Projecting Force

"Ivory, Peleps Deled has gone to Vinleau," Darken Gray told her.

Ivory, in the middle of breakfast, let the chopsticks she was holding fall. They clattered softly on the china plate as she said, "What?"

"'Pardon', say 'pardon me'," Darken Gray told her, "and it is the same Vinleau you sheltered in. And he has gone there with the goal of bringing you to him. He has not hurt anyone yet, but he has started teaching to those that will listen. Captain Sparrow and Heron are aware and will make plans."

Ivory did not say anything for a few seconds as she processed the information. "I am going to Vinleau."

"Perhaps," Darken Gray answered. "But not by yourself, and Hu," she turned to look at the tiger, "will not be helping you run off to your death if he knows what is good for him."

Hu dipped his head.

"Traitor," Ivory said to Hu, pouting, no real anger in her tone.

"Yes, your steadfast protector of all these months is a traitor for not letting you get yourself killed," Darken Gray told her. "You have much to learn if you want to lead people."

"I was jokin`," she said softly. "Hu knows."

"Likely, but others may not. I have told you this so you can prepare. If Sparrow and Heron chose to act they will need information. You should be able to put such intelligence together."

Darken Gray produced a thin valise which she put on the table. "This comes from various sources in Yu-Shan, gods who have taken an interest. Read though it and prepare complete reports for Captain Sparrow so she is ready if a strike is required."

Ivory stood up and walked around the table to pick up the valise. She nodded. "I understand."

"Good, now finish your breakfast and then get to work."

The earth manse beneath the Ice Tree was a fortress, though more an emergency shelter than a military command post. It still offered a tactical room. Sparrow had not thought to use it before. She had ordered or asked her senior staff to meet here there in the evening.

While the previous night was still fresh in her mind, she had to put pleasing thoughts such as that aside. Once they finished up with Deled and his Wyld Hunt she would have many opportunities to deepen her relationship with Heron.

Of course she might have something of a rival for his attentions. She watched as Ivory ran up to Heron, grabbed his hand, and start leading him to the centre of the room. "I just got the map system tuned," she told him, "come and see it."

Ridiculous for her to be jealous of a child, but there it was.

Sparrow looked over to where Darken Gray sat at the edge of the room. She would have liked a little help from the Governess, but apparently Ivory's behaviour was not a problem as far as the goddess of corporal punishment was concerned.

She watched as Ivory showed Heron the map, light bent by essence forming a representation of the Ice Tree and the land around it. Ivory did have reason to be proud, and Sparrow understood why she wanted to show off. That did not mean she as happy at the girl's attempt to monopolize Heron.

Kiyoshi, Red and Blue were already there when Sparrow had arrived, and Calla had arrived not long after her. While she had been watching Ivory and Heron Rappel had arrived.

"Let's begin," Sparrow said, deciding Albicore could catch up when he showed up. She walked over to where Ivory and Heron stood and skillfully put herself between them, placing a hand gently on Ivory's shoulder, directing her towards the controls. "Please show me how this is used."

Ivory might have been displeased to be separated from Heron, but she would not pass up the chance to show him and Sparrow how smart she was.

"The main controls are here," she said, putting her hand on a concave section of the table, and three trackballs within. "You can rotate the image on all three axis, and over here you can use this wheel to zoom in and out." Ivory demonstrated as she spoke, casing the image to spin about and pulling in on an area near the base of the tower.

"How does it work?" Sparrow asked.

Albicore came into the room, but Sparrow did not acknowledge him.

"It's tied into the air manse," Ivory said, beginning to talk a littler faster. "All the flowin' air gets read by the manse, and what it passed over is projected down here."

"So it won't show us anywhere the air does not flow," Sparrow said, leaning forward. "Underground, in enclosed areas or any deep hole."

"Yeah."

"What is the range?"

"'bout ten miles, but it'll probably detect aircraft out to twenty."

That would give them a significant amount of time to react to anything but fast moving first age craft.

"It can show Vinleau?"

Ivory nodded. "Not real time, but I put the map in." She touched the controls and a new image appeared, of a village on the banks of a wide river.

"Alright." Sparrow moved to the controls, displacing Ivory. She looked around the people in the room, nodding at Albicore. "Let's begin." She spun the trackballs and the wheel, until a large section of the lands around Great Forks, including Vinleau, were displayed. "We have Deled and his Wyld Hunt occupying the village of Vinleau. This is the immediate lands around him. None of the organizations in this area are a threat to us, as long as we keep our attack clean.

"We do not want to fight in Vinleau, and from what I have been able to discern Deled may want to avoid that as well."

She spun the controls and zoomed in on Vinleau. "Our intelligence puts the majority of his forces outside of Vinleau proper, to the West along the river. That would be what he would expect us to hit, and I am pretty certain he is getting ready for an attack. I also think he is more than willing to fall back into Vinleau, or even start the fight there if we moved into the village. He thinks he can win either way."

"So what do we do?" Blue asked.

"We pull him out, and then we destroy him. He dies. Most of those following him die."

She watched them, wondering what they thought about that. It was as Heron had said; she was asking them to kill people, the majority guilty of nothing more than having to follow Deled.

It likely did not sit well with them, except for Kiyoshi, but no one objected.

"How are we going to do that?" Red asked.

Sparrow looked over at her new chief engineer. "Albicore, has my cargo ship been repaired yet?"

"Almost Sparrow, the techs are just running some tests on it."

"What's your opinion on the craft's use in battle?"

"It's heavy and tough, but slow. Lots of power."

"Ivory, what will it take to toughen that bird up even more?"

Ivory did not think about it for too long before answering, "Not a lot. Some armour in a few key places and work in some redun'ancy."

"Weapons?"

She shook her head. "Can put some siege weapons on the doors for gunners, but's not much else."

Sparrow had hoped for a better answer, but had not expected one. "Good enough. Albicore, give Ivory everything she needs to get that ship ready by tomorrow. Kiyoshi," she shifted her gaze to him, "I want you to fly it."

"And do what?"

"Combat drops. Red and Blue will be putting together a team."

"We will?" Blue asked.

Sparrow nodded. "Heavy hitters, fast. Kiyoshi will drop you off where the enemy is the weakest and you will tear into them. When they start reacting to your action Kiyoshi picks you up and drops you off at the newest weak point. Repeat until we win."

"So our team needs to be ready for tomorrow as well?" Red asked.

"Exactly. We don't have much time."

"What do you want me to do?" Rappel asked.

"Are you up to operating behind enemy lines?"

He nodded.

"We need to keep tight control on what happens in Vinleau if we don't want this going sour on us."

Sparrow continued on. "Calla, do you think you can put together a force of mobile archers?"

The wood aspect did not answer immediately. After a few seconds she said, "If your barbarians will follow me, and I'll need mounts."

"They will and you will have them."

Sparrow turned back to the map. "Heron will be leading you," she told Calla, "and I will engage Deled." The map shifted as her hands manipulated the controls. "Any battle plan we come up with be probably fall apart as soon as we see what we are really up against, but here are the generalities that we will be working with."

Dreaming Blue had put most of her work in order, the work that had been building up while she had been helping Sparrow. She signed off on a few reports, cancelled a proposed operation and declined several invitations from various gods who hoped to curry favour with her or the Solars they believed she 'represented'.

She was not so engrossed in her work that she missed a small chime ringing from one of the shelves. Standing, careful not to knock anything from her desk, she called out, "Enter," when someone knocked at her door.

The door opened admitting Chejop Kejak.

She bowed respectfully towards the man, considering that in the last few months she had seen more of the man than she had in the ten years prior.

He looked tired, she thought, and old.

"Good day Dreaming Blue." He stood straight, holding his starmetal wrack staff easily.

"Kejak-sama, please, have a seat." She indicated the seat in front of her desk with the sweep of her hand, twitching the sleeve of her kimono out of the way at the last moment to avoid knocking some papers from the desk.

"Thank you." He crossed the room smoothly and took the offered seat, setting his staff leaning against the back of the chair.

Dreaming Blue wondered if he carried the weapon as a message to her, or if it was indicative of his activities these days.

"I have heard that Heron Jade eyes and the Peleps child have returned from Malfeas," he told her.

Dreaming Blue simply nodded and waited.

"You have not heard?"

"No. I have avoided the Ice Tree. It is busy there and I've already got caught up in Sparrow's activities enough."

Chejop regarded her for several seconds before saying, "You still have not told me why they went to Malfeas."

"That is because I do not know."

Chejop was silent again, the seconds passing with neither speaking. He broke the silence by saying, "You have Orrery."

"I do," she answered.

"How did you get it?" His tone was even, civil really.

"The Pelep's girl just gave it to me. Apparently she had grown bored of it. Children are like that."

"I have trouble believing that."

For a moment Dreaming Blue as about to suggest he should watch some children, but she knew that he would not appreciate the flip answer. Instead she said, "I suppose I am no longer trustworthy."

"I wanted proof that they were enemies of Creation. What they did in Malfeas likely would have proved that."

"Unlikely."

"Would you care to expand upon that." He leaned forward slightly, the simple movement rich in menace.

She did not let it get to her, instead she calmly told him, "Heron Jade Eyes would not deal with demons in anyway that might harm Creation."

"You sound sure of that."

"I am."

He shifted back, the threat in the air diminishing. "And the Peleps child?"

"Oh, she very well might, but not with Heron watching her, not while she is pathetically in love with him."

"You are not taking this seriously enough," he warned.

"I believe that I am Kejak-sama."

"Creation is at risk." His voiced grew louder, flatter. She supposed it might have hinted at suppressed anger.

She hoped not. However, she thought what she was going to say might bring that anger to the fore.

"Not from my Solars."

He did not answer that, though she was certain it was on his lips to.

Before he could she took the orrery from within her kimono and triggered it. Within seconds it had expanded out into a star field. "Sleeper, lend me some of the Loom's power," she said.

The star field changed and grew, flickering as it danced and shifted.

"Multiple areas of possible Fate Cascade," she said. "At least two future singularities in danger of forming. Activity on all fronts." She looked at him through the stars. "And none of it is centred around the Ice Tree."

Chejop was examining the orrery's star field, likely memorizing it. "For the moment that is true."

"And I am watching to make sure it does not change."

"You had better." She thought he was going to say more, but instead he stood. "You will excuse me."

Dreaming Blue let the orrery collapse back into its casing. "Of course." She stood and bowed.

Chejop acknowledged her with a slight dip of his chin, then walked from the office.

Dreaming Blue took her seat again. It was unfortunate, she thought, that he no longer completely trusted her. She valued the relationship she and he had shared, but at the same time…

Shaking her head clear of such thoughts she turned her attention to the last of her paperwork.

A few moments later the warning chime sounded again. She looked up a moment before the knock at her door. "Enter," she said, expecting it to be Chejop. She was surprised, though pleased, to discover her caller was Gracious Shaia.

"I was a little worried," Gracious Shaia said, "when I saw Chejop leaving your office."

Dreaming Blue had stood. "I have nothing to fear from Kejak-sama. We may disagree, but we are friends."

An arched eyebrow suggested doubt on Shaia's part.

Dreaming Blue had no desire to argue it. She indicated that her guest should take a seat as she herself sat. "Is a misplaced concern about Kejak-sama the only reason you came?"

"I've always enjoyed your company, but I am here at the behest of Aisha Hikari Ex."

"About the Peleps girl."

Gracious Shaia nodded. "She is worried."

"At the moment she is safe enough, especially with Darken Gray watching over her."

There was something sad in Shaia's answering smile, something that made Dreaming Blue feel as if she had done some injustice.

"She does worry about those that might wish the child harm for what she is."

Dreaming Blue bit back the immediate reply of suggesting a number of things that Ivory was, and instead said, "I don't think Aisha Hikari Ex has to worry about any assassination attempts. At the moment there are too many people watching a little too closely."

"I suppose you are right," Gracious Shaia said, her smile unchanged, "but, well, Aisha Hikari Ex has never really gotten over the deaths of all the Golden Children during the Usurpation. While many of them grew up to be horrible people, while they were children, they shone. Aisha Hikari Ex sees something of those children in Ivory, and she is worried. Simply put, she does not trust the murderers of those children." She paused and turned her head to the side, her gaze focused on Dreaming Blue. "Would you?"

"Not fair."

"No, not really."

"I will be at the girl's side within the day. Even if there are those in Heaven that wish to see her dead, they will not approach in secret, and their actions will be known. She will be safe."

The smile that Shaia showed was every bit as bright and warm as her name would suggest and Dreaming Blue could not find it in herself to be upset.

Ivory did not take long in getting the work on the cargo ship finished. She knocked a lightning ballista and a concussive essence cannon together as the door guns, and tuned and tweaked both engines into combat readiness. Leaving the rest of the work to Albicore and Tar she went to her workroom and started on projects she found much more interesting.

She scattered various bits of scavenged material across her work bench. There was a great deal of it, and most people could be forgiven to think of it as little more than junk, but to Ivory it all had purpose.

Hu sat close by, watching her. When he spoke up Ivory was a little surprised by the question. "What did you do in Malfeas?"

Ivory put aside the device she was working on and looked towards Hu. She smiled. "So many things. I wish you could've come."

Hu's muscle rippled in what Ivory supposed might have been a shrug. "Gods do not do well in Malfeas."

Ivory nodded and leaned back on her high stool. "I saw so many things, they are so cruel there, but some of the things they make are so amazin'. I saw the Silent Wind's passage." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It was terrible."

She felt Hu's warmth as he moved close to her, she had not heard him cross the distance, but she would not have expected to.

Opening her eyes she continued. "I flew the skies with Janequin, and walked Alveua's forge, and Ligier kissed me on the forehead."

"As I would have expected," Hu said.

Ivory smiled at him, cause she was certain she heard pride in his voice.

She talked more about what she had seen and done, letting the terrible things be coloured by the amazing things, happy she had gone now that she had left.

When her recollections trailed off Hu asked her, "Would you go again?"

Ivory thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "Yes." She paused. "But not too soon."

Hu seemed satisfied with that answer and moved a little closer, gently butting his head against her.

Ivory laughed and reached out to run her fingers through the fur on his head.

After a time she turned back to her work as Hu lay down, curled protectively around the legs of the stool.

In the hall outside of Ivory's workroom Darken Gray leaned against the wall, listening to the talk between Ivory and Hu. There were things that Ivory had not told her, some of which the goddess found more than a little disturbing. The names that Ivory mentioned belonged to many terrible beings; though it seemed that none of them had shown their most terrible sides to the child.

"Eavesdropping is such a terrible habit," Dreaming Blue whispered into her ear.

Darken Gray was careful to contain her surprise, though she started a little. She had not expected the Sidereal to return, at least no so soon.

Turning to face her Darken Gray softly said, "It is, for you often hear things you do not wish to, if you are doing it for selfish reasons. I am not."

"Oh?"

"Children have no right to privacy or secrets, though I will allow them the illusion of such."

Dreaming Blue smiled. "Well answered. Though I suspect our little Twilight will not be happy, were she to learn that."

Darken Gray waved her hand dismissively. "Such a tantrum will pass." She moved away from the door, walking down the hall and away from the workroom. "And 'our little Twilight'?"

Dreaming Blue, who had followed after Darken Gray, said, "I've been guilted into ensuring Aisha Hikari Ex does not need to mourn the death of this child."

This surprised Darken Gray even more than the unexpected whisper had. She stopped and turned to face Dreaming Blue. "Pardon?"

"Gracious Shaia spoke to me. Thank her if you wish."

"I recall those days, I knew some of those Golden Children, I saw some die and avenged some others. Do you know that Sidereal?"

Dreaming Blue stiffened slightly, and Darken Gray supposed there could be some fear in those eyes, but most likely simply wariness. "I was not aware."

"Tell me, if you are ordered to harm Ivory, what will you do?"

"As long as she is favoured by the Lady Aisha Hikari Ex I would refuse. What's more I would act to protect her if I knew such orders were in effect."

"And when she grows up?"

Dreaming Blue shook her head. "When the girl leaves the nursery such protection will vanish."

It was a good answer, Darken Gray thought, and one she could trust. "Then I have to do my best to see she is ready."

"You only have a few years, do you think that will be enough time?"

"She is a Solar. She can learn in a few years what it would take you decades."

"Very true. Now then, tell me, how will you keep her safe in Vinleau, against the Wyld Hunt?"

Darken Gray was not surprised that Dreaming Blue knew, so she did not ask how the Sidereal had learned of that but instead, "Does Pelep Deled know we come?"

She shook her head. "There are too many in Yu-Shan who wish ill on Deled, he will not learn of supposes you will come and plans for it, but will not have forewarning."

"Good. And if you wish to know the plans, you will need to speak with Sparrow."

Dreaming Blue sighed. "More of Sparrow Hawk's plans. Should we expect a Death Lord to fall at the end of it?"

"I don't think that is part of this plan, but who knows? Solars' tactics can be exceedingly flexible."

Sparrow had let Red, Blue and Kiyoshi practice combat drops for the day, observing as they got better, faster. She watched their last practice run of the day in the setting sun and was pleased with it.

"If I had ten more of those ships and ten times the soldiers," she said softly, walking towards the ship as the soldiers were disembarking. Most saluted her in one manner or another as she passed, a respectful nod at the very least. In front of the ship Kiyoshi, Blue and Red were talking. Blue broke out of the group and ran towards her. "What do you think Sparrow?" She sounded excited.

"Your people are good." She raised her voice so Kiyoshi and Red, and some of the departing soldiers who were nearby could hear her. She did not tell them they would have to do the same thing at night.

"It is a most effective way of troop movement," Red said. "I can see why the Realm and Lookshy do so much to maintain their air power. This sort of force delivery, it is something you learn to enjoy."

"You enjoy the victory it brings," Sparrow told her.

"Fuck yeah," Kiyoshi shouted.

"Get some rest. We have a meeting tomorrow morning, and I need the ship this evening."

"Where are you going?" Red asked.

"Need to know at the moment, mainly because I am not sure I can get it to work."

The three Dragon Bloods were obviously curious. "Can I go with you?" Blue asked.

Sparrow thought about refusing, but decided there was no harm in it. She might even benefit from it. "You may."

"Then count me in," Kiyoshi said as Red said, "I shall come along as well."

"Get on board, I'm flying," Sparrow told them.

The jade powerbow came within a finger's width of cracking his skull. Heron twisted under it, dropped low, and swept Calla's legs. She fell back, releasing her bow, her hands slapping the floor as she broke her fall and redirected the force, sending her rolling backwards, her foot catching the bow and kicking it up.

Grabbing the bow from the air as she came up on her knees, she drew an arrow, put it to string and pulled back.

Heron came in, sliding on his knees, the barrel of one plasma tongue repeater catching the arrow head, the other extended, the barrel against Calla's stomach.

For a moment they remained like that before Calla said, "I yield."

The pistols disappeared at Heron Dismissed them.

Calla took her arrow from the string and returned it to the quiver before she straightened.

"As this how the Solars of the First Age trained Dragon Bloods?" Heron asked as he got to his feet.

Calla looked a little embarrassed. "I was a medical specialist really. There were Dragon Bloods trained by Dawns that were far superior."

The walls of the room around them were studded in arrows, and marred with burn marks, broken furniture was scattered all about. "I'll keep that in mind," Heron told her. "You're good."

"Adequate."

"For this age you are good."

"Yet another thing that has faded in this age then." She sighed.

"What was it like?"

Calla walked over to the wall and pulled an arrow out. "So different." She examined the arrow head. "Greater. Everything, everything was so much… so much more."

She turned and looked at him. "When I was pushed into that stasis chamber it was the height of the first age, the Solar's power at their greatest. I wake up and it is like the world I knew never existed."

Heron looked her over, the set of her shoulders, the shape of her lips, the spacing between her feet. It was all telling him things, and he was almost certain that what it was telling him was the whole truth.

Almost.

He believed she was from the first age. He wondered how many other loyal servants might have been placed in Stasis, against the day when the Solars returned.

Probably not too many.

Tenrae, from Calla's description, seemed wise, able to see what the future held and accept it.

Heron wondered, when he became as powerful as the Solars of old if he could accept such a possibility.

"It must be hard to talk about."

She nodded.

"Then let's talk about how things are now."

He walked over to the wreckage of a table and salvaged several pieces of paper. "I've seen how you fight, now show me how well you can plan. We don't have long to put Sparrow's mobile force together."

She dropped the arrow and walked over to him. "What will we be mounted on?"

Heron smiled. "What indeed?"

"What does the mean."

"It means Sparrow may have a surprise. For the moment let us assume horses."

"Regular horses are a problem. They are limited."

"So how do we deal with those limits?"

She took a piece of paper from him and looked it over. "We start by picking our people carefully."

Four days after Heron and Ivory had returned to the Ice Tree the first military expedition mounted by Sparrow and her forces launched.

The hull that Ivory had brought out of the south had been made level, its interior outfitted with basic crew amenities by Albicore and the yard workers.

The Razor was mounted to the bow, strapped down, and the cargo ship to the stern. The lower holds had been converted to stables and housed Sparrow's 'surprise'.

"We need to put down in this lake," Sparrow told Ivory, holding up a map.

"I know," Ivory said as she snatched the map from Sparrow's hands.

"Ivory," Darken Gray's tone was reproachful, "apologize."

The girl took a deep breath and then said, "I'm sorry. We will get there."

Sparrow nodded and left Ivory on the bow. "Five minutes," she called back.

"Five minutes," Ivory agreed.

Sparrow found Albicore at the stern, checking over the straps that would hold the cargo ship in place.

He looked up and nodded to her. "Everything is secure."

"Good. You and Tar can keep things running here. We won't be gone long and as far as we can tell there are no threats directed at the Ice Tree, for the moment."

"We'll be fine, as long as you return soon. This enterprise falls apart without Solars."

She nodded. "We'll be back."

Albicore looked about. "Hell of a thing, and you could transport a dragon of troops if you had to."

"Useful if I had a dragon."

Albicore laughed, and then said, "It's not easy. You warned me, but what that Peleps girl can do, it makes me feel useless."

Sparrow put a hand on his shoulder. "Far from useless."

"You're leaving me to mind the store."

Sparrow thought she heard an accusation there. "Best choice for it."

He gave his head a shake. "Don't mind me. Just an old man having problems getting used to the change. We'll be here when you get back, more ships completed and the yard dogs will be working better than ever."

"I'll hold you to that Albicore."

"As you should Captain." He turned and walked to the railing, swung a leg over it. "Give them hell. Deled is a piece of shit and it is about time that someone put him down."

"Understood."

Albicore went down the boarding ladder, and a few seconds later calls went up that they were all clear.

Sparrow waited as on the bow Ivory called for her winged spirt that would fly the ship and the forces it carried to the Scavenger Lands and Deled.