Despite Illya's irritation and his gestures for Thomas to leave the man seemed to insist on coming in the room anyway. Groaning a little Illya did his best to help himself get on the bed and it was only because Thomas made the back and leg hurt so much more. All the jerking and the pulling was nearly enough to make it feel like the man was making an attempt at tearing him limb from limb. When he finally reached the bed Illya started to lurch again and he held as long as possible until he had the bucket. What was left of the vomit drizzled out of his mouth as he leaned over the bucket. With a few last coughs Illya did his best to clear his mouth of the taste. It was too bad he lost dinner since it was perfectly good food.

Growling a little he moved when Thomas pushed in to look at the puke. Why the man would do that seemed odd. No matter who it was puke stank and Illya didn't really want Thomas to be pushing in and checking it out. Thankfully the man was out of the way soon enough and then he was instantly trying to get more pills down his throat. Illya gave him a skeptical look. This was ridiculous. Giving a man another pill after the ones he took just made him sick.

Since Thomas likely knew more about his medicine Illya decided to wait till he was gone and then he would try the black pills. As soon as Thomas left he sat up in the bed and coughed a little more. Grabbing the bottle Illya sniffed the bottle and wrinkled his nose. It didn't even smell like medicine. With a sigh he poured 2 pills into his hand and then he chucked them into his mouth and swallowed. A few minutes later he quit heaving and he fell asleep. When Illya woke up he found the giant bucket of puke had got dumped across the bottom of the bed and it was dripping onto the floor. "Damn it." As tempting as it was to kick the bucket off the end of the bed out of irritation he knew that it would only make a larger mess. Sitting up in the bed Illya grabbed the bucket and he set it on the floor. Rolling out of the bed he stripped the sheets and took them to the shower to rinse them out before washing them. Since no one was wandering around the area he stripped his clothes off to. They smelled nasty and they could use a washing as well.

Once he had the clothes started in the wash Illya got the bucket and washed it out with soap and returned with to the room to get disposable towels to wipe up the chunks and then he could sanitize the rest of the room. The medical bay was nice and clean in a matter of minutes. Next he decided to clean himself up and then he could worry about putting fresh sheets on the bed and putting the others away and getting dressed again.

*******************************************

Illya had barely stepped out of the shower connected to the medical bay when he heard someone come limping down the hall. Reaching for the towel he barely got it wrapped around his waist when Thomas poked his head around the corner. "Yah know those pills helped. Feeling much bettah." Illya rubbed one hand through his wet hair and wandered over to the medical bay bed to strip it. "Why meh face all over the news?"

Thomas raised a brow at the man. He'd been looking so miserable awhile ago and now he almost seemed put to right. He straightened his knee absently and as he nodded. "Well, apparently you were recognized from getting caught up in the rally. They had pictures up of you from that and they had a researcher do a little digging. They found some old photos from your war days and claimed that you killed prisoners with no quarter, labeling you as a war criminal and your people as violent by nature." His tone was even as he looked to the man, waiting to hear some sort of explanation if he had one.

The Chip had been busy shoving pills back into the cupboard and cleaning the room up. He still had to wait for the clothes to be dried in the machine before he could get dressed. Looking up at Thomas he gave a sharp look. "Dey always say Chippeqouti are violent. Federation hire us to guard mines when they first build them. All dose brave explorers were cowards. We agree for price to guard dem and workers. Federation decide when time comes to pay it was too much and so instead dey hire armies and inflame workers against us. Chippeqouti don't kill unless there is need. We keep dem in our homes as prisoners. Dey work to help with chores soldiers are not home to do. I have prisoners too and den some of dem start to kill children and dose at home wit poison candies. Cannot release dem and cannot keep dem so I order dem all killed. Meh daughter also die because of poison candy and I tink meh Isla made weak wit their poison because she die very young from bone rot."

He listened and picked at his goatee which had become scraggly, as the man explained. He killed to protect his own, his family, which he couldn't be faulted for in times of war. The man's enemy had taken a daughter and a wife. That in and of itself was hard to even think about. He had been under the impression the Federation was a government though. The way Illya talked it made his enemy sound like some thing different and he was wanted by them with Calysta stuck between. Tugging on his beard some, he finally spoke. " I can't speak to what you are or are not. Does Calysta know about this? The federation sounds more like a business than a government."

As soon as he finished Illya lowered his gaze and continued to pick up the room. Pulling the drawer underneath the bed open he pulled fresh sheets out and threw them on top the bed. Illya glanced at her father again. "Aye, yah a rare Terran. Might still tink meh a monster, but yah keep it to yahself. Federation is a group of companies and dey grow. All companies want protection and dey grow in number and strength as more join to help pay for the mercenaries. Dey hire more workers lately? If Federation hire more workers dey looking ta go to war. Not long till dey find Nuen and meh people and yah government can't stop dem." After a moment Illya blinked and then blurted as more of an after thought. "Kalizda knows, but I don't want Kika knowing."

Thomas bristled at the Terran comment, but the insult passed as he learned more about the Federation. His stomach slowly turned to lead as he learned what they were. The rally and what he had seen on the screen came to his mind. "That would have been helpful information earlier. My daughter may know about your past, you're dragging her into a war and her people along with it. The Kaereleans dont know about this Federation and are going to be blind sided trying to protect the people on Nuen when they have fought so hard to keep the peace. They do that because the last war took down 4 continents. Oblierated them and all the people on them. People like me and Calysta. This fight wont be just about the Chippeqouti anymore. Your enemy is every where and I have a feeling they wont be using hired soldiers. Think about that rally. That was William Yarbrough on the screen, a steel mine owner and rich beyond belief. He could easily be working for your federation. Why would they hire workers if they could just find willing soldiers with a government on their side and a worthy cause? Nothing sells steel better than war."

The Chip shrugged. "Why we live alone. Chippeqouti and Ehuai together are very good at fighting. Now yah know and yah know why we agree to help protect yah government. I can do meh part and Federation trying to kill CHippeqouti before we move here. War would come anyway. Onleh now yah have Chippeqouti to help and we warn yah soon. I have information and meh picture on quadrant news will signal time for Edgar to speak."

He leaned against the counter top listening to the ringing in his ears. The man spoke so causally about war it was irritating and when Henaiah found out about this she was going to flay him. Another shock ran through him. He hadnt even thought about what running around with Kiya was going to look like. "Oh hell," he grumbled. At moment passed and he sighed, mostly too control his tempe about the entire situation. "You talk about war easily and you're probably right in saying that war was coming anyways, but keep in mind not everyone is indestructible as you. When your folks talk to the Kaereleans they will be shocked, but they will stand by their word. Even if it kills them."

Thomas seemed to take the Chippeqouti with very little grace. It was irritating to Illya to find that the other man didn't even think his people had some decency. "We keep quiet for long as possible to let it pass. We already began equipping yah ships in government with better parts. Chippeqouti already began providing yah government with what they need for coming war. Meh people know our new allies are weak." The man stared at Thomas for a long time. "We offer 50 men and I will lead dem. I will kill as many Federation as it takes to keep yah people safe and mine."

"Don't mistake physical differences for weakness," Thomas said without a second thought, "The Kaereleans are anything but that, if anything Calysta proves that. Have you told her about that job? To go back into war leading these men?" His highest concern was his daughter, but so was his home. He didn't want either of them seen as weak because they were not at all. They were simply not Chippeqouti. Though he had to hand it to them of they've been sneaking parts on the ships to keep their past buried deep as possible.

Shrugging he started to unfold the sheets and remake the bed. "I don't remember if I tell her. No choice since I am general and I think it should be easy to guess that a general must fight when war comes."

These people had such poor communication skills. No wonder they hopped from war to war. Straightening his knee, he gave the man a firm look. "Aye well maybe you two should have a little talk about it at some point. Its courtesy. Some thing she will expect to know for sure. As for what happened today with the pills and what I know, its not my place to say anything. To Calysta and especially not Kiya."

"I ask Kalizda to show meh what pills to use. Thought they like herbs and yah mix some till yah find the right mix. Long as yah put them in right place in body." Pointing to his mouth the Chip shrugged. "They all for mouth. Very bad medicine." Shaking his head a little he smirked. "Don't worry I tell Kalizda meh job when it is time."

"Aye...right as you're at the door with a duffle..." Thomas mumbled to himself. Shaking his head, he pulled out 2 bottles from the cabinet. "Not bad medicine and the same principle as your herbs. You just cant combine them with so much at one time. Here." He pulled out a bottle of ibprophen and set it on the counter. He was going to teach the man a few things because there may come a day when Calysta couldn't be healed up with his little herb gardens. "Take three of this for muscle pain." Then he pulled put another bottle and held it up. "Only one of these. It's a potent painkiller and too much makes you sick."

Turning around Illya almost lost his towel and he re-tightened it. Standing near the counter he examined the pills and bottles carefully. "I learn now. Won't mistake dese again." Illya stared her father in the eyes. "Kalizda has much trouble, but I tell her before we land. Before we agree she has time to ask meh anything and if she is not pleased with answer she can say no. I remind her she can ask."

"Good. And yes, she does have much trouble, but I think that would be a good idea once she's feeling a little better," Thomas agreed, "I havent been particularly favorable to you, but even I know she'll want to know. " There was always a chance she would say no, but he doubted that would happen. She taken too deeply with him. Lifting off the counter, he hobbled toward the door, looking back at the Chip for just a minute. "Try to be kind to Kiya. I don't think she did this but I don't want Calysta thinking I don't believe her either."

The fact that Thomas kept bringing up Tika. "She's a prisoner and I treat her as such till Kalizda says otherwise. I already give her high price to pay off for her price. She thinks she is very important so I give her very important price." Chuckling a little Illya noticed her father's face and he shook his head. "There needs to be some fun in meh work. Eh?"

He had little room to argue considering he was navigation and hadn't been the one asked to watch. Of course, Kiya had always been slightly self important anyways. Something he was glad Calysta never picked up on. Raising a brow, he glanced at the Chip. "Aye, I suppose you do. She's more of a handful than Calysta though, so on that I wish you luck."

"Long as she has energy she works." Chuckling a little the Chip started to wander toward the laundry room in his towel. "She will eat good food like all of us and she will sleep as much as she need. More energy to make trouble means less sleep. Don't worry, I take care of her Chippeqouti way."

***********************************************

After Thomas left the Chip pulled his half damp clothes out of the dryer. Slipping into the clothing he started back for the room. It was time to get the woman working and he needed to get some food made for Kalizda. "Aye ets time for da training to begin." As much as he liked to joke about this sort of thing Illya hated having to work with uncooperative prisoners. Since she was Terran it made the effort especially annoying and he didn't want to know what it would be like. Chances were she would be just as bad as Ayrn had been to work with.

Wandering into the room he nodded to Ayrn that had mostly dozed off. "Yah free to go now. I get her working." Unlocking the woman's ankle from the bedpost he simply moved the chain to be on her other ankle. It would inhibit any immediate or fast paced movement. "I cook for Kalizda and crew, yah scrub floors." Marching with the woman into the kitchen he sent her to stand on the far end that was nothing but the table and benches bolted to the floor. After he had the bucket filled Illya set it down next to her. "Work." He wasn't one to make small chat and he hoped she wasn't. For the most part he liked to work in silence. So far it seemed they were capable of carrying on a silent work environment though he noticed she was giving him wicked looks over her shoulder whenever he would glance her way. "Look at yah work. When I find missing spots I give yah another bucket and yah mop the floor again." She might have thought that he would get tired of watching her, but he didn't mind so long as he could see her breaking. There was a lot of spirit in this woman and he doubted that it would be an easy task. Ayrn was easy to break, but he was a miserable lout when it came to most things and he was perpetually lazy if he was allowed.

Getting the food fixed was faster than her moping the floor. Illya hated the fact that it was all rations on board the ship. He didn't have much fresh food to cook with, but the rations were surprisingly quite nice. It was almost as good as something home cooked. Whoever they stole this ship from had a nice array of food and they must have paid top dollar for the rations.

Illya walked up behind the woman and he tapped the bottom of her foot with his. "I fasten yah to table." She couldn't go anywhere since the table was bolted to the ground and it was a good place for her while he delivered food to her dad wherever he was and then to Ayrn and finally Kalizda. Mostly he didn't want anyone in contact with the prisoner at this point and he did want to keep her freshly moped floor clean for the day. He always hated it when someone would come in and destroy his floors when he was cleaning.

The first tray Illya took to the navigation room and he slid it in front of Thomas. "Rations all we have." He almost bemoaned the fact in front of the man. "I would have made some soft snake in dumpling bread. Find some Terran recipes for pork and I think instead of pig snake would be better." For a moment he could have sworn the man looked like he was about puke. "Sorry the ration is all the better we have. I get something fresh at next market."

There was no great surprise to find Ayrn was sitting in the room though Illya spied little chunks of food had fallen from above onto his bed. "Ayrn!" Growling loudly he looked up at the man with his cheeks stuffed. "I brought yah food and this is the only time I serve yah in da room. No more eating and tomorrow yah clean all da bunk room for eating in here. I sleep on chip crumbs all night because of yah." Gritty little chunks of chip digging into his skin and scraping his legs all night long was not an ideal way to sleep. Besides he hated the smell of chips.

Finally Illya took the last tray to Kalizda's room. Gently knocking on the door he stepped inside and then set the tray on the night stand next to her bed. "Meh little bird I bring yah offerings. We only have rations so I bring yah the best one.' A smirk came to his face. 'Most of dem are the same, so tomorrow I bring yah another best meal eh?" Leaning close to Kalizda he almost kissed her and then stopped himself. "Yah know that with us so close to agreeing yah have right to ask meh anything and I will answer. Kalizda I don't want yah to think yah agree with a stranger. If yah feel that way it would be meh failure." After a moment he sat down next to her on the bed. "Chippeqouti man shows his love in many ways. I show yah meh love by learning yah customs, by working for yah, doing whatever job yah need done on ship, I choose to accept all yah problems and mine as they come. Kalizda do yah understand yah have all of meh there is to have? It is how Chippeqouti live and agree together." Swallowing hard he met her gaze. "This is love to meh and yah have what I can give, but if yah need more ask meh." In a way he had broken the rules, but he needed her to know that he was trying to remove some boundaries.

******************************************

When Illya returned to the kitchen he undid the woman's one leg from the table and then placed the shackle over her other leg again. "Yah finish and den we eat together." He didn't like eating with prisoners, but it was the best way to make sure she would have the strength to work as long as he was awake. Last thing Illya wanted was for the woman to be feeling like she had enough energy to make trouble at night. "We have 10 more hours of work." Noticing the look on her face he shrugged. "Yah keep meh hours till yah too tired and then I find out what hours are good for yah."
 
Calysta jerked awake and her right wrist reminded her quickly that it was still there and very broken as it bumped against the bed side table. "Ough." Hissing as the swollen limb pounded against the brace, she sat up and wiped at her face with a groggy moan. Her fingers met something sticky on her cheek. "What in the Wilds?" Pulling her hand away from her face, she looked down to find brown goop stuck to it and a slight panic shook off whatever sleep was left. What the Wilds was this? She threw off the blankets and clambered to her feet, swaying toward the en-suite bathroom with glittering shale floors. The mirror revealed a silver foil wrapper plastered to her face along with a smear of thick brown substance down her cheek and a little dried in her hair. Whoever owned the ship apparently liked to have chocolaty mints placed on his pillow at night and she'd fallen asleep right on top one. "Really?"

After peeling the wrapper from her cheek, she reached into shower and fumbled with the hot water, not even bothering with the cold knob. Then she realized she would have to either take off the brace or shower with her arm stuck outside of the sliding door. There was no way she was taking the brace off, so she tossed one fluffy towel down at the door to collect any escaped water from holding open the door and then snagged up another towel to dry with. The water was hot as she stepped in and revealed every bruise and bump she had on her skin with a heavy flow. There was a particularly nasty bruise she could feel crossing her back from hip to lower shoulder. A souvenir from a police baton. Scrubbing down with lavender soap and shampoo was awkward with her arm hanging out of the glass door and it was only 10 minutes into her shower that her muscles were burning with the effort and her arm was starting to throb on top of that. When she was done rinsing milky conditioner from her hair, she cut off the water and carefully stepped out of the shower to dry off. Her clothes were still covered in dirt and Wilds knew what else from the fiasco on Terra. They would be disgusting to put back on, but there was a silky grey robe hanging in the closet. Drying off, she grabbed up the robe and slipped it on. The garb was way too big, but it would work until she could wash her clothes. There would have once been a time when wearing someones clothes would have be an awkward prospect to her, but now, if it was clean and she needed it, she would use it.

Feeling tired and sore already, she wandered back into the bedroom and checked the clock. It was only 2am galactic time. Sighing, she tossed her clothes in the hamper and then started to wrangle the pillow out of the chocolate coated, silk case. That proved to be a challenge with only one hand too since the fit over the pillow was so tight and her fingers were swollen making them difficult to move. Wiggling the slip from corner to corner, eventually she bent down and used her teeth and dragged the fluffy thing out while holding the bottom with her good hand. "Aha."

Tossing the pillow case into the hamper along with her clothes, she grabbed another pillow and used that one to lay back with. Carrying the hamper to the laundry to the room downstairs wasn't going to happen with her wrist and everyone else was most likely asleep. The pills had let her sleep for a good six hours, but it wouldn't be a good idea to take them again. She would need her full faculties to face the day. Instead, her mind wandered over what she had seen and what kind of situation they were in now. The Terran police had pretty much ruined her low profile, Illya had exposed himself which had unknown repercussions, they were traveling with William Yarbrough's son, and her mother who was without a doubt the woman from the hologram file, guilty of killing Wynt and who knows how many others. This was insane, but the only way to untangle the issue was to ask questions. That invariably meant talking to the woman who birthed her. The idea of it made her angry and her hands curled into fists until she remembered that was a bad idea and her right hand protested as it pounded with her heart beat. What kind of a woman did such things to her own kin? Even if she didn't claim them? They looked so similar, dark hair, grey eyes, same cheeks and nose. Thinking about it made her suddenly aware of how her hair had grown out from its uneven cut over the months since their visit to G'koe. That seemed like ages ago. Tugging at the long ends of her hair, she made a mental note to get it cut short again so she didn't look quite so much like Kiya, even if only made her feel better. They may look alike, but she doubted they were anything alike in character and that's what mattered.

***
A soft knock made Calysta's eyes crack open. When had she fallen back asleep? The clock showed it was nearly 9am and she sat up quickly, cursing herself for having slept so late. There were things that needed to be done and decisions to be made. Plus, she needed to check on Illya too. Making sure the robe was covering her enough, she called out. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Illya carrying a tray of food. He chuckled about the rations and gave her a playful smirk. It was a relief to see him smiling like that, because maybe it meant his back was feeling just a little better and trying to make her feel better too. It usually worked and this time was no different as a smile crept to her face. Putting the tray down, he leaned over and his hand came close to her chin. Her first instinct was to freeze and wait to see what he would do. He came close enough she thought he might kiss her, but then he just pulled away leaving her heart fluttering and her cheeks pink. "Yah know that with us so close to agreeing yah have right to ask meh anything and I will answer. Kalizda I don't want yah to think yah agree with a stranger. If yah feel that way it would be meh failure."

The sudden statement made her tilt her head at him. One minute he moves in as if he wants to kiss and then he is worrying about her marrying a stranger? Was it because she hadn't kissed him yet? She had always been shy with affections like that, but more importantly, she didn't want him to think that she was...immodest. At least by his standards. By Kaerelean and Terran cultures, kissing was perfectly allowable before marriage. "Where is this coming from?" she asked, confused.

After a moment he sat down next to her on the bed and she shifted her legs to let him settle in. He started talking in ways she'd never quite heard him speak before. About love and Chippeqouti men, giving what he had and taking on her problems as his own. Do yah understand yah have all of me there is to have? This is love to meh and yah have what I can give, but if yah need more ask meh. Calysta gazed at the man sitting on her bed even more confused now. Had she said something strange while she was riding the painkillers yesterday? Nothing specific came to mind, but the day before was a wild blur of adrenaline, pain, with a healthy coating of medicine to top it off. There's no telling for sure what she could have said. When Illya finished speaking, he sat looking at her, searching her face for something and she wasn't quite sure what. Maybe this was about something else? He'd never once said she could ask what she wanted and usually kept so many things behind that playful smirk.

Thinking over what he said, Calysta sat forward and tucked her knees under so she could sit up properly and look him in the eyes. He seemed so nervous. She was never good at these sorts of things, but she would try to show him. Taking up his hand in her left she placed it on her knees palm up. Her fingers played gently over the rough pads of his hand finding the callouses worn between the softer spots.

"Illya, in Kaerelean culture someones hands are considered to be one of the most beautiful features." Already he was giving her a strange look but she gave him a gentle smile and continued. "It is said they reveal what a person really is through what they do. Through what someone uses them to create and destroy. To work and love." Curling her left hand fingers over his, she brought his hand up to her lips and kissed his wrist. "When we take our vows, we kiss our partners wrist to show our willingness to take on whatever life brings to them."


He was giving her an unreadable look now, and she wasn't sure if any of this was making sense, or if she had confused him further. "What I'm trying to say is...I know who you are through what you do, Illya. I'm not marrying a stranger. I'm marrying someone who works hard, and loves fiercely. For that, I couldn't ask for more, and I choose to take on your troubles, your happiness and everything in between." Sitting up on her knees, she chuckled a little trying to lighten things some before pressing her lips to his wrist one more time. The urge to pull him close and keep on kissing was bubbling, but she held back and met Illya's gaze. "Of course, a heads up on some of the troubles would be helpful," she winked, "So we can work through them as partners."

***
Calysta ate her meal and then went about trying to do the laundry and her other tasks of checking on their engines and the course heading. She found the original pilot of the Jiminy had either no knowledge of Kaerelean flight systems or didn’t care to know that his engines were running far too high and were so poorly calibrated with each other as to be disastrous. Catastrophic engine failure was not on her list of things to experience, so she set to work no matter how sore her arm was. With Illya watching the prisoner, she reluctantly enlisted Ayrn’s help for some of the things she needed two hands for.

He had trouble paying attention from time to time and more than once she caught his eye wandering, but overall he wasn’t bad for the electrical work she needed.

“That panel there, just don’t put your hand in the-“

“Augh!”

Calysta rolled her eyes as Ayrn twitched back from the panel shaking his hand. It wasn’t the man’s first injury of the day and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last. “Is it bleeding?”

The crewman nodded as he held his other hand under the dripping cut. “C’mon, I’ll take you down to the med bay, next time don’t stick your fingers so close to the coolant fan, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

She hauled him down to the med-bay and made him wash up before treating the cut. He yelped when she poured an alcohol soaked pad over the dripping wound. “Hush, it’s not that bad.”

Working together with her one good hand, Calysta managed to get him bandaged up and as he turned to go back toward the engine room, she made him stop. “Ayrn, can I ask you a few questions?”

He raised a brow at her uncertainly, then but nodded. “Uh, sure?”

“You’re William Yarbrough’s son, right? The man who owns many of the mines including those on Veyna 4.”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

She put the left over medical tape into the cabinet and then turned to look at him. If he was Federation like Illya originally thought, she needed to know. She didn’t think he was, but then again she never thought her own mother would allow her to be framed for murder either. “If you have all this money, and these ties to powerful people, why do you hitch hike and stow away? Why not just go home? You would be more than taken care of there.”

Ayrn gave a thoughtful look, but for once, met her eyes with his own instead of looking any further down. “Yeah, I’m rich if you want to call it that. My family has enough money to buy the moon probably three times over, but a couple of years ago my old man started changing. Taking over some other companies. Sure, the money came in even more, but he got..I dunno…he was different. Anyways, he wanted me to start helping him run the steel corporation but that kind of life just really wasn’t for me. Especially when I saw what it did to him. So, I lit out with what I thought was enough money to last awhile and changed my name so people wouldn’t bother me about it unless I wanted them to. When that ran out, well- he gestured to himself- what you see is what you get. Not too shabby, eh?”

Calysta raised a brow at him with a flicker of a smile. He seemed to be telling the truth and his actions up until that point had been more or less consistent with his story. “Do you know what kinds of companies he was over taking at the time, by chance?”

He shrugged. “Not really. I didn’t pay that much attention to the business side of stuff. I think there was mention of a shipyard at some point. Maybe a few more mines. It got really political with diplomats coming over to the villa all of the time. I hated it because I couldn’t keep the company I liked while they were around.”

“I see.”

A grin spread over his face. “Anything else you wanna know about little ‘ol me?”

Calytsa gave him a snort and rolled her eyes. Definitely the same old Ayrn underneath the new, working attitude. “How did you get the eye patch?”

The Terran started laughing and then made a step down the hall. “I can’t reveal all of my secrets. Where is the fun in that?”

***

Calysta pulled a bottle of the medication down from the cabinet after sending Ayrn back to the engine room. Despite trying to keep it from being obvious, her arm was aching badly enough in the brace to make her eyes water. She was probably pushing things too far, but she couldn’t mope about all day, and leave all the strain on Illya. 800mg of ibprophen wouldn’t deaden the pain, but it would bring it down a notch or two. Swallowing down the tablets, she started to leave the room when her father rounded the corner. His normally neat goatee was fuzzy and there were bags under his eyes. Talking to him about what happened had been on her agenda today, but she had counted on that being later. Now they were staring at each other awkwardly. No time like the present.
Sighing, she decided to be the first to relent.

“Dad, about what happened yesterday…I’m…I’m sorry.”

“Aye, I know, sweetie,” he replied gently.

Her throat was tightening up a little and she swallowed hard. “You trust me?”

“Of course I do. But I think if Kiya did this, then there is more to it than simply murder. I think you should talk with her. ”

Calysta nodded. “I intend on talking with her.”
It may not be how he wanted her to talk, but it would still be talking.

***

Kiya sat waited for the brute to leave the kitchen to stop scrubbing at the floor. He had watched her endlessly, and even caught her looks between looking up from his cooking. He could say whatever he wanted, threaten to make her work till her fingers were threadbare, but she wasn't keen on submitting. There had been no mention of where they were going or what they were going to do with her. She didn't need to know that either really, because it wouldn't matter. They wouldn't holding on to her long enough to do anything with her. She refused to be turned in and found by the suited men.

While he was gone, Kiya rose from her knees on the floor and shuffled over to the counter as far as she could wither her cuff wrapped around her ankle. There would something usable in one of the drawers somewhere. Her chain wasn't quite long enough to let her reach the cabinets comfortably, so she stepped out into a lunge and stretched her fingers out as far as they could go. They wiggled over the handle of a steel drawer and finally snagged, pulling it open in an awkward swoop. Spoons, butter knives, and forks were laid out before her in gleaming sacks. She snatched up one of the forks and shoved it into her pocket quickly, before flicking the drawer closed.

Footsteps were clicking down the hall and she made a dash back over to the bucket, sliding onto her knees and starting her mopping again. The co-pilot reappeared looking a little lost in his own thoughts for a moment, as he changed her chain from one ankle to the other and then offered her a ration meal at the table when she finished. Scrubbing at the floor, with him looking over her shoulder constantly pointing out missed spots was irritating, but she was used to scrutiny and learned to ignore him for the most part. The heels of her hands ached by the time she was done and sitting across from the co-pilot to eat. He was going to watch her while she ate too? It only got more ridiculous when he said she had 10 more hours of work left in the day. Kiya's eyes grew wide and turned up into distinct roll. Sure, she had stood for hours on end at the surgery table, but she doubted he could find 10 hours worth of work for her to do aboard the ship. He probably wasn't that creative. The meal was bland and so was his silence, which was just as well. Each poke of her fork into the meal was a hidden little jab as she kept her mouth shut and glared at him between bites.

Cutting her eyes at him, he set her to work scrubbing cock pit down after the kitchen. She tried to scan over the panels to see where their next stop would be but only the ETA was displayed and the co-pilot would note if her eyes wandered too long. It would be best to wait until they landed to make her move. Halfway through cleaning the cockpit floor the captain appeared. Kiya had seen her going here and there, cleaning some and tending to whatever useless tasks pilots did, but she had been ignored until now. The woman stood over her with a stony expression set on her jaw and holding her braced arm at a awkward angle. It was most likely broken and could be used to an advantage if her escape came down to a struggle. It was her or the Yarbrough boy that were weakest aboard the ship from what she gathered.

When Calysta came close, she could feel the co-pilot tense a little, as if she was going to make a move right now. The woman motioned for her to stand up, so she tossed the sponge into the soapy water and pushed off the ground using her knee. A hologram coin was tossed at her feet and began to roll footage of the hospital on Feneid. Video of a look-alike entering a room in a Skycorp jumpsuit and then leaving in fatigues.

"The woman entering and leaving Wynt Carrington's hospital room killed him. That woman was you, wasn't it?"

The captain's voice was cold, but even, betraying only the slightest of emotion, and a hint of pain. Kiya watched the file play over and over, before meeting Calysta's gaze. "Ye'arm is hurting," was her only reply.

The captain's gaze hardened, and she met it back with the same coldness. "The woman in this video is you, isn't it? You're not denying it."

If her daughter was looking for a confession, it wasn't going to happen. "Ye'don't have more burning questions, Captain?"

The reply made her daughter pause, and for a moment, she thought the woman might ask. "No. The woman is you. My only question for you now is why? Why did you do this?"

Kiya stood there, her shoulders squared as she shook her head. "I've five more hours of work 't go. Excuse'me for not'being more talkative." She wouldn't admit to it, even if it was her and her hands were red with the blood of the deed.

***

Kiya stood in the medical bay cleaning the floors in there while the co-pilot watched on for the 9th hour of work. They had scrubbed every overly decorated inch of the damned ship with only the evening meal break in between where instead of the general watching her, it was the bumbling Terran trillionare. She shot a look at the co-pilot as he pointed out another spot on the floor with his meaty finger. Did he ever get bored or tired?
As she scrubbed at the aforementioned spot, silently fuming at him, there was a soft sound padding down the hall. Suddenly she found herself nose to nose with something large and furry.

“Ack!” Scrambling back, she jumped onto the med bay table and drew her feet up as far from the creature as she could. Kiya had seen the animal, but had kept her distance. Beasts were nothing to play with, but they had insisted on keeping one as if it were a pet. The thing was following her with bright yellow eyes and flicking tail, as if she was a feisty snack to hunt down.

Glancing over to the co-pilot, she found he was grinning smugly and his shoulders shook in a silent chuckle. “Make it leave, I wont’clean with it here,” she demanded.

***

The auto pilot chirped as they came upon the destination her father had changed them to for some reason. When she asked why they were stopping at the strange little moon port he nodded to her arm. “You aren’t fooling anybody with that arm. It needed to be seen about by an actual doctor and the people here are friendly. At least from what I hear.”

Unlike when she forced her hand to work the throttle when they left Terra, she decided it would be best to let her father take over the controls this time. She could probably get them to the ground, but it wouldn’t be a smooth ride and he could guide them well enough while Illya dealt with Kiya. As her father took over the controls and began their decent into the atmosphere, Calysta went to the bunk room to check on the others. She wasn’t sure if Illya would want to stay or leave Ayrn in charge of the prisoner for awhile to come ashore.

She found an angry looking Kiya chained to the bed and a stony faced Chip standing with his arms crossed nearby. The woman’s eyes cut to her with a demanding glare. “Will’ye tell’ye guard dog here to let me pee before’ye land and go leaving’me with this lout?” She jabbed her thumb at Ayrn.

“You just went,” Ayrn grumbled.

“And now I’ve got’t go again,” she replied shortly, “Should I start quoting’ye statistics on average bladder size in Kaerelean females?”

It was hard to know if this was her mother intentionally being a pain, or if this was simply the woman’s personality. She was inclined to think the latter. Calysta looked up to Illya and shrugged. “We’ll be in port soon and I’m not sure how long it will take. If she’s gotta go…might as well before we get into town.”
 
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Watching Kiya was actually far more entertaining than it had been to watch Ayrn. They were moving along at a fairly good clip and that meant that he would have to find some things for the woman to clean tomorrow and his experience was that the more he worked Terran's the slower they got. It was rather amusing to watch. Not something that he would relish doing to Kalizda, because she was someone he liked very much. However, for those that he didn't like it was a form of entertainment. When it was time for Ayrn to watch the woman Illya went to find Kalizda.

It was stressful enough trying to deal with everything else going on, but Thomas seemed to think that Illya wasn't meeting expectations. Kalizda was almost entirely impossible to read when he told her these kinds of things. Illya felt like he'd just thrown his heart out and here she was giving him that look, the look like she was confused. After what felt like forever Kalizda answered.

Momentarily Illya's heart slammed into his chest. Hands were important and he wasn't so sure that was a good thing in his case. Considering everything that he had done with his hands was not really that great. If she was basing what he did with his hands over the last few months he wasn't really that sure why she would want him. All he'd done is fight, work, and kill. Though he had tried very hard not to kill he had done it and then breaking into jail. She did say he shouldn't have done it, but he couldn't leave her either. Swallowing he just sat as still as possible while her fingers traced his palm. Occasionally his fingers would twitch when she hit a tender spot in his hand. It almost tickled when she roamed from a callous to a piece of his hand that could feel her touch better.

In a way Illya was slightly concerned about this method of love. It was best to see what her people found acceptable. Illya tried to find some kind of common ground so that he could understand. So far the best he could get was the fact that she was looking at many of the same things. What he did mattered. What surprised him was when she kissed his wrist. It was an odd sort of expression and then she started to explain what it meant. Just as his heart had started to settle into his chest it slammed again into his rib cage. Here she was trying to agree so soon?

The best to do was try to reason this out. Illya stared at her with a mostly blank expression when she lifted his wrist and kissed it again. She was explaining to him the same thing he just told her. They were very similar in this. It was a sort of symbol that they would do at a ceremony to become agreed, but she wasn't wearing red. After he determined that it was just an explanation Illya met her gaze again. She was still holding his hand and he carefully worked his wrist out of her grip and then took her hand. Taking just a moment to meet her eyes with his he then lifted her wrist and kissed it. He was learning about her culture, but this was perhaps the best way to make her understand he would be ok with this sort of agreement. Even if it wasn't something he had ever done before it felt like there was a lot of meaning to it in her culture and because of that it had meaning to him.

With such a bold move Illya felt a little braver yet and he moved closer. Sliding his hand along her arm it reached her elbow and then he let his hand run down to meet her waist. Moving a little closer to her Illya kissed her. Kissing her was like a poison. A very satisfying poison and Illya started into a second kiss when he stopped himself. He was close to moving a little further along then he should.

Shifting himself to move further away Illya let his hand slide off her lower back. Clearing his throat he finally spoke, "I uh...Uh I need to uh..." It was difficult to collect his thoughts for the moment Kalizda did deserve a full explanation for that and he fully intended on giving it. "Kalizda I'm sorry. Et's meh fault I lost control." Even if she was very beautiful and tempting it was a bad excuse. There were plenty of beautiful tempting women and he had been careful not to touch her legs. If he touched her legs Illya was sure he wouldn't be able to turn back. Now that they had broken the barrier of kissing it was going to be very difficult to keep it clean until they were agreed. Chippeqouti frowned on people becoming so passionate before they were agreed, but it was for good reason. Being older and knowing what happened next didn't make it easier for a man to say no. In a way Illya found it harder to get out of the current situation. "Forgive meh I need to get back to work." Standing up Illya started for the door. "Kalizda et wouldn't be right, but I want yah and ets best if I leave now."

************************************************

In the bathroom Illya shut the door behind himself and he rubbed his face. He really needed to get his mind back on task and it was almost impossible. It was such a bad idea to stray from tradition, but he had. Now he was just going to have to control himself. The Chip took a few more moments to just even out his breathing and then he returned to his watching of the prisoner.

It looked like Kita was about to crash. The Chippeqouti shrugged. "Yah get in yah bed and den we get up in 4 hours. He fully intended to break the prisoner and work was one way to do it. He had already figured out that Terran didn't run quite the same hours that a healthy Chippeqouti did. Even when he went to bed Illya was having a hard time sleeping. Tossing and turning in the bed it took nearly an hour to fall asleep and Illya woke up only 3 hours later. As soon as he sat up the Chip started to pull his clothes on and he walked over to Kiko's bed. Shaking her shoulder he peered into her tired eyes. "Get up, we work now." With the extra tossing and turning he had thought of a few things that he could have her do.

Polishing the metal walls in the ship would help make it glisten and shine. Cleanliness was always appealing and he found that ironically the cupboards that housed the cleaning supplies were filthy. So the next best project was to make sure they were so clean that they looked almost better than the rest of the ship. It was going to require a lot of work and he might have to help her since she was very small and weak.

Pausing in his work he stared down at the woman and then leaned back to peer out into the hall. They were stopping earlier than he had expected. "Yah wait here." Stepping out of the cleaning closet the Chippeqouti then shut the door behind himself and locked it. Leaving her locked in the closet was the best choice for now and he needed to know what was going on. Illya took himself straight to the navigation room and he saw that they had been redirected to an unfamiliar planet. The man frowned. "What we doing here?" Seemed that it was to get Kalizda's wrist fixed by a real doctor and he nodded. "I go with her eh?" Illya couldn't have anything happen to her and he was sure that if anyone here could protect her it was him.
 
Calysta could hardly gather herself. Illya had picked up her good wrist, the one that hand been brushing over his palm and placed a gentle kiss on her skin. His lips were slightly chapped, but it didn't matter. She had never had anyone do that before and it was more than pleasant. Before she could say anything his hand was crawling up her arm to her elbow, bringing her closer. Or was she leaning into him? Her heart was pattering in her ears, drowning out all reason until his hand slipped to the small of her back while their lips met. Then there was only one singular thought. More. Her shaking hand gripped at his sleeve, and then crept its way to the nape of his neck as the kiss grew into a second round, urging him on.

Suddenly, he pulled away. His warm hand dropped from her back and he slipped out from her fingers. Had she done something wrong? Or was she a bad kisser? It had been awhile since she'd kissed anyone and she had been wanting to kiss Illya for so long. Maybe she had become a little too aggressive. Calysta's brow knitted as she watched the poor man start sputtering and apologizing for pulling away. She was only vaguely aware of how red her cheeks had grown, and how her breathing had picked up. Had it been that bad?

He kept mumbling about apologies and control, then nearly jumped from the bed as if it were made of hot coals before heading for the door. With his hand on the door he gave her one last look caught somewhere between wishful and apologetic. "Kalizda et wouldn't be right, but I want yah and ets best if I leave now." Before anything else could be said he was gone, leaving her on the bed in a sort of state of want that she had felt but never to this degree. Flopping back on the bed, she let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. What had caused him such a sudden confession to begin with she wasn't sure, but it had certainly ended in a way she never expected. At least the problem wasn't my kissing. Apparently, she had been a little too good at it, and if she was honest so was he. Had he not pulled away she would have kept going. The idea of it brought a fresh wave of heat over her cheeks. With him so close, it was going to make for a painfully long flight to Kaereal.

***

When they landed, Illya decided to go with her into the town. Why her father had decided to stop here rather than just continuing to Kaereal was beyond her. At least the town looked clean and pleasant enough. The streets had people passing on the side walk among the shops, and there were no vendors taking up space. Just buildings in neat, simple rows.

Calysta walked down the street beside Illya, her good hand occasionally twitching. It was almost instinct to reach for his hand but she kept hesitating. They hadn't had a real conversation since the morning when he'd kissed her and then left so abruptly. Now, she was keenly aware of how close he was. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she stole a glance at him. "It seems pretty quiet around here, I'm thinking we'll get in and out of the doctors quickly."

Warily the Chip watched the streets. He hadn't seen any signs for the Federation, but it didn't mean that he felt any better about their situation. Instead, Illya was almost feeling more nervous. It could very well be a trap if he wasn't careful. When Kalizda started to speak Illya glanced down at her. "Aye, it is quiet."

He seemed entirely too tense and she knew it was probably because he was worried about having exposed himself in the jail break. With a little sigh, she reached down with her good hand and clasped his gently. "I doubt it will be so quiet when we land on Kaereal with Kiya."

"Yah tink she'll make trouble?" Illya was starting to wonder if he should take a few more precautions. They could always drug her mother up with something that would get her eased up and calm her.

"Possibly," Calysta nodded, "And, they will probably arrest me when we turn her in too. At least until they get everything sorted out." Getting arrested again was not something she looked forward to, but she had come to terms that it would most likely happen again. At least it wouldnt be in the middle of a riot this time.

Looking over at her slightly shocked he shook his head. "No, I take her in. She confess on her own and yah stay clear. They don't need to arrest yah. That's all." Illya looked ahead as they walked though he wanted to desperately grab her by the shoulders and tell her not to even talk about that.

"She wouldn't even confess to her own daughter. Without something to go on, they would hold her for a time and then release her. And it will expose you even more if she did confess. You'd be the man who brought the real killer of Wynt Carrington, and possibly a Cirrellant diplomat to justice. It would be everywhere." She squeezed his hand a little tighter. Keeping the Federation away from him was one of her top priorities and with that blasted everywhere it would be nearly impossible to do.

"It doesn't matter if I'm exposed more." Illya glanced at her. "Kalizda I'm a soldier. Et's meh job to take the front line and I do this for yah. Meh people understand and we already preparing for war. Federation must know we are not on Quoti anymore."

What he said made sense, but it felt wrong in some ways. Namely, that it felt like something she should do, because it was her name to clear and she still wasn't quite used to the reversal of what she believed in vows. The other half taking in problems too. Even still she would try to minimize the risk. "I know, Illya. I just..well..you can't fault me for being concerned." .

Shaking his head the man chuckled. "Only right yah be concerned. I make deal with her eh? I find way to help yah mother if she testifies. Yah go free and I find what Kito needs."

Calysta gave a Illya a coy little smile. She doubted the woman would go for it or want something impossible, but there was always a chance and she would be able to help him look. "I think if you werent a soldier you would have made a fine lawyer," she laughed just a little.

Lawyer was something that Illya was not familiar with. "I don't know this lawyer? What work is it?" The man was slightly confused why she would think he would be suitable to any job besides soldiering. Being a soldier was the only thing he knew and he liked it.

She hadn't thought about Chippeqouti systems being different from her own when she said it, but his confusion made sense. How did she explain? "Well, on Terra and in some continents on Kaereal, when someone is accused of breaking the law, they are entitled to representation. The lawyer is someone trained in the law of the area and represents them using logic and evidence to ensure a fair trial has taken place."

Illya nodded when she explained the lawyer. In a way he understood it was a compliment and then at the same time he didn't like how her system worked. Laws should not be so complicated to need someone else to help a man understand them. People should tell their own story faithfully.

****
Calysta let the doctor go over her medical history and every now and then he would raise a brow. She hated giving the information out but it sometimes made the doctor have to change the way he treated her and it was 'necessary' to tell according to her father. That much he had made clear when she was a teen and had somewhat rebelled against the idea of being a half-breed. "Immuno Supports every year or half year, eh? When was your last round?"

"Four months or so," she shrugged, "It hasn't been that long."

"No illness since then?" he asked.

"None. But it's just my arm that's broken."

"Yes, well there can be complications from that. Any numbness? Paleness in the limb?"

She shook her head and the doctored tapped the papered exam table. "Let's see it then."

Removing the brace revealed a purple and black bruise extending from the top of her hand to nearly the middle of her arm. The brace Illya put on her had kept the bone steady but taking it off seemed to make everything shift just a little. Glancing at the Chip, she was glad to see he was looking out of the window, his green eyes peering through the blinds. Though she did wonder what he was looking at.

"Aye, I'd say you broken it well. How did you say this happened again?"

"Just working in my engine room. Hot welding a pipe back into place with a crew member and he dropped it." It was a plausible enough lie, considering Ayrn's often clumsy work.

"Ah, well. It's to x-rays for you."

The x-rays were painful with all of the poking and prodding on her arm. They wanted her to twist it in ways she just couldn't make it do and when she couldn't they wrangled the limb into submission. The doctor was treated to a few good Kaerelean curses including but not limited to: "You're a tyrei's arse." The cursed fell on deaf ears of course and they kept right on doing their job. She hated doctors. When the ridiculous process was complete and the images processed, the gruff man put them on a holographic display for them to see.

"The radius is broken here and fractured here, but luckily it didn't splinter. Ulna is also fractured. It'll have to be set and casted. No heavy work, and especially no pipe fitting."

"How long?" Calysta grumbled.

"Four to six weeks depending on how fast you heal up."

****

They had been at the doctors office for ages, but finally they had set her bone and casted it, which has resulted in another round of cursing under her breath. The doctor gave her instructions on what to do if complications arise, and then prescribed her a strong medication for pain 'as needed'. She was determined not to need any of them, especially because they would make her sleep. It wouldn't be a good idea with Kiya on board. All she did was nod along until he released her and Illya into the streets which were starting to grow dim in the afternoon light. Her arm was throbbing and being manhandled by the physician all day had left her grumpy, and rather than show her ill-temper she kept her mouth shut, walking along Illya in silence.

The Chip was still on high alert as they walked along, but he seemed a little relieved that they were making their way back toward the ship. It would have been nice to stop for actual groceries for her to cook. Maybe they would even have some snake for she could attempt to make for Illya. But they had spent far too long in one place and were still on the outer edges of the Terran territory. When everything was put to right, she would learn to make every snake dish she could think of for him. It might take a few hundred tries to make it right, but it would make him happy. She had wanted to tell him she wasn't offended over the kiss. Far from it. There hadn't been a good time yet and she wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject again. He had wanted to much to show her he cared and she didn't know how to give that back yet, other than through showing him.

The streets were strangely empty the closer they came to the docks and the shadows were growing longer. Calysta couldn't help but feel they were being followed despite the lack of people on the sidewalks. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and goosebumps prickled their way over her skin. Was she just being paranoid or was there really something there? It was hard to judge if she was just being tense with her foul mood when she compared her alertness to the man beside her.

"We're almost to the ship," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

****

Kiya stood in the cleaning closet yelling. "Hello! Let'me out!"

The co-pilot had left her chained to one of the cabinets and then locked her inside to boot. She'd tried rattling the handle and trying to pound on the door, screaming as loud as she could until someone got annoyed enough to let her out while they were in port. That stopped when her voice cracked and the room was growing stuffy. Wilds only knew how long it had been since the brute left. She had felt the ship touch down and then all had gone quiet after that. Good, maybe they had stupidly left her alone with the entire ship. Since no one was going to let her out, it seemed she was going to have to puzzle her way out. It wouldn't do any good for her to get the door open unless the chain was off too. Tossing down her rag and she started trying to jimmy the lock on her ankle with a fork tine. The tine was too big for the delicate work needed to pick the lock though and sweat began to bead over her temples in the hot closet. Her hands started to grow sweaty too and she kept trying to wipe them off on her jeans, as she used the utensil to pick and twist at the lock. Even with her precise movements, the fork slipped over the opening and jabbed her in the ankle bone, causing four little dots of blood to well up. "Damnit!"

Throwing the fork to the side, she huffed and wiped at her face. She would get out of here. Regrouping her nerves, she started looking for anything else in the storage closet that could be useful in picking the lock. All she found were spray bottles, a few rags, a dirty magazine left from the previous staff and a finger nail clipping. Growling in frustration, she kicked the door and yelled. "Damned fools! Let'me out!"

"I'm not supposed to let you out till the pilots are back. Sorry. Could you keep it down though? I'm trying to watch a movie."

It was the voice of the Yarbrough man coming muffled through the door. "Listen here! I have 't go'to the bathroom and they've been gone t' long."

"Can't you hold it?"

"No!"

She heard a reluctant sigh from the other side of the door. All the idiot needed was a little bit more of a push. "I'm going 't start peeing in buckets if you don't let'me out! Don't think ye' co pilot would be happy about that!"

"Fine, fine!"

She heard boot falls tap away and then return. Metal clacked against the door, and then the handle began to turn slowly as the Terran poked his head into the room. "You'll have 't come unlock the chain as well," she grumbled as she tapped her foot impatiently. Rolling his eye, the man stepped into the room. He was carrying a pistol with him, but she offered her chained ankle to him, and he was dumb enough to bend down with the keys in hand. With one fell swoop, she popped him in the nose with the flat of her foot.

"Augh!"

There was a clatter as the gun dropped from his hand to clamp around his face which was pouring blood. Making a scramble for the weapon, she found a slick hand on top hers. "Nobe!" To her surprise, he had recovered and had beaten her to it. She had something he didn't know about though. Reaching back, her other hand landed on the fork and she grabbed it in her little fist before driving the sharp points into the mans hand.
 
The writing on the buildings was strange and Illya wasn't quite sure that he wanted to know what everything said. They were very strange in her worlds that she knew. So much to read in the windows and on the fronts of stores. While he had become far more proficient in reading since he left Quoti, Illya was still slightly dismayed at the volume of reading there was to be done. Why couldn't they just be simple and obvious? Wasn't the wares in the front of the windows enough to show what their store was about? If a man was in a hurry he didn't have time to stop and read all the writing in the windows. No wonder her people always seemed to be in a hurry. They had to read everything and they even needed men of law to interpret law for them. These people were constantly confused about things and it was no wonder with all the extra signage and worthless rules. If they had to have so many rules that folks would need a lawyer then it told him their rules were no good. Of course if they didn't kill those that had earned that sort of punishment then they weren't any good. Didn't even make a person pay back their debt with labor. One learned to be much more careful if their work was done in pay back a debt instead of gaining profit.

After a while they came to a strange looking building. It didn't look like a doctor would live here. There was nothing to indicate that there would be one. The glass doors and the carpeted entrance reminded him more of a fancy shopping mall or something. However, the large wooden doors didn't look like they led to much besides the clean hallways. It was more like a prison on the other side of the doors. While Kalizda talked with the front desk woman and filled out some paperwork the Chip stood nearby and leaned to the side as he tried to get a better view of what was going on behind the doors.

Occasionally Illya would catch site of the tiled floors and staff running around in jumpsuit type clothing. Certainly didn't look like they could be trusted. Since Kalizda seemed to be entirely comfortable with the setting Illya figured he would have to accept it. Ehaui didn't have rooms like this and if they did it was only in the surgery room and he didn't remember seeing the inside of one. Normally the rooms that he was set in for recovery or admission were in nice warm green colors with massive soft beds and plenty of padding. Nothing like this harsh, cold place. Even the rooms felt cold and he didn't like it.

Illya sat down with Kalizda in the small waiting room until she was called on and then he followed her through the doors. The Chippeqouti eyed the rooms suspiciously. He hated that they all seemed so strange. Curtains hid many rooms that were down the hallway. Though it was not appropriate to clear the room he wanted to know what they were hiding behind all those curtains. For all he knew it could be a trap of sorts. There could be troops hidden in one of the rooms. Instead they were ushered to a curtained room and stepped inside to wait for a doctor. All of this medicine was ridiculous. Illya had never in his life been taken through so many routes just to see a doctor. No wonder her people died at a much younger age than his own. Shortly after the doctor came in he asked Illya to leave the room for a few moments and the Chip wanted to refuse, but it seemed that Kalizda thought it was alright and she nodded to him. Once he left a woman walked in. He couldn't really hear what she was saying, but it must have been a series of questions and Kalizda was answering. Illya still couldn't hear, but he was trying to make sure that her tone of voice didn't seem distressed.

The nurse looked at Kalizda's arm and nodded as she put in another note for the file. "Now one one set of questions I have to ask you. Do you feel safe at home?" Nodding a little she continued with the follow up questions. "Are you abused? We are a safe reporting facility and you don't have to be afraid to say if you are." A slightly skeptical look came to her face. She'd seen how close that man stayed to this little woman. He was a relative giant in comparison and it almost seemed strange how close he insisted on being, didn't even want to leave the woman for a few moments. It almost seemed likely that he would be the guilty party of abuse if anyone. "How did you break your arm?" Of course Kalizda had only been asked the question a million times, but she had to hear it and then the hospital could at least keep on record what happened and perhaps have more for a later time if she came in battered or something. It seemed like they had been in the hospital forever before Kalizda was being moved to another room for the scans on her arm and Illya was allowed to join her again.

A few times Illya would glance at Kalizda when he heard her curse, but he was more concerned with what was going on outside. There was a good chance that they were going to be surrounded here at this place. Shifting on his feet Illya began to feel impatient. They needed to be moving soon if they were going to avoid getting captured. Peering back into the room again he saw that Kalizda was nearly finished. The doctor was talking to her about a little bottle of pills. Illya quickly shifted his gaze to the outdoors again.

As soon as she was able to leave Illya walked close to her. He was a little closer than he intended and Illya bumped into Kalizda. It had been a while since that happened and he felt badly because this time it bumped right out of the way of the door and instead she almost walked into the wall. "Augh!" Reaching over he pulled Kalizda back toward himself. Sometimes it felt awkward to Illya when these things happened mostly because she almost flopped about like a little doll and he had to try and gauge how hard he should pull to make it gentle for her instead of being a rough jerk. By the way she pulled back and almost bumped into him again the man determined he might have been a little rough and he noticed some of the hospital staff staring at him. One of the women happened to give him a disapproving look and he frowned at her. Did she think he broke Kalizda's arm?

Though Illya didn't know how they dealt with men that hurt women he was pretty sure the nurse had been nosy. Maybe they knew who he and Kalizda were. If that was the case they needed to move a little faster. "We might be in trouble eh? I move a little faster and make sure all is clear up ahead." Illya knew he couldn't push her if she had a broken bone. It wasn't good to push someone recovering from such a severe bone injury. The Chippeqouti didn't know how painful bone injuries were for her kind, but he figured it had be comparable to a Chip's and therefore better if she rested only.

Walking a few steps ahead Illya made sure to stop at the corner to wait as if he was about to cross the street, but he took the time to look at those around the area. He was getting some odd looks and he ignored most of them. Seemed the majority were just curious folk that were eyeing his height. There was one that appeared to be a little more suspicious. The figured wasn't displaying signs of healthy curiosity or even that he was surprised by Illya's height and differences. It was more of a hawkish sort of look that he had in his eyes. Holding a hand out behind himself Illya waited for Kalizda's little fingers to wrap into his big palm. "Don't look, but I think we have a problem to the left by about 2 charges." Chippeqouti had their own method of measurement and he thought it was a completely normal. When the little light flickered on the other end of the street Illya turned with Kalizda to walk down a different street instead of the one they had been facing. Occasionally he would glance over his shoulder and he saw that their person of suspicion had randomly changed his direction too. The man following them lifted his wrist to his face and appeared to wipe his nose, but his mouth was moving at the same time. He must have had a radio in the cuff of his jacket.

Rounding another corner the Chip pulled Kalizda along with himself. "We might have Federation here. They being careful since they know I'm already familiar with them." Illya's green eyes gained a sharpness and sort of wild that he hadn't shown in quite some time. "Can yah run a little?" He hated to ask, but if it was between life and death then it was a better option. "Federation would torture yah if they thought you knew meh." Barely hearing her response he started around the next corner. They were almost to the edge of the city. Illya could see the docks. Glancing behind himself he sighed in relief. Their many corners had gotten him out of the grasp of his trouble makers. Like usual he had been able to out maneuver them. "We split up here. Yah go left route to the ship and run. Be faster and yah in sight of ship right now." Getting on a small radio Illya called into the ship. "Thomas we need yah ready to go now. Kalizda is coming in first and I'll be behind her. She is coming in clear view give her cover fire if needed." He doubted she would need cover fire because he intended to loop around the back and deal with any federation agents that were closing in on their ship. When she gave protest he took a breath and offered a hasty explanation. "Et's faster and safer this way. They need to be confused a little."

Illya watched for a few seconds as Kalizda started to race out toward the ship and then he cut back down the street and over. The most likely place they would hide would be the right where he'd seen some taller buildings. They would have wanted a nice little spot to watch from. Charging down the alleyway Illya came to the first tall building that looked likely. He couldn't have them seeing him when he went into the ship.

A man came into the stairwell when he thought he heard something. Yelling in alarm he came face to face with the Chippeqouti. They had seen the girl run out and spent their time scanning for him. Reaching for his gun the man didn't quite reach it before he was thrown over the edge of the stairway. Illya threw the doorway open and found a sniper. The man turned toward him and fired two shots before Illya got to him. The first shot skimmed his head and the second hit his chest. A sting ran through his chest and he figured his ribs would have a nice little spot in need of stitches, but it wasn't bad. Something that would heal in about 2-3 days. Grabbing the sniper by the arm he slammed the man against the wall and glared into his eyes. "How many of yah?"

Crying out in pain the federation soldier met the wild gaze of the Chip and shuddered. "I don't know."

Illya wasn't pleased with the answer and he grabbed one of the man's hands and started to squeeze. He could feel the bones had started to separate where he was pressing with his thumb. "How many?" Repeating the question in a quiet and calm manner Illya pressed harder and the bones started to crack.

"Ah!" This time the man screamed and he felt the Chip move his big hands further up and begin to press into new bones. Pain surged through his hand and he shook his head. He was unwilling to answer and then another squeeze near his wrist created an involuntary shift of balance from one foot to the other. His eyebrows knit into a frown and his eyes started to water.

"Answer meh and I'll let yah live or I'll take yah home with meh so I can break more bones and then start to strip the skin away in layers. Start with yah hand." Illya reached for the man's knife on the side of his belt and slid the blade just under a layer of skin near the cuticle of the man's quivering fingers. "Like dis." With a little slice he then grabbed the loose piece of skin and started to peel it back in a long strip. "Even ef yah body is weak et will last a long time before yah die." Giving a small demonstration seemed to work wonders and the man.

Still quivering and wincing with the pain the man started to blurt numbers. "We got 150 men stationed in the city. Already have your ship being watched from the north side of the docks." Crying out again he felt the skin peel further back. "What do you want?!" A moment of sheer panic rose and his heart jumped into his throat with the surge of survival mode.

The Chip hissed to the man. "I want to know the ship."

"Time Keeper. It's the name. " Nearly crumbling the man felt he was being held up by the Chip. "Please just stop!"

Illya nodded and let the man drop to the floor before he hit him in the head and knocked him out. One way to make sure he was never working for the federation in any capacity was to kill him and that was exactly what Illya intended to do.

*************************************************************************

By the time they reached the ship Illya was stumbling along. He felt sick and he could barely breathe. Pulling his hand away from his side he noticed that he hadn't quite lucked out. The bullet skimmed his one rib, but it went between them and managed to hit a lung. As long as they had a hallow needle or two Illya was pretty sure he could make it to a semi friendly planet. At least one that was semi friendly when he was in the wars.

The news only got worse when he was greeted by the sight of Ayrn and his hand. "Yah let her out to go piss? She just cleaned..." Getting much more than that out in one breath was next to impossible. Illya leaned against a wall. For the time he was going to ignore the blood that it would leave. "She could have pissed in a bucket." Taking another breath he winced. "Augh...Ef she made mess...she would have cleaned." Coughing a little he winced again. It sounded horrible like he had foam in his throat, but nothing came up. "In few days...I train yah." Growling a little Illya started for the medical bay. He was angry with Kalizda for coming back, angry that Thomas was slow moving. "Just get us off the ground!" It was the only thing Illya could manage to say to Thomas when he saw the man gawking at him instead of doing what he was supposed to. Then of course Illya was angry with himself because he was the one responsible for training Ayrn and apparently watching somebody and common sense didn't go together. If she was still on the ship he was going to have to watch out for her.

That woman was trouble and Illya was tired, sore, and now angry feeling. Stepping into the medical bay he felt the ship lurch and nearly fell over. Irritably he tore at his shirt so he could see the wound in the side of his chest. It was a nasty looking little hole with a little foamy blood trickling out of it. Washing his hands in the sink Illya then shoved his hands in the largest medical gloves available though they still squeezed his hands and looked ridiculous. Trying to reach his side was almost impossible so he settled with a hallow needle for the moment. Unfortunately he couldn't get the right angle for the straight needle and he glanced at Kalizda. "Help?"

He felt like such an ass. After he'd been giving her the stink eye the whole way here, chewed on Ayrn and then yelled at her dad and now he had to ask for help. Meant apologies were in order and he was going to have to watch his temper. With a gloved hand he felt for the second rib and then motioned for her to feel the spot. "Shove needle in there....fast." Fast was an important part since she was essentially going to be poking a little hole in his lung to let out excess blood so he could breathe. "Then help meh close side." She would probably be more comfortable patching his side up. Usually a Chippeqouti had body armor to prevent this sort of shot from causing damage and they were in teams. He did fairly well getting through their little house packed full of men though he had a feeling she would have a few things to say to him about the disaster he left behind.
 
Thomas heard a yelling coming from down the hall and what sounded like scuffling. Kiya had gone quiet for some time, but now it sounded like she had started up again with a vengeance. It hadn't been his first choice to leave her locked in the closet, but Illya had given Ayrn the keys and the man wasn't about give them up, muttering about how the Chip would have his hide if he did. Having to play second fiddle to the man regarding his former love was irritating. He knew her better than anyone. Didn't he? If Kiya did kill Wynt, he was sure someone put her up to it or forced her to do it. Then again, it had been a long time since they had seen each other and she had all but killed him with murderous looks when he passed by.

It wasn't until he heard a man's voice yelp that Thomas eased himself out of the chair and started hobbling down the hallway. What had the man gotten into? As soon as his eyes landed on the open closet door, he realized something was very wrong. He half jogged down the hall, trying to ignore the clacking of his knee, and turned the corner into the room. Kiya was standing over Ayrn with a pistol pointed at his bloodied face. All hesitation left him at the sight of the young man facing down the muzzle of a gun, and he sprang forward, snatching up an empty bucket and slamming it over her head. "Aiguh!" The blow threw her off balance and her hand jerked up and away from the Terran as she fell backward onto her butt with the bucket over head. A string of Kaerealean curses started in as she started tearing at her head, but Thomas started wrangling the gun from her fingers and barked at Ayrn. "Get up and get out!" He couldn't have anymore people exposed to a possible misfire than necessary.

The man stood, but instead of running, snatched up Kiya's hands and popped them against the shelf with a...dinner for stuck in his hand? The gun tumbled from her hand as she screamed in anger like a wild tyrei. He gave her a hard shove to the back of the room while she was blinded as Ayrn grabbed up the keys and the gun. "Go! Go!" The two of them tumbled out of the closet and slammed the door shut as a bucket came sailing through the air. He could hear it hit the door with a plastic thud from the other side followed by violent pounding of fists. "Let'me out! They'll kill'me if they find'me you idiots! All of ye!"

Ayrn slumped against wall holding his nose and panting. "She' alwayb thad cradeh?" he groaned.

Thomas snatched the keys from Ayrn and the gun too as he stared at the door which was bouncing a little in its frame from the little hands hitting it from with in. He had never seen her so wild. Through the violent shrieks he could hear another voice, one with a gruff accent coming from the radio on the bridge. Illya was trying to contact them.

****

Calysta could feel Illya's grip tightening over her hand as he explained there was a Federation presence watching them two 'charges' away. What in the Wilds was a charge? Her eyes carefully stole glances from face to face passing by, as she tried to pin point exactly what he was talking about. He ducked into a side street pulling her along and that's when she caught a glimpse of a shadow following them, taking their every turn a few paces behind. He started asking if she could run as his strides became longer, taking almost two of hers to keep up. She had no desire to slow him down, or get them caught. "I can run however long I need to." Illya wanted to split up and go to the ship, but to her that made little sense. They should stick together rather than get picked off separately if there was more than one. He disagreed though, stating it would be faster and safer. Maybe he was worried he was too easy to spot or maybe thought her father might need helping getting the ship ready for a quick take off? The idea of splitting up didn't set well with her but they were wasting time debating and so when Illya radioed her father to expect her coming in fast.

She reluctantly started toward the ship, keeping it in her sights, as she ran. Every step felt awkward with the bulk of her cast feeling like a cinder block weighing down her arm, but it still didn't feel right leaving Illya's side, even if he would be just splitting off with her for a minute. Her father was standing at the door with a gun held in both hands and the nose pointed down. "C'mon!"

Jetting up the ramp, she saw Ayrn standing behind her father looking as if he'd been in a brawl, with blood all over his face and shirt. "What happened?" She asked immediately.

"Kiya tried to escape," her father muttered, as if he was surprised, "Where is Illya?"

Calysta glanced behind her and didn't see the Chip anywhere. He was supposed to be right behind her from a different route, or that's what she had thought. What if he had run into trouble? Even he could get overwhelmed and they would kill him if they caught him. Broken arm or no, she was going back.

"Hand me the pistol, dad."

His eyes bounced between her and the door. "Absolutely not. You can't even shoot properly with your arm."

"I'm going with or without it," she replied sharply as she turned toward the hatch. She didn't have time to argue.

****

She ran back through the docks, past ship after ship, looking for any sign of the Chip anywhere. A glimpse of his broad shoulders, or his dark head, anything. Where would he have gone?Every long shadow felt like it could hide him or another Federation spy. Her heart was pounding and so was her wrist as her eyes flickered from ship to ship, and kept her head low.

Yelling pierced through the evening from one aisle over and she immediately whipped around. That would be a tell-tale sign of her Chip to be sure. Ducking under the tall belly of a Terran star class ship, she passed through to the adjacent aisle while using the metal above her as cover. A massive ship sat on the other side with the hatch open and the ramp extended. The shouting came from multiple people inside and was accented by the sharp pops of gunfire. "Illya."

Gritting her teeth she scanned the area and saw no one above or immediately through the hatch. If it was a trap, then at least she could distract or surprise them long enough for Illya to get away. And if he was already hurt or worse? The idea popped into her mind and she shoved it back where it came from. No.

With her grip tight, she made a break for the hatch and ran up the ramp, her boot heels clacking. Her first instinct was to run in and duck to the side, out of the direct line of any fire, but no fire came. No one friend or foe was there to meet her at all. Instead, there were only to men in black uniforms and body armor slumped over their consoles. One had a hand bent at an unnatural angle and was staring unblinking up at the ceiling and the other was dripping blood into a growing pool on the floor from a wound she couldn't see. Another yell came from down the hallway and was almost immediately cut short followed by the sounds of boots heading her way she quickly held up her gun in her left hand and tried to brace with her right, though the cast made the effort pretty useless. She could still fire if she had to.

Illya's face appeared. He was breathing hard as he stood there with blood covering his shirt and some on his hands. It was hard to tell if it was his blood or if it belonged to several other someones. There was a deep scowl etched on his face she had only really seen directed at her once before and that was when he first heard she was wanted. It was a wild and slightly terrifying gaze that had made her hit him once. Had he killed everyone aboard? The look on his face told her he had. When his eyes fell on her, the glare went from murderous to a lesser sort of fuming with his jaw clenched tight. "I was worried," was all she could manage to puff.

****

The run back to the ship seemed to take ages between her arm jarring with every step and Illya cutting her angry looks. Why was he angry at her trying to protect him? He should have known she would come for him. Didn't he know if something happened to him...she still didn't like to think about it. As they ran it was obvious that the Chip was injured. Blood was trickling from his forehead and a wound in his chest. A bullet wound judging by the hole in his shirt, but it was hard to tell how serious. She seen him walk away from a bullet to the head before, but even his body had its limits and his breath was sounding ragged.

When they made it aboard the ship Illya took one look at Ayrn and her father and started yelling at them. Her father was staring at him in shock, probably because of the amount of blood covering his future son- in-law and the idiot Ayrn was still nursing his hand and looking apologetically at both of them for once. The more he bellowed the more labored his breathing became and Calysta could feel a little panic rising in her throat. "Dad, get us in the air. Ayrn, go make sure he doesn't need help. Illya, lets get you to the med bay." She knew he was angry, and hurt but the yelling had to end and she need everyone just to know their task and go on with it. As she passed by the storage closet, she could hear her mother screaming like a wild tyrei in a slur of Kaerelean and traders tongue. "They will kill'me! The men in the suits will find'ye and kill us all!"

Men in suits? She thought about the hoarse warning from her mother as Illya half stomped down the stairs. Maybe the men in suits she spoke of were part of the Federation. If that were true, her mother may have been working for them or had been forced to work for them to frame her. But to what end? Had the Federation wanted to start another war on top of the one with the Chippeqouti or had that simply been coincidence? The thought ended when she stepped into the medical bay and Illya started snatching things off the shelf and ripped off his stained shirt.

Calysta washed her hands as Illya forced on a pair of gloves and started trying to deal with the bullet wound his chest. When he asked for help it almost sounded like he didn't think she would automatically. Of course she was going to help even if he yelled at it about it. Her shaking fingers felt over hollow in his ribs. It made her nervous to jab him there, but it had to be done, and hard enough to get through to the lung. Using her broken hand to hold him steady, she reared back and jabbed into his skin with what she hoped was enough force to make it through. Blood started to trickle from the hole and her eyes flicked up Illya's face. "Better?"

There was no possible way that Kalizda would be strong enough to hold him down so Illya grabbed the side of the bed with his hands and determined that he was going to hold still even if he knew it was going to hurt. When she lifted the needle into the air he winced instinctively. Even before it made contact he was making a semi cautionary tone and ended with yip when she shoved the needle through the skin and into his lung. With a frown he met her gaze. "It will be." There wasn't usually immediate relief since the puncture would hurt for a while. "Maybe we avoid doctor if yah dad or Ayrn ... have steady hands. They can do surgery eh?"

Sighing, she closed her eyes for just a moment trying to beat back the sharp little headache stabbing at her temples. Yes, she had thoroughly pissed him off by coming back, but she was doing the best she could. He was tough and she was mad, but it didnt mean she wanted to see him in pain. Running her hand through her hair she opened her eyes and looked him over, before grabbing a bottle of painkillers from the cabinet. He would need them. "Aye, blood out. There's been enough spilled of that today already."

Illya struggled with the gloves on his hands to get them off. It seemed she was going to take him to one of her doctors and he didn't like the idea much. When she held the pills out to him he took them from her and held them in his hand while he stared at her face. She was upset about the killing. There was even a sharpness to her tone when she spoke about blood. "Yah don't understand Kalizda." Clenching his fists he pushed himself up in the bed a little. "I can't put them in a jail, nowhere to put them and if they live they keep hunting meh. Ets not just meh though, they hunt yah, Thomas, Ayrn, Ehaui, and Chippeqouti. They hunt anyone that is considered friends of Chippeqouti. Federation is evil." It was the most he had been able to get out at one time without having to stop to catch his breath. "They hunt and kill us if I let them live and if they cannot hunt they become intelligence for company and teach others of their encounters so they are better prepared next time. I can't let Federation live. I don't hunt them, but if they come for meh I kill them all."

She met his gaze for just a moment. "Illya, I do understand. I know they're out there and if they find any of us they will be merciless. They'll torture every single one of us before killing us. I think their the ones who framed me, and beyond that I knew I would be facing them by helping free your people. I know what they've done to the Chippeqouti and to you personally." Swallowing, she looked away at the last statement for just a moment. It might make him angrier for her to say it but she wanted to make sure she knew why he felt the way he did. Taken the actions he'd taken. Finally, she looked back to him. "But things like that only add fuel to the rumors spread by the Federation about the violent and ruthless Chippeqouti."

Turning to the small sink, she poured him a cup of water for the pills, and offered it to him with a bit of a saddened expression. "You and I both know its not true at all and its time others knew it too. You can say you don't care what others think, but you can't defeat an enemy that is everywhere without help from others and if only in that sense, their opinion matters."

"Then Chippeqouti prove in other ways eh?" He wasn't about to just let Federation soldiers go. "I think maybe Chippeqouti have to do more trade outside. We don't make peace with any Federation." What she was suggesting would be horribly dangerous for himself and any of the Chippeqouti in return. "Maybe I ask elders to speak about the war and tell yah government about the Federation and coming danger."

She motioned at the pills urging him to take them. The comment about peace bothered her more than anything. Her eyes locked with his and she put a hand on the table. "Illya you told me once you didn't want war. I still be believe that. But wars only end one of two ways through peace or until people avenge and revenge till there is nothing left of either side. I'm not saying don't hate them or refuse to defend youself. I'm just asking for you to see it a little as I do." She spoke quietly, and honestly, trying to keep back how afraid she was latter would happen. The thought of her father or Illya dying in battle or an attack made her chest ache. After a long moment she nodded. "The Kaereleans don't know of the Federation. What they really are at least. They should be told by the Elders whats coming."

Illya took the pills reluctantly cause he knew she would say something he didn't want to hear as soon as he did it. Even as he was forcing the pills down his throat he could hear her talking about the fact that he admitted he didn't want to go back to war and he grimaced. When he had chance to speak the Chippeqouti started out slowly. "Elders will make their own decision, but I can ask them if they would consider speaking now. Kalizda I don't want war, but it is coming anyway and I'll be there to fight with Chippeqouti."

Calysta made sure he took the pills and listened to what she said. He was a general and it was natural for him to take his place again once he was well. It didn't mean she liked it any less or that she wouldn't do her best to save as many of her people and his, as she could. Stepping a little closer to the bed, she took the glass from him and put it to the side before gently pushing his shoulder back to the mattress. "I know and the Kaereleans will offer their help and not break faith if the Elders tell them. If there was something I could do to stop it, I would but if it comes anyways. I'll be there to fight with the Chippeqouti too."

The little speech all sounded fine till she said she was going to be coming with into the war. "Oh no!" Illya sat right back up and ignored the drizzle of blood that started to seep from the needle. "You're not trained to be a soldier. Yah take part in war in other ways." The momentary excitement caught up and Illya laid back on the bed gingerly. "We go back and elders speak if they think its best." Some of the stuff she gave him made Illya feel a little odd and he wasn't sure what he said and what he hadn't. "Did I tell yah sorry?"

A small scowl came to her face for both what he said and for sitting up so suddenly. She was a perfectly good combat pilot when necessary, which luckily he hadn't needed to see yet. When he finally sank back to the bed, he was in a low enough level and getting groggy enough for her to wipe at the graze wound on his head too. Flicking a few curls out of the way, she retrieved a little alcohol soaked pad from the drawer and just began dabbing at it gingerly. "Sorry? No, you haven't said that," she replied quietly, "You do owe a few apologies though. And I owe you one too."

Illya frowned. He was pretty sure he'd owe a few apologies, but he didn't know which one he should start with. "I think yah mum had to use a bucket. She's a bad woman anyway. I yell at yah dad and now I have to train Arse. Arse doesn't know any....owe." Moving a hand up he pushed the little cloth away from his head. It stung a little and rubbed his fingers over the spot. "That's not where we need to get blood out."

It was hard trying to make sure he was good and asleep before she left him to go up stairs. She didn't need him jumping up and running around if something else chaotic popped up. The pills seemed to take a bit longer on him, probably because he was so riled up and just larger in general, but eventually he was having trouble making sense. His hand gently pushed hers away and started rubbing the wound. Taking his hand in hers she brought it away from his head. "Rest Illya, and I'll have them both fixed soon alright?"

Illya's eyes got wide when she mentioned having them both fixed. "What else did I break?"

His green eyes were round as saucers and she could tell the medicine was really kicking in now. Truth was, she didn't know the damage to his ribs, if the bullet had damaged them or not, but she didn't want him panicking either. "Nothing major," she chuckled, "I can fix it easily."

Illya tilted his head to the side. It had to be some kind of other problem and he wasn't really sure what sort of problem it was. Nervously he started to check himself over and lifted the covers just to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with his leg. Finally he caught site of the bloody needle. "Ooooh. Yeah that's easy. I'll be fine tomorrow."

How he thought he would be fine from a punctured lung tomorrow was beyond her, but she nodded anyways and gave him a small little half smile. "See? Now rest, yeah?"

Even though he didn't want to agree with her right now it was like the drug took away all self will. Illya fought the urge to agree with her failed miserably. He even smiled. "Ok." Pulling the blanket up he settled into the bed with his arms folded behind his head. "Goodnight."

Once he was finally asleep, she grabbed a pad and gauze along with a few more alcohol wipes and went up stairs. Her first order of business was to find them the nearest, hopefully safe hospital for Illya and to patch up Ayrn. Then to deal with her raging mother in the closet. She would stay there until they figured out what to do with her. Everything, big or small, else would fall into place in due course.

****

A few minutes before they landed on a tropical little planet that housed a remote island port, Calysta walked down stairs to see if Illya was awake enough to walk. She had stayed in the med bay most of the last four hours to keep a monitor on his breathing, but the man slept like a bear in hibernation except to mumble a few incoherent things to his dreams and to attempt to roll over once. She caught him with both hands as he started to shift and used her body weight to keep from laying right on top of the needle in his ribs. His eyes had fluttered open and he'd smiled just a bit before going back to sleep.

Stepping into the med-bay, she found the him sitting up on the bed and looking down some at the hollow needle sunk into his skin. He looked up at her and she gave him a nod. "We're about to land, there's a nice hospital here and its warm outside. Dad and Ayrn are staying with the ship."

He seemed to know seeing a real doctor wasn't up for debate with her, which was good because she wasn't about to argue with him about it. As he groaned a little getting off the bed, and made his way over to the door, she reached up and slid her hand up his smooth arm, pausing him for just a moment, and pulling him just a little closer. "C'mere." He was being very quiet and it almost seemed like he was acting shy. "I'm sorry you're hurt, Illya." The words were sincere. She did feel responsible for the injury, even if he wouldn't have gotten hurt had he come back to the ship instead of hunting the evil Federation down man by man. She wanted him to know that though she didn't agree with some things, and was angry, that she did care. That wouldn't change. Giving him a little smile, she started walking with him down then hall. "Let's get you fixed up, yeah?"
 
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Illya woke up to a headache and some burning in his chest. His hair stood out in odd directions and the curls only seemed wilder after he slept on them. Rubbing his morning pouty face he mumbled incoherently to himself. While he was busy just trying to get his brain sorted out and functional she came down to check on him. Glancing up he saw Kalizda was there and it seemed they were going to see the Ehaui. It was so good that she knew where to take him. Surprisingly it hurt to move. Illya held one hand over his side and groaned as he slid his legs over the edge of the tiny bed. Just getting to a standing point felt awkward and he was a little less balanced than usual.

Half swaying in place he just stared at Kalizda and then she started to tell him to get closer. Wasn't he close enough already? A small hand with cool fingertips ran up the side of his left arm and he scowled at her. The scowl lightened on his face a little when she started to talk again. Nodding in agreement about being sorry he was hurt he made a slightly uneven step with her into the hallway. Part way down the hallway he started to veer off. "I need the bathroom."

Once he was in the bathroom Illya kept the door shut and knelt in front of the toilet. He just felt horrible sick and it wasn't translating in his brain that it was pain and not sick. After he had sat in front of the toilet for a few minutes he decided to put the lid down so he could rest his head on it. Time didn't seem to matter at this point and he was still tired. The most confusing part was that he thought he needed to be somewhere, but he didn't plan to go places if he was sick. Then he felt hungry too, but he shouldn't be eating if his stomach was so unsettled. Turning his head over on the toilet lid he sighed and tried to go back to sleep. If he got sick at least he was here where it wouldn't be such a horrible mess to clean up. It was too far to walk to get back to his room and he left all the buckets for Kikta to use. That was too bad, but she was going to be in the closet for a long time.

Calysta waited outside the door for what felt like ages. What was he doing in there? Minutes tucked by..5...10.. It didn't sound like he had passed out or anything. There would have been a distictive boom if that were the case. Finally, she knocked on the door. "Illya? Are you alright? We have to go."

With a groan he lifted his head from the toilet seat "Augh." He tried to stretch with one arm to open the bathroom door, but it made his side hurt so he decided it wasn't worth the effort. Instead it was better to tell her he was trying to sleep. "Shhhhh...I need sleep."

Did he just say he needed sleep. If he fell asleep he might not wake up for hours or even days depending on what his body did. "Damnit!" She grabbed the handle and opened the door to find him kneeling in front of the toilet with his head resting on the lid, eyes drooping. The needle in his side was beginning to leak blood. She grabbed him him the shoulder and started shaking him with her one good hand. "Oh no you don't. You can sleep all you want later. Right now, you have to get up."

"Why?" Illya whined a little as he started to clumsily get up. "I want to sleep. Can't you see I'm tired?"

When he started to get up, he swayed hapazardly and there was nothing she could grab on to since his shirt was off. She needed him to focus just for a bit until they got him off the ramp and into a hospital bed. What made him focus best? Math, food, and soldiering work. He was probably too sleepy to focus on math, but he was probably was hungry. "I can see it alright," she sighed. Trying to steady him, she gave the most enthusiastic smile she could muster. "Just come with me and I'll get some snake stew with soft bread. Pie too."

Food....That was a great sounding thing. Illya managed a slight grin. "Snake stew? Oooh I can move for dat." Putting one hand out to catch himself he then grabbed her hand with his other. "Little bird talons." Snickering under his breath he followed after her till they got outside. The leafy forest and the warm damp air reminded him of the place his parents used to describe. "I was born here."

Calysta raised a brow at him when he grabbed her hand called them talons. Apparently he was still much more drugged up than she thought, but at least the promise of snake stew got him moving. She lead him down the hall as his sloppy half grin stayed loosely on his lips. Her father gave him a concerned look as he stood by the hatch waiting for them and started to say something. She waved her broken urging him to stay quiet. The Chip needed no distraction now that she had him moving. When they shuffled down the ramp, he slowed a little and made the comment about being born there. Giving him a confused look, she almost told him he was tripping out. There was no way he was born here, but maybe the drugs were making him say things. "Oh? Here? I thought you were born in the desert." She played along casually.

"Noo." Illya shook his head and laughed. "Yah tink Chippeqouti just pop out of the sand?" Chuckling a little he felt a pull when they tried to go opposite directions on the road. "I was born in a jungle. That's why meh middle name is Black Wolf. Many black wolves dat day." Sighing a little he stared at the building looming ahead. A hint of dismay tinged his voice. "Dis is not Ehaui."

"No, but they make the best snake stew," she said easily. She wanted to get back to him talking about his name again. She hadn't thought Chippeqouti had last names or even middle names for that matter. They never used them in company with one another or strangers which was odd to her but she had never asked either. Illya had simply been Illya to her. "Black wolf, huh? That's a fine, strong middle name," she said honestly as she guided him along, "You should say it with your full name. I bet the rest of it sounds just as good."

Since they made good snake stew he shrugged. "Ok." Even then he was a little worried about the doctors. Kalizda didn't seem to be and she wanted to keep on talking about his name. "Meh name is very boring. Illya Black Wolf Octova 21 of Augustus. Just Illya is better."

Chips were large in everything they did and apparently this included names. Black Wolf she understood, but his last name made no sense to her as a surname. Giving him an easy smile, she readjusted her grip in his hand and lead him through rows of jungle trees to the walkway. "Does your last name mean something? Mine is an old family name from a river on earth."

"Mmhmm." Illya glanced around and almost stopped except that the slight pull made his side hurt. Taking a little larger step he caught up with her again. "Meh last name means day I was born in month and octagon of season. We only have eight tribes in Chippeqouti and it is based on octagon. So meh parents different part of tribe dan meh."

So season of birth determined tribe membership and so his parents had different last names than he did because they were born in different seasons. It worked very different than Kaerealean and Terran names. How did they trace lineage or know who wa related or not. The doors to the hospital slid open automatically and a cool blast of air hit them. They were so close to the receptionists desk. "So what kind of seasons were you born in?" She asked, hoping to keep him relaxed a little longer.

The blast of cold air hit and Illya started to tense through his shoulders. It was comfortable outside. "Uh, dark, stormy season. Last season of year. Many mother's had children dat season." Illya looked at the nurse and watched almost dumbly as Kalizda started to fill out paperwork. He scrabbled his name on it at the end and then took a seat with her. It wasn't till a few minutes later that he was ushered into one of the ominous halls and was sat on a bed. More people came in, but not the doctor. "I'm going to die. None of yah are doctors and yah sit around asking the same questions. No wonder yah all die young."

Calysta came with him and stood by bed, close enough to watch carefully but far enough to be out of the way. At his comment, one of the nurses gave him an odd look and then glanced at her. Rubbing her temples, she gave the poor caretaker a slightly sheepish look. "Medicine." She knew full well that was probably his real opinion since he was talking so honestly, but she blamed it on the medicine anyways to avoid questions. "Be nice. They're bringing you stew as soon as they fix you up. Tell me why did many mothers have children that season?"

Adjusting on the bed he grumbled a little. "Ef dey can't find da damn doctor how dey gonna make a stew?" Still he had to be nice so he rolled his eyes and leaned back into the bed while the next nurse came in and poked his arm with a needle. He hated needles and he hadn't seen one shoved under the skin in a long time. "Shouldn't yah wait for surgery?" Ehaui never shoved a needle under Chippeqouti skin unless they had to and certainly not if a Chippeqouti had a broken bone. Looking at Kalizda he sighed. "I don't know. Many were born, women must have had good season with menstruation."

She remembered what Yvonne said about Chip women and had been curious. Keeping a close watch on their work, she leaned on the bed some as her arm was starting to ache in its cast. "A good season, huh? Kaerelean women, are a little different when it comes to that sort of thing," she mused, trying to keep him distracted.

The doctor finally came in and started to check Illya's eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Between the checks he would turn his head to look at Kalizda. "Yah kind have less or more menstruation?"

The doctor shot her an confused look and she held up another hand silently behind Illya's head with the look of 'just go with it'. It was a natural question, though she hadn't expected him to be curious enough to ask. Most men just plugged their ears and acted ridiculous over the subject. "Terran and Kaerelean women have a cycle once a month."

A big grin came to Illya's face. "Oh that's good news. Maybe we'll have a lot of kids."

The older man looking into Illya's ear as he turned to look at her grinned almost as wide as the Chip himself and patted the broad man on the shoulder. A few of the nurses started giving them both doughy-eyed looks and between all of them Calsyta's face flushed. It grew even worse when for whatever reason her mind flickered back to him kissing her for just a moment. "M-maybe," she stammered, unable to keep eye contact with him.

Illya nodded. "Mmmhmmm lots of kids. Yah body is very ready if yah have that many eggs." He had just about continued the thought when the doctor grabbed his chin and turned his head toward him. "I need you to be quiet for just a few minutes ok? I know you want to get back to spending time with your girl, but we need to get you fixed first." Illya sighed, "Ok don't fix anything but meh side. I need to have lots of babies."

Calysta closed her eyes for a moment, just so she didnt have to see the other people in the room for a moment. How had the conversation turned to this? Hadn't they started out talking about names. They weren't even married or agreed yet and now Illya's mind had already hopped right on over to children. Alot of children apparently. Her face was so hot she could hardly stand it and she knew it probably bright red. "L-let the doctor work now, Illya. We'll...talk about this later."

"Mmmhmm." Illya blinked a few times as the mask was put over his face. It was getting harder to stay awake. He really wanted some of that stew, but he was definitely going to fall asleep before he got any. When he woke up Illya was in a different room. This one at least had a door on it instead of one of those curtains. His side was even more sore if that was possible and he had needles all over in his arms. What was more surprising was the size of the tube that they used to drain the blood out. He didn't need anything that big!

The doctor came into the room and grinned. They were an odd couple if he'd ever seen one. Granted the guy was drugged up, but it seemed there were a few surprises around the bend specifically in the way of children. From appearances the young woman didn't know she was going to have many children. She was terribly small to be with such a large person and he had gathered as much that they were not the same race of humanoid. "We'll be giving this about uh..." Leaning over the doctor got a look of alarm on his face. "We need to get back into emergency surgery." Meeting Kalizda's gaze he pointed to the drainage bag that was already filling at a pace that shouldn't be healthy. "That's about enough for a whole day, he's got be hemorrhaging somewhere. I can't believe he made it this long without treatment if he was bleeding that badly."

When the doctor returned with Illya was yet more in the bag and he shook his head. "We've looked at every possible place he could be bleeding from and we can't find it. His lung is draining too fast to be normal. We'll just have to keep an eye on it. Its just not normal and we need to keep an eye on him for a few days." Leaving the room the man shook his head. This humanoid was quite strange and he didn't know what kind it was that he was dealing with, but something was wrong.

Illya was a little groggy when he woke up and he noticed that the nurses were continually making note on the bag at the side of his bed. When the nurse left Illya sat up in the bed and coughed a little. His side was so sore after having been prodded and the tube removed then surgically replaced and having an exploratory surgery. Looking over the edge of the bed he grabbed for the bag. "See I tell yah one day." Despite the fact that he thought he was fine that didn't seem to be the general consensus.

On the second day Illya had the tube removed and by the third day he was just sitting in the hospital. He'd finally got the ridiculous tubes and needles removed from all over his arms and chest. The doctor still came in and would have him scanned with various little machines frequently. It was like they all thought he was going to die from the little bullet. "I'm fine." Grumbling to the nurse he pushed the medications away. "It only hurts a little." She insisted as she had last time and he shoved the mouthful in and took a large gulp of water. Hiding the bitter pills underneath his tongue he waited till she left and then spit the white slimy mess of pills out into the little paper cup. "Don't need et." Catching the look from Kalizda he shrugged and then let her look at them. "Fine tell meh which one is only to keep infection away." Digging back through the slimy mess he swallowed only the one he absolutely had to have.

Early the next morning he was more than anxious to get out of the hospital. He got up and started to rummage about looking for his pants. Kalizda had stayed in the room the entire time and he was pretty sure that she was needing rest, so he tried to be quiet. Being quiet was all successful until the nurse came into the room. She gave a squeak when she saw he was up and about without his clothes. "I'm not the onleh naked man yah see before. I need meh clothes please."

"You should be in your bed until the doctor makes the final check." Quietly trying to usher the man back to his bed she did her best to ignore the fact that he wasn't wearing anything.

Illya growled a little. "I'm fine. Ah breathe fine, talk fine, hell I look fine." Sitting on the edge of the bed he pulled the blanket over his waist. He had noticed she felt rather uncomfortable with him running around buck naked. "Tell im to hurreh eh? I want out."

"I'll let the doctor know you're anxious to leave." The woman set a cup of water with a few pills by his bedside. "Don't spit those ones out. I know when I come back and collect the garbage from your tray." Walking out the door the nurse shook her head. In a way it was good to see the man was greatly recovered and still frustrating that he was one of their worst patients. Polite enough, but entirely impatient and ready to move from the second day. It was only the first day with the two surgeries that he was content to sleep, eat, and visit. After that he was rearing to go and it hadn't let up.

By the time the doctor got to the room Illya was dressed and standing by the door. He was waiting to get the ok to go. "I need out of here." There was almost a tone of desperation as he was sent back to the bed to sit down so the doctor could check him over one more time. When the grey haired man pressed on the wound site Illya frowned at him, but he didn't jump.

"Remarkable." Exclaiming to himself the doctor made a few marks on the chart. "I've never seen anyone heal this fast."

"I know, just give meh the release form." How much clearer could one get to indicate that they wanted to leave? Illya stood with the doctor and peered over his shoulder at the chart. "No tests. I need to go." Finally the man relented and gave him a release form. They needed to get back in the air and continue their mission. Glancing at Kalizda he sighed. They were finally outside and he was sure that somehow they were going to be in peril if they didn't move.

They were barely up the gang plank of the ship and Illya saw that it was not at all in the order or state of cleanliness that it should have been. He almost started to say something, but he felt a little hand squeeze his first two fingers. Opening and closing his mouth a few times he looked around the ship and sighed. "T-that Kitiko woman has a lot of work ta do. I get her now." Forcing his fingers out of Kalizda's grasp he stopped short. Standing in front of him was a little red head. It was the same one he won in a game. "Wh-wha..."

"Saw the ship land." The woman smiled at him. "Decided to come have a look. We're independent of the Federation now. Folks stopped working for them a long time back and now we live here peacefully. Looked in the archives and if your people are willing to consider it only a Federation debt we'll gladly become a port for you again." She nodded. "I agreed to be a delegation. News travels fast around here. " She'd caught wind of the strangers and the big man from the hospital.

It was odd to be approached by such a delegation. Illya cleared his throat. "I uh...Meh elders speak for da Chippeqouti. Yah come with to speak with dem."

Nodding a little the redhead smiled. "Agreed. We will be more than happy to send delegation. Our payment is home, land, and port for your protection." Records in the old archives had shown a significant amount of dealings had gone on with his people and they were very much open to trade.
 
As soon as they put Illya under and wheeled him out of sight, she used the radio to call her father and inform him. "He's in surgery, we'll be fine, but I do need you to do me a favor. Pick up the ingredients for snake stew, please?..Yes, snake stew...please..." He sounded unhappy about the idea but said he would Calysta sank into the waiting room chair feeling achy and tired. Her arm felt tight and puffy as did the skin around her eyes from lack of sleep. She wasn't sure how long it would take, but she needed just a little but of shut eye. Stretching her feet out in front of the chair, she crossed her arms and rested her head, trying to ignore the bright florescent lights.

"Miss."

Calysta grumbled a little and shimmed further into the chair. She'd been having a strange little dream that she was flying, but Illya kept telling her she was too big to fly. The comment kept making her laugh in the dream, but she couldn't quite remember why she found it funny.

"Miss."

Forcing her eyes open, she found herself flopped across the chair and looking up at a young nurse. "You're boyfriend is out of surgery and is in room 420."

"Oh..." Calysta went to wipe at her face, forgetting the cast. The hard surface over her palm bounced over her nose and she winced at the scrape. "Uhg..ow...is he okay?"

"He did well, but we'll be keeping him for observation for a few days to make sure."

Nodding to the nurse, she planted her feet on the floor and hauled herself up to go find the elevator. She didn't want Illya out of sight any longer than necessary.

****

Calysta was beginning to see why the Ehaui kept any sick Chips asleep for even the slightest of medical procedures. She managed a few more hours of sleeping before Illya grumpy, which she had somewhat expected, but it was still something to combat nonetheless. His hair was stuck in wild directions as he lay on the hospital bed, his heels almost hitting the end of the mattress, and he continuously glared at his arms where the IV fluids were running in. The tube running from his ribs, draining the blood from his lungs hung by the bed and the Chip kept hovering his hand over the insert there too as if he wanted to rip it out. Dozing off and on, she would occasionally look up and tell him to leave the tubes alone.

When the doctor came to check on his progress, he gave her a slightly bemused glance before turning to the Chip and his clipboard where the look faded to one of concern. Another surgery on him to find the source so much excess bleeding. Had he been shot somewhere else she hadn't seen? She was fairly sure she had at least treated all of them he had in someway or another. Seeing so much blood built up in the bag was making her worry that he might need the Ehaui after all and they were too far away this time. "Do what you need to do to help."

Time seemed to drag by as the doctors conducted their exploratory surgery. She did hear from her father in between snatches of sleep. They had managed to wrangle Kiya out of the closet and received few good bruises accompanied by some scratches. They had to hold her at gun point to get her to do anything near cooperative. What she was going to do with that woman, she didn't know. There had been not even a hint of willingness to say anything from her other than that they were all idiots. How would they ever get the woman to agree to any sort of deal when she acted as if she was out of her right mind?

The doctors found nothing and held him longer, much to her dismay. Not only did it mean there might be an unresolved issue in his lungs, but it would mean keeping the man still in a hospital bed for one more day which was becoming increasingly difficult. The first night after the exploratory surgery was long, and she stayed up for most of it, watching the monitors keeping track of his heart beat and blood pressure bleep at their constant pace. It was hard not to be worried when the last time he was in the hospital, it had been because he nearly died. At least there weren't any seizures this time. Seeing those wrack his body was horrific and almost more than she could bear.

One the second day, the nurses kept coming in and out of the room, and eventually his tubes were removed, much to her relief. Though with the drain gone, he seemed to think this was license to leave and became down right rebellious when it came to taking the medicines the nurses brought him. He spit out the medicine into the paper cup as soon as the caretaker was gone. He even had the nerve to meet her gaze when he got caught doing it. "Illya, take the medicine. Some of that is to keep out infections." He tipped the cup to her so she could see the gooey mess of spit and pills inside, asking which one it was. She had no idea what some of them were, but she recognized one of the big ones as amoxicillin and one of the small little pain pills. Ultram? "Those two," she pointed at them, with her eyes narrowed. The Chip went to fishing them out.

Curled up in the arm chair by the window, Calysta was snoozing off and on until heard the nurse come in and give a small squeak. The sound was worthy of inspection, so she cracked open her eyes just a little. Illya at the end of the bed, standing there in nothing but his tan skin as he argued with the woman over leaving the hospital. The poor care taker seemed just as surprised to see him as Calysta was, but there was no way that she was going to let them know she was awake. They already giggled and gave her broad smiles when they saw her because most of them had been witness to Illya's grand announcement about wanting as many children as possible. Instead she shut her eyes and buried nose further into the crook of her elbow. If the nurse lost the argument, only then she would get up and knock some sense into the bare naked Chip.

****
Thomas stepped into the market with Calysta's info pad on his hand and a recipe pulled up from the archive. He could hardly believe his daughter had convinced him to go shopping for snake stew of all things. Just thinking about it gave him the creeps, but had agreed to come for her. She wouldn't leave Illya's side, which was probably safer for both of them, and he needed to get off their stolen ship. His ex was driving him crazy with her yelling and demands to be set free. Her squawking was so much that the bustling grocery store even seemed a serene retreat in comparison. Hopefully Ayrn could manage not to let her almost escape a second time, though the man seemed to have learned his lesson well, even if he did treat his fork injury like a battle scar.

Roving the aisles, he picked up all the herbs on the list, then the vegetable stock and flour for thickening. Then he turned the corner and went all the way across the store to the bakery. The fresh loaves smelled delicious and he picked up several of the round flat breads Calysta liked along with a long, fluffy loaf for himself. He also grabbed butter and a strange looking preserved jam that looked good with bright orange and red fruits dotted the inside of the jar. Then he discovered they had a special section just for Terran foods and he found a nice blend of Italian dark roast coffee and Calysta's favorite dark chocolate. How she could stand the bitter taste of the dark chocolate he would never know, but she had always shied away from the milk chocolates he liked.

When he could delay it no more, he meandered over to the deli and butcher's block. There they sat on little beds of ice. Snakes. His eyes barely glanced them over before, his stomach did a flip and he looked away. There were serpents of all lengths and thickness with bright scaly bodies that had once slid across the ground....he gave himself an involuntary jolt just thinking about it.

"Did you need something wrapped up, sir?" asked the man behind the counter.

Thomas managed to look up to the expectant young butcher and shook his head. "I uh...I don't suppose you have frozen snakes, huh?"

"It's much better fresh, but yeah, aisle 7."

"So, I've heard," he swallowed as he retreated, "Thanks."

The Chip could deal with frozen snake just as well as the creepy little fresh ones sitting on the ice. There was no way he was walking all the back to the ship with one of those in his bags, even if it was thoroughly and most definitely dead.

****
It was a relief to leave the hospital. Not only was Illya on the mend, but she could get them in air and on their way to Nuen soon. She could deal with Kiya much easier there, and they might be safe there for a time. If she was honest, she did miss it there. Not the heat, and the constant threat of sunburn, but the people. She needed to brush up on the Qouti she learned and keep learning it too. Taking Illya's warm hand in her own, they made their way back to the Jiminy. A shower, change of clothes and hopefully the ingredients for the promised dinner awaited them both.

As they came into the docks, Calysta was surprised to see the red head standing at the hatch of their ship and equally surprised at how her demeanor had changed. She looked much better and was much friendlier. Not that Calysta blamed her for being so standoffish in their travel together. Smiling, she let go of Illya's hand and offered her palm to the woman. If she was offering help to the Chippeqouti and knew the Federation she would be a good ally to both Illya's people and her own. "I'm glad to see you made it home. Though I'm not sure we were ever properly introduced with so much going on last time. Calsyta Monroe."


The redhead smiled and took Calysta's hand. "I'm Elizabeth Taggart. When you are ready to depart I will make ready the rest of the delegation." Illya was still stunned and he watched as Kalizda and Elizabeth started to speak with one another as casually as they might if they had just met on the street.

Calysta would welcome them aboard of course, but it would be an interesting prospect having a delegation with her mother aboard on top of that. Supplies would have to be adjusted and something done to keep her mother from doing anything else outrageous. "We are departing as soon as possible to Nuen. How many will be accompanying you, if I may ask? "

"Nine." Elizabeth smiled broadly. "I will get them now." Tapping on a small wrist watch she sent a quick message to them. "We will be providing some supplies for the journey and gifts to show our good intentions." She knew that Illya was somewhat influential because the news flash had reached her planet as well. If there was one thing she remembered it was the fact that he liked animals. "We have a bear cub for the general as a personal gift for his generosity in freeing me."

Knowing they were bringing supplies was a bit of a relief, but a delegation of nine was larger than a ship this size was meant to accommodate with crew and guests. There would be doubling up and she imagined it would be the pilots chair for her for the next few days. Glancing up at Illya, she noticed he seemed quite pleased to hear about the bear cub. The man loved animals and if these people wanted to impress him, that was certainly one way to do it. " Thank you. I'll make sure your accommodations are appropriate," she said, looking back to Elizabeth, "You're welcome to come aboard and I'll have one of the crew come out to assist your people with their cargo."

The woman smiled at her. "Yes, that is good." Since they were needing to get loaded Illya nodded. "I help. Meh side is all healed up eh?" He wasn't waiting for her consent and Illya started toward the entrance to the ship again. It was one way to get a little more action and to be sure that he was assessing each one of their new passengers. It all sounded to be too good. They couldn't be wanting help and he was suspecting that they could be making trouble.

"Illya..." Calysta's voice trailed as he was off stalking toward the hatch. She had fully intended on making Ayrn do it to keep Illya from too much activity. That idea was ended with him taking off into the ship. It wouldn't be appropritate to argue in front of a delegate, so she just frowned at his retreating back and then recovered her pleasant smile when she turned back to Elizabeth. "Let's head inside. I hope none of your delegation are allergic to cats. The kitten has grown pretty big since you last saw her." Calysta lead her inside and guided her toward the sitting room all while she did mental gymnastics in where to put everyone. There were 8 bunks and then the master suite. She could take the pilots chair, Illya the couch, her father the med-bay bed and Ayrn could roll out in the sitting room floor...her mother...would probably have to go back into the closet. As they passed by the bunk room, the door was open and Ayrn sat across from her mother who was chained to the bed. "So, your people gained independence from the Federation? Did they start your home world?"

Following the soon to be host through the ship Elizabeth noticed that there was limited room. She wasn't going to say anything about it. In fact she intended to say nothing until she saw a woman chained to one of the beds. However, it seemed that Calysta was going to be wanting to talk at that moment. "We were all workers for the Federation and we all quit working. Fled into the jungle and destroyed the mines. They had no profit and none would come to work for us. Our history shows that Chippeqouti only protected us from wild animals and showed us how to survive, they did not ask for anything. Federation hired them as protection only for a time."

Hearing that they once worked for the Federation made a small chill run down her spine, but simply because they once had ties didnt mean they did now. Keeping her same pleasant face she lead the woman past the bunks and to softly lit living room, offering her a seat. "So you have been independant from the Federation for some time then? Did they retaliate against you?"

Elizabeth kept her eyes on the woman for a long moment before she responded. "Yes, it is why many of our homes are not visible. For a time it was very dangerous. It is in our history, but times that I do not remember."

Calysta kept the womans gaze, carefully gauging what she said, and then nodded. She knew that she was probably pestering the woman with questions but they were necessary. "I see. I hope you forgive my questions, but my people have not had contact with Federation as far as I know, so I try to undertand."

"But his have and now you vet us to be sure we will not disclose their home?" The redhead was not stupid, but it was better to let Calysta know that and it would reveal a certain level of trust. An enemy would not reveal that they were aware of such a tactic.

It seemed this was a diplomat that didn't like to mince words, and had caught on to her in a certain sense she really waa curious but she also did want to make sure she wasn't inviting a ship full of enemies aboard. It was something she liked about Elizabeth though. "In part, yes," she admitted, "It's not meant to be an insult but I protect the Chippeqouti as well as my own Federation. I imagine were you in my position you would do the same."

The word Federation caught Elizabeth by surprise and yet she wanted to hold on for just another couple of seconds before saying anything. "Who is your Federation?"

She realized how that probably sounded to the woman and decided to explain a little further, though she needed to attend to getting the ship ready as well. It was good to get as much of an understanding of these people as she could. "My planet is the hub for an intergalactic alliance between many planets. They call it the Kaerelean Federation with several planets working together in peace. Nuen is a part of that initiative. As a whole, I don't think our worlds had ever had contact with the other Federation," she replied, and after a moment she chuckled a little, "It caused a bit of confusion between myself and the Chippeqouti for awhile too."

Elizabeth still held her suspicions, but at least she had heard of this other Federation though it was usually referred to as an alliance. "I'm sure we will come to an understanding as well in time." Sliding the backpack off she glanced beyond Calysta. "Where will you have us stay then?"

She noticed the woman didn't seem as curious and wasn't talking as freely. If the woman didn't trust her fully, that was fine, but she wouldn't be here with Illya and keen on defending the Chippeqouti if she worked for the Federation. "For you, the Captain's quarters as leader of your delegation," Calysta said, "Follow me." She lead the woman across the hallway and opened the captain's room door at least she had made the bed and the bathroom was practically untouched. Immediately Keysha loped out and greeted Calysta with a rub around the knees before trotting off toward the stairs. "Feel free to settle in. I need to attend to some details aboard the ship before take off."

****
It took a little bit of time, but finally they had everyone arranged. The ship was packed beyond capacity, but everyone seemed at least moderately satisfied with the arrangements. All except Kiya. She had been relegated to the closet again with several blankets and a pillow. Luckily she had yelled herself hoarse at this point, and could barely utter a peep. Though her looks were enough to say plenty how she felt about being chained to the shelf and locked inside. Really, it was as much for her safety as it was everyone elses. She couldn't have Kiya dying before she confessed to the authorities what she had done nor did she want possible allies exposed to the woman. It would take at least 4 days to reach Nuen. They could make it that long without incident. Maybe.

Since she couldn't grip terribly well with her fingers, she took over the cooking and let her father take them out of port with Ayrn assisting her in the galley. He managed to help her get the frozen snake thawed and herbs chopped correctly, after telling twice how to do it. "No, don't include the stems. Just the leaves," she sighed for the second time. Ironically, it seemed he was better at electrical work in the engine room than he was in the kitchen, as much as he liked to eat. With the snake sauteed with the herbs, she poured in the liquids and the flour tried to give it a stir. The more she stirred with her good hand, the thicker it became until it grew lumpy.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Ayrn asked, leaning over her shoulder.

Calysta had the urge to smack him with the spoon. "No," she hissed back, "I don't know what I did wrong."

Maybe if she stirred out the lumps? Stirring more vigorously only left her arm tired and did nothing to fix the chunky mess in the pot. Sighing, she flipped off the eye of the stove and tasted it with a fresh spoon from the drawer. It tasted okay, despite the lumps, though it was definitely not Yvonne's. It would work. "Serve up some to the guests and Kiya. Then grab your own." He made a face at having to feed Kiya, but she ignored the look and kept going with the prep. There wasn't enough room for the all to eat in the dining area, so she made up Illya's bowl and put a plate of the soft bread on the galley island, before poking her head out of the hallway. "Illya! Dinner! " She wasn't sure where the Chip had gone off to but she doubted he would turn down snake stew even if it was a bit odd looking.

****

Later in the evening when most of everyone was asleep, Calysta grabbed a towel and headed toward the guest shower. She was in desperate need of a wash and felt absolutely grimey after the last few days in the hospital. It felt like the smell had sunk so deeply in her skin she might never get it out. Stripping off her clothes, she started up the hot water intending to take a quick wash to conserve water, but she immediately ran into a problem. The cast couldn't get wet. The brace would have survived getting wet, but this wouldn't and she didn't want to hang her arm out of the door. She was too tired and would probably drop it into the water by accident. What she needed was a wash bucket. A small, wry laugh escaped her lips at the thought. Never in a million years did she think that would ever be something she needed.

Unfortunately, all of the buckets were in the closet with her mother. No way was she going poke that hornets nest and wake everybody up. Maybe she could put a plastic bag over her arm instead. Snatching up her towel, and wrapping it around her snugly, she tip-toed, down the hall to the galley and rummaged out one of the plastic bags left over from the groceries. They couldn't be sent out of the disposal because the had a tendency to clog up the pipes, so there were plenty tucked under the sink. Slipping the bag over her arm, she went to tie it off around her for arm to completely seal the cast. That presented a whole new problem. Tugging and stretching at the plastic, she tried to get her little fingers to make a knot one handed, but she just couldn't get it. The bag slid all over and simply wouldn't cooperate and soon she was grumbling in frustration. "Damnit." She needed help.

Padding back down the hallway, Calysta came to the closed living room door. Her dad would be asleep, but Illya would probably be up reading. She slid the door open and whispered. "Illya are you awake?"
 
While their new passengers struggled with their baggage Illya would wander out to offer help. Most of them seemed to think that was a wonderful offer and smiled broadly at him. It was all fine that they thought he was being friendly. Perhaps better than recognizing that he was trying to get an idea of what they were carrying One little bag rustled about a little bit and he heard a strange cry. Lifting the bag a little higher he tried to tilt his hand so he could see inside of it. Everything grew quiet for a moment and then the bawling started again and he jumped slightly.

Chuckling a little the man walking near him nodded. "That's the bear. You know how to take care of them?"

"Uh huh." The Chippeqouti lifted the bag again and he shook his head a little. If the bear bawled all night he was pretty sure it would be a sleepless night for most of them. Depending on how long it had been away from its mother would depend on how much it cried. Once he got inside the ship Illya set the cub in the kitchen. He could keep it in the little cage in there for the time. It was warm and like most babies it would need to be warm, though he figured that wherever he would be sleeping tonight he could take the cub with. Heading back outside Illya helped the last of the passengers on board and he was glad to see that as he was setting their bags down on the floor that the others had begun to unload their stuff. So far nothing looked too dangerous and he was more than happy to know that they were already unpacking their things and making it obvious that there wasn't any trouble to be seen so far.

Wandering into the kitchen he dug through some of the cupboards and then decided to check the bag for some food. The bear it seemed already had his little stash set in a bucket inside the bag. As soon as he opened the bag the bear started to cry afresh and it was loud. Illya pulled the cage open and grabbed the bear. "Shhhhh." Gently bouncing the bear he waited for it to quiet itself and then he set to getting some cleaning done.

Each time that Illya tried to put the bear down it would start to bawl and so he made a small wrap out of the blanket and tied the creature to the front of himself. Poor little cub still didn't like him that much, but after a while it quit the obnoxious cries and settled for the time. Illya didn't get much done besides cleaning out the bathroom and making sure it was presentable before his side was starting to ache. It was still going to be sore for a few days and he knew better than to push any harder than this for the rest of the day.

After he found out that he was going to be in the living room Illya shoved his little pile of belongings next to the couch and he went to the kitchen to get the little bear's things too. "We camp out togetha eh?" The little bear bawled loudly when he shoved it into the cage he felt the little creature claw at his arms. "Ow." Illya pulled his arm out and he stared at the bloody trails left by the bear. Thankfully it wasn't too deep. By the time he finished cleaning up and got a little meal for the bear to eat he heard a yell from Kalizda. The closer Illya got to the kitchen the stronger the smell of snake became. It smelled good and he couldn't help grinning a little when he stepped into the door. "Ooh yah like a goddess. Making snake stew." Taking the bowl from Kalizda he grinned a little bigger and sat down.

Poking the first lump he discovered it was hallow and a small puff of powder came out. While she was still busy gazing into her own bowl he tried to stir it in and instead had a small dusting of the powder over his food. Stirring the food with a little more enthusiasm he finally got it to look semi normal and then he apprehensively jabbed another chunk and this time it actually had some texture to it like it might be snake.

Since it was probably a meal that Kalizda had tried to make Illya was determined to find something that she had done well. The meat was nicely done and he chewed it slowly. There was an odd taste to it, like the snake wasn't fresh. He would have thought that this planet would have provided a good supply of snake. Perhaps she didn't know how to shop for snake? She would have to learn how to examine the bodies of the snakes and to smell them for freshness. Poor Kalizda was not a very good cook, but she had learned to work very well with the herbs. His mother was a much teacher than himself. Maybe he could ask her to show Kalizda how to make a snake stew. Personally he wasn't so sure how he would survive eating this version of the snake stew over a long period of time or even 5 years.

Chewing the food carefully he ignored the nearly flavorless flesh of the snake. It would have been better if it was fresh and if all the flavor hadn't been cooked out of it. Then again if it hadn't been fresh it might have been for the best. Nearing the end of his bowl he saw Kalizda get up and offer more. Since she'd made the effort he couldn't very well say no. Getting up from his spot Illya took his bowl over to the stove and let her serve the rest of it into his bowl.

The clumpy offerings fell off the serving spoon in sludgy piles. Illya grinned at her and wiped the rest of it off the spoon with his finger. Licking his finger off he nodded to her. "Thank yah. Seasoning is nicely done." Rest of it was not prepared as well, but she understood the herbs for sure and used the seasonings in a most pleasing manner. At least the food was more edible than her last attempt at cooking anything. Nearing the end of the last of the bowl Illya used his bread slice same as he would have if the stew had been his mother's and he cleaned up the last of it with the bread. When he finished Illya took his dish to the sink. "Yah cook and I clean eh?" She needed rest and he knew she didn't get enough since she broke her arm. He was planning on taking on a few extra chores for her till she had some time for the bone to heal. It had be in horrible pain and here he was hardly being a help at all.

***************************************************

Illya was settled onto the couch, somewhat. He shifted on the couch and rolled his side. Finally after what felt like forever he found a semi comfortable position and then the door slid open. Sitting up on the couch he grunted a little. "Yeah." Staring at the dark little head he pushed himself up and tried to step over Ayrn. "What is et?"

Calsyta tugged at towel to make sure it was very well wrapped and then stole another glance the Chip who was headed her way. "Do you mind helping me with something really quick?" When he came to the door, she back up out of Ayrn's sight and held up the plastic bag. "Will you tie this around my cast?"

Stepping to the other side of the door Illya looked from her face to her arm and then he grinned. "Sure. I can help yah." It was a bit of a tight space they were in, but that wasn't a problem. She was tiny and she already had everything she needed. Helping her slide the plastic on the arm Illya then began to tie the bit of rope gently around her arm. "Let meh guess, yah couldn't tie et with one hand." Smirking a little he leaned over and kissed her on the head. "Let meh know if ets not tight enough."

She watched him as he tied on the bag and then blinked at him in surprise after he leaned down and kissed her just at the top of her forehead. He knew her well enough to know she had attempted on her own before giving in and it was a strange and comforting thing to think he did. "No, I couldn't, " she admitted with a quiet chuckle, "I will." Looking up at him for just, a moment, a playful smile crept to her face. "Thank you, my Black Wolf."

A frown came to his face. "Why yah call meh Black Wolf?" He didn't remember hearing anything about that from her before and nobody would have told her. Besides no one knew his middle on board the ship except himself and he hadn't told her.

He called her little bird all of the time, so she was just trying to be a little playful with him about the name. Judging but his face he didn't remember telling her or didn't like it. Or both. "I was only teasing," she said, sheepishly.

"Its not a bad thing...Just why would yah call meh that?" Illya was starting to wonder where she heard that name. "Where did yah hear that name for meh?"

Calsyta held the towel with her left hand as she gazed up at the Chip who was understandably confused. She thought that had been one of his more lucid moments but apparently not. "You told me on the way to the hospital when you were talking a bit about the place reminding you of where you were born."

"I did?" Illya didn't remember that, but she'd never lied to him about these sort of things and nobody else was around that could have told her something of that kind. "Hmmm...Well I guess dere's less for yah to ask now isn't dere?" Chuckling a little bit he winked at her. "Sneaky little bird."

"I have my moments," she smiled. His chuckling was a sound she liked to hear and it made her feel a bit more playful. She stretched up as far she could and looped her left hand around the nape of his neck. Pulling him down just a little, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then let him go just as quickly. "Little pecks, for little birds," she laughed softly, "Thank you, Illya.

Feeling her little hands wrap around his neck Illya leaned toward her. He could only guess what she wanted and then she gave him a surprise kiss. Before he had any chance to react she was saying a thanks and scampering away. Still grinning a little he shook his head and slid the door open so he could flop back out on the couch.

*********************************************************

In part Illya was relieved to see Nuen and the other part of him was worried. Now they were bringing home a delegation and he wasn't sure how they would be accepted. Not to mention he had made the presence of the Chippeqouti known more broadly. Before they were even landed there were several guards at the port. That was only natural since they didn't know about this ship.

The large bay door opened and Illya stood to the side and ordered the others to do the same. He was likely going to end up having a talk with the elders before the little delegation could speak with the elders. Taking a deep breath he glanced at Kalizda and nodded. She would be allowed to come with him, but not the others. When he noticed that the others were prepared to follow he shook his head. "Just Kalizda and meh. Only Chippeqouti speak dis time." There were a few confused looks, but he ignored them. Kalizda was adopted to them and they all considered her as one of their own. It was rare to have an outsider adopted, but they had decided to make her one of them and she was now given all benefits of a full blooded Chippeqouti.

Before they had even made it to the village Edgar and some of the elders came out to meet them. As with their usual tradition they spoke in Quoti. "We have gone to council to speak again. We received queries of your conduct during the war after the broadcast." If they had not known that this was simply part of the life they were to live it might have made them angry. "We make deal for Kalizda woman. She will be safe here." With a sigh the elder nodded to Illya. "We explain the war and Federation. Yah will not travel and neither will Kalizda for some time." Glancing at Illya and then beyond the Elder paused in thought and noticed the red haired woman. "What is this?"

"A delegation." Answering quickly in Quoti Illya did his best to explain the situation. He wanted badly to say more than just what happened, but this was not a time to give his opinion. The elders would determine that for themselves.

"We will not speak with them until we have delegation from our allies council." Edgar had done his best to cause their newest allies to trust the elders. They needed to know that the Chippeqouti were not trying to be sneaky in anyway. They were a true ally and they were honest in their dealings. "We will call on Henaniah and then we will have Ehuai present as well." So far they only had these two allies to call on and as tempting as it was to accept another ally he wanted to ensure that the others would accept this one. "They will stay in guest house until we have word from others."

Nodding to Kalizda Illya started back for the ship. Now he spoke in common tongue to her. "They will not hear delegation until Henaihah and Ehaui have delegation here as well. We cannot leave for a time. All yah council knows about yah now, but they agree yah safe with us." Back at the ship Illya grabbed his things and the little bear box. "Delegation yah can stay in guest house until we have rest of our allies assembled eh?"

Elizabeth watched the odd little conversation from a distance and from what she'd gathered and now heard it was all as expected. There would be a period of time to watch them and ensure that she was not here for trouble. At least that was how she translated the wait. Nodding to the other pale skinned people she had them follow her outside and then the Chippeqouti woman that led them toward the guest house while Illya and the others went another direction. Momentarily she wondered if she was going to be left in a jail, but instead found a large and comfortable home for her stay. They were being treated as delegates which was comforting to a degree.

Illya didn't remember Kiya until he was almost to the village. Setting his little bear down he opened the cage and the creature attacked his legs with a fervor. Bawling loudly the bear lifted it's head and cried at Illya. "Cinn get down." Nudging the bear over with his foot he started back toward the ship. "Kalizda we forgot Kikta." He couldn't remember her mother's name. It was a strange one from what he recalled, but it was just not coming to mind so he used the closest name he could come up with. When he finally arrived at the ship again Illya saw that Ayrn had yet to decide where he was going and Thomas appeared to be at a loss. Apparently Illya had forgot quite a few things. "Yah two come with meh or catch transport somewhere." Trudging toward Kita's closet Illya sighed as he came to stop in front of the doorway. Pulling it open he stared at her with some confusion. She was looking at just about knee cap height and backing away. Glancing down he saw his little bear and rolled his eyes. "Yah get out here or I throw yah ove meh shoulder and drag yah to meh house eh?"
 
Calysta watched him find a few of the lumps and stir it into submission before taking a bite, which made her wonder if it was even edible at first. Once he got the first bite in and didn't complain, it was a relief. Her own bowl didn't look particularly appetizing but it had to taste better than hospital food with mostly fresh ingredients at least. Taking up a spoon full, she stuck a bit into her mouth and immediately found a dry lump which broke open into powder into her mouth, sucking out all the moisture. Once she managed to chew through that it tasted decent.

When he was finished with that bowl, she offered more fully expecting him to decline but the Chip didn't. It made her happy to see Illya wanted more of the stew, even if it was a bit of a mess. He complimented her on the spices as well, which felt like an accomplishment of sorts. She'd worked hard and actually had fun learning those from Yvonne. She ladled him up some more of the gloppy stew and he finished that off too, even cleaning the bowl with the flat bread. As he got up to bring the bowl to her for the dishes, she started to reach for it but instead, he put it into the sink himself. "Yah cook and I clean eh?"

Giving him a smile and a nod, she moved to the side so he could get to the sink. It would have taken her ages to wash them all with one hand, but she would have done it if he wasn't up to it. "I'll go get the captain's chair and your couch all set up," she replied, giving him a gentle pat on the arm.

****

Calysta cracked open the closet door and slid in a bowl of oatmeal to Kiya. She could hear the chain moving, but the woman didn't grab the bowl. It sat a few inches from the door way growing cold. Why did her mother insist on making even simple things difficult? Not eating was her newest rebellion in a long list of ways she was trying to make herself more of a pain. "Eat it before it gets cold," she said, rolling her eyes. It felt like she was the mother instead.

"There's a Terran saying...'Go 't hell'" came a hoarse reply.

Sighing, Calysta took up the keys and started to shut the door. "Then you'll just be hungry, I suppose."

The woman was irritating. No. She was infuriating. Why couldn't she just admit what she did? The Kaereleans would probably even cut her a deal, but not with the way she was acting right now. The woman knew something about all of this. Things that could help her own people against their enemies, yet still refused to do so. She was too afraid or in too deep with whoever had told her or threatened her into doing what she had. Shoving the keys back into her jeans pocket, Calysta started to walk away, but then her anger got the better of her and she turned back. "Kiya, did you ever think that maybe we can help you? Did that thought cross your mind?"

"Go'away!"

"Just talk to me," Calysta urged.

A Kaerelean curse came from the other side of the door. "Leave' me alone!"

She waited a long moment, listening to the chain rattle on the other side of the door. Didn't Kiya care about Kaereal...care about her even in its smallest measure? There was no way she would give up on the truth, but there were things she needed to take care of on board. There was work to be done, even if she was feeling a little sluggish. "Fine, but you know, trouble is a lot easier to handle when you're not on your own. You don't have to be alone. "

****
Thomas sat on the medical bed working his knee under his thumb. When his fingers found a particularly tender spot, he jumped a little and grumbled. Maybe when they got to Nuen he might have one of those massages to loosen up the muscles around his implant again. It had really helped the stiffness last time. Shimmying to the end of the mattress, he planted his feet on the floor and rose, keeping most of the weight on his good knee. He needed to be up and moving for their arrival on Nuen today. Testing his weight a few times, he felt satisified he could move and tossed on his shirt before giving his goatee a quick smooth over. The thing had grown out pretty thick and decidedly grey. Finding a razor would have been helpful since it was likely he would be meeting with Elders again, but it didn't appear the Chippeqouti had the need for them at all with no facial hair speak of. Lucky.

As he tried to pat it down the flyways stuck to his face, a little shadow entered the room and glanced up to see Calysta carrying a bowl of oatmeal. Her cheeks were pinkish and her mouth set in a frown of deep thought. "'Morning dad, I put in extra butter like you like," she said, offering him the bowl. "Thank you, sweet heart." There was a moment of silence between them as he took the bowl gently from her hands. His poor girl looked exhausted and she had every right to be, but if he said anything she would just get grumpy and deny it. Instead, he picked up the spoon sunk into the oats and stirred it. "Something on your mind?"

Her brow furrowed a little, and those grey eyes flashed as if she were trying to decide. Finally, his daughter cleared her throat and met his gaze. "Was Kiya always like this?"

The question was a natural one, but caught him off guard. He'd said very little about her mother, trying to keep her from being hurt and trying not to relive hurtful memories himself. It was probably selfish to do it, but he had been a young dad and so unsure on what to do. He was still unsure what to do sometimes... most of the time...but she was older now and deserved an answer to the question. Meeting her gaze, he gathered his thoughts, and put down his bowl on the counter-top.

"No, she wasn't," he replied, "When I met your mother...she was...she was...one of the most amazing women I had ever seen. She stayed so calm under pressure, and moved with the grace of an angel. A bit of a rebel too. When I was well enough, she snuck me out of the hospital and we went dancing to test out the new hardware- he patted his knee-She would smile like she knew something you didn't and then giggle when her wit got the best of you."

He realized he wasn't looking at Calysta anymore but had started to gaze past her into the hallway. Those things had been so very long ago and they pulled at him. Refocusing, he gazed at his daughter and shook his head. "The Kiya upstairs is not the one I knew."

Calysta seemed to accept the answer and for a second he thought she would leave it at that for once. Her face turned a little stormy, and he knew the next question was coming, as it had many times before. "Why?"

It was a question his daughter had asked several times through the years and he had always told her he didnt really know. That God worked in mysterious and beautiful ways. But the question had always lingered, he was sure. With Kiya so close and so being so unwilling, as to be cruel, he felt he finally had to answer.

"Your mother never wanted children," he said quietly, "I knew that when I asked her to come with me and get married on Kaereal. I thought it was something I could live with because I wasn't sure I wanted kids either. Didn't think I'd make much of a good father if I was able to get aboard a ship again.

He met her eyes and he could see them welling up. She rarely cried, even as a child, but this subject was such a tender spot, he knew it would be hard. She needed to understand everything though. He wasn't good at this sort of thing and he had been avoiding it for so long.

"Of course, she turned me down and I was hurt. Angry. We fought all of the time and eventually I was reassigned to Kaereal. I was filling out the paperwork for my re- enlistment when I got the message about you and...I panicked."

Calsyta wiped at her eyes as she spoke again with a thick voice. "Why?"

Thomas swallowed, remembering the conversation with Kiya like it was yesterday. "Because the second she told me, I became a father. It changed my whole world in an instant. I begged her to keep you. To send you to me, because you were mine and I loved you."

She stood there for a minute staring at him. Maybe didn't understand because she wasn't a parent or she would hate him, but at least now she knew and the fact wouldn't haunt her anymore. Suddenly, she lurched forward and bound him a hug with her arms around his neck. "I love you too, dad." He hugged her back and let her sniffle over his shoulder, rocking her slightly like he used to do when she was young. After a long moment she pulled back and he wiped the hairs out of her face. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me and one day you'll be a parent too and you'll see what I mean. Then I'll get to spoil some grandkids, eh?"

Her eyes grew a little wide and she wiggled away quickly. "L-lets just take one thing at a time."

****
Calysta stood next to her father as the hatch opened, letting in the hot air and dust from the desert docking station. Landing on Nuen was a bit of relief but it also made her a bit nervous. She had no idea how the Chippeqouti will react to the delegation or what to expect now that her status as a criminal was exposed too. Illya would probably go first and explain the situation before letting the rest of them disembark.

When he nodded to her and announced that both of them would be going, she blinked at him in surprise for a moment. Only Chippeqouti? She wasn't a Chip of course, but maybe they wanted to talk with her about what happened. Would they be angry? Possibly. By getting caught she had exposed the Chippeqouti even further. It didn't help that Illya seemed a little nervous as he started down the ramp into the desert sun. Forcing down the nerves, she picked up her bag and followed with Keysha padding at her heels. Guards in uniform had flanked the ship but didn't bother them as they walked past and into the sand. At least they weren't being taken into custody on sight.

The sun was already sitting high in the sky as they met the group of Elders halfway to the village. She waited to see what would be said and half expected one of them to come pull her away like they had on Qouti because she was an outsider, even if she was a good friend. Chips tended to keep internal matters to themselves, and she wasn't offended that they did so. Instead, Edgar immediately began talking to Illya in Qouti, knowing that she could understand some snippets of the conversation because he had been teaching her when he had the time. safe...her name and Illya's...to travel..War... Federation... accept... house.. Henaiah's name.....

As Edgar finished speaking, Illya nodded, and then turned to her, translating to her in traders-tongue. "They will not hear delegation until Henaihah and Ehaui have delegation here as well. We cannot leave for a time. All yah council knows about yah now, but they agree yah safe with us."

They had decided to protect her from her own council? She started to ask why they had done that. Politically, it could cause issues and it made little sense for them to protect an outsider even if she was a friend and soon to agree with one of them. Then it dawned on her that Illya had referred to her as a Chippeqouti when they left the ship, and rather than taking her away from the meeting, they allowed her to stay. They'd even strayed from their tradition and translated the main points of it for her, unlike before. She was privy to their council now and they had protected her like one of them. That was a big step considering how that felt about outsiders. Maybe it was because of her future agreement to Illya? It was like she was one of them which was both an honor and heartwarming, even if that might be then case. A small little smile crept to her lips as a thought passed through her mind. Here she was, Calysta Monroe; world's smallest Chip.

"Hopefully I can be of some help in return," she nodded, to both Illya and the rest. She would ask what her new found status meant when they had a moment alone to talk. Being bound to the planet was a bit of a downfall to the deal, but maybe it would do her some good to stay in one place for a little while. It wouldn't be hard to call Nuen home when Illya and all the other Chips were there too.

****

Thomas waited aboard the ship for what seemed like ages until Illya reappeared and promptly announced they were good to go or follow him and stay. He would stay the night at least to make sure his daughter was alright, maybe catch one of those massages in the morning, before heading out. There were things he needed to take care of with the University after his leave of absence. His students hardly complained about turning in a paper of the proper technique for using light waves to calculate star distance in lieu of classes but he couldn't get away with that for an entire semesters worth. Plus, he had a few things to explain to Henaiah too. Namely what to do about Kiya who would be in well guarded hands here, from enemies and escape. The Chippeqouti were good at that. Glancing to Ayrn, he wondered what the young man would do. He was a bit of a wild card when it came to what he did unless it was sleeping, or eating.

"I'll stick around for a bit," he shrugged, "They have good food and massages if you work a bit. I don't think I'll be doing any gaming though." With that, the young man picked up his duffel and headed for the hatch.

Kiya backed away from the the man and whatever monstrosity he had stuck to his leg as far into the corner as she could. She had felt the ship land, but hoped they would send anyone besides the general to come deal with her. It would have been hard, but she would have forced her way past and made a dash for the ramp. Now, she didn't have any chance of doing that because he took up nearly the entire door frame and there was a creature with claws with him too. Nasty beasts both of them. At his demand she hissed right back. "Ye' keep away from'me, ya brute. Especially, with that thing."

Thomas started to pick up his own belongings, as Illya went to go wrangle with Kiya. The man could deal with whatever she dished out a little better, even if he was recovering from surgery. An unearthly screech met his ears and out came the Chip from the closet. On his leg, the noisy little bear cub was bleating pitiful sounds and hauled over his shoulder was Kiya who was making more noise than the animal. She couldn't kick because he had her bound in a fireman's carry toward the door, but her only free fist was pounding away at his back.

From his back, the ground seemed far away, but she didn't care. If she couldn't get away, she would make herself as impossible to deal as she could. Hitting his broad back over and over didn't seem to do any good. Growling she tried to buck away from him, but the man's grip was just as impossible to break as she was. As he hauled them through the hatch, she had to clamp her eyes shut against the bright sun. It was painful to be in such light after being confined to the dim closet for Wilds only new how long. The heat that followed nearly choked her, but she couldn't open her eyes to see where they had brought her. From the feel of it, it fell like Thomas' description of Terran hell.

****


Calysta sat outside in the evening once everyone was settled in and chores were done. At least what few of them she could do with the cast. It was much cooler now and all the stars were starting to pop out in the evening light. Keysha sat half laid across her lap and digging her nose into her left palm, begging to be scratched. "I know, I'm sorry you've been hauled everywhere, but it sounds like we'll be here for awhile now. A good home for a cat such as yourself," she chuckled to her enormous pet. She remembered well when Illya had brought it on board, winding up in her bed drunk and passed out with a cat licking his ear. Now, the man had the fox Emmit and his little bear, Cinn too. Their house would be full of animals like a menagerie at this rate. How could she say no to such small furry creatures and Illya's face when he played with them? Of course, apparentlyhe was excited to be adding tons of bouncing half-chip children into that mix. She would need to have a conversation about that soon among other things

As she scratched under Keysha's chin, the sound of sand shifting caught her attention and she found Illya walking toward her. He was probably just as tired as she was. Kiya had been a pain all day, and they had been working on getting things arranged for the delegates arrival along with other things. They wouldn't have much time to talk soon with work in the day and it being considered improper for her to share a room with him here, even though she had done so many times before. Smiling she patted a bare spot on the ground next to her. "Come sit with me awhile?"

****

Henaiah sat at her desk staring at the papers littered across the surface. News papers, official documents, and magazines. Sometimes staring at the paper rather than the info-pad was easier on the eyes, but nothing about what she was seeing was easy. Cirellants bolstering their numbers, stripping their mines of everything. Stockpiling according the scouts. So much for talks of peace. Even if they had found killer of their diplomat now, she doubted that the juggernaut of brewing war could be stopped now. So many lives were about to be lost on both sides over a dispute over who really owns that damned planet. The Cirellants say they bought it fair and the Terrans say there was no record of claim. They couldn't both be right, but here they were at the cross roads.

The Terran grumblings had turned to an all out tantrum from their factions and now it was trickling into their government by word of Terran named Yarbrough. They demanded action against the Cirellants, which was nothing new, but now they were also in an uproar over the Chippeqouti. The broadcast exposing their General Illya, along with his actions at the New York jail had caused a panic. The press had eaten the fear as if it were candy, pushing story after story of the rumored violent tendencies, and warning against them and even Kaerleans to a degree with the owner of the Veyna 4 mines in the lead. It was like he wanted the world to fall apart. When men wanted chaos, it usually meant they planned on reorganizing with themselves a little higher on the ladder.

In part, she couldn't blame them for being scared of the what they had seen so far. It looked the the Kaerelean government had been hiding a secret weapon and let it loose on one of the most populated cities on Terra in some of their eyes. The Chip man's past was troubling and he would supposedly be leading their division when the fighting started. He along with his 50 men would surely be needed, but the Terrans and the Kaereleans alike had mixed feelings on his people as a whole now. Everyone was uneasy and on edge as Kaereal began running the numbers on their own supplies and mean. Their fleets were more than capable but fighting on the ground had never been their strength. That would be the Terran's forte and here they were bickering at each other like children. Still there wouldn't be much action on these sentiments yet, because they needed Kaerelean pilots, and ships, among other support to survive a war with the Cirellants and their allies the Myraxys.

The Terrans weren't stupid. Nuen was part of the alliance system and were therefore, by intergalactic law, much needed allies in the war to come, and they could see what only one of them could do now. Only time would tell if their need for those allies would outweigh the media fed fear about them. She had spent alot of time preparing reparations for the damage caused by only a single man from their new allies and the sudden capture and loss of Calysta Monroe had caused a stir too. Some Terran's praised her for what they thought she did, and some condemned her. Securing a deal for him and Calysta had already been hard enough with her own consul.

And then there was this Federation. A conglomerate of unknown and secretive businesses and corporations spread all over. Wilds only knew how long they had been sinking their teeth in to the continents if they had come to her planet. She and the consul had known offering the Chippeoqouti sanctuary from their enemy would have consequences along with the benefits, but their Federation was not something they could simply battle. Their presence would have to be rooted out like a weed from a garden, and the government had already begun doing quiet checks into the their interior. Clean within made it easier to clean with out. There would undoubtedly be economical consequences from all of this if they were hidden among the Terran and Kaerelean works. Of course, this information would have been needed much earlier when it could be presented properly to all of the Kaerelean planets, not simply announced by the Chippeqouti Elders.

Sighing, she flicked on her info pad and began scrolling through the Terran and Kinte continental news feeds. Her manicured forefinger paused over a video of an interview cut from a Terran talk show channel in New York. Chippeqouti Eyewitnesses Tell All. Clicking on the play button, she sat back in the chair and crossed one knee over the other.

" Ladies and Gentleman, today we have an exclusive follow up with several eye-witnesses to the Chippeqouti ,man's rampage through New York. For those who have not been watching until now, we have discussed what little we know of the violent past of this man- a picture of Illya in uniform accompanying a fuzzy snapshot of him breaking down a cement door came up to the screen- A Chippeqouti general and war criminal, guilty of executing countless POW's by his own hands. We also discussed what his people are capable of, and the dangers of their inclusion into the Kaerelean Accords, along with his apparent involvement with known inter-galactic criminal Calysta Marie Monroe of Kaereal. Now, we have witnesses who came into direct contact with the man. "

An older woman walked onto the stage in a skirt and long sleeve blouse. She looked apprehensive about being on the stage, but crossed it quickly and slipped into an armchair across from the host. He shook the woman's hand and she crossed her ankles before her eyes flicked over the audience cautiously. "Thank you for coming, Mrs. Holtz. Now, we all have to know how you're doing?"

"I-I-I'm a little nervous," she squeaked.

"No need for that. It's just you and I having a talk alright?" he patted her hand. The woman was obviously twitching with stage fright but he needed her to focus. "Now, why don't you tell us a little about what you saw. You were found unconscious in an alley right outside the 7th presinct in mid-town, the same station that had arrested and was subsequently broken into by this criminal, correct?"

"Y-yes. I had gone to get groceries and was on my way back. I came past the alley and swoosh he was there. Just like in the photographs. He was standing in the alley with a tiny woman in his arms and bright eyes. Like a wolf's glowing at night...and he was h-huge. Probably the biggest man I've ever seen. Then he said something and started coming at me...and I screamed because I was too scared to run...and he grabbed me. That's the last thing I remember. He was terrifying."

The crowd gasped a little and the host waved down their whispers. "I'm sure it would be for anybody Mrs. Holtz. Did you have any injuries from the attack? Did he take anything?"

"I-I-I had a headache..and a bit of a bruise, but he didn't take anything. I w-woke up next to my bags when an officer found me."

"I see, Mrs. Holtz, thank you for sharing with us."

The host lead them into a commercial and Henaiah slid the time frame forward past the ads to the next interview. Another woman with black hair and pale skin sat in the arm chair. She had a few bruises up and down her arms, but looked much more confident than the other woman.

"Ladies and Gentleman, this is Michelle Rainer. An activist and survivor of Veyna 4. Now, Michelle, tell us about your experience when you crossed paths with this dangerous man."

"He saved me."

Immediately, a murmur went through the audience and the host sat up a little straighter. "Saved you?"

"You heard me right," the woman nodded, "I was at the anti-peace rally when the Terran police moved in on the protesters. I got stuck in the middle of tear gas, and police started hitting me with clubs. It was chaos, just chaos everywhere, and then that man on the screen was there. He pulled me out of the way and protected me. He took a hell of a beating himself. One that I would have probably almost killed me had he not been there. I got the chance to say thank you and talk with him after."

The audience had gone so quiet, even the mildest shuffle of feet could be heard in the background. Michelle turned to look directly at the camera with firm brown eyes. "I don't know about this man's past but I know what he did at the rally saved my life and all this talk of him and his kind being violent...I can honestly say, on that day, he was not the violent one. Perhaps we should take a step back and not believe everything we are told is an absolute fact simply because a man in a nice coat says it."

Henaiah paused the video, thinking over what she had seen. Michelle was right. Sometimes it was easy to fall in line rather than think on your own. Now, it was her job as part of the consul to get people to start doing the same as that woman. Thinking on their own and coming to work together before their enemies did the same.

A knock on the door prompted her to put down the info-pad and slide out of her swivel chair. Smoothing down her sleeves, she invited her new assistant into the office who was carrying two suitcases. "Your transport to Nuen is waiting, Madam."

****

As Henaiah stepped out onto the ramp a hot breeze caught her, ruffling through her flowing pants. Squinting into the desert sun, she could see the Chippeqouti settlement in the distance. It had grown quite since the last images were sent. Between the palms, sand, and rocky out cropping sat buildings and homes in various state of construction. Some were even completed. It was quite amazing what these people could do in a completely undeveloped land and such a harsh environment. Already the heat was making her sweat, but there was no way this could be done by video conference. She wanted to meet these new allies in person and get a good look at how the Chippeqouti were faring. They were allies after all, and she needed to make sure everyone was ready. She also had a few ideas to fix a few other problems that were arising.

The familiar faces of Elder Edgar, and the other Elders accompanied by their translator Yvonne waited for her along with Illya and Calysta. Walking down the ramp, she met the group and gave a prim bow as she always did on a delegation. "I am honored to be received. It is good to meet once again."
 
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Illya waited for only a few seconds. He was feeling impatient and this prisoner Kita had seemed to make it her goal to be trouble at every turn possible. She had refused to eat for a time and he hadn’t cared much what she thought before, but now he cared even less. Since she refused and made herself as difficult as possible the man shrugged and decided that was all the excuse that he needed. The bear let out a loud bawl as it caught on the door frame of the closed and found itself sitting on the floor a few feet from Illya. In time it would learn not to be so attached and then they would be fine.

Inside the closet Kikta seemed to be looking for anyway to get out without having to go through him. “Yah jes makin trouble fo yahself.” There were times when he cared very little if his accent was heavier. At this point he was tired and he didn’t have anymore patience for the woman. When there wasn’t any room left and it appeared that she might lunge he simply stooped a little bit and caught her up. Since her legs were likely to cause the most damage he held them tightly in place and started to turn around. With her head over his shoulder and all her struggling she got her head mashed into the wall. “Ef yah be still for a moment yah head might not get hit so hard eh?” Grumbling under his breath he started for the doorway and ignored the pounding of her little fist. For the most part there was almost no pain to her pounding away on his back.

The little woman seemed to have a renewed vigor as Cinn the bear began to tumble along after him. Between the cursing of Kita and loud bawling of the cub it was almost impossible not to become frustrated. Clenching his free fist Illya continued. He was almost to his little tent that functioned as a house when Kiya finally hit a sore spot. It was somewhat close to the surgery point and he stiffened for just a moment. Since there was little else he could do he reached up and gave her a firm slap on the rear with a growl. “Yah stop hittin meh. I slap yah haunches whenever yah hit meh from now on.” Whatever her response held very little consequnce for him, but she might not like it if she got a slap on her rear for everytime she hit him after this.

By the time they reached his tent Illya noticed he was getting a few stares. He didn’t particularly want to know why. Thomas was a very critical person and it didn’t seem to matter what he did. The man treatead him like a lesser being or some savage. Chippeqouti were not savage and Illya still didn’t know why Thomas thought he was a heathen. Heathen’s were godless people and he had many gods. Illya considered himself to be a far cry from godless. Since not everyone could stay in his tent it was best to split a few of them off from here. “Ayrn yah stay here with meh, Kalizda yah stay with Markus and Yvonne, Thomas I take yah to Edgar’s home. All of yah jes stay here for a few moments. I take Kiko to Belen.” A grin came to his face as he drew to an end of the statement. “Belen verah good for troublesome women.” Ignoring the slew of words that came from Kitka he chuckled. “She make sure women learn not to talk like dis.”

Adjusting his grip on Kida the Chip thew a wink over his opposite shoulder and started jogging through the sand. It was a semi rough gait since his leg was still a little sore from the jump. He almost laughed when he felt her body begin to bounce and wave across his back. She was not likely enjoying it, but for all the trouble she had caused this little troublemaker deserved it.

When he reached the doorway of the house Illya yelled in Quoti. “Belen I bring yah trouble. Nice black hair for yah medicines if yah care to take it.” He knew the temptation for the black hair would be too great to turn down such an offer. The old woman toddled to her doorway and pushed the cloth aside. Peering at Illya she shook her head and grinned. With a nod she welcomed him inside and Illya set Kita down on the floor. So she could understand he spoke in trader’s tongue. “Chippeqouti all watch yah. Stay with Belen and she teach yah to be better woman eh? No use running. All desert and all Chippeqouti live here.” With that he gave a smirk and started out of the house again.

It didn’t take long for Illya to return to his home. The next one he planned to escort was her father, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to take Kalizda with. His parents weren’t too far from Edgar’s home. Thomas and Kalizda were both sitting in the shade of the tent though it appeared they were already red in the face. Illya almost felt bad for them. He knew that last time they had stayed in the house for delegates and it was cooler. Edgar would have a cooler room though and so would his parents. “I take Kalizda and Thomas now.” With the two of them behind him Illya spoke gently. “Many Chippeqouti have house now and they will have better living for both of yah. Ayrn will stay in tent with meh.” Illya needed to start training Ayrn, but he also needed to work more on the house for himself and Kalizda.

“Thomas yah will stay with Edgar and Helena.” Catching a look of surprise from the man he shrugged. “Most Chippeqouti have same agreed all their life. Helena a very good woman. Yah will eat well and learn from Edgar till yah leave.” Illya expected that more than likely Thomas would prefer to stay in the house and he would enjoy learning from Edgar rather than standing out in the sun. “Chippeqouti expect guests to stay at least 3 days.” With a nod he stopped just outside a fine stone hut. Instead of yelling he pushed the cloth aside on the house and stepped in. Beckoning for the other two to join him Illya waited quietly for nearly 10 minutes before anyone stepped into the room.

A tall silver haired woman walked in. She was becoming stooped with age and though she was certainly older she was not frail yet. The woman glanced at the visitors and smiled. “I get yah tea.” Before they spoke of anything it was going to be necessary to have tea with her. Illya just nodded and waited for Helena to return with a stone tray stacked with cups and a steaming pot of tea. Setting the tray on the table she smiled at them. “Now yah drink and we talk.”

Instead of starting right away asking for lodging for Thomas Illya made a point to compliment the tea. “Tea is flavorful.” Taking another sip he listened while she accepted the compliment and then he took a few more sips. It was only polite to drink a good portion of it slowly to show the enjoyment of the tea before speaking in a formal setting. When nearly half of it was gone Illya held the massive mug between his hands. “I need place for Thomas to stay. Meh tent is not fit for guest as worthy as the father of Kalizda.” Like usual when it came to business he spoke in Quoti.

Helena nodded a little and smiled. In a quick Quoti reply she answered him. “Our home is open.” With that the small group finished their tea in silence and when Illya finished his tea he nodded to her carefully. “Dank yah.” The woman just smiled and waited for him to help himself and Kalizda out the door. When Thomas almost began to follow after them she reached out and put a hand on his knee and spoke in the trader’s tongue for his benefit. “Yah stay here with Edgar and I. We are proud to offer dis home for yah.” She always thought he looked a little frail and she half thought it must be a poor diet. “I bring yah sweet bread and more tea.”

*********************

“Mum!” Pushing the flap at the door aside Illya stepped in with Kalizda. It was like a home to Illya because it was his parents. There was no need to wait on ceremony. When he didn’t see her in the first room Illya started working his way through the house. Instead of finding his mom he discovered Markus sitting in the study room. Whenever his parents had a home his father got an extra room just for study. Markus stood up and he pulled Illya into a hug. The two of them quickly pulled away from the hug because it was too hot and sweaty to do much more than just make a brief embrace. The man nodded to him and then peered around Illya’s shoulder to see Kalizda. A small smile came to his face and he beckoned for her to come close. “Kalizda come stay wit us?” It was only a natural assumption since Kalizda was here and obviously for a while. Illya nodded and he made way for Kalizda to step into the little study.

Markus sat down again and he rubbed his head. He had been staring at the same problem for a few hours. They were going to be having to choose their 49 men to train with Illya and he was having a hard time choosing which ones it would be. “Illya I give yah list.” Speaking in Quoti he went on. “Yah decide who else yah train and return list to meh.” It was easier to talk in Quoti and he didn’t mind Kalizda knowing, but he couldn’t speak fluently enough in trader’s tongue to be comfortable. Passing the sheet of paper with dozens of names that had already been circled he left a mere 10 for Illya to hand pick for any future engagements.

Taking the list Illya started to look it over and his father beckoned for Kalizda to go with him to another part of the house while Illya worked. Once they were out the door of the study Markus walked with Kalizda to the kitchen. He spoke quickly to Yvonne and the woman turned around. She smiled gently at Kalizda and beckoned for her to come in. Yvonne beckoned to the meal she was making. “Kalizda, you help me make sweet bread and then we have dinner tonight. I make extra to feed Illya and Ayrn.” She knew that Ayrn would come in the deal since more than likely the little man would be staying with her son.

*************************

Illya came back to the house with Ayrn and the peice of paper in one hand. When he arrived Illya handed the paper to his father and then went to the main room to sit down and eat. His mother made a quick announcement in Quoti before she realized it would be more polite to speak in trader’s tongue for the dinner. There were others present that did not speak Quoti and it was not formal if they didn’t want it to be at a family meal. “Kalizda helped me to make the sweet bread.”

Both Markus and Illya grinned carefully and broke a piece of the bread off to try. Illya gave her a nod of approval. The sweet bread was far better than the stew had been the other night. “Yah cooking gets better all da time.” She really needed to learn how to make stew from his mother, but he couldn’t say that just now. Illya waited until he was clearing the dishes with his mother and preparing to help clean up to say something in Quoti. “Mum,” as soon as she turned around he continued. “Yah teach Kalizda how to make snake stew please.” When she gave him a questioning gaze his shoulders slumped. “She good with seasoning, but the meat is not good and she has clumps of powder in it."

The woman nodded and she chuckled lightly. "Oh don't worry. I will show her how to make a good snake stew. She is a good woman." When the dishes were finished she nodded to Illya and it acted as a sort of dismissal. When it was just her and Kalizda again the woman smiled at her. "Before you rest tonight I will show you some of my memories." Pulling the locket off her neck she scrolled through a few different headers in Quoti and stopped on one with Illya's name. "Here you will see when he was a boy. It is important for all Chippeqouti to know the one they will agree with. You did not know him when he was little so it is my job to show you." The first image rolled through a small video of him fighting with a blanket and biting it viciously. For a baby boy he was more than active. "He was born on the planet Euan." As the image flipped to another video. Illya's dark little head turned one way and then another. The bright green eyes had the same wild expression he got as an adult and he grinned before racing off. "My little Illya was always causing trouble. He thought he was very sneaky, but I knew that look." A soft smile came to her face. "He earned the middle name of Black Wolf because of this day." This time it was a still image. "I found his bed empty that morning and when I found him Illya was trying to chase after the wolves and he found a little black cub. He always loved animals. If Markus had not been faster than me we might have lost him. Even Chippeqouti babies are delicate. The mother wolf was about ready to attack and Markus saved him just in time."

For a moment a distant look came to her face. A shroud of uncertainty and a certain level of grief with it. "I always worry and he slept less and less as a baby. Illya was much trouble, but..." Flipping to the next video she smiled gently. "At the end of the day his little smile was worth it." The dark haired boy with the bright green eyes giggled and ran around the jungle as fast as he could. Even when he fell he got back up and dusted himself off. Staring at the wilted flowers in his hands he puffed his lower lip out and then plucked one more flower. The mangled offering was held up to a younger Yvonne. "It seems the gods know when there is a troublesome child and they give the mother a special joy. Illya was my most affectionate child. Not all Chippeqouti children are happy and affectionate. That little smile and giggle could soften and angered heart, though I had to give him to his father when he was young to begin training. He learned much more duty and became a good soldier. I fear that my Illya is still very difficult to manage. War he understands far too well and he is well disciplined in it. For his personal life he is much more careless. Kalizda you will have many heartaches and joys when you agree with my son. Everyone woman will have joy and heartache with the one she agrees with. If you have decided to go through with the agreement then I will accept you as a daughter. You will understand someday that it is difficult for a mother to give up her children. Now you are Chippequoti because the elders adopt you as one of us, but I still fear for both of you."

*****************************************

It was a windy day when Henaiah landed in her ship. Edgar stood outside with his wife Helena and a few of the other elders. They needed to make a proper greeting of this and he had made sure to reserve the most prestigious room in the delegation house for her. Near the palms there were already several dwellings from the Ehaui and the beginning of the construction for a hospital. Most of the work had been done by the Chippeqouti. Unfortunately it had delayed some building of the homes, but it was not entirely bad since they would have a place to treat the ill and wounded once the war started. There wasn't a question of if the war would start as when it would.

In a way Edgar half expected that the arrival of Henaiah would bring more bad news. Her government he expected would be desirous to remove Illya and they couldn't have that. Carefully approaching her he held a hand out. Yvonne translated for him and he waited between each sentence for the woman to finish. "We are honored for your presence. It is also a concern of Chippeqouti the nature of your visit."

Henaiah took the older Chips hand and gave it a firm but friendly shake. "Yes, I wish we could have met again under more fortunate circumstances. There are many things we have to discuss and I have news both good and bad. I am prepared to begin at your leisure."

The elders nodded and Edgar released her hand. "We will begin talks now. Perhaps it would be best to talk in my home." Yvonne carefully translated each word as she heard it since the elders were anxious to have more privacy for this meeting. The small group came to the doorway of Edgar's home and his wife immediately set to making tea for them while he made sure everyone was seated comfortably before sitting down himself. The stones were still cool from the evening and the house felt much more moderate as compared to the outdoors. "We are ready now to hear your news."

“News of the true nature of your Federation has been quite shocking to us on Kaereal. It would have been best to know of this ahead of time. We had an obvious misunderstanding as to who and what your enemy was. Nonetheless, Kaereal will stand by its agreements. We cannot have companies and private entities strong enough to wage war and deciding to erriadicate whom they please when it suits their mood. Kaereal will standby their agreements as allies, as they always do.” Henaiah said, hoping to immediately alleviate some fears about their partnership. Shifting in her seat, she looked to all of them in the room and then folded her hands over one another. They weren’t going to like this part, but it needed to be said. “With that in mind, it is important to know that when we say Kaereal we consider all of the allied planets. This includes Terra. The same planet your General Illya hear has just left very shocked. His past and his actions a few days ago have called his appropriateness to lead your forces against the Cirelleants and Federation alike. There has been a lot of fear of the Chippeqouti on both Terra and Kaereal because of the broadcast and his…actions…on Terra.

Since the woman started out with nice and assuring statements the council relaxed some, but they still held a certain level of distrust. Edgar held his head high and he braced himself for the rest of the news. Doubtless there was going to be something said of their general. They had no other that had survived the war and accomplished nearly as much as Illya. His father was getting too old to manage the forces on the actual field of battle and the Chippeqouti had not always approved of Illya's methods, but they also respected him to a degree. If he had not been willing to do what he had they may well have been annihilated. As he and the elders feared she did begin to speak of Illya. Quietly the group of them began to mutter in Quoti and Yvonne did not translate anything they said until Edgar nodded to her. "We understand the outsiders fear, but his position in our military will not change. Chippequoti are not willing to give him up to a trial or prison."

"Personal feelings aside, I understand that your personnel is limited and that in war, it would be a waste to send a needed soldier to prison. I brought this to the attention of both my consul and the Terrans. They still called for his removal," she told them, "However, I managed to convince them to let him serve so long as his conduct is addressed with an appropriate punishment. We cannot have chaos or a loss of accountability in our ranks with the war ahead. His punishment would be left to you."

Edgar nodded. "He is punished. The general is refused any travel off of Nuen for a years time unless war breaks out earlier. If he breaks this restriction the Chippequoti will be forced to imprison him. Illya is obedient to the elders and his loyalty is absolute. There will be no further issue of this kind without our consent." Edgar smiled at her and then continued. "Is this all that you have in regards to the current events?" He half expected that it would not be since the woman seemed to be far more shaken about it then they were.

Illya still felt almost sick. Were they sending him away with Henaiah? If they were he would have no choice and there would be purpose in fighting. Whatever the elders decided he had to stand by. All Chippequoti would agree with the elders and there would be no further discussion or argument to change his circumstances. Quietly he sipped at the tea and only glanced up when it was appropriate to do so. Why they were so quiet he didn't know, but it seemed that they were likely to make a harsh or difficult request of him.

“How you punish him is up to you,” she reiterated. There Terran’s would be aghast as such an easy punishment, but war was coming and she wasn’t about to let them throw another tantrum in her office over it. Henaiah glanced around the room, and her eyes fell on Calysta and Illya. The runaway and the one man wrecking ball. She was none too pleased with either of them, they had caused her a great deal of time and paper work. “I do have news in the way of Calysta’s case. Thomas told me of…this woman Kiya…I did a records search and found that her ID chip was present in the hospital and used on the planet where the negotiations with the Cirellants were negotiating. She is not cleared, but is no longer the top suspect. You have been holding the woman here, as far as I know, and I would ask that you continue to keep her under your jurisdiction until a determination can be made. I also came to ask a if you would be willing to have a celebration of sorts.

Illya was half concerned that he would be forced into another punishment, but it seemed that it all had passed. The elders quietly nodded and Yvonne responded. "We will keep this woman Kiya for as long as you require." All of them took another sip of tea from their cups as they waited for the woman to say more. Henaiah started into something that sounded like a request though it was likely a sort of appeasement. Edgar answered promptly. "Chippequoti will be anxious to have a celebration to show our good faith in this agreement today."

“I give my thanks on this matter regarding the detention of Kiya Reynulta,” she nodded cordially. It was a spot of shame that a Kaerelean would do such a thing. There was likely more to the story, but she wanted Kiya kept safe and out of the way for the time being. “As far my idea for a celebration. I was hoping you would be eager. I would like to invite delegates from all 90 continents, Terrans, and of course your allies the Ehaui, and these new found partners should they be accepted. It would allow all of us as allies to get to know one another better. The more we know of each other, the more we can work together. Plus, with all of this talk of war, it’s easy for people to grow tense. A celebration and meeting would be a good way to let off some of that steam and truly come together.” Her green eyes flicked over to Calysta who was looking a little excited and Illya who appeared pleasantly surprised. “ I can think of no better way to do that than a wedding ceremony.”

Yvonne had to translate back to Edgar and she also had to make an explanation of what a wedding ceremony was. All the eyes of the council shot to Illya and Calysta. For a moment it was all silent, but Illya knew better than to speak. Gradually a gentle smile came to Edgar's face. He had to appear pleased with the arrangement. So far as the elders were concerned it was a small price to pay. "It is not usual Chippequoti tradition to have such festivities for an agreement." Pausing he shot a warning glance toward Illya. "We will be proud to show our willingness to cooperate in such ways. Our general will personally greet each guest to this agreement...wedding."

With the announcement Illya nearly fell over. He didn't like the idea of a huge celebration though he was pleasantly surprised that was the response instead of demanding his head. However, this punishment seemed to be far reaching. The elders readily accepted the offer and made sure to enhance it. Illya would have happily hidden behind his Chippequoti friends and stayed distant from all those wedding guests. Instead he was going to be greeting them each personally. It meant he would have to learn their names so he could say them correctly and observe their customs. Terrans were doubtless going to be showing up and he detested the idea of having to greet them. Since the elders had spoke he had no choice, but to do as they said and he knew what they expected from this. No matter the difficulty of the request he was expected to perform flawlessly.

Calysta stammered, her eyes wide at Henaiah and her face turning pink. They couldn't just get hitched somewhere nice and quiet? With only her family and his? No. Now they were expected to perform and if she was considered a Chip as well as a Kaerelean she would be bound by the agreement. Henaiah smiled at the response. Perhaps now the reputation of the Chippeqouti could be repaired some and they could move past the Terran's grumpiness as well as her own peoples doubts. Calysta looked none too pleased with the arrangement, and she had known that would be the likely response, but the kid owed her one this time. "Excellent. Because both of them are bound to the planet, the ceremony would have to take place here and I am prepared to send whatever personell and supplies are needed to assist in the set up. How long would you require to assemble your own delegates?"

Since the woman had offered them very little else for choices the elders nodded. "Give us a months time. We will be prepared for this celebration of union between us and our many allies. It is expected that there will be some Chippequoti customs that will not be broken, but we will do our best to accommodate and adopt as many customs as we can to make our guests comfortable." Bowing slightly they all rose and gave signal for one of the younger elders to walk with Henaiah to her quarters in the house of delegates. Yvonne walked with them and carefully explained the reasoning. "We have others that have sought to make alliance with us, but we seek your guidance and they are staying in the same delegates house as yourself. Also there will be time required for the elders to speak with Illya and Kalizda."

After the meeting the Chippequoti Elders met with Kalizda and Illya privately. "Kalizda you will help us plan for this celebration. You are more practiced your customs and understand what must be done. Spare no expense. Chippequoti will not disappoint. We will have many to help Illya build the home and it will be finished in 2 weeks time." Edgar continued with his orders that he knew Illya was having difficulty translating as quickly as his mother so the elder waited for a few moments before continuing. "Chippequoti expect perfection and nothing less in your performance." Edgar's face softened some. "It is a difficult thing. We will reward both of yah with a quiet ceremony after they have gone. Chippequoti understand the sacred nature of agreements. Henaiah make a difficult demand, but we make a difficult situation for her." Meeting Illya's gaze he gave a slight bow of his head as a show of respect. "The elders are grateful for the sacrifice yah make as general."

Sacrifice or not and honored or not it didn't feel that great. Illya was going to be flooded with new information that he didn't want. Nodding he quietly headed for the door. "It is an honor to do as the elders see fit." He wasn't going to be training in the fashion he wanted. Instead Illya knew that he would be training with Kalizda to understand these cultures. In a way he was repulsed at the idea of having to greet so many outsiders and appear pleased that they came to witness his agreement.
 
Kiya squealed and pounded on his back until a sharp tap struck right across her bum. "Aiep!" Did he just spank her? The audacity of the act itself made her stop hitting him long enough to give a long, exasperated growl. She wasn't getting out of this even if tried her hardest. The man was simply too strong and his little dog...or beast...or whatever the creature was kept following them even if she managed to get down. Just because she couldn't escape didn't mean she couldn't make it as difficult as possible for him to haul her around like she was nothing. If that's what he wanted, he could have it. She went totally limp and let him deal with her dead weight over his shoulder as he carried her through the sands, giving him curses at everything he said in a slur of Kaerelean and common tongue. At the sound of Thomas' name, she tried to open her eyes against the sun, but all she saw was painful light and the furry monster batting hat her long hair was was thrown over her head. "Let'me go!" The words crackled in her voice as the man talked to the others. He was taking her somewhere else. A prison probably or to be tortured as to be expected from a red-handed general. “Belen verah good for troublesome women. She make sure women learn not to talk like dis.”

Then he took off running through the sand. His gait was rough, bouncing her ribs against shoulder and slinging her from side to side. "Ye' gonna snap me'neck!" she screeched at him. How any Kaerelean woman could tolerate such rough treatment was beyond her. She could tell by his gait he was favoring the one side she had noticed before, and if he fell, she would kick him square between the legs and run. The brute was far too fast though and they arrived at whatever prison he had arranged for her. It was a relief to be dragged into the shade where she could at least see what was going on. He tossed her over his shoulder and onto the floor, right on her tail bone. She yelped and reach back to rub the spot out of instinct. This wasn't any sort of prison she imagined. There were no bars on the windows or lock on the doors. It looked like some ones house! Her eyes flickered from the giant general to the woman who was looking at her with a broad grin. The woman was obviously older, but she was just as tall as the brute. Were even their women such ruffians? It didn't matter though, as soon as the woman fell asleep, she would make a break for it. The General seemed to guess her thoughts and gave her a wicked little smirk. “Chippeqouti all watch yah. Stay with Belen and she teach yah to be better woman eh? No use running. All desert and all Chippeqouti live here.”

A desert? They'd dragged her to a hellish desert?! And there were more of these people just as strong as him running around? Knowing that made escape all but an impossible venture. There was no where to run unless she got ahold of a ship and she very much doubted her ability to fight even the general standing in front of her, much less multiple guards. Glaring up at him, his smirk grew a little wider, and then he left her with the old woman. As soon as he was gone, the older woman reached down to her. For a moment, she thought that the hand was going to strike her across the face, but instead her wrinkled hands combed through her long hair. These people were so rude, thinking they could just touch you or haul you wherever they felt like it. Kiya pulled away, but the old woman just chuckled and grinned.

****

Thomas stood in the living room of the stone hut behind Illya and next to Calysta. It was much cooler in here which was a relief, but they had been kept waiting for a good ten minutes. If he had understood the Chip correctly, he would be staying with Edgar and his wife, Helena, whom he'd met only briefly through his interactions with the Elder in preparing them to move to Nuen. And he would be expected to stay at least 3 days. That was a bit longer than he was expecting but, if they were willing to put him up, then he couldn't exactly refuse. He wanted to make sure Calysta was well settled in and safe, though it seemed the Chippeqouti had arranged for her to be with the Kaerelean consul. A surprising turn of events, but he was grateful she would be alright. This was probably the safest place for her now, as much as he hated admitting it. Staying for a little longer wouldn't be bad. He could take care of his business during the day and help with whatever was needed in the afternoon. Maybe even catch a massage.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot almost out of habit now, trying to keep off of his knee as they waited for a strangely long time. Did they always keep their guests waiting like this? Finally, he heard a shuffle and Edgar's wife appeared, her silver hair gleaming and a smile gracing her lips. She offered them tea and disappeared to go make it without asking them to sit first. Thomas gave Calysta a quick glance, and she caught his gaze. He was hoping maybe she might know more about how all this worked. They seemed formal in some aspects, and so informal in others it was hard to figure out how to even address a social circumstance like this. Instead of being helpful, his daughter just gave him a half smile and a small shrug. Either she didn't know what was happening either or it wasn't appropriate to talk. Erring on the side of caution, Thomas kept his mouth shut and rocked on his heels a little until Helena returned carrying a tray of tea and invited them to sit.

He gratefully sank into a spot between Helena and Calysta as she poured up the tea which smelled staunchly of herbs. When he received his tea, he looked down into the large cup and willed himself to take a sip as everyone else was doing. Tipping the cup to his lips, he swallowed down a few good sips, wincing at the overpowering taste. How Calysta and Illya could drink this stuff was beyond him, but he would keep his mouth shut. That seemed to be what everybody was doing though. Sitting in silence, other than he occasional compliment on the tea. He took another brave sip, trying and gave Helena the best smile he could muster with a thankful nod. Eventually, Illya began speaking in Qouti and it Thomas had to fight back the urge to tell him that nobody could understand what was being said. Why did they always insist on using their own language in front of guests? Calysta seemed to be watching the two of them intently and listening as if she could understand a few of the phrases which irked him a little further. He was the only one out of the loop.

When the talking stopped, and a long moment passed, Calysta started to get up with Illya so he followed. He hadn't heard if it was okay for him to stay there or not, so he assumed that the sudden prompt to leave included him too. He started to rise with a bit of a grunt when a warm hand came across his bad knee. Helena had stopped him from getting up and he looked at her in confusion. " Yah stay here with Edgar and I. We are proud to offer dis home for yah.”

"O-oh," he replied, sitting back down as Calysta disappeared from the door. It was like all of his manners ingrained into him from when he was a boy had flown out the window for a moment and he could almost hear his mother fussing at him. "I uh, well..thank you Miss. Helena. I appreciate you letting me stay."

“I bring yah sweet bread and more tea.”

All Thomas could do was nod. He couldn't refuse her, not when they had offered their home. Terran's were very funny about guests and how they should treat hosts properly. He was raised to behave like a gentleman and so he would swallow the herbal tea and smile about it. "Aye, that would be nice. Maybe you can show me around your home?"

****

Calysta was glad to see Markus again. He was always working on something or another and had a relationship with Illya that revealed how very much alike and how very different they were at the same time. The Chip was a good, quiet man who always smiled genuinely when she was around. It always made her feel like she was home. When he peeped from around Illya's broad shoulder and smiled at her she grinned brightly back before coming over to them at his invitation. “Kalizda come stay wit us?”
She tucked a wayward hair behind her ear and nodded. "Aye, I'll be coming to stay for a bit. Thank you for letting me do so."

He seemed pleased to hear it, and then went to sit back down at his desk, rubbing at his curly hair before look up to Illya. A few words were passed in Qouti between father and son, though these were words she didn't recognize very well, then Markus handed over a list. Immediately, Illya began to focus on what was written and she chuckled a little to herself. Whatever it was must be a math problem or something to do with work. Never an idle moment with either of them that was for sure. As he began to delve into work, Markus smiled at her again and motioned for her to follow him.

Following the older Chip, she was lead through their home which was actually very beautiful and made of the same tan stone as the area and well furnished. It was hardly the same huts they used to live in and knowing that they had made Nuen their home caused her smile to grow a little further. There was a pleasant smell coming from the kitchen where they found Yvonne. The graceful woman turned from whatever she was cooking and as her eyes caught on Calysta, a gentle smile came her face. "It's good to see you, Yvonne," she said with a warm smile. His mother may disapprove of her, but at least she didn't act like it. It made things far more tolerable than her father had done with Illya. “Kalizda, you help me make sweet bread and then we have dinner tonight. I make extra to feed Illya and Ayrn.”

Nodding, Calysta tried to look confident. She'd never made any sort of bread from scratch before. Her baking skills were limited to gingerbread cookies and the occasional store bought mix of cupcakes. His mother had no idea what kind of challenge she was about to take on. Yvonne invited her over to the stove where there was a pot heating up already. The woman showed her the measuring up and told her how much of what to pour in. Calysta went to work pouring up the cream and melted butter into the pan to melt together, then she added in the sugar and yeast. While that brewed, Yvonne brought out a finely ground flour in a sealed plastic canister and told her to put three cups into another metal bowl on the counter. Following instructions, she took the 1 cup measuring cup and dove into the powdery substance. Just as she went to dump in the first cup Yvonne stayed her hand and shook her head. "3 cups, right?" she asked in confusion, checking to make sure she had the right measurement. It was right one on the ring.

The Chip woman guided her hand back over to the canister and took a knife over the heaping top of her cupful, scraping off the mounded flour. "Oh." When she saw the mistake, she nodded to Yvonne in understanding and scooped up the rest of the flour properly. When everything was combined together, they let it alone for awhile, drinking tea and tending to other parts of the dinner until Yvonne beckoned her over to see the bowl where the dough had been hidden. The dough had grown at least twice it's size! Bread did this? The next surprise came when the Chip woman instructed her to hit the dough. "You want me to hit it?" Calysta chuckled uncertainly, "Alright then." Curling up her good hand, she smacked the fluffy dough with her knuckles firmly and it started to deflate like a sad little balloon. Yvonne told her doing it this way made the bread softer and was good for the leavening as she balled up the battered dough into a loaf to bake. Calysta found she couldn't help with that portion because of her cast, so instead she asked more questions about the bread. Illya's mother was more than happy to answer her, and she found it was fun cooking with her.

When dinner time rolled around, the dining table filled up with Markus, Illya, Ayrn alongside herself and Yvonne. The men peered at the bread with apprehensive smiles when Yvonne announced she'd help make it, but Calysta was confident it had turned out alright. Illya took up a piece and she was proud to see it was an improvement. It wouldn't be fair for Illya to have to do all of the cooking when they were living together eventually and she wanted to be able to at least make it edible. Ayrn glanced over to the two Chip men and dared to take up a chunk of the bread. "Yeaf, thifs came out betterf," he grinned at Calysta between bites. They talked in traders tongue back and forth some throughout the meal but mostly just enjoyed the company. Eating like this with everyone made her feel like she was a little more at home, between Yvonne's comments, Ayrn's ridiculous grins and jokes, Markus' quiet chuckling, and Illya smiling at her.

As dinner came to a close and it was down to her and Illya's mother again, Yvonne invited her to sit at the cleaned table and pulled out her hologram locket. Images of Illya as a boy appeared and she smiled seeing those bright green eyes on the holograph while she listened to what the woman had to say. She knew that same look his mother spoke of. That wild spark he got when a particularly devious idea popped into his head and he ran off to make it reality. The story of how he got his middle name was something she had wondered but had no chance to ask yet. It was a bit frightening to think of a child wandering off to play with wolves, but then she remembered this was Illya they were speaking of. The next part of what Yvonne had to say caught her by surprise. In part it sounded like the woman was still disapproving of her, but would accept her as a daughter as the Chippeqouti had accepted her as one of them. Of course, she knew there would be challenges with her and Illya, and nothing she could say would make Yvonne worry less. She was his mother and that was her right.

"I didn't know that I had been adopted like that by the Chippeqouti," Calysta said honestly, as she met the woman's gaze, "I know that for outsiders to be seen as a Chippeqouti citizen...that it's a great honor. I'm truly grateful to be among you as one of you." She paused for a moment, her eyes flickered to Illya's young face on the hologram and then back to Yvonne's. The idea of becoming Illya's wife made her happy, but the way Yvonne spoke it made her a little nervous. She wanted to be as good a partner for Illya as he trying to be for her, though she wasn't sure how in some ways. She didn't to appear like she was denying help with that either. "I know you'll always worry about Illya. My dad will always worry about me too, no matter how much I insist I'm alright. Your son always surprises me in both what he does and what he says. I choose him because I love him for the joys and take on the heartaches for the same reason. No matter what those are. Things won't always be perfect, and I'm sure we'll argue, but I will learn what I can to make him happy too. "

****
Henaiah followed the Elders to the elegant diplomats villa. It still amazed her how quickly they had built the fine craftsmen ship that had gone into it. Her room was large and pleasantly cool. "Michelle, please put our luggage away and then feel free to cool off where you like."

Henaiah left her assistant to work and wandered down stairs to see if she would come across any of this other delegation. She was curious and it seemed that the Chippeqouti desired her to form an opinion on them. Thomas had told her some of their journey before she arrived and it seemed they would be good allies but she wished to form an opinion on her own to offer the elders as well. She found a red headed woman sitting with several other non-chip people sitting in the courtyard and approached them casually this time. "I hope I am not interrupting, but I wanted to introduce myself. I am Henaiah Salys from Kaereal."


****
Calysta sat in Markus' study with and sighed as they went over the information for the 51st member of the delegation that would be attending what was quickly becoming her circus of a wedding ceremony. They had been preparing for over a week and she had been running over lists upon lists sent by Henaiah. Preparations had been made for a circular tent with a little raised seating so nobody could complain they couldn't see. Then she had to approve the foods, Kaerelean delicacies, Terran dishes, things the Ehaui would want and items the Chippeqouti would approve of. There was the docks and arrival schedule to organize. Not to mention she had been trying to learn more of the Qouti language at night when she had the time so she could better communicate with everyone. All of it was maddening and Calysta had half a mind to strangle the Henaiah for this stunt. She understood the purpose behind it, but had it really been necessary to drag her into it? When she imagined helping out her people, all of them, she hadn't exactly had this in mind. But she was bound to perform and Illya was no happier about it than she was.

Illya sat across from her in the chair looking bored. As good of a student as he was learning to fly, his mind tended to wander when she was instructing him about the delegates. She would flip the screen to a snap shot of each, explain what continent they were from and what they would expect from a greeting. Somewhere in the 3o's his eyes grew dull and in the 50's he had gazed off a few times into his own head completely while his knees bounced with unexpressed energy. This was something he didn't want to do, and it wasn't like focusing on an engine or a math problem. "Illya, I know this is boring, but try to focus. I've already explained how Kaereleans are about their names being said properly. It's important." The Chip sat up a little straighter in his chair and sighed a little, but she doubted he had even paid attention to the last 5 delegates. How in the Wilds was she going to drill all 90 of them into his head, plus the Terran delegates in time for the rehearsal? She needed to change tactics on this.

Standing behind Illya, ehe pressed the forward button the remote and the hologram flipped the screen and the image showed the highest ranking member of their Air and Space force. He was a tall, lean man with perfectly coiffed hair and a bristly mustache in his crisp black and silver uniform. He would be representing the Ori'l continent, where their largest air base was located. As his face shimmered over the screen, Calysta started up with an idea to make this much more interesting. "Stand up, Illya." Walking over to Markus' desk, she kept her back turned to Illya, and grabbed up a pen and made a few lines right under her nose with the black ink.

Fighting down her grin, she turned back around and squared off her shoulders to the Chip, marching forward like a soldier, hands behind her back and with her inky mustache on full display. When she reached almost a foot away from Illya, she gave a sharp bow and then offered her left hand. "I am Chief Airman Darius Keyl of the Kaerelean Air and Space Force. It is a pleasure to meet you," she announced in a overly drawn deep voice.

Illya was looking at her in a bit of surprise but she nudged her hand at him further, and clasped her hand along his forearm and did not shake. The proper firm and decisive Ori'l greeting. When she let go of his arm, she gave a stroke to her drawn on mustache, with an admirable gaze. She couldn't tell if Illya was learning anything or not, but she was having fun just being silly for a minute. Now, she was fighting the growing grin on her face and it was starting to hurt a little. A wayward giggle left her as she tried finish the greeting. "Fair winds to you and your bride sir. I look forward to serving with you."

She taught him all afternoon, delegation by delegation by acting them out, including the Urians. Forming a paper flower with the stationary on the desk, she tucked it behind his ear and grasped him by the ears, kissing him squarely on each cheek even though she still wore the mustache. "The Urians are matriarchal, and they will expect a kiss on each cheek in return," she chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll have to do it too. I'm not leaving you to greet over a hundred guests alone. We made a rule: stick together, right?"

He seemed a little relieved and maybe in better spirits about the task. With a devious smile, she stroked her mustache. "I think I'll keep it for the ceremony. Makes me look rather distinguished, yeah?"

Now all she had to do was practice and teach him his vows in Karelean. What sort of antics she would come up with for that, she didn't know.
 
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Belen watched Kiya with little interest. She wasn't too concerned with the lack of appetite from the woman. Early the next morning the Chip woman shuffled into the next room. In one hand she carried a little pair of scissors and the other held a comb. "I take yah hair. Verah good." She would take any payment she could and this was the best sort of payment. Most of the Chippequoti women didn't like to have their hair cut short and the men didn't let their hair grow long enough to work for her potions. Sometimes Belen would just have to order someone to give her their hair. That was never a popular thing. Setting the scissors down she began combing Kiya's hair.

"Yah have good hair." Carefully pulling at the knots in the hair she began to hum and pulled roughly whenever it felt that the woman was about to make trouble. "Da general say yah trouble. I know how ta fex dat eh?" Once she had the woman good and calm Belen silently grabbed the scissors and in one snip took the first handful of hair. "Hold still. Yah dun wan cut neck." To make her point the old woman let the cool metal of the scissors brush along Kiya's neck. Roughly taking the next handful she took another hack at the hair. When she finished she set the hair aside and then began to snip away to clean up the cut. "I cut hair like dis before." Belen was going to have to make something to thank Illya. Perhaps a charm that would protect him from harm in the coming battles. He had provided her with good hair a few times now and he even had the right color off the last two.

Kiya had little choice but to sit there with her warden. This whole planet was a prison and the women were as calloused at the men. The old woman combed at her hair and everytime she so much as wiggled away, she got a rough snap on the strands. Then suddenly she heard a crisp snip and her head felt lighter. Did this old crone just cut her hair?! She started to pul away but the woman had her by the hair and the a cool slip of metal came across her neck. "Is that how you punish your prisoners?" She growled through clenched teeth. "I bet you've cut alot of hair like mine."

A chuckle sounded from her throat. "Yah tink ets punishment?" Catching a few strands that had strayed from the scissors she snipped at them quickly and without mercy. "Chippequoti punishment is verah different. Not dis. I make charms wit dis." Belen turned Kiya's head and then began to snip a little more. When it looked even in the back she moved to the front and sides of her head. "Et will be cooler for yah."

"I liked'me hair where it belonged, even if it is cooler," she replied, trying to hold still with the big woman and her gleaming scissors. The woman moved to the front and promptly started clipping away at the hair near her ears. "And if this isnt' punishment what is? " She wanted to know exactly what they were going to do to her. "Ye' general didn't kill'me so I assume ye' have some punishment or purpose for'me."

The woman looked in her eyes and frowned. "Chippequoti don't kill unless dere is no choice. Punishment we break bones." Sighing a little she finished with a few more snips and then beckoned for Kiya to follow her. "We make food now and yah eat more. Yah too small and yah need to grow."

"Grow so ye' can break me' bones," she grumbled, touching over her new hair cut. Her long straight locks had been sheared to nearly the nape of her neck. Glaring over the loss of her hair, she ran a hand over her belly, or lack there of. She hadn't been eating, mostly to annoy her captors. Her stomach had shrunk and she was running on nothing but adrenaline. "I've always been this small. Family trait apparently."

Belen gave a snort. "I nut punish yah. Right now we keep yah for safe and den yah be useful to meh to pay for yah stay." Why this woman didn't understand the way they did things she couldn't know. It was a simple and good way of life that they led here. "Ef yah bad for meh too I send yah back ta da general."

Kiya frowned as the woman laid out her options. Pay for an involuntary stay with the crone or go back to the brutish general where she'd have to deal with him and her troublesome daughter hanging around. Crossing her arms, she looked up to the tall woman with firm eyes. "Fine. I'm' a doctor though. Don't suppose ye' have work for that here."

Shooting Kiya a sharp glance the old woman proceeded to roll her eyes. "Sure yah a doctor. Jes want ta make da Chippequoti ill. We see dis before and yah luckeh I dun report yah now fo dat talk."

The response made her blink in offense and confusion at the same time. She may had killed in the past but those were specific people for specific reasons and there was no way they could know she had done those things. What kind of a doctor made people ill? It wasn't good for anybody including their record. "I am'a doctor. Why would I'make people sick? It doesn't look good for' me or me' people and its against the oath I took to practice. Go ask Thomas or ye' General."

Turning her over right now felt tempting. To ask for such a thing as treating Chippequoti was like asking for a license to murder them. Nearly shaking with rage she turned toward Kiya. "Yah kind poisen Chippequoti. Yah ask to kill us? Who yah want to kill eh? Maybe yah kill our general or meh elders." With a broad sweep of her hand she motioned to all of the short woman in front of her. "Ef I catch yah near meh medicines I kill yah mehself and answer ta elders. Onleh meh and Ehaui give medicine to Chippequoti. Yah job is cleaning and cooking onleh." Sharply pointing to the kitchen she rested her sharp blue eyes on the little woman. At least the woman had shown her cards early and now Belen knew that trouble was a mild term for this one. She would be watching her all the time now. It seemed that Kiya was here to try and kill them in every small way possible. Her hair was valuable now. It would ward off the trickery of their enemy and give their soldiers wisdom to know the lies of the Federation.

Kiya worked her jaw, glaring up at the woman. It was such a waste of her skills to be dumped into a kitchen as a dishwasher. These people weren't just violent they made no sense, not using people, even prisoners for their highest purposes. "I never wanted 't kill anybody," she replied just as fiercely as the old woman, "I've never even heard of ye' till a week ago."

"I know yah kind." Belen snapped in return. "No more talk of yah medicine. I know da war. Was nearly 342 at time." Giving a semi rough shove for the kitchen she watched the woman. Though she knew the war was long from over it didn't do anything to abate her suspicion. "Ef yah work fo Federation yah migh as well be dead. We have no time fo yah kind."

The shove on her shoulders sent her stumbling into the kitchen and she braced a little against the counter top before righting herself. Wiping the short stray hairs from her face, she kept her eyes on the old woman, ready to move away if she lashed out. "I don't know what' that is an' ye can shove'me around all ye like, but I still wont know." Of course it didn't matter what she knew or didnt know. If these people wanted her dead, they'd do it. If the men in suits found her they'd do it too. Either way she was probably going to die doing her wardens damned dishes.

There wasn't a hint of belief or trust from Belen and she simply shrugged. "All know about Federation. Dey evil and yah one of dem." Starting a little meat to fry in the pan she grumbled and cursed in Quoti until the other woman had fallen silent. Belen glanced at her every now and then, but only when it was time to give her a new dish to wash.

******************************************

It felt good to be back home with a decent place to wash and having all his usual options of oils to rinse his hair with and clean his skin. A little extra of the lavender was calming and he figured he would need all of it since he was going to have to begin training for a wedding. Whatever a wedding entailed he could only guess. By the time he was heading out he saw Kalizda coming in. Pushing his arms into his shirt Illya flashed her a grin. "Yah get washed up and den go ta pleasure house? Where I'm heading eh?"

The time that it took to walk to the pleasure house was enough to dry Illya's skin and his clothes that had remained slightly damp. He didn't usually bother to dry off before getting into his clothes. It was too hot to worry about using a towel to dry off anyway. When he got into the pleasure house Illya stripped down and wrapped a towel around himself. He noticed that Thomas was getting his leg worked on and the Chip grimaced. More than likely his leg was going to be miserable to work on today and he was only coming because he knew that it would feel better if he did it everyday for a couple of weeks. Just the first few visits would be painful. "Da usual." Laying on his stomach Illya waited for the other Chip to start rubbing along his back and he caught his breath when he felt the other press into his lower back. That part was a bit more tender than he had anticipated.

"Yah didn't take care of yahself. Got it all inflamed wit dat fighting yah had ta do." Scolding Illya in Quoti the man doing the message continued to work the muscles till Illya's eyes watered. "Gonna have ta do more tomorrow. Too much for today." Working his way down to the legs the Chip started with the good leg to get Illya to relax a little before moving to the other. As he expected if the back was sore the leg was worse.

By the time the message was done Illya remained laying on the table with his head buried in the towel. It hurt too much to move just now. The other Chip took some soothing oils and gently rubbed them onto the back and leg and then let Illya lay for a couple more moments. Finally it felt like it was a possibility to move and Illya gingerly got off the message table. Wincing a little he wandered back to the changing room. This particular session had been long and difficult to say the least. By the time he was dressed Illya suspected that Kalizda would be feeling ready to start with their training.

More than likely Ayrn had gone back to the metal working, but there was so much more that Illya wanted to teach him. It was pathetic to think that the man was going to remain as clueless as he was about anything to do with security. A little training might save his life one day. The first few steps were uneven and he grimaced. By the time he reached his parents Illya had managed to put on his usual expression and force the weight a little more toward his injured leg to keep it looking like a more even gait. Most of it was practiced behavior after many years though it was easier since he had the metal removed. As long as he didn't do anymore wild jumps he figured that he would be alright and heal up nicely the rest of the way.

Kalizda already had a list of names that Illya was going to have to learn. The most difficult name was Theodore Sampson. His first attempt at the name was miserable at best. "Deeder Zamzam." Most names came out slurred like this one and he had to slow down and give it another try. "T-Thedere Sampzan?" It sounded right to Illya, but Kalizda was trying to correct him again. "Thhedere Simzan." With each attempt he thought he was getting closer, but he was still getting it wrong. "Tedere Sampzam...Thede Sampzam...Thedere Zampazam." It must have been getting bad because after his slur of attempts Kalizda had him move on and they got to another face of a stranger. They were all starting to look the same to Illya.

Impatiently he started to shift in his seat and he bounced his knee a little to try and distract himself from the fact that it was starting to hurt to sit that long. Finally Kalizda asked him to stand and he got to his feet. With a sigh he watched another image appear on the screen. He didn't want to practice anymore names it was making his jaw hurt. He wasn't used to making sounds like this in a smooth manner and he wanted to be done. Instead a little smirk came to his face when she turned around with her mustache. The grin remained on his face the entire time that she struggled to get through the introduction. For the time Illya was more distracted by her performance than anything else and he didn't even remember who it was she was playing the part of. At the end of her line he nodded. "Uh huh..." When she released his arm he simply tightened his grip slightly and pulled her a little closer. Peering into Kalizda's eyes Illya gave her his best serious look. "Yah want meh to eat that ink off yah lip?"

Yvonne had been listening with some dismay. It seemed Illya had inherited his father's inability to pronounce some things with grace. She was about to poke her head around the corner with a suggestion when she heard the response from her son. He was grown and as tempted as she was to say something she was going to have to let Kalizda learn to deal with that wild streak.

The look on Kalizda's face was priceless and Illya busted out laughing. He couldn't hold it in any longer. "I know..." Sitting on the edge of the bench he shook with laughter. "Yah face....should see et." Busting into a new round of laughter he gazed at the screen again. "Who was dat?" With a small break from the monotony Illya was ready to give the name thing another shot. At least it was entertaining to look over at Kalizda and see the remnants of the mustache every now and then. Why she used ink to put it on he had no idea. It could take a day or two to get it out.

When Illya left for the day Yvonne stepped into the room to see Kalizda trying to neaten things up. "You can leave it there. Markus moved his office to our room for the time. It could take a while to complete the planning and training for this ceremony." For the time she was not acting as a mother and simply as the hostess and she had no room to address what her son had said earlier and so she was going to move on as if it hadn't happened. "Perhaps a way to save face at the ceremony is to have each guest announced as they arrive with their invitation. I will say it clearly and then you will both know who it is that approaches. Perhaps it would be an easier way rather than having Illya memorize the names. I'm afraid that it may be to easy to confuse names with unfamiliar faces."

*************************

With the final days before the wedding Illya was spending more time at the house that he was trying to get perfected before he brought Kalizda home. Most of his hours he had used up for those that he won and then the Chippequoti elders ordered the rest of it completed before their dignitary guests began to arrive. Many of them would be arriving the day before and the Ehaui had set up specialized tents. They were elaborate and spectacular temporary dwellings. Decorations hung in the walls and there were miniature corridors to lead to different rooms inside the tent though there was a separate tent for each dignitary to be housed in one. There wasn't enough room in the mansion to house all of them. Kalizda had done a little research to help determine which of the guests arriving would be most comfortable or even prefer having tents.

Illya was overwhelmed with most of the details of a wedding. It was far more complicated than he had thought one could be. He hid inside his house for the last day before the ceremony and anxiously went over the many photographs and names dozens of times. When the evening came he took himself to the bath house and got cleaned up before heading to the pleasure house. He was the only one at this time because the elders requested there would be special preparation put into this night and they knew that he would want a little time to prepare for the ceremony the next morning.

Thankfully this night was going to be the same as any other Chippequoti agreement with the exception that he was the only one allowed in the pleasure house. Usually it would still be available to others, but there were perks to having all the extra pressure this time. Kalizda already had her slot of time for the evening to prepare. This time there were multiple Chips working over his back, legs, arms, and shoulders. One even worked a gentle oil into his scalp and hair to be sure it wasn't greasy, but that his hair was shiny. Over the month Illya had gotten most of his leg problems fixed and he had almost no pain. Occasionally a nasty muscle spasm would hit, but it was not often. He spend the entire month healing, training and in his extra time preening. When the last of the aromatic oils had been rubbed into his skin Illya wrapped himself in a soft robe and walked back to the changing area where his uniform had been moved to.

Staring at the uniform for a long moment Illya let out a long breath. He hadn't been in full uniform in a long time. His heart sat in the base of his throat thumping wildly as he fumbled with the buttons. When he finally had it undone and ready to slip into the jacket and unbuttoned the front of the pants, and unzipped them he took the robe off.

It was a few minutes later and Illya finished strapping the gun to his right leg. Some of the straps went directly over old scars. The pressure was tolerable since the massages had improved the muscle and scar tissue problems. With only the beret left to put on he slipped it over his mostly tamed black waves of hair. Checking himself over he made sure that the brown belt was sitting even and the cross body section had the knife set directly in the center. The sword was a comfortable height at his left side. Reaching up he tweaked one of the many medals. Each one needed to be in place before he could set foot outside. Illya cautiously stepped outside and started the walk toward his parents home. He could feel the eyes of several foreigners already watching. Part of him felt like he was about to snap and another part was nervous and excited. No matter how much is instincts told him he should fight because he was in danger the general forced himself to continue silently on. When he reached the house Illya knocked at the door and waited for his mother to open it.

Yvonne opened the door and she stepped aside. Smiling gently at Illya she couldn't help the bit of pride that swelled in her heart. He looked so handsome in his uniform and black hair carefully oiled to have that shine. To be sure he didn't forget the sash Yvonne kept it at the house and carefully tied it around his waist so that the ends hung with the sword. Once he had the red sash on she nodded toward the room that Kalizda had been staying in.

His mother keeping the sash had been a good idea. Illya would have forgotten it since it was not part of his usual uniform. Walking back to the room he pushed the cloth aside and stepped into Kalizda's room. "Now we spend da night together. Yah ask meh anyting yah must know before we agree and den I do da same."
 
"Yah want meh to eat that ink off yah lip?"

Calysta froze at his suggestion and blinked up at him with wide eyes. He was gazing at her as if he was absolutely serious with his eyes cut behind his long black lashes. Didn't he know how tempting it was for her to simply let him try, right now? "Illya..."

A wily grin broke out over his face and he started laughing as he let go of her hand. "I know..."

Oh, how he didn't know. She cleared her throat as he sat back down and smiled, shaking her head. "That, was Chief Airman Darius Keyl. Someone you might be working with." Her words were meant to be serious but that was hard to do when he was looking at her with such a playful gleam in his eye.

As the day wore on, she found Illya still struggled with the names no matter what she did. Eventually, neither one of them had the patience to carry on the studies and had enough for one day. Calysta started cleaning up as the Chip dodged out of the door. No sooner had he left than his mother was poking her head into the room offering a suggestion on how to better help him with the task the Elders had given him.

“That would be a good idea,” Calysta agreed with a thoughtful look, “It will still be good if he gets as much exposure to the names and faces as possible, but it might help jog his memory to hear them announced. I’ll have it arranged for his vows to be said after mine so he can better remember the Kaerelean words too.”

****

Calysta wandered toward the pleasure house feeling tired and yet excited. The ceremony would take place tomorrow and now that it was here it hardly seemed real. There were dignitaries wandering everywhere, and Henaiah kept messaging her on her info-pad with last minute details all day. She had been running around all day dealing with issues like the Terran delegation growing lost in the maze of tents the Ehaui had created, and the Ewens shocked to learn they would be visiting a communal bathhouse that was shared by both the men and then women alike. All of this information had been in the many messages she had sent out to all of the guests, yet they acted like they hadn’t even read it. Still, she had met them with a smiling face and kindly went through all of the explanations. Somewhere in between the Urian’s cornering her and showering her with white flowers and green sprigs of leyl leaves, and telling the Reylian’s that wrestling matches in the yard with the Chips was not a good idea, she managed to get one of the Ehaui doctors to take off the cast from her arm.

The doctor seemed surprised at how small her bones were. They were not Chippeqouti bones at all but seemed healed for the most part. The fracture had healed completely and the more severe break was repaired enough to be without the cast. Though they did warn her that she should take it easy for a week or so until the shrunken muscles had a chance to build back. With the cast off, she was able to go to the bathhouse and bathe properly for the first time in weeks. It was so good to be free of the plaster and clean her bony arm from the sand and skin that had managed to get trapped. Washing down with some rosemary and mint had been a near heavenly experience.

As packed as the settlement was, she found the pleasure house to be surprisingly empty. There was only her and a few of the Chip masseuses in the quiet little parlor. “Mind if I come in for awhile?” she asked with a smile. The Chip man gave her a grin and patted the table and she went back into the changing room to slip into the fluffy robes they provided, though they were enormous on her. When she came back, there wasn’t just the man, but two women waiting as well. They were all going to give her a massage?

Standing onto her toes, she worked her way onto the tall table and laid face first into the soft towel as multiple hands started working over her muscles. Her arm was still a little tender having been released from the cast, but their gentle but firm fingers managed to loosen the stiffness created by the weeks of being stuck in the cast. She nearly fell asleep when one of the women ran her fingers from the back her neck and into her scalp using a pleasant mint smelling oil. The light circular motions were so relaxing, Calysta just closed her eyes and sighed in relief.

When they were done, she was much less stressed than when she entered and felt ready to go back to Yvonne and Markus’ house with a much better mind set.

****

Yvonne had come into her room and asked her to put it on for some reason, though she had already put on her shorts and tank top for bed. "Uh, alright.." she said to her as the woman disappeared as quickly as she came in. Maybe she wanted to make sure it fit properly? They had already done that at least twice but Calysta obliged the woman and pulled the dress from the closet, stepped into it, and slipped it into place. The back was easy to tighten because it fit her frame near perfectly, but she ran into a problem trying to tie the bow at the small of her back. The smooth silk kept sliding out of her hands as she heard footsteps coming from the main part of the house and the dividing curtain to her room pushed aside. "Yvonne, would you tie-" Looking up, she saw Illya standing there in an entire olive and gold dress uniform. Her eyes grew wide as he stood there with his shoulders square, a sword on his hip along with the red sash, and not a single medal or button out of place. His dark curls had been tamed with oil under a olive colored beret. That was not Yvonne. "A night...together...talk...?" she said, trying to fight the rising blush. "I didn't know..."

It seemed that she was not ready yet and that was a little surprising to Illya. This was the most important part of an agreement. Everyone knew ...perhaps she didn't. There had been many times that Kalizda surprised him with what she didn't know about these sort of things. Allowing the curtain to fall back in place he stepped behind her and gently tied the silk ribbons into a bow. When he finished Illya took a step back to look her over and he winked at her. "Yah beautiful like a sunrise."

The shock of seeing him dressed like that hadn't quite worn off. He looked amazing and maybe it was a good thing he showed up so suddenly. She would have seen him at the ceremony otherwise and then forgotten how to form sentences in front of everyone. When he called her beautiful her lips curled into a small, shy smile. "You look...amazing.." It was the only thing she could think of to say, and it was how she really felt. "So, you stay with me all night and we talk? It's some sort of tradition?"

A small surge of pride and relief ran through Illya's veins. At least he knew she thought he looked good like this. It would have been disastrous if she didn't think so. With all the planning and training and his other duties on the side of that he had been too occupied to even remember to ask her if this was acceptable to wear. Not that he would have gotten much choice. Chippequoti tradition demanded that he wear his uniform when he agreed so that there was no question what his duties were and she would understand as well. Shifting the sword a little he sat down on the edge of the bed. "I stay all night. We talk about anyting yah want to know. Dis is important tradition." Patting a spot beside himself he smiled. "Ef yah dun have questions I saved some up fo tonight."

Calysta smiled and smoothed down her dress in the back before sitting beside him. He was here all dressed and perfectly done, and she had only managed to throw on her dress. She wished somebody had thought to tell her, but it was a bit late now and didn't matter. It was hard not to keep from smiling when he was smiling right back at her. "Saved them up, huh?" she chuckled, " I have a few things I think we should talk about."

Since it seemed that Kalizda had a few things too the Chip nodded. "Yah ask first." She had more to lose in many ways and he was willing to go through with very little that could stop him. Besides the fact that Kalizda had been very open made it easier to ask the few questions he had for her. Hopefully what she asked would indicate that she felt he had been equally open and honest with her about himself and his life.

Nodding, she glanced down at the floor gathering her thoughts. There were a few things she wanted to know, or maybe she just needed to hear them. When they first met, he was somewhat disgusted about her heritage and yet he seemed okay with it now, though he had an extreme dislike for Terrans. She wanted to make sure he knew what that meant for their future. "Well, you know that I'm a half breed of Terran and Kaerelean," she said quietly, "Any between you and I..the children that we have will also be mixed. Is that something you'll be alright with?"

In some ways the question was confusing. Illya frowned a little. "I know yah blood." Searching her face he tried to understand why she would have been ashamed of being such. None chose their parents. "Kalizda I ask yah ta wear th-this dress because I find no other woman I would rather ask. Yah have honor and yah not half blood. We adopt yah and yah Chippequoti. I don't see half blood. Meh eyes see Kalizda."

Her hand inched over to his and her fingers curled over his palm as she met his gaze. He saw her for what she did and not her blood now, and he sounded alright knowing their children would be the same. He had told her he loved her and she believed him, but if he had reservations about her Terran half, or even her Kaerelean half given how her mother acted, he'd had a chance to say it now. "Worlds smallest Chip," she chuckled, "I just wanted to make sure." A moment passed as her thumb brushed over his knuckles, more to give her time to think than anything. "Next question...I'm curious to know how you feel about children..."

So far it was turning out to be alright. Her first question was confusing at first, but her explanation helped make it all come together in his mind. Smirking a little he nodded. "Aye, yah very small Chippequoti." The feeling of her brushing over his thumb was almost numbing in a good way. Illya studied her face carefully as she started to ask the next question. To be asked about children was not something that he had anticipated. Swallowing he lowered his gaze to stare at her fingers brushing over his knuckles. "I want children, but I'm afraid." Glancing up at her he only managed to hold her gaze for a moment. "Dere are many tings dat become fear. Without fear I want many children. Maybe 4." He wasn't sure if she understood the half jumbled mess of his brain or how he would explain it, but sometimes she understood those things when he tried to say them.

This wasn't how he had sounded in the hospital at all. He'd seemed over the top and enthusiastic and while part of that was due to the drugs, she had thought much of it to be genuine too. Hearing that he feared having children wasn't what she expected at all. "Four is...alot..." she nodded as she kept her thumb running on his hand, "Why are you afraid?"

Having to explain the fear was half expected though he had been hopeful he wouldn't have to. "After meh little one I have silent fear dat all meh other children would die. We are near war." This time Illya kept his eyes steady with hers. "Kalizda I want children, but I fear war for dem."

Calysta searched his bright green eyes. She wished it was possible to tell him the war would never hit so close to home again. To tell him it was safe. But that would be a lie. Instead, she squeezed his hand gently and kept her eyes locked on his. "You have every right to be afraid. I'm afraid too. Neither one of us knows what will happen in the future, but I think that's all the more reason we should go on as if the whatever happens will be alright To move forward and live like we should."

With the thought from her Illya nodded. "We agree. It is good to have family." Since she was on the subject of children and family it was probably a good idea to ask her when she wanted to do that. "Kalizda I need to ask yah something." Waiting for her to give him permission he then continued. "Do yah want to have children soon?"

She sat up a little straighter, but kept her hand on his as he spoke and nodded when he asked permission to continue. "Oh..." her face began turning pink again. There was nothing she could do about that except meet his gaze and let them burn. "I was thinking awhile for things to get settled. Maybe get officially cleared by Henaiah. That way I can travel again and see dad on Kaereal eventually too."

Since it didn't seem that it would it would take long for her name to be cleared Illya nodded. "A year..." He looked at her thoughtfully. "We should start right away den. Yah not give meh much time to get yah pregnant."

Her cheeks flamed even brighter and she looked up at him with a small smile. He didn't remember a thing she said at the hospital which is probably for the best on some points, but still left it to her to explain a few things again. She wondered if it would garner the same reaction it did last time. "Its not as much of a time crunch as you think," she replied with a small chuckle,"Kaerelean and Terran woman have much more frequent chances to become pregnant. Around once a month to be exact."

Illya's eyes got wide and he almost dropped his jaw. "Really?" He was completely shocked that their bodies produced enough nutrients for a baby so quickly. "Th-that's great!" With the growing excitement at the thought he grew a little louder. "Et should be easy to get yah pregnant. How many babies do yah want den? Maybe 6 or 8?"

And there it was, the same wild excitement she'd seen in the hospital it was both endearing and yet terrifying at the same time. With a light laugh, she gave his fingers another squeeze and looked up into his eyes. "Honestly, that's a lot of children for my kind. I was thinking three might be my limit. Four would be the most."

Since 3 or 4 was a good healthy number of children for the Chippequoti Illya nodded. "Ets a reasonable number. 3 or 4 is good." He was starting to get the idea that this was perhaps this meant sexual habits with her kind was different and it was cause for momentary panic. "How often do yah kind have sex den?" There was a cautious tone in his voice since he knew it was an awkward question.

It was an odd question, even if it was a natural follow up to what they had been talking about. Still it made it sound like he was worried he would be waiting a long time to do anything else with her. Even though she was bright red, she answered. "As often as we want. There not a limit or wrong time other than when I can't during the one week of the month I'm on my cycle. You wouldn't be waiting a year."

Chuckling a little he nodded. "Oh alright." It was impossible to hide the relief in his voice. "I ask yah someting different now." Once his brain had wandered down that track it was harder to redirect himself, but it was needed. "What yah expect of meh after we agreed?"

He sounded relieved and if she was honest, so was she. She'd worried that as practical as the Chippeqouti were and the importance they placed on certain kinds of modesty, might mean they only had sex when they were trying for children. That would have been a long wait. Listening to his swap in topics, she waited for a moment to answer. "I expect you to be my partner. To tell me things so we can work on them together," she started, "And that includes things you think will worry me. I can't help if I don't know about it. To trust me and at least listen to what I have to say, even if you disagree. To help around the house and to be faithful. Taking time away from work to spend with me every now and then is good too. To love me." She wasn't sure if any of this made sense and it was mostly a jumble in her own head, but those are the qualities she wanted and he already did most of them.

Part way through the list Illya started to raise his hand as if to ask a question, but she barreled on and then came the line about listening if he disagreed. Lowering his hand he waited till she was done. "I need a list."

She couldn't tell if he was kidding or not about the list and her brow raised at him curiously. "Illya, you already do most of those things, but I'll make a list if you really want me to," she replied, "It too much?"

"Not too much. Ets good to have reminder later when maybe times are hard or I forget." Illya had learned not to put it past himself to forget these things at time. Life happened and sometimes it became too easy to overlook those little things that seemed so obvious when you first met a person. "I want ta love yah well all our lives"

"I'll write it down then and put it somewhere you can find it when you need it." She settled a little closer to him, and dared to ask his question in reverse. It was one that made her a little nervous simply because she'd never been married before. "What will you expect of me?"

Glancing at Kalizda as she got closer he grinned a little. "Oh now I get to make meh list." A mischievous sounding chuckle rose from his chest. "I tink meh little bird should help meh in da house, I like her to keep flying and exploring, she should take meh with." Pausing for a moment he tried to think of what else was important. "Kalizda will need to love onleh one man, dats meh and t-then she listen to meh too even when seh doesn't like et." Tapping his knee with one finger he sighed and glanced at her. "One last thing. I like when meh Kalizda talks with meh."

It was hard not to kiss him as he spoke but if she started, she knew there wouldn't any stopping. Instead, she laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "I'll talk with you and explore with you and love only you until my shadows are long, Illya." It was relieving to know he didn't expect her to stay house bound. That he even liked exploring with her. Lacing her fingers with his, she waited for a moment and then chuckled, "What is another of your questions?"

Illya let her rest her head on his shoulder and he squeezed her fingers gently when she laced them with his. "Another question?" Pondering it for a moment he finally moved on to the next part. "Does it bother yah that I still lead Chippequoti military in battle?"

She couldn't look at him to answer this question. Mostly because when she thought about him going to war and battle it scared her and she hated admitting that. He was a man and this was his duty, as it would have been hers to protect her own people if the need arose, but she couldn't help but be worried. Especially when she knew what happened to him in the last war. "It does worry me because I don't want to lose you or see you suffer as you have in the past," she replied, "But it is your job, and your duty. I'm proud that you want to protect your people and that wont change. Even if I don't like some of the choices you have to make as a general."

Though it was clear that she was bothered by his position and job Illya was pleased that she understood. Perhaps she didn't like it, but she could see that it was not something easily changed especially since this was what he had been raised to do. The two of them exchanged questions and answers for several hours before Illya gingerly laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling while she spoke. He was getting a little tired, but if he could stay awake he knew he would hit a second wind and then he would make it through the ceremony just fine. "We stay awake eh and then we not groggy when we greet dignitaries." Chuckling a little he made a tired face with droopy eyes and clumsily reached for her hand. "I welcome yah here and uh..."

"Are you sure we can't sleep just a little?" Calysta yawned as he hand found hers. He was warm and even in all of the regalia she could curl up and go to sleep with him right about now. "If one of us has to stay awake, why don't you rest, and I'll stay up, hm?" He was going to have a harder time than she was tomorrow.

Snorting a little he shook his head. "I have more energy. Yah want to sleep already." Illya turned his head to the side and had to pull back slightly when he saw how close she was. "If yah won't sleep we lay here and talk till meh mum tells us to get up and eat."

"You wont sleep at all?" she mused, her eyes starting to droop. She didn't want to fall asleep, and wanted to keep talking though they had been going for hours. "Mmmm...I'll stay awake. Can I ask a question?" She waited for him to say it was alright and then glanced at him. "You said before Isla would accept you as a partner she made you prove yourself a man. What did you do to prove it?" She hoped it wasn't too strange of a question, but she was curious.

While the history of the question was easy enough to answer there was always a sort of emotional charge if he had to talk about Isla. Even time had not softened that blow yet. Adjusting his arm a little to wrap around Kalizda's shoulder he let out a long breath. "She ask meh for 3 things. First she wanted meh to build her a house, I had to prove meh dedication to study of war and finally she wanted meh to move up at least 1 rank before I turned 17."

Resting her head back on his arm she turned to look at the profile of his tanned face. She knew talking about Isla was hard for him, but at least he would say something about her now. He trusted her with it. "And you did it?" she asked sleepily.

"Mmmhmmm." Illya's voice started to get a little lower and then he started to sit up. "More tea." It would help him feel awake. His mother had made a blend that would cause one to be more lively, but it was getting difficult to tell if the tea was actually helping at this point or not.

Calysta sighed a little when he moved. She was sleepy though she was supposed to be helping him stay awake and he was up getting up to get more tea. "Bring me some too?" Nodding at his reply, she closed her eyes for just a minute, waiting for him to come back with tea.

Pouring a second cup full of the tea Illya walked with the the cup and then he waited for her to get uptake the cup from his hand. Once his one hand was free he held it out and rested it against a wall to be sure he didn't sway or lose his balance anywhere.

Calysta took the cup and let him sit beside her again as she sipped on the zesty tea his mother had made. "Tell me more about growing up and learning under your father." She had a feeling the wild Chip had some stories to tell on that.

****
Henaiah had come by after breakfast and was surprised to see Illya there in full uniform already. Her eyes caught sight of the olive green and gold on his uniform, combined with the red sash was quite a sight and a good combination. “Calysta chose me as her assistant for the Ceremony today, so I came to help her get ready.” She had explained the tradition ahead of time to Yvonne, but she hadn’t been sure who Calysta would pick and it had surprised her that the woman had asked. Thomas’ daughter had never been particularly affectionate toward her, which was understandable given the past.
Illya seemed to want to follow her back into the bedroom, but she halted him. “Give her just a minute and you can have her back.”

Calysta sat on the edge of the bed looking a bit tired, as if she had stayed up all night. She wouldn’t be the first bride to suffer from pre-ceremony jitters. Even brides in small affairs felt pressure and this ceremony was the biggest she had ever seen. Literally on a galactic scale.

Henaiah brought out a bag of things sent by many of the delegates and put it on the bed next to her, careful not to lay it on the dress.

“Nervous?” she asked as her thin fingers began combing through the black, glossy hair.

Whatever Calysta washed it with smelled bright and minty. She picked up a soft brush from inside the bag and began brushing from her scalp to the ends gently. It was strange to do this for someone. She’d had two boys and never had the chance to do. “It’s alright to be if you are. This is a big event.”

“Not so much about that,” Calysta replied in Kaerelean quietly.

Henaiah smiled a little. “Other things then?”

The question made the woman go quiet and for a moment she was sure that was why Calysta had stayed up so late. It was natural for a bride to worry about other types of performances too.

When her hair was nice and shiny from the soft bristles, Henaiah reached into the bag and pulled out a small jewelry box. “I knew your hair is too short to style properly, so I brought you these.”

Opening the box carefully she revealed a set of glittering red hair clips. They were no bigger than a baby’s thumbnail but the jewel in the middle of them caught the light in a brilliant display of fiery red. Calysta reached up and brushed her fingers over them, her eyes a little wide. “They’re beautiful, Henaiah. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Calysta. Honestly, I was surprised when you asked me to be your assistant.”

“You know the customs…and you’ve helped me when you didn’t have to.” Then she chuckled, “Besides, could you see, dad doing any of this?”
They both knew the answer to that and giggled.

Thomas would be far too busy fretting over the hologram feeds, sniffling, and making sure he had a good seat. She had initially wanted him to act as an usher for the delegations, but she wanted him to at least have this day to himself. Instead, she’d given the task to the strange little tag-along Terran, Ayrn. When she heard he was son of William Yarbrough, she’d had reservations about involving him in this event, but Calysta has assured her the man was more or less harmless and a friend.

The Councilwoman went to work placing each clip into Calysta’s smooth black hair. The silvery clasp was designed to be hidden and show the red jewel as if they were a part of her. By the time each clip was placed, her hair was a glittering display any Kaerelean woman would be envious of. Next, she added a little powder to Calysta’s cheeks to cover the little dark circles under her eyes and then put a natural looking gloss on her lips. The Urians had sent pallets of bright colors to wear on her eyes, but Henaiah left them in the bag. The woman’s grey eyes and long thick lashes were more than pretty on their own. Last but not least, she slipped a red ribbon choker around her pale throat and adjusted the tear drop crystal in the center. She wasn’t all that well-endowed in some areas and it was best to play up her beauty in other ways with small tricks, like adding something to accent her graceful neck line.

“Would you look to see?” Henaiah said, already pulling out the mirror. Every bride wanted to see and as rough and tumble as Calysta could be, she was still a woman.

“Yes please.”

She watched in the reflection as Calysta seemed to marvel in looking so nice. “Thank you, Heniah. I couldn’t have done anything like this. You think Illya will like it?”

“Oh I think he will,” she chuckled, “Let’s get you returned to him. We don’t want to be late.”

When Calysta stood, she smoothed out the back of her dress and watched her walk back into the main room. She seemed to be walking much more gracefully than before. At the rehersal, she’d stumbled in the small heels repeatedly and they’d agreed to practice walking in the sand with them so she wouldn’t fall. “It seems you practice with the shoes paid off,” she complimented her.

Calysta glanced back and smiled. “Thanks, Henaiah.”

****

Calysta stood next to Illya and watched as the 35th delegate sauntered up to them. She was becoming increasingly glad that she had thought to put her on her tall, slender boots rather than the impossible heeled shoes. There was no way she would have been able to stand for long in the others. Henaiah wouldn’t have to know so long as she didn’t pick up her skirts. Only 79 more to go.

Yvonne’s voice called out the next delegate . “Chief Tikan Viet and Lira Viet, of the continent Reylia, of Kaereal.”

She sucked in a deep breath, and glanced up at Illya whose green eyes were entirely focused on the broad shouldered man walking toward them with an equally thick woman on his arms. Both wore long yellow Cryn feathers down their backs to accompany their brown leather tunics. This would be a difficult greeting Reylians could be quite unpredictable and if they weren’t greet properly, it could be seen as a challenge to a wrestling match or worse.

Calysta made a fist and put it over her chest and to her relief, Illya did the same. When the chief recognized them, he did the same and then offered his knuckles. Would Illya remember what to do? She took the same balled fist and bumped his knuckles against her own hard enough to be seen as strong. The Chief smiled at her in approval and then waited for Illya to do the same. The Chip reared back and popped his knuckles against the delegates with what was probably a gentle force for him, but the Chief with drew his hand quickly and his jaw tightened. Ten seconds passed, as his brown eyes bore into Illya’s and then a broad grin spread over his face. The man started chuckling a deep rumbling sound and gave them both a nod of approval.

“Pleasure’t meet’ye both. Ye’ both strong! Ye’d be welcome’t come ‘t Reylia for a Tournamen’ t’ wrestle. Ye’ come’t the games and have some fun, aye!”

“We would be honored,” Calysta smiled, though it mostly from relief.

The Chief and his wife nodded their thanks to both Illya and her for the invite and the next delegation came up. The Urian delegation didn’t wait to size them up or really seem to care to as they ushered forward in form fitting outfits of white and green. “I’m Sarai, and this is Syrus,” she cooed, reaching up to Illya. “My, you wear so much green. Beautiful color on you and quite appropriate given the occasion. Such golden skin.”

The woman went about deliberately tucking a spring of bright green leyl behind one his ears. Touching a bit more than was probably necessary. “Green for virility,” she mused, before giving him long kiss on each tan cheek.

Then she spun on Calysta and tucked a white flower behind her hair, then kissed her just as slowly on the cheeks. “White for fertility…and oh would you look at her? She’s darling. Hard to believe folks thought you were a criminal with such a pretty face. Oooh and those eyes would you look at them Syrus? Grey!”

Calysta delivered her own exchanged pecks much faster and Sarai received them before winking up at Illya with a devious grin. “You’re a lucky man. Found one with the storm in her eyes.”

As breezy as they came through, the Urian’s scurried away to go find their seats, leaving her behind pink cheeked and giving Illya a slightly apologetic look.

The Ewens came next with their long black hair flowing down their backs and umbrellas shielding their pale skin from the Nuen sun. Then the Kinte delegates who thankfully settled for and shake. The Ori’lan representative came by and Calysta had to fight down a laugh as Illya grasped the uniformed man’s forearm. One after the other, they came in like a life of ants until the Terran’s appeared in their business suits with ties and navy jackets.

She tensed a little as the president of their planet reached out to shake Illya’s hand. They still looked at the Chip with distrust layered over a gleam of fear, but the two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries after a long look at each other.

“President Xavier Beck,” the tall Terran delegate nodded, “I’m glad we finally have the opportunity to meet. Congratulations to you on the nuptials.”

When his eyes turned to her, she offered her hand, and he grasped it tightly. Tighter than what was necessary, but she said nothing. Her pleasant smile remained, as she welcomed him. “We’re glad you came to Nuen and look forward to working with you, Mr. President. I hope that you enjoy your time here and have the chance to talk with everyone.”

He gave her a half smile, and nodded before his two assistances were informing him he had no more time to talk.

****

The circular tent was packed with well over 200 people between all of the delegates and the Chippeqouti in attendance. She was amazed at how different they all looked together. The Chips that weren’t in their crisp olive uniforms were in beautiful suits decorated with gold, which played over their tanned skin. Their tans would be a point of envy to the Ewens. The Urian delegate had her arm looped around one of her husband’s casually, but her eyes wandered around the room. “They all look quite lovely, don’t they Syrus? Those bright eyes…and such good hosts.” Delegates from Kinte, were fussing a little in Kaerelean at the Reylian’s whose Cyrn feathers blocked the view some. Her eyes fell on the Terrans who kept to the front and kept their eyes moving around as if they were nervous. “Do you see how large they are? Most of them are in military uniforms…”

Her father was on a row near the front in his black dress tunic. He was talking to one of the delegates from Yuria, a dark skinned man in pink robes, and Edgar along with Helena all while managing a tight smile. More people were milling about and talking in a wild jumble of Kaerelean, traders-tongue, Qouti and Terran, but began to quiet down gradually as Henaiah took the circular area in the center of the raised seating as if she were a ring master. There was never a more graceful ring master though. She stood tall in black flowing pants, but had changed her tunic to shining silver dress tunic with long sleeves that belled out at her elbow. Whenever she spoke the gentle movements of her hands were accompanied by the rippling of her silky sleeves.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome.”
Her voice was so calm and clear the crowds grew quiet of their own accord as she called them to attention one more time for those who didn’t hear.


“I welcome you all to this most wonderful gathering today. It’s a rare occasion that we have such an opportunity to come together as Kaereleans, Terrans, and of course, new found allies. I would ask that because this is a wedding ceremony that silence is held until the vows are complete. It is my hope that we can celebrate both this new union and others once the reception begins.”

The crowd became deadly still as the lights were dimmed and lanterns were lit around the room, making the whole place give off a soft glow. All the way across the tent, stood Illya in his full uniform and his red sash. He was looking down at one of his medals, trying to make sure it was still perfectly straight before he was called into the spot light.

Henaiah held out both of her hands, one to Illya and one to her, beckoning them forward. Calysta took her first step feeling numb to most of her senses until she reached the center and stood facing her Chip to take up his hands. They were the only thing that seemed the steady anymore. Warm and calloused clasped in her own. Her eyes drifted from their joined hands, up his gleaming uniform and to his face. His bright eyes captured up hers and she felt like her heart was going to burst right through her ribs with its skipping beats. Illya was the only person in the room. How was it that he could make her feel that way?

“These two people have come together in love and will now make their vows claiming their union in the sight of the all those present.”

Calysta knew that was her cue. She decided to go first, so Illya could remember what the words sounded like. Her fingers squeezed his as the Kaerelean came carefully from her lips. “With these hands, I, Calysta Marie Monroe vow to honor you as my husband. To love you, protect you in storm or sun wholeheartedly. It vow to do this until my shadows are long and the wind ceases. With kiss I seal my vows, and let it be witnessed that you are mine. Now and forever.”
When her vows were complete, she took up his wrists one at a time and placed a gentle kiss on the soft skin before meeting his gaze again. Now it was his turn.

****
As Illyas vows were completed through his heavy accent, Henaiah motioned for them to turn toward the aisle leading out to the bright desert sun. “I Councilwoman Henaiah Salys, with the authority of the Kaerelean government, recognize and certify this union. Congratulations and may the fair winds always find you.”

The Kaereleans rose to their feet and began cheering. Some whooped and hollered through whistles and the stomping of feet in the risers. After the initial startle, the Terran delegation rose their feet and began a mild clapping.

Thomas stood and was too busy wiping at his eyes and holding up a recorder as Calysta looped her arm around Illya’s. She’d ended up on the side with the sword at his hip, but she didn’t mind. He still looked amazing and he had done wonderfully in her eyes, no matter what anyone else thought.

“You were fantastic,” she said, excitedly “Ready to have some fun now?”
 
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Illya sipped on his last tea. It was already past the sunrise and Yvonne cooked up a few breads and set thin sliced meat with it. The seasoned lizard acted as a protein and the herbs were known to give energy. Yvonne smiled gently when the two emerged from the room. “You eat seasoned meat and bread. Drink the next tea and then you’re ready for ceremony.

The two of them were almost finished when Henaiah showed up. Illya sipped on the final progression of tea. At first he was going to protest the woman’s interference, but it seemed that this was one of her traditions. It wouldn’t be right to deny her a comfort on this kind of day. Nodding he stepped aside and set down to finish his drink. Why he needed an aid Illya didn’t know. Since he had to have one he asked Markus. “Yah help meh?”

Markus blinked a few times. “What yah need elp wit?” There hardly seemed to be a purpose to this question. His son was perfectly capable of carrying out this task.

“I don't know. Tradition?” That was the most logical sounding excuse. “Eh their tradition.” Both of them stared at one another for a moment and then started to chuckle. “I think maybe we keep our tradition.” Illya shook his head. The older Chip just nodded in agreement. There was no reason to involve those that didn’t need to be. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was tradition to wait and go together Illya would have gladly gone to the tent already. Standing up Illya began to pace the house. Just as he was prepared to make another round he almost tripped over Kalizda. “Wow…” Looking from her hair to her face, dress and back again he grinned. “Dis is a good tradition.”

All of Illya’s nerves tingled as he got closer to the arrival of the first guest. No matter how many times he checked to be sure that he was presentable it didn't change the fact that he needed more than looks to make the right impression.

Yvonne announced each dignitary as they arrived and Kalizda made the appropriate motion. It was easy enough to follow though Illya was still struggling with some names. Finally his favorite greeting came up and he have the guest a firm fist smash. Almost immediately the Chip realized his error when the delegate withdrew his fist. Not sure of what to do Illya waited and let a small breath of releif out. All his releif was short lived when a woman seemed anxious to put her hands on him and she was the kisser too. Standing stark still he let her place the green behind his eat and reluctantly leaned forward to kiss her on each cheek. She should have kept the virile statement to herself, but this wasn’t the time to say it. Then Theodore Sampson arrived and Illya could almost feel Kalizda willing him to get it right. Bowing slightly the Chip went with his best modification. “Welcome Teadore Zampsin.” It was all the better he had ever been able to get when he struggled with the accent. The man appeared to understand that the accent couldn't be helped. As Illya greeted the last guest he felt a sort of glee there was only two hard parts left. The ceremony and then the traditional display after it went dark outside.

***************

Kalizda went first and Illya listened with such intensity that he almost frowned. When it was his turn the man started out a little more clear and declined to his usual nervous slur. The one part he did get right was kissing each of her wrists. The two of them were set to leave after and Illya couldn't contain himself. Taking off down the aisle he remembered to slow down after he felt the lag from Kalizda trying to keep up.

They were so close to being done with the complicated parts. This time it was his turn to welcome the guests with an announcement. Illya went to his and Kalizda’s table and then opened the meal by standing to speak. Troops were one thing, but this was different and his mind went blank. He couldn't very well tell them he forgot the speexh so he decided to make one up as he went. “Welcome ta all da delegates day honor us wit were presence.” Pausing he glanced at his mother who remained composed, but clearly knew he forgot. “Now we get ta da part Chippequoti like. Eat, drink, an dance. Be entertained. Dank yah do coming.” Taking his seat again he shrugged At Kalizda. Now they had to get through the first meal and round of drinks. It would likely take several hours to move through the many courses of the meal. Chippequoti liked to show off for allies where they could. It was always best to dazzle them with the present to hide the future.

*************

The first round of evening drinks had been passed and that was all the more Illya was going to get for now. Taking the last gulp from the mug he set it aside and pushed his chair back. Rising from his seat Markus and 49 other men followed suit. Each of them that left the room was dressed in their military uniform. Rounding the corner the men stepped out into the dark and disappeared. All that remained was the faint light that flickered across the wind tossed sands in the dark.

Edgar stood and Yvonne rose from her place beside him to translate as he spoke. “There is no cause for alarm. This is a ceremonial honor only bestowed on those that we have made alliances with.” Most of the dignitaries seemed to be put at ease though there was still an edge of tension that seemed to prod them into exchanging confused and questioning gazes. Yvonne rose her voice a little to recapture their attention. “Chippequoti have not conducted this ceremony in over 300 years.” Behind her the tent began to open all along one wall. Only the elders were on the side of the tent that opened and they began to pull to the sides. Still Yvonne and Edgar remained in the center for a moment longer and as they split ways a shadow appeared behind them.

In the faint light it was difficult to make out much more than just the form that seemed to multiply. Then in unison the many shadowy figures began to melt into the black of the night. Many of the guests leaned forward in their seats as if they would be able to peer through the darkness to find the disappeared forms.

All fell silent with the anticipation and then the first blast sounded with a flash of light. Some of the dignitaries gave a visible start. Another blast sounded accompanied by the flash and an indistinct figure of a man appeared again. The third brought him closer and the fourth closer. On the fifth blast lights flooded the desert beyond the great meeting tent. 50 soldiers launched from a 20 foot drop. With another blast the lights went out. A flash of light played across the open desert only catching silhouettes of men racing in what appeared to be every which direction. At the end a light from behind the men shone and there was a line of posts meeting to make an upside down V and then one post in the center. Half of the posts on the sides had men standing by them. The black outlines of men worked furiously hoisting a flag and then the light flickered off. When it came back on each man was repeating the same at his next station. With the third flicker the middle flag was raised and lights flooded the desert again.

The elders had carefully researched the flags of each planet and included them with the line up. Nearing the far end of the V there was the flag of the alliance that had just formed with Elizabeth’s planet, and then the Chippequoti. In the middle the flag representing the entire government that formed these alliances stood. A thick smoke rolled in covering the ground only long enough for the men to regroup in formation. Evening winds blew a bit slower than they did during the day and it was in part why they arranged for the drinks following the wedding to be later in the day. Edgar and Yvonne both stood and walked to the center of the opening again and faced the desert this time.

Both Illya and Markus appeared side by side emerging from the smoke with the outline of the 49 men behind them. Together they presented a folded flag of the Chippequoti to Edgar. The older man turned sharply on his heel with Yvonne and the two walked to Henaiah with the flag. Presenting her with the flag Yvonne translated. “We present you with this, our pledge. You represent this gathering of planets and center of alliances. The elders answer your call and heed your summons.” Bowing carefully they returned to their seats to watch as the lights brightened the desert floor and the cliff ahead. All of the smoke had cleared except for a shaving of it hovering over the sand and grasping at the ankles of the retreating soldiers.

When the men reached the cliff they began to scale it. Occasionally the red sash could be caught where Illya was with the men taking the lead with one man, his father calling orders from below. At the top of the cliff Illya waited until a personal droid flyer began to fly overhead. He watched till it was past. It was all part of the performance though he wouldn’t normally take this sort of chance in combat. Running toward the side of the cliff that had over 100 foot drop it only looked like a black cavern because the lights were focused at the top of the cliff. Planting one foot on the edge of the cliff Illya launched himself toward the droid and caught the grip with one hand.

Behind Illya the next man followed suit. Soon it appeared to be just a constant stream of men leaping from the edge. Yelling in Quoti Illya gave the command for all men to draw swords. The group began to near a simulated battle ground. Just before they reached the battlefield Illya gave another command and he dropped to the ground. All the men behind him followed and Illya ran forward giving silent commands to the men.

Within the timeframe of 15 minutes the small group of 50 had surrounded 250 soldiers, neutralized the majority of their weapons and followed the tradition of maiming the enemy without killing them. Leading the group toward the front of the tent Illya knelt on one knee still holding his sword with the curved blade facing left. Planting his fist into the ground he lowered his head. The men followed his lead and then the lights went out.

Now that the simulation was finished the lights went out and the side of the tent closed again. Within a few minutes all the elders were adjusted back to their place in the tent and Markus came into the tent again with Illya behind him and the rest of the soldiers. Silently the men filed back to their seats and took up their places again. Illya like most of them was glad that he did not have to do any of the official talking to the dignitaries. Aside from his greeting them and welcoming to the wedding that was. At least the performance was not too difficult. He had a whole month with the rest of the men to practice at night to be sure that they were prepared for this.

For the most part the room was silent as they filtered back into their places. Edgar stood again and Yvonne joined him. “Because we make alliance it is tradition that we give performance. In times past Chippequoti would have fought battle on behalf of their new ally to demonstrate their sincerity. Times have changed and so we use only simulation to keep with our tradition and we have chosen to give a Chippequoti flag as our symbol of sincerity.” Bowing slightly he and Yvonne turned to face either ends of the crowd. Edgar gave his address in Quoti and Yvonne gave her address in the trader’s tongue. “The festivities commence now. Drink your fill, and eat as much as it pleases your stomach.”

A good loud cheer went up from the Chippequoti. Illya took another large swig of the alcohol. He was going to be up all night and he knew that for a fact. Wasn’t going to be till dawn when he carried Kalizda over the threshold of his home and then they could expect to be left alone for at least one day.

Any such party required that a good Chip would at least show some vigor when it came to dancing. Illya took Kalizda’s hand winked at her. He figured that was warning enough. Joining the others he wrapped a big arm around Kalizda’s waist. Much of the world had faded when he was holding her in his arms. After all this time she was the woman that he chose and she chose him in return. There was a level of comfort in knowing that. Illya was about to leave the dance floor after 3 dances when he heard a familiar and rowdy tune strike up. Whipping off his sash he grabbed both ends with one hand and made a loop. Tossing it over Kalizda it fell across her shoulders and he used it to pull her close enough to kiss. Illya had done a little reading on weddings since they seemed to be different from agreements. It was surprising to see that public displays of affection were actually common and expected. When he finished with his little tease to get her back for one last dance he instead held the red sash in the hand that wrapped around her waist.

If there was one thing he did remember from all the training it was the fact that she had shorter legs and he had to modify his steps during the dance. Whenever he found himself lifting her off the ground or her hand would tighten on his arm and he would slow down again. With a more enthusiastic song Illya discovered that while he had congratulated himself on keeping his steps moderate it had all been on slow songs and this one was not one of those. Finally in his last attempt to keep from sweeping her off her feet and the fact that he knew she wouldn’t know the steps Illya placed her feet on his. Any little slip of her foot would remind him to slow down. Glancing at her tiny red shoes over his brown boots Illya couldn’t help smiling.

Having Kalizda so close for the dance had given Illya ample opportunity to look into her eyes. As the song drew to an end he gradually loosened his grip on her waist. He loathed to dance with others and mingle again, but it was expected. As the kissing woman approached Illya inwardly cringed. He didn’t want to dance with her, but she steered right toward him and Kalizda was already whisked away. Many of the Chippequoti found themselves dancing with those Not their agreed. Markus slunk further into the back of the tent until he felt a small warm pair of hands rest on his back. Instantly he grew tense. The woman slipped around to the front and took his hands. Everything that she said Markus pretended not to understand. He just wanted to be left alone to do his job.
 
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Henaiah watched the display without deviating her gaze for a single moment. The speed at which the Chippeqouti could move over land even at their size was impressive and their leadership excellent. She had no dount that Chief Airman Keyl was behind her thinking the same as the Chip military display their skills in a traditional show of alignment.

This would be their new ally and given the growing storm of Cirellants, Myraxys and their Federation, the skills of these men would be sorely needed. She accepted their flag, and placed it into a glass box to be taken to Kaereal for commission. The Terran delegates along with Elizabeth Taggart’s personnel had been placed with her at the same table.

The Terran president leaned close as the show drew to a close and Illya was kneeling in the sand with his gleaming sword held at the ready. “They’re impressive and that was only 50 of them.”

“Aye,” she replied evenly.

“They could easily use that sort of force against Kaereal or Terra.”

Henaiah’s head snapped around and her green eyes went cold. The President had been her office flapping his gums at her about what he thought he knew for weeks and she was at her limit. “Watch your words, Xavier,” she replied, her voice low, “These people are our allies and you should count yourself so lucky that they are. Perhaps you should keep your mind open and your mouth shut for a bit.”

****
Calysta watched from her seat at the center table as Illya took a long swig of his mug and then stood along with all the other men in uniform. She knew that they had planned on doing some sort of tradition but had no idea when or what. The arrangements had been more with Henaiah than with her. The sudden departure of all 50 uniformed Chips caused a little stir to go through the room, but Yvonne stood and calmed the guests, assuring them that all was fine. She figured it would be a dress-down of the forces by Markus or Illya since it appeared their entire force was going. When the lights from the desert suddenly flashed to life, half the tent jumped in surprise. Silhouettes were running in from every direction in bright flickers of white light and smoke. This display was incredibly impressive but the crowd seemed uneasy. It would certainly be easy for these large people to have gathered them all here and then kill most of Kaereal’s governing body in one fell swoop. They had come in full faith in credit for their supposed new allies and expected the same in return.
The shadowed men began to raised back-lit flags into the night and Yvonne explained the purpose finally, making everyone relax a little. Markus and Illya emerged from the smoke with the other 48 men framed indistinctly by the light carrying a flag. Seeing Markus with his chin held high and his eyes forward was impressive on its own but when you added his son next to him it was even more so. Calysta may not have liked Illya going into battle, but it didn’t make her any less happy to see him standing there in his full regalia and able to do the job he used to. He likely couldn’t see her from his position, but she was grinning broadly and brimming with pride for him.

Henaiah rose from her seat and bowed in her flowing out fit, accepting the flag. “Kaereal thanks you, and will fly your flag alongside ours and others on Kinte so that all may know of the Chippeqouti and their faithfulness as allies.”

When she accepted the flag, the men broke their stance and began running, including Illya. There was more? That seemed to be the growing question as several the delegates gasped when the men began scaling the cliffs in the distance. They climbed higher and the only way to know who was leading them was the distinct flash of red in the lights from Illya sash. When he reached the top, Calysta knew immediately what they were going to do and gripped her cup tightly in her hand. Her heart nearly stopped when he leapt from the ledge and the others followed. It was all for show and he had been practicing this, but it still made her inwardly cringe. She wasn’t alone either, some of the delegates yelped a little as they watched on slack-jawed at such a stunt.

The mock battle that ensued was lightning fast and efficient. They took down what looked to be at least 200 men in a matter of 15 minutes with not a single one of them mortally injured. When the display came to an end, all of the delegates had lapsed into stone cold silence. It was hard to tell how so many people felt about the show.

Calysta found it both impressive and still surprising. No matter how many things she had seen Illya come against, watching him so easily using the sword at his hip and move so quickly still left her wide-eyed. As he knelt in the sand with a sword that was as tall as she was, everyone in the tent lapsed into stone cold silence. Even through Yvonne and Edgar’s explanation, they stayed quiet until they were told that that the show was over and the party could truly begin. The offer of food seemed to snap them out of their muteness and as the drinks started flowing again, so did the talk.

The show was so well done, it was impressive to some, and intimidating to others, if not downright scary. “A battle at a wedding, how interesting….Is this meant to be intimidate us too? Do you see how they move? 50 men taking down 200 or more? Could you imagine them combined with a Skycorp pilot? I believe that’s what we’ve just done today, Chief Airman. Right of course. The soldiers weren’t real. Real soldiers would fight back…I doubt they would have little chance…The Cirellants…and this Federation…”
Calysta could hear them all talking, pondering over their new allies and the future as she picked at her plate of steak and potatoes. She was hungry but the murmurs were distracting to a degree.

A shadow rose over the able and a tan hand appeared. Illya. He grinned down at her with bright eyes and winked. Not a word needed to be passed between them as she took his hand and slipped out her chair. There was no place she’d rather be than on the dance floor with him.
His arm slipped around her waist and everything else became unimportant. This is the real reason she was celebrating. Taking up his arms, they went into dance after dance until Illya suggested he wanted to step off of a few minutes. Agreeing, she wandered away from him for a moment only to find herself wrapped around the shoulders with something and pulled back. “Whoa!”

Illya lassoed her with his red sash and tugged her so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. “Couldn’t keep away for too long, huh?” she giggled. Illya was smiling from ear to ear and guided her feet onto the top of his. Suddenly, she was even closer to him as she gained a good 2 inches in height from standing on his toes. He kept his eyes on hers as they took off into the music at a blazing pace and her heart keeping time.

****

Thomas took his daughters hand when she had a free moment from Illya. "Dance with me?"

She smiled even wider if that was possible and nodded. He had never her seen her quite so happy, even if this spectacle wasn't something she had wanted. "Of course, dad."

Careful not to step on her dress, he put a hand on her waist and guided her into a slower tune, stepping in quarter turns as gracefully as his knee allowed. "Been a long time since we've done this. "

"Aye, it has been."

"You remember this one pretty well," he chuckled, sending her into broad twirl.

Calysta laughed and it was the best sound he could ever imagine. "I had a good teacher."

They kept their pace with the music and he marveled at her. She had grown so much it was hard to imagine he was even looking the same daughter who had left home nearly two years ago. After so much confusion and wandering, she had found her place in the world and he was thrilled for her, even if it meant she wouldn't be his anymore. Thomas had fought the emotion of the day in favor of looking professional and trying to keep from embarrassing his daughter, but watching her when she danced in her wedding gown struck a chord that couldn't be recalled this time. As the song ended, he watched through water eyes as kissed his cheek and was swept up the the Terran delegate.

"It's hard to let the go, isn't it?"

He turned to see Henaiah standing beside him with her hands clasped in front of her. Her green eyes scanned the crowd dancing, but she seemed to know where his mind was. Somehow she always knew that. It was maddening and yet something that made him so attracted to her sometimes. "Aye. It is."

They watched the crowd with silence between them for a moment and Thomas sighed before sidling up to her. He had nothing to lose but a knee cap and some pride. "Henaiah," he said, offering his hand, "Dance with me?"

Her same gentle smile curled to her red painted lips and she nodded, taking his hand. He'd never forgotten how pretty she was with her dark brown hair and light olive eyes, but in the lantern light of the desert she never looked more radiant. Henaiah put a hand on his shoulder and he grinned, feeling younger by the second. "Hold on, Henny."

****
Ayrn wandered out into the crowd and saw Calysta dancing with Illya. She looked pretty in her red gown and sparkles in her hair, but it was the look she was giving the tall man that made her seem all the more gorgeous. Her face was all lit up with a smile as her eyes were bright. The same look she’d given him when the man carried her to bed that night. He still didn’t quite get the appeal of the Chip, but he’d come to at least respect him a bit more. Those two hadn’t tossed him out of an airlock and seemed not to care about who he was other than mild curiosity. It was refreshing in a strange way.

The song came to an end and the two parted to go mingle with other guests as was required. It was what he should be doing too, since his ushering job was done. His eyes fell on the red head, Elizabeth, sitting at the table with her dignitaries. He’d flown for four days with her and resisted an entire month without speaking a word to her at Calysta’s orders. Not so much orders as it was a deadly glare of warning he took as orders, but the point was there. Still there was only so much a man could take.

Straightening his tie, he went over to the table. She gave him a strange look when he approached that almost made him back out, but he extended his hand and gave her a gentle smile. “It’s tradition to dance at weddings and I’d be honored if you would help me keep the tradition going.

****
Sarai offered her hands to the tall, well-built groom and he took them, though his eye tended to wander from her as they danced. “Eager to get back to her,” she chuckled to him without a hint of offense, “Not that I blame you. You two have been through quite a lot together from what I hear. I’m sure you never imagined flying through the galaxy or anything like this happening. Alot more unimaginable things are about to happen I'm sure.”

He nodded along with her as they stepped in time with the music, and when the song was over, she released him with a kiss on each cheek and a word of advice. “The future is always uncertain, but it will be as it is, so live and be happy. Don’t fear. Fair winds to you, General Illya.”

****
Calysta found herself dancing to a slower tune with the stiff shouldered President of the Terran home world and its territories. He was dancing with her more out of curtesy than anything. It was all part of the show. “You look like a proper Kaerelean bride,” he noted in his low baritone over the music.

“Thank you.”

“But you aren’t all Kaerelean,” he continued, “Your father is Terran? Professor Thomas Evan Monroe is you father.”

“That’s right.”

He was making her a little uncomfortable. Like he was looking for her to say something or do something wrong. When would the song be over? “May I ask you a question?” She nodded, trying to keep her pleasant demeanor up.

“When you discovered these people, did you know the rumors about them?”

What was this man looking for her to say? Confirm some sort of belief they were dangerous barbarians? Her smiled faltered a little and she peered at him. “These people are my people. I am member of the Chippeqouti, Mr. President. Not by marriage, but in my own right. No, I didn’t know the rumors, but I formed my own opinion. They are good people when you push aside your assumptions and your rumors.”

The President seemed taken aback. He probably wasn’t used to people talking this way to him, but she didn’t care. She wouldn’t have him here spreading rumors further among the Kaereleans or causing trouble for the Chippeqouti. Whether or not he would take the opinion of a murder suspect was not her problem either.

The song ended and the man let her go with an unreadable expression. “Thank you for the dance and the chat, Mrs. Monroe.”

****
As the night wore on, she watched as the Ewens performed for the guests that weren’t dancing. They brought out ribbons and large swaths of pearly material hung from the rafters of the tent to conduct their famous Water Dancing, a beautiful mix of acrobatics and ballet above the ground. In glittering white outfits, they swung from the fabric with graceful leaps and twirls. Then they offered the cloth to Yvonne at the end. A gift.

The Reylian’s followed up with a demonstration on their knife skills. The Chief used his own wife to show his accuracy, putting her against a wooden target and flicking knives at her while she laughed. Two landed at her arm pits. Another made the crowd jump as it thumped between her thighs, and someone let out a squeal when he sent one sailing at her head. The blade flaked off a bit of the Cryn feather in her hair, but she was otherwise unharmed. With a grin, he raised his brows to his wife and she spread her fingers against the target behind her. A murmur went through the crowd but the Chief ignored them, flicking a knife toward the space between his wife’s fingers. Within a millisecond, she caught the blade between her fingers and sent it back in one smooth motion, imbedding the blade into a pole behind him. “That’s’me wife for ye!” he bellowed with a grin as the crowd clapped. “Anyone else want’t try? A thousand credits ‘t the one who can shave me’ feather!” He dug the knife out of the pole and offered it to the nearest Chip man in his uniform. Maybe the groom would like a chance to win some money.

Calysta spied Markus cornered at the edge of the dance floor with sweat running down his brow, though the sun had gone down long ago. Several of the Kaerelean diplomats, all of them woman had caught him up with smiles and the urge to talk or dance. She knew his grey eyes would attract attention, but she had hope he might get a chance to be left alone.

Gliding over to the group, with her skirts swishing at her ankles, Calysta cleared her throat and spoke in Kaerelean to them. “Ladies, I would be honored if you would help me introduce the Yurian’s they need some volunteers for their blessings.” They wouldn’t refuse to help a sister or brother of the Moon in order to receive a blessing. Many of the continents didn’t practice the religion, but many of the traditions still held true.

Calsysta lead them away from the grey-eyed general, giving him a gentle smile as she retreated back to the tent. He looked relieved and she didn’t blame him in the slightest. The music struck up for the blessing to start and many of the Kaerelean women gathered into a circle to dance as the men leapt in and out of the growing ring with broad grins and drinks in their hands. Many of the Chips were invited to join in the fun by the delegates and some of them took up the offer, even if they didn’t know the steps.

After that, Chief Airman Keyl called them all to attention to give what would be the Kaerelean’s gift to the Chippeqouti people. While the guests had been mingling, they had taxied their offering out into the night. Henaiah stood poised as ever next to the pilot and gestured to a spot in the desert behind her. Lights slowly faded into view, revealing two dozen brand new Kaerelean personal flyers. Many of them were painted to reflect the continents they were gifted from. This was the Kaerelean way and the greatest gift they could offer besides their loyalty. Some would also be sent with Ms. Taggart for her people too.

“These are gifts from the many Kaerelean continents as a gesture of goodwill and friendship. Flight has been in our blood for thousands of years,” Henaiah said, “and now we would like to share that tradition with you.”

****

Calysta searched over the many faces of the guests who had migrated to the tent for more food after the airshow. Snacks were still being passed around and she could see Chips sitting with Kaerleans, as the larger of the two were winning at drinking games. People were laughing and she passed by the Terran president sitting next to a Chip man looking at him with a mixture of fascination and confusion. “A pleasure house for massages, huh?”

After a moment Calysta finally found Illya sitting with a few Chips and Kaereleans with a cup in his hand. He was growing tired, she was sure. He’d been up for nearly 48 hours, with his guarding the night before, at the ceremony all day, and partying all night. He was doing so well and she was proud of him. Sashaying up behind him, she slipped an arm over his shoulder and ducked down, delivering a kiss close to his ear. “Come watch the sunrise with me?”
 
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Now that there was only hosting to be done the Chippequoti were at greater ease. Yvonne and Edgar couldn't hear much of what was said, but they were anxious to know how their guests felt about the demonstration. In the past the Ehaui had reacted quite favorably to the demonstration when they camped near a mutual enemy and destroyed a portion of the forces. It was an effective way to enhance trust, and loyalty. Since Henaiah had accepted the flag they could only hope that it was received with grace and some amount of enthusiasm. Weeks and weeks of planning had gone into this and it had consumed a great deal of time that could have been used for other things. Instead they finished building their houses and spent most of what they had earned to gain the favor of those that they had made an alliance with. So much of their future could depend on this one night.

While the elders watched the party that followed there was a hint of worry. It wouldn't take much for one of their own to become irritated or perhaps one of the delegation to decide that they were barbaric. Perhaps the part that was closest to disaster was the fact that many of the Chips seemed reluctant to dance with anyone besides each other or their agreed. Illya was no exception despite his valiant efforts to carry on through the night. The tiny woman that had her hands all over his chest earlier was now holding his hands and Illya didn't like it. She was staring up at him and all he could think of was her comment from earlier...virile. He would have liked it better if she just kept her thoughts to herself. Green wasn't quite associated with virility to the Chippequoti. It was supposed to be the color of valor.

All the while that they danced she continued to prattle along and Illya would nod occasionally to keep her happy. He hadn't paid too much attention to what she said. The general was rather busy trying to keep track of Kalizda. His beautiful Kalizda woman had been passed from her father to one of the dignitaries and looked like she was going to get passed around again. It was preferable to catch her before long. More than anything Illya wanted to just go home with Kalizda and let her see the new home that he had built. Some of it he was able to get done himself and the rest of it was something he had help with. Still it somewhat counted as his work because he had made the design for it.

Before he got to leave the dance floor the kissing woman leaned close to his ear and began to whisper to him. She knew very little of what she spoke. Perhaps she thought there was nothing to fear, but he knew there was plenty to fear. The Federation was more than just an army. They could be anyone here at this party tonight and they could lead trouble to their doorstep. All the delegates here was like inviting death to the Chippequoti. Not to invite them might have bore deadly consequences if it was determined they had to be moved again or imprisoned. No matter the outcome Illya was not sure that it would be for the better, but he had to pretend it would be. This was supposed to be a party. Illya had barely got loose and he had Henaiah closing the gap. That was one person that he knew he couldn't even pretend to not see. There was no reason not to like the woman, but he was also feeling a little nervous around her. Ultimately this one woman held enough power to make or ruin him if she so desired.

Carefully offering his arm he gave in. The Chippequoti general had braced himself against any of the possible outcomes with Henaiah. Every now and then his sword would bump against his leg and that wasn't so bad, it was the gun holster that was riding on the scar tissue in his leg that was starting to hurt. Wearing the gun like this had it rubbing his leg everytime he moved even though the weapon was strapped firmly to his limb. Illya determined it was the fact that his muscles still moved. Gazing down at the woman briefly he then looked over her head to see where Kalizda was.

Henaiah took Illya's hand and placed a hand lightly up his arm. It was courtesy that she danced with the man, and it appeared he felt the same way. As they stepped through the motions, his eye passed over the crowd looking for his new wife, no doubt. "She's dancing with the President of Terra, I believe," Henaiah commented casually, "You've done well tonight so far. I feel you should know that."

"Ets obvious I look for her eh?" Gradually he turned his gaze back toward the woman that he was dancing with. Somehow he remembered something about the fact that you weren't supposed to be looking for other people when you were dancing, but it was only natural feeling to look for Kalizda. Nodding a little he acknowledged the woman's statement. "Chippequoti are eager to please alliance."

Henaiah gave a small chuckle as his attention meandered back toward her. He was so protective of Calysta. Protective enough to cause mass panic and murder. Given his options and the sudden unveiling of their newest enemy, a small part of her couldn't blame him. "Aye, eager to please," Henaiah mused, "And are you eager to fight?"

The woman seemed to have been easy enough to converse with until she asked if he was eager to fight. Illya stared into her eyes harshly. "I eager when meh people in danger. Ets meh job ta protect dem. Train since I was boy and study war for more den 100 years. War es ugly I know dis already."

Henaiah ignored the harsh look from the Chip. She'd asked because she wanted to know what he would say, even the question wasnt quite fair. "Protect and serve your people. I would expect nothing less from you and do not question your credentials for the task. We both know war is ugly. I just hope we don't make it any uglier than it has to be." Her last words made her voice waiver. Her first mistake of the night. It was hard to think of her own boys entering the front as part of the Kaereleans Alpha fleet.

A momentary wavering in the woman's voice caught Illya's attention and he stared at her for a long moment. "Yah keep war off yah home land and ets tolerable. Onleh soldiers see da fields of dying and dead. Alliance means now meh duty is ta yah people too." Duty didn't always mean that he enjoyed it, but he had a duty and that was it. "Try and keep war away eh? I like ta stay here and make family den travel wit meh Kalizda."

His bright green eyes looked over her face as they turned in time with the music. It may be that only soldiers saw the dead and dying but the ones that lived through the war to remember suffered too. It was relief to hear he would be considering her people as part of that duty and took the alliance seriously. She gave him a gentle smile at the last comment and nodded. "I will try my best. It is not easy but I will try my best for you and your Kalizda."

It seemed the woman understood his position and Illya waltzed with her to the edge of the dance floor. "Yah do yah best and I'll do mine. Ets all we can do eh."

"Aye it's all we can do," she agreed. As he let her go she gave him a nod. She didnt hate the man fo what he did, even if she disagreed. "You have good hands, General." With a small bow, she glided away with her flowing robes to greet the next delegate.

************

Since someone had been throwing knives Illya was just as interested as any other curious man might be. Especially since the woman was laughing. When the Chief turned toward him to offer the knife Illya narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Dis bet?"

"Aye, a thousand credits 't the one who'can shave'me feather." The chieftan grinned back with his long cyrn feather fluttering down his back. He wanted to see more of what the general could do. Speed and power were one thing but accuracy was part of a warriors skill too. They had displayed it in their demonstration and he was eager to join the fun. Holding out the knife to the tan man, he nodded. "Give't a go."

Illya smirked. "All Chippequoti forbidden from making bets eh? I t-think maybe we call dis a challenge instead." Taking the throwing knife from the man's hand he tested its weight and flicked his wrist a few times to flip the knife on end so that he could get a feel for the knife. "What happens ef I lose?" Just seeing the expression on the man's face was enough to make Illya's grin get broader yet. Before there could be any protest he threw the knife with a good amount of force and it split right through the feathers of the hat. The knife sunk into the board behind the feathers almost to the hilt. "Never make bet with Chippequoti eh?"

The chief stepped out from in front of the target groping at his hat as a broad grin grew on his cheeks. "Aye! But I like ye' challenge!" He laughed. Taking off his ruined hat, he pulled out his money from the sleeve of his leather tunic and tossed the credits into his cap. "Ye' thousand credits and me' hat, Reylia would be proud 't stand beside ye Chippeqou'te General."

Since the man wasn't upset about his hat it seemed that all was good. Taking money was still out of the question, but Illya had an idea that could be pleasing for the chief. "Money makes et a bet." Walking past the man he pulled the throwing knife from the board and flipped it a few more times in his hand. "Yah like a trade?" Since it wasn't likely the man knew what he was talking about Illya pulled the knife from the front of his uniform and held it out to the chief. "Keep dis and I keep yah knife." This was at least one delegate that Illya did like and he figured that trading knives could be a friendly gesture.

The chief looked over the large knife in the man's hands and grinned. It was a fine blade and he could have some fun with it. "That'll call'it even," he chuckled, "The blade'ye has a tyrei bone handle. Serve'ye well." Then he picked up the Chips large knife and held it up to the crowd with pride.

Illya had heard about the Tyrei many times and he nodded with a small grin. "I give yah best small blade Chippequoti make." If he remembered correctly this was the fist bump guy and Illya put his fist out in a wild guess. Once he had found a semi smooth way to excuse himself Illya continued on through the party. At one point he ended up sitting with the drinkers. Illya went through one round of a contest. He beat the 2 men that tried to match drinks with him. For each drink both of the men had Illya had to drink one. Since they were already near drunk when they made the contest it wasn't so difficult to win. It was enough to help Illya relax and feel a little better.

In the middle of the moment that he was about to fall asleep there was a loud announcement. It must have startled a few more than himself awake as he noticed several other bleary eyes. Lights spread out over the desert and Illya got to his feet. Many of the Chippequoti had risen and a look of awe came to their faces. Yvonne and Edgar bowed quickly toward Henaiah. "We are grateful for the alliance." Yvonne struggled to maintain her calm. "Your gift to Chippequoti is costly and we consider this gift with pride." Even if she had trained to be fluent in the language with almost no trace of accent she still phrased an occasional sentence awkwardly. The woman was still wrapped in the cloth that had been gifted her. Ultimately the elders could decide to take it if they deemed it important, but Edgar had told her to keep the gift as she had earned it with her work. It seemed that the night had gone much better than she could have anticipated.

Markus still watched from his place though he stepped a little closer to the entrance of the tent. He ignored the nudge of another Chip for the time. The entire tent was filled with silence as the Chippequoti stared out at the gift. Such an exchange was more than they had expected. This meal had been to their impression a way to make amends for a mistake, not just a giant party and exchange of wealth.

*************************

Gradually the party began to fade and the lamps grew dim. Illya sat almost like a stone at one of the tables. His back hurt, leg was sore, and he drank about as much as he would want for the night. More symptoms of tired began to catch up with Illya, his eyes started to get a little bloodshot and they stung as if they were dry. Taking another sip of the tea Illya sighed. He had just a little over an hour to go. The little arm that slipped over his shoulder caught Illya off guard. A tired grin started to creep over his face. "Aye, we watch the sun and den we go home." It would be the first time that she would get to see the house. In a way he was a little excited for her to see the home.

The man swung one leg over the bench and then stood. He almost forgot to move his other leg away from the bench, but he caught himself before he fell over. Chuckling a little he started to walk out the tent with Kalizda's hand in his. Plopping into the sand and rocks next to Kalizda he watched the horizon though he didn't have the energy to really say much.

Occasionally the Chip would look over at Kalizda. Her red dress was beautiful on her and in many ways it felt surreal that they were agreed now. It would probably feel real a couple years down the road when they started to have disagreements. Perhaps shorter time for experiencing those less than harmonious moments. Once the sun poked over the hills and the red began to fade from the sky he got up. "Yah come wit meh now?" Offering a hand he waited for her to take his and then he lifted her little wrist and kissed it. "Most beautiful woman." Despite the stiffness that had begun to settle into his back and leg he leaned over and quickly swept her up. Carrying Kalizda to the house he pushed the cloth aside and carried her to their bedroom.

Inside the room Illya set her down on the bed and then started to pick at all the belts and straps. The gun was the first thing he wanted to get off. A sigh of relief just popped out and he rubbed his leg gently. Once he had the muscles loosened up a little he removed the rest of the weapons and then stripped the rest of his uniform off. Illya carefully hung it all back up and pushed it into the slot it would go in his closet. Typing in a code it whirled into the back and then a small box clothes box closed and locked around it.

Flopping on the bed he sighed. "I help yah if you need it." So far it looked like she was doing ok except for the last few eyes in the lace of the dress. Fumbling with his big fingers he let the eyelets loose and then laid down. "We get 4 hours and den we get up again. Well wishers come. I tink maybe we sleep now and make love later." It was just custom that the couple would only spend a few hours sleeping before they got up to meet the day. He was almost asleep already when Kalizda crawled onto the bed next to him. With the entire night passed it was cool in the stone house. Illya pulled the covers over Kalizda and he rested one arm over her waist to pull her a little closer to himself.

During the few hours of sleep they got Illya woke up once or twice to muscles spasms in his leg and back. It wasn't surprising considering the fact that he had just spent so many hours being up and he'd been having spasms since he started to train for war again. Sitting up in the bed he rubbed at his leg and then laid down again. Murmuring a little he moved a little closer to Kalizda again. Suddenly a loud voice sounded outside the house and Illya sat up in the bed so fast he almost felt dizzy. Gently nudging Kalizda he started to pull the blankets back. "Yah need to get up. We go to bath house and pleasure house den start our day eh."

Since it wouldn't take him as long to find his things he took a little extra time to help Kalizda find her things that had been gradually moved into the house. "Yah re-arrange the house however yah like." Pointing to the drawer to her left he gave her a little direction for the socks she was probably looking for. "Over dere."
 
Calysta sat next to Illya and watched the sun come up, starting in bright reds and pinks on the edge of the world. It was quiet which was a nice change from the long and loud night they had both just trapeezed their way through. This was th most time she had spent by Illya all night. Every now and then she stole glances at him. His bright eyes shone in the sunlight and his dark curls caught is some of the cool morning breeze. He was handsome, and wonderful. Now he was hers and she was his too. She sat smiling at the sunrise until he stood and offered her his hand. He didn't even have to ask if she would come with him. Of course she would. Taking his hand, he pulled her up to her feet and then kissed her wrist, calling her most beautiful woman. She hoped he would always think so. Suddenly, he scooped her up into his arms. "Illya," she giggled as he started walking. His steps were a little uneven with a stiff gate toward the right side, and she almost told him she could walk. He didn't have to carry her, but maybe this was another tradition she didnt know about.

At first she didnt know where they were going and then, sitting on the cliff side, she saw it. The warm, morning sun greeted the front door of a beautiful stone house set out carefully on the shady side of the hill top. Illya took her up the gravelly walkway and carried her into the house. There was a sitting room with a fire place, a large kitchen and herbs set up in troughs mounted on the wall. He'd promised to make them inside for her and he had. There were soft lamps for light in the evenings and beautiful decorations in the craftsmenship alone. She wished she had more time to help them build, but evening had gone up so fast over the month.
"It's more amazing than I could imagine," she said from his arms, "And it's ours." The word sounded strange. Ours. It would take some time to get used to that, but it left her feeling a bit giddy to think that she could say it now.

Illya didnt just stop at the living room, he carried her all the way to their bedroom where he sat her down gently on a Chip sized bed for two. He seemed relieved to be able to start taking of his uniform. It was probably making him ache by now with all the gear. She felt like she should help him but he stripped down fast and hung up his uniform before she could even finagle her way out of her dress. He helped her undo the eyelet and finally released her from the red gown. "Four hours is not alot, but we've dealt with less," she chuckled as she slipped the dress down, and started plucking the gems from her hair. Sleeping or doing anything else with those still it wouldn't be pleasant. She popped off her shoes, hung up the dress, and put the handful of glittering gems in her small wooden jewelry box that had been moved in with a few of her things.

By the time she did all of that, Illya was stretched out on the bed with his eyes closed, half asleep. She gazed at him for just a minute before padding over to the bed and crawling in next to him. There was a bit of relief in knowing he wanted to sleep right now rather than 'make love' as he mildly put it. He was tired and so was she and in those moments she wanted to be able to give him her full attention.

As soon as she laid down, his rough hand wrapped around her waist over the scar from the glass cut, and pulled her close. She didn't hesitate to tuck into his arm this time. Without the dress or much else on it was cold in the desert morning and he was warm. He seemed to know she was cold because he tugged the blanket over them both. Closing her eyes, the last thing she thought of was how just a little under a year ago he'd trapped her almost like this and she'd wanted nothing more than to run. Now the only place she felt like being right now was in his arms of her own accord. The thought made her chuckle and smile sleepily as she let a hand rest on his side and drifted off.

At some point in the night, Calysta felt him shift and sit up, murmuring. The sudden loss of warmth made her lip curl into a pout and her hands chased him a little, only to have them find the warm, empty spot in the sheets where his back had been. "Somethin'wrong?" The words came out thick mumble that he didn't hear. Far before she was ready, he was nudging her gently, urging her to get up. Well wishers were waiting.

Calysta crawled out of bed groggily, nodding as he spoke about baths and pleasure houses while searching for her clothes. Having no idea where anything had been put away made dressing a challenge. She had been given a light pink and pearl dress tunic by the Yurians and it was expected to wear it after the wedding for good luck and blessings. It wasn't really a color she preferred, but it would be an insult not to. The pink was easy enough to find in the closet but her tall black boots were missing and she had no socks. Rummaging through the bottom of the closet she found the knee high boots and was relieved when Illya told her wear the socks were.

"I might rearrange a few things," she admitted as she dove her hands into the sock drawer, "But the house is...amazing, Illya." She'd said it twice, but she wanted him to know she loved it.

Snagging up a pair of socks, she hopped over to her tall Chip and kissed him on the cheek, before sitting on the bed to finish dressing. Unfolding the socks she found they were far too big. Illya's socks. She had grabbed a pair of his rather than hers on accident.

****

The voices she had heard out side the door were a few Chips, they spoke a good morning in Qouti and she nodded along with their congratulations and well wishes. She was still shaking off the dregs of sleep to focus on the words too much. They went to the bathhouse and she took a little extra time, mostly because she wanted to smell minty and she knew as soon as she stepped outside there were more people to greet and more salacious winks from Sarai to endure.

At the pleasure house she saw the Terran president, laying back on a bed looking a bit overwhelmed as a Chip worked on his shoulders. He seemed uncomfortable all around, but managed to give her a small nod. His eyes followed her in a way that still gave her the creeps. Like he was still waiting for her to make one false move. The look he gave Illya behind her was even stranger, but her Chip didn't seem to notice.

Returning the gesture, she kept moving and went about her massage. The woman working on her recently freed hand, was gentle with the muscles, trying to work out more of stiffness. Every now and then she could hear Illya on the table across from her let out a deep breath. When he did, she would glance up to see his masseuse's hands working into his back or right leg. He would probably have pain there for a long time after until the scar tissue faded like his last injury.

****

The oatmeal looked good. At least good enough for a mild breakfast. It was important that he look as if he had been enjoying the festivities as much as the next person and that included looking a bit hung over the next day. Straightening his suit jacket, he poured himself a bowl and the scanned the area, hoping to see someone. Even out of uniform and among his people, who all looked the same to him, the Chippeqouti man was distinguishable in the crowd as a familiar face. Smoothing out his mustache, he walked up and took a casual seat next to General Illya with his plate. He had thought the festivities were over but it seemed he was expected to eat breakfast and visit more. He'd already gone to the so called pleasure house and found it refreshing, but there were things he wanted to ask. Luckily, he didn't see the man's new bride in sight, so he picked up his fork and gave Illya a nod as he tucked into a bit of what looked like oatmeal. "That was some display last night, General," he said.

Of course there wasn't going to be much rest with only an additional 180 guests. There were the 90 delegates and then their second person along with Elizabeth and her group. It was closer to 200 people and Illya like most mornings after a celebration ate in the common tent with everyone. He wasn't in uniform and he hoped it made him look like every other Chip to the foreigners. Instead he wasn't so fortunate. The man next to him started talking about the performance and Illya nodded. "Yep."

"Interesting to think that you would have done a real battle that way instead," he continued, ignoring the short answer. "You took all of those men down on the field without killing a single one. Made it look easy."

Within only a few seconds the man made it obvious that he was trying to get at something and Illya figured he was off the hook for being exceptionally nice. Looking at the man he sighed. "What are yah getting at? Jes ask meh a straight question." There was no way Illya wanted to even guess what the man was asking, because it could put him in a bad place if he answered wrong and spilled more information than he intended.

The man smirked a little at the General and he put down his spoon. "Eh, its just something I noticed. Though I think its much easier to kill the enemy than to take the time to so all of that work trying to neutralize them momentarily. Then you wouldn't have to worry about the same soldier coming back to hurt someone else, right?"

As angry as it made Illya to have the man push for some kind of response he figured that there must have been a desire to hear something that would make the Chippequoti sound savage. "Dat's one way of looking at et." Shoving another bite of food into his mouth he glanced around the room. It seemed that none of his kind were getting any kind of relief. Illya wished they would just leave him alone and the others then he could have a quiet breakfast. "Why yah so anxious to kill?"

The man picked up his spoon again and stirred up his oatmeal before taking bite. He hummed some at the sweet cinnamon taste. It was a shame they were such good cooks. "To prevent history from repeating itself. And who wouldn't to protect what they care about? I certainly would."

Somehow the man was just giving some bad vibes and Illya stuck with his gut instinct to just steer clear of the man as much as possible. "Now I know how yah feel. Et might come in handy one day. Eh?" A broad smile came to his face and he met the man's gaze. Somehow he doubted that was what the man expected to hear, but it was what made it so satisfying to say.

The man raised a brow at Illya. The words even toned but it was the grin that made him irritating more so than his kind already were. "It might." A small woman appeared behind the general, carrying a plate of food. She looked even smaller and skinnier without the poofy dress on. Still he worked up a smile and nodded. "Congratulations to you both, I should probably let you eat in peace. " Without waiting for further questions he swept up his bowl and was leaving the table.

It was a pleasant relief to know that Kalizda had come. Illya knew it was because he saw the man fighting to put on a smile too. People were so strange that way. If they weren't happy they shouldn't pretend to be. "We appreciate da wish." Personally Illya wanted to add that he was pleased to eat in peace, but that was probably too much after this talk.

Calysta sat down next to Illya with a bigger plate of food than she normally made. With little dinner the night before and only four hours of sleep she needed all the energy she could get. In fact it was probably her left over fatigue that had kept her from recalling the man's name. "Which one was that?" she yawned a little as she lifted her spoon.

"I don't know." Illya shrugged and then he started to chuckle. "Why would yah ask meh? Looks like a Terran." That would tell her exactly what he thought without having to say it out loud while he was sitting here.

Illya calling someone a Terran was near the equivalent of a curse now. A thought that would take a long time to fade now. "Fair point" she teased back with a smile, "I thought he might have introduced himself again. Most would, Terran or not." She thought she had memorized most of the guest list, at that point, but he hadn't even looked familiar. Before she could say anything more, her father was hobbling over to eat breakfast with them.

His eyes bounced between her and Illya for a moment as he sat down and he nodded, giving a casual good morning. "Morning dad."

"Henaiah and I were talking late-night after a dance or two and we think Kiya's trial will start within the next month or so we should be able to patch you in- what?"

Calsyta blinked at her dad in surprise. She had expected news on the trial but hearing he had spent non-work related time with Henaiah seemed almost more noteworthy. They had been working a lot together over the last six months and she had suspected a sort of rekindling, but this was the most forward thing he said on the subject.

"Oh nothing, dad. That's good news."

****

The day was filled with people stopping by to talk or chat. Calysta sat with Sarai of the Urian delegation for a long while, trying to keep her from getting to close to Illya who kept inching further and further away from the bench. She invited them to come to her house and meet her children sometime, and she nodded along promising to do so. "Unfortunately, we must be going. I've a fair few things I must review on Uria to make sure things are ready." The woman took her by the ears and kissed each of cheeks, then took up her hands. A small packet slipped from her fingers into Calysta's and the delegate winked. "Fair winds to you, love. I look forward to seeing you in the skies." Sarai did the same for Illya, kissing him on each tan cheek and smoothing down his hair a bit too lovingly, before departing on the arm her 5th husband. Calysta glanced down to the packet in palm to see flowery oil used for smelling good, particularly to men. She quickly stuffed the packet into her pearly belt before anyone saw and silently vowed to leave it there.

Chief Tikan and his cheerful wife came to the flight yard after Calysta was requested to come show some of the Chippeqouti how the personal flyers worked. He walked right up to Illya, and clapped his fist across his chest before bumping it against the Chip's with a wide grin. His feathered cap was somewhat droopy, with the long plume split down the middle in two awkward yellow tails. Someone had met the warriors bet last night and she was positive it had been Illya. The Chief nodded, in approval and they spoke of knives and swords for a good moment. "If ye' ever in need of Reylian steel or arms, ye' let me know. Ye always welcome 't come visit. Fair winds to ye'- he nodded to Illya and then turned to Calysta-"And to ye too."

When he was gone, she looked up to Illya and have him a knowing smile. "Thought the Chips were not supposed to bet this weekend?"

****

Delegates trickled out of the settlement and the shipyard slowly began to empty as the hungover pilots and diplomats alike returned to Kaereal, no doubt with a new perspective on their allies. The Terran President was the last to greet them in the evening, having spent more time on the planet than anybody. The tall, bald man walked up Illya, with his entourage behind him, and put out his hand shaking the Chips with a firm jaw. "If you ever decide to come back to Terra. Maybe you should try the nicer sights. We really aren't known for the beauty of our jails." It was hard to tell if the comment was a joke or not, but he let go of Illya and shook Calysta's hand too, still keeping his hand stronger than it needed to be. "And for you Mrs. Monroe, I hope that you find what you've been looking for."

She looked back at the President, meeting his gaze with her grey eyes. "Aye. Thank you, Mr. President."

****
Ayrn came by their house later in the evening with his eye wide and a haphazardly wrapped package in his hand. He greeted Calysta with a big grin and a tight hug before clapping Illya on the shoulders. "Gotta say man, you did alright. The house came out great. Looks nice and so does the new wife. Pink is a good color on you, Calysta."

Calysta rolled her eyes a bit, but smiled. It was hard to think Ayrn was one of the more normal interactions they'd had today. Inviting the man into the living room, she held up a cup of tea for him. He wasn't shy about coming in and making himself at home, as he sat the package down on the table and plopped into a chair with the tea in hand. "The party went off without a hitch I thought. I was impressed anyways. Kind of glad the diplomats are going though, they were a lot of work."

She couldn't help but silently agree with them as he sipped the tea. Illya settled into a chair across from him and seemed to be half glad it was only Aryn and half wishing the man would go. It would probably be a good idea to remind Ayrn why he was there before the man got too comfortable and thought their couch looked like a pleasant place to crash out. "Ayrn, what's in the package?"

"Forgot about that! Yeah, I know Chips are kind of funny about gifts, but I made that in the blacksmith shop for you guys. You can open it. "

She gave Illya an uncertain look. There was no telling what was going to be inside this box and she was hoping it wasn't something wild. She'd have enough extravagance for one week. The box was heavy as she slid it from the table to her lap, making her apprehension grow. Untying the twine, the box popped open and she pulled out a tin tea kettle with a pretty star design burned into the sides. "Oh."

"A tea kettle, you know for all that herbal stuff you two drink."

The gift was surprisingly nice and well crafted, but she tried to cover her shock with a kind smile. "This is really pretty, Ayrn. Thank you."

Ayrn chuckled and sat forward a bit with a wide grin. He was rather proud of his work this time. "Glad you like it, a little wedding present. This guy came by the shop, some fancy diplomat with a mustache, asking if he could buy it, but I told him no. It was just for you two. He was pretty curious to know if I knew you either of you. A bit nosey, but I know what it's like to have someone picking at you for gossip, so I just shrugged him off. Anyways, if you don't want to accept without giving something back, a steak dinner would call it even."

****

It took awhile before Ayrn to meander his way out of the door. He seemed reluctant to leave, but finally saw that they were both a bit tired from the company. "I gotta go to the shop early tomorrow," he announced proudly, "I was thinking of making something for the pretty red-...I mean...Miss. Taggart to take back home with her." Then he scampered down the gravelly hill toward the main part of the settlement with a skip in his step.

Things had grown quiet and Calsyta went about rearranging some of her things. She kept finding things on shelves that were put to high for her to reach. At Chip height rather than normal height. Several times Illya had to come and pull items down for her.

Her books and files had been put on the top shelf of the study and she had to use the little bears cage underneath to reach what she wanted. The bear, which had grown some, would be in need of a new spot soon and was finally trained up enough for her to let loose in the house with out it climbing up Illya's leg or Keysha wanting to pounce on it. Stepping up onto the cage, she reached for a book when an idea came to her.

"Illya!"

She heard the bootfalls coming down the hallway at her call and the Chip walked into the room, and smirked a little as he saw her standing on the bear cage. "Can you grab those?"

Calysta waited until he came close and reached up to slip a hand on his shoulder and kiss him without reservation. Her hand tugged at his curls lightly, encouraging him to go further. It was like he was air and she needed oxygen desperately. Breaking the kiss after a long moment, she looked at him with a wanting gaze. "You said, later," she chuckled breathlessly, "I think it's later." They had been more than patient and now their time was for them. She intended on making the most of it.

****

Kiya sat across from the Council woman with a stern gaze, but it had little effect. She seemed perfectly poised still in her out fit.

"You look thin Miss. Reynalta," the woman said evenly, "I hear you are not eating "

Kiya didn't respond, except to turn her head to the side and cross her arms. Henaiah didn't loose her patience, she simply place a hologram coin on the table next to a half formed charm. "There are records of you going into the hospital where Wynt Carrington was recovering from what seems to be poison. Would you mind telling me why you entered his room dressed as your daughter and killed him?"

"I'm not saying a thing t'ye."

Henaiah opened up an image on the hologram coin to show a video stream of Kiya in her white coat standing in an hospital room. A man in a prim suit sporting a bristled mustache was there talking to her. Kiya shook her head adamantly on the screen and held up her hand but the man replied and she went silent. He shoved a bag into her hands and then left.

"Maybe you'd like to tell me who this is? This was recorded a year ago."

Kiya glared at Henaiah "Ye' think ye'know everything. I tell ye' cant hide from what's coming. I tried and now I'll be dead soon."

Henaiah pressed for more information but the woman refused and her available time was ending. She would work on researching who this man was and speak with Illya and Calsyta to tell them what little she knew. Either way, a trial would probably find Kiya guilty.
 
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Illya liked using the sage and some of the more masculine smelling scents. Washing up with his favorite mixture he wandered back to the men's side of the bath house and got dressed. Since he and Kalizda were now agreed it was best to wait for her and then go to the pleasure house. She would probably wait for him if she was done first anyway. It sounded like she was the only girl on the women's side and so he decided to chance a peek. Normally he wouldn't think of looking, but it was only him and Kalizda. Everyone else had gone to bed earlier and everyone else was up earlier and bathed already. Now that he thought about it he felt bad for all the men that had to bathe in front of the kisser woman. She was horrifying in her own way. On most days he wouldn't care who saw him naked, but that woman looked at him like she wanted under his clothes and that was an uncomfortable feeling when you didn't have anything on.

Just as the general started to peer around the corner he saw that Kalizda was turning toward him and he quickly looked forward again. He wasn't supposed to watch in the bath house. It was just a given rule that everyone followed though he wasn't so sure that the men did. Every now and then they would steal a look at the other side. Who didn't? Since there was a little more water splashing Illya decided to give it one more try and this time her back was to him. Kalizda's smooth pale skin was more tempting than ever. He never recalled seeing that much of her skin before.

Turning around again he tried to remind himself that they would get to that part later. If he could make it this long without peeping on purpose then he should be able to let her bathe in peace. Illya had to work at keeping his back toward the women's part of the bath house until he heard her say that she was ready. "Alright now to massage eh?" That was one thing that he was looking forward to. His back was needing a little work and so was the leg. With those two things fixed up he expected that he might feel a little more active when the time came. Besides a little leg and back pain never stopped him. If it wasn't enough to stop him when he was with Isla then it certainly wasn't close enough to stop him now.

All those semi steamy thoughts were put to rest as soon as the massage started at the pleasure house. It felt more like a torture house today. Illya hadn't anticipated the first bit of pressure applied to his back to feel so miserable. With a grunt he buried his head deeper into the cushions. "Breathe general." The man let some of the pressure up on the back and waited for the muscles to loosen and Illya to breathe again. "Now just remember to breathe more often. Yah need to come back tomorrow and then two times a day for a week after that eh?" Illya just grunted as the man pressed into his back again. Eventually he moved from the back to the leg and this time Illya just kept his head down and let out a lot of big breaths. The session seemed long enough and he wasn't quite back to himself by the end of it, but he was as close as he was going to get for now. He still had his beautiful Kalizda to catch up with and go get some breakfast with.

When they arrived at the tent Illya got in line and Kalizda must have decided to go check on something else first because she didn't come back to the table with her food until after Illya had already had a semi unpleasant conversation with one of the delegates.

As it could have been expected there were well wishers waiting outside the house. Some of them came with little stones. On the stones were carved rune symbols for prosperity, health, beauty, fertility, and various other Chippequoti blessings. Each stone was handed to them both and Illya would hold them and then place Kalizda's hand over his that held the stone and they would nod to the giver and then he would toss it into a growing rock pile. A little rock pile that was not to be disturbed. Taking a Chip's blessing would bring curses that were laid on the stones by the owner. It was a powerful magic and many of them believed in it. Illya knew that he would have to perform the custom before nightfall and that was all that was needed to ensure that he had done everything he could to gain the favor of the gods and their protection.

Naturally Illya couldn't have avoided the kisser. She came to the house and sat very close to him. A few times he could have sworn she was reaching for his leg when she would scoot over. Touching the thigh was very sexual and he didn't like that idea. As the visit progressed he scooted until only half his butt was on the bench. Finally he came to the part he couldn't say no to and she kissed him on each cheek while stroking his hair. Adding the stroke to his hair was enough that as soon as he could politely pull away he did.

When the Chips had finished their little custom and others had made their personal visit some of the delegates requested that Kalizda come and help get the Chippequoti familiar with the fliers. They were not like the war ships that the Ehaui made and therefore entirely different than what the Chips were used to flying. While she was busy doing her work and being a good teacher Illya went about making trouble. Crawling into the backseat of one he nearly got himself stuck and chuckled like a school boy when one of the other men decided to get in a flier to. He hadn't noticed that Illya was almost stuck and he was a little taller. With a little effort Illya got himself out and then went and stood next to the other flier to watch the other Chip struggle in the backseat. "Shhh yah jes sit still. We pry yah out with a bar and belt later when delegates leave." Speaking in Quoti he made sure none of the others would hear what he said and he busted out laughing when Kalizda came to show the man all the controls. It wasn't like he really wanted to know, but he was stuck for the time.

Illya waited till the delegates were done proudly showing off their machines. One of them stopped nearby and Illya grinned broadly. "He likes et. Wants ta jes sit here for a while longer." Since women were slightly shorter and smaller they would likely become the copilots in the fliers. The last personal visitor of the delegates was someone that Illya liked much better. Tikan was a good man and he was a little more than tolerable. It appeared that the chief was on his way home and simply stopped at the fields to catch them. Perhaps he had tried to visit their house first. Illya would have wanted to invite the man inside for tea, but there was not time for that now. Instead he grinned and put his fist over his chest and did a fist bump. "Aye, yah look for meh in years time eh?" Illya was pretty sure that Kalizda would like to visit them when they were able to fly again. "If war doesn't start before den eh?" Before the man left Illya pointed to the knife that he had traded with Tikan. "Chief, dat knife will get yah favor with Chippequoti. Dey respect symbols on et and yah come see meh too. I register et in archive and yah welcome anywhere Chip are."

As soon as the chief was out of sight Illya heard a little whisper from Kalizda. "I didn't bet. Eh...I trade. He take meh knife and I take his." Flashing her a toothy grin he hoped that it passed for a simple exchange rather than a bet.

They barely arrived back to the house and it was nearing dusk when Ayrn arrived. He was full of bad timing, bad news, and bad manners. However, this time Illya was pleasantly surprised. He still somewhat wanted the man to go, but he found that he had a certain respect that was starting to grow. Ayrn knew how to keep his mouth shut and that just might be what he needed for the future. Ayrn was going to get a very serious talk later on.

**************************************

Elizabeth was preparing to pack the last of her things. She had everything that she needed now and it was a success. Far more than what she had originally thought they may get out of the deal. A little frown came to her face when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

Ayrn heard the call to come in and opened the door slowly, poking his head into the crack and looking around before his eye landed on Elizabeth's curvy frame. When he saw her, a a little smile formed and he opened the door all the way, keeping his hands behind his back. " Hi, I was hoping to see you before you left. I didnt come at a bad time?"

Since it seemed he had managed to stay in favor with the alliance that she'd just made friends with the woman figured it was best to be polite. "As convenient as it may be when I'm preparing to leave." Elizabeth rewarded Ayrn with a slim and cool smile. "What is it that you needed?"

She had an edge to her that both intimidated him and he found attractive at the same time. Rocking a slightly on his heels and grinned a little wider at her. "I needed to tell you I enjoyed dancing with you and say goodbye. I wanted to give you this." Pulling his hand from behind his back, he revealed a small little knife. The blacksmith had taught him a few things and it was his first attempt at it. It was fairly out of balance and too thin in the middle but maybe she could use it nonetheless. "I started making it the other day and thought you might could use it on the road home."

It would have been horrible to laugh at the crude workmanship, but the little knife was horribly made. A half amused grin came to her face and she set it gently her robe aside in her bag. "Ayrn Yarborough I think that should I be in danger that it would better serve me to use a gun." The woman chuckled gently and nodded to the door. "I think it would better suit me if we spoke out in the corridor." She rather preferred not to be caught in the room with him and have some think that she was putting out where it would not be the case at all.

Ayrn retracted his hand, trying to hide his disappointment at her obvious amusement over the weapon. "Aye. A gun probably would be," he said, obeying her request to talk in the hallway. He shuffled into the corridor, keeping up his smile. "But you never know when a knife might come in handy."

It was a relief that the man wasn't trying to get his hands on her today. Walking through the hall she glanced occasionally to the guards that walked behind them. "A knife could come in handy though I think that your gift to me would do significant damage I'm not well trained to use such a weapon."

She was a tough one for sure. Just as tough as Calsyta but at least she seemed immune to Illya's charm when he was around, whether or not the Chip meant to use it. That gave him a chance at least. He gave a small chuckle and tapped his leather eyepatch with the tip of the blade. "Neither was I at one point. Had to practice. Maybe you should pick it up, especially with all the talk of war. "

Chuckling a little she noted the eye patch. "So that's what happened. Here I thought you wore it to impress the girls." Prodding a little more with her joke she continued. "Maybe you're still not as good as you would cause me to believe. If I take up knives I will be sure to seek the instruction of a well practiced military man and I will obtain a weapon he sees fit for battle."

"Heh. 'Fraid not," he replied with a wry smile, "I'm actually not too bad. My only real mistake was losing the knife to the guy chasing me." It was becoming obvious she didn't like the blade and the comment about the military man was a bit of a let down, but he could try to work around that. "Aye. A military man might be better, and would show you the right weapon to use, might be one I make one day. It'd be good to own an early work, as odd as it is, eh?"

The man's pride was overwhelmingly funny and Elizabeth was finding it difficult to conceal her mirth. "An early work of a master dagger maker?" Chuckling again she turned back to walk the other way in the corridor. "Ayrn I believe that you have some ability, but it is a rare dedication that makes for master craftsmen. It is a skill that you will have to devote your life to." Somehow she didn't quite get that image of him in her mind. "Are you sure that you could stay put in one place long enough? I thought you liked to travel with your friends."

It was a point he hadn't really thought of. He thought with a little practice he could be making all sorts of things in no time and could go off with the others when he felt like it. Calysta and Illya had a whole year stuck on this Nuen and with war coming he felt like this was the safest place with all the Chips. They were big and more than sufficient to keep things safe. Their demonstration had shown that. "I do like to travel," he said, "And I like making stuff too. Just a well- rounded guy."

Nodding carefully she stopped outside her door. "Sounds like you will be a roamer all of your days then." Elizabeth gently pushed the door open. "Perhaps you will find a woman that will want to roam. I am dedicated to my land and I will stay there for years to come."

He watched as she stepped out side the door and left him standing with the awkward little knife and a bit of a surprised look. She was dedicated to her land and seemed proud and confident in the fact. What was he dedicated to? He couldn't think of much other than food, women and the occasional friend. Were those things so bad? He didn't think so. He had never been one for grand pursuits of politics or power, or really even money other than enough to live and roam. It sounded like she almost had a disapproval for his travel and he didn't quite get it. Maybe it's because he'd never found something to dedicate to other than himself. Slipping his wobbly knife into his pocket, he adjusted his eye patch and called out to Elizabeth as she walked out into the sun. "Your land is pretty lucky to have you dedicated to it." Then he gave her a nod and stalked back toward the shop feeling deflated.

****************************************************************

Now that they were home and there were no more visitors Illya stood outside and tossed little hands full of dirt at the rocks. Mumbling in Quoti he cursed the thief and tossed more sand as he made his plea to the gods to hear his prayers. Surely the gods of the Chippequoti would protect them here. Tomorrow he needed to get a talisman from Belen. After all these foreigners it was surely dangerous. Everyone knew where they were and his planet was not at risk. It was from the beginning, but he felt a sense of danger and unease.

Rising from his place on the ground Illya carefully brushed at the marks where he had planted his knees and then marched back up to the house. Just as he stepped inside he heard Kalizda call him and he walked into the room where he heard her at. "Up dere eh?" Reaching for the shelf he felt her suddenly pull him closer. It was best that he had sturdy shelves because he had to tighten his grip on the shelf so he didn't fall right on top of her. Kalizda had managed to set him almost off balance had it not been for the shelf. Wrapping his other arm around her he pulled her back toward himself. When they released the kiss he grinned slightly. "I agree." Pulling off the bear cage he kissed her again and then set her down so that they could walk to the bedroom together. Besides it was more fun to stop her every now and then to kiss on their way. Pieces of clothing littered the hallway and it seemed to get more frequent that they stopped until Illya noticed they were not at the bedroom and nearly without clothing. "We betta make an effort to get to da bedroom eh?" Between kisses he made the suggestion and then leaned in to kiss her again.

************************************

Illya woke part way through the night to severe muscle spasms in his leg. Rolling away from Kalizda he sat up and tried to rub the ache out of it. Instead it seemed to get worse. Fumbling with the night stand he pulled out a small lozenge and put it under his tongue. Most of the time it helped to relieve the more severe symptoms. Holding Kalizda again he went back to sleep. The next morning he sat up and stared out the window. He had to have only slept a few hours, but he was wide awake. Kalizda was obviously still tired so he set about to cleaning up the clothing that they left in a trail starting from the study.

The next order of the day was to catch some fresh meat and put a snake in the meat drawer. They could always lop its head off later. Just to ensure that it would be very fresh and then he would help her cook it if she wanted. For the first week he was going to get some time off with her and he wanted to take care of just a few things today and then he planned on taking her exploring the desert. Maybe with one of the fliers they could see more and she could come back to their home with him at night instead of wandering the desert on foot.

Thankfully they were near a prime spot for snakes and Illya could see that there was a small hole nearby. More than likely it belonged to snake. Waiting nearby he watched the hole and sighed with satisfaction. It had lots of little snakes too. So lucky, they could eat fresh snake and it would come to the roof of their house almost daily. Little snakes made a good delicacy, but he wanted them to grow up and then they could have more.

Crawling up the side of the house Illya crouched ready to spring for the snake when it would lay flat and relax. Suddenly reaching out and catching the snake by its tail he flung it wildly till it hit its head and it momentarily got stunned. Changing hands he grabbed the snake behind the head and peered into its mouth. With one knife he removed the poison sacks and then took the now safe snake down into the house and shoved it into a drawer. At first the creature hissed and thrashed around until it started to grow cold and slowed down again. The drawer would keep it nice and cool, mild and then it would be a good tasting snake when they ate it.

Once he had secured a good meal for their afternoon and dinner he went to Belen to get a little talisman for himself and Kalizda. "Belen I get dem fo free eh? I bring yah good luck wit dah woman."

The older woman shook her head. "Yah bring trouble dats what yah do." Grumbling a little she grabbed two talismans and put them on leather strings to hang about their necks. "Yah take one to yah Kalizda too?"

Illya nodded and stuffed the extra one in his pocket. He would take it to Kalizda later. "I see yah later." Heading straight from there to the tent he found Ayrn still sleeping and decided to talk with the man anyway. It was a good time to be up. Already the general had been up several hours and he was up before most Chips, but he had energy to use. "Ayrn I need yah to wake up." When the man sat up a little dazed and hair everywhere Illya grinned. "I tink of verah good job for yah eh? Yah already natural at et."

Ayrn blinked at the man, trying to focus his one good eye on the blurry shadow in front of him. It sounded like Illya but it was still dark out. Wiping the dried spit from the corner of his mouth he gave the man a confused look. "Humnh? Job? What job? What time is it?"

"Eh....6am. I been up fo 3 hours now. Yah need to move. How about yah learn ta be meh eyes and ears. Chippequoti pay yah well. Yah know how ta keep yah mouth shut, move around easy and yah get places without question."

His brain halted around the words '6am' and he groaned a little as Illya kept talking. So early! "Eyes..I only got one and the Chippeqouti want it?" Then the other words fell into place in his mind and he equated them a little more awake. "You want me to be a spy?"

"Ugh..." Illya shook his head. "Yah verah slow. I want yah ta tink wit yah head. Not what yah would call yahself in public is et? Yes, yah spy for meh, but yah just Ayrn and yah travel and enjoy women same as eveh. Now yah gather information and I tell yah where yah go and yah jes tell meh if yah find what I looking for eh?"

The man was far too lucid for 6am but what he was asking didnt sound too bad. He'd get to travel a more. "I could do that, I think. If it's just info you want. Might be a bit more for the more dangerous spots but other than that, sounds good."

"Good." Illya tapped Ayrn on the shoulder. "I send yah ta find out what happen with Kikta. That yah first job and I know ef I want yah to do more work for meh. Yah go whenever yah want...." Watching the man start to get lazy again he sighed. "Now. Transport leaves soon." Illya knew he would hear about this soon enough, but he wanted to know if Ayrn could get the information back to him sooner and if it would be accurate. If he could pass this test then the man would prove to be invaluable in the coming war and Illya would pay him almost anything that he asked.

*******************************************************

The morning was well on its way and Illya decided it was time to go back and check on Kalizda. When he stepped into the house he grinned a little. She must have still been asleep because it was quiet. Dropping a little food into the cage for the bear he then fed the cat and checked to make sure that Emmit hadn't left any little offerings. Once in a while the dog would kill something that it didn't need to eat and it would try to leave an offering of food near the bed. Illya hadn't found any offerings lately and he suspected that the cat probably ate them if Emmit didn't watch carefully.

Everything was pretty much done for the day except cooking some snake stew. "Kalizda?" Checking in the bedroom he was a little surprised to see that she wasn't in the bedroom at all. Maybe she went to the bath house? There was only one place left to check and that was the kitchen. Maybe she was ambitious and got up, went to the bath house and then decided to cook. If she went to the bath house they would have just missed because he just got back from there and his hair was almost dry. Stepping around the corner into the hallway he called again. "Kalizda?"
 
Tikan had inspected the knife thoroughly after the trade and found it to indeed be of high quality, though he hadn’t understood what the runes meant. Like the warriors of his continent, perhaps they were designs toward off death and ensure victory over the enemy. As the tall General explained the knife’s hidden value as a vote of confidence with the Chippeqouti people, the burly Chief grinned and nodded. “A year’s time it’is, General, if not sooner.”

When he walked away, he heard the whisper from the man’s new wife and grinned. She was a sharp little thing and had his number on the betting. Hearing the General’s response and the light, whispering laugh that followed said something very important about them. Neither of them were so tightly wound they couldn’t let the minor things go. They would need that sort of attitude in the wars to come. Save the battles for when they really needed to be fought.

Wrapping a thick hand around his wife’s waist, he tugged her close and kissed her cheek. He loved weddings as much as wrestling tournaments. Fighting was all the easier to deal with in any capacity when you had something worth fighting for.

****

Calysta laid curled up next to Illya in a half asleep afterglow of contentment. They had kissed and teased each other all the way to the bedroom, leaving their clothes wherever they happened to land. Then enjoyed each other for quite a while before giving in to just laying with each other. The Chip had worn her out, but he still had energy to spare which was a wonder. Every now and then her hand would slip up his chest to his jaw and she would draw him close for another, slower kiss. The rest of her was calling for sleep, but she kept looking him over with his tan skin and smile just at the corner of his lips. How had she managed to find him? Fate? Blind luck? Either way it didn’t matter. They were together and that’s what mattered. Eventually, her eyes began to droop and she laid her head on his shoulder and let her hand curl around his side before drifting off to sleep.

Sleep didn’t last long. Calysta let out a sleepy grumble, as Illya sat up, bumping her head with his hard shoulder. How long had they been asleep? It couldn’t have been too deep into the night but he was shifting around like he had the night before, messing around with the nightstand and mumbling. This time she opened her eyes to see what he was doing.

Illya’s broad back was turned to her, and even in the moonlight coming through the window she could see the pinkish scars from surgery arching down his spine, bright against his tan skin. He sat on the edge of the bed rubbing his right leg where the worst of the surgery had taken place. Another muscle spasm had taken hold, probably brought on by their love making. If he was having a hard time with her, she couldn’t imagine what it had been like scaling the cliff or jumping around like he had. Nor could she imagine him leading the Chippeqouti forces without something terrible happening. One muscle spasm could very well get him killed.

Illya seemed to get his leg worked out enough to lay back down and captured her up in his arms again, sliding her across the sheets like she was a feather- weight teddy bear. Rather than protesting this time, she stayed quiet and listened to his heart thumping. At first it was going a mile a minute, an increase from the onset of pain in his leg, but slowly it started to calm until it was a steady, strong beat. No sooner had her Chip gone to sleep, than he was up again, this time leaving her in the bed alone for the rest of the night. How could he still be going?

When Calysta stumbled out of the bedroom, she found Illya had been up and going for hours. The clothes they’d left scattered in the hall way were picked up and put into the hamper, Keysha was fed and sitting in the sunlight filtering through the living room window, and even the bawling little bear cub was quiet, having been given breakfast. She searched the house, but hadn’t found him anywhere, only the evidence he was up. He’d probably gone to the bath house already. Would he ever get a full night’s sleep? Even when they had been on the ship it had been impossible for her him to rest except for the time he drank the coffee. The idea of that little experiment came back to her. He would need sleep to recover more and drinking the stuff might help with that. Plus, it might knock him out long enough to let her sleep in peace. Getting coffee and cream would be her first errand of the morning after the bath house.

Despite her fitful sleep, she was in a good mood, and hummed along a Kaerelean tune as she stretched out her muscles. She’d gotten up without bothering to put on shred of clothing, but it was later in the day, and if anyone stopped by, they’d be a little shocked to see her pale, naked behind running around the house. Going back into the bedroom, she found a pair of her Skycorp shorts and a t-shirt and tugged them on before grabbing a small packet from the night stand. There were a few things she needed to take care prior to joining Illya in the bath house.

Calysta skipped into the kitchen, and again, paused to admire Illya’s design. Her favorite part was the wall of herbs. She would have to water them in a little while. Grabbing a cup from the cabinet and Ayrn’s kettle, made a ginger-lemon tea for energy and then started trying to open the foil packet. The pills inside would prevent pregnancy and had to be taken in the morning. The Chip women would probably be appalled that such a pill existed, given how the revered children, and with good reason. They wouldn’t have to know she took it.

The little foil packet was proving to be a pain to open. She tried digging her nail to separate the two sides, but it simply wouldn’t budge. The package wouldn’t even open when she tore at it with her teeth. Grumbling, she opened up the kitchen drawer in search of a knife to pop open the packet. Instead of cold metal silverware, her hand met something else at the bottom of the drawer. Something scaly. Glancing away from the packet in her hand, she looked down to see a sharp-eyed desert snake coiled up under her hand. “Aiep!”

Calysta’s heart leapt into her throat and quickly withdrew her hand. The thing looked poisonous! Snatching up the now empty kettle, she reared back and smashed its diamond shaped head with the metal edge. The body flopped and rolled in a morbid display, as the creature bared its fangs. “Nope!” It wasn’t going to have an attitude. She delivered another blow and then another until the thing was absolutely dead, and the kettle was slightly dented on the bottom edge.

Who puts a snake in a kitchen drawer?! “Illya!” she growled, trying to calm down her heart. Was this another one of Illya’s pranks? Tossing the dead snake carcass onto the counter top, she sat back against the cabinets and shook her head. What had Yvonne said about heartaches and joys? There needed to be a new category added to her talk. Heart attacks.

****

Calysta heard her name being called from down the hall and called back to Illya. She stood there in a t shirt and shorts with a very dead snake her hands. She hoped it wasn't a pet or a joke. "I'm in the kitchen!" As soon as he showed his curly head around the corner she held up the reptile by the tip of its tail. "I found this looking for a spoon this morning."

"Umm.." Illya looked at her a little confused. "Et was in the meat drawer." Pointing to a larger deep drawer he met her gaze again. "Yah dun't have meat drawers at yah home planet?"

At least from the sound of it, the thing wasnt a pet he was trying to keep. "No, we have cold boxes," she replied, evenly, "We don't keep live snakes in the kitchen in drawers. I didn't even know it was there."

Kalizda didn't even sound amused in the slightest bit. Sheepishly Illya strode across the kitchen and took the limp body from her. "Oh." There wasn't a whole lot that he could say about that. Now that it was dead and the desert was hot he was inclined to just fry it up and make some breakfast bread with snake sausage. "I guess yah know ets a meat drawer now."

The idea of him putting more creepy crawlers in a kitchen drawer didnt appeal at all. She could handle all manner of cute, furry creatures and even lizards, but fanged snakes were a different story. "I suppose I do, but it there a way you could keep whatever you catch in a box outside?" She gave him a slightly pleading look as he started to skin the snake.

Her request sounded so nice. Grimacing at her he tried not to say no right away. "Dey just stay wild outside. I take poison out first, but den yah ask meh ta get snake for yah and I get bit many times trying to get it out of box for yah." Illya hated snakes that were kept in outdoor boxes. The cool box in the kitchen was nice. Then she could reach in and it would be slow and lazy or he could reach in and pull it out without getting bit they could lop the head off with barely any fight and then prepare the meal nice and fresh.

Had there been a warning ahead of time she might have been less opposed to idea, but she had no idea the creature had even been in there. It would have been nice to know before she stuck her hand down in there. She didn't want to be caught off guard but she didn't want Illya bitten either. "I would much rather prefer them outside where they belong but it would better if you would give me a warning when one is in the drawer."

It seemed that she was going to insist in her own way that they stay outside. "Ets a meat drawer." Illya wasn't sure how else to explain it. "Yah open da drawer onleh when yah look for snake or spider, lizard or dog meat." Whatever he caught for meat for the day would be there. "I get up and catch meat. Yah open drawer when yah want to cook and dere should be someting to cook eh? Wild dog I kill because dey move fast if dey stay alive. Lizard I pin dah tail in box and spiders are in vinegar to keep dem mellow till yah fry dem. Snake jes sit dere nice and calm for yah."

Calysta's jaw went a little slack at the mention of spiders being included in this little box of horrors sitting in her kitchen. The dead things she could handle but it was the live things that creeped her out. "That's all fine, if you know how to handle them. I've never done it before," she admitted finally.

"Et's verah easy. My mum show yah how ta deal wit snake yeah?" He was starting to wonder if his mother just gave him the look and wanted him to fix the problem for himself. If she did it could be interesting trying to train Kalizda how to do this. Then again he was going to have to show her how to hunt the snakes and other such things for the times he was gone. Unless she would rather take extra money to buy food at market. "Kalizda dis es yah home. Ets important yah have home as yah like eh? Maybe I find way to make meat box outside. A hole under dah house and yah check it when yah need meat?" Suddenly he remembered the talisman too and handed her a small pouch and carved stone hanging on a leather rope. "Here yah need to wear dis too."

His mother had shown how to deal with snakes that had already been dead in the brief time they'd had together before the ceremony. She hadn't caught or killed it. The one from this morning was dead because in a whirl of surprise and knee-jerk reaction she'd bashed it over the head with Aryn's kettle. It would help if she knew what she was doing. "Alright," she agreed with a small nod, "But I want you to show me how to handle these things too." When he handed her the talisman she tilted her head to the side and looked at him. For her this was just a strange necklace, but for him it probably meant more and so she would treat it with dignity. "What is it?" She asked curiously. ,

Illya nodded. "I show yah when yah want to learn." He had found out the hard way a long time ago that if someone didn't want to learn that they were not a good student and they still didn't know anything at the end of the instruction. He had somewhat expected that Kalizda would have agreed taken the necklace and then allowed it all to be as it was. They didn't usually fight much and that was good. "Ets talisman. Keep yah safe."

She looked over the talisman in her hand and then up to Illya. She didn't believe in that, but it would be rude to refuse. Besides it certainly couldn't hurt. A little smile crept to her face as she slipped the talisman over her head. "I'm already in the safest hands I know, but I'll wear it."

It was good that Kalizda was willing to wear the talisman. The talisman was something that she was going to need and he wasn't about to have her wander around without the protection of the gods. "Et keeps yah safe when I'm not here eh? Don't worreh I plan to be here much as I can."

Calsyta knew there would probably be a time coming where she couldnt go where he would be, even if she wanted to be in the field protecting him. If wearing the small token made him feel more at ease and able to focus on his task, then she would wear it. She didn't plan on staying entirely hidden in their house though. She had skills to serve her people. All of them. That was for the future though, and for now, she wanted to enjoy the present. "Hmm...good," she grinned, as she slid a hand around his waist, "I like having you to myself when I can."

She was still so short, but Illya didn't mind. He had to bend down a little to kiss her. "T-That's good." Kissing Kalizda again he stopped long enough to finish the sentence. "I like having yah to mehself too." He was just about to go in for another kiss when he heard someone walking up the little pebbled lane. "Eh...more visitors."

Calysta made a little face. She hadn't even been to the bathhouse yet or done any of the other things she'd planned. They'd visit with whoever was at the door, then she'd go bathe and run her small errands before they went exploring in one of the flyers as they had intended. "Hold them off and I'll go get dressed."

Maybe they were here to bring her more rocks. It saa a custom she didn't understand other than to know it was important to Illya's beliefs and therefore important to her. She had never been the religious type, despite her fathers efforts, but if Illya wished to practice his, she had no problem with it. If these rocks were for luck and well wishes, then who was she to refuse a little extra help of good thought?

****

Thomas walked out of the pleasure house feeling a little dizzy from the work over on his knee, but also able to move much better. The dancing with Calysta and Henaiah, plus all of the standing had done a number on the muscles. As he was leaving, he saw his daughter walking up with her hair still wet from the bath house. She was dressed in her grey, civilian tunic again but something else had been added to it, but he had little time to think about it before they met up in the mid-morning sun.

“Morning dad,” she smiled.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he replied, “You headed in?”

She nodded. “I am, but I’m glad I bumped into you. I wanted to see if you had any coffee?”
Thomas gave her a curious look. She didn’t like coffee but maybe she wanted it for some sort of trade or one of the Elders had asked about it. Henaiah had been kind enough to bring him a box full from Kaereal when she came and he had enjoyed it fully. There was only a bit left, but if Calysta needed it, he would always give it to her.

“Actually, I do,” he said, “There’s only a little bit left but if you need it, I’ll bring it by later.”
Calysta started fiddling with something at her neck as she smiled. “Thanks, dad. I think Illya and I are going exploring in one of the flyers this afternoon but I can stop by and get it in the evening.”

He shook his head and waved his hand. There was no point in telling her how dangerous that was. It would be an argument and she would just go anyways. “Go on and have fun, I’ll just bring it by tonight. I haven’t see your house yet and I’ve been wanting to stop by anyways.”

“Thanks, dad come by and stay for dinner if you’d like to.”

Going to see his daughter’s new home was something he’d wanted to do, but Henaiah had occupied a lot of his time, with work or otherwise. Dinner would be good too, so long as it wasn’t snake. As she walked past him, his eye caught on what she had been twiddling between her fingers. It wasn’t a necklace he’d see her wear before and the design wasn’t like any of the Kaerelean one’s he had ever seen.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the charm between her fingers.

Calysta froze and frowned a little as if she had rather he didn’t ask, but held it up so he could see the handcrafted symbol. “Oh, it’s a charm Illya gave me. It’s mean to be for protection.”
Thomas looked over the charm with a furrowed brow. Illya and his strange religions with charms and magic. He’d somehow gotten his daughter to wear this thing, but he had never once managed to get her to consistently wear the cross necklace he’d given her when she was a child. Well, if Illya was going to insist on following his practices, in their house, he should at least consider theirs too.

***
Calysta glided them over them over the rocky desert in one of the personal flyers. The sun was bright and hot, but the open top let the wind rush in, keeping her nice and cool as they took an easy speed through the air. It was good to be in a flyer again with the controls at her fingertips. Space was amazing to explore but nothing beat the feel of the fresh air in blue skies. And this time Illya could share it with her and enjoy it. Every now and then she would use a rear camera to check that he was alright in the back seat since he had gone quiet for awhile. She couldn't tell if that was simply because he was too busy looking out over their new home or still wasn't a fan of flying like this with her. Evetually he would get used to it and until then she'd keep the acrobatics down some.

About 40 minutes into their flight, a dark spot on the ground stood out starkly against the gold and red hues of a rocky outcropping. Pressing the button at the ear piece of her helmet, she spoke to Illya. “Hey, do you see that? I think it’s a cave. We should check it out.” Acknowledging his reply, she started to look for a safe space to land.

It took her a few minutes and a circle over the area to find a good spot, but Calysta touched them down in a an area with enough space for the wingspan and enough to semi-smooth stretch to take off again. Tugging off her helmet and goggles, Calysta smoothed down her windblown hair and then wiggled her way out of the harness. She could feel Illya having a harder time with climbing out. The little flyer rocked side to side with his weight while he shimmied out of the seat. She climbed over and dropped down to the hard ground in a puff of dust as Illya followed, his helmet tumbling out along with him.

“Not exactly Chip sized, sorry,” she chuckled, “Are you alright?”

Calysta waited for him to get situated and put their helmets in the bucket seats. “Let’s go poke around. Won’t hurt to have a peak if we’re careful, right?”

She knew it could very well be another mountain lion or a den of desert dogs. That was what she had brought the pistol on her hip was for. Then again, it could be something much more interesting, which is what made exploration all the more fun. Calysta picked her way through the desert up to the opening of the cave, standing at the side, in case something rushed out. No sounds were coming from inside, but there was a cool draft circulating.

Unhooking the flash light from her belt, she clicked it on, flooding the first chamber of craggy stone walls and pitted floors with white light. There were cracked stalactites covering the ceiling. Evidence of moisture dripping at some point, probably a very long time ago. “I think it’s larger than it looks,” she grinned up at the Chip as she dared to take a step inside.

****
Thomas walked up to the stone house carrying a box of things for Calysta. She’d said come over for supper, so he thought he’d make the climb up the hill with a few things for her to get settled in with. Coffee with two mugs and a press, a container of cream, and a Bible. As he made his way to the front door, he saw a spiked, brown lizard sitting on a mound of rocks close to the door. Calysta wouldn’t be happy if one of those popped up in her house, and he was none too fond of them either. They may eat bugs, but they also carried diseases on their skin where he was from. He stepped over and gave the fat lizard a good nudge with his toe, kicking over the rocks along with it. “Shoo! Go on!”

The lizard skittered away from is broken perch and disappeared into one of the many cracks in the cliff side. Feeling satisfied, Thomas turned back toward the door and gave it a knock, hoping the two of them had returned so he could visit and talk.
 
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