Once the last Ice-Butterfly was incinerated by Markus, the swarm slowly ran out of mana for the long-range skills and switched to suicidal close-combat. The spirit swords eviscerated those who came close, but after several minutes their numbers dwindled. The swarm diverted to the fleet and the Tamers on the Ice instead.

Zao. “Looks like they want easier prey.”

Markus. “Erika and Jia are being surrounded. Drop me there and go after the rest.”

Erika’s control over gravity fields prevented the Ice-Crustaceans from getting close. Jia’s arrows poisoned their targets. This created a circular wall around them, groaning in agony as they vomited. Very few succumbed to the sickness, and Erika was sweating profusely from exerting her crowd-control skills. The two were relieved when Markus returned and used his spirit swords to incinerate the swarm around them. After freeing up his hands, Zao pulled out his twin lances and activated the skill to turn them into Plasma lances. He then went on a brutal slaughter of the remaining Ice-Bugs in the air and occasionally received top-ups of stamina from Jia’s blood arrows whenever he passed over. The mop-up phase of the battle ended when USS Bunker hill shot a flare into the sky. The fleet followed the command of the flagship and silenced their weapons. The sailors and the tamers of the federation took a few minutes to celebrate their victory by yelling and hugging. The ships that survived the battle brought aboard the sailor who abandoned their ships and Tamers who arrived via Sergei’s bridge made of ice. Some began retrieving the fallen or distributing water, food, and medical aid to those that needed it.

When Zao returned to Markus, Jia, and Erika, they were surrounded by charred and flattened Ice-Crustaceans.

Zao. “Anyone hurt?”

Jia. “Erika was, but my blood arrows healed her. I tried sucking the blood from one of the flattened bugs, but it didn’t refill my blood pool.”

Markus. “Bugs don’t have red blood cells. Guess that’s the most important thing for a Vampire.”

Jia. “I am not a… maybe, but I can walk and use my skills in the sun.”

Markus. “Day walker.”

While those two quipped at each other, Erika collapsed. Zao helped her up, but he noticed her body weight was reduced to skin and bone.

Zao. “I thought you healed her! Erika, are you alright?”

Erika. “I need… food.”

A lightning bolt struck next to Zao, and Soma appeared at that spot. He pulled out sandwiches from a bag of food and gave them to Zao to feed her.

Soma. “Her ability burns the calories in her body. She was quite chubby when she introduced herself to me. We need to fatten her up once we get back to Seward. Oh, I almost forgot. Admiral Arthur Radford wants to see you, Zao! He is on USS Bunker hill. I will go get Sergei.”

After delivering the message, Soma disappeared in a flash of light.

Markus. “Erika doesn’t look like she will float anytime soon.”

Jia. “I will carry Erika.”

Jia cradled Erika in her ghoulish arms and flapped her massive bat wings to fly.

Zao picked up Markus and flew towards the flagship behind Jia and Erika. When all of them landed on the deck, they were saluted by the sailors on the ship. Their uniforms were soaked in blood, seawater, and black soot from the smoke in the air. Even Admiral Arthur Radford had stains on his uniform when he came out to greet Zao.  

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Thank you for answering our call for aid, Commander Zao. The firework show took my breath away. Though I must say, you took your sweet time to get here.”

Zao. “The swarm had split to attack Seward and the refugee Dome we built. We had to take care of them before we could help you.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “The swarm did break away, but they were a fraction compared to what we faced here. It didn’t seem to take you long to destroy them.”

Zao. “Dealing with that… fraction helped us to evolve into our third forms. Before that, we struggled with keeping them at bay.

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Even the Tamers onboard my ships had evolved with all the Bugs they had to deal with. What makes you and your Tamers stronger than mine?”

Zao. “I am guessing they all chose to evolve when their skill cleared the expert rank?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Don’t tell me… Master Rank?”

Zao. “Not all of us. Six, including me so far.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “That is quite impressive! The Federation is quite fortunate to have so many talented Tamers.”

Zao. “Well, one of them is Rebecca Lawman. She serves the Union along with Dale Sanders and Mash Royce. The two are close to reaching Master Rank. So, the Union isn’t without talent.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Rebecca Lawman, where have I heard that name…  Ah yes, she is the babysitter for the President’s twins?”

Zao. “Is there a problem with that?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “No… the Lawman family has deep roots in the Union’s senate and presidency. It is odd for one of them to take up babysitting unless it was to deepen the ties with the family in power. I have seen a video of her Golems building the Dome. They are quite impressive and will be useful for our plans. How much does she control?”

Zao. “Several thousand at least. Many were destroyed by the swarm, but she can make that up in a day or two.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “My lord! That is incredible. Does she have no limit?”

Zao. “A limit wasn’t mentioned in her skill sheet, so she can keep making them as long as she has enough Mana.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “I see… Does Mash Royce have martial art abilities?”

Zao. “Yes, he does. How did you know?” 

Admiral Arthur Radford. “He served under me for a time as a Marine. A martial arts-obsessed freak but a fine soldier. He is also the reason why I agreed to come to Seward. He spoke highly of you and this alliance. But I admit, it was because of the Black Phoenix that convinced me that I had to give this a shot. Why were they not among the reinforcements?”

Zao. “I didn’t mention this before, but Dale’s abilities require the Sun to work. Rebecca, Dale, and Mash decided to stay back at the dome and protect the refugees.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “I could win hearts or inspire my men with that. Since the invasion began, rogue tamers and soldiers have used their skills and weaponry to exploit the refugees and overthrow the hierarchy.”

Zao. “The world needs true heroes now more than ever."

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Forgive me! I am exhausted and rambling. Let’s get you all fed and rested. The fleet will continue to Seward once we destroy the icebergs blocking our way.” 

Zao. “I thank you for the hospitality, Admiral Arthur Radford. But should we not discuss the specifics of the alliance between our armies?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “From what I saw from this battle… to hell with discussions! This will be a no-limits partnership. We share all our resources, tamers, talent, intelligence, and lead as equals.”

Zao. “I am a bit surprised by the offer… but I see no reason to decline. But. I cannot guarantee that my word will hold if an individual of a higher rank than me is recovered.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “The deal is between the two of us. Whoever becomes our boss will have to go through us to change or break it.”

Zao and the others followed Admiral Arthur Radford to the mess to have dinner. Soma and Sergei were seated at the same table wolfing down their meal. Erika was on her fifth plate and did not seem satisfied yet. While they ate, Zao noticed the mood in the room was depressing. Too many seats were empty, and the ones occupied were not in the mood to eat. 

Zao. “How bad are your losses?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “I have enough left to still call it a fleet. Lost good sailors and the best ships over the past week. What I have left are the old ships and recruits who hadn’t completed their training.”

Zao. “I did notice some Fighter Jet Drones fighting the swarm. How much air power do you have left.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “A few hundred Fighters, but once they are airborne, it is impossible to coordinate. So I have to predesignate their targets or give them basic commands that the AIs can’t screw up. The onboard sensors are the only thing preventing them from crashing into each other. My surveillance drones can only take pictures and record videos. But what is the use when you need live footage? There are Drone Copters and Drone carriers to transport a few thousand troops. That’s about it. Not the fighting force that can change the tide of the war, but just enough to assist the Black Phoenix and Tamers like him.”

Zao. “You know his name is Dale. Why do you keep calling the Black Phoenix?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “I don’t have time to remember the difference between seven Toms or a dozen Jimmys. I prefer using code names for my pilots and marines. Easier to remember. For example, most of the world has seen you on the Monster App, but how many of them know your real name? They all refer to you as the Bee-Paladin, Bee-Knight, or Lord of Bees.”

Zao. “It is annoying.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Didn’t you say we need more heroes right now? Think of it as your hero's name, and just roll with it. But I suggest picking one and sticking with it. I am not sure how many other Tamers will end up looking like Bees or have armor and weapons like yours. You understand what I am getting at?”

Zao. “I understand. I will try it out with my subordinates. There are too many to remember their full names and unique abilities.”

Soma. “I already picked mine. Vajra-Naga. My monster is part Diamond, part lightning, and part Cobra, so it fits.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “A bit odd to say, but I respect your choice. I am curious as to how your Lightning skills work.”

Soma. “I can solidify lightning into a Vajra that can bring down lightning on the target it is bashed into. I can teleport within fifty meters by using ten percent of my total Mana. Call down a lightning storm on any spot with a radius of fifty meters, and it will strike anything unfortunate enough to be in it. But that costs me fifty percent of my total Mana.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “If your skills demand so much Mana, how were you not running out? I saw you teleport every ten seconds after you came aboard my ship.”

Soma. “My Diamond Titan Boa’s fourth and last ability allows it to siphon electricity from its environment and store it within its body. I drained the power plant in Seward before joining the battle. But after I used up all that power, I siphoned off the energy generated in this Nuclear Aircraft Carrier.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “You are the reason why the power output decreased? My engineers were panicking! They thought it had been damaged.”

Soma. “Sorry, I should have told you about it. My brain gets all light-headed when I am running on empty. I am glad you have so many veg dishes on this ship.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “We ran out of meat two days ago. All we have left is this and emergency rations.”

Erika. “The hell! Is that why I am forced to eat salad? Can’t you round up the Crabs and Lobsters we killed and cook them?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Are… are you serious?”

Erika. “Why not? They taste way better than our seafood.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “You tried it already?”

Soma. “She ate them fresh and raw after cracking them open with her gravity skills.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Are you certain there are no side effects from eating those monsters?”

Erika. “Only tried the Crabs and Lobsters so far. Nothing bad has happened.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Hmm… I have been meaning to collect their corpses for study. Is there anyone who wants to eat Monster Crab and Lobster?”

The last question was directed at the rest of the occupants in the mess hall. At first, everyone wore an expression of shock, but slowly half of them raised their hands. 

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Then go get them and cook them thoroughly before taking a bite.”

The volunteers rose from their seats, saluted their Admiral, and left the mess hall.

Admiral Arthur Radford. “If this works, there is a chance we will solve our food shortage.”

Soma. “You are lacking food?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “I had around fifty thousand people in this fleet. That number may have fallen after this battle, but what remains will starve in a few days. We lost the ships that were carrying most of our food from Hawaii. I was planning on using the emergency food reserves in Seward’s bunker once we got there as a last resort.”

Sergei. “Don’t you have any Tamers who can solve that?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Tamers can solve my food crisis; I thought your abilities were meant for combat?”

Sergei. “Tamers with combat skills are the majority, but quite a few have skills suited for healing, production, supply, and logistics. In Dallas, a Tamer called Robert Wagner has skills to boost plant growth, soil fertility, and ripening. He turned a football stadium into a lush forest and farmland within a few days. The survivors there live off whatever he grows from the seeds they scavenge.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “That is incredible. We must bring him to Seward or find another who can do the same.”

Sergei. “I haven’t found another who can mimic the scale of his ability. But getting Robert here will be quite the challenge. That stadium he is in has a few thousand refugees depending on him for survival. We must launch a major evacuation to bring them all to Seward.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Are there any other Tamers worth bringing back here?”

Sergei. “Enough to put it on our priority list. If we don’t, Dale is willing to go there with his Tamers.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “This would be the perfect PR victory to rally the survivors of the Northern Union. I will have to speak to Wagner and reassure him of our support.”

Sergei. “Wagner? He is not the one leading them. Vector’s Admiral of the Fifth Fleet is the one who you should talk to.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Shit! Selvaria the immortal?”

Zao. “I don’t know about the Immortal title, but her name is Selvaria. You know about her?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Part of the job is to know. Especially those who created Vector.”

Zao. “Created? But she looks a bit too young for that.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Don’t let her looks fool you. She might be a few decades older than me, and I am not pretty.”

Zao. “I see… she is mysterious, but will you agree to talk to her?”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Of course, I would. I am not blind or stupid to reject the technological might of her fleet. I hope they haven’t been affected by those damn Pink Pillars. Did she tell why she was here on Earth?”

Zao. “She wanted to pick up a few genetically enhanced animals to live on the moon with her.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Hahaha! A good cover story. Now tell me the real story.”

Soma. “She brought a few dozen Seals, Penguins, Otters, and a few Polar Bear cubs from a Seaworld on the west coast to the stadium in Dallas. She even had two bunnies on her shoulders whenever we messaged on the Monster App.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “Is she a Tamer too?”

Zao. “She and Mason, her bodyguard, are Tamers. We didn’t inquire about the details of their abilities. But they did manage to get to Dallas with their abilities, so they must be good.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “I will ask for it when I speak to her in the morning. If you will excuse me! I need some alone time with my pillow. Haven’t slept for the past few days.”

Zao. “I will inform Dale about what happened here.”

Admiral Arthur Radford. “This is the key to my office. Use it till we get to Seward.”

Zao. “Thank you, Admiral.”

Half an hour later, Zao, Sergei, Soma, Jia, and Erika are seated inside the Admiral’s office. They stare at a Holo-screen playing a video reply from Dale.

Dale. “It’s good to hear you all are safe and managed to save what’s left of the fleet. Rebecca’s Golems have fixed the cracks in the Dome and cleaned up the corpses surrounding it. Her Golems are already working on a new Dome double the size of the current one for themselves. Rebecca says the oldest among them have become intelligent enough to warrant a command and training center to guide the growth of her colony. It will be used as a fortress to hold out against any Ice-Bugs without our help.” Dale moved the camera to show a megastructure slowly rising above four stories in the distance. Dust rose into the air from the activity around and within it. Trees were being felled, and giant boulders were excavated by the Worker Golems. Rivers were being rerouted, and the local wildlife was relocated. Tamers aided the construction and gave orders to the workers when they saw fit to modify the plan.

Dale. “As you can see, everyone is pitching in. The refugee dome was a great proof of concept, but now we need something that can house enough forces to scare away any swarm from the south. I will keep my promise to meet the Admiral in the morning. After that, I will head out to search for more survivors. We have enough room in the Refugee Dome to host at least several thousand more. Will see you at Seward. Good night!”

Dale ended the video, but Soma rewound it back to the image of the new Fortress.

Soma. “Half of New York City could fit inside that thing. Is this really a good idea?”

Sergei. “More Golems equals more protection for the refugees. The Ice-Bugs would be mad to send expeditionary forces to attack us like before. Plus, it's not like the Golems need water and food to survive. So, it won’t hurt the refugees.”

Soma. “True, but I wonder what the Admiral will do when he sees this army. He might order Rebecca to send them south to liberate North America.”

Sergei. “I don’t see a problem there. Care to explain what is bugging you?”

Soma. “I got the bad shivers when I heard those Golems are becoming smart enough to make their own command center. What’s to say Rebecca loses her control over them or sides with the Ice-Bugs one day.”

Zao. “You are overthinking it. Rebecca may control a colony of bugs. But she is human in both body and soul.”

Soma. “For how long? Our scientists back in the Federation have noticed our personalities are slowly changing the more time we spend in our combat style. In Rebecca’s case, she hasn’t canceled her combat style since she summoned her first wave of subordinates. I refuse to believe it hasn’t affected her till now. We need to warn her about the dangers.”

Sergei. “Unless there is an Ice-Bug with the ability to mind control her Golems, we have nothing to fear from her.”

Soma. “Can you say that it is impossible?”

Sergei. “Hmmm… anything is possible. I see no harm in sharing your concern with her. Send her a message if you wish.”

Soma nodded before he proceeded to record the message and send it to her. They waited for fifteen minutes for a reply, but there was none.

Zao. “She is probably asleep. You can try again in the morning.”

Suddenly Soma’s phone received a notification.

Soma. “She replied! I will play it on the screen.”

Rebecca. “Thanks for the warning. But I haven’t noticed anything odd so far. If I cancel my combat style, the authority over the golems reverts back to Luna, my monster partner. I am not sure how the hierarchy works in that situation. But I might as well try and see what happens.”