“So when do you think she’ll come back in?” Charli asked as she sat down beside me with her coffee.
“She left with a full reserve. The rim’s the limit, Dad. I just hope she doesn’t get into any trouble, or Hello Kitty develops a problem.” I answered frankly.
“May I take this seat beside you, Lady Chance?” What had been my daughter, Savanna, asked holding a steaming cup of herbal tea.
“So, how long will Oracle be visiting?” I asked as I motioned the young woman that looked like my sister, to have a seat.
“I AM Savanna, Lady Chance. It just seems awkward to call you Mother or Momma when we appear like sisters.” She replied. “As for when my limited time as an adult will wane…I have yet to see.”
“I’m still not going to commission a Broom for you, Savanna. Not till you log some simulator time.” I reminded.
“That is acceptable. As you already know, I do not require a Broom to travel.”
“You proved that eight years ago, sweetie. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the looks those news anchors…or that production crew gave me when I showed up to claim your car seat.” I laughed.
“It was humorous. Lynxins can be sooo…excitable.” She replied with a teasing smile.
“Now, what did I tell you about respecting your fellow species, Savanna? Remember, you chose me as your mother. That means you relinquished certain rights and certain ‘god-like’ attitudes to my discretion. We treat all subspecies equally.”
“I understand, Momma.”
“Good. So why now? Why change forms during Lyra’s teen initiation?” I inquired, taking a sip of my coffee.
“My adolescent form could no longer contain the amount of Current it stored, momma. I had to ‘grow’ in order to increase my reserve capacity.”
“So what have you been doing? Sucking Current out of the conduits?” Chantell asked as she walked into the galley, grabbed a cup, and poured herself some coffee.
“Momma tends to over issue Current when she conjures. I absorb the excess.”
“And there I just thought you were prone to indigestion.” Chantell wisecracked.
“Leave the girl alone, Shan. At least she hasn’t popped into your lavatory since she took this form.” Charli warned.
“No, Thank the Gods. Say, what is it with you popping into the head like that? You only seem to do that to me.”
Savanna giggled pleasantly and her eyes sparkled as she said, “The challenge, Aunt Chantell- just the challenge.”
Our aunt sat very still and seemed to regard my grown-up, eight-year-old for a while.
“Yep. I guess I deserved that. Why do you Summers women have to be sooo…so similar?”
“Just to vex you, ‘Motor City’.” Mom answered with a laugh as she entered the galley.
“Attention: Incoming Broom! Broom Closet decompression will begin in thirty seconds. Please clear the flight line.” Our A.I. announced unexpectedly.
“I was wondering how long she was going to stay out.” Charli said as we all decided to go greet Lyra.
“Momma, it’s not Lyra. Lady Demeter is on approach.” Savanna announced to our surprise.
 
 
“So, what brings you back to Mare, sister?” I asked as we approached ‘California Dreamin’.
“I’m like, here for the party?” The blonde Goddess said as she floated up and out of her cockpit.
We exchanged hugs and air kisses once she settled gently to the deck.
“The parties were two days ago, you ditz.” Chantell growled in annoyance.
“Par-tees? Like in multiples? Awwwwwww! Darn.” Demi moaned in her high shrill voice.
“Like, I lost all track of time.” She added dejectedly.
“So who was he, girlfriend? Was he worth it? And…does he have a brother or twin?” Chantell giggled.
Demeter’s expression changed.
“I was transferred to the Anatoly and had about a month’s worth of work rebuilding that junk pile…ship’s Current network. When will the species ever get it together enough to build things that last? Mt. Olympus has stood for almost a million standard millennia!”
“You didn’t answer my question, girlfriend. Who was he?” Chantell demanded playfully.
Demi’s eyes took on a ‘dreamy’ look as she smiled impishly.
“Lt. Cmdr. Graaf.” She stated while giggling. “I don’t remember ever having a Sumulturian before. He was like having my own, life-sized…well,” her eyes sparkled with a thought; “some parts were a little larger than life,” Demi’s smile grew. “Teddy bear!”
“I think I can relate to that, sister.” Savanna replied sympathetically.
All eyes went to her. To say I was gob smacked was an understatement!
“I didn’t know like, you had a sister, Chance? Hi, I’m like, Demeter? You can call me Demi though?” The ditzy blonde Goddess introduced.
“On this plane I am called ‘Savanna’. But you can refer to me as Oracle, Demeter of Zeus.” My daughter replied regally, with a scornful smirk.
“Lord in Heaven, she really is a Summers!” Chantell deadpanned.
Again Demi’s expression changed.
“So it seems young one. And what is the occasion of your growth spurt, may I inquire?”
“She claims Chance uses a wee bit more Current than she needs when she conjures.” Charli revealed.
“So you, young Oracle, took it upon yourself to absorb the excess ‘life-force’?” Demi asked, but didn’t wait for a reply.
“How very unselfish of you, young one. Might I inquire as to how long this form might linger?”
“Until my reserve has diminished accordingly, Senior Chief, Demeter Freyja.” Savanna replied in a very snippy tone.
“Wow! And I thought the Lynxins had the market cornered on ‘Catty’!” Chantell continued to deadpan.
“Young lady!” I glared at Savanna intently. “You may currently inhabit an adult body, but you are still only eight standard years old! You will stand down from such offensive posture with another member of this Coven! Do I make myself clear?”
Savanna and Demi both instantly turned their attention to me- Savanna’s expression one of embarrassment and treason.
“Yes, Momma. Please forgive me, High Priestess.” She said despondently before looking shyly to Demeter.
“I am very sorry for my rude behavior, Lady Demi.”
Savanna quickly turned with a disheartened bow and hurried over to then up the stairs into our base’s living area.
“Was that really necessary, Chance?” Demi questioned.
“May I remind you, she was the one that chose me, not the other way around?”
“She is but a child, flexing her wings, sister.”
“And she has been ‘flexing’ those ‘wings’ consistently for eight years, sister.” I retorted.
“So…you and the Oracle…not BFF’s?” Mom quipped, humorously.
“Sadly, not this one, Hope.” Demi paused.
“Then again, we can’t all get along like, famously?” She giggled.
“You are one strange bird, Demeter Freyja!” Charli giggled, shaking her head in disbelief.
 
 

 
 
“So, aren’t Kimbou and Sonya going to be worried that you’re gone so long, cousin?”
“I’m fourteen. Officially, I am of age and plus, they know I can take care of myself.” I told my cousin, Queen Kitty Sinae of FeLane.
“I’m not arguing that fact, Lyra. I just think it would be polite to at least let them know you are here.” She suggested.
“By the way, where IS here?” I asked with a playful grin.
“We were heading back to FeLane…unless you can think of anywhere else we should go.” Kitty grinned deviously. She waggled an eyebrow to elicit my feedback.
“And no, we are not heading an expedition to flush out Bovidovich. Witch Corps has been tasked with that lofty pursuit; not the Confederation Military.” She added.
“But we are part of the Corps, cousin.” I responded.
“That we are, but I’m of the belief that the entirety of Witch Corps must be brought to bear on that demon. Should we pursue it, we may end up just like Grandmother Libra. Though, I can think of no better way to go out.” Kitty said as she punctuated her statement with an excited growl.
“Majesty, FeLane territory in four standard days.” A male’s voice sounded out from Kitty’s desk; which was on the other side of her cabin.
“Acknowledged. Alert me if anything out of the ordinary comes up.”
“Understood, My Queen…Majesty! We have just picked up an anomaly of some kind, and it is centered in your quarters!”
“I am glad to see the new equipment working so well, your majesty.” A women’s voice praised from across the cabin.
“Stand down, all security. I have been expecting this ‘anomaly’. I am in no duress.” Kitty alerted her crew as we looked to the young Terran of about seventeen standard years. She had her mother’s trademark black hair and a similar build and height.
“Welcome, Savanna Summers.” I greeted with controlled annoyance.
“You came all this way? We’re what, eighty thousand and twenty LY’s from Mare?
“I have, majesty.” She answered. “Momma and I have exchanged words. May I?”
With a roll of her eyes, my cousin nodded and held her arms out in invitation. Savanna quickly closed the gap and wrapped her arms around my queen. She began crying.
“What is it this time, little one?” My cousin asked softly.
“Demeter returned to Mare De Tempest.”
“And?”
“And I may have been rude to her…according to momma.”
“Were you?”
“I was, but I don’t know why, Aunt Kitty.” The adult version of Savanna answered, sounding hurt and saddened.
Savanna pushed away from her.
“Why is this not working? Every other time I have taken comfort from you, Aunt Kitty. Why is it not working this time?”
“Could it be your sudden physical maturity, Lady Savanna?” I proposed. “Might you have suddenly outgrown your warm, cuddly Lynxin?”
Savanna looked at me- her mouth slightly open and eyes blinking in surprise.
“Being mature, takes more than just an adult body, little one. I understand that you had no alternative than to change form, but inside,” Kitty pointed to Savanna’s head, “you are still eight standard years of age. You are experiencing conflict between your eight-year-old interior, and you’re apparent seventeen year-old exterior. One would say you lack experience with your maturity and ‘time’ is the only real teacher.”
“Being an adult is more complicated than I thought, Aunt Kitty.” Savanna admitted.
“It is…very much so, little one.” My cousin agreed. “Sometimes, we adults even have a tough time handling it…maturity, that is.”
“I can try to help little sister, cousin. I still remember those years and may be able to answer her questions and insecurities.” I offered as I gently took Savanna’s hand in mine.
“Why does that feel sooo much more comforting than having my Aunt Kitty to cuddle?” She pondered to herself.
I laughed lightly. “It is one of the many grown-up ways to console each other, sister.”
“Show me more ways, my lady! I am eager to learn the ways of adults.”
“You have your challenge, Lady Lyra.” My cousin laughed as she walked over to her desk.
“Kitty to Communications. Patch me through to EFMC Witch Corps headquarters. Level thirty priority encryption.”
 
 
A chime sounded at my door… ‘My door’! It made me feel very special knowing Queen Kitty- my cousin- had assigned ME, my very own cabin on her flagship, ‘Earth’s Horizon’.
Earth’s Horizon was a very special ship. It took four years to assemble and incorporated some of the older Witch Corps propulsion technology into her. She was still no match for Pegasus, though! Not by a long stretch.
But, given that Mare De Tempest would take a month to travel what had taken Earth’s Horizon ten days, that wasn’t too bad. Guess I was spoiled. Still, I was happy to see my home planet once again.
“Enter.”
“Princess. We have entered orbit around FeLane. I am officially welcoming you home, my lady.” My personal steward advised me as he bowed formally.
I had a personal steward, too!!!!
“Thank you, but haven’t I told you I’m not in for that stuff, Greer? And I would appreciate it if you knock off the ‘Princess’ crap.”
“Look, Lyra…I’m obliged to uphold the formalities, so cut me a break! Welcome home, Serangetti Lyra. How’s that? Informal enough?”
I began to giggle uncontrollably at the young man’s abrupt change of character and protocol.
“Better.” I continued to giggle at the eighteen-year-old male.
As had been the case for the last six days, I felt a slight nervousness when he called on me for my choice of meals or drink…or even material comforts such as laundry, turndown service, or fresh bed linens.
I found my personal steward very…handsome. There! I thought it!
“…anything special you wish… before you transfer… to the Royal Residence, Lyra?”
“Sorry? What?” I asked finding he was talking to me.
“I asked if there was anything special you want me to bring you before you transfer from Earth’s Horizon to the Royal Residence, Lyra.” He repeated.
‘Four more like you.’ Came to my mind.
“Not that I can think of, Greer. Thank you for asking though.” I answered instead.
“Hey, are you heading down to Capital with us?” I asked quickly, before he excused himself and left.
“Is that what you would desire, Lyra?” He asked, catching me off-guard.
“Only if our queen wishes it.” I said, feeling my face blush.
“We shall see, my lady. Safe transfer.”
My personal steward exited my cabin and I felt a tinge of panic that I might not see him again raise within me.

“Hello Kitty. Status, please?” I requested as I ran my fingers along her smooth, shiny fuselage.
“All systems are nominal, Kitten. I’m ready when you are.”
“I still can’t get over how amazing this craft is, Princess Lyra.” My ‘personal’ flight line tech (Yes! Cuz even assigned me a personal Flight line Tech!!!) said excitedly as she accompanied me around Hello Kitty while I conducted my preflight inspection.
“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the High Priestess actually giving her to me, Danielle. I’ve dreamed of her for eight years.”
“So, what’s she like?”
“She flies like a dream, Danielle.” I swooned.
“No, no. What’s Lady Chance like? I’ve never met her. I’ve heard she’s a real badass in an altercation.”
“I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, but otherwise, I love her like my own mother, Danielle! She’s the best CO anyone could possibly have.”
The twenty-year-old Lynxin female smiled tenderly at my descriptive review of Chance.
“Lyra! Hey, wait up!”
“I was wondering if you would make it, sister! I told you what time I expected to leave today. Remember what I told you about responsibility?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep in!”
“Savanna? Chief Serba Danielle. Danielle? Savanna ‘Princess’ Summers.” I introduced the two.
“Summers? One of the High Preistess’ sisters? Oh! Oh! I-I-I’m…it’s nice to meet you, my lady!”
“Very nice to make your acquaintance, Lady Danielle, and I am her daughter, not her sister.” Savanna answered politely.
Danielle’s mouth dropped open at Savanna’s admission.
“Don’t think too hard on that, Danielle! The High Priestess and her immediate family are very….complicated.” I giggled.
My flight line tech nodded silently, but in confusion.
“Why aren’t you in uniform, Ensign?” I asked as Savanna began to reach for Hello Kitty’s ladder.
“Sorry, LT, I was in a hurry.” Savanna apologized as her civilian clothing suddenly changed to her adult Witch Corps uniform. How she was able to conjure that, only Chance knew.
Danielle’s eyes bulged at the feat!
“Like I said, don’t think too hard on it, Danielle. We’re Current Mages, after all.” I giggled again.
Savanna began to hover off the deck then gracefully lowered herself into my second seat…
While Danielle watched in awe!
“It must be so amazing to have the power…um…to use magic…er, Current like that.”
“Don’t give her a dare, chief, or you’ll really be impressed.” I warned half-heartedly in a quiet voice.
Not to be out done, I hovered off the deck and gracefully seated myself in Hello Kitty.
I began my checklist and when completed, I contacted the hangar master for my departure vector.
“Kitten, sending departure to you now. Captain Serangetti wishes you a safe transfer to the surface and hopes you visit Earth’s Horizon again.”
“Copy. Vector received. Tell my uncle I already miss him.”
“Will do, Kitten. You are clear for departure and the airspace above Capital has been cleared.”
“Copy, and see ya later!” I said calmly as I ‘bumped’ my throttle.
“So…you never said how I look.” Savanna said as we started down through the atmosphere.
“You look good in the uniform, sister, but you still need to earn it the way the rest of us did. Sometimes being able to manifest something others have…without the work, or because you are the High Priestess’ daughter doesn’t mean as much and isn’t the honorable way to gain respect.”
“Well, you kinda put me on the spot back there. What was I supposed to do?” She complained.
“I don’t know? Why not go by ‘Flue Powder’ as Lady Chantell calls it.
“What does an early twenty-first century, cinematic production reference have to do with my practiced method of transport?”
I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Early twenty-first century, cinematic production?” I asked innocently as I turned my head slightly to look back at my passenger.
“Now I know how momma feels.” She sighed. “Never mind.”
“You know? I don’t think I’ll ever figure you Summers’ women out.” I sighed now as I began our final approach.
“Capital Tower. Kitten is on final, but I’m camo’d so will not squawk.” I alerted the control tower.
“Identify and affiliate, Kitten.”
“Lt. Serangetti Lyra, ‘Kitten’, EFMC Witch Corps, Capital Tower.”
There was a noticeable pause in our communication.
“Roger, Kitten. Proceed to the Royal Residence hangar and follow local landing instruction. Capital Control, out.”
With that, I swung us wide over the large city to give Savanna an overhead tour.
 
 
“So, what’s that guy doin’?” Savanna asked as a hangar tech waved his illuminated batons in front of him to indicate where I should stop.
“That’s where they want us to park.” I told her as I looked to my near-field display. It and my interactive cockpit canopy indicated I was being guided in next to Re-tailed- Kitty’s Broom. It was still camo’d, though too.
“Oh.” My passenger acknowledged.
The confused look on the hangar tech’s face and the strange looks from his two assistants that were marking my control surface extents reminded me that Hello Kitty was still in stealth mode.
Placing my ship’s nose mere inches away from his nose and whiskers, I landed and began powering down.
“Disable Camo, please.” I asked, and the hangar tech’s eyes bulged as Hello Kitty suddenly appeared.
He suddenly dropped his batons and ran from the flight line with a strange gait.
Savanna began laughing hysterically!
“Oh! Oh, Goddess! You made him piss himself!” She cackled between gasping breaths.
‘No’, I thought to myself. ‘She’s never heard her aunt use ANY foul language.’
“This time, we’ll use the ladder to exit Hello Kitty, ok?” I strongly suggested as I looked back to my passenger.
“Okaaay already, sheesh!” Savanna capitulated by rolling her eyes.
Re-tailed appeared next to us and my cousin floated out of her cockpit as soon as the canopy opened.
So much for Savanna performing a ‘normal’ egress.
“The uniform looks good on you, Lady Savanna.” Kitty grinned as she appraised her.
“I…felt…I needed to appear to fit in.” Savanna replied as she glared at me.
“Being in that form, the Junior Corps uniform would look strange on you, sweetie. Still, you’ll have to earn the right to wear this. By the way, don’t let your mother see that point at two o’clock. She may just take offense.”
“What’s wrong with the point?”
“The point indicates ranking, sis.” I informed her. “Lady Chance is our two o’clock- our leader. High Priestess. Unfortunately, you have not been ranked yet. Ranking is determined by what talents you carry.”
“Well? I can do pretty much anything I put my mind to. What ranking would that imply?” Savanna asked innocently.
“That would rank you as arrogant and sounds like something a high born Olympian would claim, Lady Savanna.” My cousin answered.
“But, I am…never mind. I promise I’ll only wear this when it’s absolutely necessary, okay?”
Savanna’s clothing changed to what she was wearing before we left Earth’s Horizon.
“Much better, Lady Savanna. Allow me to show you where you will be staying for the next ten days.”
“Aaaaaww, maaaaaan!”
 
 

 
 
“Princess Lyra? Have you a moment, please?” Greer asked as he caught up to me just outside my suite.
“Of course. What’s on your mind?” I asked.
“Lady Savanna. I fear I would be rude in asking if she has some type of learning impediment. Forgive me if I have overstepped my freedoms.”
“Summers Savanna has the mind of an eight-year-old, Greer.” I told him quietly. “And will you speak in a normal fashion? Please?
“Such a shame. Isn’t there anything the High Priestess can do for her sister? And need I remind you, we are in a semi-public area of the Residence.”
I groaned. “Understood.” I then answered his question. “Lady Savanna is the High Priestess’ daughter, Greer. She IS only eight standard years old.”
“How in the worlds can that be possible? She appears almost my age- eighteen.”
“You could say a pure-blood Current Mage develops at a different rate than the rest of us. But I wouldn’t allow myself to be caught mentioning such topics around her presence.” I warned with a wink. My personal steward swallowed loudly as his eyes widened.
“No, I shall keep that in mind, Princess Lyra. We shall forget this inquiry ever happened.”
“That would be a good thing. Please step into my suite and I will bring you up to date on my young sister in arms.” I said motioning him into the social area of my suite.
“So, it’s like this. Savanna was in her original eight-year-old body two weeks ago- at my adult initiation.”
“Okaaaaaay?” Greer responded. He seemed to just be humoring me though and my heart began to ache.
“I’m serious, Greer!” I said as my uniform manifested and my wand appeared in my hand.
“Woah! How’d you do that, Lyra?”
“I told you…I’m in Witch Corps, Greer. Didn’t you believe me?”
My steward looked at me with a slight spark of fear in his eyes.
“I…I didn’t think you were a-a-a a Current Mage.”
“What do you think Witch Corps is? You think we’re just another military unit?”
Greer gulped audibly.
“And is Lady Savanna…”
“Lady Savanna is, at best, part of the ‘junior’ Corps. Because of some ‘quirk’ she had to physically grow in order to contain her increasing Current reserve. She IS only eight years old, but her Current needed more space. My cousin and I have spent the last fourteen days helping her to adjust to her new ‘physical’ age. There is only so much we can teach her about being a ‘grown-up’, Greer.” I told him.
“Which brings us back to your original question. Why would you ask if she had some learning shortcoming?”
My door alert sounded at that moment.
“Lady Lyra? May I enter?” Kitty asked when I answered the alert.
“Please, cousin.”
“My queen!” Greer cried in exasperation while falling to his knee and bowing reverently.
“Get up, Greer! We’re behind closed doors.”
“Thank you, my Queen!”
Kitty sneered at my steward a moment.
“Lyra? I’m worried about Savanna. She seems more prone to her tantrums of late and I foresee bad things happening to unsuspecting citizens.”
“Greer and I were just discussing the same topic, cousin. He was just starting to give his report when you arrived.” I told her.
“Aaah. So, by all means, continue.” Kitty motioned suspiciously.
“You were saying something about ‘tantrums’?” I hinted.
“While walking down a hallway earlier today, several male Terran academic students tried to initiate a conversation with Lady Savanna. They seemed intent to become…friendly…or at least tried to.” He told us. “The Lady became very agitated and seemed on the verge of emotion then suddenly vanished. I’m afraid she lost those two admirers, and I am afraid she will lose more if she continues to respond in that way. Now that you have told me the reason, I fear someone will suffer from her tantrums adversely.”
“I knew this would become a problem, Lyra. We should’ve never agreed to coach her on being an adult.”
“It was my fault, cousin. I thought I…thought we could help her in that matter. She cannot help her situation and I thought…if taught to be an adult…”
“And I said at the time that ONLY time can teach her maturity, didn’t I? Still, I am just as guilty. We need to find her before she can do harm to herself or others. I promised Chance I would watch over her until she desired to go back to base.”
“Cuz, you forget that I too promised to protect and instruct Savanna while visiting us. Now, I think I know where to find her.” I reminded.
“Where do you think she has ‘popped’ off to?” Kitty questioned.
“Savanna has shown particular interest in piloting a Broom, cousin. I suggest we head to the simulators.”
“That would make sense. Greer, you’re coming too, right?” my cousin ‘suggested’.
“It would be my honor, majesty.”
 
 
“Your intuition serves you well, cousin.”
“It was the obvious place to start, my queen.” I answered.
We were among the population and I didn’t feel it was proper to be informal.
How has the pupil done so far?” Kitty asked the sim moderator.
“My queen! Lady Savanna has an extraordinary grasp of the flight controls and concepts. I do, however, see inexperience with situational drills. She barely survived a minor fault scenario and I was just going to simulate something a little more serious.”
“Would you mind us attending her training?”
“Not at all, majesty! Your abilities behind the control stock are legendary.”
Savanna’s moderator relinquished his seat and motioned for Kitty to be seated.
“What shall I throw at her, Lyra?” My cousin asked with a very devious smile.
“Can you recreate Witch Corps’ campaign at Elcano?” I asked.
“But she would require a broom to accomplish a satisfactory resolution.”
“I happen to have my sim files from the Corps’ simulator. Allow me a moment to augment a broom for her. Recall her from this mission, please.” I said as I seated myself at the system computer to upload my broom files and the specified scenario.
Kitty nodded to our moderator and relinquished the seat at the control console.
“Starfighter LT-15, return to base. You have been requested for another mission.”
“Okay, I’m on my way back.”
“Copy that Princess. Hangar control has been notified.”
“See what I mean, majesty? Her piloting skills are impressive, but she lacks proper communications etiquette, and as I said, situational experience.”
Kitty smiled then took a deep breath.
“What you are about to see goes no farther than this room. Am I clear?” Kitty said with deadly seriousness.
“My security clearance is nineteen, majesty, so you are crystal.”
Greer just looked on from off to my left.
“Good. Let’s make this an official mission simulation, Lady Lyra.” My cousin smiled, her canines showing.
We both donned our uniforms.
To say the simulator moderator and my steward were startled was a gross understatement.
“Let me know when she lands.” Kitty ordered.
“Aye, my queen.” Our moderator acknowledged.
 
 
“Majesty, the trainee has just landed and is performing her post-flight.”
Lady Lyra? Is her Broom and the scenario uploaded?”
“Aye, Lady Kitty. Uploaded and queued to begin.”
“Thank you, my lady. Lord Moderator, care to make the announcement?” Kitty asked formally as she prepared for her part of the simulation.
“Princess. Please stand by for an incoming message from her Royal Majesty, Queen Kitty Sinae.” He announced and pointed to Kitty with a three count of his fingers after sending an alert to Savanna’s simulated DataTab.
“Lady Savanna. We have received an urgent distress call from the Magellan System. Somehow the Hoblins have re-initiated their assault on Elcano and Magellan Defense Command requests our assistance. Rendezvous with Witch Corps Flight 1 at the coordinates you will receive upon departure. The High Priestess has authorized your use of Pegasus20, Oracle. Acknowledge.”
Savanna screeched in excitement from our display of the simulated hangar. So loud in fact, we easily heard her outside of the well-insulated simulator cabin!
“Thank you, Queen Kitty! I shall not let you down, majesty!” She vowed with a wide smile.
The virtual scene changed to that of Witch Corps Broom Closet.
Another ear-splitting screech assaulted our ears as the virtual Pegasus20’s hangar door opened and the gleaming chrome craft appeared to her and on our monitors.
Our moderator’s mouth opened, but no words were heard as his hand came up to the display and reverently let his fingers skim over the simulated craft on it. Greer looked stunned.
“Princess. Time is of the essence. You are to preflight Oracle and prepare for departure.” Kitty commanded.
“Kitty, Re-tailed. Prepare to link to simulator,” Kitty leaned over to get the ID number, “RR23. We’re going on a simulated mission with Princess.”
“Linking in now, Kitty. Ready when you are.”
“Kitten, Hello Kitty. Hey girl, want to do a simulation with Princess?”
“Thought you’d never ask, Kitten! Link established to Re-Tailed and Simulator RR23. Call the ball.” My Broom answered excitedly.
“Linking simulation modules RR24 and RR25 to RR 23 confirmed, majesty.” Our moderator acknowledged.
“We’ll wait until she’s ready to rendezvous with us to go in.” Kitty told him.
 
 
“Princess, Broom Closet Control. Pre-flight has concluded and I’m ready for departure.” Savanna announced after a few minutes.
My cousin looked to our moderator for confirmation.
“She’s successfully completed the supplied pre-flight list, majesty. Zero mistakes or overlooks.”
Kitty nodded. “Send the rendezvous coordinates, Lady Lyra.”
“Aye, Lady Kitty. Princess, you will meet Kitty and Kitten at the transmitted coordinates. Confirm receipt.” My voice sounded like our Broom Closet Control AI as we continued to watch the simulation.
“Copy, Broom Closet Control. Coordinates received and course has been plotted to intercept. Requesting departure vector.”
Kitty nodded to me and I sent the standard vector then initiated the simulated, automatic departure routine for our base.
“Time to get in the saddle, cuz. Ready to see what she’s really got?”
I smiled and walked over to my assigned simulator module.
 
 
“Pegasus20, Witch Corps Flight 1. I’m on approach to rendezvous coordinates. Copy?”
“Good to see you, Princess. Kitten and I were worried you got lost.”
“Hey, Princess! Welcome to the festivities!” I greeted as I watched Savanna’s Broom skew in and tighten herself into our small formation.
“Pegasus12: Demeter, Witch Corps Flight 1. Permission to join the festivities? California Dreamin’ and I have been hoping for some fun.” Demi’s voice broke over our comms.
The moderator’s face appeared on my display.
“I’m sorry, ladies! RR26 just came online by itself! I have no idea what is happening.” He apologized.
“What’s SHE doing here?” Savanna’s voice demanded, a little surprised.
“Welcome to the party, Demeter! Form-up on my three.” Kitty welcomed.
“It’s okay, Lord Moderator, she’s one of us. Lady Demi Freyja, callsign: ‘Demeter’.”
“Understood…wait! Now RR27 just came online!”
“Greetings, Witch Corps Flight 1. Pegasus11, Olympic Huntress and Zeus’ Pride also wish to engage in the mission.”
“Hey, long time no see, Artie!” Kitty greeted excitedly.
“Also a member of the Coven, Lady Lyra?” Our moderator asked in extreme surprise.
“Yep!” I giggled before switching back to our simulated comms.
“My lady, it is good to see you again! Welcome to Witch Corps Flight 1.”
“Hey, Kitten! Congrats on the party! Sorry I couldn’t make it. I had prior ‘engagements’.”
“No offense taken, Olympic Huntress. Enjoy the mission.”
“Formal welcome to you, my lady. It is good to see you again.” Savanna welcomed.
“Formal welcome to you also, little one. May our mission be fruitful and faultless?”
“Here, here, my lady! Let’s send them all to Tartarus!” Savanna replied in a very different tone. It was almost guttural in pitch and animalistic in intent.
“Keep the chatter down, Flight 1!” Kitty ordered. “Magellan in ten LY’s. Prepare to slow to sublight, but stay in deep space camo until we engage. Flight 1, acknowledge.”
“Pegasus20, acknowledge.”
“Pegasus11, acknowledge.”
“Pegasus12, acknowledge.”
“Pegasus13, acknowledge.” I responded.
“Pegasus3, acknowledge. Let’s go get’em, girls!” Kitty ordered.
 
 
“What in uncle’s name is that thing?” Demeter cried out as Elcano came into view on the second part of the simulated mission.
“A Deathstar? Really? Some simulation!” Savanna cried foul.
“Cut the chatter, Princess! Elcano is Magellan’s fortified moon and my sensors indicate it’s lining up to fire on the planet. Our job is to stop it at all cost.” Kitty growled. “And for your information, this was an actual mission. Form up!”
While I remembered the mission, I had not witnessed the immensity of Elcano from this perspective. Nor had I noticed the huge dish-like depression in its surface! I had only run the first half- purifying the escaping shuttles- and selected the ground assault option for part two.
“Any ideas on how we can disable this thing?” Olympic Huntress asked in an impressed tone.
“Like, ‘GULP’?” Demeter added. I stifled my giggle and shook my head.
“I suggest finding a way to disable its gravitational drive somehow.” Kitty hinted.
I remembered hearing about this and what Lady Chance did to do just that. It didn’t work, but…
“I’ll take a shot at it! I just happen to have a hot IPBM in my arsenal, Kitty. Permission to try an attack run on one of the exhaust ports. I’ll shove it right up its ass!” Savanna announced.
“I don’t think it’ll work, but go ahead and try, Princess. You are clear to engage.” Kitty granted.
“Blue leader; starting my attack run.” Savanna announced confidently.
I watched as Savanna expertly peeled off from our formation and lined Oracle up for her attack. I had to admit, she definitely had the piloting skills.
“I’m lining up with the exhaust vent.” She announced and pointed her broom directly at the moon-sized weapon.
“Okay, I’m lined up. Keep them off my tail, ladies.” She announced, but I could hear Oracle alerting our sister of impending avoidance actions if she chose to get closer to the moon.
“A little farther…WHAT? NO!” She screamed in anger as we saw Oracle re-immerge from the moon’s horizon.
“RR23 HAS LEFT THE SIMULATION. SIMULATION TERMINATED.”
Shaking my head, I shut down my simulator and opened its hatch.
Savanna looked furious!
“What the hell was that all about?” She demanded, her face bright red with anger as she glared at my cousin.
“That, MY LADY, was an actual sortie that took place eight years ago in the Magellan system!” Kitty growled calmly. “Your mother, Lady Chance, successfully redeployed that missile, which detonated in the moon’s center, but failed to disable Elcano, or its main weapon!”
“So I couldn’t win?” Savanna huffed childishly.
“No, we had to enter one of the hangars and manually disable the moon’s power source. What made you think you could make a successful run on that port without first mapping the moon’s many defensive emplacements? It was foolish and dangerous!”
“I could’ve done it if my broom didn’t take evasive action! Why were Oracle’s limits narrowed?!”
“There were no such modifications, Princess. Oracle’s parameters matched those of our prototypes of the time.” I explained.
I noticed our moderator’s head pop up from his monitoring console. Greer also had a strange, unreadable expression on what I could see of his face over a secondary console.
“You- you mean they can actually reach 45LY’s/sec?” Our moderator gulped.
I caught myself grinning from whisker to whisker!
“You relate none of this to anyone- under penalty of something worse than death! Both of you! Understand?” Kitty commanded angrily. She had slowly extended her deadly pointer claw at him. “Lyra, delete all evidence of our simulation from the system.”
“Aye, Lady Kitty.”
“Oracle? A word, if you please?” Lady Artemis requested as she exited her module.
“Is that like, all? I didn’t get to like, fire too many shots?” Lady Demi proclaimed sadly as she approached.
“Not now, Demeter. This training mission needs debriefed.” Artemis warned.
“Fine. But next mission I want something like, to really fire at?”
“Lyra’s suite in ten minutes.” Kitty ordered as she stormed out of the simulator complex.
 
 
“First order of business. Is there any way to prevent Princess from disappearing from this debrief?” Kitty directed her question to our two Olympian sisters.
“Highly unlikely, My Lady. This Oracle is the strongest either of us has encountered.” Artemis admitted. Lady Demi nodded in agreement.
“Strongest…you’ve encountered?” I asked curiously. “I don’t understand.”
“Savanna is an atypical oracle, Lady Lyra.” I suddenly found the two of us on a huge, grassy field; in the distance, an ancient looking building sitting atop a tall, steeply sloped mountain.
“She has characteristics of Terran, Olympian, and Titan in her array.” Artemis continued as she motioned me to follow her.
“I can understand Terran and Olympian, but how or why Titan? What is a Titan? I’ve never heard of that subspecies before.” I asked. We were heading toward the base of the mountain.
“That’s because they ceased to exist over a million standard eons ago, my lady. As to how, do you remember our mission to Kane, eight years ago?”
I nodded. “Lady Chance completely destroyed one of the primary Hoblins.”
“Do you remember how our High Priestess accomplished that feat all by herself?” She asked as she motioned me to follow her into a cave-like opening. I followed her down into the heart of the mountain along a narrow, confining tunnel.
“I remember she said something about ‘absorbing’ his Current.”
“Actually, my lady, Nike absorbed the monster’s lifeblood, and its very soul.” A male, baritone voice informed us.
I knew that voice.
“Lord Hephestus? Is that you?” I asked.
“It is, my lady Lyra. How nice to see you again. I bid you welcome.”
“Hey, Hephus! Is it done yet?”
“Almost, Artie. By the time Lady Lyra understands the ‘oddities’ of our little oracle, it should be complete.”
“Care to ‘enlighten’ me on what is going on here, Lady Artemis? Lord Hephestus?” I asked angrily.
“Simply, my lady, I’m making a ‘leash’ for Lady Savanna. Hopefully, she will not defeat it for several weeks.” Hephestus explained.
That caught my attention and I think my expression betrayed me.
“Savanna shares many characteristics with her mother. Chance is amazingly intuitive with puzzles. It won’t take Savanna long to figure out my latest device. So, for instructional purposes, Savanna possesses some of Chance’s array- as any daughter would, but... Nike is unique in that she also has portions of her Great-Grandfather, Chronos, in her array. You see, M’lady, in order to win the battle for Olympus it took a ‘Titan’ to beat a Titan. Nike defeated and vanquished the Titan, Chronos. Her Great-grandfather.” He explained as he handed me a beautifully stained wooden box.
It was starting to make a small amount of sense as I opened the box’s lid.
“These are earrings.”
“They are, but with a special feature that will retain her to your plane of reality. Make sure she wears them at all times. There is a subtle compulsion similar to one I applied to your jewelry.” He motioned to my earrings.
“I was drawn…” I gasped in realization.
“So you see; the jewelry will not hurt you…or her, my lady.”
“Thanks, Hephus. We should be going now.” Artemis said as she placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Wait!” I interrupted. “You didn’t explain about Lady Chance… and these ‘Titans’.”
“So I have. Well, Nike absorbed the essence of Evans back on Kane just as she did a million eons ago in our dire campaign against the Titans.”
At my uncomprehending look, he explained further.
“Lady Nike won that day, long ago, by ‘absorbing’ the Titans’ leader….Chronos. By absorbing his ‘soul’ she integrated it into her own ‘essence’. Chance, being the reincarnation of our sister, Nike, shared part of her essence with her progeny. Hence, Savanna may be even more powerful than her mother, but since she has little or no formal training in using her talents, she needs… ‘limited’- restrained if you will, until her maturity equals her physical form.”
I was overwhelmed!
“Ah. You see the caveat.” Hephestus nodded, seeing my change of expression.
“Time to go, my lady.” Artemis nudged my shoulder gently.
“Many thanks to you, Lord Hephestus.” I bowed gently to the big, Terran-like male.
“And to you, Lady Serangetti Lyra. Stop back when you can. You will always be welcome here on Olympus.”
Nodding, I again followed Artemis back out of the mountain and into the huge grassy field.
My private suite appeared around us again.
“Have a good visit, my lady?” Lady Demi asked with a big, brilliant, knowing smile.
“I have, but it was short. Lord Hephestus wishes me to give you this, Lady Savanna.” I told my ‘little’ sister as I noticed her come into my suite.
“Oooooooooh, pretty.” She swooned upon laying sight of them.
“Allow me to install them, Lady Savanna?” Artemis offered.
“Is it gonna hurt?” She whined.
“I helped your mother with her very first two pairs, and she didn’t even flinch.” Artemis revealed.
With little complaint, Savanna agreed to the piercings, afterwards conjuring a mirror to inspect the result.
“Very pretty, my Lady.” I offered compliment.
“Now, let’s start the debrief!” Kitty demanded.
“Lady Savanna. According to our simulation moderator, your flight skills are excellent, as is your attention to landing and launch procedures. However, he thinks your communication proficiency is lacking by Galactic Service standards. I’m sure that after moderating one of our mission simulations though, he has changed that opinion slightly.”
“Thank you, My Lady.” Savanna bowed in appreciation.
“Now, as to what happened and didn’t happen on this simulated mission.”
“What happened is that you followed proper Witch Corps protocol while in formation. What didn’t happen is the completion of the mission. Several deficiencies became blatantly visible as the mission advanced. First, you failed to think through the course of attack you decided to follow. In that, you failed to survey our objective to collect important data about its surface dimensions and topography. I believe you merely ‘copied’ your mother’s chosen plan of attack of eight standard years ago. Your fault was abbreviating the requisite reconnaissance portion of her plan. Second, you showed little concern for your equipment and its safety features! Those safety features are there to keep you safe, Savanna! And before you restate your original complaint, the Broom parameters of all three… all five of our Brooms matched the parameters we flew with that day. We did not intentionally limit your Broom’s specifications! Thirdly, your lack of concern revealed a sizable gap in your physical age versus actual age ratio. In short, you lacked the maturity to successfully complete the mission. Your overconfidence made you arrogant. So much so, that you decided to show-off.”
“But you changed the parameters on the simulation!” Savanna attacked.
“No parameters were changed, my lady! I participated in that mission! I watched Hope and a Pair’s archive of your mother’s approach; her conversation and spoken thoughts as she dove at the moon and rematerialized the missile inside the moon’s core from one thousand-fifty meters above that exhaust port.
“One thousand and fifty meters?”
“Yes, 1050m. My remote display of your altitude indicated you were already much lower- nine hundred and eighty-six meters! As I said, you were showing off, Savanna! With little original thought! Plain and simple!”
“Your display was wrong!” She huffed in anger.
“I was monitoring your vitals also, sister. Lady Kitty is not in error.” I informed her.
“Liars! You’re both wrong! You just don’t want me to have a Broom! I don’t have to listen to this bullshit!” She screamed.
Suddenly her eyes opened wide and she glared at our two Olympian sisters!
“What did you do to me, Artemis? Or was it you, Demeter?” Savanna demanded.
“What do you like, mean, my lady?” Demi asked in confusion.
“These earrings! You cursed the earrings, didn’t you, Artemis?” Savanna accused bitterly.
“I did not. And you should watch who you accuse, young Oracle! Your actual age is showing through that apparently grown-up body. It is very…unprofessional…very…immature.” Artemis aggressively pointed her finger at our sister. “You would do well not to anger me.” She warned.
Savanna broke into tears as she fell to the floor and curled up into a fetal position!
“I wanna go home! I want my momma!” She wailed repeatedly.
“Part of ‘really’ growing up is learning this very lesson, child.” My cousin said softly. “That lesson being; things don’t always go your way. And, you must be accountable for your own actions.”
“You can’t always get your way, ‘Vanna.” Lady Demi simplified as she leaned down and placed a gentle hand on the girl. “Not even Olympians like us. Some things we just can’t control- some things we just can’t foresee.”
Savanna quieted instantly and looked up to Lady Demi with such hate…
“Get it out of your system, young Oracle.” Lady Demi suggested. “The sooner you do, the sooner we can re-establish cordial relations.” She continued to dare.
The illumination of the room decreased significantly for several seconds then returned to normal. Savanna again broke into hysterical sobbing.
“I WANT MY MOMMA!” She cried out as the illumination dimmed again.
Lady Demi’s hand contacted Savanna’s face with a loud, impressive, and totally unexpected ‘SLAP’!
Demeter seemed to glow in some unknown, unnatural aura.
“You will not be seeing you ‘momma’ until you learn to behave yourself, Savanna Summers! And…if you insist on throwing such childish temper-tantrums, you will be corrected in a similar manner each time. Have I made myself clear, young Oracle?” Demeter hissed as her ‘aura’ pulsed ominously.
“I was wondering how long you would hold out, sister.” Artemis applauded. “May I remind you that Savanna IS only eight standard years of age and IS still of that mindset. I do feel though, that some form of ‘reinforcement’ was quickly becoming necessary.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes! One of our two Olympian sisters had just struck little Savanna!
“Forgive my brutality, Majesties.” Lady Demi looked up to both of us in apology. “The child was attempting to banish me to some unknown dimension. I was successful in repelling that attempt. That…angered me, and I momentarily forgot myself, and whom I was addressing. I beg your forgiveness.”
My cousin looked at the sobbing woman still curled up on the floor. “Have you learned anything from this incident, Savanna?”
My ‘little’ sister said nothing. Kitty repeated her inquiry.
“You are being spoken to, young Oracle! Answer your elder!” Artemis growled angrily as Savanna began to rise off the floor, reposition vertically, and hover stationary.
Savanna refused to answer.
“Demeter may not want to re-engage, but I have no qualms about ‘readjusting’ a spoiled child’s attitude until I see improvement.” Artemis hissed malevolently.
“Di? The girl’s only eight.” Demeter interrupted.
“And that excuses her from sending you Zeus-knows-where? No Demi, the girl wants to act like an adult; she needs to suffer the consequences that any ‘grown-up’ would experience!”
Savanna suddenly became very quiet, straightened her body out, and stared out past Artemis with a cold, far-away gaze.
“What did you do to her, Di?” Demi asked in confusion.
Kitty and I knew that look quite well, but from Lady Chance.
“She has seen something.” I revealed. “That is the same look Chance has when her Current tells her something.”
“I’m not sure that is the case, my ladies!” Artemis said in doubt. “I think it just another way to manipulate her circumstances. We have not shown her pity therefore, she tries something different. Our Oracle is not unintelligent in the least, sisters!”
“Pegasus, from the closet has slipped dimensions.” Savanna interrupted in a strange, echoing monotone. “The mission to fail.”
“What mission?” Kitty asked in surprise.
“Only juniors to heed absence.” Savanna continued. “The champions disappear.”
“What mission?” Kitty asked again.
Savanna’s eyes closed slowly, and her head slumped over.
“Has she done this previously?” Artemis asked in concern as she regarded the now unconscious oracle.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before, my lady!” I answered.
“Demeter? What thinks you?” Artemis asked.
“Not sure, Di. It sounded like one of the Oracles to me, though. Maybe a call to Witch Corps Base is in order for confirmation?”
“You think that was a prophecy? It made little to no sense.” I exclaimed. “Though, it sounded ominous.
“They rarely make sense. Because of that, they sound very foreboding, Lady Lyra. Sometimes the facts are hidden, obscurely described, out of order, all, or a combination. It is up to us, the recipients, to puzzle through the true meaning.”
“So what do we do now?’ I asked.
Lady Demi giggled- a twinkle in her eyes. “Now we like, puzzle?”