The fields stretched out, crops and cattle in neat fields. The houses were pretty, the barns and outbuildings well-built and maintained. You could barely see the blood of those that had built it, unless you looked closely. Then you could see the wire, the walls and the watchtowers. According to Intel, everything human centered on the inner compound. These people had built a castle, a serious castle. It had a moat, a drawbridge and towers. It was pretty, like everything else, but it was a center of power. All the roads led here. Humanity as a malevolent web, with some creepy bastard in the centre. She brought them one last chance, and then this castle would be turned to dust.

Admiral Williams wasn’t optimistic, not given the Intel, but he didn’t have many options. He didn’t need to derail this campaign with a side-issue like a couple of thousand humans acting like vikings. If they had to go, well, this was a war. He briefed the Marines accordingly. The last thing he needed was a bunch of angry Fay running around his battlefield.

This time Tay just landed right in the middle of the compound. Why did these people keep building these things? It had towers, probably filled with surly guards that would die in the first scene. Apparently they didn’t like her parking, since they opened fire as soon as she stopped. Tay had turned up the shields, so she just finished her tea. Then the analysis of the weapons came back. Alex had described them, but it was true. They were shooting at her with cannons. Old school, real-life cannons. Time to make a point. She gently pushed the shields out, an expanding bubble of force. When she reached the walls of the castle, she stopped. Everything they were firing at her was now bouncing around and hitting things at random. The doors looked cool, beautifully carved, nice stonework. It took her a minute to punch them out of the wall. Well, they couldn’t say that she didn’t knock.

Another group of heavily-armed men turned up, waving guns around. She was getting tired of it, so she only gave them a minute or two to realize that that didn’t work. After they were finished, she asked quietly if they wanted her to start shooting back. Luckily, the hole she had punched in the door was large enough for all of them to use. She found the guy in his … throne room? Seriously?

It just looked gaudy, like a cheap set in a bad play. In fact this whole place looked like someone had read a book and copied it out badly. The man sitting on the fancy chair looked stern, serious even. Maybe he knew enough about the application of force to know exactly where he stood. He certainly looked like someone had rained on his parade.

‘I am here for your unconditional surrender. I also have a list of people I want in this room immediately. In less than an hour our entire army will land on you and they are not coming to talk. I’m the nice one and, frankly, I want you dead right now. You don’t have time to discuss this, so simply agree or die. You are an embarrassment to the human race and I am ashamed you exist. Choose.’

She waited. In her head, she started a countdown. The shuttle was already prepared to blow this place apart on her word. Finally the king of this shitshow spoke,

‘Who are you to threaten me? Alien scum, we have faced you before and won. You lie. We are the humans, the last and the only. Your cheap tricks won’t work here. Perhaps today you have won, but my people will rise against you, forever a blade that will turn in your hand.’

Tay was getting pissed that no-one around here ever believed her. She turned her helmet transparent, ‘Listen. I’m human, all the soldiers that are about to drop are human. You are unlucky as well as stupid, since we can’t take the time to play nicely with you. I hate to be all dramatic, but you have moments to surrender to me or I leave. I will only be leaving to avoid the debris as this place gets blown apart.’

The leader threw his metal hat on the ground. ‘I am King Cambell III, my people will rise against you, you and those lizard scum! You have my surrender, thief, but only because I will not lead my people to death against your machine.’ He nodded to one of his creatures, ‘Summon those on her list, order the men to disarm. Close formation in the yard.’ He looked angrily at Tay, ‘May we keep our swords?’

Tay laughed, ‘ No, you can’t keep your fucking swords. Drop everything or die. Is that clear enough?’ That was apparently the wrong thing to say, since then he drew his sword and attacked her, screaming about dishonour. Tay simply swung a well deserved fist through his attack, shattering the sword and the face of the idiot wearing it. No-one could say she hadn’t tried to be non-violent.

Some of the staff went to help him, others went out to carry out the surrender. Tay ordered them to get the human population prepared for evacuation. In front of her, they assembled the list of those that had brutalised Alex, including his parents. ‘For you, you get something different. You will never leave this planet. You are exiled from the human race, no ship will ever come for you, this planet has been declared interdict by the governments of both races. If you get lucky, a slaver might turn up and grab you.’ Then she called in the Marines.

She watched as everyone was escorted out of the castle and grounds. The Marines were careful, harming almost no-one. Once they declared it empty, Tay blew it apart. Roaden hadn’t been joking, this shuttle was seriously overpowered. It looked like he had stuffed half a battleship in here. When she had finished, everything was rubble. The Marines at the other settlements had the same orders, grab the people and level everything. Humanity would leave no monuments here, only rubble and a handful of people that had forfeited their right to the name. If their leader made it out of surgery, he would be left here too.

Captain Zac’Hary watched with satisfaction as Tay carried out her sentence. He had expected the humans to treat their own better than the Fay, in fact it was the opposite. He watched the human fort fall to the Engineer, leaving only the stones to be covered and hidden by time. His own people were already evacuated, safely on their way home. The Scholar had been happy to take the hint, dropping all mention of the humans in return for a just solution. His own life had been mildly complicated by finding his lost family, but he had time. Once this campaign was over, he would go home for good, leaving his titles out here where they belonged. In the dark.

Alex watched, beside his guardian demon, as the people were brought to the ship. He had watched as the important one, the one they called Tay, had sentenced everyone that had betrayed him. It didn’t sound like much of a punishment, not until she had burned the castle to the ground. Ha. Pick your own crops now. Now he was simply waiting for his sister. The demon had promised him that she was on the way, and that they would take the brand from her arm.

Admiral Williams sat with Captain Williams, waiting as Bork finished presenting the tea. Someone, somewhere had mentioned a human tea ceremony to him, and so far the results were entertaining. Thankfully, he wouldn’t fit any of the historical costumes. Finally, he was persuaded to leave. The Admiral began, ‘So, our new Captain has had another win. The Fay are happy, most of the humans are happy, or at least the decent ones.’ he glanced over his cup, ‘Of course, some may have been left behind. These military operations can be so messy, sometimes.’

Captain Williams had wondered how the Admiral was going to play this. ‘Of course, Admiral, we can only do our best. The Marines are certain that every human has been recovered. Unfortunately, all records were lost in the Intec attack on the human settlement, so we can never be sure.’

‘Indeed, Captain, what else can you expect from scum like that? However, I am more interested in our next target.’

Tay finished introducing the people to the People. It was a mixed reception this time, with many looking at the ghosts of their enemies, others finding lost families and a new home. Happily, that was the end of her responsibilities. Doctor Reten and the Admiral could deal with the rest. She wondered if Captain Zac’Hary would forgive her for stealing his Xeno Phycologist. Probably, since he got a bunch of grandchildren out of it.

When she finally got back to her department, she was met only by Olly. Hmmm. He looked lost without Oskar but he obviously had a reason, ‘Captain, Chief Roaden says to meet him at the shuttle. He says it’s a surprise.’ Tay laughed, genuinely happy about how her team was working. Want to make someone explain? Send Bork. Want someone that could keep a secret? Send Olly, who chooses words like someone searching a toolbox.

’ Fine, come on. I never liked sleeping anyway.’

The Carrier was vast, over seven times the size of the Admiral's flagship. Once, before humanity had sorted out power supply properly, it had carried ships. Ships long ago in museums or turned to scrap. Olly piloted her OP shuttle towards it without a word. As surprises go, it was big. They must have supercharged its engines to get it this far, this fast. When Olly landed, he simply opened the door and waited. ‘ Captain. I brought your formal uniform. The Admiral told me that you need to wear it. It's in the back, Sir.’

She scrambled to put it on, cursing under her breath as she tried to settle the cuffs.

‘Sir, they are waiting for you.’

Admiral Williams, Captain Sullivan and Chief Roaden were waiting, as well as a line of ship Captains that she didn’t recognise. Thank the gods Olly had brought her uniform. She stepped out, saluting the Admiral. ‘ Sir.’

The Admiral led here down the parade of saluting Captains until he reached the podium. ‘Captains, today I bring a new ship into the fleet, along with a new Captain and a new department. We have defeated every enemy that has faced us, but the Galaxy is bigger than us. We need to know more, and today I brought that to the battlefield. She has taken two planets for us with nothing more than a shuttle and belief in herself, her training and us. As is the tradition, the Captain of a newly commissioned ship may name her command. What say you, Captain Tay?’

‘Admiral, welcome aboard the ‘Curious’.