Sir Emmallio Trazantor was quite satisfied with the way the talks were going. The Voice really was a delightful little girl. It was a good ploy by the dungeon; it was so easy to underestimate the girl. He had to keep reminding himself he was talking with the dungeon and not the girl.

The priests were earnest and predictable. His mission would have already failed if they had been in charge here. He had no doubt now that the dungeon was the driving force behind the new country that was arising here in the distant north. Thankfully the dungeon was more interested in trade and suppressing piracy than conquest.

His only worry was the clause that the dungeon had demanded that would give her a free hand in dealing with the pirate coast. But he had gained everything his Emperor had asked for and more. Certainly the dungeon had gained the right to chase and engage pirates in waters claimed by the Empire but she had also agreed to hand them over to the forces of the Empire if asked, and vice versa, but he suspected there would only be corpses to hand over.

Sir Emmallio and his entourage arrived at the temple in the lagoon for the formal signing and found the priests and the Voice waiting. Also present was the avatar of the dungeon who rose from the – throne at the right hand of the statue of Ocidon.

The treaty was formally signed and witnessed. Sir Emmallio found it interesting that the dungeon’s avatar signed the treaty as and on behalf of Blue Lagoon and the priests only witnessed the signing. Sir Emmallio found it amusing that the Empire was now allied to a dungeon state. The lawmakers and diplomats at home would have fits but his cousin Aanibaaros would be amused. It was the kind of thing that amused the old Emperor.

* * *

Mary and Trisha regarded Major Samuel and Captain Katrina, recently arrived back from Port Salvage.

“Firstly, congratulations on a job well done, your talents and experience would be wasted back on Port Salvage. Major Samuel, you’re bein’ promoted to General an’ bein’ put in charge of the Pirate Shore invasion. As for you Captain Katrina, you’re now Major Katrina an’ you’ll be second in command.”

Trisha had to suppress a giggle at the look on their faces.

“So,” continued Mary indicating a stack of stuffed folders arranged on a table in the centre of the room. “They contain everything I currently know about the Pirate Coast, the forces you will have available and what other forces you will be able to borrow on occasion. Also includes details on some new weapons I’ve developed.” Mary grinned at them.

“Now choose your staff, and produce a plan to eradicate the pests that lurk in that area. Hey I’ve confidence in you. Then we’ll go over your plans in a week or so and see if we can improve them.”

“You want us to make the plans for this raid?” asked General Samuel in surprise.

“Yeah, got some tricks an’ knowledge but not military an’ this has to be a military endeavour. An’ it’s conquest not raid.”

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Dr Lara Fischer knew that she had been killed by some capricious being that seemed to believe it was a god. She had hoped to meet Hecate when she died sometime in the far future, she wasn’t fifty yet; she had been too young to die. But die she had.

Then she was placed in a blue gem and dropped in this icy wilderness and found herself melting a hole in the ice and dropping down, and down through boiling water and steam. Finally she was through and it got worse.

She dropped through the icy sea and after far too long she came to rest on the sea bed. She stretched instinctively and – claimed – yes claimed a section of the sea floor. The only living thing in her patch of sea floor was an ugly Anglerfish. A creature she now knew and understood only too well.

It was all too much. She shut down bit by bit and entered a profound state of hibernation.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Dr Charles Macquarie watched closely as the university team prepared to enter yet another room on his second level. He was curious; they were about to make the acquaintance of his Deinonychus. There were six of the things hiding amongst the horsetails and ginkgoes.

He watched attentively as the hunters moved in warily while the workers moved the steel bars forward and the academics cowered – well maybe not cowered – in the back.

The alpha of the pack chirped and all six Deinonychus charged the intruders. The hunters managed a shot each before being brutally disembowelled and killed. Two of his Deinonychus collapsed and died from their wounds. The remaining four chased the intruders into the next room and managed to catch and kill two workers and an academic.

Dr. Macquarie felt as if he should be feeling sick but to his surprise all he felt was curiosity. And satisfaction.

* * * INTERLUDE 3 * * *

Mary sighed and sat back in the uncomfortable creaking chair as she waited for Ms Mimms and the Principal to call her. She made use of her time to check out some more of that somehow familiar information that was so cleverly packed in her core. It was almost as if she was remembering it all rather than learning it. Also her brain processing speed seemed to be multiplied when she sank herself in her core.

Finally she was called into the office, she pried herself of the inadequate chair and entered to find an enraged Ms Mimms still in full flow.

Mary had to endure a rant about ungratefulness, the benefits of being a top class athlete both for securing a scholarship and as a profession that had the Principal wincing and aghast.

Looking bored, and vowing to get her own back Mary waited until the woman finally wound down. Then she said. “Got scholarship guaranteed already, not stupid. No need for prancin’ round like an ass. Besides already makin’ good money. Chasin’ balls around is borin’ an’ not for me. ‘Specially as a career.” Then she looked at the principal, “can I go now or do you want me to listen to more insults, still got room for more on my tape.”

“Really Mary, what about the basketball hoop. It’s useless as it stands.”

“No good at plain’ with balls. Mimms kept threatenin’ me ‘bout not keepin’ balls out so, now no balls are passin’ at least until spell wears of in a day or two. Any rule says I can’t use magic?”

* * *

Mary eyed the young looking athletic woman that had been introduced as one of her future bodyguards, or watchdogs. Joanne had been waiting for her when she finally managed to get shot of the irritating meeting with the Principal and Mimms.

“Thank you for accepting the necessity of this Mary, I must admit most of us thought you’d refuse.”

Mary rubbed her shoulder reflexively, “yeah well, figured the word’ll get out an’ some folk out there’ll want to talk with me.” Mary looked at Joanne again, “well the lift idea will work outa school but from what I saw if I took up with you in school it’d look weird.”

Joanne blushed slightly, “Yes well, I guess I didn’t believe the reports and I messed up. Unfortunately it’s true, several organisations and governments are going to hear about what you can do and they will try to recruit you by fair means or foul.”

Mary sighed, there was another frog squatting near her jeep. She linked with her overeager friend and was very happy to see the jeeps memory of the frog hopping out of the weeds at the edge of the lot. ‘Whew, not down to me this time.’

Joanne watched the scenery go by as the youngster drove her antique with consummate skill, it was almost as if girl and jeep were united and thinking as one. She chatted cheerfully, asking innocuous questions and more often than not being ignored or drawing grunted one word replies.

She got a fair bit of information about the System, and concise instructions on how to ask it for what information it was willing to give. Not that it helped her as she wasn’t seeing blue screens yet but Top would be fascinated and be willing and able to make good use of it.

The visit to the mall was another revelation, in and out in less than half an hour. She certainly couldn’t have managed that, swimsuits, bras, and tops chosen and bought in hardly any time. Beach gear first, better tell Top about that oddity too, might help.

“Err Mary, you know you’ve told me about the setup process, with race and sex options, what about age?” Then she watched fascinated as the girl’s eyes darted from side to side, selecting and reading she guessed.

“Um, that can be tricky. Yes you can change age but unless you want to end up with only what you knew an’ experienced at the selected age in your head you have to be tricky an’ careful. Also if you choose elf fr’instance you could really mess up. Say you wanted to be an eighteen year old elf, chances are you’d come out as a kid, um, for an elf eighteen would translate as seven and a half for a human.”

Joanne felt a chill running up her back. “So if a fifty-five year old—”

“’bout sixteen, not that far off seventeen. Why?” replied Mary starting to get suspicious after the Sottomayor incident.