Colliding Worlds

[Silence]

Illya already knew what the house had looked like and it was good for Kalizda to have something nice. She deserved this. The woman had selflessly taken risk on their behalf and committed dangerous deeds to aid the cause. Though her father was a more reluctant figure, he had been good to them and ensured that they received a new land at a reasonable price.

Carefully Illya nodded and let Yvonne translate for Edgar a traditional Chippeqouti wish for the night. "We wish you to sleep well and wake with warmth and strength to your bones." With that the three of them left the home. Yvonne went to her small and modest hut while Edgar returned to his own hut as well. Illya had pitched a tent and he wrapped himself in layers of blankets. The night felt a little rough on his bones. Mostly it was his back that hurt when he woke up. Sitting up Illya pushed against the blankets that had wrapped tightly around his body. Growling a little he glanced at the ground to see that where he had lain all night was a tiny pebble. No doubt it was the pebble that felt like some sort of massive boulder grinding into his spine.

First thing on the list was to shake out his clothing and blankets then head to the bath house. It would feel good to get all the sand out of his hair and off the scars. So far that was the most tender part and something that Illya had not quite accounted for. Heading into the bath house a few moment after some of the others had already gotten washed he pulled his shirt off and then stepped out of his pants. Hanging the clothes on the nearest empty hook Illya waited in the line to get a bucket full of water and then started to wash up. It seemed her father was trying to look every direction that was up and no other. It was a bit odd to see a man acting like that. At first Illya wondered if Thomas had a bloody nose or if there was a reason he kept tilting his head at such strange angles. Finally, the Chip noticed a slight tinge of pink to the man's face. Was he really that embarrassed to be in a bath house? Since there was nothing that Illya could do about the situation for now he just finished washing and then got into his own clothes again.

The incisions along his back were sore and his leg was needing some work. Though the suggestion had nearly gone awry with Ayrn it was simply brilliant. Illya fully expected having a Chip work on his back and leg would improve both of them tremendously. While he tried to explain the pleasure house to Thomas it didn't really seem to help. This time he was sure to specify and he even explained it very carefully. Still it seemed to offend the man.

Was it not acceptable among his people to have any kind of physical contact? That couldn't be the case considering they had children and the fact that Ayrn was so eager to put his hands on anything that looked like it could be female. Then again it could have been a religious thing. There were plenty of women that tried to grab him that first night they landed. Maybe if you were a certain status you just weren't touched? Whatever the issue was there seemed to be little he could do to resolve it. Illya stood by quietly while Kalizda and her father talked in Kaereal. When she was finished Thomas seemed far less skeptical about it. Momentarily a tinge of pink strode across Illya's face and then burnt the tips of his ears before fading. Her father thought that it was that kind of deal too? Why did all the foreigners think that? There was only so many ways to describe it. Getting a massage was quite pleasurable and if there was anything that Illya enjoyed and would happily have done everyday it was a massage. Despite the bones healing well some of the muscles still had scar tissue that made it difficult to bend or move certain ways if he didn't have it worked and kept pliable.

Inside the temporary structure Illya got stripped again and he took a clean towel to wrap around himself before heading into the main room. Most of the tables were empty and one of the men came over to where he was and a man also stepped over to Thomas's table. It was a woman that had stepped over to work on Ayrn. Since the man that was working with Thomas didn't know him well he asked a few questions before starting. "What yah want soothed today?" Nodding a little he pulled out a drawer full of oils and creams. "Uh huh," glancing up at Thomas he continued, "Any pain in the knee?" Nodding again he pulled another small bottle out and dumped a few drops into the miniature canister of cream. With one finger he mixed it well and then got started.

Illya laid on his stomach and closed his eyes. "Might want to use more of the clove. Hurting today." Because he didn't really want Thomas to hear what he said Illya spoke in Quoti.

The man gave a grunt and put a few extra drops in. "I need to be careful. Can't work you too hard today."

Nodding in agreement Illya relaxed and let the man begin with gently rubbing some of the oils into his skin. It smelled good too. Gradually as the oils were worked in and more was added the pressure became greater. As soon as Illya started to tense the man would ease up and gently rub in a circular motion to get the muscle to loosen up again. "You need to come more often. Its bad in your leg."

"I know," groaning in response Illya tried to relax a little more. When they were done he felt almost dizzy, but much improved. With a few moments of relaxation after the massage he was finally ready to get up and meet the day. It was a rather slow day for Illya and he was still forbidden from most work. Most of the Chippeqouti were still afraid his leg wouldn't withstand even his own weight especially since he was still using a cane from time to time. Rolling off the table Illya walked a little easier to the hook with his clothing and got back into the pants and shirt before tying his boots on. Glancing at Thomas he thought it almost appeared the man was shocked and he kept bending his one leg and then straightening. "Eh, oil and massage work wonders. Why we call it a pleasure house. Can work for injuries and sometimes just for pleasure. Very good for health."

Illya's gait was a little easier and he felt more stable on his feet. It was too bad he was only going to be here for another 3 days with Kalizda and her father. However, in that time he could get some work done on his leg and back. At least it would start getting the muscles to behave.

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

While some of the others were planning for the night's festival Markus sat by himself and he laid out a strategy for potential disaster. They had only recently received word of more Chippeqouti coming and they were supposed to be arriving by ship this afternoon. It left very few at home and there was likely to be a mass exodus of the Ehaui once the military was assured that their families were here and safe.

Besides planning the defenses he needed a head count to determine how many of the soldiers were remaining and which if any new Chippeqouti would have to trained in the event that they were called to war. Illya would be a good person to train. He pushed men hard and he was going to be in the shape to do it for the first time since the war. Busily the man drew on the tablet. His large frame created a nearly monstrous sized shadow on the ground. Every now and then someone would pass behind him and another shadow would be cast across the ground in front of him. Markus ignored most of them. They were all the same size as himself and they knew not to say anything unless it was serious.

After a while he noticed a much smaller shadow had stopped and he slowly lifted his gaze. The thick black hair on his head rumpled rebelliously and the strands of silver highlighted the otherwise dark hair. His face barely showed his age though there were wrinkles started near the corners of his eyes and far more prominent wrinkles on his forehead. Markus' steely grey eyes searched the face of the woman. She seemed to want to sit so he moved over and patted gently on the seat next to himself.

Unfortunately he never knew what to say to women and all these years later he still didn't. It was a fine thing that women in Chippeqouti culture asked the man, or he doubted that he would have ever had the courage to ask a woman. Often Yvonne would scold him and say that he shouldn't be so nervous to talk. If he could go into battle then what made talking anymore difficult? Truly Markus didn't have the answer though he wished that he did. If nothing else it would stop her constant attempts and prompts to try and get him to talk to outsiders or anyone that he didn't know. She was the diplomat and that was her job. Markus preferred to be left alone to his job. Kalizda was however going to be agreed with his son soon and he hadn't even done so much as say hi to her. Instead she had come and she was just sitting with him. He liked the way she had a quietness about her.

Picking up his tablet again Markus tapped in a few more commands and then set it aside. "Hi." His deep, rich rolled out and caught the breeze. Meeting the woman's gaze he gave her half a smile though it was hardly considered even that.

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta let the men go to the massage parlor without her after having straightened out a few of her father's assumptions. Now, that he seemed less inclined to think the worst of Illya and the Chippeqouti, she hoped he might relax and enjoy the time. Maybe he would even get to know Illya better with some time alone. She wouldn't always be there to play referee after all.

Stepping into the sun armed with sunblock on her cheeks and Keysha walking at her heels, she set off to the Diplomats Villa to retrieve Once, she got to the villa, she went up stairs to retrieve Keysha. The poor cat had been tucked away too long in the house too. "Come, Keysha," Calysta called. The feline slipped off the bed and trotted over to her without question until she held up the harness. Tugging the soft straps over her tufted ears, she managed to get the chest restraint clipped, but when she reached around the belly Keysha collapsed into her lap. "Really, Keysha?" The cat rolled onto her back and grabbed around her neck playfully with her paws in gentle protest. "Silly kitten."

She unwrapped the paws from around her neck and the wiggled the harness from underneath the cat with nimble fingers, clipping the harness into place. "Not so bad now, huh? C'mon and lets go."

The Chippeqouti had done an impressive job in building in the desert. While the settlement was made mostly of temporary buildings, there were spaces marked for development with wooden stakes and twine. They had worked so hard and grown quickly, as she knew they would. Illya's people were strong and hard working like no other than she had seen. There were already stalls of finely crafted pottery, air craft parts, and even some selling the familiar smelling herbs and oils. She came into the central part of the settlement where many of the Chips were already hustling about business as usual, or getting ready for the celebration. Some of the settlers gave her polite nods or smiles, as they went about their day. It was a far cry from the first reception she had ever received from the Chippeqouti. How had they come so far? There was a mutual respect between them that seemed impossible, yet it had grown.

"Captain! It's dey Captain!"

"Look! She has dey cat too!"

A few familiar voices were cheering and she turned to see some of the children from the Ekram running toward her in a wild her. She took a knee in the hot sand and opened her arms up to greet them with a grin. It was either that or get bowled over by their heavy hands. The first one tackled into her arms, followed by another and another. All with bright eyes, dark hair and broad smiles. The little girl in her arms looked up at her excitedly. "You brought Illya back too?"

"I did, he's here too," she chuckled.

The children giggled and tugged her sleeves, urging her to come along with them. How had she come to miss them this much? Calysta smiled and went with them as they showed her around the settlement. The hot wind blustered over cheeks, as they lead her building to building. One of the boys even captured a squirming brown lizard and showed it to her proudly as it hissed. "We find dem much here!" The lizard thrashed desperately to escape and then suddenly it detached its tail. The limb flopped to the ground, making the boy squeal and drop it. The reptile landed with a thump in the sand next to its flopping tail and scurried away toward the nearest rock as the children chased it. She laughed as they climbed over the rock, searching for it and gabbing in Qouti. Where Chip children got their abundance of energy she would never know.

As they passed by the villa, she glanced up and spied a familiar figure sitting on one of the benches. At first it looked like Illya, but a second look showed that it was Markus bent over a pad and in deep thought. She hadn't spoken so much as word to the man, even with their weeks aboard the Ekram. Was it because he held some of the same beliefs as his son and didn't like outsiders? Or maybe he didn't like her? She hated admitting that his stoic demeanor and reputation as a General was intimidating. Soon he would be family though and she had to try.

"Go on and play. I'll be along later," she said to the kids, ushering them on with Keysha to keep them occupied.

They nodded and ran onward into the sandy pathway. With a deep breath, she walked up to Markus. His eyes were downcast at the pad reading until they slowly lifted upwards, meeting hers. She had never noticed his eyes were grey like hers, searching her over with a steely gaze. It was the look that made her nervous. Would he be offended she interrupted his study? The longer he gazed at her, the more detail she could see of him. The little wrinkles forming on his forehead and gracing his eyes. Grey curling into the unruly black hair on his head. A long moment passed as they measured each other and Calysta felt the anxiety grow. Would he say something? Anything?

Finally he slid over on the bench some, and patted the spot beside him before going back to work. She didn't hesitate to sit down as he went back to his work for a moment. A quietness settled between them as she sat patiently beside him. The sun was beaming down, burning through the sun screen, but still she waited, hoping he might say something. He shifted, putting down his pad and caught her eye with the briefest of smiles, but one that reminded her of Illya's nonetheless. "Hi."

"Hi," she smiled back tentatively. She wasn't sure what to do with a simple 'hi.' This wasn't what she had expected him to say at all. Maybe he might approve of a work related question. "You looked like you were working on something and I wasn't sure if there was anything I could help with."

Markus wasn't sure what to say to the woman. She had offered help and she couldn't really help with this. It would be much shorter to just tell her no, but that would also be too short of an answer. The Chip didn't want to be rude, but neither was he fond of the idea of talking with her at length. Glancing down at his pad and then back to Kalizda's face he cleared his throat before starting. "Meh wor es onleh gut fo meh ta do." It was difficult to tell if she understood him, or if she was was still processing what he said. To be sure she had enough time to either understand what he'd finished saying, or that she didn't need him to repeat he waited for a few seconds longer before venturing out with a small question of his own."Yah nee elp?"


Calysta listened carefully through his thick accent. It was much thicker than Illya's ever was and it was hard to make out the words. Something she hadn't totally excpected given Yvonne's fluency. She couldn't quite tell if his answer was one of irritation or not. "Oh, I see. No, I just thought I might see if you did," she replied, quietly, "I didn't mean to disturb you if I did."

It felt like his heart was ready to fly out of his chest. Markus could almost feel a bead of sweat forming near his hairline and above his lip. Taking a deep breath he nodded and then shook his head. The panic of speaking to a stranger had tightened his vocal cords to the point that it almost hurt. "Kalizda allweigh welcim." Nodding again he took a deep breath and looked out over the horizon.

The heat bore down on her as he seemed to be struggling to speak trader's tongue with his heavy accent. He didn't seem very comfortable looking at her either. Maybe he was simply shy? When she realized what he was trying to say, she gave him a warm smile, and looked out over the land too. "Thank you, Markus. You would always be welcome at my home too."

With a careful nod he let out another long breath. The man had been doing his best to try and get himself more comfortable though he was not making much progress. Forcing himself to look at her again he attempted a weak smile. "Yah gud fo Illya." At least she seemed to understand him and that put Markus at a little more ease. He hated having to repeat himself over and over. "lung time sin eh bin happeh."

She had been expecting a stern general and instead, she found him to be just as hesitant as she had been about talking.The second part of what he said was more difficult to decipher but eventually she understood and nodded to him. She knew some of the reasons why Illya had been that way. In some ways he had been good for her too. "I understand a little. He's...been good for me too."

Markus waited for her to finish deciphering his words. He knew that he didn't speak trader's tongue well. Since he had never been one to make small chat the language had not come easily and he never used it unless he had to. Because he was a general he usually had an interpreter do the talking if he had to use the trader's tongue. When she finally responded he smiled more naturally this time. "Yah fin meh ere ef yah evah nee aneh-ting."

She smiled and nodded to him. At least he seemed to be relaxing around her some. "Thank you," and then she paused, thinking of Illya and his family for a moment. He seemed to welcome her like a father would in some ways and that was not only relieving, but made her smile grow some. She'd never had the prospect of family beyond her own father before her.

Since it seemed the conversation was over Markus held the pad up with a questions gaze on his face. If she was done he was ready to resume his work.

Calsyta sat beside him for awhile longer while he worked as she watched the children play a with a battered leather ball. She could feel the sun burning her cheeks, and the neckline of her tunic, but she was reluctant to move. It was peaceful here and she liked just being among the people. It was strange to think that they disliked outsiders, but she almost felt more at home here than her Kaerelean or Terran counterparts at moments.

When her cheeks began to sting, she nodded to Markus with a gentle smile and went in search of shade.

****

Thomas followed the two men to massage parlor still a little uncertain. The Chip asked him questions about the pain in his knee and where the worst spots were. "My knee was reconstructed by the Kaerleans," he admitted, "It was crushed by debris from an attack. I have to admit the Kaerleans did a good job of putting it back together, but the sides tend to be what give me the most trouble. Lateral movement in the joint."

He tapped he side of his leg while the broad-shouldered man began pulling out different smelling oils. He had his doubts about this massage idea, but he had tried pain pills and they worked sometimes, but other times they simply couldn't touch the pain. What could it hurt? He laid back and let the stranger take hold of his leg. The man rubbed in a spicy smelling oil that reminded him a bit of Calysta's gingerbread cookies, then started out with a light touch. Not so bad.

Once his skin was fairly saturated, the man's grip tightened. It was amazing to feel spots deep in the muscle loosen. Ones that had stayed clenched for years under the scars of the injury and the surgery. When the man hit a particularly tender spot, Thomas would have the urge to inch away, but the Chip would only tell him to stay put as he backed off on the his grip.

When the treatment was over, he could hardly believe the results. Walking in the shifting sands had left his knee sore from the night before, but there was barely any trace of the pain now. Bending his knee back and forth, he found that he could straighten it without the dreaded popping sound and pressure. "Eh, oil and massage work wonders. Why we call it a pleasure house. Can work for injuries and sometimes just for pleasure. Very good for health."

"Aye, " Thomas said with a chuckle, "I can't believe I'm saying this, thanks for the invite to the pleasure house."

Thomas caught a glimpse of Illya as he rose from the table, noting the deep scars. His daughter had taken him to get help and some of those had been the result. The man may have been twice his age, but he was still young by his people's count and it was a shame he had been so badly injured in his prime. Thomas knew all to well what that was like. Being a professor of navigation and astronomy had not been his first career choice. A bad knee was enough for a permanent discharge from the Terran Air and Space force.

Climbing down from the tall table, he dressed in his white button down and his slacks before joining Illya at the door. On the way, he glanced at Ayrn. The man's eyes were wide as the woman worked over his shoulders with a hard grip. Maybe the women were just as strong as the men.
"I don't think Ayrn is quite done. We should leave him to it, eh?"

 

[Silence]

The thanks from Thomas was perhaps the first statement that the man made that could have been construed as approval. Illya was neither anxious for his approval, or to gain the Terran's friendship. All he wanted was a peaceful relationship so that Kalizda could be happy with her agreement. It would otherwise create problems if the woman felt that her father and him didn't get along. "Yah dignitary. Come whenever yah like and they work on yah leg." Since it seemed that there wasn't much else to show the man Illya nodded carefully. "If yah don't require escort anymore I will help prepare for festival now."

Since they were in the middle of the town it was easy enough for Thomas to see everything and obvious that he was not in need of an escort. Illya was glad for that. Getting away from the man was a bit of a relief. Years of practice had taught him that a silent dislike was better than a loud one. If he should have been verbal in his dislike for the man it would have been far more difficult to excuse himself without the action appearing rude. It also meant that things would be easier to work out with Kalizda. As long as she didn't know he could keep on going as he was. Silence also allowed for those minor mistakes to pass without the automatic assumption that he was trying to make trouble.

Illya found a few other Chippeqouti trying to erect a larger tent and he took hold of one of the massive beams. "On three." One of the Chippeqouti yelled across the expanse of canvas and the ring of men nodded. The beam was heavy and soon as the man called three they all began to pull their beams up and then slid them into the posts.These posts rather than being dug into the ground were set on a metal frame work to accommodate the sands. The canvas stretched tight and then one of the older women came with a large box full of colorful strands. A crowd of children joined her and they began to merrily hang the strands around the tent while the other older women made their way inside to start preparing the foods and laying out mats for everyone to sit on. It would have been nicer to have a great hall, but there was no such luck. They were lucky to finish the representatives mansion in time for the festival.

Since he was done with the tent Illya wandered over to find his father was sitting alone and working on his pad. Markus was continually scribbling away and Illya just sat next to him quietly. There wasn't usually much to say between the two of them. They understood each other and that was all Illya needed.

The older man smiled slightly when his son sat next to him. "I like her. Yah chose a good woman." Markus knew that Illya's mother had tried to prompt him from the first day to break it off. In the older general's opinion his son needed something to go right in his life. It was a risk to agree with one that was so fragile, but there were times when it was worth it.

Illya's eyebrows raised slightly. The last person he had expected to say anything to him about Kalizda was his father and yet the man approved. "Kalizda makes meh feel like...almost happy as the days with her." There was no need to say Isla's name. His father knew what 'her' meant when he said it in this context. "Going to talk to the Ehaui and see if they can help us. Maybe help her live longer if they use sample from meh bones to help make hers healthy." It was risky, but if they could prove that it would work then he knew Kalizda would do it. "Don't want to lose another family."

Nodding his head slowly Markus sighed. "I don't know how that feels. If yah care about her and yah think the risk is worth it then go ahead and live life. Don't be afraid of what might happen. If yah started to get afraid years ago yah would never have lived yah life."

"I know." Glancing at his dad he smirked. "Maybe I find her now eh?" Getting up from his spot he peered at the pad and pointed to a small blank spot. "Yah want someone keeping watch dere." Both the men looked at each other and smirked before Illya started off to find Kalizda. Sometimes it was good to just ask for advice. Usually his father could tell when he wanted some kind of advice even if he didn't ask. Rounding the corner of the dignitary house Illya saw Kalizda sitting in the shade and one of the chairs that sat on the patio. "What happened to yah skin?" She was so red and he didn't recall ever seeing her look like that. "Yah ok?"

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

While the two of them sat on the patio together Illya pointed to the other little stakes near the representative house. "Yah see we build those next and Ehaui move in. They insist to have good land for their work. We don't mind. Keeps them away from us and when visitors come Ehaui get to meet them first." Chuckling a little he pointed to the next spot. "Where elders will live and we live far enough away from port to be comfortable. No foreigners wander to our home eh?" Illya still didn't like the idea of having foreigners. "We think about laws keeping others out, but yah counsel had in agreement we couldn't do that. So we take our trade outside if we want to sell to someone besides ourselves and Ehaui."

Catching a look from Kalizda he frowned a little. It almost appeared that she disapproved of his ideas. "Ooh and I find this." Before she could say anything he pulled the little black box from his pant pocket. "Can't prove who gave it to meh, but I think maybe yah should be witness to this." Opening the box slowly he grinned quizzically as he pulled out a red sash. "What's this?"

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta sat in the shade on the patio of the diplomats villa watching the Chippeqouti prepare for the festivities. She wanted to stay out longer, but the distinct heat coming from her cheeks and neckline told her it was best to stay out of the sun for awhile. The sunburn would fade in a few days or so, if she treated it properly at least, and she was sure one of the stalls had an herb that would help with the tenderness. Maybe it wouldn't look all too bad for the celebration.

Illya's face when he appeared around the corner told her that the burn really did look ridiculous. His eyes immediately looked her over in concern and curiosity before he asked what happened to her skin.

"It's just a sunburn," she replied, "My skin is lighter and it burns when I'm in the sun too long. It'll fade out in a day or two. Until then, I may stay in the shade for a bit."

Illya seemed to understand, though the concept of sunburn might be a strange one to him, and didn't mention further for which she was glad. He looked to be in a particularly good mood and rather than taking her out into the sun, he started showing her the settlement from the shade. Pointing to one spot and then another, he explained the buildings would be for the Ehaui and for the elders. As he talked though, there was something that became very apparent. He kept mentioning how outsiders should stay far way. Almost like they were undesirable or shouldn't be engaged with at all. Did he really still have such a terrible opinion of people like her? Before she could ask, he was pulling out a black box from his pocket.

Calysta watched him open her Christmas gift. The red sash was not the same red color of her dress, but a brighter, fiery red that shone in the afternoon light. Normally, stores sold them in pairs that matched, but the color of her dress had been difficult to find, so she opted for the bright red. "It's a mans wedding sash," she replied with a small smile, "To match me when we are ready. Do you like it?"

The red was for him to wear to the wedding?! Illya didn't know what to think of that. At first he tilted his head and then a smile full of mischief began to spread across his face. "Oh yea I like it." Straightening the sash out he tied it around his head. "I wear it like this eh?" He knew very well that's not how it was worn, but he wanted to see what she would say.

It was hard not to smile when he was being silly, but she managed to turn her growing amusement into a coy half grin as she leaned over and slipped the sash down over his eyes. "No, but over the eyes seems closer," she chuckled, "I wasn't sure you would like it given its a foreigners tradition."

Illya pulled at the sash and the loose knot came undone. The sash caught the breeze and waved gently in the breeze. "A sash isn't so hard. I thhink maybe some other things about yah culture will be harder."

"You're right," she nodded, as she watched the sash roll like a banner in the breeze. "There will be things that are harder, but that doesn't make them bad all together."

Shrugging a little he chuckled. "I'll wait to complain till its bad." He had a feeling there was going to be a lot of change and he wouldn't like all of it. "What some of yah people's expectations if yah agree?"

He was missing her broader point, or avoiding it. She tended to think it might be the latter scenario in this case. Could she make him see that not an entire culture should be based from one persons actions. That foreigners were not all undesirable. It was hard to believe he had those thoughts when he clearly cared about her. "It's expected to be a partnership. That I work along side you and share in the work equally. I will vow to protect you, stay at your side till the end of my life through everything, no matter where we are. It is expected for you to do the same. That means we make decisions together. We talk to one another and trust each other."

Illya waited for her to finish her little explanation and he nodded his head. "Not so different with Chippeqouti." At least not in word. He still had a feeling her kind were more fickle in relationships. They seemed to be more fickle in general and that annoyed him most of the time. However, it was also an entertaining quality to. "Yah have a big party if I remember. We gonna have one of those?"

Calysta's smile faded some. Now, she knew he was avoiding her bigger point. " We may not be so different from the Chippeqouti. I think you'll find when it comes to matters of the heart many foreigners have similar vows," she replied, giving him a pointed look, " And yes, we do have a party, but I don't know if it will be possible for us. I'm still wanted and I wont be able to to say my vows in front of an officiate from my own continent with you. I think Henaiah will do it though, if I ask. She has the ability."

Sometimes it was difficult to know what she was getting at. Illya had tried to just sit down and have a conversation with her. This wasn't supposed to be some giant deal. Then again she might have been unhappy about the party. "We could always agree and have party later eh? If yah want one. Don't think it matters much to meh either way."

He wasn't getting it and now it seemed like the custom didn't matter to him at all. "It's just an outsider custom, but I think its a good one, even if we have to do it later. There would be several foreigners there and I would ask that you keep an open mind. Not all of us are bad for the Chippeqouti."

"Open mind?" Since she kept pushing the subject Illya was going to play it down as best he could. "Why would yah say something like that. I been very good around all yah people and tolerant.'

She had to acknowledge that he had been around her family but it was more than that. "Yes, you have been, even when you have every right to dislike outsiders. But this is a new place and a new start for not just you but your people too. Would it not be better to be more open to the idea that foreigners visiting might be a good thing again? I..was an outsider too, Illya."

His eyes flashed momentarily at her. "Visiting foreigners is not good. They come and want to buy things cheap, What else would they do? Gawk at us?" Illya was finding this discussion to be frustrating. "Yah don't know yah people well enough to know they would be good for us."

She drew back some and looked at him incredulously. "That's precisely what I'm talking about. You wouldn't want other people assuming something about you based on the fact that you're a Chippeqouti, so why follow the same logic with outsiders? And you know my people well enough to know they are all bad?"

Illya narrowed his gaze. "They assume all dey like. I think they're better off world." That was all that Illya was going to be worried about saying for right now.

Calysta looked at him a bit disappointed and a little hurt, though she shouldn't feel that way. She knew he didn't like outsiders, and as at home as she felt here at some moments, the fact remained. She was not a Chippeqouti either. "I see. I just...thought maybe you wouldn't mind foreigners so much, considering you've seen they're not all the same. And the fact that you care about one. "

Leaning into the back of the chair Illya growled. "Kalizda yah get yah own category. Yah still don't understand. Chippeqouti don't like to have visitors. We rather go abroad and if we meet someone worthwhile then we invite them. Uninvited guests are bad."

Calysta looked at him, knowing she had irritated him, but the point was an important one to her. She knew they had good reason not to like uninvited guests, and Yvonne had told her that years of this kind of thinking had made many of the Chippeqouti hate outsiders altogether. The argument would not be won in a day. It may take years for the Chippeqouti to realize they didn't have to guard against every outsider. "I understand it, Illya. I just don't think all foreigners are bad and things are changing." A moment passed and she stole a glance at him, trying to see if he was listening at all. It might take a long time, but she wouldn't give up on this. "Speaking of change. I noticed...you started saying my name differently."

She still wasn't going to let it go. Kalizda needed to understand why they didn't like outsiders and Illya didn't want to go into detail. He hated outsiders for the most part and he fully intended on avoiding them in every capacity possible. Illya was almost ready to tune her out. More than likely it was going to turn into a very long statement of why outsiders were so wonderful and all their accomplishments and good will toward the Chippeqouti. That woman that sold pottery without ever meeting one was all he needed to know. Her people didn't like his and that meant he didn't need them coming here. It was a little surprising that she didn't go on with the expected rant. Instead Illya looked at her somewhat surprised. "Yah father want meh to say yah name right. I work at it."

She winced slightly at the comment. There was no telling what else her father had told him. "Names are important to Kaereleans," she nodded, "Someone has the chance to make a good or bad reputation for themselves under their own name. As an individual. Saying it correctly is a sign of respect." She gave him a small smile and played with the sash between her fingers. "I don't mind being called Kalizda, though."

"I call yah Calysta." It was just easier not to argue with her father and if it was a sign of respect then he was determined to follow through with it. "Unless yah want Chippeqouti name."

She had to be willing to bend some, if he was. "Kalizda," she chuckled, "Unless it means something I wouldn't want to be called."

"Kalizda means little bird." Illya snickered a little. "Not bad, but yah remind me of little bird. We have many tales in our history of this bird."

She shook her head, and narrowed her eyes, feeling like an idiot for not having asked sooner. She had just assumed his accent didn't let him say her name properly. Little bird. He had been calling her that the entire time. Glancing at her small hands next to his large, tan ones she started to laugh. "This whole time...little bird..." she chuckled, "It does fit when I think about it. What sort of tales about this little bird?"

Being asked about the tales wasn't always flattering. Illya's ears turned a tinge of pink which quickly faded again. "One tale little bird scolds Chippeqouti and chirps on his window sill all night long till he returns her eggs from the nest. Other tales she leads Chippeqouti to treasures. A little bird is an omen to Chippeqouti, it can mean many things."

She listened as he explained some of the tales. It sounded like the little bird could be a good omen or a bad omen to the Chippeqouti. The more she thought about it the more fitting it seemed. "The little bird sounds like she can be stubborn, but can also be a good thing sometimes."

Illya nodded his head. "Little bird is unpredictable. If yah rather I call yah Calysta I can do that."

She grinned at him, making her sunburn sting. All the Chips called her Kalizda anyways and someone had to keep Illya on his toes. "Little bird."

****

Ayrn wandered over the hot sands with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He had been looking forward to a nice, gentle massage with woman's touch. He hadn't counted on the woman being as strong as the man. Now, his arms and shoulders felt like limp noodles and it was easier just keep them tucked into his pants pockets. It seemed like a fairly lazy day around settlement and he was just fine with that. Walking past some of the huts he noticed that the tall Chips avoided him some, giving him a wide berth on the sandy pathway. At one point he asked one of the older folks what the tent they were decorating would be used for and he received the short answer of "Dah Celebration" before he turned back to his work.

The mid afternoon heat was starting to grow unbearable, and it seemed there was nothing fun to do in the half made village so he headed back toward the cool, and luxurious villa. How did these people stand it during the day? Maybe he could talk Calysta into a round of cards if she was around. She may be better company than Illya's short worded people. When he stepped into the courtyard, his eye landed on the captain sitting with her co-pilot the shade talking. The woman looked red a tomato but she was smiling at the man sitting next to her who had a red cloth stuck over his eyes. Was he making fun of him? If so, it was a poor impression.

Scoffing at the two, he started to go inside when he spied Keysha laying in the sun. She was panting some, but seemed to like heat. On a whim, he wandered over and sat a few feet away from her. The cat's yellow eyes, followed him as the very end of her orange tail flicked. "Nice, kitty. You look pretty impressive now that you're big, huh?" Her ears laid back some at the sound of his voice. "Don't suppose you want to go for a walk with me?"

The cat's tail flicked again, and she turned her head, giving him the same annoyed gaze.

"Yeah, didn't think so."

****

With a cold cloth and aloe gel over night, Calysta managed to keep her burns from growing unbearably tender. There was a distinct line in her skin contrasting from ghostly white, to bright red in a V-pattern encircling her neck. The odd tan, earned her some curious looks from the other women in the bathhouse, but she didn't mind. They didn't ask about it at least, and simply left her to bathe in the blessedly cool well-water. Dressed in her tunic and slathered in sun screen, she left the bath house in search of Illya. It didn't take long before she found him, having already bathed and gone to the massive tent Chippeqouti had erected yesterday. He was talking with one of the other Chips, an elderly woman she didn't know as she walked up. Some of the words she recognized, but most of the conversation was lost on her. They spoke it too quickly to follow. She waited until he was done talking and then smiled. "So, when does the celebration start and what can I do to help?"

She had spent yesterday in the shade, but it had been ages since she had been able to do something useful and she wanted to help. If anything, it may take a little work off Illya's hands.

 

[Silence]

Illya spent a good portion of the day in the tent helping get tables moved and doing the tasks that he was allowed. Mostly they were trying to keep him away from anything that might re-injure his leg, or back. About time he was done Kalizda came in. "We can go collect herbs eh?" That was the only thing left that he could really do with her and that meant they would go stand in the herb tent for several hours collecting herbs to season the food.

After they were done Illya took the basket and swung it over his back. "Yah go get ready. I come for yah and yah dad when its time." He was sweaty and needed to clean up a little before the party. Most of them would be visiting the bath house one more time today and then they would be ready for the festivities to start.

Evening finally came and Illya walked up the stone pathway to the representative house. Knocking carefully on the door he waited for an answer and then held a hand out to Kalizda. "Yah ready?" She was finally going to get to see something that the Chippeqouti loved to do and it wasn't often that they had celebrations. He had to remember not to take strides that were too long. Having a good two days of massage on his leg and back had him feeling much better and he doubted he would have need of the cane. Even with the smaller steps Illya wanted to just walk faster and he noticed that Kalizda was practically jogging next to him. Slowing down and staying at the pace that was more comfortable for her was difficult, but he managed.

When they arrived there were already many others filtering into the large tent. Each one of them took one of the colorful strips from the tent and then headed inside. Reaching over his head Illya plucked two colors of the same color. It was a dark purple color and he winked. "Yah want same as meh. Means we sit together." The room inside was divided into portions and people wearing similar colors of bands sat together at tables. For the first few minutes it was all quiet and then Edgar and several other elders that had recently moved in stood. The group of elders started to feast off with a short speech in Quoti. "We have struggled, and suffered through many years. Most of us never thought to escape our exile and then we have come to this place. Today we honor the dead, Kalizda, Thomas, and Heinianiah. This is the beginning of better years for the Chippeqouti. To the future!" Holding up a mug the elders started the first round of drinks. For celebrations there was never translation. It was strictly for Chippeqouti and the tradition had it as such. Everyone at the tables lifted their mug and had a large swig. It was always best to start with drinks before the food.

It took a considerable amount of alcohol to have an effect on the Chippeqouti and even with a pint on an empty stomach most of them were still good and sober. Huge kettles of snake stew and flour cakes were brought out to the center of the room. In an orderly fashion each table would rise and serve themselves before the next would head to the center of the room. The stew wasn't even half gone when the whole first round of the tent had served themselves. Illya loved the stew the same as usual. Surely her father would enjoy it much better since the snake was fresh and the herbs in the flour bread were strong and sweet like they'd been picked just today. Many of the children sat along the edges of the tent and shoveled food as quickly as possible into their mouths and then raced to the center to grab more food. When the little one finished they raced out of the tent in a flurry.

As the meal drew to an end the adults started to get up and scatter. Some of them wandered outside and others stood along the edges of the tent. Illya chose to sit at a table where they were started into a game of rods and dice. "I bet 15 hours labor." That was the opening bet and the rounds continued with hours of labor lost and gained. Near the end of the game Illya was bargaining with many hours of his own volunteered and the hours he'd won. One of the elders kept score on the boards showing who was indebted to who. As the game progressed some of the Chips finally stood up and called it. They had more than enough hours lost. Looking at the other man Illya glanced at the dice in his hand and debated for a few seconds. If he kept playing he could lose a lot of the hours he gained or he could start dipping into the other players stash. "Cards?" It was better odds for Illya if they played cards instead of the dice. The other Chip shook his head. "You play the dice and take a chance or pay the penalty of stepping out. We start with rods and dice so we finish with rods and dice." Glancing to the chart Illya saw that he would lose half his hours, but it was better than losing all of them. If the round went poorly he would be stuck. Besides with all the hours he would have left Illya could get his and Kalizda's house built in a decent amount of time. At least all the heavy work he would have free help for. "I step out. Yah take hours from men of meh choice." Dealing out hours from the 3 Chippeqouti he had won hours from Illya passed over all the hours from one and only 2 from the second. Laughing a little he stepped away from the table. More than likely the other had wanted him to take the chance, but Illya wanted out before he lost it all and owed time on top of it.

"We go outside now." Illya grabbed hold of Kalizda's hand and took her into the sunset. Sitting near the tent were a few Chippeqouti with their drums and others with flutes of sorts. With the first few beats on the drum Chippeqouti began to pour out of the tent and gather from surrounding areas. Wherever they had scattered to after the meal was irrelevant, but the drums meant the next phase started. "Yah dance with meh?" Illya stepped in front of Kalizda and offered his hand with a big grin on his face.

Yvonne quickly scanned the area and spotted Markus standing quietly aside. Sauntering over to him she linked one finger into his belt and pulled him closer. As the first song started Markus took the lead and he swung Yvonne away from himself and then pulled her close again. There was a wide berth between couples dancing simply because of the length of their arms. Between dances each Chip had a drink till they were nearly stumbling through the last dance and then it was time for a competition of acrobatics.

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta was glad Illya let her join him in the herb tent to pick herbs. It was cooler among the rows of potted plants and troughs, and it was something that needed to be done for the celebration. Working alongside Illya like they had on the Ekram was enjoyable too. They stood back to back down the rows with the basket shared between them, pinching the leaves or buds carefully from each plant. Occasionally, she would ask what a certain plant was, if she couldn't guess by sight or smell, and he would tell her. When the work was done, they had been collecting for several hours and both of them were sweating despite being in the shade. Illya told her to go clean up for the celebration, and she didn't have any arguments. She was definitely in need of another wash.

She used some of her third bucket of the day to wash away the sandy sweat that had accumulated in at her hair line and the back of her neck, before cleaning the rest. Many of the other Chip women had decided to do the same, so she didn't feel quite so out of place using the water for a second bath. In her room, she pulled out the black tunic, and silver silk belt she had worn the night they landed and frowned. She had no idea what to expect from a Chippeqouti party. What did they do exactly? Was there certain customs she should know about? It would have been smart to ask that before hand, but she had been so excited to see the hard-working Chips cut loose, that she hadn't thought about it. Illya wouldn't have thought to mention any of the details either. Would her clothes be appropriate? Her tunic wasn't the long skirts the other Chippeqouti women wore, and she hadn't thought to bring an actual dress. Her closet only contained one, simple cocktail dress and it had seemed impractical to wear in the desert. Her black tunic would have to do, and hopefully it wouldn't reflect badly her people or Illya if she happened to be under dressed. Polishing her tall black boots did make the outfit look more presentable, and as she tugged them onto her feet, there was a tentative knock at the bedroom door.

"Yah ready?"

Illya was there to pick them up and offered his hand to her. He said nothing about her casual clothing and she sighed in relief, taking his tanned hand. "Absolutely."

He lead her by the hand with large, confident strides. He hadn't been able to walk properly in so long, everyone of his steps was two of hers, tugging her along. How had she forgotten how fast the man could move? Giving up on an easy pace, she started to skip steps into a light jog to keep up until he glanced down at her and slowed his steps for her.

The tent was already starting to fill up with people by the time they arrived. All of them were wearing colored ribbons, and her eyes scanned the dozens of tables, she could see their excitement. His people were all smiles, laughing and talking in their own language to one another. The lightness in the air was so different from what she had seen on Qouti which had been stagnant with worry. These people deserved to be happy, and to live free from that sort of fear. Illya deserved it. She gave his hand a squeeze and traced her thumb on the back of his hand light enough he didn't notice as he reached up into the rafters, plucking two dark purple ribbons from above. He gave her one, explaining with a wink that the ribbon designated where they sat. Interesting. Smiling she took the ribbon and tied the ribbon in her hair, tucking back the bow underneath, then followed Illya to their 'purple' table.

Drinks were passed around, and Calysta peered into her mug cautiously. Repeating her mistake of drinking synthetic was not something she wanted to do. Taking a quick sniff, as Edgar spoke in Qouti, she couldn't detect any difference. It was most likely they had made their own brew and the alcohol was not imported or synthetic. She didn't have much time to judge it though, before she heard Kalizda, Thomas, a brave attempt at Henaiah, and everyone cheered. Edgar had spoken to fast for her to catch any the of the words she might have known, so with no idea what she was cheering for, she joined in and held up her mug too. They hadn't even eaten yet, but she turned up her cup with the rest and chugged down a few good gulps. The drink tasted sweet and delicious. If it was synthetic, she would know it soon enough, and if not she'd enjoy as much as she could. When she dropped her mug to the table and looked at Illya, her eyes grew wide. He had almost finished off his mug on the first round!

More drinks were passed around, as the food was rolled out, smelling strongly of the herbs she and Illya had gathered. Snake stew and soft bread. The stew was even more delectable than what he had cooked on Kaereal with the fresh ingredients, and the bread was perfectly warm. She ate her fill, listening to everyone talk in Qouti. Words popped out that she recognized, but it was getting a little more difficult to focus as she downed her second large mug.

Eventually, everyone split off and gaming began. She knew Illya enjoyed gaming, and was content to sit beside him and watch as she worked on a third mug, sipping at it much more slowly than the first two. He had gotten into a game of chance with dice and rods. Not as fun as cards to her, but it was still a good time as she watched, trying to figure out the game. It didn't look like they were playing for money, because the tally of who had what, was up a board marked by the Elder. It was probably just a tournament for fun or maybe they were betting goods. Either way she didn't know enough Qouti to play and had no goods to bet with if there was a buy in. At one point, well into the game, Illya made a comment and another Chip at the table gave him bit of a sharp reply, shaking his head. Was there something wrong with the last play? Whatever the issue, it was resolved when Illya laughed and stepped away from the table, taking up her hand.

She giggled some as he pulled her outside into the fading, golden light and held out his hand again. There was a fast drum beat striking up from somewhere inside the tent, as other Chips began to pair off. "Yah dance with meh?" Illya was looking at her with a broad grin, and a playful glint in his green eyes, that made her feel lighter than the buzz of alcohol or thrill of flight could ever do. Had she not had a few drinks before hand she might have blushed from the feeling. Luckily, her cheeks were too sun burnt and pink from the drinks for blush to make much of a difference. Reaching out, she took his warm hand and he pulled her close. "I didn't know you danced!" she laughed lightly, as he started into the music.

He swept her up into the music so suddenly, she missed the lead in and stepped on his toe by accident. "Sorry!" He didn't seem phased though, and kept leading her through the fast pace. It had been so long since she danced, it was good to listen to the beat and just enjoy. The beat grew faster and faster, as the world began to spin into a blur of dancing Chippeqouti, bright colored ribbons and laughter. The only thing steady was Illya's grip and the ground beneath her feet, until the sand under her boots was gone too. She latched on to his shoulder as her feet left the ground. "Illya!"

He chuckled some, and then set her down and they kept going. Between each dance, they drank. She saw glimpses of her father and Ayrn in the crowd, and she waved at them. Ayrn looked far too drunk to acknowledge, and her father gave her a worried look. All the lines on his forehead were creased together. Why was he so upset? This was a party after all.

 

[Silence]

That little smile she had on her face. Illya would do almost anything to see that expression. The way Kalizda's eyes were forced into a half moon and her cheeks pushed up slightly by the corners of her mouth. There wasn't time to waste in a Chippeqouti's life and their music embraced the same kind of thought. Despite the fact that he had tried to be careful Kalizda came flying toward him and she stepped on his foot. "Yah just hold on eh?" Placing one of her hands on his forearm and the other he held onto, it was just a slight modification since she wasn't likely tall enough to get her hand on his shoulder and actually hang on comfortably.

It had been years since they had been safe enough to hold any kind of celebration and Illya almost forgot that he was holding Kalizda. At one point he glanced down and realized her feet had been swept off the ground and her little hand had crawled up his arm and she held tightly to his shoulder. Realizing the mistake Illya set her down and tried to modify his great lunging steps. At least they felt lunging compared to her own. Twirling her a few times he could feel the sand kick up and cover his pant legs. She almost looked like a desert faerie with the sand swirling around her feet and the perfectly delicate smile on her face. As much as he wanted to dance again he could see that she was probably little tired for it since they had been going steady for at least an hour. Already it was getting late and the evening was cooling off. that simply meant that the hunt was going to start. There were various predators that came out at night and it made for a good way to ensure that the camp would be safe for the children during the day.

One of the elders had reported seeing a lion and that was never good news. So tonight they would try to set up an ambush for the creature and then they would have something to eat tomorrow, a story to tell, and fun for the night. Most of the drink had worn off so it was safe to head out. Illya pulled Kalizda with himself into the main tent. "We hunt lion now eh? Yah welcome to come if yah like."

Nodding to her response Illya went on to the table laid out with weapons and chose a spear. He liked them well enough and it would keep the beast far away if it should decide he looked tasty. Many of the women took weapons too and one of them nudged Illya when she got closer. "Yah think yah can keep up?" Illya shot her a quick glance. "I keep faster pace than yah."

"Anything to prove et?" The woman retorted with a grin.

Illya tilted his head to the side. "Aye, I see good wool blankets at the market. We bet one. Yah win and I buy one for yah. I win and yah buy one for meh." If there was one thing that the Chippeqouti loved it was their blankets and everything warm. "A deal it is." Calling over her shoulder she started for the front of the line.

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

It wasn't till early the next morning that the hunting troop arrived. There was a large pole between two of them and the dead lion strung up in the middle. Illya lagged behind a little. While his leg had felt much improved he wasn't quite ready for the level of activity that he used to participate in. He suspected in a few weeks he would have more energy and less pain, for now he was feeling sore and pride slightly bruised. Not to mention he now had to buy that wool blanket for Narn. She had barely kept ahead of him and taunted Illya the whole time. It felt like they were children all over again. Looking at her broad smiling face he shook his head as he passed. "Yah just wait till I'm all healed up."

"Oh I know better than to challenge you when you're all healed up." With a slap to his shoulder and a good laugh she watched as he frowned at her. It was good to tease him again.

The group drug into the tent almost too tired to finish the party, but determined to make it till nightfall. Illya grabbed his mug from the night before and took it to the far end of the tent to get something to perk him up for the morning. A little bitter cream with whisky in it would do the trick. Once he had his mug full he stopped at the table to have some leftover bread from the night before. In a while they would have some plain grains cooked for breakfast and then he would help the other men prepare the lion. Today it was the men's job to make the meals and since they were successful in their hunt it would be strips of lion served over roasted desert grass and herb.

 

[aryamajor]

Thomas followed Illya and Calysta through the villa and into the late afternoon heat. Or at least he tried to. The Chip had started off so fast, even his long strides and much improved false knee had trouble keeping up. It was a relief when the man finally slowed down long enough for him to make it to the tent just behind them. The place was already starting to fill up with the tall, broad shouldered people. Children were running between their legs, chasing one another and laughing, their pitched squeals breaking through the din of the adults.

He couldn’t hear what Illya said when he tugged two of the hundreds of multi-colored ribbons hanging from the ceiling. The others all had them too, and seemed to be grouped together by the color. Did they simply designate where people sat, or was there a certain color he was meant to take? There weren’t any place cards at the seats, so it didn’t seem to matter.

He spied a dark purple ribbon just above him. That would be the color he needed to keep at the same table with Calysta and Illya. He didn’t want to crowd them, but he admitted his daughter knew far more about these people than he did. It would be good to stay a little closer to someone who knows the customs more.

The tent was built for people of Illya’s height, not his own average stature, and his first jump for the ribbon fell short. His dress tunic was annoyingly tight around the neck, and he tugged at the collar before trying again. His fingers batted at the ribbon, but failed again. Grumbling, he sat down in his knees, ready to give the best basketball vertical jump he’d done in years, until a woman appeared in his vision. She was taller than him, of course, but wore an excited smile as she reached up and pulled down a ribbon from the ceiling for him. A bright yellow ribbon.
“Oh. Thank you…do you think I could swap-“

She handed the ribbon to him and started ushering him over to the table where others with yellow ribbons sat. “Alright, then I suppose not.”

Already they were pouring up mugs of what he assumed was beer or wine maybe. He wasn’t a heavy drinker himself, but he did occasionally have a swig of bourbon, whiskey, or decent ale. A cup was put in front of him as Edgar began to speak entirely in his own language. Why did they not have Yvonne interpreting? He had no idea what was being said, which was irritating. He was here as a diplomatic presence, and if he was honest, because both Calysta and Henaiah had insisted. It seemed like it would be good for him to know what was actually being said, especially after the bastardization of Calysta’s name was mentioned along with his and the councilwoman’s. Before he could ask, there was a cheer as everyone held up their mugs and took a drink. Thomas followed suit. He could have been drinking to his own demise for all he knew, but he would follow through with this mission properly.

They ate dinner, which was apparently the same sort of snake dish Illya had made for them on Kaereal. He poked at his plate tentatively and then braved a bite. It wasn’t as bad as he was expecting, though the white chucks were still a bit off putting. It was easier to tell himself the meat was something else. It’s just chicken.

He thought after dinner, and drinks there would be some sort of rally or dancing but, instead many of the men set up games at the table. Betting games. He sat at his table, and watched as dice and rods were brought out for a game of chance. The bets were kept by an older man putting hash marks on a marker board, but what they were betting, he wasn’t sure. Everyone was speaking in their native tongue, which he found rude. Had they been on Kaereal, the people there would have spoken in traders tongue to make sure they understood what was happening, at the least. Still, he finished off his drink and watched carefully as the men around him laughed. Filling up his cup again, he took a long drink and then stole a glance across the long tent at his daughter and Illya. The man was tossing dice and grinning, while Calysta was sipping from a mug at his side. Ayrn hadn’t been lying about Illya having a penchant for gambling it seemed. And Calysta knew about it. His eyes shifted and caught the young man sitting nearby, smiling and tossing dice on the table top. ‘Just go and learn. Try to relax a little too, Thomas. We are going for a peaceful relationship with these people, and that requires coming out of that dusty study of yours.’ Henaiah’s words rang in his ears. Kaereleans were pretty much ‘live and let live’ and there was nothing wrong with a fun game, as long as it was legal by the Chippeqouti standards.

Leaning forward to the table, he sighed and folded his hands over his cup As he was about to buy into a game, music started to play from somewhere outside and the men scattered with even broader smiles coming to their faces. Walking outside with his mug in hand, he saw the Chips gathering together in the sands like they were a dance floor. There were flirty gazes being exchanged and he was surprised to see even the normally poised, Yvonne sashaying over to he had come to understand was her husband. It was hard to tell who was married and who was not around here. Nobody wore a proper wedding ring and even Calysta had chosen not to follow the Terran tradition of an engagement ring, marking her unavailability.

He walked around the edges of the dancing crowd, finding the moves to be surprisingly chaste. That was a relief considering Calysta and Illya were among them. He was so much larger than his daughter that she could only hold on to his forearms. Despite how awkward they were together. It was the look that gave them away. His daughter was looking up at Illya with the stars in her eyes, and he was gazing down at her with an expression that was all too familiar. It had been the same look he’d given her mother so many years ago when they met. She looked so much like Kiya, especially when she smiled at Illya like that. It was almost painful to see.

Calysta had caught him staring and waved with that same smile that struck him so hard. There was no doubt. No matter what he said or did, his daughter would love this man. It was a strange love, but back in his day, it was still strange for an earthling to love an off worlder too.

****
Illya spun her one last time as the song ended. She would have kept going, even though the world was still spinning long after the twirl stopped, but he lead her by the hand back to the main, tent. The ground was more unstable than before and she chuckled. Illya was the steady one tonight.
Inside the tent, weapons were being laid out on one of the tables. They really were going to hunt a lion as he’d said and she was welcome to join. As she watched him pick up a spear as he talked back and forth with one of the other Chips. It was nice to see some of the women joining in, though she doubted she could keep up with them any better than Illya’s long strides. If that’s what went on at Chippeqouti parties though, she would meet the challenge.

She picked knife. At least to the Chippeqouti it was a knife. To her it was near the size of a small machete, but she had been trained to deal with knives and it seemed best to go with something familiar. As they left the tent, she saw her father standing by and with a mug still clutched in his hand. “We’re going hunting,” she told him cheerily, before turning to Illya and following the others into the night.

She was barely able to keep up. The Chippeqouti may have big, heavy bones but they definitely didn’t move as if they weighed so much, moving over the sand with ease. It didn’t help that she was sluggish from drinking. Not that it would have made much of a difference in her speed. She was quick for a Kaerelean but her running pace could only match their jogging. When she managed to catch up the back of the group, one of the women would give her a broad smile and encourage her to keep going. It felt good to push the running and she wasn’t about to stop.

They tracked out into the night, moving quickly and it wasn’t long before they found the beast lurking under an outcropping of rocks. The creature was bigger than Keysha would ever get and lashed out with sharp claws as it screamed. It didn’t go down easy and she stayed to the back of the group, as the Chips worked as to team to corner the cat with spears.

By the end of the hunt, the sun was rising and she stumbled behind the rest exhausted and with a telling throb in her head. Dehydration from the running and the drinking was settling in. Her entire gallon of drinking water would be needed today. What a night it had been. She had no idea that the celebration would include so much, but it had been fun. Her feet dragged in the sand a little as she walked behind the group. Her bleary eyes managed to pick Illya out of the dark heads bobbing ahead of her. He was favoring his right leg some, but said nothing about being in pain. In fact, he was laughing as the other Chip woman patted him on the shoulder. The hunt had put a strain on him, but he’d had fun too.

Calysta followed them into the tent, wondering if the celebration was at an end. Looking around at all the tan and tired faces, it seemed that it had. Until Illya poured himself another drink. How could was he still drinking? She stood there, covered in dirt and her hair a wild mess, looking at him as he gulped at his mug. If he was still going, she was determined to go as long as she could, though the hangover was going to be the worst she’d probably ever had. “What’s next?” she asked, with a quiet laugh.

****
Ayrn woke in the sand. The gritty bits were everywhere and in everything. His hair, under his eyepatch, his pants, and socks. He could feel it shifting around as he stumbled to his feet with his mug still clutched in his hand. What happened? His brain recalled a foggy memory of drinking and playing some sort of dice game. That had been fun from what he could remember, though he’d not fared well. That probably had something to do with the gamers not wanting to talk to him in trader’s tongue. He hadn’t had a clue what was happening, it had just been the first fun to be had at the so called ‘celebration.’ Then he’d wandered outside for dancing. That had been a bust, since none of the ladies had been interested. He’d asked several with a wink and smile, but each had turned him down.

The bright sun was already out, glaring down on him and the light made his head pound all the more. For as stiff as these people were, they could party. Dragging his heels, and clutching his mug, he swayed toward the villa in search of a real bed. Sleeping on the ground against the tent had kinked his back. He passed Thomas who was sitting on the porch looking far too sober for his own good as he watched over the settlement. He inched his way to a lounge chair and collapsed onto the padded seat.

“‘Morning.”
Ayrn winced as the sound of Thomas’ voice felt like it was thundering through his head. “Uhng, yeah.”

“Better go drink some water, son.”

He nodded, half listening and already falling asleep.

 

[Silence]

The men that hadn't gone on the hunting trip started to yell for everyone to get their 'mush' for breakfast. It wasn't real appetizing looking, but it had a nice energizing mixture of mint and other herbs. Illya served his bowl and then another. Handing the smaller bowl to Kalizda he winked at her. "Yah find our spots eh?" Next he filled up two mugs with a little more of the bitter herb and whisky.

Once he was at the table Illya slid both mugs in front of himself and sat down on the mat in front of the table. His leg was starting to throb from pushing too hard, but he still had several hours to go for the party. Pouring a little of the whisky over the mush cereal in his bowl he stirred it in and started to eat it slowly. What he really wanted was just a little massage and something to numb the leg for a few hours. Blinking his eyes a few times he did what he could to make his eyes clear up a little. They were slightly blurry after a whole night out and he was tired. Normally he could have lasted all through the party and beyond many of the others. With his health being so poor all these years it was difficult to have an appropriate level of energy and that was frustrating. So far this was the most energy he'd had in years.

When he finished with the mush Illya grabbed his dish and Kalizda's. "Today men cook an clean. Yah relax and play games with other women eh?" Illya wanted her to have some fun and he knew that some women were working today because they wanted to have fun yesterday. For himself he had worked a little yesterday and he planned to only do some today again and then go get a message. Clenching his jaw he took a first uneven step and then limped heavily toward the back of the tent and through a flap. Tossing the dishes into a pot of water he leaned forward and placed his hands on his leg. It was bad and he didn't want Kalizda to see this. "One of yah take meh please?" Illya made sure to speak in Quoti and he wrapped one arm over the shoulder of a Chip that came to stand next to him. Slowly the two of them hobbled off toward the pleasure house. It was empty, but the other Chippeqouti knew how to help.

Inside the Chip set Illya near the changing room and went to a table. He had a feeling this would happen. There was always at least one Chip that hurt themselves at a party. Even if it was approximately 100 years since they'd had a full blown festival he remembered the emergencies.

With a towel wrapped around his waist Illya limped over to the bed and got onto it. He tensed almost as soon as the Chip grabbed his leg. "Ow!" Peering over his shoulder he looked at the other.

"Sorry. Might have a rough session today. Yah pushed too hard and we both know it." Not that he would have done any different and so he didn't see the point of scolding. At the end of the massage he rubbed oils onto the skin again and then rubbed them into a bandage that he wrapped over Illya's leg. "Wear that. It will dull the pain and support yah leg a little more." Wandering out of the house he left Illya to lay on the bed for a while longer. In the meantime it was a good idea to get the lion skinned the rest of the way.

Illya eventually returned and he limped though not as heavily. His job they gave him was sitting and chopping meat. There was nothing terribly thrilling about the idea, but it helped save some energy for the real games this afternoon.

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

After lunch Illya lined up outside with the others. It was a series of relay races and people were divided into groups of three. He was given Thomas and Kalizda so he could explain the obstacle course. "Yah run for red flag first, second runner takes green, third takes black." So far he was sure they understood. "Yah have bog, snakes, pits, knives, and eh...." Frowning a little he shrugged and just gave the Quoti word for it instead. "I don't know name in trader's tongue." Continuing with the directions he smiled and nodded to them. Under his breath he muttered about losing. There was no possible way to win this.

Markus stood over on another team with Yvonne and both of them grinned at him. Of course they would and Asha was with them. He didn't stand a chance. Illya wanted to at least beat Asha. She had that smug grin on her face. "I go first eh." Stepping into the front Illya winked at Kalizda. "This way yah see what happens. Get yah binoculars out." She would be less upset if she knew what to expect.

As soon as the elder yelled for the game to star Illya started running. He didn't care for right now how badly his leg hurt. Asha was already behind and he enjoyed that look on her face when he passed. There were still two others ahead of him. With three teams and only 3 flags he could at least even the odds if he could win this round. Hitting the bog first was a little rough. Illya jerked unevenly as his first leg hit the bog and he swayed with the momentum and he fought to keep moving. Sinking to his knees he lifted his legs high and lunged forward a few more steps. Next there was the ring of snakes. Jumping into the pit Illya ran as fast as he could to the next side and threw himself over. A snake had attached itself to his pant leg and he tore it away and threw it back into the pit on the next runner. They could deal with it and maybe it would save him some time.

Passing the second place running Illya kept pushing. He needed to get to the flags first. When he arrived at the pits he stared. It was open ground, but you couldn't tell with the sifting sand where the weak spots were. All of the land looked weak. Carefully edging his way through the section he started to run more confidently and then slipped. Scrambling back up he grabbed his set of knives and threw them at the target. Hitting the bulls eye with the first he darted past the target and then hit the last piece. It was the most terrifying part for a Chippeqouti. He had to cross the Nuen River. Grabbing the first long pole he carried it on his shoulder and ran away from the water and then turned to run back to it.

Illya thrust the pole into the center of the river and vaulted over the body of water. He was barely ahead of the girl in first place. Asha was yelling at him from behind and he kept running. Scrambling for the ladder he reached the top and snatched the flag just in time for Aysha to knock him off the platform. Both of them fall off into the sand and Illya rolled out of her way and started to run. This time he was going to risk pole vaulting without the running head start.

It didn't turn out quite as well as he'd hoped. Illya landed in the water waist deep and nearly panicked on the spot. Yipping and hollering he scrambled out and sped back to Kalizda and her father. "Hurry, we got head start. One...." Between breaths he nodded. "Go."

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

By that evening the Chippeqouti were all moving slower and slower. There was one dance which was performed with far less enthusiasm than the one the night before. Illya went into the main tent limping and took another mug to sip on. This one was cream with lavender infusion. Wandering to a corner he sat down near some of the other Chippeqouti that had fallen asleep and took a few more sips before he leaned against the other.

In the morning the tent looked like a lizard dwelling. Chippeqouti lay all over the place inside and outside the tent. Most of them were overlapped as they had used others that were already sleeping as pillows. They rose reluctantly when it was time to give their guests and appropriate farewell. All of them, but Ayrn that is.

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta was quiet through most of breakfast, sitting beside Illya as she nibbled at the herb filled cereal mush. She had no idea what it was, but it wasn't half bad and went down easy after a long night of drinking. Now that the thrill had faded and she was sitting down, her eyes would droop and at one point, she dropped her spoon after falling asleep for just a second. Both of them were exhausted, but it seemed there would be more partying in the afternoon. How was she going to make it through the rest of the celebration when she could barely keep her eyes open? The Chippeqouti had so much energy! Maybe that was part of having such strong bones too. Super human strength and enough energy to power a transport ship single handedly. She took a drink of whatever it was he had brought her and let the burn steel her determination to continue. There was one more day left and she would work, then continue partying like the day before.

When Illya swept up her empty bowl and told her to go relax, she was half asleep already. She nodded to him with a drowsy smile as he got up and walked toward the back of the tent. He was favoring his right side more, now that he'd had a chance to sit down and stiffen up too. Was he pushing too hard? She had noticed the massages were helping him over the last two days, but he had danced with her and then run all night. Then he was going go work all day? It would be a lot of strain on his leg.

Pulling herself up from her mat, she took a few stumbling steps toward the back of the tent, tripping over one of the low tables on her way. "Auoof." The world suddenly dropped away as her knees met the sandy ground followed quickly by her hands. Jar of the fall told her that there were going to be a bruises tomorrow. She clambered to her feet and dusted off her hands, as she made it to the back of the tent.

Illya was gone from sight but there were foot prints in the sand leading away from the tent accompanied by another pair. Her tired eyes could barely see them in the bright sunlight, but she followed them. There were enough Chips around that they might not belong to him, but the pattern was uneven and Illya had been limping. The heavy prints lead to the 'pleasure house' and she stopped outside. If he was inside getting a massage, along with another Chip she wasn't going to disturb him. It would make his leg feel better. The idea of a massage for herself sounded nice, but her skin was tender from the sunburn, and it was more likely she'd fall asleep on the table.

Bathed and exhausted, she returned to the villa where her dad was dozing in the shade of the porch. His head was dropped to the back of the chair and his mouth was open, which kept his bear-like snores to a minimum. She let him sleep and went upstairs to put more of the aloe gel on her burning cheeks, then down to her neck, before diving into her cool bed.

****

Calysta listened carefully as Illya explained the relay race. Bog, snakes, pits, knives, and some unknown creature. Great. When he had said 'relay race' she had been thinking something along the lines of a sack race or some sort of run across the desert. The Chippeqouti never did anything so boring.

Now, they were facing not just any relay race, but a terrifying gauntlet. Was she actually going to run this? There was a snake pit and something else they didn't even know about! Illya flashed her a wink as he told her to use the binoculars to watch him, before he took off running into the field like it was nothing.

She watched Illya run through the bog and snakes while her father stood beside her.

"You can't seriously be thinking of running this, Calysta!" he cried over the sounds of the cheering, "There's a bloody snake pit!"

"I'm sure they're not poisonous." Maybe.

Calysta's stomach squirmed at the idea of jumping into the pit with them. She could always back out and tell Illya she didn't want to run. It would be easy to claim she was too tired from the day before, which was true.

Taking a glance at the other teams, she shook her head. The look on Yvonne's face was more than enough to tell her that she was expected to lose. No, backing out wasn't an option. It would be no 'fun' and her pride simply wouldn't allow her to give up so easily. Illya traversed the course and by the time he made it back with the first flag, she already had a few ideas out to handle the obstacles.

"Go."

Tossing the binoculars to her dad, she took off running and half dove into the bog belly first. She was light enough that the mud didn't pull her down as bad as Illya and spreading out her weight helped her slide through the muck.

The snake pit was next and she hesitated to jump for a fraction of a second. The drop was a small one, for a Chip, and some of the snakes had already been clipped through by the previous round of runners. The others were yelling as they closed a gap on her head start. Just jump. She chose the least snake infested path she could find, and then leapt into the pit, rolling her landing. The snakes hissed and lunged at her with fangs bared. "Get away!" Dodging and dancing around the angry creatures, a large viper struck out and landed short of her toes. Rather than leaping back, she kept her pace and stomped on its head as she jumped to grab the edge of the pit.

Three of the runners were already pulling themselves up beside her and jumping into the next pit. They were all staying to the sides, and out of the center where the sands were shifting. Something was down there.

She had come this far though, and she wasn't about to give up half-way through. Jumping into the sand, she followed the others and stayed to the side of the pit. Slipping past one of the Chips ahead of her was easy enough, since she was smaller and the sturdy sand path was so narrow, but everyone came to a halt in a massive claw emerged from the center. The claw raked at the pit wall snagging her boots and tripping her along with the Chip behind her. "Shit!"

Sliding downward, Calysta dug her hands into the sand desperately trying to stop. "No, no, no!" Finally, she stalled her fall and hauled herself back to safety, but the attack had cost her time. Now there were 2 more ahead of her, including Yvonne. Growling, she took off running as fast as she could out of the pit toward the last two obstacles. Knives and the river.

The knives were already set up, so she snatched up a couple and flicked one at the target. It landed just shy of the red center and she grabbed at another, sending it to the center with a decisive thunk. Who knew Skycorp training would come in handy at a party?

When she came to the river, she watched the others vault over. She didn't have the upper body strength for that and it would end with her stuck in the middle of the wide waterway. Instead, she took a deep breath and dove into the warm water, swimming across as fast as her body would allow. The current was a lazy one but still tugged at her, making each stroke that much harder, as she paddled toward the opposite shore.

Sopping wet, she climbed the ladder and claimed her flag squarely in the middle of the pack. Her muscles were burning and her lungs achy, but she had made it. Now, all she had to do was run it again.

****

Thomas watched on in horror as his daughter ran through a torturous gauntlet that was supposed to be a relay race. This was fun to them? They were all large and brawny, and he barely came in at 175lbs. How did they expect him to run this? How did they expect Calysta to do it? She was even smaller than he was. These people were absolutely insane if they thought this was good fun for everyone, and the one yipping and yelling next to him was the craziest. Illya had actually let Calysta go through the race like she was one of them. The man clearly didn't know anything about her. She wasn't as strong as them and never would be. Hell, she wasn't even as strong as a normal human sometimes, though she liked to ignore that detail.

His heart nearly came out of his throat when he watched the giant claw snag her, but to his surprise she pulled out and made it to the top of the platform before heading back. Several of the other teams had sent their third man out by the time Calysta made it back. "Go!" she heaved at him.

"Calysta I don't-"

"Dad!"

The sharp yell in Kaerelean made him take a step forward. This would be the last time he took on a diplomatic mission for Henaiah here. She could squawk all she wanted to at him and then come face the snakes and clawed monsters herself.

****

Calysta danced with Illya in the evening. They were both tired and moved much less gracefully than the night before. She was sore from head to toe from the adventuring and she was also sure Illya's enthusiasm was waning after they'd come dead last in the relay race. Her father had made it to the snake pit and refused to go in until he was at the back of the pack.

At one point during a slower tune, Illya's arms were the only thing holding her up. When he realized that she was too tired, he told her to go to sleep. "G'night, Illya," she mumbled, as he let her go, "Get some rest too."

She left him to continue partying if he liked, shuffling her way back to the villa with heavy limbs and sleepy eyes.

****

Ayrn hoisted his bag a little higher over his shoulder and made his way slowly down the stairs. The others were still packing up, taking the time to gather up their scattered stuff. He hadn't really ever unpacked, so his bag was good to go as it was. He had to admit, for as rude as these people could be, they could throw one hell of a party. There had been no short supply of free booze or games, which he took full advantage of for the entirety of the trip. The only thing that had been missing was a good woman or two in between the rounds. He found Illya standing In the courtyard and wandered over, stumbling over a the paved walkway some. "Everyone else is still packing, " he commented, squinting up at Illya, "Great party, Though I have to admit I wont miss the heat."

"Where yah going?" A tall figure weaved toward the front. "Yah stay here till yah debt is paid." Illya turned to the side and she smiled knowingly. He wasn't about to stand up for Ayrn either.

"Debt?" His eye shifted to a the Chip woman weaving through the crowd. She was a older, with grey tinging at her roots and some wrinkles lining her smile. A look passed between her and the co-pilot that he didn't like, adding to his confusion. All he'd done was go to party! "What debt? "

The smile on the woman's face didn't fade. She just nodded. "Yah lose yah bets and I win. Now yah pay wit work." Peering down at the little man she showed her pearly whites and took hold of his arm. "I dink dere is good job for yah." There were in fact many little jobs for a tiny species such as himself. Most of it was dirty work, but Chippeqouti were usually to large to do this work so it had to be the children. It was better if she could get someone older to do it.

"W-what?!" His hungover mind recalled a shady memory of having played games as the older woman took up his arm. "I thought that the games were just for fun! I didn't know!" He tugged at his arm, but the old lady had a strong grip. "You can't be serious!" Thomas came walking down the path with his bag with Calysta and Keysha at his heels, looking over the scene in confusion. "What's all this?"

Illya glanced at Thomas and shrugged. "Ayrn lose bet and he work now." Suddenly a panic sunk to his stomach. This was something that Thomas go so upset about with Kalizda. "We bet hours of work to build homes instead of material. Dice and rods game eh?" Illya hoped that the explanation would work well enough.

Thomas' eyes went from the woman to Illya and back again. How on earth did he go about fixing this? They weren't on Kaereal where such bets would be illegal, and there was no policy against this kind of thing here apparently. On the other hand, he couldn't simply leave the man behind as a slave either. He didn't like it and it made their issues with the Federation seem a bit more obvious. Though betting was different from contractual obligations in certain sense. In betting their is never a guarantee of equal exchange.

"Did you know what you were betting, son?" Ayrn shook his head. "No!" Thomas' jaw clenched, until a voice from behind him spoke up. Calysta's voice seemed calm. "Did you ask?" Ayrn shook his head. "N-no. I was drinking."

It was obvious these people took their contracts and bets seriously, and Henaiah would be none too happy if he screwed this up. Why did the idiot have to go and get himself into trouble? With troublesome people no less. He'd almost gotten into a game himself, but he would've had the prudence to ask what the buy in was at least. His blood pressure was going up and he glanced to the woman. "How much does he owe?"

The woman could sense the man's indignation as it rose and she started to feel very uncomfortable. As with most Chippeqouti she simply became protective of what she perceived to be her rights. "He owes meh a good 150 hours work. Dis one didn't know when ta stop." Illya winced. He knew how lazy Ayrn was, but he also knew that Ayrn wouldn't leave till he paid his debt and it would take a very long time for Ayrn to work off that much. He would dawdle and wasted time with Belen was never counted. The woman stared at Thomas and then Ayrn. "Yah pay yah debts. We don't forget dese tings easily."

He hadn't intended on bailing anyone out while he was here, and it was obvious they weren't going to let him go. Thomas fumed for a moment unsure how to even go about this diplomatically while also saving the man's skin. The Kaerelean protocol would be to attempt to trade it out or assess if the debt was incurred fairly. "Is there not another way he can pay you back rather than labor? Goods for the houses

Belen stared at Thomas incredulously. "If we bet goods, or money he would pay wit dose tings. We bet labor, I get labor." Though it was tempting to take the other goods she didn't know what value his work could be assessed at. As if looking for guidance she looked to Illya. Since this was a trade involving foreigners it was only fair to speak in the trader's tongue. "Illya what is his work worth?"

At first Illya planned to remain silent and then he was asked the one question he loathed to answer. He couldn't lie and cheat Thomas out of goods, or money, but he also knew that Thomas didn't want to leave Ayrn here. If all else failed honesty was the best policy. "Eh...His work is terrible. Yah watch him all da time. He dawdles and eh..." Illya shrugged. "Very bad quality. Yah better served to make him work than take pay for his value. When he gets hungry he work."

The woman nodded. "Dere. Yah see. I take work." She could count on Illya to be honest about it. They were just trying to get out cheap and she wanted to full price for what she gambled for.

There they were assessing values of people again. Like they were chattel. The fact remained that the incurred the debt knowing he was betting. It was some simple misunderstanding in a contract. He wished he could follow more Terran ways in the moment and simply tell them he would taking Ayrn with them whether they liked it or not. But he was here on behalf of Kaereal. "Even if he is...slow in his work, it doesn't mean the goods I would give would be the same value of his work. They would probably be more."

Calysta grit her teeth. She didn't like the Terran at all. He was a free loader, a irritation most of the time, and had now gotten himself into a debt with the Chippeqouti by gambling of all things. It was a fair debt, because a prudent person would have known a unpaid debt was possible in the game. Of course, she hadn't known what was being gambled either, and now that she knew it was a bit of a spot of shame for her, even if the debt was a fair one. She stepped up beside her father and looked to Ayrn. He wouldn't last a day.

"Kaereal doesn't deal in labor trades unless they are done through contract, so it is different for us. His debt is a gambling debt which is fair. The goods Thomas offers would be of fine quality and no one would feel cheated if you bargained his hours for them. Or maybe I could take the hours instead."

Thomas' mouth fell open and he started to grab his daughter but Ayrn shook his head. "I-I'll stay."

Shaking her head vigorously the Chip women refused the offer from Kalizda. "No he pay the debt." She was about to walk off and Illya started after her. "Belen!" When the woman turned around he started to talk to her in Quoti. "Yah let meh trade for his hours eh? I give yah Chippeqouti work for his. Fair price? He isn't made for hot weather. Maybe I give yah 50 hours choice from meh winnings eh?" The woman finally nodded and handed Ayrn over to Illya. With the Terran in his grip Illya stared at his dumb one eyed face. Changing back to trader's tongue he growled. "Now yah work for meh instead. I teach yah a trade. Someting useful eh?"

Ayrn's single eye darted from the woman to Illya as he was snatched up. He half expected the man to pummel him again. That's what happened last time the co-pilot got ahold of him and he had no wish to repeat the experience. Going with the woman seemed like the easier choice now that he was thinking about it, though he'd offered to stay because he didn't want to be blamed for Calysta having to stay. Illya would really killed him, if he had. Wincing as the man spoke he nodded

Since the deal was made and Illya was none too happy about it he marched back over to where Thomas was. "Its very important to Chippeqouti that he pay. I trade work hours for him. Now he works for meh. While he's here I make sure he work, he sleep, eat, and has proper clothing. Ayrn bathe every morning and massage in evening. His muscles will become stronger." Though it wouldn't have been right Illya wanted to say that Ayrn was soft like bread.

Thomas had little ability to argue with the deal, considering they would do nothing but trade labor hours and even Calysta seemed to know this when she offered her own. "Aye, the debt is fair and he'll pay. The terms are agreeable- he turned to look at Ayrn- Right, son?" Ayrn nodded quickly. Calysta frowned hearing that he had traded his own hours for him, and her eyes flickered down to his leg and back to his face. "Illya, you traded your own labor?"

At least Thomas had the sense not to argue this. They didn't believe in others paying so that the one who made the mistake could go free. It would have to be paid. Taking a deep breath Illya shook his head. "I go to elders and we make sure elder marks our hours. I trade 50 Chippeqouti labor hours from meh winnings for 150 of Arse hours. He's lazy and I dun't get much from him, but he work all his hours. Belen get much better deal." Glowering at Ayrn he was half tempted to just take the man and drown him.

Calysta relaxed a little in relief. He hadn't bargained his own physical hours. If he had, she might have beaten Ayrn herself. She hated talking about hours and values, but the debt was a fair gambling one. She had only put out the offer on his behalf to keep this from turning into a bigger affair on top of how she already felt about the system to begin with. She nodded to Illya and then shot Aryn a hard look. "A good man pays his gambling debts. I 'm sure he will be grateful to learn a trade. "

It was impossible not to demonstrate some irritation. "Aye, he'll work hard. I trade 50 good hours for him." Snarling the last word Illya held tight. "I won't let yah near port till yah finished working. All Chippeqouti will know yah stay here till I give word yah can leave too." Letting out a long breath he went to breath in again and he frowned. "Bath first. Yah filthy." Pushing Ayrn toward the bath house he released his arm. "Many regrets." Bowing slightly to Thomas he excused himself and started walking behind Ayrn. Illya needed a bath too so he might as well get started with his day and make sure Ayrn understood the terms of this condition.

Calysta wanted to follow Illya. Leaving him angry didn't set well with her but trying to talk this out in front of the others wouldn't be right, and he had already marched off. Now, they wouldn't be seeing each other for days. Maybe he would cool down, but it was more likely he would just get frustrated with Ayrn's ability to do nothing really well. Everyone was looking at them with an expectant gaze, including her father. She sighed and walked over to Edgar, who was standing by Yvonne and Markus. "Thank you for inviting us. It was wonderful to see everyone and celebrate this with you. " Her words were sincere, but a bit downcast, and she turned to board the ship.

 

[Silence]

For the whole first day Illya did't plan to have Ayrn do anything. He could see that the slovenly man was too hung over to understand much of anything or to even attempt to get something done. Since Illya wanted to keep Ayrn busy he got the man bathed first. It would keep him away from the port long enough that the transport would be gone. Not to mention the guards near the port would never let him board until they had word that he was free to go. "Yah go to pleasure house after this. I be thhere soon and I know if yah disobey." It seemed that Ayrn wasn't actually in a hurry. Instead Illya had to wait for him to finish washing. Apparently this was what he was going to be dealing with.

It would almost be a waste of time to have the man working at all. However, Illya was pretty sure he could talk with Ayrn and help the man see some sense in working harder and faster. This was a lot like training a child to work. When they first started to learn from their parents there had to be incentive until they understood better how to work. There was one plan that Illya had and it would help Ayrn get out faster if he chose to. The entire length of the man's stay would be dependent on his work ethic. Perhaps that would inspire him to work harder.

Once Ayrn was out of the bath house Illya rested a large hand on his back and walked the man to the next stop. He wouldn't be wanting the man to be hot and stinking. Oils would at least make the scent tolerable when the man went to bed. Then early in the morning they would work and bathe before bed. Illya loathed to have his leg worked on while the other was in the same room. Ayrn would more than likely use this to his advantage. Illya winced as the man barely set his hand on the leg. "Agh, careful."

Speaking back in Quoti the Chip responded. "Careful as I may be. Yah pushed too hard. Can't do this to yahself. Leg won't heal right even with meh help and then yah pretty new woman won't have, but a cripple for all her days."

Groaning a little Illya felt the man start to rub the muscles. There was painful cramps in his leg that he just had to breath through as the man worked the muscles. "I work a little?"

"A little." Digging a little deeper with his hands he held tight to the muscles and then loosened the grip and soothed the new round of spasms that started. "Come see meh everyday now."

Illya walked with Ayrn to the tent after the message. His leg was still sore, but that would be for a few days while he was recovering from the party. "I want yah out of here fast, but yah can learn from Chippeqouti and make the most of dis eh?" Shuffling inside of the tent he pushed Ayrn to sit and then sat beside him. "What yah want to learn? What you good at?"

Ayrn leaned away from the man slightly. It was vastly unfair that they should have expected visitors to know what they were getting into, but he was stuck now. He couldn't even count on Calysta batting those pretty eyes and getting out of this mess. He rubbed at his eye patch thinking of some sort of answer to appease the co-pilot. He didn't really know what he was good at. Other than picking up girls in bars. Nobody had ever asked him before either. "I..uh..I don't really know. I've worked on electrical stuff before, but thats mostly because you need to know it to stow away. Getting past security protocols can be a pain."

"Yah learn honest work eh? How bout something yah make money at, or maybe something more delicate like tapestry?" Illya figured if the man was unsure that he might as well have a choice for money or skill. Either could be done well. "I pay yah for whatever work yah do if its of quality. Other Chippeqouti will demand labor or better product if yah sell them something of less quality than they would make. I'll count yah labor as effort. If product is good I'll pay extra or yah could happen to put it toward yah hours and leave faster. What yah like?" To be fair Illya wanted to give Ayrn a chance.

Whatever would get him off this hot rock faster. Not that he had anywhere to go, but Kaereal was cooler and the women far more fun. Most days. "So, if I manage to make something top notch, you'll take it off my time?" He mused. "What's good for making money around here then? I could try to make something."

It wasn't terribly surprising that the man wanted to make money. However, it meant that his work would be much more difficult and hotter yet. "I have yah work wit the blacksmith. He show yah how to spin parts. No moulds. I pay yah for yah work if its good. If yah give blacksmith trouble then yah work onleh with meh." Illya looked at Ayrn with a severe glare. "Can yah do that?"

Ayrn thought over the offer. He'd been around enough mines be could deal with working with stuff that came out of the dirt. How hard could it be? Plus, he wouldn't be under Illya's herby smelling thumb all day long. "Uh, sure. I can do that."

"Good yah start tomorrow. Remember I pay for yah training and Chippeqouti don't train troublesome students." Illya half thought that the man would cause trouble.

Ayrn gave him the most well-behaved smile he could muster. He could do just enough to get out of this and it would be fine. "No problem, man. Nothing but a halo over my head."

"Aye, yah noting but trouble. I have half mind to keep yah here." Sighing he gave Ayrn a piece of bread from the left over from the party. "Tomorrow yah work. No slow work, no stories, no complaining."

He took up the bread and tore into it, thinking while he chewed. "I get it, I get it," he replied, "Tomorrow I'll work. A shame the captain wont be around to see the show, though. What're you gonna be doing while I'm blacksmithing...or is it just smithing?"

Illya looked at the man. "I work. Clear stone and dirt from meh new land. Carve out space for house. Kalizda needs place to call home eh?"

He nabbed another hunk of bread with his teeth and nodded. "Moh yeah, thaf's right. She told me 'bout tha. Loof's like you charmed her fer good, huh?" he swallowed, "That trick of yours worked pretty damn good."

That was about it. Illya grabbed Ayrn by the scruff of his neck. "Ets no trick. She is da onleh woman for meh. I don't play yah games." Carefully he released Ayrn again and sat back on his heels. "Chippeqouti only have one woman."

He yelped a little when his feet lifted off the ground and he dropped the bread. "Alright! Alright! Only one. Got it!" His feet felt the ground again and he sighed in relief. "Congrats, man. I think."

Illya growled at the man. "Congrats. I dun understand yah thinking." Swallowing hard he looked down at his food. "I had enough yah poking round meh business. Yah learn to ask meh instead of making crazy stories. Yah tink I use women like toys? I tink yah need to learn manners."

"I didn't make up any stories," he replied, blinking in confusion, "i just watch and see what I see. But fine, I'll ask. I guess."

Illya snorted. "Yah see meh use aneh woman?" He was tired of these stories. "Tell meh what yah see when I wit dese women."

His eye rolled to the ceiling as he thought about the naughty adventures of the co-pilot. "I saw you on the outpost with all the whores. You went back with one then. The mean one," he counted, holding up a finger, "Then, there was the incident on G'koe. The captain was apparently there for that one, even if I wasn't. Then, the women on the beach. I saw you getting up with them. Both of them. I can't say anything about that pretty little red-head because she was in the bunk room most of the time, and I didn't see anything that time."

"That woman was Ehaui informant. She ask meh to take message to meh people for her." Illya glowered at the little man. "Yah know meh scars. I get massage for old wounds that is all I pay woman for." It was about time he set this all straight. "Cold made meh bones sick. Yah don't understand the Chippeqouti. Now meh bones are healing. I was sick and deh women take meh to beach. I sleep and deh make choice to join meh. Arse yah dun understand. I ave onleh one woman for ovah 100 years. Yah tink I can't wait fah Kalizda?"

Ayrn looked at Illya, the surprise growing on his face. Whatever he'd done with the other women, if he had been with the same woman for over a hundred years, it shocked him. He didn't know whether to congratulate the guy for a steel mentality or feel bad for him for not having a broad experience or even touched the captain. No wonder he was so grumpy all of the time. "O-oh. I mean it did look bad. But I uh..." he stumbled over his words, trying to figure a graceful way out of this one, "I think you can, if you're that resolved. Sorry for assuming?"

"Yah betteh be." Illya frowned at the man. "I ad enough yah stories. Yah make trouble for meh sayin all dese tings of meh life. Nevah speak of what yah dun know and yah dun know anyting about Chippeqouti."

It dawned on him that he had in fact told Calysta's father some of the things that happened on the Ekram. Not all of them, but Thomas had asked what he knew about Illya and he had told him. Apparently, the old man had said something to Illya. He was lucky the guy hadn't come for him in his sleep, if Thomas had said something. He scratched at the scruff on his his chin and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I don't. Heh."

Pointing a large finger at Ayrn's forehead he growled again. "I tink yah don't speak aneh more aboot dis. Yah speak no more aboot dah Chippeqouti ef yah dun know eh?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," he held up his hands. He didn't want the man to have anymore cause to catch him and beat him. " I wont say anything else. Ill keep my mouth shut. Just want to work and go. "

"Good yah go in the morning." Illya pointed to the ground. "Lay down."

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

The smith stared at Ayrn for a long moment. He didn't like this, but if he had a willing assistant free of charge he would be willing to work with him. Mistakes would have to be paid for and at least Illya understood that much. "Today yah learn ta sort da stone." The man pointed to pile sitting near the smelting pot. "Yah do dat till yah know difference of dah stones."

Occasionally the man would look over and he would bark an order, but continue with the work that he had. There was still a plenty large order to fill and he needed to spin more of the ball socket joints. It was difficult to form and the ball joints without a mould. This young man learning wouldn't be ready to do much besides sort rocks. At least they would know soon if the man was capable of work, or if he was utterly useless as all his kind seemed to be. That was with the exception of Kalizda and her father. Though Thomas was rather strange and he had an unusual form of usefulness.

"Yah work till evening." The man gave a smirk when he saw Ayrn's face. "Work 10 hours each day fo 5 hours. Den yah work fo 5 days an get 2 days off. Onleh 3 weeks. Maybe yah try spinning last week."

Illya came to get Ayrn at the end of the first day. "I cook for yah. Work hard today. We eat den yah bathe and go get massage. I thhink maybe yah soft muscles sore eh?" Chuckling a little he nudged the man only to watch him tip over as if he were a limp doll. "Agh...Yah stand up like man."

 

[aryamajor]

Thomas sat across from his daughter in the small bar on the Veitra continent. The bar was one of many that clung from the side of the mountainside and a glass floor so you could see the thick forest and sweeping water falls below. Most of the view stayed shrouded in mist from the falls unless the wind was strong enough to sweep it away. Since they had left on the morning transport, they would wait here till darkness fell on Pyrta’s side of Kaereal before going home. It was safe that way. People milled around the bar as they kept their quiet corner.
Calysta was picking at her vegetable stir fry, scraping at a snow pea absently, as they sat. He hated it when she did that.

“Did that pea do something to you?” he joked.

Her grey eyes flashed up to him and he could tell she had been pulled out of her own thoughts. “Hmm? Oh.” She speared the long pea and stared at it before deciding to eat it.

Thomas looked at the dark circles under her eyes and her pink sunburn. “You pushed too hard while you were on, Nuen.”
She sighed. “ I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“You’re exhausted.”

Thomas got no reply from that and considered it at least one comment won as a silence passed between them. He could hardly believe his daughter wanted to move to that place with the way the climate was and the people were on top of that.
“Do you really want to live there? With him?” he asked, quietly.

She glanced up again, this time in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I? I mean it’s hot, but nothing some climate control and shade won’t help. Illya wants to be close to his people, and so do I.”

He sat up some and put down his fork. “But why? You’re not one of them. Not physically or morally.”

Her face darkened but he persisted. He was going to get this off his chest, even if it killed him and maybe he finally could talk some sense into her not that he wasn’t around to distract her.

“They’ve nearly run you into the ground with a single party and you will die far before they will, Calysta,” he continued, “Not to mention their system of labor and work. They put a value on people and treat them like property. It’s not what you believe in. I know why Henaiah chose to bring them to Nuen, what I don’t understand is why you are choosing to stay with them and their...borderline barbarism.”
Calysta stared at him hard and he stared right back. He was going to make her think this through, since she clearly hasn’t.
“I’m very much aware of how short my life is compared to theirs, but you don’t know enough about them to make a judgement on their so called barbarism.” She didn’t agree with their system, but she would never call them barbarians.


Thomas grit his teeth. Why was she saying this when she had been a victim herself? “I know enough,” he huffed, “I know the rumors and what those people are. I also know what really happened when you landed on Qouti. Illya told me he valued you and you worked off a debt. He owned you like a piece of property and then coerced you into taking him off the planet. And God knows what else. They just did the same with your crew mate, granted his is a gambling debt. They are trouble, Calysta, and they’ve caused you enough of it for one lifetime time without you marrying into it.

Calysta drew back from the table, her jaw set as she tossed her napkin to the side of her plate. “You don’t know the other side to that story. The Federation did cruel things to them, long after they were defeated. Unnecessary things. Yes, I know what they are and what they are capable of. That doesn’t make them barbarians. They’ve been open to peace and willing to learn, even if they do have some issues with outsiders.”
“And you think you can change the way they think?” Thomas replied quickly, “The way he thinks? Wouldn’t you rather have someone you have more in common with? A Terran or a Kaerelean? ”

Her words were becoming angrier and she stood from her chair. Was he really suggesting this? “No, it will take long after I’m gone to change anyones mind. That goes for all sides.”

Crossing her arms, she started to walk away from the table, but paused. She would put this to rest once and for all. Turning back to her father whose face was a mix of concern and anger. “And as for Illya...he did see me as property. It doesn’t mean I let him treat me that way. For your information, he didn’t touch me once. Not one time. And still hasn’t even tried. Does that sound like a barbarian to you?”
Then she gave him a final glowering look and walked out of the bar. Thomas watched her go at a complete and utter loss as to think or do. His daughter thought she could help everyone sometimes and there was no stopping her. She was right about one thing, there were two sides to every story and he’d only really listened to one so far.

****
Calysta said nothing to her father for the rest of the trip back. Her hands were shaking she was so mad and she couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t come out showing her anger. He had called the people who just treated them like royalty barbarians of all things, and then had the nerve to suggest she find a Terran or Kaerelean man to top it off. So, what if she and Illya had so many differences? Her father didn’t understand that she felt so at home with Illya, even though they were to different, because he didn’t look at her half-blood. Illya saw her. And she cared about him. He was stubborn, but also kind, funny, intelligent and a good man. He wasn't perfect and didn't try to be.

As they walked up to the house the porch lights flickered on, detecting their motion, and lighting up the yard. When her eyes adjusted, she realized that something was very wrong. The door was hanging open, having been pried apart at the knock and forced through. Someone had paid them a visit while they were gone.

“Dad, someone’s in the house.”

Calysta tugged the pistol from her back and clicked off the safety, as her heart started to pound.

****
Ayrn stared at the rocks quizzically. The pile looked more like a mountain of boulders than normal, every day rocks. How was he supposed to know which ones were the right ones? There was were hundreds of them and they all looked the exact same. It wasn’t like he had much choice to figure it out though.

He started going at it, sorting them by what he thought the man might want. Some of it did look familiar eventually. There were veins of ore running through some that the other, less desirable rock didn’t have. His one eye could at least pick out those. Many of the rocks were heavier than they looked and he could barely lift them. The room was hot and he was covered in sweat by the end of the first hour, while his keeper was a gruff man who was annoyingly quick to tell him when he was wrong or not moving fast enough.

When he was caught grumbling over an order, the man informed him just how long he’d be working. It was even longer than the farmer had them working a day! There were was no freaking way he was going to make it, but where was he gonna go? There was nowhere but godforsaken desert to go to.

Sighing, he went back to his work sort the rocks. He found a rhythm eventually, but by the time Illya came to collect him he could barely move. Worst of all, Illya knew it too. It took one push from his heavy hand he down he went into the hot sand. As he laid in the dirt, struggling to make his muscles do what they were supposed to he tugged of his eye patch and sighed. “Dinner..massage...sounds good.”

****
Ayrn went to have a massage with Illya and then they had dinner. At least the man could cook. He could actually cook better than Calysta, but he wasn’t about to say that to him. Instead, he focused on trying to lift his fork up to his face with his sore muscles and kept quiet, though the urge to actually have a conversation with the man was there.

“So, uh...how’s the house coming along?” he finally ventured, stealing a glance up at the man. Work was a safe topic right? Illya liked work.

 

[Silence]

Every now and then Illya would pause while he ate to watch Ayrn feebly lift the fork to his face. At one point he was sorely tempted to ask the Terran if he needed someone to feed him. Surprisingly Ayrn started with something that was actually conversation worthy. While Illya liked to think that there was hope he also knew it wasn't likely. Ayrn wasn't the kind that would change so easily. His choice had proven that. Rather than asking more about the jobs he chose the one that had the greatest level of pay. Illya knew he would do that and in a way he felt bad. Maybe he should tell him that it took a long time to master the craft. At least several years, but once you were good at it you could make good money. If Ayrn wanted to work that long he could become a wealthy man. Unfortunately for Ayrn it just made his stay here longer, but Illya decided to let him have it his way. Either he would figure it out or he wouldn't.

As for the house project Illya was feeling frustrated with it. Shrugging he lifted his shoulders. "It will be slow work. Today I cleared all the plants and burn them. Tomorrow I move all the rubble and rocks. Then I work to make the base rock smooth so we can build on it." Illya was waiting to ask for what remained of his hours to have the men help move the carved stones and get them placed. "I work slow now. Leg is still healing."

Since the Terran had tried to make good conversation Illya did his best to return the favor. "How yah work coming along?" Listening to the man give a description he nodded. "So yah learn well. Good. Maybe tomorrow yah learn more. Won't be long that yah here." 3 weeks was a terribly short time, but he figured that at least Ayrn would be too tired to care about the time. On the weekends Illya planned to let the man sleep as long as he wanted. Chances were he wasn't used to having hard labor. Then on the very last day of his work Illya would have him come back like usual and let him rest. Then he could leave the planet Nuen on the first transport out.

Three weeks and 2 massage sessions on his leg daily had great improved the mobility. Illya was feeling almost like a new man. He hadn't felt this good in decades. In a way he was tempted to push it, but he knew now that he had the stone cleared and the treatment poured over the foundation that the house would wait to be built for when he came back. The rest of the work was a little too heavy for him to do with his leg yet and he needed to have the Ehuai look it over and tell him what he could do from here out. For the most part he was pain free and it was a strange, but wonderful thing. Getting onto the transport with Ayrn he grinned. "Now I go find Kalizda and yah do whatever yah thought to. Maybe someday yah come back and work to learn trade of metal working without seams." It was doubtful that the man would want to come back, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

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

Yvonne watched her son leave again. He was constantly on the move and working hard when he could. At least he was taking precautions and listening to his body for the first time in years. For a long time she was worried that he would cripple himself. It just seemed that he had been in pain for so long that he didn't pay attention to the pains that shouldn't have been ok to experience. Even when he first came back from the surgeries that Kalizda took him to, she didn't let him do much. For once she was perhaps relieved that he was going to see Kalizda. The woman lived in a place that didn't require much strength from Illya and she expected that Kalizda was probably still cautious.

Stepping up beside her Markus watched for a long moment. "I think she's good for him. Yah see how much he has to live for now? That house. Illya hasn't bothered to build anything in a long time. Yvonne yah asked the gods for yah son."

The woman looked at Markus for a long moment. "I wanted my son to be healed, I wanted him to live a healthy life, I wanted the son I lost to the war. All of these things I receive and now I see this woman to. I did not ask for her. She will destroy him. Illya will leave us and she will die young. Chippeqouti do not make bonds lightly and then I lose meh son again. It is far worse to know what will happen."

"Yah don't know what will happen." Markus sighed. Grabbing one of her hands he watched from the desert as the transport disappeared from sight. "He was going to ask the Ehaui for help. She would make a fine daughter. Kalizda has as much strength as Chippeqouti. She is not easily broken. A good woman and she protects our people like her own. Could yah ask for a better woman?" Squeezing her hand he peered deep into her eyes. "I think yah need to just wait and see eh?" Pulling gently on her hand he took her away from the port. "Now we go to work. Plenty of herbs to pick and land to clear. Yah still need to pick out a place for yah new house to.' Markus was more anxious than she was for the house. He liked to have a place to call home and he couldn't help wanting to make her choose more quickly. There were times that she just didn't seem to be in a hurry and this was one of them.

Rolling her eyes slowly Yvonne stared out across the desert. "How many times did I tell yah to just pick a spot?"

"Fine, right here." Markus pointed to the ground under their feet. He knew she would have an opinion as soon as he had a spot picked out so there wasn't any point, but she didn't think she cared till she saw how it could be.

"Not there." Yvonne looked up from the ground thoughtfully. "Most of it is the same. Its just a desert pick someplace."

Markus took a deep breath and sighed. "Yah always do the same Yvonne." Walking out into the desert with her he began to survey the area with his eyes and then walked to a nice spot that should get a lot of sun. He put some thought into it and this was a spot he had been looking at for a few weeks, but he knew she wouldn't want it. She probably had something in mind as usual.

The woman stared at the rather plain view. "But the land is prettier on that side and yah have all the same sunlight."

 

[aryamajor]

Ayrn was a little deflated when he realize he had only worked 10 hours of the 150 that he had to endure, but he didn’t say so. He only took another bite of his food with a shaking hand, and nodded. When Illya asked, without a single smug look, how his work was coming along he answered. “It’s hot as hell, but it’s not bad. I actually know a bit about rocks and mining, so it kind of helped.”

He didn’t mention the fact that his keeper was impossible to please or had kept him going at a ridiculous pace. He wasn’t built for hauling such heavy things. At this point , he was just grateful for the food and a chance to rest….before he had to go back in the morning.

The days passed by slowly at first, since all he did was haul rocks from one place to another. Then, in the middle of the week, his keeper decided to show him a bit more, letting him pour up some of the molten ore into the molds. The cast was heavy and it was hot, miserable work, but at least it wasn’t sorting the same rocks over and over. As long as he stayed quiet, the co-pilot left him in peace and was actually letting him sleep in as much as he wanted on some days.

Finally, the day came when his hours were paid back and he was sitting along side Illya on the transport back. The man was all smiles. Probably because he was feeling better with the massages and getting to see the captain. He could hardly blame the guy. The captain was a pretty thing worth missing. "Now I go find Kalizda and yah do whatever yah thought to. Maybe someday yah come back and work to learn trade of metal working without seams."

“Maybe I will come back and learn some more,” he grinned back.

He had hated working in the blacksmith’s shop, but he had to admit, the time had gotten him back in shape and the massages were nice on Nuen. Even if he did smell like Illya now.

****

Calysta pushed open the door with one hand, while keeping her other tight on her pistol. The wooden door pushed back all the way to the wall. Nobody hiding behind there at least. Peering into the darkness, she could see that the living room had been torn apart. Cushions from the couch were in the floor, the contents of the bookshelf were scattered, some of the books having been shredded to pieces. The picture frames from the mantle were tossed down or broken. Otherwise, the room was empty.

Her eyes shifted to the doorway to the kitchen, the door to the study and the stair case. Three uncleared areas. Swallowing hard, she started toward the kitchen, keeping her back to the wall. A little bump behind her made her heart seize as she jumped around, ready for a fight. It was only her father following her inside. Trying to calm down, she stepped into the kitchen. All of the cabinets were open, and whatever they had inside was spilled onto the floor. Sugar was dumped over the counter tops along with the flour canister, in messy white piles. The coffee tin was tossed into the sink, while the refrigerator door was wide open along with the freezer.

Her father’s study was in far worse condition. Papers had flown everywhere over the floor and every shelf had been searched. His desk drawers were pulled out completely and all the files piled onto the top. Someone was looking for her? Nobody had known she was her as far as she knew. What else? Her mind flashed to the files and hologram coin in her bag. The files.

Climbing up the stairs was nerve wracking. The stairs squeaked and groaned even under light weight, as she crept up to the second floor, sweat building on her forehead. As she stepped onto the landing up above, she stole a quick glance into the small bathroom. It had been searched too, but the shower curtain was pulled aside and the room was empty.

Her bedroom door was wide open and the inside looked as if a tornado had torn through. The mattress was turned over, the bedside table drawers were pulled out, hanging at odd angles. Clothes were strewn all over the floor from her closet along with little foam balls and other bits. The chess set was broken and her book shelf was turned over. She pushed the door all the way back and stepped inside, ensuring that the room was completely cleared, before turning back into the hallway.

Red hot fear ran down her limbs.
A silhouette was in her father’s door way. It was too dark to see the face, but it looked at her, stiffening in surprise, “Don’t move.”
The figure glanced back, realizing he was cornered with nowhere to go. He hadn’t been expecting the professor to return for another night and now the Calysta Monroe herself was standing in front of him with a gun. His orders had been to get the files, but now one of the people they wanted was staring at him. If he could bring her back maybe they would stop threatening him.

He clenched his fists and lunged at her with a yell. The instincts kicked in immediately and she squeezed the trigger. Two pops echoed through the hall as Calysta’s bullets hit their mark and the man tumbled to his knees.

****

Henaiah stood over the body of her assistant, Oliver, with her arms crossed. The blood that had pooled on the floor at her toes was starting to thicken and the smell of it made her slightly nauseous. Thomas and Calysta explained what had happened to her repeatedly. The authorities would have to be called on this one. She couldn’t explain away the death of her own assistant, but there was no doubt in any of them, that he had been looking for the files. Why? Oliver had been a quiet sort of fellow who stuck to his work. The kind of person she needed when dealing with international affairs, and the only one that knew she had asked for the files and holograms.

She had already told Calysta to wipe down her pistol and hand it to Thomas. “You were never here, do you understand Calysta? We’re moving you out of here tonight. Thomas?”

The Terran nodded. “It was a home invasion and I shot him before he could tackle me.”

Henaiah took a deep breath and looked at the both of them. She hated this fabrication and she could see it written on the young woman’s face that she disliked the idea too. What disturbed her more was that someone so closely affiliated with her would do this. How deep did this go? “I’ll make sure you get a copy of this report too. Maybe we can find a link of some kind that can lead us to who really started this. If he was after the files, then we know they that there must be something on there worth keeping covered up.”

****
Thomas sat in his chair feeling tired. It had been a long three weeks and the house had been utterly empty after being cleaned. It had been strange to go from a house full to being the only person living in it. Most days, he went to work, acting as if nothing had happened, came home and sat reading in the living room with his shotgun sitting across his lap.

Calysta had been taken off of Pyrta completely and had been trying to conduct her own investigation, but with little success. According to Henaiah, the authorities had only just released the file on her assistant’s death, which he hadn’t been charged with. He had come home to find his house destroyed and an intruder coming after him, after all. Given the state of the house when the police arrived, it was easy to see that was the case so no charges had been brought against him. Though they had asked him several questions as to why the Councilwoman’s assistant would do this. He answered honestly every time. “I don’t know.”

As Thomas sat reading over his student’s calculations, and tugging at his short goatee, he heard heavy footsteps come up the front porch. The curtains closed but the shadow that appeared was tall and broad. Sliding the papers to the side, he snatched up his shotgun, and cocked it back with a solid click before training his barrel on the front door. If someone was coming for him, he was about to make sure they had a very bad day. Loaded shells of rock salt would stun someone and burn, but they wouldn’t kill. He had to many questions to ask whoever walked through that door to kill them.

The shining new knob turned and the door swung open as the large shadow stepped inside.

 

[Silence]

Kalizda should be expecting him. This time Illya packed a few extra things. He had worked a few hours extra to trade for some clothes besides the old ones he'd been wearing for months now. This time he took the back streets to get to the house. Illya was tired of the women trying to pet on him when he barely got off the dock. There was something wrong with these women in general. They needed somebody, but not him. A gradual frown came to Illya's face as he came up the stairs of the house. Usually Kalizda watched more carefully. Until she was free from this trouble she was bound to the house and he was going to take her back with him to see the progress. Perhaps she was sleeping. Walking up the steps he heard them creak though he didn't do anything to prevent them from creaking. He half wanted her to hear him coming. She still wasn't answering the door so Illya turned the knob and stepped in. "Ka-wa!" Ducking a little late Illya felt the sting of a pellet dig underneath the skin in his chest. Diving for the nearest corner he slid into the hall and slipped into one of the rooms. Whatever was going on he couldn't begin to guess.

Thomas didn't hesitate to fire as soon as the door opened. The shot sent a heavy kickback into his shoulder as the intruder barreled into the doorway and down the hall too fast for him to see much other than a dark head of hair and tanned skin. Illya? Cocking the second round, he tromped toward the hall and aimed again. "Come out!"

Come out was something that Illya fully intended to do. Pulling the towel off the rack he balled it up in one fist and rolled out into the hall. Tossing the towel for Thomas' face Illya fluidly moved to his feet while knocking the barrel of the gun into the wall. "Aye...I come out." Setting a heavy hand on the barrel of the gun he held it against the wall and stared at Thomas fiercely. "Why yah shootin at meh?"

A red towel smacked him right over the face. "Gah!" Suddenly he was pulled to the side as the intruder snatched up the gun, shoving the barrel into the wall. "Bastard!' Jerking his head, he managed to sling the towel off. Illya was staring down at him looking pissed. "I didn't know it was you!" he snapped back, "You've been gone for weeks!"

Still holding the gun he growled. "Of course I was gone for weeks. Had to make sure Arse finished his time and paid da debt eh? Wasn't it obvious I was coming back for Kalizda when Arse finished his work?" Illya thought it should have been a given. "Now I give yah gun back. Don't shoot meh again. That hurt." It was stinging horrible and the bullet hit in a rather awkward place. It was near the nipple on his left peck and Illya could have sworn it felt like it was bleeding.

"I'm not going to shoot you, and it's just a bit of rock salt. You'll live." Thomas said, snatching his gun back. He had to admit the temptation to give him a bit more salt, but he just sighed and turned back toward the living room. "You've missed a lot since you've been...gone. Calysta isn't here because it isn't safe."

There was nothing more angering than having the man act like he'd been wailing about getting shot. It hurt and that was all he said. Picking at the shirt Illya lifted it to reveal a nasty little lump under his skin. While walking behind her father he tried to squeeze the little lump out only find that it squished and the stinging spread. Pulling the shirt down he grit his teeth and frowned at the man. It had to be salt. Immediately his eyes flashed and he stalked right back to the door. "I go get her then. Tell meh where she is."

He shook his head as Illya headed for the door. The man was going to be stir crazy and stubborn about it he knew, but he was too nerve worn to bother with letting him run in circles. "You can't go alone, and even I don't know exactly where she is. Henaiah took her somewhere remote after the break-in. I'll have to call her and have someone take you."

Turning sharply he stared at Thomas for a long moment. "Aye have dem take meh th-there." He didn't like having people take him places, but since he couldn't find her it was going to be necessary. "Yah come with eh?" Illya raised an eyebrow. "Looks like yah in trouble to."

"Yeah, I'll come with. I haven't seen her since she left and if they're taking you, I might as well go too." He wasn't going to admit that every time the door opened he expected trouble. Technically, it had been trouble at the door this time too, but at least it was the kind that wasn't going to kill him. He straightened out his knee and walked into his study to go call Henaiah. It only took a few words over the phone to her direct line and he was back. "They'll meet us at the docks. She said you might want to bring a jacket."

Her father was only slightly annoying when he gave that look over as if he expected Illya to have packed a jacket. "Eh no jacket. Didn't tink I'd have to use one just to pick up Kalizda here. How cold is it where we go?" Already his bones seemed to ache just in sympathy for themselves. Illya hated the cold and he had a feeling that he was going to be miserable, but neither was he going to go all the way back to Nuen for his coat.

Thomas put his shot gun in the closet under the stairs and pulled out his own, black rain jacket. "Mid 50's but the rain is what will be coldest It's always raining this time of year on Ewen." The man would probably freeze if it was less than 80* degrees outside, but if he got sick, Calysta would just rush off to get him fixed again. He dug around in the closet until he found a packaged, plastic poncho. "This'll keep the rain off," he added, tossing the poncho to Illya.

"So cold!" Illya almost moaned. He hated cold weather more than anything. Taking the rain poncho from her father he made a few faces and then folded it over his arm. "Wait till I need it." He didn't want to get accustomed to wearing it and then lose any extra comfort it might provide though it didn't seem that it would provide any warmth at all.

"Suit yourself," he nodded. If he was honest, going to see Calysta was putting him in a better mood. Henaiah had told him she was fine, but was little comfort hearing the word second hand. Making the trip with Illya was not exactly what he had in mind, but after his conversation with Calysta, he had decided to just try to stay neutral. Glancing up at the tall, Illya he gave him a once over and gestured at the door. "Let's go....and uh...sorry about the salt."

The stinging in his chest was still a long ways from gone. Illya narrowed his eyes slightly at Thomas. "I might have enjoyed it more had our roles been reversed. Just salt." Grumbling the last word the Chip rubbed at his chest again. When the escort finally arrived Illya walked over to the door. "Ef its not who we expect I shoot him." Even if he was still experiencing the uncomfortable slow dissolving salt Illya enjoyed his own version of a joke though he wasn't so sure that her father did. "Yah need to lighten up. It could have been worse eh? Maybe yah shot meh in the head with a bullet and I have a migraine now eh? That would be worse. I tink maybe I would have less jokes."

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

As they drew closer to the planet the salt was nearly dissolved and Illya rubbed at his chest more often. Even if at first he had tried not to show the discomfort the stinging had become consistent enough that he couldn't help himself. Lifting his shirt again the Chip stared at the red little marks scattered over his chest. They would probably stay red for a good couple of days. More than likely by then he would find it far more funny. Her dad sitting around like an old farmer reading whatever it was he had been reading and then blasting away as a guest arrived in the house.

The more he looked at the red splotches on his chest the funnier it seemed. Finally he couldn't help it any longer and Illya started to laugh while pulling the shirt back down. The whole situation was horrible and he didn't know what else to do about it. "Look on yah face." Like usual his laugh went from a rumble to a raspy harsh sound. Illya found great humor in the perplexed looking expression. If her father couldn't see the humor in how terrible this was then Illya didn't know what to do for him. As the ship began to rattle Illya buckled himself into the seat. They were probably getting close to landing.

Illya pulled the poncho on over his head with the first blast of the freezing air. It was so cold. Curling against the wind he stepped out of the ship with her father and walked slowly. He only moved at the slow pace because that was the same pace that the others kept. "We....Got to be close eh?" Through chattering teeth he managed to ask the question. Every time Illya raised his head he was tempted to ask if they were there yet.

 

[aryamajor]

Thomas couldn't figure out what there was to joke about. His house had been broken into and his daughter attacked, and he was doing the only thing he knew to do to help with that. He'd been on edge for weeks, and of course, the first person to come to his door was the Chippeqouti man. That rock salt would have sent an ordinary man down into a world of stinging pain, but not this man. No, he'd taken the blow surprisingly well even if he kept rubbing at he left over pebbles stuck in his chest. Illya was annoyingly tough and not afraid to let him know that a bullet to the head would only cause him a mere migraine.

As the transport rattled along through the thick storm clouds, he watched as Illya lifted up his shirt, showing off the red welts left by the salt. Then the man started laughing. "Look on yah face."

The man was laughing at him and the urge to tell him off was strong, but he was trying to be tolerant and keep things even. "Aye, but at least my face isn't burning like your chest," he snorted back.

As they landed, Thomas zipped up his coat, tossed on his hood, and shoved his hands into his pockets. He hated the rain and cold every bit as much as the Chip beside him did. It made his knee creak and Ewen was the worst place for any sort of comfort. Anybody looking for Calysta wouldn't bother to come here just for the sheer wish to avoid the place.

A storm was coming in as they arrived, pushing the rain along with fierce gusts of chilly wind. The town was a dreary one, cast in fog that clung to every bit of the streets, and buildings were nothing but dark, grey shadows in the mist. Any resident's that passed them by were covered head to toe in rubber rain gear, though most didn't bother with umbrella. Those would just break or fly away in the damp winds. Their guide, a man in a black tunic and clear rain slicker, lead them to a small hotel.

Thomas was grateful to see heaters with bright orange elements glowing away as they pushed away the cold in the lobby. He pulled his hands from his pockets and tugged his puddle-soaked pant leg away from his ankles. He had managed to keep mostly dry and it was Illya had gotten the worst of the weather it seemed. The poncho hadn't been quite big enough and he was drenched anywhere the plastic hadn't covered.

The hotel lobby had a few people milling about, mostly those whose transports had been delayed to the incoming storm. Their guide gave them a quick nod, then left out the front door, keeping to silence the entire trip. Those government agent sorts never settled well with Thomas and he was glad to see the silent guide go. When they were finally left on their own, he glanced around at the people, most of whom were wearing hoods and dripping jackets, trying to see if Calysta was there. There were several women with dark, glossy hair like hers but she was nowhere to be seen.

"I suppose we wait," he sighed to the miserable looking Chip before starting toward the lounge chairs, "Might as well sit." He didn't want to admit his knee was starting to tighten up.

As he stepped over to the nearest empty chair, he looked back to see if the man had even heard him. Illya was standing there, looking around as a petite figure in a black jacket and hood walked up from behind him, slipping their hand into his. The woman didn't look up at the man, but Thomas could see a hint of a smile just under the hood. "Hello, stranger. Care to have a drink with me?" she said to Illya with a quiet chuckle.

 

[Silence]

The man was finally catching onto the humor and Illya grinned broadly when Thomas retorted back. "Aye, yah face isn't red yet." Chuckling a little more Illya rubbed at the multiple little wounds on his chest. It was miserable and the outdoors only started to look more unwelcoming the closer they got. When they landed Illya first tried to put the hood on, but it only pulled the poncho up and then it revealed almost all of his legs. Illya had to debate for a moment and then decided that having a soaked head was better than having nearly his entire right leg frozen up and sore. At least this way he could manage to partially save his leg.

Rain pounded against him with each step and he winced when he nearly slipped on the cold stone street. They couldn't seem to move fast enough. The guide was horribly slow and ahead Illya could see a building with light. He only hoped that was where they would be stopping. If they stopped there he could at least rest his leg some and let it warm. Perhaps he could dry off too.

If this was where Kalizda was it was not a good place. She had to be miserable here and he was going to take her home. She would be safe on Nuen with him and nobody would bother her there. The guide pointed to the doors of the hotel and Illya followed Thomas in. While the older man was busy seeking out a place to sit Illya remained were he was dripping water and leaving a puddle where he stood. His legs were soaked from the just above the knee and down. His arms were soaked from below the elbow, but he hadn't had a shirt covering them so they would dry off fast. There was a v in his shirt that was drenched at the neck and then his hair curled wildly with the moisture.

He had yet to spot Kalizda, but Illya was sure he would find her. Otherwise he was going to start pounding on every door that he could find in this place. Illya almost jumped when he felt a tiny little hand slip into his. It wasn't like other women that pawed at his chest or tried to get close. Carefully he glanced down at the little hooded figure. "Aye, I'll have a drink." Turning toward her the Chip gazed sharply at her face. "Come to take yah home." this wasn't any place for her and he didn't want to see her here. Kalizda had to be miserable in this place. If she would't go home he could move somewhere else with her. Somewhere they could hide. Illya knew that not all of the planets knew of his kind yet. They didn't have to know that he was Chippeqouti. Living in quiet was not a problem. He would still go back to Nuen to work, but they could live elsewhere. Now that his bones were on the mend he wouldn't get sick from the colder climates. It would just take some work to get used to the colder weather.

Following Kalizda to a bench he ordered a strong drink for himself. "Kalizda, come back with meh?" This planet was too far away from Nuen to live the life he had to. "Must be some way ta clear yah name eh? I would do anyting to help yah. Don't mind if I have to break da law to do it eh?" She had o know that he would do anything and he was serious about it. This had gone on too long and it wasn't right that she had to hide even in her own home.

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta sat in her room with Keysha looking over the files for the millionth time. It was all the same; her talking to the Cirellant diplomat. He dies. Her delivering Wynt to the hospital and her copy entering the room. He dies. She would liked to have Wynt's autopsy record, but Fenied still refused to release it. A fight over jurisdictional matters apparently.

Keysha was snoozing on her small bed, taking up most of the space with her long body, but she didn't mind so much. Since coming to the constantly rainy Ewen she hadn't been close to warm and kept her feet tucked under the cat's belly. When she shifted, the cat would turn her head and give an accusatory look and pounce with her heavy paws. "Okay, Okay. I'll be still."

The information was much the same until the report file about Henaiah's assistant was delivered by a silent man in a black suit. The hologram coin didn't reveal terribly much, at least didn't think so at first. A thorough investigation had been done on the man, as was to be expected and she now knew Oliver very well. It almost felt strange to pry like this in the dead man's life, but he had known something. There had to be a clue hidden here somewhere.

She noted the interviews that had been done with his friends and acquaintances. He had been a mild mannered sort of person, and had a clean record, though the people who knew him stated he had been missing out on social functions in favor of work over the last few months. That he had become more of a recluse than usual. She sighed a started to put the pad to the side when the next page revealed the autopsy and contents report for the body. The list was fairly standard. One watch...a set of glasses for reading...papers...

The word papers caught her eye and she clicked on the link to see the digital copy of whatever had been scanned into the police report. A slender slip of paper had been found crumpled in the corner of his pants pocket. It was less the an a half inch wide and sported an insignia of some kind. The ink was smudged, but it was a symbol of some kind. Magnifying the image she found it was as little circle with a V2 written in the middle. It struck her as being so familiar. Where had she seen it before? The image was just at the edge of her mind, so frustratingly close.

As she mulled it over, an alert popped up on her pad. A singular message written in code. Expect an Apple and Orange for dinner. She couldn't help but smile at the message.

****
Calysta sat down with Illya and her father in the lobby. Both of them were soaking wet, but it looked as if the Chip had gotten the worst of the lovely weather outside. His head was sopping wet and plastered into its abundant curls, as she slipped his hand into his and lead him over to a table and chairs. She almost didn't want to let go of his hand so he could sit. Hers were freezing and his were warm enough to take the chill away for just a few moments.

He was giving her a sharp look with his bright green eyes, but his words belied his worry. The truth was, he was one of the only people she could trust and she wanted to go with him. To forget about this, and just live with the Chippeqouti in peace. But if she did go to Nuen, she would be bringing trouble to his people who deserved that peace, and as it stood right now, even if she found the real killer, it may be too late to stop a war. Still she had to try. If she didn't the Chips may be called to fight anyways, according to their deal. Then, there was Illya. They had promised to stick together, to clear her name as partners and he apparently would do what it took to help. For once she had the selfish notion that she didn't want to do this alone. A lesson she had learned on Fenied. Illya's leg was still not fully healed though, even if he was walking better on it, and she wanted to protect him. It was hard to know what to do or say to him on that point.

A waitress brought them their drinks, something warm to keep away the cold dampness in the air. Calysta picked up a mug of spiced omne cider from the tray and looked into the blue liquid. She could see the spices flecked into the cider like imperfections in a sapphire.

"Illya, I don't want to bring more danger to you or your people," she said honestly, as she looked up from her cup to meet his gaze, "Going to Nuen would do that. I can't stay on Ewen though. Not if I want to figure this out. The records from the Gylcryn would exonerate me from Wynt's death, because I can show the times. There may be something useful for the diplomat's death too. I have to warn you though...I think this goes very deep."

She searched his face, half expecting him that it might not be worth it, but he was simply looking at her with an unreadable expression. Biting her lip, she pulled out the pad from the inside of her jacket and showed both of them the records and the note found in the assistant's pocket. "He broke in to the house looking for the files, and almost seemed surprised when he saw me there. I think he was under some sort of pressure to do it. The report notes that he was acting strangely a few months before this and I think this is important. It looked like he had kept it for awhile and it looks familiar. "

Her father leaned over, his brown eyes scanning over the image and lighting up with recognition. "I know what that is. That's the symbol for the Terran mine on Veyna 4. It was the second mine that was opened and the same that was attacked. "

"Why would he have this in his pocket?"

"A few of the anti-treaty factions were using it as a symbol for their cause. Some of them even had tattoos of it."

Calysta froze when her father said the word tattoo. How could she not remember? Had she been so stubborn that she had been blind to the idea of it? "I know where I've seen this before...Wynt's wife has this tattooed behind her ear. I only saw it once, because she kept her hair down, but I'm positive that's where I've seen it."

With the sudden shock of realization, also came a horrible sinking feeling. How could her co-pilot have done this? He and his family were one of the only few who knew her heritage and if his wife had been an anti-treaty supporter, would she have talked him into doing something so unforgivable and framing her for it?

"I asked Henaiah to do a quiet check on Wynt's family, since it would be a bad idea to go myself, but it appeared they had moved back to Terra. No reason to stay with Wynt dead and no longer in Skycorp, I suppose," Calysta added quietly, "If she was involved in the anti-treaty factions, or a victim herself, she would have motive. Maybe we can find her? We also need to tell Henaiah if the anti-treaty factions are pressuring staff members. There's no telling how deep it goes."

 

[Silence]

Illya waited for Kalizda to begin explaining what was going on. It seemed that the trouble was running a lot deeper than he had thought. It was not just a simple betrayal with a few people to blame. Perhaps by her explanation and her father's input there was an entire organization. In a way it complicated things for Kalizda, but it also made it easier to disrobe the argument that Kalizda did it. Just as long as they didn't add her to their roster somewhere. Some were smart enough to add their potential fall guy to the list so that if they were uncovered everyone went down. It was a brilliant tool to keep themselves hidden. Blackmailing folks with false, but condemning information.

After a few long minutes he took a sip from his drink. It was warm and even felt warm on the way down like a little oven had been dropped into his stomach and just radiated out from there. Sighing he glanced at Kalizda and then back to the drink. "Yah one of us. Kalizda, If this all it would take for meh to walk away thhen yah wouldn't want to agree. I stayin and I help yah. We get some money and buy small ship. Even if we have to run for many years I will go." Illya searched her face and then nodded with a sense of finality. It was a very simple problem in that sense and he only had a simple answer. Things like this did not change for those that had agreed or were prepared to agree. He asked her knowing full and well that she had this problem and so now it was only part of his duty to ensure that she was not in this fight alone. Scooting away from the table he pulled the poncho off and took it to the hook near the door. It was warm enough that he wanted it off so he could dry the rest of the way now.

Taking up his seat next to Kalizda once more the Chippeqouti rested a large brown hand over her little pale fingers. "Meh little bird...." Staring off into the distance for a long moment he almost slipped away into the world of memories and then met her gaze again. "Yah get more beautiful every day. Don't worry. I begin training to be ready to do whatever is necessary, I am soldier not yah. It yah job to know yah people and meh job to hold ship and protect yah." It was perfectly logical in his mind. Chippeqouti took on roles when they came together and it was based on strengths and weaknesses. Unless one was incapacitated it was entirely expected that they would stick to just their roles and not bleed into the others work without a request.

Kalizda was not strong enough to be a soldier. She did not have the training and he fully expected to be the one to take on the role of soldier. This was only natural. "Now, tonight we rest. Tomorrow I get clothing for weather. We get ship, yah debrief meh on situation and then we leave eh?" Illya thought that it all sounded very reasonable for a plan. As for her father he wasn't quite sure what to do with the man.

Gazing at Thomas for a long moment Illya sighed. "If yah come we find out what yah good at. Maybe yah make a good crew mate on ship eh?" Whatever position the man got Illya would let Kalizda decide. She was a far better and more experienced captain than Illya and he knew that. Finishing off the rest of his cider in one gulp Illya winked at Kalizda. "Dun worreh." Sliding out of the seat of the chair Illya started over toward the counter to get lodging for himself and Thomas in a big room. It would be wise if she was in trouble to be sure that she stayed in their room. "Two bed." Sliding a few credits across the counter Illya then took the key and nodded.

Wandering back over to the table Illya looked at Kalizda. "If we come yah might be at risk. Yah move to our room. I help yah get yah stuff. Remember I'm soldier." Last thing he wanted was for her start jumping in front and getting shot. He could take the bullets far easier and recover faster.

Illya insisted on clearing her room and ensuring that it was safe before Kalizda gathered her things. Before they stepped into his room he cleared it again. "Now yah take one bed and yah dad take da other. I sleep at door." This hotel was a joke. He couldn't believe that they thought it was a safe place for her. Mostly it felt like a set up. Like they were leaving her here out of the way to be suddenly disappeared. Maybe Henaiah was unaware of the lousy security. They gave a semblance of it, but Kalizda was far from safe on this planet and Illya fully intended on getting her mobile. The longer she sat in one place the more dangerous it would become for her.

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta looked at Illya as he spoke. His green eyes were searching her face, but she knew by their gaze that no matter what happened he wasn't going to leave. He would stay. At every moment he could or should have walked away, he hadn't and this was no different. Even if this time the situation was much bigger and much more dangerous, or even took years. Illya got up to put away his poncho and to her surprise, he came to sit beside her, putting his tanned hand over hers. "Meh little bird..."

He sat quiet for awhile, his eyes growing distant as he held her cold fingers. What was he thinking of? Since they had to Kaereal after his surgeries, she had gotten to know him much more, but sometimes the fact that he had lost one family to war went to the back of her mind. Calysta uncurled her fingers under his hand, letting them link a little with thick fingertips.

When she did, he came out his thoughts and he looked at her. "Yah get more beautiful every day. Don't worry. I begin training to be ready to do whatever is necessary, I am soldier not yah. It yah job to know yah people and meh job to hold ship and protect yah."

Leave it to Illya to compliment her with absolute sincerity and then make it seem as though she couldn't just as well protect him. Yes, he was much stronger and recovered faster, but she was determined not to give him a reason to need recovery. If he thought she was going to hide behind him and let him get hurt again, he had another thing coming. She had strengths of her own.

Once it was decided that they would leave, they still needed to come up with a solid plan and what the next move should be. No sooner had she started to say something than Illya was saying that they should stay the night and could make arrangements to leave in the morning. There was no argument from her on that point. The weather was miserable outside and they wouldn't be able to leave until the storm cleared anyways.


Where they were going remained the question. She would have to do more research, but it was looking more and more like they should follow Wynt's wife. She could try to find the Gylcryn if the Zkree hadn't scrapped it out of spite, but it would clear her from Wynt's death only. If she could prove she had nothing to do with the diplomats death, her supposed motive for killing her co-pilot would be more or less defunct. They would go to Terra.

"If yah come we find out what yah good at. Maybe yah make a good crew mate on ship eh?" he said nodding to her father.

He bristled at the Chip for a moment and Calysta gave him a pleading look. Illya had no way of knowing her father had once been an officer aboard a star-class Terran vessel in his own right.

"Aye, I'll be going with you. If you're going to Earth to find Wynt's wife, which I assume is your first move since it's the only fresh lead, then you'll need someone who knows the planet," he replied, as he rubbed at his knee.

With a wink, Illya was off getting a room for himself and her father. It dawned on her that those two had ridden together for close to 4 hours with each other and there was no telling what had passed between them. When he came back, he informed her that he was a soldier and she should move her stuff into the new room. He obviously was feeling much better and sounding even more confident. He sounded maybe a little happy to be in control of something that he knew. A general giving orders again.

"I haven't forgotten," she told him, with a small chuckle.

Calysta took her things into the new room with Illya's help. There wasn't much to move considering she had no time to really pack anything besides a few clothes, books and Keysha's necessities. The new room was bigger at least and her father propped up into the bed by the curtained window, while she took the one nearest the door where Illya insisted on sleeping no matter what she said. It she wasn't worried so much about someone bursting in as she was his leg acting up. It hadn't been a full six months yet and she noticed he kept rubbing his chest. "You can stay with me, it'll be fine. There's no reason for you to stay on the floor if it's locked."

"Let him do as he likes, Calysta," her father grumbled, in a half asleep state.

Sighing, she tugged the blanket off her own bed and brought it over to him. He was looking down at his chest, pawing at his pec, as she offered the thick quilt to him. "If you're going to insist on sleeping there, you might as well stay warm," she frowned, watching him rub, "Are you okay?"

****

Thomas stood in the cockpit of a small, Kaerelean space craft. It had taken all of his Christmas bonus and then some to buy the vessel, but it would work. Anybody watching his accounts would probably think he got the hell out of dodge on a first class ticket. Calysta had spent an hour in the rain, going over the twin engines, jump drive, and weapons system to make sure it was a sound vessel where it counted most. Nobody knew a engine like his daughter. She would sneak away when she was sick and work on her own flyer for hours, learning the ins- and-outs of the entire system. He would catch her, covered in grease and grinning, only to have to send her back to bed. He chuckled at the memories as he inspected the interior of the ship. There were two bed rooms, a captain's quarters and a four person bunk room a small bathroom and wash station, along with a little galley with a single eye stove. It was not the luxurious Zkree ship they had flown in on, but it was clean and sturdy.

When he had ensured that the inside of the ship was passable, he had been drawn to the small cockpit. Two chairs sat side by side, one at the engine controls and the other at the navigational station. It had been years since he had stood on the bridge of a ship at the helm. He ran his fingers over the glass display, remembering how it felt to punch in the numbers of some distant place and then go slinging to the other side of the galaxy to explore. Now, he would be behind the controls again and it was almost exciting. Would he still remember the coordinates? Could he still run the calculations fast enough in his head? Of course he could.

The hatch opened letting in the rushing sound of rain, and in tromped Illya with a bag full of supplies and new clothes, including a new jacket. The man looked as anxious as he was to get out of here. Calysta was right behind him, the ends of her hair sopping wet and her hands stuck into her pockets.

"The ship looks sound by my account," she nodded, "Illya and I will get the supplies stowed while you plot our course, dad."

Thomas hadn't been to Terra in over 15 years and even though this wasn't a vacation by any means, seeing his home planet would be nice. He nodded, a bit too eagerly and sat down at the control panels as they walked to the back of the ship. It was easy enough to type in the coordinates and begin calculating the first stop they would need. As he typed, a large shadow came over the keyboard and he glanced up to see Illya looking down at the screen. As much as he disapproved of the man in some aspects, he had come to find the Chip was excellent with numbers. Particularly when he found a copy of the Odyssey with a hundreds of equations strapped to the back after cleaning up the house.

Illya looked over the final results of the scheduled jumps and pointed to what he thought was an error in the math. "Ah, you're right, that way does look shorter," Thomas nodded, "But in the Terran solar system there is a sphere of asteroids called the Kuiper belt between the inner and outer planets. Starting here." He pointed to swirling blue-green planet on the screen. "I've calculated to take in the thinnest area of the belt, which makes the path look longer, but it will save some flight time when Calysta guides us through."

****

The ship's engines were quick to respond to the throttle as Calysta brought them into the air. The rain battered against the small craft, creating some unavoidable shuddering and a pitch to the side against the wind. She kept a steady hand at the controls, adjusting to fly with the wind rather than across it, until the had ascended above the clouds altogether. The bright light of day that couldn't pierce through the clouds, greeted them on the screen and Calysta couldn't help but smile. She was wanted, and sneaking away from her own government but despite all of that, it felt good to be in the captain's chair again.

She glanced at Illya, who had taken his seat next to her as co-pilot. His green eyes flicked over to her in that mischievous way they always did she and gave him a half smile. "Let's go."

****
Once they were well into their first jump, Calysta turned to both Illya and her father. She wasn't entirely sure what to say. There wasn't much to debrief on that they didn't already know, but she went through the information they knew one more time. " We know that Wynt is probably the assassin of the Cirellant diplomat now...but there isn't any clear evidence pointing to him. We do know that he had motive, if his wife is a supporter of the anti-treaty factions. We also know that it's possible one of these factions seems to have been pressuring government employees and officials on Kaereal. Like Henaiah's assistant. The factions have been pushing for a vote of war against the Cirellants for three years and have kept their protests peaceful, but it doesn't mean someone with real zeal wouldn't simply try to start a war by killing a diplomat. Once we get to Terra, the plan is simple. We follow the only lead we have linking the faction to the murder of the diplomat, Wynt's wife and go from there."

Her father stood with his arms crossed, one hand tugging at his scruff while he thought. "Any idea where Carrie would have moved to?"

Calysta nodded. "She told me once that she was from a city called Newyirk. I was hoping to start there."

His eyes widened and he sighed. His daughter had never been to Terra, sticking to her Kaerelean half more than he would have liked, but he knew the area decently enough. "It's New York and it's a metropolis. We could start looking for anti-treaty rallies and go from there. If anything it may reveal another lead if we don't find her."

She listened to her father and then looked to Illya waiting to see what he would say. If he thought it was a bad idea, he would say so with out reserve.