Emory just stood there in amazement for a few minutes, mentally cataloging the remarkable conversation she just had with a real Fae. Then she glanced at the time displaying on her wrist and bolted back towards the FOB as she had been talking for over half an hour. With her magik being used to go faster, she hustled back to the camp in less than ten minutes, a trip that had taken the cautious group more than an hour to climb. It looked like a moving rainbow when she came barreling back into the camp. Ellen, Geese, Tethys, Wolt, and Zeiss came rushing over to her with an array of different facial expressions as soon as she stopped.
Tethys was the first to speak with a horrified look on her face, "Are you okay? Who or what was that?"
"Are you in need of any healing?" Ellen hurriedly asked as she checked Emory over, "You don't seem to have any external wounds, but I can heal internal ones too if need be."
"I'm fine and don't need any healing. Thank you for your concern. The person we encountered was a Fae," Emory said breathlessly.
"A real faerie?" Zeiss interrupted, "Though that would explain the magik, I still don't believe it."
Wolt scowled, "You dolt! If magik is real and aliens are real, why couldn't faeries be real too?"
"Who cares what he was, he was powerful," Geese pointed out tactfully, "Is he a friend or a foe?"
"I think he's a friend. An ally, at the very least. He offered to train me in the Arcane Sphere," Emory answered. Everyone's jaw dropped when they realized what she was saying.
"Emory, are you sure?" Tethys squeaked, "We don't really know who this guy is or if he's really an ally or not."
Emory nodded, "I'm sure. I can't explain why, but I know we can trust him. He hinted that he was thousands of years old, and he was part of the group that taught humans magik in the first place." She continued to explain to them all the information he had given and that she would go alone to meet him tomorrow. The others grumbled and complained about her intention, but they eventually realized they couldn't help her anyway as he had effortlessly transported them away this time. After Emory calmed their nerves, the group returned to building the FOB. Luckily, the squad had already set up the water filtration system, mineral drilling machine, and RRS, so everyone was now working on the main structure of the base. Magik greatly assisted this task since a conveyor line had been established to quickly make bricks which in turn were rapidly used to construct the outer walls. Though people still had to take breaks, it was still much faster than making the facility by hand and could be done without large equipment.
After checking on everyone's condition and progress, Emory made her way to the secure structure where the RRS had been assembled. A brick and rebar building about the size of a corner office had been built under the wing of the ship. Though it was quite a basic design and lacked any windows, the housing looked very durable and secure. Still, it was a little shocking when Emory entered the room and gazed at the RRS. Shelves of computer hardware lined one wall, but the main apparatus lay on the floor in the center of the room. The base was a small metallic circular platform, roughly as big as a kitchen table, that sat on a solid metal base about a foot off the ground. Eight thick bars extended from the base and curved to a top central point, creating four archways over the platform. When the machine was in operation, the arches spun around the base and shot out millions of lasers designed to completely digitize whatever was on the stage. Once this had been done, the digital copy could be displayed on any RRS, no matter the distance, which created a quantum communication device. Emory took a deep breath before moving onto the stand and starting up the machine. As it whirled up, an image was displayed on what could only be called a floating wall. Finally, after a few minutes of waiting in silence, a few figures Emory recognized appeared on the walls.
Shepherd was the first to speak, "Emory! I expected nothing less from you. Honestly, we hadn't planned on your squads setting up the RRS until day two or three. What are your initial impressions of Yuzuno?"
"Initial scans paled in comparison to reality," Emory stated formally, "We landed at the base of a plateau instead of where we initially planned. The location was both more defensible in the future and had better access to resources."
"That's great news! Anything significant to report?" Shepherd asked.
"The Forward Operating Base should be up within the next couple days," Emory continued, "We've also secured access to fresh water, and the atmosphere is within the tolerable range without supplemental oxygen. My plan is to send out scout teams in the next few days."
Betty coughed, "That's rather ambitious, don't you think? Wouldn't it be better to fortify the base and see if you get any visitors?"
"Ma'am, you may be right that it would be safer to stay and build up our defenses," Emory remarked confidently, "But you discredit firsthand knowledge too easily. My squad will turn this world into a veritable fortress. Once we've fully mapped our area, we'll be able to defend from multiple locations."
"Well said, Emory. Fortuna favors the bold," Shepherd complimented her.
"Indeed, very good strategy," Greg agreed, "Emory, if you don't mind, Jask has alerted us to several energy signals on Yuzuno. When you're ready, I'd like you to investigate these locations. It's probable they were faulty readings or natural phenomena, but in case they aren't, we could be sitting on some valuable information."
Emory nodded, "Of course, Greg. Can you give me any insight into what we might be looking for?"
"That all depends on what the artifacts are. Advanced technology, such as by the Mantoan, is generally metallic," Gregg explained, "On the other hand, magik relics are thought to be organic in nature, though no such items have ever been discovered."
"Thanks again, Emory. We'll hear from you again in a week," Shepherd closed the meeting followed by the RRS slowly coming to a stop. Emory sighed and stretched before turning around to head back to the squad when she saw Tethys standing against the wall.
Tethys smirked, "So why didn't you tell them about the Fae? Coming from you, even a tale as far-fetched as that sounds believable."
"Most importantly, we don't know how many Fae we're dealing with. And while we have an idea of his power, we don't know his full strength. Because of that, I didn't want to reveal his identity and possibly anger him if he wishes to be hidden," Emory explained calmly, "Besides that, I'm not sure how much I trust all of them. I know Betty is a double agent at the very least. Why wouldn't the others be as well?"
"I suppose you're right. Besides, it's better to see if we can get him as an ally," Tethys begrudgingly agreed.
"Anyway, they're millions of miles away, so don't worry about them," Emory grinned, "What'd you come for? I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes."
Tethys apologized, "A predator, a feline-like creature the size of a giant tiger, has been spotted along the perimeter. It hasn't engaged with us yet, but we're also actively avoiding it as well."
Emory smiled and gestured back out of the ship, "Thanks for letting me know, Take me to it now." When they arrived at the north side, Emory was a little shocked by the size of this beast. A navy-blue cat was lying on the grass fifteen feet away, and even in this crouched position, its shoulder was at least four feet off the ground. Its tail, easily as long as a small tree, swung back and forth while its massive head pointed straight at them. As Emory took a step closer, the monster cat stood up and showed its true size was the same size as a bus. Undaunted, magik covered her body as she took another step forward. The cat raised its paw and opened its mouth wide, hissing in a terrifying register while doing so. In an instant, claws came slashing through the wind towards Emory, but they hit an invisible wall a few feet away. The ginger girl smirked and swatted her hand towards the cat. Moments later a whine pierced the air, and the cat flew fifty feet back. After it got back to its feet, it stared at Emory before turning and limping away towards the forest.
Having easily dealt with the predator, Emory strolled back to the rest of the squad. Half of the crowd cheered while the others continued to stare slack jawed. With ease, she had defended them against the fearsome beast; was this truly the power of someone their age or the power of the Arcane Sphere? Progress on the structure was almost complete, but they would still spend the first few nights on the ship, both for protection and to prepare the space for themselves. By the time everyone finished the outer walls, it was well into the night, though this was expected since the days on Yuzuno were only eighteen hours long. Emory and Tethys brought everyone in for evening training and then to rest for the evening. As she finally went to bed for the evening, Emory found it hard to contain her excitement. After all, tomorrow she would begin training with a master, not just that but a Fae master.