It didn’t take long to get to the harbor once we were airborne.

  Even though there was a lot of traffic in the city center, there wasn’t much out near the ocean. It was mostly commercial ground traffic, and PMCs trying to fortify the coast or resupply the naval blockade.

  We came in low, over the water, bypassing most of the fortifications before swinging inland to land at the previously bustling samurai pier.

  Now that Warspite and the other aquatic samurai were out on the ocean, the area was practically abandoned. The dock workers and sailors had probably been evacuated in the face of the incoming horde, and the Cascadian government hadn’t moved any troops into this area yet.

  There was some life, though. As we came into the area, swooping down towards the pier, we found a samurai warship moored to the pier in place of the Retribution. This new ship had more classical lines compared to the futuristic warship it replaced. It was much sleeker than the larger vessel, with a long, curved wooden hull.

  Despite looking more traditional, I had no doubt that the ship could hold its own in combat. The wood was obviously non-terrestrial with an unnaturally pale tone and a faint glow fighting against the morning light. In addition to that, I couldn’t see a single joint anywhere, like the entire hull was a single piece. The top deck had several samurai-grade weapon emplacements, which made it look more like a modern destroyer from the air, along with a number of high-tech communications and defensive systems clustered around the bridge.

  As we swooped low, a figure in red stepped onto the deck and started enthusiastically waving at us.

  {Athy: We’ve been asked to land directly on the Starchaser, approximately mid-deck.}

  “Is that a smart idea? Leaving our car on the deck of a warship during combat seems… unwise,” I said as we circled.

  {Athy: We’ve been informed that the Starchaser has a lift and an automated storage system. Your vehicle will be quite safe while you’re at sea.}

  “Well, I guess our hosts would know best,” Skyler whispered, before turning towards the ship.

  Once we got closer, I could clearly make out the girl on deck. She had pale-white hair draped all the way down her back, massive black glasses, and was wearing a red maid’s uniform. I actually recognized her from the briefing a few days ago--she and her partner had sure made an impression. As we got closer to the deck, she gestured animatedly at an empty section of the deck.A small pack of dogs ran around her and a beautiful red and blue bird landed upon her shoulder.

  As soon as we touched down, she practically pranced over to the car, humming quietly to herself the entire time.

  “You two must be Cleansing Rain and Honorable Wind, it’s nice to meet you!” She exclaimed happily as Skyler and I climbed out of the car. “I’m Limelight, Captain of the Starchaser, and this is my crew!”

  I glanced around the widely empty deck in confusion before looking at the frenzy of activity at her feet. “You mean the dogs?”

  “They’re not just any dogs, they’re enhanced android dogs!” Limelight turned towards the mob, clapping her hands above her head. “Attention!”

  Almost instantly the dogs settled down, sitting in orderly rows in front of her.

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  “Our guests have arrived, so playtime is over! All crew to positions! Prepare to cast off!” she declared.

  The dogs immediately scattered, sprinting to various positions on the ship. I watched in amazement as a Golden Retriever and a German Shepherd expertly unhooked the moorings by shaking the rope in just the right way. They wound the rope using a pulley system that was obviously designed just for them before running off to the next rope.

  “If you follow me back to the bridge, I’ll introduce the others to you. Don’t worry about your car or gear for now. It’ll take us a couple minutes to reach the harbor entrance, and Achys will work with your AIs to make sure everything is prepared for you,” Limelight explained with a smile as the bird on her shoulder raised its chest proudly. “Now come on, everyone’s waiting!”

  Skyler glanced over at me, and I just shrugged before following the slightly odd girl.

  As soon as we stepped off the slightly raised central area we’d landed on, one of the dogs ran past and yanked a lever. Within seconds, Skyler’s car had disappeared below deck, and a massive armored hatch slammed shut over it.

  Slowly following our host down the side of the ship, occasionally sidestepping one of the dog-crew as they rushed about, I marveled at the ship’s construction. The wooden parts of the hull looked like they’d been grown into shape, rather than assembled. I didn’t know if that was the case or if it had just been constructed with some samurai-grade construction technique, but it was impressive nonetheless.

  Stepping off the deck and through the ship onto the bridge was quite an experience. It was a fusion of traditional and modern design. The deck and walls were all created out of a darker, finished wood, and there was a traditional ship’s wheel, but there was also a host of modern monitors, including a holographic display to steer by instead of a window.

  Two people waited inside. One was Limelight’s partner from the briefing, an actual mermaid with a head of short, curly brown hair. She literally swam through the air, going from monitor to monitor with a tiny orca following in her wake. She had a cute yellow maid dress, which allowed her long white-scaled eel-like tail to move unhindered.

  The third woman, who was currently steering the ship, had black hair and wore a butler’s suit. Even though she didn’t turn to look at us, I could see her left eye had been gouged out. She had a seemingly augmented jagged scar that reached from cheek to ear, and the eye had been replaced by a glowing ocular lens.

  Limelight clapped as she entered, drawing the attention of the other two girls. “Now that we’re all in the same place, let me introduce everyone. Girls, this is Cleansing Rain and Honorable Wind. Rain, Wind, this is my partner Ghost-Light,” the red-garbed maid said as she gestured towards the mermaid. Ghost-Light didn’t say anything and instead gave a timid wave with her fingers as she half hid behind Lime, staring at us but seemingly avoiding our eyes..

  Lime seemed a little surprised by her behaviour but regained her composure after a few seconds. “And this is my sister, Phantasmagoria.”

  As the second girl turned towards us, an entirely new figure popped into existence before her. Bright violet like drowned out the detail, but it appeared to be a feminine form with an ankle-length maid dress.

  The shadow girl flew forward, did a couple quick laps around Skyler and I then shifted to float just behind Phantasmagoria.. Only after it was done did Phantasm begrudgingly say, “Nice to meet you.”

  “What was that?” I asked suspiciously.

  Skyler, Lime and Ghost all looked at me confused. “What was what?” Skyler asked.

  “You didn’t see that? There was a person flying around the room for a couple seconds,” I replied confused.

  “That’s my avatar made of UV Hardlight. Totally invisible to most people, but apparently that’s not the case for you.” Phantasm sighed, but her puppet behind her silently giggled with a hand to her lips.

  “I can see the ultraviolet spectrum, due to one of my genetic upgrades,” I told the girl. “It’s actually been very useful when dealing with certain types of antithesis.”

  “Lissa, I told you, you don’t have to check every single person that comes close to me,” Lime sighed. “Especially other samurai.”

  “I’d rather be safe than sorry, don’t forget what happened with Steel Hound,” the shorter girl snorted, before turning back to the wheel.

  “I’m sorry about my sister. She’s a little overprotective,” Lime apologized, bowing slightly as she did. When she stood up straight again, she threw an arm around Ghost and smiled. “I’m glad you’re here, though. Things in the harbor were starting to get a little sketchy, and we could use the help.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t thank us yet,” Skyler said. “Neither of us has any experience with aquatic combat.”

  “That’s why we’re here!” Lime replied happily. “I hear that Wind is quite an expert with a sword. While I don’t have any experience there, Ghost here has years of hand-to-hand training. I’m sure she’ll be able to get you up to speed in no time.”

  “I appreciate the help,” I said humbly, nodding towards Ghost. The smaller girldidn’t come out from behind her friend, but she still gave us a thumbs up.

  “We’re approaching the anchor point!” Phantasm declared. “Prepare for combat!”

  Lime nodded and turned to a cabinet at the back of the room. When she opened it, I was surprised to see both Skyler’s and my gear, carefully arranged on the shelves. “I need to get to the cannons, and Ghost into the water, so we’ll leave you to get ready. If you need help, ask Shadow,” Lime explained before heading towards the deck. She paused right before leaving, kissed Ghost on the cheek, which caused the mermaid to go bright red, and turned back to us with a smug grin on her face. “Good luck out there!”

  “Thanks!” Skyler exclaimed, before lowering her voice and mumbling under her breath. “Hopefully we don’t need it.”

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