Reece, Ciera, and Bjorn were going to Norway. Now it was time to hear the plan that was being discussed. Reece stepped closer to the carrier’s leadership council to listen in.

“Okay,” said Li Jie. “First, we need to recon these contacts. Radar and now sonar suggest a sizable force with multiple signatures. We need to know what we’re dealing with. Second, we keep our fleet together as much as possible. Third, we use our slower, less capable watercraft as a bulwark against whatever’s coming while still defending them.”

Reece nodded in agreement. Li Ji was keeping the plan simple enough to carry out but complex enough to account for most variables.

“We’ll load them up with explosives and detonate them once the enemy is within range,” continued the tactician. “We’ll also divide our air forces up and use ranged attacks on their air forces. The goal here is to pull them away from their surface forces so that the other half of our air force can strafe them with no fear of repercussions.”

“Regardless, we must count on them reaching our fleet and I’ve assigned each of you to the various vessels depending on your abilities to maximize their effectiveness against the enemy,” explained Li Ji. “Now, much of this depends on what exactly we’re up against, so this plan is tentative for now. Any questions?”

“Yeah,” said Reece. “I missed a bit of the planning. You mentioned something about a sonar contact. What can you tell me about it?”

“Ahh, I understand,” replied the Asian tactician. “We learned just before you arrived that our sonar began picking up a large circular contact directly below the radar contact that we are currently tracking. We can’t tell if it’s one huge contact or a multitude of smaller contacts that are packed tightly together. Anything else?”

Everyone shook their heads. Reece was impressed by the man’s grasp of the battlefield and the tactics he had already set into motion. They were much like the tactics he had used with the convoy before his capture. This tactician, Li Jie, gave everyone assignments to help prepare. The leadership council seemed to work well. Since this was about to be a battle, the other leaders deferred to the man’s leadership and didn’t question his decisions, choosing to trust in them instead. This saved time and allowed everyone to begin preparing right away.

Reece offered to speak with the captains of the smaller and slower sacrificial boats and convince them that it was best for the entire fleet. Li Jie agreed. Nodding, Reece left to collect a group of able bodies and load explosive munitions aboard the vessels, preparing them for the trap. Since they weren’t sure what they were facing just yet, Reece chose incendiary explosives which would spread over the surface of the ocean and light everything in a half-kilometer radius on fire.

Reece spoke to each captain, and although there were a few that weren’t keen on the idea of sacrificing their newly acquired boats, Reece was able to convince them that they were fighting for their very lives. After securing their consent, he set off to find a few volunteers to help move the explosives.

The captains all volunteered, stating, to the person, that if their boat was going down, they’d at least have a hand in it, as honor demanded it. Reece didn’t question their resolve, nodding in approval. The captains drummed up a few more hands and they started on the task right after lunch, around mid-day. The work was grueling. They used a large cargo elevator capable of moving jets below deck, due to its size. The munitions were stored in the center of the ship, over a quick-release hydraulic trap door.

“Oh, they added this for a couple of reasons, depending on the cargo you’re carrying,” one of the captains told him when he inquired about the door. He was an older man with sunbaked skin, white hair, and beard, and dressed in a threadbare captain’s uniform from a bygone era. “You see, you could put a bunch of submersibles here and release them underwater without your enemy being the wiser. You could use them for attack or flight. It can also be used when you are attacked, and you need to dump your munitions lest they are hit by enemy fire and blow your whole crew shy high. There are other uses too.”

Reece was pleasantly surprised by the man’s experience, especially when it came to helping to organize the crews into moving the munitions from the hold of the carrier to the various boats and other vessels where they would be used. They were able to load up half of the spare munitions and deliver them to the boats by the end of the long day, only taking a quick break for dinner.

Reece went back to his and Karina’s room, tore off his shirt, and crashed onto the serviceable captain’s bed. He fell straight to sleep after his exhausting efforts of the day. It didn’t take long before the dream began.

He was floating high above the fleet and watched as the enemy closed in. He could make out the familiar creatures they had nicknamed ‘gargoyles’ flying in a loose formation above a pod of enormous blue whales. From his vantage point, he could make out what looked like ants crawling all over them and he also noticed that they pulled several boats and rafts along behind them and with great speed. Each one of the whales dwarfed the size of the carrier and could easily swallow any of the other ships in the fleet whole. Taking even one of them out would be a challenge and Reece had to imagine that they were also no longer alive, but undead abominations that the Order had first mutated to enormous size before infecting them with the zombie plague. A crack of thunder jarred him from his last thought. Another thunderous crash echoed through his mind. Then the thunder came in threes. Crash, Crack, Crash. Crash, knock, knock. The sound of thunder had changed to the sound of rapping.

Pulling himself awake, he realized that someone was knocking on his door. He groggily stumbled his way to the door and opened it. Outside stood Aika in a light floral pajama shirt and shorts. Her satin shirt hugged her breasts suggestively, but her face didn’t share the sentiment. She looked downright miserable, and it was obvious that she had been crying. A sniffle and two sobs indicated that she still was. Reece looked down the hall either way and ushered her inside and onto the room’s carpeted floor when he realized she must have been standing barefoot on the cold metal flooring of the hall.

He indicated that she should sit on the bed while he sat in the chair. He watched as she looked over at him and blushed, realizing he still didn’t have a shirt on. He quickly grabbed the one he had tossed on the floor hours earlier and threw it on before falling back into the chair and looking back at her.

“Sorry about that, uh...” he stammered before regaining his senses. “So... what is it? Please... tell me. I miss our chats, and...uh...what’s wrong?”

“Why did we have to get separated?” she blurted out. “Everything was going so well. Now everything is a mess.”

Reece knew what she meant. He couldn’t deny that he felt it himself. They had been a couple in love. They hadn’t broken up. They didn’t end things on bad terms. They hadn’t ended things at all. What they had shared was ended by circumstances beyond their control.

For that reason alone, he knew he still loved her. How could he not? He had loved her before, and she had done nothing to diminish that love. But she was right. Things were complicated now. Very complicated. He already had a polyamorous relationship with not two, but three women. He also knew she had a relationship with the gender-swapping Pasha.

Yet, it was clear that they still loved each other deeply. Reece saw no way this mess of a situation would resolve itself, and any decision any of them made would hurt one or even more people. He knew, at the very least, that he needed to act like an adult.

At that moment, he made a promise to himself. He would own his decisions and not make the others choose for him as he felt he had done in the past. It simply wasn’t fair to any of them to keep playing games with their emotions.

“You’re right,” he responded with complete honesty. “And I don’t know what to do about it either, but I’m going to try and figure it out. I swear.”

“So, you’re in love with them too?” Aika asked sadly, somehow knowing what he was thinking before he said anything.

“Yeah,” Reece nodded. “And you?”

“Yeah. But... No! I want to hear you say it first,” Aika responded passionately.

“Okay, fair enough. Aika, I can’t help myself. I’m still in love with you.”

Aika got up from the bed and threw herself into Reece’s lap, nearly knocking the chair over. She nestled her head into his chest and muttered something under her breath as she held him close. Reece could feel Aika sobbing lightly in his arms. He could feel her warmth press into him, and the wonderful and familiar smell of her hair was intoxicating with nostalgia and deepening arousal. He had to pull his head away before he kissed her like he had hundreds of times before.

“What did you say?” he inquired about her whispered muttering.

She looked up at him with her vampiric-red eyes spilling twin rivulets of tears down her cheeks.

“I said I’m in love with you too, you idiot,” she slowly whispered as she overtly fought to control her emotions to keep from bawling out loud.

She returned her head to his chest like she had done so many times before. It seemed like it happened a lifetime ago, yet it also seemed like they had never stopped. It was wonderful and agonizing.

“I miss this,” she whispered sadly, this time loud enough for him to hear. Her words echoed his thoughts and emotions.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he replied. “But I don’t think I can willingly let you go.”

As he finished saying the words, she hugged him tighter yet, a fresh wave of sobs reverberating into his chest for a moment before she regained control.

“Well, I see you two are getting along again,” came Karina’s voice from the door.

Aika nearly hissed as she quickly stood and faced the smaller woman. Karina was casually leaning against the doorjamb, looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“We were in love before you ever came along,” spat Aika angrily.

Reece stood up to get between the two women, but he didn’t know what he could do against the much stronger females. Aika waved him to the side.

“And you’re still in love,” answered Karina right back.

Aika’s eyes narrowed at the strange way that Karina was acting.

“What’s your game?” asked Aika suspiciously.

“No game. I’m not mad because what you two are going through is completely natural,” explained Karina. “Look, I’m your dame, and as such, I know you better than you know yourself.”

Karina let those words sink in before she continued.

“You simply need to learn how to let your jealousy go. Jealousy flows from a fear of loss which can be caused by insecurities or a low self-image. You know yourself as I know you. You are a beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful, powerful woman and have nothing to feel insecure about. I also know the mind of this man from the many times I have tasted his blood. You won’t lose him to me or anyone.”

“That being said,” continued Karina. “Reece has certain obligations to me and Ciera that cannot go unfulfilled. If you can come to grips with that, maybe we can work this out with no one getting hurt. And there’s no good reason why you can’t continue being with Pasha. The two of you have your own special connection.”

“The idea that monogamy is the correct way to live is a notion concocted by the elite and powerful to limit the distribution of their wealth. Sure, it works for some. In reality, it’s just a choice between however many people wants to be a part of a relationship. Communication and empathy for your mate or mates are the keys to success, not blind devotion. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Aika just stood and stared at Karina for a long moment before she replied.

“You’re so strange,” she stated matter-of-factly as she shook her head in confusion. “I’m going to go back to bed. Goodnight Reece.”

Aika started for the door but Karina gently blocked her.

“Wait a moment,” said Karina. “I’d like for you to try something with Reece and me.”

Aika’s eyes grew wide in shock and some amount of horror as she frantically shook her head.

“Oh no, I don’t think so,” she stated clearly.

“It’s not what you think,” explained Karina. “Look. We’re all tired. Reece, go and pull the covers down and lie back on the bed. Oh, and keep your shirt on.”

Reece shrugged, having a vague idea of what Karina may be up to, and did as she asked.

“Okay, now go and crawl up next to him and get comfortable.”

Aika stared her down.

“Please,” asked Karina, barely above a whisper.

Aika rolled her eyes and did as she asked. Karina took the blanket and covered the two with it. She then quietly turned out the light and crawled into the bed on the other side of Reece, curling up to him as his right arm pressed her gently to his body. Reece felt Aika stiffen up as Karina’s arm must have grazed her own, but after a few minutes, she seemed to relax. It wasn’t long before the two women’s breathing relaxed completely and leveled out as they both drifted off to sleep. Reece enjoyed the feel of the two women he loved very much before he also drifted off.

When Reece finally woke, it was due to Karina trying to extricate herself from his grasp. She was just laying his arm back down when he opened his eyes. As soon as he looked at Karina’s face, she put a finger to her lips and pointed with her other hand to his other side. Lying there was Aika, still sleeping soundly and peacefully.

Reece turned back, catching Karina wink at him and wave as she quietly left the room to go about her day. Reece laid there a while, enjoying the feel of Aika’s body pressed into him and her familiar scent. Becoming a vampire hadn’t changed who she was, neither physically nor deeper... other than her red eyes. Looking over at her, he saw those eyes staring back at him. Her face was completely neutral, but he felt her pull herself closer to him.

She then turned her head and kissed him passionately on the lips. Just as quickly as she started it, she pulled away and tossed the top of the blanket down to the foot of the bed. Then she straddled him momentarily before rolling off the bed and onto her feet.

“That wasn’t so bad,” she smiled bitter-sweetly. “But we’ve all got a lot of work today, so it’s best to grab some breakfast and get to it. I have a lot of thinking to do while we prepare for what’s coming.”

“Sounds like a plan,” agreed Reece as he got up and changed his wrinkled shirt out for a fresh one as he noticed he smelled. “Ugh, how did you manage to be around me. After all that work yesterday, I stink.”

“I love your scent,” replied Aika as she walked to the door to leave.

“Okay,” called Reece after her. “But I’m showering after today.”

He left right after her. Just as he closed the door, he cursed loudly. He had completely forgotten about his prophetic dream. The first thing he did was report this to Micah. If his dream was to be believed, there were several enormous whale-creatures, each bringing thousands of troops to the coming battle. He made sure the carrier group was aware. He had started to trust his dreams more and more.

Afterward, his stomach started to rumble so he made his way to the galley for something to fill his belly. He ate a breakfast of powdered eggs and sausage alone and headed out to the cargo area to start the final day of preparations. A few people had already gotten a jump on the tasks for the day, so Reece joined them.

Everyone arrived within an hour, and they worked together throughout the morning before taking a lunch break of meatloaf and mashed potatoes with unpleasant tasting water to wash it all down. Finishing the barely satisfactory meal quickly, they got back to work and by late evening they had completed all their tasks. Cheers, pats on the back, handshakes, and high-fives filtered through the hard-working folks as they celebrated a job well done. After the brief festivities, they all broke up and went their separate ways.

Reece went back to the galley and found some grilled fish of some kind that had been caught in the fishing nets of the large carrier. It was delicious, much better than the lunch had been. Halfway through his meal, Naeva, Ciera, Pasha, Karina, and Aika all walked in and grabbed fish and chips for themselves before sitting down next to him.

They all laughed and talked about their days which relaxed the nerves that Reece hadn’t even noticed were all wound up within himself for some reason. By the time he had finished, he was laughing and joking with them as well. That night, Naeva and Aika arrived and joined him in bed after he had showered and laid down in just his grey boxers.

Aika was much more comfortable this time, mainly because the three of them had already been intimate in the past. There was a familiarity there. Unlike the previous night, Reece didn’t get much sleep. Laying between the two naked women pressed up against him under the single blanket, he hoped he wouldn’t need much sleep to survive the following day’s trials. That was his last thought as he drifted off.

The few hours left of the night passed without any new dreams. As Reece woke up, he stirred just a bit. He again felt the warm skin of Aika and Naeva’s bodies pressed up against either side of him.

“Now, this is what moojie must feel like,” said Reece quietly to himself.

“What’s that?” asked a sleepy Aika as she barely opened her eyes.

“Oh, nothing,” chuckled Reece. “Just an inside joke.”

“Tell me,” she pressed.

“I was just saying how nice you two feel,” smiled Reece.

Aika just rolled her eyes,” You’re such a perv...”

“Who’s a perv?” asked Naeva as she had just woken up.

“Reece, of course,” replied Aika.

“Good, that makes him more fun,” giggled Naeva as she pulled her body free of Reece and stood up beside the bed in all her naked glory.

Although the quickly cooling spot she had just occupied bummed Reece out a bit, the scenery more than made up for it. Especially when she was joined a moment later by an equally nude Aika, casually posing for Reece’s benefit. It only lasted a moment. They both quickly dressed and tossed a fresh pile of clothes to Reece to put on.

They made their way up to the deck and noticed that pretty much everyone on the carrier was in attendance. It quickly became apparent why that was. Just on the horizon behind them was the unmistakable sight of an incoming force of considerable size. He could see the lead whale creatures and a large flock of what would most likely be the gargoyles circling above them. Reece nodded to himself as he got his head in the game. The time for ‘R&R” was over. It was time to get to work.