“But despite its advances, it was unable to get here in time to protect Father. The next ten units will come online within seven days’ time. We won’t have that issue again.”

Lydia exchanged looks with her Elder, sisters, and Chris. “Ten? That seems like a formidable number?”

“Each unit has greater firepower than a US Navy guided missile cruiser. I have successfully reverse engineered the Vorsook technology on Nika’s recovered craft. Once these are fully beta tested, we’ll build bigger ones. The very largest units will take up station at strategic points in space, including each of the five Lagrange points.”

“Are they a match for Vorsook weapons?” Chris asked.

“My time spent fighting the enemy’s AI system gave me more insight into their operations than they got from me. It also helped me to understand the craft that Nika found. Each of these medium units is an improvement on the initial design.”

“That’s awesome, Omega, but how were you able to improve them so easily?” Mack asked, which earned him points with Tanya, as she had wanted to ask that very question but had been oddly reluctant to do so. Mack obviously felt very comfortable with the super AI.

“They have had no need to look for improvements on their designs in several centuries. Therefore, they haven’t. With my own research, their databanks, and more than a few ideas from Father, we have made advances.”

“Declan understands alien technology?” Lydia asked, frowning.

“Father has an intuitive, almost instinctual understanding of magic which is, at its core, quantum manipulation. He gives me broad ideas and I work out the math and science. Father is very, very crafty.”

Just then, the ambulance zipped up close to the little group, a pair of EMTs exiting the back with full med packs. Chris had to admire their stellar professionalism as they stoically ignored a still very naked Stacia, along with multiple vampires, weres, himself, his famous wife, and a giant Kodiak brown bear.

“Ah, if you all will back up, we can get him transported to the trauma center,” one of the EMTs bravely offered.

“I’m coming with you,” Stacia said, setting her mate down very, very gently and unabashedly pulling on the sweats that Mack held out for her. It wasn’t a request, and the two ambulance men wisely just nodded and focused on the patient.

The big orb that Omega had called medium-sized stayed directly over Declan as they first loaded him onto a gurney, then into the ambulance. Stacia was right on their heels. Meanwhile, the driver was looking up at the orb and talking with the patrol officer who had guided them in. That officer turned to Chris.

“Ah, sir, what’s it going to do?” he asked, nodding at the drone.