The next morning they woke up slow and took their time. After their conversation the night before, Calysta felt different. It had been an unintentional and difficult conversation about things she didn't particularly like bringing up. However, she felt...lighter? There was no sun coming their their cabin window, but she felt as if the sun was shining and the troubles of the past weeks were nothing at all. He knew things about her no one else did and while that had come with the fear of rejection, the new found intimacy felt very freeing. Perhaps she could rely on him and tell him more things and he would listen. He wouldn't brush those thoughts aside.
She beamed at him as he stood there in his boxers and then settled a hand on each of his hips. "Aye," she chuckled lightly, "When the doctor clears you we might have to do a little more than shower." Then she kissed him gently before holding him close in a gentle hug. "We should be arriving tonight, if the weather permits. We'll have Wynry take a look at the radar and let her make the determination. If she isn't comfortable taking us in, then I will fly us or we will wait in a holding pattern."
About that time, a knock came to their door and Lohgan's voice sounded clear as a bell from the other side as the locked door handle jiggled violently. "Mam! Mam! Can we have pancakes with the chocolate in dem! Papa said to ask yah! Mam! Make dem!"
Cypher's voice chorused in. "Yah supposed to say, please, Lohgan. Papa said to say please. We will do et together....1..2..3..."
"PLEASE!!!"
Their out of tune crowing for pancakes made Calysta burst out into laughter and she hug Illya all the closer as she laughed into his belly. "I never get tired of those sounds," she giggled, "What do you say we make some pancakes, yeah?"
***********
After breakfast, Calysta went to Wynry for her assessment of the wind and snow patterns and it appeared they would be landing a little late, but only by a few hours. She spent those few hours spending time with her children and conducting a debrief for the security team. The additional members of the security team would be joining them in 42 hours or so, depending on the weather and Calysta mentioned to Illya that while she would like to have Asha aboard, the woman probably needed to stay with her husband and newborn. "My selection for the security team will be arriving soon," Calysta said, "Can you pick another member of the Elite or someone else that you trust?" Calysta asked.
Rezna had little to say on the subject other than it was probably a good idea given the circumstances and wanted to know who the selection was. Calysta shook her head. "I've asked Tikan to send his most trusted warrior. Having a Reylian on board will help in some ways and hurt in others. As you've seen, some continents still feel a little sore about Reylians and while they trust them, there is some underlying dislike. I trust Tikan to send who he believes is the best fit for the position."
The closer they came to their next stop, the more nervous Calysta felt. Her husband and her children were safest on the ship right now while they were on the move, but as soon as they touched down they would be in open territory for an assassin. It had been an easy fact to tamp down this morning over pancakes and listening to Cypher talk all about his science project, but now they were coming close to having to perform again with the stress of it more than tripled.
A brief break in the snow clouds, their window for landing came along near sunset. The land stretched out below, blanketed in pristine snow and capped with a tall, craggy mountain. Lights from the small town near the Edge of the continent glimmered, marking the docks where they would be landing. Beyond that were trees draped in snow with leaves almost deep blue rather than green.
Snow spackled wind pushed them toward the dock. Once they docked, an older Kaerelean man wrapped in grey furs and a thick hat walked up the gangplank to greet them. There was no compliment of people or large greeting just the older man approaching. The man was pale as the snow around the dock and his blue eyes stood out against his milke white hair curling out of the cap he wore snuggly over his ears. He smiled at them, and bowed. "Delegate Jurzyn," he said in his heavy accent, "Pleasure t' meet'ye Counca' Woman Monroe...an' Genaraal Ee-l-ye. Come...come..come!" He waved them down the gang plank toward a crate that was waiting for them, then popped the top off of the crate before pulling a pile of white furs from inside. The furs turned out to be a massive
coat. He offered the coat out to Illya and nodded. "For ye, Generaal Ee-I-ye. Finest of furs." Then he dove back into the crate and offered a smaller, but no less stark white coat to Calysta. "And f' ye Counca' Woman Monroe. Try them."
Calysta slipped hers on and pulled the collar up close, impressed by how warm the coats really were. They must have been terribly expensive too. "Your generosity is appreciated," she said, "And the craftsmenship is wonderful. Thank you for the coats." Jurzyn held up a mitten clad hand and reached into the crate once more to reveal several more coats, clearly sized for children. He offered one to Rose, holding the coat out for her to slip her arms into. Rose looked delighted and burrowed her cheeks into the soft furs around the collar. "This is lovely," she chimed, happily.
Cypher was a bit too bulky for his and Lohgan would only allow Calysta to put hers on. The twins had tiny coats made as well, but Edgar looked a bit portly in his. A family trait they inherited naturally from their father.
When everyone was outfitted, Jurzyn motioned them forward. "You come t' stay in the commune. This way. Careful of th' ice."
They walked through the main street of the town. Most of the store fronts had crisp frost over the windows, obscuring what was inside, except for the bakery. The heat of the kitchen kept the windows clear and when the door opened as they passed by, Calysta could smell the scent of fresh baked loaves tickling her nose. Bread was probably expensive here as the materials had to be imported mostly. Ahead of them was a large, long house style lodge made in the local fashion of dark timber and pink toned rock. It was far enough from the town that a good blizzard would trap them there.
It was too late to turn back now though.
She pulled the collar of her wool coat higher and kept walking through the thick snow.
Jurzyn brought them into the warm communal space of the lodge. It was big, with tall ceilings to trap the heat bubbling from a massive fire pit lined with stone in the middle. Something large was roasting on a spit spanning the fire pit. It was the size of a small car and it was being turned by the hand of a burly staff member. Juice slid over the cooking carcass and spattered on the hot coals and stones below, making sizzling sounds.
The smell was almost like roast-beef and suddenly her belly let out a gurgle loud enough that Jurzyn grinned, flashing his white teeth at her. "Hungaary? We haave a feast tonight with the peooople. All togetheeer an' traaditional. They aaare very excited t' see an' speaaak with ye. Come...come..come.." He beckoned them forward to a door that led outside to a stone path. Along the covered walkway were cabins of various sizes and shapes built at irregular intervals. It almost was bigger than the tiny town.
She braced against the cold wind again and put a hand on Lohgan's shoulder to help guide him down the stone stairs. She had never seen snow in person before and she was eager to go play in it. Her daughter had already asked her about what snow was like half a dozen times. While they had used a hologram to simulate what it looked like, there was no substitute for crisp snowy winds on her cheeks and the crunch of snow under her boots. Lohgan's head swiveled in all directions, trying to take in the landscape, until she saw several children gliding over a frozen pond. They were flying fast over the ice in a merry game of tag-you're-it. A little girl squealed in delighted terror as she skated from the others, the last to get tagged. Her scarf whipped behind her and her cheeks were rosy as she reached the end of the pond and had nowhere else to go. Rather than stopping, she dove headlong into the snow bank, leaving the others on the ice behind.
Beneath her hand, she felt Lohgan craning to watch the show. An eager grin spread across her face again. "They're sliding on the ice! Can I try et too?"
"Later," she assured her daughter, "I'll show you how."
That perked her up again and her steps began to grow longer. They stopped at the stone walkway leading to the largest cabin on the path, a dark wood A-Frame construction, buried past the foundation in piles of thick snow. Nearby, a tree called an
akythos stood tall. The branches supported spiny, almost succulent- like needles in the blue-green hue she had seen in the forest from above in their flyer. Snow accumulated on the branches, causing them to droop until their points arched to the ground.
Jurzyn man invited them to the front step and unlocked the cabin before handing her the key. "This is ye place as loong as ye need. We weclome ye. In...eh....two hours...Para Yuen is in thaaat cabin for ye interview like ye waaanted. I come te' take ye there when ye appooointment comes, yeah?"
Calysta thanked him with a warm smile. It was a relief not to worry about reporters swamping them on such a remote continent. Only ones she had contacted before their arrival were waiting and she had promised Para Yuen a long awaited interview.
"Alright. Thank you Jurzyn, I will see you soon." Then she nodded to the kids and to Illya. "Let's go get settled in."
When they passed the threshold into the warm interior of their cabin, there was a soft clicking sound and light sprang from every corner. The cabin was a large area with a communal fire pit already crackling with heat in the center of the living room. A set of wood hewn stairs lead to a lofted area where several doors marked where the bedrooms and master bedroom were. There were couches adored with plush pillows and blankets and the glass window taking up the entire wall opposite the fire pit gave the a beautiful view of the mountains. There was a stocked kitchen with a small icebox and a tea kettle.
"The people here don't have alot," Calysta mentioned to Illya, "This is their finest cabin if I had to guess. It's really beautiful."
A small gasp of surprise came from behind them as Rose looked at her pad with wide-eyes. "There's no network link here. I can't get on the network."
"Network links are rare here," Calysta said, "We'll try to find you one later but you may only find one in the communal house and I want you to stay here until we can all go out together, yeah?"
Rose looked petulant at the idea of not having a network link and sighed before hauling her bag toward the stairs.
********
It was snowing outside as they walked from one building to another, smaller cabin. Their boots crunched into the freshly fallen piles in tandem. Illya was by her side and Rezna and Dane were at their back. Ahead of them, was their host and delegate Jurzyn. "Will this caaaabin do for ye privaaaate interview, Madaaam Counca'woman?" Calysta nodded. "It will be sufficient if this reporter wants their interview, yeah?" Jurzyn choked down a chuckle and nodded before opening the door. Inside were a few lights set up with three chairs in the middle. A woman with slightly wrinkled skin and silvery hair grinned when they entered. "Para Yuen, Kaerelean Reviewer. " She bowed carefully and rose only when Calysta returned the bow. When the traditional greeting was done, she offered a papery hand to Illya. "General Illya Blackwolf, it is likewise a pleasure to finally meet you."
There was someone that decided they had to have an interview with them in this place. Illya followed Kalizda and their host to the little cabin. He'd already learned the hard way that he was a bit tall for their buildings. They were taller than most, but he'd just about scalped himself on the first doorway. As they entered the little cabin he ducked slightly and then came face to face with a very delicate looking woman. He was almost afraid to shake her hand, but did so anyway. "Mmhmmm...Glad tah meet yah." She appeared to be older and that could be relieving. Perhaps they would be asking more substantial questions of Kalizda.
Para nodded and patted his hand before offering them both a seat. "I'm going to have my assistant put microphones on you. They're simple clip ons and then we'll get started." Calysta sat down in the smaller of the seats and a much more youthful assistant came right over looking so excited she could hardly stand it. "M-may I?" she said to Illya, offering over a small black dot that served as the clip on microphone. "It will just go on your lapel right here."
As the woman patted his hand Illya realized she really was older. That was something older women did and he wasn't sure why, but they did. Oddly enough he was probably older than she was. Perhaps old enough to be her father. Then she mentioned the microphones and Illya immediately felt suspicious. The young excitable woman from the side of the room came over and when she reached for him Illya leaned back slightly. "I jes put et on, tanks." If he had to wear something not related to his uniform there was a specific spot it needed to be placed.
The woman's eyes went wide and she sputtered for a moment. "O-oh." Then she said something in Kaerelean to which the Councilwoman replied. "No, he is not offended, but you should be speaking in Trader's Tongue, please." The assistant turned pink, having been chastened and nodded before quickly applying Calysta's microphone with her eyes downcast and sheepish. When everyone was set, Para sat across from them and smooth down her conservative tunic. "We will begin now. This is not a live interview, but it will be recorded, yeah? Now, Councilwoman. Where do I begin with such a well traveled life? Your career in Skycorp was well-decorated and I could not imagine some of the places you've seen among the stars. However, I would like to begin our discourse with more recent events and where your career in Skycorp ended. Tell me about your first contact that started you on the path to where you are now. Tell me about your first meeting with the Chippeqouti. Who did you make first contact with?"
Calysta paused for a moment. How in the Wilds would she explain
this? "Ah...yes. I crashed after taking heavy damage to my scout ship. And the first Chippeqouti contact I made was with the man sitting next to me. He came to inspect the crash site." Para's eyes lit up and she looked to Illya. "You were the first on scene? Can you tell me more?"
Illya tilted his chin down and looked at the lapel and put the microphone on and then glanced down again and realized he would have to clip it slightly higher and further to the left. After he had it adjusted he double checked and then looked at the interviewer. He realized that the assistant looked a bit upset and he might have offended her. "Oh uh...dere es rule about where tings like dis must sit on meh uniform. Et es better ef I place et." Now that this seemed to be covered the interviewer gave some of her details. Everything he said was recorded in some form or another. At least here he could think a little longer before responding. To his surprise and disappointment the conversation quickly turned from Kalizda and her career to the Chippequoti. This one would take time to turn back around. Of course the interviewer turned to Illya with a question that was harder for him to answer. He usually relied on Kalizda for a few of these things. However, there was a bit about this that he did remember. "Her shep was damaged. I decided tah go en first and look around for tings tah loot. Maybe someting interesting. She was only one on shep and alive. She was armed too and she shot meh."
Para blinked in surprise and looked fascinated. "So your first act was to loot the downed ship, rather than assist. And she shot you? Seems like a natural reaction for someone being looted, if you don't mind me saying so. You took the Councilwoman captive? How did you go from combatants to...allies? If I may ask?" Calysta swallowed some and nodded.
The interviewer clearly didn't understand the situation the Chippequoti had been in. "Well, eh...yes. I loot because most sheps dat land on dah planet dun have anyone alive and dah ones dat did were usually Federation. So, usually ef anyone was left alive I would kill dem. She was clearly nut Federation. Becoming friends took time. I deeply offended her and she still dun care much for dah black book even when I explain et."
Para nodded and leaned her chin her hand she listened with rapt but professional attention. "Oh? The Black Book? What is that?" Calysta cleared her throat and interjected a little. "It's a ledger. As conventional money and credits were not used on Quoti often. Favors and actions were often traded with work hours." Para raised a brow and looked to the General curiously. "And this deeply offended her how?"
By now Illya could see that Kalizda had tried to save him the discussion on the black book and it was too late. "Well...." Illya shifted in his seat and frowned for a second. "Et's jes dat. For dah trouble of saving her even after she shot meh I made deal. She was injured and I take her off dah shep and claim her and shep as mine. Dis way she would nut be killed. So, I assume dat she value her life even ef I dun have use for her. I make low price and she could work off dah price of her life by teaching meh tah fly. While she es still paying off debt of her life et was meh duty tah protect her and provide her needs. I did meh part and dere was no harm to her."
Para's brows raised even higher in surprise. "That sounds like quite a deal. Hardly a choice at all, if you were so gravely injured?" Calysta struggled to answer that but Para was good enough she could probably tell when she was being told a lie. "I was injured enough that I couldn't manage on my own. I took a large piece of my panel display to the side." Para sat up a little. "And you were taking immuno boosters? That must have been terrifying. A single microbe not covered by your boosters could have killed you. No wonder you made such a deal. Your life indeed, it appears you had no choice in reality." Leaning back, Para tilted her head and looked at Illya. "I see how you deeply offended her indeed."
There was no sugar coating this one and Illya shrugged. "Mmhmm...I sure did. Meh only experience before Kalizda wit foreigners was mostly battle or hostile situations." He wasn't going to make an excuse, but having some context helped. "She was first good contact wit foreigner and proved dat dere were many innocent people still trapped en Federation territory."
Para seemed satisfied with that answer and dug no further into it. Instead, she turned and looked at Calysta. "So, captured...claimed...as the General said. What made you decide to throw your entire career away, disobey your Skycorp code, and help the Chippeqouti off the planet? What was the motivation?"
Calysta looked at Para, meeting her gaze. "Because it was the right thing to do. The Federation was in the process of committing mass genocide of the Chippeqouti people. I knew what it meant for my career when I decided to go back. My life weighed against the torture and extinction of an entire people? There was no other decision I could make. I did it because somethings are bigger than ourselves. The Alliance is bigger than ourselves. We must look out for one another and know that through unity that is where our strength is. I don't regret what I did in the service of others. Not then and not now, Ms. Yuen." Para practically glowed and dipped her chin in agreement. "And it my understanding you have been working on gaining full council status in the Alliance for the Chippeqouti. That's a long but much needed process. General, or should I Emperor, will you be filling the role on the council?"
It was good that for a change Kalizda was the one making a good strong statement and Illya was glad for her. He tried to give her an opening. This was not as smooth as it had been in the past and he knew it was in part that he didn't get away with his usual distraction on the story. However, Kalizda made a good save on the story. Like a bad dream this reporter kept coming back to him on some stuff and he was going to have to answer yet another question. At least this one was easy. "No, I will nut fill dah role. I may testify as witness, or give council when requested. Dis es role dat I tink will be better filled by one of dah Elders. Dey spend dere lives tah study and dey make excellent integration program. I learn from dem often."
Para clearly wanted to ask more about the Elders and the Chippeqouti politics but refrained and nodded before moving on to other topics. "Interesting. Now, you have a visit to the colonies coming up. Are you aware of the sentiments by the Terran Colonies?" Calysta tilted her head. "That depends on what sentiments you're talking about. If you're referring to my earlier mistakes regarding the sanctuary I offered several years ago causing the formation of the colonies? Yes. I am aware of the battle and the sentiments of some Terrans who think that I am incapable of safely leading because of my actions." Para stared at Calysta for a moment and nodded. "And you are further aware of some thoughts that the Terran colonies believe they should have joined the Alliance before the Chippeqouti or Udine colony who are also in the process of negotiations, they claim that they applied for entrance long before either group on their home planet and that standing should be considered. What do you say to that?" Calysta looked at Para. "I have worked extensively with the colonies to help rebuild them and while the Chippeqouti are further along in the process, the Terran colonies have begun the process now that they are stable and self sustaining. That was the goal for many years. That's what I would say to those who have those opinions." Para looked to Illya. "And what do you think on this, General?"
They were finally moving onto more substantial conversation and this lady was focusing on Kalizda. It was pleasing to Illya and he was perfectly happy to let her have the spotlight. He had purposefully kept information short and to the point for that reason. However, the woman was throwing another question at him again and Illya stared at her for a moment. "Eh...Well, dis es nut someting dat Chippequoti have say en until dey are officially entered en dah Alliance council. Since I will nut be dah one sitting on council and et es primarily civil matter I leave dis work tah Kalizda and when dah time comes, tah dah Elders."
Calysta felt a trickle of sweat working its way down her scalp and into the small of her back where it soaked into her tunic collar. Illya had an acceptable answer on that question for now. When they reached the colonies, they would be under the fire for that one again. "I see," Para said, "Well, I look forward to seeing your work on the colonies. Of course, we're already seeing your work here starting the tour. You have made quite the impression already but even more so on those young half-breed individuals. Not many know it, but you have been an advocate for years for those who are half-breeds. The events last week on Kinte were a bold choice. What prompted you to invite the purist group known as the Heritage Protection Committee back to Kinte after they were refused entry by Delegate Terryn?" Calysta's eyes were cool grey. "Because no progress is made by denying the right of people to have their voices heard. Even if I disagree with those voices. Strongly." Para looked to Calysta. "And I'm sure that you are aware that your biological mother and biological grandparents are a part of this group." Calysta felt the sweat trickle down her scalp again. "Aye, I am aware. Even they have the right to their thoughts. However, I would say that whatever I am, half-breed, or anything else. That we should not allow that to divide us. We are stronger together, half-breed and pure-breed, Reylian, Chippeqouti, Kintenite, Aeriktan, Urian....all of us are stronger together. I believe that to my core."
Now Para was moving onto harder questions and Illya could tell that Kalizda was getting nervous. She was starting to sit a little straighter and she was almost rigid when she gave her answers. This was something she was going to have to work on. However, it was fine, this was not going to be distributed to the public. He halted some and he realized he was a bit rusty in a few areas too. While he had been trained to this, it was not his primary mode of operation. However, the main goal was to make her look good, not him. Para seemed to have done her homework and Illya nodded carefully at the end of what Kalizda said. "Unity es important tah maintain strengt and preserve dah Alliance."
Calysta found herself very thirsty and her mouth felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton balls. Para nodded in recognition of Illya's statement. "Indeed." Folding her hands into her lap, the reporter looked to Calysta. "I imagine you will see that particular group again. However, I would like to move forward to talking about the tour more. You are very non-traditional. A council member of the home planet usually does a tour every other year, but you have been council woman for nearly 8 years and this is your first. You also brought your family with you, which is non-traditional. Tell me, Councilwoman and General, what made you decide to do this as a family?"
There wasn't much that Illya could say about the tradition, but he could answer some of the part about the family. "I dun know as much about Kaerelean culture. I can say dat Kalizda and I made promise when we agreed. She wanted tah keep exploring and while dere es war and we cannot do dis as much and dere were many oter difficulties en recent years dat I tink prevented tours we agreed dat we would nut let a tour separate us. Et es important dat we do dis as family. Tah be separated or tah leave dah kids behind would nut be good."
Calysta smiled warmly at Illya's answer and she dared to let out a small breath. "Family is very important to us," she agreed, "I want to be there for my children and my husband. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful family and leaving them behind simply wasn't an option." Para smiled back. "Aye, and you are councilwoman and mother. It must be strange not to leave the same exciting life as you once did as Skycorp scout, yeah?"
Calysta tilted her head at the reporter as if studying her for a moment. "No, it isn't flying or exploring, but if I put you in the room with a teenage daughter, a ten year old boy, twins, and another daughter with a pack of dogs and glitter, I don]t think you would be bored for a single moment, Ms. Yuen. I miss traveling, yes, but as the General mentioned previously, travel has not been easy or safe. My children and my family are the best adventure of my life so far."
The statement from Kalizda drew a little grin out of Illya. She had that right. There really wasn't much time for him to be bored either. In fact, he thought her answer was great.
Para asked a few more questions, but eventually admitted that it would be best to reconvene later in the tour again for an update. Calysta resisted the urge to sigh in relief as the lights were turned off and the microphones were taken away. As they were getting up, Para shuffled over and titled her head curiously. The woman was slightly stooped with age, but still taller than her by an inch or two. "Tell me, off the record, what did you do to work off the debt you some how accrued with the General after the crash? I'm not here to judge, but I am curious. He said you taught him to fly?"
Calysta smirked a little. "I taught him to fly...or I tried to...and then I saved his life. He figured we were in the clear after that."
Para searched Calysta's face, assessing the truth and then smiled back.
*******
On their way back to the cabin, Dane stiffened some as if he heard something in his ear piece and suddenly a large blonde haired figure was trotting toward them. Calysta saw Rezna hauling up the path on a mission. She been left at the cabin to look after the kids and Dane had swapped to stand guard during the interview. The woman had on short sleeves as her breath came in quick puffs. Rezna almost never looked ruffled but she did now. That couldn't be a good sign at all. When their guard caught up, she flashed them both a look of irritation. "I don't suppose you know where that bucket of hormones you call a teenage daughter got off to? Rose's bedroom is empty and her window was open. I tracked her foot prints up the hill but the snow is covering them up fast."