Page 82 of Return of the Nine

A dark shape rose out of the water and sped toward them, riding high on the water.

“That is a Tokkel ship.” Weelar’s voice was nervous.

“Not anymore. It has been rewired to my genetic key. The Nitka crashed in the ocean, and my cousin Neeka and I worked to reprogram it and make it suitable for our work.”

Rivvin watched the huge, open-topped vessel approach. “How did you know how to reprogram it?”

“Um, we had a friend who helped us figure it out. Techs are not thick on the ground here, but she managed to give us a schematic after she worked things out.”

“What is her name?”

“Ularica. She’s on a retreat right now. She is trying to still her mind.”

“Ah, I thought it might have been the Potential.” Rivvin smiled.

“Nope. Signy isn’t mechanically inclined. She can understand stuff but not repurpose it. Ula agreed that if we had the vessel, it would be more useful than leaving it in the water, so she helped us design the changes. It took us the better part of the year, but we got the Nitka up and running.”

Emharo watched the beast of a ship come to the dock and settle in the water, the gangplank descending with a smooth move.

“So, you and your cousin rebuilt the brain of this ship?” Weelar swallowed nervously.

“No, we built a brain for this ship. There wasn’t one. The whole front compartment was ripped wide open by your ships. We used the engines and the framework. The rest was shaped one panel at a time.”

She heaved the tanks onto her shoulder, lifted the bag of items she had collected and walked toward her pride and joy.

Rivvin had a bag of his own with him, but he grabbed her tanks from her without a word. Weelar was hanging back as if afraid to get too close to the Tokkel construction.

Her boots thudded on the plank as she headed onto the deck of the Nitka. She caressed the side of the ship, “Hello, sweetie.”

Rivvin looked at her with an amused expression, and Weelar rushed onto the deck, relaxing by inches.

“Are we ready? Do we need anything?”

Rivvin gave her a challenging look. “Do we have water and food aboard?”

Em lifted her bag. “Dry rations and well water, but it will do.”

Weelar swallowed, “If we find likely species, we can have something for lunch.”

She chuckled and went to the controls, withdrawing the plank and placing her hands on the flat screen for identification. A halo emerged from the ship, and with a smooth move, she settled it on her head.

“What is that, Emharo?”

“The controls. Take a seat, we are on our way.”

With no other warning, the ship lifted in the water and headed out to sea.

Chapter Seven

The Nitka was stable in the water. It rode high on a cushion of air and water for balance. Ula’s engine design was amazing, and it always struck Em that her friend was truly one of the most brilliant and tortured people that Em had ever met.

She came to the seating area and smiled at her guests. “So, do you have a plan once we arrive?”

Rivvin smiled, “Of course. I have a series of tags that I will use to mark the species that were identified in our histories as being suitable for tank raising. Once the markers are in place, I will summon a collecting ship, and it will come and scoop up the entire shoal of fish.”

“Good. Weelar, will you be entering the water? We have a wet hatch in the bottom of the ship.” She offered it to him, sensing that he would prefer to enter the water from a secure are.

“I will. It has been a while, and I don’t think I have ever been in open water before.”

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