“Did everyone have enough breakfast?” I asked as I shoved the frying pan into the dishwasher.

  “Enough? I’m stuffed! Why did you make such a big meal?” Alan asked.

  “It’s the first time we’ve visited a new city,” I explained. “So I wanted it to be special!”

  “Haven’t you visited other towns and cities before?” Jennifer asked. “Like, we’re planning to swing by Seattle so you can visit the friends you met there last time.”

  “That was a work trip!” I exclaimed. “The last time I was there the place was flooded with Antithesis. I spent my entire time killing aliens and saving people. I didn’t exactly have time to sightsee.”

  “Then how did you have time to make frens?” Issi chirped as she shoved one last forkfulof pancake into her mouth. She had so much jam around her mouth that I wasn’t sure if any of it had made it into her mouth or not.

  “Because even though I have bears, I can’t do everything myself,” I said softly. Grabbing some paper towels, I wandered over and gently wiped her mouth, drawing giggles from the little girl. “I’ve worked with a lot of Samurai, that’s how I met Shannon, Nora, and Charlotte.”

  “Sounds like you only know how to make friends when you’re fighting aliens,” Eddie smirked.

  I shot him a cross look but couldn’t exactly deny it. Most of my friends were either from before I was chosen or samurai after all.

  “Alright, you lot, now that breakfast is over, it’s time to wash up and get changed,” Jane declared, clapping once to make sure the kids were paying attention. “We have a big day planned, so don’t dilly-dally.”

  “I get bathroom first!” Issi declared as she hopped down from her chair and sprinted down the hallway.

  “We all have our own private bathrooms now,” Eddie muttered. “We don’t have to fight over a single bathroom anymore.”

  “I’m still using mine first!” the little girl shouted back.

  I waited until the munchkins disappeared down the hallway before turning to look at Jane. “Do we actually have a big day planned? The only thing I had on the schedule was meeting up with Grey and visiting the aquatic gardens.”

  “Honestly, I’m surprised you even took the time to look up any tourist traps ahead of time,” Alan snorted. “I figured you’d try and wing it like usual.”

  “I’m making an effort, since it’s our first family trip,” I declared proudly.

  “You two are hilarious,” Jane muttered as she fished her tablet out of a bag next to the table. “Thankfully I sat down with Nyx yesterday and identified just a few other places we could visit. Museums, parks, restaurants, and more. Vancouver actually has quite a few tourist attractions. I was thinking we could stop by a few of the more kid-friendly exhibits today, then stop by Nimbleland tomorrow.”

  “Nimble what now?” I asked, slowly tilting my head in confusion.

  “Nimbleland. You know, the amusement park that was created by Nimbletainment to push their cartoons?” Alan explained. “Come on, Evelyn, I don’t even watch TV, and I've even heard the advertisements for it.”

  “Doesn’t ring a bell,” I admitted, “but if it’ll make the kids happy, I’m willing to give it a try.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Give what a try?” Issi asked as she came sprinting down the hallway. She was still struggling to get an arm into one of her sleeves, and her personal guard fox was chasing after her, carrying a coat.

  “It’s a surprise for tomorrow,” Jane said as she leaned down and helped the girl finish dressing. “You didn’t need to rush. We’re not going to leave anyone behind.”

  “I know…” the girl admitted as she took the quilted white coat from the fox. “But… excited!”

  “Visiting a new place for the first time is always exciting,” I said, patting Issi on the head, “but there’s no point in rushing. We have plenty of time.”

  “Okie,” Issi hesitantly agreed. She glanced back down the hallway, and when she didn’t see anyone, she pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and turned it that way. Once she climbed up, she just sat there, waiting for the others, kicking her legs in impatience.

  “We’re planning on taking your truck into the city, right?” Jane asked as she glanced over at the fox standing in the corner. “Does that mean you’re planning on leaving all the bears and bodyguards behind?”

  “Heck no!” I exclaimed, remembering to censor myself in front of the kids. “Both the foxes and my squad are coming with us.”

  “I don’t think the locals are going to like that,” Alan muttered.

  “Well, I parked the Stratocarrier outside the city to help alleviate their fears, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you all wander around without protection,” I declared. “Bob and the foxes can come with, while the others wait in a Kodiak in case of emergency.”

  “Is that really necessary? No one around here knows us and having Bob and the foxes would only attract unnecessary attention,” Jane said.

  “You never know. I’ve upset a lot of people since I became a samurai. Better safe than sorry,” I replied. “Foxes go with!”

  Jane sighed, “Fine. I’ll put up with them for now, but if they start pulling a crowd, then they’re going back in the vehicle.”

  “I make no promises,” I muttered under my breath.

  With our discussion finished, for now, we settled in to wait for Eddie and Jennifer. We didn’t have to wait long, just a couple of minutes, and once they arrived, I led everyone through the corridors and down into the hangar bay.

  Although the hangar bay wasn’t as cavernous as the garage at the shelter, it was far larger. It occupied nearly twenty-five percent of the ship and was split into multiple areas for the Kodiaks, my collection trucks, and personal transports. There was even a section to store the massive bear-acade walls and the heavylift transports required to deploy them, so I could fortify areas when necessary.

  We crossed the elevated walkway over the manufacturing and material storage area before finally descending into the hangar area. I made sure to park my truck and Kodiak right next to the entrance, so the kids didn’t have to travel very far.

  “Everyone in!” I declared as I jumped up and pulled open the rear door so the kids could get in.

  “Where are we going anyways?” Jennifer asked.

  “We’re going to meet a friend of mine at the aqua gardens, and from there… ask Jane,” I replied.

  Jane just shook her head. “Probably the Science Center, then the Vancouver Art Museum. I’ve also booked a table at the Regent Seaside Resort for dinner. They promised to put us on the patio so you could all look at the ocean while we ate.”

  “Hurray! Can we go down to the shore and look at the fishies?” Issi asked. She was struggling to climb up into the raised passenger area, so I gave her a boost.

  “Sorry, pipsqueak, there aren’t that many fish in the sea these days,” Alan said. “The Antithesis ate most of them, but we’ll see holographic fish at the gardens, and we can go for a walk down at the seaside tomorrow. Is that okay?”

  The little girl looked over, her brow furrowed. “None at all?”

  “Not this close to shore,” Alan confirmed quietly.

  “Then the plan is acceptable! I’d like to see real fishies, but if that’s not an option, I’ll live with the alternative,” Issi declared, nodding decisively.

  “That’s very mature of you,” I told her before closing the door and climbing up into the driver’s seat.

  Even though my truck was big, it still felt cramped with six people all crowded together in the cab. Alan had to sit in the middle of the front seat, sandwiched between Jane and myself, and whenever he readjusted his position, he elbowed me in the side.

  “When are you going to get a real vehicle? Something that comfortably seats everyone and that Jane and I could drive?” he asked.

  “Do you know how many points a vehicle costs?” I grumbled. “The truck works fine!”

  Jennifer snickered. “Evelyn, you do remember that you can buy hover vehicles for cash, right? The non-samurai ones.”

  I froze for a moment as my brain processed that information.

  “That may have slipped my mind,” I admitted. “We do have some cash from selling rare materials to the corps and power back to the city. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look at picking up another vehicle. Something safe.”

  “You worry about our safety too much,” Eddie muttered. “We should get something fun!”

  “Not on my watch,” I muttered. I mentally sent the ignition command to my truck, and it roared to life, slowly rising off the ground. “We can discuss this all later. We have people to meet and a city to see. Everyone ready?”

  I smiled at the round of very unenthused acknowledgements and put the truck into drive. “Then let's go!”

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