Tanya's homecoming was everything she had been craving. Amara had suggested taking the family to an upscale restaurant on the orbital station to celebrate the money flowing in from new Adaptive Hyper-Matrix deals, but that wasn't her or her family's style. Tanya didn't particularly care about displaying wealth, and her family had never been ones for fancy dining experiences where you needed three different forks. Even at university, she only ate from the takeaway places and nothing fancy.
Instead, they had organised a proper old-fashioned cookout. By the time Tanya arrived back at the farm, there were already three or four different meats smoking over an open pit, filling the evening air with the kind of rich, honest smells that made her mouth water. Multiple tables groaned under the weight of each family's "famous" contributions, such as Marcus's wife, Sarah's legendary mac and cheese, old Doris Henderson's mystery pie that no one could replicate despite decades of trying, and her mother's cornbread that had won the county fair six years running.
Tanya settled into the comfortable rhythm of small-town social life, wandering between groups of old friends and family members, catching up on months of accumulated gossip and local news. The conversation was blessedly normal, such as crop yields, weather patterns, who was dating whom, the eternal debate over whether the Hendersons' automated irrigation system was worth the expense or if they were just trying to rip everyone off. Someone shoved a plate into her hands, stacked high with smoked ribs and a slab of cornbread. She just ate, laughed, and let herself breathe. The event of the last few weeks fading away.
"Aunt Tanya!" Sophie launched herself at Tanya's legs with the enthusiasm only a three-year-old could muster. "I have so many stories to tell you! Daddy says you went on a big adventure!"
"I did indeed," Tanya said, scooping up her niece and settling into a lawn chair. "But I bet your stories are way more interesting than mine."
As Sophie launched into an elaborate tale involving her toy animals staging a rebellion against bedtime, Tanya caught sight of David and his wife Lisa standing together by the dessert table. There was something different about the way David's hand rested on Lisa's back, something protective and expectant.
"Are you two...?" Tanya asked when she managed to extract herself from Sophie's storytelling.
"Three months," Lisa said with a grin, her hand moving instinctively to her still-flat stomach. "Apparently, babysitting Sophie a few times was enough to convince me that having our own might not be complete insanity."
"Just mostly insanity," David added with a laugh, dodging Lisa's playful swat.
Tanya felt warmth spreading through her chest that had nothing to do with the fire or the alcohol. This is precisely what she needed: a return to the slow rhythm of family life, the comforting certainty of loved ones who accepted her without needing to grasp the complexities of her work. She joined her brothers in mocking her father's latest failed attempt at stealing an extra corner of cornbread without their mother finding out. The look on his face when he was caught found Tanya laughing so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
The next morning, found Tanya back in Amara's office, the warmth of last night's cookout already feeling like it belonged to another life. The easy laughter of family had been replaced by the cold weight of business and the reminder that someone had tried to interfere with her ship.
"The investigation into the surveillance devices placed on the vanguard has taken an unpleasant turn," Amara said without preamble. Her expression was sharp, tired, and dangerous all at once. "Whoever planted them has powerful friends, like we suspected. Someone with real power and backing is actively burying the evidence. Davidson's people can't get traction. The files go missing, witnesses get classified above his clearance level."
Tanya leaned back in her chair, arms folded. "So… we've rattled someone important. With our navigation system"
"That's putting it mildly." Amara tapped brisk notes onto her tablet. "Operational security has to tighten. No more assuming your testing will go unseen. From here on out, every system, every component, and every contract must be treated as if hostile eyes are watching. Especially with the beacon project"
Tanya grimaced. "Great. Because I wasn't paranoid enough already." But she knew it was time to grow. "As you know, I have plans, but do you have any ideas on how we are going to fund or manage projects this big? It feels…" She searched for the word. "…like too much."
Amara's eyes sharpened with the focus Tanya had learned to both respect and dread. "It's not too much. It's a company. A real one. Right now, it's just you and me juggling prototypes and contracts. But what you're describing isn't a hobbyist startup but a multi-line technology corporation. We need to expand."
"That sounds expensive. And terrifying."
"It's both, but I didn't waste my time on the cruiser." Amara's tone was excited now, the kind of sharp energy that meant she was already ten steps ahead. "We've talked through the option of partnering with established players before. Now it's time to execute. I've identified three potential partners for the beacon network—Steel and Might Dynamics has the orbital manufacturing capacity, Voidspan Logistics has the deployment logistics, and Rowland Infrastructure has government contracts that could fast-track regulatory approval."
Tanya leaned forward, studying the company profiles. "What's the approach?"
"Controlled disclosure meetings. We show them enough to prove the technology works without revealing the core dimensional science. Think of it as a very expensive tech demo with built-in non-disclosure agreements." Amara scrolled through her notes. "For the hammerhead tugs, I want to approach Titan Shipworks and Heavy Space Solutions. Both specialise in industrial vessels and have the manufacturing scale we need."
"And our role in these partnerships?"
"Technology licensor with retained IP rights. They build and deploy, we collect licensing fees and maintain control over future developments. The key is structuring deals that let us scale rapidly without losing decision-making authority over the core technology."
They spent some time discussing the more concrete parts of the plan, with Sage occasionally chiming in with clinical comments, but it was time well spent. Tanya felt some of her anxiety ease. This was concrete planning rather than abstract business theory. "What about the hiring timeline?"
"I want to bring on a CTO(Chief Technical Officer) first as someone who can manage our future engineering teams and translate your prototypes into production specifications. I've already started reaching out to candidates who have experience with both cutting-edge technology and partnership negotiations." Amara made additional notes. "After that, regulatory affairs, then project management. But the CTO hire is crucial because they'll help evaluate which partnership offers make technical sense."
"Any candidates in mind?"
"Three initial prospects. Two from aerospace companies, one from advanced manufacturing. All have experience taking revolutionary technology from prototype to commercial deployment." Amara's expression grew more serious. "But they'll want to see working prototypes before they'll consider leaving established positions. Especially for a no-name young shipwright like you."
Tanya nodded, understanding the problem but unsure how she could convince people to leave their current position. "How long do we have?" she asked trying to work out timelines in her head, so she could plan her schedule.
"For initial partnership discussions, maybe twelve weeks. Companies this size don't move quickly, but once they're interested, they expect rapid progress demonstrations. We need to be ready to prove our technology works at scale, not just in workshop conditions."
The scope felt enormous, but also necessary. Looking at Amara's detailed planning, Tanya realised they needed more than just business partnerships, but they also needed talent. "We'll also need to hire experienced shipwrights and fabricators who can work with advanced materials. People who can take my designs and turn them into production-ready specifications. The CTO will need more than me to manage"
"Agreed, but there's another consideration," Amara said, tapping her stylus against her tablet. "You need to start building your reputation in the industry. Right now, you're unknown outside military circles. If we want to attract top-tier engineering talent and negotiate from a position of strength with potential partners, people need to know who Tanya Furrow is."
"What does that look like practically?"
"Speaking engagements at engineering conferences, technical papers in aerospace journals, maybe some carefully managed media interviews about your work. Nothing that compromises classified information, but enough to establish your credibility as an innovator." Amara's expression grew thoughtful. "The quantum-enhanced hull technology alone could be the subject of several high-profile presentations, assuming we can get Davidson to give clearance."
"Alright," she said finally. "Let's build a company." She paused, then smirked. "But companies need people, and I've got someone in mind. What do you know about Red? The soldier from my recent mission?
Amara blinked at the sudden pivot, her stylus freezing mid-note. Then, with a dry huff, she set the tablet down. "You do have a talent for lurching from strategy to sentiment without warning." Her lips curved into a thin smile
"Pleasant enough fellow, despite having the kind of face that makes children hide behind their mothers," Amara said with a slight smile. "Though from what I hear, his wife is the scary one in that relationship. Why do you ask?"
"I'm thinking about hiring him as a bodyguard. With all the attention our technology is attracting, it might be wise to have professional security."
Amara gestured toward her notes about the surveillance investigation. "Given recent events, that's probably prudent. But he's missing an arm, which rather limits his effectiveness in a protection role. His Military prosthetics will be good, but not that good"
"I'm going to work on that," Tanya said with quiet confidence.
"Work on what, exactly?"
"Let's just say I think Red's going to be very surprised by what modern prosthetics can accomplish when you have access to the right materials and fabrication techniques."
Amara studied her for a long moment. "You're really planning to build him a new arm?" She wasn't surprised but still seemed to more of a distraction than something worth following up on with how busy they were going to be.
"I'm planning to build him a better arm," Tanya corrected. "One that won't limit his effectiveness at all."