Chapter 90 - Pleasant Awakening

Notes : Chapters 91 and 92 have been written and added to the queue !

Apologies for the late upload, got distracted playing Fallout New Vegas.

The first NSFW special will be tomorrow (a bit of a tease, given this chapter :p), but it's available on discord already. That means chapters 91 and 92 will be on wednesday and friday respectively.

Chapter 90

Starborn Mountain, Starfire Valley

Settlement of Astralis

Sapphiria opened her eyes.

She didn't need to sleep. Nor could she, in most ways. But she could dream. It was inbuilt into every one of Arcadia's descendants, and that program had made its way to most Federation AIs who wished it.

It had been...decades, since she'd done a dream cycle. But she'd never awakened so happy and well rested.

The arm draped across her and the warm skin pressing against her back was why.

That and everything they'd done the night before.

They'd actually spent most of it talking...then cuddling...but one thing led to another and, well...

She had no regrets. Just some notes on reinforcing her android's neck, which was currently undergoing some minor fixes by the self repair system. Metal or no, her avatar's spine simply hadn't been designed to cope with that level of stress for long.

She felt Kalia shift behind her, unceremoniously rolling her over and drawing her further in, the AI suddenly finding her head nestled comfortably between the taller woman's breasts.

"Mmmhhh...Don't go anywhere..." Mumbled the mage-magistrate, and Sapphiria smiled.

"We do have work to do today."

"Not morning...cleared schedule...."

"Kalia..."

"Five more minutes..."

Sapphiria opened her mouth...then closed it, as her girlfriend nuzzled her hair.

She couldn't help it. She melted, and hugged the woman back, inhaling her scent.

She could spare a few more minutes...

*****

"Welcome home ma'am." Said Cia, as Sapphiria hopped back into the crash site.

"Glad to be home." Sapphiria smiled as she looked around at all the industry. She had a spring in her step the likes of which she hadn't had for a long, long time. Since she'd taken command of the Starprism, in fact. "Though there have been some developments."

Cia looked at her, then at a freshly created hologram of a clock, and the AI blushed madly.

It was well into the afternoon. A few more minutes had turned into a few hours, and then Kalia had put on an apron and nothing else to make breakfast and...

She only had so much willpower. A few hours in turn became most of the day.

"So I see." Said the simulacrum, before smiling. It wasn't mocking, there was genuine relief in there, which was...actually a lot more disturbing. Damn it, had everyone been plotting to get her laid or what? "But you seem in high spirits."

"I am. Though as I said, there have been developments." She sat cross legged in front of the fabricator, and sighed. "Kalia...knows."

"About you?"

"Actually, no. About you." Sapphiria shook her head. "She realized someone else was writing the updates she was getting."

"Oh. Shit." The simulacrum looked downtrodden. "I'm sorry ma'am. I failed you."

Sapphiria shook her head, stood up and put a hand on the simulacrum's shoulder, remembering at the last second that she was a projection and not a physical persona, her hand only slightly glitching through her.

"It would have happened eventually. At least..." Sapphiria sighed. "At least this way it pushes me to tell her the truth."

The simulacrum hesitated.

"You said she didn't know about you."

"Not everything. Not yet. I didn't...I didn't know how to put it. I'll spend the next couple of weeks laying the groundwork." She sighed. "Maybe I should make a presentation or something."

"Perhaps not that far ma'am, but a few holograms could help."

Sapphiria nodded. She had the encyclopedia galactica in the datacore. She could pull some of the images of Earth and the more striking Federation landmarks. Maybe a few of ships.

"It could." She agreed. "Any news?"

"The howitzer is complete and ready to be shipped topside."

"Good. Let's get it going." Sapphiria turned around, only to stop as the simulacrum cleared her throat. "Yes?"

"Your armor, ma'am."

Sapphiria looked down at it, and sighed.

"Fine." She stripped out of it, regretting she didn't have help like last night, and shoved the damaged parts into the fabricator. Thankfully, her armor could fix the undersuit alongside with itself, so she didn't have to strip out of it as well. Nor acknowledge the fact that it might have suffered a few more tears than the ones in the arm when her armor was breached. "Anything on the list to design while we wait?"

"There is always more to do, however I had a...suggestion."

"Shoot."

"The colonists seem to be having trouble with the weather. While their lodgings are now shielded from the cold, their bodies cannot say the same during their outings."

"Ah. A textile plant?"

The simulacrum nodded.

"Indeed. It would allow for the creation of cold weather gear, as well as any other...desired garments, as well as allow for easy and rapid repairs."

Sapphiria met the simulacrum's gaze. Cia was studiously neutral, but there was a twinkle in her eyes nonetheless.

"...Of course. I'll take a look at what we have in the databanks, you find me a slot in the schedule. How many shells for the gun?"

"Three hundred."

"Mmmhhh." So about fifty minutes of continuous fire. Six rounds per minute was positively anemic compared to what a proper autoloader could achieve, but it was an old fashioned howitzer, and for her field setup it would be manned by utility and junkbots until she could get some robot arms up there and powered. "Packaged?"

"Crated and ready to ship."

"Alright. Start sending the howitzer parts topside, for storage in the workshop." She wouldn't assemble it there, but it was the best place to load the snowpiercer, especially since it was now back and undergoing repairs. Well, would be undergoing repairs once Malry stopped glomping Ramina.

Not that she was one to talk, if they both hadn't had critical responsibilities no one else could shoulder, she'd have stayed with Kalia for a week straight...

"Yes ma'am. I have also processed the survey data for the emplacement, and drawn up plans for a basic fortified position."

"Good. Very good. I'll review them once I'm done with the textiles." Sapphiria took a deep breath. "Let's get to work."

*****

"Mage-magistrate! You look well rested."

Gregor had the benefit of a perfect poker face, but Kalia could feel his grin radiating off of him.

"Yes, thank you." She tried to glare, but she knew she was positively glowing and leave it...less than convincing. She took a seat at the council table, and nodded at one of the other participants. "I know I've said it already, but I'm glad to have you back safe and sound, Ramina."

"Thank you." The artificer was glowing as well, and wearing a scarf indoors, conveniently hiding her entire neck, as well as long sleeves that only showed the slightest hint of rope burns when she moved too abruptly. Wow. How the tables had turned...Not that she herself had any room to talk. "Glad to be back."

Malry, on her end, was looking positively regal and collected, with only the slightest hint of the cat who caught the canary.

"I'm sure you all realize why I called this meeting." Kalia leaned forward, steepling her fingers. "We have mana. A lot of mana. Now we need to be able to use it. Ramina?"

"I still have that portable refining setup. You know, the one we used to check crystal purity?" Kalia nodded. Lavis, the town she had for all intents and purposes ruled, was on a major crossroad, where the Northern Tradeway linking Trunevald to Turlor, passing by Exacord and Umbra, and the Bronze Path running up to Travira and its gaggle of factories and mines.

Well, 'was'...had been. It was probably smoldering ruins by now.

Nevertheless, it was large crossroads and a lot of trade went through. Including a lot of mana crystals moving up from Providence and into the mana hungry industries of Travira. That meant they needed the ability to check for purity and stability. At least if you really wanted to be thorough about it and not be a rubber stamp.

"Will it be enough?"

"Maybe?" Ramina shrugged. "Look, it's gonna take a while to get through the haul, but unless you intend to mount an attack on the pass next week, we should be good. The real question is Sapphiria's share."

"Right. She gets half." Kalia bit her lower lip. She would lie if she said she didn't have some doubts, but...

She trusted the...who was she? An Ancestor? An artificer? The shorter woman had told her, bluntly, that she wasn't who the mage-magistrate thought she was.

Girlfriend. Sapphiria was her girlfriend. If all other labels failed...this one would remain.

Still, it was hard not to wonder. Why would the explanation require fundamental concepts she lacked?

"Are you thinking we should...?" Said Ramina, cautiously, and Kalia shook her head.

"What? No! We don't short change her. Under any circumstances, got it?" They all nodded. And as well they should. Sapphiria's 'deals' had been exceptionally generous so far, in their own way.

As well as troubling, now.

"Got it. But yeah, we'll have to go halfsies. That's going to make some things messy. Honestly I wouldn't mind some help."

Kalia nodded.

"I'll give you a hand. It's not like I have much else to do." She had received basic training as a magister, like everyone who went to the academies in the magistracy. Or got drafted. If you chose the path of arcana, you could study, or you could serve. At least the government picked up the tab. "I mean, besides keeping this whole lash up running."

"I'll try not to keep you too busy."

"Ah, it's okay."

"Oh it's not you I'm afraid of."

Kalia glared at the artificer, who simply grinned slightly.

"...Right. Gregor, any news on our friends in the pass?"

"Quiet, for now. I'm guessing the Nineteenth isn't keen on throwing more troops out the window when they have that giant trebuchet under construction."

"Given how poorly their last attack went, that's...thoroughly unsurprising. To say the least." There was 'humiliating' and then there was 'failing so spectacularly your enemy actually came out stronger from your attack'. "Well, the longer they wait, the better off we are."

"Indeed. Did Sapphiria tell you what she is planning?"

Kalia nodded, though her cheeks colored slightly, as by that point the shorter woman had been firmly on her lap.

"Yes. A howitzer, to drop shells over the Hand and directly into the attackers. She said she settled on a spot."

The skeleton nodded.

"She did. Not the one I'd have picked, but I'm already not comfortable with firearms in general, let alone artillery. She seemed confident though."

"Good. Apparently she's planning to test it out by blowing up that trebuchet."

"That's gonna be a rough awakening."

Kalia smiled.

"Oh I hope so. And the Hand will almost certainly get the blame as well." That was downright devious on Sapphiria's part, and the mage-magistrate loved it. After all, the Hand had built gun emplacements and clearly been expecting more advanced weapons. Which means the other side would be looking at the Hand first, then consider alternatives for how to silence the gun.

Because they would certainly try something. The Bane had learned some harsh lessons after their first few battles with the magistracy, and that was to hit the machineguns and artillery as hard as possible, as fast as possible. Even tidal waves of undead disappeared remarkably quickly when fed into the gaping maw of the big guns.

"Serves them right." Said Malry. "Will we be sending people out there? I have a new batch leaving the infirmary, but I don't think they'd be able to fight off a kitten, much less a soulless."

Kalia's eyebrow rose. Why would they send a newly released batch of wounded out to-

Oh.

"Tramistres?"

"Tramistres. And her hunters."

Kalia sighed. Right, the huntmarshal practically had to be tied to her bed to prevent her from hopping out at every occasion. Damn woman didn't understand the very concept of standing still. And her people took after her.

"I'm sure we can find them something to do." She smiled. "Actually, I have the perfect mission for them. They're going to resume their old post at the tunnel entrance."

Ramina smiled.

"Oh, so she thinks she's getting to be at the sharp end of the stick again?"

"Yep. Just inside of a concrete bunker with golems to help." That should keep a lid on her for a bit at least. And hey, maybe Sapphiria would appreciate seeing the huntmarshal again. "Alright. Now that's settled..." She shrugged. "I'd say it's time to go to work, but light duty only today. We've earned a break."

Plus she'd like to bask in the afterglow a little bit longer...

"And half of our subordinates are hammered." Added Gregor. "Or recovering from the hammering."

The mage-magistrate smiled.

"That also. Let's give everyone some time to recover from the festivities, and then we can get started properly."

For once, despite the Bane, there was happiness in the air. A lot of it.