Skirmish (The Stork Tower Book 8) Read online

  Turning to Ian, she said, “Assign fifty to keep guard and then follow me.”

  PNEUMATICA - GRAH

  Leah waited until Ian had given the orders, then as he approached, she turned and stepped back to Grah. As she arrived, she stepped to one side to let the image form completely. As it formed, Ian stepped through and she pulled him to one side then stepped away. Ian, in turn, did the same for those following him. Leah pointed to an open area, and Ian led the way to form up the force even as his eyes tried to take everything in.

  He wasn’t the only one trying to see everything. Purtinfors’ eyes were moving back and forth between the two open world-portals. Through one came hundreds of Pyranthians, each armed with firearms and swords. They massed to one side in rows in front of Takobi.

  From the other portal stepped soldiers all with matching uniforms and all armed with a variety of weapons. Half of them had some form of prosthesis, and each one glared at everything except Charlotte. At her, their only emotion was respect, if not awe. He saw that she had not taken the opportunity to clean off the detritus of war. He stepped close and said, “P: Commodore, I assume these are your soldiers?”

  “They are mine. As time permits, you will see even more come through to help. Have you considered their disposition?”

  “P: I have some suggestions, but I believe you must take responsibility. Already I have stepped beyond that which I was expected to do. I see the right of it but taking more direct action is outside the scope of what I consider prudent.”

  Leah and Purtinfors discussed the situation and were soon joined by Takobi. After a few minutes, Leah waved Ian over. After introducing him, she outlined the situation again. When she’d finished, Takobi said, “T: I’ll have more coming through as they prepare. I suggest one-third of each force to be assigned under Purtinfors to Taranna, and the rest to remain here under your oversight.”

  Leah said, “I agree with the numbers, but I have several urgent items to take care of at Aeropile. I agree that Purtinfors should head back to Taranna but will leave the rest under your authority here. Major Daniels has my confidence, and I suggest he work under you and over my forces.”

  Takeobi looked at Ian then said, “T: So, Major Daniels, is my sister correct? Will you follow my orders?”

  Ian looked up at the massive soldier, and there was no fear or anger in his gaze, just calm. Ian said, “I follow the Commodore’s orders. If she says to follow yours, then I will take your orders as if they were hers.”

  Takobi nodded then said, “T: Then it is agreed. Charlotte, when will you return?”

  “If even only for a moment, I will return within two days. If it is possible then consider sending some additional troops with Purtinfors and take control of the hanji at Taranna. As more forces arrive, I shall make arrangements for them to be sent through the portal. Those dressed in uniforms like Major Daniels and those already here will submit readily to Major Daniels and through him to you. I suggest others may appear from aether worlds like myself and you should get their agreement or toss them back through the portal. There is no need to send them back through the same portal by which they arrived, so feel free to toss them through a random portal.”

  Takobi grinned at the comment and then after several more minutes of instruction, Leah stepped back through to Pneumatica. With a detail of five to guard her, she made her way back to the Tempest. Once in her rooms, she lay down and logged out.

  14

  December 27, 2073

  STORK TOWER

  As she appeared back in the Tower Leah was asking Three what had caused it to stimulate her throat muscles.

  “3: There was some measurable activity in some neurones along your arcuate fasciculus. I sent the data to Gèng and Dr Roberts. There did not appear to be any associated neurone activity in the Broca’s area associated with speech, and Dr Roberts is yet to get back to me on the cause.”

  Leah nodded slowly then said, “I haven’t tried to actually talk for a while. Let me see if I can get a similar reaction.”

  Despite trying for almost five minutes to either whisper, talk, yell or moan, there was no associated activity in the arcuate fasciculus. Feeling both encouraged and slightly despondent, Leah logged out for a real-world break.

  REAL WORLD

  Slipping on a robe, Leah made her way out to the kitchen because, as before, there was no one in the room or outside. Conner and several of the v-kids were having breakfast, and Leah sat with them. Most of the talk was on the early morning attacks, and there was palpable anger in their discussions. Leah stayed on the sidelines of the conversation despite several attempts to draw out her opinions. As she got up to leave Conner joined her, and as they rinsed the dishes he said, “Mum said it was your idea to see Father Andrew?”

  Leah nodded and said, “It was the only thing I could think of. How did it go?”

  “It was great for mum and the baby, but not so great for me.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Father Andrew decided the request was bigger than a favour, so he said I had to reciprocate the help. I tried to explain that he could take that up with mum, but he said I was the one doing the deal.”

  “OK, the priest asking for something’s a bit weird, but putting it on you is how things work. If you needed to, you could always have gone back and renegotiated with mum before sealing the deal.”

  “Yeah, right. Even you don’t believe that.”

  “So what’s the deal?”

  “For the next month, I have to make confession and go to mass, help out once a week in the food bank, and attend a youth type meeting for kids my age.”

  “So, that’s doable, and it’s definitely worth the baby’s life. What’s the problem?”

  “Ngô Minh Ping.”

  “From your class at school?”

  “Yeah, that girl!”

  “She’s lovely, but I don’t see how she’s a problem.”

  “She isn’t lovely. She’s a bossy know-it-all who just happens to be really religious. When she sees me doing all this religious stuff, then she’ll never leave me alone.”

  “So. She’s pretty, and having a pretty girl give you some attention has to be better than your current track record.”

  “Ha! Ha! Look, she has no filters and can’t read people at all. If she latches on to me, then I’ll be a no-go zone with my friends. She’s ruined people before. Remember Taliah, Ping latched on in grade seven and Taliah had to go neo-goth to get rid of her. This is just a heads up that if I get piercings, shave half my head and wear black eyeliner, then it’s your fault for suggesting me to mum.”

  Leah tried not to smile and said, “I appreciate the warning. Be assured I’ll have your back when Mum tries to rip out your nose ring without taking off the clasp.”

  After a bit more banter, Leah headed back to the Pod.

  STORK TOWER

  As she felt the Tower form on her body, Three said, “3: Alan apologised again for the delay but will be free in a real-hour. Maeja, the alternate concierge in Ascendent, contacted me to say that she’s been able to tentatively book all the guests requested for twenty real minutes at 2 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.”

  “Good! Please confirm both those meetings.”

  Leah sat down and worked on editing her thesis. She slowly began increasing the rate at which she processed information, and with the newer processors had finished twenty-thousand words when Three interrupted her eighteen minutes later. “3: Leah, you have a message from Danika Dufault which has some time constraints. Also, Reed says they’ve finally found some information on Mist’s brother Jim. He sent a message.”

  Leah slowed her processing and watched the messages then said, “Three, please let Danika know I’ll be there in five minutes and can stay for two hours virtual? Tell Reed I said thank you, and ask it to keep me informed.”

  Leah slowly walked towards the portals as she tried to think how to fit everything into the four and a half days she had left before attempting to
rescue the real Meredith. She really needed to move faster in TRAX to make it clear she was challenging Meredith rather than playing the game for its own sake.

  TORQUE

  When Leah arrived in Torque, Danika was waiting and beside her was a young woman about the same age as Courtney. Danika said, “Leah, this is Jenny Myers. Jenny’s tentatively agreed to help you prepare for the two-wheeled Time and Gate attack. She’s a little dubious as you don’t know how to ride a motorbike, but has agreed to give you an introductory lesson before making up her mind. Jenny was in the top five in TRAX for over five years at the Time and Gate until she changed games.”

  Leah shook hands with Jenny and said, “I appreciate you giving me the opportunity.”

  Jenny said, “J: Danika explained your disabilities and the workaround, and even though I’ve seen what you’ve done, I still have my doubts. Danika hasn’t shared everything, and if I’m honest, I agreed more to talk you out of this than seeing if you have the ability. I assume you are going after Meredith and that’s suicidal. I stopped racing because she persuaded me to stop. I can’t prove it was her, but in real life, I was in an accident that means I’m also using a SNAIL protocol. I’m a quadriplegic, and I have an equivalence module. I know you’ve already overcome a lot and I assume she had a hand in it, but it can get worse.”

  Leah said, “I appreciate the honesty and your willingness to share what happened, but things are in play, and it is much bigger than just me.”

  “J: Fair enough. Then let me explain what you need to be able to do. I think it’s not possible in the time you have. The Time and Gate is much more than a race. It’s an evolution of what used to be called time-card enduro race morphed with an imaginary race described in a book called ‘Hover Car Racer’. Each arena has a diverse set of micro-environments, and riders are allowed to change the configuration of their bike multiple times during the race. Each exchange costs you points, and you have to declare the different configurations before the start of the race. In the four-wheel category you have a navigator, but in this, you need to do it alone.

  “The arena is designed in three dimensions, and depending on the tier can have up to six different levels. These are often accessed by portals but also via superstructures like an urban high-rise construction, a bridge, or a series of suspended constructs which needed to be jumped between. Each level usually has more than one-hundred gates, and each is worth a set number of points between ten and a five-thousand. While you can communicate with your AI and your team, communication is heavily monitored. No advice on race-play is allowed except for small changes in the configuration, each of which will cost you points.

  “You are given fifteen minutes to review the arena before the race starts and exactly sixty minutes to finish. During the last five minutes anyone not actively pushing their bike at, or above, their average throughout the previous portion of the race has fifty points deducted for every second they dip below. If they are at or above their average, they have five points deducted for every second they are early. For every second a rider is over the sixty minutes they lose twenty points in the first minute then fifty per second in the second, and so on.

  “There are always gates near the finish line, so very few riders get penalised much for being early, but if you’re three minutes late, you lose over ten thousand points. You have a maximum of three lives, and each is worth a thousand points. The average Tier Twelve racer finishes with around three thousand points. The average Tier One racer usually finishes with between eighty and a ninety-five thousand points. To some extent, the AIs match courses with the drivers and set the course so one-hundred-thousand is theoretically beyond the ability for all racers.

  “I once got one hundred and three thousand and Meredith’s gone over three times. Now, add to that the possibility that other riders are allowed to interact with your gameplay, and there can be up to fifty in a race, then I think it’s going to be too much to get your head around in a few days.”

  “Yeah, I watched the highlights of a few Tier One races, and they’re crazy. Look, I understand that I’m out of my depth. Still, I really need Meredith to focus on something and getting her attention looking at this is crucial, so I need to try.”

  “Then let’s get you on a bike and see what you can do.”

  In much the same way as with Courtney, Leah needed help to recognise when to change gears, but her overall awareness helped her understand the mechanics. Within the virtual hour, she was racing around the roads while pushing the bike to its maximum.

  When she pulled in at the end of the practice, Jenny said, “J: OK, I’ll tentatively agree to train and help manage you in this race. I’ll choose the five most useful bikes, and next time we’ll have you start working on the different terrains. I need upwards of three real-hours every day.”

  “Thank you. I can’t promise exact times, but if you are flexible, I’ll make the time.”

  “J: Agreed. I’ve sent your AI the link to a world I co-own. It’s called ‘Gates Unchained’ and was set up as a training world before my accident. I’ve kept it open and up-to-date for the dozen or so clients who’ve stayed faithful, but it’s pretty basic and will do for the first seven or eight tiers. After that, we’ll need to find a training world, or I’ll need to upgrade.”

  “N: Good. Leah, I’ll connect Jenny with Paige and Wisp and get moving on the contract. I’ve a tentative suggestion for a co-player in the two-player FLOS division, but I need to warn you that their interpersonal skills are non-existent. They aren’t shy, just extremely blunt and cranky.”

  “I’ll give it a go.”

  “J: Who are we talking about?”

  “N: Juke Rangeon.”

  “J: Gradient? She’s never been in a two-player FLOS. She’s strictly solo.”

  “N: I know, but she’s been number one in the solo too many times to count. She is the only player who’s effectively forced Meredith to change her game, ever. Meredith moved to two-player because she couldn’t beat Juke on her own. If we can get Juke, then we’re into mind game territory, and that is where you win in the top tiers.”

  “J: Leah, have you looked at the thousands of fantasy options yet?”

  “A basic search but only the main ones.”

  “J: One of the hardest to use is the Gravity Skates, and the only person to excel using them is Juke. They’re technically available in the two-player fantasy races, but the players have to be totally in sync, and I’ve never seen anyone use them in a two-player race except a few who made it as far as Tier Ten. The direction and angle of feet, hands, head, and torso change the direction and angle of applied gravity through the player’s centre of gravity, and power the suit’s offensive and defensive capabilities. At the higher levels, the gravity is applied across the entire body using a sliding gradient. When Juke does it, it looks like a dance, everybody else looks like a weird uncoordinated robot.

  “Most people can handle it when the sensitivity level is set at one or two, but if you try at level ten people have been known to virtually rip themselves in half. Juke plays with the sensitivity on max. It gives her an almost unbeatable flexibility in movement, and the suit add-ons offer her a range of shields and weapons which lets her compete at the elite level.

  “In the two-player version, the suits are connected by what’s called a ‘gravity tether’. If you get too close without the momentum to fling you past, then you get stuck together, and it’s game over. Get too far apart, and the tether breaks, and again, it’s game over. Then there is the mechanics of the two bodies and their interacting gravity fields.”

  “Cool, it sounds interesting.”

  “J: You are nuts. No matter what, I’d suggest trying before talking with Juke.”

  “N: Actually, that’s a great idea. Next free moment you have, try the tutorial for the Gravity Skates. If possible, I’d like to know later today.”

  Leah agreed, and Danika said, “Good. Now go do a Level Eleven project Cars race followed as soon as possible by a Lev
el Ten. You need to be near Level 5 when you do the first gate-and-time race.”

  TRAX

  Leah checked her time and had just enough for a Level Eleven before meeting with Alan. This time when she stepped into TRAX, she was in a different hall and already wearing her suit. Signs were pointing to the registration hall and in front of her were booths for entry into specific races. Even before she’d reached the booth, Three shared that she’d been identified.

  The booth attendant this time was a woman, who said, “Welcome Atherleah, you have the option of either a Tier Eleven Project Car Race or a Tier Twelve in the same Division. Which would you like?”

  “Tier Eleven please.”

  “That’s all good. The entry fee has been deducted from your account. Have a pleasant race.”

  “Thank you.”

  The race went much the same as the previous one, although the track had more curves and was shaped like a squashed figure eight. After accepting the prize money, Leah logged out.

  15

  December 27, 2073

  STORK TOWER

  When she arrived back in the Tower, Three said, “3: Alan will be here in two minutes, where would you like to meet him?”

  “I’ll head down to the dais, and we’ll talk in the gazebo.”