To say I was relieved the Stalwart hadn’t left the docks yet would be an understatement. But it was also an understatement to say I was unimpressed by the vessel.

The Stalwart really was a rust bucket. Each sheet of metal comprising its rounded hull seemed to have once belonged to a different vessel. It was larger than the usual Beluga-class model because of all the wonky modifications.

Even someone who hadn’t aced the Academy’s examination on starship regulations could see the vessel was breaking at least fifty of them. Inside was probably worse, filled to the brim with non-regulation equipment only one short circuit away from turning it into an old-fashioned microwave. Although it seemed someone brought a massive magnet to a junkyard and compiled the ship, there was some purpose to its construction. All the mismatched parts were once the star items on their respective ships.

Plasma quarrels, rune lances, and heavy cannons jutted from above a Chrome Cachalot’s twin gravity rings. The engines on the underside had been stripped from discontinued Omura starships. The RTF stopped making them for a good reason; they were unreliable at the best of times. But when they did work, no vessel could outclass them. And the Stalwart possessed four.

The arcane chamber looked to have been excised from a much larger vessel, probably a Finback carrier. Beluga starships didn’t typically undergo interstellar travel, but with such a powerful hub, the Stalwart wasn’t a typical Beluga. Even now I could see the faint glow of the vast array of runes inside the domed deck. Those runes would be capable of enhancing a jump mage’s power a hundredfold. It was overkill, but then so were many of the hodgepodge parts forming the vessel. Unlike the rest of the ship, the bridge looked surprisingly well-formed. Even so, a fancy bridge didn’t make the Stalwart look any more desirable for a first assignment.

The platform trembled as another starship propelled out from the docks, through the exit tunnels, and into space. I grabbed onto a nearby rail for balance. My arms were sore from the fight, and I was feeling a little tired, but I was eager to get on my first starship, even if it was the Stalwart.

As I moved through the bustling sailors and merchants, my mind reeled with my near-death experiences earlier today. Gregory would learn what I’d done to his men and send more after me. Armed men might even be somewhere on these very docks, searching for me so they could riddle me with bullets. The thugs would have no qualms about killing innocent bystanders. They’d murdered dozens of innocent Wayfarers, and I felt guilty for those caught in the crossfire. Their families would be mourning the deaths of their loved ones while I set into space aboard the Stalwart.

“Excuse me,” a gruff voice said.

My hand flashed to my sword hilt as I turned. I half-expected to see a group of Gregory’s henchmen. Instead, a short man in woolen robes peered up at me. His face was hidden beneath the cowl, but wisps of blonde hair sprung from his chin.

“You are Squire Nicholas Lyons?” he asked.

“Who’s asking?”

“I am of no importance, but the one who sent me wishes to give you something.”

I was still edgy from before, so when the short man reached into his coat, I jumped back a little. My hands wrapped around my sword, and the blade was almost free of its magnetons when the man held out an electronic device in a quivering hand.

“I mean you no harm!” he whispered loudly as he waved the device in my face. “The sorcerer sent me! You’ll need this to speak with him while you’re on board the Stalwart.”

“The sorcerer?” I frowned for a moment and then fixed my sword back onto its magnetons. No one around the ship seemed to have noticed I’d been a half-second away from skewering the robed man.

I should have remembered I’d be secretly reporting to Silvester Polgar, and I would need some means of communicating with him.

“I’m sorry,” I said to the hooded man. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s been a long day.”

The messenger swallowed audibly and gave me a single nod. I took the device from him and examined it. It appeared to be a long-range communicator used to provide instantaneous communication over long distances. The rarity and power of the item meant the duke considered this mission of the utmost importance. Apart from my strange mutation, I didn’t have any mage powers to activate the device, so Silvester Polgar would be the one calling me.

“The sorcerer will contact you at 06:00 Caledonian Universal Time,” the short man said as though reading my thoughts. “He wishes to advise you that, should you refuse to answer the call, he will resort to corrective measures.”

The message sounded like something the sorcerer would say. I’d only met him twice, but I knew he wasn’t a man I wanted to cross.

I examined the device some more by turning it over in my hands. It was egg-shaped and made from a shiny metal. There were no visible runes on its surface, but I knew they had to be there. They’d probably illuminate when the sorcerer wanted to communicate with me. It would be awkward if he called while I was with the crew, and discovery would defeat the purpose of a covert mission. I’d need to ensure I was alone every day at 6:00 CUT, no matter the local time. I looked up to thank the robed man, but he was already walking through the crowd.

With a long sigh, I pocketed the device in my belt pouch and made my way up the Stalwart’s ramp. As I got closer to the makeshift vessel, I could see the spots where the various parts of the starship had been welded together. It looked like even more of a junkyard save than I originally thought, and I hoped the messy welding was strong enough to hold while it sailed through space.

“Who the hell are you?” a voice barked from within the ship. The steady clanking of boots on steel drummed as a red-bearded man stormed up to me.

“Squire Nicholas Lyons,” I said, meeting the man’s golden eyes.

The man was shorter than me, but his shoulders were almost twice as wide, and his arms were bigger than my legs. The bulky power armor he wore suggested he fought on the frontlines. I was surprised to see a crewmember wearing Runetech armor outside of the battlefield, but this man scowled like he never left the field. I looked down at the sigil of twin axes on his coat and realized he was a berserker knight.

“You’re the squire?” he spat. “As if we didn’t have enough work to do, now we’re meant to be raising greenhorns?” He blew back his red mohawk from his eyes and swigged a water drum. The strong odor of cheap ale wafted from his breath.

“Yes, sir. I’ve been assigned to your vessel.”

“The Stalwart isn’t any good for you. Ask for some other ship.” The knight turned and started walking up the ramp.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not going anywhere,” I said, and the knight spun to snarl at me. “I’ve been assigned to the Stalwart. I intend to complete my tour.” Although my voice was steady, I’d been warned at the Academy not to get on the wrong side of berserkers. Their combat experience made them volatile, and my first impression of this man confirmed it.

“You’re a stubborn prick, aren’t you?” The knight’s scowl turned into a grin. Then he marched over to me and whacked me on the back. He rocked his head back and laughed like a hyena. “I’ve changed my mind. I like you!”

“Uhhh--” I started to say, but then the man’s eyes narrowed as he looked at my cuirass.

“Is that blood?” he asked as he looked at drops across my armor. They must have gotten there from the fight with Gregory’s goons.

“Yes, sir. I--”

“Did you kill them all?” His grin grew wider, and his eyes opened with excitement.

“Yes, sir. I--”

“Did they scream? I love it when they scream.” The man’s massive hands closed around my shoulders, and I somehow felt his grip through my armor. I winced as my injuries made themselves known, and the knight’s grin seemed to deepen. “Get a few bruises, did you? Well, it’s good to see you gave it right back to them. A man hits you, you hit back twice as hard. He pulls out his sword, you make sure you lop his head off before he can swing the thing.” He burst into laughter and released my shoulder.

I was going to be sharing a starship with a madman.

“Come on board, Squire Lyons. I want to hear about these men you murdered.”

“I didn’t really murder--”

“Shut your mouth, and don’t talk until I ask you to.” The crazed man’s smile vanished, and he shoved me up the ramp. We crossed through the cargo hold where fifteen-meter containers were being loaded onto the ship. I figured they were probably whatever we’d be delivering on our humanitarian missions. Food, medical supplies, water filters, and various shelters.

I followed the mohawked berserker through passageways with bulkheads so narrow he sometimes turned sideways. There were other crew members around, but few of them spared me more than a second glance. Those who did smirked at me as though I’d stepped into a world of trouble.

The knight stopped outside a very narrow doorway. “Your quarters are inside here.”

I nodded at him and then stepped forward to the entry, but the man suddenly grabbed my shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I was about to step--” I began, but he laughed and waved his arm in front of the sensor. The doors opened, and the crazy knight bowed and held his arm out in a mockery of hospitality.

I entered the dark room, and the motion-sensor lights flickered for a few moments. They seemed to short-circuit, darkening the room again before the knight hit the control beside the door. Then lights brightened and didn’t go out this time.

There were a dozen beds in total, with barely enough space to walk between them. Belongings lay atop four mattresses, and my duffle bag sat on the one furthest from the entrance door. Another door led into a bathroom with only one shower. I got the feeling these quarters might have once housed a single crew member.

The air smelled like dirty socks, and I stopped breathing through my nose for a bit. Whoever lived inside these quarters needed a few tips in personal hygiene, and maybe another read-through of the RTF’s recruit manual.

“Are there other squires on board?” I asked the knight with the red mohawk.

“Unfortunately,” he muttered. “They keep their mouths shut and stay out of our business, like you’ll do.”

“When will I be meeting the captain?” I figured my introduction would be a top priority, since getting on his good side might mean I wouldn’t have to report directly to this berserker. More questions came to my mind, like where the galley was and what my duties would be on board the ship, but I decided not to ask them. The knight seemed to annoy easily, and one question might be all he’d have the patience to answer.

“When he’s good and ready.” The red-haired man paused to take another swig from his water drum. He took an impossibly long gulp and then lowered it from his lips. More rancid smells filled my nostrils as he sighed. “Once the last of the cargo’s loaded into the hold, you’ll hear the thrusters start up. Then, we’ll jump through a portal, and you better get your ass anchored. You understand?”

I’d been hazed by drill sergeants before, so I knew the best way to deal with authority. “Yes, sir,” I said.

The berserker knight grabbed my shoulder, and his fingers pressed into my armor. I winced, and his smile broadened. “Welcome to the Stalwart.” The man drained the rest of his drum and left the room. I heard his laughter echo from the passageway before the door slid shut.

“Is he gone?” A man’s head popped up from behind a bed. “Tell . . . tell me he’s gone.”

“The berserker?” I asked. The knight had made me uneasy, but I wasn’t terrified of him like this other man appeared to be. “Yeah, he’s gone.”

The man exhaled in relief and creeped out from behind the bed. A plain blue tunic hung from his slight frame, and the royal blue squire symbol was embossed into the right breast pocket below the RTF trident. His accent marked him as a Caledonian Core World noble, even though he bore none of a nobleman’s confident air.

“I’m Nicholas Lyons.” I put out my hand, but the young man turned his nose up at my gesture. Well, at least he hadn’t forgotten everything about what it meant to be a noble. I was a little glad he hadn’t shaken it since my hands were sore from the fight. The mobility in my arms was also reduced, and I wondered whether I had broken something. I’d have to see the ship’s medic at some point.

I reached over my shoulder with effort and grabbed the ex-knight’s axe. I gritted my teeth as my arm took the weapon’s weight and rested it on my mattress. The polished double-edged blade gleamed beneath the overhead lights. I entered the item into my prot-belt and watched the stats come to life on the holographic display projected from the belt’s buckle.

Weapon type: Durable Two-handed Battle Axe of Rending

Additional damage: 25% (bleed)

Power class: Squire

Weapon effect: Weapon is constructed of a lightweight duranium alloy, increasing the durability of any rune inscribed into it.

Runes inscribed: Rending

Rune class: Knight

Rune effects: Weapon’s edge is capable of piercing light armor.

I dismissed the information and stepped back to admire the axe again. After reading the rune effect, I was glad the ex-knight hadn’t landed a hit with the weapon. Although the power class of the axe was Squire, I still couldn’t use it without a promotion because of the Knight class rune effect. I could keep it in storage until I was ready, or I could dismantle it for Arcane Dust. Dismantling the item seemed like a waste, considering how powerful the weapon appeared.

“Looks like a nice axe,” the noble squire said from over my shoulder, and I detected a hint of disdain his voice. “Especially nice for an Outlander. I can’t believe they assigned one of you to the ship. The Stalwart really is the worst vessel in the RTF.” He plopped down on a bed. “All I can say is good luck.”

The other squire’s scalp had been shaved in places with some spots much longer than others. I figured he’d been the victim of some kind of hazing, and it made me feel a little sorry for him despite his racism.

“Are you new, too?” I asked.

The anxious noble shook his head. “This is my second tour, and I’ve been in this room most of the time.”

I could tell from the way the nobleman’s eyes roamed about the quarters, that there was probably a good reason for not leaving them. He likely only graduated from the Academy thanks to his parents’ money and status. He must have really pissed someone off to end up on the Stalwart.

I didn’t want to spend another moment with him in this room. Besides, I wanted to scope out the rest of the starship in preparation for the tour. I could get a head start on my mission and search for anything that might hint at insurrection. I went to leave but caught a glimpse of my reflection in one of the mirrors. Blood speckled my armor, and I decided I couldn’t leave my quarters in this state.

Wash basins separated each of the beds, so I took a towel from a wardrobe, wet it, and scrubbed my armor clean. By the time I’d finished, the towel was soaked with blood. The young noble didn’t say anything, but I could see his scared expression in the mirror’s reflection.

“Fifteen minutes before the Stalwart disembarks the docks,” a female voice said from the speaker above me. “The ship will make its jump at 21:30.”

Removing my armor and changing into squire garments would take at least ten more minutes. I figured I wouldn’t look all that strange wearing my gear while I walked around the ship because the berserker had also been equipped in full gear.

“Where are you going?” the squire called as I stepped outside.

I ignored the nobleman and made my way down the passageway toward what I thought was the galley. The starship’s outer appearance made the vessel seem haphazardly constructed, and the inside confirmed it. The Stalwart was nothing like the uniform military Belugas I’d learned about in the Academy, and I got lost a few times in its intersecting passageways.

As I passed the elevator, a loud whirring sound filled my ears, and the thruster engines must have fired up. Three artillerymen walked by me, clad in juniper green basic armor. If I hadn’t been granted the scholarship to the Academy, I might have applied for artillery. It was an honorable job role, second to the knights.

The soldiers wore prot-belts, but they were likely low capacity with prot-fields that would only stop a dozen bullets before giving out. Squires and knights tended to get the more valuable loot, and they were also paid substantially more by the RTF, so artillerymen often couldn’t afford better equipment.

I gave the men a nod, but they all ignored me as they entered the lift. I figured their lack of politeness was probably normal due to the stiff rivalry between the kingdom’s infantry and the knights.

When I found the galley in the next passageway, I encountered a knight with dreadlocks leaning against the bulkhead beside the entrance. He was bopping his head to music blaring through headphones while drinking from a water drum similar to the one the redheaded crazy knight used for his beer. He wore power armor similar to the berserker knight, but his was even larger. Huge pauldrons jutted out from his boulder-like shoulders, and his chest plate must have weighed fifty kilos.

When I got closer, I recognized him as the shield knight who’d paid my carriage fare earlier today.

“Ahhh! The Hero of Tyranus,” he said when he saw me and tugged off his headphones. “Didn’t know you were going to be our new squire recruit.” The big knight smiled at me, and I relaxed. Although he was drinking from a huge drum, he wasn’t drunk like the other knight I’d met. “Name’s Moses Monroe.”

“Nicholas Lyons, sir!” I yelled above the sound of the ionic thruster engines below us.

“Loud in here, isn’t it?” He chuckled, and I realized I’d probably yelled a little too loud. “This ship’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

“Uhhh . . . she’s certainly something.”

“You don’t have to lie, buddy. She doesn’t look too hot, but you’ll see her do some damn fine things. Years in space and you learn to appreciate a good vessel.” He swigged on his water drum. “Any idea what specialist role you’ll take when you’re promoted?”

“I wanted to become a squire for so long, I never thought much about what I’d do afterward.”

“Outlanders don’t often get into the Academy, let alone make it to graduation. You’ll be trudging uphill, that’s for sure. Those bastards in the upper echelons will do their best to make things hard for you. I’ve had my share of it. I’m not an Outlander, but I’m not a Core World noble, either. Sometimes I wish I could put them nobles in their place.” His grip tightened around the water drum, and the metal crinkled a little.

I was starting to like Moses a lot, but he sounded like an insurrectionist. But then, a lot of people were annoyed with the RTF’s bureaucracy, so it didn’t necessarily make him a rebel. Still, Polgar would probably want to hear about it. My stomach churned at the thought of reporting this knight to the sorcerer since Moses had been kind to me in the past.

“Where you from, Nick?” he asked.

“I grew up in the tenements on Dobuni’s southside. My mom’s still there. She’s half the reason why I joined the RTF. I want to help her out.” My father was the other reason, but I preferred to keep his identity as a Space Knight a secret.

Unlike other people who’d learned where I’d come from, Moses didn’t bat an eye. “I hear you. I joined for a similar reason. Except I needed the currency for my brothers and sisters. They’re doing well now, and it’s all thanks to the kingdom paying my wages.”

“And killing Grendels,” I added with a chuckle.

Moses frowned at me, and I got the impression I’d said something wrong. “Yeah, I’ve done my fair share of killing Grendels. After I fixed my siblings up, I rose up through the ranks in the RTF. It’s a long road, but if you work hard, you’ll get where you want to be.”

I wasn’t sure ending up on the Stalwart was much of a rise, but I kept quiet.

“You alright?” Moses must have noticed me frowning.

“Just a little tired,” I said quickly and forced a smile.

“Get some rest while you can. I have to report to the bridge.”

“Should I come?”

“Nah, you won’t be allowed up there until you’ve been briefed by the captain and your prot-belt is linked to the systems. We’re in a bit of a hurry to leave the docks, so you’ll be waiting a little while. You’re free to have a look around the ship in the meantime, though.” The knight paused. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

Now he mentioned it, the passageway had heated up like a furnace, and I was having trouble focusing. My body was finally giving in to exhaustion after the battle and so little sleep for the past week. Maybe it would be a good idea if I went back to my quarters.

“You don’t look too good,” the knight said. “I’m taking you to the doc.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.” I tried to shake off my exhaustion and smiled.

“Look, Nick. I know you want to prove yourself, but we are a team on this ship, and watch out for each other. I’m also your superior, so if you don’t come with me, I’m gonna knock you around so hard you’ll be begging me to take you to the infirmary,” he said with a wink and a broad smile.

I nodded as I followed the big knight down the passageway. As we passed the galley, I heard laughter and peered inside the open doorway. A dozen men and women were gathered together, and Olav was telling them a story. Every crew member held a water drum in hand, and I guessed from their lazy smiles they were guzzling beer from them. Olav slammed his water drum onto the bench and then wrapped his arm around a long-haired knight. What I thought was a show of affection quickly turned into a headlock, and a second later both men wrestled each other to the ground.

These men were all crazy.

I hurried along after Moses, and he entered a room ten meters past the galley. I turned the corner through the doorway and was hit by the smell of disinfectant. Every surface was polished to a gleam, state of the art medical machines lined the walls, and a vat filled with bioliquid bubbled in a corner.

“You alright if I leave you here?” Moses said. “I’ll comm the doc to come see you.”

I nodded. “Not a problem, sir. Thanks.”

“We take care of our own on the Stalwart.”

I smiled as he left. Besides feeling a little sore and in desperate need of rest, I didn’t think I was injured.

A woman clad in a form-fitting midnight blue dress and a white coat entered the room. Brown shoulder-length hair framed a high-cheekboned face. “Squire Nicholas Lyons?”

Her voice carried the thick accent of the Rutheni Kingdom. A foreign non-combatant didn’t necessarily imply insurrection, but I made a mental note of it anyway.

“That’s me,” I replied.

The woman grabbed a medscanner from a cabinet and ran it over my body. “Bruising, but nothing is broken.”

She leaned close to me as she pressed the device against my left shoulder. Her skin didn’t bear a single wrinkle even though she seemed to be approaching middle-age. Lavender perfume drifted from her hair, and I forced myself not to stare at the front slit of her dress. She leaned over a little more, and I swallowed.

The woman looked at me knowingly as she removed a needle from the table beside me.

“What are you giving me?” I asked.

“Something for the pain. It will also help you recover.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t want it,” I said as I rolled my shoulders to show I could handle the pain. “If it’s just bruising, I can rest.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’m not interested in pain killers.”

“Impressive. If you have trouble sleeping, then you must come to me. I could provide you with something that would alleviate all your pain and help you have a good night’s rest.” The beautiful woman winked at me, and I had to wonder whether she was meaning something more than medicine.

I wasn’t accustomed to women flirting with me, so I wasn’t exactly sure if that was what she intended. If she was making a pass at me, then she was far more forward than any woman I had previously encountered, but I wasn’t complaining.

“Are you the nurse?” I asked.

“I’m this vessel’s medical officer. Dr. Natali Lenkov.” Now I was less surprised the infirmary was in much better condition than the rest of the starship. It matched the doctor’s flawless appearance.

“Nice to meet you,” I said. “Spending the next half hour with such a beautiful woman would be great, but I really need to have a bit of a look around before the tour begins.”

“You are a charmer,” Dr. Lenkov said as her brown eyes squeezed together. “I suppose I can let you go. Your injuries do not seem so bad. Remember, I am always here if you need me.”

“I’ll remember that, Doc,” I said before I gave her a wink.

Dr. Lenkov smiled as she stifled a chuckle behind her hand. My stomach burned with excitement after I left the infirmary, and I wondered whether my clandestine mission would prevent me from hooking up with any of the non-combatants on the ship.

I hadn’t flirted with many women while at the Academy because I had been so concerned with my studies, but now I was completely free of that burden. As long as I fulfilled my mission objectives and reported to Polgar, then I could probably dabble in a little romance.

I was about to enter the corridor to my quarters when I saw a woman in the RTF’s enchanter uniform outside a closed door. She looked like she was having trouble opening it, so I walked over to her.

“Piece of shit,” she muttered as she punched her prot-belt.

“Need a hand?” I asked.

Her shoulders bunched up, and all I could see was the back of her red-haired head. “No, I don’t need a fucking--” When she turned around, she stopped speaking and glanced over my uniform with a smirk. “Just when I thought this tour would end up being same old, same old, we have a handsome new recruit. What’s your name?”

“Nicholas Lyons.” I smiled, held my hand up to the door’s scanner, and the light flashed over the rune on my palm. The scanner beeped, and the door slid open vertically.

“Thanks,” she said as she peered up at me. Her smirk became a grin, and I was surprised by how pretty she looked. I’d been on the ship for less than an hour, and I’d already met two beautiful women.

Maybe life on the Stalwart wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“It’s no trouble,” I said.

“I’m sure it wasn’t.” She raised her eyebrows at my armor and then drew a finger across my cuirass. My eyes widened as she came closer to me and placed her hands on the flanking metal guards at my hips.

“This is great armor,” she said, and then she peered up at me with a wry smile. “What did you think I was doing? Checking out your muscles? I suppose those are pretty nice too. How much can you deadlift?” The woman sized me up as she smirked.

“I’m Casey Roman,” the enchantress said before I could answer. “Outlander, aren’t you?” She pushed my back so that I leant forward in a hunch. “That’s better. Try not to stand so straight all the time. This might be an RTF vessel, but you won’t find prim and proper knights here.”

She slapped me on the shoulder, and I rocked back again.

“I’m only joking,” she said with a giggle. “Stand however the fuck you want.”

I laughed until a memory reared in my mind. Casey’s jovial nature reminded me of Alice Jones, and I had to think of something else.

“I’m the Stalwart’s resident enchantress,” she continued. “I work here with my granddad, Joseph.”

“Is this your first tour?”

“Second. Don’t ask about the last one. Everyone’s still a little testy about what happened on Brigantes.”

“What happened on . . .” I stopped myself, and the woman’s lips pulled back in a smile, making my stomach flutter.

“You’re learning. Good. You’ll need to discard a bunch of book stuff you learned at the Academy. We don’t really do things by-the-book on the Stalwart.”

“Yeah, I’m noticing that.” I glanced at the naked wires drooping from the overhead. “Nothing here seems to be regulation.”

“You have no idea.” Casey rolled her eyes and sighed.

“What do you mean?” I found my eyes drifting to the freckles on her neck and the bare part of her shoulder left uncovered by her sleeveless tunic.

“I’ll tell you more later. I bet you want to have a look around, right? You might have been on a starship before, but--”

“This one isn’t regulation?” I finished her sentence with a smile.

She laughed, and her deep blue eyes sparkled. “It’ll be good to have you aboard, Nick. Have you met the other squires yet?”

“Only the one with the weird haircut.”

Casey laughed again. “That’s Neville.”

“Are the other squires like him?”

“Not at all. He’s the only dud of the group. The twins are normal and joke around a bunch.”

At least I wouldn’t have to spend all my time on the Stalwart with the clone of Ludas Barnes.

The starship shook a little, and I grabbed a handle on the bulkhead to steady myself. Casey grabbed a handle below me, and our bodies touched. She smiled up at me, and my heart hammered in my chest.

“There’s still some time before our jump mage makes the leap,” she said. “How about I show you around our enchantry?”

The initial turbulence made me think the inertia negators weren’t functioning as they ought to, and I wanted to lock myself down before the starship jumped. I couldn’t refuse the offer of a beautiful woman so easily, but the berserker’s words echoed in my mind.

“Olav told me to anchor myself before the ship left the docks,” I said with disappointment. “I’m not sure I want to rub him the wrong way.” I dropped my voice, not wanting to be overheard even though the passageway was empty. “I think he might have been drunk.”

“Oh, he was definitely drunk.” Casey’s smile made her eyes sparkle, and I forced myself not to stare. She was still standing close to me, and her body glanced against mine. “Olav Kjeldsen is almost always drunk. Great guy, isn’t he?” I was starting to wonder whether the woman wasn’t a little tipsy herself when she let go of the handle and grabbed my arm. “Come with me. There are spare anchors in the workshop.”

Before I could argue otherwise, she yanked me through the doorway and along a short passageway opening into a circular room.

Casey sighed as she strolled toward a workbench running along the rear perimeter of the chamber, and I watched her legs move. “It gets a little lonely on the Stalwart, and I could do with someone to talk to.”

I smiled at the thought of ‘talking’ with this beautiful woman. This enchantress was clearly attracted to me, and I wasn’t the Poor Boy on this starship. I was an RTF squire, and I was looking forward to having a bit of fun with the fairer sex.

My smile turned into a grin when Casey leaned both hands on the bench and slowly turned to face me.

“Hardly anyone appreciates good runes,” the enchantress said.

“I definitely do,” I said as I admired the enchanter uniform hugging her figure. Her pants had worn away in patches to reveal the pale skin of her thighs. Like the rest of the Stalwart, this woman seemed a little roguish, but that alluring quality fascinated me.

“You bought your chest piece from Level 8, didn’t you? Looks like Max’s work. I figure if you went to his place out of all the joints in the Business Spire, you appreciate decent craftsmanship.”

I thought about telling Casey about the enchanter at The Silver Rune who recommended Max to me, but figured I’d let it slide. It wasn’t like I didn’t appreciate good runes, and I was enjoying talking with her. “Well, what do you have to show me?”

The enchantress led me to the workbench. Drills of all sizes lay within metal boxes next to magically sealed drums filled with Dust. The equipment wasn’t anything beyond the usual, but a set of gauntlets resting on the bench took my breath away. The buckled wrists straps and gold knuckles shone brilliantly, and I didn’t need to scan the item with my prot-belt to know it was at least Master class.

“Not bad, is it?” Casey said as she peered over my shoulder. “My grandfather and I have been working on it for a while. Trying to figure out what makes it tick. It’s from the Prime Era.”

“May I?”

“Sure,” she said.

I held my breath as I grabbed the left gauntlet. I was a little surprised by its heaviness, and I imagined only a giant of a man would be able to use them effectively. “This has to weigh at least fifteen kilos, and I don’t see any Gravity runes anywhere on them. How would anyone ever equip them and still be able to lift his arm?”

“Ha! It’s not like you’re a small guy.” She gave me a playful smirk as she slid her hand under the armor at my bicep and squeezed. Her eyes widened when I flexed, and her cheeks turned a bit red.

I gave her a wink as I continued inspecting the gauntlet. I recognized some of the runes as general armor class enhancements, but others were completely foreign to me. It was a priceless item constructed of burnished gold, probably worth more than any of the armor pieces lining Duke Barnes’ throne room.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but what’s the Stalwart doing with something like this?” I figured she was repairing the gauntlets, although I couldn’t think of a reason anyone would ask an enchantress on the Stalwart to do the job.

Casey’s smile faltered, and she snatched the armored gloves from me. Then she shoved them into one of the iron crates and punched in the code to lock it. “I shouldn’t have shown you that. Like I said, it’s a project I’ve been working on with my grandfather. Kinda personal. One of them granddaughter to grandfather bonding things, you know?”

I nodded, but her sudden change startled me. Was this gauntlet an indication of insurrectionist activity? I’d barely known Casey for more than a half hour, but she didn’t seem like a rebel. Maybe some rich noble asked her grandfather to restore the gauntlets?

Casey returned to her jubilant self as she pointed a remote toward the view screen. “Check this out.” The screen flickered before showing a wide angle of the area outside the starship. A swirling portal pulsed with violet lights.

No matter how many times I witnessed the magical doorways, I was blown away. When I was a child, Mom told me about how humanity first displayed magical abilities. It was a few years after the Grendels came through the rifts. She said the gods granted us those powers so we could fight against our alien enemies. I wasn’t sure I believed in gods, but I couldn’t deny there was magic in the world.

I was looking at it right now on the view screen.

“Come anchor yourself,” Casey said, her face a shade of purple from the view screen’s reflection.

I plopped myself into one of the chairs while Casey sat to my right. She gave me a wink and smirked from the corner of her mouth. I smiled back at her and tried to focus on anchoring myself correctly rather than how my stomach whirled whenever the pretty enchantress looked at me.

During my first time on a starship, I’d asked the Academy tutor why we needed to anchor ourselves. The tutor sighed and told me the inertia negators didn’t always work. Even the scholars in the Arcane Institute didn’t know everything about portals, and sometimes strange things happened while traveling through them.

As I secured myself to the bulkhead, I hoped today wouldn’t be one of those occasions. The portal expanded on the view screen as our ship closed in on it. Three men walked into the workshop from the back doorway, all wearing the silver enchanter uniform. An older man with a gray beard and a braided ponytail sat to the left of me, and the two other men took chairs on the opposite side of the room.

The old man glared at me, and then Casey. “Who’s this?” He nodded at me. I figured he was Casey’s grandfather, since the two other enchanters looked too young to have grandchildren.

“The new squire,” she said.

I almost froze beneath the man’s cold stare, and I recognized him from the docks when I’d left the Academy starship this morning. He’d seemed a hell of a lot nicer then, so I guessed that he thought I was trying to seduce his granddaughter.

“You’re the hero, aren’t you? Thought you were assigned to the RTF Valor,” the man asked.

“Yeah, that didn’t work out,” I said with a pained smile.

“Well, keep your head on straight while you’re on our ship and you’ll do alright. I’m Joseph Roman. I see you’ve already met my granddaughter.” His lip curled in disdain, and then he turned to the view screen.

Something buzzed in my belt pouch, and I went to take it out. As soon as I touched smooth metal, I remembered it was the comms device. I tried to press down on it so the vibrating wouldn’t alert the others.

Joseph gave me another cold stare, but he didn’t say anything. The comm buzzed again, and I exhaled in relief when it stopped.

When I looked up, Casey was staring at me with her head tilted. She peered down at my pouch and frowned. “You’re missing it! Our senior jump mage is the best there is.”

I found it hard to believe the Stalwart was home to the RTF’s best jump mage, but my doubts were vanquished when the vessel’s round-nosed bow penetrated the purple arcane barrier like a stick piercing a swirling lake. The view screen blacked out as the entire starship was sucked through the whirling rift. Every fraction of my being was torn apart, and then put back together. When I could finally think straight, the others were already out of their seats.

I flipped the buckle and jumped up. That was a mistake. I swallowed back my stomach, and I heard Casey laugh.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “You’ll get used to jumping.” The enchantress patted me on the back as I tried to give her a reassuring smile and hide my nausea.

I’d jumped a few times before, but this one had been different. Normally minutes passed before we arrived on the other side, but we’d arrived in seconds. Maybe Casey had been right about the senior jump mage. I felt terrible, but at least our ship made it through the portal without falling apart. On the plus side, I was still alive.

“Why were you looking at your belt earlier?” Casey asked as she reached for my belt pouch.

“Oh, it was nothing. A message from my mom before we took off,” I said as I brushed her hand aside.

“A momma’s boy? That’s cute.” She gave me a charming smile, and I laughed under my breath. The pretty enchantress seemed to have bought my answer. This secret mission wasn’t going to be easy if Polgar contacted me outside 06:00 CUT.

“Casey!” Joseph barked, and she went over to him.

I stood awkwardly while the enchanters talked among themselves.

My first hour on the starship had gone by in a blur, and I hadn’t met the captain yet. I hadn’t expected to be given a royal tour, but then I also hadn’t expected to be left to my own devices without a briefing.

I wanted to thank Casey for showing me around the workshop, but I also needed to return to my quarters before the berserker knight found out I was missing.

The view screen initialized, displaying the area of space we’d landed in. Next to the portal was the rune beacon that enabled jump mages to make long-range jumps with near-perfect accuracy. It was a sphere floating in space, covered in some of the most powerful runes known to mankind. Besides a smattering of stars, there were no planets or other celestial objects visible, so I didn’t know what system we’d ended up in. This might even be the first jump of many before we arrived at our mission’s location.

The portal was slowly shrinking, but before vanishing completely, it widened in a sudden burst. The view screen glittered with purple and blue hues as forty ships glided out from the rift.

Red lights flashed from the corners of the room. A holographic display of a man’s bearded face appeared in the room’s center.

“This is the captain,” the hologram said. “Hostile vessels have breached our portal. Man your battle stations. The Stalwart is under attack.”