Tabit arrived at her little tent and opened the flap. Her eyes widened and she immediately whipped around to see that Ayrn was still sitting there. He looked so smug as if he had enjoyed himself. Of course he had. She could see bits of her clothing hanging to dry and her underclothes too. That little rat of a man had his hands all over her underwear and in her bras. If she hadn't been so angry she would have turned pink with embarrassment. He would know what size she wore and that was completely embarrassing. It was even worse cause he was a little mongrel.

Clearing her throat she stared at him long and hard. "Get out." Pointing to the flap she almost hissed as she repeated herself. "Get out." Ayrn looked so confused and he had to be as dense as they came for that kind of look. She knew that he spoke with Illya from time to time and it was probably best if she spoke to him at some point. He needed to know that this vagrant was wandering around and handling her personal wear. That was hardly acceptable and she wanted the miserable little weasel out of her things. What did he think when she said he could do whatever he wanted? He certainly wasn't welcome to stay in her home and she didn't like him to touch her things. Besides she could tell that he used way too much oil. If he used too much with the mint it would make her feel like she was burning when she sweat. There was nothing quite so frustrating as having a burning sensation over one's privates.

Once he was gone she sighed and shook her head. Taking a seat she stared at the one covered plate. Carefully she lifted it and glowered at those little pancakes. Such a pitiful offering. He wasn't much of a catch and really a horrible little man. Still it was a semi endearing gesture he made with leaving the food. Picking at one of the ill cooked pancakes she pushed it into her mouth and chewed it before swallowing. Though he left the offering it was not any substitute for his handling of her underwear and bras.

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

Stepping back into the room for the final time Sasha sighed. "My dear, I really didn't expect you'd be so heartless. To hear your children suffer like that and yet do nothing. All the while you only had to give a few words. We told them who was responsible and they cried for you to help them." With a sigh she sat down. "Your youngest couldn't take much. I'm afraid you've killed at least 3 of your children and the others still whimper. Its too late now."

Flicking her wrist she motioned to the guard in the room. "Do what you want with her. She won't be worth anything anyway. This war will be over before she can save her precious general. We all know she was infatuated with him. Those tall Chips won't be coming for her. She isn't one of them." A wider grin came to her face. "You should have known that the Chippequoti only care about their own. At least the Federation would have been willing to preserve your family, wealth and life. All we asked was that you expel them. I'll give you one more chance. All of this can end and you'll be able to leave with what remains of your family. We'll rebuild your city and we'll give you everything you ask for. Just tell me where they are."

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Haza waited and waited. The small room on the other side was far too quiet. What happened? Did her Ehud die? She was twisting at her thumb so much she hadn't realized that she had completely worn the skin off the side of it. The raw flesh had begun to bleed and she still rubbed till a nurse came out. When the woman looked at her she immediately went back inside. Haza rose to her feet and paced anxiously till the nurse returned again and had a small scanner to mend the wound and close it with a cell layer bandage. For minor injuries it was possible to mend little flesh wounds. "Can I see him now?" Haza didn't even wait to hear if she was allowed in and she didn't care about her thumb. "I just want to see my agreed. Please."

Calmly the nurse looked her in the eyes. "You can see him." Turning around she walked with the woman to the room. Ehud's pale face barely looked a shade darker than the white sheets and his eyes were partially open. It was difficult for Haza to tell if he was breathing or if they were allowing her first right to say goodbye to him before they gave her the ashes.

The Chip woman gently took his hand as the tears ran down her face. It wasn't acceptable to cry, but she had grown to love him as many of the Chippequoti did with their agreed. At first it was difficult to love them, but in time it was a natural progression. Crying like this was only unacceptable so long as others were witness to it, but there were times of grief that could not be contained. "His hand is still warm." Sniffling a little she rubbed the back of his big hand against her cheek. "Ehud..." Whispering his name she gently kissed his cheek and then collapsed into the seat near the bed while she held onto his hand and sobbed.

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Oddly enough Kirit kept looking toward Illya as if he had the answers of how to direct his men. So far there weren't any fatal errors that the young man was making. Illya stared at the man for a moment and nodded. "Yah direct yah own men. If yah always look to meh den yah lose dere respect. I tell yah if I tink yah make mistake and den we speak like men." When a man was leading he had no reason to consider himself any less than another man. There was hierarchy in command, but when Kirit was dealing with his own Illya would let him do as he must. It was much the same with Tikan. Illya had submitted himself to be lower in command while on Reylia, but he commanded his own men and proceeded through the plans as he thought was best.

"I take nearest portion of docks." He knew that Kirit would know to begin moving in on the other side and then they would slowly close in and do what they had to from there. As the two portions of the small army closed in there was little for them to do. Once they were surrounded Illya gathered all the prisoners up and had them stand on the edge of the docks. There was a large ravine below and he paused for a moment.

This was one of those moments in time. That second where he made a choice. They could kill all the men, or let them go. If they were set free there was no telling if they would turn on them or not. With a war in which he had allies there was no turning back after they witnessed something like this. Kalizda had warned him that the Kaerelean's didn't see things the same as she did. "Put dem all in prison. We let dem go to trial before Alliance eh?" Some of his men gave him an odd look and Illya shrugged. There was no telling how long they would wait for a trial, but it would make them Tikan's responsibility. If anything negative came of this he knew that it would fall to the Reylian's for they were going to be under their charge. "Now we wait till Tikan arrives." Wandering over to a post Illya leaned against it and watched the prisoners as many of them tried to spit at him. So far the saliva was falling pitifully short and he smirked at the men. "Too bad."

Eventually Tikan arrived and when he did Illya stood at attention. "Chippequoti request leave." They'd done their part and he waved to the prisoners with one hand. "I spare dem so yah can do wit yah prisoners as yah like." Most of them were bleeding cut up messes, but he had followed the order of maim and not kill. It wasn't his fault that they resisted so much he was forced to take action.

When he was finally back on the ship Illya rushed to find Kalizda. Leaning over her bed he kissed her gently. "Meh little bird. She es ok yeah?" He hated to think that she had been so close to being permanently injured or possibly killed. Her skin was a little more pale, but he was sure that she would recover. "Yah bones stronger now."

Illya had a small flesh repair and a few stitches to get himself back to normal. When he had time he would have the Ehaui start scar treatments. Though it was a bit more on the cosmetic side he liked to think that he could be better looking than having his right leg all scarred and his chest full of pock marks. Especially with the bullets whizzing through their vests now. Any day he expected the Ehuai to upgrade the armor and then the Federation would come up with something new. Almost as soon as he had Kalizda back to their little box room he was summoned to speak with Markus and receive a briefing. He needed to find Sarai, Sasha and Kent was on the move. One target to save and two to eliminate.
 
Sarai let out a wretched cry as her head sank to the table. Her babies. Three of her sweet children gone according to the heartless woman in front of her. The sobs wracked her body as snot and tears flowed down her face buried in her hands. “My babies…my children…”

As the guard came and grabbed her shoulder, Sarai jerked away from him. “N-no! M-my babies! I-I want to see them. L-let me s-s-see them and I’ll t-t-tell you everything. P-please.” Sasha sat across with her same expression as always, unmoved by anything Sarai said. Her offer was tempting but it was also probably a lie. How could she keep this secret when her babies were dying? She was sure the Chippeqouti would come for them, but by the time they found them it would be too late. All her children would be gone.

“No, I don’t think so. You should have told me what I wanted to know.” The guards grabbed her up and she struggled against their grip under her arms until she wrenched free, slamming bloodied hands on the metal table. “ N-n-no..leave… my children ….alone! They’re…at the edge of the forest…I take them food sometimes...with the city under attack they probably moved...please. ”

The matriarch’s smirk grew over her thin lips and she rose to her feet. She had seen the woman slipping in and out of the edges of the woods for some time now and now the reasons had become clear. “And Miss Monroe?” Sarai gripped at her chains and sobbed, her shoulders curling in on themselves as she shook her head. “Please…I d-don’t…”

“You don’t want see your children?” Sasha pushed, “Or what’s left of them. You’ve already told me where the Chippeqouti are hiding, are you going to let more of your children die for the sake of protecting one woman? You really are heartless, Sarai.” Sarai wrenched her eyes shut and let out another shuddering cry. "S-she's a d-d-iplomat with C-chippeqouti citizenship. They t-talk a-about her often..please that's all I know.."

Sasha looked down at the pitious woman with a glint of boredom in her eyes. She learned what she wanted but had expected better from the head matriarch, who was normally so put together. Nodding to the guards, they snatched up the nearly limp Sarai, unchained her from the chair, and half dragged her to the room next door. When the door opened, Sarai saw the man first, bloodied and dead-eyed, but not one of hers. Not Syrus or any of the other three. Her eyes scanned the room and found three little forms laying limp on the cold hard floor. Other children were strewn about, crying or huddled in the corners. Struggling against the guards, they say fit to let her go, tossing the matriarch down into the cement. Sarai scrambled away and launched herself at the three little bodies on the floor. Collapsing beside them, she checked each of their faces, a tiny girl and two miniscule boy barely older than 5 at the most were dead at her knees, but they were not hers either. A sickening realization washed over Sarai. These children weren't hers and yet they had suffered because of her anyways. They had been been tortured and now it was for nothing, even if she didn't give the exact location. What had she done? Her bloodied hands pulled one of the boys into her lap and she stroked his puffy cheek, and cried into his hair as she rocked him.

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

Tikan had returned to the ship smelling of smoke and smudged with ash, but otherwise unharmed. There had been more of a fight at the admin building than he anticipated but after a small fire fight and a very brave secretary causing some issues from within the building, they had taken it with minimal damage. A warrior walked past him and handed him a clean, wet rag as he reported on the progress being made by the Reylian and Chippeqouti units since the comm-links had been spotty. It seemed that the port was almost cleared and their attention could be turned to putting out the fires and salvaging. "Aye, good man," he approved as he wiped down his face and then did the same with his scythe blade "Get us patched into the systems here. I want that admin server debugged and supporting our comms, the camera feeds, security protocols. All of it. Also, track down the dock workers and locals to get some order going around here. I saw one of them running around with a tazer- prod acting a fool." They were going to keep this port as an alliance territory and protect it from being taken. He would send the Elites to Reylia once a unit of Regulars arrived to take over the guardianship. The civilians didn't seem like they enjoyed Federation control very much, though they had probably taken part in the explosions. He would ask Calysta as a representative of the Chippeqouti to help ease the transition and weed out the trouble makers.

After a few minutes of searching, Tikan found the General and his First Warrior toward the outer edges of the dock, dealing with what appeared to be Federation prisoners. Illya said they were ready

Chief found his First Warrior and the General coordinating what looked to be a line of war prisoners standing on the edge of the cliff. The men were a ragged bunch but still had enough breath in their bodies to manage glares of hatred at Illya and Kirit. ""Ye'are relieved from command, First Warrior. Go patch ye'self." The young warrior surrenedered his info pad and gave a sharp "Aye, sir" before hobbling toward the ship to have his leg looked at. As Tikan started to address the General, he found the man suddenly standing at attention. He had assumed they were on the same level as far as command went but he didn't point that out. "Chippequoti request leave. I spare dem so yah can do wit yah prisoners as yah like."

"Aye, ye do well, General. We take them 't Reylia's moon for safe keepin' an' they stay until trial," Tikan replied, "Ye have ye leave as ye like, but I would speak t' ye wife on representin' Chippeqouti 't 'th civilians in awhile."

The Chips face grew hard for a moment, and Tikan knew the expression well. Not everyone his unit had fared to so well. "Ye go on an' let me do th' rest, yeah?" The man didn't say another word before rushing off and Tikan went to work dealing with the prisoners, hoping that the little woman was alright.

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Calysta's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her name. It hadn't been too long before that the Ehaui and Reylian doctors had knocked her out to remove the metal pieces from her leg and shoulder. Or had it been a long time? She wasn't entirely sure how long because the medicine along with the blood loss had made her sleep. A figure came to stand over her as warm kiss graced her lips and she tried to put on a little smile when she recognized it was Illya. He was alive.

"I'm... okay," she mumbled sleepily, "We're ...okay. You alright?" He didn't need to worry about her or the baby when there were so many other things going on. Right now her shoulder and leg were still numb, but that would probably change in a few hours. Calysta reached up with a soft hand, though it felt heavy, and took his hand. It was wonderfully warm wrapped around hers. The Reylian doctor came around and tapped Illya on the shoulder, his voice sounding distant in Calysta's groggy ears.

"Ye are her husband? Ye should know we removed two pieces of shrapnel. One from her shoulder, which was stopped by her shoulder blade from causing any real internal damage an' another from her leg. The leg wound came close 't 'th main artery in her leg an' was pushed against it causing blood loss from 'th wound but also some loss of circulation further down th' leg. She was brought in with enough time that no permanent damage was done. She'll be tired an' sore when th' medicine wears off," the Reylian said to Illya, before dropping his voice a little lower, " Ye should also know, ye baby is fine from what we can see. Though she should have it looked at when she can."

The doctor finished, gesturing to the Ehaui doctor. "Ye should go get patched up too."

When Illya was done seeing to his wounds, Calysta was a little more awake and her leg was started to throb. The doctor was at her side when the Chip came back, he had the covers just pulled back far enough to reveal the damaged leg and was testing for feeling in her toes to ensure there was circulation. When her toes twitched, and she made a pained half chuckle, the doctor was satisfied. The Ehaui scanner could have shown him the circulation in her leg but the machine was being used to see to a young Reylian warrior at the current moment.

"Can I.. move.. to the cabin?" Calysta asked, her eyes bouncing back and forth from the doctor to Illya and back again. She didn't want to be seen hurt and she felt like it would be warmer there in her own bed with her and Illya's blanket. It was cold, especially when the doctor had moved the covers back. "No, ye need 't stay so we can keep an' eye on ye," came the doctors reply. Calysta grumbled a sat her head back to the pillow, before looking to Illya with concern. He looked hurt, but not like last time and that was a relief. They also must have had things under control in the warehouses because he was here rather than at work. "Sit... with ...me?" she asked, patting the bed. Calysta didn't have much energy for talking but mostly she was just glad to know he was alright and he was close for a little while with the sound of his voice being a much better focus than the groans of the injured around her.

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Kirit had his leg bandaged up, saying very little about it other than "Ow" when the atringent hit his open flesh and began burning away the germs. In truth, it felt like his leg was on fire but he wasn't about to let on how bad the bullet hurt. Instead, he let the Ehaui doctor scan him over and patch him up without much fuss. Then he eased himself on to a bunk near Kalizda, trying to keep his leg still as possible as he shifted around. Laying back, he folded his arms behind his head and tried to close his eyes. Sleeping off the pain always worked before and a bullet wound was no different. The operation had been a success, though they had been caught by surprise more than he liked to admit. They had almost gotten trapped up by the Federation soldiers and the explosions had him more than a little thrown off when they hit. Their enemy was ruthless and once again proved they would do things a normal man wouldn't.

Pushing the odd thought to the back of his mind, he surveyed the General. It might have been better to kill the Federation men considering it was possible they would cause trouble elsewhere given the chance, but Illya hadn't ordered it, no dount because of what Tikan said. Maybe there were some innocent men out there like at the mines, but when things like the attack on Uria happened, did they have the luxury of trying to sort through the allegiances of every man? The thoughts made his mind feel heavy and when recalled Illya's comment about actions being necessary, he wondered how far the man had meant for the necessity to go.


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Tikan stood at the edge of the ramp and gave Illya a warrior's salute by wrapping his fist over his chest and offering his knuckles to the General. Overall, he like the Chippeqouti and it was a shame they would be splitting up but they were needed on Uria and he was needed on the supply planet. They would wait until the transport of Regulars arrived and helped the locals rebuild, then turn this port for their own use. The supplies they salvaged were enough food, and arms to split among the Chippeqouti and Reylian's alike. "Ye good man, General. Ye send the call when ye in need an' ye always recieve th' best of Reylia. Kirit serve ye well an' I hope ye Kalizda heals fast," Tikan said, "Fair winds, m' friend." The Chief didn't know when he might be seeing the Chip again, but he hoped it was in better days than what war brought.


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

Calysta tried not to wince as Illya sat her down on the bed inside their tent. Her shoulder ached but it was the leg bumping around that made shoots of pain arch up from the punture wound. It almost felt like having the bone test done all over again, with deep pains in the muscle, and that had been slow healing enough. Of course, now she had part Chip bones and she wondered how fast her body would heal now. She was tempted to try to walk, but the doctor stated with her lowblood pressure already, and the loss of blood combined with stitching in her leg that she was more likely to fall over than make it anywhere. A fact that annoyed her. She had too much to do.

Illya sat her down and fluffed the pillows around a bit before pulling the blanket over her, remembering that she waa little cold from time to time. While he helped her adjust on the bed, she slipped a hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze. As strange as it was, she was glad to be in the moon shadow where the Chippeqouti were. Where Rose and her family along with the silly bear and her cat. The little tent was just as they left it, even Roses cave was there undisturbed, and Calysta took a moment just to take in the smell of the forest and the familiar oils they used in the tent. No sooner was Illya laying her down then he was started toward the door, having recieved a message for a briefing from Markus. She was aware of some of the situation on Uria and no doubt he would be getting the full account when he met with the older General. As tired and achy as she was, this was something she needed to attend. They would need a translator and liason more than ever and her leg didn't prevent her from talking.

"Wait, Illya" she called after him, "I should go too."
 
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Tikan caught onto the fact hat Kalizda was not going to be able to talk with him and Illya nodded as he turned to walk back to the ship. He was tired out, sore and more than ready to get back to the moonshadow. There was only some relief with the moonshadow as he understood that he would be leaving for another mission almost right away. Inside the ship he found Kalizda and she patted the bed. "I stay wit yah for a while eh?" Resting one hand over hers he held it gently. It was almost sickening to know that someone had hurt her like that and there was nothing that he could do about it. It was part of the risk of her coming with them, but it didn't make this any easier. While he was watching over Kalizda a soft tap came to his shoulder.

The general turned toward the man and listened while he gave the report. Slowly his face began to darken with the news. She wasn't going to suffer any permanent damage, but the baby should be checked. They thought it was alright, but if they thought everything was fine why would they say she should have it checked anyway. It just seemed to translate as need to actually have the baby checked because it was not as good as they said. Of course the man had to end it all with informing him that he should get checked out. Illya glanced down and noticed the few droplets of blood on the floor. Glancing at Kalizda he made sure she was mostly asleep before he let go of her hand and tucked it underneath the covers again.

"Agh! Be careful." Illya growled when the doctor peeled a flap of skin back to irrigate the wound. He was tired of being poked and prodded at, but he needed this last little round of stitches before they did the cell tissue repair for the top layer. His chest was aching a little and he grumbled periodically as he felt another jab or pull. Finally they were done and the doctor fastened a little gauze to him with tape.

Returning to Kalizda again Illya saw that she was in pain. He knew the feeling of wanting to go back to the small cabin and he also knew the answer that the Chippequoti would give. Gingerly taking the seat next to Kalizda he rubbed her hand. "I'm back ta keep yah warm eh?" Smirking a little he waited to see if she would even say anything in response. He'd never seen her like this before and he felt horrible about it.

Calysta gave him a light nudge on his arm and gave him a little shake of her head. He had been so underwhelmed by the sight of the 'little blob' as to almost funny and she couldn't help but chuckle. "Aye, I name the little baby/blob." Playing her fingers over his palm, she tilted her head back to look him in the eye. "I like Aria for a girl and Ryn for a boy, I think."

The Chip grinned at her. "Aria for a girl yeah. Maybe yah tink different name for boy. I like Shaamah." It was good to get her mind off the immediate pain. Kalizda almost had a funny wrinkle in her nose like she was going to protest, or possibly she was going to be sneezing at him. "What else yah tink eh?"

"Hmm...not Shaamah for a boy," she said, her nose squenching just a little with the idea of it. It sounded to close to the word for 'crash' in her language. She couldnt have a son named 'Crash.' "What about Cypher for a boy? And I did like Gabriella for a girl as well. What do you think?" Calysta watched his eyes to see what he would say. It was good to do this early because once her father found out he would insist on naming the baby some harsh Terran name or if it was a boy, secretly hope for a name sake. She wanted to have their options out there to head off any special requests.

Grunting a little he turned his head to the side. "Yah pick terrible names for boy. Gahbreela es ok for girl, but not Cypher. Makes im sound like puzzle. Yah name girl and I name boy?" He was wondering what she would agree to when she was drugged up. Not that he could actually hold her to anything she said, but it would be fun. Settling a little further onto the bed he carefully laid next to her and draped an arm over her waist. "Boy name es Domeneck?"

Calysta started to wiggle a little closer, trying to cozy up to her Chip where it was much warmer. He was like a toasty space heater most of the time and she was wanting to take full advantage, but a sharp pain in her shoulder reminded her that moving was not her best idea. Dropping her head back with a little gasp, she took a moment and then glanced at Illya, hoping he didn't notice too much. "Okay...but you have to tell the ones you're thinking of," she smiled, "I like Domynk it's a strong name, but no nick names...no 'Dom' yeah? What other boy names do you like?"

Since it was obvious that she wanted to be closer, but it caused pain Illya carefully scooted in a little more. "I Domnyk es good name. Dis all more I need ta t-think about it now." If she agreed there wasn't any reason to think of other names. The Chip chanced a little smile. "Maybe I get under coves wit yah and make et a little warmer." He knew that it would trap more heat and she would maybe like that.

"Hmm...Aye, it always much warmer when you're in the bed with me," she grinned. He was looking somewhat serious even with that little smile on his lips and she didn't want him to worry. " You're always hot." The last word came out louder than she intended and the Reylian doctor passing by gave them a curious look, raising his fuzzy eyebrows at Illya in particular.

The Chip met her gaze and blinked a few times. He didn't think that he was always hot. It was just a normal body temperature. "Et's nut hot. I am jes dis way. Ef I hot dat means I run fever." Catching a look from the doctor he raised an eyebrow. "I won't get her sick. I'm nut hot."

The Reylian doctor gave a bemused look and chuckled as he went to check on another patient. "Ye fine, General." Calysta's eyes had grown a round and she shook her head. "See the doctor agrees with me. You're fine, come under the covers," she laughed a little. Then a frown came over her face. "Sarai thought you were fine too."

Illya started to work his way under the covers and then he noticed the frown. If it wasn't for the fact that he was sure she would freeze he would have stopped there. Instead he carefully pushed the rest of the way underneath the blankets with her. "Sarai? Why yah talk about her?" This didn't seem to be connected to their talk at all.

Calysta felt the little draft when he lifted the blanket and shivered before he settled in beside her. She took her hand and relaxed some as the blankets started to heat up again. With a contented sigh, Calysta shifted her head to his shoulder to enjoy the warmth. It wasn't until she remembered he'd asked a question and a strange one, that she looked up to him. "She thought you were fine...and wanted you to wear green for her," Calysta said, as if it were obvious, "I claimed you though, so you're safe. You can't be her husband."

Laughing a little at the revelation Illya stared at her for a long moment. "Yah wild woman huh? Claim meh like a prize or new land." Still the imagery that she created was almost overwhelming and he started to chuckle again. "I dun tink dat Sarai want meh dat badly. She behave jes fine when I was drunk and she was looking for her men. Besides she has enough ta keep her busy."

"Wild as they come," she teased, snuggling down into his shoulder, "I don't think you mind being claimed too much by your Little Bird though. Sarai will just have to find another husband who's not mine. You think she might like Ayrn?" The words tumbled out as a half joke and she giggled a little. The warmth was starting to sink into her bones and it felt wonderful as she sought a little more but sticking a cool hand on his arm and trying to hide her fingers. Sleep was pulling at her but she kept bouncing her eyes open and then looked at Illya . " I don't want to fall asleep just yet. Help me stay awake?"

It was impossible not to smile when she mentioned Ayrn as a husband. "I tink he would like et too much ef she wanted him." Truth was that Ayrn would go for almost anyone and Illya knew it. Glancing down at Kalizda he sighed and then winked at her. "Help yah get in trouble too?" She needed to sleep and he knew that regardless of his attempts she would. So he could humor her for a while. "Den how about I tell yah a story from Chippequoti legend? Another one about little bird. Maybe I tell yah story in Quoti so yah have to concentrate." He knew that she was far more likely to fall asleep if she stayed quiet and tried to listen to each and every word in Quoti, but it would work as a sort of alibi if she asked why he let her fall asleep later on. Illya was going to be busy telling her a story.

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

Naturally Kalizda was going to try and make some kind of excuse to go with for the brief. Illya glanced at her. "Oh I dun tink yah go anywhere right now. I come back and give yah full report." He figured that should be enough. "Maybe we finish report and I seal wit a kiss huh?" Snickering a little he ducked back into the little box bedroom that they shared and kissed her gently on the lips. "Yah wait ere. I dun wanna find yah flopped out somewhere in da moon shadow." If nothing else he knew that she would see reason in that. "Yah little bird legs get cold and den yah sit out dere and chirp for meh."

Pulling the covers up tight under her chin he nodded to her gently. "I love meh Kalizda woman. Jes stay in bed for meh and baby eh?" He couldn't be with her every second. As he was on his way out of the little box and then through the tent he saw that Kirit was sitting outside of the tent waiting. They were going to the brief together and then Illya needed to find somewhere for the warrior to stay. Kirit would do better to stay in the tent where he would have some shelter, a little more warmth and Illya would be able to watch out for his progress in health. They couldn't wait long before making a hit. "Kirit yah wit meh." Motioning to the man he waited for him to stand to his feet. The warrior was still limping about far worse than Illya expected. Perhaps he would not be taking him with to the next mission. He couldn't risk losing Tikan's first warrior.

Markus was waiting for them. At first the man's eyes had a harsh tone till he noticed that Kirit was along and the man wasn't moving at a good pace. Obviously it had been the reason that they were not moving quite as quickly as they should be. Momentarily he glanced to the bench behind them and then began to speak in rapid fire Quoti. "We have a rough position of the enemy and my men have reported movement underground. Ehud informed me that he had a signal that traced movement from Kent and I've got the last known location of Sarai." So far their most promising offer was that they could protect those that sought to maintain their relationship in the Alliance and it had proven to be difficult they all knew it would be. If they lost Sarai would be nearly impossible to convince other leaders that they were going to be able to win the war. Protecting a few citizens of importance was in a way a measure of power.

"We have limited time." Markus passed a pad to Illya and let him view the pattern. "I want you to figure the calculations and tell me what you think you can do. We have a chance to chop the head off the snake."

Looking over the tablet Illya stared at the projected speed and distance of the ship. Kent would be landing on another nearby planet. It would probably be well armed, but if they had a chance to kill him just after rescuing Sarai it would be the kind of chance that might come only once in a war. He needed to have a shot at this and he was going to find out when the man landed and give it 20 minutes beyond. Not enough time to be fueled and just enough time that there would be no hasty take off. Kent would be trapped on the planet the Elite could ensure that he would be kept within the vicinity of the port and small port-side city. Opening a new page Illya started to scribble out equations as fast as he could. It was hard not to skip a step when he was wanting so badly for it to work out. He couldn't afford a mistake though. "We could do et." Illya turned the pad around. "Meh men and I could rescue Sarai, yah dispatch a group to clear out what we get started and den we go immediately to dah planet Xeryn."

It was almost impossible to miss the look on Markus' face. "You could." The older man stared at Illya for a long moment. "I won't make you do it. This time you make your own choice and you do what is best for the Chippequoti." He felt too old to even consider having this sort of loss on his hands again. The first time Illya had been right about a few things. Not all of it, but enough to warrant concern and he ordered the attack anyway. What he wouldn't have given all those years to see his son healthy and bright eyed as he was now. To think that he had nearly killed his only son for an order. It was necessary and it was ultimately a success at a cost far greater than any of them had thought to pay.

Illya swallowed and he scanned over the information again. "I will do et. Maybe this is the only chance that we get to kill Kent." He would have to tell Kalizda what he was going to do and he would be gone for nearly 3 days total if he managed to get every bit of the timing on. She would need Yvonne to help her because Illya wasn't about to take her into this kind of situation.

Since Kirit had been lost due to the language on the majority of the brief Illya turned toward him and did his best to explain it in Trader's Tongue while showing him the calculations to figure the times. They would have to train hard for most of the night and the next day. They had till tomorrow night to be ready to make the first in their series of strikes. At this point timing was everything and there couldn't be any mistakes. It seemed that the Reylian understood exactly what they were doing and both of them knew that Kirit would have to do something drastic if he wanted to come. There was a potential that it could be deadly for him if he still chose to come along.

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

When they reached the tent again Illya glanced at Kirit. "Yah come wit meh. I make dinner and yah stay in meh tent." There wasn't going to be a need to cook dinner because Yvonne was already inside with Rose and they had prepared a good thick stew and bread to eat. If there was a constant in the Chippequoti diet it was the stew and bread. Rose skipped over while Yvonne served the bowls for them and handed Illya a nearly minuscule cup. Illya sucked the tea down in one good gulp and then set the cup down.

Rose stamped her little feet in dismay. "That's not how you do it!" Pouring another cup for him she then poured one for herself and another for Kirit. With her tongue stuck out she walked one cup to Kirit and then one to Illya. "Now you drink it slow."

The general had no idea that drinking tea properly was such a big deal. He shot his mother quick glance and he noted the little smirk. Apparently she didn't mind that Rose was trying to teach him some of these manners all over again. Illya meekly lifted the cup to his lips this time and drank barely a sip. His index finger and thumb were all the more he could fit on the cup. The rest of his hand was too big and already the little cup was half empty after his sip. Glancing at Kirit he started to laugh. Had the man no idea how these little parties were supposed to be done.

"No..." Shaking her head as if it was impossible to teach Illya anything the child took his cup away and poured more. "You have to be nice to your guest or he won't want to come play anymore and I won't give you any desert."

With such a severe little warning Illya nodded and grinned. It was funny coming from a little girl. She already sounded like a mother and he found that especially funny. Kids seemed to get the strangest notions about growing up and tea etiquette was one of the least of those concerns. "Ok, I'll be nice." Sipping at the tea it only took one very nice little sip till Rose had turned her attention to Kirit. While she was busy instructing him on the proper way to drink tea Illya gulped the rest of his down and snuck away with a bowl of stew and some bread for Kalizda. Stepping into the room he sat on her bed with her. "I eat some wit yah when I get chance. Right now yah eat and I give yah briefing eh?"
 
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Her request to go with him to the briefing was met met by one of his lines and a little snicker as he came back to kiss her gently. She started to point out that if he carried her most of the way and then let her walk into the room she might make it, but he kept trying to reason with her. "Yah wait ere. I dun wanna find yah flopped out somewhere in da moon shadow. Yah little bird legs get cold and den yah sit out dere and chirp for meh."

She would be more of a worry for him than help at this point if she tried to go and she didn't want that either. "I love meh Kalizda woman. Jes stay in bed for meh and baby eh?" With a sigh of defeat, he pulled the covers up to her chin and tucked her in gently. "Aye, alright. You win this time," her hand left hand poked out of the covers and took up his, giving his knuckles a kiss. "I love you."

Then he was gone out of the door, leaving her to the quiet darkness of their bedroom. Calysta listened to the sounds of the moon shadow as her eyes drifted to a close. The faint sounds of people talking as the passed down the row, the sounds of snow flakes popping against the top of their tent...she'd have to get Illya to knock the snow down eventually if it didn't melt on its own....her mind drifted to thoughts of Rose...and the new baby...she'd never had siblings before and she wondered if Rose would like one. Illya seemed to like having Asha though there was a big age difference. As she slipped into sleep, the world suddenly pitched causing her shoulder to and leg to flare with pain. Calysta found herself there in a corridor with swords flashing and the rumbles of explosions. A pair of olive green eyes, dead on the floor...no they were bright green eyes. Illya's eyes.

"Kalizda!" a little voice called out as the world shook again. "Ka-liz-da!"

Her eyes finally wrenched open to find a freckly little face inches from her nose surrounded by a swath of wild brown hair. She could feel her body covered in sweat as the panic from her dream ebbed away at the sight of the grinning girl. "There's my Rose," Calysta gasped a little, trying not to show the pain she had caused by jumping on to the bed. Pulling her good arm from under the covers, she slipped a hand to the girls waist and brought her down for a big kiss on her cheek and a hug. "Oh, I missed you."

"Me too. And Wolf too," she said with a breathless laugh, "Did you bring the falcon feather back like you promised?"

Calysta nodded. "Aye I did. It's in my bag. I brought it back for you."

Rose giggled happily as Yvonne appeared at the door way, calling the girl back. Rose bounced around a few more times in her pink dress before clambering off the bed and smoothing down her little skirt. "I'm glad to see you Yvonne," Calysta said earnestly. The woman gave her a gentle nod and then ushered Rose off to go play. Calysta wouldn't have minded her girl staying, but she would have wanted to hug and climb over her and she wasn't up to that just yet. "Will you find the yellow falcon feather in my bag, Yvonne? It's rolled up in tissue on the side with Illya's."

Ten minutes later, Rose came hurtling back into the room with Keysha on her heels. She had on a broad felt hat with a ribbon and flower wrapped around the cap along with a trailing yellow Cryn feather which the massive cat seemed to think was a toy. "Papa Thomas got me a hat," she beamed proudly, "Just like the Anne of Gables."

Calysta chuckled at her little girl. "You look beautiful. Like a real lady." Anne of Green Gables had been another book her father read to her while she was sick and apparently, he had been spending some time with Rose too. Illya may not approve of it, but it was her father and if anything, the man loved children. The comment made the girl's toothy grin even wider and she launched away to go tell Yvonne she looked like a real lady while cat skittered behind her, finding its sole mission in catching the sleek yellow feather trailing at the girls shoulders. Calysta watched her go and couldn't help but wonder what Tikan and the Reylian's would think of her Rose Warrior and her mighty tea set.

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

Kirit followed the General at the fastest pace he could manage with his war scythe strapped across his back and did so in silence. Once the adrenaline had worn off, the hole in his leg had become incredibly sore and even walking on it left him tender. Still, he drew himself up and kept the fastest pace he could manage behind the long-legged Chip. Occasionally, the man would have to stop or slow down to accommodate the young warrior, but eventually they made it to the briefing room where he was met bet what he could only describe was an older, more worn looking version of Illya with harsh gaze. He gave a respectful nod and stood by quietly, waiting for the meeting to begin. It didn't surprise him when the meeting was entirely in the Chippeqouti language. Up to this point, he had been required to follow along in the language the General was most proficient in and he expected nothing less. He tried to follow along, doing his best to pay attention as the burning pain crept up his leg while he stood.

Once the meeting was done, and Illya told him of the double operation, Kirit nodded. "Reylian's d'not heal like ye kind," the young warrior had replied, "I go t' see ye Ehaui t'morrow. I go if they fix m' 't not slow down ye team. If I can't I ask ye give me proper assignment here among ye group. " Kirit understood the importance of speed in this kind of operation and while he wanted to take down the man responsible for the attacks on his people, he wasn't about to become a hindrance. They seemed in agreement about his involvement in the upcoming operation and that was enough for now.

The young warrior was grateful to be offered a place to stay in the General's tent and food at his table, though it was more like camping which he had done many times before. When they came back to the tent, he could smell delicious food being made over by the the small hot plate by the tall woman and the little girl was bouncing around with a...cryn feather in her broad rimmed cap. That was highly improper. The feather was meant to be worn in a warriors cap, and by warriors. Akten only got away with it because his feather belonged to his father and it was split, making it unwearable. Even though she was the adoptive daughter, from what he understood, she still wasn't meant to wear the feather. Despite his surly look, the girl grabbed his hand with her soft little fingers without much of an introduction and sat him down in the common area rug. He eased himself down, and by the time he was settled into a position with his injured leg outstretched, the girl was handing him a cup of tea.

"Thank ye," was all he could manage to say, before she was flitting around to the General with the disgraced feather trailing behind. The cup was so tiny it was barely more than a swig or two. He looked into the cup, holding it by the bottom, and glanced up when he heard Illya laughing at him. Warriors didn't drink tea like this and he'd had 5 brothers, so what civilian girls did on a normal basis was beyond him. The laugh was met by a sharp retribution girl forcefully demand to Illya that the man be nice and Kirit looked to the girl. She was wearing a frilly little dress with a tea cup balanced gracefully in her hands, but the expression on her face said it all. A fierce gaze and a commanding tone used against the man well over twice her height, and a General at that, made her worthy of the warriors feather stuck in her hat. Illya relented to his daughter and that made the scene all the more interesting. Between his daughter and his wife, these women had the great general wrapped around their fingers.

A chuckle rose up in Kirit's chest and he grinned at the General as he laughed. "All warriors practice good form," he joked, before holding his tea cup up the right way, and taking a delicate sip.

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

Calsysta sat back in her room and tried to listen in on what was happening in the main part of the tent where the most delicious smells were coming from. She could hear Rose talking, the tinkling of ceramic, and a few good laughs. What was s o funny? Had she missed Rose doing something? It was frustrating to be stuck back there when she missed her family so. Her fingers brushed over her stomach under the warm blanket Illya had tucked around her and tried to listen in. Finally, Illya came back to her carrying a bowl of whatever Yvonne had made and a bread as he settled on the bread. He helped her sit up some and then handed her the bowl. It was a stick stew with rice, tomatoes and vegetables. The smell of it alone was enough to make her stomach growl and she took a few good spoonfuls before nodding to Illya, "Aye, how did the briefing go? What do we know?" Calysta asked quickly.

It seemed that she was all too eager to get into the briefing and Illya sighed. "I'm going to be gone starting tomorrow night. Meh mum stay here wit yah and Rose. We make mission ta rescue Sarai and meh father takes over den to take back city. Meh men and I move ta take Kent down when he lands. We got information through old contacts of Ehud's and this is our chance to take leader of Federation out."

She stopped mid bite at hearing he would be gone starting tomorrow night. The mission to rescue Sarai was a given, but the portion about Kent struck her. Sitting up quickly, she wobbled from the dizziness and put down the bowl of soup altogether. "Illya...you're going after Kent..." Calysta was trying to get the idea of it to sink in but she couldn't quite get the past the fear of it. "It's going to be dangerous, it could even be a trap. In fact, I'm willing to bet it is one...look at what he's done to the city and the suppl planet. He's been one step ahead the entire time."

Illya looked at her and shook his head. "Not dis time. Ehud wouldn't give da information unless he was very sure of et. I'm going ta kill Kent." The chip searched her face for a long moment. "Kalizda ets too dangerous for yah and dere is no negotiating ta be done wit Kent. Dis is fast work and I go wit meh men. Only 10 of us go on dah mission ta kill Kent and den we leave. Federation will be put in tail spin. We maybe gain upper hand. Ets a chance we can't pass up."

For some reason, she found herself shaking and she wasn't entirely sure why. So few of them going and there still was no solution to the armor piercing bullets which Kent was sure to be well guarded with. She still felt like this sudden opportunity was far too convenient and it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "There are things even Ehud didn't know,"Calysta replied, "And its dangerous for you too. I could be much better in a day or two and I could go. If not, will you consider taking more men? "

It was clear that there were some things that Kalizda didn't know about their method of operation. "Sometimes Kalizda et is safer to have fewer men. Dey are not easily tracked if dere are not so many dat move together in one group." He stared into her eyes and held his gaze steady. "Yah stay here. Kalizda I need to move fast wit meh men and we get job done and leave immediately." He didn't like the level of risk, but it might be the only time that they had intelligence enough to make the move. If the Alliance lost power no one would dare secretly inform Ehud again.

Calysta knew moving a small group would be stealthier but it didn't make any difference. What she saw flashing before her mind made her barely keep her face neutral. All she could see was Illya packing up a bag and walking out of the door claiming he would be back to Isla, but both knowing it wasn't true. "Illya , I don't want to be left behind...I have a bad feeling and I.." she couldn't make herself say she wasn't like Isla.

"Why yah have bad feeling?" Illya leaned in a little closer and gently rested a hand behind her head. "What es et?" There was obviously something more than just this going on. Kalizda was having a bad memory or something and Illya couldn't quite figure out the exact reason for the reaction.

He cradled her head gently, leaning in closer and one of her small hands crept up to cover his as she looked at him. "Because you'll be going directly after Kent and it's going to be so dangerous even though it looks like the right move, " she replied, her voice a little shaky, "I don't want to be left behind ...I can't stand by and wait for news of something going wrong...Illya..."

"Kalizda ef I dun do dis and we lose power den maybe dere is never anoter chance. Yah wait for meh and I'll come." Laying down next to her he waited for a long moment. "I agree dis time and I dun argue wit Markus."

Calysta wiped at her eyes which were a little wet from the tears of stress mixed with fear brimming at them. She knew what he was saying was also right. If they could end the fighting by taking down Kent it would save countless lives on both sides, but she couldn't help but worry. "I know there might be another chance ...taking down Kent would save so many lives but...I wish we knew more and that you it didn't have to be you in some ways." Her voice shook and she drew in a shaking deep breath and she looked into his green eyes. "I trust you Illya, you're strong and smart and Kent underestimates you, but it doesn't mean I'm not scared to see you walk out the door."

Leaning in he gave her a big kiss. "I would come back for yah."

Calysta kissed him back, but the thought of him going without her was still terrifying. He had promised to come back to Isla and look what had happened. Now it felt like it could happen again. They had promised to stick together and this move looked right, but it felt very wrong. She had a feeling she should be going with him and silently cursed her injuries, though the pregnancy would have also been a factor. At least this had been a decision he had made himself though, and not one ordered by anyone. If he had chosen this and knew the risks, she had to trust that he could do this and be alright. She had to have confidence in him despite how it scared her, if for any reason than for his sake.

"Aye, you find Sarai, and then Kent. Just be careful and when you come back and then we can tell everyone about the baby," she said, looking up into his bright green eyes, "I've been thinking of name ideas, even if it is a bit early for that. "

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

Kirit woke the next morning feeling stiff, but rose to his feet anyways and went to the Ehaui doctor to ask if there was anything they could do to make the wound on his leg heal faster. The Ehaui doctor made him sit on the exam table and unwrap his wound, inspecting the hole with trained and calculating eyes.

"You have a deep wound and the muscle is damaged. It does take time to heal these types of things, no matter if you're Chippeqouti of Reylian. I can try some of the therapies used on Chippeqouti for cell regeneration and see if that makes a difference. Though I expect you to give a full report on how quickly it works and you'll have to come for follow up visits."

The young warrior nodded in agreement. It sounded as though he would be an experiment of sorts, but, if it helped get him up and moving faster, it would be worth it. The Ehaui doctor went to work on his leg, flushing it out again and then filling it with a strange gauzy type substance that tickled more than anything. Once that was done, he wrapped the leg up as it had been before. "Rest and report back to me in two days unless you have serious symptoms or complications before then."

Kirit nodded, he was good at following orders, but this time he was going to be disobedient on a certain level. He hobbled back to Illya's tent and pushed aside the tent flap to find breakfast already being made. It smelled like a savory porridge and he took a long sniff before the little girl was at his feet again, looking up with an expectant gaze. "You're late for breakfast," she scolded, as she took his hand and lead him to his spot.

"I uh..I sorry," he shrugged with a chuckle, "Ye make good tea an' I try t' come back fast, yeah?"

She sat him down and between Yvonne and Rose, he was served a delicious breakfast of herbal tea and oatmeal along with some sort of hash. "Thank ye." His food was all but gone by the time Illya emerged from the tent. He was already fully dressed and ready to go, so Kirit could only assume he was there attending to his wife. The young warrior came to his feet, keeping his weight from his damaged leg, and nodded to the General. "I visit Ehaui an' they patch m' leg again. I come with ye, yeah?"
 
Illya winked at Kalizda when she started to talk about telling everyone about the baby. He was starting to get a little more excited. The general wanted a baby badly and he started to grin quizzically when she mentioned the name. This could be fun. If she didn't remember naming the babies with him he could always pick some of the same names for them. Unless Kalizda changed her mind again she would be shocked to know he thought of the same names. "Aye, we'll talk about dah names. I need ta get some breakfast for meh fat belly now." Doing his best to push his stomach out he chuckled a little and then closed the little door behind himself. As soon as he stepped into the tent.

Already Kirit was getting to his feet and Illya took his bowl of oats from Yvonne. "Tanks mum." When he was around Rose he tried to speak trader's tongue so she would learn it too. The girl was fluent in Quoti after all these months living among them. Glancing back to the warrior he looked at his leg and then back to his face. Raising one eyebrow slightly he nodded. "Yah tink yah ready?"

As the General looked him over, Kirit drew himself up even taller and forced weight on to his leg. He would be fine even if he had to make it work. The injured leg waivered some, but he didnt think it was noticeable. Meeting the Generals gaze, he nodded. "Aye, I be ready to train when he ask."

Noting that the man had left his tea and what remained of his oatmeal Illya walked over to stand next to him. "Ok." Suddenly he reached out with one hand and shoved the Reylian. He just wanted to see if the reflexes or leg were actually going to be enough to hold him up.

Kirit stumbled back a few steps, his leg jerking around a bit wildly with the sudden need to actually use the muscles for more. A step back sent a sharp pain up his leg as he shuffled back and he nearly fell. Grimacing, he caught himself on his good leg and hauled himself up right, giving his leader a tight lipped look of defiance. He'd trapped a yelp in his mouth and refused to make a sound, letting it escape as a puff of hair. "I can walk, ye see," he grumbled to the General.

"Hmmm." Illya nodded. "I see yah stumble around like drunk. Maybe yah run after we eat and I decide if yah in good enough shape to go wit us. Dere isn't time for yah to stumble around. We move fast and dere is no oter choice eh?"

He had been hoping the man wouldn't notice but he did of course. The offered challenge of the run was what it would take to prove he could go, then he would endure. The final say went to his commanding officer though and he knew that. "If ye d'not find m' fit sir, I ask ye t' station m' somewhere ye need," Kirit said, trying to keep himself up right, "I can still serve." The young warrior kept his eyes locked on Illya's to see what he would say.

Illya shrugged. "A good soldier knows when he's fit ta serve. Yah tink yah good to serve or do I need ta test yah endurance to prove et to mehself?" It was obvious that Kirit was very young by the way he was approaching this. "Yah responsibility es to yahself and yah men around yah. Going in condition yah can fight in es good."

Kirit's dark eyes flicked to the waivering leg underneath him, even he could see it shaking with the effort from catching himself just a little and the pain of it radiated out. "Th' Ehaui say days with'th help," he grumbled, his jaw working, "I wish 't go for m' people so I ask 't go. M' responsibility is't both, ye people an' mine, Sir." He disliked admitting things like this, and as stubborn as he could be, it didn't change the fact he might slow things down, though they had already agreed he wouldn't go if he wasn't ready.

It seemed that the young man was absolutely determined and there wasn't much that Illya could do about that. How was it supposed to help if he refused to learn from something simple. "Yah do lots of tings for yah people. Sometimes yah learn better ways to help dem. Best wars are not always out dere. Sometimes the most important fights and places are wit yah people." Shoveling a few bites into his mouth Illya chewed and swallowed before saying anything further. "Yah train and den decide. I dun make dis choice for yah. Chippequoti Elite have responsibility ta report dere own injuries accurately. Ef yah say yah can train and work wit us den I expect yah tell truth."

The young warrior nodded, finding fairness in the words. However he couldnt help but feel a sense of disappointment from his commander. He had made his way to first warrior by being tough and dedicated but there didnt seem to be shame in admitting to not being ready. " sir, I m' leg is not right. I go't train t' test." That was the truth and all the more he could say. He had other questions for the Chip, but now was not the time.

Illya had seen it many times over and even he had to do it for himself once in a while. Taking a few more bites he nodded. "Good, den yah come train and den give meh report." There wasn't a lot more to say for it. Rushing through the last of his meal he then set the bowl down and guzzled the tea that had been set out for him. Yvonne only glanced up at them long enough to nod as the two of them walked outside of the tent. There were little snow flakes falling into the moon shadow. Rubbing his hands together and then shoving them into his pockets he glanced to the Reylian. "We go up and run for many miles wit drills."

Kirit nodded and followed the Chip out of the tent, giving the woman a respectful nod in return as he went. The little girl called a happy, "BYE!" to their backs as the tent flap closed and the snow began to dust over them. Already his leg was burning but he tried to keep pace. "Aye sir. I try, th' drills." What he needed was to find that inner focus he had when fighting and to use it to ignore the pain. It was a mind over matter thing, sometimes, but his curiosity had him wondering other things at the moment. As it was just the two of them walking out of the moon shadow, Kirit braved his question, taking a quick glance at the General. "Can I ask'ye question, sir?" He waited to see if Illya had any objections before continuing. "Why ye marry, if ye warrior?"

They were barely out of the tent and Kirit was starting to ask question. Illya nodded to let him know it would be alright to ask. Somehow he suspected that the man was going to be asking about the war. He had been quiet for long enough that it was likely to be coming to the surface again. It was natural to want to get back into the war. It worked to numb the immediate guilt and feelings if you had to focus on everything else just to stay alive. Sometimes it would keep nightmares and other problems at bay, but it was never a permanent fix. Kirit's question was somewhat different than Illya expected and he turned toward the other. "Et gives a man someting besides da war. I have someone waiting for meh, I have reason to live and come home. When war es done and I left wit meh memories dere is still more. I can tink of good times, I have little ones and a woman es good. Women help make men stronger eh? She doesn't understand all of yah, but she's dere and she respects yah anyway."

Kirit listened to what the man had to say. He understood the memories in part. Ever since the mines he had seen the blue eyes of the man he had killed. He had reasoned it was necessary and didn't suffer from crippling guilt, but the image was never far from his mind. Now, the men at the docks was added to the wheel of faces, though that had been necesary too. However, he wasn't entirely sure about Illya's reasoning for having a family. "Makes goin' in'ta bat'tle harder, yeah? There is more besides th' fight, but a wife sounds harder t' leave. Hard t' focus. Women dont see what they do 't ye sometimes." If you couldnt focus how could you fight? He had many women asking for his attention but he had shied away from them all.

It was clear that Kirit wasn't understanding the complete reason for a woman. "I focus cause I know dat she waits. When I tink dat I cannot make et I remember meh Kalizda. Every good warrior has trigger. Meh family es meh trigger and I do whatever I must for dem, no matter dah cost or pain."

Kirit leaned forward into his steps to force himself up the moon shadow ramp and into the snow blanketed forest as the thought about 'triggers.' He wasnt sure he'd ever noticed one for himself. His training had been about discipline of the mind as much as body, the motivation for continuing coming from within. Perhaps a family wasn't a distraction but a motivation instead. His brother would disagree, but he liked the Chips idea much better. Smiling to the General, he nodded. " They d'not understan' things but they are pleasant .Maybe I find a pretty woman an' try when I turn t' age, yeah?"

At the suggestion of age Illya whipped around. "What age are yah now?" Momentarily panic had begun to rise in his throat. What had he got Kirit into? Was the man even old enough to be with them? There were so many panicked thoughts in his head as he stood staring at the Reylian.

Kirit nearly jumped back when the man whipped around on him. The last sudden move had been a test and almost ended with him in the floor. He wasn't going to be caught off guard again. The following question puzzled him though, and he raised a dark brow at his commanding officer. "Thirty two seasons," he replied, "Sixteen by galactic calandar, sir."

The momentary stunned silence took over and Illya frowned slightly. When he regained his sense he grabbed the boy by the arm. "Tikan know yah age?" He was going to turn him back home if the Chieftain didn't know that he had sent only a boy with them.

Kirit scowled at being grabbed up by the General. The men he commanded and served under wouldn't do anything like that and he was confused as to why Illya thought to do it. He had proven himself as a tactician and in battle which should be enough. "Aye, m'Chief know," Kirit replied, "He let 'm come t' learn an' he trusts m' since I run 'th Crynalia a year ago."

Loosening his grip Illya clenched his jaw and growled. "Den yah keep yah mout shut bout dis. Chippequoti never allow man on field till he es 17. Needs ta be man and even den we prefer age of 50 before dey fight." He wasn't going to volunteer the fact that he went into battle about 30 years early, but it was just tradition and he needed Kirit to understand it. The boy/man would be given respect as a man as long as he didn't tell them was only 16. Chippequoti had tried their best to respect customs of others and remember that they aged much faster.

Kirit frowned at the idea that he was still considered a boy by their custom of service. Apparently, he had lost some respect in the eyes of the General for revealing his age. The fact that a man wouldnt even fight until he was 50 for a Chippeqouti man astounded him, though he knew they were long lived. "On Reylia a man take th' run at 15 an' be a warrior. I take run an' work up rank 't First Warrior. M' age is not problem. I not tell ye men though an' respect ye ways," Kirit said firmly as he pulled his arm free from the man's loosened grip. He wondered how old Illya was for a moment, now that he knew the man was definitely older than fifty to the rank of general. "Ye much older, but ye good warrior an' I respect."

Turning to head back up the ramp he heard the other begin walking behind him. "Ef yah people consider yah man den I continue treating yah like man. Now we train." Pushing the door open to the moonshadow he stepped outside into the falling snow and let Kirit up behind him. Once the man was outside Illya set the usual pace. He would run the man as fast as he would any other time. Taking it easy on Kirit would not do the man any favors and neither would it do the team any favors. Kirit needed to know his limit if he questioned whether he could fight or not.

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"We take the first tunnel." Illya spoke in Quoti. "Next group drop into the ravine over there. Markus' men gather intelligence and they told us there are little sections of munitions and soldiers. When we have the distraction running on grid mark 5 then the extraction team goes in. Markus and his men will go clear the prison and help free the rest of those who were taken captive." They couldn't leave anyone in the prisons. More than likely anyone that had been taken were supporters and at the very least had the potential to be if they were rescued rather than left to be tortured.

The first section of men split off and walked as if they were going to replace the usual patrol. That was going to be the best disguise for the time. Another group of men started toward the ravine dressed as homeless refugees. They remained hunched to make themselves appear shorter than they really were. Scuttling into their positions the men drew weapons out from underneath their loose fitting clothes and began to scour the immediate area. One of them muttered into the headset. "We're finding some supplies, but it looks like most of it is concentrated near the prisoners." It wasn't so uncommon and they knew it was going to be ugly. If the majority of the trouble was near the prisoners it would give a good chance that the Federation might try to kill those that they held before they could be rescued. From time to time they would do something like that.

Illya rushed into his part of the ravine with another 10 men. "Ready for second wave." His father and the regular troops would be moving in. Now it was a matter of the clock ticking. Pressing into door that had been created in the side of the cave Illya and his men locked themselves inside and listened as the enemy rushed out of their tunnels to meet the larger army coming head on.

On the other side of the wall was their best guess from the scans of where they would be keeping prisoners. Pulling out a scanner Illya began to run it over the wall and his men had their's out. Reaching a spot that glowed red on the scanner Illya nodded to Ehvan. The Chip pulled out another instrument and then began to make small laser cuts into the stone. It was kept at only half power while they worked it. There was no need to go all the way through since that would risk the laser cutting into someone on the other side. If they were a prisoner then it would be a failure and they didn't have time for those kind of mistakes.

Another one of the men waited by the door and he nodded when a signal came through on their headsets. Throwing the door open the Chip raced down the corridor with 3 other men. Gun shots sounded almost immediately. Illya took a heavy hammer that Seamus had been carrying and began to hit the weakened stone with it. Vibrations traveled up the length of the handle and he slammed the sludge hammer into the wall until it began to give way. When a small opening formed he used the hammer like a battering ram and then slipped a camera into the room. On the other side he could see prisoners that were huddled opposite the hole. One of them appeared to be Sarai and she was the main target to get out before they tried to find this woman that had betrayed her own leader. This Sasha wasn't about to get a trial if the Chippequoti had anything to say about it.

The echoing gunshots sounded and Illya motioned for the prisoners to start coming through the hole. "Take meh hand. Sarai come first." Taking the tiny hand in his he half pulled her through and then pointed to a far dark corner. "Yah wait. Markus es coming wit more men and dey escort yah and prisoners out." There wasn't time for the Elite to do the escorting of prisoners if they had yet to find Sasha. Illya and his men stayed till he got word that Markus had arrived. As soon as his father's graying hair had come around the corner Illya darted out the door with his men. The corridors were almost silent now and he followed the trackers on his other men. They must have been working their way toward the estimated hide out of the traitor, Sasha.

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Kent arrived only a short time after the plans had fallen into place. The Chippequoti would have rescued Sasha's prisoners by now and he had his own little implant there. A woman and her baby. Someone that had been easy for Sasha to convince. There was of course guaranteed immunity for the woman from any Federation retaliation when they killed the Chippequoti. Sasha was supposed to be meeting him here on the planet when it was done. There was already an army deployed for the forest.

A call came in and he smirked a little bit. Of course Sasha was going to call him and say that she had done it. "Yes?" Giving a slightly surprised tone he waited for her voice. "You've done well. A good negotiator will always distract from the real danger." It wasn't so much that Sarai wouldn't have broken, just that it would have taken longer than he wanted and it kept her distracted from the real issue. She was too concerned about her own family instead of acknowledging that she was the risk and finding a way to kill herself. So long as she was alive the Chippequoti were going to come for her because she was an ally. It was easy to guess when you knew their customs. In a way they were predictable.

The woman nodded. "My ship will arrive within the day." Loading the pad into her bag she nodded one time to the screen. "Awaiting further orders."

"Just get out. I need more officers like yourself to serve in my army." Someone who could think, but also follow orders was rare. Too often he found himself working with those who were intelligent, but wanted to do their own thing. There was a fine line and Sasha was more than capable of hauling that fine line without snapping it with stupidity or the load of her own way. "When you arrive I will assign you another planet to see to. Uria is ours before the end of the week." It was already in chaos and when they attacked the forest with overhead bombing it would cease to be a problem. If he had heard right it would essentially destroy what remained of the Chippequoti dedicated to tradition.

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Illya and his men started back through the tunnels running the whole way. They hadn't been able to find Sasha in time and that meant that it wasn't likely this attack had surprised them so much. Still, they needed to make the strike at Kent before this was all over. Momentarily the idea that perhaps this had all been false information crossed his mind. What if by some chance the informant had been a double agent and they were taking pay from both sides? If that was the case it could likely happen the same as it had in the last war. As badly as he didn't want that to happen it was a possibility and a risk that he was going to take.

Outside the moonshadows Illya and his men loaded into one of the ships. He was the most experienced pilot out of them and that was all thanks to Kalizda though he wasn't nearly as good at flying as she was. What he could do was good enough to get them there and back. Otherwise if all else failed the single Ehaui doctor that traveled with them could do the flying.

The ship rose above the forest and Illya looked out the window toward the moonshadows. He couldn't see them, but he knew that Kalizda was safely tucked inside. She would be there when he got back. It should only be a day or two at most and then they could tell everyone about the baby. In a way he was glad to be piloting the ship by himself. Having the time to himself gave Illya time to think about what he would need to do when he got home and think of the battle ahead. This wasn't going to be what he thought of as a bad sort of battle. In a way it was good if he could kill Kent. They had never been able to kill such a prominent leader before and he was glad to know that it could make the difference in the war.

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Staring at the pad sitting in front of him Kent flicked his wrist and another picture displayed the entire section of the forest. It was too bad that the woman had done what she said she would. How did she really think that she would get immunity anyway? All of it proved to him that many other races really were naive and stupid. If they could believe that one little woman and a baby was significant to the war then they were right, but only in part. The woman was important enough because she led them right to the remaining Chippequoti. What she was mistaken about and many others of her kind were, was the fact that she didn't matter in the grand scheme after she played her little part. No one mattered unless they found a way to make themselves in-disposable.

"So very typical of the Chippequoti to think that the land can save them. A desert did for a time, but they don't understand that times have changed." Picking up his glass of wine he sipped at it and watched as another picture came into view. There was carnage about the ground and badly burned trees. It was such a pathetic end when they had fought so valiantly. "Oh..." Sighing he nodded a little. "Irony of war."

While he was examining the damages the screen began to flicker. His live feed suddenly shut off and he sat up. That had never happened before and he knew it meant trouble. Reaching into a drawer he rested a hand on the gun and then withdrew it. Holding the weapon in his left hand he then placed the right hand inside. If anyone thought he was going to have to draw they were going to be mistaken. Kent had spent years allowing folks to believe he was right handed when he was actually left handed. It was like forcing himself to become ambidextrous.

Illya checked his watch. Holding up 2 fingers he gave his men the time frame. They had a total of two minutes to make the hit and then be on their way back out. Half in a squatted shuffle the general took up the front and he cut separate from the team. Each room would take one man to clear it. There was only enough of them to each take a room. Illya branched off from his men and stepped into a small room. There was a woman curled into a ball in the corner. She jumped a little when he stepped in and sunk further into the corner. Her long auburn hair covered her face and a man's jacket didn't quite cover her, as her bare ankles and half way up her calves were evidence. Just beyond here was a secret door and she appeared to be trying to make a run for it. Illya knew she would only run into more of his men and she was likely an innocent. He was only here for one person anyway.

Pushing the door open he saw Kent sitting in his chair. The dark hair was streaked with gray and his face full of discoloration. There was still something semi familiar looking about him and Illya didn't know why.

"You must be the young general." Letting a little smirk come to his face he moved a little only to find that the man was jumpy. "Oh nothing worry about. I was going to grab a pencil." Raising his right hand he held a little pencil up. If there was one that he knew he couldn't convince to join him for anything it was this man. While he had the element of surprise he fired his rifle from under the desk.

The force of the bullet knocked Illya to the floor. It hit his right shin bone and he grimaced. Still he was determined to have the job done and he fired three shots. His first bullet missed, but the second one hit and the third. As the man slumped over on his desk he fired again and the bullet sunk uselessly into the floor. Illya forced himself to his feet and walked over to inspect the body. Placing his gun to the man's head he fired 2 times just to be sure that the bullets went through and killed Kent. Slowly he started to turn around and the little woman had come into the room. She held her gun level and shot Illya in the head. Tucking the weapon back into her jacket she scuttled back into her room she was in before.

With her hands shaking she watched as a small group filed into the room. Ehvan saw the body of Kent and he made sure the man was dead. The mission had to come first and then he pulled the general off the floor. "Ugh..." There was a chunk of bone sticking out of his head at an angle. It didn't look good at all. They must have shot each other and obviously Kent had used the armor/bone piercing rounds. Putting a hand on Illya's neck he could still feel a pulse. As badly as he wanted to bandage the general's head to minimize the bleeding he was afraid of moving the bone shards and causing serious brain damage.

Lights came on and the building began to flood with soldiers as soon as the Chippequoti left. Sasha threw the over sized jacket off and rolled her pant legs down again. Standing over the body she looked to the Federation soldiers that rushed in. "Kneel." She knew the rules of the Federation well enough. When there was one strong enough to take the position they did so. She let Kent get rid of the Chippequoti and she would be only dealing with a small rogue section of men still loyal to a dead Alliance. They would be on the run and likely their general would be dead.

The soldiers bowed and she nodded to them. "One of you will follow the ship and ensure send back reports of where they land." If she knew where they landed it would be easy enough to eliminate the last of her problem. Sarai was long gone since the Chippequoti had rescued her and promptly died in the forest with her. Tragic in a way and yet so pleasing. Sasha had planned this part of her life and dreamed of it for decades. It was just as glorious as she'd hoped and perhaps even a bit more.

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Markus heard the message and he slipped into his boots and raced to the entrance of the moonshadow. The men were returning and he'd received word that the mission was accomplished. It seemed the bad news was that his son had acquired a serious head injury. So far as the Ehuai doctor on board had been able to tell there was some brain damage too. They had done as much tissue repair treatments as they could.

When he saw the men walking out Illya was with them and he was holding his head. It was obvious that he had a lot of pain in his head and his leg too. In a way Markus hadn't expected that Illya would be up walking so soon. Looking to the doctor he gave a questioning gaze. The Ehuai shrugged. "I repaired what I could and the rest will be treatments. I'll need to monitor him for a while and he's gonna need to sleep a lot." With a little prompting he sighed. "He won't talk. Hasn't said a single word since he woke up this morning. I don't know anything else for now."

The older general walked over to Illya and he grabbed his son by the arm when he saw him begin to wobble a little on his feet. "Illya."

It was certainly a voice that he recognized. Illya turned toward his father and he winced some. "What are we doing here?" They were underground and he wondered if they were imprisoned. Had they all been captured?

"We're hiding in Uria." Markus frowned a little. "Everyone is safe for now. Kalizda is waiting for you at home."

Illya blinked a few times. "No...Her name is Isla. Why are we here?" Repeating his question from earlier he started to get frustrated when there was very little explanation of why or how.

Looking to the Ehuai Markus motioned for the man to come closer. He let Illya wander off for the moment. The Ehaui doctor and Markus watched as Illya seemed aimless. It was like he didn't know where he was going. "He doesn't remember Kalizda. What do we do with him?"

"You can answer questions and..." Sighing the doctor pointed to Illya's tent. "Take him home. The longer he's in a familiar environment the better the chances will be that he'll recover faster. I need to go and I'll get some studying done tomorrow. There isn't much more I can do. Made the repair and let him sleep to heal it as best I could without causing damage. Right now the medicine would possibly kill him. Can't put him into too deep a sleep." Chips were different that way with head and brain injuries.

Markus nodded and then decided to go find Yvonne first and let her know so she wouldn't be surprised. Stepping just inside Kalizda and Illya's tent he motioned for Yvonne to step out with him. The two of them whispered back and forth before Markus went to find Illya and Yvonne went back inside to talk with Kalizda. The woman let out a long breath and knocked gently on the little wooden door to the bedroom. When she heard an answer she poked her head inside. "Kalizda I have something important to tell you." Cautiously she sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the little woman. "Illya is back, but he doesn't remember you and he doesn't know where we are. We don't know much else just yet. The Ehaui said he needs to come home to you. It might help him recover faster if he's here." Yvonne's brows pulled together and her lips turned down slightly. "I'll be here for you till he can take care of the both of you. Tomorrow Markus will talk with the doctor more and the Ehaui will come to check on both of you."
 
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Ayrn hadn't quite figured out what he had done wrong. He'd worked just like Tabit asked and exactly as Illya had shown him, but she had kicked him out without so much as a thank you. Women were so easy to figure out in something and so hard to figure out in others. Since his banishment from her tent he had taken to thinking about what else he could do while he roamed around the moon shadow listening to various tid-bits of talking. Most of it was in fast Qouti but occasionally he hears a bite or two in traders tongue. Mostly, he learned that the city had been attacked some how and that it was in shambles. He had also heard some whispered that Nathan had been critically injured and was no longer running the moon shadow. That was a shame, because when the guy wasn't holding swords to his neck, he was a decent fellow. His wife Haza was pretty nice too.

Checking his info pad, he found that Illya still had not messaged him with a new assignment. That meant he was on standby until he got a new one and while he felt like he should enjoy the down time it was a little overshadowed by what was going on in Uria. If things were that bad, getting a transport out if Illya asked for it would be all but impossible and he was stuck here. It made him a bit angry to think the Federation had to go and ruin a perfectly good place with good people. Why did they have to do things like that?

They were no different from his father threatening families to get what he wanted in a trade deal. He surmised that Tabit must be in the city or out patrolling because as soon as he heard the whispers, he wandered over to her tent to find her gone. The equipment he had seen in the corner was gone as well. There was no telling when the woman would be back, and if she caught him in her tent again she was liable to tear him in two. Just the look in her eyes alone the last time had said as much. Instead, he thought of what he could do that might impress her or make her happy. She would be coming back from a patrol tired and hungry probably. It might make things better for her if she had a snack of some kind. At least that would be his thinking anyways.

Marching off to the ration tent, Ayrn asked for more rice and would combine it with his sausage and beans. He also picked up a chocolate bar with an interesting idea in mind. With his ingredients in hand, he realized that a very important element of his scheme was missing. Heat. He had no place to cook this stuff. Tapping his toe, he thought of how he could get this stuff cooking. Who had a stove that would let him use it? He definitely wasn't going to cook it at Tabit's place because if she came in while he was there it would be disastrous. Thinking it over, only one idea came to mind and he wasn't a fan of it, but it would work. Hitching his bag a little higher over his shoulder, Ayrn walked among the tents until he found the one he was looking for. The woman was out front hanging up laundry on a drying line as snow was starting to trickle down on them from above.

"Hi...uh Kiya?"

Her head snapped up to him, and she scowled. Ayrn walked over carefully and held up his food stuff. "Uh mind if I use your hot plate for a bit?"

The crazy Kaerelean woman's eyes flickered in annoyance and she hung up another towel with her bandaged hand. "Why should I?"

Ayrn hadn't thought he would make it this far and he paused at the question for a moment. "I...uh...I have chocolate I'll split with you?"

Kiya huffed and nodded, "Fine but try not 't wake up 'th crone will ye? She's ill an' I'm not dealin' with her bein' woken up an' sore." She had been doing more and more around the house for the woman since the crash had left her sore and sick. Belen was an absolute pain when she was grumpy and getting her to sleep was an all out war sometimes.

"I'll be quiet," Ayrn shrugged as he skirted past the crazy woman and into the tent.

It didn't take long to make the meals and he used the last of his pancake mix to make a fluffy, chocolate filled muffin cake in a pan. At one point he dropped a pan and Kiya came by with a hiss, smacking him in the back of the head for being loud. "Ye oaf!" He grimaced and waved her away. "Yeah, yeah." Once both were done, he divided the meal and its desert into 3 portions onto plates, covering them with an extra plate. Kiya watched him with her sharp grey eyes most of the time and he tossed her his last chocolate bar on the way out of the door. She caught it with her good hand, and glared as if he had thrown it at her purposely to see if she could catch it. "Uh, thanks for letting me use the stove...Kiya." With that, he scurried out of the tent with the three plates stacked on each other.

His first stop was the infirmary. The Ehaui gave him hard stares as he dipped and dodged past the nurses, looking for the room he wanted. Finally, he came past a curtain and caught a glimpse of a fair haired woman in the gap. Bingo. He poked his head in and immediately Haza sat up, her eyes wide at first and then confused. "I uh...heard Nathan was sick. Sorry," Ayrn said quickly, holding up the plate, "Thought this might be better than hospital rations." He tip-toed forward and handed the plate to her, taking a glimpse of Nathan as he exited. He didn't want to hang around if the man was still hurt and his wife was upset. Women upset was not something he liked. With a small wave, he left the plate and the desert with her and scurried on his way to Tabit's tent. He found it was empty still and rather than going inside he upended a nearby crate and left the meal by her door. Maybe she would like it when she came back.

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Henaiah appeared in the tent doorway and Thomas looked up from his info-pad. His wife had been in the communications tent well over 24 hours and it showed on her pale face. Anytime he tried to come find her or bring her food, she had declined and kept doing whatever it was she was doing, claiming she needed to focus and had little time. With dark circles under her eyes, and her bun in a fly away mess, she shuffled forward and Thomas stood immediately, ushering over to her. He took up her arm and lead her to the bed roll of their tent, laying her down. For once, she didn't protest and that worried him more than anything. "I'll get you some food and coffee," he said, as he laid her down. She nodded quietly as she ran a hand through her dark hair, freeing the bun completely.

Thomas went to their tiny shelf and pulled down some coffee to get it going first and then uncovered one of the many meals she had forgone. Selecting the sweet bread and her favorite omne preserves, he fixed her some of that first as he talked. "What have you been up to this whole time? You've been gone for so long, I was beginning to worry."

Henaiah sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. "I've been talking."

Thomas started preparing the coffee as he listened to his wife's rather brief explanation. "Talking? Talking to who?"

A small reply came from the bed roll. It was nearly a whisper. "Everyone."

The professor poured the coffee grounds into a filter supported by a sieve and then went to heating up the water. Why did she have to be so cryptic? Was it so hard just to say what she meant? She was usually straight forward, but gave a little more explanation than that. Maybe she was just tired. Heating up the water took only a few minutes over the hot plate and he poured it through the grounds, letting the fresh smell of coffee fill the tent. Once the cup was ready, he put in two sugars like she liked and then picked up the cup along with the plate. When he turned though, he found Henaiah's head dropped back. Her mouth was slightly open and her eye lids fluttered with sleep. With a small sigh, Thomas put down the plate and the mug and went to kneel by her side. His knee gave a stiff pop, which he expected given how cold it was, but he ignored the little spark of pain and brushed her hair out of her face. "Henny..." She didn't even move as he took off her shoes and covered her with a blanket, making sure she was good and warm in the cold moon shadow. His wife cared so much about the crumbling Alliance and her older sons were deployed to G'koe, which made it hard for her to relax for even a moment. With a little kiss on her hand, he tucked it under the covers and went to message Calysta for the 4th time in the day. He hadn't heard from her personally in nearly 3 weeks. Both of his girls were so stubborn it was hard to be believed.

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Sarai stepped into the tent alongside the older General, barely able to stand on her own two feet. The first thing she had done when Illya had broken into her prison was tell the older General what happened and that the moon shadows needed to be closed immediately. She also informed him that her captor had been interested in his daughter in-law, Calysta, for some unknown reason, and then she insisted the body's of the children and the man be taken out of the hellish place too. They deserved better. Some of the prisoners helped removed the bodies and they were escort to the moon shadow under the cover of darkness when it was safe. There had been no moment to stop and ask if the General was angry. Maybe he understood, maybe he didn't. She stood ready to protect Uria and the Chippeqouti however she could though and that was all she could give to him.

As she came into the door way, all the laughter and sniffles paused, as 14 sets of eyes looked her over in stunned and silent relief. Nicholas put down the youngest of the children and stood up, looking over his wife with wide eyes. She looked a wreck. Her hair was everywhere and her face was red. There were raw gashes around her wrists and her red eyes glistened with tears. Still, he'd never seen a more welcome and beautiful sight. Once a moment passed, the children swarmed her, and Sarai all but collapsed into their little arms and hands. "Momma!" She grabbed them up and kissed them all over every inch she could find. Her sweet babies were okay. Some of them were crying, others were tugging at her sleeves and tattered sash. Sarai broke down in tears again at the mere sight of their pink cheeks and dimples. Nicholas came over and knelt with her, pulling her into a hug while she sobbed, rocking her back and forth. "The others?" Sarai gasped through cried of relief.

"Henryk is in the city with two units from the far side, heading a relief effort and looking for you. Syrus is with him and Derin is here helping track enemy movement. They're all here Sarai. They're okay." Sarai clutched at her husband and her children and nodded, feeling relieved and yet so guilty. She would find the cruel matriarch and put an end to her. To do that she would need to gain control of Uria and there was only one person who would be able to help with that. Henaiah.

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Kirit sat in a perch nearly 20 feet from the forest floor watching the tree line carefully. This had been his assignment after Illya and he agreed his leg was not up to par. It hadn't been so much he agreed as the problem was made evident by the drills. Kirit had made it through the first mile at a decent pace, though he was at the back of the pack. Each step caused shoots of pain into the injury, but he endured up until they reached a steep incline. He took on the hill like the others, but halfway up the wound split again and blood started trickling down his leg. The next steps were all but burning pain until his leg gave entirely, leaving him in a pile of leaves and first. The General had shaken his head and ordered him back to the moon shadow. Later, Ehvan had informed him of his new post on watch. It didn't require much movement to climb up to the hidden guard towers and watch for ground movement.

So, he climbed up the watch tower, using his arms more than his legs and took a position with his tactical headset in one hand and rifle in the other. He kept his war scythe strapped to his back as well. Illya had already gone on his operation to find Sarai, and he didn't think there would be problems so soon, but they had been told by radio to expect anything from the General in the city. All of the moon shadow doors had been closed early and locked down except for the single entrance used by the scouts and soldiers to come and go.

The forest was eerily quiet and then Kirit heard the first sounds of activity. It wasn't from the ground though, it was from the sky. The soft whirring grew louder and louder, and he pressed the comm-link button on his ear piece. "Incomin' air activity." He could hear similar calls going out over comms, but it was impossible to tell where they were going to strike first. His heart was starting to pound considering they were in the worst possible place for an air attack, but he didn't hear an order to retreat or take cover, so he stayed glue to his spot.

The first boom came from the west, lighting up the night with vicious flashes of light as the stealth bombers made a pass. It wasn't his moon shadow but that of the older General's. Another pass through told him they had hit the west one again, and he wondered why they hadn't made a clean pass from west to east, hitting them all. The ground shuddered as grey smoke filled the western sky and started wafting through the trees along with the heavy scent of burning wood. He could hear over the link that the western most moonshadow was holding up though. Just as legend described.

A few more passes left the woods alight with a wild fire, scorching directly over the moon shadow. Men were being called to tighten up over the area as a final sweep team entered the burning woods. There was was a the tatting of gunfire and Kirit knew it wouldn't be long before the clean up crew made their grid close to their side of the woods. Sure enough, after a few minutes of holding his post, shadows began wandering through the smokey tree trunks, pushing aside bramble but otherwise moving silently. "Sight on 'th right, sir." He flicked the safety off his rifle and trained it on the nearest shadow, waiting for his order. After what seemed like an eternity, Ehvan called the order.

Kirit released his pent up breath and squeezed the trigger. His shot joined a chorus of others and the first group caught sight of another target, another fired a second round. It caught the enemy by surprise, as part of their line fell, but not for long. Soon they were scattering in the trees and the calls for fire came out fast. One raised his own rifle up into the trees and a loud bang followed by a muffled yelp let him know the man in the opposite tree had been hit. Kirit dropped to his belly and trained his rifle on the greenish shadow who was looking around for more hostiles with his own night vision goggles while his heart pounded in his ears. They trained on each other at the same time, but the young warrior didn't hesitate. With another quick squeeze of his trigger, he felt the recoil in his shoulder and saw the man drop as return shot was given. The man's shot ricocheted off the metal stand and exploded into the tree trunk right next to Kirit's head. That had been entirely too close. Checking his head over to make sure there really was no damage, the young warrior swallowed hard and somehow found himself readying another round.



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Calysta gripped the blankets as Yvonne described in short detail what happened, her heart pounding. He'd gone and gotten hurt...worse than a leg or an arm...this was his mind. What made him who he was. Her whole body began to shake and she swallowed hard, trying to take it in. After a moment of looking blankly at Yvonne, Calysta took a shuddering breath and pushed back the covers. No matter what it took she was going beyond that door on her own two feet to find her Chip, even if he didn't remember he was hers anymore. Her bare feet touched the cold stone floor and stood, almost falling backward fro m the waves of dizziness and pain. Yvonne started to grab her, but Calysta shook her head, her eyes wrenched shut. "N-no," she gasped. The first few steps were painful but she hobbled to the wooden door and pushed it open to the main part of the tent. "Illya?"

It took a few minutes to find Illya in the moon shadow. Markus didn't know what his son was looking for so he gently tapped his shoulder. "I'm gonna take you home." That was enough for Illya to start following and Markus decided to try and catch Illya up on a few things. "Isla is dead and you agreed with Kalizda." He hadn't thought of the woman as an outsider in a while and he hoped maybe the shock of seeing an outsider being his agreed would be enough to help jog something. Grimly Illya nodded at the news. He was still shocked with where he was. There was just so much to take in and it only got worse as he was shown into the tent and was greeted by a tiny little woman. It hurt to frown very much so he looked from Yvonne and then back to Kalizda. Reluctantly he nodded. "Kalizda."

He'd never said her name quite like that, even when they first met. The tone was flat and emotionless, which scared her even more than if he would have been shocked or even angry. Taking a wobbly step forward, Calysta tried not to wince at the weight on her injured leg and kept her grey eyes trained on his bright green. "Do you remember me?" She had to know if someone told him or if he had at the sight of her.

Illya started to shake his head, but winced. The headache was getting worse and he needed to answer the question. He knew that his dad wouldn't lie about this, but it still felt terribly wrong and out of place. "No." Cautiously Illya started to look around the tent. None of it looked like his home.

He was hurting, she could see the wince when he shook his head. How could he not be? Calysta felt her throat tighten at his answer and she struggled with the rising need to cry. She needed to remain calm for him though. What did she do? What did he remember and not remember? He looked so lost as his eyes scanned the room and for a moment Calysta was grateful Rose was asleep. "Would you sit with me for awhile?" she asked, her voice hoarse, "I'll make you some tea?" She knew it was better if he sat down and rested but going back to the bedroom didn't seem like an option right now. Her Chip thought she was a stranger and nothing would be more off putting than getting into bed with one.

Cautiously Illya looked to his mother again. It seemed that Yvonne thought it was a good idea and she spoke to Kalizda in Quoti. "I'll step outside for a little. Maybe get some extra blankets." Illya carefully took a seat and he looked at the girl for a long moment. She was obviously comfortable and he didn't know who she was either. "I sit for only little bit." His head was almost exploding with every pump form his heart.

Calysta nodded to Yvonne and replied in Qouti. "Thank you" before turning to their little hot plate to start warming up the water for tea. Once that was going, she eased her way down to the spot across from him. The room was spinning, and it was all she could do to focus on Illya's face. "You don't remember me..." she whispered, trying to gain some sort of idea on how to deal with this, "Will you tell me what you do remember...please? Do you remember Qouti?" She asked everything in his native tongue, though her accent was a bit affected by the waiver in her voice.

Closing his eyes for a second Illya reached up and put a hand over his head. It was aching badly enough that he was tempted to lay down and go to sleep. Instead the woman was asking if he remembered her all over again. "I already told yah." Grumbling a little he shifted where he sat and looked at her half suspiciously. "I wake up on Quoti yesterday maybe. I dun know." It was so frustrating to find himself here and in such a strange place without knowing why. "I jes sleep."

Calysta closed her eyes for a moment, begging herself not to break down. This wasn't going to go anywhere. She already knew he only half paid attention to things when he was tired at home and if she kept pressing, anything he did remember, he would forget when when fell asleep. "You havent been on Qouti in nearly two years, Illya," she said her voice turning to nothing but a whisper, "I know you're tired and you hurt. This place is strange to you...would you like to sleep and I can tell you a story?" He loved stories no matter what they were and it might be a better way to get through than just telling him everything all at once. He was confused enough as it was.

When she offered to tell him a story Illya carefully shook his head. It wasn't till Yvonne came back that he cautiously wrapped himself up in the blanket and tried to sleep. Hi entire head throbbed and it all felt wrong. Half of him hoped he would wake up on Quoti instead of those place.

Calysta watched as Yvonne covered Illya in a blanket and he laid down, falling asleep almost instantly. She stared at her Chip for a long moment and then rose to her feet, slowly, using the tent pole for support. With a wordless nod, she stumbled toward the tent flap and pushed it aside, fighting off the waves of dizziness. She had to get out. Anywhere but there. Wobbly down the hallway, she used the wall as brace, intending to go the bathroom. Bile was rising in her throat and she didn't want to throw up in front of anyone. Her tired legs made it as far as the unused admin room and she ducked inside, collapsing into the moldy chair there. Everything felt numb except for the ache in her chest which was all too real. Why did this have to happen? Why were there people in the world who would do this and why did it have to happen to Illya? He'd lost so much already and now he'd lost everything he had taken back from the Federation to begin with. It made her stomach crawl into her mouth and her throat tighten with anger. She pounded the flat of her fist against the desk, feeling nothing and then hit it again and again with growing anger until dust filled the air and she dropped her head into her hands with sob so hard, there wasn't a sound. The cry just came out silent as she buried her face in her hands and shuddered.

Kirit heard a strange knocking sound as he passed by on his way to the bathroom. He needed to get cleaned up from all the ash and grime covering his clothes before going back to the little tent where Illya had been letting him stay. The strange knocking was coming from one of the side rooms on the way to the bathroom and given the recent attack, it was a good idea to check out it out. He kept his hand on his pistol and came up to the door, swinging it open and taking a stance at the wall to avoid anything that might come out. Instead, he found a pale woman slumped over the dusty desk, her face buried in her arms. Her dark hair was flaked with dust and there was blood dribbling down her leg in a bright red trail against her white skin. He recognized the form, though he'd never seen her looking so small.

Putting his pistol away, he strode into the room, trying to keep the weight off his leg. He didn't know what was wrong, but he wasn't about to leave the woman here like that. "Miss Kalizda?"

There wasn't a reply, and he reached out, touching her shoulder gently. "Miss Kalizda?" The woman jumped under his touch and her eyes snapped up to him. In those grey eyes he saw a swirling storm of anger and hurt. He'd never seen a woman give such a look and he almost withdrew his hand. "You're bleeding again, ma'am. Let me take you back to the tent, yeah?" he mumbled in Kaerelean. She didn't reply but didn't protest either at first, her eyes just stayed locked on his and then she gave a rough wipe at her eyes before nodding to him. "C'mon, then." No matter how tired or grime covered he was, he definitely wasn't leaving the General's wife out here like that. It was cold and she wasn't well. What he didn't understand is where Illya was. He was normally very attentive and how his wife had escaped bed rest he wasn't sure and he also didn't know why she was so upset. The Urian city and the forest being burned was terrible, but they hadn't been found and that was a good thing.

He held onto her arm, and helped her to her feet. She was light as a rag doll, so it wasn't terribly much weight to slip her arm up to his shoulder and hobble her home. It was obvious the position hurt her shoulder and it began bleeding along with her leg, but he was afraid if he carried her, his leg would give out and he'd drop her. Dropping the woman didn't seem like a good idea.

When he brought her back to the tent, he found the General with a bandaged head, slumped over in his sleeping space and his mother sitting nearby. Calysta pulled away from him to enter the tent under her own power, but he stayed close in case she fell. She didn't exactly seem the steadiest walker right now and he didn't want the woman to fall. Calysta grabbed a towel, and mumbled a small 'thank you' before weaving her way back to the little box room in the back. Kirit looked to the General's mother and gave her a solemn nod. "I find her by herself an' she was upset, if ye or the General need help, I stay." That was what his honor required for his room and board, but beyond that he respected the two of them as friends.

Calysta wiped at her face with the cloth and then at the blood on her leg and arm. She should probably change the bandage on it and check to make sure nothing deep had been pulled but she was too numb and too suddenly tired to care. She laid back on the bed and didn't bother pulling the covers up. Grabbing at the empty side of the bed roll, her hands groped around till she found his pillow, flat as it was, and pulled it over. It smelled like his herb oil and it was the only thing that felt right at the moment. It was strange that in the numbness came a perfect clarity. This was happening. The Ehaui would be there tomorrow to explain more in detail and that was all she could do for now. One step at a time. Every step felt like an impossible leap right now, and as her eyes closed, she wondered if she could make them.

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Calysta sat in their living area of their tent her with jaw clamped firmly shut waiting for the Ehaui to arrive. She had sent Rose outside to play with Ehvan's son and his wife, to give them a little while to speak about what was going on. Kirit had volunteered to go with them before his watch started, which made Calysta grateful the young man was there too. The girl hadn't been happy about being woken up so early, but Calysta insisted before Illya woke up and didn't know who is adoptive daughter was. It wasn't so much she didn't want to tell him, she just didn't want to tell Rose until they knew more about what was happening. That was only fair.

They waited in a heavy silence after breakfast, most of which she found no appetite for. Her belly was begging for food, but her stomach felt like it might come out of her mouth at any moment along with her heart. Yvonne sat along side her and Markus sat closer to his son. Nobody spoke, and everyone listened. It was the worst silence she had ever heard.
 
Markus came back early the next morning. His agreed had stayed with Illya and Kalizda for the night. It wasn't entirely surprising. The smell of cooking food was already wafting through the air and he closed the flap of the tent again. Everyone was up already except Illya who was still sleeping. Leaning to the side a little bit Markus tried to see if Illya was actually sleeping or just laying around. "Shall I wake him up?" They were going to have the Ehuai come and talk with Kalizda and she needed a little check up herself on the wounds since they had split open. In the meantime Markus was going to get Illya up before they had breakfast and try to find out how bad the memory loss was.

The Chip woman nodded. It was better to get Illya up and take him out of the tent and into the forest for a few minutes. He would feel better if he had a chance to get outside and talk. In the meantime she decided to go make sure that Kalizda was alright getting up by herself. It was likely that the little woman would need some help. Pulling the kettle to the side of the fire, Yvonne then started back for the little house. Knocking on the door she let herself in again. "Kalizda I've come to help you get up. Ehaui will come to visit with you today. Markus is taking Illya outside for a bit and he's going to talk with him. Ehaui will have a little time to take the results and then they'll come to check on your wounds and give you a better update on how to deal with all this."

Calysta was awake when Yvonne entered and started speaking. Sleep had come in brief snatches before she would jerk awake again, her heart pounding and her grip tight on Illya 's pillow all night long. As her mother in-law spoke, Calysta sat up slowly and nodded. "Aye." With her feet slipped over the edge of their bed, she picked up a pair of nearby leggings and her boots, sliding them on slowly up to her thighs and then standing shakily to pull the up the rest of the way. Then she went to work on the grey tunic, she managed to get her good shoulder through one arm but struggled with the second arm. The limb wouldn't bend at the right angle for her to slide it in with out pulling on the wound. It was beyond frustrating and she growled a little before sighing in defeat. "Yvonne, I'm sorry...can you please..." While the woman helped, Calysta thought over everything she needed to and glanced up to her. "Would the Ehaui know anything about children's health too?"

Though the woman had tried to put her own shirt on. It was just a matter of time before Kalizda would have to ask for help and Yvonne knew it so she waited. When Kalizda finally relented Yvonne stepped over to help. Carefully pulling her shirt off she helped Kalizda work the injured arm in first and then they started to get her other arm in. "Children? Rose is fine unless you're expecting." She knew that Illya had wanted children and more than likely they had been actively pursuing that. There had also been a thought once or twice when she saw how Illya looked at Kalizda. Sometimes it seemed he acted as if she was pregnant and other times not as much.

Calysta swallowed hard and started to tie up her tunic in the front with shaking hands. Already she could feel the tired muscle in her leg wobbling but a deep breath forced down the ache. Finishing up with the grey tunic she turned to the soft belt and looped it around backwards to fast the clasp around her waist. "And if I was?"

The woman smiled gently and sat on the bed next to her. "Then I would be glad for you. Sometimes a child can bring a special joy when times are difficult." Yvonne knew almost nothing so far of what had happened or how badly Illya's memory had been affected, but she knew he would love the child no matter what. "Markus took him outside to talk. He's going to try and find what Illya remembers. If you are with child you will have to tell him at some point."

Calsyta glanced up to Yvonne, looking her in the eye. "That's just it, he already knows...or he did know...I.." her throat tightened up and she paused for a moment, "Yvonne even if Illya never remembers me...his baby...our baby would be wonderful. But I'm a half breed and it causes certain dangers for me and the baby. Illya already knew about them and we had my Kaerelean doctor to make a visit, but that isn't possible now. Can I throw all of that on him now?"

Since she couldn't know the extent of the memory loss for the time Yvonne sighed. "I don't know that you can put that all on him for now, but I'm still here and I can help." The woman's violet eyes searched Kalizda's face and she noticed the unkempt waves of hair framing her face. "You hold still and I'll make your hair. Just wait a while to talk with him about it. I'm sure that he will remember you. It might take a few weeks. Just hold in there."

Yvonne looked her over as if she understood Calysta's fear and her panic, but remained calm anyways. Calsyta was trying hard to do the same, but it was harder with the cramping in her belly reminding her of things that only she remembered. Yvonne tamed her hair, pulling into a low pony tail and letting the glossy black waves flow down her shoulder. "Thank you, Yvonne..." Ready as she could be, she stood to enter the living room for their meeting with the ehaui.

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Waking up was hard and Illya groaned. Gingerly he felt the bandage on his head and winced a little before trying to nestle into the blankets again. Another jolt on his shoulder caused him to open his eyes and he looked at his father. If he was waking him up like this then it meant there was something wrong. Was the Federation making another fly over the area? It had to be late at night for how cold it was. "Ok." Illya's voice came out raspy and he forced himself to get up no matter how sick it made him feel to even move. When he got to his feet he winced and half stumbled after Markus.

Before they left Markus grabbed a coat for himself and thrust the other toward Illya. With both of them ready to head out he checked to be sure that Illya still had his boots on. Apparently his son hadn't bothered to take them off last night. This was going to be a long road if Illya was forgetting little things already. Still he could hope that it was just last night. It was wild for everyone. Once they were safely outside the moonshadow and covered by the forest of trees he looked to Illya. "I need to tell you something. Illya I know you were expecting Isla to be there last night. She's been dead for a little over 3 years now."

"No..." Illya stared at Markus for a long moment. "I remember her asking me for some.... scorpion crumble and..." Rubbing his face he stared at Markus for a long time. "Who...who is this...uh.... Kalizda?" Though they were speaking in Quoti Illya was halting at best with some of his words.

"Illya." Markus stared into his son's eyes. "Isla is gone for over 3 years. You buried her in your memories. We're in another war with the Federation and Kalizda is the woman you chose. She helped you when no one else could, flew you to the Ehuai for the surgery. Your back doesn't hurt does it?" It didn't appear to be making any sense and the man continued. "Kalizda helped us make agreements with her people. We have allies in this war."

The two of them talked about what Illya remembered and as far as Markus could tell Illya had lost approximately 5 years of his life. Next he would want to test and see if Illya still knew his training and if he would still be capable of his work. Some of that would have to wait for another time. For now he needed to focus on finding out what he could do to see if there was anything that would help trigger Illya's memory. Maybe they would have to see if the Ehaui had any other answers if Illya didn't start remembering at least a few things in the next couple of weeks.

"She's a foreigner." Illya finally stuttered as he contemplated going back to the tent with the stranger. He couldn't quite wrap his brain around that particular fact.

Markus snapped almost harshly at Illya. "Kalizda is not a foreigner. She is an honored and respected Chippequoti. We have adopted her as a people and you were never so proud as when she earned that distinction." Almost nose to nose with his son he spoke slowly and clearly. "You agreed with her and you love her. Even if you don't remember her you will treat her with respect and you will do your best. Illya do for her what you would do for a woman that you want to be your agreed." If nothing else he knew that if Illya put the thought into being kind to the woman it would ease Kalizda's suffering and whether Illya remembered or not in the next few weeks his heart would follow the actions. When a man spent a good deal of time thinking of a woman and how to please her, how to get that smile on her face he would find himself respecting and admiring certain qualities.

Turning slightly Illya started back toward the moonshadow and his father caught up in a matter of seconds. There were so many thoughts running around in Illya's head. Isla was dead and it bothered him and at the same time he felt like it wasn't entirely news. Why he couldn't remember he didn't know and this entire new war he didn't remember at all. When did it happen?

Slowly the men entered the tent and ate the breakfast silently with the women. There was nothing to say for the time. As soon as Markus finished his meal of soft bread and delicate fried fruits he went to give his report to the Ehaui.

The doctor looked at Markus and shrugged. "There isn't anything we can do. I looked over the records and the best I can do for him is to simply place this monitor on his wrist. It will record his vitals and I'll be alerted if anything goes wrong or outside of the normal readings." With some urging from the General he nodded. "I can go and talk with Yvonne and Kalizda." They were the most likely to be dealing with the memory loss and unusual conditions if any.

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Before they started the meeting Markus assigned Kirit to collecting rations. It was something that he planned to take about as long as the meeting here. The last thing he needed was for anyone more than necessary to know that there was currently only one general capable of managing the army. Ehud was recovering from serious injuries and Illya would need weeks of debriefing to be caught up with the war and have the same understanding he did before. To be able to make decisions and lead his men.

With Illya in the room it was a bit awkward, but the Ehuai knew that he needed to know what the plan was as well. Cooperation would make this much better. "From what we know so far it looks like Illya, you've lost about 5 years of memory. So far the plan is that you'll stay here at home with your agreed. Yvonne is here to help because Kalizda is still recovering from a recent mission." Pausing for a moment he directed his vision toward Illya who had already laid down on his pile of blankets. "Can we agree so far?" Pointedly staring at Illya he waited for some kind of acknowledgement which existed only as a raise of one hand. Directing his attention to Yvonne and Kalizda he went on with the next part. "The best you can do is just live your every day life and remind him of the tasks he usually does. Don't pressure for memories."

Calysta wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or scream at the Ehaui doctor. Live every day life? Remind him of tasks he usually did? In his mind she didn't even exist! She was some bad dream he was having and hoping to wake up next to Isla and it wasn't going to happen. Instead, he'd wake up next to her growing more pregnant by the day and not even remember why or how. He was laying amid the blankets too tired to do much of anything her lively Chip loved to do. It was sickening and nothing about it was every day. Calysta gripped her shirt sleeves tightly and refrained from saying any of this. Instead, she looked up into the dark eyes of the doctor and nodded. "Aye, no pressure for memories. Is there anything else we need to look for?"

The doctor handed a bracelet monitor. "Put that on his wrist. I'll be recording vitals and its possible he could have seizures for a few days. There were some on the way here. Might be more and may not. Sometimes the seizures are only with brain swelling and other times they are natural reactions to additional stress." The Ehuai could see that she was a little flustered. "The good news is that within a few weeks you will likely see improvement."

Calysta nodded and took the bracelet monitor. She knew nothing could be done about the seizures except may be some tea and to let them run their course. It also meant that she would put him in their room while she took up a space in their living room for the next few days at least if not longer. "I'll make sure he wears it. Hopefully, we'll see improvement," her voice was even as she could make it for them moment and it almost sounded robotic. "I know how to handle the seizures."

The Ehaui doctor nodded and smiled. "Then I expect everything will be fine. I'll just step into the tent in the mornings to check on him and after a week or two you should be fine. Call me if he seizes more than 2 times in a row or if anything else comes up that might cause concern."

Calysta couldn't see what there was to smile about. They seemed to think he would be back to himself in a few weeks but she didn't want to get her hopes up only to have her heart ripped apart a second time just yet. "Aye, I'll keep an eye and call." They seemed to be nearing the end of the meeting and Calysta knew that something else needed to be attended to. "There is a personal matter I would like to speak with you in private about before you leave however, if you have a moment doctor."

As he was getting ready to leave the Ehaui doctor heard the woman call him over and he wandered toward her. "Yes?" It seemed she wanted to go back into the private little box and he stepped cautiously inside. Whatever it was Kalizda seemed to be a little concerned about it.

Calysta took a shuddering breath and started to explain her own situation. "I'm 7 weeks pregnant. I've already had a Kaerelean doctor, one who specializes in half breed medicine to examine the baby, but he isnt exactly available out here and I haven't been examined since my injuries or the explosion," she managed to spill out, "I know the baby was healthy before hand but half-breeds have certain difficulties. Can you help? I just...I need to get through this and I don't want to tell Illya yet...again."

The doctor's eyes went wide and he stared at her. "I could make a scan and you could see the recordings if you need." He could read them well enough and he'd helped many Chip women, but Kalizda was right. There would be certain difficulties with this and he wasn't entirely sure what they would all be. "I'll get a plan set up and I'll come to check on you regularly."

Calysta puffed a brief sigh of relief and nodded to him. "Take whatever scans you need, please. Half breeds have the hardest time getting past the first trimester." She wasn't sure if the Ehaui doctor even knew what that was considering Chip women have a full year term, but if he didn't she still had that doctor's hologram on it....something Illya didn't remember. Her stomach sank a little and realized that normal was so very far away.

Sliding the wand over her stomach he took various pictures and he examined them for a long moment. "It looks fine for now, but I think you should have more bed rest. Could almost look like you have a thinning in the lining over there and that's not good if you push it too much." Showing her what he meant on the picture. "Now I can send this to your doctor and ask for more advice if you have a way to contact him."

More bed rest wasn't good news. How could she do that with Illya to take care of? Yvonne couldn't and shouldn't do this alone. "I can send you his contact information," she replied, picking up her info pad from the bed, "He'll be able to tell you more about my patient history and half-breed pregnancy." She showed him the information and swept her fingers over the pad to send the contact info. "Dr. Klyne will work with you....thank you."

Nodding quickly he shoved the scanner into a cleaning solution case and then set it back into his usual bag. Slinging it over his back he started back out the door. Before leaving he decided to make sure that the bracelet was on Illya and that it was set to record and alert. He saw a momentary confusion come over the Chip's face and he held Illya's wrist up. "Remember, we talked about this."

Illya frowned a little and then very slowly answered. "Oooh...yeah." He somewhat remembered the bracelet talk, but it was taking long enough to figure out exactly what had been talked about. There was quite a bit and everything felt like it had been thrown into a great melting pot and stirred together. His memories were jumbled and he didn't even know where he was at. It was a strange place that he was sure and then not to sure that he and Markus had spoke about. At least he remembered that much and that Kalizda was his agreed. While he was trying to think of what he would do Illya fell asleep again. He slept off and on for nearly 3 days and he only work up occasionally and it was usually long enough to get washed, eat and go back to sleep.

A tiny pair of fingers started to pick at his hair and a sing song voice whispered to him. Cautiously Illya turned underneath the blankets to find himself staring into the eyes of a little girl. She was trying to pick his hair out from underneath the bandage. "Ow..." Carefully moving her hand away from his head he sat up. This was not someone that he'd ever seen before.

Yvonne turned around and hissed at Rose. "Leave him alone!" Her heart had about gone into her throat when she saw the little girl so close to where they had put the bone graft to protect his brain. All it would take is just a few ounces too much pressure and the graft would tear and it could kill him or just cause more brain damage. The Ehuai already had to remove a small portion of his brain because it was hemorrhaging, but there was with most injuries on Chippequoti a regenerative process happening. Rose moved away with a sigh. "I wanted to play with Wolf." Yvonne grabbed the girl by the arm and took her back to her area. "You stay here. I already told you he has a very big owie on his head and it makes him tired a lot." They'd already had at least one seizure each of the last 3-4 nights. "Go outside and play if you can't stay away from him."

That was usually the answer and Rose stomped her feet and started to tear up. "I wanted to say hi." She didn't understand and usually Wolf let her say hi even if he didn't feel good. Yvonne relented after a short moment of debate. "Ok, but you stay away from his head. You could hurt him very badly." Hovering over the girl she watched as Rose put her little hands on Illya's chest and stared into his face before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Rose frowned a little when he didn't say anything and she got so close their noses touched. "Get better soon."

Once the girl left Illya tried to sleep a little more, but his head hurt too much to even attempt sleeping. he sat up and kept himself wrapped in the blankets. Markus was likely coming again to bring him more information on the war. Illya had been trying to study during his short bouts of wakefulness. Thankfully he was awake a little more often, but it didn't change the headaches or the memory loss and he was starting to get frustrated. No matter how hard he tried to remember he couldn't. The war was all coming into memory, but that was because he memorized it. It was like a piece of history that he was learning though he was supposedly there for all of these events. Near the end of one of Markus' visits Illya stopped him. "I can't remember no matter how hard I try." Quoti was still the easiest language and he'd been speaking it because he didn't like Trader's as much.

After a long moment Markus looked at Illya. "Tell me something. I answer all your questions and now you answer mine. When the doctor came to check on you I said something. Have you thought about it?"

Illya nodded carefully. "I think about this. If I love her like yah say then maybe I find it easy to love her, but...." Pausing he a little he whispered lowly. "If I don't remember maybe it is worse for her?"

An exasperated sigh came from Markus. "She is faithful like all Chippequoti women are. Illya your Kalizda would rather you come to her even if you can't remember."

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With the thoughts from Markus Illya took anther day to even work up the courage to possibly try visiting the small box room. He knew she was injured and not feeling good, but he didn't even know what to say to her. Illya had searched through his things. At least what he knew was his. There was a bag that held a few pieces of jewelry that he knew belonged to Isla. This was something that he hadn't pulled out for a long time. Selecting the necklace that he knew would be most important he stared at it for a long moment. If he was going to do this right he had to start the right way. She must have asked him once and she was injured or too sick to be out much. Illya knew he'd slept most of the time and avoided her because he didn't know what to say.

Clenching his fist around the necklace he started toward the back of the tent. Illya could almost feel his mother's eyes on him, but he had to do this. Knocking on the door he shyly poked his head inside. Putting one hand out he used the bed for balance. It was still hard to lean over without falling. Most days his head hurt and today was no exception. Even as he shifted angles to sit it felt like someone had hit him in the head with a massive club.

Looking at Kalizda for a long moment he almost forgot what he was going to say and then he uncurled his fingers to show her the necklace. He knew she wasn't Quoti and he couldn't remember if she knew his language or not so he tried in his best Trader's to talk to her. "I dun remember, but I tink ef I love yah once dat somewhere meh mind knows dis. Kalizda?" It was difficult to know if he was even making sense. "Kalizda, I uh...I tink maybe we make new memories." Carefully he placed the necklace into her hands. "Garnet es like yah...consistent like sands of Quoti and gold is what I know yah will be to meh again, like faithful golden sun. Yah beautiful like golden sun." It was all the better he could come up with and Illya knew that it probably didn't help for her to know that he had no idea who she was and that he couldn't remember anything, but this was the best he could offer. If she had stayed around maybe she would make new memories with him?
 
Calysta's doctor sent over the documents as requested. He knew that going to Uria right now was out of the question considering the recent events and the fact that the place was basically a war zone, though no active conflict had continued. Why on earth his patient had settled there for her pregnancy he'd never know and his first recommendation to the Ehaui doctor in his memo was to have her leave the area in entirely. The stress on her mind and body could prove hazardous.

Enclosed are the requested files for my long-time patient Calysta Marie Monroe, you will find her medical history which includes records of her immunity experimentation and shots. You will also find records of her yearly physicals and all other exams along with a full display of her DNA sequence. In regards to her pregnancy, there are several concerns I have raised. The first is the strong possibility of spontaneous chromosomal abortion due to her mixed genes which happens most often in the first trimester, especially for first timers. Chances go down in second trimester, but its still possible. Half-breed women also have a higher percentage of premature labor and heart failure during or after birth. Also, I believe it is doubtful Calysta will carry a Chippeqouti child to full term, given what information she has told me about their women's gestational period being longer than a Kaerelean or Terrans. Should she carry to full term or not, I do not believe natural birth will be possible for her and she will need to have the baby surgically removed. Should any questions arise, or concern, please feel free to contact me again at this location.


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Once the Ehaui doctor left, Calysta looked to the snoozing Chip piled into the blankets. There was little that could be done for it right now and she was feeling more sore now than before after the doctor had patched her up again. She clambered to her feet, and took a long look at Illya. "Yvonne?" she whispered, "Markus?" They both looked to her and she met their gaze. "Thank you...for staying with us..." The comment felt incredibly weak and useless, but she didn't know what else to say after the meeting. She was sincere of course, but she was also at a loss as to what to say or do while her husband lay in the corner snoring slightly. She shuffled over, trying to take slow steps to avoid falling, and slid the blanket higher up on his gently rising and falling shoulders before retreating into the bed room.

Days passed and the soreness from her wounds began to fade but it wasn't those injuries that hurt her so. She would come out with Rose a little during the day and try to help Yvonne make breakfast, but the dizziness plagued her. All the while, Illya avoided even looking at her. When breakfast was done and Rose was dressed with her little arm attached, she was sent out to play with the other Chippeqouti children. Calysta would retreat back into the their bedroom to her empty bed and read. She tried to pick up working on the trip to the Beta Quadrant she had been planning for Illya for over a year now. Something she had devised to give him something to look forward to, and now it all seemed pointless. She had never even gotten a chance to it to him. Her finger hovered over the delete button on the itinerary pulled up on her pad, but try as she might to bite the bullet and delete it, she couldn't. Tossing the pad off to the side, Calysta curled up to Illya's pillow again, taking in the way it smelled like his oils and went to sleep. When she slept, Illya tended to have seziures though, and she was right back up again. Yvonne was there but Calysta would come stumbling in when they hit and she heard them. It made her sick to see his eyes roll back into his head and his body thrash like she hadn't seen since the Ekram. He had fought so hard to get better and one bullet had shattered it all. When the fits were done, she would whisper to him in Qouti and help Yvonne set him back to right under the blankets.

Everything felt so wrong and out of place. Calysta wasn't going to press him but didn't know what else to do when he wouldn't look at her much less speak to her. She curled up on her bed and took a few deep breaths. It had been seven days since had come home and at every chance he had ignored her in favor of studying the war. Would it be like this forever? The doctor's seemed confident he would remember at least something after a few weeks, but so far there had been no sign he was even interested in talking with her. Simply the fact that he seemed to dislike her again made her chest ache. In his mind, she was nothing but an outsider again. Untrustworthy and terrible. Why should the Illya from nearly 5 years ago want anything to do with her anyways? Thought made her curl tighter into his pillow until she heard a tentative knock at her door. Raising up reluctantly, Calysta found herself looking at her green eyed Chip's face poking through her door way. Her heart skipped a beat and she gripped at her pillow. Did he remember something?

He stumbled in and sat on the edge of the bed with something clutched in his hand. "I dun remember, but I tink ef I love yah once dat somewhere meh mind knows dis. Kalizda?"Kalizda, I uh...I tink maybe we make new memories."

Calysta's hands shook with the effort to keep from bursting into tears. he had come in here to confess and not because he remembered something.
He reached out to her and gently placed a necklace in her shaking hands. It was gold, like the Chippequti wore and had red gemstones encircled in what looked like a finely designed fillgree on a gold chain. The pieces was beautiful. "Garnet es like yah...consistent like sands of Quoti and gold is what I know yah will be to meh again, like faithful golden sun. Yah beautiful like golden sun."

Calysta's drifted from the necklace in her a palm and back to questioning look up of her Chip. He didn't remember and maybe he never would. Would it be cruel to make him try to love her when he didn't? Or was this way of saying he wanted to try? Her grey eyes scanned over his face and as her fingers curled around the beautiful necklace. "Little Bird," she whispered finally in Qouti, "It's what you started calling me when we met....the little bird who can be a good omen or a bad one. I know you don't remember that. It's not your fault." She gripped the necklace a little tighter, but kept her gaze on him. If he could come in here and say these things, then she could have enough courage to look him in the eye. "We can make new memories. I'll try...if you will."

There was a moment of sheer relief when Kalizda said she would try to make new memories. "I dun want ta break yah trust." Looking into her eyes he tried very hard to consider how it should be said. This was not an easy conversation considering the fact that he still didn't know her well. "Ef we agree den I know dere is no oter woman better. I...Et makes meh worreh. Yah trust meh and now I fail. Meh mind won't remember yah and I try so hard. Because I fail now ets meh job ta ask. Kalizda, I want yah ef yah ave meh."

For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, a little smile crept its way to her lips. It was barely a ghost of the ones he used to give her, but he was there nonetheless. "You asked me the first time too," she said quietly, "I wanted you then and what happened doesn't change that in the slightest." She offered her empty palm out to him to see if he would be willing to take it, hoping that he would, though he didn't know her.


"What?" Looking at her with some shock he narrowed his eyes slightly. "No...I would not ask yah first. Et's vereh improper." Still he took her hand and studied her face. She had to be joking. He wouldn't have done that. As he thought about it Illya started to grin a little. There was a slight chance he might have asked her the first time. Carefully squeezing her hand he chuckled nervously. "I uh...tink ef I really ask yah den yah must be vereh impressive woman." He was finding himself intrigued. Why would he have asked her the first time? Not that she wasn't beautiful, it was just the fact that it wasn't how things were done.

And there it was in just a glimmer hidden in grin and nervous chuckle. He was still there. Her heartbeat a little faster as he took up her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, as if he remembered she was not as strong as he was on a certain level. "Aye, you did ask first," she chuckled just a little, "Impressive? Well, I think that part grew over time."

In many ways the conversation was still a bit strange. Illya had no idea who she was, but he was doing his best to be here with her and get to know her. "Yah tink yah get more impressive? Tell meh den. Impress meh. I want ta know what kind of woman I agree wit."

He slightly misunderstood what she meant and that was to be expected. It happened when they were first getting to know each other and it would happen many times over. "No, I never thought I was impressive. I just did what I thought was right, and still do, but if you really want to know what kind of woman I am, then I'll tell you, hm?" Calysta put the necklace into her lap and patted the bedroll next to her. He didn't have to sit close or even touch her, but she didn't want to wear him out sitting on the edge of the bed like he was. When he decided whether not he wanted to see there, she took a deep breath and started to tell him. She told him she had been a pilot and explorer along with how they met in brief detail and then how she taught a Chip to fly. Then told him about how when the time came, they returned to Qouti and helped everyone escape on the Ekram including his parents. "You asked me to agree on our way to secure a new home for the Chippeqouti," she said, taking a pause. It was a lot and she was keeping the story as succinct as possible with her thumb constantly rubbing the necklace. "You wanted to know what kind of woman I am...and where I'm from my actions speak for me." There was no other way she could say what kind of person she was. She wasn't the type to gloat or boast. Glancing up, she looked at his face to see what he was thinking.

The story made sense with everything else he had been learning and the respect that she had earned from his father. Illya had leaned back against the wall behind the bed while she spoke. He wasn't uncomfortably close, but close enough for now. It sounded like they had been through a bit together. There was still a question that was puzzling him. "Why yah help meh people eh?"

Calysta shifted a little, trying to ease a growing cramp in her belly and thought about his question. It was the same question his mother had asked so long ago on the Ekram and yet the answer still remained the same in part. "Because the Chippeqouti should have the chance to live free of fear and have the chance to learn like every other race," she said, truthfully, "And because the more I got to know you, the more I knew I was home wherever the Chippeqouti are, even if I am half breed and born an outsider."

It was easier to accept that she was a half breed, but she didn't refer to herself as an outsider now. She had become one of them and she knew it. After all that he heard it was impossible to think of her in terms besides impressive. Letting out a long breath he sunk a little further onto the bed. "I tink yah vereh impressive woman." Rubbing gingerly at the wound in his head he winced. "Maybe I come talk wit yah everyday. I study meh little bird woman so I know her."

Calysta watched him sink and saw he was nearing his limit. "Aye, we should talk every day," she whispered, not bothering to tell him that was a promise she made the night before they agreed. She found a separate blanket from hers and pulled it over his legs gingerly with a wince. Her shoulder was still sore, but better than it was. "Maybe when you feel a little better, we can go for a walk in the forest, yeah? Explore some and talk some more too."

The headache had gotten steadily worse and he didn't think he could actually get out of the room without collapsing somewhere or crawling. Despite the fact that he wasn't sure he knew her all that well she was ok with him being this close and he let her put the blanket on his legs. "I close meh eyes jes for few minutes den I leave." A few minutes with his eyes closed turned into a long nap. It had been several hours since Yvonne had seen Illya and she checked the tent and then the shower rooms. She had looked everywhere for him. It was ridiculous to be worried like this about a grown man and yet she was concerned the headaches got the better of him and he passed out somewhere in the cave and he was getting cold. Finally she stopped to see Markus and the two of them began wandering the moonshadow together. By the time it was nearing dinner Yvonne had to return to make something for Kalizda and then she would go out looking again. She would hate to tell her daughter in law that she saw Illya head out the back flap of the tent and that he hadn't ever come back. There was no telling where he could have gotten to and it was dangerous considering how little he knew about the war yet. Just as she opened the door to the bedroom she saw Illya on the other side of the bed completely safe and sleeping soundly as ever. Letting out a sigh of relief she set the bowl of on Kalizda's night stand. "I'll bring one for him too." A semi quizzical smile came to her face. It must have gone well if he hadn't just skipped past the bedroom as he had for a full day before this and he was staying in the room with her too.

"Thank you, Yvonne," Calysta whispered, as she picked up the bowl of soup. She nibbled at the herby broth, but found herself looking to Illya more than eating. She left like her Chip was still in there and always had been, but she was scared that he might not want her when he really thought about it. What if they tried to make new memories and he didn't like her again after all? Was it fair to keep him in an agreement he didn't want? Looking down to the necklace in her lap, Calysta studied it for a moment.

She wasn't sure where he had gotten it, but maybe it was start for him. She had to be willing to try no matter how worried she was that he would leave, not having the same interest as he did before. A part of her wouldn't blame him if he didn't, knowing his Isla was gone, but another part of her hoped that he would. She missed him, and even if she never got back the Illya she knew, trying was the only thing she could do to move forward. She had to try because even if he didn't love her, she loved him no matter what. With a small sigh, Calysta slipped the necklace over her head and ran a thumb over the garnet in the center over and over until her eyes drifted shut.

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The next morning, Calysta rose before Illya woke and dressed in her tunic slowly before coming out into the main part of the tent. Kirit was asleep by the tent flap and Yvonne was already awake. The woman looked her over and Calysta gave her a little nod before checking on Rose. Her little girl was still fast asleep inside her little cave. All that was visible of her was a head full of untamed curls stuck to the her pillow. Deciding to let the girl sleep in today, Calysta wandered over to Yvonne and started helping her make the tea for when Illya was awake enough to eat or drink anything. "The doctor is coming by tonight to give me an update on the baby," she said quietly. She knew Yvonne would know to get Illya out of the tent or to keep him distracted so that she could have the appointment without him being able to hear.

As she poured the hot water over the tea, a twinge of a cramp ricocheted in her belly and she curled just a little into the pain. Without missing a beat with her task, Calysta kept pouring the tea until the smell of its light lemony scent filled up the room and eventually the cramp passed. A long, quiet moment fell between them and Calysta could tell the woman was curious about the fact that Illya had come back there, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. "He want's to try, and for now that's all I can ask for," she whispered to her mother in law as her fingers slipped around the necklace dangling at her neck.

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It wasn't long after they had set about making the hash, that Illya emerged looking groggy at best. Calysta piled several scoops of potato and sausage hash onto a plate and offered it to him. He seemed to realize it was food, but didn't pay terribly much attention to who was giving it to him as he sat down and began eating quietly. Calysta made her own plate and eased down across from her Chip. She tried not to stare at him while he ate and kept her eyes on her plate most of the time until he was done.

Taking down a few tentative nibbles, she glanced up at him finally. "Would you like to take a walk with me and Rose today? I thought I might find a snake for dinner." She knew very well neither of them had the stamina to go out long, but hunting was normal to him and she could shoot anything they found. Plus, it would give him some time outside with Rose who missed him terribly. Taking a sip of her tea, she waited to see what her Chip said.
 
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Yvonne left Illya alone in the room with Kalizda. It was only right even if he didn't remember her that he would stay with her. Memory was in this case only a temporary state. At least she hoped it was only temporary. That night Yvonne waited for the night to pass. Sometimes she would wake up and listen carefully. It didn't sound like he was having an seizures, but she knew that often times they would hit about this time of night. The Ehuai said that the seizures should start to fade in time. Mostly they thought that the seizures were his body's response to the stress, pain and the injury. Many of the Chippequoti had troubles with seizures, but Illya had always struggled with them more. At best that the Ehuai could figure since he was little was that his bones were at a greater density than most Chippequoti and those that had the extra density seemed to have more seizures when their bodies were under stress. Just a natural correlation, though the excessive energy was never explained.

The seizure didn't hit at all and Yvonne got up early to make breakfast anyway. She was tired out, stressed, but feeling like there had been a little victory. This was the second night since he'd come home that he didn't have a seizure. Maybe tonight he would or maybe not. If he was starting to heal up the seizures would be less. There was one thing that Yvonne noticed when Kalizda stepped out. She was wearing a necklace. It wasn't that wearing a necklace was a bad thing, it was the fact that she was shocked because it was Isla's necklace. Something that Yvonne wasn't sure Illya even had. After Isla had passed away his home was completely bare and he lived as if there was no one ever in the house. It looked abandoned until he built the house on Nuen and that had a life to it. Where Illya had hidden the necklace Yvonne didn't know and she stared at the necklace and then turned to prepare the tea the rest of the way.

While she was busy trying not to stare Kalizda began to tell her about the doctor visit coming up and Yvonne nodded. "Yes." She would probably have to find some reason to get Illya up before then. His energy was quite a bit less than it usually was. Turning around with a tea she sat down across from Kalizda and listened to her talk about last night. Kalizda had gotten very used to drinking tea with them and she was pouring her own cup. Yvonne took the pot after Kalizda and poured some for herself. There wasn't anything else to do for the morning until Illya got up. Yvonne raised an eyebrow at the last comment. It looked like more than trying to her. "Do you know what you're wearing?"

Calysta sipped on her tea in one hand and played with the necklace with the other. Mostly she needed something to take the nervous energy out of her hands and the beautiful necklace was an outlet and one her Chip had given to her. Her eyes grew focused at Yvonne's sudden question about the necklace and she glanced down at it. "Illya brought it to me yesterday. I never seen it before and I have no idea where he got it." It wouldn't have been the first time he'd come to her with surprises though. "I didnt ask right away because the conversation that went with it, where it came from wasn't a question," she added ," Does it mean something?"

It was so like her son not to explain these things. "Only when a woman is agreed will a man give her something like that. It's a symbol of trust. It was a way of asking you to trust him. You accept the necklace and in exchange you trust him. Not all Chippequoti follow this tradition, but...." Yvonne took a deep breath. "I didn't know he still had that one. The necklace belonged to Isla."

His comment about losing her trust made more sense now. He felt like he had let her down and hurt her, even though it wasn't his fault. He had never mentioned the necklace or the tradition before, but the Illya she knew had tried to adhere to her custom too in some ways, so perhaps it never came up. When Yvonne mentioned who the necklace belonged to her fingers froze over the smooth garnet and her eyes grew wide. "Oh." That bit of information made her throat tighten and her eyes dropped to the jewel in her palm. This had belonged to Isla and he had given it to her. She wasn't a replacement for his lost wife and at first thats what the gift felt like it meant. She couldnt be Isla. Taking a moment, she ran her thumb over the trinket. It was a symbol of trust for him and by accepting it she was vowing to trust him. Maybe he was asking her to trust that he could and would try for her. That Isla was there but it was her he placed his trust in. "He wants me to trust him," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

Why the woman took the news with silence Yvonne could only guess. It was not a small thing to be given something like this. Perhaps Kalizda understood that. She knew that taking this meant she would be trusting a man that didn't remember her. A man that had loved another woman before her and he was going to trust her with all of it. "If you don't think you can trust him you need to give it back. My son doesn't always explain himself and he seems to be less able to do so lately."

Calysta's eyes snapped up to Yvonne at her words. She spoke as if Calsyta would ever give such a token back, particularly now that she understood what it meant. Her shoulders squared as much as her injury would let her and she looked into Yvonne's eyes with an intense gaze. She wanted no doubts from the woman who had accepted her as a daughter, but done so reluctantly. "I have trusted Illya with many things that I would never have trusted any one else with Yvonne," she replied, " If he asks for my trust like this then I will give it to him willingly, just as he trusts me even though I'm a stranger." This necklace may have belonged to Isla but it was in her he dared to place his trust when he was lost. She wasn't Isla. She was his little bird and if it took 300 years to fly him home, she would never betray that trust.

A gentle smile came to Yvonne's lips and she nodded. "Then you are every bit the woman he agreed with. For long I worried you would not be as faithful as a Chip woman and I have been pleased. Kalizda you are a good woman for him. My son is a very fortunate man." Carefully she reached across the table and patted Kalizda's hand. "You understand many things that I did not think you would."

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When Illya woke up his head felt a little better though it was still heavy. Slowly he sat up and then realized that he had slept here all night. He didn't remember eating dinner at all. It was a little surprising that he'd slept in that room all night. At the same time he was a little concerned too. Illya knew he was agreed with her, but it felt strange to sleep in a bed with a woman he didn't know. As far as he was concerned they had just met and then he was so bold as to fall asleep in her bed. Shuffling out of the room he wandered into the tent.

Illya still had sheet marks on his face and he took the plate of food silently. He hadn't really noticed who was handing it to him. Keeping his eyes on the food it was as if he had sunk into his own world while he ate. There was a single purpose to eating, he had to finish what was on the plate. No matter how he felt, Illya was determined to finish what he had in front of himself. The food on the plate was finally finished and Illya remained seated and staring at it. Part of him wanted to look up, but he knew that in some ways he was surrounded by strangers. Illya hated to be around so many strange folk and he didn't like knowing that they all knew him and he knew almost nothing about them. What he found to be the strangest occurrence yet, was that he had a foreign man living in this tent too. It wasn't like Illya ran a half way house for misfits. How was it he had come to accept these people?

Yvonne watched sadly as her son ate the food more in a robotic fashion. Whatever had happened to the man that would enjoy his food and savor it? There was usually a little more life to him than what she was seeing.

There were so many questions running around his mind. Kalizda interrupted his thoughts and he slowly looked up at her. Rose, Rose....He couldn't think of who that was for his life. Who was she talking about? Illya couldn't help the frown as he tried to think about who this Rose person was. She was someone he knew? A friend of theirs? Maybe a doctor? Suddenly he remembered that he should at least answer the question and he nodded. "I'll walk wit yah and Rose." Illya didn't want to admit that he didn't know who this Rose person was. He would find out when they were ready for the walk.

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By the time Kalizda was ready to walk Illya was starting to feel a little tired. That was fairly consistent over the last few days. He thought that sometimes the other bones in his body should hurt, but his father said she had taken him to the Ehaui to be healed. Illya was still testing that theory in some ways. It was difficult to know since his head hurt most of the time. Bending over to tie his boots on was almost enough to make him wanna go to bed. Each heartbeat felt like it was going to force his brains out of his head through his nose, ears, eyes or anything else that could possibly leak them.

Illya stood up when he finished with his boots and swayed a little. It was still hard to get his balance when his head felt like this, but it was certainly an improvement over the days before. "Ok, yah ready?" Looking to Kalizda he saw that she was bundled up and then he remembered that it was cold outside. Why were they snake hunting when it was cold? Did they have different kinds of serpents here?

Strangely enough Illya recognized the little girl that was coming with. She was another one of the foreigners that was living in his tent. The girl that called him wolf. Illya waited till the child was far enough ahead to ask questions. "Rose...I dun know her. Yah tell meh about dis girl?" Illya had the idea that he was supposed to know her and he didn't. Oddly enough he had adopted the child and he didn't know how that would have come about. "Why do I adopt her?" That was a story that Kalizda seemed more reluctant to tell and Illya sighed. "Kalizda I need ta know. I try vereh hard ta understand dis change." There was a lot that happened and he was still trying to understand the war which was in some ways much easier than this part of his life change.
 
Yvonne helped rouse Rose awake when Illya went to go get dressed for a walk. It took a few minutes to get the wild haired girl to sit down long enough to eat a handful of hash and dress her, clipping her prosthetic arm into place before telling her to get on her clothes."We're going out for a walk for Wolf today." That seemed to brighten her right up and she when she was told to go get dressed, she dashed off into her cave. There was a great bit of rustling around and when Rose came out she was wearing a sun dress and her felt hat with the Cryn feather sticking out with a proud grin. Calysta shook her head and ushered her back toward her cave. "You'll freeze like that silly goose. It's not warm like Nuen outside remember?"

Rose very well knew that it was cold but she wanted to wear her newest pink dress for Wolf to see and being told 'no' made her bottom lip poke out just a bit a she stamped back toward her blankets. "Bring me out your warm clothes, Rose," Calysta said in a tone that showed it wasn't an option. Rose let out a grumpy huff and came back with the requested clothing. Yvonne helped Calysta strip the dress off the pouting girl since pulling with one arm was still a little painful, and then the two managed to wrangle her into a long sleeve shirt, fleecy leggings and boots. Her father had brought her a downy jacket with delicate fur on the hood too, so Calysta bound up Rose in that, zipping it all the way to the girl's eyes and plopping the hood over her head. A muffled laugh came from inside the folds of the jacket. "Ka-liz-da! I can't seee!" Calysta flipped the hood off sending Rose's curls everywhere in a wave of static built from the hood. "You can't see huh?" she chuckled, "Now that sounds like a problem." Rose started to giggle and Calysta flipped the hood back over her head causing another fit of laughter. "No!" Rose fumbled around, playing blind until she stumbled into Kirit who was sitting up eating his breakfast. He had been spending a little time with the girl and though she spilled his hash everywhere, he started to grin and spun her in a circle by toward her mother. Rose tromped toward Calysta laughing with her arms outstretched while Kirit gave her instructions in broken traders tongue. "Ye warm...no...wrong way...ye go that way."

Finally she bumped into Calysta's leg, making her injured leg wobble with a shoot of pain. "Alright, alright. You found me," she said, tugging the hood off the girl's eyes. About the time the giggling ended, Illya stepped in from the back room and everyone looked up. "Aye, I'm ready as soon as I put on my jacket."

With Yvonne's help putting the jacket on her shoulders, Calysta threw a scarf around her neck and then offered one to Illya. It was one she had gotten him when it was cold on Pyrta. It felt so strange for him not to give her a smirk or a wink. Any sign at all that he was okay. He took it reluctantly and she didn't say much before slinging the rifle from her equipment onto her left shoulder and walking out into the snowy day with her family.

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The day was bright and the sun was warm despite the frigid air around them. It made pools of gold where it managed to filter through the snowy trees outside the moon shadow. Rose clung to her hand on one side and Illya's on another, trying to swing with her feet off the ground between them. "Uhg...Rose...don't pull. Wolf is hurt remember. Run ahead and see if you can find some of the those winter berries?" The girl needed no other encouragement to go off bouncing through the snow. As she drew a little father ahead, Illya turned to her with a questioning gaze asking about Rose. For a singular moment, things had felt almost normal, but the little bit of relief vanished like the puff of steam that accompanied the question from Illya's lips. Explaining Rose meant telling him so much more she wasn't sure he was ready for. Or that she could explain without revealing exactly how hard this was for her too. Still he made a valid point and he was trying. "It's a long story that you'll have to hear to understand how she came into your life."

Hitching the rifle a little higher on her shoulder with a wince, Calysta took a deep breath and started to explain, keeping her face neutral as possible. She started where she left off, telling him of Nuen and flying him to the Ehaui. She told him about his recovery time which was hard. "We ate dinner together and talked about many things every night," was all she could add to it with out brushing up against some emotion. She told him of their trip to Terra, why it happened and what happened, then desrcibed their punishment for the action. A year on Nuen. "We were married in the Kaerelean tradition," she said quietly, "and representatives of all the Alliance came to see the Chippeqouti as friends against the Federation. We worked hard to change how the Chippeqouti were viewed though my people didn't know very much about them. They became your friends too Illya." It was important that he remembered these people were his allies. She doubted the Illya from five years ago would look very kindly on outsiders considering where he started out when she met him. Letting those words sink in just a little, she took a glance up at him. His brow was furrowed in thought, but he said nothing, so she continued hoping something was making sense.

Calysta went on to describe part of that year, leaving out the moments that were too close. She brushed over the surgery and its reasons and then came to the night of the crash. "You went out to investigate a crash on Nuen while I was still recovering. It was never fully proven, but we think the Federation was involved. You found Terran civilians being...being...killed by other men. It was made to look very...gruesome." Calysta paused, giving herself time to push down the sickening sight she came upon herself. "Rose was one of the victims, Illya. You pulled her from the sand and she lost an arm from the attackers. She didn't have anywhere to go. I visited her every day in the hospital and in time she came to know you by your middle name. You are her Wolf protector and that's how she knows you."

With that Calysta grew quiet and took in a shuddering breath, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her right now. Rose was there, and Illya didn't need any extra stress. Their foot falls crunched through the snow as Rose's giggles echoed through the forest. At one point, the little girl took to heaving snow balls as them with her prosthetic arm from one of the hill tops. They all fell pitifully short until she discovered her prosthetic arm was a little more powerful. With a mischievous grin bringing out her dimples, the girl sent high powered snow balls hurtling at them with a flurry of wild giggles. One exploded on Calysta's chest in a spray of ice which clung into her hair while another landed on Illya's pants leg. "Hey!" Calysta laughed, as she made her way up the hill. Another strong armed snowball ejected from her plastic palm and it was aimed at Illya, high enough it might hit him in the head. She reached up with a little yell and knocked it out of the air quickly. "Not at the heads, Rose!" The little girl gave a breathless laugh, and skirted away from Calysta only to lose her footing and slide down the hill, bumping her butt along the way. " Hang on!" With the fall being so sudden, Rose cried out in Terran and started to sniffle at the bottom, buried up to her waist in the snow drift below. "Wolf! I'm stuck!"

Calysta had started down the hill, trying to take her time with her leg but stopped when she heard Rose call out for Illya. Her eyes darted to the where the Chip was standing and she wondered what he would do? He loved children, wouldn't he find that he loved his little girl again too? Her hand drifted over her belly as she was reminded of many other details he would have to face. Much harder ones than Rose calling his name.

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They returned to the tent with a few game birds Calysta had managed to shoot from the bushes. They weren't much but they would taste good with a sauce made from the winter berries Rose had managed to collect and not eat. She was tired, and her wounds were sore from the activity, but she was determined to make this as normal a day as possible. Yvonne went to work getting Rose out her snow soaked jacket and into dry clothing and Calysta mustered what energy she had left from fighting dizzy spells and snow balls all day to walk over to the little hot plate.

As she started to slide the rifle from her shoulders, Calysta caught a glimpse of her Chip. Illya stood there at a bit of a loss, looking utterly exhausted though and in pain. it made the pains in her chest stab all the harder seeing her lively Chip so vacant. Normally, he would have crossed the room, kissed her cheek and they would have cooked together. Closing her eyes for a moment, she banished those days to the back of her mind and looked to him with a gentle gaze. "Why don't you take off your jacket and boots, and go lay down in the bed?" she said, "Yvonne and I can handle dinner?" He seemed to agree with this and wandered back to the room in search of sleep.

Calysta butchered the birds, following the instructions on her info pad. She had never done anything like this before, but after dealing with snakes and scorpions for so long, how hard could a bird really be? She washed and cleaned the birds of their feathers before removing all of the necessary parts and tossing them to Keysha who was more than happy to gobble them up. By the time she was done with that, a wave of dizziness hit and she had to lean over their little shelf to gain control of the spinning world. Of course, right now it made little difference if she had vertigo or not. Her world was already spinning without out it. With shaking hands she put rosemary, thyme, and garlic with a fair amount of onions into the pan with the birds and let it cook. Rose was free of her outdoor clothes and was bouncing around the room singing an old song she must have learned from Papa Thomas about the London Bridge falling down. Every now and then the girl would get brave and poke her head through the door into the box bedroom before Yvonne would call her back.

"Rose, why don't you help me make the sauce for the birds?" Calysta suggested, then she cast a glance at Yvonne, "All ladies know how to cook, yeah?" Rose grinned had helped pour the honey into the pot along with the berries to make the sauce. As that cooked, Calysta took a seat for just a minute, and leaned back against the tent pole feeling as exhausted as Illya in some ways. He was so lost and a little cold. How did she bring him back to her? The thoughts swirled around in her mind and her eyes began to droop while her fingers played over the necklace.
 
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Listening to Kalizda talk about Rose was strange. If he felt this way about them he surely would have some kind of memory. Illya still kept the thought to himself. He should know all this and instead he was having to try and memorize it like facts. There was no feeling connected to it like there should be for a memory. Everything that he had been learning wouldn't have had any meaning except it was supposed to have been his life. No matter how hard he tried to make some kind of emotional affiliation with the thing she told him it still registered as just an event. Illya could feel the disconnect and it was frustrating. Feelings should have come naturally and instead he wasn't getting anything.

Since he couldn't make himself remember any of it Illya decided to try and memorize this. It was like the war. These were just facts and he could put them into a time frame in his mind. There was so much over the last week that he was starting to think maybe it would be a good idea to put it all into a journal. If he could write it out there would be something to review and he might start to remember. At the end of the story he remained silent while he tried to put together an idea of how he could make his brain remember this stuff.

Both of them were busy making their way up the hill when little globs of snow flew toward them. Peering up at the girl he just stopped where he was at and thought about whether he should make a snowball to throw back at her, or just keep going. If he was more energetic feeling he might have given chase. Looking over at Kalizda he noticed that she was still walking so he took a few large steps to catch up with her again. Illya kept his head tilted slightly down. It was starting to hurt and somehow if he focused on the ground it wasn't quite as bad. In part he figured it was because where he was at the snow wasn't reflecting the sun. A squeak sounded and he cautiously looked up when a hand flew in front of his face. Kalizda had jumped up to catch a snow ball and he pursed his lips some. There wasn't anything to say about this for the time, but he still felt a little bit awkward in this position.

Everything was computing so slowly in his brain that he was standing almost stock still as the little girl tumbled over the edge of the hill. Watching her slip and slide down the slope was only concerning if she hit a rock or something, but he didn't see anything immediately dangerous. More than likely she would be fine. Kalizda on the other hand was in a hurry to get down the hill after her and Illya slowly followed after her. Little Rose started to call for him and this was the first that he felt any kind of positive emotion in regards to the family that he had. Even if it didn't have to make sense he felt like it was his duty to help the girl if she called on him. Taking a larger step he started on his way down the hill. It wasn't enough to be considered running, but it was still faster than Kalizda was moving. Illya sunk to a few inches past his knees and he stood in front of the little girl. She struggled and looked up at him with big expectant eyes. Squatting in place he looked her in the eyes. "I teach yah ta dig out eh?" Grabbing her little gloved fists he shoved one into the snow and helped her scoop away a little snow. "Now yah rock back and forth." With a little more space in front of herself he had her dig in more and rock back and forth again till it was low enough she could lay on her stomach and begin to wiggle out of the snow.

Rose struggled to a point and then she couldn't move anymore because her foot was caught. The girl wasn't quite strong enough to do it, but in time she would be. Illya dug his arm straight into the snow and he started to force his hand through the layers till he grabbed onto something. "I got yah foot now." With a playful growl he dug around her foot a little bit to loosen the area. Squealing with delight she kicked at his hand and then pulled herself out the snow and began to run out over the hillside again. Illya sat back into the snow and closed his eyes. They still had to do the hunting and his head hurt after bending over like that.

Forcing himself out of the snow drift Illya wandered along with Kalizda till they found some snow grouse and she shot them. Since he could move faster and she was and he collected the game from the ground. Rose was still bounding with energy and she led the way back to the moonshadow kicking up clumps of snow and hooting the whole way. When they were finally back to the moonshadow and tent Illya stood inside the doorway trying to figure out where he was supposed to put the birds that he had been carrying home. Kalizda didn't really give him the immediate answer that he wanted, but Illya was alright setting the birds down and going to bed for a bit. He needed a little time to think and just try to put everything she had told him into a time frame. He knew more about the war now and he was maybe going to figure out about when it happened.

The pad that Markus gave him had more updates and he read the next portion of briefings and documents incoming. That meant that later on Markus would be in to ask Illya about the events and how they correlated with the past events that he had loaded onto the pad for him. Illya laid back on the bed and tried to read the pad without causing himself much more of a headache. He was barely finished reading the brief and Markus came knocking on the door.

"No that is not the area!" Yelling could be heard from the little wood room. Markus had been trying to get Illya to remember the Urian city and the current crisis now for 2 days and he kept confusing it with parts of Reylian data.

"The hell!" Illya yelled right back. "I already showed yah the math on it." Shoving the pad to his father he repeated himself. "There is a formula and I told you they're taking the second set over here. It isn't Reylia. This is going to be the next hit on Uria!"

Taking the pad from Illya the older general looked it over. Slowly he nodded. "Then you do remember." He was hopeful that it was the case. "What else do you remember about this. That night you killed Kent." Almost as soon as he'd said it Markus could see that look in Illya's eyes. The man didn't remember anything. There was still nothing for him to draw on except for the various reports. As proud as he was of the progress and understanding that Illya had obtained of the war it didn't change the fact that there was no memory. He had always been a smart man. Illya would be ready to take over his work again as soon as his head healed up enough for it because he had studied the war and memorized the details of it with precision as he did everything else with his work.

Pure frustration of having no memory was starting to get to Illya. "I can memorize whatever you want me to, but I still don't remember." Shutting the screen off on the pad he rolled to his side on the bed. "I'm tired."

Markus raised one eyebrow and stood up. "In two weeks you'll start drilling with the men again. They need to keep trained and the Ehaui told me that you'll be fine to train again." Chippequoti healed fast for most injuries and while the headaches would probably persist for a while longer there was no reason to allow his son to sit and sulk or spend his days doing nothing. Kalizda wouldn't push him hard enough and Markus knew it. The only way in his mind to see Illya improve was to put him back into the thick of the days and battle. At the same time they were coming close to the end of the time frame which would likely determine how much memory he got back or not. There was still hope. Illya was picking up on things faster and he was remembering lessons much better. So well in fact that he was as quick to learn as he had been before the injury. That was a good sign.

With the lesson/yelling match over with Markus left the little wood room and returned to the main area of the tent. Yvonne and Kalizda were finishing up and he dropped his head into his hands. There was a lot to put together for a briefing and he would need Illya training with his men. The calculations had the hit happening within a month and Markus needed to have the team ready.

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When it was time to take the bandage off Illya could see that his hair had been shaved off around the area that he had the brain surgery. With only a week before he was supposed to train with the men he didn't want to look sloppy. An officer had to look the part. He didn't really want to wait for Kalizda to get up or for Yvonne to finish making breakfast so he took himself to the shower rooms with a pair of scissors. After a few hacks he decided it didn't look that great, but it was still better than having some hair obviously longer than the rest.

The surgery spot was filled in with his thick black hair, but it was still very short. He was most of the way done when Ehvan walked into the bathroom and he beckoned for the scissors. "Here I can do better than that." Ehvan had Illya sit in the corner of the room and he started to snip away to get the hair a little more even. The more he chopped the worse it got so he called Maks over to fix it. "You're better at this. I think you uh....You'd better take charge." Ehvan walked out of the room without even looking back and Illya should have known that was the first clue to stop. Maks was a little more creative and he took a bandana to tie around Illya's head so he could get a straight line. Whenever he bumped the bandana or accidentally moved it Maks would slide back into place and he would continue chopping a nice defined line just above the ears.

Maks pulled the bandana off and he took a deep breath. "Hey..." Calling another one of the guys over he rubbed at his chin and the two of them whispered in Quoti for a second and then Maks walked off just as fast as Ehvan had. Jonah stared at the cut for a long moment and shook his head. "Sir, there isn't any fixing what you got here."

Getting up from his seat Illya walked over to the mirror. There was the front part of his hair cut so short that it literally stuck straight up from his head. Where the bandana had been and slipped several times there were little notches that went up further into the top of his hair and then others that were left longer. "Oh..." After a few seconds Illya started to laugh. "I should have known you were a bunch of damn butchers." Grabbing his beret Illya slipped it on and checked. With the beret on it didn't look too bad. If he went back to the tent he could probably get it fixed up and by now his mum would be ready to help.

Now that he was a little more familiar with the tent Illya walked inside and took his hat off. No sooner had he placed the hat on the small table near the flap then he heard Yvonne gasp. "Illya what did you do?"

"Cut meh hair." Grabbing a little stool he drug it over to the corner and held the scissors out to his mother. "Maybe yah clean et up a little eh?" Rose sat up a little taller from her spot and watched as Illya got set up in the corner. It looked like he was in trouble the way Yvonne talked to him.

The woman gave him a sidelong glanced and sighed. "At your age!" Checking the food in the kettle one more time she strode across the room and took the scissors. "You should know better." Scolding him was a bit pointless at this moment, but her motherly instincts were kicking in. "I don't know why you would have done something like this to yourself." Picking at the random tufts that were noticeably too long she would snip, but there was little she could do with the giant notches that nearly showed his scalp off. "Oh..." Fussing a little she tried to even it out and combed her fingers through his hair several times. "Some of the scars are showing. You really should have waited." Pocketing the scissors she nudged him with one of her hands. "Get off the bench and go put your head upside down and brush it outside. I don't need all that hair around the tent."

When Illya returned he saw Kirit was in the tent and the man gave him an odd look. Illya almost said something and instead Rose jumped in with her own commentary. She had watched Yvonne try to fix the hair cut and was completely enthralled by the prospect. "The Wolf tried to cut his hair. Grandma said its a good thing I learned my lesson about cutting hair before he did. It looks terrible."

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It had been several weeks and Illya was losing his patience. He was supposed to be starting to remember things. Mostly he had tried to stay patient for the sake that the Ehaui told him he would probably regain his memory. Still it wasn't coming and Illya sat by himself in the scanning room. If there were more treatments to aid in the healing process he would do it. Whatever it took. For this particular check up Illya asked to come alone. He didn't need Kalizda to be here with the bad news or find out that he was going to have to do more treatments.

Eventually the nurse came out and took him to the second room where the Ehaui doctor had Illya sit down while he read the Chip's scans from earlier in the morning. "I don't see any reason for further procedures. Your brain healed fine and the skull is fusing beautifully. We might be able to put in a little infusion of bone past to strengthen the area. It would make your scalp a little sore, general tension type headaches and possibly some burning sensation for a few days." Running his hand through the uneven haircut he finally found the scar from the bullet and the surgery. "I'd make a little cut just below this here and insert the head of the pump."

"No...I don't need to know how yah can strengthen bone right now. What about meh memory." Illya clenched his jaw slightly as he prepared for the bad news. "What can yah do to help meh wit et?"

The Ehaui shook his head. "There isn't anything physically wrong with the healing. Chances of your memory returning at this point are slim."

Illya stood abruptly. "Den dere es noting else ta say." Brushing past the doctor he heard the man say that at least he had adjusted well to the memory loss and that most didn't even know he had that problem. It didn't matter. That was an irrelevant detail. Illya could memorize anything, but he wanted to have the memories instead of facts. He wasn't even home and he saw Kirit walking toward the tent too. "Carrot I need ta ask yah someting." Illya didn't know why the man gave him such an odd look whenever he said his name the last few weeks. He was told that the man's name was Carrot. At least that was what it sounded like.
 
The Ehaui doctor scanned her over and frowned as he looked at the readings compared to her hold charts from Dr. Klyne. “You’re supposed to be gaining weight at this point, Kalizda. You’ve lost weight. At least 4lbs. Have you not been eating?” He needed to know if this was her or if there was a more serious problem that needed to be addressed.

Calysta let out a small sigh. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat. The baby needs food to grow,” the doctor scolded, “Your blood pressure is also much improved from too low, but it’s brushing too high now supporting the baby. You’re under too much stress and it could cause issues with your heart if it continues.”

Calsysta was have tempted to tell him off. Of course, she was under stress. She was pregnant with an adoptive daughter in the middle of a war zone with a husband who didn’t remember a damned thing about her and was still trying to conduct her work when she was called on. What part of that was she supposed to be relaxed about?

Seeing her lapse into a tense silence made his point. “You need to rest and you need to eat,” the doctor reaffirmed, “According to your doctor you aren’t out of the highest risk period for miscarriage yet and there doesn’t need to be any additional strain on the baby. You also should start taking some supplements. Your doctor recommended this .”

The Ehaui doctor pulled out a bottle of powder from his bag and pushed it into her little hands. “I suggest you dissolve it in your tea.”
She looked over the bottle, and even through the cap she could smell that medicinal scent that accompanied dry vitamins. Her nose curled and the doctor gave her a raised brow. “I’ll be back in 5 days to monitor your progress.”

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Calysta went to the wash room for the 4th time that day. On top of the dizziness when she stood, and the more frequent cramping, she found that she needed to pee often. Irritatingly often. It seemed like it wasn’t but a few minutes and she was in middle of doing something that the urge would strike and she would be scuttling back to the bathroom. How did Chip women go a year pregnant? 9 months seemed long enough to endure and she wasn’t even a 3rd of the way through. Sighing, Calysta washed her hands and looked at herself in the tin piece mounted on the wall that acted as a mirror. Her eyes were a bit dull and she had circles under them, but there was something a little more prominent. A little round bump was starting to show through her tunic and her black cloth belt. It wasn’t enough that she looked totally pregnant, just a little plumper than usual, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Panic rose in her throat and she quickly loosened her belt so the bump wasn’t so prominent. She was at 11 weeks now, almost at the end of the first trimester and while the dangers of miscarriage or other problems were decreasing, she still had a long way to go. There was also the little problem that Illya did not know he was going to be a father again. How did she explain this? He wouldn’t even remember making the little thing. She felt so distant from him and she knew despite having given her that necklace, he felt nothing for her. He had listened, and learned, but otherwise there was nothing and she knew it.

Walking back into the tent, she pushed aside the flap and saw Illya standing next to his mother looking very different His beautiful curls were gone and instead there was a hacked off hair cut in its place. Bits and pieces were totally different lengths with bald patches in between the sight of shocked her at first and her mouth fell open. What had he done? Let a rabid billy goat take a mow over his head? The thought of a hungry goat munching on Illya's hair while he slept made a strange sound she hadn't heard in weeks rise up from her chest. It started as a chuckle and then moved to an all out laugh. "Illya what did you do?" Yvonne was giving her a scowl and explained that her son had tried to give himself a haircut. Calysta tried to straighten up her face but the smile just worked is way up her jaw until she couldn't contain the laugh again. He looked so awkward it made her laugh from the sight and the sheer need to relieve the tension. Another peel of laughter rolled through and suddenly she felt the need for another kind of relief. " Uh....I'll be back," she managed to mutter before scurrying out of the door and back down the bathroom.

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Kirit was coming in from his last rotation on scout duty and glad to be seeing the tent. A snow storm had settled over the woods making watch tower a miserably cold post, but he had endured a bit better than some of the Chips who, from what he could tell, were missing their desert homes. As he strode toward the tent, a familiar voice caught his attention and he turned to see the General walking over to him with a question in his bright eyes. It was a common occurrence though the man had yet to stop calling him 'carrot.' "Aye Sir?"

With the winter storms Illya had a few questions about what kinds of movements were reasonable or not. Carrot was far more experienced with this weather than the Chippequoti from what Illya had gathered. He did a little research on the man and he listened whenever he could to find out anything else that was pertinent information. "Yah know about snow? I mean...Carrot yah ever fight in snow before?"

"Aye, training in th' snow," Kirit said with a raised brow. It had been snowing for weeks and he wasn't entirely sure why the General would ask that now, but he oblidged him with the answer. "Defense an' holding ground are a different than fighting."

"Meh men start training and yah part of meh unit, yes?" Illya was still trying to get most of the facts down. He hated not having a portion of his memory, but he had work to do and he could worry about the memory later. "Carrot yah help meh train dem for snow."

Kirit nodded to the General as his dark eyes studied the mans face. He wondered if that was all the man wanted. "Yessir, I can show 'th way," he said before pausing, "Is that all, sir?"

"Eh..." Pausing for a second he frowned and then nodded. "Uh huh....I tink of someting else later. Forgot et now." He had a few more things than that, but once in a while he had problems keeping track of all his thoughts. Conversational type things were far more difficult than he remembered, but maybe it was always this hard talking with Carrot.

Kirit nodded and started to walk into the tent when he caught sight of Kalizda walking into their little bedroom. "Sir? D'ye mind if I say somethin' not as ye warrior?" Kirit asked.

The first word that flew out of Illya's mouth was not quite what he meant to say, it was what he was thinking. "Why?" Closing his eyes momentarily he cleared his throat and then decided to try again. Apparently the Ehaui thought that having less brain filter was normal too and Illya wasn't so sure how that was going to work out. It was certainly something that he was working on not doing. "What yah gonna say?"

Kirit didn't bat a eye at the sudden demand for explanation. It was a superior officers right to do so but also because he saw things from his quiet corner. Things nobody else probably saw or noticed. "Because ye help m' in times I didn't understand. Ye m' commanding officer but ye also friend. Ye told m' once th' purpose of a family was 't give a man a reason 't come home. Ye say that's..ah..trigger? Ye goin' out 't field soon with us an' it's good but I see ye fight at ye woman's side. That's th' General we need t' win." Kirit ducked his head to the general in a silent apology for any offense given, but it didnt make what he said any less true from his view.

None of it really made sense. Illya hadn't heard much of Kalizda fighting with him in battle and she wouldn't be one of the elite. Clenching his jaw a little he tilted his head to the side. "I dun know what yah talk about."

Kirit stayed patient though the man seemed to be growing irritated. "She fight as ye...negotiator? Kalizda goes where ye go an' stay with ye, sir. An explosion on ye last mission hurt her an' ye protected. She likes t' help an' know what goes on. Ye need her too."

Taking a deep breath Illya stared at Carrot for a long moment. "No...Dis es not her job. She es pilot. I am agreed wit her and I know dis."

Kirit shook his head. "All respects sir, ye don't. I was on ye unit Caonog. Ye woman negotiates an' goes with ye team. She is a pilot, but she is ye diplomat too. Ye should talk with her before ye go 't the field."

Without saying a word more to Carrot Illya went straight for the tent. He needed to find out if she was actually part of the team. If she was then he needed to get her figured into the training too because if he figured without her on calculations it would be disastrous. "Kalizda..." When he found her Illya gently took her aside. "What yah work?"

Calysta was pulling off her belt for a little relief when Illya came through their bedroom door looking serious and her heart leapt into her throat. What did he know? He lead her to the side of the bed and gazed at her with those bright green eyes and she felt her nerves start to tingle until he asked about something else. "M-my work? Ah, you know I am a pilot. I am also a negotatior and translator for you on diplomatic missions," she answered with a small sigh of relief, then she realized something else and her stomach turned to knots again. "Did they clear you to go back into the field?"

When she answered he let his fingers loose of her arm and he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Oh." He hadn't really expected that. Kalizda was an impressive woman in many ways and he was shocked time and again because of it. While he was trying to think of ways to include her in the training without risking hurting her she asked a question and he looked up. "Eh...yes. I start meh work En two day."

Calysta took a deep breath and sat beside him. There are things she wanted to say so badly and she had such a hard time doing it even now. All she wanted was to be close again and he seemed so far away. Her fingers brushed over the necklace dangling at her chest. He made the first step and she would be stepping with him. Calysta gazed at him with her grey eyes and nodded to him ever so slightly. "That's good news." She let a moment pass and then gave him a sincere look. "Illya, no matter what the doctor said today. I'm here. And I still want to make new memories. You don't have to love me, but just be my friend, yeah? You are my best friend before anything else."

Sometimes it was difficult to know what Kalizda was wanting from him. Illya shook his head. "We make new memories only as friends?" He didn't know quite what she was saying. "I tink I want more dan friends, but I dun know yah anymore."

Calysta's shoulders drooped a little and she had the urge to just let him be for a moment, but her stubborness kept her rooted to the spot. Gripping the necklace a tigher she took a deep breath. "No, Illya. I want you as my agreed. In that way. I just thought it might be easier if you wanted to build your friendship with me again first." Her throat tightened and she paused before continuing. "I know you don't know me anymore. I just want you to talk with me and be with me for a while."

It seemed he hadn't understood and that was another frustration. Illya was having a hard time understanding what people meant if they weren't direct. Perhaps in time that would fade too, or maybe not. "Yes, we're friends first and den we learn ta love eh?" That part he could agree with and he sighed. "Yah feeling better? Maybe yah drill wit us en two days?"

He seemed to be glad that portion of the conversation was over almost as if it were a write off. Maybe he was just too frustrated with himself to care about anything else. At his invitation to the drills, her breath caught in her throat. How did she explain this? "Illya, I am a part of your team, but I can't train like I normally would with you."

Obviously he couldn't even do this right. Illya was just about exasperated. He'd found out his memory probably wasn't coming back, Carrot had to tell him that his wife was part of the team, she had to correct him in saying that she did want the same kind of relationship they'd had before and now she didn't want to train with them. What else could go wrong in such a short time? "Den jes tell meh why."

He was getting irritated and she scanned over his face with her grey eyes. It was now or never and she might as well get it over with before it got any worse. "I want to train with you because the doctor says I shouldn't. It would be too much stress on the baby and my body. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry Illya." At this point her hands were shaking and she couldn't even look at him.

Illya was waiting for an answer and she seemed to take forever to get to it. Once she had made the announcement he sat there stunned for several moments. "Our baby?" He couldn't think of anyone else that would have slept with her. She was his agreed. After a moment he stood and wrapped his arms around. Turning in a small circle he set her on the bed and kissed her enthusiastically on both cheeks. "Dis es very good news!"

She was expecting anger or more frustration from him and she waited for him to just say something in that same exhausted tone he had been using for everything else. Instead, he turned to her and she raised a brow. "Of course it-" Suddenly he swept her up into his arms and set her on the bed, kissing her on both cheeks with more life in him than she had seen in weeks. She laughed a little as he did and she smiled, happy to see him feeling something akin to joy. "It is? "

"Yes!" Illya was relieved to have some kind of good news. "Baby es always good news. We must 'ave worked hard." He knew he hadn't been agreed to her long and to have a baby so soon was good news. "How long till yah have baby?"

He was happy for the baby and he didn't even know her. At least it was something. "Kaerelean and Terran women are different from Chippeqouti women," she said, "I'm supposed to go 9 months. Or 3 trimester is what its called. I'm at the end of the first trimester. There's a little bump if you want to see?"

At this point of seeing the bump he shook his head. "Eh, no. Yah put meh hand on et and dat's et." Chippequoti men didn't usually look and somehow he felt like it was less awkward if he didn't look.

Calsyta frowned a little but loosened her belt so the little bump showed through her tunic and then gently picked up his hand and guided to her belly. His hand was warm and she had an pang of lonliness that she ignored. "I have to tell you that its hard for half breeds to have children, Illya. There are certain dangers you knew of before you got hurt.."

After he felt just the tiny bulge Illya removed his hand from her stomach and he kept his eyes turned away till she started to talk again. "Yah half breed?" He didn't remember that and neither would he remember her talking to him about this before. "Den what's wrong?"

He was turned away from her and as soon as he touched her he pulled his hand away. He almost sounded disgusted at the idea of her being a half breed or at the very least let down by it. The following question sounded like more of a something he threw in there out of curiosity rather than concern. "Yes, I'm a half breed, Illya," she replied quietly, "Half Kaerelean and half Terran. I was raised on Kaereal by only my father and I was sick most of the time growing up. I never knew who my mother was until last year

. Alot of things can go wrong with the baby's growth because if my mixed genes. I could lose it or give birth too early or it could hurt me too."

There was a lot of mixed emotion and Illya wasn't entirely sure what to do with all this. "Why yah nut know yah mother?" Even if he knew she was a very impressive woman and he must have loved her there were difficult things in her past. Things that he must have decided didn't matter. They agreed to work through this and he was determined to remember. If he didn't remember he was determined to find a way to love her. "I am here. Dere es reason I have family eh?"

Calysta leaned against the wall of their box and looked at him. He'd asked that question when they first met, and at that point she couldn't give him an answer. Now she knew but the answer but it wasn't any less awful. "My dad met my mom on an a Kaerelean outpost and fell in love for a brief time. When my father asked her to come with him, she refused. She didn't want me, so she sent me to live with my father who did." Saying those things were still hard but she said them. "I was sick alot. Poorly developed immune system but I was stubborn and wanted to explore. Dad was furious the day I joined Skycorp, but I loved flying and visiting new places. Still do." Then she let out a little chuckle. "Aye, you're here, and I'm glad you are."

Getting a semi serious look on his face he pointed at her. "Now yah laugh." It was taking some effort to stay serious when he just wanted to see her reaction. "I tink sometimes yah cause trouble like little bird." With one step he was across the room and he grabbed her by the hand. "I show yah someting I find eh?" Pulling open a small drawer on his side of the bedroom he handed her a worn note. "Dis es when we agree eh?" He knew what kind of note it was. Agreed people made these things. "Maybe yah read et." The ink was smeared and he couldn't quite make out some of the words, but he knew it had to be her handwriting.

"I do have the habit," she replied with a little laugh. Before she could say anything else, he was pulling her up by the hand and bringing her to his side of the bed. Something to show her? He opened the drawer in his bedside table and pulled out a weathered note she recognized instantly. It was faded and smudged now but there after all this time. "Y-yes," she replied, "It's from the night before we agreed." He held it out to her and asked her to read it. With a nod, she took it in her shaking hands and unfolded the letter. "Things to never forget:

To be my partner and tell me things. Even when you think they will worry me. To trust me. To listen to me even if you disagree. To help around the house and to be faithful. To spend time with me." Her voice waivered as her eyed grew cloudy over the last line. She ducked her head as rogue tears dropped to the page, making wetspots in the ink. Once the tears started they wouldn't stop, but she managed to say the last line. "To love me.".

The note wasn't all that encouraging at this point. It was everything that he hadn't been doing. He was determined at this point to do what he agreed. Like Markus said, he would get used to it and then he would feel the way he acted. "Den I talk wit yah now, I be fait-thful and I love yah." Illya wasn't sure what that looked like to her. "I jes need help eh? Ef I do someting wrong yah tell meh."

Calsyta looked up at her Chip with wet eyes and nodded. Then she did something she rarely did for anyone but Illya or a few other family members she reached up and hugged him around the neck. It wasn't a sensual hug just a simple need to tell him to was okay. She wasn't sure how he would react but in this moment she needed it too. A few more tears leaked out and dropped to his shoulder. "I promise, Illya."

A hug from a crying woman wasn't quite that comfortable, but he had in a way asked for it. At first he simply sat straight and didn't even move. With a few seconds he slowly put an arm around her and waited for the crying to stop. There wasn't a single thing he could say to make this better and he wasn't even sure why she was crying.

A tentative arm came around her shoulder and she could tell he was only hugging back because he felt obligated to. She wished more than anything he would remember her but she knew he wouldn't. Maybe in time he would learn to love her again, but it didn't ease the loneliness she felt even in his arms. With resigned sigh, she let him go and stepped away. "This is yours'" she said, offering him the note. "Maybe l can show you a few things I've been working on? You like to explore and I had a few ideas."

Taking the note Illya nodded and waited for whatever it was she was going to show him. Despite trying to make things right he had a feeling that somehow he hadn't done what he was supposed to. Did he miss something? Maybe she could sense the fact that he still didn't know her and it made some things difficult?

He seemed less than interested and everything felt so forced. Determined to try though, Calsyta pulled out her info pad and invited him to sit with her as she crossed her legs on the bed. "I was working on this trip to the beta system and had some great planets lined up to explore if you want to see. I'm great at navigation but you are better."

Illya scooted a little closer to her so he could see the plans and he nodded. "We go after war. Take little one and teach dem ta fly too." He was excited and nervous at the same time. "Kalizda...Maybe ets difficult now, but I tink when time comes for exploring dat we will be happy again." The more he could use words that didn't make it sound like he had no memory the better he felt.

He didn't know it, but he was saying the same things he had that night on their transport ship. A smile came to her lips and she nodded. " i think so too." Then she gave him a bit of a mischevious grin and a wink. " The war will at least give you plenty of time for your hair to grow back. I cant take you dancing on Zyran 2 or hunting for crays on Juya with you wearing that beret all the time."

Giving her a mock look of offense he leaned away from her. "Don't yah tink I look good in meh uniform?" Even if he loved to tease her he didn't like the fact that in someways it felt odd. Wasn't he supposed to be romantically involved with her and yet here he was practically gulping back his own sense of humor because...he didn't know why. It was still strange since he knew that he knew here and yet he didn't.

She raised a brow his mock offense and chuckled, "Oh, I do. Totally distracting actually," she replied with a chuckle. She wondered what he would say to that, or if that was pushing too far.

Illya wasn't quite ready for her to push back like that. She didn't even blush. Somehow he thought that she would have and instead he got caught. He could go with it and try to get a reaction or he could back out. "Ehm..." After a second he got his bearings back and continued, "I help yah nut be so distracted." Taking his hat off he ruffled his badly cut hair and grinned. "Better?"

Calysta could tell it bothered him and she realized she couldnt joke with him like she had grown used to. The mirth faded from her eyes a bit but she managed to keep up her smile. When took off the hat she couldn't help but laugh. The cut was really awful. "Depends on what you define as better," she laughed lightly, "Certainly is funnier. Much funnier than when you had mine chopped off." She could laugh about Belen shearing off her hair now with Illya or had been able to though it sounded strange to other folks.

"I had yah cut yah hair?" Illya frowned. "Yah hair es pretty right now. Why would I do dat?"

Calysta tilted her head a little. She had explained that she crash landed on Qouti but not gone into much detail. "Well, when my ship crashed on Qouti you boarded my ship and tried to claim it and me. Funnily enough, I didnt like being claimed and when you ran at me...I shot you. After we made the deal I told you about, you brought me to Belen and she patched you up for an exchange.- Calysta picked up the ends of her hair- "After awhile it just became something I thought was funny. A good long while, but it did lead to some ...interesting stories."

If Illya had not spent so much time studying the war and when they made allies he might have thought that he had met her while Isla was alive. "So yah wait till yah hair grows back to like meh?" Even if his jokes weren't so good it was all the better he could make it considering he didn't know that much about this story. "Kalizda I need ta ask yah someting important. Doctor tell meh et es not likely I get meh memory back. He say I might get pictures of past, but I won't know et all. I know yah hope meh memory comes back. Can yah still live wit meh?" His head had recovered, but there was still his mind and memory that were like jagged edges of a broken tree.

Calysta chuckled at his joke and nodded. "Hmm...something like that." Suddenly he grew serious though and her laughter faded away as she listened. Her heart sank though she had suspected that was the case. Waiting for the news to settle into her chest for a moment, she glanced back up to Illya, her grey eyes locking on to his. "Illya, if you never remember anything at all, I will still be here and I will still care. Some days will be harder than others, but we'll work through them together. That's part of love."

In some ways it was amazing how well she took it. Illya grinned a little. "Well...I tink we bot disappointed. Might as well trow party." A funny look came to her face and he shrugged. "We dun need excuse tah party do we?"

Calysta smiled and nudged his shoulder with hers. "Aye, we should throw a party, besides you owe me a dance and I fully intend on cashing it in. We can tell everyone about the baby too."

They sat talking for awhile more and she told him about her homeland on Kaereal where the golden grasses with the red-tips grew like a amber ocean. She told him about how she grew up and learned to fly from a young age. How she hoped their baby would get to follow some of the Kaerelean traditions too. They spoke of her past a bit more and he even learned something he didn't know before. Like her favorite desert was chocolate and she loved the color purple, though it meant deep love on Kaereal. Things didn't feel normal in the slightest but this was the new normal and they would work through it together like they had always done. Her heart lamented for the past, but when she looked into his eyes, she knew they could do this. Her future was not dead, but very much alive as long as she had the chance to keep moving forward with him.

Eventually, his eyes began to droop though and she laid him back on the bed. She kept her distance on the edge of the bed and read The Oddness in gentle whispers until he started to snore. When he fell asleep, Calysta pulled a blanket over him and smoothed down what was left of the hacked off hair before retreating from the bedroom. "You'll come back to me," she said, as she shut the door, "I trust you."

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

Over the next few days Calysta took to inviting him to cook with her or go on walks so they could talk more. The more time they spent the less awkward she felt around him. She would read with him at night before he fell asleep and then respectfully retreat from the room. It was hard to know if any of it was helping but she was trying to include him. At one point, she paused while reading the Myths of Kaereal and saw that he was actually listening to the story of Gyl's first flight. "This is a favorite if mine too," she smiled, before going back to the paragraph.

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Thomas arrived in the moon shadow after a long walk through the snow with Henaiah at his side. It hadn't been easy getting permission to come to see Calysta but when Henaiah contacted General Markus, he had approved their visitation. Of course, Thomas didn't see why there was a need for him to get approval to come check on his daughter but his wife had told him not to point his out to the general. They had recieved word from Calysta finally but it was brief and didn't sound like her at all, but there had been an invitation to a party attached and he felt like a little fresh air would do them some good. They arrived snow covered and cold to find the festivities already starting, Chips were already carrying around mugs of alcohol and cheering as music played. Thomas made his way down the rows of tents. trying to remember exactly which was his daughters. Finally, he saw a set of broad shoulders he recognized instantly. Walking up to the main and ignoring the pain in his knee, he gave the Chip a cordial nod. "Illya, good to see you back from Reylia with my daughter in tact," he admitted, "I was looking for Calysta but I haven't seen her yet in all of this chaos. I want to see her first." For whatever reason his son in law was giving him a dumb look and Thomas raised a fuzzy grey brow. "You do know where she is right?"
 
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Over the next couple of days Illya noticed that Kalizda was spending more time with him and she was starting to ask him to do more. He still didn't have all his energy back, but he knew that he would need to start working on it anyway. With work being so close he had to be up and moving. Markus told him that he could take it at a slower rate with the training for the first two weeks, but then he would have to step it up. In many ways that sounded too early. Illya needed over 7 hours of sleep to even feel decent and it had been that way since the explosion. Only now he added headaches to the list. No one ever said that he regained his energy after the surgeries and recovery that Kalizda helped with. Based on the expectations from his father he was thinking that he likely had the energy back. Even the reports on the events and the logs that Illya had made seemed to indicate that he had his energy. He was just tired more often with the head injury and he didn't like that.

Helping Kalizda around the tent was starting to build his energy and Illya started the first day of training mid morning. He wanted the men to get acclimated to the colder temperatures for extended periods of time. Yvonne hadn't been at the tent much and she promised to come back and check on Kalizda while Illya was out training. Then when Illya got back in the evening he could take over the extra duties.

"Bye." Illya pushed one arm into the sleeve of his jacket and then another. Little Rose came bounding across the tent and she pulled on his hand till he was kneeling. Carefully she put her little hands on either side of his face and then kissed each cheek. When she was done Illya started to get off the ground and she gave him a disapproving look.

"You're supposed to give me a kiss goodbye and den momma Kalizda to." Jerking on his hand again she almost seemed to insist.

Illya hadn't any idea that was what he used to do, but now he knew. Kneeling again he gave the girl two quick little kisses on each cheek and then walked over to where Kalizda was. They were just friends for the time and it felt odd, but he could do it for the moment. In a sense they had agreed not to say anything to Rose about the head injury.

"No." Rose protested when he kissed Kalizda on the cheek. "That's not how you do it Wolf. You told me that other girls get kisses on the cheek and only your special girl gets kisses on the lips. She's your special girl."

The girl was horribly particular about how this morning routine went before he left for work, uncomfortably so. Illya searched Kalizda's face for just a second and then he leaned in to give her kiss on the lips. He wasn't going for anything drastic and they kept it short. While he was still standing there looking at her Rose opened the flap of the tent as if to try and usher him out quickly now that he'd met his obligation. Cold air from outside the tent crept along the floor and wrapped itself around Illya. For just a moment a picture flashed in his mind, but it was feeling he had more than anything. A sort of determination, and concern for her. It felt like he'd lost her and there was a strange cold place. Illya didn't remember much else, but he knew that he'd been looking and he missed her. None of it made sense and he stared at her for several seconds longer as if trying to tease the shard of a memory out and store it. Maybe other pieces would come in time.

Reluctantly Illya turned away from Kalizda and started out the tent flap. Before shutting it behind himself he looked at her again. Where did he lose her? What happened that they got separated. It sounded like from her stories that they were almost never out of each other's company since they met. Even if it wasn't always by choice they were together.

For weeks he trained with the men in the snow and gradually increased the time that he spent outside with them. They were slowly getting accustomed to the colder weather, but Illya was still worried about the partial memory. He couldn't seem to get a clear enough image to even ask her where it was. If he couldn't tell her more than a split second of the image then it wouldn't do her any good. Mostly it was just the feeling that he had to find her that was getting to him. It was like his brain was forcing this image to his mind with the feeling that he had to find her. She was lost to him physically once and now she was in another way. In many ways it was becoming a driving force and he could barely hold his attention on the drills.

When he finished with the drills just a few hours before the party he was still confused. Illya couldn't figure it out and the memory was still just a shard. He'd thought about it for weeks and agonized over very detail to try and remember more. It was just isolated to the fact that he knew it was cold and she was lost and she was wearing black.

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

A complete stranger walked up and began to ask Illya where a woman was. He said she was his daughter and that Illya had taken her with to Reylia. Whoever it was that he was talking about Illya didn't know. Perhaps the man was crazy? It wasn't likely since Illya didn't remember. What made it worse was the fact that the man was insistent and Illya really didn't know what he was talking about and it sounded like he should. "Mmmm...No." That was the safest answer for the moment. It should function as both the no, he didn't know who this guy was talking about and no he didn't know where this person was.

Thomas raised a brow at his son -in- law. He knew they werent exactly on good terms and he was short worded most of the time, but he was trying to be better with the man like Calsyta had asked. She had made her choice of him clear and it wasn't going to do much good for coming around if he didn't try. Henaiah cast him an encouraging look and Thomas sighed. " Can you show us which way to your tent again then? She asked us to go there but I cant seem to remember which is yours."

The reason a stranger wanted to go to his tent was almost beyond Illya. A frown came to his face and he slowly shook his head. "No?" Why would a stranger want to go to his tent to find someone that Illya didn't know. "I dun know anyone name of Calysta." Saying the name he realized it did sound similar. "Oh...." Suddenly his voice started to show some recognition. "Yah mean Kalizda. Why do yah wanna go see her? I dun know yah." Illya was reluctant to take strangers to see her. One never knew what intentions there could be especially since he hadn't seen these people before and they hadn't even introduced themselves.

Thomas peered at Illya and tilted his head to the side. Who else would he be talking about? Had he been calling her by that odd name so long, the real one slipped his mind? And why was the man acting like this? Was this some sort of joke? If it was, he failed to see the humor. The old professor ruffled a little and set his mouth in a straight line. "Well, maybe you don't but my daughter does and she's expecting us."

Looking from Thomas to Henaiah and then back again he tried to go through what Kalizda had told him. She didn't really have a mother. From his reports on the military status he had found that they were holding her mother here. Belen was taking care to keep the woman busy. There was no reason to let the prisoner sit in a cage and only eat. A prisoner needed to earn their keep. It didn't make sense that her father would come with another woman. That wasn't how things were done. Perhaps it could be excused since the first one was more or less an outcast and considered worthy of exile, but she posed too great a well of information to set free. Snapping out of his thoughts again he noticed that the man was waiting with a somewhat impatient stance. He wasn't really interested in getting bullied by this man so he shook his head. "Kalizda es coming out soon. I tell her I wait here. Yah can wait wit meh."

There wasn't something quite right going on. Thomas knew that he had left there on bad terms but he didn't think that should make him banished from going to see his daughter. Henaiah gave him a look again and Thomas shoved his fists into his pockets. "We'll wait with you then," he grumbled. An odd silence passed between them and Thomas rocked on his heels, trying to relieve the pressure in his knee. "I haven't seen her or really heard from her since you two left. She was excited to be traveling again. How is she?" It was an honest question. He knew Calysta had been avoiding talking to him and she often went quiet when something was wrong or she was trying to keep him from worrying. If any body would give an honest answer it was her blunt husband.

Illya hated how the man stood next to him and then tried to make small chat. Why wouldn't he just introduce himself? There was nothing worse than standing around and feeling like he should know the person and still feel wary just in case the person didn't belong. "Eh...yeah she likes traveling." That much Illya could say since it seemed to be common knowledge. He wasn't sure what else he could say. It wasn't a good idea to tell the stranger anything else about her. Since it didn't seem that the man was going to volunteer his name Illya decided to ask the name. Letting out a long breath he turned toward the man and woman. "I must not know yah very well. Can yah remind meh of yah names?" Hopefully this was semi accurate and he didn't actually know them very well. At least then it wouldn't seem so awkward.

Thomas paused in his rocking and looked up Illya with a mixture of surprise and slight annoyance. The man was acting crazy or he was pushing the joke far enough. Even Henaiah was giving Illya an odd look but one of concern rather than annoyance. "Thomas...Thomas Monroe...you married my daughter? Henaiah Salys, Councilwoman...Henaiah?" If he was joking, it wasn't appropriate in front of Henaiah in a professional capacity either.

Pretending to have a memory was not turning out well. A deep frown came to Illya's face and he tried to think desperately of where he knew the name Henaiah from. "Ooh yeah. I uh...uh...Yah in several reports Councilwoman...eh forgive meh." It was almost impossible to cover this one up and he was starting to wonder where Kalizda was. Casting a glance over his shoulder he saw that she still hadn't started to make her way through the party to this little area. Illya was starting to feel semi desperate for help. Looking back at Thomas he grimaced. "I dun know anyone name of Monroe." Again he looked behind himself. She needed to get here and confirm that this was her dad. Finally he reached into his pocket and grabbed his pad. Quickly he typed a message in Quoti for her. "Man claiming to be your dad is here. Please hurry."

Henaiah gazed at Illya. She had watched the man carefully for a long time and while her husband wasn't exactly good at reading people, she was. Something was very wrong. Before she could say anything Thomas was off running his mouth again though, his face turning red. "Not funny, Illya," Thomas said, "This joke is-" Henaiah scowled at Thomas and grabbed his shoulder tightly, cueing him to shut up, but he kept going. "I suppose if you call her by that nickname of hers long enough, you tend to forget, eh?" About that time, Calysta came around the corner. She was wearing a pure white tunic with a pink belt and grey boots. Her long black hair flowed loose down her back. Henaiah froze as did Thomas as she walked over smiling at them all.

The man was practically ready to jump down his throat and Illya didn't know why. It had something to do with the name, but Kalizda was her name. It was what Rose, Markus, and Yvonne called her. Nobody had ever called her anything else and she even referred to herself that way. Illya opened his mouth to say something and then everyone froze. Turning slightly he saw Kalizda come into view and it was like instant relief. "I'm so glad yah here." Motioning her dad he explained the situation as quickly as he could and forgot to keep it in the Trader's Tongue. Instead he was rattling off in Quoti. "He says he 's your dad. I don't know him so I refused to take him to the tent." She had told him stories about when she was little, but she never told him her dad's name. She just called him her dad.

Calsyta was determined to make this day as easy and stress free as possible, but she had been delayed trying to help Rose make her hair into a 'circle braid.' Given their history she had on talking to her father first but that went awry when they bumped into Illya first. Keeping up her smile, she nodded to him and replied in Qouti to him. " I'm sorry, I was helping Rose. Yes, this is Thomas Monroe, my father. He's a professor of Navigation and he helped secure the deal for Nuen. You've read about Henaiah. She's the council woman and current leader of what remains of the Alliance. She is also your mother in law. They don't know Qouti, so you'll have to use traders tongue, alright?" It was a lot of information to be throwing at him so quickly but at least he had a base-line now. She searched his face to make sure he was alright before she addressed her father.

Part of the information he knew, but the piece with her dad not so much. While it was relieving, it was also embarrassing and frustrating. It was frustrating cause she should have told him who her father was, and he didn't need to be told who Henaiah was. The fact that she was agreed with Thomas only made the blunder even worse and Illya nodded to Kalizda. He was as ready as ever to face another stranger and awkward situation It was becoming common place that people remembered things about him that he didn't even know happened. Ehvan had been polite enough to tell Illya what happened when he found him in Kent's office. One of the other men were able to describe the missing matriarch, Sasha and a few other details that weren't quite making sense in the reports. This was social though, and he would have to just try and wing it. Switching back to Trader's Tongue he grinned sheepishly. "Now I know who yah all are. Let meh get some drinks eh?" Without really waiting for an answer he started to dodge out of the little group. He really was going to return with drinks, but he needed a moment away from her father. Her father just seemed so hostile.

Calysta sighed as Illya scurried away. She could tell be the look on his face he was already starting to get irritated and slightly panicked. Gritting her teeth, she bared her smile and looked to Henaiah and Thomas who were still staring at her in shock. They would be the only two who would be at this point, because she was wearing white and that would have to come first. She gave her father a hug first and he wrapped his arms around her tight. He was already starting to sniffle as she pulled away and looked at them both. They were giving her both warm gazes and the tension seemed to ease. "Hey dad," she said in Kaerelean, "We have a lot to catch up on. First, I need you to know there was a work accident with Illya and he doesn't remember some things, okay? So, just be patient, nice, and say nothing about it." Before she could continue the second part, Illya returned with drinks and both of them looked to Illya for a long moment. Thomas glanced at his daughter uncertainly. He couls always tell when she was upset, through her smiles and now he saw something was wrong for sure. Calysta kept up the act though and gave in an encouraging nod. Thomas glanced to the man and took one of the drinks for Henaiah off his hands. "Thanks, Illya," he said, his tone a bit more subdued, "And uh, congratulations?"

Illya wanted to linger a bit longer at the barrel for the drinks, but he knew better. It was supposed to be a party and he couldn't delay just because he wanted to avoid an awkward situation. When he returned with the drinks he handed one to Henaiah, Thomas, and then one to Kalizda before he sipped on his own. He was going to stand by and just listen, but then Thomas said something about a congratulation. Illya couldn't think of anything off the bat so he blurted. "Yah we're excited for dah baby."

Thomas and Henaiah exchanged looks. The man seemed neither excited nor anything else for that matter. Thomas knew the man had been a father before though and nodded, trying to play along as his daughters jaw grew a little tighter. "It's a good thing to be excited about. A little bright thing in a war." Henaiah smiled up at Illya. "Aye, a good thing. Very good. Maybe we can come visit sometime when you two are in the moon shadow?"

This was still not getting any better and Illya wasn't quite sure why. Kalizda must have said something about the baby, but by the look on her face he could tell that she hadn't. "Uh..." Looking at the other two he frowned. "Yes? I will remember yah next time." It felt like they were dancing around a giant elephant and he decided to blurt it. "Meh head got blown open and now I forget tings." Taking a much larger sip of the alcohol he waited to say anything further. "Meh work es all up ta date councilwoman. Now I jes learn all faces and names again."

Thomas and Henaiah blinked at him in utter shock and then their eyes turned to Calysta at the second blunt delivery. A mix of emotions flickered over her face before her pleasant smile returned. "It's something we're working on," she managed to say. More than anything she just wanted to turn from the spot but that would mean leaving Illya lost with her father and law. But the looks of realization were unnerving. They all seemed to go quiet for a moment and the music started up in the background and Thomas nodded. His daughter had a sadness that he had never quite seen before and it was something he didn't like to see. Whatever memory loss had happened hurt her deeply and it explained why the man was acting bizarre. Is this what she had been dealing with on her own? "Well, you've got a bit of catching up to do on some things but its not unmanageable, yeah?" Thomas said finally, "Maybe we just relax and enjoy the party?"

Illya ran a hand through his hair. The point where the bullet had hit was still tender. At least the haircut wasn't even noticeable anymore. He had been training with his men for a few weeks before the party and it gave his hair enough time to grow out so Yvonne could even up the choppy job. With his curls it was impossible to see the slight differences that remained. Nodding a little at Thomas he grew solemn. "No impossible. Dis part." Pointing to all the people he sighed. "Much more work. Dere isn't records telling meh what I know about dem." Taking another sip at his drink he smirked. "I bet I still good at cards. Number and mat are good. Yah like ta bet?" Nudging Thomas slightly he nodded as if he were anticipating a great game.

Thomas raised a brow at the sudden friendliness from his son-in-law, but he glanced at Calysta's face to see it had gone to a total look of neutrality. She was trying hard and he knew to refuse might upset her worse. "I'm more of a strategy game man, but I'll meet you in a game of cards." His response surprised Calysta and she quickly started explaining to Illya in Qouti. "Illya, Kaereleans and Terrans don't play for work credits. He doesn't know that's what you'd be gambling."

"Ok." Illya nodded to her and walked over to one of the empty tables to play a card game. "We play for uh....I bet yah dah next round of drinks eh?" He figured that that would be a safe bet. "If yah lose yah have to ga go get dem." Dealing out the cards he picked his up and laid a card down on the table. "Yah turn."

With a single word and none of his usual cheekiness, Illya walked away from her and Thomas gave her an expectant look. "Just go play," Calysta said quietly. Henaiah gave her a concerned look but Calsyta ignored it and stood back while Illya offered up the bet. Thomas chuckled at the offered bet. The man was apparently not a brave betting man for going so small but it wasn't a bad thing. "I'll take that bet," he grinned. It was still weird to be having a conversation with the man like this but he laid his card down with a grin.

Illya almost laughed when he saw the card Thomas laid down. "Bad choice." Laying an ace over it he grinned. Unless Thomas had two aces in his hand which wasn't likely there was no way he'd win this round. By the end of the game Illya leaned back in the chair some and waited for Thomas to come back with the drinks. Illya took his and sipped at it quietly for a moment. He knew that something was still bothering Kalizda, but she wasn't really talking to him about it. Even if he wanted to do something to help he didn't really know what to do because he didn't know what she liked besides flying. "I need help." Looking at Thomas he sighed. "She's nut happy. I try, but meh memories are gone. I dun know her."

Calysta stood by talking with Henaiah about the baby while Thomas took up another set of cards an dealt them out. Hearing what the man had to say made things even more clear and he nodded. "No, I can tell she isnt." Shifting in his seat, he ran a hand over his goatee and thought about what to say to this. His daughter loved the man like no other and he had never seen her so happy as when she married the man. How did he describe what this was like for her? "I'm sure you've been trying to remember," Thomas began clearing his throat, "But the thing you have to under stand about Calysta is she will put on brave face for anything. She can be quiet and self reliant to a fault. She never expected help from anyone and shouldered alot of things on her own. You were the first person I ever saw her truly open up to. You were persistent and attentive. She needs to some there who will reach out to her. The truth is she never had a family besides me and in a way she is just as lost on some things."

Taking a deep breath Illya stared into his mug. It was an oddly familiar feeling. That little nagging thought that he should stop and the overwhelming urge to keep on drinking. He was failing and he only had a few ideas of how to fix it. Maybe it would be enough and maybe not. Illya hated to wake up and see that look on her face. She was wanting something and he hadn't known what it was because no one told him what he had been like until now. At the same time he was irritated with himself. How hard could it have been to figure that one out. He treated her like he did Isla and he couldn't do it without someone telling him? "Ok...I give her new memory eh? I treat her like yah say...like...." Illya cut off there and sighed. "I know her better when she happy den." So much of this was difficult to unravel in his mind. It felt like he was trying to pull one tiny string out of a wadded mess and a knot had stopped the entire string just short of becoming a complete singular idea. If nothing else he was stubborn and he was going to do it.

Thomas could see the man struggling for words and he wondered if the man understood, but then he managed to give a sort of reply. Hearing that Illya would try gave Thomas a surprise though. It would be much easier for him to walk away and let her go, but still he seemed to want her. He didn't even know her anymore and he seemed willing to try as he had before. Thomas looked at the Chip in his green eyes and nodded in acceptance. "When she's happy, you'll know. You always could make her smile and somehow I think that was more you than any memories. " Thomas took a long drink of his liqour and winced at the burn. Chip liqour was akin to jet fuel when it hit the stomach. "Anything you want to know, I'll answer, Illya." If the man was stubborn and sincere, it could be better and it was the least he could do for his daughter and the unfortunate lost soul that was his son-in-law.

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

After the party Illya spent the rest of the night trying to think of things that he could do for Kalizda. She liked to read. From his best guess she liked going outside too. Exploring was good, but that was something that they had to be careful about. Drilling was getting harder the higher the snow got and Illya still had headaches from time to time. Finally Carrot told him that the conditions were such outside that no army would typically be moving, but Chippequoti soldiers had to be greater than the typical so he pushed them to continue drilling, but with shorter hours for the next week.

Illya didn't come in until several hours after the rest of the men. Maybe he didn't know how to show that he was being attentive, but Illya had thought of a few ways to try and let her know he was thinking of her. Stomping just outside the tent he stepped inside to see Rose come charging over and she jumped at him. It was just expected that he would catch her and Illya barely did. He hadn't really anticipated having the girl throw herself at him. Giving her the quick kiss on each cheek he sent her over to Yvonne. "Mum yah watch her. I need ta talk wit Kalizda outside."

Mentally he had to remind himself to be attentive. She would need her coat and she was getting to be a bit bigger now. In fact when she put the coat on Illya noticed that it was starting to strain around her midsection. It wasn't too small yet, but she would be needing another one. Holding it out for her Illya helped Kalizda get it on. For a moment she nearly looked shocked. As if she hadn't thought that he would remember. Just that little look on her face made him smirk. If she thought that a little help with her coat was a surprise then hopefully she would be impressed with his project he had spent almost all afternoon on after the drills. The two of them walked outside of the moon shadow and Illya pointed her to a maze. "Yah find yah way through and dere es surprise at dah end." The only bad thing was that he forgot to draw a pattern of it, but it wasn't terribly complicated.

For some parts he had to get down and crawl on his stomach, but she could crawl at her usual height. Then came the last part where they slid down hill through a little tunnel. When they reached the end of the little maze he watched her step into the middle of the snow cave he made for her. It couldn't last forever, but it was large enough to look like a small living room and he carved out a bench for her to sit on and left a little pile of snow to the side to work as a foot rest.

It wasn't quite tall enough inside for Illya to walk standing up straight so he stooped a little. "Yah exit home es over dere." Pointing to another little carved out section he stood off to the side. "I bring yah a book. Maybe we read for little time?" Illya had suddenly lost all his courage and he didn't even know if she liked it or if reading was more of something he had enjoyed and she was doing it to try and bring his memory back. "Or uh..." For the time he slowing down on his idea. It was impossible to tell if she even thought coming outside was worth it. "Yah like ta do someting else? Ehm...." Giving up he fell silent and sat down on part of the bench. He had no idea if this even had the desired effect.
 
"Hmm...good. You've gained some weight and the baby looks to be growing on track," the Ehaui doctor said as he looked over the initial scan, "You've made it into the second trimester but your blood pressure is still highly irregular. You need to be keeping better track of that."

Calysta sighed and rubbed a hand over her belly. It felt odd having the bump growing bigger and bigger there on top of her breast plumping up some. She was so used to having no curves and now she seemed to have them in abundance. It was a bit like having a ripe melon stuck under her skin that occasionally gave fluttering feelings. Those had just started up and it felt so strange, like a butterflies were trapped inside the melon. Every time the sensation started up in made her breath catch and a little smile crawl to her face. Their baby was growing strong and would be beautiful.

"I know," she finally said to the doctor, "I'm taking it easy as I can."

The Ehaui gave her a knowing look and shook his head. "Real rest. In a bed preferably."

"I will rest in a bed," she assured him. Eventually.

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

Kirit watched from his spot on in the corner as Illya started out of the door with a simple and blunt. "Bye." Immediately, his eyes flicked to Kalizda to see what her reaction might be. He had taken to quietly watching the two of them. A bit of a study in some ways. Illya had told him why a family was important, and while the man didn't remember saying that, the young warrior felt like it was something inherent to his person anyways. If a family was important he wanted to see it in action, and it was also hard not to see some things when you lived in the same tent. Kalizda still stayed in her little pallet by Rose's cave at night, letting Illya take the bedroom to rest up for the next day of drills and in the mornings he would emerge, eat whatever she cooked and said the same "bye." His dark eyes watched the woman for any sign that things might be getting better between the two, but they seemed worse. Kalizda glanced up at the man before working a small, pained smile and mumbling a faint. "Good bye."

Just as he thought that would be the end of their interaction for the day, Rose demanded a kiss from Illya who obliged and then suddenly pointed out that the General wasn't supposed to leave before kissing his 'special girl.' Kirit's eyes shifted to Illya as he reluctantly strode over, looked his wife in the face with a dead pan expression and kissed her quickly as if it were a box to check on a report. Once that was done, and the general was gone to gather his men, Kalizda's face slowly melted into a neutral expression he'd seen her wearing most days. The woman didn't smile any more unless it was with Rose which was genuine, or when Illya came home which was a small pinched thing she wore to keep up appearances. He felt bad for them both, but kept to his corner most of the time so he didn't interfere.

Kalizda came over and offered him a cup of tea, but he declined. "I need t' go out with 'th General." She gave him a little nod and then start shuffling back toward the hot plate. He'd never see someone look so sad and yet quite so determined at the same time. Standing up, he stretched a little and started strapping on his body armor. They would be running drills in the snow again today. With as much snow on the ground and more still falling, he had informed the General ground movement would be highly unlikely. It was too cold for the soldiers and supply lines would be far too difficult to keep steady with the constantly shifting weather. Still, the man insisted they train in deep snow, so that's exactly what Kirit taught them to do.

Once his armor was on, he strapped his war scythe to his back and started on his way out of the door. "Bye, Carrot!" Rose was waving at him with a toothy grin from behind Kalizda's legs. Kirit gave the girl a tentative wave with his gloved hand and started out of the tent flap. The warrior took a few steps outside the tent before he paused and poked his head back into the door. "Ye have a good day, Miss Rose." The child beamed at him and then hid behind Kalizda's legs with a wild giggle. "Ye too, Miss Kalizda."

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

Calysta woke up in her bed of blankets near Rose's cave and sat up slowly, which was the only cure for the dizziness. It had been a brief nap stolen while Rose was down for her own and despite having slept for awhile, she still felt a little tired. The doctor said that came with the pregnancy though, so she wasn't all that worried. It was what it was. Rolling up to her knees with a small grunt, she grabbed the tent pole and pulled herself up the rest of the way. Yvonne was already there and had been letting her sleep as best she could while she cooked a simple dinner of stew.

"I'm up now," Calysta said as she walked over to her mother-in law. She was grateful for Yvonne in many ways, especially for helping her with Illya. It was hard enough deal with what had happened, but being pregnant on top of this had been very difficult. Most of her appointments were done alone and she didn't tell Illya or anyone else how they went. The Chip seemed overwhelmed right now, especially after the party and she didn't want to burden him with many details. Sometimes he would ask about the baby and she would says its 'fine' or 'good.' Those answers he seemed satisfied with so she let the rest go.

Calysta worked side by side with Yvonne cutting onions into small slivers and finally Rose woke up. She gave a grumble, obviously grumpy about being awake until she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Kalizda." It came out as more of a complaint than a call and Calysta kept cutting the onions, just letting the girl wake up on her own time. "Aye, Rose?" There was no reply but she could hear the girl shuffling around behind her. Rose carefully put on her felt hat with the feather and found her string of fake pearls. She pulled them over her head, making the brim of her hat behind and the trailing end of the feather stuck in the necklace. With a grumpy tug she pulled the feather free and then smoothed down her hair with her real hand. "Is Carrot coming back with Wolf soon?"

"Aye, they'll be home soon for dinner," Calysta replied as she dumped the onions into the pot.

"Can you fix my feather, Kalizda?"

Calysta put down the cutting board and wiped her hands on an old dish towel before plucking the long cryn feather from the girls robotic fingers. "Turn around, yeah?" Rose giggled and turned with a few stamps of her feet, tilting her head so the feather could be stuck in the felt again. As Calysta worked in the feather, Kirit came through the tent flap, his cheeks pink from the cold and the sight of him Rose skipped over, ripping the feather out again. "Carrot! You're back! Would you like some tea?"The young warrior pulled his war scythe from his shoulders and sat it in the corner before stripping off his gloves and coat. "Aye, ye bring'm tea?" Rose grabbed his hand and tugged him to sit down while she went to make the tea. Calysta already had some made, but poured into the girls tea cups so she could serve it to Kirit like a grown up lady would. Carrying the tray carefully over to the young warrior, she offered him one of the cups. "It's my favorite flavor," she said brightly, as he picked up on of the cups, cradling one palm underneath to avoid spilling any.

Kirit took a tentative sip, and let out a small sigh of satisfaction. The snow had been falling for days and the extra training left a cold deep in the bones sometimes, that only being inside and something warm to drink could chase away. While he sipped, the girl watched him curiously, and he wondered if she wanted him to say something about the tea. "Ye make good tea, Rose. Keeps 'm warm. Thank ye." She smiled at him and then tilted her head, making the cryn feather in her cap wobble. "Kirit, do you have a special girl?"

The young warrior stopped mid-sip and his dark eyes trained on the small girl standing in front of him expectantly. He knew what she meant by 'special girl.' Not only that, but he could feel the eyes of Illya's mother and Kalizda on him too. "Ah..No, don't have'a special girl," he said quickly, muddling up his traders-tongue. Rose's grin grew even broader and this time her head ducked a little. "Can I be your special girl? You only get one and I want to be her."

Kirit's eyes grew round and his heart ran up his throat while the two women across the room stared back at him in shock. What was he supposed to say to that? Her big green eyes were boring into him and she was just a little girl he didn't want to the feelings of. There was no way the Wilds he was saying yes to that though. "Ye bit young for th' special part," Kirit mumbled, "How about ye' m' best girl? Best girl, t' make tea?"

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

Illya came home hours later than the young warrior, which wasn't unlike him, particularly if he and Markus had needed to brief over the situation. When he came through the door, Calysta felt a relieved. He hadn't gotten lost anywhere or something worse. The relief was short lived however, when he asked to speak to her outside. Illya didn't really talk with her now unless she approached him first, and hearing him ask made her nerves tingle. What was he going to say? "Alright."

She went to grab her coat, but Illya picked it up instead and offered to help her put it on. Her eyes grew wide at the sudden gesture. That was something her Illya would do, and the smirk following made her heart beat a little faster. Once she slipped both arms into the coat he held up for her, Calysta went to zip it up and quickly realized how tight it had become around the middle. The zipper strained over her baby bump, but she forced it up, giving a sheepish look. He's eyes scanned her over by the slight smirk remained.

He lead her outside past the moonshadow and into the deep snow where, what she could only guess, was what looked to be a maze. "Yah find yah way through and dere es surprise at dah end." Calysta hesitated for a moment and gave him a curious look. "A surprise?" The Chip nodded and she looked back to the maze. "Only one way to find out." Her boots crunched in the snow as Calyste entered the entrance to the maze. It's icy walls took her through twists and turns, then a few crawl spaces which she felt strange waddling through. At one point one of the tunnels had a small cave in and it doused Illya with snow behind her, making her laugh. The maze ended with a slide down am ice -slick hill. Calysta pushed off form the top and slid, quickly down to the bottom where she found herself in a dome of snow. What was all of this? Turning in a circle around the cave she saw there was a bench and a little pile of snow carved out. Had he built this? "Illya what is this place?"

He started explaining, that it was a reading room and he'd brought book for them to read. He'd done all of this? It was a beautiful room of smooth snow walls and despite the cold it felt cozy. Calysta spied the worn book from her collection sitting on the bench as Illya sank beside it looking uncertain at her. Who'd hav thought the man who group up in the desert could handle snow like this? Smiling, Calysta laughed at the thought and looked around the snow room. He'd done all of this on top of work and maybe the feeling wasn't there, but the effort was. "This is fantastic," she grinned, "Our own secret moonshadow, huh?" Walking over to him, Calysta sat down, sliding a little on the icy bench. She felt a bit like an plump little bowling ball in some moments, but she righted herself and then picked up the book recognizing it instantly. "Lets see what you've got. The Princess Bride." She chuckled at the title, knowing he probably grabbed it at random but that was alright. "You'll like this one. Its an older Terran story with plenty of adventure and action...despite what the title suggests." She started to open up the cover, but paused to look up at him with a smile. She'd been doing all th reading between them and she missed listening some times. "You liked to read and sometimes like to read to me too. Want to read out loud for a bit? " Offering up the book, Calysta waited to see what he would do.

It was relieving to know that Kalizda hadn't minded the gesture at all. In fact she almost seemed to enjoy it. There still a near sense of disappointment and he wasn't sure if it was him or what he'd done. More than likely it was himself. While Illya listened to her talk about the book he just nodded and then she wanted him to read. He used to read to her? Illya knew he read quite well at one point. Picking up the book he opened it to the first page. "T-the year...dat..." Illya paused and he stared at the next word. "Ut-Mmm-B- Butter-cub?--Buttercup was born," stopping there he took a breath and tried to finish the sentence without so many flaws. "Nn. dah..m-moost beuste..." Putting his finger on the page he read it silently to himself several times and then tilted the book to the side. "Beautiful woman.... en dah war-warld who...no...was a Free-fres...French maid." Illya turned the book the right side again and tried to follow them with his finger once more. "N-a-med Ah...Ahn?" The name was was almost impossible to read and it was taking forever with just this first sentence. "Ahneete?" Illya hadn't tried to read anything out loud since the injury and this was a frustrating development. "Dah words...dey just all over dah place." Calysta listened to him, on the edge of every word. She had heard him struggle before while learning traders tongue, but this was different. He had been nearly fluent in it and that's what this book was written in. This must be another side effect of the injury? Had he been dealing with this the entire time? When he gave up and Calysta stared at him for a moment. She had been so focused on the man she had lost, she hadnt been thinking of the man sitting next to her. They had all been so focused on making him what he was, and maybe that was the wrong thing. "Hmm...that's alright," she said, "Can I ask you something? Do you still like the stories and to read?" She said it as a simple question with a hint of curiosity. Nobody had bothered to ask what he liked anymore and she wanted to know.

The last thing Illya wanted was for her to think that he was stupid. He could read, he just didn't know why the words didn't always look like they were in order. It had to be a problem of sorts. Something he'd never dealt with until after the brain injury. "I like stories, but I dun like reading. Everyting I read es like dis. Quoti is hard tah read too." Some of the frustration started to come out in his tone of voice. "I know dese words, but dey all mixed up on page and I stare at dem like I never see dem before." Letting out a long breath he stared at the snow wall ahead of himself. "I tink yah maybe like quiet place jes to read. Ets warmer here den outside and when et melts I make yah a real reading cave. Yah still like reading for yahself?"

She could tell he was frustrated and she wasn't entirely sure what to do about the reading being difficult. It was something that brought them together and now he didn't like it. "I liked reading on my own before I met you," she replied, "I loved reading with you. And still do. What you made is wonderful Illya, and its made perfect with you here. If you want to share it with me. Slowly Calsyta reached out with a gloved hand and covered his. She wanted him to know that she wanted him no matter the change.

For the moment Illya didn't know what to say. He was sitting in the little ice cave thing and feeling slightly embarrassed because he couldn't even read out loud anymore. He knew he was better at reading out loud then that. Kalizda didn't seem to mind so much and he glanced at her hand. "I tink maybe I get books on meh pad and have et read dem to meh. Den we can bot have books eh?" He wasn't sure what she meant by reading together. Maybe she would read and he would read and they were just quiet together?

He still seemed distant and maybe he was just frustrated. After all this time, she was still terrible at making him understand how she felt and now she knew even less. Letting go of his hand, Calsyta nodded in approval at his idea. "You could do that. Of course, you would miss out on my fantastic character voices if the pad reads it," she said, giving him a playful smile. Her voices were awful but he wouldn't remember that. " I can manage a pretty nice Buttercup if you'd still want me to read out loud to you."

"Eh I like et better ef yah read." Illya looked over at her carefully. "Yah dun have tah." He could understand how a person might get tired of always being the designated reader. Glancing at the book he almost got a sheepish grin. "I tink we have time ef yah wann read more."

Calysta grinned and took the book gently from his hands and leaned back against the icy wall of the cave, propping her hands on her belly. Flicking her eyes up to him, she started to read out loud. When she came up to Buttercup's lines she did the daintiest voice she could muster and when it came to Wesley's she gave him the suavest one she could manage. For Prince Humperdink, she pinched her nose and gave him a terrible nasally voice. Occasionally she would glance up to see if Illya was enjoying it or not. It was hard to tell these days but it was hard for her not to giggle at Humperdink's voice. Soon it started to get colder as the sun went down but Calysta was loathed to leave.

Even if he was enjoying it Illya's facial expressions didn't change as much. He was focused on the story and her little lady voice was hard enough to hear that he had to lean a little closer. For Wesley he raised his eyebrows slightly. Kalizda just sounded hoarse. She had a horrible man voice. Whatever she said about horrible character voices was right, but it kept a variation in tone and the story a little more engaging. They finally had to leave when Illya's little flashlight was the only light left and the hole to get out of the tunnel was too dark to see. This time Illya took the lead and he crawled out till they reached the bottom of the hill. It was going to be a long climb and he knew her leg was still hurting. "Piggy back yeah?" Getting on one knee he waited for Kalizda to mount up and then he loped up the hill. It was impossible to run with the snow being past his knees in most places. They were almost to the moonshadow and Illya jumped a little before his boot was completely out of the snow. It was enough to send him face first and Kalizda on top of him. Pushing back out of the snow he shook his head a little. By the time he was sitting up he looked over at her and saw a little snow crown resting on her head and he started to laugh. It wasn't one of his more graceful moment's but everyone had these things happen.

Calysta shuffled out behind him, ready for the long walk back. It was made even longer by the fact that her leg was still sore sometimes with her extra baby weight. When he knelt down, and said to climb on piggy back she hesitated for a moment. He didn't really like to touch her all that much anymore and it seemed a little close. Slipping a tentative hand on his shoulder, Calsyta felt a little heat rising to her face as she climbed aboard. When he hoisted her up and started walking and rested her chin an little on the top of his shoulder out of habit at first but then remembered he probably didnt like that. The snow grew deeper and deeper until suddenly Illya hopped and they went pitching forward into the snow. "Eeek!" She landed right on top of him and immediately rolled to the side, worried about his back for a second. Illya popped up out of the snow and shook off like a wolf as she sat up. Her grey eyes locked with his and at first she was worried. Was he okay? Then he started to laugh. It was a wonderful and familiar sound that made her start to chuckle and then outright laugh, making the snow on her head trickle down her hair. "I think you need a little snow to match," she said, scooping up a little handful and plopping gently onto his curls. His eyes were brighter than she'd seen them since he left for the last mission. She started to clamber to her feet but found her belly made rolling up a bit difficult.

Getting back to his feet Illya looked over and he saw she was struggling. Without really thinking of it he grabbed her jacket by the collar and pulled her up with one hand. "Yah nut a snow bunny?" There was a hint of humor in his voice and he smirked at her. Taking one knee again he waited for her to get back on so she wouldn't have to trudge through the snow the rest of the way

"I like to think of myself as more of a little bird," she replied with a light chuckle. Then she glanced down at her plump middle and shook her head. "Maybe a round little bird." She climbed on again and held a bit tighter to his back all the way to the moon shadow.

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

When they arrived back at the tent Yvonne had already put Rose to bed and Kirit was passed out in his usual corner. Calysta thanks his mother for watching the girl and made sure the girl's prosthetic arm wasn't too far for her to reach in the morning. Illya stood by as his mother left and she walked over to him with a smile. "Thank you for my snowy reading room, Illya." She didn't touch him, but her grey eyes locked with his should be enough for him to understand she meant it. "It was beautiful and I had fun. You should get some rest before work tomorrow though." He nodded and headed off to their bed room. She watched as his broad shoulders disappeared into the door and then sighed. Her Chip or a new man, it didn't matter, he was trying and that's what counted. As long we he was, she would too.

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

The next few days were lighter, and the whole mood of the tent seemed to lift. Calysta would come into the bed room in the mornings with a cup of tea in hand for Illya a more genuine smile. "Good morning, I brought you tea. You like this kind, usually. If you decide you don't though, let me know and I'll get more." she said. He sat up with his curls all fly away and she realized how much she missed those crazy curls since he'd decided to hack them off. Chuckling, she handed him the smooth herbal tea with a splash of honey mixed in and tucked a lock her hair behind her ear. "Come out when you're ready and I'll get you breakfast. I think you'll like the pancakes. Leaving him with a gentle pat on his ankle she went into the liiving room to his plate started. He had been trying and she wanted to do something in return. Trouble was, she didn't know what to do for him just yet. She wasn't good at grand gestures like he was to begin with and now she was rediscovering a few things. As she thought it over, she realized she had been cutting the same space in the pancake stack as before, causing half the stack to crumble. "Damnit."

Illya came out of the back room looking sleepy but still sightly more awake than a few minutes before. Calysta smiled at the half-asleep Chip anyways and offered him an empty place. "Help me stack up these pancakes, yeah?"
 
Illya woke up to find Kalizda coming into the room. He still couldn't figure out why the hit to his head was making him so tired even over a month later. Taking the cup of tea he nodded quietly and sipped at it. The last few mornings she'd been exceptionally kind. It was impossible not to feel something for her. Even if it was slightly scary Illya was determined to go out and try to be her agreed. Things like this could be started in small ways. At least in theory. This time it was day off and Kalizda said that she'd made him pancakes. Pancakes were not something he was familiar with at all.

Half groggily Illya stepped out of the room. Glancing around the tent he noticed that there wasn't really a bed for Kalizda. Where was she even sleeping at night? Turning toward her Illya just nodded in response to her offer. Stepping over to the empty spot he stared at the fallen stack of little breads. Scooping one hand under them he pushed the stack upright and clumsily shifted them in uneven directions to ensure that the stack was a little more stable. "Better?" With the first word of the day his voice was unusually deep and extra scratchy. Looking into her eyes he could see something there and he wasn't sure what it was. Almost as an experiment he moved one arm from his side and let his hand hover near her lower back. After the moment of indecision he moved his hand away and instead took hers and kissed her wrist. "I tink yah beautiful dis morning."

Glancing from the second plate of pancakes she was making, to the one Illya has, she found the little stack a bit more in order and smiled before her eyes traveled up to his face. Her eyes met his bright green owns and she almost froze in place. They were looking for something in hers, searching deeply, and it made her heart flutter a little. He moved toward her as if to pull her close and then stopped. What was he trying to do? The rhythm of her heart was jumping wildly as she stood very still and he tried again, this time picking up her hand gently. When his lips met her wrist in a kiss, he kept her hand and called her beautiful. How did he know? He had no memory of their vows or her culture, yet he had kissed her wrist. A gentle and genuine smile crept to the corner of her lips as she let her fingers curl around his and kept her eyes locked in his. The words were on her tongue, but she was afraid to say them just yet, so she turned his hand and kissed his wrist in return. "Good morning, my Illya."

There was a nearly palpable strain and Illya wasn't sure what it was. In a way it felt like he'd been so close to something, but he couldn't quite make out what it was. She had this look on her face. A look that Illya hadn't ever seen before, but it was a good one. When she grabbed his wrist he tensed momentarily and then let her have his wrist. Somehow he couldn't explain, but this felt like a lot more than a kiss on the wrist and his heart sat in the back of his throat. Silently he nodded when she said good morning. Keeping his eyes glued to the plate of pancakes he picked at them and re-arranged them since it was something to do. "Yah pregnant...ets uh....Yah should sleep in bedroom nut on floor. Meh head es fine now."

For a singular moment he looked so close to something. Calysta could see it burning in his eyes and she willed it to break free of that prison in his mind. As the light faded slowly, he nodded and slipped his wrist away from her to turn to the pancakes again. Calysta bit her lip, trying to calm her fly away heart and went back to preparing breakfast fast with shaking hands. She felt a strange confusion of excitement for the progress with a bit of sadness for them both. He had been closer and she knew it was frustrating for him, but it was still a big step for him to do that...of all things. She was so lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear his comment about sleeping arrangements. Suddenly he was asking her to stay in the bedroom with him and it made her hands pause over the pancakes again. Was he asking out of duty or did he really want her there? Her cheeks flushed some as she glanced up at him. "Aye,...I..uh..well, it wasnt your head I didnt want to hurt more." There was a strained silence and she swallowed, trying to clear her dry throat. She didnt want to discourage him either. "I'll stay in the bed again if that's okay."

It felt like he had maybe jumped a little ahead and Illya waited for her response. In a way he had half expected that she would respond that way. Kalizda didn't want him to be sharing the bed with her. He could understand that. Then she started again and it sounded like she was relenting. "Good." Illya shifted his gaze toward her. "I make dah bed for yah anyway. Tink yah should be dah one sleeping in et."

Calysta furrowed her brow in confusion as her heart sank a little . "The one?" Was he really only offering because he felt he had to? But he had come out and been almost himself. He'd even kissed her wrist. Sometimes it was hard for her and she wanted to clarify. Turning to him, she captured his eyes with her grey ones. "Illya, I only want to sleep in that room if its with you....and you would like me there."

Suddenly it was like he wasn't the only one moving semi quickly. Kalizda had gone from just saying good morning to extending the invitation to sleep in the room with her. Glancing over his shoulder at Carrot the general had a nearly sheepish look on his face. "Eh...." Turning back to face Kalizda he opened his mouth and closed it again. "Yes? I mean, yes we could share dah bed." She needed to be in the bed since she was pregnant, but he didn't know her well enough to really share the bed. Technically he did actually know her that well, but he didn't remember it. "Do yah mind ef I uh....We just keep ta our sides of bed for now?"

He hadn't actually answered her question about wanting her there or not and it was a little frustrating at the moment. Did he want her there or didn't he? Then she had to remind herself he probably didn't know what the hell he wanted right now anyways. Duty or not, she decided to go with it, she let a small smile return to her lips and looked over his almost embarrassed face. "I think I can resist temptation and stick to my side," she chuckled, half out nerves and half out of relief.

In a way Illya found it frustrating that she would be laughing over the comment. There was nothing wrong with the fact that he wasn't a hot mess to be getting into the bed with her. Considering she was pregnant he probably didn't mind once. Still he was a little concerned about ruining the relationship that they had just barely started to build. Right now the last thing he needed was to start sleeping with her just because he could. The Chip remained quiet through most of breakfast while he tried to think of what it was he would try to do for her. Just agreeing to share the bed wasn't quite the same as doing something so he was going to have to come up with whatever the something would be and soon.

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

Over the next month Illya tried to remember to do something special each fourth day of the week. While it was predictable which day he would or bring something special for Kalizda it almost seemed like she was starting to anticipate those days. The week after the snow cave Illya made dinner. He might have attempted making a dessert for her too, but he was very unfamiliar with these things. For the second week Illya went to one of the Chip women and agreed to do some extra hunting for her if she would make a new coat for Kalizda. Something that would allow for her stomach to get bigger. Mostly Illya hated having pointless gestures so he tried to make them all worth something.

The Chip began to do a little hunting around the house when she was napping or she wasn't paying attention. On his day off he would look for something that needed to be done or perhaps something that she needed. It was getting easier and Illya was finding himself wanting to talk a little more at night. He was even rolling over to face her in the bed. Part of that development had been due to the fact that he apparently had a side of the bed and it hurt to always keep his back to her because he would have to roll to his right side to do that. While the right side was pretty much healed there were still times when it would hurt. Sometimes they would end up talking way too late and he would drag himself out of bed the next morning.

By the third week Illya leaned over in the bed one morning and gently kissed her on the forehead. "I gotta go." It was almost time to be heading out the door for work. She was getting more and more tired so they would cook something in the evenings and leave it out overnight. Usually Illya and Kirit would get a little more sleep this way too and they could take breakfast on the way out the door. This was already the third week and he had already spent a few nights longer working on his project to give to her. In a way he was excited about giving the present to her. Instead of spending hours after the snow drills outside or somewhere hiding in the moonshadow to work on the project he tucked the little cradle under one arm and walked back to the tent. Pushing the flap back he stepped inside and he didn't see that Kalizda was anywhere immediately in sight. That was a good thing.

Rose stared at him for a long moment and then her little eyes got wide. She knew exactly what he was holding. "That's why she's getting fat?"

"Not fat." Illya knew that was a word that pregnant women hated to hear. "Where is she?" Maybe Kalizda was sick or perhaps she had to run away to the bathroom. It was getting more common anyway.

The girl nearly yelled "She had to go pee."

Illya nodded and then scurried off to the bedroom. Setting the cradle near the end of the bed he made sure there was just enough space for it to rock. Perhaps they would have to start finding little blankets or something to put in it. Suddenly it occurred to Illya that he didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. Did she even see the doctors yet to find out? There were a few gaps that he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before.

When Kalizda came back he was standing casually in the small kitchen area of the tent. "I hold yah surprise ransom." Illya's eyes sparkled a little and he walked over to stand in front of her. Placing his hands gently on top of her hips he smirked. "I been tinking about yah all week. Work es hard when I want ta be here wit yah." He was delaying the big reveal on the next present because he was running a little debate in his mind. "Maybe I tink....I tink yah let meh kiss yah and den I show yah dah present." Sometimes it was funny to see how her little face would begin to glow with a hint of pink. Kalizda's stomach was starting to protrude far enough out that he could tell when he wrapped one arm carefully around her and pulled her in for a kiss. Illya made it a gentle kiss and he held her close for a moment longer. "C'mon I show yah now." Letting his arm slip from around her waist he gingerly took her little hand into his and led her back to the bedroom. Momentarily it looked like she wasn't quite sure what it was that he would be putting in there for her. "I wait out here and yah jes tell meh what yah see eh?"

Waiting outside the door he listened for any indication that she'd found the crib. It was pretty hard to miss. The rhythmic rolling of the the glider ends over the wood floor sounded and he grinned. "Yah like et?" Poking his head inside the door he met her gaze. "I need yah help filling et wit tings for baby. Dun know ef ets a boy or girl."

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

This time Illya was almost sure that he was going to be sick. The gift was a bit on the elaborate side and he was nervous. Illya had wanted to tell her that he loved her for a long time, but the words were so hard to say. She hadn't even whispered once that she was going to leave him because he couldn't remember, but he still caught those moments. Times when it seemed that she almost missed something about the past.

In a way this little surprise was a bit more personal than some of the others so Illya waited an extra day. It made him late, but he had snuck the little wrapped present into the room last night and put it in his night stand. With this being his day off Illya wanted to give the present to her before night time and while he had time to talk if this brought up questions. She was still asleep and he laid on his back staring at the ceiling. Finally she started to stir and he turned his head to look at her. "Hey." When her eyes opened up he turned to his left side and rested his right hand on her hip. "I know I'm a day late. T-though I would wait so..." Stopping there for the moment he moved a little closer to her.

Illya moved in like he usually would to kiss her, but instead he started talking. "I love yah Kalizda. Yah do all dis and wait for meh. I know I dun remember much if anyting at all. Sometime I tink et still hurt for yah." Taking a breath he waited for a second before saying anything further. "Each day I watch yah for monts now and I see yah amazing woman. Vereh strong and yah gentle. Maybe I nut as good wit meh words as when yah met meh before, but I mean what I say."

Sliding back to his side of the bed again he pulled his night stand drawer open and handed her the wrapped package. There was chocolate on top of it and he grinned a little. It was a lot of work for this last gift. None of it was cheap, but he wanted it to say what he had started to feel for her over the past weeks. Underneath the chocolate there was another gift and it was bigger. Inside the poorly wrapped and very wrinkled paper there was a deep purple robe for her. Illya almost held his breath when she pulled it out. She'd never rejected anything, but this time he was nervous that she might.
 
The first night in the bed next to him was strange. She crawled under the covers of the bed he had made for her and shifted over so there was a decent margin between them before laying back. Illya had already sank into his side of the bed and rolled over away from her like he used to do before they were married. For him, that's how it probably felt, but for her, that natural urge to curl up to his back returned. That would be a terrible idea though. Illya didn't want that right now and it was obvious just sharing the bed with her was hard enough. Letting out a deep breathe, Calysta rolled over on her side, her back to him. Maybe he would feel better about sleeping next to a stranger that way.

"Good night, my Illya," is all she managed to mumble as she wiped at wetness in her eyes hidden by the dark.

******

Over the next weeks, Calysta began to notice the little things. Small changes in Illya that she had seen before when they first met. He started hunting a bit again, bringing back small birds for dinner and helping her cook like he used to the week after her snow cave present. It was nice to see him up and about just doing things he used to, even if he didn’t quite have the same energy. His effort seemed to have a pattern by the time he brought her a coat on the third week. It was well made and tailored to her growing belly. The fact that he remembered she liked going outside and was more or less fighting to get into her old jacket was a minor miracle. There was a bitter sweetness in knowing there was a pattern emerging. On the one hand, he was trying so hard to build a relationship with her again, to be kind loving, and at the same time she knew that those things had been effortless before.

She visited the snow cave at least for a while on most days, to get fresh air, read and think. In the evenings she came home to Rose bouncing around the room after a days worth of fun making forts in the snow with Ehvan’s little boy, Kirit who was quiet as ever unless prompted by Rose, and to Illya who still looked lost sometimes.

Her Chip had taken to trying to get to know her again though and that is what she loved more than anything. Once they started sharing a bed again, he would talk with her more. It started out as small things. “How was your day?” Then less mundane topics as the days passed. “Did you see Rose in her new dress today?” Eventually, she started telling him more stories about Kaereal and her home world. Terrifying adventures of the Wilds beneath the continents and incredible floating continents above that. “Flying brought everyone together,” she whispered in the dark, “I learned how to work on engines when I was a kid. Dad would get mad that I snuck out while I sick to go fiddle with my personal flyer. Though he’ll never know how many times I took it into the air when I wasn’t supposed to.” They both chuckled at the idea of her being sneaky and Calysta sat up a little bit to look at Illya. She knew much of the knowledge that wasn’t muscle memory had left him, but that wasn’t anything he couldn’t discover again. Flying wasn’t like reading. It was more of an active venture and his impeccable math skills still seemed to be intact. “I can teach you to fly again if that’s something you’d want.”

Laying down beside him, though there was a good margin between them, quickly became one of the best parts of her day. They would talk for hours into the night by the third week of staying together rolled around. A gentle kiss on her forehead before work left her surprised. It was not the dead-eyed gesture of his last kiss forced by Rose, but something simple and held a spark of warmth she remembered. Would that spark grow again? It left her so surprised and fighting down that hope, that she almost forgot to respond to him. “Alright. I’ll see you when you come home.”

Watching Illya’s progress helped distract from the growing list of symptoms that seemed to come with the growing baby. The most annoying of all was the ever present dizziness and the sudden urge to pee. It felt like the kid was sitting right on her bladder now and every time she sipped on her tea all she could think about was the subsequent trip to the washroom that would be in order an hour later. On one such trip, she came back to find Illya home in their little kitchen area and Rose giving her this odd grin.

She raised a brow at Rose as she stepped inside. The girl could find herself in trouble on occasion and Calysta never quite knew what her daughter would say sometimes. “Did I miss something,” she asked, her eyes flicking up to Illya. He walked over to her with a little smirk and slipped his big hands around her hips. That was more than enough to make the beat of her heart pick up its pace. “I hold yah surprise ransom.”
She kept her eyes on Illya, but could hear Rose shifting around, perking with anticipation. “Surprise?”

"I been tinking about yah all week. Work es hard when I want ta be here wit yah.” His hands on her hips drew a little closer and she knew that he was being sincere. "Maybe I tink....I tink yah let meh kiss yah and den I show yah dah present." At those words her face flushed and his smirk grew all the deeper. How was it he could still maker her blush while she was standing there pregnant as ever with his baby? That charm she found infuriatingly wonderful was still a part of him. He leaned in close, bumping into her belly some, and kissed her gently. Out of habit, her hands slipped up his arms and held him there as she leaned up on her tip toes into the kiss ever so slightly. For a moment, everything felt perfect.

When he pulled away, he took up her hand and lead her toward the bedroom. The move was sudden given he just now started acting like he even wanted to touch her. Surely this wasn’t ‘the surprise’? Even Kirit was staring at them in a curious and expectant gaze. An extra flash of heat crept over her face as he showed her into the bedroom and ushered her inside. "I-Illya...is it a good-"

Rather than coming in behind her, he stayed outside. What was he doing? One minute it was go, and the next it was stop. He spoke through the door and at first, she wasn’t entirely sure what it was she was supposed to see. Everything looked the same in their bedroom. Her eyes scanned the room until she glanced down past her belly to see something new.

He must have been working on the smooth wooden crib for a few days if not longer. He had thought of it on his own without her asking, or saying anything at all, and for a moment her eyes welled thick with tears. Calysta reached out with a tentative hand and pushed the little bed, making it rock gently. For months she had wanted him to be joyful about this baby and it had been a rough, terrifying road instead. This was what they both were supposed to be looking forward too. Moments and memories like this.

Illya’s voice came through the door, asking if she liked it. He wanted to help fill it with things for the baby but didn’t know what kinds of things. Calysta hadn’t told him any of the information about the baby because she didn’t want to overwhelm him at the time. Wiping her eyes, she slipped out of the bedroom door and walked over to him, feeling braver than she had in a long while. With a hand slipping up to his one of his cheeks, she gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. “It’s wonderful, Illya. Our baby boy will love it too.”

****************************************
They stayed up late that night, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bed, looking over items for the baby on her pad. Illya would point to a bright blue blanket or a pale blue outfit on a whim and Calysta would make a small grimace. “No blue,” she said, shaking her head. Some cultures designated certain colors to certain genders, but Kaereleans did not. Illya furrowed his brow in confusion at her and she knew he was probably thinking she was being a bit rude for shooting down all of his selections. “Certain colors mean certain things on, Kaereal,” she reminded him. They had discussed the tradition, but not at great length. “If I dressed him in blue people would ask me who in the family died all of the time. I don’t want to dress him in funeral clothing.”
The idea of it was probably ridiculous to him, but it was something that would matter outside of the moon shadow. “How about orange or gold?” she offered, “Bright like the desert sun, yeah?”

******************************************
Calysta had sent the message to Illya ages ago and sat waiting in her icy reading room for him. She had a surprise for Illya that she had been working on for a week or more while he was at work. With being able to go out less and less with her energy levels, and her Ehaui doctor insisting on bed rest, Calysta had taken to traveling and exploring as much as she could on her info pad. Reading up on star charts and finding images of the places she hadn’t seen sparked an idea. There was something she could do for Illya and it might help him, or at the very least he might enjoy it.

The first day was spent making a list of all the places he had been with her and charting them out on a galactic map with a little twist. It wasn’t so much a sad thing to think of these places this time. She wanted to show him all of these things again and more, and this was the best way she could take them there right now. Finally, she heard the rustling of someone coming down the hill and her Illya ducked into the door way. At the sight of him, Calysta couldn’t help but smile. “You’re late and I’ve been waiting all day for you. I have a surprise.”

Calysta took his hand, and lead him to the center of their ice room, then pulled a hologram coin from her pocket. Placing it carefully in the snow, she turned it on and stars began to flicker to life in the room, showing the different systems and their planets. “That’s Qouti over there,” she nodded to a crimson planet in the corner. Waddling between the other spinning stars, Calysta brushed her hand over the red orb and another displayed appeared. An image of the desert with bright red sands catching in the hot breeze. She let it play until the 3d image looped and then pointed to a different star. A bright green one, almost the color of his eyes, on the opposite side of the map. “Try that one.”

Illya poked the green marbled planet and another 3d image popped up. First it was the city of Kinte and its floating islands. Flyers zipped around while colors banners waved in the breeze on every building. Then Pyrta appeared with waving golden grasses and open land. An image of the jungled Wilds flickered through, with heavy mists and something moving in the thick, green underbrush. The images filled the room and Calysta smiled at the sight of Illya getting to see her home again like it was the very first time. “This is Kaereal, where I grew up,” she said, “90 continents and I saw them all a few years ago before I turned 22. It was a bit of a goal for me.”

Toddling over to him, and trying to ignore how puffy her feet felt, Calysta took up his hand again. “Every star on the map has something to see.” Reaching up, she kissed his cheek and tried to search his eyes. She wasn’t sure if he liked it or not, but she hoped he would.

****************************************
Calysta sat back on the bed as slowly as she could. Her back was starting to hurt on top of the dizziness and that created some interesting issues when she sat down. She was getting to a point where she eased down and then let go to plop down with a little ‘oof’. Turning over and laying against the pillows, she stole a glance over at Illya who was climbing into his side and kept casting her strange looks. She would catching him staring just a little and then his eyes would dart away. What was he up to?

As they settled in, Illya scooted a little closer to her and she smiled, expecting a kiss. Those had become much more frequent. Though they were all more gentle kisses, there was more warmth each time. Instead, he came close and started talking to her as he looked into her eyes. "I love yah Kalizda.”

Illya kept talking after those words, but her brain froze along with her heart. Did he just say that? She’d wanted to hear that for months now, and while it didn’t have the same meaning in some ways, the intent was there. He’d braved saying them to her. When her brain caught up to the rest of what he was saying, Calysta met his gaze again. Illya knew that sometimes it still hurt, and he was right, but he wanted to move forward. Suddenly, he presented her with a package. No. A gift?

Her eyes grew a little round at the sight of a formally wrapped gift like that. It wasnt something he would have found proper before, and breaking that tradition had been a big deal to him before they married. "Oh." Arranging the gift on her belly, she started to open the haphazardly wrapped gift with nimble fingers, her eyes flicking up to Illya's as she worked. The chocolate came off first, and sh smiled as she noticed it was her favorite flavor of dark chocolate. Something new he remembered. As the paper fell away, she found a beautiful purple robe folded neatly inside. Her fingers swept over the material and as her eyes slowly raised back to his face. "Illya..." She wasn't sure how to say it again for a moment. It had been a long time. "I love you."

Illya felt like he was going to turn blue in the face he'd been holding his breath for so long just waiting to hear what she would say. When she finally spoke he let his breath out and sat up a little more in the bed. "Yah like et?"

Calysta smiled up at him and braced up on her elbows, sliding up in the bed as much as her pot belly would allow. "You remembered the color," she marveled, "Its beautiful, Illya. I love it." She started to unfold it some, her eyes bouncing from the soft robe to Illya's bright eyes and back again with the excitement of knowing he remembered. As she started to unravel the sleeves, she went to try to put it on herself, but then paused. "Help me put it on?"

A moment of relief washed over Illya. He had made it this far and he still felt a little awkward at times, but he could get close enough to help her put on the robe without feeling out of place or like he was doing something he shouldn't. Kneeling on the bed he reached over her shoulder and grabbed the other side of the robe and held it out for her. When her arm slipped through it he leaned in close and kissed her on the lips. "I always love yah. Yah meh onleh woman."

Calysta slipped her arms through the robe, feeling how silky and soft the garment was, and then found herself being kissed as he leaned in close. They had been kissing here and there, gentle sweet ones just like that one. The urge to pull him a little closer and kiss a little longer was stirring, but he wasn't ready for anything closer. Before he had always been confident toward her and his desires, however she could still feel him hesitate somethings, so she didnt didn't push. Calysta slipped a hand up to the nape up his neck and slowly ended the kiss, giving little lingering pecks, but staying close. "And I will always love you Illya, memory or not. You were the one I chose." She looked into his eyes and played at one of his wayward curls. "I was never good at saying things, but Illya, do you know it? Do you know I love you as long as the sands of Qouti burn with the sun?" He'd said that to her once and she had always remembered it. Maybe it was something he would understand.

Those lingering little kisses were making it harder not to want more. Illya let his hands start to roam across her back. He was doing his best to limit the chances that they would get wild. In many ways it felt like they just met and at the same time there were times when it felt like he'd known her for a while. Illya stopped when she said that she would love him as long as the sands of Quoti burn. He didn't know if it was related or not, but he stared at her and tilted his head to the side. "Kalizda?" Saying her name again felt odd. "Kalizda...." He could see a questioning gaze on her face and he leaned away from her and held a hand up for her not to speak. There was something so close. "Meh little bird." Mumbling under his breath he continued to frown and stare ahead at the wall while he thought. Soundlessly he mouth moved like he was forming words while he thought. It was so close he could feel the memory and it was already trying to slip away. The memory faded, but something else came to mind when he stared at the wall. Suddenly Illya burst out laughing. "Dah door!

Calysta felt his hands roam her back and they were wonderfully familiar and warm. She thought he might lean in for another kiss but instead his head titled to the side and he said her name quizically. Was he having some sort of relapse? Or had she said something odd? He leaned away from her and held up his hand for her to stay quiet. Had something been triggered? His brow furrowed with concentration and he mumbled three more words she hadn't heard come from his lips in a long time. Hearing him call her little bird, even subconsciously, struck and chord with her and her chest grew tight. Still she stayed quiet gripping at his arm that was still wrapped around her back while he worked it out in his mind. Suddenly, he burst into laughter about a door....a door...why? Either he had lost it completely or...Her eyes widened and she tugged at his sleeve excitedly. "Illya...you made me a door...for the house you built me on Nuen."

He knew...He knew! A whirl wind of thoughts blustered through Calysta's mind and she tried to keep that little hope contained by reality. He remembered something though...out of all things it was a door...but it was still something. A gift he had done for her no less. As he laughed about how he had no clue why he put up the door for the longest, she couldn't help but start to chuckle, though her eyes were a bit watery. He'd gone all this time trying to figure out why he would put up a door for himself when he hated them since before they met. "Of course, I like doors," she laughed, nudging him a little, "How do you think I kept a troublesome Chip out until I wanted him in?"


Illya turned onto his side again and he took a deep breath before chuckling. The laughter was dying down enough that he almost had control of himself when she mentioned keeping him out. Glancing to her stomach he shrugged. "Dun tink et would have worked. Chippequoti dun knock." It was just the way of things and he had never understood her desire for a door when it just got in the way if you opened it and then you had to close it too.

Calysta laid back and rolled over to face him with a raised brow along with a coy smile on her lips. This was the most she'd seen him act like himself in a long time and it made her feel more playful than she had in weeks. "Kaereleans and Terrans have different ideas of privacy," she replied, "It worked just fine once you found out I didn't like you bursting into my cabin while I was undressing, you learned to knock for me. But I can confirm that you are the only Chip man, who does indeed knock." Living on a ship full of them had taught her to use the lock on their door without fail. Ehvan had nearly walked in on her looking for Illya enough times for her to learn that lesson.

Again Illya started to chuckle. "Den what's dah point?" If no one else knocked he didn't see why he should. "I maybe dah onleh one dat et doesn't matter anymore." Sometimes he missed words in sentences, but she still knew what he meant. The smirk remained on his face as he tried to imagine what it would have been like walking in on her undressing. Not such a bad sight.

He was definitely feeling himself again. That little smirk made her want to roll her eyes and kiss him all at the same time."Because its polite and I like a little forewarning before someone comes into my room," she replied smartly, "Even if they've seen me undressed before."

It was almost like she'd read his mind and Illya got a hint of red to the tips of his ears. "Eh...Manners aren't all dey cracked up ta be." He had been thinking of her like that and he probably shouldn't be, but why not? An agreed man no matter how nice thought of his woman without clothes frequently. At least Illya did. "I guess I knock anyway." Sighing he looked over at her and his ears turned a slightly deeper shade of red that began to creep across his cheeks. "We should eh get up." It was probably a good idea because he knew Rose would be coming to find them anyway.

There had been very few times when Illya had ever blushed in front of her and it was a hard feat to manage. As his ears turned pink and his tan cheeks turned a rosy shade, Calysta didnt have to wonder where his mind had probably turned to. He may not remember some things, but his drives were the same it seemed, which was a bit relieving. "Aye, I suppose we should." Calysta rolled up off the bed and smoothed down her hair before sashaying over to the door. As she put her hands against the frame, she turned back and gave him a coy little smile. "What are you waiting for? Let's go, yeah?"

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

The Ehaui doctor finished the scan and looked over the results with his trained eyes. “Well, Miss Monroe, your baby seems fine for now. His heart rate is a little faster than average for a Chippeqouti baby at this stage in development, but some differences are to be expected given you are not a genetically a Chip. The baby is large for your race but is developing almost at the same rate as a Kaerelean baby would. That has caused that thinning in the lining to increase some.”

Glancing up to the tiny woman and the General he made sure they were following him correctly. He had been surprised to see the man had come with her. She had been attending the appointments alone and not spoken about him during their meetings. It appeared that both of them had reached some sort of reconciliation after the accident which was good for both of them. The General’s mind was treated and the woman was far less stressed. His readings on her vitals indicated such. He had visited with her enough to know that once he was done giving the report, she would want to see the image he scanned, so saved her the trouble of asking and flipped around the screen so they both could see the image. A form that had a large head and nubbin limbs was curled up on the screen, twitching every now and then.

Calysta began to smile and stole glances at Illya's tan face. He had been curious about coming along with her when she asked this time. The last time he had come with her it had been nothing but a pin point blob and he had been less than impressed by the image. He This time there was the actual form of a baby, small as it was. He may not remember any of the information she had painstakingly read to him, but maybe he wouldn’t be quite so skeptical of some things now.

The darked eyes of the physician darted over the rest of the information. “Your heart rate is also a little elevated along with your blood pressure still, but it’s better than it was before. Overall, I think you still need rest and we need to begin thinking about delivery date projections in the next few months. Natural birth will not be an option in your case.”

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Kirit stayed hidden in the snow alongside Illya, waiting for the signal to move. They had been doing drills at least once a week in the deep snow to stay prepared for any eventuality. While any ground movement was still highly unlikely in the dead of winter, it was still good to keep the unit sharp in body as well as mind. They were waiting for the second team to cut across the treeline and then engage, but as the cold winds whistled through the trees, another sound joined in. This was not a natural sound, but a voice calling in short worded Qouti over their ear pieces. Kirit had been listening to them talk long enough to know some words in the Chippeqouti language now. Scouts spotted... east quadrant. This was the first movement they had since the bombing and sweep a few months past. Maybe the enemy thought if there were any survivors still in hiding, they would have burned through their supplies and had to come out by now. Either way, there were hostiles in coming and a decision from the General needed to be made. Do they pursue and neutralize, risking their location? Or sink into the shadows and let the men pass, hoping they found no evidence. Either one was a gamble, but given the amount of innocent women and children in the moon shadows, Kirit knew which he would choose.
 
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Illya was a little nervous about going into the room with Kalizda. He'd never been with a woman to one of these sorts of appointments and he really didn't know what to expect. It was certainly taboo for the Chippequoti to go into this sort of appointment with their agreed. These things were private. However, she had some of her own customs and Illya was finding that he liked being able to choose to go with some of her customs instead of always adhering only to his own. Eventually the doctor came in and Illya took a seat.

So far it sounded like everything would be alright. Illya had no idea which lining the doctor was talking about and he was mostly distracted by the gel and then the little thumping that sounded through the machine. When the screen tipped toward them Illya narrowed his eyes and he stared at the image for a long moment and then it jumped. Nearly leaping in his own seat he yelled. "Ho!" It seemed that the baby had heard that and jumped a little along with everyone else in the room. "He's so tiny." One of the elbows or knees pushed against Kalizda's stomach and Illya placed just his fingertips on the baby. They could see it moving on the screen a little closer. It was as if the baby liked the sound of Illya's voice and it liked the warmth it could feel through his mother's skin. After a second the baby started to move again and Illya grinned. He was lost in the moment of wonder.

Already the tiny little fella was responding to voice even if Illya didn't mean to scare the baby and everyone else in the room. Taking his seat again he held onto one of Kalizda's hands and gently massaged it while he spaced out and missed everything else the doctor had to say. As the doctor picked up his equipment and headed out the door Illya looked at Kalizda again. A giant grin was spread across his face. "How till dah baby born?"

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

Sasha watched her screen with eager eyes. The soldiers were closing in on the space where her little spy had gone. It seemed he had done well making the infiltration. Unlike Kent she had a purpose for her men and they knew she didn't like to lose them. There were some that talked about splitting off and she needed to make a solid victory here. If she could destroy the Chippequoti then she would have them all. This little space didn't have the man Ehud, but no one knew where he was. Many rumored he had died in the last battle. What she had was better. Markus, their top general and Illya the troublesome one. They were sitting in the palm of her hand and they were about to be crushed.

That would be the end of this resistance and the empire would be hers. All that Kent and the others had worked for would fall into her hands by default. It was the way of this business and she'd spent her life working in it. Who better to inherit it than the woman that knew it inside and out. Sending a short message she waited for confirmation. "Do you have your first target in sight?"

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A report came in and it was not a drill. Illya stayed crouched where he was for the moment. Glancing to Kirit he shook his head. As long as the enemy didn't know they were here it was better. The Chip whispered back into his radio. "Hold off and we'll move to the west of them." He wanted to be ready in the event that they started to get close enough that they might find tracks and other indications of the snow drills. It was foolhardy to think that they could be prepared to fight in the snow if they never practiced, but at the same time there were risks and they were becoming very clear now.

The men started to close in, but they were holding a device. Something that was drawing them in the direction of the moonshadow. Very clearly they were making a straight path for it while one man was carrying the tracking device of sorts the rest were scanning. Even in the white outerwear that the men had put over their snow gear Illya knew that his black hair and tanned skin would be easy to see from underneath his hat. Sinking into the snow he pulled the cap over his forehead and barely let his eyes peer out over the edge of where he lay. Carefully he drew his sword and slid the blade just underneath a layer of snow and his white glove covered the hilt of the weapon. Their talking wasn't anything that he recognized and he wished more than anything right now that he had Kalizda with. She would know what they were saying and it would help Illya make a choice before anything drastic happened.

Already the men were starting to fan out over the snow and Illya could see them getting close to the snow cave. He knew that Kalizda loved to read in there and he didn't know if she was in there or not. Regardless they had to intervene because the soldiers would find evidence of people living out here. Just before they found the cave the enemy stopped short and the one man knelt in the snow. He was examining the tracks. They had found evidence of the drills and now they were on alert. Still Illya held his ground though he was almost twitching with the anticipation. Inside the general was screaming that he needed to to lunge now and take them. Despite the urge to charge he knew that he had to stay still for just a few moments longer. If they followed the tracks they would circle round to a little dip near the moonshadow and then he would have his best shot at taking them with minimal risk. In the event that the men stayed clumped they would be easy to surround and if they split up it would be easy to pick them off. That slope was filled with snow almost to Illya's waist and he could easily shoot them down from on top the hill if he needed.

As the small unit of enemy soldiers started to round the edge of the hill Illya gave a circular motion with his hand for the men that could see him. Slowly they began to turn and crawl toward the hostiles. "Turn back North." For those that couldn't see him Illya hissed the whisper into his radio. Still holding his sword ready he saw that the enemy was a little smarter than to put themselves into a little restricted pack of men sinking waist deep into the snow. Instead a portion of them stayed up top.

Gradually Illya and his nearby soldiers closed the gap. Suddenly leaping from his position he thrust the sword into the first man and then ducked. Rolling into the snow he came back up and stabbed the next man. As long as he was moving it would be more difficult for those below to shoot him and those above were still restricted in their movement. It was obvious that they had trained in the city where the snow had been trodden down and they were not prepared for the deep snow in the forest.

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Sasha watched on her screen with narrowed eyes. It seemed that her men were suffering a loss outside. There was still a back up plan. She had her inside guy and she was fully intending on using him. In a way Kent had the right idea when he made these sorts of moves, but Sasha liked to save her own when she could. This time it would be a decisive victory and the Chippequoti would be broken. Maybe they wouldn't all be killed, but it would be a crippling movement. "Men outside have been ambushed I need you to engage plan 2."

The man inside the moonshadow glanced at his pad and set it aside. He had spent the last several weeks placing little bombs throughout the moonshadow. It would destroy what the Federation knew as the last of the people on Uria. They would no longer hold a presence here and then they could work their way around the planet and simply take Reylia back by force. A moonshadow was impenetrable from the outside, but tearing it apart from the inside was much easier. Aside from that he liked plan 2 better. Killing just one officer at a time was going to be far more difficult. Slowly getting to his feet he bent over and grabbed his pad. Curling his shoulders against the cold in the moonshadow he paced the floors. Everyone did it from time to time when they couldn't bear the cold any longer and had to find some way to warm themselves.

Typing in a little code he made sure that all the bombs were armed. They looked like nothing more than little pinheads placed in various crevices of the great underground fortress. Standing near the one safe zone he pushed the button and watched the timer start the countdown. His eyes lit up and he braced himself 3....2....1.

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Outside the moonshadow Illya rose again and he felt the ground shake underneath himself. The surface of the snow cracked and he ignored it for the moment as he thrust the blade of his sword through one last man. Another rumble sounded and he heard the deafening crack. Twisting at the hips he saw the moonshadow begin to cave in on itself. "No!" Their families, all of their families were inside and Illya stood by stunned for just a split second. Stepping on the dead body in front of himself he numbly started to run toward the moonshadow.

The men behind him charged forward fighting against the snow. They plowed through it making large obvious trails as they pushed forward. Each of the 51 including Kirit began to dig through the rubble. Ehvan yelled for his wife and son. Similar cries rose from the others as they threw rock and chunks of support beams out of the way. Sinking into the mix of debris and snow Illya dug furiously with Kirit nearby. "Move over!" Shoving the man he knew that Kirit was trying to help, but he was going to get hit being that close. One of the men found a larger beam and at first he tried to get it raised and Illya started to race across the snow. "No no!" If they removed the beam in their hurry it could hail more debris on anyone that was saved by it.

During the mad race across the snow Illya managed to forget the other men tossing debris. A large chunk of rock caught him in the head and sent the general sprawling. Ignoring the little split in his skull Illya charged into the center of the men. "Dig around it and get underneath. We'll get them out and move them to the next moonshadow."

Already cries of the women and children with some of the men sounded below. A few men called for help. There was no telling if they were Sarai's men, other refugees or even the Ehaui. Desperately the Chippequoti elite dug faster until they could start dropping a few men inside at a time. One of the men started to work his way through the areas that he could while others formed a chain to pass the children up. Most of them weren't dressed in enough to keep warm and they had to start gathering supplies to at least help them survive the trek to the next moonshadow.

A tiny little voice cried "Wolf...Wolf..." Illya's heart was breaking when he heard the girl crying for him. Swallowing hard he held his position. There wasn't a man here that didn't have someone below and each of them ached to know that their family hadn't been killed in the explosion. "Jes let dem help yah. I'm up here." Illya waited till the girl was brought up wrapped in a blanket and he noticed her little boots weren't on her. She needed something. Taking his coat off he wrapped it around her shoulders. "Yah keep et warm for meh." Setting her down he continued passing on the next child till they had all the children out. So far there were only 2 that were unaccounted for. The next round they started to push the women up through the cavern. Illya could feel his throat tighten when he didn't see Kalizda. Calling ahead on his headset he dailed in for Ehud's moonshadow and arranged for the survivors to start making their way with a small detachment of his men.

Turning toward Rose he picked her up still wrapped in his coat and squeezed her tight. "I come back ta-night eh? Yah go wit Ehvan and his boy." Ehvan's agreed held her arms out and she took Rose while Ehvan grasped his boy tightly and he led the way with his family and many of the others back to next moonshadow.

Rose nodded and she looked at Illya. "Aren't you cold Wolf?"

Shaking his head Illya gave the girl a weak smile. "No, I got thick pelt." Giving her a quick kiss on the head he sent her off and dropped down into the moonshadow to start seeing if he could find wounded, trapped, or dead that they would need to care for. A soft sob sounded and he started to work toward the sound. Picking through the ruins inside he felt a sharp chunk of metal tear at his arm and he squeezed through the spot. "Mum?"

Yvonne turned slightly toward Illya with red rimmed eyes. "Yah father es dead." Despite her years of training she hadn't been able to hold back her accent as she pulled at the debris that covered the mangled body. Bracing himself underneath the chunk of rock that fell over the body Illya winced. There was just enough space for Yvonne to pull his body out so they could burn it and make sure Markus's spirit didn't wander. Though he needed to check the rest of those missing Illya took a moment to kneel next to his father's body. The overwhelming thought that Kalizda could be the next body he found was almost too much. Pushing the thought aside he started to squeeze his way through the cave until he reached the furthest back corner where he found a man that was trying to escape. On the ground next to him was a pad with the sign of the Federation on the screen.

Disgust washed over Illya and he threw the man against the wood that had fallen across the pathway. As the man scrambled through spots too narrow for the Chip he ran till he reached Yvonne. The woman stared at his face and then looked over at her son who only nodded to her. Drawing the sword from Markus's belt she thrust the blade into the man with a fierce shriek and pinned him to the ground with the blade. It would be the final resting place of the general's sword.

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If there was only one mercy it was that the wind direction was constant it seemed and they piled the bodies together before lighting them on fire. Illya and the men packed up what they could of the supplies and got the help of those that were in good enough health to help carry the rest that were wounded toward Ehud's moonshadow. The black tinted figures only looked like faint ghosts moving over the snow covered ground. Illya still hadn't seen Kalizda and he was starting to feel sick. Had she been trapped too far underneath the rubble? He couldn't know and he knew that if she was alive she would have moved with the first group. The second group didn't have her. Even if there wasn't any reason to believe that she was alive he was going to come back and look for her tomorrow. For now he was freezing, his hands and arms started to feel numb and there was yet a quarter mile to walk.
 
Seeing her baby boy on the screen made her smile. He was really there. She could feel him moving around, kicking just every slightly as the thumping of his heart sounded from the ultrasound machine. Already, she wanted to hold him and kiss his little head. There was a long moment as Illya stared at the screen and Calysta waited to see what he would say, but he had gone strangely quiet. Her eyes darted to the Chips face, to the screen, and then back again just as the he little boy gave a quick jump. “Ho!”

Illya rocketed from his chair and Calysta jumped as did the Ehaui doctor. Even the baby gave a start inside her belly, pushing against her skin. Whatever it was had had expected to see, the image on the screen had surprised him somehow. “He’s so tiny.” The baby gave a harder push against her skin, and Illya put his fingers on her gelled up belly, with an almost giddy grin. Those little kicks and flutters had started up about the time she and Illya began truly talking again, growing stronger ever since. It was as if the baby knew who his father was even if his father didn’t remember much at all. The sight of such a look on his face made her heart swell and as he took her hand in his, she curled her fingers around his gently.

As the doctor finished up what he had to say and left, Illya kept his hand on hers and looked up with a sparkle in his eyes that had only recently started to appear again along with a broad grin. “"How till dah baby born?"

Calysta raised a brow at her Chip. Had he totally missed what the doctor said? His wildly happy face told her that he hadn’t paid a bit of attention to the Ehaui at all. A chuckle started in her chest and she squeezed his hand. It sounded just like something he would do. “Three months, if not sooner,” she laughed, “He’ll need a name by then, hm? I was thinking Cypher.”

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Calysta felt a warm kiss grace her cheek as Illya whispered good morning to her. He had been coming closer and closer to her, but they had yet to come that close. The morning kisses were enough to let her know he didn’t mind touching her so much now at least. Illya had been letting her sleep-in during the mornings while he and Kirit went to drill with the men. She missed going to work with him, but it wouldn’t be too much longer that she was back in the field again. Until then, she might as well enjoy the extra sleep.

Drifting off again was interrupted by the creak of her bedroom door. This time it was Rose. The girl shuffled around to the side of her bed and crouched down to the mattress with her head propped on her elbows. “Kalizda?”

“Hmm?” Calysta barely had her eyes open but she replied to her daughter.

“Can I stay with you for awhile?”

Calysta knew the question was coming. When it grew quiet around the tent Rose had the want for attention and she was more than happy to give it…when she was awake. “Mhm.”

Rose grinned and started clambering onto the bed, trying to wiggle her way between Calysta and the edge. A sharp little elbow to the chin and a knee to the stomach made Calysta sit up to void getting hit. “Ow, Here, go to the Wolf’s side yeah?”

“I like your side better.”

Without the energy to argue, Calysta shimmied over in the bed to let the girl have her spot. At least Illya’s side was still warm and it smelled like his herbs. Rose chased her across the bed, snuggling right against her and peering at her with green eyes, nearly nose to nose. “Kalizda?”

The girl was gazing at her nearly cross eyed. “Aye?” Calysta mumbled back sleepily.

“When the baby gets here, I want to hold him too.”

Calysta nodded as her eyes drooped. “You’ll get to hold him.”

That answer seemed to satisfy her for a moment and sleep started to wash over Calysta again. She could feel Rose playing with her hair, turning a few locks over and over between the fingers.

“Kalizda?”

Calysta’s eyes popped open and she found Rose looking at her, so close she was nearly cross eyed. “Yes, Rose?”

“Zachary said boys don’t like girls, but I told him Carrot liked me and Wolf likes you too.” She said the words with firm pride and Calysta chuckled at the image they brought to mind. Her daughter stamping her foot at Ehvan’s plump little boy and saying that he was wrong.

“He’ll change his mind one day,” she assured the girl, “Sometimes boys can be silly about things.”

Rose giggled and dropped her head back to the pillow while she continued playing with her adoptive mother’s hair. Calysta closed her eyes and let the girl play for awhile. At what point she drifted off, she was uncertain but when Calysta woke, Rose was sitting up thumbing through her info pad and there were dozens of tiny, tangled braids scattered over the left side of her head.

Once she was up and snuggly wrapped in the purple robe, Calysta took her time making some tea with Rose. The girl had become surprisingly good at know just how much of one herb or another to put into the brew. “Grandma showed me how to make Grandpa’s favorite tea,” Rose beamed as they sat down and took very lady-like sips. “You’ve been learning a lot from Grandma, hm?” Calysta smiled as she took a sip. Personally she didn’t like chamomile tea, but she drank it without so much as a flinch for Rose. “Very good. Maybe I’ll show you how to make sweet bread for Wolf or gingerbread cookies to go with it when we can get the ingredients, yeah? Papa Thomas loves gingerbread.”

The offer set off a whole new flurry of excitement. “I want to make something for Carrot too.”

Calysta looked over the smiling face of her daughter and nodded. “We should make something for him too. What does he like?”

“I don’t know,” Rose giggled, as she rocked in her seat on the floor.

Sipping another taste of tea, Calysta sat the cup down on her belly and wrapped her hands around it, remembering her first crush very clearly. “Well, when you see him tonight ask him what he would like.”

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Calysta enjoyed her morning with Rose, but once breakfast was done the girl had woken up fully with boundless energy. Luckily, Yvonne came by to help get her cleaned up and bundled to go play with Ehvan’s boy. That alone took out some of Calysta’s pep but the day was young, and she was determined to get some work done and then get some time outside before Illya returned, having promised to read with her later in the. They were at good point in the legend of Lyr. The man who conquered part of Kaereal when flight became possible. He used his men to make massive balloons to dominate the skies. He had been iron willed and impressive. It was even said he was impervious to the poisoned gasses of the Wilds. As with all empires though, he struggled to keep his conquered lands under control, as the people learned the secret to Lyr’s real power was his flight. The continents came together to push out the conqueror in the very first Alliance on Kaereal.

Bundling up in her jacket, and wrapping her scarf high over her neck, Calysta waddled her way out of the moon shadow. A few of the Chips gave her friendly smiles or courteous nods on the way, and she greeted them in kind until she reached the snowy forest. The sun was hidden by thick snow clouds that had started to collect from the day before, casting the world into a grey light. The cold wind bit at her nose as she walked to the back entrance of her snowy reading room. She loved going through the maze but just walking through the snow, even though a nice path had been ploughed by her and Illya at this point, was exhausting. Settling on her bench, she propped her sore feet up with a sigh of relief and opened up her pad to look at some more baby items. It was almost strange to think of herself as a mother sometimes. For the longest time, she never thought she would find someone who would want a half-breed, much less take the chance on having children with one. Illya had not only chosen her once, but done so twice.

Her fingers paused over a tiny stuffed wolf displayed on the screen and the baby gave her a good thump. “Alright, alright,” she laughed, rubbing the spot that still tingled from the kick, “You’re going to be a little wolf cub like your father aren’t you? Don’t suppose you’d be interested in being a bird too? Learn to fly?”

She looked at a few more items, just talking to her boy or humming to her favorite tunes. He seemed to become excited when she sang. Or maybe it was just his way of saying she couldn’t carry a tune. Her eyes grew heavy again and the pad went limp in her hands as she started to doze off.

Boom. The sound made her eyes fly open with an immediate rush of adrenaline. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep, but that didn’t matter as another boom echoed and the ground gave a violent crack. Was it an air raid again? Leaping to her feet, Calysta scuttled as best she could toward the door with her heart pounding in her chest. She needed to stay undercover until it stopped, but she needed to see where the attack was coming from. The earth shook and everything shifted all at once with a rumble, then a wave of snow showered down on her. Calysta was so close to the entrance, but the force of the snow knocked her down and she ducked her head, curling up to protect the baby from the avalanche.

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Calysta waited long enough to make sure the snow had stopped shifting above her, drifting in and out of conciousness from the dizziness. The avalanche had covered all but part of her shoulder and some of her head. It felt like a heavy, cold blanket that was slowly starting to melt and seep into her leggings. The jacket was felt and water repellant at least. She had no idea how long it had been, but time would not be on her side like this. Her mind began rushing thoughts of panic to the forefront was everyone okay? Illya and Rose? The baby? Those thoughts were distracting her from the immediate problem and she took a deep breath, pushing them back. Focus. Using what little space she had, Calysta unwrapped her head and punched her first through the snow. Wiggling and pulling, she shoved at the clumpy piles like a mole, sweeping them to the side until she was free up to her arm pits. Without the snow blocking the view, she could see it was dark now and snow was starting to fall again. “Ahg.” She pulled herself forward along the ground, till she had enough space to sit up and start digging her feet out.

It was bitter cold in the wind and her hands ached from shoveling snow without her gloves which were buried deep under the pile now. Using her jacket sleeves to protect her hands as much as possible, Calysta shoveled and wiggled her legs until they finally came free. The effort for that alone was exhaustive and she had to lay back in the snow to keep the world from spinning out of control. Moon shadow… I need to get home. After a moment, she puffed out a steamy breath and struggled to her feet, checking for her pistol in her jacket pocket. She never went off on her own without out it and didn’t want it to be lost. Feeling the weapon over, she nodded and then turned her eyes toward home. “C’mon little cub, we have to get home fast.”

The hard walk made the old wound on her leg jar some, but the pull on her belly was the worst sensation. At least whatever attack was happening, seemed to be over and if it was an air raid, the moon shadow was safe. As she crested the hill, a sickening, acrid smell wafted over her and she the immediate reaction was to wretch. It was a smell she knew and wished didn’t. After another dry heave left her shaking, she felt real panic set in and started climbing the hill on all fours, belly swinging underneath.

Collapsed. Her heart stopped at the sight of the wreckage and she launched down the hill. “No. No!” It was all gone, buried underneath tons of rubble and ice, silent as a grave along side a pile of burning bodies. “Illya! Rose!!” The names wrenched from her throat as terror gripped her and tears sprang up. Suddenly her heart gave a hard thump and a pain like she had never felt arched across her belly. “Ahg! Ah!” The muscles her whole lower half seized and the sudden pain made her knees give. Something was horribly wrong. The pain kept going, surging in intensity, but never fading as she curled up in the snow screaming.

Whatever had happened was done, and she needed to move. Illya and Rose, if they were alive would be going to the other moon shadow. If they weren’t, the baby still needed help and there was nothing here. No help at all. Calysta gripped at the reddened snow and started to try to stand between the stabbing pains. She knew the way to the other moon shadow.

Stumbling in the dark and snow, held on to her stomach and tried to walk. It was hard to tell how far she was getting between the pain and the creeping blackness at the edge of her eyes. Finally, her next step dragged the ground, pitching her into the snow on her side. Her legs simply wouldn’t work anymore and she knew that she wasn’t going to make it. “I’m sorry, Illya.” As the world started to go black, against the back drop of pain, she fumbled blindly with her jacket pocket and pulled out the pistol. Maybe someone would hear. It took the last of her effort to click off the safety and squeeze the trigger, firing off a round into the snow.

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A voice called her. It wasn’t Illya’s or even one she was familiar with. It was a woman’s whispering. Something was clutched in her hand and someone was trying to pry it away. “Noooo,” she croaked. The response was barely more than a whimper, but she had no energy to fight voice or its hands grabbing her up. She couldn’t even open her eyes.

“Someone call the General and the doctor,” said the woman’s voice in stern Qouti, “Now!”

The gun shot had attracted the scouts from the intact moon shadow, which was on high alert after the collapse of the other. They had investigated the sound to see if more men were gridding the forest, but hadn’t expected to find the little bird woman groaning unconscious in the snow. The light Chip sent out the call over his ear piece and a man was dispatched to inform the only Chippeqouti General left standing.

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The Ehaui doctor was not familiar with the case, but he did his best to save the half frozen woman in distressed labor. After an hour and a half in surgery, he wiped his hands and walked out into the waiting area where an entire group had insisted on staying. His eyes swept over Thomas, the Councilwoman, the idiotic Terran named Ayrn, and lastly the tall General. “The baby is alive but has a severely underdeveloped respiratory system. There is a 25% chance of survival for the next 24hours, after which the chances of life go up to 40%.”

Thomas’ jaw worked as he looked over the doctor. “And Calysta?”

“Miss Monroe was borderline hypothermic and while that served to slow the bleeding long enough to keep the baby alive, in surgery she lost a great deal more. She is very weak, and keeping her blood pressure stabilized will be key over the next 24 hours. Her agreed may see her now, but she may not stay awake long.”
 
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Tabit nearly jolted right out of her skin when she heard the weapon fire. Instantly the entire group was on high alert and they began scouring the ground until they found the reason for the shot. The Chip woman hauled Kalizda into her arms and began immediately giving orders. It was obvious that the woman didn't have time to spare. Wrapping an extra blanket from her survival pack around the pregnant and hemorrhaging woman she started back through the snow as fast as she could. A faint trail of blood soaked up by the snow trailed along behind them.

She barely reached the inside of the moonshadow with Kalizda and the Ehaui were already there with a hover bed for her and racing back with her to the main surgical unit. Standing empty handed she stared ahead almost without expression. So much had already happened. They were no under the supreme command of a different general and yet they were all having to move on despite the loss. Though some that Markus was a harsh man she liked him. From what the woman had seen he was kind enough and he cared about the people deeply. There was no questioning his devotion to the Chippequoti. Wandering blindly behind the Ehaui she joined the small gathering inside the waiting room for a few minutes. It was too much to know that this suffering was only beginning with the war and so she left the room for the time being. Perhaps she would find out in the morning what came of Kalizda

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A man stepped into the small corner that Illya had set up for himself and Rose. There wasn't much that he had for supplies just yet. They were going to be living out of the emergency shelter kit from his bag that he carried on his back during the drills. It was enough space for little rose to sleep in and Illya had already tucked her in with her little blanket and his coat. Wrapped in a larger blanket he did what he could to stay warm. Meeting the man's gaze he glanced at him. "A report?" He hadn't expected to see any of the men back so soon.

"We find Kalizda she was en da snow." The man saw the instant look of panic on the general's face. "She es in surgery now. Dere was a lot of bleeding." For an instant he couldn't tell if the general was going to move or not.

Illya was stunned to hear it. She had left the moonshadow without him? She was supposed to be on bed rest instead of running about like that. Besides she had to be hours early to read in the cave. It wasn't particularly the safest place for her to have been. At the same time a surge of guilt ran through his blood. He should have ordered someone to check the little cave just to be sure and maybe she wouldn't have been in this condition. Zipping the little tent open again Illya pulled a mostly asleep Rose out of it and carried her over to where Ehvan was helping get his family settled. Thrusting the girl into the man's arms he nodded. "Dey find Kalizda and she needs meh." That was all he dared say in front of the girl. Ehvan would understand.

The girl didn't mind Ehvan so much. He was almost like having another dad. Nestling into the man's arms she glanced back at Illya. "Don't worry Wolf." Sleepily she rubbed her little eyes and then curled into her blankets again and pulled her little curly head into his coat.

Rushing to the little hospital Illya stood inside the waiting room that had already begun to fill up with others. In a way he felt like he was going to puke. Almost holding his breath he took seat and then stood up again only a few minutes later. Illya paced for a while and then he sat down again. There was no way to be even close to comfortable when he knew that Kalizda was in surgery. It couldn't have been good and he wondered if he hadn't killed her with all this war. Maybe if he had sent someone to check the cavern or if he had known that she was there. He should have thought of it and perhaps it would have helped. After what felt like forever the Ehaui doctor stepped out of the small surgery room. Overall the Ehaui looked very serious like he was about to tell him that she had died or maybe there was something wrong with the baby after all this time?

It sounded like the prognosis was bad and the Ehaui was about to continue his information, but Illya held a hand up. "I hear da rest after I see her." She sounded like she was in rough shape and he wanted to see her first. The Ehaui could always tell him the rest of the bad news then. Walking into the little room he saw the baby hooked up with a little mask over his face and he almost looked like a little skeleton. He hadn't the time to form like he should. A nurse picked the baby up and wrapped it in a blanket. Illya held his hands out and she placed the boy into his hands. One of his hands were big enough to cover the entire baby. Holding Cypher to his chest he leaned in toward Kalizda's bed. With his extra hand he held onto hers. "Little Bird..." Illya didn't dare speak above a whisper for fear that his voice would crack. "Yah still awake?"

A voice trickled into her ears and at first the pull of sleep was almost stronger. She had heard so many voices she didn't know, all surrounding her, muttering and causing more pain, making her flinch in response. This time it was a familiar sound ...a good word....it was her. A warm , roughness touched her hand, and her little fingers curled around his slightly. "Mmm.." Her eye lids felt so heavy, but she cracked them open just a sliver to see his tan face come into view. He looked so worried and she didn't like to see it, even if she was hurting. "''Eeleeah?" the word was barely a breath.

Even if she was obviously in pain he was glad to see that she was awake. In a way he was more worried about losing her. What would he do with a baby and a little girl if he didn't have his little bird. "I'm here." Whispering again he leaned toward her and kissed Kalizda gently on top of her head. When he was far enough away from her face after the kiss he turned at an angle so she could see the baby hidden underneath his hand. "Yah called him Cypher." Taking her hand he let it rest gently on the baby's head. "Dun yah worreh. Nurses bring bottles and I here ta feed him and watch yah. I nut leaving."

Calysta closed her eyes as he kissed her hair. She remembered being worried about him, worried that he had died...the Ehaui had made her lay back and refused to answer questions when she formed them. At least she thought she said them out loud. Maybe she was talking in the wrong language or in some tongue nobody knew. The surgery had been scarier than she thought, even if she only barely aware of the doctor taking the baby away. There was no crying from him at all and the fear the baby was dead made her heart pound so hard she'd lost consciousness. Illya was speaking to her in soft whispers now though, and her heart beat was weak but steady in rhythm. He took up her hand guiding it over something so feather soft...then and titled so she could see what was in his arms. Tears began to leak from her barely open grey eyes at the sight of her minuscule boy silent in her Chips arms. "So..small...alive..." The realization made her heart monitor pick up its pace and her fingers weakly caressed the top of his fragile head. She loved him the second she saw him. "Cypher..Alive...okay...love you." He was alive and relief like no other flooded over her making the pull to sleep even stronger now. Even if she didn't wake up, her baby was alive and with his father as it should be. "Stay.." she managed to nod before her eyes started to flutter. Fighting the sleep was so hard, but she kept her finger tips on the top her Cypher's tiny head, stroking it weakly.

"I stay here." Illya repeated himself and he leaned closer so that she wouldn't have to strain so much to reach the boy's head. Inside he was almost ready to break into pieces. His father was dead, agreed weak and barely holding on and now his son was likely going to die too. He needed to be here with them even if it was just to hold onto Cypher while he struggled to breathe. The baby didn't even have the strength to cry. Occasionally he could feel the boy's chest heave several times as if he was struggling even with the little mask over his face.

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

After Kalizda fell asleep Illya remained in the room. He sat on a little chair that wasn't all that comfortable, but he needed some rest. Eventually a nurse came in and set up a little cot. She saw that he was still holding the baby. So far the monitors had shown that the baby was far more calm being held. Most of them were because they had been used to living in close proximity with their mother and being in the center of anything that went on with their mother. So long as the woman felt safe with her man the baby would often respond favorably to the father figure and even take comfort in being held by their father. "General." The Ehaui woman gently shook his shoulder. "I set up a cot for you and the doctor wanted to come in and give you the rest of the news."

"Oh." Illya took a deep breath and tried to appear a little more awake. He hadn't remembered dozing off like that. His head was about ready to explode and he remembered getting hit in the head with a rock or chunk of metal. Probably something he should have looked at, but he wanted to get into the bed and then he could talk with the doctor.

Since he wasn't so sure about sleeping with the baby on his chest Illya set Cypher back into his little hospital crib and then sat on the edge of the cot to wait for the doctor to come in. The doctor shuffled into the room looking almost as tired as Illya felt and the man took a seat on the cot next to Illya. "We found internal hemorrhaging and significant tearing. She lost quite a bit of blood and if it wasn't for the bone surgery she would have died. Right now we need to keep her stable for the next 24 hours as I told you before. That means no excitement of any kind. You'll have to stay calm and don't say anything that might upset her. I'm not letting anyone else in to see her until I know that she's in a stable condition. Studying the general for a moment then the doctor pulled a pad out of his lab coat. "Use this to keep track of all communications for the units. One of your men sent it in. They are waiting for further orders." There was no need to reiterate the danger that the baby was in. No one really expected that it would survive with such a low chance.

Numbly Illya nodded and just wished that the doctor would go and leave him alone. He wanted to have a little time to himself. Illya needed to have enough rest that he could have the energy to deal with tomorrow. More than likely he would wake up to a dead baby and a quickly deteriorating agreed. Curling under the blankets of the cot he turned the pad on.

They had finally rounded up and made a count of how many were still missing. At least 10 of them that burned the bodies knew the count of the dead and it left them with a total of 2 missing persons since Kalizda was found. Ehvan wasn't quite ready to take over the Elite and Illya wasn't ready to take over the entire Chippequoti Army. He couldn't do it all and he was already starting to feel the pressure. Tomorrow the Elders wanted to have a meeting to determine what sort of plans that Illya had come up with to defend the people. He didn't know, but he would have to by morning.

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

Part way through the night monitors started to ring and Illya woke up. A nurse was by Kalizda administering more medication to keep her hearbeat steady and the baby was still struggling for every breath. It was impossible to sleep like this and Illya decided instead to stand near the crib for a few minutes. Gently he rested his hand over the baby and it seemed to help soothe the little fellow for long enough that his monitors slowed down. Kalizda barely appeared conscious, but she was muttering something that he didn't understand. Making sure that he wasn't going to be in the way Illya looked to the nurse first and then he took Kalizda's hand. "I'm still here eh?" When morning finally came he turned over in the cot and plucked the pad from the ground. He must have tossed it overboard at some point though he didn't know when.

With a groan he rolled to the edge of the cot and sat up. Illya took the pad in one hand and then stopped to kiss Kalizda on the lips very gently. "I be back in a little while." As he was passing the little crib he rested a hand on the baby. They were only about half way through their 24 hour period and he hoped that they would both still be there when he got back.

Like Illya had expected the elders were all gathered around with worried faces. There wasn't a Chip that hadn't been worried about this. "What do you expect to do with this development? Chippequoti have never run with only two generals for any major war."

Illya took a deep breath and sighed. "Then I share leadership with Ehud and Ehvan. Three of us will make a better choice than just one of us making the decisions to protect all the Chippequoti." That answer seemed to please them well enough and Illya sat down to listen to the other various arguing from the elders before they posed the next question. Squinting at them he half slurred and answer and excused himself. Illya didn't feel right and he thought if he stood up it might help.

Before the general reached the larger common room of the moonshadow he slipped and groped almost blindly at the small doorway. Muttering in comprehensible words he tried to stand again, but instead slumped over and lay on the ground helplessly as his muscles began to contract and his vocal cords tightened with it. A short cry sounded from the contraction in his vocal cords and then he began to convulse. Yvonne stood up and rushed over to where he was at to try and move things out of the way. All of the elders watched from their places. They intended to let the seizure run its course. There could have been any number of reasons for it as they were not sure if it was the result of illness or severe stress. It was obvious that he was under enough pressure. A brief report from Yvonne on the last known condition of his family had given the Elders a little more grace and they already knew what they were going to do with him if he would take their advice.

When the two minute mark neared and there wasn't any settling Yvonne ran to the Ehuai. Arriving breathless she rushed into the supply section. "He's seizing and it won't stop." The Ehuai already knew who she was talking about. They had put an implant in his brain as a child to stop the majority of the serious seizures. One of them handed her a bottle and a shot. Along side the medicine he handed her a little scanner to run over Illya's head to ensure that the implant was indeed working to minimize the seizure. If it was needing replaced it would be surprising since they had given him a new one with the last brain surgery.

Yvonne raced back to see Illya was still struggling and seizing on the ground. Sometimes a tiny ring of color would show in his eyes and then he would tense again. Forcing his mouth open she poured the medicine in and waited for a minute. Gradually he started to come out of it while she was scanning over his head. Stepping into the little building she nodded to the elders. "You will have to speak with him later. He will need rest now."

Almost two hours later Illya woke up in the hospital room. He was confused about how he got there, but he remembered the constant bleep. Suddenly his heart began to race and he scrambled out of the cot to check on Kalizda and the baby. A sigh of relief sounded when he saw that they were both still alive. Yvonne was sitting quietly in the room and she looked over at him. "I fed Cypher a little bit of milk and I brought the Elder's proposal. They agree to allow you to continue where you are with your unit and to see you make decisions jointly with Ehvan. The Elders would like to advise that you split the Elite Forces and leave half of them here with Ehvan and take yourself and the other half abroad to other planets. We need to expand out influence and train resistance fighters if we are to gain ground in this war."

The proposition from the Elders was more than reasonable and Illya nodded. He was still a little confused about how he got here, but based on how tired he felt he assumed that he had a seizure and probably a big one. "Implant still working?"

Yvonne nodded and she returned with her own question. "When will you leave?"

"As soon as Kalizda is able to travel and when Cypher recovers." Illya knew it was wishful thinking, but they were within 6 hours of the baby having a 40% chance of survival. If he could make it that long then maybe he would make it after all.
 
Thomas sat on the hard chairs in the waiting room with his head in hands. Calysta was in one of those back rooms with Illya. So many thoughts circled his head it felt like they might burst out of his ears. Would his daughter be alright? He had a grandson…a grandson that would in all likelihood not survive the night. What could he do when his little girl was hurting? Like so many long nights before this one, Thomas stayed in his seat and whispered prayers. He had wanted to go back there too, but the Ehaui wouldn’t allow it. There was nothing to be done by him except to pray to God that his beautiful daughter lived and that his grandson become a miracle. Muttering the words of thanks and praise into his hands, he felt a warm hand slide over his shoulder. Glancing up, he saw Henaiah looking down at him with her hazel eyes softer than before. Her hand rubbed his back gently as she sat beside him silently. She knew there was nothing to be said, and she wasn’t a Christian, but he still found comfort in the gesture. One of his hands inched up to his shoulder and captured up her hand.
“Henny…”

She kissed his cheek and kept rubbing his back with her palm, making gentle circles as they sat watch together. “I’m here, Thomas. I’m not going anywhere this time.”

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Henaiah stayed with Thomas all night, only leaving his side once to return to their tent for coffee. He drank the stuff like it was water and while she didn’t care for it, Thomas would find it soothing to have a cup. When she returned with a mug for him, he took a few swigs of the strong liquid and then abandoned the cup altogether in favor of more prayer. She didn’t understand his God, but he believed in it firmly, and carried his hopes with his Lord. If it gave him more peace than a cup of dark roast then she was glad he had something to believe in.

The night passed slowly into day and she received a message that the Elder’s would be convening soon on the matter of what to do with Markus’ death. Though Henaiah had found the older General unyielding, she did hold him in high regard. It had been sad to learn that he was killed at the last moon shadow and she couldn’t begin to imagine the pain his son was enduring right now. Still, the Elders insisted on meeting and she along with the general were obligated to attend.
As morning came, Henaiah left Thomas in the waiting room to attend the meeting. Thankfully, Chippeqoti meetings were usually short. It felt a little wrong to be pulling Illya away from Calysta at this time, but something had to be done. She had no idea if Markus’ position would be filled by his son or not and they had to recover from the loss as quickly as possible.

The meeting went as she thought, except the fit Illya had experienced. When he fell with a small cry into a horrible seizure none of the Elders moved an inch, trying to let it pass. Only his mother went for help after the fit wouldn’t stop, leaving the man writhing on the floor in pain. Henaiah had started to move toward him, but Edgar stopped her with a shake of his head. There was nothing she could do for the man anyways. Getting close only mean possibly getting hit by one of his heavy limbs. It was still a sickening sight. Had the man’s brain brought this on? Or was it a natural response to the stress? She couldn’t imagine the strain he was under with Calysta, his newborn son, and the entire Chippeqouti people looking at him. As the fit finally ended and Illya was helped away toward the hospital, Henaiah listened to the rest of the meeting without him along side Yvonne. That woman had a strength of a different kind and it was a marvel she wasn’t on the floor, sick from her loss too.

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Henaiah went to check on Thomas after the meeting and found him crouched over with his head in hands again. “Thomas?” He didn’t reply but she realized that his chest was falling in the steady rhythm of sleep. He’d been up all night at his prayers and his body had finally given in while he spoke. Crossing the room, the council woman knelt in front of her husband and cupped the sides of his cheeks. He jumped immediately and sat up with wild eyes looking around the room, until they settled on Henaiah.

Wiping at his face to clear the grogginess, Thomas looked to his wife. “Did something happen? Calysta? Baby?”

Henaiah shook her head. “No, no. They are fine. You just fell asleep. Why don’t you lay down on the chairs? I’ll bring you a blanket from home, hm?”

“I’m awake,” he said, “I’ve done many of these nights before.”

She sighed and shook her head, not wanting to point out the fact that he had been a bit younger then. Still, she knew he wasn’t going to move from that spot until his daughter was at least out of danger. “Just stay here.”

Henaiah returned to the tent and retrieved a blanket, pillow, and the left over bread from their breakfast the other morning. She could cook something later, but Thomas hadn’t eaten anything since the day before and he would need to have a little something. When she came back, Thomas was laid down across three of the fold up chairs on his side snoring slightly. Shaking her head, Henaiah slipped a pillow under his head and covered him with the blanket. He had always been devoted to his daughter, and it had been one of the things that driven her crazy, but also one of the things she found endearing about him. His family was what he loved most and it was a rare thing to find. Slipping off his glasses, she folded them and set them to the side before settling into a chair herself and bringing out her info pad. With the Elders decision rendered, she had some work to do to aid the young General in his task.

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

After another long day in the waiting room with Thomas, Henaiah retreated to their tent for awhile to bathe and change clothes. The baby had lived past the 24 hour mark by what Thomas called a mercy of God. Calysta was still borderlining but the doctor had informed them her blood pressure was beginning to stabilize finally. With some sort of good news, Henaiah had deemed it safe to exit for awhile and to invite the General to a meeting with her. Chippeqouti always move fast and if you didn’t speak up, they assumed what they wanted and moved on. It was imperative that she did not let that happen for the next stage in the war.

Henaiah smoothed down her flowing pants as she sat on her small folding chair at the makeshift desk. Across from her stood the young Chippeqouti General with tired look in his eye. Having been present at the Elders meeting regarding their next step in the war, she knew he had every right to be. He would rather be with his wife and newborn son. However, the Elders had ordered him to travel and there were some important developments since the catastrophe on Uria and his memory loss. "Have a seat, General," she said in traders tongue ,"I promise to not keep you long, but given your new assignment, there are a few things you should know about the state of the Alliance."

To say that he was tired was an understatement. Illya was exhausted since the seizure. His muscles hurt and he didn't really want to talk with anyone else. However, there wasn't much choice when someone as important as Henaiah asked for a conference and he was technically the final say on the military issues even if he shared some duties with Ehvan and Ehud. "T-thank yah." Gingerly perching on the edge of a seat he sighed and looked over at her. "I'm ready."

"I'm not entirely sure how much you remember or how much the..elder General briefed you on, but after the incident in the Urian Capital, I have made a great effort to reach out to those in the Alliance. I wanted them to see what the Federation had done, not once but twice. Uria remains in a state of flux politically. Divided by the matriarchs on some have been in the pockets of the Federation for a long time, knowingly or unknowingly. Sarai has gathered those matriarchs loyal to the Alliance and currently has control of the military forces here largely, largely due to her husbands influence. Reylia, of course remains loyal and has forces as does Ori'l with their fleet, however its resources are divided at holding ground in G'koe against the Cirellants. Those will be safe places for you to go. Yuria remains neutral but there is presence of boths sides brewing, Ewen has declared for the Federation, pressured by trade blocks, Aerikta also has declared for the Federation officially, though some resistance still remains on the decison." She paused to see if Illya was following so far.

While it was tempting to simply put in the effort on areas of reistance Illya knew that it would come in time. Part of him wanted to go get that little hologram from Kalizda and start to mark down the planets that she was talking about. "Aye..." Nodding slowly he waited for her to continue. "So yah already chart out what yah tink will get us most support eh?"

"There has also been a fair amount of support from the Pyrtan continent on Kaereal, however the Kinte continent remains divided as it is the poltical hub on the planet." A small feeling sadness tinged at the Councilwoman's eyes when she thought of Kinte. It had been the source of the Alliance for generations and now it stood as a political hot bed. Henaiah nodded to Illya and then picked up a hologram coin from her desk. Clicking it on it displayed the image of a man with dark, curly hair pale skin and trimmed beard. "I think you should start on Pyrta. They are a farming continent but the people there are resilient and loyal. They will be a strong hold on Kaereal as well heavily supplied with resources. I have already made contact with a man who can who will head any resistance on the continent. Fayn Trelen. There's a full report on him, I will give you, additionally, Calsyta will know him. An easier area to gain control of and bring back into the Alliance if done right. The rest of the areas are listed in order." Pausing, she took a moment to change the image. "Under no circumstances, are you to go to Terra."

At first Illya blinked when she gave the final order. Why would he not go to Terra. It seemed there was some sort of story to be told there and he wasn't entirely sure what it was. "Yah say nevah Terra. Why?" Not that he wanted to go there, but there was a sort of curiosity. He was still trying to learn what his reputation had been with all these people that he didn't really know. So far Kalizda was the only one that he really liked getting to know whom he had not previously known. Carrot was alright, but he seemed to be strange and he watched them like a hawk. This woman was practically trying to tell him how to do his job and he didn't like that, but she was a good source of information.

There was a hint of curiosity in his voice and Henaiah had to remind herself that Illya had very little memory again. This was going to be hard enough and if he was going to do this resistance, he would need Calysta's help now more than ever. "Last time there was Chippeqouti on Terra, he was arrested for rioting, and then broke into a prison, setting loose hundreds of criminals into a large city trying to get his wife back," she replied, "You caused quite a stir in an already explosive situation on Terra. Chippeqouti are deeply feared by most on Terra and the Federation is using it to the advantage. It took everything I had to keep the President of Terra to keep from succeeding from the Alliance altogether when Uria was attacked and his whole planet remains a poltical hotbed. The President's condition was that no Chippeqouti are dispatched to Terra. To do so might cause rebellion."

While he listened to the story it was tempting to laugh. He knew that he shouldn't, but Illya knew that it would be a bad idea to. Somehow it sounded like something he would do and it was only confirmed when the councilwoman said so. "Den I will stay away from dis place. Tink maybe I dun like et dere ef dey cause so much trouble for meh anyway." Despit his best efforts Illya was still smirking slightly. Setting hundreds of criminals loose. It must have been a pretty serious infraction.

Henaiah let a hint of a smile flicker to her lips. The man was obviously still the same one she had dealt with several occasions, brain surgery or not. He had continuously surprised her since the Chippeqotui had come into her life and they would need his ingenuity and charisma without a doubt. "I do have one last piece of advice. Remember your allies and call on them when you need. And keep an open mind. We'll need all the help we can get. If you listen to Calysta and take action when necessary. We will be successful." Clicking off the hologram coin she nodded to the info pad in his hand. "I've already sent you the file for review. On a more personal note, I am sorry...for your loss, but also happy for your son. Your family is a strong one but they do need you. Go, see them and if there is anything I can do, please don't hesitate to call on me."

In many ways the woman was slightly less than helpful. At the same time Illya knew that she was only trying to impart to him a little bit of advice. "Meh Kalizda es good at reminding meh of dah allies." The Chippequoti had fought alone for so long that he wasn't always sure that it was an immediate response for them to turn to others for help. Some whose ancestors might have tried to destroy his people at one time. He grew quiet when she tried to offer the condolences. For a long moment he stared at her and tried to decide if she knew the custom, or not. Considering she was an ally he assumed that she must not know the custom and he wasn't willing to break it with her. Kalizda was typically the exception and so in this case he would inform the woman so she would not make the same mistake. "Chippequoti do not speak of dead or dose lost to us. Et es nut custom to give sorrow."

Henaiah listened to Illya, watching his expression. She could see him thinking behind those bright eyes. When he told her about the custom, the Councilwoman gave him a respectful nod. "My apologies then, I was unaware of that custom. It is different from Kaerelean culture who grieve the dead in a different way," she said. In a way it was a little sad that Illya could not take condolences from others as part of his custom. To bear the pain of loss alone is unthinkable in Kaerelean culture and he was sure to run into the idea again. "Others may say the same or bring you food in following a death in the family. That's the Kaerelean way. They won't know your custom but I will tell them."

"Et es better dat dey do nut remind meh. I must work and do as meh people need. Chippequoti cannot let circumstances take dem away from performance. Meh people look to meh ta protect dem." Among his own family they would probably try to quietly deal with the issue. In private he could do a little more to express his grief, but it was not an external process as the Kaerelean's seemed to think. There was a hint of concern on her face and he raised an eyebrow. "Dun worreh, meh work will nut suffer eh? I take time ta mehself ta grieve in meh own way."

Henaiah nodded in approval at his words. If it was his custom, then she would respect it. The portion about his work suffering made her raise a brow at the man. "I didn't expect that it would, General. You always remain professional, even when I danced with you at your wedding. Take the time you need though. It's been a long 48 hours."

Carefully he nodded and Illya stood. "Tank yah for dah confidence." The woman had been at least semi understanding of the circumstance. Since it seemed this was the dismissal he decided to confirm before leaving. "Den I excuse mehself."

******************
Calysta could hear Illya’s voice cutting through the fog of medicine and pain induced sleep. She knew the edge in his voice well, slightly low and grumbling. He had just woken up and he was still very worried. Her mind faded in and out of consciousness and at one point she felt his warm hand cover hers. She wanted to move and take his hand In hers, to tell him everything was okay and not to worry, but her body simply wouldn’t obey the simplest of tasks. It was hurting, sore, and exhausted. A few times the pain arched through and her heart would pound hard, making all the world a throbbing beat which was stopped by the nurse.

Whatever time had passed, she wasn’t sure, but his voice returned with another and her brow furrowed. The conversation was in hushed Qouti but she couldn’t hear. They sounded so far away and eventually whoever was talking left her with Illya.. Her baby was there somewhere but he was silent and it scared her. She wanted to hold him close and love him even if his time was short. The swimming thought made Calysta’s eyes crack open and the blurry image of her Chip come into view. He was sitting on a cot in the corner, but she couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. “Eeleah?” His name came out a croak.

His green eyes focused on her and he came to her looking worried. With a little hand lifting up, she searched for his hand. “Can I…hold him?” She couldn’t get up to get Cypher and needed help in case she fell asleep. "Don't..worry..yeah? Rest...with us awhile."

***********
It had been 4 days and Ayrn sat in the corner of the waiting room like the rest of them. When he had heard Calysta was hurt, mostly because he roamed around the area of Tabit’s tent most days, he had come to see her. She a friend of sorts after all and that’s what Terrans. Did they kept watch and stayed close to friends that were sick when they could. The Chippeqouti didn’t seem to think of it that way, but he wasn’t a Chip so is wasn’t like that rule applied. He hadn’t even known Calysta was pregnant, which he guessed was the reason Illya had taken to ignoring his last message months ago about his next assignment. He felt bad for the guy. If anything he loved his Captain and she would be lucky if she didn’t die. Not mention he had been running around trying to deal with the collapse of the other moon shadow.

As the Chip came into the waiting room again, Ayrn sat up and called out to him. “Hey, Illya. How’s she doing?”

The direct question caught the other’s in the room off guard. Thomas’ eyes opened and the silent man in uniform that had entered a little while ago, sat up and unfolded his arms. He looked as if he would spring into action if the General told him to, but Ayrn ignored the weird one and tilted his bearded chin at the Chip. “We’re worried too y’know.”

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

President Beck sat behind his desk watching the news feed on his hologram coin in a bit of disbelief. He had already prepared for his re-election carefully with advisors and strategists from every corner of the globe, but with the way things were looking, the effort would be for nothing. A fair haired man with a reddish beard, sporting a perfectly tailored blue suit was smiling and waving on the screen. William Yarbrough’s announcement that he would be putting his name in the running for the next presidency. They’d had movie stars, generals, and corporate men of all types run for the office but this was the first time he had seen a self pro-claimed businessman and philanthropist gain such a following. One strong enough to propel him right into the chair Beck was sitting in at that very moment. Cameras flashed and the budding politician gave a pearly, yet charming smile to the cameras. “Today is the day we do what is best for Terra and Terrans alike,” he said, with a sincere tone that every politician knew, “I can’t promise to be perfect, but I can promise to make decisions to put our planet and its colonies first.”
 
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