“That was too fast.” Rooks stared at the data that suggested the Volanter had created their own, temporary wormhole several hundred lightyears off the mark that was Iruedim and its solar system. “They missed, but all they have to do is scan and know they’ve found us.”

Rooks swiped the data from her small screen. She’d had nearly five months to prepare a defense for Iruedim. She’d done it, and she felt confident of the result. Iruedim’s mages and ships were ready; however, they weren’t enough.

Rooks tapped her screen and sent the formal letter for assistance to the Halfmoon. “We need to call in that help from Scaldigir. Let Meladee and Benham know. I want them through that wormhole in a couple of hours. I’ve already sent them a copy of the request.”

The message, written by Rooks, also contained the names of Iruedim’s government heads. Groaza, Tagtrum, Ponk, Lurren, and the Equatorial Islands signed without complaint. The rest of the nations passed up the chance. Some considered themselves too small to be concerned with world politics. Others just didn’t answer. They prepared themselves for invasion instead.

Fat chance of surviving that, without a unified approach.

Rooks stood stiff at her station. She had never been one to pray, but she took a moment to hope that Alban had gotten that assistance. He promised it.

Though, Rooks wouldn’t leave it all up to him. To coax the Scaldin into the Volanter-Iruedim conflict, Rooks sent magical items. She’d put together a veritable treasure trove, picking things that most intrigued her and her Girandolan compatriots.

Blankets that pumped out heat. Clothes that couldn’t stain or fray. Magical guns that needed no ammunition. Bags that could hold more than they should. These were the stuff of Rooks’ dreams, and she bet they would impress the Scaldin.

Over the rail, Rooks called, “Make sure Meladee and Benham have that sample of Iruedim’s wares aboard. I do not want to miss an opportunity because they take the wrong crates.” Rooks got a nod from the com officer. “I’m going to my office. When they call, patch them through.”

Rooks crossed her arms and walked off the bridge. She stepped over the thick threshold and passed the heavy hinged door. It wasn’t a long walk to her office. In fact, three more steps, and she strode inside.

At the center of the room, a large table held an upwards facing projector. Rooks had left it running, and in the airspace above the table, a diagram of Iruedim and its solar system reigned over her office. The projector showed Iruedim in blue and green. Other planets and the sun appeared red and orange. Far off galaxies ringed the edge, tinted in purple. Rooks stopped just ahead of the wormhole, the only object in white.

Suddenly, the map shrunk, accessed by one of Rooks’ crew. A new addition to the map blinked in red. Someone had just added the Volanter’s first entry point. The Volanter popped in on the other side of Iruedim’s sun, a full three days travel away. The map had no choice but to shrink to fit within the confines of the projection.

Rooks placed two fingers on the projector’s control pad. She zoomed back in. She knew where the Volanter had been. She needed to figure out where they would show up next.

Rooks stared. She drummed her fingers on the table. Who was to say they wouldn’t pop in next to Iruedim’s wormhole next time?

The projector showed all of Rooks’ forces and satellites. The ships orbited Iruedim, with the exception of the Lurrien vessels. Those remained on the ground or in the holds of bigger ships. She checked the wormhole. She had nothing to protect it – yet.

It was their link to Scaldigir, and she couldn’t set traps around it. They needed reinforcements first, but as soon as they had them…

Rooks’ eyes strayed to two large satellites that hovered around Iruedim. In the projection, they resembled metal balls. One spun in place, a perfect circle. The other took on an oval shape and also rotated. They moved around the planet as slow as the moon. One used to be the weather altering satellite of Lurren. The other came from Ponk, a true blend of technology and magic. Those satellites generated a shield and prevented planetary bombardment.

Not that Rooks found that possibility likely. The Volanter wanted Iruedim and its Iruedians intact.

Rooks circled her table. She checked the rest of the satellites. All orbited the planet, slow and steady, beaming their positions to her map every few hours. Some moved around the equator. Others moved from north to south, and still more crisscrossed the planet, like an askew belt. The satellites performed a dance; each position chosen to prevent collision. They looked like baubles in the projection, but in reality, they added a series of traps to Iruedim’s perimeter.

“I got to be head of my own navy. I thought it would be easy – at least in our own solar system.” Rooks thought back to her expectations. She’d taken the risk to come to Iruedim because she didn’t see any other way to advance her career. She expected trouble outside the wormhole, never inside. Rooks studied the projection and imagined a fleet of Volanter ships among their quiet Iruedim. “I hope I’m up to this.”

Rooks thought she had to be.

After their unwilling excursion into Volanter territory, her medical team took the information the Scaldin gave them about Volanter genetics. They tested to see how much Volanter lurked in Iruedian bodies. Every Iruedian aboard ship got tested. Camellia was the first, since she needed blood tests anyway. Rooks offered to be tested too, to serve as a control. It turned out that she couldn’t be one, and half of her crew found themselves in the same situation. They carried a smidgen of Volanter. Rooks thought it had to be a mistake. She made them test her three times.

She would come to terms with it, and if she was part Volanter, she should be able to beat them. They weren’t some superior race of beings anyway.

“Got a message for you, Curator.”

Rooks crossed her office and stopped beside her desk. She hit the button. “Just put it through here.” Her bet was on Meladee and Benham.

“We’re on our way through the wormhole now.” Meladee quickly lowered her voice, until she sounded something like a Girandolan mob boss. “And, don’t worry, we’ve got the goods. We’ll see that the Scaldin accept the bribe.”

The com went quiet but only for a moment. “Sorry about that,” Benham called. “Been watching too many movies.”

“No apologies necessary. It brightens my day. I’m just glad you’ve got the goods. Try to get in contact with Alban or any of our friends from Scaldigir. If that fails, try the general government. Good luck and make good time.”

Rooks worried that Meladee might tell Alban about Rooks’ status as a Volanter descendant. She didn’t want him to know and could only imagine how smug he’d be about it.