Not sure what I was expecting, but the Birchcombe is nothing like the Horizon. I have no idea if that’s because they’re from different eras, or use a different level of technology, or maybe even they’re built for a different purpose. At first glance it still looks like what it probably used to be: an imposing blunt nosed freighter that’s been scaled up and armored. It’s all hard angles, practical equipment, and ugly lines. The hull is a patchwork of upgraded factory plates and field retrofits, with extensive weaponry and shielding. The sensor arrays and exterior look like they’ve been swapped out a dozen times, each time adding to the ship with the best they could find. It’s pure function over everything else.
Dalib, Aoife, and I are greeted at the ship’s entrance where we’re all scanned and then sent to a briefing room near to the ship, still inside the massive hangar. I’ve heard space stations are on a truly gigantic scale compared to what’s found on Earth, but this seems unimaginably huge to me. The ship sits in a cavernous structure along with maybe a dozen ships, one of six hangars on this compound.
We’re escorted by one of the Birchcombe’s Lieutenants, who seems capable and straight out of history including stylized armor that in this case is practical, not ceremonial. Some Heroes who try to align themselves mythologically because of their Powers just end up looking and acting cartoonish, but this one’s the real deal. Tall, blonde, blue eyes, fierce. Everything you’ve ever wanted in a Valkyrie, if you wanted one.
In a way I’m tired of the fact everyone I meet seems to be high Ranked with a Power to match - it’s not like this in the normal world where only about 50 million people on the entire planet have a Major Power or higher.
Eira Stromvik (Valkyrie)
Rank estimate: B-
Level: 111
Power: Spear of Judgement (Tier 1 Epic)
Conditions: None
“The rest of the crew has already been briefed,” she says with a Nordic accent I can’t place as we walk together under the Birchcombe to a set of doors. Powers do seem to run along ethnic and cultural lines to a certain degree. She opens the middle one for us and we walk through. I’m expecting a high tech briefing room, but what I get is very, very different and I can feel my anger rising, so I try to shove it down.
“Calrik!” exclaims my buddy Mark. He’s standing with another of my oldest friends and a young woman I don’t recognize with short blonde hair in a pixie cut.
It’s great to see my mates, but it’s shit to immediately conclude they’re here to figure out if I’ve been possessed or I’m not acting like myself anymore. Who else would be a good judge?
I pull their Statuses to see how much danger they’re being put in by joining this mission.
Paul Hebberlink (Earth Mage)
Rank estimate: D-
Level: 91
Power: Innovation (Tier 2 Epic)
Conditions: None
I’m relieved to see how far Paul has been able to progress; he’s my only real friend left through Superhero connections between my parents and their friends. We spent a lot of time together growing up, both of us training in combat and tactics, and then later he moved on to training with his Power while I waited for the one that never came. I can see he decided to upgrade it to Tier 2 Epic when he passed Level 50 rather than taking another Power and it’s probably a good idea to double down on the thousands of hours we had from top trainers.
Mark Foster (Technologist)
Rank estimate: F
Level: 49
Power: Innovation (Tier 1 Epic)
Conditions: None
Mark looks happy to see me, his bright eyes and big Canadian style smile as usual lighting up the room. He’s met Paul before and must have been pulled off his EDF assignment to get here in record time. And then there’s the last one… I open the notification and my blood runs cold.
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Grace Corvin (Wind Mage)
Rank estimate: E-
Level: 37
Power: Call Wind (Tier 1 Major)
Conditions: None
Have they brought in a cousin of mine just to see if I’m the vampire I thought I was? To see if I’ll kill her and steal her Power? If so, fuck all of you - I can only hope her last name is a coincidence, but I doubt even my Luck is high enough for that. I’ve flashed through the notifications in record time with my enhanced Perception and Mark’s not done with just a greeting… he’s got more to say.
“You dickhead! You have a Power and you didn’t tell me?” Mark walks up to me and raises his arms in exasperation.
“Or me?” asks Paul. He and I always talked about what we might do together once we got our Powers.
“It’s been… hectic since I talked to you last, Mark,” I say and wonder how much I should say. Right now, the only person on the ship who really knows the full story is Captain Reyes and I think I might like to keep it that way, just for now.
“It sure has,” rumbles Kaltor as he walks into the room, his aura taking up a lot more space than he does. Kaltor makes eye contact with me and gives me an expression as if to tell me I’m on my own now. Everyone turns to him, even Eira. “I brought the rest of the fresh meat for Captain Reyes and I thought you might like to say hi. They’ll stay with you for the briefing .”
With that, he exits past Bobby, Kate, and Brad without even a good bye. Dalib seems to take particular interest in this development and I can feel the vibes in the room from my friends change as they realize it’s not just a few high Ranked people on this mission.
“Corvin!” Brad exclaims and Grace moves back a step when he strides forward to give me an energetic fist bump, which I feel compelled to return. There’s something about Brad you just can’t turn down. “Shit - there’s two of you?” he asks.
I glance at Grace and the curiosity must be in my expression.
“Yeah, kind of. Long lost cousin,” she says to Brad.
I don’t know what to make of all this. Two old friends, three people who helped me because Auntie V asked them to, one long lost cousin, and two people Kaltor temporarily reassigned from his ship. What a Frankenstein of a group of people, and the only thing they have in common is me and whatever’s swirling around me. I can tell by her expression Aoife doesn’t know what to think about it either. Before it gets any more chaotic in my head, Captain Reyes arrives and we all face him.
“Welcome to the Birchcombe. I understand some of you are here under unusual circumstances. Your job is to protect humanity above all else on this mission. We’re operating with a skeleton crew and our timetable has been moved up, so you’ll need to get buckled in. We’ll be recapturing a space station in the Kepler-90 sector as quickly as possible and then defending a colony that’s under attack on Thystora which is way out near the edge of the Universe where Mana is unstable.
Captain Reyes takes a good look over Bobby, Kate, and Brad - and then moves on to the rest of us.
“Brookwell, Losheva, and Roberts I’m glad to have you on the ship for this mission. If you decide to come over from the EDF in future let me know; I’m aware of your reputations. Your job is to keep Calrik safe at all times. You too, Picard and Byrne.”
“Yes, sir!” says Bobby with a snap.
“Yes, sir,” acknowledges Dalib.
“Sir,” says Aoife, “Lieutenant Picard has sparred with Calrik, but we haven’t fought with him and don’t have a good understanding of his Powers.”
“We’ve seen him go a few rounds,” says Brad. “My advice - stay out of his way and watch the show!”
“Not advised, Lieutenant Roberts,” rumbles Captain Reyes. “Take it up with Corvin, Byrne. Foster, you’re in charge of equipping Corvin for this mission.”
“Aye Captain,” says Mark. This is a bit of a surprise for me and I wonder for a second if Mark’s not just here because he’s my friend, and then I discard it. Maybe in different circumstances.
“There’s two Corvins,” says Grace, and I’m impressed. She’s obviously got a spine, or a significant complex about being left out. Reyes raises an eyebrow.
“Indeed there are. Now - Hebberlink, I was in the same Strike team as your father for almost a dozen years. His Power was similar to yours and so I’m fully confident I’m right when I say you'll be more useless than tits on a bull at the space station, but we’re going to need you when it comes to the planetary work.”
“Thank you, sir?” Paul asks, unsure what to say about that.
“You have ten minutes to get to your hyperspace positions and ten minutes when we emerge to get suited up before we hit the space station hard. Get your asses into gear!”
We all scatter to get back on the ship and to a hyperspace jump seat without much of a chance for reunion chat.
I strap in next to Dalib and Bobby, with Mark directly across from me. I have no doubt Bobby and Dalib’s seats have not been chosen by accident.
“Can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on!” yells Mark over the increasing whine of the hyperdrive engines. I give him a thumbs up and a smile, curious myself.
“We’ve been instructed to ensure there is no repeat of the Dungeon dive,” Bobby advises me. Even though I know he’s been assigned on this mission to kill me if needed, I don’t think that’s what he wants and Auntie V trusted him.
What a fucked up start to a mission.
The countdown begins and we all get ready. Hyperspace is a reality now between alien tech and Powers that have helped make this possible, but it’s still almost 3,000 light years away through a multidimensional fold in space and actually knowing some of the math behind it doesn’t make me breathe any easier for my first hyperspace flight.
The countdown hits zero and I can feel a strange sensation of being thrust forward and ripped apart without pain, then assembled back together in a new place. It’s disorienting and when I feel somehow more solid again I feel a distant warmth of Soul Sparks beginning to dissipate. I fight through the effects of hyperspace travel and pull them to me, Reclaiming them. Notifications flash up in the corner of my eye and I open them while everyone is getting their physical and mental bearings.
Soul Sparks Reclaimed: 3
Soul Sparks Reclaimed: 4
Soul Sparks Reclaimed: 1
Soul Sparks Reclaimed: 4
Soul Sparks Reclaimed: 22
Soul Sparks Reclaimed: 5
Either a bunch of people on board the Birchcombe just died or we’ve just arrived in the middle of an active battle zone.
