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Alliance base, and Porthos to oversee defense of Headquarters Island. The decree stunned both Hunters. Athos preferred to lead the Island defense, while Porthos believed his discovery of the base made him best suited to launch the invasion. The Leader ignored both men. He ordered Athos to teleport at once to a spot that would provide him with the tools he’d need for his mission, and provided a mental image for teleportation.
    It was a shipyard, located on the southeast corner of the island, a place Athos had never before known existed.
    The shipyard showed signs of wear and tear, a site created as part of the post-Cataclysm rebuilding of Headquarters Island. Crews worked on a new yacht for the Leader, dubbed the Genevieve , but that wasn’t Athos’ target. His eyes found a dozen gray-skinned ships of unusual form resting low in the water. The Leader insisted that the strange ships would be the key to the successful completion of his role in the upcoming war with the Alliance.
    A man teleported nearby and waved to gather Athos’ attention. “Welcome, Hunter.” His sandy brown hair fluttered in the wind, and he peered at Athos with dark green eyes. “I understand you are to lead us in an attack mission against the traitors?”
    Athos stared at him. “How—?” He recovered quickly, though. The Leader wouldn’t tell this man that Athos hadn’t been aware of the strange ships or this shipyard until an hour earlier. “Of course. Why else would I be here?”
    The man nodded. “Of course, sir.” He held out his hand. “I’m Scott, by the way.”
    Athos ignored the offered hand, and Scott withdrew it with some hesitation a moment later. “Tell me more about the ships. Speed, crew size, passenger capacity, weapons, and communication abilities.”
    “Of course, sir,” Scott replied. “The submarine hulls are able to withstand pressures found at an ocean depth of approximately two point eight miles beneath the surface. The engines permit a cruising speed of up to one hundred miles per hour. We can reach a significant portion of the planet aboard the submarines in just a few days.”
    Athos wasn’t impressed. Several days to reach a destination? Teleportation was a far superior option, but that wasn’t available in this situation. A shame they couldn’t build machines able to teleport people and weapons to remote locations. But he knew that to be impossible. “Good. Weapons?”
    “Each craft has a dozen torpedoes available. Guidance systems are accurate to within two feet from two miles distant. We are working to improve—”
    “Comms?”
    Scott paused with his mouth still open. A seabird squawked in the distance as he resumed. “Radio signals are encrypted. Our friends could tap into the signal and not understand a word we were saying. The signal can reach Headquarters Island from any part of the planet, with a delay of… less than three seconds.” He paused after uttering the figure, looking at Athos with hesitation.
    Athos wasn’t certain what that meant, but three seconds wasn’t much time. He forced a look of deepest concern to his face and Scott wilted just a bit. “Mm hmm. Anything else I need to know?”
    Scott considered. “Each submarine includes two submersibles. They have depth ratings similar to the submarines themselves but a much shorter range, perhaps ten miles or so. Not advisable for longer journeys.”
    Athos nodded. He glanced at the name on the yacht and pointed. “What’s the significance of the name Genevieve ?”
    “I’m not sure, sir. The Leader requested the name himself.”
    There’d be no questioning that choice. “What about the submarines? Do they have names?”
    “Not yet, sir. Each of the other eleven captains has names selected, but will defer to you if you’d like to provide the names yourself. We await the name for your submarine to lead the fleet.”
    He’d known the name he’d select in an instant.
    That had all happened two weeks earlier. They’d painted