“Y-your realm?” Aleksei stuttered. “I- I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude, I just touched the vortex and I appeared in the pond over here.” She pointed a talon towards where she had just appeared.

Distractedly, she noted how she wasn’t actually wet, somehow. What did she call this place? Otherworld?

“I don’t even know what this place is...” She admitted in a whisper.

Amused, Epona let out an equine snort that ruffled Aleksei’s head feathers. The gigantic mare folded her legs, laying down on her belly in front of Aleksei.

‘Do not be afraid, young mortal. I am no vindictive Goddess like some of my peers. Come lay down beside me, there is much we must talk about.”

She didn’t dare refuse the divine’s invitation, scooting over and settling down on her belly by Epona’s side. Her sheer size and bulging belly made her all the more imposing from up-close, and Aleksei’s flak jacket and rifle did little to appease her worries.

What good would common weapons do against divine fury after all?

Epona didn’t seem to share her concerns. The mare simply bent her neck to take a few sips from the pond Aleksei had come from, its clear waters seemingly reinvigorating the Goddess as droplets ran down her muzzle.

‘I am curious, mortal. We Gods have been in slumber, for far longer than I care to remember. Yet now… the world has changed. I can feel a human’s soul inside you, yet you are not of my people. Where do you hail from? Speak your own tongue if you so desire, my realm does not concern itself with such intricacies as language.’

“I come from Latvia milady. From the Baltic.” Aleksei said in her native tongue.

‘A faraway place. Why have you journeyed to Eire then?’

“I’m a sailor. Traveling is what we do.”

There were many questions the goddess had for Aleksei, many of which concerned the Event. It was a little difficult gauging exactly how much Epona knew what with how she communicated, and attempting to guess what had happened to her pantheon was even harder, but the hippogriff managed to glean some tidbits of information on the subject just from the way the goddess phrased her questions.

To her at least, it sounded a lot as if ancient divinities like Epona had found themselves cut off from the supply of magic humans normally provided. Whether this happened when St Patrick converted Ireland or much later wasn’t too clear, but at some point they had to retreat to their realms and go into ‘hibernation’ to avoid simply fading away. The ‘when’ wasn’t particularly clear when it came to that, though Epona heavily hinted at the fact she was far from being the only divinity to have done that.

Hell, considering some passing comments she made about Aleksei hailing from the Baltic, chances were whatever divinities the Baltic tribes venerated before that culture was wiped out were in the same situation as Epona. She didn’t even know them herself, such was the damage Soviet occupation had done to their culture.

So other pantheons were ‘alive’ as well. She wouldn’t be too surprised if the giant mare beside her announced the Norse pantheon was a thing as well. That being said, she did clearly state that both the Irish and Roman pantheons had been reinvigorated by the arrival of the magic field after the Event. How did she even know about the Roman pantheon?

That, was apparently due to Epona having been integrated into Roman religion when they conquered the Celts. Yeah for syncretism?

‘An odd thing really… of all the altars and temples made in my honor, it had to be one of the oldest mortals like you would use to reach me...’Epona mused.

“By accident I’m afraid. I don’t mean to cause offense, but your existence has largely been passed off as myth in our time, to the point where I genuinely didn’t know the purpose of the...” She trailed off.

‘Passage tomb.’ Epona helpfully supplied. ‘Fret not, child. Even I must acknowledge the influence of time on memories, and you do not hail from my lands. Nevertheless, I thank you for answering my questions.’

The mare paused, lifting her head up to look at the herd of horses that had settled down around them. Her own foals, her children, all of them strong equines she had birthed herself. However… the herd was a far cry from what it was at its apex. Centuries spent in magic-deprived hibernation would do that…

Not anymore though. The foal inside her would not live with such a world, he would get to explore the whole while world as she did back when her existence was still acknowledged in the Empire. Her herd would grow again, and now that the Otherworld was absorbing this new magic to reactivate, things would change for the better.

And according to this mortal’s tales, she might even have intelligent followers more in her likeness.

“So what are you going to do? If I may ask...” Aleksei tried.

‘For now? Child, we are still far too weak to set out in the world. Powerful as that new magic may be, me and my children still need humans to believe in us, and with as few of them as you say there are, that may take time. I’m… worried about those demons you spoke of, but I’ll have to convene with other Gods to address the issue. They may have learned of things I have not.’She turned her gaze down on the hippogriff beside her. ‘You know, I could always use a priestess in my service. The world deserves to know the Gods of old are back in service.’

“I’ll have to decline.” Aleksei apologized. “However...”

‘Speak your request.’

“Well...” She squirmed. “Here’s the thing: I wasn’t always a… a mare. I used to be male before the Event, and I was pretty happy with that. In fact I’d very much like to be that again. I know I can’t be human anymore, but I just don’t think I can live as a female.”

‘So you wish I could make you a stallion then?’

Aleksei meekly nodded. She noted how the goddess’ otherwise gentle tone had become more stern at that last sentence.

“Can you?”

‘Can? Of course. Will? Absolutely not.’ Epona snorted in a very equine manner. ‘Young mare, I am a fertility Goddess, lest you forgot. Your transformation bestowed a wonderful boon upon you, a boon that you should not overlook. Motherhood is one of the most powerful things nature ever created.’

“Bu-”

‘Hush now.’ Epona shushed her. ‘You should consider yourself lucky. Had I been any other divinity you’d have likely been sent off with a geas just so you’d be willing to bear children. I won’t force you, but understand that making you male is not my role to fulfill. Instead...’

Epona’s eyes flashed once, and the pond suddenly turned into a mirror-like surface. The image of an enormous bay stallion appeared on the surface for a few seconds, before being replaced by… some kind of Celtic jewellry, a golden bracelet.

‘This is one of my first foals. Bayard. He was not among my herd when we went in hibernation, but I can feel he’s alive.”She snorted on the back of Aleksei’s neck. “Such is the power of motherhood. You’ll probably find him in the confines of the Black Forest if you so desire to seek him out. Beware though: dark legends are tied to this place, and you’d do well to be careful if you ever venture there.’

“Can Bayard make me male again?”

‘He cannot. But he will lead you to Maugris the Sorcerer.’She said the name with a hint of derision. ‘Maugris may not be a man of virtue, but I do not believe for a second that a coward like him would have accepted death. He’s far too slimy for that. Beware: he’ll drive a hard bargain and will probably try to trick you, but he’s the most reliable solution I can offer you if you wish to have your masculinity reestablished.’

“Thank you my lady.” Aleksei stood up, bowing her head low. “I trust you’ll expect a favor in return for this information?”

‘Quite.’ Epona bent down to nuzzle Aleksei’s mane feathers before motioning towards the pond – and the image of the golden bracelet-. ‘You told me the people of Eire are divided, that they’ve split in two factions. Bring me their leaders so that matters may be settled, I have no wish to see my people spill the blood of their own. You may take this artifact as a token of my favor, it will help you make your voice heard. It will also help you come back in this realm through your dreamscape if you ever need my advice again.’ She trailed off, looking towards the misty horizon that marked the border between her realm and the rest of the Otherworld. ‘The world has changed, and I must say I am flattered some humans have become more in my likeness. I may demand your presence by my side again in the future, I still have many questions in need of answers.’

Aleksei looked back towards the piece of jewelry in the pond, finding it wasn’t actually an image on the surface of the water, but an actual object floating just beneath the surface. It was just big enough to fit around her wrist, made from a couple strands of gold wound together like wires with a single pearl inserted between them.

The bracelet had a single latch near the pearl, bearing Epona’s symbol of three horses running one after another around a triskelion.

“It was an honor milady.” Aleksei said, finally plunging her talons in the pond and grabbing the gift.

‘Until we meet again...’ She heard Epona’s benevolent voice say as the world faded to white.

An instant later, she was back near the vortex and the passage tomb. The bracelet was still in her talons, its golden surface eerily reflecting the light that came from the nearby magical vortex, coupled with the ever-so-subtle thrumming of magic emanating from its pearl.

She barely had time to pocket it before being bowled over by a gushing Radiant, the pegasus bursting into a rant about how they should have been more careful and how it should have been him in her stead.

“It’s… alright...” She awkwardly patted the Equestrian on his back as he kept hugging her midsection. “I’m fine.”

“What in the blazes happened?” Scarface asked as he came over.

“It’s a long story.”

“Fantastic, I always loved a good story.” The gargoyle said gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest.

They skipped visiting the IRA’s colony at the City Hall and instead headed right back to the harbor. If the discovery of the convergence point was one thing, that of Epona blew it right out of the water in terms of implications.

Paired with the fact she might actually be the solution to Ireland’s divisive problems, too. Aleksei had slipped the bracelet around her wrist. It gave off a magical vibe, though without the ‘evil’ feeling Dilip’s Congo Sword carried.

Most likely because the artifact wasn’t powered by the spite of millions of murdered tribesmen.

“And you say she wants to meet them?” Dilip prodded further.

She was back in his office with Micha. They had briefly broached the topic of O'Connell's farm – which to be honest did garner the Indian’s attention, if only briefly-, but it was the matter of the horse Goddess and her realm that got the Captain thinking.

Did the Hindu pantheon have a realm like that? Aleksei didn’t know.

“She does.” Micha nodded. “Says she doesn’t want her ‘people’ to spill their own blood.”

“There is more isn’t there?”

“Yes.” She rubbed the back of her neck, the Diamond Dog quite easily spotting her newly acquired bracelet. “One thing is rather personal and it will have to wait until things settle down, but she did give me this saying it will help make my voice heard.”

Dilip briefly raised his paw as if to reach for the piece of jewelry before he the canine reined in his instincts. The damn hound in the back of his mind always became rather hard to control whenever he was in the presence of precious metals and jewels, something that was particularly irritating considering his Chief Engineer was a dragon, and she was quite often seen snacking on such stuff.

He was tempted to try the drill bits as cigarettes honestly. Looked tasty.

“That sounds like a diplomatic enchantment to me.” He finally said. “Keep it, it’s best left in your talons considering you’re nearly always on recon duty. You think you can convince Finnegan and Codsworth to meet at the...”

“Passage tomb?”

“Right, the passage tomb. I don’t really care what Epona does to them, but if she feels confident in her ability to settle matters, then I won’t be heard arguing with a divine.”

“So what do we do?” Micha asked.

“Our main priority will remain repairing the fleet in as little time as possible so we may resume the crossing to America. I’ve already accepted both the Americans as passengers, but someone will have to tell them we’ll only drop them off in Savannah.”

“No further port of call in the US then?” Aleksei cocked her head.

“No. I had Jensen use satellite pictures for observations. It was mostly to locate possible oil slicks around platforms – and she didn’t find any thankfully-, but she went ahead and got a look at the supposed colonies the HPI told us about. Got one in Cuba and another in Mexico. That’s the ones we’ll go for right after Savannah. Mexico in particular, we need that refinery to resume itsproduction.” He drummed his digits against his desk before throwing a quick look at a spreadsheet on his computer. “As for what’s going to happen here, I’m calling off any further recce in the countryside for now. Przemo, you may go out hunting and we’ll carry out the trade with the farmer, but I want to focus on the expedition to Londonderry for now.”

“And the locals?” Micha asked.

“We’ll keep helping them out. Same neutrality deal as before, but now we just need to convince them to head to the Giant’s Ring to sort out this mess. Which you’re supposed to do, Klavins.”

“Understood sir.” Aleksei nodded.

“Perfect, consider yourselves dismissed. If any of you has the time, drop by Roberto’s downstairs and tell him to start researching if he has anything on… similar structures to that passage tomb. You never know...”

The two hens stood up and left the office soon after, leaving Dilip to mull over all that was going on. With a frown on his muzzle, the dog stood up and went to get himself a fresh cup of Darjeeling in his kitchenette.

There was just so much going on… even now he could see through his cabin’s windows the pair of trawlers they were preparing for the upcoming expedition, with a couple sailors hard at work welding some .50 cal mounts on their decks just so they wouldn’t be defenseless.

Not much further, Artyom was using the docks to train a group of sailors in urban warfare and how to move as a (half-)coherent unit.

That actually wasn’t out of his own initiative. Dilip himself had given the order upon hearing of his sailors’ poor performance in the killhouse way back in Copenhagen. He didn’t need them to be effective, but a measure of tactical sense was necessary if they wanted to defend themselves properly. Nothing too complicated really, just the most basic group manoeuvres all military personnel the world over had to learn in basic training.

It was the veterans he relied on for actual combat performance. Artyom, Sri, Nikola – no, Scarface- and Bart were all reliable combatants in their own rights. Each of them had already proven they could be counted on to train and defend the rest of the crew, which should be enough when paired with all the other veterans that could be found on Fugro and Rhine. They still didn’t have enough of them to make up half a platoon, but some military personnel was better than none at all.

Ground warfare wasn’t the only thing they had scheduled training for either. He knew there were a couple sorties planned later that week with Rhine’s auxiliaries, for the hovercrafts and torpedo boats in particular. They might even squeeze in some ground vehicular combat and range training with the CV90, depending on how fast the welders worked on repairing Fugro.

And then he had to find some time to unload Amandine’s hold, or at least as much as possible. His ship couldn’t enter the dry-dock on a full load, and if that wasn’t enough her being in repairs would mean the vehicle bay would be inaccessible for the duration of the repairs.

Dilip paused before heading back to his computer.

If repairing his vehicles was part of the trade with O’Connell, then… there, bump it up a couple notches on the priority list. That task would need to be completed before his ship was put on the dry. He almost had the time to give a satisfied grin from having everything planned out before his computer rang out with a little tinny alarm.

‘Warning: crew training behind schedule. Refreshers needed: general alarm (3d), firefighting (4d), abandon ship (3d), first-aid (4d)...’ and the list went on.

Dilip swore.

The Golden Tree had grown a little since his last visit, but not by much. It looked healthy as ever, with maybe a slightly more intense glow coming from the six trunks around it. By then, Rockhoof was pretty damn sure the Elements were in these, though he still was utterly clueless about the new one, the green Element.

“You have any idea what it’s supposed to be?” He asked Starswirl, the mage following shortly behind him in equine form.

“I know no more than you do.” He said. “Remember the Elements didn’t even have the same name from our generation to Twilight’s. They changed, and that was with Elements from the same tree. We’re working with a seed that’s hybridized with local magic. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“So how are we supposed to know, then?”

“By letting the tree mature. Ours was able to talk by summoning an illusion, so given enough time this one should be able to do the same.” Star told him.

“Makes me wonder how long that will take. I mean… it looks rather tall already.”

“That I may be able to guess. And at a glance, that tree still is a juvenile.”

“Really? Well I’ll be… I’ve seen adult trees shorter than that, if that thing still counts as young I wouldn’t be surprised if it grows to be as tall as a sequoia.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Star shrugged. “I could always cast a scanning spell on its roots, that would give a better appreciation of its growth, but we’re not here for that.”

Because the reason they had come to the tree this time, was to pay a visit to Morgane la Fay. Rock’s friend openly acknowledged the potentially dangerous nature of the visit, but it was something they had to do in order to better understand what was going on. That, and she was apparently the one responsible for the wards that prevented monsters from directly spawning in Broceliande.

Rock wouldn’t complain about it, really. The wards extended far enough to protect the castle, so it was actually reassuring that Meadow and Martin wouldn’t be jumped by a monster appearing inside the castle.

Speaking of which, the arrival of Miller and Emeric had been followed the next day by two more newcomers. Another unicorn stallion, and a doe. Neither were skilled workers, and they were still getting settled, but Rockhoof had already shared a couple ideas with Meadow regarding what task they may have them pick up. They could always use more hooves in the fields.

As for the two military ponies, Starswirl had basically commandeered the stallion, just so he could interrogate him on all the local history he had missed while he was entombed. Which was a lot, needless to say. Talk about a repeat of what they had to endure after they returned in Equestria… As for Miller, the pegasus mare mostly hung around Meadow, apparently not fully comfortable with her transformation. They had seen her use the battlements and the moat the one time for flight training, but she also seemed to keep her distances from Emeric.

And Meadow… Rock’s heart filled with warmth at the thought.

They had taken her potions.

He was going to be a father. The longevity potion would follow as soon as they foraged for the ingredients, but now he insisted he be the one to head into the forest to collect them. There was no way in Tartarus he was letting his mare head out in the forest with a foal inside her.

“You’re daydreaming.” Star interrupted his train of thoughts.

“Uh-what? Oh… right, sorry. The fay?”

“Morgane.”

“Yes, Morgane.” Rockhoof rolled his shoulders to readjust the ‘offering’ he was carrying.

A sample basket of alchemical ingredients Meadow had gathered for the occasion, including some taken from the piast’s head.

“You think the offering will work?”

“It will help at least.” Star shrugged.

“How reassuring… Tell me, what’s the name of her domain again?”

“The Vale of No Return.”

“As I thought… why did you have to go earn the scorn of a dark magic user?”

“In my defense, she wasn’t using dark magic at the time. Only took up that branch afterwards.” Starswirl chuckled.

“You know, if I didn’t know you any better I’d think you’re a terrible pony. Pushing mares to the darkest corners of magic.” Rockhoof rumbled in a low tone. “Where to?”

“After me!” Star exclaimed before trotting off past the Golden Tree and into a much darker area of the woods.

Darker would have been an understatement. If most of Broceliande was a bit brighter – though no less dangerous- than the Everfree, that section actually made him feel as if someone had draped a dark veil over his eyes. Gone were the floating sparks of magic and the singing birds, instead replaced by the cawing of crows gathered in the branches above them.

Humidity was high, and even then at the height of summer, Rock could feel the temperature drop a couple degrees. His breath came out in a mist that soon joined the fog banks floating between the gnarly tree trunks around the path.

These trees were nothing like those in the rest of the forest either. They were thin and gnarly, their branches twisting and crisscrossing to the point where even the most determined of lumberjacks couldn’t have made his way through. He knew he couldn’t.

Most of Broceliande was an enchanted forest. This? This was a cursed grove alright, and at this point he might as well call the fay living there a witch.

“Nasty place don’t you think?” Star chirped.

“Why so cheerful?”

“Eh, it looks worse than it actually is. Does set the mood nicely though, I can understand why the knights were always so wary.”

“Star...”

“Don’t you worry Rock. The only reason why it’s called the Vale of No Return is because of the enchantment Morgane put over the place. No unfaithful stallion may leave this place once they enter… unless they’re a mage of course. Knights can’t do magic, figures they’d get stuck. You know, for all their bluster about codes of honor, these guys weren’t actually very faithful.”

“So let me get this straight… you angered her, then she turned to black magic and made a place that’s specifically enchanted against unfaithfulness?” Rockhoof quirked a brow at his companion. “Buddy, what did you do to that lady?”

“Wasn’t me specifically. I swear. Believe it or not, but she just had really bad luck when it came to romance. Like… I’ve seen cursed lovers who had it worse.”

Rockhoof just snorted. They kept on for a couple minutes in silence like that, before Star seemingly succumbed and decided to break the quiet.

“So I’ve been wondering...”

“’bout what?”

“Martin. Or what’s gonna become of him.”

“I’m pretty sure you said he should become Meadow’s apprentice. I mean you’re right, he’s a deer, that’s what they’re naturally good at.”

“Yes, but I talked with the kid. Barring the fact he wanted me to turn him into a squirrel-”

“A what?”

“A squirrel. Fairy tale stuff, I asked Emeric, makes sense in the context actually.” He said. “Anyway, I just realized I was looking at him from an Equestrian viewpoint.”

“And how does that change anything?”

“Rock, I want you to remember: Martin, Emeric, Miller, all these humans… they can still do human magic.”

The large stallion ground to a screeching halt in the middle of the path.

“Come again?”

Star shifted to his human form and knelt down in front of him.

“Human magic is tied to the soul. We don’t need a horn or any foci to practice it. Theoretically, any of them could learn the same magic I can do in human form. Though they’d need a staff like mine for that...”

“Any of them?”

“With proper training. Miller and Emeric are already too old for that, and they don’t have the attitude. But Martin? Kid’s got the spark, he’s got the passion… Meadow could make him the best bucking alchemist of the entire continent and I-”

“Stop.”

“Beg your pardon?” Star-Merlin quirked his head.

Pretty odd gesture coming from a wizened old wizard come to think of it.

“I’m not telling you you can’t take him as your apprentice. Far from it. But I remember how you and Celestia tended to get… carried away, in your teachings. I’ve seen how passionate he can be, but please Star, he’s just a fawn. If you decide to train him, let him have a life. Otherwise… he’s just gonna grow up and forever resent his missed fawnhood. Remember how many prized pupils Celestia – and you- broke just from overworking?”

“Ah… am I really that bad?”

“You have a reputation Star, both in Equestria and on this planet. If you let him he’s just gonna stay cooped up forever trying to please you. Think about it, when did you start magic? Kids gotta be kids pal.”

The wizard stood up and looked off down the path, before shifting back to equine form a second later.

“What if I ask Meadow to plan his lessons?”

“That will do.” Rock smiled. “Still, glad to know you like the kid.”

“He just grows on ponies like that.” Star shrugged after quickly adjusting his hat. The ghost motioned down the path with his hoof. “Shall we?”

Morgane’s place wasn’t much further down the path actually. A couple minutes after their little pause, the path dipped down in a narrow valley. Rocks slowly made themselves more prominent the further down they traveled, until eventually their path was joined by a small brook that dove inside the mouth of a cave.

Rock stopped just short of the entrance, idly taking note of how the forest had gone silent, save for the whistling of wind that came out of the cave, carrying with it a dusty smell that earned a cough out of him. The entrance was actually the most colorful thing around, with a couple fly agarics bringing hints of red against the dull gray and brown background, in addition to green magic sparks hovering in the air. Magic weighed heavily over them, a dull thrumming in their ears that subconsciously made Rockhoof wince at the malicious intent it was laced with.

Starswirl didn’t hesitate and headed inside without stopping, Rock following shortly a few steps behind after stopping to cast a wary glance around the area. He was pretty sure he had just felt that faithfulness enchantment Star mentioned ‘test his soul’, so to speak.

At least he knew he needn’t worry about that.

The insides of the cave were completely dark, and it was only thanks to Star’s ghostly glow that he managed to stay behind him. A minute later though, something odd occurred. One moment he was walking behind Star, and then he blinked. And he found himself elsewhere, right next to his companion.

They were still inside the cave, but gone was the darkness. A tunnel entrance was behind them, from which the brook’s waters flowed before they trickled down towards a large underground lake. Mushrooms, moss and lichen covered the shores of the lake like wheat in a field, giving the cave some warm ochre tones. Sunlight streamed in from a single hole in the ceiling, the few rays of light highlighting the many stalactites that hung high above them. This place was definitely deeper than Rock knew they were supposed to be.

Teleportation maybe? He hadn’t felt anything.

Right in the middle of the lake stood an island, a lone dark gray rock, connected to the shore by a rickety rope bridge. And at the summit of the island was a stone tower. Mossy, a bit dilapidated and with most of the ceramic shingles that covered the roof cracked or missing in places, but still standing. A thin waft of smoke floated up from the chimney. Warm, reddish light poured out of the single window above the door.

“There we are...” Star said, shifting to human form. “Morgane’s tower.”

Rhine’s trawlers never weren’t very big, that much Geert realized the moment she stepped on the one she was supposed to lead to Londonderry, one with a snow white paintjoband her callsign painted on her bow and stern.

Which wasn’t much of a surprise really. These were stern trawlers they had chosen specifically because they’d fit in the mothership’s barge slots. At twenty meters in length, they were far shorter than the kind of vessels she was used to… though to be fair they had an odd blend of cute and rugged that made them nice to look at.

Instead of having the more common bow type most vessels shared, they shared the same design Fugro had for her prow: a X-bow hull shape, otherwise known as an inverted bow. Essentially: an improved version of early 20^th century’s tumblehome hulls. Instead of curving forward above the waterline (the usual design choice), the bow curved backwards, almost as if it was tucked inwards. As far as she’d heard, the intent was to improve handling in rough seas.

The fore section with the bow was where the superstructure was situated on the trawlers. A tiny thing really: they only had enough room under the wheelhouse to fit three double cabins plus the essential rooms: mess, galley, workshop, and a double shower for the whole crew. At least Geert could console herself with the fact the navigation instruments were modern, because they’d be doing that expedition with a complete crew of six.

It didn’t take more than a second for the scarlet macaw to figure out this was going to be cramped, particularly considering their pilot would be Nikolaos (better known as Artemis as of late after a name change). Nothing like a large muscular minotaur to make cramped quarters even worse.

The trawler’s aft section was a more standard fare than its bow. A flat deck extended behind the superstructure, left open for deck work with a single yellow crane jib available to load cargo. A couple things also decorated the deck: a pair of hydraulic levers on either side to release the stabilizing fins when in open waters, two deck mounts for .50 cals, and two deck accesses near the stern: one for the small, normally unmanned engine room, and another to access the cargo hold that – on paper- was supposed to fit 40 tons of assorted stuff.

Of course the trawlers wouldn’t be fishing vessels without their gear. To outsiders, the stern assembly might have looked like the spoiler on acar… except only if ricers had suddenly started mounting massive winches and drums on their Honda Civics.

“Daydreaming?” Ivan asked behind her, startling Geert a little.

“Nah, just taking in the sights.” Geert replied to the griffon hen, rolling her shoulder to adjust the strap on her seabag, to which she had attached a guitar case. “Got all your stuff?”

“Aye.” She nodded firmly. “From weapon to undies. Got ‘em all.”

“Hold on… you wear undies? I thought griffons were good in that department.” Geert smiled as she headed for the superstructure.

“Hygiene matters! Are you implying you’ve been going commando ever since you transformed?”

“Most of the time.” Geert flicked the large multicolored feathers that made up her tail. “Kinda hard to make something fit when you got enough tail feathers to make a peacock blush in shame. So I mostly don’t bother, tail holes are hard to sew.”

They made their way inside, passing Mikhail and Diethelm on the way, both sailors idly playing cards in the galley while they waited for Artemis to run her system checks inside the wheelhouse.

“Mostly?” Ivan tilted her head when they reached their shared cabin.

In policy, Geert should have bunked with Artemis if only to match ranks, but she just preferred sleeping with someone she’d been sailing with for a while. Not that there would be much luxury inside: it was really just a tiny cabin with a pair of bunks beds, each with a little curtain for privacy, their red and white checkered pattern matching that of the bedsheets, all of them so new they still had a lavender scent stuck to them.

“Had to make an exception as of late...” Geert mumbled, suddenly speaking in a much more hushed tone. “Top bunk by the way.” She added, tossing her seabag on the bed.

It was better that way anyway, leave the bottom bunk to the quadruped for convenience. Geert was already tall before the Event at 1m86, but now she had to thank female parrots for being extra tall because she had shot up to 1m99, albeit trading strength for speed in the process.

She still hit her head on doorways at time.

“Why the exception then?”

“Well… at least now I know I’m fertile.”

“Oh...” Ivan blinked. “Can’t say I’m familiar, that has yet to happen to me. How’s it feel?”

“Gross.” Geert shuddered before shoving her flak jacket in a wall locker by the door, along with the P90 she had decided to use as her go-to weapon for the expedition. Her pistol remained in her hip holster.

Yeah, they had a couple of those. Almost nobody used them though, because bullpups didn’t get along with quadrupeds and Artyom didn’t know how to use them. They’d have remained shelved, had it not been for her asking Bart about them. Turns out, the Belgian could teach her.

“Care to elaborate?”

“What’s there to say?” She rolled her eyes, almost letting out some of the irritation she’d carefully bottled up. “I’m leaking yolk down there, and that’s probably going to last for two days more.”

“Yeesh, you’ve got my sympathy. But yolk? Isn’t that supposed to be blood?”

“Nee.” Geert shook her head. “’least not for Ornithians. Works on a seasonal basis, my… ovaries – feels weird to say that- prepare a yolk for fecundation. One per ovary so they’d come in clutches of two. They don’t solidify if they’re not fertilized, so when they’re past due, the yolk gets flushed out. And lemme tell ya… I had a girlfriend ‘fore it went to shit, and that volume here is way above human level of menstruation.”

“So?”

“So what?”

“Aw come on!” Ivan laid down on her bunk, wings fanned out slightly. “You’re talking science when I’m talking practice. How’s it feel? Painful? What do you do?”

“Now ain’t you curious.”

“I just want to get a step up if that ever happens to me.”

“Which won’t happen unless you get a dick up your snatch.” Geert pointed out. “Unprotected. At which point I’d be certain you’re either an idiot, or you’re actually trying for kids. But eh, if you behave like a nun or become the queen of latex, you won’t ever reach menopause unlike me.” She looked up towards the ceiling. “At least I think Ornithians have menopause, the books didn’t go in detail on that.”

“Didn’t answer my question.” Ivan drawled, idly removing a bent feather from her wing and stuffing it in her pillow.

“You know, you’re awfully bold for a Rating speaking to an Officer.” Geert huffed. “Anyway, it’s not painful actually, so now I think my girlfriend was just being a rude bitch when that happened to her. It’s just… icky, and I had to pack a box o’ pads to stuff in my undies so I don’t ruin my coveralls, and that feels even worse than just leaking. Happy?” She said, subconsciously rubbing her thighs together.

“Happy.”

“Good, ‘cause I need to take the passage plan to Artemis.” She chirped, grabbing a USB key from her seabag. “You be good and get my stuff in the drawers, we’re gonna be underway soon. Remember to leave a padlock on the locker you put your gun into.”

“Sure thing, bos.” The Ukrainian replied.

Not an hour later, they declared they were ready over the VHF, signaling for one of the tugs to remove the anti-monster net and let the trawlers through. The duo – one for the expedition, the other a fishing decoy- quickly exited the repair yard before heading out of the harbor and into the bay outside.

For a second, Geert spotted the glint of a scope atop a building near the docks.

“Eh, looks like a certain Irishman knows we’re going fishing.” She commented.

“Good, now we just better hope my bro finds enough fish for both ships.” Artemis sniffed from behind the helm.

“He will. If he can’t manage to fill a trawler’s holds in all the time it takes us to explore the Derry, then...” She trailed off.

“We’re not fishermen.”

“Yeah, but nobody’s that bad.”

“Fair enough.” The cow admitted, turning the rudder slightly to aim the bow towards the next waypoint on the ECDIS and pushing down on the engine telegraph.

The hull rumbled slightly, the plucky white little trawler slowly picking up speed until it reached its maximum safe cruising speed of about 10 knots. Not fast in any manner, but something they could live with considering the range they could sail at that speed. They wouldn’t even need to refuel in Derry with the 25 tons of diesel they had in the double bottom tank.

Mikhail went out on the deck to drop the stabilizing fins the moment they passed the breakwaters marking the end of Belfast’s harbor, just about when Geert decided to radio Amandine to signal they were out of the port.

That was one of the good things with the trawlers. The fins kept them from rolling too much, and they also didn’t increase the draft past the three-meters mark. Low enough that they could cut through many sandbanks and mudflats along the way, drastically reducing the actual length of the trip down to just short of a hundred nautical miles, and that was with a short detour to see the Giant’s Causeway.

Because a bit of post-apocalyptic tourism never hurt anyone, right?

“So how long to Derry?” Artemis asked.

“’bout ten hours. We should get there by nightfall. Wanna take first watch?”

“Sure. Three hours cycle?”

“Will do.” Geert nodded.

She got up from her seat and headed for the ladder. Best use the time she had available to study the intel Roberto had provided on Derry.

And maybe catch a power nap. Those were always nice.

Author's Notes:

When they say nothing short of divine intervention can solve a problem...

The mage mentioned by Epona, Maugris, I think the best way to describe him is that he's to a Matter of France what Merlin is to a Matter of Britain. The difference being that in stories he's described as a con-artist in Charlemagne's court first, and a mage second. Bayard is the magic horse he passed off to his knight cousin, along with the sword Flamberge.

Not that the trickery isn't entertaining. Guy's described as fooling even the Emperor. Takes balls to pull that off on ol' Charlemagne, guy wasn't the merciful type. Not with what he did to Dutch pagans when he evangelized the place.

On a meta level, you might be happy to know I've made great strides in building up buffer chapters (yeah for insomnia?). In fact I'm already working on the next arc, and I think on an engineering and technical level you'll find it more interesting than Belfast. I even got some neat advice for that one.

In other words: dis gun' be goo'
^{Although... I got so many buffers stored up you should only get the first chapters for Christmas, or more likely new year.}