Knight Officer Garx Hybeck muttered angrily to himself. This was supposed to be a simple diplomatic run. Pick up a bunch of dignitaries, take them for a tour of the Righteous Pursuit, brag about the military preparedness their taxes allowed, and lean heavily on the subtext that they'd be defenseless against the Sparnell Confederation heathens unless they continued to fund the great Navy of the Hydell Order. Nothing I haven't done a million times before. But then the Sparnelli themselves had emerged from behind the Veil and suddenly he was trapped away from his post babysitting civilians during a surprise attack.

"Portals!" he barked into the telecomm, the on-duty Telepath automatically routing the call to his team. He gripped the receiver as the ship shuddered from another barrage, scowling as his charges stumbled and whined at the inconvenience.

<It's not good,> Initiate Gusse, his second, thought back. <The Telekinetics are holding but the Portal Generator took a direct hit. Navigations says they can do it manual but the Orbital Fareway Station is down and we'll risk a misalignment.>

<Damn.> Hybeck eyed the diplomats. <Fleet says to get the dignitaries out of here, they're sending the Armada to worry about the planet. What'll we tell the Captain?>

<We'll have to Hell Jump. I'll tell 'im. You get everyone snug for the shift.>

Hybeck slammed the telecomm back into its receiver before pasting on a fake smile and turning to his charges. "It's your lucky day! You get to experience a part of space most people don't get to return from!"

"We were promised this would be a short tour," one of the dignitaries scowled. "I'm missing important business meetings."

"I sincerely apologize for the delay," Hybeck gritted through his smile. "The Sparnelli were not thoughtful enough to schedule their invasion with us in advance." He tapped a code into the wall mounted keypad, causing the panels to rotate and reveal an array of jump harnesses complete with short-term emergency breathers. "Who wants to go first?"

Hybeck braced for their protests, but the internal broadcast system buzzed to life. "Rig for emergency hyperjump in ten minutes. Full jump protocols engaged."

Suddenly everyone wanted to go first. Hybeck grinned as he walked them through the protocols, explaining the use of the breather and what to do if accidentally left behind by the jump. Ten minutes, he marveled. Hyperjumps were strenuous affairs for any Void Necromancer, often leading to an infuriating arrogance at their own competence, not to mention a half hour jump cycle on the best of days. She must've started prepping the moment they appeared.

He had just strapped in the last diplomat as the final countdown began. There wouldn't be time to strap himself in. Donning his own breather he quickly hooked his arms around the closest occupied harness, preparing his mind for the trip past the Veil.

Reality shifted.

∼∼∼

Hybeck grinned as he untangled himself from the harness before beginning the process of releasing his charges. "And welcome back to the land of the living!"

For once the dignitaries seemed too stunned to argue.

Less than a minute into the process the shipwide communicator sprang back to life. "Emergency Jump complete. All personnel accounted for. Cargo container GH28B has been lost to the Void. Congratulations on a successful Jump."

GH28B... Why did that number sound familiar? Before Hybeck could place it he was connected back with his second. <Sir. Now that we're no longer under fire, I'd like to get a team out there to fix the damage. I need your authorization.>

<Granted.> Hybeck was forever grateful to whomever had assigned Initiate Gusse as his second. He had no doubt the young mage would exceed his own career someday, but for now it was an honor to work beside him.

<Sir?> the Initiate continued. <That cargo crate... Wasn't it one of the ones you signed for?>

<Damn. The Festival!> He remembered now, the food for tomorrow's religious feast had arrived slightly before the dignitaries. He had only been halfway through stowing it when he'd been called away to give the tour. The Sparnelli fleet had arrived shortly afterwards, and it must have been forgotten in the ensuing chaos.

<Honestly, Sir?> the Initiate continued. <If you did that on purpose, you're a hero. The Festival of Bitter Regret is... Well, thank you, Sir.>

Initiate Gusse would absolutely surpass his own career, but only if he learned to keep such thoughts to himself. Hybeck smiled as he released the final diplomat. <Your secret's safe with me, kid, but don't go telling just anybody that sort of opinion. Let me get these civilians situated and we'll sort out that portal drive.>