetos has moved its head. We need to land.” Eva looked at Sten. “Fear is an organic trait.”

“Why thank you.” Sten shot Eva an appreciative look.

She turned away and made a sound of frustration.

A short sigh later, Eva let it pass.

Sten continued, “We need to land to rescue any living synthetics.”

Eva narrowed her eyes. Some synthetics she wanted to rescue. Others, she didn’t, and still more, she wished had been left in hibernation. “That brings me to the next obstacle. I told the repair bots and toys to wake the androids. I have no reason to believe they wouldn’t.”

The elevator zipped down, and a long pause followed. The door popped open to the lowest deck, and Eva looked out into the maintenance halls on the back side of the docking bay. The halls had more light, but still equipment crowded the walls, in easy reach.

Eva and Sten entered the corridor and headed to Bardiche’s bay, where the mission’s shuttles were kept.

“Good. We could use their help,” Sten said.

Eva frowned. She put a hand on Sten’s chest and stopped him. “They won’t help. They probably reinitiated the storm barrier.”

“So you think, but they may change their minds given the circumstances.”

“No circumstance will change their minds,” Eva objected. “They’re simpler than you realize.” Eva strode into Bardiche’s hangar.

Sten trailed behind, but he quickened his pace and caught up to her. “So, synthetics without souls are too simple to respond to changes in their circumstances?”

“Perhaps, simple isn’t the right word. Stubborn.” Eva made her way to the nearest shuttle. “And, why are we bringing up whether or not they have souls? That’s irrelevant.”

“You’ve said that you’re different from the other synthetics, and once you spoke of whether or not they had souls. Isn’t your view of them tied to that belief?”

Eva stopped and whirled to face Sten. “Please, drop that subject, or you might end up like the last android that wouldn’t.”

Sten stepped back. “Are you...are you threatening me?”

“No. I didn’t do anything to him. He was too soft to clean himself properly. Always worried about the others.” Eva turned away.

Of course, she wouldn’t hurt Sten, but she worried that Sten would lose focus on the task and get infected. Probably doing something recklessly heroic.

Eva huffed. “My beliefs about the other synthetics stem from my experience. I believe they will resist – despite changes in their circumstances because that is what they’ve always done.”

A small forklift brought empty crates to the hangar. Behind the forklift, Eva saw Castles. In turn, Castles saw the synthetics and strolled in their direction. Eva didn’t want to discuss souls in front of Castles.

Sten asked again, “But, they resist change because they don’t have souls?”

“No.” Eva frowned. “Yes...I’m not sure.”

Eva looked around the hangar. She saw all three shuttles, and Castles coming closer. Castles waved and rounded the forklift, careful to avoid the small, whizzing machine.

Eva glanced over. “Sten, leave the matter of souls out of this. All you need to know is that when the Lurriens came under Ul’thetos’ control, the synthetics continued to serve them. The Lurriens died, and the synthetics continued to uphold their mandate. The creature took more and more of the land, and the synthetics just moved to safer areas. From my point of view, that shows a lack of creativity.”

“I agree. The way you paint it...it sounds bleak, but we’ll see if anything changes when we arrive, with help.” Sten beckoned Eva to the first shuttle.

Castles fell into step beside them. “If we’re going to keep monster flesh off the shuttles, we’re going to need a lot of sterilization fluid. The monster’s growth rate is distressing.” Castles held a tablet and read over Alim’s now-published notes.

“Yes,” Eva agreed. “There will be plenty of sterilization fluid in Lurren. It’s always been our first priority.”

“So, we might not need a huge stock. And, we’ve got to figure out our cleaning procedure. I’m thinking we need to seal up any crevices or moving parts, unless we absolutely need them,” Castles said.

“That’s for the best.” Eva nodded shortly.

For a moment, Eva looked at Sten. His expression suggested they would continue their discussion of souls later. Eva couldn’t wait for him to meet the Lurrien synthetics. That should show him.

In Rooks’ office, Meladee borrowed Rooks’ official chair. The seat spun in place, and after Meladee took a few turns, she got Inez, Eder, and their random navigator to work. The others sat across Rooks’ desk.

To start, Meladee gave the navigator a quick lesson in magic circles. Inez and Eder explained the wormhole spell and its location runes.

The navigator took it all in, with a hand planted firmly on his head. With his lessons complete, he compared runes to Iruedian star charts and different Girandolan notations. He tried to translate the spell in to something they could understand and use. Otherwise, it would be the decay for Ul’thetos and Ah’nee’thit both.

Meladee left him to it. She looked at Inez and Eder, rubbed her hands together, and declared, “Alright guys, let’s make some bombs.”

The navigator looked up.

“What?” Meladee asked. “You knew we were going to do this.”

“I..I know.” The navigator glanced at the door. “Commander Rooks said you could do this in her office?”

“Yeah, she loves bombs.” Meladee dismissed the navigator’s concerns with a wave, and then, she ignored him.

Inez and Eder slipped out of their chairs and sat on the floor. They arranged their fabric. Both had special embroidery machines, an invention of the Textilers, to help them complete their work quickly. Eder pushed aside a stack of handkerchiefs, made new for this mission, and selected some blank fabric.

“I could start on the big decay bomb.” Eder’s wide eyes spoke of innocence but also his love for the deed of making magic. “We already know how we want that to work.”

“Yeah, great idea.” Meladee tossed him her large drawing of the decay spell. “Got your pattern right here.”

Eder scooted into a corner and set himself up to make the large bomb.

“Uh, the fuse layers take forever on the big bombs. I’m going to be embroidering till I have grandchildren.” Inez grabbed some fabric and the fuse pattern.

Meladee waved, shooing the very idea away. “Don’t talk like that. If you’re doing this all day, you won’t have time to make any grandchildren. When you’re done, your whole life will have passed you by.”

Meladee pulled out Adalhard’s sketch of the first bomb’s interior. It showed a skeleton made of lightweight reeds. The spell cloth would fit over it.

Meladee grumbled, “So, I guess I’ll weave the reed balls.” She put her hands on the reeds and the rope and sat there for a few minutes while she stared at the picture. She got a grasp on the method and started on a small ball, opting to save the larger bomb for later.

Inez and Eder embroidered. Meladee weaved. She knew they wouldn’t finish in the short three-hour flight across Tagtrum. They would work all the way to Lurren and then some.

The navigator cleared his throat. “So…what do we do if one of these bombs goes off? In here, I mean.”

Meladee stifled her smile. “Whoa. Commander Rooks didn’t say we could decay her office and kill everyone on the ship. She also sounded really upset when we said we might drag everyone through a magical wormhole to another point in the universe.”

“I meant accidental…”

Meladee laughed. “I know what you meant. Look, it’s not like these bombs can accidentally go off. We’ve got mistakes built into the patterns, so that the spells don’t trigger. We have to destroy those mistakes before the spells work.” Meladee showed him a completed piece of fuse fabric and wiggled the string. “We have to pull this thread before we can even start the fuse.”

The navigator frowned, and his eyes widened every time Meladee wiggled the thread.

Meladee continued, “These are a new kind of bomb, real soft and friendly. Kids could sleep with these bombs. I mean we could start a line of children’s toys when this is all done.” Meladee placed the fuse fabric back down and picked up her reeds. Meladee nodded and bound reeds together. “Cuddly bombs – that’s what we’ll call them. Explosive protection from bullies and monsters.”

Eder snorted a laugh.

“But, what about the loose thread that starts the fuse?” the navigator asked. He looked at the original wormhole bomb, which sat in a nearby crate. The loose thread lay lightly on the exterior of the ball. “If a kid pulls that in their sleep, the result won’t be very cuddly.”

“Oh yeah, well, if the kids pull that by accident, that could be bad. But, we won’t make wormhole and decay spells for kids.” Meladee finished the first half of her frame and smiled. She planned to make three of each. “Glitter bombs – that’s what we’ll make for kids.”

“What’s glitter?” The navigator narrowed his eyes.

“Little bits of sparkly...” Meladee frowned. “God, I don’t know. It’s sparkly dust.”

Eder grinned. He sat crossed legged on the floor, with his pattern and machine ready to go. “Glitter is made from stones, glass, and sometimes insects. Ground very fine.”

Meladee pointed at him and nodded. “What he said.”

“So, these kids are going to set off bombs of sparkling stone, glass, or insect dust?” the navigator asked. “Parents will love it.”

“I know,” Meladee said.