Instead of going straight to eat, Gwen and Tethys convinced the group to go window shopping at some upscale stores Tethys had connections to. Though none of them were poor by any means, these shops represented a different level of opulence than most people were normally around. Emory was shocked at the prices of the clothing, with some articles ten times more expensive than where she would normally shop. Since her family on Earth was quite wealthy, Gwen had missed looking at these types of places as her money had been cut off. Initially, employees would give the group a side eye and wearily approach, yet each one changed their tune as soon as Tethys revealed her connection to the Commission. Surprisingly, some vendors even gave them free samples. Finally, after an afternoon of browsing, the group arrived at a marvelously modern building separated from the others around it.
The first thing Emory noticed about this one-story establishment was the bright white marble it was made of. Clearly an enchantment of some sort kept it clean as the decorative metal fencing also appeared to be in mint condition. At first, it looked as though there were actual people serving tables outside instead of robots like usual, but they were determined to be high tech droids after closer analysis. Emory didn't recognize the type of cuisine being served, but it smelled fresh, perhaps even handmade. As before, they were initially told it would be a half hour wait, yet when Tethys revealed her link again, they were seated within a few minutes.
The group was led to a circular cherrywood table with intricately hand-carved birch chairs. It was a perfect spot for them, tucked away from the rest of the customers. Once androids had brought drinks, taken orders, and given croissants, Emory cleared her throat and began, "I think we should discuss our plans for the upcoming mission."
"So soon?" Gatrie groaned, "We just finished the assessment and don't even know how well we did yet. Besides, what makes you think we'll have any input in the first place?"
"Remember what Serah Boyle told Emory? They wouldn't give the top four information about the other finalists if they didn't get to choose some of their own teammates," Innes pointed out.
"That's true, but besides your hand-to-hand class, we don't know the other classes they're picking from," Gatrie conceded, "How much influence will one person have over all the teams?"
Tana, still chewing on a croissant, interjected, "Actually, my instructor told me the other three classes after I finished today. My blades class, one of the blaster classes, and a polearms class. Apparently, those classes had the greatest amount of talent."
"You're probably the top in your class, right, Tana?" Sam questioned, "So that means we have two, maybe even three if it was your blaster class, Gatrie. So, I'd say three people definitely could align their teams, two would have a fighting chance." Gatrie slumped in his seat but couldn't argue with the logic.
"Well, now that we've solved that little speed bump, let's talk about strategy. I think it's clear all of us will be part of the pool of finalists, so we have two options: spread among all four squads or concentrate our group on just the squads we lead," Emory explained.
"If we are already leading possibly three squads," Gwen reasoned, "Wouldn't it be just as easy to split to four groups?"
Emory nodded, "That's what I thought as well. The downside of splitting is one person will be all alone. I mean, not all alone, but in terms of our group of friends, seven people are not divisible by four groups."
"I will volunteer to be the odd one out. I can fit in anywhere and have the most experience dealing with situations with new people besides Sam," Innes proclaimed.
"Are you sure, Innes?" Gatrie asked, "You can always go with me."
Innes nodded and grinned, "Yep, I'm positive. This way, I can push myself without you all looking over my shoulder all the time."
"Then for the rest of us, does anyone have a preference of pairing?" Emory continued.
"Since we're the strongest hand-to-hand class, we should split up," Sam claimed, "That way, if any one of the teams runs into problems, there will be some muscle to help deal with those issues."
Gwen agreed, "I agree with Sam, especially since we don't know what these worlds will be like. A good variety of spheres will be beneficial to all the teams."
"What about this then? I'll go with Tethys, Gwen with Tana, and Sam with Gatrie," Emory suggested. Luckily, they all agreed just as the food was arriving. It was breakfast for dinner, Emory's favorite, with large platters of different items so everyone could make their own plate. In total six plates had arrived: eggs, meats, potatoes in various styles, fruit, pancakes, and more grains. Though there were only seven students, it looked like there was enough food to feed twenty. Tana and Gatrie almost started a fight when they both reached for the last steak, but the animal snarl from Tana quickly scared Gatrie off. Tethys and Sam ate only fruits and starches while everyone else partook of a little of everything. Emory made sure to grab a little bit of each individual kind of food as she had never tasted such good food in her life. They made wild predictions about what other worlds might look like or the fantastic creatures they might encounter. Time seemed to slow as the students became kids again and could allow the world's problems to roll right off their back. Until Gwen saw a military commander walk through the front doors, and the host pointed in their direction.
He approached the table and saluted, "Excuse me, students, but which one of you is Emory Reiss?" The group collectively gulped and turned to curly ginger haired girl.
"I'm Miss Reiss," Emory replied confidently, "What can I help you with?"
"I have been sent by the High Collective to secure you and bring you to them as soon as possible. Will you accompany me to meet with them?" the commander asked as he bowed. The group gasped as their gaze widened while staring at Emory. Then a ping sounded on Tana and Gatrie's watches. Gatrie clicked on the display to bring up at email as a hologram for all to see.
"Looks like three of us," Gatrie mumbled, "I bet you're the top scorer, Emory."
Emory smirked, "We'll catch up later. Please, sir, lead the way." She stood up and followed the commander as her friends hollered and cheered for her. Outside, a large black SUV was parked in front with the back door open. The interior was matching black leather though the seats had been rearranged like a limo, complete with a mini bar. Once she sat down inside, the commander closed the door and got in the driver's seat. "We could have walked. It's not far back to the school," Emory commented.
"For a person as highly respected as yourself, we are duty-bound to transport you with the utmost care," the commander replied, "Your friend was correct; you were the top scorer on the assessment. Not only that, but you are also the child of two of the most consequential people of the century. You are the emblem of the new generation." Emory thought about how she hadn't done anything, yet the pressure and expectation of her to succeed was high. As this feeling sank in, she reclined in the rounded seat and poured herself a drink, her first drink.
Emory pondered, "Setting a really high bar by starting out with champagne." It smelled sweet and sour at the same time and bubbled as she swirled the glass. As she downed the drink, it burned her throat and puckered her face. Looking in the rearview mirror, the commander laughed.
"Don't worry, people call it an acquired taste," the commander chuckled.
"I don't think it's a taste I want to acquire," Emory snorted, "Sir, can you answer a question for me? Why did the High Collective, the leadership of our entire government, want to meet with me? Don't say it's just because of the assessment."
The commander paused and scrunched his face a bit, "It's a combination of factors. You didn't just score high; you broke the test. Also, we've been watching you and know you have the same sphere Lady Black had. Finally, since you've been training on the school's holodeck, we have a general idea of your strength, an important factor with the impending conflict with the Mantoan. Combine all that with your lineage and you look like someone who deserves an opportunity to have a seat at the leader's table."
"I am unsurprised you were monitoring us; I'm not naïve," Emory gloated, "But what do you mean, a seat at the table? You do remember that I'm only eighteen, right?"
"I can't say more except that all your questions will be answered when you meet with them," the commander admitted as they approached the school gates. As they approached, Emory looked out the window to see soldiers lined up at the entrance, and Serah Boyle stood at the front in formal military attire. When they finally came to a stop, the commander opened Emory's door for her once again and even gave her his hand to help her out.
Emory bowed, "Serah Boyle, you look very nice. Very different from normal."
"I should be the one bowing, Miss Reiss," Boyle bowed as well, "You're the honored guest; I'm just your advocate in this meeting." The pair walked into the school towards the training tower.
"Is all this really necessary? It seems a little extravagant," Emory commented as they passed more soldiers lining the hallways.
"You'd be surprised, but this is actually going to be a regular occurrence," Boyle explained, "We're moving operations to Mars, so this will become a regular base soon enough."
Emory asked, "What about the students? Will they continue training here or somewhere else?"
"Don't worry, we're not sending them out to the front lines," Boyle assured Emory, "These will be your reinforcements on the settlements you start. They have nine more weeks to train and prepare while you will have nine weeks to find a suitable base of operations for us. No pressure." Emory's shoulders slumped as she was once again reminded of the incredible task before her.
"Is there anything I should know about these people before we get there?" Emory moaned.
Boyle smirked, "Chin up. Remember, these people asked for you, not the other way around. The guy who looks like a knight is the Supreme Commander; the older woman is the ambassador to the Council of Witches. No one else matters." Once they reached the training tower, they took an elevator to the top. As usual in times of high stress, Emory closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The doors opened to reveal an opulent penthouse which put the restaurant she had eaten at to shame. Everything in the room shone, a brilliance that culminated with a crystal and gold chandelier. Seven people, six of which were dressed like movie stars, were standing around a water feature drinking from fancy glasses.
A man clad in silver armor called, "Liza! Please bring our guest here and join us! What shall we call you, young miss?"
"My name is Emory, sir" Emory bowed, "I apologize for my appearance; I didn't know I would be meeting all of you today."
"Nonsense! You look stunning. You may address me as Shepherd. Please come join us," Shepherd waved the pair in. Everyone in the room had paused their conversation to study the red-haired girl as she approached the group, and whispers started almost immediately as well.
"Is that the Reiss child?"
"She sure does look like her mother."
"Yes, but she has her father's flair. I like this child."
"You can like her all you want; the question is can she do it?"
A thin, elderly woman waltzed across the floor and extended her hand to Emory, "My name is Betty. It is a pleasure to meet such a special person as yourself. I am the envoy to the Council of Witches and hope we can be friends." Emory nodded and smiled, yet she felt a scrap of paper in her hand when she pulled it away. Quickly, she stuffed the note in her pocket to look at later. One by one, the other leaders introduced themselves to Emory like a parade of suitors. Finally, Shepherd handed Emory a glass while raising his own.
"A toast to Emory, for all her accomplishments so far and all that are to come!" Shepherd cheered, "Now while we are celebrating tonight, we also have some business to take care of, so why don't we take care of that now and have the rest of the evening to enjoy ourselves." Nine robotic chairs built themselves around the fountain, and when everyone sat down, the chairs rose in the air, hovering just above the water feature. It was an odd feeling for Emory, yet she had no fears the chair would drop her. "Now, as you are all aware, we have invited Emory to join us while we make these crucial decisions regarding the second wave of colonization. Let us start by allowing her to introduce herself," Shepherd began and motioned for Emory to continue.
"My name is Emory Reiss, only daughter of Marty and Roselin Reiss. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Emory squeaked, feeling a little nervous about being put on the spot.
"Thank you, Emory. We of the High Collective welcome you," Shepherd nodded his head, "What she didn't mention are the following facts. First, she controls the Arcane sphere, a realm of magik we thought lost to us after Lady Black's passing. Second, she is the highest performing student for the assessment ever, eclipsing even all those who have taken the test after graduating from the program. Finally, she and her friends have created a training program that improves performance by seven percent in as little as two weeks. Emory, for these accomplishments, we offer you a seat with us to help spearhead Phase 1 of our colonization and defense plan. You will have until you leave this evening to accept or reject this offer. Greg, will you please briefly explain the plan to those who haven't been caught up to speed yet?"
A young scrawny man between Emory and Boyle's age cleared his throat, "Welcome Emory and other High Collective members. Let me show you all the plans I've explained to Supreme Commander Shepherd." A holographic display of the Local Bubble, the region of the Milky Way where the Sol System and the other closest systems were located, appeared above the fountain while the lights in the room turned dim. "We've picked four systems to deploy reconnaissance teams at within our budgeted fifteen light year range. Though none of our sensors detect any active settlements, with the incident at Proxima B in mind, it is possible the Mantoan have a base on one of these planets with cloaking devices. Likewise, we have not identified any intelligent life on these planets either. We have decided to send the squads to the following systems: Ross 128, Tau Ceti, Luyten's Star, and Wolf 1061. From those systems, we determined six viable planets for outposts," Greg droned on.
"Greg," Shepherd cleared his throat, "Just the highlights, please."
Greg stuttered, "My apologies, sir. In short, we would like you, Emory, to both lead one of the four teams and command the overall operation in our absence. You would be given wide discretion to choose team makeup and purpose, assuming the general goal is to build a safe outpost. You would have access to the RRS; however, in-person support will be roughly two weeks away. Your objective is to make suitable shelters on each of the systems in nine weeks. Finally, if you accept, you will be granted the equivalent rank of general, the same as everyone here except the Supreme Commander and your advocate. What do you say, Emory Reiss?"
"Quite the enormous task," Emory remarked, "Before I accept, I have some questions for you all if you don't mind."
"Her parents' daughter indeed! Go ahead, Emory, ask your questions," Shepherd chuckled.
"First, have any of you heard of a people called the Fae?" Emory paused while she looked at blank stares and shaking heads, "No, I figured not. Second, what kind of data do you have on the planets we will be landing on? I would like to learn as much as I can about the locations to best determine team composition."
Greg coughed, "Of course, we can give you copies of all the planetary probe reports and telescopic imaging. Due to speed at which this plan has moved, we have not sent rovers to any of these planets."
"Good. I have one last request," Emory stated, "Can I have until Sunday night to design the rosters? Given the scope of this task, I would like to have as much time as I can to plan."
"You have until Monday at 0600. At that time, you and the other three squad leaders will be introduced to the entire battalion and will head out for your respective sites. So then, do you accept?" Shepherd leaned in with a smile.