Star Force: Evacuation (SF50) (11 page)

Paul took note of the positions of the convoy ahead,
with their beacons signaling back and allowing the computer the ability to
calculate their approximate position, even if the signal was lagging an hour
behind. Seeing that all was in order and marveling at the
Voku’s
fleet, Paul released the control sphere in the nexus and left the bridge,
intending to get in a short workout then a long sleep period. Something he’d
been reluctant to do during the evacuation, taking only brief rest periods
sufficient enough to accommodate his limited workouts.

He met up with Riona later and they got back into
their training routine as if they’d never left it, both recovering a bit of
lost fitness and probing their bioshield capabilities as the fleet made its way
from system to system, back into the ADZ, and over to the far side where
Atlantica lay near the rimward lizard border.

“Hello stranger,” Paul said through the water as he
swam up to Ariel’s quarters in Manaan.

She turned around, her green hair spraying out into a
fan around her head as it floated in the pristine water inside the city and
bracketed a huge smile on her blue face. He could have sworn the glowing
patches on her skin increased their aqua-colored intensity, but regardless it
was obvious that she was glad to see him…given that it had been decades since
they’d last met in person.

“Finally,” she said through the translator in Paul’s
breath mask. The Elarioni swam over to him and locked him up in a big hug. “Why
do you do this to me? I’ve missed you so much. You could at least stop by every
5 years or so,” she said with a touch of sarcasm.

“Bad guys to kill, ships to build, systems to
conquer…I’m a busy guy,” he said, hugging her back.

“I know, I know,” she said, finally releasing him and
looking him in the eyes that weren’t covered by the small, compact mask that
gave him his Elarioni voice. “And you did just bring me some new friends, so I
guess I shouldn’t complain too much.”

“I would have found you sooner, but you’ve been out
and about.”

“Yes, things are absolutely crazy right now…but a good
crazy. There’s no room to put everyone so we’re camping out in free water and
that is something I haven’t done for such a long time. They haven’t either, so
it’s a new experience, but one that they’re
loving
.
They really like Atlantica, and your cities, by the way. I think this is going
to work out beautifully.”

“Well, you did help design most of our stuff,” Paul
pointed out as she pulled him all the way inside her quarters by the wrist,
with him letting her propel him forward given that she was the far better
swimmer.

“Some,” she corrected. “Kyler knows the water almost
as well as I do now.”

“High praise.”

“And well deserved,” she said, finally letting go of
him for a moment, then swinging around behind him and pressing on his lower
back. “Let’s see what progress you’ve made.”

Paul laughed, then assumed an old position and let
Ariel test his flexibility and kick strength as he went through several motions
while she held him in place.

“Not much better,” she commented dryly.
“But no worse.
You haven’t been doing much practicing.”

“Actually I have, you just forget how bad I was.”

“No I don’t,” she said humorously.

“That and I’ve picked up a new trick. I’m still not as
fast as you, but I’m much quicker.”

“Oh? Then why aren’t you showing me.”

Paul’s face tightened up in a smirk, but more from
effort than amusement as he formed bioshield fins over his legs and kicked in a
very similar way to how Ariel moved.

The water behind him moved in such a way that, despite
not being able to see the shields, Ariel instantly could feel the
difference…and the power that he now had.

“What is this?” she asked, curious and excited.

“A new ability,” he said, grabbing her wrist to get
her to let him go, then he righted himself parallel to her and held up his bare
hands, forming a shield bubble in between them that pushed back the water and
formed a small vacuum, which him altering the shield so it became partially
visible. “I can create energy shields and use them in multiple ways, including
giving me a tail, more or less.”

“Come on,” she said, grabbing his wrist again and
pulling him back towards the door. “You’re going to show me on the course.”

Paul smiled underneath his mask and let her drag him
out and across the watery tunnels within the city to one of the obstacle
courses that Ariel trained on to maintain her self-sufficiency…something that
she’d be teaching her own people to achieve, given that she was far older than
them all, but none the less younger than when he’d found her on the lizard
jumpship, which her grip testified to.

He enjoyed the ride over, then swam the last few
meters to the starting position near the pedestal as Ariel took up position on
the other side of it and stared at him with her glowing golden eyes.

“Ready?”

“Always,” he said, putting his hand on the start
button.

“Impress me,” she taunted, smashing his hand down and
activating the timer in the friendly method of starting the courses they’d
developed whenever running one in tandem.

Pushing off the pedestal for a bit of momentum, Paul
leveled out and began the intricate kick that she’d taught him long ago,
summoning up shield enhancements and finding himself still outpaced by Ariel,
with her looking back at him and smiling…but with her tail kicking harder than
it normally did to stay ahead of him.

She was still the better swimmer, but he wasn’t so
inferior now…and judging by her smile he guessed that he’d advanced to the
point of being a peer.
Maybe a slower little brother, but
still a peer rather than a student.

Which Paul’s mind immediately
corrected into Star Wars metaphor.
No longer was he a youngling, for in
that satisfied expression of hers he’d just been promoted to Apprentice.

The Force is
strong with this one
, Paul thought, trying to goose a little more speed out
of his body.

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