Chapter Nine – Earth Is Afire

So. My intended schedule has gone a little bit… off. Still, here we are, and only a week later.

The training facility had felt hollow for the past two months. Five hundred operatives had dropped down to a hundred and fifty. The boasts, howls, and screams echoed.

Ze'ev had gotten used to the facility in the past few years, but the empty rooms made him long to leave again.

Earthen studies quickly melded into the monotony. Training increased; Jael was determined that his pack did not relax standards.

Somehow, Ze'ev managed to stay alpha. By a considerable margin, no less. His scars and bruises increased, but no-one came close to unseating him. He thought that it confused him most.

Finally, the day of the trip arrived.

Clothes were neatly packed away into the duffel bags that had been provided. Master Jael had told them to wear their formal uniforms, which ranged from in pristine condition to only a little ripped and bloodied. Ze'ev spent five minutes trying to tuck away a gash in the bottom of his shirt before he gave up.

Alex Rafe was on his knees, peering under each bed.

"What are you looking for?" Wane Becke asked. "Do you even have any possessions?"

"I'd hate to get to another planet and realise I left my shoe behind," Alex replied.

"You're wearing both shoes," Aziz Sherazi said.

"I was giving an example."

"Earth might be more primitive then Luna," Masaru Tsukino said, "but I think you could find shoes there."

"More primitive?" Eclipse Garson repeated. "What part of lessons gave you that idea?"

"It's not Luna," Rille Baines said.

"They have androids."

"They don't have the Lunar gift," Orbit Troya said.

"Neither do we," Ze'ev interjected.

"We don't need it," Orbit replied, seemingly not realising that Earthens didn't either.

Ze'ev didn't care enough to make it an argument. Orbit had kept her nails sharpened even after Brock died, and he wanted his formal uniform to stay neat by the time they saw Jael.

"Is everything packed?" he asked instead.

"Technically aren't we always 'packed'?" Vanya Volkov said.

It took a moment for Ze'ev to realise it was a play on being wolves, but once he did he had to bite the corner of his lip to hide his smile. "Not what I was asking," he said.

"I think we've got everything," Alex said, standing up and brushing off his knees. "Nothing under the beds, at least."

"I don't think anyone has anything to leave," Wane said.

Ze'ev nodded. "We only have a few minutes until we need to meet Master Jael. We should probably go."

There was no rational reason why they should leave for a one minute walk ten minutes before they were expected, but Ze'ev didn't want to wait in the barracks. He paused to see if anyone had any objections – not that he was entirely sure how to handle it if they did – before scooping up his bag and leading the way out.

Alpha Brock wouldn't have carried his own bag. Most likely, he'd have shoved it onto the omega. Reluctance to abuse his power aside, Ze'ev was certain that Ran would figure out something vicious to do to his clothes, and he didn't want to start his Earthen journey by beating up his little brother. Better to risk looking weak and hope it came off as considerate.

Ze'ev headed through the facility for the last time. He expected to feel a little thoughtful, if not outright nostalgic, but all he felt was an intense desire to go. The scent of the operatives who had left was obvious.

Despite being early, Jael was waiting for them, red robes neatly pressed.

"Good," he said, sweeping his gaze over the pack. "I trust you're all ready?"

"Yes, Master Jael," the pack said in unison.

Jael nodded, and then walked off. The group followed.

As they approached the same door Ze'ev had entered through five years ago, he tried to avoid wrinkling his nose. The scent of old operatives was getting steadily stronger—

He nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw that several packs of lunar soldiers were standing in the arena.

Ever since Ze'ev had first seen an image of soldiers, he had been subconsciously exaggerating the inhuman traits, giving them claws the length of swords, rows of teeth that did not fit in their mouths, skin completely carpeted with fur, hunched posture that defined beastly, and a gaze that went beyond bloodlust to outright animal. Their actual appearance was more mundane, but it was apparent that they were never expected to blend in on Earth. Covered in hair that couldn't quite be called fur, too many teeth for a single mouth but still able to close jaws, bulging muscles and a terror-inducing height, and eyes glinted with bloodlust that would not look out-of-place on an operative.

The soldiers stood almost at attention, but not quite. Not by the standards of operatives, who stood statue-still when thaumaturges watched. The soldiers twitched, fidgeting against some animalistic urge surging beneath their skins.

Ze'ev caught the eye of one of them accidentally, and was struck by how much more human they seemed then he expected. He couldn't quite place the emotion; despair, fear, and horror mingled together.

Then the soldier wrinkled their nose and scowled, and suddenly switched back to hunger and anger.

Ze'ev couldn't help a shudder. Ran looked disgusted at the display of weakness. He was annoyed at his brother's glare, as he was far from the only one unnerved by the soldiers, high-ranking Troya and Wynn among them.

The soldiers disconcerted Ze'ev enough that he didn't notice the first time in years that he left the training facility. He only realised how momentous it was as Jael led them to a personal shuttle.

"Alpha Kesley, if you wouldn't mind," Jael said, gesturing to the control screen with one hand as he fished in his new red-robes for his netscreen.

"Of course, Master Jael," Ze'ev said instinctively, although he hated it when Jael phrased orders as a request.

He took a step forward and frowned at the control screen, which shone dimly. He had a vague memory of using public shuttles, but although his prints had been in the system since birth there hadn't been an awful lot of occasions to travel as a child.

Hoping for the best, Ze'ev pressed five fingertips to the control screen.

It warmed under his skin.

"Welcome, Alpha Ze'ev Kesley, Lunar Special Operative Number 9-6-2," a disembodied voice said as the door opened. He wondered when his prints had been updated to say not only was he an operative, but an alpha. "Where shall I take you?"

Ze'ev glanced over his shoulder at Jael.

"The palace station," Jael answered absently, tapping on his netscreen.

Ze'ev relayed the information as they stepped inside. Jael took the furthest seat from the rest of the pack, possibly so that the almost light-hearted fight over who got which seat wouldn't distract him from his email. It was the sort of petty fight Ze'ev used to avoid, but as alpha he felt obligated and beat Beta Masaru Tsukino out for one of the better seats.

Almost as soon as he claimed the chair the shuttle started slowing in down. Ze'ev had never realised just how close the palace was. Jael swept to his feet, still typing, and led the pack outside, up through a set of stairs, and into the city.

The station wasn't entirely dissimilar to the training facility, both underground and full of people working, but for a group that had seen a limited amount of rooms in years it felt like an entirely different world.

A million different scents filled the area. Tens of thousands of people had passed through on transport vehicles that were nothing like the technology operatives saw in training. Spices and flavours that made Ze'ev's mouth water without any idea how they tasted were blown on artificial wind.

Jael was unmoved. He barely looked up from his screen as he headed through the station, with a trail of vicious lupine-hybrids scrambling to keep up.

As they walked people parted for them, giving them a wide circle of space. It was quite possible they were showing respect to the second-level thaumaturge, but Ze'ev couldn't help but feel pleased.

Orbit waved at one girl, smiling with more teeth than strictly necessary. The girl squealed and darted into the hover she was unloading, making Orbit laugh.

"Thaumaturge Jael," someone said, and Ze'ev turned to see a woman in a pressed uniform tap her shoes together. "I trust you're well?"

"I'm fine," Jael said, still tapping on his screen. "How are you, Captain Diaz?"

"Well, thank you." The woman tapped on a nearby ship, which looked to be roughly the size of the barracks. "This is to be our trip to Earth."

Jael looked up in order to inspect it. He smiled. "It looks impressive. Do you mind if I take a picture? My son is quite concerned about my trip."

"Of course, this is a non-classified model," the captain said agreeably. She stepped aside in order for him to take the picture. "Would you mind if I asked how old young Cameron is now?"

"He turned eight only two long-days ago."

"Getting older," the captain said with a smile. She turned to the operatives. Her smile flickered slightly, but she didn't flinch. "You can board into the back now. I understand there will most likely be a fight or two inside, but try to avoid damaging the ship."

The operatives saluted, shrugged, or laughed, but the captain seemed satisfied. She showed Jael into the luxurious room up front while the operatives crowded into their area.

Ze'ev had no idea how ships were normally set up, or whether a lack of seating was normal. Judging from the smell he thought it was probably a cargo ship usually. He wondered if most cargo holds had windows.

The door locked securely behind them. After a second the ship began to shake.

Everyone crowded towards the window. Ze'ev almost stepped out of the way, but when Huang Liu moved aside for him he remembered he was alpha. The urge to keep his status sent him forward, nudging Orbit out of the way. She snarled at him, but didn't retaliate; Brock would have thrown her completely away, whereas Ze'ev barely tapped.

They zipped out of the station. Everyone gasped as they saw Artemisia below them, shining even through it's dome. People that looked like specks moved around on the ground with a thousand jobs to do.

As the city shrunk, more of Luna came into view. The sun was shining on one side, making the rock itself glimmer. Every sector in that area was a spot of white.

Ze'ev wondered where RM-9 was.

They stared out the window until the sectors became indistinguishable spots against the moon's surface. Then Beta Wane Becke moved out of the way, letting Ran scramble to try and see out the window.

"How come Earth doesn't shoot us down?" Wane asked thoughtfully, glancing in the direction they were travelling.

"Because they haven't got the technology to reach us," Beta Alex Rafe suggested.

"We're getting closer every second, genius," José said.

Alex jabbed him in the neck. The two exploded into a fistfight. The rest of the pack delicately moved around them.

"They were able to get to Luna in the first place," Vanya said over the familiar sound of fighting. "I don't think Earth tech would have regressed."

"They can, they're probably too cowardly to risk a fight," Aziz said.

"Can't be," Ze'ev said. "It doesn't take bravery to blow us out of the sky."

"Unless they're afraid of war," Emil Katona said.

"Yeah, but we're coming in order to start a war anyway," Tristan Wynn said. "If they knew we were here, it would be the only sensible thing."

"So you don't think they know about us?" Huang Liu asked.

"Makes sense. We are undercover," Masaru Tsukino said. "The ship would be hidden in some way."

"Does it matter?" Rille Baines asked, bored.

"It'll matter if they shoot us down," Orbit said.

"Not really. What's talking going to do to stop it?" Ran pointed out.

Ze'ev looked out the window. Luna was very visible, but it was getting hard to pick out details.

It was an odd feeling. It wasn't anything like the ache when he'd left RM-9; it was a change but not a loss. The training facility had been familiar and sometimes almost comforting, but it was never home. There wasn't even anyone he would miss personally, since the packs didn't mingle.

Ze'ev didn't fool himself that he could find a home on Earth. Still, he had no reason to expect it would be any worse, and it was very possible things would get better.

It took almost two hours to reach Earth. During that time, five fights broke out, more to break the tedium than to improve status. Special operatives were not good at sitting and waiting.

Finally, the ship landed and the captain walked around to unhatch the cargo door.

Ze'ev took a sharp breath as for the first time in his life, he smelled real fresh air, held in an atmosphere instead of a dome. Almost in a trance, he wandered out of the ship.

There were trees. More than the few scattered plants that grew in most sectors to help filter air, these were diverse behemoths that towered over them. Dirt crushed under his military boots, far gentler than regolith coating rock would ever be.

The ship had landed in a forest, with Luna visible above them. There was a scent of humans somewhere nearby, but after living underground with five hundred companions, Ze'ev felt as if they were alone.

Unfamiliar smells and sounds came from every direction. Ze'ev tilted his head in the direction of a rustle, and saw a small animal scurry up a tree. Something else was scurrying away from them, most likely afraid of the ship. A hundred meters away there was a nest of baby birds, cheeping madly.

Luna had a limited amount of wildlife, mostly species necessary for human survival, but it could in no way compete with an Earthen forest.

There was a rumble as the ship took off again, with the captain unwilling to spend too much time on Earth. Ze'ev glanced around. The rest of the pack was staring at their new surroundings with the same awe. Eclipse Garson had dropped his bag entirely.

Jael smiled, taking a deep breath of the clean Earthen air. "Shall we move?" he asked as if his orders were optional. "I'm given to understand that there is a Lunar building somewhere nearby. Alpha Kesley, can you tell where it would be?"

"Yes, Master Jael," Ze'ev said, as he instantly straightened. "About two minutes walk in that direction."

Jael gestured for him to lead the way, which Ze'ev hastened to obey. The rest of the pack fell into a march behind him.

It didn't take long before they found the building. He didn't have a recent frame of reference regarding how big an ordinary building was, but he vaguely thought that it was the size of the house he'd lived in as a child. Judging from the materials, it might have been a temporary construction.

Jael overtook Ze'ev in order to invite the pack inside. They stepped into bright lights, which contrasted badly against the dim forest.

"Master Jael," the woman sitting behind a desk stood up respectfully. "You're early."

"I am. I trust that's not a problem?" Jael asked, a glint of steel in his smile.

The woman bowed her head. "Of course not, we're completely prepared." She placed a small box on her desk, and then rummaged for a cloth bag and a metal kit.

She unravelled the cloth, revealing a selection of scalpels, and then opened the kit to reveal more medical supplies.

"Who's first?" she asked, looking at the pack.

Ze'ev froze, his expression carefully neutral. His eyes darted between the syringe in her hands and the way blood drained from his packmates faces.

Jael glanced back at them, frowning slightly from a lack of volunteers. "Alpha Kesley."

Ze'ev jolted, putting a hand to his heart without even thinking about it. "Sir?"

Jael frowned, gesturing him forward. "Now."

It was only the reminder that they had passed training that let him move his feet without needing Jael to touch his bioelectricity. Ze'ev stepped forward, and then stood in front of the woman.

"Left arm, please," the woman said politely.

Ze'ev slowly extended it.

She gripped his forearm along the tattoo, and pulled it closer to her. With her other hand she lined up the syringe she was holding, and jabbed it into his wrist. He couldn't help the slight hiss – not quite of pain, he had too many worse scars for that – as the needle was inserted.

"Just a local anaesthetic," the woman said absently. She reached for the small box on her desk and opened it, revealing a selection of small chips.

Finally, Ze'ev pieced together the information and worked out that he was getting the ID chips discussed in their Earthen studies classes. He felt slow for not having worked it out earlier, but it didn't make him feel any more comfortable as the doctor picked up one of her scalpels.

He looked away so he didn't see her cut into his skin. The anaesthetic worked perfectly and immediately; he didn't feel a thing.

After a few moments she let go of his arm. Ze'ev saluted instantly and stepped back.

Once he was in formation, he looked at his wrist. A short way below the tattoo marking him as an operative, there was a small white bandage that he hadn't even felt being wrapped around his arm.

"Next," the woman said, dropping the bloody scalpel and syringe into a small tube leading through the walls. She picked up a fresh set.

Beta Tristan Wynn stepped forwards, and within minutes the entire pack had matching bandages. The feeling was already starting to come back to Ze'ev's wrist; the local anaesthetic was incredibly specialised.

"Master Jael, the hover to take you to the city will arrive in approximately two hours," the doctor said, packing away her scalpel.

Jael frowned. "I was given to believe that we were only a few minutes early."

"I apologise on their behalf," the woman replied, not sounding particularly sorry. "The plague is causing a serious delay on the roads."

"Is there no way to bypass the quarantined zones?" Jael asked, irritated.

"Not without drawing serious attention to an undercover mission."

Jael sighed. "I suppose there is nothing to be done."

"Again, I apologise."

"It's not your fault," Jael said simply, without any real compassion. He waved at the pack. "You may stretch your legs. I daresay the trip has left you restless."

"Yes, Master Jael," Ze'ev said, although he wasn't sure if he should have said that their discipline was fine. "Thank you, Master Jael."

Not allowing himself to falter, Ze'ev left the building. The rest of the pack followed him, orderly at first but turning into a sprint the moment they stepped on dirt. Ze'ev led the way as they ran through the forest, smashing through branches and barely feeling the sting.

"We made it!" José shouted, punching the air with a fist.

"We're on Earth!" Alex said.

Orbit laughed shrilly. "Finally!"

Rille Baines wore a bigger grin than Ze'ev had ever seen on his face. He threw his head back and howled.

It seemed like a good idea. Ze'ev let out his own victory howl, setting off the rest of the pack.

They were only looking up for better aerodynamics, but with his face pointed to the sky Ze'ev's stared at the silver orb hanging in the sky. A smile nearly ruined his howl, but he couldn't stop.

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