AnnouncementEnd of book!

  It ummm... went pces? I don't know if it was as good as book 2, but I enjoyed introducing intercity conflict and the political strife of a corporate controlled city.

  As always the story will be taking a quick break while I work on the next book. I already have a couple chapters on my Patreon, but since I'm scheduled to move back into my condo after six months of repairs, so I'd like a little more of a backlog.

  See you all soon!

  I was sitting at the kitchen table, reviewing my updated production schedule when Issi came running into the kitchen. She dragged one of the chairs closer, cmbered up, and looked me straight in the eye.

  “Is there something I can help you with, Isabelle?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Where’s Squiddy? I was supposed to teach her Chessers, but I haven’t been able to find her since yesterday. Where did she go?” the tot demanded.

  “She went on a trip with a couple of my other friends to work. We told you this a couple days ago, remember?”

  She scrunched up her face for a minute. “Well, where did she go?”

  “I can’t tell you that, squirt. It’s a secret,” I expined patiently.

  “Well, when will she be back?” Issi persisted.

  “I don’t know. They’re traveling for work and can’t come back until they’re done.”

  “They’re fighting the ant… Anti… auntie-thistles?”

  “Antithesis, but yes,” I replied as I leaned forward and gently ruffled her hair. “I was about to give them a call before they got too far away did you want to say hello?”

  “Are they going a really long way? Farther than Edmonton?” Issi questioned.

  “A little farther, yes,” I replied with a smirk. “Now, no more questions for now. Did you want to say hello or not?”

  Issi nodded and sat down on the chair, so I could barely see the top of her head over the top of the table.

  I leaned back in my chair, a smile on my face, and whispered to my AI. “Nyx, can you connect me with the Athabaskan, please? I told Sharron that I’d call before they left the range of the comm networks. Let her know Issi is listening, and put it through to the table speaker.”

  Give me a second I’ll have to route it through the satellite network.

  The speaker in the middle of the table crackled and popped for a few seconds before Sharron's voice came on. The signal was somewhat staticy, degraded by the distance, but still recognizable. “Evelyn, you there?”

  “I am, and so is Issi. How's the trip so far?” I asked.

  “Ugh… We only left yesterday, and I already feel like strangling a couple people. We’re crammed into an enclosed space with some of the most infuriating, egotistical people I’ve ever met,” Sharron growled.

  “You should have been prepared for that. You knew Mirage was coming before stepping foot on that ship,” I chirped.

  “Hardy har har,” Sharron snapped in frustration. “He’s nothing compared to a couple of the other people here. It wouldn’t be so bad if there was more space, but since we filled this pce to the brim with extra supplies, there’s no pce to go.”

  “Aunty Sharron, are you going to be okay? Evie told me you were going to fight the bitey pnts. Be safe, okay? I need you to come back as soon as possible so I can teach you how to py Chessers!” Issi decred as she climbed onto her chair so she could yell at the mic.

  “Awww, I’m sorry, Issi. I know you had your heart on teaching me how to py Chessers, but this is extremely important. It couldn’t wait. Will you forgive me?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive. I know what you and Evie do is important, and I’m a big girl. I can wait until you come back,” Issi replied seriously, but a hint of wistfulness filled that st sentence.

  “Thank you, sweetie. Would you mind giving Evelyn and me some privacy? I’ll give you a call when we get to our destination, and the communication network is finally set up. I promise.”

  “Alright, have a good trip to… wherever you’re going!” Issi excimed as she leapt down from the table and practically sprinted out of the room. I grinned, waiting until she was out of sight before disconnecting from the speaker and routing the call through my augs.

  [So, how is everyone doing up there, really?] I asked.

  [I’m not going to lie, everyone’s nervous. There are only a couple people in the entire fleet who have ever engaged an antithesis in the forties, including myself. The Family has networked the entire fleet together so they can run simutions to figure out the best way to make pnetfall, and there are going to be daily situation briefings until we reach Mars.]

  [And have those simutions figured out how long you’re expected to be up there?]

  Sharron was quiet for a second. [They’ve only been running for a day or two, but the current estimation is between four and seven months, depending on how quickly the antithesis adapt. Since they already have a world wide hive network, those in the know expect we’ll be there for the long haul.]

  [Shit. That’s quite the campaign,] I grumbled. [How’s everyone taking the news?]

  [Fairly well… Most of us boarded the ships already expecting this to be a long fight, but a couple people were disheartened when they heard the news. Surprisingly, Benedict was the one that took it the hardest out of the Calgary contingent. He nearly broke down when he heard the news,] Sharron expined.

  [Honestly? I’m not actually that surprised,] I said. [He and Charlotte have been joined at the hip for the st week. I he they were devastated when they decided one of them had to stay behind, and I’m sure neither of them wanted a long campaign.]

  [Nobody wants a long campaign,] Sharron reminded me.

  [Yeah, sorry, that came out wrong,] I replied with a wince.

  [It’s fine. Do you have any other news, or do you want to talk to anyone else? We’ll be leaving comms range soon,] Sharron said.

  [I do have a quick update for you. I’ve been running the numbers and I should be able to send you another two hundred bears a month. I’ll pretty much have to bankrupt myself to get another couple collection rigs, but I should be able to maintain production, even if I dedicate a couple trucks to the settling pool,] I expined. [I can’t send you everything, because I’m still worried that I might not have enough bears to cordon off an incursion site, but I’m sending you what I can.]

  [Every little bit helps, thank you,] Sharron said softly.

  [No problem,] I said, before clearing my throat. [There is one st thing. Would you mind transferring the connection to Hel before we lose the signal?]

  [Hel? You sure?] Sharron asked, suprised.

  [I’m sure,] I confirmed, releasing a calming breath. [I’ll talk to you all soon. Give me a call once the Family has their comms up. I may be back here on earth, but I want regur updates on the situation.]

  Sharron snorted. [Sounds good. Just promise me that you’ll try and bring the entire family around to say hello. I’d love to hear some friendly voices from home.]

  [I’ll do my best,] I promised.

  [Alright, gimme a second and I’ll transfer you over to Hel.]

  The connection went quiet as I was put on hold, and the connection was transferred. Without anyone else on the line, I could once again hear the crackling and popping as the signal degraded. After a couple of seconds, the call connected again.

  [Teddy? Sharron said you wanted to talk to me, although I admit I’m a little confused about why. The st time we spoke, you made it quite clear that you didn’t want to talk to me again,] Hel said quietly. The line was pretty static-y; we must have been right at the end of the communication range.

  [And honestly, I haven’t forgiven you yet,] I replied softly. [However, I do have something I wanted to say to you, considering the circumstances.]

  [I’m listening,] she said hesitantly.

  I took a deep breath. [I don’t hate you. You might have completely lost all my trust with that stunt back while we were dealing with the city council, but I don’t hate you. I expect you to take care of yourself, and everyone else, while you’re up there. You can’t earn my forgiveness if you die up there, so do your best.]

  There was a moment of silence, followed by a quiet ugh. [I think you can do that. You just make sure you keep the city in one piece until I get back. You think you can do that?]

  [I think I can handle it,] I smirked. [Seriously though. Do your best up there, and we’ll talk once you get back, okay?]

  [Alright, talk to you soon,] she replied. That was the st thing I managed to get as the connection degraded to the point where it was nothing but static. After a few more seconds, the connection went dead.

  I leaned back in my chair and stared at the roof, imagining what y far, far above. “Safe trip, my friends, until we meet again,” I whispered.