The next morning, I woke right on time for my normal breakfast. Not wanting to disturb Tanisha, who started to grumble just from me turning around in my bed after waking up, I headed out. Not to breakfast, I was planning to wait for Sophia for that, but to get a good cup of coffee and look for a seat in the sun.

Finding both was not hard and soon, I was in the mental space I shared with Galatea while my body soaked up sunlight, producing vital vitamin D. Sadly, what Galatea and I were discussing was far from bright sunshine, it was the best way to prepare for things going wrong, how to construct a base nearby, without anyone noticing.

“If we want to hide, it means going either up or down.” I started, making Galatea chuckle in agreement. There was the option to hide in plain sight, using a warehouse like I had in New Brunsburg, but next to impossible on Accord Island. And even across the Narrows, the narrow strip of ocean between Accord Island and the continent, it would be hard to hide the acquisition if Technica decided to search for it. Using the shell-company I had set up over a year ago would help, but even then, it was risky. No, for real security, even from the Guild, it meant going up or down.

Up had potential but also the bigger risks. Sure, a space-based laboratory would allow for quite interesting research, there were a few, hell there were a lot of materials and processes that would work differently in a microgravity environment. Add in the fact that sneaking up on a space-station was impossible and there were vanishingly few, if any, Powered that could operate in space and security against intrusion was quite high. On the other hand, ways to blow such a space-station laboratory out of the sky were just as many, and that was before thinking about the innate risks of working in space. Space was simply too empty to hide a space-station for long and that was before considering logistics. Unless I started the engine-design from scratch, the current engines used on the flight-frame could not operate above the atmosphere and even if they would, getting enough material into space would be… challenging.

No, if I wanted safety and security, going down was far better. Not necessarily below ground, even if I was planning to, but below the ocean. The ultimate hidden base I could imagine was somewhere in an ocean-trench, maybe a kilometer deep, and dug into the walls of the trench. The only way such a hideout could be discovered was by following me or using either magic or psionic Powered. Sadly, I would have to come up with a countermeasure against those, or rather, I would have to get contacts that could make one, not that I was too happy with the idea. I needed to get Technica to give me the Guild’s version of the Guide to Magic and Guide to Psionic Powers, I needed more information.

Right now, I only knew that they existed and that they were apparently able to do things I would consider impossible. Oh, and that Pre- and Post-cognition Powers, which were a subset of Psionic-Powers, were notoriously finicky and potentially unreliable. Sadly, that unreliability did not help me in hiding my base, I was not concerned with them being wrong occasionally, I was concerned with them being right occasionally.

Not that the idea to go into a marine trench was feasible, the ocean around Accord Island was rather shallow for hundreds of kilometers, shallow enough that a good diver could easily get to the floor, never mind a Powered with appropriate equipment. No, I would most likely have to shelf that idea for the foreseeable future.

I opened my eyes when Galatea gave me a poke, telling me that someone was approaching. My lips curled into a smile when I saw Sophia approaching, alongside her roommates and, maybe by coincidence, my roommates.

I stood, just in time to be caught in an embrace by Sophia and softly kissed, making me a little giddy with happiness. Leona grinned like the cat after getting the canary while the others had looks ranging from approval, Karen, to abject misery, Tanisha. But she had looked rather miserable even before Sophia and I had kissed, which led me to believe that she had a hangover. Again. I had tried to keep an eye on her drinking the evening before, but apparently she had managed to get drunk despite that. Or maybe after Sophia and I had left. With a mental shrug, I banished those thoughts, fully focusing on Sophia.

She had just turned a little, so that she had still one of my arms wrapped around her but looked at the others.

“Yes, we are back together. No, I don’t share!” she exclaimed, the second sentence directed at Leona, who just laughed in response.

“Oh, you really don’t know what you are missing.” was her answer, causing me to tighten my hold on Sophia. Leona’s behaviour seemed a little strange, but I hardly knew her.

“Let us get some breakfast. I do not know about you, but I am rather hungry.” I suggested, after giving Sophia a soft kiss to the cheek. I did not think more needed to be said about our relationship, it only concerned Sophia and me.

The others agreed and, as we walked, I whispered into Sophia’s ear that I would like her to join me in visiting Technica later during the day. While I doubted that any of the items I had ordered were already delivered, I had some work that I wanted to do. And I wanted to talk with Sophia about the suggestion to have her become involved in the Guild, something I was sure she would have questions about that needed secrecy to be discussed. What better place to discuss things kept secret by the Guild than the Guild itself?

Not wanting to surprise Technica, I sent her a message warning her that I would bring Sophia to her lair after breakfast. Once again, she showed me that she was just as connected as I was, by answering in less than a minute.

After breakfast, we took off together, causing amusement amongst our roommates. Or maybe it was time to acknowledge that my roommates had become my friends. There were still things I could not tell them, but they were no longer mere acquaintances, pushed at me due to circumstances, they had become people I cared about, even if they had their peculiarities that I would never understand, like Karen’s preference for pineapple on a pizza.

Getting to Technica’s lair was easy, especially on a Saturday morning, and soon, we were in the elevator downwards.

“Another bunker?” Sophia asked, reminding me that it was her first visit to the lair.

“If you want to call it that. It is so much more, in a way, the heart of Accord Island is down here. Maybe I can show you later, it looks quite impressive.” I answered, thinking of the massive fusion-reactor. It still boggled my mind what they had managed, it was a marvel of engineering, even if they had used ‘magic’ to circumvent some of the problems. While my own fusion-reactor managed a similar feat and would be able to replace their version, they had done something impressive.

“But that is not why we are here. Mainly I wanted to have privacy to talk to you. Technica asked me to suggest a sort of Guild-Membership, mainly working and accompanying me. I am not sure why she thinks something like that is necessary, it is my understanding that she has no such minder, but it was her idea and I would be very pleased if you were with me.” I explained, blushing a little at the end.

“I suggested it, because there is much less of me now, than there was when I took this job.” Technica’s voice cut in.

I turned to look at her and heard a soft gasp reminding me just how alien Technica looked when not dressed up to hide her mechanical parts.

“It’s not pretty, I know. But I admit, that is the reason I want my apprentice to be protected, too often, I thought that the locals had my back, that they had completely secured the area, only to have something go wrong and bite me, not necessary in the ass but far too many bites have been taken out of me. If I can give my d…” she caused, swallowing the word she wanted to say, “my apprentice a partner who guards her back, I’d gladly induct you into the Guild. You fulfill the most important criteria for that job already, the subject trusts you.” she finished. I felt my throat tighten a little, but kept my face serene.

“Would you explain to her what her job would entail? I have a few things to do.” I told the two of them, quickly taking my leave, heading towards the area where I had left my armour. I would need it to move the flight-frame into the part of the workshop given to me.